The Strait Gate, Part 3
Let’s see if we can wrap this up
today. I know that some of what I’ve
shared may have stepped on some folks’ religious understanding and/or
doctrines, but this revelation is critical for this particular time. Jesus is coming for an overcoming Bride – and
folks, we have a lot of overcoming in front of us. Never have we had such a nation divided! Never have we had such full-blown demonic
activity on display. Never have we in
America seen such efforts of the Enemy to destroy every vestige of our
relationship with Jesus Christ. It is
time for us to overcome all of this and to take our places of responsibility in
this hour!
For
most people (and I know there are exceptions to this) baptism in the Holy
Spirit comes first as the Holy Spirit reveals the need and necessity of our
living and operating in this realm. It
becomes a reality -- a fact of life -- however, only when we yield to the
Spirit in direct response. The same
holds true for the "laying on of hands," which we equate with the
realm of miracles, the raising of the dead, and the preparation for what has
been generally referred to as "end times." All of these things begin in us by a
revelation of the Spirit. They are
real! They are valid! They become a dimension of absolutely
stunning and exciting life when we respond to that which the Holy Spirit
directs us -- either to do or to say.
The
catch is that our responses are all predicated -- and the Holy Spirit knows this
-- on the understanding to which He has brought us up to this point! That is to say, our understanding is
predicated on having been living in either the Outer CCourt, or the Holy Place.
Each
time He has called us on into a new realm, we have been required to set aside
all that He has revealed to us. When we
moved from Salvation, and then Baptism in Water, to the Baptism in the Holy
Spirit, we could no longer major on Salvation or Water Baptism. He did not invalidate what He had
accomplished in us: He simply brought us on to a greater development of
relationship.
When
He brought us from the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues into
the realm of miracles, laying on of hands, and even raising the dead, He did
not invalidate our Baptism in the Holy Spirit, or speaking in tongues, or
laying hands on people in order to bring us to the place of raising the
dead. He simply developed more of
Himself within us.
By
the same understanding, we realize that the accent in certain quarters of the
Body of Christ on preparing for the "end times" and all of the
perceived events associated therewith, does not invalidate any of our previous
realms of understanding in order to respond to whatever we hear from the Holy
Spirit.
Here's
the catch! (And this is apparently the
stumbling block for many.)
If
we stop
with whatever the Lord has directed us to do in any of these areas, we are
doing so because we choose to operate on the basis of that which we
understand. Revelation from the
Lord does not stop, so long as we continue to respond to Him. When we stop responding and busy ourselves
with the activities of the realm we have been living in and enjoying, it is
because we perceive it to be good! And
it is -- make no mistake! We like what
we are doing! It is exciting! We can easily justify the continuance of all
these things because “they were revealed to us by the Lord!"
In
fact, we have added to what the Lord has revealed, and this changes it from a
response of obedience to the Lord to eating of the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil. How? What we have added is, "and you are to
go on doing this for (the next five years), (the next ten or fifteen years),
(the rest of your life)." We simply
fill in whatever blank we want in order to justify our continuance in this
realm.
Do
you see the trap?
The
Lord reveals something to us. It is
wonderful! It is exciting! But He did not say to remain there for the
rest of your life! To do so means
you are responding on the basis of the fact that "it is good." Hence, you eat of the Tree of Knowledge. It is the "Knowledge of Good."
Hence,
you reject the life which comes from a direct response to His beckoning. As a result, by saying "no" to His
beckoning, you nullify Jesus' death on the Cross. His death was specifically ordained to sever
the curse of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He died to set us free from the curse of
having to live under the Law. He died so
that we would be able to respond to His beckoning -- freely -- to His wooing,
to His romancing.
And
we are going to say, "NO?!"
Are we going to say, "I want to stay put?!"
For
that there is no repentance! For that
there is no renewing to a place of intimacy and union with Him as His
Bride. We have essentially chosen to
grab the benefits of salvation and the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit
without getting to know Him in the dimension He desires -- a
dimension found only in the Holy of Holies. This is a slap in His face! It is the ultimate insult!
In
verses 7 and 8 of Hebrews 6, Paul
likens our coming into the Holy of Holies to being groomed and dressed
in the same manner that a garden is groomed and dressed. We expect a garden which is tilled and
planted to bring forth "herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiving
blessing from God." When that soil,
which has been tilled and groomed, brings forth briers and thorns, it is
deserving of a curse, "of which the end is for burning." The implication is crystal clear. When one turns back from the Tree of Life to
the Tree of Knowledge, one is deserving of a curse, and the destruction which
comes at the end of that curse.
Following
this same line of logic, we can see that he likens our return to dwelling with,
and majoring on the doctrines of salvation, baptisms, miracles, raising of the
dead, end-times, etc., after having experienced being One with Him and
receiving direct life from Him, as returning to the Tree of Knowledge. The individual, therefore, who does this can
never again be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ in a Bride/Bridegroom
relationship since it would be paramount to adultery.
