HomeARC ML 3096
COMMISSION CEREMONY '97! Maria #369 DO 3096 10/96
--By Maria
1. Dear Family, please remember that those attending the Summit meeting and participating in the commission ceremony were representatives of all of you. Over these last months, you have partaken of the same spirit, fed on the same words through the pubs and the videos, and made the same commitments in your heart. You too have been prepared for this special commission and the anointing that goes along with it. It's not only for them; it's for you.
2. When praying about how to help you fully apply the counsel in this GN and take it to heart personally, I felt led to ask the Lord for any specific message that He would want to give to all of you--not just those who had personally participated in the Summit commission ceremony.
3. In the Lord's answer, He said that each Home should hold a commission ceremony similar to the one at the Summit. Of course, the ceremony held in your Home could be much simpler than that at the Summit. You wouldn't need to spend time gathering together the props that Peter and Heather and Gary used, nor do things exactly the way they were done at the Summit, with the same pomp and pageantry. But, like the Summit ceremony, it would be a time where each of you could publicly rededicate your life and heart to the Lord and His service, pledging to fulfill the commission He has given all of us, which He outlined in the prophecies included earlier in this GN.
4. The Lord indicated that the evening before the commission ceremony, each Home member should take a time of vigil before the Lord--as those at the Summit did--in preparation for their rededication to Him. This would be followed by the actual commission ceremony the following morning.
5. Upon hearing this, I wondered whether the Family Feast might be the ideal time for such a ceremony, as all of you are already taking time apart to come before the Lord in prayer and the reading of His Word. I sought the Lord about this, and He confirmed that the Feast would be the right time to do this!
6. The commission ceremony could be attended by the whole Home (unless it's too distracting to have the small children present), but only the JETTs and up would actually participate in the ceremony itself. Those JETTs and teens who do not yet feel ready to participate in this ceremony and make this commitment don't have to--that would be between them and the Lord, on an individual basis.
Holding Vigil Before the Lord!
7. Following is the message where the Lord is asking each of you to make this pledge of dedication:
8. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }Behold, dear Family, come take leave. Come away with Me and pass the night in prayer and sweet communion. Pass the night in fervor and in prayer and in final preparation. For I would that you come and pass this night with Me in prayer, and sanctify yourselves for the holy commission. Prepare yourselves for the holy anointing, the holy renewal, that you may find strength to carry on.
9. For lo, I have prepared you, even these many months, and some these many years. I have prepared you through the struggles, through many toils, through many battles, through the fires of affliction. I have prepared you through many breakings, many disappointments, through the trying of your patience, through the trying of your faith.
10. I have prepared you through My Word, old and new, and I do prepare you now through these sacred Words and the ensample that does go before you [EDITED: "the Summit commission ceremony"]. I give you this sample that you may enter in, that these, without you, should not be made perfect. For you are one--all one body, one in My Father, one in Me, one in each other. And these Words are for all who would receive. Let him that has an ear, hear what I say to My Family. As My Father anointed My head with oil for My holy commission, so I anoint you. But you must prepare.
11. I would that you all stand vigil and dedicate one night to Me, in preparation. Come, each one, individually, and let us pass the night in prayer and sweet communion. For I would that you, My beloved Family, My holy Bride, each one, come to Me in sweet communion, in sweet searching of your own heart upon your bed, that you may individually pledge Me your love, your loyalty, your total dedication, your obedience, your service, your heart, your life, your all.
12. Prepare yourselves in body, heart, mind and spirit. Sanctify yourselves. Prepare yourselves for the great appointment, the great commission that I do bestow upon you this day. Come pass the night in prayer and communion and dedication, in quietness and in confidence. In your secret chambers, each one make your pledge. Commune with Me, each of you, that I may hear your voice whispering in My ear; that I may joy in the sweet perfume of your prayers, and thrill to their fragrance; that I may revel in your beauty; that I, too, may woo you and whisper in your ear, as you receive My Holy anointing, poured out in greater measure, in greater strength, in greater power!
13. Come, let us pass the night together. Sanctify yourselves and pass the night in prayer. Prepare yourselves. Begin in prayer and continue in prayer, that I may pour out an anointing that has not been seen since the world began.
14. Come now, each one, and pass the night in vigil and prayer and dedication and sweet communion with Me, and afterwards, take your rest. Make vigil unto Me, then lie here in My everlasting arms and take your rest, that afterwards you may rise up. Rise up at the start of a new day and receive the holy commission, the holy anointing at the hand of My Queen Maria.
