Robert Ewing"HIS FOUNDATION IN THE MOUNTAINS"

Article, "His Foundation in the Mountains" by Robert Ewing

Published in the Texas Grace Councilor, July-August, 1964.





"HIS FOUNDATION IN THE MOUNTAINS"

"HIS FOUNDATION IS IN THE HOLY MOUNTAINS" (Psalm 87:1).

What is the foundation? How is it found in the mountains? Sometimes God has things couched in scripture that nothing but direct revelation by the Spirit will unravel. The same thing can be said regarding some prophecies uttered thru the gift of prophecy. For instance when my father brought forth his first prophecy in 1946, God told us that He had placed in our midst "the twelve stones" and He compared them to the twelve set in Jordan’s swollen depth by Joshua. What they represent (Josh. 4:9)?

After returning from a blessed trip to Virginia in 1958 God revealed to me in a dream that there were twelve foundation principles, like foundation stones, that must be set in a local church first before He can make such a habitation for Himself to dwell in fully. However the only foundation principle which was particularly shown in the dream itself was the importance of speaking in tongues. Some may discount all dreams as being uninspired but not only did God use an occasional dream or vision in scriptures as channels of His revelation but He promised to do so in the current outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:17-20).

"They that seek the Lord understand all things" (Prov. 28:5); so I sought Him then to reveal what were these twelve foundation stones and where were they found? The answer came, "the upper rooms." Then the Lord quickened the Passover upper room (John 13-16), the Pentecost upper room (Acts 1, 2), and the Troas upper room (Acts 20:6-12).

It is not without significance that "LOVE" is the key word in the first upper room; that "HOPE" is the key word that describes the Pentecost upper room (for they "tarried until"), and that "FAITH" keynotes the Troas upper room. Nor is it without significance that love, faith and hope are to be laid in our lives as foundation. For we are to have these three "grounded (themelio)" within us. This Greek word "themelio," translated "grounded" in Eph. 3:17 and Col. 1:23, where reference is made to love, faith and hope, means literally "to lay the foundation." No wonder Paul congratulated the early churches in God’s order first of all for their labor of love, patience of hope and work of faith (1 Thess. 1:3). For these attributes are to the local churches what door hinges are to a door; they connect us to the rest of God’s great work.

What then are these twelve foundational principles? Let us take each "upper room" separately for each one reveals four main principles. When God gives a set pattern in the Word it is found to be repeated many places, and so is this true here. Also may it be understood that "For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ" (1Cor. 3:11). These twelve foundational principles seen in the three upper rooms are merely nothing more than Christ as He finds root in the deeper parts of our being. Nor should it be overlooked that "twelve" is the foundation number in scripture. Not only were there twelve founders of Israel but there were twelve apostles of the Lamb and twelve foundations to the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:19). Since Christ said "I will build my Church..." and He was laying the foundation for it while on earth, we shall parallel references in John with those in the upper rooms.

PASSOVER UPPER ROOM

1. Lordship of Christ John 13

2. Offering (giving) of Christ John 14:2, 13, 16, 27

3. Vine - Union with Christ John 15

4. Enduring reproach of Christ John 16


PENTECOST UPPER ROOM

5. "Haste Not" principle Acts 1:4

6. Overflow of the Spirit Acts 2:4, 13

7. Pentecost (new tongues) Acts 2:4

8. Empowered Witnessing Acts 1:8


TROAS UPPER ROOM

9. Faithfulness of Shepherd Acts 20:7-11

10. Assurance of grace Acts 20:10

11. Invincible faith Acts 20:10-12

12. Thanksgiving for Shepherds Acts 20:7-11

IN CHRIST’S MINISTRY (1-4)

John 2:5-15

John 3:16; 4:14

John 5:19, 30, 43

John 6:66

IN CHRIST’S MINISTRY (5-8)

John 7:6,8

John 7:38

John 7:46 (Mark 7:34)

John 8, 9

IN CHRIST’S MINISTRY (9-12)

