Few Find It

Consider climbing Mount Kilimanjaro via the Rongai Route. Approaching Kibo from the north, this is the least climbed of all the routes on Mount Kilimanjaro but not because it is in any way inferior, it's just that most folks get excited about the more popular paths. Rongai tends to be forgotten . . . there are few that find it.

The narrow way, that leads to life is like that. It is mentioned at the same time as the narrow gate. We read them as the same.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.

For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

The choice between life and destruction is made at conversion. We choose Christ and his sacrifice and we choose life. We choose to turn aside from the broad road and to enter by a small gate. That is all true, but there is more to these verses than that. There is a small, narrow gate, but there is also a narrow way that leads to life. The way to life is not limited to a moment of choice. It is a real path with a distance to be travelled. Jesus is that narrow gate and also the narrow way. He said:

I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:9-10

To have life is to find pasture and abundance. To follow Jesus as the narrow path is to come to the Father.

. . . “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.

John 14:6

We come into the Father’s house through Christ as we journey. A gate is a gate and a path is a path. Jesus is both, and the Father is the goal. When we limit Christianity and the ministry of Christ to conversion and the Cross, we miss the journey he would take us on. Though many enter through the gate, how many experience deep dissatisfaction and disappointment with their faith and even their Saviour because they have not continued? Christ is more amazing than we previously thought.

Therefore He is able also to save forever [completely or to the uttermost] those who draw near to God [the Father] through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

Hebrews 7:25

We need to allow for the narrowness of the gate and path, but also for the length of the journey on that narrow way to life. The pathway to pasture and abundance is not behind us. It stands before us, and leads us to the Father’s house. Will we submit to its rigors? Will we press forward to find him and “in the Beloved” receive blessings from his abundant heavenly stores?

Although many pass through the narrow gate, there are few that find this narrow pathway to the Father and to the abundant life he offers.

. . . the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.

Matthew 7:14

The narrowness of the gate bars entry to those who will not submit to its restrictions. The narrowness of the path perhaps reflects a different characteristic. Is it because few find it that the road is narrow? Is it because few feet have formed its shape that it is described this way? That sounds more like the Rongai Route that ascends Mount Kilimanjaro. For both these paths, their narrowness speaks not of restriction but of a little realised experience, and an invitation upward.

The Third Place

When the leaders of Australia, my country, wanted a capital city a great argument ensued. People in both Melbourne and Sydney, the two dominant cities in the country both wanted their place chosen as the capital. The conflict went on and on until finally a solution was reached. A third place was chosen. A sheep farming community in the middle of nowhere, roughly half-way between the two cities was developed into Canberra. This new city became the capital of my country and the question was resolved. For both of these cities, the thought of missing out on the honour of being the capital was not as severe a problem to them as the possibility that their rival city might be chosen. And so this third-place solution became a viable compromise.

Christians in general argue a lot about theological viewpoints and denominational distinctives. Where should we worship? Should we go to a Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant church to find God? Perhaps the question for you is whether a Baptist service or a Presbyterian service is more honouring to God. God comes in with an answer to these conflicts. He offers a third place. It was the same place Jesus offered to the woman at the well in John chapter four.

She wanted to argue about places of worship. Should Mt Gerizim be the place, or should everyone worship at Jerusalem? Jesus answered:

The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

John 4:19-24

Worshiping in spirit is the third place. “In spirit” is the third place. It is a place, not an ideal. It is a place where we can all go to worship the Father. It is his choice. It suits him, not us. We want everyone to come to us, so that our place could be the capital of worship. He is longing for us to come to him so that his house can be that centre.

What does that mean? The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirits. He brings all of Heaven with him. He brings the father and his house to us. He brings the kingdom into our innermost being.

“. . . nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or, ‘There it is!’ For behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst [or within you].”

Luke 17:21

All partisan arguments are silenced, because his choice of place is far superior to those of human devising. He is most revealed to us in his native environment. He is spirit and it is in spirit he wishes to meet us. For hundreds of years, Christian mystics have retreated from the world and turned inward. They have found the true place of worship within their spirits. The choice of solitude and silence has often borne fruit.  Those who have sought him his way have found him. They have found the Father in the third place.

The Covenants and the Father's House

When we think of scripture pointing forward to Christ, we usually focus on the him and his work of sacrificing himself on the Cross. This is of course a very worthy focus for us, and without the Cross, scripture would be incomplete and lacking something vital. However, Christ has a number of parts to play in the drama that is our redemption. It is not enough to only consider his death and resurrection. His ascension is also tremendously important. Jesus’ death lays the foundation. As he died his blood was poured out for us. In his death, he took that blood through the veil and applied it to the heavenly mercy seat. Then he ascended and from heaven he poured out his spirit, once on the day of Pentecost, and then on the gentiles later at Cornelius’s home. Finally, because his body is in heaven and his Spirit is in us, he is able to draw us into heaven, as we are united in his body. And so we are brought to the Father through him. His death happened physically just outside of Jerusalem on a day two millennia ago. The rest occurs in the father’s house, which we also call heaven. Atonement actually occurred there. Jesus poured out his Spirit from there. And that is where he is when he draws us to join him, there before the Father.

When we think of the fulfilment of the covenants that we have been discussing, and especially Christ fulfilling them, we focus on the physical death of Christ on the Cross. But there is much more going on elsewhere.

Consider the covenant of dominion, authority and rule. Christ lived out that dominion on earth and people were healed and forgiven, and demons fled. The Cross was an extension of that. Alongside the physical expression of that dominion, by the power of the Holy Spirit, was a lifestyle whereby Christ dwelt long hours in the Father’s house. He saw his Father working and worked. He heard what he said and he spoke. And so the exercise of the  dominion of Christ as the perfect man was directed from the throne room of heaven. Instead of the Devil pulling our stings and manipulating our dominion, the Father guided Jesus and order was returned to this weary planet.

It is meant to operate the same way with us. Entrance into the experience of the Father’s house is a journey, one akin to that which the Israelites travelled to reach the Promised Land. Its realisation to us is described as being in Christ – In his shoes in heaven before the Father. Prior to that, we need to be healed and released. Our wounds and chains, remnants of the Evil One’s reign over us in the past, need to be removed so that our flesh no longer dominates our decisions. That is so that our dominion can be now directed by the Father, rather than the enemy. Being mature or being made complete is associated with this experience. However, a significant portion of our maturing takes place in the Father’s house. Also the terms, being in Christ and speaking in Christ’s name are also realised there. We tend to end our prayers with the words, “in Jesus’s name, Amen”. And that is nice and probably of some help. But it does not seem to correlate with the power in prayer that Jesus suggested that we would have when we prayed and asked in his name. This perspective brings us hope. Maybe we don’t experience it now, but if we grow and mature in Christ, we will experience power in prayer and dominion and authority in spiritual warfare. Ephesians chapter one pictures us “in the beloved”, that is in Christ. We are before the Father in heavenly places and he is pouring out blessings on our head. That is more than a truth to write down and place in our pocket. It is an experience to enjoy. In the last chapter we are prepared with armour and a sword for spiritual warfare. That and the warfare takes place in the heavenlies.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armour of God . . .

