In loving memory of my father
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023
If we do not maintain the fire of God in our souls, the instincts of our human nature begin to emerge. Spirituality is NOT automatic, but must be fed and nourished, or we revert to our former ways of life. 
Robert Louis (Bob) Padgett
July 28, 1931-May 22, 2023
12 And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning, and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn thereon the fat of the peace offerings.13 The fire shall ever be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.
Leviticus 6:12-13
Very soon after the Gospel was given to the Gentiles, men who could not properly understand the intent of God began to replace grace and faith with philosophy and human understanding. Eventually the Church became riddled with strife and debate, and the power of God was lost. Form, ceremony, and ritual was all that remained.
History records that shortly after the persecution of the Church ceased, the carnal nature of the leaders began to come to the front. The Church that had been quite united under the pressure of persecution now became extremely depressed under the quarreling and fighting among the leadership. Men in leadership began jockeying for positions.
Doctrines not espoused by the Bible began to surface. Many of the spurious teachings originated from the minds of learned Greek philosophers. Others were borrowed from teachings and practices of nations that had been evangelized by military force.
The "Devil's Millennium" was beginning. The "Dark Ages" that would dim the Truth and cast it to the ground was in its early stages (300-400 AD). The Roman Church (the little horn) continued on, and became even more powerful than it had been before. It also became more corrupt as the centuries rolled by.
Then the Lord raised up reformers. The Reformation was empowered by three fundamental truths:
- The Bible is God's Word and has precedence over church traditions or laws;
- Salvation comes by faith through Christ alone; and
- The Papacy is the antichrist.
The Reformers unanimously and courageously accepted these truths as sacred and were led by conscience to take their stand against Papal Rome. The Reformation split the western empire of Christendom in half, wounding Papacy nigh unto death (Revelation 13:3).
The Reformation was soon followed by a Catholic Counter Reformation. The responses of the Papal Counter Reformation included (all of the following is thoroughly documented in many places):
- The formal recognition of the order of Jesuits;
- The actions and decrees of the Council of Trent;
- The widespread revival of persecution; and
- The Catholic counter systems of prophetic interpretation.
Concerning the fourth item, above, the pope commissioned two men to do something to take the heat off of the Catholic Church, or to do damage control, because Luther's startling confessions began to take its toll on the members of the Catholic Church.
Although the lies of the devil are numerous, church history then saw the rise of one of the biggest, well-packaged web of lies, which is still flourishing after 421 years. Most conservative Christians call it "futurism." It has been bought and preached by literally thousands, if not hundreds of thousands, of otherwise good Christian men. It undoubtedly has been accepted by perhaps millions of believers. But when the millions of Israelites came out of Egypt, only one man was "right," namely Moses.
Through two Jesuit priests, Francisco Ribera (1537-1591), of Salamanca, Spain, and Robert Bellarmine (1542-1621), of Rome, Papacy put forth her Futurist interpretation. Antichrist prophecies were to be fulfilled in a seven year period in the distant future. The Futurist "gap" theory has been widely accepted by Fundamentalist churches today, which have made popular the "Left Behind" series. The "gap" is so called because it slices Daniel's 70th week away from the first 69 weeks (Daniel 9:22-27) and slides it down to the end of time. The Futurist view, which interprets Revelation literally, not symbolically, was introduced by the Jesuits to counter the Reformation view of Papacy.
Francisco Ribera was a Jesuit doctor of theology who began writing a lengthy 500-page commentary in 1585 on the book of Revelation (Apocalypse) and published it in the year 1590. He died in 1591 at the age of fifty-four (the sovereignty of God?), only one year after publishing his web of lies; so he was not able to expand on his work or write any other commentaries on Revelation. In order to remove the Catholic Church from consideration as the antichrist power, Ribera proposed that the first three chapters of the Apocalypse applied to ancient pagan Rome, and the rest he limited to a yet future period of 3 1/2 literal years, immediately prior to the second coming. During that time, the Roman Catholic Church would have fallen away from the pope into apostasy. Ribera taught that antichrist would be a literal man who would oppose and blaspheme the saints just before the second advent, rebuild the temple in Jerusalem, abolish the Christian religion, deny Christ, be received by the Jews, pretend to be God, and conquer the world. According to Ribera, none of the book of Revelation had any application to the middle ages or the papacy, but to the future, to a period immediately prior to the second coming, hence the name Futurism. A 1591 edition and a 1602 edition of his commentary are now online. Thus the Jesuit Ribera may be regarded as the founder of the Futurist system in modern times.
How fitting that a Jesuit priest (Ribera) taught the antichrist was a literal man instead of the papacy ... the system! Even more amazing, in 1830 the Protestant John Darby, founder of the Plymouth Brethren, began to promote the same idea of a one-man antichrist! Today a majority of Protestants have bought into a literal man.
Paul said that the "mystery of iniquity" (another name for antichrist) "is already at work" in his day (2 Thessalonians 2:7). Four times (1 John 2:18, 22; 4:3; 2 John 1:7), the apostle John said that antichrist was already at work in his time. A system of error was already forming in the apostles' day.
Antichrist is not one man, but an organization including a whole false church. In parallel contrast, it is still a "mystery" to most people today that "Christ" includes Jesus' body members. "Even the mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints ... which is Christ in you, the hope of glory." "Now you are the body of Christ ..." (Colossians 1:26, 27; 1 Corinthians 12:27). The papacy, with its head and church, is a counterfeit replacement of Christ, Head and Body. Therefore, it is antichrist, the "mystery of iniquity."
What about the seven years' tribulation? Nowhere does the Book of Revelation talk about seven years of anything. Daniel talks about a "little one [horn]" coming out of the Fourth Universal Empire "beast" which was Rome (Daniel 7:8, 20-26). This little horn persecuted the saints for 1260 symbolic days from 539 A.D. until about 1799, when Napoleon broke the persecuting power of the papacy.
One major identifying characteristic the Catholic Church needed to deal with was the time period of 1260 years that the antichrist power was to rule, according to Protestantism's Historicist interpretation. There simply is only one entity on earth that has ruled for this length of time after the fall of pagan Rome, and that is the Roman Catholic Church. We use the term, Roman Catholic Church, not in the sense of the people who have "joined" that system. We have no doubt that there are some born-again believers who regularly attend Catholic services and follow their basic tenets. What is their future destination? Only the Lord knows.
Margaret McDonald, a 15 year old Scottish girl, and member of Edward Irving's congregation, had visions in early 1830 that included a secret rapture of believers before the appearance of the antichrist. She informed Irving of her visions by letter. Irving then attended the prophecy conferences that began in Dublin Ireland in 1830, where he promoted both Futurism and a secret rapture.
John Nelson Darby (1800-1882), a Church of Ireland clergyman, later with the Plymouth Brethren, also promoted Futurism and a secret rapture. Darby attended the series of meetings on Bible Prophecy that began in 1830 in Ireland, and at these conferences Darby apparently learned about the secret rapture as revealed by vision to Margaret McDonald, and promoted by Edward Irving. Darby later visited America several times between 1859 and 1874, where his Futurist theology was readily accepted.
The Jesuit inspired Futurist lie spread rapidly to America's Protestant seminaries, such as the Dallas Theological Seminary (a nondenominational Protestant school); Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; and the Western Theological Seminary (Reformed Church in America). The Scofield Bible was instrumental in firmly establishing the Jesuit inspired Futurist interpretation in the Protestant Bible schools of the United States in the 20th century.
The "Left Behind" series by Fundamentalist Christians has accepted the Jesuit Futurist view that the antichrist is a literal man, and not the Protestant Reformation view that the system of papacy is the antichrist.
These seminaries and associated ministries have wholly abandoned the historical Protestant and biblical teaching that the Roman Catholic Church is the apostate church, the harlot of Revelation, with the antichrist papacy at its head, and instead serve to screen the papal antichrist power from being perceived by their students or viewers. They are accurately described as false prophets! We have no intention of mentioning current ministers (?) by name who actively promote both Futurism and the "rapture." They are many in number and well-known by reputation. If you are interested, google "Futurism" and you can find a number of detailed lists of such ministers, many of whom may surprise you. Pre-tribulation "rapture" has almost become a "sacred cow" to many. We will not here address that doctrine, except to say that we do not endorse such views. Neither do we find any scriptural basis for it. We have personally seen two otherwise mature ministers almost explode with rage when the "rapture" was mentioned as being a product of the carnal mind.
Steve Wohlberg, in his books, Truth Left Behind and The Left Behind Deception, says that when Christian ministries and movies like A Thief in the Night, Apocalypse, Revelation, Tribulation, and Left Behind, proclaim an antichrist who comes only after the "rapture," they are sincerely and yet unknowingly teaching the doctrine of the antichrist. In effect, Wohlberg (and others) declare that the only thing left behind in the "Left Behind" fiction is the truth itself. We wholeheartedly agree with Wohlberg and are fully prepared to back that up from Scripture.
Now the truly amazing part of all this is that the Futurist theory dominates Protestant teaching today. Much you hear or read about today is the yet-to-appear antichrist, who will be unveiled in the last 3 1/2 years of Daniel's 70th week, when he declares himself to be God in a rebuilt temple in Jerusalem. That scenario is directly traceable back to the pen of the Jesuit, Francisco Ribera.
In what could only be described as a stunning reversal, Protestants have over time actually become the papacy's greatest ally by spreading its Jesuit spawned propaganda. What irony that Protestants, who originally broke away from what they clearly recognized to be the harlot antichrist-led church of prophecy, now champion the Futurist interpretation from high profile global ministries. Futurism has without doubt, been successful beyond the wildest dreams of its Jesuit authors.
This well-packaged web of lies is indeed very much alive and thriving within many Protestant and charismatic churches today. Further, if we stop and think about it, both Futurism and the so-called "rapture" are simply aspects of a "me-centered" theology, which is rampant throughout the church world today.
BUT GOD!
Chapter 7: The Spiritual Excellence of Three
A threefold cord is not quickly broken. Ecclesiastes 4:12
Numerous scriptures contain sets of three, such as: Father, Son, and Holy Ghost; spirit, soul, and body; the three sons of Noah; the three Hebrews in the fiery furnace in the book of Daniel; faith, hope, and love; "for Thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory"; Paul sought the Lord three times to have his thorn in the flesh removed; Paul was shipwrecked three times and beaten with rods three times; the three sons of Levi; the length of the ark was 300 cubits; the three wives of Abraham; the children, young men, and fathers in 1 John; Job's three friends; Jesus took three disciples with him into the mountain where He was transfigured before them; Saul (who was renamed Paul) was three days without sight after the Lord apprehended him; and many more.
The number "three" represents Divine perfection or Divine completeness. The number "three" also signifies resurrection. Jonah was three days and nights in the belly of a whale. Jesus was likewise three days and nights in the heart of the earth before His resurrection. There is a relationship between Divine perfection and resurrection; resurrection to a believer completes our perfection. The third day completes the fundamentals of creation work. On the third day the earth rose up out of the deep, fruit rose up out of the earth, and, of course, Christ rose from the dead. When Jesus died on the cross, He completed the work that the Father gave Him to do on earth. After three days, the Father raised up Jesus from the dead as a sign to all that His work on earth was finished or completed. On the day of Pentecost, the work of the Holy Spirit began in the hearts of men.
Another set of three pertains to different levels of believers. The Old Testament prophetic prototype is found in Judges 7, which describes the formation of Gideon's army. Of the original 32,000, 22,000 were fearful and afraid, so they returned and departed early; that left 10,000. The Lord told Gideon that was still too many for Him to use to deliver the nation from the Midianites, so the Lord told Gideon to bring the people down to the water for a further separation test. The three hundred who lapped water with his tongue were set by themselves; the other 9,700 who bowed down upon their knees went back to their own place (Judges 7:7). The Lord said that by these 300 men He would deliver His people from the Midianites. Note that 300 out of the original 32,000 is less than 1% ... a tithe of a tithe.
Prophetically, all 32,000 speak of Christians; those who are born again and one day will be in heaven. The 22,000 of the first cut knew nothing more than salvation. They went back to their churches, sang some nice hymns, had pre-planned church services where the pastor preached a nice sermon every Sunday, lived morally good lives, and "tried" to be like Jesus. But they never knew what happened to the remaining 10,000.
Many years ago, a neighbor asked me to join him and a few other men for a regular time of Christian fellowship. I accepted. Not long afterwards, that neighbor told all of us men that, "it can't get any better than this." He was almost ecstatic because he had been experiencing the blessing and goodness of the Lord in his life. But he was a member of a Methodist church, never knew about being baptized in the Holy Ghost, and never knew there was more to life than what he had experienced. We will address the principle behind that shortly.
The 9,700 of the second cut represent those Christians who are baptized in the Holy Ghost. However, they bowed the knee to many things other than the Lord. In effect, they were idolaters. They were like the Church at Corinth, whom Paul called carnal Christians. When those 9,700 went back, they had some wonderful praise meetings, which lasted much more than one hour every Sunday, clapped their hands, danced, shouted "hallelujah," and did all of those things that good Pentecostal and charismatic folks do. They had healing services, deliverances, prophesied, etc., but they never knew what happened with the 300 that composed Gideon's army. They constituted what Jesus said.
21 Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father Which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity. Matthew 7:21-23
In Verse 23, the phrase "I never knew you," reads, in the Greek text, "I never approved what you were doing." "Iniquity" (literally "lawlessness") means to do your own thing, guided by selfish motives, desires, and ambitions. "Work iniquity" should be translated as "work and continue to work lawlessness."
The 300 who remained in Gideon's army were used by the Lord to overcome the Midianites. But even there, it was really a sovereign work of God to defeat the Midianites! No man will be able to get the glory! Jesus said,
2 Every branch in Me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. John 15:2, 5
Those Verses speak of three levels of fruit-bearing: bearing fruit (Verse 2), bearing more fruit (Verse 2), and bearing much fruit (Verse 5). Jesus also said,
But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. Matthew 13:23
The above Verse likewise speaks of three levels of fruit-bearing. Both sets of Verses speak of the three sets of Christians: believers, disciples, and overcomers. Those Verses can be more fully understood by looking at the picture of spiritual life which is prophesied in and by the Tabernacle of Moses.
The Israelites first came into the Outer Court where any and all worshippers were allowed and to which our initial Christian salvation experience of being born-again can be compared. The "thirty-fold" fruit bearers go no further than the Outer Court.
Next, those Tabernacle worshippers who qualified could move into the Holy Place. This typifies our life in the Spirit, the attitudes of our hearts toward God rather than toward self, and our inward experience of Him. These are the "sixty-fold" fruit-bearers who follow Jesus to their personal cross.
Finally, only the High Priest could enter the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies, which speaks to us of kingdom realities and our ruling and reigning with Christ. Few are the number of those who come here, but the fruit they bear is a hundred-fold.
Now let us relate those parables of Jesus and the prophetic significance of the Tabernacle of Moses with the three sets, or levels, of Christians: believer, disciple, and overcomer.
Believer
A believer is one who has accepted the atoning work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. He/she has experienced the initial salvation experience of being born-again, the reality of:
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. Ephesians 2:8-9
Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble. James 2:19
Disciple
A disciple has seen a further vision of what the Lord is after. Jesus said,
And He said to them all, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Luke 9:23
26 If any man come to Me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple.27 And whosoever doth not bear his cross, and come after Me, cannot be My disciple.
...
33 So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:26-27, 33
And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. Matthew 10:38Then said Jesus unto His disciples, If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Matthew 16:24And when He had called the people unto Him with His disciples also, He said unto them, Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. Mark 8:34Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him, One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsoever thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow Me. Mark 10:21
Overcomer
The word "overcometh" appears 10 times in the King James Bible, eight times in the Book of Revelation and twice in 1 John. The word "overcome" appears 12 times in the New Testament and 8 times in the Old Testament. Finally, the word "overcame" appears three times in Scripture, all in the New Testament. The Lord Jesus Christ, of course was/is the first and greatest Overcomer. No one can be an overcomer unless they are in Christ, because no man can overcome king self except through the power of the Holy Ghost. We need to be very serious if we pray, Lord, make me an overcomer; for then He will give us something to overcome!
These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer: I have overcome the world.
John 16:33And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
We believe that "they loved not their lives unto the death" is true in both the spiritual and the natural realm. Through the atonement God selects those whose hearts are tender before Him; out of those people He creates a company of overcomers ... those who love not their lives unto the death. However, king self is still in the land. King self is the destitute nature we possess as fallen creations. It is there that Canaan (our human soul) is found and it is there, in the battle ground of the thinking, carnal mind that war is waged. The Lord's standard has never changed. He demands that we take Canaan as our own; this is the daily test and trial of those who overcome.
The Lord is paring down His army from the 32,000 to 300 (Gideon's army; Judges 7). He is removing from His army any one who expounds the word of God through his own carnal wisdom; any one who does not fully take possession of Canaan, which is his own soul; and those who are not truly basing their life upon the only condition He accepts, that they die to that which is their enemy (self) and walk in the Light. True prosperity comes by how much of the personal cross one appropriates for himself, which cross makes him as a dead man before his enemies ... not yielding to comforting himself, but dying to all in him that is an enemy of God's purposes.
Ezekiel, Chapter 44, describes two types of priests ... those who minister to the house (the Church) and those who minister to the Lord. This is a clear separation of ministers which is even now taking place prior to the second coming of Christ.
10 And the Levites that are gone away far from Me, when Israel went astray, which went astray away from Me after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity.11 Yet they shall be ministers in My sanctuary, having charge at the gates of the house, and ministering to the house: they shall slay the burnt offering and the sacrifice for the people, and they shall stand before them to minister unto them.12 Because they ministered unto them before their idols, and caused the house of Israel to fall into iniquity; therefore have I lifted up Mine hand against them, saith the Lord GOD, and they shall bear their iniquity.13 And they shall not come near unto Me, to do the office of a priest unto Me, nor to come near to any of My holy things, in the most holy place: but they shall bear their shame, and their abominations which they have committed.14 But I will make them keepers of the charge of the house, for all the service thereof, and for all that shall be done therein.15 But the priests the Levites, the sons of Zadok, that kept the charge of My sanctuary when the children of Israel went astray from Me, they shall come near to Me to minister unto Me, and they shall stand before Me to offer unto Me the fat and the blood, saith the Lord GOD:16 They shall enter into My sanctuary, and they shall come near to My table, to minister unto Me, and they shall keep My charge.23 And they shall teach My people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.24 And in controversy they shall stand in judgment; and they shall judge it according to My judgments: and they shall keep My laws and My statutes in all Mine assemblies; and they shall hallow My sabbaths.28 And it shall be unto them for an inheritance: I am their inheritance: and ye shall give them no possession in Israel: I am their possession.
