THE PRIESTHOOD OF GOD

The Lord has established a new priesthood not by Aaron and his sons, but by Jesus Christ. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Hebrews 4:10

10 For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his.

Anyone intending to partake of the rest God has promised must first cease from his own works and labors. This means you must cease from striving for things that only gratify you. This is the prerequisite to entering into God’s rest. Now, you must be willing to gratify the Lord. For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

Hebrews 4:15-16

15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

This is a very important verse that has been butchered by the clergy. It has pointed us towards going to the throne of God for Him to take us out of our trials or to give us all the material things this world has to offer. This side of God’s wisdom includes the riches of His glory. At the throne, you receive the comprehension, the strength, the wisdom and the mentality of God. These are His riches. For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins.

Hebrews 5:1

1 For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:

The Lord has taken us from among men. He has separated and sanctified us. The Words says we have become as high priests. All who have been called out from the world by God are ordained for men in things pertaining to God. In other words, you were taken or chosen by God to be a high priest, which means, you have been GIVEN ACCESS TO GOD FOR MAN. Now, when you come to the throne of grace, you don’t only come for yourself. YOU MUST COME TO OBTAIN HELP IN TIME OF NEED FOR PROCURING OTHER SONS AND TO GET WISDOM FOR INTERCESSION. You must petition God on someone else’s behalf. The Word says, WE WERE ORDAINED FOR MEN IN THINGS PERTAINING TO GOD. The carnal man cannot get an audience with God, only the priest can. But, we are not mere men--we are “Sons.” What son doesn’t know his father? We have tasted of His goodness. The second verse tells us of the posture of the high priest. Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity. And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins. And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

Hebrews 5:2-4

2 Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

3 And by reason hereof he ought, as for the people, so also for himself, to offer for sins.

4 And no man taketh this honour unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron.

You don’t decide to be the propitiation for the world. Neither do you decide that you will be an intercessor. The Lord chooses you, just as He chose Aaron. Aaron had nothing in his background that caused him to be chosen. The only thing he had going for him was the fact that his brother was the great prophet of Israel. The only thing that you have going for you is the fact that Jesus is your brother. This is what caused God to choose you as a high priest for today. You don’t deserve to know what you know, but you know it because Jesus is your kinsman. We haven’t gone through enough to warrant God to dispense this kind of grace. It is purely the mercy of God that this grace has been dispensed to us. The purpose for the priesthood is to obtain more SONS. There are more than enough angels to worship God. God wants sons. The focus for the New Testament Church should be the PROCURING OF SONS FOR THE FATHER. There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

Ephesians 4:4-6

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

It is time for us to see the sons of God the way the Father sees them. I guarantee if you grab hold of this principle and walk in it, there will be power on earth that the world has never seen before. The Word says there is one body. What is the body? We are called the Body of Christ, but what does this body really consist of? We have always had a vision that the Body of Christ was Jesus as the head, sitting in heaven, and his torso, or body, living on earth. This is not God’s vision of the Body of Christ. Jesus fulfilled a heartfelt desire for the Father. Paul said, the man Jesus is sitting in heaven. But, the Spirit man Jesus is on Earth. The one who can beget sons is on earth. IT TAKES SPIRIT TO BEGET SPIRIT. So, the spiritual being is on earth. One Body with one Lord that resides in heaven and one Spirit on Earth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. There are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

