Author: Randy

Recently a friend shared something with me that I thought would be a great way to start the year. She shared that while doing some heavy weight training a few years ago she thought about time from God’s perspective. She concluded that if she was going to be able to lift a heavier weight, then from the Lord’s perspective, outside of our linear time (think of Jesus as the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world) she had already accomplished it! She then went on to make such significant gains that her coach asked if she was using steroids or something. In fact she was in a very practical way simply applying her faith.

This story may sound simple but the underlying perspective has profound implications. Think about praying for healing for someone. If they are going to be healed, from His perspective they already have been. In Matthew 6:10 Jesus told us to pray “Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Paul said in Ephesians 2:5-6 that we have been raised with and in Jesus and are seated with Him in heavenly places. Should we not then see and pray from this perspective?

This idea of viewing events in time from the perspective of non-linear experiences outside of time may be what Jesus was speaking of in Mark 11:22-24.

²²  So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. ²³  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. ²⁴  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” Mark 11:22-24 (NKJV)

I believe to embrace this perspective we need to meditate on the significance of it. What does it mean to believe we have already received so that we can receive? I believe one application is that just as a baby grows in the womb and then is revealed in birth we need to learn to carry things in our spirits and nurture them until they are manifest in the earth.

What are you carrying this year?

So, I was thinking, “How did Jesus think?” I’m not asking what process He used, rather, I am looking at what He focused on in His thinking. After all we are told by Paul,

⁵  Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Philippians 2:5 (NKJV)

Paul exhorts us to think like Jesus then describes his own pursuit of the high calling available in Christ, something he did not view himself as having attained when he wrote this later in his life.

¹⁵  Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind; and if in anything you think otherwise, God will reveal even this to you. ¹⁶  Nevertheless, to the degree that we have already attained, let us walk by the same rule, let us be of the same mind. Philippians 3:15-16 (NKJV)

So we have something to pursue and it requires thinking like Jesus, laying down our agendas and picking up His – just as He laid down His desires and picked up His Father’s. I believe part of thinking like Jesus and having His mind is attending to what Paul wrote.

⁴  Rejoice in the Lord always. Again I will say, rejoice! ⁵  Let your gentleness be known to all men. The Lord is at hand. ⁶  Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; ⁷  and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. 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 4:4-9 (NKJV)

We need to replace fear and worry with faith and intercession, bringing our specific requests before the throne of grace and leaving them with Him. When we do His peace will guard our hearts and minds. To stay in that place we need to meditate (think deeply and reflectively) on that which is noble, just, pure, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy. This is how Jesus thought. Part of thinking about things that are just is praying for Yahweh’s justice in the earth. Seeing His justice is also noble, pure, lovely, virtuous and praiseworthy for when we have His justice made manifest we have everything else because He is fair and just. As Abraham said, “Shall not the judge of all the earth do right?” (Gen. 18:25). Isaiah described it this way.

⁹  With my soul I have desired You in the night, Yes, by my spirit within me I will seek You early; For when Your judgments are in the earth, The inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness. Isaiah 26:9 (NKJV)

Part of thinking like Jesus is praying for His justice to be made manifest in the earth so that our world will finally become righteous under His rule and reign.

I believe that thinking like Jesus involves embracing the whole counsel of God and this is the fruit of maturity. At present many in His body embrace one facet of truth to the exclusion of others. When we think like Jesus we embrace it all as Paul wrote.

¹⁵  But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. ¹⁶  For “who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?” But we have the mind of Christ. 1 Corinthians 2:15-16 (NKJV)

In this statement in 1 Corinthians, though it may offend us, I believe Paul is saying we can assess our spiritual maturity by how we think. All of us as Christians have access to Jesus way of thinking. The mature are those who use that access to change their thinking to conform to His. When we do this we are practicing what the scriptures teach. Paul said we were to imitate Jesus and also to imitate or follow him the same way in which he followed Christ. They both embraced the whole counsel of God. A noble goal as we seek to grow in Christlikeness this year.

