Courts Answer To Praises

"Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise…" – Psalm 100:4

Amazing, if you read the edition before this, Gates Give Way To Thanksgiving -BICQ 21. Which makes it even clearer why God’s gates lead seamlessly into His courts on the inner side. Since every gate has two sides to them, you are welcome into the inner side of these gates of God.  You are welcome into a seamlessly entry from thanksgiving into praise which is why it’s never unlawful to also praise Him at the gates because thanksgiving and praise could switch keys and sometimes mean exactly the same thing depending on word play by scriptural writers. It is however expedient to head into His Court with praises.

In fact, I could almost see David having entered His gate with thanksgiving saying, ‘Oh that men would praise the Lord, for His goodness and for His wonderful works…”  . This he would have sang as he looks back at the wonders of God in their lives, as he looks through God’s golden gate he has just entered, seeing the enemies broken down with the gates of brass and bar of irons already cut asunder. Although, He would have been pleased with being a keeper at the gate of thanksgiving than being outside of it, David  didn’t stay at the gates of thanksgiving. He would prefer even just a day at His court than anywhere else.

This is God’s court, let’s head right into it!

His courts stand  for the house of God. At His courts, He is all the attention, no enemies like at the gates. No need for defence because His presence alone is disarming. Here you are very light. It’s the place the Psalmist  referred to saying we are  planted in the court of our God,  flourishing like the palm tree, growing like cedar in Lebanon and bringing fruits timelessly even in old age. Little wonder the angelic elders whose days keeps being renewed as eagles would keep on worshipping Him because praise is continuously new here. It’s because His court is all about being planted, rooted and deeply so. If there’s any movement here at His court, it’s called flourishing. His court is the house of the Lord David wanted to dwell forever as shared in  religious benediction.

Yet for now,  we are the houses of the Lord, the temples Jesus rebuilt in three days by rebuilding Himself.

Or don’t you know you that you are the temple of Lord  where the Spirit of the God now dwells.

Now we understand Jesus who is God with us saying the time comes when no man shall worship God on a localised geographical expression called mountain. We understand that God is Spirit and whosoever worship Him MUST worship Him in Spirit and truth. Therefore, the Psalmist was foreshadowing things to come about the courts of God. David, he wanted to built the physical court with hands so passionately but those hands were just too bloodied for God. Yet this worshipper knew something. That He that dwell in the secret place of the most High shall abide under His shadow.

But in Christ, with veil of the temple removed we are now the secret place of the most High, or know you not that you are the temple of God that Spirit of God NOW is the one dwelling in you? He now abides in us, once we abide in Him.

It appears to me as though,  as you enter into His gates with thanksgiving from victories and challenges of life and attempting to enter His court with praises, you find out that you are His temple, it looks like you are entering yourself, there is a reorder - your Spirit leading the soul into the subjected body His temple. Even more that than that, you found out that the Lord Himself wants to enter into you His temple. Yes, you are His and not your own! You will find out that even more than you want to enter His court as a temple, the Lord Himself is now the one who has entered you as His temple, His house. He enters just like Jesus, the King on the colt in the triumphant entry into the temple, when peoples praises of Hosanna welcomed Him.

Little wonder Jesus said the father, the Spirit is now the one seeking such worshipers. The Lord of the temple  himself is the one who now enters the temple of the Lord not built with hands.

Hurray! The Lord of the temple has entered us just as we entered His praises. This looks like the same state and estate Adam was before his fall. He was the temple of God and there was no need for a temple made with hands in Eden. And so shall we return, through the last Adam when we put on an immortal body prepared for us at His coming.

That we have not yet put on this last Adamic body just yet is exactly what makes this current temple, this body  a dress rehearsal for the immortal body suit being prepared for each one at His coming.

Yes this body is His temple, but that it is mortal, this current bodysuit can not enter His court and live. A glimpse of it wa what Moses saw in this corruptible body when hidden in the rock, even that body had to be buried by God himself. A glimpse of the court was what Peter, James and John saw at the mouth of transfiguration and wanted to build a monumental temple by hands. You see why this temple still goes from His courts to His gates time and again, shuttling between thanksgiving and praises, it still lives in a corruptible earth. Although the Spirit of God in us can make us enter His Court in part, from time to time for the same reason that it’s from God who is Spirit. For the soul, it is being transformed to do so as its like a gate between the court of praise and and earth where this temple is bound. So we are living temples who can only enter His courts of praise to worship for now only by the leading of Spirit in truth. This is made easy because God himself is a seeker of such and has entered into such temple, for it would take God to enter into a god, for the god to enter into God’s presence. For God is His own environment!

The end is to get to get this temple into His court of His praises permanently and not temporarily as it. The end is to get to the New Jerusalem that would be downloaded from heaven, the place Jesus is preparing, the bodies that he is preparing just like his own body, temple was prepared, this are mansions for God, many!

The end to get you His temple to be part of His courts are where He’s fitting us together as temple into something eye have not seen, into something also called the father’s one house which is why it has many mansions, courts! Think of it like a House with knitted temples - that is His courts. Excited here!

This is why Eden is a shadow where there is no temple. Adam was, as we would be in the new Jerusalem and with God in us, the new Jerusalem would have nothing that typifies the current one made by hand, by then the temples of the Lord would have permanently entered into the Lord of the temple, for God is the temple thereof.

You see why when it come to His praise, it’s continuous in His court and we can have glimpse of this while on earth by the Spirit because you are a rebuilt temple, with body being prepared at Jesus coming to fitted into  His court.

