 
# REAL, RADICAL AND REVOLUTIONARY

## Building Kingdom Relationships with God, with Each Other, and with the World

## by Lynn B. Fowler

Published by Lynn B. Fowler at Smashwords

This book is copyright Lynn Fowler 2014.

## Smashwords Edition License Notes

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your enjoyment only, then please return to Smashwords.com or your favorite retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from The World English Bible (Public Domain) on http://ebible.org/

Quotations marked KJV are from the King James Version.

Quotations marked NIV are taken from the HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.

Quotations marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright 1952 [2nd edition, 1971] by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Quotations marked P are paraphrased.

Cover photo by Victor Maasilamani

<http://www.freeimages.com/profile/dejure>

NOTE: This book is based on the conviction that the entire Bible, including the early chapters of Genesis, is the Word of God and is absolutely true, and that the only way of salvation is through the Lord Jesus Christ, according to His own words as recorded in Jn 14:6, _"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me,"_ and those of Peter in Acts 4:12, _"There is salvation in none other, for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, by which we must be saved!"_ If you do not believe these things, you may have difficulties with some of the concepts contained herein.

Because the English language does not have a singular pronoun that can be applied equally to both male and female, and to avoid the cumbersome male/female format, I have at times used male pronouns and at other times female. Unless they are referring to a specific person, all pronouns should be taken as referring equally to both genders.

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http://rrr.lynnbfowler.com

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### DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my Fathers:

To my Father God,

who loved me before He created me;

who paid the ultimate price to draw me into

relationship with Himself;

and who keeps me day by day in His grace.

To my natural Father, Henry Robert Fowler,

who was my refuge in a stormy childhood;

who gave me my love of the written word;

who taught me that no matter how big I dared to dream,

I could achieve it if I only wanted it enough;

and who was – and still is – my hero.

To my Father in the Faith, Rev Charles Widdowson;

who told me I was an abomination to God

and witnessed my birth into the Kingdom of Light.

To my Father in Ministry, Pastor Norman Stiles,

who accepted me when no-one else would;

who believed in me when no-one else did;

and who taught me to be instant in season

and out of season.

### THANKS

Special thanks to:

My friend and ministry associate, Rev. Fran Marston

who read an early copy, nagged me to finish writing it,

and previewed the final draft

Mrs Kathleen Ipsen who previewed an early copy

Rev. Margaret (Peggy) Kennedy and Mrs Robern Lubawski who previewed the final draft

Mrs Valerie Henderson

who painstakingly edited the final draft

Mrs Kathleen Fauchon

who reviewed the book prior to publication

Mrs Tammy Richards

who took my photo for publicity

(http://www.fitzard.com.au)

All my friends who have encouraged and supported me along the way.

And especially to you, the person who has bought this book.

I pray that you will be blessed in reading it.

### CONTENTS

The Vision

Introduction

Part 1 - Real Christianity: Our Relationship With God

Grace

Faith

Worship

Repentance

Surrender

Intimacy

Part 2 - Radical Christianity: Our Relationship With Each Other

Love

Humility

Transparency

Honor

Unity

Part 3 - Revolutionary Christianity: Our Relationship With The World

Christlikeness

Martyrdom

Priesthood

Servanthood

Leadership

Destiny Fulfilled: Dominion

Conclusion - Bringing It All Together

Appendix - The Tests of Prophecy

Meet the Author

Sneak Peek - My Little Chats With God

###  THE VISION

This is the vision that the Lord gave me in 1997:

As I was interceding for the Body of Christ, the Lord took me to a place that was like an enormous cavern. I could not see, but rather sensed that there were innumerable smaller caves or tunnels leading off all around the sides. It was a place of absolute emptiness and stillness. There was a total absence of light, although in the Spirit I was aware of the surroundings. It was absolutely silent. There was a total absence of any sense of either heat or cold, or indeed of any sensation at all. Most of all, there was not even the faintest breath of life. It was a place more awful and frightening than I could have conjured up in my wildest nightmares.

"Lord," I cried out, "What is this horrible place, and why have You brought me here?"

"This is death," the Lord replied, without answering my second question. Immediately I was in a totally different scene.

This time I was overlooking what appeared to be a very large suburban back yard, which was littered with toys – balls, dolls, toy trucks and others. It was in every sense the total opposite of the place where I had just been. The colors of the grass, the flowers, the toys, had a beauty, depth and vibrancy unlike anything I had known on earth. There was warmth, there was motion, there was the perfume of flowers, but most of all everything seemed to pulse and radiate with joy and life. Yet I sensed that there was something wrong.

Then the word of the Lord came. With infinite sadness, He said, "My people want to play games while the world is in death."

### INTRODUCTION

God is calling His people to a kind of Christianity that is vastly different from what we see in most of the church today.

He is calling us to a kind of Christianity that is first of all real: it is about our relationship with Himself. Many in the world - and even in the Church - today see Christianity as simply a philosophy or a set of moral standards that are loosely followed. Others see it as a "religion" in which set formats and rituals are observed. True Christianity, however, is all about an eternal relationship with Father God through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is about spiritual reality, not natural observances.

Man is a three-part being, spirit, soul and body, and it is man's spirit that was created and designed for a relationship with God. True Christianity is spiritual. That is not to say that the soul faculties of intellect, emotion and will do not operate, but rather that they operate under the control of the human spirit. So true Christianity does not seek to come to Christ through emotion, but rather by the drawing of the Holy Spirit, who will then transform our emotions and fire us with passion for God. It does not follow intellectual rabbit warrens trying to find "the real Jesus," but allows the Spirit of God to reveal Him. It does not grit its teeth and try its hardest to do its best to serve God, but rather allows the life of the Spirit within to transform the human heart and will.

True Christianity is real in its relationships. It does not put on a religious facade and pretend, either with God or man. Nor is it shallow, seeking to relate to God and man at only the surface level; rather it gives itself fully. It seeks God for Who He is, not just for what He can give; and it makes itself available to God not just in outward performance and appearance, but at the deepest levels of intimacy.

It is real in its honesty. It knows that God knows every area of the human heart, and it does not try to cover up sin, but comes to God in open repentance.

God is calling us to a kind of Christianity that is radical in its relationship to others in the Body of Christ. In its original meaning, radical referred to "from or of the root." True Christianity is the kind presented and practiced in the Bible. It is not satisfied with a westernized, comfortable, demand-free version of the Gospel. It insists on getting back to the standards of the Word of God.

Nor is it willing to accept a religion that puts band-aids over problems rather than getting to the root cause. It wants to see the ax laid to the root of the tree, to see the old life done away with not just prettied up. Its God is not a benign grandfather who pats people on the head and turns a blind eye to their continued sin, but the One who comes as consuming fire to burn out all that does not measure up to His glory.

Neither does it hide behind a facade of "niceness." Of course, it does not go out of its way to be obnoxious, but it recognizes that there are times when issues must be confronted; that there are times when the most loving thing to do is to be "not nice."

At the same time, it is prepared to humble itself and admit both guilt and need.

In its modern, commonly accepted meaning, radical also refers to something that is different from the norm, even to the point of being extreme. True Christianity moves out of its comfort zone, being prepared to be totally different from the world around it. It is bold enough to say, "There is only one God, and only one way to God, through the Lord Jesus Christ." It is courageous enough to call sin, sin; and to proclaim the reality of hell as well as heaven. It knows that compromise and "tolerance" were never part of the Gospel.

God is calling us to a kind of Christianity that is revolutionary in its relationship with the world. It was said of the disciples in the book of Acts that they had turned the world upside down. Revolutionary refers to an overthrow of the existing government, and the installation of a new government. True Christianity overthrows the old government of self, sin and Satan in our lives and installs the government of the Lord Jesus Christ. From there, it seeks to go on to overthrow the old government (that of Satan and his cohorts in the spiritual realm, not necessarily the human government) over our neighborhood, our city, our country and our world, and to bring each under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. True Christianity knows that the Gospel is not about us, it is about the King and His Kingdom, and it will settle for nothing less than establishing the Kingdom of God throughout the world.

Like all radical and revolutionary ideas, this kind of Christianity is dangerous. It is dangerous to that within each of us that would prefer a comfortable, easy existence. It is dangerous to the kingdom of darkness. It is dangerous to those who embrace it, for it confronts both ourselves and those around us, not to mention the predominant spiritual forces in the world.

Much that passes for Christianity today is little more than a shallow pretense, a "going through the motions", a religious exercise. It is carried out in the realm of the soul - the mind, the emotions and the will - rather than in the realm of the spirit, and relates to both God and man at only a surface level. It has lost touch with the essence of Biblical faith, and has settled for living in the realm of the safe and the comfortable. Rather than "turning the world upside down," it seeks to be as much like the world as possible, in the misplaced hope that such conformity will draw the world to itself.

As you read this book, you will find a progressively expanding vision. At the level of our relationship with God, the vision is individual. You are not saved because your family goes to church, or because your great-grandfather was a missionary. You are not saved because others in your city, tribe, school or workplace are Christians. You are saved because Jesus Christ died for you personally, and at some point in your life you chose to receive that salvation by turning from your sin and surrendering your life to Him. No-one else can become a Christian on your behalf, and no-one else can live in relationship with God on your behalf. It is about you, personally and individually. In this section we look at six aspects of that personal, spiritual relationship: grace, faith, worship, repentance, surrender and intimacy. Each of these is about the one-on-one relationship between us and God, and each can only be found in the realm of the spirit. (I am not suggesting that these, or the aspects of our relationships within the Body or with the world that we consider in this book, are the only aspects of those relationships. These are simply the ones that the Holy Spirit has laid on my heart as being particularly significant.)

At the level of our relationship with others within the Body of Christ, we have to move out of an individual vision and come into a "body" vision. It is no longer all about us as individuals, but about the collective "us." The Scriptural metaphor of the Body is very apt: many individual parts coming together to form a whole that is greater than the sum of them. Particularly for those of us from western, highly individualistic, cultures, this kind of thinking can be difficult at first. The culture of the New Testament was far more collective: the people of that time were used to thinking in terms of the good of the group, rather than just themselves. Much of the jealousy, rivalry and contention that exists in the Church today is the result of people not being able to move from an individualistic vision to a body vision. If we are going to come into God's purpose for His people, it is something that we are going to have to learn. Here we will look at the aspects of love, humility, transparency, honor and unity. Each of these can only be found as we move out of our individualistic thinking and into body thinking. Each still requires us to move in the realm of the spirit, but each also requires us to be radical, both in the sense of going back to the standards of God's Word, and in the sense of being radically different from the world.

Then, as we move on to look at our relationship with the world, we discover that our vision has to expand again, this time from a "body" vision to a "Kingdom" vision. We come to the realization that, whilst our salvation is very important to God, and the perfection of the Body of Christ is also very important, there is something far more important than either: the restoration of the Kingdom of God. Jesus' primary work was to bring this planet back into the Kingdom of God, and to restore His sovereignty over it - and the work of the Head must also be the work of the Body. No longer can it be about "what can God do for me?" or even about building great relationships with those who share our eternal destiny. Our focus must be upon the biggest picture. Here we will look at Christlikeness, martyrdom, priesthood, servanthood and leadership - some very heavy concepts that are truly revolutionary.

Finally, in a stand-alone chapter, we will look at the fulfillment of our destiny: dominion. Here we will challenge the end-time ideas held by much of the Church, and paint a picture of the Body of Christ operating as God intended it should.

The time has come for us to stop playing games. God's purposes for us, individually and corporately, are far greater than we could think or imagine. God is calling His people to leave the toys behind, and come to a real, radical and revolutionary relationship with Him, with each other and with the world, that He may fulfill His purposes for a dying world. The only question that remains is, are we willing?

This book is intended not just to give you information, but to bring about a real change in your heart and life. If you read it just for information, that is all you will receive. But if you read believing for an impartation of grace from the Spirit of God, I believe you will receive that. I have included at the end of each section a prayer to release that specific grace into your life. As you read the words, join your prayer to them and say, "Lord, I receive this grace. Release it into my life in Jesus name."

" _Father God, I come to You in the mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I ask that Your Spirit would minister to every person who is reading this book. I release an impartation of understanding and acceptance to each one. I ask that You would give them open hearts and open minds, and that You would create in them a hunger for You and an excitement about what You want to do in their lives. I ask that they would draw from this book not only information, but impartation, and I ask that You would use this book to transform the life of every person who reads it. Thank You, Father. Amen."_

###  PART 1 – REAL CHRISTIANITY : OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Those seemingly simple words, "our relationship with God", are awesome. That we should be able to have a relationship with God is staggering. Just think Who He is, and who we are. He is the mighty creator and sustainer of the universe, the one whose mere words flung into space countless stars and galaxies that we have not even seen, even with our most powerful telescopes. Trying to avoid the reality of God, scientists have theorized that the universe started with a "big bang." Well, in a sense they are right. Let me tell you what that big bang sounded like: "Let there be!" As the voice of the Almighty God thundered through infinite emptiness, energy, matter and time all came into being in an instant. And of that whole vast universe, far beyond our comprehension, God says He " _has meted out heaven with the span_ " (Isa. 40:12 KJV) – in other words, He holds the universe in the palm of His hand.

God is eternal and infinite. He created both time and space, and He stands outside of both of them and is not limited by either. He is omnipresent – there is not a single atom of the universe or one nanosecond of history where He is not present. The Psalmist says,

" _Where could I go from your Spirit?_

Or where could I flee from your presence?

If I ascend up into heaven, you are there.

If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, you are there!

If I take the wings of the dawn,

and settle in the uttermost parts of the sea;

Even there your hand will lead me,

and your right hand will hold me.

If I say, "Surely the darkness will overwhelm me;

the light around me will be night";

even the darkness doesn't hide from you,

but the night shines as the day.

The darkness is like light to you." (Ps. 139: 7-12)

Yet at the same time God is transcendent – He fills the universe but is not contained by it, He permeates time but is not limited by it.

God is omnipotent – all powerful. He not only has infinite ability, He has infinite authority. There is nothing that is beyond His ability, and there is no force in the universe that does not have to bow in submission before Him. When God says something, it happens, and even when it is not immediately manifested on the earth, in God's purposes it is already accomplished.

God is omniscient – all knowing. He knows every thing that has ever occurred and everything that will ever occur in any part of the universe and in the infinite reaches of the spiritual realm. He knows every thought that has ever crossed or will ever cross the mind of any man or angel. He knows every atom of your body and every nanosecond of your life. He even knows all the possibilities – what would have happened if any one of the limitless number of decisions made by men or angels in the course of history had been any different.

God is holy. He is perfectly complete within Himself, and in Him there is not even the faintest shadow of imperfection. His holiness is not merely a negative, an absence of evil, but a positive good and righteousness and perfection that is totally beyond human ability to explain. For a sinful human being to try to explain God's holiness is rather like a man who has been blind from birth trying to explain the color red. The blind man has nothing in his experience that demonstrates the color red, no familiar tag that he can attach to it and say, "This is what red is like." Likewise, outside of God, we have nothing in our experience that approximates God's holiness. God is the only standard. Even when the Lord Jesus Christ walked on this earth, He had to veil His holiness, otherwise everyone who saw Him would have dropped dead. All we can say is, "God is holy, and holiness is like God."

Because of His perfection and holiness, God dwells in indescribable glory, surrounded by light so intense that even the slightest glimpse would destroy us. Sometimes He allows us to experience the tiniest sliver of His glory, and every time that happens the recipients end up flat on their faces.

These feeble words don't even begin to describe our mighty God.

And who are we? We are creatures fashioned from the dust of an ordinary planet, orbiting an average sun in a nondescript galaxy. We are small, limited beings, trapped in time and space and subject, from the first beginning of our life, to decay and death. All the knowledge and power we have accumulated in our years on planet earth doesn't even amount to dust on the scales of God. We belong to a race of people that was given dominion in the earth, but threw that dominion away because they accepted the lie that they could supersede their creator. Individually each one of us has walked in rebellion and treason against our God and King, and outside of Christ each one of us is so permeated with sin that there is not a single thought, motivation, word or action that is pure. No wonder the Psalmist says, _"What is man, that you think of him? What is the son of man, that you care for him?"_ (Ps. 8:4) If it had not been initiated by God, the very thought that such creatures could have a relationship with Him would be utter blasphemy and unpardonable arrogance.

Yet incredibly, amazingly, wonderfully, it has been initiated by God. It was initiated by Him at our beginning, when He created us in His own image. How could such fragile, limited creatures be in the image of such a mighty God? It is beyond our understanding, but He has placed upon us the stamp of His own nature. And because of that stamp, when our first parents rebelled and listened to the devil's lie, God did not give up on us. He already knew what He was going to do. Adam's sin did not take Him by surprise. Before the foundation of the world He had already made provision, and in the fullness of time He sent that provision to the world in the person of God the Son. The Son, who had for all eternity enjoyed the glory and the fellowship of the Father and the Holy Spirit,

" _didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, yes, the death of the cross." (Phil. 2:6-8)_

Jesus laid aside heaven to bring us into relationship with God! The Lord of creation learned obedience to bring us into relationship with God! The holy and righteous one allowed unholy, sinful men to take Him, flog Him to within a breath of His life, spit on Him and mock Him, and drive huge spikes through His hands and feet to secure Him to a cross where He hung in naked shame bearing the full penalty of the world's sin until the payment was complete and He yielded His spirit to the Father, and He did it all to bring us into relationship with God!

What's more, God doesn't want to bring us into a just-making-it, barely-there, clinging-on-by-our-fingernails type of relationship with Himself. He not only forgives us, He justifies us. He not only justifies us, He redeems us. He not only redeems us, He reconciles us to Himself. He not only reconciles us, He adopts us. He not only adopts us, He also then makes us co-heirs with Christ. He not only makes us co-heirs, He transforms us into His likeness. His purpose is to bring us into His glory! (cf Rom. 8:29)

If our relationship with God is that important to Him, how important should it be to us? In this section we look at the six key words concerning that relationship. My prayer for you is that you will take hold of these words, and enter into a deeper, more meaningful relationship with your Lord than you have ever known.

### GRACE

As we saw in the introduction to this section, we are absolutely unworthy of a relationship with God. Yet, we were created for such a relationship, and there is within us a great cry for that relationship. The Teacher of Ecclesiastes said, " _He has also set eternity in their hearts."_ (Ecc. 3:11) Saint Augustine put it this way: "You have made us for Yourself, O God, and our hearts are restless till they find their rest in You." Some modern teacher, expressing the same truth, said, "There is a God-shaped space inside each one of us, which can only be filled by God."

How do we find that relationship with God for which we were created? Many have tried to do it through their own efforts. If you talk to a group of people about whether they expect to go to heaven when they die, many will say something like, "Well, I keep the commandments." They believe that this will be enough, but will it? Most people who make this statement are referring to the Ten Commandments, but they are in fact only a tiny fraction of the Law. There are 613 commandments in the Old Testament, some moral commandments, some relating to ritual, some relating to social responsibility, some to personal relationships. If we are going to rely on keeping the law to bring us into relationship with God, then we have to keep every one of those 613 commandments, for James tells us that _"whoever keeps the whole law, and yet stumbles in one point, he has become guilty of all."_ (Jas. 2:10)

However, let's lay that aside for a minute and look at just the Ten Commandments. The first one says, _"I am Yahweh your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. You shall have no other gods before me."_ (Ex. 20:2-3) This is not just saying that we are to have no other gods ahead of the Lord, but that we are to have no other gods "before His face", or in His presence. Since God's presence permeates the whole of creation, this translates to very simply "No other gods." Now I don't know about you, but I do not know one single person who has never worshiped something other than the Lord. I do not know one single person who has never placed money, or possessions, or power, or pleasure, or reputation, or some other thing, ahead of God. I do not know one single person who has never looked to something other than God as the source of supply, happiness, comfort, peace, affirmation, acceptance or some other blessing. I do not know one single person who has never in his entire life sought to create God in his own image, and in doing so to elevate himself above the throne of God. I do not know one single person who throughout her entire life has given absolute and perfect obedience to God as Sovereign Lord, never deviating even the slightest fraction from God's will, plan and purposes for her. Yet all these things are what it means for God to be truly God to us, and for us to have no other gods but Him.

Forget about the other 612 commandments of the Law! Forget about the other nine of the ten! We don't even make it on the first one! If obeying the Law is the way to come into relationship with God, forget it, we haven't got an ice-cube's hope in hell!

Other people think they will make it by doing good. My mother and I had a terrible relationship when I was a child, and when I was first saved and tried to witness to her the "baggage" got in the way. At first when I tried to talk to her about heaven she would laugh it off, saying "I've got my place reserved downstairs stoking the fires for Old Nick!" (A statement that really crunched on my spirit!) Later, as the barriers began to come down, she would say, "It's OK love, I used to sing in the choir when I was a little girl. I'll be OK." She felt that by singing in that long-ago choir she had paid her dues, she had bought her ticket, and that was all she needed. (Praise God, Mum was gloriously saved and brought into relationship with God through the Lord Jesus Christ a year before she died, and is now waiting for me in heaven.)

