#310 Kingdom: The Priesthood of Life
Heb 7:14] For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. [15] And this is clearer still, if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, [16] who has become such not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life. [17] For it is witnessed of Him, “THOU ART A PRIEST FOREVER ACCORDING TO THE ORDER OF MELCHIZEDEK.”
The New Covenant Priesthood is so radically different from the Old Testament priesthood after the order of Aaron that the similarity is only between the shadow and the reality. Since the priesthood after the order of Aaron has been terminated at Calvary and now the original and eternal Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek has been restored, it IS the only priesthood available to us. Since we have ALL been called to become a Kingdom of Priests it must be after the order of Melchizedek and NOT after the order of Aaron.
The radical difference between these two distinct priesthoods is that the priesthood after the order of Aaron could not impart “Life” (Zoe)
Gal 3: 21] Is the Law then contrary to the promises of God? May it never be! For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law.
The Law of Moses could not produce experiential righteousness because it could not impart the Life of God to the believer. In fact none of the provision of the Old Covenant could impart “Life” so nothing from the Old Covenant could bring anyone to perfection.
Heb 7:11 Now if perfection was through the Levitical priesthood (for on the basis of it the people received the Law), what further need was there for another priest to arise according to the order of Melchizedek, and not be designated according to the order of Aaron?
There is a definite correlation between the “Life of God” in the believer and going on to perfection. “Perfection” without “His Life” is impossible. Then “His Life-Zoe” in us is the radical difference between the Old Covenant and the New Covenant. If we ignore the “Zoe- Life” we are actually living by the “natural life” of the Old Covenant but attempting to adhere to the precepts of the New Covenant. This deception is the hallmark of “Christian Religion.” We declare the principles of Bible Christianity but deny or ignore the “power of the indestructible Life.”
We have been speculating for a few years now that the radical difference between the Outer Court Ministries and the Holy Place Ministries is in this dimension of “His Life- Zoe.” Christ in us is our hope of Glory but Christ is in us by His Zoe Life. The Spirit of Christ IS the Life of Christ. He who has the Son has Life (Zoe) and He who does not have the Son does not have Life (Zoe). (This is always true even if the believer believes everything about the Son and adheres to the doctrines of the church.)
John 1: 4] In Him was life (Zoe), and the life (Zoe) was the light of men. John 1:9 There was the true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.
The “Light” that illuminates us on the inside is “His Zoe Life.”
1 John 5:11] And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life (Zoe), and this life (Zoe) is in His Son. [12] He who has the Son has the life (Zoe); he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life (Zoe).
If this uncreated “Zoe- Life” of God is not in us we are without “Light” and even though we hold to the tenants of Christianity we are NOT true Christians. The frightening thing is that of all the multitudes that “accept Jesus as their personal Savior” there are but a few that find “His Zoe Life.”
Mat 7:13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and many are those who enter by it. [14] “For the gate is small, and the way is narrow that leads to life (Zoe), and few are those who find it.
The word indicating “His Uncreated, Eternal Life” is Zoe and is used 120 times in the New Testament with 33 times in the Book of John. The contrast is with “psuche life” (or the “natural life” that every living being has) and the more rare “Zoe Life” that is ONLY available to us in Christ Jesus. To arrive at this uncreated Life of God (Zoe) that IS in Christ Jesus is a very narrow way and the multitudes will not find it. Multitudes can find a church but few will find His Life.
Our theory is that the Holy Place Life and ministry is wholly out of His Zoe Life and does not depend upon education of intellectual ability. The Consecration Offering is the traumatic process where we commit our “psuche life” to the fire of sacrifice and relegate it to a servant position within us rather than as the master of our life and ministry. When we present our bodies to God as “Living (Zao) sacrifices” it does not imply that our “psuche- life) is dead but that our function before God is out of the resurrection Life of Christ in us. [Christ who IS our Life- Zoe]
Be NOT conformed to this ungodly world, but experience such a spiritual transformation that makes the whole spiritual life NEW. That is to receive from God a different kind of Life all together that is new to us in its origins, motives and desires. This NEW LIFE has nothing at all in common with those of the world who posses the old natural life. This NEW LIFE is completely unattainable except by receiving the Resurrection Life of Christ abiding in us. It is ONLY through the power of this INNER LIFE (ZOE) that we can discern the will of God. That means that we may prove “experimentally”, or “learn by proof” what the will of God is for us personally.
