Christ is expressed and extended when an individual, in a relationship with Christ, responds to the leading of the Spirit of God. This is what the Holy Spirit testified to, when in Romans, we are told “For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the first born among many brothers” (Romans 8:29). When we respond to the leading of the Spirit, we are simply allowing Christ within us to be seen and touched through us. If, as a group of believers, we walk in response to the Spirit, we collectively reflect the fullness of Christ.
However, what we see daily is a people who collectively act like spoiled children demanding for attention, rather than giving headship to so great a salvation and the Author of it (Hebrews 2:1-4). Our actions are due to the fact that we have so easily forgotten that the central issue in a Christian’s life is the becoming more like Christ than it is to merely go somewhere or do something. Our efforts should be to realize the necessity of a God-centered focus instead of a man-centered approach to the pursuit of God.
It is an act of immaturity to relegate spiritual reality to the past or to the future. We should never be satisfied with a return to the barren pathway of living in the past experiences or the dreamy imaginations of the future. Spiritual reality demands that we participate in the life of the Sprit, cultivating the Lord’s presence, and responding proactively to the Spirit’s leading in our walk. In this way we become a channel of God’s expression of His glory, pleasure and satisfaction; a situation that allows us to be in a continuous living relationship with Christ Himself.
For this reason, the Holy Spirit testified through the Apostle Paul saying, “The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For in Him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through Him and for Him. He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:15-17). God’s intent is for all of Himself to be in His Son. For at last, God’s secret plan is now made known in Christ Himself. So, just as one trusted Christ to be saved, one must also trust Christ for each day’s problems to be taken care of as they arise, if we are in a vital union with Him (Colossians 2:2). For in Christ is all of God (Colossian 2: 9).
So we have everything when we have Christ, and we are filled with God through our union with Him. Christ is the highest ruler over every other power (Colossians 2:10). In this new life one’s relationship was not based on nationality, or race or education or social position in life. All these are unimportant. Such things mean nothing. What matters is whether a person has Christ and He is equally available to all. Indeed, any person who would accept Christ’s offer of Himself, as the true path to eternal life, and a relationship with God, achieved on the basis of His death and resurrection,is on the path to Christlikeness. The Christian life, therefore, is becoming more like Christ, which is Christ likeness, our expressive calling in life.
T. Cyprian Kia
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Body of Christ. Show all posts
Monday, March 5, 2012
Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Living Under the Headship of Christ
When a person’s life is beautified within by Christ’s presence, that life provides a radiant reflection of Him in all they do and say. The Christian life displays Christ before the world. Christ’s presence within produces a longing to be with all those who love and adore Christ with a pure heart. The Christian life, therefore, should not be driven by a mindset of organized religion. If we do, it would be morphed into the incarnation of man’s efforts to capture God and put Him in a house of human construction. This would result in our gathering as a people of God and at a location as a man-made institution which would be completely at odds with the fundamentals of Jesus’ life and message. God cannot be confined by limitations of our human mind.
The problem is not about where we gather, but in losing sight of why we have gathered and truly understanding what we have become in Him. We were once dead, but are now quickened by the Holy Spirit into life. We are now being fitted into a habitation of God. Therefore, individually and collectively we are now God’s space to encounter humanity; where God now receives true worship and adoration (Genesis 28:1-22; 1 Peter 2:5).
“Welcome to the Living Stone, the Source of Life. The workmen took one look and threw it out. God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent. Look, I am setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. To you who trust Him, He’s a stone to be proud of, but those who refuse to trust Him, the stone who the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. For the untrusting it’s a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.” (1 Peter 2:1-9, The Message).
The Holy Spirit that quickened us into living stones is the Spirit of Christ. Christ, therefore, is the Chief Cornerstone in God’s place of rest; the Church. In our collective expression of God’s resting place, Christ is the Head and our lives as believers should be lived totally and only in response to His leading and direction in our daily walk. (Ephesians 2: 16-20, 1 Peter 2: 4-6, 9).
In the first century the cornerstone was the first stone that was laid in the foundation. It was also the main stone of the building. It aligned and united all the other stones together. Each of the stones in the building was measured by the cornerstone. The building had to be in complete conformity with the cornerstone or else it could not be approved. Jesus Christ is the main stone, the Cornerstone in the foundation of God’s house; all things are measured by Him, united in Him and conformed to Him (1 Corinthians 3: 9-11).
What this tells us is that Christ, being the Chief Cornerstone, is Head of the collective expression of our Christian life on earth. Christ, therefore, should be allowed to make the decisions in our lives and in our midst. In reality, this means that the members of a local expression of the Lord’s body, the Church, should respond to their Head, which is Christ, through the collective view of the Body rather than through a few human persons who happened to be in a position of prominence. In other words, the Body of Christ, in union with the Head, expresses the Lord’s mind better as a collective then as a few making or taking decisions for the rest of the collective.
When the collective, under the headship of Christ, address problems and solve them, they learn the truth of being built together as one and discover what the Cross was in the process. The Cross is the instrument of death. It’s the principle whereby we lay down our own life in order that the Lord’s life may be fully expressed. The Cross means death to self, our ambitions, our preferences, our agendas, our opinions, our desires, and our wishes (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24). For what reason?, one may ask. So that Jesus Christ can have His preference, His agenda, His opinion and His desire. Body life is built on the principle of the cross. It is built on the resolute decision to live by the Lord’s own words: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”.
Jesus Christ, when given the rightful place in the heart and walk of His followers would become the visible expression of Him and the house of His rest. This corporate human expression is the house of God. The final criterion of that house is that when they gather together as believers, God is present as a witness and proclaims His pleasure. The individual in this collective has abandoned himself in Christ’s hand, committed to a shared life with others under His exclusive Headship, leaving all decisions to Him.
This is a high calling of our Christian life (Colossians 2: 19); a life that is lived in trust and dependence upon the unseen Christ who dwells within us. He is the Head and this is what it means to live under the headship of Christ as a believer.
The problem is not about where we gather, but in losing sight of why we have gathered and truly understanding what we have become in Him. We were once dead, but are now quickened by the Holy Spirit into life. We are now being fitted into a habitation of God. Therefore, individually and collectively we are now God’s space to encounter humanity; where God now receives true worship and adoration (Genesis 28:1-22; 1 Peter 2:5).
“Welcome to the Living Stone, the Source of Life. The workmen took one look and threw it out. God set it in the place of honor. Present yourselves as building stones for the construction of a sanctuary vibrant with life, in which you’ll serve as holy priests offering Christ approved lives up to God. The Scriptures provide precedent. Look, I am setting a stone in Zion, a cornerstone in the place of honor. Whoever trusts in this stone as a foundation will never have cause to regret it. To you who trust Him, He’s a stone to be proud of, but those who refuse to trust Him, the stone who the workmen threw out is now the chief foundation stone. For the untrusting it’s a stone to trip over, a boulder blocking the way.” (1 Peter 2:1-9, The Message).
The Holy Spirit that quickened us into living stones is the Spirit of Christ. Christ, therefore, is the Chief Cornerstone in God’s place of rest; the Church. In our collective expression of God’s resting place, Christ is the Head and our lives as believers should be lived totally and only in response to His leading and direction in our daily walk. (Ephesians 2: 16-20, 1 Peter 2: 4-6, 9).
In the first century the cornerstone was the first stone that was laid in the foundation. It was also the main stone of the building. It aligned and united all the other stones together. Each of the stones in the building was measured by the cornerstone. The building had to be in complete conformity with the cornerstone or else it could not be approved. Jesus Christ is the main stone, the Cornerstone in the foundation of God’s house; all things are measured by Him, united in Him and conformed to Him (1 Corinthians 3: 9-11).
What this tells us is that Christ, being the Chief Cornerstone, is Head of the collective expression of our Christian life on earth. Christ, therefore, should be allowed to make the decisions in our lives and in our midst. In reality, this means that the members of a local expression of the Lord’s body, the Church, should respond to their Head, which is Christ, through the collective view of the Body rather than through a few human persons who happened to be in a position of prominence. In other words, the Body of Christ, in union with the Head, expresses the Lord’s mind better as a collective then as a few making or taking decisions for the rest of the collective.
