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The following Revelation was received by Paul Davies between December, 1998, and January, 1999. As with all prophetic words, these must be weighed and tested with a spirit of humility and repentance. Where Bible passages are referred to, the interpretations given are not intended to be seen as the interpretation of the passage, but as God speaking to his people’s current situation by giving an interpretation.
For several months the Lord has been speaking to me about the Control spirit that is interfering with His plans for His church. This spirit is closely associated with the spirit of Fear, and feeds off the insecurity fear creates. I believe the Lord wants us to recognise and deal with this spirit NOW, as He is about to release an increase in the Spirit, and the greater responsibility that accompanies greater Glory manifest in the Church can cause those who do not understand the changes to suffer premature judgement from the Lord. The Bible is quite clear: What we don’t know can kill us! (Hos 4:6). We must be able to discern when God is changing the rules, or we will suffer the same fate as Ananias and Sapphira.
Worldly Methods - In 1 Samuel, chapter 6, the story is told of the return of the captured Ark of the Covenant to the Israelites by the Philistines. The Glory of God had been clearly manifest to the heathens, and they had had enough. They determined to return the Ark, and sensed that there were certain Ways to honour the God of Israel. They also wanted to be sure that the troubles they were having were really from God. Using a new cart (undefiled as they saw it) and cows who wouldn’t normally leave their calves, they sent the ark back.
In 2 Samuel 6, David tried to bring the Ark, representing the manifest presence of God, back to Jerusalem. He used the same (worldly) methods as the Philistines, and was not careful to seek out God’s ways of dealing with the Ark. As a result, the procession was halted when one man died.
It is important to see the prophetic implications of this passage, especially as we are about to enter into a greater level of anointing in the end-time ministry. When they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out and took hold of the ark of God, because the oxen stumbled (2 Sam. 6:6).
The worldly methods employed by David to carry the presence of the Lord were allowed to proceed up to a point. I believe we have been in this level of anointing for 2000 - odd years, but that this is soon to change. We have been able to apply worldly methods to our Bible Study, our evangelism, our preaching, and our church growth, and the Lord has allowed us to have a measure of success. In my own life, I have witnessed these worldly methods coming to naught in the past 30 years, as the methods we employed in Evangelism lost effectiveness. In the church, we have used worldly methods of selecting leaders, and assumed this was OK because we prayed as well. The mistakes of this process have been visible to ourselves and to the world in the last decade.
An accompanying and possibly more important issue is the worldly methods of dealing with the Word of God. Our Bible Colleges teach methods of deciphering Spiritual truth that are little different from those taught in secular fields, and the preaching and teaching ministries have suffered as a result. The people of God have also suffered, as they have been subjected to the “wise and persuasive words ” (1 Cor 2:4), especially in those denominations and groups which take a cessationalist view of the Spiritual gifts. We have therefore not been fully exposed to the “demonstrations of the Spirit’s power. So that (our) faith may not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power” (1 Cor 2:4-5). In a sense, we have been robbed of our spiritual inheritance by the institutions we have used to try and promote that inheritance. many are now discerning that Theological training is not going to be as important in ministry as intimacy with Jesus, who is, after all the Living Word of God.
The Rules Change (a warning) - “At the threshing floor of Nacon.....the oxen stumbled” (2 Sam 6:6). When we approach the threshing floor, where the wheat is separated from the chaff, representing the process of purification for entering into a greater level of holiness, the worldly methods of carrying the presence of the Lord will no longer bear up. When the oxen stumbled, it seemed as if the prized Glory of God would fall (a ludicrous suggestion when we stop to think about it). the situation suddenly seemed to get out of hand, and Uzzah tried to control it, and died as a result. It is significant that Uzzah was the son of Abinadab, at whose house the Ark had rested for many years since its recovery from the Philistines.
Uzzah had been involved with the presence of the Lord for possibly the majority of his life. He was walking alongside the cart, “guiding the new cart” (2 Sam:3-4). He was fulfilling the same role as many of our current pastors. He had spent time in the presence of God, and was familiar with the current level of anointing, and also the worldly methods which they had so far got away with. He was accompanying the presence of the Lord as it was being taken to its place of rest. He was in the very forefront of what the Lord was doing at that time, close to the presence of God. Yet when the stumbling, or testing times came, He tried to control the situation, and died for it.
