Meta-more-foo-may-I

Declaring good news of real change out of, through and into the Spirit of Jesus Christ, (Rom. 12:2, Rom. 11:36)

Correction

(part 2)

     “And having come, he will convict the world concerning Sin, and concerning Righteousness, and concerning Judgment; 9. concerning Sin, indeed, Because they believe not INTO me;” John 16:8-9, from the Emphatic Diaglott.

     The word into speaks of a progression. It is not a one shot get it while it’s hot kind of deal. We are talking about a slow and steady progression, a walk, conquering as we go, taking and subduing of our promised land in resurrection life in Christ Jesus. Let us never forget, that we are in a “grave” struggle. The grave struggles in trying to get us to remain in death (as in Adam all die); but in Christ Jesus, that struggle has been turned into victory, declared and made manifest in the resurrection of Jesus out from among the dead ones. We are called to be partakers of, and living trumpets of praise to herald, this good news. Did not God say, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let him have dominion?” But, before we have dominion, we must be fashioned in the likeness of His image. The desire of our hearts should be as David’s, as for me, I shall be satisfied, when I awake in Thy likeness. (Psalm 17:15)

     All of our promises of life of the ages, translated as eternal life, in the very misleading King James English, are tied to this concept and practice of believing into our Lord Jesus Christ. So what does it mean to believe into Jesus Christ? To open this up a little in the Spirit of Truth, the Comforter which leads us into all truth, which is Jesus Christ; let’s return to an example from the Old Covenant as a type of foreshadowing from which we can learn and expect to occur under the New Covenant.

     “I will not drive them out from before thee in one year; lest the land become desolate, and the beast of the field multiply against thee. 30. By little and little I will drive them out from before thee, until thou be increased, and inherit the land.” (Exodus 23:29-30) Notice for a moment, who is doing the driving here. God is saying, “I will drive them out from before thee.” It is His work; we are His workmanship, until we are increased and inherit the land.

     Just as with the Children of Israel, we have a promised land to inherit. Oh, I have heard of the sweet by and by, home in the sky; but that is not what this is referring to here. This is a type, a shadow if you will, of progressively overcoming, just as Jesus did, to receive of God, His life of the ages. “To him that overcometh…” are the promises of God given and fulfilled. It is not enough to merely go to church three times a week and pray over your meals. God will have you in the entirety of your being. This does not happen instantly, but little by little, line upon line, until we are increased to handle responsibly the requirements of the very Life of God within us. Namely, we come to an awareness in Christ of the will of our heavenly Father, ONLY. We become single minded to the purpose of His will ONLY. We are aware of nothing else. To use a different turn of phrase, we hear and obey our Father’s will IN ALL THINGS. There is no other influence that can sway our thinking. There is no wind of adversity which can blow us off course. There is no bond of human affection which can keep us from fulfilling the will of our heavenly Father. Fear, we laugh at fear; because, His perfect love has cast it out. Persecution, we endure in love those who persecute us, saying Father forgive them, they know not what they do. Trials, tests, adversities, we abide in the presence of the Almighty, these trivialities amount to nothing, I said, “NO THING,” at all! Tribulation only works patience in us, so we welcome all from God’s hands right and left, and rejoice in the new things created within us.

     These are the responsibilities of the life of God in us through Jesus Christ. To love and be love to those around us; to be an example of righteousness in His light into the unrighteous darkness which surrounds us; to be peace in a world that does not know Him who is our peace; to exude a quiet steady joy when the entire world seems to be crumbling around our ears; these are the requirements of life of the ages we have as our inheritance. These are the promises of God to “him that overcometh.” These things do not happen overnight though. Through years of patient perseverance, a steadfast refusal to settle for anything less than the fullness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, we walk uprightly and in patience possess our souls. “To Him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on MY THRONE, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in His throne.” (Rev. 3:21)

Not By Might

     We are an impatient people. I cannot say for anyone else; but of myself, I have said for many years that if I wanted patience, I would have studied to be a Doctor. My lame attempt at humor aside, we know that the old carnal nature of Adam is death to and within us. We have tasted of the life found in Christ Jesus. We are beginning to understand the union required, as in a seasoned marriage relationship, of our souls in submission and obedience in love to His Spirit within us. YET, we still try putting the cart before the horse; running when we should be resting; and vice versa in a feeble attempt to hurry along the process of overcoming. We are impatient. We are as those brought up in a system of religion which has substituted the very LIFE OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS for a busyness of religious activity, action for unction, and all that which has no life inherent in it. “Come away from all of that my people.”

