Recover priestliness

The Solemn Assembly

The recovering of priestliness #01

Gather the people, sanctify the congregation, gather the elders. . . Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar. Joel 2:16-17 Gird up and lament, priests; wail, ministers of the altar. . . For the food offering and the drink offering are held back from the house of your God. Joel 1:13 You who share in a heavenly calling, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. . . Hebr 3:1

The Solemn Assembly signifies, in both the Old Testament and the New, a recovering of priestliness, a recovering of proper standing according to covenant for the ministration of life and righteousness. The Solemn Assembly – the people of the Lord gathered to have their perspective adjusted in and through a ministry of beholding. The Solemn assembly – corporate priestly ministry of consideration, discernment and assessment.

Consider the High Priest, and His ministry – which provides a purposeful covering. Consider the covenant of the priests – which is meant for Life and Peace. Consider the quality of corporate testimony in relation to the two given reference points at this very point in time. Consider the possible impact as to testimony according to redemptive measure. Consider failure and adjustment according to heavenly protocol. Consider priestly ministry – men praying everywhere, lifting up holy hands. . .

The Solemn Assembly, the gathering of men and women for learning Christ through inner revealing and formation. The Solemn Assembly learning the mystery of heavenly supply, learning the mystery – and ministry – of Christ within, the hope of glory. The ministry of beholding establishes an inner statement regarding truth and humility and allows a firm stance amidst what is earthly reality as it is in its conceit as well as in its misery. The ministry of revealing and beholding establishes measurements and a firm hold on what is real as well as a drastic disqualifying of that which does not stand as being real.

The very meaning and measure of existence is priestliness. Life itself is for the altar. Living fully is living according to priestly measures – the covenant of the Lord with his priests holds life and peace – to be seen in the history of Israel and to be experienced according to prayer promises like 1 Joh 5:14-16. Prayer brings lives to redemptive ground. Priestliness brings lives to prayer ground. The heavenly calling – behold priestliness, learn Christ.

The ministry of beholding, the priestly ministry, finds a focal point in the following: “Priests; To God’s own heart their hearts ascend in flames of deep desire. Their earthly dross consumed in sacred fire.” A Solemn Assembly finds its constituting reference in a fellowship of burning hearts. Its object and desire is restoration. It therefore mobilizes men and women to proper priestly ministry – a weeping in brokenness, a repenting and a waiting for a restoring of that which is broken.

Joel sets forth proper measure for any give situation in which an assessment is being made which acknowledges the absence of the redemptive marks of fellowship. He points to precise markers which indicate the central issue of failure, that is the failure of fellowship on redemptive ground and the failure of ministry according to priestly character. The Solemn Assembly becomes a necessity when the cross is set aside in the Christian fellowship, when the ministry of reconciliation is reduced to mere mental assent. The Solemn Assembly is a must when “the food offering and the drink offering are cut off from the house of the Lord”, when a fellowship of burning hearts, of priestly covering is nowhere to be found.

The Solemn Assembly is an instrument of recovering in crisis hours. The Solemn Assembly is an instrument of restoring according to redemptive measure in days of despair. The Solemn Assembly brings truthfulness and trustworthiness to any scene at which deceit and betrayal plays central parts of the act. The Solemn Assembly is God’s emergency instrument in any given situation which is to be characterized according to measures of a Ground Zero.

God, the Father, is Alpha and Omega. He is the beginner, even in final hours. He stands ready, in the Solemn Assembly, to bring a new beginning even where there is no hope for such. Ours is the possibility of priestliness, as life itself is to be given for this very purpose. Life is for the altar, life is for priestliness. The Solemn Assembly is its finest expression.

Lars Widerberg

Reading: 1 Tim 2:8. Mal 2:4-7, Col 1:27, Lev17:11.

Away with “One size fits”

In the day of Thy power A people gathered for prayer

Away with the “One size fits all”-prophets

As we are called upon and drawn together for fellowship in His name as a House of Prayer – as a Solemn Assembly – the Lord will begin to deal with us as a unified body unto consensus, unto common understanding of his particular purpose for the gathered unit.

The “One size fits all”-prophets will speak to the many regarding God’s new plans for the new year in terms as vague as mist and shadows. There are no such thing as a general sweeping over the corporate assembly worldwide unto new prospects and blessings. We have heard and read hundreds of prophecies of this kind through the years – and nothing has changed as related to veracity and humility.

