Prepare & Ascend!
Ready for a GREAT month? Here you go.
The 3rd month in God's calendar is anchored by 3 key events: Israel's encounter with God at Mt. Sinai; the feast of Shavuot, and; the outpouring of Spirit at Pentecost.
Those anchor points signify a 4-fold open heaven and the powerful release of
The Voice of God
The Word of God
The Provision of God
The Saturation of the Spirit of God
Yet, what God offers is one thing: What we choose to enter is another.
And so this is a month to respond as Moses did and make the ascent up and into where God is - regardless the risk.
For just like the ascent up a rock face, this should NOT be entered lightly.
Only a fool would attempt to ascend a tall granite wall without being properly prepared.
Israel had therefore been prepared for their encounter with Him and the disciples had been prepared for the outpouring of the Spirit.
What they did informs our preparation to ascend but we must also have a recalibration of the Reality we face.
A rock climber knows righteous fear. It is based on the practical, tangible reverence and respect demanded by the reality before her.
Our ascent into the Presence should likewise be permeated by that kind of righteous fear for The Reality before us.
Yet here is the other side of that coin: Righteous Fear demands unmitigated boldness.
It is required of a rock climber to be bold in order to ascend - the more awesome the face the more bold he must be.
We must hold that tension as we ascend: The Awesomeness of His Face demands boldness from us. For the Fear that is due to Him is for ALL that He is and ALL He requires.
This great month holds before us the offer of a 4-fold open heaven.
Prepare. Ascend. Do so with righteous fear and unmitigated boldness.
Stephen
PS: No Flight Deck next week - We'll be gathering that night in Thomasville with Sean Feucht, Eddie James and Meredith Mauldin for “Let Us Worship.”
Replay of this Deck teaching on YouTube.
Replay of the entire Flight Deck on Facebook.
