The Church Jesus is building 1

After Peter confessed Jesus as the Christ the son of the Living God, Jesus commended him and promised;"...on this rock I will build my Church, and the gates of Hades(Hell) will not overcome it."( Matt. 16:18) Organic church author Wolfgang Simson notes that Jesus did not say;" You will build my church " or even "I will build your church" but He Himself will build His church! Jesus will only bless the church/ekklesia which He is building and not our plans or projects, however sincere they may be!

What is the rock Jesus is building His church on? It is the revelation about Jesus as the Christ, the son of the living God! This revelation is not just head knowledge or some superficial decision for Jesus, but is dependent on the mysterious work of God's Spirit in us. Embedded in this revelation is the concept of 'sonship'. To the believers He is the Messiah/Christ, but to the Father He is the Son! The true church will have a revelation of Christ and the outworking of that revelation is that believers will walk in an understanding of sharing His sonship. The church Jesus is building is not first of all concerned about titles, ministries, or anointings, but in relationship-that of intimacy as sons before their Father!

Jesus also said that Peter became a "little rock" because of this revelation(the Big Rock) and Paul said in Ephesians 2:20 that the church is build "on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone." Apostles and prophets(the true version!) are people who have received the revelation about Jesus and have been molded through the workings of God to present an accurate presentation of the Living Christ, both through word and in incarnating the Life of Christ. The result of their ministry will be an apostolic church which will incarnate(manifest) Christ in every locality and will in so doing bind the ruling powers of the heavenlies-and not only bind them but will become itself the ruling power in that locality! One of the biggest "gates of hades" for example, is prejudice against other races or religious groups, but where a church becomes truly apostolic, people of different races and religions will come together in the unity of the Spirit, reconciliation will be demonstrated(incarnated) and the prejudice and racism will lose it's stronghold on the minds of the people.

The only real hope of this world is the church which Jesus is building, and it starts with the church becoming truly apostolic and for that to happen the church must be given back to it's rightful Owner, Jesus the Christ, the Son of the Living God!

Christ my life!

Oh, the glorious freedom of knowing Christ as my Life! He has become my only Life-He is my past, my present and my future! In Him, I have entered the reality of the New Creation. He has changed my world view because I see through all things to Christ! I do not see every other person as a vile sinner, but through that person and his/her actions I see the finished, perfect work of Christ on the cross. I see a person who just needs to awaken to his/her salvation which is already achieved in Christ-all we can do is to work with Christ in us to awaken this person to righteousness-this will only happen if the unrigteous experience acceptance and respect from us.

I do not see the church as some organisation, meeting or club of 'backscratchers' but as a bunch of Christ-lovers who have become loyal to only Him and a revelation of His Life in them!
I do not see Apostles and Prophets as mighty, charismatic personalities or gifted MD's but as simple men/women(what??) who have been through the mill of God's stripping and now breathes Christ and Him alone. They share Paul's apostolic burden to see Christ formed in local communities which will shake the powers of the air because they manifest the Life of Christ! (Ephesians 3:10) They do that because they flesh out Grace, Love, Joy , Peace, etc in communities who meet daily in various places, for various purposes and in fluidity of numbers.

I do not see tsunami's, earthquakes and other natural disasters as God's judgement on a sinful and deserving humanity, but rather as the birthpangs of the new creation because Jesus has already endured God's judgement for humanity as well as creation as illustrated by the crown of thorns which was pressed into His head-the curse which was on humanity and nature was put on Him! Rather than God's judgements on sinful humanity, natural disasters could be an indictment against the "House of God" which has not appropriated the fulness of Christ's finished work on the cross and is not in divine order. I believe that when Jesus is again acknowledged as the Head of the Church( not in absentia!) divine order wil be restored, the Sons of God will be manifested and creation will be delivered from futility and decay!( Rom 8:19-23)

Sons of Adam and Sons of God

There are really only two kinds of people on the earth, namely the sons of Adam and the Sons of God. The sons of Adam could be religious or anti-religious but they all eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Some more from the evil part and some more from the good part, but still the same old tree!(Genesis 2:9) The sons of Adam build their ethics on questions of right and wrong and like to be controlled by rules and laws; they are ruled by the senses, things which could be empirically tested and observed. They are very good at creating their own devices to hide their shame and nakedness. Religious effort, church programs, visionary projects and even charitable duties become handy "fig-leaves" to impress God or their religious/moral conscience.(Genesis3:7)

They may even go so far as to devise a pseudo- science based on naturalism to hide from the idea of God. If there is another way of looking at reality, like naturalism, than they do not need to face up to the chance of there being a God and if there is no God than they do not have to face up to their 'sinful' desires and inclinations. Scientific dogmatics and religious dogmatics may be appalled at discovering that they are really in the same bed so to speak! Their 'fig-leave' garments may look a bit different at first but it's really made from the same stuff.

