The Heavenly Life - James Jarjou

THE HEAVENLY LIFE

THE IMAGE

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.  The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly” (1Corinthians 15:45-49)

An Image is a representation of an object. There is a spiritual object, which affects the image or behavior we are borne with in our natural Life.

Naturally, the behavior of the fallen adamic race is as a result of putting on the image of the sinful flesh, we inherited from Adam in the fall. This fallen image is ultimately the kingdom of darkness, headed by Satan. In reality, Satan and His demons are on Chains of darkness; a realm of uneasiness, obsession and void of any true joy or rest.

“And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day” (Jude 1:6).

This is the object of the Earthy. Because of the fall of Adam, Satan and his demons, have access to enter the souls, of the fallen adamic race. Their possession within the soul reveals the earthly image we bear. When we bear the image of the earthy, we become subject to the Laws of the kingdom of darkness.

“And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 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:  Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others” (Ephesians 2:1-3).

As the Chains of darkness keep Satan and his demons out of the Heavenly Life, the same chains keep the unredeemed fallen Adamic race, out of the Heavenly Life. Only Christ, the Heavenly man, can free the fallen man from these chains, to possess the heavenly life.

“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things” (Ephesians 4:8-10).

“The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;

To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified” (Isaiah 61:1-3).

THE HEAVELY CALL IN BREAKING THE CHAINS OF DARKNESS

“But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof” (Romans13:14).

When the initial, divine light of Christ, shone within the soul, and the soul turned to be possessed by it within, every Chain of darkness breaks instantaneously. A part of the spiritual veil, which covers the two worlds (the Earthly and Heavenly world), becomes unveiled. There is a measure of a possession and an inward revelation of the Heavenly man (Christ), in this initial stage.

“But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them” (2 Corinthians 4:3-4).

“But their minds were blinded: for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ. But even unto this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart. Nevertheless when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away” (1 Corinthians 3:14-16).

In this pilgrim, of the illuminated soul from the Earthly to the Heavenly Life, Faith is the only substance that can keep it moving. Faith is a divine illumination, which comes by hearing the Word (the voice of Christ) within the soul (Romans 10:17).

The breaking of the Chains in the initial stage does not mean, the soul is fully redeemed or saved (Matthew 24:13), (Hebrews 9:28).

The Battle will continue, as the power of darkness, will work to hinder the walk of the illuminated soul, through the unredeemed part within the soul. The unredeemed part, within the soul is the part within, where Unbelief dwells. In any unbelief, there is a dominion of darkness. Every outward or inward sin within is as a result of unbelief within the soul. In the Initial divine light, all the Chains of the outward gross sins are broken. As the soul progresses more Chain becomes revealed. This time, they are Chains of inward sins within. It takes faith in the infinite Power of Christ to be delivered from these inward sins.

“There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his. Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of unbelief” ( Hebrew4 :9-11).

The faith in Christ increases in magnitude, as more of the inward chain of the adamic self within, becomes broken. There can be no progress from unbelief to faith, without the coming of the Light of Christ.

Unbelief reveals the power of darkness, and keeps the soul selfish, lustful, defensive, and prideful. Faith reveals the power of Christ, and keeps the soul humble, pure and holy.

At any point, the mind of the illuminated soul turned from heavenward to earthward, it will enter the dominion of unbelief. This is the kingdom of darkness, a place dominated by all foul and evil spirits. The mind is captured by what the natural eye sees, rather than the heavenly image. As long as Satan keeps the mind of the illuminated soul in this realm, it loses the hope of deliverance from the inward chains. No hope of deliverance from inward chains of lust, anger, pride, unforgiveness, impatience etc.

DIVINE PROGRESS THROUGH STILLNESS AND PATIENCE

“And he said, So is the kingdom of God, as if a man should cast seed into the ground; And should sleep, and rise night and day, and the seed should spring and grow up, he knoweth not how. For the earth bringeth forth fruit of herself; first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear. But when the fruit is brought forth, immediately he putteth in the sickle, because the harvest is come” (Mark 4:26-29).

If the illuminated soul will keep moving heavenward, it must learn the lesson of divine stillness or patience. The inward Chains within become revealed, as the Lord permits the soul to encounter circumstances and challenges that will reveal its weakness.

The illuminated soul can only exercise divine stillness, when the LORD permits it to face challenges and tragedies, without giving it an understanding, of the cause of the problem. In this, the soul is brought to a night of darkness; spiritually speaking. The natural senses of the body become afflicted, yet the hidden work within the soul continues. When there is a total surrender of the natural senses, after many periods of trying to know or solve the situation through natural means, it builds the fruits of patience within the soul.

“Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.  But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” (James 1:3-4).

Faith works along with patience. Patience is the divine energy within the soul, which empowers it to be still and wait for a higher coming of the divine Light of Christ, amidst many tribulations.

“And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ” (2 Thessalonians 3:5).

The grace of patience to endure afflictions, trials and temptations reveals how much of the heavenly image we bear. The more of the divine heavenly Life within the soul, the greater will be the trials for a greater possession of the Heavenly Image.

To some immature soul’s mere hunger, rejection, loneliness, sickness, criticism, etc can easily divert their mind from the Heavenly walk. The LORD does not directly bring them to such severe trials, but a little or lesser trials, with a lot of comfort to keep them moving. Yet if they are to grow in partaking more of the heavenly Life, it will take an increase in the intensity of trials. Trials reveals the chains of weakness within the soul, and weakness reveal the power of Christ.

“And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10).

THE PROGRESSIVE GROWTH TROUGH DEATH AND DIVINE COMFORT

The LORD allows the illuminated soul to experience painful periods of death in the body, so that HIS divine life can possess the soul. Any area within the soul which is not subjected to death can not be possessed, by the divine Life. Any thing or situation which causes the soul to lose patience, love, joy, peace, etc., is an area within which is not subject to death. It takes Faith (an inward revelation within the soul) to die to self. The more the soul sees a revelation of the divine power, the more easily it dies to self. When the soul feels the presence of the Creator within, it loses the desire to be anything but to humbly walk with the Creator. The feeling of the presence of the Creator within comes through divine consolation and comfort.

It takes divine consolation to deliver the soul from any hopeless situation it finds itself, in the natural or spiritual. It could either be battling with an inward sin or an affliction of the natural senses through painful circumstances. When the soul comes to an end of its own natural industry, and waits in patience for the Power of Christ, divine grace will be supplied within it to raise it above its weakness. This produces a measure of faith within the soul, with the fruits of patience and endurance in further trials. The illuminated soul becomes an encourager of fellow seekers who are not yet skilled in the Heavenly ways.

“Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ. And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation. And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation. For we would not, brethren, have you ignorant of our trouble which came to us in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above strength, insomuch that we despaired even of life: But we had the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raiseth the dead: Who delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver: in whom we trust that he will yet deliver us” (1 Corinthians 1:1-10).

What a tremendous clear picture of the working of death and divine consolation from the scripture above. It takes experience, for the soul to realize that every suffering, affliction, and trial are a path leading to a higher heavenly life.

“Come, and let us return unto the LORD: for he hath torn (death), and he will heal us; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up (divine consolation). After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight (possessing the Heavenly Life). Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the LORD: his going forth is prepared as the morning; and he shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth (Divine consolation within the soul)” (Hosea 6:1-3).

James Jarjou



Glorying In The Lord - T. Austin-Sparks

Glorying in the Lord


by T. Austin-Sparks

Chapter 3 - The Supreme Importance of a Living and Clear Apprehension of Christ

Reading: 1 Corinthians 3.

These words are carefully chosen: the supreme importance of a living and clear apprehension of Christ. If it were necessary to show how supremely important that is, it could be done very easily without going outside of this first letter to the Corinthians; for undoubtedly all the sad, the tragic, the terrible conditions with which the apostle had to deal in the assembly at Corinth were due to an inadequate apprehension of Christ. But there is very much more than what we find in this letter to prove this necessity, and it is upon perhaps one aspect of the necessity that we shall dwell more particularly at this time.

In the third chapter there occur the familiar words about the foundation and the building. The apostle says: “I laid a foundation... other foundation can no man lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. But if any man buildeth on the foundation gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay, stubble; each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.” (verses 10-13) — “the fire shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.”

