"And whatever you ask in MY NAME, that I will do that the father may be glorified in the Son; If you ask me anything in my name, I will do it" John 14:13-14. In Jesus name is probably the most repeated words used in modern prayer and it may be behind much of the misuse of His name as simply a common expression. I think few know what they are saying when they use it; I know I did not. In Jesus name has become simply a indication the the prayer is over, in most usages. For a idea of what Jesus was referring to in John :14 we need to go back to the statement by Philip the disciple, that prompted Jesus to answer with the in My name terminology. "Philip said to Him, "show us the father and it will be sufficient for us". Jesus answer went on to indicate that the Father was displayed in The Son and that Jesus was in fact one with the Father, in other words Jesus was God. So if the earlier scripture is used to shed light upon meaning of later scripture, in this instance the meaning of In my name would be Jesus Christ has all authority to act in the power of The Father, or in God's name. There is really no biblical precedent for using the term in Jesus name at the end of a prayer; you will not find even one prayer in the bible where this term is used in such a way: if you want to use it that's fine, but lets not approach The father without a firm understanding of the gifts given! If we expect that because we use these words then it somehow gives us authority by the words alone, or that the prayer is sort of sealed before God by the term, then we have missed the true meaning of In the name of Jesus as explained by Jesus, and perhaps are even using it in superstitious form. And by the same token using it merely as a indication of end of prayer does not do justice to Jesus' words in scripture. My friends if we know who we are in Christ then we are of the same oneness as He was, and is with the Father, and can live it and pray in that power, in a conscious way, and if we use in the name of Jesus in this context the term in Jesus name becomes more than a mere prayer ending or words which make our prayers have power, but we will find ourselves in a aware position, a living integral part of His authority in His name, which is us in union with the Godhead itself. You might wish to look at at it like this: if a policemen said; stop in the name of the law, its because he is aware of his authority granted him by another power, and that he indeed is in possession of that power and represents it. We need to have that same awareness of who we are, in Jesus name.
We find ourselves in Christ, not in our own power, but in the power of the living God. By the authority awarded to us by His will in His Son; really we are all that we are, including our prayer life, by the merits of Jesus Christ Himself. So my dear and good friends it is incumbent upon us to become possessors of the authority we have by gaining knowledge and thereby leading a life guided by the principals of the positions we hold, in Jesus name.
I have recently been taken to task for writing my blog is a way that some say is difficult to understand, just not simple enough. I hear that and agree, but with this reservation: The gospel message is simple enough, believe, receive, have faith, become saved, not much problem there. But by God's Word there is so much more for us in fulfilling the obedience to faith we were given by grace. Its evidently not so simple, if it were we would all be on the same page, not the convoluted mess Christianity finds itself in. I hope we can agree on that? By the writing of Paul, who was a intellectual, trained in Greek philosophy and a Pharisee, which would be equal to perhaps a professor and a priest combined, we will read a very complex tapestry of thought, we must be up to the challenge to understand the true objective final meaning of his words. Also the bible was written in the Greek language, which is far deeper and more meaningful in expression than English or any other language for that matter. Like any student if one remains in the elementary period of his education, never having been challenge by his teachers he will always be in his childhood of learning, no advancement! My goal has been to grow my own thoughts into a mature place in Christ. Paul in his writings, I would think, as he wrote, by the inspiration of God [who by the way did not dictate word for word into mans mind, but used their circumstance, education, and personality to convey and color His thoughts in scripture] he must have been surprised to see his own deep understanding of godly things on paper, surely his educational background must have been used by God. God used all that education Paul subjected himself too, to facilitate the conveyance of His Word. Just as He will bring about the growth He has willed for you and me, which will be only limited by our unwillingness to meet the intellectual challenge present in scripture. That being said I will endeavor to approach this all important positional truth doctrine in a more easily understood tone. If you, my readers, wish to read and learn the calling of God for all Christians to a deeper life, no man, dead or alive has done a better job of explaining it in clear concise terms, than Miles Stanford in the Complete Green Letters. I present this challenge to you, to order it, read it, and grow!
