ORDER IN HIS COURTS  
by George Kirkpatrick 

Vital Words to the Body of Christ 
Freely We Have Received, Freely We Give
E-mail: vitalwords@newfoundationspubl.org
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
Chapter 1 Christ - The Head of Order............. 
Chapter 2 Christ - The Order In Our Lives........ 
Chapter 3 Christ - The Anointing................. 
Chapter 4 Christ - The Head of Man............... 
Chapter 5 Christ - The Head of Woman............. 
Chapter 6 Christ - The Head of the Marriage...... 
Chapter 7 Christ - The Head of the Home......... 
Chapter 8 Christ - Ordained the Church........... 
Chapter 9 Christ - The Head of the Church........ 
Chapter 10 Christ - The Head of Our Relationship.. 
Appendix - A Answer Keys 
Appendix - B For Further Discussion 

CHAPTER ONE CHRIST - THE HEAD OF ORDER 

The Psalmist admonishes us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Gates are the places of entering in. In the Old Testament, the gate was where the elders sat. Business was conducted there. Many times the king held court there. It was an honor to be chosen to sit in the gate. 

The Psalmist reveals that His gates are the places where we enter into His presence,(His courts) and we are to enter in with thanksgiving. The word thanksgiving means more than just the "giving of thanks". It means "to make confession, to give praise, to make the sacrifice of thanksgiving". When we begin to confess and to praise, our lives become a sacrifice of thanksgiving before our God. It is by these and these alone, that we can enter into His gates. 

When we enter into His gates we enter into a special place in Him. We enter a place of protection, communion and provision, where no one can pluck us out of His hand, *** John 10:28. When we enter into His gates, we come into His courts; we enter into His presence; and are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, *** Ephesians 2:6. The heavenly place is the Spiritual Realm of God. Those who dwell in this place have risen above their earthly existence and have ceased from their own labors. These have sought the things which are above and no longer do the things that please the flesh. Only those who have left the old, Adamic nature behind can enter into this special place that God has prepared for man from the creation. 

If we are to come into His courts, we must have order in our lives. We can be assured of one thing, there will be order in His court. Paul admonished the church in Corinth to come into proper order, 

Our God is a God of order, and no disorder is going to enter into His presence. We are coming to the end of the church age. It has been two days, or approximately two thousand years since Jesus walked this earth. Jesus declared these two days when the Pharisees tried to bring fear into His life. The Pharisees stated, 


And Jesus replied, 

Peter informs us that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years and a thousand years as one day. *** II Peter 3:8 

The "today and tomorrow" that Jesus spoke of are the two 1000 year days since He dwelt in His flesh. These two days are the church age. The church's job for two thousand years has been to do cures (heal the sick both physically and spiritually) and to cast out devils (set the captives free). Jesus also related the third day, the third 1000 year day. He said, "On the third day I shall be perfected." Jesus is going to be perfected in us, His saints, in the third day. *** II Thessalonians 1:10 

Jesus related the raising up of His body on the third day again when the Jews desired a sign from Jesus of the works He performed. Jesus answered, 

The Body of Christ is His temple whom He will raise up on the third day. This is the day of our entering into His presence. This will be the time of our entering into His courts with praise. 

As long as we are in this flesh, we are tabernacle. But when the change in our body occurs that Paul spoke of in *** I Corinthians 15:52-53, this corruptible will put on incorruption, this mortal will put on immortality and we shall be changed. This will happen at the beginning of the kingdom age when our reign with Christ, here on this earth, begins. This will be the third 1000 year day that John revealed in *** Revelation 20:6. 

As we sense the coming of the kingdom age, we are reminded of the words of Jesus, "The kingdom of God cometh not with observation. Behold the kingdom of God is within you." *** Luke 17:20-21 

God is placing His kingdom in the earth (His anointed ones) before He brings His kingdom age upon this physical terra firma (earth). But before God can turn His kingdom over to His kingdom people, they must learn His kingdom order and His kingdom principles. We must come into His order in everything we do. 

We need to understand the difference between order and legalism. Today, many are legalistic in their worship of God, but there is no order in their lives. Legalism is when man tries to please God by keeping some law; generally the laws of man, the do's and don't's, attempting to please a Spiritual God by their fleshly activities. Most often this includes wearing the hair a certain length, both men and women; women are to have their dresses a certain length, no slacks, sleeves so long, necklines so high; men with black suits, white shirts and black ties, shoes shined, etc. Legalism dictates the day to worship God. Some refrain from certain foods on certain days. These observances are kept religiously and legalistically believing that the observance of such things affords those who keep them a right standing before God. We will not enter into God's courts by any of these observances. We can enter in only by a changed heart. It is not by what we do, it is by what we have become. We will only enter into His presence when we become a praise in the earth unto our God. 

The other extreme of legalism is that, if they can find no law against it, then it must be alright in the sight of God to do it. They overlook the words of Paul, 

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not." *** I Corinthians 10:23 

The word expedient means "profitable". Paul was free to do all things. But all things were not profitable to God, nor did they edify the Body of Christ. Though they were legal, Paul refrained from becoming part of such activities. 

In Paul's letter to the Romans he declared, 

Paul was speaking of those who have God's law written upon their hearts (minds); not the law of Moses, but the whole law of God, which is His Word, the Bible. When the Gentiles do the law of God, they have become a law unto themselves. These do not need man to tell them right from wrong because they have the Word of God and the Holy Spirit to direct their paths. When the fruits of the Spirit are working in our lives; love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, *** Galatians 5:22-23, there is no law against the things that God brings forth in our lives. The fruits are evident because we have the Spirit of God directing our lives. He is leading us in His Word and by His voice. No law can supersede the direction of the Holy Spirit in our lives. If we have Spiritual direction in our lives, then we will have God's established order and we can enter into His courts with praise. 

Many who are not legalistic in their worship follow the thinking of "No Order" at all in their lives or their worship to God. Whatever happens, happens. Therefore, it must be God's will in their lives. This leads to confusion. Paul informs us, 

Author is in italics and does not appear in the original. It should read, "God is not of confusion, but of peace..." James states, 

The word confusion is AKATASTASIA and means "instability, or a state of disorder". God can accomplish nothing in our lives through confusion. It can only detract from what God's purpose is for His creation, man. Between legalism and confusion, there is order. One of the best analogies to explain legalism and confusion versus order is the working of gears. When all is in order, the gears go together smoothly, and everything operates the way it was designed to operate. Legalism is when we continue to force the gears to go together when they are not aligned. This causes grinding and scraping, and sometimes the gears are broken and destroyed because they were forced together. 

Confusion is when the gears go together by happen-stance. They may not fit together at all. When these unaligned gears run together, we have no idea how fast they will move, or if they will move in the right direction. There is absolutely no order in what these gears produce. 

Order causes the gears to run smoothly, humming in complete accord with each other and producing the best quality of workmanship. Everything God has shown us in His Word establishes His perfect order. His whole creation speaks of His order. All the universe moves in perfect order, establishing His times and seasons. The sun rises and sets with such precision that it can be logged years in advance. Paul wrote to the Romans, "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." *** Romans 1:20 

One of the invisible things from the beginning was His order. When we read God's Word, we have no excuse to misunderstand God's intended order. We can be assured that His order never changes. He proclaimed through the prophet Malachi, 

When God gave Moses the design for the tabernacle and the worship service, everything was done in perfect order. God had already chosen and anointed the men who would perform the work. The materials used to build the tabernacle were specific in supply, as well as design. When the table of shew bread was made, it was to hold exactly twelve loaves of bread. And there was an order as to how the bread was to be placed upon the table. 

When the fire was laid on the brazen altar to receive the sacrifice, the wood was not just piled on the altar. There was an established order as to how to lay the wood in place. 

When the sacrifice was burnt before the Lord, specific orders were given as to how the sacrifice was to be placed upon the wood. 

The question may be asked, "Why is this so important that we know this?" If God's order was not followed, the sacrifice was not acceptable before God and Israel would have continued in their sin. Our God is a God of order, and no disorder is acceptable in His sight. 

When God's order was not followed, His punishment came. Israel was to burn incense before the Lord. The incense was the outward expression of worship and praise before our God. They could only take the fire from the altar to burn the incense in their censer. 

When Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu burned incense with strange fire, or fire that was of their own making, they were struck dead instantly. Their worship and praise before God was not acceptable because it was of their own making, and was not as God had ordained it. The writer of Hebrews admonishes us, 

We are to offer a sacrifice of praise continually before our God. We need to ask ourselves, "Is our sacrifice of praise offered with strange fire; or, is our sacrifice of praise according to the order God has ordained in His Word?" 

Paul informs us that we are to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto God, *** Romans 12:1. Is our sacrifice laid in order before the Lord or is it presented to the Lord in a haphazard way, with the attitude of "take it as it is, or leave it?" Well, He may decide to leave it if it is not presented in the order that is acceptable to Him. Every area of our lives must come into God's order. The head of the home must be in proper order with Christ, his head. The wife must be in proper order with her head, her husband. The children must be in proper order with the parents. The home, itself, must be in proper order with the Word of God. The church must be in proper order if our worship before God is to be acceptable. Our diet, finances, job and every facet of our lives must be in God's order. This is called kingdom living. We must come into a kingdom order now, if we are to rule and reign with Him in His kingdom age. Luke wrote, "Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? 

Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing." *** Luke 12:42-43 

If we are not operating in kingdom principles at His coming, we will not be counted faithful and wise stewards of what He has given us. Now is the time that we need to learn God's kingdom order. Now is the time for order to begin operating in every area of our lives so when the Lord comes, He will find us so doing; operating in His established order. We need to learn God's order and follow it if we are to be among those who will sit down in the kingdom with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the saints when the Marriage Supper of the Lamb has come. 

The kingdom of God is coming and if we are to be a part of that kingdom that is coming on the earth, we must allow it first to come within our earth and change this vile body and fashion it like unto His glorious body, *** Philippians 3:21. This is God's desire in every life; that we become as Jesus in our walk before Him so when His appearing comes, He will find us doing the things of the kingdom as our everyday way of life. 

Too many are worried about what the world will think or do, without any consideration of what God thinks, or what He will do if we do not come into His perfect order. The Psalmist relates we are to be thankful unto Him and bless His name, *** Psalm 100:4. His name is Christ, and we are "Christ" ones, or Christians. We are to be a blessing unto that name in every area of our lives and in all that we do. We cannot become this blessing unless we adhere to His "Order in His Court". He is the righteous judge, and we, who will stand before Him, must learn the order of His court if we desire to come fully into His presence and perfection. 

Each chapter includes a set of questions for your further application of these principles. Review the questions often allowing the Holy Spirit to ingrain them in your heart, helping you apply them in your life. 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 1 
1. What "keys" are necessary to enter God's presence? 
2. Who are qualified to enter into "this special place"? 
3. Our God is a God of __________ and no __________ is going to enter into His presence. 
4. What New Testament scripture confirms the teaching of a "1000 year day"? 
5. The __________ ____ ____________ is His temple whom He will raise up on the third day. 
6. Where is the Kingdom of God? 7. a. What is the difference between God's order and legalism? 
Give characteristics of each. 
b. What examples of God's judgment occurred in the Bible when His order was not followed? 
8. What sacrifice are we still encouraged to offer to God? 
9. What is "kingdom living"? 
10. What is God's desire in every life? 

CHAPTER TWO CHRIST - THE ORDER IN OUR LIVES 

If we are to come into His courts, we must come with an offering unto God. The offering we must bring is a sacrificial life. We must come to the place that we understand the words of Jesus when He spoke to His disciples, 

We can do nothing without Christ being the head. Paul wrote to the Romans, 

We must come to the understanding that all things must be of Him. If He has not ordained it, it will not come to pass. If we are not doing it through Him, it will not prosper and will simply be another work of the flesh. If it is not unto Him and for His glory, it will be turned to our glory and God will not bless it. It will fall by the wayside only to be remembered as another of man's follies. If God's glory is not resident upon it, there will be no glory upon it. God sent Jesus as our example that we may succeed through Him. Paul wrote, 

God provided the way. When Thomas asked Jesus, "How can we know the way?" 

God has provided the way and has outlined it carefully in His Word. This is the kingdom way of life. John went on to write, 

God has provided the way that we might live through Him, to Him and by Him in all things that pertain to this life and the life to come. But we cannot do this if He is not the head of everything in our lives. 

Everyone quotes the scripture, 

The foundation is not the whole house. But for years man has been laying foundational works. The writer of Hebrews states, 

God informs us not to lay again the foundational things and lists them. They are: repentance from dead works, faith toward God, the doctrines of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment... *** Hebrews 6:2-3 

And yet, the majority of the sermons that are espoused from the pulpit come from the above list. Paul stated, 

God does not have a reverse. One kingdom principle is order. In that order, you cannot stay stagnant in one place, neither can you go backwards. In God's order you must continue to move forward. If we are to reach forth to those things which are before us, we must go ahead. We must grow up into the head. We must give Christ, the Head, pre-eminence in our lives. 

Jesus Christ is the chief corner stone. He is the only foundation we can build our lives upon. But Jesus proclaimed, 

Jesus spoke of the headstone. It should be obvious that the headstone is not the foundation stone. The headstone is the head of the corner. The corners come together in the headstone. The only structure in which this is possible is the pyramid. The headstone is the capstone of the pyramid. The capstone is the exact image of the Body. Paul gave us directions, 

We are to grow up into the head which is Christ (Christ Jesus) in all things in our lives. Christ Jesus is the order we must follow so we may again come into His image; the exact image of the capstone, Christ Jesus. 

In the letter to the Colossians we are informed, 

We are complete in the head. Without the headship of Christ in our lives, we do not have dominion over the principalities and powers of light; nor do we have power over the principalities and powers of darkness. 

Paul went on to relay that those who are puffed up in their fleshly minds... 

The fleshly mind is enmity against God and can only minister to that which satisfies self. The fleshly mind will not operate in the order God has set for His Body. When the fleshly mind is in operation in our lives, there is no increase in God. God is not glorified in anything we do. Nothing accomplished in the flesh will last. Fleshly works are only wood, hay and stubble and cannot be tried by the fire because the fire will consume that which God has not ordained. 

To those who believe, the headstone is precious.1 But to the disobedient, the headstone gets in the way of what they want to do and therefore they cling to the cornerstone, Jesus (the Anointed flesh), and never grow up into the head, Christ Jesus (The Holy Spirit anointing). They refuse Christ as the Lord in their lives and they refuse the order that must become the very essence of their lives. Those who are going to enter into the Kingdom and become part of the ruling and reigning saints have this order established in their lives. God has ordained this order from the foundation of the earth. 

How are we to go into perfection? Grow up into the head, Christ Jesus. How are we to know God's order which was originated in the garden of Eden? There is only one way and that is by and through His Word. The first scripture in the Bible relates that God was from the beginning. 

John informs us, 

The Word was the creating power of God. The writer of Hebrews states, 

God created all things in order by the spoken (rhema) word of God. All things were created by Him and for Him, *** Colossians 1:16. So if our ultimate desire is to come into that perfect order of God, then it must be through the Word. God has given us His written (logos) Word as a road map. This road map will guide us and will bring us into the image and likeness of Jesus; the pattern Son. This can only be accomplished through His logos Word (the Bible) and the direction of the Holy Spirit (Christ Jesus). 

We are directed to seek His Word for His order and direction that we may establish our goings. Psalm 119 has twenty-two divisions which are the twenty-two letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Twenty- two is the number of light. There are eight verses in each section. Eight is the number of new beginnings. Psalm 119 brings light to our new beginning in the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. 

Psalm 119 informs us of many things concerning the Word: 

Young men are to take heed according to His Word. 

The beloved apostle John informs us, 

The young men are those who heed God's Word. The young men are those who are strong because the Word of God is dwelling in them. The wicked one has been defeated in their lives. 

The Word of God is settled in heaven (the Spiritual Realm). The word settled means "established". It is part of the unchanging realm of God. Since the beginning, man has tried to change the Word to suit his purposes. But God gave the Word to change man. 

God has given us His Word to be a lamp to our walk in Him, that His light may light our way, which leads to the eternal, and away from the temporal. If we do not walk in the light, our way is darkness. Today, many blind are leading the multitude of the blind and the ditch is full of the well-intended, misguided masses because they have not become strong in the Word of life. The writer of Hebrews revealed, 

Adulthood in God is not determined by how old we are, or how long we have called ourselves Christians. Maturity comes when we become skillful in the Word of life. Those who are unskilled in the Word are babies in God's realm. We cannot expect the babies to come into any order. In the natural, babies cause disorder because they constantly demand their needs to be met no matter how inconvenient or how disruptive it may be. The babies will not inherit.2 Paul wrote, 

The time appointed of the Father is when the baby comes into maturity and grows up into the head. Many are proud of the fact that they are the servants of God. But the servant will not inherit. When Abraham lamented before the Lord that he had no heir, Abraham cried out before the Lord, 

Eliezer was born in Abraham's house. He had risen to the position of steward in Abraham's house. The steward was the most respected of all the servants in the house, yet God revealed unto Abraham, 

The heirship of God is not in the servant realm. The servant differeth nothing from a baby. And babes are unskilled in the Word of righteousness. 

Our steps are to be ordered in the Word. The word order is the Hebrew word KUWN and means establish. Our steps are to be established in the Word so that no iniquity (lawlessness) can have dominion in our lives. We can only avoid this pitfall in our lives by being established in the law of God. The whole Bible is the law of God in our lives. 

It is by the Word that our steps are established in the Lord. Jesus was tempted by satan in the wilderness. Jesus' answers should be nourishment to our souls. 

Every Word that proceeded out of the mouth of God, both Rhema and Logos is to be our daily bread of life. We are to be directed by it, and have it hid in our hearts, 

Our walk in God should be one in which sin has no dominion. And our paths should be straight. The Word should ever be before our eyes and we should meditate in it day and night. *** Psalm 1:2 

John wrote, 

God's love can only be perfected in us by the continual washing of water by the Word. It is the one sure foundation we have to build our lives upon. And that foundation is the apostles and prophets, which is the Old and the New Testament of which Jesus Christ is the chief cornerstone. 

It is necessary to dig deep to lay that foundation. Luke spoke of the man who built his house upon the Rock, 

We must dig deep if we are going to find that sure foundation to build our house upon. Jesus spoke of another man who built his house on the sand (flesh). His house fell because it had no solid foundation in the Word of life. God's order was not established, so when the storms came, (the wrath of God), his house fell and great was the fall thereof. *** Luke 6:49 

God has given us His Word that we may build our house, not just lay a foundation. 

If we will be diligent to search the Word, God will make us a vessel fitted for the Kingdom, a vessel of honour. The Word informs us that we can be those vessels of gold and silver, vessels of honour. 

The vessels of wood and earth have never dealt with the old, fleshly, Adamic nature. Their houses, nor their works will stand. God has given us His Word and His promise that we can overcome and stand in the presence of the Father in that day. 

See "Release of the Spiritual Man" by George Kirkpatrick 

See "Where are You In the Kingdom" by George Kirkpatrick 

QUESTIONS 

CHAPTER 2 
1. What offering do we bring into God's courts? 
2. What important understanding must we have before we can accomplish anything for God? 
3. a. What are the foundational things of the faith? 
b. What are the dangers of dwelling on them? 
4. Why does the pyramid best illustrate the Body of Christ? 
5. What is requisite for us in order to have dominion and power? 
6. a. How are we to go into perfection? 
b. How are we to know God's order? 
7. God has given us _______________________ as a road map to get us through this life. 
8. How do we attain adulthood in God? 
9. What important difference is there between the heir and the servant? 
10. If we will be diligent to search the Word, God will make us 

CHAPTER THREE CHRIST - THE ANOINTING 

God has designed a way for man to walk. If we walk in His way and in His order, we shall judge His house and keep His courts. The word keep, as it is used twice in this text, is the Hebrew word SHAMAR and means "to exercise great care over". Those who will take great care over His charge, or fulfill His obligation to serve, will then judge His house and exercise great care over His courts; the place of protection and God's presence. 

To come into this place in God, we must come into His total order. The first order that any man or woman must come to is understanding God's order for their lives. Paul established this order in his letter to the Corinthians. He revealed, 

God has established "headship" for His creation. The word head is the Greek word KEPHALE and means "supreme, or to be set over". Essentially, it has the same meaning as Lord (KURIOS). But Lord is a title. Head (KEPHALE) is an established position in God. 

Paul wrote of four positions: 

God Christ Man Woman 

God (THEOS) is the head of all things. Christ (Christos) means "anointed, or the anointed one or ones". Man (ANER) means "the male creation". ANER is never used to refer to the female gender. Woman (GUNE) always describes the feminine gender. 

Paul has laid out the basic foundation of order in the kingdom of God; and that order is designed and instituted through headship. Headship must be established if we, as God's people, are going to come into His kingdom order. Yet, most churches refuse to teach or even address the subject of headship in the church or in the home. Those who ignore or violate headship will try to establish order in the church and wonder why their homes are not in order. Order is impossible in the church, the home or any life until headship is established. 

