The Lord’s Supper

The reason why the Lord’s Supper held such a significant place in the early church is because it embodies the major features of the Christian life. The emblems we see, the bread and the wine, at the Lord’s Supper are broken and drunk as a shared experience (Matthew 26:26; 1 Cor. 10:16). The broken bread points us to the humanity of Jesus. The Son of Glory took upon Himself the form of a servant. The Almighty hovered Himself by becoming a man. The bread, being the most basic and lowly of all foods, points to the humanity and availability of our Lord. By taking on our humanity Jesus Christ because accessible to us all, just is the most readily available food for everyone, both rich and poor.


The Breaking of Bread also reminds us of the cross upon which our Lord’s body was broken. Bread is made from crushed wheat and wine is made from the pressed grape; both elements represent suffering and death. Yet, the Breaking of Bread does not only depict the suffering and death of Christ. It also shows forth His resurrection. The grain of wheat has gone into the ground, but it now lives to produce many grains like unto itself (John 12:24). While we eat the representation of His flesh and drink the representation of His blood through the Supper, we obtain His life (John 6:53). This is the principle of resurrection—Life coming out of death.

The revelation of the resurrected Christ is also bound up with the broken bread. When the risen Lord ate with His disciples it was bread that He broke with them (John 21:13). In like manner the resurrected Christ appeared to people on the Emmaus road but their eyes were not opened to recognize Him until He broke the bread (Luke 24:30-32). The Lord’s Supper reveals Christ to us.

The testimony of the oneness of Christ’s Body is also embodied in the Breaking of Bread. Recall that there was only one loaf that the early Christians broke. Paul writes, “Because there is one loaf, we, who are many are one body, for all partake of the one loaf” (1 Cor. 10:17). “There is one Body” …such company thus owns no other membership than that of the one Church, the Body of Christ, to which Christians belong by the operation of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:22-23; 1 Cor. 12:12-13). It is the Lord’s Supper that is the symbol of this unity and the Scriptural observance of this memorial feast is really the expression of Christian unity (John Reid, 1987).

Thus the Lord’s people gather together and bear witness of their oneness of life in Christ and in the Body of which He is the Head. It is in this way that every evidenced believer is welcome to enjoy Christian privilege and fellowship according to Scriptural simplicity and order. When Jesus celebrated the Passover, which was the first Lord’s Supper, He offered the wine cup to His disciples with the word, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20). By this action, the Lord was pointing out this one fact; the Supper was a covenant meal wherein His disciples revisited the common memories they shared and celebrated their new identity in the Messiah.

Today when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper as a meal we are remembering the covenant we have with God in Christ. We are participating in the shared memory of what Jesus has done for us and we are proclaiming our new identity in Him. Water baptism is the Scriptural mode of our initiation into the Christian faith and the Lord’s Supper is a reaffirmation of our initial commitment to Christ. Through it, we reaffirm our faith in Jesus and our identity in Him as part of the new creation. It possesses past, present, and future implications. It is a re-proclamation of the Lord’s sacrificial death for us in the past. It’s a re-declaration of His ever-abiding nearness with us in the present, and it’s a re-pronouncement of the Hope of glory—His coming in the future.

In other words, the Lord’s Supper is a living testimony to the three chief virtues—faith, hope and love. Through the Supper we re-ground ourselves in that glorious salvation that is ours by faith. We express our love for the brethren as we reflect on the one Body, and we rejoice in the hope of our Lord’s soon return. By observing the Supper, we “proclaim (present) the Lord’s death (past) until He returns (future)” (1 Cor. 11:26). Through the Supper, the Holy Spirit reveals the living Christ to our hearts anew and afresh. By it, we reaffirm our faith in Jesus and membership in His Body. Through the Supper we sup with Christ and His people. For these reasons the early Christians made it an important part of their gatherings. Suffice it to say that the Lord Himself instituted the Supper (Matthew 26:26), and His apostles handed it down to us (1 Cor. 11:2). It is a spiritual reality.

For the first followers, the Lord’s Supper was not an end in itself, but means of communing with the triune God. The ties that bind are relationships, nor rules. The “light of the world” is not the message of Jesus. Jesus Himself is the light of the world. In the observance of the Lord’s Supper, the redeemed of the Lord, as His local Body, corporately express Christ. For He is the Message on earth.

