Fire On Your Head

“And as they sat at the table, the word of the LORD came to the prophet who had brought him back. And he cried to the man of God who came from Judah, “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.’” 1 Kings 13:20-22

This is a passage that confuses many of us, and in all honesty, for a long time I couldn’t honestly admit I understood its implications or what exactly was supposed to be conveyed here. We read in 1 Kings 13, the story of a prophet sent by the Lord to speak a harsh word of judgment against the backslidden kingdom of Judah. Oh how mightily this young man operated! He was clearly not a novice to the ministry!

The prophet went to Bethel, and he challenged King Jeroboam of Judah, delivered a word that came to pass generations after this concerning Josiah’s reforms to the nation, and proclaimed judgment on the current king. The moment Jeroboam tried to seize him, his hand was withered, and the prophet mercifully entreated the Lord, and healed him. When the king sought to reward him and offered him a meal, the man refused and resisted, while repeating what the Lord had commanded him to do. This prophet was unflinching in his focus to only do as the Lord commanded him, and refused to have any communion with wicked idolaters. No doubt this would cause him either persecution or at the very least, inconvenience.

Too bad the story doesn’t end here on a good note, as we continue reading.  The narrative changes focus and zeros in on this “old prophet” who lived in Bethel. It’s observable that the Lord did not use this old prophet to speak to the king. In fact, it’s clear he was unworthy of being used mightily of the Lord for the purpose of which the Lord had to send this other young prophet who still had character issues to be worked out.

This old prophet’s sons came and told him about what the other young prophet had done—such as the predictions he offered and the healing power he operated in. Why the sons of ‘the prophet’ were at the king’s sacrifices is pure speculation—it could have been as spectators, or maybe as participants. When the old man rode his donkey to the place the young prophet was found, it should be noted the young man was sitting under an oak tree—likely fatigued since he was fasting and had been on a long journey as well, and probably in his physical weakness he was more vulnerable, and impressionable. The old prophet not only invited him to his house like the king had done, but deceived the man and said the Lord told him it was alright:

And he said to him, “Are you the man of God who came from Judah?” And he said, “I am.” Then he said to him, “Come home with me and eat bread.” And he said, “I may not return with you, or go in with you, neither will I eat bread nor drink water with you in this place, for it was said to me by the word of the LORD, ‘You shall neither eat bread nor drink water there, nor return by the way that you came.’” And he said to him, “I also am a prophet as you are, and an angel spoke to me by the word of the LORD, saying, ‘Bring him back with you into your house that he may eat bread and drink water.’” But he lied to him. So he went back with him and ate bread in his house and drank water.

At first, the man told the older prophet the same thing as he said to the king, only this time, a man who is supposed to be seasoned in the ministry of the prophetic—or at least wears the title–told him “no no, the Lord told me to tell you…” which is a common form of manipulation in the Body of Christ. The older prophet used the ‘God card” and coerced the young man into obedience.  Each and every one of us will at some point face people we should be able to trust, but will throw the ‘God card’ at us in order to manipulate us to do their desires. Not only that, but the old man said an angel of the Lord spoke to him. The young prophet probably didn’t think he could argue that! But verse 18 indicates the old man was lying. In fact, it might be possible that the man did hear from an angel—an angel of darkness seeking to discredit the young prophet’s ministry and destroy him early in his ministry, and the old man–for whatever reason–was open game to it.  Who knows conclusively, but false prophets have always been among the worst enemies of true prophets.

If you’re like most evangelical Christians who don’t believe in the gifts of the Spirit, you’ve probably rejected the possibility men in sin could prophesy accurately–if you’re one that believes we can at all. But this passage shows otherwise. In verse 20 the man who brought the young prophet back, at the dinner table stood up and told him: “Thus says the LORD, ‘Because you have disobeyed the word of the LORD and have not kept the command that the LORD your God commanded you, but have come back and have eaten bread and drunk water in the place of which he said to you, “Eat no bread and drink no water,” your body shall not come to the tomb of your fathers.‘”

Isn’t that interesting?! The deceiving prophet proclaimed a word from the Lord, and it came to pass!  And not only that, he had a word of knowledge about what the Lord told the young prophet.  If you’re a good charismatic, you’ve been told that you can’t prophesy anything accurately if you’re living in sin, so get the sin out. Which is true—clean up your life!   When reading this passage, notice the young prophet just gets up from the table and goes on his way. If someone just prophesied to me that I disobeyed God and would be killed for it, I’m sure I’d be more concerned than that!  Maybe the writer of this passage is simply omitting other details, and forgot to write “and he left trembling in fear uncontrollably” but the text doesn’t specify or go into more detail than we have here.

Obey Your Leaders Without Question?

Sometimes the hardest people we must refuse to be persuaded by are those who are ‘mature leaders’ or spiritual pioneers in our lives.  Though it is important to be submissive to our leaders, and trust those who’ve gone before us in the Lord, they’re capable of being wrong! Not only that, they’re capable of being in sin or deceived. Recent headline news of scandals and leaders falling from grace make that abundantly clear.  It is very easy to fall for what leaders and people we look up to in our lives tell us.  It’s easy to fear contradicting people we should trust, and just believe what we’re told and not ruffle any feathers or disappoint anyone we respect when we develop an understanding or convictions of our own.

I’ve been in situations before that will remain vague due to the fact I don’t know who may read this.  I’ve run with a few different Christian circles the following applies to, so people may read this and believe I’m talking about them.  I am, and I’m not.  I’ve been told more than once in my life  I was in rebellion to certain people or persons when I stepped out and obeyed and did what the Lord told me to do–or didn’t do someone else’s wishes because I could not in good conscience before the Lord. In situations like these it’s very easy to be persuaded by the people who have gone before us or who wear spiritual titles because we trust they know better and are out for our best interests.

It’s easy to stand tall in a wicked society that rejects God, but it’s even harder to do so in the midst of a compromised Church. It’s not so easy to resist people when they cast doubt on if we really heard the Lord or not, because they throw out the “God told me” card—implying WE haven’t heard the Lord for ourselves if we contradict what the Lord allegedly told them. While I don’t judge the hearts or intentions of any of those people I’ve mentioned, it bears noting that just because people older and mature in the Lord advise us to do or not do something does not guarantee they’re hearing from–or have heard from–the Lord.  They could be old useless prophets who’ve missed their calling and are encamped at Bethel, instead of having moved on, and are just jealous and envious that you are willing to step out and be used mightily in ways they are missing out on.

It’s a strong possibility.  I’ve been told a few times in my life–by people who sincerely believe this no doubt!–that “when you have authority over you and they tell you not to do something, even if it’s wrong, God will judge them and you’ll be protected so long as you stay under their authority”.  Supposedly, even if they’re wrong, YOU won’t be affected by the judgment or consequence that falls on them.  Is such a notion even Biblical, or true in history?  What of the Nazi soldiers who committed unspeakable atrocities to Jews, and used as their defense “I was just following orders.” They did not avoid consequence for their actions and faced the death penalty and life sentences for their crimes.

We see in passages like this that such “covering” and “protection” teachings are not true–even though someone listened to someone else more seasoned in the Lord tell them “God told me to tell you to do this“, that there was still grave consequences for not obeying the direct word from the Lord he was initially given.  I know many believers who sincerely believe God will judge you if you disobey the orders of a so-called apostle or prophet–especially the former–because in the way God has set up his ‘church government’ that you venture into unsafe territory if you leave your ‘covering’ of your pastor or apostolic ministry.

But the thing is, as we see in this passage, it’s even more unsafe if you disobey the Lord–even while listening to a so-called leader or more experienced minister.  Who are you going to listen to?

“O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.“ Song of Solomon 2:14-15 (ESV)

I originally wrote an article on this a number of years ago specifically about the insights I had at that time about the effects of praying in tongues, but with the revelation and insight into this Bridal paradigm God’s giving me lately–and to flow with the articles I’ve been posting in the last few months–I couldn’t help but feel that a re-working and revisit to this subject were necessary.  Especially in light of our spending significant time lately reflecting on truths of Christ based in the Song of Solomon and talking about “love being more excellent than wine”.  I have always had a profound revelation from this passage about the way speaking and praying in tongues builds up the believer and helps them overcome in their life and ward off the foxes and demons trying to ruin the work of the Spirit in our lives.

