Tabernacles Central: Practical Aspects Of A Moveable Love Feast
Let Me Tell You A Secret…
A Love Feast Tastes Really Good!
As we move towards holding real world love feasts (tabernacle meetings), it is good to have an idea of what we’re aiming for. Over all, our plan is to hold meetings which are real world examples of modern-day love feasts. These gatherings center around worship, revelation, and food. Dancing will be a primary feature of our gatherings. What follows is a rough draft of what a modern-day love feast looks like.
The worship
There is a lot of music already out there which fits very well with the Tabernacle experience. We need to research copyright/use issues to see whether or not we can play other people’s songs during our love feasts. Additionally, I have about 20 songs that are Tabernacle music which we can begin with. I am sure, as we progress, God will anoint others gifted in music to author and perform more original material.
At present, I have the beginnings of a music set up. We have a Roland XP-80 synth keyboard, stand, studio monitors and small amp to power them. In addition I have two Roland KC-500 Keyboard amps/speakers of about 200 watts each. The Keyboard speakers can be used as loud speakers too.
We also have a Fender Telecaster electric guitar and an off brand bass guitar. There is also one 100 watt guitar tube amplifier. I have one other acoustic guitar too. There are two sure 58 mics.
I play the guitar fairly well and the base and keyboard a little. I write songs and can sing some also. Most of my songs are copyrighted.
Setting the stage
My concept of the stage is to have 4 banners, approximately 3 to 4 foot wide and 10 to 15 feet tall. The colors will be purple, aqua green, magenta, and yellow. These would hang from large tripods similar to speaker stands. Also, embroidered Cherubim of three or four different sizes, are on the fabrics. Gradually, as we held meetings we would sew Cherubim on the banners, harkening back to the walls of the holy of holies in the Tabernacle in the wilderness. We could even use these for fund raising purposes by offering those who support us a chance to donate for a Cherubim to have sewn on the banner of their choice. These banners would be placed behind those leading the meeting.
In the beginning we can just set up on the ground, but at some point we would need a stage set up that breaks down for travel. I am not sure if outside is best of if we should look for halls to rent. We would have lights and effects as seemed appropriate. These days, with the advent of DJ’s, there are lots of things you can do on a budget. We might even buy a used DJ rig for our Tabernacle meetings.
I have been looking at the Technomad sounds system. It is expensive, but compact and rugged. The sound quality is supposed to be very good too. We can, and will use what we have. However, ultimately, if God makes a way, I think this is what we will think about getting.
The Feast
Food is a major part of the final feast. We are basically foreshadowing the marriage supper of the Lamb. Therefore, the concept of a feast is an integral part of any such celebration. I have built a mobile BBQ that can cook enough food to feed 100 to 200 people at a time. I have equipped it with onboard power (a 3000 watt inverter and batteries) and lights. It also has a chest freezer to store food. I didn’t know why I was building this over the last 9 years, but perhaps it was for just this reason.
I believe through BBQ and Dutch Oven Cooking, we can provide enough cooking capacity for small venues. We can also feast while on the road too.
Outreach and teaching
I have been feeling that God’s spoken revelation is very powerful. While writing is good way to communicate clearly, faith comes by hear and hear by the spoken word of God. In order to promote the Tabernacle message, we need to tell people about it. They need to hear why it is a current revelation and also why they need to know it.
Converting the writings of the final feast into books and tracts is one step in moving the Tabernacle vision forward. In addition to written material and websites, setting meetings up to be video recorded for YouTube and social media sharing is another powerful way to communicate the message of Divine Love. We could potentially reach people in places that are not accessible to us if we produce quality videos. Additionally, we could work towards live webcasting of Love Feast too.
Therefore, instead of social media being an after thought, lets design what we do for upload to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter etc. from the very beginning. Our ultimate aim would be for others to hold their own love feasts through being inspired by our example.
Transportation and location
After doing some research, I think a 2014 Ford e-350 super duty extended passenger van will be enough for what we need. It is big enough engine to pull the BBQ plus can seat up to 15 people. A top rack on the van could hold tents for camping at love feasts wherever we stay during our travels.
As I think about this, I seems to me that tapping into an updated hippie motif could be a way for people to relate to us at the beginning. It is important to give people a place to start when introducing something new and revolutionary. For example, regular military people in the first world war, resisted Sir Winston Churchill’s idea of employing mechanized armor to break the stalemate on the war front. However, once Sir Winston convinced them that tanks were just an updated version and logical progression of existing mounted Calvary, they got the message.
Providing a context for Divine Love
Likewise, speaking about Divine Love without any context may be a bridge to far for many people. However, if we adopt a kind of new wave 60’s peace/revival camp meeting style, I believe it would help others begin to understand what we are all about. In essence, the 60’s was a counterfeit move of Tabernacles fueled by rock and roll, drugs, and promiscuity. We are not hippies, but we do preach a message of peace and love with God and one another.
Our basic premise in all aspects of the Tabernacle Movement is to “listen, Hear, and Obey On Time”. Therefore, we will pray for God to lead us where to start our meetings and how to promote them. Current, many years ago, God showed me three places in Utah where He intends to pour out His Spirit. These are:
- Manti
- Loa
- New Harmony
From there, subsequent meetings might be held in a sort of spiral pattern that expands as we progress from place to place. This would give people the opportunity, if they desired, to attend subsequent meetings without too much travel.
