#490 – The Consecration of the Priests – Part 8
The Holy Place Participation In Christ Spirit, Life, Truth Dimension Of Ministry
In the last paper we pointed out the error of using the Bible as “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and by that fail to minister Spirit, Life or Truth. Since this kind of “knowledge” based ministry is so normal in the visible church and for many, many years, why should it be condemned now? Because, much of the failure of the assemblies to come to maturity can be attributed to this error! This “knowledge” system of ministry that is based upon the intellectual and charismatic capacity of men trained in the professional ministry is universal and is not isolated to certain denominations. Even in Pentecostal groups there are ministers who are trained, ordained and “speak in tongues”and manifest certain gifts and speak about the anointing but minister out of their knowledge of scriptures. What we hear preached is more compatible with a Christian Philosophy that with the Living Word of God. How do I know that? Because that is what I did most of the time for nearly 40 years. I had a “knowledge based ministry” that produced very little over a period of 41 years.
At certain times I could “feel” the anointing and I could experience the words rising up out of my new inner man. At those times I knew something was different and I could discern that the quality of the words and ministry were different. However, I never “learned” how to maintain that level of ministry. It was only recently that I discovered that the great difference in ministry is the tremendous difference there is between these “two trees” that God warned us about since Genesis 2 and 3.
In my application the “two trees” represent the two divisions of ministry in the modern church system. The unapproved, “knowledge based” minister shares doctrines, facts, information and knowledge while the accepted ministry ministers or shares Life and Spirit. TOut of this dimension comes Divine Truth. This is also the main distinction between the method of ministry in the Old Covenant and the Divine pattern for the ministry in the New Covenant.
2Cor 3:5 Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, 6 who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.
The New Covenant ministry is tied directly to God’s adequacy and refuses to permit the outer man’s adequacy to participate in spiritual ministry. The natural outer man will minister letter but the New Covenant provides for and demands the ministry of the Spirit which communicates Life. The Old Covenant ministry could be learned and then performed out of that knowledge of the law that was written down and passed from one generation to the next. The priests were taken into the “ministry of preparation” at 20 years of age and trained for 10 years and began their function in the priesthood at the age of 30. Most of the visible church has adopted this kind of “training.” While the length and quality of training may vary from group to group, the type of training in Bible knowledge with men teaching Bible facts, information and knowledge is of the same error, kind and quality from group to group.
The New Covenant kind of ministry is totally different. I will put a new Spirit in you and then I will put My Spirit within you and I will cause to walk in My ways. I will write my laws upon the inner man. You will not need man to teach you because you all will be taught by God.
1John 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.
John 14:16 “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper ( parakletos), that He may be with you forever; 17 that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you, and will be in you.
John 14:26 “But the Helper, (parakletos) the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
John 16:12 “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 “But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14 “He shall glorify Me; for He shall take of Mine, and shall disclose it to you.
The other aspects of the Consecration Offerings deal directly with the issues of both ministry TO GOD and ministry FOR GOD. It is, according to my understanding, the Consecration Offering that divides the ministries between these two “trees” or two kinds of ministry. The first is a knowledge based ministry established by natural and intellectual learning and the second is a Spirit based ministry established from revelation in the new inner man. Both the Living Word of God and the Holy Spirit with His active anointing abiding in us and each of us abiding in Him is the New Covenant normal for the Christian Life and Christian ministry. Speaking the Word of God out from the New Inner Man by the anointing of the Holy Spirit seems to be the standard that God expects of the New Covenant minister!
This, at least partially, defines the New Covenant method of ministry! None of this provision is provided by men teaching us on Sunday morning! This modern day pulpit type of function is just objective ministry which, for the most part, is simply ministry out of the tree of knowledge and NOT by the New Covenant provision.
It is my opinion that IF we ever develop into New Covenant ministers we will minister Spirit, Life and Truth. However, there is no acceptable substitute method of being trained by men to prepare us for New Covenant ministry. Then are there no teachers? Of course God has set “teachers” in the church. However, these ministries must be “developed” by the complete New Covenant provision and NOT by a Bible school system that at best is a substitute for the New Covenant provision.
