InEssence

2 Corinthians 5:21 He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

This is a familiar scripture to many of us.

The text states that Jesus gave Himself so utterly that Father was able to make Him, Who knew no sin, sin on our behalf.

This happened judiciously… perhaps it happened when the Lord cried out. “My God, why have you forsaken Me?” or, “It is finished!” Maybe (my opinion) it was simply the culmination of all He experienced at Calvary.

We might ask - "What does it feel like to become sin, Lord?"

He might answer - "Like being crucified."

The charismatically called person tends to take the Word heard or read, taught or preached and apply it to themselves according to their own motivations.

Before we give an example, remember, we may substitute any of the lifestyle callings from Romans 12 or 1 Corinthians 12:28-30 in the place of ‘prophetic.’ (i.e. teaching, mercy, leading, helping, evangelism, administrating, etc.)

Example:

The prophetic person hears the unctioned word from a pastorally called person, subjects it to their own prophetic grid and takes in what gets through the spiritual sieve of the charismatic colander. This results in the building up of the prophetic grace within himself.

For instance, the ‘prophetic’ person hears some practical instruction on ... hospitality.

They in meekness listen to this ‘elementary’ teaching and begin to see in the spirit the grieved heart of God. "This God, Who is so hospitable, wants the Body of His beloved Son, to receive one another as they have been received."

They see with deep cuttings all of the places and the roots of selfishness in their own soul that has cut others out of their lives through a desire to preserve their own time, life, space. "This is incredible rebellion against the HOLY ONE Who has called His children to be hospitable.

"The grief! – and what about the rest of the Body? What about this congregation? We are all so superficial…"

The prophetic person begins to have a sense of the One Who was born outside of normal hospitality, born in a stable!!
"Look! We’re doing that to one another – leaving one another out in the cold. Forget about this being willing to take one another into our homes – what about TRUE hospitality? What about taking one another into our hearts?! Oh the intensity of the calling to truly be able to hear and confide in one another – heart-to-heart.

"That would be ‘true’ hospitality – yet, nobody is really trustworthy, who can dare to open up to another? Surely the one who opens up his heart to another is just inviting betrayal and a sharing in the sufferings of the Messiah…

"I must fast and pray for myself and the brethren… Lord, You are worthy of a people who are truly hospitable… wait – I think this may be a word for the congregation…"
On and on the prophetic person goes…

Meanwhile, the teaching was about: a. being open to spontaneously eating with one another; b. enjoying one another’s company; c. taking an interest in the other person’s daily life and trials; d. the simplicity of showing hospitality in contrast to the stress of ‘entertaining’ one another.

This is a wonderful thing, but it also cuts off grace. (Definition of grace in this context: enabling favor.) God wants to build mature communities of believers through the developing of well rounded disciples. We must be open to the grace and unction of God through other believers – we need what they have.

1 Corinthians 12:14 14 For the body is not one member, but many.
Romans 12:4-5 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.

Intro:

Yesterday I read that the Muslim community will be sacrificing 100 lambs to Allah in North Carolina. “The attorney for the farmers said the slaughter in observance of Eid al-Adha isn't that much different than hog killings.” The State Agriculture officials said they’d keep an eye on the festivities.

Apart from the fact that the choice words, ‘hog killings’, was used to typify what these people intend to be a holy sacrifice (this is somewhat insulting and ludicrous in the light of the Islamic attitude towards ‘pig’), I wonder why they are sacrificing…

Is it mere commemoration, or for thanksgiving? or atonement? or preparatory for a feast?

If you know, please let me know.

Point:

(This is part of the entire Biblical instruction about prayer.)

Having been involved in developing an intercessors’ network, I have come across the emphasis that we need to replicate and even go beyond the devotion of those who call upon false gods, false conceptions of Deity or outright witchcraft and devil worship.

So, what I would expect to hear is something like this:

“The Muslims are sacrificing 100 lambs!!! Quick, let us set up a 100 church prayer-chain… no, let us gather centrally and pray for 100 hours before and after their sacrifices.”

I have heard things like:

“The Buddhists are praying 24 hours a day. We must pray to overcome their prayers by praying 25 hours a day!”

This has always struck me as mildly insane.

Messiah said, “… for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8)

“… do not be like them…”

Look at Elijah’s example.