Ephesians 6:12-13

There is more to be said on this detailed subject, but it is plain to see that our realisation of the covenant of dominion is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

This theme continues to the covenant of grace. The blood Jesus poured out for us was taken by him and applied to the mercy seat in the heavenlies. Jesus is our High Priest and He Himself has sprinkled His own blood on the true mercy seat in heaven.

Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.

Hebrews 9:23-26

In the heavenlies, and in particular, in the Father’s house before his throne, the Father can see that offering. It is always before his eyes there and so he always remembers his covenant of grace and mercy. For us, grace comes to us from the Father. Paul is conscious of this. He is so focussed on this truth that he begins eight of his twelve letters with the following words:

Grace to you and peace from God the Father . . .

He is saying that he brings grace, a substantive and spiritual object, to them as a blessing from the Father. He received it from the Father as he dwelt in the heavenlies, and he passes it on. We receive it for ourselves and others in the same place. It is one of the blessings from the Father’s rich store. Our realisation of the covenant of grace is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

The covenant of blessing is along the same lines. Upon entering the Father’s house we come into the place of blessing. We are in Christ or in the beloved. As such, the Father lavishes blessings upon us. Of course, our entrance into the heavenlies is on the basis of the blood of Christ, poured out on the Cross. However, the blessings are received and enjoyed in the Father’s house. We truly become children of Abraham when we enter there. Our realisation of the covenant of blessing is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

The covenant of identity and culture, first given to Moses for the people of Israel at Sinai opened up their eyes to the culture of heaven. The feasts, festivals, offerings and Tabernacle were pictures of the real thing. The Law was a portrayal of kingdom culture. We are prepared for the Father’s house, just as the people of Israel were prepared to enter the Land. And as we enter in, we don’t see pictures or types or portrayals. We see and experience the real thing. We become one with the culture of heaven, and we realise our true identity in Christ, united with him in heaven. Our realisation of the covenant of culture and identity is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

Jesus sits on the throne of David, but he doesn’t do so in Jerusalem. He sits on the throne in the presence of his Father. We share that throne when we enter into the Father’s house in Christ. United with Christ we reign with him. Jesus came out of the wilderness after fighting his way past the evil one to enter the Father’s house. He came and declared that, “the kingdom is near!” He found heaven. He found the kingdom. Revelation three says that he shared his Father’s throne. He as a man entered in and reigned with his Father. We can respond to his knocking on the door of our heart and enter in as well. We can draw near, united with him and through the power of the Spirit we can share his throne and reign with him. Our realisation of the covenant of sovereignty is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

Finally the New Covenant, the covenant of intimacy also follows the same pattern. Jeremiah 31 outlines this covenant and it says that, “they will all know me”. That is, they will all know the Father. Hitherto impossible, Christ draws us inward and heavenward, for the kingdom of God is within us by the Holy Spirit. We enter in, and can dwell with the Father. At last it has been accomplished. There is a part of the statement of this covenant that is difficult to understand. What does, no one will teach another, actually mean? Does it mean that pastors should not teach? Should we close all the bible colleges and seminaries? Physically, we need those things to lay a foundation for a life of faith. We need direction and coaching as we face the perils of the wilderness that stands between us and the Promised Land. We need teaching to help us mature, so that we can obtain the full measure of faith required to enter in. Upon entering we begin a journey under the direction the Father. It is a spiritual journey, as individual as we are, so no one can lead us through that except God himself. The Father’s house draws us together as one body in Christ. It is the basis of the unity of the Church, but that togetherness is not to teach each other and lead each other. In the father’s house there is no one above or before another. We are all one in Christ. He alone leads and guides. Our realisation of the covenant of intimacy is in Christ, in the Father’s house, in the heavenlies.

The Covenants Fulfilled in Christ

The six covenants that we discussed in the last post – Covenants of dominion, grace, blessing, identity, sovereignty, and intimacy. All of these are realised in Christ.

Christ was the second Adam that followed the first. Where he failed, Christ triumphed. God had delivered the dominion of this world over to humanity. To be the one who would restore this broken world, Jehovah would come as a person. As a human he would have the covenant right to rule this world, and the authority to set things right. The rest of humanity had the dominion, but they were dominated by evil to the extent that . . .

. . . the whole world lies in the power of the evil one.

1 John 5:15

It was like in the movies where the bad guys knock out someone with fingerprint access to a secure area. They carry the limp body over to the fingerprint access control scanner and press the victim’s finger onto the plate. The door opens and they have access on the basis of another’s authority. The point is that we have dominion, but with them pulling our strings, the world was under their control. Jesus came with that covenant dominion, but the evil one found no wounds, no chains, no buttons to push and no strings to pull. Jesus said:

. . . the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in Me.

John 14:30

And so he came with Adam and Eve’s dominion to rule, and took back that which was in the hands of the Evil One. In so doing, Christ ultimately fulfilled this covenant of dominion.

Moving on to the covenant of grace given to humanity at the time of Noah. The wording of this promise is that God will see the rainbow and remember to hold back his judgement. This rainbow, the blood on the doorposts at the Passover, and Jesus’s blood applied to the heavenly mercy seat all operate the same way. There is something that God can see and on viewing that, grace is remembered and applied. And so with his death on the cross, Christ ultimately fulfils this covenant of grace also.

The covenant of blessing given to Abraham flows on to his son and then his grandson and their families. Eventually, Abraham’s covenant blessings apply to the whole nation of Israel. However, it is only in Christ that it reaches to every nation and people on Earth. Through Abraham all the families of the earth will be blessed, but it was only through Jesus and his reconciling work between Jews and Gentiles, that this was possible. Again, Christ ultimately and completely fulfils the covenant of blessing.

As we continue to the covenant given to Moses and the nation of Israel, it is easy to see that Christ’s coming established a far superior basis for God to say, “I will be their God and they will be my people”. In Christ we have our identity and through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit, we appreciate and love the culture that God would have us embrace. So in dying for us and pouring out his Spirit to us, Christ ultimately fulfils the covenant of identity and culture.