When the collective, under the headship of Christ, address problems and solve them, they learn the truth of being built together as one and discover what the Cross was in the process. The Cross is the instrument of death. It’s the principle whereby we lay down our own life in order that the Lord’s life may be fully expressed. The Cross means death to self, our ambitions, our preferences, our agendas, our opinions, our desires, and our wishes (Matthew 16:24, Mark 8:34-35, Luke 9:23-24). For what reason?, one may ask. So that Jesus Christ can have His preference, His agenda, His opinion and His desire. Body life is built on the principle of the cross. It is built on the resolute decision to live by the Lord’s own words: “Not my will, but Yours be done.”.
Jesus Christ, when given the rightful place in the heart and walk of His followers would become the visible expression of Him and the house of His rest. This corporate human expression is the house of God. The final criterion of that house is that when they gather together as believers, God is present as a witness and proclaims His pleasure. The individual in this collective has abandoned himself in Christ’s hand, committed to a shared life with others under His exclusive Headship, leaving all decisions to Him.
This is a high calling of our Christian life (Colossians 2: 19); a life that is lived in trust and dependence upon the unseen Christ who dwells within us. He is the Head and this is what it means to live under the headship of Christ as a believer.
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Who are you: Weed or Wheat?
In every gathering of God’s people there are weeds, otherwise referred to as tares (Matt. 13: 24-30) in the Scripture. It makes all the difference for now and eternity which one you are. The great challenge is to liberate people from the category of weeds to the category of wheat.
The Church of Jesus Christ is made up of Inside-Outsiders (weeds) and Inside-Insiders (those with real knowledge of personal salvation; wheat). The first is made up of people, who, by their nature are a danger to the corporate functioning and operation of the Church. They are weeds. Only two people have the prerogative of determining which group you are in – Jesus Christ and you.
The Inside-Outsider and Inside-Insider often look alike, sound similar and both believe in Jesus Christ. Their relationship to Him as Lord, however, couldn’t be more dissimilar. What is the difference? One is an imitator and the other is in relationship with Christ by faith (Act 8:9-22). Inside-Outsiders have “neither part nor portion in Christ” (Acts 8:21).
The Inside-Outsider is in the church but outside a deep, intimate relationship with Christ. He believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world but has never come to know Him as the Savior of his own soul and Lord of his life. There never has been a time of complete commitment of all he or she has and is-a commitment that allows one to experience the power of the Christian life in daily, specific surrender of the needs, challenges, problems and opportunities of life. The Inside-Outsider is inside the church, but outside of an intimate, impelling, indwelling experience of Christ as Lord.
One of the most gratifying and puzzling phenomena of our time is the great number of church attendants who are discovering the joy and freedom of committing their lives to Christ. They are discovering the excitement of trusting Christ with their frustrations and fears. Recently a Church member realized the power of Christ and shared the delight of his experience with fellow members at the meeting. It was very disturbing to some when he said “I have been in the Assembly for many years. Last week I found out what it’s all about to be Christian. I’ve always believed that Christ was the Savior, but for the first time I know He’s my Savior.” He was saying that it was alarming to think of all the joy he’d missed by being an Inside-Outsider among God’s people. “Now I know Christ as the Lord of all my relationships and responsibilities.”
The Church faces no more crucial issues today than how to make wheat out of the weeds in our midst. It’s never easy. This is because weeds think they have discovered all that is to be discovered in the Christian life, as they strive to achieve it. They are misfits because they want to do God’s work in their own strength. It won’t work.
On the other hand, the wheat is the person who has truly embraced Christ and is in relationship with Him as Lord. Christ has taken charge as Lord. He no longer imitates the Christian life but allows Christ to be manifest in the flesh through his daily activities.
Who are you: Weed or Wheat?
The Church of Jesus Christ is made up of Inside-Outsiders (weeds) and Inside-Insiders (those with real knowledge of personal salvation; wheat). The first is made up of people, who, by their nature are a danger to the corporate functioning and operation of the Church. They are weeds. Only two people have the prerogative of determining which group you are in – Jesus Christ and you.
The Inside-Outsider and Inside-Insider often look alike, sound similar and both believe in Jesus Christ. Their relationship to Him as Lord, however, couldn’t be more dissimilar. What is the difference? One is an imitator and the other is in relationship with Christ by faith (Act 8:9-22). Inside-Outsiders have “neither part nor portion in Christ” (Acts 8:21).
The Inside-Outsider is in the church but outside a deep, intimate relationship with Christ. He believes that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world but has never come to know Him as the Savior of his own soul and Lord of his life. There never has been a time of complete commitment of all he or she has and is-a commitment that allows one to experience the power of the Christian life in daily, specific surrender of the needs, challenges, problems and opportunities of life. The Inside-Outsider is inside the church, but outside of an intimate, impelling, indwelling experience of Christ as Lord.
One of the most gratifying and puzzling phenomena of our time is the great number of church attendants who are discovering the joy and freedom of committing their lives to Christ. They are discovering the excitement of trusting Christ with their frustrations and fears. Recently a Church member realized the power of Christ and shared the delight of his experience with fellow members at the meeting. It was very disturbing to some when he said “I have been in the Assembly for many years. Last week I found out what it’s all about to be Christian. I’ve always believed that Christ was the Savior, but for the first time I know He’s my Savior.” He was saying that it was alarming to think of all the joy he’d missed by being an Inside-Outsider among God’s people. “Now I know Christ as the Lord of all my relationships and responsibilities.”
The Church faces no more crucial issues today than how to make wheat out of the weeds in our midst. It’s never easy. This is because weeds think they have discovered all that is to be discovered in the Christian life, as they strive to achieve it. They are misfits because they want to do God’s work in their own strength. It won’t work.
On the other hand, the wheat is the person who has truly embraced Christ and is in relationship with Him as Lord. Christ has taken charge as Lord. He no longer imitates the Christian life but allows Christ to be manifest in the flesh through his daily activities.
Who are you: Weed or Wheat?
Wednesday, January 11, 2012
Behold The Man! (Ecce Homo)
The opening verses of chapter 19 of John's gospel bring us face to face with the sufferings of our Lord and the shame which was heaped upon Him. We beheld Him scourged, crowned with a cruel crown of thorns, mocked, dishonored, smitten and then made a public spectacle of. This is a deeply affecting scene for the heart of every child of God. As we read it and meditate on it, our eyes fill with tears and our innermost soul is moved. We praise Him that suffered thus in our stead.
According to Josephus and other sources, Rome tormented malefactors in every possible way before they were put to death. In many cases the scourging was with a cruel, knotted whip in which sharp pieces were exposed inflicting wounds that could lead to their death. Rough, half-barbarians soldiers were His tormentors. As they hated the Jews, they were only too willing to treat Him with the utmost cruelty. The place where it was done was the common hall (Matt. 17:27), a filthy guard room. The loving substitute of sinners suffered stripes on our behalf (Isa. 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
After the soldiers had their way tormenting Him, "Pilate therefore went forth again, and said unto them (the Jews), 'Behold I bring Him forth to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him" (John 19:4). Thus He was acquited, but was not discharged before the law. He added that He was innocent because "I find no fault in Him at all" (John 18:38). Pilate did not discharge Him, but continued the trial of Jesus, "that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die" (John 18:32).
The indictment before Pilate was that Christ said He was King. Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33) and received a direct response. From the writings of the prophets, particularly Zechariah 6:12-13, the Jews were aware of His Kingship, but could not bring themselves to acknowledge the fact he was the actual person the prophet was referring to in the prophecy. They chose to reject Jesus because they were jealous of Him, regardless.
The Lord Jesus, after all this, came forth wearing the crown of thorns and a purple robe. Pilate said to the crowd, "Behold the Man!" (Ecce Homo) (John 19:5). This is the message which would be sounded all over the world. Behold the Man. Behold Him, "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Bearing shame and scoffing rude. In our place condemned He stood. Sealed our pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Saviour! ...(Phillip P. Bliss 1839-1876). Behold the Man!
According to Josephus and other sources, Rome tormented malefactors in every possible way before they were put to death. In many cases the scourging was with a cruel, knotted whip in which sharp pieces were exposed inflicting wounds that could lead to their death. Rough, half-barbarians soldiers were His tormentors. As they hated the Jews, they were only too willing to treat Him with the utmost cruelty. The place where it was done was the common hall (Matt. 17:27), a filthy guard room. The loving substitute of sinners suffered stripes on our behalf (Isa. 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24).
After the soldiers had their way tormenting Him, "Pilate therefore went forth again, and said unto them (the Jews), 'Behold I bring Him forth to you, that you may know that I find no fault in Him" (John 19:4). Thus He was acquited, but was not discharged before the law. He added that He was innocent because "I find no fault in Him at all" (John 18:38). Pilate did not discharge Him, but continued the trial of Jesus, "that the saying of Jesus might be fulfilled, which He spoke, signifying by what death He would die" (John 18:32).
