• Pentecost is the "appointed time" when the heavens are open.
    The first time in the New Testament that we see a word that means the
    "heavens are open" is in the account of Mark 1:10 at the baptism of Jesus.

     Mark 1:10 (AMP)
     10 Immediately coming up out of the water, he (John) saw the heavens
     torn open, and the Spirit like a dove descending on Him (Jesus);
 
    It is the Greek word schizo that means "open or fold, tear violently or to rend." 
    In Mark 1:10, the heavens are "torn open"and the Spirit descends as a dove. 
    In interpreting the Word of God, a rule of first mention sets a rule for interpreting
    the same word in other passages.
 
    Let us go back in time to study the events that mark the Day of Pentecost
    so that we can deeply appreciate what God has done for us, His people.
     When the children of Israel were rescued out of Egypt in the Exodus,
    they were eventually brought to the base of Mount Sinai.

    Recall that they all came out of Egypt healed and possessed the wealth
    of Egypt's silver and gold.  We know by the Scriptures that God had a plan
    for the isolation of His people to a desert location referred to the "wilderness."
    They would learn of God and begin to be molded into God's spiritual
    and natural family on earth. It would be a time of preparation for the eventual
    plan of salvation of which the Law of Sin and Death would eventually be replaced
    through the Law of the Spirit of grace by faith.  But, the first generation disobeyed!
 
    The order of worship of the wilderness tabernacle was the pattern of the Cross.
    It signaled the coming and the initial advent of God's Son to redeem all mankind
    through the sacrifice of blood.

    God brought His people into the desert, where ordinary human resources
    could never sustain them. In that barren environment, nearly three million
    souls depended upon God for supernatural and extraordinary provision!
    The desert experience therefore opens a powerful study of Moses’ preparation
    before the Exodus and Jesus Christ’s forty days in the wilderness.
    In both accounts, the wilderness became a place of testing, dependence,
    revelation, and preparation for the fulfillment of God’s divine purpose.
 
    Symbolically, we too, start life in a spiritual desert experience at birth.
    There are awesome spiritual principles to understand in each of these recordings.
    The main point to be made here is that God always has a plan and a purpose
    for the actions He takes and the revelations He shares!

    Here is the very first account of God opening the heavens to reveal Himself to
    His divine nation in the Old Testament...

    16  The third morning there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud
          upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the people
          in the camp trembled.
    17  Then Moses brought the people from the camp to meet God, and they
          stood at the foot of the mountain.
    18  Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, for the Lord descended upon it in fire;
          its smoke ascended like that of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked
          greatly.
    19  As the trumpet blast grew louder and louder, Moses spoke and God
          answered him with a voice. [Deuteronomy 4:12.]
    20  The Lord came down upon Mount Sinai to the top of the mountain,
          and the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.
    21  The Lord said to Moses, Go down and warn the people, lest they break
          through to the Lord to gaze and many of them perish.
    22  And also let the priests, who come near to the Lord, sanctify (set apart)
          themselves [for God], lest the Lord break forth against them.
    23  And Moses said to the Lord, The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai,
          for You Yourself charged us, saying, Set bounds about the mountain and
          sanctify it [set it apart for God].

    What an awesome and extraordinary account of God opening the heavens
    and manifesting himself on the mountain! 
    The heavens were torn with smoke, and fire like a gigantic furnace! 
    Can you imagine such a sight? 
    The whole mountain was shaken. 
    The description is like the eruption of a volcano! 
    You know that people had a challenge standing on their feet. 
    The Holy Ghost causes the same effects when He falls on a gathering of people!
 
    A testimony follows: In Cuba in 1995 as a missionary and on the day before
    Easter, a communistic country which persecutes God's people, the Holy Ghost
    came into a gathering of some 300 people as a mighty wind!
    The heavens were "torn open" and everyone fell off their feet like domino's
    stacked in rows. Flesh was sprawling on the floor everywhere. 
    It was the most humbling experience! It was awesome! It was a Day of Pentecost
    experience on the Eve of the Resurrection celebration!
    The record of the mission is not anything like you could imagine.
    It is written under the anointing and inspiration of the Holy Spirit and addresses
    spiritual insights that only God can administer through an individual. 

    When God opens the heavens everything in the physical environment,
    emotional environment and spiritual environment shakes!
    God is a mighty God and there is nothing less than extraordinary
    in all that He does. This means that when He touches anything or anyone,
    there is not going to be a situation whereby the thing or event
    does not remain unchanged!
 
    God's presence changes everything!
 
    When the Holy Ghost manifests, flesh and blood are not going to be unscathed!

    He dwells in the unseen and manifests those things hoped for into the world
    of the seen through faith! He has His own agenda and He honors an humble
    spirit, a contrite heart and acts of faith exercised in His order and by His Spirit.

    The people at Mount Sinai thought they wanted to see God. 
    God is not in the gazing business.  He is into the faith and action.
    Be encouraged to read the account of Moses Exodus 33:18-23
    and His request to meet with God to see His glory. 
                 
    Exodus 33:18-20  (AMP)
     18  And Moses said, I beseech You, show me Your glory.
    19  And God said, I will make all My goodness pass before you,
          and I will proclaim My name, THE LORD, before you; for I will be gracious
          to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy and loving-kindness
          on whom I will show mercy and loving-kindness.
    20  But, He said, You can not see My face, for no man shall see Me and live.

    Romans 9:15-16 (AMP)
    15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I have mercy,
         and I will have compassion on whomever I have compassion.”
    16 So then God’s choice is not dependent on human will, nor on human
         effort [the totality of human striving], but on God who shows mercy
         [to whomever He chooses—it is His sovereign gift].

    The only way to know God the Blessed Trinity is through relationship.
    Not everyone wants a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the Lord
    of the manifested Word of God. Strangely, most of the church does not
    want the endued power and fire of the Holy Spirit... 
    Without relationship there is no power or fire!
    It is Jesus, Who baptizes with the Holy Ghost and fire!
    Consider and reflect on this:
    Fire is judgment for righteousness and unrighteousness.

   There are 39 books of the Old Testament that reveal great detail that we
   might know God by truth, life and spirit. 
    "the people stood afar off!"

    *The Wilderness: God’s Place of Testing, Revelation, and Preparation

 

    God brought His people into the wilderness, where ordinary human resources
    could never sustain them. Scripture records approximately six hundred thousand
    men leaving Egypt, besides women, children, and a mixed multitude.
    
    Therefore, the frequently stated estimate of nearly three million people
    is reasonable, although Scripture does not give an exact total.

    Shortly after departing from Egypt (Numbers 1:17-46), while Israel was at Sinai,
    God commanded a census. If we take the 600,000 men figure at face value
    and multiply by an average family size of 5-7 people (common in ancient
    Near Eastern societies), we arrive at: 3 million to 4.2 million people including
    the women, children, and elders.

 

    Exodus 12:37–38 (AMP)

    “Then the Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred
    thousand men on foot, besides the women and children. A mixed multitude
    [of non-Israelites from various nations] also went with them, along with both
    flocks and herds, a very large number of livestock.”

 

    The wilderness was not merely an unfortunate region through which Israel
    happened to pass. God deliberately brought them into an environment where
    Egypt’s systems could no longer sustain them and their own strength could
    not deliver them. The desert removed every visible source of security so that
    God Himself might be revealed as their Source.

 

    In Egypt, they had lived under bondage, but they had also become dependent
    upon Egypt’s food, economy, customs, and structures. God brought them out
    of Egypt in one night, but the habits of Egypt still had to be brought out of them.
    The wilderness became the place where a delivered people were taught how to
    live as a Covenant People.

    *Moses: Prepared in the Wilderness

 

    Before Moses could lead Israel through the wilderness, God first prepared Moses
    in the wilderness. Moses’ life unfolds in three distinct forty-year seasons.
    He spent approximately forty years in Pharaoh’s household, forty years in Midian,
    and forty years leading Israel. Egypt educated him in human wisdom; Midian
    emptied him of human confidence; and God’s Presence empowered him for
    divine service.