There are many people like my Mum. They have sung in choirs, they have served on committees, they have given, they have worked, they have cared for those less fortunate, they may even have prayed, read the Bible, taught Sunday School, or any combination of countless good works. All of these things are good, but if we are relying on them to bring us into relationship with God, we are left with just one question: how can we know when we have done enough? Is praying an hour a day enough? Maybe we should pray two, four or six hours? Is tithing enough? Maybe, rather than ten percent, we should give twenty, fifty or eighty percent? What price is big enough for the benefit we seek? If God were to say to us, "You are to pray 23 hours out of every day – you may have one hour to sleep. And you are to give me 99% of everything you have – you may have 1% to live on. And out of that 1% you are also to give to the poor. And at the same time as you are praying you are to spend every waking minute telling everyone about Me. And you are to fast 29 days out of every month." Would all that add up to enough value to pay for a relationship with the almighty God that will last for eternity? Surely an eternal relationship with an infinite God must come at an infinite cost! The problem is, we are not infinite. We are very, very finite. We are simply not capable of doing enough good to secure a relationship with God, even if we were to live for a million years.

What's more, God sets a standard that is infinitely beyond either the Law or works. He says, _"all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of God."_ (Rom 3:23) God's standard is not obedience to the Law, even if we were able to do that perfectly. God's standard is not good works, even if we were capable of piling them up to the highest heavens. God's standard is nothing less than His glory. The only beings who have an intrinsic right to relationship with the Godhead, the only beings who have an intrinsic right to inhabit heaven, are those who measure up to His glory. Do you know who meets that standard? There are only three of Them: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Even God's holy angels do not measure up to the standard of His glory. Job says that God _"charges His angels with error"_ (Job 4:18) and Paul tells us that _"we will judge angels."_ (1 Cor 6:3) This is not to suggest that God's holy angels sin in an active sense, as we do, (if they did they would no longer be holy angels, but fallen angels) but that they simply do not measure up to His glory. They cannot, for they are created beings – and, unlike mankind, they were not created in the image of God. But God defines anything that comes short of His glory as sin! Thus, even God's holy angels stand in His presence only by His grace.

Now God's holy angels carry with them an awesome weight of the glory of the Lord. It is no accident that every time in the Bible someone comes face to face with an angel, that person is very quickly on his knees or on his face. It is very easy to acquire the fear of the Lord really quickly in the presence of one of His holy angels! If these guys fall short of the glory of God, I have to say that I don't come within a million miles of it! And neither do you!

We might wonder whether it is really "fair" for God to set the bar so high. After all, we are only human - how can He possibly expect us to measure up to His glory? Very simply, His glory is that for which we were created. He made mankind "in His image" and "after His likeness." We were specifically designed to be like Him. We were created to show forth His glory. Every time we think, speak or act in a way that is not like Him - every time we fail to show forth His glory - every time any sentient creature looks at us and does not see God - we fall short of the purpose of our creation, and that is sin.

So where does that leave us? We can't enter this eternal relationship with God by observing the Law. We can't get there by good works. God says the only way we could get there is by measuring up to the standard of his glory, and even angels don't do that, so we have no chance. That leaves us just one hope: God's grace.

Fortunately, that is the only hope we need. God extends His grace to us in the Lord Jesus Christ, and His grace is the only currency He will accept. Isa. 55:1 says,

" _Hey! Come, everyone who thirsts, to the waters!_

Come, he who has no money, buy, and eat!

Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price."

In Jesus, God has already paid in full the price for us to return to relationship with Himself. He offers it to us freely by His grace.

What is grace? The standard definition over the years has been "God's unmerited favor". However, this barely begins to describe what grace is. Someone else has defined it with the mnemonic God's Riches At Christ's Expense. This goes further, but still doesn't say it fully. Let me give you my definition of grace: "God's mighty power working in you to achieve that which you do not deserve and which you could not achieve by yourself."

Grace is not just God turning a blind eye to your sin. Grace does not turn God into a doting grandfather who just pats you on the head and says "that's OK" when you rebel and disobey Him. Grace not only extends to you forgiveness for your sin on the basis of Christ's death as your substitute (something you did not deserve and could not achieve for yourself,) it also gives you the ability to reach out by faith and take hold of that provision for your life.

Church, we need to really take hold of the fact that we stand in relationship to God only by His grace. For me, that is easy. When God took hold of my life I was as far from Him as it is possible to get, whilst at the same time actually believing that I was a Christian and was serving Him. When He brought me into truth, the truth set me free and I know without a shadow of a doubt that there was no way on earth that I would ever have made it if His grace had not been extended to me. For others, it is not so easy. Many Christians have been raised in Christian homes; they have gone to Sunday School, to youth group, to church. They have possibly even attended Christian school, and have spent their whole lives in a Christian sub-culture. They have never fallen into any "big" sin. For such people, it is easy to fall into thinking that maybe they would have been all right anyway. If this is you, I plead with you to guard your heart. As we have seen, God's definition of sin is that which falls short of His glory. In a sense there is no measurement in that. It doesn't matter whether we are a little bit short of His glory or light years short of it. If we are short of His glory, we are sinners, and if we are sinners then we can stand only in His grace.

Imagine you wanted to reach a particular destination, and there was only ever going to be one train that went there. If you miss that train, it doesn't matter whether you arrive a split second late or months after its departure, you are never going to reach that destination. The person who is months late does not miss out more than the person who is seconds late: they have both missed the train; neither is going to the destination. It is like that with God. Whether we miss His glory by a lot or a little, we are sinners, and that means we are totally dependent on His grace.

When we come to a deep understanding of God's grace extended to us, and our dependence on that grace, suddenly the struggle goes out of our lives. No longer do we have to work at a relationship with God, we simply have to rest in the relationship He has freely given us. No longer do we have to strive for His acceptance, for we know that we are _"accepted in the beloved"_ (Eph. 1:6, KJV) and that nothing we can do will ever make us more acceptable in His sight. We are able to let go of our own righteousness, which is like filthy rags (Isa. 64:6) and accept the glorious garment of Christ's righteousness. Make no mistake about it, we cannot wear both at the same time.

Remember the parable Jesus told of the king who prepared a wedding banquet. (Matt. 22:2-14) Those who were initially invited gave all sorts of excuses why they could not accept the king's invitation. So the king called his servants and sent them out into the streets and lanes to gather anyone they could find and bring them in to the banquet. However, after they had done this it was discovered that there was a man in the party who was not wearing a wedding garment. The king pulled him out, rebuked him sternly, and had him thrown out of the feast.

To our modern mindset this seems extremely harsh. After all, the poor guy had been pulled off the streets, possibly away from his work, and compelled to come to this party. Surely the king understood that he had not had time to go home and get spruced up!

Those of Jesus' day, however, raised with Middle Eastern culture, did not have these problems with this parable. They understood readily what Jesus was saying. You see, in that culture people did not send out wedding invitations that said "2 pm Sunday". They just said, "My son is getting married. You are invited." Then they went ahead and prepared the wedding, and when it was ready they sent word to those who had been invited saying, "It's ready. Come now." The invitees were expected to down tools and respond, and because it was normal for the guests to arrive straight from the fields, it was the responsibility of the host to provide the garments for them to wear at the feast. There was a wedding garment available for every person who came in. The only way anyone could be found at the feast not wearing a wedding garment was if he had deliberately insisted on wearing his own dirty old work clothes instead of the beautiful garment that had been provided for him. This was a serious insult to the host, and more than sufficient reason for the offender to be thrown out on his ear!

What a beautiful picture this is of God's grace! It is provided freely even though we don't deserve it, it covers the filth of our lives, but to wear it we have to forsake the filthy rags of our own effort. If we refuse to accept it, we insult the King of Glory, and deserve to be thrown out into darkness.

However, grace is not just for the beginning of our Christian lives. So often Christians come to the Lord by grace, and then think that they have to continue in their own strength. They go right back to trying to please God by keeping the Law and doing good works. If those things could not bring us into relationship with God in the first place, what on earth makes us think that they will enable us to continue in that relationship with Him?

Remember our definition of grace? "God's mighty power working in you to achieve that which you do not deserve and which you could not achieve by yourself." What you could not do by your efforts in trying to keep the Law, trying to "be good", trying to "do good", God can achieve in you through His grace. Grace gives you the ability to overcome those things that you could never have overcome by yourself.

The apostle Paul had a problem. Because he had such mighty revelations from God, the Lord considered it necessary to keep Paul "down to earth." So He blessed Paul with a "thorn in the flesh".

" _By reason of the exceeding greatness of the revelations, that I should not be exalted excessively, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me, that I should not be exalted excessively. Concerning this thing, I begged the Lord three times that it might depart from me. He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Most gladly therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest on me." (2 Cor. 12:7-9)_

There are those who believe that Paul's "thorn" was a physical illness, but I do not believe this was the case. Paul himself tells us what it was - "a messenger of Satan, to torment me." Whilst physical illness may be caused by Satan, never does Scripture refer to it as "a messenger of Satan." A messenger of Satan is not a physical illness, it is a messenger of Satan! And Paul specifically tells us why it was given - "to keep me from becoming conceited." I believe this "messenger" goaded Paul in the very area in which the Lord was seeking to protect him. I can imagine that sniveling little voice constantly whispering in Paul's ear: "Look at yourself, Paul. Jesus personally appeared to you. He took you to heaven where you saw things it is not even lawful to repeat. You're so filled with the Spirit that even handkerchiefs and aprons that have touched you are laid on the sick and they are healed. You have been given incredible revelations in God. Paul, you're just wonderful! You are so special, you're so important – why, I think you must be just about the most important person in the whole world right now!"

Now, if Paul had thought some of those things himself, he might have allowed them to sink into his spirit. However, he recognized the voice of the enemy. And he recognized that, even though the bits about his revelation were true (the devil will happily use bits of truth to lead you into his lies,) the bits about his own greatness were not, and if he accepted them he would fall into pride and become useless to God, to the church, and to himself. He tried to resist, but even with all his spiritual authority, he could not budge this demon. (This was simply because, even though this was a demonic spirit, it was sent from God and had God's authority to deal with Paul. We need to remember that God has absolute authority over demons, and can command them to do His bidding when it suits His purposes. For other examples of this in Scripture, see 1 Sam. 16:14ff and 1 Kings 22:22ff.)

Unable to defeat the thing himself, Paul cried out to God and asked Him to zap the problem out of the way. Occasionally God will do this. We have all heard stories of people who have come to Jesus and immediately their desire for drugs, cigarettes, alcohol, sex or some other addiction has been removed from their lives. Maybe you have even experienced this yourself. And certainly, in the case of deliverance, God is able to set us free instantly. However, when the problem involves our own will and responses, God normally requires us to take responsibility and work through our own issues in the power of His Spirit.

Zapping the problem was certainly not the way God was going to deal with Paul! Instead, God made this rather enigmatic statement: _"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness."_ (v.9)

What God was saying to Paul is this: "Paul, you have My grace – My mighty power working in you to achieve that which you do not deserve and which you could not achieve by yourself. You cannot fight this thing by yourself, and I am not going to zap it off you – I sent it to you. But if you will learn to stand in My grace, My ability, then you will be able to overcome it."

Suddenly, Paul "got it". He had a new nature, one that could be walked in only by grace. As long as He remained in grace, as long as he remained in absolute second-by-second dependence on the Holy Spirit, he would have victory. He "got it" so thoroughly that he was able to say, _"therefore I will rather glory in my weaknesses"_ He saw that weakness was not a thing to be despised, but the very thing that would keep him in grace and keep him close to the heart of God. He "got it" not only for himself, but for us, so that he was able to write, _"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you won't fulfill the lust of the flesh."_ (Gal. 5:16 - the "flesh" in this case being the sinful nature, not necessarily the physical body) and

" _For what the law couldn't do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh; that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit." (Rom. 8:3-4)_

Everything that we could not do in our own strength is possible to us in the power of God's grace. We simply need to walk in it. We now have a choice of two lives - the old life of the flesh, or the new life of the Spirit.

Many Christians believe that, even though they were saved by grace, they are still bound by the Commandments. We are not. The Word of God tells us that when Jesus died, we were crucified with Him. (Gal. 2:20) How can a dead person be bound by the Law? Jesus fulfilled the Law for us. That does not mean that we are free to do as we please, but that we live according to something higher than the Law: the life of the Spirit of God living within us. The Law only reflected the character of God, the Spirit embodies that character. Thus, we are not bound by an external law that says, "You shall not murder" but we are to live with the life of the Spirit, whose character is to give life rather than to destroy it. We are not bound by a law that says, "You shall not commit adultery" but we are to live with the life of the Spirit whose character is absolute purity.

Paul's understanding of grace also gave him another weapon in the battle with his "thorn". Knowing that he stood only by grace, he could confront that thing and say clearly, "No, I am not great. I am the greatest of sinners. (1 Tim. 1:15 P) I am the very least of the apostles. (1 Cor. 15:9 P) In me, that is in my sinful nature, there is no good thing. (Rom. 7:18 P) I stand only by God's grace."

This weapon can also be used in the opposite direction. When the devil starts sneering at you and telling you what a terrible person you are, and reminding you of the bad things you have done, and telling you that you're not good enough to call yourself a Christian (must less, if you happen to be in ministry, to call yourself a minister,) all you have to do is agree with him. "Yes, I am everything you say and more. Yes, I have done all those things, and quite a few that you haven't even mentioned. No, there is absolutely nothing in me that is in the least bit worthy of God's love. But I stand in His grace." The devil and all his forces have no answer to grace.

On the other hand, whilst there are those who come to God by grace and then try to stand in their own strength, there are also those who, having discovered grace, then want to use grace as a license to live however they please. Their thinking is that whatever they do, God's grace is extended to them, so they do not have to obey God or to live according to his standards. They call themselves Christians yet want to continue in sexual sin, addictions, anger, gossip or a myriad of other sins. They think that they can just throw grace over the top of the mess and all will be OK.

Sorry, but if you think like that I have news for you, and it is all bad! You see, grace is a package deal. When we accept it, we accept it for all of our life. We cannot say, "I will accept grace for salvation but I will not accept it for sanctification. I will accept grace to get me into heaven, but I will not accept grace to live for God on earth." No, grace is grace. We either accept it fully, or we reject it. If we are not prepared to walk in God's grace for our lives, then we cannot lay claim to His grace for salvation. That is why the Bible makes it clear that laying hold of grace requires not just faith but also repentance.

If we refuse to walk in grace, we bring judgment on ourselves in this life. In fact, if we continue to refuse to walk in grace, we may even lose our eternal salvation. Hebrews gives us a stern warning about this:

" _For concerning those who were once enlightened and tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the age to come, and then fell away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance; seeing they crucify the Son of God for themselves again, and put him to open shame. For the land which has drunk the rain that comes often on it, and produces a crop suitable for them for whose sake it is also tilled, receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and thistles, it is rejected and near being cursed, whose end is to be burned."_

(Heb. 6:4-8)

Just imagine that you have been driving about in an old bomb of a car. The engine is on its last gasp, the tires are bald, the windscreen is cracked, the wipers and lights don't work, the gears jam and there is a rust hole in the floor big enough for you to do Fred Flintstone imitations. The thing is unregistered and totally illegal. That's like our lives outside of God's grace.

Then, wonder of wonders, somebody hands you the keys to a brand, spanking new Maserati. It is fully paid for, registered and on the road, and it's all yours. The difference between it and the bomb is unbelievable.

You take your time looking at the Maserati. You walk around it and run your hands caressingly over the shining paintwork. You get in, sink into the seat, and inhale deeply the scent of leather. You give it a few revs, and marvel at the power just waiting to be unleashed. Then you put it in the garage, lock the door and go out in the old bomb!

The inevitable happens. You hear the wail of a siren, and when you check in the half a rear-vision mirror you have left, you see a blue light flashing behind you. You pull over, and a burly policeman gets out, demands your license, and begins writing tickets. He hands you half a dozen defect notices, plus tickets for driving an unroadworthy vehicle, driving an unregistered vehicle, and anything else he can think of.

It is not going to help your situation one little bit if you interrupt him and say, "But, Sir, I have a brand new Maserati sitting in my garage at home." He will simply look at you as if you are an idiot (which you are) and say, incredulously, "Then why on earth are you driving this thing?" Owning a Maserati will not prevent you from getting fined, or even jailed, if you insist on driving the old bomb. Do it often enough, and you may even accumulate so much in fines that you have to sell the Mas to pay them!

Likewise, having received God's grace for salvation will not prevent you from facing God's justice in this life if you refuse to live in grace and insist on living in your old ways. If you continue in this long enough, you may reach the point where you lose your grasp on grace altogether, and forfeit your salvation.

Understand that salvation is totally by grace on the basis of Christ's death in your place. Having received salvation by grace, you cannot lose it by your works. Your works, however, can bring you to the place where you let go of grace. Without grace you are left with only your works to stand on, and we have already seen that your works, even if they are good, cannot bring you salvation.

Don't make the mistake of thinking that the more you sin, the more grace you will receive, so it is OK to go on sinning. Paul faced this same problem in the early church when he first began preaching his revelation on grace. He writes,

" _What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? May it never be. We who died to sin, how could we live in it any longer?" (Rom. 6:1-2)_

Paul says that, in accepting Christ's death on our behalf, we died to sin. That is, sin should no longer be an option in our lives.

We have to take that old bomb and deliver it to the garbage tip where it belongs, and start driving around in the Maserati. We have to stop living according to the sinful nature (what older versions of the Bible call "the flesh") and begin to live according to the spirit.

We are tripartite beings – spirit, soul and body. Our spirit is that part of us that was created to connect us to God. While we were in sin, it was inoperative, and we operated out of our soul – our mind, emotions and will. Our soul can operate in two ways; led and directed by our spirit, which is in turn led and directed by the Spirit of God, or independently in our own strength. When we are in sin, only the second of these options is available to us, so we try to operate in our own strength. When we are born again of the Spirit of God, by grace, both options are opened to us.

The Bible speaks of us having two natures: our old nature is the one we inherited from Adam, and our new nature is the one we received from Christ when we were born again. In our old nature, our spirit was dead. That does not mean that it did not exist, but that it was not able to function in the purposes for which God designed it, to receive input from the Holy Spirit and to provide direction for our soul. Because our spirit could not exercise its function, our soul took over and ran our lives. In our new nature, our spirit has been recreated, and the Holy Spirit has come to live within it. We have to choose whether we are led by our old nature, with the soul in charge, or by our new nature, with our spirit, as led by the Holy Spirit, in control.

It is through the Holy Spirit residing in and operating through our human spirit that grace works in our lives. If we walk in the Holy Spirit and operate out of our human spirit, then we will walk in grace. If however we choose to continue to operate out of our soul, independently of our spirit and the Holy Spirit, we will continue to work in our own strength.

God has placed His Spirit within us. Scripture says:

" _But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,"_

says Yahweh:

I will put my law in their inward parts,

and I will write it in their heart.

I will be their God,

and they shall be my people.

They will no longer each teach his neighbor,

and every man teach his brother, saying, 'Know Yahweh;'

for they will all know me,

from their least to their greatest," says Yahweh:

" _for I will forgive their iniquity,_

and I will remember their sin no more." (Jer. 31:33-34)

The problem is not that God's laws are bad. His laws are neither bad nor arbitrary. Every one of them is a reflection of His nature. His moral law is a reflection of His righteousness. His social laws are a reflection of His compassion. His ritual laws are a reflection of His holiness. His laws of sacrifice are a reflection of His intention to bring the greatest sacrifice of all time in order to bring man back to Himself. All His laws are good. The only problem with them is that they are external to man, and contain within them nothing that can enable man to live by them. The law was a _"tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith"_ (Gal. 3:24) - it served to show us how much we need God's grace.

However, when God's Spirit comes to live in our hearts, He brings with Him all the character of God, the very character that is reflected dimly in God's law. And He comes to impart that character to us. God's desire for us is not only that we be declared righteous (justified) on the basis of Christ's death in our place, but that we be made righteous (sanctified) by the working of the Spirit in our lives. All of that happens as we walk in grace!

But wait, there's more! Not only does grace enable us to come to God in the first place, and then to walk in His ways, it also gives us the ability to do whatever God may ask of us. We do this by moving out of the realm of the soul and into that of the spirit.

This can be as simple as firmly telling ourselves, "I am responding to this situation out of my soul. I choose instead to respond out of my spirit. I choose to stand in God's grace for this situation." It can be as simple as shifting our focus away from our own natural thoughts and feelings and receiving grace for this moment, in just the same way as, when we first accepted Christ, we received His grace for salvation. To be able to do that, we need to have nurtured our spirit with fellowship with the Holy Spirit, prayer and time in the Word.

Many struggle with forgiveness, but in His grace, forgiveness is easy, beautiful and wonderful. So is anything else we need to do. Whatever you have to walk through today, reach out for His grace in that situation, and walk in that grace. If you are in ministry, take hold of His grace for whatever He has called you to. If you are a mother coping with the demands of a young family, take hold of His grace to do it. If you are working at a job you hate with people who are against you, take hold of His grace to be an effective worker and witness for Him in the situation. Whatever you find yourself facing, whatever you wrestle with, whatever you have to do or are called to do, God's grace is available to make it easy, wonderful and beautiful. Why struggle in your own strength, when His mighty power is available to work in you and to accomplish what you don't deserve and what you could not accomplish by yourself?

