PASSION FOR THE GLORY OF GOD - PART2

What are the keys to unlock the doors and windows of heaven so that we can access into the Glory Realm? These are not passing questions but are realities which worshipers who have experienced His Glorious Presence would understand what I am talking about.

A) The Key to His Glory - Corporately
What do I mean when I speak about an "OPEN HEAVEN"? Tommy Tenny author of the best selling book - The God Chaser explained it as a place of Easy Access to God. He shared that the Word of God tells us that there are five distinct and definite things that open the windows of heavens:

1) Tithing - is an ancient key to the heavenlies that predates the giving of the law of Abraham (Genesis 14:18-20). The principle of giving God the "firstfruits" of our income or increase is clearly described in the Book of Malachi:
"Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, " says the Lord of hosts, "If I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it (Malachi 3:10 NKJV).

2) Persecution - also opens the heavens, as demostrated in the Book of Acts when Stephen was martyred:
But he, being full of the Holy Spirit gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!" Then they cried out with a loud voice ... and they cast him out of the city and stoned him (Acts 7:55-58a NKJV).

3) Persistence - is an effective tool for "prying open" the gates of Heaven. Elijah prayed seven times and kept sending his servant back to search the skies until, on the seventh time, the servant saw a cloud the size of a man's hand rise from the sea. That tiny cloud from God grew into such a powerful storm that the skies were turned black with rain and wind (1 Kings 18:42-45). Jesus told the disciples that the "door" would be opened to those who persistently ask, seek, and knock on God's door (Matthew 7:7-8).

4) Unity - will open the windows of Heaven; it invites God's presence wherever two or three agree "Concerning anything that they ask." Jesus literally said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." (Matthew 18:19-20 NKJV)

5) Worship - is the fifth key to the third heaven. David the psalmist prophesied, "Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in." (Psalm 24:7 NKJV)
(An extract from God's Favourite House - "If You Build It, He will Come" - By Tommy Tenney)
B) THE KEYS INTO HIS GLORY REALM - Worship Leaders / Individuals

6) Hunger & Desperation - This is what Tommy Tenney is talking about - Chasing after God! Just like Moses asking the Lord to show him His face. There must be the spirit of desperation to meet the Lord in each service. Worship Leader should choose songs that are simple so that the people can just worship instead on trying to remember the words of the song.

7) Praise & Worship - Praise until the Spirit of Worship comes. Worship ... until the Glory comes. Then ... stand in the Glory. This secret was shared by Ruth Ward Heflin in her book - Glory, Experiencing the Atmosphere of Heaven. Each time the worship leader is able to lead the people to praise in unity, he creates a platform not only for the Lord's visitation but His inhabitation. As you lead the people in worship, the worship leader should not rush or be concern about the song list; the Lord would often give us certain song to unlock the door into the His glory. The manifestation of His Glory is not forced but it is spontaneous (by His pleasure, grace & favour - you just know it. When the Glory of the Lord falls, we just stand in His Glory and let Him lead the service ... the manifestation of the Fourth Man - Jesus Christ.

Note : It is this kind of Glory Realm when you wait for the leading of the Holy Spirit to step in faith to execute the Creative Miracles (Glory Invasion by David Herzog)

8) Expecting the Fourth Man - We are familiar with the story in the Book of Daniel when King Nebuchadnezzar threw the three Hebrew slaves into the fiery furnance, but when he looked into the flame, he saw not only three men walking around, but also the form of a Fourth Man in the fire (Daniel 3). And the Fourth looked like the Son of God. There is a fiery atmosphere to be found in His Shekinah Glory, it is a blazing inferno in which the Fourth Man, Jesus Christ, reveals Himself. In this fire, bondages are burned away (the ropes were burned off the hands of the Hebrew men). In this fire, there are manifestations of the Glory of God. There are healings and miracles; there is power to be delivered from demonic snares; there is a holy anointing that causes unbelievers to fall on their face in conviction to confess their sins.
When a worship band by the grace of the Lord is able to let their music flow in the anoint of the River of God or explode the Fire of His Anointing or we can expect the Fourth Man to show up. (Following The River by Bob Sorge)

Blessings
TPWC

PASSION FOR THE GLORY OF GOD - PART1

Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory."And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the LORD, in your presence

Moses was one such a passionate person who chased after the Glory of God. He prayed, "Please show me Your Glory" (Exodus 33:18). The fact that God answered his prayer is proof that God is willing to hear and answer our cries for His Glory. The backdrop to Moses' prayer is strategically important. A number of significant events preceded this prayer which deserve our attention. Few men in the Bible had encounters with God's Glory like Moses did. It all began the day that Moses saw a bush that was burning in the wilderness but wasn't comsumed.