On the other hand we find a growing number of people who have discovered how to feed on the Tree of Life, Jesus Christ! They have accepted God's covering for their shame and guilt; they have allowed themselves to be clothed in the garments of Christ's righteousness; they have trusted fully and unconditionally in the blood of the innocent! They got rid of the fig-leaves of religious effort, Law, Churchianity and the self-deception of human wisdom. They have learned how to eat the bread of heaven and nothing else but revelation can satisfy their New Creation-spirits. The Sons of God live in the consciousness of Sonship as the Pattern-Son lives His Life through them. The Sons of God are not concerned about titles, ministries and callings but they are concerned first of all about integrity before their Father and integrity in relationships with other people, always aware of Christ in them who wants to touch and impact the lives of human beings.

To the Sons of God church happens whenever and wherever two or three are gathered in His name; whether in a house, club, pub, around a barbecue or just a family meeting together. The Sons of God hate organizational instead of organic growth; professional and disposable relationships rather than genuine and lasting relationships; formal meetings for the sake of meetings(or the big preacher!) instead of vibrant and joyous celebrations of Christ's life together! The Sons of God want to see all of humanity come forth in their true destinies and therefore want to see people empowered to live in authentic relationships with Christ and one another, rather than being dependent on "ministries" for acceptance and spiritual growth.The Sons of God are hungry to be led by the Spirit at all times and refuse to be led by fads, moods and what seems to work at the moment.

The Sons of God are satisfied with obscurity at the moment and they have learned (mostly through trials and tribulation) to remain in their Sabbath-Rest(Christ) and trust Him to bring forth the manifestation the whole of creation is waiting for.(Romans 8:18-19)

Science and Faith, part 2

Persons with different worldviews(basic beliefs, presuppositions) approach science with a belief in something/someone that is self-existent. This entity represents for them the ultimate reality. For the atheist it will most probably be matter or reason; for the naturalist it will be nature; for the new ager it will be a "collective consciousness"; for the pantheist it will be an impersonal spirit and for the theist "it" will be God. This means that faith is basic to the human existence; humanity must have a god or he will invent one! Total neutrality is therefore an impossibilty, and as I pointed out in the previous article every scientist come to scientific study with presuppositions and assumptions(Faith).

Too often in the debate about science and faith, any opposition or alternative to the prevailing naturalistic theories is vehemently attacked as an attempt to drag religion into the field of "neutral and factual knowledge", which is maskeraded as science. Fact is, religion( the belief in an ultimate reality that is self-existent) is part and parcel of the naturalistic worldview. Watch with what dogmatic and religious zeal some naturalist scientists attack anyone who proposes that children should be taught different ways to look at the origins of life; I thought we live in an enlightened era where children should be taught to think by comparing different theories, ideas and even facts in order to make up their own minds about reality. One should think that something that is "proved beyond any reasonable doubt", as some scientists want us to believe about Darwinism and other naturalistic interpretations of creation, will be able to withstand the test of scrutiny from other perspectives.

It is general knowledge that modern science was promoted by theists and Christians who believed that the laws of nature could be studied because there is a God of order. Some of these scientists were Isaac Newton, Louis Pasteur etc. E. Stanley Jones says in his book, The Christ on the Mount; "It is no mere chance that with the rediscovery of Christ during the last century there has been a rediscovery of the scientific method, nor that only where Christ is known has the scientific spirit been developed. Science now swings back to faith because faith has Christ as it's center and the very essence of that Christ is love of truth and reality. May this swing back to faith be a swing back to the Faith which has Christ (by whom and for whom are all things and who uphold all things by the Word of His power) as it's essence! Science, like revelation, is for the humble, and I believe that the greatest discoveries await those who search with humility. Stanley Jones also wrote; "The secrets of heaven are open to those who are simple of heart and straightforward, and we may add, the secrets of the earth also. Everything in heaven and earth is open to the man who himself is open. It is only as we become as little children-frank,open,simple, that the kingdom of heaven or the kingdom of earth is open to us"

The Sons of God can look forward to an integration of the heavenly and the earthly, the spiritual and the material, the sacred and the secular as well as an integration of revelation and scientific discovery as Christ comes forth in His Sons! The ONE who lives within the Sons of God is the one who has created all things by and through His awesome power, He is still in charge of everything, and he is eager to reveal the mysteries of His creation to the humble! Once science is "reposessed" by those who acknowledge the greatest Scientist, more children will perhaps want to study science again, and those who do so with the right kind of Faith will be the ones who will make the greatest breakthroughs humanity has ever known! Then will the kingdom of heaven come and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven!

Science and faith: Part one

There seems to be a hot debate these days over the issue of science and faith. In the following article or two I will show that faith is a universal trait and part and parcel of the basic make-up of any human being. Has science proven that humanity has progressed so far that they have outgrown the "childish" belief in a god? What is true science and what do we mean by faith? By true science I mean that discipline where we come to conclusions based on careful study, observation and repeated testings in laboratories. Despite these criteria we must acknowledge that even true science is fluid, and theories and "facts" change constantly as we discover new things.

