When the Spirit Comes

When the Spirit Comes


By Dudley Hall www.sclm.org


If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17 (ESV)

Jesus is honing in on the new humanity that will carry on his mission after his resurrection. First, he identifies those who are members of this new company. It is those who love him by following the truth as he defines it. To claim to love him without ordering your life around his teaching, is a fallacy. He is not just a lovable person that can be added to our personal pantheon of gods. He is not just one of the historical characters we would invite to our fantasy dinner. He is the Lord of all truth and worthy to be followed exclusively.

Second, he is describing the process that will enable this new race to fulfill its destiny. The Father is sending the Holy Spirit to help. He will move from "with" to "in" this community and will empower it to get the assignment done. Since Jesus operated on earth as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, the corporate body of Christ will need this power also. He is the Spirit of truth. He operates in ultimate reality. He will illumine the minds of those who believe in Jesus with the truth that is in him. Those who are not believers will not see the same way. Their perspective lacks the illumination the Spirit gives. This means that there will be conflict. It also means that those who know the truth become servants to those who don't. It is our privilege and responsibility to give the higher perspective in any conversation in which we find ourselves.

This is heady stuff Jesus is discussing with his disciples. He is talking about a dynamic that is universally majestic. It is on the dramatic scale equal to the original creation. In the Genesis account, God created a race by his word. Now, he is creating another one by his Word. This new humanity is defined neither by ethnicity nor geography. It is defined by Jesus. Those who believe and obey his order are apart of it, and those who don't believe can't see or know the truth he reveals for that community. Just as Adam and Eve were expected to create a culture of divine order in the first creation, this new creation is to spread the culture of his kingdom through the whole world. It is the ultimate privilege to be a part of this project.

We will need all the grace offered in order to get the job done. We must prize the gift of the Holy Spirit and his many expressions. We can't reveal the divine model without supernatural power. We can't love like Jesus loves without the Spirit that empowered him. We can't suffer without him. We can't forgive on our own. But, with him indwelling us individually and corporately, the church can invade every sphere of influence in creation and bring light in place of darkness. We can speak truth in place of error.

Maybe we should spend some time just rejoicing that we have been chosen to be a part of the new humanity and thinking of how we can live appropriately.

A Life Prepared for God

BY FRANCIS FRANGIPANE

I love the Word of God. I have a burning passion that my words, whether written or spoken, might be filled with the substance of God. I love comparing translations, researching commentaries and then using that holy information to prepare teachings. Several years ago, however, I found myself being corrected by the Lord. I had spent too much time preparing my message for a service. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit interrupted my study to recalibrate my focus. He said, "I have called you, not just to prepare sermons, but to prepare people."

This was a subtle, but profoundly significant correction. I was reminded of John the Baptist who was sent as a "forerunner before [the Messiah]." God had called John "to make ready a people prepared for the Lord" (Luke 1:17).

There is a difference between preparing a message about God and preparing a people for God. Obviously, sermon preparation is very important, but it is not an end in itself. The goal is to equip and train people to represent Christ.

As we approach the end of this age, I believe our Father is in the process of training people to serve during the last great harvest. Our destiny as Christians is to "grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). This means, we must not only know that Jesus heals but know who He intends to heal and how He wants to heal them.

You see, our quest is not only to possess accurate theology, but that the actual "life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh" (2 Cor. 4:11).

Reward or Reproof
Our success in life is determined by one primary objective: how functionally transformed into Christ's likeness have we become? This reality - man created in the image of Christ - is the core purpose of our existence (Gen. 1; Rom. 8:29; etc). In my opinion, the Lord does not need to examine every individual thing we have ever done, good or evil. All things are already "open and laid bare" before Him (Heb. 4:13). What He will probe is the cumulative effect of our life's choices; He will measure how Christlike we have become.

If He sees that we were forgiving even when wounded; if He sees in us a heart that holds fast its faith even in times of adversity; if He finds us to be truly repentant and genuinely humble, even when we could boast; and if He sees we are committed to a life of love, we will have fulfilled the purpose of God. We will receive a great reward.

If, however, the Lord sees in us a soul easily offended or that we blame others for our joyless, angry attitude; if He scans our inner man and finds we are self-righteous and judgmental; or if our conscience alternately either accuses or defends ourselves, then we will render an account for our life at the judgement seat of Christ (Rom. 1:29, 2:5; 2 Cor. 5:10; Heb. 9:27).

Thus, it is of the utmost importance that we settle the eternal goal for our lives. Are we seizing life's opportunities to appropriate Christ or are we mostly coasting? Let us say with vision and assurance, I am preparing myself for God!

More GREAT QUOTES

More GREAT QUOTES
-Sermonindex.

"If God sends us on strong paths, we are provided strong shoes."
- Corrie ten Boom

"The secret formula of the saints: When I am in the cellar of
affliction, I look for the Lord's choicest wines."
—Samuel Rutherford

"God takes a safe course with His children, that they may not be
condemned with the world, He permits the world to condemn them,
that they may not love the world, the world hates them...."
—Richard Sibbes

"We are too busy to pray, and so we are too busy to have power."
— R. A. Torrey

"A religion that costs nothing is worth nothing."
- W.B. Dunkum

"Do not pray for easy lives, pray to be better men and women. Do not
pray for tasks equal to your strength, pray for strength equal to your
tasks." - Phillips Brooks

"It's Jesus - only Jesus"
- Denny Kenaston

Christ Was Focused

Matthew 16:22-23 (NKJV)
Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “Far be it from You, Lord; this shall not happen to You!”
But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, for you are not mindful of the things of God, but the things of men.”

Christ Was Focused
During His entire ministry, Jesus was never sidetracked. Whether the distraction came from satan or one of Jesus’ closest friends, Christ would not turn His focus away from what He had to accomplish for the Father.

Think for a moment about Jesus’ refusal to be distracted. Here was a man who had unlimited power at His fingertips and He refused to give up even a little of that power in other pursuits. How much more so should we, who are very limited in our power, be focused on what God would have us accomplish?

It is key for us to understand that once we have identified our God-directed purpose, we can expect the enemy to zero in on us and attempt to distract us. These distractions can take many forms and in some cases they will seem very innocent. In fact, service itself can become a distraction!

How can that be? Some men find it very difficult to turn down opportunities to serve even when it interferes with the ministries they are called to be involved in. We should never assume that every opportunity to serve has to be pursued. Unlike Jesus, we are very finite and have real limitations on how much we can achieve. In order to be as effective as possible for Him, we must be focused sharply on what God would have us accomplish for Him.

If you reflect on people who have done great things for the kingdom, this sharp focus will stick out as a common quality. They followed Christ’s example and stayed focused on their mission despite all distractions, including opportunities that seemed to be Christ-centered.

Why?
Because to a man that is focused on his mission from God, it is unacceptable to allow distractions to creep in.

Pray
Request wisdom and discernment from God. Ask Him to help clear aside those things which distract you from pursuing His desires.

Ask Yourself
Are you easily sidetracked or discouraged? Do those who mean well sometimes pull you in other directions? Are there things in your life that take your focus off of God?

Take Action
Last week you created a list of items that you occupy your time with and prayed over this list asking God to guide where you should spend your time. Any item that you had listed as a “distraction” that you felt led to remove, take practical steps to eliminate it this week.

On A Mission From God

Ecclesiastes 1:2 (NKJV)
The words of the Teacher, son of David, king in Jerusalem:
"Meaningless! Meaningless!" says the Teacher. "Utterly meaningless! Everything is meaningless."


How many men have you known who have gone from “on fire” new believers to lukewarm Christians? I have known plenty and have been one myself. When I first came to Christ, I joined a church, became a regular attendee of a Bible fellowship and joined a weekly Bible study. I was a sponge, soaking up spiritual knowledge after years of searching for truth. After a short time, I involved myself in an evangelism ministry and was discipled by some mature Christian men in my Bible fellowship class.

Over that first year I grew tremendously in Christ and my enthusiasm grew in tandem. That growth and enthusiasm peaked by the second year of my walk and by the fourth year I was in spiritual decline. Was I backsliding? If I had not firmly established my Christian roots by this point, I could have been. In practice though, my friends came to know me as a “good” Christian man who served faithfully in and outside the church. The problem is that the excitement had been lost in my life as a follower of Christ. I was no longer on fire; simply in a slow, long decline; becoming one of the lukewarm Christians Christ abhors.

Doing neither powerful things for His name’s sake, nor horrible things that would cause shame, I did small things that only served to make me look good in the eyes of my family and friends but provided no deeper fulfillment. There was good intent, but I was simply going through the motions. Deep inside, I really wanted something more. I wanted joy in my service.

So what causes a man to weaken in his walk and slip into a state of spiritual mediocrity? It happens when his walk seems meaningless, utterly meaningless. Why do something if you don’t feel there is a purpose to it? We get to this state because our Christian walk does not seem to match up to any higher purpose, even when we are doing things ”for God.”

Pray
Ask God to reveal Himself to you in the coming weeks as we explore your unique purpose in life. Pray that He will prepare you and use you in His service.

Ask Yourself
Do you serve without excitement? Is there currently an area of service that “fires you up”? Do you believe that God desires to use you in a way that you have not yet pursued? If so, what is holding you back?

Take Action
Explore the opportunities that your church has for service. Talk to a pastor to find out about those needs that may not be advertised in the church bulletin.

HOW We SHORT-CIRCUIT the POWER OF GOD

HOW We SHORT-CIRCUIT the POWER OF GOD
-J. Lee Grady.

We can't have New Testament power if we don't walk in New
Testament love.

The New Testament church was characterized by exciting miracles
and supernatural anointing, but it was not immune to division. The
earliest churches suffered splits—not only because of doctrine but
also because of bitter personal disputes.

Even the apostle Paul, who modeled Christian affection and
implored his followers to preserve the bond of love, had an
unfortunate disagreement with his close colleague, Barnabas,
early in their ministry partnership.

The exact nature of their argument is a mystery. We only know
that Paul did not want to take John Mark, Barnabas' cousin, on
his second missionary journey because the young disciple had
deserted the team in Pamphylia. Acts 15:39 says: "And there
occurred such a sharp disagreement that they separated from one
another, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed to Cyprus. (NASB)"

“Many Christians nurse grudges for years; others collect offenses
like packrats. Many people are wounded in one church and then
move to another—carrying their resentment and bitterness with them.”

We can only speculate about what happened. We know that Mark
was Peter's spiritual son (1 Pet. 5:13), and it is possible that Mark
took sides with Peter in his awkward controversy with Paul over
the practice of Jewish traditions. Whatever the case, Paul went
one way from Antioch and Barnabas went another. For at least a
season, an effective ministry team was fragmented.

When we piece the entire story together, however, we discover
that Paul and Mark eventually reconciled. In the letter to Philemon,
Mark is mentioned as part of Paul's team (v. 24). In Colossians 4:10,
Paul says of Mark: "If he comes to you, welcome him." And in
Paul's last epistle, he tells Timothy: "Pick up Mark and bring him
with you, for he is useful to me for service" (2 Tim. 4:11).