Let's review his encouters with God's Glory and power:
- At the burning bush encounter, he heard God's audible voice ordering him to take his shoes off because he was standing on holy ground. God proceeded to call him verbally to lead His people from Egypt to the promised land. (Exodus 3)
- He threw his rod down, and it became a serpent; then he picked the serpent up by the tail, and it was a rod again. (Exodus 4:1-5)
- He put his hand into his bosom, pulled it out, and it was leprous; he returned his hand into his bosom, and when he withdrew it again, it was healthy. (Exodus 4:6-7)
- He watched ten fearful plagues invaded Egypt: blood, frogs, lice, flies, pestilence, boils, hails, locusts, darkness and death. (Exodus 7 to 11)
- A protective misty cloud clung breathlessly to the ground between Israel and Egypt's army while a fierce gale blew over the adjacent sea, dividing the waters. (Exodus 14:19-21)
- They walked through the sea, on dry ground, with a wall of water on this side and that. (Exodus 14:22)
- On the opposite shore they watched as the sea returned upon itself, killing Pharoah's entire army. (Exodus 14:26-28)
- The bitter waters of Marah were made potable by casting a piece of wood into the waters. (Exodus15:25)
- Manna from heaven appeared on the ground, and water poured forth from a rock when Moses struck it. (Exodus 16 to 17:7)
- Then, they came to the mountain where God Himself descended in fire and a thick cloud. Huge plumes of smoke billowed into the sky, there was lightning and thunder, the entire mountain shook ... and they heard the voice of God Himself. Then, He said to Moses, "Come on up!" Moses climbed the mountain at God's command and lived for two sets of forty days in the fire of God's Glory upon the mountain. (Exodus 19)

Then Moses asked to be shown God's Glory, and God showed him His back. (Exodus 33:12-23)

The above chronology is the general increase of intensity in Moses' encounters with God's Glory. The progression launches with his seeing a burning bush and culminates in his seeing God's back. There are varying degrees of intensity of Presence, and there are varying degrees of intensity of Glory. For example, when we praise Him together, the Lord sits enthroned among His people. This dimension of His presence is so palpable that we can often sense His presence with us as we worship Him together. And then we enter that sphere where we move from the Presence Realm to the Glory Realm. (The Glory Realm or The Glory Zone were discussed in the last 2 posts)

What Exactly Is The Glory Realm? When we ask to be shown His Glory (personal or corporate), what are we asking for? In Moses' encounters we see two-fold description:
The first aspect of Glory - is found in His words "I will make all My goodness pass before you" (Exodus 33:19); where it is perceived by one or more of the five senses. It is an encounter where you literally see, hear, smell, taste, or actually feel spiritual realities. (We have discussed these tangible manifestations in the last 3 posts on The Shekinah Glory of God)
The second aspect of Glory - is described in the Lord's next phrase of verse 19, "And I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you." God was saying, "Moses, I am going to proclaim My name before you in such a way that it goes beyond a physical hearing and becomes a true spiritual hearing. It's not just a sensory experience, but it's also an experience whereby the Holy Spirit supernaturally enables us to comprehend spiritual truth in our inner man so that we might know Him a greater and deeper dimension. Wow!
The two-fold definition of Glory is consistent with the apostle John's experience (as well as many others in the Bible). As per his account in Revelation 1, John literally saw the risen Christ with his natural eyes, but the experience didn't stop there. Jesus then proclaimed His name to John: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death." (Revelation 1:8, 18). John's heart must have nearly exploded with the revelation insight of Christ's words as He spoke these awesome truths straight into John's spirit. John not only saw and heard, he also understood. This Is Glory - the invasion of God's reality into the human sphere!
(An extract from GLORY - When Heaven Invades Earth by Bob Sorge)

As a worshiper, you will always be grateful for His Presence, but you'll never be satisfied until you touch His Glory. The church was birthed in Glory! Right from the beginning at Acts 2, God breathed Glory into the DNA of what our coporate identity is all about. We were created for Glory (Isaiah 43:7). You've been promised Presence, but Glory is in your genetics.

Next post ... How do we touch the Glory Realm?
Blessings - TPWC

THE SHEKINAH GLORY OF GOD -PART 3 (THE GLORY ZONE)

"For the earth shall be filled

with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord,

as the waters cover the sea."