 

    Acts 7:22 (AMP)

    “So Moses was educated in all the wisdom and culture of the Egyptians,
     and he was a man of power in words and deeds.”

 

    Moses possessed education, position, and ability, but he initially attempted
    to accomplish deliverance through human force. When he killed the Egyptian
    who was beating a Hebrew, Moses demonstrated zeal without divine timing.
    His concern was genuine, but his method had not yet been submitted to God.

 

    Exodus 2:15 (AMP)

    “When Pharaoh heard about this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses
    fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and
    he sat down by a well.”

 

    Moses entered Midian as a prince fleeing from failure. He emerged forty years
    later as a shepherd carrying the authority of God. The desert stripped away
    his royal identity, his reputation, and his confidence in human power.
    The man who once acted impulsively learned patience by tending sheep
    in an isolated land.

 

    Exodus 3:1–2 (AMP)

     “Now Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro (Reuel) his father-in-law, the priest
     of Midian; and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came
     to Horeb (Sinai), the mountain of God. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him
     in a blazing flame of fire from the midst of a bush.” (Exodus 3:1–2)

 

    The wilderness that appeared to be the place of Moses’ exile became the place
    of his encounter. What looked like forty lost years was divine preparation.
    God had not forgotten Moses; He was forming him.

 

    At the burning bush, Moses received more than an assignment. He received
    a revelation of the God who would accomplish the assignment through him.

 

    Exodus 3:14 (AMP)

    “God said to Moses, ‘I AM WHO I AM’; and He said, ‘You shall say this
    to the Israelites, “I AM has sent me to you.”’”

 

    Moses had once acted according to what he believed he could do.
    Now he would act according to who God declared Himself to be. Deliverance
    would not rest upon Moses’ ability but upon the abiding Presence of the eternal
    I AM.

 

    Exodus 3:12 (AMP)

    “And God said, ‘Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you
     that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt,
     you shall worship God at this mountain.’”

 

    The essential promise was not, “Moses, you are capable.”
    The promise was, “I will be with you.” Divine Presence transformed a shepherd’s
     staff into an instrument of authority and a hesitant shepherd into the deliverer
     of a nation.

    * Israel: Dependent Upon God Alone

 

    Israel entered a wilderness incapable of naturally sustaining such a multitude.
    There were no established farms, storehouses, supply routes, or dependable
    water systems sufficient for the nation. Their survival required continuous divine
    provision.

 

    Exodus 16:4 (AMP)

    “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you;
    and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, so that I may test
    them to determine whether or not they will walk [obediently] in My instruction (law).’”

 

    Manna was more than food. It was a daily lesson in dependence. Israel could
    gather enough for each day, but they could not secure their future independently
    of God. Every morning required renewed trust. God was teaching them that
    Covenant life is not sustained by yesterday’s provision but by present communion
    and continuing obedience.

 

    Deuteronomy 8:2–3 (AMP)

    “And you shall remember [always] all the ways which the Lord your God
    has led you these forty years in the wilderness, so that He might humble you
    and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His
    commandments or not. He humbled you and allowed you to be hungry and fed
    you with manna, a substance which you did not know, nor did your fathers know,
    so that He might make you understand [by personal experience] that man does
    not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the
    mouth of the Lord.”

 

    The wilderness revealed what was within their hearts. Their circumstances
    did not create unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion; the pressure of the wilderness
    exposed what remained unhealed and unsubmitted within them.
    God’s testing was not intended to destroy them. It was intended to reveal,
    correct, and mature them.

 

    Even their clothing and physical strength testified that God’s provision extended
    beyond food and water.

 

    Deuteronomy 8:4 (AMP)

    “Your clothing did not wear out on you, nor did your feet swell these forty years.”

 

    Nehemiah 9:20–21 (AMP)

     “You also gave Your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold Your
    manna from their mouth, and You gave them water for their thirst.
    Indeed, for forty years You provided for them in the wilderness and they lacked
    nothing; their clothes did not wear out, nor did their feet swell.”

 

    The desert was barren, but the covenant was abundant. Israel’s environment
    contained nothing they needed, yet the God who accompanied them contained
    everything they needed. He became their bread from heaven, water from the rock,
    protection beneath the cloud, light within the darkness, direction for their journey,
    and healing for their bodies.

    *Christ Was Present in Their Provision

 

    The wilderness provision was not merely a collection of isolated miracles.
    Paul reveals that these events pointed prophetically to Christ.

 

    1 Corinthians 10:3–4 (AMP)

    “And all [of them] ate the same spiritual food; and all [of them] drank the same
    spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual Rock which followed them;
     and the Rock was Christ.”

 

    The manna anticipated Christ as the Bread of Life. The water from the rock

    anticipated the life of the Spirit flowing from Christ. The Passover lamb anticipated
    His sacrificial death. The cloud and fire revealed God dwelling among His people.
    The wilderness story was already carrying within it the testimony of Redemption
    fulfilled in Jesus Christ.

 

    John 6:35 (AMP)

    “Jesus replied to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me
    will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never
    be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].’”

 

    Israel received bread falling around them, but the Church receives Christ
    living within. Israel drank water from a rock, but believers receive the indwelling
    Holy Spirit as the continuing fountain of eternal life. The wilderness provision
    was a shadow; Christ is the living reality.

    *Jesus Christ: The Faithful Son in the Wilderness

 

    Immediately after Jesus was baptized and publicly identified as the beloved Son,
    Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness.

 

    Matthew 3:17 (AMP)

    “And behold, a voice from heaven said, ‘This is My beloved Son, in whom I am
    well-pleased and delighted!’”

 

    Matthew 4:1–2 (AMP)

    “Then Jesus was led by the [Holy] Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted
    by the devil. After He had gone without food for forty days and forty nights,
    He became hungry.” Matthew 4:1–4

 
    Jesus did not enter the wilderness because He had wandered outside

    the Father’s will. He was led there by the Spirit. The wilderness was part
    of His preparation and the setting in which His obedient Sonship would
    be openly demonstrated.

 

    Israel spent forty years in the wilderness and repeatedly questioned God’s
    faithfulness. Jesus spent forty days in the wilderness and remained perfectly
    faithful to the Father. Where Israel murmured for bread, Jesus refused to use
    divine power independently of the Father’s will.

 

    Matthew 4:3–4 (AMP)

    “And the tempter came and said to Him, ‘If You are the Son of God, command
    that these stones become bread.’ But Jesus replied, ‘It is written and forever
    remains written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
    comes out of the mouth of God.”’” (Matthew 4:1–11)

 

    Jesus answered Satan with the very truth Israel had been taught
    in Deuteronomy. Yet He did more than quote the lesson—He embodied it.
    He refused to allow natural hunger to govern His spiritual obedience.
    He would not turn stones into bread merely to prove His identity, satisfy
    His flesh, or act outside the Father’s direction.

 

    The temptation repeatedly challenged His Sonship: “If You are the Son of God.”
    But Jesus did not need to perform for Satan what the Father had already
    declared over Him. His identity rested in the Father’s word, not in the adversary’s
    demand for visible proof.

 

    Jesus also refused religious presumption. He would not leap from the temple
    to force God to rescue Him. Faith obeys God; presumption attempts to
    manipulate God. Finally, Jesus rejected the kingdoms of the world offered
    through compromise. He would receive the nations through obedience, suffering,
    resurrection, and the authority of the Father—not by bowing to the systems
    of darkness.

 

    Matthew 4:10 (AMP)

    “Then Jesus said to him, ‘Go away, Satan! For it is written and forever
    remains written, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and serve Him only.”’”

    *The Wilderness and the Fulfillment of Redemption

 

    Moses came out of the wilderness commissioned to confront Pharaoh
    and lead God’s people from bondage. Jesus came out of the wilderness
    in the power of Holy Spirit to proclaim liberty and accomplish the greater Exodus
    —the deliverance of humanity from sin, death, and the dominion of darkness.

