Amazing Grace Ministries

Newsletter Archive

November   99

The Gates of the City

Pastor John Doonan

The East Gate #10

As we look to the East Gate we must remember as with all the other gates, there is another city. The city in heaven completed in purity as it is built by our faith in this earth. A place built with all of the seemingly insignificant things we have done. A greater work then that of just stones and mortar, but as the city on earth was being rebuilt by each work, or stone of this earth we know there is an identical stone in heaven with our name on it. Therefore, as our name is established in the working of the gate, the things we do in this world are not unimportant. Nevertheless, by faith as we fulfill these pictures, these shadows, we know there’s a true temple not built with the hands of man but by the Spirit of God. As we allow the Spirit to move on our behalf, He is establishing a greater miracle, a greater entrance. We know that in heaven this wall is crystal clear, with no imperfections in it. Each stone is perfectly fit to the next stone and we appreciate the perfect provision of God’s purity. As we build by the Spirit, there are no impurities. The hands of man do not faultlessly build this wall on earth, but the wall of faith in heaven has no imperfections because it is built faithfully by the body of Christ. By His power, for His purpose, we are perfected. In the Spirit, we can become transparent because there is no impurity found in us. We see Him who sits on the throne clearly, and by the flawless truth of the word of God, we are cleansed.
The works we do on this earth, though they seem inadequate, need to be built in faith. We have confidence in that greater work being completed by God. Our gate has a great pearl, which is the miracle working power of God’s provision for us. Each revealed pearl gate allows us to enter into the presence of God. This gives us the ability, by faith, to partake of the safety within the city. To enter and know the finishing work of Jesus Christ on our lives. We rebuild because the first temple of our lives with all its beauty was ruined. However, God has assigned each person a task of rebuilding.
God sent apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors, and teachers for the perfecting of the Saints. Everything we do is making an eternal difference. We know that as we build together, we’re building something the world has never seen before. Everything we do by faith we do by the miracle working power of God.
Each enormous pearl is a gate through which we enter the presence of God. These beautiful pearls are Jesus Christ. Jesus is that doorway. Jesus is that way. Jesus is that truth. Jesus is that life. We know that as we stand in Him, though we are imperfect, He is perfect. We were created a little less than a pearl, yet in heaven we’re perfect. Once you find that Gateway, that pearl of great price, heaven is yours. This is God’s plan for entry into His presence. We can enter the refreshing, and go again into the world not worrying about being dirty and stained. Our faith is not in the stones of this world; our faith is in that which is perfect.
Our faith is produced spiritually. Our labors are sculpting miracles as we build our wall. Each of us is placed at different stations in life. We have to choose what we shall do with these gates. Whether we are going to let our lives reflect the miracle working power of God and the glory above, or whether we’re going to close the doorways to everyone around us, we decide.
We are the repairers of the breach, the ones who restore the wall. We are the ones prophesied of through past ages. Only the members of the body of Christ could rebuild the walls. The patriarchs and prophets of old couldn’t do it. They couldn’t even speak of it until Jesus came and opened the door of resurrection life.
Hebrews 11 33 Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions,
34 Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.
35 Women received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection:
36 And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment:
37 They were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted, were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins; being destitute, afflicted, tormented;
38 (Of whom the world was not worthy:) they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.
39 And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise:
40 God having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect.
Where would their works be if we did not finish the course and open the gateway for all? Their efforts would be in vain if they died giving up their families, and fighting for the faith, if we do not receive the promise. All the labors these men and women of faith risked their lives for would be for nothing. It would be just earthly brick and mortar with no heavenly conclusion. Every prophetic word and every promise rests upon our rebuilding this city of faith. The same heavenly city that will one day sit on this earth where Jerusalem is now. We build by faith and complete the eternal glory.
We become conscious of the Word because it fulfills everything for us as we separate ourselves to its purpose. The word can sometimes become obscure and abstract as the things of the flesh become more significant. The mortar and bricks take more precedence than the Lord’s Glory. Man then promotes himself more than he exalts God.
Recognize the difference between opening the door and closing it. When you open it you are transparent and people can see Christ. Whatever I am in this life, I must be transparent. I must show faith! When we allow ourselves to be transparent, although there may be imperfections in us, by faith, we open the door and people see our Lord Jesus.
