December 13, 2010
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Twelve Components in the Foundation of Standard Bearers by Apostle William Epps
The standard is not given to us by the Law but by the Spirit. We need to hear and obey God, operating in the right order. If God says to go left and we go right we are out of order. Obedience is important to God.
Each of these 12 components follow upon each other and are interconnected.
1. Time
If we do not understand time we can miss the visitation of God. God always visits in time. But God is outside of our chronological time. God comes at the right time and everything changes. God told the Israelites not to work on the Sabbath and He gave them specific Feasts to gather.
In the presence of God everything changes. We can’t do work in the presence of God.
In Revelation, John was in the Spirit in the presence of God and he fell down as a dead man.
God appeared to Moses in the backside of the desert, until God told him it was time to bring the people out of captivity of Egypt. Moses was confronted with a bush that burned but was not consumed. He was told to remove the shoes from his feet because He was standing on holy ground.
What is necessary is attendance on God to hear what He has to say.
Your situation in life is an opportunity for God to bring His presence and exert His presence on your circumstances. Where God has shown up in your life is Holy Ground. Your challenges become sanctified in the Holy Place. Remember, we are Temples of God.
We need our soul to agree with the Spirit so that we can have wholeness to carry out our assignments. We sometimes think that our situation has no remedy or solution, that our situation is more than we can bear. But that is not the truth. When we focus on the difficulty of our situation we are turning our focus away from the truth and that makes it hard to complete our purpose.
God speaks to us out of our circumstances. God spoke to Moses out of the burning bush. So often when we have a difficult circumstance we speak to others who will agree with our assessment of the situation. That will not get us anywhere. We need the truth. The Kingdom of God cannot advance greater than the truth you have received from God. John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
The success of the advancing of the Kingdom is based on the truth.
To burn something you need Time + Oxygen + Ignition.
God is the ignition. God allows the oxygen to circulate. And there is no time for the bush (Moses burning bush) to burn.
God is moving outside of time. God is not going to bring His actions to line up with your situation; you need to line your situation up with the will of God. It is your choice. God is sovereign, He is not going to act according to consensus of opinion. If we line up with His will, He can turn our situation around and let His glory shine through it.
Someone said that when we kill the sacred cow that does not mean that we don’t eat it’s meat. We can get what we can from those sacred cows in our life and use that information in service of God. God anoints us but it may take time to bring us to the point where the anointing manifests. The light of God can help you. And when we have successfully met our challenge we can tell others, “Let me tell you what He did for me.”
When we are facing challenges, we are right in the place where God wants us. In the midst of your challenge God brings the presence and the glory of God.
When the glory in the area of your life is revealed, and you are submitted to God, that is the area in which your Kingdom has advanced.
Only walk in those areas that God can advance you in. If God can’t advance you in it you can’t walk in it.
God can help move us through dreams and visions.
God uses difficulty to process those things that are not of God out of us, for that leaves room for God to place His plans inside of us, for His greater purpose.
When God gives us a vision, He is moving us from where we are to where He wants us to be so we can flow, operate, and cause His glory to advance the Kingdom of God.
We need to be willing to let God work the process out in us so that we can be all that we can be in Him. I am the one who determines how much of my future I can have. God’s challenges are beneficial.
When the enemy challenges us, he challenges us in one of two areas. 1. Legal or 2. Illegal.
The enemy has legal access to us if we are not in obedience to the Word of God. If we are in the Word and abiding by the Word of God, the enemy does not have legal access to our lives. Does that mean that our lives go smoothly all the time? No. Jesus was crucified, and the enemy set that up. But that helped Jesus to fulfill His divine purpose of salvation for mankind. If we die to some things it doesn’t stop your destiny, it helps to fulfill it. After Jesus died he went to the belly of the earth and captures the keys to death, hell and the grave. Because Jesus was sin free the enemy had no right to hold him. Jesus led captivity captive and gave gifts to man.
Ephesians 4:8-10 Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.)
If we are doing things agains the Law we are wide open to attacks from the enemy.
Because of Jesus we can advance. Salvation and Grace helps us to go on to perfection. What is holding us in bondage is only able to do so until we put the Word of God in the situation. The seed has to come to fruition and be the expression of Jesus in us.
Apostle Epps told us that there were many words for “time” mentioned in the Bible. The ones that he shared with us are as follows:
GREEK (3916) PARACHREMA – which means immediately instantly, straight way, forthwith, presently, soon.
HEBREW (4150) MOWADAH – which means over a period of time, a fixed time or season, God marked the time, the season of God, place of meeting signal, assembly of God, the time of your breakthrough. We need to agree with the Holy Ghost.