Another idea is to go to different local events and sell BBQ commercially, then the day afterward set up someplace near the event. In this way we could off set costs and meet the local people before our love feast. Through a business, we could also write off most of the costs of promoting the Final Feast.
Tabernacles Central: A place to connect
Eventually, I feel that we should locate somewhere permanently. Ideally, we would purchase a resort with cabins, having enough land to allow for further expansion if needed. Keeping up a lodging business would accomplish a couple of things: provide basic income and the comings and goings of fellow believer would be expected.
I feel it is important to maintain a low profile in whatever community we settle in. I expect God may lead us to have a series of local meetings and some may even join with us for a time. A hospitality business provides a logical accommodation for these activities.
Our goal is to share the Tabernacles message, providing a place for people to connect. Ultimately we desire to inspire others to emulate our love feast reintroducing Eden’s first love in a way people can easily understand. Our aim is to disseminate the truth world-wide through our social media. I do not know what the right way to do this is yet, however, I am sure God will lead us as we obey His voice by faith.
In conclusion
Now that we have laid the foundation of Tabernacle theology, it is time to share it with others. God’s truth about Divine Love is powerfully relevant and if shared clearly it will bring about unity in the Body of Christ. Jesus, in his last prayer, urged us to be one. The Tabernacle movement seeks to help fullfill Christ’s longing.
In the Tabernacle movement, one of our core principles is to reflect the Rhema (spoken word of God) without modification or compromise. This is a lot harder to do than many realize, because where God is today goes far beyond most people’s concept of church.
Finally, Let’s Go!
When God calls you to go out of Egypt, start walking in the direction He leads. Essentially, let’s just do what God says, whether or not it appears possible. Assume, when God calls, that He makes a way to carry out His will. Simply “show up” and leave the heavy lifting to our Father. As God calls you, purpose to Listen, Hear, and Obey on Time, doing the will of the Lord.
Dear Connections,
I found this “Raver’s Manifesto” while researching rave music. It’s author is unknow but I think it describes something very deep and real that draws people.
“Our emotional state of choice is Ecstasy. Our nourishment of choice is Love. Our addiction of choice is technology. Our religion of choice is music. Our currency of choice is knowledge. Our politics of choice is none. Our society of choice is utopian though we know it will never be.
You may hate us. You may dismiss us. You may misunderstand us. You may be unaware of our existence. We can only hope you do not care to judge us, because we would never judge you. We are not criminals. We are not disillusioned. We are not drug addicts. We are not naive children. We are one massive, global, tribal village that transcends man-made law, physical geography, and time itself. We are The Massive. One Massive.
We were first drawn by the sound. From far away, the thunderous, muffled, echoing beat was comparable to a mother’s heart soothing a child in her womb of concrete, steel, and electrical wiring. We were drawn back into this womb, and there, in the heat, dampness, and darkness of it, we came to accept that we are all the same. We came to accept that we are all equal. Not only to the darkness, and to ourselves, but to the very music slamming into us and passing through our souls: we are all equal. And somewhere around 35Hz we could feel the hand of God at our backs, pushing us forward, pushing us to push ourselves to strengthen our minds, our bodies, and our spirits. Pushing us to turn to the person beside us to join hands and uplift them by sharing the uncontrollable joy we felt from creating this magical bubble that can, for one evening, protect us from the horrors, atrocities, and pollution of the outside world. It is in that very instant, with these very realizations that each of was truly born. We continue to pack our bodies into clubs, or warehouses, or buildings you’ve abandoned and left for naught, and we bring life to them for one night. Strong, throbbing, vibrant life in its purest, most intense, most hedonistic form.
In these makeshift spaces, we seek to shed ourselves of the burden of uncertainty for a future you have been unable to stabilize and secure for us. We seek to relinquish our inhibitions, and free ourselves from the shackles and restraints you’ve put on us for your own peace of mind. We seek to re-write the programming that you have tried to indoctrinate us with since the moment we were born. Programming that tells us to hate, that tells us to judge, that tells us to stuff ourselves into the nearest and most convenient pigeon hole possible. Programming that even tells us to climb ladders for you, jump through hoops, and run through mazes and on hamster wheels. Programming that tells us to eat from the shiny silver spoon you are trying to feed us with, instead of nourish ourselves with our own capable hands. Programming that tells us to close our minds, instead of open them.
Until the sun rises to burn our eyes by revealing the dystopian reality of the world you’ve created for us, we dance fiercely with our brothers and sisters in celebration of our life, of our culture, and of the values we believe in: Peace, Love, Freedom, Tolerance, Unity, Harmony, Expression, Responsibility and Respect.
Our enemy of choice is ignorance. Our weapon of choice is information. Our crime of choice is breaking and challenging whatever laws you feel you need to put in place to stop us from celebrating our existence. But know that while you may shut down any given party, on any given night, in any given city, in any given country or continent on this beautiful planet, you can never shut down the entire party. You don’t have access to that switch, no matter what you may think. The music will never stop. The heartbeat will never fade. The party will never end. I am a raver, and this is my manifesto.”
Something about that really rings true. I believe the emerging Body of Christ may be attending these massive raves that are going on all over the world. I am not saying that just because you go to a party, you are searching for God, however, I am saying that those who may respond to divine love are there.
I pray that God help us reach them with the Divine Love of God before the Antichrist snares them completely. Being the Elect of God, those who are chosen will weather Strong Delusion no matter what state they are in now. However, I also feel that many will lose out on eternal salvation simply because no one bothered to look at what is going on with them as God sees them.
God bless,
Michael