Last week I started with you on the study of the life of Judas and its application to us today. Let me quickly recap to refresh your memories.

We read the scripture for Acts 1:15-26:

We focused on the following verses:

(17) For he was counted among us and received [by divine allotment] his portion in this ministry.

(18) Now this man obtained a piece of land with the [money paid him as a] reward for his treachery and wickedness, and falling headlong he burst open in the middle [of his body] and all his intestines poured forth.

(20) For in the book of Psalms it is written, Let his place of residence become deserted and gloomy, and let there be no one to live in it; and [again], Let another take his position or overseership. [Psalms 69:25; 109:8]

(25) To take the place in this ministry and receive the position of an apostle, from which Judas fell away and went astray to go [where he belonged] to his own [proper] place.

Take note of the following three things we learn here about Judas:

Act 1:20

(20) For in the book of Psalms it is written, Let his place of residence become deserted and gloomy, and let there be no one to live in it; and [again], Let another take his position or overseership. [Psalms 69:25; 109:8]

1. HIS HOMESTEAD WAS MADE DESOLATE

1. LET ANOTHER MAN TAKE HIS OFFICE

‘Office’ = episcope = someone that functions as superintendent – as an inspector to bring relief or help. One who visits inspects and provides covering. He is an overseer – an elder – providing covering.

Judas lost his office. He lost his position of rulership and dominion.

Judas hung himself – He lost his headship. He had no more covering. Spiritual covering is important. Spiritual covering works by virtue of the assessment of what the needs of the house are.

1. DIAKONIA - MINISTRY

Ministry = diakonia = to produce serviceable labour; assistance; servanthood - one who provides compassionate love toward the needy.

1. APOSTLESHIP

Apostleship = apostole = a dispatching or sending off ; also a gift sent forth; When you start to function on this level you will see the grace in you as the gift that is sent forth to the people. Note in this listing, apostleship comes last, not first.

Judas although he walked with Jesus for three years and was part of the 12 disciples never embraced the grace that there was in Jesus as a spiritual father.

He lost his inheritance to someone else. Again the question and challenge come to us…. Are you locked into the grace of the Father that God has placed over your life. You can only do that as you also embrace the Household of Faith over which the Father, fathers and those members of the Household.

It is from this place that I want to continue this morning:

It does not mean just because you call someone ‘Father’, that you understand ‘Households of Faith’. Each household is headed by a father. Judas was the head of a house. His ministry was that of a deacon in character – laboring for the benefit of others and not for personal benefit (but he sought to abuse his function for personal gain). The more you become a servant – the more you become a King. The more you give your Isaac, the more you will see Jehovah Jireh manifested in your life.

When Judas hanged himself his bowels gushed out. This is a symbolic picture of losing all his grace to the ground. No impartation took place. His grace was wasted.

A HOUSEHOLD OF FAITH IS ALSO A BANQUETING HOUSE

One of the Objectives of an accurate Household of Faith is that we need to learn to banquet at the Lord’s Table. We have to come to a place where we build an alliance of relationships not only with one another within the Household but also with other Households of Faith.

Through our reading and studying of the Word and also this season we have come to understand that Hebron is the place where conjugal relationships take place. True unity will not take place through networking as networking has a focus on making and presenting a culture of cloning.

An ALLIANCE presents to us the model of Hebron. The idea of alliance is that we create relationships for mutual benefit – This is not just for gaining something – not just for partnership for advancing a common cause. The mutual benefit is that each of the parties involved needs the grace of the other. You relate to another for who they are, and not for what you can get from the relationship.

You can only get to your place and position if your journey takes you to this place called HEBRON[Place of joining – To unite – To associate – To be allied with – Place of coming to synergic relationships – Corporate unity]. We have the spiritual places we need to visit during our journey into accurate sonship. We start in Egypt, we travel into the Wilderness. We embrace the crossing of the Jordan and come to a place called GILGAL. This is the place of circumcision. This is where we get circumcised. From Gilgall our journey takes us to Hebron - The place of Alliance. From Hebron we travel to Zion which is a picture of our position as mature sons in Christ. This is where the mighty men of David joined him and swore allegiance to him. This was the birthing of the Army of David that is later called as LIKE THE ARMY OF GOD.