Our faith is not a commitment to a course, it is the acceptance of an invitation to join Jesus on His journey and to live life in the mystery of God made flesh. To the believer the contact is the content. When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we are indeed celebrating the life of Jesus who is the Good News.

T Cyprian Kia

Wrong Doing Compounds Problems

     It is often stated that a wrong-doing can never solve a problem, but living our lives in accordance with the guidelines given to us by God WILL solve problems.  Take a look at a family brothers described in the Bible, all members of one family, the sons of Israel. Ten of them so jealous and hateful of Joseph their brother that the very sight of him provoked their worst behavior.
     One day they saw him coming to visit them, “Then they said to one another, ‘look this dreamer is coming!’ “(Gen. 37:19). Have you noticed how quickly one sinful act can lead to another? Joseph’s brothers are a good example!  As soon as they saw Joseph coming, they began to plot his death, but when Midianite traders came by, it seemed more advantageous to sell him for twenty pieces of silver. Getting rid of a brother and make money at the same time was an idea that appealed to their self-interest and fitted their hate.
     Ah, but the trouble had just begun. They had to kill a goat (clever deception) and wipe Joseph’s coat in its blood. Finally, there was the lie they had to tell Jacob. Helplessly they watched as their father was overcome with grief. After all, they were the ones who had gotten rid of Joseph- so what comfort could they possibly give?
     Another example is David the King, the sweet psalmist of Israel. Early in his reign he was at war with the people of Ammon. He sent his troops to battle and he himself remained at home. Instead of being in the battle with his men, he chose to rest, but in his resting he became restless.  Being restless, he became sleepless and went up to the roof of the house. There he saw a woman taking her bath. He desired her, a woman who was already married to one of his best soldiers (2 Sam. 23:39) and the son-in-law of another of his best soldiers ( 2 Sam. 23:23). This woman was even the granddaughter of his special adviser, Ahithophel (2 Sam 17: 1-23).
     David lured her to bed, and, when he was told she was expecting his child, he arranged her husband’s death in the battlefield. Think about it. It started with laziness that turned into restlessness, then insomnia, followed by lust of the flesh, misuse of power and influence compounded by betrayal, deception, adultery and finally cold blooded murder.
     How easy it is for one, seemingly isolated, disobedient act to spiral into compounded problems.  One lie leading to another lie and another lie spiraling out of control. How simple for one tiny deception to grow into a multitude of sins.
     God's guidelines clearly tell us to say "No" right away to disobedience.  Doing so saves us a lot of trouble in the long run.  "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that denying ungodliness and wordly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously and godly in the present age looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. " (Titus 2:11-14).

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 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

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).

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.

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.

God is Working in You

Life today is like a warehouse, assembled from pre-fab sections, ready to receive goods. It is fast, compressed, condensed—slam-bang, it’s done.

It is not so in God’s wilderness schooling. When it comes to walking with God, there is no such thing as instant maturity. God does not mass produce saints; He hand-tools each one, and it always takes longer than we expected.

God takes this careful measure because for anyone to lead effectively such a person must accept being questioned, attacked, accused, hated and betrayed. It is painful, but it enables the person to stand alone. How is it possible to endure such, one may ask. God accomplishes it through the furnace of affliction (Isa. 48:10; John 12:24-25; Heb. 1:9-10; Heb. 5:8). If you learn your lessons well, you will no longer need anyone to pat you on the back. You will go straight on doing what God had called you to do even in the face of both opposition and intimidation.

No matter what role one is called upon to fill, such a role is not unimportant when it come to standing alone for truth. This is because standing for the truth is standing before God. It makes one a unique spokesperson in one’s day and age at this moment and time.

As God works in us, every shred of self-sufficient arrogance, every hint of independent spirit, and all thought of rebellion is scraped away. Any indifference toward authority is replaced by a firm commitment to do only as told regardless. Survival is learned in the crucible of intense, extreme training that characterizes Divine dealings with a chosen vessel.

