February 15, 2013

Howdy, Howdy, Howdy!

 

It's got to be more than 20 years since we first began to introduce the truth and the picture of real Ekklesia as it contrasts to the conventional idea of "church." For some folks it was pretty controversial but for most it was revelatory. It was during that same time frame that the revelation of the onoma of the Lord Jesus Christ leaped into our beings. For some reason, it has continued to be controversial. Some people are so stuck on the "name" that they just can't see what God is doing. They don't seem to understand the truth of what John shared in his epistle:

 

"We know that when He shall be manifested, we shall be like Him." (I John 3:2)

 

THAT, folks, is the fundamental truth behind the revelation of what John wrote otherwise in Revelation:

"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 (onoma) of my God, and the name (onoma) 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 (onoma)!" (Revelation 3:12 KJV)

 

This is transformation! This is conversion. This is metamorphosis. This is a total shift in our personality, our character, our makeup, our nature......AND it is a change of our name! No, I'm not talking about changing your name from Lucy to Marie, or Bob to John, or anything like that. This isn't what this prophecy is all about. This is what Jesus prayed. Hear this in your spirit!

 

"That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art [merged and immersed] in me, and I [am merged and immersed] in thee, that they also may be one [merged and immersed] in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be [merged and immersed in] one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made (whole, complete and finished) perfect in one [new onoma]; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me." (John 17:21-23, with my amplification)

 

Jesus -- in His onoma -- embodied the entirety of the Seven Spirits of God. That's where we go (or at least continue to go) with today's discussion. Once again, here they are in the order in which we see them revealed in the Word.

 

1. The Spirit of Judgment and Burning (Isaiah 4:4)

2. The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding (Isaiah 11:2)

3. The Spirit of Counsel and Might (Isaiah 11:2) -- referred to by the apostle Paul as: The Spirit of Power

4. The Spirit of Knowledge and of The Fear of the Lord (Isaiah 11:2) also referred to by Paul as: The Spirit of a Sound Mind

5. The Spirit of Grace and Supplications (Zechariah 12:10)

6. The Spirit of Truth (see John 15:26)

7. The Spirit of Glory (see I Peter 4:14)

Continuing on with our look at the seven Spirits of God, the third spirit named in the onoma of the Lord is the Spirit of Counsel and Might.

The concept of "counselor" is one with which we are much more familiar since we generally think of the Holy Spirit in this mode. The Hebrew word used in Isaiah's prophecy is et.sah. This word is frequently used by Isaiah in a prophetic sense as in: foreknowledge, the faculty of forming plans which are carried out exactly; prudence, wisdom: in a more oblique sense, et.sah means: the instrument by which one's purpose is carried out. Gebuwrah is the Hebrew word for "might," and it represents: strength, fortitude, virtue, power. Micah (3:8) uses the word to describe the spirit of the prophet as: being strong and intrepid. (Note also that gebuwrah has a companion word, gibbowr, which we will take up a little later.)

These are words and definitions which we can easily see as part of Jesus' onoma. It is even easy to see "counselor" within the purview of agape. "Might," however, is a little more of a stretch for some people. We all know Jesus as being mighty, but considering "might" as integral to agape requires some revision to our conventional thinking. It becomes a little more understandable when we realize that because there is a specific and definite purpose and objective in agape, gebuwrah is the capacity to accomplish the purposes established by Jesus Christ from the beginning.

Were it not for gebuwrah, nothing would have happened with He spoke those thunderous words, "Let there be light." The Holy Spirit could have continued to brood over the face of the waters for eternity just hoping for something to happen. Creation could not have started. The plan for Jesus Christ to have a counterpart who would fulfill Him would have simply remained a plan.

There is another side, as well. When the woman with the issue of blood (see Matthew 9:20) scrambled through the crowd to simply touch the hem of His garment, "Might" went forth. The Greek word which parallels gebuwrah is dunamis, normally translated: strength, might, ability, power; the inherent power resident in one by virtue of their nature.

 

It is this aspect of Jesus' onoma which enables Him to simply speak the word (as He did at creation), and see demons flee. There is a force of authority inherent in His nature and makeup. That force rules over every other power in the universe. It is the authority to which "every knee shall bow, of beings in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the Glory of God the Father." (Philippians 2:10-11 -- my translation)

 

This is where the difference resides between using the "name of Jesus" as some kind of formula, and speaking in His onoma. In Acts 19:13-16, we are told of the seven sons of Sceva, who saw Paul casting out evil spirits in the onoma of Jesus. They took it as some kind of magical incantation with a power that would enable them to exercise the same authority. It wasn't. The evil spirits made mincemeat of them.