The other four chapters in this section on our relationship with God all deal with ways in which we take hold of grace for our lives by developing our human spirit and learning to walk in the spirit rather than in our old, soulish strength.

" _Father God, I come to You in the mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, through whom alone Your grace has been made available to me and to every person reading this book. I bring each reader before You, that You would give them a fresh revelation of Your grace. If there are any reading these words who have never for the first time repented of their sins and by faith accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, taking hold of Your grace for their eternal salvation, I pray that Your Spirit would convict them right now, and that You would draw them to Yourself. For those who have already come into an experience of Your salvation by grace, I ask that You would give them a deeper understanding and appreciation of grace, and that you would enable them to walk in grace every day of their lives from this time forward. Thank you Father. Amen."_

### FAITH

Heb. 11:6 tells us that _"Without faith it is impossible to be well pleasing to him."_ That suggests that faith is one of the most important subjects a Christian can ever study. It also goes a long way to explain why the devil has gone to so much trouble to distort, dilute and compromise faith. Sadly, much of what has been taught as faith over recent years is in effect a button on a vending machine that we push in order to get God to give us whatever we want at the time. However, God is not a vending machine, and faith is not a button to push.

Faith is made up of several elements. The first of these is simple belief. The verse above goes on to say, _"for he who comes to God must believe that he exists, and that he is a rewarder of those who seek him."_ It's pretty hard to enter any kind of relationship with God if you haven't yet got your head around the fact that He is real! Likewise, it is impossible to accept Jesus as your Savior if you don't really believe that He died for you. You will never be able to receive God's promises for you and your family, much less enter into the deeper level of manifesting Christ's glory that we will talk about later in this book, if you do not believe in your heart that these things are possible.

Whilst these things may seem obvious, there are many people in the world who call themselves Christian, and yet don't believe even the most basic truths about God and themselves. I remember once, nearly 40 years ago, passing through a particular town as I was traveling, and stopping in at a church for the Easter Sunday service. Afterward I wondered why I bothered, for in the course of a 20 to 25 minute sermon the minister managed to deny every major doctrine of the Christian faith – the Bible wasn't true, much less being God's Word, Jesus wasn't God, Jesus didn't die for us, He wasn't resurrected in the body. On and on it went. I was utterly stunned, and could only wonder, "why on earth would you be a minister if you don't believe it?"

If you are a member of a church that preaches unbelief, I can only urge you to get a Bible and read it for yourself. Get with others who believe that it is (not just contains) the Word of God, and seek the Holy Spirit that He make the truth of the Word plain to your heart.

For many others, the problem is even more basic: they simply haven't read the Word. I am constantly amazed at the number of Christians who never read their Bible. I am stunned by the number of preachers who have never read the Bible cover to cover. I'm not talking about people who are under persecution and who sometimes may only have a page of the Bible for years at a time – those people know the value of the Word, and treasure every scrap of it they can get their hands on. No, I am talking about western Christians who may have three, four or even a dozen Bibles around their home, but never open them. Christian, how can you say you believe the Word of God, if you don't know what it says? Preacher, how can you preach the full counsel of God if you have never read the whole Bible?

Sometimes we hear of people who have been Christians going off and joining some pseudo-Christian cult. We wonder how they can do it. The explanation is simple: they never read their Bibles enough to know what the Word says, so when someone came along and started saying things that sounded like the Word, maybe even quoting passages from the Bible (out of context, but they didn't know that) they have had no defense.

I remember hearing a program once that talked about the way the mint trains people to recognize counterfeit money. Most people would approach this problem by showing them lots of different counterfeit notes, pointing out all the various ways in which they were different from the real thing. However, that is not the way the mint does it. Rather, they have their people handle real money. They handle it so much that the feel of it, the color of it, the shape, the texture, even the smell, is imprinted on their minds. They handle it till they are so saturated with the knowledge of the real thing that anything that is not real is instantly obvious to them.

That's how we need to be with the Word. We need to spend enough time in the Word that it is impressed on our hearts and minds, then we will instantly recognize anything that is not in line with the truth of the Word. It's much easier than studying all the cults, isms and false religions of the world and trying to remember all their details so that you can avoid them!

Knowing the truth is important because it is possible to have a "faith" that is not founded on truth, and that kind of "faith" will destroy us. The world will never forget the morning when some young men, full of faith, flew two planes into the World Trade Center in New York. Yes, you read right. Those young men were full of faith. Personally, I think it would take an awful lot of faith to fly a plane into a building. Unfortunately for both them and thousands of innocent people, their faith was baseless. No matter how much they believed it, it was not going to make it so.

We need to know with all our hearts that the Word of God is absolute truth. This is more than intellectual assent. Intellectual assent is reached through our soul realm, using our human intellect to weigh up the pros and cons regarding the truth of a matter. The problem with intellectual assent is that it is always subject to assault by a new argument. We may have decided that the "pros" win, and so we believe that thing is true, but if a skilful debater comes along with a stronger argument, our belief may be shaken. The kind of belief that is the first step of faith does not come from the soul realm, but from the spirit, as does everything in real Christianity. It comes as a result of a revelation from the Holy Spirit; and having had that revelation we can no more fail to believe than we can fail to believe in that which we see, hear, touch, taste or smell with our natural senses. If your belief is not based on such a revelation, ask the Holy Spirit to give it to you.

However, believing is only the beginning of faith. The Word of God tells us _"You believe that God is one. You do well. The demons also believe, and shudder."_ (Jas. 2:19) The devil and his cohorts know the truth about God. They know His greatness and His power, they know that through Jesus He has made salvation freely available to all mankind. And they know that at the end of time He will sit as Judge and they, along with all those who follow them, will be cast into the lake of fire. For them, however, that knowledge – that belief – can never bring salvation.

Likewise, there are many people in this world who believe all the truths of the Bible, but they are heading for an eternity in hell because they have never accepted those truths for their own lives. It is not enough to simply believe that Jesus died for mankind. It is not even enough to believe that He died for you personally. Faith also involves accepting that death for your life.

Imagine you had been part of a group that had risen up in rebellion against the king of the country in which you lived. The rebellion had been quashed and you and all your co-conspirators had been thrown in jail, to await execution. The king's son, at great personal cost, had obtained a pardon for all of you. You could continue to sit in jail saying, "He has obtained a pardon for us. Isn't that wonderful." But you would still be in jail. You could even stay in jail saying, "He has obtained a pardon for me. Isn't that wonderful," but still be sitting on your jail bench. It's only when you grab it and run, saying "He's obtained a pardon for me. It's mine! I'm outta here!" that things are going to happen.

Faith that receives, acts. It takes hold of that for which it believes and runs with it.

Faith also acts in another sense. James tells us that " _faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself."_ (Jas. 2:17) This is a truth that applies to every area of our lives, not just our Christian walk. Inevitably, unavoidably, we will act according to what we really believe. We may be intelligent and gifted, but if throughout our childhood we have heard that we are a failure and a loser, then to the extent that we have come to believe it, we will act like a failure and a loser. On the other hand, if we are a young lad, untrained in military combat, and find ourselves face to face with a battle-hardened giant, but believe that God will give him into our hands just as He has previously enabled us to fight a lion and a bear, then we will face that giant and win. If we believe that the Spirit of Holiness lives in us, then we will walk in holiness. If we believe that God cares for the poor, we will demonstrate that care. The things we do - our works - demonstrate what we truly believe, because it is absolutely impossible for a human being to truly believe something and not act according to that belief.

Both believing and receiving in faith apply not only to the beginning of our Christian lives, but to everything we do in our relationship with God. Just as everything in our Christian walk comes by God's grace, so it is all received by faith.

God has given many promises in His Word, and He tells us that every one of them is "Yes and amen" in Jesus. (2 Cor. 1:20 P) This means that we can take hold of the promises that are ours and believe for them to happen in our lives. In fact, it is very important that we learn to take hold of these promises, or we will never be able to take hold of the far greater promises that relate to the Kingdom of God.

Let me give you an example. God's Word says that _"the promise (of salvation) is to you and to your household."_ (Acts 2:39, 11:14, 16:31 P) The fact that this is repeated three times in Scripture means that God considers it to be very important. There are also many other verses that make it very clear that God is in the business of saving families. In fact, of all God's promises, salvation is the one He holds most dear, for it is the one for which He has paid the greatest price. Therefore, if you have unsaved loved ones you can take hold of those promises and believe for your family's salvation. I have mentioned earlier my difficulties in the early years in witnessing to my Mum. I stood on the promises of God for her for 13 years, but she was finally saved in a way that I would have never imagined, and through a man who, had you asked me to make a list of people least likely to reach my Mum for Jesus, would have been right at the top of that list. God has ways of fulfilling His promises that go far beyond our understanding or imagination. If you have not yet accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and you have a loved one praying for you, my advice is simple: surrender now, because you don't stand a chance!

What about free will, you may ask. True, God has given every human being free will, and He will never violate that will by forcing us to do something we don't want to do. However, we need to remember that our free will is limited, but God's sovereign will is unlimited. I have free will, but I cannot choose to jump off my roof and fly. I can jump off the roof, but flying is outside of the range of my will, so all that I will achieve is a very unhappy landing. God however can do whatever He chooses, and whilst He will not force anyone against that person's will, He has plenty of ways to make that person willing.

In the Old Testament it tells the story of how God brought His people out of Egypt and into the land of Canaan, which He had promised to Abraham and his descendants. They had a little 40-year detour because of their disobedience, but eventually crossed the Jordan under the leadership of Joshua and began to take possession of the land. The only problem was that the land was already occupied, and the residents were none too impressed at the idea of this scraggy rabble taking over their territory. So, there was resistance. God had various ways of dealing with this, but in one instance He says that He intends to send hornets to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites and Hittites before His people. (Ex. 23:28) You notice that God wasn't going to force these people out against their will. However, if your home were overrun with buzzing, stinging hornets, I'm sure you would become willing to move in quite a hurry!

So if you are believing for the salvation of a loved one, know that God keeps His promises. He will not force them against their will, but He will orchestrate circumstances in such a way as to make them willing. Keep praying and believing.

If God has said it, then in the purposes of God it is already done. This is because God inhabits eternity. He is not limited by time as we are. The first moment of time and the last moment of time are both present tense to Him. He is the I AM, not the I WAS, nor the I WILL BE. His will is so powerful that it only has to be articulated for it to happen. That's why, when He spoke, the universe sprang into being. Many people misunderstand this, and place the emphasis on the words that were spoken, but the words were only the articulation of His will, and His will is the thing that is powerful. In Isaiah He says,

" _For as the rain comes down and the snow from the sky,_

and doesn't return there, but waters the earth,

and makes it grow and bud,

and gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater;

so is my word that goes out of my mouth:

it will not return to me void,

**but it will accomplish that which I please** ,

and it will prosper in the thing I sent it to do." (Isa. 55:10-11, emphasis mine)

His word is powerful because it declares His will. When we know His will, we can safely believe for His will to come to pass in our lives. However, it doesn't always happen instantly, and that's where faith comes in. Whilst we are waiting for the promise to be manifested, we need to agree with God that in His economy it is already done.

This is an area where I have found people tend to swing between two extremes. Some cannot look beyond the immediate circumstances, and are continually grumbling and griping about how things are, even though they say they are believing God's promise for better things.

Say, for instance, that they are believing for healing. Even though they say they believe, they are constantly talking about their sickness, sometimes even declaring that they "can't get better" or "will never get better". What they are in fact doing is agreeing with the devil, who says that God is a liar. They are virtually saying, "God says He will heal me, but I just know He never will, so I will just keep on suffering."

By taking that kind of attitude, we cut ourselves off from the promises of God. We need to repent of agreeing with the devil, and start agreeing with God. Healing was part of the deal that Jesus brokered for you with His life at Calvary.

As we said in the last chapter, we are tripartite beings – spirit, soul and body. We are not, as some people teach, a spirit who has a soul and who lives in a body. That kind of thinking is new age, and leads to the concept that when the spirit has finished with the present body it can find a new one to inhabit. That is called transmigration of the soul or reincarnation. The Bible does not teach reincarnation, but resurrection – the re-joining of spirit, soul, and body – because all three parts are equally part of who we are as human beings. Because we are spirit, soul and body, God could not provide salvation for our spirit without also providing it for our soul and body. For our bodies, that salvation will find its ultimate fulfillment in the resurrection, when they will be changed to be like Jesus' glorified body. In the meantime, however, healing is the part of the salvation package that applies to our bodies.

Our salvation was fully achieved at Calvary, and is ready waiting in God's heavenly storehouse for us to take hold of it by faith and bring it into our lives. That is as true for salvation for our bodies as it is for salvation for our spirits. Just as, regarding our eternal salvation, God says that our names were written in the Lamb's book of life from the foundation of the world, (Rev. 13:8) so in God's purposes our healing has been accomplished from the foundation of the world. We need to start agreeing with God, and declaring over our lives the things that He has promised.

I find it helpful to declare the promises of God over my life and the lives of my family and those associated with me in ministry every day. To do this I use a set of business-size cards, each printed with one of God's promises. However, simply declaring those promises will not produce faith. We need to take it a step further, and to seek God for a deep revelation of the truth of those promises. One way to facilitate that revelation is to take time actually meditating on those promises. Chew on them; turn them over and over in your spirit and look at every aspect of them. Keep meditating, praying and declaring until one day the particular promise you need takes life in your spirit: till it ceases to be simply an intellectual belief, and becomes a spiritual reality that you could no more deny than you could deny your own breath.

Of course, others go to the opposite extreme – hyper-faith. Hyper-faith is totally ignoring the reality in which we live, and speaking as if everything God has promised has been already manifested on earth. I have known several people who have had cancer and who have gone into hyper-faith. Every time I have called to ask how they are going I have heard, "Everything's fine, everything's wonderful." This is extremely frustrating to one who wants to stand beside that person in prayer! The interesting thing is, every person I have ever known who has gone into hyper-faith has died! I had been quite puzzled by this, until one day God gave me one of those "wow!" moments of revelation. He showed me that, in fact, hyper-faith is not faith at all, but fear. Those who move into hyper-faith are actually acting out of the fear that, if they are honest about their condition, God will not heal them, or even that their condition will get worse. They fear that by speaking its name they will empower it. Out of that fear, they refuse to put words around their problem.

Obviously, hyper-faith is not the kind of faith that really takes hold of the promises of God. Rather, it strays into the area of make-believe, or of Christian Science, which denies that evil is real. Even worse, it can leave us in the position of lying for God, and God does not need anyone to lie for Him.

Christians need to develop a healthy dose of honesty. There is nothing wrong with saying, "Right now I am hurting like crazy," as long as we add, "but I know that God has already provided for my healing in Jesus, and I am believing for that healing to be fully manifested in my body."

There are also a few things we need to be aware of when we are claiming God's promises. Firstly, there is often a factor of timing involved. God promised Abraham that his descendants would spend 400 years in Egypt, then would come out and take possession of the land of Canaan. (Gen. 15:13-16) Toward the end of that time, a child called Moses was born to an Israelite couple. The king of Egypt had decreed that all male children born to the Israelites must be thrown into the Nile. Moses parents kept him hidden for 3 months, then when it was no longer possible to keep him hidden they obeyed Pharaoh's command – they threw him into the Nile. However, they did something that Pharaoh hadn't mentioned – they threw him in inside a basket, made watertight by coating it with pitch, and trusted him to the care of the Lord. Pharaoh's daughter came down to the Nile to bathe. This was not just an ordinary bath, which she would have had in the privacy of the palace. This was a ritual bath, appealing to the goddess of the Nile to give her a child. And what should come floating past her in his comfy little basket, but a child! Even though she guessed that this was one of the Hebrew children, she received him as a gift from the goddess, and adopted him as her son.

So Moses grew up in the palace, and learned all the wisdom of the Egyptians, but his heart was still with his Hebrew people. Deep within, he knew that God had called him to be their deliverer. But when he tried, he met with such deep rejection that he exiled himself to the far side of the desert, where he lived taking care of sheep for the next 40 years.

But hold on. The truth was that God had called Moses to be Israel's deliverer. God did intend to bring them out of Egypt under Moses leadership. Yet when Moses stood on faith for that promise of God, he ended up flat on his face in the dust. What happened? God's timing! You see, God still had some things He needed to do with Moses before Moses would be ready to take up the mantle that God had prepared for him. It has been said that Moses spent 40 years in Egypt learning to be somebody, then another 40 years in the desert learning to be nobody, before God was able to pick up his life and use him for the next 40 years. Moses needed 40 years of tending sheep before he could spend the next 40 years leading people (who really aren't very different from sheep.) He needed 40 years of faithfulness in the small things before God could entrust him with the big things He planned for him. And he needed 40 years of solitude with God before he could handle 40 years of wall-to-wall people.

Another example of timing is the blind man at the Beautiful Gate of the temple. (Acts 3:2-9) The Scriptural account specifically says that the man was over 40 years old, and that he was laid at the temple gate every day to beg for alms. This was not a practice that had just begun in the last six weeks! It had been happening for the whole time that Jesus was ministering. Jesus must have walked past this man countless times. Yet not once had He stopped to heal him. Why? We can only assume that, in the purposes of God, the manifestation of this miracle had been reserved as one of the signs that was to seal the ministry of Peter and John, and until that time it was not going to happen. (Note, however, that whilst Jesus did not heal everybody in town - including this man - He did heal every person who came to Him by faith, or who was brought to Him by the faith of others.)

Sometimes it is possible for our faith to transcend even God's timing. An outstanding example from the Bible is the story of the wedding at Cana. The wine had run out, a great embarrassment for the host, and as a woman Mary was moved with compassion; but when she took the problem to Jesus, He very clearly said, _"Woman, what does that have to do with you and me? My hour has not yet come."_ (Jn. 2:4) This was not God's timing!

Mary totally ignored Him, telling the servants, _"Whatever he says to you, do it."_ Jesus responded to His mother's faith by acting outside of God's timing to perform His first miracle.

If you have been standing by faith on a promise of God, and have not yet seen the manifestation of it, it may be that there is a question of timing involved. Come before the Lord and ask, "Lord, is there anything in me that You need to deal with before this can happen?" It may be that, simply by yielding to the dealing of the Spirit in some area of your life, you can hasten the manifestation of the promise. It may be that your faith will transcend God's timing to bring forth the miracle anyway. If not, then simply hold on. Don't allow yourself to fall into thinking, "It'll happen some day." Faith is always present tense. Even if there is timing involved, the only way we can take hold of God's promises is in the present. If you are believing for healing, say "Thank You Father that healing is mine now." Keep saying it till you have it, and ask the Holy Spirit to give you a revelation of the truth of what you are proclaiming. When your spirit, not just your soul, takes hold of that revelation you will have the thing you are seeking.

Faith is the power to take hold of the blessings of God. When we have faith, we do not have to struggle and strive to make things happen. Jesus said that if we have faith as a mustard seed, we will be able to speak to mountains and see them removed. (Matt. 17:20) The point of this teaching is not merely the size of the mustard seed, which is very tiny, but the fact that it is a living thing that is capable of growth. Likewise our faith must be living and capable of growth. God has given to each one of us the seed of faith. (Rom. 12:3) We need to take that seed and plant it into our lives through our words, watering it with meditation and thanksgiving, till it is big enough to do what God designed it to do, namely lay hold of His blessings and release them into our lives and the lives of others.

Another thing that we need to be aware of in claiming the promises of God by faith is that many of His promises have conditions attached. God says, "If you will do this, I will do that." Deut. 28 lists the blessings God wants to bring on His people. However, this wonderful list begins with three little words: _"If you obey"_. We cannot claim the blessings of Deut. 28 if we are not obeying God. In fact, disobedience puts us into the second part of the chapter, where God lists the curses that will come upon the disobedient! Many like to claim the promise, _"My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."_ (Phil. 4:19) However, this promise was spoken by Paul to those who had given to support his missionary endeavors That support is an implied condition of the promise. If you are not giving to support the spread of the Gospel, you have no right to claim this promise.

We also need to be aware that, although there are many promises in the Bible, not all of them were given to all of God's people. Many years ago God spoke to a young man named Jeremiah, saying, _"Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born, I sanctified you. I have appointed you a prophet to the nations."_ (Jer. 1:5) I have heard people take this verse and claim it for themselves, saying on the basis of this written word, "God has appointed me a prophet to the nations." No, God appointed Jeremiah a prophet to the nations. The promise was not given to you; you can't claim it for yourself unless God gives it to you as a _rhema_ word (and if He gives you something as big as that as a _rhema_ , He will confirm it through the Body of Christ.)

Before you claim a promise of God as your own, be sure that it was given to all God's people. Don't try to claim someone else's blessing. What is the context in which the promise was given? Was it to an individual? If so, then it was a promise for that individual, not for all God's people – and not for you!

