teaching_letter_-_rise.pdf

The Teaching Legacy of Derek Prince

Biblical insights to transform your life today

Issue TL 10-01

Our present age is to come to its climax with “the period of restoration of all

things,” during which—at a moment never precisely revealed—Jesus Christ

will return from heaven to earth. (See Acts 3:19–21.) There are many different

elements in our contemporary situation, all of which point to the fact that we have

already entered this period.

The divine pattern of restoration for the Body of Christ

Restoration suggests two main activities: putting

things back into their right place and into their

right condition . At this time the process of divine

restoration centers mainly in God’s two covenant

peoples in the earth: Israel and the Church. For many

long centuries Israel has wandered as exiles, far from

their God-given geographical inheritance at the east

end of the Mediterranean.

of Israel’s restoration are equally applicable to the

Church’s restoration in the spiritual realm.

When we use this method of interpretation, we can

see very clearly that the parallel restoration of Israel in

the natural and of the Church in the spiritual has been

proceeding—step by step and phase by phase—from

the beginning of the twentieth century until today.

For an almost equal period, the Church of Jesus

Christ has lived in similar exile, far from its God-given

spiritual inheritance, the main elements of which

are: unity, authority, an ordered community life, the

complete ministries of Ephesians 4:11, fullness of

spiritual gifts and abundance of spiritual fruit.

The Valley of Dry Bones

One prophecy that very vividly foretells the

restoration of both Israel and the Church is found

in Ezekiel 37:1–10—the vision of the valley of

dry bones. Read Ezekiel 37:1–10

During the Old Testament period, the

Church was a “mystery”—a secret

that was kept hidden from ages and

from generations and then revealed

to the apostles and prophets of the

New Testament. (See Ephesians 3:3–9;

Colossians 1:25–27.) There is therefore

little or no direct prophecy concerning

the Church in the Old Testament.

the Church

of Jesus Christ

has lived in

similar exile,

far from its

God-given

spiritual

inheritance

At the beginning of this vision, God’s

people are pictured as dry, disjointed,

scattered bones. There follow two

phases of restoration. In the first phase,

the bones are supernaturally moved

upon, brought together and fitted to

each other by joints. Then ligaments,

muscles, flesh and skin cover them. At

the end of this phase the bodies are

all physically complete, but there is no

breath in them. In the second phase, breath (or spirit)

comes into the bodies and they stand up on their feet.

At the end of this phase God’s final objective has been

achieved: “an exceedingly great army.”

Nevertheless, when rightly understood, the Old

Testament prophecies have much to tell us about

the period of the Church’s restoration. For all the

principles that are unfolded in the natural realm

The Negev desert in Israel

Destined to Rise

In this vision of Israel’s restoration, the initiative and the

plan come from God, but He uses Ezekiel as His human

instrument to bring it to pass. This applies equally to the

Church. Restoration is God’s sovereign purpose, clearly

foretold in Scripture. But God will use men whom He

Himself chooses and raises up to bring it to pass.

Paul here indicates the two main requirements for being

preserved from error: first, to be firmly united with the

Head (Christ); second, to be firmly united, “by joints

and ligaments,” with our fellow believers. Our personal

relationship to Christ is primary, but it is not sufficient

by itself. There must be a rightly established relationship

with the other believers to whom God has joined us in

the Body.

In the vision of the bones Ezekiel’s prophesying takes

two different forms. In the first instance he prophesies

directly to the bones. This we may compare to

preaching. In the second instance he prophesies to the

breath (Spirit) on behalf of the bodies and the Spirit

in turn enters the bodies. This we may compare to

intercessory prayer .

The Ligaments of Covenant

In the natural body ligaments are the bands of tissue

that hold bones together at the point where they

are joined. Thus, the strength of any joint is never

greater than that of the ligament that holds it together.

In the Body of Christ, “joints” are the interpersonal

relationships between believers whom God joins

together. But what is the “ligament” needed to keep

each joint strong and secure? The answer, I believe, is

covenant commitment.

The Importance of Joints

The importance of correctly fitted joints, as applied to

the Body of Christ, is emphasized in the New Testament.

In Ephesians 4:15–16 Paul says that God’s purpose for us

is that we may “grow up in all things into Him who is the

head—even Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and

knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the

effectual working by which every part does its share, causes

growth of the body for the edifying of itself

in love.”

There must be a

rightly established

relationship with

the other believers

to whom God

has joined us in

the Body.

In the Bible we find examples of covenants that are

merely agreements or contracts on the plane of normal

life between two or more human persons: for example,

between Laban and Jacob (Genesis

31:43–54); or between Solomon and

Hiram (1 Kings 5:8–12). However,

there is a higher form of covenant in

which God is the first party.