Mark it down. Things do not “just happen.” Ours is not a random, whistle-in-the-dark universe. There is a God-arranged plan for this world of ours which includes a specific plan for you. Through every ordinary day and every extraordinary moment there is a God who constantly seeks you. The God who loves us and redeemed us uses these moments to advance His purposes. He is there, and He is not silent. He doesn’t speak vocally from heaven, shouting down His word at you. He uses His Book, the Bible, His people, and He uses events in your life. So be patient with yourself, for God has not finished with you yet.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Joseph Unveiled

The sons of Jacob were faced with a terrible problem. They could not bear to face their father without Benjamin, but they were helpless before their judge, guilty and defenseless. Then Judah, the very one responsible for selling Joseph to the Ishmaelites some 22 years earlier, now makes an impassioned plea for Benjamin to return with them. There is no doubt in my mind that Judah had suffered much from a guilty conscience as he watched his broken hearted father grieve for Joseph, especially after he, Judah, had sons of his own and had experience of losing two of them in death (Genesis 38). Whatever a man sows shall surely bring him an abundant harvest. Would you believe that it was the sons of Judah, the Jews, who were responsible for selling the elder brother Jesus into the hands of the Roman gentiles?

The Jews have suffered much since then because of the anguish of the Father’s heart over what they did. But mercy is coming your way, Judah ! He who sits on the throne will hear your impassioned plea in these closing days of this age, and the beloved elder Brother with the Melchisedic robe of priesthood will unveil Himself to you.

Genesis 45 is a beautiful chapter of reconciliation, forgiveness and restoration. When Joseph revealed himself, his brothers were so startled, shocked, and fearful; they were absolutely speechless. I am sure if there had been any place to hide, any rock or mountain to cover them, they would have fled from his presence. He made them know that in spite of their hatred, wickedness and scheming, it had all been the will of God to bring him to Egypt for the purpose of preserving them in time of famine. It was all necessary in order for the family of Israel to stay in Egypt for 400 years until they grew into a mighty people, ready to go back to Canaan and rule their own country.


That which seems to us to be so unnecessary and even seems like the work of the devil is part of God’s overall plan to bring forth a great people strong enough that they might return to “their own land” to rule and reign with Jesus Christ, our elder Brother. Ours is to trust Him and know that He is on the throne, and that all things will work toward an ultimate victory for His Church, His Body. Let that many membered company of the younger brother of “Joseph” know that they are playing a very important part in the bringing about of this glorious restoration.

The Genesis narrative did not tell us of the special relationship Benjamin had with his long lost brother, once the family had all moved to Egypt . Certainly Joseph had some important work for Benjamin in the five years remaining of the time of famine (Genesis 45:9-15). Beyond that no one knows what part Benjamin had in the glory of Joseph’s Kingdom administration. None can tell you what the sons of God will be doing 10,000 years from now in the Kingdom of Christ and of God (Ephesians 5:5), but I am sure it will be glorious! It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus!

The Christ of God

Christ of God is a dynamic Savior and a powerful Lord who can help us know that our lives are in His control. He is the only One who can liberate us. He can set us free once and for all from the wretched feeling of being lost.

The Christian life is a constant struggle until we have a one to one encounter with the preexistent, preeminent, personal, all-powerful Christ. Christ who is able to control our lives existed in eternity before time and creation. He was co-equal with God the Father. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1-2). These opening words from the Gospel of John help us catch the magnitude and majesty of the preexistent Christ. As the Word, He was, and is, the generative power of the universe, the One through whom all things were made at the Father’s command.

The One we like to think of as a Friend, Teacher, our Good Shepherd, is also Christ the Word, the uncreated creator of universes within universes, who created life on the planet earth. When the Father said, “Let us make man in our image,” (Genesis 1:26), humankind was thus created. Life Himself brought life into being. The Father was the instigator, the Son, the implementer, and through the ages made us and who came to remake us. He was born among us so we could be reborn.

In His humanity Christ revealed how life was to be lived under divine control. As the son of God, He called His followers to faithful and obedient discipleship. As Immanuel, God with us, He left no ambiguity about who He was. With authority He said, “Before Abraham was, I am” (John 8:58) asserting His preexistent oneness with Yahweh. With equal force He spoke with power and declared that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6).