The indictment before Pilate was that Christ said He was King. Pilate asked Him, "Are you the King of the Jews?" (John 18:33) and received a direct response. From the writings of the prophets, particularly Zechariah 6:12-13, the Jews were aware of His Kingship, but could not bring themselves to acknowledge the fact he was the actual person the prophet was referring to in the prophecy. They chose to reject Jesus because they were jealous of Him, regardless.
The Lord Jesus, after all this, came forth wearing the crown of thorns and a purple robe. Pilate said to the crowd, "Behold the Man!" (Ecce Homo) (John 19:5). This is the message which would be sounded all over the world. Behold the Man. Behold Him, "the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).
Bearing shame and scoffing rude. In our place condemned He stood. Sealed our pardon with His blood. Hallelujah! What a Saviour! ...(Phillip P. Bliss 1839-1876). Behold the Man!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
The Christian Walk: Reflection 3
In Living With the Giants: The Lives of Great Men of Faith, Warren W. Wiersbe introduced his readers to the life of Dr. C. I. Scofield (1818-1921). This man was fully aware of the Lord’s leading and was driven by his commitment to obey God at all cost.
“Cyprus Ingerson Scofield was born on August 19, 1843 in frontier Lenawee County, Michigan. While he was still a lad his family moved to Wilson County, Tennessee, where he lived until he was seventeen. When he should have been enrolled in college, he enlisted in the confederate Army and served with distinction for four years. He received the Cross of Honor for bravery at Antietam. After the war he located in St. Louis with his older sister, who had married into a wealthy family. Unwilling to permit his brother-in-law to pay for his education, Scofield went to work as a land clerk, examining titles. In two years his promotion to chief clerk provided sufficient money to study law. He passed his bar examinations at the age of twenty-six and was elected to the Kansas legislature. An efficient lawyer and politician, he was appointed by President Grant as U.S. Attorney for Kansas. He served two years and then returned to St. Louis to practice law.
“Another attorney, Thomas S. McPheeters, a dedicated Christian, was one of Scofield’s close friends. Scofield was battling alcohol. McPheeters came to Scofield’s office in September 1879 and said, ‘For a long time I have been wanting to ask you a question that I have been afraid to ask, but that I am going to ask now. Why are you not a Christian?’ He then took out his pocket New Testament and reasoned with the lawyer. Scofield wanted more time to consider the matter, but McPheeters would not give in. The Holy Spirit won the case. The two men prayed together and C.I. Scofield gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Instantly the chain was broken, never to be forged again. Scofield wrote in later years: ‘the passion for drink was taken away! Divine power did it, wholly of grace. To God be the glory.’
“Later, Scofield became active in the YMCA. During this time he was associated with Dwight L. Moody. He also grew under the ministry of James H. Brookes whom he called ‘the greatest Bible student I have ever known.’ Scofield developed a hunger to know the Word of God. One day he visited C.E.Paxson, a Christian friend, and saw him drawing lines in a new Bible. “Man, you are spoiling that fine new Bible!’ Scofield protested. But Paxson showed him he was connecting Acts 8:5 and Acts 8:8 to demonstrate that Philip’s preaching of Christ brought great joy to the city. Scofield’s logical mind instantly caught the importance of the lines that were ‘ruining’ Paxson’s Bible, and from that hour he marked cross references in his Bible. Scofield’s experience in Paxson’s office was his first step toward editing the most famous study Bible in English.”
Redeemed children of God are on a path led by our Lord to a place in life He has prepared for them. The tragedy in life is that most of us are not aware of His presence and, therefore, are neither obedient nor submissive to His leading in our daily walk. Are you aware where God is leading you?
“Lead me, lead me, Savior, lead me lest I stray.Gently down the stream of time lead me, Savior,all the way.” Frank M. Davis
“Cyprus Ingerson Scofield was born on August 19, 1843 in frontier Lenawee County, Michigan. While he was still a lad his family moved to Wilson County, Tennessee, where he lived until he was seventeen. When he should have been enrolled in college, he enlisted in the confederate Army and served with distinction for four years. He received the Cross of Honor for bravery at Antietam. After the war he located in St. Louis with his older sister, who had married into a wealthy family. Unwilling to permit his brother-in-law to pay for his education, Scofield went to work as a land clerk, examining titles. In two years his promotion to chief clerk provided sufficient money to study law. He passed his bar examinations at the age of twenty-six and was elected to the Kansas legislature. An efficient lawyer and politician, he was appointed by President Grant as U.S. Attorney for Kansas. He served two years and then returned to St. Louis to practice law.
“Another attorney, Thomas S. McPheeters, a dedicated Christian, was one of Scofield’s close friends. Scofield was battling alcohol. McPheeters came to Scofield’s office in September 1879 and said, ‘For a long time I have been wanting to ask you a question that I have been afraid to ask, but that I am going to ask now. Why are you not a Christian?’ He then took out his pocket New Testament and reasoned with the lawyer. Scofield wanted more time to consider the matter, but McPheeters would not give in. The Holy Spirit won the case. The two men prayed together and C.I. Scofield gave his heart to Jesus Christ. Instantly the chain was broken, never to be forged again. Scofield wrote in later years: ‘the passion for drink was taken away! Divine power did it, wholly of grace. To God be the glory.’
“Later, Scofield became active in the YMCA. During this time he was associated with Dwight L. Moody. He also grew under the ministry of James H. Brookes whom he called ‘the greatest Bible student I have ever known.’ Scofield developed a hunger to know the Word of God. One day he visited C.E.Paxson, a Christian friend, and saw him drawing lines in a new Bible. “Man, you are spoiling that fine new Bible!’ Scofield protested. But Paxson showed him he was connecting Acts 8:5 and Acts 8:8 to demonstrate that Philip’s preaching of Christ brought great joy to the city. Scofield’s logical mind instantly caught the importance of the lines that were ‘ruining’ Paxson’s Bible, and from that hour he marked cross references in his Bible. Scofield’s experience in Paxson’s office was his first step toward editing the most famous study Bible in English.”
Redeemed children of God are on a path led by our Lord to a place in life He has prepared for them. The tragedy in life is that most of us are not aware of His presence and, therefore, are neither obedient nor submissive to His leading in our daily walk. Are you aware where God is leading you?
“Lead me, lead me, Savior, lead me lest I stray.Gently down the stream of time lead me, Savior,all the way.” Frank M. Davis
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Leading in Christ
In the real world where God is acknowledged and obeyed, every Christian is a leader. The difference is in the sphere of influence. In our mixed and twisted world the ongoing thing is to emphasize and promote one individual to the exclusion of others in the collective.
When the focus on one individual is considered to be the best, the leadership potentials of the other individuals in the collective are neglected and undermined in the process. This means that their interest, possible growth, and development are not given the necessary attention and encouragement to enable them to be all they could be as leaders.
The emphasis would be to recognize the leadership potential in every individual and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities before them to develop to their fullest potential and attain to their full sphere of influence. Simply put, it means that every individual is to be encouraged to grow to the full limit of their potential and not to be forced to exceed it. This is because, when an individual exceeds the limit of their ability, they would become a liability to themselves and to those around them. This effect is appropriately described in the management circles as Peter’s principle.
The Biblical example of this truth that you should work within the limit of your ability is found in the parable of the talents and minas, as told in the Gospel of (Matthew 28:14-25); Luke 19:11-17). Every person was given the opportunity to grow and develop to the very limit of their ability. They were all encouraged to act and given the resources to attain to their full potential. Failure was only due to their neglect to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Everyone was assigned to what they were able to handle. The failure was due to personal neglect when they had the opportunity but failed to take it. Everyone was given what they could handle, nothing more or less. Romans describes this principle as the measure of grace (Romans 12:3-8).
The chance to grow and be fully developed to the limit of your personal ability is what is inherent in the divine distribution of the gifts of the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-14; I. Cor. 12:1-11), in the Body of Christ. When every believer is encouraged to be focused on using their gift or gifts to the best of their abilities in influencing others for the good of the Kingdom of God , the world would be better off in the end.
Although we are leaders with various levels of influence, we submit to one another as good team players and contribute our part in obedience to the leadership of Christ our sovereign Master. No Christian leader should consider himself or herself better than those who follow him or her (Deut. 17:18-20).
