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A Night Vision

I was in a hallway talking with Tony Costa, an old friend of mine and fellow pastor, also with Gary Weins, who was once associated with Tony at Gateway Fellowship in Aurora, CO. Gary is now with Mike Bickle ministering in the International House of Prayer (Worship and Intercession Ministry) in Kansas City, KS.

From when I had seen him last Gary's appearance had transformed into a youthful state. His hair was no longer gray and thin, but sandy blond and thick. He no longer wore glasses, nor did he have any sign of aging whatsoever on his face. I shared with him about what the Lord was presently doing in moving His church through a transitioning or remodeling as His intent is to make it rightly represent His kingdom and not reflect its deteriorated state of human government concepts.

Gary understood what I was talking about. I invited him to come to our church, His Beloved Family, where he replied, “I'd love too! We (those in Kansas City) have not received many invitations lately because of the recession. Mike's funds (Mike Bickle) have been cut back from 8 million to 7 million, but its sufficient to do the work.” I replied, “Yea, the amount we have been given by the Lord is all relative to the ratio of what we're doing for His Kingdom.”

Just then I found myself turning and talking to Jesus Himself. He said to me, “Hey, I have been remodeling my House. Would you like to see it?” I said, “Yes Lord, I'd love to see it." At that we embarked out the door of the hallway where I had formerly talked with my friends.

It seemed that just instantly we were transported to another doorway and about to descend down a stairs. The Lord lead me down and said, “Watch your head,” but didn't seem to mind the architecture of the stairs Himself as he passed through smiling and knew what was about to happen. As I descended I hit my head and it bounced off a beam. I didn't seem to react in a normal way by crying out. In fact it didn't even seem to hurt. I simply recovered and followed the Lord down. He turned to me and said, “I always start in the basement. If you don't take care of the foundation at first the rest of the house isn't worth anything.”

I looked around and was amazed at how huge it was. I seem to understand that it was 5,000 square feet. Five is the number of grace and also represents the five fold ministries in Ephesians 4. For the dimension to be “5000” only suggested a great multiplication of these offices and grace. The basement seemed more like an old cellar, somewhat gray with its foundation walls made of stone, but it did not have the smell of a musty old basement. In fact the air was pleasantly cool, and extremely refreshing. I smelled pure, fresh, and if holy had a smell – this was it!

The Lord led me to the center of the room and then said, “I always start under here.” While he was saying that we leaned over to look through the concrete floor that was just newly poured. As the Lord explained and pointed out details of what He did, I became as one of the craftsman who was working so that I actually experienced the building as it was in progress. I found myself jack hammering the old floor up and digging down to the desired depth. Strange as it was, I actually became the jackhammer itself. Though this seemed like it was less than an instant, simultaneously, I was myself with the Lord bedding over with Him as our bodies were looking and reaching down into this subterranean level below the concrete to view another under girding structure placed just under the perimeter of the walls. It was the footing or base on which the walls rested. The Lord said, “This is the footing base necessary before the walls are secured. It looked to me to be made of concrete, but the Lord said, "It's made of humility. Without it the walls would not stand.”

At that we stood upright and stood on the clean smooth concrete floor as if the former experience never happened, but the knowledge of the under girth was planted securely in my mind.

Then I noticed that the vast expanse of the floor was made up of two concrete slabs. The slabs seemed to be more than the material substance of cement. They were the consistency of granite, yet I knew that it was not hewn from quarried rock. This substance was poured. I asked the Lord why there were two slabs laid for the floor. He replied, “The basement floor of every good house is poured with two slabs. One slab is faith and the other is patience. Without these two you have nothing solid to stand on.”

I began to appreciate the wisdom of the Master Architect as he continued describing the details of His craftsmanship. At this the floor I was standing on took new appreciation and I felt a joy for standing on something that seemed now to radiate a life that surged into my feet and up my legs, making me stronger to stand. His faith was my sure footing and steadfast endurance would not have me alter my stance.

The Lord then directed His glance at the walls and I followed his gaze. The cold gray stones began to take definition as they revealed themselves to be in warmer tones of various shades of tans and browns, some light and some darker. As I walked closer a stone would turn into leather bound book, well worn and read. These books and stones seem to float in and out of the walls as if the walls were breathing. Simultaneously, the word “Wisdom” would appear and emerge out from between the books and stones, then evaporate in the air. Individual stones would move in and out and apart from one another then back in their place. As they moved a brilliant golden light would radiate from between the cracks as if light itself was its flexible mortar. Jesus said, “These walls are my Apostles and Prophets. My house will always be built on the true foundation of the Apostles and Prophets. They are living epistles to be read by those who have eyes to see what my Spirit is saying to the churches.”