Jesus is the King that will eternally sit upon the throne of David. He will reign for ever and ever. Christ has and will ultimately fulfil the covenant of sovereignty. And he will fulfil that in us as well.

Last of all there is the New Covenant. By the Spirit that he pours out we can know the Father. As his Spirit instructs our hearts and writes his law there, we no longer need another to teach us. How could we have this intimacy where God will say, “They will all know me”, unless our sin and brokenness had been dealt with at the cross by Jesus. Christ is the ultimate fulfilment of this covenant of intimacy.

Christ fulfilled and will fulfil all of these covenants.

Then beginning with Moses and with all the prophets, He [Jesus] explained to them the things concerning Himself in all the Scriptures.

Luke 24:27

In fact all of scripture points to him and is fulfilled in him.

Covenant Conflict

It is an incredible thing when the God of Heaven makes a deal with mankind. A covenant with the Almighty is something really special. We make contracts and covenants to firm up relationships, to give or receive property, to enforce boundaries or bolster the security of our situation. Business partners, husband and wife, the buyer and seller of an apartment, a landlord and tenant of a house, an franchise owner and an agent in a particular province, a car owner and an insurance agent – All of these are examples of couples that may choose to covenant together. That piece of paper with two signatures binds them together somehow and it defines their relationship – for themselves and others around them.

In scripture we have a number of stories of Jehovah making covenant with people. In fact there are six major covenants in scripture. First there was Adam and Eve’s covenant.

This was a COVENANT OF AUTHORITY AND DOMINION. I have given you everything that has life. Fill the earth, subdue it and rule.

God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so.

Genesis 1:27-30

The story goes on . . . Noah and his family float atop the terrible judgement that came upon the earth. The waters recede and he makes an altar. God met them there and made a covenant.

This was a COVENANT OF GRACE AND MERCY. I will see and remember and withhold judgement.

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, I Myself do establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, neither shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; I set My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. It shall come about, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the cloud, then I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Genesis 9:8-17

Time went on and God chose a man called Abraham and made a covenant with him.

This was a COVENANT OF BLESSING AND FRUITFULNESS. Through you all the nations of the earth will be blessed. I will make you a great nation.

Now the Lord said to Abram,

“Go forth from your country, and from your relative, and from your father’s house, to the land which I will show you;

And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great; and so you shall be a blessing;

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse.

And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

Genesis 12:1-3

A few hundred years later, the Lord delivered the Israelites from Egypt. He led them into the desert to Sinai. There he made a covenant with the nation.

This was a COVENANT OF CULTURE AND IDENTITY. I will be their God and they will be my people.

You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings, and brought you to Myself. Now then, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be My own possession among all the peoples, for all the earth is Mine; and you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.

Exodus 19:4-6

From there the Israelites eventually entered the Promised Land. After more time passed they conquered it and established a kingdom. This kingdom passed from Saul to King David and God made a covenant with him.

This was a COVENANT OF KINGDOM REIGN. Someone from your line will always sit on your throne.

When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. I will be a father to him and he will be a son to Me; when he commits iniquity, I will correct him with the rod of men and the strokes of the sons of men, but My lovingkindness shall not depart from him, as I took it away from Saul, whom I removed from before you. Your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne shall be established forever.

2 Samuel 7:12-16

Time continued to pass, and in the midst of defeat and exile, God raised up a prophet called Jeremiah. Through him God announced a last and final covenant.

This was a covenant of SPIRITUALITY AND INTİMACY. I will write my law on their hearts and they will know me.

“I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. They will not teach again, each man his neighbour and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”

Jeremiah 31:33-34

It is no new thing to talk of covenants or of their importance in understanding the nature of God and his dealings with men. However, it is little realised that each covenant was accompanied by an attack, against the very purposes outlined in each covenant. Adam and Eve were given a covenant of dominion and immediately that dominion was subjugated in the Fall. Humanity was granted a covenant of grace with Noah. It was not many days after that that evil tainted an otherwise pious family. The covenant said that God would remember his grace and hold back judgement. The Evil wasted no time in putting that to the test. The next event in biblical history that follows the covenant to Abraham is the story where his wife Sarah is very nearly taken and defiled by the Pharaoh of Egypt because of Abraham’s fear. In Moses time, God had only finished declaring that “I will be their God and they will be my people” before the Israelites were worshiping the golden calf. And it goes on. David is promised that there will always be one of his sons on his throne. The son that was there ready and of age and groomed to take over from him is shortly thereafter left hanging from a tree entirely dead. Finally, there is the New Covenant. Through it God promised special intimacy with him by his Spirit and a direct line of communication. Was there an attack that time? Not long after those words in Jeremiah 31 were uttered and recorded there was an incredible silence. Four hundred years of unmitigated and apparently successful opposition to the Word of the Lord reaching down to the people of God.

We are left with a question in our minds. How dare the evil one thumb his nose at God like that? Satan attacks in response to every significant covenant event. It is a shock to realise that the purposes of God are a real battle and that Evil is not a farcical opponent. Read the Bible again and feel the tension of the drama. It is a real battle for the glory of God. And that this is so does not take away from that glory. Which is more glorious, to win against a weakling or to triumph over a powerful opponent?

To watch each covenant unfold is to behold two master gamesmen at play with horrible odds at stake. God declares through a covenant the nature of the competition and then he adds, “stop me if you can”. And there is a war in heaven and unexpected things occur on earth. Look on as this takes place in the life of Job. Does it seem unsavoury to you that the Devil and the Lord seem to be settling a bet on the life on a righteous man? Yes. That is indeed disturbing. It is a reality that we do not want to accept. Or is it? Imagine the truth. God has put his glory down. It is at stake in a fearful wager that comes down on our side. He is betting that we will prevail against the evil.

So the unpleasant idea of that someone wants to destroy us is accompanied by a comfort – That the Lord is on our side. And he has staked his glory on our triumph. This is suddenly frightfully important. That is all going on, but for goodness sake tell me what is going on. The covenants define the rules of the ball game for those that wager on it, and also for us. Will we realise the authority we have been given and use it? Will we take hold of the grace wherein we stand and live like it? Will we open our hands to receive blessing? Will we live as kingdom subjects, and reign as kingdom heirs? Will we live intimately with the Lord? He is betting we will. There will be lies and fear and pain at times. We will be distracted and hindered. We will fear failure and sometimes things can seem hopeless. All this because it is a real battle and there is a very real enemy.