The whole book, whether you read it allegorically or just as a song, is about the love between the Bridegroom and His Bride.  We can glean from it in more specific and personal ways for our individual journeys with the Lord, and not just the collective Body of Christ.  When I read these simple yet profound verses in the Song, I’m compelled to think of passages like the following in the Gospel of John:

I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch of mine that does not bear fruit He takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in Me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned. If you abide in Me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. (John 15:1-8 emphasis mine)

We go to the “hiding place”, signifying a place of privacy, but more specifically that of intimacy with Christ in our relationship with Him.   It speaks of letting Him hear our voice, hence re-enforcing that you can’t only think your prayers, but He desires to hear it out of our mouths as well.  Click here for more articles on the importance of confession and just what it is exactly.  Hearing our voice is also applied to our worship of Him.

The Hebrew for the word “ruin” in S.O.S. 2:15, is Châbal: A primitive root; meaning to wind tightly as a rope, or to bind, specifically by a pledge. It also means figuratively to pervert, or destroy; also to writhe in pain, especially of parturition.  The English Standard Version I quote from uses the word spoil, which shows the same concept.

The foxes represent the devil or demons, and could also be applied to our flesh and our carnal leanings & tendencies.  I believe it represents both: in our own neglect of our relationship with Christ, the opportunity is created for outside spiritual and demonic schemes to come in when we’ve let our guard down through neglect or lack of personal devotion.  In either case, if the foxes are not dealt with at this time, they will cause more damage and be more difficult to overcome.  When we’re growing and the vineyard is in bloom and ripe, THAT is the time they are the most vulnerable and sensitive.  Little foxes can destroy the vine that yields fruit. They do this by gnawing and breaking the little branches and leaves, and the bark, by digging holes in the vineyards, and so spoiling the roots by eating the grapes, and any other way to hinder the growth of the vine.

Our First Fruits

What are vineyards for? Grapes.  And what are grapes used for?  To produce wine.  Chapter 5:22-23 of Galatians lists the fruit of the Spirit, and these are some of the evidences there will be in our lives if we’re intimately connected to the vine, we’ll produce fruit and become more like Him whom we’re beholding and Whose image we’re being transformed into. Though many times different symbols are used in different ways in Scripture, the vineyard is often a type or a symbol of the Church in the New Testament, Israel in the Old Testament, and just the people of God in general. And of course, if you’ve been reading my series on “Love, the More Excellent Way” you’d already be familiar with examples of how wine is correlated with the work of the Holy Spirit, and used in chapter 1:2, and 4:10 in the song as representative of GOOD things and finer pleasures of this world.  The devil is always seeking to destroy us in any way he can.  He desires to ruin the work of the Spirit, in our lives individually and collectively as the Body of Christ, and there’s no better way to do it than at the foundational root level, like the foxes seek to do to the vineyard.

More specifically, we know one symbol for the Holy Spirit is new wine–which is made from fresh just-picked grapes, and the passage here in Song of Solomon talks about how the foxes ruin the vineyards that are in bloom–when they’re young, tender or sensitive.  Most plants and trees require that you remove the first fruits as soon as they appear, and then after that the fruit appears in larger size and more quantity.  But if it’s not obtained properly in that first fruit stage, the tree will never grow properly and yield very much fruit–in other words, will never realize its full potential.  I’m sure there’s a sermon in that on giving God our first fruits with all things in our lives, but that’s another post.  Suffice it to say, it’s the first fruits the foxes are trying to spoil, so the vine never comes to its full potential.  Therefore it’s at this crucial moment the foxes must be stopped from doing any damage or else it will be irreparable and the young one in Christ may not fully recover from the damage caused.

Intimacy with God

God calls us through this passage to the hiding place in the rock (the Rock Christ Jesus) and wants to see our face and hear our voice.  This is indicative of prayer, and definitely indicating intimacy.   Viewing these verses in that lens, we see that going and being alone with God and praying, we’ll wind up “catching those foxes” that ruin the Spirit’s work in our lives because we’re bound to them instead of walking in freedom.  When the vineyard is getting watered with the Word of God (Eph 5:26), then the things of the Spirit, such as the gifts and the fruit, and new wine revelation will flow, and it’s THIS the foxes try to destroy, stop or pervert and prevent from happening.

If you are struggling with fleshly tendencies, or overcoming habitual sin, experience and my understanding of this passage encourages me to encourage you to go be alone with Christ and ‘behold Him’ in this manner. Doing so will help you catch the foxes in your life that spoil the work of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit in turn will help you grow strong in your inner man to overcome these areas.

Notice how it states in verse 14 that He loves the sound of her voice, so what better thing to be offering up with our voices than tongues since according to Romans 8:26 we don’t know what we ought to be praying?  Jude 20 mentions praying in the Holy Spirit to build ourselves up in the the most holy faith.  Another way of saying it, is that praying in tongues builds up the inner man and helps keep those foxes from spoiling the vine.  Jude was writing to the early Church–which was young and still in formation like ‘tender grapes’–to contend for the faith because false doctrine (foxes) had gotten into the Church and was rendering it powerless at this crucial moment in its history.  Early on, while the Body of Christ was still young and getting established, much like the vineyard with grapes in bloom in spring time–was the most sensitive and important time for false doctrine to be weeded out from spoiling things.  So the remedy to that is verse 20, praying in the Holy Ghost. Praying in the Spirit is our inoculation against false doctrine (the foxes) because it is how the Holy Spirit teaches us.

The Apostle John stated in his epistle: “I write these things to you about those who are trying to deceive you. But the anointing [of the Holy Spirit] that you received from him abides in you, and you have no need that anyone should teach you. But as his anointing teaches you about everything, and is true, and is no lie—just as it has taught you, abide in him.” (1 John 2:26-27, emphasis mine, and parenthesis mine).  The Holy Spirit, and abiding in Him IS the way you’ll avoid and be protected from deception.

So the application of this teaching?  Be intimate with Christ, and pray a whole lot in tongues as well. Not only will it help with your understanding and revelation of the Word of God, but it will help crucify your flesh and overcome the foxes that are holding us back.  As you dwell in the pure Word of God and allow it to ‘water your vineyard’, it will result in wine being produced.

The Holy Spirit is more easily able to flow through those who are intimate with Christ.

Related posts:

What Are You Feeding Your Tree?

How’s Your Connection To The Vine?

My response to Pat Robertson’s comments

I don’t usually write opinion-editorials for Fire On Your Head, and usually save them for my personal blog, but I feel the need to share some thoughts on the Earthquake in Haiti–but specifically the public comments made by 700 Club host Pat Robertson. I also realize if one listens to the context he spoke his comments in, he didn’t specifically say this disaster was judgment, but I’m using that title for this post because it’s the subject matter I hope to tackle–although insufficiently–even though lengthy as this post will be–I’m unable to cover everything needed to grasp this–so when leaving comments, please keep in mind that, yes, there are plenty of things I’m overlooking or not tackling. A book wouldn’t be enough to cover this stuff! So we’ll tackle a few things to make my point. After all, I’m just sharing my opinion.

I’m not going to repeat the same things as Albert Mohler said in his excellent article “Does God Hate Haiti” where he Scripturally contradicted much of what Robertson said, without mentioning his name at all. Maybe he wasn’t even referring to the controversy, but that’s how I and many others on Facebook took it when we re-posted it. I also read a very excellent response by Donald Miller, on why so many of us are drawn to the personality of a vengeful mean-spirited judgment-happy God. Heck, many in evangelicalism and in the liberal media to boot are all pouncing on Robertson’s latest ill-timed comments in the wake of a disaster, so why am I sharing my own?