When the focus on one individual is considered to be the best, the leadership potentials of the other individuals in the collective are neglected and undermined in the process. This means that their interest, possible growth, and development are not given the necessary attention and encouragement to enable them to be all they could be as leaders.
The emphasis would be to recognize the leadership potential in every individual and encourage them to take advantage of the opportunities before them to develop to their fullest potential and attain to their full sphere of influence. Simply put, it means that every individual is to be encouraged to grow to the full limit of their potential and not to be forced to exceed it. This is because, when an individual exceeds the limit of their ability, they would become a liability to themselves and to those around them. This effect is appropriately described in the management circles as Peter’s principle.
The Biblical example of this truth that you should work within the limit of your ability is found in the parable of the talents and minas, as told in the Gospel of (Matthew 28:14-25); Luke 19:11-17). Every person was given the opportunity to grow and develop to the very limit of their ability. They were all encouraged to act and given the resources to attain to their full potential. Failure was only due to their neglect to take advantage of the opportunities given to them.
Everyone was assigned to what they were able to handle. The failure was due to personal neglect when they had the opportunity but failed to take it. Everyone was given what they could handle, nothing more or less. Romans describes this principle as the measure of grace (Romans 12:3-8).
The chance to grow and be fully developed to the limit of your personal ability is what is inherent in the divine distribution of the gifts of the Spirit (Eph. 4:1-14; I. Cor. 12:1-11), in the Body of Christ. When every believer is encouraged to be focused on using their gift or gifts to the best of their abilities in influencing others for the good of the Kingdom of God , the world would be better off in the end.
Although we are leaders with various levels of influence, we submit to one another as good team players and contribute our part in obedience to the leadership of Christ our sovereign Master. No Christian leader should consider himself or herself better than those who follow him or her (Deut. 17:18-20).
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
The Christian Walk: Refection 2
Henry Drummond (1851-1897) was walking with a Glasgow businessman down the street one day. He saw a merchant throw a stock of round strawberry boxes into a gutter. Instantly a group of boys swooped down upon the boxes and put them on their heads as a cap. Then they lined up in military formation and marched away. “There is an idea for you,” Drummond told his friend, and out of that ‘coincidence’ grew the Boys Brigade program that God still uses to win boys to Christ.
D.L. Moody speaks of Drummond as a man who lived nearer to the Master and who sought to do His will more fully. Due to his walk, he was able to see in common events an uncommon path in fulfilling the great commission.
Our service for our fellow humans does not come from strained efforts on our part to live for them but rather from seeing Jesus doing so, and then simply making ourselves available to Him. We do so that we may be channels of His grace and power to them. This is the way in which He walked in His relationship with the Father, and it is the way in which we must walk in our relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do, for what things soever He doeth, those also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). We, too, can do nothing but what we see the Lord Jesus doing until we see that we are helpless, and our service is nothing more than self-initiated striving. It is not ours to originate anything but simply to yield ourselves to Him to be the channel of what He initiates and carries through and to trust Him to do so through us.
In the words of Roy and Revel Hession, The Lord Jesus is for others, just as the Vine does not bear the grapes for its own refreshment but for the refreshment of others…The Lord Jesus is not alone in this. He draws redeemed men into cooperation with Himself in the outworking of His glorious purposes, and they become His branches on which His fruit is borne. Just as apart from Him the branches can do nothing of themselves, so it is that apart from them the Vine does not bear fruit. The branches cannot, however, produce or initiate the fruit; that is altogether His work! They simply bear what He produces as He lives His life again in them (1958, 132).
D.L. Moody speaks of Drummond as a man who lived nearer to the Master and who sought to do His will more fully. Due to his walk, he was able to see in common events an uncommon path in fulfilling the great commission.
Our service for our fellow humans does not come from strained efforts on our part to live for them but rather from seeing Jesus doing so, and then simply making ourselves available to Him. We do so that we may be channels of His grace and power to them. This is the way in which He walked in His relationship with the Father, and it is the way in which we must walk in our relationship with Him.
Jesus said, “The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do, for what things soever He doeth, those also doeth the Son likewise (John 5:19). We, too, can do nothing but what we see the Lord Jesus doing until we see that we are helpless, and our service is nothing more than self-initiated striving. It is not ours to originate anything but simply to yield ourselves to Him to be the channel of what He initiates and carries through and to trust Him to do so through us.
In the words of Roy and Revel Hession, The Lord Jesus is for others, just as the Vine does not bear the grapes for its own refreshment but for the refreshment of others…The Lord Jesus is not alone in this. He draws redeemed men into cooperation with Himself in the outworking of His glorious purposes, and they become His branches on which His fruit is borne. Just as apart from Him the branches can do nothing of themselves, so it is that apart from them the Vine does not bear fruit. The branches cannot, however, produce or initiate the fruit; that is altogether His work! They simply bear what He produces as He lives His life again in them (1958, 132).
The Christian Walk: Reflection 1
The Human Soul:
The value of the Human Soul was brought to our attention by Christ Himself in the parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12:16-31). In it Christ pointed out how precious the human soul is in the sight of God. If we could see how precious the human soul is as Christ sees it, our ministry could approach the effectiveness of Christ, says Phillips Brooks in his selected sermons (1835-1893).
May the souls of men always be more precious to us as we come nearer to Christ and see them more perfectly as He does. No one can ask any better blessing on any ministry that that. The ministry of D. L. Moody was effective and forceful as an evangelist and soul winner due largely to his love for Christ and proper view of the human soul. He had a tremendous burden for the lost and a willingness to do whatever God asked him. This is the point at which a person sees the true value of the human soul just as Christ sees it.
Then comes the true words of Henry Varley quoted often by D. L. Moody thus: “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated.”
Preaching:
One of the definitions of preaching is that it is the communication of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes, but human personality does. This explains why two preachers can take the same text and develop two different sermons, and why the same preacher can preach often from the same scripture passage and always discover something fresh. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and mental being. This means, of course, that the preparation for ministry is nothing less than the making of the man.
The preacher of truth, therefore, must be a man open to truth, all truth, no matter where it is found because truth comes only from God. It involves delivering a message which we cannot transmit until it has entered into our own experience, and we can give our own testimony of its spiritual power.
When we preach over people’s heads, it is not the fault of the character of the communication, it is the fault of the aim that makes the missing shots. Remember, in ministering to people, every message fortifies each other. Therefore, no one message should be considered alone as completing the task before us. The harvest time is not at the end of the message. We must learn to leave the results in God’s hand.
The value of the Human Soul was brought to our attention by Christ Himself in the parable of the rich farmer (Luke 12:16-31). In it Christ pointed out how precious the human soul is in the sight of God. If we could see how precious the human soul is as Christ sees it, our ministry could approach the effectiveness of Christ, says Phillips Brooks in his selected sermons (1835-1893).
May the souls of men always be more precious to us as we come nearer to Christ and see them more perfectly as He does. No one can ask any better blessing on any ministry that that. The ministry of D. L. Moody was effective and forceful as an evangelist and soul winner due largely to his love for Christ and proper view of the human soul. He had a tremendous burden for the lost and a willingness to do whatever God asked him. This is the point at which a person sees the true value of the human soul just as Christ sees it.
Then comes the true words of Henry Varley quoted often by D. L. Moody thus: “The world has yet to see what God can do with and for and through and in a man who is fully and wholly consecrated.”
Preaching:
One of the definitions of preaching is that it is the communication of divine truth through human personality. The divine truth never changes, but human personality does. This explains why two preachers can take the same text and develop two different sermons, and why the same preacher can preach often from the same scripture passage and always discover something fresh. It must come through his character, his affections, his whole intellectual and mental being. This means, of course, that the preparation for ministry is nothing less than the making of the man.
The preacher of truth, therefore, must be a man open to truth, all truth, no matter where it is found because truth comes only from God. It involves delivering a message which we cannot transmit until it has entered into our own experience, and we can give our own testimony of its spiritual power.
When we preach over people’s heads, it is not the fault of the character of the communication, it is the fault of the aim that makes the missing shots. Remember, in ministering to people, every message fortifies each other. Therefore, no one message should be considered alone as completing the task before us. The harvest time is not at the end of the message. We must learn to leave the results in God’s hand.