What the Lord expects is a well defined response to his word regarding fellowship and prayer according to redemptive purposes, revealed in each and every setting where men and women are brought together by the Holy Spirit for worship and priestly ministry – 1 Tim 2:8.

The vanity prophets’ predictions represents a pendulum swing from the separateness and individuality fostered in our churches for decades, to a general spiritual atmosphere of benevolence and prosperity in which all must take part of without discernment and objections. Both extremities are dead wrong according to heavenly measure. Both are firmly established in a rejecting of the work of the Cross of Christ.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, works according to specified purposes as he is building his Church – each and every unit set up for specified redemptive purposes in cities and societies of various kinds and fashions.

The only general idea, which is to be applied in every place, is the bringing forth of a people for His praise, a gathering of men and women for redemptive purposes – men and women who learn to hear from the Lord together, who learn to obey and act in unison according to revealed purposes.

Do not listen to the “One size fits all”-prophets. Learn to hear from the Lord on personal ground, learn to hear from God on prayer ground. Learn to hear from God in fellowship with dear saints, with dear friends. Learn to act together in terms of veracity and obedience for the sake of His specified redemptive purposes. This will bring proper heavenly testimony before the Gentiles – for the glory of our Lord and Saviour.

Lars Widerberg

A Solemn Assembly at hand

An arousing trumpet calls, the mellow tune of a Ram’s horn seeks attention. The intensity of the alarm is intended for immediate spiritual alertness. It is intended to arouse the inner man, intended to generate response from men’s inner being. It will be perceived by hearts trained for listening. The outrightness and soberness of the alarm draws men together. It is a warning issued by Heaven itself. Make no mistake, no options follow. The horn offers a mandate; gather before God for service, for redemptive purpose. Gather in the gap for redemptive purpose. The sound travels in every direction, demanding solemn gatherings.

Men of spiritual stature gathers in response to the call, brought together for the exploring and understanding of the purposes and features of the House of the Lord, brought together to survey the prospects of redemptive exploits by means of godly fellowship under the hand of the Lord. Their longing for righteous living, for godly living, is their main feature and their primary source of influence. “The heartfelt supplication of a righteous man exerts a mighty influence.” Corporate prayer and intercession will have even greater effect unto righteousness and revival.

Habakkuk journeyed alone with the burden of the Lord. His was a prophetic waiting and watching, asking the questions which every solemn gathering is meant to formulate. His solitary position on the rampart, models the Solemn Assembly in its corporate listening for words sent from Heaven regarding judgment and restoration, regarding the priestly work yet to be done to reduce the impact of the onslaught of the enemy. The analysis made by the prophet and his crying out for answers stands as pattern and protocol for the priestly mission which the Church is called to in every place in these last days. And Joel underlines the necessity of the presence of a Solemn Assembly in the final years – in the days of the coming Messiah.

The call of the Ram’s horn signals a warning. But its sound brings men together for exploits which transcends the human frame of mind. The fellowship of these brokenhearted men is aimed at reflecting a Davidic approach to life and living: “Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed; I will not give sleep to my eyes, or slumber to my eyelids, Until I find a place for the LORD, a habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.” The House of prayer, the Solemn Assembly, is intended for service unto God. Its perspective is the Father’s perspective – the sovereign lordship of His Son. The House, which the saints constitute, stands in the midst of the world as salt and light – as a confrontative instrument opposing iniquity and darkness.

“His house are we.” His house is a household of priests – men able to stand in the gap. The Ram’s horn sounds for the gathering of men of stature to stand in the gap, defending the nation with its cities. Men of stature, of spiritual maturity, meant to stand in the gap between what is and what is meant to be. Men of stature taking on the tension between what is and what is meant to be – to resolve the tension by seeking God in repentance for a formation unto maturity. The Solemn Assembly, men of stature, mobilizes the covering of protection of God for the oppressed. Revivals begin in the Solemn Assembly – where men and women gather for the sake of a returning to righteousness. Revival, the recovering of the testimony, begins where the longing for righteous living in fellowship and prayer brings men to abandon every other priority.

The Rams horn is calling, the trumpet sounds loud and clear. Men who are trained to listen in the spiritual realm are brought out for a gathering in solemnity and true fellowship for the sake of a restoring of the testimony and for godly living and fellowship in these days of the Messiah, in the days of the coming of the King. Our proper response will bring a dividing between what is godly and that which is unholy. The Solemn Assembly will have priestly repercussions in our cities. The Solemn Assembly will bring a testimony regarding salvation and holiness.

