A Heavenly Habitation

As Shelly and I have travelled and connected with brothers and sisters from across the body in 2007, we have noticed a common experiential theme; shaking, stretching, uncertainty, and unexpected rest. Regardless of geography, denomination, or assignment this year the Body has been experiencing interruptions and change in their lives and ministries, and uncertainty brought on by challenges to finances, employment, ministry and personal direction.

As our personal challenges mounted, we began to seek the Lord in earnest about their meaning. Thankfully, we believe that God has spoken to us clearly about the meaning of this time, not only for us, but also for His entire Body. We are grateful that as we have received this understanding he has confirmed it through the words of other prophets and ministry leaders.

At the outset, let us assure you that if you are in a time of shaking, uncertainty, change or unexpected resting or pause, it is likely God’s will. We humbly offer the explanation that He has been offering to us, with the hopes that it will help to bring focus and clarity to your lives in the same way that it has to ours.

Recently, Steve was glancing through a Life Application Bible which Shelly bought for him when he was a new Christian. In the prelude to Leviticus, there is a footnote which reads,

“Throughout the Book of Leviticus the Israelites were camped
before Mt. Sinai. It was a time to regroup as a nation and learn the importance
of following God as they prepared to march towards the Promised Land.”

As Steve read this, the Lord spoke to him and said in effect, that we are camped before Mt. Sinai. We and the Body of Christ are on a journey out of Egypt and towards the Promised Land. And as we make this journey, it is time to learn about the importance of following Him in a new way – which are really the old ways.

About this same time, Shelly was directed to the book of Haggai. Here, God showed us new meaning in an urgent message from the Lord to the post-exilic Jews living in Jerusalem. Having returned from Babylon with the blessing of Cyrus in 537 BC the Jews had begun to rebuild the temple. After the death of Cyrus, opponents to the project were able to persuade the new king, Artaxerxes to halt the work. The temple restoration project lay dormant for fifteen years until Haggai received an explosive word from the Lord.

"Is it time for you yourselves to dwell in your paneled houses, and this temple
to lie in ruins?" Now therefore, thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider
your ways! "You have sown much, and bring in little; You eat, but do not
have enough; You drink, but you are not filled with drink; You clothe
yourselves, but no one is warm; And he who earns wages, Earns wages to put into
a bag with holes." Thus says the Lord of hosts: "Consider your ways!
Go up to the mountains and bring wood and build the temple, that I may
take pleasure in it and be glorified," says the Lord. (Haggai 1:4-8)

Throughout the remainder of this short book, the Lord commands the Jews to apply themselves to the rebuilding of the Temple explaining that the shaking which they were experiencing was a physical and spiritual “drought” brought on by the Jews’ focus on their own affairs rather than on the restoration of the Temple. In response to the Jews rapid agreement with the word, God said “take courage and work, for I am with you”.

As we meditated on these precious revelations, God began to expand it and paint a picture of this truth for the Body at large. We believe that God is in the beginning of a major shift of the manifestation of His spirit on earth. The result of the shift will be a habitation/presence of God on earth like mankind has not seen since the times of the Israelites in the Promised Land, maybe ever.

The increase of His presence has already begun. Miracle healings, provision, manifestations, conversions and so on, are increasing daily. But the point of His emphasis on the exodus is that God brought the Israelites out of Egypt so that He could create in them a clean people, committed to His ways, and ready to construct a temple where He could dwell among them. So also, the word from Haggai is meant to demonstrate that while we have returned from Babylon, we have fallen into a habit of building our own “houses” instead of His. In order for God to dwell with us we must leave “Egypt” and prepare a place for Him according to His specifications, not ours. He cannot dwell among us in the measure that He desires, as we are now. There must be change. There must be a shift.

God is inviting all of His people to come out of Egypt. Catholics, Protestants, Evangelicals and Charismatics, righteous and backslidden alike are all being invited to be delivered and to prepare a place for Him. They are all His children. In fact, His heart is to reach all the people of the world; that they might come to see His glory and love.

What does Egypt have to do with all of this? The story of the exodus from Egypt provides us with a record of one of God’s most important strategic shifts. The Israelites were delivered from hunger by the hand of Joseph. They received the divine gift of provision which God prepared for them through Joseph, and then dwelled in that lesser Promised Land for 480 years. Maybe they overstayed their season in that place. The Bible is silent on this point. But whether they did or not, in the days of Moses, God decided that it was time for them to leave for a better place.
Most people view the exodus as the reaction of a loving, covenant God to the suffering of His chosen people; emancipation from the evil slave masters. But emancipation was just a part of a larger plan. God was not just releasing His people from slavery into the corruption of their own desires or the opportunity for self-government. He was putting in place a mentoring plan which would ensure that His kids were not just free, but that they also received the knowledge and character to become wiser, stronger and richer. This deliverance was not just about removing the source of harm, but about implementing a plan of eternal blessing.

