TEAR YOUR MANTLE...

EZRA 9:1-9). Now when these things were done, the princes came to me, saying, The people of Israel, and the priests, and the Levites, have not separated themselves from the people of the lands, doing according to their abominations, even of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Jebusites, the Ammonites, the Moabites, the Egyptians, and the Amorites. For they have taken of their daughters for themselves, and for their sons: so that the holy seed have mingled themselves with the people of those lands: yea, the hand of the princes and rulers hath been chief in this trespass. And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished. Then were assembled unto me every one that trembled at the words of the God of Israel, because of the transgression of those that had been carried away; and I sat astonished until the evening sacrifice.

Ezra's Prayer of Confession.

And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God: for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword, to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day.  

And now for a little space grace hath been shewed from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape, and to give us a nail in his holy place, that our God may lighten our eyes, and give us a little reviving in our bondage. For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem (Ezra 9:1-9).

The people the PRIESTS and the LEVITES had not separated themselves from mixing with those of other lands and so had increased in abominations before the Lord. The once Holy race had "intermingled" and the leaders had been the first to go astray from the word of the Lord.

I believe this scripture has much to teach us today about our state as a church and our wanderings as leaders, how we are to approach it, conduct ourselves to get out of it and so get revival out of it. so that God will get all glory in it. my key emphasis is this. Its time to TEAR YOUR MANTLE.
   

1.My first attention is drawn to verse three, "When I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished" (v3) in the NA version it states "appalled." We have become desensitized with sin, so much so that its not sin any more its just news.in fact we don't use that word "sin" now. Here's the acid test if our generations sin does not make us  "alarmed" then maybe we are the ones who need a revelation of holiness not our generation. Ezra said, I wrent my mantle, O Lord help us here. O how we love to use our mantle, talk about how anointed we are, how called we are, how set we are as God's man God's woman. Here the man of God tore his mantle.

Your title means nothing unless you have power with God. I rather have a generation come to God than ever have a MANTLE that hinders me from being a revival in someones life

Friend if we are going to have revival we have to let go of how good we can preach or how orderly we can lead a service, how organized our preaching is now excellent our praise and worship team is. If we want mercy in the house we have to let it all God for the sake of revival. Our performance don't cut it with God. God give me revival!

Your mantle is getting in the way of God's glory. Its a substitute glory. You're leaning on you title and status, get rid of it. now let's see how you worship God!

Revival is not about how many folks I can lay hands on, pray for or see slain in the Spirit, no a thousand times no revival is about the man of God stepping down tearing his garment and humbling himself before the Lord. When this takes place, revival comes to the house.

Look at what it says here.. and When I heard this matter I tore my garment and my robe and pulled some of the hair from my head and my beard and sat down APPALLED. THEN... THEN... THEN...EVERYONE who trembled at the words of God on account of the unfaithfulness of the exiles GATHERED to me. (v4).

Church of the troubled, the bothered, the appalled. Those who tremble at God's words O different church! talk about blessed church this is bothered church. where the disgusted the busted and the bothered gather to weep for the sins of the city.

 And at the evening sacrifice I arose up from my heaviness; and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees, and spread out my hands unto the LORD my God, And said, O my God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee,(V5,6)

 Ashamed. do we blush at the worlds sins or do we wink? Do we blush at our own sins of do we overlook them?

These signs are nothing like the characteristics of today's church. where we have Joy, where the burdens are given to the Lord, where there's no embarrassment or guilt, or contrition in our prayers, or moaning over the sins of our generation. I'm not saying church should have these things continually but I do believe its an "Ezra season" right now. There's too much MIXTURE in the church (v).  and too much hate in the city.


2. Then everyone who trembled at the words of the Lord. (4).

Here we have two elements of revival. If man's condition makes us alarmed then God's words should make us tremble. We need the prophetic voice back in the church today. I remember when the word of God made me shake, do you! As a child I go to read scriptures in the pulpit and each word, made me pause, tears would form in my eyes and by the time I got to verse three, I had to wipe them away because I couldn't see the page.

My heart is heavy my friend, there are no Ezras in the house, today.When was the last time did God's word make you tremble!


It's often its in the reading of it that refreshing comes. I like to say this. What God says as God is more important than what Paul Thomas says as a preacher, that's why I like to read scripture. I like to read it slowly and thoughtfully. If there's a message in it for me God will quicken his word to my soul and something will move. so friend take the time to read God's word slowly, thoughtfully and carefully.

3.  But at the evening offering I arose from my humiliation, even with my garment and my torn robe and I fell on my knees and stretched out my hands to the Lord my God and said I am ashamed and embarrassed to lift up my face to thee o God. (v5,6) since the days of our fathers we have been in great guilt.... BUT NOW FOR A BRIEF MOMENT Grace has been shown to leave us an escaped remnant and to give us a PEG IN A HOLY PLACE...