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Faith Defines the Christian Walk
Life in general is properly described as a journey and not a destination. In this perspective the sum total of what we are engaged in is a walk on this journey. Along this life’s journey many have distracted themselves into side shows. Some are counting the miles they have covered so far and are settling on the wayside. To a good proportion of people the activities of fellow pilgrims have become their preoccupation, and so they turn themselves into walk-watchers.
To the believer in Christ there are rules as to how we walk on this journey. These rules are kept in proper perspective if we are focused on the essence of our walk, and that essence is our faith. It defines our walk.
For example, Hebrews eleven reminds us all of effectiveness, courage and loyalty to God in their walk. Their deeds were not based on wisdom, power, or enthusiasm. Collectively they tell us not to marvel at the great deeds of their lives. We are told, “God made bare His holy arm and has done this by us in His name through faith” (Acts 3:12-16). It is God who has done all these wonderful works.
We make a profound mistake in attributing to these men extraordinary qualities of courage, or strength of body or soul. To do so is to miss the whole point of the reiterated teaching of Scripture. They were not different from ordinary men and women except in their faith.
One characteristic common to all the heroes of faith of the Hebrew story is their faith in God. This lifted them above ordinary men and women and secured for them a niche in the temple of Scripture . This indeed is the capacity of the human heart for God, a marvelous faculty of faith. Four times over this is cited as the secret of all that Moses did for his people.
Our Lord Jesus repeatedly taught and emphasized the need for faith in a believer’s walk. In His judgment having wisdom, being strong and enthusiastic are as the small dust of the balance and must not be taken into serious consideration compared to having faith.
His incessant demand is for faith to b e present in persons. He would say “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, ‘Be thou plucked up by the root, and be planted by the sea; and it should obey you’” (Luke 17::6). To a father he once said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Luke 9:23, 24).
The believer, therefore, is the God-filled, the God-moved, the God-possessed human person, and the work which he or she effects in the world is not his or hers, but God through him or her. It is certain that as the present age draws to a close, God has great schemes on hand which must shortly be realized. According to His invariable method, He will have to perform them through the instrumentality and faith of human persons.
Walking by faith implies never to evaluate circumstances or things in the light of our strength, education, abilities or resources. Keep in mind that Jehovah, our Jehoshua, our resource, is all we need to face anything in life.
To the believer in Christ there are rules as to how we walk on this journey. These rules are kept in proper perspective if we are focused on the essence of our walk, and that essence is our faith. It defines our walk.
For example, Hebrews eleven reminds us all of effectiveness, courage and loyalty to God in their walk. Their deeds were not based on wisdom, power, or enthusiasm. Collectively they tell us not to marvel at the great deeds of their lives. We are told, “God made bare His holy arm and has done this by us in His name through faith” (Acts 3:12-16). It is God who has done all these wonderful works.
We make a profound mistake in attributing to these men extraordinary qualities of courage, or strength of body or soul. To do so is to miss the whole point of the reiterated teaching of Scripture. They were not different from ordinary men and women except in their faith.
One characteristic common to all the heroes of faith of the Hebrew story is their faith in God. This lifted them above ordinary men and women and secured for them a niche in the temple of Scripture . This indeed is the capacity of the human heart for God, a marvelous faculty of faith. Four times over this is cited as the secret of all that Moses did for his people.
Our Lord Jesus repeatedly taught and emphasized the need for faith in a believer’s walk. In His judgment having wisdom, being strong and enthusiastic are as the small dust of the balance and must not be taken into serious consideration compared to having faith.
His incessant demand is for faith to b e present in persons. He would say “If you had faith as a grain of mustard seed, you might say unto this sycamore tree, ‘Be thou plucked up by the root, and be planted by the sea; and it should obey you’” (Luke 17::6). To a father he once said, “If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth” (Luke 9:23, 24).
The believer, therefore, is the God-filled, the God-moved, the God-possessed human person, and the work which he or she effects in the world is not his or hers, but God through him or her. It is certain that as the present age draws to a close, God has great schemes on hand which must shortly be realized. According to His invariable method, He will have to perform them through the instrumentality and faith of human persons.
Walking by faith implies never to evaluate circumstances or things in the light of our strength, education, abilities or resources. Keep in mind that Jehovah, our Jehoshua, our resource, is all we need to face anything in life.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Paul: Prisoner to the Will of the Spirit
An effective and disciplined soldier is a product of disciplined training which includes the proper use of weapons, submission to authority and obedience to command. Then after training he is entrusted with weapons. God always had the power necessary to defeat the enemy we face, and He is not weak. He has not, however, had a people ready for His power.
As the consummation of all things draws near, God in His great mercy is doing a work with an ordained and predestined people. He is bringing them into complete submission, digging out every bit of rebellion, every spirit that opposes God and exalts itself. He makes us prisoners of Jesus Christ. Let us stop fretting about the confinement, the wilderness testing, and submit to the dealings of God for the hour (Hebrews 12:1-6). We cannot be the tool God will work with to bring the world to submission if we are not first broken, perfected and matured for use.
The Apostle Paul sat in his prison cell working carefully on the scroll as he penned a letter to his friend Philemon. This was a special letter for it was being written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit and would eventually find its place in the Scriptures as part of God’s inspired written Word. The first few words of greeting from this Apostle of God were simply: “Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ”. These words, coming from Paul himself, had a great significance. Paul had learned what it was to be a prisoner of Jesus.
He knew what it was to sit on the backside of the Arabian desert for years with the light of the Truth burning in his heart like the noon day sun, while a lost world perished in darkness. He learned to be disciplined under the ministry of a local church in Antioch until the Spirit gave the word through them for him to “Go”. He had felt the harness of the Spirit about him to the extent that he was “forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). He had been through the training of being bound to the will of God to the extent that when “they assayed to go into Bithynia; …the Spirit suffered them not” (Acts 16:7).
He had become so disciplined to speaking only the word of the Lord that, when in Acts 16 a young demon-possessed girl followed them day after day crying out after them, Paul answered not a word until the Spirit moved upon him to speak and deliver the girl. On his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20:19 he tells how prophecy came to him from prophets in every city telling of the bonds and afflictions that were awaiting him in Jerusalem. In response he said, “None of these things move me” for he was committed to the will of God. He was a prisoner of Jesus Christ and could no longer make his own decision or choose his own course or run his own life. He was disciplined to the will of the Spirit.
Each hour of the day we must choose to obey God. When we submit to God, we shall have to submit to those around us who are in authority over us. Only in this way will we show that we are really submitting to God. What people do to us to hurt us are things God uses to break us. In this way He will make us even deeper channels for the life of Christ to flow out to others.
As the consummation of all things draws near, God in His great mercy is doing a work with an ordained and predestined people. He is bringing them into complete submission, digging out every bit of rebellion, every spirit that opposes God and exalts itself. He makes us prisoners of Jesus Christ. Let us stop fretting about the confinement, the wilderness testing, and submit to the dealings of God for the hour (Hebrews 12:1-6). We cannot be the tool God will work with to bring the world to submission if we are not first broken, perfected and matured for use.
The Apostle Paul sat in his prison cell working carefully on the scroll as he penned a letter to his friend Philemon. This was a special letter for it was being written under the direct inspiration of the Holy Spirit and would eventually find its place in the Scriptures as part of God’s inspired written Word. The first few words of greeting from this Apostle of God were simply: “Paul a prisoner of Jesus Christ”. These words, coming from Paul himself, had a great significance. Paul had learned what it was to be a prisoner of Jesus.
He knew what it was to sit on the backside of the Arabian desert for years with the light of the Truth burning in his heart like the noon day sun, while a lost world perished in darkness. He learned to be disciplined under the ministry of a local church in Antioch until the Spirit gave the word through them for him to “Go”. He had felt the harness of the Spirit about him to the extent that he was “forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia” (Acts 16:6). He had been through the training of being bound to the will of God to the extent that when “they assayed to go into Bithynia; …the Spirit suffered them not” (Acts 16:7).
He had become so disciplined to speaking only the word of the Lord that, when in Acts 16 a young demon-possessed girl followed them day after day crying out after them, Paul answered not a word until the Spirit moved upon him to speak and deliver the girl. On his way to Jerusalem in Acts 20:19 he tells how prophecy came to him from prophets in every city telling of the bonds and afflictions that were awaiting him in Jerusalem. In response he said, “None of these things move me” for he was committed to the will of God. He was a prisoner of Jesus Christ and could no longer make his own decision or choose his own course or run his own life. He was disciplined to the will of the Spirit.
