Fire On Your Head

“For God so loved the world (kosmos), that He gave His only begotten Son….” -Jn. 3.16

There is a high and glorious note in the Gospel that we don’t often hear sounded in modern preaching, and in many ways, it has lessened the majesty of our understanding of salvation. In the minds of many, Christianity is summed up in this way-

I prayed and prayer and got saved, now I’m going to heaven, and God is going to make my life more and more successful, while I do my best to follow His will.

There is a much grander picture in view when we see the Gospel for what it truly is, and it has everything to do with the glory of God, and virtually nothing to do with my personal success- at least not in the sense that is declared these days.

The Greek word for “world” in John 3.16 is kosmos, which refers to the entire created order, the heavens and the earth, the universe, and all that it contains. For years, when I heard “world” I thought only of humanity, for we often refer to the human race as “the world.” The Scriptures themselves refer to the human race as “the world” on many occasions, perhaps even in this text. Yet and still, the Biblical picture of restoration refers to the whole created order, and all of creation groans for its fulfillment.

Of course, His desire is for a nation of priests, and they will not be made up of trees and mountains, birds and fish, or even angels and apocalyptic creatures. The rest of John 3.16 shows us that the most crucial aspect of God’s salvific work is the redemption of human beings, the holy adoption of sons and daughters. But our lack of a vision of the glory of God, our meager understanding of the Scriptures, and our individualistic society all combine to reduce the Gospel to something that is all about us.

The Scriptures testify to something much more than “Your Best Life Now.” They tell of the glory of the eternal God, His activity in history, His dealings with Israel, the sending and glorification of His Son, and His remarkable intentions to renovate the entire created order by the word of His power.

The apostolic understanding of salvation is so much more profound than my personal justification, though that itself will be enough to strike wonder in our hearts for all eternity. The apostolic understanding of salvation is of the entire universe being wrenched loose from the grip of the “prince of this world,” relieved of the terrible weight of sin, the whole earth refined with fire and made new, and the triune God fully present, fully revealed, and fully reigning over all things. The issue is not first about our personal redemption, but about the glorification of God in and through the true knowledge of His Son. Paul uses language that we might consider less appealing than what is commonly preached these days, but in reality, it’s glory is greater than the humanistic mixtures we often hear.

He stated that we Gentiles, who were like wild olives, “were grafted in among them [Israel] and became partaker[s] with them of the rich root of the olive tree.” (Rom. 11.17) Personally, I’ve never heard a call to the lost which invited them to be “grafted in.” Grafted in? To the human ear it sounds inglorious, and if our Christianity is a humanistic mixture, we will have no part of this kind of Gospel. But if we hear the Gospel of God, which is a magnificent invitation into something so much bigger and so charged with largesse, we come humbly and thankfully in repentance and faith, and God works salvation in our innermost parts.

When a person is truly born from above by the power of God’s grace, there is this abiding sense that they have received mercy, and an overwhelming awareness that they have been brought into something so much more significant than their individual dreams and ambitions. If we haven’t got this Kingdom view, our Christianity becomes something self-focused, and fruitless cycles ensue. We end up performing religiously, living self-consciously, and falling into the most despicable kind of self-absorption, even while we employ spiritual terms and ideas.

We need this “world/kosmos” view to be ever held before our hearts, that we would not be as distracted with pursuing our “best life now,” but rather the glorification of Jesus Christ. Hear Chambers on this:

It is a travesty to say that Jesus Christ travailed in Redemption to make me a saint. Jesus Christ travailed in Redemption to redeem the whole world, and place it unimpaired and rehabilitated before the throne of God. The fact that Redemption can be experienced by us is an illustration of the power of the reality of Redemption, but that is not the end of Redemption. If God were human, how sick to the heart and weary He would be of the constant requests we make for our salvation, for our sanctification. We tax His energies from morning till night for things for ourselves….When we touch the bedrock of the reality of the Gospel of God, we shall never bother God any further with little personal plaints.

The one passion of Paul’s life was to proclaim the Gospel of God. He welcomed heartbreaks, disillusionments, tribulation, for one reason only, because these things kept him in unmoved devotion to the Gospel of God.

(Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest; Feb. 1 entry, The Call of God)

When we have an individualistic Gospel, we remove the foundation and bedrock of the faith. We actually take away the wonder of our own personal redemption when that personal redemption becomes our primary focus. If the Gospel is all about me, it must be a quite shallow thing. But if it has to do with the glory of the Ancient of Days, His eternal purposes for Israel and the Church, and His remarkable and sweeping vision for the whole created order, then I am being caught in the wind of the wonder of it all. Then it becomes so much more significant: This majestic God, who is so high and lifted up, has condescended so low into the earth, to “create in me a clean heart.”

Now then, being grafted in carries a whole new weight and beauty. Now my personal redemption evokes a remarkable kind of worshipful gratitude, and awe-full trembling. This is not about me finding success in religion, it is about me finding God Himself, and being wholly satisfied in Him, no matter what comes in blessing or suffering.

I have become a recipient of heavenly mercy, and the God who has created and sustained the entire universe, and who will one day renovate it all and abide in Jerusalem, is also the One who listens when I cry out to Him. He is also the One who cleanses and forgives me when I confess my sin. He is also the One who has promised to send His Spirit to me, to lead and guide me into all truth. He is also the One who gives all good gifts. Now John 3.16 becomes something more than a verse I memorized as a child. It is a staggering word that rocks my categories and catapults me into the worship of the only One who is worthy to open the heavenly scroll! May we never reduce it to something less or other.

“For God so loved the kosmos, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him will not perish, but have eternal life.”

“Oh the depth of the riches, both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments, and His was past finding out. For from Him, and through Him, and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.” (Rom. 11.33, 36)

‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’ -Lev. 10.3

The nations are perishing and the Church is languishing for want of the knowledge of God. This generation of American souls is largely ignorant of the God of the Scriptures, and we have been too preoccupied and distracted by this world to come into that knowledge ourselves. We have preached a hollow message that bears little resemblance to the revelation of God set forth by the apostles and prophets, and the condition of our nation testifies to it.

We have made light of sin, made the faith into a mere subculture, and the cities of America remain mostly unconvinced of the reality of God. We have not demonstrated His love and purity, for we have been functioning along the lines of the world, catering to self and living under the intoxicating influences of a consumeristic society.

This story of Aaron’s sons rattles our presumptuous definitions of God, and while it may seem unsavory or distasteful to consider, it is a vital portion of Scripture that needs to be reflected on. We need to reckon with passages like this until we break into a fuller understanding of who the Lord is, for if we pick and choose passages only of our own liking, we end up forming distorted views of God. Indeed, we all see in part, but to willfully neglect an aspect of who He is according to the Scriptures is to open the gate to deception.

I believe the message of His great love must increase and be shouted from the rooftops, but if He has also shown Himself as holy, and we fail to see Him as He has revealed Himself, what foundation do we have? His attributes are not categories that we can pick based on personal preference, as if the Bible was a menu at a restaurant. His traits are intertwined and tied up with His Person, and every revelation of God given in the Scriptures is a glimpse into His great heart. We cannot discard the portions that seem less appealing. If we do that, we have created our own view instead of receiving His. At best, our revelation of God will be a partial foundation, and that is not sufficient for a life of discipleship, nor will it hold in days of great trial and upheaval. We need to be rooted and grounded in His great love and purity, walking in the joy of communion and the fear of the Lord, for this alone will fit us to glorify Him in the day of His power.

He has revealed both His “kindness” and His “severity” for a reason (Rom. 11.22). It is not merely so that our systematic theology will be accurate. He has revealed Himself in this way because this is who He is, and to know Him and love Him as He is, that alone is eternal life.