If we really could grasp this “absolute of His Life Zoe” we might understand that much guidance by the Holy Spirit is within the vitality of His Life Zoe in us.
vitality >noun is the state of being strong and active. It is the power giving continuance of life that must be present in all Christian living.
It other words this Zoe Life is not just something we receive as a gift but something that we receive as our new Life and that we actually “live by” daily. It becomes the evidence of the Christian Experience. We could say that His Life in us produces the “vital signs of Christianity” to others.
Living by His Life is in contrast with trying to be led by the Holy Spirit by exercising our mind to discern spiritual things. Our mind / soul / psuche is generally corrupted by our own will, traditions, religious belief and carnal desires. We may THINK that God has said something that agrees with what we want. This is also experienced by praying with the mind. While that is not wrong it is of an entirely different dimension than praying in the Spirit. By application we could say that Incense Prayer cannot be by the mind / soul / psuche but only in 100% spiritual light / Life of the Lampstand.
The dramatic difference between ministering or praying or prophesying by the natural life / light of the Outer Court and the 100% Spiritual Light / Life of the Holy Place is the practical definition of the New Covenant Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. This defines the difference between the priesthood after the order of Aaron and the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. The Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek is after the “POWER OF AN INDESTRUCTIBLE LIFE.” {indissoluble [Greek akatalutou (NT:179)] life.}
If we are to become a Kingdom of priests or Kings and Priests this can ONLY be after the order of Melchizedek ( who is a King / Priest) which is after the “Power of a Indissoluble Life.”
Therefore, this Eternal Priesthood cannot contain a mixture of natural life and Eternal Life Zoe. One or the other must be forsaken. My theory is that it is essential to the Holy Place ministry that we lay down the psuche so we can find the Zoe. Holding on to the “dominion of the psuche” will result in a great disappointment in eternity. Holding on to the dominion of the psuche will prevent us from finding the dominion of the Zoe. In other words we are not speaking of the non-existence of the soul but the laying aside of its primary and sovereign function within us. Surrendering that primary and sovereign function to our new spirit / new Life is the goal of the Consecration Offering.
John 12:24] “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains by itself alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. [25] “He who loves his life (psuche) loses it; and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world shall keep it to life (Zoe) eternal.
“A grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies”, is directly related with this psuche life and is not specifically speaking about Calvary even though “the Son of man being glorified” is within the context. We may certainly make that application. However, we could say that whatever life came from the earth must be left on the earth because it has no place in the New Jerusalem or in the purpose of God. The Book of Life, the Tree of Life, the Water of Life, the Spirit of Life all refer to the Zoe Life and are related to the New Jerusalem. This natural life that we are so comfortable living by here on earth has no function in the eternal realms so it is lost to those realms.
Possibly, the “psuche life” may have some relationship to the New Earth or New Heaven but that is certainly not our calling. There is very little evidence that the Old Covenant saints possessed this Zoe Life of God but that the impartation of this “LIFE” is a New Covenant experience. Of course that may be too subjective to use as “doctrine.”
Since the Pure Gold Lampstand has no wood, it is reasonable to assume that the natural light / natural life / natural mind / natural thought psuche has no place in it. Unless it is clearly preached that this natural life (psuche) is no asset but can be a great liability, few will see any benefit of laying it down. That means giving it a subservient role in our life. Still, hating this life psuche will certainly require some revelation of the superior Life Zoe and its eternal necessity.
The revelation of this “fact” that the psuche must be laid down before we can effectively find the Zoe must be seen in the context of the soul. He is certainly not advocating the elimination of the soul but the soul’s attachment to the natural things upon this earth that must remain here when we leave. It seems obvious that the soul can live and function either by the psuche OR by the Zoe. If we set our “mind” on things below we immediately gravitate toward earthly things. If we set our mind on things above we gravitate toward heavenly things.
Col 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. [2] Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. [3] For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. [4] When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.