 

    Luke 4:14 (AMP)

    “Then Jesus went back to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and the news
    about Him spread through the entire region.”

 

    The wilderness did not weaken Christ’s calling. It publicly demonstrated
     that no hunger, temptation, worldly kingdom, or satanic offer could turn Him
     away from the Father’s redemptive purpose. He emerged from testing with His
     obedience revealed, His authority demonstrated, and His face set toward the Cross.

 

    Moses was prepared to lead people out of Egypt. Christ came to bring people
    out of the old realm of sin and death and into the living reality of His Kingdom.

 

    Colossians 1:13–14 (AMP)

    “For He has rescued us and has drawn us to Himself from the dominion
    of darkness, and has transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son,
    in whom we have Redemption [because of His sacrifice, resulting in]
    the forgiveness of our sins.”

 

    Moses led an exodus from a geographical nation. Christ accomplished
    an inward and eternal Exodus. Through His death and Resurrection,
    He delivers His people from the authority of darkness and brings them
    into union with Himself.

    *The Deeper Meaning of the Wilderness

 

    The wilderness is the place where visible resources diminish so that
    the sufficiency of God may be revealed. It is where self-reliance is exposed,
    motives are tested, identity is established, obedience is matured, and divine
    purpose is clarified.

 

    For Moses, the wilderness transformed a self-confident prince
    into a God-dependent shepherd.

 

    For Israel, the wilderness revealed that deliverance from Egypt had to be
    followed by the formation of a Covenant people.

 

    For Jesus, the wilderness openly demonstrated the perfect obedience
    of the faithful Son.

 

    For the believer, wilderness seasons are not evidence that Christ has withdrawn
    His Presence. They may become sacred places where every false source of life
    is uncovered and Christ is revealed as the Bread, the Water, the Rock,
    the Shepherd, and the abiding Presence of God within His people.

 

    The wilderness is barren only when viewed according to natural resources.
    When viewed through covenant revelation, it is filled with God.
    The cloud is there! The fire is there! The bread is there! The water is there!
    The voice of God is there! Above all, Christ—the spiritual Rock—is there!

 

    God does not bring His people into the wilderness to abandon them.
    He brings them there to free them from dependence upon what once held them
    captive, to reveal the treasures of His Presence, and to prepare them for active
    participation in His Redemptive Purpose # Christ—
    The Living Reality Within His People!

    The Extraordinary and Profound experience of every believer is not merely
    that Christ gives bread, water, protection, direction, and care.
    The greater revelation is that Christ Himself becomes all these realities within His
    people! Christianity is not primarily humanity attempting to reach a distant God.
    It is the living Christ taking up His dwelling within redeemed humanity through
    Holy Spirit!

    Colossians 1:27 (AMP)
    “God [in His eternal plan] chose to make known to them how great
    for the Gentiles are the riches of the glory of this mystery, which is Christ
    in and among you, the hope and guarantee of [realizing the] glory.”

    The mystery of redemption is “Christ in you.” The Bread is within us.
    The Water is flowing within us! The Rock is established within us!
    The Shepherd is guiding us from within! The abiding Presence of the Father
     and the Son has made the believer His dwelling place!

    These are not separate spiritual blessings disconnected from one another.
    They are different revelations of the one indwelling Christ. Each image opens
    another dimension of the inexhaustible life believers possess through union
    with Him.

    *Christ Is the Bread Within Us

    John 6:35 (AMP)
    “Jesus replied to them, ‘I am the Bread of Life. The one who comes to Me
    will never be hungry, and the one who believes in Me [as Savior] will never
    be thirsty [for that one will be sustained spiritually].’”

    Jesus did not merely say that He would provide bread. He declared,
    “I am the Bread of Life.” The deepest hunger of the human spirit cannot
    be satisfied by material possessions, human recognition, religious activity,
    or intellectual knowledge.
    It can be satisfied only through living union with Christ!

    Natural bread sustains the body temporarily, but Christ communicates eternal
    life to the human spirit. We do not receive Him once and then attempt to survive
    upon the memory of that encounter.
    We continually draw life from His indwelling Presence!

    John 6:57 (AMP)
    “Just as the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, even so
    the one who feeds on Me [believes in Me, accepts Me as Savior] will also live
    because of Me.”

    To feed upon Christ is to receive His words, participate in His life, rest
    in His completed work, and allow His nature to nourish our thoughts, desires,
    and actions. His love becomes nourishment for the wounded heart.
    His truth strengthens the uncertain mind!
    His righteousness sustains the conscience!
    His peace feeds the soul exhausted by conflict!

    Christ is not merely the example placed before us—He is the Life continually
    nourishing us from within!

    *Christ Is the Living Water Within Us

    John 4:14 (AMP)
    “But whoever drinks the water that I give him will never be thirsty again.
    But the water that I give him will become in him a spring of water [satisfying
    his thirst for God] welling up [continually flowing, bubbling within him]
    to eternal life.”

    The Extraordinary Promise is not merely that believers may occasionally come
    to Christ for a drink. The Water He gives becomes a spring within them!
    The source is no longer external and distant. Through the indwelling Holy Spirit,
    the life of Christ rises, flows, and continually communicates eternal life from within!

    The believer does not carry an empty vessel continually searching for a faraway
     fountain. Christ has placed the Fountain within the vessel!

    John 7:37–38 (AMP)
    “Now on the last and most important day of the feast, Jesus stood and called
    out [in a loud voice], ‘If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!
    He who believes in Me [who adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Me],
    as the Scripture has said, “From his innermost being will flow continually rivers
     of living water.”’”

    The water received from Christ becomes a river flowing through His people.
    His life is given not merely for personal refreshment but for divine overflow.
    Comfort received becomes comfort extended to others!
    Grace experienced becomes grace freely given!
    Revelation received becomes Light of Christ shared!
    Love poured into the heart becomes love flowing into families, churches,
    communities, and nations!

    Holy Spirit does not merely visit the believer during worship or moments
    of intense spiritual emotion. He abides!
    The River remains present even when emotions are quiet.
    His life continues to flow beneath the surface, renewing, cleansing, satisfying,
    and empowering the believer!

    *Christ Is the Rock Within Us

    1 Corinthians 10:3–4 (AMP)
    “And all [of them] ate the same spiritual food; and all [of them] drank
    the same spiritual drink, for they were drinking from a spiritual Rock
    which followed them; and the Rock was Christ.”

    The Rock in the wilderness accompanied Israel as the supernatural source
    of water. Paul removes all uncertainty concerning its spiritual meaning:
    “The Rock was Christ.”

    Christ is the unchanging foundation of the believer’s life. Circumstances move,
    emotions fluctuate, human relationships change, and earthly institutions rise
    and fall—but Christ remains eternally secure!

    Hebrews 13:8 (AMP)
    “Jesus Christ is [eternally changeless, always] the same yesterday and today
    and forever.”

    The believer’s confidence does not rest upon the stability of the surrounding
    environment. It rests upon the indestructible life of the Indwelling Christ.
    The wilderness may be dry, but the Rock remains full of water!
    The storm may be violent, but the Foundation cannot be moved!
    The night may be dark, but the Covenant cannot be broken!

    Matthew 7:24–25 (AMP)
    “So everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, will be like
    a wise man [a far-sighted, practical, and sensible man] who built his house
    on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods and torrents came, and the winds
    blew and slammed against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had been
    founded on the rock.”

    Christ within us does not merely help us endure the storm.
    His Presence establishes within us a realm the storm cannot overthrow.
    Our security is not found in the absence of difficulty but in Covenant Union
    with the One whom death itself could not hold!

    The Rock was struck in the wilderness, and water flowed. Christ was crucified,
    and from His completed sacrifice came the life of the New Covenant.
    The Crucified, Risen, and Reigning Christ has now become the immovable
    foundation and eternal Source of life within His people.

    *Christ Is the Shepherd Within Us

    John 10:11 (AMP)
    “I am the Good Shepherd.
    The Good Shepherd lays down His [own] life for the sheep.”