In order for us to carry on in the power of the name of Jesus we must first know the elementary position of identification with Christ, and that we consist of two natures. The first is in the name of Adam; we are living on this earth as him in his nature. Each time you look in the mirror that's who you see, and Adam is unacceptable to The Father, because he has the capacity to sin. The second aspect of our being was formed anew by God in Christ, and transferred to us by The Holy Spirit by our faith. Jesus is the second Adam. We are like the first by birth, and likewise the second, except the new second birth after the fact is spiritual, which means it takes place in our mind, and while we take on this new nature by choosing it in faith, it is the work of the second Adam that makes it true before God. This is where the rubber meets the road my friends, in realizing that our salivation is wholly dependent upon another, our very condition as saved children of God is positioned in the person of Jesus Christ and realized by us in faith and by faith only, not action or works! It is as we look in understanding of that truth, we see our life in Christ and have power in His name. We remain in a sin capacity in Adam the first in our flesh or human nature but are seen in the second Adam, Jesus Christ, by God, the Fathers design for the Christian. He has become our very personal identity in the mind of God, and that came by His presence on this earth as a man, and in that capacity He fulfilled the extinction of the first Adams sinful nature in God's mind with complete satisfaction; He accomplished that by dieing on the cross in the form of a man, thereby judicially completing our sentence of death. This in simplicity is the positional truth doctrine; but its one thing to know it and another to experience it. My prayer in Jesus name is that you come to see that life in the first has no value and that by obedience to the faith of the identity you have in the second Man you may live in His power to overcome the world in the only way possible as we walk in it; positioned in you heart and awareness, identified with Jesus Christ. Thereby you will have a full realization of your presence in Christ, in heaven, with full experiential access to the Throne of God while treading earths fateful path.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Saturday, December 21, 2013
MORAL DISTANCE ELEVATED
I have a confession to make: The deeper I get into things of a heavenly nature the more I have seen my own moral weakness! You see much of my blog effort has been to prove to my readers that the nature of the Christian is realized by knowing his heavenly position; and that is true, but just knowing that fact will not necessarily prove ones place. Its not a separate elite life God is seeking for the believer in knowing position, and all the badgering and attempts explaining the meaning of scripture for establishing a heavenly concept in my readers minds will not be the catalyst to a happy life for them or me, nor will it compensate for the primary deficit in my life, I often find myself in, a lack of walking in fellowship with The Lord Jesus Christ. No my friends even though, by God's will we must be engrossed with the right things of His Word along the way; merely gaining a new vocabulary or scriptural incite, giving up once held notions and thereby leaving behind old ideas, will not always be a solid ground for delivery from our earthly self-containment, on its own. As J.B.Stoney said: "It is that which you give yourself to, not what you have abandoned that colors you and which imparts character to you". So faithful readers let us depart on a new great adventure finding a elevated moral platform on which to stand, leaving the old life and not let the condition we find ourselves in on earth or even in heaven hide Him who is all truth and life. "The Spirit of truth takes of what is mine and will make it known to you" John:16:15.
You may ask, what has morals got to do with it? We all know what a moral code is, simply put, knowing right from wrong; but there is more to learn, as there are two sides to each coin. A moral persuasion can be see in the objective or the subjective. A objective moral is one which is held independent of people's [including one's own] opinion,while the subjective means, just a matter of personal opinion. So if there is a God who made the moral truth of a heavenly position in Christ for us to occupy in fellowship with Him, then we have duties to fulfill, or a moral obligation if you will; this is not subjective, but coming to know those duties in a objective manner might be another matter. Also the entering into fellowship with Christ as a moral design could be elusive outside of a thorough biblical concept of the all important Christian privilege of our "being hidden in Christ". But the object of a true godly moral truth in reality, even when understood, doesn't necessarily mean that observation will not very with individual circumstance and produce different results along the way. I have come to accept this as fact. Well what am I getting at here? Just this: The objective truth of our heavenly position becoming known to the Christian and the application we may apply to have fellowship in knowledge and understanding with the Lord, will not always produce a similar result. I've learned that the hard way. I can now more clearly see that simply because my heart is becoming tuned to a realized moral elevation that God has raised us all to a place of perfection in His Son; a moral distance as far as the east is from the west from the old man of the natural flesh, and which has become completed in Christ; some of my readers might still see this in a subjective view colored by personal opinion and lack of awareness, and that is only natural, as we all have much to learn of the things of God. My hope in writing this blog is none the less to help us all live the defining of our life in the light and perfection and fellowship of the Fathers presence as a firm moral objective and for us all to find our way there even though the paths may vary by God's will for each individual.
The message I am trying to convey in the above, in perhaps a too loquacious way, is to say my blog is changing in tone to a more accommodating standard. The inspiration for which is the realization of my own propensity to merely hear the word and not see it. I know the bible says "faith comes by hearing", but finding myself in the condition of the position I hold in Christ requires also seeing the truth, and in that truth is found the fellowship The Lord has for me, and with all who believe. Thank you for continuing on with me. Lets now get to the moral distance we all desire and will be elevated too as we learn who we are in fellowship with Jesus Christ!
There is a small voice within me that whispers at times when I set out to do the right thing in self determination, to know Christ, bound for the moral distance of faith on my own; it says what if this all is not true? After all faith is immaterial, in ourselves subjective. This is my old man speaking. or perhaps the father of lies himself. However when I reflect upon my past and where I have come from I know I have found Him who brings life, and the beauty of The Son as portrayed in the Word, the clear object, is mine. He could only be a personal Creator God, the true truth. So my faith is proved by my flesh's weakness, even its unbelief. This is where the moral distance is to be advantaged, Jesus came for one such as me, and has made Himself know in my heart and that is where I may fellowship; by the power in Him imparted to me by His Holy Spirit, in Christ, where and how The Father sees me. I must have Him as a new life, in a new creation, by a true faith, or be relegated to a living death, a zombivication of a man on his way to heaven, but conducting his affairs here on earth in a dead mans mind.