To be conformed to the image of the Son of God may require the further “cleansing” by the washing of water with the Word to deal with the “defilement of the psuche life.” For example; If the soul / mind/ psuche were effectively cleansed until it became “renewed” could it still be used in the work of God? If the soul was subservient to the spirit rather than its master would it then be acceptable? What makes the soul unacceptable in the Holy Place Life and ministry is its attraction to earthly things and trying to introduce the earthly into the ministry to God. If the soul was separated and isolated (sanctified) from its attraction to the natural, earthly things it would be a great asset to the spirit in ministering to God.
1Thes 5:23 Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
If the traditions, the religious culture, the man made programs, and carnal interpretations of scripture are the product of this psuche life and results in “religious speeches” then it is surely irrelevant to the Life of the Lampstand Church. However, the sanctification of the soul (minus the psuche) is essential for our preparation for the coming of the Lord.
It seems to be the ultimate goal of the Christian Life to hear, to speak, to live, to think out of the spiritual man rather than out of the mind / soul / brain / psuche of the natural man. If ALL spiritual or Priesthood ministry BEGINS in the Holy Place it seems evident that the natural man and all his “power” must be left behind in the Outer Court. The “Power” of the Holy Place is by this “indestructible Life” of the New Testament Priesthood. In other words, the mind / soul / brain / thoughts / will / emotions of the new spiritual man is necessary in eternity. We could call this the “renewed soul” or the “renewed mind.”
It appears that the “renewing of the mind”in Romans 12 is NOT the removing of the mind / soul / life / psuche but a redefining of its function in the New Testament Priesthood. Still, there IS a death connected with the natural mind. Maybe not dead, dead but functioning in such a higher, superior and different plane as to be redirected to heavenly things but functionally dead to earthly things.
If this old self ( earthly mind / soul / life / psuche) is preserved it becomes our own “spiritual identity” and the fortress of religious thought. Even though it is NOT spiritual and cannot be spiritual this “old self” assumes its own “spiritual identity” which is manifested as “religion.” Even though this is the hypocrisy of religion, in most cases the person is ignorant of the possibility of escaping its bondage. It is my opinion that this revelation will require the gospel of the Kingdom preached out from the 100% spiritual Light / Life / Love / Truth of the Holy Place to break through the mental block [the fortress] of the natural mind. The popular theology of the present time has not been successful in breaking down the “high places” of natural thought either in the pulpit or in the pew.
It seems clear enough that the inflexible “religious systems” with their “cultural traditions” and “carnal programs” are functioning out of the un-renewed mind and form an intellectual religion that lacks His Life as its source. These “systems” are far removed from the Priesthood after the order of Melchizedek which is according to the power of an indestructible Life.
God is Spirit and He is NOT soul! Soul is the natural life of man. The first man became a living soul, the second man became a life giving Spirit. The difference between a descendant of the first Adam and a descendant of the Last Adam is the difference between soul and spirit.
Adam was a living soul so he had “life” but he still must eat from the Tree of Life to have the Zoe--Life of God. This would not “remove” the soul but sanctify and redirect it for God’s purpose. Even though there are multitudes of “living souls” in the church pews, that is NOT God’s plan. These can never become a Kingdom of Priests after the order of Melchizedek because this New Covenant priesthood is after the power of an indestructible Life. This priesthood doesn’t function in the soul but out of His Life / Light / Truth / Love / Spirit. This priesthood functions out of what God IS and not out of what He GIVES. The Outer Court functions within the anointing and the gifts and what God provides but the Holy Place functions out of His Life which includes what He, Himself IS. This priesthood then functions as Christ in us, ministering His Life through us. Obviously, “I no longer live” is the step before the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. In other words the Consecration Offering must precede the Holy Place Life and ministry. It seems clear that God has no desire to eliminate our soul but to bring it into submission to His higher Life- Zoe.
The question then concerning the Showbread in the Holy Place Life is this; Do we eat this Showbread in the body, in the soul or in the spirit? This is a Spiritual Bread that can only be ingested by the new developed and matured spirit of man that is living by His Life. In other words the Showbread is NOT for intellectual enlightenment but to feed and enlighten every priest who ingests it into his spirit. This IS the rhema or now word or current word, the spoken word from God that is not heard in the outward ears but is discerned in the spirit.
When the Word of the Kingdom is preached from this source it will penetrate into the heart / spirit of those who have spiritual ears that can hear and possess a spiritual heart to understand. Everyone else hears the words as parables and dark sayings with confusing applications that is difficult to fit into the natural mind.