1 Kings 18:25-29
So Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, "Choose one ox for yourselves and prepare it first for you are many, and call on the name of your god, but put no fire under it."
26 Then they took the ox which was given them and they prepared it and called on the name of Baal from morning until noon saying, "O Baal, answer us." But there was no voice and no one answered. And they leaped about the altar which they made.
27 It came about at noon, that Elijah mocked them and said, "Call out with a loud voice, for he is a god; either he is occupied or gone aside, or is on a journey, or perhaps he is asleep and needs to be awakened."
28 So they cried with a loud voice and cut themselves according to their custom with swords and lances until the blood gushed out on them. 29 When midday was past, they raved until the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice; but there was no voice, no one answered, and no one paid attention.
Go back and read that narrative slowly. Savor it… then come back.

Elijah confronted-challenged the prophets of Baal and waited until they were exhausted after an impressive display of vain spirituality.

James referred to the origin and outcome of this spiritual conflict thusly:

James 5:17-18 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. 18 Then he prayed again, and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
The One Who lives within us is far greater than all the principalities and powers combined.

1 John 4:4 4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
He is able to express Himself through the believer within their spheres of ministry and authority utterly effectively. If He leads you into prayer that is in specific conflict with any Baalim, victory is assured as you obey His Voice.

Jesus is risen from the dead. He is the head of every principality and power. He lives within us by His Spirit.

Dare you believe that your nature is like Elijah’s?

Pray for effectuating faith.

1 Kings 18:36b-38 ... Elijah the prophet came near and said, "O LORD, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, today let it be known that You are God in Israel and that I am Your servant and I have done all these things at Your word. 37 "Answer me, O LORD, answer me, that this people may know that You, O LORD, are God, and that You have turned their heart back again." 38 Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench.

The serious disciple lives on a pilgrimage in their relationship with God. In the course of their journey they may travel down some paths leading to unanticipated dead ends. Some camp out in these cul-de-sacs, some turn around and resume their journey to fruitfulness.

These sincere disciples face specific snares. Those oriented towards ministry may be tempted in subtle ways. For instance, they may be tempted to view God as a means to get an anointed, successful ministry.

At times the genuine servant is delivered when the unseen motives of unmet ego needs are revealed by the Spirit. Sometimes that believer may reject this light, utilizing the Scriptures as a shield against conviction. “After all,” he rationalizes, “I know what I must do. There is a Great Commission, I can only accomplish this by God’s power. I must seek Him for power to get it done.” When actually, God wants us to seek Him with unadulterated devotion, find Him and walk with Him, not use Him as a means to a lesser end.

Another common detour occurs when serious disciples confuse their priorities. They make their main objective to be conformed to the image of Jesus. Although this is an admirable aspiration, our primary calling is to know Him. Instead, they find themselves enticed to exploit God and His word to accomplish this worthy goal. This is a self defeating determination. Our eyes are to be fixed on Jesus, not given to incessant introspection.

We are called to come to the place where we live primarily to “know Him.” As we get to know the Lord, we hear Him calling us to know His love.

In beginning a study of the love of God, a serious disciple might have some questions. The first question might be—where do I start? Or it could be: isn't attempting to know the love of God for myself just a waste of time? How important could this possibly be? I should be out doing things.

Is pursuing the knowledge of God’s love a distraction? Is this important or irrelevant? If it is important, why is it important?

While these questions are understandable, a more important--and relevant--question is: What does God want?

We can find out what He wants by considering what Jesus said. In John 15, we read that knowing God’s love is something God esteems as vital for us. Let us examine the text and then estimate its importance.

Jesus said to His disciples "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. [2] "Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it, that it may bear more fruit. [3] "You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. [4] "Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you, unless you abide in Me. [5] "I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me, and I in Him, he bears much fruit; for apart from Me you can do nothing. [6] "If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch, and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. [7] "If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it shall be done for you. [8] "By this is My Father glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples. (John 15:1-8)

Here is the context: Jesus is about to leave His disciples. He is urgently teaching them. He wants them to remember what He says. He wants to impart what was closest to His heart. Let us consider the soul of His message. What was His priority?

Messiah desired His disciples to remain in vital union with Himself. He was about to return to Father and wanted the apostles to prioritize keeping their relationship with Him alive. He wanted to maintain communion with them just as when He was physically present with them.

Messiah said, "… abide in Me…” five times in this section. If I had been there, I’d have asked, “So, You’re commanding me to ‘abide in’ You, but what does that mean, Lord? What is abiding like? How do I do that? Where do I start?”

Perhaps Jesus anticipated those questions, because in the next verse, He defined what abiding in Him is like. The key to abiding in Jesus is entrusted to us in John 15:9, "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love."

“… (A)bide in My love…” is an imperative. But the command is also a clarification. The directive “…abide in My love,” is the further explanation of His decree, “…Abide in Me.”