Ezekiel 44:10-16, 23-24, 28
First of all, please note the 27 occurrences of I, Me, My, and Mine in the above 10 verses, all of which refer to the Lord Himself. It would be profitable to go back and read again those verses, emphasizing those words which point to the Lord Himself. Note that everything belongs to the Lord!
Verses 10-14
Some start out wanting to do God's will, but then fall back when they are confronted with their own desires of the personal flesh (the enemy nations in the land of Canaan). Those who walk away from their high calling are those who started out in victory but have departed to wander aimlessly around the wilderness another forty years, feeding their own carnal flesh. They religiously hold fast to the truth they know, but they have not done that which is most important to do, which is to conquer the enemies in their personal Canaan land, those elements within which are of the carnal nature. Too many go so far, then turn back and compromise and make friends with the world. They have disqualified themselves from the true Prize. With no working of an inner cross, they end up fellowshipping with the modern world, enjoying their own carnal desires. Like Eve, they see that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise. Just like ancient Israel, they become "blind" to that which they once embraced. Instead of joining in the fellowship of Christ's sufferings, and gaining more of the life of Christ within, they join in with the vast sea of religious mediocrity who believe God should prosper them with whatever they want in this world. Far too many chosen ones are embracing the carnal condition which results in a blindness which lies to them and tells them that compromise and mixture is acceptable. They use the best ways of the world to try to "promote the gospel."
God may have called these to ministry, but they end up distorting that calling, being lukewarm, and not walking in victory by the death-to-self process of trial and testing. Many of these equate money and natural prosperity with God's favour.
But what amazing grace! The priests, the Levites, have committed abominations; they went astray away from the Lord after their idols; they shall even bear their iniquity (self-life). Yet the Lord says that He will still use them to minister to the house! However, they will never know what they missed; they will never know the joy of coming near to the Lord and ministering to Him.
Verses 15, 16, 23-24, 28
Verse 15 speaks of the sons (plural) of Zadok; but Zadok had only one son. Therefore, these verses cannot possibly be talking about an historical event in the past. These verses, like all of Scripture, are prophetic over all of time, and certainly include the time in which we live. We believe that the sons of Zadok are no different from the overcomers. Verse 23 has not yet been fulfilled in our day, but must be fulfilled, for the Lord has spoken it.
The Lord has chosen the halt, the lame, the blind, the broken ones, and those of no reputation; those who know not the way they should take so they totally depend on the Lord to lead and guide them. Those who believe the Lord and walk forward into their personal Canaan land know that the Lord's promise cannot fail, that He will drive out all enemies before them; all they have to do is walk forward. These are the overcomers, who will rise with no blindness at all as long as they remain steadfast with a gaze only upon the Prize; as long as they keep their lives crucified; as long as they "prove all things" and "hold fast to that which is good." The Lord, Who is jealous over His heritage, is separating His own unto Himself. We are witnessing, in the realm of the Spirit, a repeat of,
And every one that was in distress, and every one that was in debt, and every one that was discontented, gathered themselves unto him [David]; and he became a captain over them: and there were with him about four hundred men. 1 Samuel 22:2
The calling to the overcomer is a special call that few can hear. In the Book of Joel, we are told twice to "blow the trumpet in Zion." Why in Zion? because no one in Jerusalem, or in Judah, or in Israel can hear that trumpet call. The latter have ears that cannot hear and eyes that cannot see. That trumpet call will take one into the furnace of affliction and to the full extent of crucifixion.
The true overcomers seek only the Lord and thereby experience the death of the personal cross, which separates them from the enemies in the land of Canaan (the human soul), and separates them unto the Lord and unto fellowship in truth with Him.
The true overcomers cannot escape the cross; neither do they want to. They cannot and will not remove the nails that impale them on all four limbs to their cross; they gladly yield to their circumstances which have been prepared for them by the Master. They have voluntarily allowed the Master to bore their ear through with an aul; and they shall serve Him for ever (Exodus 21:5-6). A fellowship with other overcomers is gained which no one in the world can understand and which every friend of the world (including some Christians) totally hates. It is a fellowship of those being conformed unto the death of the Savior so that His life might be manifest in their mortal flesh.
Such are the ones who will be sealed unto the day of redemption and to the first resurrection, for they cannot be raised in the first resurrection if they have not first died. It is to these that Christ will first appear and raise because death for them will have been completed. It is these who will be caught up in the air (1 Thessalonians 4:17) to do battle with the forces of evil. We must not try to define scriptural terms by Webster's Dictionary. "Air" in the Bible does not refer to the natural atmosphere. The only place that "air" is defined in the Bible is in Ephesians.
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: Ephesians 2:2
Thus "air" represents the domain of the devil, which is a spiritual state.
The true overcomer claims nothing and has nothing. This dividing line has been drawn and few there be who have taken up the cross completely so that they can be found as ones fully identified with Jesus, in His baptism, His suffering, His death, His resurrection life, His intercession, and His weeping over spiritual Jerusalem. These are the ones who will reign with Christ on earth for a thousand years.
Another Set of Three
1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto Him, to shew unto His servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:2 Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw.3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand. Revelation 1:1-3
In Verse 3, note the three levels of blessing: (1) he that readeth, (2) they that hear the words of this prophecy, and (3) they who keep those things which are written therein. Let us think about that word, "blessed." There is a blessing (from God) just to read the Bible, even though we may not understand one word of what we read. Blessed is he that readeth. However, there is an even greater blessing for those who hear (hearken, pay attention to) the words of this prophecy. This type of hearing goes much further than listening to someone speak. This speaks of a spiritual hearing, not a natural-level hearing. Jesus said to the multitude,
Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. Matthew 13:9
Note that the multitude were following Jesus! But to His disciples, Jesus said,
But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear. Matthew 13:16
Does that imply that only a disciple can understand the word of God? Food for thought? Now please go back and re-read the characteristics of a disciple, stated above. A disciple must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow the Lord. What does it mean to deny himself? It means that the thoughts of a disciple are no longer on himself. A disciple wants, above all else, the Lord Jesus Christ to have His way; that he might please the Lord in all things; that things of this world have no control over him.
We are all familiar with the seven occurrences in the Book of Revelation which say,
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Now, however, there remains yet a higher level of blessing for those who keep the words of this prophecy. In other words, the word has become flesh. This level of blessing pertains to the overcomer. Of course, as stated earlier, Jesus was/is the first and greatest Overcomer. The next overcomer mentioned in Scripture was Stephen, who loved not his life unto the death. After Jesus completed His work on earth,
12 But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;13 From henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His footstool.
Hebrews 10:12-13
Now consider that just before Stephen was stoned to death at the hands of the Sanhedrin, he said,
Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. Acts 7:56
The Lord Jesus, who was/is seated at the right hand of God, stood up in honor of Stephen, the first Christian martyr, and certainly an overcomer. Stephen undoubtedly heard the Lord say to him,
Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. Matthew 25:21
In summary, three levels for us today are: (1) seeing the problems that exist in the Church; (2) knowing (understanding) what the Lord wants us to do about it; and (3) actually doing it, as led by the Holy Spirit. The first two levels are of little value unless we press into that third level.
Charismatic Christians learn the "language" quickly ... the "right" things to say and to do, even though they may only be traditions of men. We have been impressed, from our somewhat limited exposure to the body of Christ everywhere, of the ever-increasing number of charismatics, mostly in leadership or would-be leadership positions, who now expound on "what is wrong with the Church." That is fairly easy to do, but that profits little. Of course the Church is in a near-apostasy state, absorbed with me-centered Christianity, cheap grace, traditions of men, idolatry, materialism, entertainment, false faith and prosperity, a lukewarm attitude or apathy, etc. Many of such Christians are waiting to be "raptured" out of great difficulties and tribulation in these end times. They are in for a big surprise! According to 1 Peter 4:17, Acts 14:22, and other Scriptures, the Church will not be "raptured" from the earth when tribulation increases.
In any event, we liken those who expound on the shortcomings of the church to the first level ... those who read. I have seen almost no emails or words which proclaim what the Lord wants us to do about the state of the church. Several years ago the Holy Spirit quickened a word to me: "Stop talking about the state of the Church. What are you going to do about it?" We will share in Chapter 13 what we heard as the Lord's answer.
An Example
One scriptural example of the above is Saul, Jonathan, and David. Saul was sovereignly chosen by the Lord to be the first king of Israel.
And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a choice young man, and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. 1 Samuel 9:2And when Samuel saw Saul, the LORD said unto him, Behold the man whom I spake to thee of! this same shall reign over My people. 1 Samuel 9:17
We are all aware that Saul disobeyed the Lord at least twice, for which he lost the kingdom.
13 And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the LORD thy God, which He commanded thee: for now would the LORD have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.14 But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the LORD hath sought Him a man after His own heart, and the LORD hath commanded him to be captain over His people, because thou hast not kept that which the LORD commanded thee.
1 Samuel 13:13-14
And Samuel said unto him, The LORD hath rent the kingdom of Israel from thee this day, and hath given it to a neighbour of thine, that is better than thou.
1 Samuel 15:28
Jonathan, the son of Saul, recognized that David had the favor of God and that David was to be king rather than his father, Saul. In 1 Samuel 18, 19, and 20, Jonathan clearly saw that David was God's anointed. However, Jonathan could not break away from his father, Saul.
And they two made a covenant before the LORD: and David abode in the wood, and Jonathan went to his house. 1 Samuel 23:18
As a result, Jonathan died while fighting the Philistines along side of his father, Saul
(1 Samuel 31:1-6).
Saul is a type of a man who is called and chosen by God but fell because of disobedience and ended up trying to kill David, that new man that the Lord had raised up. Jonathan is a type of a Christian who sees the Truth but for whatever reason can not or will not walk in the Truth. David, of course was a man after God's own heart. Other than the Lord Himself, there are more chapters (more than 100) and more verses (968) in the Bible about David than any other person mentioned in Scripture. Although David made many mistakes (at least six), he was a quick repenter and his heart was right before the Lord.
Chapter 8: With One Accord
The phrase "with one accord" occurs twelve times in the New Testament, eleven times in the book of Acts, (Acts 1:14, Acts 2:1, Acts 2:46, Acts 4:24, Acts 5:12, Acts 7:57, Acts 8:6, Acts 12:20, Acts 15:25, Acts 18:12, and Acts 19:29), and once in Romans (Romans 15:6).
Some folks can be in one accord concerning many things. For example, we could all be in one accord that we all like ice cream. In the following four verses, the people were in one accord to kill Stephen or Paul.
Saul is a type of a man who is called and chosen by God but fell because of disobedience and ended up trying to kill David, that new man that the Lord had raised up. Jonathan is a type of a Christian who sees the Truth but for whatever reason can not or will not walk in the Truth. David, of course was a man after God's own heart. Other than the Lord Himself, there are more chapters (more than 100) and more verses (968) in the Bible about David than any other person mentioned in Scripture. Although David made many mistakes (at least six), he was a quick repenter and his heart was right before the Lord.
Chapter 8: With One Accord
The phrase "with one accord" occurs twelve times in the New Testament, eleven times in the book of Acts, (Acts 1:14, Acts 2:1, Acts 2:46, Acts 4:24, Acts 5:12, Acts 7:57, Acts 8:6, Acts 12:20, Acts 15:25, Acts 18:12, and Acts 19:29), and once in Romans (Romans 15:6).
Some folks can be in one accord concerning many things. For example, we could all be in one accord that we all like ice cream. In the following four verses, the people were in one accord to kill Stephen or Paul.
Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord. Acts 7:57And Herod was highly displeased with them of Tyre and Sidon: but they came with one accord to him, and, having made Blastus the king's chamberlain their friend, desired peace; because their country was nourished by the king's country.
Acts 12:20And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat, Acts 18:12And the whole city was filled with confusion: and having caught Gaius and Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, Paul's companions in travel, they rushed with one accord into the theatre. Acts 19:29
In the following two verses, the people were in one accord to take a specific action.
And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. Acts 8:6It seemed good unto us, being assembled with one accord, to send chosen men unto you with our beloved Barnabas and Paul, Acts 15:25
Of much greater significance are the following five verses, which state that the early Christians were in one accord.
These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brethren. Acts 1:14And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. Acts 2:1And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart, Acts 2:46
And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Acts 4:24And by the hands of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people; (and they were all with one accord in Solomon's porch. Acts 5:12
Note that none of the above five verses state what the people were in one accord about. What was the early Church "in one accord" about? We believe they were in one accord that the gospel of the kingdom of God had become not only personal but corporate; the kingdom of God had become "their" gospel. Being in one accord to the early Church meant,
5 Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be likeminded one toward another according to Christ Jesus:6 That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:5-6
In Verse 6, above, "with one mind" is the same Greek text as "in one accord." So the early believers were in one accord to glorify God. In other words, they had no thought for themselves or their well being. They simply wanted the Lord to have His way such that the Father might be glorified.
Now, what does it mean to be in one accord to glorify God? Or, how do we glorify God? There is no better example than that of Jesus, when He walked the face of the earth.
1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify Thee:2 As Thou hast given Him power over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him.3 And this is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent.4 I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do.5 And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own Self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. John 17:1-5
Please note the colon in Verse 4, above. A colon in Scripture always means that what follows the colon explains or defines that which preceded. Therefore, how did Jesus glorify the Father on earth? by finishing the work which the Father gave to Him.
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost. John 19:30
In the verse above, Jesus said, "It is finished." What was finished? the work on earth that the Father had given Him to do.
What was the result of the early Church being in one accord?
And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. Acts 4:33
We will have much more to say about that verse later. Do we see great power manifested throughout the church today?
Another way to look at the significance of "being in one accord" is that the hearts of the believers were attuned only to the Lord, to His will, that He might be glorified. The state of our heart as a believer is of utmost importance. Although David committed a number of egregious sins, yet his heart was right before the Lord.
And when He had removed him, He raised up unto them David to be their king; to whom also He gave testimony, and said, I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after Mine own heart, which shall fulfil all My will [for David]. Acts 13:22
David said,
3 Surely I will not come into the tabernacle of my house, nor go up into my bed;4 I will not give sleep to mine eyes, or slumber to mine eyelids,5 Until I find out a place for the LORD, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob. Psalms 132:3-5And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Acts 4:32
In the modern-day church, with a heavy emphasis on the "me-centered" theology or the "prosperity" message, whatever happened to, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness ...?"
Chapter 9: The Rise of the Denominational Spirit
The denominational spirit is not the same as denominational churches as we usually think of them. We are not here referring to a Methodist, Baptist, Episcopal, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Assembly of God, or other denominational church. Some of the Lord's people certainly are in all of those denominations. Rather, we speak of the spirit behind the denominations. Therefore, the denominational spirit is at work today even in charismatic, Spirit-filled, and/or nondenominational churches. Further, that denominational spirit is spoken of prophetically in Isaiah, Chapters 56 and 59. The denominational spirit is by no means the only spirit at work against the Church. Other deceiving spirits include the Athenian spirit (intellectualism), the Corinthian spirit (me-centered), the Galatian spirit (works of the flesh), the spirit of humanism ("good works"), the Laodicean spirit (apathy and being lukewarm), a religious spirit, and the spirit of Balaam (money and materialism).
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might.11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:10-12
The denominational spirit hates for the Church to be in one accord. Let us recall, from Chapter 7 the exhortation,
That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 15:6
The Church today has many minds and many mouths, each one speaking their own version of the gospel. Likewise, within a specific church there are frequently many mouths, speaking different things. The Church in America is like the carnal Church at Corinth, where they had lost the reality of being in one accord in just a few short years. The book of 1 Corinthians is primarily a letter of correction. Although Paul describes many areas in which the Church at Corinth needed to be corrected, the order, as always, is very important. The very first topic that Paul addresses is their lack of being in one accord. Once any church loses sight of the significance of being in one accord, the denominational spirit comes in like a flood, bringing numerous other spirits with it. A multitude of other errors, including doctrinal errors, are sure to follow!
In less than 25 years after Pentecost, the denominational spirit reared its ugly head in the Church at Corinth, a place where both Apollos and Paul had spent many hundreds or thousands of hours teaching the people the ways of the Lord. An account of Paul's labors in Corinth is given in Acts 18:1-18.
And he [Paul] continued there [Corinth] a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. Acts 18:11
We doubt that there have been many men of God over the years who have been better or more anointed teachers than Paul. Certainly in 18 months, Paul must have taught the Church at Corinth many wonderful truths concerning the kingdom of God. That being the case, how did the denominational spirit get a foothold?
10 Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, 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.11 For it hath been declared unto me of you, my brethren, by them which are of the house of Chloe, that there are contentions among you.12 Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas; and I of Christ.13 Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:10-13
Two parties began to show themselves; one adhering to Paul and his simple, but anointed, preaching, the other to Apollos; to these was added a third, evidently the result of the visit of some Judaizers who claimed the authority of Peter, while a fourth, repudiating the other three, claimed that they were the only true followers of Christ.
The first letter to the Corinthians is timely for the Church today, both to instruct and to inspire. Most of the questions and problems that confronted the Church at Corinth are still very much with us ... problems like immaturity, instability, divisions, jealousy and envy, lawsuits, marital difficulties, sexual immorality and misuse of spiritual gifts. Yet in spite of this concentration on problems, the book contains some of the most familiar and beloved chapters in the entire Bible; e.g., Chapter 13 on love and Chapter 15 on resurrection.
Through the centuries of Church history, almost every incident of spurious doctrines and practices has surfaced in times of great turmoil and infighting within the Church. Surely the denominational spirit, which sprang up again after the Reformation, is a "work of iniquity" in full bloom.
Similar to the wife of Hosea, the Church returned very rapidly to its former lifestyle after the awakening of the Reformation. Bickering and quarreling over various points of doctrine and practice soon became commonplace.
Denominational strife opens the gate for all other forms of human carnality, and before long we are completely devoid of spiritual harmony and blessing. It was so easy to drift into factions and division. The price of such misguided activity, however, has been very high.
14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
James 3:14-16
Many in the church seldom hear from God because of our bent to carnality. The Church, as we know it today, has not accomplished what it should have done if it had not become fractured and splintered by divisions of doctrine and practice.
We have been with child, we have been in pain, we have as it were brought forth wind; we have not wrought any deliverance in the earth; neither have the inhabitants of the world fallen. Isaiah 26:18
The Lord put on the armour that He had enjoined us to put on, and will do what a unified Church would have been able to do. The Lord will do it Himself, because we have disqualified ourselves by our bickering and fighting.
