Rev Dr Edgar Mayer;
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check the following homepage: www.livinggracetoowoomba.org
Adventure
House
Opening comments: Last Sunday there was an outpouring of the joy in
the Lord in our worship service. During the week someone from our congregation
said: “This has never happened to me before. I received so much joy.” I had the
same experience and someone said to me: “You almost skipped across the stage.”
Then another person shared with me that he had experienced “a moment”. Last
Sunday – during the preaching (not an exciting segment of the preaching) – the
peace of God came over him and he became oblivious to anything else. This did
not last long but made him hungry for more. Another church member – a few
Sundays ago – became “drunk” in the Spirit during the service, struggled to
drive home and then collapsed (in a good way) onto the floor at home. We are
coming into new things …
The last few Sundays we had a look at
the Tabernacle – the ancient worship
tent – which was built according to
God’s precise blueprint and the original copy in heaven. We learned that there
was an
Throughout history – God has
also been teaching and reaffirming the truth of the Tabernacle in visions and
prophetic encounters. For instance, in 1577 St Teresa of
Another more contemporary vision of the
same truth was given to James Goll (The
Lost Art Of Practising His Presence, Destiny Image
2005) who writes: “I had a
visionary encounter where I was shown seven consecutive doorways through which
we proceed in order to come into greater union with Christ. I could read these
words written over the door post in this encounter. 1. The inward journey (an
invitation to enter into), 2. Forgiveness (having a clear
conscience), 3. Cleansing by the power of the blood, 4.
Lowliness of heart (the quality of humility), 5. Grace (from the Father towards us), 6. Mercy
(towards others through us), 7. Union with Christ (2
Corinthians 6:17).”
These visions and experiences are
expanding on what we have learned from the Tabernacle in the Bible. Now I want
to share more extensively a series of three visions which another person had on
prayer and our relationship with God. In these visions the focus will not be so
much on the progress from room to room but instead we learn
about the nature of different prayer rooms which (I think) will
help us to get into more of these rooms ourselves. There is so much more for us
to explore. We are in for an exciting adventure.
Three visions of a healing evangelist – the first two before he even came into full-time ministry. Vision 1: “It was in a cell meeting … guy comes in … going into a
vision … long road, guy at the end of this road, before him is a long driveway,
beat up, mud all over him, looking to the right and to the left, indecision,
walking up this road, looking behind him, should I – should I not, all scuffy,
top of the hill, huge house, a mansion, pretty excited about this house,
allegory – not a literally interpretation of what it looks like in heaven,
represents spiritual truth, huge house on the top of the hill, the house was
alive, it even moved, thought that it was dancing, every part of the house was
alive, I felt that the house was saying something to him, a big circus,
confetti blowing out of the house, balloons, surprise – happy birthday, colours,
streamers, excitement, town-fair feeling, … wow … guy is coming up to the path,
standing outside the house, comes to the door of the huge house, there is no
door, you can just come in, big welcome mat, warm voice: come on inside,
invitation, like fresh hot apple pie, warm and inviting, no door, standing
open, you can come and go as you wish, peeked his head in, guy indecision,
looked back down the path, drawn by what was the world, the guy was backslidden,
Luke 15, the world was pulling him back, the house was inviting, … then the
vision ended … ”
Vision 2: “Weeks later, sharing with youth in a youth service,
