The Tabernacle – Part 3

The Weapons of Our Warfare: Word, Worship & the Pattern of God

In Episode 3 of The Tabernacle, Pastor John Powell takes us deeper into the Holy Place — the realm of the soul, the battleground of spiritual life, and the place where the true weapons of our warfare are found.

This blog is based on Episode 3 of the YouTube teaching The Tabernacle by Church on the Move. If you want the full depth of the teaching, you can watch the episode on their YouTube channel — and I encourage you to do so. What follows is a written journey through the heart of that message.

Watch the full YouTube teaching here

We have already journeyed:

• Through the outer court

• The altar of sacrifice — the cross

• The laver — cleansing and forgiveness

Now we step into the inner court, the Holy Place, where the believer learns to live from the spiritual realm and not merely the natural.

John reminds us: “The inner court of the tabernacle, the spiritual realm, is where the battle is at.”

This episode reveals why the pattern of the tabernacle is not an Old Testament relic — it is the blueprint for victorious Christian living today.

1. Why We Do Church the Way We Do

Many believers today are asking why church looks the way it does — worship, communion, preaching, prayer. Some churches have even removed elements they consider “old-fashioned” or “irrelevant.”

But John challenges this modern trend: “Maybe through a lack of understanding… we have done away with the pattern of church. But are we doing the right thing according to the scriptures?”

He explains that the early church met weekly to:

• Worship

• Break bread

• Receive revelation from the Word

This wasn’t tradition — it was God’s pattern.

“Every single week, every Sabbath day, you should be breaking bread… worship… the word of God as revelation. It’s feeding the soul. It’s empowering your soul to overcome.”

The Holy Place is the interface between the physical and spiritual realms — the place where heaven touches earth in the life of the believer.

2. The Lampstand — The Word of God Illuminated by the Spirit

On the left side of the Holy Place stood the Menorah, the seven‑branched lampstand. John teaches that this represents the Word of God, illuminated by the Holy Spirit.

“Jesus is the Word of God… He appears in the Word. That’s what John saw in Revelation.”

The lampstand was fed by oil — a picture of the Spirit.

“The Word of God… has got to be fed by oil. It’s got to be powered by the Spirit of God.”

Reading Scripture intellectually alone is not enough. The Spirit must illuminate it.

John warns: “The Word was never intended to be just a scheme… It’s intended to bring revelation to us all the time.”

The 66 Decorations — A Prophetic Picture of the Bible

The lampstand was decorated with 66 buds, flowers, and almonds — a prophetic picture of the 66 books of Scripture.

“No coincidence… 66 books in God’s holy Word — prophesied all the way back in the tabernacle.”

This is breath-taking. The tabernacle foreshadowed the very structure of the Bible we hold today. John urges us: “Realize what you’ve got… the Word of God from Genesis to Revelation — the one Jesus stands in the midst of.”

This is not a book. It is a living lamp.

3. The Word as a Weapon — The Sword of the Spirit

Many Christians answer the question “What are the weapons of our warfare?” by quoting the armour of God. But Pastor John corrects this:

“The only offensive weapon in the armour is the sword. Everything else is defensive.”

And what is the sword?

“The Word of God is a sword — not of you, of the Spirit.”

This is crucial:

• You wield it

• The Spirit empowers it

This is why revelation is essential in the last days.

“What the church needs right now is revelation… He’s going to bring the old into the new.”

The Word is not optional. It is a weapon.

4. The Five‑Fold Ministry — The Bars That Hold the Church Together

The boards of the tabernacle were held together by five bars, representing the five‑fold ministry:

• Apostles

• Prophets

• Evangelists

• Pastors

• Teachers

John explains: “Five ministries hold the church together so they can be a dwelling place for God.”

Top Bars — Teachers & Evangelists - They speak to the mind — the “head.”

Bottom Bars — Apostles & Prophets - They form the foundation.

Middle Bar — The Pastor - Running through the centre, holding everything together.

“The pastor… deals with the heart issues. He walks with you for the rest of your life.”

John prophesies: “God is going to raise up the pastors again.”

He shares the moving story of Frank Joshua, a pastor who shepherded his people through revival and through the horrors of World War I — a picture of true pastoral ministry.

“He was the strongest one in the room… and the softest one in the room… speaking of the goodness of Jesus.”

This is the heart of Christ expressed through His shepherds.

5. The Altar of Incense — Worship, Praise, Prayer & Intercession

Before the veil stood the altar of incense, representing the believer’s offering to God.

The incense was made of four crushed elements, bound with salt:

• Worship

• Praise

• Prayer

• Intercession

John explains: “Some of the worst times of our life… the crushing… becomes the very fuel we bring before God.”

This is eye opening. Your pain becomes incense: Worship Transports Us

On the Day of Atonement, the high priest was “caught up” — the root of the word rapture — into the Holy of Holies. “Spiritually we are translated before the very presence of God.”

This is what worship does: We Must Bring Something

John challenges passive Christianity: “We come into God’s presence and say nothing… You’re in the wrong place.”

Worship is not silent observation. It is offering.

“Put something on the coals… the smoke has got to get in His face.”

This is bold, biblical worship.

6. Why does the Altar appear in the Holy of Holies in hebrews?

In Exodus, the altar of incense is in the Holy Place. But in Hebrews, it appears in the Holy of Holies.

Is this a contradiction?

John explains: “When Jesus died… the veil was torn… There is now a new and living way.”

For the believer:

• There is no veil

• The altar is before the throne

Your worship goes straight to God.

“When your prayers are heard in heaven, the response on earth will be felt.”

Revelation describes thunder, lightning, and earthquakes — heaven’s dramatic response to the prayers of the saints.

7. The Danger of Abandoning God’s Pattern

John warns that in the last days: “Many will be deceived… many will break away from the church.” Why?

“For lack of knowledge, my people perish.”

When we abandon God’s pattern, we replace it with:

• Human traditions

• New Age ideas

• Doctrines of demons

John says: “When you don’t know the pattern… you’re easily influenced.”

The tabernacle is not outdated. It is essential.

“Jesus said to Moses, ‘Build it exactly like I’m telling you.’”

The pattern is heaven’s blueprint for earth.

Conclusion — Worship, Word & Communion: The Weapons of Breakthrough

John ends with clarity: “This is why we do church like we do. Worship, words, and communion — these are the weapons of our warfare.”

These three elements:

• Strengthen the soul

• Equip the believer

• Bring breakthrough

• Align us with heaven’s pattern

  
  

The Holy Place is not the end — it is the preparation for the Holy of Holies.

And in Episode 4, we will step beyond the veil.