I believe this is a clear warning to all those in leadership at this time. I have felt the Spirit saying for several years now: “Get your grubby hands off My Glory”. This is not meant to imply that leaders are seeking it for themselves, or are deliberately interfering, but simply that we have yet to discern the immaturity we are in at this time, and the specific changes that must occur if we are to escape God’s Judgement. I have observed this in action in many churches in all denominations, and have yet to see a church free of it. The danger is, that the time is now very short, and now the presence of the Lord is drawing near, as we are praying for Revival and increase in intimacy. Those who try and control this move will die. Malachi 3:1 says: “Suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come into His temple”. If we do not move quickly, we will not have time.
Uzzah had not discerned the differences that would come. We may not have the luxury of time in this, as we are already seeing an increase in expectation of the Lord manifesting His presence. Ten years ago Rick Joyner and other
Prophets warned that many leaders would suffer if they got in the way of God’s Spirit, and that God would replace them with others willing to do His Will. We have yet to see a fulfillment of this word.
Control vs Pastoring - It should be made clear that there is a difference between control and pastoring. The problem I have observed is that few leaders seem to know where the line is drawn. I believe control is when action is taken to try and avoid problems. Pastoring allows the people the freedom to make mistakes, and deals with the problems as they arise (it does not mean allowing Prophets to "beat the sheep"). Too many pastors are in fear of letting their people loose. They are afraid of offending people, or of allowing “untrained” lay people to offend people. They are afraid of adding to the criticism they are already experiencing, and also, of damage being done to God’s kingdom as a result.
1 Cor 4:20 says “For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of power”. The kingdom of God, or the manifest power of God, cannot suffer disgrace from the honest, sincere mistakes of God’s people trying to be obedient to His will. All of us learn by trial and error, whereas the worldly method of teaching is in the classroom. Where this has been applied for so long on the church is it any wonder that our people do not have the confidence to go out on the streets and “Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). If we cannot provide a safe place for them to have a go, they won’t be able to just do it. We must ensure that we provide “practical” classes for all our flock.
Leaders cannot afford to work to avoid messes. “Where no oxen are, the crib is clean, but much increase is by the strength of the ox” (Prov. 14:4, KJV). Our workers must be able to learn to work, and we must simply accept that we will have messes to clean, but that the effort involved in cleaning messes is worth it because of the increase in the Body that accompanies the operation of ministries. The practical outworkings of this in our congregations is for the leaders to decide before the Lord - they will be the ones held responsible. The importance at this time is to ask the Lord to reveal to us to what extent this is a problem in our churches, and to give us wisdom in how to dismantle it.
Why Revival Hasn’t Come - I believe that we are in a period of waiting for the Lord’s manifest presence, but that the Lord has conditions He wants fulfilled before He will descend. For some years the Lord has spoken to me about Ezekiel 37: the Valley of Dry Bones. I believe we are in this process right now, and that we have seen the “rattling sound” (noisy manifestations), the “bones coming together” (increasing unity), the “tendons” linking the bones (relationships between separated parts of the body), and that we are now staring the “flesh appearing on them” in the face (Ez 37:7). The flesh represents the maturity in Holiness that comes as a result of the Lord’s purification. The important and often overlooked fact about this passage is that the entire process occurs as a result of the operation of the Prophetic Ministry. “Prophesy to these bones and say to them: ‘Dry Bones, hear the Word of the Lord!’” (v4) and “...as I was prophesying...” (v7). The Prophetic histories of both the Toronto and Pensacola outpourings are well documented, and there are many prophecies about the “Next Wave” which the Lord has given in the last 3 years. Particularly in Australia, where an enormous Tidal Wave has been seen in the Spirit by a number of people. An American pastor described it as a “wave of anointed Apostles and Prophets”.
The Bible is clear that the operation of the Prophetic is necessary in ushering in the presence of the Lord: "See, I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty” (Mal. 3:1). I believe at this time that the failure of leaders to release the Prophetic messages and ministers in their midst is a major, if not the, blockage to the presence of the Lord manifesting in our cities and churches. A major function of the Prophetic Ministry is the Elijah Task, embodied by John the Baptist, and spoken of in Mal 4:5,6 and Matt 17:10-13 - the restoration of all things.
“A voice of one calling: "In the desert prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the LORD will be revealed, and all mankind together will see it. For the mouth of the LORD has spoken"(Isaiah 40: 3-5).