The term fellowship, I think, has lost meaning, its too easy, it has now become a lazy mans way of entering in to the Body of Christ. Then theirs communion; which in my mind at least, brings a vision of me down here and Him up there. No I like the word, in concert, for the purpose of explaining my elevated moral distance found in Christ. The definition of in concert is: acting jointly, in agreement, in common purpose. Viewing our Christian life thus might put a new slant on the term fellowship. If one is in concert with Jesus Christ he is together in company, therefore he must see himself where Christ is, nothing else will do. The moral elevation that Jesus has acquired for us by His death upon the cross has brought us complete deliverance from anything which would separate us from The Father, we have fellowship. We are in actual union with the Godhead, in Christ! Paul sought a mark, he was reaching for. Which was his way of saying, his intent was to understand and live his union with Jesus Christ in heaven, here on earth. My friends we too must seek this mark to have true fellowship, be it in union, or concert with the living God. But how can we press toward the mark, if we do not see it? I think largely the Christian world has lost sight of a acquaintance with Christ as a mindset a definition of their being, in union with Him, the person they actually are. In other words the biblical concept of the Spirit occupying our mortal flesh and thus being defined in our mind by its revelation of our position in Christ. I know I chose to not be educated to these facts for many years, resulting in a lower moral distance for my frame of reference . I had no anticipation of the mark to reach, let alone a idea of its meaning. The Word was not formed in me.
How then shall we proceed to our happy destiny; the place of true fellowship? We as humans have the unique ability to alter our frame of reference, in order to change our perception of our life and that which surrounds us. The mastery of our thoughts is one of the most important traits we have to bring about not only a clear perception of things, but enjoyment of life. We use this power all the time and it forms our personality. The bible tells us a man whose thoughts are confused is like a wave tossed about by the sea. Yes my friends we all have troubles and are searching for calmness and clarity, perhaps formed by a new view. Why then not by faith in the Word of God? Which has purposed to alter our souls definition by giving us the opportunity to take on the Spirit of God in the power He has given us in The Son. By in-lighting our mind and thus becoming aware, we may be free to think position in Christ as life, and by our minds new altered view become active possessors of the personality of Jesus Christ; Him as our only object for existence, always in Him possessed. He becomes our object, we are in concert with His thoughts and the place He has provided in His heavenly dwelling becomes our path down here. Leaving behind the cares of the world and old things, and becoming acquainted with your God; who has given us a means to escape the bonds of this world, as a defining requisition of our being, and by faith arrive at the moral distance, the new definition, He has by His death and Resurrection elevated us to!
You may ask, what has morals got to do with it? We all know what a moral code is, simply put, knowing right from wrong; but there is more to learn, as there are two sides to each coin. A moral persuasion can be see in the objective or the subjective. A objective moral is one which is held independent of people's [including one's own] opinion,while the subjective means, just a matter of personal opinion. So if there is a God who made the moral truth of a heavenly position in Christ for us to occupy in fellowship with Him, then we have duties to fulfill, or a moral obligation if you will; this is not subjective, but coming to know those duties in a objective manner might be another matter. Also the entering into fellowship with Christ as a moral design could be elusive outside of a thorough biblical concept of the all important Christian privilege of our "being hidden in Christ". But the object of a true godly moral truth in reality, even when understood, doesn't necessarily mean that observation will not very with individual circumstance and produce different results along the way. I have come to accept this as fact. Well what am I getting at here? Just this: The objective truth of our heavenly position becoming known to the Christian and the application we may apply to have fellowship in knowledge and understanding with the Lord, will not always produce a similar result. I've learned that the hard way. I can now more clearly see that simply because my heart is becoming tuned to a realized moral elevation that God has raised us all to a place of perfection in His Son; a moral distance as far as the east is from the west from the old man of the natural flesh, and which has become completed in Christ; some of my readers might still see this in a subjective view colored by personal opinion and lack of awareness, and that is only natural, as we all have much to learn of the things of God. My hope in writing this blog is none the less to help us all live the defining of our life in the light and perfection and fellowship of the Fathers presence as a firm moral objective and for us all to find our way there even though the paths may vary by God's will for each individual.
The message I am trying to convey in the above, in perhaps a too loquacious way, is to say my blog is changing in tone to a more accommodating standard. The inspiration for which is the realization of my own propensity to merely hear the word and not see it. I know the bible says "faith comes by hearing", but finding myself in the condition of the position I hold in Christ requires also seeing the truth, and in that truth is found the fellowship The Lord has for me, and with all who believe. Thank you for continuing on with me. Lets now get to the moral distance we all desire and will be elevated too as we learn who we are in fellowship with Jesus Christ!
There is a small voice within me that whispers at times when I set out to do the right thing in self determination, to know Christ, bound for the moral distance of faith on my own; it says what if this all is not true? After all faith is immaterial, in ourselves subjective. This is my old man speaking. or perhaps the father of lies himself. However when I reflect upon my past and where I have come from I know I have found Him who brings life, and the beauty of The Son as portrayed in the Word, the clear object, is mine. He could only be a personal Creator God, the true truth. So my faith is proved by my flesh's weakness, even its unbelief. This is where the moral distance is to be advantaged, Jesus came for one such as me, and has made Himself know in my heart and that is where I may fellowship; by the power in Him imparted to me by His Holy Spirit, in Christ, where and how The Father sees me. I must have Him as a new life, in a new creation, by a true faith, or be relegated to a living death, a zombivication of a man on his way to heaven, but conducting his affairs here on earth in a dead mans mind.
