Fire On Your Head

“…. the Jerusalem which is above is free….” -Gal. 4.26a

“For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his own works….” -Heb. 4.10

There is a sabbath rest which has been opened up to God’s people through the cross, and we need to resist all religious activity that flows from any other place. Even prayer itself is subject to lesser and unheavenly influences, for if our intercessions spring from our own emotions or minds, or are robotic and contrived, we are not likely touching the heart of God or pushing back the powers of darkness. We need to come into the prayers of Jesus Himself, not by striving, but by a radical surrender to His heart, and harmony with His mind. This is where the authority lies, which we shall see from a man who knew this reality in real life experience.

Thomas Haire was one of a remnant in history who was acquainted with the rarefied air of the heavenly Jerusalem, and his prayers moved things in spiritual places and shifted things on the earth in a manner that we know far too little of as the Church of modern America. We would do well to hear from this remarkable man.

He was a friend and co-intercessor with Leonard Ravenhill, and travelled with him in a manner much like Father Nash, who was Charles Finney’s “Epaphras” (Col. 4.12-14) during the great seasons of revival and awakening in the 19th century. Haire and Nash were both less known than the men they travelled with, but their labors were no less impactful, and only the Day of the Lord will tell how profoundly their obedience and love invaded history with the light of eternity.

A.W. Tozer was so impressed with Haire’s character and prayer life, that he wrote a booklet about his life even before Brother Haire went on to be with the Lord. I want to leave you with a few thoughts from this life-long intercessor, who happened also to be a professional plumber from Ireland. We can learn something from a man who spent over 50 years praying 4 hours a day, decades of which he went sleepless for 3 nights a week, giving himself over to Spirit-endued intercession on behalf of the Church, and a dying world that he loved so fervently.

I haven’t the time or space to note all of the elements of his devotion, which would challenge and encourage any open-hearted believer. You can find Tozer’s full account online if you search for it.

What hits my heart presently is that Thomas Haire, according to Tozer, was the kindest and most tranquil man that he had ever known, and though his devotion to prayer and intercession was marked with awesome intensity and depth, he was not a tense personality, as many who pursue revival seem to be. This marks him out as unique, I believe, for his sabbath peace was also combined with a remarkable authority and dominion in prayer that we have rarely seen in our day. Souls passed from darkness to light, many were healed physically, and God was glorified wonderfully on the wings of Thomas Haire’s prayers. Through all of the remarkable answers to prayer, revivals, and movings of God, he was also a very gentle and kind man, who could move from a ground-breaking season of intercession to making a child laugh through a humorous remark. He was rare indeed.

Tozer writes of Haire:

…. always he is relaxed and free from strain. He will not allow himself to get righteously upset about anything. ‘I lie near to the heart of God,’ he says, ‘and I fear nothing in the world.’

That he lies near to God’s heart is more than a passing notion to Tom. It is all very real and practical. ‘God opens His heart,’ he says, ‘and takes us in. In God all things are beneath our feet. All power is given to us and we share God’s almightiness.’ He has no confidence at all in mankind, but believes that God must be all in all. Not even our loftiest human desires or holiest prayers are acceptable to God. ‘The river flows from beneath the throne,’ he explains, ‘and its source is not of this world. So the source of our prayers must be Christ Himself hidden in our hearts.’

‘Too many of God’s people are straining for faith,’ says Tom, ‘and holding on hard trying to exercise it. This will never do at all. The flesh cannot believe no matter how hard it tries, and we only wear ourselves out with our human efforts. True faith is the gift of God to an obedient soul and comes of itself without effort. The source of faith is Christ in us. It is a fruit of the Spirit.’

(A.W. Tozer, Thomas Haire: The Praying Plumber of Lisburn; Rare Christian Books)

Of prayer, Tozer gives us more of Haire’s thoughts:

According to Tom, there is such a thing as strategic prayer, that is, prayer that takes into account what the devil is trying to accomplish and where he is working, and attacks him at that strategic point. ‘Don’t waste your time praying around the edges,’ he says. ‘Go for the devil direct. Pray him loose from souls. Weaken his hold on people by direct attack. Then your prayers will count and the work of God will get done.’

Tom makes much of the believer’s authority in Christ. Over the protests of the cautious expositor, he appropriates Scripture that might be proved to belong to a future age. ‘God says we are kings and priests,’ he declares, ‘and what is a king without a kingdom? There is a sphere where we can have full dominion in prayer. Complete authority is ours. We only need to ask and we shall receive.’ If this were mere theory we might dismiss it as being simply an error in interpretation, but is has been proved in the fires of practical living. God has given to His praying servant great power to command, to demand, and the results have been and are many and unusual.

I dare say the kind of authority and dominion Mr. Haire spoke of is something scarcely touched in our generation. There have been many boasts of dominion, shouts of authority, and we have cranked up the music loud enough to move every soul in the building, but the heavens are not moved by sweat and noise. The depth of Christ’s character and the profound union with God that Tom Haire had come into were the foundations of his great authority in prayer.

Before Tozer convinced Haire that his story needed to be told for the sake of the Body, the old praying plumber resisted the idea. Not wanting to be popularized or tempted with fame, he replied in his own Irish way, “I don’t want to lose me power with God.” His secret life with God, formed through decades of engaging in prayer, was more precious to him than anything else in his life or ministry.

Do our self-promoting ministries know anything of such “power with God”? Are we guarding a deep and holy union with Christ that has been formed through years of concentrated prayer and worship, or are we being tossed to and fro by the latest teaching or movement? Have we neglected the primacy of secret prayer and leaned too hard into public efforts, expending energy, burning time, and building works that are mostly “wood, hay, and stubble”? Are we rooted and grounded in the love of Christ, or barely keeping our heads afloat, drinking in the spirit of the world and following Christian fads? Thomas Haire’s “power with God” is a quickening reminder of the possibilities of grace, the glories of communion with God, and the remarkable sabbath rest and authority that the Lord places upon a man when he is in harmony with Christ through the Spirit of prayer.

May the Lord raise up tender-hearted, fervent, holy, and hidden laborers again in our day. May we cast off any pursuit that causes us to lose our power with God. May we shake off all that stifles the Spirit of prayer. May we put first things first once and for all. May the same Spirit that rested on Thomas Haire, make His habitation amidst the Church at large, for the glory of Jesus!

“Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (Revelation 3:20)

When I was younger and worked at a day camp, we were given Scripture verses we had to memorize in order to know how to share the Gospel with kids who may be interested in giving their lives to the Lord. I think memorization is a good idea for helping get the Word in us, and therefore I’m not against having an understanding of where the Word of God says certain things we base our hopes and understanding on.  However, I usually hear the concept of Jesus standing outside, “knocking at the door of our hearts” used in an evangelistic sense towards unbelievers. It’s not.

Though I’m not discounting its meaning for the unbeliever to enter into that relationship and let Christ in, I think there’s such a deeper meaning to it than just ‘letting God in’ as if He’s lonely and wants us to let Him in so He can have some company–as though Jesus is a loner and giving our lives to Him is a favor we’re doing Him like letting him sit at our table in the cafeteria during lunch.

We have to remember that Christ was speaking to seven churches, and in this specific context was saying this to the Church of Laodecia.  Previously we’re told the Lord found them lukewarm and would spit them out of his mouth ( 3:16), and that He finds them wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked (v.17) despite their perception of themselves to be rich and lacking nothing.  He goes on to state “Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” (v.19-20)  Interesting how leaving that verse in its context helps shed clear light, but I digress.

I stated in a previous article that I recommended reading the book of Revelation right after reading the Song of Solomon, and therefore I’m of the opinion that what this passage is really talking about is displayed in the fifth chapter of that Song.  We’re gleaning heavily from S.J. Hill’s “Song of Solomon: Rich Language For a King’s Devotion To His Bride.”