As we consider these kingdom truths, we need to look at the word God (THEOS). The word God has become a common term. Man has made many gods out of "things". The scriptures inform us, 

There are many gods in the world. But we are not of the world. When we refer to God we are referring to the "One God", the God of creation. Many words were translated "God" in the Old Testament: 

El Elohim Yahweh El Shaddai Jehovah Jah Adonai 

In the New Testament only the word THEOS is translated God. THEOS refers to the Creating God, the God of the whole universe. 

When the word Christ is used, it is generally considered as referring to Jesus only. If we are to understand kingdom principles, we must reconsider the word "Christ" in a much broader scope than has previously been considered by many who call themselves "Christian", or "Christ-like" or "the In- Christed Ones". 

Christ means "anointed". The word Christ is interchangeable with the Old Testament word MESSIAH. The word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word MASHAH and means "to rub with oil". Those who were rubbed with oil or anointed with oil were called "Mashiahs" or Messiahs. The anointing was for priests and kings. These were referred to as the "Sons of Oil", "The anointed", "The anointed of the Lord" or "The Lord's anointed". 

Inanimate objects were also anointed or rubbed with oil: shields were rubbed with oil to keep them from rusting; the same word MASHAN was used to describe this. The instruments of worship in the tabernacle were first sprinkled with blood then anointed with oil. This becomes a picture of salvation: first, the blood was applied to our lives to forgive our sin; then we were to desire the anointing to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

Another example of the use of oil is shown in the ritual of cleansing the leper. This is also a picture of our being cleansed of our sin. Leprosy is a symbol of death dwelling in the flesh. This was our condition before the blood of Jesus was applied to our lives. 

We were dead in our sins before the blood was applied. 

The leper was to appear before the priest. The priest was to take two live, clean birds and cedar wood, scarlet and hyssop. *** Leviticus 14:4 

The first bird was to be killed in an earthen vessel. This is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ who was killed in His earthen vessel; the body of His flesh. Running water is a picture of the Spiritual move of God through His Word. 

The living bird represents us who were dead in our trespass and sin (the lepers). We were set free in the world (the open field); and covered with the blood that was shed in the earthen vessel which was Jesus, the Christ, who has set us free from the law of sin and death. *** Romans 8:2 

We were to be set free, cleansed from all our sins. This was not the end, but only the beginning. The old man was cleansed and set free. Why? 

The leper was to be without the camp for seven days. At which time he was to return to the camp and shave his complete body, including his eyebrows. He was to wash his clothes and his entire body. This is a picture of our standing naked before the Lord, completely cleansed from all sin, unrighteousness and filthiness of the flesh. This is the only condition by which we are acceptable to God. 

On the eighth day (eight is the number of new beginnings) the priest was to present the man clean before the Lord. 

Our high priest is Christ Jesus, *** Hebrews 9:11. 

When we have been cleansed, He will present us to the congregation (His Body), His true church. 

At this presentation, the high priest killed a lamb and took part of the log of oil that was part of the meal offering. 

That which has been revealed to us in types and shadows in the Old Testament becomes applicable to our everyday life in the New Testament. Once the leper had been cleansed by the blood that was shed in the earthen vessel, then the trespass offering was killed. This represents the continual cleansing of the blood of Jesus Christ in our lives. But it also represents a different cleansing. The blood was not applied to the head, but to the right ear, the right thumb and the big toe on the right foot. 

Application of the blood to the right ear is to cleanse our hearing, or to shut out the sounds of the world so that we may only hear the voice of the Father. The thumb is the strength of the hand. The hand represents our service before God. Application of the blood to the right thumb was to show that our service before God must be clean. The application of the blood to the big toe represents the need to cleanse our walk in God. The big toe balances the body and the foot represents our walk in God. Our walk must not only be clean, but upright and balanced if we desire to stand in His presence. After the blood was applied to the ear, thumb and big toe, 

The oil, or the MASHAH, was applied over the blood on the right ear, the right thumb and on the big toe of the right foot. Not only does our hearing, our service and our walk before God need to be cleansed, but it must also be anointed. 

Even though the blood was not applied to the head, the oil was. This reveals that our thinking must also be anointed so that we may 

This is what the anointing is all about, a cleansed, sanctified life, that we may be holy and without blame before the Father. 

In the past, when the term "the anointed, or Christ" has been used, we have had a limited understanding, only applying the term "Christ" to Jesus. Jesus was the Christ to the Father. But the word "Christ" also refers to "anointing" and "the anointed ones". Today, Christians have the mentality of the Jews, who felt that any term or name of God was too holy for mortal man to speak or make reference to. This limits any further examination of the word "Christ". 

As we go beyond the old wives' fables of the past which say "We can never be like Jesus", we discover that the scriptures clearly state we must become as Jesus, our example. He is our Father and His total desire is that His children (sons and daughters) be not only as He is, but through the anointing, do greater works He left for us to complete. 

When we consider the term "Christ", we need to take a closer look in the Word as to how this term is applied. The word "Christ" is applied in three different ways: 

The Anointed The Anointing The Anointed Ones 

All are rendered "Christ" or "Christs". 

THE ANOINTED 

The Anointed was Jesus. When Jesus asked His disciples who did man say that He was, Peter replied, "Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God," *** Matthew 16:16. Then Jesus admonished His disciples to... 

"...Tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ." *** Matthew 16:20 

Jesus received the anointing on the banks of the Jordan when the Spirit, in the form of a dove, lighted upon Him and His Father proclaimed, "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," *** Matthew 3:17. It was at this time that Jesus received the anointing and became "Jesus, the Christ", or "Jesus, the Anointed". When Jesus received the baptism of the dove, the baptism of peace, He received the fullness of the Spirit of God. 

Jesus was endued with the fullness of the Spirit in order to complete the work the Father had given Him to do on the earth. It was through the Holy Spirit that Jesus did all His works. When the Jews sought to kill Jesus because He had broken the Sabbath, Jesus spoke to them, 

Jesus could do nothing of Himself. It was "The Anointing" that did the works through Him. When Jesus was explaining to His disciples the change that would come at His death, He spoke plainly to them of "The Anointing". 

It was the Father, "The Anointing", that did the works. Jesus, God's Son, was the "Anointed Vessel" that God used to reveal Himself to His creation. Jesus was "the Anointed of the Father". 

When Jesus was addressing His disciples, He stated, "...Ye believe in God, believe also in Me." *** John 14:1 

THE ANOINTING 

Jesus proceeded to reveal to them the second aspect of Christ and that is "The Anointing". Jesus related that, after His death, He would come as "The Anointing" upon them. John recorded this most important set of passages that we may know assuredly our Saviour, Jesus Christ, came as "The Anointing" to complete in the Spirit what He began in the flesh. John recorded Jesus' words, 

Jesus disclosed to His disciples that they would receive another Comforter. When Jesus stated "another Comforter", this implied they already had a Comforter; and that was Jesus, their first Comforter. But another Comforter would come, whom the world (the unsaved) could not receive because they could not see Him neither did they know Him (the second Comforter). Jesus informed His disciples that they knew Him, for the second Comforter dwelt with them. 

Who was dwelling with them? It was Jesus, "The Anointed". The Holy Spirit anointing was dwelling with them, and they recognized the "anointing" that was upon Jesus. After Jesus had told them that the second Comforter dwelt "with them", He revealed that the second Comforter would be "in them", *** John 14:17 

Jesus did not stop there. He declared, 

Jesus spoke in the first person when He said, "I will not leave you comfortless." Then He spoke again, in the first person, when He said, "I will come to you." He did not say into you, but to you. 

The second Comforter coming to them happened on the day of Pentecost when "The Anointing" came and sat upon each of them, *** Acts 2:3. "The Anointing" was from the outside, in. "The Anointing" came to finish the work of salvation that the first Comforter began when He was killed in His earthen vessel; to begin the plan of salvation as was ordained by the Father in those who accepted the shed blood for forgiveness of sin. 

As the blood had to be covered with the oil, or the "anointing", there must be a continuing work in each of our lives. This can only be accomplished through "The Anointing" of the Spirit (the second Comforter). When this cleansing work is complete in our lives, it will bring us into the third relationship which Jesus spoke that we were to have with the second Comforter. And that is when He shall be in us. This is when the rivers of living waters will flow from our innermost being. 

Jesus stated, "He that believeth on Me as the scriptures hath said...." Today, too many believe on Him as the preacher hath said and fail to realize there is a personal relationship with the Father as Jesus knew Him. We need to come to the place where we only do and only say as we see the Father doing and saying. We need to come to the place where we are totally led by the Spirit of Truth in every activity of our walk in God. We need to believe on Jesus as the scriptures have revealed Him, the fullness of God. This fullness of God came on the Day of Pentecost when Jesus fulfilled His Word and came as the second Comforter, "The Anointing"; Christ. 

On the day of Pentecost, when Peter was addressing the Jews, the devout men out of every nation, he spoke boldly to them, 

Peter related that "God hath made that same Jesus both Lord and Christ." "Hath made" indicates this was a position and title that He received after His obedience unto death; that which He had not obtained in the days of His flesh. Jesus, at His death, had completed the work the Father had given Him to do in the flesh. He accomplished this through "the anointing" He had received on the banks of the Jordan until He was hung on the cross and said "It is finished." His work in the flesh had been completed. 

On the day of Pentecost, He came as the Holy Spirit anointing (the Second Comforter), to complete the work of redeeming His creation back to the Father. This can only be accomplished through the Holy Spirit of Truth that leads us into all truth. *** John 16:13 

Jesus came as the Holy Spirit anointing to complete the work in us, His creation. Peter stated, "God hath made Jesus, both Lord and Christ." Lord (supreme in authority) became His title and Christ (The Anointing) became His position. 

As "The Anointing" He became the head. "The Anointed Jesus" had become "Christ, The Anointing". Now Jesus Christ had become Christ Jesus our Lord, *** Ephesians 1:3, the Anointed Saviour, to complete the work in each of His chosen creation. God (Theos) is the head of The Anointing (Christ). The Anointing (Christ), is the head of every man. Paul laid this foundation for all kingdom teaching. The kingdom is the king's domain, or area of authority. If we do not come into complete submission to the Father, the Holy Spirit of Truth, and the authority of the head which is Christ Jesus, then we cannot state that we are in the king's domain, for the king is not ruling in the affairs of our lives. 

THE ANOINTED ONES 

The third use of the word Christ is the "anointed ones", or "His Christ" in the earth. As this truth is brought forth, many begin to be offended because of a mind set that says, "We could never be like Jesus." And yet John wrote, 

John asked the question, "Now are we the sons of God?" Many proclaim they have come into sonship already. But Jesus is our example of sonship. Paul wrote of Jesus, 

Jesus was the image of the invisible God. God expects us to come into this same image. In Paul's letter to the Colossians, he revealed, 

Those who claim to have come into sonship have not put off the old man, nor the deeds of the flesh. We will become that new man when we are changed in a moment in the twinkling of an eye at the last trump. *** I Corinthians 15:52 

John recorded this change that must take place if we are to see Him when He comes, 

John proclaimed, "We will see Him because we will be as He is." Paul wrote the Corinthians of this change, 

As we begin to see Jesus as He is in the Spirit, we will begin to desire to change into the same image that is reflected in the mirror of the Word of life. John went on to inform us what we must do to bring about this change, 

He who has the hope of sonship purifieth Himself. Most are waiting for some great change that God will bring in their lives. But the Holy Spirit inspired John to write that those who have this hope in God purifieth themselves even as He (Jesus) was pure. When we come into this place in God, we will know that the Spirit of Life is truly doing the work that must be accomplished so we may enter into His presence. 

Many today are still trying to enter in by keeping the law; generally man's law. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he revealed how to be free from the law. Paul's letter to the churches in Galatia also spoke much about our being free from the law. Jesus said 

This will take place when we, the "In-Christed Ones", have come to the end of all man-made law, and only live by the voice and the Spirit of the Father. Paul informed the churches in Galatia, 

Many use this scripture to ignore the created difference between male and female. Many understand this scripture to say that God does not recognize us as men and women; that we are all the same in Him. If this is what He intended by this scripture, then we must assume God sees no differences between Jew and Greek, or bond and free. This is not saying God does not recognize the difference between man and woman. The reference here is that in our spiritual development, it matters not if we are Jew, Greek, bond, free, male or female. If we have been baptized (immersed in Christ), we have put on Christ. We are clothed in Christ. We are all the same in the fact that we need the anointing to purify and cleanse our lives to make us acceptable in the beloved. Paul went on, 

If we are Christs (anointed ones), then we are Abraham's seed. Who are Abraham's seed? 

Abraham's seed are the "In-Christed Ones" in the earth today. And as Abraham's seed, we are heirs according to the promise. *** Galatians 3:29 

Matthew informs us that Jesus was not only the son of David, but He was also the son of Abraham, *** Matthew 1:1. Jesus was the Christ, or the seed of Abraham. Those who have been baptized into Christ are His Christs (His anointed ones) in the earth today. 

The church is called the Body of Christ. If the head is Christ, then the Body is Christ: not taking away from Jesus being the Christ. He was the first-fruit Christ. 

Those who are Christ at His coming are those spoken of by John. Those who are like Him at His coming, will see Him as He is. Paul spoke on this subject in his letter to the Corinthians, "Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christ's, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christ's, even so are we Christ's." *** II Corinthians 10:7 

As Jesus was Christ, the Anointed of the Father, so are we Christ, the anointed of the Son. When we set aside some old theological thinking, it becomes clear that we, as His Body, are Christ, the Anointed Ones in the earth today. Jesus revealed this also to John on the Isle of Patmos. 

The kingdom age is coming, and along with it will come the power of His Christ. God has another pentecost planned for those who will allow the Holy Spirit anointing to finish the work of salvation in their lives. 

One of the main teachings in the church today is, "We are all going to rule and reign with Jesus." If we all rule and reign, who are the ones who will be ruled over? Jesus, again, revealed this to John on the Isle of Patmos. 

The kingdom becomes the kingdoms of our Lord (Christ Jesus) and His Christ (the Anointed Ones) in the earth; those who have become His Christ because they have come into His image and have purified themselves even as He is pure. 

When we begin to allow the Spirit of the Father to bring us into His image; and begin to listen to His voice; and begin to do as we see Him doing, we will truly see Jesus as He is. The Greeks said, "...We would see Jesus," *** John 12:21. Others must see Jesus in us. We will then come into sonship, ruling and reigning in authority. 

God (Theos) is the head of the anointing. Christ is the head of every man. God has His set order and we need not only to learn it, but follow it if we are to come into His courts with praise. 

QUESTIONS 

CHAPTER 3 
1. What great promise do we have if we walk in His way and in His order? 
2. What is God's first order for any man or woman? 
3. a. What are God's four positions of order? 
b. Explain to whom each person answers and why. 
4. Does the term "Christ" refer only to Jesus? Explain. 
5. What is the only condition by which we are acceptable to God? 
6. Explain the symbolism of the anointing of both blood and oil. 
7. What is the purpose for the anointing? 
8. What was the source of Jesus' power? 
9. The "Anointing", the Holy Spirit, came to __________ _____ ___________ _______ ____________________. 
10. What is absolutely necessary before we can state we are in the king's domain? 
11. a. When will we become that "new man" of sonship? b. What must we do first? 
12. Who are Abraham's seed in the earth today? 
13. Complete the following quote... 
"As Jesus was Christ, the Anointed of the Father,______ _______ ________ ___________, ______ ____________ ____ ______ ________." 
14. Who will really rule and reign with Christ? 
15. When will we truly see Jesus as He is? 

CHAPTER FOUR CHRIST - THE HEAD OF MAN 

David, the Psalmist, wrote that the man the Lord chooses (selects) to approach (come near) God is blessed (happy). This man may dwell (permanently abide) in His courts (presence). This man shall be satisfied (filled) with God's goodness of his house (tabernacle, temporary dwelling place of this body of flesh), even His holy temple (the temple of the Holy Spirit our changed body) that has put on immortality and incorruption. *** I Corinthians 15:53 

God's promise to man has never changed. It has been His eternal desire that man would come into His presence. Before sin, God walked with man in the cool of the evening in close harmony and fellowship. When sin entered man's life, that fellowship was broken. When Jesus came to earth, He was our example of how we could enter, again, into this intimate relationship with the Father. Jesus stated, 

If man is to come again into God's courts (His presence), then He must come by the order that He has set; no other way is available. Jesus spoke of those who tried to enter into His presence some other way. 

God has a set order, and that set order is established in headship. If we are to enter into His courts with praise, we must submit to the headship as established by God. We must follow and adhere to His order in every area of our walk in Him. 

The church at Corinth was the most worldly church in which Paul ministered. Both of his letters to the church were written to establish order; God's order in the operation of the church, the home, man's relationship to God, his wife and his children. When Paul addressed headship, it carried through every level of human existence in relationship to their God. 

Paul stated, "The head of every man is Christ," *** I Corinthians 11:3. Today, many, especially in the church, have twisted this scripture to indicate that Paul, through the Holy Spirit, was speaking of God's creation, man, which would include His female creation, woman. 

The word used by Paul for man is ANER and means "male or masculine". It is never used to indicate the female gender in any way. It is always male. When Paul wrote that Christ, the anointing, is the head of every man, he was speaking only of Christ being the head of His male creation. 

The word every is the Greek word PAS and means "every one of the class". Paul could not have been more absolute in establishing the headship of Christ over the masculine creation. Paul related, 

Again, the word used for man is ANER. Paul wrote that every man who prays or prophesies, having His head covered, dishonors His head. Most assume Paul was referring to man's physical head. Much bondage has been put on men for wearing hats and other apparel that would cover the head. But Paul was speaking of a deep Spiritual truth. Paul had just stated that our head is "Christ". When the man prays or prophesies, his head should be uncovered. Paul stated that when his head is covered, he dishonors his head (Christ). The word cover has the meaning of "being concealed, hidden or vailed". If the man's head, (Christ) is concealed, hidden or vailed, then his praying and his prophesying are vain, and his head is dishonored or shamed. 

If his head is not uncovered, then everything he does is in the flesh, and not in the spirit. God is mocked because man is using His name. Yet this man is not giving Christ any part of what he is doing. Man brings shame to his head, "Christ", because Christ is not being glorified. 

The question arises, "What must we do to uncover our head, "Christ"? Our head will only reveal Himself through our openness to freely worship and praise Him in all situations. It is only through worship and praise that we can enter into His courts (His presence). 

We are given the example of the high priest entering behind the vail on the day of Atonement as a physical pattern of what God is doing in the Spirit. This physical pattern, with all its cleansing aspects, shows us how to spiritually enter into God's presence through a cleansed life. A man is to enter God's presence (courts) with his head (Christ) uncovered (revealed and unveiled), with all glory being given to Him, alone. 

God told Moses to build the tabernacle. He was to build it according to the pattern he was shown in the mount, *** Hebrews 8:5. Moses was given very definite instructions on how everything was to be constructed, including the articles of worship. Moses was to build an Ark. Above the Ark was to be the Mercy Seat which was also the lid for the Ark. Above the Mercy Seat were to be two Cherubims with wing spans of 10 cubits, or approximately fifteen feet. This was the total width of the Holy of Holies. God's instructions to Moses were, 

God would meet and commune with man above the Mercy Seat between the Cherubims. The word meet means "by agreement or appointment". So God made an agreement to keep the appointment that He had made with man, to meet with Him above the Mercy Seat at the appointed time. 

The word commune means "to arrange, to speak". God made the agreement to meet man at the appointed time to arrange to speak unto Him. That appointed time was once a year on the day of Atonement. The high priest would enter into the Holy of Holies behind the vail, and God would speak to Him concerning His people, Israel. 

This was not just a haphazard meeting with God. It took much preparation before the priest was able to enter into God's presence. He had to stand clean before God. He was required to come apart seven days prior to His entering into the Holy of Holies. All his sins were atoned for, as well as his family's sins. He could not enter in to the Holy of Holies without the blood of the sacrificial goat. 

The first goat was killed. This was the Lord's lot (choice); the chosen vessel to be sacrificed for the sin offering. The first goat represented Jesus and His sacrifice for our sins. 

This goat represents all who have been cleansed of sin by the blood of Jesus, the sacrificial offering. The first goat, the sacrificial goat, paid the price for our sins. 

The priest was to take the blood of the sacrificial goat before the Lord. But before he could do this, he had to cover the Mercy Seat with the smoke of the incense from the golden altar. God gave Moses instructions to build a golden altar. 

This table was called the altar of incense. Incense represents our worship and praise that is to be offered up before God. 

Aaron was to burn incense morning and evening. This represents our worship and praise to God. He desires that we praise Him when we arise in the morning until we retire at night. Our praise is to be a perpetual offering, a never ending attitude of worship and praise before our God. Before he could enter into the Holy of Holies, he was to take coals from the altar of incense and carry them with him behind the vail. 

The priest was to fill both hands full of sweet incense, which was prepared to burn quickly. The Mercy Seat was then totally covered with this symbol of praise and worship so that the high priest would not die. If his praise and worship was not in place, or if it was unacceptable when God appeared, he would be struck dead. His head would not be covered and his shame would appear before the Lord. 

