God is revealing a principle that we must understand. We could call it the city-of-refuge principle. Although this principle will be more clearly defined in the days to come, this message will help us to understand the new dimension that we are moving into now.
We read in the Old Testament that six cities were designated as cities of refuge: Kadesh, Shechem, Hebron, Bezer, Ramoth-Gilead, and Golan. These were among the forty-eight cities that were given to the Levites. Shechem and Hebron were royal cities, where David and other kings lived. Laws were given showing how these cities of refuge were to function (Numbers 35, Deuteronomy 4, and Joshua 20). All the Levitical cities had the privilege of asylum or sanctuary. However, the six refuge cities were required to lodge a manslayer, a person who had accidentally killed someone. Although the death was unintentional, he still would be liable under the law of vengeance. Under that law, the avenger of blood—the nearest of kin to the deceased—might come and kill him. So he would flee to a city of refuge and remain there until the truth was determined as to whether or not he was guilty of murder. He would be assigned a place to live, without charge, and trained in a trade so that he could support himself. If he was found innocent of murder, he was required to stay in the city of refuge until the high priest died.
The Lord is speaking to our hearts about the importance of this principle being restored now. At the present time the apostolic company has begun to function. Many brothers have moved into a place of authority, so that for the first time the local church does not exist as an end in itself. The local church has been somewhat like a castle in a feudal system, in which the local pastor could do no wrong and there was no way to make an appeal above him. People may have tried, but sometimes there has been a rather tyrannical hand upon them. This has all been done with good intentions, with the understanding of submission to authority and the objective of walking right before God. But as the days of the Kingdom come, certain principles have to be restored to guide us because we are moving more and more into a complete submission to do the total will of God. We do not want anything in our lives that is not the absolute will of God.
Several times an apostle has given a Word, and the Word given was pure. However, someone involved in the situation did not like that Word and felt that he could not walk in it, so the apostle found himself compromising a little, or making a later adjustment. Then God would rebuke the apostle, and after he had repented before the Lord, he would have to go back to that person and tell him, “No, you are not going to do it your way. It is going to be the way the Lord originally said.” God is strict in requiring that His directives not be altered. When He gives a Word and it is confirmed, we stay with it. There has been too much twisting and deviation from the purity of instruction that God has given. At times the Words that God has brought to the whole Body have even been interpreted so that they would conform to what local ministries wanted to hear and what they wanted to accept.
We all realize that the apostolic company must stand faithfully behind the local ministry. The greatest strength to any leader at any level is knowing that those who are in authority over him or those who have commissioned him are really backing him up too. It is important that they do not bypass him in what they have commissioned him to do, but that they—as well as those who are under him—submit to him in his authority. This gives great strength to a man. When a man has been designated and commissioned to a certain task, those who commissioned him must remain faithful to honor and respect that commission and not always be looking over his shoulder or bypassing him in what they have commissioned him to do. This must be their attitude: “God has spoken this commission over you and we believe it. We respect and submit to the Word of God which came through our own mouths and to the authority that was conveyed through our own hands, which came from the Lord. Now you go ahead with it.” Every ministry appreciates that.
The leaders may err in this by giving a person too free a hand in his commission; yet some of the biggest problems in the churches have occurred when the leaders gave a commission and then bypassed it and changed it. They really never gave a commission at all in which they were willing to let go of any authority or any decision-making power. The initiative of the Spirit rests upon a man with his commission; he takes great satisfaction in seeking God and in doing the thing he was called to do.
Great strength comes to a leader when he knows that the ones who commissioned him are backing him up; yet at the same time, that leader is prevented from becoming a tyrant when he knows that those under him have a recourse to appeal the word or the decision he gives to them. When they do not believe that it is right before God, they must have a recourse to those who are over him and have commissioned him. Such recourse had not been available in any practical sense until the apostolic company came on the scene. Now the people everywhere are quite free to call these brothers and present their situation. Sometimes the problems are simply the result of pure carelessness about divine order. For example, a leader may give someone a directive, and without bothering to get confirmation about it he may arbitrarily say, “This is the Word of the Lord and you are to do it. If you do not do it, you are in rebellion.” The Lord has previously taught us that when we are given a word which we do not believe is from the Lord, we do not have to submit to it. A way now exists whereby, with a submissive spirit, we can find a higher confirmation so that the ministry we receive can be checked.
