The Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus

The Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus

by | Jan 1, 2025 | God in the Details, The Pattern

lLuke 2:21 CSB

When the eight days were completed for his circumcision, he was named Jesus—the name given by the angel before he was conceived.

The Feast of the Holy Name, often celebrated as a part of the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ, is celebrated on varying dates in January.

In holding with my own Protestant roots, we will be using the Lutheran Liturgical Calendar which celebrates this special occasion on the 1st of January every year.

The Bible tells us that eight days after His birth, in holding with Jewish tradition, our Lord was circumcised and given the Name of Jesus – the Name given by an angel unto Mary before He was conceived.

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia: “It is the central feast of all the mysteries of Christ the Redeemer; it unites all the other feasts of the Lord, as a burning glass focuses the rays of the sun in one point, to show what Jesus is to us, what He has done, is doing, and will do for mankind.” (Holweck, F. (1910). Feast of the Holy Name. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.)

I like the idea of celebrating this Holy Day on the first day of the New Year – being mindful of the Name given to Christ on the day of His circumcision. I like the idea of taking a moment – making a day – out of thinking about the beauty and the power of the Name given to us – the Name Above Every Name!

The Name of Jesus literally means “God Saves” – this is the purpose of Christ come – He is very much the Right Arm of the Lord stretched out to pull us out of the misery and torment of our fallen state.

He is the Name Above Every Name, the Name above every situation – bigger than all our problems, our sin, shame and circumstances. His Name is higher than our sickness, stronger than the chains that hold us back – His Name is beautiful. His Name is powerful. His Name if wonderful.

The Name of Jesus is peace. His Name is comfort. His Name is healing. His Name is deliverance. His Name is compassion. His Name is love – the Great Love that reconciles us with God.

The other half of this feast – The Feast of the Circumcision and Name of Jesus – is of course centered on His circumcision.

It is, by all accounts, the first time that Jesus shed His blood for us – perhaps not to reconcile us to God, perhaps not for the remittance of sin – but rather to confirm that God Himself stepped down from His exalted throne to meet us in the form of helpless babe. It confirms the humanity of Christ.

It also represents, not only His obedience, but also His fulfillment of the Law – and of the covenant that God made with Abraham.

Colossians 2:9–15 CSB

For the entire fullness of God’s nature dwells bodily in Christ, and you have been filled by him, who is the head over every ruler and authority. You were also circumcised in him with a circumcision not done with hands, by putting off the body of flesh, in the circumcision of Christ, when you were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised with him through faith in the working of God, who raised him from the dead. And when you were dead in trespasses and in the uncircumcision of your flesh, he made you alive with him and forgave us all our trespasses. He erased the certificate of debt, with its obligations, that was against us and opposed to us, and has taken it away by nailing it to the cross. He disarmed the rulers and authorities and disgraced them publicly; he triumphed over them in him.

There is a beautiful mystery in His circumcision. His flesh was circumcised so that those who would call upon the Holy Name and follow His commands would not be lost to eternal damnation, but resurrected with Him – His law written upon their hearts and circumcised through the baptism and  indwelling  of His Spirit.

His flesh was circumcised so that our hearts may be cut with the New Covenant in His Name.

So, let us take this day, the start of the New Year, and circumcise our hearts – let us cut away every distraction, every hindrance, every obstacle – let us repent, by putting off the body of flesh and its desires, and set our eyes upon the King set in Zion.

Let us call on the Holy Name today, let us turn our eyes afresh upon Jesus . Let us go into this New Year with His Name upon our lips and His mark upon our hearts – and let this New Year be a testimony of His goodness, His grace, His Mercy and His love for all the world to see.

 

Something to think about:

What practical steps can we take to ‘circumcise our hearts’ as we enter the New Year? What are some distractions or hindrances you need to cut away in your life to focus more on Christ?

Something to do:

Special occasions such as this are a great opportunity for us to think about Jesus, who He is and what He has done – but we need to cultivate a lifestyle of mindfully and intentionally pursuing Christ. Perhaps, in an effort to cultivate this mindfulness, you might create a ‘Jesus Centre’ in your home – a small space with your favourite Bible, some devotional books and a journal where you can spend time in prayer, study and reflection. You can make a point of setting weekly, or even daily reminders to visit this space, switching off your phone and spending time with Him – even if it is just for five minutes. It will not only help you cultivate an attitude of mindful and intentional seeking – it will change your life!

