Fire On Your Head

^“If this be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up.” (Dan 3:17-18, ESV)

I initially wanted to write this article and name it after the life of Daniel, until I realized the major example I want to focus on in the third chapter doesn’t even involve him or mention him at all. I want to glean from some examples found in the third chapter, and challenge each of us to be ‘fireproof’ (yes I am a Pillar fan).

Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were ‘fireproof’ because of their resoluteness not to bow to anything other than the God of heaven. Malachi 3:2-3 mentions how in the day of the Lord’s appearing, He comes like a refiner’s fire and a fuller’s soap–and that his ministers are purified like gold.

The reason these three Hebrew men could withstand this earthly fire is because they were made fireproof by heavenly fire, for God makes his ministers a flame of fire (Ps 104:4). These men were of a pure spirit that even the worldly king’s fire couldn’t harm. Just like if you take gold and purify it by fire, different impurities come to the surface, and the gold itself is made purer–likewise these men, in their devotion to God and not bowing to the idol of their age they were confronted with, were made resistant to the flame they were subjected to for their obedience and devotion to the God of heaven.

Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire. (Hebrews 12:28-29).

The fire of this world can’t touch you when you’ve been purged by the fire of God.

Those very people trying to punish them through fire died while Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego withstood the flames and another angelic presence was seen in the flames with the young men. The soldiers who carried the bodies of the three Hebrew men died themselves in the process. What a severe reaction the king had that these young men would dare not bow down to a statue made in his honor–he had the fire heated up 7 times more than normal, and the men who carried their bodies into it died in the process. This fire was a fire of distinction and distinguishing–the pure withstood it while the wicked in heart perished in it. The tares were separated from the wheat and burned up. The dross disappeared while the gold, silver and that which is precious purified, and the Lord of hosts magnified in the sight of all.

There’s many things going on in our contemporary culture, where to take the stand of righteousness makes us look like we’re the foolish ones, and ending our lives or political careers–if even just in the area of reputation. It’s much easier to go with the flow, but the flow itself is perishable and when the flame of the fire of God touches it, it burns up like chaff.

Make no mistake, it was the king who called for the furnace to be the method of death for anybody unwilling to bow to his image, but what the enemy meant for evil, the Lord turned and made work out for His own purposes of exalting the men who remained faithful and loyal to Him despite the threat of earthly death put upon them, and was Himself glorified ultimately. These men knew the God, Who after taking one’s life, had the power to cast their body and soul into hell (Luke 12:4-5). They feared the right King. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego could remain fireproof and imperishable in the midst of this fire, because they’d pledged themselves to the kingdom made of imperishable substance. These men refused to bow to the rulers and authorities.

Can that be said of us in our age? Many ministries boast of their ‘relevancy’, and bow down to kiss the king of Babylon’s ring, but that which is relevant to this age may not necessarily be relevant in the unshakable kingdom. Too many believers are capable of wasting their political vote for parties that will kill the unborn, because they have better financial policies than the party that won’t. The decisions that pertain to the imperishable realm are overlooked for concerns about this perishable realm. Many build their lives and their ministries with wood, hay and straw, which will all perish when touched by the fire of His presence. What are YOU building with?

Wood, hay and straw are substance that grows or is found above the ground and visible in the sight of all. Gold, silver, and precious stones are beneath the surface, and aren’t visible–they are buried and hidden and require seeking. These three Hebrew men were made valuable, precious, and fireproof by their time in the presence of His fire, in their secret place–unseen by men. That is why they could face the threat of death with such confidence because they were made strong in private. Wood, hay and straw on the one hand all burn in such fire, as we happened with the king’s soldiers.

Friend, bow not! Don’t be afraid of them who can harm your body but can’t touch your inner man. Fear HIM who has power to throw both body and soul into hell. Bow the knee to the King of kings worthy of your praise and adoration. The closer we get to HIS fire, His presence presence, the more the impurities will leave from us, and though grueling as this process is, it’s more preferable than anything earthly kings can do to us! The fire in this furnace was not the flames started by a man, but the fiery presence of God, which is why the soldiers were but chaff and burned up in it as they attempted to dispose of the bodies of the men who wouldn’t bow to earthly kings. However, because the three who pledged their allegiance to the King of all kings DID bow the knee before Him, they withstood.

