Let God Arise

by

Michael David Riggs

The word of God comes out of the Tabernacle of David. The word of God is given birth to as we get in sync with the sound of heaven – the sound that is coming from God’s throne.

I heard the Lord whisper this very recently to me—and this is consistent with all I’ve ever known the Tabernacle of David to be.

The Psalms are like this – the Word of God birthed out of the sound of heaven. The Psalms have been my favorite Scriptures for as long as I can remember. So much New Testament doctrine came out of the Psalms, which were born in the presence of the Lord around the Ark of the Covenant, as the sound of heaven was being released.

One day I was sitting in a coffee shop meditating—writing—and I heard two very young associate pastors talking about the Word of God. They were in agreement that they didn’t care much for the Psalms because they were so light and shallow–they preferred the epistles because they are filled with meaty doctrine. I just laughed to myself as I listened to their immaturity and inexperience. I thought about the depths of the riches that God and Holy Spirit shared with David and the other writers of the Psalms, as they sang and played and danced before the Lord, and gave their all to His presence.

Such is the case with Psalm 68—one of the most amazing passages of Scripture. The context one of God arising and His enemies be scattered and driven away like smoke in the wind. This  setting gives us the formula for God’s presence perpetually dwelling among us, as we read, “You ascended on high. You led captivity captive. You received gifts for men, even those who were rebellious, that the Lord God might dwell among them.” Paul repeated this teaching in Ephesians 4, shedding more light on it as New Testament Scripture seems to do when it picks up on an Old Testament doctrine. Ephesians 4:11 tells us that the gifts Jesus received for and gave to men were the gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. These were the treasures Jesus brought back from the grave in all His resurrection power. Jesus gave these gifts to people in the church—the Ascension Gifts – five-fold ministry gifts. These gifts were given by Jesus to those Holy Spirit chose for the purpose of equipping the saints—members of the body of Christ—to do the work of the ministry, so that we all come into the unity of faith and, as the entire body of Christ, look like Christ Himself—strong, wise, not wavering in what we believe, and conquering in battle, enforcing the Kingdom of God where we live and work.

This is the key to the success of the church which Jesus Christ Himself started.This is the wisdom that comes out of the Tabernacle of David. What will also come out of the Tabernacle of David as we participate ourselves, is the boldness to carry out this strategy and agenda of God for the church, enabling us to do what the church was founded to do. We will have shed the timidity that keeps us from publicly and boldly talking about five-fold ministry—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. When we have a lifestyle in the presence of God, living in sync with the sound He is singing over us, we will shed the format of  pastoral leadership only in the church, a strategy that leaves the church weak at best, because it’s only implementing 1/5 of the leadership structure that God gave for mentoring disciples who are able to carry out the work of Jesus. Those who are true pastors are needed, but true pastors are only gifted with the faith to nourish the people of God with spiritual food. They are not equipped to see into the unseen as are prophets, nor to receive heavenly strategy, boldness and organization to carry out God’s work as are apostles, to reach the unsaved as are evangelists, nor to teach effectively as are teachers. Those called pastors but who are rather apostles, prophets, evangelists or teachers are limiting their abilities and authority and power by not acknowledging their true gift—they are refusing to walk in the truth of God for their lives. They could instead, be ministering in exponentially greater authority and power by choosing to walk in the gifting God has given them.

It’s very interesting to me that the word pastor is only used one time in the New Testament. Evangelist is used three times. The words apostle, prophet, and teacher are used many times over.

I’m glad that we’ve entered a day when the church is beginning to accept and use the terminology God used in inspired Scripture. Words are important. The words of God are of extreme importance and should never be watered down for political correctness sake, or to make our speech palatable to those who reject what God teaches in Scripture. I was very excited when the book Apostolic Church Arising (2015) by Chuck Pierce and Robert Heidler was released, dealing with this very subject.

Let the sound of heaven arise in us from our spirit through our soul and exude out our entire body. And with it, let God arise in His people just as Jesus arose with God’s plan in His hand for the success of His church. And let His enemies be scattered and His Kingdom be established in the earth.

~Michael David Riggs