Update from Jerusalem - April
The Journey
April 13,
Dear Friends in Y'shua,
"Through my eyes and from my heart..." was the
heading I used to put on my first newsletters that I sent from Israel to
my friends many years ago. That same phrase keeps coming to me in
my preparation to write this update. Every update that I write to
you is a little like the labor of having a baby. Each delivery is
different and some take longer than others. This one has been taking
a long time because I am still in the process of learning what I want to
share with you. I keep wanting to learn more before I write the
update, but I finally feel like I have embraced enough to share something
meaningful.
THE JOURNEY
I am on a journey. You are, too. It is a
journey that the Lord designed for us before the foundation of the
world. He knew the end from the beginning. For us, it is
the process of discovery. He who thinks he has arrived has
probably only found another oasis along the God-ordained wilderness
path.
Where are we going? To our beginnings, our
roots. Back to the original faith of our Jewish apostolic
fathers - before the subtle anti-Christ spirit started sneaking in.
Have you ever been in a parade? When it is time for
it to start, the people in the front begin to move forward. When the
ones next in line see them moving, then gradually they start to move. And
so it goes until the ones at the end are able to see that it is time to
move and so they start moving. Can you imagine how long it took for
maybe 3,000,000 Israelites in the wilderness to move when the Cloud started
moving? They couldn't all move at once. Some had to start
moving first so that gradually the others could start moving.
And where were they going? Eventually back to the original Land where God had called Abraham to go.
There are many who have already started moving back to
the original roots of our faith. For a few years I have stood and
watched more and more begin to make the journey. At some point I
began to join them, propelled by the Spirit. There were times
when I felt somewhat alone, moving when others around me had
camped. But I couldn't stop. I could see the Cloud
moving.
Sometimes I have moved forward and then camped, waiting
to see where to go next. It isn't easy to move and leave behind
traditions that have warm fuzzy feelings because of familiarity. But do well-meaning traditions that are un-Biblical and stem from pagan
roots please God?
That's the real question. What pleases Your heart,
my Lord and my King? The tribe of Dan found out that You were not
pleased when they built a temple to worship You that You did not ordain and
when they celebrated Your feasts at a different time than You had
commanded. Why do we think we can stray from Your Word and still
please You, just because of our traditions?
Do Easter eggs and Christmas trees please You,
Lord? Maybe You winked at them in our immaturity, but now the
Cloud is moving, and more and more members of Your Bride are taking notice
and packing up and moving on. Where? Back to the
Bible. Back to the original. Back to the Biblical
feasts. Back to what God ordained and what pleases His heart.
What does it mean to be grafted into
the good olive tree, partaking of its root and fatness? What does
the "one new man" look like? Are we to disregard God's instructions
in the Torah (first five books of the Bible)? Or are we to recognize
that they are part of God's Covenant with us and following them brings
blessings and not following them brings curses.
Quite some time ago, the Lord got Pastor Shelley's
attention that the Cloud was moving, and he is moving with the Cloud.
It's a journey. It's progressive revelation. We just want
to please the heart of God and bless Him and be willing to be obedient to
His Word and His Covenant.
I want to share some more about the discoveries I am
making as I follow the Cloud, but first let me update you with what has
transpired since my last update in February.
PASTOR SHELLEY'S LAST VISIT
As always, it was so wonderful to have Pastor Shelley and
his family here with us in Jerusalem for four weeks! He preached
eight very anointed messages that really ministered to our hearts, and he
had some very timely visions and Words from the Lord. We were
also able to visit various Biblical places in the Land to more fully
embrace God's testimony here over the ages. And the Lord even
rranged some divine appointments with some of the people in the Land.
Many of these experiences were wonderfully recorded by
Pastor Shelley in his new "blog" - an Internet journal that he can post
to easily. We have a link to it on the left side of our home page,
but you can get to it with this link:
This link brings you to the main page where the most
recent postings are (newest on top). If you want to start at the
beginning of his postings, go to the "February Archives" link on the
left side of the page and scroll to the bottom where the entries
start. There is a link at the top of this main page to a page where
most of his pictures are posted. The oldest pictures are found
through the Archive links on the left side. He made entries almost
every day while he was here.