The term fellowship, I think, has lost meaning, its too easy, it has now become a lazy mans way of entering in to the Body of Christ. Then theirs communion; which in my mind at least, brings a vision of me down here and Him up there. No I like the word, in concert, for the purpose of explaining my elevated moral distance found in Christ. The definition of in concert is: acting jointly, in agreement, in common purpose. Viewing our Christian life thus might put a new slant on the term fellowship. If one is in concert with Jesus Christ he is together in company, therefore he must see himself where Christ is, nothing else will do. The moral elevation that Jesus has acquired for us by His death upon the cross has brought us complete deliverance from anything which would separate us from The Father, we have fellowship. We are in actual union with the Godhead, in Christ! Paul sought a mark, he was reaching for. Which was his way of saying, his intent was to understand and live his union with Jesus Christ in heaven, here on earth. My friends we too must seek this mark to have true fellowship, be it in union, or concert with the living God. But how can we press toward the mark, if we do not see it? I think largely the Christian world has lost sight of a acquaintance with Christ as a mindset a definition of their being, in union with Him, the person they actually are. In other words the biblical concept of the Spirit occupying our mortal flesh and thus being defined in our mind by its revelation of our position in Christ. I know I chose to not be educated to these facts for many years, resulting in a lower moral distance for my frame of reference . I had no anticipation of the mark to reach, let alone a idea of its meaning. The Word was not formed in me.
How then shall we proceed to our happy destiny; the place of true fellowship? We as humans have the unique ability to alter our frame of reference, in order to change our perception of our life and that which surrounds us. The mastery of our thoughts is one of the most important traits we have to bring about not only a clear perception of things, but enjoyment of life. We use this power all the time and it forms our personality. The bible tells us a man whose thoughts are confused is like a wave tossed about by the sea. Yes my friends we all have troubles and are searching for calmness and clarity, perhaps formed by a new view. Why then not by faith in the Word of God? Which has purposed to alter our souls definition by giving us the opportunity to take on the Spirit of God in the power He has given us in The Son. By in-lighting our mind and thus becoming aware, we may be free to think position in Christ as life, and by our minds new altered view become active possessors of the personality of Jesus Christ; Him as our only object for existence, always in Him possessed. He becomes our object, we are in concert with His thoughts and the place He has provided in His heavenly dwelling becomes our path down here. Leaving behind the cares of the world and old things, and becoming acquainted with your God; who has given us a means to escape the bonds of this world, as a defining requisition of our being, and by faith arrive at the moral distance, the new definition, He has by His death and Resurrection elevated us to!
Saturday, December 14, 2013
CONNECTING WITH THE BENEFIT
A great problem for me has been to simply rest in the benefits afforded me by my connection to The Father made true in The Son; and discovering just what does that means in my everyday life, and how do I take advantage of its availability? In other words how can I gain a spiritual prosperity of the truth in my daily affairs? "That you may be filled with a clear knowledge of His will accompanied by thorough wisdom and discernment in spiritual things" Col. 1:9. My weakness has been in the discernment area of spiritual things, and I think it may be possible many of those I encounter have much the same trouble.
First if we are to be wise and discerning on any subject we must have a knowledge of it; that goes without saying! What then are spiritual things? The bible says that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. By fear this means a mentally held respect for all His ways and His will. I believe we may discern His spiritual will for us by realizing that the knowledge of spiritual things is only found in the mind of God, but it is up to us to interpret it as He makes it know to us in His Word. So spiritual things are reveled by the mind of God, to the renewed mind of man. In Col. 1:10, the bible tells us "to walk worthy of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God". It seems my friends we, by His word, must grow in knowledge, so we might have our work cut out for us to gain the interpretive quality needed for spiritual things.
I have discussed in my blogs in many different ways basically the same subject, namely our position in Christ. I will not go over the details of what that means here, as it will be easy for you to simply refer to my past comments, but that being said: I wish to discuss the fruit of knowing this truth, of position, held in the spiritual discernment and wisdom we can partake of by holding our understanding of the subject in faith in our mind. In other words resting in God's mental gifts to us. It seem only natural that the mountain top of rest cannot be reached without trudging the road of the foothills; this is where I failed for so many years, on the road to happy destiny. My friends it takes hard work, dedication and patience to find the hope The Father has provided for a mature resting place in His Son. I have come to accept that most will not make the effort to arrive, as the world and its affairs, and more so I think, our own personal fears indulged in, prevent a clear view of the highway. While the world will always impact us, as we are in it, our own anxiety's are internal and ultimately our own responsibility. Perhaps this is where we can find the cure to connect with the benefits God has provided for dealing with fear. This upward slope on our path will only be mounted by gaining the knowledge to overcome, and then believed in by a confident faith! How then do we accomplish such a feat?
I am afraid my dear friends there is not a easy answer; the pilgrims progress is slowed by many intrepid encounters along the way. Which when looked back upon may be seen as a benefit in helping us to find our way, but seldom so when we are engaged in them, and often serve to hold us in a that place of fear. I know many Christians do not like the word psychology, but I think some credit for that approach is needed here. The idea for most therapy is to help the patient become aware of there own weakness, becoming self analytical in the process, a good thing. The big gap I believe is encountered by the all to often consequence of this approach alone, we are still left with ourselves, the flesh, in the end, not a good thing. The Word of God tells us we are completely new creatures our old self has been cast aside made annulled, dead. We now are being conformed to the image of Christ, and in fact are already conformed to that image in the Mind of God. With a clear spiritual discernment of this great benefit we are not left orphaned, with only a natural man to look to; but can through the knowledge of biblical truth apply what we learn about ourselves to the solid foundation of a current citizenship in heaven, the new you living there, held firmly in your own personal understanding, by the Representative fact of Christ presence there; and thereby come to know and maintain our identity in The New Man and derive our lasting and true analytical powers from the source of life, which is The Mind of God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit in us.
