Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministers International of Oregon Inc PRESIDENT LEON WILLIS A Newsletter of Faith, Fellowship & Vision August 2019 2019 WINDOWS OF OPPORTUNITY Egypt Legalizes 127 Churches in Sweeping Approval A committee set up by the Egyptian government has approved the le- galization of 127 churches which were previously being run in an ille- gal capacity. A law passed in 2016 hoped to speed up the proc- ess of legalization, with thousands of churches being built without a per- mit and operating in fear of govern- ment reprisals. Prior to the law being passed, it was notoriously difficult to approve state approval and, therefore, congre- gations could find themselves at risk of prosecution. Since the law passed, some 1,021 have been granted permits by the committee, accord- ing to International Christian Concern. While the com- mittee still has many churches to legalize, this is a promising start for News Prophet of Pantomime (Part 28) Ezekiel - “God will strengthen to conquer” Concluding thoughts The weirdest of the group of prophets may be Ezekiel. After wit- nessing a vision of God flanked by four outer space creatures, the prophet ate a scroll of skins that had been given to him (Ezekiel 1and 3). It was required that he assimilate the message of God to the nation of Israel. It was to be woven into every fiber of his body, soul and spirit. Ezekiel was called to be a prophet of pantomime, a ministry that initially did not involve any prophetic words, as God had rendered him mute (Ezekiel 3). Instead he took to drawing, depicting an image of Jerusalem under siege on a clay tablet. Then he lay down on his left side, with an iron pan separating him from his clay drawing. After 390 days had passed, Ezekiel turned over on his right side for another 40 days (Ezekiel 4). This was a prophecy of the captivity of Israel and Judah. After his clay tablet stunt was over, and while tied to his bed, Ezekiel was required to go on a new diet of barley cakes baked over cow manure (Ezekiel 4). Normally, this was prohibited by the law of Moses. Next Ezekiel used a sword—yes, you read that right, an actual sword—to shave his head and beard, dividing the hair into thirds. He went down town and set one third on fire. He scattered another third around the city and stabbed them with his sword. He threw the remaining third into the wind. But the hair scenario was far from over: Ezekiel had saved a few hairs which he sewed into his clothing. Then he burned some of those hairs too (Ezekiel 5). The weird stuff didn’t stop, but on orders of the Lord. Ezekiel packed up a suitcase, and in the sight of the people dug a hole in the wall and went through it. In the morning he returned through the same hole. He repeated this day after day. He was required to eat his food quaking and drink his water trembling and with anxi- ety. The story continues with Ezekiel being told to “groan with breaking heart and bitter grief, groan before their eyes. And when they say to you, ‘Why do you groan?’ you shall say, Because of the news that it is coming. Every heart will melt, and all hands will be feeble; every spirit will faint, and all knees will be weak as water. Behold, it is coming, and it will be fulfilled, declares the Lord God” (Ezek 21:6-7). On the day that Jerusalem fell to the invading Babylonians, the Lord told Ezekiel, “Son of man, behold, I am about to take the delight of your eyes away from you at a stroke; yet you shall not mourn or weep, nor shall your tears run down. Sigh, but not aloud; make no mourning for the dead. Bind on your turban, and put your shoes on your feet; do not cover your lips, nor eat the bread of men.” So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded” (Ezek. 24:16-18). Later, Ezekiel prophesied over dry bones in a valley. As Ezekiel stands speaking to his captive audience of bones, he saw the bones coming to life (Ezekiel 37). One crucial detail has been omitted in these accounts: the actions of Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah were commanded by God, which means that we cannot dismiss their behavior. Indeed, these men were prophets in spite of their oddities or peculiarities. Their actions were at the center of their ministry. In the Scriptures, they are explained as symbolic acts that convey divine messages along with their words. For example, the stripping of Isaiah symbolized the future humiliation of Egypt and Ethiopia at the hands of Assyrian conquer- ors. Jeremiah’s yoke signified the servitude of the Jews to Babylonia while Ezekiel’s dung- warmed meals foreshadowed their exile, where they would be forced to eat unclean food. Looking back on the actions of Ezekiel, Hosea, Jeremiah, and Isaiah from the per- spective of the New Testament we begin to see a sort of harmony between their bizarre be- havior and their prophecies of both doom and deliverance. There is a logic to their ministries: these prophets were not just speakers of the word—they lived it out in their lives, through their actions, their choice of clothing, and even their very bodies. They are witnesses to how totally transforming and disruptive the Word of God can be when we let it consume our whole lives. Fourteen years after the destruction of the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC, the hand of the Lord was on Ezekiel and brought him to the city of Jerusalem. He saw a temple several times larger then Solomon’s temple and was told to measure it and afterwards he saw the glory of the Lord fill it with His presence. Plus he saw water flowing from the throne of God and going downward toward the Dead Sea. When the water entered the Dead Sea it changed