I will assure you I’m NOT about to speak ill of Robertson other than to say I think over the years he has increasingly lost his relevance in our culture, by the repeated things he says publicly that may have a lot of truth to them, but are almost always said at the wrong time. I’m just using this latest controversy of his, and the fact many of us are well aware of the earthquake in Haiti to talk about stuff like this and ask serious questions Christians have struggled with all throughout history. But in showing respect to Dr Robertson, many Christian television programs and networks owe their livelihood to people like him who’ve paved the way with the CBN television network and The 700 Club show. The picture selected for this article of Robertson on the cover of TIME magazine in 1986 is selected as a way of indicating the influence he has had in his ministry and career. I’d like to show honor for what he’s accomplished. However, he’s not right all the time. Remember Job’s friends who tried explaining away why Job was going through such hard times, waxing eloquent in their theology, but God himself stepped in and rebuked them! I want to be careful with our explanations of things in case that’s just what they are–wrong.

A few years ago a school board in a county in Pennsylvania rejected teaching intelligent design alongside evolution and he proclaimed that sometime in the next year a natural disaster would occur because they rejected God. He was among the first after Hurricane Katrina to correlate the disaster to the city’s wickedness, even though as others pointed out–the French Quarter–the area known infamously for Mardi Gras celebrations–was untouched, but yet many lower income families were the ones who lost their homes. I could give many more examples, usually revolving around the alleged evidence something is judgment from God–to give examples Dr Robertson has said publicly, and many Christians probably would agree with him but just not the timing of his comments.

His comments not only cause the enemies of God to scoff, but damage others who hear them and don’t understand them. I also realize Robertson’s spokespeople released a statement on his behalf clarifying “Dr. Robertson never stated that the earthquake was God’s wrath,” and that “They have sent a shipment of millions of dollars worth of medications that is now in Haiti, and their disaster team leaders are expected to arrive tomorrow and begin operations to ease the suffering.” And praise God for all that aid! However, most people don’t know or really care about the aid, since all they know about are the comments Robertson continues to make with such ill timing.

I also read a blog by an self-proclaimed atheist who is currently located in Haiti, saying in his post that upon crawling out of rubble and realizing other colleagues didn’t survive, that part of him thanked God even though he didn’t believe in Him. Then at the end of his post he clicked to a news article about the Pat Robertson controversy and stated this was some kind of proof (or excuse) for why he’d remain an atheist.

What Does The Bible Say About God’s Judgment?

Since the nature of my post is an Op-Ed, obviously I won’t be able to cover every single point of Scripture. Natural disasters and accidents get people talking and thinking about such matters, so let’s take a BRIEF look but a specific passage of Scripture and concepts come to mind.

First of all, most people head to Old Testament Scriptures for their perception of this God who sends hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, and so on, when people are wicked. But even then, we’re not given sufficient information on why specific things happen. We look to God’s dealings with Israel and Babylon, and wicked nations, and point to the God of wrath for our conclusions on his dealings with the human race. However, Al Mohler pointed out in his article:

Why did no earthquake shake Nazi Germany? Why did no tsunami swallow up the killing fields of Cambodia? Why did Hurricane Katrina destroy far more evangelical churches than casinos? Why do so many murderous dictators live to old age while many missionaries die young?

If sin and wickedness by the inhabitants are the reason natural disasters occur, then we have to explain why it’s not a consistent explanation all throughout world history for scores of other disasters or lack of them. As well, would it hurt our pride to admit the New Testament Scriptures (post-Christ’s work on the cross) don’t seem to really deal with this subject? We’ll get to the work of Christ on the Cross to pacify the wrath of God in a moment.

There were some present at that very time who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices. And he answered them, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans, because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them: do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others who lived in Jerusalem? No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:1-5, ESV, bold emphasis mine)

Jesus answered by pointing out the victims in these situations were no worse sinners than people such calamities had not happened to. He tells them however, unless they [those listening] repented, they will all likewise perish. Keep that in mind as we will come back to it. He didn’t say the victims were reaping what they’d sown. He didn’t say there are generational curses back in their family line for so many generations that had never been renounced. He didn’t say there must not have been enough righteous people like Lot to avert judgment. He didn’t say “nobody did a good job spiritually mapping the place and taking down every stronghold through prayer and flag waving.” He didn’t even touch that kind of stuff.

The following paragraph, one that’s probably separated in your Bible translation with a new sub heading, goes on to say:

And he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard, and he came seeking fruit on it and found none. And he said to the vinedresser, ‘Look, for three years now I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and I find none. Cut it down. Why should it use up the ground?’ And he answered him, ‘Sir, let it alone this year also, until I dig around it and put on manure. Then if it should bear fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’”(v. 6-9, bold emphasis mine)

Jesus continued the point he was making about those calamities with the comments that followed, and was not changing the subject as our subheadings might subconsciously make us think. I believe the vinedresser represents a type of intercessor standing in the gap between God and man, and tying this into why the tower fell or why the Galileans were killed in such a way as to have their blood mixed with pagan sacrifices. It’s one thing to react to a calamity and offer help and practical aid. It’s another thing to callously go on our TV shows or go on our blog sites and explain why the calamity happened in the first place–but what about the rest of us–who aren’t in the spiritual habit of interceding for nations, praying for other saints and for the Gospel to be spread in various places? What about those of us to whom God speaks something to for the purpose of praying against it, as intercessors? Are there any of those such saints in Haiti or any other nation on a fault line miles underneath its soil (that’s another explanation–earthquakes tend to happen in regions where they are likely to happen!).

Jesus didn’t answer the why to their question, and dealt with other more important aspects of this calamity.

We Are Way Too Simplistic in Dealing with Heavy Issues

I have a hard time with some of the prophetic declarations people so easily throw around these days about God judging nations. It’s the opinion of this author that many of these perceptions stem from peoples’ own frustrations about other peoples’ wickedness. I also believe we as Christians are way too simplistic about things like evil, and natural disasters. I don’t say this because I pick and choose Scripture I like and don’t like, and like God’s mercy but not his judgment or something–but because I find some of the stuff popularly believed by modern ‘prophets’ and many Christians whose perception of God is so vindictive He’s looking for an excuse to wipe us out–I find a lot of that contradicted in the New Testament by the work Christ accomplished on the cross.

The more I study the judgment day of God, the more I’m compelled to see that it’s a day or fixed point when He will judge [the secrets of men's hearts] (Romans 2:16-17) So if Christ accomplished a way for us to be redeemed from the wrath of God, and there’s coming a day when all will be judged once and for all, where do we come up with ideas that in the meantime, when something goes wrong it’s somehow related to God judging for sin? Natural disasters happen. Things happen to loved ones and we’ll never know or understand why. We may question God when it looks like He did or didn’t do something. We know that all of creation underwent a curse as a result of man’s sin, and the first Adam brought death, sin, and disease into creation–not just to mankind. That being said, the work of Christ on the cross that was meant to redeem mankind from the curse of sin, does accomplish what it was intended to. However, mankind is a creation with free will to reject Christ.

It’s this author’s understanding of Scripture that we as a people of God cry out to Him in intercession, we can avert things in the natural such as disasters. I’ve heard remarkable stories of tornadoes avoiding churches where Christians were gathered praying and worshiping. But that being said, I don’t see Scripturally God sending the tornado. Sowing and reaping happens: the earth, creation is groaning, waiting for the revelation of the sons of God. As that day gets closer and closer, the more and more we will see it. But we aren’t given explanations as to where and why they originate. However, for discussion’s sake, I do remember Tommi Femrite teaching a very compelling teaching on intercession a few years ago dealing with how we can affect the actual land. Check it out here. Not saying I agreed with everything in it, but still worth a listen in light of this subject matter–heck you may like her explanations better than my article here.

