A PECULIAR PEOPLE
(Part 2)
#109.98
MANLINESS
HIS TREASURE MADE AROUND HIM
THE HIDDEN TREASURE
TO SEE HIM AS HE IS
The Peculiar People we have been noticing are like an unblemished pearl, perfect in beauty, and have an appointed hour to be seen by all. They are a special possession over and above all else, a purchased acquisition of high value. This rare gem, this nation, this priesthood, this people is to declare and manifest the praises of Him who called them out of darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Peter 2:9).
MANLINESS
The word praises in this verse is more than lifting hands and voices upon high. It comes from the Greek word arete, and it carries the thought of "manliness (valor), i.e., excellence." In all other places where this word is used, it is translated virtue.
Although spiritual praise is a high and holy thing, and it is the heartbeat of our souls, this is not the thought in this case. This generation, the holy nation of God, has been made ready to manifest its valor in unprecedented excellence. The members of this royal priesthood, of this kingdom of priests, they are waiting to be unveiled so they can show forth their Manliness. Such manliness does not speak of infants, babes, adolescents, or even a bride -- but speaks clearly of the manifestation of a Peculiar People -- better known as the manifestation of the Sons of God. It is quite different from an oddity of people parading around and acting strange while proudly declaring they are fools for Christ. If we want to become "fools for Christ's sake" let us do it with dignity and in a way that honors our King. Let not foolishness be bound in our hearts wherein the rod of correction must be applied. Let our peculiarity be that of gold tried in the fire, pure and clean, while walking in the maturity of God's elect. This is the praise we show forth from Him -- the manliness of sons. Such is the very expression of His image. This manliness, of course, is in no way representative of Adam, the first man, but of Christ, the Last Man. It is in this, in His virtue, in His power, in His Godliness, that He is expressed through man.
HIS TREASURE MADE AROUND HIM
We looked at the definitions of the words peculiar treasure and peculiar people in our previous study; but to refresh what was learned, we will mention them again:
Peculiar treasure from a single Hebrew word cegullah means: to shut up; wealth (as closely shut up). And Peculiar, in 1 Peter 2:9, the Greek peripoiesis means: acquisition... preservation. It comes from peripoieomai, meaning, to make around oneself, i.e. acquire (buy). (Strong's Exhaustive Concordance)
I believe most Christians are at a loss when it comes to understanding the high value God places upon the lives of His sons, not to mention how He is dealing with them. We may see a lot of church activities around the world, and this is very common -- it is as common as lemmings on the march to the sea -- but how many understand what it is to be shut up, concealed, and hidden from view due to being considered such a wealthy treasure to God? Not many. The fact is, all but a handful either do everything they can to be seen and heard, hoping to fulfill 'the great commission' by going into all the world and preaching the gospel to every creature, or they send volunteers to do the job. This may appear noble; but they fail to realize Jesus was only commissioning eleven of His apostles when He spoke those words. He was not giving a blanket command to every Christian to come on the scene since.
Furthermore, to clarify this directive, Paul said -- "...the gospel...W-A-S preached to every creature which is under heaven..." (Col 1:23), and this happened to be a mere thirty or so years later. The apostles fulfilled the word given to them. We must not disregard, however, that it is good to heed the call when one has heard by the Spirit to go and preach the gospel, and the anointed command to go might thunder from reading those words spoken to the eleven. I am sure that has happened more times than we can count. Even so, it was not an order that was given to all believers. Let us then cease from taking every verse in the Bible and applying to our own desires or religious suppositions with attempts to please the God of our imaginations.
If the truth were known, we might be surprised to see how few really know what it is to be shut up in dark pavilions and bound to our Lord, and they are just as unfamiliar with being preserved in the midst of fire. They may have as much fire in their lives as anyone else; yet it is the devil who gets the recognition for their perils rather than God. Many of these misguided souls are waiting for the rapture, the grave, or some other feeble hope, and the refining process is completely foreign to them. When it comes to total commitment, we don't see a large number who resemble Moses. He drew nigh to God, but the others are more like Israel: "And the people stood afar off, and Moses drew near unto THE THICK DARKNESS WHERE GOD WAS" (Exo 20:21).
The peculiar ones are very aware of the pillar of fire and thick darkness, the habitation of their God. Very often our circumstances are very dark and extremely difficult; but even in the midst of such adversity, our inner man remains in His marvelous light and always walking in victory. It is in this weaving room of fire and darkness where we have come to know about being a part of the Body by which Christ clothes Himself.