The only exception to this is when God gives a _rhema_. The Bible uses two words for "word". The first is " _logos_ ," which refers to the established revelation, the written word. This word also is used to refer to Jesus, the living Word, who is the absolute established revelation of the Father. The second word is " _rhema_ ," which is a dynamic personal word. A _rhema_ generally occurs when you are reading the _logos_ and a verse or passage jumps out, grabs you by the ears and shakes you and says, "Take me! I'm yours!" If you were to flip through my Bible, you would find many passages that are either highlighted or underlined, or have a line in the margin beside them, and have a date next to them. These are passages that the Spirit has made a _rhema_ to me as I have been reading the Word. Since I read the Word systematically cover to cover on a regular basis, I frequently come across passages that He has quickened to my heart on previous occasions, and I pause to re-declare them over my life.

When God gives you a _rhema_ it is a specific promise for your life. Take it and declare it over your life. Get it into your spirit. Hold on to it and don't let it go. God has said it, and He will bring it to pass. (As I said above, if God gives you a _rhema_ that relates to something big, particularly to public ministry, He will confirm it through others.)

Of course, Scripture – both as the _logos_ and as a _rhema_ – is not the only way we can receive a promise from God, although we need to be aware that other means are not as reliable as the Word. We may receive promises through the prophetic word. There are things that were spoken prophetically over my life ten to fifteen years ago that are only beginning to be manifested at the time of writing.

A word of warning concerning prophecy: not every statement that has the words "Thus saith the Lord" attached to it actually comes from the Lord! There are a few who prophesy from demonic spirits, and many who prophesy out of their own souls. Prophecy must be tested. I have briefly listed the tests of prophecy in the Appendix at the back of this book. You will note that one of these is, "does it gel with your spirit?" You see, prophecy under the New Covenant is totally different from prophecy under the Old Covenant. Under the Old Covenant, the people did not have the Holy Spirit. The only means they had of knowing God's will was through the written law, to which most of them did not have access, and through the words of the prophets. If God was going to speak to anyone, He would speak through the prophet. Under the New Covenant, however, God has placed His Spirit within the hearts of every single one of His people. When we want to hear from God, we need to listen to the Spirit. When God wants to speak to us, He will speak first through the voice of the Spirit within us. Prophecy is meant to be simply a confirmation of what God is speaking to us - or occasionally a jolt when we have been ignoring what God is saying.

Therefore, if someone comes to you with a prophecy that cuts across what you know God is speaking in your heart, throw it out. If someone comes with a word that is something God has not yet spoken to you, but which doesn't set off alarm bells in your spirit, simply put it on the back burner and let the Spirit of God simmer it. If it is God, it will boil over and take hold in your spirit. Unless and until it does, let it be.

However, if someone gives you a word that causes your spirit to leap and go, "Yes!", then take hold of it by faith as a promise of God for your life, and begin declaring it over your life. It doesn't have to be a great dramatic thing where the prophet calls you out to the front of a public meeting and prophesies over you for ten minutes. Some of the most powerful words that I have received from God have been a single sentence spoken in the middle of an ordinary conversation, yet the minute they were spoken I knew that this was the Word of the Lord.

Of course, because we have the Spirit of the living God living within us, there doesn't have to be anyone else involved for us to receive a word from the Lord. We need to develop the ability to hear Him speaking to us. To do this we need to take time with Him, and to respond when He speaks. One good way to begin hearing from God is by journaling. Set aside time each day to seek the Lord. Begin with prayer, and ask Him specifically to speak to you. Ask for the protection of the Blood of Jesus over your mind, and trust Him that what you receive will be from Him and not from any other source. It's a good idea at first to ask the Lord to give you Scriptures. Write down what He gives you, take note of how the verses are relevant to your life and whether they contain any direction as to actions you need to take. You might find it helpful to use a double column book (or just rule a line down the middle of the page.) On one side write what the Lord has given you, with the date, and on the other side note any outcomes, also with the date. Did a promise come to pass? Was there a warning that helped you avoid a problem? Did a direction help you to come closer to God? Note it all down beside the original verse.

Once you are used to hearing from the Lord through the Word, begin to ask Him to give you personal words. Be sure you check them with the Tests of Prophecy at the end of this book, and record them as you did with the Scriptures.

The reason many Christians do not hear from God is that He has spoken to them in the past, and they have ignored Him. If you set your alarm clock right next to your bed, and when it rings in the morning you develop the habit of sleepily rolling over, hitting the off button, then rolling back and going back to sleep, you will very quickly reach the point where the alarm can jangle its loudest and you simply won't hear it. If, however, you set the alarm as far away from your bed as possible, so that when it goes off you have to jump out of bed and cross the room to turn it off, and you then immediately continue to the bathroom to wash and dress and start your day, you will quickly get to the point where you not only wake to the alarm, but you actually wake a few minutes before it goes off.

It's the same with the Holy Spirit. If when He speaks to us we roll over, "slap Him off", then go back to sleep, we will quickly reach the point where we don't hear Him in the first place. More than that, because the Holy Spirit is a personal being not an inanimate object like an alarm clock, if we keep ignoring Him He will stop speaking.

However, if when He speaks we are immediately attentive and responsive, not only will we become more sensitive and alert to His voice, but He will delight to speak to us more and more. By responding to Him regularly in this way, we develop the function of our human spirit called intuition. This is not referring to the sort of thing that some people call "female intuition", a kind of gut feeling, but rather to divine revelation received directly into our spirit from the Spirit of God, without having to study or hear from someone else. It is the sort of thing that Jesus was talking about when He said, _"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and will remind you of all that I said to you."_ (Jn. 14:26) The more we listen and respond to Him in this way, the more we will develop that function of our spirit, and the more we can expect to hear from Him. Doing this both requires faith to activate it, and brings us into a deeper level of faith by doing it.

One of the things that the Holy Spirit most delights to do when He speaks to us is to give us His vision for our lives. When He does that, no matter how big that vision is, we can know that it is God's will for us, and so we can hold it in faith and declare it over our lives. (And let me say that if your vision is not big enough to scare you, then it is probably not of God, for He is a big God and has bigger dreams for us than we could ever have for ourselves.)

Faith not only takes hold of these things to declare them, faith also takes action, and sometimes faith needs to take action when there seems to be absolutely nothing to stand on except faith itself. After Moses had been 40 years in the back of the desert looking after sheep, one day God got his attention in the burning bush, and told him that He was sending him back to Egypt to set His people free. Moses had all kinds of objections to this idea. He wanted to be sure that this was God and not some kind of hallucination induced by loneliness and the desert sun. God told him that He would indeed give him a sign, but that sign would not happen until after Moses had done what God commanded: _"This will be the token to you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain."_ (Ex. 3:12) In other words, "Do it, Moses, then after you have done it you will know it was right!" Having experienced several such "signs" in my own life, I can tell you that stepping out on them can be scary stuff! I would far prefer to have something much more solid up front! At the very least, I would like to have the prophet declare publicly over me, "Thus saith the Lord..." However, the further I go in God, the more He tells me, "Do it. Then when you have done it you will have the evidence that it was right." That means stepping out in absolute blind faith that you have heard correctly.

To do that, you have to have entered another dimension of faith; a faith not just in what God has promised or what He can do, but in Who He is. This is the faith of relationship. This is the faith that says, "I know my God. I know that He is absolutely good, and that He wants only the very best for me. I know that the plans He has for me are constantly for good and not for evil. I know that He is infinitely wiser and more knowing than I am. And I trust Him absolutely."

Perhaps the most outstanding example of this level of faith in the Bible is the three young men, Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Taken captive from Jerusalem by the Babylonians, they had been trained and brought into positions of authority in the Babylonian civil service. However, when the king built a huge statue and demanded that all his subjects bow before it, they refused. Furious, the king threatened to throw them into the furnace. They were undaunted by this, and replied,

" _If it happens, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king. But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up." (Dan. 3:17-18)_

They knew God's ability, and they trusted that He was well able to get them out of this predicament. Yet at the same time, they acknowledged that God's purposes might be bigger than their immediate rescue, and they trusted Him sufficiently to be able to say, "Even if He doesn't rescue us, we will not bow." They had gone beyond faith in what God could do, to faith in God Himself.

Why is this kind of faith important? Because of four little words that every Christian should have burned into his or her heart and soul: It's not about us! For as long as I have been a Christian, we have been taught that Christianity is all about us - us getting saved, us getting healed, us having our needs met, us having our relationships sorted out. God has provided all those things, and vastly more, for us, but His plans and purposes go infinitely beyond our comfort, our pleasure, or even our salvation.

God created this world for Himself, to be part of His Kingdom. He created us for Himself, to be His vice-regents and representatives. Jesus' life death and resurrection were not just about getting a few people - or even a lot of people - into heaven. They were about the restoration and re-establishment of His Kingdom on earth. Having brought us into His Kingdom, He desires to work through us for the extension of that Kingdom.

For Jesus, the re-establishment of the Kingdom came at a cost. If we are going to be part of that work, there will be a cost for us, too. A vending-machine view of God and faith simply will not cut it when things start getting tough. If we are to move from what God can do for us, to what He can do in us, and on to what He can do through us - in other words, if we are to progress from spiritual babyhood to true maturity in God - we need the kind of faith that is based not on God's acts, but on His person.

How do we develop that kind of faith? By getting to know Him. The more we know Him, the greater our faith will be. This doesn't just mean knowing about Him, although that is important. Rather, it means developing an intimate personal relationship with Him. It means falling in love with Him! That takes time – time in the Word, time in worship, time simply being with Him. It takes commitment – being available to the Spirit of God to do what He needs to do in our lives. It takes desire, the kind of desire that is prepared to make an effort. In the Old Testament, God said, _"You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart."_ (Jer. 29:13)

Perhaps the most important thing for us to understand about faith is that it does not arise from the realm of the soul, but of the spirit. "Faith" that arises from the soul will always fail. If we believe in God and His promises because we have been convinced intellectually, there is always a danger that we can be convinced in a different direction. If our faith is based on emotion, there is always a chance that our emotions will change. If it is based on a decision of our will, there is the possibility that our will will fail when put to the test. True faith arises from the realm of the spirit, the result of God's Spirit giving us a revelation of Himself and His purposes for our lives. We need to learn to move in the spirit realm, to see what God is revealing to us, and to take hold of it in the spirit.

A half-hearted, lackluster relationship with God will never produce this kind of faith. We need to get on fire, to want Him with everything within us. As we pursue Him in this way, He will draw us closer and closer to Himself, and the closer we get to Him, the easier it is to trust Him absolutely.

" _Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I come to you on behalf of every person reading this book. In the name of Jesus, I release an impartation of faith into their lives. Whatever level of faith they are currently at, I ask that You would bring them to a new level. I ask that You would speak to their hearts and place within them Your great and precious promises, and Your vision for their lives, and that You would empower them to rise up in faith and take hold of those promises and that vision. Most of all I ask that You would draw them deeper and deeper into relationship with Yourself, that as they know You more their faith may rise. Thank You, Father. Amen."_

### WORSHIP

As we have seen in the previous chapter, if we are to grow in our relationship with God we need to learn to live out of our spirit rather than out of our soul. The soul has three functions: emotion, intellect and will. Likewise, the human spirit has three functions: worship, intuition and conscience. These three functions correspond to the functions of the soul, and are meant to bring the functions of the soul into line and to enable them to operate properly. Worship corresponds to our emotions and brings them into line, intuition corresponds to our intellect and brings it into line, and conscience corresponds to our will and brings it into line.

Many people, both men and women, live largely out of the realm of the emotions. Even though they may consider themselves strong and independent, they are in fact emotional cripples whose feelings from moment to moment are totally dependent on what somebody else does or says. If somebody cuts them off in the morning traffic on the way to work, they have an explosion of anger and have a bad day for the rest of the day. If someone puts them down or doesn't respond to their advances of friendship they become depressed. They meet somebody whom they find sexually attractive, and they "fall in love" even if they are already committed to another person. Anybody and everybody can "push their buttons", and if they are challenged about it they will respond, "Well, I can't help how I feel."

The reality is, we can help how we feel, and we can choose our emotional responses. However, we are getting ahead of ourselves here. We will come back to this later. First, we need to look at some of the aspects of worship.

Human beings were created for worship. If we don't worship the living God, we will find something else to worship, whether it be an idol carved out of stone or wood or cast in metal, or something less obvious like possessions, fame, comfort or some person whom we place on a pedestal. Even those who claim to be atheists worship – they may worship science or intelligence or some concept of liberty or some political system, but every one of them worships something. Beyond that, for most of us our greatest idol is the great god self!

None of these things, however, can ever satisfy that deep longing within our hearts. I love the way the KJV translates Rev. 4:11:

" _Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and **for thy pleasure** they are and were created." (emphasis mine)_

Many people ask that age-old question, "Why am I here? Why was I created?" This verse gives us the simple answer: we, like everything else in creation, were created for God's pleasure.

I remember the first time I ever flew in a plane. It was 1989, and I was on my first overseas ministry trip to Singapore and Thailand. We flew out from Brisbane late in the afternoon, and because we were flying into the sunset, it lasted for much, much longer than it would have if observed from a stationary spot on earth. As I looked excitedly at the cloud formations below us, and at the beauty of the sunset before us, I thought, "Clouds from a God's-eye-view are much more interesting than clouds from a man's-eye-view!"

Not long after that, I was watching a television program in which the producer had used a highly powered magnifying lens and time-lapse photography to film tiny plants and flowers, almost invisible to the human eye, as they grew, budded and bloomed. Again the thought came to me that this was something that was not designed for man to see, but purely for God's pleasure. Then I started thinking of all the myriad things on this earth, never mind in the far reaches of the universe, which man will never see. We are accustomed to thinking that the earth was created for us, but these two experiences brought home to me the fact that it wasn't. As Revelation says, it was created for God's pleasure. So were we.

More than that, we were created for His praise and glory. Paul says,

" _in whom also we were assigned an inheritance, having been foreordained according to the purpose of him who does all things after the counsel of his will; to the end **that we should be to the praise of his glory,** we who had before hoped in Christ. In him you also, having heard the word of the truth, the Good News of your salvation—in whom, having also believed, you were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is a pledge of our inheritance, to the redemption of God's own possession, **to the praise of his glory."** (Eph. 1:11-14, emphasis mine)_

We were created for and to the praise of His glory. Our very existence should be something that brings praise and glory to our King.

A good way to measure the progress of your Christian life is to honestly ask yourself each day, "Has the Lord received pleasure from my life today? Has He received praise not just from me, but from others because of me? Has His glory been demonstrated through my life today in such a way that others would see it and give Him praise?"

Our modern English word, worship, comes from an old English word, WORTHship. In other words, worship is declaring the worth of the one worshiped. This is something we have to do with our lives, not just with our lips. Everything about our lives should declare to all who observe us, not only other people but angels, principalities, powers, demons, and every other spiritual force, that the One who created and redeemed us is indeed worthy of all honor, praise, glory, majesty, power, thanksgiving and adoration, and that He is worthy to be honored and served with everything we have and everything we are.

There are some things that have the ability to move even the hardest heart to worship. As I flew out of Nepal after a recent visit, I glanced back through the plane's window and there, huge before my eyes, in spectacular majesty, looking as if they were hovering in mid-air above the horizon, were the Himalayas. It was absolutely breathtaking, and I could not imagine how anybody could not be moved to worship the creator of such glory.

That's the sort of effect our lives should have on people! They should look at us and see the mighty hand of our awesome God on our lives, and find themselves compelled to bow before the One who could do such wonders in a human life.

I remember an experience from long ago in my own life. I was working at a newspaper office in Sydney, and it was the two-year anniversary of my new birth. Early in the day, whilst in the ladies rest room, one of my co-workers saw me and commented, "You look happy today." I replied, "Yes, I am. Today is my second spiritual birthday – it is two years today since I became a Christian." Later in the day we were seated opposite, facing each other at our work stations. In a lull in the pace she looked intently at me and said, "You are absolutely glowing. If that is what Christianity is all about, I want some!" Unfortunately I was so stunned that I missed a golden opportunity to witness with my words, but at least I had the joy of knowing that my life, at least for that day, had witnessed to her.

Yet, so sadly, often our lives have precisely the opposite effect. So often people look at our lives and say, "If that is what Christianity is all about, I don't want anything to do with it!" Don't even bother coming to worship God with your voice if you are not worshiping Him – daily declaring the praise of His glory – with your life.

To worship Him with our lives is not something we can "work up". It is not something we can achieve by following a set of rules, or by applying discipline to our lives, even the desirable disciplines like prayer, fasting and reading the Word. It is a heart thing. It is all about falling in love with the Lord. And, contrary to the opinions of many, falling in love is something you can choose to do (or choose not to do.)

Why is it that so many of us are willing to invest our emotions in totally unworthy things – football matches, political rallies, soap operas – and yet are so unwilling to invest our emotions in the one thing that is worthy of them, our relationship with our Lord and Savior? Who said our relationship with Him has to be a dry, dull clinical exercise of our will?

Certainly our faith is not based on feelings, but on the truth of the Word, and when we repent of our sins and accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we can know for certain that we are saved, whether we have the emotions to go with it or not. Many of us have seen the illustration of the train, in which fact (the truth of the Word) is the engine, faith is the coal truck, and feelings are the carriages. This is meant to illustrate the truth that fact comes first, faith follows the fact, and feelings follow faith.

Many of us, however, have missed the point that feelings are supposed to follow. We have uncoupled the engine and coal truck from the train, and they are trundling down the track on their own, leaving the train behind. But the purpose for the engine and coal truck is to pull the train! When our faith takes hold of the fact of the Word, it is meant to drive our lives. And a very important part of our lives is the emotional realm. If our faith doesn't "drive" our emotional realm, it has failed in its purpose for our lives. The way it drives our emotional realm is through worship.

If you have not already done so, determine right now to give your heart to the Lord. I am not talking about your will, a clinical decision to follow Him. Nor am I talking about your mind, a decision to allow the Holy Spirit to transform your thinking and bring you into His truth. Both of those are important, but what I am talking about now is your heart, your emotions, your passion. Determine right now that you will allow Him to ignite a fire in your heart that will consume your entire being. Determine not only to allow Him to do it, but to pursue Him relentlessly until He does do it!

I believe it was John Wesley who exhorted his followers, "Get on fire for God, and the world will come and watch you burn." The very essence of worship is to be so on fire for Him that everyone who comes near us will be touched by the flame.

There are a couple of reasons why we hold back our emotions in relation to the Lord, and the first and biggest is the fear of man. All of us who have been Christians for any length of time have known "spiritual loopies", the kind of people who seem to live on another planet and whose feet never touch the ground of planet earth. Their "spirituality" is not at all attractive, and most people, both Christians and non-Christians, want to get as far away from them as possible as quickly as possible. We definitely don't want people to see us in that light! And we fear that, if we demonstrate any emotion about our faith, we will be counted among their number. Rather than face that awful prospect, we hold back. We talk about the Lord as if He were about as exciting as a sack of dead mice! I am not being judgmental against anyone in this. Only recently the Lord convicted me that I had fallen into this very trap, at least in relation to the outward expression of my faith when talking with people one-on-one, and I had to repent and have it broken off my life.

The Bible tells us in many places that _"the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."_ Let me tell you the opposite truth: the fear of man is the beginning of foolishness! It is utter stupidity to allow what others may or may not think of us determine our experience and expression of our relationship with God. We need to remember that the "spiritual loopies" are people who either have mental problems that they have not addressed, or are operating out of a religious spirit – or both. We are not like them! Even if we happen to have mental problems (something that is no more disgraceful than having a physical illness) we can bring those problems to the Lord for healing, and submit our mind to His Spirit for renewal. Meanwhile, our relationship with Him is real. If we fear we may have a religious spirit we can renounce it and seek deliverance. But we operate, not out of a religious spirit, nor out of mental problems, but out of our real relationship with the living God, made possible for us by the death of Jesus on the cross, made real in our lives by the working of His Holy Spirit to convict us of sin, made available to us by grace, and received in our life by faith and through repentance, both of which are only released in our lives by the mighty working of the Holy Spirit. If all that isn't enough to get excited about, we have real problems. We need to drop our barriers and allow our excitement about the Lord to be seen. To do so will not make us "spiritual loopies." In fact my experience (and that of many others to whom I have talked) is that the closer to God I get, the more down-to-earth I become.

Another reason that many of us hold back is the fear that emotions can be hard work! When we have been giving out emotionally, we can end up more exhausted than if we had been out digging ditches all day. If we try to work up our emotions in relation to the Lord, this is what will happen to us. What we need is not a worked up emotional response, but a genuine heart response. When people fall in love they do not become emotionally exhausted – rather, that love renews their energy, recharges and exhilarates them, often to the point of overriding normal bodily functions like the need for food or sleep. Falling in love with the Lord will do the same for us.

How do we fall in love with the Lord? The same way we fall in love with another person – by getting to know Him, and by lowering our barriers long enough for Who He is to impact our heart. If we will allow the Holy Spirit to really reveal the Lord to our hearts, falling in love with Him will be an automatic response.