in an Anglican church, moving in the prophetic, young girl, go to prophesy and
as I touch her we are in heaven together, I can see her, she is standing in
this hallway which goes on further than the eye can see, doors on the right and
on the left, girl was checking the doors, but never going in, I’m in the
Father’s house, I’m in the house that I saw in the previous vision, checking
out rooms, doors, doors, doors, open a crack but never going in, she was in the
Spirit – not prodigal, but was not enjoying and not chasing all of the fullness
of God’s house, fear and not entering in, … vision was over … ”
Vision 3 – Prophetic Encounter: “In bathroom brushing his
teeth, not just vision but prophetic encounter, felt myself being sucked up
like a huge vacuum cleaner, travelling through air, stars, planets, … body
shaken, going up, fast, fast, landing, felt myself land and I was still in the bathroom
but eyes opened, was in the Father’s house, hallways, opened the doors, brought
into these rooms, went into nine rooms that day, each room represents a
different level of intimacy with God, something in each room, communion,
fellowship, excitement in the area of prayer … John 14:2: “In my Father’s house
are many rooms … ” … Psalm 36:7-8: “How priceless is your unfailing love! Both
high and low among people find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast
on the abundance of your house … ” … there is just
more … Psalm 65:4: “ … We are filled with the good things of your house, of
your holy temple.” …
First room came into, Living
Room, furniture, huge couch, big and comfy, I and twenty friends would fit,
huge TV was there, home stereo, like a wall TV, on the TV were commercials,
just commercials, advertisements, you come in, go into prayer, Living Room one
of the first places, flick through the channels to see what God has to offer
us, what can I get out of this, place in prayer about us, my needs, what God is
going to do for me, room of supplication, cast all your cares upon me
because I care for you, the things we need, what we need God to do for us,
concerned about us, blessings, what’s being offered, I need this and that,
cares, my family, my business, I want you to bless me, a place in the Father’s
house, most Christians just live there – spiritual couch potatoes, you can tell
because they always pray about themselves, shopping list prayer type, wasn’t
intercession, petitions and requests, it was a significant room, it was
exciting, blop themselves down, what’s going on today, God,
… came out of the Living Room and then came into the Kitchen, woman in there scurrying, pots
and pans, towels on the floor, flour and baking soda on the table, fridge door
open, dishes overflowing in the sink, woman with an apron on, her hair all
messed up (hair was coming out of the bun), stressing out, the puffcake was not
rising, the machine was not working, just busy, room where we serve God,
we do stuff for God, like Martha (Luke 10:38-42), the Martha room, all the
things I am doing, the service to the body of Christ, working and working,
doing and doing, anointed for work, what I gotta do for God, my service and
working …
came into the Dining Room,
huge banqueting table, like King Arthur knights around the round table, twenty
feet or more, sit down about a 100 people, huge spread, yeah, saw the feast,
saw the meal, all this honey, jars of honey, cakes, weren’t cakes but were
manna, jam, bread of life, fresh, hot bread, the aroma, smell the raspberry,
there was meat, meat lovers, huge steak on my plate, tender, juicy, raw,
saturated, the meat of the Word, ushered to the table, I noticed two huge
throne-like chairs, the guy wanted me to sit down on one, huge arm rest, diamonds
and rubies, the king’s chair, I cannot sit there, all these diamonds and
precious gems, this must be for Jesus, but I was invited to sit there, Jesus
was in the chair at the other end of the table, I will dine with you and you
will dine with me (Revelations 3:20: “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock.
