Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Apostolic

BOARDERS - BOUNDARIES - GATES -FOUNDATIONS

IAN JOHNSON
Jul 2, 2009


Recently when we were in Israel I observed an interesting event. We were in the Eliat area and you could see a reasonable amount of the boarder between Israel and Jordon from where we were. Obama had just been putting some pressure on Jordon regards the boarder (so called Palestinian state). In Jordon a huge dust storm arose, the unusual thing about this storm is that it defined the boarder between Jordon and Israel, the air was crystal clear on the Israeli side so it formed a line right along the boarder and out into the sea also defining Israeli territory. The Lord was making it clear where he saw the boarders.

DUET 32:8 When the Most High assigned lands to the nations, when he divided up the human race; he established the boundaries of the peoples according to the number of angelic beings.

ACTS 17:24 from one man he created all the nations throughout the whole earth. He decided beforehand which should rise and fall and he determined their boundaries.

I’ve also been pondering the absolute necessity for obedience which opens gates or portals into the realm of heaven. The opposite is also true, that disobedience opens portals into the enemy’s realm. I saw a good example of this in Israel also. The tribe of Dan was allocated land in the area around modern day Tel Aviv, like all the other tribes they were commanded to go in possess and subdue the land. They chose not to and instead went and possessed land in the far north of Israel, Dan’s disobedience is what really led Israel off into Idolatry. Tel Dan is the area Jeroboam, one of Israel’s most wicked kings set up an altar to Baal and made the northern tribes go and worship there instead of Jerusalem, The area of Dan became the place where Pan Worship developed during Greek and Roman times it became known as the gates of hell. The same place where Jesus said “I will build my Church and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it” Even to this day there is a propensity to have lucky charms and items with the eye of Oris on it in the area of Dan. So, one act of un-repented disobedience can have generational impact. The same way one act of obedience will have generational impact.

If you look at the life of David he opened both good and bad portals all of them were carried on by his son Solomon. Israel grew under Solomon because David started a process, The temple and pure worship was introduced in Solomon’s reign, but David’s weakness for a pretty face was accelerated in Solomon. This eventually caused the kingdom to be split and the northern tribes lost.

No ones perfect, and we all have issues handed down, but in Jesus we have been given a way to break off the disobedience of generations past. Through His blood we can turn generational disobedience around, close old portals and open a new one into the heavenly realm. The thing that remains very clear to me is that if these portals are not closed, the issues will raise their head in our lives and ministries. I’m not suggesting going on a witch hunt to find stuff but when the Holy Spirit asks for change or action we need to act quickly.

This leads me to the main point, when we were in Turkey the question arose, how could a nation that was almost entirely Christian become so barren in Christian life? It soon became obvious, Paul and the other Apostles opened huge portals of apostolic authority and within two years the entire region had been impacted. This apostolic foundation was continued for 300 years and growth continued, Antioch & Ephesus became the mission sending centre of the world. The foundation was still Apostolic and the Church was very Hebrew in its thinking. Then in 326AD the church shifted from Apostolic power to the council of men. The first council in Nicea expelled all Jews and divorced the church from Jewish thinking. The second council in Ephesus introduced the worship of Mary, the very seat of Diana worship became the place worship of Mary was introduced. Other councils ( 7 in total) introduced Icon worship and other abominations, thus the doors opened by the Apostles were closed and doors to the demonic were wide open. Thus Turkey and the Church were plunged into darkness within 200 years.

The Church has been in a state of recovery for several centuries now and there is still a way to go. The pattern for how the church is supposed to look is in Heaven. we declare “As it is in heaven so shall it be on earth” we are declaring a vision of foundations, boarders, boundaries & gates. In Revelation 21 there is a vision of the new Jerusalem. How it looks in heaven and what we are declaring on earth.

Revelation 21:10-14
So he took me in spirit to a great, high mountain, and he showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, descending out of heaven from God. It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels. And the names of the twelve tribes of Israel were written on the gates. There were three gates on each side—east, north, south, and west. The wall of the city had twelve foundation stones, and on them were written the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. It was filled with the Glory of God; this is what we are looking for, “as it is in heaven so shall it be on earth” Its foundations are the twelve Apostles, in other words the foundation laid by the apostolic is our foundation as well. The Church has been in a period of darkness because its been operating on the foundation of the council of men.Its time to repent and bring the wrong from the council of men under the blood of Jesus and into apostolic authority.

Apostolic confronts, Paul in Acts 19 is a good example of apostolic confrontation of spiritual powers, he took on Artemus (Diana) and won. He closed a portal and opened a new one. Peter opened a portal for the gentiles at Cornelius house, Philip opened a door into transportation and so on. The whole Church is called to operate from this apostolic foundation.

Apostolic releases the power of Heaven Acts 2 showed us the intention of the Holy Spirit in building his church,. There’s no sickness suffering or sorrow in heaven and the apostolic foundation released this on earth. Nothings changed

Apostolic released woman contrary to popular belief the apostolic released woman into leadership and the fullness of the power of God.

Apostolic releases us into fellowship and feasting Our celebration went from ritual and form into fellowship and celebration.

Apostolic released a Kingdom on earth Jesus declared it and the apostles released it. To the point that within 200 years the world was a different place. Kings and princes yielded to the King of kings.

There is a whole book in here but I hope you get the drift. The council of men took the apostolic authority and said only a few men have power, when in actual fact the apostolic foundation allows all believers to move in this power.

This is the season to walk again on the foundation, not to lay new ones but to release the original plan. Push aside all the rubbish the council of men has bought in over the centuries and move forward by stepping back into the perfect plan.

The gates in Revelation are the 12 tribes (less Dan but plus Levi) The Nicea council put out the Jews but God still has them in the gates of the eternal city.

According to Romans 11 the gentiles are grafted into the root stock which is Israel. Romans 11:15 says “the acceptance of the Jews is life from the dead”

He says that if braches were broken off to allow gentiles (wild olives) to be grafted in how much easier is it to graft back in the true branches. We are coming into a season when the church will again recognise her Jewish roots, start thinking Jewish and not Greek and walk in the favour of the God of Abraham.

Jewish thinking sees every aspect of life as spiritual, Greek thinking separates natural and spiritual, therefore if you think like Greeks there are no consequences for our natural actions. Hebrew thinking however would see everything as having a consequence. There is an end time thinking that is about to be released into the Church again. For nearly 1650 years the church has been thinking like Greeks. There is a call to repent for our acceptance of the Nicene councils expulsion of the Jews. Its time to see Romans 11:15 fulfilled in our time.

There is a Messianic move happening in Israel it’s exciting and it’s a signal that we are entering a new season. When the former (Jews) and latter (gentile church) come together. Its life from the dead, its resurrection glory.

The Holy Spirit is calling us to come as one new man in Messiah moving in apostolic foundations and gates of glory. In order to do this we must move from old ways and thinking and allow this reformation to be activated in our lives. This may require repentance from mindsets and attitudes that stop us seeing the heavenly pattern.

Rev 21 It was filled with the glory of God and sparkled like a precious gem, crystal clear like jasper. Its walls were broad and high, with twelve gates guarded by twelve angels.

This is what the Church is about to look like, reformation is at hand things are about to shift and change. This is Life from the dead.

IAN JOHNSON
Email: ianjohn@xtra.co.nz

www.hisamazinggloryministries.org













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