15. Rise up at the morning tide, prepared and fresh, that you may gather yourselves together, united worldwide as one body at My feet, and at the feet of your Queen Maria and King Peter, and receive My anointing. For as in the day of Pentecost when My flame of fire did descend upon the heads of those gathered in the upper room, so will I pour out My anointing upon your heads, as you, My Family worldwide, rise up and gather at My feet!
16. Therefore, after this holy night of vigil and dedication to Me, gather together and receive My holy anointing, My holy commission, My Holy Spirit poured out upon you in greater measure than you have ever known, yea, I say, than has been known since the world began! (End of prophecy.)
17. {\b \i (Mama:) }Later, the Lord reconfirmed the need for and the importance of asking you to take this time of vigil and recommitment. He reiterates how you should take this commission seriously, and that it signifies your high calling as knights and ladies in the army of the children of David! Hallelujah! He said:
18. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }Wonder not, and question not that I would require this of My entire Family. I would that all take this seriously. I would that My Family pass this time in sweet communion with Me, for time in prayer and sweet communion is not time wasted.
19. I do this that all may see and partake of the seriousness of this holy commission. For I see not as man sees. Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor can it enter fully into the heart of man the importance and the magnitude of My holy commission. Therefore take this seriously, for this is but a slight illustration of the importance of My anointing of My holy knights and holy ladies of the army of David.
20. Great and mighty are the forces of David, and My power of Love which I pour forth this day is not a light thing! I would, therefore, that My entire Family stop and take this time, unitedly as one body, in preparation for the days ahead. For the days are fast approaching when the weights will be lifted and the final hour is come. Therefore have My Family join in holy vigil for the holy anointing that I pour out upon all on this holy day.
21. I do this to make an impression upon My entire Family of the importance of their high calling. For it is a high calling like none other in the world today, to be one of the army of King David and of Queen Maria and King Peter. Therefore marvel not at this small thing that I do to impress upon My Family the seriousness and the importance of this holy commission.
22. After all the reading, and all the viewing of the videos, I would that my Family unite on one night and on one morning as individuals, yet as one body, in holy communion and sweet fellowship with Me. In unity there is strength, and as My Family unites at the same time around the world, you will find strength that you know not of. Therefore declare a night and a day, and unite as one for the holy renewal of My strength poured out upon the children of David.
23. This will especially help those who were not physically present at the Summit to truly enter in, and it will bridge any would-be gaps and stem the flood of lies that Satan would seek to cast into the fellowship of My children, that none may feel left out. This is but a small thing to ask, and it will encourage their faith. And know that I do this mostly for My desire that all My Family unite as one, in one accord, at one time, in the same purpose, that they may be of one mind, one heart, and one body. For in unity there is strength that you know not of, as I pour forth My power of Love. (End of prophecy.)
24. {\b \i (Mama:) }You may be wondering about the Lord's specific instruction in the prophecy about having a pre-commission vigil to "pass the night in prayer." Perhaps you've started to worry that you might have to stay up all night and then have a meeting the next morning! Well, this is a case of interpreting prophecy wisely and in accordance with the context of the situation. Of course the Lord is very loving and merciful, and He wouldn't expect you to try to force yourself to stay awake all night when He knows you have children to care for, and a full day of study in the Word ahead of you. He also makes reference in the prophecy to taking rest so that you can be fresh the next morning. So I felt when reading it that the Lord was not referring to an all-night vigil.
25. But whenever things aren't clear, we shouldn't just use our natural understanding and common sense, but we should ask the Lord to clarify anything that we don't understand. So we sought Him again, for further explanation. When we asked Him what He meant by "passing the night in prayer," He gave the following:
26. {\b \i (Jesus speaking:) }It isn't how long you pray or how much you pray, but it is the sincerity of the heart, and the hunger and desperation and eagerness of the heart to receive My will. This is what counts in My sight. The example given of spending a night in prayer, in vigil before Me, is symbolic of a time to dedicate your heart unto Me. It is symbolic of time completely away from your service, your work and business, and spent entirely in communion with Me.
27. It is meant to be symbolic of time in My presence, hearing My voice, opening your heart to My will, yielding to My will and accepting My will; of renewing our love relationship; and of once again pledging your loyalty and dedication and devotion to Me.
28. You need not feel that you must spend the entire night awake and in prayer. For it is not eight hours of prayer that I desire, but rather it can be one or two hours of prayer and meditation and reflecting and reading My Word. If it is done with true sincerity and desperation and a desire to please Me, it will mean more and accomplish more and be more fruitful and have a greater effect than eight hours of prayer in which you grow weary and tired. (End of prophecy.)