Here I Am, Send Me Part 6: A Call To Arms

Here I Am, Send Me Part 6: A Call To Arms

by | Sep 12, 2024 | Called, Discover Your Ministry, Here I Am, Send Me, The Pattern

In the last few readings we examined certain figures in the Old Testament and how their attitudes can be applied to ministry.

The goal of the previous readings was also to motivate you to start functioning in your gifts and ministry through the application of 3 specific concepts – Faith, Desire, and the Action of Total Surrender.

Everything starts with Faith.

Faith lays the foundation for all that is to follow – it is the substance, or foundation, of our expectations (the things we hope for / our desires) and thus also our actions (the way in which we work towards those things).

Just as Moses put all his trust in the Lord, in the one who says: I AM, so also we must take that which we have and lay it before the Lord, trusting that He will give us the victory necessary to overcome our situation.

Just as Abraham had faith – putting his trust in the Lord – we have to get up and start going. We have to realize that the Lord has a plan for us and that He has called us to do great things for Him – to be a blessing for others.

When we do that we will sow the seeds of change wherever we go.

Just as Isaiah was saved by the grace of God, His sins forgiven, so also we were saved. His desire to please the God of his Salvation lead him to become a prophet – an instrument of the Most High.

The question is not, what can the Lord do for me, but rather what can I do for You, my Lord?

With a heart crying out in thanksgiving and praise for the Savior, we call out to the Lord, crying: HERE I AM, SEND ME!

Willing to give it all, we fall before the Lord, crying: Here I am, send me!

Just like Joshua we need to take action – we need surrender to the Lord and go where He wants us to go, do what He wants us to do – we need to position ourselves, through obedience and trust, to see His Will for our lives unfold.

Surrender is a constant event – it needs to be re-affirmed everyday. Why? Because we’re human. Because we want to be in control.

Total Surrender is a constant fight against the world and all the forces of evil raging around us – it is also a battle with our own bodies, our minds, our desires.

Total surrender is a consistent action – an every day labor against the flesh and our natural urges – a daily decision to give up our own plans for His plans – to stop writing our own story, and an invitation for God to write His story through us.

It is to stop building a legacy which will ultimately wither and fade away, and to start building His Kingdom – eternal and glorious – here and forevermore.

If you resonate with this – if you have come to believe that God has called you, if it is your desire to see His Kingdom come, to see the lost saved and revival poured out – then this is a call to action.

A call to arms – a call to pick up the tools and the weapons you need to take ground for the Kingdom.

Just as God commanded Joshua – it is time for us to take the land. It is time for us to act – it is time for us to get equipped, to be trained up – so that we may be sent out into the field.

Now that we have taken the action of surrender – giving ourselves to the work of the Lord – our next step is to get equipped. There are two prongs to this action.

The first and most necessary is the Work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. Just as the Lord, through His Spirit alive and active in David’s life taught him how to wage war – just as God, through divine impartation gave the great artisan Bezalel the wisdom necessary to construct the Tabernacle – so the Lord will equip you through the indwelling of His presence.

This requires a relationship with Him – and I would urge you to take up the necessary spiritual disciplines of Bible Study and prayer (to name but two) to build this relationship – intimacy with Him, so that you can know the Mind and Heart of God. We are equipped through the practice of His presence.

I have, in my own life, come to the conclusion that we have to be so charged in our spiritual lives, our relationship with Jesus, that the atmosphere changes when we enter a room. We have to have such an intimate relationship with God, that to enter a room is to take the manifest presence of God with you.

We have to enter into the land that God has given us, into the land He shows us. We have to go to the place He wants us to be (both spiritually and physically).

The second part of our two-prong development plan is more traditional in nature. Through theory and practice – whether academic in nature or more on the job – very real training is necessary for us to be effective in ministry. It is important for us to gain an understanding of sound doctrine – to know what we believe and to express it coherently. It is also important for us to be practical – we should know HOW to do the things we need to do.