We make no excuses for our lives nor do we try to justify ourselves. We become transparent in our words and deeds, presenting only that which is already perfect— Christ. We must not present ourselves for we will never be perfect. Yet, as we present Him, we can know that "though I am weak, He is strong." We show the world that we personally are unable to be their cure, but Jesus is the only answer they’ll ever need. We become as a trumpet in the earth sounding out His glory. We proclaim the doorway, showing the way to enter in through Christ Jesus, by the miracle of the new birth.
We come to the East Gate. This is the gate of the rising Sun. So many things happened at this East Gate. The people would go there in the morning because they longed for the rising of the Sun, as it marked the beginning of each new day. They often came here to pray. We Christians go to the East Gate looking for the rising of the Sun because it is the endorsement of our life beginning. The Word charges us to keep your eyes upon the eastern skies for your redemption draweth nigh. We go to the East Gate because in the fullness of our lives there is a gateway we can stand in where our lives begin and don’t end. This is a gateway to the fullness of our new life in Christ.
When we look by faith to the eastern sky, not what we see in this earth, we see the Great Hope. This hope is that every labor we perform on earth will one day be replaced by that which He is building perfectly in heaven. We keep our eyes towards the eastern gate because therein is the entrance to the hope. When the Daystar arises in our hearts we are satisfied knowing that all we do by faith shall be fulfilled by sight
Just as sure as, the Sun comes up every day; there is a promise that will be fulfilled in our sight. In the Hope of the East Gate, we find satisfaction to our faith. We realize as we are focusing eastward that just as the Sun rises so shall the Son of God arise, and so shall the Son of Righteousness prevail fulfilling every need in our lives. The Daystar marks the beginning of light.
We on this earth keep our eyes towards the eastern sky on two lights. There is the one that begins, the warning that comes before the fullness of glory is manifest. It is the words that come saying, "If this exists then what follows is the true light." If this is here then there is a greater light that will complete it. We believe in the Resurrection because we have the Daystar. We know one day at the sound of the trumpet the full authority and glory of the Lord will break forth. We know we will meet Him in the clouds and be ushered into the full presence of the Living God. As there is a Daystar, the Sun must follow. As there is the miracle in my life today, this is the beginning of hope that one-day we’ll have the full-blown presence of the Miracle Worker Himself. The miracles we experience on this earth are just a taste of what shall one day be. Every time we, by faith, stand in this earth doing the work of the Lord, we must keep our eyes on the eastern sky lest we be distracted and lose the truth of what we’re laboring for.
We must keep our focus on our hope, the miraculous working of the resurrection of Christ. If there be no resurrection and completion, or if there be no way to escape the judgement that is on this earth, then the edifice we strive at is worthless. The works we do in Christ would be worthless because they cannot save; they are earthly and unholy. If there be no resurrection then we of the church would be most miserable of all because everything we do would still be in sin. It would mean we are no different from the world and nothing in our lives, our desires, our ideas, could be fulfilled. Without the resurrection, there is no cleansing power; there is no making that which is impure holy. There is no taking away the death, sin, and fear from our lives
Therefore, we must believe, by faith, that there is a greater reward, a greater promise, as we keep our eyes on the eastern sky. Without this we are just men and women failed in our lives, failed in our ability to impress God at all. The word says there is none righteous, not one. Until the son of righteousness arises there is none that can stand before God, because all are guilty of sin. This makes the East Gate one of the most important gates in our lives. We continually re-establish our faith at this gateway. This gate provides for us the beginning of something new every day that can never be taken away from us. Here we establish what we believe is fulfilled, satisfied, and finished in Christ. It is what makes our labors in this earth mean something, otherwise, why labor?
I’ve seen so many preachers quit after just a few years of ministry. I believe they quit because they could not find the East Gate in their church. They became saddened and disheartened when they realized that the evil of this world does not cease to exist in the church through shear strength of will and self-discipline. Wherever there are men, there is failure, there is pride, there is evil, there is greed. Without an East Gate, there is nothing to build for. There remains no faith.
When you have no place to go with your faith, because it is bound to your dealings with only the things of this earth, like the sins and failures of men, and the seemingly ineffectiveness of your ministry, you will become disillusioned, discouraged, and will fail. This is exactly the reason our eyes must be focused on the East Gate and the reality of what is in heaven. Only then can men’s hearts truly be changed by faith in the resurrection of the Christ. The resurrection is the only miracle that can change a life, and permit it to start afresh.
Why would a person minister the word of God if people’s lives don’t change? The only reason people would sacrifice earthly desires, be ridiculed, and segregated is because they believe in a greater reward. Even if you started out with good motives, and sincerity in desiring to honor God, without this gateway you would soon give up as you come face to face with the unrighteousness of this earth, and your inability to change them. Without this gate, there is no hope for change. Man will not be made clean by our faithless efforts.