29. {\b \i (Mama:) }Therefore, dear ones, we would like to request that soon after dinner on the evening of the 15th, you retire to your rooms for a quiet evening alone with the Lord; of prayer and reading and meditation, as the beginning of your passing the night with Him. (Those who will be putting the younger children to sleep could perhaps do so earlier than usual.) This way, it will ensure that you get some good quality time before you go to sleep, to dedicate yourself completely to His service, totally yielded and willing to come before Him for His anointing the following morning.
The Ceremony!
30. As explained in the notice about the Feast accompanying this GN, on the afternoon of February 15th you can get together to read this GN unitedly. As the Lord indicates above, that evening you would each take a time of personal vigil and prayer, as a time to individually commune with the Lord and reflect on His commission for you--not only His commission for the Family (as outlined in the prophecies included earlier in this GN), but His commission for you personally. Please meditate upon and pray about the steps He is asking you to take in your life, or the changes that He is asking you to make in order to draw you closer to Him and make you a greater blessing to others. If you have the gift of prophecy, it would also be a good opportunity to take time to hear from the Lord for any encouragement, direction or instruction He may have for you for this year ahead. If you feel led, you could even write out your personal pledge of dedication to the Lord as a record of your commitment to Him.
31. The following morning, your Home should gather together for the commission ceremony. The meeting should be led by a male and a female (from the Home teamwork if possible), who, for the purpose of the ceremony, would represent Peter and me.
32. After a united prayer, the one representing Maria reads the following: I anoint you in the power of Love, to go forth and live in love. I commission you to rise up now and march on in the power of Love! Lift the banners high and forward, march! Go forth in Love's power. Receive Love's holy oil upon your heads. Receive, by the authority vested in me, your Queen Maria, this holy appointment, that you may go forth and conquer the giants of your day!
33. Join now hand in hand, arm in arm, and take the stand. Stand with me, and with your King Peter, and proclaim throughout the land: "Let it be written, let it be known, by the authority vested in us from Jesus our King, that we cast down imaginations and every high thing that would exalt itself against the power of Love! Let it be known on this holy day, that we, the Bride of Jesus, and the army of David, do fight on to defeat the foe!"
34. Then each person would come forward and kneel before those leading the meeting, and say the following short pledge:
I, (name), pledge my love, my life, my loyalty, my all to Jesus and the Family. As I kneel before God in humility, by the grace of God, I promise to live in love and serve in love and be faithful to the holy commission that is set before me. In the Name of King Jesus, in the name of King David, in the name of Queen Maria and King Peter.
35. After each person makes their pledge, the male leading the meeting would then anoint their forehead with oil, and say the following, as Peter did at the Summit:
I anoint thee Knight (name) (Lady for the women) in the power of Love. In the Name of King Jesus and King David, in the name of Queen Maria and King Peter, go in love, and live in love.
36. When everyone has made their pledge and been anointed, the two people representing Maria and Peter would take turns saying their pledge, and anointing each other. Then the two prophecies below will be read. But in order to let you enjoy the anticipation and not "steal the thunder" of the ceremony, I ask that you wait until the actual ceremony to read those two prophecies. So at this point you can stop reading this GN and go about your evening preparations. Praise the Lord!
Special Messages for You!
(The following messages should be read the morning that you actually hold your commission ceremony.)
37. {\b \i (Mama:) }After each person has come forward, made their pledge, and been anointed, the male leading the meeting would read the following prophecy, also read by Peter at the Summit, and printed earlier in this GN:
38. {\b \i (Spirit helper speaking:) }Hear ye, hear ye, holy knights of the realm. Go forth this day in the Name of King Jesus, in the name of King David, in the name of Queen Maria, and in the name of King Peter. For this day a holy commission is set before you. Rise now, and go forth in the power of Love! Go, and spread Love. As freely as you have received, so freely give. Give love, give understanding, give sympathy, give compassion. Lift up the weak, encourage the weary, comfort the sick, love the lost, heal the wounds, love the unlovely. Live the Law of Love, and give to those in need.
39. Strengthen those who are weak. Uphold those who are downtrodden. Be tender, be kind, show mercy, and walk in truth. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Keep your eyes on Heaven, firmly fixed above. Seek the Lord, your God, diligently in all things, and walk in wisdom toward those that are without.