    Christ is not a hired servant performing a temporary religious duty.
    He is the Good Shepherd who gave His own life to bring His people
    into safety, union, and fellowship with Himself.
    His shepherding did not end at the Cross.
    The Risen Shepherd continues to lead His redeemed through the Indwelling
    Holy Spirit.

    John 10:27–28 (AMP)
    “The sheep that are My own hear My voice and listen to Me; I know them,
    and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they will never, ever
    [by any means] perish; and no one will ever snatch them out of My hand.”

    The believer possesses the Extraordinary Privilege of hearing
    the Shepherd’s voice. This is not limited to an audible sound.
    Christ speaks through Scripture, through the inward witness
    of Holy Spirit, through wisdom, conviction, divine peace, spiritual
    understanding, and the counsel of His Body.

    The Shepherd knows the condition of every sheep!
    He knows when we require still waters and when we must pass
    through a shadowed valley. He knows when to comfort, when to correct,
    when to restrain, and when to send forward.
    His leadership is personal because His Presence is internal!

    Psalm 23:1–3 (AMP)
    “The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, to guide and to shield me], I shall not want.
    He lets me lie down in green pastures;
    He leads me beside the still and quiet waters.
    He refreshes and restores my soul (life);
    He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.”

    Christ shepherds His people by feeding them as the Bread, refreshing them
    as the Water, securing them upon the Rock, and guiding them by His abiding
    Presence. The images come together in one glorious Person!

    The sheep are not abandoned to discover the correct path by their own
    intelligence. The Shepherd walks within His people through the Holy Spirit,
    shaping their desires and directing their steps in harmony with His nature.

    *Christ Is the Abiding Presence of God Within Us

    John 14:16–17 (AMP)
    “And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper (Comforter,
    Advocate, Intercessor—Counselor, Strengthener, Standby), to be with you
    forever—the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart]
    because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because
    He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you.”

    Jesus did not promise a temporary visitation. He promised an abiding Presence—
    “to be with you forever.” The Holy Spirit is not an impersonal substitute sent
    to occupy the Church while Jesus remains absent. Through Holy Spirit,
    the Presence of the Father and the Son is personally and actively revealed
    within the believer!

    John 14:18 (AMP)
    “I will not leave you as orphans [comfortless, bereaved, and helpless];
    I will come [back] to you.”

    This coming is profoundly relational! Jesus fulfills His promise by making
    Himself known within His people through the Holy Spirit!
    The believer is not an orphan waiting for Christ to become present.
    Christ has come to dwell within His people! He has returned!

    John 14:23 (AMP)
    “Jesus answered, ‘If anyone [really] loves Me, he will keep My word (teaching);
    and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling
    place with him.’”

    The Father and the Son make their dwelling within the believer through
    Holy Spirit. This is the present reality of Covenant Union!
    God does not merely stand beside us to offer occasional assistance.
    He lives within us as the source of Divine Life!

    Christ is the Light of Truth! Light of Life! Light of Holy Spirit!
    The believer is the dwelling place of God!

    1 Corinthians 3:16 (AMP)
    “Do you not know and understand that you [the church] are the temple of God,
     and that the Spirit of God dwells [permanently] in you [collectively
     and individually]?”

    The temple is no longer a distant building toward which God’s people
    must journey to encounter His Presence. Through Christ, God has formed
    a living temple composed of redeemed people. His Presence is carried
    into homes, workplaces, communities, and nations through believers
    who live in conscious union with Him.

    *The Extraordinary Experience of Union

    Galatians 2:20 (AMP)
    “I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion];
    it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.”

    This is deeper than imitation. The Christian life is not merely an effort
    to behave as Jesus behaved. It is Christ communicating His own Life
    through those who have been joined to Him!
    The believer is not asked to manufacture divine character from human resources.
    The Indwelling Christ becomes the source of love, peace, righteousness,
    wisdom, endurance, and spiritual power via His Word and His Presence

    represented and re-presented via Holy Spirit!

    The Bread nourishes us!
    The Water continually refreshes and flows through us!
    The Rock establishes us in an unshakable Covenant!
    The Shepherd speaks, leads, corrects, protects, and restores us!
    The abiding Presence fills us with the life of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit!

    These are not five different spiritual experiences!
    They are five dimensions of one Extraordinary Reality:
    Christ lives within His people!

    Colossians 3:3–4 (AMP)
    “For you died [to this world], and your [new, real] life is hidden with Christ
    in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you also will appear
    with Him in glory.”

    Christ is not merely a part of our life. Christ is our Life!
    The Bread we receive is His Life.
    The Water flowing within is His Life.
    The stability of the Rock is His Life.
    The voice of the Shepherd communicates His Life.
    The abiding Presence is His Life filling His people with the fullness of God.

    Ephesians 3:19 (AMP)
    “And [that you may come] to know [practically, through personal experience]
    the love of Christ which far surpasses [mere] knowledge [without experience],
    that you may be filled up [throughout your being] to all the fullness of God.”

    This is the profound privilege of the New Covenant: not merely God above us,
    God before us, or God beside us—but God within us!

    The wilderness may expose the inadequacy of every natural resource,
    but it cannot exhaust the sufficiency of the indwelling Christ.
    Where human bread fails, He remains the Bread of Life.
    Where earthly wells become dry, His Spirit remains a living Fountain.
    Where foundations tremble, He remains the eternal Rock.
    Where the path becomes uncertain, He remains the faithful Shepherd.
    Where loneliness attempts to overwhelm the heart, His abiding Presence declares:
    “I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you.”

    Christ in His people is the extraordinary mystery, the present glory,
    and the inexhaustible provision of the New Covenant!

    The wilderness, therefore, is not the final destination.
    It is the place of divine formation between deliverance and mature inheritance!
    What appears to be emptiness becomes the classroom of the Holy Spirit.
    What appears to be delay becomes preparation.
    What appears to be scarcity becomes the revelation that Christ Himself
    is our inexhaustible Supply!

    *Growing into the Spiritual Stature of Christ

    Colossians 2:10 (AMP)
    And in Him you have been made complete [achieving spiritual stature
    through Christ], and He is the head over all rule and authority [of every angelic
    and earthly power].

    The believer’s spiritual growth does not begin with personal deficiency
    but with Divine Completeness. We have been made complete in Christ
    because His life, righteousness, authority, and relationship with the Father
    have been freely given to us through our Covenant Union with Him.
    Yet this completeness must progressively become the governing reality
    of our thoughts, character, conduct, relationships, and Kingdom service.

    A seed possesses the complete life of the mature plant within it, although
    that life must grow, develop, and become visible. In the same manner,
    the fullness of Christ has been placed within the believer through the Indwelling
    Holy Spirit. Spiritual maturity is the unfolding and visible expression of Christ
    who already lives within us!

    Galatians 2:20 (AMP)
    I have been crucified with Christ [that is, in Him I have shared His crucifixion];
    it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me.

    We are not attempting to manufacture the nature of Christ through human
    discipline alone. Christ Himself is our life! The Holy Spirit works within us
    to bring our thoughts, desires, choices, and actions into agreement
    with the Divine Nature already imparted to us.
    Growth is therefore not the construction of an independent spiritual identity;
    it is the gradual surrender of everything within us that resists the manifestation
    of Christ.

    *Christ Formed within His People

    Galatians 4:19 (AMP)
    My little children, for whom I am again in [the pains of] labor until Christ
    is [completely and permanently] formed within you—

    Paul recognized that believers could possess the life of Christ while still
    requiring spiritual formation. Christ was already present within them,
    but His character had not yet obtained full expression through them!
    Spiritual stature describes the increasing measure in which Christ governs
    the whole person.

    His humility becomes our manner of serving. His compassion becomes
    our response to human need.
    His faithfulness becomes our steadfastness.
    His holiness becomes the ordering of our desires.
    His wisdom governs our decisions.
    His forgiveness overcomes resentment.
    His love becomes the atmosphere surrounding our relationships.