Picking up a hammer does not make you a craftsmen. It takes hard work and dedication. So it is with ministry. Picking up the Bible does not make you a minister. A soldier learns to swing his sword properly. You need knowledge, but you also need wisdom – the correct application of that knowledge in practice.

Every ministry has its own requisite set of boxes to tick. A good preacher needs to learn to communicate effectively, a good pastor needs a heart for the people – and a good worship leader needs to know a thing or two about music.

Whatever your ministry might be – you are about to embark on a rewarding journey of discovery, learning and development as you take your next steps towards the calling God has ordained for you – by applying the concepts of faith, desire and total surrender.

On this website you will find many resources added weekly, even daily, to help you grow in your relationship with the Lord as well as your calling and ministry.

If you need more personal guidance, or advice on which resources to use and where to find more – please reach out and send me an email: andre@adlabuschagne.co.za

Reflect:

1. You are called by God. What does this mean to you?

2. What does faith mean to you? How does this relate to your calling?

3. Desire is that which compels us towards either good or bad – and it is the main motivator of our actions. What is your desire? How does this relate to your calling?

4. Action is to do – more than just thinking, hearing or planning – it is to get up and act. What is the single most important next step you can take today to make a difference in the life of someone in your sphere of influence?

Prayer: Lord, my eyes are set on You. I pray that You will see my desire and increase my faith – that You will be my all and all. As I give You my heart and mind, my finances, my strength, all of my skills and talents – guide me Lord. Raise me up as a soldier in Your army, as a worker in Your field. Help me to turn my faith and desire into action – action that pleases You. Help me to lay my own thoughts down and to adopt the mind of Christ, so that You may be glorified in all I do. Help me to do Your Will rather than follow my own plans. I surrender to You and Your infinite wisdom, knowing that Your plans for me are better than the plans I have devised for my self. Be glorified in my life, Jesus, and help me on the journey ahead as I learn how to mobilize my faith and desire – as I learn practical ways in which to act – as I am equipped for Your Kingdom and Your Glory. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

Everyday Evangelism: Praying With People

by | Sep 11, 2024 | Equipped, The Pattern

One of the things that Christians seem to struggle with, no matter how far in their walk with the Lord they might be, is praying for others.

Many of us just don’t have that kind of personality, we don’t have that boldness…

We see in Mark chapter 6 that Jesus sent out the Twelve in pairs of two to go and do some practical ministry. We read in verses 12-13: “ They went out and preached that people should repent.  They drove out many demons and anointed many sick people with oil and healed them.” (NIV)

The disciples were sent out to pray for people – amongst other things. 

And we, as disciples of the Lord Jesus, are all called to do the same.

The good news is that it doesn’t have to be complicated or super spiritual. It just needs to be authentic – from the heart.

That being said, I offer a few guidelines below to get you started:

1. Finding a person to pray for:

Usually the opportunity to pray for someone will present itself naturally. Other times you might be led to pray for someone in church, or even in a public place (as has often happened to me). 

I would advise that you avoid praying for a member of the opposite sex alone. If you are a man praying for a woman, please make sure that your wife, or another woman from your team is present – and vice versa.

Also, before you start praying for someone make sure to introduce yourself properly, and ensure that you know their name.

2. Ask the person if you can pray for them:

Once you have found someone who needs prayer, ask them if it is okay for you to pray for them right there and then. Do not just launch into prayer and the laying on of hands. It is important that the person you are praying for is comfortable with what is about to happen.

Remember to always check before laying hands on anyone.

3. Ask the person what you can pray for:

It will make your task of in-person prayer so much easier if you have a specific need to pray for. Make sure your prayer specifically addresses this need. Pray in a way that is encouraging and loving.

4. Keep it short and simple:

You don’t have to pray a long, eloquent prayer. God hears our faith – not our words. If your prayer is only a sentence or two – don’t worry – there is power in the faith-filled prayer of the righteous!

5. Make sure you end the time of prayer with a clear AMEN.

You want to be sure that the person you are praying for knows when the prayer has ended.

Conclusion: Praying for someone else in person doesn’t have to be hard. God wants us to pray for one another, and it can be a great way of opening the door for you to share your faith.

If you find yourself praying for a person who does not go to church, or is perhaps unsaved, why don’t you take the opportunity to invite them to your church – so that you can carry on praying and walking with the person in the Lord.