¹  Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. ²  And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma. Ephesians 5:1-2 (NKJV)

¹  Imitate me, just as I also imitate Christ. 1 Corinthians 11:1 (NKJV)

I want to delve a bit into the passage below to give us yet another way to look at what it means to be in Christ and for Christ to be in us. Bear in mind that a metaphor is a message and we need to only get from it what the Lord has put into it. All metaphors break down at some point if we move beyond the message. Branches cannot move in an out of a vine, yet there is a sense in which while if we are born again we are in Jesus, we can choose whether or not to abide. The message of the metaphor below is fruitfulness, not conversion.

¹  “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. ²  Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³  You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. ⁴  Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. ⁵  I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. ⁶  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. ⁷  If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. ⁸  By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples.” John 15:1-8 (NKJV)

In this metaphor to be fruitful we must be abiding. So what images does the word abiding evoke? We can think of living somewhere, however living and abiding may be two different things. We can live somewhere and not ‘abide’ because abiding carries the idea of being settled or being at home where we live. When Jesus says ‘abide in me’ He is asking us to settle down and be comfortable with Him, like a branch well connected to a vine. While Jesus desires that we abide in Him, He also desires to be comfortable in us. This pattern of us in Him and Him in us is replayed for us earlier in John 14. Things are sometimes lost in translation. The verses below are a good example.

²  In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. John 14:2 (NKJV)

²³  Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.” John 14:23 (NKJV)

These verses are part of a longer teaching by Jesus and what is lost is that in verse 2 the word ‘mansions’ and the word ‘home’ in verse 23 are the same word in Greek. These are the only two occurrences of the word in the New Testament and the meaning of the word is place, dwelling, stay or abide (the first version of the NKJV had ‘dwelling places’ in it, as the NASB does now) Jesus wasn’t telling the apostles that by going to the cross He was going to go to heaven and take up home building. His sacrifice, death and resurrection were creating a dwelling place for them in heaven in Him and if the apostles (and by extension us) kept His word He would abide in them.

So in Jesus use of the vine metaphor we see that a grape branch produces fruit by dwelling or abiding, by being connected to and drawing life from the vine, the source. As we learn to abide, to live in Jesus (us in Christ) we draw on Him and His life flows through us (Christ in us) and fruit is produced. We abide in Him by learning to be at rest in Him and His word and the fruit flows forth brings glory to our Father.

Another important part Jesus addresses is pruning. Yes, it involves cutting. Have you ever looked at a branch on a tree or vine that has a lot of leaves but no fruit? It may look good but not only is it of no real value to the gardener, it is in fact drawing life from the vine that is being consumed on itself but producing nothing. These branches are useless and need to be removed so that the life that is going into them can be redirected to fruitful branches.

The other thing Jesus addressed in verse 2 was the ‘taking away’ of branches that have no fruit. This may seem to refer to pruning but Jesus clearly addressed pruning later. The alternate rendering in my bible is ‘lift up.’ This seems to better capture what Jesus is communicating. If you look at vineyards you see the vines are all staked so that the branches are raised up off the ground to fruit. Jesus seems to be saying is that if a branch is laying in the dirt (think carnality or sin) it is unfruitful and needs to be raised up from the dirt to produce fruit. If we are seeking to abide in Him but see no fruit in our lives it may be that we need to come to Him in repentance so that we are lifted up from the dirt and fruit is produced through our life in Him.

My prayer is that we as branches will be woven into a beautiful living tapestry that produces much fruit while shining in the Son!

In my last post I referenced the scripture below and wrote about how by being in Christ we have access to the throne room and by Jesus being in us He has access through His body to accomplish His purposes in the earth.

²⁰  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20 (NKJV)

I now want to look at another aspect of what this means. Many years ago I read a story of a young pastor who was struggling and when he presented his issues to a more mature pastor the older fellow asked him if he was using the armour provided in Ephesians 6. Since he had just graduated from seminary the young man started to describe what each piece meant and began to break down the text. The older man stopped him and essentially said, “I didn’t ask if you could describe it. I asked if you were using it.” A good question! So, below is the armour.

