F u l l G o s p e l F e l l o w s h i p

of Churches and Ministers International of Oregon Inc

PRESIDENT LEON WILLIS

A Newsletter of Faith, Fellowship & Vision August 2019

Inward Forces that drive a Person A Study in the book of James: Part 12

Driven by the force of Jealousy

2019 WINDOWS

OF

OPPORTUNITY

Egypt Legalizes 127 Churches in

Sweeping Approval

A committee set up by the Egyptian government has approved the le-galization of 127 churches which were previously being run in an ille-gal capacity. A law passed in 2016 hoped to speed up the proc-ess of legalization, with thousands of churches being built without a per-mit and operating in fear of govern-ment reprisals. Prior to the law being passed, it was notoriously difficult to approve state approval and, therefore, congre-gations could find themselves at risk of prosecution. Since the law passed, some 1,021 have been granted permits by the committee, accord-ing to International Christian Concern. While the com-mittee still has many churches to legalize, this is a promising start for

News

Prophet of Pantomime (Part 28)

Ezekiel - “God will strengthen to conquer”

Concluding thoughts

The weirdest of the group of prophets may be Ezekiel. After wit-

nessing a vision of God flanked by four outer space creatures, the

prophet ate a scroll of skins that had been given to him (Ezekiel

1and 3). It was required that he assimilate the message of God to the

nation of Israel. It was to be woven into every fiber of his body, soul

and spirit.

Ezekiel was called to be a prophet of pantomime, a ministry

that initially did not involve any prophetic words, as God had rendered him mute (Ezekiel 3).

Instead he took to drawing, depicting an image of Jerusalem under siege on a clay tablet.

Then he lay down on his left side, with an iron pan separating him from his clay

drawing. After 390 days had passed, Ezekiel turned over on his right side for another 40 days

(Ezekiel 4). This was a prophecy of the captivity of Israel and Judah.

After his clay tablet stunt was over, and while tied to his bed, Ezekiel was required

to go on a new diet of barley cakes baked over cow manure (Ezekiel 4). Normally, this was

prohibited by the law of Moses.

Next Ezekiel used a sword—yes, you read that right, an actual sword—to shave his

head and beard, dividing the hair into thirds. He went down town and set one third on fire.

He scattered another third around the city and stabbed them with his sword. He threw the

remaining third into the wind. But the hair scenario was far from over: Ezekiel had saved a

few hairs which he sewed into his clothing. Then he burned some of those hairs too (Ezekiel

5).

The weird stuff didn’t stop, but on orders of the Lord. Ezekiel packed up a suitcase,

and in the sight of the people dug a hole in the wall and went through it. In the morning he

returned through the same hole. He repeated this day after day.

He was required to eat his food quaking and drink his water trembling and with anxi-

ety. The story continues with Ezekiel being told to “groan with breaking heart and bitter

grief, groan before their eyes. And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say,

Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble;

every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be

fulfilled, declares the Lord God” (Ezek 21:6-7).

On the day that Jerusalem fell to the invading Babylonians, the Lord told Ezekiel,

“Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke;

yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make

no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not

cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at

evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded” (Ezek. 24:16-18).

Later, Ezekiel prophesied over dry bones in a valley. As Ezekiel stands speaking to

his captive audience of bones, he saw the bones coming to life (Ezekiel 37).

One crucial detail has been omitted in these accounts: the actions of Ezekiel, Hosea,

Jeremiah, and Isaiah were commanded by God, which means that we cannot dismiss their

behavior. Indeed, these men were prophets in spite of their oddities or peculiarities. Their

actions were at the center of their ministry. In the Scriptures, they are explained as symbolic

acts that convey divine messages along with their words. For example, the stripping of Isaiah

symbolized the future humiliation of Egypt and Ethiopia at the hands of Assyrian conquer-

ors. Jeremiah’s yoke signified the servitude of the Jews to Babylonia while Ezekiel’s dung-

warmed meals foreshadowed their exile, where they would be forced to eat unclean food.

Looking back on the actions of Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah from the per-

spective of the New Testament we begin to see a sort of harmony between their bizarre be-

havior and their prophecies of both doom and deliverance. There is a logic to their ministries:

these prophets were not just speakers of the word—they lived it out in their lives, through

their actions, their choice of clothing, and even their very bodies. They are witnesses to how

totally transforming and disruptive the Word of God can be when we let it consume our

whole lives.

Fourteen years after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC, the hand of

the Lord was on Ezekiel and brought him to the city of Jerusalem. He saw a temple several

times larger then Solomon’s temple and was told to measure it and afterwards he saw the

glory of the Lord fill it with His presence. Plus he saw water flowing from the throne of God

and going downward toward the Dead Sea. When the water entered the Dead Sea it changed

Full Gospel Fellowship Of Churches and Ministers International of Oregon

P.O. 493160

Redding, CA 96049

Phone: 530 319-7535

Fax: 530 224-1380 Email: fgforegon@charter.net

A Newsletter of Faith, Fellowship & Vision Page 2

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the filthy water into fresh and pure water. The waters of life overcame the waters of death.

What a picture of what takes place when a person is saved. The Holy Spirit enters

into the believer, not mixing with the impurities of his mind, will or emotions, but unites

with his spirit, and behold, he becomes a new creature. The last eight chapters are steeped

in mystery, and there are thousands of differing opinions, so I will leave you to draw your

own conclusions.

Now, this message of Ezekiel may not have been a clear one to the Jews of their

day and those living in the centuries immediately afterwards. And the mystery of the proph-

ets would have only deepened when all prophecy suddenly ceased with Malachi, ushering

in 400 years of silence.

But John…but John came crying in the wilderness breaking the silence of 400

years, “Prepare the way of the Lord; make his paths straight” (Matt 3:2). He wore a gar-

ment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild

honey. It was similar to the Prophet Elijah’s clothes and diet.

But, with the coming of Christ, we can look back at these prophets and see them as

foreshadowing Him—not just through the prophecies that told of His coming, but through

their prophetic actions. Christ was, after all, the Word made flesh in the fullest and richest

manner possible and, like the prophets, Christ’s behavior was utterly bizarre, disruptive,

and confusing according to conventional social standards of the day. This was, after all,

someone who promised to rebuild the temple in three days, dined with prostitutes and tax

collectors, drove demons into a herd of swine, healed a blind man by rubbing mud in his

eyes, and once walked on water.

After discussing the land distributions among the divisions of the tribes after their

restoration, Ezekiel left them with a profound statement: And the name of the city from that

time on shall be “The Lord shall be there!”

Yes, another Prophet, who was the Prophet, who came to do the will of His Father.

We, today, still must submit to the will of the Father, do what He is doing and speak what

He is saying. Even if it seems tp be ridiculous, let it be, just submit. Since the Day of Pente-

cost, we can say concerning ourselves, “The Lord is here” in our spirits. The end of the journey through the Book of Ezekiel

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a country in which Coptic Christians have faced fierce levels of violence and persecution for decades. According to Per-secution watchdog Open Doors USA, the country's Chris-tians still face daily persecution from groups within the Islamic-majority population, as well as mistreatment from the govern-ment itself. The Islamic cul-ture "fuels discrimi-nation and creates an environment causing the state to be reluctant to re-spect and enforce the fundamental rights of Chris-tians," Open Doors explains on its Egypt fact page. The country is currently sitting at number 16 on the World Watch List — a ranking of the harshest environ-ments on earth in which to live as a follower of Jesus.

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