“FEED MY SHEEP”
George H. Warnock
First Printing:
November 17, 1980
Second Printing: May
20, 1985 (Above, Printed in Canada)
Third Printing:
January 15, 1990 (Printed in the United States of America)
Fourth Printing: May
30, 1994 (Printed in Colombia, South America)
C O N T E N T S
3. The Authority of
the Son of God
4. Bethesda, the House
of Mercy
As the title of this
booklet would suggest, it is an appeal especially to those who are called of
God to minister to the “sheep of His pasture.” But we would encourage the sheep
to read it also, for they need to know the things that are written here. Besides,
as we shall observe later on, there is no difference between a sheep and a
shepherd, as far as their character is concerned. For God’s true shepherds are
sheep before they become shepherds; and they continue to be sheep AFTER they
have become shepherds. Once we recognize this principle, the barriers that have
been erected to segregate the sheep from the shepherds are torn down, and the
sheep and the shepherds alike find themselves in one common fold of the Chief
Shepherd. For the difference between them is simply one of “calling” in the
Body of Christ. In character and in nature the sheep and the shepherd are
identical.
We do not intend in
this writing to explore in detail the areas of truth related to the shepherding
of the flock of God, but rather to bring to the surface certain aspects of
Truth that are often neglected, but which are absolutely vital to the people of
God who are seeking to become obedient and loyal subjects of His Kingdom. For
God is certainly preparing for Himself a people who will walk in total union
with Himself: a people who will speak only His words, do only His works, and
walk only in His ways. Falling short of this we fall short of God’s desire for
His people... regardless how great our calling may be, or how mighty the gift or
the Word that we may minister. Nor must we shrink back because of the greatness
of His calling... for He is able to bring us in and to fulfill every desire of
His heart within us, as we believe Him for it, and embrace the Truth that He
implants within our hearts.
-George H. Warnock
THE CALL OF THE
SHEPHERD
“So when they had
dined, Jesus saith to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more
than these? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee. He
saith unto him, Feed my lambs. He saith unto him again the second time, Simon,
son of Jonas, lovest thou me? He saith unto him, Yea, Lord; Thou knowest that I
love thee. He saith unto him, Feed my sheep. He saith unto him the third time,
Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me? Peter was grieved because he said unto him
the third time, Lovest thou me? And he said unto him, Lord, Thou knowest all
things; Thou knowest that I love thee. Jesus saith unto him, Feed my sheep”
(John 21:15-17).
The call of the True
Shepherd is once again being heard in the land, and there is a new sense of
hope and anticipation arising in the hearts of God’s sheep who have long been
scattered upon the mountains, “as sheep having no shepherd...” or feeding in pastures
that have long been barren and dry... or drinking from waters that have been
polluted by the ecclesiastical debris that has been thrown into the pure stream
of God’s Word.
And yet, along with
this new sense of hope and anticipation there is oftentimes intermingled a
feeling of frustration and discouragement, and somewhat of a spirit of
restlessness… as the vision of God’s glory seems to recede, or as the
fulfillment of it is prolonged. This is true as it relates to the sheep of
God’s pasture; and it is true as it relates to the shepherds. Thankful as we
are for what God has done for His people, we cannot help but recognize that we
are still a long ways from the fulness of the glory of God in the midst of His
people, and those whose souls are hungering and thirsting after God know what
we are talking about. May this hunger and thirst increase more and more, and
may we do nothing to try to minimize our need for God, or seek to dispel the
concern that exists among God’s people, by giving them some kind of spiritual
sedative that might alleviate the pain without removing the cause. God has
always been concerned, greatly concerned, about the welfare of His people, and
has longed to bring them into realms of glory such as Jesus Himself walked in
when He was here on earth. In fact, the Lord Himself prayed to that end: “And
the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as
we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;
and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as
thou hast loved me” (John 17:22,23). And now for almost two thousand years He
has been our advocate with the Father in the heavens, appointed to that office
by the Father... not only to represent the Father in His just and holy will for
His people, but also to bear upon His shoulders, like the High Priest of the
Old Covenant, the responsibility for His people, and to present their cause
before the throne of Grace.
How inadequate we
feel as we seek to persuade God to move on our behalf, in our great distress
and need. But Christ is there in the throne-room acting on our behalf, and
interceding for His people who are indeed members of His very own Body.
Therefore as we hear the Voice of the Shepherd in the land, declaring God’s
purpose for His people, and the certainty of its fulfillment in the earth...
let us cast from our minds any thought of unbelief which may plague us because
of the frailty of our human nature, and our proneness to failure and
disobedience... and let us be assured once and for all that what God has
declared and what God is doing in the earth is something that He is doing for
His own Name’s sake, and because of Him who reigns at His right hand, with all
power and authority to do whatever God has commissioned Him to do. Regardless
of how well or how long we might pray it still remains a fact that “we know not
how to pray as we ought,” and therefore the Spirit of God takes up our cause on
our behalf in the earth, communicates our cause directly to the Son of God in
heaven, and He bears our cause “upon His shoulders” before the very presence of
God.
We are “not our own,”
for we have been “bought with a price.” The Psalmist said, “We are His people,
and the sheep of His pasture.” We are God’s inheritance. We may think our need
is great... but if our need is great, God’s need is even greater... for God’s
heart is pained with the pain of His people in a manner far beyond anything we
can understand.
God says, “My people
hath been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray, they have
turned them away on the mountains: they have gone from mountain to hill, they
have forgotten their resting place” (Jer. 50:6). This wandering about of the
sheep, then, is not always due to some inherent fault in them… very often it is
the fault of the shepherds. God’s sheep are not like hogs. They must have good
clean pasture, and drink from pure refreshing streams, or it makes them sick.
This is something the shepherds do not seem to understand. Why do the sheep
become so restless? Why can they not just settle down where they are and work
faithfully for their church, and be content with their lot? Many, of course,
have done just that... not because they are really satisfied with present
conditions, but because they can see no other way to go. Many have never caught
the vision of the “glorious church” that God has promised to bring into
being... with every member walking in the Spirit and vitally joined unto Christ
in abiding fruitfulness; and many others who have seen the vision have grown
weary along the way, and have succumbed to the temptation to just “go to
church” and become active in some form of religious exercise, in the hope of
satisfying that deep longing within to be truly a fruitful and contributing
member in the Body of Christ.
Jesus promised us
that the time would come when He would gather His scattered sheep into one
fold, and that the sheep would “go in and out and find pasture.” He has
promised us that He would lead us by springs of living water, and satisfy our
soul in drought. He has assured us that in the time of the gathering together
of His sheep, there would be “ONE fold and ONE Shepherd.” From the very
beginning, God has desired for Himself a people who would come into intimate
union and relationship with Himself... not only for their sake, but to satisfy
the longing and the yearning of His own heart for true fellowship. This is what
Redemption is all about; and this is what the Temple of God is all about. God
wants to dwell with men, and be their God, and He wants His people to have a
personal, intimate relationship with Himself.
Let Us Wait For The Lord
But invariably, in
the history of God’s people, the sheep of God’s pasture have grown weary in pursuing
this call unto fellowship with Him; and as the vision begins to dim they become
impatient in spirit, and are willing to conform to patterns of life and conduct
that they observe in others round about them. This is what happened in the
early days of Israel, after they had become settled in the land of their
inheritance. God had been their Lord and King from the time He called them out
of bondage, and drew them apart into a special relationship with Himself. But
now in the time of Samuel they began to grow weary of it all, and desired a
king, like the nations round about them. This grieved the heart of God. All
along, right from the beginning, their very existence as a nation was by reason
of the fact that God longed for an inheritance of His own in a people that were
separate from other people, and very much UNLIKE the nations. It wasn’t simply
their desire for a king that displeased the heart of God... but the fact that
they wanted to conform to the pattern they observed in the nations round about them.
God indeed had planned that His people would have a king in the fulness of
time. But God’s plan for them was a king who would make His people DIFFERENT
from the nations, rather than LIKE them. God’s king would be a man after His
own heart... one who would cause the people to say, “God is our real King...
you are not really our king, David... you are just the man that God chose to
stand before Him, and to cause us to know Him who is King over all the earth.”
David therefore, was a true shepherd-king, a man after God’s own heart, for he
taught the people to sing:
“The LORD is my
Shepherd, I shall not want...” (Psalm 23:1).
“We are His people,
and the sheep of His pasture...” (Psalm 100:3).
“Lift up your heads,
O ye gates; and be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory
shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD
mighty in battle” (Psalm 24:7,8).
However the people
were not ready for this kind of a king as yet... nor indeed was the king
himself ready. True, they were in constant conflict with the Amalekites, and
the Philistines, and the remnant of the nations that God had left in Canaan to
try their hearts and to prove them. Oftentimes they came under great bondage to
these nations, and they would cry unto God for deliverance. True, they wanted
deliverance, but they were not ready yet for SEPARATION. They wanted, at one
and the same time, to be delivered from the nations round about them, and to be
LIKE them.
It sounds strange,
but it was true... and it is true even in our day. We want the liberty of the
Spirit of God in our midst... and we profess that we want Christ to have His
Lordship in our lives… but at the same time we are quick to set up a pattern of
church life and ritual very much like the old ways we were accustomed to in our
former bondage. This seems to be the easy way out: “Make us a king,” they said
to Samuel, “someone to go out before us, and to fight our battles...” Pursuing
the vision of God, and seeking out His will for our lives has become burdensome
to many people. “Give us a leader,” they are saying, ...”someone who will tell
us what we are supposed to do.” Too often leadership has become a very
convenient form of escapism... an easy way to avoid the responsibilities that
come to one who is dedicated to a personal walk with God.
The Call To Intimate Relationship
There is a lot of
teaching in the earth today about the Body of Christ... how God has sent forth
His gifts upon the people to bind them together in a common fellowship, and to
endue them with power and anointing, that they might become vital members of
the Glorious Body of Christ. And yet, sad to say, there seems to be very little
evidence in our assemblies of the mighty, abiding presence of Christ, and of
His Lordship in the lives of His people. I think the reason is quite evident.
We want His blessings and His gifts and His miracle working power, and we cry
out for more and more of these... but He answers back: “My desire is that you
should come into total union with Myself, and walk in my Truth, in my Life, in
my Holiness, in my Patience, in my Long-suffering, in my Kindness, in my Mercy,
in my Love... I want you to be ONE WITH ME in all things.” And you reply, “I am
not interested in any of these strange doctrines... all I want is more power
and more blessing and more of your gifts...” But God replies, “My son give me
thine heart...” And so this abundant life in Christ is denied us, and will
continue to be denied us, until we are willing to confess: “Yes, Lord, it is
true... we wanted a king so we could be like other (denomi)nations... we wanted
a nice church system in our community, so we would no longer be a reproach to
other churches... You told us what would happen, and so it has come to pass...
You told us the king we chose would take our young men for servants to run
before him, and to drive his chariots... You told us he would force us to plant
his crops, and reap his harvest, and make his ammunition... You told us he
would take our maids to be his cooks and confectioners... And even as your
servant Samuel prophesied, so it has come to pass”. (See 1 Samuel 8:10-18.)
Is it not strange,
that no sooner do a people who are led of the Lord into new ways of the Spirit,
and begin to function in a corporate relationship as God intended… immediately
there are voices arising and crying out for someone to be their king... someone
who can make them like the other churches… someone who can organize well, and
get everyone involved in some kind of church activity. They grew weary of the bondage
and servitude in that realm, only to walk right back into it again under the
guise of liberty.
We are not saying
that there is no place for outreaches of various kinds. God has much work for
His people to do... but first and foremost God is after YOU and ME. This is the
Day of His Lordship... and because God wants to be your King to make you
different, He refuses to give you your heart’s desire if in doing so it will
leave you inwardly the SAME. O perhaps for a season you might find a new sense
of refreshing and renewal as living waters are released from the throne of
Grace... and you may begin to feel confident that at long last you are
ascending a little higher into areas of the Spirit that hitherto were closed to
you. But sooner or later there is another test, another trial, another defeat,
another attack by Amalek or the Philistines, …and you begin to wonder what it
is all about.
You cannot appease
God by working for Him. You cannot become spiritual by keeping very active in
some form of church activity, or the like. God’s cry and longing throughout the
ages of eternity has been for a HOME, a resting-place in a people made in His
own image... and God will not allow you to find rest in your own works. God
will not allow you to rest until you find that rest in UNION WITH HIMSELF
ALONE. Then, of course, there will be activity… great activity… but in a far
different realm. God’s priests do not “sweat it out”... that is why the ancient
priests in the temple were required to wear linen, rather than wool. They must
serve God only in union with Him, clothed upon with the fine linen of His own
righteousness... and of their own selves they can do nothing.
And so the Call of
the Shepherd continues to go forth in the earth... calling the sheep of His
pasture into this intimate union and relationship with Himself. And the sheep
are responding, for they know the Shepherd’s voice, and a stranger they will
not follow. O perhaps for a season the sheep may seem to be a little uncertain
as the call of the shepherds and the cry of the hirelings mingle together, but
this is all part of the process the sheep must undergo as they seek to learn
His voice, and understand what He is saying. Then all this perplexity gives way
to positive assurance, as their spiritual senses become more and more exercised
in the ways of the Lord, and they are able to “discern both good and evil...”
And in discerning what is GOOD and what is EVIL they are able to find in Him
sufficient grace to follow that which is GOOD and to abhor that which is EVIL.
The line of demarcation between the two is clearly defined, and no longer do
they call evil GOOD and GOOD evil. (See Hebrews 5:14; Isaiah 5:20.)
We Must Come To Know The Voice
The real burden of
the Spirit of God in the earth today is that men everywhere, who are seeking to
come into the fulness of Christ, might have strong perception to hear and to
know the Voice of the Shepherd as He speaks to His people. Sheep will readily
follow... for sheep are prone to be followers. They have a nature that is
inclined that way. How concerned the Lord is, therefore, that they come to know
the VOICE. “He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches”… is the oft-repeated challenge of the Great Shepherd to the seven
churches. Therefore God’s controversy has been chiefly with the shepherds that
caused the sheep to go astray:
“They are shepherds
that cannot understand; they all look to their own way, every one for his own
gain, from his quarter” (Isaiah 56:11).
“Howl, ye shepherds,
and cry; and wallow yourselves in the ashes, ye principal of the flock: for the
days of your slaughter and of your dispersions are accomplished; and ye shall
fall like a pleasant vessel, And the shepherds shall have no way to flee, nor
the principal of the flock to escape. A voice of the cry of the shepherds, and
a howling of the principal of the flock, shall be heard, for the LORD hath
spoiled their pasture” (Jeremiah 25:34-36).
Therefore, because
God has a Shepherd’s heart, He is greatly concerned about the “sheep of His
pasture” and in this hour He is sending forth the voice of the True Shepherd to
lead His sheep back into the pastures of truth and righteousness.
“My sheep wandered
through all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after
them. Therefore, ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD: as I live, saith the
Lord GOD, surely because my flock became a prey and my flock became meat to
every beast of the field, because there was no shepherd, neither did my
shepherds search for my flock, but the shepherds fed themselves, and fed not my
flock; Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the LORD; Thus saith the
Lord God; Behold, I am against the shepherds; and I will require my flock at
their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the
shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their
mouth, that they may not be meat for them. For thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold,
I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out... I will feed my
flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. I will seek that
which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up
that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick...” (Ezekiel
34:6-16).
One cannot help but
notice with what emphasis the Lord declares that HE ALONE is the True Shepherd,
and that HE ALONE will take the responsibility for shepherding the flock of God
in His ways. “I will, I will, I will...” is constantly repeated in this
passage, and He has confirmed His intention with an oath: “As I live, saith the
LORD...” True, He will use men to fulfill His purposes, as He has always
done... but when we understand that GOD ALONE is the True Shepherd of the
sheep, then we will come to understand that true shepherds here in the earth
are only true shepherds in as far as they walk in the ways of the True
Shepherd, and speak the words of the True Shepherd, and do the works of the True
Shepherd. They are not true shepherds in their own right, in virtue of some
office that has been conferred upon them by God or by man.
DELEGATED AUTHORITY
The True Shepherd
Appears
When Jesus came forth
from the heart of God He was God’s answer to the needs of the scattered sheep
of God... the One that the prophets spoke about, who would come to gather
together the scattered flocks of God’s pasture, and cause them to lie down in
quiet resting places. He had the heart of the Shepherd-God, with whom He walked
in total union; and therefore as He looked upon the multitudes who thronged
about Him to hear His Word and to be healed of their infirmities, He had
compassion upon them, for they were “as sheep not having a shepherd.” They were
nevertheless God’s sheep... not all of them, but many of them... and Jesus knew
that all whom the Father had given Him would come to Him and hear His voice.
They would not follow the stranger. The “stranger” tried many times to get a
following, and for a while there may have been a certain amount of perplexity,
but the voice didn’t sound quite right. Jesus said, “A stranger they will not
follow.”
Sent By The Father
The story of His
Incarnation, and His ministry in the earth, is beautiful as we consider it...
as He gathered the flock of God about Him, and nurtured them in the ways of
God. There was conflict with the hirelings, as might be expected; but the True
Shepherd speaks, and the true sheep follow. They cannot help but follow. What
they hear may oftentimes sound strange, unorthodox, or unscriptural, …but still
they follow. They know the Voice. What they do not understand they are prepared
to leave in His hands, knowing that one day they WILL understand. “To whom else
shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” But little by little the
scales are removed from their eyes, and the sheep begin to see and to hear more
clearly, and to understand what the shepherd is trying to teach them. And
little by little the Scriptures take on illumination, and they see from the
Scriptures what they hear from the Voice... and the Voice which once seemed to
be unscriptural, suddenly begins to shine forth from all pages of Holy Writ.
For Jesus came forth
from the heart of God to gather unto Himself the sheep whom God had given Him,
and to take them back into the very heart of God, where they would be ONE fold
and ONE Shepherd. It seemed almost impossible... for even in that day there
were sects and divisions amongst God’s people. There were scribes and
Pharisees, Sadducees, Herodians, and Zealots. All wanted to be heard, and all
called for a following, but the true sheep did not hear them. Jesus also told
the sheep whom He had gathered that He had many other sheep that did not belong
to their fold... but that He would bring them also, so that there would be ONE
fold and ONE Shepherd. It was very distressing to them when this actually
happened, but for the present, at least, it did not seem to disturb them. They
really did not understand... it did not occur to them that one day they would
mingle freely with Samaritans, and Egyptians, and Edomites, and Greeks... in a
common bond of fellowship… and that there would be no distinction between
them... washed in the same blood, renewed and filled with the same Spirit, and
shepherded by the same Lord.
In the meantime there
was but the “little flock.” And because they were “little” they needed
encouragement. “Fear not little flock, for it is the Father’s good pleasure to
give you the Kingdom.” This promise they continued to embrace. They were sure
He was the King, and they were anxiously awaiting this wonderful Kingdom that
prophets and seers had talked about, and which Jesus had assured them would be
their very own.
Sudden Tragedy
Then one day there
was sudden tragedy... the Good Shepherd was crucified and the sheep were
scattered. It was calamity to the utmost. But it was, nevertheless, in accord
with Scripture; for it was written, “Smite the Shepherd, and the sheep will be
scattered.” Their Shepherd-King had been crucified! And with His crucifixion
their fluctuating expectations also vanished away. They had yet to learn that
it was in the smiting of the Shepherd that the sheep would be redeemed. They
had yet to learn that it was in the raising of the Shepherd from the dead, that
the gathering of the sheep into one fold would actually be accomplished.
It took a long time,
but little by little there came to them the understanding of what actually took
place. The Shepherd had to die as the Lamb. The Shepherd must rise again as the
King-Shepherd. But God’s purpose was to take on still greater enlargement,
which brought them into still greater perplexity. The Shepherd must ascend into
the heavenly Zion, in order that He might gather in the “other sheep” that
continued to wander far off from the fold.
The True Shepherd Is Glorified
But how would He
accomplish all this from His throne in the heavens? Surely if He were to remain
in the earth it would be much better? But no! God had a different plan. He
would send forth His Spirit from the throne-room, and the Spirit of God in the
earth would continue to lead the sheep into pastures of Truth, and refresh them
with waters from the throne. The work which He began on earth would not be
stunted, or neglected, or hampered in any way because of His departure. Rather,
it would be His departure into the heavens that would bring about in the earth
a greater fulfillment of the purposes of God than might have been possible had
He remained in their midst. For the Spirit of God in His people would not just
be a gracious influence from Heaven, to encourage them and to inspire them in
the ways of the Lord. Rather, He would be the very SPIRIT OF TRUTH in the earth.
He would be the VERY SAME JESUS walking with them, but in Spirit form. When
Jesus was here on earth the Truth was WITH them in the flesh, but now He would
be IN THEM, in the Spirit. Jesus told them plainly, that the coming of the Holy
Spirit to dwell within them would be BETTER for them, and MORE GLORIFYING TO
GOD than if He Himself were to remain in the earth in bodily form. This is
something, I feel, that has scarcely dawned upon the people of God, and how I
wish I could emphasize it as Jesus did just prior to His departure:
“Nevertheless I tell
you the truth: It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away,
the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto
you” (John 16:7). Can we grasp the significance of what Jesus said? Jesus said,
“I tell you the truth...” as if to impress upon our hearts the impact of what
He said, so clearly, and so definitely:
“I speak the Truth;
it is for your benefit that I am going away, it is for your sakes... it is for
your own good... it is for your profit... You will lack nothing by reason of My
departure, because the Holy Spirit abiding within you, will be to you
EVERYTHING THAT I WAS WHEN I WALKED BY YOUR SIDE...”
Now just before we
proceed any further, let us emphasize one thing. When God declares Truth, let
us have faith and grace to EMBRACE it whether we see the fruits of it or not;
for it is in embracing the Truth that it shall become the Seed of Truth in our
hearts, that will bring forth REALITY in the fulfillment of God’s plan and
purpose. What a revelation this was to my own heart as I contemplated the above
Scripture. And how I was tempted to think, like so many others... it sounds so
good... if only it were possible... if it had only worked that way! But now I
have come to understand that Truth declared by God that remains UNFULFILLED is
God’s promise to you and I that we must embrace until it is fulfilled! And
furthermore, its fulfillment in the fulness of God’s plan and purpose is JUST
AS CERTAIN as any other declaration of His Word. How prone we have been to read
the Scriptures, and as we come to some Truth of great wonder and beauty... to
stand back and admire it, and bemoan the fact that it is impossible. But now we
are encouraged to grasp it, and lay hold upon it, and embrace it, knowing it
MUST COME TO PASS because God has declared it. The Word that He sends forth
from the throne will not return to Him empty... it will accomplish the desire
of His heart in sending it forth! (See Isaiah 55:11)
I think as Christians
we all recognize that if Jesus had remained in the earth after His resurrection
and until this day... we would have a sure infallible witness in the earth
concerning the Truth of God, and the will of God for His people. Perhaps many
of us would never have the opportunity of talking to Him personally, in times
of need and perplexity. But some would certainly have this opportunity, and we
would be able to receive from them what they had received from Him. But this is
not the way it was to be! It wasn’t a good enough plan for God! God’s plan was
far better! Jesus would go away, but Another Advocate would come in His stead,
and HE THE HOLY SPIRIT WOULD BE TO YOU AND I IN THE EARTH EVERYTHING THAT JESUS
WAS WHEN HE WAS HERE... THE WAY, THE TRUTH, AND THE LIFE!
But how would He
accomplish this? The Spirit of God would take up His habitation in human
vessels; and ordinary men, redeemed by the Blood of the Lamb, and anointed of
God, would continue to carry on the work which the Good Shepherd had started;
and the Spirit of God would also abide in His people, and would lead and guide
them INTO ALL TRUTH. There would be no intermission in the program of God
because of the sudden tragedy of His death... for His death was part of the
plan of God even before it happened... the sheep moreover had already been
warned: “Ye shall be scattered, every man to his own... and I shall be left
alone...” But God’s plan was that after the scattering there would come a
re-gathering; and He would continue to make a preparation in the hearts of His
chosen ones to carry on the work which He had started; and the Spirit of God
dwelling within His people...
Would not speak
“FROM” Himself...
He would speak only
what He heard from the Son...
He would reveal what
was yet to come...
He would glorify
Christ in all things...
He would take the
things that pertained to Christ,
and manifest the same
to you and me. (See John 16:7-15.)