God was very definite. Our worship and praise must be in proper order; or when He appears, we will not be acceptable before Him and our shame shall appear. Our worship before God must be pure. When speaking to the woman at the well, Jesus revealed to her, 

Our worship and praise before the Father must be in spirit and in truth. That is all that will be acceptable before our God. God is Spirit; fleshly worship is not acceptable. God informed Moses, 

God told Moses not to offer strange incense before the Lord. When Nadab and Abihu, Aaron's sons, offered strange fire before the Lord, a fire went out from the Lord and devoured them, and they died before the Lord. *** Leviticus 10:1-2 

When our praise and worship is not acceptable before the Lord, we die spiritually because our head is not uncovered. We cannot enter into His presence, and our appointment to hear His voice will have been canceled. Our praying and prophesying will simply be a fleshly exercise. Our praise and worship must not be as Nadab's and Abihu's who offered strange fire. This strange fire was full of the flesh. It had been emptied of all spirit and truth. The Holy Spirit moved upon Isaiah to record, 

The people provoked God to anger because they burnt incense on an altar of brick. Brick represents that which we can produce with our own ability. The only altar man can construct that is acceptable before God is constructed with uncut stones; stones designed and shaped by God alone, not after man's design, the work of his own hands. 

Isaiah recorded that man was burning incense upon altars of brick. A brick is an artificial building material that has been shaped and designed to suit man, and not God. This represents fleshly worship before our God, and is not acceptable. Only through the Holy Spirit will our head be revealed. David, the Psalmist, declared, 

Our prayer reveals our praise (incense). The lifting of the hands in total surrender to God is our worship. This must be continual worship and praise before the Lord if our head is to be uncovered or unveiled. Jesus, our example, was the firstfruit Son who rent this vail of separation, so that we may have access into the Holy of Holies. But we must enter into the Holy of Holies in proper order. 

Paul revealed that "Christ" is the head of every man. The Holy Spirit set a kingdom principle of order to which we must adhere. If we are to become the king's domain, we must learn this principle of order. When we come to an understanding of this order, then we will be able to enter boldly into His presence and will be seated with Him in heavenly places in the Spiritual Realm. 

The next step of kingdom order is "submission". Submission releases the power and authority of God in our lives. The Greek word used for submission is HUPOTASSO. HUPO means "to put under". TASSO means "to arrange in order". Therefore HUPOTASSO means "to arrange in order under". HUPOTASSO (submission) establishes headship. Subjection is from the bottom up; except in the instance of correcting children. In every other use of the word HUPOTASSO, subjection must be established from the lower level. We must lift up the head into His proper position for His power and authority to be released in our lives. 

Unfortunately most people believe, or have been taught, that subjection means "slavery or bondage". Submission is a willful act of one submitting. The word used in the New Testament for bondage or slavery is DOULOS. This word is used in other applications, while HUPOTASSO (submission) has to do with releasing God's power and authority in our lives. 

The word for authority is EXOUSIA and means "the right to act, or permission given". A similar word commonly used in the church is "ordained". A man is ordained into the ministry. This means that he has been given permission to teach in their association. Those ordained have been given this right or authority in their denomination. 

The word EXOUSIA is only translated 29 times as authority in the New Testament. But it is translated 69 times as "power". So in many cases the translators used the word EXOUSIA to speak of power, when EXOUSIA should have been translated "authority". 

When the word DUNAMIS is used, it means "ability, might or miracle". When we read the word "power" in the Word, we should check to see if God is speaking about miracles, ability and might, or if He is speaking about permission to act. 

Authority, EXOUSIA, begins with God. It is only through submission that He establishes His authorities. This constitutes His kingdom order. When we submit to His established order, this releases His power, His ability, His might and His miracles in our lives. 

There are only three places in the Bible where God sets His authority: 

Government Home Church 

Jesus gave us an example of governmental, established authority. When the centurion came to Jesus to seek a healing for his servant, Jesus saith unto him, "I will come and heal him," *** Matthew 8:7. Jesus did not say, "I will come and pray for Him." He stated, with no hesitation, "I will come and heal him." How could Jesus make that statement? Because He was submitted to the Father. He did and spoke only as the Father directed Him. He willfully submitted to the Father's will and was given the authority to heal and forgive sins. Jesus proclaimed this to the centurion, 

The word for power used here was EXOUSIA, and should have been translated "the Son of man hath authority" on earth to forgive sins. The centurion understood authority. When Jesus said He would come and heal his servant, the centurion stated, 

The centurion stated that he was under authority, and because he was under authority, he was given authority, and the power to act in that authority in mens' lives. He recognized that authority in Jesus. All who came in contact with Jesus recognized that authority. 

Jesus taught as one who had authority. Everyone recognized that Jesus spoke with authority. It was not that He related He was the Son of God and people had better listen. He spoke with the authority given Him by the Father because He was in total submission to the Father. This is why His words had power. He did not speak as the scribes which knew the law forwards and backwards. They had authority also, but their authority came from man, not God. 

The chief priests and elders wanted to know how and where Jesus obtained His authority. The chief priests and elders knew where their authority came from. It had been given to them by man. They had been ordained by man to do what they were doing. They knew He had a higher authority that they did not understand. 

Jesus' authority came from above, the Spiritual Realm. Why did Jesus have authority? Was it because He was the Son of God? Was it because He was born of a virgin? These aspects certainly were an important part, but the writers of Hebrews added important insight as to why Jesus lived the perfect life in the flesh. He stated, 

He came under total submission to the Father and sought only to do His will. He had submitted willfully and totally to the authority set over Him. When Jesus became totally submitted to that authority, He returned all glory back to God who had established that authority in Him. He took no credit for anything He accomplished. 

When the rich, young man came to Jesus and said, "Good master!," Jesus' reply was, 

Jesus lifted Himself up in no situation. When the chief priest and elders wanted to know where Jesus' authority came from, Jesus answered and said unto them, 

With their own mouths, they said, "We fear." Who did they fear? Did they fear God? No! They feared man; because man was the one who had given them their authority. They feared losing their position if they said, "...this man was of God. If we say He was of God, then why did we not believe Him? And if we say He was of men...." 

They feared because the people thought John was a prophet. How like the ministers today who have been ordained by man. They must do as the organized headquarters dictate if they are to keep their position. If they bring conviction upon the people, the people will leave and their job will be in jeopardy. 

When the chief priests and elders could not answer, Jesus said, "Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things," *** Matthew 21:27. Jesus was not being stubborn. He simply stated He could not reveal where His authority comes from, because He knew they were not submitted to that authority. 

It was no accident that Jesus asked them who they thought John was. When the Jews sent priests and Levites to John to ask him, "Who art thou?", *** John 1:19, John revealed who he was, 

John was not the one crying in the wilderness. He was only the voice of the one crying. It was the Father, the Holy Spirit who had come to make, or to set straight, the way of the Lord. It was He, the Holy Spirit, who would cry, "Repent! For the kingdom of God is at hand!" If the chief priest and elders did not recognize that voice, then they were not submitted to that power. Because of this, they never understood Jesus' authority. 

Jesus was unable to tell them for they had no spiritual insight; nor were they submitted or committed to God. Only those who willfully commit and submit to God will receive the power to act in any situation. Paul understood revealed power. He wrote to the Corinthians, 

Today the ministry is still coming to the people with enticing words to tickle their ears, to please the people and maintain the numbers to please headquarters. But they have forgotten the power. 

If the headship of Christ is to be established in our lives, our total desire must be to uncover or unveil our head and come into His presence (courts). Thomas asked Jesus, "...How can we know the way?" Jesus said, "I am the way..." *** John 14:5-6. Jesus is our example. He gave us this example that we should follow His steps. *** I Peter 2:21 

The Father was revealed in Jesus' life in everything He did. Not only was He revealed, but He was glorified. Man, being in His image and likeness, should also reveal the Father and bring all glory to Him. 

When our head (Christ) has been revealed (unveiled); then our lives are brought into total submission to His voice. And when His will and authority have been established in us, we will know the power that will bring us into sonship. John recorded, 

The word power is EXOUSIA. We are given authority in the physical realm to bring us into the Spiritual realization of sonship. Why? Because we have submitted to the Head. When God's power and authority have been released in our lives, it brings us into His promises. What are His promises? All things that happen in and to our lives are working together for good, to those who are the called according to His purpose, *** Romans 8:28. God's promises to man are vast and many, but they can be summed up very easily; to return His creation to ruling and reigning in the earth and on the earth. 

Jesus was our example. His head (the Father) was uncovered (revealed or unveiled) in all that Jesus accomplished because He was in total submission and subjection to Him. Because of this submission, Jesus was given authority and power to do the works that were manifested in His life. And if all that Jesus did was recorded, the world could not contain the books that would be written. *** John 21:25 

It would be well to consider the miracles (power) that Jesus performed. His first miracle was when He turned the water into wine. He stilled the storm, walked on water, fed the four and five thousand, translated a ship to shore with Him and His disciples, withered the fig tree, raised the dead, healed the sick, delivered the demoniac and perceived men's thoughts. Jesus declared, 

This power was made available in Jesus' life because He was in submission to the Father. This released the power and authority in His life. Nevertheless, we hear many today stating, "I could never be like Jesus;" and, "He doesn't expect me to do the works that He did." These are partially correct, because Jesus said, 

Those who make such statements are partially correct when they state they could not become like Jesus or do the works that He did because Jesus gave a prerequisite for doing the greater works. We must believe on Him. Those who say such things, do not believe Jesus' words. If they did, they would come to a knowing relationship with the Father as Jesus had. 

Jesus expects us to do the greater works: greater works than speaking to the elements and having them obey our voices; greater works than changing the sea to support a man's weight; greater works than multiplying the food to feed the multitudes; greater works than raising the dead, healing the sick and setting creation free from all demonic activities. 

Yet, that is exactly what is expected of those who have the head (Christ) revealed in their lives. These have come into kingdom order because they have submitted their lives unto the Head and have become obedient to His voice. His Word has been released to have total authority to act and to change their lives into His image and likeness. The power has been released to accomplish the task that God has set before them. Then, when they pray and prophesy, their Head will not be dishonored, but glorified in their earthen vessel. God's life will be the only thing visible in their earth. We can do nothing with our Head covered. When we come into this order, the following scripture will become a reality, 

God's order must be established. Our Head must be uncovered if we are to enter into His presence. Worship and praise must be established in our lives. We must come into total subjection to His voice and His will. Then will we know God's power and authority in our lives. Then, and only then, can we claim His promises in our lives. 

QUESTIONS 

CHAPTER 4 
1. What is God's eternal desire? 
2. Why must man lift up Christ as his "Head" in everything he does? 
3. How does Christ, our "Head" reveal Himself? 
4. Explain the roles of the two goats of sacrifice. 
5. What is the significance of incense. 
6. Explain the sin of Nadab and Abihu's "strange fire" and the significance. 
7. When our praise and worship is not acceptable before the Lord, we ____________ ________because _______ _________ ____ _______ ____________. 
8. Subjection is from ______________ ____________ ____________, except in the _________________ __________ ______________ ___________________. 
9. What is the difference between submission and bondage? 
10. What are the only three places in the Bible where God sets His authority? 
11. What is necessary in our relationship to God in order to have authority? 
12. What are the revealed steps to sonship?

CHAPTER FIVE CHRIST - THE HEAD OF WOMAN 

The Psalmist proclaimed that if we are to come into the courts of the Lord (His presence), our soul must long and faint for this privilege. The word soul is NEPHASH and means "our self-life, our appetites, desires, emotions and passions". In other words, our whole being and desire should be to enter into His presence. 

"My soul fainteth..." Fainteth is the Hebrew word KALAH and means "to cease, to come to an end, to accomplish, to complete". When our soul fainteth, our self-life, our fleshly desires, emotions and passions have come to an end. They cease to be a consideration in our daily lives. Our total desire is to come into His courts, the very presence of God. When our soul, life and desire comes to an end, we will fulfill the commandment of God that He gave to Israel, as recorded in Luke. 

When we love the Lord, and come to Him with our whole heart, soul, strength and mind, we can confidently state, as the son of Korah, "My heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God, *** Psalm 84:2. Heart is the Hebrew word LEB and has the same meaning as NEPHESH. The heart is the "inner man", the self-life, the seat of emotions. 

The Psalmist writes that our heart, the inner man; and our flesh, our outer man; or our whole being, must come to the place where we cry out for the living God. The words "crieth out" mean "to overcome, to shout for joy". Our whole being must come into this overcoming attitude. If we are to come into His courts with praise and thanksgiving, every fiber of our being must conform with the attitude of overcoming the old nature and shouting for joy because of the Holy Spirit's cleansing and chastening in our lives. Can we truly say, "Change my heart, O God, Make me ever new!"? Paul spoke of the "inner man" in his letter to the Ephesians, 

God's dunamis power must come into the inner man so that His dunamis power can be expressed in the outer man. When this happens, God's dunamis power will be manifested to His whole creation. 

God's creation must come into His perfect order. God cannot bring His kingdom "on" the earth until His kingdom order has been established "in" our earth. This must happen in the lives of God's elect before we will see His kingdom. All mankind is waiting for a people to live what they profess. *** Psalm 2 

When Paul was establishing kingdom order in the church at Corinth, he stated, 

In the beginning, Christ was the head of the man. The head of the woman was man. Many believe it was because of sin and the curse God pronounced that man was to have the headship over his wife or helpmate. But this headship was established from the beginning of God's creation. 

Paul relates, 

The woman was created for the man and was taken from man. The woman is the only creation that was not created from the dust of the earth. She was taken from the side of man. Adam related, 

Man and woman are one flesh. They were not separate creations. Woman was the continuation of the same creation. One is not inferior to the other. They are the same creation. They are God's Adam creation. God made His creation, Adam, male and female. Everything God created, He made male and female. This was necessary for pro-creation. God's creation, Adam, would regenerate and multiply and replenish the earth. *** Genesis 1:28 

So where is the difference between the male and female of God's creation, Adam? The difference is in headship. Paul relates that the head of the woman is the man. The word head is KAPHALE and means "supreme, or to be set over". It is the order God established even before the advent of sin into His creation. 

Paul spoke of the man, 

With the woman, Paul relates, 

Again, Paul was not speaking of the woman's natural head being covered, but the headship God had established; and her head is the man, or her husband. If a woman is unmarried, her head is her father, brother or uncle. If the woman is widowed by death or divorce, her head would be the eldership in the church. But if the woman is praying or prophesying with her head uncovered, she dishonoureth her head. 

Many have taken this to refer to a physical covering and wear a bonnet, scarf or doily as their covering. These would not think of going to the assembly without this covering, believing they are pleasing in the sight of God. Paul was not speaking of a physical covering. He was speaking about having her head (the man) covered. 

How can the woman cover her head? The only way she can cover her head is through submission. If she is not submitted to her head, then she has no head, and she cannot come into the presence of God. 

There are two words that speak of the wife covering her head through submission. The first is HUPATASSO. The second is HUPOTAGE. HUPATASSO means "to be ranked under, or to be in order, under" as God has established. HUPOTAGE is translated " to be in subjection to". If God does not go by His established order, then there can be no order in His courts, or His presence. Confusion would then exist in His courts, just as confusion exists in the church today, because God's order has not been established. 

There are many scriptures that state a wife is to submit and be subject unto her husband. We need to review these scriptures and find the direction God gave to the woman concerning her relationship to her husband. 

Wives are to submit (HUPOTASSO, to be ranked under) themselves unto their own husband as unto the Lord. A woman cannot be subject unto the Lord and by-pass her husband. If the woman has not willingly submitted herself to her husband, she can never be submitted unto the Lord because she has violated God's order and is in disobedience to His Word. The wife who is walking in disobedience to God's Word is in the same place as Eve, when she proclaimed unto the serpent, 

She was not ignorant of God's commandment, nor was she ignorant of the penalty of disobedience. Eve, as so many women today, chose to ignore God's Word and justify her actions and disobedience. 

King Saul stood in the same place as Eve. When God gave him a direct commandment through the prophet, Samuel, Saul chose to walk in His own way. He completely understood the Word of the Lord, but he, too, chose to disobey and walk in rebellion. God sent Samuel to Saul to speak His Word unto him, 

When women reject the Word of God, and come before the Lord with their head uncovered, not being subject unto the man, they are no different than Eve or Saul who understood God's Word and refused to do it. If they refuse to repent, they are guilty of stubbornness and idolatry. God's Word is sure and it cannot be denied. 

Paul wrote that the woman was to submit as it is "fit" in the Lord. Is the woman to submit to her husband if he requires her to do something that is directly against the Word of God? This becomes a very difficult question to answer. As we read in the Old Testament, Abraham asked Sarah to be deceptive about her being his sister, because he was afraid for his life. This act culminated in Sarah being taken into Pharaoh's harem and counted among Pharaoh's wives, *** Genesis 12. Sarah was obedient to the voice of her husband, and because of Sarah operating in this proper order, God protected her from any activity with Pharaoh. Pharaoh became very wroth with Abraham because he deceived him. In this instance, Pharaoh was more righteous then Abraham, 

When we follow God's commandments, He will protect us in any situation. Because Sarah was obedient to the Word of God, God protected her from any harm. Peter spoke of Sarah's obedience, 

Sarah called her husband, Abraham, lord. Abraham was not always right in his decisions, but Sarah trusted in God. And when she followed God's Word, she was in the care and protection of the Father. When she was in subjection to her head, she was not responsible for the outcome in any situation. Her head became responsible. There is much security for the woman when she comes into this proper relationship to her husband. It relieves her to perform the duties of being a wife, a helpmate to her husband, and a mother. She, then, is not concerned about the areas of life God has given her husband responsibility over. 

Peter also recorded, 

Peter wrote that the women of old who trusted in God were in submission to their own husbands. The statement "who trust in God" implies that there were also women in the Old Testament who did not trust in God, and did not submit themselves to their own husbands. A good example of the women of old who did not trust God was Jezebel. There have been many teachings on the Jezebel spirit that exists in many women today. 

The question that is asked more often than not is, "What if the husband is not submitted unto God, or is not saved?" Are there circumstances, then, when the woman is excused from following God's established order? Or, is it necessary for her to accept that "all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. *** Romans 8:28 

Today many women state, "My husband is not spiritual." "My husband is not saved." "My husband treats me terrible." Does this negate the commandment of God for women to be in subjection to their own husbands? It certainly does not. The godly woman who truly trusts in the Lord will be in subjection to her own husband, as it is fit in the Lord. Proper order in a marital relationship must begin before marriage. God admonishes His people, 

This scripture applies equally to the man as well as the woman. If the woman has become unequally yoked with an unbeliever, does this give her an escape route from being in subjection to her husband? A careful search of the scriptures will reveal no loopholes for the unsubmitting wife to escape the commandment of God. 

We need to address the fact that there are husbands who are unsaved and have godly, dedicated wives. How can the godly wife submit herself unto him in spiritual matters, when he does not have Christ as his head? It should be obvious that the unsaved husband can not be his wife's spiritual head. The believing wife must then look for spiritual leadership in the eldership of the assembly she is attending. 

Now, since the husband cannot be her spiritual head, does this relieve the wife of submitting to her husband as her head? No! Even though her husband cannot be her head in spiritual matters, it does not change the fact that he is still the husband, and was made the head of the woman by the commandment of God. Paul writes, 

What if the husband requires something that is not "fit" in the Lord? The word used for "as it is fit" is the word ANEKO and means "pertains to what is due, or duty". God never intended that women be physically or sexually abused. The wife has the right to say no to those things that are against the way God intended the marriage relationship to be. I believe a godly woman must not only say No, but insist that her desires in this area be honoured. 

Subjection does not mean "slavery". Submission does not give the husband permission to abuse the wife. But the wife is commanded to submit to the husband concerning those things that are her wifely duties. 

Peter, who was given the keys to the kingdom, writes, 

In the Epistle to the Galatians, Paul also writes, 

The woman becomes the seed of Abraham and becomes an heir according to the promise because she has put on Christ. She has covered her head, her husband. When she covers her head, she can then come into the presence of God when she is praying and prophesying the same as her husband. When she comes into this proper order, then her prayers ascending to the Father are not hindered. This will release the power of God in her life to accomplish what God has planned for her life in the kingdom. She will then not be afraid in any amazement, *** I Peter 3:6. She will no longer live in fear because she has placed her total trust in the hands of the Father as the women of old. This enables her to come into a right standing before God. 

When Paul revealed, 

Paul said the woman who does not have her head covered is to let her hair be shaven or shorn. How could Paul make such a statement? Paul was saying that, 

Long hair is a glory unto the woman. It is her natural covering. Paul states, if her head is not covered, speaking of the headship of the man, then let her be shaven or shorn. If she has no spiritual covering, then let the natural covering of her physical glory be taken away, also. 

Paul was making reference to the women who were lewd, or prostitutes. In Paul's day, the prostitutes cropped their hair short to advertise their trade. Paul stated that if the woman did not stand righteous before her God, and was in rebellion; then let her shame be shown before all people. Again, this is a spiritual application. No bondage should be put on those women who have short hair. 

