September 6, 2012
"While most of the Church is still trying to become as Jesus was, the Bible declares, "As He is, so are we in this world!'1"
There was a moment this morning that made the difference for me. I had felt as though I had been forgotten by God in recent weeks. The areas of impossibility for me at this time are in the areas of employment, singleness, as well as regaining health. Yesterday in my e-mail account I had received an e-mail about a career fair at my old university campus. That would appear normal because this is the first week of school. What was beyond normal was this morning I had received an e-mail from a sister who writes to me about four or five times a year. That makes each letter a real Spirit-led moment and all the more priceless. The e-mail was encouraging not just because she was praying for me, but that she had included the web site of an organization whose goal is to help people with disabilities find employment. I had never known of such an organization. Unemployment for the blind population stands at 75% and I am part of this alarming figure. I feel hopeless at times. But because of this e-mail I feel not just a little bit more hopeful, but I really sense that God has not forgotten me. It was truly a God moment and a faith builder to receive this e-mail.
"Jesus was the suffering servant, headed tor the cross. But Jesus is triumphantly resurrected, ascended, and glorified. In the Revelation of Jesus Christ,John described Him in this way: "His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes like a flame of fire; His feet were like fine brass, as if refined in a furnace, and His voice as the sound of many waters."2
The "as He is, so are we" declaration is far beyond what any of us could have imagined; especially in light of the glorified description of Jesus in Revelation, chapter 1 .Yet, the Holy Spirit was sent specifically for this purpose that we might attain... "to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ."3
The Holy Spirit came with the ultimate assignment at the perfect time. During Jesus' ministry, it was said, "The Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.4 The Holy Spirit comforts us, gives us gifts, reminds us of what Jesus has said, and clothes us wdth power. But He does all this to make us like Jesus. That is His primary mission. So why didn't the Father send Him until Jesus was glorified? Because without Jesus in His glorified state there was no heavenly model of what we were to become! As a sculptor looks at a model and fashions the clay into its likeness, so the Holy Spirit looks to the glorified Son and shapes us into His image. As He is, so are we in this world.
The Christian life is not found on the Cross. It is found because of the Cross. It is I lis resurrection power that energizes the believer. Does this dimmish the
value of the Cross? No! The shed blood of the spotless Lamb wiped out the power and presence of sin in our lives. WE HAVE NOTHING WITHOUT THE CROSS! Yet, the Cross is not the end—it is the beginning, the entrance to the Christian Life. Even for Jesus the cross was something to be endured in order to obtain thejoy on the other side!3 The great majority of the Christian world is still weeping at the foot of the cross. The consciousness of mankind remains fixed on the Christ who died, not on the Christ who lives. People are looking back to the Redeemer who was, not the Redeemer who is.1'
Suppose I had been forgiven a financial debt. It could be said I have been brought out of the red. Yet, after my debts are forgiven, I still am not in the black. I have nothing unless the one who forgave my debt gives me money to call my own, and that's what Christ did for you and me. His blood wiped out my debt of sin. But it w^as His resurrection that brought me into the black.
Why is this important? Because it profoundly changes our sense of identity and purpose.
Jesus became poor so that I could become rich. He suffered with stripes to free me frona affliction, and He became sin so I might become the righteousness of God.s Why then should I try to become as He was, when He suffered so I could become as He is: At some point, the reality of the resurrection must come into play in our lives—we must discover the power of the resurrection for all who believe.''
This opening part to the chapter appears somewhat confusing to me. I am not too sure what the author is trying to say but I do get how he makes a distinction between the Jesus who was and the Jesus who is. He is saying that we should not look to the Jesus on the cross but to the risen Jesus who is the glorified Jesus. I think he has a point. Many Christians really focus a lot of attention on the cross. Which is not to say the cross is not important. There is a book I read and then gave away called the cross-centered life. There are many pastors who advocate living a cross-centered life. This emphasizes a kind of dying to self which is important. Conservative preachers often preach about dying to sin. This is important. I think this author is trying to emphasize the Jesus who is the picture in Revelations, the Jesus of power and authority.
"One who embraces an inferior cross is constantly filled with introspection and self-induced suffering. But the cross is not self-applied—Jesus did not nail Himself to the cross. Christians who are trapped by this counterfeit are constantly talking about their weaknesses. If the devil finds us uninterested in evil, then he'll try to get us to focus on our mi worthiness and inability. This is especially noticeable in prayer meetings where people try to project great brokenness before God, hoping to earn revival. They will often re-confess old sins searching for real humility.