Lars Widerberg

Reading: Joel 2:15-18, Jas 5:17, Hab 1, Ps 132:3-5, Hebr 3:6.

Ground work at Ground Zero

“Say to them, The days are at hand, and the fulfillment of every vision. For there shall never again be any vain vision nor slippery divination within the house of Israel.” Ez 12:23-24.

Oh, how we long for the days when every vision of the prophets of old will be fulfilled. Oh, how we long for the days when every promise of God is to be fulfilled.
Oh, how eager we are to run after every prophet, who promises new things. Oh, how often we are fooled by our inner cravings for something which brings satisfaction and a quick fix. Oh, how often we walk away disappointed from gatherings where “God’s man of the hour” has tried to rend Heaven and to have God to come down. Oh, how foolish our efforts. . .

Ground Zero – any place, any situation, where the testimony of the Lord has been reduced to rubble. Grounds Zero – our plans and efforts brought to a devastating halt for the sake of learning the necessity of being brought out to prayer ground, where man’s strength and resources are left behind. Ground Zero – where the testimony of Jesus Christ begins being formed in individuals as well as in the corporate body, the Church. The ground work of the Christian testimony begins amidst the rubble at Ground Zero, amidst the pain and the loss at Ground Zero. Ground work recovers testimony, ground work recovers hearing.

“Your prophets are like the foxes in the deserts. You have not gone up into the breaks, nor built the wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in the battle in the day of the Lord.” Ez 13:3-4.
A radical component causing our Ground Zero, our testimony being reduced to rubble, is the many men and women who dare to compromise the Word of the Lord. Liberty is presented to every businessman and housewife to dream up their future and prophecy their own prosperity. They are all being brought in under the heavy judgment of the Lord, which aims at securing proper appropriation of the heavenly reality of the Word of God. They are all being brought in under the judgment of the falsehood among the vanity prophets. His Word, his promises have come under heavy reproach because carnality dares to mishandle them, trying to apply them to fleshly desires and to ambitions which stands without any relating to heavenly purpose.

“The days are at hand.” Days are at hand, when vanity will be confronted and the Word as well as the testimony of the Lord shall be restored. The ground work to be done at Ground Zero is one which contradicts the spirit if the age – the unwillingness for bridle, the unwillingness for discipline, the unwillingness for adherence. Our need, as Church, is to learn how to hear and how to interpret heavenly protocol. Ezekiel was introduced to the basics of the protocol of Heaven by these words: “Son of man, hear what I am saying to you. Do not be rebellious like that rebellious house.” Ez 2:8. The Hebrew word for hearing – shamah – implies diligence and discernment, comprehending and obedience, a hearing for the sake of becoming testimony.

This prophet was directed by the Lord to use a sentence, occurring some seventy times throughout the text – “Know that I am the Lord”. A small word, by no means insignificant, by no measure irrelevant – “yada”. “They shall know.” They shall come to a thorough and substantial realization. And how? By God being at work among his people, according to his Word, according to his promises of old, according to the purposes of Heaven. Even his servants shall “know” – not because of any new revelations, not because of any great ministry in exclusive operation, certainly not because of any generalized “prophetic” prognosis for the next ten years.

God is concerned with the accomplishing of something which is worthy of himself. He the Rock of salvation – reliability is one of his attributes. He does not change, the foundational values of Heaven are always the same. His Word cannot be used for carnal purposes. His redemptive operation is one of restoring trust – therefore he brings an end to the misuse of the Scripture, on a so called prophetic ground, in the modern Church. His redemptive operation is one of restoring adherence to his word, an adherence which includes obedience. His redemptive purpose in these final days is to bring the Church to maturity – therefore a through cleansing is under way to bring forth the gold, that which is prepared for Heaven.

Ground work at Ground zero builds for Heaven – never for carnal purposes. Ground work at Ground Zero calls for a hearing of the Word of God. Ground work at Ground Zero calls for corporate obedience. Ground work at Ground Zero recovers the ability to discern and to apply redemptive purposes. Ground work at Ground Zero returns to listening and waiting for the Lord.

Lars Widerberg

An excerpt from the notes to a Church in the City, the Big Apple – to Bronx, one of the five Burroughs of New York City.

