A DIVINE INVITATION
Right after the Lord birthed All Things Restored, He asked us if we would allow Him to align us with His times and seasons. Knowing that it was a Divine invitation, we said yes, having no idea what that really meant. This began a journey of learning about His appointed times and the precision and fluidity of His calendar, which is so different from the timetable of our society today. This place of discovery prompted us to begin doing our monthly new moon Love Feasts… a time of delicious food, amazing company and lots and lots of fun!
THE MOON AND THE MO’EDIM
The Bible does not clearly state that the month begins with the new moon. Yet Genesis 1:14 tells us that God created the sun, moon and stars for signs and seasons. And Psalm 104:19 specifically states that it is the moon that marks these seasons. The Hebrew word for seasons is “mo’edim,” which literally means “appointed times.” It is the same word used in Leviticus 23 to describe the feasts and holy days that God commanded Moses and the children of Israel to observe. The word used for new moon in Hebrew is “Rosh Chodesh,” which literally means “beginning, head, or renewal, thus “head of the month.”
WHEN IS THE NEW MOON?
Because the Bible does not clearly state how to calculate the new moon, there is much debate as to whether it is counted at the time of conjunction (when the earth, moon and sun are in a straight line) or at the time when the first visible crescent moon is seen in the night sky. But according to the book of Enoch, the sunset following conjunction is the beginning of the first day of the new month (Enoch 73:4). Many people are adamant that the new moon should be “observed,” but miss the fact that right before conjunction, a crescent moon can be seen in the east as the sun is rising.
BIBLICAL PATTERN: EVERYTHING BEGINS IN DARKNESS
Because the earth, moon and sun are aligned at conjunction, there is actually no moon visible in the night sky, so it may seem contradictory to call it a new moon. Yet, this actually fits the Biblical pattern of creation beginning in darkness (Genesis 1:1). In this chapter, we also see that the new day begins in the darkness of evening. Psalm 139:13 tells us clearly that life begins at conception and that we exist in the darkness of the womb long before we are seen by any eyes other than His. Hebrews 11:1 tells us that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” So, as an earthly picture of a heavenly reality, we know by faith that things exist first in the unseen realm and then simply manifest into visible dimensions.
WE’RE NOT UNDER THE LAW
Colossians 2:16-17: “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” In Christ, we are not under the law and are under no obligation to observe new moons and sabbaths. The old covenant was fulfilled in Christ, so the feasts, which are an earthly type and shadow of heavenly things, are demonstrations that Jesus fulfilled them all. When we choose to observe the feasts, we do not observe them in order to be righteous, but so that we can display Jesus to the world!
WE’RE NOT UNDER TIME
If we are in Christ, we have been given dominion over creation, which includes time, since time is a created thing. Time is a currency of earth, and God is teaching His sons the rhythms and the mysteries governing earth, so that we can rise above them, rule over them and advance His kingdom here. Understanding and celebrating his “mo’edim” (appointed times) is just one small part of this Divine school of understanding “how it works.”
A FEAST, A CELEBRATION
Traditionally, Rosh Chodesh (the new moon, or head of the month) was a joyous time of singing, dancing, Scripture reading and the partaking of a festive meal together.
COME JOIN US
So come join us as we step outside of our rigid calendar-driven lives and into the Father’s dancing rhythm. Come celebrate with us the mystery of His mo’edim. Come eat some scrumptious food with some of the friendliest people you’ll ever meet… and have the time of your life!
2017 Dates are as follows. Contact info@allthingsrestored.org for locations.
4th Month: Saturday June 24th @ 5:00 @ All Things Restored
5th Month: Sunday July 23
6th Month: Monday August 21
7th Month: Wednesday September 20
8th Month: Thursday October 19
9th Month: Saturday November 18
10th Month: Monday December 18
I think I’ve just had an epiphany about destiny. When we think of destiny, most of us, me for sure, think of it as some big assignment. A final destination which causes us to feel complete, fulfilled, or “i’ve finally made it.”.
Quite to the contrary. Our destiny is to “allow Christ to counsel you and express himself through your personality…”
Our expression may include marriage, children, pastoring, your job, etc. but our destiny is not, I now realize, a single event but a series of events.