In my own pursuit of God, I often became preoccupied with ME! It was easy to think that being constantly aware of my faults and weakness was humility. It's not! If I'm the mam subject, talking incessantly about my weaknesses, I have entered into the most subtle form of pride. Repeated phrases such as,"I'm so unworthy," become a nauseating replacement tor the declarations of the worthiness of God. By being sold on my own unrighteousness, the enemy has disengaged me from effective service. It's a perversion of true holiness when introspection causes my spiritual self-esteem to increase, but my effectiveness in demonstrating the power of the gospel to decrease.
True brokenness causes complete dependency on God, moving us to radical obedience that releases the power of the gospel to the world around us.
I struggled for many years with self-evaluation.The main problem was that I never found anything good in me. It always led to discouragement, which led to doubt, and eventually took me to unbelief. Somehow I had developed the notion that this was how I could become holy—by showing tremendous concern for my own motives.
It may sound strange, but I don't examine my motives anymore. That's not my job. I work hard to obey God in everything that I am and do. If I am out to lunch on a matter, it is His job to point that out to me. After many years of trying to do what only He could do, I discovered I was not the Holy Spirit. I cannot convict and deliver myself of sin. Does that mean that 1 never deal with impure motivcsr No. He has shown I Innself to be very eager to point out my constant need for repentance and change."
"Such a revelation brought me to pray- in the following manner:
Father, you know that I don't do so well when I look inward, so I'm going to stop. I am relying ou You to point out to me the things that I need to see. I promise to stay in Your Word. You said that your Word was a sword—so please use it to cut me deeply. Expose those things in me that are not pleasing to You. But in doing so, please give me the grace to forsake them. I also promise to come before You daily. Your presence is like a fire. Please burn from me those things that arc unpleasing to You. Melt my heart until it becomes like the heart of Jesus. Be merciful to me in these things. I also promise to stay in fellowship with Your people. You said that iron sharpens iron. I expectYou to anoint the" wounds of a friend" to bring me to my senses when I'm being resistant toward You. Please use these tools to shape my life until Jesus alone is seen in me. I believe thatYou have given me Your heart and mind. By Your grace I am a new creation. I want that reality to be seen that the name of Jesus would be held in highest honor."
I like this prayer that the author includes, the center and power of change and transformation becomes God. He alone can bring the change. Like the author, I am prone to self-examination and this leads to discouragement. I see now how unhealthy this can be because I cannot change myself. It leads to discouragement when I see all the ways that I fall short. This prayer shows total dependance on God both to change and to reveal those areas of sin.
"Apart from Christ, we are unworthy. And it's true that without Him we are nothing. But I'm not without Him, and 1 never will be again! At what point do we start thinking of our worth through His eyes? If it's true that the value of something is measured by what someone else will pay, then we need to rethink our worth. Do we ever acknowledge who we are before Him? Please don't misunderstand, I'm not encouraging arrogance or cockiness. But wouldn't it honor Him more it we believed that He actually did a good enough job in saving us, and that we really are saved? Jesus paid the ultimate price to make it possible for us to have a change in our identity. Isn't it time we believe it and receive the benefits? If we don't, we'll break down in our confidence as we stand before the world in these final days. The boldness we need is not self- confidence, but the confidence that the Father has in the work of His Son in us. It's no longer a question of heaven or hell. It's only a question of how much of hell's thinking I will allow into this heavenly mind of mine.”
This quote spoke right to me. I struggle with confidence a lot. Partly because of all the measures of success I fall short on. I am handicap which means I can’t drive or read printed material or do a lot of things that require sight. I am currently jobless. I live at home. More than ever I must realize that confidence does not come from myself but from the Father. I like how this quote ends. It is hell’s thinking entering into my heavenly mind. So much of hell’s thoughts are lies to the children of God. Hell’s thoughts are like a massive assault on someone when he is struggling with health issues and financial issues and singleness issues.
“Doesn't it honor Him more when His children no longer see themselves only as sinners saved by grace, but now as heirs of God: Isn't it a greater forna of humility to believe Him when He says we are precious in His sight when we don't feel very precious? Doesn't it honor Him more when we think of ourselves as free from sin because He said we are? At some point we must rise up to the high call of God and stop saying things about ourselves that are no longer true. If we're going to fully come in to what God has for us in this last days' revival, we will have to come to grips with the issue of being more than sinners saved by grace. Maturity comes from faith in the sufficiency of God's redemptive work that establishes us as sons and daughters of the Most High.