“In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials, though it is tested so that the tested genuineness of your faith—more precious than gold that perishes by fire—may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.” “Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for “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 1:6-7,22-25 )

Please check out these related articles for further meditations on the fire of God:

All Consuming Fire,   No Perishing Point

“But the one who received the seed that fell on good soil is the man who hears the word and understands it. He produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matt 13:23)

Recently I had heard about a number of tombs being found in Egypt in recent years which contained mummified remains of people.  In the tombs they also had jars which contained seeds that had been preserved in that state for thousands of years. Someone got the idea to sow them and harvest the corn and such contained in the seed to see if there was any significant difference between what they sowed in Egypt over 2700 years ago, compared to the seeds of those types of crops harvested today.  There was no difference, it yielded the same exact thing.  It didn’t matter how old the seed was, because apparently the seeds we’ve passed on from generation to generation, still contained the same crop as those from thousands of years earlier.  It didn’t expire or reach its ‘best before’ date.  All of the image of what that seed was intended to yield remained intact inside it for over 2700 years until it was harvested.

I thought this was simple yet amazing enough of an example of God’s kingdom worth adding to my series on the ‘imperishable seed‘ lately. I highly suggest going over those posts for the benefit of this entry if you’ve never read them before, as many of the Scriptures I’m referencing or taking for granted in this post I’ve been covering more in depth in previous posts for the foundation I’m building on in this one.

Another way I thought about this: I remember as a teenager the days when I used to make mix tapes – long before we had digital mp3 players and iPods (which I thank God for!).  I would take songs on CDs of mine that I wanted to make a mix tape with, and listen to the tape on my Sony Walkman while delivering newspapers.  The quality of the songs–because they were only a copy–would be degenerated compared to the original CD I obtained them from.  If I wanted to make a copy of that mix tape for somebody, I’d have to go to the original CDs again, because if I copied the tape–which itself was just a copy of songs–then the quality of that next tape would be even worse than mine was.  Such was the quality of copying using analog–it gets worse and worse the more you reproduce it from one copy to another.

Natural seed is not like such, and this is certainly not the case with the imperishable seed either (1 Peter 1:23)–it doesn’t diminish, lose anything, or degenerate from one generation to the next as it’s passed on.

The same seed of Christ planted in a believer who was changed by the blood of Christ having put their trust in Him 2000 years ago does the same work in a believer’s heart today.  The seed has not gotten worse the more it was spread.  Kingdom seed is not analog.  Its ‘DNA’ doesn’t change when it’s passed on from one person to another.  If what’s true of the natural seed is true of the spiritual imperishable seed of Christ in us, then it shines light on passages like when Jesus said in John 14:12  “Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever believes in me will also do the works that I do; and greater works than these will he do, because I am going to the Father.”

We are capable of doing at the very least the works, signs and wonders Jesus did, because His imperishable seed–perfect image of His nature–has been implanted in us (1 John 3:9).  But Jesus didn’t stop there, He said we’d do greater works than these.  Whenever I talk to people of certain evangelical persuasions or denominations who don’t believe in the gifts of the Holy Spirit–tongues, healing, and what have you–as being for today, I no longer go to the book of Acts to point out that there’s no reason to believe such activity was to stop in the Church, but I point to this aspect of Christ’s character.  If He did certain things, and said we would also and more, AND has planted His seed in us, then nothing of the image in that seed has depreciated over the centuries or degenerated in quality since.  Nothing of His has been lost or diminished in us. He didn’t even say we’d do at least the same He did, but greater works.  I know that sounds blasphemous to some, and is an abused concept by some people, but it’s still what the Word of God teaches and shows.  So the idea it’s arrogant to say believers can heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons or do things Jesus did and said we’d do (Mark 16: 16-18) is strengthened, and “only He can do it” is nullified, because the very nature of Christ is implanted into us as believers when we’re born again.

Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. (John 12:24)

Jesus, our ultimate example, left His abode in heaven, and entered our fleshly earth realm, and lived as a man.  He ‘fell into the earth’ and died, that He may be raised from the dead and conquer sin, and in a sense, plant a new work in mankind that would blossom and flourish and that work itself would overcome the sinful, carnal death nature.  Jesus died in order to be gloried, much like a seed.   Seed gives forth after its own kind, and Jesus’ likeness is reproduced into those of us where His seed is implanted.  Who He is, is spread and reproduced in us as we mature and grow and spread the kingdom of God with evangelizing and manifesting the nature of Christ through healing the sick, and giving freedom to the oppressed.

Likewise, in order to obtain the Christ seed, we ourselves die.  We have to give up our life and no longer be in control, or no longer own ourselves, in order to be a part of this spiritual realm.  In order to manifest this heavenly Christ-ruled kingdom, we die to ourselves, and live through Christ.  There can’t be any ounce of self left, because Christ’s nature abides in the believer.  He was not like ‘us’ in our sinful fallen state.  Therefore such sin nature must die–that nature must no longer be nurtured–but the seed of Christ in us watered and nurtured, and cultivated.  The seed of Christ on the inside of us is as holy as how sinful Adam’s seed inside us is evil–the nature that must be killed in order to mature in the nature of Christ.  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.” All opportunities for this flesh nature to grow, or be nurtured, must be cut off.  I encourage reading a previous post for more about the importance of that.

What Exactly is IN the Seed?

“The seed is the word of God.” (Luke 8:11)  This being the case, I’m going to use the word ’seed’ interchangeably with ‘the Word’ of God, and by no means is the following list exhaustive, but I just want to share a few ideas to drive the point home.

“And what you sow is not the body that is to be, but a bare kernel, perhaps of wheat or of some other grain. But God gives it a body as he has chosen, and to each kind of seed its own body. For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish.” (1 Cor 15:37-39)

• It contains what it is to reproduce after, as we’ve already been establishing.

“The kingdom of God is as if a man should scatter seed on the ground. He sleeps and rises night and day, and the seed sprouts and grows; he knows not how. The earth produces by itself, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.”(Mark 4:26-28)

• It contains the kingdom of God.  All that is necessary for revival and the kingdom of power spreading is found first in the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear…

“He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness.  You will be enriched in every way to be generous in every way, which through us will produce thanksgiving to God.” (2 Cor 9:10-11)

“Therefore put away all filthiness and rampant wickedness and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls.” (James 1:21)

“I write to you, young men, because you are strong,  and the word of God abides in you,  and you have overcome the evil one.” (1 John 2:14b)

• It contains your righteous nature and ability to live holy, and to overcome sin and the evil one, and salvation for our souls.  See also 1 John 3:8-10.

By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. (Hebrews 11:3)

“For they deliberately overlook this fact, that the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water by the word of God” (2 Peter 3:5)

• It contains creative forces which create and give life.  As you can see, faith is mixed in with this word of God in order to bring forth any creation.  The same properties as mentioned in Hebrews 11:3 are true of seed.  The wood and leaves and fruit and all such things itself are not present in the seed, but the DNA is and in the right conditions, those things come forth out of the ground when it’s planted and nurtured.

I personally believe this ’seed’ is where gifts, talents, skills, and our calling is located.  I won’t be too argumentative if someone disagrees with me, because I can’t completely ‘prove this’, but hear me out:  the same way each and every individual person has specific and unique DNA that makes them who they are, I believe the Lord does with this imperishable seed in all believers.  The same way that the seed in the womb of a woman contains all the information as to who the baby is and will become, its hair color, its personality, and other traits not just physical, I believe the spiritual seed implanted inside the believer contains all the spiritual versions of such DNA and it’s up to us to water and nurture that seed.  It’s up to us to edify, encourage and exhort each other as well (since we are all the collective Body of Christ) into maturity into such things as God has designed for us individuals to become in Him and in His Body.  That’s why some people are capable of not ‘realizing their potential’.  It’s not that some people fail, and others succeed because God is hyper-sovereign and picks and chooses some to be outpacing others, but because He’s deposited in us all we need, and allows us to be stewards of our own edification and growth.

