We bring God’s presence to real life in every realm of society on every level of community.
Job 29:3-6 When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; 4 As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent; 5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; 6 When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil! NAS
God really is doing something so remarkable in this season of the church. If we’re not careful we can easily miss it.
People are sensing the Father’s invitation to go deeper. As God’s people, I want to challenge you to know that appetite will take you in just like apathy will keep you out.
So many people experiencing such an intimate invitation to experience a deep presence in their quiet time. If you don’t spend time alone with God, you aren’t responding to God’s invitation. We can miss it if we don’t pay attention. The Jews missed it when God was doing something amazing!
The Sunday before Passover in 32 AD on April 6th King Jesus made his Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem riding a donkey on Palm Sunday. Crowds greeted him waving palm branches shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” honoring him as their long-awaited Messiah and King.
The fact that Jesus was appearing the Sunday before Passover is significant. This was the very day that the Jews were to choose their unblemished Passover lambs to prepare to celebrate The Passover. Passover is the celebration of when God delivered the people from the bondage of Egypt. Many times, we’ve looked at the parallel of coming out of Egypt speaking of salvation from the world’s system that we celebrate today. On that Palm Sunday in 32 AD it was as if God was presenting His Passover Lamb to the world to deliver all people from the bondage of the world’s system of sin.
This was an amazing fulfillment of prophecy. But there is an incredibly measurable prediction about this day we find in Scripture.
Daniel 9:24-25 reveals a prophecy that specifically states that one day there would be a command given to rebuild Jerusalem. Upon the giving of that command the prophecy states that it would be 483 years until the Anointed One appears, speaking of Jesus the Messiah. Note that according to Noah’s account there were 360 days in a year and the Jews referenced this as a sacred year. 483 sacred years totals 173,880 days.
We see a mysterious equation being revealed in Scripture here that can produce great confidence in the authenticity of Scripture and of Christ as The Messiah. If we can determine when that command was given and then add 173,880 days to that date, we can look to examine if anything significantly related to the Messiah happened on that day.
We can very specifically and precisely determine the date this command was given because we read about this in Ezra 7:12-13. This command was given by Artaxerxes on March 14th 445BC. Moving forward on the calendar for 173,880 days from this date you land on April 6th, 32AD, Palm Sunday, the very day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey with a mass celebration that The Messiah had come. This substantiates great respect and credibility for God’s Word and for Jesus Christ.
Many celebrated Jesus as the Messiah who had come in that remarkable moment. However, many completely missed what God was doing. God not only wants us to be aware of what He is doing, He wants it to mark our lives!
Psalms 24:7-9 So wake up, you living gateways! Lift up your heads, you ageless doors of destiny! Welcome the King of Glory, for he is about to come through you. 8 You ask, “Who is this Glory-King?” The Lord, armed and ready for battle, the Mighty One, invincible in every way! 9 So wake up, you living gateways, and rejoice! Fling wide, you ageless doors of destiny! Here he comes; the King of Glory is ready to come in. TPT
We bring God’s presence to real life in every realm of society and on every level of community.
In the Old Testament we see how Aaron was anointed with oil running down his beard. The word “anoint” gives the idea of smearing with oil and leaving a mark of that oil where you were anointed.
Job 29:3-6 When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; 4 As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent; 5 When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; 6 When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil! NAS
We are marked by God’s anointing. Our steps release something of heaven in earth. Our society isn’t going to be changed because of polished church services that have mastered excellence in our experiences. Our society will be changed when we truly surrender to the Master who awakens love in our lives and heaven in our hearts as we become avenues for God’s Kingdom to invade every sphere of influence on society. Our steps are ordained by God to release God’s blessing in the earth! Job speaks of this idea of carrying the anointing of God so powerfully that we leave the mark of God’s presence, God’s blessing and God’s love as we walk through this world.
We are the gates through which the King of glory enters into our world. Stop waiting for a move of God and be the move of God to the world around you.