¹⁰  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. ¹¹  Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. ¹²  For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. ¹³  Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. ¹⁴  Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, ¹⁵  and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; ¹⁶  above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. ¹⁷  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God; ¹⁸  praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints – Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV)

Paul tells us we are in a spiritual battle then exhorts us to put on the armour so that we may be victorious in this spiritual warfare that is part of the package of being a Christian. The armour takes us back to the idea of Christ in us and us being in Christ. The tense is important in capturing this. Starting from verse 14 we are told that the first three pieces; the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness and the footwear of the gospel of peace, are things we already have by virtue of our conversion. We have them in the present because we received them in the past.

In Jesus we have truth (Eph. 4:21, Jn. 14:6), He is our righteousness (1 Cor. 1:30, 2 Cor. 5:21), and He is our peace (Eph. 2:14, Jn. 14:27).  What we need to do is confess and believe these truths. We need them worked into our hearts to see them effective in spiritual battles.

Once we recognize this reality we are to then actively take up our shield of faith, our helmet of salvation and our sword, His word, because we are in Christ. The first three pieces of armour, we have in Jesus and they are ours at conversion. The other three pieces we ‘take up’ by working them into our lives.

Faith literally shields us from attack and we all have some measure of it at conversion (Rom. 12:3). Through using our faith it grows (Gal. 2:20). The helmet protects our mind and by renewing our mind with His word we begin to have the mind of Christ (Rom. 12:1-2, Phil. 2:5). The sword is His word applied. Paul’s closing point is that as we are engaged in intercession we need to take the scriptures the Holy Spirit quickens to us (praying in the Spirit, or at the leading of the Spirit) and use them. We cannot simply find a scripture to suit our desires, rather we need to submit our desires to His purpose. This is His roadmap to victory.

In my last post included a sentence from a written prayer I developed. Here is another portion that demonstrates one way to apply Ephesians 6.

I thank You that Your word is truth and that as I commit to standing on truth and in truth the enemy is defeated. I thank You that You are my righteousness. Through You I come boldly to the throne of grace, drawing on Your mercy and help. I thank You that as in faith I present my requests to You, Your peace guards my heart and mind. I thank You that my faith in You is a shield that quenches all the attacks of the evil one. I thank You that by filtering my thoughts through the reality of Your salvation, my mind is guarded. I thank You that the proper use of Your word is a sword that drives back the enemy! Eph. 6:10-20, 4:21, John 14:6, Phil. 3:9, 4:6-8, Heb. 4:12, 11:1, 6, 12:2, Rom. 1:16, 8:14, Gal. 5:16, 18

I have provided a number of scripture references in this post when I referenced the pieces of armour. I recognize it takes time but I encourage you, look them up and reflect/meditate upon them so they live within you.

This is not a recipe for an easy life, rather is the way of discipleship. Remember, there can be no victory without a battle. The battle is before us – will we fight?

Have you ever wondered what it means, or what the distinction is between Christ in you and you in Christ? Does it seem like splitting hairs? Do the scriptures mean different things by the different terms? Let’s look at some scriptures and address the question from the perspective of access.

²⁶  the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. ²⁷  To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Colossians 1:26-27 (NKJV)

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) 

The two scriptures above point to the importance of Christ in us and the following ones to us in Christ.

³  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, ⁴  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, ⁷  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace ¹¹  In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, Ephesians 1:3-4, 7, 11 (NKJV, emphasis mine)

³  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3 (NKJV)

The verses above speak of what we have in Jesus. So we have two important aspects, us being in Jesus and Jesus being in us. Jesus addressed this in His last teaching before going to the Garden of Gethsemane then the cross.

²⁰  At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you. John 14:20 (NKJV)

If we break down the two aspects we can see that addresses our access to throne room. Jesus is seated on the throne and because we are ‘in Him’ we can come boldly to throne of grace because in one sense we are already there (Heb. 4:14-16). The second is that by being in us Jesus has access through us to accomplish His purposes in the earth. While He has received all authority through His death and resurrection He has finished His work and commissioned us for the next phase.