We must also state right at the outset that all scientists "come to the table" with certain assumptions and beliefs that may cloud and colour their observations.This kind of science is normally called observational or operational science and this science has helped humanity tremendously in medicine, travel and the information technology to mention just a few. The other form of science is more what we could call philosophy of science or also historical science where an attempt is made to answer questions about the origins of life, the creation etc.This kind of science is just as much about beliefs and assumptions as any religion or philosophical system. This kind of "science" sometimes makes claims and put forward conlusions as if they are proven facts and anyone criticising or questioning these conclusions will be branded as stupid and ignorant. Not less dogmatic than many fundamentalists in religion!

Let's ask what true(observational) science has definitely proven as fact. What follows are the observations from someone who is not a scientist, but just a thinking human being. Science has proven that humanity does not know everything and is constantly discovering new and wonderful things in the cosmos. Science has proven that humans must live with a lot of humility when we compare our own insignificance to the vastness and the mysteries of the creation, and also the fact that scientists are still looking for cures for cancer, aids and the common cold! Science has proven that there are laws that control nature and that there is therefore good reason to expect the existence of a lawgiver. Science has proven that the human genome is full of information and where there is information you can expect there to be an information-giver! Science has proven that inside molecules is an entity that scientists struggle to define that is apparently not solid, but behaves like an idea or a wave! This reminds the Christian about the Bible that says that all things are held together by the Logos(Word/ Idea) of God! Science has also proven that humans cannot create anything out of nothing, but can discover what is already there and use it to invent things eg. electricity, gravity, aero-dynamics, etc. Science has proven that this planet of ours seems to be just right to sustain life-just the right distance from the sun at just the right angle with just the right amount of oxygen!

Many scientists have found that their faith in the existence of a Supreme Being is strengthened through their study of science while others have used their studies and knowledge to become "puffed up" or full of pride. Two thousand years ago the Creator of science came in person to this planet to bring together in His Person all things that became disjointed and fractured through the rebellion of humanity in Adam and Eve. In his Person and body he brought together in perfect harmony matter and spirit, the material and the immaterial, the visible and the invisible, heaven and earth, future and past and also God and Man! In Christ, God the Father found a Man who perfectly lived by His laws, and in Him, Man found a God who demonstrated a science that most humans still only dream of-walking on water; speeding up the process whereby water become wine; increasing the quantity of food; healing all kinds of sicknesses and defeating the laws of death! Man discovered a God who demonstrated a perfect love and made possible a perfect peace between the Creator and His creation. In intimacy with Christ man not only discover the laws of nature but also the laws of life that brings contentment, commitment, meaning, purpose and a sustainable joy!

Son of Man

What does it mean to be truly human? What was the original creative purpose for man? What does it mean to live spontaneously as a human being? Our definition for "human" is so often just an excuse for our deep sense of failure and of our falling short of our true design and creative purpose. I believe that an understanding of true "humaneness" is the key to living free and spontaneous according to our true design!

Increasingly, humanity's response is to throw off all yokes and laws in order to find this illusive "higher life", some turn to drugs, fame, sex, money and all sorts, only to discover that when you live contrary to your true design, your new found "freedom" is short lived and becomes a harder slave master than the one(s) you threw off! A fish will always be only free if it stays within the water! Unfortunately most humans associate God and Jesus with religion or religious activities and therefore have become almost immune to the only antidote to lawlessness- a relationship with Jesus! Only in a relationship with Him find the human being completeness and fulfillment.

Jesus came to earth not only to demonstrate God, but also to demonstrate true humanity-He came as the last Adam and as the Second Man! In Him we see our true purpose and design. The title "Son of Man" is the one Jesus chose to use most when referring to Himself, much more than any other title, including the title "Son of God". I believe He was trying to spell out to His "human" followers His total identification with humanity even in their sinful condition. That is also the meaning of His baptism by John the Baptist which was a baptism of sinners unto repentance-That baptism prophesied about His "baptism" on the cross when His total identification with humanity would reach it's climax!

The title "Son of Man " is first used in Daniel 7 in the Old Testament; "In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all peoples, nations and men of every language worshipped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed. (vv 13-14) This "son of man" appears to be a corporate entity as explained to Daniel by the angel; "I approached one of those standing there and asked him the true meaning of all this. So he told me and gave me the interpretation of these things: ... But the saints of the Most High will receive the kingdom and will possess it forever--yes, for ever and ever"(vv.17-18). Paul refers to this in 1Cor. 6:2-3 when he says;"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!" and John heard the same message in Revelation 2:26-27 " To him who overcomes and does my will to the end, I will give authority over the nations--
'He will rule them with an iron scepter; he will dash them to pieces like pottery' -- just as I have received authority from my Father."