I realize it is one thing to apply for the benefits and another to get them. I know of many Christians seeking relief, but few finding it. I once was the voluntary victim of this dilemma. This frustration is magnified because we are trying to overcome this or that, not seeing that we have the benefit of something far greater than could ever be found in a personal self centered effort. We are in truth by Christ's effect far superior to any inhibiting fears. There really is no need for the Christian to be confined, with no relief during trials, as it is not a self centered power which we should be seeking as the benefit, but the power of the Mind of Christ which is already in us, although we must have awareness of it. The power we might find in the self contained man opens doors yes, but we remain in the flesh. The power of the Holy Spirit in us in awareness enables us to climb the wall, grace carries us ever upward gaining strength at each new barrier. This effect is God's benefit to His children, a practical power found by abiding in the truth of our position in Christ resting in our fellowship where He is, while walking down here. The fruit of knowing our position in Christ.
Really what we are talking about here is Spiritual health and maturity. While one may be converted, saved and on their way to the by and by, he may not know where the Lord is and his place in Him there, nor have a concept of the all important view God has of the believer seen in His Son, and therefore remain weak. Not knowing his dwelling place is above; which is The Fathers perspective, the only one that matters, a mature incite is needed into the true doctrine of our heavenly presence rested in, in our mind/spirit. Without knowledge of the biblical facts the believer will never see the clear light of the way prepared by Christ's death to all that is self. I have encountered many men and women who have a firm grasp of this world, a large estate, secure in material things, and even active in Christian service, but have poor spiritual health, and therefor cannot enjoy their possessions, both material and spiritual. Really friends, what good is the world anyway? Why do we fear, people, places, and things and participate in the sin of anxiety? How can we be set free to connect with God's benefits, where we will find a sure footing?
The answer to the above, I believe is simply knowing the difference between the old self centered order and the new order we are beheld in by God, in Christ. The old order brings about suffering, which is useful in God's formula for us. It is as sufferings grow that the consolations of Christ abound. We might be in a trial, but by a awareness of our position of holiness and total security before God in Christ; we are made superior to it! This concept is made clearer by the words of J.B. Stoney, which I will close with: "Do not look for a change in your circumstances, but keep your mind on the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ above[and your presence in Him there], that while by the power of the Holy Spirit you have association with Him where He is [in heaven], you will manifest His life and power where He is not [on the earth]. What really hinders souls is this: they are looking for easy circumstances, looking for God to take away the difficulties, instead of looking to Him for grace to be superior to them". "For when I am weak, then am I strong" 2 Cor. 12:10.
First if we are to be wise and discerning on any subject we must have a knowledge of it; that goes without saying! What then are spiritual things? The bible says that the beginning of wisdom is fear of the Lord. By fear this means a mentally held respect for all His ways and His will. I believe we may discern His spiritual will for us by realizing that the knowledge of spiritual things is only found in the mind of God, but it is up to us to interpret it as He makes it know to us in His Word. So spiritual things are reveled by the mind of God, to the renewed mind of man. In Col. 1:10, the bible tells us "to walk worthy of the Lord to please Him in all things, bearing fruit in every good work and growing by the full knowledge of God". It seems my friends we, by His word, must grow in knowledge, so we might have our work cut out for us to gain the interpretive quality needed for spiritual things.
I have discussed in my blogs in many different ways basically the same subject, namely our position in Christ. I will not go over the details of what that means here, as it will be easy for you to simply refer to my past comments, but that being said: I wish to discuss the fruit of knowing this truth, of position, held in the spiritual discernment and wisdom we can partake of by holding our understanding of the subject in faith in our mind. In other words resting in God's mental gifts to us. It seem only natural that the mountain top of rest cannot be reached without trudging the road of the foothills; this is where I failed for so many years, on the road to happy destiny. My friends it takes hard work, dedication and patience to find the hope The Father has provided for a mature resting place in His Son. I have come to accept that most will not make the effort to arrive, as the world and its affairs, and more so I think, our own personal fears indulged in, prevent a clear view of the highway. While the world will always impact us, as we are in it, our own anxiety's are internal and ultimately our own responsibility. Perhaps this is where we can find the cure to connect with the benefits God has provided for dealing with fear. This upward slope on our path will only be mounted by gaining the knowledge to overcome, and then believed in by a confident faith! How then do we accomplish such a feat?
I am afraid my dear friends there is not a easy answer; the pilgrims progress is slowed by many intrepid encounters along the way. Which when looked back upon may be seen as a benefit in helping us to find our way, but seldom so when we are engaged in them, and often serve to hold us in a that place of fear. I know many Christians do not like the word psychology, but I think some credit for that approach is needed here. The idea for most therapy is to help the patient become aware of there own weakness, becoming self analytical in the process, a good thing. The big gap I believe is encountered by the all to often consequence of this approach alone, we are still left with ourselves, the flesh, in the end, not a good thing. The Word of God tells us we are completely new creatures our old self has been cast aside made annulled, dead. We now are being conformed to the image of Christ, and in fact are already conformed to that image in the Mind of God. With a clear spiritual discernment of this great benefit we are not left orphaned, with only a natural man to look to; but can through the knowledge of biblical truth apply what we learn about ourselves to the solid foundation of a current citizenship in heaven, the new you living there, held firmly in your own personal understanding, by the Representative fact of Christ presence there; and thereby come to know and maintain our identity in The New Man and derive our lasting and true analytical powers from the source of life, which is The Mind of God in Christ, by the Holy Spirit in us.