Something we need to understand is that emotions never just "pop up" out of nowhere. Emotions always begin with a thought, even though that thought may often be subconscious. We think, "This plane is going to crash" so we feel fearful; we think, "That person doesn't like me" so we feel antagonistic; we think, "I have lost something precious" so we feel sad. We might think we cannot control our feelings, but we just have to control our thoughts. If we think, "Flying is the safest way to travel" we will feel safe; if we think, "That person is preoccupied with his own problems" we will not be upset by him; if we think, "That person is attractive, but my spouse is better" we will not fall prey to lust. If we want to "fall in love" with the Lord, we need to think about Him: His beauty, His power, His glory, His majesty, His compassion... Ask the Holy Spirit for a revelation of Him, and meditate on that revelation.

What we are seeking here is not emotional hype, but a heart response of worship that draws the emotions with it. When we have a revelation of the Lord, that response will be as automatic as the breath that we draw in response to the fragrance of a beautiful flower.

Even more importantly, when we have that genuine heart response it is inevitably worked out in our lives. We don't have to work at living in a way that would bring glory to the Lord, because everything in our lives desires and orchestrates to bring Him glory.

Then, when we come to times of what is normally called worship – i.e., declaring the praises of God, often in song, and often in a public setting – we will not be trying to create emotions that produce worship (hyping it up,) but rather we will be coming out of a life of worship and allowing ourselves to express that worship with and through our emotions.

Not only that, but because we are worshiping, our day-to-day emotions will come under our control. Ask yourself this: have you ever, when you have been lost in worship, been able to feel angry with someone? When lost in worship, have you ever been able to feel sad, or lonely, or frightened, or resentful? Have you ever been lost in worship yet at the same time been lusting after someone? If you have, then I would suggest that what you have experienced is not true worship, for worship lifts us above those emotional struggles. The more you worship, the less your emotions will be a problem. When we live in worship and someone cuts us off in traffic, we can quickly shrug it off. Why would we let something so trivial interrupt our communion with the Lord? Someone doesn't like us? Big deal! God loves us, and we are in love with Him – who cares what man thinks of us!

What we have talked about so far in this chapter is a lifestyle of worship. Let me hasten to say, however, that even when we live this way we still need to have times, both privately and in public with the Body of Christ, when we worship God with our voices. Worship is something that involves our whole being. It originates in our spirit, it involves our soul through our emotions and will, and it involves our body by speaking, singing, raising our hands, clapping, bowing, falling prostrate, dancing or whatever other physical expression the Spirit may lead us to. Such times are an important way of consolidating worship in our lives, and it is often through them that we receive the greater revelation of the Lord that leads us into even greater depths of worship – and sometimes into greater depths of repentance, which we will look at in the next chapter.

Worship is not about us. It is about focusing on the Lord, who He is and what He has done, and giving Him the glory. Times of worship are not times of petition, or even of intercession. They are not times when we seek to receive anything from Him, except Himself. If we come to worship for any reason other than to give Him the glory He deserves, we will not truly enter into worship. If we come to receive, we will not truly enter into worship. We must come with a heart that wants one thing only, to pour itself out at the feet of the King.

Yet inevitably we do receive. Just as water flows downhill, so does God's grace, blessing, mercy, peace and power automatically flow out to those who place themselves close to Him. Remember the story of the woman with the problem of bleeding in the Gospel? (Matt. 9:20ff) She instinctively understood that if she could just get close enough to even touch Jesus' clothing, His power would flow out to her and she would be healed. In fact, this was a spiritual closeness, not physical proximity. Many people were crowding around Jesus that day, but not one of them received from the flow of His power except this woman. Whilst she had come specifically seeking to receive, if we place ourselves in spiritual closeness to Him through worship, His power will likewise flow into our lives.

I believe the Church needs to spend much more time in this outward expression of worship. So often, our "worship" is just the warm-up for the preaching, and many times just as the Spirit is beginning to move in a meeting He is cut off to make time for the Word. Don't get me wrong. I'm a preacher. I love preaching, and I love the Word. Preaching is important. But there are times when the Spirit wants to speak, and it is far more important for the people to hear Him than it is for them to hear me. I long to be in meetings where worship reaches such a crescendo, and the Spirit comes in with such power, that I am flat on my face before Him and couldn't get up to preach even if I wanted to!

Part of my long term vision for the ministry I lead is to have a worship center where worship ascends before the Throne of God twenty four hours a day, seven days a week. I see teams of worshipers coming for a few hours at a time. I see a place where people can stay in the presence of God for as long as they want and need to, where nobody ever has to pull themselves out of worship mode because something else is happening in the meeting. I believe this will be a place where the Shekinah will settle, and where people will be transformed just by walking through the door into the presence of God.

Both personally and corporately, worship is one of the most important aspects of becoming all that God has called us to be. Personally, it develops our spirit and helps transform us into the image of Christ. You become like the thing on which you focus most constantly. Corporately, worship is one of the things that will cause us to _"attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"_ (Eph. 4:13)

Christian, pursue the Lord with all your heart till He gives you a revelation of Himself that will set you on fire for Him and release in you a peon of worship. Take time in His presence, both alone and with the Body, just worshiping Him. Allow worship to fill and empower your life, till you truly live for the praise of His glory. Pastor, continually present and model before your people the greatness and beauty of our God, and draw them into a place of worship. Allow time to worship Him, not just as a prelude to the message, nor as a means of receiving from Him, but simply because He is worthy of worship.

" _Father God, I come to You in the mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I thank You Father for Who You are, for Your greatness and glory and majesty, and that You have chosen to reveal Yourself to us through Your Spirit. Right now, in Jesus' Name, I release to each person reading this book a fresh revelation of You. I bind the fear of man in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and I release these people to come into a passionate love for You that cannot help but be released through their lives. I release to them a heart of worship, and a song to You that will bubble up from their innermost being. Thank You, Father. Amen."_

### REPENTANCE

In the Old Testament, the prophets constantly called God's people (and occasionally the surrounding nations) to repentance. In the New Testament, John the Baptist came saying, _"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."_ (Matt. 3:2) Jesus began His own ministry saying, _"Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is near."_ (Matt. 4:17) After the outpouring of Pentecost, Peter in his first sermon said, _"Repent, and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of sins."_ (Acts 2:38) Speaking of the Athenian altar to an unknown god, Paul said, _"The times of ignorance therefore God overlooked. But now he commands that all people everywhere should repent."_ (Acts 17:30) Six times the glorified Christ speaking through John in the book of Revelation calls on the church to repent. (Rev. 2:5; 2:16; 2:21; 2:22, 3:3; 3:19) These are just a few of the 27 occurrences of the word "repent" in the New Testament. There are also 20 times when "repentance" is used. On the principle that the more often God says it, the more important He considers it to be, obviously God considers repentance to be very important.

I am eternally grateful for the way in which the Lord brought me into His Kingdom. Many people come to Jesus on the basis of what He offers – they come to get healed, or to get rich, or to get their messy lives sorted out. I came on one basis only – I was a sinner who needed God's grace.

Before God picked up my life I was a spiritualist medium. I thought I was a Christian, thought I loved and was serving God, but the reality was that I was as far from Him as it is possible to be. God brought me out by a two part process. The first part was totally sovereign – I was sitting reading yet another occult book, when God spoke. It was not an audible voice, rather a voice in the spirit, but I was used to hearing in the spirit, and this was unlike any voice I had ever heard. It was at once both awesomely powerful and awesomely holy, but also awesomely loving. I had absolutely no doubt it was God. He said just three words: "That is wrong!" I immediately got out of 90% of what I had been doing – I stopped going to the weekly circle, stopped being a speaking medium, stopped using psychic powers. However, I was also a healing medium, and since I didn't believe in the devil, and I knew that in myself I had no power to heal anybody, I figured that had to come from God. (Crazy logic, given that the process for a healing medium is exactly the same as that for a speaking medium, but I was still operating under deception.) So, I kept doing that for another 16 months. At the end of that time I was in Wollongong in southern New South Wales on business. Somehow I heard that there was an Anglican minister there, Charles Widdowson, who was involved in healing ministry. Thinking "I might be able to learn something from this guy" I fronted up to Charles' office and asked to talk to him. When I began to talk about healing, it took him a few minutes to realize that I was talking occult not divine. When the realization broke, he grabbed his Bible, opened it to Deut. 18:9-12, and read me these words:

" _When you come into the land the LORD your God gives you, you shall not learn to follow the abominable practices of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who burns his son or daughter as an offering, anyone who practices divination, a soothsayer, or an augur, or a sorcerer, or a charmer, or a medium, or a wizard, or a necromancer. **For whoever does these things is an abomination to the Lord.** " (RSV, emphasis mine)_

Just to drive the point home, he repeated to me that I was an abomination to the Lord. Now some might think that this is rather a nasty way to preach the Gospel, but let me tell you unreservedly that it is the single kindest thing that anyone, except for the Lord Jesus Christ, has ever done for me. Why? Because two days later, having prayed and asked God if this was true, and having had Him yell at me and say "YES!" I returned to Charles' office and handed my life over to the Lord Jesus Christ. I knew absolutely nothing about the Gospel, and my conversion prayer was "Lord, I thought I was doing it right. Now You tell me I'm doing it wrong. If I'm ever going to make it, You're going to have to do it for me. Lord, fill me so full of Yourself that there is no room for anything else." That simple, unconventional prayer included repentance (I was wrong, but I am willing for You to make me right,) grace (You're going to have to do it for me – I didn't fully understand that He already had, 2000 years ago) faith (the belief that He would do it for me) and commitment (fill me....) I left Charles' office knowing that I was forgiven, cleansed, and "born again."

Many people talk about repentance as a U-turn, but as with many things that greatly oversimplifies it. Like faith, repentance has a number of facets.

The first of these is an acknowledgment that we are sinners. Unfortunately this is a step that is all too often missed in calling people to come to Jesus. We call them to receive healing, or prosperity, or release from problems. All of these things are good, but the first and foremost reason Jesus came and died was to provide an answer to the problem of sin. We call people to come and get saved, but if they do not know that they are sinners, then from what are they getting saved? They are like a man who has a deadly disease, one of the symptoms of which is a skin rash. We try to treat the rash, without dealing with the underlying disease.

Until we come to the point of acknowledging that we are sinners, we cannot take hold of God's grace. We will not even try to, because we won't believe that we need it. One of the greatest deceptions of the New Age movement is the lie that mankind is OK, that any problems we see are just an expression of the dualistic nature of the universe. (New Age, occultism and eastern religion all see the universe as composed of two equal and opposite forces, yin and yang, male and female, hot and cold, good and evil. The truth is, there are two opposite forces, the Kingdom of Darkness and the Kingdom of Light, but they are no more equal than an unlit candle is equal to a million suns.)

The fact is, God is the Creator and King of all. Therefore He has the right to make the rules, and every time we fail to obey Him we actually committing treason against Him. (Lev. 26:40; Isa. 59:13) We have risen up against the King and declared, "I will not have You rule over me. I will rule over my own life." This is actually what the devil, in the form of the serpent, incited Eve to do in the garden: _"For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be_ _as gods,_ _knowing good and evil."_ (Gen. 3:5, KJV, emphasis mine) He wasn't just suggesting they could be like God – they were already like God, for He had created them in His image. No, what the devil was offering was the chance to be their own gods, to set their own rules, to determine for themselves what was "good" and what was "evil". And so it has been ever since, man has sought to be god unto himself, ruling his own life, and in doing so has refused to submit to the true God. Every time we actively sin, this is what we do.

How many times a day, before we came to Christ, do you think we did that? Probably many times every day, but let's be conservative and say that on average just three times each day we did things our way rather than God's way. That's 21 times a week. That's over a thousand times a year. If we were 20 years old when we were saved, at just this very conservative average, by that time we had 20,000 sins against us. Let's discount the first five years, when we were too young to understand. That still leaves 15,000 sins. Now remember that sin, every sin, is treason against God. How would we stand if we faced any human court with 15,000 charges of treason against us?

When we look at it in these terms, we can see why we need to come to God through repentance. Even those who have lived "good" lives have a huge charge sheet of sin (treason) against us. Repentance is a change of mind. It says, "I thought I was right, but now You show me I was wrong. I accept Your judgment." Only when we acknowledge that, and acknowledge our helplessness to do anything about it, can we reach out by faith to take hold of the grace that provides the only answer to our sin.

Having acknowledged that we are sinners, we then need to be truly sorry for that sin. That doesn't mean being sorry that we have broken "the eleventh commandment" (i.e., the one that supposedly says "thou shalt not get caught.") Paul spoke of a godly sorrow and a worldly sorrow:

" _For though I made you sorry with my letter, I do not regret it, though I did regret it. For I see that my letter made you sorry, though just for a while. I now rejoice, not that you were made sorry, but that you were made sorry to repentance. For you were made sorry in a godly way, that you might suffer loss by us in nothing. For godly sorrow produces repentance to salvation, which brings no regret. But the sorrow of the world produces death." (2Cor. 7:8-10)_

Worldly sorrow looks at the consequences – we are sorry that we got caught, because now we will have to pay the price, and inevitably that will not be a pleasant experience. Godly sorrow looks at the act itself – we are sorry that we have offended God, and that possibly in the process we have also offended and hurt other people. Worldly sorrow hardens us – it causes us to try to avoid being caught again. Godly sorrow softens us – it causes us to try to avoid offending again.

Repentance is also a change of heart. When we were in the world we loved the things of the world. When the Holy Spirit begins to work in our lives, things that once appealed to us lose their appeal. There was a time when I really enjoyed some of the smutty English comedy programs on television. Now I find them quite revolting. This is an adjustment in our affections. Isaiah says, _"Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"_ (Isa. 5:20) This is what we did outside of Christ, but when we come to repentance we begin to call good, good; and to call evil, evil.

Repentance is a change of action. We can weep buckets of tears, flog ourselves mercilessly for our sins and declare our failings publicly, but if there is no change in our lives, we have not repented. John the Baptist had these words for those coming to be baptized by him:

" _He said therefore to the multitudes who went out to be baptized by him, "You offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore produce fruits worthy of repentance, and don't begin to say among yourselves, 'We have Abraham for our father;' for I tell you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones! Even now the ax also lies at the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that doesn't produce good fruit is cut down, and thrown into the fire." The multitudes asked him, "What then must we do?" He answered them, "He who has two coats, let him give to him who has none. He who has food, let him do likewise." Tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, "Teacher, what must we do?" He said to them, "Collect no more than that which is appointed to you." Soldiers also asked him, saying, "What about us? What must we do?" He said to them, "Extort from no one by violence, neither accuse anyone wrongfully. Be content with your wages." (Lk. 3:7-14)_

Clearly, John saw repentance as much more than words, or even than the act of submitting to baptism.

If you came to Jesus on the basis of something He could give you, and not through repentance, then let me suggest something which, no matter how far you have gone in your Christian life, will transform your relationship with God: get on your knees and come before Him as if you had never known Him before. Acknowledge the sin in your life, and ask the Holy Spirit to show you if there are any areas where you need to specifically repent. Ask Him to give you godly sorrow, to change your mind and your heart, and determine in your heart that you will also change your actions. Repentance will put you on a whole new footing in receiving God's grace.

However, as with grace and faith, repentance is not just for the beginning of our Christian lives. Isaiah the prophet had an awesome experience of God. One day he was in the temple when he looked up, and the Lord of the temple was filling the temple.

" _In the year that king Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up; and his train filled the temple. Above him stood the seraphim. Each one had six wings. With two he covered his face. With two he covered his feet. With two he flew. One called to another, and said,_

" _Holy, holy, holy, is Yahweh of Armies!_

The whole earth is full of his glory!"

The foundations of the thresholds shook at the voice of him who called, and the house was filled with smoke. Then I said, "Woe is me! **For I am undone, because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips:** for my eyes have seen the King, Yahweh of Armies!"

Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar. He touched my mouth with it, and said, "Behold, this has touched your lips; and your iniquity is taken away, and your sin forgiven."" (Isa. 6:1-7, emphasis mine)

Now Isaiah was not your average sinner. He was God's man, God's prophet, the one whom God had raised up to call His people to repentance. He walked in righteousness and integrity before the Lord. Compared to the rest of the people, he looked good. (Church, if we don't look good compared to the world, there is something very wrong with us!) However, when Isaiah found himself in the presence of the holiness and majesty of the Lord, he suddenly didn't look so good.

As I have aged, my eyes have become steadily weaker, to the point where now, whilst I can still see well enough for general purposes with my naked eyes, I can't see any detail without my glasses. Detail includes dirt! I can happily wander around my house without my glasses, and everything looks fine. When I put the glasses on, suddenly I find dust, grime and cobwebs that I am sure didn't exist before. For Isaiah, the presence of the Lord was like a very strong pair of glasses. Those things in himself that he hadn't seen before, which he hadn't even known existed before, were suddenly startlingly, horribly visible.

"I am a man of unclean lips," he says, "and the only reason I couldn't see it was because everyone around me had lips that were even more unclean than mine." God never intended for us to use the world as the touchstone by which we measure ourselves. He makes it very clear that our only touchstone is to be Him, and His holiness. We need a revelation of God's holiness, so that we can also have a revelation of our unholiness. Interestingly, for about six months after I was saved I couldn't pray in English. I was baptized in the Holy Spirit three days after my new birth, so I could pray in tongues, but every time I tried to pray in English I ended up on my face on the carpet crying out "Holy! Holy! Holy! Holy!" God was obviously emphasizing to my heart the infinite difference between Himself and the things from which He had brought me.

Why is it that we hear so little preaching about God's holiness? Is it perhaps that we understand that, if we really get a revelation of His holiness, it will become painfully obvious that we, like Isaiah, are men and women of "unclean lips" dwelling in the midst of a people of "unclean lips"? Why are we afraid of that? Is it that we are too comfortable? We do not live in blatant, outward sin, and that is good enough for us. It is not, however, good enough for God. He has a purpose for our lives, and that is to bring us into conformity to the image of His Son. (Rom. 8:29) That process requires us to undergo some refining! We need the coal from the altar.

Repentance is also one of the best ways to develop the area of our spirit known as conscience. Conscience is that part of our spirit that seeks to bring us into conformity to the character of God. It is part of being made in the image of God – there is within us the stamp of His nature that causes us to want to be like Him. Over our years outside of Christ, the function of our conscience has been taken over by our soul, because our spirit was non-functional. As a result, our conscience may have been seared – that desire to be like God may have been dulled and deadened. Our conscience may be weakened and defiled by our wrong ideas of God's character. Our conscience may be overburdened with guilt, so that it no longer functions. When we come to Christ our spirit is renewed, and since our conscience is part of our spirit it is also renewed. By living in repentance, we build on that renewal.

This is one of the most important reasons why we should keep "short accounts" with God. When we fall into a sin – even a minor one – we need to come immediately before the Throne of Grace in repentance and receive of God's grace afresh.

In fact, we should stop thinking of sin as minor. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us His attitude to sin. He hates it. Even the sins that we consider unimportant are horrible to Him. From the standpoint of His absolute holiness, everything that falls short of that holiness is disgusting. We need to be continually pursuing His holiness. We need to ask the Lord to let us see sin through His eyes. To Him sin is like rotting garbage or putrid sewerage. He hates it, and most particularly He hates to see it on the children He loves, whom He redeemed at such an awesome cost.

It is not enough for us to want to be forgiven. Forgiveness takes away the penalty of the sin, but it doesn't deal with the sin itself. We need to press beyond forgiveness to cleansing; to cry out with the Psalmist,

" _Have mercy on me, God, according to your loving kindness._

According to the multitude of your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.

Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity.

Cleanse me from my sin.

For I know my transgressions.

My sin is constantly before me.

Against you, and you only, I have sinned,

and done that which is evil in your sight;

that you may be proved right when you speak,

and justified when you judge.

Behold, I was born in iniquity.

In sin my mother conceived me.

Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts.

You teach me wisdom in the inmost place.

Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean.

Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.

Let me hear joy and gladness,

That the bones which you have broken may rejoice.

Hide your face from my sins,

and blot out all of my iniquities.

Create in me a clean heart, O God.

Renew a right spirit within me.

Don't throw me from your presence,

and don't take your holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of your salvation.

Uphold me with a willing spirit. " (Ps. 51:1-12)

This psalm is a perfect pattern for repentance. It begins by asking for mercy. This is an automatic acknowledgment of sin, since it shows that David knew that he deserved judgment. Like the tax collector in the parable of Jesus, who stood at the very back of the temple and, not even raising his eyes before the Lord, asked simply, _"Lord have mercy on me a sinner,"_ (Lk. 18:13) when we ask for mercy we are saying that we don't deserve it. Sometimes, when we are having a "pity party" over our sin, we say something stupid like, "I don't deserve God's grace. I don't deserve His mercy." Of course we don't! Grace and mercy are by definition undeserved. If we could deserve it, it wouldn't be grace, and it wouldn't be mercy.