Delegates From The Throne
What Jesus did in the
earth He did as the Son of God sent forth from the heart of the Father. So now
in exaltation He would send forth His own apostles (“sent-ones”) and they would
continue the work which He had begun. Their authority would not be impaired by
reason of their infirmity... He having come as the Son of God by birth, whereas
they were sinners. For they too would become sons of God by new-birth... and
though not sharing His place in equality of majesty, or position, or glory...
they would share His place in the perfection of the nature of Christ within
them, because the Spirit of God--even the Spirit of Jesus--would dwell in them,
and walk in them. In this way they would live as He lived, speak as He spoke,
and love as He loved. All the former frustrations that they went through as
they sought a place of earthly preeminence for their King (and of course,
indirectly for themselves)… all this had to pass away; and they must learn by
experience that the true shepherds would serve the sheep and not themselves.
They would feed the sheep, care for the sheep, and would not be concerned about
their own welfare. They would in fact lay down their lives for the sheep, even
as the Good Shepherd had laid down His life for them.
They were, in fact,
delegated by the Son to minister His Kingdom in the earth, just as the Son had
been delegated by the Father; so that the works which they would do in His Name
would even be “greater” than He did when He was here on earth. Not because they
were greater... they were in fact much less... but because the resurrected
Christ had ascended to a greater throne and to a greater realm of glory than He
had while here in the days of His flesh. And now His chosen ones would partake
of His glory by reason of His ascension to the right hand of the Father...
where He would ask and receive of the Father whatever provision was needful for
His own. In reality, therefore, it was not Peter or James or John or Paul or
Apollos doing the “greater works”... it was the Living Christ... living, moving
and walking in His chosen ones in the earth by His Holy Spirit.
The Power Of Delegated Authority
When God truly
establishes Authority in the earth He also projects into the hands of that
Authority the power that is required for the execution of that office; and the
Authority is answerable to God who established it. This is true as it relates
to governments in the earthly realm, or in the Church. A man with authority
from God does not need to ask the people for it, or even seek after it... it is
just there. If God gave it, He will confirm it; and those who have the Spirit
of Christ are content to leave it entirely in the hands of the Lord to
vindicate and to stand behind whatever purpose God has in mind. God sent Moses,
gave him a rod of authority... and God was faithful to stand behind him when
Korah, Dathan and Abiram contested it. In fact Moses simply fell on his face
before the LORD, and God did the rest. In like manner God vindicated Aaron, and
caused his rod to bud in the Tabernacle, while the other rods remained
lifeless. God established the authority of Samuel, so that not one word fell to
the ground, and all Israel from Dan unto Beersheba knew that he was established
as a prophet of the LORD.
Likewise in the realm
of earthly government: “The powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever
therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God” (Romans 13:1,2).
And again, “He beareth not the sword in vain” (verse 4). With every
governmental authority ordained of God there is a certain measure of power to
stand behind and to enforce the laws and decrees of that authority.
But in this writing
we are particularly concerned about the authority and the power that God has
vested in His chosen ones. And we do not need to look far in the Scriptures to
see how great that power was. Peter and the apostles had power on earth, and
power in heaven (Matthew 16:19;18:18). Paul had authority from God to “edify”
the Church, and this included whatever authority would be required to
discipline those who were not walking in God’s ways. He had authority that he
might use as a rod of discipline, or something he could manifest in a spirit of
love and meekness (1 Corinthians 4:21). In each and in every case it was God
who established the Authority Himself, and the minister in question simply
walked in God’s ways, and God stood behind him. No minister with the authority
of God upon him needs to seek, nor should he desire, any other support for that
ministry. God confirms and establishes it Himself, and he gives to every one of
His chosen ones whatever power and authority is required for the faithful
execution of the ministry that God has imparted.
Dangers Related To Delegated Authority
Before we proceed
with the matter of Delegated Authority we do well to consider some of the
dangers that lie in the pathway of a man who has authority from God, but who
may be lacking in Grace and Mercy. Ministers who have power and authority
vested in them by God are in a place of tremendous responsibility. For they may
use the authority they have for good or for evil, to fulfill the purposes of
God, or to justify or commend themselves. This is why it is so absolutely
important that any minister exercising governmental authority comes into a
higher relationship with God than that of his office... a relationship so
intimate, that he shall in fact minister out from the very heart of God
Himself. Unless such a one pursues this goal, his very office could destroy
him, as well as work havoc among the people of God.
In times of spiritual
crisis in the Church, when the people of God are being shaken concerning their
relationship to established institutions within the Church structure, there is
always a tightening of the strings of leadership in an attempt to keep the
ecclesiastical systems from falling apart. This seems to be what is happening
today, and we are persuaded that this present emphasis on Church leadership and
Church structure indicates a certain fear that ecclesiastical hierarchies are
being shaken. This fear is well founded, for the time is upon us when judgment
must begin “at the House of God” and God always begins with the “ancient
men”... the elders, and the leaders, when He begins to judge His Sanctuary.
(See Ezekiel 9:6;1 Peter 4:17.) It is the shepherds, not the sheep, that
trample down the meadows and foul the waters with their feet. It is the
“priests of the LORD” that God calls upon to “weep between the porch and the
altar,” and their concern is not: “Let the sheep learn to follow me...” but
rather, “Spare Thy people, O LORD, and give not thine heritage a reproach unto
the heathen, that the heathen should rule over them...”
It is important
therefore, for God’s ministers to know that they may have authority and power
from God, because of their office, and still walk in disobedience. Let us cite
just a few fearful examples:
(1) Moses had
authority to strike the rock and bring forth waters to quench the thirst of the
people of Israel; but he himself failed to go into the promised land because of
his disobedience. (See Numbers 20:12.)
(2) Saul had
authority to slay the priests of the LORD... and when his personal bodyguard,
who were duty-bound to obey their master, refused to do so, Doeg the Edomite
took up the challenge, and slew God’s anointed ones. Doeg was simply obeying
instructions from the authority over him, but hear what God had to say about
his actions: “God shall likewise destroy thee forever, he shall take thee away,
and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the
living.” (See 1 Samuel 22:18; Psalm 52:5.) Doeg was not acquitted just because
he was obeying the orders of a higher authority.
(3) Peter had just
received the office of his apostleship. “Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I
will build my Church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I
will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven; and whatsoever thou
shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt loose
on earth shall be loosed in heaven” (Matthew 16:18,19). But hear what Jesus had
to say to Peter just a short time later: “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art
an offense unto me: for thou savorest not the things that be of God, but those
that be of men” (Matthew 16:23). In the first instance, Peter had just received
the wonderful revelation of the Christ, the Son of God... and his authority as
an apostle followed hard after that revelation. But in the second instance he
was speaking as old Peter the fisherman himself... inspired by Satan. How
foolish to embrace the thought that we receive anything and everything an
apostle or prophet teaches, simply because he is in fact an apostle or a
prophet!
(4) Pilate had
authority from God, by which he actually crucified the Son of God (John
19:10,11). We know that Christ died by the “predetermined counsel and
foreknowledge of God,” but the fact remains that these were “wicked hands” that
actually performed the deed. Remember how Jesus said to Pilate, “Thou couldst
have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above” (John
19:11).
(5) Caiphas, the high
priest, who gave sentence of death to Jesus, also prophesied by the Word of the
Lord that it was “expedient... that one man should die for the people...” God
gave this wicked high priest a Divine prophetic utterance, in view of the high
office that he held... he did not speak it “of himself.” He did not think it
up... it did not come from his own wisdom... God inspired him to say it. (See
John 11:51.)
Jesus could have
called more than twelve legions of angels to His aid as He hung on the Cross,
because He was the Messiah. But because He was more concerned about doing the
will of God than He was about fulfilling His role as the Messiah--He chose to
remain on the Cross. Are we not all glad for this?
God has given us
ample warning in the Scriptures of what could happen when His misguided
ministers seek to take advantage of the authority they have to serve their own
purposes... and these serve as solemn reminders to those who imagine that they
can use the authority and power the exalted Christ has vested in them, as they
see fit. Their judgment shall be very severe, and I believe we should earnestly
pray:
“Lord, how we need
the power and authority of Heaven to minister to the needs of suffering
humanity, and to deliver your sheep that have been scattered and bruised in the
wilderness of life. But Lord! Do not, we pray, place in our trust any measure
of authority and power that is not counterbalanced with an equal measure of
grace, and humility, and meekness, and patience, and kindness, and longsuffering,
and mercy, and wisdom. Keep this power and authority in Thine own hands, we
pray, as the sword of Goliath was taken out of the hands of David, wrapped in a
priestly garment, and hidden away in the Sanctuary till he was prepared of God
to have it permanently, and to use it wisely. Continue to hold us in the hollow
of Thy hand as a sharp sword, to be used of Thee at Thy discretion. Continue to
polish us like the shaft of the arrow, and keep us in Thy quiver, that when
Thou dost see fit to send us forth we shall not miss the mark, but we shall
strike through the heart of the enemy unerringly. Keep Thy power unto Thyself
alone, for Thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory... and may we only
partake of it as we come into harmony and union with Thyself. Amen!”
Our Relationship To Earthly Government
In this writing we
are chiefly concerned with the nature of God’s Government in the Church, and
our relationship towards it. And although it is true that God has established a
Government for His people in the Church that is entirely foreign to the
governments of this world order... the fact is that the “god of this world” is
determined to take over the Government of God in the Church and to sit in the
very Temple of God. He has no doubt succeeded in doing this in the past, at
least in measure... and he will succeed in even greater measure in the days to
come. It is extremely important therefore that we understand our
responsibilities towards “government” as such, whether it be in the world or in
the Church... for these governments have not always confined themselves within
their own boundaries. This matter may seem irrelevant to many today... living
as we do in a nation that is dedicated to the individual’s pursuit for freedom.
But it may not always be this way, and we must know the Truth that will make us
free even when freedom is denied us.
Earthly and
ecclesiastical governments seem to be drifting closer and closer towards a
state of anarchy in many areas of the earth. As this takes place, and one government
order is replaced by another, there is inevitably a lot of perplexity and
confusion among the people as they seek to determine where their true
allegiance belongs. But God wants His people to have peace in times like these.
God wants His people to know that they must obey God first and foremost,
regardless of the ecclesiastical and earthly laws to which they might be
subjected. On the other hand, we simply recognize whatever government we find
ourselves subjected to as government sent from God... and we must do nothing,
by carnal, earthly means... to overthrow a governmental structure that God has
established, or to seek to reinstate or uphold a governmental structure that
God is overthrowing.
This is the clear
teaching of Scripture:
“Let every soul be
subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers
that be are ordained of God” (Romans 13:1).
“Submit yourselves to
every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake; whether it be to the king, as
supreme; or unto governors, as unto them that are sent by him for the
punishment of evildoers, and the praise of them that do well” (1 Peter
2:13,14).
When Paul and Peter
wrote about the higher powers they were not referring to some form of
government that was sympathetic to the Christian cause. The immediate reference
was to the Roman Government which was at that time worldwide in its domain, was
even then opposing Christianity, and which would shortly dedicate itself to the
task of crushing the new Christian religion, and wiping it off the face of the
earth. There is no suggestion whatever that if a government becomes perverse,
or oppressive to the Christian cause, then the Christian has the right to
revolt against it. The governments of other nations, many of which are ruled
over by dictators and kings who even now are persecuting the Church of Jesus
Christ, are just as much ordained of God as our governments are in a democratic
society. The Christian, therefore, will submit to whatever form of government
he finds himself subjected to, recognizing as Jesus recognized, that they have
no power to exert over men that God did not confer upon them (John 19:11). The
Christian will obey these governments, and submit to them... as long as such
obedience does not conflict with his commitment to Him who is the Way, the
Truth, and the Life.
Our real citizenship
is in the Heavens. Our real walk is in the Heavens. Our warfare is in the
Heavens, And in this heavenly realm the Body of Christ is in a position to do
the will of God, and to take authority over the principalities and the powers
of the spiritual world, according to the will and purpose of God. And let us be
assured that this effectual warfare in the Spirit will bring about whatever
changes in the earthly and the ecclesiastical realms that God has determined.
We are not talking about mere passive onlookers in a world that is governed by
antichristian forces. In the Spirit we are yet to become a vital, powerful
army, and in the Spirit only will we wage effectual, triumphant warfare against
the powers of darkness. This is the way it was in the early beginnings of the
Church... and the godless Roman Empire that was dedicated to the destruction of
Christianity from the face of the earth was literally subdued and conquered by
an army of saints and martyrs, who drew no sword to support their cause but the
mighty Sword of the Spirit. Daniel saw this very thing in vision many centuries
earlier... he saw the saints of the Most High taking the Kingdom, and a Stone
cut out of the mountains without hands smiting the Roman Empire in the feet,
and bringing it to nought. Since then the Stone has been growing... growing...
growing... and it shall yet fill the whole earth.
God’s people must be
fully persuaded that this is the Truth; for though it may not seem important
now to those of us who live in areas of the earth that enjoy relative religious
freedom, we may not always have this kind of freedom. And if and when we lose
it we must be prepared to face whatever situation God may allow to arise in the
land, and for the possibility that one day we may be ruled by a government that
will oppose the Name of Christ, and begin to enact laws and decrees that are
designed to crush the saints of the Most High and destroy their witness in the
earth.
The Three Hebrew Children
The case of the three
Hebrew children is a classic example of what our stand ought to be when
confronted with decrees from the government that are contrary to the laws of
Christ. These young men had been taken into captivity after the Fall of
Jerusalem. Jeremiah had already warned the people what would happen if they did
not repent, but they would not hear; and the whole nation suffered as a result
of their disobedience. But these young men were different. They knew and
worshipped the true God of Israel. That was something that was settled in their
hearts. But now in captivity they find themselves living under a government
that was beginning to make demands of them that were contrary to their
convictions. On this certain occasion they were to bow down and worship an
image that Nebuchadnezzar had set up on the plains of Dura. It would not be
something that would be enforced permanently, but during these festive
occasions it became a decree. They could still keep their religion, but after
all they were under the authority of the Government of Babylon now. In fact,
Jeremiah had told the people to go down to Babylon, and to serve the King of
Babylon. (See Jeremiah 27:17.) So the issue was very clear: obey the king as
citizens of a new country, or be true to their convictions. There didn’t seem
to be the slightest question in their minds as to what course they would take.
“Be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship
the golden image which thou hast set up” (Daniel 3:18).
Give Honor To Whom Honor Is Due
There still seems to
be a lot of confusion in the minds of the people of God as to what their responsibility
is to Government that is ordained of God. When the Word says, “Be subject to
the higher powers...” that word does not abrogate and nullify a thousand and
one exhortations that we find in the Scriptures to serve the Lord God, and Him
only. Did Jeremiah think it necessary to make a list of exceptions to the rule
he made when he told the people to “serve the King of Babylon”? There was no
need for that. They knew what Moses and the Prophets taught concerning this,
and the thought of disobeying God because the government required it was not
entertained in their hearts for one moment. The seeming contradictions of the
Word will harmonize within us like a beautiful symphony when we begin to walk
in Truth. And so it is with our responsibility towards Government. God sets in
power whom He will... a dictator, a king, a president, a prime minister.
Because we honor God we honor those whom God has placed in positions of
authority over the land. We do not malign them; but if necessary we must
declare unto them the ways of Righteousness and Truth. We will support them in
the Spirit, as we pray for them, and take up spiritual warfare against the
principalities and powers in the heavens that are exerting tremendous pressures
upon them to enact laws and statutes that are anti-God and anti-Christ. Prayers
and intercessions of this nature are effectual, and they are able to overthrow
these unseen powers, and cause the earthly ruler under them to submit to God.
On the other hand, if the nation does not repent and submit to God, and God has
decreed judgment against the land because of the sin and iniquity that abound,
no amount of prayer will prevail anything, because the Spirit of God knows the
mind of God and will not allow you to pray effectually in the Spirit contrary
to the will of God.
The Word is clear as
to our responsibility to all men, to the fellowship of the brethren, to rulers
in the Church, to rulers in the world. As we walk in Truth we do not require
cumbersome lists of “exceptions” to the rule... we know what the Law of Christ
says... and we know that we do not go against His holy law in a vain attempt to
satisfy and appease some lesser dignity.
“Let every soul be
subject unto the higher powers...” But Paul who spoke these words laid down his
head on the chopping-block at the command of the higher power, because he
refused to stop preaching Christ.
“Therefore as the
church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands IN
EVERYTHING” (Ephesians 5:24). The virtuous woman submits to this, and she finds
it to be her joy and freedom as she does so, for she knows it is God’s order.
But even as she takes her place as the weaker vessel, joyfully, knowing it to
be the will of God... she shall also know the strength of her Lord to resist her
husband if he commands her to lie and cheat and steal and commit adultery with
his cronies... She doesn’t need a list of exceptions to the rule... the Law of
Christ is in her heart and mind, and there is no controversy within her, and no
doubt in her mind as to what she should do or not do.
It should hardly seem
necessary for us to use illustrations of this nature, but sometimes it seems
necessary to “shock” a person to his senses if he has become extremely dull of
hearing. The fact is there is not the slightest indication in all Scripture
that it is the duty of man to obey any government, in the earth or in the
Church, when it begins to intrude into the realm of a man’s conscience and into
areas which relate to his personal relationship with God. The whole duty of man
as set forth either in the Old Covenant or the New, is to obey the LORD first
and always... and then, of course, obey whatever government there may be of a
lesser dignity. God’s people, of all people on the face of the earth, are to be
law-abiding; and contempt for established, delegated authority must have no
place with them. But when established, delegated authority begins to intrude
into areas of your soul and spirit that belong to God alone, then there is no
question whatever as to what course you must take.
Christ Or Politics
Ever since Emperor
Constantine put the Cross on his battle standard, and went about to
Christianize the Roman Empire, the Church has been confused as to her
responsibilities toward earthly governments. Up until that time the Christians
were a SEPARATE PEOPLE, walking in the power of the Holy Spirit, and were hated
and ostracized by pagan Rome. But when Constantine came to the throne the whole
strategy of the Enemy of Christ suddenly changed. We believe it was due to the
subtle tactics of Satan that Constantine sought to Christianize paganism, by
making Christianity the state religion, by baptizing his armies into the new
Christian religion, by elevating the ministry to places of leadership in the
land, and by granting the Christian Church all kinds of earthly favors. From
this unholy union of Church and State the Church of Jesus Christ has never
recovered. It now sounds like strange doctrine to most Christians, and to most
men in the ministry, that the Church was intended of the Lord to be SEPARATE
from the world structure. If Satan is indeed the “god of this world” and the
“prince of the power of the air,” then only in the power of the Spirit are we
going to be able to wage effectual warfare against the antichristian forces
that are at work in the earth. (See Ephesians 6:10-18.) If the ills of our
nation, or any other nation, are considered to be merely of a political or
economic nature, then it really doesn’t matter all that much if our statesmen
are pagan or Christian; and ungodly men will readily support any man seeking
political power as long as the ECONOMY rather than CHRIST, is the main issue...
as long as our standard of living will continue to rise... as long as it is
generally understood that the life style of Sodom with all her debauchery and
her unspeakable licentiousness will not be seriously tampered with. Sodom’s
economy was one of the best in her day, but God was not the least impressed
with her abundance and prosperity... In fact, God considered her booming
economy to be her fundamental sin: “Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister
Sodom, PRIDE, FULNESS OF BREAD, and ABUNDANCE OF IDLENESS...” (Ezekiel 16:49).
How well this sums up the situation as it exists today, especially here in the
Western World!
God wants His people
to be assured that a Spirit-filled, Spirit-taught, Spirit-anointed, Spirit-led
people is the only answer that God has for human need; and that He is in the
process of creating such a people. Apart from national repentance and a turning
toward God, the Bible gives no hope whatever for the renewal of our
society--nor are we to try to change it by any other means. When men desire to
continue in their rebellion, God literally withdraws His restraining grace, and
gives the society over to greater and greater wickedness, and finally to a
“reprobate mind,” which means, “a mind void of moral discernment”... it is no
longer capable of knowing right and wrong, but it calls GOOD evil, and EVIL
good... and actually believes the lie. (See Romans 1:24-28.)
And so as God
releases His hand of restraining grace, the forces of evil are being given free
course in this last hour, this day of Harvest. Just as the mystery of Christ
comes to fulness in His people; so the Mystery of Iniquity comes to fulness in the
seed of the Evil One. There is to be an acceleration of evil in the last
days... as well as an acceleration of righteousness. “He that is unjust, let
him be unjust still... he that is righteous, let him be righteous still”
(Revelation 22:11). Let him carry on in it... let him increase in it... LET HIM
COME TO FULNESS!
Winds of judgment are
about to be released in the earth; and when the tables are turned, and God’ s
judgments engulf the earth, God would have us to know the reason for it all. It
will be...
BECAUSE the hearts of
men have become utterly depraved and corrupt, as it was in the days of Noah and
of Lot... and a holy and righteous God can no longer stay His hand in judgment.
BECAUSE our educators
and intellectuals have succeeded in brainwashing the nation and persuading our
youth that they are but animals in the process of evolution... just a
spontaneous outgrowth from the slime of some primeval ocean bed... and now
after many eons, just a hairless ape... but gradually rising higher and higher,
by his own knowledge and wisdom... that there is really no definite standard of
righteousness or morality... and whatever a society deems to be right is
right... or if they deem it to be wrong it is wrong... that there is no such
thing as a man created in God’s image who sinned against his God... that God
(if there is a God) is not a holy and perfect Being with whom we have to deal,
but merely some kind of impersonal force whose name we still have to use on
occasion because of our inability to define certain aspects of the universe
that seem as yet to be beyond the understanding of science... and little by
little as science is able to understand these mysteries and explain them, then
the whole idea of God as a Supernatural Being can be dispensed with
altogether...
BECAUSE the hearts of
men have become so hardened towards sin and immorality that there is no longer
a true sense of moral values… and the basest of sins are considered to be
proper and honorable... sins so vile that one would almost hesitate to mention
them by name in polite conversation, or even to put it in writing... and in and
through it all they are upheld and honored even by men who hold high positions
in the land as a people to be desired and lauded. As the apostle Paul puts it:
they “not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them” (Romans
1:32).
BECAUSE those who
profess to be Christian, and to honor the Bible... have in fact become the
lukewarm Church of prophecy, concerning which Jesus said, if they would not
repent, “I will spew thee out of my mouth...” Jesus said, “Ye are the salt of
the earth: but if the salt hath lost his savour... it is thenceforth GOOD FOR
NOTHING, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men” (Matthew
5:13).
But in the midst of
all the chaos and turmoil that shall arise in the land, let the “little flock”
not despair, who cry unto Him day and night, because of all the abominations
that are committed in the earth and in the Church... and may they take courage
in the promise of our Lord, who said, “Shall not God avenge his own elect,
which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you
that he will avenge them speedily” (Luke 18:7,8).
Withdrawing From Established Authority
One would imagine
that if and when established authority becomes oppressive or perverse,
especially in the Church--that God would immediately take steps to disannul
that authority. But God’s ways are not our ways. He knows how to deal with
powers in the earth or in the Church, and He will do so in His own time. What,
then, about those who are forced to live under this kind of authority? When,
and under what circumstances, are they permitted to cast off misguided authority?
The question as it
relates to Church Government is not: “Do God’s apostles and prophets have power
and authority to rule in the Church today?” The Scriptures clearly teach that
God “hath set” these ministers in the Church; and we accept this as a fact, and
we would encourage the believers to recognize and to honor the ministers whom
God hath set in the Church to bring order and harmony to the people of God. But
the question that seems to be in doubt in the minds of many Christians is
rather this: “Am I to give unquestioned obedience and submission to a valid,
established ministry in the Church? Or do I have the right to “try those which
say they are apostles”... their words, their decrees, their actions... and
through it all to maintain a direct, open-line communication with God alone,
and refuse to allow any minister, from God or otherwise, to jam this line of
communication because of their special office?”