 

Then there is the case of Simon, the sorcerer, (see Acts 8:9-24) a man who had practiced various magical arts so as to manipulate the lives of people and gain power and respect for himself. In that same mindset thought he could buy this power. Peter's response was, "I see that you are in the anger of bitterness and the bond of unrighteousness."

 

(Note: The Roman Catholic historian, Werner Keller (in his book, THE CHURCH AS HISTORY), writes that Simon not only did not repent after Peter's rebuke, but that Simon later traveled to Rome, where he foisted himself off on many as being "Simon Peter." There he was seized by Roman soldiers, crucified, and buried on the hill, Vaticanus (now the site of the present-day Vatican.)

 

One cannot appropriate this power for themselves. It is not just some "force" in the universe, divorced from the makeup and essence of Jesus Christ. It is the very life-flow, the virtue, the power, the authority of His onoma; and it is freely available to a responsive and obedient Bride being transformed by His Paraklete, the Holy Spirit. Though there were strict legal implications because of the manner in which his crucifixion occurred, it was the force which came forth as He shed His blood on the cross which broke the bondage of sin, captivity to Satan, and the power of the Law. It was that same gebuwrah/dunamis that reversed the curse upon the human race -- or more specifically, upon all who would receive Him and the price He paid as the cancellation of the curse.

 

It is that same force which must be resident in us as His Bride, otherwise we are simply phony "name-sayers." It is that power which demonstrates Jesus' authority functioning in a people whom He is conforming to His nature, His makeup, His character, His onoma!

Now, let me take a different approach. Let's look at this Spirit of Counsel and Might from an entirely different perspective.

Proverbs 1:20-32: Wisdom crieth without; she uttereth her voice in the streets: She crieth in the chief place of concourse, in the openings of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? and the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge? Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought all my counsel, and would none of my reproof: I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh; When your fear cometh as desolation, and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early, but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the LORD: They would none of my counsel: they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from [the] fear of evil.

 

The Spirit of Counsel and Might reproves, rebukes, admonishes and corrects us – in love! His purpose in so doing (see Verse 23) is so that He can “pour out My Spirit unto you,” and so that He can “make known [and bring revelation of] My Words unto you.”

 

Just as there are consequences for rejecting the Spirit of Judgment and Burning, so likewise are there consequences that come from rejecting the Spirit of Counsel and Might. “Might” establishes the baseline from which “Counsel” is provided. “Might” knows the safety that is provided with “Counsel” and establishes protective barriers for those who receive and walk according to “Counsel’s” word – and those protective barriers are designed to guard (with force and might) those who do.

 

Outside those protective barriers along the path which “Counsel” advises and admonishes is a realm of terror and destruction, distress and anguish (see Verse 27). “Might” is designed to protect those who walk according to “Counsel,” but “Might” will not stretch forth a finger to help those who choose their own paths contrary to the Word.

 

Solomon wraps up this first chapter of Proverbs with the prophetic promise and statement that “Whoever listens and obeys me shall dwell safely and be quiet from the Fear of Evil.” The Fear of Evil is the granddaddy of all evil spirits. It is the principal driving spirit of fear; and the father of the Fear of Man and the Fear of Death.

The Fear of Evil is the controlling force behind all religion and the deception in religion. The root of this fear is that it perceives God as hanging a “Sword of Damocles” overhead just waiting for your mistake so He can bring it down and destroy you. Thus God is perceived as “evil.”

 

The corollary is that one must keep certain laws or perform certain acts in order to please God. Distortion of God’s commands follows, deception sets in, and God’s Word is automatically disobeyed by the keeping of certain lesser commands to the setting aside or ignoring more important commands which are rooted in the principle of loving and honoring God.

 

Let’s see if we can look at a couple of examples of this.

 

Which is more important before the Lord:

 

(1) To feed and clothe the poor, or to spend time waiting on God? Both are important, but is our relationship with the Lord more important to Him, or is our religious observance of feeding and clothing the poor of greater importance?