You will find pictures and background information for
many places that we visited including:
- where David slew Goliath
- the most likely tomb of King David in the archeological ruins of David's
City
- the cave on the Mount of Olives believed to be where Y'shua taught the
disciples and gave them the Lord's Prayer
- the grotto where the ossuary (bone box) of the Apostle Peter was found
- the newly opened mikveh of John the Baptist
- the hill where Elijah slew the prophets of Baal
- the spring where Gideon tested his men
- the ancient gate of the city of Dan which Abraham probably walked through
- Jeroboam's false temple site in Dan
- the cursed city of Chorazim
- the city of Hazor which King Solomon rebuilt
- and much, much more...
In our service on February 26th, Pastor Shelley had a
wonderful vision and Word from the Lord which you can read in full at:
http://www.revival.org/blogs//02/visions-and-prophetic-words-from-our.jsp
Here are some excerpts:
And I see that the Lord is saying this morning that the Glory that we have known, the Presence that we have known and even
the victory that we have known is just like the appetizer. It's
like sitting down at a fine restaurant and having the different courses
brought to you. And what we've known in the Spirit is not the
entree, it's not the fullness of the meal, but it's only that which would
cause us to . . . our appetite to be stimulated and increased for more.
And I see that the Lord has us sometime in still
places. And it feels a little bit like that in the Spirit.
Although it's not a still time. It's a very busy time in the Spirit
realm. But for some of us it feels like that this is a still time
and a slow time. And the Lord said that's like us sitting down
at a restaurant . . . Maybe some of you have experienced this, and
if you haven't, you've probably at least heard about it. But
sometimes in a very fancy restaurant . . . I have only been in a few in my
whole life . . . between courses they bring out something like
sorbet. And a lot of times it's citrus flavor. And they give
you just a little bit of that sorbet. And they do it . . . they call
it to cleanse your palette so that your mouth is clear of all the
flavor of the last course, and it starts preparing you for the next
course . . .
And I see that some of us here, and perhaps also those who
are streaming on the computer, we're kind of in that in-between course
in the meal. And we're, you know, not feeling so much
direction. And it's not so very clear . . .
Oh, I'm willing, Lord. If that's what this season
is about in our lives - if it's to clear our minds and our spirits from
all that we have had, getting ready for something meatier, something more
substantial, something more filling, Lord, we're willing.
Lord, I'm ready for You to clear my spiritual
palette. I'm ready, Lord, for you to remove all of the mingling
flavors of all the appetizers. That was great glory. It was
great miracle, great wonderful things You've done for me in the past.
But I'm ready, Lord. It's not that I don't want to remember it . . .
I want to remember what You've done . . . but I don't want it hanging
around to dilute what You're about to do. And so, Lord, we're
willing for this still time, this moment between courses . . .
Prophecy:
For surely the Lord would say unto thee this day,
I have called you, yes into that still place
where it seems that almost My clock has stopped in your life.
But yea, I, the Lord thy God, would say unto thee,
It is not stopped, it is not finished,
but merely paused, saith the Lord.
And it is not because of disobedience,
so you can quit asking Me if you have missed Me
or if you have disobeyed Me.
For I say unto you, it is not because of disobedience,
but it is because I'm getting ready to do something more,
something more for you, saith the Lord.
And I have called you to this place in Me to rest
and to clear yourself of all the past.
And yea, the Lord would say unto thee,
there has been some confusion in your mind
of what I would have you to do.
And sometimes you would feel like that I would lead you to this
and other times lead you to that.
And so, I've seen those moments that you have been a little confused,
wanting to know exactly what my will is.
And the Lord would say, that's what this season is about.
Rest in Me. Look unto Me.
And I will clear away all the worry of the past,
all the flavor of the past, all the fragrance of the past,
and I will begin to reveal My plan.
And it'll be good, saith the Lord,
for I have custom tailored it just for you . . .
you in mind, saith the Lord.
The things that you enjoy, the things that you are, all of you,
I have custom designed My will for you,
knowing you the way that I do.
So, rest in Me.
For the Lord would say unto thee,
I shall change directions,
and things shall begin to be clearer, saith the Lord,
if you'll wait on Me.
During our service the following week on March 5th, Pastor
Shelley received a very interesting Word from the Lord regarding the disengagement plan here in Israel. You can read it at:
http://www.revival.org/blogs//03/prophetic-word-from-our-service-in.jsp
ANOINTED MESSAGES BY PASTOR
SHELLEY
I am always very careful to listen with prophetic ears to
the messages that the Lord gives Pastor Shelley, especially when he is in
Jerusalem. Here are some of the key points of his messages from his
recent trip. Perhaps the Lord will speak to you through some of
these thoughts.
A Mind Transplant (Feb. 19, )
1 Cor. 2:9-16, Phi 2:1-8
(1Co 2:16) For who hath known the mind of the Lord,
that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.