The point of the seed is that it yields and gives forth after itself, and does not remain a seed.  Therefore in an upcoming post, I’ll share some more on how to extract that information from the seed and grow spiritually.

He said therefore, “What is the kingdom of God like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed that a man took and sowed in his garden, and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air made nests in its branches.” (Luke 13:18-19) 

God’s intention is not that we remain in seed form, but grow in such a manner as to produce fruit some thirty fold, some sixty and some a hundredfold.

May it be so in our lives!

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

The mystery of God is a treasure, waiting to be revealed: It is the discovery that changes people’s lives. The treasure is the gold, the silver, and the precious stones that are hidden beneath the surface: It is the taste of the fruit spawn from the tree of life: It is the internal promise of eternal life inside creation that lies dormant-until the power of faith in the Son of God breaks its seal.

Matthew 13:44-46

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking  fine pearls, and upon finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.

How is the kingdom of heaven like this, like a treasure hidden in a field which a man finds and sells everything for it? Sounds like Jesus. In a broad interpretation, the field is the earth and the treasure is us. Jesus gave everything He had to buy the field that contained the treasure. Simotaneously, in Him finding us, we find Him. He is our treasure. We must give all that we have to know Him.

How is the kingdom like this? We are not the only ones. We are still in the field. We are on a journey searching for a new treasure; a treasure that is inside everyone around us, waiting for its discovery.

Not very long ago, we were at a conference and Kris Vallatton was the speaker. Part of his message was on the passage from:

1 Corinthians 14:24-25

But if all prophesy and an unbeliever or an ungifted man enters, he is convicted by all, he is called to account by all; the secrets of his heart are disclosed, and so he will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you.

An interesting point that Kris brought to light was that the word “secret,” is more correctly translated “treasure.” Now this changes the whole perspective from which the modern application of the passage is concurred. Usually the thought is that prophesy will reveal the secret sin or “read the person’s mail” and now that he is busted, he will repent and turn to God. This may be the case sometimes, but this passage more accurately dictates that the prophecy unearths the treasure in the person’s heart, revealing to them that Jesus knows who they are and cares about they’re dreams. He longs to see them fulfilled, just as they do.

Sin is sin. I am an advocate for holiness and the preaching against it at all times. I am all about seeing people set free from sin. According to this passage, however, my goal is not going to be to go and evangelize by revealing every-one’s sin to them and demanding repentance. According to this passage I am on a treasure hunt. I am searching for the treasures hidden in their hearts, and hopefully, that is what I will cause to surface in the Spirit. If I can prophesy to them the things that they have longed for and dreamed for, and show them that Jesus is the One who fulfills their dreams, they will realize just how real and awesome He is. By crying out to the call and relationship with God that lies dormant inside of them, their true calling in life will surface. And when that comes to light, it will ignite a process that burns out the sin.

Prophecy is revealing to someone just how awesome God is and just how awesome they are to God! I recently ran into an old friend at dinner and he was a little discouraged about sharing his faith because after all these years of doing so, he usually received a negative reaction. He method was typical; “Jesus loves you, wants to save you, to repent of your sins, will you pray this prayer with me…” I am not negating this entirely, but the approach does need a shift, especially in a society where they gave their guts full of this mentality. So, I began to share with him some of these things. I encouraged him to look past their sins and find the treasure that is hidden beneath, and when that is drawn to the surface, the sin will disappear.

Natural Evangelism

Evangelism should be natural, not a strenuous task. There will be growing pains when we are first stepping out, but maturity will come. Evangelism is sharing what is in your heart with someone else. It should be as natural as taking a breath or drinking water. You are being real with the person sharing the reality of your relationship with the one who surfaced the treasure in your heart. In essence you are showing them the treasure within you, and causing them to realize that they have a treasure of their own that is waiting to be excavated.

