A Great Cleansing Before A Great Commissioning

A HOPEFUL VIEW OF THE FUTURE

As I sit and write this blog, it is the middle of 2024. This means we are halfway through the 2020’s and I find myself, more than ever, fastened to a stubborn hope. It’s not so much a heroic charge, full of bravado, but instead a knowing; a conviction in the deepest parts of my being that is anchored in the promise of the Word of God and in the worth, beauty and majesty of Jesus Christ. He has been promised an inheritance by the Father because of His obedience unto death and the Father will give it to Him. On the cross, Jesus purchased something. Because He overcame, He has been given the dominion that the first Adam was given in the garden over “all the earth”.  (Gen 1:26-28) The first Adam subjected it to the power of the darkness through the Fall, but through the death and resurrection of the Second Adam, the nations have become His inheritance. This is why the New Testament writers emphasize the fact that He is the first born from the dead. He is the Son that David saw, who was promised the nations as His inheritance.

“As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill." I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, "You are my Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage, and the ends of the earth your possession.” - Psalm 2:6-8

The nations of the earth are the Son’s inheritance; not only His birthright, but also His great desire and reward. He longs for the worship, adoration and love of all the families of the earth. That is the reward of His suffering. The same desire that created all things, bought us back by royal blood.

Jesus Himself prophesied that the message of His authority, power and position would be proclaimed to every ethnos (nation) in the world before He returned to the planet to reign from David’s throne in Jerusalem.

And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. - Matthew 24:14

The proclamation of that gospel of the Kingdom will be carried on the wings of a praying, preaching and singing missions movement. Just as the prophet Malachi saw, that spread of the gospel throughout the whole world would coincide with incense being offered in every place. Incense, in the Bible, is the ministry of worship, praise, prayer and intercession. (Rev 5:8;8:3-4) In other words, God is raising up a worship and prayer movement that will send laborers to the ends of the earth and they will raise up worship and prayer among all the families of the earth.

From the rising of the sun to its setting, my name will be great among the nations, and in every place incense will be offered to my name, and a pure offering. For my name will be great among the nations, says the LORD of hosts. - Malachi 1:11

The Apostle Paul later echoed this promise in his letter to the Romans with a supernatural, almost stubborn hope. He used the authority of the prophets and patriarchs to connect the church in Rome to the day when incense will cover the earth. The law (Duet 32), the Psalms (Ps 18; Ps 117) and the prophets (Is 11), all testify to this global worship movement that will arise from every nation.

…in order that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy. As it is written, "Therefore I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing to your name." And again it is said, "Rejoice, O Gentiles, with His people." And again, "Praise the Lord, all you Gentiles, and let all the peoples extol Him." And again Isaiah says, "The root of Jesse will come, even he who arises to rule the Gentiles; in Him will the Gentiles hope." May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope. - Romans 15:9-13

The supernatural and stubborn hope that God is filling us with is the unwavering conviction that  Jesus will get his inheritance, the nations will sing for joy, and the families of the earth will behold and bless him.

Since Matthew chapter 28 and Acts chapter 1, when the resurrected Lord gave the mandate to go to the ends of the earth and make disciples of all ethnos, to this day, only about half of the world's tribes and peoples have heard a witness of the gospel. The other half is considered unreached or minimally reached. If these prophecies are true (and I am inclined to believe they are), that means we are about to witness, in the coming days, something spectacular. It means that the global Church, in this generation, has the invitation to give the Lamb something that no other generation has been able to give Him: the full reward of His suffering. We have the opportunity before us to see this generation accomplish more for global missions than every generation since Acts 1 has accomplished combined. These prophecies mean that Islam is not the end of the story for the Middle East and North Africa, nor Buddhism and Hinduism the end of the story for central and east Asia. There will be incense to Jesus that covers the earth. 

This must mean, then, there is about to be a great re-commissioning for the Great Commission! 

