Spiritual maturity – Page 2 – Wisdom From the Word

Authority and Abiding

Recently I was rereading one of Rick Joyner’s books and was struck by this quote, “Spiritual authority is not gained through knowledge but through our union with Him.”[1] In reflecting on it I see the importance. After all Jesus had some things to say on the subject. He referenced it as abiding.

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. John 15:7 (NKJV)

The context here is Jesus talking about the importance of being connected to Him, like a branch is to a vine. It is obvious when we think about it. We don’t see apple or pear branches or grape vines bearing fruit independent of the tree or main vine. The reason is obvious. They need to draw nurture and sustenance from the main vine or branch because it is connected to the roots.

Let me dig a little deeper! Years ago, I kept a bonsai tree in my office at work. What I discovered through some research is that there were two reasons bonsai trees were grown in a shallow dish. One was to occasionally put it in a sink or bucket and soak the tray and roots in water. The other, and more important reason, was that when you prune the branches you need to take the bonsai tree out of the pan and prune the roots at the same time to prevent overgrowth. I prune my apple tree every year but each year the amount it grows more than replaces what I prune. The reason? I don’t pull it out of the ground and prune the roots each time I prune the branches! Every year the roots grow deeper and stronger and so the branches have more to draw on to both grow and produce fruit.

Now back to abiding. Jesus is the source of life for the fruit bearing branches, us. If we want to produce fruit, we need to do the two things Jesus said are necessary. First, we need to abide in Him, then we need to let His words abide in me. Doing this will lead to us walking in spiritual authority and answered prayer. Abiding is about a daily ongoing relationship. Letting His words abide in us is about choosing obedience and adherence to His word.

When our hearts are at rest in Him the desires and words that flow forth from us are carried by, and rooted in, His life. It isn’t just about reading and speaking scripture, it is about abiding and life so that we read and speak the right scriptures needed in the present moment. When we are speaking with someone and we receive a word of wisdom for their situation or a word of knowledge about their life that comes from the Spirit because in that moment we are abiding in the vine, Jesus. Another way of saying this was written by Solomon.

⁵ Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; ⁶ In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5–6 (NKJV)

Thus, let’s abide in Jesus and walk in the spiritual authority He releases through us. After all, our spiritual authority is not simply grounded in knowledge about Jesus but through our relational union with Him.

NOTE in my next post, which may take a little longer to research and write, I will address Penal Substitutionary Atonement and some of the other historical theories to help ground us in what scripture teaches and defend us against error.

[1] Joyner, Rick. The Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand (Kindle Locations 504-505). MorningStar Publications. Kindle Edition.

Two Places at Once

Recently I was hiking on top of a mountain and there was a boundary marker delineating the border between two provinces. If I stood with one foot on either side of the boundary I could be ‘in two places at once.’ Cute. Yet, there is a deeper and more important aspect, scripturally we were originally designed to live in two places at once, the natural earthly realm and the heavenly spiritual realm. I believe Adam and could see in both realms, hence Eve could see and interact with serpent, a spiritual being and throne guardian, not a talking snake. I think one of the things that made them aware of their fallen state was the shift in what they were able to see and interact with. Whether that is accurate or not, doesn’t change what we were designed for.

We were created to live in two places at once, the natural and spiritual realms, after all, at the consummation of the age the New Jerusalem, the Lamb’s bride, the Holy city, comes from heaven to earth and the two realms are joined. In the meantime, if we have a better understanding of how we are called to function now we can live out of an awareness of both realms.

Paul made some comments about being in two places at once in both Ephesians and Colossians.

⁴ But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, ⁵ even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), ⁶ and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 2:4–6 (NKJV)

² Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. ³ For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. Ephesians 2:4–6 (NKJV) Colossians 3:2–3 (NKJV)

Jesus also had a perspective on this concept.

¹³ No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven. John 3:13 (NKJV)

Jesus more than any of us knew what it was to live in two places at once, to be in home in both the natural and spiritual realms. While I don’t expect any of us to fully live this out to the degree that Jesus did, He did set an example for us to follow. We follow His example by paying attention to what Paul wrote.

