Author: Randy

How do we continue to grow and walk in Jesus? John gives us some ‘do not’s.’

¹⁵  Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. ¹⁶  For all that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world. ¹⁷  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever. 1 John 2:15-17 (NKJV)

This passage points out the danger of living from a natural perspective. We cannot serve two masters (Matt. 6:24). The ‘world’ here refers to the natural perspective and system rooted in lust and pride which are byproducts of the fall. The lust of the flesh was stirred up by the serpent when he enticed Eve to desire the forbidden fruit by gazing upon it with her eyes. Pride was sown in man when the choice was made to follow natural reasoning rather than God. These things will perish and we must choose to follow the Father or the worldly system. Everything needs to be evaluated from this perspective (see Mat: 6:33). Many things are enticing and appear to be good, but when looked at from the perspective of eternity they lose both their appeal and value. John is here exhorting us to live with an eternal perspective and pointing out that if our first love is a worldly perspective then the love of our Father is not in us. He is not negating a struggle against sin, rather the embracing of sin.

What John is dealing with here is those who claimed to be born again but lived for the world and rejected the Lord’s values. A clear refutation of Gnostic views. John is showing that the two are incompatible and it is a lie to claim to love the Father but reject His value system. Bear in mind the Gnostic idea that we can sin and love the world because we are above it and what we do with our bodies does not matter. John is showing very clearly that it not only matters, it has eternal consequences.

What John doesn’t talk about here, but something that is a spiritual reality, is that when we love and pursue the world it creates veils over out heart. Yahweh explained this to Ezekiel.

¹  Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. ²  And the word of the LORD came to me, saying, ³  “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them? ⁴  Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord GOD: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the LORD will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵  that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’ Ezekiel 14:1-5 (NKJV)

What Ezekiel points out is that if we have idols in our hearts they act as a filter through which we hear from Yahweh. The result, our hearing is distorted.

Having told us what not to do John shifts focus.

¹⁸  Little children, it is the last hour; and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have come, by which we know that it is the last hour. ¹⁹  They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us; but they went out that they might be made manifest, that none of them were of us. ²⁰  But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. ²¹  I have not written to you because you do not know the truth, but because you know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

Here we come back to the significance of how John refers to our spiritual maturity. The phrase ‘little children in verse 18 refers to immature believers. In verses 20-21 he again strongly refutes Gnostic influences. These verses show that even at our most immature, as believers we have an inward anointing, the presence of the Holy Spirit, to lead and guide us into truth and away from deception. The other fact is that those who truly have a heart to follow Him will continue in this inward anointing and remain in fellowship with other believers. One thing that it is very helpful to understand here is that Christ literally means ‘the Anointed One.’ Jesus is the Anointed One. The antichrist is literally one who is against (anti) the Anointed One, or opposed to the anointing in us. This applies to both the anointing of intimacy and our call to walk in His power and authority. Through opposition and distraction the enemy (antichrist) does everything he can to stop us from walking in an anointing of power. The enemy also opposes and works against the inward anointing of our relationship with Jesus the Anointed One.

This passage brings out the crucial importance of faith. Whether or not we believe it, we have an anointing, the Anointed One lives within us in our spirit. When we choose to believe and act on this glorious truth we experience the results. When in faith we look to Him we experience the reality of His presence, I and many others can attest to this over and over. He is then able to teach us (1 Cor. 2:10-12). Sitting in His presence to be taught is intentional. When my children were little we live on an acreage next to 80 acres of forest. I used to take them into the forest, have them be quiet and ask them what they could hear. In a similar manner this spring I was in a kayak on a lake. I was aware of birds around me but when I intentionally just became quiet and listened in 2-3 minutes I detected the call of 7 different types of birds. This awareness came from being internally quiet and focused. This is how spiritually we access the inward anointing all believers have.

Are we listening?

As we move further into understanding our spiritual age it is helpful to know that some things speak to our situation regardless of our age or level of spiritual maturity.

¹  My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ²  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)

Here John is using the term little children to affectionately refer to believers in general. So what can we know about ourselves? John’s desire is that believers would not sin, however he wants us to clearly know that if we sin we have Jesus as our Advocate, He can represent, or ‘re-present’ us to the Father clothed in His righteousness. Why, because He is the propitiation for our sins. This is not a word that is commonly used either in our culture or the church. In fact most modern translations use the term ‘atonement.’ Yet it fails to capture the depth of what propitiation means. Atonement means more the payment of a price for failure, we atone for something. Propitiation is the turning away of someone’s wrath. Jesus took the Father’s wrath on our behalf and so turned it away from us.

John’s point is that while we do not have to sin, when we yield to the desires of our flesh and give in to sin, we can turn to Jesus. His sacrifice was the ultimate act of intercession on our behalf before the Father and creates a continual open access to the throne of grace, the veil has been rent. Jesus already experienced the Father’s wrath for whatever sin we may have committed. If we fall we are to get up and look to Him, not our sin, because Jesus has paid the price for the sins of the entire world.

John moves onto something that many in the modern church now falsely see as optional – obedience!

³  Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. ⁴  He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. ⁵  But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. ⁶  He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked. 1 John 2:3-6 (NKJV)

John’s point is that if we have truly encountered and become intimate with Jesus something has happened deep within us, we now want to obey Him. There is a major difference between warring with sin out of a desire to walk in obedience and choosing to sin because we see obeying Jesus as optional! The concept of knowing Jesus here is being aware of Him and having a relationship with Him because He lives within us. It is an experiential knowing. As we learn to draw near to Him and know His heart we keep His commandments. All of which are summed up by walking in love through drawing on the grace/strength He supplies.

In the next two verses John’s point is that walking in love is not really a new commandment but has always been part of knowing God.

⁷  Brethren, I write no new commandment to you, but an old commandment which you have had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which you heard from the beginning. ⁸  Again, a new commandment I write to you, which thing is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. 1 John 2:7-8 (NKJV)

John now moves to illustrating what it means to obey Jesus commandments.

