7/17
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| In loving memory of my father Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023 |
We are continuing our messages about restoration in the Church. In this message we will share with you about God's order.
One weekend in 1977 I was present in a gathering of Christian believers in eastern North Carolina when the following prophecy came forth.
We might add that out of harmony, God brings forth His restoration. Restoration comes forth out of God's harmony.
Out of chaos, God brings forth His order. It is not out of line to say that chaos reigns in the visible church today. A spirit of democracy, an independent spirit, a spirit of mixture, a spirit of materialism, and the traditions of men have permeated the Church in America and greatly affected believers. None of those spirits should have any place in Christianity.
God has His order in both the natural and the spiritual realm. All of the planets in our solar system, our moon, and the sun are set in a very orderly manner. A fruit tree will blossom, bud, and bring forth fruit, in that order. We must sow before we reap.
God's order existed BEFORE He created man and BEFORE He created the heaven and the earth. In fact, His order prevailed TWICE. Before the creation of the material universe, God ruled in the spiritual realm and His order and harmony prevailed. This was followed by: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Then Lucifer, the shining one, rebelled against God and fell from grace. This caused the earth to become without form and void (Genesis 1:2). A better translation is that the earth became a wreck and a ruin ... chaos reigned. God NEVER creates anything that is a wreck and a ruin. But God reestablished His order, as recorded in Genesis 1:3 and the verses which follow. This was followed in Genesis 3 by the fall of man, which resulted in the ground being cursed with thorns and thistles rather than the fruit of the trees of the garden (a second time of chaos and a time which now characterizes the affairs of men on earth). When things are out of order as they are today, they must be set in order, even at the expense of being misunderstood.
The third and last occurrence of the order and harmony of God prevailing was initiated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and will be consummated by His second coming to earth.
Donald Grey Barnhouse, in his book, "Genesis" (Zondervan Publishing, 1970), puts it this way:
God is very orderly and He has an order in all things, including restoration of the Church. If we look at the historical record of the true moves of God, we see that God has gradually been restoring all things back to His original purpose.
God's order in the above, and other verses, is that He waits for us. Then after we have done the will of God, we wait patiently for Him.
The New Testament house church of which we were a part for about twelve years, from the late 60's into the early 80's, corresponded with the "Charismatic movement." We were in on the beginnings of that "movement," which started disintegrating only a few years after it had begun. Derek Prince, a noted charismatic teacher of that era, came to one of our house meetings. He said that he had heard that we were like the he goats (trail blazers) before the flocks, as stated in Jeremiah. In other words our church fellowship was on the cutting edge of what the Lord was doing at that time.
Nevertheless, all of the real moves of God soon disintegrated. The life of the Spirit left as man took over more and more control of what God was trying to do. The spontaneity of the Holy Spirit has been replaced by the (well-intentioned) preplans of Spirit-filled pastors and elders who love the Lord but are not aware that they have limited the Holy One of Israel.
There is only One who keeps the world in order ... and that is God. He is the One who causes all things to happen in their seasons and gives everything and everyone a purpose. All that is done is controlled by His providential and sovereign hand. All of the events of history have been fitted into God's timetable. It is by His power that all things exist and consist and are held together. His will and order even works for non-Christians!
If we can agree that God has an order in all things, then we need to understand and agree with His order. In order to agree with His order we must make certain decisions. We all make choices or decisions every day. Some of these choices are inconsequential, such as what should I eat for breakfast today (if anything) or what clothes I should wear. Other choices we must make are not nearly so trivial, such as which woman, if any, should I marry or what job should I accept. These types of decisions make it imperative that we ask the Lord what is His will for us. Jesus said,
If Jesus Himself earnestly prayed for His Father's will to be done in His life, can we do anything less? When we agree with the order of God and put that agreement into action, we see the harmony of God come forth. But unless we follow God's order, no harmony can exist and therefore no restoration will come about.
The word "harmony" does not appear in the Bible so we need to elaborate on what we call harmony. Harmony implies more than one item or participant. A soloist is always in harmony when he or she sings alone. A pianist is always in harmony when he or she plays only one note. In that respect, harmony is the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord. Further, harmony implies a pleasing arrangement of parts. Harmony in singing means that everyone is not only singing in the same key but also with the correct pitch ... no one is flat or sharp. By spiritual "harmony" we mean that each member of the church is in tune with the Lord and His ways. Each member has only one desire ... to please the Lord and to do His will. Spiritual harmony implies a oneness, an agreement, an accord, a peaceful and pleasing working together toward the one common goal. That goal, to us as believers, is to individually and corporately manifest the glory of God in the earth.
