CHAPTER 12
I AM DEAD BUT CHRIST IS ALIVE IN ME!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.
He must increase and I must decrease. You MUST MEDITATE on this truth and pray in tongues. Eventually, you will receive a revelation from the Holy Spirit and you will realize that Christ is forming in you and he will manifest himself to you, in you, and eventually through you to the world!
As we dwell in the Holy Place by meditating on Jesus Christ (The Word of God), by praying in tongues (offering pure incense to the Father), and by receiving revelation (lampstand) from the Holy Spirit eventually we will be transformed, from glory to glory, into the image of Jesus Christ and we (the Church) will be manifest in the earth as the sons of God.
Exo 33:11 And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend. And he turned again into the camp: but his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, departed not out of the tabernacle.
Moses was transfigured simply by being in the presence of Jehovah. Joshua, the man chosen to lead Israel into the Promised Land, DEPARTED NOT OUT OF THE TABERNACLE! Joshua was also transformed by being in the presence of Jehovah (Jesus Christ).
Exo 34:35 And the children of Israel saw the face of Moses, that the skin of Moses' face shone: and Moses put the vail upon his face again, until he went in to speak with him.
As I was studying how to enter into the presence of God, I wondered how could I also enter into the presence of God? Early one morning while I lay sleeping, the answer came to me… Just like we receive salvation by faith, just like we receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit by faith, we also enter into the Holy of Holies by faith. We must meditate on this MOST IMPORTANT TRUTH!
Gal 2:20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me:
Speaking in tongues appears like foolishness to the world, many times I have thought to myself, “Is this real?” However, many millions of people speak in tongues and as a result they have experienced a radical transformation in their lives.
In the Old Testament, the High Priest took the incense from the Holy Place into the Holy of Holies and placed it in front of the Ark of the Covenant. We enter into the Holy of Holies by SPEAKING IN TONGUES!
My lifetime of experience brought me to only one conclusion…SPEAKING IN TONGUES WORKS! Over many years my walk with the LORD was hot and cold with many backsliding experiences, like a tide rising and falling depending on my circumstances; however, when I resolved to speak in tongues everyday a transformation began to take place. Speaking in tongues “transfigures” us because, like Moses, we are entering into the presence of the Most High God!
Speaking in tongues is not just something that should happen one time after you are baptized in the Holy Ghost. Speaking in tongues is not something you do once a year like the High Priest in the Old Testament. You MUST speak in tongues every day! You should enter into the Holy Holies every day!
Isa 28:11 For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people.
Isa 28:12 To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear.
Speaking in tongues is how you enter into God’s REST AND REFRESHING! How very sad that the Prophet Isaiah spoke the last sentence: YET THEY WOULD NOT HEAR! All the billions of people in the world, including many nominal Christians, are fighting, backbiting and murdering each other but there is an answer. Certainly the saints of God desperately need to enter into His rest!
Heb 4:9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.
Heb 4:10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.
Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.
The only thing stopping us from entering into God’s REST is unbelief. Maybe we tell ourselves that speaking tongues is foolish, and perhaps it is according to men’s wisdom:
1Co 1:26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
1Co 1:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;
If we are wise in our own eyes God does not want us. We must be willing to be foolish in the sight of men if we want to know God intimately. King David loved God and he did not care what anybody might think of him.
2Sa 6:20 Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel to day, who uncovered himself to day in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovereth himself!
2Sa 6:21 And David said unto Michal, It was before the LORD, which chose me before thy father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of the LORD, over Israel: therefore will I play before the LORD.
2Sa 6:22 And I will yet be more vile than thus, and will be base in mine own sight: and of the maidservants which thou hast spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour.
Stop worrying about what other people think and start worrying about what God thinks if you want to please Him and enter His rest. You might say, “Doesn’t the Bible ask do all pray in tongues?” Obviously everybody does not pray in tongues but it is not because everybody should not pray in tongues. See what the Apostle Paul said:
1Co 14:5 I would that ye all spake with tongues, but rather that ye prophesied: for greater is he that prophesieth than he that speaketh with tongues, except he interpret, that the church may receive edifying.
He said that, “I would that ye ALL (emphasis added) spake with tongues! I know Paul’s main subject was the gift of prophecy but prophecy is actually the next stage AFTER we begin speaking in tongues. Prophecy is part of the final stage of growth for a Christian.
DUNAMIS
Joshua’s original name was Oshea (deliverer) but Moses changed his name to Jehoshua which means Jehovah-saves.