At the heart of this title lies the revelation of humanity's origins in God, but also the revelation of humanity's authority in it's association and identification with Jesus! May we understand what Jesus tried to get through to Peter when He said; "When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"
They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets."
"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?"
Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." (Matt 16:14-19) Jesus was trying to show His disciples that true authority was linked to humanity discovering their true origin and identity-the son of man is the son of God! He wanted them to "see" their true identity in the "pefect law of liberty". Faith is to see what God sees and to acknowledge His work in us.

A revelation of our origin in Christ will bring about a perfect balance between authority and humility. "The evening meal was being served, and the devil had already prompted Judas Iscariot, son of Simon, to betray Jesus.
Joh 13:3 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God;
Joh 13:4 so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist.
Joh 13:5 After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped"(John 13:2-5) around him.Jesus knew His origin and that is why He could serve His disciples, even the one who was about to betray Him!

The Bible and the Living Word

What is the Word of God? Is it a compilation of books? Is it letters on paper? Is the Bible the Word of God or is there more to it? There is a real danger that Christians could make the Bible something that was not God's intention at all! This danger is what is sometimes called "Biblidolatry"-making an idol of the Bible! When you listen to some Christians you get the feeling that they worship the Bible more than Jesus. "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." (Hebr1:1-2)

Despite the fact that I read(studied) Biblical Studies as part of my degree and achieved excellent results, my spirit was still "dead" until I met the Living Word, Jesus. Suddenly the Bible became a living book as I could identify with the experiences of Abraham, David, Peter, Paul and other heroes (and "villans") of faith. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."(John1:1,14)

Whichever way the Word of God came to the human race in the past, it was always an expression of the Eternal Word that was with God, and this Eternal Word became a human to reveal God, but not only God, also our true identity! It is generally known that the original ekklesia(church) did not have the Bible as we know it today. They had the Old Testament scriptures and the public preaching and teaching of the apostles and prophets. James Fowler put it like this: "The early Christians were not propogating a belief-system. They were not dispensers of theological information about God. They were not Book-bearers. They were bearers of the Living Word, the Life, the Person, the Power of Jesus, "who is the Spirit" (II Corinthians 3:18)."

We need to be careful not to fall into the Pharisaical trap that Jesus referred to in John 5:39-40 "You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me. But you are not willing to come to Me that you may have life." The Bible's importance lies in the fact that it testifies of Jesus in whom is the Life! It can assist in helping us to find the Living Word and once we have found the Word, the Bible becomes a living book full of meaning and life. The Bible serves as an objective standard whereby we can test and judge our own experiences and understanding of God against the experiences of other men and women in the early ekklesia.

We live in a largely post-modern society where you cannot witness to people by saying," The Bible says..." We must become carriers of the Living Word, Bibles of flesh and blood, demonstraters of the Christ-Life, expressions of true humanity, and once people have been hooked by the sweet fragrance of Jesus through us, we can introduce them to the Bible which can then become to them what Paul said about the Scriptures.(at that time only the O.T.) "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."(2 Tim.3:16-17) My hunger for the Living Word often drives me to the Bible to feed on the Life that has breathed upon the lives of so many people,and because I have the Living Word in me the scriptures becomes spirit and life. "who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life." ( 2 Cor. 3:6) or in the words of The Message:" The plan wasn't written out with ink on paper, with pages and pages of legal footnotes, killing your spirit. It's written with Spirit on spirit, his life on our lives!"

Identity in Sonship

God has spoken to humanity in these last days through the truth of Sonship. "Going through a long line of prophets, God has been addressing our ancestors in different ways for centuries. Recently he spoke to us directly through his Son. By his Son, God created the world in the beginning, and it will all belong to the Son at the end."(Hebr.1:1-5)

The authority and power demonstrated by Jesus during His earthly ministry was not linked to His office of Messiah, but to His Sonship." I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does.(John 5:19) True spiritual authority will be released in these days through a people who walk in a revelation of Sonship - it will not be our "offices" or "ministries" of apostles, prophets etc. that will release authority, but our intimate relationship with Dad as sons! "Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me." (John 6:54-57) It is in an intimate organic relationship with the Son that the Life of true sonship will be experienced. What a firm foundation for identity! I am a son of my heavenly Dad!