Results of Allowing the Denominational Spirit to Reign
The results of allowing the denominational spirit to reign are many and varied. They include every error recorded by the apostle Paul in the Book of 1 Corinthians. They include: immorality, lawsuits among brethren, lack of understanding of marriage, food offered to idols, Christian rights, idolatry, ignorance, traditions of men, pride, jealousy and envy, doctrinal errors of every form and dress, and 10,000 different denominations, sects, churches, fellowships, etc., each claiming to have the "right" doctrine.
And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand: Matthew 12:25
May we add that every church or Christian fellowship divided against itself (or other churches) shall not stand. When Jesus said that, "every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation," that excludes the kingdom of God, which can never be divided against itself. Only the kingdoms of men (even Christian men) will be brought to desolation. Therefore we conclude, once more, that modern day churches, fellowships, etc., are not part of the kingdom of God. Rather, churches today (and yesterday) are carnal, just as the church at Corinth had become. Paul said,
Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul? 1 Corinthians 1:13For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? 1 Corinthians 3:3Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. Romans 8:7
What is the law of God? not the Mosaic law but the kingdom of God.
It is important to realize that the denominational spirit is always spawned by the devil in an attempt to keep the Church from being in one accord.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Ephesians 6:11-13
Again, BUT GOD!
Out of chaos, God brings forth His order.
Out of order, God brings forth His harmony.
Out of harmony (being in one accord)
God brings forth His restoration.
Chapter 10: The Antidote to the Denominational Spirit: Repentance
What does it mean to repent? In the New Testament, the major Greek word translated as repent means to change one's mind or purpose. Perhaps when most Christians hear the word "repent," they think about what happens when we are first born again. But there is much more to repentance than that. As a result, we suspect that when most Christians hear that they need to repent, the first thought that runs through their mind is, "Repent? Repent from what? I have not killed anyone; I have not stolen from a bank; I have not committed adultery; I have not ..."
Many times all of us have repented of actions which had been wrong, and had harmed other people ... doing the best we could to rectify the mistakes we had made. We all know how to do that. But the probe of the Spirit is destined to go deeper than the surface of our life. He will begin to show us how wrong some of our motives have been ... what had prompted some of our non-sinful actions. They don't look so good under the searchlight of His Spirit.
John the Baptist came preaching,
1 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,2 And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. Matthew 3:1-2
Then comes Jesus.
From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand Matthew 4:17
Who constituted the audience that both John the Baptist and Jesus exhorted to "repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand?" Who needed to repent? the Amorites? the Edomites? the Canaanites? the Philistines? NO! Jesus exhorted His own people, the people of God, the religious elite of the day, to repent. But
11 He came unto His own, and His own received Him not.12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: John 1:11-12
Jesus never preached, "Repent, so you can be saved and one day go to heaven." Jesus preached the kingdom of God, which is not the same as the initial salvation experience. There are two scenarios. We have the Church, being "saved," going to heaven one day, and many would add the so-called (false) rapture out of this world when things really get difficult. On the other hand is the kingdom of God. The two are not the same.
The two Scriptures below seem to be the first level of repentance, required at the initial salvation experience of being "born again."
Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 2:38Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; Acts 3:19
The following three verses speak of repentance which is directed to the churches at Ephesus, Pergamos, and Sardis, respectively. Therefore, there is a level of repentance which may be required after one is born again.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent. Revelation 2:516 Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of My mouth. Revelation 2:16Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. Revelation 3:3
The Lord caused Joel to write:
"And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of the evil" (Joel 2:13).
Isaiah
Now let us consider the prophet, Isaiah. Isaiah was a true prophet of the Lord. He had already prophesied in the first five Chapters of the Book which bears his name, but Chapter 6 describes Isaiah's personal encounter with the Lord.
1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and His train filled the temple.2 Above it stood the seraphims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly.3 And one cried unto another, and said, Holy, holy, holy, is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory.4 And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke.5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts.6 Then flew one of the seraphims unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar:7 And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Isaiah 6:1-7
Many years ago, as I read Verse 1, I found myself reading, "In the year that king self died, I saw also the Lord ..." Now "Uzziah" does not mean "self." But the Holy Spirit sometimes takes things out of our context and puts them into another context. Uzziah, of course, in 2 Chronicles 26, took upon himself a function that was not given to him by the Lord; namely, he went into the temple of the Lord to burn incense upon the altar of incense, which was a function of the priests, the sons of Aaron. Azariah the priest went in after Uzziah and told him to cease what he was doing and to get out of the temple. However Uzziah became very angry at Azariah; whereupon the Lord smote Uzziah with leprosy, which remained until his death. So Uzziah had exercised his self-will. He said to himself, I am the king; I can do anything I want to do. Jesus said,
I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in Me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. John 15:5I can of Mine own Self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father Which hath sent Me. John 5:30
Jesus said that of His own Self, He could do nothing! Where does that leave us? We cannot even take our next breath except for the grace and mercy of God! All we can do is to cooperate with the Holy Spirit. All we can do is to say, "Yes, Lord!"
It certainly was the grace and mercy of the Lord to allow Isaiah to "see" the Lord. So it is with every believer. The attitude and desire of every believer should be, "We would see Jesus."
The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. John 12:21
Even if we do not currently have that burning desire to see the Lord and to see His ways, we can always ask Him to give us that desire.
In Isaiah 6:2-3, Isaiah (1) saw seraphims, and (2) heard what they cried. This is the only place in the Bible that seraphims appear. The word "seraphims" means burning ones. They are named but not explained. Neither do we know how many seraphims there were. Since they stood above the throne, they were certainly in the presence of the Lord and ministered to Him.
In Verse 3, Isaiah heard one of the seraphims cry to another, "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of His glory." Isaiah thus received a revelation of the holiness of the Lord.
There are well over 500 verses in the Bible which speak of the holiness of the Lord. Contrast the glorious King with the leprous king of Verse 1. Isaiah then received perhaps the greatest revelation that any Christian can ever receive. He saw the sharp contrast between the holiness of the Lord and the filthiness of the nature of man, even Christian man.
Then, in Verse 4, Isaiah saw a manifestation of the power of God, manifested because of the word of the Lord through one of the seraphims ... the posts of the door moved and the house was filled with smoke. Whenever the true word of God is spoken, there is an authority and power which backs up that word.
The word says that we all should perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1). The fear of God seems to be somewhat lacking within Christian circles. We shall not here go into the subject of the fear of God, except to mention three verses.
Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. Philippians 2:12Who in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him that was able to save Him from death, and was heard in that He feared; Hebrews 5:7Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name? for Thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest. Revelation 15:4
Any time that the power of God is manifested, such as through an earthquake, tornado, hurricane, or any other similar event, it tends to promote a sense of helplessness on our part and a holy, reverential fear of the mighty God. We as believers should also fear, lest the purpose for which we were created goes unfulfilled.
In Verse 5, Isaiah voiced the revelation he had received, which pierced his very soul and spirit, when he said, "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." What people did Isaiah dwell in the midst of? the chosen people of God! Isaiah experienced and confessed the highest level of repentance possible. Isaiah did not repent because he had said something "wrong" or had done something "wrong." He did not repent because he had committed sins. He repented because he was a man ... a human being. He was allowed to see that there is nothing about "self" which is acceptable to God. God never makes someone or something "better." He did that way back in Genesis. But when man corrupts that which God has made, He replaces that something or someone. There is absolutely nothing about man, even Christian man, that is acceptable to God. That is why the Scripture speaks of the first Adam and the last Adam ... the first man and the second Man. It is no longer us, but Christ in us, the hope of glory.
This revelation of repentance is absolutely critical for every Christian to see. My grandmother once wrote in her Bible, "Lord, let me create hunger in their hearts; for unless they hunger, they cannot be fed." Unless we see the utter uselessness of who we are without Christ, we will never be able to arrive at that place of repentance necessary to press into the kingdom of God. Likewise, we must see that with God, all things are possible.
24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.25 When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved?26 But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. Matthew 19:24-26
Paul said to the Church at Corinth (and to us),
Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.
2 Corinthians 7:1
How do we cleanse ourselves? We cannot! It is impossible! All we can do, after we see the need, is to cry out to God, "Help, Lord!" Paul said,
24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?25 I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Romans 7:24-25a
In Isaiah, Verses 6 and 7, we have a good example of this same principle. Isaiah was unable to cleanse himself. One of the seraphims placed a live coal, taken with the tongs from off the altar, on the mouth and lips of Isaiah. Notice that the seraphim had to use tongs; the seraphim could not touch the live coal directly. Only the Lord can do that! The live coal represents the cleansing Agent. It is the fire of the Holy Ghost.
The seraphim then told Isaiah that his iniquity was taken away and his sin (not sins) purged (covered or atoned is the more accurate meaning). That does not mean that Isaiah then became perfect. Nor does it mean that his human nature or his will was removed. Rather, it means that he was empowered to overcome self. Iniquity refers to our human nature ... our perversity. As we have already seen. iniquity is a result of the Adamic nature.
David
The attitude of his heart made David such a beloved person in the sight of the Lord. In many places in the Psalms David pleaded for mercy and for deliverance ... not only for what he had done, but for what he was in his flesh.
I acknowledged my sin unto Thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the LORD; and Thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Selah. Psalm 32:5
For I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin. Psalm 38:182 Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.3 For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.4 Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Thy sight: that Thou mightest be justified when Thou speakest, and be clear when Thou judgest.5 Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.
Psalm 51:2-5
Many times all of us have repented of actions which had been wrong, and had harmed other people ... doing the best we could to rectify the mistakes we had made. We all know how to do that. But the probe of the Spirit is destined to go deeper than the surface of our life. God, in His Mercy, will show myself to me. "I try the reins, I search the heart" (Jeremiah 17:10). He will bring us to the place, provided we see the need, that we cry out, with David, "Oh Lord, have mercy on me, for I am weak" (Psalm 6:2). "Deliver my soul ..." (Psalm 116:4).
Job
Now let us consider Job.
And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Job 1:8
After 41 more Chapters of discourse in Job says,
5 I have heard of Thee by the hearing of the ear: but now mine eye seeth Thee.6 Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:5-6
Why should a man who is perfect and upright, a man who fears God and eschews evil, and a man of whom the Lord says there is none like him in the earth ... why should such a man need to repent? For the same reason that Isaiah repented ... because he saw the holiness of God and saw that in comparison, he was nothing at all.
Genuine repentance is a gift from GOD.
When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life. Acts 11:18And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. Luke 24:47
Oh Lord, lead us, by Your goodness, to repentance. Then we need to ask the Lord for His grace and mercy to enable us to walk in a state of repentance. Are we "better" than Job, Isaiah, and David, all of whom saw the need to repent, not simply for what they had said and done, but for who they were?
Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern. Ezekiel 43:10
Jesus preached,
Blessed are ye that hunger [for righteousness] now: for ye shall be filled. Blessed are ye that weep [over your lack of inner righteousness] now: for ye shall laugh. Luke 6:21Woe unto you that are full [of the self-life]! for ye shall hunger [spiritually]. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep. Luke 6:25
James said,
Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep [over the inbred iniquity in our hearts]: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness. James 4:9
Chapter 11: The Antidote to the Denominational Spirit: Preach the Gospel
After Paul confronts the denominational spirit in 1 Corinthians 1:10-16, he gives the antidote in Verses 17 and 18. The first antidote, and in priority order, is to preach the gospel, but not with wisdom of words.
For Christ sent me not to baptize [in water], but to preach the gospel: not with wisdom of words, lest the cross of Christ should be made of none effect.
1 Corinthians 1:17
A question now arises ... What is the gospel that Paul preached? Is there more than one gospel? Paul said,
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from Him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel [of a different kind]:7 Which is not another [of the same kind]; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other [of a different kind] gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6-9
From our observation and experience over the past 44+ years, the true gospel seems to have gradually been watered down to make it more appealing to the natural man. Augustine once said, "If you believe what you like in the Gospel, and reject what you don't like, it is not the Gospel you believe, but yourself."
The primary purpose of this Chapter is to try to shed some light on the true significance of the word "gospel" and how the gospel applies to us, both individually and corporately. We start by describing what is probably the most common understanding of the gospel. Then we expand into the "gospel of the kingdom of God," including an apparent definition of the kingdom of God from Romans 14:17. The Bible speaks of two aspects of the kingdom of God. The first aspect is the present reality of the kingdom that we need to walk in and exercise (but only by the power of the Holy Ghost). This kingdom is spiritual and is within and among us (Luke 17:20-21). There is also a future establishing of the kingdom of God on earth. This is the physical and literal reign of Christ on earth (Luke 22:28-30). It contains a qualified people, who have continued with Him (Revelation 5:10-12; 11:15; 12:1-5; 19:15). There are many principles of the kingdom of God. To touch on most of these would require several volumes of books. We look at only a few of the personal applications of the gospel of the kingdom of God in our lives. (For those who are interested in a more in-depth look at the kingdom of God, we know of two excellent books and authors, both of whom [rightly] emphasize the kingdom of God.)
Some Basic Definitions
The Greek word "evangelion," which is translated as "gospel," means "good news." The verb form, "evangelizo," means to "preach the good news." Another accurate definition of the verb form is to announce (or proclaim, or herald) a joyful message having regard to the matter or content involved, not the manner of presentation, which is the Greek word "kerusso." From this we can infer that true evangelism does not depend upon a booming, self-confident voice; neither does it depend upon a polished, smooth vocal presentation; neither does it depend upon an emotional appeal in any fashion; neither does it depend upon an appeal to man's reason or logical thoughts. It depends upon the Spirit of God drawing a human being to the Lord Himself.
The word "gospel" occurs 104 times in the New Testament, but not once in the Old Testament. Scripture speaks of "the gospel" (about 56 times); "my gospel" (Romans 2:16, Romans 16:25, and 2 Timothy 2:8); "our gospel" (2 Corinthians 4:3, 1 Thessalonians 1:5, and 2 Thessalonians 2:14); "the gospel of peace," "the gospel of God," "the gospel of the grace of God," "the gospel of Christ," "the gospel of Jesus Christ," "the gospel of our Lord Jesus," and "the gospel of the kingdom of God." All of these verses speak of the same gospel, for there is only one gospel. Of course, we need to ensure that "the gospel" becomes "my gospel" (personal) first and then "our gospel" (corporate).
Let us consider one of the three occurrences of the phrase "my gospel."
25 Now to Him That is of power to stablish you according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept secret since the world began,26 But now is made manifest, and by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith:27 To God only wise, be glory through Jesus Christ for ever. Amen.
Romans 16:25-27
If we read some of Paul's epistles, we might superficially get the impression that he was a rather egotistical man. The above is one such verse. How dare any one speak of "my gospel" when it is the gospel of Jesus Christ? Even Peter (2 Peter 3:15-16) said that Paul said some things that were hard to be understood. But we believe that Paul was quite the opposite of egotistical. We believe he had the humility of Christ worked within him. However, Paul had more revelation knowledge than perhaps any other man in history. In the above verses, Paul was simply saying that the gospel of Jesus Christ or the gospel of the kingdom of God had become very personal to him. Therefore it became "his;" it was a part of him. God's message of the kingdom of God is designed to become personal to each one of us. The Word must become flesh within us.
Now let us consider one of the three occurrences of the words, "our gospel."
For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:5
Do you find it interesting that the Apostle Paul here so identifies with this Gospel that he attaches the personal pronoun "our"? Not only is the gospel of the kingdom of God to become personal to each one of us (John 3:16), but the gospel must become real to the Church as a corporate body. Note also that Scripture speaks of "the" gospel, not "a" gospel. The use of "the" makes something unique. Therefore there is only one true gospel.
The Gospel Perceived
What do most Christian believers think about when they hear the word "gospel?" Only the Lord knows, but we suspect that the great majority of Christians equate the word "gospel" with the fact that God loves us and gave His only begotten Son for us. Most Christians, when asked to define the gospel, would probably quote,
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
As such, the gospel includes the conversion of people, repentance, accepting Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, being "saved," or being "born again," based upon the death, burial, resurrection, and witness of Jesus Christ. It certainly is good news that Jesus came to the earth almost 2000 years ago as a man, born of the virgin Mary by the power of the Holy Ghost, endured every temptation known to man, suffered as a man, was crucified on a cross, shed His blood for us, died, was buried, arose from the dead by the power of the Holy Ghost on the third day, and now sits in glory at the right hand of the Father in heaven. Jesus died for our sins that, if we accept Him as our Savior, then we will have eternal life and be blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ. (There are no spiritual blessings outside of Christ.) Further, if we die physically before Jesus returns then we will "go to heaven" to be with the Lord.
Now all of the above is true and marvelous, but still incomplete. There is much more involved in the gospel that Jesus preached. Have you ever considered that both John the Baptist and Jesus came preaching the kingdom of God, before Calvary? Have you ever considered what Jesus said to the Pharisees and Sadducees,
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven. Matthew 8:11
Unfortunately far too many modern day preachers turn the above into a "me-centered" kind of gospel, emphasizing all of the "goodies" that we get by becoming a Christian. In other words, too many churches today glorify man, not God. Further, we would suggest that Jesus is not returning to earth for millions of baby Christians. He desires to return for a Church which is without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing. He will have that which He desires! So perhaps we need to look at what most folks call "the great commission" a little more closely.
18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. Matthew 28:18-2015 And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; in My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues;18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover. Mark 16:15-18
Both of the two sets of verses are frequently referred to as "the great commission." However, in both cases, Jesus spoke those rhema words to the 11 disciples (apostles), in Matthew 28:16 and Mark 16:14. We Christians have turned that rhema word to the 11 apostles into a logos word for all Christians. Do you think that is proper exegesis of scripture? Is it possible that the early Church was correct when "they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine" rather than in the pastor's doctrine? Are all apostles? Are all prophets?
The Kingdom of God
The word "kingdom" (basileia, in the Greek) denotes sovereignty and means the domain of the king. Every kingdom must have a king. Several (natural) countries were once "kingdoms" but are now "republics," because they have no king, but are governed by the "public," which is sovereign. That fact has also been true spiritually for the Jewish nation from the crucifixion of Jesus until the present time. Just before Jesus was rejected by His own people (the Jews), the chief priests said, "We have no king but Caesar" (John 19:15). To what degree is the Church today likened unto the Jewish nation? Who is "in charge," the pastor or the Holy Ghost? It seems that far too many Christian churches or fellowships are characterized by,
In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes. Judges 21:25
For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. Philippians 2:21
The common practice of equating the kingdom of God with being "saved" (individually) and the Church (corporately) gets us into a swamp of misunderstanding very quickly. All of the parables that Jesus spoke were parables concerning the kingdom, not the Church. "The kingdom of Heaven is likened unto ..." the wheat and the tares, the ten virgins, the grain of mustard seed, the bit of leaven, the hidden treasure, the pearl of great price, the parable of the talents, the sheep and the goats, the draw-net, the two sons, the householder hiring laborers for his vineyard, the king making a marriage feast for his son, the sower who went forth to sow, the king taking account of his servants, and on and on, are all parables of the kingdom of God. We must begin to look at all of the teachings of Jesus (and Paul) as kingdom teachings, for so they are.
