The Lord God Almighty does not depend on champions or super humans, but makes ordinary men with contrite and broken hearts to become saints.Qualification to the kingdom of God, is by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ only. Our faith filled with grace turns us into crucified lives as we shared last week, living totally for Christ to express God. The Lord is able to turn crucified (in fresh and with Christ) men to be resurrected spirit-living believers just as Christ.
“I AM THAT I AM” does not need “spiritual giants”, but turns circumcised men to stones for the building of the church.The angel of God who showed John the revelations of the things to come on the Island of Padmos; refused to be worshipped as such.The end times need persons who have overcome the desires of the fresh with the Spirit of Christ invigorated in them.Let us all cry for the seven fold infilling of the mighty strength of His Spiritual anointing.
Therefore v.25 continues to imply that prophesying, speaking forth God with God as the content, ministers God to the hearers and brings them to God. Hence, all ministering carries the variety gold and sound of a united and steady flow of a river of sound made from this cooperate prophesying.Let each minister, minister forth Christ to one another (with our testimony, songs, hymns, and psalms) holding the hands of those who are tired amongst us to depend on Christ(the One who is lives Anchor) for their strength.
This also indicates that the church meetings should be filled with God based on such cooperate anointing. Our fellowship should however, be lead by exemplary elders who organises and encourages the free flow of the spirit of everyone prophesying. Therefore, all the meetings activities should convey and transmit God to people that they may be infused with God. The aim of the meetings must have almost everyone’s contribution, so that it will be convicting and converting more people. Most especially if new converts sees that those who introduced them to Christianity are themselves being regarded by the one Union Christ. Their participation, will surely spur them on to emulate them, who had led them to Christ. It also means that for the purpose of the building of the Body of Christ no one is made redundant. Thank you very much for bearing with me on this diversion, I pray it was worth the diversion.
Now back to Ezekiel chap. 37:5,”I will cause the (breath)Spirit to enter into you, and you shall live”. As I have stated the breath of God is also His Spirit; Heb. Ruach; variously translated, wind, breath, spirit in vv.5-10 and 14. In spiritual experience, when God blows on us, His breath is the wind; when we breathe the wind, it is the breath; and when the breath is within us, it is the Spirit. When Ezekiel prophesied, God blew the wind, the people received the breath, and the breath became the Spirit, the life-giving Spirit ( 1Cor. 15:45b;2 Cor.3:6).Cf. John 3:8). Let me expand the definition; the Greek word for wind is the same as that for spirit. Whether it is rendered wind or spirit depends on the context. This verse as quoted refers to something that blows, the sound of which can be heard, indicating that the word shall be rendered wind. A regenerated person is like wind, which can be recognised but which is beyond understanding; even so, it is a fact a reality brethren.
The dry bones (v.7) came together, and then the breath came into them (10). Showing that we must first gather together in oneness, and then we will receive the breathe of God (cf. John 20:19-22; Acts 1:12-14; 2:1-4). Which is why when the Lord calls us into a local church the believers ought to cooperate with the Lord so that a conducive and prevailing environment remains so that as many as the Lord adds to that number can endure and stay for such oneness to develop. Any unnecessary human interpretations of the scriptures and certain arguable practices may unsettle the new believers, and drive them away. The believer before he/she becomes matured is very fragile like a new born baby. Do not confront new believers with, in our fellowship we don’t do this or that, allow the new believers to settle in and learn from the practices or dos’ and donts’.Just pray without ceasing to what we perceive to be wrong attitudes and the “convicting powers”,will convict the individuals by the Holy Spirit.
V. 10. The revelation in this chapter means that the unique way to have the Body, the Church, and the house of God in genuine (not forced or coercion) oneness is by the way of spirit life by the life-giving Spirit. It is not for the smart believers to lord it over the new believers as the Sadducee, Pharisees and the others did with the Israelites or in Judaism. The way of life of the matured saints should speak volumes than verbal cohesion. The new saints are encouraged by such display of the way of life of the leading saints in the Lord, it becomes an appetizer to them. When the breath entered into the dead ones, it became life to them, and they lived and stood up in oneness to become an exceedingly great army. Glory to God, and may He reward the leading and all saints whose way of life and the breath of God helped the new saints. The dry bones and the two dead branches in vv.16-17 became one not by gifts or by teachings but by life. The dead bones and the dead branches were enlivened and became one as the issue of the dispensing of life and the growth in life (cf. John 17:2,11,17, 21-23; Eph. 4:11-16).
The two lifeless pieces of wood (v. 16) symbolize the two parts of the divided Israel, the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Israel. These two kingdoms could not be one, in the eyes of the Lord they were thoroughly dead and dried up. After being enlivened, they are able to to be joined together and become one (v.17)
Whereas the dry bones in vv.1-14 are for forming an army to fight the battle for God, the pieces of wood in verses 16-22 are for the building of the house of God as His dwelling place and not places. This places an urgent emphasis on our oneness; “but not as each one for themselves and God for us all”.The Christian oneness is very vital to our God, the creator and holder of the universe in His hand.
Oh Lord in our broken and contrite spirit, we entreat you to continue directing us with our infilling and strength, as you journey with us through thick and thin.Help us in the Holy Spirit to be sensitive to the end times( so that we are not confused by false alerts) especially during your coming back draws near. I ask this in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.Hope to be able , but let His will decide when we next are able to share.