I’ve been fearful of missing my destiny. Now that fear is gone. All that is required is my YES.
-Kristy Luschen
Quote from Farley’s book, “The Naked Gospel”
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.” (IICorinthians 4:17)
In heaven’s economy, the trade for glory is hardship. Why? Do we earn that which has been freely given to us through the blood of Jesus? Emphatically no! But we do posture ourselves to receive and to steward the blessings He died to give us. Suffering deals with the selfishness and ego within us, and with the agendas we are not even aware of, refining us so that we can be trusted with His glory and with great authority. For this reason, miracles, healings, signs and wonders are often commonplace in countries where there is intense persecution or suffering.
The western church knows little of suffering and many people, when confronted with even the smallest inconvenience or offense, become discouraged and quit… often right before stepping into the next place of glory or destiny the Father has for them.
The early church fathers understood this trade, which enabled them to not only endure but to rejoice in hardship.
I Peter 4:13, “But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed.”
Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”
So, if you have been experiencing resistance, hardship or suffering, rejoice! Call upon the justice system of God to release His glory into your life and situation. And if you have been struggling with resistance to your destiny, or contemplating quitting because of inconvenience, difficulty or offense, renew your resolve to remain steadfast and faithful until God promotes you. And remember, that God has promised to work all things for your good, no matter what it is. He is generous and kind beyond our understanding and you can never out-give Him. He will always reward any sacrifice given from a pure heart of love for Him!
Matthew 13:52, “Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.”
Being a transitional generation is difficult. We know what we don’t want, and we are seeing it die before our eyes. We may (or may not) have glimpses of what we do want and what is coming… like “seeing through a glass darkly.”
But to be a steward of heaven, we must bring out of our treasure what is new and what is old. In order to effectively transition, we must build a bridge between the old and the new. But the tendency is to throw out the old in the excitement of the new, especially if the old was laden with abuse, immaturity and pain. If we are not faithful “masters of a house,” as was Moses who God called “faithful in all My house,” we will not be able to lead anyone else from slavery to the promised land. We will die in the wilderness, because this is how inheritances are lost.
We must not abandon God’s order, God’s gifts or God’s ways, even if they were stolen, counterfeited, abused or mishandled. God’s order is to pass inheritance from father to son… through relationship. We were created for connection, first with Him and then with each other. If we abandon this order out of judgment or hurt, we will miss at least some of what He has for us.
It is hard to keep your heart open when it has been wounded time and time again. Almost everyone has been wounded by the church system. But, even when God offered to rid Moses of the stubborn, rebellious and disobedient people he was leading, Moses still stuck it out. God knew his heart. He knew that he was faithful and that his answer would be the right one.
Building community has been one of the hardest assignments I have ever been given from the Lord. Community may look different in different seasons, and hopefully we won’t repeat some of the mistakes of the church in the past (control, abuse, manipulation, ego, building our own kingdom, etc.). But the bottom line is that we are created for connection, first with God and then with each other. Things that need to be dealt with in our lives surface in the context of community, while they remain hidden in isolation. One of the dangers of today’s culture are the pseudo-connections like social media that fill the place where genuine relationship should be, minus the vulnerability. The whirlwind pace of many people’s lives is not even conducive to relationships of depth and intimacy.
So, we continue plugging away at this… learning how to love, speaking the truth even when it hurts, being accountable to one another, gathering to break bread, refusing to bail out. It is culturally and spiritually important. Being part of an imperfect community (which is every community) is scary, especially if we’ve been hurt a lot in our natural family or in past church experiences. I find that many people want all the advantages of community without the responsibilities or even just showing up when it’s inconvenient. But God changed the world with just 12 in unity, so let’s be encouraged… and keep on keeping on!
There was a season where, during times of worship and intercession, I kept seeing a “combination” lock, which I knew to represent the synergy of heaven and earth. The Lord is bringing us into alignment so that the lock (the gates and doors) will open. This alignment creates a portal, an unobstructed channel, where angels ascend and descend, where we can go up and down, in and out, to and fro, and where the King of Glory can enter to take His rightful place.
