Dear People Who Keep Company With God,
I believe we as a church are going through a significant and dynamic transition time. Right now I feel like I am in a funnel, I am being poured from one vessel into another vessel (Jer. 48:11-12). God desires to change us. This is not the most comfortable place to be, as I find myself out of sync with much of what is going on around me, but it is necessary if we as a church are going to be who God is calling us to be in this new season. I want to share a little of what I perceive is happening in order to help us all flow through this transition from one vessel to the next vessel as graceful as possible.
I have shared with you that while visiting the persecuted church the Lord Jesus opened the veil and allowed me to peer into His eyes for a very brief moment. This experience continues to have a very profound impact on me spiritually and as best as I can understand, it was the beginning of the transition for me.
In the Book of Revelation Jesus appears three times with “eyes like a flame of fire.” I believe the fire was the same in each appearance, but the purpose of the fire was different. The first time, Jesus appears personally to John, His beloved disciple and best friend (Rev. 1:14). The fire is passionate love and it prepared John to receive the greatest revelation of all time. I am not saying my encounter with Jesus is anywhere near what John experienced, but I am saying when we look into the eyes of Jesus on any level, the fire that is in His soul (Luke 12:49) will flow out of Him and you will be significantly impacted and you will change.
The other two times Jesus appeared with “eyes like a flame of fire”was when He was admonishing the Church at Thyatira (Rev. 2:18) and at His second return where He punishes the enemies of the cross (Rev. 19:12). I do not care to experience either of those.
When we returned home we knew the Lord wanted to emphasize relationship with Him. We were not really sure how to introduce this because we did not want to quench or take away from what the Lord was doing at home. We did not want to come home and say, “We have a new revelation and we need to stop everything and do this.”The Lord had a plan, He sent John Arnott who spoke on The Parable of the Ten Virgins, emphasizing the importance in this season of the oil of intimacy.
In the past week Chuck Moore heard a message on the same topic by T.D. Jakes in which T.D. shared that he believes the door is beginning to shut on the time for us to acquire the oil of intimacy (Matt. 25:10). So this is an hour to draw near to Him so He will draw near to us (Jas. 4:8).
When I found myself in the funnel I did not know what to do. Then the Lord reminded me of Isaiah 40:28-31. It is the ultimate Old Testament grace revelation and gives a clear understanding on how to make any transition in a graceful way.
Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29 He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. 30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall, 31 But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.
The Everlasting God, our Lord Jesus Christ, is the main attraction right now and waiting (literal Hebrew is braiding and intertwining ourselves with Him) and a renewed (or exchanged) strength will be given to us. Then we will go up into the heavenly realm even further, we will run (ministry) and not get worn out and our daily walk with God will be invigorated.
I believe if we will do this we will flow into the new vessel gracefully and be fresh and ready for the new wine of the Holy Spirit and the adventures in the kingdom of heaven that God has planned for us.
Many Blessings, BW