The obvious practical issue is delineating the how. I know in my own life often during the day my thoughts are drawn heavenward. That is, I am drawn to prayer, worship and reflection, sometimes in the midst of a group of people. It also means that heaven has a perspective on my days and decisions and I need to factor in heavens perspective in my decision making. Lastly, I can simply abide in His presence at any time and all times by turning my mind and heart toward Jesus. This is our call, to believe we are seated with Him and thus set our affections upon Him.

NOTE This post will lead into the next one, Authority and Abiding

Seek First

I last wrote about the kingdom of God, the gospel of the kingdom, which is broader than the gospel of salvation, and the need to understand the church is not the kingdom, it is subsumed under the kingdom of God. In response a friend, Mark, shared his definition of the kingdom of God (he and his wife have been faithfully pastoring for decades), “The liberating invasion, the present manifestation and the future consummation of the rule and reign of God in Jesus Christ.” I like Mark’s definition and as we go a little deeper let’s, look at a verse that I am sure is familiar.

³³ But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:33 (NKJV)

Of note, Jesus didn’t tell us to seek the church, He told us to seek the kingdom of God. Now guess what, the Greek word translated seek means just that, to seek or search for something. Taking Mark’s definition, we should be looking for His kingdom to break into our lives and the lives of others. I don’t think we can make it happen, just as I don’t believe we can create revival. I believe revival is like a natural birth. It isn’t the labour (our effort) that brings on the baby, it is the baby beginning to move down the birth canal that brings on the labour.

Having said that, while I have never been in a revival movement. I have had times of personal revival when I responded to His leading in my life. I have had experiences and seen significant spiritual manifestations in small groups, church conferences and services, which leaves me wanting more! Yet while I know that I can’t create the breaking in of His kingdom I am also aware that I can position my heart to be ready by seeking and expecting it. After all that is the message of the wise and foolish virgins, the need to be prepared, to be ready. Solomon put it this way.

¹ The preparations of the heart belong to man, But the answer of the tongue is from the Lord. Proverbs 16:1 (NKJV)

To that end, let us seek and search for the breaking in of His kingdom in our lives and communities and be found faithful by living with prepared hearts.

Through Kingdom Eyes

In my doctoral work I defined worldview as, “The lens through which we view and interpret reality.” I still hold it as a practical and useful definition, so with that in mind here is a question for us to ponder; do we see and interpret reality through the lens of the church or the kingdom? Do you know they are not the same thing? Is this something you have considered?

Jesus expressed the significance of the new birth in relation to the kingdom in the following way.

³ Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3 (NKJV)

⁵ Jesus answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. John 3:5 (NKJV)

For Jesus the new birth was about entrance to and participation in the kingdom. Paul wrote.

¹³ He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, Colossians 1:13 (NKJV)

This means that at our conversion we were birthed into Jesus’ kingdom. We stopped living in darkness and came into light. Once that happened His expectation is that we continue to live in and out of His kingdom (think Romans 12:1-2 or Ephesians 4:17-25 for example). This is where how we view reality becomes important. The church is in the kingdom and an expression of the kingdom. The church is not the kingdom. The kingdom is something much more significant.

I have written in the past about the perspective George Eldon Ladd popularized, the ‘already not yet’ nature of the kingdom. Jesus has already secured victory through the cross and His resurrection, yet it will not be fully realized until His return.

In the gospels Jesus taught much more about the kingdom than the church. He shared parables about the kingdom because it is the expression of His rule and reign in the earth. As the church expands the mustard seed that was the initial expression of the kingdom grows in the earth. Yet, one of the most significant aspects of the kingdom being represented in the earth is the making of disciples not the production of converts.

In this regard Jesus made some crucial statements.

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)

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)

Jesus expects us to preach the kingdom and from His perspective the kingdom is evident when we see new converts taught to observe all that He commanded. Jesus wasn’t expressing some dominionist mandate where the church takes over the earth, that happens when He returns as the triumphant king. However, we are to reflect His kingdom values in how we live and our lives are to be a blessing to those around us.

After all, we are either a kingdom influence in our culture, or we are coming under the influence of our culture. Given that the church is called to disciple both individuals and nations let’s be the former.