We need to ask the question: What work is it that is referred to there? To what does that relate, “each man’s work”? I do not think the apostle is here referring to Christian service. That is the common idea about this passage, that it relates to the work which we do for the Lord. Of course, that comes into the category of things tried by the fire, and of things manifested in that day. But I do not think that is the thing which the apostle has in mind when he writes this. I believe he is rather thinking of the substance of faith. We are building a Christian life: we are building ourselves up on Christ; we are constructing and constituting Christianity in ourselves. We have been doing this for a long time, and this superstructure of our Christian lives is composed of the things which we believe, the things which we accept, the things to which we give assent; everything that we gather in to make up the Christian life. We are Christians, and the make-up of ourselves as Christians is going on, is increasing, and in that way we are building. It is the substance of our faith that is in question, using the word “faith” in its largest sense.

The Nature of the Building

It is at that point that the whole argument of the apostle has its application, so far as this letter is concerned. Just there in the make-up of the Christian life of every one of us, that which constitutes the substance, the material, the elements, the features, it is there that the apostle is applying this great difference between earthly and heavenly wisdom. These Greeks at Corinth, because of their natural inclination and disposition to reduce everything to a philosophy, had taken up Christianity very largely in that way, regarding it as a philosophy, and handling it as such: examining, dissecting, appraising according to the standards of worldly wisdom, philosophical thought, and interpretation. So they looked at the preaching, the teaching, from that standpoint, and in a mental way, an intellectual way, took hold of Christian truth and made it, with human, worldly-wise interpretation, the substance of being Christians, the constituents of a Christian life. They were building on the right foundation. Christ was there as the foundation laid by the apostle. But they were building upon that foundation, a worldly interpretation of Christianity, a philosophical structure in Christian doctrine, terminology, phraseology, ideas, conceptions and it was becoming a purely mental, intellectual, academic thing. That is what they were building up. It had no living relationship to their inward condition. It was purely external. The result was that, while they had all that worldly structure of Christianity, Christian thought, and Christian ideas, and Christian doctrines, they were behaving in the most shocking manner amongst themselves and in holy things.

It was at that the apostle launched this word: “...let each man take heed how he buildeth thereon” (1 Cor. 3:10). In other words, that which is of supreme importance is not Christian doctrine, mentally appraised and apprehended, but a living and clear spiritual apprehension of Christ. That is the work. What are you building? Are you, through a living, clear, inward, experimental relationship with the Lord Jesus, building a structure which comes out of that inward spiritual knowledge? Is it by that you are growing? Or are you growing by things said and mentally judged, appraised, dissected, accepted, assented to? What is the nature of the building? The work in which we are engaged, to which this phrase “each man’s work” applies, is the building of Christ livingly into the very substance of our being, into the very fabric of our lives. It is not a question of getting to know a great deal about Christianity. Let us note that. The heart of the whole matter is the difference between the philosophy of Christianity, of Christian doctrine and the spiritual knowledge of Christ.

The Nature of the Trying Fire

Now we come to a further point. “Each man’s work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it is revealed in fire; and the fire itself shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13). What is the fire? We have, as we see, the clause “for the day shall declare it,” which no doubt applies to the day of the Lord’s appearing, but I think there is an application of the words “the fire itself shall prove” in that day, which is specific, which is along a certain line.

Passing over to another part of the Scriptures, let us ask what the nature of the devouring by the dragon is in Revelation 12:4. There we see the great red dragon standing waiting to devour the man-child the moment he is born. What is the character of the devouring? How will the dragon seek to devour? I do not think it would be an adequate answer to say that this is a way of describing a great persecution from without, a physical persecution of the saints. That is not an adequate explanation; because the Blood of the Lamb is not the ground upon which you overcome physical persecution. You go through physical persecution, you are not delivered out of it. You can appeal to the Blood of the Lamb as much as you like in the day of persecution from without, and the Blood of the Lamb does not avail to release you from it. There is a support through it. But here in this twelfth chapter of Revelation the man-child is seen escaping the jaws of the dragon, being delivered from him, and being caught up to the throne. It is an absolute deliverance from the dragon who stands waiting to devour. Now what is the nature of the devourer? The nature of the devourer is explained by the nature of the victory. “And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony...” It may be outwardly they suffer death, loving not their lives even unto death, but there is something inward which means that, even while they are delivered up unto death outwardly, they overcome spiritually.

Here is something in which these escape the dragon and are not swallowed up by him; and that will tell you, if you think for a moment, what the nature of the devourer is. It seems to me that the devourer is related to the faith of the overcomer. It is a matter of swallowing up their faith. Faith in what? Faith in all that upon which they stand for their eternal salvation. The accuser is there, and if, with no more multiplication of words, we reduce it to this, you will see what we mean. It is a question precisely of an inward spiritual, living relationship to Christ Himself. In that day, when the enemy moves in that intensified form against an overcomer-company to swallow that company up, there will be the most severe and intense testing and trying out of an inward relationship to the Lord.

It will certainly come along one line, if not entirely along the one line, namely, of being tempted to believe that the whole foundation has given way. In other words, the great effort of the adversary will be to bring to a place where the hope of salvation is gone, where the saints have had cut from under them their assurance in Christ. The devouring will be in relation to their faith, the awful blackness of being out of the pale and hope of salvation. That is not mere hypothesis; that is an actuality. There are many true children of God in that affliction now, and the enemy is pressing that, and will press that more and more toward the end. You and I, beloved, by reason of being given certain conditions and circumstances: physical, circumstantial, mental, will be tested on that matter, tested right out as to what we have been using to build with. What does your building represent? Is it so much teaching, so much doctrine, so much theory, so many meetings, so many prayers, so much Bible reading, Bible study, so much activity in the Lord’s work? Is that the structure? Supposing it all goes, and you are no longer able to do anything: no longer able to pray, no longer able to study the Word, no longer able to go to the meetings, no longer able to work for the Lord outwardly, what do you have left? Supposing all that structure is all that you have, and your whole Christian life is represented by that, and it all goes, what do you have left? Do you have Christ inwardly? That will be the test.

“Each man’s work shall be made manifest... the fire shall prove each man’s work of what sort it is.” (1 Cor. 3:13). The work is that which we are doing now in the building up of our Christian lives. What are we using? What are we working with? I believe that the only thing which will satisfy the Lord is that we should be able to stand with Him in any place, though it be in hell itself. The Lord might test us by the fires in that way, as to whether we are able to stand not merely when we are in the good fellowship of Christian people, with all the helps around us, with all advantages at our disposal spiritually, but when we are alone, cut off, shut up, or in some place where it is ninety-nine percent the devil and hell.

What is it that will make it possible for us to stand in such an hour? Nothing but an inward, clear, living knowledge of Christ Himself. Each man’s work shall be tried; the fires shall make manifest of what sort it is. The work relates to the building up of ourselves as Christians. What is it that is represented by our Christian lives? Is it the place in which we meet? Is it the teaching we receive there? Is it anything like that? You may be assured that that is going to be put in the fire, and then the question will be how much of Christ has through that become a living, inward reality, a part of your very being, so that you do not say: I know of certain teaching, and I belong to a certain fellowship! but, I HAVE CHRIST! That is our work, and each man’s work shall be tried.

The enemy will stand ready to swallow up, and he will swallow up all that he can. He cannot swallow up Christ. If Christ is in us, in a closer relationship with us than any human relationship, so that Christ has become a very part of us, the enemy cannot devour that.

Only What is Christ Will Endure

The foundation is Christ, and the structure must be Christ. The foundation is not our decision, our beliefs, our attainments spiritually; not our accuracy, not our works, not the measure of our knowledge, not our spiritual ability, not our measure of strength, not our mind or our will, not our activities for the Lord, and not our persistence. It is nothing of ourselves, it is Christ. When you come to think about it, is not that just where the enemy gains his advantage? So many of us have thought that unless we can do certain things, or be of a certain mind, we can have no assurance. The Lord would teach us — and this is the lesson that my heart is bent upon learning, and that I would urge upon you to make your quest also — that the ground of assurance is not in our having decided for Christ, nor that we persist in the Christian life, nor that we feel strong, nor that we have certain ability as Christians and are able to do this or that. It is not the measure of our activity in the work of the Lord, nor any one of these things which constitutes our Christian life. These are simply the outworkings. The thing which constitutes us is that Christ is the foundation, and that we are inseparably linked with Him by faith. Everything else can be suspended as a secondary consideration until that is settled. It is as though God, if we may put it this way to try to simplify the truth, had given us His Son and had said to us: In Him you have everything, and the first thing is not what you are, what you can do, or anything to do with you; it is what He is! If only in the face of all you may see of a multitude of contradictions in your own life in weaknesses, and imperfections, and lack of attainment, you will persistently believe in Him as having it in Himself to bring you through to the end, you will go through in spite of all. We begin to take stock of ourselves, measure ourselves up, and say: I am not this, and I am not that, and I am not something else; or else, I am this, and I am that, and all this goes against me. Nothing of all this is to the point at all. The totality of every divine requirement in us is in Christ.