We have many
illustrations in the realm of both earthly and ecclesiastical governments of
situations where the people of God had to decide whether to obey the Authority,
or God who is above all Authority. And we likewise have many examples of God’s
provision for His own in the hour of their oppression. Until God’s hour comes,
there is nothing the people of God can do about it, but to obey and submit to
whatever form of earthly or ecclesiastical government they find themselves
subjected to. In rendering this kind of submission, of course, they are never
under obligation to violate righteous principles of conduct in an attempt to
satisfy the Authority. But in as far as their conscience will allow, they will
seek to render due obedience, until the time comes for God to bring them into
deliverance. Israel remained under Egyptian bondage, and had no choice in the
matter until God intervened. Later, they were taken into Babylonian captivity,
and were exhorted to “serve the King of Babylon,” which they did. But when it
came to a question of serving God, or the king, they knew where to draw the
line.
We have had similar
situations arise in the realm of ecclesiastical governments through the
Church’s long history, and great has been the agony, and the fears, and the
heart-searching of God’s chosen ones as they found it necessary at times to
stand forth against established Authority, and withdraw from its dominion. As
God led them step by step, they were looked upon by those who remained loyal to
the Authority... as renegades and apostates. But God vindicated them over and
over again, as they stood forth valiantly for the Truth, against all the power
and might of earthly and ecclesiastical powers combined. We would like to
remind God’s people that they simply cannot cast off authority because of
certain disagreements that have arisen, or because of certain pressures that
they have been subjected to. God must indicate His will in the matter, and He
will bring about deliverance in His own time and in His own way. God may seem
to be late according to man’s standard, but He is always right on schedule.
There was need for Reformation many, many years before Luther came on the
scene, but God’s time had not yet come. And one cannot read the account of the
Reformation without realizing the great heart-searching and agony of soul that
these men of God knew and experienced as they were faced with the decision of
withdrawing from established ecclesiastical authority. Many of us have gone
through similar experiences--and though perhaps not comparable in magnitude
with the warfare and the turmoil that we have read about in Church History, we
are confident the agony of soul and spirit was just as bitter.
David went through
similar experience as God brought him away from the authority and dominion of
Saul. God did not abrogate Saul’s authority, and David continued to recognize
Saul as God’s anointed one, even to the day of Saul’s death. But David knew
that God had delivered him from Saul’s authority. He would gladly have returned
to Saul’s kingdom and come under Saul’s dominion again, if Saul would only have
changed his ways and walked before the Lord. But David never lived to see that
day, and he had to walk in obedience before God, isolated completely from his
brethren in the kingdom of Saul. Great was his agony of soul... not simply
because of the wanderings to which he was subjected, but because God’s
“anointed” was walking in perverseness, and David and his band were cast off
and exiled from God’s inheritance.
“My soul is among
lions: and I lie even among them that are set on fire, even the sons of men,
whose teeth are spears and arrows, and their tongue a sharp sword... they have
prepared a net for my steps; my soul is bowed down: they have digged a pit for
me, into the midst whereof they are fallen themselves” (Psalm 57:4,6).
God’s Sheep Are Looking For True Rest
Some of God’s
shepherds have been slow to understand the heartache and the agony of God’s
sheep in times of spiritual drought and apostasy... and when God begins to call
the sheep unto Himself, and into union with Himself alone, and they begin to
depart from established Church systems and structures... there is usually
consternation and dismay among the leadership. And very often this brings about
a tightening of the strings of leadership in order to coerce the sheep into
obedience to their authority.
The fact of the
matter is that sheep, God’s sheep, are longing for true guidance and true
leadership... but their hearts grow weary and their soul becomes dry and
thirsty as they go from one pasture to another looking for true rest. Most of
the shepherds do not understand because they themselves have never been sheep.
They do not have the heart of a sheep and therefore they do not have the heart
of a shepherd. We know there will always be the rebellious and the stiff-necked
who will not come under any kind of authority... but these are not the “sheep”
of God’s flock… they are the goats. God’s sheep are looking for true shepherds
and true leadership... and that is why so many of them come out from under one
kind of bondage, and almost immediately submit themselves to another… until
eventually many of them simply give up in despair, and either settle down in
some ecclesiastical structure, or withdraw completely from anything that bears
any semblance to a meaningful fellowship of the Body of Christ.
Many of us have known
much of the Glory of the Lord in times past, and we can find no comfort in the
assurances that we receive from time to time that if we will just submit to
this New Testament Church order, or get on this sure foundation, or come under
this covering or that... all will be well. And though in the will of God many
of us have submitted to some form of established church order for a season, we
knew of a certainty that the Glory of the Lord was sadly lacking, and we
continued to hope and pray... and to anticipate the dawning of a New Day when
the Lordship of Christ would dominate every gathering of God’s people in His
Name, and where every member of the Body knew what it was to worship the Lord
in Spirit and in Truth.
In saying this, of
course, we are not suggesting that we should look for a return of the Glory
that we have known in the past. We simply recognize that the Glory we have
known in the past is but a foretaste and an earnest of what God has in mind,
and we cannot be satisfied until we explore the whole inheritance. Caleb and
Joshua were not interested in making a second excursion into the land of Canaan
in order to grasp another cluster of grapes from Eschol, and a few more
pomegranates... but having tasted of that precious fruit they could no longer
be satisfied with the manna that fell every morning throughout the Camp, with
the water that flowed out of the Rock, or even with the Cloud of Glory that
hovered over the Tabernacle by day and by night. They appreciated all that...
and we continue to appreciate all the way the Lord has led us... but we simply
recognize that in spite of the manna, and in spite of the water out of the
rock, and in spite of the cloud of glory by day and the pillar of fire by
night... THAT GENERATION OF ISRAELITES WASN’T GOING ANYWHERE. They were going
to die right there in the wilderness. There were not going in to enjoy the
inheritance that their present blessings were intended to prepare them for. All
over the land we are witnessing many wonderful things, as God pours out His
Spirit upon all flesh. And yet in and through it all we are saddened as we
behold a great measure of the blessing and the power of God in the midst of His
people, and yet oftentimes no real anticipation of coming forth into the
inheritance that is ours in Christ Jesus... even the putting on of the very
stature and image of the Lord Jesus Christ. And we know that if this is not the
vision, and if this is not the hope, and if this is not the expectation of
God’s people, then all this blessing and glory and excitement that is prevalent
today means little or nothing, because it is leading God’s people nowhere. We
can thank the Lord, however, that there is developing in the hearts of men a
new hunger and a new vision... and many are being awakened to the realization
that there is indeed much more land to be possessed, and new frontiers in the
Spirit to be explored.
THE AUTHORITY OF THE
SON OF GOD
The principle of
delegated authority is not too difficult for us to comprehend as it relates to
us in the realm of earthly governments. We send ambassadors to other countries,
and they send ambassadors to our country. These ambassadors are delegated by
the government of the country from whom they come, to declare in their name the
message that they want the other country to have. He lives in our midst... and
is given certain rights and privileges and guarantees of safety... even though
the country he represents might in many respects be hostile to ours. When he speaks,
he speaks what he considers to be the mind and the will of the government he
represents. Thus far it is not too difficult for us to make the analogy. Jesus
said,
“He that receiveth
whomsoever I send receiveth me, and he that receiveth me receiveth him that
sent me” (John 13:20).
They would truly be
His representatives in the earth, declaring God’s Truth to a world that is at
enmity with the Government of Heaven.
But the conclusion
that men often draw from this principle is not properly founded. “These men are
sent of God, and therefore we will submit to them and obey them, regardless of
what they teach... We know that as men they are weak, and subject to infirmity,
and they may not always walk as Jesus walked… nevertheless they have been
delegated by the Lord to represent Him in the earth, and we must submit to them
and obey them even if at times we do not have a clear witness in ourselves
concerning their teachings, or the things they are seeking to establish...”
This concept of the
Authority of God’s ministers has been brought forth in the Church, with varying
degrees of emphasis, from the earliest beginnings of her apostasy. And after
every new moving of the Spirit of God in the earth… as the sovereign presence
of the Spirit begins to ebb away... sooner or later there is a reoccurrence of
the same teaching in one form or another. It has resulted in the formation of
many new denominations in the Church from time to time... and it has also
brought into being other Church structures and systems which have not been
around long enough yet to find their place in history, and which generally are
not recognized as a denominational structure... but which bear the same stamp
if you look at them closely. The phraseology changes from time to time, but the
basic concepts of the doctrine remain about the same: A man sent from God has
the authority of Christ conferred upon him, and he must be obeyed because of
this authority, and not necessarily because his teachings are always entirely
right or infallible. He may be wrong in many of the things he is seeking to
promote, and he may err at times in his understanding of what God is saying to
the people... but that is between him and the Lord... (God will correct him in
his error.) But you and I must give him our submission if we are to abide
safely under the covering of God.
We feel it is
important, therefore, that God’s people have a sound scriptural understanding
concerning this whole matter of delegated authority; for though these
ecclesiastical orders soon perish and vanish away, especially in this day and
hour when God is bringing all things to a swift and final conclusion... it is
also true that new kingdoms of a similar nature are constantly arising. And
though it may seem to be a matter of insignificance right now to many
Christians, let us realize that the time may be close at hand when
ecclesiastical and earthly governments will once again walk together hand in
hand (as the mystery of iniquity hastens on to full fruition); and God’s people
are going to have to stand up in the power of the Spirit of God against the
combined might of the Man of Sin and the god of this present world, as he sits
in the very Temple of God in the earth.
Let us pursue this
matter of delegated authority as it pertains to the Son of God when He was here
in the earth. Jesus said, “The living Father hath sent me” (John 6:57). All
Christians recognize this. But let us go a little further: “The words that I
speak unto you I speak not of myself...” (John 14:10). Literally He was saying,
“I speak not FROM myself,” for the Son of God on earth was not only delegated
by the Father to speak God’s Word to the people, but the living Father actually
dwelt within Him, and the Son spoke out from the very heart of God. The
authority and the power that He manifested here on earth was not like that of
an ambassador who had to search about in his heart for the answer that he
thought would please his government at home. This was something far different.
Nor would he just use His own good judgment in matters that seemed beyond His
capacity as man to understand. Having learned obedience through the things
which He suffered He was the Son who walked in total union with the Father, so
that the very words He spoke and the very Works that He performed... though falling
from His lips or emanating from the touch of His hand... it was in reality God
the Father Himself speaking and working... as He walked in His Son, talked in
His Son, lived in His Son, and showed forth the love and mercy of His own heart
in His Son. Not, indeed, as a robot of some kind that was under the control and
power of another in an involuntary sort of way... but as the Son who purposed
in His heart when He came into the earth to do God’s will and not His own. “Lo
I come to do thy will, O God.” Christ Was never guilty of acting on His own, by
reason of delegated authority. According to the Covenant of Incarnation He
refused to do so. “Lo I come to do THY WILL, O God.” He was subject to constant
pressure to do His own will, but He remained true to the covenant. Satan tried
to get Him to act in His own best interests as the Son of God on the Mount of
Temptation (...if you are the Son of God...) but He steadfastly refused. The
disciples sought to get Him to act on His own, for they were sure He was the Messiah...
and they knew He would be acclaimed as the Messiah if He would only submit to
the will of the people, but He refused to be pressured. It was not for lack of
power or lack of authority that He said, “I can of mine own self do NOTHING”
(John 5:30)... but it was rather because of the covenant relationship which He
had with the Father. “I can do nothing of Myself, because I have purposed to do
everything and to say everything... IN UNION WITH MY FATHER, and not as
springing from my own heart’s desire.”
Therefore, as Jesus
walked in total union with the Father, the Father’s will became His will, and
the Father’s works became His works... and there was never any desire on His
part to have it otherwise, But it was in the utmost of obedience to the Father
that He would learn this kind of union… and it would be through much suffering
and anguish that He would have to resist all attempts, whether human or
Satanic, to act as the Messiah in His own good judgment, with the authority
that the office of Messiah carried with it.
Having learned this
kind of obedience, His will became ONE with the Father in all respects... so
that even in the dark hours of anguish in Gethsemane, when under the pressure
and the burden of the sins of the world being laid upon Him... He cried out in
anguish of soul: “Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me.” Even
then He was quick to respond, “Nevertheless, not my will but thine be done.” He
conquered in the temptation to act in His own right on the Mount of
Temptation... He conquered in the temptation to act in His own right under the
pressure of the people to make Him king... and He conquered in Gethsemane under
the pressure of the powers of darkness to throw away the cup that God had given
Him to drink.
It Was Good That Jesus Went Away
Now it would
certainly seem logical that this kind of Man should continue to live on the
earth, and to finish the work which He started by way of gathering together the
lost sheep of God’s heritage. But to the dismay of the disciples He told them
He must go away... but that in going away, it would be to their advantage. Let
us repeat it again and again, that we might catch the significance of these
tremendous words:
“IT IS BEST FOR
YOU... IT IS PROFITABLE... IT IS GOOD... EXPEDIENT... ADVANTAGEOUS FOR YOU...
that I go away. Because if I go not away, the Comforter will not come to
you...” As clearly and as beautifully as any translation can express it, Jesus
would tell us that the Holy Spirit, taking up His habitation in the Body of
Christ in the earth, would be absolutely EVERYTHING THAT JESUS WAS WHEN HE WAS
HERE in the days of His flesh. But it would be BETTER for God’s people, and
more glorifying to God, because the Christ that was limited and confined by
reason of His humanity would become universalized and expanded to embrace a
BODY that would fill the whole earth... and reach even into the heavens, by
reason of His exaltation to God’s right hand.
Now what we want to
emphasize concerning the authority of Christ’s ministry in the earth is simply
this: that His Authority SPRANG FROM HIS UNION WITH THE FATHER, AND NOT FROM
HIS MESSIANIC OFFICE. It was not a Messianic Office that He came to fulfill…
but it was His union with the Father that made His Messianic Office vital, and
meaningful, and valid.
The conclusion of the
whole matter is now quite evident... and may God’s ministers everywhere, and
all of God’s people... find grace to grasp the significance of this beautiful
teaching. The Only Begotten Son of God would not speak, or work, or minister...
out of virtue of His Office. Where, then is that apostle, or prophet, or
teacher, or healer, or miracle worker... or elder, or deacon... who would
presume to minister in virtue of his office, rather than in virtue of the
Abiding Christ within? Or assume spiritual authority over the souls of men in
virtue of his office, rather than in virtue of the Christ who dominates his
words and his whole way of life? But let us pursue the matter a little further.
When Jesus was here on earth He was the Prophet that Moses spoke about, who
would come into the world, that all men must hear and obey. He was the Apostle,
and High Priest of our profession. He was the Evangelist, the bearer of good
tidings. He was the Teacher, who gathered the disciples about Him and unfolded
the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. And He was the Good Shepherd. or the Good
Pastor, that would lay down His life for the sheep. In other words, He was the
fulness of ALL MINISTRY. But now He is exalted at God’s right hand, and He has
sent forth the fulness of His ministry (even the five-fold ministry) into the
Church. This five-fold ministry therefore is but the overflow from His exalted
throne in the heavens of the ministry that was His alone when He ministered
here on earth. But now He is glorified, and as a result of His glorification He
is able to send forth from His own heart a corporate ministry into the earth,
who would minister as He did when He was here... but doing even “greater works”
because he has ascended to a greater Throne. Then shall we not learn from His
example?
It was not because He
was the Apostle that He claimed the authority to tear down the old temple, and
build the new. It Was rather because He had come into a true Father-Son
relationship; and He was simply doing what God was doing.
It was not because He
was the Prophet foretold by Moses that He expected the followers of Moses to
hear His Word... it was rather because He was showing forth the Truth of God,
and men loved the Truth (the Truth of God... the Truth that Moses gave... the
Truth that the prophets brought forth)... then they would love Him, for He
spoke the Truth direct from the heart of God.
The Son honored the
Father in all things, and for this reason only He expected that men who loved
God would honor Him. Many thieves and robbers had come before Him... and many
would come after Him. But they would come in their own name, assuming they had
the authority of the Messiah, and claiming to be the Messiah. But Jesus simply
claimed to SPEAK THE TRUTH and to LIVE THE TRUTH, and therefore men and women
who were seeking for the Truth recognized the Voice of Truth and followed Him
FOR THAT REASON AND FOR NONE OTHER. Have we not wondered why Jesus would
seemingly evade the issue of His Messiah-ship when contested by the religious
leaders of His day? For He was not interested in satisfying their curiosity...
He was only interested that men should come to know the Truth. Telling the
learned and wise theologians who He was might give them something to argue
about, but it wouldn’t change their hearts. But if they were seeking the Truth,
they would discover the Truth in the words he spake, in the life He lived, and
in the works that He performed. Jesus knew He was the Messiah; and John had
witnessed before that He was the Messiah; and wise men from the East recognized
Him to be the Messiah. But as Jesus pursued His pathway of ministry in the
earth He would point to none of these things by way of vindicating Himself, or
by way of establishing His authority over the people. His only desire was that
men should HEAR and KNOW the Truth, that in knowing the Truth they might be
made free. When John later sent a delegation of his disciples to Jesus that
they might confirm John’s earlier conviction that Jesus was the Messiah...
Jesus might have said something like this: “Remind John of the time he baptized
me in the Jordan... how he heard a voice from heaven saying, This is My Beloved
Son, in whom I am well pleased... Remind him of the vision he had of the Dove
resting on My head....” But no! For Jesus wanted to assure John not merely of
the great office He had as the Messiah, but that He was indeed the living
expression of the Truth of God in the earth.
“Go your way,” He
said, “And tell John what things ye have SEEN and HEARD: how that the blind
see, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are
raised, to the poor the gospel is preached. And blessed is he, whosoever shall
not be offended in Me” (Luke 7:22,23).
For Jesus would have
all men to honor Him and receive Him simply and only because they behold the
Father Himself working in Him, and speaking through Him. His ministers we must
learn to honor for the same reason, and for none other. Paul, in fact, taught
the same thing,, but this is scarcely noticed. “Follow me...” (Because I am the
apostle to the Gentiles? Ah, no!) But “Follow me, even as I follow Christ...”
If Divine Government
were God’s ultimate purpose, then a strong and righteous Messiah, ruling in
equity, could perhaps be the answer, And if Divine Government in the Church
were God’s ultimate… then strong and righteous apostles and prophets,
ministering with authority and power, could perhaps be the answer. But God’s
ultimate is SONS... Sons from Adam’s race... fallen so low… yet to be raised so
high... even unto UNION WITH HIMSELF... Sons walking in love, in truth, in
meekness, in mercy, in grace... Therefore His own Son must be the PATTERN SON,
and BECOME THE WAY... for in all things, even in His life here on earth, He
must have the preeminence.
What we have
observed, then, concerning ministry is not just some far-fetched doctrine that
we are trying to promote. Jesus is not only the TRUTH, and the LIFE, He is also
THE WAY... and we must follow Him as the WAY, if we are going to come into the
fulness of TRUTH and LIFE.
God Himself, in His
sovereign utterances from Heaven, was always very careful to show His Son the
WAY, and through Him to show you and me THE WAY. Never on any occasion would
the Father say: This is your King; this is your Messiah; this is My Prophet...
submit to Him. Invariably the Word was simply: “This is my Beloved Son, in whom
Lam well pleased...” Or, “This is my Son, hear, ye Him...”
“If thou be the
Christ, tell us plainly,” the Jews said (John 10:24). It almost seemed that the
Lord was seeking to evade the issue, and we used to wonder why. But declaring
Himself to be the Messiah, and being received by the people as the Messiah...
would not change their hearts... but receiving the Truth that He declared
WOULD. True, they were all looking for the Messiah, but many of them had no
desire to walk in the Truth. Jesus, therefore, would expect all men to honor
Him, simply and only because He was the Son of God, honoring the Father in all
things, in the Words He spoke, in the Works He performed, and in the Life that
He lived.
Is it necessary to
suggest that God may require NO LESS of His ministers in the earth today? Or
are we to believe that God would give more honor to his delegated ministers in
the earth today than He would give His own Son? Or permit them to assume
spiritual authority over the people of God today, that even His own Beloved Son
would not assume? God forbid! For His ministers must learn to walk in the steps
of the Lord who sent them, and declare the Truth as it proceedeth directly from
the throne of God in heaven. “A servant is not greater than His Lord… neither
is he that is sent greater than He that sent him...”
But when His
ministers learn the WAY, then the sheep will hear God’s voice again, and will
follow. And then will the Word be fulfilled, as it is written: “He that
receiveth whomsoever I send receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth
Him that sent me” (John 13:20).
BETHESDA, THE HOUSE
OF MERCY
“Now there is at
Jerusalem by the sheep market (or, sheepgate) a pool, which is called in the
Hebrew tongue Bethesda, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of
impotent folk, of blind, halt, withered, waiting for the moving of the
water...” (John 5:2,3).
A Picture Of Suffering Humanity
What a picture we
have here of suffering humanity, lying helpless in the five porches of the
House of Mercy! We are called Christians, and we are proud to be members of the
“called-out” ones known as the Church of Jesus Christ. And in this Church we
have a five-fold ministry, designated as Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,
Pastors, and Teachers. (See Ephesians 4:11.) We have already observed how these
ministries are simply the overflow of the exalted ministry of the Christ who
rules in the heavenly Zion. You will recall, perhaps, how the entrance to the
Tabernacle in the Wilderness was composed of five pillars, on which there hang
a linen curtain which formed the doorway; for this was the doorway to the
anointed place, the place of priestly ministry. This Holy Place contained three
articles of furniture, the Table of Shewbread, the Altar of Incense, and the
Candlestick. In type it would speak of the Anointed Place we have come to in
the Church... a place of feasting on Sabbath Bread, a place of True Worship, a
place of Illumination, and the shining forth of the Spirit of Truth. It is not
the Holy of Holies... that realm is a little further on... but it is the Holy
Place of anointed ministry and worship... and I believe in the anti-type we
have come thus far... as God continues to prepare His people for that Abiding
Realm in the Holy of Holies itself.
Here, then, at the
doorstep of the Church there lies “a great multitude of IMPOTENT FOLK...” We do
not need to enlarge upon this statement. Impotent folk! Sitting on the doorstep
of the Church! Huddled together at the Sheep Gate, as sheep that are bruised
and torn and bleeding and wounded, crying out for help! Once in a while there
is a moving of the waters... and those that are not too lame to arise and walk
into the water, or too crippled to get around... they are able to stumble to
the waters the best way they know, to see if perchance they may get in line for
a heavenly touch, while anointing is still there. The anointing may not last
too long… or perhaps the man of God will weary before he gets an opportunity to
touch them... and they will have to wait for the next deliverance meeting.
“And a certain man
was there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years” (verse 5). There was
a multitude of impotent folk in that place, and I know of a surety that Jesus
could have healed every one of them. Nor can I imagine that His concern for the
multitudes at Bethesda was any less than the concern and the compassion that
poured forth from His heart on many other occasions. Besides all this, He was
the Messiah, and He Himself had already quoted the Scripture that would
characterize His ministry in the earth:
“The Spirit of the
Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor,
he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the
captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that
were bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord...” (Luke 4: 18, 19).
One Man Healed
Jesus had come forth
from the Father to do all the things that we have quoted in the above passage
of Scripture. Why, then, did He not seek to fulfill His great Messianic office
here at Bethesda, and heal everyone of the impotent folk who lay there in the
porches of the Pool, helpless, crushed, and broken? Simply because He did not
come forth from the heart of God to fulfill any kind of an “office” as such,
but to DO THE WILL OF GOD; and in doing the will of God every aspect of His
Messianic calling would be fulfilled, in God’s way, in God’s time, and in God’s
order. “Lo, I come to do thy will, O God.” How important it is that we learn to
recognize that God has a very definite, and a very explicit aspect of His will
for every member of the Body of Christ, just as He did for His Only Son; and
that there is a time and a season for the fulfillment of every aspect of His
will in the lives of His people. An apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a
pastor, a teacher, a healer, a miracle worker... these might go forth in power
and authority in virtue of their great office and seek to fulfill the
Scriptures according to their calling. But SONS OF GOD who seek to walk in
union with the Father cannot do so. Their “times” are in His hands, and their
“way” is ordained of the Lord, and they can only minister as they walk in
harmony with God, and according to His ways, and according to His timing, not
because they sought to fulfill the Scriptures, but because the Author of the
Scriptures caused them to do it.
Before any person can
truly come into the perfect will of God there must be a complete dedication of
our lives unto Him, until the thoughts and intents and motives of our hearts
are thoroughly purged from all that pertains to the self-life. And then, from there
on, He will continue to guide us individually until we are able to “PROVE...
what is that good, and acceptable (or well-pleasing) and PERFECT WILL OF GOD.”