The revelation that motivated Paul's ministry was a revelation of Sonship."But when God, who set me apart from birth and called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me so that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not consult any man,"( Gal. 1:15-16) "Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus." (Gal. 3:25-26) "Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir." ( Gal. 4:6-7) Sonship brings freedom; freedom to be who God created you to be; freedom from rules and regulations imposed by man and freedom from the tyranny of self-image. As this reality is fleshed out by the sons of God, all of creation will be set free from the bondages that were put on it by humanity losing their identity. This is God's strategy; "In bringing many sons to glory"(Hebr 2:10),all of creation will be brought into the same freedom as that of the sons!
"The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God."(Rom. 8:19-21) Come on, Sons of God! Take a firm grip on your identity, declare with boldness who He has made you, walk in the reality of sonship and allow the Pattern-Son to flow through you; creation is waiting in birth pangs for your manifestation! This manifestation starts with you appropriating what Father says about you by faith. It grows as you continue to look deeply in the mirror-reflection of your true identity as revealed by Jesus! (James 1:25)

Identity in eternity

One of the biggest problems that humanity struggle with is identity. Many wars have been fought and many relationships have been destroyed in humanity's drive for identity and recognition.Nationalism, patriotism, the gang-culture and racial pride are all manifestations of this search for identity.The apostle Paul explained the roots of humanity's identity like this; "Long before he laid down earth's foundations,he had us in mind, had settled on us as the focus of his love, to be made whole and holy by his love. Long, long ago he decided to adopt us into his family through Jesus Christ."(Ephesians 1:4)
The implications of this truth are magnificent; before God created any atom, molecule or galaxy he had His focus on humanity; before we did anything wrong or right for that matter, our Father has already made up His mind about us;before anything evil was done to me by someone I trusted, He has already decided that I would be a success because His Son was the "prototype", the original,the pattern, the true Human,see Genesis 1:26.In Jesus we see our original design and in union with Him we live fully human again!In Christ we have entered the realm of eternity; we entered the order of Melchizedek who has no beginning and no end; we have entered the realm of the One known as the Alpha and the Omega! I have no past but Christ, I have no future but Christ and He is also my present!
My identity and self-worth are not dependant on race,status,gender or achievements in the corporate world, but was determined in eternity when God decided my destiny as a human being. He decided that I would be born into this material world to reflect His image and glory(opinion). With this new perspective on my origin and identity I realise that everything that happens to me has a redemptive purpose; in other words they only serve to push me to my true identity. That is why James could write to the believers these words;"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.( James 1:2-4) Keep looking deeply into the mirror-reflection of your true identity(James 1:25) and you will experience the transforming power of His Life flowing spontaneously through you.(2 Corinthians 3:18)

Feasting on the Tree of Life

By Wayne Jacobsen with David Hebden and Paul Young

For those who don’t think we truly died that day in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve chose the knowledge of good and evil over the Tree of Life, you only have to look at the human drive for personal fulfillment. Isn’t it a search for life itself? I don’t mean physical life that comes with breath and nourishment. I mean the deep, inner sense of peace and fulfillment that comes from a life well lived in the heart of God.

That’s what he created us for and everyone is looking for it in one way or another, even when they don’t realize that he is the only source of it. Many think they’ll find life if they could just find the ideal job, mate, or dream home, or circumstances free of pain or anxiety. Very few, ever get all of those to line up at the same time, and those who do, even if only for a brief time, have assured us that these things are no guarantee of true life. In fact, ideal circumstances can expose how empty our inner life really is. Just ask Solomon. All our temporal joys are fleeting and with each passing day we are all reminded by our aches and pains, both physical and emotional, that we are slowly dying and there is nothing we can do to change that.

Jesus warned us that life doesn’t consist of one’s possessions. It is not found in what one owns or controls. It doesn’t even come from finding the ideal church. True life, quite simply is the practical, knowable presence of Jesus in the reality of our days. It is an inner sense of safety and provision that our whole being is in his hands, and the fulfillment that comes from engaging his purpose in the world. This life isn’t derived from circumstances, and in fact supersedes them all. It endures the most horrendous situations and even uses them to transform us ever more to be God’s reflection in the world. I’ve watched people live in its beauty and serenity even in the most severe places of need and pain.

Jesus promised his followers again and again that his kingdom would flood their hearts with the abundance of life. He compared it to a spring of refreshing water flowing out of them and assured them that his words had in mind the fullness of their joy. These are the promises and assurances of the New Covenant—the joy of eternal life in this age with ever-increasing glory and its fullness in the age to come.

But not all believers find their way into that reality. Some do, most certainly, while others seem to search for it through a seemingly endless cycle of emptiness and frustration?


The Life that Really Is Life

This article is a bit different. I have two co-contributors* (some might say co-conspirators) on this piece and that’s because this is less an original article than it is an attempt to put into words something that is already coursing through the veins of the body of Christ. Over the last year I have heard numerous people from all over the world share a similar insight that has had a profound effect on transforming their spiritual lives. It has helped them find freedom from the flesh-focused attempts to please God or themselves, and allowed them to live simply in his reality. I’ve asked two of these to work on this piece with me so that we might blend our thoughts together.