Each person has a key that will unlock their heart. The Lord reveals to us that secret and gives us a word of prophecy to unlock the door.The more time we spend with Him, the treasure of our lives, the more we will begin to see the treasures inside of people and have the wisdom to cause their eyes to open up to it. We have the keys to the kingdom. We can open up doors that no one else can. A miracle could be a key that opens up the door to an entire city, the key to every treasure box in the city. Our heart is a treasure chest. The treasure in our chest is light that in itself becomes the key to someone Else’s treasure.

Conclusion

I am just beginning to express thoughts on this subject, so to say this is incomplete is justifiable. I do hope you to read 1 Corinthians 2-3 in the NASB for further context.  Also read The Stewardship of the Mystery, by T. Austin Sparks. Hopefully more to come concerning theses matters. And on that note of sounding professorish, I will leave you to your treasure hunt.

Jesus is Lord

Have you ever felt like you just “got” something, and it made sense to you, but not to anybody else, and when you try to articulate it you sound like a babbling child who can’t put words together, because you don’t know how to explain it? Like you’ve downloaded some big file on your computer, but you didn’t have the right ‘zip’ program to unpack it all and put it to use? Well that is what this entry is like for me–and writing it and putting articulate thought to it is, in a way harder to do than having a conversation with someone about it with their interactive input or clarification on thoughts. So, that’s my disclaimer. And now, here I go and unload it all. I hope it makes some sense to y’all, and this is my official ‘end of the year’ New Year’s themed entry. You’ll be like “huh”, but trust me and follow me to the end…

Here is a revelation of the age we are in, and the age to come that many believers don’t seem to have a functional understanding of. If we did, the Body of Christ would live way differently than we do.

This age we live in is a temporary one. The one to come, is eternal. Where are you dwelling? Where are you planted?

The kingdom of God has already broken through into this realm, and not yet completely, both at the same time. The instant Jesus died on the cross, the powers and principalities of the air, and the results of the fall of man were defeated. But, in a sense–and this almost sounds heretical if I don’t choose my words carefully–not everything has been 100% implemented yet and still won’t be (so to speak) until Jesus Christ returns. Jesus has not begun to rule the new earth and new heavens, but He is sitting at the right hand of the Father, now. Meanwhile, the “present evil age” spoken of in Scripture (Gal 1:4) is passed, and still in the process of passing away. It has come to an end, but in our realm of understanding the concept of time, has not ‘been completed’ yet.

So in effect, we are in overlapping ages. We are in the already and not yet of the age to come, and the present and “passing away” of the evil age that the kingdom of heaven has defeated and ousted. The kingdom of God is ‘here’ and ‘not yet’ simultaneously without contradiction.

Is your head spinning yet? I think that’s as concise as I know how to put it, but re-read that a couple of times if you really can’t figure out what I’m trying to say.

With that all being said, where we live and dwell, and how we make our decisions shows which age we’re living for. Being stuck in this present age is a sign of immaturity, and being stuck and based out of the age to come while living here on this earth at this present time, is a sign of maturity.

What realm do you live your existence in?

If Jesus returned today, would you be mad or disappointed that you never got to fulfill your ministry ambitions? If you’re single and reading this, would you be disappointed He didn’t wait longer until after you could get married first? What about your education, secular or ‘sacred’—would you be upset with Him in your heart that He came to set up His kingdom before you could start your career and live the American dream, own a nice car, house and white picket fence? Which life are you focused on?

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope
that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to decay and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.
And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.
For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees?
But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
Romans 8:18-25

The nature of the kingdom of God is already here in our possession but not yet have all things been brought into subjection or given to us. All of creation is groaning, and waiting for us to get our act together. The children of God are groaning for the age to come—or are you fixed on this age and the cares of this life?

As verse 8 says, the sufferings of this present time (evil age) are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us (age to come).

I guess with all the stuff that is going through my mind right now, as we end one year and begin another, my thoughts and the shape of my ideas come out as this entry and this message, with the backdrop I’ve laid out so far. Instead of writing about my thoughts on the year to come, and focusing on the year gone by I’d rather focus on the present, and say to any reading that need to hear this, whatever you’re going through, you’ve got to leave it in the past—it won’t last or survive or have any significance in the age to come. As the U2 song says, walk on and leave it behind.