He is making us around Himself, as the word peculiar implies. We are not only being clothed upon by Him, of which we are so familiar; but we are also being made around Him. We are the cloud that covers Him. We are in Him, but He is also in us (not only individually but also corporately, Col 1:27), and He and we are all one in our Father (John 14:20,23 & 17:21-23,26).
He spins our frames out of the same heavenly substance from whence He came, which is the fire of His Father and our Father. From flaming threads He weaves His celestial robe and arrays Himself. By the Spirit He made us in His express image, not in the image of the first man who is of the earth, but of the Last Man who is the Lord from heaven. We are His workmanship unto good works (Eph 2:10); and I might add -- works speak of manifestations. That which He has made around Himself, He has kept, ready to be revealed in the last time (1 Peter 1:4-5).
Although reserved for a time in celestial archives, God's secret treasure, His Peculiar ones, His Sons, will not be hidden forever. There is a time for them to come forth in manliness and work the good works for which they were called. It is their 'manifest destiny'. We do not know the exact time, for it has not been given to us; but like anyone in waiting when the appearing is uncertain, we hope it is soon. Until that day comes, we will continue to wait with anxious anticipation, and not only for ourselves, but for the world as well. Until the unveiling of God's Peculiar people, the kingdoms of this world will not become the kingdoms of the Lord and His anointed ones (Rev 11:15).
He created everything (Col 1:16-19), and it is all waiting to be revealed, everyone in their own order, as Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 15:22-24. We especially desire the appearing of the Lord in the firstfruits, and when the veil is removed from men's eyes, we shall appear with Him. However, before this becomes a reality He first appears in us, which He has been doing for some time now. When that finished work in the heavens is built up and established in us, there will be an appearing. "When the LORD shall build up Zion, He shall appear in His glory" (Psa 102:16). Until then He appears in glory only to those in the recesses of the most Holy Place of the tabernacle. "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God." (Exo 40:34 & 2 Chr 5:14).
THE HIDDEN TREASURE
We are presently witnessing this very thing. There was a time when it seemed that anyone could minister in gatherings across the country, some with a rich anointing and others with mere religious messages. What a mixture! There were times when more than a few would vie for an opportunity to be heard. Competition with the other speakers was common place. Striving seemed to be the foundation of their ministry. If they couldn't war against the brethren, they had little to say, it seemed. There was a continual tearing down rather than building up. In the meetings that were 'open-pulpit', people would sit on the edges of their chairs and literally race to the front when the speaker finished his last word, and sometimes before he had finished. In their own eyes they were 'God's man of the hour'. They, therefore, wanted to make sure they got to deliver their cutting messages and 'correct' the previous speakers before too many people were 'deceived'. Such a spirit of pride and importance coursed its way through the body in those days. The mystery of it was that in the midst of all that fleshly contention and warfare -- God was still doing a mighty work in His Peculiar People. But praise God -- in the true Assemblings of the Lord today, we are not seeing such fleshly wrangling. It is the exact opposite.
Men of vision and understanding tremble at the prospect of standing in the midst of God's glory and opening their mouths. The place from where they stand and speak is Holy. It is the most Holy Place, and anyone who is out of order and ventures in will surely die in the Lord's awesome presence. It has become a serious matter to all those who stand in the midst of the Holy of holies.
We saw this so clearly here in the Assembly of the Lord in Alamogordo this past summer (July 24-26, 1998). Rather than people contending to be heard, it was the exact opposite. I had to almost pry some of those out of their seats who I knew had a word that would bless. And these were seasoned ministers who are not reluctant to speak before huge crowds. They do not fear the faces of men. Their reluctance was born out of not wanting to be presumptuous and take any glory to themselves, and they didn't.
They not only blessed us by being in harmony in the word with one another, but they were one in spirit as well. It was made clear that their main purpose of coming was to be with those who God had assembled and to sit with them in His presence. They also wanted me to know that it was not necessary for them to minister at all, but preferred their brothers. However, the Lord thought otherwise, and in humility before Him and His congregation -- they all blessed us greatly when called upon to share.
All this was done in the midst of a city of 35,000 people, yet hidden from view. The hall we rented was filled with a cloud of God's sons (150 at any given time and 200 or more in all). They came from all over the county, and cars lined the streets in every direction. It caused the curious to ask what was going on; but when told, they could neither see nor understand -- for the cloud of God's glory filled the house and hid His treasure.
During the meetings, a golden thread of truth was sewn throughout everything that was ministered. That thread was a declaration that it is finished! However, those standing in the outer court, or even in the holy place, could not see it. The natural eye did not have the wherewithal to peer beyond the veil of flesh and see what was seen and experienced by those who stood in the cloud inside the Holy of holies.