     I must be very honest here, even things like writing these articles can be considered a religious activity IF it is done in the strength of unrighteousness, in the strength of Adam’s carnal nature. I am constantly in question before God in my heart as to whether I am doing as He would have me do. The following quote speaks to me on how these articles specifically, but generally anything we do in Christ gets accomplished. “As you seek to do, you feel your helplessness. You then turn to Me. In knowing Me, your faith grows—and that faith is all you need for My Power to work.”  God Calling, edited by A.J. Russell, January 18. There is a promise in Psalm 75:10, to which I hold; which says: “He will break down the strength of the wicked (Adam), but the strength of the righteous (Jesus Christ) will be raised high.” Revised English Bible, with my own parenthesis.

      This busyness of religious activity has a name, literally, and in reference to its nature; she is called Babylon. She is a she because, as a function of the soul, our desire to be like God, without the obedience required of submission to His Spirit within us, leads every man down this path of religiosity. Eve (the soul of man), the very picture of our misled-misinformed-traduced souls, took. She did not wait to receive; rather in her impatience, she took of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She impatiently took, ate, and gave also unto the spirit of man (Adam) and he too ate. Thus death passed upon all, and the “grave” struggle was enjoined. Eve is our souls misinformed. Babylon is our souls willingly giving forth misinformation. In Eve, we are confused; in Babylon, we become messengers of, and traffickers in confusion. You see my consternation, as I question constantly my writing, am I hearing? Or am I trafficking in confusion? Not my will Father only yours be done in me.

     The literal definition of the word Babylon translates from the Hebrew as confusion. Considering all the different voices claiming to know God and to be His truth in the church realm today, and with the many “church-religion” voices in the world, there is no doubt that confusion and thus Babylon is so prominent. It is little wonder then that God inspired the prophets of old to pen words like: “…the Lord is in His Holy temple: let all the earth keep silence before Him.” And, “Be still, all flesh, before the Lord, for He is aroused and risen from His holy habitation.” And, “Keep silent in the presence of the Lord God, for the day of the Lord is near…” (Hab. 2:20, Zach. 2:13 and Zeph. 1:7 from the Companion Bible, The Amplified Bible and the Revised English Bible respectively.) We are His holy temple, His holy habitation, made without hands fitly framed in His Spirit. All strength or might that is of our old carnal Adam nature is anti-(instead of)-christ and death to us; and all that is of our disobedient soulish nature is Babylonian confusion. We have been told, and the telling reverberates within our hearts, “’IT IS NOT BY MIGHT, NOR BY POWER; BUT BY MY SPIRIT’ saith the Lord of Hosts.”

Zerubbabel

     “This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying ‘Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord of Hosts.’” This verse in Zechariah 4:6 is very popular, regardless of denomination. We love this one, because it holds such great promise for us and to us. But who is this Zerubbabel person? The Amplified Bible marks him as one who with Joshua, a priest during the time of the Babylonian captivity, “led the return of the exiles from Babylon and was undertaking the rebuilding of the temple…” Zech. 4:7.  What a beautiful picture of our Lord Jesus, raised from the grips of death in Adam, leading His church, through the presence of His in-dwelling Holy Spirit, away from the rigors of Jewish/Judeo Christian tradition into the life of His overcoming nature.

     The word Zerubbabel according to Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance comes from the combining of two different Hebrew words, Zarab and Babel. Zarab, reference # 2215, pronounced zaw-rab is a primary root word which means to flow away. Babel, reference # 894, pronounced baw-bel means confusion and comes from a root word #1101 balal, pronounced baw-lal which means to overflow or by implication to mix. So we have this word, Zerubbabel, which means to flow away from the confusion created by mixing, in this case, the LIFE OF THE SPIRIT OF GOD with the death found in a soul which needs to learn true obedience to her husband, but would rather willingly play the harlot.

     This overflow of baw-lal could also be understood by looking at a river. A river inside its banks is a great blessing upon the land; but in heavy rains and times of flooding, this same river can be a source of great danger.   Thus, we need obedience and even an occasional dry-spell to keep our banks built-up in love so that the river of His Spirit of Life does not overflow and mix with the carnality of our earthen nature, until we learn the great and terrible responsibilities of His life within us. A soul not in obedience to His Spirit will always produce this muddy mixture of brackish good-for-nothing flood water.