   This is more than learning information about Christ!
    It is Christ being revealed through a people who have yielded themselves
    to His indwelling life.

    *The Measure of the Stature of Christ

    Ephesians 4:13 (AMP)
    Until we all reach oneness in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God,
    [growing spiritually] to become a mature believer, reaching to the measure
    of the fullness of Christ [manifesting His spiritual completeness and exercising
    our spiritual gifts in unity].

    The Divine Measurement of Maturity is not comparison with another believer.
    Christ Himself is the Measure! Spiritual stature is not determined by prominence,
    titles, natural ability, public recognition, or years of religious activity.
    It is measured by the degree to which the nature, wisdom, love, and authority
    of Christ are manifested through us!

    The words “until we all reach” also reveal that spiritual stature is corporate.
    God is not merely developing isolated individuals;
    He is forming the Generational Body of Christ!
    Each believer supplies a distinct expression of Christ, yet no single individual
    possesses the entire expression independently.
    The fullness of Christ is revealed through a people growing together in faith,
    love, unity, and mutual service!

    Ephesians 4:15–16 (AMP)
    But speaking the truth in love [in all things—both our speech and our lives
    expressing His truth], let us grow up in all things into Him [following His example]
    who is the Head—Christ.

    Growth proceeds “into Him.” Christ is both the source and the destination
    of spiritual maturity. We grow because His life is within us, and we grow toward
    the increasingly complete manifestation of that same life!

    *Completion and Continuing Transformation

    There is no contradiction between being complete in Christ and continuing
    to mature in Christ. Our completeness speaks of what has been accomplished
    through Covenant Union. Our growth speaks of that completed reality
    becoming experienced, understood, and visibly expressed!

    • We are complete in our spiritual position,
       yet we are maturing in our spiritual expression.
    • We have received His Life,
       yet we are learning to live from that Life.
    • We have been given His righteousness,
       yet we are growing in the fruit of righteousness.
    • We have been joined to Christ,
       yet our minds are continually being renewed to understand
       the magnitude of that union.
    • We have received the Holy Spirit,
       yet we are learning to walk continually under His direction.

    Philippians 2:12–13 (AMP)
    Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is [not your
    strength, but it is] God who is effectively at work in you, both to will and to work
    [strengthening, energizing, and creating in you the longing and the ability
    to fulfill your purpose].

    We do not work to obtain the salvation Christ has already secured!
    We “work out” what God has placed within.
    The life of Christ moves from the inward reality of the spirit into the outward
    expression of daily living. God supplies both the desire and the Divine Ability,
    while the believer responds through faith, obedience, and willing cooperation.

    *Growing through Beholding Christ

    2 Corinthians 3:18 (AMP)
    And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory
    of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from one degree
    of glory to even more glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit.

    Transformation occurs as Christ is revealed. We become like the One upon
    whom our hearts are fixed. Holy Spirit removes distorted perceptions of God
    and unveils the glory of Christ within the believer!
    As we behold Him as our righteousness, life, wisdom, strength, and abiding
    Presence, we are progressively transformed into His image!

    This transformation is described as movement “from one degree of glory
    to even more glory.”
    Spiritual growth is therefore not merely the correction of wrongdoing.
    It is the increasing revelation of Divine Glory through human vessels.
    The believer becomes an earthly expression of our heavenly Christ—
    not replacing Him, but revealing the life and character of the One who dwells within.

    *Maturity Revealed through Love

    Colossians 3:14 (AMP)

    Beyond all these things put on and wrap yourselves in [unselfish] love,
    which is the   perfect bond of unity [for everything is bound together
    in agreement when each one seeks the best for others].

    Spiritual stature is ultimately revealed through love.
    Gifts may demonstrate Divine empowerment, knowledge may display
    understanding, and authority may accomplish powerful works;
    but love reveals the nature of the One from whom these things proceed.

    Christlike maturity is seen when power serves rather than controls,
    truth restores rather than condemns, authority protects rather than dominates,
    and revelation produces humility rather than superiority.
   The spiritually mature do not merely demonstrate what they know;
    they reveal whom they have come to know!

    *The Purpose of Spiritual Stature

    Romans 8:29 (AMP)
    For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed
    to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn [the most beloved
    and honored] among many believers.

    God’s purpose is not merely to prepare people to leave the earth!
    His purpose is to conform a people to the image of His Son so that the Life
    and Reign of Christ may be revealed through them Now! Today!
    Spiritual stature equips believers to represent Christ faithfully within families,
    congregations, communities, businesses, governments, and nations!

    The mature believer becomes a living demonstration of the reconciliation,
    righteousness, peace, wisdom, and love of God. Christ’s authority is expressed
    through service. His Kingdom is advanced through obedience.
    His compassion touches human suffering. His wisdom enters earthly decisions.
    His Light confronts darkness, and His Life overcomes the works of death!

    *The Perfect Man Is Christ Revealed through His Body

    The “Perfect Man” is not an independently perfected human being.
    It is the corporate Body of Christ growing into agreement with its Living Head.
    Christ is the Perfect Man, and the Church reaches maturity as His nature,
    authority, and purpose become fully expressed through His Covenant people.
    (see web page "Perfect Man" in Inner Chambers)

    Colossians 1:27–28 (AMP)
    God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery
    among the Gentiles, which is Christ in and among you, the hope and guarantee
    of [realizing the] glory.

    The mystery is not merely Christ above us, Christ before us, or Christ
    returning to us. It is Christ in and among us—the present hope and assurance
    of glory! His Indwelling Presence contains the Divine capacity for every stage
    of spiritual development!

    Therefore, the believer does not struggle toward Christ from a place of separation.
    We grow from within our union with Him. We do not pursue completeness as
    though something essential remains absent.
    We awaken to the completeness already given, yield to the transforming ministry
    of Holy Spirit, and allow the stature of Christ to become increasingly visible
    through our lives!

    Spiritual maturity is
    • Christ fully welcomed,
    • Christ increasingly understood,
    • Christ faithfully obeyed, and
    • Christ openly revealed within His people.

    We are complete in Him—and from that completeness,
    we grow into the living, visible, and corporate measure of His fullness!

    When the heavens are open, God's purpose is to talk with us!
    He wants to prove us that we are not sin!
    He is an Extraordinary Person when manifesting as the Holy Spirit
    of Whom demonstrates Himself in 7-fold spiritual ways.
    
    God wants to talk with us and He does so as one God in three Persons!   
    There are those who want to take issue with God's Word and declare that there
    is only one person manifested as the one God and that is Jesus Christ alone.

                                                           Blessed Holy Trinity!
                                        (see web page "Divine Holy Trinity" in Inner Chambers)

   The study will bless you and give you knowledge which will wonderfully build
   your understanding of the Extraordinary Godhead! The knowledge will motivate
   you to new thoughts to be transformed into the work of the Kingdom of Heaven!

    God wants to say some more things to us for this Letter is deeply relevant
   to our maturing in Christ. God's work "speaks!" We, therefore to mature in
   the stature of the measure of which we have surveyed above.

    *The Heavens Are Open!

     Again, let us return to the Exodus to examine the attitude and the spiritual
    posturing of the people. God had delivered them! He had saved His children,
    His nation from the evil empire of Pharaoh's Egypt slavery!
    These people were dominated to hardened taskmasters. 
    They were in bondage to ways of darkness and an evil world for nearly 400 years.
 
    Remember that God had changed Jacob's name to Israel.
    The nation of God was routed to Egypt through a severe famine.

    The persecution of Joseph, began with his brothers'  jealousies of Joseph's
    prophetic dreams and favor he had with his father, Jacob. His brothers put him
    in a dry well and left him to die.  A caravan of traders found him.
    Joseph was sold into slavery to an Egyptian, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain
    and chief executioner of the [royal] guard.
 
    Most of you know the recorded account of Joseph's life.
    Joseph interpreted two prophetic dreams for Pharaoh.