I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking.”Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them?  My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me.  I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt.
I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer.

(Song of Solomon 5:2-6)

The Bridegroom’s knock here refers to the initiative God takes in bringing His Bride into new dimensions of His Spirit.  Jesus’ purpose in knocking is to get her to open up completely to Him.  He wants all of us.  The context–being in bed and having expected that Her Bridegroom would be there as well–demonstrates that she is in a place of mature obedience, and not one of refusing to get out of bed and answer the door for Him.  Sleep speaks of being in a place of rest.  The Bride has complete confidence in the Lord, and she is resting–but her heart is ‘awake’ in the sense that she is willing to walk in obedience without any conscious area of compromise, without any hesitation.  She was at a point where normally, He was there next to her, but on this occasion, she awoke to find He was gone, but calling her–knocking from outside.

“I have taken off my robe; how can I put it on again?”

Her robe (garments) speak of her own works (see Rev 19:7-9).  She’s simply saying, “I’m not standing before You on my own merits.  I’ve taken off my robe and I’ve put on Your robe of righteousness.” Her statement “…I have washed my feet, how can I defile them?” is not reflective of her refusing to obey Him, but instead, a commitment to avoid spiritual defilement.  How could she defile herself by disobeying Him in light of the great love He had for her?  She is simply saying “I’ve done it my way.  My feet were dirty with my own walk, but now they have been cleansed by the Lord.”

The ‘hand’ of the Beloved on the latch of the door, signifies the grace of God (see Acts 11:21-23).  The “latch of the door” itself representing the door of her heart.  The Bride’s heart yearned for Him as she heard His voice, and she arose instantly in response to open the door of her heart to Him.  This depicts Her full obedience. Her response was not one of compromise, lethargy or lukewarmness.

“…my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt.”

Myrrh in Scripture speaks of suffering and death.  This is a picture of the Bride opening up her heart so the Cross will touch every area of her life.

This is also the type of fellowship Christ–the Bridegroom–is seeking and looking for.  He is standing at the door of our hearts, knocking and seeking for the same response and reaction as He obtains from His Bride in the Song: immediate and unquestioning obedience and loyalty.  “I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.” We are to respond to this call, not just let Him carry the relationship.  We love Him because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). He longs for a people whose heart skips a beat at the thought of Him.  He is looking for a people whose breath is taken away at the sound of His voice, not out of fear and trembling alone–though an appropriate response–but out of delight and fascination.

I recently learned that when a Jewish man wants to take a wife, the girl’s father instructs her to prepare a meal for a man who wants to marry her, but he does not tell her who. On the appointed day, the girl has been cooking all day and the man comes and knocks on the door. She opens the door, and he asks, “May I come in and eat with you?” if she does not want to marry the man standing there, she shuts the door in his face. If she lets him in, she is accepting his proposal. They eat the meal together, then the betrothal covenant is read and to enter into the covenant, they drink wine from the same cup and eat off the same piece of bread. “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” (Rev 3:20).  John–”the one who Jesus loved”, raised in Jewish tradition and custom–must have recognized Jesus’ words as a proposal to His Bride–the Church! Some say that communion is reminiscent of sharing the bread and cup in the betrothal covenant as well.

Jesus Christ delights in us, His people.  He is fascinated with you and I, and it is true that He longs for the same passion to be reciprocated towards Him.  He longs for a people He can have fully to Himself.  Not out of fear, or out of religious obligation, but out of holy fascination that He is worthy of such instant obedience.  From a place of delight and joy, not out of fear of punishment or reprisal for not measuring up to a religious standard.  He’s looking for a people He can rest with.  The Son of God is looking for a people who are not bored with Church, but consumed with a passion for Him and His presence.

There is much ministry and activity going on today in the Body of Christ.  The statistics of pastors burning out annually and dropping out of the ministry are staggering.  The amount of ministers who continue plugging away at church endeavors, and running programs for the people–though good and noble, but yet void of the presence of God–is higher than it ever should be.  No ministry, church, or leader will ever produce any fruit except it come from the secret and intimate place with the Lover of their soul.  Jesus longs to work through, and live in a people who will let Him.  Not just to bless our programs that we run and ask Him to be involved in as an after thought, but to allow Him to have all of us.  There will be no earth shaking revival fire spreading across the earth without a people who are wholly consumed with Him.

He’s looking for, and seeking…you.  Will you answer Him?

Ephesians 4a –The Authentic Church

1. 4:1-9 Fulfilling the Call We must walk worthy of this calling. ”Calling’” in context with this study, refers to building on our position in Christ, seated at His right hand in the heavenly places (2:6), fulfilling His call and administering His fullness to all things on heaven and in the earth.

This is a very important thing we do: preach the Gospel. It should be taken very seriously. It is the whole reason for our existence; the privilege of sharing with others out of our relationship with Jesus. After describing all these great mysteries and the purpose of the church, and the secrets of the Spiritual Realm, he urges us, out of the seriousness of the Gospel–of which he is imprisoned–to walk out this stuff that he has been describing, which is Our calling, to walk worthy of this great and privileged calling to which we’ve been called.

a. 4:1- Honor of Persecution - He is a prisoner of the Lord: this is a brash statement considering he is imprisoned by men. The Lord made Paul worthy to suffer imprisonment, which is a great honor in the kingdom (Heb. 11, Acts 5:4), because of all that Jesus suffered. Paul may be limited in the natural, but he still has access to God in the Spirit (Eph. 3:12) and still causes movement and change in the spiritual and natural realms. His person was imprisoned but his Spirit was free. (2 Tim. 3:12) Many in the church are afraid to even speak of this (in the West) but in many ways it’s a gift to make us more like Jesus. As stated here (2 Tim) it’s a mark of genuine authentic Christianity. We shouldn’t be weird and long for pain but when the trials come, we can have faith and press through in Jesus. In the latter part of this verse, Paul’s essentially saying ‘if I’m in prison for this Gospel, the least you can do is walk worthy’. He doesn’t just encourage us–he implores us with all urgency–that if we’re going to walk in the fullness, then we must in character and conduct, and in all function walk worthy of the call.

2. 4:2-6 Unity In The Body as there is unity in the Trinity, a mature church doesn’t fight against each other, they’re in unison. Not only must we individually learn how to walk in fullness, we must learn how to walk in fullness within the Body. There is only one body to be apart of and we must get along.

3. 2:7-9 We’re not all the same.  God has ordained it that way, each of us are called specifically to our own unique and individual calling. All of these different gifts and callings come together as one Revelation of Jesus Christ in the Earth.  You’ve got a spiritual body–working in unity in their spiritual gifts–that form a spiritual people in their spiritual gifts, and that form a spiritual people in the earth. In the context of the flow, he is taking us into the maturity of the fullness of Christ, and setting us up for the way the church is to function in its leadership which is to properly attain and reach this maturity to a greater degree. This is an authentic church. This is the way the Spirit set up the church so it would be full.

4. 4:10-16  The Ministry of Fullness

a. 4:10 He is far above and fills all things. This is significant, because the one who is above all in all (v.11) is about to give the gifts (of these ministries–or you could say some of himself) the church, which needs these functioning properly and in unity for the church to be the fullness of Him who fills all in all. That’s why this section is preceded with character development and working together, so we understand the significance of those gifts and their functioning harmoniously in the body to be an accurate and complete representation of Christ in the Earth. The gifts which he is about to describe are foundational and absolutely essential for a properly living and breathing community of believers

b. 2:20.4:11- The Ministry Gifts – The Fivefold Ministry[1]This is NT church structure. This is not for the sake of ruler-ship, but servitude. As we saw in the previous verses, these gifts are for serving the body in unity. Helping one another achieve maturity helps the whole body achieve maturity. And, as we will see in the later verses, these gifts must be present and functioning within the body (church), for it to be real and alive, and fulfilling the call of God. We are seeing these gifts restored to the church, and thank God for that. Hhowever, unless they are fully restored and begin to grow and mature into their rightful place in the Body, then the church will never walk in the fullness[2] of Christ as mature believers. The very reason God gave these gifts was so that the church would walk in fullness. He has called us to maturity and He has given us the gifts to us here.