The very last stroke of our sanctification and glorification is finished now in Christ, and by faith we have to receive the end of our salvation. The only way in which we are related to the matter at all is by faith. Of course faith is always proved in obedience. Perhaps someone will say: You are simply ignoring and ruling out our responsibility entirely! We are doing nothing of the kind. We are saying that our responsibility is faith, and faith works out in obedience. But never let us think that it is our faith or our obedience that saves us. It is Christ who saves, Christ who is salvation, and there is nothing more dynamic unto a life of consecration than seeing what Christ is for us. The dynamic of consecration is not in struggling to be something; it is in seeing Him.

Perhaps none of us have realized that the Holy Spirit never co-operates with our struggling. The Holy Spirit never comes along and assists in our endeavours to be good. Have you not proved that? The Holy Spirit never comes along and lends His aid to us to solve our problems concerning ourselves while we dwell upon our own problems. Have you not discovered that? Why not let that be settled? The Holy Spirit stands back while we struggle to solve our own spiritual problems. What is He waiting for? He is waiting for us to apprehend Christ by faith, and then He will come in and work on that ground. The Holy Spirit works because of what Christ is, not for any reason to be found within ourselves. Faith’s apprehension of the perfection of Christ, in His Person and work, provides the ground for the Holy Spirit to come and make that good progressively in us. Stand apart from the perfection of Christ, and you will make no progress. Stand on the ground of the finality of Christ, and the Holy Spirit begins His operations to make it good. There is all the difference between seeing Christianity as a system of life to which you have to conform: a standard to which you have somehow or other to attain; an objective Christianity presented in a systematic doctrine, and seeing that Christ is that fully and finally; and Christ livingly in you is the ground of your conformity.

It is not found in anything that can come from us. God chose the foolish things. Why? To make the wisdom of God everything. God chose the weak things. Why? To make His power in Christ the only power of which such weak things have any knowledge. God chose the base things. Why? In order that that which is noble in Christ should be the only honour of which they know, which they have. God chose the things which are not. Why? In order that He should be the only reality. God’s activities are not directed toward making something of us, but God takes account of the fact that no matter how much we struggle and strive we never can be anything. He takes account of the fact that there is a nothingness upon which He can put His all. But you and I have to recognize that that is the place of the Cross, if we have not come to it. It opens up such tremendous possibilities when we see that God does begin at zero, that everything of God is bound up with the place where we see, as to ourselves, that we are out of it. But how we are concerned with ourselves! We must settle it that we in ourselves are of no account, and that Christ is all.

The order in this first letter to the Corinthians is, firstly, Christ crucified, as over against the wisdom of this world, the wisdom of men. The latter, to the Greeks, represented everything that man cares about. I do not know whether Paul would have written the same thing to this Western world that he wrote to them. When he wrote to the Hebrews he did not write about the wisdom of this world, because other things were pre-eminent with them. If he were writing to this Western world, I wonder if perhaps he might speak more of financial acquisition, and would say: Now, when I came to you, brethren, I came not to talk about financial acquisition. I determined to know nothing about financial acquisition amongst you! just as he said to the Greeks at Corinth, And I, brethren, when I came unto you... I determined not to know anything among you about worldly wisdom, philosophy. That was the import of his declaration. Whatever it may be, and in whatever part of the world, the principle is that the fundamental obstruction has to go and Christ crucified has to take its place.

Related to that, the next thing to be noted is the utter nothingness of those who are in Christ. We are said to be “in Christ” — “...of him are ye in Christ...” (1 Cor. 1:30). Who is the “ye?” The foolish, the weak, the ignoble, the things which are not, the nothings, all those whom God has chosen.

The sum of the whole matter is the importance that is given to life in the Spirit, or a spiritual state. Read again the second and third chapters.

“Things which eye saw not, and ear heard not, and which entered not into the heart of man, whatsoever things God prepared for them that love him. But unto us God revealed them through the Spirit” (verses 9-10).

“For who among men knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of the man, which is in him? even so the things of God none knoweth, save the Spirit of God.”

“The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God,” and he that is spiritual, that is, who has come into a spiritual state by renewal and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, comes into the realm of the knowledge of Christ as God’s fullness, the things which God hath laid up in Christ for them that love Him. A life in the Spirit is what is signified, which means, firstly, a spiritual state of government by the Holy Spirit. From this in turn there results a condition in which the Spirit is found revealing Christ and making Christ everything. “He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.”

If the devourer is going to be cheated of his object, if you and I are not going to come under that awful onslaught of the prince of darkness to rob us of our assurance of salvation, so that the time comes when we doubt whether we are saved after all, doubt whether there is any salvation for us, we must recognize that there is a place in the innermost chamber of our being where we have to know the Lord. Does it seem impossible to you that you could ever reach a point where you doubt your salvation? There are possibilities for every one of us along that line which are fearful. You have only to have a nervous breakdown and, as the entail of it, the devil strutting in to becloud your mind and trade upon your melancholy, to know the truth of this. You have only to be cut off from all your activities, where you cannot pray any longer for some reason or other, where you cannot do your accustomed work in the Word of God, where the Christian service which has been such a delight is taken away from you, and you are shut up in a state of weakness, aloneness, with loss of vitality, and depression to which these minds and bodies of ours are prone, and then have the devourer, encamping upon it all, and beginning to say: God has left you, you have sinned against the Holy Ghost! and to listen to that once, to find yourself engulfed. We have to know the Lord in that innermost chamber of our being, so that, be it mental and physical breakdown, circumstances all against us, all these things, there is that inward grip, that inward reality of Christ which is adequate to stand up to this situation. That is our need.

It must not be ninety percent of externalities in the Christian life, or seventy-five percent, or fifty percent. These things are good: let us make the most of them. But let us continually go to the Lord on our knees and say: Lord, these meetings are good, and it is gracious of You to give us these fellowships and helps: but I must know You in my own heart, lest the day come when the fellowship is blown upon and scattered to the four winds and all these things are taken away, and I am left stranded because my life has stood in the power of outward activities and not in knowing the Lord. Plead with the Lord about that. Have an understanding with the Lord about that. Let us see to it that the building which is going on where we are concerned is the building of Christ Himself into the very fibre of our being. Then the devourer will be eluded, the overcomer will be caught up to the Throne, and the devourer will go away to the wilderness to persecute the rest of the woman’s seed. What kind of wilderness is this? It is the wilderness in which some believers are found now. They have lost the assurance of their salvation: and that is an awful wilderness. God save us from that.

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THE BAPTISM- IN CHRIST AND TRUE REVIVAL by James Jarjou

THE BAPTISM- IN CHRIST AND TRUE REVIVAL



THE SPIRTUAL SIGNIFICANCE OF WATER IN BAPTISM

Water in the scripture in peoples depending on the usage. It is also a symbol, of hard and difficult situations, which we MUST encounter in our spiritual journey, from glory to glory. Naturally, we Humans cannot survive in water. When we find ourselves in situations, problems or activities which are higher than our natural abilities, then we are going through waters. Spiritually speaking. This is where self says “I have try all that I know and can do”, or “the situation is higher than all my skill, knowledge, power and understanding”. The Old man (Adamic self) is dead and useless in such a situation.

The water, with its entire negative outlook is the only way to True Spiritual Baptism. Without the Waters, there can be no Baptism, and without Baptism, there can be no glory or presence of God in our individual or corporate lives.

The Baptism is the Spiritual endowment we received from on high, enabling us to go through the waters, and coming out victoriously, through the coming of the Glory or the presence of God in our individual lives.

“And JESUS, when he was baptized, went Up straightway out of the water: and loe, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a Dove, and lighting upon him” (Matthew 3:16, Note: the Baptism comes before the Glory).

The Baptism in Christ is not a one way thing. Every water (that is problems, challenges, weakness, failure, limitations etc. in our life) is a call to partake in HIS Baptism, to gain a higher Glory.

Spiritual Baptism is the Point where our self life is totally surrendered, and submitted to the will of God. In this self is dead, and the spirit of the new man made alive within. Here the Father joyfully works what HE wills in our individual Lives. There is no old self to resist this divine operation, because, he is dead (the old man).