(See Romans 12:1,2.)
Before we can truly
fulfill the Scriptures there must be a complete renewing of the mind, and a
changing of our character into the image of Christ. Truth is not an
intellectual understanding that we pursue, but the character of Christ that is
formed within us. As we pursue the pathway of obedience to the known will of
God. being attentive always to hear the still, small Voice of God, little by
little do we climb the stairway of Truth that brings us nigh unto the very
heart of God.
We are told that the
Lord Jesus, as a child, grew “in wisdom, and in stature.” Little by little did
He begin to comprehend that Mary was His mother, and that God was His Father;
and at least by the age of 12 we know that He was fully aware that GOD WAS HIS
REAL FATHER. (He therefore considered it to be the normal thing for Him to
linger in His Father’s house while Mary and Joseph sought Him.) It is quite
evident also that He had acquired, at the age of 12, great wisdom and
understanding concerning the Scriptures; and therefore He would have been fully
aware of the weight of the ministry that would be laid upon Him in the days to
come.
The Uncomplicated Life of Jesus
What then did He do
about it? Did He start acting upon the Scriptures that related to His
Messiah-ship, and seek to fulfill what He had read and studied? His pathway is
clearly set forth in the Word. He simplified His life by walking in union with
the Heavenly Father... and as a result ALL SCRIPTURE WAS FULFILLED THAT GOD
INTENDED TO BE FULFILLED in the short ministry that He had in the earth... and
what remained unfulfilled He was prepared to commit into the hands of the
Father who sent Him. Doing the will of God was MORE IMPORTANT to Jesus than
seeking to fulfill His Messianic office. With what result? His ministry was cut
short, for He was “cut off out of the land of the living...” But He did exactly
what God intended Him to do... and the Scriptures which He did not fulfill
while here on earth will yet be fulfilled in His Body, as He sits enthroned at
God’s right hand in the heavenlies.
This may not seem
important to some... but it is vitally important. For if we understand this
WAY, then we can spare ourselves all the frustrations and needless anxieties
that a minister of God has to endure when He sets his course to fulfill a New
Testament ministry, or to bring into being a New Testament Church.
Let us not read the
Scriptures with the thought in mind that it is up to you and I to strive to
fulfill all that we read. Rather let us read the Word for our daily bread, that
we might have the strength and the wisdom to do just what God wants us to do
TODAY, and rejoice in the hope of the promise that seems as yet unattainable.
And let us be assured that every glorious promise of the Word that God has
given us... high and unattainable as it may seem to be, is nevertheless yours
and mine to embrace as God quickens the Truth of it to our hearts. And as we
faithfully walk in obedience in the realm that God has enabled us to walk in
TODAY, the time will surely come when we shall also walk in obedience in a
realm which is at present beyond our grasp.
I am not being
“scriptural” when I try to fulfill Scripture; I am only being scriptural when I
walk in fellowship with the Spirit, and in union with the Son... and in so
doing I make way for the Word to take hold of my spirit and to nourish and
renew the inner man.
“Dear Lord, as I
meditate upon your Word, help me to know that I hold in my hands the plan and
the blueprint of the greatest and most wonderful masterpiece of your creative
power that you have ever undertaken to bring forth. For when you formed the
heavens and the earth... the heavens and their wonderful galaxies and
universes, and the earth adorned with beauty and majesty... you simply spoke a
Word, and it came into being. But when you saw fit to bring forth your
Masterpiece, even the Church of the Living God, composed of redeemed sons of
Adam’s fallen race… you must needs descend to the lowest depths with them in
the Person of your Son, that in His death, resurrection, and exaltation to
highest heaven we also might be lifted from depths unreachable to heights
unattainable, in virtue of your own grace and wisdom and power. And now in this
Book that you have given us to read you have set forth in minute and intricate
detail your plan and purpose concerning your people. Who am I that I could
begin to formulate and arrange my life and calling, or the lives of your
people, according to your Divine blueprint? I have it in my hands... I read
it... I memorize it... I meditate upon it... But Lord! There is nothing that
you say that is within my desire to perform or within my power to accomplish
except as your indwelling Spirit breathes afresh upon the Word that you have
spoken, and causes it to become Life within me. Let me therefore read your Word
with the consciousness that you are causing the very dew of Heaven to fall upon
it, that it may quicken thy servant, and take on form and reality in my life as
I receive it. Give me only that which I need for today, for thus you taught us
to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” May we not be greedy for wisdom and
knowledge, while as yet we are not able to digest it. For again you have said,
“Hast thou found honey? Eat so much as is sufficient for thee, lest thou be
filled therewith, and vomit it” (Proverbs 25:16). Let us be happy as we walk
one step at a time, as long as there is union with Thee, with a Word here and a
Word there that we can lay hold upon. But let us not grasp hold of Scriptures,
as an undisciplined and inefficient workman would grasp his tools... to erect
the pillars and walls, and install the furnishings... when as yet the
foundation has scarcely been laid. For so you have declared Thy Word would be
fulfilled to a people who would enter in to your rest”:
“For precept must be
upon precept,
Precept upon precept;
Line upon line, line
upon line;
Here a little, there
a little:
For with stammering
lips, and another tongue
Will he speak to this
people. To whom he said,
This is the rest
wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest;
And this is the
refreshing:
Yet they would not
hear” (Isaiah 28:10-12).
And because Israel
would not hear, God’s Word that was intended to bring them into rest, caused
them “to go, and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken” (verse
13). “For if the light that is in you become darkness,” Jesus said, “How great
is that darkness!”
Jesus, then, did not
formulate any plan for the fulfilling of the Scriptures, nor for His own
ministry… nor should we. He simply walked with the Father in perfect harmony
and as He did everything came to pass as God intended, and the Scripture was
fulfilled. How often we read the phrase, “That it might be fulfilled, according
as it is written...”
This is how He began
His ministry; for as He entered into the synagogue of Nazareth after His
anointing and baptism, and stood up to read, He opened the scroll to the place
where it was written concerning His great Messianic ministry. Then having read
the portion that pertained to Him FOR THAT HOUR He closed the book, and handed
it back to the minister of the synagogue, saying, “THIS DAY is this Scripture
fulfilled in your ears...” (Luke 4:2 1). There would be other days, when other
Scriptures would be fulfilled, But for this day this was sufficient, and this
was relevant, and God was truly glorified. God’s ministers often feel free to
boast: “This is Bible, and I’m going to preach it...” But Jesus was confined to
that portion of the Word that God was speaking TODAY.
God Has A Blueprint For Your Life
God has a wonderful
blueprint for your life and mine, and a wonderful blueprint that goes beyond
this to embrace the corporate expression of Christ in the earth. But the Son of
God alone is responsible for the execution of these plans in the earth; and the
Vicar of Christ (God’s Holy Spirit) is alone responsible to bring it into
being... in God’s way, in God’s time, and under God’s direction. And if we miss
out in any of these three operations, we have missed the will of God.
The Pool of Bethesda,
the House of Mercy, with its five porches... whose waters were troubled on
occasion, bringing relief to the ones and twos... was not God’s final answer to
human need. But into the midst of the multitude of impotent folk who languished
there... walked the Son of God, who was Himself the Answer.
“Wilt thou be made
whole?” Jesus asked the impotent man. “Sir,” he replied, “I have no man, when
the water is troubled, to put me into the pool...” Now we thank the Lord for
the troubling of the waters, but let us realize that this is not the full
intention of God. How often we have witnessed situations like this... “No, I
didn’t get healed... I was at the back of the line, and the meeting closed
before I got my turn… there were too many there, and the man of God was
exhausted before my turn came...” Some wonderful things have happened in the
pool of the House of Mercy, but it is not the full intention of God, because it
has not met the needs of suffering humanity.
But “a certain man”
found the answer. It wasn’t in the pool, and it wasn’t in the five-fold
ministry… but it was in the Man of Galilee. It was in the One who walked in
total union with the Father. If He would only have gone through the crowd as
the Messiah, as the Prophet, as the Healer... then every one would have been
healed. But let us repeat again: Jesus did not go to the Pool of Bethesda to
have a healing meeting, so as to fulfill His Messianic calling. He went there
because the Father was leading Him there and showing Him what to do.
Backlash From The Theologians
Of course, when one
begins to walk in this realm, or to encourage others to walk in this realm...
we can expect to receive a lot of condemnation from the theologians. It
happened to be the Sabbath Day. A little forethought and wisdom on Jesus’ part,
and He might have saved Himself this embarrassment. Jesus could just as well
have waited till the next day. After all, the man had been a cripple for 38
years... one more day wouldn’t really matter that much. It looked like a
deliberate attempt to antagonize the established religious order of the day.
And perhaps it was... but it was not Jesus’ doing; for Jesus was not walking
according to any plan of His own. It was the plan of the Heavenly Father. And
so when Jesus was confronted by the Jews for this “great work” that He did on
the sabbath day He immediately disclaimed responsibility for it. “My Father worketh
hitherto, and I work,” He said. And this statement only served to increase the
problem. Now He was claiming to be God’s Son. Do you realize that if Jesus had
simply moved in the realm of delegated authority, and in virtue of His
Messianic Office, He would have been acclaimed as King of the Jews? People are
always quick to rally behind a leader and exalt a hero; and they tried it on
Jesus. We are told that on one occasion they got together and attempted to make
Jesus their King “by force,” but He would not be drafted (John 6:15). But
because He claimed to walk in union with the Heavenly Father, and to be ONE
with Him in all things, they nailed Him to the Cross. (Let us meditate much
upon this fact.)
Jesus therefore
disclaimed direct responsibility not only for the “great work” that He
performed, but also for having done it on the Sabbath. “Verily, verily, I say
unto you, THE SON CAN DO NOTHING OF HIMSELF, but what He seeth the Father do:
for what things so ever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (John
5:19). An apostle, or a prophet, or a teacher, or an evangelist, or a pastor...
they can do many wonderful things because of the effectiveness of their office.
Powerful men in the Church or in the world have no problem doing what they want
to do; for they can readily get a following for themselves, But the Son of God
is HELPLESS to do anything.
The Helplessness Of The Son Of God
That is to say, the
Son is helpless in Himself; for being a Son implies absolute and total
dependence upon the Father for everything… not only for His physical and
spiritual needs as such… but for the operation of the very ministry that has
been entrusted to Him. This is true of the Son, and it is true of the many
sons. And only as we come effectually into this relationship is God truly
glorified; for in this relationship we become nothing in ourselves, that He
might become ALL. What a difference it will make when sons of God… disciplined
and approved of the Father… begin to minister effectively in the Body of
Christ. Gone, then, is all the confusion and frustration and perplexity of
those who are desperately seeking to fulfill their calling, and to establish
Divine Government in the Church, in virtue of the office to which they have
been appointed, or the ministry that they have received from God.
“The Son can do
nothing of (or “from”) Himself, but what He seeth the Father do: for what
things so ever He doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise” (verse 19). Let us
just paraphrase it a little. Jesus was accused of doing something contrary to
the Law... healing a man on the sabbath day. But Jesus replied, in effect:
“Healing a man on the sabbath day? Would you accuse me of that? That was not my
plan at all! The Son can do nothing according to His own desire. I saw the
Father healing the man on the sabbath, and I only do what I see the Father
doing. It was the Father, not I, who healed the man… for He has been working
right up until this time, and now I am working together with Him.”
“For the Father
loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew
him GREATER WORKS THAN THESE, THAT YE MAY MARVEL” (verse 20)
“Greater works than these...” Where do we find this expression again?
“And GREATER WORKS
THAN THESE shall he so, because I go to my Father” (John 14:12). Notice this:
the GREATER WORKS that Jesus said the Father would shew the Son are to be
accomplished in His many brethren in the earth, while He Himself is glorified
at God’s right hand.
Let us repeat what we
have already pointed out: If Jesus had only been content to confine His speech
and His works to the Messianic Office, there could have been no real problem
with the people. But God’s whole purpose in man is SONSHIP not ministry...
DIVINE CHARACTER not Divine Government, The Lord Jesus, therefore, came to show
us the Way, and to become the Way. As the Pattern Son He would not only “live”
by the Father, but He would also minister in total union with the Father, in
order that we who follow after might also walk in the pathway that leads us
very nigh unto the heart of God.
Now it was indeed a
“great work” that Jesus performed on a certain man at the Pool of Bethesda. And
God has been doing a “great work” through His chosen ministry in the earth, on
behalf of certain ones who lie helplessly at the Sheep Gate, in the five
porches of the House of Mercy. But Jesus promised that there would be “greater
works than these” that would cause men to marvel… works that would manifest the
very resurrection life of Jesus. We have had a taste of this, that is true. But
it is yet to be fulfilled in all its fulness when SONS go forth in union with
the Father, rather than MINISTRIES with an apostolic or prophetic office. Many
Christians continue to cry out for someone great... someone like Paul, or
Elijah, or John the Baptist... or like some of the great men that God raised up
in the later history of the Church, But this is not the answer. The heart of
God continues to cry out for SONS.... sons in nature and character like His
only Begotten, who will simply walk in God.
A Cripple For Thirty-Eight Years
A cripple for 38
years! What could this signify? Why 38 years? We have at least one outstanding
clue in the Bible as to the meaning of the number 38. It was some time during
the second year of Israel’s exodus from Egypt that Moses sent spies into the
land of Canaan to search it out, that the people might gather certain vital
information concerning the nature of the land, and the strength of the enemy,
before they went forth to conquer it. All agreed that the land was very fertile
and productive, but ten of the spies discouraged the people because of the
might of the enemy; and the children of Israel turned away in fear and
unbelief. Now the spies had spent 40 days searching out the land, and by way of
judging them for their disobedience and unbelief God decreed that they would
wander 40 years in the wilderness. The spies had searched out the land in the
second year; now in the fortieth year the old generation had served their sentence,
and had completely passed off the scene:
“And the space in
which we came from Kadesh-Barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, was
thirty and eight years; until all the generation of the men of war were wasted
out from among the host, as the LORD sware unto them” (Deuteronomy 2:14).
Thirty-eight years of hopelessness and despair! But by this time God had raised
up a new generation and God was preparing them for the conquest of the
inheritance. Even before they crossed over the Jordan, God would give them a
little foretaste of the inheritance that lay before them; and God said to
Moses: “This day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee
upon the nations that are under the whole heaven, who shall hear report of
thee, and shall tremble” (Deuteronomy 2:25). At that time Israel took the land
of Gilead and Bashan in conquest, under the leadership of Moses, on the Eastern
side of Jordan; and the land was given to Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of
Manasseh at their request. They were satisfied with this rich pasture land, and
had no desire to go beyond the Jordan.
There are many in the
Church today like Reuben and Gad and Manasseh who feel that we have gone far
enough. Talk about the inheritance beyond the River in the mountains and hills
of Canaan... and it is thought to be “far-out” teaching. What we have is good.
Why be concerned about anything more beyond the River? Let us just camp right
here on the Eastern banks of the Jordan, and seek an enlargement of what we
have already received. We talk in tongues like the Pentecostals. We have gifts
of the Spirit. We prophesy. We have healings. We have beautiful praise and
worship. Why get excited about things “far-out” beyond the Jordan?
But the “multitude of
impotent folk” still lies at the doorstep of the Church... bruised, and torn,
and sick--physically as well as spiritually-and how shall we rest until we see
what Jesus promised: “greater works than these that ye may marvel”?
Greater Works Than These
Now the “greater
works” are to be accomplished in the earth by virtue of the fact that the Son
has returned back to the Father, and has sent forth the Spirit of God into the
hearts of His people. He is the exalted Christ, the Anointed One... and now in
exaltation the Oil flows down from the Head and permeates the whole Body, like
the anointing oil that flowed down Aaron’s beard “that went down to the skirts
of his garments.” We are anointed with the “same anointing” (1 John 2:27). And
with this “same anointing” we must learn to walk in the same pathway that Jesus
walked in when He was here, not in emulation… but in knowing the same union
with the Son that He knew with the Father. What God did in the early Church was
only the beginning of the “greater works.” God always reserves the “best wine”
until the last; and harvest time is always more fruitful than the time of the
sowing of the seed. We must yet witness in the earth the full measure of what
Jesus promised just before He went away: “...and he will shew him greater works
than these that ye may marvel. For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and
quickeneth them; even so the SON quickeneth whom he will” (John 5:20,2 1).
Resurrection Life! Not just a future historical event, but the living Christ
walking and living in the hearts of men! The early Church had a great measure
of this life, as God moved mightily in glory and power. “Be it known unto you
all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of
Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole” (Acts 4:10). We know there shall be a Day
of Resurrection, when the dead shall “hear the voice of the Son of God” and
come forth in resurrection life... but let us always bear in mind the fact that
the Resurrection Life is not just an Event to take place, it is a Person who is
alive, and with us today. Jesus said, “I am the Resurrection and the Life...”
And God would have us to walk in the glory and power of this life. “But if the
Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead shall also quicken (give LIFE
to) your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you” (Romans 8:11). There
are so many, many Scriptures in the New Testament that emphasize this Life...
and we have all read them many times. But let us be assured that God will yet
bring forth a powerful witness concerning this Truth, as He has done with other
aspects of Truth. We know that Truth was largely lost or obscured during the
Dark Ages... but God in great sovereignty began to restore Light and Truth; and
as He did so He mightily confirmed the Word that He sent forth, with a mighty
operation of His Spirit. Take Hebrews 6, the chapter known as the foundational
truths of the Gospel. As God began to restore these foundational truths--one by
one--He Himself bore witness to the Truth with a mighty manifestation of His
Glory.
Repentance from dead
works. From the time of the Reformation and on, there were mighty workings of
God in this area, as men were caused to realize that their religious works were
but “dead” in the sight of God, and profited nothing.
And of faith toward
God. Repentance was the negative aspect... but this was the positive. “Faith”
became a new truth in the earth... It was there in the Word, that is true...
but very little of it in the hearts of men until God sent forth the Word of
Faith... and nations literally rocked under the impact that God sent forth.
Next in order was...
The doctrine of
baptisms. There is “one baptism,” but there are different aspects of the one
baptism. There is the outward baptism, with water. But the real baptism is a
spiritual baptism. “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body...”
This is a corporate baptism into Christ, just as all Israel was baptized unto
Moses “in the cloud, and in the sea.” “And have been all made to drink into one
Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13). And so the baptism of the Holy Spirit becomes
very personal and individual also. It was always there in the Word, and men read
about it, and talked about it. But the time came in restoration when God gave a
mighty emphasis to it, and men and women began to experience Pentecost, with
its accompanying power and glory. Again, the Church was shaken... and nations
were shaken, as God restored Pentecost to His people.
And of laying on of
hands. This came next. It was there in the Word before, and oftentimes “laying
on of hands” was practiced. But usually it was simply a case of meaningless
ritual. But once again God brought it forth in might and in power, and God
confirmed the truth of it to hungry hearts. And again the Church was shaken,
and the earth was shaken, as God restored His gifts and ministries to hungry
hearts.
And of resurrection
of the dead. THIS IS NEXT! We have talked about it. We profess to have the
Resurrection Life of Jesus within us... because the Bible says we have it when
we receive Christ, and we believe the Word. But God will yet manifest the
fulness of the resurrection Life of Jesus here in the earth. We testify to it
in baptism... and as we continue to submit to the dealings of God we shall yet
walk in the fulness of His Life.
“Therefore we are
buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life” (Romans 6:4). Do not be discouraged if you discover, as most of us have,
that this wonderful miracle of life did not immediately happen when you came up
out of the water. And do not think for one moment that a second, or a third
baptism... might somehow work the miracle of Life that you so desire. Just
simply recognize that there it was, in baptism, that you indicated your faith
in Christ, and your desire to be ONE WITH HIM. If your marriage seems to have
failed, don’t blame it on the wedding vows… simply recognize that you did
indeed become JOINED unto the Lord, and continue to pursue that vision until
this joining becomes meaningful, and vital, and real. When you walked in the
waters of baptism with your Lord, you indicated your intention of becoming ONE
WITH HIM in all things... now the Lord would hold you to it. Jesus prayed that
it would be so: “As thou Father art in me, and I in thee, that they may be ONE
in us...” You testified that it was so, when you took Him in baptism. Now why
do you fear to embrace the Truth of it, as God seeks to bind you to Himself,
until you are indeed in total union with God?
“For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness
of his resurrection” (Romans 6:5). When? In the Day of Resurrection, away off
in the future? True, that day will come, and we anticipate the day when this
“mortality… shall be swallowed up in life.” But even now He would manifest this
Life WITHIN our mortality:
“And if Christ be in
you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is LIFE because of
righteousness” (Romans 8:10).
“But we have this
treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God,
and not of us... always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus,
that the LIFE also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which
live are always delivered unto death for Jesus’ sake, that the LIFE also of
Jesus might be made manifest in our MORTAL FLESH” (2 Corinthians 4:7,10,11).
Because of the
infirmity of our flesh we fear at times that we will never know the fulness of
LIFE until our bodies are changed. And indeed in this body we “groan” yearning
for full glorification. But we do not want to miss out on the experience of
RESURRECTION LIFE here and now, as we fellowship in His sufferings, and know
what it is for the very Life of Jesus to be “made manifest in our mortal
flesh.”
Union With Christ Glorifies The Father
When Jesus spoke of
being ONE with the Father, the people said He blasphemed... that He was making
Himself equal with God, But in fact He was NOT... “My Father is greater than
I,” He said, and again, “I can of Mine own self do nothing...”
In this realm God is
truly glorified; for in this realm we must decrease, that He might increase. In
this realm we can do NOTHING, that He alone might be the One doing ALL THINGS.
In this realm we have no righteousness of our own, no truth of our own, no
doctrine of our own, no ministry of our own, no life of our own. All this we
must lay down. All selfish purposes and ambitions must be laid aside. All
talents, gifts, and enablements must be laid on the Altar of Burnt Offering...
the Altar of total sacrifice. (Remember, Ishmael must be cast out, but Isaac
the beloved had to be laid on the Altar of Burnt Offering.) Henceforth we must
walk only in His life, in His Truth, in His Righteousness. His purpose in our
lives is all that we pursue, and doing His will becomes our highest prize.
Henceforth we must live and work and minister only IN TOTAL UNION WITH HIM. The
impossible requirements of the New Covenant are no longer a stumblingblock to
men of faith, for they have learned that God is the God of the impossible. And
once again, may we repeat the promise of Jesus that He left us just before He
went away... and let us paraphrase it:
“I am telling you the
truth when I say it is for your own good and well-being that I am going away...
so that I who am the Truth dwelling with you, might then dwell within you...
and be to you everything that I am now, as I dwell here in your very midst...”
Of course we are all
quick to affirm that the Holy Spirit has come to abide within us, as God’s
faithful Advocate in the earth. And we are certain that He will speak only the
words of Christ, and do only His works. But having affirmed this we immediately
excuse ourselves for putting forth our own ideas, and formulating our own
doctrines, and doing our own works... and then asking the Holy Spirit to come
and help us in our worthy endeavors. When is the Church of Jesus Christ going
to come to the solemn realization that we have virtually made it impossible for
the Holy Spirit to fulfill the purpose for which He came into the earth: to
speak only the Words of Christ, and to do only His works? When are we going to
realize that when He speaks, He must speak through your lips and mine, and when
He ministers, He ministers through your hands and mine, and when He walks in
the earth, He walks in your feet and mine? How long will it be ere we recognize
that WE ARE THE TEMPLE of the Holy Spirit? How long shall we seek to USE Him,
rather than be USED of Him to do His work? How long are we going to ask Him to
anoint our words, and confirm our doctrines, rather than recognizing that we
have no right to our teachings... and that we are to speak ONLY what He is
speaking? How long shall we go about seeking to build the Church of God with
His help and encouragement, rather than realizing that He is the Master Builder
of the Temple of God in the earth, and that we are simply to work together with
Him, doing only what He is doing? If He came to abide in a temple made of wood
and stone, then I might excuse myself for my shortcoming, and honor Him who
speaks from the Oracle of the Temple. But if He comes to abide in the TEMPLE
THAT I AM, then I have no choice in the matter. He must possess me through and
through... because He is UNDER OBLIGATION to do nothing, to say nothing, as
“from Himself”... but only what proceeds from the glorified Son of God in the
heavens.