John 10

John 10:28

John 11

John 12:3

When Joshua place the twelve stones in the place where the ark had stood in swollen Jordan, after Israel passed over, they pictured that which God had already placed into Israel. But it took God forty years to lay this foundation in Israel so that, by the time they came to Canaan, they could become His habitation, particularly seen in Zion. Israel’s wilderness journey pictures God’s dealings with the Church (1 Cor. 10:11). Notice how God placed these spiritual stones in Israel when they were going thru their "deep water" experiences:

ISRAELS PASSOVER

1. Lordship of Christ. This is pictured in that Israel submitted to Moses’ lordship, who is a type of Christ.

2. Offering, or the Giving principle. This is seen pictured by Israel’s offering to God the best thing the had, their firstborn sons (Ex. 13).

3. Vine (Christ) -- Union. This is seen in Israel’s being "...baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor. 10:2).

4. Enduring Reproach, or being cast out for His sake. This is seen in that they were abhorred and pursued by the Egyptians thru the Red Sea.

ISRAEL’S PENTECOST -- SINAI

"Pentecost" means "fifty" and the Pentecost of Acts 2 dates back to the first Pentecost at Sinai which came fifty days after the passover.

5. "Haste not" principle or waiting till God’s time. This is seen in that God did not get in a hurry but kept them waiting around Sinai. Because Israel failed the first test and made a golden calf God gave them a "make-up test" and they had to repeat their wait while Moses waited before God the second time for the law.

6. Overflow of the Spirit. Israel had thirsted so Moses and the elders had gone before them to Horeb or Sinai and God brought water out of the rock there (Ex. 17.6).

7. Pentecost. God’s voice was like the "noise" (literally, "voice") of a trumpet (Ex. 20:18). The ancient rabbi’s comment on Ps. 68:11 claimed that God’s voice spoke in seven distinct languages which divided into seventy languages there at Sinai. Philo also claimed this view.

8. Empowered Witnessing. God commissions them to become "a kingdom of priests and an holy nation" (Ex. 19:6). Also later at Sinai "the testimony" or ten commandments written on two stone tables were given (Ex. 25:16).


ISRAEL’S JOURNEY OF FAITH

9. Faithfulness of the Shepherd for the sheep. Not only was this seen all thru the wilderness journeying inasmuch as He led them as their shepherd (Isa. 63:11) but the Levite priests were anointed and specially commissioned to care for Israel’s needs (Num. 8).

10. Assurance of Grace. Their whole wanderings, as seen in Deut. 1-3, pictures the grace principle. Despite their murmurings God continued feeding them anyway.

11. Invincible Faith. Besides their conquering Og and Sihon they were confronted with the swollen Jordan, but victory came as they stepped out on faith.

12. Appreciation of the Shepherds. "On that day (of crossing over) the Lord magnified Joshua in the sight of Israel; and they feared him as they feared Moses, all the days of his life" (Josh. 4:14).

"His foundation is in the holy mountains." Not only do we see God’s stone quarry in the "upper room " mountains, but we also see them, in Israel’s case, in her "mountain-top" experiences, the high-points in her history.

But let us not forget that also, like the twelve stones set by Joshua in Jordan, God allows the local church that is led by Him to go thru swollen Jordan experiences so that thru these tests He may place some particular Christ-like principle within. The local church that desires God’s best has its wilderness stage which is preparatory only. During this time it is like the eagle that is flapping its wings and searching for that "air current." but when it finds that air current it glides with so much more grace and ease. If an eagle, for instance, is flying forty miles per hour and then finds an air current flowing fifty miles per hour, that automatically makes it fly ninety miles per hour at the original amount of effort. When the local church is in its preparatory stage, like Israel in the wilderness, God is not so overly concerned with the mechanics of divine order a He is setting in the foundation principles (Deut. 12:8-10). But once these are set in then the cutting edge of God’s Word is applied and a lot of "flesh" which was allowed in the wilderness days, a lot of disorder, will be trimmed off. This is pictured in that when Israel crossed over Jordan the generation which had grown up uncircumcised were immediately circumcised (Josh. 5:7).

