January 2005 Newsletter

Welcome to the New Year!

The entry into this New Year has been significant for us here at SHILOH. Quite apart from the international disaster caused by the Tsunami, the Lord has been challenging us to a fresh commitment for 2005 and on into the future. The future is the return of the Lord and from now to then is a time of purposeful preparation. The true church of Jesus Christ is to emerge as a pure, spotless bride, full of glory. The saints are to grow up from being children, or even ‘young men’ (1Jn.2:13-14), to become mature sons, walking in the earth, manifesting the glory of Jesus Christ.

ONENESS: THE FELLOWSHIP OF THE MYSTERY

We are believing that God will bring us as a people [an apostolic company] through a transforming experience corporately. The Lord has called us out of Babylon. Babylon primarily means confusion. The Lord has called us out of denominational confusion to a place of simple faith in the whole word of God. He has released us from the constraints of institutionalism to develop apostolic relationships, bringing us into oneness of heart and spirit. The Lord is calling us into ‘oneness’ [the teaching of John 17]. This oneness is eventually the revelation of “Christ in us the hope of glory” (Col.1:27). This is the revelation of the mystery (Eph.3:9) and as the saints come to know and understand the mystery, the fellowship that is experienced is that of oneness: oneness with the Father, oneness with Christ, oneness together in fellowship.

Committed discipleship: doing the first works

As this transformation takes place, it is vital and necessary for all the saints to be walking in committed discipleship, forsaking all to whole-heartedly follow Jesus Christ. This means a fresh commitment to seeking the Lord in prayer to be able to discern the Father’s will, to be kept safe in the midst of calamitous and dangerous situations. We encourage all disciples to read and study the word of God, completing the whole Bible in one year as well as doing various other reading and study of the Scripture. We are convicted that to stay in love with Jesus, not letting our love grow cold (Matt.24:12) requires a commitment to do the first works. This means continuing “steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and prayers” (Acts 2:42). The result of this will be great signs and wonders, a level of sharing in Christian community that was practiced in the Jerusalem church but rarely seen since, a daily meeting together of saints in house meetings and fellowships to break bread together and to bring everything to the Lord in prayer. These will be houses of praise; the true Christians will be well thought of in the community and the Lord will add to their number daily those who are being saved (Acts 2:43-47).

AS THE DAYS OF NOAH WERE

Jesus said in Matt.24:37 “but as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be”. Ps. 29:10 says “the Lord sat enthroned at the Flood, and the Lord sits as King forever”! But who was with the Lord? Noah and his family were with the Lord, sitting enthroned on the flood in an ark of salvation. Noah had been instructed by the Lord to prepare an ark. It is reasonable to think that Noah would have preached regularly to the people of his generation, warning them of the impending judgement upon ungodliness and sin. A suitable ark of salvation was prepared.

AN ARK OF SALVATION IN THE LAST DAYS

Similarly an ark is being prepared today: it is the re-formation of the church of Jesus Christ according to the word of God, according to the clear Scriptural pattern. Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers will be ministering and functioning in the body; all of the saints coming to know the fellowship of the mystery, walking in victory in the earth.

There will be an apostolic church that is obediently fulfilling the great commission through the grace and apostleship received from God through Christ, which will lead to the obedience of faith among all nations (Rom.1:5).

There will be a glorious church that manifests the glory of Christ in the earth. There will be apostolic companies and apostolic centres embracing the whole word of God and becoming centres of light and truth and love. People will be able to flee Babylon and come into the company of saints who are separated unto the Lord Jesus Christ.

IT IS TIME FOR PRAYER IN THE HOLY SPIRIT

Jude exhorts “but you, beloved building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” Jude 20-21. He then says that the Christians who are keeping themselves in His love and who know the mercy of our Lord, are to have compassion on some who are lost and to rescue others who are caught in all sorts of extreme sin. Then Jude declares the ‘keeping’ power of God, that He is “able to keep you from stumbling [falling], and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy” 24. The Scripture says God will keep us. In 1 Thess.5:23, the word says that God Himself will “sanctify us entirely; our whole spirit, soul and body being preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

THE RIGHTEOUS ARE PRESERVED

Some are still believing that they will be raptured out of the earth, that is, taken out of the trouble, which is a questionable doctrine. The teaching of Scripture is undoubtedly to “glory in tribulation” (Rom.5:3). Like Noah and his family, the true Christians who are faithful and holy in these last days will be with the Lord in the midst of the judgements in the earth. Even as the Lord was enthroned upon the flood and will never step off the throne no matter how serious the judgements [natural disasters] become, so the true Christians will be kept by His power in a suitable ark of salvation.

Some will be taken, some will be left

It is interesting that some interpreters of Scripture concerning the last days have always told us that the correct understanding of Matt.24:40-41 is that the righteous will be raptured out of the earth. We have even been told that if an aeroplane is being piloted by a believer and the time of the so-called rapture comes, the aeroplane will suddenly be pilotless. And yet Jesus said in verse 39 that the flood came and took away the unrighteous! He then said, “so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Therefore it could be more correct to say that the one man taken from the field will be the unrighteous man taken by the judgement and in verse 41, the woman taken will be the unrighteous woman. Jesus then said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming.” v.42.

THE CHALLENGE OF THE NEW YEAR

Time is being quickened in these last days. The breadth of the call of God in 2005 is so much enlarged. I have never been so stretched, so constrained by the urgency of the hour.

I have never seen such need for the gospel of the kingdom of God, the full apostolic message, ‘the whole counsel of God’, to go forth to the nations, to go forth to ministers and leaders who are diligently serving God.

These ministers do not know, have not even heard, the message of sonship, that there is an inheritance for the saints to receive and walk in, in the earth. In the book of Daniel chap. 7, the word of God clearly says three times [v 18, 22,27] that the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom. The inheritance for the saints is the kingdom of God in the earth. The Scripture is clear: finally God’s kingdom will replace all of man’s kingdoms and we are to inherit an unshakeable kingdom. (Heb.12:28) Furthermore the Scripture is clear that there will be a revealing of the sons of God, “for the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing [manifestation] of the sons of God” Rom.8:19. There will be the raising up of the church in a manifestation of the glory of Christ within and through the saints. These Scriptures in Rom.8 are written as happening before the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is time to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God, not only a gospel of salvation.

The gospel of salvation assures men of a future in heaven;

the gospel of the kingdom of God empowers men to walk in victory in the earth.

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