Behind the Scenes

There might be a pillar of the community who’s an elder in the Christian fellowship he attends, and who runs a bank and gives sizable amounts of money to the poor. Not only that, but he selflessly helps old ladies cross the street every time he sees one. One day in the middle of winter he slips, falls and breaks his neck and spends the rest of his life in a wheelchair unable to move his arms or legs, needing to be fed and clothed. Meanwhile in the same community, a cussing, tobacco chewing, thieving adulterer and blasphemer–who’s constantly in and out of jail–survives a plane crash that otherwise had no survivors. He then goes on to survive a train derailment, which also had no other survives. Next, he walks away from an 18 car pile-up with not even a cut on his body. His apartment burns down and he walks out of the rubble unscathed. And worse yet, he even steals candy from little children when their parents aren’t looking in public playgrounds. Nobody can understand why the Christian man would have such a horrific lot in life when he seemingly was such an upstanding man, while Joe bank robber keeps dodging death.

That’s the point–we’re looking at THIS lifetime and details we can see with our natural eyes to make spiritual judgments of eternal matters. It could very well be, that like the vinedresser Jesus spoke of in Luke 13 pleading for mercy, that this Joe bank robber’s mother is a devout born again believer, interceding for him for 6 hours a day in her prayer closet, begging God to work on his heart so he could willingly submit his life to Christ. But he keeps winding up in situations where, if it weren’t for his godly mother fighting in prayer for his very soul–his life would have been required of him the first time he entered into peril.

Who knows? But that’s just a hypothetical example. It could very well be that stuff is going on in the spirit realm we’ll never know! I admit and realize there are no easy answers to things like this, and that’s why all this is just my opinion.

The Ultimate Issue

To get back to the Scripture I’ve chosen to use, at first glance it might seem as though Luke 13:9 leaves us hanging, as Jesus is interrupted in verse 10 by a demon possessed woman, and upon casting it out, the pharisees get on his case because it was the Sabbath. It would seem that Jesus left us listeners hanging and was interrupted. That is not the case, this was actually icing on the cake for the stuff he’d been teaching the crowd in the previous chapter. That being said, Jesus said “but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish” (v.3). That was the ultimate issue.

Don’t let Pat Robertson’s words bother you or cause you worry, let Christ’s words cause you concern if you don’t know Him personally:

“I tell you, my friends, do not fear those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they can do. But I will warn you whom to fear: fear him who, after he has killed, has authority to cast into hell. Yes, I tell you, fear him! (Luke 12:4-5)

“But know this, that if the master of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” (v. 39-40)

Just as Jesus Christ is returning to the earth at an hour when we do not expect, likewise we have no guarantee our lives won’t be taken at an hour any of us can predict. If your life were to end today, through natural disaster, accident or just plain ill health of some kind. Would you be ready?

“For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. For it is not the hearers of the law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the law who will be justified. For when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do what the law requires, they are a law to themselves, even though they do not have the law. They show that the work of the law is written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness, and their conflicting thoughts accuse or even excuse them on that day when, according to my gospel, God judges the secrets of men by Christ Jesus.” (Romans 2:12-16, emphasis mine)

Jesus Christ, God’s own Son, suffered the wrath of God that yours and my sins incurred. While we were yet dead in our sins, He died for us (Col 2:13). The only options are to either accept that He paid for our sins by His punishment–that was ours–on the cross, or wait for that day and be judged then ourselves. It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God when we’re His enemy (see Heb 10:26-31) Either way, that’s part of why I don’t believe natural calamities are from God as a judgment necessarily, but are a part of a fallen creation–ruined by sin–and we can hold back the floodgates so to speak by our intercession. But ultimately it’s foolish of us to speak of why some of these things happen. The ultimate issue, is one of more eternal significance.

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:4-5)

For more discussion

About a year ago we did a series on the Fire On Your Head Podcast with author and speaker S.J. Hill. Attached below are the links to them:

Judgment and ‘Acts of God’

Download mp3 (right click and save)

The Mystery of Evil & Wickedness

Download mp3 (right click and save)

Has God Given Up On America?

Download mp3 (right click and save)

As some Fire On Your Head readers may have noticed by the direction of my recent postings here–a blog site intended to motivate readers towards revival–I’ve been focusing a lot in my own contributions to the site on intimacy with God, and His love.  I’ve personally been having a paradigm shift where I’m realizing unless we individually have a personal revival, there’s not much point in seeking global or national revival.

The reason and my motivation for taking so much time to do so is important.  If we’re going to see the fires of revival spread, then we need to understand what the fuel for that fire is: intimacy with God. And statistically and anecdotally speaking, many of us struggle in that one area of our lives.  Many Christians skip books like the Song of Solomon in their Bible because of not understanding Scriptures through a Bridal paradigm.  Or many of us have struggled in our relationships with our earthly fathers, and have a hard time viewing God as a loving Father.

At any rate, for whatever the specific reason, it’s not uncommon for many Christians to struggle with their intimate relationship with Christ.  I personally used to struggle with approaching my prayer and quiet time from a place of enjoyment, but instead out of duty and obligation, or out of the desire to find something to study so as to have good material to blog or preach about.  It took a long time for my stubborn heart to be open to the idea God was pursuing me; that God delights in me and wants to have a relationship with me just because He’d like to, not just because He wants to ‘use me’ to fulfill a purpose.

That all being said, one of the greatest revivalists in Christendom knew this secret to intimacy with God: Charles Finney, a man credited with being responsible for the Second Great Awakening.  He had a deep intimacy with God that most people don’t know about, which also is why He was so effective in ministry and revival.  I’ve been re-reading a favorite book of mine I got years ago called “Finney On Revival” by V. Raymond Edman.

Check out what Finney says of  his conversion experience:

…I returned to the front office and found that the fire I had made of large wood was nearly burned out.  But as I turned and was about to take a seat by the embers, I received a mighty baptism of the Holy Spirit.  Without any expectation of it or ever having a thought in my mind that there were such a thing for me, and without any recollection that I had ever heard of it mentioned by anyone before, the Holy Spirit descended upon me in a manner that seemed to go right through my body and soul like a wave of electricity.  Indeed, it seemed to come in waves and waves of liquid love, for I could not express it in any other way.  It seemed like the very breath of God.  I can recall distinctly that it seemed to fan me like immense wings.

No words can express the wonderful love that was shed abroad in my heart.  I wept aloud with joy and love, and literally bellowed out the unutterable fullness of my heart.  These waves came over me and over me, one after the other, until I cried out, “I shall die if these waves continue to pass over me!”  I said “Lord, I cannot bear any more”; yet I had no fear of death.  (p.34)

“At home, I soon fell asleep, but almost as soon awoke again on account of the great flow of the love of God that was in my heart.  Then I fell asleep again, and awoke in the same manner. Thus I continued till late into the night, when I obtained some sound repose. “(p.35)

One thing that interests me about the account of Finney’s conversion experience, is how much it underscores the God who was pursuing him.  God was after Him before He realized it to be so.  Just like Adam in the Garden, Abraham, Gideon, the Apostle Paul, and scores of other Biblical and historical men of God, the Lord was the one who initiated the relationship.  How much more so we could each look at our own salvation experiences and see God at work in the same manner!

He goes on to continue to describe a new baptism that he experienced again the following morning when he awoke, stating:

“In this state I was taught the doctrine of justification by faith as a present experience.  I could now see and understand what was meant by the passage  “Being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”  I could see in the moment I believed all sense of condemnation had entirely dropped out of my mind, and that from that moment I could not feel sense of guilt or condemnation by any effort I could make.  My sense of guilt was gone; my sins were gone and I do not think I felt any more sense of guilt than if I had never sinned.

This was just the revelation that I needed.  I felt myself justified by faith…my heart was so full of love that it overflowed.  My cup ran over with blessing and with love…I could not recover the least sense of guilt for my past sins.  Of this experience I said nothing at the time to anybody.” (p.35, emphasis mine)

Later in his life:

In those days there came a profound desire to search out his heart and test his consecration to all the will of God. It was at that time that Finney had the soul-searching struggle of a deeper consecration than ever before, which included his dear wife and family. With utter and unreserved yielding to all that the will of God might be, he came to a perfect resting in that will as he had never known before:

“At this time it seemed as if my soul was wedded to Christ in a sense in which I had never had any thought or concept before. The language of the Song of Solomon was as natural to me as my breath. I thought I could understand well the state of mind he was in when he wrote that song; and concluded then, as I have ever thought since, that that song was written after he had been reclaimed from his great backsliding. I not only had all the freshness of my first love, but a vast increase to it. Indeed, the Lord lifted me so far above anything that I had ever experienced before and taught me so much of the meaning of the Bible of Christ’s power and faithfulness, that I often found myself saying to Him, “I had not known or conceived that any such thing was true.” I then realized what is meant by the saying, “He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” He did at that time teach me infinitely above all that I had ever asked or thought. I had had no concept of the length and breath, and height and depth and efficiency of his grace.”