1. Apostles[3] – The apostle serves all and helps all–even the other ministry gifts–attain, develop, walk in, and release them in their calling. They are the builders and foundation layers (along with prophets). They assure proper growth of the over all body. They walk in the power of God, and are commissioned by Jesus–sent ones–building the kingdom of Heaven in the earth. The term comes from a title given to a Roman general sent to change the culture of a conquered land to that of Rome in attempt to lessen the chance of a rebellion. In application we can see that apostles are sent by Jesus to change the culture of earth to the culture of heaven. Remember where we are seated in heavenly places, we  are meant to bring that to this realm.
2. Prophets – Prophets do not just prophesy. They are prophetic. They discern the time and seasons. And direct the body in the right direction. Their life is a revelation of the Word carried out.
3. Evangelist – NT evangelist would go out, often to new places, and demonstrate[4] the power of God as witness to Jesus as Lord. They usually confront the local spiritual authorities and relinquish them of their power. They showed the locality Jesus.
4. Pastors – They shepherd and teach [5]. They help individuals and fellowships in their walk and in the growing process, keeping watch over their souls.
5. Teachers – Similar to pastors; they teach all aspects of the Christian life: the Word, the things of the Spirit, operation of spiritual gifts; and equipping for ministry.

1. c. 4:12 The reason for these gifts is for the equipping of the saints. This is active; we are always being equipped for what lies ahead for us to do for the Gospel. Ministry is service. We serve others and God by ministering His life to their needs. We are the ones that administer His kingdom to the earth and we need these gifts to fulfill the calling. The saints must be equipped for the work of ministry for the Body to be built up. 2:21-The building is being fitted together and is growing only if theses gifts are present and ministering according to their vocation. In a practical sense, these gifts are the trades that are required if the church is going to grow into a building that fills the earth. An authentic church-that which is real- has these gifts in full and proper operation. Anybody that denies these gifts as a vital part of the church, will not reach maturity, the knowledge of the Son, or walk in fullness. This is unauthentic and unreal according to the biblical mold[6].

1. d. 4:13 We will go phrase by phrase through this verse to dissect its meaning and application to the context of which we have been studying and that of the authentic church.

1. i. Until is a strong word to start the sentence here. Many use this to say that these gifts haves passed away and are no longer needed today. First of all, has the church reached what is described in this verse? Not hardly. Secondly, if we read in context with verse 12, we see it used differently. Building up of the Body, until we all attain to the unity…knowledge of the Son of God… a mature man… fullness. We are built up to attain these things: this place of knowledge, maturity and, fullness in Christ. The ministry gifts are given to make us reach this goal. Until, is not used to indicate that the gifts will be taken when the building is finished (even though the church is not even close to completion–theoretically). Until means that the goal of these gifts is the Fullness of God; the place we are reaching for.
2. ii. Unity – In v 4:3, we read: being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. This is necessary in the function of the gifts, because part of the purpose of the gifts is for the church to attain to the unity of the faith. Imagine all the dividing walls in the church coming down and there is one massive Body with Jesus at the head, pushing back and destroying the gates of hell, and advancing the kingdom with signs, wonders and miracles.
3. iii. The Knowledge of the Son of God – These gifts mentor us. Imagine someone representing all these gifts. They have lived a lifetime walking with God, knowing Him, knowing Jesus, knowing the Holy Spirit, knowing the Word, knowing the power of ministry in the Spirit, knowing His suffering, love, etc. And, while I am still a young man, the person comes to me and pours all they know into me. I may still lack the experience, but I will have gained a lifetime of the knowledge of God from them. In essence, I will start where they are leaving off. I will receive the baton from them instead of starting the race over for myself.

•2Kings 2:11-14 Elisha was with Elijah when he was taken to heaven. Elijah had poured all of his life into Elisha. Elisha saw what God had done for Elijah. When Elijah was gone Elisha had a deep knowledge of the Lord. Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? He knew, even without the personal command experience, that God would answer Him, just as He had done for Elijah, and the water parted.

–        Where are the Elijahs of God? We need the fivefold gifts in total operation for true discipleship to flourish. Where are those who know God and pour that knowledge into the young ones?

–        Malachi 4:5-6 – This is the restoration of the hearts. Instead of the older revival generation cursing the younger one, as being not of God; they raise them up.

With this kind of generational transfer, the kingdom will ignite in the Earth. This is the hearts of the sons turning to the fathers and the hearts of the fathers turning to the sons; learning from and loving each other.

•Remember 1 Cor 2: The church must have this spiritual knowledge of Jesus. We are next to Jesus at the highest place in the spiritual realm (Eph 2:6). We should be masters at spiritual matters. This is where we really live, not here; yet, that is how we can have so much impact here.

1. iv. Mature Man – We are being built up to attain maturity[7]. The church has been amateurs long enough. Our profession is to dictate the supernatural theory as fact, as a result of our faith in Christ. Do we possess supernatural theology or just head knowledge? We need to be individually mature and corporately mature, which is why he stresses unity here. We need to stand as one body, not a divided one. If we seek to bring out the best in others, then we will bring out the best in ourselves!
2. v. Measure of the stature – Fullness of Christ – We measure up to Christ. The Body needs to be like Jesus. We put ourselves down and then use it as a reason/excuse not to grow up. Because of his blood, He allows us to measure up to Him. He seated us next to Himself and wants us to do greater things than He did. Now, when we understand our real position in Christ; we will understand measuring up to a stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. A church in fullness will be like millions of Jesuses changing the world[8].
   1. C. 4:14 This is grown up Christianity. Knowing our place in Christ and walking it out. The devil knows that once this machine[9] starts producing power, it cannot be stopped. He will try to keep the church from growing and reaching any level of maturity or fullness, with all of his might and forces. Paul prepares us for this attack and resistance from the wicked with the armor of God listed in chapter 6. The church in Acts changed not only their generation, but every generation since then. What would a generation that walked like that do today? What about a generation that has even greater power than they? How much could the world handle? How many generations of fathers raising up sons in the Gospel of power would it take to totally change things for good? I believe that with this kind of testimony it would not be long before all Israel was saved and Jesus return. This is a mature and authentic church.

1. a. Maturity is grown up. We are now solid in our faith and doctrine, no longer bouncing form here to there[10]. This why the devil deceives us. Every group thinks that they are the right ones and many refuse to work together as a body[11].
   1. D. 4:15 – These verses describe an authentically living body working and growing together in Christ. All aspects of our walk should be in maturity.
   2. E. 4:16 - This culminates in this section: These are different gifts. Not everyone who does something in the kingdom will look and act the same. We must understand that the one who is different than us is doing their part. If we abuse them we are only hurting ourselves. I would not smash my finger in the door because I scratched myself too much[12]. Every part must be working for growth to occur. The mortar that holds the building (the church) together is love.

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[1] This is not going to be an in-depth study on the ministry gifts. We will just briefly describe their role in the church and the necessity thereof; and a quick description of their function will be given. To study this and the importance of these gifts would be a separate study in itself.

[2] The church today has a major absence of these gifts. Especially apostles and prophets: Recently though, there has been some, and even a great deal of restoration of the gifts. We are still light-years away from where we should be though. (The Spirit can change that in an instant, though.) Even the pastoral gift is away from its NT counterpart. Many are more CEO-like than shepherd-like. These gifts have not passed away as some claim; but in reality they are a vital part to NT church life.