In Exodus 29:46 God makes the astounding revelation that the deliverance from Egypt was so that, “I might dwell among them…” God on earth. God with His people. The manifest presence of the all powerful God with us, in all places, at all times. This is what the shift is about. This is what God is preparing for His people. This new Promised Land is not about a place, but rather about God’s Kingdom on earth in our hearts, through our actions, and in our beliefs.

But as Moses and the Israelites found out, in order to go into the Promised Land there are requirements. A holy God, no matter how much He loves us, cannot dwell with a corrupt and double-minded people. As with the Israelites we must leave behind the things of Egypt – the attitudes, beliefs, habits, customs, concerns, mentality, and structures – which are not of God, and put on His ways in order to come into the Promised Land.

Why now? In this age, God is determined to change the manifestation of the relationship which He has with His people. He wants – has always wanted – to dwell among us. But the ways and attitudes of the world in us prevent His coming in all of His fullness. As the Israelites were only different from the Egyptians in the geography of their homes, Christians are mostly only different from the world in what they do on Sundays. There is little difference between us and the world in our behavior and actions. Our divorce rate is no different. Our level of integrity is seldom different. Shockingly, according to surveys, 50% of the pastors in America no longer believe that the Bible is the inerrant word of God. We have a form of godliness, but not the real thing. Why He has chosen this time to deal with these issues is probably beyond human comprehension. But He has.

Some may counter that the third wave proves that we are where God wants us. We believe that God sent the word from Haggai as an answer. In this passage we see two important points. First, God pointed out that the people were pursuing their agenda, and that the agenda was characterized by personal benefit and comfort. Even work for God can be an effort in building our own houses. Many have become drunk on the success of their ministries and the outpouring of the Spirit in the last twenty years. While none would deny that this season has been characterized by a new manifestation of God, it has to many become a focus rather than a sign. As a result God says we have been working on our own “houses”. And the Body remains in ruin. In so many ways, there is no difference between the church and the world. Differentiation is a natural part of being in Christ and it is part of what coming out of Egypt is about. Look at verse six of the word from Haggai. There has been much labor, but if we are honest we have to admit that the condition of the body has changed little. To be satisfied with the gains of the past twenty years would be the same as being satisfied merely with deliverance from Egypt. God is not condemning us for the shortfall, only calling our attention to the fact that He has so much more for us.

Some will focus on holiness as the central theme of this move of God. Certainly holiness is an aspect of this move of God, but holiness in modern parlance has become corrupted. It hints of legalism and behavior controlled by shame and human judgment. His heart towards us in this season is not one of condemnation, but rather of transformation. He not only wants to change our behavior, but also our beliefs, attitudes, customs, identity, relationships, finances, and motivations as well. His plan is to develop a people who know Him and His ways; a people who respect, agree and act in His ways because they know and understand His love for them, and because they know that His ways are His best for them. Quite simply God loves us too much to leave us where we are.

This is a journey. It is a journey for individuals, families, churches, organizations, businesses, governments, and cultures; justice, education and political systems; communities and nations. This is a journey from one conception of God, and ourselves, to another; from a lesser manifestation of God to a greater one. As it was God’s purpose to bring the Israelites out of Egypt and take them into the Promised Land, so it is God’s purpose in this time to take His people out of their Egyptian ways and into His.

The journey begins with us as individuals. As we are transformed; as our actions, attitudes and identity become more like His, then the organizations which we participate in, which we submit to, will become more like Him.

If you are experiencing shaking or an unexpected rest in your life right now, then we urge you to pray into this revelation. Right now God is separating and preparing the Moses’, Aaron’s and Joshuas’ that He will use in the years to come. Now is the time to seek God for His revelation about the meaning of this new season for you. This shift will begin by effecting individuals who are meant to lead. Next supporting leaders and enablers will be called. And finally all who will listen will be compelled to make a choice. (By the way, prior position and authority for leaders is not required and past mistakes are a must.)

As the Biblical exodus and the scripture from Haggai demonstrate, this is a time for focusing on God’s ways and purposes. Most of the Body of Christ has agreed with, and become enslaved to a world system which no longer recognizes God as the supreme authority. Many have a form of godliness, but not the substance. Some of us have cried out to God for deliverance, but now that it is at hand there are those who will shy away from paying the price for it. So also, there are those in the church whose work for God has become a work for themselves. Instead of building His Temple, they have been building their own houses. God is calling us to build His house, and a simple commitment to do so will garner His good will and support.

If this revelation has touched your heart, please let us know. We welcome all comments, and in this forum, your comments will do much to edify others. We are in the midst of writing a more extensive dissertation on the scriptural lessons of the exodus and the return from exile and hope to post those in the coming days. So look for that.

Happy New Year folks. No matter what your circumstances, we guarantee you that God is moving. We are living in historic times, and there is a seat on the bus for anyone who will receive and obey Him. May God bless you and keep you in this new year.