Another Coffee Break:
A New Onoma, Part 6
March 1, 2013
Good Morning!
It was just 21 years ago this month
that Holy Spirit downloaded into us a vivid prophetic picture of the calling of
the Bride into the secret place (see Song of Solomon 2:13-14). In the midst of a time of spontaneous
prophetic worship we heard and played (and recorded) music which we later
compiled into a recording titled The Secret Place.
This past Sunday, in the midst of
our worship gathering, as we were experiencing a very intimate time of worship,
I heard the Lord speak the following Word to me as clearly as I've ever heard
Him:
"In this past season, I've been
calling the Bride to come away with Me, to spend intimate time with Me in our
secret place, to get to know Me, My character, My makeup, My way of thinking
and acting. It has been a productive
period for the Bride. The time of trial
and testing, the pressures, the weeding-out of all performance-based thinking
and the fires of purification have accomplished exactly what I've purposed and
intended.
"Now the time has come for Me
to reveal My Glory in My Bride, and to show the world what I've accomplished in
this company of chosen, called-out and responsive people. It's time for the so-called "church"
to see the difference between religion and relationship. It's time for the world to see the reality of
Who I AM in my people, and who they are in Me!
"The harvest begins!"
This really is what I've been
focusing on in this series on The New Onoma.
My objective in sharing these pictures is to show you exactly what the
Bride of Christ has been being transformed into -- metamorphosed, if you please
-- so that the very character, the nature, the personality, the true authority
and power of the Lord Jesus Christ -- AS HE HAS WORKED HIMSELF IN US --
can be put on display in sharp contrast to the spirit of antichrist.
I've said this in the past, but I'll
repeat it again. The spirit of
antichrist is not simply some individual (or individuals) setting up in direct
opposition and rebellion to the Lord Jesus Christ. The spirit of antichrist is a false,
deceptive, counterfeit which presents itself as truth.
This spirit invaded the body of
Christ during the first century, and has been alive and well in many forms,
just as John testified in his first general epistle (see I John 2:18). It preaches a watered-down "gospel"
which denies the very character and personality of the Lord Jesus Christ and
subverts the Bridegroom's purpose to have a Bride in His image and likeness
alive and well in the earth.
That said, let's get right back into
our discussion as we resume our look at the Seven Spirits of God -- those same
Seven Spirits which are part and parcel of His character and makeup.
We
finished up our last Coffee Break by stating that, in the realm of the Soul,
there is a fear which attacks relationships, and it is described in Scripture
as The Fear of Man. This fear is the
greatest hindrance to genuine fellowship, and it -- perhaps more than any other
spirit of fear -- impedes the growth of believers by interfering with the
development of trust. The greatly needed
capacity to expose our weaknesses without fear or intimidation is one of the
primary purposes of the Paraklete during the preparation and processing which
occurs within Ekklesia.
The
Fear of Man attempts to subvert this work of the Holy Spirit. The Fear of Man is also responsible for
manipulation, for witchcraft, for pride and arrogance, for rebellion, and for a
host of activities designed to keep "man in control." All of the extremes (and I
emphasize this aspect) of the various so-called "rights" movements
(e.g., Women’s Rights, Racial Equality, the Labor Movement, etc., etc., etc.)
are born out of this fear.
Where
the Spirit is concerned, agape
is the only love which can function. It
is important to note that it is impossible to love with agape by an act of one's will or determination. It is a supernatural love empowered through
an intimate and extremely personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as worship can only occur at the level
of the spirit ("God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship
Him in spirit and in truth") in the place of
communion with the Lord, so also does agape
become functional in that place of communion.
By
contrast, phileo cannot
function within the realm of the spirit because it is not a spirit-based
love. As you will shortly see -- if in
fact you do not already see it -- Jesus' statement that, "By
this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have agape one
for another," signifies a
demonstrable and visible proof of that intimate love-relationship with
Him. Because agape is the very substance of His onoma, our living and operating in agape becomes the most living and tangible witness that we
are One with Him.
The
Fear of Evil is a master spirit which functions at the level of our
spirit-existence. It is the dominant
force behind religion, and the spirit which works hand in glove with The Fear
of Man to keep the structured church system with its organizations, titles and
offices intact. It was and is the power
of Babylon.
The
Fear of Evil is the father of the Spirit of Rejection. It is the spirit which turns men and women
into cowards. It is the spirit which --
more than any other -- intimidates God's people and keeps them from asserting
the authority given through the onoma of Jesus Christ
to dethrone the "rulers of the darkness of this world."
Consider
again, therefore, John's statement that, "Perfect agape casts
out all fear."
Agape is THE authority
over The Fear of Death, The Fear of Man, and The Fear of Evil. When agape
truly functions as the essence of our onoma,
there is no fear which can remain and/or stand before it. This being the case, you can easily
understand why the Bride -- when free from fear -- becomes such a deadly threat
to the dominions of Satan.
Because
agape was and is the makeup and character of
Jesus Christ, He could without
hesitation say, "The prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in
me." (John 14:30
KJV) It wasn't a boast! It was a simple testimony of His existence --
His onoma.
So
far, we've covered the first four of the Seven Spirits of God. (In the last Coffee Break, I mistakenly
referred to the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord as the third of
the seven spirits instead of being the fourth, a common mistake made by many
because of viewing just those Spirits of God mentioned in Isaiah 11.)
