TNP - SAY YES TO THE DRESS

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Is time to declare the glorious bride of Christ, there is no time to talk about her flaws...       It is her wedding day!

GAP - November 14, 2013

As we were praying tonight, for the safety of those displaced by the recent typhoon in the Philippine Islands.

As we prayed we turned and started praying for the Church in the Philippines. I began to see a detailed picture of what appeared to be a wedding veil and tiara as well as close-up views of elements of the dress. But I wasn't clear enough on the meaning to share my picture yet. 

The meeting was opened up for sharing:

Don shared a scripture story about Elisha getting a double portion because he followed hard after his mentor Elijah and because of his insistence to stay with Elijah, he saw the chariots of fire that caught Elijah up into heaven.

2 And it came to pass, when the Lord was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Then Elijah said to Elisha, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to Bethel.”But Elisha said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they went down to Bethel.3 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Bethel came out to Elisha, and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”And he said, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”4 Then Elijah said to him, “Elisha, stay here, please, for theLord has sent me on to Jericho.”But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So they came to Jericho.5 Now the sons of the prophets who were at Jericho came to Elisha and said to him, “Do you know that the Lord will take away your master from over you today?”So he answered, “Yes, I know; keep silent!”6 Then Elijah said to him, “Stay here, please, for the Lord has sent me on to the Jordan.”But he said, “As the Lord lives, and as your soul lives, I will not leave you!” So the two of them went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went and stood facing them at a distance, while the two of them stood by the Jordan. 8 Now Elijah took his mantle, rolled it up, and struck the water; and it was divided this way and that, so that the two of them crossed over on dry ground.9 And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?”Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.”10 So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” 11 Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 2 Kings 2:1-12

A little while later, Don went on to say God is asking us to say Yes. He even repeated this a couple of times, Saying, 'Yes' out loud to God. All the time I was thinking, God isn't just asking us to say a generic 'yes', but He is asking us to say yes in a very specific way. Almost like the answer to the wedding vows, do you....? I do! or Yes!  

Phil shared a word of hope for the glorious church to arise and excerpts from another prophecy. 

After a conversation that made a few turns this way and that, I finally said, guys, I think we are missing the main point. 

Don shared that God is asking us to say, yes. So I told them, 

"Just as we began to pray for the Filipinos, I saw a vision of a wedding shawl or veil and a dress." I went on to share my picture of the dress, veil, and tiara, I told the guys, "I think God is raising the bar, Jesus is asking us to marry him," that's a lifelong commitment, that is signified by the dress.

In researching online after the Thursday night prayer meeting, I found that the dress I saw is actually a traditional Filipino wedding dress called a Baro't Saya it is a traditional wedding dress among the Filipinos. It involves an outer garment of a sheer fabric with embellishments as shown here.

The dress I saw was royal blue color with lots of pure silver sewn into the sheer fabric outer layer, chains of silver and strands of silver and silver dots were everywhere, the tiara had elaborate curves with embellishments and was made of pure silver. something that would have been specific to the Philippine Islands. 

I got this Scripture passage...

7 Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” 8 And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints.Rev. 19:7-8

These are other historic examples of the Baro't Saya.

When you understand that the vision was of a (wedding) dress, it becomes plain which question we're saying yes to, it also indicates the type of commitment that is being asked of us. 
Marriage is an exclusive, lifelong commitment.

Saying yes to the (wedding) dress indicates we are saying yes to the commission, yes to the union of Jesus and us. 

We are so prone to think in terms of productive activity. But this dress is not made for the productive activity it was made for celebrating being the object of His love. In the Philippines, it is a tradition that the bride does not put on the dress until the wedding day there are no trial fittings, which is considered bad luck. 

When a King is proposing to his beloved, it is not time to list all the ways that other brides have historically failed to be faithful. 

God has great plans for us he has provided all the resources to carry out those plans and they are plans for a marriage, not just producing offspring.

I referred back to Don's story about Elijah and Elisha and how Elisha was promised that if he saw the former, as he was caught up, then he would receive a double portion of the Spirit that rested on Elijah. 

It struck me when he shared that story out of Scripture, that the disciples too followed Jesus even through the Jordan (death) to the other side, and they saw Jesus physically ascend into heaven and Jesus had said to them, it is expedient for you that I go and greater things than these shall you do because I go to my Father.

It is as though the Church (through the apostles) received a double portion of the work of Christ because the Church (through the apostles) saw Him ascend into heaven. Those who saw Him ascend, received the Spirit in Power.

Is time to declare the glorious bride of Christ, there is no time to talk about her flaws.  

It is her wedding day!