"ON EAGLES’ WINGS MINISTRIES"
“The Saints Shall Judge The World.” August 2014. Part 2.
As we further consider the subject of the saints judging the world, and judging angels also, we remember how Jesus said that the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment to the Son. He went on the describe how it is his word that judges everyone. The mention of the Son being assigned the task of judging, brings to mind that fact that the Son mentioned here, is not merely an individual in the person of Jesus Christ. Rather, it is a company, a collective body of sons to whom judgment has been relegated.
Paul, in his letter to the Corinthians highlighted the fact that since the saints shall judge the world, and shall judge angels also, it seems to be a small thing to judge small matters among themselves, rather than going before an unjust judge. This, in itself would have been a matter of learning to cope and regulate human issues and human behavior. In fact, in our day, if the problem is too large and complicated for ordinary people in the church, we can easily employ the service of trained professionals who hold degrees in psychology.
Their trained eye and ears will determine the cause and root of any given problem. But Paul added another layer of truth that shifts the picture from anything ordinary. Indeed, he took the issue way up to a higher realm, where only things contained and manipulated by spirit do function. But since to judge means to hear the facts, listen to the various arguments, for and against, then make a decision that is just and fair to all sides involved, Paul’s assertion that the saints must judge angels also, creates a brand new set of dynamics that surpass the literal, natural world.
But as civilization progresses, even the ordinary person on the street has come to understand that there is more reality in the unseen realm, than what exist on the visible realm. There is absolutely more drama and power contained in the invisible realm (much of which is bring uncovered and brought to light by scientists) than in the visible world around us. Many of us at one time or another take pride in telling the church what our calling really is. Many run off and print business cards embossed with their official title. (You know! apostle so and so, or prophet so and so: and since the late ‘80s DOCTOR is an added title.
Let us walk through the garden with the apostle Paul in the cool of the day: let us sit with him under an arcade decorated with tropical plants and blooming flowers, whose colorful petals exude a sort of alluring aroma, and water cascading down the man-made water fall. From this grand background, the apostle calmly reflects upon his own call to the ministry; and the package is chock full of heavenly dynamics.
Here is Paul! “Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints (can you imagine an apostle of Paul’s stature today telling the church in his sermon that he is less than the least of all saints? When you find him, bring him to me so I can simply look him in the eye.) is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; and to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.
To the intent that now unto principalities and powers in heavenly places (that means in the realm of spirit) might be made known BY THE CHURCH the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Jesus Christ our Lord. Ephesians 3: 8-11. This is God’s blueprint for the extension and prominence of his kingdom on the earth. The question becomes: How do we as the saints of God move forward in accomplishing this enormous task?
Our first order of business in the process of elimination is to determine what it is NOT! The scripture that jumps at us at this particular juncture is: “Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, 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.” Zechariah 4: 6. Although we claim to be Spirit filled, Holy Ghost anointed, and divinely led, it is quite obvious that acting out of the natural realm controlled by our natural understanding has dominated Christendom at large. It is commonly known that ministers use their training to write sermons, to perform ceremonies such as weddings and funerals. They lean heavily on their religious training to counsel members of their individual congregations and from a practical aspect there does not seem to be anything wrong with all of the above.
But let me share with you an incident that happened to me in 1973 or 74. I had gone up to Boston, MA. to conduct a week of meetings at one of the affiliated Assemblies within the Organization head quartered in Baltimore, MD. Soon after I arrived at the pastors home, and even before I could unpack my suit case (within 30 minutes of my arrival) the pastor asked me what are my views on divorce and remarriage. Of course, I could not give a right or wrong answer across the board to the question! I knew it was a hot topic among the many affiliated churches.
I began by saying that I could not offer a single answer across the board that would address each situation. I said: “If you as the pastor have situations involving this issue, you will have to examine each case on its own merit; and most of all, you must find the mind of the Spirit of Christ as it pertain to each case. In spite of which scripture, or number of scriptures you wish to quote, it is important to know the mind of Christ as it pertains to each case on its own merit.”
That pastor smiled and said that is the exact answer he got from the presiding bishop. Of course, for me, it was a relief in knowing that I was on the same page with the bishop. But I have said all of the above to highlight the truth contained in the scripture we shared a while back. It is not by our own might: that could be zeal, our own ego, or even our own private agenda. Call it what you will! It is not by might (brute-force) as applied by the natural or carnal mind.
Now watch this carefully! It is not by POWER! That can easily be rendered as the POWER OF YOUR OFFICE. It is like a parent saying to a child: “Because I say so!” Power in this case negates man’s human efforts, ambitions, and vain imagination. It means snuffing out every semblance of the human gusto. All around us, there are constant reminders of what people in power can do: even among the people of God, involving the very leaders who are called to be shepherds over the flock, to feed and nurture them and watch them grow into God’s true image.