Let us continue to
embrace this Glorious Truth; for once we embrace the Truth, even though it is
not yet completely in our possession... we nevertheless project ourselves into
a greater measure of captivity unto Him, and at one and the same time into a
higher realm of liberty in Him, than we have ever known before, For it is
always true that the more captive we become to Him who has liberated us, the
more freedom do we actually enjoy.
Another Advocate
The Holy Spirit is
called “Another Advocate”… for Jesus is the One who sits enthroned in the
heavens as a glorified Man; while He, the Holy Spirit, is the One who abides in
the Body of Christ in the earth. Let us not get “theological” about this. He is
called “Another Advocate” only by reason of the fact that the Christ Himself is
for this present time separated from us bodily; and as we are therefore TWO and
yet ONE (for we are a corporate people, yet one with the Head)... so the
advocate is TWO, and yet ONE. He is indeed the very same Christ that once
walked the earth, but now abides within us in Spirit form. “I will not leave
you comfortless,” Jesus said, “I will come to you”; and in making this promise
He was referring to the coming forth of the Holy Spirit to abide in His people.
(See John 14:18.) The Holy Spirit is therefore the Spirit of Jesus. (See Acts
16:7, RSV.) He is the Spirit of God’s Son (Galatians 4:6). And as He comes to
take up His habitation in the Temple not made with hands, He bears the same
relationship to the Son on the throne, that the Son does to the Father. Now we
are the BODY in which the Holy Spirit dwells. We are “joined unto the Lord,”
and are therefore “ONE SPIRIT” with Him (1 Corinthians 6:17). He, the Spirit of
God, being the life of the Body of Christ, makes this kind of relationship
possible. It is the desire of God’s heart for His own. It is part of His plan.
Jesus enjoyed this intimate union... but He also said it was BETTER that He
should go away, that His many brethren might also partake of this glorious
relationship...
That They All May Be One...
“That they all may be
one, as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be ONE IN
US: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory, which
thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be ONE, EVEN AS WE ARE ONE: I
in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in ONE: and that the
world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved
me” (John 17:21-23).
The teaching so
prevalent in the Church today that Christians everywhere should forget their
differences and come together in one vast union has nothing to do with the
fulfillment of this wonderful prayer of Jesus. What Jesus prayed for was this:
that we might come into perfect union with Himself, even as He is in perfect
union with the Father, and in this manner reveal the perfections and the glory
of Christ in a world of sin and unbelief.
Now the Spirit of God
inhabits the Body of Christ in the earth to speak and to declare what He hears
the Son saying. That is why there are many, many in the earth today who are
beginning to hear these words. O we have all read it many times in years gone
by... and recognized it as a very beautiful prayer... something that revealed
the desire of the heart of Jesus... but of course we knew it just couldn’t come
to pass. Then suddenly we hear the Spirit declaring it in the earth... and as
we walk in the Spirit, the Voice becomes more and more pronounced, and we are
compelled to say: Jesus prayed for this, Jesus declared this, the Spirit of God
is declaring this... I must declare it.
What a difference it
will make when the Ministry of Christ in the earth begins to sincerely and
truly make this commitment: “Lord, you have declared so many wonderful things
in your Word... and we have sought to explain and to expound many things that
we have read. But henceforth wilt Thou seal our lips with the words of the
Son-Father Covenant, “Lo I come to do Thy will, O God.” Remove from our hearts
any desire to expound the Scriptures that you are not illuminating by your
Spirit, or to declare mysteries that you have not chosen to unravel as yet. And
may our ears be truly pierced by the circumcision of your Spirit, that we might
hear only the Words that Thou art uttering direct from the throne, and then
have grace and authority to declare the Truth to the sheep of Thy pasture.”
“He shall not speak
FROM HIMSELF, but whatsoever He shall hear that shall He speak” (John 16:13).
He shall not speak FROM HIMSELF! And because He abides in the Body of Christ on
earth, and is in fact the very life of that Body, it means that the members of
Christ in the earth are not afforded the luxury or the privilege of preaching
and teaching from the storehouse of their study and learning, nor yet from what
they have discovered in the Scriptures. It is not enough that God has seen fit
to record it in the Scriptures, …the important thing is this: “Am I hearing
what the SPIRIT IS SAYING to the churches, this very moment?” It is indeed a
high calling, and impossible of attainment by any human effort. But as we catch
the vision of the Son-Father relationship, the bonds of this relationship will
take ever-increasing control of our tongues, yea of our whole being, and our
whole manner of life... so that we will speak, and declare, and work, and
minister simply and only as the exalted Christ sends forth His Word by the
Spirit.
This is God’s
standard, and God will not make allowance for anything less for the simple
reason that He has made provision for the standard that He requires. Were He to
make allowance for something less, then He must condone man’s unbelief in the
matter, which He will not do. Everything we now have from God... justification
by faith, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit in their various
out-workings... these were all in the realm of the impossible at one time. But
when the time came for God to bring them forth into the realm of human
experience, God made every provision to that end, and sent forth the Word
concerning it. Then as God’s people grasped the Word which He sent forth, it
began to work in their hearts until it finally brought into being in the earth
that which God had provided.
Today God is sending
forth His Word concerning this high and holy calling of TOTAL UNION WITH HIS SON,
not only as it relates to the ministry of the Word, but as it relates to the
life and walk of the whole Body of Christ... and He sends forth this Word that
we might embrace it, and so eventually appropriate it and walk in it. In the
outworking of faith there is always a processing that takes place... and God is
simply asking His people to continue to submit to His processings, and at the
same time to believe and embrace His Word, until He has accomplished the desire
of His own heart.
We mentioned that God
does not make allowance for human failure... but He does make provision for
it... and that is what the Grace of God is all about. Therefore we simply
acknowledge that we have not attained to this high standard that God has in
mind, and we continue to seek His face to that end. In the meantime, let us
confess that we are all subject to error because of our infirmity, at times
stumbling in our own ways... and God forbid that the sheep of His pasture
should ever cling to any word that proceeds from our mouth that did not first
of all proceed out of the mouth of God. God forbid that any of His sheep should
willfully follow any one of God’s ministers in any manner of behavior or
teaching, that did not originate in the heart of God.
Blessed Are The Hungry And Thirsty
Even as we speak
about the purpose of ministry in bringing the people of God unto the measure of
the stature of the fulness of Christ... we recognize that there are many who
feel neglected and frustrated, because they have been pressed into circumstances
and situations that do not appear to have for their objective the unfolding of
the character of Christ within them, And yet at the same time they feel in
their hearts a tremendous longing and desire to go all the way with the Lord,
and to do His will.
Then, let the people
of God who are subjected to tests of this nature rest assured in the knowledge
that what man or devil intends for evil, God intends for your good. And though
you are longing and thirsting for the rain from Heaven that will refresh your
spirit, and encourage your growth in the LORD... and still find yourself in a
barren and thirsty land, a waste and howling wilderness... be assured of this:
God is faithful, And He will cause His Word to descend as dew upon your life as
you wait before Him. Oftentimes you may have to walk in darkness... oftentimes
in isolation from your brethren. But one day, when the wilderness testing has
served its purpose, and has come to an end, you will discover that what you
lacked in the rain, God supplied in the dew. For there on the dew the Manna
from Heaven settled while you slept, and you will gather it in the morning
before the heat of the sun causes it to melt away.
THE CORPORATE RELATIONSHIP
God Is Building A
Temple
God is building a
Temple in the earth, not made of hands, a Temple whose glory shall radiate
throughout the whole earth. If ever there was a need for true God-given
leadership in ministry, it is today. And if “the glory of this latter house
shall be greater than of the former”... then we may be assured that those whom
God has ordained to teach, and to instruct, and to lead God’s people in His
ways will be as carefully chosen and disciplined of the Lord as were the
leaders in any of God’s former, lesser temples. It is God who chooses, and
ordains, and establishes in the Body of Christ those whom he has chosen, and
whom He has made ready, to lead His people into the land of their heritage. No
man ever takes this honor unto himself, but God is the one who appoints
accordingly to His own will; and they are sent to the people directly from the
Throne. God may, or may not, use other men to designate His chosen vessels; for
Joshua was designated by Moses, and Paul was designated by Ananias, and the
elders of the churches were set in their place and designated by other
ministers in the Church. But the office thus conferred upon such a minister
proceedeth directly from the throne and not to the one whom God may have used
to ordain him. Jesus Himself was designated by John the Baptist, but God put a
special seal upon Him in the form of a dove from Heaven, and a voice which
said, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Notice again, that
it was the Son that God ordained, not the Messiah; and because He was ordained
and designated as a SON, He knew He must walk constantly in the realm of
SONSHIP, which implies total and absolute obedience unto the Father in all
things. “Unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever...”
(Hebrews 1:8). And again, “The word of the oath, which was since the law,
APPOINTETH THE SON, who is perfected forevermore” (Hebrews 7:28). He was the
Messiah, the Christ. Other Messiahs had come in their own name... others would
yet come in their own name, But He is the SON-MESSIAH, which implies that God
the Father remains the supreme Sovereign over all, even as the Son reigns on
the throne. For when He was exalted to highest heaven, and given a name which
is above every name, this was in no way a dividing of the Authority of the
Godhead... it was rather a case of Christ actually BECOMING THAT AUTHORITY,
sitting at God’s right hand, until all enemies are subdued under His feet.
In the meantime He
reigns in the midst of His enemies, and is preparing a people, making them to
be a willing people in this Day of His power. (See Psalm 110.)
Our Relationship To The Body Of Christ
As God’s purposes
hasten on to fulfillment, He who sits enthroned at God’s right hand is
literally shaking the “heavens and the earth”… and He is doing so on behalf of
His people, who are partakers of His unshakable Kingdom. In the meantime, as
the old order in the world and in the Church passes away to make way for the
new, God does not want us to be mere onlookers, observers, standing by to see
what is going to happen. Men of vision must be men of faith… they must not only
see what God is doing, they must embrace it, and become involved. And then as
they do, they begin to discover a new relationship in the Body of Christ that
they had not known heretofore.
Perhaps one of the
first things we discover is the fact that we can no longer be a law unto
ourselves. Nor can we imagine that in our own individual and personal
relationship with Christ we can attain to the standard that God intended for
our lives, apart from a right relationship with our brother. This is not just
an arbitrary arrangement on God’s part... it springs from the fact that God
requires (in virtue of the infinite longings of His own heart) a BODY in which
He may dwell, and through which He may express all His glorious fulness. True,
He found this Body in the person of His own Son... and God found supreme
delight in Him. But the love of God and the purpose of God could not stop
there; and the expression of the heart of God in His own Son must find still
greater enlargement in His many brethren. On the earth Jesus was indeed the
very Temple of God. But now henceforth in His exaltation He would become... not
the Temple, but the Chief Corner Stone of an enlarged Temple composed of His
many brethren. This has therefore been the burden of the Spirit of God in the
earth ever since His exaltation in the heavens... and particularly so at this
present time, as the purposes of God hasten on to complete fulfillment.
Once we fully embrace
this revelation there is no longer any place, nor any desire, for that spirit
of individualism that has prevailed in times past, with respect to our
relationship to the Body of Christ. I cannot “go it alone.” Lam but a member of
a vast Body, and as such I have responsibilities to my brother, as I come under
subjection to the Head of the Body, which is Christ. The Head rules from
Heaven, and He has placed ministries in the earth, “For the perfection of the
saints, for the work of the ministry, unto the edifying of the Body of Christ.”
Therefore I am directly related to the rest of God’s saints, if so be I am a
member of His Body. We must not lose this vision, because our individual
relationship with the Lord will depend greatly on our corporate relationship
with the rest of the Body. By way of illustration let us observe:
Israel must come out
of her bondage as a corporate people. The “individual” approach that Moses
tried 40 years earlier could only fail; God’s plan was for the whole nation.
Israel must cross the
Red Sea as a nation; and in so doing they were “baptized unto Moses” as a
nation, “in the cloud, and in the sea.”
They must submit to
the government that God ordained for them in the wilderness, as a nation. There
were 12 tribes. Each tribe had their own leadership, with all the tribal heads
forming a corporate leadership under Moses and Aaron.
They were judged as a
nation when they refused to go into the Land of Promise... the old generation
passing away, making way for a new generation that would arise to take the
inheritance.
The new generation
must cross the Jordan as a nation. Caleb and Joshua could not go in alone. They
had to wait for the new generation that God was preparing in the wilderness.
The new generation
was circumcised as a nation. It was a new circumcision, preparing them for the
new land.
They must possess the
land as a nation. The two and a half tribes that were content with their
heritage on the Eastern side of the Jordan could not possess their heritage
until the whole land had been conquered. They could not live unto themselves…
even though they were distinct tribes within the nation. God was dealing with
one people. They fought their battles as one nation, attained to victory as one
nation, suffered defeat as one nation. In fact, when one man sinned, God said,
“Israel hath sinned,” and the whole nation suffered defeat because of one man’s
idolatry. (See Joshua 7:1-12.)
We believe these
things were written for our admonition, and for our instruction, that we might
know how we are to relate to one another, as fellow-citizens of the “Holy
Nation” of God.
God’s Purpose-Liberation
God is a God of
order. Everything that God does, He does in order and in harmony. This is what
Divine Government is all about. We need, however, to keep God’s purpose in mind
lest we fall into the trap of thinking that God’s desire is to establish some
sort of Divine Hierarchy in the earth, and that His ultimate purpose is simply
Divine Government. Divine Government is rather the means. His purpose is order,
and harmony, and unity... and eventually, LIBERATION. Creation is longing for
liberation as she groans and travails, and her groaning is bringing forth SONS
OF GOD, not kings and dictators.., not apostles, and prophets, and evangelists,
and pastors and teachers...
“For the earnest
expectation of the creation waiteth for the manifestation of the SONS OF
GOD...” (Romans 8:19). These SONS may at this present time be fathers, and
mothers, and sons, and daughters... or they may be apostles, or prophets, or
elders, or deacons... But it is in their ultimate training and disciplining as
SONS that they shall become the LIBERATORS that God has in mind for a world in
darkness and in bondage.
No matter what your
calling may be in life (and let us all learn to accept our calling as God’s
calling for us, if indeed we are committed to the doing of His will)... no
matter what your calling, you are not to be denied the privilege nor the
responsibility of learning obedience and submission to the will of God... and
THIS IS REALLY ALL THAT MATTERS, And if you deem the calling of your brother to
be of a higher order than your own calling, then be assured that so also is his
responsibility greater. Your calling is in the hands of God. It is really “His
calling,” and it is only yours because He committed it to you... and you are
exhorted to “abide in the same calling wherewith you were called” (1
Corinthians 7:20). Having greater gifts and an exalted calling does not place
one in a place of greater favor with God. In fact, these very things could be
detrimental to one’s growth unto maturity if such a one does not remain very
low at the feet of Christ.
A deacon is often
considered to be of little account in the things of God. His services are
usually considered to relate to the physical and the temporal. But this is not
so. If you take your concordance you will discover that this service also
pertains to spiritual things. And of the deacon it is said that he may
“purchase for himself a good degree...” because by the very nature of his
office he is called to SERVE. And let us never forget, it is the SERVANT who
qualifies for promotion in the Kingdom of God.
Children are usually
very anxious to “grow up.” But children have a wonderful opportunity to learn
obedience, submission to their parents, submission to their teachers,
submission to authority in general. While very young, children may learn
righteousness, truth, meekness, gentleness, and childlike simplicity...
qualities which are inherent to the Kingdom of God.
Wives sometimes
resent their role, and oftentimes there is a longing to assert equality with
the man, and to throw off her yoke of submission under the guise of
“liberation.” But in so doing she is actually throwing away the golden
opportunity God has given her to partake of such virtues of grace, and
meekness, and submission, and quietness of spirit... without which there shall
be no promotion in the Kingdom of God.
The husband, on the
other hand, by virtue of his calling, is ruler and head of the wife, and of the
home. But the domineering man is far, far from the Kingdom of God; and unless
he submits to the will of Christ, and learns humility, meekness, lowliness of
mind, he will never rule and reign with Christ in His Kingdom.
The employee
oftentimes resents his role in life, But the employee who truly takes the place
of a “servant” is said to be the Lord’s FREE MAN (1 Corinthians 7:22). Once he
recognizes that he is really serving the Lord, and not his earthly master...
then he is indeed free, for subjection unto Christ always brings about true
freedom, And if he is accounted faithful as an employee (or a “true
servant”)... so shall he be accounted worthy to receive the “reward of the
INHERITANCE” (Colossians 3:24).
The employer on the
other hand is somewhat at a disadvantage, because he is in a place of
authority. (And let us remember, being in a place of authority never qualifies
one for a place in the realm of the Kingdom.) But if he truly desires to walk
in Truth he too shall be made FREE, But he shall be free only as he takes his
place as a “servant” (a “doulos”... a “bondslave”) of the Lord! Not only so,
but if he truly recognizes that he is but a “servant,” he has discovered the
key that will open the door into the Kingdom of God, and will also cause him to
live humbly before men, and to honor and respect his servants as potential
rulers in the Kingdom of God, and as he would desire his Lord to honor and
respect him.
All men are not born
equal... nor do all men become equal in this life… nor is this important. For
all men may share equally in the New Birth, and in the Grace and Mercy of
Christ, and come into a place of equal favor with God.
Once we realize of a
certainty that God’s purpose is for the LIBERATION of mankind, and that His
calling toward us is to prepare us to that end... then it no longer concerns us
whether we be an apostle, a prophet, an evangelist, a pastor, a teacher, an
elder, a deacon, a husband, a wife, a son, a daughter, a master, a slave, a
king, or a peasant. In each and every case we are in subjection to a still
higher authority, and it is in learning obedience in this realm that we may
qualify as SONS OF GOD. approved of the Father, and accounted worthy to rule
with Christ as co-heirs in the Kingdom of God.
God’s Purpose--The Maturing of His People
God’s purpose, then,
in sending forth His ministers from the throne, is to prepare in the earth this
kind of people... a people who shall come unto full maturity, even unto the
stature of Christ. There is a great deal of emphasis in the Church today
concerning the shepherding of the flock of God; but very often God’s purpose in
sending them forth to the sheep of His pasture is not emphasized. There are
often vague references to the word “perfection” or apologetic interpretations
of the meaning of the word. It seems to be too high an ideal to set before the
people of God. But let us remember it is God’s ideal, and also His
responsibility to bring it into being.
Now the word
“perfection” in its most common usage means “maturity.” But what is “maturity”?
And what is God’s standard of “maturity”?
“And He gave some,
apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and
teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry...”
Let us just pause here a moment: THE PURPOSE OF MINISTRY IS TO EQUIP THE PEOPLE
OF GOD THAT THEY MIGHT ALL BECOME MINISTERING SERVANTS TO THE BODY. And what is
the ultimate purpose of “ministry” in and through the Body? “TILL we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a
PERFECT MAN.” For the Body of Christ in its ultimate fulness is viewed as ONE
PERFECT MAN IN CHRIST; and the standard is nothing less than the standard of
the Living Christ: “UNTO THE MEASURE OF THE STATURE OF THE FULNESS OF CHRIST”
(Ephesians 4:12,13).
God is always
faithful to send forth true leaders to bring His people into new ways in God,
when the time comes for His people to enter in. And God is faithfully doing
this today. That is why it is so important that the ministry, as well as the
people, “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches”… lest the ministry on
the one hand assume a place of carnal authority and leadership that has no
relation to what God is doing today... and lest the people on the other hand
submit to such authority under the false notion that it is the highway to the
Kingdom of God. The ministry must not take the place of a Mediator... for there
is “one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1 Timothy 2:5).
Nor is it a “husband” ministry... the relationship between the ministry and the
people must never become a bridegroom-bride relationship. Rather, the ministry
seeks to prepare the people to become the spotless “bride” of Christ (2
Corinthians 11:2).
The ministry has
amply fulfilled its purpose in the earth if it succeeds in declaring Him,
speaking about Him, and leading others into direct union with Him. And having
fulfilled this Divine objective they should be willing to just “fade away,” as
it were (as Moses and Elijah faded away on the Mount of Transfiguration)...
that the people of God might “HEAR HIM...” and see “JESUS ONLY.” Moses and
Elijah have an important part to play... and the ministry that is sent forth
from the throne as god’s gift to the Church has an important role to fulfill.
But they are important for one purpose only, and that is... to bring men into
closer union with Christ, where they can hear his voice, and see His face, and have
personal and intimate communion with Him who is the Head. As the government of
Christ increases in the hearts of His people, then the ministers of Christ must
decrease. As the heart of a true son begins to mature and develop, then the
servant (for God’s true ministers are “servants”) must be quick and anxious to
loosen the ties of allegiance that somehow may have come into being as he
sought to lead God’s son into maturity; and encourage them to walk alone with
God. (Alone, I say, because no matter how many thousands there are who are
walking with you and with God... your walk with God is intended to be very
individual and unique.) Ministry in the Holy Place must give way to SONSHIP in
the Holiest of All, as faith must give way to Hope, as Hope gives way to
Love... as the Blade gives way to the Ear... as the Ear gives way to the Full
Corn in the Ear... as bondage in Egypt gives way to a walk of discipline in the
wilderness... as the wilderness gives way to fruitfulness in the land of
Canaan. In other words, the ministry has fulfilled its purpose if it has been
successful in bringing the people of God into direct, intimate communion with
the Lord.
The Inheritance Of The Individual
Divine law and order
and government were very important by way of bringing Israel as a nation into
the place that God desired for her: namely, liberation and fruitfulness in the
Promised Land. But because God was dealing with them corporately, this in no
way diminished the measure of liberty that God had in mind for each individual.
The laws and rules and governments to which they were subjected were intended
to safeguard and guarantee the rights of the individual to his own personal
inheritance in the Land. They in no way deprived him of those rights. God
always establishes and vindicates the leadership that He provides for His
people; from their standpoint, their only concern is that the Sheep of His
pasture be safeguarded, and their rights upheld.
One of the most
fundamental of all our basic rights, whether it be in the realm of Church
Government, or earthly government, is the freedom of the very heart and soul of
the individual to serve God. Not only is it RIGHT for us to enjoy, it is a
RESPONSIBILITY that has been granted unto us, and we cannot afford to
relinquish it into the hands of any government, in the Church or in the world.
It is God’s abiding place alone, and it must not be usurped or handed over to
any other. The forces of good and evil will continue to wage warfare in this
area, and the true shepherds will take up true spiritual warfare on behalf of
those who seek to retain this portion of their inheritance… they will not stand
by unconcerned when others seek to take it from them.
Conscience, The Ear And Eye Of The Soul
A man’s conscience is
his own private inheritance from the hands of the Creator. See that no man or
angel, no priest or bishop, no pastor or elder, no king or dictator... takes it
from you. Give them your possessions, if need be; and take the spoiling of your
goods with joy. Give them your fields and your vineyards... your stocks, your
bonds, your houses, your lands. Give them even the labor of your hands without
reward, if need be... but do not sell your conscience. For this is the jewel
that God put in the heart of man when He created him in His image... a jewel
that He denied all earthly beasts and creeping things. He gave it to you,
because you were made in His image... and it was an impartation of Himself that
would make fellowship and communion with Him possible; and it was for true
fellowship and communion that He created you. With “conscience” you have an
inner, inborn knowledge: for that is really what is implied in the word.
Animals have “instinct”... and we marvel at the seeming wisdom and discretion
that they display without their being aware of it. For with instinct they have
an inborn wisdom that relates them to their environment and safeguards their
very existence. But you are higher than the animals, and you have a
“conscience”--which makes you aware, you know not how that THIS is right, and
THAT is wrong. And when any one succeeds, knowingly or otherwise, in robbing
you of this your heritage... then you are left as a ship without a rudder, a
bird without a wing, a fish without fins… a man without vision, For it is in
the knowledge of what is TRUTH and what is ERROR that you pursue your course of
life in this world; and it is your acknowledgment and pursuit of the TRUTH that
you shall be made free.
Is Conscience My Guide?
What we have said, of
course, raises many questions: Is my Conscience to be my guide in life? Is not
the Bible greater and should it not have more authority over me than my
conscience? If I am fallen by nature, how can I be sure that my conscience
gives me a true sense of right and wrong?