Before
we take up the fifth of the Seven Spirits, let's review the overall picture
once again:
1. The Spirit
of Judgment and Burning (Isaiah 4:4)
2. The Spirit
of Wisdom and Understanding (Isaiah 11:2)
3. The Spirit
of Counsel and Might (Isaiah 11:2)
-- referred to by the apostle Paul as: The Spirit of Power
4. The Spirit
of Knowledge and of The Fear of the Lord (Isaiah
11:2) also referred to by Paul as: The
Spirit of a Sound Mind
5. The Spirit
of Grace and Supplications (Zechariah 12:10)
6. The Spirit
of Truth (see John 15:26)
7. The Spirit of Glory (see I Peter 4:14)
As
noted, the fifth of the Seven Spirits is that of which Zechariah prophesies:
the Spirit of Grace and Supplications.
When
Zechariah prophesied concerning the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, he
said, "And I will pour upon
the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace
and Supplications: and they shall look upon me......." (Zechariah 12:10
KJV)
The
Hebrew word, chen, (pronounced,
khane) which is derived from chanan, is
both "grace," and "supplications." It represents: grace,
graciousness, to have mercy upon, to make entreaty or supplication on behalf of.
It
is easy to see this facet of the onoma
of Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 7:25 we
read, "Wherefore He is able to
save, heal, deliver, and make whole all those who approach unto God through and
by Him, always living to intercede for them."
To
this we add Paul's statement (Ephesians 2:8), "For by grace you
are saved, healed, delivered and made whole through faith; and this is not of
yourselves; it is the gift of God." (my translations)
This
is perhaps the best known aspect of agape. It is also one of the most preached
aspects of Jesus' character and makeup.
Were it not for His grace, none of us would be having this discussion. We generally think of grace as
"unmerited favor." To some
extent this is true, although grace goes far beyond the simple extension of His
favor to an unworthy people.
The
Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work even before the foundations of
the earth were set in place. The Bridegroom well knew that the large majority
of the human race, though given the opportunity to choose and enter into an
intimate relationship with Him, would for the most part reject His wooing and
beckoning.
Yet
He prepared a plan which would execute His grace to provide an opportunity for
their deliverance from the Serpent. The
Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work even before Adam and Eve exited
the Garden, preparing the path, and setting in place the necessary foundations
for the redemption of their seed.
Grace
is something which is not integral to unregenerate human nature. In fact, as you look at the human race today,
grace is an absolute rarity. It is the
polar opposite of the “me-first” mentality that pervades society. In the work-a-day business world of this
generation, grace is stomped under foot as a sign of weakness, and a mark of
timidity, and viewed as a plague to those who consider “the bottom line” as the
epitome of success.
With
the ups and downs of the world’s — and particularly our nation’s — economies,
grace is the supposed antithesis of prosperity.
Corporations rise and fall at the whim of officers who fear the loss of
their positions and credibility in the business world should they fail to act
decisively in firing hundreds or thousands (and even tens of thousands) of
employees at the first sign of downturn.
Often, with scarcely a moment’s notice, families find themselves
ruthlessly cast adrift financially.
Decisions are made by deal-makers lacking in ethics, consumed by their
own self-importance and greed.
The
presence of grace, therefore, in the character and makeup of God’s people is
one of the marks that sets them apart from a people and society under the
domination of the Beast.
Supplication
is the “flip side” to the Spirit of Grace. It is putting feet to grace. Grace, in and of itself, is passive. Supplication makes it a force to be reckoned
with. Supplication makes grace a
functioning reality.
Let
me explain.
The
Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 7:25 (we assume him to be the writer), “Wherefore
he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing
he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Ezekiel
uttered the cry of the Lord when he said, “And I sought for a man among
them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the
land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”
Intercession
is integral to supplication. Grace
impels the Lord to intercede on behalf of those who come before the
Father. Sin causes people to be unworthy
to stand before the Father or to bring their requests. Grace bridges the gap. Grace takes the unworthy individual and makes
them righteous before the Lord. Jesus
Christ, therefore, substitutes His righteousness by grace for the
unrighteousness of the unworthy individual.
Originally
intended to be God’s people in the earth, representative of Him, His nature,
and personal relationship, Israel was supposed to demonstrate the righteousness
and mercy of the Lord God to the world, as well as His intention to redeem
mankind. When the nation fell into
adultery by chasing after false gods, and was contaminated with and compromised
by the spirits of the seven nations they were commanded to drive out of the
land of promise, during a period of some nine centuries the Lord raised up
leaders and intercessors who cried out on Israel’s behalf. That supplication and intercession resulted
in bondage being broken and some modicum of relationship restored between
Israel and God.
Ezekiel
prophesied during Israel’s final captivity.
As he saw and heard the heart of a weeping Bridegroom seeking after his
wayward Bride, he cried out “I sought for a man among them, that
should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I
should not destroy it: but I found none.”
Even
in the days of the Mosaic Law, with all of its rigidity and penalties, the
heart of the Lord was inclined towards grace on behalf of a people worthy of
death under the Law. Though Israel was
suffering the consequences of her sin, her adultery, her compromise, the Lord
still sought for someone who would intercede with Him so that He could once
again in grace, take away the penalty.
Hence, Ezekiel’s heart-cry, “I found none.”
That
said, it is important that we remember
The Spirit of Grace and Supplications works toward the fulfillment of
the Plan of the Godhead, ordained, orchestrated, and set in motion before time
began. There is nothing sloppy about the
mercy of His grace. It is precise, and
yet encompassing. Everything which
unfolds in the development of our lives and our relationship with Jesus Christ
has been planned and ordained so that He can receive His purchased inheritance
-- a Bride who in every respect fulfills His onoma. The Spirit of Grace and Supplications MUST,
therefore, be a unified part of our onoma.
Once
again, we're running long, and I'm not quite finished with this
discussion. We'll resume next week.
Blessings
on you!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
CAPENER MINISTRIES
709 South 7thStreet
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
Sunnyside, Washington 98944
(509) 515-0133
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