⁹  He who says he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now. ¹⁰ He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. ¹¹  But he who hates his brother is in darkness and walks in darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes. 1 John 2:9-11 (NKJV)

If we do not genuinely care for others we are not walking in love. This does not negate the place of disagreement and conflict; that happens, it negates the place of hatred and a refusal to pursue reconciliation and wholeness. John’s references to light and darkness in verses 7 – 11 take us back to Gnosticism. The Gnostics taught the need to be ‘enlightened’ and this happened through a relationship with an ‘enlightened’ teacher. John started addressing this in chapter 1:5-7 when he told us God is light. He reinforces that point here. The true light is Jesus and He is already shining. We need not look for some special teacher, we only need to look to Jesus and know that if we are in a right relationship with Him we will love our fellow believers, evidence that we already have the true light, Jesus, within us.

If we walk in the light there is nothing in us to cause others or ourselves to stumble. The enemy has no foothold in us because we are being constantly cleansed by Jesus shed blood and are thus a light to others also.

John now gets into an overview of spiritual maturity. This is our assessment tool, the first being are we walking in love. Some may object that we are not to focus on ourselves, I agree we are to focus on Jesus. However, if we are seeking to find a destination on a map the starting point is knowing where we are currently. The maps in malls are of little use without that vital piece of information, ‘You are here.” In fact Paul exhorted the Corinthians to examine and test themselves to see if they were really believers.

⁵  Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? – unless indeed you are disqualified. 2 Corinthians 13:5 (NKJV)

One way we test ourselves is by the truth of scripture to our lives.

¹²  I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. ¹³  I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father. ¹⁴  I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one. 1 John 2:12-14 (NKJV)

The phrase ‘little children’ is the term of affection John uses to refer to all believers. His point is that if we have been born again our sins have been forgiven, period! While questioning whether our sins can really be forgiven because they are so awful may masquerade as humility it is very simply pride. What else could we label a refusal to believe His sacrifice was sufficient for ‘our’ sin?

Moving on from all believers John addresses fathers (this includes mothers), those who are spiritually mature, then young men (this includes young women); those who are growing but have not yet matured. John finally addresses ‘little children’ using a Greek term that does in fact refer to the very young or immature. The NKJV translates them as the same in English but the term ‘little children’ is different in verses 12 and 13.

If we look at the whole passage John is telling us that we all have our sins forgiven for the sake of Jesus name. That is, the Father is honoring His covenant to forgive sins through repentance and faith in Jesus. The spiritually mature, the fathers and mothers, are those who have come to a place of maturity through intimacy with the Lord. They understand power but have experienced and focus on relationship because this, our highest calling (Phil. 3:10), reaches back and touches eternity and the Father’s heart desire to have fellowship with those He created in His image. The young men and women are those believers who have not reached the maturity level of the fathers and mothers and whose focus is on power rather than intimacy. The immature believers (little children of verse 13) have known the Father in that they have encountered Him through salvation but they have not yet begun to move on to intimacy. This may be people who have just been born again or individuals who have been believers for years but have never truly pursued a place of intimacy with Him.

We each need to determine where we are at, not as a basis for spiritual pride but as an assessment tool to help us know what to pursue and whether we are pursuing. The one dynamic of spiritual maturity is that we only remain mature by continuing to grow. As Peter wisely wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁷  You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked; ¹⁸  but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory both now and forever. Amen. 2 Peter 3:17-18 (NKJV) 

How old are you? Ever thought about that from a spiritual perspective? As we move further into 1 John 2 he outlines different ways to understand our spiritual age. There is the expression, ‘Age is inevitable, maturity is optional.’ The clear implication is that in both natural and spiritual life we don’t simply mature through the passage of time, there is something we need to do – we need to intentionally pursue maturity. It is a bit like exercise. I was at the gym one time and wanted to use a piece of equipment. I asked the young lady about to use it how long she would be. She told me she would be a while, she was, in fact she was over half an hour. However she reaped almost no benefit from the equipment because she spent almost the entire time standing and talking with someone and about 2 minutes using the equipment. I see a lot of this in those who struggle with exercise, they embrace the concept but engage very little in the practice and lament the lack of results.

So, back to spiritual growth. What does John have to teach us. In chapter 2 John uses four different terms that speak to our relationship with the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Two terms speak of children and the others of fathers (mothers as well) and young men (young women as well). With the references to children a key distinction is lost in the translation from Greek to English and easily leads to a lack of clarity, or to us missing the point of what John is teaching. So, let’s look at the text as in most translations the distinction is lost and John does make a distinction many times in this short book.

¹  My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. ²  And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world. 1 John 2:1-2 (NKJV)

John is here continuing his opening exhortation. He started his letter by saying he wanted us to have fellowship and now he also shows us that out of fellowship we can walk in victory over sin. However before touching on that he refers to his readers, and by extension us, as ‘little children.’ This reference is not one of maturity, it is an expression of affection. The word and meaning are below.

τεκνίον teknion noun Little child.

Word Studies: The word teknion is used nine times in the New Testament, seven of those occurrences in 1 John. It is a late and somewhat rare usage, and the term is actually a nursery term meaning “little child.” It does not occur in the Septuagint or early Christian literature outside the New Testament.

Its usage in the New Testament occurs in the vocative plural. It is used as a special endearing term by both Jesus and the apostles as they address their spiritual children (Oepke, “pais,” Kittel, 5:637).

The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Sigma-Omega.

So the phrase ‘little children’ could for the sake of clarity be translated as ‘dear children’ since it is a term of affection rather than an identifier of maturity. In using it John is affectionately addressing believers of all ages and stages of maturity. For example my son is almost 23 and a lot of people refer to him as Mike, I still use his full name Michael because of the meaning it carries for me. When my children were both young I had terms of affection I used that changed over time but always expressed my heart because of my relationship to them.