If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him,
and he with me.”), why am I sitting in this chair and put me on equal level,
the Son of Man came to serve, we are brothers, we are friends, I want to have
fellowship, communion, look at you eye to eye, share a place with me at my
table, joint heir together with me, sit in heavenly places with me, wasn’t in
the Throne Room but the Dining Room, there was wine on the table, goblets of
wine, the new wine of the Holy Ghost, sat down, began to feast, manna, jam, the
Dining Room was the room of experience, room of manifestations, renewal,
revival, fragrance of his presence was in the room, vineyard vines on the
walls, on the side was a huge fountain, like a crystal fountain, a glass on the
table, every time I wanted to drink I could put my glass in the fountain and
freely drink, as I began to drink I could have more, smells, sights and sounds,
the room of experience, …
but there were Christians that were in the Dining Room and that was it,
went to Living Room and then ran into the Dining Room, have a good time with
God and then say “amen” and go home, once you have been in the room, you know
how to get back, Christians they just live there and that’s it, enjoy God but
nothing else, …
some were stuck in the Kitchen and never went to the Dining Room, in
fact they struggle with the Dining Room, what is Mary doing in there, Kitchen
type people struggle with Dining Room experience, we got things to do, I don’t
have to lie around on the carpet and drink, these other Christians don’t want
to be in the Kitchen, I am saved by grace and not works, I don’t have to tithe,
I am here keep on drinking and eating, getting all fat, I don’t have to do anything,
these are grace days …
went into the Storage Room,
saw Matthew 13:34, Isaiah 11 (v2: “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on him –
the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power,
the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord … ”) – the Spirit of
counsel, knowledge, might … eyes of my understanding (Eph 1:17-19: “I keep
asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you
the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. I pray
also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know
the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in
the saints, and his incomparable great power for us who believe … ”) … open the
door, I was blinded by the yellow/golden light, taken off my feet, light-blast
of sunray in my eyes, saw a huge treasure chest, overflowing gold coins, to my
knees, silver coins, light pearls, emeralds, rubies and diamonds, sapphire
stones, every type of stone, the treasure kind of spilled out into the hallway,
what room is this, it is the room of revelation, flesh and blood has not
revealed this to you (Matthew 16:16-17: “Simon Peter answered: ‘You are the
Christ, the Son of the living God.’ Jesus replied, ‘Blessed are you, Simon son
of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by any human but by my Father in
heaven.”), this is where you get the download, you don’t have to study or read
the word, wake up one day got revelation, prophetic word, just comes to you, people
in the body of Christ just live for revelation knowledge, I won’t read the word
but get some kind of download, preachers like this place, evangelists like this
place, here have some treasure, then get to preach it, this message came out of
the storage room, Rev 4, gold and nugget are truth (Mt 13), preachers,
teachers, scribes, brings forth new and brings forth old, in the timing of the
Spirit, at the same time getting revelation, overcome by golden light, taken
off my feet, the overflowing treasure, this room is revelation, a lot of
resources that I have come from the storage room, here is a revelation on
healing, here is a revelation on what I am going to do on the earth today, not
have to dig up the Hebrew and Greek, no concordance, no study notes from the
Bible School, Isaiah 11 …
taken into the Study, open
the study door like stepping into a huge library, wall to wall books, history,
encyclopedia, Bible versions, books on revival and prayer and everything else,
fire-place in the corner, huge desk in the middle, oh – not the library, not
the study – please, meditation on my word day and night, daily
discipline in the word, get out of the concordance, get a little bit of the
diamond – work on it, pray through it, … (Psalm 1: “Blessed is the person who does
not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in
the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law
he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water,
which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he
does prospers … For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous … ”) …
some Christians want the Living Room, Storage Room but not the Study, I
don’t wanna go there, I hate the Study but other Christians they love the
Study, just like banging at the door: when are you coming out, Mr Theologian,
they love it and they want more, come and study with me, New Testament survey,
love to learn, love to read, spend hours in breaking apart the Scriptures, I
like it better to have a trance, Storage room no effort, but empty wells do not
get revelation, if you have nothing to draw on, …
go to the Recreation Room,
saw huge ping pong tables, pool tables, arcade tables, like the youth room, fun
and celebration, dancers were in there, intercessor flags, party, the room