What Happens Next?

Here is a question that was asked in a Christian and Atheist debate group that I am involved in administering, “If a rebellion took place in heaven, it means sin or bad things can happen in heaven. This is in contradiction to a God who is perfect and can only have good around him. Does this mean that sinners can go to heaven or that people can sin in heaven?”

In reflecting on this I think the scriptural answer is something important to all of us as believers and right after I decided to write on the matter it came up in an apologetics group that I participate in. There are important elements in the questions. A simple answer to one question is that no, sinners cannot go to heaven. The other part gets at whether sin and free will are compatible when we step from time into eternity. I have heard this part of the question asked a number of times.

We start by addressing sin, if we look at what Paul taught in Romans 6-8 we see the struggle of the believer with sin and we also see the solution, walking with and being led by the Spirit. Earlier in his ministry Paul put forth this same solution in his first letter, Galatians (see chapter 5). This is the case because even though we become a new creation at conversion, there is still a propensity toward sin in our physical bodies. Now to more detail.

We begin with what took place at conversion.

¹⁷ Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV)

²¹ For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)

We received a new nature at conversion. Our spirit was reborn. Yet when we read Paul’s letters it is evident that believers still struggle with sin. Paul’s heart cry is found in Galatians.

¹⁹ My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, Galatians 4:19 (NKJV)

Paul wanted to see believers reflecting Jesus’ character, their new nature. In 1 Thessalonians 5:23 Paul’s prayer for the Thessalonian believers was that their spirit, soul and body would be preserved blameless at Jesus return.

To understand, when we dig a little deeper, we see the solution to our problem. At conversion we receive Jesus’ nature in our spirit. It is sanctified. As we continue in our walk our soul (mind, will and emotions), should progressively express Jesus’ nature, as Paul prayed in Galatians 4:19. I don’t think any of us will achieve perfection in this life, but we can increasingly look more and more like Jesus. Then finally at Jesus return we will be caught up into the air with Him in glorified new bodies, or be resurrected with glorious new bodies (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17, 1 Corinthians 15:39-49). At our resurrection or translation, we receive a glorified incorruptible body. There will only be one thing missing, a propensity to sin!

¹⁹ For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. ²⁰ Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Romans 7:19–20 (NKJV)

Now we can answer the questions, “Does this mean that sinners can go to heaven or that people can sin in heaven?” No, sinners cannot go, only saints, and while theoretically we could sin, with sin removed we will have no desire to do so!

Eyes to See

Let’s talk about and reflect on perspective in terms of what we see and how we see. Jesus exhorted us many times to see and hear. The choice to hear is consistent refrain in His messages to the seven churches in Revelation. One of the main passages is below and Jesus quotes Isaiah in His highlighting of the issue.

¹⁰ And the disciples came and said to Him, “Why do You speak to them in parables?” ¹¹ He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. ¹² For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. ¹³ Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. ¹⁴ And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: ‘Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; ¹⁵ For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’ ¹⁶ But blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear; ¹⁷ for assuredly, I say to you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it. ¹⁸ “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: Matthew 13:10–18 (NKJV)

In this passage Jesus tells his disciples that they can see and hear and on a later occasion rebukes them for failing to do so.

¹⁸ Having eyes, do you not see? And having ears, do you not hear? And do you not remember? Mark 8:18 (NKJV)

This should provoke humility in us and a recognition that just because we can see it doesn’t mean we do see! However, it also means we have the capacity to see and can develop it and if we miss the mark recover it.

Given the impact our perceptions have on our faith, it seems important to ‘look’ at how we can make changes. Here are a couple of examples of the need to ‘see’ accurately, salvation and spiritual gifts. I am sure you have heard someone share the example of how unfair it is for a murder, rapist (fill in the blank) or some other person considered terrible, to be able to repent and embrace Jesus and get into heaven while a ‘good person’ they know or know of, misses heaven and encounters hell because they never embraced Jesus.