      We are admonished to submit our souls unto His Life. Did not Jesus tell His disciples that any who seek to save his life (psuche-soul life) would lose it; but those who seek to lose their life (psuche-soul life) would find it? Also in Revelation, that they overcame by the blood of the Lamb, by the Logos word of their martyrdom (testimony) and they loved not their psuche-soul life unto the death. Babylon is the realm of confusion, found in the modern day church system, true enough; but it hits a little closer to home when we begin to see our own souls in the light of His Spirit. Babylon can reign in us as believers, sure as shooting. That we are called to come away from her, and touch not that unclean thing, then should come as no surprise to us. Zechariah 2:6-7 tells us this: “Away, away! Flee from the land of the north, says the Lord, for I have dispersed you to the four winds of heaven, says the Lord. Away! Escape, you people of Zion who live in Babylon!” (Revised English Bible) The soul, our souls are to be obedient to His Spirit in love holding to His Life, and not to our own lesser life in the soul!

Awake O Israel

     Learning this obedience is where we as conquerors go forth little by little entering and possessing the land of our inheritance. We are led on this great embarkation by our heavenly Joshua (same Hebrew word as Jesus-Yeshua) the pioneer of our salvation, across the river Jordan symbolizing death to our old Adam carnal nature into the promised land of and in the nature of our God.

     It is a land most fair, but with current inhabitants whose acts and actions are a complete and utter abomination to the Lord. “But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your side, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell.” (Num. 33:55) “But of the cities of these people, which the Lord thy God doth give thee for and inheritance thou shalt save alive nothing that breatheth…18. That they teach you not to do after all their abominations, which they have done unto their gods; so should ye sin against the Lord your God.” (Deut. 20 16&18, KJV both from The Companion Bible) Make no mistake here, God is still driving. As He delivers a city or nation into our hand, we will then have the where-with-all to actually subdue that foreign city or nation. They are foreign to the Life and Nature of our Heavenly Father, which is why we are admonished to save nothing alive which breathes, or which has spirit.

     The promises of God to us in Christ Jesus are to him that overcomes. Can we do this overcoming in our own strength? No! It is exactly our own strength bound up in the curse of Adam which is death to us, not by our might or by our power. So what then, how do we do this? How do we overcome this Adamic curse and Babylonian religiosity? But by my Spirit saith the Lord!

     Awake O Israel, put off your slumber and the truth shall set you free. We are spiritual Israel. Let us awake, putting off the slumber which represents the death found in Adam by finding our identification within the one who took Adams death and nailed it to the cross in His own body. In His resurrection, we can be awakened and the truth, Christ Jesus unveiled to us by the Comforter, will set us free. He, the Comforter, is come to reprove or convict the world of sin because they believe not into Him, Jesus Christ. Does it not say that you shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free? Of whom does it say is the way, the truth and the life? Does it not say that it is the anointing which breaks every yoke of bondage, there by setting us free? Who is the Anointed One? Jesus Christ is the answer in all of these questions. Let us awake O spiritual Israel and cast off the death of Adam by submitting to His correction as sons so that we are brought into realization of His death, burial and resurrection out from among the dead ones, through His Holy Spirit, and His truth; The Truth, Jesus Christ, will indeed set us free.

Into

     And we, who are those believing into Jesus Christ, can also be considered as Zerubbabel in that we are flowing away from the confusion of soulish religion. We are being brought out of captivity to Babylon. But, to flow away from something, automatically means that you flow toward or into something else, right? Let’s return for example to our river. It flows from or away from the mountainous heights which gave it origin into the sea. But the entire river starts with a single droplet of rain water. Joining with other drops they form a trickle, runnel, creek, stream, minor river and finally a great river as that droplet flows ever downward to the sea. It flows out of the heights into its final destination in a series of ever increasing stages, each one flowing into the next as it is conducted onward in its journey. Now allow God to open your heart and mind to Jesus Christ, His living expression-logos word, spoken as rhema-faith creating word, being that single rain drop. It creates within you a trickle, into a runnel, etc so that as you are obedient to His Spirit within you, as you do as He wills; you will flow into that vast ocean of His life.

A Peculiar People

     I am a simple factory worker in mid-eastern Ohio. I have no degree or claim to wisdom that the world would recognize. I am in all ways discernible, common. Yet, God has said that I am part of a peculiar people. To be a part of something peculiar, one must, in some way, be peculiar. 1Pet. 2:9 tells us that we as believers into Jesus Christ are a peculiar people. Now there are many who would say that I am very peculiar, according to the definition which the world holds for this particular word. I laugh, and am in full agreement with them. To them, I must seem to be quite peculiar. But what does a closer study of this passage tell us? Merely that, we are a people peculiar because we have been acquired into something very special, a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation acquired to show forth the praise of Him who called us out of darkness into His light. See it though; we have been called to flow out of darkness, into His light, dear ones, we too are as Zerubbabel’s sons.