 

(2) To give gifts to the Lord (sow seed, bring offerings, give to missions, etc.) or to reconcile differences between you and another brother (or sister) in the Lord? Where is our priority, here? Is giving our tithes, offerings, and supporting various missions of greater importance to the Lord, or is His focus on having a whole and healthy Ekklesia whose very existence becomes salt in the earth?

 

(3) To keep and recognize feast days and/or honor the Sabbath, or to walk by faith? Is it more important to the Lord that we religiously observe the feasts and keep the Sabbath, or is having our faith vested in the Lord of Sabaoth of first importance?

 

(4) To offer praise and worship to the Lord, or to forgive intentional offenses towards you by would-be brethren, or even those not of the household of faith?

 

Are you getting the picture? Fear causes us to obey the right commands in the wrong order. NONE of His commands are unimportant! Feeding the hungry or clothing the poor IS a command from the Lord, but it comes AFTER our time with the Lord – and as He directs.

 

It almost sounds like I'm getting religious here, like I'm trying to proscribe strict laws and details of the Law, but that's not what this is about! There is an order – a protocol – to our obedience to the Word and the Counsel of the Lord. We don't get to pick and choose which commands, or which counsel, we will observe and/or the order in which we will follow it. Religion tends to justify this disorder "just as long as we keep the Word." Nope. That's not the way it works!

 

Jesus made it clear that He wasn’t interested – and neither was the Father – in receiving gifts, offerings, etc. from us UNTIL we resolved issues of unforgiveness or offenses between us and fellow-believers. He wasn’t saying “Go spend your money or give your gifts somewhere else because I won’t receive them.” He WAS saying, “Set those gifts aside UNTIL you have resolved the matter between you and your brother. THEN come and bring them to me.”

 

The fear that drives deception is a religious fear, and it is a fear that comes upon us when we reject the Spirit of Counsel and Might.

 

The promise of the Lord to those who “hearken” (a word which literally means "to hear and obey") unto Him is that

 

(1) They will dwell safely. They will live their lives in safety and protection (see also Psalm 91) from harm and danger, and from attacks of the Enemy – both verbal and weapons-based, and from disease, pestilence, plague, AND from accidents.

 

(2) Their lives will be quiet. (See Psalm 105 and Psalm 91:3) The phrase, “noisome pestilence” in Hebrew is the phrase, havvah deber, which literally translates to “noisy disorder” or “words, events or things thrown into confusion and disarray in the midst of a rushing wind.”

 

(3) The Fear of Evil will have no power over them. Hence, there will be no confusion, no deception, no disarray or disorder in their walk along the path directed by the Spirit of Counsel and Might.

 

OK, so far?

 

There is a another, different dimension of revelation to the way the Spirit of Counsel and Might operates, and we’ll take that up in our next Coffee Break.

Chuck Pierce once again has a fresh prophetic word, and it is relevant to what I've just shared with you:

 

"You could easily miss the shift that is going on around you. Do not miss the shift that I am bringing into the earth realm above you. I am beginning to speak in ways to clarify what you have heard in past seasons. If you will listen from Heaven and not walk in the earth, your ears will be clear and your eyes will see. I say to you this is the beginning of a new season!

 

"This is a time when that which has looked dead will begin to bud – that which has looked as if it had no life. Know that I'm going to bring life where it looks like there's death. Where there has been death to finances, where there's been death to dreams, know that Aaron's rod has budded and life has come forth. Do not wait to see the full blossoming, but look for the budding, for in the bud know that there is life.

 

"This is a season that I'm going to cause the budding to come forth. This is a time where you're going to be able to see life where you thought there was death. Know that it is only the death to the old. But I say it is the time of the budding of the new. Do not miss the new! Do not miss the life that I'm causing to come forth, for this is the time that I'm causing the rod to bloom and I'm causing the rod to bud. New life has been released in this hour.

 

"Know Me as Me and who I am, for seeds must fall into the earth for life to spring forth. Know Me, for this is a time that from Heaven I am stringing and making taut the lines that My word is coming on. I will bring words to nations and words to families and words to those who have made mistakes in the past. And in one day I will renew their life and their bodies. This is a time that I am stringing and causing My word to come. I have stairs up and down, ascending and descending, and angelic hosts are coming to redeem your past and open up your future."

 

Blessings on you!