To say that Mark was "useful" was an understatement. After all, it
was Mark who, years after he disappointed Paul with his bad
behavior, wrote the gospel that bears his name. Most scholars
believe Mark based his account on Peter's firsthand experiences
with Jesus.

The story of Paul and Mark is a dramatic picture of forgiveness,
redemption and second chances. An ugly conflict was resolved. A
bitter dispute was reconciled. And a young man's ministry was
restored after he made an embarrassing mistake.

This is the way New Testament Christianity is supposed to work.
Jesus constantly taught on the primacy of forgiveness, and the
early apostles urged their disciples to keep short accounts.

Paul, especially, asked his followers to soak their lives in love. He
told the Colossians: "Put on a heart of compassion, kindness,
humility, gentleness and patience; bearing with one another, and
forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone...
Beyond all these put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity"
(Col. 3:12-14).

That is the New Testament's gold standard, but what we practice
today falls short. Too often, pastors who parted ways years ago
still don't speak to each other. The necessity of forgiveness is
rarely preached. Many Christians nurse grudges for years; others
collect offenses like packrats. Many people are wounded in one
church and then move to another—carrying their resentment and
bitterness with them.

What we don't realize is that unresolved conflict can short-circuit
the power of God in our lives, and it makes the church weak and
irrelevant. Many of us have prayed that the Holy Spirit would
unleash a fresh wave of revival in our midst. But perhaps we need
to ask these simple questions first:

Am I carrying any personal resentment in my heart toward anyone?

Am I still carrying around baggage from previous conflicts?

Have I judged a person because of their mistakes, and determined
in my heart that they can never change? If they are willing to
repent, am I willing to release them?

Has my love for people—especially other Christians—become cold,
artificial and hypocritical, rather than warm and affectionate? If we
want New Testament power, we must also pursue New Testament
love. We cannot expect to reconcile sinners to God if we have not
practiced reconciliation with each other.

Please comment on this article at the website below-

http://www.johnthebaptisttv.com/


SOURCE- http://www.charismamag.com/index.php/fire-in-my-bones

WHERE You STAND

WHERE You STAND
-David Wilkerson.

In Exodus 33, Moses didn’t know it but God was about to bring him
into a greater revelation of his glory and nature. This revelation would
go far beyond friendship, far beyond intimacy. It’s a revelation God
wants all his hurting people to know.

The Lord told Moses he was going to show him his glory: “I will
make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the
name of the Lord before thee” (Exodus 33:19). Then he said,
“Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me,
and live…. [But] behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt
stand upon a rock: and it shall come to pass, while my glory
passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover
thee with my hand while I pass by” (33:20–22).

The Hebrew word for glory in this passage means “my own self.”
God was telling Moses, “I myself will pass by near you.” One
translation says it this way: “I will hide you in a cavity of the rock,
and I will defend you with the protectiveness of my power until I
have passed by.”

This is what the apostle Paul means when he says that we are
“hid in Christ.” When we fail God—when we sin grievously against
the light—we are not to linger in our fallen condition. Instead,
we’re to quickly run to Jesus, to be hid in the Rock. Paul writes,
“Our fathers…did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank
of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was
Christ” (1 Corinthians 10:1, 4).

What was the great revelation that God gave to Moses about
himself? What is the truth about him that we’re to sanctify in our
hearts? It is this:

“The Lord said unto Moses…be ready in the morning, and come
up in the morning unto mount Sinai…And the Lord descended in
the cloud, and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of
the Lord. And the Lord passed by before him, and proclaimed,
The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and
abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no
means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:1, 2 and 5–7).

Here was the greater revelation, the full picture of who God is. The
Lord told Moses, “Come up to this rock in the morning. I’ll give you
a hope that will keep you. I’ll show you my heart as you’ve never
seen it before.” What was the “glory” that Moses besought of the Lord?

Here is the glory: a God who is “merciful and gracious, longsuffering
and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands,
forgiving iniquities and transgression and sin, and that will by no
means clear the guilty.”

Christ is the full expression of that glory. Indeed, all that is in the
Father is embodied in the Son. And Jesus was sent to earth to
bring that glory to us.

-SOURCE:
http://www.worldchallenge.org/en/node/10147

Are You God’s Choice Today?

Are You God’s Choice Today? by James Ryle
“Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry…” (Matthew 12:18-19).

Is it possible that God is even now looking for that man or woman whom He may place His hand of blessing and anointing upon, raising them up in our time of need to serve as a Deliverer, a Judge, a Hero, or a King? And is it possible that it might be you?

Do you have what it takes?

Jesus shows us by His example what a chosen and anointed servant is like. First, He shall not strive, now cry. The word strive means, “to contend, to dispute; to argue with irritating persistence.” This, Jesus never did; nor should we who seek to follow His way. He spoke the truth in love, and what He said stood on its own merits — needing no wrangled argument to attest to its authenticity.

The word cry means, “to make a clamor; to protest insistently and noisily.” You know, it’s that obnoxious and dominating style of pontificating that so often shows up in public debates. In fact, the distinction between striving and crying is the one is private, and the other public.

Striving is how one individual acts when speaking to another individual, particularly if the other disagrees with what is being said. Crying is how an individual acts when speaking to a crowd; using hype and emotion, and force of opinion, as a cover for his lack of truth and substance.

Thomas Carlyle said, “In any controversy, the moment we feel anger we have already ceased striving for the truth and have begun striving for ourselves.”

When God puts His Spirit upon a man or woman they will be marked with a composure that sets them apart from the standard fare of public converse and clamor. They will speak in such a manner as to educate, enlighten, engage, and empower those who listen to them.

I pray that you may be such a person — someone whom God would choose to use; in whom He is well-pleased, and upon who He would put His spirit. Someone so anchored in truth and covered with love that there is no need for striving and crying — just serving all who cross your path for the great good of man and the greater glory of God.

Yep…that’s God’s choice today.

Living from the inside out

Hi all,
Jesus said "The Father had life in himself, and He gave to the Son to have life in himself." (John 5:26) Have you ever wondered how the Father 'gave birth' to his only born Son, into the very nature of their Father & Son relationship? My new 4-cd series; "I AM; Who Jesus is, where He came from", does just that - link to the right.



External framework of rule & regulations
Last week I laid out how the Father, being a Spirit, created physical beings (us) to be a bridge between His Spirit realm and the physical realm (universe) He created. His plan was that man would be filled with the Holy Spirit, thus by nature walking with God through life in the physical world.

But when Adam sinned, essentially kicking God to the outside looking in, He provided the Mosaic Law and temple/priesthood system as an external framework for fallen man to live by. When you have a world of un-born again people - sinners by nature - they need an external system to corral that nature. Thus He set before them rules for life and the consequences of death, and asked that they choose life. (Deut 30:19)

That external framework included a temple, a priesthood, and a system of rules & regulations governing worship and conduct. The priests told the people what God was saying and what He expected. The temple building and grounds provided a central location for the people to come together to hear what the priests were saying. If you wanted to be where God was or hear what He was saying, you had to go to the temple.

After all, the priests were the ones who spent time in God's presence, for by His choice the Lord made the tribe of Levi His priests and no one else - so they were the font of God's wisdom for the people. Thus the people did what they were told when they gathered in the temple. They had little responsibility for their spiritual lives, and because they were sinners by nature (Eph 2:3), the law could only deal with the actions of a person's life, not the heart. The motives of the heart didn't count under the law, only the act counted.

But the Lord told Jeremiah that a day was coming when He would change the very nature of mankind, that He would make a way for God's law, His ways, to be written on man's heart so man could by nature do what was right, that he by nature could walk and talk with God like Adam did at the start. Things would come full circle, and more than full circle even! People could be born of the Spirit! (Jeremiah 31: 33-34; quoted in Hebrews 10:15-17)

Bye bye temple, hello temples
When the day of Pentecost came, God moved out of the temple in Jerusalem and into people as His temples. Living temples, mobile temples, each one uniquely built and individual, and each having God's laws written, hard wired, into their spirit-man's nature. (I Cor 6:19; Eph 2:20-22, Rom 5:5, Heb 10:16-17)

The change from a central temple location where God's people gathered to be in God's presence in the building, to God's presence being found in individuals, required a change in format, for moving out of a central building made that system not only obsolete, but incompatible with the dynamics of God living in individual people.

For instance Jesus is "meek and lowly in heart" so the new format would by its very nature be one of love and humility and service to one another, rather than all people serving a priesthood via external rules by eye-service.

When God moved into people it meant that motives mattered. No longer would just the act of murder be counted, but the true murder took place when the person was angry with another with no reason. No longer would the physical consummation of adultery be the sin, but the motive of lust was the sin of adultery. It wasn't the flashy public production of prayer/worship that mattered, but the prayer in the 'prayer closet' the Father counted. (Matthew 5:21-22, 27-28; 6:5-6)

Now at last, after all these years, the Spirit-Father in His realm, had a living, breathing means by which to manifest Himself in the physical world He had created, by these living temples. Now all the structure was internal instead of external because that is where He lives.

Loving God with all your life, and your neighbor as yourself sums up all that He required, and that ability was placed within mankind when a person is born of the Holy Spirit - so that by nature man could walk with God, naturally, conversationally, without hoops to jump through and hurdles to climb. (Romans 13:8-10)

Re-learning
But here is the rub: Most living temples, the born again people, grew up in or think like the old temple structure. They are trained to go to a temple thinking that is where God lives. They are trained that they know little about God and a trained priest/cleric must be the font of God's word for them. They first want the man of God to give them a word instead of walking in the truth that THEY can hear from God themselves. They are trained to follow rules & regulations, formulas & processes, in order to please God or manipulate Him to want to be moved to do something for them.

But there are people seeking New Testament realities and walking in the ramifications - the consequences - of Christ in them, that they are living temples, now responsible for their own faith and love and walk with God.
But at first, when they first start to truly know New Testament truth makes the mind go 'tilt' like an old pin-ball machine that's been shaken too hard.

The temple-based-mind screams: What about accountability? What about leadership? How do you keep from getting off balance? Who will control me, who will teach me, who will be my covering?

The temple-mind demands external controls (thus it is fear-based), not able to believe that people can truly be 'real people' with God in them, walking in love towards others, in relationship with others in faith, hearing from the head of the body, controlled by His Spirit, and that it all works.

The temple-mind has no means of comparing it to anything its known, therefore all the books and teachings about New Testament realities only bring up arguments against what they have learned (the NT out of the home-based context it was written in). But in truth, you really have to see New Testament relationships in action and be around it if you are too steeped in the temple to fully understand.

The temple-mind cannot grasp that a group of temples meeting in someone's home regularly, would be accountable to one another, keep one another from getting off base, would be connected to the larger body of Christ no matter where and how they meet, honoring the gifts as they function within their midst rather than honoring an 'office' of this or that above the others. That's so foreign to the temple-mind.