This affectionate term or variants is used in the following verses in 1 John. 2:1, 12, 28, 3:7, 10, 18, 4:4, 5:2, 21. The other term is used in 2:13 and 18.

παιδίον paidion noun Infant, little or young child.

In the New Testament paidion is used in a number of ways…An interesting usage of this family aspect is seen in 1 John 2:13 where paidion is used to address the youngest believers in the family of God. In that usage it is to be distinguished from teknia (see 4891), the term John used to address all his readers (1 John 2:1,12,28). Here paidion seems to emphasize the fact that a child is a learner, one who needs guidance, while teknia stresses the fact that the child was born into the family.

Paidion can also be used to address believers who are deficient in spiritual understanding. In 1 Corinthians 14:20 Paul exhorted the Christians at Corinth not to be childish in understanding. Instead they were to grow up and exhibit mature spiritual intellects. They needed to become spiritual adults, that is, mature.

The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Pi-Rho.

So John has a term of affection he uses to refer to all believers and a term that speaks to our level of maturity. It is helpful to read 1 John in this light. In my next post I will delve further into this and more of what John has to share with us. For now the question remains. How old are we?

Below is the beginning of 1 John.

¹  That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life – ²  the life was manifested, and we have seen, and bear witness, and declare to you that eternal life which was with the Father and was manifested to us – ³  that which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ. ⁴  And these things we write to you that your joy may be full. 1 John 1:1-4 (NKJV)

What is John’s point in these first 4 verses as he begins? Think of this expression, “A man with an experience has no mercy for a man with an argument.” This is analogous to “Seeing is believing,” which I suspect is rooted in Thomas statement that he would not believe Jesus had risen unless he saw him himself and handled him. The point being that someone who has an actual experience is not easily swayed by arguments. John had that. In 1:1-4 he establishes the foundation and goal of our faith. Our foundation is fellowship (intimate communion) with the Father and Son, John says Jesus was real, He was flesh and blood. He begins this little book by refuting the Gnostic idea that the material or body did not matter. The foundation of the gospel message is Jesus incarnation, it matters! John boldly declares that he knew Jesus, he saw Him and touched Him.

John goes on to tell us that Jesus coming to us in the flesh was the manifestation of the eternal life that was with the Father, came from the Father and was revealed to us. Even though Jesus was revealed in flesh in time, He was ‘from the beginning.’ John asserts that understanding this is the foundation of fellowship among one another as Christians and with the Father and Son. The fruit of this should be joy in our lives. The implication here is that no matter how we may protest, if we refuse to believe Jesus came in the flesh and is God in the flesh we have no real fellowship with either one another or the Godhead. There are two implications here. One is that John clearly refutes the false theology of Gnosticism and affirms the historic Christian faith. The other, which is very important for us today, is that ‘fellowship’ is something more than just a group of Christians spending time together, the byproduct of true Christian fellowship is inner joy outwardly manifest. The implication – if we are lacking in joy we are lacking in genuine fellowship. Are we experiencing or entering into genuine Christian fellowship?

The next question – are we walking in the light?

⁵  This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. ⁶  If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. ⁷  But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:1-10 (NKJV)

John then builds on the idea of fellowship being connected with joy to also connecting fellowship to light. We can understand joy through observation – how do we understand light? Below are a few of the many relevant scriptures that tell us something about the light of His presence. I have emphasized the focus on light.

⁶  For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. 2 Corinthians 4:6 (NKJV) ¹  In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ²  He was in the beginning with God. ³  All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. ⁴  In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. ⁵  And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. John 1:1-5 (NKJV)

¹²  Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, “I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life.” John 8:12 (NKJV) ¹⁶  who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no man has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:16 (NKJV)

These verses explain Paul’s heart cry.

¹⁷  that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, ¹⁸  the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, Ephesians 1:17-18 (NKJV)

Enlightened understanding and hearts draw us deeper into fellowship with the Trinity and one another. It is walking in the light that leads us into right relationships with one another. When we enter into the divine passion and relationship within the Trinity we have something to impart to others. The goal is right relationships that are established by our commitment to truth. To walk in the light we need to obey the truth of scripture through the grace supplied by the Spirit. We walk in the light by walking in Jesus character, walking into righteousness, which means that without focusing on it we are also walking away from sin. In practical terms this means that if we become angry with someone we need to respond based on the truth of scripture and look to the Spirit for the grace/strength to walk in love in relation to that individual. If there needs to be forgiveness or restitution He is the source of our strength.

We see in 1:5-7 that Jesus walked in the light by abiding in the Father. We walk in the light by abiding in Jesus. There is no darkness in our Father so we know that anytime we respond to a situation in our flesh, and manifest darkness rather than light, we are at that moment out of fellowship with our Father. John here attacks the false foundation of much of Gnostic teaching about the role of the body, he states very clearly that we cannot claim to walk with the Living God and consciously choose to practice sin with our body.

This chapter closes by John providing some very important teaching about sin in the lives of Christians.

⁸  If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. ⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. ¹⁰  If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. 1 John 1:8-10 (NKJV)

An important distinction here is the separation of seeing sin as who we are ‘sinners saved by grace’ versus sin as something we can do, saints who still have a propensity toward sin residing within us. It is important to differentiate between sin as something we can do rather than something we are. If we have been born again Jesus righteousness is both within and upon us. Once we have been born again the remedy for sin is repentance that leads to forgiveness and cleansing from unrighteousness. This means that if our heart is right at any given moment then at that moment we are pure (righteous) before the Lord. Jesus desire is that this is how we live, immediately dealing with any sin as it arises because He has made provision for it.

A couple of decades ago I taught and wrote a commentary on 1 John. I think it is a key book of the bible around the topic of spiritual growth and maturity. I find the teaching here on how to grow beyond the new birth to maturity some of the most significant in the New Testament, all in a little 5 chapter book that can easily be read in one sitting, about 5 pages in most bibles. To that end I have decided to revisit and revise what I did because I think I have grown spiritually in those two decades and I know some of my understanding of 1 John has grown as well.