And there is the other side. God is sovereign. He never ultimately loses. He always wins in the end. He turns thing to good. His counterstrokes are irritatingly successful, at least for his opponents. He has rigged the board and loaded the dice in our favour. It is his game. He makes the rules and he changes them as he sees fit. He hobbled the Evil One at the cross, and since then he hasn’t really been himself. Satan is not all knowing. He may not even know our thoughts, though he can interfere with them. How would you feel if you were him, very clever and sly but entirely outwitted by the intellect of the Almighty? How would you like to play poker with the Omniscient One? The Lord wove the “fear of the Lord” into creation so that generally  this planet favours those who are righteous and revere him. That is cheating, but he made the game, so its legal. At the time of the flood he declared another rule into the game. Those that murder will suffer a like punishment. From that point on, the world would never again be subject to the horrible bloodshed of those early days. These people are not just pawns in my game. They are valuable, and you can’t just use them to destroy one another anymore. Satan could use that rule and so could the Lord, but the play was different. If the Evil created a human killing machine, that murderer could not continue indefinitely. His time would quickly come to an end as a legal necessity of the game. Another example is Babel. All of the evil spirits worked together and herded humanity together into a city. There they conspired to have all the people build a tower, and they wished to have them all worship falsely. The Evil was doing fairly well. The Lord changed the rules. That must have been really irritating for the other side. But there was nothing wrong with that. No more so than when our countries see a problem and write new legislation to minimise it. He divided the people into language groups. More importantly, he divided the evil spirits into those language groups as well. Now they would only be able to lead a subset of the planet’s population, and they would not be able to work together. If that is not enough, he has protected us from Satan’s best weapons – Fear, guilt &c. And he rains down resources on us, so that we never need fear a siege.

Each victory, amplifies our chance for success. When we get hold of our dominion in Christ, we are equipped for spiritual warfare like never before. When we realise the reality of grace, we are impervious to so many of the Evil One’s attacks and weapons. When we get a hold on the blessings of the Father we are protected further and no longer constrained by our circumstances. When we begin living kingdom realities and reigning, we move from defence to offence. When we draw near to dwell in intimacy with the Lord, your victory is complete and so is his in you. He joins you in shouts of triumph.

Holmes and the Invisible Vandal

Watson enters the apartment to the sound of Holmes playing his violin vigorously. He walks in and sits on the chair opposite. He picks up a newspaper and reads while he waits for his friend.

“My dear Watson. How good of you to come.”

“There, there, my friend. You know I cannot stay away.”

Holmes stands and begins to pace the room, taking out his pipe and lighting it.

“It looks as though you are deeply involved with a case, Holmes. Would you like me to come again another time?”

“No, no. That is unnecessary. You are right. Sit down and I will tell you more."

Watson sat.

"I met with an old Jewish gentleman two weeks ago. He goes by the name of Caiaphas. I deduced immediately that he had not slept properly for some time. He was in a state of severe agitation. I would think a mixture of anger at the crime, and fear. The whole time he was speaking to me he kept glancing around. It was as if he was being followed or stalked by someone.”

“So what was the crime? Sounds like a homicide to me.”

“Very good, my dear friend. Yes the signs were there, but actually it turns out to be a case of vandalism. He talked of sacrilege. He is the leader of an religious organisation. A cloth important to their rituals and customs has been destroyed.”

“That hardly calls for your skills, I should think. Will you take on the case?”

“I think so. You see this villain is a particularly slippery customer. It seems that he chose the time of an eclipse, so that his activities would go undetected. And then there is the question of how he achieved it. You see, a couple of eyewitness guards said this curtain was torn from the top to the bottom.”

“What is so difficult about tearing a curtain?”

“It was 30 feet wide, 60 feet high and three inches thick. It was in a Temple. What’s more, no one saw him do it. They just saw it tear.”

“What do you think so far?”

“All the evidence leads to someone incredibly large, powerfully strong. And of course, they would need to be able to cloak themselves in invisibility.”

“That sounds a little far-fetched, like a H. G. Wells novel. You might be talking about some kind of god or monster. Are you sure it’s not some kind of trick? Think of all the cases we have dealt with. Often what originally seemed extraordinary, ghoulish or even supernatural, was in the end, able to be explained quite simply and reasonably.”

“Yes. You are correct. However, there is more. There was evidence of an earthquake around the time of the crime. An earthquake and an eclipse experienced simultaneously. That is asking a little too much of natural phenomena. It is my conclusion that the symptoms of a geological disturbance are better explained as the footfall of a truly fearsome individual of extraordinary size.”

“And I have had time to check through the case files. The results are startling. A king of Babylon, Belshazzar, reported a threatening piece of graffiti on an interior palace wall. Here is the thing. A huge hand wrote it on the wall. The room was crowded and the rest of the body was invisible. You see the nerve of this villain. He fears no one and nothing. He will prove to be a difficult adversary. It turns out that he was working with another government. Shortly after that, before he could press charges for the vandalism, Belshazzar was killed by Darius the Mede in his attack against the city.”

“Incredible. Almost compelling. Two cases of vandalism by an invisible adversary.”

“Then there was a story in a newspaper, of what seemed like a natural disaster. Thousands of people were killed in a flood. But it turns out that one family knew it was coming and built a huge boat. They were already on board when the flood arrived and killed everyone else. Coincidence? I don’t think so. This mass slaughter had an accomplice. You see, I found the case file and a number of huge fingerprints were found on the door of the boat. It looks like our villain closed in the family. It is probable that he had something to do with the flood as well.”

“Were there anymore?”

“Yes. We have a report of someone tampering with a very large ball of rock of planetary size. It was covered by water and functioning as a sort of jail. It turns out that someone quite powerful got it in his head to decorate. I have seen some before and after crime-scene photos. I have to admit that it is hard to see it as vandalism. The inmates pressed charges though. A scary bunch. I interviewed one, and that was enough for me. I am glad that I didn’t put him away. Oh, yes. Something else – A revolt. Thousands of slaves escaped their master and fled into the desert, led by none other than the invisible giant. An army tried to stop him and they were all drowned.”

“I see a theme developing.”

“Quite so.”

“So, Watson, I crosschecked my profile description against temple sightings in the database. What do you know? I found it. Another king. This suspect is no small player. King Uzziah was in the same temple and saw a huge figure, so tall that he and his clothes filled the whole room. You guessed it. He was tall enough to reach up and tear the curtain. That file identified him as a Mr Jehovah. So I had the identity of our “man”. And this is when I began to suspect that I had him for premeditation as well. So I made some enquiries. In fact, I put my phone number and some details in the Times.”

“How did that go?”