Jesus defined the basis of New Covenant ministry as through the Holy Spirit who would INDWELL THEM. He, the Spirit of Truth, will guide you into all truth. He will teach you all things but the teaching will not originate with Him and He will not speak on His own initiative. He will listen for the Living and Abiding Word of God and to speak to you what He hears. (For He shall take of Mine, { Christ; The Living and Abiding Word} and shall disclose it to you.)
The point I am making is that Bible Knowledge is not mentioned as the source of ministry but we have made that the very basis of our preparation so the result is Bible based ministry. The question is then asked “But if we didn’t preach the Bible verses what is left to preach?” Of course the correct answer is “The Living Word of God!” Jesus didn’t say “and you shall know the scriptures and the scriptures will set you free.” Nevertheless, that is the assumption we hear preached. Seeking first the Kingdom and His righteousness is thought to be synonymous with studying the Bible. However, the Kingdom begins as a divine government in the new inner man and NOT in Bible facts, information and knowledge.
John 5:37 “And the Father who sent Me, He has borne witness of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form. 38 “And you do not have His word abiding in you, for you do not believe Him whom He sent. 39 “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me; 40 and you are unwilling to come to Me, that you may have life.
Not hearing His Voice and NOT having His Word abiding in us is a negative statement and not set as normal for the believer! This seems VERY clear that hearing His Voice is attached to His Word abiding in us and that is the source of receiving His LIFE! His voice, His Word and His Life identifies what Christianity is all about! If we are ever going to minister Life it must be out from His Life in us and NOT from Bible knowledge. Are we saying that Bible knowledge is wrong? Not at all! However, that is NOT the source of the ministry of Spirit and Life. The scriptures clearly speak to us of Jesus, the Christ of God. Therefore, the scriptures are VERY valuable IF we use them lawfully.
1Titus 1:5 But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, 7 wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions. 8 But we know that the Law is good, if one uses it lawfully,
John 6:63 “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.
John 8:28 Jesus therefore said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.
This IS the divine example and the prototype for the New Covenant ministry. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. And I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. ( Not I speak these things exactly as is written in Scripture). Speaking what the Father has taught us is the “method” by which we also can speak “Spirit and Life.”
Learning the Bible facts and sharing them as verses on Sunday is NOT ministering spirit and life. This is the ministry of Bible facts, information and knowledge which may be valuable if we use them lawfully but that is NOT the New Covenant ministry of Spirit and Life. It is for that reason that the ministry of knowledge, facts and information- taken from scriptures- is confused with “Eternal Truth”. This is NOT the Ministry of the Living Word which alone is the source of Spirit and Life! Sharing this Bible knowledge is what we call ministering the black words on white paper by intellectual methods! The True Consecration must separate these two kinds of “ministry” in our experience. Both death and Life in ministry are involved in this transition. Ministering “letter” results in death and ministering Spirit results in Life
Why was it that the New Covenant disciples could turn the world upside down in just a few years without a Bible. All they had for many years was the Old Testament scriptures which much of the visible church rejects today. Then what did the disciples have that we either don’t have or don’t use? That would be the New Covenant provision that Jesus died to make available to us. That IS “The Living and Abiding Word of God” living in us to minister to us and then under the anointing of the indwelling Holy Spirit to minister to others the Spirit and Life of God inherent within the living Word.
Jesus announced very boldly, “This IS the New Covenant in My Blood!” This New Covenant was enacted at Calvary through His death and Resurrection. This ‘truth” is regularly taught and shared when we minister the Lord’s Table but this New Covenant reality is NOT the actual experience in the ministry of the scriptures today. The New Covenant provision is mostly ignored in the pulpit ministry today. The Old Covenant was terminated at Calvary! It is now time to restructure our thinking about our method of delivering “the Ministry of the Word” simply by repeating the facts and information contained in the verses from the scriptures. We must return to the New Covenant method of the “Ministry of the Living Word” so that we also will be able to minister Spirit, Life and Truth. This “ministry” comes directly from the Living and Abiding Word of God that originates in the new inner man.
It is the “ministry of the Living Word” that is the normal function of the Holy Place Priesthood ministry that has eaten the Showbread EVERY WEEK. What do they “minister?” What they have eaten and that which has become a part of their Life, Spirit and their being. That “Showbread” is the Living and Abiding Word of God that was first experienced as “SPERMA” that produced a genuine birth. ( I will put a New Spirit within you; The Spirit of Christ) Now this “showbread” is the source of the Ministry of the Living Word.” However, this “bread” is HIS flesh. Unless we eat His flesh we have NO LIFE in us. Therefore, no life flows from us!