¹⁸  And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. ¹⁹  Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 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 28:18-20 (NKJV)

This passage is our command to allow Jesus to walk and move through us to fulfill His purposes in the earth prior to the final consummation at His return (see also Mk. 16:15-20). I have things I pray spontaneously each day and I also have a prayer list of subject areas that I have developed over the years and regularly pray. One thing I regularly ask the Holy Spirit to do in me and many of you is –

• Release grace and supplication as You intercede in and through us to bring about Your strategic and corporate purposes in the earth. Zech. 12:10, Rom. 8:26, Eph. 6:18

We have an incredible responsibility and incredible opportunity if we are sufficiently awakened to our calling to respond. I pray we give Jesus our agendas so that we will see His fulfilled in the earth!

If you have read my blog or heard me teach a few times there is a recurring message in a lot of what I say, I talk about sitting with Jesus, sitting in His presence. Why do I do that and how do I do it?

The why? I desire to give Jesus the first part of my day as that sets the tone for the rest of my day. If I jump out of bed and frenetically engage in activity I have set the pattern for my day. I get up early in the morning to meet with Jesus for two reasons. One, He is worthy and I need to be with Him. Two, He is to be our pattern and a careful reading of the gospels shows that Jesus began His days getting up early to be with His Father. If Jesus needed to do this to be effective I certainly need to do likewise.

Sitting with Jesus is not a contest. The important factor is not whether I spend 5 or 50 minutes with Him, it is important to be at the place where my first desire is to get up and be with Him. This is not the case every day but that is my desire. I know of one well known preacher who speaks of spending the first hour or two of his day worshipping and interacting with Jesus before he gets out of bed.

I suspect that pattern would not work for most of us. However most of us can start our day with Him. If for some reason you cannot give Him at least the first few minutes of your day how soon can you get alone with Him? What is your first opportunity? Is it while riding the bus? We can get alone with Him in a crowd of people. While it is not ideal we can use this as an opportunity to train our attention and intention.

We are called to be with Him and His desire is to be with us. There is a key focus in both verses below.

¹²  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.” Exodus 24:12 (NKJV)

¹⁴  Then He appointed twelve, that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach, Mark 3:14 (NKJV)

In both of the above verses there is a task given, however, the priority for both Moses and the twelve was first on ‘being with Him’ before doing anything for Him. Whatever we do for Him is to flow from our relationship with Him.

I have included a couple of images below that some of you may find helpful in focusing your hearts upon Him (we can think of one as Jesus and one as our Father). After all the descriptions of His throne in Isaiah, Ezekiel and Revelation are there for some reason! I do some of this although my own experience is that I sense/feel Jesus presence more than I see anything. Often His speaking comes in the form of a scripture, sometimes in the sense to do something like encourage or reach out to someone or to pray for a person or situation. The more frequent outcome of sitting with Him is that I simply experience His presence in and around me and find myself internally more focused and functional because I am very aware of Jesus with me and in me.

How many of us or how often have we felt genuine hunger? If we understand hunger what does it mean to ‘hunger and thirst for righteousness?’ We should want to know, as there is a blessing attached to it.

⁶  Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, For they shall be filled. Matthew 5:6 (NKJV)

The pronounced blessing is that our hunger and thirst shall be satisfied. A key factor here is the tense. In a literal translation the tense reads as hungering and thirsting. The idea being that we do not eat or drink once and remain satiated. Just as we naturally need to eat and drink each day to maintain our physical body, so too we need to spiritually eat and drink each day. Jesus says our hungering and thirsting is to be for righteousness. Given that, understanding righteousness will help us to direct our hunger and thirst. So what are we being directed to in Matthew?

δικαιοσύνη dikaiosunē noun, Righteousness, equity, justice.

The New Testament concept of justice is remote from the Greek doctrine of virtue and also from the Jewish concept of earning righteousness through keeping the Law. The term dikaiosunē is applied both to God and to people in the New Testament. In reference to people it is concerned with the imputed righteousness “in Christ” and the practical righteousness of everyday living and conduct.

Complete Biblical Library Greek-English Dictionary, The

The Greek word for righteousness is the one above, and as it states, we have an imputed righteousness by virtue of our relationship with Jesus that produces a practical righteousness in our conduct. What the definition does not address is that we also have an imparted righteousness, Jesus nature in our reborn spirit, which needs to be made manifest in our soul. This is what produces a practical righteousness, holiness. How do we walk in it?