I was overwhelmed to be in the company of those who had gone on before me who made up these beautiful living walls and felt as if I were in the company of Peace itself. These who have experienced a remodeling of their souls, a transformation of the Lord, could themselves give off a fragrance of Wisdom of which its aroma was non-flavored, but cleaner than anything I could describe. It seemed as if it where a high and privileged honor to be place with these living stones and great cloud of witnesses to the glory of the Masters craftsmanship. At the same time I knew that there were present and contemporary apostles who also made up these walls. That was the joy of the master Builder – to see that these gifts were being restored back into the foundation of His House.

Then Jesus said, “Come look at this.” He led me to a corner and showed me a very larger hewn rock, larger than any in the foundation and said, “This is where I place My Cornerstone. Many churches don't have this in their foundation and they're built with wrong measurements. I need to put a cornerstone in each one of them. Many of My Houses are in need of My Cornerstone.” Then He turned to me and said, “Of course, I AM the Cornerstone” and just tranquilly smiled as if He knew precisely the time chart for doing this to every remodeling project He had planned.

Then I noticed a rather uncelebrated and common knelling pad somewhat embedded in the floor in front of the Cornerstone. Jesus said, “This is where I've had some of my best conversations with those who have come into My House.” Just His mention of prayer to me was like receiving a royal invitation to spend time in raptured intimacy with my lover. His presence became intoxicating and even more life seemed to radiate between us in relationship. I realized that the knelling pad represented “submission” and I knew it would become one of my favorite places in the House.

At that the walls themselves seem to take on the appearance of a delicate membrane. No longer did they seem of stone but living flesh. In fact, I felt as if I was inside a lung and the room was peacefully breathing fresh revelation at every breath.

I told the Lord, “I feel so purified by breathing this wonderful fresh air.” His reply to me was, “Every breath you experience is from My Bride as she lay in my bed. When I lay by her side and she rests in complete peace, I hear each breath that she takes to be as a prayer of love to me.” At that I began literally weeping in the natural real realm as His gaze was fixed on His Beloved. I was overwhelmed by His presence next to me. Now, enthralled by wanting to become a part of this room-breathing-prayer-lung, I realized that he counts every breath I take as a prayer of love to Him.

I turned back to see the wall breathing again and thought of the warm, life-giving nature of its function and though it to be like a pumping heart. Then the Lord said, "I am the heart of My Bride. Our hearts beat in unison.” Of course, I thought. Jesus must be the life-giving beat that sets the pace of our walk and the source of our strength.

Looking, no, knowing and experiencing this entire room, this basement foundation was completely different than what it appeared to be when first coming down into it. It radiated life, contentment, purpose, rest, and joy. It was a prayer closet, yet it was so full of love you felt as if you were in a bedroom designed as a perfectly manicured garden.

On the way out and back up the stairs, I noticed that their seemed to be plenty of room to ascend without having to watch out for my head. Without saying anything, the Lord responded to my thoughts and said, “Most get knocked in the head on the way down because of their misconstrued lofty thoughts. Their thinking is all distorted by self-conceived religion. It is very easy for those who have knelt down to embrace humility to come up the stairs exalted.”

I realized that my thoughts are not His thoughts and my ways are not His ways (Is. 55:8) and that He would put His thoughts into my head so that my words would come from His heart.

Is. 59:21 "And as for Me, this is My covenant with them," says the Lord: "My Spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your offspring, nor from the mouth of your offspring's offspring," says the Lord, "from now and forever."

Then the Lord said "I'll show you the rest of this house at a latter time. For now, write down what I've shown you.”

As I came into my office to write everything, the Lord said to me “What time is it?” I looked at one clock and it said 4:22 AM. I looked at another and it said 4:26 Then He impresses me with John 4:22-26 and said, “I AM.”

John 4:22 "You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. John 4:23 "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." John 4:25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming He who is called Christ; when that One comes, He will declare all things to us." John 4:26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."

Certainly the church is presently undergoing a grand transformation. It is in need of remodeling to rightly reflect the Spirit and Truth. The way to submit to His transformation is by falling to our knees in submission and adoration and embrace humility as our footing.

Worship Him as intimately as you know how and He will escort you into things to come.

Steve Lindow, Pastor

His Beloved Family Church, Denver, CO. steve@north-gate.org

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