Any ministry should welcome such confirmation. If he gives you a word and you question whether or not you can accept that word, go to the apostolic company, because then it ceases to be a matter of your rejecting him on a personal level just because you disagree with him. It becomes a situation in which the word itself becomes the issue—is it a Word from the Lord or not? This is a great protection for the pastors, elders, and ministries. It is also a great protection for the people. No one, then, needs to feel that in the name of divine order and submission he is being suppressed and has no recourse when he is given a word which he does not really believe is a Word from the Lord.
If this city-of-refuge principle had been established in the past, many difficult situations could have been softened and eased, and perhaps there would have been fewer casualties along the way. However, it is now being established by Shiloh. This is not to say that Shiloh will be an actual city of refuge, that if things seem to go wrong in your church and you do not like a word that you are given there, you can go to Shiloh to get it bypassed. Shiloh is not a city of refuge whereby you can bypass anything. Rather, Shiloh becomes the city-of-refuge principle inasmuch as the authority that is loosed there actually has given an impartation to the apostolic company.
Let me explain how it works. Suppose you are given a directive by two or three brothers of the apostolic company, and you do not believe it is of the Lord. Your recourse is to call in the rest of the apostolic company. Present the way you feel about it in your heart and why you believe that it is not of the Lord. Lay it before them to have it checked and either confirmed or set aside. The brothers who first gave the word will not want to take the situation personally, anyway. They will not want the responsibility of standing up and defending a word. However, if it is a Word from the Lord, they will want to see it established and confirmed; and then that Word will stand. If it is not a Word from the Lord, they will be the first ones to want to find out what is wrong.
When the appeal comes to bring in a number of the brothers for a witness, perhaps as many as a dozen apostles and prophets will be called in. After honestly praying about it in humility, if they confirm that it is a Word from the Lord, then say, “I bow to that, because I know that I had recourse. I honestly had a way to have that Word confirmed on a larger scale, and therefore I submit to the Lord in it.” But if the Lord gives a deeper view of the situation, and they see that some modifications are to be made, then they will lay out what the Lord has shown them. No one should have so much pride that he cannot admit he has made a mistake.
Disagreement can arise between an apostolic ministry and the pastor of a local church when the apostle has received a Word from the Lord which the pastor considers wrong for his church and not conducive to its welfare. Perhaps it would be easy for him to think this way under the circumstances. Nevertheless, if the apostle gives in to what the pastor wants, instead of following through with what the Lord has shown him, he may find that the Spirit is grieved and he has lost ground in the spiritual breakthrough that God was bringing. Trouble results every time someone maneuvers for what he thinks should be. We must have a Word from the Lord and follow it. Our one and only concern must be, “What does God want in this situation?” When God gives the direction, we had better not fool around compromising or making deals. We had better get the confirmation and then act on that Word. If a wrong decision is made, then the apostolic company can come on the scene to find out what is wrong.
This illustrates the principle of the city of refuge. We need to understand it more as we move into the reality of the Kingdom, because many changes are being made and many things are being laid before the people. Consequently, appeals will be made; people will say in their hearts, “I must find out if this is truly the Word of the Lord.” We must realize that we have not walked this way before, and there is a real purpose in these situations that arise; through them, God is revealing to us a principle by which we shall act and decide all matters in the future. The city of refuge is such a principle.
Situations can arise in which everyone becomes a little bit subjective. The city-of-refuge principle serves to protect against any subjective ministry, in which a word is colored by human emotions and can be punitive in its very nature. A person may actually have done the wrong thing; but any ministry he receives must be given in love with firmness. It must not be destructive; it must be corrective.
If you have a clash with the word that is given, then you must determine whether there is rebellion in your heart or whether you can say, “I have searched my heart and I have humbled myself before God. I think I have a right spirit, and I still have a deep burden in my heart that the word was wrong.” If that is the case, then you still have recourse in it, but not until you have gone through that process. If you come with rebellion or with a wrong spirit (which sometimes is difficult not to do), the first thing you will be told is to go home and get a right spirit, and then come back and talk. The first thing you must do is get a right spirit about the situation.
