worship and the new priestly order 

BY ISAIAH-PHILLIPS AKINTOLA

PART ONE

WHERE WORSHIP BEGINS AND ENDS

In the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; It will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it. (Isaiah2:2)

This prophetic declaration by Isaiah has almost become the super theme scripture for those who now claim to be custodians of the current apostolic reformation message, and this is fine if the footing and template of what we are initiating is firmly established on the holistic revelation of Christ who is the faithful high priest of our profession.

My challenge however, is the inconsistent character attitude of those sounding this so-called apostolic trumpet. The establishment of the mountain of the lord’s temple has to mean more than some rhetorical skill we have mastered to prove a point in our insecurity and competitive lifestyle to one another.

YOUR WORSHIP EXPOSE YOUR POSITION

The sad reality today is the fact that many leaders and their followers alike have rigorously sought to master and perfect the art of ‘speaking’ the language of the current transitional demand of the Spirit without being known or sent by the lord. This act of hypocrisy has continued to pollute and distort the clear expression of the voice of the Lord, especially among young and immature seekers of the way.

However, the father has not left the saints vulnerable to this deadly gimmick playing out. Out of the many ways the Lord has chosen to test, prove, expose and approve our heart in the journey to the place of his mountain in Christ is through the ministry of pure worship. The central theme of the requirement of the lord from the days of the first man and his wife in the garden was to have a family of people born to be priest who will stand before him a perpetual lifestyle of worship.

THE FOOTING OF A TRUE APOSTOLIC TRANSITION IN WORSHIP

Let me be bold by saying that both the present footing and structure of what heaven is building and restoring in the earth through the Spirit of reformation is solidly established on a priesthood that has a continual standing before the face of the Lord like the cherubim. The cherubim ministry captures and perfectly express to us the type of corporate priestly kingdom life and service the Father is yarning to manifest for among those who have been harvested out of the rigorous outer court church religious activity we see in practice.

as we continue to critically examine many of the things that is being said and tag to be the true article of the current apostolic demand, one cannot but to see the extreme contradictions and inconsistency. One of these inconsistency is found and expressed in the ministry of worship.

The fact that a person or group of individuals can precisely articulate what heaven is saying for a season does not mean they have an authentic priestly standing before the father. Secondly, many I have seen proclaiming this ‘mixed wine message’ they call the apostolic are yet to change the structural atmospheric order of both their life and that of their house of expression. While they seem to be saying all the right things, their values and lifestyle preference betrays their message.

 Being able to build a church or any ministry initiative for that matter, does not mean we have the father’s approval to represent his priesthood and speakings in the earth. It is highly critical that we corporately and individually examine the very footing and motive that stirs our heart to respond to the demand of the lord especially in this end of days.

 There are very successful business plan and principles that if properly apply in gathering people, or in the construction of a project will certainly succeed according to human standard. And the truth is, many in the body of Christ have resulted to using this humanist philosophy and ideology to build and run what they today define to be an apostolic community. The house of the lord is not a business center and should not be run as one.

No wonder that those who try to run the church of the lord as a business model, have incurred the wrath of the father by turning their initiative into the ground for rebellion, division, confusion and frustration. Countless numbers of individuals attend these churches, give their best, but they still cannot find peace, joy, direction of heaven for their lives. It’s like the more the give of their hard earned money as offerings and tithes, the more they go bankrupt.

Lust, pride and all forms of iniquities are found within the walls of those gathering places they call church. This are powerful prophetic signal of heavens judgement over this places people are meant to believe are worship center. Indeed, they are worship center but certainly not the worship of Jehovah. I must resound it again as heavens voice to earth, that the church of the lord cannot be built by using seemly successful humanist managerial value standard.

THE CHURCH OF THE LORD IS NOT A BUSINESS CENTER

The church of the lord is a spiritual house that is lead and directed purely by the Holy Spirit through a purified, chosen and commissioned corporate eldership who function under the order of a Melchizedek priesthood. The priesthood that defines the administrative function of the house of God is one that is patterned after the similitude of heaven and not the earth. Whatever we claim the lord has assigned us to carry out cannot look like things of the earth. The father’s restoration plan is to bring everything into unity in Christ.

Meaning that whatever phase of the temple we may be representing at whatever given time, the posture and articulation of such priesthood should be sounding and resembling the blueprint of the heavenly pattern. There is nothing we are presently doing on earth today that does not have a heavenly replica. The tendency to want to use the things of this world to try to communicate the things of the Spirit though may initially sound wonderful, but it has always proven to corrupt the seed of truth especially in the pathway of those who truly desire to journey on the highway of heaven.

In the building of the Tower of Babel we see the deployment of the human standard resources at its best, and the injection of the soul life in the carrying out the project. building with bricks and mortars was not the pattern of heaven. in the divine pattern, we are instructed to use stones. stones already cut at the quarry site must fit into each other without friction.  The priests who minister before this massive, ‘mega tower temple church’ were determined to accomplish their desired end goal of reaching heaven on their own wisdom and strength and the father was already determined to destroy their ungodly effort.

If the lord has not spoken by coming down to see what the sons of men are building with their inherent soul power, they would certainly have reached their end goal, we would not have known that it is wrong to use such method. Therefore, the seemly success of a project or initiative does not mean they are approved before the lord. The end does not justify the means.

The fact that the lord came down and scattered and confused the communication language of the people back then immediately tells us that he is not in the business of approving such carnal, humanist wisdom method to accomplish his desired plan in the earth.

Secondly, the seemly ability to precisely define and use words like Greek, Hebrew or Latin lexicon effectively, certainly does not certify or qualify one as an authority within the community of the present third day spiritual emphasis. I strongly believe that the responsibility of establishing the mountain of the lord’s temple as the most elevated mountains in our day, lies on the character quality and function of a priesthood that will minister within the altar of this temple mountain.

We have perfected the act of precisely defining the ideals of this temple of the lord, some of us have gone as even describing what the temple will look like but alas, the purity lifestyle and worship system of the priesthood the father has ordained to minister before the altar of this temple coming down is still a mystery.

When we examine both the structural system and the spiritual administrative competency of most houses, you immediately see that something is wrong. The order of priesthood functioning within most of the community we term as church today does not reflect what we see in the scripture nor does it allow the Spirit of the lord, the liberty to move and direct things as he will and desire.

While in our corporate devotions, most especially in the Sunday gatherings, we seem to be vigorously engaged in the act and experience of corporate worship, yet, the configuration of our hearts and its agendas, seem to be suggesting something completely different from the lyrics and experience of the worship. So, I felt the lord will have me look into some of this issues in other to draw the church’s attention again to the more excellent path.

This article should not be seen or taken as a criticism to the current religious worship system, but rather as a challenge to prepare us to join the remnant generation heaven is calling to minister before this new temple coming down from the throne of grace.

CHRIST, THE PATTERN

Biblical concept of worship is define as both the (separation) consecration and devotion of one’s entire life system to the service of the Father and his kingdom. The life and service of our lord Jesus Christ mirrors to his church both past and present what it means to be a true worshipper. A careful study of the word of God from Genesis to revelation consistently reveals this universal theme of heavens intent for creation; the worship of the Almighty Jehovah.

The battle of Christ in the wilderness and of cause in gethsemane were centered on the issue of worship. Our lord battled the principalities of his day and the deep cravings of his soul to maintain an undivided focus and his allegiance of worship to his father.