We see also the lifes of Lot and Abraham:

Gen 13:18

(18) Then Abram moved his tent and came and dwelt among the oaks or terebinths of Mamre, which are at Hebron, and built there an altar to the Lord.

MAMRE – Fatness – Blessings of God = Mamre was an Amorite that also made and allegiance with Abram – Again we see Hebron as the place of Alliance.

Abram could only move to Hebron once he has dealt with the emotional and sentimental ties that he had with Lot. In this season you can not afford to be locked into relationships that are not accurate and that are sentimental. You have to come to a place of where we lock into one another by knowing one another after the spirit and not after the flesh.

This statement immediately places and demands a challenge and response from us. What is the grace that you bring to this Household of Faith? What is the grace that I bring to this Household of Faith? What is the mutual benefits we receive in this relationship. The challenge lies in this question that is automatically posted to us here……

WHAT ARE YOU ADDING / BRINGING TO THIS HOUSEHOLD?

Surely this is not a question that is easy to answer. Most of us has been brought up with a mentality where we go to church to receive a Word from God. If we are lucky even a prophecy or a vision……. This is an inaccurate place to be at. As a full fledged and active member of this Household you are to bring the Grace that God has placed in you to this Household for all who are locked into this Household to share and partake of your grace.

This would also immediately imply that you have to separate yourself from the Lots in your life – That are those who you are still locked into on a sentimental and soulish basis. Jesus himself stated when his mother and brothers came to visit him:

Mat 12:46-50

(46) Jesus was still speaking to the people when behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak to Him.

(47) Someone said to Him, Listen! Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak to You.

(48) But He replied to the man who told Him, Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?

(49) And stretching out His hand toward [not only the twelve disciples but all] His adherents, He said, Here are My mother and My brothers.

(50) For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother!

The challenge that I believe that God is placing before us today is whether we have come to that place where we can honestly repeat the words of Jesus with regards to our biological family and other with whom we have built a sentimental relationship. The Word here is clear. Your family is those that do the will of the Father in Heaven. If your biological family does not meet these requirements then you can no longer call them family. They might be blood relatives but they can not be family.

Am I now telling you to reject your blood relatives? No Jesus never did that. On the cross he was still caring about his mother as he told her there is your son. He however never allowed sentimental relationships to stand between Himself and that what His heavenly Father requires of HIM. Can we say the same? Christ is our yardstick.

Unity will come when the heads of each household are knit together. Then the people under each head will have the same mind. Bring unity first through the headship of the Body. When the head is functioning accurately the body will follow as well. The term ‘Alliance’ is a union of relationships that consist of patriarchal connections. When the Heads of households came to David at Hebron, all of Israel became united. The scripture clearly indicates that this was where the whole tribes of Israel were joined to David. All the tribes now recognized David as King.

This is the joining of the sticks that we read of in (Ezekiel 37) where the sticks of Ephraim and Judah were joined together.

The word used here ‘Joined’ implies intimacy on the level of a sexuall intimacy in relationship. It refers to an alliance that speaks of covenant and transparency.

Ezekiel 37:15-19

15 The word of the Lord came again to me saying,

16 “And you, son of man, take for yourself one stick and write on it, ‘For Judah and for the sons of Israel, his companions’; then take another stick and write on it, ‘For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim and all the house of Israel, his companions.’

17 “Then join them for yourself one to another into one stick, that they may become one in your hand.

18 “When the sons of your people speak to you saying, ‘Will you not declare to us what you mean by these?’

19 say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God, “Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes of Israel, his companions; and I will put them with it, with the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, and they will be one in My hand.” ’

When heads joined, no one leads as a matter of being elected or appointed. We join at the table of fellowship without one clattering for position of oversight. Recognition to oversight may happen supernaturally, but hierarchy is not the point.

Joining = quarab = to come close enough to touch, speak, etc. – This meaning is highlighting proximity and intimacy. You cannot be fathered by email over a distance.

We have to define ‘FAMILY’ in the present season in order to understand the concept of Household of Faith.

Your natural family is not you true family. They only become your true family when they share the things you share in God. The only true family we have is the Household of God.

Matthew 12:46-50

46 While He was still speaking to the crowds, behold, His mother and brothers were standing outside, seeking to speak to Him.