We are all called to pray for one another. 

Let us take up the work of prayer and make a difference for the Kingdom wherever we might find ourselves.

Here I Am, Send Me Part 5: Surrender

Here I Am, Send Me Part 5: Surrender

by | Sep 5, 2024 | Called, Discover Your Ministry, Here I Am, Send Me, The Pattern

Joshua is about action.

His name means ‘the Lord is Salvation’ or more accurately ‘Jehovah is Salvation’.

He was a military man – a mighty warrior – but also a prophet waiting on every word the Lord spoke unto him.

His job was to lead the Jewish nation of Israel back to their homeland – to the Promised Land. His job was to reclaim that which they had lost at the hands of their enemies, to take what the Lord had given them.

The author of Hebrews writes:

Hebrews 4:9-11: (KJV)
9There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. 10For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. 11Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

Rest is defined in the Webster’s Dictionary as:

A state of quiet or repose; a cessation from motion or labor; tranquillity; as, rest from mental exertion; rest of body or mind.

In Psalm 95 David speaks regarding the day of provocation in which Israel tempted God and saw His works for 40 years – and he also states – ‘if you hear His voice today, do not harden your hearts’, and this is an indication that there is hope. We can move into the rest of God – the rest of God being a cessation (an end) of our own works, of our own will, a state of quiet and response to the will of God.

Christ comes and calls us to move into the promise of restoration and salvation – the promise of a new life with God – He invites us into His rest and gives us His Spirit, our guide, our comforter and our teacher, so that we can find our rest, in His.

Easton’s Bible Dictionary states that this rest of God isn’t a Sabbath like rest, but rather a state of blessedness, and this corresponds with verse 11 where the author states – let us labor to enter into that rest!

That is exactly what Joshua did. He marched across the Jordan with absolute assurance that his God was with him – that he would not face these enemies alone. He had the faith, but now he had to react.

He made his way across the Jordan and gave himself as a living sacrifice to God, saying – Lord, have Your way in and through me.

He said, Lord, let Your will be done. Me and my house will serve You.

Surrender. He surrendered unto God, gave it all – his mind, his mouth, his heart, his physical self – everything was laid at His feet, before the throne of the Lord of Hosts.

Let us work to attain that state of blessed dependence upon God, let us work and strive for righteousness, hunger and thirst for His ways so that we can move into His rest!

Let us seek the true will of God, let us labor to have that assurance that what every step we take has been ordained by God, that we are fully and completely on His straight and narrow way.

If rest means the cessation of our works, our own works, it also means the start of His work in us.

Ceasing our labor (once we are in Him) allows Him to work in us.

This is another of those rather elusive key concepts we don’t always think about.

Absolute surrender.

If you want to be a success story in the Kingdom of God, stop writing your own story and let Him finish it. Cease your works and let Him work through you.

In Hebrews 4:11: we read:

16Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Let us seek God with all boldness, just as He commanded Joshua – without fear.

Take action – surrender to Him.

Reflect:

1. What would it look like if you were surrendered to the call of God on your life? Where might it lead? What sacrifices would you have to make? What is hindering you – what obstacles are there between you and surrender to God?

2. Our labor (work) is to enter the rest of God – a place where our work stops and His work starts – what does this mean to you? How do we get to that place of absolute surrender?

3. What steps can you take today to step into the will of God for your life? What is the next step you have to take?

Prayer: Lord, You are the One who turns oceans into highways – You flatten the walls of the enemy to make the way straight before me – You move mountains to give me clear passage. I pray that You will show me the desires that I have put above You, that You will show me, through Your Spirit, the doubts and fears holding me back – and that You will help me give them to You. Remove these obstacles, oh Lord, and help me surrender all I have and all I am to You and Your Will for my life. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Revivo: Come Out Of Your Graves!

Revivo: Come Out Of Your Graves!

by | Sep 4, 2024 | Articles, Called, Revivo, The Pattern

Exodus 27:20-21: 20 “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. 21 In the tent of meeting, outside the curtain that shields the ark of the covenant law, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come.

In the book of Exodus God commands the people to bring, as an offering, the purest, highest grade of olive oil for the lampstand and for the anointing oil.