Decades ago, A.W. Tozer wrote:

I refer to the loss of the concept of majesty from the popular religious mind. The Church has surrendered her once lofty concept of God and has substituted for it one so low, so ignoble, as to be utterly unworthy of thinking, worshiping men. This she has done not deliberately, but little by little and without her knowledge, and her very unawareness only makes her situation all the more tragic.

…. The world is evil, the times are waxing late, and the glory of God has departed from the church as the fiery cloud once lifted from the door of the Temple in the sight of Ezekiel the prophet.

The God of Abraham has withdrawn His conscious Presence from us, and another God whom our fathers knew not is making himself at home among us.

(A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy; Harper & Brothers, 1961; pp. 6, 49)

I am convinced that Tozer’s words are profoundly true of the Church in our times, and one of the chief reasons for this loss of majesty is that we have diminished- perhaps unconsciously- the sense of God’s holiness. We need a recovery of reverence, hatred for sin, and a baptism of fire to purge us of the arrogance and strutting that still marks too many of our lives and ministries.

There are wonderful teachings on the love of God in circulation, and I pray they continue to increase as our hearts enlarge in the experience of His kindness and compassion. But we are radically lacking a sense of His holiness, and since He is both loving beyond comprehension, and holy beyond description, the whole counsel of Scripture is essential for a true knowledge of God. Passages like this from Leviticus 10 provide a crucial vantage point for our understanding of Who God is.

Aaron’s sons, along with the people of Israel, had witnessed the majesty of God at the end of chapter 9. “The glory of the Lord appeared to all the people,” “fire came out from before the Lord and consumed the burnt offering,” “and when all the people saw it, they shouted and fell on their faces.” (9.23-24)

Without a doubt, the scene was exhilarating, and the sense of God’s mercy and holiness was overwhelming for all who were present. Reverence and joy mingled within them, and the people fell prostrate with shouts of praise and awe issuing forth. What happened next is both devastating and sobering.

“Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu took their censers, put fire in them and added incense; and they offered unauthorized fire before the LORD, contrary to his command. So fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.” (10.1-2)

We don’t know exactly what prompted Nadab and Abihu to perform what is recorded in chapter 10. Were they trying to reproduce the elation of the previous event? Were they wanting their names to be recognized before the people, rather than being jealous for the glory of God’s name? We don’t have the answer to every question here, but we do know that the fire they offered was not authorized by the Lord. It was offered in their “respective firepans,” and its source was of men rather than of God. It was “strange” and unholy, something “which He had not commanded them.”

It was so offensive to the Lord that “fire came out from the presence of the Lord and consumed them, and they died before the Lord.”

At this point it is easy for our hearts to short-circuit. We lose touch with the raw reality of the Biblical passage. We cannot fathom the thought that the very fire of God Himself actually came out from the holy place and devoured the sons of Aaron. Our view of the Lord is casual and light, and the idea of judgment is foreign to most modern believers. If the idea of God’s wrath is agreed to in a credal way, it often bears a feeling of unreality, and the idea of judgment actually touching men on the earth seems fictitious or mythical.

But that does not discount the truth of the passage, and we need to realize that this is an actual historical event. It is not allegorical or symbolic, but a true piece of our heritage in the faith. It is meant to bring to us what it brought to Moses, Aaron, and the people of God; namely, a sense of His holiness, and an awareness that He does not tolerate sin, nor any activity that is carried out in His name that misrepresents His glory.

Just when we might have blamed the event on some demonic attack, Moses gives clarity to what has occurred.

“Moses then said to Aaron, ‘This is what the LORD spoke of when he said:
‘Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.’
Aaron remained silent.” (v. 3)

This event of judgment, which gripped the community of Israel with holy fear, is completely intertwined with the revelation of God in the Scriptures. It is just as much a revelation of His personality as was His washing of the disciples feet, His blessing of little children, and His raising of Lazarus from the dead. It is a revelation of God’s holiness, and it is one that we need desperately to recover. He is holy, and we cannot use Him for our purposes.

This hits home in a concentrated way in this present generation. Perhaps the fouls committed against the sense of His holiness are no more flagrant than in certain segments of the Charismatic Church, where charisma and gifting are often elevated while the Scriptures and the character of Christ are undervalued.

My heart aches in this hour of often flippant faith, when silliness and frivolity are equated with “liberty in the Spirit,” and when anyone with jealousy for truth and reality is accused of having a religious spirit.

When I see men placing a low value on the Scriptures, or labeling anyone with passion for the Word a “pharisee,” I tremble on the inside.

When I see men acting as if they are inhaling the Holy Spirit through imaginary marijuana joints, calling it “Jehovajuana” and claiming that they are “toking the Ghost,” I am mortified at the total loss of reverence for God. There is absolutely nothing holy about such activity! It is a deplorable and scandalous example of strange and unauthorized fire.

When I see men boasting of great power and bragging about the international influence of their ministries while the sense of His holiness is absent, it makes me apprehensive.

When a so-called “revivalist” can shed his wife and marry another woman with no Scriptural grounds, only to re-enter public ministry with the blessing of well-known leaders, I am filled with concern. This has happened many times over the years, and I am wondering where the standard of truth has gone!

I want to be merciful towards all men, but there has to come a point where the gullibility and lack of discernment are spoken against. I don’t think we are far from Tozer’s description, that “another God whom our fathers knew not is making himself at home among us.”

A few of my mentors have even encountered a trend among “worship-leaders,” where they will use profanity, or do other wild and crazy things in services, claiming that by this absurdity they are “shaking the religious spirit off of the crowd.” I cannot give words to how far we have fallen.

You may say that I have a religious spirit myself, but I cannot give my soul over to these expressions of spiritual activity that militate against the revelation of God that I have received over the course of my life in God. He is holy, holy, holy, and the line of revelation from Genesis to Revelation does not alter one bit. He is kinder and more loving than we can describe, but He is pure and just as well, His judgments have already touched the earth, and He is still slated to return as both Savior and Judge.

We do need to desire “earnestly” the gifts of the Spirit and the outpouring of His power. We need to be awakened more and more to the depth of His great love and compassion. And indeed, when the Spirit of God moves in power, things will happen that we cannot explain and that take us by surprise. But what has happened to the fear of the Lord?

I am convinced that our unwillingness to come into the knowledge of God, as the Scriptures have revealed Him, has produced the seedbed for our sub-apostolic Christianity. Before the cities of the earth will be “turned upside down,” we need to regain the majesty of the revelation of God Himself. We need to turn from sin and return to the God of glory, to the Scriptures, to prayer and fasting, to worship and obedience.

We have lost the sense of His holiness, and I fear the consequences are much worse than the immediate judgment of two priestly sons. The Lord has permitted many to veer off into their own ideas of Himself, even while chasing supernatural activity, and their stupor grows heavier the more and more men make light of sin and neglect the Scriptures. A widespread famine of the true knowledge of God is even more tragic than the death of Aaron’s sons. Entire movements are chugging along without a sense of His holiness, quite at home with sin, and so intermingled with the world that there is no “distinction between the holy and the profane, and between the unclean and the clean.” (Lev. 10.10)

We cannot rightly value the kindness and mercy of the Lord if we have diminished the bright light of His holiness and the radical nature of His hatred for sin.

We are more like the 1st-century Church at Corinth than we realize, and the word of the apostle Paul is the same to us as it was to them. He did not doubt the validity of their gifts, nor did he consider them unbelievers. But he had serious correction to give as well, for they were veering off in the wrong direction:

“Do not be deceived: ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’ Become sober-minded as you ought, and stop sinning; for some have no knowledge of God. I speak this to your shame.” -1 Cor. 15.33-34

Oh, for the true knowledge of God! For the joy of communion and the trembling of reverence! The salvation of Israel and the nations, and the raising of our sons and daughters depends entirely upon the measure to which we have come into the knowledge of God, as He truly is. He kindly invites us into the purity and joy of union with Himself, for which reason we have been saved. We need to be enlarged in His love. We need the sense of His holiness. May we hear from God Himself in this hour.