Which is why Paul would advise us to rejoice always. The Hebrew writer renders it, “by him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name.” It is here in the court of praise that thanksgiving started at the gates; interface with the challenges with the world begins to  yield fruits through our lips. His court is the  Holies of holies, the residence of the praises of His people, the very abode God dwells. So each of us are His rebuilt temple being fitted into His court and can offer Him praises as mobile temples, moving worship studios, in a His secret places. It is however not limited to this.

Not limited, because when we congregate as temples, we become His courts. And becoming His courts is the essence of not forsaking the fellowship of the brethren while on earth to train your soul and keep transforming it from glory to glory until the perfect day it get used to the cloud of witness in Heaven – the fullness of His courts.  His courts is then more the of chorus of praise than it is a place for soloists. In His courts, it is two or three gathered together in His name to forming  the courts of praise “in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” – Paul to Ephesians in chapter 2 verse 21-22 couldn’t have rendered it better. So while we are individual temples already rebuilt in 3 days without hands. Yet, Christ is still fitting these temples together as a  church which the gates of hell couldn’t prevail against. He is the one who determines when He has fully built and befitting for His courts , and ready for His coming as a raptured bride prepared to be fitted in  His courts in heaven.

So together, we are rebuilt, being fitted together, being  transformed into His courts  that’s no longer as individual mobile temples such as  each ones coming  through different gates of thanksgiving. Here, in His courts, we meet other temples  to make an habitation of his praises. Because it is in the praises of His PEOPLE that He dwells. His courts His is dwelling is an address of His rest and our arrest. Here we are the spiritual priests, at the same time the altar of soul, each  with a body to sacrifice in one tripartite piece. Here we keep  offering the sacrifice of our own praises or self ego  for His praises on the soulful altar of worship . This is where you see that He is fearful in praises. That He gives glory and doesn’t share it. For His is the His kingdom, the power and the glory forever.

So praises has to be sacrificed. And that’s why we are those altars- the living stones, God’s buildings, buildings of the praise built on the chief corner stone himself which is the foundation no man could anymore lay. In His courts are living stones of sacrifice of praises fortified by grace from mere dusts, wowed by angels and envied by the fallen precious stone that was once dwelling in His court called Lucifer. This place of building of praise habitation with a house not built by hands is one everyone takes heed how he builds to remain fitted. It is a place we sacrifice the kingly pride of the flesh. This God’s habitation of praise is never roofed. It’s is a place of joy in the Holy Ghost not affected by events round or about it. It is praise continua. It is where He first gave His own joy in the Holy Ghost to remain in us as we remain in His court, planted as a signature part of the fruit of the spirit of love. So He could therefore say rejoice always. Which means that His remaining  fruit of  joy is there undiminished on repeat playlist. His own joy in us is  that recoiling base of strength as the joy of the Lord upon which our joy springs.   For our joy at the gate of thanksgiving sometimes undulates on top of His foundational joy at the courts, all to buffer our joy so that it can be full, by flourishing and growing in His Court. And because His recoiling joy can’t be depleted no matter what happens to our own growing  joy, He says again rejoice, always! For the Lord is at hand! Phil 4:4. We rejoice that Jesus is coming to the gate of this earth, appearing in the cloud On a horse with host of Heaven and we join Him with thanksgiving triumphantly!

Kingly Priests

If it’s thanksgiving that gives entrance to His gates, there’s no gatehead that wouldn’t be lifted for this King of glory in us to pass.

If praise it’s His praises that grants entrance to courts, no courts can hold bar . These are the keys that unlocks His presence, the codes advised by the mastreo  after Gods heart, one who played skilfully and demons of Saul fled. David was so after God court that you see him establish His throne forever through Jesus.  There’s therefore  little or no point talking about getting into His court without going through His gate of thanksgiving.

All gates lifts with thanksgiving if put first as the king of your land. Gates are places where a marching king of praise, a Judah has to be anointed to lead with thanksgiving if anyone would not do as they pleases. Courts are places for priests, it’s for sacrifice, it’s not for ego of any kings before the King of kings.

And it used to be such that these two heavy services were separated by law the schoolmaster in the Old Testament. The  kings were for conquering gates with their words and power,  bringing the offerings of thanksgiving, while the priest sacrifices and couldn’t rule despite being so  spiritual and king-making, but do work together.  After conquering gates as a king, Saul tried to sacrifice at the court also, as was Uzziah and many others whose hard endings are popular. At His court, David wouldn’t see himself as a King, he submitted to Priesthood. At  one of such time he appeared undignified , he wasn’t at the court about being a king but Micah one of his wives was more conscious of his crown, her gate of childbearing was shut.

David would wish to build the court of praise but got the caution and jumped for joy at the preparation that made it easy for Solomon to sacrifice.

Have you noticed that each time a king figure has managed to sacrifice under exception, there was always victory at he gate and peace at the court, think of superking smashing Abraham and Solomon, one before kings were anointed in Isreal and the other the last king before the tribe scattered. Of gates and courts, of thanksgiving and praises, the end was to make the former lead into the latter seamlessly. Which  is why, in the New Testament we have it in one entity we are a royal priesthood. Each a substance after the order of Melkisedech a king of Salem and Priest of the most high who was a foreshadow of Christ to come, sounds like declaring the end form the beginning before kings were anointed in Isreal.. You see why by Christ  His teaching grace made us kings and priests after the order of the lion of the tribe of Judah which is the Kings of Kings, and priest after the order of the lamb of God that was slain on the altar of worship which is why we are sheep. Of gates and courts, of thanksgiving and praise, proudly humbled as royal priesthood.

Yes we must enter through the gate of thanksgiving  with Judah going in first, as the arrowhead of battles in life, but we can’t stay there, we must become His temple to enter  His court of praise until we are fitted into  His clouds of courts at His coming  where resides the full tribe of worship.

-Olusola Olusanya.

Topic writer, BICQ