Dear Lamb-hearted,
New Life is beginning to bud as we are starting to feel the changes that come from Christ growing His Body. I hear and sense the real Jesus coming forth in even the youngest. God sows His Word/Son into us… God waits… and eventually, a little bud emerges with fresh new Life. It is a glorious earnest of that which is to come. With these inward changes come outward manifestations of His Life through His Body. An example of this could be seen in a maturing child. As they continue to grow, they need new clothes that will fit. This is also true concerning the Body of Christ. As Christ forms in US… we are able to manifest His Life together in new ways. These “new ways” will simply be more of Jesus coming forth in areas such as more care and burden for others, and new areas of pouring out to share His Love.
This year’s Gathering is going to reflect some of these changes, and as a result, there will be more opportunities to pour out and not just receive. If you have not received an invitation, please let us know. If you have received an invitation but have not responded… it would be a blessing to hear back from you, even if you are not sure yet. For those of you who would like to attend the Gathering via Zoom, please let us know! But this year has to do with manifesting His Life in practical ways. Being on Zoom would be wonderful – but it won’t be able to match the feel of being here, flowing with the Body.
Beloved, we are on a journey together, and the Good Shepherd is leading us deeper into His fullness and a greater conformity to His image. As His sheep, may the nature of the Lamb lay Himself down in each of us as we cover one another in His love as Christ continues to grow and blossom in and through us.
Love,
Randy
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"We all, with unveiled face, beholding...the glory of the Lord..."
(2 Corinthians 3:18)
So many are constantly looking at themselves in order to notice any changes in themselves. We are so concerned with how we appear to others. We tend to be more self-conscious than God-conscious. But there is a place to which we can come spiritually where we are more aware of the Lord and less conscious of what is going on with us, whether good or bad. For example, when Moses came down from the mountain after 40 days, His face glowed from being in God’s presence for so long. But he didn’t know his face glowed.
When in Zion, there is no consciousness of ourselves or our need in relation to sin. The Tabernacle of David did not include the part that deals with sin. Sin has been removed and is no longer an issue and now all that remains is the face of God and seeing Him.
Many people want change in their lives. They are acutely aware of the areas of sin and failure that remain in them. In an effort to get rid of these things, they are constantly aware of the problem because they are looking for a specific remedy to their specific problems. So, it is impossible to seek for answers without thinking about the problem.
But our change comes as we look at Him and into His face. In Zion, that is all that you could look at. That is not a “one-time” event but is to become a lifestyle. As we do so we will be changed from glory to glory.
Consider the two tabernacles for a moment. Moses’ Tabernacle included all of the elements for getting cleansed from sin, but had a veil that restricted access into the direct presence of God. But David’s Tabernacle on Mt. Zion had no elements for dealing with sin, but you had direct access to God’s presence. So, when people came up to worship in Mt. Zion their purpose for entering this tabernacle had nothing to do with “getting straightened out.” That is the case for several reasons. First, there were no articles there that dealt with sin. Secondly, your main purpose for going there was to love, worship, and be in the presence of God. Our purpose should be to fellowship with God and know His heart.
When Moses went up into the mount, his experience pictured both of these tabernacles. The glory that was on his face was a result of direct access to God’s presence and represented David’s Tabernacle. But in his hands had been two tablets of stone containing the Ten Commandments. This represented Moses' Tabernacle and people being under Law.
Those tables of stone could never change anyone, nor could they take away your problems. The best they could do is point out your problems. But seeing the glory of God in the face of Jesus will change you. The stones were for people below who were around when the glory had faded and wanted to know what to do. However, there are no tables of stone in Zion except hidden in the Ark. They are not used to bring about change; that comes with the glory of the Lord.
When one enters David’s Tabernacle, they become unaware of their own personal status, whether that is related to sin or God’s glory on their face. The only thing they are aware of is Him, for they are consumed with His face, not their sin nor their change. Self-consciousness is not just related to sin but can be related to our awareness of how much glory we have on our face or how much we are changing. But when you are caught up in Him and his beauty, then you become unaware of your status, whether bad or good.
"...Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him" (Exodus 34:29).