What is this kingdom of God that John the Baptist, Jesus, the disciples, and Paul came announcing or heralding? It was/is the most wonderful news ever heard on this earth. For all those who would accept the good news or gospel and become its citizens, accept its King and its laws and responsibilities, it would set them free from every fetter: from the rule of the Mosaic law, from the bondage of sin, from sorrow and pain, and take them as fellow-citizens of Jesus Christ into the kingdom of God, whose King is Jesus, whose law is love, whose flag is the cross, whose provider is God.
The kingdom of God is the domain of God. In the kingdom of God, the will of God is supreme and His will is always done. Is the will of God always done by each born again Christian? No. For "proof" of that, just consider the Church at Corinth. They had every gift of the Spirit in operation, but Paul called them "carnal" because they were led by the flesh in a multitude of ways rather than by the Spirit. That is why Paul had to write 1 Corinthians as a letter of correction to them (and to us). Therefore being a born again Christian and a faithful church-goer does not mean that he/she is walking or abiding in the kingdom of God. There is a difference between being in the Church, which is His body, and the kingdom of God. Jesus said,
Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father which is in heaven. Matthew 7:21
Entrance into the kingdom of God is contingent on obedience; it is doing the will of God; it is practicing the will of God. Now let us consider two similar sets of verses.
Strive to enter in at the strait gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. Luke 13:2413 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14
These verses describe two destinations ... destruction and life. There are also two ways of looking at and applying these verses. The traditional application refers to salvation, where the narrow way leads to heaven and the broad way leads to hell. However, if we examine these verses from the perspective of the kingdom of God, we get an entirely different sense, and a sense which is much more in line with all of Scripture.
The word "strive," which occurs only seven times in the New Testament, means to struggle or to agonize. We must strive to enter into the kingdom because that requires that we deny our self, take up our cross, and follow Him. But there is no striving associated with being saved. It is a free gift, received by faith through the grace of God. Any one can be saved by simply acknowledging that Jesus is the Son of God and accepting the forgiveness that He has offered to us.
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God;9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:8-10
The word "strait" in Luke 13:24 and Matthew 7:13-14, means "hard and difficult" because it runs counter to natural inclinations. We always want to follow the path of least resistance. Many will go in at the broad way; few will press through to the fullness. A look at the tabernacle of Moses will take us deeper into the meaning of "strait." The gate to the outer court, known as the wide gate, was twice the width of the door into the Holy Place. The total area of the outer court was significantly greater than the area of the Holy Place.
The further we go into God, the more pressure, the more demanding, and the greater discipline is required. Few there be who find it. But once we pass through that strait gate we burst forth into an unlimited, infinite place called the kingdom of God.
But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby.
Isaiah 33:21
Where is "there"? From Isaiah 33:20, "there" is Zion. What does Zion represent, spiritually? the kingdom of God. In the visible church on earth, men (and perhaps good men) steer the ship or galley (the church). In the kingdom of God there are no oars, no ship motors, no sails; we must depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide the galley. What does the gallant ship signify? The leaders of the church; those who have made a "name" for themselves through any of a variety of means (such as speakers at big conferences, television "evangelists," pastors of mega-churches, authors of Christian books who have made millions of dollars selling their "wares," and on and on). None of those will appear in the kingdom of God unless they repent.
Another verse which clearly differentiates between being saved and entering into the kingdom of God is:
But as many as received Him, to them gave he power [privilege or authority] to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: John 1:12
We can therefore conclude that there are many true Christians who, at the present time, are "saved" or born again (and even baptized in the Holy Ghost) but who are not abiding in the kingdom of God. That is confirmed by two sets of verses in the Book of Revelation. Let us compare the two.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;10 And cried with a loud voice, saying: Salvation to our God Which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb. Revelation 7:9-10
After this! After what? After the 144,000 servants of the Lord were sealed in their foreheads (from Revelation 7:1-8). Note that a great multitude (of Christians) were crying and that all they knew was salvation.
1 And I looked, and lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with Him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads.2 And I heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of a great thunder: and I heard the voice of harpers harping with their harps.3 And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth.4 These are they which were not defiled with women: for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the firstfruits unto God and to the Lamb. Revelation 14:1-4
Note that the 144,000 were singing a new song (not crying). We must not interpret the virgins which were not defiled with women (in Verse 4) in the literal, natural sense. If that were true, then Peter and Paul, along with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, and a host of others would not qualify. A virgin, scripturally, is someone who has not compromised their faith with the ways of the world. Jesus said,
3 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.5 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:3, 5
Note the prerequisites for entering the kingdom of God. They are necessary, but not sufficient. What was and is the price of citizenship in this amazing kingdom? A total allegiance to their new King, above allegiance to any man, organization, or country on earth; a commitment to obey His laws, to obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). Jesus said,
24 If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me.25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; and whosoever will lose his life for My sake shall find it. Matthew 16:24-25
Have you ever considered the accusations that were brought against Jesus by the chief priests and elders before Pontius Pilate? Jesus was not accused of being the Savior of the world; that presented no big threat to the devil. He was accused of being a King; and a King must have a kingdom!
Paul spoke often of the kingdom.
The kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. 1 Corinthians 4:2030 And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him,31 Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him. Acts 28:30-31
The only possible Scripture we are aware of for equating "being saved" with the kingdom of God is:
Who [God the Father] hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son. Colossians 1:13
However, the kingdom of His dear Son represents all those whom the Father has given to the Son; i.e., the Church. The Son, through the power of the Holy Ghost, then has the responsibility to bring many sons to glory ... to the kingdom of God, such that when His task is completed,
24 Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule and all authority and power.25 For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet.26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.27 For He hath put all things under His feet. But when He saith all things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted, which did put all things under Him.28 And when all things shall be subdued unto Him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto Him that put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
1 Corinthians 15:24-28
Do you find it strange, with all of the Scriptural emphasis on the kingdom of God in the New Testament, that we hear so little about it today? (Actually it is not so strange after all, because that is the work of the devil ... to keep believers ignorant and to keep them out of the kingdom of God, wherein the power of God can be manifested.) We have so limited God and His kingdom by our own limited thinking. Some would whittle Jesus down to fit into their particular denominational mold and then proclaim to the world that theirs is THE Church because they were like their own puny model. On March 26, 2006, the Holy Spirit quickened that there are many pastors who are genuine believers, love the Lord, and desire more of the Lord in their life and the life of believers in their church; but they are trying to fit more of the Lord into their own programs, doctrines, and organizational structure. Such, of course, will never happen.
We give our allegiance to small and passing things and so miss the joy and wonder of His great kingdom. Our allegiance is to family, business, denomination, entertainment, state, or country, each one confining us to a small divisive role. Jesus came with a citizenship so breathtakingly large and wonderful that we have not dared drop our little loyalties in order to grasp it. We are like little children clutching candy in our sticky fingers, reluctant to relinquish it, as we must, before we can receive the bicycle or the new coat that our parents hold out to us.
The message that Jesus preached when He was on earth was, repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. In the books of Mark, Luke, and John, the message preached was the kingdom of God. We believe that there is no real, substantial difference between the two. On earth, Jesus spoke in Aramaic, not Greek. When the New Testament was translated into Greek, Matthew elected to use the "kingdom of heaven," possibly because his gospel account was intended primarily for the Jews (although it certainly has a universal outlook). Further, the word "heaven" is frequently used as a figure of speech for God Himself. For example, the "prodigal son" said,
Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no longer worthy to be called thy son. Luke 15:21
God's Master Plan for man has been ready and waiting since before the foundation of the world! Waiting for the day when His Son Jesus would proclaim it; waiting for the day when men would believe in and accept it and their new King; when they would turn from their lives of sin and sickness, fear and failure, repent from their own will, and step up and live in the kingdom of God. Few people have caught the full significance of what Jesus offered to the world when He proclaimed, "The kingdom of heaven is at hand!" (Matthew 4:17). The kingdom of God is not reserved for some distant time and place when we all get to heaven! Jesus said,
20 The kingdom of God cometh not with observation:21 Neither shall they say, Lo here: or, lo there: for behold, the kingdom of God is within you. Luke 17:20-21
Few Christians have seen the glorious life, right here on earth and right now, that Jesus offers for those who accept, without any reservation, citizenship in the kingdom of God. Jesus commanded us to
Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Matthew 6:33
Some think of the kingdom of God as the beautiful land they hope to inherit after death. But to Jesus, the kingdom of God was/is not a place that men must physically or naturally die to attain. He died that they might attain citizenship in that kingdom, here on earth ... here and now! The kingdom begins on earth but continues throughout eternity in heaven.
When Jesus sent forth the twelve disciples, two by two, He commanded them to preach the kingdom.
7 And as ye go preach saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils; freely ye have received, freely give. Matthew 10:7-8
Out of Many, Few
13 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:14 Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. Matthew 7:13-14For many are called, but few are chosen. Matthew 22:14
We are not familiar with the Greek grammar, but the spiritual sense of the above verse is, "many are called, but few choose." We have free will both before and after we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. It is by our choices that we determine our destination.
How do we move from the "many" to the "few" as a Christian? The same way that the "prodigal son" did it! Everyone is familiar with that parable, recorded in Luke, Chapter 15. There may be some disagreement as to which of the two sons, the one who left or the one who stayed behind, was the REAL prodigal son. There are also some who would prefer to call this the parable of the Loving Father. In reality, it is a parable which exhibits the grace, mercy, and love of God.
To give a younger son his portion of the inheritance upon request was highly unusual. It was strange enough for the son to ask, but even more startling for the father to grant this request. This says that we need to be careful what we ask the Lord for because He may grant us our selfish desire. The son's motive becomes apparent when he departs, taking with him all his possessions and leaving nothing behind to come back to. He wants to be free of parental restraint and to spend his share of the family wealth as he pleases. This attitude is that of a carnal Christian who wants to do his own thing. The younger son said, give me. A carnal Christian is looking for what he can get from the Lord ... salvation for ME, the baptism in the Holy Ghost for ME, healing for ME, deliverance for ME, prophecy for ME, gifts of the Spirit for ME, prosperity for ME, position for ME, power for ME. The focus is all wrong! The younger son wasted his substance with riotous living. Everything he had received became wood, hay, and stubble because of his attitude. His heart was not right before God. The Lord sovereignly brought about a famine in that land to help to bring the younger son to his senses. The grace of God will go to no bounds in order to give us a chance to repent! When he obtained a worldly job in a far country of feeding swine, he suffered the ultimate indignity for a Jew; not only was the work distasteful, but pigs were "unclean" animals (Leviticus 11:7). Please note that even though the younger son wasted all of his inheritance by doing his own thing, he was still a son! Further, the father never went to look for his son.
As a result, the younger son repented, returned to his father, and said, father, make me as one of thy hired servants. Not my will but Thy will be done. Even the ordinary slave was in a sense a member of the family. A hired servant was the lowest class of a slave. The hired servant could be dismissed at a day's notice. Please note that when the son came back, his father was so overjoyed to see him that he never gave his son a chance to ask to be a servant.
Out of Few, One
41 And Jesus answered and said unto her, Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things:42 But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. Luke 10:41-42
Jesus did not explicitly tell Martha what that ONE thing is. Paul said,
13 Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before,14 I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Philippians 3:13-14Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is one Lord. Deuteronomy 6:4
The Hebrew word translated as "one" means a compound unity or one made up of others. Many verses speak of the Trinity of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In Ephesians 4:4-6 the one body is His body; the one hope is His hope; the one faith is His faith; the one baptism is His baptism! We believers try to change those verses to read MY body, MY hope, MY faith, and MY baptism. Most doctrinal errors arise when we try to interpret Scripture from our perspective, as it relates to us, independent of Jesus.
The Kingdom of God Defined
Now let us turn to an apparent definition of the kingdom of God. We say "apparent" because it is not possible to define Him Who is not definable. He exceeds our capacity even to think of Him.
For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. Romans 14:17
Thus the kingdom of God is in the realm of the Spirit. In reality, we define the kingdom of God to be Christ, for the will of God is done only in and through Christ. The early disciples, after Jesus rose from the dead, but before Pentecost, were still looking in the natural realm for a political Messiah (Acts 1:6). They still had little understanding.
The order in Scripture is always significant. First comes righteousness, then peace, then joy in the Holy Ghost.
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. Isaiah 32:1740 He that receiveth you receiveth Me, and he that receiveth Me receiveth Him that sent Me.41 He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.42 And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his reward. Matthew 10:40-42
Note that Verse 41 does not say that "he that receives the prophecies of a prophet" shall receive a prophet's reward. The Verse speaks of receiving the person of a prophet. A man (human being) and his outward ministry are inseparable.
God never forgets those who are kind to His people! God never forgets those who receive those whom He sends. What is a righteous man's reward? Peace! There is no peace to the wicked. What is a prophet's reward? Joy in the Holy Ghost! Scripturally, as well as historically and experientially, one of the by-products of being a prophet is suffering. But suffering in Scripture is always followed close behind by joy in the Holy Ghost and glory.
Fear not little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luke 12:32
The "little flock" in the verse above is the same Greek word as "these little ones" in Matthew 10:42 and Matthew 18:6. Some have suggested that the "little" refers to little in numbers, because "many are called but few are chosen"; and "because strait is the gate and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." Although that may be true, we believe that the "little flock" refers to those who are little in their own sight. The name, "Paul," means "little." Paul indeed was little in his own sight. He said that he was "less than the least of all saints" (Ephesians 3:8).
But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word. Isaiah 66:2b
The Gospel Applied
What does the kingdom mean for us personally? What must its citizens believe and do? What does the kingdom promise that the average Christian has not yet inherited? What would the kingdom do for the world that the Church has not done?
Citizens of the kingdom of God must obey God rather than men (Acts 5:29). They must put allegiance to Jesus and His people everywhere above loyalty to denomination, state, or nation. Christ, alone, is King. When He speaks, His subjects must obey, no matter what their lesser loyalties might demand. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that His citizens hear His voice. Likewise, the major function that any minister can ever attain to is to help other believers to hear the voice of the Lord for himself. The function of any minister is also to minister themselves out of a "job" (Ephesians 4:11-13). That is a sharp contrast to some ministers who try to perpetuate their position as head pastor of a "church."
A citizen of the kingdom renders unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's but renders unto God the things that are God's (Matthew 22:21). He is "in the world" but not "of the world." His citizenship is in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Jesus said,
31 If ye continue in My word, then are ye My disciples indeed;32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. John 8:31-32
Note the "If" in Verse 31. We have heard many ministers misquote Verse 32 as, "And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." But we were set free by accepting the atoning work of Christ when he died at Calvary on the cross. We are made free by continuing in His word ... by allowing the cross to work in our life.
For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
Note that the preaching of the cross working in the lives of those who are already "saved" or "born again" is the power of God, which enables us to enter the kingdom of God.
A citizen of the kingdom need never worry about un-employment. His concern is not to make money, but to serve his King and his fellow men. If he does that, God has promised to provide all his need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:19).
Citizenship in the kingdom frees the Christian from covetousness, for in the kingdom he owns nothing ... he and all he possesses belong to God and the kingdom. Citizenship frees the Christian from worldliness. Jesus never instructed His disciples to "tithe." Rather, He said to sell all that we have.
32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupteth.34 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Luke 12:32-34
Why can't men "see" the kingdom? Why do they cling to their little loyalties that set man against God, church against church, race against race? Because of ignorance, traditions of men, and their heart is not right before God.
2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;3 The great temptation which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:4 Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. Deuteronomy 29:2-4
The Lord told Isaiah,
9 Go and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not.10 Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed. Isaiah 6:9-10
What the Lord told Isaiah to do and say, above, does not "fit" with the typical Christian's concept of a God who is love. But God is also the God of judgment. Because the people had continually rebelled against the word of the Lord, they received the recompence of their actions. That directive was to be reversed through Paul. When the Lord apprehended Paul, He said,
16 But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee;17 Delivering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,18 To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in Me. Acts 26:16-18
From our experience, the kingdom of God seldom has been taught. A few have caught the vision and have been working as ambassadors of the kingdom. But the Church frowns on such open-hearted world-wide loyalty. It threatens their hold upon the "members" of their own "fold." As long as we reject (knowingly or unknowingly) the kingdom with its absolute and final allegiance to our King, Jesus Christ, we will continue to search fruitlessly for a way to live in happiness and peace. We will remain slaves to our lesser loyalties and small conceptions of what it means to be a "Christian."
When Christians begin to take the kingdom of God seriously, the world will begin to take Christians seriously, and we, like Paul and the early Church, will begin to "turn the world upside down" (Acts 17:6).
Outworking of the Kingdom of God
First and foremost, the kingdom of God builds character ... the character of Christ. That character includes righteousness, goodness, truth, humility, meekness, a purity of heart, a penitent spirit, faithfulness, peace, responsibility, honesty, love, joy, temperance, maturity, liberality to others, and obedience, among others. To touch briefly on all of these characteristics would take volumes. Below, we mention a few other thoughts.
The Church Will Be in One Accord
May we suggest that if every member of the true Church identifies with Christ in every aspect: in His baptism, His suffering, His death, His resurrection, His intercession, His weeping over Jerusalem, His will to do the Father's will, His zeal to do only the works that He sees the Father doing, His zeal to speak only the words that He hears from His Father, His compassion for the lost, etc., then of necessity the Church must be in one accord.
Five times in John, Chapter 17, Jesus prayed that we (the Church) might be one, even as the Father and the Son are one. Jesus, in those verses (John 17:11, 21, 22, and 23) also told us why He prayed that we might be one, or in one accord:
(1) that the world may believe that the Father hast sent the Son (John 17:21); and
(2) they we may be made perfect in one (John 17:23).
One result of being in one accord (which does not speak of doctrine) is that the Lord will add to the Church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14, 11:24). We do not have to "beat the bushes" or knock on doors to try to convert one soul. That is true evangelism.
Led by the Spirit
One result of being in one accord (which does not speak of doctrine) is that the Lord will add to the Church daily such as should be saved (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14, 11:24). We do not have to "beat the bushes" or knock on doors to try to convert one soul. That is true evangelism.
Led by the Spirit
17 And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased.1 Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. Matthew 3:17, 4:1
The Spirit not only led Him into the wilderness but guided Him when He was there.
And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness. Luke 4:1
Immediately after His anointing as Messiah, "the second man" (1 Corinthians 15:47), "the last Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45), must be tried like "the first man Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45, 47), and in the same three ways (1 John 2:16 and Genesis 3:6). There were two sets of three temptations, under different circumstances, with different words and expressions, and, in a different order in Matthew 4 from that in Luke 4. Thus Jesus was tempted six times as a Man, the number six being symbolic of man.