David then asks that the Lord _"blot out (his) transgressions."_ He asks not only that God would forgive, but that He would forget. He asks not only that God would not give him the punishment he deserves, but that He would not even record a conviction. David was a man who was not only after God's heart, but who even at the lowest point of his walk with the Lord had a deep understanding of spiritual things. In New Testament terms, he asks for (and believes he will receive) not only forgiveness but justification. Legally speaking, forgiveness is pardon – it says, "You are guilty, but you will not have to suffer the punishment." Justification is exoneration – it says, "You are not guilty."

David goes even further. He understands that being declared legally "not guilty" is not the same as never having sinned. There is a stain, a corruption that comes with sin and that needs to be removed. So he says, _"Wash away my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin."_

There are two aspects of sin that we have to deal with, outward sin and iniquity. Iniquity is the sin principle within us that propels us toward sin. It began with our first parents in Eden – what we call original sin – and has built up over generations. It is the spiritual equivalent of a genetic predisposition to some disease. It is added to and caused to grow by our active sin throughout our lives, just as that genetic predisposition is made worse by an unhealthy lifestyle. Each of us has particular iniquities in our lives – particular areas of weakness that are uniquely ours. The things with which I struggle may be no problem at all to you, and likewise your areas of weakness may not affect me at all. Each time we give in to iniquity, we make it stronger. I understand that the first time someone steals something from a shop, it is very difficult. The second time is easier, and the third easier still, till that iniquity has become a stronghold and stealing is more natural to that person than not stealing. The outward sin is simply the active expression of that iniquity. The iniquity may be present for a long time before it is expressed in active sin, but if we don't deal with it, and particularly if we feed it, it will inevitably have its outworking.

One of David's outstanding iniquities was his problem with women. It is apparent throughout his life (and greatly magnified in the life of his son, Solomon – a very clear example of the inheritance of iniquity.) Now, faced with the appalling sin to which that iniquity inevitably led, he recognizes that it is not only the outward sin that needs God's cleansing, it is the underlying iniquity. To try to deal with the outward sin without dealing with the underlying iniquity would be like trying to knock the top off a boil. David knows what he needs is not just outward, but deep heart cleansing.

Later in the psalm he goes even further: _"Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me."_ He understands that even the deepest cleansing is not going to really do the job. What he really needs is nothing short of a new heart, a new creation.

Likewise we need the kind of transformation that would be constantly re-creating our hearts. The closer we get to God, the more we come into repentance, the more we realize that there really is no area of our lives that is not affected by sin. Theologians call it "total depravity", a rather unfortunate term as most people see it as meaning that man is as bad as it is possible to be. That, however, is not what it means, but rather that every area and aspect of man's life and being is affected by sin. There is not one thought, one motive, one desire, much less one word or action, which is totally pure.

When we really see this we begin to cry out to God not just for forgiveness, not just for justification, not just for cleansing, but for total renewal and re-creation. If we continue to press closer to the Lord in repentance, our conscience becomes increasingly refined, and the thing we want more than anything is that He would transform us into His likeness – the very thing that He has purposed and promised to do.

At this point we have moved on from repentance for the things we do, to repentance for who we are. We see ourselves objectively, so far short of His glory, and there is birthed in us a hunger for holiness that becomes almost a physical pain. The wonderful thing is, Jesus said, _"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled."_ (Matt. 5:6) We can't out-hunger God! When we start wanting His holiness with everything within us, He responds, and the result is that He draws us even closer to Himself.

That's what it's all about! I have a very simple definition of repentance – it's running back into Daddy's arms when you have been away. It's not a hard and heavy thing, but sweet and beautiful and wonderful, and always, always, always results in us coming closer to the Lord.

Church, we need to develop repentant hearts. Let us make it our prayer, that God would make our hearts so soft and tender that the slightest deviation from His righteousness, or from His will and purposes in our lives, would be like a thorn sticking in us. As part of our prayer each day let us reach out in the spirit from the place where He has seated us in heavenly places with Christ Jesus (Eph. 2:6) to the place where He has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Eph. 1:3) and take hold of His righteousness, drawing it into our lives. We need His righteousness! We have none of our own.

" _Father God, I come to You in the wonderful Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. I lift before You every person reading this book, and by the authority You have given me I release to them the grace of repentance. For any who may be in blatant sin, I ask that Your Spirit would convict them and bring them to their knees. For those who think they are good enough, I ask that You would give them such a revelation of Your holiness that they would cry out with Isaiah, "Woe is me!" And for each one, I ask a heart that would be totally soft and responsive to You. Thank You, Father. Amen."_

### SURRENDER

"I surrender all, I surrender all." It was a little home church meeting where I was to minister, and we were standing in worship, singing that beautiful old hymn, when the Spirit spoke to my heart. "Tell them," He said, "not to sing it if they don't mean it." Ouch! Sometimes it is so easy to say words – or sing them – but talk is cheap. If we sing "I surrender all" then leave the meeting and go our own way, we would be better never to have sung it.

How much does God have of your life? Does He have just enough for Him to be able to drag you into heaven by the skin of your teeth? Do you go to church and enjoy the music, but when the preacher starts talking about godly living come away thinking "Who does he think he is to tell me how to live my life?" Are you a Sunday "angel" and a Monday \- through - Saturday "devil?" Are you happy to worship God as long as everything is nice and comfortable, but hey, don't ask you to get out of your comfort zone, or you're outta here?

The Lord has a name for that kind of "Christianity". He calls it "lukewarmness."

" _To the angel of the assembly in Laodicea write: 'The Amen, the Faithful and True Witness, the Beginning of God's creation, says these things: "I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were cold or hot. **So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will vomit you out of my mouth.** Because you say, 'I am rich, and have gotten riches, and have need of nothing;' and don't know that you are the wretched one, miserable, poor, blind, and naked; I counsel you to buy from me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich; and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed; and eye salve to anoint your eyes, that you may see. As many as I love, I reprove and chasten. Be zealous therefore, and repent." (Rev. 3:14-19, emphasis mine)_

Laodicea was a city of great wealth, a financial capital of the ancient world. It was famous for the eye salve manufactured in the city, and also for the fine black wool produced there. It was also famous for something less attractive – its water supply came from hot springs some distance away, and by the time it had traveled through the pipes to the city it was lukewarm. Hardly a refreshing drop! The church was both affluent and half-hearted. Their comfort zone was very comfortable, and they saw no logical reason why they should exert themselves for the Lord when they had absolutely no need to exert themselves for anything else.

The glorified Lord said that their material wealth and fame counted for absolutely nothing, and that in fact their spiritual condition was the very opposite of their natural condition. He said in effect, "You say your city has plenty of gold, but you really need to receive My gold. You boast of your wonderful cloth, but you need My garments of righteousness. You rejoice in your eye salve, but you need My salve for your spiritual eyes. You are just like the water that comes out of your taps, utterly disgusting, and you make Me want to throw up!" As far as God is concerned, it would be more desirable for us to be stone cold – totally away from Him – than to be lukewarm.

God wants more than get-to-heaven-someday Christians. He wants more than those who want to play with all the wonderful toys in my vision at the beginning of this book. He wants those who will get serious with Him and allow Him to really work in and through their lives. He wants people who are real, radical and revolutionary. The only way that can happen is if we surrender.

Like each of the "words" in this book, surrender is progressive. It begins with us laying down our weapons. The Bible says that before we came to the Lord we were actually His enemies. (Rom. 5:10) Some of us might not think of ourselves in those terms, but we were really at war against God. We saw in the last chapter how sin is treason against Him. Consciously or unconsciously, deliberately or in ignorance, we joined in the rebellion against the King of kings. We were part of the army, led by the devil, which is trying to overthrow the Ruler of the universe.

When Jesus died on the Cross, He not only paid the penalty for our sin. He also defeated Satan and overthrew his army: _"having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it."_ (Col. 2:15) Since we had chosen to march with Satan's army, that means that He also defeated and disarmed us! But, like the little pockets of Japanese soldiers who continued fighting in remote jungles for years after the Second World War had ended, we kept fighting Him. The time came, though, when His Spirit caught us, and whether we saw it in those terms or not, we had to bow before Him and surrender our sword into His hands.

Trouble is, some of us reached behind His back when we thought He wasn't looking and grabbed that rusty old sword back! We're still fighting Him. Everything He asks of us, whether it is obedience to His written Word or something that He speaks to us personally, we dig our heels in, grit our teeth, and throw our whole weight against Him in resistance. We are like a spoiled two-year-old who doesn't want to go somewhere, kicking, screaming and grabbing onto anything in sight to try to hold us back.

If that's you, here's a quick bit of advice: lay down your sword. Give up. Surrender. You're beaten anyway – be big enough to admit it. Fighting with God is a sure-fire recipe for misery. It's also stupid, because He loves you more than you do, and He wants better things for you than you do. Defect from the rebel army, and join the army of the King.

Notice we have to join His army, He will not join ours. Many of us want God to come and fight on our side, but that's not how it works. Just after he had led the people of God over the Jordan and into the promised land, and was about to start the conquest of the territory God had given them, Joshua had a startling experience:

" _When Joshua was by Jericho, he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood in front of him with his sword drawn in his hand. Joshua went to him and said to him, "Are you for us, or for our enemies?" He said, "No; but I have come now as commander of Yahweh's army."" (Josh. 5:13-14)_

At that point in time, Joshua could certainly use the services of a good warrior, and this guy looked like one of the best. "Are you on our side or theirs?" he asked, hoping with all that he had that the answer would be "yours". However, the Angel of the Lord (this expression always refers to a pre-incarnate appearance of God the Son) had not come to enroll in Joshua's army, but to enlist Joshua for His army. God will fight for us, but only as long as we are part of His army. He is always the Commander in Chief. If we think we can enlist Him in our army, we will find ourselves stranded.

In fact enlisting in God's army has a great deal to do with surrender. For a start, an army runs on obedience. From the newest recruit up, everyone has to obey orders. Likewise for us, surrender to God means obedience. Firstly, it means obedience to His written Word. This doesn't mean we have to get back into legalism. In seeking to avoid legalism, however, many Christians have "thrown out the baby with the bathwater" and missed the point that the Word of God actually reveals the way God wants us to live. Now if we have really come into grace, that will not be a problem, because we will know that what we cannot do in our own strength we can do through grace. And if we have really come into repentance we will want to be done with our old ways and walk in God's ways.

We also need to walk in obedience to the promptings of the Spirit in our own hearts. If God tells you to do something, do it. Don't waste your breath arguing – you can't win. Once, quite early in my Christian walk, the Lord had been telling me to do a particular thing. I was not being intentionally disobedient or rebellious, but I was busy and had kept putting it off. On this particular morning I was standing washing dishes at my kitchen sink, and the Lord began talking to me again about this thing. Pulling my hands out of the suds and resting them on the edge of the sink, I looked up and sighed, "You know, You're getting to be a bit of a nag, Father." Without so much as a heartbeat in between He replied, "With a daughter like you, I need to be!" I probably don't need to say that I began doing what He was telling me to do!

One thing that will make your life much easier is a simple decision that saying "No" to God on any issue is not an option. This is not a great spiritual thing, but simple common sense. I have tried the other way: it didn't work. This way is easy. There is no more struggle. We no longer have to choose between obeying or disobeying. The "disobey" button on our internal computer is blanked out. This makes life so easy! Even if it is something we really don't want to do, we simply cannot allow ourselves the choice of saying "No".

The wonderful thing is, God meets us and changes our hearts. When we determine to step out in obedience to His voice, even when our natural choice would be otherwise, He gives us a peace and joy about what we are doing.

I remember many years ago listening to a preacher talk about the Christian life. He was saying how many people see Christianity as dull and boring, but it is really exciting. Unfortunately, he then went on to talk about his travels and his adventures in ministry, and these were the things that made it exciting for him. Fine for him – but not much help to the average guy or gal sitting in the congregation who doesn't get to do all those things! At the time I thought, "Those are not the things that make the Christian life exciting. Being in relationship with the King of the universe is what makes it exciting." All these years later, having now traveled myself to many other countries and had some incredible adventures, I can still say that those are not the things that make the Christian life exciting. What makes it exciting is being in tune with the Spirit of whom Jesus said, _"The wind blows where it wants to, and you hear its sound, but don't know where it comes from and where it is going. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit."_ (Jn. 3:8) The excitement is in trying to keep up with Him when He begins to move – and knowing you can only do so because He is holding your hand all the way.

The only way to enjoy that excitement is through obedience. Surrender now. Make that decision in your heart that saying "No" to Him will no longer be an option for you. Life will become so simple, yet at the same time so exciting, that you'll wonder why you didn't do it years ago.

Often people pray, "Lord, take my will." Some of our popular choruses and hymns carry the same thought. But God won't do it. God created you with free will, and He will never take that will from you. He will never twist your arm up your back and force you to surrender to Him (although, as we saw in an earlier chapter, He is capable of arranging things so that it becomes easier for us to become willing!) God will never turn you into an automaton, which is what would happen if He were to take your will. What has to happen is for us to voluntarily align our will with His. And that is not something we do once. It is not achieved by just one great decision, but by thousands of tiny decisions to act according to that one great decision. The more we chose to obey, the easier obedience becomes. The more we chose to disobey, the easier disobedience becomes.

So often people are afraid of God's will. They are afraid that if they accept His will for their lives He will call them to go to darkest Africa or Outer Mongolia, or that He will ask them to do something for which they are totally unequipped. They miss the point that God's will for us is always for the very best. Ps. 37:4 says, _"Also delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart."_ This does not mean that He will give us whatever we want, but rather that as we delight in Him, He will place His desires in our hearts. If He is calling you to go to Outer Mongolia, then Outer Mongolia will become for you the most wonderful place on the face of the earth.

On the other hand, if you are struggling with God about something you think may be His will, it may be simply that He is testing you. I had a friend who at one point thought the Lord might be calling him to India. He hated the idea so much that he refused to respond to any altar calls at church lest maybe the Lord would say "India!" Finally he gave in and said, "OK, if You want me to go to India, I'll go there." From that point on he never had the slightest hint that God wanted him in India. In fact, God did not want him in India – He wanted him in the place of surrender.

Don't be afraid of God's will for your life. His will is perfect. His plans are better than your plans could ever be. His purposes are higher than yours could ever be. I once had a sign on my study wall that said, "God's will. Nothing more. Nothing less. Nothing else." That's what I want for my life, because I know it is the best. I pray that will be what you want for your life also.

Another way in which being in God's army relates to surrender is that the soldier cannot have his own agenda. He has to surrender his own thoughts about what should be done and how it should be done to his line of command. He has to "get on board" with whatever mission his unit is involved in, and pursue it as if it were all his own idea.

This is a step beyond simple obedience. This is about making God's agenda, our agenda. It's about focus. It's about ownership. It's about laying down our own dreams to take on God's dreams. God's dreams are always bigger than ours; He always sees more in us than we do, and He believes in us more than we ever could. I saw a picture recently in which a little girl is standing in front of Jesus, holding tightly to a little teddy bear and saying, "But I love it, God!" She is oblivious of the fact that, behind His back, Jesus is holding a much bigger teddy bear that He is waiting to give her as soon as she lets go of the one she is holding.

Our vision has to be surrendered. Some things may need to go to the altar of sacrifice. Some of them, like Isaac, will be rescued before they die because God sees our willing obedience. Others, like Jesus, will have to go to death before God can resurrect them in a greater form. That surrender can be painful. I don't imagine for one minute that it was a joyful experience for Abraham, trudging up that mountain with the son whom he knew he was about to bind and lay on an altar, and, as far as he knew, kill as a sacrifice to God. And I am sure it wasn't a joyful experience for the Father to see His Son scourged and mocked and spat upon and nailed to a Cross. But, as the Psalmist says, _"Weeping may stay for the night, but joy comes in the morning."_ (Ps. 30:5) The joy of coming into what God has for our lives more than compensates for the cost of whatever He may ask us to surrender.

The soldier also has to be available. He cannot say to his commanding officer, "Sorry, today is not a good day. I have other things I would rather be doing." He is on call when, where and how the army says, and absolutely nothing can take priority over that.

Likewise we have to be available to the Lord. We have to be available physically. If we are walking closely with Him, there will be times when He will make it clear that He wants us in a certain place, and even if it costs us to be there, that is where we must be. Maybe He will tell you to go to a certain shop because there is someone there who needs to hear the Gospel. Maybe He will have you catch a train or bus because someone needs a shoulder to cry on. On the other hand, maybe He will call you to come away by yourself and spend time with Him.

We need to be available to Him in our time. That means, for starters, taking time to spend with Him in prayer and reading the Word. Most of us find it so easy to get busy doing things, and to push our devotional life to one side. Yet great men and women of God have said consistently that the more they have to do, the more time they need to spend with the Lord before attempting to do it. We may think we are too busy to pray, but really we are too busy not to pray.

As we walk with Him, there will also be seasons when He calls us aside at particular times. At one point in my life the Holy Spirit seemed to have a "thing" about 2am. For a while He was constantly waking me at 2am to pray. I would spend an hour or more in intercession, then crawl back into bed and go back to sleep. I have to say that 2am is not my favorite time of day! Yet those times were some of the greatest experiences I have had in God. If my time (even 2am!) had not been available to Him, I would have missed those experiences, and all that they added to my relationship with God.

We need to be available to Him mentally and emotionally. As an intercessor there have been times when the Holy Spirit has laid a burden on me that, in the natural, I could quite frankly have done without: times when I have been sobbing with the intercessory burden, and no-one around me has understood.

Of course, not everyone is an intercessor. (Did I hear some faint whispers of "Thanks be to God"?) For all of us, however, there will be times when God will require us to be sensitive to a burden for prayer, or to the emotional need of someone whom He brings across our path. There will be times when He asks us to be especially mentally alert to what is happening around us.

Most of all, we have to be available to Him spiritually. Our hearts should be constantly saying, "Here I am Lord. Use me. Teach me. Stretch me. Have Your way in my life. I am totally available to You."

Some people say, "Well, God knows I'm available to Him." Yes, He does, if you are. In fact, He knows more about your availability than you do. When we tell Him we are available we are not doing it to give Him information He already has, we are doing it to articulate our commitment. Just like wives, even though they may know that their husband loves them, still like to hear those three wonderful little words, so God likes to hear our commitment, and we need to articulate it. When we tell God we are available, we are cementing that availability in our own minds and hearts.

However, there is a level of surrender that goes even beyond availability. It is the level where we simply let go. This is the one thing that many people fear more than anything else in life. Every one of us likes to think we are in control. We want to be behind the steering wheel of our own lives. At the very least, we want to be able to tell the driver where we want to go. In the natural, being out of control is frightening.

I once lived in Wollongong on the New South Wales south coast. Wollongong is part of the Illawarra region, a coastal strip surrounded on the inland side by an escarpment. It looks almost as if some great giant had taken a big bite out of the coast at that point! Coming down from the escarpment on the northern end is what is known as Bulli Pass. This is a fairly short but very steep stretch of road with a nasty bend in the middle. One day when I was returning from a trip to Sydney, as I went to turn onto Bulli Pass I put my foot on the brake to slow down, and it went straight to the floor. I tried the hand brake, and it was no better. I was at the top of Bulli Pass with no brakes! Fortunately I was driving a van that had very low gears, so I slammed it back through the gears and prayed like crazy. By the time I reached the bottom there was not one part of me that wasn't shaking. It was a terrifying experience. I was out of control.

Likewise people who are under the control of other people can become frightened and frustrated. Sometimes the controller does not have our best interests at heart, and is only concerned about seeking his own good, no matter what effect that may have on us. Other times the controller may really care about us, but doesn't know what we want or need, or how we feel, or what is best for us. This was seen often in previous years, and still is in many countries today, when a son was expected to follow in his father's profession regardless of his own abilities or interests, or when a daughter was expected to marry the person of her father's choosing regardless of her feelings toward him (or toward someone else.)

Being out of control in less tangible ways is no better. Many people feel that circumstances have taken over control of their lives, and there is nothing they can do to change things. This is frightening and frustrating, and in some cases even leads to people taking their own lives. For some people suicide is a last stand of defiance: "if I can't control my life, at least I will control my death." This is tragic, particularly since in Christ people can learn to rise above those circumstances. They can learn to give control of their lives to God, who directs the circumstances.

With all these negative images attached in our minds to the concept of being "out of control," it is little wonder that we have such a problem in handing control over to God. Reason tells us that He loves us, that we can trust Him, that He is big enough to handle any problems that may arise and that anything He does in our lives is going to be for the very best. Yet still we are afraid to let go.

I think there is good reason why the Holy Spirit often lays people out on the floor when they are prayed for (apart from the fact that the tiniest touch of His power is sufficient to lay anyone out.) Most of us find it easier to relax and let go when we are lying down. After all, that is the position in which we normally go to sleep – and going to sleep is simply a matter of relaxing and letting go. We are programmed to relax and let go when we lie down. So, the Holy Spirit puts us in the position in which it is easiest for Him to work on us.

On the other hand, whilst it is easy for us to relax and let go when we are lying down, sometimes it is not so easy for us to let go enough to get into that position! Many times I have prayed on altar lines for people whom I knew the Spirit of God wanted to put on the floor, but who were resisting Him with everything they had. (This does not mean, of course, that everyone has to fall down in order for the Holy Spirit to minister to them, nor does it mean that everyone who doesn't fall down is resisting the Spirit.)