A GREAT CLEANSING BEFORE A GREAT COMMISSIONING

I believe that we are in a moment very similar to the day when the prophet Isaiah was commissioned, or some scholars believe re-commissioned. I believe that the same powerful work of cleansing that had to happen to Isaiah, before he was ready to say “yes” to his commission, is the same powerful work the Holy Spirit is inviting the Church into so we will be ready for the commissioning that is coming. In Isaiah chapter 6, the prophet recalled the encounter that led to his commissioning.

In the year that King Uzziah died I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up; and the train of his robe filled the temple. - Isaiah 6:1

Isaiah said it was “in the year that King Uzziah died, that he saw the Lord.” Isaiah’s commissioning was connected to the timeframe of the death of King Uzziah. Isaiah made sure to tell us that. Why is this important? What was up with King Uzziah? Why was it so crucial to the prophet’s commissioning?

King Uzziah’s reign in Judah was one of the most prosperous times in Israel’s history (outside the reigns of King David and Solomon).

And all the people of Judah took Uzziah, who was sixteen years old, and made him king instead of his father Amaziah. ... Uzziah was sixteen years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jecoliah of Jerusalem. ... He set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who instructed him in the fear of God, and as long as he sought the LORD, God made him prosper. - 2 Chronicles 26:1, 3, 5

As a young man, the prophets taught him the fear of the Lord. As long as he bowed low and sought the face of God, God worked mightily on his behalf, and the nation prospered under his leadership. He went out and made war against Judah’s enemies and God gave him victory. The more help and favor the Lord released, the more Uzziah’s fame spread throughout the region.

The Ammonites paid tribute to Uzziah, and his fame spread even to the border of Egypt, for he became very strong. - 2 Chronicles 26:8

He not only had military victories, but the economy and society also prospered under his reign. He began to build towers and infrastructure all across Israel. The more he prospered, the bigger his army grew and the more towers he built. On top of all the strategic and economic prowess, he also had charisma and popularity. He was everything we look for in a leader.

In Jerusalem he made machines, invented by skillful men, to be on the towers and the corners, to shoot arrows and great stones. And his fame spread far, for he was marvelously helped, till he was strong. - 2 Chronicles 26:15

Somewhere along the way, all his prosperity and fame caused him to lose the fear of the Lord. While it seemed like everything he touched turned to gold, his heart lost that childlike dependency on the Lord his God. He started to believe his own press. As his fame spread far and wide, instead of bowing low and pointing back to Yahweh, pride entered into his heart. His own name, fame and position became the pursuit of his life.

But when he was strong, he grew proud, to his destruction. For he was unfaithful to the LORD his God and entered the temple of the LORD to burn incense on the altar of incense. - 2 Chronicles 26:16

In Uzziah’s pride and arrogance, he crossed a sacred boundary. The boundary that God established in Israel between the line and office of kings and the line of priests. Kings descended from Judah; priests were consecrated from the tribe of Levi. When kings, in their pride, sought to cross that line, it did not go well for them. We don’t know exactly what Uzziah was thinking, but pride and arrogance had produced the deception that he was above the Lord’s commandments and an exception to the kings who had gone before him. He assumed he was above accountability and that he could do whatever he wanted to. In his mind, his throne and his reign was possibly the most important in Israel’s history or future. He entered the temple and determined that he would add the priestly ministry to his resume and list of accomplishments and he set out to use the ministry of worship and prayer to expand his brand, and the fame of his own name.

Seventy priests withstood him and called him to turn from this act of delusional arrogance. 

…they withstood King Uzziah and said to him, "It is not for you, Uzziah, to burn incense to the LORD, but for the priests, the sons of Aaron, who are consecrated to burn incense. Go out of the sanctuary, for you have done wrong, and it will bring you no honor from the LORD God." - 2 Chronicles 26:18

Uzziah became angry that someone had held him accountable. He was holding a censer in his hand to burn incense and when he did not humble himself, leprosy broke out on his forehead; the place where kings were anointed and the place where his crown rested.

Then Uzziah was angry. Now he had a censer in his hand to burn incense, and when he became angry with the priests, leprosy broke out on his forehead in the presence of the priests in the house of the LORD, by the altar of incense. - 2 Chronicles 26:19

The priests quickly led him away and he was put out in isolation for the rest of his days; cut off from everything he had built and all the fame he had acquired.