Paul goes on to say, 

As the man, ANER, is the image and glory of God, the woman, GUNE, is the glory of the man. The woman is always to bring glory to her husband. The word for glory is DOXA and means "dignity, honor, praise and worship". The woman is to bring dignity, honor, praise and worship to her husband; as Sarah and the women of old, who called their husbands, lord, whose daughters you are, as long as ye do well in the sight of God. 

Although there is no direct commandment that the woman is to love her husband, Paul wrote to Titus that the older women were to teach the younger women to be sober (serious minded) to love their husbands and their children. *** Titus 2:4 The scriptures state plainly that the man is to love his wife. Paul further stated that, 

By the leading of the Holy Spirit, Paul stated that a woman was to reverence her husband. The word reverence means "to venerate, with deference or reverential obedience". Webster renders the word venerate as "displaying the highest degree of respect; yielding in opinion, regard, respect and submission". 

When Paul stated that the wife was to reverence her husband, he made it very clear that she was to hold her husband in the highest degree of respect, being submitted unto him. Paul admonished the husband that he was to love his wife as himself. But what if the husband does not follow God's Word in his relationship to his wife? If the husband fails to come up to God's standards in his relationship to his wife, does this relieve the woman from fulfilling her godly duties and direction concerning her relationship to her husband? The old saying is, "Two wrongs do not make a right." When God gives His directions and commandments, they are to be obeyed. We stand before God and His Word in every area of our lives. 

When we follow God's Word, we are not responsible for the outcome of the situation. But our obedience releases the power of God to perform His will in our lives and the lives of those around us. When the wife fulfills her godly duties to the man, she releases the power of God in her life to bring the changes about that she desires in her husband. Peter wrote to the godly wife, 

Peter promised that, if the wives would be in subjection to their ungodly, unsubmitted-to-God husbands, then the husband would be won by the conversation (the godly way of life) of the wife. The Holy Spirit made this promise through Peter. He did not promise the husband would be won by constant nagging, harassment, threats, or complaining about him to others, but by the godly attitude and submission of the godly wife. And even though he may not necessarily deserve it, the godly wife will be his glory. 

Obedience to God and His Word releases the power of God to act in any situation. Many times we desire God to act first. But we are informed that "Faith moves the hand of God." God's Word is true. And all His promises are yea and amen to the glory of God by us. *** II Corinthians 1:20 As we begin to understand the order God has designed for His Adam creation, it becomes increasingly clear what He expects of His creation if we are to be pleasing in His sight. God has established His order. He has made it very clear throughout His Word. When confronted by the Pharisees, Jesus stated, 

God has never changed His thinking on His creation. He still views it as male and female. Today, those who would have us believe that God sees no difference between His creation, man, and His creation, woman, violate every reference in the Bible to that difference and to God's order as He has established it. 

Paul wrote to Timothy, 

The man sinned willfully after his helpmate had fallen from the grace of God through disobedience to the man's word. God had spoken to man that he was not to partake of the mixed fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, *** Genesis 2:17. God spoke this to Adam before the woman was formed from his side in *** Genesis 2:21. 

It was the man who was to administer God's words to his wife. She rebelled, not only against God, but against her husband, also. Part of the curse that God pronounced on the woman was because of this rebellion against her husband, 

The word desire means "yearning and longing for". The word rule means "dominion given and dominion exercised". Because of rebellion, God gave man dominion over the woman. But it was God's desire from the beginning that the woman submit to her husband and reverence him, being obedient to His Word; not as Eve who brought the curse of pain in childbirth to all His female creation. 

Adam sinned willfully so that he could remain with his wife. God had made them one flesh. Adam could no longer continue in God's anointing when Eve had fallen into disobedience and had lost her covering in God. 

God's desire is that the husband and the wife walk together in Him in the order He established from the beginning. 

In the beginning, God created woman as an helpmate for man. This He has not changed; even though many have tried to overlook the Word of God, attempting to change and pervert what God is saying to suit their own purposes. The woman is to be the glory of the man. If she is to release the power of God in her life, she must cover her head (man), her husband, when she is praying or prophesying. 

Paul concluded, 

We are to judge (discern) in ourselves: Is it comely, suitable or proper that a woman pray unto God uncovered; or, that her head be in his proper place in her life before she prays unto God? If she is not submitted to her head, how can she be submitted unto the Father? 

We cannot come into His courts (presence) until we come into His order. There are no bypasses or shortcuts in His order. It is as He has ordained it from the beginning. God's perfect order was established in the garden. As long as man operated in this order, he could remain in the garden, the presence of God. Until we return to God's established order, we cannot return to the garden. God is not going to change to accept us. We must change, if we are to be acceptable in His sight. 

God is not interested in what we think. He is only interested that we think like Him. When we walk in total submission, we have put on the mind of Christ. Submission is not only expected from the woman, it is mandated by God through His Word. The Holy Spirit confirms that women who are completely submitted to God and are walking in the Spirit have no problem with submitting to their head. 

Those who will not submit are in rebellion as Eve in the garden. These can never expect their husbands to change because their conversation (way of life) is out of order in God. Because of this, the power of change cannot be released in their husband's lives. Only repentance and turning with the whole heart to God will enable their prayers to move the hand of God, to produce in their husbands the kind of man that God promised a righteous, virtuous woman. 

When the woman enters the prayer closet, she should make sure she is in proper order with her head covered, so that her prayers be heard. The power of prayer will then be released in her husband's life, her children's lives and all those she is praying for. God will have order in His court. If we are to stand before Him, then there will be order in our lives also. That order must be His order. 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 5 
1. If we are to come into the courts of the Lord, our soul must _______________ ____________ ________________ for this privilege. 
2. God cannot bring His kingdom ______________ _______________ ______________ until His kingdom order has been established ___________ __________________ _________________. 
3. Explain why man and woman are one flesh. 
4. Where is the difference between the male and female of God's creation, Adam? Explain. 
5. What is the importance of a woman praying or prophesying with her head covered? 
6. What is the primary significance of a woman willingly submitting herself to her husband? 
7. Is the woman to submit to her husband if he requires her to do something that is directly against the Word of God? 
8. a. Proper order in a marital relationship must begin __________ _________________. 
b. To which partner does this apply? 
9. From whom does a spiritual wife married to an unspiritual husband secure spiritual leadership? 
10. How does a woman reverence her husband? 
11. How does a wife release the power of God in her life to bring the changes about that she desires in her husband? Scripture? 
12. ____________________ moves the hand of God. 
13. Was Adam deceived as Eve was? What was his sin? 
14. When we walk in total submission, we have ___________________________________. 

CHAPTER SIX CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE MARRIAGE 

But they that have gathered it shall eat it, and praise the Lord; and they that have brought it together shall drink it in the courts of My holiness." *** Isaiah 62:8-9 

God's revelation through Isaiah was not speaking of physical corn or wine. When Isaiah spoke of corn, he was speaking of grain. Wheat and barley were the main grain staples in the diet of the Israelites. When Isaiah spoke of corn, he was speaking of Israel's food. The same was true when reference was made to meat. He was speaking of Israel's food. When Jesus' disciples were concerned about Him eating, He replied, 

Jesus' food (Spiritual food) was to be pleasing in the eyes of the Father. Isaiah spoke that our desire to do the will of the Father would no longer be hindered by the enemy. The enemy of God is the old, Adamic nature; the old self-life of the carnal man. 

Isaiah wrote that strangers would not drink of the wine. The word for wine is TIYROWSH which makes reference to the new wine. Wine is the anointed Word of God. It is the new wine that cannot be put into old wineskin. The old wineskin represents those who have come into the anointing and have done nothing with it. They have wrapped it in a napkin and buried it in the earth (flesh), *** Luke 19:20. Their only will is to do the things that please self. 

Isaiah spoke that those who have gathered and laboured to obtain shall partake of God's meat. The writer of Hebrews states, "Strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil." *** Hebrews 5:14 

Strangers will not drink of the new wine. Only those who have their will lined up with the Father's will shall partake of the anointed Word of God. God is about to pour out this new wine upon His earth, His chosen, His elect, whom He calls the precious fruit of the earth. This new wine also represents the early and latter rain which will be poured out upon those who have the patience to receive it. *** James 5:7 

Isaiah relates that they who brought the new wine together shall drink of it, *** Isaiah 62:9. The word drink means "a time of rejoicing, while experiencing the provision of their God". These will not only praise the Lord, but will be a praise unto the Lord. These are His precious fruit in the earth. These will drink the new wine in the courts of His holiness. God's desire is to assemble His Body in the courts of His presence so that He may present His True Church to Himself, 

The corn and the wine will be brought together in those who will enter into His presence. It will be those whose food is to do the will of the Father through the Anointing (new wine) that God will pour out on His new creation, man. 

God's whole creation culminated in the creation of Adam. God created nothing after the sixth day. The Word tells us He rested the seventh day. Eve was created the same day as Adam, and God brought them together as one. 

Adam proclaimed, "This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh." This spoke of the oneness God created in Adam. This was not true of any of His other creations. God created everything male and female. Adam was the only creation in which God created the female from the male. Adam spoke, "She shall be called woman (ISHSHAH)." ISHSHAH means "female or wife". 

Adam then said, "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife," *** Genesis 2:24. The word cleave means "to cling, stick, to follow closely, to join to". In all that God spoke concerning the relationship between man and woman, there was to be no separation between the man and his wife. They were not to have a separate existence, one without the other. God created woman because Adam needed a helpmate, *** Genesis 2:18. God created the woman from Adam and brought them together, stating, "And they shall be one flesh." *** Genesis 2:24 

Before man fell into sin, and before God instituted the church, before God did anything with His creation, He instituted marriage as a spiritual union between His creation, Adam. 

From the beginning, God established headship in the marriage: Christ the head of the man, and the man the head of the woman. Marriage was to be a spiritual union between man and wife to pro-create God's creation. 

When Christ is made the head of the home through proper order, the husband and wife have a solid foundation on which to establish their home. God spoke to His creation, Adam, that man was to leave mother and father and cleave unto his wife. God intended the man and his wife to start a new home. It was not to be a continuation of either the husband's family or the wife's family. God's desire was to establish a whole new entity in the earth with Christ as the head. This new entity is to be established by the husband and wife in proper kingdom order. Upon this foundation, the man and the wife are to raise the children God will give them by His direction and standards. 

By God's direction, man was to leave mother and father. The word leave means "to depart, to abandon and to loose". When God gives us direction to do something, He generally gives us two examples in His Word; one example of obedience to His Word, the other example of the disobedience to His Word. 

When it came time for our father, Abraham, to take a wife for his son, Isaac, he sent for his head servant and directed him: 

His servant journeyed to Nahor, the city of Abraham's brother. The Lord led the servant to Rebekah at the well. After the servant was greeted by Abraham's family, he asked that Rebekah be allowed to return with him to become Isaac's wife. When the agreement of marriage was arranged and it came time to depart, Rebekah's brother and mother wanted her to remain with them for 10 days. *** Genesis 24:55 

When Rebekah was asked, "Wilt thou go with this man?" She said, "I will go," *** Genesis 24:58. Rebekah left with Abraham's servant to become Isaac's wife. The separation between mother and father was complete, and she became one with Isaac. This was God's example of walking in obedience to His Word. 

Rebekah was barren, but God opened Rebekah's womb, and she bare Isaac twin sons, Jacob and Esau. After Rebekah and Jacob had deceived Isaac into blessing Jacob instead of Esau, Rebekah told Jacob to flee unto her brother, Laban's, house. Rebekah said, 

Isaac also commanded Jacob, 

Both Isaac and Rebekah wanted Jacob to take a wife from his own people. 

God admonishes us in His Word not to become unequally yoked with unbelievers, 

Isaac and Rebekah did not want Jacob to marry an unbeliever in the land of Canaan which was of the daughters of Heth. 

Heth means "terror and dread". Those who have become unequally yoked with unbelievers certainly know the terror and dread that is in a marriage which God has not ordained and is not the head. When two are unequally yoked, there is no scriptural foundation on which to build the marriage. 

Rebekah was grieved in her spirit when she proclaimed, "What good shall my life do me?" *** Genesis 27:46. Her time, effort and training would have been for nought if Jacob would have married a daughter of the land. So Isaac and Rebekah sent Jacob to Laban, Rebekah's brother, to take a wife. 

From the first time Jacob saw Rachel, Laban's daughter, he loved her very much. He worked seven years to pay the dowry so he could marry Rachel. But he was tricked by Laban, and was given Leah, Rachel's sister, instead. 

Jacob complained vehemently and after agreeing to work another seven years for Rachel's dowry, Laban gave him Rachel. Here is where Jacob made a serious mistake. He did not separate from Rachel's father's house. Because of Jacob's decision to remain another seven years in his father-in-law's house, there were constant problems for Jacob, his wives and his children. 

As long as Jacob lived with Laban, he would never become the head of his household. He would never establish that new entity in the earth as directed by God. He remained a servant in his father-in-law's house twenty years. Laban deceived Jacob many times, yet Jacob did not leave. Finally, God brought Jacob to the place where he had to make a decision for his own household. When Jacob decided to separate himself, his wives, his children and all his belongings, he stated to his wives, 

After much oppression and deception, Jacob fled with his wives, his children, his flocks and all that he had from Laban's house. When Laban was told that Jacob had fled, Laban assembled his brothers and pursued Jacob. On the way, God spoke to Laban, 

God spoke to Laban that he was no longer to say anything to Jacob, good or bad. Laban knew God's voice and he understood he was no longer to interfere with Jacob's household. Under much oppression, Jacob had finally made the decision to leave father and mother and cleave to his wives. When this decision was made, God moved to establish Jacob as the head of his house. 

Laban's words reveal that Jacob had not established himself as the head of his household, 

Laban accused Jacob of forcing his daughters to go with Jacob by the sword. Laban still considered Leah and Rachel to be his daughters, not Jacob's wives. Laban had such a hold in Jacob's family, that he was sure the only way Jacob could have gotten them to go with him was by force. Laban further said, 

Laban called Jacob's children his sons and his daughters. Jacob had not separated himself from Leah and Rachel's father and mother. As long as Jacob remained with Laban, Rachel and Leah were still considered under the headship of Laban, their father. Jacob was nothing more than a servant. 

In the New Testament, Paul wrote, 

As long as an heir is a child, he is a servant and will not inherit. Jacob was heir to the promise God had made to Abraham. But he never departed from the servant realm. There comes a day in our walk with God that we are no longer considered servants. Jesus stated, 

We become His friends when we do whatsoever He commands us. This is when He will tell us all things He has heard from His Father. But He will not reveal this to the servant realm. This was Jacob's position in his wives' eyes, in his children's eyes and in his father-in-law's eyes. The power of control was in Laban's hands. Laban stated, 

The power of control was in Laban's hand, not Jacob's. Jacob's family, including Jacob, was considered an extension of Laban's family. It was only because God intervened and spoke to Laban not to speak good or bad to Jacob, that Laban did not force his daughters and grandchildren to return to his house. 

Jacob had remained with Laban twenty years. In that time, Jacob had lived with Leah and Rachel for only 13 years. The first seven years in Laban's house, Jacob did not have a wife. In the thirteen years he was married to Leah and Rachel, Jacob had not established the headship in his home. 

When Rachel left her father's house, she stole his household idols. Even though she willingly went with Jacob, she clung to the gods of her father's house. In Rachel's mind, she still thought of Laban as her head and did not want to let go and put her complete trust in her husband. Wives, too, must leave mother and father and cleave unto their own husbands, leaving behind all those things that would hinder. This was God's example of the consequence of disobedience of His Word, and what happens when a new home is not established. 

God spoke through Adam that the man was to leave mother and father and cleave unto his wife and they would become one flesh. This oneness in marriage is to typify the oneness of the Body of Christ God will raise up in the earth. The home is to be a microcosm of the Body of Christ. Until the home begins to operate in proper order, the Body of Christ will not become a reality in the earth. 

If the headship of Christ is not established in the man, then Christ is not the head of the home. And if Christ is not the head of the home, then Christ's order is not established in the home. If the husband is not the head of the wife, again, Christ's order has not been established. And if Christ's order is not established, then His power, authority, blessings and His promises cannot be released in the home. 

God ordained separation from mother and father to establish a new entity; a oneness in marriage. If marriage is to become what God wants it to be, then separation from mother and father must occur, not only literally, but also in the heart. 

God created marriage to be the most glorious of all His creation. Many times God used marriage to describe His relationship to Israel and to the church because marriage typifies His oneness with His creation, Adam. 

God has given many directions as to how the marriage is to function. The first direction to man was to cleave unto his wife, and the wife was to submit, or be in subjection to her own husband. Peter directed the man, 

Man is to dwell with his wife according to knowledge. The word knowledge is the Greek word GNOSIS and means "investigation and respect". The Amplified Bible renders this scripture, 

Peter is truly admonishing the men to understand, by the Word and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, how to implement God's instructions concerning his wife and his relationship to her. Peter revealed that the husband should honour his wife as the weaker vessel. The word honour means "to prefer, with loving regard". To honour is to respect the wife as God's creation. The wife completes God's creation in the man. The areas where the husband is weak, God created the woman to be strong. The areas of weakness in the woman, God created the husband to be strong. In the world, this is called the attraction of opposites. 

If God is allowed to choose the helpmate for the husband, He will choose the perfect mate for him, the one who will complete him in all areas of his life. The same is true of the woman. In the beginning the Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone," *** Genesis 2:18. God intended that the man and the woman be together, to become one, and complete his creation, Adam. Peter wrote, 

God does not view the husband and the wife separately. He sees them as one. Today many desire to live alone to do their own thing. This has never been God's plan for His creation; nor does He bless it. Many will say, "You do not understand my circumstances." God did not ordain His order to fit our circumstances. But He will change our circumstances to fit His order if we become willing to give up self and state, as Jesus in the garden, 

If we are going to come into God's order, we must first come to our Gethsemane where we willingly lay down our old life that we may put on the life of Christ. 

Peter went on to say, "That your prayers be not hindered." The word hindered means "cut off". Many wonder why God's blessing is not on their home, and why their prayers are not being answered. They need to come into an acceptable relationship in their marriage. God does not hear prayers that ask God to change the wife to suit the husband, or to change the husband to suit the wife. The prayers God hears are those petitions which ask God to make their marriage acceptable to Him, and to change each of them so that they may fulfill God's purposes for their marriage. This takes real repentance on both parts if the marriage is to be successful in God's sight. 

We cannot come into the presence of God and into His courts with praise if there is disunity in the marriage. If the man is not in order with Christ as his head, and the woman's head is not covered by submission to her husband, then Christ is not the head of that home. 

When Paul was establishing the order in the church at Corinth, he stated, 

In the Lord, man and woman are one. In the marriage they are one. Only in headship does God differentiate between the man and woman. God established His order. He has not changed it, nor will He bless when we violate it. Circumstances or situations will not alter what God has ordained. If we are to enter into His domain, it will be through His order. Paul went on, 

Woman was taken from the side of man. Man was born by the woman. Both are dependent on the other for their existence. One does not exist outside the other. Many women state, "I don't need men." And many men state, "I don't need women." Paul wrote, "But all things are of God," *** I Corinthians 11:12. God created the need in man for woman, and the need in woman for man. Those who say, "I don't need men," or "I don't need women," almost always fall into sin; either fornication, adultery, homosexuality or lesbianism. 

It was not God's will that man should live alone. God created the need for the marriage partner in man and in woman. Those who refuse to come into God's order find other ways to satisfy their need for the marital relationship. Any sexual activity outside marriage is sin. 

The oneness God instituted between the man and the wife goes even further. Paul wrote, 

The word power is EXOUSIASO and means "authority or right to act". God is stating that the husband and wife are not at liberty to act independently from each other. One of the gross violations of this scripture is the fact that the government says a woman can have an abortion without the consent of the husband. God's direction is that the wife and husband have authority over each other's bodies. Does this allow then for perversion where the husband can require his wife to engage in perverted sexual activity, or the wife to require this of her husband? Absolutely not! The writer of Hebrews states, 

God intends the marriage act to be undefiled. If the marriage relationship is defiled, God will judge those who are involved in such activities as adulterers and whoremongers. Man and woman become one flesh through the marriage relationship, or the act of sex. Paul wrote, 

When we engage in sexual activity, whether with our wife or a harlot, we are joining Christ in that sexual activity. This is why sex must be in the Lord's design, or we have joined Christ in sexual perversion. The sexual relationship between man and wife is a spiritual act. Today the world has gone "sex crazy". The majority of television has sex as its main theme. The underlying message of talk shows, magazines, books and advertising is sex, whether natural or perverted. 

We need to begin to understand that sex was given to man and woman as a spiritual responsibility in God. Yet, most consider it only to be recreational, with no binding effect in the lives of those who are engaging in such activities. By and large in our day, children are taught wrong perceptions of sex through the media. Sex has become part of the dating process. It is expected and accepted. 

Sex was given by God as a spiritual act, not only to pro-create His creation, but to cement the marriage relation, and to fulfill the need that God instilled in each of His creation. The marriage bed must be undefiled to be pleasing in the sight of God. 

In the beginning man and woman stood naked before God. There was no shame in anything they did because they were spiritually and morally upright before God. It was with the advent of the deceiver that man and woman found need to cover their bodies. The covering was so the naked flesh would not be before their eyes to act as a source of temptation in their fallen condition. With the advent of so-called "girlie magazines", it is necessary for the editors to show more and more. When all had been exposed, then it has to be perverted to satisfy the lust of those who partake of this mockery of God's creation. 