    Pharaoh's response was:
     38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, Can we find this man's equal,
          a man in whom is the spirit of God?
    39 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, Forasmuch as [your] God has shown you
         all this, there is nobody as intelligent and discreet and understanding
         and wise as you are.

     Joseph [who had been in Egypt thirteen years] was thirty years old when
    he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. Joseph went out from the presence
    of Pharaoh and went [about his duties] through all the land of Egypt.
  
    Joseph had the Spirit of God abiding with him!
    The empowerment of the Holy Spirit makes an individual different!

    *He makes us Extraordinary!

   To walk in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost is walking
    a different walk and talking a different talk than what the people of the world do. 
    Walking in the Spirit is a personal life style choice!
    One must make a decision and build relationship with God to be
    supernaturally Extraordinary! There are biographies of people who did
    extraordinary things all through history. However, we are focused on
    Being Extraordinary in the Kingdom of Heaven on earth!

    You are encouraged to read the full account of how the nation of Israel was
    prepared to move to Egypt in Genesis 37 thru 46. (Bible Gateway)

     26 All the persons who came with Jacob into Egypt--who were his own
         offspring, not counting the wives of Jacob's sons--were sixty-six persons
         all told.
    27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two persons.
         All the persons of the house of Jacob [including Joseph and Jacob himself],
         who came into Egypt, were seventy.

    There was a very short period of time that Israel had favor by the Egyptians. 
    They had the favor of God for the complete 430 years in Egypt. 
    When Joseph and the then reigning Pharaoh died, new leadership came
    and with it came jealousy and greed resulting in persecution and bondage.
  
    The Scriptures record that God heard the nation of Israel's cries and made
    a way for their salvation, their rescue! Now, in our study, we hear their voices
    which expresses their hearts. They had been invited to meet God.
    Even with all the provisions they possessed including God's providential
    detailed care, they moved away from the very One who loved them and cared
    about all their needs.
 
    They wanted the blessings, but did not want to tend to the guiding principles
    that would keep them healthy and make them into an Extraordinary nation.  
    However, they did not want a close relationship with God. 
    They did not want His desires and commands of Light for their daily lives!
 
    Read the study of Ministers on Fire for an overview of God's Laws of Light.
                      (see web page "Ministers on Fire" in Inner Chambers)
 
    The Bible proves their attitudes toward God in that they are recorded as
    rebellious, hard-hearted and stiff-necked people. They were willing to let God
    deliver them from Egypt but they were not willing to let God deliver Egypt out
    of their hearts and life styles!

    Exodus 32:9 (AMP)
    The Lord said to Moses, “I have seen this people, and behold,
    they are a stiff-necked (stubborn, rebellious) people.

    Later, concerning the nation of Israel, God declares: Ezekiel 34:16 (AMP)
    “I will seek the lost, bring back the scattered, bandage the crippled,
    and strengthen the weak and the sick; but I will destroy the fat and the strong
    [who have become hard-hearted and perverse]. I will feed them with judgment
    and punishment.

    We can see these same attitudes and spiritual posturing brought
    into the church today regardless of the things God has done for His people. 
    Just as ancient Israel had grown legalistic over many generations,
    and disregarded the Law of Sin and Death given to Moses, elements
    of the church of this century has grown legalistic and traditional in its
    doctrines and practices and aligns with the ways of the world instead
    of moving into relationship with God, the Holy Spirit. 
    A great portion of "churches" ridicule the working of the Holy Ghost.
 
     We need to have an open mind, heart and spirit to the things that 
    the Lord Jesus Christ desires to accomplish with His church and
    with each of our lives!

    Perhaps when most Christians think about Pentecost, they think about
    the outpouring of Acts chapter two. This brings us to an example of another
    Extraordinary way in which God shows Himself to His people!

    Consider what the traditional applications of those coming to Jerusalem
    experienced. For our deeper understanding of the times and Jewish events
    that were in play at the Day of Pentecost...

    God is all about purposes. In the Hebrew the Feast of Pentecost is called Shavot,
    which means "feast of weeks."  In the New Testament Greek, fifty days is
    called Pentecost. It was 50 days from the time of the Passover Feast precluding
    the crucifixion of the Lord to the outpouring of the Holy Ghost in celebration
    of Heaven's newly crowned King!


    The hard working farmers of ancient Israel worked week after week to prepare
    their soil and to plant seeds in hope of a harvest. They had hope, but had no 
    way to make the earth produce. If the Lord did not open the heavens for a
    physical rain, they would not have a harvest of crops. As they trusted him,
    God would open up the windows of heaven and rain would pour forth.
 
    With their faith fixed on God, a harvest would be brought forth.
    We can see that they recognized the physical provision of God's grace!
    We find that on each Sabbath, the father of the house would lift a freshly
    baked loaf of bread before the Lord and bless God with thanksgiving
    for His bountiful provisions.
 
    The Holy Bible is our "loaf of bread"... Jesus is the Bread of Life!
    If God does not pour out His Spirit upon people, then  there is no "rain"
    to produce a spiritual  harvest. The "rain of the spirit" brings increase
    in touching the hearts and minds of people!

    Also, from the first sheaf of each new harvest, the Jews would bring
    a thanksgiving offering to the temple. With it they would acknowledge
    that God had opened the heavens to bring forth their bread from the earth.
    This was a praise offering...offered by faith as well!


     In the celebration of the Feast of the Harvest ("Open Heavens"), the Israelites
    would express their praise by bringing "burnt offerings, grain offerings, drink
    offerings, sin offerings, fellowship offerings and free will offerings.
    They would practice the gift and grace of giving to the Lord.
    The celebration would be a tremendous and Extraordinary Outpouring
    of GIVING with every kind of offering imaginable!

    *Pentecost Need Not Be Confined to a Calendar Event

    Pentecost possesses historical importance, but its spiritual reality was never
    intended to remain confined to one day upon a religious calendar.
    The Feast of Weeks pointed prophetically toward the outpouring of the Holy Spirit;
    but when the promised Spirit came, Pentecost moved from an appointed day
    into the abiding life of God within His people!

    Acts 2:1–4 (AMP)
    “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place,
    and suddenly a sound came from heaven like a rushing violent wind,
    and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. There appeared to them
    tongues resembling fire, which were being distributed [among them],
    and they rested on each one of them [as each person received the Holy Spirit].
    And they were all filled [that is, diffused throughout their being] with the Holy
    Spirit and began to speak in other tongues (different languages), as the Spirit
    was giving them the ability to speak out [clearly and appropriately].”

    The day of Pentecost occurred in history, but the life released at Pentecost
    continues! Holy Spirit did not descend merely to create an annual
    commemoration. He came to inhabit, fill, lead, empower, and express
    the living Presence of Christ through His people. The calendar identified
    the moment of outpouring; the Indwelling Spirit established its continuing reality!

    *Pentecost is therefore a Now! Today! Spiritual foundation!

    Every day that believers yield themselves to Holy Spirit, Pentecost is being
    expressed. Every time the Good News is proclaimed in the power of God,
    Pentecost is active! Every time barriers between people are overcome
    through the language of Divine Love, Pentecost is revealed!
    Every time believers share their provision, open their homes, feed the hungry,
    strengthen the weak, reconcile relationships, worship together, or use their
    spiritual gifts for the benefit of others, the continuing fruit of Pentecost
    becomes visible!

    Pentecost can be celebrated every day, in every place, and through every act
    that allows the life of Christ to flow from one person into the life of another!
    This is Extraordinary fulfillment of the Covenant Union of the Body of Christ!

    Galatians 5:25 (AMP)
    “If we [claim to] live by the [Holy] Spirit, we must also walk by the Spirit
    [with personal integrity, godly character, and moral courage—our conduct
     empowered by the Holy Spirit].”