Lord, our lips are unclean, and we live amongst a people of unclean lips. We have failed to see You as You are, but You have been so gracious to give us the Scriptures. You have been so gracious to send Your Son. You are merciful enough to send us Your Spirit and to lead us into all truth. You have been so patient with us. Would you wake us up to the reality of Your holiness? We want to turn from silliness and deception, and to come into the apostolic faith of the Scriptures. Make us a people of humility, holiness, love, and power. Let us come into the sense of Your holiness, that a line of distinction may be drawn in the earth again. Let us know You as you are, and let Your name be honored and glorified above all.

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

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

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

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

We are all called to evangelize the lost

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

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

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

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

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

What is your beloved more than another beloved?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ephesians 1 - Christ in the Heavenly Places

“Nowhere is the Spirit of revelation more evident than in this letter. Charles Hodge rightly observes: ‘The epistle reveals itself as the work of the Holy Ghost as clearly as the stars declare their maker to be God[1].’ “

1. 1:1-3 After some opening remarks and greetings,[2] Paul launches us right into a deep and profound statement[3]. We are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Heavenly places are obviously not earthly places. Here we have an introduction into the spiritual realm.[4] We are opening the door into a vast uncharted territory. This is a realm that needs to be entered into, and a realm that the majority of the church[5] knows little about. This is the Supernatural Realm. This is (relatively) where God is. The secret is that we not only have access to this realm, but we are blessed with Christ here also.

1. 1:4-8 We were chosen to be blameless before the world. Only the blameless ones have access to the things of the Spirit. We are blameless because of Jesus’ blood was shed for us and now we can enter into God’s presence (v7).
2. 3. 1:9-10 The mystery of God’s will was made known to us according to the kind intention–Christ graciously dying for us not only to save us, but to give us access to the Spirit that we might shake the heavens and the earth in Jesus name–which he purposed in Him. With a view–sight, illumination–to an administration-stewardship, plan. The mystery of His will made known to us–the church, a mature body of stewards revealing the mysteries to natural and supernatural creation,  seeing–with a vision of–administering His will will bring about fullness–completeness of Christ manifesting and manifested in all things natural and supernatural. We are chosen (v4) to know the will of God and make it known in the correctness of time and proper stewardship of a full and mature church, which sums up everything in Christ. The verse could read: With a view to a ministry suitable to the fulfillment of the times that sums up, and is summing up all things in Christ. The mystery of His will is that through us He is fulfilled because His power is toward us who believe (19), we are His body (23), we are fulfilling His call, bringing all things into fullness (see note on 2:6).
3. 1:11-12 Us being in these heavenly places and being blessed, knowing the will of God and having a spiritual inheritance, is a demonstration that the church is to function in this, and not only that, but to flourish. As stated in v10, only a church with fullness can be the fullness thereof and demonstrate the fullness of Christ to the earth and spirit, bringing about the fullness of the times. This is His purpose. The counsel of His will is for us to know His will, which brings us as the church into fullness, which in turn brings about the fullness of the time. Christ died so that we would walk in this. This is the plan of the ages; to bring us into maturity and out of that maturity, to carry out the commission of the Gospel, fulfilling the plan of God. And all of this is basically summed up here in these verses, and it’s out of this foundation and context, and with these lenses on that we will continue through the book.
4. 1:13-17 As stated in verse 11, we have an inheritance in God, in the supernatural realm. When we believe in the Gospel, we are saved and the Holy Spirit gives life to our spirits, causing us to be born again in the spirit. We are sealed in this spiritual life with the Holy Spirit. God dwells in us and this is the pledge of not only our inheritance of eternal life, but that we have access to all the blessings of that eternal life here and now in through the Spirit of God. A church that knows about these things and understands, and operates in them is a church that is moving in, and moving toward fullness (v17)[6]. Remember, as we progress, we are building on what we have already learned. We are blessed in the heavenly places to know the mysteries of God, being sealed by the Spirit, to access of an inheritance, bringing fullness about. Next, all this will culminate.
5. 18-23   Christ – the Source of the Body
6. 1:18-19 The greatness of power. Coming right off the knowledge vs (17), we see that our eyes spiritually must be opened to see these things–these blessings in heavenly places, inheritance, the riches, the calling. It will take us understanding this to realize what he means in v 20-23. We have God’s power in us as believers in Jesus (v 3:20-this power in us). He has given us intimate access to Himself and all the power that it curtails. He died just to give it to us His church, His body.
7. 1:20-21 The strength of God is demonstrated in a crucified, yet resurrected Savior. He is at the Right hand of power. There are none who are above Him. He is the ultimate and supreme Ruler and Source of power any and everywhere ever. Now and in eternity, He is it. He is the highest rank, a rank which only He could obtain by shedding His blood.
8. 1:22-23 Everything in the entire universe, heavenly places, eternity: it is all subject to Him. And gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is the fullness of Him who fills all in all. Do we realize the magnitude of this? All this aforementioned authority Christ has, God has given to us through Jesus name. All the fullness of who Christ is should be seen here and now, in His Church, His Body. We should be walking revelations that Jesus Christ is real, Lord, and that everything He said and everything we say about Him and what He did and can do is real. Paul and the Spirit do not leave us here, but as we go through more of the letter, the Spirit will show us how to reach this mature and full state and how to continually grow in it and become more like Jesus!

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[1] J. Wesly Adams and Donald Stamps (posthumously), Life in the Spirit NT Commentary: Ephesians, (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1999, 2003), p 1019. I thought this an excellent introductory statement. I feel the essence of Ephesians is entirely supernatural. The beginning of this quote is also impact-full: Ephesians is a majestic letter that stands as one of the mountain peaks of biblical revelation…This was a short exert form the introduction in the Ephesians section in the commentary.

[2] The second verse states at Ephesus; these words do not appear in many early manuscripts. The letter was written to the region of churches surrounding the church at Ephesus.

[3] In verse 3, he sets the stage for everything else that he is going to write. It is important for us to get on track now, and stay on track to better understand the theme and themes of the letter.

[4] I will use the words spiritual realm and supernatural realm at different times throughout this study, but I am essentially meaning the same thing by them. I am just switching them for different emphasis.

[5] Well, a majority of western church.

[6] There is so much to v17, I am not going to try to expound upon it all here. We must have a knowledge of the spiritual. We will study this more later and cross reference with 1 Corinthians 2, for further insight.

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

The letter to the Ephesian believers is a vast treasury of wealth and knowledge containing the riches of the spiritual realm. It insrtucts us with the influence and power that the church, the fellowship of believers, has as an inheritence in the heavenly places. And it is a declaration of the fullfillment of the times in the church attaining to the presribed calling and being in the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Preface

This is the first of a series of blogs that will contain a study I did a while back outlining key points in Ephesians. This is an exegetical study, one where we go either verse by verse or section by section through the book, and summarize the conclusions derived from the sections in context with the theme of the study.

Introduction

Ephesians is a deep revelation knowledge that only gets deeper and harder to understand, it seems, the more of it you understand and have revelation of it. In other words; this is a deep and radical book that reveals mysteries. And the more that the  mysteries are revealed, they lead to even more of them.

Ephesians is a revelation of what, how, and why the church is. This manuscript reveals Jesus’ plan for His church in the earth and in the supernatural realm. I feel that the first three chapters describes who the church is and what she is called to do, and the second three chapters describe how to attain to this calling and identity. Essentially I feel the letter to the Ephesians is  vital in the understanding of the church, the direction we must go, in order to get where we are called to be. Therefore I have entitled this study; The Mystery of the Church.

Background

Acts 19 describes when the apostle Paul first came to Ephesus. This is background and context for understanding his intent in the letter which he would later write to them.