These lamps were kept burning, continually, for generations and generations – even up until the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. The rabbi’s of old offer this insight: that the menorah was kept burning, day and night, night and day. Even though the lamp had to be refilled and the wicks trimmed and replaced, there was always at least one light kept burning.

The oil that was used, called pressed oil here, is in referred to in the King James as ‘beaten oil’.

The Hebrew word here is ‘Katith’ which translates as ‘torn apart’.

The Israelites used the first fruits of the olive – the first oil, the most precious oil – as fuel for the lamp. Only the highest quality would do. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica the olives were beaten down from the trees with sticks, and after the best of the crop had been selected, they were crushed, by hand with mortar and pestle. ‘Broken or torn apart’ – the mush from this process would be placed in wicker baskets – sort of like a strainer or a sieve – from which the precious drops of oil would run out and be collected for use in the temple.

The rest of the olive would then be mushed even more, heated, and more oil extracted for use in cooking and as fuel. 

But only the first fruit of the olive would be used for the lamps in the tabernacle.

This was a time consuming and labour intensive process – and they had to continually make this effort to make sure that the lamps would be kept burning.

Just like that olive, we have been squeezed, broken – even torn apart by life – by situations and circumstances – and it is from this place, this morning, that I bring this message.

I would like to share, with you today, some of the oil produced by my own pressing, the oil produced by my own brokenness. A friend of mine likes to say that there is oil in preaching from experience.

I want to share this oil with you this morning in the hopes that it will fan into flames the thing that God wants to do in your life this morning.

I started out my ministry journey in this church. Many of you remember me as a teenager, and later as a Bible College student. And it took me years to come to a point where I can finally admit that when I was here before, all the times that I was here before, I was too young for the call of God on my life. Immature and impressionable.

After I entered the secular workforce, getting my first real job in sales, I fell in with some negative influences. I was, at the time no longer with this congregation, but had moved on to a different church where I was the worship leader, and involved in many different kinds of part-time ministry – but I was leading a double life. 

I had, through some very bad decisions on my part and very poor judgement, become addicted to drugs and alcohol. I was still a Christian, I was still faithful in my church attendance and even in ministry – but behind closed doors I was a desperate, miserable wretch of a man who could not go one day without a hit, fix or a drink.

It came to a point, in August 2015, where I was arrested and ended up sleeping in the cells at the Sophiatown Police Station. 

I had my day in court, and by some miracle, where I was supposed to go to Sun City Prison for 6 months, through the intercession of my mother, and the guidance of our pastor, Leon – I was let go on the condition that I would go and see a counsellor, get help and get my life together.

Shame drove me to take a break from church altogether. For the first time in years, I stopped going to church and attended 12 Step Meetings instead. 

It was when I was almost 1 year clean and sober that I was arrested for the second time – this time, not by the police, but by the love and grace of God.

I met a pastor at one of these meetings. I had mentioned that I had been involved in ministry before – that I had completed my studies years earlier, that I had done work with the homeless, with the youth and that I was a worship leader. He invited me to his church, and I went the next Sunday. And just like that I was at home, once more in my Father’s house.

I soon became their worship and youth pastor. And from there I have not looked back – even in trials and tribulation – in good times and in bad times – I’ve held fast to the God of my Salvation and I have walked with Him, and He has walked with me – for more or less 8 years now – at least 5 of which I have been in full time ministry.

A while ago I started writing a series called ‘Walking With Jesus’ – and I publish it weekly on my website. In it we look at who Jesus is and what He came to do.

And the one thing that is absolutely clear in the book of Mark is that Jesus was a man of Action – Jesus was the right hand of God stretched out – God taking action. 

God wants to liberate His people. He wants to set us free from the chains, He wants to call out the captives, and He wants to breathe new life into dry, dead bones.

He wants to turn our graves into gardens, He wants to turn bones into armies – so that we may take back this land for His Kingdom, that we might go into this world and show them that the Mighty One Who Saves is in our midst.

At one point in my life I was getting so many calls and messages from still-suffering drug addicts, that the Lord took me out of a corporate environment and pulled me into full-time ministry. If I had to share even some of the testimonies from the last 5 and a half years, we would be here all day – I have seen people healed, set free and transformed by the Gospel.