As obedient disciples, we are called to abide in Him and the way towards abiding in Him is by abiding in His love for us. In remaining in Jesus’ love, we not only have the key to maintaining a relationship with Jesus, but we also get to experience the same type of love that Jesus received from the Father. To paraphrase, Jesus was saying, “Abide in Me through abiding in My love for you. My love for you is the same type of love I have been receiving from Father. Abide in My love.”

We are receiving this command from the Master Abider. Jesus dwelled in a conscious awareness of His Father’s love. This was such a vital part of His life that He wanted his disciples to do the same thing.

When you abide in Jesus, you get to know and understand Him. You get to know His character. We have learned of His character through the Scriptures: He is faithful, He is kind, He is just, He is trustworthy. Abiding in Him brings us into conscious contact with His character. But there’s more! The Lord, Himself, has a personality! Every believer should be convinced that since Jesus is a person He has a personality. But have we encountered it, or do we merely ‘take it by faith?’

To me, this is an incredible thing – how can we stop at getting to know His character and not press on to know Him so personally that we actually end up experiencing and knowing the God-Who-Has-A-Personality? In our experience of God, do we know the God-Who-Has-A-Personality? Or do we just know the God-Who-Has-A-Wonderful-Character?

Not only does God have a character and a personality, but He has plans. If you spend sufficient time with anybody, you get to know their character, their personality, and their dreams, desires and plans. You get to know their immediate focus and become familiar with their long term goals.

It’s almost as if He promised: “If you spend time with Me, you’re going to know my character, My personality, and you’re going to know My dreams, desires and plans. You’ll get to know what I’m focused on, where My attention is.”

Do you want to experience Jesus’ character, personality, and plans? “Abide in Me.” Do you want to see where He is directing His attention? “Abide in Me.” Do you want Him to point your attention in the same direction as He is currently focused? “Abide.”

Jesus has commanded us to abide in Him. He said that in order to abide in Him, we must abide in His love. It is therefore safe to conclude: experiencing the love Jesus has for us is very important.

This is the open secret that often escapes the serious seeker. This simplicity is an unexpected stumbling stone in the path of the earnest follower of Jesus. Many never expect that Jesus is commanding them to prioritize His love. His yoke is easy.

John 1:18 “No man has seen God at any time; the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.”

Jesus is the explanation of the Father.

Jesus reveals the Father in a context we understand.

What is that context?
Is it first century Judaism?
Is it being an occupied people under the heel of a despotic power?

Is it being a man who is fully aware of every aspect of the spiritual realm?
To clearly understand and comprehend the angelic and demonic realm takes .... more grace than I have, anyway.

In Jesus, God reveals Himself to us within the context of humanity -- being human in relationship to other people. It is in that context we are most easily able to see Jesus completely revealing the Father: What is God's heart towards people?

Through the Messiah we can see God in contrast to our hearts. We can see what He has in common with us as we see God in harmony with our hearts. We can see how we maintain and pursue our relationships contrasted with how and why Jesus acted.

What is God like? To what type of life are we called?

Holy Spirit, reveal the Son.

On the Love of God

Today as I was teaching, I realized that I was actually getting my two heart's desires as I pursued abiding in Jesus' love.

a. My first goal was to be 'like' Jesus
b. My second goal (which became my first goal in priority) has been to know Him

He said
As the Father has loved Me
So have I loved you
Abide in my love

So, there we have Messiah calling us to relate to Him in the same way that He related to the Father (goal a. - being like Jesus).

Secondly, the doorway into knowing Him (goal b. - knowing Him) is receiving His love - that is His first priority to bring us into relationship with Himself.

In receiving His love, I get both.

Both.

This is the testimony of Raymond Lull - the first 'missionary' to the Islamic peoples. He was a knight who lived in the 13th century. This was penned by Zwemer...

One evening the seneschal was sitting on a couch, with his cithern on his knees, composing a song in praise of a noble married lady who had fascinated him but who was insensible to his passion. Suddenly, in the midst of the erotic song, he saw on his right hand the Savior hanging on His cross, the blood trickling from His hands and feet and brow, look reproachfully at him. Raymund, conscience - struck, started up; he could sing no more; he laid aside his cithern and, deeply moved, retired into bed.

Eight days after, he again attempted to finish the song and again took up the plea of an unrequited lover. But now again, as before, the image of Divine Love incarnate appeared - the agonized form of the Man of Sorrows.

The dying eyes of the Savior were fixed on him mournfully, pleadingly:

"See from His head. His hands, His feet,

Sorrow and love flow mingling down:

Did ere such love and sorrow meet,

Or thorns compose so rich a crown?"

Lull cast his lute aside, and threw himself on his bed, a prey to remorse. He had seen the highest and deepest unrequited love. But the thought that, "Love so amazing, so divine, Demands my soul, my life, my all," had not yet reached him.