“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. For he that is dead is freed from sin.” (Roman 6:6-7).

“Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of [his] time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” (1 Peter 4:1-2).

We suffer in the flesh, by ceasing from the works of our adamic self which will not hesitate to avoid the waters the father has allowed to try us and bring us into HIS Baptism. In this we know true communion and union with the Heavenly father. Heavenly Secrets becomes opened and abundant grace supplied.

THE WATERS OF BAPTISM IN OLD TESTAMENT SAINTS

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.” (1 Corinthians10:1-4).

From the scripture above, we can see that though the Children of Israel were not physically immersed in the natural water, yet the scripture affirmed that they were baptized unto Moses in the Cloud and the Sea. The Cloud speaks of the presence of God , which brought them out of Egypt. It took a Baptism (dying to their own wills) for them to follow Moses, under the instruction of the LORD,  into the wilderness.

In the red Sea, they faced a higher challenge which does not the least need any natural help. When the ultimate of their helplessness, was revealed in the journey the LORD was taking them, the LORD of the work brought them INTO HIS baptism by dividing the Sea. Baptism is always a death of our natural strength and the coming of a supernatural assistance to keep us above every situation we find ourselves.

Because the “church” of today is full of its own programs, activities, preaching, and methods rather than what they are hearing from the Heavenly Father, the lack of true new covenant baptism and Glory within the lives of many professing Christian should not be a surprise to any true Saint. The “Church” of today does not yet recognize its own weakness, and so keeps doing its own things, resulting in bringing the results of its own works, which is basically sinful adamic works. We do not have to look to the world without to see the high rate of gossip, impatience, selfishness, divorce, carnality, fashion etc. Do not be surprised that even sport is now encouraged in some Christians Gatherings.

“We are the limitation, not Christ. Waiting for revival implies that Christ is restrained in some way. It is us who have strayed from the foundations that Jesus laid. When we walk on the foundation of the rock who is Christ, we will see the restoration of His true glory. Humans are and always will be the limitation to Christ’s true ministry being restored”. (Kevin, New Zealand).

Almost every Pentecostal you meet will tell you he/she is baptized with the Holy Spirit because he/she has received the gift of tongues. Confusing the Gifts, with the power of the spirit which alone can enables us to walk in every situation we found ourselves without tainting the garment of holiness and righteousness within our souls. Not only have they diluted the baptism of the Spirit, but have made it a one way experience thing. We will always have to go from Baptism to baptism to receive a higher grace, when the LORD brings us to circumstance or challenges, which are higher than the measure of HIS grace within our lives. He will always try us, for us to see how much of HIS life or grace is within us, by using the waters. Not one “water” experienced.

THE BAPTISM IN THE LIFE OF JOSEPH

“And unto Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, said he, hath made me forget all my toil, and all my father's house.  And the name of the second called he Ephraim: For God hath caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” (Genesis 41:50-52).

The names of the two sons of Joseph, Manasseh and Ephraim had a spiritual meaning to the Baptism He went through.

He named the first Manasseh, because He said God had made me forget all my toil and all my father’s. Manasseh, typify a circumstances were the self life, has proven void and fruitless. Self does not easily die or surrender to the Will of God unless and until it sees it own hopelessness. So God allows situations or waters to come which will leave it naked and bare. When this is done, self easily vanish and allows the owner of the LIFE to have HIS way.

In the Life of Joseph, as most of us know, He was given a dream by God about wonderful things HE would accomplish through his life. These will include, even his own family including his father bowing before him. By receiving a dream like this, Joseph could not have imagined that, before the fulfillment of this dream, it would take a total separation from all his fathers’ house. Every Vision or dream the LORD promises to accomplish through us, will have its own waters. Sometimes HE will allow circumstances to come, which will close every seemingly possible door of its fulfillment. Manasseh speaks of an end of the self life. So Joseph was brought to a painful situation, were his dream almost proved false. No hope of seeing his family again, being sold as a slave. It is even possible that when he was with his family there was a deep hidden self to toil and bring forth the dream to fruition out of his own natural self and understanding. Look this statement again:

“And Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: For God, [said he], hath made me forget all my TOIL (the works of natural strength), and all my father's house”

It takes a Baptism to go through the waters, were nothing looks bright or promising in the future, and still unaffected by the yoke of Sin. It is not that very difficult, to walk in the will of God, when the future looks bright and promising. The Lord uses this type of comfort, in our initial work with HIM. If we are to continue growing in the LORD, HE must bring us to waters which will try to destroy, any hope of our usefulness in HIS service in the future. This is where many turned to the works and activities of self, and few continued. When the Lord finished working with the self-life of Joseph, through many baptisms of waters in trials and temptations, he brought him to inherit a measure of his glory. There was hope and the dream later came true.

The second son Ephraim speaks of the burial in the Baptism in the waters of trials and temptation unto the resurrection. This is the divine Consolation and the dawning of a new day within the soul.

“For, behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith the LORD of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch.

But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.

And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the day that I shall do [this], saith the LORD of hosts.” (Malachi 4:1-3).

“Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.

For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.

And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising.” (Isaiah 60:1-3).

What a precious and greater promised we have in Christ today if we will only enter HIS baptism to come out from the many waters in our life without harm (sin).

THE DANGERS OF THE WATERS

Before we proceed further, I will like us look two characters in the Old testament: David and Sampson. We will look a little at each of them and see how they responded, when they faced with similar situations.

SAMSON

“And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines. And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

Then his father and his mother said unto him, [Is there] never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well. But his father and his mother knew not that it [was] of the LORD, that he sought an occasion against the Philistines: for at that time the Philistines had dominion over Israel.” (Judges 14v1-4).

The scripture above reveals how God directed Samson, to marry a woman for a purpose. He loved the woman, and obeys the LORD, though His parent knew not that it was of the LORD. He loved the woman so much. The spirit of the LORD was mighty upon Samson, and on the whole chapter of Judges 14 reveals the Grace and the power of God upon his life.

In Chapter 15 a tragedy occurred. The only wife He loved was given to another (read Judges 15:1-2, the whole chapter is full of victory of wars because of his rage). Even after this Great Victory, the wound of losing his dear wife was still in him. This became waters of trials. Instead of waiting patiently on God, discouragement led him to go to a harlot (read chapter 16:1) and later married Delilah out of self. This became his ruin and fall.

Had he waited on God, his wife would have been restored to him. The waters of trials veiled his spiritual vision. He no longer saw the God who kills is the God that makes alive.

DAVID

“Wherefore David arose and went, he and his men, and slew of the Philistines two hundred men; and David brought their foreskins, and they gave them in full tale to the king, that he might be the king's son in law. And Saul gave him Michal his daughter to wife.” (1 Samuel 18:27).

David like Sampson faced a similar situation. As we can see from the quoted scriptures above, Michal, Saul’s daughter, was given to David as a wife on Condition. He was asked to kill two hundred philistines. Under the will of God, he was able to overcome and Michal was given to him.

A tragedy also occurred in the marriage of David to Michal. Because of Saul’s hatred and envy of David, Michal was later given to another man for married. David Patiently waited for the will of God. Knowing unless the LORD builds the house, the laborers build in vain. When the LORD gave the kingdom to David we find in 2 Samuel 3:12-15 that David restored His wife back.

“And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying, Whose [is] the land? saying [also], Make thy league with me, and, behold, my hand [shall be] with thee, to bring about all Israel unto thee. And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul's daughter, when thou comest to see my face. And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul's son, saying, Deliver [me] my wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines. And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from [her] husband, [even] from Phaltiel the son of Laish.”

This is a picture of the blessing of a yielded life to the Will of God. This is Baptism.

THE WATERS IN THESE PERILIOUS TIMES

“Who then is a faithful and wise servant, whom his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed [is] that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, That he shall make him ruler over all his goods. But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.(Matthew 24:45-51).

The Scripture above is a solemn warning given by the LORD, about the need to persevere in HIS will amidst the many waters of adversity. Every true Child of God is a servant. This call is not just for some selected people we call clergy or “pastors” today. In reality, the Clergy system is not New Covenant in its nature because it denies the priesthood of all believers, though a majority of them will not accept this. Anything which is not New Covenant, in its nature is a hindrance in degree to true New Covenant Life.

We can see every Believer is called to give meat (spiritual food) to the household of Faith. This goes along with the timing of God. We cannot give meat to the body without cooking it with water and fire. The fire is the presence or baptism of the spirit which gives our soul supernatural strength to go through waters and come out victoriously. Until the meat is thoroughly cooked through the water and fire, we are not fit to share it with the household of faith. We should only share what He tells us to share.