Let us understand that the power of the saints is the power that God has endowed us with: but it is never our own to manipulate and exploit. I never say “My Ministry” because it is not mine! I am only a caretaker and a vessel in God’s hands. It is HIS MINISTRY entrusted to me, and I, in return, is expected to be a faithful steward over God’s husbandry that he willingly committed to me, and even offered an outline of the task, the obligation and mandate, and the recompense of reward if I remain faithful.
I am compelled to live with the complete understanding that I cannot be “The People’s Man” and be “God’s Man” at the same time; so I have chosen the latter as the path to take. If God has ruled out man’s might and power, what has he left as tools for us to use in completing the task that has been assigned to us? We were not left to wander and speculate, tying ourselves in knots, being left confused as to what we are all about. The Master said it openly! “It is by MY SPIRIT saith the Lord.” There we have it! Anything outside of the influence and inner workings of the Holy Spirit cannot be counted as doing the work that God has assigned to us. While it sounds normal and acceptable in the ranks of Christendom, the saints judging the world carries vast implications as we have been laying out in plain English in this study. One of the main points of interest that must be completely understood, and that we must repeat from time to time, for added emphasis, is that judgment is not condemnation, banishment, or being sent to prison for extended stays. The saints judging the world does not create a scene in which multitudes of Christians go about putting chains of condemnation upon those who transgressed God’s laws.
Let us not forget this train of cardinal truth! God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. “And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world.” 1 John 4: 14. “Who will have ALL MEN TO BE SAVED, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself A RANSOM FOR ALL, to be testified (proclaimed—preached abroad) in due time. (When the time is right.) 1 Timothy 2: 4-6. Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world…Peace and goodwill toward men!
While the apostate church of the first few centuries after Christ, adopted a doctrine of severe and endless punishment by God upon sinners, the good news of the true gospel has always been God’s redeeming grace being bestowed upon all men. The church accepted and embraced doctrines that we can call “crime and punishment” that served well to subjugate multitudes of pagans who were welcomed into the church without bringing fruit worthy of repentance—without having a born again experience.
God knew a long time ago the extent of man’s wanderings and abominations that they would commit in the eyes of God. Jesus came being fully aware of man’s fallen subjugated, futile life. When he arrived in Bethlehem of Judah, Rome was ruling with an iron fist, and for four hundred years, there were no open vision from heaven. Men were like zombies roaming aimlessly through the dark night. What we call sin today, is not new in any sense of the word. Name them one by one, and we will tell you that they existed in Old Testament times. In fact, God kinda lost his temper (using human terminology) and swept them away by Noah’s flood.
But even before the Christ child breathed his first “human breath” the angels already announced peace and good will to all men. Preachers who appear on television preaching that God is on the warpath don’t know what they are talking about. I cannot find anywhere in my bible where God has looked upon America, Great Britain, the islands of the tropics, or any place on earth and has declared war against the inhabitants. We must bear in mind what the scriptures featured above do teach us.
They clearly uncover, lay bare, the very heart of God toward men when he sent Jesus Christ to be the Savior of the world. In turn, the Son came with the same mindset as the Father. “To seek and to save that which was lost!” That was Christ’s mandate, and it is now ours. He made it plain that he did not come to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. We are covering all bases here, so that we do not run off into far off places thinking we are judging the world by assigning some to hell and others forever on the plains of repentance.
Since God said it has to be by his Spirit, it simply suggests that those who will judge the world with him (as him) must be entirely engrossed, filled, and motivated by the Holy Spirit. Look at the task that was set before Paul at his very first introduction to the ministry. “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.” Acts 26:18. It is obvious that none of this could be accomplished simply by the training that Saul of Tarsus received in his early days, growing up in Jerusalem
This realm of ministry was outside the reach of seminary training, and smart outreach by the missionary department at a local Assembly. Paul knew that he could not arrange a weekend meeting at the house of Mary, Peter, or Apollos, and invite all the personalities within the realm of principalities, and the rulers of darkness that dwell in the heavenlies—the unseen realm of spirits. But in spite of this knowledge, the apostle indicated that indeed, the saints shall not only judge the world, but we shall judge angels also.
The kind of judges to whom God has given judicial authority, are modeled after this blueprint. “And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord: and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, neither reprove after the hearing of his ears: But with righteousness shall he judge the poor, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth: and he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked.” Isaiah 11:3,4.
From time to time in these studies, we have emphasized the fact that God’s judgments are meant to be corrective: and even harsh language that seem to indicate total destruction does not actually mean that. From the very beginning of his ministry, Paul was aware of the extent and depth of the outreach to which he was committed: even beyond the natural and visible realm to that of the invisible. We have also been given that same task in the process of God reconciling the world unto himself; and judgment begins at the house of God.
But to Paul, this was not a concept to be alarmed about. It was not an unusual fete, and an unattainable task for any child of God to consider. If it is by HIS SPIRIT, then it is no more you or I trying vain inventions and empty rituals that make mockery of the reality that the apostle wrote about.
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