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TO THE GLORY OF GOD
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Study No 6
RESTORATION IN THESE DAYS
1. Restoration Of The Church
The word "restoration" is the key to understanding Church
History since the Middle Ages. Here is a brief outline of Gospel
truth that God restored to the Church over that period.
(a) Salvation by Faith
Martin Luther (1483 to 1546) Rom. 1:17; Heb. 2:4; Gal. 3:11;
Eph. 2:8-9.
(b) Water Baptism
1542 Menno Simons (and others) gave rise to the Anabaptists,
Mennonites and Baptists. Matt. 28:19; Acts 2:38; Acts 8:37;
Rom. 6:3-5.
(c) Holiness
John Wesley 1738. Origin of Methodists and Holiness
Churches. Stressed the sanctifying work of the Spirit, prayer
and systematic Bible Study. Heb. 12:10; Rom. 12:1; Jn. 17:17-
19; Heb. 12:14. (The seeking of God cultivated in this
revival paved the way for the later revival of the Baptism in
the Holy Spirit.)
(d) Healing
1840 A.B. Simpson and Others. A wave of healing swept Europe
and the U.S.A. at this time. Ex. 15:26; 1 Pet. 2:24; Is.
53:4-5.
(e) Baptism in the Holy Spirit
1902 - 1906 - U.S.A., England, Ireland, Africa. Spontaneously
across the world. Acts 2:4, 39; Acts 10:38; Is. 61:1-2; Acts
1:8.
Although from time to time spontaneous spiritual worship and
prophetic music is found here and there in church History, usually
in the early stages of some of the above revivals, this was not
restored to the Church in any abiding sense until the "1948
Revival" ...a great move of God which began amongst some
Pentecostals in Northern Canada. In this same year, all over the
U.S.A. and in some parts of Europe, God began visiting groups of
believers, causing them to worship for hours on end, singing songs
in the Spirit.
This revival, known as the "Laying on of Hands Revival" (for
that was the initial truth restored at that time) saw an emphasis
on the Body of Christ rather than individual experience. In
particular, it brought an understanding of the ministry gifts, Old
Testament types and shadows and praise and worship.
Initially, most Christians (including the majority of
Pentecostals) rejected this revival. However, it is interesting
to see how the truths concerned have now been accepted widely as a
result of the moving of God's Spirit in the last thirty
years...particularly in the pentecostal movement. The Ark came
out of Obed-edom's house so that ALL ISRAEL could worship before
the Presence of the Lord!!!
By the restoration of the Tabernacle of David, we mean that God
is MANIFESTING His Presence in the Church; we mean the restoration
of that worship and praise in which that Presence dwells (Ps.
22:3)
2. Zion And The Restoration
(a) Zion and the Church..."and say unto Zion, Thou art My people".
Is. 51:16, Mt. Zion, church of the first born. Heb. 12:22-23.
(b) Truths seen in Zion
1. Praise. Ps. 9:14 6. Wisdom and Knowledge. Is. 33:6
2. Perfection. Ps. 50:1-2 7. Feasts. Is. 33:20
3. Rod of authority. Ps. 74:2 8. Missionary vision. Is. 60
4. Rest. Ps. 132:14 9. Ministries. Jer. 3:15
5. Body vision. Ps. 133:3 10. Former and latter rain.Joel 2:23
(c) Taken by David 2 Sam. 5:7
Joshua entered Canaan around 145 B.C. and began to take the
land. But they failed to capture Zion. It was not taken until
over 00years later about 1048 B.C. This is a type of the
restoration of truth which began in martin Luther's day. The
truths of Zion however, were not restored until over 400 years
later, ie. the days in which we are now living.
(d) Facts about Zion
1. Beautiful for situation. "Elevation", Ps. 48:2. Highest
hill.
a. Place of good vision - those in Zion are people of
vision.
Without a vision the people perish.
b. Above realm of the plains - spiritual heights in God.
2. Shape of a foot. Zion was in the shape of a foot.
a. The Ark, His footstool. 1 Chron. 28:2
b. Make the place of My feet glorious. Is. 60:13
c. Today's church is the Feet members of His Body. The Head
is Christ - Pentecost. Book of Acts. The Shoulders are
the early Christians moving right down until today, to
the feet members.
Note:- promises regarding the feet. Eph. 1:22 "all things
under His feet". Heb. 2:8. The Church today will
experience complete victory even over the last enemy,
death. Ps. 102:18-20.
3. Gates of Zion. Ps. 9:14...show forth all His praise in the
Gates of Zion. Ps. 87:2 - "The Lord loveth the gates of
Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob."
In Nehemiah 3, we have an illustration of the order of
spiritual truths in the city of God through the order of the
restoration of the gates of Jerusalem. Let us see how this order
can apply to the Church.