For
that reason, the Lord will not allow us into this realm unless and
until we come to the place of being willing to totally lay down all
of our doctrines and pre-conditions so that He can do the finishing and final
preparation of us as a part of His Bride.
Once
again, let me make it abundantly clear that His purpose is not to invalidate
that which we have done at His direction, or been involved in, but rather to
lead us on the place where we live in His presence, 24 hours per day! If you remember John 17, we will recall that
His objective and purpose is that we and He be One -- even as He and the Father
are One. That is not a theoretical
ideal, nor is it some ethereal mysticism.
It is a very real and practical reality which He is (and will
be) bringing to pass, now -- not at some way off future date
"in the sweet by and by!"
Now,
let's go back to the beginning of this discussion in Revelation 3. The promise of the Lord is, "Him
that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go
no more out: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the
city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my
God: and I will write upon him my new name.”
(Revelation 3:12
KJV)
I
won't take the time to do a breakdown of this verse in the Greek other than to
look at one word, "name."
First, it is important to note that He says, "...and
he shall go no more out.." In other words, He
is saying, "Once you overcome and enter into this place, you no longer
need to go out -- you no longer need to go back and forth as the Old Testament
priests did: first ministering to Me, and then ministering to the
people."
The
reason becomes clear in the very next statement, "and I
will write upon him the name (onoma) of my God." This is not name" as we think of names, but onoma: character, identity,
makeup, personality, power, rank, authority, etc. It is not our old onoma,
but the onoma of our God: His
character, His identity, His makeup, His personality, His power, His rank, His
authority, etc. This is the essence of
the Bride, who is the co-equal counterpart of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Having
this new onoma is the place of those
who overcome thlipsis and enter the Strait
Gate, "The Eye of the Needle," the Gate of Worship, dropping off or
laying aside everything in order to live in His presence NOW!
Do
you want His onoma to be your character
and makeup? Do you want to have His new
onoma?
I
challenge all of you who either are at present in a place of public ministry or
have been (and still desire to be) there.
This is not the end of what God is doing, nor where He is leading
us. Once you have come through the
Strait Gate, you will discover that in laying aside everything, there is a
dimension of life not available anywhere else; there is an authority and power
which is inviolable; and there is an intimate relationship with the Lord which
defies comparison and causes everything else to pale into insignificance. This is the place where time ceases to have
relevance! This is the place where eternity
in Christ Jesus takes on reality! This
is the place where our onoma becomes so intertwined with His that they
are inseparable!
Drop
everything! Drop your ministries! Drop your priorities! Make ministry to the Lord Jesus Christ your
only priority!
The eye of the
needle
Prophecy given by
Charlotte Baker
There
was a day when I stood among the sons of men, strong and tall. My heart was full of enthusiasm, and my life
was given to the purposes of God, and upon that day, I said unto the Lord, “I
will do mighty exploits in the name of my God.”
And
the Lord came unto me and said, “What is it, son of man, that thou wouldst
have?” I said, “Lord, if I could only be
among those who play sweetly upon an instrument, and who sing well in the house
of the Lord, then would I do great things for my God in the house of the
Lord.” Then the Lord came unto me and
gave me the desire of my heart. He stood
me among the sons of men, and He let me play and sing. I saw the day when the hearts of men were
moved by that thing which the Lord had given unto me. And as the hearts of men were moved, I stood
back and said within myself, “Now will I be content, for I have been able to
move the hearts of men.”
But
in my secret hour, I bowed my head before my God, and I said, “Lord, thou hast
given me what I asked for, but tonight my heart is heavy, and I have a longing
for something more.” And He said, “Son
of man, ask me again the thing that thou wouldst have of me.” I said, “Lord, I see men bowed by burdens
low. I see hearts that are broken. I see sadness and discouragement. Give me but the power of the spoken word,
that I might speak a word, and hearts will be delivered.” Then the word of the Lord came to me, and He
said, “Son of man, I have given thee the thing that thou didst desire of me.”
With
great joy I marched before the people of God.
In my youth, and in my enthusiasm, I spoke the Word and men were
delivered. As I spoke the word, their
hearts were made whole, and I knew what it was to bind the broken-hearted, to
pour in the oil of joy for mourning.
Even while men were praising Him and magnifying His name, I went back to
my secret chamber and bowed my head in sorrow and said, “Oh, my God! My God!
I am not satisfied, I am not satisfied, I am not satisfied…..”
He
came again unto me and said, “Son of man, what is it that thou dost again
desire?” I said, “Oh, my God! Give me power in my hands, as Thou didst do,
so that I might lay hands on the sick; that I might see healing flow; that I
might have power!” He said, “It is done
as thou hast commanded. Go! Heal the sick in My Name!”
I
went to the nations of the earth, and I saw the sick raised from their sick
beds and saw pain and suffering go. I
was rejoicing as I went to my place and said, “Now I shall be satisfied, for
Thou hast given me that which I desired.”