From the first Chapter of Genesis, God created certain things on certain days, in an ORDER that was pleasing to Him. Scripture speaks of the firstborn, the first begotten, and the first fruits. In EACH of these three cases, that which is first in the spiritual realm is Jesus!
After the centrality and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ is a settled point in our hearts, then we look at God's plan for us, as the Church which is His body. Let us consider a few more thoughts on Restore. Restore from what and restore unto what?
We are not aware that the visible church on earth has ever been in such one accord as the early church recorded in the Book of Acts. Is this restoration back to the glory days of the New Testament Church, as recorded in the book of Acts? Not really, although that may be a stage that we will pass through.
Is this restoration back to the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned? Not really, but that may also be a stage that we will pass through. Adam, as he came from the creative hand of God, was the highest of all creatures, but he only had created life! He did not possess the uncreated, divine life of God. Divine life cannot be created; it can only be shared through a living union with the Creator. We can NOT (or at least should not) interpret Bible history starting with the fall of man. Man wants to begin everything with himself, but God does not begin there. The Bible does not start with man, nor with man's fall into sin, nor with his salvation. The Bible begins with God: "In the beginning God ..." (Genesis 1:1). Unless we see things from God's perspective, we are always looking out through our own rose-colored glasses to relate all things to our self.
The restoration that God is bringing about is back to what was in the heart and mind of God before the foundation of the world. He is bringing many sons to glory in order to walk with them in the same way that Enoch walked with God. God's original plan from eternity past was for man to be in Christ and Christ to be in man. It is that restoration of which we speak. Those two words, "in Christ," carry much more significance than most of us realize. Ephesians, Chapter 1, sets forth very clearly what restoration is unto. The mind of God has always been,
Do we simply go about our daily routines and wait for God to restore? Or do we have a place, a responsibility, a function or ministry to perform before God restores all things? Scripture is very clear. Our responsibility, our function, our ministry in order for God to restore is stated in many verses, which we shared with you in our messages on "prepare ye the way of the Lord."
The order of words in Scripture is significant. For example,
From Verse 28, His priority order is (1) preach Christ, (2) warn every man, and (3) teach every man in all wisdom. The purpose? to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Priority one is to preach Christ, not simply what Jesus has done or will do for you and me. We must focus on the Giver, not the gifts. Man has always been enamored by the supernatural. Today there is a growing "movement" to teach believers how to heal and deliver people ... a focus on miracles. Miracles, signs and wonders, that the Christian church so longs for today, seldom change hearts! Only when we, as born again, baptized in the Holy Ghost believers, recognize our need for Jesus, and want to live HIS way and not our OWN, will our heart be changed. We must focus on the Person of the Lord Himself ... on His purposes, His will, His preeminence ... who He is! The Great I AM. Why do we not preach Christ more? Is it because we do not know Him? Paul, after 30 years of ministry said, "Oh that I might know Him."
Note that warning every man comes before teaching every man in all wisdom. Concerning Paul's number two priority, when was the last time you heard a warning from any minister? Paul said to the Ephesian elders,
Paul said, "I know this." How did Paul know this? Because he knew the ways of the devil, who has always tried to thwart the plans and purposes of God. What Paul says in Verses 29-30 came to pass in the Church at Corinth; it came to pass in the Galatian churches; it came to pass in the Church at Ephesus, where, not long after three years of the best possible teaching through Paul, the believers at Ephesus left their first love. Do you think it has not and will not happen in our modern-day charismatic churches? Please read again Verse 31, above. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, declares that believers should be warned night and day. Why do we not hear more warnings in our gatherings? Because men do not like to hear warnings and therefore we tend to prophesy smooth things to keep everybody happy.
From Verse 13, above, when was the last time you heard an exhortation from a minister? Who exhorted you today? Who did you exhort today?
Priority three in Paul's marching orders in Colossians 1:28 is to teach every man in all wisdom. In our modern-day churches we have reversed the order given by the Holy Ghost in Colossians. We have made teaching every man our number one priority, with all of our training seminars, conferences, books, tapes, DVDs and Sunday sermons. We can see that by looking at the amount of time devoted to teaching in all of our gatherings. We have been saturated with teachings. Perhaps we do that because that is easy. It is very easy to give a nice teaching on a myriad of topics from the Bible. However, whether or not our teachings have been in all wisdom is a debatable point, based upon the lack of fruit that has developed.