In looking at this an illustration that came to mind is the idea of an old door with the brass casing and a hole in the centre for the key. One could push the key against the door jamb, the top of the door, or the bottom of the door and the key would not work. You could also push against the metal plate just next to the keyhole and encounter the same outcome. You would only be able to open the door if you actually put the key in the lock and turned it. In the same manner salvation is through Jesus, you can try other methods but only Jesus unlocks and opens the door to salvation. Therefore, we need eyes to see the source of salvation.

Now we look at spiritual gifts. There are two basic camps, those who claim that spiritual gifts, as listed in 1 Corinthians 12 ceased when scripture was complete, or when the last of the twelve original apostles died or something similar. Then there are continuationists. Those who hold that these gifts are still in operation today. I am in the latter camp. I am aware that theological arguments can be made for either position, though frankly I think key points made in scripture need to be ignored and misrepresented to hold to a cessationist view. I am a continuationist for two primary reasons, well maybe three. Scripture exhorts us to seek these gifts, I have seen them in experience for decades in my life and the lives of others, and lastly, because I think we need them to accomplish what Jesus has called us to do. Given that millions of Christians around the world function in spiritual gifts I ask of cessationists what Jesus said in Mark 8:18, “Having eyes, do you not see?”

Now is there a point somewhere here? Yes, Jesus has given each of us eyes to see and I am confident that we all miss things. I know I have learned a great deal over time and adjusted my theology more than a few times. Which requires a willingness to look at things in a new way, to reconsider my position. Jesus always has more for us if we are willing to look and ask Him to open our eyes to see.

His Inheritance

Ephesians contains an interesting phrase that is part of Ephesians 1:18, “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.” In the preceding verse Paul’s prayer for the Ephesian believers, and by extension us, that the eyes of our hearts/understanding would be enlightened by the Spirit to under the import of this phrase. Given that, let’s dig in and see what this inheritance is all about.

There are two aspects here, who gains the inheritance and what the actual inheritance is. In examining the passage closely, we first discover that the ‘His inheritance’ refers to the Father. Paul’s prayer is about the ‘Father of glory.’ It is the Father who receives the inheritance. Now we look at what He is receiving? Understanding that requires backing up quite a bit, backing up to before creation. The following two verses come from what is known at Jesus high priestly prayer just before Gethsemane, His trial and crucifixion.

⁵ And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was. John 17:5 (NKJV)

²⁴ “Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world. John 17:24 (NKJV)

We see two things here, Jesus possessed glory with the Father prior to creation and they lived in a loving relationship prior to creation.

Now we move to make sense of how this connects to the Father’s inheritance. We know Jesus and the Father lived in a relationship of love and intimacy. Scripture tells us what will happen to us that enables us to enter into that intimate relationship, it even tells us how it will take place.

²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. Romans 8:28–30 (NKJV)

² Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 1 John 3:2 (NKJV)

Think back on Jesus’ prayer in John 17 and His reference to glory. Paul says we will be glorified! That is our ultimate destiny. John describes it much more succinctly, “we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is.”

The Father’s inheritance at the end is us, believers, fully transformed creatures that can live in deep fellowship with Him as Jesus has since before the foundation of the world, a whole new family with whom He can intimately interact. The Father inherits us! You are part of this! It is our calling!

Born Under the Law

I suspect that at some point you have likely read the passage below.

⁴ But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, ⁵ to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. Galatians 4:4–5 (NKJV)

What I don’t know is whether you have considered the theological implications or weighed whether the ‘born under the law’ phrase was significant. It is. We will explore the significance but first we will take a bit of a journey through scripture by examining the background, which is rooted in a cosmic conflict.

We see the roots of this cosmic conflict in three key passages Genesis 3:1-24, 6:1-4, 11:1-9 and Deuteronomy 32:8-9. The cosmic conflict outlined here carries on throughout church history, is addressed by Paul in Ephesians and Colossians, and enables us to make sense of Yahweh calling Abraham out of Ur to initiate a redemptive restorative process that will ultimately lead to a new heaven and a new earth. The Genesis passages outline three failures, the sin in Eden that led to expulsion, the fallen sons of God taking on flesh and mingling with human wives in Genesis to corrupt humanity and the rebellion at Babel with humanity seeking to build a ziggurat to heaven to connect the natural and spiritual realms. Deuteronomy 32 shows that Yahweh disinherited the other nations and chose Israel for Himself as a vessel for the restoration of the earth.