The exterior of each vessel of God's choosing was unique -- some refined and polished, some demonstrative, some more quiet, some more forward and unreserved -- but they all shined with the brilliance of Christ. A many faceted stone of high value blazing with the same light of Jesus Christ -- that is what was there. One couple from Georgia, Travis and Shawnda Ogletree, wrote and explained it another way. They felt like they had melted and were merging with a mighty, flowing river of life, and indeed they had. They became one with it in a way they had never known. Those meetings were as a mighty surging river, and although the Assembly in Alamogordo is over, that river continues on, making its way throughout the earth, and whether you were there or not, we all shall flow together in life until we reach every soul on the face of the earth. Some may not have seen the finished product of God's workmanship during those three days, but their lack of sight makes it no less real. THE FINISHED DOES NOT YET APPEAR
A dear sister, Mary Shroyer, wrote recently of the finished work: "I went to bed as usual and later woke with this, what I call loud thought, coming not from my head but my insides -- 'God never starts anything until it is finished'. I began to worship God, as I knew it was finished in Him. He never told me how it was finished, but I worshipped, worshipped, worshipped....I said, Everything looks so beautiful Lord, and I began to sing, which I have not done for a long time, 'I have opened up toward heaven all the windows of my soul and I am living on the hallelujah side'. Then I said, Lord I do not know how I got here; but I have crossed into a new place never to return to the old." Praise God! Another crossover and many more to come.
"Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also" (Luke 12:34). Jesus was speaking of men and their treasures, but the principle stands with God as well. The Peculiar Treasure that we are in Christ is the primary focal point of God's heart. He cares for it, watches over it, guards it, protects it, keeps it from thieves and robbers. He never leaves it unattended, and when the hour comes for it to be unveiled -- nothing can impede or stop it. To stop the rising of the Sons of God in glory would be just about as easy as stopping the rising of our natural sun -- impossible!
Paul wrote to the saints at Colosse, saying: "For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ...our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col 3:3-4). How do you suppose he could be so sure about this? Could he have come to such a conclusion through the power of His own mind, simply by believing we are one with Christ, and when He appears, that which is one with Him would of necessity appear also? I do not hold to such a view myself. The things of which he wrote were not reasoned out of his natural mind; for he made it a point to let his readers know that what he received was by revelation from the Lord Himself, and not man (Gal 1:11-16). He also spoke of one being caught up to the third heaven, to paradise, and hearing things so high they were unspeakable (arrhetos, inexpressible) . They were things that are not lawful (not lawful, ouk exesti, not right, through the idea of being out in public.) for man to utter (2 Cor 12:2-4). The Emphatic Diaglott translates it this way: "...and heard indescribable things spoken, which it is not possible for a man to relate."
Although we can view things from the heavens, and by the Spirit declare things that appear not as though they are, and by the same Spirit we can also declare the end from the beginning (Isa 46:10), we notice here that it is impossible to relate some things we see in those high places of Christ. Such things can only be manifested as we live them. It has to be in what we are rather than what we say. And then, there are those things that will never be seen by anyone who has not ascended into those heavens where they remain forever.
Only on a few occasions have I experienced things that were impossible to describe. During those times it was so real, more real than anything, and at first I would try to share them with others. I quickly learned, however, that it was impossible. Moreover, when I opened my mouth, the human words I spoke served only to muddy and tarnish the beauty of that holiness. It was as though I had defiled the sanctuary of God. Frankly, even if I had not been defiling holy things, there was nothing in this earth that could convey the substance of what stirred in my heavens. To compound my dilemma, I immediately lost what I had embraced in my heavens, and those lost things have never returned. I can't even remember what they were, for my natural mind cannot retain something it had never known. This was by the Spirit, and the flesh has no part with it. Even so, I am persuaded it is still with me somewhere in the heavens of my spirit, and there is a day when not only I, but all the sons of God will walk openly in these priceless, flaming gemstones of life.
Again, "...Ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ...our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory" (Col 3:3-4). Since you are dead, why are you still trying to crucify the old man? Permit me to ask, are you a product of the old man of the earth or the New Man from the heavens? If you could see your life which is hidden with Christ in God, perhaps you could believe it is the New and not the old. But this reality comes only from living in that hidden place of Christ where your life resides. Another question: Do you expect to appear with Him in Glory when He appears? If the answer is yes, and I assume it is, there is one criteria which must be met: "Beloved, now are we the sons (teknon, offspring)of God, and it does not yet APPEAR what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall SEE HIM AS HE IS" (1 John 3:2).