When once the Spirit opens our eyes to what God is doing when He begins placing these stones in the local group, then with assurance of understanding we can cooperate better. For instance I was called in 1958 by some newly filled Baptists to go to their large city to minister to them as they had had to leave their church. Their pastor, a friend of mine, had opposed this and I discovered that the home where we would have services was only one block from his home. I visited him and together we prayed in faith that God would lead whichever one of us was wrong. Later he received the Holy Spirit and had to leave his own church. But the point at stake here is this: One of the young men in the new group against the pleas of the elders insisted on working during the week out of town on a high TV tower. Then word came that he had fallen almost 100 feet and had been lowered down in a big bucket, rushed to the hospital all broken up, and that the doctors had given him a fifty-fifty chance to live thru the night; if he did, they insisted he would be a helpless invalid thereafter. That night, when each breath was expected to be his last, God spoke the same prophecy there to the group and also in Waco. Is was the "Shortly you shall see him raised up and completely healed and standing in your midst whole." As God had given us so many similar "impossible" prophecies and had so graciously fulfilled them repeatedly before our eyes, we were not surprised when exactly that took place. But immediately on hearing of the "tragedy," God had revealed to us that this was stone no. 11 being placed into the group. With assurance we could trust God knowing that as Chief Engineer He knew the design that was behind that dark situation.

Not only did Joshua set twelve stones in Jordan but the tribal princes set twelve stones on the bank as a sign altar to posterity. Do these twelve stones have significance for us? No doubt; for although people may not generally recognize them all as "ordinances," yet there are twelve N. T. ordinances which reflect these principles. Man may not be able to see these principles hid in our hearts, as they can’t see the stones Joshua set in; but they can see the ordinances like water baptism, communion, giving, foot washing, the institution of the church gathering itself, etc. Water baptism no doubt would reflect the "lordship" principle while communion pictures our "union" with Christ the vine.

"His foundation is in the holy mountains." What are the "holy mountains" in the Bible? A look into these will show that they, too, set forth these twelve foundational principles of the life of Christ.

(1) Mt. Ararat (Gen. 8:4), the resting place of the ark, reflects the Lordship principle for in the ark -- picturing the believer in His Lord -- they rested several months and on coming out acknowledged lordship by worshipping God first of all.

(2) Mt. Moriah shows the Giving principle for there Abraham offered up Isaac, David offered a peach offering at dear cost, and the temple, center of Israel’s giving, was built there. Moriah means "Jah Provides" or we might say "Jah Gives."

(3) Mt. Bethel. This shows our union with God for there Jacob saw the ladder linking him with God (Christ being the ladder, John 1:51).

(4) Mt. Gilead ("Rocky, Firm") pictures the pangs of being separated for Christ’s sake; for not only was Gideaon’s remnant separated here (resulting in ill-feeling, Judges 7:3; 8:1) but Jacob felt the pangs of separation there (Gen. 31:48; 32). But in each case God ministered "the balm of Gilead" by reconciling them. Also, by his encounter with the angel he became reconciled to God in his lonely hour there.

(5,6,7) Triple peak Mt. Sinai graphically pictures the principles of waiting till God’s time, the overflow of the Spirit, and Pentecost.

(8) Gerizim and Ebal picture the Witness principle for there Israel vocally witnessed to the Law on entering into Canaan (Josh. 8:33). (Later Gerizim was still the scene of God’s faithful witness in a crisis, Judges 9:7).

(9) Mt. Ephraim is the rugged, olive-clad central range in Palestine which was noted for its warriors in the times of the Judges and faithful watchmen. It therefore illustrates the Faithfulness of the shepherd for the sheep. Near its southern boundaries was the mountain pass that Jonathan and his armor-bearer bravely climbed at the risk of their lives when God gave the Philistines into their hands (1 Sam. 14:4).

(10) Lebanon ("To be White") pictures the Grace principle inasmuch as Grace is "God’s Sufficiency" and this huge northern boundary to Israel furnished countless water streams, four main rivers, and furnished the beautiful cedars for the temple (2 Sam. 5:11).