Why do we not teach in all wisdom? because we do not have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I doubt there has ever been a better teacher than Paul, other than Jesus Himself of course. Paul taught the Church at Ephesus day and night for three years. But just a few years later, in
It does not take much discernment to see "what is wrong" in the church. However, it takes nothing less than the wisdom of the Lord to be like the sons of Issachar, to know what spiritual Israel must do in this hour.
It is quite possible that today there may be a large number of men that have understanding of the times, but how many know what spiritual Israel ought to do? Have more good teachings? Have more conferences? Just love everybody? Teach Christians how to heal and deliver people? Go to "church" faithfully every Sunday, sing some nice songs, put a few shekels in the offering plate, lead a morally good life, listen to the pastor teach and preach, come back every Sunday and repeat the process, and wait for the time that we die and go to heaven? None of that has got the job done in the past; and none of that is what the Lord is looking for today.
Now in this message we have tried to emphasize that God has His order in everything. Unless we understand His order and walk in His order, we will only see more of the same status quo that has existed for many long years. But in our next message we hope to share with you that which the Lord is waiting for us to do ... things which we must do before the Lord brings about His restoration. More specifically we hope to share with you how the church has departed from God's order and what we must do to return to His order.
Until next time, may the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. And may we all be open to return to the Lord's ways and to His order. Amen.
One weekend in 1977 I was present in a gathering of Christian believers in eastern North Carolina when the following prophecy came forth.
Out of chaos, God brings forth His order.
Out of order, God brings forth His harmony.
We might add that out of harmony, God brings forth His restoration. Restoration comes forth out of God's harmony.
Out of chaos, God brings forth His order. It is not out of line to say that chaos reigns in the visible church today. A spirit of democracy, an independent spirit, a spirit of mixture, a spirit of materialism, and the traditions of men have permeated the Church in America and greatly affected believers. None of those spirits should have any place in Christianity.
God has His order in both the natural and the spiritual realm. All of the planets in our solar system, our moon, and the sun are set in a very orderly manner. A fruit tree will blossom, bud, and bring forth fruit, in that order. We must sow before we reap.
For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself: first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. Mark 4:28
God's order existed BEFORE He created man and BEFORE He created the heaven and the earth. In fact, His order prevailed TWICE. Before the creation of the material universe, God ruled in the spiritual realm and His order and harmony prevailed. This was followed by: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1). Then Lucifer, the shining one, rebelled against God and fell from grace. This caused the earth to become without form and void (Genesis 1:2). A better translation is that the earth became a wreck and a ruin ... chaos reigned. God NEVER creates anything that is a wreck and a ruin. But God reestablished His order, as recorded in Genesis 1:3 and the verses which follow. This was followed in Genesis 3 by the fall of man, which resulted in the ground being cursed with thorns and thistles rather than the fruit of the trees of the garden (a second time of chaos and a time which now characterizes the affairs of men on earth). When things are out of order as they are today, they must be set in order, even at the expense of being misunderstood.
The third and last occurrence of the order and harmony of God prevailing was initiated by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and will be consummated by His second coming to earth.
For the Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first.
1 Thessalonians 4:16
Donald Grey Barnhouse, in his book, "Genesis" (Zondervan Publishing, 1970), puts it this way:
The earth has always been a mirror of its inhabitants. When Lucifer was an unsinning cherub, the earth was perfect. When he fell, it became a wreck and a ruin. When Adam was created innocent, the world was a garden of Eden. When he fell, God cursed the ground for man's sake, and it became the mirror of fallen Adam.
God is very orderly and He has an order in all things, including restoration of the Church. If we look at the historical record of the true moves of God, we see that God has gradually been restoring all things back to His original purpose.
And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: For the Lord is a God of judgment: Blessed are all they that wait for Him. Isaiah 30:18
God's order in the above, and other verses, is that He waits for us. Then after we have done the will of God, we wait patiently for Him.
The New Testament house church of which we were a part for about twelve years, from the late 60's into the early 80's, corresponded with the "Charismatic movement." We were in on the beginnings of that "movement," which started disintegrating only a few years after it had begun. Derek Prince, a noted charismatic teacher of that era, came to one of our house meetings. He said that he had heard that we were like the he goats (trail blazers) before the flocks, as stated in Jeremiah. In other words our church fellowship was on the cutting edge of what the Lord was doing at that time.