“Oh, very well indeed. I had an overwhelming response. An old man phoned and said that Mr Jehovah was his friend and he talked to him all the time. I couldn’t believe my luck. I asked me if he could help me locate him, and he chuckled at the other end of the line. I pressured him to be serious and asked if I could speak with him. He said that I should consider praying. I dismissed that, and asked him some more questions. Then I hit a glitch. It turns out he was dead at the time of the crime. This I have confirmed many times over. It is the ultimate alibi! But no sooner had he said that, than he was talking about him as though he was still alive. Eventually the old man gave me an address. I know I am close to bringing him in. I just need to find “New Jerusalem” on one of the maps. We may need an extradition, but I am confident.  Apparently he lives on Paradise Boulevard. I think a few days should do it.”

“Well, Holmes, all is well that ends well. I am amazed. This is the strangest case you have ever taken on!”

Watson had stood and was also pacing the room. He noticed an envelope on the desk.

“What’s this? A letter from Buckingham Palace?”

“Oh, Don’t worry. I get them all the time. The queen is always losing something or another – Spectacles or a corgi or silverware. They have such a large staff and you can’t watch everyone; and believe it or not, she is quite absent-minded.”

“I guess you can excuse that with the weight of Britannia on your shoulders.”

“Quite so.”

“Why haven’t you opened it yet.”

“I like to guess . . .”

“What do you have so far?”

“So far I have considered all that I have read in the papers over the last two days. I have covered both at home and the colonies abroad, all quite thoroughly, and nothing has come of it. Next I will consider the evidence on the outside of the envelope itself. I will start with the hand-writing . . ."

He picked up the envelope.

"Oh, Lord, I am so vain. I should not play such games with my monarch. Look at her hand! She is uncharacteristically anxious. She must be under threat! I don’t know why they didn’t send a cab for me straight away.”

Holmes tore open the envelope and read the contents . . .

“What does it say?” implored Watson.

“It says . . . that I have exceeded my jurisdiction. She says that we have been investigating an important ally of the Empire. It seems he has interests both here and in the colonies, and that his authority is significant.”

“Amazing, I must say. That we should have such an ally. What is Britannia coming to?”

Holmes relit his pipe and puffed cheerily. He sat down for the first time and put his feet upon a leather ottoman.

“You know, sometimes you have to face defeat with a smile and move on. I believe we just met our match.”

Unexpected Outcome

The last few weeks have been extremely difficult spiritually. I feel like I am out of control. I find myself impulsively doing things that leave me shaking my head at myself. Ever since I came back from America I have been completely nuts.

We are at the square with another family and our kids are playing together, and we, the parents, are chatting. A fight breaks out, three boys are trying to cream a guy who is by himself. Suddenly I found myself in amongst it yelling at the three of them to stop. In hindsight it is fantastic that I didn’t get myself hurt. I was just overtaken with passion, I suppose, to save the guy. Here is the thing. That is not normal for me. I’m usually much more sensible than that.

Another example: The minibus drivers are always arrogant and hard to share the road with when I am on the bike. Invariably they beep their horns at you, and that precedes them cutting you off. Usually I am quite content to battle for my place on the road. They do their thing and I shake my head and move on – Mr cool calm and collected. A week or so ago I was riding and this driver did all those things again. This time I surprised myself. I went up to his door and yelled at him. If I had of known swear words in the language he understood, I think I probably would have used them. I knew he had done that purposely and I was ropable.

I am finding it hard to concentrate or sit still. I yell at the kids more than usual. I found myself crying at church the other day when we were singing. I could have jumped my wife at the shops the other day, I adored her so much! I have enjoyed life more than usual and been tempted more than usual. It could be some kind of psychosis. It could be a mid-life crisis. The thing is . . . I sort of know what is happening. I just haven’t had anything like this happen before. Someone has gone and turned up the volume control of my life. To use another analogy, I have just begun to experience life in surround sound. Life is impacting me more and remaining the passive old me is impossible.

When we were in America I was healed and released. It was something I had been praying about for a while. I was having trouble expressing myself warmly. I was writing and I was excited about the material but it came out dry. There was more to it than that but all in all I knew that my expression of passion for things was being hindered by something. We were at this conference and people were offering prayer so I took them up on that. As that man prayed the Lord showed me the problem. I had not even realised that it was there. I went outside and he told me more. It sounded like silly, inconsequential things that had happen to me. But for all their insignificance, I felt a funny sort of pain, so I figured that the Lord must have been on the money. That day, a lovely older couple there at the conference offered to pray for me the following morning. I woke up at three that morning and spent a couple of hours trying to work though this issue by myself. I knew that I was touching it but that it hadn’t moved. An hour or so later the couple came and they prayed and guided me by the spirit and the Lord was just there, showing me what to do and say. I was a wreck. Out of me came the deepest, most painful sobs. It was like someone was removing a barbed spear from my body. It was done. I just knew that I was released and this whole issue was over. I returned a different man. More alive and, for better or worse, much more expressive!

Scripture and my own experience attest to the fact that change begins in our heart and emotions. Later our minds are transformed, and then our will and desires are also changed to align with that change. I am like that guy that was by the beautiful gate. His legs were healed and he went walking and leaping and praising God. He went a little crazy with his new found faculties. I can feel more than I ever have in my life. Interestingly, my spiritual experiences are also richer. And that is my challenge right now. I know that I need to dwell in the spirit, using my spiritual senses more than my physical ones to feed my more sensitive heart. Hopefully soon, before I do any damage or get into too much trouble, my will and mind will be adjusted by heaven to harmonise with the beautiful thing the Lord has done in my heart.

A Triumph - Always

Some days, like today, I don’t feel very victorious. Is it lies whispered in my ears or my bad choices? Is it my fleshly, physical blinkers that hide from me the authority I have in the spirit and the resources that have been bestowed on me. I was feeling low and the Lord brought to mind that verse:

…thanks be to God [the Father], who always leads us in triumph in Christ…

1 Corinthians 2:14

Those words could have mocked me, but instead they lifted my spirit. That was because I noticed the words, “in Christ” near the end of the verse. I felt anything but triumphant, but in Christ there is a victory for me…always! In Christ, is Paul’s way of saying that I need to draw near to the Father in his house to experience this. In the Spirit, united with Christ, as I share his throne, there is triumph for me…always. There is never a defeat there.

I had no rest for my spirit…but thanks be to God [the Father], who always leads us in triumph in Christ…

1 Corinthians 2:13-14

Paul was looking for Titus. There were so many things to do…good things, but he had no rest in his spirit. How could he care for these people and serve them when he was so distracted? He was trying to move on, so that he could find Titus, but there was a door opened for him to speak the Gospel. In the presence of the Father he found a victory. He spoke, yes. He spoke…

… in Christ in the sight of God.