The Sheep Gate (v.1)
The first gate to be rebuilt in the time of Nehemiah was the
sheep gate. The sheep gate speaks to us of the necessity in the
Church of first ministering to the needs of God's people, who are
referred to as His sheep (Psalm 100:3). The sheep need feeding
not evangelizing. Merely preaching repentance, faith, salvation,
and deliverance to the sheep is not feeding them. A shepherd,
bishop and pastor must be a feeder of the sheep. If a leader
cannot feed the sheep, then he is missing one of the most
important requirements of the ministry.
Another important requirement is compassion, which Jesus had
for the people in His day who were like "sheep without a shepherd"
(Matthew 9:36-38). Jesus felt pity for the needy people, and so
must every leader.
Sheep feed the best when they feel that their shepherd is near
to feed them. This gives them a feeling of security (John 10:2-
3), without which they will not be able to lie down. The word
ruling actually means feeding. As someone has said, "Ruling is
compassionate leadership first by example and then be careful
instruction in the Scriptures". The New Testament exhorts every
leader to feed the flock of God (1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Peter 5:2; Acts
20:28).
The Fish Gate (v.3)
The next gate to be restored was the fish gate. This gate was
built after the sheep gate was constructed. The spiritual
principle here is that it is only after the people of God are
strong and mature that souls can be properly brought into the
kingdom. Jesus told the disciples that they were going to be
"fishers of men" (Matthew 4:19). To use the previous analogy of
the sheep gate, we can see that it is only as God's sheep are
cared for and made healthy, that they will be able to bear healthy
lambs. Sheep bear lambs. The shepherd does not, he only tends
and guides the lambs that the sheep naturally bear! Healthy sheep
will always produce healthy lambs just like a healthy family is
able to have many healthy children.
One of the five-fold ministries in Ephesians 4:11-12 is the
evangelist. In verse 12 it says that all of the five-fold
ministries are for the "equipping of the saints for the work of
their ministries". The evangelist's ministry is not just to go
out and attempt to win the world for Christ on his own. The
evangelist's ministry must include the function of training and
equipping the saints so that they can go out and win the lost for
Christ! The sheep gate must be restored before the fish gate.
God's sheep must first become healthy before they can reproduce
healthy lambs.
The Old Gate (v.6)
The next gate to be restored was the old gate. The old gate
speaks to us of the foundational principles of the Church found in
Hebrews 6:1-3 and Acts 2:41-42. These foundational principles are
the (old) truths (as it were) deposited by Jesus Christ and the
Apostles in the early Church that never change from generation to
generation. The principles of repentance, faith, baptism, the
Apostles' doctrine, fellowship and prayer never change. After
souls (the fish gate) are brought into the kingdom they must be
established on a Christian foundation (the old gate). Proverbs
22:28 states, "Remove not the ancient landmark which thy fathers
have set" (cf. Proverbs 23:10). Similarly, the Church is not to
remove the ancient truths that the fathers or foundries of the
Church have established.
New truths will never directly contradict these old truths. As
a matter of fact, for the Church to be rightly balanced, she must
be able to hold the former truths which receiving new truths (not
'new' to the Bible, but 'new' to her experience and
understanding). As Matthew 13:52 parabolically states, "Therefore
every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is
like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out
of his treasure things new and old". A scribe of the kingdom
teaches both new and old truths from the Scriptures.
The Valley Gate
The next gate to be restored was the valley gate. The valley
gate can speak to us of the experience of meeting one another's
needs. The meaning of the name of Hanun, one of the men who
helped to rebuild this gate, very significantly illustrates this.
Hanun means, "to bend or stoop in kindness to another". It takes
a ministry of kindness and compassion to build the valley gate.
After people are established firmly in the first principles of the
Christian life (the old gate), they should begin to reach out to
others in need. Galatians 6:1 says, "When a brother is taken in a
fault, you who are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of
meekness".
Restoring a fallen brother or ministering to a spiritual need
must be done by someone who has experienced the grace of God in
that area. Just like a baby cannot help an older man to walk,
neither can an immature Christian help another child of God in an
area in which he has not grown up himself.
Another beautiful illustration and restoration truth we can
draw from the valley gate is found in the name "valley" "gahee" so
called because of the "flowing together" of the various creeks and
streams, it denotes a valley watered by waters flowing together.
Joel 3:18; Ps. 46:4. When there is a flowing together there is
joy and liberty in the Presence of God. Ps. 133:1-3.
The Dung Gate (v.14)
The next gate to be restored was the dung gate. The purpose of
the dung gate was to provide the inhabitants of the city a means
through which they could dispose of all of their waste and
garbage.
This gate can speak to us of the purging and refining ministry
of the Holy Spirit (that is also presently happening in the Church
today). The Holy Spirit is cleansing the Church today of sin and
corruption. Consequently, the church must rebuild this gate and
allow all of the cleansing ministries of the Holy Spirit (eg. the
preaching of the Word and the counseling ministry) to take full
sway in her midst.