(Phi 2:1) If there be therefore any consolation in
Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
bowels and mercies,
(Phi 2:2) Fulfill ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the
same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
The Bride needs a change of mind, a mind transplant, so
she can think like the Bridegroom. We tend to think the thoughts
of the flesh dictated by our five senses, but this leaves out faith.
We must believe God's Word in spite of the circumstances.
We can make a difference, but we need a change of
mind. The Lord is putting people together who have the same vision
and calling and who are walking in the Spirit. God is calling His
Bride away from Church traditions and to her Jewish roots.
This hour is the culmination of all things - when God
desires to express His mind through His Bride. We will hear the
Spirit and not do our own thing. By the Spirit we will know the new
direction that the Lord is calling us into.
Restoration from Spiritual
Amnesia (Feb. 20, )
Philippians 2:1-8
(Phi 2:5) Let this mind be in you, which was also
in Christ Jesus:
We must take on the mind of the Messiah and lay aside
our will, always reminding ourselves, "Not my will, but Thine be
done." We think we know His will, but later we realize we don't.
We dwelt with God in heaven in His mind, not as a soul,
but in His thoughts. When we were born, God's will came down through
time and created our soul. We are here in God's timing as an
expression of His thought.
Adam was perfect, and we will be restored back to
perfection. Our greatest days for God are ahead. God let
us bypass our theophany body in order to be tested and tried to prove our
love for our Creator. If at the end He knows we love Him, the trials
will be worth it all.
The fellowship that the disciples had with Y'shua was not
the same as Adam had with God. They didn't understand that they were
walking with their Creator. But God is going to have a people who
will walk almost like Adam. There is a oneness coming to the Body
with the Head. We need to desire to come to the place where we KNOW
that we will do His will today.
Man has forgotten who he is and has spiritual
amnesia. We have forgotten that we are sons of God and will be
restored to the original fellowship. We have forgotten that we were
once in the mind of God and are called for higher purposes. We
have been walking like Moses walked - behind a veil. But God is
getting ready to remove the veil from His people. This is our due
time! God wants to reveal Himself through us and help others
recognize they are having spiritual amnesia.
We Are Just Not Looking High
Enough (Feb. 26, )
Psalm 121
(Psa 121:1) A Song of degrees. I will lift
up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
(Psa 121:2) My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and
earth.
We need to look higher than our
situations. Saul looked into the valley and saw the giant, but
we must be like David who saw the giant, but raised his eyes higher and
looked to God.
We must not despise the day of small things. God
has chosen the foolish things to confound the wise. God doesn't
always move when we want Him to, but He always moves.
Overcoming the Fear of
Heights (Feb. 27, )
Ecc. 12
(Ecc 12:5) Also when they shall be afraid of
that which is high, and fears shall be in the way...
God wants to deliver His people from the fear of
moving up from where they are. We need the Lord to take us out
of our comfort zone, take us higher and take away the fear. We
don't want to confess fear, but we have it. We don't want to lose
control. We have a fear of losing everything that we have.
If we lose what we have, it is because He wants to give us something
better. We have a fear of missing the Lord or of disobedience.
Fear seems to be magnified in this hour because the enemy
knows that the Body of Christ is beginning to come into position - like a
baby dropping into the birth canal. But perfect love casts out all
fear. We need a revelation of the love of God for us. When it
becomes a revelation, then we will love each other more. We need to
fall in love with God's people - idiosyncrasies and all.
We need to be always climbing - forgetting those things
which are behind and reaching forth to the things that are before us.
If we get disgusted with where we are, it makes us want to move higher. High places are places of sacrifice, decision and glory.
This is still the sowing hour - even though we want to
start reaping. In God's time, the reaping will come. We
will be glad that we have sown when God begins to manifest in the natural.
We will regret that we didn't sow more - pray a little more, sow more
seed. There is coming a transformation for us.
The Believers in
Bethany (Mar. 5, )
Luke 10:38-42, John 11:1-4,17-44
(Joh 11:1) Now a certain man was sick, named
Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
"Bethany" means "house of unripe figs." We all
have unfulfilled potential. There must be a balance between being
a worshipper like Mary and being practical like Martha. We
should serve with careful Martha's hand and love with Mary's heart.
Lazarus needs to get out of the
grave. When Mary and Martha come into a balance they will be
better able to turn their attention away from criticizing each other and
focus on asking the Master bring Lazarus forth and fulfill his potential
with a testimony that will bring Him glory.