1 John 5:7-8

7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

8 And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.

Why didn’t the three who bear witness include the son. It was because the first son was peculiar and He now sits on the throne of God. The Father took the life that was in the Son and placed it INSIDE THE HOLY GHOST. I want you to stop reading for a moment and find “Holy Ghost” in the Old Testament. It can’t be found, because in the Old Testament the Holy Ghost was known as the Holy Spirit. THE SPIRIT WAS VOID OF THE GHOST OF CHRIST. In the New Covenant, the Holy Spirit took on the GHOST (the life and soul) of Christ, which is also a revelation of the mind of the Father. In other words, THE LIFE OF CHRIST WAS PLACED INSIDE THE HOLY SPIRIT. When the Holy Spirit visited Elizabeth, He was carrying the life (ghost) of Elijah for the child in her womb. When the Comforter returned on the Day of Pentecost, He carried the life (ghost) of Jesus Christ. In the Old Covenant the Spirit of God could only be upon man and not in man. However, in the New Covenant the Spirit could live inside of man because it carried the SEED of God. It had the life of Christ, the ghost (life) of a dead man, the testator, the one who fulfilled the will of the Father. These three, the Father, the Word and the Holy Ghost, bear record that eternal life would be in the Son. They were to take of the life of Christ and place it in the Body of Christ on the Earth, the Sons. This was the plan of the Determinate Council. Let us look at the eternal design for this spiritual body of Christ. We need to know every ligament, every joint and what each joint needs to supply. The Lord gave us the framework for the body of Christ in the book of Ephesians. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN.

Ephesians 4:8

4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,

6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

7 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ.

8 Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.

The first order of business was to establish the frame, to set the gifts in the Church. TAKE NOTE THAT THE FRAME IS THE BONE. IT IS THE STRUCTURE OF THE BODY AND WHERE THE STRENGTH OF IT LIES. A fragile structure will be weak, but a strong frame can carry a lot of weight. Here we have the head, the APOSTLE; the Arms, PROPHETS and EVANGELISTS; the legs, PASTORS and TEACHERS. This structure has not been in place for the perfecting of the saints. Everybody has been busy doing their own thing and striving for self-gratification, so there is hardly any power or spiritual structure in the Church. When Jesus and the two thieves hung on the cross, a high Sabbath was approaching. This meant no one could be left hanging on a cross. History tells us it usually took three days for a man to die on the cross, so the soldiers decided to hasten their death by breaking their legs. But, because Jesus’ body was symbolic of the spiritual frame of the Church, God the Father could not allow His legs to be broken. Jesus realized His body must remain whole and intact.

Therefore, He gave up the ghost . . . His life . . . His spirit, without the soldiers having to break His legs. Christ had to have the same testimony Adam had. He had to be able to say, “That’s bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh.” Sinew is the skin and muscle tissues that are attached to the bone structure to make the bond stronger, yet pliable. The sinew of Christ’s spiritual body is the ministries of HELPS, GOVERNMENTS, GIVING and EXHORTATIONS.

1. GOVERNMENTS - are your elders, mothers, deacons and other church officials.

2. HELPS - a support for the church ministries of the body.

3. GIVINGS - makes provisions for the entire body to be sustained that the covenant might be established in the earth.

4. EXHORTATIONS - encourages the entire body. What actually makes this body live? The HEART, WHICH IS THE SPIRIT OF GOD . . . THE HOLY GHOST does. Paul says, who knows the heart of God, who can discern His mind except the Holy Ghost. The heart has a function. IT PUMPS THE LIFE THROUGHOUT THE BODY. The Word says the life of every creature is in his blood. Remember, when the Comforter came, He brought back the life of Christ. Let us look at those things the blood supplies to the body. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

1 Corinthians 12:11

11But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

This means the Holy Ghost, the heart of the Body of Christ, pumps and supplies every man with what he needs to profit in his ministry. What is it you need from the heart so you might fulfill your part in this body? Let’s look at this example. A person’s blood may be void of potassium, vitamin C or iron. If so, it must be supplied with such so it can supply the necessary parts of the body with it. If your body is deficient of the necessary vitamins, it gets weak. Therefore, your blood has to have the right nutrients to supply the body in order for it to function properly. This is why the Holy Ghost is supplying, dividing to every part of this body what it needs to function at maximum potential. Let’s see what the Holy Ghost supplies to the Body.