After that meeting with his Master, there never came to Finney the great struggles and protracted agonizing prayer over the will of God; rather he had come to a calmness and perfect confidence in the fulfillment of the divine will, and to say,

“He enables me now to rest in Him and let everything sink into His perfect will, with much more readiness than ever before the experience of that winter. I have felt since then a religious freedom, a religious buoyancy and delight in God and in His Word, a steadiness of faith, a Christian liberty and overflowing love that I had only experienced, I may say, occasionally before…It seems to me that I can find God within me in such a sense that I can rest upon Him and be quiet, lay my heart in His hands, nestle down in His perfect will, and have no worry or anxiety. (p. 54-55, bold emphasis mine)

Finney learned that only a few seem to understand the experience of rest in God:

“But in preaching, I have found that nowhere can I preach those truths on which my own soul delights to live, and be understood, except it be by very small number. I have never found that more than a very few, even of my own people, appreciate and receive those views of God and Christ, and the fullness of His free salvation, upon which my own soul still delights to feed. (p.55)

Father, don’t let us become a people who seek to mimic methods and styles of evangelists and revivalists of the past, but without an intimacy with You.  Grant us this understanding and revelation of rest that so few seem to understand and know about You.  Draw us into that deeper place, for only there will we have any efficacy in our labors for You–if they’re born of love and from the secret place alone with You.  Make of us a people who delight to feed on You and Your Word

Draw us in Father, for we desire to have it said of us that we are first and foremost a people who delight ourselves in You!

Amen

“And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. Love is made complete among us so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment, because in this world we are like him. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:16-18

In our first part of this series, we looked at how the love of God as motivation for operating in and serving with the Spiritual gifts was more important than any use of the gifts in and of themselves.  Our phraseology has been that ‘love [agape] is better than wine [works of the Spirit] but not excluding them as mentioned in Song of Solomon 1:2, and 4:10.   We’ve been establishing the context for which I’ve been saying those things: that the gifts and ministries of the holy Spirit are not either/or, but both/and and that true filling and operating in the Holy Spirit will also be characterized by love for God and for one another. Then in our second part, we looked at Ephesians 5:17-33 for another witness in Scripture about this and how it ties into the Bridal paradigm of the New Testament. Reading the first two parts of this study will be highly beneficial for proceeding further, but not necessary.  Hopefully we’ll destroy some misconceptions about the fear of God.  Let’s face it, how can we be intimate with someone if we’re afraid of Him?

The reason I’d like to look at these verses from 1 John for some reflection and meditating in this context of our series, is because most of us still view God with fear, instead of awe.  Many people feel obligated–myself included oftentimes to be completely honest–to obey God out of fear instead of out of love and appreciation of Him.  Many preachers I love listening to and reading emphasize the consequence of disobedience, and the consequences of sin, and talking about what we’ve been saved FROM, but they don’t nearly emphasize as much what we’ve been saved TO.  The side effect as a result, is fear, shame, and guilt motivating much preaching rather than obedience as a fruit of intimacy.

Love Instead of Fear as a Motivation For Obedience

In Revelation 1: 17 we read the Apostle John say upon seeing Jesus in all his glory in the verses preceding, that “When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.” Most of us don’t finish the sentence and read Jesus’ reaction to this: “But he laid his right hand on me saying, “Fear not.” Even though Jesus is clothed in all his splendor–and the human heart’s reaction would be to be fearful of being struck by lightning or something of that sort–we are SAFE in the presence of the Savior.  He reaches out His hand, yearning for us to come near and not fear.

A friend of mine once remarked to me that most of us are so preoccupied with loving God with all our heart, that we forget to realize and accept how much He loves us. Author, speaker and teacher S.J. Hill says this:

Personally, I’m deeply troubled by messages that use the fear of punishment as a motivation for obedience. Jesus deserves so much better! In fact, if our obedience is not motivated by love, it’s not the kind of obedience Jesus is wanting from us in the first place. If some want to talk about God testing our motives, then let’s talk about the proper motivation for walking in holiness. Our obedience must be affection-based. If it isn’t, then it’s not true obedience at all. How can an obedience motivated by a fear of punishment in this life or the life to come really be pleasing to the Lord?

In my book, ENJOYING GOD, I write, “Passages such as 1 Corinthians 3:10-15 have been used to provoke individuals to radical obedience. However, what’s overlooked is John’s statement in 1 John 4:16-18 (Emphasis mine)

There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The man who fears has not been made perfect in love.‘”  (v 18)

Most of us mistakenly view fearing God as the same thing as being afraid of Him.  How on earth could we be intimate with Him if we were afraid of Him?  How many children have had deep meaningful relationship with their earthly fathers if they were afraid of them–maybe growing up in abusive situations?  Afraid that at any given moment the father might fly off the handle and snap.  When you’re afraid of a parent, you’re not going to be close to Him.

We’re not going to spend eternity with God afraid He might wake up one day in a bad mood.  There won’t be some day in the year 5 million, where we hear a loud grouchy thunderous voice, and have fear instilled in us as we ask someone nearby ‘what was that?”

“Oh, that was God–He’s in a bad mood today!  Don’t look at Him wrong!”

Of course not!  He is the most pleasant person to be around, and our worship of Him should reflect that.

The fear of the Lord is more rightly translated as the awe of Him.  We are to be in as much awe and fascination of Him as possible.  The idea that He dwells in unapproachable light is not to be taken to mean HE is unapproachable, but that that is our reaction in holy fascination of His beauty.

Putting the Cart Before the Horse

“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” (Matthew 7:21-23)

This is a very important and sobering concept and you might not have heard it put this way before, but hear me out: I’ve heard fear-based messages on this taught more times than not, using this passage to point out that just because people do things in the name of the Lord doesn’t mean they’ll be in heaven.  I don’t disagree with that, but I think it’s over-emphasized by most.  Notice the things mentioned–these people were proclaiming to Jesus that they were prophesying, casting out demons in His name, and performing mighty works which one cannot do in His name without being saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. They were boasting of all the great ministry they were doing in His name.  His response isn’t that he merely didn’t know them, but the text says never.  Not just because they didn’t know him, but because they didn’t know Him and then after the comma, in the same sentence He states, “you [are] workers of lawlessness“–or as other translations put this phrase–’workers of iniquity.’

I’d like to submit for consideration a different angle to view this from:  it’s not just that these people were workers of lawlessness or iniquity who this will be said to on that day when the sheep are separated from the goats, but that doing anything–even of the spiritual gifts–WITHOUT agape love and coming from a place OTHER than out of agape love and intimacy with Christ–is itself iniquity. Even when our motives are good, our righteous deeds are still as filthy rags (Isa 64:6).  Hosea 6:6 mentions how God desires mercy–or as some translations say loyalty–more than sacrifice, which could signify the ‘right’ religious rituals and activity. God wants us, and stands at the door knocking so that He may fellowship with us, first and foremost.  Anything ministry-wise that we will ever do effectively for God must come from a place of intimacy with Him.  It is such a reason as this that He will take one look at many, and say “I don’t know you.  In fact, I never knew you.“  It’s not that spending time in intimacy with Christ is important so that He won’t cast you aside on that day, but because NONE of the works you could ever do for Him to present to Him on that day will have any significance if they aren’t birthed from an intimate relationship with Him.