The message is: “Prepare the Way of the Lord”, and the promise is that “the Glory of the Lord will be revealed and all mankind together will see it”. The function of the Prophetic is to serve as the “mouth of the Lord”. When they are released to speak, this passage will begin to be fulfilled, and the Glory of the Lord will be revealed to all mankind.
I felt the Lord say to me recently, in response to my cry for understanding about the recent Catch the Fire - Adelaide Conference’s coming so close, but not quite entering in, that we needed to release the Prophetic. I offer this to leaders to consider and seek the Lord over. The Lord impressed me that He is desperate to come, but is waiting to see which group in the City responds first.
Releasing the Prophetic Safely - (aka: Pastors please don’t Bite!) - I do not believe the response to this should be simply giving Prophets a platform. Prophetic people are under the authority of the leadership of their churches, and are in a real way limited by the lack of recognition. Once recognition is given, this does not reverse the authority structure. There is much wisdom already written on how to safely release the Prophetic in your church (eg. Mike Bickle’s: “Growing in the Prophetic”), so read it. The issue is not giving blanket control to Prophetic people, or even a microphone, but allowing the messages that are appropriate, encouraging and helpful to get through to the body - it is vital that leaders seek the Lord for wisdom specifically about this issue. If Uzzah had heard a Prophet, maybe he wouldn’t have died.
It is also important to recognise that many immature Prophetic people really do hear God, but need a lot of help from Pastors and Leaders in entering into maturity. They desperately need affirmation, not rejection and being ignored, and much of the immature and silly behaviour that has occurred in the past has been in reaction to this. It is vital that Leaders recognise the Prophetic, even if only because every Christian has the ability to Prophesy (Joel 2:28ff, Acts 2:17ff). It is even more important to recognise those called to higher levels: Prophetic Gifting, Prophetic Ministry, or Prophetic Office, and to provide a place where they can receive help in entering into maturity in their gifting (maybe a Home Group). Mike Bickle, Pastor of Metro Christian Fellowship, Kansas City, where many gifted Prophetic Minstires were gathered into the one church, had someone on staff specifically to oversee and Pastor the Prophetic People.
We are one body. Pastors need Prophets, and Prophets need the oversight and Pastoral care of Pastors - especially Baby Prophets. Many have a high degree of gifting and accuracy but little understanding, and they need careful assistance, involving affirmation and direction from leadership.
It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:11-13). The Prophets (and other Office Ministries) are not just gifted - they are the gifts to the church. Their function is to assist those in the pews for “works of service, so that the Body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith ...”.
And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues (1Cor. 12:28). Church Authority is a divisive issue - particularly since we do not yet have functional Apostles (they’re due to begin appearing at the end of the ‘90’s {Paul Cain, Rick Joyner et. al.}). Prophets functioning in the Office do have a level of authority that supersedes that of Pastors, teachers, etc. in certain circumstances. This does not generally include the local Church congregation, where Prophets are subject to the God-given Leadership, and do not have authority to override them. We must be careful of premature judgements about where the lines are drawn, and many Pastors and leaders are taking wisdom statements made for times of immaturity and making them rules. God will not be placed in a box, andlike the Pharisees, our premature judgements can lead us into opposing what really is God. When this is combined with the Role of the Office Prophet as Ambassador (Heb: Sheliach) for the Lord, mistaken opposition can be publicly disatrous for leaders (2 Kings 1, and 2 Kings 2:23-25). As stated before with Uzzah, the time of changing the Rules may not be immediately apparent - one reason why we desperately need the functional Prophetic in our congregations.
It should also be stated that at this time very few Prophetic Ministers are yet functioning in the Office. Many would argue only Paul Cain has that stature at this time. Paul Cain himself says he doesn’t even rate as a Prophet compared to what God is releasing with the Generation of the Righteous, but we’re not there yet. A key issue here is that the main function of a Prophet is to listen to the Lord and pass on the message He has given, privately, to leadership. The role of leadership is to assess that Word and test whether the interpretations are accurate and to what degree (Ez 33:1-9). They must also decide before the Lord to what extent the Lord is calling Prophetic People under their care to Public Ministry, and seek Wisdom in how to respond.
In Closing - I believe we need to seek the Lord about the coming changes, and cry out for understanding of how to repent for our worldly methods. Our traditions, habits, or pet doctrines are no protection for interfering with or attempting to control the Lord’s Glory, and I feel a real urgency about responding to this message, as we don’t know when the Lord will change the rules.
Website: http://www.ancientwells.org.au/PaulD
Email: pdaviesoz@optusnet.com.au
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