One way is to satisfy our hunger and thirst each morning by sitting with Jesus with the fixed intention of encountering Him and knowing His heart. This expectation of encountering Him is a demonstration of faith. We can have communion with Him each morning, with or without the elements. The external elements merely symbolize an internal reality.

The Quakers, or Society of Friends, have been part of the broader Christian landscape since the mid-17^th century and their practice is to have communion not via external elements but via sitting with Jesus and experiencing His presence. This is available to all of us as believers. We simply need to make the choice and sit with Him, He is available.

I am convinced through practice that getting up and sitting with Jesus is the best way to start each day. To make it more effective it is best if it spills over into the rest of the day. Develop the habit of pausing and looking to Jesus at various points throughout the day and He will begin to spill over into all of your day. This is the practical application of hungering and thirsting. Not the expectation of some magical download that will change our life; rather the cultivation of a habit that shapes our eternal destiny!

Are you familiar with the term “The Deeper Christian Life?” Perhaps some church history will help? The Pentecostal movement was always part of church history to a small extent, however when the great Pentecostal movement began in the early part of the 20^th century it flowed around the world from a converted stable at 312 Azusa Street in Los Angeles. Please note when I refer to the Pentecostal movement I am referring to a movement marked by tongues and other spiritual gifts, not a denomination. There are numerous denominations and there have been numerous movements as part of the greater Pentecostal movement.

I remember hearing John Wimber describe what he learned from his study of church growth in the 20^th century. He said plotted on a graph the Pentecostal movement had a slow and steady rise for most of the first half of the 20^th century and then with the advent of the healing evangelists from 1948 on, tied to Israel becoming a nation again, the graph line changed so it looked like a rocket launching, there was explosive growth around the world and it has been the fastest growing evangelical movement ever since. All good news right?

Not necessarily. Over 100 years ago the prophecy below was released at the Azusa Street Mission.

“In the last days three things will happen in the great Pentecostal Movement. There will be an overemphasis on power rather than on righteousness. There will be an overemphasis on praise to a God they no longer pray to. There will be an overemphasis on the gifts of the Spirit, rather than on the Lordship of Christ.” (source, David Wilkerson writing)

So, while this movement has gone around the world and resulted in an incredible number of salvations and the advancement of the church there is another element. In the broader Pentecostal movement the sign of being filled with the Holy Spirit has been the experience of moving in spiritual gifts with tongues being the primary focus for many. This was a marked departure from the focus of those in the 19^th century church who pursued the deeper life. There were many at that time who believed in a filling or baptism in the Spirit subsequent to conversion. However, for them the evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit was not the operation of spiritual gifts in the life of the believer, most of them had no grid for this, their focus was on a transformed holy life! This remained the focus in the early Pentecostal movement. Gifts were a sign but the fruit of the Spirit was also to be in evidence. However this was lost over time.

I do believe there will be a return to this focus in the church without losing the focus on moving in spiritual gifts. I think they are critically important. At the same time the New Testament church held up as the standard for carnality, the Corinthian church, seemed to have moved in the greatest gifts yet the least holiness. Perhaps we in the western church have come full circle? I think in many ways we have lost our focus on spiritual purity. What do we think of when we read the verse below?

²¹  And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins.” Matthew 1:21 (NKJV) 

Are we thankful that we are free from having to pay the penalty for our own sin? That is good and right. Yet I believe much more is expressed in this verse. The nation of Israel was looking for their Messiah, a deliverer, and here He was promised. Yet Jesus came not just to deliver us from the penalty of sin, He also came to deliver us from the power of sin! The Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5-7) is clear on this point and Jesus told us to build our lives on what He taught. He reaffirmed this in Matthew 28:18-20 in what we call the Great Commission. A call to Jesus is a call to discipleship that results in practical holiness. This it is taught throughout the New Testament and below are just a few of many verses.

⁴  just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, Ephesians 1:4 (NKJV) ¹⁶  because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” 1 Peter 1:16 (NKJV)

¹¹  Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, ¹²  looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat? ¹³  Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. 2 Peter 3:11-13 (NKJV)

There is no question that the scriptures call us to holiness. What we need to address is how we get there and what holiness looks like. I think in the 20^th century much of the church abandoned the pursuit of holiness because they wrongly identified it with legalism and were repelled by it. Yet the holiest person who ever walked the earth, Jesus, was attractive to people, not through physical beauty but through a winsome holiness. True holiness draws the hungry because it reveals Jesus. The way to holiness is laid out below.