There were disciples in the city of Ephesus but they had only received John’s baptism. Paul preached Jesus to them and they believed and were baptized in His name. Next, Paul laid his hands on them and they were filled with the Holy Spirit (vv 1-6). And now a church has been planted in the city.

Paul and his 12 disciples (v 6) began the work of the kingdom in the city. God began to move in very powerful ways. Handkerchiefs that had touched Paul’s body were being brought to the sick and healing them while driving out the evil spirits. The people of the city brought their magic books together and burned them and the word of the Lord was growing mighty and prevailing (20).

To say that this church started in revival would be an understatement. This is a fellowship that knows the power of God and the function of a church in the midst of a society that is steeped in witchcraft. They were able to overcome these things in their foundation as a church.

These are the same people Paul is communicating with in his letter and this will help us understand the context better. He is writing to believers who are filled with the Holy Spirit, on fire with God, healing the sick, driving out demons, and overcoming witchcraft!

In Ephasians 1, he hits the ground running right away in his description of heavenly places. Even though he is not there, he knows they are still in the midst of this supernatural battle and encourages them that in this place, they are blessed (see verse 3).

For more background and information, you can read any commentary, also read Revelation 1-3, where Jesus writes his own letter to the church at Ephesus.

So, we have our context set up to begin going through the book. My aim is to post 1 blog per week on the chapters. Each chapter will consist of 1 or 2 entries, so check back regularly for updates.

I pray that this will be a blessing to you, with a fresh outlook on a deep and rich portion of Scripture that many of us cherish and admire, as with all Scripture.

“Scripture quotations taken from the NASB.”

Disclaimer

These are notes of mine compiled while doing a study of Ephesians at our church. This is not a dogmatic declaration, but one of many views of Ephesians. I am sharing these notes will all because my heart burns for theses things. Feel free to do with them as you like in a way that benefits the kingdom and builds you up. I trust the authorship will remain as it is. Feel free to copy and study, however, copying in any name other than the author is prohibited. If you would like to receive a notebook with all of the notes you may email me at daefire@gmail.com. Thank you for honoring the wishes of FireOnYourHead.org.

These notes are written by David Edwards and are not to be confused with the publication: Ephesians, The Mystery of the Church, A Commentary by MacDonald, William Published in 1968, H. Shaw Publishers (Wheaton, Ill).

[This study is influnced by the leaders who have taught and influenced me; particularly Robert Gladstone of Fire School of Ministry. Many details in these notes I learned direclty from his classes, messages, and notes. To hear Mr. Gladstone's newest messages click here.]

Ephesians Part 1: Introduction

Ephesians Part 2: Chapter 1

Ephesians Part 3:  Chapter 2

Ephesians Part 4: Chapter 3

Ephesians Part 5: Chapter 4a

Ephesians Part 6: Chapter 4b

Ephesians Part 7: Chapter 5a

Ephesians Part 8: Chapter 5b

Ephesians Part 9: Chapter 6a

Ephesians Part 10: Chapter 6b & Conclusion

Ephesians Part 11: Heavenly Places

We have heard it said that in the last days the good will be called bad and the bad will be called good. During creation, each day God saw everything that He had created was good. Satan wants to flip over everything upside down. He wants people to call good things “bad” and bad things “good.” Therefore, those without a relationship with God will in general or naturally, do the opposite of God.

“There is a way which seems right to a man but its end is the way of death.” “Every man’s way is right in his own eyes, but the Lord weights the hearts.” Proverbs 16:25; 21:2

Restoration and Rebellion

God is good. The ways of men-which are inspired by the rebellion of Satan- are evil. This is why we need a Savior.  Jesus undid that which Adam allowed to control the whole human race; the influence, control, and manipulation of Satan.

In God, who is good, there is always restoration. In Satan, who is bad, there is always rebellion. So, who says what is evil, bad and rebellious? God! Not man. Remember, each man will go his own way, thus dissolving any moral standards. With God, the plumb-line of truth is drawn. This is not to keep us from being free, but to liberate us from the desire to do as we please. This desire, when unmasked, is demonic inspiration. Living for God keeps us free from falling into the self-liberating traps of the enemy.

The Order of Creation

The enemy wants to flip the order of creation upside-down so it will worship him instead of God. We think we are free when we pursue self, but in reality we are obeying Satan. If we get out eyes off God and on ourselves we have been deceived. This is the reason why Peter was rebuked so harshly by Jesus. Jesus revealed that He must suffer and die, and then be raised up. This did not sit well with Peter so he actually rebuked Jesus for it. Peter took his eyes off Jesus and did what seemed right to him. What Peter did not realize is that he was actually being led by Satan.

“But He turned and said to Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; for you are not setting your mind on God’s interest, but man’s.’ ” Matthew 16:23

Can you believe that Peter rebuked Jesus? How many times have we done the something for the sake of reasoning or “wisdom?”

In Romans 1 Paul mentions the order of creation. The creation is supposed to worship the Creator. The thing which will turn our hearts is creation looking at itself rather than God. This is the very thing Satan did when he fell.

“But you said in your heart ‘I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God…’ ”

“I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.” Isaiah 14:13a: 14 (emphasis mine).

Now he is trying to reproduce this death in us. He is death and his aim is to reproduce death wherever he goes (Job 1:7). Just as Satan wants to reproduce himself in us; it is only because God was doing it first. Jesus did the opposite. He did not look at Himself, He looked at God (Phil 2:4-11). Jesus is life and He produces life wherever He goes. Death cannot stand in His presence. Now He is reproducing His life in us who believe.

The Reversal

The devil looked to himself instead of God. This is not the order of creation. In worship we are to look to the Highest One, the Father. The first fall is to look to ourselves, next we fall further by worshiping animals, and finally we even start to worship the things that crawl on the ground. This is out of order to say the least. When this happens a reversal takes place in our hearts, the good becomes bad, and the bad becomes good. We were looking up to God-the highest place: And now we are looking at bugs-the lowest place. This is unnatural, for we are created to be supernatural. This happens by seeking God and not our own ways.

“For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.” Romans 1:21-23

The gaze of men went from looking above themselves to looking at themselves, and then to birds, then animals, then reptiles (ironic that the devil is a serpent). The order is reversed. The fruit of this is chaos and death. It’s unnatural in every way.

Producing Good Fruit

“For there is no good tree which produces bad fruit, no, on the other hand, a bad tree which produces good fruit.” Luke 16:23

Bad trees cannot produce good fruit. There is no reproduction of creation, that which God created and called good (Genesis 1). This reproductive reversal causes men to have relations with other men, and women with other women. Nothing can be reproduced because the order of creation has been flipped in their hearts by believing the devil’s lie.

“Therefore God gave them over in the lust of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”

“For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also men abandoned that natural function of women and burned in their desire for one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error.” Romans 1:26-27

In creation there is natural reproduction. In Homeosexuality there is no reproduction, also it  does not produce good fruit. It is a result of looking to ourselves and not to God. It just doesn’t happen naturally, nor does it practically work. To be homosexual, man has to try and change in some way the natural flow and parts God created for us to enjoy sex and reproduce. This is like removing the ancient boundries (Prov 22:28); altering the way of creation so man can fulfill his own pleasures (read all of Romans 1 for context).

Drawn to God

The book of Romans is about the obedience of the faith (verses 1:5; 16:26). There is a draw in every man’s heart to do good because we were created in the image of God, Who is good. The trick of the enemy is to try to draw that good from ourselves rather than drawing it from God. This results in an unfulfilled life because life comes from God. We did not create ourselves, so we must not look to ourselves by going our own ways, but we must look to God, our Creator.

God is not a puppet master. He came to cut the strings the enemy has placed in our lives that pull us this way and that. The enemy has tried to conceal this by reversing the idea of good and bad in our hearts. God is good and He has a good life for you. To know Him is so much better than anything we can accomplish in ourselves. He will use us to do things that are so awesome that we are not even able to imagine them. He loves us and longs to set us free, and that is what this message is all about.