His “flesh” is the Living Word of God which came down out of heaven to give Life to the world. Ministering this Word is the real New Covenant ministry. Ministering scriptures and verses has its place but this is NOT the same thing as ministering the Living Word of God as Spirit and Life!
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John 6:48 “I am the bread of life. 49 “Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. 50 “This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die. 51 “I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he shall live forever; and the bread also which I shall give for the life of the world is My flesh.”
John 6:55 “For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink. 56 “He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. 57 “As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of Me. 58 “This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate, and died, he who eats this bread shall live forever.”
It is my opinion that “eating His flesh and drinking His blood” is essential to receiving His Life and eating the Showbread is essential to ministering the Spirit, Life and Truth of the Word of God. Since ONLY the Priests were permitted to eat the Showbread and that eating was only permitted in the Holy Place, we are connecting these two- the priesthood and the Showbread- into the New Covenant ministry of THE WORD. How? Through the Consecration Offering! Why? Because that is what divides the Outer Court Ministry from the Holy place ministry.
Now in case we feel left out of this “ministry equation” because we are just ordinary folks, let us use the Bible Scriptures to clarify the facts! We can clarify the facts with the words of Jesus.
Mark 2:25 And He *said to them, “Have you never read what David did when he was in need and became hungry, he and his companions: 26 how he entered the house of God in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the consecrated bread, which is not lawful for anyone to eat except the priests, and he gave it also to those who were with him?”
Both David, who was just an ordinary man at this time but called of God, and his men, who were soldiers and forbidden from eating that bread, all ate the Showbread. This was a VERY serious offence against the law of God. Why? Because this consecrated Bread was exclusively reserved for the priests after the order of Aaron to eat.
Lev 24:5 “Then you shall take fine flour and bake twelve cakes with it; two-tenths of an ephah shall be in each cake. 6 “And you shall set them in two rows, six to a row, on the pure gold table before the LORD. 7 “And you shall put pure frankincense on each row, that it may be a memorial portion for the bread, even an offering by fire to the LORD. 8 “Every sabbath day he shall set it in order before the LORD continually; it is an everlasting covenant for the sons of Israel. 9 “And it shall be for Aaron and his sons, and they shall eat it in a holy place; for it is most holy to him from the LORD’S offerings by fire, his portion forever.”Since this was such a strange occasion for David and his men to eat the sacred bread,
Jesus used this event to confront the priests in his time about eating grain on the Sabbath day. The priests were ordered to eat the bread on the Sabbath day but only in the Holy place! We know the Sabbath day is fulfilled now and is NOT some day of the week but a rest in God. The Showbread, in its exclusive assignment for certain men to eat, is fulfilled but the reality is readily available for anyone in the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek to eat. This example of David AND his men eating the sacred bread removes the restrictions on the eating of Showbread and Jesus throws this wonderful experience open for anyone to participate, even ordinary people who are participants in the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek. This also is prophetic and signals the closing of the priesthood after the order of Aaron. We can also speculate that this opens the way for the universal Kingdom of Priests. Even a shallow reading of John 6 will reveal that Eating His Flesh and Drinking His blood is NOT an option but an absolute necessity for receiving His Life. If my interpretation is correct anybody may pass into the Holy place dimension of eating His Flesh and drinking His Blood but that is NOT automatic simply because we believe in Jesus. There is a “preparation” that is required.
The application for us is this; Participating in eating the Showbread is explained in John 6 as Eating His Flesh and the result is defined as “receiving His LIFE.” “Whosoever will” is now able to “eat His flesh and to drink His blood” and receive His Life. The question now is this; In what dimension of God’s plan is this particular “eating of Christ”, the Living Word of God, available for us? Our entering into this invisible realm of the Holy Place Life and Ministry is our access to the New Covenant provision of “participating in Christ”, the Living Word of God. Eating Christ, the Living and Abiding Word of God is being presented as “eating the Showbread.” This participation is called “priesthood.” This “priesthood” functions in the Holy Place. Access to the Holy Place is by the Consecration Offering and passing through the Second Veil (Reality / Experiential Truth) which was never was torn. Therefore, passage is by a real experience and change which we call “transformation.” We are presenting this as the last of the Outer Court experiences and making the transition from the natural light to the Spiritual Light of the Seven Spirits of God which illuminates the Holy Place.