1 Corinthians 2:14

And that was a triumph. He was speaking in a physical room, to physical people, but he had turned his soul spiritward. He spoke in the spirit. He was on earth and also in the heavenlies as he opened his mouth. He was speaking, with the authority of a beloved son of the Father. He spoke bathed in the atmosphere of love that permeates his presence. He spoke under the Father’s proud gaze.

As for me…my feet had almost slipped. I found perspective in the sanctuary. Not the physical sanctuary of a church building, but in the real sanctuary of the father’s throneroom. As for me…I had no rest for my spirit. I found a triumph before the Father.

It really is an incredible promise that when we enter the Father's house that the Father always leads us in triumph. Here is the thing. When we enter his gates, it is akin to a great general returning to Rome. The emperor leads that general through the streets to the scream of exultant crowds. Every time we come home we receive a triumphal entry. Every time and always! Always . . .

One side of this is that we are "in the beloved", and we receive the welcome into heaven that Christ deserves. On the other hand, keeping our place in the Father's presence is the ultimate victory for us. I am distracted by the enemy. He feeds me lies saying that I don't want to be there or stay there. I fight to stand . . . there in heavenly places . . . in the presence of the Father. When I come back it is a triumph and I receive a victor's welcome. In the battle and in temptation, I am often confused and disorientated. I don't know what I am doing or where I am going. This is a fantastic insight because it shows me that if I can just keep my eyes on the gates of the Father's house, triumph will be mine! And I will receive a victor's welcome.

Finding Faith Inside Faithfulness

A couple of years ago I wondered why how Turkey (the country) and turkeys (the birds) came to have the same name. No matter how hard I thought I could not find a connection. It roused my curiosity so I did a bit of research. It turns out that in Chinese the word “turkey” means nomad. Oh, of course. Now it made sense. The ancient Turkic people were nomadic. I already knew that. And the birds that we call turkeys wander, so they could easily take that name as well. All I needed was a little bit of context or cultural insight, not naturally at my fingertips.

The other day the Lord brought to mind the two words, faith and faithfulness. Faith, in my mind was about trust and in particular I understood it as opening up the spiritual realm to us. Faithfulness, on the other hand, was associated with loyalty, at least in my mind. I was curious that one word was found within the other, and yet there didn’t appear to be any connection between them. In the end, the Lord gave me the link between them. Faith and faithfulness both involve seeking. Later, I went to the Bible to look it up. He was right. Funny that. There it was, faithfulness and seeking, and faith and seeking.

Trust in the Lord and do good;

Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord;

And He will give you the desires of your heart.

Psalm 37:3-4

How do we cultivate faithfulness? We need to delight ourselves in the Lord. As we seek the Lord, we become by definition, more faithful. Faithful is not a stiff and starched loyalty, something like the Beefeater guards at Buckingham Palace who stand unmoving and at attention. It is more like the loyalty of  hound that will not rest until he it at our side. I had a dog once who would move from one window of the house to another as I moved from room to room in my house. He was not satisfied until he was as close as possible to my side. Faithfulness in marriage should not be defined as the lack of roaming eyes or the absence of affairs or adultery. We cannot say, “I am faithful, I’m here, aren’t I?” Faithfulness is to seek, to not be satisfied. If I want to be truly faithful to my wife, then I will be always seeking an ever closer intimacy. The same is true if we desire faithfulness to the Lord. I will be seeking him, delighting myself in him, and wanting to be close to him. You can see this in Hezekiah’s life:

Thus Hezekiah did throughout all Judah; and he did what was good, right and true before the LORD his God. Every work which he began in the service of the house of God in law and in commandment, seeking his God, he did with all his heart and prospered. After these acts of faithfulness Sennacherib king of Assyria came and invaded Judah and besieged the fortified cities, and thought to break into them for himself.

2 Chronicles 31:20-32:1

He sought the Lord. It was seen in his choices and his acts. His seeking acts were performed with all his heart. And these seeking acts were called acts of faithfulness. Loyalty pales beside true faithfulness.  In Hebrews eleven, the great faith chapter, we see that faith itself also involves that same passionate quest. To have faith is to seek.

And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

Hebrews 1:6

We associate faith with trust. The idea of that trust might be best understood as we see a child throw themselves through the air into the arms of their father or mother. That faith is satisfied by an embrace. The wonder of it all is that God is called faithful towards us and that means that he is deliberately and constantly seeking us. In fact, the author of these verses finds him reaching out every day, they are new every morning.

This I recall to my mind,

Therefore I have hope.

The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease,

For His compassions never fail.

They are new every morning;

Great is Your faithfulness.

Lamentations 3:21-23

Faith requires a relationship. We seek another through faith. Faithfulness is seeking faith as a pattern of our life, an unchanging habitual faith. I consider this and I feel complacency has deadened my faith. Too often my quest for God has no energy to it and I am stagnant, comforting myself that I am standing firm, deceiving myself that my faith, although fossilised, is enough. I want faith that is like the Lord’s, new every morning. I want to be refreshed and re-energised in my quest for the Father every morning. I want that passion to ignite my faith, and keep it burning. Wouldn’t it be delightful if he said of me and you, what we can say of him, “Great is your faithfulness!”

Our Heart has a Door

My heart has an inside door, but there is another way in. My heart is the seat of my feelings. It’s there that both love and hate are felt. Joy causes my heart to soar. Discontentment is received in the same place and drags it down into emptiness. Peace and fear find a hearing in my heart, one creating a lush garden and the other a cold dark prison. Feelings that are so vivid and contrasting. How can a single heart receive both? We know the feeling, don’t we? One minute we are up on the mountain, ecstatic with the emotion of a connection with the Lord. The next we are lost and lonely and sad, hopelessly lost in the dark valley.

It is a fallacy for me to think that I feel because of circumstances. When everything is as it should be, surely I should feel peace. When good things happen, that is the way to feel joy, right? Do I love when something attractive and lovely is before me? We go out of our way to find peace, love and happiness, and we find them so elusive. That is because circumstances don’t cause emotions. Our environment is a real factor, but we give it too much credit. Our heart has a door.