There's Only One Way to the
Promised Land (Mar. 6, )
Job 23:8-10, Ex. 13:17-22
(Job 23:8) Behold, I go forward, but he is not
there; and backward, but I cannot perceive him:
(Job 23:9) On the left hand, where he doth work, but I cannot behold
him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot see him:
(Job 23:10) But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried
me, I shall come forth as gold.
(Exo 13:17) And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had
let the people go, that God led them not through the way of the land of the
Philistines, although that was near; for God said, Lest peradventure the
people repent when they see war, and they return to Egypt:
(Exo 13:18) But God led the people about, through the way of the
wilderness of the Red sea: and the children of Israel went up harnessed
out of the land of Egypt.
God let little battles rise up in the wilderness so they
would be prepared for the big battles in the Promised Land. He
brings us into the wilderness for a season to test us and to train us for
the last days. God sets up the test and then goes through the
test with us.
In the wilderness you get what you need, not what you
want. We need to come to a place of contentment with what we have -
even if our situation is terrible. We need to let our inner man be
fed in the wilderness. The wilderness is not so bad when we
consider the promises, for when He has tried us, we shall come forth as
gold!
Thank God for the wilderness! There is something
bigger there than what we perceive.
God Dwells In Our
Willingness (Mar. 12, )
Ex. 25:1-9, Rom. 6:17-18
(Exo 25:2) Speak unto the children of Israel, that
they bring me an offering: of every man that giveth it willingly with
his heart ye shall take my offering.
(Rom 6:17) But God be thanked, that ye were the
servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of
doctrine which was delivered you.
The Tabernacle was made by the willingness of the
people, and then God dwelled there. If we want to walk in blessings,
we must do what God requires - not out of obligation, but out of
desire. We must check our hearts to be sure we are obeying God with
the right motives. It is possible to do all the right things, but do
them for the wrong reasons.
He will visit us in our obedience for a season, but
dwells in our willingness. We need to examine our hearts.
We started with a willing heart, but are we now doing spiritual things out
of routine or dread? Our ministry should be an offering, not a
sacrifice.
God In a Box (Mar. 13, )
Numbers 10:33-36
(Num 10:35) And it came to pass, when the ark set
forward, that Moses said, Rise up, LORD, and let thine enemies be
scattered; and let them that hate thee flee before thee.
If we ever had a need to get in touch with God's perfect
will - it is now! We need to recognize the seriousness of the
hour and desperately seek the will of God for our lives. God can
give divine and meticulous detail of His will like He did for the
Ark. We have become the Ark for the Presence of the Lord.
There He will meet with us.
In the Ark was manna - God's provision, Aaron's rod -
authority, and the stone tablets of Testimony - Covenant. Only the
stone tablets were in the Ark at the dedication of Solomon's Temple.
This signifies that the most important thing is not that God can provide
for us and give us authority, but that He has made a Covenant with
us! There is not one Covenant for the Jews and another one for
the Gentile believers. We are fellow servants with the Jews -
grafted in! If we want the benefits of Israel, there are
responsibilities.
When the New Testament speaks about commandments, it
refers to commandments from the Old Testament. The Church has tried
to interpret the Old Testament based on the New Testament. But that's
wrong. We should take the established Old Testament to understand
the New Testament. We need to take what Paul has said and place
it in the Old Testament.
The Israelites began to look to the Ark instead of to
the God that lived in the Box. They used to say, "Let God
arise!" but later said, "Let the Ark arise!" They began to fail to
distinguish between God and the Box. We tend to sing of the glories
of the Church instead of the God of the Church. It is not, "Let the
government arise!" but "Let God arise!" It is not even, "Arise
myself!" but "Let God arise!" We need to get God out of the
Box! He is now dwelling in us!
MORE ABOUT THE
JOURNEY
There is a gap between the understandings of Gentile
believers and Jews that God is wanting to bridge in this hour.
The Cloud is moving to bridge this gap. Some of you may already have
seen the Cloud move and are near the front of the line, while others may be
just noticing that some are moving.
It would take too long for me to try and explain in this
update (which is already getting lengthy) all that is beginning to be a
revelation to me, but I will try to outline a few things that maybe God
will use to motivate you to dig farther.