    To live by the Spirit is to carry the reality of Pentecost into ordinary life.
    It is expressed at the family table, in the workplace, within the community,
    throughout the Church, and wherever believers become instruments of God’s
    goodness. Pentecost appears when an employer treats workers with dignity,
    when a neighbor shares food, when a believer offers transportation,
    when a skilled person freely repairs what another cannot afford to repair,
    and when someone lays aside personal convenience to care for the lonely,
    grieving, elderly, or forgotten.

    The acts of Pentecost are as varied as the needs surrounding us and as
    abundant as the gifts God has placed within His people!

    Pentecost is celebrated when we offer our time, abilities, possessions,
    encouragement, prayer, hospitality, forgiveness, testimony, creativity,
    and financial resources. Each Spirit-directed offering declares that God’s
    provision has not stopped with us. His blessing is moving through us!

    [Note: "Kingdom of Divine Motion.pdf "on the Inner Chambers web page
    is a companion to this "Being Extraordinary" document.]

    The first Pentecost harvest was brought before God in gratitude.
    The spiritual Pentecost harvest is also gathered and offered to Him—
    but now the harvest includes redeemed lives, restored relationships,
    transformed communities, awakened spiritual gifts, and people brought
    into the Living Knowledge of Jesus Christ.

    Acts 2:17–18 (AMP)
    “And it shall be in the last days,’ says God, ‘That I will pour out My Spirit
    upon all mankind; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
    and your young men shall see [divinely prompted] visions, and your old men
    shall dream [divinely prompted] dreams; even on My bond-servants,
    both men and women, I will in those days pour out My Spirit and they shall
    prophesy.’”

    Notice the language of Divine Abundance: “I will pour out My Spirit.”
    Pentecost reveals a God who gives Himself generously.
    He pours His Spirit into His people, and His people, having received
    His abundant Life, pour themselves out in worship, service, generosity,
    reconciliation, and love.

    *Pentecost is God’s generosity creating a generous people!

    Acts 2:46–47 (AMP)
    “Day after day they met in the temple [area] continuing with one mind,
    and breaking bread in various private homes. They were eating their meals
    together with joy and generous hearts, praising God continually, and having
    favor with all the people.”

    “Day after day” reveals the continuing rhythm of Pentecost.
    The believers did not experience the Holy Spirit on one Extraordinary Day
    and then return to ordinary, self-centered living.
    The outpouring became a new way of life! Their worship became daily!
    The celebrations of the Old Covenant were shorten to: Now! Today!
    Their fellowship became relational! Their homes became places of ministry!
    Their meals became celebrations of grace!
    Their possessions became instruments of provision!
    Their lives became living offerings!

    Pentecost therefore need not wait for a church calendar, an annual conference,
    or a specially announced celebration. We may awaken each morning with
    a Pentecostal declaration:
    “This is the day the Lord has made! The Holy Spirit abides within His people!
    Christ is alive! God has provided! His gifts are active! His love is flowing!
    His harvest is being gathered!
    Today, I offer myself as an instrument of His provision!”

    Pentecost is celebrated whenever the indwelling Holy Spirit transforms
    what we have received into something freely given. It is celebrated when bread
    becomes a shared meal, a house becomes a place of welcome, a business
    becomes an instrument of blessing, a gift becomes service, a testimony
    becomes hope, and the believer becomes a living expression of Jesus Christ!

    The historical day of Pentecost announced the arrival of the promised Holy Spirit.
    The everyday life of Pentecost demonstrates that He remains!

    Pentecost is not merely behind us as a remembered event, nor ahead of us
    as an annual observance.
    Pentecost is within us as the abiding Presence of God and among us
    as the shared Life of Christ. It is Now! It is Today!

    It is the Kingdom of God in divine motion through a Spirit-filled people—
    receiving from God, rejoicing in His provision, and freely giving His goodness
    to the world!
  
    *God is into measurements. 
    He is precise in what He does and when He does it! 
    Attitudes of unbelief keep most of God's people in bondage.
    So many people want to have that ole "stiff-necked experience" when it comes
    to the spiritual things of the Kingdom of Heaven.
    In other words,  the pure Word of God is discarded for a more comfortable
    "Gospel." The attitude is that It does not matter what the Word of God says,
    what really matters is how life can be structured within a man pleasing
    structured "Gospel."
 
    There are so many factions that promote a "Gospel"
    that are built on suppositions and belief's that stretch the very imagination.
    They do not line up with what has been recorded in the pure Word of Truth.

    There are things that God wants to do when the "heavens are open!"
    The disciples and those who were instructed to go to the upper room to wait
    on God would have been celebrating the evening before Pentecost morning! 
    The previous night, they would have most likely taken offerings to the temple
    to thank God for His physical provisions and then returned and been up all night
    sharing their experiences with the Lord and praying!

    But!...
    Look at what God did in an Extraordinary way in Acts 2:1-4  (AMP)
    1  AND WHEN the day of Pentecost had fully come, (note: 50 days from Passover)
        they were all assembled together in one place,
    2  When suddenly there came a sound from heaven like the rushing of a
        violent tempest blast, and it filled the whole house in which they were sitting. 
         (note; the heavens were "torn open")
    3  And there appeared to them tongues resembling fire, which were separated
        and distributed and which settled on each one of them.
    4  And they were all filled (diffused throughout their souls) with the Holy Spirit
        and began to speak in other (different, foreign) languages (tongues), as the
        Spirit kept giving them clear and loud expression
        [in each tongue in appropriate words].

    There has been a battle over everything that God has set in place for the
    church to be edified and to grow exponentially in the Light of Christ. 
    Everyone has an opinion... so did the Israelites at Mount Sinai.
    We have true record of what happened to them! Moses and the elder generation
    were denied going into the "Promised Land!'

    Do you know the final outcome of that rebellious 40 year generation?
    They all died in the desert wilderness trapped in their attitudes and words
    of complaint and disobedience.  Only those who were born into the wilderness
    were allowed to cross over into a new beginning with the exception of Joshua
    and Caleb. First, they had to exercise obedience, courage and
    faith to even move into the promised land that had been prepared for them.
    A torrent Jordan River challenged separated them from the Old into the New!

    Let us fully understand that the promised land was already occupied
    and required the younger generations of Israel to fight for divine position
    and to obey God in His designs for their welfare, safety, and victory.
    They relied upon the Lord to Make the Way! They had to be Unified!
    How many of God's people are willing to die to self in order to attain their
    destiny of a dedicated life in the full power of the Gospel? 

     And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself
    [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse
    and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave
    steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be,
    in dying also]

    God wants to bless His consecrated people... 
    •  those who are fully sold-out to Him
    •  those willing to receive what He wants to do
    •  those willing to walk in faith exercising His principles of Kingdom life.

    This brings us to other important spiritual truths!
    This feast the Feast of Harvest (of "open heavens") was observed early
    in the third month on the 50th day after the offering of the barley sheaf
    at the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

    Pentecost included a holy convocation with the usual restriction
    on manual labor.  Work was prohibited on the Sabbath.
    This feast was known as the Feast of Harvest as well as Pentecost.
    Numbers 28:26-31 describes the number and nature of offerings
    and Deuteronomy 16:9-12 describes those who were to be invited to this feast.
    They include servants, sons and daughters, Levites, the fatherless,
    the widow, and the stranger. Israelites were to be reminded of their bondage
    in Egypt on that day!

    God is not a respecter of persons when it comes to salvation or the
    empowerment of the Holy Ghost! 

    See Acts Chapter 10.
    Jesus invites all to come!  It is not in the cannon of the history of spiritual
    fellowship  between heaven and earth that you should be famished, naked,
    full of discord, full of evil, full of disorder, full of sensuality, full of carnality.
    Jesus saw people coming from the Feast of Tabernacles in Jerusalem and
    called out to them...

     Now on the final and most important day of the Feast, Jesus stood,
    and He cried in a loud voice, If any man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink!

   *Come thirsty one, come needy one!
 
    Jesus has sent the Holy Spirit to fill you with the joy of living waters! 
    •  Have you received the revelation of the force of joy that is available to you? 
    •  Do you understand that you have an Extraordinary God?