The Fountain Gate (v.15)
The next gate that was restored was the fountain gate. The
fountain gate can speak to us of the ministry of the Holy Spirit
to our lives in spiritual refreshing and restoration. After
people come through the dung gate and throw out all of the garbage
from their lives, they must come through the fountain gate where
the Word and Spirit can change them. More specifically, when a
person puts off one bad habit, he must put a new and good,
spiritual habit into his life to take its place. Gal. 5:16; Col.
3:8-10.
The following is a list of scriptures which illustrate that God
is interested in a flowing of His Spirit in the life of every
believer:
1. "Out of your belly shall flow rivers of living water. This
spoke He concerning the Spirit..." (John 7:37-39).
2. "...when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence
of the Lord..." (Acts 3:19-21).
3. "And he showed me a pure river of the water of life, clear as
crystal proceeding out of the throne of God..." (Rev.
22:1,2).
4. "And ye shall ask for rain in the time of the latter rain"
(Zechariah 10:1).
5. "And He will come unto us like the rain" (Hosea 6:3)
Since now is the time of part of the latter rain, the Church
should be asking for that rain and looking for the complete
restoration of the fountain gate.
To obtain such a rain and restoration, however, it is not
necessary to use human methods. It is only necessary to follow
divine principles and let the rain come down. To illustrate this
point see Deuteronomy 11:10-12.
The "Well of Gihon", "The Virgins Fountain" 1 Kings 1:38 was
beneath Zion, and was the only unfailing water supply in the
district. During a battle or seige they had plenty of water. We,
the people of Zion, also have an unfailing water supply. Note.
Ps. 46:4 refers to this well, also Is. 8:6, waters of Shiloah.
The Water Gate (v. 26)
The next gate that was restored was the water gate. This gate
can speak to us of the restoration of the ministry of the water of
the Word. Ephesians 5:26 states that the Lord will cleanse the
Church through "the washing of water by the Word". Just as
Numbers 8:7 refers to the "water of purifying" for the cleansing
of the Old Testament Levitical priesthood, so Ephesians 5:26 can
be applied to the cleansing of the New Testament priesthood. As
water cleanses in the natural realm, so God's Word cleanses in the
spiritual realm.
After people come through the fountain gate of God's Spirit,
they must experience the water gate of God's Word. The Word gives
direction and parameters to the moving of the Spirit. The Word
and the Spirit must always go together (cf. water out of the rock
Numbers 31:23; 33:9; Deuteronomy 8:15; 1 Corinthians 10:4).
The Horse Gate (v. 28)
The next gate to be restored was the horse gate. The horse
gate can speak to us of two main truths. First, is the truth of
the restoration of burden bearers to the House of the Lord.
Horses bear heavy burdens too heavy for men to carry. In the same
way, God is rebuilding ministries of those who can listen,
empathize, and counsel those who have weighty problems and needs
in their lives.
Second, the horse gate can speak to us of the restoration of
holiness and death to the self-life that the Spirit is doing
today. In Scripture, the horse was many times a representation of
the carnal life and strength of man (Exodus 15:1,21; Psalm 147:10;
Jeremiah 51:21). As the Church walks through the horse gate, she
must be willing to lay aside all of her self-life and be conformed
to the image of Jesus. She must put off her own human strength
and take up God's spiritual strength.
The East Gate (v.29)
The next gate to be considered here is the east gate. The east
gate can speak to us of the final restoration of the Church and
the return of Jesus Christ to the earth for His perfected bride.
Just as the three wise men came from the east to worship the baby
Jesus (Matthew 2:1-29), so shall The Wise Man, Jesus, come from
the east. As Matthew 24:27 states, "For as he lightning cometh
out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall the
coming of the Son of man be" (cf. Revelation 7:2; 16:12).
As the Church allows God to rebuild all of these gates, in
their spiritual sense, to the Church, she can be assured that
Jesus Christ will come back for a "glorious Church without spot or
wrinkle" (Ephesians 5:27).
4. Armoury in Zion. Neh. 3:19. This was where the defensive
and offensive armour were kept. Jer. 50:25 says the Lord
has opened His armoury. God is providing His people in
Zion with offensive and defensive armour and weapons to
totally defeat the enemy. These can only be obtained in
Zion, the Place of His Presence, in the Tabernacle of
David, ie. Praise and Worship.
5. House of the Mighty. Neh. 3:16. This refers to David's
mighty men in 1 Chron. 11:10-47, 12:1-40. they were a
company of fearless men, performing heroic deeds. This is
a picture of the fearless company of people dwelling in
Zion.
6. Towers in Zion. Ps. 48:12. These were watchtowers
situated all over Zion. Neh. 3:25, "the Tower". Neh. 3:27
"the great Tower".
Song of Sol. 4:4; "Tower of David" which is Zion.
Mi. 4:8 "Thou tower of the flock", speaking of Christ and
showing that in Zion we will know Him as our strong tower.
Prov. 18:10 "The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the
righteous runneth into it and is safe. A revelation of the
power and safety in His name is to be found in Zion."
END of STUDY SIX