It was in the year that King Uzziah died. The year that God began to judge and remove human pride and human strength. The year that God humiliated the celebrity-driven, fame-obsessed culture within His people. The year that God exposed the lack of accountability in leadership. It was also the season where all the unholy and foolish things they had allowed and celebrated in their leadership culture died too. That was the year that Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up. That was the context in which Isaiah was commissioned.

When Uzziah’s throne was removed, Isaiah was able to see the Lord. There is a cleansing of the eyes that is coming to the Church in this season to prepare us for the re-commissioning. We, by the power of the Spirit, are getting delivered from our obsession and our hope being tied to the thrones of leaders like Uzziah. God is shaking thrones, platforms, and positions that we have built in the church in order to get our eyes again on the only throne that matters. True spiritual leaders don’t rise up in self-promotion. True spiritual leaders fall down in worship. They fall down from thrones; they do not climb up on them. The elders around the heavenly throne in Revelation 4 fall down in worship and cast their crowns at the feet of Jesus. When Uzziah’s throne was removed, Isaiah was able to see the unchallenged sovereignty of Jesus and his unique qualifications as King and Priest.

He said, “I saw the Lord…seated on His throne and the train of His robe filled the temple.” The temple. The place Uzziah tried to enter and establish his authority. Isaiah saw that there is only One worthy to set His throne in the temple of God. There is only One who has been chosen to rule as the Prophet, Priest and King. He alone can set his seat of government in the center of Yahweh’s glory. He alone has the humility and wisdom to be given all authority in heaven and earth and use it for righteousness and justice. He is the King of kings, Lord of lords, Ruler of the kings of the earth. The nations will rage, elections will change, the kings of the earth will plot in vain, but He who sits in the heavens laughs because He has already chosen His King.

Before there is a commissioning, there is a cleansing. We need to get our eyes back on the unshakable, unchallenged, unmovable, unchangeable, everlasting throne of God and the King that He has chosen.

Then Isaiah said he heard the worship and the dialogue around the throne.  

Above him stood the seraphim. Each had six wings: with two he covered his face, and with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one called to another and said: "Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory!" - Isaiah 6:2-3

The conversation around the throne revolves around the transcendent beauty, glory, and nature of the Triune God. The Seraphim, literally “burning ones”, call to one another saying, “Holy, Holy, Holy – Father, Son, Spirit!” Holy means completely “other than”, transcendent, or set apart. A.W. Tozer said it this way in his famous work, Knowledge of the Holy, “…we must not compare the being of God with any other, as we just now compared the mountain with the child. We must not think of God as highest in an ascending order of beings, starting with the single cell and going on up from the fish, to the bird, to the animal, to man, to angel, to cherub, to God. This would be to grant God eminence, even pre-eminence, but that is not enough; we must grant Him transcendence in the fullest meaning of that word.

Forever God stands apart, in light unapproachable. He is as high above an archangel as above a caterpillar, for the gulf that separates the archangel from the caterpillar is but finite, while the gulf between God and the archangel is infinite. The caterpillar and the archangel, though far removed from each other in the scale of created things, are nevertheless one in that they are alike created. They both belong in the category of that-which-is-not-God and are separated from God by infinitude itself.” (Knowledge of the Holy)

The “burning ones” declare the knowledge and the beauty of God, and then they prophesy over the nations of the earth. They sing, “the whole earth is full of His glory.” I can imagine Isaiah’s shock at the stark difference between the news headlines on earth and the prophetic songs of heaven. Down in Israel, the conversation was around the death of Uzziah and who would be the next king. The news was filled with fear for the future of the nation, uncertainty in the economy, the threat of foreign enemies invading, who was going to be the next viral sensation, etc., etc., etc… sound familiar? At the very same moment, the proclamation from the throne room was that “the whole earth is full of His glory.” That headline in heaven was that God was working then, just as He is this very moment, to fill the whole earth with the knowledge and the manifestation of His glory, character and nature. His glory is waiting to be revealed.