The answer to man’s transformation is faith. We learn to believe in one another not by what we see in the outer appearance of the flesh, but through hope as we gaze heavenward through this entry toward the eastern sky. This doorway reassures us there is a new day; a new beginning. We are reassured as the Daystar arises in our hearts and we receive miracles in this earth. We have confidence that at the resurrection Christ will finish all things by His miracle working power of love.
How many of us, by our own efforts, have finished anyone in sinless perfection? How many has Christ made sinless although they may appear not to be without sin? Therefore, we see it’s not our problem to make men good. We have a doorway where we can stand with our eyes fixed on the hope of the truth in Christ, and make that hope available to others. This is our responsibility. If we choose to shut the door by demanding that others straighten themselves out or get it together, all is lost. We lose our hope for our own lives as we shut the door that gives that hope to others around us. Yet, if we continue by faith to look at the Daystar arising, at the resurrection of life that is in us, it opens the door for everybody around us. This is the hardest doorway for anyone to believe in. Perhaps that is why it’s the easiest one in this world to see. To help us believe, the Sun always comes up. You can’t make it stop.
It is so difficult to stand in this doorway, for to do so means you stand looking into the darkness, believing Jesus can turn that darkness into light. To look at our bodies with its frailties and to believe God can change it in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, is not an easy assignment. To stand in this doorway is so difficult because we are looking at things that shall be and not necessarily that are. Faith exists in this doorway which proclaims, separates, and brings those who believe in the power of God to the finale of God’s promises. We are those who stand believing we are the righteousness of God in Christ, and believe by faith we are sanctified for the purpose of God. We are those who believe by faith we’ve been atoned for and healed by the blood of Jesus Christ. We are those who keep our eyes on the eastern sky because by faith we believe what God has begun in us, He’s going to finish even unto that great and wonderful day. This is the day the Son arises, and there will never be darkness again.
This doorway provides the only hope that exists in this world. Humankind needs our hope, whether they understand it or not. We establish a standard, while realizing men are imperfect and evil there exists the possibility we can have faith in them. The Christian faith has given to the world hope in a principle exceeding the natural evil tendencies of man and in the possibility of something far better within one another. Our faith is not just about what we have but what we are together. "You will know them for they love one another." Laws are given for reason of not what is good in man but by faith in what man is capable of. There is a hope of peace man could perhaps live in. The faith behind this idea is established by the people of God who can believe, without reservation or compromise, without stumbling over what is seen, a reality of the perfect work within them; Christ Jesus. Only through faith can we look at the world and declare that it must not be judged but that it must be saved. We can do this by standing in the doorway that is Jesus Christ and yet this doorway must be us or there is no doorway at all. Those who will stand and believe must discharge what is heavenly in the earth.
As we stand in the doorway, it is God’s faith that molds our perfection for it is not in ourselves. We have faith in the power of the Son of God who must arise and drive out the darkness by generating His hopeful light. We believe what is done in faith is the end of that which is perfected in Christ.
It prospers because it is miracle-working faith. If we are the doorway and a reflection of Christ’s light, others will see it and arise from the darkness of death in faith. They too can be cleansed when they cross the threshold of God’s love by means of faith. As we stand in the doorway transparent and showing faith it is not about our works at all, but is only about Jesus. It shows Jesus as the answer and fulfillment of our faith. If you can’t find this doorway you will have no hope and consequently not be able to be transparent thus closing the door to the light of the gospel. You must believe that Jesus is the perfecter, finisher, and the author of our faith. You must believe that the work in you is finished in Christ Jesus or you’ll be too afraid to allow anyone to look through you for fear of being found out.
It is only by faith we present Jesus Christ for without faith we would be found sinful, guilty, and hypocritical. If we stand by faith presenting Christ our defense is the victory, and overwhelming righteousness of Christ. There is no fault or failure in Him so by faith in Him we become pure and transparent where our faults and failures are not the issue.
We see then that a Christian without holiness or discipline is a Christian without faith. The same faithlessness is true of the Christian who doesn’t understand how to make themselves invisible before the world thus the world cannot see Jesus as Lord.