Remove out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he goats before the flocks. Jeremiah 50:8
Nevertheless, all of the real moves of God soon disintegrated. The life of the Spirit left as man took over more and more control of what God was trying to do. The spontaneity of the Holy Spirit has been replaced by the (well-intentioned) preplans of Spirit-filled pastors and elders who love the Lord but are not aware that they have limited the Holy One of Israel.
There is only One who keeps the world in order ... and that is God. He is the One who causes all things to happen in their seasons and gives everything and everyone a purpose. All that is done is controlled by His providential and sovereign hand. All of the events of history have been fitted into God's timetable. It is by His power that all things exist and consist and are held together. His will and order even works for non-Christians!
If we can agree that God has an order in all things, then we need to understand and agree with His order. In order to agree with His order we must make certain decisions. We all make choices or decisions every day. Some of these choices are inconsequential, such as what should I eat for breakfast today (if anything) or what clothes I should wear. Other choices we must make are not nearly so trivial, such as which woman, if any, should I marry or what job should I accept. These types of decisions make it imperative that we ask the Lord what is His will for us. Jesus said,
O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Matthew 26:39
If Jesus Himself earnestly prayed for His Father's will to be done in His life, can we do anything less? When we agree with the order of God and put that agreement into action, we see the harmony of God come forth. But unless we follow God's order, no harmony can exist and therefore no restoration will come about.
The word "harmony" does not appear in the Bible so we need to elaborate on what we call harmony. Harmony implies more than one item or participant. A soloist is always in harmony when he or she sings alone. A pianist is always in harmony when he or she plays only one note. In that respect, harmony is the combination of simultaneous musical notes in a chord. Further, harmony implies a pleasing arrangement of parts. Harmony in singing means that everyone is not only singing in the same key but also with the correct pitch ... no one is flat or sharp. By spiritual "harmony" we mean that each member of the church is in tune with the Lord and His ways. Each member has only one desire ... to please the Lord and to do His will. Spiritual harmony implies a oneness, an agreement, an accord, a peaceful and pleasing working together toward the one common goal. That goal, to us as believers, is to individually and corporately manifest the glory of God in the earth.
From the first Chapter of Genesis, God created certain things on certain days, in an ORDER that was pleasing to Him. Scripture speaks of the firstborn, the first begotten, and the first fruits. In EACH of these three cases, that which is first in the spiritual realm is Jesus!
For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Romans 8:29
And again, when He bringeth in the first begotten into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him. Hebrews 1:6
20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.
23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at His coming. 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23
After the centrality and supremacy of the Lord Jesus Christ is a settled point in our hearts, then we look at God's plan for us, as the Church which is His body. Let us consider a few more thoughts on Restore. Restore from what and restore unto what?
We are not aware that the visible church on earth has ever been in such one accord as the early church recorded in the Book of Acts. Is this restoration back to the glory days of the New Testament Church, as recorded in the book of Acts? Not really, although that may be a stage that we will pass through.
Is this restoration back to the Garden of Eden before Adam and Eve sinned? Not really, but that may also be a stage that we will pass through. Adam, as he came from the creative hand of God, was the highest of all creatures, but he only had created life! He did not possess the uncreated, divine life of God. Divine life cannot be created; it can only be shared through a living union with the Creator. We can NOT (or at least should not) interpret Bible history starting with the fall of man. Man wants to begin everything with himself, but God does not begin there. The Bible does not start with man, nor with man's fall into sin, nor with his salvation. The Bible begins with God: "In the beginning God ..." (Genesis 1:1). Unless we see things from God's perspective, we are always looking out through our own rose-colored glasses to relate all things to our self.
The restoration that God is bringing about is back to what was in the heart and mind of God before the foundation of the world. He is bringing many sons to glory in order to walk with them in the same way that Enoch walked with God. God's original plan from eternity past was for man to be in Christ and Christ to be in man. It is that restoration of which we speak. Those two words, "in Christ," carry much more significance than most of us realize. Ephesians, Chapter 1, sets forth very clearly what restoration is unto. The mind of God has always been,
That in the dispensation of the fulness of times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in Him. Ephesians 1:10
Do we simply go about our daily routines and wait for God to restore? Or do we have a place, a responsibility, a function or ministry to perform before God restores all things? Scripture is very clear. Our responsibility, our function, our ministry in order for God to restore is stated in many verses, which we shared with you in our messages on "prepare ye the way of the Lord."
