13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, “Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?” 14 So they said, “Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” 20 Then He commanded His disciples that they should tell no one that He was Jesus the Christ. Matthew 16:13-20 (NKJV)
The word ‘order’ means to position something in its rightful place. It is to function in the timing and the will of God. In a military sense, all soldiers march in time and in unison. They are in order. When we refer to divine order, we speak of God aligning the church. It is when we act and look precisely the way that God intends.
Jesus said to Peter that He will build His church (Matthew 16:13-20). Through this, we see where the responsibility of building the church lies. The church belongs to Jesus Christ and is built according to His own pattern. Therefore, we function just as Christ did. There is only one blueprint for how the church should be built. There is only one pattern. Therefore, we must be in alignment with that blueprint. Anytime we get a vision or dream that is not based on the pattern of Christ, it is not in divine order. Jesus is the foundation. There is no other foundation that can be laid. We must search and examine our hearts to see if our vision and lives align with Christ’s.
Divine order speaks to the reality that God is in control and we are not. Many times, we struggle with this truth. As a result of slavery, we have a mindset of no one can tell us how to live our lives. However, we must be able to submit to the orders given by God and through our leaders. God has ordained leaders in the earth so that the church would look just like Christ. The church should be transformed into the image of Christ. We become transformed when His word begins to live in us. By God’s word, the earth was created (Psalms 33:6). When He speaks, His words are accomplished.
God gives us the word and the ability to perform it. God has given us everything that is necessary to accomplish everything that we have to do. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word. What God speaks, is power and life. In His word, there is the ability to accomplish that which it was sent to do. God inspired men and gave them the ability to write what is in the Bible. Every word written has the ability to come to pass. We have the opportunity to stare into the Word that has power and that is true. Many of us say that we do not know what to say when we evangelize. However, God has given us exactly what to say in His word. His word has the power to change and transform lives.
And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Ephesians 1:22-23 (NKJV)
We are the called out ones. We are going to the enemy’s camp to cause destruction. When we pray ‘let Your kingdom come, let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven’, we are bringing the earth into divine order. We are agents on a mission. Some say ‘you are too earthly minded to be of any heavenly use’. We are from another order. We are not of this world. We need to change our perspective. Our head must be in the clouds because that is where Jesus is. How is it then that we seek to follow Jesus but our focus is far from where He is? To follow means to listen and obey. We cannot be in alignment yet not connected to the One leading the way.
[/column]
