The Sanctuary
I am going to talk to you about two Sanctuaries in this article. One is the spiritual Temple God is building in the whole earth as the Temple of the Last Days. The second is the Sanctuary He has asked us to prepare here in New Orleans. Let me begin by sharing a very personal, divine message:
The Word of the Lord came unto me and I wept, “Now go prepare the Sanctuary of the Lord!”
Scripture reveals that God had the same divine intention at Mount Sinai – He wanted the people to prepare a Sanctuary to accommodate His presence. As a result, man’s relationship to God would encounter a divergence from what he had known – a new path would be revealed; an historical modification would emerge.
"And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them." Exodus 25:8
The reality was that although God was certainly overseeing His people, He claimed by implication that He did not yet dwell among them. To do so would require that a certain protocol, a ceremonial worship be initiated for the sake of the people’s safety. If He was to be among them, in such a way as to reveal His Personhood, then He required a Sanctuary.
Although today we are most certainly the Sanctuary of the Lord (e.g., I Cor.3:16-17, 6:19), it is nevertheless true that His eyes look to and fro to find a place where He can reveal Himself to a collective people. He thus looks for ministers who are holy and pure, clean vessels that can lead the way into the Holy of Holies when once it is established.
"Then stood up Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and his brethren the priests, and Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and his brethren, and builded the altar to the G-d of Israel…." Ezra 3:2
Today Yeshua (Jesus), the Son of God, is arising to build a Temple and erect an altar to the God of all the earth. He spoke clearly to me at the end of the year 2000 in a three-hour visitation – World For Jesus Ministries was to do its part in preparing for Him a Temple in the earth, and it would take seven full years to construct the foundation. We began this construction in 2001 by holding The Gatherings. Of course, this new Temple is not one made by human hands, but is one constructed by God Himself. We simply have sought to obey the edict and to do our part by working with Him through prayer. His promise was that He would build His Sanctuary, and He is doing this very thing!
The foundation now complete, He is beginning to reveal Himself here and there to His people in marvelous ways. I am excited over the wonderful things He is doing. Healing, miracles, and His awesome presence are favoring His people as they humble themselves before Him and worship Him in truth.
New Orleans
The Lord recently spoke to me about yet another Sanctuary, one in New Orleans! In an audible voice, He instructed me: “Go and prepare the Sanctuary of the Lord!” When He directed me to do this in New Orleans, he also told me what to call it: “The Sanctuary,” which literally means the dwelling place of God! It is but a microcosm of what He is doing worldwide.
The Lord divinely directed us to the very building we were to use for our meetings. At that time, it was not on the market as a possible site. Yet, our agent’s ongoing efforts opened the way for us to obey the Lord’s directive – we signed a lease and began the renovation of this old building in East New Orleans (it is not more than 5 minutes from our previous facility). We are not yet finished, indeed, we still have a great deal of work to do in the rear of the building. Despite where we are in the process, we took a chance, sectioned off the unfinished portion, began to hold revival meetings, and saw the Lord come to His Sanctuary!
In “The Sanctuary” here in New Orleans, God is teaching us about the new Sanctuary He is still constructing in the world. He is also teaching us how to worship and walk before Him in this new, international, spiritual facility. His requirements are higher now because He will reveal His presence in an unprecedented way. Yes, signs and wonders will fill the earth, but something even greater is about to occur – He is going to reveal His creative Word! He will recreate human bodies by healing the maimed and raising the dead, which is awesome in and of itself. He will also recreate the human soul by healing it and raising up sons and daughters who will walk in the fullness of life (it would take several books to explain all that I just said).
The Lord is training us as priests to help Him build His Temple, just as occurred in Zerubbabel’s day. He is teaching us how to walk before Him so as not to offend His holiness, and how to enter into the fullness of life as mature sons. He is teaching us how to believe Him for the supernatural, and for so much more. In one respect, we are still doing our part in erecting His spiritual Temple throughout the world. In another respect, we are using our physical hands to build a Sanctuary He is soon going to visit in a way that is greater than anything He has ever done. Remember, He is God, and we are His people. On Mount Sinai, He disclosed Himself to the entire house of Israel in an unprecedented revelation of Himself. He is getting ready to do this very thing again! We want to be ready for Him; how about you?
As we wait upon God, we must look to you for a few things. First, we need your prayers. Because of the spiritual work we are doing in this city as we renovate The Sanctuary, the battle is intense. Please pray for our team as well as the work on the building. Second, please pray for the finances, and prayerfully consider contributing to the renovation of this new Sanctuary. We still need tens of thousands of dollars, and we need it quickly. This is not a lot of money, although $1000.00 is a lot of money if you need it, and it is not available. Whereas we know the Lord will bring the funds in as He has promised, we also know that only those who consider themselves our most supportive friends and family are going to take the responsibility for building this work at this foundational level (this came as a prophetic revelation to one of our dearest friends who has given sacrificially by the Lord’s direction). God, in turn, is looking to bless our friends in a special way for giving sacrificially and being a part of this journey. This point came as a promise from the Lord through an angelic messenger sent directly to me. Therefore, we bless those of you who will give sacrificially at this time. Third, we want you to visit us down here in the South! Those of you who pray, come and help us pray. Those of you who love truth, come and join us as we learn about and enter into the Prophetic Revolution that is upon us. Indeed, when we finish the second phase of renovations, we will resume four nights of services per week. I am excited about this increase in meetings, for His presence will be even richer and stronger.
"I have surely built thee a house of habitation, A place for Thee to dwell forever." 1 Kings 8:13
We are building a habitation for His holiness in our souls and in The Sanctuary. Come and join us. Come and help, and learn how to make an exceedingly great home for Him within your hearts. Come and give Him praise in His Sanctuary; you will never be sorry for doing so! This great spiritual Temple He is constructing in all the earth will make Him a praise in the earth, and it will be the Sanctuary of His power. As we build here in New Orleans, we are continuing to do our part to erect the spiritual Temple of these last days. Come, and with us, give Him praise!
Hallelujah. Praise God in His sanctuary; Praise Him in the firmament of His power." Psalms 150:1
This Sanctuary we are building in New Orleans will be a House of Prayer for all nations. Leading such a “House” has always been my call, and always will be. Come, help us pray!
"For My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7
This is pleasing to the Lord and, therefore, wonderful in our eyes!
In Him,
Nita Johnson
"I have surely built thee a house of habitation, A place for Thee to dwell forever." 1 Kings 8:13
Dates:
Prayer service on Monday- Saturday 10am-11am CST
Friday and Saturday Teaching Meetings & Ministry 7:30pm-???
To participate online in our prayer services click on the link "Live Stream" from our website.
Location:
"The Sanctuary"
10150 I-10 Service Rd. South
New Orleans, LA 70127
Directions:
Accommodations:
The following hotel is right next door to The Sanctuary:
1) Best Western
10100 I-10 Service Rd
New Orleans, LA 70127
504-378-7000
Rates: $59.95 + tax per night (mention World For Jesus for the rate)