As He is, so arc we in this world. The rev-elation of Jesus in His glorified state has at least four overwhelming characteristics that directly affect the coming transformation of the Church; these must be embraced as a part of God's plan in these final hours.
Glory—This is the manifested presence of Jesus. Revival history is filled with stones of His manifest presence resting upon His people. He lives m all believers, but the glory of I lis presence comes to rest on only a few. It is
sometimes seen and frequently felt. He is returning for a glorious Church. It not an option.
Tongues of fire were seen on the heads of the apostles on the day 0r Pentecost. In more modern times, fire has been seen blazing from the top of church buildings when the people of God are gathered together in His name At the Azuza Street revival, the fire department was called to extinguish a blaze only to discover that the people inside were worshiping Jesus. Water couldn't put it out as it was not a natural fire. All the powers of hell cannot put it out The only ones capable of such a thing are those to whom that fire has been entrusted. Well meaning believers will often use control as a means to bring this fire into order, thinking they are serving God. On the other hand, some will turn to hype to fan an emotional flame when the fire is no longer there. Both are expressions of the carnal man—and when the carnal man is in charge, the glory of God must lift.
If the Father filled the Old Testament houses with His glory, though they were built by human hands, how much more will He fill the place that He builds with His own hands! He is building us into His eternal dwelling place.
Power—To be as He is involves being a continuous expression of power. The baptism in the Holy Spirit clothes us with this heavenly element. As clothing is on the outside of the body, so that power is to be the most visible part of the believing Church. It is the power of salvation—for the body, soul, and spirit.
Many in the world around us seek for help from the psychic and cultist before coming to the Church. They also reach for medical help, legitimate and otherwise, before they ask for our prayers. Why? For the most part we are not clothed with heaven's power. If we had it, they would see it. If they saw it. they would come.
The power vacuum in the Church allows cults and false prophetic gifts to flourish. But there will be no contest when such counterfeits go up against this Elijah generation that becomes clothed with heaven's power on the Mount Carmel of human reasoning.
Triumph—Jesus conquered all things: the power of hell, the grave, sin, and the devil. He was raised from the dead, ascended to the right hand of the Father, and was glorified above all. Every name and power has been placed under His feet. He calls us His body—and this body has feet. Figuratively speaking. He is saying the lowest part of I lis body has authority over the
iVehest part of everything else. This victory doesn't mean we live without bat- I . it simply means our victory is secured.
The attitude of those who live from the triumph of Christ is different than those who live under the influence of their past. The only part of the past that we have legal access to is the testimony of the Lord." The rest is dead, buried, forgotten, and covered under the blood. The past should have no negative effect
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on the way we live, as the blood of Jesus is more than sufficient. Living front the victory of Christ is the privilege for every believer. This realization is at the foundation of a Church that will triumph even as He has triunaphed.
Holiness—Jesus is perfectly' holy—separate from all that is evil, unto all that is good. Holiness is the language through w-hich the nature of God is revealed. The psalmist penned the phrase, "in the beauty of holiness." Holiness in the Church reveals the beauty of God.
Our understanding of holiness, even in certain seasons of revival, has often been centered around our behavior—what we can and cannot do. However, what in the past incorrectly has been reduced to a list of "do's and don'ts" will soon become the greatest revelation of God the world has ever seen. Whereas power demonstrates the heart of God, holiness reveals the beauty of His nature. This is the hour of the great unveiling of the beauty of holiness."
Prayer:
Father, these are four traits which Your church must embrace and that must be a part of the body of Christ to represent You to the nations. Glory, power, triumph, and holiness all demonstrate who You are. It shows Your nature and otherness in a world of counterfeit gods. Yet, men and women seek lesser things before they consider You. The church is powerless today it seems. We do not see healings in a society so full of health problems. Father, let my generation be the Elijah generation that stands up and manifests Your glory and healing presence. Renew our minds that the lies of hell would not saturate our heavenly minds. Establish us firmly in our identity as Your beloved and precious in Your sight. Father, let Your church demonstrate Your glory, power, triumph, and holiness in the world. Help us to be Your agent of change and healing in our neighborhoods.
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