The point is not to put fear in our hearts for why we’re doing things for the Lord so that on judgment day we will not be cast aside as people He doesn’t know.  Rather, I want to encourage you to just focus on your intimacy with God first and foremost, and then take ministry and your deeds for the lord–your operations in the gifts of the Spirit such as the prophesying, healing and casting out demons like mentioned–let these things flow FROM your intimacy with Christ.

I speak from experience as well as just posing the question: how many of us rely on our works, our ministry, our deeds for God to replace our relationship with God? How many of us are so preoccupied and busy doing ministry, that we have no relationship with God? Friends, never allow yourself to get to a place where you’re too busy to spend time with the lover of your soul, because you’ve put the cart before the horse and are finding yourself too busy to spend time with him.

For further discussion on these matters, be sure to check out our most recent episode of the Fire On Your Head Podcast where we discuss love-empowered holiness and asked the question “Do Happiness and Holiness Mix?” with speaker and author S.J. Hill and missionary & world traveler Gregg Montella.

Download this episode (right click and save)

“Now there were six stone water jars there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding twenty or thirty gallons.  Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water.” And they filled them up to the brim. And he said to them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast.” So they took it. When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” (John 2:6-10, ESV)

After initially posting my first article on the verses 1-5 of the second chapter of John’s Gospel, where this account is found, I’ve since been reflecting on it and had some things pointed out to me by the same friend who inspired me to write that first post, showing me just how deeply prophetic this action of Christ’s at the wedding truly was.  We simply must reflect some more on it.

When the wine ran out people didn’t go on with the emotional hype as usual.  There was a lack.  There was a need, and Mary was honest about the spiritually poor condition (so to speak) of the fact that the gathering lacked wine.  She doesn’t continue on with the celebration as if nothing is wrong, nor does she make excuses concerning why the wine ran out or why enough may not have been prepared.  She realized the need and goes straight to the source–Jesus Christ, her earthly son.  This took a tremendous amount of confidence and humility of her to ask–because as we learned in the last post on this–providing the wine and any other thing was the groom’s responsibility and not that of any of the guests–of which Jesus was one.

When you come to Jesus with your need not hiding or covering anything up, be ready for Him to speak and do exactly what he says.  Follow His instructions.  He said to get the vessels and fill them with water.  HERE is where the lesson is…

What kind of vessels were they?  They were the ceremonial vessels used in the Jewish synagogue for ritual or ceremonial cleansing, and they were dry, and empty.  The vessels that were designed and used to wash iniquity and impurity lacked water, and thus were not fulfilling their purpose.  The Church and our pulpits today lack a true fresh right now Word from God, and because the pulpit is anorexic the Church is sick because there is no washing with the water of the Word.  The vessels designed to WASH or bring purification themselves lacked the pure water.

Fill your life with the word of God.  Devour the Bible in your personal life, not just for study, blogging or preaching, but just fill up on it.  Then out of that, you will fill your ministry with the Word and fresh revelation.

The wedding lacked wine, but the vessels designed to cleanse from sin lacked water.

When you get filled with the Word, there will be cleansing from sin, and revival can then break out.  But we often times want to go straight to the wine, but first you must ALWAYS be filled with the word, and cleansed.  How can there be joy if there is no cleansing or forgiveness?  How can there be washing or cleansing if there is no water in the very ministries designed to bring cleansing from impurity?  In this account, the vessels, the instruments–representing the ministry or the ministers designed for cleansing–were dry and empty.

Jesus instructed to fill them with water (or fill em with the Word) and draw out of that which it is filled with, and it had now turned into the fresh new thing.  This is what happens when we fill up on the Word of God–joy and anointing of the Holy Spirit will flow from our lives and be manifested.  This is Jesus’ “little secret” for bringing new wine or revival.  I use the term ‘little secret’ kinda loosely when I really mean to say ‘forgotten or neglected truth’ because it’s plain, but many still don’t seem to know it.

Jesus’ solution is that the vessels He desires to use–they can be people, or ministries, etc…be filled with the fresh revelation of the Word.  And only when you draw from that fresh filling–not with a pseudo-superficial emotional filling–but a real genuine soaking in the WORD, then what you draw out will be an aged matured product that produces fruit–fruit matured and pressed, that produces joy, the wine of the Holy Spirit.

Isn’t it interesting that there was no wine, but there was also no water where there should have been water–in the Church, in the pulpit.  Jesus’ first instructions were not immediately wine, it was filling [the Church] with water, or filling those vessels first.

Saving the Best Wine For Last

The master of the feast in this account remarked that the best wine had been saved for last.  I believe personally that this is a picture of the Church, that in the early form as documented in Acts chapter 2, there was an outpouring of the Spirit that birthed and sustained the Church, but that right before The Wedding of the Lamb, the best wine will have been poured out and the Church will have made herself ready.  Revelation 19:6-8 states how the great multitude is gathered and clothed in white linen representing the righteous acts of the saints.  There will be no possible way to be so clothed except for the power of the wine of the Holy Spirit poured out on a people cleansed and washed by the power of the Word of God.  Joel 2:28-32 gives us a glimpse of that:

“And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”And I will show wonders in the heavens and on the earth, blood and fire and columns of smoke.  The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And it shall come to pass that everyone who calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved. the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.” For in Mount Zion and in Jerusalem there shall be those who escape, as the LORD has said, and among the survivors shall be those whom the LORD calls.”

This account details what those ‘last days’ will look like, however, Peter referenced that in Acts 2:17-21, but refers to the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost as being evidence of the last days already being up on us.  It’s been the last days already for almost 2000 years (see Are We Living in The Last Days?).  It’s probably little to no secret to any historian or student of Church history the Church started with an explosion, and then went into a significant spiritual dark age, and for the last few hundred years has been gradually having forgotten truths restored to it ever since the great Reformation.  We are getting nearer and nearer to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb, subsequent to the return of Christ the Bridegroom.  He is and has been saving the best wine for last.

If Jesus is going to purify us to present us to Himself ready for that day, then that means in these last days the Lord is going to also confront us more and more because He loves us and longs to be with us.  The purpose of tribulation on the earth will not be specifically to yank His Bride from it to avoid that hour, but to prepare and further purify Her for the Wedding.  This is also how I read the book of Revelation–through the Apostle John’s perspective–the friend of the Bridegroom whom Jesus’ loved.  I read it through a Bridal Paradigm, and see the Bridegroom coming back in full force ready to finally obtain His Bride He longs for.

If we don’t get a good grasp of the dealings of the Lord now we will become offended at Him and His work when He comes with the water of His Word and begins to put us under the microscope and also allow us to go through intense persecution we’ve not previously known because He just wants to be with us, and have us prepared for it.

Are you ready for the fresh outpouring that’s breaking out and coming?

“How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!” Song of Solomon 4:10b

“And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 5:2

We began in our previous article with this verse from the Song of Solomon to establish our premise for these series of articles on the love of God flowing through the believer.  The context surrounding that verse establishes that the Bridegroom, Christ, is speaking to His Bride, the Church stating we have ‘captivated His heart’ (verse 9).  Our worship and adoration–and just simply our obedience to come follow Him and be in awe and reverent fear of Him–does something in his heart.  He gets some type of satisfaction from our worshipful, fasted lifestyles that He doesn’t get in another way.

We also began in the last post to elaborate on the fact the wine speaks of the best this life has to offer and not sinful or guilty pleasures.   Since most oftentimes wine is associated with the Holy Spirit, we’re then assuming that the Spirit being poured out is a good thing, BUT a foundational starting point for this love walk we’re going on.  So allow me to show you another part of this journey, of just what happens when the love of God has been shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit.