Cities and Zion

Church – something there in the midst of the gruesome turmoil and upheaval which is still called culture and civilization. Church – in the midst of haughtiness and self-focus, in the midst of self-assertion and unpredictability, in the midst of an obvous ethical breakdown. Church – something there in the midst of it all, which cannot be shaken. Church – in the midst of that which will come to terrible shakings under the hand of the Lord.

Church, the genuine Church, that Church which cannot be shaken, reflects her moments of arrival, beginning and fullness at every possible moment: “You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem”. She has become the City which God builds. She has become that which pilgrims and prophets has been seeking after since Abraham decided to leave the cities of Babel, leave for a journey into that which always lies beyond.

The prophets of old were sent, carrying words regarding impending judgment and approaching shakings, to most of these cities – hardly any of the population centers reacted and repented. These were power centers which, each according to its own definition, aspired for recognition – to be recognized as the first and foremost. They all gathered identity and motivation from master minds of disorder and pretention. The powers ruling each and every mind were slave-masters, excelling in the art inducing fear and torment. All of them disregarded, even mocked and despised, that which was weak and defenceless. These powers provided cultural patterns and identity by means of cultic ecstasy and sacrifice, oftentimes in its cruellest form.

Our cities are strongholds of arrogance, of intimidation and of self-aggrandizement. Our cities have embarked on a highway heading towards a complete freedom of expression. The comprehensive city has embraced the right to count absolutes as obsolete. Self-proclaimed spokesmen, modern principalities, issue mandate and authority to do away with beauty and dignity. All we find in its place is beastliness and cruelty. The best show, that which brings home the finest awards on Broadway and elsewhere – that which is regarded as the first and foremost – often holds the most brutal assault on godliness. But, the words from the Lord regarding shakings and heavy dealings still stand.

Babylon, the spiritual matrix of inadequate living, is everywhere. Babylon, the comprehensive city, is everywhere. Babylon, the spiritual matrix of opposition against eternal values and the beauty of holiness is everywhere. Her flattery, her conceited views, her projections and hype attract nothing but shakings form the realm where true authority rests. Her despising that which belongs to godliness, even weakness, is her undoing. The Cross of Christ is indeed an apocalyptic turning point. The preaching of the Cross will cause her to tremble and, then, in the end, to disappear forever.

The comprehensive city, the sum of all cities, will be brought forth for judgment. Her darkness will be confronted by a city on a hill, full of light. Her depravity will be counter-measured by a people who still know saltiness. Her position as the first in rank, as the truly emancipated city, will be taken from her by a company of committed who never aspired for position, never had anything to offer, never was counted among the learned – a people who was regarded as nothing in the eyes of the privileged.

The company of committed, the genuine Church, does not engage in battle according to carnal measures. Weapons to be directed against the comprehensive city are weapons brought from an arsenal, which is not to be found in this world. That which is despised is genuinely operative against the one who despises. That which is nothing works well indeed against that which regards itself among the first and foremost. That which is truly spiritual is effectual indeed against that which gathers force in the earthly realm.

The Lord gathers his people in these final days, preparing them for final shakings. That which cannot be shaken holds proper testimony. The Church which cannot be shaken, will secure a rescue platform in the final hours for cities which dare to act, as Nineveh once, in corporate repentance. In this we will fulfill our role as Zion, the city which God has prepared.

Lars Widerberg

Reading: Hebr 12:22, 11:10, 16, 1 Cor 1:27-29.

An excerpt from the notes to a Church in the City, the Big Apple – to Bronx, one of the five Burroughs of New York City.

Gathered to know His will

Gathered to know His will

That which is gathered unto the Lord, that which is set apart to represent him, the gathering of his household – even the smallest company of committed, are brought together to learn to know the context of redemption, brought together to learn to know the will of God, even to know God. The saints gathered before the Lord, the real Church, are brought out unto corporate understanding of redemption in general as well as the Father’s will unto practical application. The house of the Lord gathers to know him and to know his will. The house, household and servants, does not exist for its own purposes. “His house are we”, built for purpose, built to be inhabited, set apart for his will.

The household of the Lord is meant to stand as a redemptive context. The company of committed stands horizoned by the Fathers will and intentions. This little company, wherever it gathers, rests under his Word, to be taught unto disciplined functionality. Wherever the tabernacle is erected and established, a tempering will occur for the sake of corporate priestliness. “There I will meet with you.” There he will reveal his will.