The temple-mind cannot grasp a leadership that is humble, approachable, seeks others above itself, eschews attention to itself, because the temple-mind exalts a caste of priests who are the font of God's voice, like the focus on them, and should therefore be exalted accordingly. The living-temple reality is that one plants, another waters, God is the One who gives the increase, so we are all equal. (I Cor 3:1-10)

It takes time to rearrange the temple-mind into the New Testament mind of being living temples. In Acts 2:46 right after Pentecost it says the people were daily in the temple and also in each other's homes. They had 1 foot (and 1/2 their thinking) in the temple and 1/2 in New Testament living-temple realities for about 18 months. That transition between temple-mind and living temple reality lasted about 18-24 months, for Acts 8:1 says Saul of Tarsus so persecuted the disciples they all left Jerusalem except the apostles. Even after Saul met the Lord in Acts 9, you never again see people returning en mass to the temple - they were now fully renewed to THEY are the temples of God.

Today we often see that same 18-24 month time frame needed for people to renew their minds from temple-building thinking to living-temple thinking of the New Testament.

When God moved out of the central temple building in Jerusalem and into people, instead of making them come to Him, it meant God could now meet with people where they lived, in their homes, in their work, in the marketplace and streets. God the Father, this Spirit-Father from another realm, could now have what He always wanted, what He had back in the day with Adam - He could walk and talk with people in their own gardens, in their homes, where they live! Thus home became a convenient place to meet, though the point isn't the home, it's the people, the church, the living temples that is the focus.

Thus when we say "where is (the) church" we point to a group of people meeting - THERE is the church!

Think of it like this...
This past Sunday in our house church meeting south of Mounds, Oklahoma, our hosts Jeff & Mary, brought up these analogies and I think it's great - we had fun drawing out the parallels. Have fun with this, we did.

The temple-based system of thinking is like computers at work before the Internet. Back then at work all the computers were connected to a massive IBM mainframe in a big room in the building, but cut off from others outside that building. All the computers at work were in offices in 1 building, and they could communicate within that building only, and back in the days of cobalt language there were cards to be punched and holes to align - you had to work hard to please the mainframe computer and its attendants who alone knew how to work the computer.

When people would go to lunch or outside the central building they could talk to other people who worked in other buildings and each of them had their work computers too - like various church people meeting other church people, but each person was tied to their own work computer and limited accordingly.

That was before Pentecost, during temple times, but illustrates the temple-mentality that still exists today.

The realities of the New Testament however can be compared this way: Each person is connected to the world via the Internet, each person has Wifi, each person is connected to the Super Computer individually and also at the same time wired to every other computer in the world.

Each person is now able to download information as they wish - they don't have to go to a central building to connect to a main frame and line up all the holes in the cards just right for the computer or attendants.

Each person can download wirelessly even, from the Super Computer - and also talk to other computers on their own, as they wish. But each other computer has to be willing to 'speak up' and participate or they don't become part of the larger network.

Each person therefore downloads different parts from the Super Computer - so that what you have is valid and what I have is valid, and we have to love and appreciate the different parts each of us have experienced and 'downloaded' from the Super Computer.

And finally...even through your 'computer' is full of viruses, you can still download 'clean' information from the Super Computer. Your hard drive has no viruses because the Super Computer Himself made you of His workmanship, but over the years you've collected other programs with viruses in them that make receiving from the Super Computer seem cumbersome and complicated - but over time He cleans up all that defective software so your hard drive is in flawless communication with Him.

God doesn't live in a temple made with hands...for in Him we live, and breathe, and have our being. (Acts 17: 24-27) That's New Testament reality. Now make your thoughts line up with God's truth instead of trying to make NT truth line up with a temple context and thinking.

Next week, details about how to walk in balance and fullness as a New Testament living temple...
Blessings, (remember if you want to write to me directly write to cwowi@aol.com)
John Fenn
www.supernaturalhousechurch. org

How to Get in On What God is Doing

How to Get in On What God is Doing by James Ryle
“that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2)

Most people who are reasonably acquainted with the Bible will readily recognize certain passages. Take for example Paul’s words from Romans, known and loved by all Believers alike –

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” (Romans 12:1-2).

This provides us with timeless access to get in on what God is doing. Here is how it works.

First, Present Yourself to God. When this happens a change will occur – your thoughts will shift from being fashioned after the world’s way of thinking and living, and your mind will be renewed. You will no longer be conformed to this world, but will become more and more the person God has intended for you to be.

Then, and only then, will you be able to PROVE for Yourself the ever growing circle of all the amazing possibilities which are found in God’s purpose for your life. It is what Paul call “the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.”

Instead of merely doing what everybody else is doing, or even settling for what seems right to you – aim high. Don’t settle for anything less than the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

Good, better, best. Never let it rest until your good is your better, and your better is your best.

As you examine your life today, ask these question of yourself.

Am I conforming to this world in my thoughts and actions? Is there a difference in my life between the general consensus of the popular ideas that most people embrace without a second thought?

Am I by steady diligence and faithful pursuit of God proving what is good for my life? And, am I pressing on beyond the good to find that which is acceptable? And do I have what it takes to move beyond what is acceptable until I find and live in the perfect will of God for my life?

This, my friend, is how we each can get in on what God is doing. And that is the secret of a full and richly fulfilling life. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it more abundantly.” Find the good, acceptable, and perfect will of God will usher you more and more into that life.

JOURNEY TO THE FATHER

Journey to the Father

By Bob Mumford www.lifechangers.org


I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
Jesus’ job description is to lead us into an intimate love relationship with God. At the same time, God, the Father, is reaching for us through His Son–Jesus Christ. Ponder for a moment an inconceivable thought–God, Himself, passionately desires an intimate relationship with each of us! The path that leads to an open connection with God is called the Agape Road. It is a path of Love He laid out to bring us to Himself, one that Jesus pioneered during His earthly life. He invites us to journey this path to knowing and loving God as Father, but the choice is ours. It is important to understand that heaven is not the goal.
If you are a Christian and you die, you have to go to heaven, there is no place else to go! The goal is knowing the Father Himself!
When we choose to follow Jesus and we give our hearts to Him, we do experience some intimacy with God. However, it is often sporadic and inconsistent. Let me illustrate this from my own life. I was sitting on my back porch when I heard God clearly say to me, I want you to love Me with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and I want you to love others. This will require spontaneity and risk.
The more I thought about God asking me to love others, the more I felt resentment, discomfort, and anger. I felt it was unfair for God to ask me to do what I could not do and, really, did not even want to do! I believed I might be able to love God—but not His kids! I was simply too immature to know how to receive or give love on God’s terms.
Without realizing it, I was initially attracted to God as Father because I wanted to use Him for my own comfort and success. Essentially, I wanted Him to do what I wanted, not have a free hand to do what He wanted with me. When you think about this, it summarizes most people’s initial experience with God. As I began to realize how much of my prayer life was centered on getting things from God, I was devastated. I found that I did not even know how to pray without attempting to control God. When my prayer life crashed, I took a pendulum swing to the other extreme and became afraid that if I really loved God and opened to Him, He would send me to some forgotten backwater to rot. In an effort to please Him, I basically lied to Him—I vowed, committed, and promised what I knew I could not give Him—my whole heart. Like Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, I ran, hid, and shifted blame—the essence of sin. Eventually, discouragement made me feel like Peter who said to the Lord, “Depart from me for I am a sinful man.” But, Jesus was faithful to take me up the Agape Road where I found the grace to say, “Abide with me for I am sinful man.”
When God tells us to love, the ability to give and receive love begins to grow. As we discover our real motives and attitudes and come to terms with the “real” us, Jesus will begin to walk us up the Agape Road toward genuine Love.
QUESTIONS & THOUGHTS
• In what ways has your intimacy with God been sporadic or interrupted?
• How do you feel about developing an intimate relationship with God?
• In what ways are your prayers aimed at getting God to do what you want?

THE PURPOSE OF THE WILDERNESS

THE PURPOSE of THE WILDERNESS
by Glen Riddick.

Whether you believe it or not, there is a purpose of the Wilderness.
In the Old Testament, many of us have heard preachers and teachers
of the Word of God mention that this 40 year ordeal of wandering in
the wilderness could have been just a few week journey, but they
never go into detail of the specific purpose of the Wilderness.

If we look at the scriptures in Deuteronomy 8:2, "And thou shalt
remember all the way which the LORD thy God led thee these
forty years in the wilderness, to "humble thee", and to "prove thee", to "know what was in thine heart", whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or not."

3 major things were mentioned:

a.. to humble thee
b.. to prove thee
c.. to know what was in thine heart
So as we examine the scriptures, the specific purpose of the wilder-
ness was a mere 'proving ground'. In the wilderness, one is supposed
to die to the flesh (your ideas, your ways) and hearken to the Word of GOD.

Because the Children of Israel did not do these specific "3" things
(they murmured and complained and never changed ) they died in
the wilderness. They were SAVED from the hands of Pharoah and
the Egyptians, but they still died without obtaining the promised
land that was given to them by God. Only Caleb and Joshua along
with the next generation were ever able to crossover and possess
the land .....are you getting this? You can be SAVED, but not have
what is promised!!

God is saying: you will die in the wilderness if you do not allow God to humble you, prove you and reveal to you the issues that are in your heart. The Lord is saying that you think that you are ready for the masses and packed out stadiums and churches, but really you are not.

This 'proving ground' is where we must stay until we get right with
God and then He allows us to truly possess the Promised Land.

If we fast forward and look at the life of Jesus, we see that after He was baptized in the river Jordan, the Spirit of God came upon Him.
Immediately the Spirit of God drove him in the wilderness to be
tempted, tested and tried ( i.e. the proving ground ).

Saints of God, do you see the pattern??? Jesus was in the wilder-
ness just like the children of Israel, but instead of 40 years, it was only 40 days! Glory to God!

When Jesus was in the wilderness, He passed every test!

a.. He did not exalt himself because He was the Son of God.
b.. He did not misuse the Power of God that was within Him and
remained humble.
c.. He was not going to worship another God and sell out for
worldly possessions!

After GOD examined his heart and he passed the tests, the
scriptures tell us that Jesus came out of the wilderness (i.e. the
proving ground ) in the POWER of the SPIRIT and began to possess
the Land. Wherever he went there were signs, wonders and miracles
and there was victory!!

I must be blunt and to the point today Child of God, please stop
acting like the children of Israel in the wilderness, it will only cause death! You will die in the wilderness. Although God will take care of you to some degree, it is second best! I am tired of second best, aren't you??

I really do want to reach the masses! I really do want to flow in the Holy Ghost! I want to be just like Jesus and come out of the wilderness in the Power of the Spirit and then be able to say WATCH
OUT DEVIL, I am COMING IN THE NAME of THE LORD!!