Lord may this word slice through the enemy’s lines of lies that he has set in your children’s hearts. Take away from it me and add to it You, so they may know how much You love them. Amen.

“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost” 1 Tim 1:15

The phrase “peccator justus” is Latin for, “justified sinner.” I am not a Latin expert, or anything close to one actually, but the two words are reverberating through my mind and heart as I type today. Here is the reason why: 

On December 9th, 1968 a man named Karl Barth- a Swiss/German theologian- was working on writing a lecture. Barth was probably the most well-known theologian of the 20th century. He was a controversial man, who was known to challenge the categories of both Liberal and Evangelical theologians, and to shake the dusty definitions of God that had crippled the world of theology. He resisted the Nazi Regime’s falsely concocted version of Scripture and Church, personally mailing his statement to Hitler himself, for which reason he lost his esteemed position as a professor in Germany at the University of Bonn. The beloved Evangelical scholar F.F. Bruce noted that Barth’s 1919 commentary on Romans fell “like a bombshell on the theologians’ playground, and we are still feeling its reverberations today.”

He challenged the entire landscape of 20th century theology, jolting systems of thought and calling scholars and pastors to let God be God over their labors and studies. He said that we needed to recover the “Godness of God,” and to hear Paul’s spirit beneath the surface of the NT texts. He hand-wrote over 20,000 pages of theology over the course of 50-plus years in theological work. I may not agree with all of his theological conclusions, nor all of the decisions he made over the course of many years in pastoral ministry, theological labors, and authorship. But I really appreciate the man, and so much of what the Lord brought to the Church through him. The fruit of his labors goes on in the lives of many believers who have never heard his name and who are not likely to ever read one of his books.

Back to December 9th of ‘68. Barth was 82 year of age, and by this time he “spoke of his death remarkably often and even wanted to talk about the details of his funeral.” Being the thinker, theologian, and pastor that he was, Barth had reflected on the reality of death and eternity very long and very hard for many decades. When he visited the U.S. in 1962, he was put on the cover of TIME magazine in painted form, standing in front of Jesus’ empty tomb with his own words as a banner above: “The goal of the human life is not death, but resurrection.”

Now he was aged, and even seemed to sense that his days were drawing to a close. In some of his last letters written, he made these awesome statements:

Looking back, I have no serious complaints about anyone or anything: except my own failures today, yesterday, the day before yesterday and the day before that- I mean my failures in real gratitude. Perhaps I still have bitter days ahead, and certainly my death will come sooner or later. One thing remains, for me to remember and impress upon myself…. ‘Do not forget the good that He has done!’

… How do I know whether I shall die easily or with difficulty? I only know that my dying, too, is part of my life… And then- this is the destination, the limit and the goal for all of us- I shall no longer ‘be’, but I shall be made manifest before the judgment seat of Christ, in and with my whole ‘being,’ with all the real good and the real evil that I have thought, said and done, with all the bitterness that I have suffered and all the beauty that I have enjoyed. There I shall only be able to stand as the failure that I doubtless was in all things, but… by virtue of His promise, as a peccator justus. And as that I shall be able to stand. Then… in the light of grace, all that is now dark will become very clear.

It’s remarkable how tender and sensitive to mercy a man becomes when he is on the edge of eternity. All of a sudden, the grudges we have held, the suspicions we have harbored, the fears which have ruled us, the possessions we’ve coveted, and the self-righteousness we’ve carried, all become utter vanity before the reality of standing face to face with the God of all creation. Before the Light of His unveiled glory, every one of us have marks of the intensest soul-stains, and we realize that all of our boasting has no merit whatsoever- all of our religious and social facades are exposed for the falsities that they are, and we are moved to cry out for mercy.

Barth was interrupted from writing his lecture by the phone calls of two friends. One of them, a man named Eduard Thurneysen, had “remained faithful to him over sixty years. They talked about the gloomy world situation. Then Barth said, ‘But keep your chin up! Never mind! He will reign!‘”

These would become his last recorded words.

“… Barth did not go back to his draft which he had left in the middle of a sentence, but put it aside until the next day. However, he did not live that long. He died peacefully some time in the middle of the night. He lay there as though asleep, with his hands gently folded from his evening prayers. So his wife found him the next morning, while in the background a record was playing the Mozart with which she had wanted to waken him.”

If we would walk with a greater consciousness of the fragility and preciousness of life, and the reality of death, we would become in a more concentrated manner, a people of mercy. We all fall under the category of ‘peccator.’ We have sinned, and worse, our souls actually consist of the substance of iniquity and wickedness. Sin is not only a litany of things we’ve committed, it’s a part of our very fiber and nature as humans. Yet death approaches for each one of us, and immediately following the breathing of our last breath, we encounter the One Who made heaven and earth. As Barth said, “I only know that my dying, too, is part of my life…” The only hope that any of us have is in the cross of Jesus Christ. Only He has the power to yank us from the category of sinner (peccator), and to place us within the glorious family of those who have been justified and transformed by the power of His indestructible life (peccator justus)!

When Christ has transformed our hearts, we can face the adversities of life, and the shakings and tumblings of the Kingdoms of this world in the same vein that Barth encouraged:

“… keep your chin up! Never mind! He will reign!“

He will reign, saints, and no matter what befalls the nations in these last days, however dim your vision is at present, there is a vital and eternal hope for those who have repented and believed the Son of God. He will reign, and the proof is in your own justification before the throne of God. Rejoice, then, in so great a salvation! Let your heart send streams of enraptured gratitude to the Savior!

There will come a day when the saints will inherit the manifested reality of resurrected and glorified bodies. The propensity for sin, the pulls of temptation, the stubborn presence of pride and self-consciousness, fatigue and sickness will once and for all be removed from our experience. Our fallibility and dim sights will be totally submerged in the Light of His wonderful perfections. Glorious day!  

Until then, we turn to Him day by day, that His likeness and glory might rise in our present experience. We’ve been justified by the power of a Blood which speaks better than the blood of Abel. We have a radically opened access to righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. One day, our justification before God will be manifested in full, but until that day dawns, let us receive the Spirit of Holiness in increasing measure. Let us go from glory to glory and from faith to faith, hastening the day of His return, and letting our newfound light shine before men.

“… keep your chin up! Never mind! He will reign!“

Peccator justus!

 

(All quotes taken from Karl Barth: His Life from Letters and Autobiographical Texts, Eberhard Busch; Fortress Press, 1975, pp. 497-499)

And he said, “With what can we compare the kingdom of God, or what parable shall we use for it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which, when sown on the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on earth, yet when it is sown it grows up and becomes larger than all the garden plants and puts out large branches, so that the birds of the air can make nests in its shade.” (Mark 4:31-32 ESV)

God’s kingdom is established and started with imperishable seed. We’ve already established that the enemy scatters seeds (weeds) in with the good seed, and wherever the river flows, everything grows, both good and bad.  Only in the end time harvest, will the good be distinguished from the bad and the chaff burned up, but that doesn’t mean we wait for that day in order to sow seeds of the Kingdom of God instead of  to our flesh.

Galatians 6:7-8 states 

“For whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life.”

I want to draw your attention to the difference between building for the kingdom using imperishable seed, instead of perishable seed–chaff, weeds, wood, hay and stubble.  I think I’ve covered this extensively elsewhere, but this will be a bit more of review and looking at the difference between the perishable kingdoms of this world versus the kingdom of God–the heavenly imperishable realm.

Everything the believer does must be founded on the Word of God, not the flesh.  Usually we refer to the flesh when we think of sinning and not living a holy life, but Scripture uses it for other concepts as well.

“All flesh is like grass and all its glory like the flower of grass. The grass withers, and the flower falls, but the word of the Lord remains forever. And this word is the good news that was preached to you.“ (1 Peter 1: 25).