I have seen chains broken, prison doors opened – I have seen blind eyes and deaf ears see and hear again! I have seen ligaments and bone grow back!

Let’s take a moment and dive into scripture. Mark 16:1-8:

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. 2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb 3 and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

4 But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

6 “Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’”

8 Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

The Bible tells us that these three women went to the tomb of Jesus, expecting to find a body.

The Bible tells us in the Gospels, that when the disciples heard that the tomb was empty, they were surprised.

Why were they surprised? Did Jesus not tell them that this was going to happen? That there was going to be a resurrection?

The tomb is empty!

The Biblical account of the resurrection shows us that Jesus had to appear to His disciples before they truly understood what was happening – even the disciples had to see it to believe it.

Why? Is it perhaps because the idea of resurrection, of revival – the idea of coming back to life seems so impossible?

And perhaps today, this is where we find ourselves. Waiting to see so that we may believe.

I am here this morning to show you the resurrection power of our God in Jesus Christ. I was dead, but I am now alive through the grace and mercy of Jesus!

I should have been in a hole in the ground, but I stand before you alive, healed, restored and redeemed!

And I have seen many others called out of their graves as well.

The empty tomb is full – full of hope, full of grace and mercy, full of redeeming love! 

The psalmist says, ‘let God arise, His enemies be scattered!’

The empty tomb is a wake up call! God has risen – He has scattered the enemies of sin, shame, fear and even death! The stone has been rolled away and God is on the loose in our midst, the Mighty One who Saves, our saviour, our redeemer, the lover of our souls!

Paul writes to the church in Corinth, in 1 Corinthians 15:56-58:

56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. 57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 58 Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain.

He writes to the Ephesians in Ephesians 5:14: 

“Wake up, sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”

The empty tomb is an invitation – it invites us to get up out of the mirey clay of our unbelief, our circumstances, our situations – the empty tomb is an invitation, calling DEAD MEN COME OUT OF YOUR GRAVES! LAZARUS COME OUT!

Rise from the dead! Let Christ shine upon you! 

The empty tomb is an invitation to step out of our graves and into the resurrection power of Jesus Christ.

Some of us this morning are barren ground full of dry bones – we want to believe, we want to be set free, but we just don’t seem to get there – God is saying, today is your day! Step out! Come out of your grave! Step into Me!

Over the years I have spoken to many pastors, apostles, prophets – mighty men of God, who still struggle with the bondage of sin and shame. Some of them renowned and well known – addicted to drugs, gambling, alcohol, sex…

Some of us this morning, believe in Jesus – we come to church, like I once did, but we have one foot in the grave. God is saying step out – let go of your chains! Come alive!

Some of us are alive – we live a good life, we are devout Christians – but it feels like something is missing. Why? Because we are alive, but we are sitting in that empty tomb, not having realized that the stone has been rolled away! Step out! Out of that grave, and into the resurrection power of Jesus! Into the victory of Jesus!

Victory over sin, shame and despair! Victory over poverty, sickness and addiction! Victory is ours today!

Jesus took death itself in His hand and tore it apart. It is under His feet. What then of our situations, our storms, our circumstances? If Jesus defeated death, surely everything else seems small in comparison.

Victory is here today.

Pastor Deon shared a powerful revelation last week when he shared these words from 1 John 4:17: AS HE IS SO AM I!

Jesus got out of that grave. He defeated death!

Jesus took me out of my grave – and not just a spiritual one, He kept me from a very real, very serious and early death. Through His Holy Spirit active and working in my life, through His resurrection power!

I am here to plead with you this morning – step out of your grave! Step out of your grave!

Even Peter went to the empty tomb, and the Bible says he wondered about what might have happened. The resurrection might seem impossible – but with God all things are possible!

You just need to take your mustard seed of faith, hold it tightly in your hand! And step out today!

Turn to Jesus! Let Him do His work within you! Let Him pull you out of darkness and into life! What he has done for others He can do for you!

Step out today!

Araphel: The Revival Womb

Araphel: The Revival Womb

by | Sep 4, 2024 | Articles, Called, God in the Details, Revivo, The Pattern

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land” (2 Chronicles 7:14)

At the dedication of the Temple, in 2 Chronicles 6:1-2: Solomon says: “The Lord has said that he would dwell in a dark cloud; I have built a magnificent temple for you, a place for you to dwell forever.”