Each hour of the day we must choose to obey God. When we submit to God, we shall have to submit to those around us who are in authority over us. Only in this way will we show that we are really submitting to God. What people do to us to hurt us are things God uses to break us. In this way He will make us even deeper channels for the life of Christ to flow out to others.
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Joseph: Prisoner to the Will of the Spirit
One of the most notable of God’s prisoners in the Old Testament is Joseph, one of the twelve sons of Jacob. In his childhood he was beloved of his father and had freedom to move about as he chose. He had seen a vision of the Throne, of rulership and authority, and he believed God was going to bring this to him. Nevertheless, this vision was not shared by his brothers, and because of this vision he was brought into a very real confinement by his brothers, into a pit with no way to look but up.
He was then sold into slavery, and he was brought to Potiphar’s house in chains of bondage. At Potiphar’s house Joseph was blessed in such a way that Potiphar gave him a measure of freedom and authority, and he was the means of feeding and caring for the others who were also in bondage. He may have become a little satisfied with his measure of authority and his measure of freedom and the good work that he was doing. Perhaps he travailed before God to complete and fulfill the original vision he had seen. At any rate God began the work of bringing him to the throne.
How? By setting him free? Oh no! But by bringing him into a terrible disgrace and the losing of his reputation and the “measure” of his freedom and authority. God brought Joseph into a greater confinement than he had ever known, and for years He kept him confined in a prison cell. This lasted until Joseph began crying for deliverance, and he tried to enlist the aid of everyone who could get a word with the king. He cries, “Get me out of this place.”
There was real travail of his soul. Psalm 105:19 tells us that “The word of the Lord tried him.” Even in the darkest hour when it looked as though he was a complete failure and his life was nothing, Joseph never lost the vision of what God had shown him. He held on to the word of the Lord to him. When he was completely submitted to the dealing of God, in the fullness of time God brought forth His chosen vessel to feed the nation in the time of need. God was not late, neither could He be forced or pressured into moving too soon. He was right on time. He had Joseph, His chosen one, ready for the hour.
Just because God has given you a vision does not mean you should exert all your strength to take it at will. You must be patient before God and allow Him to prepare you for it. It is not an easy road. Before the world can be brought into submission to God, He first will perfect and mature the tool He will work with. You can never be in this company who rule with Christ on His Throne until you have become His prisoner and been brought into absolute submission and obedience to His perfect will.
To Christ every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, but you will never be used to bring others into submission as long as there is the least bit of the rebellious nature within you. You must be disciplined to the will of the Spirit. Remember that having a burden does not necessitate timing. Surrender and submit under the mighty hand of God.
He was then sold into slavery, and he was brought to Potiphar’s house in chains of bondage. At Potiphar’s house Joseph was blessed in such a way that Potiphar gave him a measure of freedom and authority, and he was the means of feeding and caring for the others who were also in bondage. He may have become a little satisfied with his measure of authority and his measure of freedom and the good work that he was doing. Perhaps he travailed before God to complete and fulfill the original vision he had seen. At any rate God began the work of bringing him to the throne.
How? By setting him free? Oh no! But by bringing him into a terrible disgrace and the losing of his reputation and the “measure” of his freedom and authority. God brought Joseph into a greater confinement than he had ever known, and for years He kept him confined in a prison cell. This lasted until Joseph began crying for deliverance, and he tried to enlist the aid of everyone who could get a word with the king. He cries, “Get me out of this place.”
There was real travail of his soul. Psalm 105:19 tells us that “The word of the Lord tried him.” Even in the darkest hour when it looked as though he was a complete failure and his life was nothing, Joseph never lost the vision of what God had shown him. He held on to the word of the Lord to him. When he was completely submitted to the dealing of God, in the fullness of time God brought forth His chosen vessel to feed the nation in the time of need. God was not late, neither could He be forced or pressured into moving too soon. He was right on time. He had Joseph, His chosen one, ready for the hour.
Just because God has given you a vision does not mean you should exert all your strength to take it at will. You must be patient before God and allow Him to prepare you for it. It is not an easy road. Before the world can be brought into submission to God, He first will perfect and mature the tool He will work with. You can never be in this company who rule with Christ on His Throne until you have become His prisoner and been brought into absolute submission and obedience to His perfect will.
To Christ every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, but you will never be used to bring others into submission as long as there is the least bit of the rebellious nature within you. You must be disciplined to the will of the Spirit. Remember that having a burden does not necessitate timing. Surrender and submit under the mighty hand of God.
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Peter: Prisoner to the Will of the Spirit
In the last chapter of John, just before His ascension, Jesus spoke these words to Peter: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, when thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, and walkedst whither thou wouldest, but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thy hands, and another shall gird thee, and carry thee wither thou wouldest not” (John 21:18).
In our youth and immaturity (spiritually) the Lord permits many things in us that He later strips from us as we become more mature in the Spirit. One of these is the freedom of our own choices. When we were young, like Peter, we girded ourselves with our armor and went forth to battle, walking wherever we desired. Wherever we saw an opportunity to do a good work for God, we got involved and engaged. There was a freedom granted to us, and God graciously blessed and anointed our efforts as we prayed and sought His help.
If we pastored, He blessed and gave increase. If we decided to go on the evangelistic field, He blessed and anointed and gave us souls. If we decided to teach, He blessed and gave us revelation of His Word. Though we sought for His guidance and tried to be led of the Spirit, there was not that absolute binding to the perfect will of God and the voice of the Spirit. This was in our strength, our youth and immaturity.
With growth and maturity there came a discipline of the Spirit bringing us into submission to His perfect will. Sometimes, because of the strength of our wills or stubbornness and hardness of our own spirits, there comes affliction and tribulation to weaken our own flesh in order to make us submit to His purpose in us. Paul prayed three times for deliverance from a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, but God would not deliver him. In effect He told Paul that He was doing this to keep him weak. For the Lord said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Peter found that, as he grew older in the Lord, there was to be no more of the walking “where thou wouldst.” Rather, there was to be a binding of his own strength, and his girding would come from another, and he would be carried to destinations determined by someone else. This is a mark of maturity. There is a work of the Spirit now going on to bring us to a place of absolute imprisonment to the direct guidance and will of the Spirit. What a glorious confinement!
Just to know that I am bound up in His divine purposes, regardless of what He chooses to do with me and to me, is a privilege worth accepting. It is a difficult and tortuous path at times, until we recognize who our Jailer really is. We fret and worry when we think we are bound by our circumstances, or by our associates, or by the devil. Those who are called into the high calling of God need to come to the realization Who controls their destiny, so that they can come into a REST, and submit to His workings and dealings in their lives. Like Paul and Peter and those other heroes of faith, we are prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In our youth and immaturity (spiritually) the Lord permits many things in us that He later strips from us as we become more mature in the Spirit. One of these is the freedom of our own choices. When we were young, like Peter, we girded ourselves with our armor and went forth to battle, walking wherever we desired. Wherever we saw an opportunity to do a good work for God, we got involved and engaged. There was a freedom granted to us, and God graciously blessed and anointed our efforts as we prayed and sought His help.
If we pastored, He blessed and gave increase. If we decided to go on the evangelistic field, He blessed and anointed and gave us souls. If we decided to teach, He blessed and gave us revelation of His Word. Though we sought for His guidance and tried to be led of the Spirit, there was not that absolute binding to the perfect will of God and the voice of the Spirit. This was in our strength, our youth and immaturity.
With growth and maturity there came a discipline of the Spirit bringing us into submission to His perfect will. Sometimes, because of the strength of our wills or stubbornness and hardness of our own spirits, there comes affliction and tribulation to weaken our own flesh in order to make us submit to His purpose in us. Paul prayed three times for deliverance from a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan, but God would not deliver him. In effect He told Paul that He was doing this to keep him weak. For the Lord said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Peter found that, as he grew older in the Lord, there was to be no more of the walking “where thou wouldst.” Rather, there was to be a binding of his own strength, and his girding would come from another, and he would be carried to destinations determined by someone else. This is a mark of maturity. There is a work of the Spirit now going on to bring us to a place of absolute imprisonment to the direct guidance and will of the Spirit. What a glorious confinement!