TO SEE HIM AS HE IS
If you are planning to appear with Him -- you must see Him as He is. It is as simple as that. If you see Him as a failure -- as anything less than the Savior of all He died for -- don't expect to appear with Him, for you have not yet fully perceived Him. Those who appear with Him are those who are like Him in the fulness of His unbounding love, mercy, grace, and judgment. Is your vision of His finished work sufficient to minister reconciliation and salvation to men like Herod, Nero, or Adolph Hitler? When you find them in the midst of the lake of fire, what will be your word to them? If you cannot find the love of Christ in your heart to minister God's saving grace, it is a sure bet you are not seeing Jesus as He is. You might be seeing some skewed scriptures and misaligned doctrines that give you false impressions; but until you have unlimited love for every soul, you are not seeing Him as He is. In this sightless condition, rather than being a part of the lake of fire, you may find yourself being cast into it where such a vision of Christ can be held.
The sad fact is, the majority of Christians do not see Jesus AS HE IS, and due to such an impaired vision, it would be a disaster for Him to bring them forth to reconcile and save the world. The job would never get done. Rather than believing He could save to the utmost, they would categorize the people, as they do today, and work on saving the 3 percent they deem worthy. Nothing would change. They would continue ministering in the same faulty fashion. Moreover, they would rejoice in the suffering of men who could not measure up to their stringent creeds. The false image of Christ they have today would remain. Rather than seeing Him as He is, they would continue building an edifice of Him that is grotesquely out of proportion. Since they live in the outer court of their minds, they simply cannot see Him as He is, and this being the case -- they will not appear with Him in His glory. Their vision, or lack of it, disqualifies them.
There seems to be a common thread running through those who do not believe Jesus can or will save the world He died for. That thread is one of self-importance, self-dominion, and self-rule. To sum it up -- it is self, period. Their Jesus is often one of convenience, or an icon they display as a show. They have a lord, in a sense, who rules over them; but their lord is often one they have formed in their own minds from religious persuasions. They know nothing of how Jesus is, yet they have a lord, and it takes away their reproach in the world. We see this depicted with the seven women of Isaiah 4:1. They take His name but refuse to wear His apparel. In reality they will not have this Man, Jesus, or any man to rule over them, and all the while lording it over others in their churches. These rulers coming in the guise of Christ have persuaded themselves that the poor dumb sheep can't see or hear anything for themselves. They assume the people would be eternally lost without their intercession and direct line and superb spiritual contact with the throne of God on their behalf.
With such deception bracing people's minds, how could Jesus bring them with Him to rule? It's out of the question. People of this mind-set would quickly invoke another insurrection, like we see today, and take charge of things. They would gather people around themselves for salvation rather than Christ.
Those who see Him as He is will be brought with Him. Only those who are bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh -- His Peculiar Treasure -- will appear with Him. He is not interested in man's pomp and vigor, his religious dogmas, good works, spiritual facades, or anything else he can sew together as fig leaves. It matters not what he patches together to cover himself, the only thing that will appear of that man in the presence of Christ's glory is his nakedness.
Ah, but those who stand daily in this place called holiness -- they see Him as He is and are covered with His flaming splendor, the coat of the Lamb. In exultant joy they sing the song with David:
"When the Lord turned (returned) again the captivity (fortunes, opportunities) of Zion, we were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing: then said they among the heathen, The Lord hath done great things for them. The Lord hath done great things for us; whereof we are glad. Turn again our captivity, O Lord, as the streams in the south. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him" (Psa 126).
Although the world sees Him not, our Lord has already appeared in His Glory. How is this, you ask? We are His glory, we are His fire, we are His cloud -- and He has appeared to us and in us. "...Every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore He saith, When He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" (Eph 4:7,9). Not only into the grave and hell did He descend and preach to all the captives unto Noah's day and lead them to freedom, He descended also into the lower parts of our earth, liberating us from death. He delivers us from death, He is still delivering us, and He shall continue to deliver us from it (2 Cor 1:9-10). The work of this salvation will not cease until that which is finished is manifested. Even today, we are working to a degree out of that salvation, but more is to come.
Furthermore, let us not be a band of elitists and expect Him to stop with us. "He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that He might fill A-L-L things" (Eph 4:10). And fill all things -- He will do! There's no question about it; for He finished it before He started it. Just hang around for a few ages, watch His Peculiar People at work, and you will see that which is finished burst open in glorious reality. Praise God! Jesus said -- IT IS FINISHED!
Continued...
Elwin R. Roach
Part 1
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