I have said many times before that we become what we behold. That is true. But just as true is that we believe what we hear. What we listen to shapes our belief systems, our paradigms, our world-view and will ultimately produce faith or unbelief. The ears of the Church are so filled right now with politics and pop-culture that we can’t even hear the dialogue and engage with the worship around the throne. Our ears are itching to hear the salacious details of the next scandal, the next viral content, the next argument, the next conflict… and we wonder why we are growing angrier, more unsettled, hopeless and filled with unbelief. It’s no wonder that our missiology has shifted from “make disciples of all nations” to “take over politics and pop-culture”. We don’t see the Middle East, North Africa, Central Asia and the Arab Gulf as a harvest field for the Lamb and filled with God’s glory. We see it as hard, dark and full of enemies. We believe what we hear. How much of the conversation in the Church is around the transcendent beauty and unrivaled glory of the One seated on the throne? What is making the news headlines in the Household of God?

Before there is a commissioning, there is a cleansing. We need a cleansing of our ears to hear the dialogue and the prophetic songs of heaven. Heaven is singing the prophetic destiny of the nations to be filled with the glory of God. 

Then, Isaiah felt the power of His Presence. The response of God to the worship of heaven was to increase His manifest power and glory of His presence. This shook everything. As the foundations of the heavenly temple shook, so did Isaiah’s small view of what God’s Presence would and could do. I believe God is inviting us into a season of reclaiming our hunger and high view for revival and a resting place for His Presence. We must rescue these words from being merely marketing and branding language. We must recover our “tremble" when we think about His Presence coming into a room. We must reclaim our vision for what it looks like when a city comes under the weight of His glory. When was the last time you were overwhelmed with His Presence and the majesty of the King? When was the last time you collapsed under the weight of His glory? We must allow spiritual hunger to keep us from “Presence” and “Presence-Centered” becoming just new branding and marketing language for our churches. We must shed all our religious phrases and let expectation and anticipation prepare a place for God to manifest in greater measures. God, shake our small expectations of what it is to come into your Presence!

And the foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. - Isaiah 6:4

When his eyes were opened and his ears heard the prophetic songs of heaven, Isaiah was pierced with a “woe”. The gift of repentance and the spirit of the fear of the Lord gripped Isaiah. He cried out, “"Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!" (Isaiah 6:5) Unclean lips referred to the leprosy that struck Uzziah on the forehead. Isaiah was saying, “I have leprosy, too! It’s in my speech! And if I don’t turn, I will be outside the culture of heaven. Like Uzziah was set outside of Israel.” When Isaiah saw the glory of Jesus in a fresh way, he had the revelation that the way He talked about God was far below the reality of what He is actually like. When his eyes were opened, the mixture, manipulation and accusation in the prophetic ministry was exposed. He realized that so much of his prophetic ministry was connected to the success of Uzziah. He realized that so many of his words about God were not coming from living revelation, but regurgitated phrases that had no power. Repentance led to a deep and personal anguish over the state of his own soul. God is not only shaking thrones, positions and platforms, but He is also cleansing our speech. 

He also saw that the speech of the people of God was filled with uncleanness. He said, “I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips. The dialogue among the people of God had fallen far short of the dialogue of heaven. I believe we are in such a moment again. Bitterness, slander, back-biting and tearing down with our words have become the common language among people of God. We have leprosy in our speech. Paul said it this way,

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. - Ephesians 4:29-31

Paul called the New Testament church to cleanse out leprous and corrupting talk and to recalibrate our speech to the dialogue of heaven. We have lost the fear of the Lord concerning how we speak about each other. We have thrown off every guard and fetter around our mouths when it comes to what we feel the confidence to say concerning a brother and sister in Christ. You need not look any farther than the Christians’ social media feed. Beloved of God, this is not just unfortunate, it is unbiblical and unholy. We desperately need the Holy Spirit to give us the spirit of revelation that leads to a spirit of repentance over what comes out of our mouths. Jesus told us that our words will defile us and defile those around us.