The first man, Adam, was in the garden when his trial came. Because of his disobedience, he died and was banished to the wilderness. The trial of the last Adam, Jesus Christ, was in the wilderness, and His agony in a garden. Because of His obedience, He was resurrected and glorified. When Israel came out of Egypt they were fed with manna and were disobedient. Christ hungered after His temptations but was obedient.
Get Out of That Comfort Zone!
When Jesus came to the earth as a Man, He set aside His full glory for a season. He had to experience everything that you and I experience ... the temptations, the disappointments, the hunger, the physical tiredness. He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. He learned obedience (as a Man) by the things that He suffered. His greatest suffering came when, just before His death at Calvary, He experienced a separation from the Father; because He who knew no sin became sin for us and sin was crucified in the flesh. In a sense He willingly got out of His comfort zone of sitting at the right hand of God for a season ... all for you and me! Through it all He always depended on and trusted the Father. It is by His faith in the Father that we now live.
We believe that any Christian who is indeed led by the Spirit will inevitably be led into places and circumstances where they have no idea what to do or say. That is because we must all learn to totally depend upon the Holy Spirit to guide us. The verse below is intended for every Christian who is serious about his walk with the Lord.
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes; Isaiah 54:2
Why should we enlarge the place of our tent, stretch forth the curtains of our habitations, and lengthen our cords? So that we, out of necessity, must cry out, "Help, Lord!" We have not walked this way before; we must trust in the Lord. He is faithful, but we must step out of our comfort zone.
We suspect that most Christians (as well as non-believers) rather enjoy that comfort zone. We have jobs with which we are comfortable. We have a nice car to take us to the same places every day. We have a place to live with which we are comfortable. We eat the same types of food with which we are comfortable. We read the same types of books and magazines. We watch the same types of television shows. We "go to a church" with which we are very comfortable. We can sit in the same place, sing some nice songs, smile at the same people, stand up and sit down at the same times during the service, listen to a similar sermon from the same pastor each week, and go back home with the same, warm, fuzzy feeling that we have done our same duty. We do not like anything or anyone who tries to get us out of our comfort zone. We are indeed creatures of habit. We do not like change of any kind.
25 And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them, walking on the sea.26 And when the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for fear.27 But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer; it is I; be not afraid.28 And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be Thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.29 And He said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.30 But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.31 And immediately Jesus stretched forth His hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?32 And when they were come into the ship, the wind ceased. Matthew 14:25-32
Undoubtedly a multitude of "sermons" have been preached on the above Verses. In effect, Jesus bade Peter to get out of the boat or to get out of his comfort zone. However, we need to be careful here. Jesus was not telling all believers to go and literally walk on water. The key to "walking on water" is in Verse 29. When the Lord tells us to "come" then we can do whatever He says. Those Verses are another example of the critical need to hear the voice of the Lord for our self.
Many years ago a local elder announced, in an elders' meeting, that he was discontinuing a meeting in his home. He said that the same people came every week, they sat in the same chairs, sang the same songs, went through the same routine (opening prayer, three fast songs, three slow songs, wait for the prophecies, someone shares a word, and then a chair in the middle for anyone who wanted prayer, followed by a time of fellowship or perhaps socialization). But nothing was happening except believers were going around the same mountain every week. So why have the meeting? More importantly, how does the Lord look at all of this?
Woe to them that are at ease in Zion, and trust in the mountain of Samaria, which are named chief of the nations, to whom the house of Israel came! Amos 6:1Moab hath been at ease from his youth, and he hath settled on his lees, and hath not been emptied from vessel to vessel, neither hath he gone into captivity: therefore his taste remained in him, and his scent is not changed. Jeremiah 48:11And it shall come to pass at that time, that I will search Jerusalem with candles, and punish the men that are settled on their lees: that say in their heart, The LORD will not do good, neither will he do evil. Zephaniah 1:12
One of the most sobering words in the Bible are in a parable that Jesus spoke.
24 Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gathering where thou hast not strawed:25 And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.26 His lord answered and said unto him, Thou wicked and slothful servant, thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not, and gather where I have not strawed:27 Thou oughtest therefore to have put my money to the exchangers, and then at my coming I should have received mine own with usury.28 Take therefore the talent from him, and give it unto him which hath ten talents.29 For unto every one that hath shall be given, and he shall have abundance: but from him that hath not shall be taken away even that which he hath.30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. Matthew 25:24-30
We dare not try to maintain the status quo! Actually, as a believer, there is no such thing as the status quo. Either we are daily pressing into the kingdom of God or we are not. We are either dying daily to self or we are not. Paul said,
I protest by your rejoicing which I have in Christ Jesus our Lord, I die daily.
1 Corinthians 15:31
Do you remember how excited you became when the Lord first apprehended you? You wanted to go out and tell everybody about the good news you first experienced. Do you remember the zeal you had when you began to experience new things in a Christian fellowship? You were baptized in the Holy Spirit, you heard some wonderful new truths at "church," you met a new set of wonderful, like-minded believers, you learned some new spiritual songs that delighted your soul. Did you know that every day with Jesus is sweeter than the day before? Did you know that you can maintain that same excitement and zeal in your spirit, even after 40 years of being a believer? But to experience that we must take a step of faith outside of our comfort zone. Jesus said,
17 But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues;18 And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for My sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.19 But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.20 For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. Matthew 10:17-20
His Will Becomes My Will
Every person is born with a will, which is part of our soul. We have what is called "free will," which means that we can do whatsoever we desire. We can choose to do our own will or we can, by the power of the Holy Ghost, do the will of the Father. Scripture is abundantly clear that Jesus, when he walked the face of the earth as a man, likewise had a will of His own. He prayed,
38 My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me.39 And He went a little farther, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt. Matthew 26:38-39
Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of Him That sent Me, and to finish His work. John 4:34I can of Mine own Self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and My judgment is just; because I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father Which hath sent Me. John 5:30For I came down from heaven, not to do Mine own will, but the will of Him That sent Me. John 6:38If any man will do His will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of Myself. John 7:17
Rest
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made.3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made. Genesis 2:2-3
Although the word "Sabbath" is not used above, the Hebrew verb translated "rested" is the origin of the noun "Sabbath." Exodus 20:11 quotes the first half of Verse 3, above, but substitutes "Sabbath" for "seventh," clearly equating the two. The first record of obligatory Sabbath observance is of Israel on her way from Egypt to Sinai (Exodus 16). According to Nehemiah 9:13-14 the Sabbath was not an official covenant obligation until the giving of the law at Mount Sinai.
Watchman Nee, in his book, "Assembling Together," page 75, says:
Nowhere in the Bible can we find a Christian Sabbath day, for these two are contradictory. If we are Christians, then there is no Sabbath. If there is a Sabbath, then we are not Christians. The Sabbath belongs to the Old Testament. In the New Testament it has passed away.
Although his statements perhaps seem rather blunt and harsh, they are true. Our Sabbath is not a day but a Person! the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Sabbath in the Old Testament is but a type. With the coming of the reality (the Lord Jesus Christ), the type has passed away. The Sabbath, like animal sacrifice, has passed away. The gospel has come. We, as believers in Christ, have entered into rest through the gospel. Jesus Christ is the gospel! He is our Sabbath! He is our rest! Through the gospel, that is through and in Christ, we are enabled to rest from all of our works. Only after entering into this rest can we rise up to serve.
1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.2 For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.
3 For we which have believed do enter into rest, as He said, As I have sworn in My wrath, if they shall enter into My rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.4 For He spake in a certain place of the seventh day on this wise, And God did rest the seventh day from all His works.5 And in this place again, If they shall enter into My rest.6 Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein, and they to whom it was first preached entered not in because of unbelief,7 Again He limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said, To day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts.8 For if Jesus had given them rest, then would not He afterward have spoken of another day.9 There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God.10 For he that is entered into His rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His.11 Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief. Hebrews 4:1-11
The rest which God calls us to enter is not our rest, but His rest, which He invites us to share, through and in Christ.
1 If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.2 Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.3 For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3
The Scripture says that "we are dead." If that be true, and of course it is true, then we can rest in peace while this mortal body is still alive in time.
Jesus only "did" that which He saw His Father doing. It is NOT acceptable to do good works simply because we see a need. There is no rest in works of the flesh.
25 But I tell you of a truth, many widows were in Israel in the days of Elias, when the heaven was shut up three years and six months, when great famine was throughout all the land;26 But unto none of them was Elias sent, save unto Sarepta, a city of Sidon, unto a woman that was a widow.27 And many lepers were in Israel in the time of Eliseus the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, saving Naaman the Syrian. Luke 4:25-27
Note from the above that many widows and many lepers were in Israel at that time, but none of the rest were healed. In both cases the Lord sent His prophet all the way out of the country to what represents a heathen nation.
The Lord asks the question, "Where is the place of My rest?" The rest is in Christ! Christ is the rest of God! That does not mean that we never "do" anything. It simply means that we only "do" the works that have been foreordained for us to walk in from before the foundation of the world. Like Jesus, we only "do" the works that we see our Father doing. Jesus said,
I must work the works of Him That sent Me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. John 9:4I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. John 17:4
Therefore, for a Christian who is abiding in the Vine, there is an apparent paradox, which is no paradox at all, of resting while working.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. 1 Corinthians 15:58
The work of the Lord is His work, not my work. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Praise God! May we all enter into His rest as we do only the works He has ordained for us! And may His kingdom come and His will be done in earth as it is in heaven!
Chapter 12: The Antidote to the Denominational Spirit: The Preaching of the Cross
"God is not looking for brilliant men, is not depending upon eloquent men, is not shut up to the use of talented men in sending His Gospel out in the world. God is looking for the broken men who have judged themselves in the light of the Cross of Christ. When He wants anything done, He takes up men who have come to the end of themselves, whose confidence is not in themselves, but in God." - H.A. Ironside"Though the cross of Christ has been beautified by the poet and the artist, the avid seeker after God is likely to find it the same savage implement of destruction it was in the days of old. The way of the cross is still the pain-wracked path to spiritual power and fruitfulness. So do not seek to hide from it. Do not accept an easy way. Do not allow yourself to be patted to sleep in a comfortable church, void of power and barren of fruit. Do not paint the cross nor deck it with flowers. Take it for what it is, as it is, and you will find it the rugged way to death and life. Let it slay you utterly." - A. W. TozerFor the preaching of the cross is to them that perish [are perishing] foolishness; but unto us which are saved [being saved] it is the power of God. 1 Corinthians 1:18
The third antidote to the denominational spirit is the preaching of the cross. This does not speak of Calvary. Every person who claims to be a Christian knows that Jesus died on the cross at Calvary for you and me and for all who will accept that marvelous atoning work. This refers to the working and purpose of the cross in the life of believers. What is that purpose? Christ in you, the hope of glory! Paul, by the Spirit, said,
24 Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for His body's sake, which is the church:25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God;26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to His saints:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to His working, which worketh in me mightily. Colossians 1:24-29
We believe that the Cross is the central and most important work of God. Praise the Lord, that is true! But we must remember that the Cross is a means to an end, not an end in itself. The Divine means is the Cross, but the Divine end is the (fully matured) Body. Romans, Chapter 12, is one of the preeminent sets of verses about the Body. However, we need to include the last four verses of Romans, Chapter 11 to keep everything in context.
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out!34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His counsellor?35 Or who hath first given to Him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again?36 For of Him, and through Him, and to Him, are all things: to Whom be glory for ever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.3 For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.4 For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office:5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
Romans 12:1-8
This is something in the very heart of God, and the Christ of God was anointed to bring it about. It is called a mystery, which was kept secret since the world began, but is now made manifest and made known to all nations (Romans 16:25-26). We need to look to find the difference between our conception of salvation and the Divine conception of salvation; between our thought about the Cross and God's thought about the Cross.
God did not set Himself to save us, and to give us spiritual experiences like deliverance and victory in life, personal holiness, etc., just so that we could be thousands and myriads of individual Christians. The Lord never intended that Christians should be single units.
Salvation is in terms of the Body; having personal holiness is in terms of the Body; having the power of the Spirit is in terms of the Body. The Divine thought is one Man, not a host of small men. It is one Man ... the Lord Jesus Himself and His people making up one Man before God. The whole thought of God is centered in the Christ, and we are in Him. It is not only a question of the Head, but also of the Body. We begin as an individual, but we must end as a member in the Body. God will take nothing less than that. The Cross is for that ... for that corporate Body, that corporate Christ. We become part of Christ; we become partakers of Christ. It is not just a matter of the doctrine of the Body. Even the Vatican in Rome teaches that. They believe in one church because they say the Body is one; but they have their own head, which is not the true Christ.
The Body of Christ is Christ! So the Head is the Christ and the Body is the Christ. Both are the Christ ... the Head and the Body. Everything that comes from Christ constitutes the Body. Anything that does not come from Christ can never get into the Body and must be ruled out.
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12
That is where the Cross comes in; that is the reason why we emphasize the Cross. The Cross is the practical outworking, and the principle of the Cross is the only Divine means of ruling out anything that is of our self ... anything that can never stay in the Body. So the Lord deals with us in many ways in many things of our self lives. By things we do not mean to say sins, which would be too low of a level. We can never bring into the Body the things of ourselves ... our temperament, our emotions, our make-up, our self-will, etc. God will touch us there.
Some have very keen brains (we sometimes call them intellectuals). But the keenness of our brains will never give us a better mastery of the Word of God so that we can be better ministers. Our intellectual training from a fine seminary or even a Bible college will not do either. That will provide only dead knowledge, whereas some little old lady, sitting at the back of the meeting, without much of a worldly education, knows something of the Lord. You may be a pastor or a minister, but you find that there is something more of Christ in that little old lady than there is in you. How many of us need salvation from our head and mind ... salvation with a helmet! Our natural ability, our natural power, has nothing to do with the Body; it has to be crucified. The strength of our own nature must be broken. It has nothing to do with the Body.
Without the sound of a hammer, God is building today, a house to dwell in (the Body of Christ), forever to stay! Whatever is of me must go. The Cross points me straight on to the Body, and the Cross keeps me cleansed from anything that is natural, anything that is from Adam. We have nothing to be proud of.
19 For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding of the prudent.20 Where is the wise? where is the scribe? where is the disputer of this world? hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?21 For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe.22 For the Jews require a sign, and the Greeks seek after wisdom:23 But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness;24 But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God.25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men; and the weakness of God is stronger than men.26 For ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:27 But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty;28 And the base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are:29 That no flesh should glory in His presence.30 But of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, Who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:31 That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.
1 Corinthians 1:19-31
Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. Romans 6:6For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2:2I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me. Galatians 2:20And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. Galatians 5:24But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. Galatians 6:14
Chapter 13: What Then Must We Do?
Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do? Acts 2:37And he [Paul] trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do? Acts 9:6And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? Acts 16:30And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. Acts 22:10
Peter seeing him saith to Jesus, Lord, and what shall this man do? John 21:21And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Luke 18:18
The human nature of man is to "do." Men are always looking for the answer to, "What shall I do?" When Saul of Tarsus was first apprehended by the Lord, he asked that same question (Acts 22:10). God's people have usually been concerned with what we must "do" only when circumstances seem difficult, critical, or urgent. Because the Church in America today sees nothing critical or urgent, we are very lukewarm concerning what we must do. For the most part, the Church still enjoys apparent prosperity and blessings, so why rock the boat? Some say that we need to move on in the Spirit and that this is no time for business as usual; nevertheless, the actions of the church, particularly by the leaders of the Church, make it clear that business as usual is just fine. Let us keep everybody happy, keep the money coming in, preach feel-good messages, just love everybody, all is well, etc.
Contemporary Christians tend to be predictable traditionalists merely tweaking the methods and means that they have been taught and trained to use. Typically speaking, the contemporary Christian is too busy to spend time with God in order to bask in His glorious presence, too busy to study the word of God in order to know the mind of God, too busy to have altar time with God to be consumed by holy fire, and too busy running from the demands of God to be running with God, knowing the miraculous will of God. Many contemporary Christians lack the vision and passion to build the Kingdom of God. Rather, they build the "Chapel of Self." (Author unknown)
What, specifically, is the Lord waiting on us, the Church (or at least a remnant), to do in this hour? Let us start by describing what, we believe, the Lord is not waiting on us to do. However, according to your faith, be it unto you. We believe that the Lord is not waiting on us to get involved with worldly politics. We believe that the Lord is not waiting for us to build more churches out of brick and stone. We believe that the Lord is not waiting for us to knock on more doors, hand out more tracts, and preach on more street corners, in an effort to "save" the lost. (There will always be those who do that, but that is not priority one on the Lord's timetable. We must preach the gospel with our life. Words mean little to the unsaved today, and very little to charismatics.) The Lord never said to "go out and get them saved." He said (to the apostles) go and make disciples. There is a big difference between being saved and being a disciple. Neither do we believe that the Lord is waiting for us to present more good teachings. We also do not believe that the Lord is waiting on us to "jack up" our faith so we can receive more of His blessings and prosperity.
Finally (although there are many more attempts of the flesh to please God, none of which will "work"), we respectfully disagree with the growing number of would-be and pseudo "prophets" who warn us to prepare in the natural realm for the coming disasters in the United States. An increasing number of "big names" and "wanna-be big names" tell us to store up several month's worth of food and water and plan where to go when nuclear attacks come. They also tell us to keep our gas tanks in our cars full because we may have to travel some distance to escape the coming disasters. In other words, those "big names" tell us to carefully design our disaster recovery plan. A disaster recovery plan in the natural realm cuts across the spirit of my Bible. Do we live by the faith of the Son of God or do we live by our natural, logical reasoning? Jesus said,
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. Matthew 6:19-20
What about the poor widow woman who cast into the treasury two mites, which was all that she had, even all of her living (Mark 12:42-44)? Do you think that the Lord did not provide for her after that sacrifice? Did she have to beg for food to stay alive after that?
What about the widow woman in the time of Elijah (1 Kings 17:10-24) who only had a handful of meal and a little oil in a cruise? Because she was willing to give it to Elijah to eat, the barrel of meal did not waste, neither did the cruise of oil fail until the Lord sent rain upon the earth.
What about the woman in the days of Elisha (2 Kings 4:1-7) who had lost her husband and was about to lose her two sons to the creditors to be bondmen, because she could not pay her debts? As long as we pour out our oil into empty vessels, the oil will keep flowing just like Elisha and the widow. As long as they sought empty vessels there was oil. When they stopped seeking empty vessels, the oil stopped.
Furthermore, consider the following.