In the realm of the Holy Place Life and ministry, the anointing is of a different dimension than gifts and gift ministries. We may minister the gifts out of a soul realm and even by natural light. However, in the Holy Place there is no natural light so the soul is helpless to function within the natural realm. The soul must begin to function in this wholly spiritual realm that has never been “normal” for the soul before. It is in this realm that the anointing begins to teach us.
1 John 2: 27] And as for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him.
This anointing abides in us as we abide in Christ and as He, the Holy Spirit, abides in us He teaches us “about all things.” However, this teaching is within us and the instruction is within our spirit where He abides. Of course if our spirit has not grown it will be incapable of receiving instruction. If our spirit is still subservient to the soul, the soul may misinterpret the teaching or mis-apply the teaching or even corrupt the teaching. In fact Paul said the natural man cannot receive spiritual teaching because it is foolishness to him.
The testimony of several of us is that we have labored year after year in the soul trying to obtain a spiritual result by teaching and preaching but have been disappointed when there has been very little fruit. Trying to serve God and people out of the intellect has been frustrating at the very best. We have determined that the “wisdom from above” cannot be received in the soul of man as more information to add to all the facts that we have accumulated.
The wisdom from above is just not available to Outer Court Christians because it is not for the soul but for the spirit. Therefore, underdeveloped spirits have no capacity to comprehend spiritual truths. In other words to receive spiritual wisdom or revelation we must have a spiritual receptacle adequate to contain it.
1Cor 2:6 Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; [7] but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God predestined before the ages to our glory; [8] the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; [9] but just as it is written, “THINGS which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, AND which HAVE not entered the heart of man, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.” 1Cor 2:10 For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God. [11] For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man, which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. [12] Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God, [13] which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. [14] But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. [15] But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no man. [16] For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE SHOULD INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind ( Gk. nous) of Christ.
It is abundantly clear from these scriptures that the soulish person or the natural man or the spiritually immature are locked out of this realm of being taught by the Holy Spirit. God has NOT locked them out of this realm (and neither is He a respecter of persons) but the ones who cannot grow or will not grow or who have no opportunity to grow lock themselves out of this realm.
In these 10 verses in 1 Corinthians 2 there is concealed the basic revelation of the Holy Place realms and the reason there MUST be a reversal of the roles of the soul and the spirit in our lives. The “natural man” that has his soul attached to this earth will always be ignorant of these “Sanctuary Truths” because he has no capacity to receive them. Eternal things cannot be discovered by the “natural man” because they are hidden from him. Not because God does not want to reveal them but because the natural man cannot accept them because they are of a different realm beyond his comprehension. However, the spiritual man is comfortable in these realms and can be taught by the Holy Spirit and kept up to date in the Word of the Lord.
When we step into this next dimension, through the Veil of Truth, the Priesthood Ministry after the Order of Melchizedek will be of a totally different quality from what we see today. The Outer Court Ministries will originate in the Holy Place and will deliver the “rhema” and the revelation of the Showbread by the Illumination / Light / Life of the Lampstand and share with the authority of the Altar of Incense. This Priesthood will stand in the circle of God’s absolute Sovereignty at the Altar of Incense and deliver the Word of The Kingdom to all who will hear.
Of course all this “hype” will just be foolishness to the natural man because he has no capacity to understand spiritual things. Even though the natural man cannot appraise these things because he has no standard by which to measure them, he will still be quick to judge them.
It seems clear that what Paul was writing in 1 Corinthians 2 is part of the Third Heaven Experience that he was not permitted to reveal at that time but is revealed a little here and there.
There is a “mind of the flesh” and a “mind of the spirit” which IS the “mind (nous) of Christ”. The “thoughts of God” are available to us by the Spirit. This is so incredible that it hardly fits into our thoughts. God’s plan is for us to “freely know the things given to us by God” but these things are only discerned in our spirit. Trying to “discern these things in the soul” is what leads to weird “messages.” In other words, the Holy Place Life and Ministry to God will open up realms of revelation and understanding that would appear to be impossible today.
The Showbread is also called the “Bread of His Presence” and the “Bread of His Face.” It is also the “Bread for Eating.” These other words relating to the Showbread opens up more viewpoints by which we may understand the unlimited possibilities in the revelation of this “Bread.”