Paul stated, 

He simply stated that there is to be oneness in all decisions involving the husband and wife. The wife should not make a decision outside the husband, and the husband should not make a decision outside the wife. All things concerning the marriage, the home and their relationship to God should be discussed with each having their input. Then the decision the husband makes is not outside the wife. 

Many wives run back to their mothers and fathers to see if the decision their husbands have made are correct. Many husbands make verbal comparisons between their wives and their mothers, or compare their wives cooking with their mothers' cooking. Any such action or comparison erodes the foundation on which the home is to be established. 

Paul wrote, 

The word benevolence means "goodwill". The husband is to show his wife goodwill. He is to meet her halfway, to listen to her and to respect what she has to say. Many marriages are in trouble because of the selfish attitudes shown by the husband and the wife. The attitude of, "It will be my way, or no way," generally leads to divorce court. It is necessary in marriage for the husband and the wife, both, to give 100% of themselves to the marriage. It means both must be willing to give the marriage their 100% effort to bring their marriage into 100% accordance with the Word of God. 

When Paul wrote that the husband is to render unto his wife due benevolence, it was not a one way street. He stated, "Likewise, also the wives unto the husbands." The wives are to show goodwill toward their husbands, also. God designed His Spiritual union between man and woman to be the stability of the church; and not the church only, but the nation. When marriage fails, immorality takes its place. This leads to the decline of the church which leads to the decline of the nation. 

The marriage is the basic foundation of God's whole creation. He established the home as a stable and suitable environment in which to raise His children. When the marriage fails, the children suffer, and deep wounds are inflicted in their lives. These wounds may heal, but the scar tissue never goes away. It remains as a reminder of insecurity and failure. This happens in the child, even though he is too young to remember all the things leading up to the failure of his father and mother as parents. 

If we, as God's creation are to eat and drink in His presence, our lives must be in total alignment with His Word, and that includes the marriage. As the Word states, we are joint heirs together, and if we are to enter into the courts of His presence, we will stand there together as husbands and wives, "...What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder (tear apart). *** Matthew 19:6 

God has made the man and woman one flesh. God ordained this in the Spiritual Realm and man cannot change that. Husbands have their responsibility to the marriage, as do the wives. They are made one in God. They that have brought it together shall drink and eat in the courts of His holiness. *** Isaiah 62:9 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 6 
1. My meat is to_____ ______ _______ ______ ______ ________ ________ _____, _______ ____ ___________ _______ ________ John 4:34. 
2. Wine is the _____________ ____________ of God. 
3. What is the precious fruit of the earth? 
4. When God gives us direction to do something, He generally gives us two examples. Name them. 
5. How important is it not to be "unequally yoked together with unbelievers"? Explain. 
6. a. How do we make the transition from being God's servants to His "friends"? 
b. What new benefits do we receive? 
7. What is prerequisite for the headship of Christ to be established in the home? Why? 
8. How does God intend for a man to treat his wife? 
9. How does a man select the right helpmate? 
10. If we are to come into God's order, we must first _______________________. Why? 
11. What prayers regarding the marriage are acceptable to God? 
12. Only in ____________does God differentiate between the man and the woman. 
13. The sexual relationship between man and wife is __________ ______________. 
14. What are the downward steps of a nation following the failure of a marriage? 
15. If we are to eat and drink in God's presence, our lives must be __________________________. 

CHAPTER SEVEN CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE HOME  

Psalm ninety-two is a psalm of the Sabbath Day; Israel's day of rest. Through spiritual eyes it is easy to see that God is speaking of His true seventh sabbath, the day His whole creation will enter into His rest; the day when His whole creation will cease from all their labours and enter into the rest He has established from the beginning, *** Hebrews 4:4-5. This will be the millennial reign with Christ. 

God speaks that those who enter into the courts of His presence will be planted in the house of the Lord. The Hebrew word for house has a two-fold meaning. It first means "tabernacle or temporary dwelling place". But in some applications it also has the meaning of "temple or permanent dwelling place". The word planted means "a shoot or cutting of a tree or vine that has been planted or transplanted". The Bible speaks of God's people as being trees of righteousness and the wives as fruitful vines. God has planted both by the water which brings forth life. The water is the Word of God. Those planted by the water of the Word will be full of sap and vigor. Their leaves will never fade. God has transplanted His trees of righteousness in an open place. He has removed them from the throne of the world that would twist and inhibit their growth. He has planted His trees of righteousness in an open place where they might grow tall, with their heads in the clouds (His glory). 

God's trees of righteousness will flourish. This means "to bud or blossom, to break out and open into a beautiful flower to be seen of the whole world." The tabernacles of God, who are planted as trees of righteousness, are becoming His true temple not made with hands. These will become beautiful flowers in the courts of His presence on the seventh day. 

The same Psalmist reveals that we shall be anointed with fresh oil, *** Psalm 92:10; a new anointing that His creation has never received. Those who enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise will receive this double portion; the early and latter rain anointing. 

GOD'S PROPER ORDER FOR MARRIAGE 

When God instituted marriage, man was to leave mother and father and cleave unto His wife. They were to establish a home of their own, free from any outside influences. They were to become a new entity in the earth. The home was to be the man's domain; his kingdom. It was his responsibility to see that all who came under his roof were cared for. This included his wife, his children, his servants and any visitors. For many years it was said that a man's home was his castle. It was the husband and the father's job to bring everything in his home into the order that had been established by his head, Christ. 

In Israel, when two came together in marriage, there were restrictions placed upon the man's activities, 

There was no custom of dating in the Middle East. Dating is a western custom. In Bible times, the wife was selected for the son by his father or arranged by a friend. The first year was the time set aside for the new husband and wife to come into a close oneness, and to establish the order of the home according to God's order. That order is kingdom order, and each home is to be an example of God's kingdom on earth. When the home is in God's order, it is the strongest institution on earth. 

When the home begins, it is made up of two people: husband and wife. When a child comes along, the home is made up of three people: the father, the mother and the child. When this addition is made, then the role of husband and wife change. Their relationship to each other remains the same, but the added responsibility of father and mother must begin in their lives. Their duties to each other must include the child. The husband, as head, must be the protector and provider. The wife, as his helpmate, is to lift up her husband and to be his glory for all to see. 

As father, he is to be the example of strength and authority. The mother is to be the example of love and mercy. The son must learn attributes of strength and authority from his father. If he does not learn these traits, he is not likely to establish his home under the headship of Christ, nor become the head of his house. From the mother, he must learn love and mercy. Strength and authority cannot be displayed without love and mercy. The two must become one in purpose. One without the other is not order. 

The daughter needs to see the strength and authority in her father. If she does not see these traits in her father, she will not look for these traits when it is time to choose her own husband. She, also, must learn from her mother's love and mercy, or she will not know the qualities needed to become a helpmate to her husband when she marries. She needs to witness submission in her mother. She needs to witness strength and authority in her father. If she does not grow up with these patterns before her, she will not know how to submit to her husband, nor will she be able to submit to her heavenly Father. 

If the right patterns are not daily evident in the home, then the daughter will choose a husband that she can bring under her control, that she can manipulate, to get him to do as she wills. She will wear the pants in the family. The same is true of the son. If the mother is a domineering wife, he will pick a domineering mate, believing this is a proper attribute in marriage. 

This is why homes of our day are out of order. This is why marriages are failing by the millions. Marriage has become a by-word, and many choose to simply "shack up"; nothing to be expected from each other. Commitment and faithfulness are foreign concepts to a generation who has been robbed of godly patterns, so when a better deal comes along, they take it. The children are tossed to and fro and are given no foundation of headship, strength, authority, submission, love and mercy in their formable years. 

God has been mocked, and His Word has been forgotten. Many today say, "What is wrong with this younger generation?" The problem lies with the mothers and the fathers. Both generations have violated God's order. This disease in the home has been spreading for many generations until it has become epidemic in the marriage, in the schools and in the government. 

Child abuse, wife abuse and husband abuse are rampant. Mental cruelty is the basis for most divorces. Why? Because God's order has been ignored, violated or is completely foreign in the lives of His people. This is not only evident in the secular community, but also in the lives of those who are called "Christ-ones", those who claim His name but deny His order for their lives. 

If Jesus is our example, then we should follow our example. In Jesus' life we witness authority, strength, submission, love, mercy and the grace of God. God needs to re-establish His order in the lives of His elect. Only when God's order has been established in the earth, "our earth", will we shine forth as lights in the world. *** Philippians 2:15 

Most Christian homes are not examples of Christ's order because headship has not been established. In most Christian homes, God's order has not even been considered. Everyone is doing their own thing, and they call their home a godly home. What a farce the Christian home has become. They operate under the same order as the worldly homes; a number of people living in the same house where the only common ground they share is their name. 

How do we, then, re-establish God's order in the home? If we are to bring the home into God's order, we must start at the top, and that is to bring every area of the home under the headship and order God established in His Word. 

# 1 The husband and father must submit to his head, Christ, in all areas of his life. 

His desire must be totally toward God, totally Christ-centered. This may take time and patience on the wife's part. This can only be wrought through much prayer. 

# 2 The wife and mother must be submitted to her head, her husband. 

When these areas are in order, then the headship of the children can be established. The father and the mother must come into total agreement on how to raise, discipline and bring up God's children which He has put in their care. The Psalmist writes, 

The word heritage means "inheritance, heirloom or estate". Children are given to parents to raise for the Lord. When we raise His children in His ways, then we have an inheritance in God, a priceless heirloom and an everlasting estate which no one can ever remove from us. 

When Jesus spoke of laying up our treasures in heaven (the Spiritual Realm), He must have included our children because they are our inheritance in Him. The Psalmist went on to proclaim, 

Children are placed in our hands to raise. They are as arrows placed in the hand of a skilled archer. It is the parents' responsibility to aim their children toward the heart of God. It is the parents' duty to form and shape these arrows with just the right amount of pressure applied in just the right places to prepare a projectile that will become a glory to the Father. Happy is the man who has a quiver full of these straight-shooting arrows. They shall not be ashamed. 

How we raise our children will determine whether they will be a blessing or a shame to the parents. Today, most children are not raised, they just simply grow up. Many today, Christians included, are training their children by godless books that were produced to pervert the child, and to bring ease into the parents' lives by relieving them of their God-given responsibilities. The result of such books has been three generations of rebellious children who live a self-destructive way of life. The suicide rate among our young is out of control. The only solution available is to return to God's Word and re-establish God's order for the home. 

God has laid down strict rules on how to discipline children. When Paul listed the qualifications for leadership in the assembly, one of these qualifications concerned the home and His children. 

Before a man can be a leader in the assembly, he must rule his own house well. The word ruleth means "to stand before in rank, to preside and to be over". The father is to have his children in subjection (HUPPOTASSO - to rank under). This is the only place in the word where HUPPOTASSO is used in this manner. In other applications, the word HUPPOTASSO refers to the wife submitting unto the husband and the husband submitting to Christ. When it comes to the children, the father is to have his children in subjection. He is to have them under his control, direction and guidance with all gravity. The word gravity means "dignity, honesty and teaching". Today, philosophy states, "Let the children do their own thing. Let them learn to express themselves." This kind of thinking has produced an abundance of rude and disrespectful children who are a disgrace to their parents. 

The father, as head of his home, has the right and the responsibility to teach his children respect; respect for himself, for others, for other's property and most of all the respect and reverence for their God. 

In past generations, the children were always taught to respect their elders. Anyone who was older than the child was his elder. Today, the children are not taught respect, and because of this, society and especially the church, have suffered as we have watched the children who were raised in the church go by the way of the world. The Bible speaks of this generation, 

A generation of children who have no respect for their father or their mother. One of the prophesies Jesus gave of the last days speaks of these children, 

Much of the acid rock and other forms of rock music carry this message of eliminating the authority figure in the child's life. The occult, so many of the children are involved in, carry this same message of killing the parents. Many of the suicides among teenagers today are because, in these groups, they are taught that the ultimate sacrifice to their god, satan, is their own life. These atrocities have been allowed access in the home because God's order has not been established. Instead, chaos has taken over and is ruling the homes; Christian homes included. 

The Word says, "God is not of confusion," *** I Corinthians 14:33. Confusion means "a state of disorder and tumult". God will not operate in an atmosphere of confusion, disorder and tumult. If there is confusion in the home, how can we say Christ is the head of our home? Christ cannot be the head if the husband is not submitted to his head and the wife is not submitted to her husband. Christ will never dwell in the household of confusion and disorder. The prophet Isaiah wrote, 

The prophet Isaiah saw our day and the pitiful condition of the Christian home. Children have become their oppressors. The Hebrew word NAGAS is used as oppressor and means "to drive as an animal, a workman or an army". In simple terms, the children order their parents around and tell them what to do. We see this in every age level, beginning from the time the children can talk, through their teenage years. Parents are brainwashed. The media bombards the home with advice that if the child is not allowed to have freedom of expression, the parent could harm the child and hinder his communicative abilities. In reality, all this produces is a rude, undisciplined, disrespectful child who will bring shame to the parents. 

The second point Isaiah makes is women ruling over their husbands. Then he places the blame where it belongs. "They which lead thee cause thee to err." This problem exists because God's order is not taught in the church by those who have been appointed to lead God's flock. Many of today's church leaders are not those whom God has chosen to lead His flock. These have been appointed by the denominational systems. 

Isaiah spoke that these appointed leaders "destroy the way of God's paths." The paths that have been destroyed are the paths of the ancients who followed God's order for the marriage and the home. The family is the very basic foundation of the kingdom. When we realize we are to raise God's heritage for His glory, we discover we have an awesome task set before us. 

God has admonished us in His Word to correct our children. If we fail to have them under subjection, then we are disobedient to His Word and His order has been violated. King Solomon wrote, 

Today, the use of the rod has come to mean the rod of punishment. In the public school system it is called "corporal punishment". When God ordered parents to use the rod, it was not to punish the child. It was to correct the child. There is a world of difference in attitude when punishment is being applied, and when correction is being administered. When we, as God's children, get out of line God corrects us as a father corrects. He only applies the amount of pressure it takes to straighten up our walk. 

God used the example of children being arrows placed in our hands. The arrowhead determined the accurateness of the arrow. The ancients, who were skilled in this area, knew just where to strike the flint to achieve the desired results. If they hit the flint too hard or in the wrong place, the arrowhead would be ruined. But in the skilled artificer's hands, the arrowhead produced, always hit the mark. This should be uppermost in the parents' hearts when the child needs correction. 

"...The way of transgressors is hard," *** Proverbs 13:15. There are so many ways to discipline the child without the rod of correction. But if foolishness is bound in the heart of the child, the rod of correction may be the only answer. Proverbs also supplies the fathers with re-assurance that, 

No one, who loves their children, is going to harm their children with the rod. It may not be easy on the child, but he or she will not die. Today when the rod is mentioned, we automatically think "child abuse". Yet, the greatest child abuse today is when parents do not love their children enough to make them do what is right and walk in the right paths. The child that has been neglected in this area will hate the parents later because they did not point out the pitfalls of life. 

The child who is allowed to grow up without reproof will bring his mother shame. If we, as parents, fail to drive the foolishness from his heart, he will bring shame to his mother and his father as well. 

A wise son is one who is raised in the ways of the Lord, where the parents love the children enough to teach them respect for others. 

The most heartbreaking experience parents can be put through is when their children bring grief and bitterness in their lives. Many parents, who have not raised their children in God's order, have watched their children make a mess of their lives and they grieve for their children the rest of their lives. 

Solomon was the wisest man of his day. His wisdom has been preserved so we may apply it in our day. If we refuse to hear the wisdom of the ancients, we are destined to relive what they have already learned. God gave children to parents, and He expects the parents to be parents. He expects fathers and mothers to teach God's heritage in His proven ways. 

Children are expected to follow God's commandments also, 

It is right for children to obey their parents. How long should children obey their parents? Until they leave mother and father and cleave unto their own wife or husband and start their own home. 

Many times those who are labeled "good Christian children" are observed sassing and disobeying their parents in the assembly, in the home and in public. These are not pleasing unto the Lord, and they need to be corrected so that they may turn from their error. All correction must be done in love and with the right amount of pressure. The ways of a transgressor must be hard. Reproof goes hand in hand with the rod. When we correct a child in anger, frustration or impatience, we can destroy the child, his confidence and his respect which we are trying to instill in the child. Paul admonished the fathers, 

As fathers, we are not to provoke our children to anger. It is so necessary to make sure our attitude is proper before God before we correct His children. Perhaps, sometimes counting to ten is not a bad idea. The child can be made to sit until you are in total control of your emotions. A time of prayer may also be necessary for God's direction in applying the right amount of discipline. When all things are in order, then the proper judgment can be made on how correction is to be applied. 

Raising God's children is the most awesome task on earth. We may need to seek wise counsel. Both husband and wife should be one in all decisions of the child's life. If there is disagreement in any area concerning the home: children, finances, purchases...it should not be discussed in front of the children. This is why God gave us the bedroom to work out our differences. When problems are presented in front of the children, their security is shattered. Children have a right to a secure home. When problems are aired in front of the children, the children are forced to take sides. This causes division and destroys unity in the home. Raising God's children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord is our most important job. Children need to be corrected so they will bring glory unto the Father, and not shame to the parents. 

When our children are raised, our job is not yet finished. As soon as our children are raised, we then walk into the responsibility of grandparents. 

Young husbands and wives need the godly counsel of their parents; but only when they are asked. When their grandchildren come along, Grandma is needed at the time of birth. Grandparents are needed throughout the child's life as a stable, godly influence. Grandparents are there when Mom and Dad seem to be too busy. Grandparents have time, and children need lots of time to learn the ways of our heavenly Father. Grandparents fill a very important part in the order of the family as wise counselors. 

CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE KITCHEN 

If Christ is to be the head of the home, He must be the head of every room in the home. Christ must be the head of the kitchen. The question may be asked, "How can Christ be the head of the kitchen?" The old adage states, "We are what we eat." Are the meals which are prepared in the kitchen, meals that will nourish God's tabernacle. Do these meals promote God's health or do the meals that are prepared in the kitchen glorify the deceiver and destroyer. 

We cannot praise our God the way we should in a weak or sick body. People who think they cannot afford good food always find the money to pay the doctor. Fast food is the quickest way to the cemetery. 

Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 

We are to glorify God in our body. We can only obtain good health by proper nutrition. Proper nutrition brings glory to our Father. When Daniel was a young man in Nebuchadnezzar's (king of Babylon) Court, he refused to eat the king's meat or drink the king's wine. He demanded to be given vegetables. In 10 days his countenance was ten times better than those who ate the king's (worldly) food. *** Daniel 1 Christ needs to be glorified in the kitchen. 

CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE LIVING ROOM 

Is Christ the head of our living rooms? The living room is the center of the home. When friends and relatives come, is Christ glorified or is the T.V. the center of attention? In many homes the T.V. has become a constant interruption. God speaks to us with a still, small voice and His voice cannot be heard above the noise of the world. It is sad to say, but if God wanted to talk to some Christians today, He would have to wait for a commercial. God forgive us! 

Is our living room Christ-centered or T.V. centered? Christ is the picture of love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance, *** Galatians 5:22-23. The T.V. is the picture of adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murder, drunkenness and revelling. *** Galatians 5:19-21 

Paul stated they that do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. This not only includes the television, but the radio, tape recorders, stereos, magazines, books and so forth. We soon come to the place where we have no time left to spend in the Word or alone in quietness with the Lord. 

Is Christ glorified in the music played in the home, or that the children are allowed to listen to, or is it godless, antichrist music, teaching the children rebellion, sedition, revolution, drug use, murder and suicide? Is Christ glorified in the people your children look up to or are their heroes ungodly, satanic images of humanity? So many use the excuse, "I only listen to Christian T.V. or the news." But what do the children watch when you are not at home? Are the children taught that the T.V. is an evil thing? David wrote, 

Today, nothing is more wicked than the T.V. Job also said, 

Is Christ being glorified in the living room or does the "deceiver and thief" who was a murderer from the beginning have pre-eminence? In *** Psalm 1 we are informed, 

Are we allowing our God-given children to walk in the counsel of the ungodly? It is a proven fact that the T.V. and the music children listen to have more influence in their lives than the parents' words. 

The children are allowed to stand in the way of sinners. The children are given free access to every filthy thing through the T.V. and the music. Many parents are allowing this access through their children's eyes (the window of the soul), and their ears (the audio of the soul). This is why many ask the question, "What is wrong with the children?" The question should be, "What is wrong with the parents?" The answer should be obvious. The ways of God and the paths of the ancients have been forsaken. 

CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE BEDROOM 

Is Christ the head of the bedroom? The writer of Hebrews stated, 

The marriage bed is to be undefiled. The word undefiled means "free from unlawful sexual acts". Many would have us believe that, because we are one flesh, God OK's and condones any kind of sexual activity in the marriage bed. If this is true, why would God judge those who act as whoremongers or adulterers in the marriage bed? God knows our thoughts. Paul wrote, 

Every thought we have must be brought into the obedience of Christ, and that includes the bedroom. Is Christ glorified in the bedroom? 