Describing ‘life’ to one who has never tasted it is like describing color to someone who has been blind from birth. Even though something inside all of us searches for it desperately, it is not easy to actually define. It’s something you have to experience to appreciate and even then, it can vanish again overnight to the gnawing demands of this age. Some give up the pursuit, jaded by their disappointments. Others hope for better days, but live constantly frustrated that it eludes them. Still others pursue a relentless search to find it again. But many find that the harder they try to grasp it, the more surely it slips from their fingers.
But this doesn’t have to be. Jesus wants nothing more than to lead you into the fulfillment of an ever-deepening relationship with him. Nothing substitutes for this, not a good book, insightful teaching, doctrine or even expression of community life. Religion can’t produce it, which is why there is no correlation between someone’s religious zeal or activity and the depth of God’s life they experience.

Where is that life? It is in Him alone (I John 5:11-12), and only by learning to feast on him as the Life itself, will we ever know the reality that our hearts desperately long for. But that takes eating from a different tree than the one we’ve grown accustomed to.


An Independence of Painful Consequence

The drama of creation opened in a Garden called Eden where the physical creation was intermingled with spiritual reality in such a way that it was nearly impossible to determine where one stopped and the other started. The Genesis story of the Garden is dominated by the presence of two trees around which the destiny of humanity would revolve. Both trees had a spiritual essence and dramatic spiritual consequences would result from eating the fruit of either one.

The first tree was the Tree of Life. Adam and Eve were invited to eat of it freely and it would provide spiritual life that would make them immortal. But God strongly warned them about the other tree—the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Though it would open their eyes to good and evil it would also bring them certain death.

Their choice to eat of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil ripped the fabric of the universe in two, separating the physical and spiritual dimensions. The consequences were immediate and fatal. They knew good and evil, but knowing they had partaken of evil flooded them with shame. No longer safe with each other, they sought coverings to hide themselves from each other and to hide from the God with whom they had walked with every day in the creation. Death had begun its work.

What had they done? Why did this one simple act rend apart the universe? How could the eating of the fruit of this Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil been so disastrous? To put it simply, this was their grand declaration of independence. Until that moment only God had defined for them what was good and what was not good (evil). Creation was good, very good. Man being alone in the garden was not good.

In one tragic act, they had taken it upon themselves to determine what was good and not good for them apart from their relationship to God. They had said, “It is good to eat of this Tree” even though God had said it was not good. And they were wrong. Though they now possessed the knowledge to determine good and evil, they had no capacity to choose the good. They could only live by their own perception of what would make them happy, not by God’s truth. The result truly was death—spiritual first, with physical death to follow.


Not By Principles Alone

What an unfortunate inheritance! Instead of living in God’s goodness they sought to establish their own, which turned out not to be goodness at all. Their selfishness and independence brought death into the world, the very fruit God said the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil would bear. Living by our own desires and doing what we think is best for our own lives, no matter how well intentioned, will leave us bereft of his life.

Sadly enough that is not only true of our fleshy pursuits; it is also true of our spiritual aspirations. We may even think we know what God wants for us, but once we begin to use our own wisdom and preferences to get there, we often end up unwittingly working against him. Jesus exposed how easy it was for the Pharisees to use the law to subvert the law. Instead of honoring their parents by giving them what they needed, they would declare their possessions ‘dedicated to God’ so they could keep it for themselves with all the religious justification that made them look holy. (Mark 7).

That’s why we love following principles more than following Him. We can interpret principles in whatever way suits us. Even New Testament principles can be twisted to justify whatever we want and by doing so, death again works in us. How many people in the name of Jesus have exploited, and betrayed others, certain they were doing what was right? I’ve heard Scripture quoted to justify the most absurd desires—from building extravagant buildings, to treating others unjustly or pretending to withhold God’s grace to punish those that will not conform.

Subtly we are drawn into the mistaken notion that by gathering enough evidence from Scripture or the experiences of other believers, we can conclude what is good for us in any situation. However, failing to see how our own affections and desires shape our interpretations, we turn out to be wrong 90% of the time. Who of us would have confirmed Hosea’s obedience to marry the prostitute, Jesus’ surrender to his trial and execution, or Paul’s journey into Jerusalem and certain imprisonment?

We may believe that the Father only gives His children good gifts. Jesus said so, claiming his Father would never give us stones for bread or a snake instead of a fish. But if we take it upon ourselves to judge those gifts on our own terms, we’ll convince ourselves that the bread he’s giving is actually a rock that will hurt us. Some of the things in my own life which I most ardently prayed against, and was devastated when they unfolded, turned out to be the very tools he was using to carve his image in me.

Give Us A Model!

“But what does it look like?”

Whether I’m talking about personal intimacy with Jesus, or body life in his family, this is the most frequently asked question I get. And I always hesitate to answer. It’s not that I don’t know what it looks like. I do! It’s just that it can look like a lot of different things depending on the person or people involved. God’s creativity is limitless and though there are consistent underlying priorities to the way he works, those who want to know what it looks like instead of knowing him, will end up caught in someone’s model rather than following the Master himself.