Paul tells us here that joints serve two

purposes. First, by them the body is

“knit [compacted, KJV]”—made firm and

strong. No matter how strong individual

bones in a body may be, their ability

to operate effectively is limited by the

strength of the joints that unite them. If, under stress or

pressure, the joints give way, the whole body is left weak

and ineffective. Secondly, the joints are the channels of

supply. If these channels are not kept clear and functional,

the total needs of the body will not be met.

A covenant such as this is sovereignly

initiated by God Himself, then accepted

and entered into by the human party or

parties. Both the “Old” and “New” Covenants belong to

this category. In this higher sense, we may define covenant

as “a solemn, reciprocal commitment between God and

a human person or persons, initiated by God Himself,

accepted and ratified by the human party or parties.”

In the early church the joints were in good order

and the result was “Nor was there anyone among

them who lacked” (Acts 4:34). This is not true of the

contemporary church. God’s supply has never changed.

He is still “able to make all grace abound toward you,

that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may

have an abundance for every good work” (2 Corinthians

9:8). But because of defective or improper joints, many

Christians today are not receiving their share of God’s

supply. There are many among us that lack in various

areas of their lives—spiritual, emotional, physical,

financial, or social.

In such a covenant each of the parties has his clearly

defined obligations. In both the Old and New Covenants,

God voluntarily obligated Himself to save, preserve,

protect and provide for His covenant people. However,

on the human side, the obligations under the two

Covenants differed. Under the Old Covenant, man’s

obligation was to observe the Law of Moses. Under the

New Covenant, man’s obligation is to believe in and obey

the Lord Jesus Christ.

Among the Semitic peoples portrayed in the Bible, a

normal way for two parties to enter into a covenant

was to share a solemn meal together, and in particular

to break bread from one loaf and drink from one cup.

For this reason it was appropriate for Jesus to initiate the

New Covenant at a solemn meal in which each person

broke bread from the same loaf and drank wine from the

same cup (see Matthew 26:26–28).

In Colossians 2:18–19 Paul speaks of believers who are

led away into spiritual error, and he explains that this

happens because they are “not holding fast to the Head,

from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints

and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.”

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By this one act all who participated in it were thereafter

bound together in a sacred covenant. Ever since then,

partaking of the Lord’s Supper has been—in God’s

sight—a renewal of this covenant by which all who

participate are bound to the Lord and to each other.

If I share the Lord’s

Supper with you, by that

act I acknowledge that you

are my brother or sister...

On the human plane, what are the mutual obligations of

those who break bread and drink wine together in the

Lord’s Supper? Let me answer this question by applying it

personally to my own life. If I share the Lord’s Supper with

you, by that act I acknowledge that you are my brother or

sister, a member of the same divine family. I obligate myself

to love you, care for you, and seek your highest well-

being—if need be, to lay down my life for you. If you have

any legitimate need that you cannot meet but I can, then

my supply becomes your supply. If you suffer, I suffer with

you. If you are honored, I rejoice with you.

Furthermore, my covenant obligations are not limited

to you personally. They extend also to those with whom

you are in covenant. If A is in covenant with B, and B

with C, then by that fact A is also in covenant with C,

and C with A. This explains how covenant commitments,

like ligaments, can bind all the bones in the Body of

Christ together. Each bone is directly bound to the ones

next to it, but those in turn are bound to others. Thus all

the bones are bound together to form one body.

sick and some had died prematurely. Here is one obvious

explanation for similar conditions that exist among many

Christians today. Christians who are not prepared to accept

the covenant obligation implicit in celebrating the Lord’s

Supper would do better not to celebrate it at all.

The Consequences of

Broken Covenant

The obligations of covenant are so solemn that failure

to observe them carries with it the most serious

consequences. This was the crowning guilt of Judas

Iscariot. He first partook of the bread with Jesus, then

went out and betrayed Him. David graphically portrays

this in Psalm 41:9: “Even my own familiar friend in whom I

trusted, who ate of my bread, has lifted up his heel against

me.” Judas was doubly guilty in that he first ate bread

with Jesus then betrayed Him.

The vast majority of Christians in our Western civilization

have scarcely any understanding of what is entailed by

covenant commitment. The most familiar example of a

covenant among us today is marriage. This is a solemn

commitment made by a man and a woman, before God,

to share their lives totally together. It is “for better or for

worse, for richer or for poorer, in sickness and in health,

’till death us do part.”