Without the Master’s words, the house remains empty. A household unwilling to hear, disintegrates. The Church, meant to stand ablaze, ought to stand ashamed because of its misuse or the Word of God and its unwillingness bend its corporate ears. But, she has lost her ability to blush. The Solemn Assembly recovers hearing. The calling together, the gathering of the company of committed aims at a breaking of hearts unto priestly ministry in repentance and reconciliation according to the Father’s will. The calling together of men in every place is a call to brokenness and trembling – a trembling at his Word.

Joel, the prophet of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is also the one who brings superbly distinct instructions regarding the procedures to precede the outpouring. A Solemn Assembly: A recognition of the absolute necessity of a returning to the Word of God, an absolute necessity of a returning to a corporate understanding of the will of God and obedience in full measure. King Hezekiah, the king of thorough restoration, earns his place in the annals of the kingdom of Judah as a leader who understood the will of the Lord and who courageously engaged the priests and the people in an undertaking which pleased God and secured his sanctifying endorsement. The Church must return to sanctifying patterns, to apostolic patterns. Modern spirituality allows for a bypassing of these sanctifying patterns and releases spiritual experiences, charismatic pretense, which should be avoided at all cost. There is no restoring unto charismatic measure without Solemn Assemblies and its trembling at the Word of God.

It is as if God stands without voice in his own house, without vote in his own assembly in these years. When the apostle Paul defines the house, the fellowship and the ministry, there is no, absolutely no, hesitation or absence of clarity. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world, but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Rom 12:1-2. He defines ministry as sacrifice, sacrifice acceptable unto God, priestly ministry based on the perfect understanding of the will of God.

When the Apostle allows us to look into his prayer life, we are made perfectly aware of things pertinent and prioritized. He prays for the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, for the sake of a thorough knowing of the Father and of the love of Christ Jesus – this regarding the Church in Ephesus. The Philippians are covered with prayers “that your love may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgment; that ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ”. Thus far: Insight into Christ’s love for the sake of judging unto excellence. And then, Colossians: “We do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” The house of the Lord; the place where the knowledge of the will of God is prioritized as an absolute.

The Holy convocation, the Solemn Assembly stands as a challenge. Who is ready to engage in a restoring of the Word of God in our midst? Who is ready to enroll in a company of committed? The Lord seeks truth in the inward parts. Head knowledge is secondary – knowledge without the presence of the Spirit of truth is as false as a lie. His house must be turned into a Solemn Assembly. Our common prayer must be one which reaches out for an understanding of his Word, for a thorough abiding by the Word, for a restoring of the understanding of the will of the Lord.

Lars Widerberg

Reading: Heb 3:6, Ex 29:42-43, Isa 66:5, 2 Chron 29:20, 30:10, 31:20-21, Rom 12:1-2, Eph 1:15-18, Eph 3:14-19, Phil 1:9-11, Col 1:9-10, Ps 51:6.

 

Growing unto a Mandate

Before God – even if He presents Himself as the Father – man finds himself to be provoked to perplexity, he finds himself overwhelmed, he is awestruck, he stands reduced, realizing that he is undone. There, before God, every possible category disengages from its commonality, from its ordinary and well-known value. What we have are fragments, the smallest possible beginnings of a description – fragments, insignificant words piled up, never enough to produce even the bleakest picture of what is seen and felt at the beginning of a history with God. This is where a heavenly mandate has its origin – in a realm which lies beyond, far beyond what is ordinary.

The man, who stands with a mandate, does so because of his history with God. There is an element of “otherness” engraved in his inner constitution, he carries a peculiar mark over his living – a “Beyond”. He has become a foundational man, in touch with reality, because of his trembling before to word of God. His life carries the reality of having been brought beyond to see God and to see himself in relation to that first seeing – and then, to see mediocrity as God sees it, from the viewpoint of holiness and purity. The sending implies conflict – holiness versus the mundane and the mediocre. He will never be satisfied with trivialities, ever seeking for that which corresponds to his encounter with that which is beyond.

He is indeed a watchman, jealously guarding that which belongs to a true seeing. He has willingly become a servant, a man who stands before God patiently waiting for a word, for a burden, for God’s timing. He never engages in men’s devises – rather opposes them. Elijah never became an “in-house-prophet” or “one of the boys”. He might be alone, but never aloof, never taking a position away and above to indicate otherness. His is a servant’s role – towel in hand, as well as a rebuke when appropriate. The mastering word of his service is to be found in Rom 1. Paul declares true service to have its source in the inner man. Service involving hands and feet, thought and mouth ought to be brought in submission to the inner reality of true seeing and sending.