THE TRAGEDY OF THE DELAY

“But and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; And shall begin to smite [his] fellowservants, and to eat and drink with the drunken; The lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for [him], and in an hour that he is not aware of, And shall cut him asunder, and appoint [him] his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth”.

Like in the case of Sampson, we will always be faced with challenges and situations that will attempt to divert our mind, out of what the LORD has permitted us to go through. This is another area, where many fall away from the Faith. When the LORD allows us to go through difficult and painful situations, the purpose is to bring us to a higher baptism of Glory and Eternal Value. Because it is not always easy for the flesh, to cease and patiently endure in situations like this, many souls out of impatience easily leave this abode, and make there own boat (out of the dictate of self) to cross the waters, instead of going through baptism. Such Souls will later end in smiting their fellow servants who are calling them back into their first habitation of rest. If they did not heed the call, they will find themselves drunk, not with the divine wine of the spirit but with the dictates of the carnal nature. They will also end in feeding the doctrines which appeals to the flesh with its vain comfort. This is a corporate work and almost all of us at least in degree have fallen in this area. It is time to wake up from our Comfort Zones and patiently endure the waters that we must pass through before entering the Land of Canaan in fullness. Amen.

James Jarjou

Thought Provoking Series on "The Rest'

These links lead to a very thought provoking series of articles coming forth exploring entering into the Rest of God; What is it? How do we enter into it?  How do we abide in it?  Gaining an understanding of and entering into this promised 'Rest' is critical in the life of the believer, if we ever hope to overcome anything in this life.  They are found on:
 HIGH COUNTRY MINISTRY; by B. Keith Chadwell

‘This Is The REST’

The ‘Rest’ & The ‘Word of God’

‘The Coming of the Lord’

Addition:

The following is a quote from 'Breaking The Mold,' by Kirston Couchey.

(Link to the book download is found on the sidebar)

Victory is maintained through standing in rest in the place given by Him. Rest is the ultimate state of faith in which we disarm all the enemies that have been or are trying to occupy (do the business of the devil in) the sphere of authority we are given to occupy. It is yielding total control to God in confidence and faith. Rest takes our hands off of trying to fix the situation ourselves. It is waiting on God to give direction and empowerment to accomplish His will in what He has entrusted to us.

The enemies strategy is to get us out of rest (fullness of faith). Being in fear, doubt, anger or any sin, gives an open door for the enemy to work in our sphere(s) of authority. As we rest, we become confident enough to ignore the devil. Our divine authority naturally dismantles the works (business) of the devil in our sphere. In reality the battle is not about doing, but BEING! (pg. 19).

A PLACE WHERE LEPROSY IS EXPOSED

A PLACE WHERE LEPROSY IS EXPOSED


~ David Wilkerson

**Moses truly was a man touched by God, supernaturally called and full of revelation about who God was. He was humble, pious, and burdened for the honor of God. He was permitted to know guidance as few other men have known as he loved God and grieved over the sins of the people.

In spite of all this, Moses did not know of the leprosy in his own bosom: “And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow” (Exodus 4:6).

What terror—to reach into your own bosom and touch leprosy! What an object lesson on the utter depravity of the flesh. Was God indulging in a little magic with Moses? No, this was a powerful lesson the man of God must learn. It was God’s way of saying to his man, “When self is in control, you end up hurting people and bringing reproach on my work. When you attempt to do my work in spectacular, fleshly ways, you minister death, not life.”

God was declaring, “I cannot use that old nature from Egypt—it cannot be transformed, it will always be leprous. There must be a new man, one caught up in the glory and power of the I AM!”

Moses was commanded to put his leprous hand back into his bosom. “And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh” (Exodus 4:7).

Stretching forth the hand represents ministry. What is leprosy, but sin? Hidden, unexposed, unforsaken sin! What happens when a man of God gets on holy ground? His inner soul is exposed. His deepest, hidden sins are brought to light before his eyes and he is driven to the tender mercies of Christ for healing and restoration.

Thank God for that second, sanctifying touch! That cleansing moment, when by faith the old flesh is crucified and the hand of ministry is purified—when we are once again clothed in the proper flesh—his flesh.

Thank God we can rejoice in the cleansing by the precious blood of Christ.**

It is encouraging to hear a man of God that is still operating within the religious system state the above. In light of the deluge of messages we have recently been so graciously given, instructing us in HOW to die to our flesh, I feel led to add the following...

When the Father begins to draw us to crucify (dethrone) self, we are faced with a conflict of interests. All that we have learned has been the traditional teachings and interpretations of men. And all along the way, from our initial salvation to our baptism with the Holy Spirit, we have been assured that we are in the way, and have all that God intends for us to have. When it comes to sin, the word itself conjures up those 'outward acts' that the Church and the world in general have labeled as such… i.e., murder, stealing, etc.

Some years ago I was led to do a study in the scriptures ...

What is Sin?

Proverbs.21:4 An high look (haughtiness, conceit), and a proud (roomy, broad, wide open) heart (widely used for the feelings, will, intellect), and the plowing (fallow ground, tillage) of the wicked (wrong, ungodly), is sin (an offense).

Proverbs 24:9 The thought (plan, purpose, device) of foolishness (silliness, folly) is sin (an offense): and the scorner (to scoff, mock) is an abomination (disgusting, idolatry) to men (mankind).

Romans 14:23 and he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith (conviction of religious truth) is sin (offense).

James 1:15 Then when lust (longing, desire) hath conceived (to seize, arrest, capture), it bringeth forth (produce, bear) sin (offense): and sin, when it is finished (to complete entirely, consummate), bringeth forth (to generate, beget) death.

James 2:9 But if ye have respect to persons (favor an individual, show partiality), ye commit (be engaged in or with) sin (offense), and are convinced (admonish, convict, rebuke, reprove) of the law as transgressors (a violator).

James 4:17 Therefore (accordingly) to him that knoweth (be aware, have knowledge) to do good (beautiful, valuable, virtuous), and doeth it not, to him it is sin (offense).

1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth (to make or do) sin (offense) transgresseth (does illegality, unrighteousness) also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law (violation, wickedness, unrighteousness).

1 John 5:17 All unrighteousness (injustice, wrongfulness) is sin (offense): and there is a sin not unto (toward) death.

You may well do your own study, and draw your own conclusions. I find it seems to be pretty common however, that we attribute outward acts as being sinful. In fact, we seem to project everything, including God, as being outside of ourselves. When in reality, all sin first begins inside, in the heart. The mind entertains the thoughts, and then the body acts on them. Jesus clarified this matter when He stated that if a man so much as looketh upon a woman lustfully, he has in effect already committed adultery with her... because he as much as committed the act in his heart.

This is so significant, because as much as we might like to think its not sin if I don't act upon it, we are wrong. God sees our every thought, and knows what’s in our hearts far better than we know ourselves.

Personally, I think James summed up what sin is the best, "if we know to do good, and do it not, it is sin." Doing what our flesh wants, rather than what God wants, is sinning against God. Its disobedience. Its rebellion.

I believe (from personal experience) that one of the greatest deceptions we as believers are guilty of is that of thinking things outside of ourselves is where the dreaded 'sin' lurks.

Paul nails it in Rom 6:17 "But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. " FROM THE HEART, is the key.

Without Christ RESIDING IN our hearts, we are in the same condition as those around us, only difference being that we don't know it.

2Pe 2:14 Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot cease from sin; beguiling unstable souls: an heart they have exercised with covetous practices; cursed children:

This may sound harsh, but we are in the final countdown. 'Either make the tree good or make the tree evil." We need to stop looking 'out there' for things we can slap a 'sin' label on, and ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse us from within, that we may truly be filled with the glory of God; that the light within us be nothing less than the shekinah glory of the Risen Christ, dispelling this gross darkness in which we live.

This is God's desire for us, that we become HIS DWELLING PLACE!!!



God bless,


Cathy
11/24/2010

Spiritual Exercise - T. Austin Sparks

Spiritual Exercise


by T. Austin-Sparks

"But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil" (Heb. 5:14).


"All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous: yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness" (Heb. 12:11).

That word 'exercise' is the word that includes what I have in my heart. The word means what it says. If you heard the Greek word for this English word 'exercised', you would at once recognize another English word. It would, of course, have been impossible for the translators to put the other one in, as you will see, but the Greek word sounds almost exactly like our English word 'gymnastics'. If you like to put it in here you can - 'to those who have been through the gymnastics in relation to this matter of full growth'. 'Exercised' does mean something like that - those who have undergone gymnastics in relation to development.

