Church In The House

Coming out of Spiritual Captivity                     

                                     Building Upon The Biblical Foundation

Ezra 3:10,12

by Tim Germain

 

                                   We are to follow the wise master builder.

 

 “As a wise master builder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon.  But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.” 1 Cor.3:10   “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief cornerstone.” Eph.2:20  For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Romans 5:2

 

The warning is given to take heed how he builds!!  The contrast is between gold silver and precious stone with wood, hay and stubble.  Precious metals speak of the quality of the divine life and inner sanctification of the Holy Spirit working in the life of a true follower of Christ, following in the footsteps of Jesus.  Wood , hay and stubble speak of mans ways characterized by flesh or carnality, mans traditions, personal gain, and self glory.  Those who seek the esteem of men Jesus said do not have the love of God in them.

                                                 The vision 

 

 

…let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord…Ezra 1:3

 

To go up to Jerusalem speaks to us of those in Christ that the testimony of Jesus Christ and His purposes be restored.  There is a call for us to return, to come up, to build the ruined walls (we are the living stones) and the burnt gates (God’s authority we have in Christ).

 

We must understand what the Apostles of Christ gave to the church and return to this biblical pattern that is forsaken by institutional churches.  Those patterns are:

 

• Spiritual gifted functioning body/priesthood  1Cor.14:26  Rom.12:4-8
• Lord’s Supper as a full fellowship meal.  1 Cor.11:20-22
• House gatherings  Acts 20:20 Rom.16:5; 1 Cor. 16:16  Col.4:15
• Qualified Plurality Elders-leaders  Act 14:26  1Tim.3:1-7

                                          Not holding the Head 

Guard against men that would spoil us through Philosophy, traditions of men, rudiments of the world, not after Christ.  Col.2:8

                                         Restoring What was Forfeited  

All the vessels of gold and of silver were five thousand and four hundred.  All these did Sheshbazzar bring up with them of the captivity that were brought up from Babylon unto Jerusalem. Ezra 1:11

 

All The divine qualities that the gold and silver represent are in a spiritual sense being brought back from the spiritual captivity that is so prevalent today and in the past.  Those qualities of the divine life of Christ and his righteousness imputed and imparted by the Holy Spirit of God working in the heart of the repentant and believing.  This righteousness is lived  out as we walk in the spirit and thus fulfill as it is written “walk in the spirit and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh” Gal.5:16  Note that all the vessels of gold and silver were brought up. The purity of heart and the sanctifying presence of the Holy Spirit is the main experience of the restored saint of God on the earth.  For it is God who is working in us both to do and to will his good pleasure.  Phil.2:13

 Let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored and brought again unto the temple.  Ezra 6:5 And be found in Him not having my own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith.  Phil.3:9 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.  1Thes.5:23 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.  1Cor.6:11                                    Out of Captivity  

 All that God has given unto us is to be restored by those who come out of captivity. 

 

Ezra 2:1 “ …the children of the province that went up out of the captivity, of those which had been carried away, unto Babylon, and came again unto Jerusalem and Judah every one unto his city;.”  Some examples of spiritual captivity are the following.

 

• Religious programs of one man shows
• Passive spectators pew sitters
• Edifice complex mindset
• Professional  showmanship such as musicians, dancers, choirs, celebrities
• Humanistic Psychological counseling denying the sufficiency of the scriptures
• Bondage to Old Testament commandments such as Tithing
• Pulpits 
• Hierarchical  leadership  3 John 1:9
• Women preachers  1 Tim.2: 11,12  1 Cor.14:34,35
• Making themselves a name (denominations) and thus divide the body of Christ
• Contracting with Governments for legal fiction status
• Spiritually dull of hearing  Heb.5:11

                                           One man-in-Christ  

Ezra 3:1  …the people gathered themselves together as on man to Jerusalem.

 

Jesus prayed that his followers would be one, just as he is one with the father

John 17:21  That they all may be one; as thou, Father , art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: That the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 

This is a testimony in the earth of the unity of the faith and of the Spirit even as we are called in one hope.  We are to stand knit together in love and doing nothing for vain glory or selfish gain.  Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.  Phil. 2:3  We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves.  Let every one of us please his neighbor for his good to edification.  For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me.  Rom.15:1-3

  

This is the life in the spirit as we gather around Christ and is the fruit of the Spirit walked out in obedience and faith.  Rom.1:5

                                              The Priesthood restored 

Ezra 3:10  And when the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the Lord they set the priest in their apparel …

 The functioning priesthood of all believers is being laid once again, for us to enter into our office of priests to offer up spiritual sacrifices. 1 Pet.2:9  But ye are a chosen generation a royal priesthood , and holy nation, a peculiar people. 1Pet.2:5  …a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. We are fully clothed in Christ having our mind renewed and the old man crucified with Christ as our experience not just a doctrine. Gal.2:20 I am crucified with Christ neverthe less I live ,yet not I, but Christ liveth in me and the life which I now live ,in the flesh  I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me.  

 We enter into the full provisions in Christ and overcome as he overcame.  Not being hearer only deceiving our selves, but doers of the word.  James 1:22

  Ours is an open heaven. Eph.1:17-23  That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened: that ye may know what is the hope of his calling and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power… 

Our faith believes God and enters into the rest spoken of in Heb 4:11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief.

                                               Hindrances to the Work Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building.  And hired counselors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus King of Persia…Ezra 4:4, 5  

The people who are earthly, earthy minded ever learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth; who have a form of godliness but deny the power.  Our citizenship is in heaven and we set our affections of things above.  For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.  Phil3:18, 19 these ones refuse to do God’s work,

God’s way, breeds divisions in making themselves names (denominations); and are wise in their own eyes. They believe it unimportant to follow Christ and the traditions that the Apostles left for us.  They are disobedient and work against the Headship of Jesus Christ.

  Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem.  So it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius King of Persia.  Ezra 4:24 

They seek to stop the true work of God both in us, in others and in the kingdom.  Much of what has been done in the flesh, in the name of Christ, has brought the true work of the gospel to a standstill.  Building buildings, programs, separating families, unwise stewardship, unbiblical leadership.

                                             Prophetic role in Building Let the house of the Lord be built, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid:  Ezra 6:3 Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the Jews …Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel,…and began to build the house of God…with them were the prophets of God helping them.  Ezra 5:1,2 

The prophetic role of unstopping the attack of the Lord’s work to once again begin to build the Lord’s house in key today.  We see the prophets in the book of Acts who traveled at times with the other apostles, each was key to unlock the spiritual house, so liberty and power can flow once again to God’s needy people.

 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo.  And they built and finished it …Ezra 6:14                                                                                                  Anointed Teaching   And Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of the Lord and to do it and teach in Israel statutes and judgments.  Ezra 7:10 But ye have not so learned Christ; if so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus…Eph.4:21 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 ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. Till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;..Eph4:11-13 

Many today are beginning to hear the call of the Lord to come out of these Sauls assemblies that usurp Christ’s headship and rob the body of its priestly function that was given them as their inheritance.  The giving of titles such as reverend to brothers smacks in the face of the Lord, when he is given the title of reverend and not a pastor.  The idea of calling men pastor is so foreign to the bible! 

 

We continue to call brothers out of the Babylonian confusion of institutional assemblies back to Christ and his body the church that gather around Him, giving him his right place among the saints in the assembly of God.