The effect of the vision was so transitory that he was not ready to yield until it again repeated itself. Then Lull could not resist the thought that this was a special message for himself to conquer his lower passions and to devote himself entirely to Christ's service.

He felt engraved on his heart, as it were, the great spectacle of divine Self-sacrifice. Henceforth he had only one passion, to love and serve Christ. But there arose the doubt, How can I, defiled with impurity, rise and enter on a holier life?

Night after night, we are told, he lay awake, a prey to despondency and doubt. He wept like Mary Magdalen, remembering how much and how deeply he had sinned.

At length the thought occurred: Christ is meek and full of compassion; He invites all to come to Him; He will not cast me out. With that thought came consolation. Because he was forgiven so much he loved the more, and concluded that he would forsake the world and give up all for his Savior.

Essence of the Confirmation Process
Spiritual adolescence may be a problem, but it can be part of the normal development of a faithful person. Through faith in God and the resultant fruit of the Spirit it is possible for a spiritual adolescent to remain faithful through what turns out to be a confirmation process.

The confirmation process is not institutional by nature, it is relational.

The faithfulness which needs to be displayed towards man and God is not towards a task or ministry (although that is important). The faithfulness-that-confirms is actually the maturing of relational integrity.

This integrity takes place within the context of divinely given responsibilities. These ministries occur because of loving human relationships and a manifest divine calling.

These human relationships have their origins in (are initiated by) God. They are maintained unto the Lord, by His power according to the person's calling.

This faithfulness towards God and man is finally manifested in unctioned confirmed service.

The confirmation comes from God and the Body.

Spiritual Adolescence

Adolescence is a time many parents dread. Living with an adolescent can be like living through a decade of the ‘terrible twos’ (only with an adult sized body). Sometimes the child grows past the parent. Sometimes the child’s capacity for logic (along with the information available about certain subjects) rivals those of their parents.

Along with this astonishing time of growth comes a push for independence and the differentiating of identity from that of the parent.

One delightful piece of information made available over the last few years is that the part of the brain that controls decision making (judgment/evaluation and action/risk) is still growing until the person is in their early twenties. This is scientific truth, much to the chagrin of certain adolescents I know.

Take a look: http://www.childwelfare.net/SJDC/braindevelopment.html

It is an example of grace when children go through adolescence without going into out-and-out rebellion. In many instances it is only the faith of believing adolescents which keep them in a lifestyle of ‘honoring’ their parents. The tendency of the adolescent is to find their identity amongst their peers.

The young believer begins to grow up…

Amazingly, all of a sudden they discover that they know as much as, or more than, their spiritual parents! (LOL!) Perhaps they come to different doctrinal conclusions. They begin to find different sources of spiritual nourishment than their elders. The way things have been done are so... old.

This is different from deep character flaws. The spiritual adolescent is experiencing growing pains. They are coming into their own sense of identity and mission.

The wise adolescent works through these times, maintaining a relationship with those who have nourished him

The foolish adolescent?

Well ... perhaps they no longer communicate, as they cut their parents off. They tend to hang out with others who feel the same way about their parents. In a worst case scenario, they run away from home. Then they complain about being ‘fatherless’ as they tear down the work of their spiritual parents.

Actually, they’ve opted out of the confirmation process.

Aborting the Confirmation Process

Let’s set up a normal situation:

Someone shows up in a local congregation. They have either just been saved or are experienced believers. They have a desire to contribute or lead in the congregation. They begin to serve.

Everyone hopes they will mature and be able to contribute to the life of the fellowship.

They’re in the confirmation process. Leaders are looking at them hoping they will mature and prove faithful.

So many get derailed…they never finish the training period.

Why?

The first reason with which I’m familiar is ‘spiritual adolescence.’

1 Timothy 3:10 10 These men must also first be tested…

Had Timothy been tested?

Acts 16:1-3 … And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, 2 and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium. 3 Paul wanted this man to go with him …

There was enough known about Timothy’s track record to impress Paul.

Timothy went through the confirmation process and then advanced to another place of faithfulness. His life is a success story.

Are you in a confirmation process? What type of track record are you developing?

"Let them be tested."

1 Timothy 3:10 10 These men must also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond reproach.

Paul is telling Timothy that those who are being called to recognized service in the Body are to be tested by others who are part of the Body. Leaders are to put aspiring servants through trial.

Let them serve for a ‘trial’ period.

If they get through it with a record of being effective and having a good attitude, then let them serve.

“Timothy, set up a trial period for these people”

It seems that after ordination the Lord does the testing.

Being tested by people is a breeze.

When God puts your soul in the fire He does a thorough job.