The Object of Spiritual Exercise

If you look to see the object of this exercise, you will discover that it has to do with just one thing - but a very great thing. It is not just development, getting big; it is what we call capacity - that is, ability, or being able for things. That is the Divine object in this exercise, quite clearly set forth in this letter. And capacity, as I am sure you will agree, is a very vital matter. Whether it is in the natural realm or in the spiritual, it does amount to something to have capacity - to have ability. It is a very distressing thing to find how few, even of the Lord's people, have real spiritual capacity. You will see what that means as we go on. But let us get the object of this exercise in view, that we may make no mistake. It is not just to be something, but to be able for something - that is capacity. In gymnastics you can do it for its own sake, just to develop yourself, just to be something, but the real object is to be able to do things, to be capable of much more.

Spiritual Exercise Related to an Afterward

But here is a strange thing. This is so related to an "afterward". You notice it is afterward that the values of this exercise, of this increased capacity, are to be found. There may be, of course, immediate "afterward"s - there are - but there is always the great "afterward": for what we find is that, just when people are beginning to have a bit of capacity - because it takes a long time with most of us - it is time to go home. The gymnasium closes down, we go to the Lord. Life all along has been one continuous exercise. There has been no 'let-up' in the exercise. We do not do it for a term and then work out the values for the rest of our lives. Here we are, those of us who have been on the way some time, and are on the last lap - we are still in the gymnasium, and it seems as though we are going to be there to the end. This whole matter of increased capacity continues to our last day, and the last breath of our last day, on this earth. Then what about it? There must be a big afterward, or life is an enigma, a deep and terrible enigma: so that the Scripture does come in with much emphasis and abundant evidence that all this is for a big afterward. It is capacity for something, ability to do, in the 'ages of the ages'.

Now that opens up a very large realm, and I am not going to enter into it. All I am saying is that it must be so - or I, for one, cannot understand why we cannot get this over quickly, and then for the rest of our time just be doing the thing for which we have been prepared. But the preparation goes on and on and ever on, and it will never cease while we are here.

The Realm of Spiritual Exercise

What is the realm of this exercise? Here it speaks of having the senses exercised. Well, of course, that is very simple and easily understood. In our natural, physical man we have five senses. We have our sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. Those are the five senses of our physical natural life. But there is also an inner man called the "hidden man of the heart", and that inward man has what corresponds to the outer man's five senses. There is a faculty of spiritual sight, of spiritual hearing, of spiritual smelling or sensing, of spiritual taste and spiritual touch, and these senses are very important to the life of the inward man - yes, more important even than the senses of the physical man.

We know how we feel the tragedy of people who have lost any of those outward senses. It is a great loss; it is an imperfect life, a life of limitation. But it is equally true of the inward man. To be without spiritual sight is a tragic loss and a terrible limitation; or without spiritual hearing, that capacity for answering to the Spirit - "he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith": if there is no capacity for hearing, that is a desperate situation. What loss there is if there is no sensing - sensing as in the matter of smell, so that you at once scent things. I know how wrongly that has been used, in an everlasting attempt to scent heresy and fault and wrong, but there is a right faculty of spiritual scent which is very important. I believe it was to that that reference was made concerning our Lord - "his scent shall be in the fear of the Lord" (Isa. 11:3, A.R.M.) - quick of scent, right on the mark in scenting what the Lord wanted. And how true it was of His heavenly life: what it saved Him to scent the enemy and what the enemy was up to, to scent what the Father wanted and when He did not want things. It is important to be quick of scent. And so with our taste and with our touch - our contact, and what we register by contact.

This is a very real inward man, and these are the senses which form the basis of spiritual capacity: these are the things to be exercised, to be 'put through it' for increase and development. In Hebrews 12 you know that the Apostle is speaking about Sonship, and then in verse 9 he uses the phrase "the Father of our spirits" (R .V.M.). 'We have had fathers of our flesh and they saw to it that our fleshly, our physical, senses were developed, that we were kept up to the mark on knowing right and wrong in the natural realm; they taught us there what was true and what was false'. Now we have a Father of our spirits, and it is our spiritual faculties and senses that are the object of His concern. He is concentrating upon the development of capacity in spiritual seeing, and spiritual hearing, and spiritual sensing and tasting and touching. This is what is meant by the full-grown man.

The Nature of the Exercise

Then we come to this exercise. What is the nature of the exercise - if you like, of the gymnastics? - for the Lord does 'put us through it'! Some of you may not have been through gymnastics. I remember the very first time I went into a gymnasium as a youngster, and a vaulting-horse was put in front of me and I was told that I had to take it at a bound. I had never tried that before. I was scared! But I was put through it, I was not let off. No running round that horse, no running underneath it; I had to clear it, and I had to go on till I could make a clean show of it. And in every part of that gymnasium it was the same. It was terrible for a time, but capacity grew with exercise. This word "chastening" means that. We have such an idea that chastening means thrashing. It does not. It is child-training, it is discipline, it is gymnastics. It is being put through it, so that these senses may be developed and capacity increased.

The point is this - that there is no development unless you are given something beyond your capacity. It is true in every realm. It means that the Lord is constantly putting you into situations beyond your capacity. If it is a matter of seeing, and you cannot see, what are you going to do - when you just cannot see what the Lord means, what the Lord is after, what He is doing? Give it up? Say, 'I cannot see' - that is an end of it - and go home? Of course not! We are there for that faculty to be developed and capacity increased. Have we not already proved that through many a dark way? We just cannot see or understand, but we have at least learned something of the ways and mind of the Lord. And in every other way too we are put into positions beyond our capacity. Does that comfort you? Are you out of your depth today? Are you in situations that you just cannot cope with? The explanation is in Hebrews 12.

There is a very great cost bound up with capacity - that is what I find. There have been people of whom we have despaired. We have wondered if ever they really would see, whether they would ever grow at all. They seemed to stay for so long in exactly the same place and with the same measure, and we have despaired. And then the Lord has taken them into a very deep place, breaking and shattering and emptying; and before they are through, things have changed inwardly: they have got a new knowledge of the Lord; they have come out with something which we had despaired of their ever reaching. There is something there now; there is the possibility now that they are going to count for something more. They are seeing.

I do not think there is any other way for increasing capacity. Capacity is a costly thing. We had better face it: every little bit of increase means agony. There is a big afterward in view. "All chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous, but grievous" - and do not expect it to be otherwise - but afterward, and maybe, in measure, in the afterward here, we may be of greater value to the Lord, as He puts us through His school.

Yet, even so, as I said at the beginning, the work goes on to the end. And then what? Well, we may leave something behind for the profit of others, but surely that is not the end. No, there is the great afterward. You notice that this letter puts so much emphasis upon going on to the end, continuing to the end. One thing that we learn in the Lord's school is this - that we must never foreclose on God: we must not accept an end until He says it is an end. Let me put that in another way. How often there comes an afterward, when we thought there was going to be no afterward. We had thought it was all at an end, and then there comes an afterward, and we reproach ourselves for giving up too soon, before we ought to have given up. We give up in our spirits and we cease to run with patience. We go through a black, dark time when we seem to have been brought to the end and there is no more, and the enemy seeks to make us accept that. 'This is the awful end of everything'. And we find, like Abraham and his horror of great darkness, that when it seemed that it was the end of everything, it was only the beginning of something more of the Lord - something far greater - a new beginning. So we hold on, realising that this costly way is a preparation for larger values, though it be "for the present... not joyous, but grievous".

First published in "A Witness and A Testimony" magazine, Jul-Aug 1952, Vol 30-4

The DREAM - Cliff Hursey

The Dream


Months ago I was struck with a sudden illness and for a time thought that it would take my life before it was done. During that time, the Lord granted me this dream, and then granted me several short visions to clarify it. It’s now time to share it with the rest of you.


Cliff Hursey

I found myself traveling down a highway, with bumper to bumper traffic going at a high rate of speed. It was a dark cloudy day, and mud seemed to be splashing and covering everything. I however was not in a car, but on a bicycle. I was having no trouble keeping up with the traffic flow.

But then, I heard what seemed like a large truck bearing down on me from behind. I tried to go faster, to escape from it, but could not. Then, just as it seemed it would strike me from behind and kill me on the spot, it swerved around me and.... had not even been a truck, just an old car. But as a result of this, I myself was run off the road, into a ditch. I fell...

