Friday – August 26, 2016
Friday again, for many it is the long awaited weekend and a time to catch up around the house and or kick back and get some needed rest and perhaps put ourselves into a position to receive of the Lord. Fridays is when I remind people to pray for the Church, body of the Anointing, in the United States and in recent weeks for the Church in Canada as well. The church building pictured to old, dilapidated, and abandoned near collapse. This is a physical picture of the spiritual condition of the Church. For the most part the organized Church of today is not the Church Jesus talked about with Peter and His disciples. The modern Church is in large part the Pharisaical Church of Jesus’ day. That is not to say that there are not true worships and true members of the Church Jesus spoke of, however in large measure they are not in the organized Church they are disenfranchised. Perhaps you recall the account of Elisha when he thought he alone was worshiping God.
1 Kings 19:14 (KJV)
14 And he said, I have been very jealous for the LORD God of hosts: because the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away.
When Elisha tells God he is the only one left this is the Lords reply.
1 Kings 19:18 (KJV)
18 Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.
This is my experience as well. Just when I think the Church (not necessarily those gathering in a building) is totally corrupt the Lord brings someone across my path that is walking in the light and seeking after more light. Sometimes I think they are as surprised to come across someone as I am and as I suspect Elisha was surprised.
Ephesians 1:3-4 (KJV)
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
Now we will move back to our study of the Book of Ephesians centering up on Ephesians 1:4. On Wednesday we talked about the phrase: “According as he hath chosen us in him”. We have all been chosen to be in Him (Jesus the Redeemer), and this determination was made “before the foundation of the world”. The word ‘world’ is different and not interchangeable with the word ‘earth’ in Scripture. The world is the orderly arrangement, decoration; by implication the inhabitants, the adorning of the earth. (Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary) The earth is the physical globe upon which the world is arranged.
What is this phrase “before the foundation” referring to? A foundation is the basis, substance, underpinning, footing, grounds, or organization which supports. In this case the subject is the world. In the beginning ‘Wisdom’ (God) established seven pillars which was the organization for the society (people) which would spring from Adam and Eve.
Proverbs 9:1 (KJV)
1 Wisdom hath builded her house, she hath hewn out her seven pillars:
Of course since sin (Genesis 3:6) these righteous pillars given of God have been perverted by the original pervert himself, Satan. Much like a Mom and Dad may choose to have a child or children first then they put in place the foundation for that child’s world, like a bedroom, college fund, and so on so did God decide to have a family and then provided for that family no matter what happened including His own redeeming payment.
By Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
