God keeps telling me that He is not going to do anything more. He is waiting for us, He is waiting for me. He says that I am in sin, the church is in sin.. I know the sin; It is that we are not living out the naturally supernatural expression of intimacy that Jesus paid the price for. The Church is not impacting the world nor making disciples. The world is impacting and discipling the Church to look like them.. We do not make a difference in out communities, our communities silence us because we fear their disapproval or rejection. Jesus says that they will reject us and persecute us for standing with Him. Why do we expect it to be different? What will it take for us to quit making excuses for having no power or Love for each other? We do not have unity, because we do not have selflessness. We live for “our” agenda and try to tell God that He must fulfill the desires of our hearts. He promised. What about the desire of His heart? What about the price He paid? Have we really seen what it has cost Him to Love us?
I am looking for God. I am so hungry for His presence and provision to change that which cannot be changed. I am so desperate for more of Him and less of me. I know that God is withholding nothing. He has given all. He has shown us the way and the Truth but we seem to avoid it. We want the baptism of the Spirit that gives us power but not the baptism of fire that cleanses us and makes us fit for His presence and power.
So here I sit at 4 am wondering and fretting over what I see and don’t see happening in the realm of what we call Christianity. Each day I seem to be faced with the same question over and over again. Why is it so hard to be and practice what Jesus commands? Why do we make it so hard to do the simple elementary principles of the Gospel? Living for Christ is not rocket science stuff, it is simple relational realities. Whether it is traditional church leaders, believers or the house church crowd, it seems that the basic concept of discipleship the way Jesus did it, and with the purpose Jesus lived for is too difficult to comprehend. Everyone is concerned with the way meetings are held instead of the content of them. Most are still concerned with “who gets to lead” as opposed to “who gets to serve”. Everyone is interested in learning how to “take” the world but few want to learn how to “inherit” it.
The Gospel of Jesus is so simple, He was born of a virgin, lived for the audience of ONE, served mankind, bore the punishment for our refusal to trust and obey God our Father, was beaten and crucified and died for that. Then was resurrected by Father because, though He was innocent, He was willing to take the punishment that others deserved so they might find life with God. And now Jesus is seated at the right hand of God as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. His blood brought me (and anyone who will receive His sacrifice) the right to be God’s child and to have a new relationship with Father that can never be broken by anyone or anything but me and my choice…..
He came to be THE example of who we are to be “in Him” with Father and Holy Spirit. He not only paid the entrance fee for our relationship with Father and introduced us to the true character of Father, but also demonstrated what our lives should look like as the result of His blood bought purchase. He is the standard of life to be lived with Father on earth by us.
Lk 4:18 –Lk 4:19 (NKJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
—Now, this is what Isaiah prophesied of Jesus before He came. Jesus claims that He is the fulfillment of this scripture in Lu. 4:21… He tells us in John 17:20-23 that we are to be “one” with Him and Father. In John 20:21-23 He explains that we are “sent just like Him”.. In the resurrection commands in each of the other 3 Gospels we find commands to do what He practiced and demonstrated for and to us (that are found in Lu 4:18).
In Hebrews 5:12 through 6:2 Paul writes and tells us that “mature Christians” are those who practice the elementary principles of Christ; or “by reason of use (of the first principle of the oracles of God) have their senses exercised to discern good and evil”
In Paul’s description of those elementary or first principles of Christ found in Heb. 6:1-2, all of them are found in His purpose (Lu.4:18) and again in the resurrection commands of Christ. (Mt. 28:18-20, Lu. 24:45-49, Mk. 16:15-18, Jn. 20:21-23)
Since it is evident that the Church as a whole does not practice these “elementary principles” of Christ, we will never be able to go on to Maturity. Why do we focus on anything else until we find the church doing these principles? The goal of Christ is to see us walking naturally supernatural like He did and does. It is to be normal for everyday Christians to make a difference where they work, live and play. Our presence should be like that of Christ, the aroma and fragrance of God on earth. We should bring and be the demonstration of who Father is and who we are in Christ. We are to serve those in sin and show them The Way with our naturally supernatural living through Holy Spirit in us and on us.
Leaders are not to be Lords:
Mt 20:25 –Mt 20:28 (NKJV)
But Jesus called them to Himself and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
Eph 4:11 –Eph 4:13 (NKJV)
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,
for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;
1Pet 5:1 –1Pet 5:3 (NKJV)
The elders who are among you I exhort, I who am a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that will be revealed:
Shepherd the flock of God which is among you, serving as overseers, not by compulsion but willingly, not for dishonest gain but eagerly; nor as being lords over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock;
They are to be examples and servants. They are to raise everyone else up to walk like Jesus. They are to serve, not take the glory or control in any way. They are not to bring a message they are to BE the message… like Peter, John and Paul, if they are really Christ’s leaders they will have power in the Spirit. But it is not so they can be great, they suffer so you might live.. They fulfill the suffering of Christ so you may find grace. They are to go, give, and die for the Church. They have Jesus heart of serving others and living for the audience of one. It is evident to those around that God not only speaks through them but moves through them.
So, back to the beginning, God is not going to do any more. Jesus has given us all there is to receive. Holy Spirit is here, willing able and ready to be what the Word says He is. It just takes death to self, no excuses, and giving up the ways of the world, top down structure in church, frustrations, anger, resentments, un-forgiveness, envy, wrath and all evil speaking (that which does not bring God’s promises and life to our situations). It is only the truth that sets us free. Until we are willing to make a paradigm shift in our thinking and living, we will not see what we want and hope for… It is not going to happen. What have we to lose by changing? Our traditions? Our worthless without power meetings? Our religious status? I think I know what we have to lose, our comfort, dignity and acceptance.
My prayer is that God would kill in me all that opposes His Kingdom and reign. I want to be hidden in Christ and for it not to be me who lives but Christ who lives within me. I want to see in others the riches of Christ and His nature shining through them affecting the world.
Intimacy with God is our inheritance and through this intimacy walked out we will see Christ lifted up drawing all men to Himself.
Will write more later, neil
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