The words ‘dark cloud’ have always piqued my interest. What did Solomon mean by this?

We know that in the Exodus from Egypt God appeared to the Israelites as a cloud. It is in this same sort of cloud that He appeared to them on Mt. Sinai and His presence also rested on the Tabernacle as a pillar of cloud – the Hebrew word used in all these instances is ‘anan’ (aw-nawn), translated properly as a cloud or a thick mist and indicative of God’s presence.

The Lord’s visible presence in the world, in the Old Testament, is often represented by this Glory Cloud – the ‘anan’.

In 2 Chronicles 5 – after the Ark had been placed in the Temple – God’s presence filled the place – once again the ‘anan’ of God – the glory of God, the presence of the Most High in the form of a thick mist or heavy cloud – so much so that the priests could not even stand to minister.

But in 2 Chronicles 6 at the dedication of the Temple Solomon describes a different kind of cloud. 

The word used in the original Hebrew to describe this dark cloud is ‘araphel’ which is indicative of darkness and gloom – in Deuteronomy 4 and 5 we see that God appeared in both the ‘cloud’ (anan) and the darkness (araphel) – both present at the same time. Where the cloud – the ‘anan’ of God signifies God’s presence, ‘araphel’ describes a mystery. 

Eliphaz the Temanite shares a similar idea in Job 22:11-14: 

“Is not God in the heights of heaven?
 And see how lofty are the highest stars!
Yet you say, ‘What does God know?
 Does he judge through such darkness (araphel)?
Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us
 as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.”

The Hebrew Bible uses this word to describe the presence of God at least 15 times – and most of the time it is in a situation where some facet or even all of God is obscured and unseen.

In Psalm 30 David is prophetically praying over the Temple that was to come. He had not been able to build the Temple, because of the blood on his hands, and so the duty fell upon his son Solomon to build this habitation for the presence of the Lord.

At one point, in the middle of the Psalm, he makes the following statement: 

“When I felt secure, I said,
    “I will never be shaken.”
Lord, when you favored me,
    you made my royal mountain stand firm;
but when you hid your face,
    I was dismayed.” Psalm 30:6-7:

It is not uncommon for us to feel like God is hidden – like David felt here. We look at our situations and our circumstances and simply cannot see Him anywhere. One of the most common questions I get asked as a pastor is: “where is God?”

We become dismayed because we feel like God has hidden himself from us.

But God is in the ‘araphel’. Just because we don’t see Him doesn’t mean He is not present in the darkness before us. The darkness is not without God.

Solomon dedicated the Temple, pouring out his heart before the Lord – he prays for his people, his nation. He prays for justice, and the vindication of the innocent. He prays against drought, famine, pestilence and sword. He prays against disaster and disease. He prays for a turning of hearts towards the Lord, for forgiveness and repentance.

He even prays for the nations – for the foreigner and the stranger in their midst, those who come from afar, that God would hear their cry from heaven and answer – that these same foreigners would go forth and become witnesses of the goodness and the glory of the God of Israel.

Most of the situations he was praying for and about are the same kind of situations we find ourselves praying for today. All of these are the kinds of circumstances in which we might ask ourselves: “where is God?”

And in that moment, as soon as Solomon had finished his prayer, God answered with the fire from heaven.

We find ourselves, as the Church, in a similar situation right now. Many of us can relate to the sentiment that Eliphaz was sharing in Job: “God is hiding, way up there in Heaven, beyond the darkness, unaware and uninterested in the comings and the goings of humanity. Going about His business in a vaulted – or closed – Heaven.”

We look at the world around us, and that is how many of us feel. There is so much chaos, confusion, sin and depravity. There is so much injustice and unrighteousness – and we haven’t even started talking about the natural chaos of the world – earthquakes, fires, floods, famine, drought…

And we look at the darkness and we ask – “where is God?”

God appeared at Mount Sinai in Fire, in the Cloud and in a Thick Darkness.