Background and Issues

How do we understand what John wrote? We know he wrote in the 1^st Century AD, the first decades of the birth and growth of Christianity. We also know that we are reading one side of a dialogue. John was addressing an issue his readers were familiar with, we need to infer what that was from what we know of the context and history of the time in which John wrote. In a sense we are trying to listen in on the other side of the conversation.

We do not know for certain what false teaching John was refuting when he wrote this letter but it is clear that it was some form of Gnosticism. If you read 1 John and the information below on Gnosticism it is evident that John was responding to issues the Gnostics were creating within the church. The Gnostics were a false sect within the church whose name came from the Greek word for knowledge or knowing, and it is used frequently in the New Testament. Below is a Greek dictionary meaning of the word and its connection to Gnosticism. Bear in mind while reading this that Gnosticism was not a codified set of beliefs that had a statement of faith like the Baptists, Methodists or Pentecostals. There were generally held beliefs and practices.

γνῶσις gnōsis noun – Knowledge, science, doctrine, wisdom.

Word Studies:

The most important term for “knowledge” in the New Testament is the noun gnōsis, “knowledge, insight, learning, recognition, familiarity.” Closely linked to the noun is the verb ginōskō (1091), “to know, learn, experience.” The noun compound epignōsis (1907) and the verb epiginōskō (1906) may often have the same definition; however, they often stand for a more specific kind of knowledge. Also closely resembling ginōskō/gnōsis is the verb oida (3471), “to know, learn, understand, experience.”

While it is not necessary to present an exhaustive treatment of the teachings and philosophy of gnosticism, a few main concepts are quite important—in particular, the Gnostic concept referred to as “the soul’s tragic history.” According to this myth, each soul is of divine origin. However, as a result of a pre-cosmic fall in the spirit world, the soul was deported to the material world where it is chained to the body. “Material” is seen as hostile toward God and is viewed as a plague and an intolerable burden for the soul of man. Closely connected to this concept is Greek philosophy’s contempt for the physical or material nature of man.

According to Gnostic thought, salvation of the soul consists of being freed from the physical in order to return to its divine source. The cosmos in gnosticism was not created by God but by inferior deities or demons. Only with the help of gnōsis, a mysterious, higher knowledge, can the soul possibly find its way back to God and to a purely spiritual existence.

These concepts were so carefully worked out that Gnostics could speak of a direct spiritual transformation of the individual. Gnōsis was seen as a divine power which flowed into a person and resulted in immortality. The one who obtained gnosis was in a sense given a part in the divine nature: through mystical visions the person was changed into “God.”

With an understanding of these beliefs it is easy to see why Gnostics became so arrogant. They felt themselves to be the only ones who knew God, and they alone would not go the way of the corrupted, sinful cosmos which was doomed for destruction. Nevertheless, regardless of the nature of the gnōsis, the Gnostic system represented a system of self-saving and self-exaltation – a salvation by works program.

The Gnostics considered the physical body as inferior to the spiritual dimension of man. This attitude formed the rationale for those espousing an immoral life-style. Morality was not designed by God but by the cosmic powers; these powers controlled mankind, holding men hostage to their desires. Two opposite strains of teaching developed from this basic anti-material stance: with some it led to a strict asceticism; others followed its path to unbridled license. Both expressions were merely outgrowths of the same anti-materialistic attitude of Gnostic systems in general.

Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The – The Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary – Alpha-Gamma.

I will begin going through 1 John in my next post but urge you to read 1 John in light of what I have shared about Gnostic teaching, it will lay a foundation to apply the truth John has left for us. As we go through this I pray what Paul prayed, “¹⁷ that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you (us) the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, Ephesians 1:17 (NKJV)

Have you ever tried to live up to a name? What about the name Christian? How are we as the church doing at representing, or more accurately, re-presenting Jesus to the world around us? Do we live differently in the areas of morality, kindness, gentleness? Do our lives release peace when there is confusion or trouble around us? If not they can, in fact that is how we are called to live. Paul described us as living epistles, living letters for others to read.

²  You are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read by all men; 2 Corinthians 3:2 (NKJV)

So, if we are called to be a living letters for others to read, it makes sense to be well written! How do we do that? One way is recognizing that keeping our hearts focused on Jesus produces better fruit, a better letter for others to read. In fact Isaiah described a major benefit that Paul later reinforced.

³  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. ⁴  Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV)

⁸  Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy – meditate on these things. ⁹  The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you. Philippians 4:8-9 (NKJV)

Isaiah said we could have perfect peace if our minds were stayed on Yahweh. Sounds like a great deal but how does it work in practice? It is interesting that mindfulness is receiving a lot of press these days ranging from the fields of social work and psychology to the medical field. All touting the benefits of mindfulness. Coming from Buddhism is it an acceptable practice for Christians, or do we have something better? I don’t doubt both the psychological and physical benefits of mindful meditation. Yet, do we have something we are not accessing?

In recent years the 200^th anniversary of the Lewis and Clark expedition was celebrated in the United States. All of the details are not important. Part of what is important is that their task was to map out territory that the US Government had purchased from France. I heard Ray Hughes speak on this in a sermon and he made a very interesting point and application. The task of Lewis and Clark was to go and discover what had already been purchased. In a similar manner he suggested we as the church needed to discover what Jesus has already purchased.

What is of interest to me is that I think we have either by default or design given up things Jesus purchased for us, the reality of His tangible presence with and within is one of those things. A few years ago I taught a university course of MacEwan that looked at different world religions. I inherited the course text from the previous instructor. What I found interesting was that while the text covered both eastern and western religions it described both Judaism and Christianity as western religions. While they may have become that in practice, in origin they are both Middle Eastern and rooted in a culture very different than ours. So my question, in the process of becoming ‘western’ did we lose things Jesus purchased?