Here is the reason you are in the wilderness:

a.. Some of you are so lifted up in pride, that is the exact reason why you are in the wilderness.
b.. Some of you are failing every single trial and test, so that is why you are in the wilderness, you cannot get past the proving process.
c.. Some of you when you open your mouth, you can clearly see
why you are in the wilderness because, "out of the abundance of
your heart, the mouth speaketh".

Don’t ever think that the people that are being used mightily of God
in our day and time have not paid a dear price for it!!

People that are reaching out and making a difference (I am not
talking about people that are in emotionalism or people that have
learned to work a crowd) that are getting BIBLE RESULTS.... they
have paid a great price to go all the way with God. Are you willing
to pay that price? Are you willing to give it all up like the disciples?
If not, you cannot be Jesus' disciple. Search the scriptures....this
type of believer does not need advertisement.... GOD is their advertisement!

In conclusion, God wants you to come out of the wilderness. God
wants you to eat the good of the land. God wants us to be just like
Jesus! If we are just like Jesus, churches will not be empty, if we
are just like Jesus, people would have faith in God. If we are just
like Jesus, we will be able to do the greater works that he talked
about and will not waste time talking of what God used to do, but
we will begin to talk about what he is doing right now! Glory to God!!

Please do not die in the wilderness.... you have been there too long.

Blessings,

Glen Riddick.

Don't Get Infected With Last Days Fever

Don't Get Infected With Last Days Fever

By Lee Grady www.themordecaiproject.com


Don't let the sensationalism of eschatology distract you from the priority of evangelism.
You might remember Edgar Whisenant. He wrote a best-selling book called 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will Be in 1988—and a much less popular sequel, The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989. The second book said Jesus didn't come back in 1988 because the author, who was a former NASA engineer (!), missed his mathematical calculations by a year.
The mood of the 1980s was uneasy. After Ronald Reagan was elected president, some Christians began to surmise that Soviet leader Leonid Brezhnev was the Antichrist. When he died they gave the title to the next Soviet leader, Yury Andropov, and then to his successor, Konstantin Chernenko. When Chernenko died unexpectedly, people were certain that Mikhail Gorbachev was the Antichrist because he had that awful red birthmark on his forehead.
"If you study the great Christian revivals of the past you will find that none were triggered by date-setting, rapture fever or Bible prophecy seminars.""
But Jesus didn't return during Gorbachev's tenure. In fact the Soviet system crumbled and Christian missionary activity began to blossom all over the cold Russian landscape. The people who expected the sky to fall any minute found someone else to fill the Antichrist's shoes. First it was Bill Gates, then Osama bin Laden. Today it's a toss-up between Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and Venezuelan despot Hugo Chávez.
Through the years there have been gloomy rumors about computer chips and global conspiracy. I remember one story warning us that JCPenney credit cards carried the mark of the beast. Today if you believe everything you read on the Internet, that same evil mark is on President Barack Obama's birth certificate.
All this date-setting and foolish prognostication bothers me because Jesus said it is strictly off-limits. He told His disciples before His ascension, "It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority" (Acts 1:7, NASB). That means we don't have the right to predict the date of His return or to make guesses about the timeline of final judgment.
The apostle Paul also warned the early church to stay away from date-setting. He told Timothy: "But refuse foolish and ignorant speculations, knowing that they produce quarrels" (2 Tim. 2:23). Paul wanted his followers to keep their focus on the main thing—the spreading of the gospel—so they wouldn't get sidetracked.
Christians hold different views of the last days. Pre-millennialists focus on the imminent rapture of the church—an event that is described in the New Testament. Post-millennialists focus on the triumph of Christ through history—something that is also reinforced in the book of Revelation. Preterists emphasize the ever-increasing government of God—which Isaiah and other prophets spoke of.
I am not writing here to push a particular view of the end times. When people ask me about my eschatological position I tell them I am a "pan-millennialist"—as in: "It will all pan out in the end." I know Jesus will return in triumph. But we can't figure out these things beforehand. Anyone who claims to be an "expert" in the mysteries of Christ's return has forgotten that Jesus Himself said, "Of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone" (Matt. 24:36).
What concerns me most about an unhealthy focus on eschatology is that it distracts us from the ultimate priority of evangelism.
People who get carried away by rapture fever can become escapists. I've met Christians who want Jesus to come back tomorrow even though they know there are entire tribes and people groups in Asia and Africa that have never heard the gospel. On the other hand, I've known smug post-millennialists who were so happy that God's kingdom is advancing that they felt no personal responsibility to reach the lost. I also know people who are so focused on what God is doing in Israel that they forget He has a plan for Nigeria, Bolivia or Indonesia.
In all these cases a wrong emphasis on eschatology caused Christians to lose sight of the Great Commission.
If you study the great Christian revivals of the past you find that none were triggered by date-setting, rapture fever or Bible prophecy seminars. We must preach the cross. Of course we tell the world that Christ is returning. But we do not have permission to muddle our message with nonsense about dates and global conspiracies.
John Wesley and George Whitefield preached repentance, the atonement of Christ and the reality of hell. William and Catherine Booth wept for souls and preached the message of salvation throughout England. Evan Roberts begged God to close the gates of hell in Wales for a year so that he could preach the simple gospel of a perfect redeemer. In all these cases genuine revival was the result. How I wish we could adopt this passionate focus on what really matters.
British revivalist Charles Spurgeon rebuked the preachers of his day for their eschatological speculations. He wrote in Lectures to My Students:
"O that Christ crucified were the universal burden of men of God. Your guess at the number of the beast ... your conjectures concerning a personal Antichrist—forgive me, I count them but mere bones for dogs; while men are dying, and hell is filling, it seems to me the veriest drivel to be muttering about an Armageddon ... and peeping between the folded leaves of destiny to discover the fate of Germany. I would sooner pluck one single brand from the burning than explain all mysteries."
If only the American church would leave this drivel behind. I pray we will reconsider our priorities and embrace a fresh anointing for evangelism.
J. Lee Grady is editor of Charisma. You can find him on Twitter at leegrady.

He Must Increase

He Must Increase
by Chip Brogden
“He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).”
These seven words found in John 3:30 contain the entire mystery of God’s dealings with man from ages past to eternity future. “He [Christ] must increase.” All of God’s works are towards this end of increasing Christ. In other words, everything God has done, is doing, and will do is related towards revealing His Son and bringing us into the full-knowledge (epignosis) of Him. The goal is for Christ to have the preeminence in all things, beginning with us individually as disciples, then with the Church, and finally with all creation, “that He may be All in All.”
He MUST increase. Isaiah tells us that there will be no end of the increase of His government and peace. In the beginning was the Word, and we can see how God has worked steadily from the beginning to increase Christ. From types and shadows in the Old Testament we see Christ coming into view. Then the Word is made flesh and dwells among us, and Christ is increased yet again. Next He comes to dwell within us, and this is a major increase. Finally, He begins to conform us to His own image through the indwelling Life. If we are growing up into Him then He is increasing daily. Eventually every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord. Beyond this, we are told that God will continue to reveal His Son in the ages to come, bringing us into depths and dimensions of Christ that we cannot fathom.
God is not moving backward, but in the Son and through the Son, He moves steadily forward. Christ MUST increase. This is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. Just as we cannot have gravity without having the law of gravity, so it is impossible to have the Life of the Lord but not have the Law of that Life. And the Law of Life is that Christ must increase.
“But I must decrease.” Why doesn’t God reveal His Son to us, in all His glory, all at once? What prevents Christ from filling all things and having the preeminence now? Why do we not yet see all things submitted to Him? Because we must be decreased. If He is to become greater then I must become lesser. When Paul says, “Not I, but Christ,” he is saying “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
Just as all things are working together towards God’s purpose of increasing Christ, so all things are working together towards decreasing us. It does not matter if we understand it or comprehend it. It does not matter if you believe in it or agree with it. You are being decreased just the same, and Christ is being increased. It MUST be so, therefore it IS so. Scientists call this decreasing “entropy”, and it means, “inevitable and steady deterioration”. We can observe this in creation. The present things are groaning and travailing in pain, deteriorating in order to make way for a new heaven and a new earth. We begin to die as soon as we are born. We can look in our own bodies for evidence of “inevitable and steady deterioration” as we move towards a redeemed body. But more importantly, WE, the “I”, the “Self”, is being decreased that Christ may fill us.
How are we decreased? Let us say right away that it is not your duty to decrease yourself, to become an ascetic, and crawl around in the dirt in abject poverty. It is not an outward decreasing, but an inward decreasing, a coming to the end of ourselves. The Kingdom of God belongs to the poor in spirit. Earlier, John said, “A man can have nothing except he receive it from heaven.” Now we may have quite a bit, but if we obtained it from a source other than Christ, it amounts to nothing. Only those sufficiently decreased, the poor in spirit, can see this. This poverty cannot be achieved through self-effort. In fact, part of the decreasing process is the realization that I can do nothing of myself, including decreasing myself. Just as I cannot commit suicide by crucifixion, so I cannot crucify my flesh. The only way to learn this is to fail hundreds, even thousands of times. Then we will learn to say, “I have no confidence in the flesh.”
In the world we will experience temptations, testings, and trials. We will experience persecution, tribulation, and afflictions of soul and body. We will experience mistreatment and misunderstanding. It is not a question of God allowing or not allowing things to happen. It is part of living. Some things we do to ourselves, other things we do to each other. Our Father knows about every bird which falls to the ground, but He does not always prevent it from falling.
What are we to learn from this? That our response to what happens is more important than what happens. Here is a mystery: one man’s experience drives him to curse God, while another man’s identical experience drives him to bless God. Your response to what happens is more important than what happens.
If we see that offenses are bound to come, that there is no way to live in the world apart from what happens, then we must see that the difference between overcoming and not overcoming lies in our response to what happens.
Paul did not pray to be weak so that he could be strong. Naturally speaking, we despise weakness. We prefer strength. But human strength is an illusion. It is not true strength. The Lord shows us His grace is made perfect (or, is matured) through our weakness. Now, Paul rejoices in his weakness, in his being decreased: for “when I am weak, then I am strong.” To the degree that we accept the decrease of ourselves, to that degree will we experience the increasing of Christ.
We cannot walk the narrow path until we have entered the narrow gate. But we cannot assume that because we have entered the narrow gate we are now finished. Most people lay stress on the gate, and their goal is to get people just far enough through the gate that they can claim salvation. That is where most of the Church sits today, just inside the narrow gate, rejoicing in a future salvation, a future heaven, a future return of Christ, and a future reward. But the narrow gate is only the beginning. The narrow gate only opens the door to the narrow way. It is the narrow way which leads to Life, and few find it. Fewer still walk to the end of it.
Now what we are discussing is an event as well as a process. There is a once-and-for-all decision to follow Christ, but we have to keep on following. Entering the gate is a once-and-for-all event, but walking the path is a process. We gain everything when we enter the gate, but we must walk the path in order to now live out of what we have. We are new creations, but we are being changed daily into the image of Christ. We died with Christ once: yet we die daily. We were crucified with Him once: yet we take up the cross daily. We were raised with Him once: yet we experience His Life daily. We were ascended with Him and we were seated with Him in the heavenlies once: but we live out the heavenly position in our daily walk, daily ascending above the earth, above the natural, to sit with Him in His throne as overcomers.
God wills that “all men would be saved (narrow gate) and would come to the full-knowledge [epignosis] of Truth (narrow way).” Those who merely enter the narrow gate have yet to satisfy God’s heart. There is rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents, but as Arthur Katz has said, “Many are saved, but few are converted.” It is God’s will, His desire, that we come to the end of ourselves so that Christ may have the preeminence in us. Jesus said, “If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.” Hebrews tells us that Christ is the brightness of God’s glory, and the express image (or exact representation) of His person. Likewise, God’s purpose for us as disciples (and by extension, the Church) is “if you have seen a disciple, you have seen Jesus.” The Christian is to be the brightness of Christ’s glory, and the exact representation of His person. I lack the vocabulary to express this adequately, but I trust the Lord will show us.
This is beyond “mere salvation”, this is conversion, this is conformity to the very image of Christ. He most certainly does not have the preeminence in us now, thus, “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
We have emphasized the Church for so long that we have lost sight of the individual disciples of which the Church consists. If one member lacks, the entire Body goes lacking. It is not so much a problem with the Church failing to apprehend its fullness as it is the individual disciples of the Lord failing to count the cost, suffer all as loss, and progress down the narrow way towards Christ as All in All. As the disciples go, so goes the Church. If Christ does not have the preeminence in the Church, it is because He does not have the preeminence in us as disciples.
If we have truly entered the gate and are walking the path, if we have truly yielded our lives to Him and long to know Him, then everything we experience is working to increase Christ and decrease us. On the positive side, the Holy Spirit is working to bring us into a more perfect knowledge of Christ. The Spirit is increasing Him, leading us into “all Truth”, towards epignosis. On the negative side, the principle of the Cross is working to decrease us, to bring us to the end of ourselves, to reduce us to nothing. Eastern mysticism has long been aware of this positive and negative at work, it has simply misunderstood what it means and misappropriated it towards an end other than Christ. They have observed a principle but lack the Truth to explain the principle.
We must see that for every decrease of Self, Christ is increased. Even in our discussions we groan inwardly about having to die daily, having to give up our way and our will. We ought instead to be excited about Christ being increased, and how much He stands to gain in us and through us. He MUST increase, but you MUST decrease. It is better to relinquish everything now, on a voluntary basis, and lose our lives in order to gain our real Life. It is more glorious to enter the Kingdom out of a desire to give Christ the preeminence than to enter kicking and screaming and crying because we love ourselves too much. Make no mistake, if it is the Kingdom you seek, the Kingdom you will find, but you must be changed in order to enter therein. If you seek power from God you will have to accept weakness in yourself. If you want to rule with Him you must suffer with Him. If you want His Life you must give up your life. You can have either one you want, but you cannot have both. There is no increase without decrease, and there is no decrease without increase.
May the Son be increased through these words. Amen.