I realize it is one thing to apply for the benefits and another to get them. I know of many Christians seeking relief, but few finding it. I once was the voluntary victim of this dilemma. This frustration is magnified because we are trying to overcome this or that, not seeing that we have the benefit of something far greater than could ever be found in a personal self centered effort. We are in truth by Christ's effect far superior to any inhibiting fears. There really is no need for the Christian to be confined, with no relief during trials, as it is not a self centered power which we should be seeking as the benefit, but the power of the Mind of Christ which is already in us, although we must have awareness of it. The power we might find in the self contained man opens doors yes, but we remain in the flesh. The power of the Holy Spirit in us in awareness enables us to climb the wall, grace carries us ever upward gaining strength at each new barrier. This effect is God's benefit to His children, a practical power found by abiding in the truth of our position in Christ resting in our fellowship where He is, while walking down here. The fruit of knowing our position in Christ.
Really what we are talking about here is Spiritual health and maturity. While one may be converted, saved and on their way to the by and by, he may not know where the Lord is and his place in Him there, nor have a concept of the all important view God has of the believer seen in His Son, and therefore remain weak. Not knowing his dwelling place is above; which is The Fathers perspective, the only one that matters, a mature incite is needed into the true doctrine of our heavenly presence rested in, in our mind/spirit. Without knowledge of the biblical facts the believer will never see the clear light of the way prepared by Christ's death to all that is self. I have encountered many men and women who have a firm grasp of this world, a large estate, secure in material things, and even active in Christian service, but have poor spiritual health, and therefor cannot enjoy their possessions, both material and spiritual. Really friends, what good is the world anyway? Why do we fear, people, places, and things and participate in the sin of anxiety? How can we be set free to connect with God's benefits, where we will find a sure footing?
The answer to the above, I believe is simply knowing the difference between the old self centered order and the new order we are beheld in by God, in Christ. The old order brings about suffering, which is useful in God's formula for us. It is as sufferings grow that the consolations of Christ abound. We might be in a trial, but by a awareness of our position of holiness and total security before God in Christ; we are made superior to it! This concept is made clearer by the words of J.B. Stoney, which I will close with: "Do not look for a change in your circumstances, but keep your mind on the heart of the Lord Jesus Christ above[and your presence in Him there], that while by the power of the Holy Spirit you have association with Him where He is [in heaven], you will manifest His life and power where He is not [on the earth]. What really hinders souls is this: they are looking for easy circumstances, looking for God to take away the difficulties, instead of looking to Him for grace to be superior to them". "For when I am weak, then am I strong" 2 Cor. 12:10.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
ON THE RADICAL PATH
George Bernard Shaw once said: "We learn little or nothing from rational people, because rational people adapt themselves to the world and consequentially are seldom visionary". I get very excited by the out of the ordinary, and biblical Christianity is certainly not at all rational in any ordinary worldly sense. If we look at the concepts it proposes in a rational natural humanistic adaption we loose the savor. That's why I avoid a intense studious over analyzing of doctrines and dedication to books as that leads to a view almost anyone may approach. There is no end to books and students, they fill the world with a virtual cornucopia of information. If the Word is true then it should be enough that it be simply taken for just what it says. After all God inspired only one book. Why then should we need so many more of them to hear what He is saying to us in the one? Perhaps its for lack of vision! Yes I know and admit I have gained from those who have lent to the understanding of my faith in their writings, and I would never say they have not added a strong element to God's word, in fact I believe many were provided by the Holy Spirit for just that purpose. However lately Ive been reading the bible out loud with a Christian friend at the gym; what a thrill to share the thoughts of the Creator of the universe with another, God's view directly. I always go away with a new incite. I really do not think we need to do a lot of official bible study or memorize scripture, concentrate on knowing prophecy as to end times, seek to find our gift or stand on the unbending ground of a solid doctrine, to enable defining our faith. While these are good things and very recommended and even popular; I believe that the overly concentration of the subjective from the mind of man, leads to a sort of inwardness, like the truth could be wrapped up and packaged by a method, a narrowing of God's truth tailored by another for us. I fear on such a path one may find themselves self contained in a position of pride, mans dilemma. No my friends Ill simply take the awkwardness of my Faith, falling on the two edge sword. I wish now to gain the road to my destiny on the radical path! That's not to say I will never use and appreciate others thoughts or incites, but I see more and more these days the pure value of the Word clearing the road ahead.
The Bible says, " If you were raised together with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God" Col. 3:1. The little word here "if" implies something; "if" we were raised with Him, implying that in fact we were, then we have only one position, one life, which could only be where He is, a position in glory. To be raised is a action word, which the bible declares we have directly participated in. The "things which are above" refer to all that Christ is; where He is in heaven and so by being raised with Him, we are there also! If we are in heaven then there is a contrast, the earth. This could, and I think should, mean we are not to practice the practically of our life in a earthly manner, but instead seek the things in heaven, knowing Christ as everything, our life, and allow that heavenly existence to be our practical influence. There is a most radical concept at the foundation of these biblical truths; it is by the Spirit of God that we reside in heaven now, ["together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Eph. 2:6,"] in the Lord Jesus and this is only realized when we become aware of it in the mind of our faith and then rest confidently in it. Is this not a radical path for the Christian made clear in God's word? Why then do we find ourselves so often overcome by the affairs of the world? Could it be unbelief?