[3] The descriptions are not exacting, but general.   Nor are they an in-depth examination of all that the gifts pertain to. This is just a quick summary in context to the perspective from which we are studying Ephesians.

[4] NT evangelism is not like what we see mainstream churches doing. Back then, men filled with the power of God would go to a place in demonstration of the Spirit’s power (1 Cor 2:4-5). This led to people believing in God rather than a new faction of men. Evangelism is not just a great and convincing speaker, nor is it handing out tracks. I am not negating these things, but this does not characterize an evangelist as we see in Scripture. Acts 8 describes Philip’s first evangelistic journey. Since he is the only one in the Bible, specifically called an evangelist (Acts 21:8), what he did here probably characterizes what an evangelist does. 8:4-He proclaimed Christ to them; 8:6-The people heard and saw signs which he was performing; 8:7-Unclean spirits were cast out and the sick were healed; 8:8-There was much rejoicing; 8:11-12-He broke the power of the spiritual authority controlling the city and got their attention on Jesus; even the sorcerer got saved (13).; 8:14-15-He worked with the apostles in planting and building the church. Later, he was spoken to by angels and transported by the Spirit. Every aspect of his ministry was utterly supernatural, shoe=wing people the existence and power of God. It is necessary that the church has proper evangelism restored. In 2 Tim 4:5, Paul is raising up Timothy as an apostle, and part of his exhortation is for Timothy to do the work of an evangelist, then He says fulfill your ministry. Timothy was an apostle, but this required proper evangelism for that to be fulfilled (I am not being dogmatic here, just relating scripture to the point).

[5] See footnote 23.

[6] The mold is a flexible one and moves like the wind-John3:8. Mold was used to drive home the point. I am not saying that these people are not saved or that they are not real Christians. I am saying that they will lack all that God has for them and will need to embrace these things if they want the fullness of Christ.

[7] We will specifically discuss maturity in the Walking in Maturity sections: Just putting it in context here-which will set up the aforementioned section.

[8] I know there is only one Jesus. I am saying that a whole church full of people that are utterly Christ-like will have a great influence and impact, changing the world.

[9] In using machine, I am referring to the correct functioning system of preaching, building the church and sending out laborers to plant new works.

[10] There will always be times of growth, debate, and discussion; I am speaking of drastic doctrinal shifts when we hear the latest trend to hit the church. The TV, and even our “Christian” channels, often teaches what is popular, not what is solid Biblical truth.

[11] I am not saying compromise for tolerance. There is a truth doctrinally and we should aspire for that truth, but it should not keep us from working with and loving other members of the Body.

[12] See 1 Corinthians 12:14-26.

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

“What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women?, Where has your beloved gone,
O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?”

(Song of Solomon 5:9, 6:1)

Many individuals’ souls cry out for the living God, but they don’t want to go through this messy jello we call ‘The Church” in order to respond to the longing of their soul towards the Maker.

The following post is something I wrote four years ago for my personal blog, but I’m tweaking it to share here.  I’ve been meditating on and re-reading the Song of Solomon lately, and after spending time in corporate prayer with some individuals from my home church in Canada, I felt the contents of this old post come back to my mind and felt like it needed to be re-posted.  We were having a conversation regarding some individuals we each knew and where they were in their relationship with the Lord, and how ’sick of church’ these individuals were (and are), but for some reason they’ve visited with us or enjoyed fellowshipping with us on Sunday mornings.

We are all called to evangelize the lost

I want to take a passage of Scripture that’s not commonly taught from, and show what I feel evangelism really is. It’s not the “4 Spiritual Laws”, it’s not “Turn or Burn” and it’s not “loving them into the kingdom”, “friendship evangelism” or the “Romans Road”—each an example of methodology commonly used in various circles of the Body of Christ I’ve come across.  I’ve encountered proponents of various evangelistic methods who tout theirs as the only valid way to share the Gospel. I think evangelism includes those things and some methods, but it’s not any of those things all by themselves. To borrow what the Psalmist said, it can be defined simply as “teaching transgressors His ways.”(Ps 51:13)

Somehow in the Body of Christ we complicate things so much, and I’ve even been asked things when attending social functions like “my unsaved friend so and so is here, can you talk to him because you’re good at evangelizing?” Something is wrong when every member of the Body can’t just share why “their beloved is more than another beloved.” Don’t we have a Lover to share about? People won’t shut up when they’re in love and have a new boyfriend or girlfriend, but Jesus, the true love of our lives who’s closer than a brother is hard to talk about?

I’m not isolating this passage all by itself and using it exclusively to say something, either. I just think there’s a different angle to our witness that’s demonstrated here than any of the varieties of methods or emphases out there.

The passage I want to submit to you for consideration is in Song of Solomon. Something needs to take place in our lives that causes us to get asked “What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us?“ (S.O.S. 5:9b)  People don’t come to Christ because our church services are excellent.  They don’t come because we stand on a street corner open air preaching–at least not in and of itself.  If I could pinpoint my best method of evangelism, it’s spending time in the presence of Jesus and then sharing from that experience.

Taking too much time to give a backdrop of this book would take away from the point I’m getting at about sharing our faith, but this book is a love story/song, between a man and woman.  This book would do a world of good in the believer’s life to read it if they want a revelation of who they are in regards to being the Bride of Christ.  However, it’s neglected for whatever reason by so many in the body of Christ for either lack of understanding the symbolism and allegory, or just plain hardness of heart–in some cases. I think this is one of–if not THE–most amazing book in the Bible, and next time you read Song of Solomon read the book of Revelation right after it as the ‘follow-up’ with bridal paradigms instead of end-times Left Behind kind of perspective, for Revelation is the story of the Bridegroom coming back for His Bride and in full force not letting anything get in His way and dealing with those that have messed with His lover—the Bride of Christ/The Church!  But I’m digressing.

What is your beloved more than another beloved?

At this point in the narrative, the woman, the Shulamite, is seeking for her beloved, a type of Christ, who has left after an encounter where he knocked on her door during the night, in the rain, and she was lazy in answering it. There are interesting parallels and ramifications in that idea alone which I might explore in another blog entry—Jesus, the Gentlemen “leaves” when it appeared He was unwanted or unappreciated. But in searching again for ‘more of Him’, she asks her companions–the daughters of Jerusalem if they’ve seen Him, and that if they do, to give a message to Him for her that she is lovesick–to which comes the reply I’m struck by: “What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us?”

It is here in the next several verses that the Shulamite goes into one of her detailed and allegorical descriptions of her beloved. It is a fascinating read, and filled with symbolism which would make for another lengthy blog entry (or series) for another time–the notes in the margin of several of my Bibles are jam-packed with tiny writings about each of the ten features she describes about Him. I’ll post it here to wet your appetite to study for yourselves.

My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand.
His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven.
His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool.
His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh.
His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires.
His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars.
His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.
(Song of Solomon 5:10-16, Emphasis mine)

When people look at our lives, and pay attention or ask us the reason for the hope that we have, what impression are they left with and what questions do they ask? Do they tell you “oh that’s good for you, but I have my own ideologies.” Or are they persuaded that yours is “the fairest among ten thousand”, and couldn’t be compared with any other ‘gods’ or idols, and reply “Where has your beloved gone? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?”

You see, the Shulamite, lovesick for her Bridegroom King, merely shared with the daughters of Jerusalem what she knew. This response was a description of who He was to her, not a detailed theological discourse about why they should be saved. This maybe could be described as worship, for where the Son of Man is lifted up, all men (and women) are drawn to Him. People don’t come to Christ because our church services are excellent.  They don’t come because we stand on a street corner open air preaching in and of itself, or because we hand out tracts on occasion.