^“Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is.  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart,  giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:17-21, emphasis mine)

As we established in our previous article by looking at 1 Corinthians 12, 13, and 14 to show that the gifts of the Spirit are foundational–but love is the more excellent, and the greater way–then it makes sense also that one of the evidences of a born again believer truly being filled with the Holy Spirit, is going to be love.  If we are operating in all manner of gifts of the Spirit, but have not love, then it is pointless and we are nothing (see 1 Cor 13:1-2).  If we are constantly, and regularly being filled with the Holy Spirit on an ongoing basis, then it won’t just be evidenced by speaking in tongues, prophecies, psalms, hymns and so on, but we will also be submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Dare I say it: the REAL evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit, is love for one another–not at the expense of the gifts such as tongues, but on top of it, including the gifts.  How do I know this?  Well, I could post too large a list of Scriptures dealing with commandments to love, but let me focus on a few things that tie into our Bridal paradigm specifically, and the direction I’m going in with this series of articles:

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother. (1 John 4:19-20, emphasis mine)

We must remember a few things about the Apostle John: he had a revelation of the love of God which obviously would affect his perspective.  He referred to himself in his gospel account as the one Jesus loved.  In the end of that Gospel, he said that if all the works Jesus did were recorded, the world would not be able to contain the books (John 21:25).  Therefore, what we have written in our Scripture canon does not contain any wasted pages.  All of it is divinely arranged to be there for a reason.  John lived to be a ripe old age and it’s commonly held by many that he wrote this and his other two epistles towards the very end of his life, even after he wrote The Revelation he received while exiled on the island of Patmos.  It is for this reason then, we can reasonably interpret the book of Revelation through the lens of the LOVE of God he had, and when one does, we see the matter of the coming of the Lord in a whole different light than just stuff that belongs in Left Behind fiction books–but one of a marriage finally coming to realization. The book is a revelation of the Bridegroom–lovesick for His Bride–coming back to finally marry her.  John had that revelation, but I digress a little from where I’m going with this.

If John took the time to write these 5 chapters, then this stuff MUST be some of the most important things he felt worth sharing with the recipient of this letter, and the Church.   Therefore, if at the ripe old age of 90 or maybe even 100 this was what he had to say after decades of intimate relationship with The Bridegroom–after decades of public ministry– then it’s wise of us to take seriously, and meditate and ponder things from his perspective.   We need the perspective of the one who knew his identity in the Bride of Christ, and knew himself as the one Jesus loved.

How do I know this whole “wine of the Spirit and being filled, speaking to one another, and submitting to one another” thing ties into this whole Bridal paradigm?  Because the rest of the chapter goes on to say so:

Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit in everything to their husbands. (Eph 5:22-24)

Sometimes I really hate the chapter breaks and title headers the publishers of our Bible translations put in there, because the original manuscripts were not broken down into chapters and verses, and certainly didn’t have subject headings like most of our Bibles say.  I’m only mentioning that because even though they’re helpful for finding specific passages and parables, when reading they sometimes inadvertently give the reader the impression new topics are starting.  However, this is a part of the same flow of thought the author had.  Jesus taught in complete subjects, even if the English Standard Version I’m reading this from breaks things down into seemingly different topics, when the apostles and epistle writers wrote in entire concepts.  Let’s keep reading:

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is profound, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church. However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” (Eph. 5:25-33, emphasis mine)

Remember, we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19), and Christ has sought out His Bride since before the foundation of the world.  He is talking here of presenting His Bride to Himself at the marriage of the Lamb.  Christ cherishes the Church.  She’s His own Body.  He nourishes her.  Christ ‘left’ His Father, in the eternal heavenly realm, to come down to our earth that He may gather His Bride to bring her where He Himself is.  He cried out on the cross “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?” (Matt 27:46) as he bore the sin of His Bride so as to make her pure and spotless before God.  As Jesus was feeling that weight of sin, He was experiencing separation from God for the only time in all of eternity. It was at this time that 2 Corinthians 5:21 occurred, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

Now, if we have truly been born from above, and filled with the Holy Spirit, we’re going to respect Christ the way the wife is to respect her husband.  So if we respect Christ, out of the response we have towards Him as he loves us, then we will not do anything to hurt His Bride that we’re apart of.  We will lay our life down for one another.  We will speak encouragement, not gossip.  We will submit to one another, preferring the other as better than ourselves.

Let’s submit to one another out of reverence for Christ, for He finds that to be better than wine.

“So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.” 1 Corinthians 13:13

“On the third day there was a wedding at Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus also was invited to the wedding with his disciples. When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her,  “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.” (John 2:1-5)

I’d like to take you on a bit of a journey to see something totally fascinating in Scripture that I had never seen before until recently when a missionary-friend laboring in Mexico posted some comments on a status update of mine on Facebook.  I think this ties in perfectly with my series lately on “Love, The More Excellent Way” but is more like a footnote, as opposed to an actual entry in that series, and I will post the second part in the next week or two.

This revelation pertains to both the love of God, and the ‘wine’ we’ve been talking about, and we have already been meditating on and studying how “love is better than wine.” (SoS 1:2, 4:10).

If we read from Genesis to Revelation, Scripture begins with a wedding, ends with a wedding, and all through out The Bible the Kingdom of heaven is likened to a wedding; God’s desired relationship and covenant with His people Israel in the Old Testament, and The Church included in the New Testament–it’s always likened to a marriage covenant.  We see books like Hosea, Ruth, and Song of Solomon really exemplifying this in the OT.   In the New Testament, we read Jesus and Paul talking about the mystery of marriage being about Christ and us His Bride–the Church. Parables of Jesus’ point to this as well (check out Matthew 22:1-14 – the wedding feast, and Matthew 25:1-13 the ten virgins, for further mediation on this). Revelation, the final book shows a multitudinous crowd rejoicing because it’s time for the marriage supper, and the Bride has made herself ready–grown in maturity through this process of love, devotion, and obedience (see Rev 19:6-8).

I’m convinced that the Song of Solomon is one of the most fascinating, profound, and beautiful books of the entire Scripture canon, and this short book of eight chapters is relevant to all Christians, everywhere and in every generation.  Whether you read it allegorically or not, it’s a key that helps unlock much of the rest of the Word of God and the ‘mysteries’ contained therein only make sense through the lens of the Love of God.

When Jesus was at the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-12) and they ran out of wine, His mother came to Him and addresses the issue. And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” (v. 4) For years, we have been taught and thought that it refers to it not having been Jesus’ time for public ministry.  Others have taught this refers to Jesus’ work on the Cross that He is referring to in some kind of abstract kind of way.  Both views and others like it are impossible.

Jesus stated that He only did what He saw his Father doing and whatever the Father does, the Son does (John 5:19).   If it was not time for Jesus to have performed a miracle and He did it anyways, He would have been doing something outside the time and will of God.  In that very moment, He would have sinned, but we know this was not so of the sinless lamb of God.  No, Jesus knew no iniquity.  Therefore, He could not have been referring to it not being the time for His public ministry.

What did He really mean?

It was the Jewish custom for the groom’s father to have worked out with the family of the bride the details concerning the wedding arrangement, including the date of the actual ceremony.  The Bridegroom would go to his father’s house and build a place for himself and his bride to live, usually attached to his father’s house.  Remember, Jesus told His disciples–probably when their understanding hadn’t yet been opened to the fact He was viewing them as His collective Bride: “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.” (John 14:3)  The Bridegroom would not know when the day was, but sometime after building the house, the father would then tell him “go, it’s time.”  Jesus also told us regarding His return, “concerning that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only.” (Matt 24:36, Mark 13:32)

At that appointed time, the groom and his friends would leave his home and proceed to the home of the bride, where the marriage ceremony was conducted, often at night. Usually a servant was sent first some time ahead of the bridegroom, to ‘pave the way’ and awaken the bride and the virgins.  Since the servant would not know which one was the bride, she would sleep in her wedding dress since the wedding ceremony would customarily be at night, and she more than likely would be awakened from sleep for it. After this the entire wedding party returned to the groom’s home for a celebratory feast.  This engagement process could last any number of months, possibly a year or more if the bridegroom was preparing their place in a far distance away to travel to, and return from.  As mentioned, many of Jesus’ parables or teachings regarding His return to the earth used wedding and marriage imagery they would be familiar with.

Why does this really matter?