In other words, once entered into, it is in no way

dependent upon moods, emotions or circumstances. In

marriage, the result of a broken covenant is divorce and

the break-up of the home. In Christianity, the result is

jealousy, rivalry, division, broken fellowship: conditions

that leave the Body of Christ too weak and disjointed to

function effectively.

Likewise, Paul reminds the Christians at Corinth of

the danger of partaking of the Lord’s Supper without

a sincere and solemn commitment to accept the

obligations it imposes, both to the Lord and to each

other. “For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner

eats and drinks judgment [damnation] to himself, not

discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak

and sick among you, and many sleep” (1 Corinthians

11:29–30). These believers “ did not discern the Lord’s

body” in that they failed to see that, by celebrating the

Lord’s Supper together, they were acknowledging a

covenant commitment to each other that bound them

together like bones bound by ligaments in a single body.

The Muscles of Ministry

In the building up of the natural body, ligaments are

logically followed by muscles. Muscles vary in nature and

function, but in most cases they operate on two basic

principles: tension and opposition. For instance—to

use the example of my arm—one set of muscles on the

inner side pulls my arm into a bent position; another

set of muscles on the opposite side extends my arm

into a straight position. This combination of tension

and opposition keeps the arm healthy and enables it to

operate effectively. When the opposing tensions cease,

the arm is in fact paralyzed.

One result of their failure to honor their covenant

commitments was that many of them were weak and

In the Body of Christ the function of muscles is fulfilled

by the many different kinds of ministries God provides.

These ministries, just like muscles, need tension and

opposition to operate effectively. For many years I

did not see this. I was inwardly afraid of tension or

opposition within the Body of Christ. I pictured unity

as a condition in which every part functioned exactly

alike. I realize now that if such a condition were ever

achieved it would not be unity but paralysis.

However, it is necessary to emphasize that, logically,

the ligaments of covenant must be in place before the

Body can be exposed to the opposing tensions of the

muscles of ministry. If the bones are not first secured

by covenant commitment, then the tensions of

different ministries will pull them apart, leaving the

Body disjointed and ineffective. A great many of our

problems in contemporary Christianity are due to the

fact that ministries are operating among believers who

have not first been related to each other by covenant.

When we understand this need for tension and

opposition between ministries, it becomes much

easier to view the uniting of Christ’s Body as a

practical possibility that really can be achieved. Things

that at first seemed inconsistent with unity are now

seen to be necessary to the proper functioning of the

Body as a whole.

The Final Phase

Once ligaments and muscles are in place, flesh and

skin follow naturally, producing a complete body,

fully rounded out. Without going into details, we may

suggest that the filling out of the flesh represents the

development of all the activities and relationships

that make up the total life of a Christian community.

Thereafter, the skin represents the various ways in

which such a community makes direct contact with

the world around it.

What are some of the main tensions that confront

us in the contemporary Christian scene? We may

list them under two main headings: first, those that

are found between denominations or other groups;

second, those found between individual believers.

A. Between Denominations:

1. Fixed-form vs. spontaneous worship

2. Institutional vs. Charismatic

3. Tradition vs. immediate truth

4. Individual vs. plurality of leadership

B. Between Individuals:

1. Outgoing vs. reflective

2. Impulsive vs. cautious

3. Inspirational vs. analytical

4. Mystical or prophetic vs. practical or

administrative

5. Evangelistic outreach vs. pastoral care

In closing, we need to turn back to Ezekiel’s vision

for one final, important lesson. In the first phase, God

moved supernaturally upon individual bones to bring

them together into bodies. But in the second phase

God was no longer concerned with individual bones,

but moved only upon completed bodies.

In the present phase of the church, God is still fitting

individual believers together in bodies—that is, local

churches. But once this phase is complete, then, in the

raising up of His “exceeding great army,”

God will no longer deal with isolated individual

believers, but only with completed bodies—that is,

completed local churches. Therefore it behooves

every believer at this time to make sure that he finds

his God-appointed place in a local Body. Otherwise,

the final phase, when it comes, will pass him by.

Taken from a New Wine article, November 1977

What a relief to see that, in all the opposing points

listed above, we do not have to choose one at the

expense the other! In each case, the total body needs

both. The tension and opposition between them is the

key to the Body’s activity and flexibility.

Dig deeper...

For further study, we recommend Derek Prince’s audio message: Fellowship .

Request a copy of this audio message today by filling in your details in the response form. This message is

being offered on a voluntary contribution basis. All donations received will be used to resource believers,

pastors and Bible college students in the developing world.

Derek Prince Ministries-UK, Kingsfield, Hadrian Way, Baldock, Herts, SG7 6AN, UK

 + 44 (0) 1462 492100 |  enquiries@dpmuk.org |  www.dpmuk.org

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