(11) Mt. Carmel ("Fruitful Place") pictures Invincible Faith as there Elijah called fired down after soaking the altar and then he called the rain down after long drought.

(12) Mt. Olivet pictures Thanksgiving or appreciation of the sheep for the shepherd. Not only did "all the people" with David follow him up with covered heads, weeping for him (2 Sam. 15:30), but Zech. 14:4 pictures that which every true believer looks for, the coming of Christ. When Christ’s ministry ended it was at Bethany on Mt. Olivet that Mary washed his feet and later that the grateful hearts bade him farewell.

Zion has not been listed as one of these twelve for Zion is the embodiment of all these inasmuch as it represents God’s habitation, the Glorious Church (Ps. 132:13, Eph. 2:22). God’s people left Egypt from the field Zoan (Ps. 78:12, 43). Many were sidetracked at Kadesh-Barnea in the wilderness of Zin, but the faithful entered into Zion. "Zion" or "Elevation, Pillar" has its root word which means "a dry parched land, a wilderness." So, if God us in a very dry land we can rejoice; that is a potential Zion and if we, like Elijah, will call down the rain, "the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose" (Isa. 35:1).

That all of this may be shown practical for our application let us see how that these principles operated to establish the early church. Notice:

(1) Lordship. They obeyed His command by going to the upper room.

(2) Offerings of love. They shared all things in common when such was needed (Acts 2:32).

(3) Vine-Union (or abiding "in Him" and not operating from our own sufficiency). They had their daily hour of prayer and being ignorant men depended wholly on His sufficiency (Acts 3:1, 12; 4:13).

(4) Enduring Reproach for Christ’s sake. The apostles were thrown in jail and persecution raged (Acts 4:21, 5:18, 41).

(5) "Haste not" principle. The early disciples expected Christ’s coming and the Kingdom to be set up in seven years and persecutions only intensified this desire but God’s patience became a reality to them.

(6) Overflow of the Spirit. This is liberty in the Spirit manifested by their boldness and by the Holy Spirit outpourings (Acts 8:4, 17; 9:17, 20).

(7) Pentecost. Paul recognized that which the Gentiles received as authentic as it was the same that they had had at Pentecost; the tongues evidence kept the Church from dividing for they all realized that they were on body then (Acts 10:46, 47; 11:17; 15:8).

(8) Empowered Witnessing. They traveled far, including to Antioch, in their witnessing (Acts 11:19-21).

(9) Faithfulness of the Shepherd for the sheep. Peter was imprisoned and James killed while other faithful shepherds continued leading the flocks (Acts 12:2; 13:1).

(10) Assurance of Grace. Grace verses law arose but Grace won out in the general conference (Acts 15).

(11) Invincible Faith. Since Satan fights God’s true pattern work worse than anything else (lest it, when brought forth, overthrow him) we find that he fought Paul continually with his grace message but consistently Paul won out with real victory (Acts 16-27).

(12) Thanksgiving or appreciation of the sheep for the shepherds. We find this seen in that love was shown to Paul everywhere he gave his farewell message (Acts 20:38; 21:13).

In a great building there are different phases to the blueprint. There is the electrical, plumbing, ground floor and other aspects of it. While these thoughts may not cover each part, they cover the ground work, for to build a house without the foundation of Christ means its fall. God must also provide the right carpenters. We read in Eph. 4:11 of the five-fold ministries of Christ divided up now into anointed men with proven ministry. Of course besides these who are official offices of Christ there must be the multitude of "carpenter helpers." That is where we all can fit into God’s building scheme if He has not called us into one of these five official ministries. but then we need the right tools. That is where the nine supernatural gifts of the Holy Spirit are needed for man has done what Abraham did. When God called man, as he called Abraham into Canaan, into heavenly things, and there came the famine of faith and divine power, instead of man confessing his own sin he resorted to worldly sufficiency; in other words he has gone down into Egypt as Abraham did. May God’s children hear the call and hasten to join in God’s greatest masterpiece of all, the building of His glorious Habitation, Zion.

--by Robert Ewing