Jesus didn’t leave us with models and that with good reason. He knew that any model could be easily exploited for personal gain. Instead he left us with his Holy Spirit who would guide us into all truth.

If our focus is on implementing models, no matter how Scriptural we think them to be, instead of living by the Spirit we will miss out on the fullness of his life. Don’t get me wrong. Using the Scriptures as an objective compass certainly is a significant factor in knowing how God thinks and how God works in the world. But it does not begin to cover every situation with a principle or every task with a model. It invites us to know him, and only by following him will we find the life that really is life.

In our best efforts to apply principles or implement models we will end up judging good and evil for ourselves. Though we think we’re following Scripture, we won’t realize when we are only following our misguided interpretation of it. We will still seek to please our flesh on religious terms while convincing ourselves it is his leading. Meanwhile our mindset is still on the flesh and what is most comfortable for us, and that can only lead to death. As long as I am judging what is good and evil for myself, even the most well intentioned of us will end up marooned on the beach of our own reason.


A New Covenant

I know many cringe when I encourage individual believers to listen to Jesus and follow him. We all know people who claimed to be obeying Jesus as they divorced their spouse for an illicit love or started some outlandish ministry to their own ego. But don’t let the abuse of something rob you of its reality. One of the greatest bondages perpetrated by religion is that Jesus is not able to make his way clear to each of us who want to follow him.

Isn’t that what Jeremiah prophesied and the writer of Hebrews said that the death of Christ fulfilled?

For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord:

I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall not teach, each one his neighbor and each one his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest. (Hebrews 8:10-11)


How often do teachers tell us we don’t need them or that we each have an anointing from the Spirit to discern truth and error? The New Testament underscores it multiple times. That’s not to say teaching can’t be a blessing to us, but if that teaching does not equip us to cultivate our own relationship with Jesus, it robs us of what he desires most. The life of Jesus cannot be lived second-hand. You can’t find it by following guidelines and principles laid down by others, even the most gifted teachers. We experience his life only in a personal relationship where we learn to live in his purpose with his wisdom. That’s a daily reality each of us is invited to live. Do I really trust people to live like that? That’s not the point. I trust him who is able to lead his sheep, even the least of them, because they will know his voice.

He can make his way clear to you by the growing convictions that nestle in your heart as you draw close to him. Don’t worry. Following Jesus as he writes his words on your heart will not take you further from the reality of Scripture, but closer to it. He will not serve your agenda, but dethrone it as he invites you into the fullness of his life. For there is no resurrection life unless we first die to our own ambitions, our own demands and our own wisdom.


Dieing to the Right

Those I meet who live deeply in the life of Jesus have one thing in common: they are not using Christianity to get their way, but have abandoned their right to decide what is good or not good for themselves. That was the independence of the Garden and it will betray us every time. Even Jesus refused to do it. “By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.” (John 5:30)

If Jesus didn’t trust his own judgment, how can we? To live in his life we have to die to the right to judge anything on our terms and learn to live out of our relationship to Father. To think we can figure out the great puzzle he is putting together, not only in our lives, but also in the lives of others around us and the church around the world, is to assume intelligence none of us possesses.

Imagine how our lives would change if we stopped wasting the energy we spend frustrated over past events or worried about future ones and used it instead to draw near to him and learn to listen to his heartbeat? He wants to lead us and for us to trust him even through the most brutal circumstances. Clearly he is capable of using even horrendous evil to advance his purpose in us. That doesn’t mean we’ll ever celebrate evil, or even that God orchestrates it, but neither will we ever give up in the face of it. Joseph was a great example here. He recognized that God was using the great evil his brothers had plotted against him to put Joseph in the very place that would fulfill his wider purpose.

The decision not to judge anything has for me been a very conscious decision with deep and profound ramifications. While I am constantly tempted to decide what is good or evil I don’t have the finished picture nor do I have all the puzzle pieces. I am only one piece in the puzzle myself and my place is not to move other pieces around but to simply rest in His hand and let Him put me where He will. I don’t even have to seek out my place in the puzzle!


At Rest in His Work

I’ve thought a lot lately about Peter walking on the water. What if Peter had not let the sea and wind distract him from Jesus? He might have ended up standing beside Jesus, surveying the roiling waves and tossed boat, ready for whatever Jesus wanted to do next.
Yet I have more often been like Peter, crying out to him in the midst of the tumultuous seas that I ‘know’ are dangerous. Once you give up deciding for yourself whether or not the seas and the wind are dangerous you will find yourself beside Him surveying the scene secure that it is in his hands. He may see it as good and that what is ‘not good’ he will take care of anyway.

I am learning albeit, very slowly, to simply be thankful in everything including the tumults that rage in my own mind and watch in awe as He uses them as opportunities to teach me to walk on water. As long as we live to our own agenda, even what we think God might desire for us, we will miss out on the very life he is giving to us. I find my prayers changing from “God, change this!” to “Father, how are you working in this for your glory?”