For our intents and purposes today, flesh is that which perishes, is not of God, is man’s strength, and that which can be accomplished without God’s help, or even accomplished in contradiction to His help. By default, this includes sin and living and functioning without Him.  But I want to take it further than the obvious.  There’s many ‘good’ works being done in our lives (in man’s eyes), but they are of the flesh, and like grass will wither and burn up.

Recall with me some of the things we know about seeds.  If you take seed, both good and bad, and sow them into a field or plot of land, both will grow and use up the resources in the ground.  The more you sow to the flesh, the more it will strengthen and develop, and the more you sow to the Spirit,  then the more you reap in that realm.

All flesh is destroyed eventually with the test of eternity.  If flesh is ‘like grass’, then thinking of things we know about grass is a good way of understanding what’s going to happen to the works of the flesh on that day–such as the imagery and analogy of seeds the Lord has had me writing about lately.  There will be much work that has been done by men, in the name of Christian religion, that will burn up on that fearful day and have NO significant eternal impact, because it was built with wood hay and stubble (1 Cor 3:12-15).  Therefore, allow me to challenge you by asking what are you building with?  What are you sowing with?  Are you building with perishable substance or imperishable?  It may look big and righteous now, but is it of eternal significance?  Will it withstand the fire of God on that day?

The difference Between Perishable and Imperishable

I mentioned how not all flesh is inherently spoken of as being sin, though it IS in that category by default.  The only two kingdoms the Bible refers to are the kingdoms of darkness, and the kingdom of light.  I’m not going to be harsh and specifically calling many of the works going on in this world as being sinful, but it IS true they are of no significant impact for eternity.  Jesus said it, and he said anybody not working for Him is working against Him (Matt 12:30). Many ‘good’ social programs exist today that take care of the immediate needs of people, and this is a good thing, not bad.  God’s Word says that pure and undefiled religion is taking care of the widow and orphan (James 1:27).  In no way am I knocking things that Scripture commends and commands.

However, unsaved people can also take care of their widows and orphans without the Holy Spirit’s touch involved in it, and spend eternity in hell despite having started good social programs.  A lot of ‘good’ people, who are doing ‘good’ things, are still going to hell.  It’s not our good works that make us right with God because Scripture says they’re like filthy rags anyway (Isaiah 64:6).  The Gospel of Jesus Christ and His Resurrection is the only way into His eternal kingdom (John 14:6).

The kingdom of man can invent hearing aids, without the Cross–or even WITH God’s help and motivation in the inventor’s life.  But Jesus, in His kingdom opens the ears of the deaf and they hear.  People can train seeing eye dogs, and come up with a language that involves touching the surface with one’s fingers in order to help the blind read and understand.  But Jesus Christ opens blind eyes and gives sight itself to the blind.  It’s a noble thing for men to enter the medical profession, invent or discover cures for diseases that ail the flesh–the temporary earthsuit man inhabits–but Jesus Christ heals all those things in both the earthly flesh realm and operates out of the heavenly imperishable realm.

Simply put, the difference between that which will withstand the fire on that day and that which won’t, is the stuff that can’t be done without the power of God in it.

Even of miracles the demonic realm has a counterfeit that looks just like the genuine.

“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.’ (Matt 7:21-23)

For our context, that would be like ministers reminding Jesus that his name was on their ministry, or they accomplished many things as a charitable not-for-profit organization or even as 501c3 church status organization.  But what will His response be?  Will He know you?  Does He recognize you from the secret place as you’ve had personal relationship with Him, and repented of man-made efforts?  Remember in the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matt 13:24-30), that tares look exactly like wheat in seed form but eventually by the harvest time their real DNA is made obvious, and their end result is destruction by fire, even if for a long time they looked alright compared to the wheat.  They are but grass…

The manner in which things are done in the flesh compared to how they are done in the kingdom of God is different in that the stuff that is birthed and originated in the flesh does not withstand the eternal fire, but that which is birthed in the heavenly realm can exist in the fleshly realm but not burn up when tested and salted with Holy Spirit fire.  The perishable–that which is flesh and not born of above doesn’t, and can’t exist in the imperishable Spiritual realm.  But the imperishable does and can exist in the perishable temporary realm, but it still exists and lasts in the eternal realm.

That being said, which realm do you want to be found living in?  Which realm do you want to build ministry and things that *look* like they are of the kingdom of God?  Which realm do you want your works to originate in?  Which type of seed do you want to sow–that of the flesh or that of the Spirit? Unsaved people can take care of the blind.  Muslims can care for their sick.  Hindus can look after their orphans.  What marks a difference with you and the kingdom you purport to be a part of, dear reader?  When the seeds have grown and harvested, which category will they be of –flesh or Spirit?  When the wheat and the chaff are separated at the end of the age, which side of the flame will your life and ministry be found on?

There is a lot of ‘good’ works being done, but that’s just the thing–they are ‘good’ and ‘noble’ things.  But if they can be done without the Spirit of God, their worth is NOTHING in eternity, and only matters in this ‘grass’ realm temporarily before being burned up.

Another difference between the two realms is the fear of the Lord versus the fear of man.  Whose praise do YOU seek?  Just recently I was listening to someone I respect and look up to weigh his options and use me as a sounding board about ministry he’s considering severing ties with because of how much more money-focused said ministry is becoming and losing its focus on spreading and sharing the Gospel.  It was this brother’s impression that this other ministry is more concerned about having a large reputation in the media and man’s eyes, but has left its first love that it was started on in the first place.  The ministry being referred to has no mention whatsoever on its website about the Gospel or that it’s supposed to be Christian in nature.  The idea is that it will not receive government grants and money from organizations that won’t sponsor them if they are overt in their Christianity, so they ‘tone it down’.  Friends, such a ministry is made of grass.  It may seemingly accomplish much in this realm in the short few decades or centuries it’s functioning today in this earthly & fleshly realm, but Jesus said  “whoever denies me before men, I also will deny before my Father who is in heaven.” (Matt 10:33)  Whoever one fears usually determines what realm the ministry or work is birthed in and functioning out of.

Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw—  each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire. (1 Cor 3:12-15)

Father, let us be a people whose works last and remain when tested by fire!  Let us be a people who are built on the cornerstone of Christ Jesus rather than be crushed by it and ground to powder from rejection of Him.  Make us into the living stones joined together into a kingdom of lasting significance and may you destroy all works of grass from our midst that we may be a pure and lasting kingdom of royal priests.  Let us not be ones who build with substance that doesn’t withstand the fire of your presence in eternity.

Amen.

For further meditation, here are other articles worth reading on our site that significantly overlap with what I covered in this post:

Separating Seeds of Righteousness & Wickedness, What Are You Building With?, Mixing in The Counterfeit with The Genuine

True & False Apostles – Bryan Purtle

What can be gleaned from the creation account, no matter if you interpret it literally or non literally? Here are some thoughts off the top of my head, from A to Z.

A. Everything is here the way it is because of God’s will somehow. Creation was God’s will and God’s idea. It has a purpose that involved humans and God. Gen 1:1. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.

B. God has an order to what He does. He wants people to likewise have purpose and order. This is reflected in the creation week and the seventh day Shabbat. The Shabbat was the template or example for the Israelites later on. Ex 20:8-11.  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

C. God only did good things until sin entered the equation. Then evil/judgment was necessary. Gen 1:31. And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

D. The devil is a tempter. He is evil. Recognize the nature of your enemy. Recognize our natural aversion to be humbly reliant upon God and His will. Gen 3:1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, “Did God actually say…

E. Man natural is prone to be stupid and do dumb things under pressure, be wary of that. Hosea 6:7. But like Adam they transgressed the covenant; there they dealt faithlessly with me.