²²  Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, ²³  having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever, 1 Peter 1:22-23 (NKJV)

¹²  Therefore, brethren, we are debtors – not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. ¹³  For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. Romans 8:12-14 (NKJV)

The Holy Spirit is just that, holy. If we are truly intimate with Him, and obedient to Him, (intimacy and obedience cannot be separated) we too will be Holy. This was the pursuit of the deeper life movement in the 19^th century, the revealing of Jesus to and through His people. I think it needs to be our focus again. Not instead of spiritual gifts, but alongside spiritual gifts. We need both. The prophecy given at Azusa street was a message and warning, not a final pronouncement. It is a clarion call for us in this present age to pursue righteousness, prayer and the Lordship of Jesus to see Him revealed in His body.

In pursuing the life of Jesus we need to recognize that gifts are just that, gifts, holiness is the character of Jesus worked into us. When we by the Spirit put to death the deeds of the body, we paradoxically see the release of the life of Christ through us. Yes, death leads to life!

As we arise to pursue His presence through this death to life paradox we encounter more and more of the Holy Spirit working deeply in our lives. What an adventure – death to life to death to life – His life, gloriously revealed.

More to come…

Consider the expression, ‘Good is often the enemy of best.’ I want to look at this in the light of walking with Jesus. Aside from small distractions, can we miss Jesus through big distractions? Even through ‘spiritual’ ones? Let me illustrate from scripture by starting with a reflective question.

How was Elijah taken up to heaven?

1. By a fiery chariot
2. By a whirlwind

The correct answer is 2. Look at the verses below.

And it came to pass, when the LORD was about to take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal. 2 Kings 2:1 (NKJV) ⁹  And so it was, when they had crossed over, that Elijah said to Elisha, “Ask! What may I do for you, before I am taken away from you?” Elisha said, “Please let a double portion of your spirit be upon me.” ¹⁰  So he said, “You have asked a hard thing. Nevertheless, if you see me when I am taken from you, it shall be so for you; but if not, it shall not be so.” ¹¹  Then it happened, as they continued on and talked, that suddenly a chariot of fire appeared with horses of fire, and separated the two of them; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. ¹²  And Elisha saw it, and he cried out, “My father, my father, the chariot of Israel and its horsemen!” So he saw him no more. And he took hold of his own clothes and tore them into two pieces. ¹³  He also took up the mantle of Elijah that had fallen from him, and went back and stood by the bank of the Jordan. 2 Kings 2:9-13 (NKJV)

In this experience we know if we continue reading that Elisha received the double portion that he requested. We also know that he knew Elijah was going to be taken from him as in in verses 2-8 he is told by other prophets three times that he is going to lose Elijah. Elijah repeatedly tried to dissuade Elisha from following him, though this appears to have been a test of Elisha’s focus and commitment rather than a real desire on Elijah’s part to not have Elisha continue with him.

What do we make of Elisha’s request for a double portion? When Elijah called Elisha away from his family Elisha gave up his natural inheritance, which was likely significant given he was plowing a field with 12 yoke of oxen. The double portion was the right of the firstborn. Elijah presided over a company of prophets he was training. Elisha was asking to be acknowledged as his successor by receiving the right of the firstborn; his spiritual inheritance in place of the natural inheritance he had left behind.

We know he received it. How did he receive it? He maintained a right focus. Look at the passage below

¹¹  Then He said, “Go out, and stand on the mountain before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore into the mountains and broke the rocks in pieces before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind; and after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake; ¹²  and after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire; and after the fire a still small voice. 1 Kings 19:11-12 (NKJV)

In this passage we have a great wind, an earthquake and then fire. Yahweh was in none of them. He was in a still small voice. The center column note in my bible says this could be translated as a ‘delicate whispering voice.’ While the events are not the same as when Elijah was taken into heaven by a whirlwind, the principle is the same. We can miss Yahweh by focusing on the wrong things. Elijah told Elisha that he would receive the double portion, his commission, if he saw Elijah depart. Elijah’s departure was immediately preceded by the dramatic appearance of a chariot and horses of fire that separated them. If Elisha had been distracted and focused on them he would have missed his commission. Just as Elijah would have missed Yahweh if he had focused on the wind, earthquake or fire. I am not suggesting Elijah was not aware of these things, just that he was not distracted by them. In the same way Elisha saw the horses and chariot of fire, but he kept his focus on what was happening to Elijah and so received what he desired.