It was also the Bridegroom’s responsibility to prepare enough wine for the reception and celebration of His own wedding. When Jesus was stating that His time had not come and what did that have to do with Him, he was saying: “It is not time for me to prepare the wine of my own wedding yet.” Jesus went ahead and did the miracle because it was the Father’s timing for him at that moment to perform that miracle.  Why? Because Jesus had to give just one more little glimpse that he is a lovesick Lover looking to prepare and present to Himself a pure and spotless Bride one in whom HE makes pure by washing her with His Word!

Remember Jesus’ disciples for a moment:  these guys ran with Jesus, and at one point in Luke’s Gospel after Christ’s resurrection, it says He opened the Scriptures to them and open their eyes to understand, and they ‘recognized Him’. (Ch. 24:31-32)  Of course you are gonna have a group of single guys, or gals, adults or married folks who in hearing they actually don’t unless understanding has been opened to who they are as His beloved.  Of course they are going to be dull in hearing and totally misinterpret Scripture!  We should not be surprised in any way at the reactions of the disciples had to some of the things Jesus told them and the crowds prior to this moment in their lives. Hence the reason we need to be washed with the Word, and have our mind renewed (Rom 12:1-2).

The reason this matters, is because it was and is all a part of The Plan.  The Gospel is the ultimate love story.  God loved you before the foundation of the world (Eph 1:4).  He didn’t wait to see how you’d turn out before He decided to love you.  He, in the form of a man on the cross, died to make a way for you to be included in His Bride, while you were yet dead in your sins (Col 2:13).  Not only that, He made Himself vulnerable to your rejecting of His gift of eternal life, and relationship with Him, before you even entered the earth. “But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2:4-5)  Before you even had a chance to make a commitment to Him or to reject Him, and spend eternity separated from Him, He loved you and desired you.  Before you even committed any sin that led to His sacrifice even being necessary.  Ultimately,  He died before His Bride even knew about it and that that was the plan.

There’s coming a time, a consummation of the ages, where The Wedding Feast will finally take place–and for the joy set before Him who endured the cross, despising its shame (Heb 12:2), Christ who died that you may be able to know Him and spend eternity with him–will finally get to.  It’s up to you to decide if you want to be a part of that, since He’s done His part and is waiting…

“How much better is your love than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than any spice!” (Song of Solomon 4:10b)

“And I will show you a still more excellent way.” (1 Corinthians 12:31b)

In the opening of the Song of Solomon—my favorite book in the Old Testament—the Shulammite shepherdess states of her lover that his love is better than wine (SoS 1:2).  Then, midway through the song when he speaks of what fascinates him about her, we’re told the same thing.  This writer believes the Song of Solomon is to be interpreted as a representation of the Bridegroom’s love towards the Church, His Bride.  We know that Jesus is better than anything in this world, and the obvious interpretation of that phrase would lead the believer to say “of course it is!” and agree.

Therefore, if He is saying of her that her love is better than wine, then we can automatically rule out that He’d be saying her love is better than any sin since he lived a sinless life and died to save us from our sins, and would not have engaged in any carnal pleasure that he’d compare her love with.

No, she finds His love to even be better than the good pleasures of this life, even things that aren’t inherently sinful or wrong and He finds her affection and devotion to Him better than wine–He finds our love towards Him to be more intoxicating than wine, for Scripture says God desires obedience, and loyalty more than sacrifice (Hos 6:6).  If the believer in Christ would get a revelation that they are the apple of God’s eye, and that your love back to Him blows Him away–I’m convinced it would change and sustain us in deeper ways in life and ministry.  So what is the significance of this?

The Love of God as a Motivation for Service and Operation of the Spiritual Gifts

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit…To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” 1 Corinthians 12:4,7

In this first entry in our study, we’re going to start by looking at the work of the Holy Spirit involved in our motivation, but in the next study, hopefully we’re going to focus on the role of the Holy Spirit getting us there to maturity in the Love walk.

Oftentimes in the Old Testament, wine is used symbolically to represent the Holy Spirit.  The oft-quoted Ephesians 5:17-21 is not saying the Holy Spirit IS wine or that being filled with Him is like being drunk, but instead when we’re filled we won’t act drunk, but we’ll do the things listed such as “addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.“  We’re going to spend more time on this passage in a later part of this study.

In chapter 12 of First Corinthians, Paul goes into significant detail about the gifts of the Holy Spirit and their operation.  There’s been much debate within the Body of Christ about their use, their importance, which ones are significant, and so on and that’s not the direction I’m going in with this post because there’s other articles on this site that deal with that more effectively.  We’re beginning today with the premise that functioning in the gifts of the Spirit is the norm for the contemporary Church, and that they are exactly what a gift is–something GIVEN to us freely without earning it.  Paul states at the end of this chapter, I will show you a still more excellent way. (v.31)

A more excellent way than what?

The answer is in verse 11: All these [gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.” Most in the Church emphasize chapters 12 and 14 but skip chapter 13–the “love chapter.”  Then others, fearing misuse of the spiritual enablements, over-emphasize chapter 13 to the exclusion of the other two chapters surrounding it.  Both are necessary, for Paul said “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.“ (v.1-2)

The lesser is included by the greater, but not diminished by it.  The lesser in this case is that the gifts are distributed as the Spirit wills, and the greater work is love.  But, I repeat: the greater doesn’t nullify or do away with the lesser. For example, it is out of love that you will most effectively minister in the spiritual gifts. Maturing into love doesn’t mean you no longer need the gifts.  On the contrary!  Paul didn’t say “instead I will show you a more excellent way“, but he says AND.  The two go together, and the fact he goes into talking about love, is building on the foundation [of the basic use of the gifts], not replacing it.

^“When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.” (v. 11-12)

When we are children in the Lord, it is necessary for the Holy Spirit to distribute the gifts in our lives and in the members of the Body of Christ as He sees fit.  When children are little, there is more supervision needed in their lives, even of some good and ’safe’ gifts they’ve been given.  Maybe, as an example, they are given a computer and hooked up to the internet, but the parents will still put limitations on it such as time allowed, and filter what sites they visit.  But as time goes on and the child matures and is more disciplined and knows how to manage his time well, he proves to be faithful with what he’s been entrusted with, and gradually needs less and less supervision.

But not only that, now the child becomes a fully mature adult, and knows how to use the internet for profitable purposes and no longer uses it just to play video games.  He starts an online business, and donates a large portion of his profits to those in need in other places in the world.  He hears of problems people are going through, and writes e-mails to encourage them.  Now motivated by maturity and love, he knows how to do things without being instructed or given suggestion.  His relationship with his parents has not changed in the fact he’s still their son and they his parents–but he has changed his childish ways and no longer needs the same type of involvement of monitoring his activity online.  Now, he’s grown and is in a relationship with his parents of a more mature nature.  He can be depended on to make right decisions because he is no longer a five year old child.

I realize this example is far from perfect, but I wish to draw the point that the gifts of the Spirit are basic at the fundamental and foundational level–not the “be all and end all” or the telltale sign of spiritual maturity–but the opposite: they’re just a beginning and we’re to move on in maturity from there.  The entire book of Corinthians shows that flawed, imperfect and even selfish people DO still operate in the things the Spirit has enabled them to, but does not signify that they are mature or walking in love toward one another.

So back to the Song of Solomon for a moment: the shepherdess is saying His [Christ's] love is more excellent than the wine–good and noble things, even though they may be Holy Spirit inspired.  If you are being filled with the Holy Spirit–as our familiar passage in Ephesians 5 says–you won’t just be speaking and making melody in your heart, but you will also be “submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ” (v.21).  What is submission more than merely preferring the other person more than yourself, out of the agape love poured out in your heart the more you continually receive infilling of the wine of the Holy Spirit?

Now “your love is better than wine” and “I will show you a more excellent way” both have more significant and impacting meaning to me than they did before the Lord showed me this stuff I’m sharing with you now.

For more on this until I post the next part of our study, it would probably be of benefit to the reader to check a previous post of mine birthed out of meditating on the Song of Solomon, titled Behold, I Stand At The Door and Knock.  I was merely beginning to unpack in that post some of the stuff God has since been impacting me with.

“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.

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?