Our homes, our children and our lives are to be lights in the community. Is Christ the center of all our activities? Is Christ the head in word and deed; or in word only? Is the Word of God displayed on our coffee table only; or is it displayed in the lives of those who live in the home? 

God is not mocked! If we call ourselves by His name, we must live by His standards. If we fail to do this, we will not be part of His kingdom. We will not rule or reign, nor will we flourish in the courts of His presence. 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 7 
1. The Bible speaks of God's people as being __________ ______ ___________________ and the wives as ____________ _____________________. 
2. When the home is in God's order it is _________. 3. a. What are the duties of husband and wife to each other? 
b. To the children? 
4. Explain the importance of children seeing strong, positive, godly traits in their parents. 
5. Outline and discuss the steps to re-establishing God's order in the home. 
6. What is prerequisite to a man serving as a leader in the church assembly? 
7. Which marriage partner is responsible for having the children in subjection? How? 
8. What is the only way Christ can be the head of the home? 
9. Discuss the consequences of oppressive children. 
10. Answer the following: 
a. Does God permit parents to strike a child? 
b. What is the proper purpose for using the rod? 
c. What must a parent guard against while disciplining a child? 
11. How long should children obey their parents? 
12. What is the most awesome task on earth? 
13. Where should family disagreements between husband and wife be discussed? Why? 
14. Why do children need to be corrected? 
a. _____________________________ 
b. _____________________________ 
15. How can we be sure to make Christ the head of every room in our home? 

Chapter EIGHT CHRIST - ORDAINED THE Church  

The Psalmist proclaimed, "Ye that stand in the house of the Lord...." The house of the Lord is our bodies. The word stand is the Hebrew word AMAD and means "to remain, to endure and to take one's stand". If we have taken our stand to serve our God with our whole being, not only will we remain and endure, but we will stand in the courts of His presence in the house of our God. 

We will receive the house of our God when our bodies are changed. Now we are tabernacle, a temporary dwelling place covered with skin. When we are changed, we will be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven (Spiritual Realm). *** II Corinthians 5:2 

If we are to stand in the courts of His presence, we must be changed. No flesh will enter into His presence, *** I Corinthians 1:29. There is a day of change, and that is the third day which Jesus spoke of, when He will raise up His temple, His permanent dwelling place that He will inhabit forever. The courts of His presence is our promise. But we must come into His order so there may be order in His court. The question many are asking today is, "What is wrong with the church? There is no power, no love, no teaching and no life." The answer should be obvious. These things are true in the church because there is no order, or there is the wrong order. As we study to see how God ordained the church to operate, and as we examine how the church operates, it is hard to realize it is the same institution God ordained on the day of Pentecost when the church began. 

To look at some basic facts concerning the church: 

# 1 The church is made up of homes: husband, wife and children. 

If the home is not in order, there can never be order in the church. If the husband is not subject unto Christ as His head, and if the wife is not submitted unto her husband and the children are not in subjection to their parents, how can order be established in the church? Under these conditions, the church cannot come into order. This condition only leads to confusion, division and failure. 

# 2 If the church is not founded and does not operate by the order that God has set, how can God bless what goes on in the church? He cannot. 

# 3 If Christ is not the head of the church, how can His purpose be accomplished without His direction? His purpose cannot be accomplished. 

Through His Word, God has revealed what He expects His church to be, how it is to operate and what His purpose for the church is. Then, and only then, can we come into that order. Then, and only then, can God bless and accomplish His purpose in the church. 

Christ is the head, KEPHALE, of the church, EKKLESIA, the assembly of the Called Out Ones. He is the Saviour (deliverer and preserver) of the Body; those who are called out of darkness into His marvellous light. *** I Peter 2:9 

The church is to be subject, HUPPOTASSO (to be ranked under), to Christ. How much of the church is to be subject unto Christ? The whole church, none missing, none lacking. We are to be subject to, or ranked under. This is God's established order for the church to follow. The prophet Isaiah wrote of the coming Messiah, 

"The government shall be upon His shoulder." When God established His church, Christ became the head of it. He did not become the head and shoulders of it. Isaiah wrote that His government (or rulership) would be on His shoulder. Shoulders are the sign of strength. The shoulders are the closest part of the body to the head. The arms of service and the hands of ministry are attached to the shoulders. Isaiah was speaking of the establishment of the leadership that God would set in His Body. 

Government is a gift that God has set in His Body. God will raise up those into leadership whom He has given the gift of government. Isaiah went on to state, 

There will be no end to the increase of His government. The word increase means "great number or multitude". There will be no end to the government God establishes. God's government was to be established upon the throne of David. The first scripture in the New Testament declares Jesus to be the son of David. 

Paul declared, 

Jesus was of the seed of David according to the flesh. While Jesus was in the flesh, He would be called the Son of David. Mary was in the lineage of David. When the angel appeared to Mary, she was informed, 

Jesus would occupy the throne of His father, David. He would establish His kingdom upon the throne of David. And of the increase of this government, there would be no end. His government began in Jerusalem, then spread throughout all Judaea, then to Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth, *** Acts 1:8. Jesus declared this unto His disciples before He ascended off the earth. When the Pharisees demanded of Jesus when the kingdom of God should come, Jesus answered, 

The kingdom is within us and it is coming into being without observation. Jesus had earlier stated to His disciples, 

It should be obvious to all that none of His original twelve disciples are around to see His kingdom age. When Jesus informed them that some standing there would not taste of death until they would see the kingdom of God, was Jesus confused? Did He not understand what He was saying? Or was He speaking a spiritual truth that they could only see with their spiritual eyes? 

How could His disciples see the kingdom of God that comes within, without observation? His kingdom and the beginning of the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophesy would become reality on the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit would begin to bring kingdom ideas, kingdom principles and kingdom order to light in them. It was the Holy Spirit who would lead them into all kingdom truths and order. 

On the day of Pentecost, they that walked with Jesus and had been His disciples (learners, students), would become His Apostles (the ones who were sent). These became the head of God's new government that He established on the earth. They were called "elders". The word elder is PRESBUTEROS and has the meaning of being older than another person. In leadership, it means "rank or position". When the Apostles became the head of the assembly in Jerusalem, they retained the title of Apostle. 

When Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem to get a decision on whether the new non-Jewish converts should be circumcised, they were received of the church as apostles and elders. Though the Apostles retained their apostleship, they were also called Elders. We must remember that the 12 Apostles knew nothing of church leadership. There was no "church" until the day of Pentecost. These were fishermen, tax collectors and young men who had no prior experience in leadership. On the day of Pentecost they were thrust into leadership. A multitude of people were being converted, and with them a multitude of problems. 

The most natural thing for the Apostles to do was to establish a priesthood. This was the only religious system they had known. The Law of Moses had been taught to them all their lives as the only law of God. But, praise the Lord, these men, who had walked with Jesus and who had been endued with power from on high, knew only one avenue to take, and that was to seek the Holy Spirit's direction in all things. When problems arose, they asked for His guidance. 

The first major problem that arose in the newly established church concerned the Grecians who thought their widows were being neglected. They got very angry at the Hebrews. After seeking the Holy Spirit's guidance in prayer, the apostles began to set proper order in the church, 

The Elders were to be given totally to the Word of God. In addition to giving themselves totally to the Word of God, they were to, 

The Elders' time was to be totally given to the Word of God and to be in continual prayer and ministry of the Word. What a different attitude than that of Moses, who, from sun up to sun down, sat hearing the people's problems. Jethro, Moses' father- in-law, counseled Moses, 

This new government that God ordained in the earth was not to be a one-man show. The Elders told the multitude of disciples, 

The Holy Spirit directed the Elders as to how to solve this problem. They were to seek out seven men with these qualifications, 
# 1 They must have an honest report 
# 2 Be filled with the Holy Spirit 
# 3 Must have wisdom; godly wisdom 

These chosen men were to do the labour in the ministry. They would be defined later as deacons. 

From the beginning, God established His order for leadership. He has never altered or changed that order. There are only three types of people in the church: 
Leaders - Elders 
Labourers - Deacons 
Learners - Disciples 

The leaders are to train the labourers to be leaders and the disciples to be labourers. We are informed in the Scriptures, 

God never calls anyone without having a plan and purpose for his or her life to be used in His service. God has a design and purpose for everyone in the church; the assembly, the Body of believers. Today, many leaders have designated the Body to be pew-warmers, fit for nothing but to fill seats and collection plates. 

In the beginning of the church, God laid out the basic design of what His church should be, how it was to operate and the purpose God had designed for it. The prophet Isaiah spoke that there would be no end to His government. *** Isaiah 9:7 

Government is a gift of God and is also a calling of God. Many leaders in the church today have not been called of God, nor do they have the gift of government. So they run the church the only way they know how, by the system of government that rules over the land they live in. This is more evident in the United States than anywhere else in the world. 

Many churches are run as democracies, where the pastor is voted in by the people. The elders, deacons, boards, committees, trustees and others are voted in by the people. Many churches have the custom of voting in their pastor every year to decide whether to keep him or not. The question arises, "Where in the Bible are they told to do this?" They are not. There is not one scripture that even suggests that this practice is of God. If the pastor they have was put there by God, what right do the people have to vote him out? If he was not put there by God, what is he doing there in the first place? All this has come to pass because we live in the times spoken of by Paul, 

The people have itching ears and want their ears tickled. If the pastor will not tickle their ears, he will be voted out at the annual meeting. As was stated, many churches have boards, committees and trustees. No such offices existed in the New Testament church. These have been established to run the business of the church, of which God originally ordained the eldership to take care of. When asked about these ungodly offices, we are told, "It's good business." It may be good business, but it is out of order. 

The church has become more fleshly than spiritual. The prophet Isaiah wrote, "...The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this," *** Isaiah 9:7. God is zealous for His church. It is His desire that He perform what He wants to accomplish in His Body. But many are so desirous of doing a big work for God that they have forgotten the Head of the corner. 

The headstone is Christ Jesus; the Anointing. Peter spoke of the Head of the corner, 

Christ Jesus, the Anointing in the earth today, has become a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence to those who are building their own kingdoms, and operating them as the denominational headquarters dictate, or as they please within themselves. The headship of Christ has become an offence to them. Because of this, they stumble at the Word and are in disobedience to God's order. They become offended at God because He removes His hand of blessing from their work. 

What did God ordain when He started the church on the day of Pentecost? He instituted a life- changing organism that would bring a people back into the image and likeness of God. Paul proclaimed the vision of what God intended the church to become, 

God is desiring for His Body, the True Church, to become a glorious, Spirit-filled, changed Body, free of all spots and wrinkles, holy and without blemish. It goes without saying that the church system has failed to produce such a Body of believers. The church was commissioned to complete the ministry Jesus began when He walked the earth. Jesus proclaimed that ministry when He entered the temple and read from the book of Isaiah, 

When He finished reading this, He closed the book and sat down, *** Luke 4:20. Jesus proclaimed from the book of Isaiah the work the Father had given Him to do. When He had finished the work the Father had given Him to do, He sat down on the right hand of the Father. When Jesus read from the book of Isaiah, He stopped in the middle of a sentence. What Isaiah had written was, 

Jesus stopped reading at "to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." There was a job the end time church had to complete. And that is to proclaim the Day of Vengeance of our God and to comfort all that mourn. The completion of the job Jesus left for the church, the church system has failed to accomplish. Instead, the church has become a separated "Bless me" Club, who does not demand change. Paul spoke of this condition in the church at Corinth, 

Paul emphatically stated that we are not to be joined to those who commend themselves or measure themselves by themselves. Paul stated that this is not wise. We are to compare ourselves to the image we see in the glass (mirror). We are to desire to change into that image, from glory to glory, by the Spirit of the Lord, *** II Corinthians 3:18. We are only to compare ourselves to Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to change us, to bring us into the design that He has foreordained for our lives. When we closely examine what is wrong in the church system today, it becomes evident the problem lies in the fact that God's order for the church has not been followed. Most of those who stand in the pulpits, and those who are in places of leadership, have been trained in denominational seminaries. The candidates for the seminaries are selected with no regard to sex or qualifications. In his letters to Timothy and Titus, Paul gave the qualifications for leadership. Paul wrote to Titus, 

Paul left Titus in Crete to set in order the things that were wanting. The word wanting means "lacking". What was lacking in Crete and in every city was for the eldership to be established and the church brought into order. Eldership is the only way God intended the church to operate. Elders were always plural, never singular. When speaking of leadership in the church, leadership was never to be placed in the hands of one man. 

Paul taught the qualifications for leadership. He listed them in I Timothy and Titus. 

The list begins in I Timothy 3: 

These are added in *** Titus 1:6-9 

There are two Greek words used to describe leadership, PRESBUTEROS and EPHISKOPE. Presbuteros is translated "elder and presbytery". EPHISKOPE is translated "bishop and overseer". No distinction is made in the use of these two words. They both refer to leadership in the Body. Paul listed 26 qualifications for leadership: 
1 Desire to be in the service of God 
2 Must be a man 
3 Must be married 
4 Must be blameless (above reproach) 
5 Must be vigilant (serious minded) 
6 Good behavior (orderly, modest, honest) 
7 Given to hospitality 
8 Apt to teach (able to handle the Word of life) 
9 Not given to wine (abstain from alcohol) 
10 No striker (uncontrollable temper) 
11 Not greedy of filthy lucre (gain of the world; ill-gotten gain) 
12 Patience (gentle) 
13 Not a brawler (not to tarry at wine) 
14 Must rule his house well. His children must be in subjection. He cannot rule in the church if his home is out of order. 
15 Not a novice (not a new convert) 
16 Not covetous (not a lover of money) 
17 Of good report of them from without (good reputation) 
18 Not self willed (self-pleasing self centered, selfish, arrogant) 
19 Not soon angry (not quick tempered) 
20 A lover of good men (associated with those who love others) 21 Be sober (sound mind, self control) 
22 Just (a right standing before God, righteous) 
23 Holds fast the Word (knows and lives by the Word) 
24 Grave (shows honour and respect) 
25 Not double tongued (telling a different story) 
26 Holding the mystery of faith in a pure conscience before God 

The first qualification for an Elder is that he must have a desire to be in God's service, and to become a servant to God's people. The second qualification for an Elder is that he must be a man. Many churches have women in leadership. Does the Word allow for women in leadership? 

As we check the list of qualifications, there are four qualifications that are impossible for women to meet. The first qualification listed: A man who desires the office of a bishop, *** I Timothy 3:1. The second qualification: The bishop is to be the husband of one wife, *** I Timothy 3:2. The fourteenth qualification is: One that ruleth his own house, having his children in subjection. For if a man knows not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God, *** I Timothy 3:4- 5. 

Women are not to be the head of the household, nor are they to be the head of the church. The twentieth qualification is: He must be a lover of good men. A woman cannot meet this qualification. God's order is that the woman is to have her own husband, and her regard is to be toward him. God has established His qualifications for leadership and His order for the Body. Some women choose to ignore God's order, and go about trying to do the work of God by the order they have established. 

The question could be asked, "Does a man have to have all these qualifications working in his life to be raised up into leadership?" The answer is No. But it should be his heartfelt desire to bring them forth in his life. There are some he must have before he can even qualify. The first and most important qualification he must have is the desire to be used in leadership, not to be lifted up in the eyes of man, but to be in service to God and His people. He must be a married man, and as the Apostles and Elders directed, he must have a good report and be filled with the Holy Spirit and wisdom, without which it is impossible to rule in the lives of God's people. 

When Solomon was made king over Israel, God asked Solomon what he desired. Solomon's answer was, 

All Solomon asked for was an understanding heart so he could judge God's people. This request was pleasing in the sight of God. This was the promise that God made to Solomon. 

Wisdom comes through the Holy Spirit anointing. Leaders must have an understanding heart to rule God's people. Leaders are a gift of God to His church. Government is also a gift that God instills in His chosen; those who are called in leadership. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he gave an insight into eternity when he stated, 

God will never repent of the calling He has placed upon the lives of His chosen leaders, nor will He withdraw the gift as long as a man be found blameless in the administration of that office. Those who have been called into leadership have an eternal calling in their lives. Those whom God has chosen to be His leaders will reign with Him in the kingdom age to come. 

God will never repent of His gifts and calling. Those who teach and learn kingdom principles, kingdom ideas and kingdom order in this time will enter into the courts of God's presence to stand in the house of the Lord our God. 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 8 
1. Explain the difference between tabernacle and house of God as it relates to our bodies. 
2. If the ________________ is not in order, there can never be order in the ___________________. 
3. What does the word "apostle" mean? 
4. Where was God's government to be established? 
5. Who leads us into all kingdom truths and order? 
6. What was the correct function of the Elders of the early church? 
7. a. What are the qualifications for the office of Deacon? 
b. What is their function? 
8. What 3 types of people are in God's order in His church? 
9. What was and is God's stated purpose for His true church? 
a. As to character? Scripture? 
b. As to ministry? Scripture? 
10. What New Testament book outlines God's qualifications for leadership in His church? 
11. Does the Word allow for women in leadership? 
12. What is the single most important qualification for leadership? 

Chapter NINE CHRIST - THE HEAD OF THE Church  

God will be in the midst of those who worship Him in Jerusalem; the place of True Worship. 

Where two or three are gathered in His name, He will dwell in the midst of them. Jesus was speaking of His Spiritual presence, not His physical presence. When we come together in God's order, He promises to be in our midst. But when His order is not observed, He is grieved because of His children of disobedience. Jerusalem represents God's true place of worship. If we are to come into the courts of His presence and praise, we must come into His order that there may be "Order in His Court". 

ELDERS - THE STRENGTH OF THE BODY 

God has ordained and established the eldership to be the strength in His Body. The elders are set in the Body to do the work of the ministry. Paul wrote, 

Paul recorded that, when Jesus ascended up on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts unto men, *** Ephesians 4:8. These gifts were for the perfecting of the saints. The word perfecting is KATARTISMOS and means "to prepare fully". God gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers as gifts to the Body, to fully prepare and equip the saints for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the Body of Christ. 

God's Body is to come into the unity of the faith. Jude stated, 

We are to contend for the faith that was delivered unto the saints. Paul informs us, 

Today, the church system would have us believe that every denomination is a faith. A common question is, "What faith are you?" We do not have a choice. If we are not part of the faith that was delivered unto the saints, then we are part of a pseudo-religious order that is man-made. God sent His gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers that they may bring His Body, not only into the unity of the faith, but into the knowledge of the Son of God. Many confess His name, but few are crying out as Paul, 

Paul was crying out to know Him. He wanted to understand the power of His resurrection. He wanted to fellowship with Christ's sufferings and be made conformable unto His death; the death of the flesh. The gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers are to bring the Body of Christ into the perfect man that Paul spoke of in *** Ephesians 4:13. 

The word perfect here is TELEIOS and means "complete, finished, mature, full age and full grown". The gifts of God to the church are to be used to grow up the Body, until they come into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, *** Ephesians 4:13. Yet most denominational systems no longer recognize the apostle and prophet. Some even erroneously state that the apostle and prophet, along with healing and the gifts of the Spirit, passed away with the last of the original apostles. 

It should be plain to all that, because of this, the church has failed in this most important task of bringing the Body into the unity of the faith. Then we ask, "Why?" It is because God's order for leadership has been violated or ignored. God has given us all the tools. We simply need to learn to use them. The qualifications for leadership are plain. The next thing, then, to consider is, "How is the leadership to function, and what part do the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers have in the eldership of His Body?" 

The first thing we must know for sure is that God speaks with one voice. Many ask, "How many should be in the eldership?" The most common answer is, "Five, because you need an apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher." There is nothing written in God's Word that precludes that a man can not have more than one of these callings. Paul certainly had all five of the gift ministries. There are men today who operate in more than one of these ministries, if not all five. Jesus, our example, operated in all five. 

The next common reason for having an odd number in the eldership is so there will be a tie breaker in decision making; three against two, or four against three. But again, we observe from the examples in God's Word that there is no recorded eldership with an uneven number. In the Old Testament, there were twelve patriarchs and seventy elders. In the New Testament, there were twelve disciples and twelve apostles. 

It is not necessary to have an odd number of men in the eldership because God speaks with one voice. He does not speak one thing to one elder and something else to another. There is to be no tie breaker vote. There is to be no vote at all. There is only to be agreement as the Holy Spirit speaks. "So, how many elders should there be?" The answer is, "More than one, and as many as are needed to take care of the ministry in the Body." There must be more than one, because God's leadership is not a one- man leadership; although, this is what it has become in most churches. 

When Christ, the Head, speaks to His Body, He speaks through His eldership, whether it be two or seventy. He will speak with one voice to all. If the eldership is hearing the voice of the Spirit, there will be no misunderstanding of what the Holy Spirit's purpose is, and decisions will be with no disagreements. When the eldership is established on this basis, and operates in this fashion, Christ truly will become the head of His Body; the church. 

