It has taken some time to resume this theme which the Lord gave me just before the New Year. We have seen two books published, 4 messages in this series, had a loss, all in the space of 29 days of this month! It has been a real roller coaster. I have tried to keep focus in the Vocation God has given me and walks me through to the end. The end is full face to face encounter with our Lord.

When we talk about the “marturia” we must approach it in the light of our Vocation, because our Vocation comes as a Messenger called the “Marturia”, which is the witness that God gives to us. Hebrews 11 is foundational in this perspective. In my writings on the “12 Foundations of the Church” right at the end God began to talk to me about verse 1 of Hebrews 11. We have taught the passage from a traditional “we need faith” perspective. What we need to see is that if we are walking truly with God we will have that vocational faith at work and manifest.

Jesus said we make the Word of no effect, ineffective, because of tradition. When we talk about tradition we do not discard the heritage of faith down the centuries, but we must not substitute our own walk with mental interpretations of the Word. We have worn down particular well known passages with common and collective interpretations. Now we are in the 3rd national lockdown here in the UK, and we are not expecting to see any relaxation before Easter. This means that the whole demographic of our lives is changing drastically. Church must not and cannot continue or hope to continue as usual. It is obvious for congregations who have limited their activities to Zoom or some other application to transmit meetings. The essence in some part of fellowship has been lost and some are growing cold in their faith.

I have a particular vision in mind in this year even with all the turmoil and fallout from it. I believe that if we have been prepared the last few years, as I have seen in my own life, we will see that Hebrews 11 makes all the sense. You cannot have faith without the “Vocation, Marturia” coming to you as a visitation from God Himself. In the many journeys I have made up and down the country and to the USA I have seen the preparation for this moment, as I look over my prayer journals for this time.

I am sure we may have all had our own personal losses on this journey.

11 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. ² For by it the elders obtained a good report. Hebrews 11:1 KJV

The “obtained a good report” is the word “martureo” here. But before we obtain we must have acquired here the “substance” and the “evidence”. The substance is the word hupostasis which means “that which we base our life on.”

Our substance, that which we base our lives on is not based on surviving now, but walking out our vocation despite all barriers and limitations

 There is no Vocation that comes without obstacles to overcome. Vocations are made for the impossible to be made possible. The power to preserve and reserve us is the “marturia” God gives us, but before we obtain we need to examine ourselves if we have the substance.

How do we evaluate? How do we know?

This last year of 2020 kicked off with a near death experience. In that place of death I was kept in a blanket of peace even though doctors and paramedics knew I was in a very dangerous place. However I saw the work of angels and God Himself. I took over a month to recover, it was in that place I discovered where my substance was. Right now when you go through trials, you know how much substance you have by the response you have and you give to each trial. The substance then transitions to becoming an evidence that you had that Vocation when you entered the trial. The trial is to manifest the evidence that God does deliver and shows up to protect His own.

Talking about obstacles, we turn to Mark 11, the obstacle is a mountain which Jesus commands us to speak to. We have divorced this passage from its true context. We preach on faith but we see this teaching in the flow of Jesus confronting corrupt religion in His day. He goes into the temple twice, one time to examine and observe, the following day to expel the spirit of mammon in that place.

Right now the pandemic is sure strengthening us and showing us “what is inside our temples”. Have we seen obstacles today? Are we seeing mountains? We need our substance to become evidence through the marturia.

Abraham believed and it became accredited as righteousness: Genesis 15:6

This is the key, believe. The substance we have takes us to believing. Believing puts us into a platform where the Righteousness of God in Christ is placed on our life. We are given the marturia here. We are put into a place where God enacts in us and through us His Purpose. Much noise on the internet concerning enemy plans, the great reset, but who has the final say is God, not in some abstract way, or some overall sovereignty way, but in the way that God has mapped out for me His Purpose to fulfil my vocation and I have engaged that Vocation through believing and being obedient. It matters not what limitations are placed, did not Israel pass the Red Sea and the River Jordan? They did so because God made a covenant with Abraham: Genesis 15. God made a covenant with us IN CHRIST to bring us triumphant to eternity if we will simply believe! Believing places us directly in God’s purpose not for us only as individuals but the Purpose of God for the Bride of Christ! The BBC and CNN spout out covid news day and night, but that is not the final Word, because I have chosen because of God’s substance in me, and His evidence to me, will bring me through.

Hebrews 11 sees plainly the obstacles, the impossibilities but it also sees the power of faith in removing obstacles and making the way for God’s people.

When God does a new thing He will lower the mountains and lift up the valleys, He will set up ones and set down others. Isaiah 40, 1 Samuel 1, Luke 1.

The above passages all have a connection, when God does something completely new, changes the Kairos, He will lower the mountains that we cannot get over, lift up the valleys for us to be able to walk. The song of Hannah in 1 Samuel and the Magnificat of Mary have many things in common with Isaiah 40. They talk of changing a panorama of world events, in the midst of the changes of which God is bringing in. He will set down kings and governments that oppose God’s church, God’s Christ, the Kingdom of God. Right now the internet buzzes with world events, but we must rejoice because as the angel proclaims in Revelation: “The kingdoms of this world have become the Kingdom of God!”

I have exhorted here and there that to interpret world events we cannot look through the false trinity of the Antichrist, False Prophet, and Babylon. We must look through the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Only there can we see Revelation, end times from Heaven’s perspective! Hannah sang that God would set down rulers, and set up His purpose, as did Mary, because God birthed through individuals, namely Samuel and Jesus, the changes. However now He is not just raising up individuals but a generation! A generation that will return with a new heart to His Word! To His Spirit! Together.

We have had too much fanaticism with those who depend on manifestations without Word, and legalism, those who have too much letter and no Spirit. God is bringing this together in this generation! What we must do is repent for our part in either of these, and walk with God as did Enoch in Hebrews 11. He did not put value on ministry, riches, or anything above walking with God.

Concluding words

It will be of no use to have no substance, no evidence, no believing if we are feeding off propaganda, or tradition of men. We need more than ever see that it is the obedience to God walking with Him that we shall overcome. The marturia in Hebrews 11 is a theme I shall continue in the next message because I sense that there is a foundation here. We must come more than ever to prayer…quieten our hearts and see and hear what God hears.