of joyous celebration worship, timbrels, shout, make a noise, …
someone else: excuse me, we need to be a little more holy and reverent,
I don’t like the rec room, some people get stuck into a room, a place in the
Spirit of that joy, dancing, shouting, wasn’t the only room, some Christians
live in that room, if worship is not like this, they cannot enter, are used to
favourite rooms but not enter into others, so many Christians are stuck and
don’t understand fullness, some people crying over here – others laughing over
there – others lying on the floor – looks like confusion – how can he shake and
this one cry – they are all in the Father’s house – just in different rooms at
the same time …
Bathroom, the room where I get cleaned up, was supposed to be
like for a guy, go in and out – quick, women go into the bathroom and then you wait
for ten minutes for the ladies, what are you doing in there, bathroom – get in
and out quick, room of repentance, spiritually constipated, didn’t think
that they needed to go into the bathroom, I’m forgiven already, I’m not healing
an offense, I believe and now it’s okay, washed in the blood, not ongoing
conviction, other Christians were stuck in the bathroom, no matter how many
times they stood in front of the mirror, they still felt dirty, never happy
with their image, walked around with guilt and condemnation, never felt
cleansed, washing with the water, some don’t even know that there is a
bathroom, others you need to bang on the door, how long does it take you to be
forgiven, …
Basement, went to open the door, this dread came over me, big
basements, lived there for twenty years, everything that you ever had came into
the basement, the big long staircase, one little light bulb, the freezer is
down there, all the canned goods, boxes, clutter, junk, go to open the basement
door, Oh God it’s kinda dark, no windows, no one knew that you were even down
there, room of intercession, oh God – no wonder that I don’t wanna go
down there, time to go into intercessory prayer, have to clean things, do I
have to pray for Israel, pray for the cancer, why do I have to go to the
basement, others should pray for me, so much work, I value intercessors but I
don’t like this room, it’s so much work, labour for someone else, better to be
couch potatoe in the Living Room and pray about myself, other intercessors –
run right past God in the dining room and all other rooms and go into
intercession, run down the basement, groaning, birthing, bye God, not knowing
that there is a Dining Room, a Storage Room, a Recreation Room, locked into
intercessory mode, have a difficult time to enter into anything else, others
don’t want to go down there, it was hidden away, no one knows that you are down
there, no glory, no windows, the Lord said that the basement is the foundation
of the Father’s house, …
Bedroom, bright chamberlike beds, canopy on top, everything
was white, carpet, bedsheet, flowers everywhere, bridegroom chambers, Jesus was
in there, room of intimacy, lay my head on the chest of Jesus, (Song of
Solomon 1:1-4: “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth – for your love is
more delightful than wine. Pleasing is the fragrance of your perfumes; your
name is like perfume poured out. No wonder the maidens love you! Take me away
with you – let us hurry! Let the king bring me into his chambers.”), with your
kisses on my mouth, romance, deep, most Christians especially men don’t know
how to enter into that thing, struggle with emotions, communication, so precious,
God wants to take us there …
many other different places … what room are you living in … what rooms
haven’t you been in … yard, forest, river outside the house … Jim Goll:
Teaching on the rooms of the interior castle … ballroom (dance with the Lord),
hallway – past nine doors – goes on further than your eyes can see – on the
sides are portraits of Jonathan Edwards, Moses, Elijah, Charles Finney … –
whole family tree on the hall – hall of faith (Hebrews 11) … end of the hall –
took me into the Throne Room – behind the throne …
Deeper place of prayer, bring back excitement, adventure, open doors
for you, experience for the first time, see something that you have never seen
before … bring impartation … fresh fire in the area of prayer … lost in him and
take you somewhere … Martha: take a break … get out of the bathroom … move into
the room of intimacy …”
The nine rooms in summary: 1. Living
Room (supplication), 2. Kitchen (service), 3. Dining Room (experience), 4.
Storage Room (revelation),
5. Study
(meditation), 6. Recreation Room (worship celebration), 7. Bathroom (repentance), 8.
Basement (intercession),
9. Bedroom (intimacy).
In closing, how do we get into these
rooms? 1. The opening
vision said that there were no doors. The house was open. It is easy to walk
in. There is a warm welcome from God to anyone who wants to come. Luke
15:7: “ … there will be more rejoicing in heaven
over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not
need to repent.” 2. Persevere.
Matthew 7:7-8: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.” 3.
Have faith. Galatians 2:20: “ … The life I live … I live by faith in the Son of God,
who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 3:14: “
… by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.”
Therefore, we explore the rooms in the
Father’s house – feeling welcome and
persevering with faith. Next time we
pray, we are ready for an adventure. There will be new rooms opening up for us.
Amen.