Suppose you have had a conflict with your pastor and there is antagonism between the two of you, and you want the apostolic company to settle it. You will be told to go back and make your peace with your pastor with a right spirit. When you have a right spirit toward your pastor and you are submissive to him, then come back. Your submission to him is not going to be called rebellion just because you want a confirmation of the Word before you act upon it. It is not rebellion to seek for greater confirmation, provided you seek for it with a submissiveness to walk in the Word.
Sometimes a man’s life pivots on a Word he receives, and that Word is important. Therefore confirmation is very necessary. To give counsel to a person about whom he is to marry or not to marry, about what he is to do with his life and what career he is to follow, to determine what ministry someone is to have, or to bring an evaluation of where he is spiritually and what is happening to him, requires a great depth in ministry. Sometimes many things are revealed in such a time of ministry, yet some things are missed. With so much of life hinging on the counsel that is given, let no ministry have the attitude that he is invincible and infallible.
On the other hand, there have been situations in which the ministries of a church have declared themselves to be completely submissive to the apostle who is in authority over them, even to the point of laying down their lives for him, claiming to have a revelation of his apostleship. Yet they would encourage the people in the church to pray for the apostle, saying that he is being maneuvered and manipulated and that he is wrong on certain matters. That is not submission, to teach the people that their apostle is missing it. It is inconsistent to say, “The apostle is wrong, but we are submissive to him.” Such a situation should be brought to an issue immediately.
When a pastor is moved to another local church by a Word from his apostle, he may feel that it is a mistake, and that the apostle is wrong. He may not realize how carefully the apostle has sought God concerning the directive, or how the people in the pastor’s church have confirmed the Word. If the pastor is then submissive and obeys the Word, God will honor him for it; however, he still must open his heart for God to give him the revelation that it actually was a Word from the Lord.
Do you see that finding the Word of the Lord is not as simple as it appears to be on the surface? This is because we are coming to the levels of sonship, and we know that “as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God” (Romans 8:14). Open your heart to be led. But in doing this, you cannot have the attitude: “I get the word by myself and regardless of what anyone else says, I am going to do it.” Such arrogance is not sonship. It is total immaturity. The older you become in the Lord, and the more you submit yourself to your brothers in the fear of the Lord, the less arrogant you are about your own opinion concerning anything, and the more you will find yourself saying, “Oh, the problems of human judgment! How many mistakes we can make!” Humbly you seek the will of the Lord, and when you find that leading of the Lord, you will be most open to seek Him for confirmation.
The days of the mighty men of valor are upon us. There will be men like Gideon. Gideon was so faithful to the Lord that when he received a Word, even though he knew the voice of God, he still waited until he had two confirmations of that Word before he acted. Twice he put out the fleece. The first time he asked that the fleece be wet and the ground be dry. The second time he asked for it to be dry and the ground wet (Judges 6:37–40). This was something that could not happen naturally; it had to be of God. He did not put out the fleece because he questioned God, but because he had the right to insist on confirmation.
The right to confirmation is something we will learn as a revelation principle. This right becomes a city of refuge to us. We have a right to greater confirmation. We do not have a right to rise up in rebellion against the ministries who have brought us a Word. We do not have a right to be unsubmissive to them. But we do have a right to confirmation, especially when that Word has come by one or two persons whom you suspect are pushing you into a corner because of their personal feelings.
Everyone must constantly filter out personal feelings so that pure objectivity is in his heart in everything he says and does. We must watch it. This is especially important for a ministry who has great responsibility and authority, because there is always a possibility of his becoming influenced. Of necessity, there are people around him constantly, working with him. They may come to him with Words from the Lord, but they must never try to influence him in anything or try to approach him in a personal way over any matter. Even brethren who are working very closely with him in various projects must be careful to try not to influence him. When he asks for information about a particular problem, they must simply lay out the details factually. If there is one who tends to have deep feelings about certain matters, the leader must be quick to stop him if he begins to voice opinions based upon his own emotions. It is very difficult to be in a position of leadership; yet it is important for a leader to demand this objectivity in those who work with him, for he must have the same objectivity and he must seek the Lord.