Just to know that I am bound up in His divine purposes, regardless of what He chooses to do with me and to me, is a privilege worth accepting. It is a difficult and tortuous path at times, until we recognize who our Jailer really is. We fret and worry when we think we are bound by our circumstances, or by our associates, or by the devil. Those who are called into the high calling of God need to come to the realization Who controls their destiny, so that they can come into a REST, and submit to His workings and dealings in their lives. Like Paul and Peter and those other heroes of faith, we are prisoners of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
Christ in the Fullness of His People
Christ is fully God and fully man. He is God man, and His blood washed saints are simply an expression of Himself in the fullness of His people. Therefore, the authority and power they exercise are simply delegated. Such privileges are available to the Body as they fully submit their own wills to His will and are constrained by the leading of His Spirit. “…He is the head of the body, the Church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence” (Colossians 1:18).
The Son of Man is the glorious and wonderful fulfillment of Jacob’s ladder. No wonder Jacob called the place “ Bethel ’, for this is the House of God of which we speak, even the Body of Christ. The Head is in heaven, but the Body is upon earth, and according to the Scriptures the Head hath sent forth the celestial hosts as ministering spirits, ministering upon the Son of Man, this “ new man,” that Paul speaks about, “created in Himself of twain” (Ephesians 2:15-18). It is Christ in the fullness of His people. The heavens are now open to His people, the Body, even as it was to Him, the Head, there at the River Jordan that eventful day.
If we ask the question as to when and how we come into this glorious place, the answer is certainly by faith. We claim it in His Name. In actual experience any honest hearted child of God will admit that the heavens have not yet been opened to him, and that he does not dwell in that place beyond the veil where Jesus, our forerunner “is for us entered” (Hebrews 6:20).
Now we have a priesthood ministry on this earth. Revelation 1:5-6 says: “…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” Also the Lamb, “hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). Honestly, we are not yet beyond the veil, in the heavenlies. We have not yet entered unto our priestly ministry in full, nor do we reign as kings, but as Jesus came to the river Jordan and set the Pattern, just as surely shall the true Body of Christ follow the Pattern. Hebrews 6:20 says that He is our forerunner, indicating that we are to follow Him into the Holiest.
By faith we enter into that place now, but in actual experience this is still ahead of us. How far ahead I cannot say, but I feel that it is very near. Already the Body of Christ is nearing maturity; dispensationally the water of Jordan is the figurative waters of death. There must be a dying out, a complete death to self and old ways, so that we might be brought into our inheritance. Those who have ears are hearing the call to repent of our religious hypocrisy and forsake that which is dead and turn unto life, to the way of the living God. Submit to the Word, and to the ministry in the earth. This is what will bring the Body out of Jordan unto a glorious freedom and victory that is yet to be experienced.
All these experiences must come by an act of the grace of God. You cannot think, believe, work or even pray your way in. However, one can pray, believe and be ready for Him when He comes to His people. When He comes in visitation, we must follow Him into the wilderness, where He can prune our branches so as to make us bring forth fruit in our lives. It is the fruit-bearers who shall come into this glorious place in God, in the Body of Christ.
The Son of Man is the glorious and wonderful fulfillment of Jacob’s ladder. No wonder Jacob called the place “ Bethel ’, for this is the House of God of which we speak, even the Body of Christ. The Head is in heaven, but the Body is upon earth, and according to the Scriptures the Head hath sent forth the celestial hosts as ministering spirits, ministering upon the Son of Man, this “ new man,” that Paul speaks about, “created in Himself of twain” (Ephesians 2:15-18). It is Christ in the fullness of His people. The heavens are now open to His people, the Body, even as it was to Him, the Head, there at the River Jordan that eventful day.
If we ask the question as to when and how we come into this glorious place, the answer is certainly by faith. We claim it in His Name. In actual experience any honest hearted child of God will admit that the heavens have not yet been opened to him, and that he does not dwell in that place beyond the veil where Jesus, our forerunner “is for us entered” (Hebrews 6:20).
Now we have a priesthood ministry on this earth. Revelation 1:5-6 says: “…Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God and His Father.” Also the Lamb, “hast made us unto our God kings and priests, and we shall reign on the earth” (Revelation 5:10). Honestly, we are not yet beyond the veil, in the heavenlies. We have not yet entered unto our priestly ministry in full, nor do we reign as kings, but as Jesus came to the river Jordan and set the Pattern, just as surely shall the true Body of Christ follow the Pattern. Hebrews 6:20 says that He is our forerunner, indicating that we are to follow Him into the Holiest.
By faith we enter into that place now, but in actual experience this is still ahead of us. How far ahead I cannot say, but I feel that it is very near. Already the Body of Christ is nearing maturity; dispensationally the water of Jordan is the figurative waters of death. There must be a dying out, a complete death to self and old ways, so that we might be brought into our inheritance. Those who have ears are hearing the call to repent of our religious hypocrisy and forsake that which is dead and turn unto life, to the way of the living God. Submit to the Word, and to the ministry in the earth. This is what will bring the Body out of Jordan unto a glorious freedom and victory that is yet to be experienced.
All these experiences must come by an act of the grace of God. You cannot think, believe, work or even pray your way in. However, one can pray, believe and be ready for Him when He comes to His people. When He comes in visitation, we must follow Him into the wilderness, where He can prune our branches so as to make us bring forth fruit in our lives. It is the fruit-bearers who shall come into this glorious place in God, in the Body of Christ.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009
The Body of Christ
If Jesus is the sign, and the Scriptures most plainly show that He is, then who or what is the fulfillment of this sign? This is the glorious mystery that was revealed to Paul the apostle, which he calls “my gospel. For it was Paul who saw the wonderful truth of the Body of Christ, the “Perfect Man,” the sons of God, the many-membered man that God was making after His own image. God’s man is neither male nor female, Jew nor Gentile, bond nor free…,he is made of many members, and we are all one in Him (Colossian 3:11; I Corinthians 12:12-14).
In the Genesis chapter 1 account God began a creation with substances present of which man was made. The dust of the earth and the breath of God were there, but man had not yet been formed. The first day light was given; it was the day of beginnings. On the third day there was a harvest of fruit in the earth. Then on the sixth day God brought forth His man to rule over the earth, and on the seventh day God rested while man ruled. Now we know that Jesus is the light of the world…John 1:1-9 tells us: “That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
Salvation, or justification, is the beginning of eternal life for us (every person that believes in Christ). This pointed out beautifully in the types and shadows God gave in the Old Testament law. At the time of the Passover, God said that this should be the beginning of months for them. Everything starts with the sprinkling of the blood on the door post. The death angel passes over them, and the children of Israel are safe from the judgments of God. Then in the third month they are to bring forth the first fruits of the harvest, and on the fiftieth day following the Passover Sabbath comes the feast of Pentecost’
Jujst as the Passover was fulfilled in Jesus spilling His own precious blood on Calvary and rising from the tomb, so was the feast of Pentecost fulfilled when He sent back the Holy Spirit upon the waiting Church, bringing forth a great harvest in the earth, a harvest which actually is only the first-fruit of what God is going to do in the seventh day of the great Feast of Ingathering. For in the seventh month, in the end of the civil year comes the great feast which has never yet been fulfilled, the great Feast of Tabernacle or Ingathering reserved for the end of the age.
Political and historical events of our day are pointing clearly to the fact that we are in the sixth day period. Like the biblical account, God is forming His man, “one body, many parts” man (I Corinthians 12:12) in the earth and is bringing it to completion. To accomplish this divine purpose, the risen Lord Jesus is stirring up within the Church, the five-fold ministries to take center stage for the perfecting of the Body until we all come unto “a perfect man” unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-13).
Jesus Christ was the sign given by God of the authority and power He has purported to place upon the redeemed humanity. We see the Head of this Body supremely victorious, waiting until the Body comes to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that His enemies become His footstool (Hebrews 2:8-9). The Head is victorious and crowned. This glorious work He began will continue until His whole body, even the feet, shall rise to the place of authority and power that He has. The smallest and weakest member of the Body, the least in the Kingdom, shall have dominion over every satanic force, over the work of creation, even over their own spirits. “Where I am, there ye may be also.”(John 14:13). The Body is Christ in the fullness of His people.
In the Genesis chapter 1 account God began a creation with substances present of which man was made. The dust of the earth and the breath of God were there, but man had not yet been formed. The first day light was given; it was the day of beginnings. On the third day there was a harvest of fruit in the earth. Then on the sixth day God brought forth His man to rule over the earth, and on the seventh day God rested while man ruled. Now we know that Jesus is the light of the world…John 1:1-9 tells us: “That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.”