The real intent of the entire word of God, as I see it, is to show that man has been removed from the eye of God. That is, in God's Son all His pleasure is formed. The more one ponders the scriptures directly with this concept in mind, the more ones life found in Christ becomes the influence, and then by that, all things in this life will be governed as to our affairs on this earth; by the position we hold in Him. The great crime is holding this truth inward, that is to our benefit only, a self centered earthly position; not beholding ourselves as The Father does, by His view of His beloved Son, the source of His pleasure; which He has allowed as the instrument for application to our salvation. How then can we see this truth and apply it to our daily lives? Again I purpose the radical path; we simply believe the word of God. We, by that approach will no longer read the scriptures in a sentimental way, even a studious way, or pull out a verse here and there to be applied to perhaps a good and moral application for our earthly affairs. Instead by the radical path we find our rest in the moral perfection provided by God in His Son Jesus Christ and us in that very perfection, being raised with Him. Seeing ourselves in heaven with Him, by the Fathers will! Which is the only way, I believe, we will ever gain the full knowledge of the new life we have where He is, the place the bible firmly declares our citizenship to be. This my friends is not a metaphor or type and shadow, but a spiritual reality we may count upon by faith. When this is counted on and lived by we receive power from the mind of Christ, which overcomes the world, just what Jesus came here to accomplish. Remember dear seekers, He did not come here to make us able to be over-comers by our actions, but so that His Father's will for us to be Holy and redeemed in His sight might be done. For that to be possible we had to be seen by The Father, "hidden in Christ Jesus", We overcome the world by faith in that fact.
Faith is so much More than mere belief. As James said "faith without works is dead". This means true faith requires and will display action. The works here are not necessarily doing good deeds etc.,although they might be included. The essences here is that our faith must take on a life changing character, our belief will then become action, a reality in our life, by that faith. The new creatures we are in Christ will become the dominate life force for the motivation which contains the sustaining value we hold in our presence in the Son, held their by the grace of God, which begun in The Son. I have seen a duel road of faith in my life, which by His Word is just the right prescription for the growth of a new life. The first road is one we will call the lower path, and that one was realized in my own self; there is a Saviour and He is mine. The second, lets call the high road is traveled by coming to know that in addition to Him being my saviour I find that everything I need and that is of value is in Him; that He is all things, in all things, and that all that He is is imparted to me; I am no longer contained in myself. The responsible party for my life is now Jesus Christ Himself, and I must learn how to acknowledge that by the action of my faith. The low road was found by weakness and so by that great principal used by The Father is also found the high road: The loss suffered on the higher, for me far greater; required a loosing of myself to Him, counting all thing as loss, that He may be my gain. His mercy put me on the low road, but knowledge of the Person, The Man, His personal attractiveness, my presence in Him before the Father smoothed the highway for a higher destination. "That I may know Him".
How then do we acquire the higher path? Well I think the answer is a deep desire to seek the higher. My problem for so many years is that I never new the difference: Which has always been the problem for the Church from the beginning, and the cause for most of the letters written by Paul to a weak struggling immature carnal audience of believers. We have been relieved of judgement and fear by the blessings of the lower path, only to be left with a firm connection to all that is earthly, clearly the place Paul encouraged his readers to exit. My heart on the lower path remained committed to experience Christianity from a natural self centered place. I looked from me to Him, accepted the blessings and then held them in me and then like a hungry puppy wanted more, never satisfied! Upon arrival on the first steps of the higher path I found that it was only by my faith becoming willing to engage in a active loss of desire for the things of this world and acknowledge the bibles command for the believer to associate himself with a heavenly Person, who was rejected from this earth, and therefore I also; and, that then I would find myself united in spirit, association and practical experience with the Man in heaven, with whom all who believe were resurrected in spirit. The choice is simple my friends; a Christian must either be connected with the world and the order of things here are he may find himself by faith in the biblical facts that by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ he is dissociated from the natural earthly, sinful, Adam man, and find himself in union with the Lord Jesus in heaven. If you my good and dear Christian friend cannot relate to this in any way it is probably because you have become adjusted to a life, while redeemed and justified and heaven bound, is still very much counting upon the world system for guidance,and still remain associated to the very thing Christ died unto. This does not make you bad, or seen by God in a less elevate position [He can only see you in His Son] but it does mean you are missing out on the freedom and joy Christ's sacrifice provided to all those who would choose to partake of it. My prayer for all those reading this and myself, is that we take opportunity in the sorrow which inevitably comes our way in this world, seeing it for the gift it is from The Father; as introduction to His Son, The Man of sorrows, who sacrificed His Life that His Father might see us contained and hidden in Him in resurrection; and all this we will gain by faith traveling on the radical path He provided by His Word made alive for us in Christ.