Some of you will remember the General Electric pavilion at
the World's Fair in NYC. Perhaps it is still in operation at
one of the Disney theme parks. There was a circular center stage
that stayed stationary while the auditorium moved around it, scene by
scene. Disney animated characters were used to demonstrate the new
technological advancements in GE home appliances throughout different eras
of time. After each scene, the whole auditorium with the audience
in it moved to the next section of the stage. A song was played each
time it moved. The words I remember were something like "There's
a Brand New Tomorrow." In the Spirit, I keep hearing that song
and remembering the thrilling feeling of anticipation I experienced when
the auditorium began to move. That's the way I am feeling now with
the moving of the Cloud!
More specifically, what am I discovering, you ask?
I am discovering what it really means that I am grafted
into Israel (Rom. 11:17).
Who did God make His Covenant with at Mount
Sinai? All of the tribes of Israel and the strangers in their midst
who had joined themselves to them to worship their God.
I don't know if I am descended from one of the tribes of
Israel. In my case, only God really knows. But I do know that at
the very least, I have joined myself to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
through faith in Y'shua, the Messiah. I am like one of the strangers
who has joined themselves to Israel. I am grafted into Israel and
can partake of the root and fatness of the olive tree. That
means, for example, that the Covenant that God made with Israel at Mount
Sinai was made also with me! And Y'shua completed that
Covenant! (It has not been done away with!)
There are great blessings promised in that Covenant for
me IF I keep the commandments (the Torah, the Instructions) of the
Lord.
This thought is expounded in great depth in the article
"Who Is God's Covenant With?" by Mordechai Silver found at:
http://www.etz-chayim.org/articles/gods-covenant.jsp
I am also discovering that the New Testament can
easily be misinterpreted if it is not analyzed from a first century
Jewish point of view.
The New Testament is a Jewish anthology of books written
by Jews who became followers of Y'shua and still observed the teachings of
the Torah even after Y'shua's death. Every believer ought to study
David H. Stern's "Jewish New Testament" and "Jewish New Testament
Commentary." It will open your eyes to a whole new understanding
of the Scriptures that is vital if we want to keep moving with the
Cloud.
I am only beginning to seriously investigate what others
have been learning in the area of returning to our Hebraic roots, the
"One New Man," the Two-House Movement (Ephraim and Judah) and the First
Century Church.
Everyone has different shades of understanding, of course,
but I am seeing how the Cloud is moving to bring us to the "times of
restitution of all things." (Acts 3:21)
IN CONCLUSION
Well, I've bent your ear long enough! There is
much more to say, but it will have to wait. Now perhaps you can
understand why this update has been long in coming.
Pastor Shelley is planning on being in Jerusalem May
25th - June 15th, God willing. He especially loves being here
for Shavuot (Pentecost), which is June 13th and 14th.
He will also be conducting Passover Meetings in his
church at Smiths, Alabama, April 22 - May 1, with meetings every night and
two each Sunday. For more information see:
http://www.jerusalemrevival.com/Passover_Meetings.jspApril 10th (Nissan 1) was the first day of the Biblical
New Year. Here in Jerusalem we will be celebrating the fullness of
the revelation of Y'shua as our Passover Lamb with a Passover seder
on April 23rd and commemorating His Resurrection on the Biblical Feast
of First Fruits, which the Jewish people will honor on April 25th this
year. That's exactly what the First Century Church did!
We are using the weekly Bible reading plan
(Parashah) that the Jewish people (including Y'shua) have used for more
than years with the addition of related New Testament
Scriptures. You can find this schedule at:
http://www.tnnonline.net/torah.jsp.
From Jerusalem we are gradually editing the transcripts from Pastor Shelley's sermons and uploading them to his
website. The latest ones that have been added are at this
link: http://www.revival.org/sermons_year.jsp?year=.
Many, many thanks to those who have sowed into this
ministry, dedicated to help usher in revival for physical Jerusalem and
spiritual Jerusalem! We have many needs, one of which is for
enough money to pay our quarterly rent on May 15th. Please
consider giving a donation to enable us to continue fulfilling our Call
from the Lord in Jerusalem. Giving to the Lord's work in
Jerusalem can only result in blessings for you!
For every donation, upon request,
we will send an audio tape of spontaneous worship from our worship time on
March 31st that centered on the theme "The Journey."
Ordering details are at the end of this e-mail.
I hope that I have not overwhelmed you by all that I have
presented in this update! I just have a great excitement in my heart
to be moving with the Cloud again, and I needed to share it! Come join us on "The Journey" under the Cloud!
2Ti. 2:15 - Study to show thyself approved unto God,
a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of
truth.
Blessings from Jerusalem!
Nancy Bergen
Jerusalem Revival Center
PO Box
Jerusalem 3, Israel