Bible In One Year-Day 29 (Wednesday, January 29, 2014)

Commentary: Exodus24-26. The book of Exodus is about salvation, deliverance and holiness. So far we have read the salvation and deliverance of the Israelites. Now, God is introducing His holiness to His people. He wants to live in their midst. But we must understand that it is according to His own PATTERN, not the Israelites’. Moses, as a young man in Egypt did things according to his own judgment which led him into trouble. He was under his father-in-law where he learnt patience, submission, loyalty and hardwork. The initial adversity in Moses’ life first patterned him to the point of total yielding (meekness). This was what made him suitable for God’s use eventually. God’s plan is according to His pattern. And whoever He chooses, must follow accordingly, otherwise it will amount to vanity, Psalm127. If any part of the details is missing, it will lose its spiritual relevance. This is the dilemma of many ministries that used to be vibrant but we don’t hear much of them anymore. Either the leader changed the pattern, or the followers/workers faulted it. And according to Heb8:9,13, such will vanish away because they faulted the covenant and decay is evident in it.

Hebrews 8:9, 13 “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the Lord. … In that he saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away.”

If God hands over a ministry to you, He would give details (the blueprint) of the pattern of the ministry. This is what we have read in Exodus24-26. God’s ministry or assignment is not ours, it is His, and to be successful or accomplished, we must follow His pattern. If any of the details is replaced or changed by human logic, it loses its spiritual relevance. God will not change His plan, He would rather change persons. God emphatically reminded Moses to follow the pattern shown him on the mountain, Ex25:9,40.

Exodus 25:8-9,40 “And let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them. According to all that I shew thee, after the pattern of the tabernacle, and the pattern of all the instruments thereof, even so shall ye make it. … And look that thou make them after their pattern, which was shewed thee in the mount.”

Other references in the scripture also talked about this pattern, Num8:4, Josh22:28 and Heb8:5. Meaning that God is a God of detailed instructions. You must obtain detailed instruction for your own life and this could only be revealed to you through Jesus by His Spirit, 1Cor2:10.

1 Corinthians 2:10 “But God hath revealed them to us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yes, the deep things of God.”

You don’t have to follow another person’s timetable to run your life’s journey. When Jesus entered Peter’s boat, He taught him a sure way of catching fish (right side into the deep) and this reversed his life to the original pattern and that is why we are reading about him today. Your life may look messy; Jesus can turn it to a message. Moses was on the mountain for 40 days/nights and obtained the detail instruction for the tabernacle (even the measurements were given). This is to tell you how important it is to follow God’s pattern. The glory of God is only in His ‘revealed will’ and not the natural creative skill of the worker or spiritual leader. Therefore, you must first be patterned (or re-branded) before you could understand the pattern of God’s plan. Bezaleel (Exod31:1-5) receive the Spirit of God for the assignment, i.e. to do according to God’s pattern. A man’s talent and ability cannot carry the ministry of God but God’s grace of assistance by His Spirit. When the Holy Spirit re-brands you, it is for you to be fit for the assignment; human knowledge is not enough but with the breath of the Holy Spirit. If you have been following the story of Moses, you could see that the smallest matter was taken to the Lord. He had no mind of his own again, but all for God. You must live a life that glorifies Jesus. Moses could not use a nail of 6 inches where 4 inches was required according to the revealed pattern, something will break. Some of us could find it boring reading Ex24-27, but we need to read with understanding. If you have not been patterned through the works of the Holy Spirit, you will not understand or patiently read it. Believers are to prayerfully plug into the pattern of the ministry they belong to or which God had given to them. If they do that in the flesh or use their fleshy mind, rebellion and other sins come to play. A Carnal mind cannot sustain a minister. One of the problems in Christendom today is that ministries are abandoning their own revealed pattern and start criticizing another ministry’s pattern. Many of men of God have left their ministry because of distraction; ego, wealth, rivalry, envy, pride and jealousy. As a matter of fact, Jesus is no more introduced to people but their achievement, all in the name of testimony. The banner of the gospel has been thrown away and what we have now is the banner of Leviathan (King of Pride). This is not what God handed over. There are souls that we need to reach out to; we should drop internal rancor, superiority and external complexity for the pattern shown on the mountain (the place of deep revelation). God will not follow us to any diversion as the wise men experienced when they diverted to Herod’s palace; the star did not follow them. As a Christian, don’t allow any palace (position or influence) steal your vision as given on the mountain. Jesus has given the instructions that must be followed. Your contributions for the expansion of Christ’s Kingdom must be according to the pattern on the mountain of revelation. Your life must be according to the patterned on the mountain of destiny. Mary gave a clue in John2:5 “whatever He says to you, do it”, i.e. do not deviate. God is a God of vision, purpose and pattern. Prayer: O God my Father, lead me into the room of deep secret, in the name of Jesus. Our reading for today is Ex27-29. Keep the fire burning and alive. Tell somebody about Jesus today!!!