When we die to the right to determine good and evil for ourselves we find the freedom to feast on the tree of Life. No longer growing frustrated when our comfort zones are breeched, we are free to see his purpose unfold and not be bogged down by our agenda. Now we are free to live in his life, not be plagued by our own agenda. This has a three-fold effect:

Freedom from our Unresolved Past: Instead of whipping ourselves with blame, or remaining paralyzed as a victim of someone else’s bondage, we can see him draw a line of purpose through our past. There is nothing so heinous that he cannot work into his plan for our lives. There is no failure that his mercy cannot overcome. In Father’s hands, even the most painful events in our past become places where he transforms us and builds his compassion for other wounded lives into our hearts.

Freedom from our Imagined futures: Jesus warned us to, “Take no thought for tomorrow” and “Be anxious for nothing.” How much of our energy for living is sapped because of our fears and anxieties about the future. But God does not live in our imagined futures. When we do, we live apart from him, which is why stress overcomes us there. By determining what good we want or what evil we must prevent, we end up manipulating everything and everyone around us.

Freedom to Live In the Moment: Jesus had the amazing ability to live in each moment with his eyes and ears on his Father. By living in each moment, free of the past, unharried by the future and divested of his own agenda, he could live in the middle of Father’s life and purpose as circumstances unfolded around him.

This is the tree Jesus wants you to feast from and the power of his cross makes it possible. As he reveals his love to you, you too, will find yourself increasingly skeptical of your own agenda and preferences. Instead of wasting all your efforts trying to sculpt your life the way you want it, you’ll find the joy of living in the middle of his purpose working out in you. You’ll be able to embrace him and his work in you as easily in times of trouble as in times of ease. And by standing in his unfolding purpose you will know the truest joy of being his son or daughter in the world.




--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

BodyLife is published periodically by Lifestream Ministries and is sent free of charge to anyone who requests it. For those with email we recommend our web-based version so that we can hold down costs and get it to you much more quickly. This is especially important for international subscribers.

© Copyright 2005 Lifestream Ministries
Permission is herby granted to anyone wishing to make copies for free distribution.

Go to Previous Issue of BodyLife

The end of racism

We just spent four weeks in our beloved and beautiful South Africa and what a wonderful experience! We were blessed by friends and family who went out of their way to accomodate us, and who spoiled us with many a "braai". However, it was sad to sense that there is still a strong spirit of racism in that wonderful country and this spirit is fed by people of all races for various reasons and because of various agendas. What is the solution? Clearly political freedom alone cannot and has not brought real freedom to the peoples of South Africa( and the world for that matter!)

What can bring a lasting solution to the problem of racism?: How can a sustainable peace be reached between the Jew and the Arab?; How can Roman Catholic and Protestant in Ireland come to a peaceful agreement? Oh! if only people can get a revelation of the mystery of Christ who brought an end to all forms of racism, social inequalities and sexual prejudice(Galatians 3:28). Christ is the only standard by which God judge people. Read the words of Paul in the Message; " Instead of continuing with two groups of people seperated by centuries of animosity and suspicion, he created a new kind of human being, a fresh start for everybody... The Cross got us to embrace,and that was the end of the hostility."(Eph.2)

Let those of us with a revelation of Christ in us, flesh out the reality of this "new kind of human being". To once again quote Paul in this regard; "Through Christians like yourselves gathered in churches(communities),this extraordinary plan of God is becoming known and talked about even among the angels!"(Eph. 3:10- The Message)

Christ, the true human

In the beginning God said," Let us make man in our image..."(Gen. 1:26) and in Hebrews 1: 3 we read about Jesus, " He is the sole expression of the Glory of God and He is the perfect imprint and very image of God..." Where the first Adam failed( due to disobedience) to be the physical manifestation of the invisible God , the Last Adam( Jesus) perfectly mirrored the qualities of God!
The creative purpose of man was to manifest and mirror God, just as earth was to be the physical manifestation of heaven but this purpose was shortcircuited in the failure of the first Adam. Humanity was always in the heart of God and Jesus demonstrated the limitless potential of Man living with a consiousness of his origin and in union with his Designer. However, He became much more than just an example to us; He became the very Life of the believer!
Jesus Christ became indeed " The Way(back into relationship with God); the Truth(more than a philosophical construction or a dogma, but a relationship with a Person!) ); and the Life( the only life that is pleasing to the Father)" Believers need to awake to this reality that Christ in us is the only Life we can live, and when we set our minds on this truth, His Life will start to flow through us spontaneously. When we live His Life we become truly human again-the less of His Life in us the more inhumane we act!

What a message to the world we as Christians have! When we live in Christ and He through us, we become more human and as we become more human we manifest and mirror more of the Divine to the world!