1. Word of Wisdom - The operation of the Word

2. Word of Knowledge - The revelation of the Word

3. Tongues - Given for the unbeliever

4. Interpretation of Tongues - For the edifying of the church

5. Prophecy - To tell the mind of God

6. Gifts of Healing - A dispensing of the stripes

7. Faith - The complete operation of the Holy Ghost

8. Miracles - Signs and Wonders

9. Discerning of Spirits - Quick understanding of the operations of the spirit world This is the life force that flows through the Body of Christ.

Jesus operated in all of these gifts, when necessary. These manifestations came with the Holy Ghost. They are in the heart of the body. The Holy Ghost will supply every joint, every ligament and every muscle with what it needs to function. THE HOLY GHOST WILL GIVE YOU THE WISDOM AND KNOWLEDGE TO FULFILL YOUR PURPOSE. Stop reading for a moment and meditate on what you have read. Talk to God about your place inside the Body. Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James 1:18

18 Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.

James is talking about the begetting of the first twelve Apostles. It is important that what you have read thus far is thoroughly understood. Whether you believe it or not, God has selected and elected Bible Teachers International to be a kind of firstfruits for the new generation. However, I am sure there are other small groups hidden in God’s quiver likened unto ourselves. We are different from the old generation because we dare to do the will of the Father. We have understood our purpose. We know why we are saved. We understand the heart and mind of God. Firstfruits mean the beginning of sacrifices. If we, the sons of today, are to be a type of firstfruits for the new generation, then we must be THE BEGINNING OF SACRIFICES WHICH WILL BRING ABOUT THE NEW GENERATION. Some may consider this as vanity, but God calls it truth. There is absolutely no way earthly beings can perceive and receive the “true” doctrine of God and not be considered by Him. The Lord asked the same question of me He asked of Ezekiel when He said, “Can these bones, this framework, live?” In order for the stature of Jesus Christ to come forth, the frame must be in place. Therefore, when God called me out, He sent bones to me that were dry . . . bones that were disassembled . . . bones that did not know their place or purpose in God. There were some who didn’t know they were to function as the leg in the body. And still others who didn’t know they were to function in other areas such as the head, the arm, the hand and so on. The Lord spoke to me and said, prophecy and give these bones the Word of the Lord. I asked the Lord, “Can these bones live?” He told me to keep prophesying. So, I continued to prophesy and God gave me the apostles, the prophets, the pastors, the teachers and the evangelists. The more I prophesied, the more each bone began to search and move to find its counter part until finally the frame was in place. The ministry of helps, the governments, the exhorters and the givers found out they were the muscle and the skin for the frame. The Holy Ghost is the heart of the body and He pumps faith throughout. GOD STYLED THIS BODY AS A HUMAN BODY, AND THE HOLY GHOST SENDS FORTH HIS NINE MANIFESTATIONS THROUGHOUT THE BODY AS HE WILLS. Many saints are praying for gifts they might take pride in having. But, the Holy Ghost sends forth the gifts that the saints might profit in their ministries. The blood of the human body is pumped through the arteries. There are veins which lead the blood back to the heart . . . thus, there is a continuous cycle of the circulation of the blood flow.

THEREFORE, IN THE SPIRITUAL BODY AS FAITH TRAVELS TO CERTAIN AREAS, IT RETURNS TO THE HEART AS GRACE. When you prophesy to dry bones, it takes the Spirit of the Lord for them to move; and it takes faith for you to know and become your part in this body. WITHOUT FAITH YOU WILL NEVER ASSUME YOUR RIGHTFUL POSITION. Once the framework, the strength of the body is standing, then the muscle and flesh can take place. Let’s see how this body works. Individuals accept Jesus as Lord and are filled with the Holy Ghost. However, they don’t know their place in the body. They don’t know their calling. They may come in and see the framework of the body and desire to hold one of these positions (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor or teacher). God expects that because we come into a spiritual kingdom with an earthly mentality. That is why teaching of the truth is so important. (Today, almost everyone who comes to church has to change their mentality about what they think the church is). Nevertheless, the greater the captivity, the greater the deliverance. Where sin abounds, grace abounds much more. This is why the glory of God’s last house, the Church, is going to be so much greater than His first. As you read this book and meditate on the frame, you may wonder where your place is in the spiritual body. When you obtained salvation, you came in by the blood (faith). The blood had ingredients for your justification through the ministry of reconciliation. But, now you must move to your place of functioning in the body, and that means sanctification by the Spirit. Once you have taken your rightful place in the body, then comes glorification. Nevertheless, you want to figure out how you are going to get into your rightful place. Your greatest concern is that God shows your pastor or others your calling. You think you know what you are to become. But take note of what you read next. The frame that is already in place knows how it got in place. We know what it took for God to mold us into our rightful positions.