It is only by standing at the East Gate with hope and faith fixed on what shall be, that holiness, discipline, and good fruit are produced. It is only by faith in Him that we can stand one with another and build a city together. We build with impure and imperfect stones. We simply by faith turn out to be a doorway so others can see through us and see Him. We allow our words to create a greater vision of His perfection, ability, and holiness. Then by faith the reality of His promises exists in this earth. As the Daystar arises your faith will reveal the promise making it sight. The Daystar arising in your heart is the guarantee of the resurrection. If God causes the Daystar to arise now then how could He not completely finish the entire work? The Son must follow. The gift of the Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance in Christ.
We understand that faith is the evidence of things unseen and the substance of the things that are hoped for. This is the East Gate. It is only by faith that we see the unseen in this earth yet we know it is truth, because of our hope manifested in Christ Jesus. 2 Peter 1:15 "Moreover, I will endeavor that you may be able, after my decease, to have these things always in remembrance." In other words, certain things are fundamental to our purpose as believers. Peter says, "I can’t always be your teacher, hold your hand, and bring you into the presence of God, but I do want you to understand these basic principles of faith. You must remember these things."
When you stand before this world, judged and guilty, you have to remember these things. 2 Peter 1:16 "For we have not followed cunningly devised fables when we made known unto you the power and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, but were eye witnesses of His majesty." Peter was saying, He is real, not an imagination. He was truly the Son of God; we did not make Him up. We saw Him, touched Him, and talked to Him. We understood the majesty in which He revealed Himself in power because He didn’t come as just a man but as the Son of God. He came as the greatest prophet that ever lived. He came to describe to us who God is and to show Him. By faith, Jesus put an end to all things that stop us from knowing God and coming into His presence. He offered Himself as the Lamb of God to finish what we could not do for ourselves.
2 Peter 1:17 "For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, ‘This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased’." 18 "And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount."
Peter is talking about the Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James, and John to pray. As Jesus was talking to the father, suddenly appeared Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus. Then they heard this voice, "This is My Son in whom I am well pleased." Peter related a real experience that they saw Jesus transfigured in light before them. Jesus did what no man before was ever able to do. He stood in heaven and stood on the earth at the same moment. Jesus overcame time, and distance and stood in God’s presence. Peter emphasizes the importance of remembering this event because it changes the reality of where we each actually stand.
Do you recognize that this very moment we are seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus? We can know this because the Spirit bears witness that we are the children of God. We can know this by faith. This faith doesn’t stop at just hoping that it’s going to happen but faith transfigures. Faith takes a life that has no right to come into the presence of God and ushers them in. The Spirit of God arising in you reveals you as a son. God the Father speaks with delight for the faith of His son, "I’m well pleased."
You may ask, "Well, how can I be both?" You are both. You are born of the flesh and born of the Spirit. You stand in both. You stand as a gateway into the presence of God because of your faith. You know He is able to keep that which you have committed to Him against THAT DAY. The day He returns and everything becomes completed.
2 Peter 1:19 "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto you do well that you take heed, as unto a light that shines in a dark place until the day dawn and the day star arise in your hearts."
We by faith believe in the transfiguring power of the Lord Jesus Christ and by faith stand in the darkness as a doorway to light. We stand in a place in that our faith reveals there is a God and all must look to see what is transfigured in us. Peter is beseeching us that after he is gone to remember that we are the doorway. We have the ability to stand in darkness and also in heavenly places so that His perfect light, which can be seen through you, can arise in this earth; until the daystar arises in your heart.
During the ministry time in our church services I stand before each person, knowing by faith, God is going to transfigure them. By faith, I place myself as a doorway, nothing more than a vessel God wants to flow through, and lay my hands on God’s people pointing them to Christ, in whom we place our trust. We point to the Light, for if we don’t find the Light there will be no healing. If no one says I believe there will be no faith. Because we stand, as this great witness of what is heavenly, we stand in the gap and rebuild a wall that is fallen down. We know that by the power of God that for every brick we put our hands on, there is a more perfect work being finished in heaven. As it’s done that glorious light shines through from one believer to another. Then the healing proceeds into our flesh. As the Daystar arises, the anointing comes, and the new day begins. The freshness of the miracle working power satisfies our infirmity. All because someone was willing to stand by faith and say, "I believe."
Healing can only come by faith. There is no other doorway for the miracle transfiguration to take place. There is no way to transfer what’s in heaven to this earth without faith. If you then by faith become a doorway, knowing that as surely as the Sun comes up in the morning, then the Daystar will arise in your heart; the transfiguration will come to pass. When the anointing comes, or the Daystar arises, it breaks every yoke. It transfigures and changes the mind. When the Daystar arises you know that faith is about to become sight. God is empowering you to position yourself in this earth as a doorway to the miracle that is being fashioned in heaven.