Becoming Rich

Becoming Rich

by Gerald Chester www.strategieswork.com

Then he said to them, "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." Luke 12:15 NIV
Aha—becoming rich! It seems that everyone wants to be rich. We want to get ahead, to be able to do what we want to do, when we want to do it, how we want to do it. And most of all, we want the option of not having to work. Right?

The common view of success is defined as “becoming rich” and is inseparably coupled to money. The maxim is that if you have money, you are a success.

When the obsession with money is so great that everything is compromised for it, we call it greed. The above text warns us against greed—the excessive focus on accumulating money. Jesus made it clear that material assets do not define a person’s life—his or her success and significance.

But most of us don't think like Jesus, we adopt popular perspectives; hence, most of us are driven by money because we think money is probably the greatest indicator of success.

The problem with the common definition of success is that it is inconsistent with reality. We work as if money is eternal, that is, as if it transcends this life and is something that we can accumulate to provide us meaning, purpose, significance, freedom, and standing with God. Money is only temporal, however. It is a tool to be used while we are alive on earth.

The reality is that the universe existed for a long time before we were born and will continue until the return of Christ, which may be well beyond our lifetimes. Furthermore, when we die our money stays here. It can do nothing for us when we die other than buy us a more expensive funeral and potentially bless our heirs.

After we die we will understand more clearly than ever that our Creator is the definer of success in life, not our financial assets. Money is not true riches; money is simply a tool to help us accumulate true riches.

In the bigger scheme, money does not determine our success. So how does a person achieve true eternal success? How does a person use money to accumulate true riches? How does a person become truly rich?

Jesus provided the answer to these questions. He pointed out the futility of living a life based on accumulated material assets (Luke 12:21). The key to success is to become rich toward God.

How does someone become rich toward God? The secret is expressed in Jesus' statement in the Garden of Gethsemane. As he wrestled with his ultimate destiny in this life, he submitted to the will of the Father and uttered the prayer “not my will but your will be done” (Luke 22:42 author's paraphrase).

We become rich as we surrender to the will of God in our lives. To do this we must discover and fulfill the purpose for which we have been created.

For many people this is a confusing concept because, after all, isn't salvation about going to heaven? This is a very common view, but it is incomplete. Salvation has implications both now and for eternity.

One of the clearest texts on this topic is Ephesians 2:8–10. The apostle Paul explained salvation by grace through faith in Christ (verses 8 and 9). Verse 10 reveals one of the key purposes of salvation: to do the specific works—while we are alive on earth—that God created us to do. Since there are specific works that God has ordained we do, this suggests that God does indeed have a plan for each of us; hence, success in life is finding and fulfilling the plan and purpose of God. Success in life is not measured by material assets but by obedience to the will of God.

Here is your business tip. Don’t succumb to the world’s definition of success. Be vigilant about attacking greed in your own life and in the lives of your associates. Model for others the reality that true lasting success is based on obedience to God. Apply this principle both personally and in organizations. In every decision, individually and organizationally, the only question that really matters is the will of God. As you discern the will of God, be totally committed to fulfilling it, no matter the cost. In every situation and every decision, seek to live as Jesus lived when he said to the Heavenly Father, “not my will but your will be done.” This is the only way to become truly rich.

When the Spirit comes

By Dudley Hall www.sclm.org



If you love me you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him for he dwells with you and will be in you. John 14:15-17 (ESV)

Jesus is honing in on the new humanity that will carry on his mission after his resurrection. First, he identifies those who are members of this new company. It is those who love him by following the truth as he defines it. To claim to love him without ordering your life around his teaching, is a fallacy. He is not just a lovable person that can be added to our personal pantheon of gods. He is not just one of the historical characters we would invite to our fantasy dinner. He is the Lord of all truth and worthy to be followed exclusively.

Second, he is describing the process that will enable this new race to fulfill its destiny. The Father is sending the Holy Spirit to help. He will move from "with" to "in" this community and will empower it to get the assignment done. Since Jesus operated on earth as a man filled with the Holy Spirit, the corporate body of Christ will need this power also. He is the Spirit of truth. He operates in ultimate reality. He will illumine the minds of those who believe in Jesus with the truth that is in him. Those who are not believers will not see the same way. Their perspective lacks the illumination the Spirit gives. This means that there will be conflict. It also means that those who know the truth become servants to those who don't. It is our privilege and responsibility to give the higher perspective in any conversation in which we find ourselves.

This is heady stuff Jesus is discussing with his disciples. He is talking about a dynamic that is universally majestic. It is on the dramatic scale equal to the original creation. In the Genesis account, God created a race by his word. Now, he is creating another one by his Word. This new humanity is defined neither by ethnicity nor geography. It is defined by Jesus. Those who believe and obey his order are apart of it, and those who don't believe can't see or know the truth he reveals for that community. Just as Adam and Eve were expected to create a culture of divine order in the first creation, this new creation is to spread the culture of his kingdom through the whole world. It is the ultimate privilege to be a part of this project.

We will need all the grace offered in order to get the job done. We must prize the gift of the Holy Spirit and his many expressions. We can't reveal the divine model without supernatural power. We can't love like Jesus loves without the Spirit that empowered him. We can't suffer without him. We can't forgive on our own. But, with him indwelling us individually and corporately, the church can invade every sphere of influence in creation and bring light in place of darkness. We can speak truth in place of error.

Maybe we should spend some time just rejoicing that we have been chosen to be a part of the new humanity and thinking of how we can live appropriately.

The Lord Will Take Care of This For You

The Lord Will Take Care of This For You

By James Ryle www.truthworks.org


The king said, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you." (2 Samuel 14:8).

Once your petition has been set before the King, and He has given you His assurance that it will be handled by Him personally, and in your best interest -- well, to linger any longer in earnest angst would be most insulting to His majesty. Yet we do it all the time!

"Lord, when? Lord, why? Lord, how long?"

These, and many other hassling questions too often constitute the bulk of our prayer life. Our hearts flood with dark thoughts which spill from our lips in mournful pleas, as we seek His reply to our unanswerable questions. Our hearts have perhaps been broken by the hammer of relentless disappointments, our minds bewildered by unfulfilled hopes, our eyes blurred by tears that never cease -- and we hasten to the Lord with our woeful complaints.

And He says, "Go home, and I'll take care of this for you."

But we linger in our lamentations, stating our case once again in pitiful details, rehearsing the matter over and over, as though He had not yet heard it. It seems in such moments that we are more in awe of our sorrows than we are of our Savior.

"Go home," the Lord says, "and I'll take care of this for you."

There is a faith, noble and true, that leaves the prayer chamber and enters into the day in utter confidence that the Lord will take care of things in a perfect way -- if we would only let Him do it.

As children bring their broken toys with tears, for us to mend;
I brought my broken dreams to God, because He is my friend.
But then, instead of leaving Him in peace to work alone;
I hung around and tried to help in ways that were my own.
He didn't do at all the things I thought that He should do;
He didn't mend my broken dreams;
He didn't make them new.
In fact He seemed quite nonchalant, as though He didn’t care.
So, I increased with holy zeal my intercessory prayer.
Watching, waiting for His hand to do what I had prayed;
but nothing I could say or do helped Him on His way!
At last I snatched them back and cried, "How can you be so slow?"
"My child," He lovingly replied, "you never did let go!"

Oh, hear the Lord's word to you today --
"Go home," the Lord says, "and I'll take care of this for you."

Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show

Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show
By Greg Austin www.gregaustin.org


Summer time in America is historically anticipated as “Revival time.” It’s especially so in the Deep South and among the more fundamentalist brethren among us. Something about hot summer nights, fiery evangelists and altars filled with repentant, weeping souls seems as American as apple pie and baseball.
I remember Neil Diamond singing his new hit song in 1969. The title was, “Brother Love's Traveling Salvation Show.” The lyrics caught the prevailing understanding of revival in America:
Hot August night and the leaves hanging down
and the grass on the ground smellin' sweet
Move up the road to the outside of town
and the sound of that good gospel beat
Sits a ragged tent where there ain't no trees
And that gospel group tellin' you and me

It's Love Brother Love say Brother Love's traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows Brother Love's show

Room gets suddenly still and when you'd almost bet
You could hear yourself sweat he walks in
Eyes black as coal and when he lifts his face
Every ear in the place is on him
Startin' soft and slow like a small earthquake
And when he lets go half the valley shakes

It's Love, Brother Love say Brother Loves traveling salvation show
Pack up the babies and grab the old ladies and everyone goes
'Cause everyone knows 'bout Brother Loves show
And I find myself anticipating, longing for, wanting to see and to experience revival during these next “hot August nights.”
Before proceeding, we must ask, “What is revival?” We must settle upon an agreed definition of the word in question in order to embrace or reject the content and condition that might follow true, biblical, godly revival.
Is revival an overwhelming wave of emotion? Does revival in its essence have to do with loud, energetic music, sawdust floors and shouting crowds?
Is revival a renewed appetite for the things of God?
For the reading of His Word?
For prayer?
For sharing our faith with the lost?
For attending church services?
I’ve known people who’ve read the Bible more than many who were no more spiritual than a Green Tree Frog. I’ve watched people labor all night long in prayer whose tongues shredded their neighbors in the daylight. I’ve known businessmen who wouldn’t think of missing a Sunday church service – because the membership of their church formed a great pool for developing their books of business.
I won’t even entertain the suggestion that the people who fill our pews are fundamentally more pious than the guy handing out blankets and prayer to the homeless at Pioneer Square in Seattle or who sweats beneath a blistering, African sun as he ministers the tangible love of God to the orphans and the dispossessed victims of war and AIDS and ignorance and racially based hatred.
Is revival just an emotional experience – is it the shouting of “Brother Love” and an altar experience or does revival bring with it both a mandate and an enablement for change in our innermost beings?
Allow me to give you the Webster rendering of “revival.”
1: an act or instance of reviving : the state of being revived: as a: renewed attention to or interest in something.
Another reference has this: “A restoration to use, acceptance, activity, or vigor after a period of obscurity or quiescence (stillness).”
In each of these definitions, listed in descending order of priority finally comes “A meeting or series of meetings for the purpose of reawakening religious faith.”
Being revived, in my lexicon means “renewed to our attention towards and interest in Jesus,” being “restored to use, activity and vigor for the Kingdom of Heaven.” That’s my definition, my understanding of “revival” and it’s with this kind of definition that I find myself desiring to experience revival.
I want to see revival, not for the giddy, emotional highs or for the sight of spectacular miracles – the blind seeing, the lame leaping, the dead being raised to life again.
Oh, I would love to see those kinds of miracles, but in my lexicon, that’s not revival; it’s just “these signs” that were promised to “follow them that believe.”
I want to see, to experience revival because all around us our nation – our cities and towns, our neighborhoods – our families lay in ruin. I’m not referencing financial woes or the questions of universal health care or the future of General Motors or the local bank. I’m talking about “Spiritual Security.”
I’m talking about a generation of young people who know more about abortion than they know about the origin of the planet on which they live. Our young people know more about the latest Hollywood star and just-released hot music than they know about Heaven’s Daystar and the melodies of God’s Kingdom.
And whether you’ve given consideration to our need – your need and mine – for revival, what America needs this August is neither “Brother Love’s Traveling Salvation Show” or a political remedy to society’s ills, because neither emotionalism or economic brilliance can cure the cancer that eats at the soul of America or Great Britain or Germany or Israel or India. Only Jesus, only His grace and mercy, His goodness and His truth can wash away the woes facing you and me and our nation and world.
We need, whether we know it or want it, a true, pure revival from heaven to come upon, in and through our hearts. We need to fundamentally be “restored to use, activity and vigor for the Kingdom of Heaven.”
And I’m praying for revival, and I invite you to join me. Who knows, perhaps, if we pray, if we humble ourselves, if we turn from our wicked ways, Heaven may respond, God may hear, and answer, and visit us with His presence, His holiness, His goodness and His grace.
As I have said time after time at the conclusion of whatever I’ve preached for the past thirty-eight years, “Let’s pray.”

EVERYBODY HAS A SEED TO GROW AND SOW

Everybody Has a Seed to Grow and Sow
By Robert Ricciardelli www.vision2advance.com


Some people walk, some people race
Some people vary in their pace
But God can use what you can give
Within the mystery of His ways
Don't underestimate...

One thing I know
Everybody's got a seed to sow
let your heart of hearts
Take you down the road
Everybody's got a seed to sow "Michael W. Smith"

Every Human being was born with an eternal seed… God’s nature!
Everybody who was born was created in His image. By the grace and mercy of God, He brought us life through Jesus Christ, His Son. Redemption came through Christ, as the now, and eternal life for the worlds eternal seed. Ah, and what a life!

We often get so consumed with redemption and a future heaven, that we miss living His life in the present, on planet earth. We hear a lot of misappropriated teaching on the “Abundant Life” the Father has given us, but the truth is, it is “Abundant Life”, and it is “Abundant Life” now, regardless of the circumstances or where you are on this amazing journey.

When the bible talks about being saved, and whole households being saved, it was not to focus on some future heaven, but it was access to heaven on earth, in the NOW. The seed redeemed now, expecting now, looking for now, can begin the maturation process.

Jesus always pointed to the Father. He taught us to pray to the Father to bring His substance to earth through our very beings. It has always been His original intent for ALL of mankind. His intent has always been to be a loving Father to His creation, and dwell with His people. We all have been derailed one way or another until Father was revealed to us through His Son. We also are all different in where, how, and what we are to sow for His glory, as we sow seeds of His substance on earth as it is in heaven.

Theology and doctrine has been used to define what we have come to know, but has often been the very thing that stops the “sow flow. “ We began to judge each other’s sowing based on our limited knowing. So division happened because of knowledge and not on what we actually were doing. We were designed for love; we were designed to deliver His love to the earth. Simplicity of love becomes evil darkness when we are judging what we think we know rather than judging ourselves on what we actually are doing. And how presumptuous are we in thinking that we can know what the Lord is doing in another’s heart?

Joyce and I are determined to look at all people as part of God’s original design. We point the way to the Father as Jesus did. We point to the Way, the Truth, and the Life through His obedient Son… And then as we seek after Him, we become sons in the image of Christ, FOR GOOD WORKS, AND FOR HIS LOVE.

Consider eliminating thoughts of “us and them”, and look at all of us as part of God’s glorious creation, while needing Him, and needing one another.

Father desires that we love Him, and love others. What adjustments need to be made in our paradigms to live in His Agape paradigms more often as Father pleasers? What steps do we need to make towards being givers rather than takers? We are with you in all of this, and ask ourselves the same questions often. Lord what do we need to do to learn to love you more, and love others as ambassadors for you?

Everybody has a seed to sow, and a seed to grow. Father, by your Spirit, help us to grow, sow, and flow in amazing ways in loving and serving You and others.

Be ready, He is speaking. Listen, He has a more excellent way for all of us, and His Kingdom will surely come, and will be done, through our lives, and to the glory of God.
See Roberts Previous Articles http://vision2advance.blogspot.com