WE HAVE GAINED EXPERIENTIAL KNOWLEDGE TRANSMITTABLE BY FAITH. Whatever God decrees for your life, the frame is responsible for perfecting it in you. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some pastors and teachers; For the PERFECTING of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:11-12

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

If you are going to come into perfection, it is going to be by way of the five-fold frame. This is why so many people are sitting in church dead. They are not being perfected and they don’t understand the grace of God. They don’t understand ONE Lord, ONE faith, and ONE baptism into this Body. THERE IS A BAPTISM THAT PLACES YOU INTO YOUR RIGHTFUL POSITION. You don’t just decide what your position is, you must be baptized into it. YOU ARE BORN INTO THE BODY, BUT YOU ARE BAPTIZED INTO MINISTRY. Just because your hands get hot or oily doesn’t mean you have a ministry of healing. Just because you had a dream that revealed the future, doesn’t mean you’re a prophet. Beloved, until you are perfected, the occasional supernatural displays that you experience every now and then is nothing more than the blood (life of Christ) flowing through you. The Faith itself has spiritual ingredients that every now and then will manifest in you. This does not mean you have been perfected for ministry. The Holy Ghost lives in you and will come forth at His will. For example, this operation has the same effect as an individual who gets a cut and the blood goes to that cut with certain substances in it to inoculate or heal it. When supernatural displays come into your life, it’s only inoculating. The power comes forth only when needed for certain situations. For example, you may be used by the Holy Ghost to get a drug addict delivered because God determined he was tired of living a miserable and defeated life. But, on the other hand, you may not be able to heal a headache. What about the rich man who has everything and feels no need for God? Not everyone that is rich is tormented. Some rich people have good health, a good marriage and successful children. They are not grieving so what do you have to tell them? You can’t convince them God is a healer when they already have good health. You can’t tell them God will give them peace when they already feel they are experiencing it. To this person, peace is being able to buy anything they want and having fantastic personal relationships. You can’t tell the rich man he is miserable if he feels he is living on top of the world. This is why the Word says, it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom. It’s hard, but not impossible.

THE ONLY CONVERSATION YOU HAVE FOR THE RICH MAN IS TO INTRODUCE HIM TO HIS PURPOSE. You have to explain to him God gave him the power to get wealth. You have to convince him that he stands in good health because God is the giver of health. All you can do is introduce him to the kingdom message that promises to make him a partaker of the divine nature because he has everything the old kingdom had to offer. You must minister to him the new kingdom and give him a choice to enter in. This is what Jesus did to the rich young ruler. Until you are perfected you may be able to deal with the poor man, but what about the rich man? In order to deal with him, you have to know your kingdom and present it to him with grace. Be patient. You must be baptized into this place you are looking for in the body. THE FRAME IS RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR BAPTISM BY TEACHING YOU SUBMISSION TO THE WILL OF GOD. THE POWER OF THE WORD MUST TOUCH YOUR HEART AND CAUSE YOU TO WANT TO SUBMIT. The sole purpose of the frame is to get you functioning in your place. Saints, don’t move hastily or presumptuously. God has dealt to every man several abilities and all are needed in this body. Nevertheless, God is going to choose what He wants to do with you. We were begotten by His will and must always surrender to the pleasure of His will. Whatever it is God wants to do with you should be forever before you. You must realize the five-fold ministry does more than just deliver a message -- it produces LIFE.