…he who enters by the door is a shepherd of the sheep. To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name…

John 10:2-3

There is a doorway between our spirit and our soul. Our soul, made up of our heart (emotions), mind and will is transformed when our saviour come to call on us. The Holy Spirit dwells in our spirit. He is our connection with heaven. Jesus, by the Spirit within us, comes to us. The Spirit is the doorkeeper, and he opens for Christ. Our experience when Christ visits, touches our mind, emotions and will. He brings heavenly wisdom that conforms our desires to his, so that we can approve of the perfect will of God. He comes with heavenly gifts of joy and peace and love to be received in our heart, and we rise up. He transforms our mind with his truth

To him the doorkeeper opens, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he puts forth all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice.

John 10:3-4

We hear his voice and he draws us back through that doorway into the spirit. In the spirit we enjoy the glories of our inheritance and blessings in the heavenlies. We rise heavenward to dwell in the Father’s house. Our heart has a door, a portal that is fundamentally important to all our enjoyment and experience within our Christian life.

Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me. 21 He who overcomes, I will grant to him to sit down with Me on My throne, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Revelation 3:20-21

Jesus knocks on the door. It is ours to respond and open that door. He will come in to dine and we will be transformed. Then we will lead us out, heavenward to share his throne, and all the wonders of our destiny in Him.

My heart and yours has an inside door, but there is another way in.

…he who does not enter by the door into the fold of the sheep, but climbs up some other way, he is a thief and a robber….A stranger they simply will not follow, but will flee from him, because they do not know the voice of strangers.

John 10:1,5

All those negative emotions get into our heart when we let in another guest. He does not come bearing heavenly gifts. He is a thief and a robber. He steals our joy and leaves us with empty discontentment. He takes away our love and the vacuum of hate is what we feel. He robs us of our peace and we are overcome with feelings of fear. He does not enter by the door. He attacks our soul directly. He strikes our minds and sows lies and doubts, and steals away the seed of truth planted there. He misdirects our desires and will so that we are driven to chase mirages in a desert. He will destroy us if we let him have his way. Jesus said:

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.

John 10:10

I feel a desire to have Christ dine with me. I want to listen. I long to be transformed. I want to open the door to him, enjoy him and his gifts and then follow him and he leads me into blessing and abundant life in the Father’s house. For me, I desire this today, and every day.

A Sword Out of Our Mouth

In Jesus’ temptation in the wilderness he used his mouth to quote scripture. In so doing he defeated the evil one. Three times he spoke and three times he prevailed. We are to arm ourselves to fight against spiritual forces in the heavenlies. A spiritual enemy requires spiritual armour and spiritual weapons. Our sword is not in our hand. It is in our mouth. It is the word of God on our tongue.

Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf…

Ephesians 6:10-19

Look how prayer and petition follow our armourment. We receive our sword, and then we use it. We use our tongue to fight. There is a sword coming out of our mouth! It was and is the same for Jesus.

In His right hand He [Jesus] held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.

Revelation 1:16

[Jesus speaking to the church in Pergamum] Therefore repent; or else I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.

Revelation 2:16

From His [Jesus’] mouth comes a sharp sword, so that with it He may strike down the nations, and He will rule them with a rod of iron…

Revelation 19:15

And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him [Jesus] who sat on the horse…

Revelation 19:21

We have spiritual resources to battle against spiritual adversaries and we take hold of them with our mouth. Just as we handle physical objects in the physical world with our hands, we wield spiritual things in the spiritual realm with our tongue. We often feel helpless because we do not realise that there is spiritual power in the tongue. However, when we approach the challenges of spiritual warfare in the correct way, we find that we can make a real difference.

For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:12

The weapons at our desposal are powerful because they are spiritual weapons to counter a spiritual adversary.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.

2 Corinthians 10:3-6

Nothing we hold in our hands helps at all, but we are armed and we can and will overcome.

The Real Problem

Sometimes we get angry at what is happening around us. Bad things happen all the time. Always there are people involved. Sometimes they are nameless and faceless, but human hands are so often responsible for the evil goings on around us. People say things. People do things. We look on, sometimes helpless and often livid at the injustices that we see.

It is a horrible historical fact that Christians have gotten angry. Many times, as a result of misplaced anger, Christians have become part of the problem. Whether its Catholics and Protestants hurting and killing each other in Ireland, or the bloody Crusades, or a bitter feud in a small church community in a remote country town, often righteous anger gives way to injustice and unrighteousness acts. It’s okay to be angry, but the question is what we should do with the holy rage that rightly grips us at times.

The key is to look beyond the physical manifestations of evil, and see what is happening in the spiritual realm.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

Ephesians 6:12

The evil in our world, in our communities, in our families, and in our churches and workplaces is a spiritual problem with a spiritual source. We battle against the cause and not the symptoms of this planet’s disease. We battle not against John and Harry and Sally and Kurt, even though they appear to be the problem. No we don’t battle against flesh and blood. We have no fight, anytime, anywhere with any person. We need to stop right now and sheath our tongue, our fists, our ballot paper, and our pen; if we are using them to fight a fight against flesh and blood.

For two long we have wasted our energy in a futile fight against people. The invisible enemies smirk at us as we lash out against our brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours. When we do that we are doing their work for them and they are let off the hook. Satan is the Destroyer. We look at the destruction around us and we respond emotionally. Satan is also the Accuser. He tempts people and uses them to hurt and destroy. And then he steps back and points the finger at them. He accuses them and we buy it. We blame the flesh and blood people that Satan accuses and we strike out. We want justice, but we punish the accomplice, and not the mastermind behind it all.

Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.

2 Corinthians 5:16

We have been used. That makes me angry too! We are vulnerable because there is a whole lot going on spiritually and it’s not tangible. We can’t see it, hear it or touch it with our hands. We need faith to see the invisible. We need to learn to fight against spiritual foes. In Christ we are empowered to fight the real enemy and by his authority and in his name we will conquer. Our victory is sure. We will not be driven by hate. We will be compelled by love. We are not part of the World. We are part of the kingdom of light. The battle against flesh and blood is futile. The injustice will continue and we contribute to the problem. Through spiritual means we can make a real difference…

for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses.

2 Corinthians 10:4

We are well equipped for victory. Let’s face the real enemy, and have mercy on their miserable pawns; broken people, oppressed and hurting. Heaven knows what kind of a revolution is possible if we will take up those spiritual weapons and strike out against the real problem.

Open Handed Discipleship

Discipleship is hard work. We invest so much of ourselves as we try to guide a new believer towards growth. Pastoral care of any kind comes with a dilemma. We are dealing with sheep, and sheep are not so easy to control. They have a mind of their own.