The Law of Life

The Law of Life
by Chip Brogden
“For the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death (Romans 8:2).”
Two laws are mentioned in this passage of Scripture: the Law of Life, and the Law of Sin and Death. We who are in Christ Jesus have been delivered from the Law of Sin and Death and are under a new law, which is the Law of Life.
The difference between a theoretical walk with Christ and a practical walk with Christ hinges upon being able to differentiate between the Law of Life and the Law of Death. In the Garden the choice was between the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Law of Death) or the Tree of Life (Law of Life). We must make the same choice today. Christians are much exercised in trying to discern between good and evil, right and wrong, Spirit and flesh. It seems the more we try to figure this out the more frustrated we become. Instead, God would have us come to the Tree of Life. This Life will instruct us in all things, including what is right and what is wrong, yet it is deeper than mere knowledge.
Since it is the Law of Life then we can count upon it to work every time. A law is something which states that a predictable result will occur whenever the same conditions are in place. If it happens once it may be an accident. If it happens two or three times it may be a coincidence. But if it happens a million or a billion times without fail then it is a law. For example, because of the Law of Gravity, if I release a ball into the air then it will fall to the ground. It does not matter how many times I perform this exercise, the result will be the same. It is a law.
Similarly, there is a Law of Sin and Death and there is a Law of Life. In order to live victoriously we do not need ten or twenty principles or keys. All we need to do is cooperate with the Law of Life. It is a sad fact that too many Christians find it easier to cooperate with the Law of Sin and Death than they do the Law of Life. They have no doubt as to the power of the negative law, but they have difficulty believing in the power of the positive law. Hopefully as we discuss these things it will be an encouragement to many who are struggling to overcome sin, self, and satan.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS CONTINUING IN CHRIST
“Unless you eat My flesh and drink My blood you do not have eternal Life in you [Gate]… Whoever continues to eat My flesh and drink My blood continues to live in union with Me and I in union with him… Whoever keeps on eating Me will live because of Me [Path] (John 6:53, 56, 57b Williams Translation).”
It is amazing to see just how often Christ presents us with a Gate and a Path. I believe by now we all know what the Gate is. My burden is to see disciples brought down the Path, so I see the Path everywhere I look in the Scripture. How does this relate to our study? In this way: the Gate of eternal Life is to receive the Lord as food and drink, but the Path is to continue eating and drinking.
The Lord’s words here are not meant to be interpreted literally, for He says, “The words I speak are Spirit and Life, and the flesh profits nothing.” But let us look at literal food and drink for a moment. The Lord tells us that He is meat indeed, and drink indeed. Just how often do we eat and drink? Unless we are fasting, our eating and drinking occur daily, several times a day in fact. That is why I selected the Williams Translation of these passages, because it gives us the continuing action of the Greek verb - “keeps on eating” and “keeps on drinking”. It is not just a once-and-for-all thing, but a continual thing. It is abiding. It is a Gate and a Path.
Now where have we failed? By thinking of eternal Life in terms of a Gate and not a Path. This accounts for our weakness. Eternal Life is not everlasting existence (everyone has that already); it is Christ living in me and I living in Christ continually. I do not eat a single meal at the beginning of my life which is meant to sustain me for the rest of my life. Not at all! Every day I require food and drink, not only to remain healthy, but to simply maintain my natural life. How can it be any less true of Christ?
The Law of Life says our Life is contingent upon continuing in the Lord Jesus as we received the Lord Jesus (Colossians 2:6). I do not have Life today because I received the Lord in 1979. No! I have Life today because today I received the Lord, eating His flesh and drinking His blood. I have no Life of my own, so I am dependant upon His Life to sustain me daily. Since we must have Life every day, we must eat His flesh and drink His blood everyday. Everything hinges upon this.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS CHRIST IS OUR SATISFACTION
“I am the Bread of Life. He that comes to Me will never hunger, and he that believes on Me will never thirst (John 6:35).”
Here we have another principle of how the Law of Life operates. The presence of this Life within the believer will create hunger and thirst for Christ. What is more, this hunger and thirst for Christ cannot be filled or quenched with anything else - including blessings, power, spiritual gifts, or Christian service. It is hard to convince new converts of this, but those of us who have been around a long time should know by now that Christ is what makes a Christian.
Teresa of Avila wrote, “Anyone who fails to go forward, begins to go back, and love, I believe, can never be content to stay for long where it is.” It is a paradox that A.W. Tozer wrote about in “The Pursuit of God”: how can one who has found the Lord continue to hunger and thirst for Him as though He was yet undiscovered?
The answer is two-fold. In the first place, the Lord is much higher, deeper, longer, wider, and larger than we have imagined Him to be. He is so great, in fact, that it will takes additional ages and generations beyond this dimension in order for us to come to the epignosis of Christ. Paul certainly knew the Lord, but near the end of his life he proclaimed his highest aspiration was, “to know Him.”
In the second place, as we have seen already, the Law of Life requires a constant abiding. Having once come to the Lord as Life, now we continually receive Him as our Life. Why are so many dissatisfied? Because they are looking for other things - even good things, spiritual things - to fill a void which only Christ can fill. I am not talking about sinners, I am talking about Christians who look for religious things to fill the void Christ was meant to fill. They are no different than sinners who look for sinful things to fill the same void. This Life accepts no substitutes. It does not perpetuate itself through religious activity, spiritual experiences, hours of prayer, listening to sermons, or long periods of meditation. The Life is perpetuated when we touch the Living Christ directly. And once we know how, we may touch Him immediately and constantly.
So how does Christ satisfy our hunger and thirst? Of course the crowds were looking to have a miracle performed to fill their stomachs. To a certain extent we expect the same sort of miracle. We have no abundance, hence multitudes of Christians flock to churches every week to be fed. We wonder why we live such an up-and-down existence.
Christ is Life. Where is your life? Is it in a church? Is it in a ministry? Is it in a series of mountaintop experiences? Is it in a system of worship or prayer or spiritual exercises? It is possible to have all this as something apart from Christ. How do I know it is possible? Because I have sought all those things for myself and discovered that it is possible to have those things and not have Christ. That is not to say that they do not leave a good feeling or make one think he is spiritual - but Christ is not in my feelings and He is not in my emotion.
Those who hunger and thirst after Righteousness - Christ - will be filled. Thus, the one who is filled is never hungry or thirsty. So on the one hand I want to know the Lord and my desire for Him increases day by day; but it is not the desperate search of a hungry or thirsty man who is fainting and wasting away. I am full of Him because He fills me. There is my “Life, and Life more abundantly.” My Life is not in what He gives me, but in Who He is.
The ones who do not know this are the ones who have to run all over the world looking for a spiritual experience, the next move of God, or a more powerful “anointing”. They are the ones who simply MUST be inside a church building once or twice a week, and if they miss one service they immediately become depressed or backslidden. How is this possible? Because they have been taught that Life is church attendance, or power, or anointing, or feeling God move upon them in a tangible way. But if this were so then they would not need to be constantly filled and refilled.
On reading what has been written thus far I am sure some people are turning in their Bibles to Ephesians 5:18, where Paul writes, “Be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess - but be filled with the Spirit.” They will correctly point out that the Greek tense here is “be being filled”, in other words, be continuously filled. Does this not justify a pursuit of spiritual experiences and additional fillings, they will ask? Not at all; rather, it underscores what we have been saying all along. If we abide in Christ and come to Him then we will be continually filled with His Spirit. We will be satisfied, and will not have to seek out some kind of experience that tickles our flesh.
As a drug addict is never satisfied, so a religious addict is never satisfied. The drug addict and the religious addict must always search for a bigger and better “high”. Without this high they are irritable and bad-tempered. Deny them their “fix” and they will become intolerable. Suggest that they have a problem and they will begin to view YOU as the problem. Some say they are really hungry and thirsty for God, so they are going to go here or there because they want “fresh fire” or “greater anointing” or whatever. What they are really hungry and thirsty for is a fix, a spiritual experience, a feeling of power, a manifestation, the feeling of a gentle breeze blowing on them, someone to wave their hand over them and give them a “new word” and so on. Where is Christ in this kind of an atmosphere? In this orgy of sensation He is nowhere to be found.
We must stop looking for a Jesus “out there” and look for the Christ who is within us. If we would just once come to Christ in simplicity we would immediately meet Him. It would be better for us to lock ourselves alone into a room and just sit there quietly before the Lord for one hour than to travel back and forth to all these meetings, looking for something loud, powerful, and demonstrative. It is the Spirit which gives Life; the flesh profits nothing. I have one question: are you satisfied after all those experiences? If you are, then why do you have to keep running around for more of the same? Do you abide in Christ as Life, or not? And if you are not satisfied, can you not see why?
So what are we saying? Simply this: the Law of Life says that the presence of Christ within the believer results in spiritual satisfaction. If we have Him then we will never hunger or thirst again, because He is Infinite Supply. Anything less than spiritual satisfaction indicates that there is a problem. I am not saying that one should be content with their progress and present knowledge of Christ so that they stop growing; but I am saying that no matter what stage of progress you may be at presently, Christ should be your satisfaction. We must differentiate between seeking Christ and seeking some feeling in our emotion in the name of an “outpouring” or “move” of God. May I emphatically state that God already poured out everything He has when He gave His Son to us to be our Life! If we are still waiting for God to “move” then I have to believe we do not fully appreciate that God’s greatest move was revealing His Son in us. How can we keep looking for anything else when we have everything in Him already?
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS THE WAY TO GOD IS OPEN
So how do we touch Him directly? “He who comes to Me.” Can it really be this easy? A better question is, why should it be difficult? I can come to Him whether I am driving down the street, walking down the sidewalk, or sitting in my chair. I can come to Him whether it is Sunday morning or Tuesday night or Friday afternoon. I can come to Him in a large group, or with two or three, or all by myself. I can come to Him in the desert, in the garden, in the church building, or in the prison camp. I am prevented from doing many things due to circumstance, location, state of mind, or resources. But one thing I cannot be prevented from doing is coming to the Lord.
Must I stand, or bow down, or lay on my face? Am I supposed to whisper, shout, or say nothing at all? Should I sing, or pray, or recite the Scriptures, or be still? What difference does it make? None at all, so long as I come to the Lord. He does not tell us what to do, what to say, or what to expect. He just says, “Come to Me, and you will not be hungry or thirsty.” Religion would like to teach us a method and a formula for everything, but Christ is no religion. There are no ceremonies, rituals, rites of initiation or barriers to entry as in the Old Testament. Nor do we have to spend hours and days praying, fasting, or meditating. This is a New Way, and this Way is open. All we have to do is present ourselves to Christ.
Many of us are still prone to asking a lot of questions about how to have this kind of relationship with Christ. But if we will trust in the Life, then the Life will lead us. By comparison, I am not concerned with the Law of Gravity. I do not worry about floating away into space, and I do not have to keep reminding myself to walk according to the Law of Gravity. I just go along as usual and never give it a thought, confident that gravity will keep me where I am supposed to be. Even if I do not know there is such a thing as gravity I am nevertheless held firmly to the earth. If we would have that same faith in the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus then all our questions would be answered. This Law of Life will operate whether we understand it or know about it (of course, we do want to know how it operates so we can cooperate with it, but it works in spite of our ignorance).
The branch who abides in the Vine does not have to know how it abides. So long as it abides, it shares in the Life of the Vine. It does not have to ask how it works, and it does not have to be concerned with producing the fruit. It does nothing but abide, and the Life of the Vine keeps it. The Vine and the Branches is a reality; it is not a parable. Jesus did not say, “The Kingdom of God is like the Vine and the Branches.” That would have been a parable. Instead, Jesus says, “I am the Vine, and you are the Branches.” This is no simile or metaphor, it is reality. What does it mean? That we are one, and we share in a common Life. Everything happens according to the Law of Life in Christ. But since it is easy to become philosophical and ethereal concerning this, let us quickly bring it down to a practical application and discover how we may cooperate with it.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS “NOT I, BUT CHRIST”
“I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live: yet not I, but Christ lives in me (Galatians 2:20a).”
You may be interested in knowing how the Lord taught me to live according to the Law of Life. I learned from the Scriptures that Christ lived in me, and I had no life of my own. I understood that Christianity is not about trying to be like Jesus, but is about Jesus Himself living in me and through me. This is what is called the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. So then I realized that it is not about me at all, my weakness, or my feelings one way or the other. All that mattered was Christ in me, doing what I cannot do in myself.
As I was taking a shower one morning the Spirit began to repeat to me over and over again, “Trust in My Life! Trust in My Life!” I thought that was too easy to do, Christianity must be more difficult than this. But this soft Voice was persistent. It was not a command, but a challenge. Finally I agreed to trust in His Life, and I went about my business.