And he called the people to him and said to them, "Hear and understand: it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out of the mouth; this defiles a person." - Matthew 15:10-11

We need our eyes opened, our ears re-tuned and our lips cleansed. If we turn to the Lord, He will draw near to us with the fresh fire, grace and power we desperately need to become a heavenly people again. Just like Isaiah, in response to his humility and repentance, he was touched with a fresh fire from the altar to cleanse his lips, break the power of shame and guilt and set him free from sin.

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar. And he touched my mouth and said: "Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for." - Isaiah 6:6-7

FREEWILL VOLUNTEERS

Once Isaiah had been cleansed, he could offer himself freely to the call with no ambition or agenda. He was ready for the re-commissioning. When the voice of the Lord called for laborers, Isaiah was a free-will volunteer.

And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here I am! Send me." - Isaiah 6:8

Look at his response! There was no hesitation in the answer. There was no negotiating in the obedience. He didn’t say, “Well, tell me where you are sending me, and I’ll see if I want to go.” Or “What is it going to require of me, and I’ll see.” It was a simple, wholehearted, unreserved offering; ‘Here I am! Send me.” When Isaiah saw the One who was calling, there was no question in the response. I have said this many times to our staff and missionaries at MAPS Global; when the Lord Jesus gives you an assignment, it is not one option to be considered along with the many opportunities you may believe you have, it is a command to be obeyed. Jesus is not a job recruiter; He is the King of Kings. When the King calls on you, what an honor it is to be entrusted with whatever He gives to you! When the King sends you on an assignment, there are no other plans, options or ambitions to consider; it is the only one!

This is what it is going to take to see Matthew 24:14 finished and Malachi 1:11 fulfilled in our generation. This year is not just an election year here in America. Globally, more people than ever before in history will head to the polls representing a combined population of about 49% of the people in the world, and will be voting in national elections, the results of which, for many, will prove consequential for the direction of their country and region for years to come. In addition, there are active wars on almost every continent that are redrawing the borders and boundary lines of regions as we know it. The earth is in transition, and we need an Isaiah 6 commissioning again. 

Amidst all the war, conflict, poverty, and suffering across the earth, there is one great crisis that eclipses all the others: that is, 3.4 billion people alive today that have no chance to ever hear the Gospel of the kingdom. They are unreached. When the harvest is plentiful in the earth and the laborers are few, the Lord of the Harvest calls for free-will volunteers to answer His call.

And Jesus went throughout all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the gospel of the kingdomand healing every disease and every affliction. When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest." - Matthew 9:35-38

We are standing at the halfway mark of this decade. What if we could rally the Global Church together for the sake of Jesus, His name, His fame and His inheritance and by the end of this decade, when the statistics are published again, another story would be told? That on our watch, “those who have never been told of Him will see, and those who have never heard will understand” (Rom 15:21). Among all the “shifts” happening in the earth, what if there was another shift? A shift of focus in the Global Church back to the Great Commission? What about a shift from “closed nations” to “open doors” for the gospel among the unreached? What about a shift from Islamic prayers, Buddhist chants and Hindu incense from the high places to joy-filled adoration and unceasing exaltation of Jesus filling the atmosphere? What about a new wave of laborers carrying this glorious gospel to the ends of the earth?

In order for this to happen, we need Isaiah 6 encounters across the church in America, in Europe, in South America, in East Asia, in Sub-Saharan Africa, on every continent. It is time to turn to the Lord with a spirit of repentance. It is time to get our eyes back on the King of Glory and our ears re-tuned to the dialogue and worship of the throne room. It is time to get shaken out of spiritual lethargy, let the spirit of the fear of Lord recalibrate our speech, and let fresh fire fall from heaven upon us so that we are ready, with no hesitation and no reservation to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:18) and proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to every ethnos (Matt 24:14), until incense arises in every place (Mal 1:11). Before there is a great commissioning, there must be a great cleansing. Lord Jesus, have mercy and prepare us for the hour that is upon us.