I saw the worship of heaven (the angels, heavenly beings, elders, cherub, seraphim, ophanim, and cloud of witnesses) combining with the worship of earth to create a whirlwind, just like cold air and warm air form a tornado. This whirlwind carried us up to the throne (the way Elijah was carried up) and then swirled around the throne, covering His throne once again.
Then I found myself in the hall of preparation, which is the Sea of Glass before the throne. I sensed the presence of the 7 Spirits of God and knew they were preparing us in much the same way the eunuch prepared Esther for her audience with the King.
I then heard “Deeper submission, greater authority” and saw Him turning the dial on the lock (us) first this way and then that way. He was lining us up with Himself. I realized that absolute surrender is always necessary because being turned back and forth is unsettling, but we must trust Him. He is aligning us with His plans and purposes, His times and seasons, His structure, His shadow. We have said yes to casting a shadow that looks like Him, so that He can inhabit us.
The next time I encountered this combination lock, I saw it on the door of a safe. The proper combination was dialed and the door of the safe opened. I knew the Lord was showing me that, as we continue to align with Him, everything we need will be released to us from heaven’s infinite supply!
Sometimes it is difficult to discern whether difficult things are of God to strengthen us or are of the enemy to destroy us. Many things, like Jesus’ death on the cross, are both (I Corinthians 2:8). In these times, we choose to submit to God, to resist the devil (James 4:7), and we trust the Spirit of Truth to sort out which is which.
This is the Threshing Floor, that place where everything is thrown up in the air in what seems like disarray. The wheat and the tares may look the same, but when the wind of His Spirit blows through, the chaff is blown away, while the wheat (that which has true spiritual substance) falls to the ground (in a posture of humility, submission, total abandon). This process is necessary for individuals, as well as corporate bodies and moves of God.
Jesus intentionally offended the multitude (John 6) right after He fed the 5,000. All the people ate their fill and were plotting to take Jesus by force and to make Him king, not because they believed in Him, but because they saw a good business opportunity. They were concerned only with the natural realm, while Jesus tried to get them to see past that into the realm of eternity. He told them that He was the Bread of Life – eternal life – and that they must eat His flesh and drink His blood. And many were offended and went away. Jesus knew that if that saying offended them, they certainly would not be able to steward the truth of the mystery of His death, resurrection and ascension (John 6:61-62).
So, Father, You know the hearts of all men. You see every agenda, every selfish motive – even those things which we ourselves are unaware of. And You are able to purge us, both individually and corporately.
So, I submit fully to Your hand and to this process. I give You permission (though You are God and don’t require it). I trust You. I know You do not see as we see. Like Samuel, I might choose Eliab while You choose David (I Samuel 16:7).
I submit to You, Father, knowing that You can be trusted, and I ask that You would protect us from the enemy’s devouring that he tries to mix in with Your refining process. I ask You, Lord of Hosts, to arise on our behalf with Your hosts of waring angels. Please shine Your spotlight of Truth and reveal Your keys and Your strategies. It’s all for the glory of Your name and the advancement of Your kingdom!
I was praying and saw a whirlwind, which I knew by the Spirit that I was to receive inside of me. I knew that it would propel me upward, so that I could experience higher realms and dimensions. And I knew that I was allowed to release it corporately.
Then I was suddenly back at the River of Life. It was the same place He had taken me so many times before, but this time, I knew it was not just the River of Life, but the river of Delight and of the Ecstasies of God.
First, I drank my fill of His life, allowing His life to flow freely through me (spirit, soul and body) and commanding all obstructions to be gone. I received the free-flow of His life in me and through me to overflowing.
Then I began drinking from the River of Delight and of the Ecstasies of God. I saw my spirit man drinking, just as I have since my first encounter with the River of Life. But this time, after I drank, I started laughing, falling back and rolling on the ground, like a cartoon. I could feel the joy beginning to bubble up in my soul. And I heard the Lord say, “You will be changed into another man”, like the story of Saul and the prophets (I Samuel 10:6). “Keep drinking until every obstruction is broken.”
I love what John Crowder says, “The thing in which you find pleasure is the thing you worship.”
Psalm 36:8,“They are abundantly satisfied with the fullness of Your house, and You give them drink from the River of Your Pleasures.”
© 2013 All Things Restored