To answer my question let us look at what Isaiah taught, bearing in mind he taught this during the Old Testament period when the Holy Spirit was not in people and they were not born again as is available under the new covenant. So, let’s dig into what Isaiah had to say.

³  You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You. ⁴  Trust in the LORD forever, For in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength. Isaiah 26:3-4 (NKJV)

This verse highlights three things.

• Perfect peace
• This peace comes from a mind stayed/fixed on Yahweh
• It comes because it is an expression of trust or faith in Yahweh

This verse does not tell us that we can have peace because everything is calm around us. In fact Isaiah’s point to the nation of Israel was that they, and by extension we, could have this perfect peace in the midst of Yahweh’s judgments on the nation. So what does the word ‘mind’ refer to in this context? The Hebrew word below refers to the literal or figurative forming of something.

(yatsar); a form; figurative conception (i.e. purpose) :- frame, thing framed, imagination, mind, work. Strong’s Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary.

The meanings connected to this study are below.

The remaining uses of the word describe the way a thought is formed in the mind, often translated “imagination,” “device” or “purpose.” Genesis 6:5 describes the moral pollution of the world before the flood by saying that “every intent of the thoughts of [the human] heart was only evil continually.” Compare the similar phrasing in Gen. 8:21. Moses used the same word to describe the tendency of the Israelites to develop yearnings for other gods (Deut. 31:21). In a more positive note, David exhorted his son Solomon to serve God with his whole heart, because the Lord understands every inner intention of the mind (1 Chr. 28:9). David later prayed that God would preserve the integrity of Israel’s inner thoughts (1 Chr. 29:18).

The final use of the word is a description of the trusting state of mind, “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee” (Isa. 26:3).

Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – The Complete Biblical Library Hebrew-English Dictionary – Heth-Yodh.

So the reference is really to our ability to form something in our mind. Of interest to me is that while I don’t often look at commentaries, I did when researching this passage. The commentary below made the same connection between Isaiah and Paul, both writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

Only those who have trusted Jesus Christ will enter into the city, and because they believe, they have peace (Rom. 5:1). The Hebrew word for “peace” (shalom) means much more than a cessation of war. It includes blessings such as wholeness, health, quietness of soul, preservation, and completeness. “What is your peace?” is the way Jews often greet one another, and Isaiah’s reply would be, “My peace is from the Lord, for I trust wholly in him!” Paul’s counsel in Philippians 4:6-9 is based on Isaiah 26:3.

Bible Exposition Commentary (BE Series) – Old Testament – The Bible Exposition Commentary – The Prophets.

Another commentary had this to say.

26:3 We can never avoid strife in the world around us, but when we fix our thoughts on God, we can know perfect peace even in turmoil. As we focus our mind on God and his Word, we become steady and stable. Supported by God’s unchanging love and mighty power, we are not shaken by the surrounding chaos (see Philippians 4:7). Do you want peace? Keep your thoughts on God and your trust in him.

Life Application Study Bible.

So we know that peace, shalom, refers to the presence of something and we can form the intention to focus on Yahweh to abide in this peace. The phrase ‘perfect peace’ in Isaiah is really ‘shalom, shalom.’ The Hebrew way of emphasis.

If we look at both the Old and New Testaments they are filled with stories and images. As we read and reflect pictures come to mind. Jesus used stories to fill His hearers’ minds with images they could relate to. In exhorting us to keep our minds fixed on Yahweh Isaiah extolled His attributes since there was no ‘image’ of Him. So one way of keeping our minds stayed on Yahweh is to reflect on His attributes throughout the day. For us in the New Testament period we can train our minds to become conscious of Jesus presence with and within us and use a tool such as the images in 23 Psalm to reflect on His character and attributes.

So back to what we lost and mindfulness. The practice as I understand it is developing a habit of being more ‘in the moment’ and more passively becoming aware of what is happening around us in a somewhat non-attached way to events and outcomes. Buddhism after all teaches that attachment to things is the problem and that the physical world is an illusion we need to free ourselves from. A biblical focus is the exact opposite. We are to be active rather than passive and deeply engaged in and caring about this life as it serves as the training ground to step from time into eternity. That being said I believe we can be actively ‘mindful’ in way that allows us to live at peace in the midst of turmoil. I believe the value of mindfulness comes not from becoming detached but from becoming reflective. I think the slower pace and lack of constant ‘hurry’ in the culture of the New and Old Testaments lent itself more to this and I think we have largely lost this as the church. In our culture we seem to no longer know how to discipline and train our minds to be at rest, in peace.

My own experience is that when in addition to spending daily time in the scriptures and prayer I also find committed moments and develop a general practice of keeping my mind stayed on Jesus I am more conscious of His presence and His presence is more evident in me. I am at peace. Practically this means intentionally slowing down and seeking to use my mind to pay attention to my spirit and His ever present presence in me, continually drawing my inner attention back to Him. This affects me both psychologically and physically. I think it is a practice we can all pursue and benefit from. Even as I pause when writing this and focus on Jesus presence I have a physical and emotional reaction to Him with me, why would I not pursue more of His presence!

I think many of our songs express this desire. For example,

Open the eyes of my heart Lord, I want to see You, I want to see You .

Or the lines from an old Vineyard song,

You are here and I behold Your beauty, Your glory fills this place. Calm my heart to hear You, cause my eyes to see You. Your presence here is the answer, to the longing of my heart.

Learning to live in His presence now is the answer to the longing of our hearts and He is here now.

Paul wrote a little verse in a little letter that highlights a major aspect of how to effectively live the Christian life. Note, I wrote effective, not ‘successful’ because Jesus view of success is generally very different than ours. Paul said he was praying for Philemon;

⁶  that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:6 (NKJV)

Like most passages, putting our verse in context helps.