16 A little that a righteous man hath is better than the riches of many wicked.17 For the arms of the wicked shall be broken: but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.18 The Lord knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever.19 They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied. Psalm 37:16-19
Instead of planning on how to preserve our life in the coming days of famine, we do much better to concentrate on maintaining the righteousness of God within us. For if we do that, then the Lord promises that we will be satisfied in the days of famine.
In summary, do you want to trust yourself to provide for you, or do you want to trust the Lord to provide for you? My Bible says,
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek): for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof. Matthew 6:31-34
Yes, we are aware that the Lord used Joseph to store up food for seven years in Egypt in order to preserve life for His people. But that was a "rhema" word to Joseph, not a "logos" word to every one of God's people. In the final analysis, "Whatsoever He says to you, do it." But be very careful with trying to implement what man says to you.
Christian men frequently look for a "cause" to which they can give themselves. Some have a cause to stand on street corners and hand out Christian tracts. Others have a cause to serve in a soup kitchen. Still others have a cause to go around and knock on doors and ask the residents, "Are you saved?" The different types of causes are virtually unlimited. We would never even think about being judgmental about any of the various causes. Each person must answer to the Lord when it comes to, "what then must we do?" At the most fundamental level, we are all unique and God created us for a purpose. That purpose is to glorify God. But what does that mean? Jesus answered that question in John 17 when He said,
I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest Me to do. John 17:4
In Scripture, we need to pay close attention to the use of a colon. What follows a colon always explains or amplifies what has just preceded. Therefore Jesus glorified the Father on the earth by completing the work which the Father had given to Him. As long as we, as believers, fulfill the purpose for which we were created, then we all receive the same reward. John the Baptist likewise fulfilled the work given to him to do.
And as John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? I am not He. But, behold, there cometh One after me, Whose shoes of His feet I am not worthy to loose. Acts 13:25
Paul said the same thing.
But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. Acts 20:24
Now let us consider what Jesus said to a multitude of people (including His disciples).
And why call ye Me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Luke 6:46
Was Jesus saying that we need to do some things? If so, what things?
35 Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question, tempting Him, and saying,36 Master, which is the great commandment in the law?37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.38 This is the first and great commandment.39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.
Matthew 22:35-40
The words in the above verses that Jesus spoke are taken from three different sets of verses in Deuteronomy, in the Old Testament.
12 And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear the LORD thy God, to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul,13 To keep the commandments of the LORD, and His statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good? Deuteronomy 10:12-135 And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.6 And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: Deuteronomy 6:5-65 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live. Deuteronomy 30:5-6
Let us note two things. First, the verses in Deuteronomy were given as commandments, under the law. They speak of, "Thou shall do this and thou shall not do that." No man, except Jesus, was ever or is ever to keep the law. Also note the progression from the verses in Deuteronomy 10 to those in Deuteronomy 6 to those in Deuteronomy 30. The progression is from "thou shall do this" to "these words shall be in your heart" to "the LORD thy God will circumcise your heart so that you will be able to love Him with all of your heart and soul." The verses in Deuteronomy are forward looking to the New Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the verses are a commandment; under the New Covenant, the verses are a promise ... you really will love the Lord with all of your heart and soul and mind (provided you simply allow the Lord to work that love within you).
Second, none of the verses in Deuteronomy speak of "loving thy neighbor as thyself." Further, we cannot find one verse in the Old Testament which says that we are to love our neighbor as our self. Why did Jesus add that "second" commandment? Catholics, as well as many Protestant Evangelicals, are very strong on feeding the poor, on helping our neighbor in natural ways.
No amount of "loving our neighbor" will ever get us to the place where we love the Lord our God with all of heart, and soul, and mind. It only works the other way. Whenever we allow the Holy Spirit to work within us the nature of God, Who is love, then by default we will also love our neighbor as our self. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son ..." (John 3:16).
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God Whom he hath not seen?
1 John 4:20For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church: Ephesians 5:29Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
John 15:13
Who Is Waiting For Whom? To Do What?
A few years ago in one session of an "intercessor" conference, the woman conducting the conference stated that she sensed that there were a number of believers present who seemed to be waiting for the Lord to do something in their life. She said, "If that is true of you, please come forward because I want to pray for you." At least 80% of those present went forward to be prayed for. I elected not to do so because I saw (and see) something different, based upon the following verses (and others).
18 And therefore will the Lord wait, that He may be gracious unto you, and therefore will He be exalted, that He may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for Him.19 For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: He will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when He shall hear it, He will answer thee.20 And though the Lord give you the bread of adversity, and the water of affliction, yet shall not thy teachers be removed into a corner any more, but thine eyes shall see thy teachers:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left. Isaiah 30:18-21
In the first part of Verse 18, the Lord is waiting; in the last part of the verse, we wait for Him. Now the question arises, who is waiting on whom? If I am waiting for you and you are waiting for me, we have a stalemate ... nothing happens. As in all Scripture, the order is significant. The Lord is first of all waiting for us to do something because He has already made available to us all things in Christ. What is He waiting for us to do? Clean up democracy? Give Easter baskets to the poor? Or does He have something greater in mind? If we do not know the Lord, He is waiting for us to repent of our sins and ask Him to come into our heart and be our Lord and Savior. If we already know the Lord, He is waiting for us to cease from our own carnal ways and works, rest in Him, do the will of God, and walk in the works which He has prepared for us before the foundation of the world; in other words to press into the fullness of the kingdom of God.
We must understand that the Lord is omnipresent and omnipotent, but not simply to do good things for us. We exist for His pleasure, not the other way around. He is also much more interested in our character than our comfort or our works. Furthermore, the Lord waits patiently for the fruit of the Spirit to be made manifest in our life. After we do His will, walk in the Spirit, and walk in His ways, then we wait for Him.
Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until He receive the early and latter rain. James 5:7For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise. Hebrews 10:36Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord. Psalm 27:141 Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation.5 My soul, wait thou only upon God; for my expectation is from Him.
Psalm 62:1, 5I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Psalm 40:1
25 The Lord is good unto them that wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him.26 It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord. Lamentations 3:25-26Therefore wait ye upon Me, saith the Lord, until the day that I rise up to the prey: for My determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all My fierce anger: for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. Zephaniah 3:819 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.23 And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. Romans 8:19, 23
The following verses describe the omnipotence of the Lord and how He will empower those who wait for Him. That power is in the Holy Ghost. Waiting for the Lord does not mean that we sit back and do nothing. It means that we trust in Him, hope in Him, and look solely to Him.
28 Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of His understanding.29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength [for defense].30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:31 But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength [to endure]; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. Isaiah 40:28-31
Those who wait upon the Lord are promised four sure results: we shall (1) renew our strength (or rather, renew strength, because it is not our strength but His strength within us); (2) mount up with wings as eagles; (3) run and not be weary; and (4) walk and not faint. As always, the order is significant. At first glance, logical reasoning would say that maturity in Christ means we walk first, then run, then mount up as eagles and soar in the sky. But the Holy Ghost never makes a mistake. God is very orderly. The order is correct as stated. What the Lord is after as an end product is that we are able to walk with Him on a daily basis, as did Enoch.
Isaiah 30:19 says the Lord will be very gracious unto us when He hears our cry.
Who hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children. Isaiah 66:8
Clearly, (spiritual) Zion (and certainly not Jerusalem or Judah) has not yet travailed. Jerusalem and Judah are not aware of the need to travail. The Book of Joel says (twice), "Blow the trumpet in Zion." That is because only Zion has ears to hear the trumpet call.
Note in Isaiah 30:20 that the word, "though," is italicized and therefore does not appear in the Hebrew text. Therefore, Verse 20 should be translated as, "The Lord will give you affliction [as] bread and adversity [as] water." Why? so that Zion might travail. This is the day that "thy teachers" have been removed into a corner. They have little of substance to say. We believe that the Lord is not pleased when a pastor re-hashes 40-year old manna.
But let us be much more specific than that. Again, what, specifically, is the Lord waiting on us, the Church, to do in this hour? We all know the verse,
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16
The love of God is unconditional; His love is simply based upon His nature, for it is His nature to love the world. After all, He created the world and mankind; He said it was good and very good. Why should He not love that which He has created? Most normal parents love their own children. How much more so does God love His children! When we accept that unconditional love of God, as demonstrated by the sacrifice of Jesus at Calvary, we enter into the initial stage of salvation. Most would say that then we are saved or perhaps "born again." As long as we do not repent of accepting His unconditional love, we will "go to heaven" one day.
However, everything after that initial acceptance of what Jesus has done for us is conditional! It is conditional upon what we "do." That is the difference between being saved and the kingdom of God. Have you ever noticed the little word, "then," in Scripture? The word "then" occurs about 2,200 times in the Bible and is usually preceded by another little word, "if." One of the more widely known "If ... then" scriptures is,
If My People, which are called by My name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land. 2 Chronicles 7:14
The above verse, written some 3,000 years ago, is timeless and just as applicable today as when it was written. Does our land in America need healing? Perhaps the most certain event on the Lord's timetable is the imminent judgment of God upon not only the United States, but also the Church. This judgment has slowly but surely increased in the last ten years. Do we need forgiveness of our sin? Do we need the Lord to hear us? Then we, the Church, need to do four things. Did anyone say that their ways are not wicked? What is wicked in the mind of God is not necessarily wicked in our minds. Does God consider us doing our own thing as being wicked? Does God consider as wicked all of the contentions, divisions, strife, vain imaginations, merchandising of the gospel, and on and on?
Leonard Ravenhill, a well-known and respected 20th century revivalist said:
Oh God send us prophetic preaching that searches and scorches! Send us a race of Martyr-preachers - men burdened, bent, bowed and broken under the vision of impending judgment and the unending hell of the impenitent ...Preachers make pulpits famous; prophets make prisons famous. May the Lord send us prophets - terrible men, who cry aloud and spare not, who sprinkle nations with unctionized woes - men too hot to hold, to hard to be heard, to merciless to spare ...We are tired of men in soft raiment and softer in speech who use rivers of words with but a smidgen of unction. These know more about competition than consecration, about promotion than prayer. They substitute propaganda for propagation and care more for their church's happiness than holiness ... (From "Why Revival Tarries").
A. W. Tozer, another highly respected 20th century revivalist, said:
If Christianity is to receive a rejuvenation, it must be by other means than any now being used. If the Church in the second half of this century is to recover from the injuries she suffered in the first half, there must appear a new type of preacher. The proper, ruler-of-the-synagogue type will never do. Neither will the priestly type of man who carries out his duties, takes his pay and asks no questions, nor the smooth-talking pastoral type who knows how to make the Christian religion acceptable to everyone. All these have been tried and found wanting. Another kind of religious leader must arise among us. He must be of the old prophet type, a man who has seen visions of God and has heard a voice from the Throne. When he comes (and I pray God there will be not one but many), he will stand in flat contradiction to everything our smirking, smooth civilization holds dear. He will contradict, renounce and protest in the name of God and will earn the hatred and opposition of a large segment of Christendom. Such a man is likely to be lean, rugged, blunt-spoken and a little bit angry with the world. He will love Christ and the souls of men to the point of willingness to die for the glory of the One and the salvation of the other. But he will fear nothing that breathes with mortal breath. ("The Size of the Soul," pages 128-129).
The Two Keys (on the part of Christian man)
Now what, specifically, has the Lord called us to do? The answer has been clearly written in Scripture in several places for more than 2000 years ... before what we call the New Testament was ever written. The answer has always been in the Book of Joel. No one knows who wrote that Book; neither does anyone know when it was written. That is because the Lord is raising up "nobodies" in these end times to be used as deliverers (Obadiah 21). The Book of Joel, which is therefore timeless, contains, from Joel 1:1 through Joel 2:17, both a description of the Church today and what the Lord wants us to do about it. Please read particularly Joel 1:8 through Joel 2:17, which represent the "If." The "then" follows in Joel 2:18. If we "do" those things described in Joel 1:8-2:17 then the Lord will do everything else. Note that from Joel 2:18 through the end of the book, there is no mention of anything that we must do. It is all the Lord's doing and it is marvelous in our eyes!
In Joel 1:2-2:17 we see that things have never been as bad as they are right now. The darkness is covering the earth and gross darkness the people. The United States is fast becoming Sodom and Gomorrah. The church and the world are filled with greed, idolatry, worldly entertainment, politics, and every abomination under the sun. And what shall we do? Those same verses contain the specific answer.
5 Awake ye drunkards, and weep; and howl, all ye drinkers of wine.8 Lament like a virgin girded with sackcloth for the husband of her youth.11 Be ye ashamed, O ye husbandmen; howl, O ye vinedressers.13 Gird yourselves, and lament, ye priests: howl, ye ministers of the altar: come, lie all night in sackcloth, ye ministers of my God.14 Sanctify ye a fast, call a solemn assembly, gather the elders and all the inhabitants of the land into the house of the Lord your God, and cry unto the Lord.
Joel 1:5, 8, 11, 13-14
1 Blow ye the trumpet in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain: let all the inhabitants of the land tremble: for the day of the Lord cometh, for it is nigh at hand.12 Therefore also now, saith the Lord, turn ye even to Me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:13 And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God: for He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth Him of evil.14 Who knoweth if He will return and repent, and leave a blessing behind Him; even a meat offering and a drink offering unto the LORD your God?15 Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly;16 Gather the People, sanctify the congregation, assemble the elders, gather the children, and those that suck the breasts: let the bridegroom go forth of his chamber, and the bride out of her closet.17 Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, and let them say, Spare Thy People, O Lord, and give not Thine heritage to reproach, that the heathen should rule over them: wherefore should they say among the people, Where is their God?18 Then will the LORD be jealous for his land, and pity his people. Joel 2:1, 12-18
The above verses speak of two things ... deep repentance on the part of all believers (identifying with the will of God) and true intercession, accompanied by groaning in the spirit, weeping over spiritual Jerusalem, and identifying with the heart of God that His people might be set free from every bondage and come forth in maturity. Now if you see the problems within the Church, and you understand what the Lord wants you to do about it, how does one go about actually doing His will? Ask the Lord by His Spirit to move you there. The prodigal son at first said to his father, "Give me." After he repented and returned, he said, Father, "Make me." The key is to see that we cannot do it by our own knowledge and understanding and power. We must depend upon the Lord. Neither the repentance nor the intercession can be something which is mechanical; both must be born of the Spirit.
Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by My spirit, saith the LORD of hosts. Zechariah 4:6
In Joel 2:14, the meal offering and drink offering have nothing to do with the natural realm. For a lengthy exposition of those two offerings, see our article on "Worship" (copy available on request or on our web site). (Quite some time ago, the Holy Spirit seemed to quicken a definition of "worship" from the first place that word is used in the Bible, in Genesis 22. That definition is: the voluntary, unquestioning obedience to the rhema word of God through the Holy Spirit.) In Verse 17, the priests, the ministers of the Lord, are the sons of Zadok, not those priests who minister unto the house (the Church). See Ezekiel 44 for the difference between the two sets of priests.
After the Israelites had been in bondage for 400 years in Egypt, they finally cried out to God for deliverance. During that same time period, God had been preparing Moses to be the earthly deliverer. That process is currently being repeated. Christians today, particularly charismatic Christians, are in bondage spiritually and very few know it. How many years will it take for Christians today to cry out to God for deliverance?
As soon as spiritual Zion travails on behalf of the body of Christ, the Lord will sovereignly unveil the deliverers that He has been preparing (Obadiah 21). Those deliverers will then feed the Church in the wilderness (Revelation 12). No man will get any credit. No man will get any glory. Everyone will recognize that without the sovereign moving of the hand of God, the Church has no hope.
This results in the fulfillment of the "then" in Joel 2:18.
Then will the LORD be jealous for His land, and pity His people. Joel 2:18
What is "His land" and who are "His people?" Many, particularly the literal fundamentalists, would say natural Israel and natural Jews (based perhaps on an incorrect exegesis of Romans 11:26 and 1 Timothy 2:4). We have even heard one rather prominent pastor say that every natural Jew will be saved. We must respectfully disagree. My Bible says that in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek (Galatians 3:28 and Colossians 3:11). "His people" refers to all those whom the Father has given to the Son ... those who have been drawn to the Son by the power of the Holy Spirit ... all those whom Jesus prayed for in John 17. Further, if every natural Jew will be saved, then man no longer has free will. That would be a giant step toward the heretical doctrine of universal reconciliation.
11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Romans 10:11-13
"His land" represents the promised land, which is not in the natural realm. We are not at all convinced that the Lord favors some real estate over in the Middle East, called Israel, more than some other natural land. The Lord created the whole earth and called it good. In addition, the natural land called Israel (as well as all of the existing earth) is one day going to be burned up anyway (2 Peter 3:5-13).
It is more than interesting that from Joel 2:18 through the end of the Book, there is absolutely no mention of what the Church will do; everything is the sovereign work of God. So the question today is ... where is Daniel? where is Ezra? where is Nehemiah? Where are the sons of Issachar who understand what spiritual Israel ought to do today? Where are those who weep and groan in the spirit on behalf of the body of Christ? that the plans and purposes of God might be fulfilled? This too must be a work of the Holy Spirit. It can never be fulfilled legalistically, even by those who understand what the Lord is after.
True Intercession
To intercede literally means "to come in between." The intercessor is one who comes in between God and man, on behalf of men, frequently those men who deserve His wrath and punishment. Jesus said that He prayed not for the world but for those whom the Father had given to him (John 17:9). All of the great intercessors recorded in the Bible prayed only for God's chosen people. Therefore it is very clear that we believers are called to intercede for other believers.
The great Intercessor, of course, was and still is Jesus.
Therefore will I divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong; because He hath poured out His soul unto death: and He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. Isaiah 53:12
In effect, when Jesus died on the cross, He was saying, "Let the judgment that is due to the people come upon Me." Then after His death, resurrection, and ascension, we are told,
24 But this Man, because He continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.25 Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:24-25
What a comfort we have to know that Jesus continues to make intercession on our behalf before the throne of the Father! Jesus spent thirty years in relative obscurity, in "normal" family life; three and one-half years in public ministry; and now about two thousand years in intercession, unseen by any natural eye. Do those time frames say anything about the importance of intercession?
Scripturally, how has God moved in order to restore His chosen people to the place that He desires? After the 400 years of bondage in Egypt, and in response to the cry of the Israelites, the Lord raised up and empowered Moses as their visible deliverer. All throughout the book of Judges the Lord also raised up deliverers, again in response to the cry of the people. Then the Lord used Daniel, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah in a slightly different way. All four of them were righteous vessels who interceded for God's people.
Then comes the Deliverer of all deliverers, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Sometimes we need to reflect not only on what Jesus has done for us at Calvary, but what He continues to do.