    Colossians 1:10-13, we all know Colossians 1:13 which says: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son:” KJV from The Companion Bible. This verse speaks of flowing out of darkness and into His Kingdom. The preceding passage gives us further insight into the process of flowing, this process of overcoming. What I want to show you cannot be seen in just reading; you have to look a little deeper. Let’s look at one of the little words. In the Greek, the word is eis, pronounced as ice, Strong’s reference # 1519, which when translated properly means into. “That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto (eis-into) all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in (eis-into) the knowledge of God, 11. Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto (eis-into) all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; 12. Giving thanks unto the Father, Which hath made us meet (this word meet means fit or qualified) to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: 13. Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into (eis-into) the kingdom of His dear Son:” (again, the KJV from The Companion Bible).

     We walk into all pleasing. The Amplified Bible while missing the point of the into progression says this which I still like. “ 10. That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to Him and desiring to please Him in all things…” If we translate the word eis correctly, this passage reads thusly: “That you may walk (live and conduct yourselves) into a manner worthy of the Lord…” How do we do this you might ask? It starts with a living expression word of truth of the good news. Which is come unto us, as in all the world bringing forth fruit since the day we heard and knew the grace of God in truth. (Col. 1:5-6—paraphrased) Hearing and faith are interconnected in the working of God’s Spirit. Faith comes out of hearing, and hearing through a spoken word of God. (Rom. 10:17)

     Through faith, believing into Jesus Christ, we walk into all pleasing that we might be fruitful in every good work, and increasing into the knowledge of God. This knowledge of God is not just a knowing about God, or some detached, analytical, empirical, philosophical reasoning of God in a metaphysical, mystical or scientific sense; rather it is epignosis knowledge, an intimate fullness knowledge, as in a seasoned, time-tested marriage relationship. The Amplified Bible says this: “10…steadily growing and increasing in and by the knowledge of God [with fuller, deeper, and clearer insight, acquaintance, and recognition].” The one word I could have wished to see there, relationship, is sadly not present. However the words that are there do give us a little more structure and depth to understand this Greek word epignosis. Like the bride that we are in our obedient souls to the grace and majesty of our Lord, Husband, Savior Jesus Christ, we are to steadily grow and increase into this relationship knowledge of God. A new bride has not a seasoned relationship with her husband, little by little is that established.

     On a quick side note the word epignosis, Strong’s reference # 1922, pronounced ep-ig-no-sis (from # 1921 ep-ig-in-oce-ko) means recognition, (by implication) full discernment, acknowledgment. The word epignosko # 1921 means to know upon some mark. Does it not say that we shall see Him because we shall be like Him (1 Jn. 3:2)? So that mark of recognition is Himself stamped upon our souls in the obedience to His Spirit within us.

     As we increase into the full knowledge and recognition of His Holy Spirit mark within us (God is Spirit) we are “11. strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto (eis-into) all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness;” As we increase in spirit into His Spirit within us, we find His strength alive and lively in helping us to be patient and long-suffering with joy.

     This patience comes from obedience. Obedience unto His Spirit within us will strengthen us to be joyfully patient and long-suffering. We could not be joyfully patient or long-suffering in our own strength. We need His strength to be like Him this way. We need to know and recognize His Spirit within us to say, like Jesus, “Father forgive them, they know not what they do.” He told us that we would know tribulation in the world, indeed this tribulation works patience within us if we are obedient unto His Spirit; but we are to not fear because He had overcome the world, did He not? When we are persecuted can we like Jesus say, “Father forgive them…”? Yet we must, because we are called to be partakers of, and living trumpets of praise to herald, the good news of His resurrection out from among dead ones. From obedient souls, I hear the sound of many trumpets across the land, heralding the life of Christ. It is from obedient souls, can you hear it? This clarion call sounds through obedience, good news, peace upon earth, good will in men; can you hear it?

     Returning to our river analogy, we start out with a small trickle; a runnel of water of God’s Spirit spoken into our hearts held within the boundaries of our obedience. As the rains come, and we love those times of refreshing; but the tendency is to not stay in relationship with Him, rather to turn our focus to the power of the creek, tiny though it still be, and marvel within ourselves at this growth. But it is only in relationship with Him, that we are strengthened into pleasing-full knowing-patience to contain the water of Life of this stream. By the time it reaches a river stage, we are completely swept away with the power in it, unless we are in constant communion and relationship, knowing and relying on His presence within us. So then, it is little by little that we are brought into overcoming that we might be increased to handle responsibly the Life of God that is within us. It is the correction of God which brings us to, this obedience, and these greater levels of relationship, in our Lord Jesus Christ. And having come, He is convicting our nations. Even so come Lord Jesus.

     Joy and peace to all who read, in Christ Jesus…Larry.

Index