F. Don’t lead others into your own stupidity and sin like Eve did. Gen 3:12. The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree

G. Don’t be so naive like Adam acted at the tree of knowledge. Be a man or a woman and stand up for truth. Gen 3:17. 17 And to Adam he said, of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life.

H. God hates the devil because the devil tempts man to sin. Gen 3:14. The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field.

I. God’s original intentions for man and the creation are temporarily retarded by sin. God has promised (Gen 3:15) to fix this. Jesus began this repair of the world.  I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

J. The way that God does things (i.e. create, speak things into existence, make people from dust, etc.) is mysterious to our understanding. Gen 1:3 …And God separated the light from the darkness.

K. Man is the greatest of all living things because we are called “the image of God.” God chose to make His children out of the most worthless substance in the universe- dust. His breath of life is in man uniquely. The moral is that mankind is very personal to God. The only thing that separates us from the rest of creation is our spiritual nature that God engages in a relationship with us with. Gen 1:26-27.  “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

L. All life is sacred, but especially mankind. This is reflected in the charge God has given to mankind over other life. Gen 1:28. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

M. Man is called to be a good steward over the creation, taking care of it and protecting/preserving it. Gen 1:28. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

N. When God judges Israel and sends them into exile, he will begin to work out a better plan for them, eventually. This is demonstrated in the expulsion of Adam and Eve from the garden situated in the west of where he was originally, Gen 2:8. This is also demonstrated in Cain’s expulsion and exile. God severely judged him but Cain had a productive life after that episode. Cain and Abel have a lot of allegorical meanings that are applicable to ancient Israel and consequently those messages are fruitful for believers today to understand and apply to daily life.

O. The devil is an evil creature. He is associated with the “evil” things like snakes and people who are “clever” in a negative sense. Gen 3:1. Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

P. Since light and dark can not be united as one thing, we can safely say that God’s methods of creating things and just doing things in general is beyond the scope of human comprehension and it is supernatural to a large extent.
And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness. Gen 1:4

Q. There is only one God who made/makes everything. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.  Gen 1:1.

R. There are other intelligent beings in the universe, like the devil in the garden. “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, “Did God actually say…” Gen 3:1. This is contrasted with “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper…” Gen 2:18.

S. The devil wants us to have a critical, unbelieving attitude of heart towards the God of the Bible. He wants us to just doubt God’s true intentions and God’s clear word (the clear parts, not all the in depth debatable things.) “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.He said to the woman, “Did God actually say…” Gen 3:1.

T. God provides for his people. God gave Adam food, clothes, a woman/companionship/family, authority to accomplish God’s call on his life, and genuine fellowship with Himself. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ” Gen 2:15.

U. God leads us into his plans for us. “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. ” Gen 2:15.

V. God is personally interested in us and He is fascinated by our thoughts. God brought the animals to Adam to see what he would name them. God allows mankind to learn new things. God is personally interested in what we do with our knowledge and why. God is very much like a good Father and his children. “Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. “ Gen 2:19.

W. God knows what we really need even when we just don’t know what that is. God made Eve for Adam because God knew it was not “good” for a person to live alone. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Gen 2:18.

X. God desires to be in community with people like he did with Adam and Eve. “Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Gen 2:18.

Y. Life is tough (the curses from sin). Realize that God still has a redemptive plan and purpose for us that is going to be fully accomplished before it over. “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Gen 3:15.

Z. God is a hard, thorough, master worker who does things in a “very good” manner. God made everything in 6 days and then rested, just like the Jews ought to do if they want to be on the same page as God who is there as their lawgiver for their good. “Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” Ex 20:9-11.

A common reason I’ve heard that justifies not believing for miracles or divine healing, is the idea that “God wills some to be sick” or there’s some “divine purpose” behind someone’s disease or infirmity.

“I prayed, and the sickness never went away, so I guess it’s God’s will for me to be sick.”

Whatever it is people choose to believe affects what they will seek God for and how they will live their spiritual lives. Beliefs can produce total victory or total defeat–the choice is always up to us as to if we will believe God at His Word or not.

Allow me to take a whole entry to show you a SCRIPTURAL example of God’s will being done despite what the circumstances initially showed. But hold on tight, because as usual, I’m going to make sure to challenge commonly held assumptions while doing so.

The texts for our consideration are found in Matthew 17:14-21, Mark 9:14-29, Luke 9:37-43a. Each account details the time when a man brought his epileptic boy to the disciples and they were unable to heal him.

To glean from and paraphrase using all three accounts, the situation goes something like this: Jesus comes down from the mountain after His transfiguration. Mark records that the disciples were in a relatively heated argument or as the Greek literally means a “joint investigation”. In other words, the scribes and the disciples were trying to figure out how come the disciples were unable to cast the demon out of this man’s boy.

It should be noted before going any further, that in Matthew 10, and Luke 9:1-6 Jesus had already sent out the disciples in His name to preach and heal and cast out demons—and demonstrate the kingdom of the One who sent them in His name. So the disciples have already been endued with authority to do such things, such as the case here with his man’s son, only now they are unable to for some reason. And at this point chronologically in each Gospel account this is recorded in, they’ve already done such deliverances and healings themselves, through the power of God in them. They are experienced on some level and have seen results already, so the question that comes up is why no result this time?

Two spiritual matters are brought to light in this story, and usually only one of the two is focused on: this passage is usually shown to teach how certain demons can only be cast out of people by prayer and fasting. I will challenge that assumption in a moment. But we tend to forget what Jesus told this man, and what He told his disciples privately later:

“But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.”  And Jesus said to him “If you can!  All things are possible for one who believes.”  Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, “I believe; help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:22-24)

Belief & unbelief and faith & lack of it are a key component of the issue here.

I’ve always wondered if Jesus was being slightly sarcastic when he said “If you can!” in response to this man’s plea. IF this man knew more about Jesus before bringing his son to the disciples, he probably would know Jesus CAN, but probably the lack of ability on the part of Jesus’ disciples made him second-guess if Jesus could also. As Matthew Henry states in his commentary on this passage “Thus Christ suffers in his honour by the difficulties and follies of his disciples.” And so it still is to this day.

Jesus rebukes the demon, and it comes out of the boy. Everyone glorifies God, and Jesus enters the house He was on his way to, and the disciples then come up to Him and ask Him why they were unable to cast it out. All of you have heard and remember that He tells them “this kind can only go out by prayer and fasting.” However, if you’ve got a good Bible, there will be a note there at the end of Mark 9:29, and some translations of your Bibles will not even have verse 21 in Matthew 17 (which also states the same thing).

I get told all the time when talking about certain subjects “not to build doctrines on just one verse”, and people say that to me about speaking & praying in tongues (never mind that topic for the moment, and never mind they build their cessationist doctrines on one verse and a lot of assumptions, but anyway) for just one example. Some go so far as to “correct me” if I ever use the end of Mark 16 to say what believers are capable of because “it’s not in the original text”. If I can’t use “one” verse or passage to prove a point, neither can doctrines about this one verse be established when it’s convenient either—people can’t have it both ways when it suits their personal doctrines. But let’s look at what IS in our Bibles. Matthew’s Gospel records another component as to why they were unable to cast out the demon:

Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.” (Matthew 17:20)

Why does any of this even matter?

Oh boy, the mud is about to hit the fan now! If you ever want to make someone feel insulted, just imply that they lack faith in or for something. Even if you don’t say it, people somehow pick up on it and assume that if you’re saying people can have more faith for things, that that necessitates people already sometimes don’t have enough faith. Well, that’s exactly what I’m saying. Try not to be offended about it if you feel I’m talking about you, because I am. This applies to all of us for at least two reasons.

1) Faith is measurable.

All believers have a “seed”–if you will–of faith, but each of us water it and feed it at our own pace, our own amount, on our own frequency. Some people move mighty mountains, while others buckle under pressure if they don’t know how they’ll pay their $30 credit card bill that month. Frankly, NOT everybody has the same amount of faith! I don’t care if it’s politically incorrect or rude to say so!