An apostle who is giving himself to seeking the face of God in order to lead the people is not going to turn around and say, “Now someone tell me how to think. Tell me the Word.” On the contrary, such a man knows that he must constantly be striving for absolute objectivity before God to know the voice of the Lord. He refuses to allow himself to be manipulated and maneuvered (in spite of rumors to the contrary). When he gets a Word, he strives to get a confirmation, and that confirmation is not merely a matter of bringing someone on the scene who will say what he wants him to say. On the contrary, it is the calling on someone who will speak honestly, someone who will seek the Lord honestly and give him a Word. If the ministries all set about to do this, then they will not be offended when another ministry crosses them in something that they think is actually of the Lord. Instead they will open their heart to seek the face of the Lord for every Word they bring, but they will do so knowing that if they are wrong, there is a recourse that each one has to seek for a greater confirmation.
We should strive to bring a Word objectively and with confirmation, with witnesses. No elder should ever minister alone. No elder should ever counsel alone. Two or three should minister together. Even the pastors must be careful to do no counseling by themselves, because the leading of the Holy Spirit is so essential now. It is very important that we be properly led into the days of sonship. Counseling is to be done with all the ministries of authority that are available at the moment. There may be four or five prophets on the pastor level or elder level, men who really know what God is doing. When they counsel together, the answers that come are amazingly deep and accurate. When we truly follow the principles of the Kingdom and of Body ministry, we will be amazed at the accuracy that God brings through human channels. When we minister in this way, less and less will people find it necessary to seek a higher confirmation. If they receive the confirmation in the ministry at the beginning, there will be less tendency toward any percentage of error or distortion.
Do you understand the significance of this step? We are coming to the day when every one of us is being brought to such submission that we are laying our lives right on the line; we are ready to live the rest of our days according to the Words that God speaks through the brethren, through many oracles that He has brought forth in the earth. It is very important that we understand the principles by which we are walking. In the past, obtaining a Word from the Lord appeared to be a simple and easy process. A person would simply go to an elder and get a word of counsel or direction. However, there were too many times when that word was subsequently shown to be wrong. For this reason, we should submit every word we receive now for confirmation.
This is an hour when our whole life is being directed by the Word of God. Sometimes a directive Word comes to an individual which exactly confirms a prophecy over his life that was spoken many years before. In the meantime, he has been prepared by God and trained in the field where he will now function effectively, perhaps in some Kingdom business. During that same period of time, other men with important skills may have been positioned in the same area by the Word of the Lord, so that at the right time an important Kingdom business could be raised up.
It is very important that a leader does not make one slip. He could cause progress into the Kingdom to be set back months if he makes just one wrong step, or if he allows himself to be talked out of something that God has given as a Word and confirmed to him. This carefulness is very important; and if it is that important for the leaders, then it is equally important for everyone else. It is important for you to know the carefulness with which your leaders are going to submit themselves to the Lord. It is important for the leaders to know the carefulness with which you will submit. Like the Galatians, we must serve the Lord with great carefulness—not that we are fearful, but because we do not want to miss the will of God in any way. We do not want our lives to fall short in any way.
If the city-of-refuge principle had been functioning in the past, many could have avoided the setbacks they have already suffered. It is important that we receive this Word, not as an excuse for rebellion, but as a safeguard to help us walk in God’s perfect will. If anything, we are more determined than ever to have a right spirit and a submissiveness to those who are over us in the Lord, because we do not have to be afraid of their Word. If we receive a Word and it is confirmed to our heart, fine. But if we have a real struggle with it, we can ask for a greater confirmation. If the Word is confirmed, we may still continue to struggle with it until we finally break through on that ground. However, though it is a cross to us, we will make it; and we will know that we have many people believing with us.
For this principle to work, a person cannot be subjective, but he must walk very objectively in the love of God, with a determined faith for the brethren. I am determined to walk with God, but I am no less determined that you walk with Him too. And even as you are determined for your leaders to walk just the way God wants, you must be no less determined that you will be wholly led and directed by the Holy Spirit also. There will not be one area in your life which will even seem to fall short of this.
Let there be no arrogance in us, nor any unwillingness to submit to our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Independence and the striving to retain an individual identity must go. As I go on toward maturity I am finding that I am losing the right to myself. I am becoming more and more submissive and subject to those whom I serve—those whom I serve are becoming my Lord. Let every heart believe for this same thing, for this is the way by which we enter in to do God’s perfect will.