Unfortunately, when faced with the difficulty of an uncooperative discipleship protégé, there is an opportunity to do harm rather than good. Often we default to the wrong response because it is the natural thing to do. This is best understood when we consider the objectives of discipleship. The disciple is facing two struggles. One is against the dominion of the flesh, and the other is against the dominion of the World. Our approach to losing control of the process naturally tends to align itself with the methods of the World. It is a tragedy that we can become the World in order to free someone we dearly love from the clutches of the World. When we think of it that way, we know, of course, that we have already lost. How could we lose our way to such an extent and actually become part of the problem?

Biblically speaking, the World is a system that stands against the will of God. It is a system that crushes and controls. It will stop at nothing to have its way. It wants nothing more or less than conformity. In the last couple of years I have seen the World in a new light.  I have been living with my family in the Middle East, trying to run a business there. There were all sorts of moral struggles as we went about that. A number of times it was suggested to me that if I would conform in certain ways, then my business would thrive, and if I did not it would fail. The threat to conform or perish is common the world over, and I had seen that in my home country of Australia often enough. The difference in this situation was the way that religion was using economics as a carrot and stick to “guide” their people’s behaviour. I had this moment of revelation where for the first time I saw the evil sceptre of the World for what it was. It was so strong I wondered what could stop it. It harmed us a little, but we watched it ruin lives around us. We watched it crush the fight out of anyone who raised their head to question the system in any way.

I watched the squeezing pressure that was applied to force friends to conform. To lose your job in Australia is unfortunate and bad for the ego, but much more severe in this part of the world. Here it is a severe penalty for attempting to be something different from what is the accepted norm. I looked on wondering whether the people  in the system understood what they were doing. Would they really turn that family out into the cold, and to poverty? Was control of the people really meant to be achieved this way? Did the end justify the means? I learned in just a few months to hate the World. It brought to mind this verse:

Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

Romans 12:1-2

At the same time as I was witnessing this, I was beginning to see the contrast of the World and the Father’s house – Be conformed or be transformed. I suppose I saw the World for what it really is. To be worldly is not about going to nightclubs or drinking or smoking because those things are bad choices. Those things are called worldly because when we go to those places and do those things we are making those choices to please others and appease the system. The world is about compromise rather than sin and evil desires. Jesus would not conform, and that enraged the system so much that they set out to end his life. We can expect no more from the system for ourselves if we follow in his footsteps. 

It is startling to look back at the Church from over here and see more similarities than differences. Doctrines and beliefs aside, our methods tend to be the same. We don't want trouble. We want things to be in control. I looked at the foreign culture in which I lived and I saw the World so clearly. Upon reflection I saw startling similarities back in my home country. It was different but it was the same in many ways. I saw the World functioning back in my home country – in workplaces, churches, families. It appeared to me insidiously invading so many areas of life. Most importantly of all, it influences the way we disciple others. All is not lost. We get to choose the way we disciple our friends. Have a look at this contrast that Jesus laid out for us:

No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you. You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would remain, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you. This I command you, that you love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.

John 15:15-18

We choose transformation or conformity.

• When we bring our protégé before the Father to be blessed, they are called friends. There they become fruitful, and their prayers are answered and they start to contribute to a truly loving society. 
• Otherwise, we can treat them as slaves. We can be the system, and to us they will be just a statistic. We want to control them, and that physical tension operates through anger and hate.

If we are focussed on physical control when we disciple others we are part of the system, no matter what we are trying to achieve, and no matter how good our motives are. The thirst for control eats up our soul, and so quickly we respond with negative emotion when we lose control. We punish those we are trying to help. Of course, it is for their good because sin and bad habits will harm them, and their bad example may also lead others astray. We hate what they are doing and strike out to “make them” come back into line. We make them conform and strive for power in these situation to make things the way they should be; to make people the way they should be. We

…weigh men down with burdens hard to bear…

Luke 11:46

However, there is another choice. We can release those who we disciple into the freedom of transformation in the heavenlies. We can trust the Lord for the spiritual prosperity of our disciples. We can choose love over hate, and believe that anyone can be transformed as they dwell before the Father. Let’s encourage them to come before him, to draw near to experience divine friendship, and fruitfulness springing out of spiritual blessings lavished on them by the Father. Perhaps we too should draw near so that we can experience that ourselves.

Our discipleship of others can be a beautiful display of the desires of the Father, or an ugly disappointment that hurts more than it helps. Our choice to go against the flow may make unpleasant waves, because the system hates to be disrupted, but as we escape its clutches, we can take others with us. Our discipleship can be a partnership with the Father in the transformation of our friends.

The Sole of Your Foot

When Joshua and the people of Israel entered the land they were given a promise:

…cross this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them, to the sons of Israel. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads, I have given it to you…

Joshua 1:2-3

As we enter in to experience all that the Father has for us in the heavenlies, that is true for us as well. We grow spiritually as we realise and possess more of our inheritance. As you receive something in the Father’s house it is yours…forever. That’s how we lay up treasure in heaven. Moth and rust cannot diminish what is ours there. In fact nothing can. Every place on which the sole of your foot treads he has given to you. We should reach out to possess more of what is ours...

 Oh that You would bless me indeed and enlarge my border, and that Your hand might be with me…

1 Chronicles 4:9

...but also remember what we have already been given. We have an accumulating store of life-transforming resources, always at hand and available. It may be possible that we feel as though we have little yet possess much already, because of what has gone before. Yes, we should seek to enlarge our borders, but sometimes it is good to survey our borders and appreciate what the Lord has done in our life already.

For us men, it is a temptation to go to the hardware store for that new and absolutely essential tool to tackle the latest fix-it job on our list. The truth is, that often this may be unnecessary. We might be able to get along alright if we just looked in our toolbox. Jesus said that we should store up for ourselves treasure in heaven because you and I really do have the ability to store things there. Are we feeling defeated and ill-equipped? Do we feel like we haven't been given something fresh to tackle the new problem that just arose? We might be surprised to find that we already have the answer. Remember. Take a trip back through your spiritual experience. What have you received of the Lord? All of those things were life-changing and powerful when you received them. They are no less potent today. You have much more at your disposal that you thought! Perhaps today's problem might be less trouble than you thought.

And this perspective does not take away from our desire to experience more and receive fresh revelation and resources from our Father. It means that we value each new gift as immensely precious. Each spiritual blessing that we take hold of in the heavenlies is an eternal possession. This realm is no consumer society, with everything designed to be thrown away two days after the warranty expires. Think about the way that people used to value the hand-made treasures of the "good-old-days". Things were made well; made to last. All of our Father's good gifts are of flawless quality and they will last eternally. There is abundant variety and rich supply of fresh spiritual blessings whenever we approach the throne to ask for more. The Father lavishes his grace on us and we are truly blessed.