Let us get, first of
all, a clear understanding of what the conscience is. According to the meaning
of the word, and according to its usage in Scripture, it relates to that inward
awareness and understanding of what is good and what is evil. (Greek:
“suneidesis”--a knowing with one’s self--Dr. Young.) Man as originally created
knew only good by nature. But since the Fall he knows “both good and evil”...
and ever since the FALL that inward awareness has been there: law, or no law;
government or no government. It is the Law of God written in the inward soul of
man... so as to either accuse him when he goes against it, or to excuse him if
he refuses to violate it (Romans 2:15).
Now from the Fall
even unto this day men have persisted in their evil ways, even to the defiling
of their conscience… so that the compass which once pointed unerringly to the
Truth no longer does so; and man has come to the place where he may call evil
good, or good evil... and actually believe the lie. When men persist in their
evil ways, contrary to their conscience, their conscience becomes so seared and
callous that it is no longer sensitive to that inward danger signal that it
used to hear so faithfully.
Man, then cannot be
saved by following his conscience; nor can we say that a man’s conscience is in
any way a safe guide in life. Nor was it ever intended to be. It is rather that
inward sense of hearing, that inward sense of vision, that inward capacity that
man has to come into contact with God and the Truth. And if perchance it has
become dulled or callous it needs to be quickened and made sensitive by the
Spirit of God that the man, long hardened to Truth and blinded in unbelief,
might be restored to a place of sensitivity. This is what happens when the Word
of God comes to him in power, as a sharp two-edged sword, and challenges him
with the Truth. Of course the Word of God is “above” a man’s conscience, as God
is “above” man, as a light of this world is “above” my vision. But without
clear vision I cannot see what the light would reveal. And when a man is taught
to walk in a certain pathway because of certain Church rules and regulations,
regardless of the man’s conscience, this would have the effect of robbing that
man of the dignity that God gave him when He created him in His image. The
faculty of the conscience is something deeply implanted in man... related,
perhaps, to what the wise man said: “The Spirit of man is the candle of the
LORD” (Proverbs 20:27). It is just a candle... but it searches out the inner
thoughts and motives of the heart. It may flicker many times... it may even go
out. But God put the candle there, and as the light of His Truth shines upon
him and the flame is rekindled, at that very moment the man is brought face to
face with a new awareness of God, and his need for God, and he is enabled to
reach out and lay hold upon LIFE.
Now the Word of God
does not overrule your conscience any more than we could say the light of the
sun overrules your eyesight. It could, of course, blind you... if you persist
in your disobedience. For Jesus said, “If therefore the light that is in thee
be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (Matthew 6:23). But the purpose of
the light is not to blind, but to give direction. And so your conscience is
that inward eye that enables you to see the pathway in which you must walk...
it is not your guide. God’s Word alone is your guide as it is ministered to you
by the Spirit. But you do not blindly follow the Truth. He quickens it to you,
so that you know of a surety in your own selves, “This is the Way... I shall
walk in it.” You SEE it and HEAR it for yourself; otherwise it profits you
nothing.
This faculty to “know
both good and evil” was an awareness that came upon man after the Fall... for
until he sinned he knew only good. How could he know evil when there was no
evil? But that inward faculty was there by creation, and as soon as he sinned
he became aware of his sin, and sought to hide himself from the presence of
God. Now as God leads us back to the image of God, that image will be of a much
higher order than what Adam knew before he fell, For the first man was “of the
earth, earthy; but the second man is the Lord from Heaven.” Nor does God intend
to bring us back to a state of innocence. The knowledge of evil becomes an
inherent part of his conscience; and in the midst of all the evil and darkness
that surrounds us God will have a people who have come to full maturity in
Christ, whose senses are “exercised to discern both good and evil” (Hebrews 5:14).
In other words, He will understand clearly: This is Truth, and That is error;
This is right, and That is wrong. This mingling of light and darkness... this
calling good evil and evil good... this mixture of flesh and Spirit... will not
always co-exist in the midst of God’s people. For as the saints of God are
“weaned from the milk and drawn from the breasts,” and partake of “solid food,”
they are going to have clear vision and a sure sense of direction, and will
know of a surety the true ways of the Lord. Once again God is in the process of
separating the Light from the Darkness, and the Light will be called DAY, and
the darkness will be called NIGHT.
Strong Meat For Full-Grown Men
Notice, then, the
function of the “strong-meat” of the living Word of God. It is intended to
impart within God’s people that inward awareness of Truth and Error so that
they themselves know where to draw the line. The “milk of the Word” will always
be necessary for the nurturing of the new-born babes in the Church of God. They
are spoon-fed... and no questions are in order. They simply receive it because
it was given to them by one of God’s “nursing” fathers (1 Thessalonians 2:7).
So may the Lord help every minister who ministers the “sincere milk of the
Word,” that it may be that indeed… pure, and wholesome, and fresh.
But as men grow to
maturity the strong-meat will cause them to have clear vision, and clear
perception. Therefore the true shepherds and fathers in the Church will not
seek to keep the people in a perpetual state of babyhood, but will seek to
bring them into a higher and more direct relationship with the True Shepherd.
He is only a true shepherd and father as he pursues this objective. May God
search out the hearts of His ministers everywhere, that they might discern what
their real motives are:
To lead the people of
God into the liberty of true SONSHIP with the Father
or...
To keep them under
control, as babes, in some form of ecclesiastical structure.
(It seems to me there
is only one thing that is more pitiful to behold than a child that is mentally
retarded..., and it is to see a congregation of people, who sit in the same
pews week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after
decade... with no other desire but to have their bottle of milk every Sunday
morning, perhaps a little pablum on Wednesday or Thursday night... Spiritually
retarded Christians, …and seemingly enjoying it.)
What About One’s Individual Pursuit For Liberty?
And what about a
direct, personal relationship with God? This is all part of the inheritance.
True, I cannot take this inheritance by my own isolated efforts, and I must
recognize that there is a Divine order that causes me to relate properly to all
other members of the Body of Christ. It is an Order that comes into being
according to the Law of the Spirit of Life that functions in that Body; and if
we find grace to have the life of First Corinthians Thirteen thoroughly
implanted within us, we will have no problem in this area. On the other hand,
we also need to be reminded that our inheritance in God is something very
personal and very individual… something that no earthly or ecclesiastical
government may interfere with. There is law and order and government in
everything that God created. But the law that governs the Body of Christ
(though ministered through the lips of men) is in reality THE LAW OF THE SPIRIT
OF LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS, also defined as THE PERFECT LAW OF LIBERTY. Guidance
we need, and watchcare, and correction, and instruction, and chastisement. But
we dare not alter the course of LIFE that God designed for each individual
member of the Body of Christ. The true shepherd must guide the flock; but he
does not fear to turn them loose in the open grasslands.
The Shepherd calls
His own sheep by name, and the sheep knows his name, and will respond. The
sheep is not just a number, one among five hundred others. He has his own name,
a NAME that no other sheep knows anything about; for his relationship with the
Shepherd is very special, even though the Shepherd may have ten thousand times
ten thousand others in his fold.
The gardener must
care for his plants, water them, nurture the soil, root out the weeds... but
the whole purpose of his care over the plants is that the LIFE within will not
in any way be hampered or stunted or diseased because of the adverse effects of
the Curse. That is about all he can do. The Law of Life must do the rest. The
gardener has no authority to alter the course of life that functions in the
plant... according to the plan of God that He put there when He created it.
Paul said, “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase” (1
Corinthians 3:7). What a tremendous INCREASE we are going to see when God’s
gardeners are content to sow the seed… or water it... or weed the soil, and let
God give the increase as He sees fit; rather than seeking to alter the course
of LIFE that God designed specially for each individual member of His glorious
Body!
The Land Of Promise
When the land had
been conquered and the seven abominable nations of Canaan had been subdued,
there was an immediate dividing of the inheritance. Every man was to receive
his portion “by lot.” In other words, God was to designate the portion that was
to be allotted to each individual. It was not left to the leaders of the tribes
to make decisions of this nature. He may have been used to cast the lots... but
God made the decisions; for “the lot is cast into the lap; but the whole
disposing thereof is of the LORD” (Proverbs 16:33). Paul tells us that God hath
set the members in the Body “even as it pleased Him.” They may have received
their gift and calling “through prophecy, and the laying on of hands”... but
this in no way altered God’s intention for their life; it merely conformed it
and established it with greater unction. Leadership is intended to lead the
saints into their own personal inheritance in God. The True Shepherd is always
seeking to bring His sheep into that individual place in God that will bring
forth true liberty and fruitfulness. True, this pathway may lead to confinement
at times; but after the confinement there is the enlargement. David said, “The
lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage”
(Psalm 16:6). These “lines” defined the extent of his heritage... for God
“divided them an inheritance by line” (Psalm 78:55). Paul talks about the
“measure of faith” that God has distributed to every man. No individual can
have all the “fulness of God.” This heritage is so vast that God designed a
BODY to encompass it; for only in union with the vast Body of Christ can we
know and apprehend the FULNESS and COMPLETENESS of the Christ, Having the
“measure” that God apportions me does not “confine” me; for it is this
“measure” that effectually joins me to the whole inheritance. “That ye may be
able to comprehend (apprehend) WITH ALL SAINTS, what is the breadth, and
length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth
knowledge, that ye might be FILLED WITH (UNTO) ALL THE FULNESS OF GOD”
(Ephesians 3:18, 19).
But let us not be
“slack” to lay hold upon that measure that God has placed within our grasp,
like the tribe of Joseph. They complained that they didn’t have enough. Joshua
replied, “That’s your own fault... go up to the mountains and clear the land...
it’s all yours.” They said, “We can’t do that... there are too many enemies...”
Joshua said, “You can do it if you want to... iron chariots or no iron
chariots...” Paul said, “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth
me.”
Even now let the
saints of God begin to explore the inheritance that they have in God. Shrink
not back because of the vastness of it, and because of the strength and the
power of the Enemy that would withstand you. And as you are enabled by His
Spirit from time to time to make little excursions, into the Land... stake out
your claims while you are there, and be not discouraged when the glory of His
presence seems to fade away, and you feel you have lost out. No man will be
able to lay hold upon the fulness of this Glory until the Body of Christ is
prepared to possess it as a corporate unit. But stake out your claims! (When
God reveals His Truth to your heart, lay hold upon it. Say, “Yes Lord, I
believe it, and I will embrace it....”--even though it may seem to be utterly
impossible.) And remember, when Caleb finally came into the Land of Promise,
after 45 long years of patient waiting... he got the very land that he had
walked upon and claimed 45 years earlier. God had reserved it for him. But he
didn’t really possess it until 7 years after they entered the Land. He was too
concerned and busy helping the rest of the people find their own inheritance,
than to worry about his own.
The LORD was so
concerned about the individual lot of the Israelites, that when Zelophehad had
no sons to carry on his name in the inheritance, it was decreed that his
daughters would he entitled to the land after their father died. And lest they
should marry, and the inheritance pass to another tribe, they must marry within
the tribe of their father. Let us remember, “for our sakes” these things were
written... for God is keenly concerned about each individual and their personal
relationship and union with Himself. That is what the inheritance is all about:
our whole sphere of LIFE IN GOD. For we are “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with
Jesus Christ.”
No leader of the
tribes, no high priest or king, has any place interfering here. When Ahab tried
to take Naboth’s inheritance, God punished him very severely. He was king...
but that gave him no prerogatives in this area. Being king rather placed upon
him a greater responsibility… to guarantee and to protect the rights of Naboth,
not to take them from him. “Now ye are the Body of Christ...” And this needs to
be emphasized continually. But it will never function properly as the Body of
Christ until the individual members come into the borders of their own
inheritance, and find themselves in a place of fruitfulness “under their own
vine and fig tree.” The ministries in the Body cannot define these boundaries
for them. All he can do is to “cast the lot”… like Eleazar the priest. All he
can do is to faithfully minister the Truth... and then as the Truth begins to
lay hold upon the saints of God, individually, they shall be encouraged to
reach out after God and to prove for themselves “what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God.” Every individual must be encouraged by
the Word of the Lord to earnestly seek the Lord, until he finds his place in
the Body as a “member in particular.” Until this takes place the Body of Christ
will never amount to anything more than it is now... isolated and divided
members... sitting together in the same pews, visiting a little with each other
in a social sort of way, preached at from the pulpit, and keeping together as a
social unit... but not a vital organism, pulsating with the Life of Christ. ..
every man in his own inheritance in God... every one making his own
contribution to the welfare of the whole Body because of a vital, personal
union with his Lord.
You are not really
being fair to the sheep of God’s pasture if you put a halter on them, or a bit
and bridle, as you would to a horse or mule. You are robbing him of his
inheritance if you define the will of God for him... and he in turn (under the
guise of submission and obedience) finds in you an oracle to direct his steps.
A disciple such as this will discover one day, much to his own sorrow and
regret, that in the simplistic manner in which he Was made a disciple he was actually
denied access to the very stepping-stones that God intended for his maturing...
such stepping-stones as Abraham, and Moses, and David... and God’s men of all
ages... had to climb...
... .Stepping stones
of great heart-searching, and times of perplexity and frustration, as he sought
to know God’s direction for his life...
... .Seasons of
walking alone.., oftentimes in the night... as he called upon God and the
heavens seemed to be silent...
... .Times when he
sought God in earnest fastings and prayers, as he came to the crossroads... and
knowing in himself that he dare not let anyone else decide for him which way he
must go...
... .Long nights
wrestling it out with God at his Peniel, when he was sure he saw the Face of
God... yet somehow could not help but resist and fight back... until the Angel
of God touched the hollow of his thigh and crippled him... and then he would
not be denied... he would not let go... and God could not get rid of him...
... .And in and
through it all this man came to know the Lord God... just a little more, just a
little better.. .just a little more intimately than he had ever known Him
before.
David And His Renegades
A kingdom divided
against itself cannot stand. All kingdoms recognize this, and any division that
appears in a kingdom is certainly cause for immediate alarm; and I think this
has much to do with the fear that seems to be mounting higher and higher in the
ecclesiastical realms... that some of God’s people are getting to be just a
little too free.
The fact is that God
has been bringing division into the midst of kingdoms since the day kingdoms
began... for the simple reason that God has an “everlasting kingdom” in mind,
and any kingdom that does not give way to the everlasting kingdom is doomed to
failure. It is not difficult to recognize this when it concerns the kingdoms of
this world, but as Christians we find it difficult at times to recognize that
God often brings divisions into the ranks of the ecclesiastical kingdoms. They
are not called kingdoms, of course... we use different names... like
Pentecostal, Baptist, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Episcopalian... and we just stop
here for lack of space and time. But God has one Kingdom in mind, even “the
Kingdom of His dear Son.” The heirs of this kingdom are for the most part
scattered throughout the other kingdoms... but God’s plan is for “one fold, and
one Shepherd.” This is what the ministries are for... to gather together the
scattered flocks of God. That’s why it sounds strange when some of these ministers
say, “You are all right where you are... just stay in these other kingdoms...
it doesn’t really matter.”
God’s purpose in
sending forth the Ministry is very clearly set forth in the Word: “For the
perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the
Body of Christ: TILL WE ALL COME in (unto) the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT MAN, UNTO THE MEASURE OF THE
STATURE OF THE FULNESS OF CHRIST” (Ephesians 4:12,13). We realize that many
good brethren who have been enlightened concerning the moving of the Holy
Spirit in the earth today, do not realize that God would bring them out of the
old ecclesiastical structures, and we recognize that God alone must make this
matter clear to them in His own way and time. But let us not labor under the
delusion that somehow God is going to refashion the old ecclesiastical
structures so that the new thing He is doing can be accommodated in some old
wineskin that has been rejuvenated with Charismatic oil.
The King-Shepherd
continues to call the sheep that are scattered upon the mountains, calling His
own sheep by name, and there is a response. A new sense of hearing is coming to
his chosen ones, and they are arising and coming towards their Shepherd.
So it was with David
and the discouraged and the distressed who labored under Saul’s dominion. It
was not rebellion, or disobedience, or hatred, or lack of submission... it was
simply a case of God urging them to get out. They could not be satisfied where they
were. Many other dissatisfied ones remained where they were because they lacked
the courage, or the vision, or perhaps both. But a handful of the brave-hearted
resorted unto David, and he became a captain over them.
Now as soon as this
begins to happen, there is further distress in the kingdom of Saul... and
greater and greater hatred develops in the heart of Saul against David and his
company. This is inevitable. But from your standpoint and mine, all we can do
is gather together out of love for our David, and follow where He leads us. We
will be accounted renegades and rebels by the ass-herder Saul, but we must
remember that God’s Anointing is still there in many of these old kingdoms of
the house of Saul, and we have no part in trying to tear down the old as we see
God making way for the new. (It will disintegrate of its own accord.) We just
want to associate with brethren who have caught the vision of what God is
doing... and God forbid that we should rejoice over any distress that may come
into the ranks of those who remain in the old ecclesiastical order. Many even
now are at the cross-roads... what shall we do? All we can say is, “Hear the
Shepherd’s Voice...” and when He speaks, have courage to follow at His call.
You are not being rebellious, nor are you rising up against established
authority, if He who is the Author of all Authority has called you to move
forward with Himself.
A Solemn Lesson From A Misguided Prophet
This is a rather
tragic story. It is the story of a prophet of God who had a clear Word from
God, but acted contrary to it on the advice of another prophet. He had been
sent to Bethel out of Judah to cry against the idolatrous practices of King
Jeroboam, and his prophecy was confirmed right before his eyes. As the king who
resisted him reached forth his hand, his hand shrivelled, and the idolatrous
altar split asunder, pouring the ashes on the ground.
But there was another
prophet of God living in Bethel at the time, and naturally when he heard about
all that had happened, he wanted to have a little fellowship with the man of
God who came from Judah. So he saddled the ass and went down to meet the
Judaean prophet, who had already started for home by another route, as the Lord
had commanded... and sought to bring him back home for lunch. “But I can’t do
that,” said the prophet from Judah, “Because God told me not to eat bread or to
drink water in this place, and not to return home by the same road.” “But wait
a minute,” said the old prophet of Bethel, “I am a prophet too, and God told me
to bring you back for some lunch, and to have a little fellowship.” So the
prophet from Judah went back. And as they sat at the table the WORD of the Lord
came to the old prophet of Bethel, and he cried out: “Forasmuch as thou hast
disobeyed the mouth of the LORD, and hast not kept the commandment which the
LORD thy God commanded thee, but camest back, and hast eaten bread and drunk
water in the place, of which the LORD did say to thee, Eat no bread, and drink
no water; thy carcase shall not come unto the sepulchre of thy fathers” (1
Kings 13:21,22). The prophet of Judah then went on his way, and shortly
afterwards a lion sprang out of the bush and slew him... tragically fulfilling
the true prophecy of a lying prophet.
These things may
sound strange to our ears; but God wants us to know that when He speaks to your
heart and mine, and we know it is the LORD... there is no prophet, no apostle,
no priest, and no king that has authority to change what God has made clear to
you. Counsel and fellowship with one another is good and profitable... and we
are to “submit” ourselves one to another as we recognize the voice of the
Lord... but the will of God for your life is part of your own individual
inheritance from God; and when God indicates His will for you, no man has any
right to intrude into this holy place.
A Lesson From A Righteous Prophet
What we have
mentioned might indeed be considered to be a very extreme situation... and we
do not anticipate things like that happening among true brethren. This may be so;
but you and I have a personal responsibility in the matter, to pursue the will
of God for ourselves, and this does not depend on whether the apostle or
prophet that I am in fellowship with is true or false. In either case, when God
indicates His will for you, this is final. Let us learn a lesson from Jeremiah,
and his dealings with the Rechabites.
By the Word of the
LORD Jeremiah went down to the house of the Rechabites, brought them into one
of the chambers of the Temple, set wine before them, and said to them: “Drink
ye wine...” He wasn’t laying a trap for them. he was simply doing what God told
him to do. But the Rechabites had other convictions. God knew this; but we have
no reason to believe that Jeremiah knew anything about it. It must have been quite
a test for these men, for they certainly recognized Jeremiah as a man sent from
God, and did not hesitate to come to the Temple when the man of God asked them
to do so. What would they do then about this command? Perhaps somewhat
apologetically, but without hesitation, they replied: “We will not do it...”
and they explained why. Their father had taught them among other things to
leave wine alone. They were grown men now, and on their own--but they still
respected the teaching they had received from their childhood days.
Then, after the
Rechabites had refused to go along with the prophet, the Word of the LORD came
to Jeremiah again saying, “Go and tell the men of Judah and the inhabitants of
Jerusalem, Will ye not receive instruction to hearken to my words? saith the
LORD...” Then he went on to show how one godly man had so instructed his sons
in the ways of righteousness that his sons embraced it, and clung to it, and
nothing could shake them from their convictions… not even the Word of the LORD
through Jeremiah... whereas God had been rising up early and sending the
prophets to His people, saying, “Return ye now every man from his evil way, and
amend your doings... but ye have not inclined your ear, nor hearkened unto me.”
(See Jeremiah 35:13-15.) Let us notice the end of the story. God pronounced a
blessing on the house of the Rechabites for all generations to come, for their
courage and their stalwart stand for what they believed was RIGHT. And we may
conclude, as a result of this blessing, that there must be somewhere in the
earth today descendants of the Rechabites who are serving the Lord Jesus
Christ... and it can be attributed to the fact that many centuries ago a man by
the name of Jonadab taught his sons in the ways of truth, and they in turn had
the courage to disobey the prophet of the LORD who unwittingly gave commands
that were contrary to their convictions.
Freedom To Do The Will Of God
Now this matter of
knowing the will of God and doing it is one of the most vital of all aspects of
Truth in the Word of God. For “he that doeth the will of God abideth forever”
(1 John 2:17). It is very important then to have the assurance that we are
doing the will of God, and we cannot allow anything to come in between that
would hinder us from pursuing the fulness of God’s intention for our lives. I
may receive help from my brethren in this area, as we have fellowship together.
I may know of faithful men in the ministry that will give good counsel and
advice. But in the final analysis we all must “prove, what is that good, and
acceptable, and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:1,2). Notice that there is
progression in this realm also: (1) That which is GOOD. (2) That which is
ACCEPTABLE (or rather, WELL-PLEASING). (3) That which is PERFECT. You and I may
be in the will of God now. But we cannot settle for that. There must be a going
on into perfection in this area also... as God leads us from one phase of his
dealings to another, and as we partake more and more of His nature and
character. And let us remember that the will of God is primarily a SPIRITUAL
LOCATION IN GOD, and not a geographical location. True, as we walk in His will
it is important that we find ourselves in that particular geographical location
that God would have us to be... but this is only incidental. To be spiritually
located in the Land of our Inheritance, is most important... and from then on
the earthly and the material matters relative to the will of God find their
proper sequence.
We mentioned that the
individual in Canaan received his inheritance “by lot.” But this did not imply
that it was a game of “chance.” This was God’s way of assuring you and I that
He alone can choose and ordain the pathway in which He would have us walk. That
is really what is meant by the word “predestination.” He marks out beforehand
the whole sphere of life pertaining to His chosen ones. The “lot” is cast...
and so much of our life seems to be mere “chance,” but God is faithfully
preparing the way before His own... having in mind, and having for His
objective, nothing less than conformity to the image of His Son. The “lot” that
was cast was not a set of dice, or something of that nature. It was something
God ordained... and no doubt refers to Urim and Thummim, that unknown something
called “LIGHTS AND PERFECTIONS” that were in the breastplate of the High
Priest. This precious gift of God would give unerring, infallible direction
according to the will of God. The High Priest was only the minister whom God
used to place his hand over these precious gems... or whatever they were. (We
do not even seek to know what they were... for the “secret of the LORD” is to
them that fear Him, and God has deliberately shrouded these precious provisions
of His grace in secrecy, as a fitting type of the hidden wisdom and knowledge and
mind of the Lord that He imparts to those who love Him and walk with Him in the
secret place.) And if, perchance, there was disobedience on the part of the one
who sought counsel from the LORD... then even the Urim and Thummim gave no
answer, and the High Priest was helpless to do anything about it.
It is absolutely
necessary for any man or woman who sincerely desires to go on with the LORD, to
walk in obedience before Him, and in the light of His Word, in personal union
with Christ. Get what help you can from this minister or that, from this
brother or that... but the true shepherd will seek to illumine the Urim and
Thummim in your own spirit that you might be able to say for yourself: “This is
the Way, I must walk in it.” Fellowship and union with our brethren in the Body
of Christ does not, cannot, take the place of this inward awareness and
consciousness of God’s desire for you.