A key point is that the chariot and horses of fire were like a sign on the highway. They pointed to something but were not the thing in and of themselves. The references below suggest that the chariots and horses of fire marked Yahweh’s active presence but point to Him rather than being Him.

¹⁷  The chariots of God are twenty thousand, Even thousands of thousands; The Lord is among them as in Sinai, in the Holy Place. Psalm 68:17 (NKJV)

³  He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters, Who makes the clouds His chariot, Who walks on the wings of the wind, Psalm 104:3 (NKJV)

¹⁷  And Elisha prayed, and said, “LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:17 (NKJV)

¹⁴  Elisha had become sick with the illness of which he would die. Then Joash the king of Israel came down to him, and wept over his face, and said, “O my father, my father, the chariots of Israel and their horsemen!” 2 Kings 13:14 (NKJV)

¹⁵  For behold, the LORD will come with fire And with His chariots, like a whirlwind, To render His anger with fury, And His rebuke with flames of fire. Isaiah 66:15 (NKJV)

⁸  O LORD, were You displeased with the rivers, Was Your anger against the rivers, Was Your wrath against the sea, That You rode on Your horses, Your chariots of salvation? Habakkuk 3:8 (NKJV)

So how do we apply this to our walk with Jesus? We need to recognize that when we see things that indicate His presence they are generally pointing to something else. Just as trees waving in a breeze indicate the presence of the breeze. Similarly when the Holy Spirit moves upon someone and they weep or rejoice they point to the need to discern what the Holy Spirit is doing in that situation.

Think back. Have you ever been distracted by events in a church service and missed what the Holy Spirit was doing? Whether in a church setting or events or presentations at work I like to sit at the back or somewhere that I can observe the whole room. This was deeply established for me in 1995. A friend and I were in Whistler BC at the first Gathering held by the Watchmen group. We ended up at the back of the room (there were between 1,500-2,000 people present) and many times when we discerned something was heading in the wrong direction or needed to happen we would pray and in minutes one of the leaders at the front would address the issue. I’m not suggesting we were the only ones effecting change, just that I saw the benefit of observing and praying. Often we were scanning the room rather than focusing on the platform. I know that decades ago the Vineyard would train ministry teams to pay attention to what they observed the Holy Spirit doing in people and then direct ministry that way. The point being we need to attend not to what people are doing, which can be a distraction, but rather to what the Holy Spirit is doing, which leads us in the right direction.

When in a group I look around seeking to hear, see and discern what the Holy Spirit is doing and respond to that. While I have over the years missed a lot of what the Holy Spirit was doing, even at times going in the opposite direction, my desire is to follow His leading. To do this requires focus. Among a number of other reasons, this is one reason I don’t like really loud services or services with any type of frenetic activity. This type of environment makes it harder to focus on His heart and see what He is doing.

We are called to be like Jesus and He said He did what He saw His Father doing.

¹⁹  Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. ²⁰  For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel.” John 5:19-20 (NKJV)

To see what His Father was doing Jesus had to simultaneously pay attention at the natural and spiritual levels. Developing skill in this requires a trained awareness and focus. It is not a magic gift, it is the fruit of maturity that comes about through intentional practice. Where are we looking as we walk with Him? Are we seeing what the signs are pointing to?

How many of us desire to fulfill our destiny, our calling in Jesus? If that is our desire, let me address one of the minor things that I have found to be a major detriment in my own walk. In our own culture I like others have a laptop, home cell phone and a work cell phone. I have been in the habit of getting up and sitting with Jesus and His word early in the morning for three decades. However, something I have also found is the past couple of years is that my spirit has been disturbed, more so in the past couple of months.