Salvation, or justification, is the beginning of eternal life for us (every person that believes in Christ). This pointed out beautifully in the types and shadows God gave in the Old Testament law. At the time of the Passover, God said that this should be the beginning of months for them. Everything starts with the sprinkling of the blood on the door post. The death angel passes over them, and the children of Israel are safe from the judgments of God. Then in the third month they are to bring forth the first fruits of the harvest, and on the fiftieth day following the Passover Sabbath comes the feast of Pentecost’
Jujst as the Passover was fulfilled in Jesus spilling His own precious blood on Calvary and rising from the tomb, so was the feast of Pentecost fulfilled when He sent back the Holy Spirit upon the waiting Church, bringing forth a great harvest in the earth, a harvest which actually is only the first-fruit of what God is going to do in the seventh day of the great Feast of Ingathering. For in the seventh month, in the end of the civil year comes the great feast which has never yet been fulfilled, the great Feast of Tabernacle or Ingathering reserved for the end of the age.
Political and historical events of our day are pointing clearly to the fact that we are in the sixth day period. Like the biblical account, God is forming His man, “one body, many parts” man (I Corinthians 12:12) in the earth and is bringing it to completion. To accomplish this divine purpose, the risen Lord Jesus is stirring up within the Church, the five-fold ministries to take center stage for the perfecting of the Body until we all come unto “a perfect man” unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-13).
Jesus Christ was the sign given by God of the authority and power He has purported to place upon the redeemed humanity. We see the Head of this Body supremely victorious, waiting until the Body comes to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that His enemies become His footstool (Hebrews 2:8-9). The Head is victorious and crowned. This glorious work He began will continue until His whole body, even the feet, shall rise to the place of authority and power that He has. The smallest and weakest member of the Body, the least in the Kingdom, shall have dominion over every satanic force, over the work of creation, even over their own spirits. “Where I am, there ye may be also.”(John 14:13). The Body is Christ in the fullness of His people.
Monday, March 9, 2009
Jesus is God's Greatest Sign
In these days we are hearing much about signs and wonders. Many of these, of course, are spurious and false…tricks of the enemy to deceive and mislead God’ people, to magnify the flesh and glorify man, and to sidetrack us from the main purpose of God in the earth today. Not all signs are of the devil. The very fact that there is a counterfeit proves that there is a real, for no one counterfeits that which does not exist.
In Isaiah 7:14 the prophet cried out “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The sign was not the virgin who brought forth. It was not the swaddling clothes that He was wrapped in, nor was the miraculous birth itself the promised Sign, but rather it was the One who still is God’s greatest sign.
Now a sign is that which points to something, and this man Jesus, His birth, life, death, and resurrection point unerringly to that great thing which God is doing in the earth, the eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 states clearly that the Sign was not fulfilled when Jesus was born. It said that a sign was given. The prophet has promised that God would give them a sign. God gave them this sign when He gave them Jesus there in Bethlehem ’s stable.
Now a sign is not fulfilled when it is given. It is fulfilled when that which it points to comes to pass. That baby lying there in Mary’s arms is the greatest sign God ever gave to the earth, and it shall not fail. That which it points to shall most surely come to pass. The angels spoke to the shepherds in the field on that glorious night: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you” (Luke 2:10-12). They went on to tell them where to find the child.
Simeon the prophet came by the Spirit into the temple, and there he found Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus. Holding the baby he prophesied saying, “Behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:25-34). Jesus Himself said “…this is an evil generation, they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be (a sign) unto this generation” (Luke 11:29-30).
Jonah was a sign pointing to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sign was given to the Ninevites when Jonah came forth after 3 days in the belly of the whale. The sign of Jonah was fulfilled when Jesus czme forth from the tomb. Jonah’s sign pointed unerringly to the Truth; it did not fail, and now a greater sign than Jonah is given. In Isaiah 8:18 the Scripture says: “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders.” Hebrews 2:13 makes us to understand that the One who spoke these words was actually our Lord Jesus. He says that He is for a sign, and so are the children (sons) that God hath given Him, those who are being conformed to His image, the Body of Christ. Thank God for His eternal plan and purpose.
In Isaiah 7:14 the prophet cried out “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The sign was not the virgin who brought forth. It was not the swaddling clothes that He was wrapped in, nor was the miraculous birth itself the promised Sign, but rather it was the One who still is God’s greatest sign.
Now a sign is that which points to something, and this man Jesus, His birth, life, death, and resurrection point unerringly to that great thing which God is doing in the earth, the eternal Purpose in Christ Jesus. Matthew 1:18-25 states clearly that the Sign was not fulfilled when Jesus was born. It said that a sign was given. The prophet has promised that God would give them a sign. God gave them this sign when He gave them Jesus there in Bethlehem ’s stable.
Now a sign is not fulfilled when it is given. It is fulfilled when that which it points to comes to pass. That baby lying there in Mary’s arms is the greatest sign God ever gave to the earth, and it shall not fail. That which it points to shall most surely come to pass. The angels spoke to the shepherds in the field on that glorious night: “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tiding of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you” (Luke 2:10-12). They went on to tell them where to find the child.
Simeon the prophet came by the Spirit into the temple, and there he found Mary and Joseph with the baby Jesus. Holding the baby he prophesied saying, “Behold this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be spoken against” (Luke 2:25-34). Jesus Himself said “…this is an evil generation, they seek a sign, and there shall no sign be given it, but the sign of Jonah the prophet. For as Jonah was a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of Man be (a sign) unto this generation” (Luke 11:29-30).
Jonah was a sign pointing to the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This sign was given to the Ninevites when Jonah came forth after 3 days in the belly of the whale. The sign of Jonah was fulfilled when Jesus czme forth from the tomb. Jonah’s sign pointed unerringly to the Truth; it did not fail, and now a greater sign than Jonah is given. In Isaiah 8:18 the Scripture says: “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord hath given me are for signs and wonders.” Hebrews 2:13 makes us to understand that the One who spoke these words was actually our Lord Jesus. He says that He is for a sign, and so are the children (sons) that God hath given Him, those who are being conformed to His image, the Body of Christ. Thank God for His eternal plan and purpose.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Temptation
Our confidence in overcoming temptation is in the faithfulness of the Lord who answers the petition He taught us to pray “lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”
Christ seeks to lead us out of patterns that will make us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. That’s why He confronts us about our preemptive hugging of the center stage. He seeks to deliver us from habits of control because He knows we can’t pull it off alone. When we try and then find we need power, He knows that Satan will be ready to offer us false power.
Satan’s power comes at very high cost: his methods and his control cause a frightening spiraling descent into power tactics. But at any point we can call, and Christ will deliver us.
Not only has our Lord been through all the temptations we face and not only does He know every device of the tempter, He alone has power and authority over Satan. In the power struggle between good and evil in the spiritual world Christ always wins. The Father has given that authority to Christ.
We must call for aid. As has been stressed, He waits until we want His deliverance. His ongoing care to keep us out of temptation is freely given. He meets us at the pass erecting “Do Not Enter” signs on certain paths. But even as we push His sign aside and get into trouble He will help us even then in response to our cry for help.
The same Lord who erects the “No Entry” sign also places an “Only Way Out” sign in the jungle of defeat when we get lost. Christ’s help is the expression of the faithfulness of God that Paul touted with such gratitude. No temptation has overtaken you except as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). The name of Christ is the way out. Christ delivers.
Christ seeks to lead us out of patterns that will make us vulnerable to Satan’s attacks. That’s why He confronts us about our preemptive hugging of the center stage. He seeks to deliver us from habits of control because He knows we can’t pull it off alone. When we try and then find we need power, He knows that Satan will be ready to offer us false power.
Satan’s power comes at very high cost: his methods and his control cause a frightening spiraling descent into power tactics. But at any point we can call, and Christ will deliver us.
Not only has our Lord been through all the temptations we face and not only does He know every device of the tempter, He alone has power and authority over Satan. In the power struggle between good and evil in the spiritual world Christ always wins. The Father has given that authority to Christ.
We must call for aid. As has been stressed, He waits until we want His deliverance. His ongoing care to keep us out of temptation is freely given. He meets us at the pass erecting “Do Not Enter” signs on certain paths. But even as we push His sign aside and get into trouble He will help us even then in response to our cry for help.
The same Lord who erects the “No Entry” sign also places an “Only Way Out” sign in the jungle of defeat when we get lost. Christ’s help is the expression of the faithfulness of God that Paul touted with such gratitude. No temptation has overtaken you except as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also provide a way of escape, that you may be able to bear it (I Corinthians 10:13). The name of Christ is the way out. Christ delivers.
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