Most churches today have their boards, committees, eldership, deacons and trustees. But one man has the veto power to over-ride any decision these groups make. The groups simply become rubber stamps for the over-riding authority. Then there is the exact opposite. In many churches these various groups, boards and committees totally run the work and the pastor or preacher is hired by them. He is under their total control and can do or say nothing that would bring disapproval from those entrenched in dictatorship. Both of these systems create a two- headed church. Christ is to be the only head of the church. The church government is to be established upon His shoulder; the eldership. 

The vast majority of churches are two-headed. The pastor or boards have the pre-eminence and control of what is allowed to go on in their church and among their sheep. In the two-headed church system, God is only allowed to speak through the second head. If God speaks to anyone other than the recognized head, it cannot be accepted because it did not come through the second head first. 

Will the two-headed church work? It cannot. This is a deformity in the Body. When one man, or a group of self-appointed men have control and say, then the voice of God is hindered or muted altogether. In reality, the two-headed church system becomes a one-man show and Christ is ignored as the head entirely. God's desire is that proper order come into His Body, with Christ as the only head, and His government established upon His shoulder; the eldership. 

Most churches are set up with a pastor who goes by various titles. Next comes the elders, deacons, committees, boards, trustees, cell group leaders, music leaders, youth leaders, singles leaders; the list is endless. All are under the headship of the pastor. All the messages to the Body must come through him. He has become the head. The work becomes his work, his church and his flock. He receives the glory, honor, and respect for the church. And in most cases, He demands the glory, the honor and the respect. His needs are totally met. His house is furnished. There are retirement plans, all his insurance is paid, stock option plans, paid vacations and sometimes expense accounts are included. The pastor has all the benefits any big business could afford him. These requirements must be met, along with an appropriate salary, before he is willing to take the job. What a difference from the example Jesus, the Great Shepherd, revealed unto us. Jesus stated, 

Jesus came, not to be ministered to, but to minister and to give His life for many. John recorded another example Jesus gave, 

True shepherds are those who give their life for the flock. The hireling does not care for the sheep. He is simply a hired shepherd, and when a better offer comes along, he is gone. It could be more money, a bigger church or a better benefit package. These generally demand total control and say in every area. The people are made to believe that the voice of God can only speak through him. 

Most denominational churches are required to select their pastor from the group sent from their headquarters; pastors who have completed their seminary and have met their requirements to minister in their churches. Others choose to select their pastor from private, non-denominational colleges who teach what their board believes, and are in agreement with their doctrine. The pastors try out for the job after they have been screened by the pastoral committee, and one is selected. Chiefly, their job consists of merely maintaining numbers. 

We are to ask, "What order did God ordain to select a pastor?" As we begin to seek God's order, and as we begin to allow Him to function freely in His Body, it becomes clear that God appoints the eldership to do the work of the ministry. We also know God will set every ministry needed in the eldership to minister to the needs of the Body. 

When Titus was told to ordain elders in every city, he was to look for the qualifications Paul had given. One of the qualifications for elders was that they be "apt (able) to teach." God will set those able to teach in the eldership. It is not necessary to go to the hireling system to select a pastor. The pastor is to be selected from the eldership. When the pastor is selected, he does not become separated from the eldership, but functions as elder in church government with no more say than any one of the other elders. 

Another question that is asked is, "If all the elders are co-equal in authority, who runs the meeting?" Paul spoke, 

Though there be ten thousand instructors in Christ, there are not many fathers. The fathers God sets in the eldership have the Father's heart. The father's heart says, "I want my sons to do better than I have done." A father does not have an over- riding spirit, but has the ministry of uplift, to encourage and direct, but not to lord over. Peter gave direction to the eldership, 

Peter gave strict instructions to the eldership. They are to feed the flock of God. Whose flock? God's flock! The eldership is to oversee the flock, not try to change the flock of God into their image, or have the flock become what they think it ought to be. The eldership is to bring the flock into the unity of the faith, into the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, not by constraint, by force or unwillingness and not for filthy lucre (to be eager for base gain). The elders are, instead, to have a willing mind. They are not to lord over God's heritage (His Body). Elders are to be examples to the flock. Their lives should exemplify Christ in everything they do and say. 

It is not the eldership's job to tell the sheep how to be sheep. It is their job to lead God's sheep, His heritage, beside the still, pure waters and in the green pastures. The still waters are the uncorrupted Word of God. The green pastures are where they can feed on the things of God that produce life. The eldership is to see that God's heritage can find rest, and walk in the paths of righteousness. The elders are to minister to God's heritage, His name- sake, His Christ-Ones through the Holy Spirit. Paul gave the elders, who operate in God's order, a promise, 

DEACONS - THE LABORERS 

The next order God sets in the church are the Deacons; the Laborers. The word deacon is the Greek word DIAKONOS and means "servant or attendant". DIAKONOS is not always translated deacon. It is also translated "servant or minister". It should be plain by the scriptures that, when the elders of the early church told the multitude to pick out seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, *** Acts 6:3, they had more in mind for these men than them waiting on tables. From the beginning of the church age, God set the established order for the position of deacon. The deacons responsibilities consisted of taking care of the church. The deacons were to be the head of the labour force. The position of a deacon is the training area for leadership. 

One of the most important attributes in leadership is a servant's heart to serve God's people. The young man who desires the office of a deacon must first have a proven record of being willing to labour and learn as a servant. The qualifications for a deacon are very similar to those for the eldership. If deacons are to be raised into the position of eldership, they must show the same attributes necessary for the elders. The deacon must desire to say as Jesus, "I want to minister, not be ministered to." 

Checking the history of the original seven young men chosen to be deacons, we find that of the seven, not much is known of two, Nicanor and Timon. Nicolas was believed to be the founder of the Nicolaitanes. Jesus stated that He hated the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, *** Revelation 2:6. Two others were made elders of churches; Prochorus, in Nicomedia and Parmenas in Soli. Parmenas was martyred in Philippi. Philip became an evangelist. Much is recorded of Philip in the book of Acts. Stephen became a great expositor of the Word, and was the first martyr in the church. Four of the seven became great leaders in the church. 

When one is made a deacon, it is a proving and training ground. Because one is made a deacon, it does not necessitate that he be raised into the leadership. He must be proven in every area before he is taken into the eldership. The deacon not only learns to be in authority to get the physical work done in the ministry, but while he is learning to serve, he is also learning to submit to the authority of the eldership. To be in authority, one must learn to submit to authority. Elders must learn to submit to the headship of Christ and the deacons must learn to submit to the authority of the elders. 

"How many deacons should there be? Do we need seven because there were seven appointed in the first church? Should there be an uneven number?" The answer is, "How ever many are needed to take care of the flock, so the elders may be given to the Word, prayer and the work of the ministry." The church may need only one deacon, or they may need many. It all depends on the size of the flock. 

Another determining factor would be how many deacons the elders would be able to work with to raise up into leadership; and how many new leaders are needed for the expanding flock. Some of these young men will be trained and sent out as evangelists. They may be endowed with other gifts that God has set in the church: apostle, prophet, pastor or teacher, administration, government, helps and so forth. The elders will need to work diligently to prepare the deacons to exercise their gift so they are prepared when they are sent out from the church by the laying on of the elders' hands. 

The elders need to instruct the deacons in performing every duty in the church: teaching, counseling, admonishing, exhortation and leading in various activities. Under the guidance and direction of the eldership, the deacons are given certain authority by the elders. 

The deacons are to show forth the same attributes of the elders. Fourteen of the 26 qualifications for leadership are also directed to the deacons. One of the qualifications is: He must not be a novice, *** I Timothy 3:6. The word novice means "newly planted, or a new convert, one who is inexperienced". A prospective deacon should have a good report, showing a willingness to work and serve God's people, before any disciple is considered for deaconship. This takes considerable time to be proven and recognized. 

It is not absolutely necessary that a candidate for eldership be brought up through the deaconship. No direction in the Word is given in this area. The apostle to the church can, with the full agreement of the total eldership, raise up an elder. Nevertheless, the deaconship is the natural training ground for leadership. 

LEARNERS - THE DISCIPLES 

The third group in the church are the learners, or the disciples. The word for disciple is MATHETOS and means "a learner; those who accomplish, endeavor and learn to do". Jesus called His disciples unto Himself to teach them His ways. It is the eldership's job to teach their disciples God's ways, His order, His principles and His judgments. 

God has sent His people, His sheep, to the church to be fed, nurtured, loved and discipled, not entertained. They are not to have their ears tickled to make sure they return next Sunday. A relationship to God demands change. If there is no change, there is no God. If the disciple is self-willed and refuses to change, then God can never use that disciple. 

When Jesus spoke to the multitude that they must eat of His flesh and drink of His blood, *** John 6:56, they received this as a hard saying and turned away and departed from Him, *** John 6:60. Jesus did not try to get them to return. Instead, He turned to His disciples and said, "Will ye also go away?" *** John 6:67. Jesus gave even those closest to Him opportunity to leave if they would not receive His Word. 

If the church is putting forth the eternal Word of life, the true disciples will not leave. But those who want to play church to look good in the eyes of men, will. The Word offends those who will not be cleansed by it. 

The disciples are to learn the ways of God. They must become a part of what God designed church to be. The church is not to be filled with unconverted sinners who have no heart for God. They can only cause strife and division, which has been the history of the church. God has given direction to the disciples as to his or her relationship to the eldership. 

The disciple is not to receive an accusation against an elder. The word accusation means "to speak against". If someone is speaking against an elder, then two or three witnesses should be called to hear the accusation. This would solve many problems in the church. 

Rebuke not an elder. The word rebuke means "to strike at". The disciple is admonished to treat him as a father, and not strike back at him. 

The disciples are to afford double honor to the elders who rule well, who labor in the Word and doctrine. They are to be respected and honored, not deified or revered. Jesus spoke, 

The disciple is not above his master. The word master means "teacher". A disciple who thinks he is better than his teacher will not learn very much. A teacher not only teaches from a text book, but his life is to be a teacher also. We must be assured that God is stricter with the elders than He is with the disciples. Luke recorded Jesus' words, 

The word perfect means "mature". The mature shall be as the teacher. Why is the teacher necessary in the assembly? He is there to teach and mature the disciples. He is God's gift to the church. The writer of Hebrews also gave instructions to the disciples, 

The word remember means "to be mindful of". The disciples need to be mindful of those who have spoken the Word of God. The word conversation means "way of life". Not only is the disciple to receive the Word, but he or she is to follow their teacher's walk of faith as they are ensamples to the flock. 

The disciple is to obey and submit to the eldership, for they watch for their souls. God ordained the eldership, His shoulder, to minister, feed, admonish, correct, teach and love His flock; His Body. 

There are only three members in the church: leaders (elders), laborers (deacons) and learners (disciples). When these three come into God's order, God will again release His power, authority and blessings upon the church. As long as man insists on doing it his way, Christ can never become the head of the church. 

Until the local church comes into order, and ceases to be two-headed, it will remain full of spots and wrinkles. God's power and authority will never be released upon this disorder. In this condition, God's people will remain a weak, overcome people, instead of becoming the strong overcoming church that God ordained on the day of Pentecost. God will judge those who refuse to hear what the Spirit is saying unto the church in this hour. God is looking for a Body of believers who will come into His order so that He may place His head upon His Body, and take it into the courts of His presence. Then there will be Order in His Court". 

QUESTIONS 

CHAPTER 9 

1. Why did God give apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers? 
2. What fundamental principle is lacking in today's churches' attempt to bring about the unity of the faith? 
3. Does it matter how many elders a church has? Why? 
4. Explain the erroneous concept of the two-headed church. 
5. What order did God ordain to select a pastor? 
6. In God's true church who runs the meetings? 
7. What is the job of the Elders? 
8. What is the job of the Deacons? 
9. One of the most important attributes in leadership is a _______________ _______________ ___ _______ ______________ __________________. 
10. Explain the training aspect of a Deacon. 
11. What is the responsibility of the Elders to the Deacons? 
12. A relationship with God demands ________________. 
13. Name and explain attributes of a Disciple. 
14. What will happen when Elders, Deacons and Disciples come into God's order? 

Chapter TEN CHRIST - THE HEAD OF OUR RELATIONSHIPS  

The Psalmist appeals to our God to look upon the face of His anointed ones, the Christ-ones, in the earth; those who have put off the old, Adamic nature, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, *** Ephesians 4:22; those who have put on the new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness, *** Colossians 3:10. It is the new man who will enter into the courts of God's presence. No flesh will enter in. Paul wrote, "That no flesh should glory in His presence." *** I Corinthians 1:29 

Those who are His true anointed ones will enter in. The Psalmist wrote, "A day in Thy courts is better than a thousand." The Psalmist caught a glimpse of the permanent dwelling place of God. He declared he would rather be a doorkeeper in the courts of His presence for one day, than to live one thousand years in the tents of wickedness. When he spoke of the tents of wickedness, he was referring to this tabernacle of flesh we reside in during our temporary, fleshly existence. His desire was not to have the place at the head of the table. He would accept the lowest position of doorkeeper in His court, just to be in His presence. 

If we could only have that same glimpse of the presence of God, we would no longer desire to dwell in these tents of wickedness. If we would grasp the vision of His kingdom which He is instilling in each of His anointed ones, we would truly press on to the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. His kingdom is growing every day in the recesses of our being without outward observation. We are coming to the place where we are no longer desiring the things of this temporal life, but we are desiring the fullness of the revelation of God in our lives, to know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto His death. *** Philippians 3:10 

In the book of proverbs we are informed, 

The word vision means "revelation". God has given us many visions and revelations in His Word. The people are perishing, spiritually speaking, because they do not seek God's revelation found in His Word. 

God's whole Word speaks of order. He gives us direct revelation as to His established order in our relationship to each other. The vision or revelation of the one body concept of the Body of Christ is totally foreign to the church system today. The only hope most of the church has is dying and going to heaven; and "when we all get to heaven what a glorious day that will be. Then God will make us all one, and we will live happily ever after." Sounds like a fairy tale? It is. But this is the only hope for a great percentage of those who are called Christians. 

When talking about fellowshipping with one another, here and now, we are told we cannot do that because they are this or that denomination; or, they believe this, or don't believe that. Therefore, fellowship is out of the question. But what is the vision, the revelation that God has put in His Word concerning His desired order for our relationship to each other? God spoke much through Paul concerning His Body which is called church. Paul informs us that we 

The question that needs to be asked is, "How many houses is our God building? Is He building one on every street corner, and one half-way down the block?" God is building one house. How is He building it? He is building it through the Spirit. God's house will be built upon the Apostles (New Testament) and the Prophets (Old Testament), Jesus Christ being the chief-corner stone. God's house is not being built upon man-made doctrines of do's and don'ts, or even the Apostles creed. God's house is being built on the entire Word of God, nothing lacking. And through the Spirit, this building will be fitly framed together. 

The words "fitly framed" mean "to be closely joined together". It groweth into an holy temple in the Lord. Paul further stated, 

The Body will be closely joined together, but also compacted. Compacted means "to knit together, to closely entwine with one another", where every joint supplieth; where every part of the Body is working, not just taking up space. Paul likened the Body of Christ to our personal body, 

As we begin to ponder what Paul is saying, and as we apply it to our own body, we must ask, "What part of our body can we do without?" Doctors sometimes tell us that this part or that part is not important or necessary. But the body is never the same when that part is removed. We know, then, that God did not create any spare parts when He created our body. The same is true of the Body of Christ. When God ordained His Body, He did not make any spare, unusable parts. God has a purpose for every part, so that every joint may supply to the Body for which it was created. Paul went on to say, 

The feeble parts of the Body are also necessary. We should not think that some parts of the Body are less honourable than other parts of the Body, or not necessary. Paul admonishes us, "Upon those parts we are to bestow more honour." God is beginning to temper His Body together. The word temper means "to blend or mix together". In the denominational system, it is taught that we must all be the same, think the same, act the same, believe the same, dress the same. They would make cookie- cutter Christians of all who enter their doors; all cut from the same mold. Paul concluded, 

The word particular means "several parts". All parts of the natural body do not look alike, nor do they have the same function. This was what Paul was trying to proclaim, that the Body of Christ is made up of comely parts and uncomely parts, parts that are seen and parts that are not seen, parts that can speak, parts that can hear, parts that can see and perceive. The Body needs every part so that the Body is not lacking in anything, or any ministry. Paul said, "...Every part maketh increase of the Body unto the edifying of itself in love," *** Ephesians 4:16. That little four letter word, love, is the key to the Body of Christ. Without love, there will never be a Body of Christ. This is how the Body edifies (builds itself up); love. Paul wrote, 

The members of the Body of Christ should have the same care one for another; not every group in the Body only caring for itself. If we are to come into God's order, we must have Christ as the head of our relationships to each other. When the Holy Spirit inspired the Apostles to write the New Testament, they used the term "one another" many times. By using this term, they cut across all denominational lines and addressed each member of the Body directly. At the Last Supper, Jesus gave us, His Body, a commandment, 

Jesus gave us a new commandment. Many believe He gave the commandment that we are to love one another. But, for us to love one another was not a new commandment. John recorded that this commandment to love one another was established from the beginning, *** II John 6. The new commandment Jesus gave us was that we love one another as He has loved us. This was a new kind of love; a love that goes beyond the old "phileo", carnal, brotherly love. Phileo love was the only love they knew in the Old Testament. Jesus gave us a new kind of love, AGAPE love. We are to love with the agape, benevolent, manifested love of the Father. This is the greater love Jesus spoke of, 

Jesus said it is by our agape love for one another that the whole world will know we are His disciples, *** John 13:35. Today, we see more unity in the world than we do in those who are commanded by the Creator to love their brothers and sisters in Him. Paul wrote to the church at Rome, 

We are to be kindly affectionate one to another. Kindly affectionate means "to love tenderly" as we do our children, and our parents whom we honour. We are to prefer one another. The word prefer means "to set before". We are to give pre- eminence to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. We are to do this in honor. Honor means "to value". We should value our relationship to one another because of our relationship to the Father. And our relationships and fellowship should be based upon the common ground we have with our Father. 

We are to be likeminded. The word likeminded is ISOPSUCHOS. ISOS means "equal" and PSUCHE means "soul"; or those of equal souls; those who have the changed minds, who no longer mind earthly things, *** Philippians 3:18-19. God desires that we commune with those who are likeminded of the same persuasion. Paul admonished the Galatians, 

If we are to fulfill the law of Christ, we need to learn to bear one another's burdens. This does not mean, just to show up when there is work to be accomplished; although it is included in what Paul was conveying to the churches in Galatia. The deeper understanding of bearing one another's burdens is to be those true yokefellows in time of need, when a brother or sister is going through a difficulty; spiritually, mentally, physically, financially and when God is bringing them to a place of change. 

We need not to be as Job's friends, whose only answer to Job's problem was falsely accusing him of violating God's order and commandments. These showed Job no love. They condemned Job's condition instead of seeking godly wisdom in how they could edify and comfort Job in his time of trial. Many times when our brothers and sisters are facing trials, we are guilty of the same, instead of bearing one another's burdens. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, 

If we are to fulfill the Law of Christ, we must learn that all things we do must be done to edify the Body. Paul wrote to the Romans, 

We are not only to edify one another, we are to please and do good to our neighbors, and, 

God would have us live in peace. It is not possible at all times to live in peace with our neighbors, but we should endeavour and strive to do so. 

It seems the church takes great pleasure in biting and devouring one another. When a brother or sister falls, it seems to gratify many in the Body, as if their fall would raise them a little higher in the eyes of God. They become part of the mob that tears the fallen brother or sister to shreds. James wrote, 

Every word that proceeds out of our mouths should edify. If we bite and devour with our mouths, and we use our mouths for cursing, how can we, with the same mouth, bless God? As James stated, "These things ought not so to be." 

Paul wrote to the Ephesians, 

We are to forebear one another in love. The word forebear means "to bear with and to endure". We are to do this with lowliness, meekness and longsuffering. All three are fruit of the Spirit. We can only accomplish what God has intended in our walk in Him, by and through the Spirit of Grace. 

We are admonished to be kind to one another. The word kind means "serviceable, pleasant and gracious". These are godly traits that we are to show toward one another. We are to be tenderhearted toward one another. Tenderhearted means "compassionate, to show compassion, caring, forgiving one another" as God forgave us for Christ's sake. We are not to hold grudges. We are to forgive totally, nothing held in reserve. Along with forgiving comes forgetting and restoration. If we fail to forgive, forget and restore, then we are not forgiving as God forgave us; and we are still in our sin. Jesus stated, 

If we fail to forgive our brothers and sisters the sins they have committed against us, the Father will not forgive the sins that we have transgressed against Him. Paul wrote, 

We are to submit to one another. The word for submitting is HUPOTASSO and means "to rank under". We are to submit to one another in the fear of the Lord. God commanded us to submit. If we do not keep His commandments, we are children of disobedience, and will suffer God's wrath that comes upon the children of disobedience, *** Ephesians 2:2. Paul wrote to the Philippians, 

The word esteem means "to consider others better than yourselves". This certainly does not mean to think everybody better than yourself, so that you are just a nothing to be trampled under foot. But we are to show consideration to others when they are in our presence. We are to edify, to lift up, not considering ourselves to be better, or in a higher position in God, but submitting to one another in the fear of God. 