Psalms 24:7 So wake up, you living gateways! Lift up your heads, you ageless doors of destiny! Welcome the King of Glory, for he is about to come through you. TPT
Promotion doesn’t come from the North, South, East or West. Promotion and position comes from God. God has strategically placed you in the lives of people around you. If he can bring a specific prophecy to pass over the course of 173,880 days what all could God have prepared for you to enter into in your everyday life?
Learning to walk in a place of deep fellowship with God and sincere consideration for others makes a mark that draws attention to Jesus.
Mark Curtis comes from a pretty complicated past. Recently a co-worker of his named Ryan shared Mark’s influence in his life. “When Mark started work, I just thought he was tough rough neck taking a job that allowed him to be home for his kids and wife which happened to be about the time my family fell apart. My wife left, with our daughter. I was in a dark place. Mark reached out and we started talking but I was still focusing on all the bad in my life. Then he invited me to his baptism at Destiny. I wanted to be supportive, so I went. Little did I know that was the beginning of my journey with Jesus. I started to come to church every Sunday, If I’m not there I’m online. In the past year I’ve seen how our faith has changed my life. Till this day I still can’t believe that a rough neck who came from a completely different life than mine showed me the light of Jesus. Thank you, Mark. You have no idea how much you’ve changed my life. I will forever be grateful. Bless you and your family.”
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Practice listening and praying this week just prior to going into conversations or meetings. Pay attention to what God may be revealing in those moments.
OPEN THE GATES: MARKED BY HIS PRESENCE
DISCUSSION GUIDE
Click here for a downloadable pdf file of this guide.
Psalm 24:7 Lift up your heads, O gates, And be lifted up, O ancient doors, That the King of glory may come in! (NAS)
We are the gates through which the King of glory enters into our world. During this season we are learning how we don’t wait for a move of God. We are the move of God to the world around us.
We bring God’s presence to real life in every realm of society and on every level of community.
God’s plan is for us to hear his voice together as a family. This is why we start each group with the first question:
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
1. Where are you reading in your Bible and what are you sensing from God?
God is doing something truly remarkable right now. April 6th, 32AD was Palm Sunday when Jesus rode into Jerusalem fulfilling an amazing prophecy. Daniel 9 predicts the command would be given to rebuild the Temple and 483 years later the Messiah would appear. We read in Ezra 7 where this command was given on March 14th, 445BC. Exactly 483 years later, to the day, Jesus shows up on April 6th, 32AD. Many celebrated Jesus in that remarkable moment. However, many despised and rejected him as well.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
2. How could so many of God’s people have missed what God was doing so clearly in that moment?
Learning to pay attention to what God is revealing requires practice. Prayer is a great place to practice the promptings of the Holy Spirit.
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
3. Share a time when you felt like God was speaking to you in your life.
The Bible speaks of how our steps are “bathed in butter” referencing how we are designed to leave a trail of God’s anointing everywhere we go when we walk in friendship with God.
Job 29:3-6 When His lamp shone over my head, And by His light I walked through darkness; As I was in the prime of my days, When the friendship of God was over my tent; When the Almighty was yet with me, And my children were around me; When my steps were bathed in butter, And the rock poured out for me streams of oil! NAS
Carrying God’s presence into every circumstance and situation we walk into is simply part of God’s plan. We are marked by God’s presence. Learning to cooperate with God’s presence as a way of life has amazing transforming power. Isaiah 61 reveals how God pours out His Spirit and awakens broken people to become His people using their restored lives as the force of restoration in the earth.
Isaiah 61:1-3 The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, Because the Lord has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those who are bound; To proclaim the acceptable your of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God; To comfort all who mourn, To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified. NKJV
Realize the “Outpouring of the Holy Spirit” is always an outpouring not a downpouring. The outpouring flows out from sons and daughters of God. We are God’s ancient wells springing up from within the earth as we are awakened to the purposes of God. We are the gates through which Jesus enters into the earth!
DISCUSSION QUESTION:
4. Share a time when you were able to use a struggle from your own life to help someone else who was walking through something similar.
We Bring GP2RL Action Point:
Practice listening and praying this week just prior to going into conversations or meetings. Pay attention to what God may be revealing in those moments.