⁴  I thank my God, making mention of you always in my prayers, ⁵  hearing of your love and faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the saints, ⁶  that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. ⁷  For we have great joy and consolation in your love, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed by you, brother. Philemon 1:4-7 (NKJV)

If we read the whole of this short letter we know that Paul was Philemon’s spiritual father, Philemon had been converted through Paul sharing. We know that Philemon was a slave owner (not the issue I am addressing here), loved other believers and was hospitable. We also know that his slave Onesimus had run away, found Paul in prison, and had been converted under his ministry. Now Paul was sending him back to Philemon and asking that Philemon receive him not as a slave but as a brother in Christ.

There is more in this small letter but this is sufficient for our purpose. Paul noted that while Philemon was well known for his love for others Paul thought the key to the effective sharing of his faith was not more love, more friendship or other things. He thought it was Philemon’s recognition of something – who Christ was in him! Seems odd, yet think about it. How many times have you seen someone become passionate and excited so that what they share is contagious? That is what Paul had and wanted Philemon to have, a recognition of the One in him that would energize and enliven him with wonder!

So breaking it down further what was Paul saying to Philemon. There are a couple of key words, one of them is ‘effective.’

1740. ἐνεργής energēs adj

Effective, something that is working, active.

Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, Delta-Epsilon.

The other is acknowledgement.

1907. ἐπίγνωσις epignōsis noun

Knowledge, recognition, consciousness.

Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, Delta-Epsilon.

So let’s look at verse 6 again with some adding understanding.

⁶  that the sharing of your faith may become effective (be active and working) by the acknowledgment (recognition, consciousness) of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Philemon 1:6 (NKJV) emphasis added

Paul was telling Philemon, and by extension us, that the way to effectively share our faith was through the recognition or consciousness of the good things that are in us in Jesus. This isn’t a matter of making a list, though reading through all the ‘in Christ’ references in Ephesians is a good idea, it is something more. Imagine you wanted to learn how to swim so decided to sign up for lessons. What would you think if you showed up for swimming lessons and the instructor talked to you about breathing techniques, showed you strokes, and explained everything in great detail but you never actually got in the pool?

I think that is what some of our theology is like. We live in a culture that prizes information, yet generally I don’t think we need more information. I have said many times over the years that we live in a culture gorged on knowledge and starving for wisdom! We need to know the reality of what Paul wrote to Philemon about; yet that reality will not come through more information. We need experience with something, and in the case of our faith, Someone. We need to experience what Paul wrote and prayed about in Ephesians 1:17, we need ‘the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.’

Though our text does not tell us I think this ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ had opened up to Onesimus in his encounter with Paul. The name Onesimus means ‘profitable.’ Paul used a play on words to get Philemon’s attention.

¹⁰  I appeal to you for my son Onesimus, whom I have begotten while in my chains, ¹¹  who once was unprofitable to you, but now is profitable to you and to me. Philemon 1:10-11 (NKJV)

What would be more profitable to us as a believer than being with a fellow believer who knew and understood the reality and life of the one within them! I have prayed and will continue to pray that each of us know the reality of ‘the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him.’ Will you join me?

Hanging on – it evokes images of just staying above water, just making it through or clinging to the end of something. It is like the story of the young man hiking alone in the mountains who tripped and stumbled over a cliff but managed to grab a large root and hang on. He lacked the strength to pull himself up but knew he could last for a while if he wrapped his arms around the root. He did so. He had never been very interested in spiritual things but knowing he was going to fall and die he cried out for God to save him. He then heard a voice that sounded like God. “Young man, let go of the root and as you fall I will catch you.” He immediately responded, “Is there anyone else up there?”

This may seem funny but it illustrates a spiritual truth. We tend to want to trust Jesus when it is safe and He wants us to trust Him when it requires faith. Most of us will never have our physical life depend on what we believe but there is the issue of our ability and willingness to trust Him on an ongoing basis. I think there are two aspects to this, the idea of stepping out and taking risks, like Peter getting out of the boat and walking on the water, and our image of Jesus. We trust Him based on our view of Him.

Remember how Mary Magdalene encountered Jesus just after His resurrection.

¹¹  But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. ¹²  And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. ¹³  Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.” ¹⁴  Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus. ¹⁵  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.” ¹⁶  Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher). ¹⁷  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father; but go to My brethren and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God.’” John 20:11-17 (NKJV)

I don’t know how often we think of this but Jesus delayed His ascension into heaven to respond to Mary Magdalene’s heart! That is a key aspect, yet there is something else, Jesus instructed Mary not to cling to Him. While part of that is that He needed to complete His ascension and offer His blood upon the altar in heaven, He also knew Mary could not now know Him as He was if she continued to cling to the way He had been, the way she had known Him! Mary wanted to hang on to her friend, the Jesus she had known who walked the earth and healed hearts, especially hers. Yet He had changed and could now provide so much more.

In a similar manner I know that none of us have perfect theology and we tend to view Jesus in certain ways, yet to truly know Him we cannot cling to wrong concepts. We need to let the scriptures, rather than traditional views and concepts, define who He is and get to know Him as He is presented by the Holy Spirit and His Father. For example I have known of people who viewed Jesus as always very kind and respectful, generally this is true, but clinging to that view does not allow us to see the Jesus who publicly rebuked and chastised people, even calling some of them some not very nice names! Others say He always heals, the sometimes implied and sometimes explicit implication being that if we need healing and pray and are not healed we are deficient in our faith in some area. Yet while Jesus did heal multitudes there are times He did not heal everyone, like the group of sick at the pool of Bethesda that Jesus left (Jn. 5:1-13). We also have the man healed through Peter and John who was daily laid at the gate of the temple (Acts 3:1-10). His healing that day accomplished something significant in many other lives. Yet we know prior to being healed he was there every day and we know from the gospels that Jesus had taught in the temple regularly and would have had a number of opportunities to heal Him.

I don’t write this to discourage prayer for healing. I have prayed for others who have been healed and I have been the recipient of healing prayer. I use these two examples to encourage us to re-examine Jesus through the lens of scripture and see if we are clinging to anything that has us interacting with Jesus as we desire Him to be rather than as He really is.