When things settled down, I found that I was on my knees in the bottom of a ravine; this was about 12 feet deep and covered by underbrush above. The bottom of the ditch was deep in mud, and there were things in the mud. I began feeling around to see what they were. They were knives, swords, crossbows, rods, all kinds of weapons, and all broken and unusable.

And there was someone else there too. An angel. I could not describe the appearance of that one, but I just knew that is what it was. The feeling of it being God’s servant was strong, and firm.

I was told that these weapons in the ditch were weapons for use by Christians, but they had been discarded and broken. I felt regret, for there were so many of them.

“Which one would you like?” the angel said. “This is why you are here.”

“A cross bow, of course.” It seemed so obvious, why would anyone want anything different? It was as if a crossbow was the natural choice for me. But every one in the mud was broken, and in a sad state.

The angel reached down at my feet, and plucked a broken crossbow from the mud. It was as if the crossbow suddenly strung itself, cleaned itself up, and became new again. It was bright and shiny, golden in color, particularly bright in the still gloomy light. And the shape was VERY odd, it was like no other crossbow I had ever seen.

He reached out and handed it to me, and I found it hard to grasp. There did not appear to be any sort of handle on it. At one end was a large bow, as you would expect, but at the other end were seven smaller bows pointing the opposite way. And beneath, no place to grip it. I was baffled.

“I have no idea how to use this!” I said.

“Be at peace, when the time comes, you will be shown how.” When these words were spoken, they had the force of truth to them. I was confident to the depths of my soul that this would indeed be the case.

“Now, there is more for you to see.” He led me up the side of the ravine, the side away from the road. There was a lot of overgrowth there, enough to block the view of the ravine and what was beyond from the road. I could still hear traffic behind me. We emerged into what would have been the road median, but it was a large clear area surrounded by trees, and full of big white equipment trailers. The sky above was still cloudy and dark, and would remain so.

He took me to one of the trailers. He opened the door, and I was let inside. I found myself in a small place, packed with yet MORE weapons. Spears, shields, pikes, swords, everything conceivable. (Note, there were no firearms of any sort in evidence.) There was another odd thing too, a rack that held bottles, like a wine rack, but it instead had bottles that I knew were for oil, like anointing oil. These bottles were dusty and empty, but I knew that soon they would be filled and ready for someone to use. For what I had no idea, but I felt they would be very powerful indeed.

In fact, each weapon in this place was waiting to be claimed by its rightful owner.

I had a feeling of tremendous age, these weapons had been waiting a LONG time. But the time for them to be claimed was very, very near. Not quite yet, at least at that point, but extremely close.

When I came out of the trailer, I noted that there were hundreds of these trailers. Moreover, I knew that all of them were full of these weapons.

I was then taken beyond the equipment trailers, and what I saw stunned me. Hundreds and hundreds of white RV’s, Winnebagos or something. There was a huge parking lot, and all of them were just sitting there. Every single one was already idling, waiting to leave when the time came. I knew that these represented shelter and safety for the saints, but at the same time would allow them to go where they needed to go. It was a huge caravan of these vehicles, and the feeling was that departure of this caravan was imminent. As I awoke, I was running exuberantly to find the one that I knew my Father had prepared for me.

Still, I was baffled as to how to use the crossbow.

My Interpretation of the Dream

The first portion of the dream is personal, and sets the stage for the second, which is general. I was traveling down the highway in a bicycle (under my own power), the sky was cloudy and conditions muddy (the state of today’s world). I felt the truck coming from behind to kill me (my illness) which turned into something far more harmless and missed me altogether (pretty much describes what happened in my illness. It was frightening, but I survived with no harm to me.)

The ravine represents that place where the Lord eventually brings us all, that place where we are at the absolute bottom, and can hear his voice the best. This is when the dream turns into a more general message, although I think that many other’s bicycles have been run off the road recently too.

The broken weapons in the mud represent ministries that were abandoned. Many of these will be picked up by new people, who will carry on with the ministry as it was supposed to be in the first place. Two months after this dream, I “inherited” a ministry that had been suddenly cast aside. There are a LOT of these ministries out there.

And when the reins are passed, the ministry regains its original blessing, becomes as if it were new again.

Climbing out of the ravine represents rising from that place of helplessness. The angel helped me out, through the underbrush. The Lord will not abandon us in our place of helplessness, but will make sure that we have every resource necessary to regain our footing afterwards.

The old weapons in the equipment trailers represent gifts that the Lord has for us to use in His service. They have been waiting for us to pick them up for a LONG time. I had the feeling that they were fashioned for us before we were born. The anointing oil was at that time unfilled, and there were many bottles (vessels?) that appeared to have been waiting for quite a while for the oil. This says that there is to be an anointing poured out, and the recipients of that anointing have been prepared and waiting for a very long time.

The Winnebago’s represented a place of relative safety from which we could minister, but a place that would move with us. I had a strong feeling that they would all move together, and none had moved as of yet. They were all gassed up and idling, ready to depart, but not all of them were manned yet. God has already prepared these places and plans for us.  I had a strong feeling of victory associated with seeing these things.

The First Vision

That day, I came across a friend of mine on the Internet that is gifted in prophecy. I explained my dilemma, that I had what I was sure was a wondrous weapon against the enemy but had no idea how to use it. “That is because I have the next part,” he told me. We arranged to meet that evening via the web and do some “spiritual warfare.” Well, to be honest, although I had been involved in spiritual warfare before, I was unprepared for this experience. This was to be a type of warfare I had never known before, or even known existed.

I will explain this as best I can, please pardon me if it sounds a bit strange!

We began to pray together, and each of us was 1,000 miles from the other. We began, in the spirit, to walk through my home.

And it was as if I could SEE the servants of the enemy all around it. In each room, in the yard, wherever I looked. It was a most unsettling experience. It was more of a feeling than actual sight, although at times I had clear visual images.

So, faced with this, in the spirit, I lifted the crossbow.

And I still had no idea how to use it.

So, I prayed, “Lord, You must teach me to do this, because I am helpless here. This is beyond me.”

At that moment, it seemed as if the crossbow fired by itself. Bolts flew. I could tell they struck the evil spirits I felt around me. And yet, I had spiritually or mentally touched no trigger, and did not even know how it had happened. The bolts hit four of the spirits, it felt like.

“You hit four,” my friend said over the net. Which, considering I had not told him that, confirmed it for me. This was not just imagination. Something was happening here in the spiritual realm, and we were privy to it. 1,000 miles apart, we were both “seeing” it.

So, we walked, in the spirit, through the rest of my home. It was an amazing experience, as both of us “saw” the same things. In each room, I found that only when I released control of the crossbow would it work. Otherwise, if I tried to use it myself, it was useless. Only when I was humbled and admitted that I had no control or ability myself would it fire.

That was the first secret of using the crossbow. I had to be utterly submitted, utterly without any action on my part, to use it at all. COMPLETE selflessness. When I did so, the single bow at the one end would fire at the Lord’s command. My own commands would never operate it.

Yes, this was a strange experience, but VERY instructive. I began to know that the crossbow was a teaching tool for me, to help me remove my own pride from my service to the Lord.

Yet, there were those other seven bows, clustered on the other end of the bow. They had yet to be fired at all.

The Second Vision

About three weeks after that, in church, the Lord taught me in a split second all I needed to know about those other seven bows, and it is a lesson I will never forget.

We were praising the Lord, a wonderful time of praise. I was in the back of the church, and was lifting my hands in praise to the Lord.

My hands were outstretched, lifted high.

Suddenly, it was as if the crossbow was in my hands.

But I was holding it, pointing TOWARDS ME, holding it BY THE BOW. It had a natural grip here it seemed, and fit my hands perfectly at this strange angle, backwards.

The bolt was aimed straight at my own heart. I knew in an instant that THIS was how it had been designed to be held.

Because, by doing this, the other SEVEN bows were now aimed so that they could be used.

“If you are willing to sacrifice your old carnal man to Me, then I can use you in a far more powerful way,” I felt the Lord say. “You can use my gifts in a small way, even as you are, but to use them in power, you must allow Me to remove all your pride and all that is not of Me from your life. Thus, when you use the bow, there is one arrow pointing at your own heart. That arrow is mine.”

I had tears running down my face. Now I knew!

Since that time. my intercessory prayer has been much stronger. I have been much more attuned to eliminating every dark place from my own life, to make myself a better servant. Until this is done, God cannot use us to the fullest. When we allow ourselves to be purged, THEN we are able to be what God created us to be.