We are not to provoke to be provoking. Provoke means "to stimulate". We are to stimulate by edification and the ministry of uplifting. We are to stimulate one another to love, and do the works the Father has for us to accomplish, as every joint supplies their part to the Body. James added, 

The word grudge means to "murmur, to show disgust" when something good comes to a brother or sister, that you feel they do not deserve, and we express a feeling of dissatisfaction. In these cases, we are warned, "The judge standeth at the door." When we show contempt toward a fellow member of the Body because God has blessed them, or has raised them up, the judge is present to render judgment speedily in such matters. 

God has given us His Word that we may know what is expected of us. His Word teaches us how we are to act toward one another so that we may be accepted in the "beloved" and become part of the Body God is raising up in the earth. 

God gave the gifts of apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to bring us into the 

We are to grow up into that perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That perfect man Paul is speaking of is the Body of Christ. Paul did not say we were to grow up into perfect men, but man; one man, one Body, suitable for Christ to put His head upon. God has given us an image of that perfect man. James declared, 

We need to be doers of the Word, not hearers only. If we only hear the Word, we are as a natural (adamio) man who views himself in a mirror. He may not like what he sees, but when he turns from the mirror, he forgets what kind of man he really is. And he goes his way, living in his world of fantasy, covered by the facade he has created to display before the world. But those who have looked into the perfect law of liberty, and continue to look into it, are those who, 

These are those who become doers of the Word. The Word is applied to every part of their lives. These become the doers of the work and receive the blessing from God in their lives. God knows our hearts. Paul spoke of the mirror in our lives, 

We are to desire to come into the image of the Father we see in the mirror. God's Word is the mirror He has set before us. As we behold the Father in the Word, we are to desire to change into that image. We must allow that image to be reflected back into our lives. If we allow this change in our lives, we will change from glory to glory. But if we remain behind a facade, we are only fooling ourselves. If we take our eyes off the Father we will forget what kind of man we are to become. What a tremendous need we have for change in our lives. Paul warns us, 

We are not to conform to this world. We are to conform to the order God has set in His Word. We are to strive to have a renewed mind. Our minds are to be sanctified and cleansed by the washing of water by the Word. *** Ephesians 5:26 

The purpose of the Word is to sanctify and cleanse us, to disclose unto us what is the good and acceptable will of God. Only the Word can change man back into the image of Christ. God did not conceal His Word from man. He wrote in simplistic terms so that His Word would be revealed to all who seek the truth through the Holy Spirit. Paul revealed to the Corinthians, 

The gospel of the kingdom is not hid to those who have spiritual eyes to look into the perfect law of liberty, and have the Father's reflected change in their lives. 

Jesus Christ came to earth that He might have a people; a people He could reconcile unto Himself. Most believe the Jews are God's chosen people. God did choose the Israelites which most people call Jews. The beloved John wrote, 

Jesus was totally rejected by His natural people. But God would raise up another people. Peter was given the keys to the kingdom by Jesus. He spoke of a people whom God would raise up in the earth that would become a chosen generation. A generation has a time limit. Most believe that time limit to be forty years, others say fifty, some even account seventy years as a generation. Whatever time a generation is accounted for, we know by Peter's words, 

This chosen generation of people will be God's royal priesthood. They will become His holy nation, Israel. They will be a peculiar people. The word peculiar is PERIPOIESIS and means "God's own possession, His purchased possession". This people will show forth praises unto Him. The Psalmist spoke of this generation of people, 

These people have been called out of the darkness of the worldly systems. These people have been called out of the darkness of the religious systems and the darkness of man's self-centeredness, into the Light of the glorious gospel of the truth of God's Word. 

Peter wrote that this was a new people. They did not exist in times past, but are new in the earth; these who were not the people of God, but are now becoming the people of God; the Spiritual Israel who have obtained mercy from God. These have become God's people because they have forsaken the old ways, and are walking in the way that Jesus walked. If we follow in His steps, they will lead to where He is, and that is on the right hand of the Father. 

Jesus' steps will lead us to the Last Supper where we must drink of His blood and partake of His body. His steps also require a trip through Gethsemane where we must lay down our will, that we may come into His perfect will. His steps lead us to Golgotha where our flesh, or our fleshly mind, must be crucified. This is the way into the courts of His presence. 

Paul wrote to the Romans, 

God is preparing those who will enter into His presence at this time. Now is the day of preparation, before His great feast, the Feast of Tabernacles. The trumpets are blowing and the angels are prepared to pour out the wrath upon all sin and ungodliness on this earth. 

We are admonished to "Watch and Pray", but even beyond that we are commanded to "Repent, for the kingdom of God is at hand!" Jesus gave commandment to John on the Isle of Patmos, 

The Spirit is speaking loudly unto His church today. 

REPENT !!! 

For without repentance God cannot have "Order in His Court". 

QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 10 
1. What characterizes God's "anointed ones?" 
2. What is the vision, the revelation that God has put in His Word concerning His desired order for our relationship with each other? Scripture? 
3. Describe the "house" that God is building. 
4. Are any parts of the Body of Christ more important than others? Explain. 
5. a. How does the Agape love Jesus taught differ from other forms of love? 
b. What importance does seeing Agape love in us have for the world around us? c. How do we express that Agape love to each other? Name several examples. 
6. All things we do must be done to ____________ ____________ ___________. 
7. God would have us live in ____________. 
8. Along with forgiving comes_____________ and ___________________. 
9. Why has God given us His Word? (Check the text) 
10. Explain the importance of being a "doer of the Word." 
11. Discuss the roles of natural and spiritual Israel. 
12. Where will following the steps of Jesus lead the committed Christian? 
Review the questions and outlined answers often allowing the Holy Spirit to ingrain them in your heart, helping you apply them in your life. 

APPENDIX A 
ANSWERS TO CHAPTER QUESTIONS 
CHAPTER 1 1. Thanksgiving and praise 
2. Those who have left the old, Adamic nature behind 
3. Order; disorder 
4. II Peter 3:8 
5. Body of Christ 
6. Within you 
7. a. Man's doctrines of do's and don't's = Legalism Confusion = Legalism The smoothing running of gears = Order 
b. i.e. Nadab and Abihu 
8. Romans 12:1; our bodies as a living sacrifice; holy, acceptable unto God 
9. A daily walk in God's established order based on kingdom principles 
10. That we become as Jesus in our walk 
CHAPTER 2 
1. A sacrificial life; Romans 12:1 
2. That He is our Head and all things must be of, by and through Him; John 15:5 
3. a. - Repentance from dead works - faith toward God - doctrines of baptisms - laying on of hands - resurrection of the dead - eternal judgment Hebrews 6:2-3 
b. Becoming stagnant in one place, unable to go ahead in God's order of growth 
4. All corners come together in Christ Jesus, the Capstone, which is the exact image we are to grow into; Matthew 21:42 
5. Becoming complete in Christ Jesus by putting Him as the Head in every area of our walk; Colossians 2:10 
6. a. Grow up into the head, Christ Jesus; Ephesians 4:15 
b. By and through God's Word 
7. His written Word 
8. By becoming skillful in the Word of God; Hebrews 5:13 
9. The servant will not inherit the promise; Genesis 15:2-4 
10. A vessel unto honour; II Timothy 2:20 
CHAPTER 3 
1. We will judge His house and keep His courts; Zechariah 3:7 
2. Understanding God's order for their lives 
3. a. 1 - God 2 - Christ 3 - Man 4 - Woman I Corinthians 11:3 
b. Woman to man, man to Christ, and Christ to God; I Corinthians 11:3 This is proper order of Headship. 
4. No! Christ is Jesus in all His glory as The Anointing", or Holy Spirit. 
5. Putting off the leprous, old man and putting on the new man, clothed with righteousness and true holiness; Ephesians 4:24 
6. The application of the blood is for forgiveness of sin. The further covering of oil is for the complete cleansing from all unrighteousness. 
7. The anointing is for the complete cleansing from all unrighteousness, sanctified, holy and without blame before God; Leviticus 14:15-17. 
8. The Anointing 
9. Finish the work of salvation 
10. Complete submission 
11. a. At the last trumpet; I Corinthians 15:52 
b. Purify ourselves; I John 3:3 
12. The In-Christed Ones; Galatians 3:29 
13. So are we Christs, the anointed of the Son. 
14. The anointed ones who have come into His image and have purified themselves even as He is pure; I John 3:2-3 
15. When we begin to allow the Spirit of the Father to bring us into His image, and begin to listen to His voice, and do as we see Him doing. 
CHAPTER 4 
1. To have true fellowship with man in His presence 
2. So God's power and authority can be released in man's life. If not, everything man does is in the flesh. 
3. Through our openness to freely worship and praise Him in all situations 
4. The first goat signifies Jesus and His sacrifice for sin. 
The second goat signifies all who have been cleansed from sin. 
5. Incense signifies our praise and worship before God. 
6. Nadab and Abihu's sacrifice was full of the flesh, emptied of all Spirit and Truth, and because of this God's consuming fire devoured them and they died before the Lord. 
7. Die Spiritually; our head is not covered 
8. The bottom up; instance of correcting children 
9. Submission is the willful act of one submitting. Bondage is being enslaved to another's will. 
10. Government, Home, Church 
11. Only those who willfully commit and submit to God will receive the power to act in any situation. 
12. (1) Christ, the Head must be unveiled in our lives. 
(2) We must come into total, willful submission to God in every area of our lives. 
(3) Then authority and power will be released in our lives. (Page 58) 
CHAPTER 5 
1. Long and faint 
2. On the earth; in our earth 
3. God created Adam, male and female, man and woman, as one flesh, not separate creations. One is not inferior to the other. Woman is the continuation of the same creation. 
4. It is in headship, through the kingdom principle of willing submission. 
5. She must have this covering of willing submission to be in proper order of headship. 
6. With no covering, she has no head, and because of this she cannot enter into God's presence. 
7. NO! 
8. a. Before marriage 
b. This applies equally to both partners 
9. The eldership in the assembly she attends 
10. She is to hold her husband in the highest degree of respect, being submitted unto him. 
11. When she willingly obeys God and her husband, and fulfills her godly duties to her husband; I Peter 3:1. 
12. Prayer 
13. NO! He disobeyed God's direct command to not partake of the mixed fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 
14. Put on the mind of Christ. 
CHAPTER 6 
1. Complete scripture 
2. Anointed Word 
3. God's chosen elect 
4. 1 - An example of one who was obedient to His Word 
2 - An example of one who was disobedient to His Word 
5. Righteousness or light can have no fellowship or agreement with unrighteousness or darkness; II Corinthians 6:14. Two can not walk together unless they agree; Amos 3:3. 
6. a. When we do whatsoever God commands, we become friends of God; but a servant differs nothing from a child who acts in childish disobedience 
b. When we become a friend of God all things Jesus hears from the Father, He will make known to us; John 15:15 
7. Man & wife must leave father and mother and become a new entity in the earth, so that the man may be established as the head of his own house 
8. He is to honour (to prefer with loving regard) his wife as unto the weaker vessel; I Peter 3:7 
9. He is to allow God to choose the right helpmate. 
10. Come to our Gethsemane experience; so that we willingly lay down our old life and put on the 
life of Christ; not my will, but thy will; Luke 22:42. 11. Only those petitions which ask God to change both to fulfill God's purpose in their marriage 
12. Headship 
13. Spiritual responsibility 
14. First, immorality which leads to the decline of the church, which leads to the decline of the nation 
15. In total alignment with God's Word 
CHAPTER 7 
1. Trees of righteousness; fruitful vines 
2. The strongest institution on earth 
3. a. 1 - Husband: protector, provider; the example of strength and authority 2 - Wife: one who lifts up her husband and becomes his glory for all to see; the example of love and mercy b. 1 - Husband: to be the example of strength and authority 2 - Wife: to be the example of love and mercy 
4. So they will look for these same traits when choosing a husband or wife. Those robbed of godly patterns choose partners without discretion and the children of this union suffer. 5. 1 - The husband and father must submit to his head, Christ, in all areas of his life. 2 - The wife and mother must be submitted to her head, her husband. 3 - The father and mother must come to total agreement on how to raise, discipline, and train God's heritage. 
6. One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; I Timothy 3:4. 
7. The father is to have his own children under his control, direction and guidance to teach them dignity, honesty and respect. 
8. Only when the husband is submitted to Christ, the wife is submitted to her husband, and the children are in subjection to the father and mother. 
9. Those children who order their parents around become rude, undisciplined, disrespectful children who will bring shame to the parents. 
10. a. Yes 
b. To correct the child using only the amount of pressure needed to effect the desired change. 
c. To only use the correct among of pressure to make the desired changes; always done in love, neither too hard or administered at the wrong time; when angry or frustrated, etc. 
11. Until they leave father and mother and cleave unto their own husband or wife and start a home. 12. Raising God's children. 
13. In private; if problems are presented in front of children their security is shattered and the children are forced to take sides. This causes division and destroys the unity of the home. 
14. a. To bring glory to the Father 
b. So they will not be a shame to the parents. 
15. Only when the family is in total order with Christ as the head of the husband, the husband the head of the wife and the children in subjection to the father and mother. 
CHAPTER 8 
1. 1 - Tabernacle = Our bodies are now a temporary dwelling place. 2 - House = When our bodies are changed, we will be a permanent house, a permanent dwelling place of God. 
2. Home; church 
3. One who is sent. 
4. 1 - on the throne of David; Jesus; Isaiah 9:6 2 - on the shoulders of the Body; Isaiah 9:7 
5. The Holy Spirit 
6. To be the shoulders of church government 
7. a. 1 - a man of honest report 2 - full of the Holy Ghost 3 - possessing Godly wisdom 
b. To do the labour in the ministry 
8. 1 - Leaders 2 - Labourers 3 - Learners 
9. a. A glorious church without spot or wrinkle, and blameless; Ephesians 5:27 
b. 1 - to preach the gospel to the poor 2 - to heal the brokenhearted 3 - to preach deliverance to the captives 4 - to recover sight to the blind 5 - to set at liberty them that are bruised 6 - to preach the acceptable year of the Lord 7 - to preach the day of vengeance of our God 8 - to comfort all that mourn; Luke 4:18-19 & Isaiah 61:1-2 
10. I Timothy 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9 
11. No. I Timothy 3:2 
12. A man desiring leadership in the church must first have a sincere desire to be in God's service and to become a servant to God's people. 
CHAPTER 9 
1. For the perfecting of the saints, to fully prepare and equip the saints for the work of the ministry; Ephesians 4:13. 
2. The office of apostle and prophet in many cases has been ignored and violated; Ephesians 4:11. 
3. Yes. There must be more than one, and as many as are needed to take care of the ministry. 
4. This situation occurs when a pastor has more authority than the combined eldership; or when the selected board has authority over the hired pastor. 
To correct this situation, Christ alone must be the head of the church with the combined leadership of the eldership carrying equal weight on their shoulders. 
5. The pastor is to be selected from the eldership. When selected, he does not become separated from the eldership, but functions as elder in church government, with no more say than any of the other elders. 
6. The one with the Father's heart who has the ministry of uplift to encourage and direct and does not possess an over-riding spirit; I Corinthians 4:15; I Peter 5:2-3. 
7. a - One who is a teacher b - feed the flock of God c - oversee the flock d - have a willing mind e - be an example of Christ to the flock f - lead the sheep beside the still waters of God's Word g - lead the flock in the paths of righteousness h - minister to God's flock in the Holy Spirit 
8. Cares for the physical labour in maintaining the church 
9. Servant's heart to serve God's people 
10. The deacon must first have a proven record of being willing to labour and learn as a servant. 
The deacon must desire to say as Jesus, "I want to minister, not be ministered to." 
He is also learning to submit to the authority of the eldership. 
11. The elders need to work diligently to prepare the deacons to exercise their gift so they are prepared when they are sent out from the church by the laying on of the elders' hands. 
12. Change 
13. A learner; those who accomplish, endeavor and learn to do. 
The disciple must desire to change. If there is no change, there is no God. If the disciple is self-willed and refuses to change, then God can never use that disciple. 
The disciple has a true heart to learn God's ways. 
The disciple does not receive an accusation against an elder. 
The disciple does not rebuke an elder. The word rebuke means "to strike at." The disciple is admonished to treat him as a father, and not strike back at him. 
The disciple affords double honor to the elders who rule well, who labor in the Word and doctrine. 
The disciple is not above his master. A true disciple, who thinks he is better than his teacher, will not learn very much. 
The disciple needs to be mindful of those who have spoken the Word of God to them. 
The disciple is to obey and submit to the eldership, for they watch for their souls. 
14. God will again release His power, authority and blessings upon the church. 
CHAPTER 10 
1. Those who have put off the old, Adam nature, the old man which is corrupt according to the deceitful lust, Ephesians 4:22. 
Those who have put on the new man which, after God, is created in righteousness and true holiness, Colossians 3:10. 
2. The vision of His kingdom which He is instilling in each of His anointed ones is: 
1 - His kingdom growing every day in the recesses of our being without outward observation; 
2 - coming to the place where we are no longer desiring the things of this temporal life; 
3 - desiring the fullness of the revelation of God in our lives; 4 - to know Him and the power of His resurrection 
3. A house built through the Spirit 
A house built upon the Apostles (New Testament) and the Prophets (Old Testament), Jesus Christ being the chief-corner stone. 
A house not built upon man-made doctrines of do's and don't's, or even the Apostles creed. 
A house built on the entire Word of God, nothing lacking. A house fitly framed together in love. 
4. God has a purpose for every part of the Body, so that every joint may supply to the Body that which it was created for. The Body needs every part so that the Body is not lacking in anything, or any ministry. 
5. a. Phileo love is but carnal, brotherly love; but agape love is the manifested, benevolent love of God 
b. Only by God's manifested love through us, will the world know we are Jesus' disciples. 
c. Romans 12:10 & 18 Romans 15:2 & 5 I Corinthians 14:26 Philippians 2:3 Galatians 5:15 Galatians 6:2 Ephesians 4:2 & 32 Hebrews 10:4 James 5:9 
6. Edify the Body; I Corinthians 14:26 
7. Peace; Romans 12:18 
8. Forgetting; restoration 
9. a - To sanctify and cleanse us b - To disclose God's good and acceptable will in our lives c - It alone can make the needed changes to conform us to His image 
10. When we "become the Word" by applying it to our daily lives we have allowed God to change us into His likeness. 
11. Natural Israel are those who have totally rejected Jesus. 
But Spiritual Israel are those who have come through Jesus' shed blood for their forgiveness, which includes those natural Israelites who accept the Messiah. 
These, the whole house of Israel, will become one in Spiritual Israel, God's chosen one's throughout all generations; I Peter 9-10; Psalm 102:18. 
12. 1 - To Our Last Supper - where we must drink of His blood and partake of His body. 
2 - To Our Gethsemane - where we must lay down our will to His will. 
3 - To Our Golgotha - where our fleshly minds must be crucified. 

APPENDIX - B 
FOR FURTHER DISCUSSION 

CHAPTER 1 
* Entering a Special Place * Order, Disorder, or No Order? * The Body and the Third Day * Legalism vs. Order * Ensample of Order in the Tabernacle of Moses * Entering Into Kingdom Living 

CHAPTER 2 
* Kingdom Principle: God as Head in every area of our lives * Moving on in God * Christ Jesus, the Capstone * Becoming the Word * Heir or Servant * Vessels of honour or dishonour 

CHAPTER 3 
* God's order in every area of our lives * Order of Headship - God, Christ, Man, Woman * The Blood and The Oil Applied * Christ, The Anointed; Christ, The Anointing; and His Christs, the anointed ones 

CHAPTER 4 
* Kingdom principle: Unveiling of the Head * Meeting at the mercy seat * The strange fire of Nadab & Abihu * Kingdom principle: Submission * The key to have power to do miracles 

CHAPTER 5 
* Kingdom Principle: Change the Inner Man * Kingdom Principle: Wife's Willing Submission Headship Covering Disobedience Willing Submission Exceptions Unequally Yoked Together Godly Reverence The Husband's Responsibility 

CHAPTER 6 
* Kingdom Principle: Not my will, but thy will * A New Entity in the Earth Separation from father and mother Rebekah's Obedience Jacob's Disobedience Rachel's Disobedience * The Husband's Responsibility * Spiritual Responsibility in the Bedroom * Responsibility to Each Other's Needs 

CHAPTER 7 
* The Beautiful Trees of Righteousness * The Godly Parent's Example * Establishing God's Order in the Home * Children, God's Heritage Mighty Arrows Submission to the Father The Rod of Correction Fathers Provoke Not Grandparent's Responsibilities * Christ the Head of Every Room of the Home 

CHAPTER 8 
* Proper Order in the Church Shoulders of Leadership The Apostle The Elders The Deacons 

CHAPTER 9 
* Plurality of Leadership * The Two-Headed Church * The Hireling System * The Leaders Responsibilities * The Labourers Responsibilities * The Learners Responsibilities 

CHAPTER 10 
* The Body Fitly Framed Together in Love * The Importance of the Applied Word * Spiritual Israel, God's Chosen Generation * Our Final Steps 

Vital Words to the Body of Christ 
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