Another thing that often gets in the way of us knowing Jesus as the scriptures present Him is hanging onto baggage. We use the term to refer to our human propensity to hold onto old hurts, offenses and similar things. A number of years ago someone I knew shared his story of waiting for an overseas flight. He had been bumped from his flight and someone from the airline then came and said, “We can get you on the Concord but you can’t take your baggage with you.” He received this as a prophetic word from the Lord. The Concord flew higher and faster than other planes and he understood the Holy Spirit was telling him he could go higher and faster in the Spirit but it meant leaving his baggage behind.

Most of us have emotional or intellectual baggage we carry around with us. Scripture speaks quite powerfully to this.

¹  Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²  looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV)

This passage encourages us to look at the sacrifices of those who have gone before us and are watching us run our race as a motivator to embrace the same sacrifice for the great reward set before us. One of the images here is one of foolishly trying to run a race while carrying extra baggage. I recently heard some of the story of one of the ships connected to the Franklin Expedition that disappeared in the Artic. Much has been learned since one of the ships was discovered last year. In this story they talked of the survivors from one ship dragging a desk and other items across the frozen ice and ultimately perishing with them. These items were valuable in a city or other place but not only of no value on frozen ice, they hindered travel and likely contributed to their death.

So, in conclusion, how do we see Jesus? Are we clinging to the right concept of Him? Are we carrying or taking with us ‘baggage’ that is hindering us going higher and faster in the Spirit? May we ever more fully see Him through the unfiltered lens of scripture and learn to draw closer and closer to Him as He is so that those around us are changed by His glory!

It is spring time and stores are starting to put out plants and soon multitudes will be planting gardens and farmers sowing fields. Many are planning them now and looking forward in anticipation to a harvest. They plant because expect a harvest at the end of the growing season. We live in a season referred to in the NT as an ‘age.’ Jesus planted first Himself (see Jn. 12:23-24) a church almost 2,000 years ago. Do we think He is expecting a harvest? Obviously. His kingdom has been reaping fruit from the seed He has sown, the first seed being His own life. However, I think there is a major harvest coming that will close out the season, this present age. That is what I want to write about.

In my last post I briefly focused on the significance of Passover and noted that Passover and Pentecost, two of Israel’s feasts, were key in the birthing of the church. Now I want to briefly look at the fall feast. Passover and Pentecost have been fulfilled, the fall feast, Tabernacles or Harvest, has not. There have been numerous prophetic words given in recent decades of a great end time harvest coming. While things may look dark in our land I believe the words of Isaiah will ring true across our nation and many others.

¹  Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. ²  For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. Isaiah 60:1-2 (NKJV)

While this was something Isaiah spoke to the nation of Israel I believe it also speaks to our day and what we will see the Holy Spirit accomplish. It aligns with what Jesus said. He never spoke idly and He made a very interesting statement in the passage below, “the harvest is the end of the age,”

³⁷  He answered and said to them: “He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. ³⁸  The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. ³⁹  The enemy who sowed them is the devil, the harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the angels. ⁴⁰  Therefore as the tares are gathered and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of this age. ⁴¹  The Son of Man will send out His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all things that offend, and those who practice lawlessness, ⁴²  and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth. ⁴³  Then the righteous will shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” Matthew 13:37-43 (NKJV) emphasis mine

In line with this Jesus also said,

¹⁴  And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Matthew 24:14 (NKJV)

Do we generally preach the ‘gospel of the kingdom’ in the west. As I mentioned in the Passover post, we are called to embrace ‘all’ that Jesus taught, not just the parts we like. The gospel of the kingdom teaches us to bow our hearts to the King of kings and Lord of lords and become truly disciples. The gospel of the kingdom when truly preached will radically reshape the church.

So we can see that the gospel of the kingdom needs to be preached and the harvest is the end of the age. When Jesus said “the harvest is the end of the age” was He connecting this to the harvest feast? While the answer is not explicit, in terms of the gospel what else do we know about the end of the age? Paul had something to say. When he referred to Israel rejecting the gospel and in turn being rejected he looked forward to a future time when they would return and as a people embrace the gospel.

¹⁵  For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Romans 11:15 (NKJV)

Sadly, there are many in the church today who see no place for ethnic Israel in Yahweh’s plan. The only way to come to that conclusion is to be wilfully ignorant of the scriptures. Not only did Paul speak of a future reconciliation of Israel he further described it by quoting the OT and said there was a time coming when their sins would be removed.

²⁵  For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. ²⁶  And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; ²⁷  For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27 (NKJV)

This is consistent with what Zechariah saw and prophesied when he spoke of a future national repentance for Israel.

 ¹⁰  “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” Zechariah 12:10 (NKJV) ¹  “In that day a fountain shall be opened for the house of David and for the inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness.” Zechariah 13:1 (NKJV)

How does all of this relate to the Feast of Tabernacles, the Harvest Feast? Just as at one time Passover and Pentecost prophesied of future events and were fulfilled in the life of the church so too Tabernacles prophesies of a future event that will be fulfilled in the life of the church, a great and joyous harvest. Unlike Passover and Pentecost, feasts that were each on a specific day, Tabernacles takes place of a period of time. The prophetic nature of the feasts is hinted at in Isaiah.

⁹  Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me, ¹⁰  Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Isaiah 46:9-10 (NKJV)

Yahweh tells us clearly that He declares the end from the beginning, He plants the seeds of the future in the past. We need to pray for a ‘spirit of wisdom and revelation’ to see and hear. The harvest in the fall is a feast of culmination and I believe a great end time harvest will take place as we transition from this age to the next. In the midst of great chaos and turmoil in the world a great harvest will simultaneously take place, light in some areas, darkness in others. When those who are willing have come in the door will close and the age will end. It is interesting that in Exodus 23:16 it was referred to as the feast of ‘ingathering’ and was a time of great joy and celebration.