Many of us have gone through our shakings, and things have been broken off of us and we couldn’t imagine how we’d handle it much longer, but we did, and we came out stronger. Some feel that way right now. In Hebrews 12:26 we are told God has promised “Yet once more I will shake not only the earth but also the heavens.” The next verse goes on to say that this phrase indicates “the removal of things that are shaken–that is, things that have been made–in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain.” The things we get broken off of us, are merely the stuff from this age, this life, in order that what remains is only the stuff that lasts in the age and kingdom to come. The more attached we are to the things of this temporary realm, the more painful that shaking is when it happens. I have people that come to mind and on my heart right now–who I know will never read this–but if they did, I wish I could take pain they’re going through away or encourage them to redeem it and not let it go to waste. I know that nothing we go through is for loss, but for gain eternally. This life is but a vapor, so leave the crap behind in that vapor that will disappear!

Therefore do not throw away your confidence, which has a great reward.
For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God you may receive what is promised.
For, “Yet a little while, and the coming one will come and will not delay;
but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him.”
Hebrews 10:36-38

In this you rejoice, though now for a little while, if necessary, you have been grieved by various trials,
so that the tested genuineness of your faith–more precious than gold that perishes though it is tested by fire–may be found to result in praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
1 Peter 1:6-7

And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.
1 Peter 5:10

This life is just a little while. After this little while comes the eternity which is based on THIS little while! John Bevere writes an amazing allegory that takes up about 1/3 of his newest book, Driven by Eternity, about these characters who live in and train in a school, and then go off into their ‘professional’ lives, always under the impression that in ten years they will be taken before the king, and judged for what they did with their ten year period in preparation for life under this ruler’s kingdom, and rewarded or punished accordingly. Only, they are all gathered suddenly and unexpectedly after only 5 years, and now are going to be judged according to what they did with that five year period of their life. I strongly suggest and recommend reading this book if you want to be rattled and challenged about what realm you’re living your focus in.

To get back into the overlapping of the ages we’re in, the ‘little while’ temporariness clashes with eternity here, and it produces suffering. It produces testing for us to overcome, that we may be fit for that eternity. We are supposed to live victoriously above this world during the age, but it should never steal our focus off the age to come. This little while is a reference to a time of testing common to mankind. Don’t get me wrong, we only are saved through faith in Jesus Christ, but all things will be put through the fire.

The fire that purifies gold also turns what is not of gold to ashes. Malachi 4:1-3 states in clear detail the way the godly will be purified, and the wicked will be ashes under their feet, but the idea is that we need to be people that will withstand the fire, and not be vaporized both then and by the fiery trials of life. We are told in 1 Corinthians 3:12-15 that what we build in this life will be tested with fire, and those that suffer loss are the ones who build with wood, hay, and straw—the things that are seen above the surface of the ground. Are the things in your life that are seen by all going to burn up in that day? This is precisely why there will be many ministries in that day, doing mighty glorious works and who are even anointed powerfully, and they will have their works burned up with nothing to show for it, saying to Jesus “Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ (Matt 7:21-23). They built a ministry in this lifetime that was seen by many, but had no eternal or everlasting significance in the kingdom to come.
The gold, silver and precious stones, those are the things buried and hidden. Do you have things said and done in secret that are worthy of being shouted from rooftops in that day? Those are the things that will withstand the fire.

The things some of you are going through, the things that make you want to cave in and give up, are meant to purify you, whether it feels like it or not. Wounds heal, and the scars are badges for eternity. Experience the moment you’re in with faith, courage, and dignity—don’t pretend it’s not happening. Sometimes lamenting can be the greatest form of worship. But the scars you will obtain, are the result of wounds that got healed. Redeem your suffering and make it count for eternity, and turn those wounds into battle scars.

As you enter the New Year, pondering what was, determine in your heart you will be made strong by what has been, and redeem it for the age to come, and leave behind in the age that’s passing away, what needs to be forgotten and left behind.

On with the forward march,

Steve