The Bible says, " If you were raised together with Christ seek those things which are above, where Christ sits on the right hand of God" Col. 3:1. The little word here "if" implies something; "if" we were raised with Him, implying that in fact we were, then we have only one position, one life, which could only be where He is, a position in glory. To be raised is a action word, which the bible declares we have directly participated in. The "things which are above" refer to all that Christ is; where He is in heaven and so by being raised with Him, we are there also! If we are in heaven then there is a contrast, the earth. This could, and I think should, mean we are not to practice the practically of our life in a earthly manner, but instead seek the things in heaven, knowing Christ as everything, our life, and allow that heavenly existence to be our practical influence. There is a most radical concept at the foundation of these biblical truths; it is by the Spirit of God that we reside in heaven now, ["together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" Eph. 2:6,"] in the Lord Jesus and this is only realized when we become aware of it in the mind of our faith and then rest confidently in it. Is this not a radical path for the Christian made clear in God's word? Why then do we find ourselves so often overcome by the affairs of the world? Could it be unbelief?
The real intent of the entire word of God, as I see it, is to show that man has been removed from the eye of God. That is, in God's Son all His pleasure is formed. The more one ponders the scriptures directly with this concept in mind, the more ones life found in Christ becomes the influence, and then by that, all things in this life will be governed as to our affairs on this earth; by the position we hold in Him. The great crime is holding this truth inward, that is to our benefit only, a self centered earthly position; not beholding ourselves as The Father does, by His view of His beloved Son, the source of His pleasure; which He has allowed as the instrument for application to our salvation. How then can we see this truth and apply it to our daily lives? Again I purpose the radical path; we simply believe the word of God. We, by that approach will no longer read the scriptures in a sentimental way, even a studious way, or pull out a verse here and there to be applied to perhaps a good and moral application for our earthly affairs. Instead by the radical path we find our rest in the moral perfection provided by God in His Son Jesus Christ and us in that very perfection, being raised with Him. Seeing ourselves in heaven with Him, by the Fathers will! Which is the only way, I believe, we will ever gain the full knowledge of the new life we have where He is, the place the bible firmly declares our citizenship to be. This my friends is not a metaphor or type and shadow, but a spiritual reality we may count upon by faith. When this is counted on and lived by we receive power from the mind of Christ, which overcomes the world, just what Jesus came here to accomplish. Remember dear seekers, He did not come here to make us able to be over-comers by our actions, but so that His Father's will for us to be Holy and redeemed in His sight might be done. For that to be possible we had to be seen by The Father, "hidden in Christ Jesus", We overcome the world by faith in that fact.
Faith is so much More than mere belief. As James said "faith without works is dead". This means true faith requires and will display action. The works here are not necessarily doing good deeds etc.,although they might be included. The essences here is that our faith must take on a life changing character, our belief will then become action, a reality in our life, by that faith. The new creatures we are in Christ will become the dominate life force for the motivation which contains the sustaining value we hold in our presence in the Son, held their by the grace of God, which begun in The Son. I have seen a duel road of faith in my life, which by His Word is just the right prescription for the growth of a new life. The first road is one we will call the lower path, and that one was realized in my own self; there is a Saviour and He is mine. The second, lets call the high road is traveled by coming to know that in addition to Him being my saviour I find that everything I need and that is of value is in Him; that He is all things, in all things, and that all that He is is imparted to me; I am no longer contained in myself. The responsible party for my life is now Jesus Christ Himself, and I must learn how to acknowledge that by the action of my faith. The low road was found by weakness and so by that great principal used by The Father is also found the high road: The loss suffered on the higher, for me far greater; required a loosing of myself to Him, counting all thing as loss, that He may be my gain. His mercy put me on the low road, but knowledge of the Person, The Man, His personal attractiveness, my presence in Him before the Father smoothed the highway for a higher destination. "That I may know Him".
How then do we acquire the higher path? Well I think the answer is a deep desire to seek the higher. My problem for so many years is that I never new the difference: Which has always been the problem for the Church from the beginning, and the cause for most of the letters written by Paul to a weak struggling immature carnal audience of believers. We have been relieved of judgement and fear by the blessings of the lower path, only to be left with a firm connection to all that is earthly, clearly the place Paul encouraged his readers to exit. My heart on the lower path remained committed to experience Christianity from a natural self centered place. I looked from me to Him, accepted the blessings and then held them in me and then like a hungry puppy wanted more, never satisfied! Upon arrival on the first steps of the higher path I found that it was only by my faith becoming willing to engage in a active loss of desire for the things of this world and acknowledge the bibles command for the believer to associate himself with a heavenly Person, who was rejected from this earth, and therefore I also; and, that then I would find myself united in spirit, association and practical experience with the Man in heaven, with whom all who believe were resurrected in spirit. The choice is simple my friends; a Christian must either be connected with the world and the order of things here are he may find himself by faith in the biblical facts that by the sacrifice of Jesus Christ he is dissociated from the natural earthly, sinful, Adam man, and find himself in union with the Lord Jesus in heaven. If you my good and dear Christian friend cannot relate to this in any way it is probably because you have become adjusted to a life, while redeemed and justified and heaven bound, is still very much counting upon the world system for guidance,and still remain associated to the very thing Christ died unto. This does not make you bad, or seen by God in a less elevate position [He can only see you in His Son] but it does mean you are missing out on the freedom and joy Christ's sacrifice provided to all those who would choose to partake of it. My prayer for all those reading this and myself, is that we take opportunity in the sorrow which inevitably comes our way in this world, seeing it for the gift it is from The Father; as introduction to His Son, The Man of sorrows, who sacrificed His Life that His Father might see us contained and hidden in Him in resurrection; and all this we will gain by faith traveling on the radical path He provided by His Word made alive for us in Christ.
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