And somewhere out there may be a weapon for you, one that only you can wield for the Lord. It awaits you.

In the ditch.

Noah's Ark & The Coming of The LORD - James Jarjou

New message from a brother in Gambia, Africa

Noah's Ark and the Coming of The LORD
by James Jarjou 

A Word Of Encouragement

A Word Of Encouragement


In this tremendous hour, as the Lamb goes forth to lead the sheep of His pasture into realms that we have not known heretofore, let me give a word of encouragement to all whose hearts are longing and thirsting for Truth and Reality.

If you know and are inwardly aware that you have not yet come, in any degree of fulness, into the "resting-place" that God has for His own, then you must continue to obey the Voice of the Shepherd as He speaks unto you: "My people, come up higher!" Fear not to ascend the unknown pathways that lead to higher heights in God, as long as you hear the Shepherd calling. You know in your own heart whether or not you have entered into your true rest. If others have found sufficient pasture on the Eastern banks of the Jordan, like the tribes of Reuben and Gad and Manasseh... then the call to move forward and upward into the hills and mountains is not for them. It seems burdensome to them. But with you it is different. You are not content in your present habitation. You know in your own selves that there is a deep cry within to move higher into the heavenly realms in Christ, even into perfect union with the Father. And therefore you cannot find rest in any doctrine or in any teaching that would discourage you from discovering God in your own inheritance. You bear in your heart and mind the "white stone" of His covenant with you, a token of His personal affection for you as an individual. For you are a special individual to God, created in His image and likeness, to have personal communion with Him, and with Him alone. Continue to polish that stone, and keep it safe. Let no man come in between to mar its beauty. Let no man take it from you. Let no apostle or prophet or priest because of his authority persuade you that you ought to surrender it to him. It is God's covenant with you that He is yours, and it is your covenant with God that you are His. And as you cling to this (giving honor to whom honor is due, respect to whom respect is due, and submission to whom submission is due)... then you shall experience the joy of knowing Him for yourself, as no other person can know Him. For your inheritance in God is different than that of any other created being, and God's inheritance in you is likewise something very distinct and very special. In the Body of Christ you are a "member in particular"... having a very special function, and having a very individual relationship with your Lord. As a sheep of His pasture you are not just a sheep among many sheep. You are a special "sheep," and that is why He calls you by a special name. Each of you has a very special place in God, and each brings special joy and delight to His heart. Therefore He gives each of you a special "name" signifying what you as an individual mean to Him. It is a name that He has given none other. It is a name that no man can defile or dishonor... because no man knows what it is. It is a name that reveals the inner joy and delight of the Father's heart as He communes with you alone. For as His love takes hold upon you, and you find it in your heart to respond to that love... then does He find a special pleasure in your presence, and the joy of His heart is increased; for He said, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). It is this special joy and delight of the Father's heart that you feel as you walk with Him alone.

"The LORD thy God in the midst of thee is mighty;

He will save, he will rejoice over thee with joy;

He will rest in his love,

He will joy over thee with singing"

(Zephaniah 3:17).

Many years ago, at a time when this matter of Church leadership seemed to be taking on an undue emphasis, I awakened one morning with these words running through my mind: "Just Content to be a Son." As I meditated upon it, a message seemed to develop in the form of a poem, which I would like to share with our readers in closing:



Just Content To Be A Son

Just content to be a son

With no ambition to succeed

In realms of earth, and have no need

Of popularity's acclaim,

Or purchase for myself a name

In serving Christ; for He must be

The Lord throughout eternity.

To see His face and hear His voice,

And do His bidding is my choice.

Just content to be a son,

A son of God without a home,

To stay, or go, or wait, or roam...

Hither and yon without a plan,

Led of the Spirit, not of man.

I'll have no monument of praise,

But I'll have peace in God's own ways;

And though I tread this earthly sod,

I'll walk with Him, I live in God.

Just content to be a son,

Misunderstood, and yet I know

The path I take shall overflow

With life abundant and with grace.

I only need to run the race

With patience, waiting, seeing Him...

Hearing the still small voice within.

If others want the earth to quake...

I'll hear His voice when I awake.

Just content to be a son,

No words to say... but what He says;

No work to do... but what He does;

No fear or worry, anxious care,

I live with Him, His yoke I share...

No name to make, He writes His own

Upon the heart's pure glistening stone;

No life to live, I lay it down,

I'll share His cross... and live again.

"TO HIM THAT OVERCOMETH WILL I GIVE TO EAT OF THE HIDDEN MANNA, AND WILL GIVE HIM A WHITE STONE, AND IN THE STONE A NEW NAME WRITTEN, WHICH NO MAN KNOWETH SAVING HE THAT RECEIVETH IT" (Revelation 2:17).

from:  'Feed My Sheep' by George Warnock

Chapter 7

The Rule Of The Heavens

...God beholdest the proud afar off, and when you want the real essence of spiritual blessing you have to come to the one who has been broken and shaken and ground to powder and who in himself is absolutely nothing. And then God begins to pour of Himself through that one and He has got what He wants. What God wants is spiritual people in this deepest sense, wholly spiritual, that He might give revelation and show that the heavens do rule.


Again, this represents the great necessity for everyone who is coming into the things of God essentially. What is the essence of what is from God? That they should come into it from above. You can come to things on the horizontal—through a certain amount of college preparation or other preparation for it, and you can enter into something here on the earth which is called the "ministry," or you can enter into Bible teaching on the horizontal. You may know it and you may be able to cite it. You are into all the doctrines of the Scripture. You come into it this way because you have "taken it up." You can come into the church that way. You call it "joining the church," and when you come in that way, you are not in it at all. You are in a false position entirely. The only way to come into the things which are especially of God is that you have come in in the Spirit and by the Spirit, and by way of revelation....

T. Austin-Sparks

The Rule of the Heavens

ERRORS IN THINKING - A.W. Tozer

Errors In Thinking

GOD IN HIS CONDESCENDING LOVE and kindness often sends a Moses, or maybe a Joshua or an Isaiah, or in latter times a Luther or Wesley to show us that the work of the Lord is not progressing. Times are bad in the kingdom and getting worse. The tendency is to settle into a rut, and we must get out of it. The time has come to arise and go on from here because Gods will is as broad as the land He gave to the Israelites "in the mountains, in the western foothills, in the Negev and along the coast, to the land of the Canaanites and to Lebanon, as far as the great river, the Euphrates" (Deuteronomy 1:7).


When God sends some preacher to say this to a congregation and the congregation is even half ready to listen to him, they say to themselves, "I think the pastor is right about this. We are in a rut, aren't we? No use fighting it. I think we ought to do something about this." Then 99.99 percent of the time the remedy prescribed will be, "Let's come together and eat something. I know we are in a rut. We don't see each other often enough. We ought to get to know each other better, so let's come together and eat something." I have no objection to fellowship, but it is not the answer to what is wrong with us.

Instead of eating, someone may suggest, "Let's make plans to go somewhere." This is another way we Protestants have of curing all the sores of Job, all the leprosy and everything that is wrong with us. We either get together to eat our way out or else we travel and get out of it.

Another person might say, "Let's come together and do something religious. The church is in pretty bad shape. Morale is low, and things are not the way they should be. We are running pretty much in a circle. Let's get together and do something." This is activism.

Someone else says, "Let's form a committee to consider it." The Baptist preacher Dr. Vance Havner says, "A committee is a company of the incompetent chosen by the unwilling to do the unnecessary." Perhaps he stated that a little too radically. There are some things committees can do, and then there are some things committees cannot do.

I am quite sure that when the man of God thundered, "You have stayed long enough in this place. You are going around in circles. Get you out and take what is given to you by the hand of your God," nobody got up and said, "Mr. Chairman, let's eat something." Eating probably would not have helped. I am quite certain that they did not get up and say, "Let's take a trip," or "Let's start another club." Starting a club is another reaction we have when we find ourselves in a rut and realize we are no taller than we were five years ago; we are no farther along than we were five years ago; we don't know any more than we did five years ago; we are no holier than we were five years ago. We simply met ourselves coming around.

If a song could be worn out, we have worn out the same old song: "Revive us again, fill each heart with Thy love." We have sung that one and nobody means it nobody will pay the price. But we go around and around, and all we see is the other fellow's heels just ahead of us. All the fellow behind us sees is our heels. We go around and around the circle, and somebody says, "Let's start a club now."

Continue reading here

 

THE CHRISTIAN IS WISER THAN HE THINKS