A brief moment GRACE has been given. so brief that we could miss it. yet so big an opportunity that if we don't see it our generation this generation could be forever bound by the  "abominations" of the Idol worshipers we have in our lands (v1) GRACE. God help me get it! I need your grace today. Give us a PEG in a Holy Place, a revival in this place Wales, a revival in your city, your state, your nation. a PEG in a holy place... That God may enlighten our eyes and grant us a little reviving in our bondage.... (v8).

PRAYER: O God of Ezra My generation is in bondage but grant us  a reviving. My generation is taken up with the things of man but today I will be taken up by the things of You. Today I tear up my garment, That which I've depended on to make things happen. I exchange my mantle for your glory. O God of Ezra turn my bondage into grace. O God of Ezra make me a peg in a Holy Place. Grant us reviving. in your name Jesus. Amen.

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Blessed is The Nation Whose God is the Lord

Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord (Ps 33:12)

A nation that honours the one true God will be the head and not the tail, (Deut 28:13) Above and not below. Lenders to many and not borrowers from all. The people are blessed and so are its sons and daughters after then. Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord. Similarly cursed is the nation that seeks after foreign gods. A nation looses its prosperity and power when it serves other god's but gains prosperity when it serves the true God.

They have moved me to anger by their foolish idols (Deut 32:21). .. I will set on fire the foundations of the mountains (v22NKJV) There shall be terror within (v25)...it is the LORD who has done all this (v27).

1.The Nation whose God is the Lord is protected by the Lord (Deut 33:10-12). The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated ( Deut 28:7). The Lord your God will set you on high above all nations of the earth (Deut28:1).

2.A nation that abandons God exposes itself to foreign military intervention. (Deut 28:25) The Lord will cause you to be defeated before your enemies.

3. A nation whose God is the Lord is a prosperous nation (Deut 33:13,14).

4. A nation whose God is the Lord rejoices because it has Godly leaders (Proverbs 11:11)
"When it goes well with the righteous, the city rejoices, And when the wicked perish, there is joyful shouting. By the blessing of the upright a city is exalted, But by the mouth of the wicked it is torn down"

5. A nation whose God is the Lord will lead the world. "Righteousness exalts a nation, But sin is a disgrace to any people."(Proverbs 14:34).

God bless America, God bless Britian, God bless your nation. because of you it stands because of you God, it is blessed.

What Can We Learn From The Quakers and Anabaptists

I've started ready a book "Prophetc lifestyle and the Celtic way" Andy and Jane Fitzgibbon. I live in Wales and keen on history. This book provoked interest, onthe prophetic lifestyle of the celts. Here are my own thoughts on on the "snippets of history" chapter.

There are two groups of interest to me maybe we can learn a few simple thigns about these movements God used in their day and time

The Anabapatists. They were a  People on the fringe as they say. They valued religious freedom, the seperation of church from state.  The idea of the church as a gathering of believers who were free to unite together as they will. to read the bible without a priest or pastor. They believed in the inspiration of God's word, the bible and did not seek after extra biblical revelation as some think.  The Anabaptists were quick to confirm that the immediate revelation was never in contradiction to the written revelation. The two belonged together. It was sometimes referred to as an "inner" and "outward" word (The inner church 1545 the writings of pilgrim marpeck 1978 pp418-416) "The inner word corresponding to the revelation of the Spirit and the outer to the revelation of the bible." (p67 Prophetic Lifestyle and the Celtic Way).

The Quakers: The breaking down of the church in England in the mid seventeenth century gave way to the Quakers. Many became seekers of God and sought to know him by experience as well as creed. Founded by George Fox (1624-91) an eccentric who  according to Fitz Gibbon never took off his hat, addressed everyone by the pronouns "Thee" or "Thou" and often visited a church to publickly denounce the preacher. He encouraged folks to seek the true light. Again he was a man of the word (bible) and taught that the words of God would never superseed the Word of God. They would meet in silence together and wait for the move of the Spirit before anything was said or sang. It was said that one man visited a quaker meeting and after some time, asked when the meeting would begin. "It already has" was the response.

 What do these two groups of seeker - pilgrims teach us? One that merely to have a set of tenets of faith without allowing the Holy Ghost to reveal the truths we seek, is pure folly. Is it true that todays Christian knows much of spiritual things yet very little of doctrine! Secondly we need to wait in his presence until his presence makes us a move in us. His presence will unlock revelation, I'm talking of truth that was hidden becoming truth that is known. A waiting on God until revelation shines through the window of the soul and illuminates the dark crevices of the understanding. I'm talking of practicing silence until one hears in the spirit a noise that no noise can make. A word that speaks to your situation and faith is aroused. A scripture that breaks your indifference and you know God has spoken. A direction that is given and hope arises in your situation.