Num 13:16 These are the names of the men which Moses sent to spy out the land. And Moses called Oshea the son of Nun Jehoshua.
As you spend time in the Holy Place, YOU will stop trying to be your own deliverer and you will welcome JESUS CHRIST as your deliverer. You will stop trusting in your own strength and wisdom and start trusting in the strength and wisdom of Jesus Christ. You will enter God’s rest. Jesus (Jehovah) will begin transforming you into HIS image. Jesus Christ will begin to manifest in your life with POWER (dunamis)! Jesus can work when we rest. We cannot save or heal anyone but Jesus Christ certainly can. That is why we must get out of the way and allow Jesus to take over our lives…He must increase and we must decrease…we must become “possessed” by Jesus Christ!
You do not want to tell people ABOUT Jesus. You want to INTRODUCE people to JESUS CHRIST! As we saw previously, the Levitical priest would begin his ministry at the age of thirty (30) years old. I believe this was the age that John the Baptist began his ministry and this was also the age that Jesus began his ministry six months later. Jesus started his ministry on the Feast of Tabernacles when he began gathering his disciples.
At the age of thirty (30) Jesus was eligible to begin ministry as a priest after the order of Melchisedec. If you remember, thirty (30) was the age that David was made King of Judah. Jesus was manifested as the fully mature Son of God, and as the true King of Israel, by signs, wonders and mighty works. This is how ALL Christians must be manifested as sons of God because Jesus dwells within us. Jesus Christ is manifest to the world by DUNAMIS!
Act 1:8 But ye shall receive POWER (emphasis added), after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
Act 1:9 And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight.
POWER: G1411, dunamis, doo'-nam-is
From G1410; force (literally or figuratively); specifically miraculous power (usually by implication a miracle itself): - ability, abundance, meaning, might (-ily, -y, -y deed), (worker of) miracle (-s), power, strength, violence, mighty (wonderful) work.
It reminds me of the Arthurian legend…only the true King of England could draw the sword out of the stone. Similarly, the true King of Israel, the long awaited Messiah would only be revealed by miracles, signs and wonders by the power of the Holy Spirit, the sword of God. Also, the true sons of God, the true Kings of the earth will be revealed (manifest) to the world by miracles, signs and wonders.
Isa 35:3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Isa 35:4 Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you.
Isa 35:5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Isa 35:6 Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert.
The whole of Jesus’ three and one-half (3 and ½) year ministry was for one purpose. He was revealed to his disciples and the whole world as the Son of God, heavenly High Priest and King of Kings, He is the MESSIAH! He is the CREATOR OF HEAVEN AND EARTH! He illustrated how the priesthood of Melchisedec (THE CHURCH) was different from the Levitical priesthood. He was showing us that God’s love and mercy is greater than the law!
When John the Baptist was in prison he sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah and Jesus referred them to this scripture:
Mat 11:3 And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
Mat 11:4 Jesus answered and said unto them, Go and shew John again those things which ye do hear and see:
Mat 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.
Mat 11:6 And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in me.
In the Book of John, the Jews approach Jesus and specifically ask him whether he was the Messiah. Jesus plainly told them that he was God.
Joh 10:30 I and my Father are one.
There is no doubt that the Jews believed Jesus was claiming to be God in the flesh because they were going to stone him to death right there and then.
Joh 10:31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him.
Joh 10:32 Jesus answered them, Many good works have I shewed you from my Father; for which of those works do ye stone me?
Joh 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God.
Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah of the Jews, and the “proof” of his claim to divinity was his performance of the “works of my Father”:
Joh 10:34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods?
Joh 10:35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;
Joh 10:36 Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?
Joh 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
Joh 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.
Jesus proved that he was Israel’s King and Messiah by fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah and by manifesting himself with miraculous power. Jesus even reprimanded the Apostle Philip because he did not recognize the miracles as the sign of his relationship with divinity:
Joh 14:9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Joh 14:10 Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.
Joh 14:11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
Joh 14:12 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
The sons of God have an intimate relationship with divinity. The sons of God can “boldly” enter into the Holy of Holies, living in the very presence of God is our right as the sons of God because we are the RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD. When the sons of God meditate on God’s Word and pray in tongues, they enter into intimate fellowship with the Father, they receive revelation, they enter the Holy of Holies, and they begin to transform into HIS image. We must transform into the image of Jesus Christ, who is the manifest image of the Father. Jesus Christ MUST be manifested to us, in us, and through us! The more we fellowship with Jesus, the more we become Him.