40. Be sober, be vigilant, and resist the Enemy and his lies! Raise the standard through the Word of God. Fight for the right at all costs. Defend the faith. Uphold the truth. Be strong in the power and might of Jesus. Remain loyal, obedient, faithful, and true to Queen Maria and King Peter, and to the Words of David. Defend the Kingdom and lead the troops in the battles to come.
41. Wage your war militantly in prayer! When you walk, when you lie down, when you rise, when you speak, when you are silent--pray, and pray, and pray again. Lean not to your own understanding, but in all your ways acknowledge Jesus and be led of Him. Serve in love, live in love, and love one another. Join hand in hand, young and old; live in unity, and find strength.
42. Receive, fearless knights, the holy anointing, and go forth in great power, conquering the giants of this day. Take courage and march on, spreading Love to the ends of the Earth, knowing that God is with you, and cannot fail, and will not fail. Walk in humility, giving all the glory to Jesus, knowing that of your own selves you can do nothing. Lean on Him and find your strength. (End of prophecy.)
{\b \i }43. ({\b \i Mama:) }The female leading the meeting would then read the following message from me. (This message was received in prophecy, when I asked the Lord to articulate a message from me to you for this ceremony.)
44. {\b \i (Queen Maria speaking:) }To each of you who have yielded your all on the altar of sacrifice, who have come in humility and obedience before the Lord, and who have pledged your devotion and loyalty to the Kingdom, I now, as your Queen Maria, by the appointment and power vested in Me from Jesus, our loving Husband and King, do anoint each of you this day with the holy anointing and a holy commission. I anoint each of you who have yielded your all, who have pledged your loyalty and allegiance to the Holy Kingdom. I anoint you who do seek to serve, who seek to follow. I anoint you who have passed the night in vigil, in sanctification to our Lord and King.
45. I anoint you this day, in the power of Love, knights and ladies of the Kingdom. Receive now this holy appointment; receive now this holy anointing; receive now this holy commission, that you may go forth in the power of Love. Go forth now in the Name of King Jesus, in the name of King David, in the name of Queen Maria and King Peter. March on!
46. Oplexicon is fallen, Ishbosheth is put to shame, Jezebel is cast out! Woe to the wicked on this holy day, for the armies of David march on! Woe to the wicked, who do tremble and fear at the awesome power of Love, for the army of David marches on!
47. I do anoint you this day, my lords and ladies, by the power of Love, to march on! March on, by Love's power, to defeat the Enemy and to overcome all evil. Let it be written, let it be known, that by the power of Love we will march against the very gates of Hell! Proclaim throughout the land that against the power of Love none will be able to stand! Let it be written, let it be known that by the power of Love vested in us, we cannot be stopped. Woe to the wicked, for they are slain in defeat!
48. Therefore march on, my brave knights and ladies, in the power of Love, knowing that none will stand against us. And know that by the power of Love you cannot and will not fail. For none can stand against the mighty power of Love! March on, my brave knights and ladies, for Love's power will be with us until the end!
49. Therefore fear not, brave knights and ladies of the realm, but go forth, march on, fighting the battles of our King Jesus, knowing it is impossible to lose, for Love's power will not fail!
50. Receive now, my beloved lords and ladies, the holy renewal of the power of Love, that you may lay aside the weights and the sins that would easily beset you, for the day of march has come! Receive now the power of Love poured upon you without measure. Receive now the power of Love for the new day, that you may go forth and receive Love's power, equal to the task that lies ahead.
51. Go forth in the power of Love, in the anointing of Love's oil, in the authority of Love's appointment, conquering the giants of this day. I anoint you in the power of Love to fight on and win the world in the Name of Love. I commission you this day to march on and possess the Kingdom come on Earth. Therefore go forth, my brave ones! Go forth in love, live in love, and give Love to all the world, without end. (End of prophecy.)
52. {\b \i (Mama:) }You could then end the ceremony with a time of united praise to the Lord, glorifying Him with your words and in song, testifying to His greatness and mercy in giving each of us the marvelous privilege of taking on this commission of Love. Just think, of all the people in the whole world, the Lord has given this unique commission to us, the children of David! What a privilege! It's almost mind-boggling to realize that despite knowing how weak and imperfect and incapable we are, the Lord still chooses to use us to perform His will of being channels of His Love to each other and the lost. And we don't have to do it; all we have to do is let Him do it through us! So as long as we're yielded to Him--open, receptive vessels eager to hear His voice and ready to obey it--we can't lose! God bless you as you fulfill His commission of Love in your life and Home! I love you!
Copyright (c) 1998 by The Family