In other words we are suggesting that NO PRIESTHOOD MINISTRY that is limited to the natural light realm of the Outer Court is acceptable to God now because of the New Covenant provision established by Jesus Christ at Calvary. That means that God has designed and demands that ALL New Covenant ministry BEGINS in the Holy Place and is limited to the Priesthood after the Order of Melchizedek.
But, brother, that eliminates about all the visible ministries that we see today. How can that be true? Are you saying that none of these ministries have the revelation of God and you are the only one with this understanding? Not at all! We are merely suggesting that the “ministries” established by men are falling FAR short of the Priesthood of Spirit and Life “Ministry” that God has designed to bring the church to perfection. Since we see the failure of the current type of ministry is it not correct to point it out and not continue to promote this stagnant and static condition of the assemblies as if that were normal. All this is easily seen in the visible church no matter what country we visit?
If Christ Jesus is building His Church as a Living Structure in the invisible realm, should we not point out the way into that dimension and reject this system that obviously is not working. This is not the “private one party understanding” that is being asserted but is clearly revealed in the written Scriptures. We believe we are using the Bible in a legal way in pointing out these facts. Even though we are sharing this as information we still believe it is a valid way of exposing the error in the current church system. Is this presented as Spirit and Life? Not at all, but we are convinced it is still True.
If we understood how this “counterfeit system” originated possibly we could understand what we must do to correct it. We pointed out how we can give ourselves to religious training by learned men with advanced degrees but still totally miss God’s way of preparation for New Covenant ministry. We have suggested that there are many examples in the Old Testament of how God prepared kings, prophets and priests to carry His Word to Israel. Each of these men are unique in some way. Both Elisha and Elijah are examples of how God prepares and deals with those He chooses. These were NOT volunteers but called and prepared by God but this is NOT a “cookie cutter” preparation that can be learned and then ministered as preparation in training for the New Covenant ministry.
This counterfeit system of training originated simply because by the year 310 there was so much division and fighting in the visible church. It was thought that if they could establish one doctrine, one baptism, one faith in each of the ministers they could stop all this confusion and controversy over religious concepts, methods, principles and doctrines. This was a good idea by the natural man to produce natural results in a natural church system. However, the natural man never changed to a spiritual person by all the education and forced unity. Neither did any unity of doctrine or concepts ever produce a New Covenant church that could minister Spirit and Life. Still, after many, many years - after the mid 1400‘s- it brought the Bible (the Old Testament, including the gospels and the letters to the early church) out into a new focus as the standard for all debate and controversy. Of course all this was right and helpful but then the Living and Abiding
Word of God was neglected as the source of ALL ministry and the Bible Verses became the substitute. Of course since the last Apostles and the very early church we can find no history of the visible church ministering Spirit and Life, therefore, Eternal Truth was difficult to find.
Various forms of professional, intellectual and mechanical ministry soon replaced the New Covenant ministry that defined the early church. Even in the evangelical church the doctrine of accept Jesus as your personal Savior replaced the growth of the Living and Abiding Word of God within the minister to produce a New Covenant Life and from that a public Ministry of the Word. Jesus, mistakenly, then became the Eternal God and replaced the Eternal Father, the Word and the Holy Spirit as the source of all ministry.
Even after Jesus said you shall ask Me no question but ask the Father in my name - or speak directly to the Father- we witness the visible church doing just the opposite.
John 16:23 “And in that day you will ask Me no question. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you shall ask the Father for anything, He will give it to you in My name. 24 “Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be made full. 25 “These things I have spoken to you in figurative language; an hour is coming when I will speak no more to you in figurative language, but will tell you plainly of the Father. 26 “In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I will request the Father on your behalf; 27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you have loved Me, and have believed that I came forth from the Father.