However, I personally will never step on somebody for not believing as hard for something as I do, any more than I’d kick a baby for not walking yet. The Bible says of Jesus “a bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not quench” (Matt.12:20). We need to be patient as believers with each other and not get frustrated with someone just because they aren’t where you’re at yet. Build them up. Edify them INTO what you’re showing them, don’t just prove them wrong and think that settles it. You may already notice my style of blog writing is that I don’t prove something to be a problem without offering what I think is a solution, or that I don’t try disproving something just to prove something wrong alone in itself, without trying to invite the reader INTO what I’m sharing. We should show others ways to increase their faith, but not jump on them for not being there yet and put blame and guilt on them.

Maybe it’s possible, after all the things the disciples had already done in their ministry with Jesus, they had not yet seen something this severe and were not ready to handle it? Is it possible maybe that they weren’t mature enough in their faith yet to handle this particular deliverance properly? Who knows, I’m just speculating and any other assumption from the text is just that—speculation. But Jesus DID tell them they had “little faith”. If I were to say to someone–no, if I were to insinuate or simply IMPLY they were unable to obtain results in something because of little faith, I’d never hear the end of it from people about how arrogant I am. But this is an honest explanation Jesus gives.

I’ve rejected before the popular Christianese saying “if you only have faith the size of a mustard seed, you can move mountains”. That is obviously not what this passage is teaching. Jesus can’t be talking here of the size of a mustard seed if he just told his disciples the reason they couldn’t do something was because the size of “their faith seed” was too small! We learn from other passages where the kingdom of God is described as a mustard seed, that it starts off small, but then grows and dominates the garden (Luke 13: 18-19)—that is something worthy of consideration. Maybe it’s likely our “faith” is something that grows and increases in time if it possesses the very characteristics of the example used to describe it—a mustard seed. Check out a previous article for further study on “mustard seed faith” for more about that.

2) This passage also shows that just because healing didn’t happen (initially anyway) doesn’t mean it was God’s will for someone to stay sick.

Not only did the disciples not accomplish something they were given authority to do (but as we established, lacked faith to carry out), Jesus Himself goes ahead and does it. This passage is not just a teaching on Jesus teaching his disciples a lesson about something—this shows Jesus is perfectly capable of healing and performing the miraculous out of His compassion, and His desire to heal is not always demonstrated properly just because of our inabilities to accomplish what He has ordained and authorized us to do.

Would it bother some people to admit that healing is NOT automatic? This seems to be the favorite evangelical/cessationist argument to use on charismatics: “why don’t you use your gift of healing to heal so and so?” I dare to say that healing hardly ever happens and operates without faith being involved on someone’s part—whether it be the healer or the “healee”—usually the healer though, because you’ll never find Jesus refusing to heal someone b/c their faith is too small to BE healed, but He does rebuke His disciples for their faith being too small TO heal others.

I hear people say all the time “well why doesn’t Benny Hinn or so and so or those charismatics go into hospitals and heal all the sick people?”  When someone says this particular statement or a derivative of it, I like to say “good idea, why don’t you do it sometime since it bothers you and you’ve noticed it’s not being done enough? God clearly put that on your heart for a reason, maybe He wants you to do it?”

It’s easy to be armchair critics and point out what others aren’t doing when we’re doing nothing ourselves, and overlook what IS being accomplished by certain other ministries, but anyway. The only person really demonstrating “automatic” healing in the Bible is Jesus–if you could call it “automatic” healing. But even Jesus Himself prayed more than once for someone for healing before they got it on their way to see the priest, they were healed (Luke 17:12-16). Let’s not make up functions for how God operates that aren’t actually in Scripture, or if they are–not to overlook other examples of healing also. Sure there were some who would touch the fringe of His garment and be healed (Matt 14:35-36, Mark 6:56), and the woman who touched His garment got healed of a blood discharge instantly upon touching him (Matt 9:20-22, Mark 5:25-34), but that’s not the only way healing was transferred in Jesus’ ministry. In the future I intend on posting an entry detailing examples of healings in the Gospels not being immediate. My motivation for doing so is to give hope and encourage people not to give up so easily when it doesn’t happen right away, but to persevere. (such as the blind man who saw people as trees at first, Mark 8:22-25). There were even incidences where lepers came to Him, and Scripture records that.

I can sum up for you why some people see healing when they lay hands on the sick and others don’t.  And it’s not just faith; it’s tenacity.  Some people persist, like Jacob did for the blessing.  Some of us just give up too quickly if we don’t get results right away and not only give up, but build doctrines out of our failures like “it wasn’t God’s time” or “God doesn’t will to heal all.“

I’ve heard people reject the ministry of David Hogan, a missionary to Mexico for almost 30 years and has seen dead raisings in his ministry, because “they don’t like his attitude.” I think his “attitude” is why I trust him–it further evidences the fact it’s God working through him and it’s not man’s own ability. But I mention him because many people associate his ministry in Mexico with dead raisings and other supernatural miracles. Sure, in talking about him there almost becomes folklore and mythology in that Chuck Norris kind of way. But people forget the conditions and circumstances He lives in are FAR from what any of us even talking about him could relate to–like people have to bury their own dead, and not everyone can afford proper burials or for their loved ones to be taken to morgues and things like such. This is a man who’s been beaten within inches of his life, stabbed, shot, etc.. He’s doing hard work none of us could even relate to.

There’s places he goes where people just don’t have funerals and life insurance coverage and things like that. But specifically, people forget that the first time Hogan prayed for someone to be raised up, it didn’t happen. Nor the second time, or the third. This happened MANY times before seeing the first one rise up. And on the occasion he saw his first dead raising, he had prayed by the body for 14 hours solid before the results came–how many of us can even spend ONE hour in personal prayer?

I know you would do it differently if you were David Hogan, of course!

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, circumstances can destroy any sound doctrine, and most doctrines in the church are built around failure instead of the Word of God. But how many of us are willing to persist when we lay our hands on someone and they don’t immediately show results? How many of you reading will keep going for it, or will you let your “sensibilities” tell you it’s foolish or that your evangelical peers will think you’re a flake if you speak too much about it or go “too out there” with this stuff? Having our theological “if God wants them healed He will heal them Himself” ducks in a row more often than not is an excuse for inaction.

Are you afraid if you go up to that person in a wheelchair you might look stupid? Trust me, you will look stupid, so quit worrying about it. I remember being in Charlotte, North Carolina a couple of years back, and was at Concord Mills Mall with some FIRE students. I chickened out the first two times I saw someone in a wheelchair. I made those same excuses to myself as everybody else does. But then it grated on me–”well, no guts, no glory“. The third person I saw, I went up to him, and he said no. Dang. I really was in the zone too! Then it dawned on me, what’s the worst that could happen? They say no if you ask? Or they don’t immediately get up if they do let you pray for them?

Allow me to finish with this and share other thoughts some other time, some other entry: What if, in order to get the breakthrough, God told you first to pray for a thousand people who would not be healed, before you started seeing healings regularly? If you have a brain, you’ll lay your hands on everything that lets you until you’ve reached number 1000! Then, go back to the first person and pray for them now that it’s working.

“Steve, God will not allow many people to operate in healing, because it will cause people to fall into pride”. Right, like you’ve never been in pride before! And God would keep somebody sick in order to avoid having you fall into pride? THAT is pride already!

Trust me, there is NO reason for anyone not to go for it we just make all the excuses in the world out of fear of failure, fear of rejection on the part of the person we seek to heal. Fear of taking responsibility for a miracle God enabled believers to do.

You’ll never know now will you if you don’t go for it…

Check out a really thorough teaching on faith and growing in it that I preached in Holland at a FIRE Summer School one year if you want to dwell more on these themes:
Download mp3 (right click and save)