Frightening as some of us might find the concept, God wants to bring us to a place where we are totally out of control. Only when we are totally out of control can He be totally in control. Ezekiel had a vision that pictures our ongoing relationship with the Lord:

" _He brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters flowed out from under the threshold of the house eastward, for the front of the house faced toward the east. The waters came down from underneath, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar. Then he brought me out by the way of the gate northward, and led me around by the way outside to the outer gate, by the way of the gate that looks toward the east. Behold, waters ran out on the right side. When the man went out eastward with the line in his hand, he measured one thousand cubits, and he caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the ankles. Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through the waters, waters that were to the knees. Again he measured one thousand, and caused me to pass through waters that were to the waist. Afterward he measured one thousand; and it was a river that I could not pass through; for the waters had risen, waters to swim in, a river that could not be walked through. " (Ezek. 47:1-5)_

The first time the angel led Ezekiel across the river of God it was only ankle deep: just deep enough for a baby to paddle in, and have fun splashing around. This speaks of the beginning of our walk with God. Sadly, many who have been walking with Him ten, twenty or thirty years still want to paddle and splash in the shallow water where there is no risk, no commitment, only fun.

The second time, the angel led him through water that was knee deep. This speaks of prayer. Knee-deep water requires rather more effort to walk in than that which is only up to the ankles. We are beginning to build a relationship with God, beginning to move into things that are just that little bit deeper.

The third time, the angel led him through water up to his waist (KJV "loins".) This speaks of reproductiveness in the Kingdom. By now Ezekiel was able to feel the force of the current. Walking was much harder, but he was still able to stay on his feet. The river of God may have been all around him, but he was still in control.

Finally, the angel led him to a place where the water was too deep to cross. He could no longer touch bottom. If he got into this river, the only thing he was going to be able to do was swim – and if you have ever tried swimming in a fast flowing river, you will know that it is not terribly effective.

A few years ago we had flash floods in South-East Queensland. Some young lads thought it would be a lark to ride the flooded river in inflated car tire tubes. I'm sure it took one of them a long time to live down the fact that the next morning his photo was splashed on the front pages of all the newspapers – clinging to a tree, stark naked because all his clothes had been ripped from him by the force of the flood waters.

God wants to take us out into that river that is too deep for our abilities. He wants us in the place where we can't do it, because as long as there is even the remotest chance that we can do it for ourselves, He knows that we won't allow Him to do it for us. He wants us in that place where we can't touch bottom, where we can no longer rely on all the things upon which we have stood for our security in the past. He wants us in that place where we are prepared to let go trust Him to sweep us along in His river to wherever He wants to take us.

He wants to take us into places, both in the natural and in the spirit, where we would never even dream of going ourselves. He wants to do things in us and through us that we have never imagined or dreamed, and of ourselves could never imagine or dream. He can't do these things while we are clinging to our security, wanting to keep control of our lives. He wants us to willingly come to the place where we leap off the shore of the river, where we let go of the safety line and trust Him totally. Only then can He really begin to do in our lives the things that He wants to do.

This is not something He asks of immature Christians. When God brought His people Israel out of Egypt and into the promised land, there were two crossings of water that in some ways were very similar yet in other ways were remarkably different. The first was the crossing of the Red Sea. (Ex. 13:18ff) The people had very little personal experience of God. Yes, they had heard all the stories that had been passed down from the Patriarchs, but even those had grown cold and meaningless. In recent days they had seen remarkable things, as Moses had returned from the wilderness at the command of God and had begun demanding that Pharaoh let the Israelites go, and reinforcing his demands with a series of plagues, each more terrifying than the one before. But this was all very new, and they were still trying to get their heads around it. When they arrived at the Red Sea and found that the Egyptians were hot on their heels, all that Moses had to do was raise his hand with his staff over the water, and the sea parted and allowed them to cross on dry land.

Fast forward 40 years. The people had acted in unbelief and rebellion, refusing to accept God's promise that the land of Canaan was theirs and disobeying His command to go in and take possession of it. As a result they had been condemned to wander in the wilderness for all this time.

However, the 40 years of desert wandering was more than just punishment. It was, in fact, a 40 year enforced honeymoon with the Lord. For all that time they were kept away from normal secular involvements. For all this time they had had His visible presence with them in the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night. For all this time they had seen His daily provision in the manna. For all this time they had seen His miraculous keeping power in the fact that their clothes and shoes did not wear out. (Deut. 29:5) In all that time God was seeking to draw them closer to Himself. _"He humbled you, and allowed you to be hungry, and fed you with manna, which you didn't know, neither did your fathers know; that he might teach you that man does not live by bread only, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of Yahweh's mouth."_ (Deut. 8:3)

By the time they came to the banks of the Jordan the second time, they were a people who had experienced God for themselves. As a result, what He required was very different from the crossing of the Red Sea:

" _Joshua said, "By this you shall know that the living God is among you, and that he will without fail drive the Canaanite, and the Hittite, and the Hivite, and the Perizzite, and the Girgashite, and the Amorite, and the Jebusite out from before you. Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all the earth passes over before you into the Jordan. Now therefore take twelve men out of the tribes of Israel, for every tribe a man. It shall be that when the soles of the feet of the priests who bear the ark of Yahweh, the Lord of all the earth, rest in the waters of the Jordan, that the waters of the Jordan will be cut off. The waters that come down from above shall stand in one heap."_

When the people moved from their tents to pass over the Jordan, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant being before the people, and when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan, and the feet of the priests who bore the ark had dipped in the edge of the water (for the Jordan overflows all its banks all the time of harvest), the waters which came down from above stood, and rose up in one heap, a great way off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those that went down toward the sea of the Arabah, even the Salt Sea, were wholly cut off. Then the people passed over near Jericho. The priests who bore the ark of Yahweh's covenant stood firm on dry ground in the middle of the Jordan; and all Israel crossed over on dry ground, until all the nation had passed completely over the Jordan." (Josh. 3:10-17)

This time was to be no simple matter of raising a staff over the water. This time the priests had to get their feet wet! Not only that, but they had to get them wet in water that was running at flood stage!

If you are still a baby Christian, God will let you paddle for a little while, and if you need to cross deeper water He will send someone to raise a staff and part it for you. But if you have walked with God for any length of time, if you have known His presence, if you have known His provision, if you have known His power, then He is telling you today that the only way to get to where He wants you to be is to get your feet wet. The only alternative is to spend another 40 years wandering in the desert.

Church, we haven't even begun to imagine what God wants for us, both as individuals and as His Body. Come on out into the water! Surrender to the tide of His Spirit! Let Him begin to sweep you along, to carry you into those wonderful places that you haven't even dreamed of yet. It is only the thought of letting go that is frightening. Actually doing it is the most thrilling, exhilarating, wonderful thing you could possibly imagine.

" _Father God, I come to You in the mighty Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in His authority I release to every person reading this book the grace to surrender to you. I ask that You would cause each one to come to see Your will as the most wonderful, most desirable thing in the universe. I ask that You would bring each one to the place where he or she would simply let go and let You have complete and total control. Thank You, Father. Amen."_

### INTIMACY

God knows every detail of your innermost thoughts and feelings. Depending on your relationship with Him, that thought can be either wonderfully comforting or utterly terrifying.

It has always been God's purpose to have an intimate relationship with man. Genesis gives us only a hint, and that after the fact, of the initial relationship with God enjoyed by Adam and Eve. After the fall, we find Him walking in the garden in the cool of the day. We can only surmise that this was His normal practice. The anticipation of the meeting filled our now-rebellious first parents with dread, and sent them scurrying to sew leaves together to cover their newly-recognized nakedness. Then, realizing that was not a sufficient cover, they took to simply hiding in the bushes. What must have been previously a most delightful time of fellowship had become for them a source of overwhelming terror.

Two factors lay behind that change: their recognition of sin, and their fear of punishment. Those same two factors have, throughout history, prevented mankind from enjoying the intimate relationship with God for which we were created.

When God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt, He had a purpose for the nation far beyond anything they could imagine. Their only thought was their own freedom, and entering into a land that was full of good things, where prosperity and earthly paradise awaited them. God, however, wanted a people who would represent Him before the world. So He told them, _"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation."_ (Ex. 19:5-6) As we will see in greater detail in a later chapter, priesthood is about access. God was saying that the whole nation would have access to Him, every one of them would be able to come before His throne, without the need of anyone to stand as a go-between. He was offering the whole nation a face-to-face relationship!

Yet just a few short chapters later, we find Him giving Moses instructions about the priesthood, how it was to be implemented and how it was to function. What happened? Did God change His mind about having a nation of priests, and decide instead to give just one family that role? Did He renege on His offer of face-to-face communion for the ordinary people?

The key lies in Ex. 20:18-19:

" _All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. They said to Moses, 'Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die.'"_

This is elaborated in Deut. 5:23-27:

" _When you heard the voice out of the middle of the darkness, while the mountain was burning with fire, you came near to me, even all the heads of your tribes, and your elders; and you said, 'Behold, Yahweh our God has shown us his glory and his greatness, and we have heard his voice out of the middle of the fire. We have seen today that God does speak with man, and he lives. Now therefore why should we die? For this great fire will consume us. If we hear Yahweh our God's voice any more, then we shall die. For who is there of all flesh, that has heard the voice of the living God speaking out of the middle of the fire, as we have, and lived? Go near, and hear all that Yahweh our God shall say, and tell us all that Yahweh our God tells you; and we will hear it, and do it.'"_

I find these two passages, particularly the second one, totally amazing. "We've seen that we can hear God and live, but we're afraid we are going to die." It seems to me these guys definitely didn't get in the logic queue! In fact, they were so dominated by fear and guilt that logic and common sense - not to mention concern for others - flew right out the back door. Rather than rejoicing that God had invited them in to this intimacy of relationship, they allowed their awareness of their own sinfulness, combined with the demonstration of God's glory and power, to produce in them a blinding fear. In spite of the fact that God had invited them to this relationship, and that they had not dropped dead when they first heard Him speak, they believed that He must be just waiting to wipe them out. And if anyone was going to get wiped out, they would far rather that it be Moses than themselves!

Because the people at that time pulled away from an intimate relationship with God, for the rest of the Old Testament period the people were only able to have a second-hand relationship, relying for their access to God on the priests and the prophets.

This concept that if one saw God the only possible outcome was death continued through the Old Testament. In the book of Judges, for example, an "angel" comes to the woman who was to become the mother of Sampson to tell her that she was going to have a special child, and he was to be raised as a Nazirite from birth. After the "angel's" second appearance, she and her husband realized that this was no ordinary angel, but the Angel of the Lord (in other words, God Himself - in New Testament understanding, a pre-incarnate manifestation of God the Son.) His immediate response was, "We are doomed to die! ... We have seen God!" Fortunately his wife had a bit more common sense and replied, _"If Yahweh were pleased to kill us, he wouldn't have received a burnt offering and a meal offering at our hand, and he wouldn't have shown us all these things, nor would he have told us such things as these at this time."_ (Judges 13:22-23)

In the Gospels we find a similar, though somewhat more honest, reaction from Peter. Jesus had been preaching on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, and in order to put a little space between himself and the crowd He called a nearby fisherman and used his boat as a speaking platform. When He had finished, He turned to the boat's owner, Simon Peter, and told him to put out to deep water and let down the nets for a catch. To humor the Teacher, Peter took the boat out, even though he had worked all night for nothing and "knew" there were just no fish around. His obedience was rewarded with a catch so big it broke the nets! Returning to shore, Peter fell at Jesus' feet and exclaimed, _"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."_ (Lk. 5:1-8) One would have thought that such a demonstration of Jesus' power would have made all who saw it want to get as close to Him as possible. At the very least, one would expect self-interest (and the possibility of many more huge catches of fish) would have had that effect. Instead, we see Peter pushing Jesus away. Why? Because of his guilt ("I am a sinful man") and probably the unspoken fear that his guilt would bring about either punishment or (possibly worse!) the necessity of change.

We see the same thing in so much of the Church today. Many who call themselves "Christian" would far rather live at the level of religion than at the level of relationship. Religion may not be very exciting, but it is comfortable and predictable. It offers routine and ritual - just do these things this way, and you have done your duty to God, then you can get on with the rest of your life. It offers certainty. Say these prayers at this time, and all will be well. Don't expect to actually see anything happen as a result of your prayers, but in saying them you have done your bit. Nobody can ask any more of you than that.

Relationship, on the other hand, is risky and often uncomfortable. We would often prefer to pretend that God does not know what's going on in our hearts, than to lay those hearts open before Him. We would rather kid ourselves that we have a firm hand on the steering wheel of our lives, than to relinquish the steering wheel to God and risk that He might take us somewhere where we do not want to go.

This applies not only to "nominal" Christians from "traditional" or "liberal" churches, but often to the very ones who will proclaim publicly that "Christianity is not a religion, it is a relationship." We have come into a relationship with God through His grace and our faith in the finished work of Christ at Calvary. We have received the Holy Spirit, who has come to live within our spirit and to transform us into the image of Christ. But then we have shut Him in the broom cupboard, and securely locked the door so that He can't break out and interfere with our lives. Instead of an ever-deepening relationship with God, we try to live by laws - either those of the Old Covenant in the Bible, or those invented by the Church. Or we avoid relationship by living instead at the level of performance.

Like religion, law is much less threatening than relationship. It is cut and dried: thou shalt, thou shalt not. Tick the right boxes, and everything will be fine. And if somehow you have not ticked the right boxes, cover it up, because after all the law only really takes effect if you get caught!

Performance is also easier than relationship. Just do the job at hand, then the next and the next. Don't allow yourself to think or feel below or above the level necessary to the task. Do, don't be. Doing is always easier than being.

In fact, almost anything is easier than relationship, particularly the kind of deep and intimate relationship to which Jesus calls and invites us. Yet at the same time, nothing but that relationship can satisfy our deep heart hunger. It is tragic that so many Christians spend their entire Christian life performing, obeying, doing, praying prayers and following rituals, when what Jesus really wants from us is an embrace.

Much of the imagery of the Bible speaks of the relationship between God and mankind, and in particular God's people, as that of a bridegroom and his bride. Particularly in the Old Testament, a great deal of that imagery is negative: God rebuking His people, sometimes in the most explicit of terms, for being an unfaithful bride. Nonetheless, a negative can only exist in the absence of a positive. If it had not been God's desire that Israel be a true and faithful bride to Him, He would have no reason to chastise her for being an unfaithful bride.

In the New Testament we are presented with the picture of the church as the bride of Christ, and of all human history culminating in the marriage supper of the Lamb. Clearly, God wants a people who relate to Him not in the arms-length fashion of the law or religion, but in the intimacy of a lover's embrace.

If we are to be that people, there are some very important choices that we must make, and some issues that we must overcome. The first of those choices is simply this: we must settle in our hearts once and for all that the most important thing in our lives is our relationship with the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. It is more important than our material possessions. It is more important than our job. It is more important than our family. It is more important than our reputation. It is more important than our comfort. It is more important than our ministry. It is more important than anything. And having chosen to make that relationship the most important thing in our lives, we must settle in our hearts that we are prepared to do whatever it takes to develop that relationship to the highest level humanly possible.

That means we have to deal with the things that would hold us back from the fullness of that relationship: guilt and fear. Guilt will always cause us to hold back from God's presence, either out of a fear of punishment or a sense of unworthiness, or both. If you have come to God on the basis of the completed work of Christ at Calvary, and have repented of your sins and asked His forgiveness, then He has forgiven you. Not only has He forgiven you, He has pardoned you and justified you - declared you to be legally as clean as if you had never sinned. Your guilt was taken totally by Jesus. To try to take it back is both ungrateful and just plain stupid. To continue to sit in judgment on yourself, to continue to declare yourself guilty when God has declared you not guilty through Christ, is to place yourself as a judge higher than God - not something you really want to do!

If you have done something subsequent to your conversion for which you feel guilty, then the process is exactly the same. Come to God, confess your sin and repent of it, ask for forgiveness on the basis of Christ's sacrifice for you, and you will receive His forgiveness, pardon and justification. (Of course this does not mean that you can just go ahead and sin as much as you want, secure in the knowledge that God will forgive. If you try it, you may find your heart being hardened by sin so that it becomes impossible to come to the necessary repentance.)

The point is, guilt as an ongoing condition should not be part of your Christian walk. The one and only purpose of guilt is to turn you to repentance. After you have repented and been forgiven, guilt no longer has any place or purpose in your life. However, our old life and the enemy will conspire together to try to keep the guilt of our past before us. Very clearly and strongly, tell both yourself and Satan that your sin is under the blood of Jesus, your guilt has been taken away at the Cross, and you are not going to allow something that no longer exists to keep you out of the presence of God.

Fear is the other major issue that holds us back from the presence of God. As we have seen, sometimes fear is related to guilt. We are afraid that God will punish us, or that He will love us less. If we allow it, this fear can even keep us from coming to God in repentance for our sin, and thus perpetuate the guilt that also keeps us from God's presence. The antidote for this is for our relationship with God to become so important to us that we are prepared to risk anything - even His rebuke, chastisement or rejection - to press in to that relationship.

Earlier we talked about Peter's first encounter with Jesus, and how he begged the Lord to depart from him rather than confront and deal with his sinfulness. Peter had another encounter with Jesus that was, in many ways, very similar, yet in other ways was very different. It was after the resurrection. Before Jesus' death, Peter had bragged that even if all others forsook Him, he, Peter, would not. Jesus replied that before the cock crowed, Peter would deny Him three times, and that was exactly what happened. On the third day after His death, Jesus rose from the grave, and Peter was among the first disciples to learn of this great event. Yet he was not quick to embrace the good news. Obviously feeling that he had totally failed the Lord, and that Jesus could not possibly want to use him for anything ever again, he returned to his old work as a fisherman.

It was another of those nights. They labored all through the hours of darkness, but as the sun broke the horizon they still had not a single fish to show for it. Then they saw a Man on the shore. "Throw your nets on the other side," He called. When they did, it was as though every fish for miles around made a bee-line straight for those nets. Realizing that the Man who had called to them was the Master, Peter threw himself into the water and headed for Jesus. He was riddled with guilt. At the very best he expected a stern rebuke. At the worst - who knows! He had seen what had happened when Jesus cursed a fig tree! Yet in spite of his guilt, in spite of the fear that must have been pounding in his heart, and no matter what the consequences may be, he wanted Jesus. In the three and a half years since he first pushed Jesus away to protect his own sinfulness, Jesus had become so important to him that he would risk anything - indeed, everything - for one more moment in His presence.

That is the heart that must be in us, if we are to press in to the kind of intimacy that God wants to share with us.

The fear that keeps us back from God's presence may also be the fear of change. Whilst we recognize our areas of failure, we become very good at not really seeing them. It is a fact of human psychology that if we walk into a dilapidated building for the first time, we will be strongly impacted by its condition. On the second visit, we will be less strongly impacted. After several visits, we won't even notice the condition of the building, and may even begin to feel that it is really rather nice. We do much the same thing with our own lives, not truly seeing the areas that need work, and allowing ourselves to become quite comfortable with them. Yet deep down we have a recognition that God is not comfortable with them, and that if we let Him in He is likely to want to clean the place out, dump the rubbish, repaint the walls, and rearrange the furniture. For some, that is too threatening, and they would rather go on living the way they are.

Others fear what God might want them to become. They sense that He might be calling them beyond their comfort zone, both in their personal life and in their ministry to others. He might ask them to do things they do not want to do, to go places they do not want to go, or to give up things they do not want to give up. They feel it is safer to keep Him at arm's length - just close enough to still get them into heaven, but not close enough for Him to actually start changing things in their lives.

If intimacy with God is not more important to us than our areas of sin and failure, we will hold on to those areas, and will not press in to God, because we know that if we do so He will want to put His finger on those areas. If intimacy with God is not more important to us than our ego or our reputation, then we will hold back from Him in any area where there is a chance that He might ask us to risk either of them. If intimacy with God is not more important to us than our lives, then we will hold back for fear that getting too close to Him may cost us those lives.

Note that the fear that keeps us out of the presence of God is not the "fear of the Lord" that the Word says is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord is a recognition that, whilst we are absolutely safe and protected in His grace, He is God, and His power is infinitely greater than every other power in the universe put together. Should He ever choose to remove His grace from us, even for the slightest second, we would be disintegrated. That kind of fear-wrapped-up-in-love will draw us closer to Him, whereas the fear produced by guilt or self-preservation will cause us to run from Him.

The third area we have to address in seeking intimacy with God is laziness. God has made it very easy for us to come to Him initially, asking only that we turn from sin (repent) and believe that He has paid the price of our forgiveness in Christ. Yet the further we go in God, the more is required of us. This does not mean that at any point we move out of God's grace and into our own effort. Rather, it means that our Father has reserved His deeper things for those who demonstrate that they really want this level of intimacy with Him. Through Jeremiah He told the people of Israel, _"You shall seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart."_ (Jer. 29:13) The same standard applies today.

