“A Priesthood Ministering unto God” by Christo Coetzer

“A Priesthood Ministering unto God” by Christo Coetzer

Proverbs 16:1-3

The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. All the ways of a man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Commit your work to the Lord, and your plans will be established.

In pursuing God in this kingdom age, and to see His kingdom come in power, we have plans and ideas on how to enter into the promise. We have received a mandate from the Lord and word that instructs us, but receiving this does not mean we have entered into it or became it.

Navigating from where we are to where God wants us to be is not an easy thing. It requires us to leave from this place and move into the uncomfortable and unknown territory.

In our pursuit the scripture applies that the ways of man are pure in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the spirit. Our intentions are good, but might have no substance when God weighs the spirit. What we carry in our spirit only carries weight when it is in union with His spirit.

Our plans to pursue the promise God gave us will be established in the dedication of our work to God.

The tabernacle of Moses was established before the priesthood could come into its purpose and minister unto the Lord. The establishment of the spiritual tabernacle in our midst is required first, before the priesthood can come into their purpose. The spiritual tabernacle has to be the replicate of what is in heaven, established in order and following the pattern shown by God. The priesthood was already consecrated, set apart before the construction of the tabernacle. Their consecration was not the purpose, but was required before they would come into the place where they could minister unto God. In the outer court the priests ministered to man, but in the holy place they minister to God.

1 Chronicles 21:24

But King David replied to Araunah, “No, I insist on paying the full price. I will not take for the Lord what is yours, or sacrifice a burnt offering that costs me nothing.”

As priests unto God, we should offer spiritual gifts to Him. An acceptable offer should cost us something. These offers are the things the Spirit works in us to yield, to give and bring exultation to God. It is our ministry to God in the Holy place where we bring spiritual offerings before the Lord. The bread which is the word of God needs to be consumed by us that it may for the substance of what we partook of in us. We have to stir up the spirit in us and keep on being filled with new oil, we need to lift up our prayers and worship before God to be a sweet fragrance before Him. These spiritual offerings bring us to a place where we die to self, but also that we will overcome.

Glory comes as a result of overcoming.

Isaiah 44:23

Sing, O ye heavens; for the LORD hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the LORD hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified himself in Israel.

Jacob’s name was changed to Israel when He wrestled with God. Name denotes nature and the change in name denotes the change from Jacob the redeemed to Israel the glorified. Jacob was a man of contention since birth, contention should bring us to a place of overcoming. It was when Jacob wrestled with God and saw Him face to face that his nature was changed.

As God dwells in an atmosphere of glory, our overcoming is vital for His habitation with us.

God has crowned us with glory and it is at the point where we overcome that this becomes our portion. As members of the body of Christ, when glory becomes our portion, it also appears gloriously in the body of Christ. This is how He is glorified and clothed with a glorious robe.

All the glory belongs to Christ, but these portions of glory have been hidden for us. His glory revealed through us becomes the robe we clothe Him with.

1 John 5 teaches that the testimony of God is greater than the testimony of man. The testimony of God is greater. The testimony of God transcends what is spoken in word, it is the godly stature we gain that testifies for itself. The testimony of man speaks of what He has done, the testimony of God is where He reveals who He is.

Clothing God with the testimony of man, He is servant. But who He becomes in us is the testimony of God that clothes Christ in His glorious robe.

Malachi 3:16-18

Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another. The Lord paid attention and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those who feared the Lord and esteemed his name. 17“They shall be mine, says the Lord of hosts, in the day when I make up my treasured possession, and I will spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. 18Then once more you shall see the distinction between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve him.

The more we speak about these things God is revealing to us, the more of the book of remembrance is written. The Holy Spirit was sent to us to teach us concerning all things and to bring to remembrance the things Jesus spoke to us. Jesus spoke to us even before the foundation of the world and what He shared with us; we came in agreement with before we ever started to walk that out in this life. For God and man cannot walk together except they agree.

As we speak of the things brought to our remembrance, this book is written. A book is the means by which that which is in the heart can become a physical item that tells a story of what was once only in the heart. And so, it becomes our portion and it can be seen and experienced by others.

Jesus gave us the keys to His vehicle. This vehicle is the means by which we transition from where we are to where He is. Forty speaks of a transition, Israel wondered the dessert for 40 years, Moses was 40 when he fled Egypt, he was 80 when he was sent back and he was 120 he died, Jesus was in the wilderness for 40 days and many other examples can be mentioned. All of these speaks about transition from one place to another. God has poured out a spirit of fasting (separation) on us to bring about this transition. He is called us out and have told us to move from this place where we are – we have dwelt here long enough.

This transition and transformation that will occur in us as we separate ourselves to Him and offer spiritual offerings, creates the place for His habitation with us.

When David returned the ark of the covenant, they took six steps and made an offering. Our spiritual offerings should follow the same pattern to bring us to the seventh step, the day of the Lord, into His rest and finished work.

God is speaking these things to us, because He wants us to enter in. He has brought us to this place, but now He is moving us – a people with a different spirit because of our union with His Holy Spirit.

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Christo Coetzer is a ministry son of Pastor Peet and Sonette van der Westhuizen in Pretoria, South Africa, and a generational son of Dr. Mark Hanby. You can contact Christo at: christo@4bytes.co.za