So now what is the Lord looking for in His people (or a remnant) today? We believe He is looking for those who will identify with His intercession and His weeping over spiritual Jerusalem. The Lord has been inconspicuously preparing an instrument of deliverance in the earth. That preparation is similar to how pearls of great price are created. A "natural pearl" is one that forms without any human intervention at all, in the wild, and is very rare.
1 I exhort therefore that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. 1 Timothy 2:1-2
The word translated as "authority" is the Greek word huperoche, which occurs only one other time in the Bible, in 1 Corinthians 2:1, where it is translated as "excellency" or "pre-eminence." Careful thought of 1 Corinthians 2:1 makes it apparent that Paul said he did not have that kind of authority. Therefore the word "authority" in 1 Timothy 2:2 refers to positional authority, i.e., the authority given by man, and not spiritual authority, which only comes from God.
The first of two complementary sets of verses which encapsulate what the Lord is looking for the Church to "do" are the following.
For the stone shall cry out of the wall, and the beam out of the timber shall answer it. Habakkuk 2:11
That verse has no natural level interpretation. "A stone" could refer to any member of the body of Christ. "The stone" can be no other than the Lord Jesus. "The wall" is the wall around Jerusalem, not just any ordinary city wall. The Lord Jesus is also "the wall."
For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and will be the glory in the midst of her. Zechariah 2:5
"The beam out of the timber" refers to the Father, Who is the girder Who upholds all things. Therefore Habakkuk 2:11 says that the Lord Jesus shall cry out to the Father on behalf of the Church. That verse is the Old Testament counterpart of the New Testament verse,
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them. Hebrews 7:25
The second of the two complementary sets of verses which encapsulate what the Lord is looking for is the following.
18 Their heart cried unto the Lord, O wall of the daughter of Zion, let tears run down like a river day and night: give thyself no rest; let not the apple of thine eye cease.19 Arise, cry out in the night: in the beginning of the watches pour out thine heart like water before the face of the Lord: lift up thy hands toward Him for the life of thy young children, that faint for hunger on the top of every street.
Lamentations 2:18-19
The above verses represent our identification with the Lord Jesus in His intercession for the Church. That is what Daniel, Esther, Ezra, and Nehemiah "did." In addition, note in the Verses below that both Ezra and Nehemiah wept because of the spiritual state of Israel. Ezra, Nehemiah, and Daniel also identified with the people by saying, "we have sinned;" but I have found no place in Scripture which indicates that any of those three intercessors had actually sinned.
4 And it came to pass, when I heard these words, that I sat down and wept, and mourned certain days, and fasted, and prayed before the God of heaven,5 And said, I beseech Thee, O LORD God of heaven, the great and terrible God, that keepeth covenant and mercy for them that love Him and observe His commandments:6 Let Thine ear now be attentive, and Thine eyes open, that Thou mayest hear the prayer of Thy servant, which I pray before Thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel Thy servants, and confess the sins of the children of Israel, which we have sinned against Thee: both I and my father's house have sinned.Nehemiah 1:4-6
Now when Ezra had prayed, and when he had confessed, weeping and casting himself down before the house of God, there assembled unto him out of Israel a very great congregation of men and women and children: for the people wept very sore. Ezra 10:1We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from Thy precepts and from Thy judgments: Daniel 9:5
We have not found any place in the Bible that speaks of a gift or ministry of intercession. Every member of the body of Christ is called to intercede on behalf of the Church. However, "Many are called but few are chosen" (Matthew 22: 14); or rather, "Many are called, but few choose." Few see the need to intercede on behalf of the Church; even fewer choose to intercede.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. James 5:16b
A better translation of the above verse is:
The energized or inwrought [by the Holy Spirit] prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Some careful thought will bear witness that the greatest saints were often the greatest intercessors, for they were those who were closest to the heart of God. Some of these great intercessors were Abraham, Moses, Samuel, David, Esther, Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, Jeremiah, and Paul, to name a few.
Abraham interceded on behalf of Sodom because his nephew, Lot, was there. Abraham knew that if judgment came upon Sodom, then Lot and his family would be part of the judgment. Abraham kept interceding for Sodom until the Lord promised that He would not destroy it if He found ten righteous persons in the city. I have read that at that point in time, Sodom was a major city with a population of no less than 10,000 people. So for the sake of ten righteous people out of 10,000 persons God was willing to spare the entire city. That is one out of a thousand! Elihu, in the Book of Job records this same proportion.
23 If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness:24 Then He is gracious unto him. And saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. Job 33:23-24
One out of a thousand! That does not seem like a very large percentage ... 0.1% ... or a tenth of a tenth of a tenth. Let us apply this same proportion to the United States, whose current population is very close to 300,000,000 people. Does that mean, if we use the same proportion, that God will spare the United States if He finds 300,000 persons who walk in righteousness? A better question might be, are there 300,000 committed believers in the United States who walk in righteousness? (That does NOT mean those who have their names on a church roster; nor does it mean those who are born-again believers but are doing their own thing.)
Some watchmen have said that the United States is currently worse spiritually and morally than Sodom and Gomorrah during the time of Abraham. Therefore a number of those watchmen recently have been warning the Church that blood and fire are imminent in America. Do you think that America is in trouble? Is it time for the judgment of God to descend upon our country? Do we need some real intercessors, such as Abraham was in his time?
A second striking example of an intercessor was Moses. The apostasy of the Israelites who came out of Egypt during the Exodus was so great that only two of those over the age of twenty actually made it into the promised land. But Moses interceded.
31 And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold.32 Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin; and if not, blot me, I pray Thee, out of Thy book, which Thou hast written. Exodus 32:31-32
That is intercession! How many such saints do you think there are in the United States who would sincerely make that same statement? Only the Lord knows, but I would guess not too many! The Lord surely would have destroyed his chosen people had not Moses stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath.
The apostle Paul made the same statement as did Moses.
1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,2 That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.3 For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Romans 9:1-3
Ezekiel 22 records a different scene. Just as in the time of Abraham and Moses, the sins of God's people are portrayed once more, but this time there was NO intercessor found to stand in the gap.
30 And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before Me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.31 Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord God. Ezekiel 22:30-31
One man ... one intercessor ... could have saved an entire nation, even though every section of society was corrupted (see Ezekiel 22:23-29 for proof of that). Can one man save the United States from the judgment of God?
The same apostasy existed in the time of Isaiah. Please read all of Isaiah 59 to get the complete picture.
And He saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore His arm brought salvation unto Him; and His righteousness, it sustained Him. Isaiah 59:16
Even God Himself wondered that there was no intercessor! What an amazing verse! Not one intercessor! Therefore, He sent His son, Jesus to be that intercessor. Thank you Lord!
From my somewhat limited experience, I have seen very few saints who even know what intercession is, much less move in that vital ministry. Even the so-called "intercessor conference" that I attended a few years ago gave little sign of genuine intercessors.
Therefore, we believe it is crucial for those who have eyes to see, ears to hear, and a heart to understand, to ask the Lord to raise up true intercessors in our midst. There is no higher calling than that of an intercessor. Man will not see, recognize, or applaud you, but in the Kingdom of God your life will count for eternity.
What shall the intercessors pray for? that the leaders of the Church (those in positional authority) will return unto the Lord, laying aside all mixture and things that hinder. Scripture is clear that judgment is according to the light that has been given. The greater the light, the more severe the judgment.
For unto whomsoever much is given, of him will be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. Luke 12:48
In all of the history of the human race, there has never been a generation on the face of the earth that has been exposed to greater spiritual light than this generation in the United States. Most believers have heard an enormous amount of good teaching, both through first hand exposure and through books, tapes, and videos. Yet the Church in America has strayed far from what the Lord desires. Those in positional authority within the Church have always been, and still are, the ones that must bear the brunt of the judgment of God. The problems always have been with the leaders, scripturally, historically, and experientially.
And the common people heard Him gladly. Mark 12:37b
Intercessors also need to ask the Lord to open the eyes of each believer in our midst to come and see Jesus, to hear His voice, and to walk in His ways. Ask the Lord to give each member of the local church discernment concerning the body of Christ. That is clearly written in 1 Timothy 2:1, where we are exhorted to pray for all "men," which is the Greek word for human beings, not simply males.
To cry out and not hide out is the mandate from our Father God. When we cry out to Him, we acknowledge our need for His divine intervention in our lives. We must "cry out" and make this cry a habit that will change us and enlarge the kingdom of God within.
Please read 1 Samuel 1:1-20, which is the story of Hannah when she was in great tribulation, not having a son. Hannah finally cried out to the Lord in her desperation for a son and pledged her son to the Lord's service if He would open her womb. Little did anyone know at the time that the Lord would not only answer her cry, but give her that great prophet Samuel of whom it is said that the Lord did not let any of his words drop to the ground. Because of Samuel's faithful obedience to the Lord, Samuel was allowed to anoint David as king. So we can see the far reaching effects of Hannah's cry. Her time of real communion with the Father and the honoring of her vow to Him was greatly used to further the Lord's purposes. We must realize that our cry to the Lord will be used in like manner to further the plans and purposes of the Lord in the earth. We must "cry out" and seek the Lord's answer over the desires of our flesh, which would prefer to accept an easier response or the world's answer.
The rock-bottom surrender to the Lord's provision in our lives is always honored by our Lord. When we cease to move in our own strength, then the Lord is able to show Himself mighty on our behalf. It is then that He answers our prayer. Through this process we acknowledge that we need a Savior, a Creator, a Father God that is more powerful and greater than ourselves to meet our need. The more we focus on the Father's provision and ability in our lives, the more we will find rest in Him.
Maturity is the goal of the Father's answers to our prayers. The upward call of the Lord Jesus to know the "higher ways" of the Father cause us to see clearly the depravity of our flesh nature. We must each choose to cry out to hear and see and perceive the Lord's ways in our lives. We must decide to go on to maturity for there is nothing else that will satisfy our heart hunger to know our Lord.
As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness: I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness. Psalm 17:15
Who Participates?
Who participates? those who have eyes to see and ears to hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches today. They will all have a measure of discernment and have understanding of what Israel must do in this hour; they will understand the ways of the Lord, not just His acts.
From the Book of Joel, priests and ministers of the Lord are called to participate. If you believe in the priesthood of all believers, then EVERY Christian is called to participate, although many are called but few choose. Those who answer the call will seldom have positional authority but they will have spiritual authority because they have been tried in the furnace of affliction and proven in the wilderness. If they have spiritual authority, they can no longer hold on to their positional authority; they of necessity must cast down their crowns before Him.
10 The four and twenty elders fall down before Him That sat on the throne, and worship Him That liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying,11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created.
Revelation 4:10-11
They will all be jealous for the Lord ... jealous that He might have His way among men.
Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them [graven images], nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me. Exodus 20:5So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying Thus saith the Lord of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.
Zechariah 1:14
Paul said,
For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. 2 Corinthians 11:29 And he came thither unto a cave, and lodged there; and behold, the word of the Lord came to him, and He said unto him, What doest thou here, Elijah?10 And he said, I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken Thy covenant, thrown down Thine altars, and slain Thy prophets with the sword; and I, even I only, am left; and they seek my life, to take it away. 1 Kings 19:9-10
Do you get angry when you see or hear modern-day preachers who always preach about what "we" get from Christianity? Who is jealous for the Lord of Hosts? NO MAN can interrupt that eternal, unbreakable covenant between the Father and the Son. But who is jealous for the Lord that NO MAN seek the glory that belongs only to God? and that NO MAN water down the true gospel? Who is jealous for the Lord of hosts that He has HIS way, that HIS plans and purposes be fulfilled?
Another in-worked characteristic of those who participate is that they will have a compelling passion or zeal to please the Lord, to glorify Him above all else, to magnify Him, to seek His face, to hear His word, to fulfill His will. They have found the Master Key: not my will but Thy will be done. They will identify with the zeal of the Lord.
Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah 9:7For the zeal of Thine house hath eaten me up. Psalm 69:9
They will be like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus.
31 And their eyes were opened, and they knew Him; ...32 And they said one to another, Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us the scriptures? Luke 24:31-32
They will have the intensity which Stephen and Paul had. In short, they will have been baptized with the fire of God, spoken of by John the Baptist in Matthew 3:11. The following verse was certainly a reality within Stephen and Paul.
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Revelation 12:11
"And they loved not their lives unto [the] death" does not of necessity imply they will be physically crucified or tortured. It simply means they have their priorities straight. They put the will of the Father above their own will in all things. They have allowed the cross to work within them to bring forth "Christ in you the hope of glory."
This is not a word simply to be talked about or discussed or analyzed. This is a word which requires action. However, no man can tell you or us how to implement this word. This word, like all others, must be inspired by the Holy Ghost as a rhema word and implemented as led by the Holy Ghost.
But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
James 1:22
Chapter 14: The Real Antidote:
The Sovereignty of God
Chapters 11-13 emphasized the importance of what we, as ministers of the Lord, must preach. (Appendix 1 emphasizes what we must teach.) However, make no mistake ... it is God who does all things by His Spirit.
6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. 1 Corinthians 3:6-7
For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Ephesians 2:105 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;6 Which He shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; Titus 3:5-6Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world. Acts 15:18
In Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3, which contain the letters to the angels of the seven churches, the very first word recorded is, "I know thy works." "Thy works!" as distinct from the works of God. This is comparable to when Jesus said to the Jews,
It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. John 8:17
All of our works, i.e., those which are not led by the Holy Spirit, are wood, hay, and stubble, ready to be burned up.
The word "sovereignty" does not appear in the Bible; neither does the word "sovereign." However, make no mistake, God is Sovereign! And every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord! By "sovereignly" we mean directly from the hand of God through the power of the Holy Spirit and not through a person, book, or any other source. Scripturally, historically, and experientially, God can (and does) save people all by Himself! He can (and does) heal people all by Himself!
The Lord sovereignly closed the mouths of the lions when Daniel was thrown into the lions' den. The Lord sovereignly did not allow the three Hebrews to be burned when they were thrown into the fiery furnace. The Lord sovereignly caused the flood in the time of Noah. The Lord sovereignly created the heavens and the earth, everything in it, and man.
16 For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him:17 And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist. Colossians 1:16-17
Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for Thou hast created all things, and for Thy pleasure they are and were created. Revelation 4:1123 Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain:24 Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden of it. Acts 2:23-24In Whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will: Ephesians 1:11
God can do all things! He is all seeing, all knowing or omniscient, all powerful or omnipotent, and omnipresent. He lives in eternity. Despite all of the failures of man, God will have that which he purposed before the foundation of the world! Blessed be the name of the Lord!
Now the sovereignty of God does not do away with the responsibility of man. The two must work together for we are co-laborers with Christ.
We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 Corinthians 6:1
Many long years ago, about 3 hours after I had shared with a small group of believers about the sovereignty of God, the Lord taught me about the relationship of the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of us as believers. Around 2 a.m. my wife and I were awakened by a huge thunderstorm. We were prompted to check the stairwell which leads to the basement of our house. Because the stairwell was stopped up and the gutters were stopped up, water had started to flood our basement. Rain continued to pelt down. Linda gathered all of our available towels and started to mop up the water inside our house. Our son, Robert, and I started to bail water from the stairwell with two buckets and empty the water into a large trash can. We bailed water as fast as we could. But we made little headway because the rain continued to come down faster than we could bail. It was not our bailing water outside and mopping up water inside our house that got the water under control. It was the sovereignty of God, Who caused the rain to stop. But that did not relieve our responsibility of bailing and mopping.
We marvel at the working of the grace of God in our life! He sovereignly saved Linda from drowning in the summer of 1958, shortly before Bob and Linda met. Another of a great number of instances of that grace came in 1986, when Linda and I prayed for her father, 350 miles away, as he was about to die, an unsaved man. Linda, with tears streaming down her face, asked the Lord Himself to preach salvation to her father on his death bed. Almost instantly, the Lord gave Linda this verse: "I will do this thing also that thou hast spoken: for thou hast found grace in My sight, and I know thee by name" (Exodus 33:17). Linda also found abundant grace after she found out that her father had cut her out of his will because he was "afraid that she would give away his empire [more than 2 million dollars] to the 'church'." There have also been several times in Linda's life when the Lord sovereignly healed her from a critical, life-threatening physical condition. Right after Linda gave birth to Robert, our first child, she developed peritonitis and was put in a hospital ward where no one was expected to live. But God intervened! Bob has had many similar experiences. We are sure that every reader of this book has likewise had similar experiences.
1 And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles.
4 Therefore they that were scattered abroad went every where preaching the word.
Acts 8:1, 4
The Lord sovereignly caused persecution to arise against the church at Jerusalem in order to get the believers to scatter and spread the gospel. They had been perfectly content to "sit and soak" under the teaching of the apostles, but the Lord would have none of it!
God is certainly moving today in a sovereign way. But it is largely a hidden work, in the hearts of a faithful remnant, who are being purified by fire in the wilderness ... in the desert. That remnant is called overcomers.
In the previous Chapter, we described the two keys on the part of (Christian) man, as recorded in the Book of Joel. However, the real key is the Lord Himself. It is only by the grace and mercy of God that we can do anything. We cannot even take our next breath, except by the grace of God. All we really can do is to cry out to the Lord, Help, Lord!
As stated earlier, it is crucially important to understand what the Holy Ghost says to us from the Book of Joel, which, like all of Scripture, is timeless and independent of culture, geographical location, gender, and everything else.
There are three main points in the Book of Joel:
(1) The catastrophic state of God's people who are not walking, daily, in a state of repentance. That state gets increasingly worse as we are lukewarm and continue to do our own thing.
(2) God requires only two things from His people (or rather a remnant of people, called overcomers): true repentance and identification with His intercession on behalf of His people.
(3) The sovereignty of God takes care of all the rest! ALL the rest! There is absolutely NO mention from Joel 2:18 through the end of the book that we, as God's people, do anything. In the beginning, God. in the end, God ... everywhere in between the beginning and the end, God. Further, God even arranges all of our circumstances to help us to cry out to Him. It is the love of God in action when He sends His great army, described in Joel 2:1-11, to bring about great persecution and tribulation among His people, just as He did in Acts 8. That will leave the Church no alternative except to cry out from the depths of our being unto Him. How much better will it be to fall on that Stone now, rather than let It fall on us later.
Whosoever shall fall upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder. Luke 20:18
May the word and call of the Lord in this hour burn within the very depths of our hearts.
"Revival will come only to a desperate church, not a contented one. He is ever the Rewarder of those who 'diligently seek Him,' not the mere casual inquirer."