2 Peter 1:20 Knowing this just that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpretation.
21 For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.
The word of God is not subject to man’s interpretation. It will never conform to what people want it to do, as opposed to God’s will. It will never fashion itself after the lusts or desires of men because it is God’s eternal word and can never be changed. If God said to someone, "Rise and be healed", then that word cannot be interpreted any other way. It must do exactly what it was sent to do. As you receive that word, it is an eternal judgement by God. Your faith shifts your focus onto the Eastern sky and you are able to look through the doorway and put your faith in that which will arise in your heart. The words, "Rise and be healed" are given by the Spirit of God and you can respond in love and obedience by rising and being healed. God’s word, spoken by the Spirit heals. His name is Jehovah Rapha. No one in this world has ever been healed except that God healed them.
As Christians, we become vessels that are used by God to promote faith, miracles, and healing. We set the standard by believing miracles happen, thereby promoting faith. We, by faith, do what the world cannot deny and create a model that everyone else relies on whether they understand it or not. It creates hope. It creates visual evidence. It also creates the ability for us to love one another without conditions. It gives us the ability to believe in one another without worrying whether or not it’s going to work, for we know the Daystar will arise.
We enter and leave by this gate knowing the resurrection of His power manifests every day of our lives. We have been healed, delivered, and touched by God. The resurrection is true because it is the essence of the Spirit that bears witness that we are the children of God thus transfigured from the things of the world. If we belong to Jesus Christ, we are transfigured, we are healed, and we have been finished. We, by faith, grasp the genuineness of what happened at the cross. The Spirit of God, by a sure word of prophecy, has been spoken over us. What He says is true, thus let every man be a liar but let God be true.
What could be surer than Isaiah and his word of prophecy? What about Jeremiah’s, or Daniel’s? What’s surer than their prophecies? The East Gate; for in that gate is the finish of their faith. In this gate, we have a more sure word of prophecy. We have miracles. We have faith. We have healings. We can look at the East Gate and know without a shadow of a doubt this will happen.
The Spirit of the living God transfigures us every moment we believe. We are moved by the word of God; by what God says we are not what men say we are. We are moved by the will of God and not by the will of men. This power is finishing itself in us because we are moved by the Holy Spirit of God.
We are the repairers of the breach; we are those who repair what’s fallen down. The last man, Meshullam, stood by his chamber and repaired the wall. A chamber is not a house, but a bedroom. Meshullam didn’t own a house; he was a renter. He was temporarily dwelling in this place. In comparison, we are those who are temporarily dwelling in this world and although we’re in this world, we’re transfigured, and renewed by the word of God. We have a more permanent house that we look to.
The place we live at now by the gate is only for a moment, just a temporary dwelling place. We don’t have to invest all of our wealth into our earthly houses. We know we have a better place in heaven. Why invest everything we have into something small on this earth when we could invest in something with an eternal weight of glory in heaven, built by the hand of God? We only temporarily live here! If what we have in heaven is already purchased for us why would we invest in something that has no value eternally? In this life, the Spirit of God moves us wherever we need to be. It is the Spirit of God that satisfies.
I don’t put my investment in those things that moth and rust doth corrupt. I invest in those things that are in heaven, for my treasure is beyond that eastern gate. My treasure is easy to see when I cast my eyes on the East Gate. It is the reality of how I live in this earth. That reality changes and transfigures us so that what was weak, broken, and failed becomes empowered by the Son of God. His righteousness, His promise, and His word are fulfilled in our lives because our investment is not in the things of this earth but in heaven. We are completed and absolutely satisfied because,

IN CHRIST, all the promises of God are YEA and AMEN.
The promises of God are not subject to the will or desire of man but to God. Thus when we find this great pearl and we cast our faith in the inevitable rising of the Sun, we know our promise is fulfilled. Our hearts and lives are satisfied as the peace of God finishes the work in us.

Believe

Tanya Elizabeth Leal
Copyright 1999

Published by Amazing Grace Ministries Evangelistic Association Publishing, Westchester. Illinois Distributed by Amazing Grace Ministries Evangelistic Association Publishing, Westchester. Illinois Unless otherwise indicated all Scripture quotations are from the Authorized / King James Version (KJV)  No part of this book may be reproduced without written permission except for brief quotation in books and critical reviews. For information write Amazing Grace Ministries Evangelistic Association Inc.--PO Box 406--Westchester, Illinois 60513-0406--708/223-0070

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