The order of words in Scripture is significant. For example,
1 Corinthians 2:9, "But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him."
We see lightning before we hear the crack of thunder. The speed of light is much faster than the speed of sound. Why? because God made it so. 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, first comes a heavenly vision, then we hear from the Lord, and finally the word is made flesh. That is part of God's order.
Another example ... Paul said,
Another example ... Paul said,
Colossians 1:26-29, "Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus: Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily."
From Verse 28, His priority order is (1) preach Christ, (2) warn every man, and (3) teach every man in all wisdom. The purpose? to present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
Priority one is to preach Christ, not simply what Jesus has done or will do for you and me. We must focus on the Giver, not the gifts. Man has always been enamored by the supernatural. Today there is a growing "movement" to teach believers how to heal and deliver people ... a focus on miracles. Miracles, signs and wonders, that the Christian church so longs for today, seldom change hearts! Only when we, as born again, baptized in the Holy Ghost believers, recognize our need for Jesus, and want to live HIS way and not our OWN, will our heart be changed. We must focus on the Person of the Lord Himself ... on His purposes, His will, His preeminence ... who He is! The Great I AM. Why do we not preach Christ more? Is it because we do not know Him? Paul, after 30 years of ministry said, "Oh that I might know Him."
Note that warning every man comes before teaching every man in all wisdom. Concerning Paul's number two priority, when was the last time you heard a warning from any minister? Paul said to the Ephesian elders,
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears. Acts 20:29-31
Paul said, "I know this." How did Paul know this? Because he knew the ways of the devil, who has always tried to thwart the plans and purposes of God. What Paul says in Verses 29-30 came to pass in the Church at Corinth; it came to pass in the Galatian churches; it came to pass in the Church at Ephesus, where, not long after three years of the best possible teaching through Paul, the believers at Ephesus left their first love. Do you think it has not and will not happen in our modern-day charismatic churches? Please read again Verse 31, above. The Holy Spirit, through Paul, declares that believers should be warned night and day. Why do we not hear more warnings in our gatherings? Because men do not like to hear warnings and therefore we tend to prophesy smooth things to keep everybody happy.
12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Hebrews 3:12-13
From Verse 13, above, when was the last time you heard an exhortation from a minister? Who exhorted you today? Who did you exhort today?
Priority three in Paul's marching orders in Colossians 1:28 is to teach every man in all wisdom. In our modern-day churches we have reversed the order given by the Holy Ghost in Colossians. We have made teaching every man our number one priority, with all of our training seminars, conferences, books, tapes, DVDs and Sunday sermons. We can see that by looking at the amount of time devoted to teaching in all of our gatherings. We have been saturated with teachings. Perhaps we do that because that is easy. It is very easy to give a nice teaching on a myriad of topics from the Bible. However, whether or not our teachings have been in all wisdom is a debatable point, based upon the lack of fruit that has developed.
Why do we not teach in all wisdom? because we do not have the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him. I doubt there has ever been a better teacher than Paul, other than Jesus Himself of course. Paul taught the Church at Ephesus day and night for three years. But just a few years later, in
Ephesians 1:17, he prayed, "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him:"
Why would Paul pray for something they already had? Do you think that the modern-day church also needs that same spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him?
Psalm 37:23, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in His way."1 Corinthians 14:40, "Let all things be done decently and in order."
It does not take much discernment to see "what is wrong" in the church. However, it takes nothing less than the wisdom of the Lord to be like the sons of Issachar, to know what spiritual Israel must do in this hour.
1 Chronicles 12:32, "And of the children of Issachar, which were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their commandment."
It is quite possible that today there may be a large number of men that have understanding of the times, but how many know what spiritual Israel ought to do? Have more good teachings? Have more conferences? Just love everybody? Teach Christians how to heal and deliver people? Go to "church" faithfully every Sunday, sing some nice songs, put a few shekels in the offering plate, lead a morally good life, listen to the pastor teach and preach, come back every Sunday and repeat the process, and wait for the time that we die and go to heaven? None of that has got the job done in the past; and none of that is what the Lord is looking for today.
Now in this message we have tried to emphasize that God has His order in everything. Unless we understand His order and walk in His order, we will only see more of the same status quo that has existed for many long years. But in our next message we hope to share with you that which the Lord is waiting for us to do ... things which we must do before the Lord brings about His restoration. More specifically we hope to share with you how the church has departed from God's order and what we must do to return to His order.
Until next time, may the Lord bless and keep you and make His face to shine upon you. And may we all be open to return to the Lord's ways and to His order. Amen.
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