- Al Whittinghill
Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah 20:9
Appendix 1: Hearing the Voice of the Lord
The Lost Art of Hearing the Voice of the Lord
In early Bible times Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and many others heard the voice of the Lord for themselves. They did not have the benefit of a Bible, Bible commentaries, good Christian books, tapes and videos, "prophetic" conferences, or wonderful pastors and teachers to help to guide them. They had to depend upon what the Lord told them. The Bible does not explicitly state HOW they heard or in what form His voice was communicated.
Please note that AFTER the fall of man, the disobedience of Eve (first) and Adam in the garden, Adam and Eve still heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden. That was the grace of God as well as the judgment of God.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. Genesis 3:8-10
So Adam and Eve were conscious that they had sinned, but there is no evidence from scripture that they were repentant of their disobedience. They were undoubtedly overwhelmed by the severity of their sentence, but expressed no sorrow for their sin of disobedience. There was no plea for pardon or expression of sorrow or regret. We will not speculate on what MIGHT have happened if they HAD expressed repentance. However scripture clearly indicates that man in his natural state can still hear the voice of the Lord. Abraham and Moses are prime examples of this fact.
We know that the Lord had given Abraham a preview of events in his family's future up to the point of their possession of the land which He had promised.
And He said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years. Genesis 15:13
Also,
Now the sojourning of the children of Israel, who dwelt in Egypt, was four hundred and thirty years. Exodus 12:40
And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. Galatians 3:17
The ONLY conflict between the 400 years of Genesis 15:13 and the 430 years of Exodus 12:40 and Galatians 3:17 is in our carnal minds. We do not want to speculate as to WHY there appears to be a discrepancy in years, when in fact NO discrepancy exists. If we read the scriptures more carefully, we see that the children of Israel SOJOURNED in Egypt for 430 years but were AFFLICTED 400 years. In other words, there were 30 years of NO affliction. Those 30 years probably occurred during the time period between Exodus 1:6-7 and Exodus 1:8-14.
6 And Joseph died, and all of his brethren, and all that generation.7 And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them. Exodus 1:6-7
In Exodus 1:8-14, a new king, who knew not Joseph, arose over Egypt, and began to afflict the children of Israel.
23 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of their bondage.24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them. Exodus 2:23-25
Many years ago I heard a good brother in the Lord comment on those scriptures. He said, "Why did it take the children of Israel 400 years before they cried out to God?" It seems to be part of human nature for us to complain about all of our circumstances. Unfortunately, our circumstances have to become quite difficult before we will look up and ask the Lord for His help. But as soon as our hearts are turned toward the Lord and we cry out to Him, the Lord, in His great grace and mercy, answers us. Thank you Lord! How much easier it would be if we could learn to call upon the Lord even in our "good" times! There are numerous scriptures that speak of the Lord answering us when we call upon Him.
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not. Jeremiah 33:3
Note, however, that the word "call" means a heart cry from our innermost being. But God is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think (Ephesians 3:20).
And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. Isaiah 65:24
When Moses brought Israel from the Red Sea (Exodus 15) the people murmured against Moses when they had no water to drink.
And he [Moses] cried unto the Lord ... Exodus 15:25
Why did the Israelites murmur against Moses rather than crying out to the Lord? Undoubtedly because of their self-centeredness and their lack of understanding of the ways of the Lord. They had quickly forgotten what a mighty God they (and we) serve.
He made known His ways unto Moses, His acts unto the children of Israel.
Psalm 103:7
When the Lord provided water in the wilderness the children of Israel once more saw His acts. Then,
And [the Lord] said, If thou wilt diligently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in His sight, and will give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee. Exodus 15:26
However, the children of Israel continued their murmurings. So we see in scripture a gradual decline of hearing the voice of the Lord.
4 Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto Myself.5 Now, therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine.6 And ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel.7 And Moses came and called for the elders of the people, and laid before their faces all these words which the Lord commanded him.
8 And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the Lord.
9 And the Lord said unto Moses, Lo, I come unto thee in a thick cloud, that the people may hear when I speak with thee, and believe thee for ever. And Moses told the words of the people unto the Lord. Exodus 19:4-9
What presumption! All of the people said, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do." Shortly after their declaration,
18 And all the people saw the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking: and when the people saw it, they removed, and stood far off.19 And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die. Exodus 20:18-19
The Lord honored their request. Hearing the voice of the Lord for ones self became a lost art. It remains so, in general, even today. Most denominational churches and even "charismatic" mega-churches hire pastors to hear what the Lord is saying and to tell the people. The spirit of Balaam (ministering for money) runs rampant throughout the church today! Further, this "division" between clergy and laity was NEVER what God intended for His people! In two places in Revelation, Chapter 2, the Lord says that He hates the deeds and the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which means, "people conquerors." In many "churches" today, the pastor wears a distinctive robe to make sure the people know that he is clergy, rather than laity. Furthermore, if churches want to hire a pastor and support that ministry, why not support the ministry of an intercessor? or a prophet? or any other ministry?
Scripture also seems to indicate that there is no excuse for not hearing the voice of the Lord. Jeremiah said, in Jeremiah 25:3-4,
3 From the thirteenth year of Josiah the son of Amon king of Judah, even unto this day, that is the three and twentieth year, the word of the Lord hath come unto me, and I have spoken unto you, rising early and speaking; but ye have not hearkened.4 And the Lord hath sent unto you all his servants the prophets, rising early and sending them; but ye have not hearkened, nor inclined your ear to hear.
So Jeremiah spoke to them faithfully for ten years, to no avail. No wonder Jeremiah felt frustrated! He said,
7 O Lord, thou hast deceived me, and I was deceived: thou art stronger than I, and hast prevailed: I am in derision daily, every one mocketh me.8 For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision daily.9 Then I said, I will not make mention of Him, nor speak any more in His name. But His word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. Jeremiah 20:7-9
In addition, we are without excuse when it comes to vision.
19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.20 For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse: Romans 1:19-20
Why has hearing the voice of the Lord become a lost art? for a variety of reasons: lack of understanding the ways of the Lord and self-centeredness are certainly two such reasons. We also have hardened our hearts.
7 Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, Today if ye will hear His voice,
8 harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness: ...) Hebrews 3:7-8
In addition, Christians have become rather lazy, being inundated with good Christian books, Bible commentaries, and good Bible teachers. To hear the voice of the Lord for our self takes more individual effort. It also takes a right spirit. Many Christians are not willing to pay that price. We are too busy with all of our worldly tasks.
The Importance of Hearing the Voice of the Lord
When it comes to our personal relationship with Jesus Christ, the most important word that any Christian minister could ever impart to a new believer in the Christian faith is "how to hear the voice of the Lord for our self." This is an area that I personally struggled with for a few years after the Lord sovereignly and dramatically apprehended me. I do not recall anyone who ever provided me with any word on how to hear the voice of the Lord for myself.
I used to sit in (house) church services, have a word come into my mind, and then sit there wondering whether or not that was just my fleshly, carnal mind or whether the Spirit of God had brought that word to my mind as a word that I should share with the other believers present. By and large, I would inevitably "sit on the word," afraid that it might simply be a product of my own, natural mind. I suspect that some other believers have struggled in this same way. How do I know (or even, CAN I know) that the Lord is speaking to me?
I personally believe that when time is no more, the excuse that "my bishop (or elder) told me to do thus and so, or my pastor (or priest) told me to do thus and so" will not be a valid excuse. It is imperative that each believer be able to hear the voice of the Lord for him/herself. Perhaps the best example, from Scripture, of the importance of hearing the voice of the Lord, is contained in 1 Samuel, Chapter 3. Hannah had told Eli, the priest, that Samuel, Hannah's son, was to be "lent unto the Lord as long as he (Samuel) lived." And so Eli undoubtedly taught Samuel many things about the priesthood, the law, and all of the Jewish customs and traditions. My Bible contains dates on almost every page for the different events that are recorded in the Bible. If those dates are correct, then Eli taught Samuel for a period of six years. That seems like a long time! Surely in six years, Eli taught Samuel many, many things. But the only thing that is actually recorded in the Bible is that Eli taught Samuel to hear the voice of the Lord for himself. This may have been the most important thing that Eli did in his life. We read in 1 Samuel 3:1 that "the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli." Then,
3 And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep;4 That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.5 And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.6 And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.7 Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.8 And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.9 Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if He call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place.10 And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth. 1 Samuel 3:3-10
Note please that in verse one of this Chapter, Samuel ministered unto the Lord BEFORE he knew the Lord and BEFORE the word of the Lord was revealed unto him. It was a form, a ritual, with no real significance in Samuel's life. Eli undoubtedly taught Samuel many things concerning the law up to that point in time, but NONE of those things are recorded in scripture.
Eli told Samuel that if the Lord called him again, Samuel was to say, "Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth." Note that after the Lord called to Samuel again, Samuel actually said, "Speak; for thy servant heareth." Samuel did not say, "Speak, Lord." After Samuel had told Eli of the vision he had received from the Lord, Eli confirmed, "It is the Lord" (1 Samuel 3:18). More mature ministers today have the same responsibility to confirm (or disconfirm) to younger Christians whether they have heard the voice of the Lord. From that time on, Samuel knew the Lord and knew His voice.
That chapter speaks volumes on the importance of hearing the voice of the Lord. In the seventh year, Samuel started his ministry on earth as one of the major prophets in history. And [the Lord] "did let none of his [Samuel's] words drop to the ground" (1 Samuel 3:19).
Robert Frost wrote a very lovely poem called, "The Road Not Taken." God, of course, is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. God KNOWS what is at the end of EVERY road. We do not. Each one of us makes decisions every day. Most of those decisions are trivial, such as what we should eat for breakfast, what clothes we should wear, etc. Other decisions can greatly affect our lives, such as whom, if anyone we should marry, what job we should take, etc. A major characteristic of decision-making is that we never know what the "other road" would have been like. We must depend upon God. Therefore, since He knows what is best for us at every juncture in our life, we need to hear His voice to guide us in the way that we should walk and trust Him completely.
Now consider this. I believe that the Lord wants us to hear His voice more than we want to hear His voice. Toward that end, I believe that the Lord speaks to us in a variety of different ways. Certainly not everyone has heard the audible voice of the Lord. But He speaks to us through scripture, through other believers, through non-believers, through circumstances, and, I believe, in many other ways. The question is, are we sensitive to whatever way that the Lord speaks to us?
How to Hear the Voice of the Lord
How does a new believer learn to hear the voice of the Lord? First of all, I believe we have to have the right equipment. This means we need to be born again and baptized in (into) the Spirit. We need to have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear. In each word to the seven churches, as recorded in Revelation, Chapters 2 and 3, we find these words:
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
How do we receive ears to hear His voice? by His grace through faith.
2 And Moses called unto all Israel, and said unto them, Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt unto Pharaoh, and unto all his servants, and unto all his land;3 The great temptations which thine eyes have seen, the signs, and those great miracles:4 Yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day. Deuteronomy 29:2-4
Can God speak to those who do not have this foundation? Of course! God is sovereign. But as a general rule, non-believers do not hear the voice of the Lord. We also need to feed on the written word of God and hide it in our hearts.
Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee. Psalm 119:11
The Spirit and the Word agree. We need to diligently read the written word and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the meaning of the word. When we believe we have heard a word from the Lord, we should always ask ourselves whether it agrees with the written word of God.
Next, we need the proper motivation. We need to sincerely want to hear the voice of the Lord. Of course, God knows our hearts. He knows when we are sincere. He also knows when we are self-seeking or if we are seeking only to bring glory to God. We must have a right relationship to Him. Closely related to wanting to hear the voice of the Lord is that we need to ask the Lord to show us His will for us, both overall and in individual circumstances that arise.
At the same time, we need to use a little common sense. For example, many years ago, my wife told a (Christian) woman who was in our home to feel free to make a sandwich to eat for herself. The woman had indicated that she had not eaten in a great many hours. So the woman, in all sincerity, no doubt, looked up to the ceiling in our kitchen and said, "Lord, should I put the mayonnaise or mustard on the bread first?" Well, we can admire the woman's sincerity, but I doubt that the Lord really cared which of the two the woman put on the bread first. Also, it is rather important that whatever we ask of the Lord should be consistent with the plan and purposes of God as revealed to us at the particular point in time.
Third, we must act in faith. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord (Psalm 37:23). We must believe that. We must believe that what we hear is from the Lord. A major way to confirm what we believe we hear is to ask if it is consistent with the written word. Let us look at the place of faith in this whole process. Whenever a word comes to my mind to do something or say something, there are two ways that I can look at the event. I can say to myself (as I did far too many times as a new believer), "well, I better not say or do that because it might just be my carnal mind." That is the negative approach, which I do NOT advocate. On the other hand, I can say, "Lord I accept by faith that you have brought this idea to my mind. Therefore I am going to take one step, by faith, in that direction. If I am wrong, please close the door or make it clear to me in some way that my step is not what you will for me at this point." That is the positive approach, and the one that I DO recommend. Further, as we grow in grace and in the knowledge of Him, we should expect that more and more of our thoughts are actually imparted to us through His Spirit. Psalm 37:4 says, "Delight thyself also in the Lord, and He shall give thee the desires of thine heart." There are at least two ways that we could interpret that verse. The egocentric interpretation says that if I desire a new car every year, then the Lord promises to give me my desires (a new car). There are some Christians who actually seem to attach that interpretation to scripture such as this. But the more excellent way to interpret that verse in Psalms is that the Lord will actually implant the desire itself in our hearts. What kind of desires does the Lord want to put into our hearts? Those desires that are consistent with the written word of God; the desire that God may be glorified in all things; the desire that He might be glorified in all that we say, do, and become. Also, please note the condition to "delight thyself also in the Lord." This speaks of our motivation.
In addition, it is a very good idea to confirm (or disconfirm, as the case may be) what you believe you are hearing with another believer whom you believe has some maturity. For a period in my life, there were times that I would deliberately seek out other believers who I thought would be the most likely to disagree or disconfirm that which I believed that I was hearing. If that person confirmed my belief, then I felt on very safe ground in proceeding. The word says "in the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established" (2 Corinthians 13:1). When we were very young believers in the house church in our area in the 1970's, the common interpretation of that verse was that if I believed I had heard a word from the Lord then I should have the word confirmed by Tom Smith and Mary Jones (two or three other people). I have no problem with that interpretation for new believers. However I also believe there is a higher interpretation of that scripture. Jesus said,
17 It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true.18 I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. John 8:17-18
So the two or three witnesses, If you can receive it, are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. In addition, if you are married, then I STRONGLY suggest that you and your spouse pray about and agree upon any major decisions in your life.
The objective is that each believer needs to be able to hear the voice of the Lord for him/herself. The objective is NOT to hear the voice of the Lord through your pastor, elder, or another believer (although that may well be a stepping stone in your walk). Many years ago I was in Miami, Florida, attending a spiritual conference. The speaker one night said some things which really made a very deep impact on me. Since it was rather late at night I went to bed. Early the next morning I asked to listen to the audiotape that had been recorded from the previous night's meeting. I did not want to "lose" that critical word that I heard the minister share. I played the tape TWICE. The word I was so desirous of hearing again was NOT ON THE TAPE! What I had heard did NOT come through the minister but from the Lord Himself!
Moreover, what the Lord is saying to you may have NO relationship to the words being spoken by the minister. Many years ago I went to a Friday night meeting of believers. The host, an elder in the house church of which we were a part, had invited an elder (who I will call Sam) from another charismatic fellowship to minister the word. Just prior to the time for the teaching, the believers there began to praise and worship the Lord. We were ministering to the Lord as Paul says,
What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.
1 Corinthian 14:15
The church fellowship of which Sam was a part did not believe in singing with the spirit in public meetings. So he tried his best to cut off our worship of the Lord in the spirit, and finally succeeded. Then he started teaching on the baptism in the Holy Spirit. I looked around the room and wondered why he had chosen that topic because everyone there was already baptized in the Holy Spirit. However, his ATTITUDE was far worse than his topic selection. He obviously was trying to teach us a thing or two. His approach was quite harsh and condescending, and certainly not in the right spirit. He displayed an attitude of, "you guys are all wrong; let me teach you something." The host never interrupted Sam. After he finally stopped his tirade, the host told Sam, "I have heard that your daughter is going to have open heart surgery next Tuesday. May we pray for her now?" Sam agreed, so we all prayed for his daughter. Then the meeting ended. A few days later another elder in the house church of which we were a part called me and asked me what had happened during the Friday night meeting. He said that he was not there but that he had heard many negative reports about the word (and attitude) that was shared that night. I said, "I thought it was one of the best meetings I have ever been to. The visiting minister was indeed out of order in both what he said and how he said it. But what he received in exchange for his tirade was the love of God, when we prayed for his daughter." Evidently almost everyone else at that meeting had only seen the negative, using their natural eyes and ears. But the Lord allowed me to see the REAL teaching going on, which was OUTSTANDING! I heard the Lord during that meeting say,
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. Matthew 5:11-12
Allow the Holy Spirit to develop within you a sensitivity to hear His voice through WHATEVER means He may choose. I knew a man many years ago who said that he had heard the voice of the Lord at different times through place mats, a man's hat, a man's pants, and a dog. Quite a strange variety! But do not limit the Holy One of Israel!
Finally, we must practice this process in order that we may be able to discern the will of God in our lives. The author of the book of Hebrews says that the recipients of that epistle are "dull of hearing" (Hebrews 5:11). The author also says that Christian maturity belongs to "those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Hebrews 5:14). Obviously the senses referred to here are not our natural senses, but rather our spiritual senses. So we need to exercise (practice) our spiritual senses to discern both good and evil. Now even the natural man should be able to discern what is "evil." Almost everyone has heard of the Ten Commandments. Anyone who still has any conscience knows that it is wrong to kill another person or rob a bank. Discerning "good" is not quite so easy. Note that the verse does not say discern between good and evil. The word "both" cannot be translated "between." So what the verse is saying, among other things, is that we need to exercise our spiritual senses to discern the will of God from that which is "good." The natural man simply tries to discern between good and evil. Indeed, that is the only distinction that natural man can make. The natural man still partakes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but has never partaken of the tree of life (Jesus Christ). "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Corinthians 2:14). In Genesis 2:17, God told Adam not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of GOOD and evil. The comparison, in verse 9 of that chapter, is between the tree of life on one hand and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
One word of caution, from my personal experience. It is possible to be so fervent and desirous of hearing the voice of the Lord that you can slip over into striving in the flesh. Many years ago my wife, Linda, had a rather serious physical problem. Both my wife and I believed that we knew what the physical problem was. We also believed that the Lord wanted to heal Linda all by Himself. We were very young Christians at that time. A prevalent teaching in the house church of which we were a part at that time was that "in the mouth of two or three witnesses, every word should be confirmed." So we did not want to act on the word that we had personally heard from the Lord without that word being confirmed by two or three other people. We never told anyone what we believed the physical problem to be. I asked
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