¹⁶  and the Feast of Harvest, the firstfruits of your labors which you have sown in the field; and the Feast of Ingathering at the end of the year, when you have gathered in the fruit of your labors from the field. Exodus 23:16 (NKJV)

There were in fact two harvests, the firstfruits which was tied into Passover and the feast of Unleavened Bread leading into Pentecost. In like manner there have been many harvests during the life of the church but the great fall harvest or ‘ingathering’ now needs to take place. If what I am writing in true then it behooves us to be like Daniel and begin to pray. When Daniel saw from the prophesies of Jeremiah that the first return of Israel to their land from Babylon was to take place he didn’t have a charismatic worship service, he got on his face and embraced repentance and intercession because he recognized the prophesy would be fulfilled through Yahweh’s people coming into agreement with Him! So, search the scriptures to see if you see then make a decision about intercession. However, I invite you to first listen to this song by David Brymer and reflect on whether the answer is yes?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fff1c-HZf50

This year Passover begins today, on the evening of Friday April 3 (Good Friday to us as Christians). You may notice that I have referenced Passover rather than Easter. While Easter is what we traditionally celebrate, I personally, along with quite a few others by the way, prefer Passover. Why is that you wonder, it is because the feasts of Israel were prophetic events pointing to the future and the church was birthed in and through these feasts and they still have much to teach us. Passover was the key feast connected to our salvation. If you had asked a first century believer what they were doing for Easter they would have had no response as they had never heard of Easter. Easter came in during the first centuries of the church when a political decision was made to disconnect the church from its Jewish roots.

Our salvation is rooted in the Feast of Passover, in fact what we refer to as the Last Supper was Jesus celebrating the Passover meal with His apostles. Our origin as the church and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit is traced to Pentecost (Passover flowed into First Fruits which flowed into the Feast of Weeks that culminated in Pentecost). This is why the language of Acts 2:1 was recorded as ‘when the Day of Pentecost had fully come.’ The church will come to a glorious fulfillment on another feast of Israel, the fall Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the harvest feast or ingathering. Yes, not all the feasts have been fulfilled. In the future I plan to provide further information on the feasts and there spiritual significance but here are a couple of many from Passover.

Prior to His arrest and crucifixion Jesus spent time staying in Bethany and travelling in and out of Jerusalem teaching and being inspected by the religious elite. They could find not a spot or blemish in Him (He was arrested and crucified on false charges). At the same time a natural lamb was tied up outside the temple each day. It was the Passover lamb selected to be sacrificed for the nation and the practice was for it to be tied up outside so the whole nation could inspect it. So here we have the true Passover Lamb and the natural one pointing to one another at Passover.

Another aspect of Passover was that when it was instituted in Egypt Moses was instructed to tell the people of Israel to eat the whole lamb. In the same way Jesus told His followers to make disciples of all nations and to teach them to ALL He had commanded. If are to truly obey the gospel we must embrace the Passover injunction and eat the whole thing!

¹⁰  You shall let none of it remain until morning, and what remains of it until morning you shall burn with fire. Exodus 12:10 (NKJV) ²⁰  teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. Matthew 28:20 (NKJV)

So Christ our Passover was sacrificed for us. Passover was a one day event and on the first day of the week the High Priest gathered the first fruits of the spring harvest and waved them in the field as an offering to Yahweh. While he was performing this act Jesus was being raised from the dead. Paul referred to this as follows.

²⁰  But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. ²¹  For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. ²²  For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (NKJV)

Understanding the roots of our faith helps to bring clarity to the New Testament record.

In closing, let me take us back to Passover and the power of Jesus death and resurrection on our behalf. Matthew 1:21 says Jesus will save us from our sins, I have always understood this as both the penalty and power. What Jesus accomplished has been powerfully captured in the words of a friend. I invite you to reflect deeply on what he has written. He has chosen to remain anonymous.

We three had been planning this for what seemed to be an eternity.

The time had finally come.

An event beyond human comprehension.

A solution and a gift for all mankind.

It’s really a love story so intricate, it is almost beyond belief.

Although some would not, or will not accept or believe the gift I have bought and paid for.

It did come at a cost.

It wasn’t the physical pain that I was dreading, no, that would pass quickly enough compared to what the final outcome would be.

The gift.

Scorned, and despised.

Abandoned, rejected by my closest friend three times.

Actually, rejected by millions over time really.

Back scourged, flesh ripped and torn, hanging in shreds.

Crushed bearing the weight of a crude timber.

Broken, pierced and spit upon.

Ridiculed by the very ones I came to bring the gift to.

I was deeply distressed, yet, I would not turn away from doing my Father’s will.

That’s what it would take, so, that’s what I would do.

Still, the Father’s plan was perfect.

I came and healed their infirmities.

The blind received sight, lepers cleansed, the poor received the good news.

And yet, this is how they treated me.

So I would remain silent to the end.

A lamb born, led to be sacrificially slaughtered.

But, there was an affliction I was dreading.

The dark night of the soul.

All sin since the beginning of man, and those who would come after, laid on me.

I would be covered, drenched with the wickedness of the world.

A putrid stench so evil, so abhorrent, my Father would have to turn away from me.

My Father’s love and Presence would be stripped away from me.

The anguish of my soul as the Father forsakes me. That is the dread I faced.

Like the curtain ripped from top to bottom, torn in two, separated.

His love and presence ripped and torn away from me. That’s what I was looking towards.

Forsaken and despised by my own Father, the anticipation of losing the one you love.

Yet that was my Fathers will, to crush me, to make me suffer…… for you!

As the Word says,

“For God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son,

that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

There.

This is the gift.

Now you know the truth.

That’s what I did for you.

Will you believe?

What are you going to do with this knowledge?

Do you have the courage to come to me? To know me?

Will you accept the Father’s gift to you, or will you turn away and reject us?

The choice is yours.