The Bible does NOT say that Jesus is God but He is the Son of God because He was Born of God. Paul calls Him the “man Christ Jesus.“ He must be full man who was not born of Adam but born of God in order to solve both the sins problem and the sin problem inherited from first Adam. However, the Living and Abiding Word of God so grew and matured in Jesus that the Word of God could speak out from Jesus and this is what we call the “ministry of the Word.“ Jesus manifested the Christ, the Living and Abiding Word of God in such a degree that we cannot tell when Jesus is speaking or the Word of God is speaking.
Within the New Covenant this “Ministry of the Word“ IS the basis of the New Covenant ministry of which we are speaking. Not only was this ministry demonstrated in Jesus, the prototype man, but is also the way God has designed the New Covenant ministry to function in the Church He is Building. If we substitute this other kind of “ministry“ of reading a verse from the Bible and then trying to explain it from our understanding or from a commentary, it should be clear that this is NOT the New Covenant ministry of the Word.
The current response to this argument is this; but if we agree with your concept of ministry that would mean that all that we are doing on Sunday that we call “ministry“ is a waste of time as far as the development and perfection of the church is concerned! That would mean that the visible church for the last 1400 years has fallen short of the New Covenant ministry. Wouldn‘t God have corrected this “error“ in that length of time?
Of course that is true but then are we expected to soften or modify that statement to justify this ridiculous system of holding church that clearly is NOT working. “Not working“ means not bringing the church to perfection or equipping the saints so the saints can do the work of ministry. (That means developing the saints into ministers of the Word; This is according to Ephesians 4:11-13). If we saw this from the graphic of the Tabernacle of Moses what would that assume? That the “ministries“ would bring the saints through each one of the Seven Outer Court preparations and assist them in passing through the second veil and making certain that they have entered into the Holy Place Life and Ministry.
But, brother, that is much too difficult for the believers under the covering of grace which teaches us that NOTHING is required of us except to believe something about Jesus. Of course that is a false doctrine that is accepted by many evangelical groups. However, this is a disgraceful substitute for the Gospel of the Kingdom. This “gospel of no cost“ is a counterfeit gospel that has been invented by men who discovered they were not equipped to take the believers Any Place beyond forgiveness of sins. Therefore, they invented a doctrine that tells us that forgiveness of sins is ALL there is to the gospel. Just accept Jesus as personal Savior and go to heaven someday. The Gospel of the Kingdom is declared to be a false doctrine because it places demands upon the believer which some say Jesus removed through His death at Calvary. Now since “salvation“ is totally free no cost can be associated with it. Therefore, the Gospel of the Kingdom just revolves around “works“ which can never “save you.“
This error is preached because no difference is acknowledged between forgiveness of sins and our bondage to the “sin“ problem. Therefore, full salvation is related simply to forgiveness of sins. The “sins“ problem (meaning what we have done to offend God) is forgiven by the grace of God, out of His mercy! The “sin“ problem (meaning what we inherited as our nature from first Adam through natural birth) is not forgiven. That is why death and burial is required to free us from the “sin“ problem and separate us from our genealogy to first Adam. Following this we must have an exchange of life. Laying aside our psuche life and fully embracing His Zoe Life.
John 12:25 He who loves his life (psuche) will lose it, and he who hates his life (psuche) in this world will keep it for eternal life (Zoe).
These are two totally different kinds of life. The psuche life is the natural life of all men but is just temporary. The Zoe Life has been provided for us through the resurrection of Christ Jesus from the dead. It is this Zoe Life MUST become our Life in order to qualify as Christian. It IS this Resurrection Life of Jesus Christ that is Eternal Life and it ONLY through this Life that we are being “saved.“
Rom 5:9 Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. 10 For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (ZOE)
The transition from the life of first Adam to the exclusive Life of the Last Adam is NOT optional if we are to be real Christians. This and many other transitions and transformations are all essential to full salvation. To label these requirements as “just works that can never save you“ is more religious ignorance that is promoted by the natural men in the pulpit and assumed to be Christian doctrine! This certainly is NOT the ministry of Spirit and Life but is the ministry of death. To ignore this error in the visible church is not correct and to NOT correct this false doctrine is wrong.
My theory is this; The New Covenant ministry of Spirit, Life and Truth will demolish these carnal errors and misunderstanding of the natural ministries. To “participate in Christ“ means to Live in and Participate in Truth. The New Covenant ministry is the ministry of TRUTH.
The Old Covenant ministry was a ministry of facts, information, knowledge, principles and systems of religion.