I remember one of the most powerful times of which I led someone to the Lord, didn’t come because I was trying to evangelize her in the particular conversation we were having.  This acquaintance instant-messaged me, and asked me how God has ever answered any of my prayers.  Somehow after we moved to talking on the phone long distance (for I was in Pensacola, FL and she in Canada) scales were seeming to fall from her eyes and I was blessed to lead her in prayer to give her life to the Lord Jesus then and there–all from having an answer for why my Jesus is the Lord God and why some other god isn’t, which was the jist of her questioning before we got to that point.

We are not required to get a 5 year PhD in Bible College before we can share Christ with others!  We are merely required to have a response for those who ask (1 Peter 3:15).  That’s the only requirement, and if you’re saved, you qualify. It’s not the job of an evangelist to do it for us, but we are all called to restore that which is lost—whether it be a spiritual healing of seeing someone saved, or a physical healing from laying hands on the sick or whether it be deliverance and seeing someone set free from bondages in their life—we are all capable and required to do this ourselves.

In a courtroom setting all a witness is is someone who describes what they’ve seen or witnessed. Every believer has a testimony. Were you there when your conversion happened? Then you’re an effective witness. Don’t wait until you’ve read all the books Ray Comfort has ever written before you’re confident in sharing your faith. Just share who Jesus is to you and how He changed your life. There is nothing wrong with getting more familiar and effective at doing it, you know that we’ll never be perfect at anything, so give it a start now and then get better at sharing your faith as time goes on, but for the sake of a lost and dying world around you don’t wait until you’re good at it before starting.

Just be able to answer why your beloved is more than another beloved.

“I have made a covenant with my eyes;
How then could I gaze at a virgin?
…. for that would be a fire that consumes….
and it would burn to the root all my increase.” -Job 31.1, 12

I understand that many would brand my faith antique and my convictions archaic for approaching this subject, but that is a minuscule risk for me to take. God is too glorious, His Gospel too precious, and the fate of our sons and daughters too much at stake for me to worry about the consequences that these themes bring. I am convinced that we have woefully underestimated the damage that is done to the world and to the Church, particularly with regard to the issue of so-called entertainment.

The Church is largely bored with the Scriptures, unwilling to sacrifice for eternal things, unacquainted with the Spirit of prayer, and is harboring such distorted views of God that it is often difficult to tell if the One she is proclaiming is the same Lord that the apostles and prophets set forth. There may be a litany of reasons for this decrease of majesty, but I believe that one of the greatest of these is that Hollywood has a stranglehold on the hearts and imaginations of God’s children.

The pornography epidemic could be driven home here, and to sound the trumpet against that demonic system will require the emergence of a true prophetic voice indeed. Almost 40% of American pastors admit to a current struggle with internet porn, and the numbers are even greater amongst “non-clergy.” This is beyond tragic, and we are in need of a massive overhaul of repentance and mercy. Now more than ever are we in need of awakening, and if you are in this category there is deliverance and freedom from this deathtrap. The Gospel of Jesus sets us free “from all sin,” and He will give you grace to slam the door once and for all on this terribly besetting sin, when you repent and turn to Him with a whole heart, clinging to the Son of God.

Yet as horrific as the pornography phenomenon is, that is not the primary burden of my heart in this writing.

I am convinced that the Church of America, as a majority, has been removed from, or has never known, the kind of trepidation and tenderness of heart that Job was expressing when he declared, “I have made a covenant with my eyes….”

It was part and parcel with the faith of all the saints of old, that what they allowed to pass through the eye-gate, and what they permitted willingly to go into their ears, would taint their souls at best, and find residence in their lives at the worst. I am suspicious of modern “prophetic” men who commonly site movies and shows that contain illicit sex, profane lingo and themes, glorified violence, immoral innuendo, and other defiling examples as points in their messages. The only reason these points hit home with so many church members is that they themselves are given over to the same powers and influences.

Our hearts are too taken up with this world, saints, and there has never been a generation wherein the spirit of this age strikes the soul with such color, such special effects, and such mesmerizing influence as the one we find ourselves in. Yet we are called to an ultimate holiness nonetheless, and it may be said that one of the distinguishing factors between those who will bear the testimony of Jesus at the end of the age and those who will take the mark of beast during tribulational times will be this radical consecration of the eyes to God Himself.

In Eph. 5, Paul declares that there should not even be a “hint of immorality” in the lives of God’s people. Dear believer, I ask you pointedly, what constitutes a hint? How many of Hollywood’s characters, themes and plots can we drink in without receiving a “hint” of darkness?

There is something sleazy about many of our lives, charismatic or not, and while it might not be overt, I believe there is a residue of immorality resting upon those who have freely given themselves to morally compromised entertainment. There is something flimsy about our religion, and the bright burning of holiness that marked John the Baptist, the prophets of old, and Jesus Himself is conspicuously absent in the sanctuary, where His name is declared “holy” in verbal exercise, but the sense of His holiness has become foreign.

“…. it would burn to the root of all my increase.”

While we have boasted in “liberty,” and spoken poetically of our spiritual interpretations of Hollywood flicks (interpretations that Hollywood would largely reject and ridicule), we have too often condoned the spiritual pollution of our hearts.

Would the porn epidemic be so far-reaching and deeply-rooted if the Church hadn’t dropped the ball in areas of more subtle compromise? We have become arrogant in our boasting. And we wonder why our kids are prayerless and numb to eternal reality, buying into agnosticism and atheism when they graduate high-school and make it to their respective Universities. We wonder why thousands of “evangelical” teens are converting to Islam or diving headlong into the “party” life when they get out from under the wing of a youth group, and into the reality of college life. This may not be the only issue, but it is much more prevalent than we know. It’s a battle of ideologies, and hell has no greater method than to slowly dull our hearts to the God of righteousness through cute and subtle, entertaining displays of hellish ideas. As a friend of mine so rightly wrote:

We have so saturated our minds and imaginations with man-created images that we are bound to those images and therefore subject to the agenda of the men creating them.

It has burned to the root of our “increase” in Christ. We have lost the hunger and thirst for righteousness that Jesus encouraged, for we have given our hearts, minds, and pocketbooks to the broken cisterns of carnal entertainment.

It’s staggering to me that when the subject is raised to most believers, the tag of legalism is immediately raised. While there are legalistic souls who lack an understanding of mercy, and who often place heavy yokes upon others, the vehemence and rage of those who dish out accusations that men like myself are “legalistic” is far more widespread, at least in my own experience. I’ve never heard more warnings against “the religious spirit” of “legalism” than I have in the last few years.

In the area of entertainment they say, “Paul said we had liberty in Christ.” Yet these modern warnings are usually employed in a context that is far different from the situation with the Judaizers in the churches of Galatia. The apostles, quite contrary to the liberal ideas of today, addressed issues of righteousness with remarkable frequency and intensity in the New Testament, and I believe they would weep over the Church in our day, that we would be delivered from the murky waters that have tainted and dulled our spirits in the realm of entertainment. Our liberty is not license, but freedom from the death grip of this dying age. It is a liberty to come into the wonderful reality of communion with the Living God, and to taste of the “powers of the age to come.”

This is not about judging our movies based on their ratings. A thousand “PG” movies could be just as detrimental as one “R” movie. Addictions to CNN and social networking must be challenged if they burn up our time and keep us from the place of prayer and worship, diminish our passion for the Scriptures, and blur our awareness of the lostness of humanity. This is about a total consecration of our eyes and hearts unto Him, that we might gaze upon the beauty of the Lord, tremble before His majesty, remain in the loving counsel of His voice, and set Him forth in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Our eyes have been too opened to the lying glimmers of this age. The time is here for an ultimate consecration of the eyes to the Lord, that we would see the increase of Christ Himself in our lives. We haven’t got room even for a “hint,” friends.

Let us return to Him with weeping and mourning, that so many of us have preferred the fading lights of this age to the glorious light of God Himself. We need not buy into the lie any longer. He longs to pour out mercy upon us, to purify us down to the marrow of our bones, to make us a tender-hearted people, enjoying deep communion with Him, and walking in meekness and holiness unto the day of His return.