Paul Set His Face As A Flint
The apostle Paul had
clear direction from the Lord. He was to go to Jerusalem to attend one of the
feasts of the Jews; and then after that he was to see Rome. We read, “Paul
purposed in the spirit (it could have been written ‘Spirit’) when he had passed
through Macedonia and Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been
there, I must also see Rome” (Acts 19:2 1). As he went on his way in ministry,
he left Ephesus, passed on through Macedonia, then on to Greece, back again
through Macedonia... stopping here and there on his return trip home... pressed
in his spirit to get to Jerusalem. All along the way, in just about every city
where he ministered, there were prophecies and utterances to the effect that he
was heading straight for imprisonment and trouble. As he talked to the elders
of Ephesus who had come down to Miletus to receive a parting word from the man
who had given them such tremendous help and encouragement, he reminded them:
“And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit (Spirit) unto Jerusalem, not knowing
the things that shall befall me there: save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every
city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide (await) me” (Acts 20:22). But
none of these things moved him... he knew that all these things were part of
the “course” that he must finish, and the ministry that he must fulfill. The
Lord had already shown him in times past “how great things he would suffer for
His Name’s sake.”
When he landed at
Tyre, and gathered with the disciples, the same thing occurred again. The
Spirit revealed that he was heading for trouble if he went to Jerusalem. The
disciples said to Paul “through” the Spirit that he should not go up to
Jerusalem (Acts 2 1:4). It was their own good counsel, but it was “through” the
revelation that they had received by the Spirit that Paul was heading for
trouble. The next stop was at Caesarea, and here it was that a prophet of God
shows Paul very clearly by sign language that he would be bound and delivered
into the hands of the Gentiles. Again there were all kinds of good counsel:
from Luke, from the disciples of Caesarea, and others of Paul’s company...
perhaps Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timotheus, Tychicus, and
Trophimus. (These men had been with him earlier on the trip, and some of them
at least may have accompanied him to Jerusalem) “Don’t do it Paul... God has
warned you what is going to happen.” They wept, as they tried to persuade him
to pay heed to all the warnings that he had received along the way. But Paul
answered, “What mean ye to weep and to break mine heart? For I am ready not to
be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus”
(Acts 21:13). And how did the brethren respond to this? “We ceased, saying, THE
WILL OF THE LORD BE DONE.” After all their good advice and counsel had been
rejected, they finally had to confess that Paul was doing the will of God. And
what did the Lord Himself have to say about it all, after Paul began to enter
into his troubles, which he might have avoided had he taken the counsel of the
brethren? “Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me in
Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11). This is
exactly what the Spirit had impressed upon Paul months earlier: “I must go to
Jerusalem... after that I must see Rome.” (Some, of course, will argue to this
day that Paul was wrong in not yielding to the other brethren, because of all
the trouble he got into. But these troubles were all part of God’s plan for
this man of God who was called upon to suffer “great things” for His Name’s
sake. And out of these sufferings there has come forth the great Church
epistles of the apostle Paul some of which were penned in a prison cell in
Rome... but released to the Church of his day, as well as to the Church of
every generation thereafter... epistles of truth which we would not have if the
apostle Paul had yielded to the well-meaning but misguided counsel of his
brethren.
It is right and
proper to be yielding and submissive and cooperative with fellow ministers in
the Body of Christ. But there is a place where you have to stand alone, and
resist every brother and every minister who would seek to hinder you from
walking in the pathway that God has clearly defined before your eyes.
NEW WINE IN NEW WINE
SKINS
There are a lot of
songs and a lot of teaching today about the new thing that God is doing... and
the new wine that God is bringing forth to His people.
But what about the
new wineskins for the new wine? “And no man putteth new wine into old bottles
(wineskins); else the new wine will burst the bottles, and be spilled, and the
bottles shall perish” (Luke 5:37).
However it is not too
difficult to discern in the midst of the joy and rejoicing of the new thing
that God is doing... a desperate attempt to keep the old wineskins from
bursting at the seams. New Wine... Renewal... Restoration... Revival...
Refreshing... Glossolalia... Charismatic... and all this in old wine-skins. No
wonder there is an attempt to strengthen the seams, and to patch the cracks in
the old structures, and a warning to the sheep to follow their shepherds...
because if something is not done about it, it would appear that the whole thing
might crack wide open, and the new wine may be lost.
Jesus has already
warned us what would happen if we try to renew the old forms with the New Life
of the Spirit. It can only be for a short season... the old forms will just
disintegrate, and the wine is lost...
What, then, are we
going to do about it? The same thing, I would suggest, that we did before God
began bringing forth the new wine. Recognize that the old forms are no longer
adequate, and seek God earnestly for the new provision and the new way that He
has in mind for His people.
When God does a “new
thing” in the earth it is really a progressive unveiling of what he had in mind
from the beginning, but it is something NEW in manifestation in the earth. We
always have those that resist anything “new”... they say God never does
anything “new” that he hadn’t done before. True, we have the SEED of everything
that God would ever bring forth away back in time... even as far back as
“Genesis.” But in the outworking of His purposes there are constantly new
horizons, new workings, new temples, new forms and structures, new workings of
His Spirit... as He leads His people out of bondage and into the fulness of New
Creation Life. “Behold the former things are come to pass, and new things do I
declare: before they spring forth I tell you of them. Sing unto the LORD a new
song, and his praise from the end of the earth” (Isaiah 42:9,10).
There Is A New Song
God is declaring “new
things”...and every time God declares a “new thing” there is a “new song” that
accompanies that declaration. The new song of the Spirit that is being sung
throughout the earth today is not the work of a few good musicians whose
talents have found a new expression (though some might seek to capitalize on
it)... but the new song of the Spirit is an accompaniment to the “new thing” that
God is declaring concerning His people.
“O sing unto the LORD
a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth...” (Psalm 96). It is the song
that God gave David at the time of the dedication of the Ark of God on Mount
Zion... and it concerned the “new thing” that God was doing then. But it was
really prophetic of the “new thing” that God is doing now. It is the song of
His Glory, the song of His Kingdom, the song of His righteous judgments in the
earth.
There Is New Expectation
When Jesus was about
to appear the first time we are told that all men were in “expectation.” God
puts that expectation there, because the brooding of the Spirit of God upon His
people arouses that new life that is within the shell. The embryonic bird
within the shell has that cramped, pressed feeling. It feels hampered, and
hindered... and somehow knows there is something better... but it cannot see
what it is. It is the Spirit of Life within that causes this cramped, pressed
feeling… and the longing to be free is something that God puts there as He
seeks to draw us into a realm of greater liberty and greater understanding of
His ways and of His Truth. Without that longing… and that continual pecking
away at the shell... we can never come into the liberty and joy of the new
life. This continual pressure against the shell will eventually crack it wide
open, but God is not in the least concerned about that. The shell was only
intended as a protection against the elements during the formative stages of
our growth. Necessary then... and perhaps for a while longer... but no longer
necessary when the bird is fully formed, and comes forth in new life. Let us
not get too concerned about the outward forms and framework of Church life and
activity, or consider that all is lost when it begins to disintegrate. When the
shell has been discarded, there is something else to take its place.
And what is that? A
nest has been prepared to house the little birdlings, to shelter them from the
elements as they are fed and nurtured and grow into maturity. But the nest,
too, is just a temporary thing... for as the Law of Life continues to function
in the growing bird, the old nest takes on less and less meaning. In fact, it
is not long until it too becomes a cramped, dull, boring place to live. What is
it that causes the bird to continue on, expectantly, in spite of the constant
change, and the pressures they feel as they become more and more mature? It is
the Law of Life within, which in turn produces new hope and new desire to be
FREE. And so before long the nest itself, once a symbol of rest and security...
becomes meaningless, and suddenly the bird begins to realize why there was so
much discontent with the old forms and rituals that were associated with life
in the shell and in the nest. Suddenly the bird discovers its true element...
in the pure, unclouded atmosphere above. And now it begins to soar into its new
environment… forever delivered from the shell and the nest, but moving in
perfect order, and under perfect law (even the Law of Life)... and also IN
PERFECT HARMONY WITH THE WHOLE CREATION OF GOD.
Let us not be too
worried about the cracking of shells, and the tearing apart of nests. (On the
other hand, you and I must not meddle with it either.) God has something NEW
for His people; something far beyond anything we have known in Church life. No
man has the pattern for it. The Great Architect and Builder alone knows the
pattern, and the Holy Spirit (God’s “Advocate” in the earth with His people)
will bring it into glorious manifestation in His own way and in His own time.
In the meantime let us continue to abide “under the shadow of the Almighty,”
even under the shelter of His wings. And be assured that if God permits the
shells and forms of our Church activities to disintegrate, it is because He has
something far better in mind, In His Divine ultimate, all God wants in the
earth is a people BORN of the Spirit, FILLED with the Spirit, and WALKING in
the Spirit.
There Is A New Crossing Over
First there was the
crossing of the Red Sea, bringing the chosen people out of the bondage of the
land of Egypt. But now there must he another crossing. Coming out of Egypt did
not take Egypt out of them. The wilderness was intended to do that, if they
submitted to God; not merely the “wilderness” as such, but God’s dealings with
them in the wilderness. But the older generation did not come to know God’s
ways, and the character of Egypt lingered with them to the end: The new
generation, however, would go in all the way. For them there was to be a moving
beyond the shell of wilderness life, into new realms of Canaan life. The
priests of the LORD were to carry the ark forward, step by step into the
Jordan, and stand in the bottom of Jordan while the people marched across. The
people were very closely identified with the ministry... but only insofar as
the ministry CARRIED THE ARK OF THE COVENANT. “When ye see the ARK OF THE
COVENANT of the LORD your God, and the priests of the Levites BEARING IT, then
ye shall remove from your place, and go after it (“not them”)” (Joshua 3:3). No
man could look ahead of him and say, “Isn’t Eleazar a wonderful priest! I’m
sure if I follow Eleazar I’ll make it!” Another couldn’t say, “I’ve got every
confidence in Ithamar... I’m going to be his disciple... I’m sure he would
never lead me astray.” The fact of the matter is, the Israelites could scarcely
see these men, because they were at least half a mile down the road. All they
could see was a CLOUD OF GLORY hovering over the Ark of the Covenant, and
perhaps very faintly a company of moving objects that one would suppose were
ordinary men. God warned the people that the priests and the ark were to be
about 2,000 cubits on ahead of them SO THEY COULD SEE WHERE THEY WERE GOING. Do
you realize that a lot of people in this day and hour who are excited about the
“new thing” God is doing, do not really know where they are going because they
are following flat on the heels of their idol-ministers? Only the sight of His
GLORY can lead you and I in the right way. And besides, if Phinehas or Ithamar
happen to stumble a bit, or carry on a bit of theological conversation that is
really not relevant to the journey... nobody is caused to stumble because all
they can see is the GLORY, and all they can hear is the Word of the LORD:
“Sanctify yourselves; for tomorrow the LORD will do wonders among you...
Behold, the ark of the covenant of the LORD of all the earth passeth over
before you into Jordan...”
Surely God had
disciplined the new generation, as He is seeking to discipline the new
generation in our day. And one of the things that we must learn by hard
discipline is that no man is anything, and no apostle or prophet is anything,
and no pastor or teacher is anything... EXCEPT AS HE BEARS THE GLORY OF GOD
UPON HIS SHOULDERS. And when the people began to cross over the Jordan, instead
of stopping along the way to admire Eleazar and his wonderful sons who stood in
the bottom of the river... they marched right on by, and left them standing
there alone... and the people of the Lord entered into Canaan FIRST, even
before the priests did! The priests, in the meantime, stood in the place of
DEATH... perhaps they recalled how Nadab and Abihu had offered up strange fire
before the LORD, and were consumed right on the spot. Here they stood in the
place of DEATH... the waters piled high on each side of them... any moment they
could be swept away if they were not diligent to obey the Word of the Lord.
Says Paul, “But we
had the sentence of DEATH in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves,
but in God which raiseth the dead” (2 Corinthians 1:9). And again, “For I think
that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death...”
(1 Corinthians 4:9). And again, “For we which Live are always delivered unto
death for Jesus’ sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in
our mortal flesh. So then death worketh in us, but life in you” (2 Corinthians
4:11,12).
It is only as the
ministry stands in the place of DEATH IN CHRIST, that the people of God may
arise to walk in newness of life.
There Is A New Circumcision
The old generation
had been circumcised, but the new generation that was born in the wilderness
had not been circumcised. Circumcision signified a cutting away of the flesh...
and the new generation must enter the land completely cut away from the old
life of Egypt. They still carried the “reproach of Egypt”...which they
inherited from their fathers. The old life still clung to them. The old
generation couldn’t shake it off, because they did not have the vision of the
Land of Promise. How desperately men have tried to disentangle themselves from
the old ways, the old habits, the old lusts... only to find themselves after every
prayer meeting, after every deliverance meeting, after every visitation of His
presence--much the same as they were before. We are not denying that we may
experience a very sudden and a very definite work of the Spirit in our lives;
but there is no such thing as “instant perfection.” If there is not a heart
that is open unto God, and desirous of going all the way with Him, even into
the very fulness of the Life of Christ... sooner or later the old life will
reappear, and will linger on.
But God has for His
people a “new circumcision,” to prepare us for a new life in God, and to “roll
away the reproach of Egypt.” Old Testament circumcision has its counterpart in
New Testament baptism. “In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision
made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, wherein
also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath
raised him from the dead” (Colossians 2:11,12), But just as the REAL
circumcision was an inward work, rather than an outward ordinance (Romans 2:29;
Deuteronomy 10:16); so the REAL baptism goes far beyond the ordinance itself,
and is in reality that inward work of the Spirit which completely cripples the
old life, and nullifies the deeds of the flesh “by the circumcision of Christ.”
I think most of us are willing to admit that our experience in water baptism
did not bring us into the reality of the Resurrection Life of Jesus.
Nevertheless we testify to the fact in baptism; and we really must continue to
embrace the truth of it until it becomes REALITY within us. And as the Body of
Christ becomes vitally identified with the sufferings of Christ, we are going
to experience also the power of His Resurrection Life.
Here they stood, a
whole army of young men, on the Western banks of the Jordan... completely
crippled because of the circumcision, and helplessly exposed to their enemies.
Yet the fear of God was on the inhabitants of the land, and they were
completely terrified. We must yet discover that it is in our absolute weakness
and nothingness that we may expect to enter into the power and strength of His
resurrection life, and he clothed upon with the whole armor of God.
There Is A New Food
“And the manna ceased
on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land” (Joshua 5:12).
The manna was a wilderness food, intended to prepare them for Canaan. It was
sufficient for their every need in that realm. It was “spiritual” bread because
it was given by God, to prove them, to try them, and to cause them to hunger...
so that they might “know that man doth not live by bread alone, but by every
word that proceedeth out of the mouth of the LORD...” (Deuteronomy 8:3). The
wilderness was a necessary area of discipline, by which God would prepare the
people for life in Canaan, It was not intended as punishment, but as
preparation. (It became punishment to those who refused to enter the Land, but
it was preparation for those who would.) The manna which could not satisfy
their appetite was intended to cause them to hunger after God. But for Canaan
living they needed the “old corn of the land.” In other words, it was “corn of
the storehouse.” It was PREPARED for them, and it grew right there in the Land.
The Land speaks of our whole sphere of life in Christ in the heavenly realm...
in the abiding realm of the Spirit. In the wilderness we remained in parched
and dry places... with every provision for our need... but never really going
anywhere, and never coming into anything permanent in God. Manna from above…
water from the rock... healing when we needed it... the Cloud of His Presence
in our midst to guide us and to protect us. But it still left us hungry and
dissatisfied... or we should say, unsatisfied. In the Land we come into a
prepared place... there is nothing in this realm that we can do by our own
efforts. It is entirely the work of the Spirit; and because we are in union
with the Spirit we are in union with the Son... doing only as He is doing...
speaking only as He is speaking... thinking only as He is thinking. It is a place
where we constantly ABIDE in the realm of the Spirit... flowing streams… brooks
of water... fruitful vines and fig trees... corn and wheat and honey... houses
built that we did not have to build, orchards planted that we did not have to
plant. What a glorious day when the Body of Christ begins to enter into her
heritage, and God’s people begin to realize that we no longer work for God (for
we are “co-workers with Him”)... and we no longer launch crusades and programs
for God... and we no longer build New Testament churches... and we discover
that what God has in mind for His people has already been prepared by the
Spirit of God in the earth, and we simply become JOINED UNTO HIM, and ABIDE IN
THE LAND!
Jesus lived in this
realm constantly, and in doing so He has shown us the Way... rather, He has
BECOME the Way. That is why there was never any frustration, anxiety, or
perplexity as He did the will of God. Everything was PREPARED. Of course, this
was no push-button type of life… even for Jesus. He had to wait before God...
pray long hours on the mountainside... learn obedience through the things He
suffered.., bear the reproach of walking alone, and going against the
established order of the day. But all this was the FOOD of His inheritance. “I
have meat to eat that ye know not of....” Then, as the Father showed Him what
He himself had prepared, the Son walked in it, and immediately the plan and
purpose of God took on visible form and manifestation in the earth, and the
Scriptures were fulfilled. How vastly different from the old ways of the
Church, where we have taken the Scriptures and tried to make them work!
Of course, when God’s
people walk in this Way they will be recognized by the religious order as a
strange, peculiar people... as it was with Jesus, If He would do the Father’s
will... then He must leave the big meetings, and go out of His way to talk to a
woman in need at the Well of Samaria. It meant ignoring the pleas of His very
close friends, as they implored Him to come and heal their brother Lazarus who
was sick. It meant healing a man on the Sabbath Day... when He could just as
well have waited till the next day so as not to antagonize the religious order
of the day. It meant staying away from Jerusalem during the feast days, when He
might have gone there as a miracle worker, and made a name for Himself. It
meant setting His face to go to Jerusalem at the wrong time… when everyone knew
that it would mean certain death. In short, it meant choosing the Cross
according to the will of God, rather than taking His proper place as the
Messiah. But He walked in the realm of a PREPARED LIFE... prepared by the
Father, and as the Father showed the Son what He Himself was doing, these
things did the Son likewise. Men only saw the visible form that came into
being, and marvelled at His miracles, at His wisdom, at His teachings, at all
the wonderful works that He performed. But the Father simply showed the Son
what He Himself was doing in the realm of the Spirit; and because the Son was
abiding in the Father, He simply walked through the Land that God showed Him,
and brought into open manifestation what the Father had already accomplished.
It is not to be our
concern, then, to establish New Testament Churches, and Church Government, or
to get involved in any other good and worthy causes. This is the responsibility
of the Holy Spirit, God’s Advocate in the earth... to bring to pass in the
earth what the Advocate at God’s right hand has decreed. Whatever God has in
mind will come into being in beautiful perfection, as we come into the Land,
and partake of the “old corn,” and WALK IN THE SPIRIT. That is why we pray,
“Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven...” His
kingdom is sure, and steadfast, and very REAL... but it is IN THE HEAVENS. Our
prayer is that it take on manifestation in our lives, and throughout the Body
of Christ, and eventually in the whole earth.
There Is New Leadership
We might have
mentioned this first in our list of “new things”... but we purposely left it
till the last. For though Joshua was the new leader, and was appointed by Moses
to succeed him after his death... Joshua must discover, just prior to the
full-scale attack on the enemy that a greater than Moses, and a greater than
Joshua, was to become the real leader.
God had already told
Joshua, “Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan,
thou, and all this people...” (Joshua 1:2). Moses’ ministry was great and
mighty, but he was identified with an old generation that would not obey God;
and when his ministry was finished, and the new generation was ready, God
removed him to make way for new leadership under Joshua. With great authority
and power Joshua, the new leader, began to show the people the ways of the
LORD, and to prepare them for this new day that was before them. God vindicated
Joshua on every hand, and Joshua was magnified in the eyes of the people.
But before Joshua
could begin the conquest of the Land he had to learn that having the Authority
of God was not sufficient. He must learn that... after all was said and done...
He was not really the new leader.
One day as Joshua was
surveying the strongholds of Jericho, contemplating ways and means of taking
the Land.., he noticed a strange personage standing nearby with a clenched
sword in his hand. Boldly Joshua walked toward him and asked, “Art thou for us,
or for our adversaries?” Joshua was in charge of the armies of Israel. What was
this fellow doing there with a drawn sword in his hand? But the answer came
back with a sudden rebuke: “Nay; but as Captain of the host of the LORD am I
now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said
unto him, What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the LORD’S
host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon
thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so” (Joshua 5:14,15).
“Dear Lord, grant
unto Thy servants everywhere, whom Thou hast chosen to lead your people into
the new realms of our heavenly heritage, such a direct, open confrontation with
Thyself, that they shall know of a surety that Thou, O Lord, art alone
responsible as the Captain of our Salvation, and as the Builder and Architect
of your Church, to bring your people into the inheritance that Thou hast
prepared for them. And grant that these Thy servants might be quick to remove
the shoes from off their feet, that henceforth they might walk only in the
shoes of Another. For only then will their leadership be valid. And only then
will your people be assured of total victory.”
What About The New Structure Of The Church
If there is to be a
“new wineskin” for the “new wine”... what are we going to do about it? Let us
just remind God’s people everywhere that God will be as Sovereign in bringing
forth the new wineskin as He was in bringing forth the new wine, and we do not
have to meddle with it in any manner whatsoever. May we be openhearted before the
Lord and come to realize for a certainty, that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in
His Body as the living Presence of Christ Himself--not just to influence His
servants with certain gracious impulses that will inspire them to fulfill the
Word of God, but that He is indeed the SOVEREIGN LORD OF THE CHURCH. No matter
how sincere the ministers of Christ may be, they are not going to persuade Him
that they have the right pattern for the New Testament Church order, and that
He should therefore come forth and crown their efforts with His blessing. The
“Glorious Church” that Christ is bringing into being is as far different from
the New Testament Church as the pumpkin fruit is from the pumpkin seed. True,
they are one and the same in POTENTIAL. But in the formation of the pumpkin
there are functions and laws that come into operation that were not relevant to
the sprouting of the seed under the ground, or the formation of the flower on
the vine. And yet in and through it all there is ONE LAW that remains in
constant operation, and without any remission, namely, the LAW OF LIFE.
Now Christ was the
true Seed, because He was the Word; and the Harvest is the end of the age, as
Jesus said. So we may rest assured that we are now in the hour of the formation
of the FRUIT. There has been ONE LAW functioning in the Body of Christ from its
earliest beginnings until this day, namely, “The Law of the Spirit of Life in
Christ Jesus.” But throughout the whole process in these past 2,000 years there
has been a continual changing of the form and structure of the plant itself;
and all this has been entirely consistent with the LAW OF LIFE. True Life
cannot submit to any kind of stereotypic pattern. And yet from almost the very
beginnings of Church life, and right on through her long history... in times of
apostasy and in times of refreshing and restoration... we have had Church
leaders getting together and trying to maintain forms and structures that they
feel Christ instituted in the beginning, or restoring others that were lost. In
the midst of it all, the Spirit of God who is Sovereign Lord of the Church and
Vicar of Christ on earth, simply ignores the efforts of men, and moves right on
to perform exactly what the Son in Heaven has purposed.
Now we have come to
the day of Harvest, and the “glorious Church” that God promised is about to
come into being. Men continue to go about establishing patterns of government
and Church structure that they feel they have discovered in the early Church,
and therefore must be reinstated, And the Lord of the Church simply ignores it
all, and moves on to fulfill what He has in mind. For every gardener knows that
when that little pumpkin begins to take shape on the vine, he does not have to
take some old discarded pumpkin shell and place it carefully over the little
bud that has begun to form… to make sure it will know what shape it is supposed
to take as it gets bigger and bigger. Somehow, the gardener knows that if he
just waters it, and weeds the soil... and perhaps does a little pruning here
and there... somehow he discovers that the pumpkin will take on beautiful form
and structure without his tampering with it in any way. And he fully expects
that the fruit of the harvest will be far more glorious than the seed which he
planted... and so entirely different, that he couldn’t begin to compare the
two.
