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A Vision
#1
by Harold Smith
"Wisdom is in the sight of him who has understanding,
But the eyes of a fool are on the ends of the earth." Prov.17:24 A Vision given to Harold:
I beheld the earth as it began to move and quake from within. There was a shaking that was taking place from one end of the globe to the other. Nothing was left unaffected. Mountains were brought low and valleys were lifted up. As the shaking increased with intensity, from beneath the surface of every nation, a single figure began to emerge, bound tightly with restraints. Slowly at first, the figure began to move, resisting the ropes, chains and shackles that had kept it in place, holding it immobile. As the movement of the figure increased, the shaking increased and the bondages that were holding it down became taut from the strain of this body determined to lift itself.

In an instant, the bonds began to snap and break with lightening bolts of fire exploding from the force of the fury of each release. As these vestiges of restraint gave way, the figure let out a loud shout of exhilaration that resonated through the air while leaping to its feet. Dirt and muck fell away amid a swirl of debris from what was now clearly apparent as a human form in an erect posture standing on the surface of the earth. Herein lies a mystery: as the cloud of dust and haze began to settle I was made aware that, while the figure was neither male nor female, this was both a Bride and was also the one new Man spoken of in scripture that had been formed from the remnant of all the saints, both Jew and Gentile. While its feet were firmly planted on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem, at the same time his stature encompassed the globe, both in and through those saints. In the same loud voice as heard before, this figure proclaimed the LORD to be king over all the earth, that there be but one LORD, and his name one. As the sound of this voice permeated the atmosphere, from both atop and within this body, I beheld the face of Yeshua, the Messiah, the Anointed One, the Christ.
"….the kingdom of God does not come with observation,
….for indeed, the kingdom of God is within you." Luke 17:20-21. My friend, Michael O'Shields, (acmebasics@gmail.com) asked me the other day, "What do you see as the sickest part of the Body of Christ?" After pondering the question for a moment, I replied, "The division that exists within the Body." He then pointed to the scripture in I Corinthians 3, where the apostle Paul likened carnality (envy, strife and divisions), not to overt sinfulness, but to immaturity in the body. Michael went on to say that the division we see in the Body is not really the problem. It is only a symptom. The real problem is immaturity. Leadership fosters immaturity on the body when they become more concerned with building structures after their own image (or agenda) for people to see and admire than with spending their energies, resources and talents on the building up of the saints. They do so to build a following after themselves and they do so at the expense of the rest of the Body of Christ.

The Body of Christ is built upon those ministries described in Ephesians 4:11, with the primary emphasis given to the apostles and prophets upon which a foundation is laid (Ephesians 2:20) for the express purpose of equipping the saints to do the work of the ministry. Now, when admiring an exquisite building, one does not remark, "What an extraordinary foundation!" In fact one rarely, if ever, even sees the foundation supporting the structure above - it is hidden.

Michael continued to explain that the foundation of the body is the skeleton. If the skeleton is functioning properly, you don't see it - it is hidden. The only time you can see the skeleton is when it is broken. If you can see bone, you can be pretty certain the skeleton is broken. If the skeleton is weak or broken, the body cannot stand erect and will not operate properly. Just as the skeleton is the foundation of the body in the natural, so it is in the Spirit. The saints are dependant on the skeletal, foundational ministries for support and sustenance; otherwise the rest of the body withers and dies.

"For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Verily, verily, I say unto you, the servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him." This word "sent" comes from the Greek word "apostolos". 80 times in the bible this word "apostolos" is translated "apostle". The first time it is used is when Jesus is washing the feet of the disciples. Jesus was painting a picture to the disciples of how an apostle is to be - a servant. They are to be a servant after His example - who made Himself of no reputation (Philippians 2:6-8).

"Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but he first reveals His secret unto his servants the prophets." Amos 3:7. Put another way, God does not do anything until He reveals His plans to His servants - some of which just happen to be prophets. As in the days of old, there are many prophets - even schools of prophets - but there are few who are first servants.

Jesus said that "…he who is greatest among you must first become your servant." Matthew 23:11. The same applies to the evangelist, pastor and teacher - all of whom have their root meanings in servitude.

It is interesting to note that in the passage from I Corinthians 3, Paul did not address those in whom the giftings were placed, but, rather, the members of the Body who allowed themselves to be attached to one or the other of those mentioned. Again, in the beginning of I Corinthians 11, Paul says that he hears there are divisions among them and states that many of those in the Body are sick and dying because THEY DO NOT DISCERN THE BODY CORRECTLY. He was placing the responsibility of the sickness upon those within the Body of Christ who were enabling division by calling themselves of this one or of that one, not understanding that it is not the visible mechanics of a gifting that elevates a man, but the invisible lowliness of spirit he embraces.

Authority is not taken - authority is granted. In much the same way as a woman chooses to elevate her husband into a position of authority over her through her submission to him (not because it is demanded), so we, as the Bride of Christ have the responsibility to choose whom we elevate by the demonstration of the character of their spirit and not the flamboyance of their persona. It is time we recognized that the foundation upon which the Body of Christ is built is on the foundation demonstrated by Christ - the first apostle (Hebrews 3:1) - and not allow ourselves to settle for anything short of excellence.

Everyone wants to eat the visible fruit of the tree of glory without understanding that the fruit gets its sustenance from the root of that tree. The root lives to serve the fruit and is never seen. Partaking of the fruit is delightful. Tending to the root is work - sweat, toil, blood and tears - and most often is done without recognition. Many come who want to take credit for the fruit, but neglect the root and wonder why the tree and the fruit wither.
"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who act wickedly [disregarding My commands]'" Matthew 7:21-23 Eleven months ago, the Second Lebanon War erupted in Israel, in which 117 soldiers were killed and 768 injured. In addition, there are soldiers who were injured in the course of the year in joint actions in the territories that are not included in the casualty statistics we have presented here. A non-profit Israeli organization, http://LightandMercy.com has undertaken the responsibility of sponsoring a recreational event in September at Isrotel, Israel for those Israeli soldiers wounded and maimed in the Second Lebanon War.

The event enables the wounded to relax and to spend time with others who suffer from injuries akin to their own. At the planned vacation there will be other veteran wounded soldiers conveying what they have learned to the injured, younger soldiers who often have difficulty accepting their injury.

Here is your opportunity to support Israel in a real way by becoming a co-sponsor with Light and Mercy to offer real aid and relief to these brave young soldiers. Follow this link to http://LightandMercy.com for more information.

Also, please take a moment and visit our web site: http://hethathasanear.com and click on "PromiseLand Israel" to see first-hand how you can partner with the PromiseLand Foundation to send 100% of your tax-exempt donation to the worst hit areas of the Biblical Promiseland of God.
"Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love you." (Psalm 122:6)
(prosper - from the Hebrew, "shalav", meaning "to be at rest")

Shalom Alechem B’Shem Yeshua HaMashiach.
(Peace be unto you in the Name of Jesus the Messiah)
Harold Smith
http://hethathasanear.com
harold@hethathasanear.com

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