Oh God, cleanse and purify our hearts with the fire of Your holiness and love. Catch us up in the Spirit of prayer and the glory of worship, quicken our souls to love the Scriptures, awaken us from fantasy and bring us into eternal reality. For Jesus’ sake.

Ephesians 3 – The Mystery of the Church

1. 3:1-8 Introduction: Now you can see how, beginning from v 2:11, God is building His Body (church) in the earth, and how He is spiritually connecting and putting things together. All who believe are apart of God’s household, whether Jew or Greek[1] (Romans 1:16). And all are being built up for a purpose, which will culminate in vv 3:9-12.

1. 3:6 Two opposite and unique bodies are now one in Jesus and they bring the ministry, or administration, of the mystery–Israel and the Church. And, in doing so, the many wisdoms of God are made known as it is revealed through His church to the heavenly places, the supernatural realm. His rule and authority in this realm is made known to the rulers and authorities there by us, those whom are at His right hand. [I am not neglecting the 3rd heaven (2 Co 12:2), just pointing at the supremacy we have in Him in all things spiritual and supernatural.]
2. 3:9-12 Part of the mystery is that God has brought the two groups together[2] to form one body–His Body. The unity of the one Spirit and those who join together in Jesus name, sealed by His Spirit–as the great mystery–will not only have significant impact, but a complete global one. Jesus is forming a people in the earth with a view to ministering in the fullness of Christ, which will shake all generations (past, present, and future), and will threaten and overthrow demonic powers. It will summon[3] the return of our Lord Jesus and cause multitudes to be saved. It will bring the greatest persecution ever known and the greatest victory ever fathomed[4]. As we said earlier, all creation is waiting for this (Rom 8:19-21), all those who have gone before us are waiting for this (Heb 11), and heaven is waiting for that one generation (Heb 11:40) to arise from the dead (Eph 5:14).
   1. 1:9-10 He made known His mystery to us (Christ in us). All things are complete in Christ and for His glory.
   2. The chapter begins with “For this reason…,” which may be applied to the latter verses, particularly 3:10: “…so that the manifold wisdom of God…” Chapter 2 ends with the church, all believers, being built together, “for this reason,” ” so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.” To see the passages in contextual flow is essential in proper interpretation and application.
   3. The mystery of the Church is that we are one body sitting at the right hand of Jesus (as His bride) fulfilling His intended plans and purposes in the earth. This is, in itself, the manifold wisdom of God as it is decreed to the rulers and authorities. (Once again ref. the Heavenly Places study which will be the last part of the series.) Many have tried to understand the “why?” behind this passage. I do not claim to have the answer, which would be another study altogether, but I do believe the major significance relates to the fall of Adam in the garden, the reversal of spiritual authority, and all Jesus did in the liberation of that authority to bring us once again to the heavenly places.
   4. 3:11 Art Katz ask us; “How many churches have this as their purpose, making known the manifold wisdom of God to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places?” This is mind blowing in relation to common church paradigms. Our purpose as church is to not only to consider such realities, but as Robert Gladstone puts it: “BE the thing!” (The mystery revealed) This is in essence our vocation (see Sparks, The Prophetic ministry). The reason behind the next three chapters of becoming mature and belonging to the fullness of Christ: Only a people in fullness can make the living proclamation needed in 3:10.
   5. 3:11 This is part of His eternal purpose and plan for the ages; to redeem mankind through a Messiah, who would send His Spirit to transform them into the image of God. This is the meaning of life and creation. God’s judgment and grace is therefore demonstrated in them from this restored state.
   6. 3:12 We are at his right hand. We know who, where, and what we are. We should be bold before Him in what He calls us to do. This is not a place of timidity. Timidity is not humility. We should big strong humble bold lion copies of Jesus.
   7. 1:20-21 He is the ultimate authority and He chooses to enforce it through us His church (1:23). The One who fills all in all decided to fill us with all the fullness of Himself. The Church should be the fullness and completeness of Christ in the earth today! We are the supernatural ones in the earth and in the heavens (but often our minds are on the earth).

The wisdom of God, the filling of man with Himself–Jesus being the prototype–is to be demonstrated to all, even the demonic powers that deem to rule the earth. We take them down in Jesus name! It is the eternal purpose of the church to do these things.

3:13-21 -  The 4^th Dimension – The Spiritual Realm

This section seems to transition from the theme of describing the church’s function to how to get the church to function and to walk in that fullness of unveiling the mystery of Christ in the earth. We have established the significance of our heavenly place, now how do we live that out here in the earth?

1. 3:16 Therefore we cannot comprehend nor understand our place in this realm unless, according to His riches–as the highest place there is–by His Spirit which strengthens us with power in our inner man. Then the love that causes us to be effective in this realm will fill us up with all the fullness of God.
2. If we are going to walk this walk (4:1), then our inner-man must be full of the power and person of the Holy Spirit. Who are we on the inside–the place where only Christ can see? (Matt 6:6) If who we are in public is not who we are in private, then we are fake[5]. Does who we are on the outside, accurately reflect who we are on the inside? Is our private life filled with sin, or precious time spent with Jesus?
3. This is the contextual set-up of the following verses: We are strengthened with power in the inner man to: 1) Have Christ  dwell in our hearts; 2) Comprehend with all the saints what is the breath, length, height, and depth of His love (18); 3) And to know the love of Christ which results in all the fullness of God (19).
4. 3:17 Can those around you see Jesus in you? Can people tell that you have been with Jesus? Does Jesus dwell in our hearts to the extent that we love everyone around us the way that Jesus loves them? The more time you spend with Jesus, the more you will become like Him[6]. “You are what you eat.” If you spend lots of time being entertained and pleasured by the world, then you will resemble the world. If you spend time in prayer and in the Word, and in fellowship with other believers, then you will resemble them and God.
5. i. This is very important for the church in walking in fullness. The individuals that make up the body must not rely on the  “pastor’s” [7] prayer life. They must have their own intimate time with Jesus. A church that walks in fullness is a church that knows Jesus, and is comprised of multitudes who know Him as well.
   1. 3:16-19 – Contextual Each verse has special meaning, but there is a flow that goes through all four verses that has a broader and deeper significance. 16 – Our inner-man is strengthened through the power of the Spirit, 17 – causing Christ to dwell in our hearts. This, after we study 18 will culminate in 19, filled up to all the fullness of God.
   2. i. 3:18 The Four Dimensions of God: we live in a three dimensional world.[8] I believe that the fourth dimension is the spiritual realm. We can apply this observation to previously stated verses: 1:3-Blessed in the heavenly places; 1:13-Sealed in the Spirit realm; 1:17-We have wisdom and knowledge in this realm; 1:20-21-Christ has complete authority in this realm, so this fourth dimension that we cannot see can only be accessed through faith (3:17; Heb 11:1). 1:23-The church is not natural, it is supernatural, born of God; 2:6-We are with Jesus in the spiritual realm; 2:22-Out place is in this realm. The church’s purpose is to be built together as a dwelling for God. He longs to fill His Bride with himself (5:31). We dwell with God in this spiritual realm, and from this place (3:10), we demonstrate the wisdom and power of God to the earthly and spiritual realms. That is the mystery of the church and a church that is beginning to walk in fullness.

1. ii. 3:19 With the spiritual understanding that we now have, we can somewhat realize this great love that He has for us to allow us this life in the Spirit; not only to bring us into this realm, but also to set us at Jesus’ right hand and use us to demonstrate Himself. The thematic implication of this verse is simply that God loves us so much it’s four dimensional. •John 3:3-12 Before we are saved, we have no access (Eph. 3:12) of faith. Because it is faith that Jesus is Lord (Jn 3:16-17), that leads to this spiritual life. 3:5-We must be born again in the Spirit, because the kingdom is a supernatural kingdom that also happens to control the natural one. 3:8-The natural is limited, the spiritual is not. 3:12-Nicodemus is having a hard time believing and comprehending the reality of the existence of a supernatural realm in the manner the Jesus is describing[9]. Eph 3:18-We comprehend with all the saints these things, that leads to the beings filled up with all the fullness of God.