That which is true in regards to seeing and sending begins, and is then covered to its fullness, by servanthood. With David the expression was waiting. Jeremiah had his tears, and asked for more of the same kind. From Elijah we gather a sentence displaying persistency: “God, before whom I stand”. Isaiah brought servanthood to its fullness in his gospel-preaching. Ezekiel found words to speak regarding times and situations when both Israel and the Gentiles are to be brought to a seeing, seeing God as he is – “Yada”, a representative Hebrew word reoccurring some 70 times throughout his book. A sent man is a servant, a foundational man is at all times a servant. A man with a word must stand as a servant. If this particular ingredient is missing with the man who professes sending, we do harm by not dismissing him.

The man with a mandate stands qualified to speak by inner reality. The approval needed consists of an inner history with God, the seeing which God has given. The seeing which he has obtained from God far too often contradicts the common seeing of man, for him to be able to receive credentials from men in formal positions. A mandate formulated in the presence of God constitutes perplexity in seeking its reality, while obtaining it as well as in the exercising and expressing of its practical aspects. It constitutes perplexity for the one sent and for the people who comes across and becomes crossed by the man who stands with a mandate. Heaven contradicts and offends that which is earthly. If man stands perplexed by its breaking in, there is hope for salvation. If man turns against the sending of God, and does so repeatedly unto the hardening of heart – there is only a breaking in severe judgment to be expected.

The man who is chosen for a mandate, is chosen for a seeing which opens the regions beyond that which belongs to this world. His are times of Davidic waiting, perhaps of tears like Jeremiah, of training among sheep like Moses and Amos, of friendship in royal settings like Isaiah, alone at the brook like Elijah. A man is not easily made, the shaping of the history with God in which the mandate lies hidden is not for men to read and discuss. But, the solidity of its reality confronts all men. The mandate speaks without words as a marker of authenticity amidst vanity, as a marker of eternal values among triviality.

Look for men with a history with God. Pray forth men with heavenly mandate.

Lars Widerberg

Reading; Isa 6:5, 66:5, Rom 1:9

An excerpt from the notes to a Church in the City, the Big Apple – to Bronx, one of the five Burroughs of New York City.

Samaria, a city on a mountain

The history of the city of Samaria has its inception in the dividing of the kingdom of David and of his son, Solomon. The northern part, Israel, was entrusted to a man by the name Jerobeam. In the writings of the chronicles of the two nations, the first king of the eleven tribes was described as a rebel and a pattern according to which the kings to follow after him was compared. Few were those who dared to divert from his evil ways, in a returning to the Davidic pattern of worship.

Omri, the father of Ahab, was among those who went beyond Jerobeam’s in rebellion and in evil practices. He was the one who “bought the hill Samaria of Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city which he built after the name of Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria.” The city on the hill and its surroundings were indeed beautiful. It was a strong city, its fortifications were considered impregnable.

Samaria became part of the scene of the battle between the prophet Elijah and king Ahab and Jezebel. Elisha was involved in the training of young adepts in a school of prophets nearby. Samaria, the pace of mixture, was measured to face severe judgment. The people of the northern kingdom were to become replaced by tribal peoples brought in from far beyond by the Assyrians, as a severe consequence of their sin. Samaria was truly a place of mixture, culturally and religiously. But, the Davidic worship was nowhere to be displayed.

The dispersal of the eleven tribes and the influx of tribal practices stand as a forceful prophetic warning also in our days, regarding the common tendency to introduce foreign elements in Church worship. A mandate rests with the true Church, according to the pattern and practice of Elijah and Elisha, to speak against superstitious mingling and the blending of spiritual traditions brought in from beyond.

In an effort to strengthen the newly established kingdom, a slightly revised worship was introduced by king Jerobeam. He followed and copied the religious patterns of the kingdoms surrounding Israel, cultic practices solely aimed at securing fertility and prosperity. One calf, signifying spiritual strength and success, was placed in Bethel and another was positioned in Dan. The introduction of the self-focus in worship also aimed at breaking the hold of Jerusalem over men’s minds, as well as a reduction the perennial reminders of the purity and solemnity of the worship in the temple of Solomon.