This is clearer in two linked passages of scripture. Yahweh had disinherited the nations and chose Abraham to renew His process of restoring the earth and the original mandate given to Adam and Eve to make all of the earth like Eden, Look at the verses below.

¹⁸ “In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.” Genesis 22:18 (NKJV)

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)

First Yahweh promised Abraham that through him all of the nations of the earth would be blessed. Then Jesus addressed the how, the gospel, the good news of the kingdom, would be preached to all nations, all ethnos (ethnicities) or people groups. All will have the opportunity to be part of Yahweh’s program to restore the earth.

This came about because Yahweh invited Abraham into a relationship and Abraham said yes. We then had Isaac as the child of promise who became the father of Jacob. Jacob had 12 sons who became the heads of the 12 tribes of Israel. After the nation went into slavery in Egypt a deliverer was raised up by Yahweh, Moses. At Yahweh’s direction Moses led the nation of Israel out of Egypt and into the wilderness. You likely know about the Mosaic Law given by Yahweh through Moses in the wilderness. What you may not know is that the terms in the 10 Commandments were a marriage covenant between Yahweh and Israel. A number of times in the Old Testament Israel is referred to as married to Yahweh.

We now go back to Yahweh’s promise to Abraham; to bless all nations through his seed, the seed was Jesus. Paul makes this clear in Galatians.

¹⁶ Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. Galatians 3:16 (NKJV)

This gets us to the reason Jesus was ‘born under the law.’ He was the chosen seed through the chosen line of Abraham that would first bless Abraham’s seed then all nations through His crucifixion and resurrection. He needed to fulfill the law to fulfill His mission and purchase your salvation and mine. I don’t know about you but I am deeply grateful that Jesus was ‘born under the law’ and secured my salvation!

The Cloud Rider

Here we will look at the cloud rider in the Old Testament, look at the polemic Baal connection and the identity of the cloud rider in the New Testament. We start with three descriptive passages. Over thirty years ago the Lord gave me a simple song based on the first passage. It is brief and I will share it later.

¹ Bless the Lord, O my soul! O Lord my God, You are very great: You are clothed with honor and majesty, ² Who cover Yourself with light as with a garment, Who stretch out the heavens like a curtain. 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 104:1–3 (NKJV)

⁴ Sing to God, sing praises to His name; Extol Him who rides on the clouds, By His name Yah, And rejoice before Him. Psalm 68:4 (NKJV)

¹ The burden against Egypt. Behold, the Lord rides on a swift cloud, And will come into Egypt; The idols of Egypt will totter at His presence, And the heart of Egypt will melt in its midst. Isaiah 19:1 (NKJV)

There are other references but these suffice to establish the point. As to why Yahweh is referred to as riding on the clouds, it is a polemic against Baal, who was viewed in the surrounding cultures as the cloud rider and god of storms. The Spirit inspired text is saying that Yahweh is the true cloud rider. Think of the significance in Elijah’s pronouncement of drought and battle with the prophets of Baal. Yahweh pronounced the drought and Yahweh brought the rain, not Baal. The storm god Baal was impotent in the face of Yahweh’s power.

Now we turn to the cloud rider in the New Testament. We have a couple of passages to consider. The first is the one that led to Jesus’ condemnation and crucifixion. At His trial Jesus refuses to speak until the high priest compels Him under an oath.

⁶³ But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest answered and said to Him, “I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Matthew 26:63–64 (NKJV)

Do you see it now? The high priest responded to Jesus statement by tearing his robes and accusing Jesus of blasphemy because Jesus was claiming to be the cloud rider, Yahweh. Not just that, look at Daniel. In this scene the heavenly court and council has been seated then this happens.

¹³ “I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. ¹⁴ Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed. Daniel 7:13–14 (NKJV)

The phrase ‘coming with the clouds of heaven’ refers back to the Son of Man in Daniel who is given an everlasting dominion. Jesus was saying He was this cloud rider. In fact, you can now make sense of Acts 1:9-11. Jesus ascends into heaven on a cloud and an angel says He will return the same way. The audience was all Jewish and knew the significance – Jesus was Yahweh, the cloud rider! It isn’t the image of a fluffy white cloud; it is the picture of one in authority presiding over the elements.