47 Someone said to Him, “Behold, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside seeking to speak to You.”

48 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?”

49 And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!

50 “For whoever does the will of My Father who is in heaven, he is My brother and sister and mother.”

You have to come to the place where you have no natural mother and father – like Melchizedek, you become without genealogy in the natural because you have been born from above. Like Eli, if you let your natural children or family blind you from the God’s purposes, the house will be bankrupt of the purposes of God.

Lot never knew how to produce sons – his three daughters had an incestuous relationship with him and produced Moab, which means ‘What father?’ .

If anyone is not a son, remove that person from key functions, because they are not a pillar in the house.

THE THEOLOGY OF ‘HOUSEHOLDS OF FAITH’

1. THE CHURCH IS THE NEW HUMAN RACE OF CREATION

2 Corinthians 5:17-21

17 Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,

19 namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

NEW ‘creation’ = part of a new colony and order of humans; your category of function is completely different to the world.

We constitute a new family – a new species.

This is no cultural Christianity. There are no color differences. You are only in Christ or not. This is only the Kingdom of God and as such we are of the Family of the Kingdom of God.

We have to reconcile people back to the father. The problem in the garden : Adam was called the son of God (Lk.3:23-38)

Luk 3:23-38

(23) Jesus Himself, when He began [His ministry], was about thirty years of age, being the Son, as was supposed, of Joseph, the son of Heli,

(24) The son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

(25) The son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,

(26) The son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

(27) The son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

(28) The son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

(29) The son of Jesus, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

(30) The son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

(31) The son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

(32) The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon (Sala), the son of Nahshon,

(33) The son of Aminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Arni, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

(34) The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

(35) The son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

(36) The son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

(37) The son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalaleel, the son of Cainan,

(38) The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God. [Genesis 5:3-32; Genesis 11:10-26; Ruth 4:18-22; 1 Chronicles 1:1-4, 24-28; 1 Chronicles 2:1-15]

We know that Adam alienated himself from the Father in heaven– he lost his image and likeness to God as well as his authority.

Jesus through the cross reconnects us back to our Father. Now we must also reconnect everybody else back to the Father. That is your mandate. Now that you are connected - Reconcile the sons to the Father. You connect by recognizing grace in someone of the Trinity.

We are a new creation. God in Christ was reconciling us back to Him. The new creation is built on the pattern of family.

1. WE ARE BUILD ON THE PRINCIPLE OF FAMILY

Mat 16:13-20

(13) Now when Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, Who do people say that the Son of Man is?

(14) And they answered, Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.

(15) He said to them, But who do you [yourselves] say that I am?

(16) Simon Peter replied, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.

(17) Then Jesus answered him, Blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) are you, Simon Bar-Jonah. For flesh and blood [men] have not revealed this to you, but My Father Who is in heaven.

(18) And I tell you, you are Peter [Greek, Petros--a large piece of rock], and on this rock [Greek, petra --a huge rock like Gibraltar] I will build My church, and the gates of Hades (the powers of the infernal region) shall not overpower it [or be strong to its detriment or hold out against it].

(19) I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatever you bind (declare to be improper and unlawful) on earth must be what is already bound in heaven; and whatever you loose (declare lawful) on earth must be what is already loosed in heaven. [Isaiah 22:22]

(20) Then He sternly and strictly charged and warned the disciples to tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ.

Note he does not say ‘Jesus Christ’ (a reference to his humanity) or ‘Christ Jesus’ (the heavenly ascended Christ); he just says ‘CHRIST’ – referring to the pre-existent Christ before the six day creation. Who is this ‘Christ’?

In Colossians 2:9-10 it says the fullness of the Godhead is in Christ. The godhead, i.e. Father, Son and Holy Ghost is in CHRIST. All these are resident in CHRIST.

Col 2:9-10

(9) For in Him the whole fullness of Deity (the Godhead) continues to dwell in bodily form [giving complete expression of the divine nature].

(10) And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead--Father, Son and Holy Spirit--and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].

Peter was telling Jesus that he was recognizing the full anointing of the Godhead in Christ – Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Mat 28:19

(19) Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

This scripture is not referring to the baptism in water that we have all been taught but refers to every individual being baptized in the Nature of the Godhead consisting of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. It refers to each one we disciple being clothed in the very nature of the Godhead.