How can he be assured
of this? It is really quite simple. He knows that the whole process is governed
by THE LAW OF LIFE IN THE SEED. The seed must fall into the ground and die. He
does not worry about that. He is prepared to allow the form of the seed to go
into decay and disintegrate. he has confidence that whatever God’s intention
was when He made the seed, will come forth in beautiful manifestation in the
FRUIT... yet far more glorious and more beautiful than the little kernel that
was planted under the ground. Once we see this, we cease to worry about forms
and patterns of Church structure; for then we are assured that Church
government, as well as the framework and structure of Church life, is just as much
subject to spiritual change and growth as any other aspect of the Kingdom of
God. For God certainly gave us a pattern Son, but He never at any time gave us
a pattern New Testament Church. However we do have in the New Testament God’s
intention for the ultimate New Testament Church, and it will yet come into
being.
“That ye all speak
the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be
perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment” (1
Corinthians 1:10). Now the Corinthian Church is by no means a pattern Church...
but in Paul’s letters to the Corinthian Church we do have the seed of God’s
intention!
“Fulfill ye my joy,
that ye be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind”
(Philippians 2:2). The Church at Philippi is not the pattern Church... but in
Paul’s epistle to Philippi we do have the seed of God’s intention!
“...To know the love
of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with ALL THE
FULNESS OF GOD” (Ephesians 3:19). The Church at Ephesus is not the pattern
Church... but in Paul’s letter to Ephesus we have the seed of God’s intention!
“...That he might
present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any
such thing; but that it should be HOLY AND WITHOUT BLEMISH” (Ephesians 5:27).
Again, we have the seed of God’s intention!
“...Whosoever abideth
in him sinneth not... he that doeth righteousness is righteous, EVEN AS HE is
righteous” (1 John 3:6,7).
“...He that dwelleth
in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. Herein is our love MADE PERFECT...” (I
John 4:16,17).
There it is in the
Seed! And we could go on, and on, and on declaring God’s intention as it is
revealed in the Seed. It is not there in fulness in any New Testament Church,
but it is there in the Seed! Therefore, rather than attempting to reconstruct
the pattern of the seed, God’s plan is that we simply PLANT the Seed in the
hearts of men, if so be God will grant them grace to receive it and believe it,
and embrace it... and then allow God to bring it forth in the fulness of time,
in the fulness of His purposes, and in the glory and beauty of New Creation
Life.
Let God’s ministers
everywhere save themselves the trouble and the frustration of trying to
establish a New Testament Church in their community or anywhere else in the
earth. God has something in mind far beyond anything we can imagine, or even
contemplate. Every desire of God that He has expressed in the New Covenant will
come to pass... for the New Covenant is simply the New Will that Jesus left for
His people, and ratified it by His death on the Cross. The glorified Christ is
now the Mediator of that Covenant, And the Holy Spirit is in the earth to be to
the Church of Christ EVERYTHING that Jesus was when He was here, and to
establish in the earth what the Son has decreed in the heavens.
Let us not approach
the New Covenant as something we consider God has delegated to us, to mediate
in the earth. We are simply to minister it, and declare it... as faithful
ministers of the New Covenant. For as we come to recognize that the New
Covenant is not just a compilation of apostolic letters and injunctions, but in
reality a CREATIVE WORD that goeth forth out of the mouth of God, then you and
I are relieved of any responsibility other than this: to walk in the Spirit,
and to declare the Word that proceedeth alive and creative out of the mouth of
God.
We are talking about
what God is doing. We are talking about God’s New Creation. We are talking
about a Living Christ building a Living Temple, and breathing His own life into
it, as truly as He breathed the breath of life into the nostrils of Adam...
only on a much higher plane...
For the first Adam
came from the earth... dust of the ground... and God breathed into him a life,
soul-life, that would be sustained from the ground from which he came.
But the last Adam
came from Heaven.., became a “Life-Giving” SPIRIT... He has “life in
Himself”... and the power to impart it to others.
If we are assured
that we are born of Adam, and have inherited his life, his soulish life… and
the death that comes with it...
Is it too much for us
to believe that if we are born-again in the Last Adam, we have inherited His
Life, His Spirit-Life, and that His Life will yet come forth in the fulness of
His image in His people?
THE LAMB-SHEPHERD
“For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed (shepherd) them, and shall lead them
unto living fountains of waters: And God shall wipe away all tears from their
eyes” (Revelation 7:17).
The Purpose Of Ministry
The purpose of all
ministry that proceeds from the exalted Christ is to so minister the Truth that
the sheep of God’s pasture might come into direct, unhindered personal union
with the Lord. Ministers of the New Covenant are not to be “mediators”--as
Moses was, or as Jesus is. They are rather “servants” (Greek, “doulos” or
“bond-slave”) Slaves have no right to call anything their own... not even the
ministry that God gave them. In another analogy they are “stewards” of God’s
household (1 Corinthians 4:1). They are particularly responsible to reveal
God’s “mysteries”--or God’s secrets--to the members of God’s household. It is
simply a trust that has been given into their care. They make disciples for
Christ, but they must have none of their own. Having fellowship is something
else; for in fellowship there is communion, sharing, giving and receiving, And
the true minister will discover that unless he receives spiritual nourishment
from the people, he cannot minister spiritual nourishment to them. In still
another analogy, God’s ministers are gardeners; those who plant the seed, or
those who water the growing plant, or those who reap the harvest. They must not
meddle with the seed, or with the growing plant. God is the real Husbandman,
and He it is that giveth “the increase.” “So then, neither is he that planteth
anything, neither he that watereth, but God that giveth the increase.”
The “fathers” in Gods
family are something like Joseph was to Jesus. He was given the responsibility
of providing for the child Jesus until He came of age... but Joseph knew he was
not really the father. Paul likened himself to a father... to the
Corinthians... to Timothy. But he did not meddle with their relationship to
Christ. His purpose was that he might present the Church “as a chaste
virgin”... unto Christ (2 Corinthians 11:2).
So it is with the
“shepherds.” There has been too much “possessiveness” among the shepherds
concerning God’s sheep. They cannot rightfully say, “my sheep,” “my flock,” “my
church.” It is not something they build, and it is not something they can trade
off with someone else. They cannot accept a pastorate that is offered to them,
nor resign at will. It is not theirs to take, and it is not theirs to hand
over, They simply move in the midst of God’s church as one of His ministers…
coming to an assembly of God’s people and ministering as long as God indicates
His will in the matter, and then moving on as God directs. When Paul left
Ephesus he had no other provision for them but to commend them unto God, and to
the word of His Grace... and then he went on his way. No promise that he would
take the matter up with headquarters at Antioch, and see that they got a pastor
as soon as possible. The “word of his grace” would be sufficient; and God would
be faithful to send them from time to time whatever apostle, or prophet, or
evangelist, or pastor, or teacher... that they needed for further edification, In
the meantime the elders of the Church at Ephesus were charged to “feed the
flock of God”--or literally to “shepherd” or “pastor” the flock. The people
were not kept on “milk” the rest of their days as one pastor after another
traded places with each other... they were thrown into the midst of the sea of
life with the Grace of God as their only resource; and it was up to the people
to “try” the ministries that came their way... some of whom would be looking
for a place to land, “to draw away disciples after them.” Was the Grace of God
sufficient for them? Hear what Jesus had to say about the Church at Ephesus...
perhaps 35 years later.
“I know thy works,
and thy labor, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are
evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and
hast found them liars: and hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s
sake hast labored, and hast not fainted...” (Revelation 2:2,3).
Very commendable,
would you not say, for an infant church that was left in the hands of a few
elders, who were at that time but recent converts to Christ? But then, it
wasn’t really left in their hands... it was Christ’s Church, and He was the
Lord of the Church, and they had been taught to hear the Shepherd’s Voice by
the apostle Paul... so that when the false voice sounded forth they were able
to say: “He is a liar... the voice doesn’t sound like the Voice of the
Shepherd.”
Saul, The Son Of Kish... A False Shepherd
Saul was not really
God’s man. But they wanted an “instant” king... they were not prepared to wait
for the king God had in mind... and God gave them their heart’s desire. Some
might question God for giving Israel a king like Saul, when He knew that Saul
would be a stubborn, rebellious king. But this is consistent with God’s ways.
God always gives rulers as He sees fit, regardless of the choice of the people;
and it is according to His righteous judgments. The ruler that God gives may be
the kind they WANT, or the kind they NEED, or the kind they DESERVE… according
to God’s judgment in the matter. Now Saul was the kind of king the people
WANTED, (and as it turned out, he was the kind they DESERVED)... and there was
an immediate response from the people when they saw the man that Samuel had
anointed. “God save the king!” they shouted. Israel could not have picked a man
more to their liking, if they had cast their own ballots. They were a
rebellious, stiff-necked, and undisciplined people; and God gave them a
rebellious, stiff-necked, and undisciplined king. (It seems significant that
Saul was out chasing ASSES when Samuel found him. Calling the asses by name
would not accomplish anything... he had to follow them wherever they went...
and lost his way doing so. He did something similar when he was king: when the people
were “scattered”--he took matters in his own hands and offered up the burnt
offering, contrary to the Word of the Lord. When the people spared Agag, and
the best of the sheep and the cattle--Saul went along with the idea. If it
seemed logical, and made sense... and if it would help to keep the people
together... then this seemed to be more important than obeying the Word of the
Lord.)
A Shepherd-King From Bethlehem
We can always rest
assured that God’s plan is only delayed, not frustrated, by human failure. And
even that so-called “delay”--God is able to work it in, and make it to be part
of the plan. For it is in the hour of apparent futility and frustration that
God behind the scenes is making very diligent preparation for the new thing
that He has planned to bring forth. We must always bear this in mind. God
doesn’t wait till man has failed, to prepare for that failure. But even while
man is seemingly doing very well, and there appears to be no need for Divine
intervention, yet God knows it is doomed to failure, and is even then preparing
a people to stand in the gap in the day of sudden calamity.
Out on the fields of
Bethlehem there was a young lad by the name of David, shepherding sheep. He was
the one that God had in mind for the shepherding of Israel, but he was hardly
ready for it yet. Nor was Israel ready: they had a good king, Saul the son of
Kish... stalwart and strong, and able to lead the armies of Israel against any
enemy that would dare attack them. But God knew that Saul would not walk in His
ways, and He must prepare a man to shepherd His people when Saul’s kingdom
would come to nought. We all know about the tragic downfall of Saul, and we do
not need to enlarge upon it here.
Samuel mourned over
Saul, but God sent him to Bethlehem to anoint a new king from the family of
Jesse. David wasn’t even considered to be eligible; and they didn’t bother
inviting him to the coronation feast. But he was READY. When they went looking
for him he was easy to find. (He wasn’t out chasing asses, like Saul... but he
was tending sheep when God called him.) He was a good shepherd, and his sheep
were close to his heart. He would risk his life to save them from the lion or
the bear. He would call his own sheep by name, for they were close to his
heart; and they knew his voice, and would follow. “And the LORD said, Arise,
anoint him: for this is he” (1 Samuel 16:12). A new king for the nation of
Israel! Anointed to be the shepherd-king of God’s heritage! But not quite
prepared as yet...
The New Shepherd Must Become A Sheep
The true shepherds
over God’s heritage are sheep before they become shepherds, and after they
become shepherds they are still sheep. And so David, anointed to be the
shepherd of Israel, must learns the way of a sheep. He had to undergo some hard
discipline, in order that he might qualify as a shepherd of God’s flock. He had
to learn to take on the heart of a sheep. He must learn patience. He must know
what it is like to come under the wrath of an angry king, and be chased as a
lamb running away from a ravenous wolf. “Yea, for thy sake are we killed all
the day long; we are counted as sheep for the slaughter” (Psalm 44:22). God’s
sheep have known and experienced an awful lot of suffering... not only at the
hands of earthly kings and rulers, but also at the hands of ecclesiastical
kings and rulers. God requires that His shepherds have the heart of a sheep.
David, therefore, had to become a sheep in order that he might be a true
shepherd of Israel in the days to come. “The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not
want...” he was to sing in later years.
The sufferings of
David, then, not only prepared him for the role that he would play as the
shepherd of Israel, but in a certain sense, so to speak, he became the lamb
that had to be slain for their redemption. (According to the law, every
firstling of an ass had to be redeemed with a lamb, otherwise it’s stiff neck
had to be broken.)
This is all part of
the process that God’s chosen ones have to go through in order to bring forth
the lamb nature that God desires them to have, For it is the lamb that reigns
with Christ on the throne, and therefore a shepherd has no preeminence above a
sheep. If we are “shepherds” in this life, we are still the sheep of the “Chief
Shepherd,” and our place in God will be determined as to how well we have been
“examples of the flock.” If, on the other hand, we are “sheep” in this life,
then as those qualities of meekness, and forbearance, and patience, and
gentleness have been developed… so do we become heirs of the Kingdom of God:
for “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”
The Blessedness Of The Sheep
Let the sheep,
therefore, take their place as the “sheep of His pasture,” learn obedience by
the things which they suffer, learn submission one to another, and to shepherds
that are over them in the Lord, obeying always as they hear the voice of the
Shepherd. For if they find grace in this realm, their portion in God is no less
than that of apostles and prophets. And let the shepherds, whose calling is
greater in this life… recognize that with the greater calling there has been
laid upon them a greater responsibility; and the task of “learning obedience”
(without which they shall not be accounted worthy to be shepherd-kings of the
everlasting Kingdom)... their task of learning obedience is more difficult for
them than it is for the sheep, by reason of the temptation of their office. A
degree in “obedience” is not required by hirelings, but it is required of the
shepherds. Without it there may be a great deal of success in this life, but
without it there will be no reigning with Christ in His throne. For let us
remember that out Lord does not sit enthroned in the heavens, as Ruler of the
Universe, because He was Divine in His birth, and Messianic in His office...
but because He was a LAMB IN CHARACTER...
.. .It was because He
“made himself of no reputation” (literally, “emptied Himself”)...
.. .It was because,
coming as a man, He took the form of a servant (a “doulos”... a
“bond-slave”)...
.. .It was because,
as a bond-slave, He learned obedience...
.. .It was because,
in obedience, He went all the way, even unto the death of the cross.
“Wherefore (FOR THIS
REASON) God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above
every name...” (Philippians 2:5-10).
John on Patmos wept
bitterly when no one was found worthy to open the Book, and to loose the seals
thereof. But the angel comforted him with the words, “Weep not, John... Behold
the Lion of the tribe of Judah has overcome, and He will open the Book...” Then
as John dried his eyes to catch a glimpse of the conquering Lion, what did he
see? “A Lamb as it had been slain...” And He it was who came and took the Book
out of the hands of Him that sat upon the throne. A bleeding Lamb became the
conquering, triumphant Lion of the tribe of Judah. But even as He assumed that
character, He was still the Lamb that was slain… and the overcomers that we
find coming forth in the Book of Revelation are those who “follow the Lamb”...
not those who follow the Lion.
God has promised that
He would raise up shepherds for His people, after His own heart. Shepherds who
would feed His people with truth and knowledge... the true knowledge of Christ.
Shepherds who would have the welfare of the sheep at heart. Shepherds who know
and understand that they themselves are but sheep. Shepherds that cautiously
use the staff of instruction and correction on others... knowing that as they
reward the sheep of their pasture, so they may expect the Chief Shepherd to
reward them. Shepherds that seek to be examples of the flock, not lords.
Shepherds that are servants, not masters.
“And I will set up
ONE SHEPHERD over them, even my servant David; and he shall feed them, and he
shall be their Shepherd” (Ezekiel 34:23).
David, A Sign-Shepherd
David as a prophet,
was a sign-prophet; and as a shepherd, he was a sign-shepherd. Not only the
things that he declared, but the things that he endured, were prophetic of the
sufferings and trials that the True Shepherd would have to go through in order
to become “the Great Shepherd of the sheep.” Through all his sufferings David
would recognize the hand of God, the purpose and plan of God, and would know
the anointing of God. The anointing he first received at the hands of Samuel
must increase until he was saturated with it. “I shall be anointed (literally
‘mingled’) with fresh oil” (Psalm 92:10). Like the Meal Offering that was
“mingled” with oil, his whole life was to be mingled and invigorated with the
presence of God, until the Anointing would not only be effectual for his office
as the shepherd-king, but it would also transform his very character. He would
learn obedience, and patience, and meekness… as he endured affliction under
Saul. He would attain to such a place of grace in his life that he would know
how to show mercy and kindness when he might legally have taken vengeance and
enter the realm of kingly authority that he has been promised. But his heart
was fixed on God, and he purposed to simply walk with God and allow God to work
out His purpose in His own way and time. Therefore as patience and grace came
forth in his character, and as he walked in the presence of God, he knew that
it was not up to him to try to fulfill God’s promise. (This is where we fail so
often.) David did not take the Word that God gave him and seek to bring it to
pass. He just “hid” that Word in his heart... and God watched over it, and
brought it to pass. He was not an opportunist. He did not look upon “open
doors” as the call of God. Several times God deliberately opened a doorway to
the kingdom, and he could have slain Saul whom God had rejected. But having
learned grace, and mercy, and God’s way... he closed the door, knowing it was far
more important for him to shew mercy to others, as God had extended mercy to
him... than it was for him to get into his office. We must stand ready to
embrace the fulfillment of God’s promises; but we must first of all learn God’s
ways, become aware of God’s time, and come to know God’s heart... lest we be
tempted to take the kingdom by “violence.” Some would grasp kingdom power and
authority in this manner (with a certain amount of apparent success)... but
God’s sons cannot do so. They take the Kingdom as Jesus did... as a Lamb that
was slain.
A Lamb Shepherd Sits On The Throne
Even now, as Christ
sits enthroned on the right hand of the Father, He reigns in virtue of the fact
that He is a Lamb. He reigns as a Lamb-Shepherd, because God is raising up lamb-shepherds
in the earth, and it is the office work of the Holy Spirit in the earth to
establish in the Body of Christ the nature, and the character, as well as the
authority... of Him who sits on the throne. “He shall glorify me: for he shall
receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you” (John 16:14). It is the work of
the Holy Spirit not only to impart unto His people the POWER of God, but “ALL
THINGS” that pertain to the exalted Christ... His very nature, and character,
and life. The Great Shepherd of the sheep is in no way hampered in His office
of tending the sheep, by reason of His enthronement in the heavens. Rather He
went there that the work which He began on earth as He gathered “the little
flock” around Him... would take on further enlargement and fulness by reason of
the fact that the Holy Spirit abides in His people. For He is here in the
earth, dwelling in His Body, to be to you and I EVERYTHING THAT JESUS WAS WHEN
HE WAS HERE.
Therefore we read, “The
Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed (or “shepherd”) them”
(Revelation 7:17).
And again, of the
overcomers it says, “These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he
goeth” (Revelation 14:4). Whom do they follow? The LAMB! Why do they not follow
the Shepherd? Because the Shepherd is a Lamb; and He is worshipped and adored
and obeyed by the sheep of His pasture by reason of the fact that He is a Lamb.
A Word Of Encouragement
In this tremendous
hour, as the Lamb goes forth to lead the sheep of His pasture into realms that
we have not known heretofore, let me give a word of encouragement to all whose
hearts are longing and thirsting for Truth and Reality.
If you know and are
inwardly aware that you have not yet come, in any degree of fulness, into the
“resting-place” that God has for His own, then you must continue to obey the
Voice of the Shepherd as He speaks unto you: “My people, come up higher!” Fear
not to ascend the unknown pathways that lead to higher heights in God, as long as
you hear the Shepherd calling. You know in your own heart whether or not you
have entered into your true rest. If others have found sufficient pasture on
the Eastern banks of the Jordan, like the tribes of Reuben and Gad and
Manasseh... then the call to move forward and upward into the hills and
mountains is not for them. It seems burdensome to them. But with you it is
different. You are not content in your present habitation. You know in your own
selves that there is a deep cry within to move higher into the heavenly realms
in Christ, even into perfect union with the Father. And therefore you cannot
find rest in any doctrine or in any teaching that would discourage you from
discovering God in your own inheritance. You bear in your heart and mind the
“white stone” of His covenant with you, a token of His personal affection for
you as an individual. For you are a special individual to God, created in His
image and likeness, to have personal communion with Him, and with Him alone.
Continue to polish that stone, and keep it safe. Let no man come in between to
mar its beauty. Let no man take it from you. Let no apostle or prophet or
priest because of his authority persuade you that you ought to surrender it to
him. It is God’s covenant with you that He is yours, and it is your covenant
with God that you are His. And as you cling to this (giving honor to whom honor
is due, respect to whom respect is due, and submission to whom submission is
due)... then you shall experience the joy of knowing Him for yourself, as no
other person can know Him. For your inheritance in God is different than that
of any other created being, and God’s inheritance in you is likewise something
very distinct and very special. In the Body of Christ you are a “member in
particular”... having a very special function, and having a very individual
relationship with your Lord. As a sheep of His pasture you are not just a sheep
among many sheep. You are a special “sheep,” and that is why He calls you by a
special name. Each of you has a very special place in God, and each brings
special joy and delight to His heart. Therefore He gives each of you a special
“name” signifying what you as an individual mean to Him. It is a name that He
has given none other. It is a name that no man can defile or dishonor...
because no man knows what it is. It is a name that reveals the inner joy and
delight of the Father’s heart as He communes with you alone. For as His love
takes hold upon you, and you find it in your heart to respond to that love…
then does He find a special pleasure in your presence, and the joy of His heart
is increased; for He said, “If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my
Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him”
(John 14:23). It is this special joy and delight of the Father’s heart that you
feel as you walk with Him alone.
“The LORD thy God in
the midst of thee is mighty;
He will save, he will
rejoice over thee with joy;
He will rest in his
love,
He will joy over thee
with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17).
Many years ago, at a
time when this matter of Church leadership seemed to be taking on an undue
emphasis, I awakened one morning with these words running through my mind:
“Just Content to be a Son.” As I meditated upon it, a message seemed to develop
in the form of a poem, which I would like to share with our readers in closing:
Just Content To Be A Son
Just content to be a
son
With no ambition to
succeed
In realms of earth,
and have no need
Of popularity’s
acclaim,
Or purchase for
myself a name
In serving Christ;
for He must be
The Lord throughout
eternity.
To see His face and
hear His voice,
And do His bidding is
my choice.
Just content to be a
son,
A son of God without
a home,
To stay, or go, or
wait, or roam...
Hither and yon
without a plan,
Led of the Spirit,
not of man.
I’ll have no monument
of praise,
But I’ll have peace
in God’s own ways;
And though I tread
this earthly sod,
I’ll walk with Him, I
live in God.
Just content to be a
son,
Misunderstood, and
yet I know
The path I take shall
overflow
With life abundant
and with grace.
I only need to run
the race
With patience,
waiting, seeing Him...
Hearing the still
small voice within.
If others want the
earth to quake...
I’ll hear His voice
when I awake.
Just content to be a
son,
No words to say...
but what He says;
No work to do... but
what He does;
No fear or worry,
anxious care,
I live with Him, His
yoke I share...
No name to make, He
writes His own
Upon the heart’s pure
glistening stone;
No life to live, I
lay it down,
I’ll share His
cross... and live again.
“TO HIM THAT
OVERCOMETH WILL I GIVE TO EAT OF THE HIDDEN MANNA, AND WILL GIVE HIM A WHITE
STONE, AND IN THE STONE A NEW NAME WRITTEN, WHICH NO MAN KNOWETH SAVING HE THAT
RECEIVETH IT” (Revelation 2:17).
--The End
1. The
Feast of Tabernacles
Israel’s Feasts ..
fulfilled in the Church
2. Evening
and Morning
The cycles of God’s
movements in the Church
3. Feed
My Sheep
A Message to the
shepherds, and to the sheep
4. The
Hyssop that Springeth out of the Wall
The lowly Hyssop ..
always related to sacrifice
5. From
Tent to Temple
God moves from a tent,
to the hearts of men
6. Who
are You?
About finding our
identity in Zion
7. Crowned
with Oil
A Royal Priesthood
because of the Anointing
BEAUTY
FOR ASHES series:
8. Part
1 The Family of God
God prepares Joseph for
the hour of famine
9. Part
2 A Way Through the Wilderness
On the
way to Canaan, God makes a way through a waste and howling wilderness.
10. Part
3 The Journey of the Bride
Finding a Bride for
Isaac
11. Part
4 Chain Reaction in Realms of the Spirit
The Law of the Spirit of
Life in His people
12. Part
5 The Garden of the Lord
The Gardener waits for
the Fruit
All writings free as
God enables.
Address all
communication to:
PO Box 652
Cranbrook, B. C.
Canada V1C 4J2