My point in all of this is to help see some aspects of the Old Testament with fresh eyes. I didn’t understand about the cloud rider and Daniel 7 when He gave me this simple song from Psalm 104:3 over thirty years ago. I now understand the words better because we are called to walk with Him and soar in the Spirit with Him, or as Paul put it, that I may “be found in Him (Philippians 3:9) wherever He is. It is a simple song about following Him into freedom in worship and being led by the Spirit.

Wings of The Wind

I ride upon the wings of the wind

Exulting in the light of Your presence

My heart has been captured by You now

Exulting in the light of Your presence

I’m moved by Your moving within

Exulting in the light of Your presence

Who is Behind You?

There is an important injunction in scripture regarding our spiritual heritage. While it was given to Israel, it is a sound principle to apply to our lives.

¹⁸ “Therefore you shall lay up these words of mine in your heart and in your soul, and bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. ¹⁹ You shall teach them to your children, speaking of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. ²⁰ And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates, ²¹ that your days and the days of your children may be multiplied in the land of which the Lord swore to your fathers to give them, like the days of the heavens above the earth. Deuteronomy 11:18–21 (NKJV)

In an ideal world we would all have an investment like this in our lives in whatever environment we were raised in. Yet for many of us that is not the case.

I don’t know a lot about my natural spiritual lineage. My father was an illegitimate child born in a home for unwed mothers in Edmonton, at the site of the current Royal Glenora Club. I don’t know what if any Christian heritage there was on either side of my father’s family. I know my paternal grandmother had a family bible but I know of no active church attendance. On my mother’s side I know there was some Baptist background with her father’s family and someone in that lineage was a Jehovah’s witness. I know nothing of my maternal grandmother’s family in terms of spiritual heritage. She died of cancer before I was born. I know my mother became a believer at some point prior to my birth. I am one of six children, my sister then five boys. I am the middle boy.

Does this mean I lack any real spiritual heritage? Naturally it appears there isn’t much. Yet that is not the primary determinant. For each of us, at some point we or someone else began a spiritual lineage and heritage, and however great or limited our natural spiritual heritage is, we have the option of spiritually receiving from the heritage that others have provided. There are wells of living water that are available.

Our broader spiritual heritage speaks to the individuals and groups who have spoken into and invested in our lives. In the early years of my Christian journey, I was mentored personally by more than one saint and also by many great saints of old because I read voraciously. Each one imparted something. Two key early influences were Tozer and Finney.

The significance of the impact of previous generations of saints was brought home to me in the summer of 2007. We were on vacation in London England. One of the places we visited was St. Paul’s Cathedral. In the basement there were a number of tombs, one of which was John Donne’s. I knew of him from his poetry and his famous line, “No man is an island.” What I didn’t know was that he had preached regularly at St. Paul’s. While standing in front of his tomb the Holy Spirit surprised me by speaking very clearly to me, “Receive the heritage of many generations.”

All these years later I don’t claim to fully understand that. What I do understand is that I need to continue to open my spirit to receive from those who have gone before. That requires knowing the scriptures and discerning. For example, George Whitfield and John Wesley were famous preachers and friends. Yet they held very differing theological positions. Whitfield holding to Calvinism while Wesley was very much an Arminian. They were both key players in the first Great Awakening. Charles Finney was a key figure in the second Great Awakening after their deaths. He held what were some controversial theological positions. If I am to receive from these generations my focus can’t be primarily on the differences in their theological stances. That is important and I have sorted out and modified my own views over the years. Yet given that they held a number of conflicting views what I need to focus on is their passion for, and commitment to, Jesus. That made them so effective in their ministries along with their solid commitment to the need for conversion. They each held fast to the need to be born again, which we need to as well.

Now back to my question. Who is behind you? In each of our lives there are those who have influenced us that were simply part of our lives or background, those we didn’t necessarily choose. The others are those whose heritage we have chosen or can choose to receive from because we recognize the importance of those who have gone before. So, who is behind you or who would you like to be behind you?