-----Original Message-----
From: Candace L. Brinkley
[mailto:candybrinkley@juno.com]
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2000 12:15 PM
To: jealvarez@worldnet.att.net
Cc: Hunger4Jesus@juno.com
Subject: Fw: Priestly Garments
Dear Jose,
Thank you so much for your kind note and for your thoughtful
response to my comment on the vision God
gave you of the Native warrior.
That vision remained in my mind for days,
and the Lord brought it
immediately to mind as I read about the
priestly garments designed by the
Lord for Aaron and his sons. The Lord actually gave me a more extensive
insight into the hereditary nature of the
Aaronic priesthood and the
subsequent New Covenant "royal
priesthood" of all believers in connection
with the priestly garments. In many churches today, the pastors forsake
the wearing of any sort of "religious
garb" (such as the black robes of
the mainline Protestant churches or the
priests' robes of the Catholic
church) in order to avoid religiosity
(legalism, religious spirits,
etc.).
In a way, I agree with this because the robe is no guarantee of
the pastor's true spiritual
authority.
Yet in another way, perhaps we have asked the pastor/priest to become
a bit too familiar in his desire to relate
informally to his flock on
Sunday morning. If a pastor does indeed have spiritual authority, then
the robe, garment, stole, or regalia can
enhance the "dignity and honor"
of his office and express the beauty of
the Giver of that dignity and
honor.
The Lord is spoken of in Scripture as wearing a robe with a long
train (Isaiah 6), and this robe confirms
and expresses His supreme
authority not only in the heavenly temple,
but also among His people
(whether of the Old Covenant or the New)
and throughout the world. The
robe is a symbol of God's sovereignty
among the angels, the elders, the
seraphim, and all the other residents of
heaven, but also demonstrates
His authority over the prince of the air and
all his dark forces. When
Satan sees God's robe, he knows he is in
the presence of the Supreme
Majesty and Power of the universe.
So, yes, I agree with you that the Native Christian's regalia is a
vital part of his or her ministry. It announces to the Lord that he is
taking his place of spiritual authority
that the Father is bestowing on
him; it announces to all non-Native
cultures that he rightly holds this
God-given authority and should so be
honored and respected; and it
announces to Satan and his hordes that
this First Nations servant of
Christ is wielding the power of the Holy
Spirit to vanquish his demonic
kingdom and to advance God's kingdom on
earth.
Please feel free to use anything I have written in your own
ministry to advance God's kingdom among
the FNP who are so much in your
heart (and mine!). It would please me to be able to read any
comments
people might have, so you may include my
email address, if you wish.
May the Lord bless abundantly, in unexpected ways, your ministry to
the FNP where He has placed you and where
He will take you in the days
ahead.
Que
Dios les bendiga a usted y a su esposa.
Bendiciones,
Candace