Moses said unto the people: “Do not be afraid. God has come to test you, so that the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.” (Ex. 20:20)

And after saying this Moses approached the thick darkness where God was while the people remained at a distance. (Exodus 20:21)

The ‘araphel’ represents the mystery of God, but also the fear of the Lord. It describes the separateness or the otherness of God – the Holiness of God. The fact that God is obscured by this veil that our mortal eyes cannot pierce and our fragile minds cannot comprehend is indicative of the fact that He is unique and removed from us even when He is right in front of us.

We cannot begin to understand the vastness, the might and the power of God. The mere thought of His fullness inspires awe and reverence. He is not of this world. We cannot begin to fathom God.

We see Solomon, at the dedication of the Temple calling into the ‘araphel’. We see Moses stepping into it – knowing full well that it is within that place, within the ‘fear of the Lord’ where God is found. 

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Proverbs 9:10)

It is in embracing this fear – this reverential awe of the Lord – that we find our way forward.

In Acts, chapter 1, just before His ascension, the disciples ask Him if this is the time in which He will restore the Kingdom to Israel.

Jesus, instead, challenges them to venture into the unknown. ““It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:7-8)

Because of their reverence of the Lord, their fear of the Lord, they dive head first into the ‘araphel’ of God. The ‘unknown of God’. The ‘Secret Place’.

In Psalm 139 David refers to the secret place of his mother’s womb – that God saw him ‘hidden’ in his mothers womb.

The ‘araphel’ of God, this ‘obscuration’ – the ‘thick darkness’ or ‘secret place’ – is a sort of Spiritual Womb where direction and a way forward is birthed. It is in this ‘Spiritual Womb’ where the Will of God is conceived and where revival is birthed from.

Like Moses and Solomon we must step into this ‘thick darkness’ – into the ‘araphel’ – into the ‘fear of the Lord’.

Like the disciples we must venture into the unknown. We must press on and into the secret place.

Paul writes to the Corinthians: “don’t you know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit?” (1 Corinthians 6)

Elsewhere, in Romans 12, he admonishes us to be a living sacrifice – to offer up our lives – unto the Lord.

We must dedicate the Temple of our Body to the Lord, like Solomon, with awe and reverence in prayer.

We must provide the sacrifice of our own flesh as a burnt offering before the Lord. 

We want God to move on our terms, according to our ways towards our expectations and according to the motives and agendas of our carnal minds.

But God is in the ‘araphel’.

Revival is coming. And it might not look like we want it or expect it to look. It is not going to come through the writing of super-spiritual books, endless prophetic and apostolic courses, it is not going to come through lights and loud music – and it is certainly not going to come through the words of eloquent preachers, their titles or their charismatic choreography.

Revival is going to come through one thing only – the Fire from Heaven will come only when we dedicate the Temple of our Body to the Lord in prayer.

After the dedication of the Temple, the Lord accepted the burnt offering and filled the House with His Glory.

After waiting upon the ‘unknown’ of God, dedicated to prayer, the Lord poured out His Fire from Heaven upon the upper room – shaking the place with His presence.

The Lord came to Solomon in those days, after the dedication, in the night and said: 

“I have heard your prayer and have chosen this place for myself as a temple for sacrifices.

When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land.  Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place.  I have chosen and consecrated this temple so that my Name may be there forever. My eyes and my heart will always be there.

As for you, if you walk before me faithfully as David your father did, and do all I command, and observe my decrees and laws, I will establish your royal throne, as I covenanted with David your father when I said, ‘You shall never fail to have a successor to rule over Israel.” 

(2 Chronicles 7:13-18, NIV)

It is through prayer that the Throne of God is established in the hearts and the lives – in the midst of His people.

Nothing else.

Not through sacrifices, tithes, offerings, festivals – but through the sacrifice of ourselves in prayer.

It is through prayer that the birthing of revival and restoration takes place.

In this time, let us turn to the Lord in prayer.

I need healing in my body, in my life, in my family. I need healing in my church. I need healing in my country – and we certainly need to see healing in the world as a whole.

Let us, this royal priesthood, this holy nation, the Body – the Bride – a people called by His Name – humble ourselves, turning back to the Lord, repenting of our foolishness and our own depravity, and approach the ‘araphel’ of God. Let us turn back to the Lord. Let us step into ‘the fear of the Lord’ – approach Him with reverence and awe. Let us enthrone Him with the highest praise, give Him the highest place in our lives. Let us turn to the Lord in prayer.