The religious pattern secured by the king and the new priestly institution brought a unifying focus – prosperity and blessing in every undertaking, carnal ambition defined the limits. A freedom of expression was also released – each and every category of spiritual experience had its source in that which is vaguely defined as “god”, no discernment needed. The calves in Bethel and Dan were the outward expression of the source of blessing, they signified man’s projection of what was regarded to be a blessing from God. The kind of blessing which the carnal man is in search for is one which secures prosperity and security – but exclusively according to man’s definition. Jerobeam’s worship, the carnal worship, is summed up in terms of what man can get out of it. The Davidic worship contradicts carnality.

Samaria, the place of mixture, demonstrates carnal ambition intertwined with religious sentiment. Samaria is ruled by an Ahab, the utterly selfish king. At his side one finds a Jezebel, a woman disgustingly sensual and religious, surrounded by prophets by the hundreds. He stands for cruelty and personal greed of the worst kind – opposed by one of the great godly men, prophet Elijah. She is the demonstration of modern sloppy agape at its worst, feeding the many hundreds of swaggering vanity prophets, who promises prosperous undertakings at all times – covered by spiritual powers which can be swayed by carnal faith techniques.

Samaria, wherever and whenever it appears, will be confronted by a small company of committed, by men who dare to stand in purity according to the Davidic pattern of devotion, surrendered to godly living under the hand of the Lord. The mixture of Samaria must be confronted. The vanity prophets at the table of Jezebel are to become exposed by the judgment of God himself. The churches who profess to be “rich and increased with goods” will stand naked at the words of judgment of the Lord.

But there is grace in Israel, times of recovering. There are widows and orphans, who may expect days of recompense and restitution. These are the days of the Messiah, of the coming king, in which there will be a turning away from Samaria, a preparing of the saints for bridal purity. And the Father will intervene, when the pressure is too intense and powerful from the forces which dictate conformity to the Samarian way of worship. Ours is a returning to that which is Davidic, that which declares holiness unto the Lord. Ours is an ascent, a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, to become partakers of that which will stand undefiled, of that which will stand for ever.

Lars Widerberg

 

A position rarely manned

God’s point of view holds prophetic character, it speaks Christ.
God’s position is a priestly position, it offers redemption according to Jesus Christ.

The man called to stand with God, watching the world and its affairs, occasionally being brought close to the beauty of Heaven itself, finds himself to be standing in between two extremely different landscapes. One has lost its beauty and attraction – it is outright dirty. The other is different beyond expression. The man called to stand with God finds himself to be standing in a gap of overwhelming tension. He has seen Heaven, therefore he rejoices in awe. He has been made aware of the absence of Heaven, therefore he carries a burden unto breaking. The position is rarely manned. And God is seeking. . .

The man has seen the face of the Father, the light in His face – “with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning”. The Crystal lake has overtaken his horizon – innocence, the beauty of holiness, truth and humility intertwined. He is made speechless – searching for words forever. The Lamb, slain and resurrected, has invaded his days, filled his days to the brim – changed his outlook and attitude unto priestliness. His appearance brings a message regarding holiness, and its fragrance fills the air – simplicity and beauty.

The prospect and promise of a possibility of a seeing of this kind fills a man’s heart with awe. The reality of entering described by godly men, writing simple diaries, lofty poems, and master pieces of theology lies before us all to stir us to exploits – yet, God is seeking for a man, just one man. Why, why does man hesitate to enter the presence of the Lord? Is the salvation prepared by the Lord, is the covering prepared by the Lord insufficient in any way? Is the tension in the gap, the burden of the Lord too heavy to handle? Are the resources of the Holy Spirit sparse or meager in proportion to the undertaking? Why does God have to look for a man to stand in the gap for the land? Look at the situation from God’s horizon – not one to post in the gap. . .

The man in the gap wrestles with reality – in that sense he is already on his way to become prophetic. The man who is about to take position in the gap is wrestling with the outlook which the Word of God brings – in that sense he is already on his way to become prophetic. The man in the gap must learn a seeing as God sees. The man in the gap identifies with his people in truth and love – for the sake of being able to speak truth intertwined with love, never maudlin, never harsh. His is an avoiding the Ephesian dilemma, which is expressed in the ability to discern what is false, what belongs to the world, without the ability to express love and humility amidst the exposing of falsehood. Heaven, its light, its crystal, its beauty overcomes falsehood. The man in the gap wages a soft war – his weapons are not carnal.

