There is no question that God is doing something new in the ekklesia (church). There is a new wineskin being released into the body of Messiah, Christ, which will restore His church to the former glory in order to move us into the greater glory. Hallelujah!
Yeshua, Jesus, did say we would do greater things than He did, and for the most part we have not seen this yet in all of its fullness, either in the church or in the world (John 14:12). I believe this period on earth is still to come, as we enter into the end of days and the glory the Father is waiting to release upon His end-time church and Messianic body. It is coming, and we are beginning to enter into it, but it’s not everything we are expecting at first.
Let me explain:
At the heart of this new wineskin and the prayer and praise movement (that is foundational to it), is a cry to the Father for John 17 unity and all the love, power and glory it will bring to us as we move into it. And there is a remnant now that is seeking Him in this manner, in Israel and throughout the nations.
Unity Before Glory
Our cries are going up to the heavens, and the Father is beginning to respond, but not necessarily the way we think, wanting the power and the glory to be immediately released. But honestly speaking, how can we expect God to release its fullness when there is still so much division and separation between us in the family of God? Not just separation issues between Jewish and Gentile believers, which is foundational to John 17 unity (especially now that Israel is awakening spiritually), but racial divide and theological divisions. As Martin Luther King put it, Sunday morning is the most segregated time of the week.
The very glory that Yeshua, Jesus, prayed for in John 17 did not come from a divided body, but rather a family of God between Jewish and Gentile believers who were so connected to the Father and the Son and to one another that their special unity changed the world, and it could not be contained. But for us to think we can have this power and the full glory of the kingdom of God without this love and unity is a mistake. Do we not first have to address the divisions between us, and does not judgment begin in the house? (1 Pet. 4:17).
This is the Father’s response to our cries, because we must first address the judgments and divisions that exist between us. To bring forth His healing and reconciliation in us, to unite us into one family, not to eliminate the differences between us but rather to encompass them from within the unity He is calling towards, in order for Him to release His glory upon us. Does this make sense? In addition to which, presently our churches are too focused on building their own individual kingdoms instead of fostering greater unity from within and around the communities where they live.
So the correct prayer strategy now for the glory to come is to shift our focus to praying for this unity. For the love of the Father to be poured out that the divisions and the judgments between us (of which there are many) get healed and reconciled, and that church walls of division and separation will begin to come down.
This is one of the main focuses of Gaylord Enns’ book, Love Revolution, to bring us into a deeper understanding of God’s love for one another. And it’s also the focus of my new book Romans 911—Time to Sound the Alarm! For us to understand that before God can send the glory, He needs to first clean us up and make us ready, both corporately and individually, to address the obstacles and divisions in the love of God that currently exists between us. These are the ones Satan is still using to fuel our separateness and divide, his holds over our divisions that need to be broken off us and melted away through the mercy of God. (Where the enemy divides, he conquers, but during this day through the guidance of the Holy Spirit, he must be outsmarted and put down. The Word of God speaks to this very thing, as putting the devil under God’s feet: 1 Corinthians 15:25). To restore us fully into God’s love for one another and to reach a lost and dying world.
The Remnant
However, this message is not coming to everyone in the church at first, but rather to a remnant. There is a price to pay, known as the cross, of personal sacrifice, and a laying down of our own goals and agendas to be able to enter into it.
The Lord doesn’t need large numbers to accomplish His goals. Especially in the beginning of a movement, he needs precious saints who are willing to lay down their lives for the plans of God during these days, plans that His kingdom would come and that the sleeping giant (the church) would be awakened and made ready for His tasks at hand to help bring it all to pass.
Let us remember Gideon’s army and that Yeshua, Jesus, focused on 12 men to change the world, that only half of the virgins were actually ready for the bridegroom. Let us also remember that before He returns, His bride will be made spotless (Dan. 11:35,12:10; 1 Pet. 3:14). Let us remember that we have been bought at a price and that our lives are no longer our own. Let us remember that we are not saved for Him to serve us, but rather for us to serve Him. Today, sometimes I wonder if we are proclaiming the full gospel and allowing the cross of Mashiach, Christ, to do its work in us, to transform us into His image and likeness that His bride would be readied for His coming. There is always a cost and a price to pay!
During these days, may we recapture the fear of the Lord and His love and liberty that move us into all godly character. This may sound like an oxymoron, but indeed it is a great balance of these godly characteristics that actually produces His will in our lives, and we can never substitute the cross in this process. God help us if we do!
This is why God is touching a remnant now who are willing, and through prayer, we are hearing His voice and crying out for change. We are praying for the love of the Father to bring new life and melt away all our differences (individual and corporate) without compromising His holy Word, to break off the influences of the world and religion from our hearts and minds and to release His kingdom through us. We are asking God to gather our churches in communal prayer that will begin to take back our cities and towns for the gospel. This is what will win the final harvest upon the earth, and nothing short of this will do.
This unity sees no jealousy in the family between the first-born or the other children in the family. It sees no separation of races or skin color. It sees no division of thought and understanding, but it does not melt away our differences; rather with love, respect and liberty, it upholds them. This unity sees larger and smaller churches banding together with its leaders serving one other.
Here there are four main focuses to pray about:
- Restoration in the one new man between Jew and Gentile, Israel and the church, between the Messianic community and the Gentile believing family.
- Restoration of all racial divides.
- Finding unity through our mindsets and through Spirit and truth.
- Restoration to the local, regional, national and global church through a fivefold governing focus, to get us out of the pews and into the works of ministry.
For more on this prayer strategy and restoration, please read Part 3 and 4 of my new book, Romans 911—Time to Sound the Alarm!
If you are a part of this remnant, please be encouraged and keep praying. And if the new wineskin is new to you, come on in! For God has great purpose in His plans through us to help pave the way for the rest of God’s family to come into this end-time restoration, that our lamps will be filled and made ready for what is to come.
Hold your horses, and get ready, it’s going to get exciting! {eoa}
Author/speaker Grant Berry, founder of Reconnecting Ministries and Messiah’s House Messianic Center, trumpets his new book, Romans 911—Time to Sound the Alarm! Grant is a Messianic believer in Yeshua, Jesus, and is promoting a new message into the body of Messiah, Christ, during these last days, known as “The Reconnection.” This is a new term used to describe the reuniting and full restoration of Jewish and Gentile believers into John 17 unity into the one new man now that Israel’s awakening is upon us. This spiritual transaction has been unseen during most of the church age, but is now most vital for the church to move into for God’s end-time plans. It is a power key to the last great revival and final outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the earth. For more information and a special offer on Romans 911, please visit reconnectingministries.org. Fo
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