When Peter here spoke the word Christ he was not using it as the surname of Jesus but as the revelation he received of something far greater. He was referring to the revelation of the fullness of the Godhead in Christ.

Let us take a moment to break down the statement that Peter made:

• You are the Christ
• The Son of the living God

In looking at his confession we see that Peter is saying… in the Son, is the grace of the Father, the grace of the Son and the grace of the Holy Spirit.

‘Christ crucified’ - is partaking of all his parts.

Creation is waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God. The fullness of Christ (which is Farther, Son and Holy Spirit) must be resident in all the sons.

Note : My father has revealed this to you.

You are ‘Peter’ = Petros = masculine; ‘On this rock’= Petra = feminine (implication of a womb)

Upon this confession of the Christ being the fullness of the Godhead, I will produce a womb to bring forth Christ. Christ in you in the hope of Glory.

I will Build my church

Build = oikoidomeo = To establish a building that will be called the household.

= To build a house or a city

The house of Lord is like a city or a tower. Jesus is saying that He will build something that will have the image of Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This house will have the nature and power of the Godhead in it. Christ will not be seen in His fullness unless we as the members of His Household manifest Him as the Sons of God.

Note the progression from :

Christ –

Son –

Build –

My Father has revealed …. REVELATION FROM HEAVEN

We are a Household of Faith within the Household of God. The challenge then this morning to us as a corporate Household of Faith are the following:

1. Each one of us individually has to ask ourselves several questions:

a. Am I a son that has truly locked into this Household as the Place where God has placed His name for me according to Deut 12:5

b. Am I truly locked into the grace of this Family and Household of Faith that God has given to me. Remember I can only say yes to this question if I am locked into the grace of the Father of this House as well as those of the sons of this House.

c. Have I truly embraced my position as a Son of God within the Household of God?

2. Corporately we also have to respond to the challenge being placed before us today:

a. Do we as a Household and as a corporate Son of God manifest the Godhead in order for the Father to be revealed in and through us?

b. Have we locked into the grace of the corporate Father in the City of Pretoria

c. Are we in the position where we can truly say as was prophetically released by God at the Apostolic Transition Forum by Prophet Shaun Blignaut an accurate prototype of a Household of Faith in the City of Pretoria?

These are the questions that are being posted to us by God this morning. I want us to take a moment and discuss these questions and our responses. If we have a desire to be accurate in this season…. The demand has been placed to this morning and we need to respond to God’s questions to us.

Let those who have ears to hear, hear what the Spirit of God is saying.

DISCUSSION

Eph 2:13-22

(13) But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were [so] far away, through (by, in) the blood of Christ have been brought near.

(14) For He is [Himself] our peace (our bond of unity and harmony). He has made us both [Jew and Gentile] one [body], and has broken down (destroyed, abolished) the hostile dividing wall between us,

(15) By abolishing in His [own crucified] flesh the enmity [caused by] the Law with its decrees and ordinances [which He annulled]; that He from the two might create in Himself one new man [one new quality of humanity out of the two], so making peace.

(16) And [He designed] to reconcile to God both [Jew and Gentile, united] in a single body by means of His cross, thereby killing the mutual enmity and bringing the feud to an end.

(17) And He came and preached the glad tidings of peace to you who were afar off and [peace] to those who were near. [Isaiah 57:19]

(18) For it is through Him that we both [whether far off or near] now have an introduction (access) by one [Holy] Spirit to the Father [so that we are able to approach Him].

(19) Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiles, migrants, and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself); and you belong to God's [own] household.

(20) You are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets with Christ Jesus Himself the chief Cornerstone.

(21) In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord].

(22) In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode (dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit.

• ACCESS TO THE FATHER
• SHARE CITIZENSHIP
• BELONG TO GOD’S FAMILY – HOUSEHOLD
• BUILT UPON FOUNDATION OF APOSTLES AND PROPHETS AND CHRIST AS THE CORNERSTONE
• HOLY TEMPLE
• FIXED ABODE – CITY OF GOD

Thus we see the two principles of theology we spoke on this morning manifested:

THE CHURCH IS THE NEW HUMAN RACE OF CREATION

WE ARE BUILD ON THE PRINCIPLE OF FAMILY