1. iii. 1Corinthians 2 – Spiritual Understanding and Comprehension  2:1-We can see some of what we have been discussing described here. 1:1-5-Part of the reason the church is not walking in fullness is because they rely on their own wisdom and not God’s. 2:6-9-No one understands these things because it requires spiritual sight[10] (Eph 1:10 view). 2:11-16b-We know the mind of Christ, because the Spirit of God lives inside of us and possesses us. Our calling is to demonstrate this wisdom and this power in the earth just like Jesus did. 4:1-20-This is the revelation of the mystery to the earth: God is real and powerfully demonstrated in love and compassion. We do not need tricks[11] to evangelize, we need His power and presence, and then the mystery will become clear: Jesus Christ is Lord over all.

1. 3:20-21 Now that we have a glimpse of spiritual understanding, we realize that this vast spiritual realm is ruled by a great God who can do anything, is far beyond anything we can fathom. Still He chooses to work His unfathomable power through us; what a mystery! This power works within us, the church.
2. Believe and there will be no limits. This natural realm, all that we see with our eyes is subject to the spiritual realm. There is nothing that cannot be accomplished when we are in the Spirit! Smith Wigglesworth would say “only believe”. We know in our heads, but do we believe in our hearts that Jesus can do anything? When we speak in faith about what we cannot see, it will change what we can see. When faith resides in us; we know God can do anything. 2 Kings 6:12 -1 The servant was afraid of what he saw with his eyes. Elisha saw the spiritual realm with his eyes and knew God was with them. Then he said that those for us are greater than those against us (v.16). We should never be afraid of what we see with our eyes even when faced with death. (Rev 12:11) There is always a greater spiritual force on our side than the devil’s side. (Eph 6:12, 2 Ki 6:17).

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[1] Gentile; Greek used for the sake of the ref to Romans.

[2] Jews and Gentiles.

[3] For the point I used this word, but loosely and in the prophetic sense, not dogmatically.

[4] For this statement, apply the same logic as the above footnote.

[5] I am talking about staying pure, not displaying publicly, private situations.

[6] The more time you spend with someone, the more you begin to do and act like them. You develop the same mannerisms.

[7] “Pastor” is used in the modern sense of the term, but not in correct Biblical function.

[8] At least four. I am not being dogmatic here either. Some translations word it differently than the NASB. However, I do not think that we are straying from context, nor do I think we will stray into error by implying that breadth here refers to the spiritual realm.

[9] Most of the church (Western) does not get past this infant stage of understanding in the Spirit. They believe Jesus is Lord, but they have baby spiritual understanding.

[10] This is only obtained by being in God’s presence and being filled up by Him.

[11] NT evangelism is not like what you see today. Men went out filled with God, demonstrating his power.

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

A Unique Freedom

A friend of mine stated that his hero was Superman, because he had always wanted to fly. There is something inside the heart of a man that longs for total freedom. Flying would definitely be considered as a form of freedom.  This is a unique freedom. A man can be free politically, socially, geographically, and free from poverty; for there are many freedoms. There are natural freedoms, and there are spiritual freedoms. And when spiritual freedom is truly realized, you are actually liberated in another form of freedom, a transcending of the supernatural superseding into the natural. Only a person with true supernatural freedom could be free to such a degree that the limitations of gravity have no effect on him, to the degree that it would prevent him from exemplifying the Name of the One who made him free enough to fly.

The entrance into such freedom is the entrance into the ultimate freedom; which is freedom from the bonds of death. You can be free from all the earthly dangers and such, however, unless you are free from sin you are still bound. This is a supernatural freedom because it took a supernatural event to constitute; the death and the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

Truly, Truly I say to you; ‘If you continue in sin is a slave if sin. The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever. So, if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed.’ John 8:34-36

Superman?

Even if you are bound in all of these other venues, if you are free in Christ, then you are truly free. And if we are totally free, then why is a Christian’s hero, Superman? A fictional hero with supernatural powers, who can fly? There is something that now resides inside each believer that now longs for more freedom. We are now supernatural, because we have been born in the Spirit. There is a longing to be free even from the natural elements and experience that which is greater; to overcome natural problems and obstacles; to enjoy creation to a degree that would only be possible with supernatural ability. When we have freedom in the Spirit, it is freedom across the “board.” We have supernatural ability, but not many of us know it or how to tap into it. I am not claiming to know all the answers but I do know that it’s available. Jesus can do anything, and he chooses to use us to accomplish His eternal missions. We should not have to look at fictional characters to find an example of that which is supernatural. We should be able to find supermen and women within the church, within ourselves!

Another friend of mine has had a reoccurring dream. In the dream, he is able to swim under water, without holding his breath. Then he is able to come up out of the water and fly through the air. After flying around, he dives back into the water and swims around again.

Supernatural Substitution

Because we are mankind, and created in the image of God; there is in the heart of every man a longing to experience something supernatural, something more, above and beyond all that this present life has to offer. When we watch movies, we are taken to another place, raptured into the characters themselves. When we watch sports, men and women with great natural talent; we are elated, we are thrilled, and it takes us beyond ourselves, because those that we admire accomplish things that we cannot do, but fantasize about through them. “People say that we have no king here in America; I say we do have a king, his name is Sport and his queen is Entertainment,” as pointed out by Leonard Ravenhill. Why is it that we are so consummated with celebrities, athletes, movies, and television shows? Some of the biggest movies as of late have been superhero ones. Why are the Harry Potter books so captivating and fascinating among Christians? What about Lord of the Rings and the Chronicles of Narnia? (Yes, I have seen these movies.): The latter of which some people call Christian. (Similarity does not equal authenticity. The movie and the book mix Christianity with Greek Mythology and Paganism, a counterfeit gospel, which does not display the real Messiah.) The reason we look to the world for supernatural fulfillment is because the church settles for less. She is satisfied with these substitutes, even though deep down she still longs for more.

Supernatural Question

All creation longs for the supernatural experience and they will do anything to get it. They will kill, wage war, and even fly airplanes into buildings. They consult mediums, wizards, witchcraft, psychics, pornography, and mammon. All of this is evident in the church. I also find myself looking for more in the wrong places. The world for the most part is missing something and they are looking everywhere to find it. They are longing for something that they can’t seem to find and they are creating their own temporary fulfillments, such as flying fictional characters.

Supernatural Answer

Who are the ones who hold the keys to the supernatural? Who are the ones who have true supernatural wisdom? These traits are supposed to be major characteristics of the church. However, there have only been relatively small demonstrations and examples of a church of this kind since the first century. Without this manifestation of a supernatural church, the world and the body will continue to seek the substitutions which are made with human hands and the demonic. They need the true supernatural ones to arise and be revealed.

For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Romans 8:19-21

Sons of God is an extremely supernatural exposition of the thematic vocational explorative of the currency, rank, and situational placement, of the identity of an authentic Christian. We are the ones who show the supernatural way (John 14:6), and demonstrate the true supernatural power.

And when I came to you brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my words were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

Supernatural Splendor

The world will understand this through us being revealed as sons of God. When we heal their sick, and raise their dead (Matthew 10:8), then the “light bulb” will illuminate in their spirits by the Holy Spirit, and the spiritual bondage that clings to their hearts will break away.