I recognize that these tools, worship music via my computer, and the other things that are easily accessible, get in the way. I have thought for the past couple of months that I need to leave my work phone off until 7 in the morning, I just recently started turning it off on weekends, leaving it off first things in the morning is the next step. What firmed up my resolution was attending a leadership course. It wasn’t a Christian one but it was a very good and one of the things the lead instructor spoke about was how we are at our creative best (in terms of brain wave cycles) when we first wake up. Her take was that we should give that time to ourselves to further ourselves. My take is that we should give that time to Jesus to further His kingdom!

For some of you it may be a time other than first thing in the morning that you give to Him. I just know that if it is at all possible this is the best way to start the day, and continue it, being with Him. If we don’t press the pause button on demands and focus on Jesus first thing it is harder later. If we do it is easier to turn to Him and walk with Him throughout the day.

So why is this important? It is important because we can miss His voice and His heart if we are trapped in busyness. I think it is significant that there is only a one letter difference between ‘busyness’ and ‘business’ and that we like Jesus need to be about our Father’s business rather than caught up in our busyness. I say this because I do believe we can miss our calling and purpose by giving our time and attention to the wrong things. Look at the passage below.

¹¹  And Samuel said, “What have you done?” And Saul said, “When I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that you did not come within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered together at Michmash, ¹²  then I said, ‘The Philistines will now come down on me at Gilgal, and I have not made supplication to the LORD.’ Therefore I felt compelled, and offered a burnt offering.” ¹³  And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever. ¹⁴  But now your kingdom shall not continue. The LORD has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the LORD has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the LORD commanded you.” 1 Samuel 13:11-14 (NKJV)

What did Saul do here? It was a seemingly small thing but he took on a role that was not his. Now we may agree with Saul. A battle was looming and the sacrifice needed to be made. The Lord may have even forgiven the act if done with right motives. However, why did Saul do it? In verse 12 he states he did it because ‘he felt compelled.’ Some of his troops were leaving and rather than addressing them and dealing with the issue, a role that was his, he took on Samuel’s role. What did it cost him? His kingdom and his future. I highlighted part of verse 13 because this was what was given to David. Had Saul not given in to his inner compulsions David would not have become king and Saul’s lineage on the throne of Israel would have continued. Saul accomplished many things after this, many good things, but over time he descended into madness because he refused to truly address his heart attitude and repent of his sin.

The kingdom and throne were removed from Saul. This throne was extremely significant because David sat on it next and we know whose throne is Jesus seated upon. David’s, Saul’s replacement.

¹²  “When your days are fulfilled and you rest with your fathers, I will set up your seed after you, who will come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. ¹³  He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. ¹⁴  I will be his Father, and he shall be My son. If he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men and with the blows of the sons of men. ¹⁵  But My mercy shall not depart from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I removed from before you. ¹⁶  And your house and your kingdom shall be established forever before you. Your throne shall be established forever.” ’ ” 2 Samuel 7:12-16 (NKJV)

²⁹  “Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us to this day. ³⁰  Therefore, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that of the fruit of his body, according to the flesh, He would raise up the Christ to sit on his throne, ³¹  he, foreseeing this, spoke concerning the resurrection of the Christ, that His soul was not left in Hades, nor did His flesh see corruption. ³²  This Jesus God has raised up, of which we are all witnesses. ³³  Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear. Acts 2:29-33 (NKJV)

So what does Jesus being seated on David’s throne have to do with whether or not we check our email or text messages the first thing when we get up? Everything! Saul didn’t misuse his authority and make the wrong choice just one time. His insecurity that led to this choice was established by earlier choices. My point is that ‘now’ is a good time to make different choices and establish new patterns. Which is why Peter exhorted us as follows.

¹⁰  Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; 2 Peter 1:10 (NKJV)

This verse is not about salvation, it is about our eternal standing that is determined by our choices after salvation. I personally believe I have been making some wrong ones. I have still been getting up early each morning and reading the scriptures and praying but my heart has been distracted for a long time. So, my plan is to return to my first love and start each day spending more time with singleness of heart just sitting in His presence and experiencing His heart, making my calling and election sure. Will you join me?