   When you finish reading this Letter, you will not go away as you came
   but you will go away endued, infused with the living torch of the flame
   of the Master's touch!

   These Prophetic Voice .html web pages and .pdf documents are not ordinary!
   God would not want His ministries to be ordinary. Why?
   He is an Extraordinary God!  
   They are prepared for the times and seasons in which we live!

   Humbly, I share the following personal testimony to the glory of the Lord...  
   As founders of Heart of God Ministries International,
   Phyllis and I make extraordinary efforts to share the dynamics of a loving,
   powerful and comprehensively extraordinary God. 
   We refuse to be ordinary and God has continued to bless the works of our
   hands and to return His Word with new friendships and new opportunities. 
   Why am I sharing these personal things? 
   Because we have an extraordinary God who loves us and talks to us.  
   He hears our cries and He answers our questions.
   He multiplies us, increases us and blesses us with great treasures of His presence
   in our lives. We have a God who makes extraordinary people and we have
   God's plan for our lives and the work of the ministries.

   We believe God!  We believe the things that He pours through us in these Letters. 
   If you come to a place of belief as well, you have come to a place where you
   have become extraordinary.  According to God's Word, when we speak and write
   this way, we have come to the root of the matter that can bring forth anything! 
   If you who have been longing for the baptism of the Holy Ghost and have been
   "tarrying" before the Lord everyday, if you have come to a place of believing
   what the scriptures and the words of this letter have revealed,  you have come
   to a place where you have become extraordinary.

   Because Abram believed God, every person is blessed today through faithful
   Abraham. He was an extraordinary man of faith; he believed God in the
   face of everything.
   Galatians 3:8-9  (AMP)
    8 And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify (declare righteous,
      put in right standing with Himself) the Gentiles in consequence of faith,
      proclaimed the Gospel [foretelling the glad tidings of a Savior long beforehand]
      to Abraham in the promise, saying, In you shall all the nations [of the earth]
      be blessed.
   9 So then, those who are people of faith are blessed and made happy and
      favored by God [as partners in fellowship] with the believing and trusting Abraham.



   ● Pentecost is receiving God's blessing of abundant provisions.
      It is a time to open our hearts to God in joyful praise and giving.
      As we do this, it positions us to receive spiritually as well as
      physically in body, soul and spirit.
   ● Pentecost is supernatural revelation.
      It was a time when God opened the heavens to reveal His Word.
      At Mount Sinai, fifty days after Passover, God gave Moses theTorah, which
      means "the teaching of God."  Torah is the revelation of God's will,
      God's love and God's character.  
      Traditionally, most consider it the first five books of the Bible, but in spiritual
      reality, today, Torah is all of the Scriptures... Genesis to Revelation.
      At Pentecost in Jerusalem, Peter declared the Gospel and 3000 souls were
      saved and added to the church. 
      Through the Holy Ghost's empowerment, Peter is dramatically changed and
      reveals God's heart to His people... Peter preaches the Good News of Christ!
      He tells of the promises of the prophet Joel chapter 2 whereby the Spirit of God
      is poured out to be accompanied by prophetic utterance along with great signs
      and wonders.
   ● Pentecost is outpouring of the Holy Ghost.
   As fire came down upon Mount Sinai, the FIRE of the Holy Spirit came upon the
   disciples in the upper room in Jerusalem. 
   John the Baptist prophesied that Jesus would baptize with the Holy Ghost and fire. 
   On the Day of Pentecost the disciples were clothed with His power.  
   The gifts of the Spirit were energized.
   The New Spiritual Israel, the Church, was birthed!
   The anointing of God equipped them to see the sick healed, the oppressed delivered,
   the Gospel boldly proclaimed and the world changed!

          The Holy Spirit is the Comforter.  He takes the necessary word
          at the right time and gives it to you.
        • Release yourself to Him with an humble and thankful heart.
          He will take charge of you.
        • Thank Him for bringing His thoughts and His divine precious
           spirit language into your life to speak the things that your mind
           cannot know what to speak.
        • Obey His directives. You will know it is Him speaking to you.
           He is kind and direct.  Some times He speaks few words.
          Sometimes He will releases a Word of Knowledge or a Word
          of Wisdom through you to edify and exhort others.
        • Know that He "opens the heavens."  He also closes them.
        • Receive the Lord's promise of the Holy Ghost baptism by faith.
        • Expect the empowerment of fire!
          (see "

    There is only one Comforter.  He has been with the Father from
    the beginning.  He comes to give Light. 
    When He comes into your body, spirit, and soul, He comes to
    unveil the King of Glory. The Holy Spirit comes to abide in you to
       Divine Life is full of divine appointment.
       Divine Life is full of equipping of the spiritual gifts.
       Divine Life is full of the power of God manifested out of the spirit
       into the natural realm.  To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled
       with manifestation of spiritual gifts.  He is the glory of the Lord
       being in the midst of us, manifesting His power and love.

    • The Holy Spirit is prophetic. 
       He is the spokesman of heaven on earth today. 
       He illuminates the Words of Jesus and the Words of
       all the Scriptures for our understanding and effectual work.
       He is breath, life, Person and power.  Give thanks to Father God
       for all He has already provided for you and for what He has destined
       to do in the future through your spiritual walk and the benefits of the
       gift of salvation.

    • Gather with friends and family who are seeking Him.
      Enjoy His presence!  He will manifest to you!  Drink of Him and let
      the joy of the Lord fill you with new wine.  The Holy Spirit has a
      wonderful sense of humor!  He loves to fellowship with us!
      He is full of surprises that release great blessings into our lives!

    • Rejoice in His goodness!

     5 For our [preaching of the] glad tidings (the Gospel) came to you
       not only in word, but also in [its own inherent] power and in the Holy Spirit
       and with great conviction and absolute certainty [on our part].
       You know what kind of men we proved [ourselves] to be among you
       for your good.
    6 And you [set yourselves to] become imitators of us and [through us]
       of the Lord Himself, for you welcomed our message in [spite of] much
       persecution, with joy [inspired] by the Holy Spirit;

   •  Receive the Fire of God and the energizing of His gifts!

   •  Celebrate, celebrate, celebrate the One who brings the day of Pentecost! 
      The promise of the Holy Ghost is here!
      Proclaim the love you have for Him!  Seek Him daily!
      Declare that His power and authority are welcome in your life!
      Do not put restrictions upon Him!  Let Him have His way with you!
      You will be amazed! 
      He will honor your sincere and willing heart and request!

    • Study the accounts of God's power and miracles in the bible
       to build your faith and understanding of what God has provided for you.

    • Read about the great revivals of history. 

    • Believe what you read about the administrations of the Holy Spirit.!

    May the fresh Fire of the Holy Ghost fall upon you and give you an experience
   that is beyond your 'wildest dreams!'

   May you personally and deeply be touched with His awesome extraordinary
   power and may He transform you into an awesome extraordinary ambassador
   of Christ!

   *A Prayer for you!Precious Holy Spirit.

    Holy Spirit you have stirred me to record these words on the heart
    of my dear readers and friends in the Lord. 
    Water them like Seeds that will grow...
    Grow faith. Grow strength. Grow them in being extraordinary in You!

    Empower them with the Kingly anointing of our Lord that your spiritual
    fire never leaves them!
    Prepare them for the new things You have established for this season
    of Your fire being released for the great harvest of souls.

    Let them see that the empowerment of the Spirit is greater than anything else.
    Even in those who have been baptized by You,  let all be assured through
    extraordinary experiences that the empowerment of the Spirit is the new order
    of things altogether as the Lord Jesus spoke of these things pertaining to
    the Kingdom of God.

    Reveal and confirm that they cannot ever be ordinary in a relationship with You.
    Let Your Anointing Presence on their lives be multiplied in their homes and
    everywhere they go.

    Be it declared the Covenant of Prosperity for their body, soul, spirit
    and all things for them and every person they touch who stays in scriptural
    order under the authority of and in the Name of Jesus and by His blood!
    Amen (so be it.)