There is a song that I have been listening to lately, and the lyrics are: “The first time I noticed my heart, is when I noticed you.” Our supernatural hearts do not beat until the defibrillator of revelation shocks us and sparks into us the electric pulse of the life of the Spirit. The world needs this spark. The world and the church need models of supernatural splendor that display the power of Jesus wherever they go. They need those whose supernatural hearts are beating to show them how to become alive. We must awaken their supernatural heartbeats.

Sailing the Supernatural Seas

“There are a million bottles washed up on the shore,” with no one to rescue them. The church itself is like a great a great ship stuck inside of its own bottle. There is a way out-the smashing of the bottle, the christening of the voyage. The church had a test run in the first century, but has been stuck at port ever since, afraid of the storms which may come, even though it was built to endure them. “It is safe inside the bottle,” so we think, even though is nothing more than shattering glass. Put our faith in Jesus and push put into the deep. We cannot remain hidden, we must be seen and challenge the powers of the spirit that be. Jesus is sifting the earth. We must embrace it, less it is forced upon us.

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust. Luke 20:18

I am reminded of another song lyric which goes like this; “Lord you’re the Captain that I wish that I could be and I will sail with you forevermore from this day forward.” The One who builds the ship is the One who created the seas, and He knows how to handle them.

I have another friend that recently did a talk to some youth on the person of Christ. He was using the story of Jesus and His disciples on the Sea of Galilee. A storm arose and threatened the ship. Jesus was sleeping and His disciples were frightened:

And behold a there arose a great storm on the sea, so the boat was being covered with the waves; but Jesus Himself was asleep. And they came to Him and woke Him saying, save us Lord we are perishing!” He says to them “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and it became perfectly calm. The men were amazed, and said, “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?” Matthew 8:24-27

During my friends prep time we were discussing the passage and it occurred to me that the natural scene reflected what was going on inside of both Jesus, and His disciples. This is the reason why there were two different reactions to the situation. Jesus was at peace on the inside, which is why He was able to enforce peace on the outside. The disciples did not have the same peace of God in the inside as Jesus, which is why they were frightened by the turmoil on the outside. Jesus had faith because He had no storms on the inside, thus He knew the storms on the outside where easily overcome-able.

Likewise, David had no fear of Goliath (1 Samuel 17), because he had already defeated the lion and the bear, and he knew his God would deliver Goliath into his hands. We are afraid of material circumstances when we could overcome them in the Spirit, long before we even face them (Matt 6:6).

We can respond just like Jesus and just like David. This requires a death to self and a facing of fear with faith. Many in the church do not want to embrace this death to self. They “want their cake” and they “want to eat it too.” They want to go to Heaven and they still want to do what they want to do in this life as well. This is why many will fall away when the hour of testing comes. So let us find the secret place with God and be the mystery revealed of His power to the earth. They long for us to be revealed and show them the way to God, so they can be free too.

Supernatural Witness

Come on! People are looking to make believe fictional characters that don’t exist as heroes. They believe in what they can see, even though it does not even exist. We believe in what we cannot see because it does exist (Hebrews 11:1). And when they see that supernatural witness inside of us, they will know that He does exist! He has given us the gifts and the power to make His name and His power known in the earth; speaking that which does not exist into existence; making the unseen seen.

For the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy. Revelation 19:10

Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works than these he will do; because I go to the Father. John 14:12

Supernatural Examples

David Hogan, a missionary in Mexico, has seen over four-hundred people in the ministry down there raised from the dead, over the past thirty years. They have almost seen all the miracles in the Bible:  sicknesses stopped dead in their tracks; limbs growing back, eyes popping in heads. External miracles as well: finding ancient wells, becoming invisible when people were trying to kill him. One time he was stopped by terrorist and an angel delivered him, as he sped away on his motorcycle, he forgot about the cliffed embankment ahead, and he flew off the 2000 foot edge. He landed nine miles away at the camp where his men were. Yes, he flew nine miles or so through the air on his motorcycle. If God can create something from nothing, then why is that so hard to believe?

I could go on for books and books worth of testimonies of the supernatural just from his life. Yes, God still moves like this and there are still things to be done that will advance the kingdom that have yet to be seen, if only we believe.

Another brother, John G. Lake, was a missionary to South Africa. He and his team were praying for a demon possessed girl at a mental institution in Wales, UK. All of the sudden light shone all around him, and the next moment, he was flying in the air from South Africa to Wales. He cited certain landmarks along the way that were verified in a future journey. He arrived at the institution and cast the demon out of the girl. The next moment, he was back in Africa. On another occasion, he met with a local preacher, and after they were done the man got up and flew out of the window. Others told him that the man was known as the flying saint. This is biblical; Elijah, Elisha, and Philip were transported in the Spirit.

Supernatural Element

Read Hebrews 11:1-12:2. We are supposed to carry the torch, the fire of the supernatural men and women that have gone before us and spread the Holy Spirit kingdom power all over the globe in Jesus name.

In 2001, I had a dream. In the dream, I was in the church. The entire church was assembled on a rock face, kind of like a rock quarry. I was seated in the middle next to a man in a booth, who was a prophet. The prophet would change from himself into Jesus and then back again. The prophet was not Jesus, but I believe that this was signifying the role of the prophetic place in the church in recognizing the real Jesus in the last days. Suddenly from my left, a great cloud, dark blue and smoky looking, appeared. Many people freaked out and shouted, “It is the Lord. Jesus is coming.” The prophet, however remained silent, so I followed his lead. Next, the cloud moved from the left side of the sky to the right, and it was revealed that this was not the Lord, but the devil acting like Him. Many of those in the church were deceived because of this and fell away. Next another cloud appeared in the right side of the sky, (the other was still on the left). This one was golden in color and there was a bright light in the center of it. It was more like an expanse than a cloud. The prophet began yelling, “Jesus is coming. Jesus is coming!” Then the cloud moved over to the center of the sky and pushed the other cloud–satan–away.

Supernatural Flight

On the other side of where the prophet was sitting, my friend was sitting. (The only two people that I recognized in the dream were the prophet and my friend, in this part.) When the cloud arrived at the middle of the sky, it was so bright, one could not look, but he could. Next, like a space rocket, my friend flew from where he was straight into the expanse and then exploded into a fireball. There he was in the expanses, for he had seen Jesus in the midst of the expanse, and he was changed, transfigured and flying. His arms became wings, suspended straight out on each side, he was in the midst of God looking down at the church (He looked like a phoenix). Instantaneously, when I saw him fly into the cloud, so much faith emerged, that I flew out there too. I also had an encounter with Jesus and instantly exploded into a fireball as well. Here we were, mirroring where we were in the church; I was on one side of Jesus, and he on the other. All together, four of us flew out into the expanse, all of us flying and on fire. Each one of us had a different color flame, (which I interpreted as different gifts and ministries). From our position, you could see the top of the quarry [church]. Behind it was a black, great, and deep darkness. There were multitudes coming over the edge into the church.

The Supernatural Church

Those who were like us were going out into the darkness and sending them here to the church to be discipled, until they too would be sent out as well. When I was in this state I could fly all around. Faith was not even an issue, for we knew that God could and would do anything. Anything that came our way was nullified because we resided in God and His power was all consuming. Words cannot describe the state of faith I was in. I only hope that one day I will experience here and not just in a dream. And I will in Jesus name. Once pride entered my heart, I immediately lost the ability to fly and fell down into the water that was at the bottom of the quarry. It was there for our protection, to catch us when we fall, and then we could climb back up the rocks. The dream ended with me on fire and full of faith, flying out into the darkness. As I went, light was shinning from Christ through me, showing them the way to salvation. And I saw people, the further I went all heading in the direction of the church, for a revolution was taking place and multitudes were being saved. Others were coming behind me, to accomplish their heavenly mission as well.

The church revealing the mystery of God is the mystery of the church revealed. We are all supermen. Let us seek God until these things burn in and out, through us, in Jesus name! Amen