It was not long before the first test came. I did not like to wash dishes, but the first thing my wife asked me to do that morning was wash the dishes. Oh no! Immediately I clenched my jaws together and felt my blood pressure rise. You must understand that I used to have a temper which once caused me to slam a car door so hard that I broke the glass out of it. So my natural response to this dirty kitchen was to explode and say that I was too busy and besides, it is not my job anyway! That was my first thought.
But at that exact moment I recalled what the Spirit had been telling me: “Trust in My Life!” So I went to the Lord, not outwardly, but inwardly, and said, “I cannot clean this stupid kitchen! I have better things to do. I hate this dirty job. Nevertheless, I trust in Your Life to do in me and through me what I am unable and unwilling to do myself.” Neither my feelings nor my emotions went away, but I obediently began washing the dishes, and waited to see what, if anything, would happen.
I cannot say when exactly it happened, but at some point I became conscious of the Law of Life taking over and washing those dishes. What was at first a repulsive thing soon became a joyous occasion, and I began to smile. I realized that it was not I, but Christ, Who was doing this chore. It was almost as if I was observing myself doing it, marveling at how well it was going, but at the same time, incredulous that it was so easy! It was like riding a bicycle for the first time, when you finally “get it”, and you wonder why it took you so long to figure it out.
The dishes were soon done and the kitchen was cleaned, but the lesson learned that day stayed with me forever. It convinced me that Jesus Christ lives. I know that Jesus lives because Jesus washed those dishes! That was more proof to me than a thousand sermons. I could not do what I just did. Or to be more correct, I could do it if I forced myself to, but I could not do it with such joy and peace! It was not so much the outward thing that was done as it was the spirit and manner in which it was performed. My Christian life changed from “What Would Jesus Do?” to “Watch What Jesus Does!”
Now you may think that is a silly example, but we must begin with baby steps. There is no need to go out and put yourself through a major test. If you cannot pass the smallest of tests, what makes you think the larger tests will be any easier? It is not the size of a thing that matters, it is learning the lesson of the Law of Life. The Lord was not trying to teach me about doing housework, but was teaching me how to cooperate with His Life.
The Law of Gravity brings objects to the ground. It does not matter to Gravity how large or small the object is. It works the same with acorns as it does with airplanes. Likewise, I know today that it does not matter if I am called upon to wash dishes, mow the lawn, write an article, preach a message, cast out a demon, love my neighbor, forgive my enemy, or lay down my life. It makes no difference to the Life. It is not I, but Christ, who does these things. The principle is the same, and the Life cannot fail. If I give up my life, if I give up my self-effort, then He begins to do what I cannot do. This is Christianity.
The Law of Life means that I do not try to be or do anything in my own strength. Instead, the Life leads me, the Life instructs me, and the Life gives me the words and the actions. I am not a Christian because I believe in the Bible, follow the teachings of Jesus, and live a good life. I am a Christian because Christ is my Life. Since Christ is my Life, I no longer live, but it is Christ who lives in me. I do nothing to achieve this, it just is. Because He lives, I live. In Him I live; in Him I move; in Him I have my being (Acts 17:28a).
Again, let us make this practical. Does a fish become a fish by swimming under the water, or does it swim under the water because it is a fish? Does it say to itself, “I am a fish, therefore, I must learn to act like a fish. I must remember to breathe through my gills and move my body back and forth.” Absolutely not. Or what about a bird? Does a bird become a bird once it learns to fly through the air? Or does it fly through the air because it is a bird? Which is it? Of course, the bird is a bird, and therefore it flies. It does not have to be instructed per se, but when it is pushed out of the nest it flaps its wings. It is its nature to do so. So doing does not create being, doing flows out of being.
Now the Law of Life in Christ does not try to make us into something we are not. The very presence of the Life in us demonstrates that Christ already indwells us. We are not trying to be like Christ, and we are not trying to live like a Christian. Since we ARE in Him, we WALK in Him. Our works come from what we are, not what we are trying to be. We do not receive His Life so that we can work very hard to be like Jesus. That is like the fish having to remind itself that since it is a fish therefore it must swim. Or, like a bird having to keep telling itself through positive confession that it must remember to fly. Yet Christians keep reminding themselves, “Now that I am a Christian, I must remember to read the Bible, pray, and live a holy life. I must not forget to love my neighbor and smile no matter what happens.” Can you see the problem here? With this mentality we cannot cooperate with the Life, because we would be depending on our life instead of His.
This is why we cannot look for a method, formula, or technique to try and teach people spirituality. It is like taking a bird and putting it in a school to teach it to fly. Just let the bird go and it will fly all by itself! Why do we not take a fish and give it a technique for swimming? You know very well that when you drop the fish into the water it will just swim away of its own accord. But we try to teach Christians three keys to spiritual growth, or four principles of Christian living, or seven ways to overcome, or a ten-step process to this thing or that thing. What we should be doing is letting these people loose and allowing them to discover how wonderful this Life in them is, how the Christ Who indwells them will teach them everything.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS “ABIDE IN ME, AND YOU WILL PRODUCE MUCH FRUIT”
“I am the Vine, and you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, will produce much fruit: for apart from Me you can do nothing (John 15:5).”
It is amazing the number of Christians who believe it is up to them to produce fruit. This teaching is, to them, like trying to force a square peg through a round hole. They become obsessed with making something happen, thinking it is all up to their effort, their willpower, their determination, to grow up into Christ. To suggest that they cease from their labor is to make light of all their hard work up until now, and this offends them! They begin in the Spirit, but look to the flesh (self-effort) to complete the work. That is not the Christ-Life! The fruit will come of its own accord, provided we abide in Him.
But look at the last part of the verse: “Apart from Me you can do nothing.” It is similar to John 5:15, which says, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do: for whatever the Father does, the Son does.” And John 14:10: “I speak nothing of Myself. It is the Father that dwells in Me, and He does the works.” As the Son can do nothing apart from the Father Who dwells within Him, so we can do nothing apart from the Son who dwells within us. The question is not whether or not we will work out our salvation, but under whose power will we work it out? Is it our willpower, or is it Christ? Is it our effort, or is it the Law of Life?
Are we making a case for idle passivity? By no means. We are not suggesting that Christians cease all effort, only that Christians cease all SELF-effort. The Law of Life is more powerful and active than anything generated or maintained by self-effort. With self-effort I am always at the mercy of how I feel. If I feel spiritual then I can pray for hours at a time. But if I do not feel spiritual then I cannot even pray five minutes. This is why so many believers live their lives like a roller-coaster. They do not live according to principle, according to the Law of Life. Thinking it is up to them to become Christlike, they turn an easy yoke and a light burden into a difficult yoke and a heavy burden - difficult and heavy for themselves, and for those who must live and work around them.
The one who rests in Christ will produce more fruit than the one who strives with self-effort. This is demonstrated in Scripture and in the real-life experience of countless saints. Paul proclaimed, “I labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily.” There is no question that Paul worked, labored, and toiled. But the difference with Paul is he knew that he was laboring according to Christ working in him. Was Paul lazy? By contrast, he was more fruitful than ever. The end result is his statement, “I labored more abundantly than them all,” quickly qualified with, “yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me (I Corinthians 15:10).” The “I can do all things” must always be followed with “through Christ who strengthens me.” If we trust in the Life we will be anything but passive.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS CHRIST WILL TEACH US EVERYTHING WE NEED TO KNOW
“The anointing which you received from Him remains in you. And no need are you constantly having that anyone be constantly teaching you. But even as His anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true and is not a lie, and even as He taught you, be constantly abiding in Him (I John 2:27, Wuest Expanded Translation).”
I hope every Christian will one day learn that they are already anointed, and that their Anointing is a Person named Jesus Christ. Then they will see that they do not have to travel to Brother So-And-So’s meeting to get the “anointing”. They will not seek out a prophet to give them a “word”. They will learn to live according to the Law of Life, and this Life will teach them everything they need to know. That will be a wonderful day, and thankfully, more and more believers are coming to the knowledge of this truth.
Now the Scripture says that we do not need any man to teach us, for the Anointing (Christ) Who indwells us will teach us all things. More than anything else I consider myself a teacher, so I pondered this for a long time. What use is there for me to teach anything? For that matter, why do we need teachers at all? Would it not be better for each of us to be taught of God directly, without the interference of a human teacher? Then I received insight into this Scripture. It cannot be telling us that we do not need teachers, for it was God who gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to His Church, to encourage, edify, and establish all of us deeper into Christ. Can the Holy Spirit in John contradict the Holy Spirit in Paul? By no means. What then? John was the sole survivor of the first twelve apostles, and now he is very old. Naturally he is concerned with the welfare of the Church after his death. So God comforts John, and then John comforts us, with this truth: even if we do not have access to the apostle, or prophet, or evangelist, or pastor and teacher, we are still instructed inwardly. The Church that Jesus is building is not dependant upon the great men or women of God. We are grateful to the ministry gifts when we have them, but we are not dependent upon them for our Life. The Life is greater than the ministers through which it may be ministered.
Some feel they just cannot get along without consulting someone who is perceived to be a spiritual authority so they can ask them what they should do. Such dependence upon man can become a snare - both for the ones seeking advice and for the ones giving advice. At times we should seek out the advice of others, but the point is that the Life will instruct us individually, and when the Life within us responds, then we “need no man to teach us”. The Life will also “amen” what others tell us, or it will voice its disagreement with what we are told. We can trust the Life completely, whereas we dare not put confidence in man, no matter how good and spiritual the counsel may be.
The problem with us is that we do not have the patience to listen for this inward instruction. We too quickly put our confidence in flesh and blood. It is easier and speedier to have someone tell us, “Yes, you should do this” or “No, you should not do that.” The question is not should or should not; the question is, how is the Life instructing you? If we do not know what the Life is telling us, then we should be still and be quiet until we DO know. But all too often we know well enough what we are to do, and we are looking for a way out of it; or we are trying to get confirmation from this thing or that thing before we will obey. This is why we have a hard time hearing to begin with. How many times does God have to repeat Himself? How many times does He have to confirm something before we will obey? It sounds spiritual and humble to question and wait, but if the Life has already instructed us then any delay on our part is really disobedience.
THE LAW OF LIFE MEANS “HE MUST INCREASE, BUT I MUST DECREASE”
“Let that which you have heard from the beginning abide in you. If what you have heard from the beginning abides in you, you will also continue in the Son and in the Father; and this is the promise He has promised us: eternal Life (I John 2:24,25).”
There is still much of Him to learn and to experience. There is much growing which must take place. The Path is a process. We are hardly ever as far along as we imagine ourselves to be. But we have not been talking about spiritual maturity, but spiritual satisfaction. If, in abiding continually in the Lord, He becomes our food and our drink, then we will grow. Growth is not the result of time, it is the natural result of Christ increasing and us decreasing. The Law of Life says that Christ must increase. Now we can do nothing to speed up this process, but we can certainly hinder or quench it.
According to Paul, it is the Law of Sin and Death that keeps me doing the evil that I do not want to do, and prevents me from doing the good I want to do. Ironically, this sounds like the normal experience of the majority of believers, and they call it the Christian life! It is not! How is that any different than any other person in the world? From observing Christians for years I now realize that most have an unwavering assurance and complete confidence in the Law of Sin and Death. They think it is normal to struggle against sin and work their way towards being Christ-like. Talk to them about holiness and they are full of excuses why it cannot be achieved (again, seeing holiness as a goal they must attain to instead of a Person they must abide in). The bottom line is this: they have more faith in the Law of Sin and Death than they do the Law of Life. The sort of life you lead is evidence to which Law you have the most faith in.
Greater is He that is within me! The question is not “what” will deliver me, but “who” will deliver me from this cycle of trying and failing? “I thank God [it is done] through Jesus Christ (Romans 7:25).” I have the Man! I do not need anything else. I simply abide in Him, and the Law of Life takes over where I leave off. Before, I could not do the good that I longed to do, but what was impossible before is now easy with the Law of Life. Before, I could not keep myself from doing the very thing I hated, but with the Law of Life I am kept from doing the things I hate. The Law of Life stands over against the Law of Sin and Death, and if we will have at least as much faith in Life as we do in Death, we will soon walk as we should.
Thank God! The Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the Law of Sin and Death. HAS MADE ME FREE. With the Law of Life I do not have to struggle. To struggle is to strive, and striving is the Law of Sin and Death. The Law of Life is “not I, but Christ.” I cannot overcome, nevertheless, the One Who Overcomes lives within me; therefore I am an overcomer. It is not about me, and it is all about Him. It is all of grace!
May the Lord bring us into the fullness of His Life, and may we trust the sufficiency of the Indwelling Christ to perform the good work He has begun in us. Amen.