But no sooner had the words come out of my mouth until the heart within
me began to ache and cry, and I said, “God!
I do not understand this, for again my heart is sad.”
And
I said, “Lord, I desire to go against the principalities and powers, and the
powers of the wickedness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high
places.”
He
said, “Surely, I give it unto thee. Now,
Go!”
I
went, and the Lord allowed me to go into dens of iniquity, and holes in dives
where men hide from The Light because of sin and evil that is upon them. There was a day when I saw demons cry out at
the very presence of the power of God that rested upon me. Then I went back to my place, broken, and I
said, “God, I have asked Thee for all that I desire, and still my heart is not
satisfied; nor do I feel that I have touched the thing that Thou hast called me
to do. In my youth, I have expended
myself with all the things that my heart has desired.”
Then
one more time a gracious and loving God visited me in the night season, and He
said, “Come with me, and I will take you on a journey.” He took me past those with whom I had come
into the house of the Lord, and He took me into a desolate place. He caused me to go into a place alone in the
wilderness. I said, “Oh, my God!” Thou hast now cut me off from those I
love. What art thou doing unto me?”
He
said, “I take thee to a place that all men must come if their heart’s cry is to
be fulfilled.” At a certain hour, I
bowed before a gate that is called, “The Eye of the Needle.” There before the Eye of the Needle, I heard
the voice of the Lord say, “Bow low.” I
bowed low. He said, “No, bow
lower!” And I bowed lower. And He said, “No, yet lower. Thou dost not bow low enough.” I went as low as I could go, but I had upon
my back my books of learning. I had my
instruments of music, and I had my gifts and abilities. He said unto me, “Thou hast too much. Thou canst not go through this gate.”
I
said, “God! Thou hast given me these
abilities. Thou hast given me these
books.” He said, “Drop them, or thou
dost not go.” I dropped them, and I went
through this very small gate that is called, “The Eye of the Needle.” As I went through this gate, I heard the
voice of the Lord say, “Now, rise to the other side.”
As
I rose, I noticed a very strange thing that had happened to me. For lo, the gate was so small that I must lay
aside everything, and yet so wide that I could not fill it. As I stood in the presence of the Lord, I
said, “God, what is this thing that thou hast done unto me? For now, my soul is satisfied.”
He
said, “Thou hast come through the Gate of Worship. Now, come up to the circle of the earth, and
I will show thee a great mystery. I will
reveal unto thee the things which I am doing among the sons of men.”
The
Spirit of the Lord caught me away, and He took me to the circle of the earth —
higher than the eagle flies, higher than where the clouds are gathered — beyond
where the sun shines, or the moon finds her path. There at the Throne of my God, He said, “Look
down upon my people.”
As
I looked, I saw a very strange thing. I
saw my companions wringing their hands and crying to one another complaining,
saying, “God has given us these instruments of war. This sword is my sword! I will wield it, and I will bring the enemy
down. I cannot go through this gate, for
if I go, I must put down my sword and my instruments of war. God has called me to be a warrior; therefore,
I will not do it!”
I
heard another one say, “Me! Lay down my
instruments of music? Lay down all that
God has given me to go through that silly little gate? To be a nothing? To be a bare man who comes out on the other
side stripped of everything? I cannot do
this thing.”
And I saw as they stood aside in their
pride, afraid to bow themselves before a very small gate; and then I saw again
as the Lord brought me closer to the gate.
I saw men bow low, laying down everything they had. As they came through that very wide gate, on
the other side, the power was there. The
Word of the Lord came unto me and said, “Go, now, and tell this people this
thing. I have given unto this people
extreme talent, and much ability. I have
caused you who were instrumentalists to play; but I say unto you this night, if
you do not come through the very small gate, which is the Gate of Worship, and
bow low, and lay before me thine instruments, and thy abilities, and thy
vision, and thy talents, and thy power, thou shalt always be those who will
only be able to minister to the hearts of men.
But there is a gate open to my people in
this hour which is a very small gate.
Only those men who are worshippers will go. Though men will fall on their face before me,
these men will lay their talents before their God; and these men will say,
“God! We will be worshipers.” Through that wide gate, they will come.
And as they come through that wide gate,
Hear the Word of the Lord!
They will arise on the other side — not to
minister to men — but to minister unto their God!
I have brought this people together to give
you a choice. You can minister to men
with your gifts, your talents, your abilities, or you can go through a very
small gate……...and in making you worshipers, you will minister unto THE KING!
In case you are missing out on real fellowship
in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by
conference call – usually at about 10:30AM Pacific. That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code
is 308640#. We are now making these gatherings available on
video using ZOOM. If you wish to
participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513. If you miss the live voice-only call, you can
dial (712)
770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later. The video call, of course, is not recorded –
not yet, anyway.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76504
Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com
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