GREEK (2540) KAIROS – which means due measure, proportion, a season, a time, a period, at that time. immediately, opportunity for doing anything, fulfillment of prophesy. Things change immediately.
Immediately step into another place. The timing of God. When you move in the timing of God you get more done, more quickly.
HEBREW (3117) YOWM, YOME – which means from one sunset to another sunset, often used as “day”. Can also mean continually, when, always
2. Commitment/Consistency
When you are on time, within time is built commitment. In order to achieve your purpose you must have commitment. Are you committed? Commitment is the fundamental basis of consistency, which helps to build momentum to get you toward your goal or purpose. You can’t get thrust, force and impetus to get liberation without commitment. The enemy seeks to cause us to break our commitment and wear us down. When the enemy is attacking us in our area of commitment, we need to keep our thoughts focused on Christ in you, the hope of glory. Focus your time toward specific things, on what is expedient. If you get distracted and lose your focus you may miss the blessing of God.
3. Agreement
When we are in agreement with what God has called us to do then we will have consistency and commitment. For agreement comes out of commitment and consistency.
4. Submission
It is not about what we want but what God wants.
5. Obedience
When people are submitted to God they are obedient.
6. Faithful
7. Relationship
We cannot have relationships without faithfulness.
8. Fellowship and Communion
If we have a relationship with God we have fellowship and communion with each other. Jesus asked Peter if he could drink from the cup that Jesus drank from, the fellowship of suffering. Know the price of the resurrection. Are we willing to be conformable unto the death? We need communion, fellowship with God. When we drink the blood and eat the body of Jesus, it gives us strength and helps to build one Body in Christ.
9. Unity
With communion we are brought into unity.
10. Order
Order can never come unless there is unity.
Unity cannot come where there is no communion, and without unity there cannot be order. Order is not structure.
A religious spirit wants structure in a service.
10 – pray
10:05 scripture reading
10:15 praise and worship 3 hymns
10:25 collection
10:30 preach the Word
10:50 Altar call
11:00 DismissThat is not order, that is structure. Structure is used by the enemy to cut off the Spirit of God’s grace. God’s order is if God tells you to sing the praises of Zion you sing. You may sing until God tells you to do something else. You are to minister by the Spirit, under the guidance and direction of the Spirit.
11. Authority of God
Without order we cannot operate in God’s authority to heal the sick, open the eyes of the blind, raise the dead.
12. Release of Power
God will never give power without authority. And there is no authority without power.
God is moving His people into a place where the power of God manifests. We are given power over all.
Remember, we have the seed of God within us, the Son in us, the Holy Spirit in us. We have everything we need. We are God’s dwelling place on earth.
Matthew 11:12 And from the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.
We cannot take the Kingdom by our strength, we need faith. We need to get the Word of God, and that helps us gain ground for the Kingdom of God.
We need to teach our children and help them to get the Word of God so that the enemy does not gain more ground. Only when we know the Word of God will we have discernment to detect the lies of the enemy.
Psalm 1:1-6 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stands in the path of sinners, nor sits in the seat of the scornful; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law he meditates day and night. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper. The ungodly are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind drives away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the ungodly shall perish.
Psalm 37:1 Do not fret because of evildoers, nor be envious of the workers of iniquity.
Psalm 119:11 Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You.
Every sin that we commit is first and foremost a sin against God.
David, when he sinned with Bathsheba, said that he sinned against God.
Kneel, bow and submit to God now.
Hebrews 13:5 Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”
Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Don’t look at your trouble, look at the King. The Spirit of the Lord is in you. The Power of the Lord and His Word in you will help you to achieve your manifest destiny. Only in God is the place where there is power. As you increase His dominion over you you increase in power to deal with your circumstances.
The fact that you know the Word does not mean that you have given God dominion over you, you have to choose to let Him have dominion.
We need to bring our thoughts into submission to Christ.
Romans 12:1-2 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
Philippians 4:8-9 Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you.
Nehemiah 8:10 Then he said to them, “Go your way, eat the fat, drink the sweet, and send portions to those for whom nothing is prepared; for this day is holy to our Lord. Do not sorrow, for the joy of the LORD is your strength.”
We need to release our joy when troubles come upon us. Have crazy praise. Thank God. Leap for joy.
Psalm 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in the LORD.
Hebrews 13:15 Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.
If you are hurting and don’t feel like praising and worshipping God, and you choose to praise and worship anyway, that is a sacrifice of praise.
Deuteronomy 8:18 And you shall remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.
2 Samuel 22:33 God is my strength and power, and He makes my way perfect.
1 Chronicles 29:11 Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, the power and the glory, the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head over all.
Our kingdom is not of the earth, our Kingdom is God’s. What manifests in the Spirit manifests in the natural. If you don’t see it in the natural yet, know that you have it in the Spirit.