Habakkuk 2:14

WHAT IS THE GLORY REALM?
It is the realm of eternity. It is the revelation of the presence of God. It is the manifestation of His presence. He is Glory. He is everywhere, but Glory is the manifestation of that reality. Earth has the atmosphere of air, whereas the heavenly atmosphere is Glory, His presence. When Glory comes down, it's a bit of heaven's atmosphere coming down to us, a taste of His manifest presence.
We don't see the air, do we? But all of us would be dead if we are not breathing it. We are not conscious of the air unless we see the wind blowing the leaves on the trees. Yet, the earth is covered by it. In the same way, not one inch of Heaven lacks glory. Now God is giving us a taste of that Glory, Heaven manifested on earth.
(An extract from GLORY Experiencing The Atmosphere of Heaven by Ruth Ward Heflin - e-book available upon request with your email address)

THE ARE DEGREES OF GLORY
Bob Sorge in his book - GLORY When Heaven Invades Earth shared that there is God's Presence Realm and God's Glory Realm. As we press in deeper in our worship, the spiritual intensity of God's Presence will increase ... then we enter that sphere where we move from the Presence Realm to the Glory Realm - that's when we cross into the sensory threshold. When God heals a sick person during worship, we are experiencing a tangible manifestation of the Glory Realm

You probably heard about other tangible manifestations of the Glory of God where believers received "gold dust", heavenly fragrance, glory cloud, vision and visitation of angelic hosts ... personally I have experienced some of these manifestations. There is also a higher level which I call the Extreme Glory Realm where signs and wonders explode in the Glory Zone (i.e instant weight lost, implantation of gold teeth, creative miracules and healings ...). you can easily witness some of these manifestations in the internet. HOWEVER, A WORD OF CAUTION - believers then to get caught up with the such manifestations and sensations rather than the purposes of God's manifest Glory.

These Extreme Glory manifestations are not in my experience I am not in the position to judge or comment. I can only say that throughout the Bible that whenever or wherever the Glory of God is manifest - God is glorified, there is an increase reverence in the fear of God, enemies were defeated, lives were transformed and salvation of multitudes.

1) Old Testament examples:
a) Moses - the 10 plagues, crossing of the Red Sea, the providence of manna & quails (Exodus)
b) Joshua - the fall of Jericho's wall (Joshua 5:13 - chapter 6)
c) Gideon - defeating the Midianites with just three hundred men (Judges 7)
d) Samson - defeating the Philistines with a donkey's jawbone (Judges 15)
e) Elijah - defeating the prophets of Baal (1Kings 18:1-40)
f) Elisha - feeding the poor widow (2 Kings 4)
g) Ezekiel - prophesing to the dry bones to come to life (Ezekiel 37:4-6)

2) New Testament examples:
a) Jesus in the Gospel (most of these affirmed Jesus is the Son of God and His Lordship)
- many creatives healing miracles with signs and wonders (the four Gospels)
- turning water into wine (John 2:1-11)
- providence miracle of the feeding of the five thousands (Matthew 14:13-21, John 6:1-13)
- still the storm(Matthew 8:18,23-27, Mark 4:35-41, Luke 8:22-25)
- walking on waters (Matthew 14:22-33, Mark 6:45-51 & John 6:16-21)
- cursing of the fig tree (Matthew 21:19-22, Mark 11-20-24)
b) The book of Acts
- Peter & John healing the lame man at the temple gate (Acts 3:1-10)
- Peter's shadow and healing (Acts 5:12-16)
- Philip was transported to another town to preach (Acts 8:39-40)
- Peter's miraculous escape from prison by visitation of an angel(Acts 12:1-18)
- Paul & Silas in prison delivered by a sudden violent earthquake (Acts 16:16-34)
- Paul did extraordinary miracles (Acts 19:11)

When God invades earth with His Glory, it is to visit His corporate church with His manifest presence. This is what happened on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:1-4), when the sound of a mighty rushing wind filled the room and tongues of fire came to rest on the church. This is God's reality invading the human sphere, appearing to entire groups of people and transforming entire cities. These kind of Glory manifestations are increasing as we approach the return of Christ. However, when God rends the skies and come down, it is not always for a corporate gathering; sometimes God rends the heavens to visit an individual.

My goal is to ignite you with a passion to chase after His Glory not His manifestation. Moses was one such passionate person who chased after the Glory of God. He prayed, "Please show me Your Glory" (Exodus 33:18) ... next post

Blessings
TPWC