The man in the gap is already a dead man, a crucified man, what will the tension of the gap cost him? He has begun to become horizoned by Christ, what can the world do to him? His service is horizoned by Christ, the crucified Christ, what kind of enemies will have power over him? The man in the gap has defined both the place which he is going to – the heavenly city – and the places he left. Therefore he can freely serve, fully focused on the assignment set before him. He shares the Apostle Paul’s view: “The lightness of our present affliction works out for us a far more excellent eternal weight of glory, we not considering the things which are seen, but the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are not lasting, but the things which are not seen are everlasting.” 2 Cor 4:17-18.
But, why are these men so few in number, so difficult to find when needed.
The position is rarely manned. And God is seeking. . .

Lars Widerberg

Reading: Ez 22:30

An excerpt from the notes to a Church in the City, the Big Apple – to Bronx, one of the five Burroughs.

A Lion roars at Ground Zero

Amos, a man turned from being shepherd, to the bringing of words from God to a straying nation and to its leadership. He had been brought to a hearing of another kind, even in conflict with the wisdom of men who had acquired leadership positions in the land. The words brought before the shepherds of the nation came at a critical time – two years before a devastating shaking, well in time for these great men to repent and turn to the Lord in sackcloth and ashes. But, they were immersed to the brim by the wisdom which caused the judgment, with the kind of wisdom which was reducing the testimony of God to rubble. They were all shepherds of vanity.
And the Lord roars. . .

The voice of the Lord, and the words that were sent to the straying nation and to the forces which caused devastation, were of the mightiest kind – like the roaring of a lion. The words mobilized the strongest of force against the dynamics of vanity, the dynamics of prosperity and welfare in the land. Shepherds of vanity were devastated as well as the foreign forces which were reducing Gilead to rubble, reducing the corporate testimony to a state of being which we identify as a Ground Zero. The balm of Gilead was no more, vanity had taken its place. Its leaders were not interested in the recovering of a testimony and of spiritual stamina.
And the Lord roars. . .

Words came to another prophet after a period of breaking and devastation – to Joel. The burden of the Lord, which he had to bring before a leadership which were unwilling to take in the perspective of the Lord, was one regarding the ability to represent God and to have fellowship with God. The meal-offerings and the drink-offerings were taken away from the priests, because of their vanity. No possibility to enter into fellowship with the Holy One because of their unwillingness to repent and turn away from their carnality. And God made it absolutely clear that without the tears and the repentance between the porch and the altar, there would be no true outpouring of the Spirit of God.
And the Lord roars. . .

The controversy of the Lord is to be defined in a simple statement: The testimony of Christ in us, within the Church at large, is reduced to rubble. The testimony of the presence of Jesus Christ, as corporate spiritual stamina, is reduced to rubble. The priests, the leadership, do not care for spiritual maturity – things pertaining to godliness. The balm in Gilead, the healing of the broken-hearted, is trashed and it is replaced by amusement, the outright turning away from the ability to muse, to search for truth for the sake of knowing the Holy. The reality of Ichabod – the absence the Glory of God – is no more an issue with the Church. Eternal values are brought out of the picture for the sake of seeker-friendliness.
And the Lord roars. . .

The prophetic entity, the Church which opens for and bows to the necessity of sackcloth and repenting, will see a recovering of the testimony. The gathering of saints, godly men and women will be able to bring a word regarding restoration at their local Ground Zero. Where there has been thorough shaking and thorough response to the shaking, there will be an outpouring unto restoring of the testimony – and a radical one at that.
And the Lord roars. . .

The Lord is waiting for men to gather, for women to gather, in solemn assemblies, for a weeping between the porch and the altar regarding the testimony that has been completely threshed in Gilead, weeping regarding a restoring of the fellowship offerings, weeping regarding the unwillingness to minister in truth and humility. The Solemn Assembly dares dressing in sack cloth, the Solemn Assembly dares speaking repentance, the Solemn Assembly is the only entity which may wait on God for a restoring of the testimony, the only entity which may be granted an outpouring of God’s Holy Spirit unto corporate testimony in godly living and service.
And the Lord roars, for both shaking and restoration.

Lars Widerberg

Reading; Am 1:1-5, Jer 8:22, Joel 1:8-10, Joel 2:12-14, 1 Tim 2:8-9.

From the notes to a Church in Bronx, New York