Just as building a human relationship takes time, building an intimate relationship with God does not happen without an input of time and effort on our part. Sometimes, in the heat of worship, we will pray something like "God, I want more of You." The truth is, we already have as much of God as we will ever, or can ever, get. Assuming you are born again, the Holy Spirit lives within you. He is God. And God, being infinite, is indivisible. Infinity divided by anything is infinity. It is impossible to have a little bit of God. You have God - the God who flung the universe into space with a word; the God who reversed time for Joshua and Hezekiah; the God who healed the sick, fed the multitudes, evicted demons and raised the dead in Jesus Christ; the God who one day will roll up the material universe like a used scroll and bring about a whole new order of existence - you have this God, in His fullness, inside of you. The question is never, how much do we have of God, but how much does He have of us?

In order for God to have more of us, we have to spend time in His presence. We need to take time in His Word, to take time in worship, to take time in prayer. Just as a successful marriage requires time and effort, so does a deepening intimacy with God.

One of the first requirements of an intimate relationship is getting to know each other. In our relationship with God, He has a distinct advantage: He already knows everything there is to know about us. Yet, in the interests of the relationship, it is as if He puts that aside. Instead, He invites us to share with Him our thoughts, our feelings, our hurts, our joys - and yes, even the times when we are really, really mad at Him (even though we will need to repent of this later.) When we share our thoughts and feelings with God, we invite Him to become part of them. The more we do so, the closer to Him we grow.

On the other hand, we also need to take time getting to know Him. The first place we will do that is in His Word. The Word of God shows us the character of God, as well as His actions. If we read it well, it also shows us His heart. If we only ever read the Word as a textbook, then it is unlikely that we will develop a relationship with God through it (how many of us developed a relationship with Pythagoras through reading a maths textbook?) We need to start to see the Bible as God's personal love letter to us. As we read it, we need to listen to hear His voice. Ask, what is God's mood in this passage? Is He delighted in His creation? Is He angry? Is He sad? What things does He want the Church to learn through this passage? What does He want us to learn as individuals? Is there a phrase or sentence that jumps out and speaks directly to our present situation? (You'll be surprised how often there is!)

Through the Word we get to know what things cause God to respond with joy, sorrow or anger. We learn to hear His heartbeat. Then we can move on to listening to His voice outside of the Word. He will never say something outside of the Word that contradicts what He has said in the Word, but He will speak directly and specifically to issues that are not addressed in the Word.

We need to cultivate the habit of asking God into all the decisions of our lives. For some of us, that is harder than for others. Some of us are used to just barging ahead and making decisions, and hoping that God will put His stamp of approval on them somewhere down the track. That doesn't build our relationship with God, and generally leads to problems.

How we hear from God for our decision making will vary for each of us, because we are all unique. A friend who is very good at "seeing" was having trouble making a decision about a future course of action. I told her to picture herself standing at a cross-road, with each fork of the road clearly marked with one of the possibilities she was considering, and to see which road the light of the Lord shone upon. Almost instantly one of the roads lit up, and she had her answer. That would never have worked for me, because I just don't function in that kind of visual manner. Experiment. Try several ways of finding God's voice, and see which works best for you.

Importantly, before you begin be sure that you have laid your own desires on the altar (otherwise the voice you hear may be your own) and that you have claimed the protection of the Blood of Jesus (so that the enemy does not try to get in on the act.)

Sadly, many Christians find this to be just too great an effort. They would prefer to splash around in the comfortable, shallow waters than to try to venture into the depths of God.

Others are prepared to make the effort, but in doing so they revert to works and performance, rather than developing a relationship. They will pray for hours, read for hours, fast for days - yet they are still operating at the level of doing, rather than being. They are like the wife who keeps her house spotless, cooks wonderful meals and bakes even more wonderful treats, sews and knits and gardens, but never really develops the relationship with her husband. All the "doing" is like a bargaining chip: here are the things I have done, and because of them you must love me.

Time in prayer, time in the Word, worship, fasting, and all the disciplines of the Christian life are important, but only if through them we are making a deeper connection with God. If we are, even though we are expending effort, it will not be onerous. If through them our intimacy with the Lord is growing, then these things will become a delight to us. Rather than "I should," they will become "I need to" and "I want to." Instead of working to get closer to God, we will find ourselves simply snuggling closer and closer into His arms. Instead of a burden, we will find joy.

God desires to be included in every area of our lives. Even under the Old Covenant, He wanted His people to delight in Him. Ps. 37:4 tells us, _"delight yourself in Yahweh, and he will give you the desires of your heart."_ This does not mean that He will give us whatever we want, but that He will give us the desires - that He will place His desires within us. As we delight in Him, His desires become our desires. We see this operate even at a human level. A girl falls in love. Before, she had no interest in football whatsoever, but her boyfriend is a football player. Suddenly, football becomes one of her favorite pass-times. Because she loves the boy, the things he loves have become the things she loves.

Those of us in public ministry often find it far easier to receive something from God, whether through the Word or directly, when we are going to use it to minister to others. Sometimes it seems that everything in life becomes grist for the sermon mill! Certainly God wants to use all of us (not just those in "up front" ministry) to minister to others, but even more than that He wants to share with us personally, just for ourselves. He will whisper secrets to us, or give us a special little touch, just because He loves us and wants to bring us even closer to Himself. Likewise, He wants us to share things with Him that we would not share with others. Learn to look for "kisses from Daddy" - those small, unnecessary, unexpected blessings that come our way so often, but sometimes pass unnoticed.

As we grow close to Him, we find that He is even able to smile with us. One Christmas, He had been speaking to my heart about spending some time with Him over the holiday season. On Christmas eve, I was driving from the Gold Coast in Queensland to Brisbane along the freeway, traveling at highway speed (110 km per hour) when suddenly a caravan that had been parked at the side of the highway pulled in front of me. With the heavy van in tow, the driver had no chance of reaching highway speed quickly, and vehicles on the other side made it impossible for me to change lanes. As I watched him looming rapidly in front of me, and certain that we were going to collide, without really thinking I found myself praying, "Lord, when You asked me to spend some time with You over Christmas I didn't realize You meant at Your place!" I could almost see God's smile, and somehow, impossibly, I slowed quickly enough to avoid impact.

Real Christianity is an intimate relationship with God. It is like the relationship of two lovers. A girl who is in love can't get enough of her lover. She is constantly seeking to learn more about him - not just his history, so she can write his biography; nor his psychology so that she can analyze him; nor his business involvement so she can market him - but all the small, funny, unlikely, personal things about him. Likewise, she wants to share with him everything about herself. She wants to include him in everything she does, and to be included in all he does. She will happily spend hours talking, listening, laughing, or just being silent, in his presence.

As it grows, it becomes also like the relationship of two long-term lovers. Now the wife knows her husband so well that she can finish his sentences for him, yet she still delights to learn new things about him. They have walked together through good times and bad, through prosperity and adversity. They share their memories, but they still have their dreams. Everything they have is "ours," not "mine" or "yours," and there is nothing that they are not able to share with each other. They have become alike in so many small ways - even to the extent, sometimes, of beginning to look alike - that in a very real sense they are one. And in it all, they still have eyes only for each other.

That's what God had in mind when, by His Spirit, He came to live within His people.

" _Father, I bring each person reading this before You. I ask that Your Spirit would draw each one into a deep and intimate relationship with Yourself, that You would give them a hunger that can be only satisfied by Your presence, and that You would move their hearts to seek You before all things. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."_

###  PART 2 – RADICAL CHRISTIANITY: OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH OTHER

How often have you heard - or perhaps even said - "The Church would be great if it were not for the people!" For many of us, a relationship with a perfect, loving, gracious God who wants only the very best for us seems easy, whilst a relationship with imperfect, difficult, infuriating people who often seem to only want to take, take, and take some more, is anything but.

Yet God has made it very clear that our relationship with each other is the measure of our relationship with Him: _"If a man says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for he who doesn't love his brother whom he has seen, how can he love God whom he has not seen? This commandment we have from him, that he who loves God should also love his brother."_ (1 Jn. 4:20-21)

We sometimes struggle with that. We might well argue that it is precisely what we can see in our brother or sister that makes them so difficult to love - and they might feel exactly the same way about us! It is so much easier to feel good toward God.

That, of course, is the whole point. Even though, as we have seen in the first section of this book, our love for God must include our emotions - and, as we will see in the next chapter, our love for our brothers and sisters should also - neither our love for God nor our love for others is based on emotion. Our love must be much more robust than that. It must have its feet firmly planted on the ground, and its eyes wide open. It is not to pretend faults don't exist, but to recognize them and still love anyway. If our love for our brothers and sisters is based on our emotional reactions to what we perceive as their faults, what will happen to our love for God when He does something that we don't understand - something that seems, from our earth-bound view, unfair or even cruel?

There is another reason why our relationship with each other in the Body of Christ is every bit as important as our personal relationship with God. We in the west have become an overwhelmingly individualistic society. Even within the Church, the individual reigns supreme. We have a personal salvation, a personal relationship with God, a personal ministry and personal goals in life. And, yes, Scripture makes it clear that even if there had been only one person in need of salvation, Christ would have died for that one.

God, however, does not deal just with individuals. He is a corporate God - Father, Son and Spirit - and He deals with man corporately as well as individually. When He called Abraham, He was looking not just at the man, but at the dynasty that would come from him. All the promises that God made to Abraham found their ultimate fulfillment, not in Abraham's life, but in the lives of the nations that descended from him.

Likewise, when God called Moses from the burning bush, He was not just calling one man to His service: He was calling forth a nation. The Mount Sinai covenant was a national covenant. Through it God brought the nation, not just individuals, into covenant relationship with Himself. The laws of that covenant taught the people how they were to live, not just in their personal relationship to God, but as a nation in relationship to God and to each other.

Throughout the Old Testament we find God's servants identifying with the nation and crying out to God in repentance on behalf of the nation (even though they personally may not have been guilty of the sins for which they were repenting) - e.g. Neh. 1:5-11 and Dan. 9:3-19. We also see Jeremiah's assistant Baruch chided by the Lord because he was reluctant to share in the fate of the nation that was coming as a result of God's judgment. (Jer. 45)

For the people of Israel, the only hope of salvation, the only way in which they could relate to God at all, was in the context of community. To be "cut off from the people" - the sentence laid down for the breaking of many of the laws - meant to be cut off from the Tabernacle or Temple, from the priesthood, from the sacrificial system. Without these things there could be no covering of sin, no approach to God. Outside of the community of faith there was no access to the Word of God through the Law or through the words of the prophets. If one was outside of the community of faith, one was utterly alone, cut off from both man and God.

Are things any different in the New Testament? In one of the most difficult and misunderstood passages of the Gospels, Jesus talked about the judgment of the nations. (Matt. 25:31-46) He speaks of those who met the physical and emotional needs of others, who will be welcomed into the Kingdom, and those who did not who will be cast out. Although there is some disagreement about the interpretation of this passage, it seems most likely that He is speaking of the beginning of the millennial rule, and the "nations" are those who are left on earth after Armageddon. They are not believers (who have already been caught up to meet the Lord, whether before, during or after the tribulation,) but simply those who did not take part in the last great battle - probably predominantly women, children and the elderly, along with a small number of military-aged men who have not been part of the army of Satan Their judgment (whether or not they will be allowed to remain on earth during the millennium, not their eternal destiny) is based solely on how they have treated God's people. The important thing for us here, is that Christ does not deal with them as individuals, but as communities, just as in the Old Testament God's judgment often came not just against individuals, but against communities.

Again, most Christians have been hearing the Great Commission for as long as they have had anything to do with the Church. In Matthew it says, _"Go and make disciples of all nations..."_ (Matt. 28:19) Mark's version says, _"Go into all the world, and preach the Good News to the whole creation ..."_ (Mk. 16:15) In both cases it is a communal commission. It is simply not possible for one person in one lifetime to "go into all the world" and "preach the gospel to the whole creation" and by doing so "make disciples of all nations." For one person to do so would take thousands of years - and by the time he finished there would be a whole world of people who had been born since he went to their area. No, this is a corporate commission: it is the Church, one body with millions of hands, millions of feet, millions of mouths - and with millions of lifetimes - that is to accomplish this awesome task.

Pentecost was a communal event. It was not to individuals, each seeking God by himself in isolation, that the Spirit came, but to the community of believers gathered together in one accord. Nor was it to individuals that the promise of _"power to be My witnesses"_ was given - the word was spoken to "you" in the plural ("ye" in the KJV.)

Clearly, the very early church lived in community to an intense degree. Yet even as the Church grew and dispersed, and that intense physical community became impossible, they were still reminded of their corporate nature. When Paul taught about spiritual gifts, it was in the context of the body. In that same context he declared, _"When one member suffers, all the members suffer with it. Or when one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it."_ (1 Cor. 12:26)

The metaphors used of the church all speak of a corporate, communal entity. We are a Body - just one body, not multiplied Siamese twins. We are a Bride, not a harem. We are a temple, not a temple precinct. We are an army - a fighting force of individuals bound together in a singularity of life and purpose.

Finally, the return of the Lord will be a corporate event. Regardless of whether the "rapture" takes place before, during or after the Great Tribulation, one thing is certain - we're all going together! There will not be an individual snatching away of the saints to be with the Lord, but a great, triumphant snatching up of the Body.

With all this in mind, it is very obvious that the real, radical and revolutionary relationship we each as individuals have with God must be worked out through the real, radical and revolutionary relationships we have with each other in the Body of Christ.

### LOVE

Perhaps the first thing we should do in a discussion about love is to define our terms. Our modern world uses the term "love" quite indiscriminately. Often, what it is really talking about is lust. Just as often, it refers to fuzzy emotional feelings. Almost always, it is centered in self. It is about the pleasure (or the pain) I get, the fulfillment of my dreams and wishes, the way in which a person or thing fits my desires and standards. And, since it is all about me, love stops when I cease to be pleasured or fulfilled or satisfied. Of course, the truth is that none of this is love, it is merely self-gratification.

The ancient Greeks had three words that could be translated as "love" in modern English. The first was _storge_. It referred to the kind of dutiful love found in a family - love that came because of the relationship that already existed, rather than love that created a new relationship by its coming. _Storge_ love remains faithful even when things are "same old, same old." Its focus is not so much the individual as the relationship. There is definitely a place for _storge_ love in our relationships both with God and with each other.

The second was _eros_ , sexual love. It described the passion and intensity of a physical relationship. As Christians, the only place where we should be experiencing _eros_ is within a legitimate marriage \- not because it is "bad" or "dirty," but because it is too precious to be splashed around willy-nilly. I am totally convinced that a large part of the reason that so many people have trouble with purity is because we have traditionally presented sexual love in a negative context, rather than emphasizing that it is so precious that it should be held in reserve to be shared only in that one, special, life-long committed relationship.

Thirdly, there was _philia_. This was "brotherly affection" or "fondness." It represented the highest ideal of human love. It was emotional, and based on the lovableness of the other person. For many today, even within the Church, it is the highest level of love to which they aspire. After the resurrection Peter, obviously despondent about his denial of Christ and feeling that the Lord could not possibly have any further use for him, returned to his fishing. Jesus showed up, and when Peter realized who He was, he ran to the shore to meet Him. Three times (corresponding to Peter's three denials) Jesus asked him, "Do you love Me more than these?" What is lost in our English translations is the deeper meaning. The first two times, Jesus asked Peter "Do you _agape_ Me?" Peter replied, "Lord, I _philia_ You." In other words, Jesus was asking "Do you love Me with God's kind of love?" and Peter, recognizing that this was beyond him, replied, "Lord, I'm fond of You." The third time, Jesus stepped down to accept Peter where he was: "Peter, do you _philia_ Me?" "Yes, Lord, I _philia_ You."

None of these Greek words were sufficient for the kind of love described by, and demanded in, the New Testament, so the Bible writers used another word, _agape_. _Agape_ is God's kind of love. It is not selfish. It is not based only on the relationship. It does not depend on how lovable its object may be. _Agape_ sees past the faults, difficulties and problems to the inner person and recognizes the worth and importance of that person, and treasures him for that worth and importance. Because of this, it will do whatever is necessary to bring forth that worth and importance. For the rest of this book, when we speak of love we are talking about _agape_.

Love is central to our relationships with others in the Body of Christ. In fact, it is the whole basis of those relationships. It cannot be otherwise, because love is the essential nature of God. Since the Spirit of God lives within each of us individually and also in the Church corporately, His love nature must govern all that we are and do in relation to each other. It is no wonder that, when Jesus was challenged to nominate the greatest commandment, He said "Love": _"love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength"_ (from Deut. 6:4) and " _love your neighbor as yourself."_ (from Lev. 19:18) (Mk. 12:30-31)

Most Christians take this latter as the standard of love: love your neighbor as yourself. However, Jesus was responding to a question about the greatest commandment of the Law - that is, of the 613 commandments of the Old Testament law, which was the greatest? Interestingly, He did not choose one of the Ten. That's what we New Testament believers, who have discarded the other 603 laws but in many cases still hold the Ten as binding, would have expected. The Jews did not make such distinctions. To them, the Law was the Law. In fact, many of those listening probably expected the laws concerning circumcision or the sacrificial system to take pre-eminence. But no, Jesus said the most important is Love - in fact, it is so important that all the Law and the Prophets (in other words the whole of the Old Covenant) hang on it. Yet, for all that, it is an Old Covenant law. It is an Old Testament standard.

Church, it pains me to say that we - that I - don't even live up to the Old Testament standard. Love your neighbor as yourself? That means that you value your neighbor, and that you care for your neighbor, in exactly the same way as you value and care for yourself. It means that you treat your neighbor as you would want to be treated in the same circumstances - that you treat him as if he were, in fact, yourself.

Love your neighbor as yourself? A brother's car has broken down. Do you hand him your car keys and tell him to drive it for as long as he needs? If you loved him as yourself you would, because if your car were broken down you would want someone to lend you his.

Love your neighbor as yourself? A sister has six kids and her husband has just lost his job. Do you empty out your fridge and take it all down to fill her fridge, and assure her that you will take care of feeding the family until they are back on their feet? If you loved her as yourself you would, because if your husband had just lost his job and you had six little mouths to feed, you would want someone to take care of your needs.

Love your neighbor as yourself? You watch a television documentary about starving children in Africa. Do you empty out your bank account and send it to the organization providing for their care? If you loved them as yourself you would, because you would want someone to give sacrificially to meet your need and the needs of your children in such circumstances.

Perhaps we see such examples as extreme. We reason that, to do such things would be to deny care to our own families. We can help, we say, but in some lesser way. So we save our used clothes to give to the poor or our used tea-bags to send to the missionaries (yes, it has been done!) and pat ourselves on the back because we "have helped." We totally miss the point that unless we ourselves wear used clothes and make our tea with used tea bags, we are not treating our brothers and sisters like we treat ourselves: we are not loving them as ourselves.

No, we don't even live up to the Old Testament standard.

As with everything, the New Testament standard of love is way beyond that of the Old Testament. _"Love one another,"_ Jesus said, " _as I have love you."_ (Jn. 15:12)

How did Jesus love us? Rom. 5:8 tells us that " _while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."_ He looked past the dirt and ugliness of lives corrupted by sin. He saw potential where there was no potential. He saw the image of God when it had been so sullied as to be barely recognizable. He saw the destiny that God had set before each of us. He saw what God had placed within us as being worth the sacrifice He would make to release that potential. I am not talking about worthiness. None of us was worthy of His love. None of us had done one single thing that deserved salvation, and most of us had done an awful lot of things that deserved God's judgment and eternal condemnation. There is a difference between worthiness (what we deserve) and worth (our innate value, based on God's creation and purposes.)

How did Jesus love us? He died for us! Even before that, He laid aside all the privilege, power and prerogatives of Godhead, and descended from the sinless perfection of heaven to the foul, sin-sodden garbage dump of earth. In my missionary travels I have seen some conditions that, to a westerner, seem quiet horrific. Yet they are nothing compared to the culture shock that God the Son must have experienced when He took on a human body and a human life. He laid down his life for us not only at Calvary, but every second that He was away from His heavenly home.

How did Jesus love us? He accepted us as we were. Many years ago I knew a brother who had come, as I had, out of the occult. He used to say that He had a mental picture of Jesus, when he was saved, picking him up like a stinking sewer rat and holding him by the tail at arms length, whilst holding His nose with the other hand. My brother missed the point. In reality Jesus scooped up that stinking sewer rat and embraced it to His heart, washing it spotlessly clean with His own blood in the process. He didn't demand that we go off and fix ourselves up and clean ourselves off before we came to Him. He knew that we couldn't. He did that for us when we came to Him.

This is the Jesus Who says, _"Love one another AS I HAVE LOVED YOU."_

That means that we, as He did, must look beyond the outward and see the potential within. That we must see the worth when there is no worthiness. That we must be prepared to lay down our lives for each other - not just being ready to die for each other, but giving up our time, our agenda, our hopes and dreams, our interests, for the sake of the other. And it means that we cannot expect the other person to fix herself up, to become lovable, before we will love her.

Unfortunately, some have taken this to mean that love is purely an act of the will, that we must grit our teeth and force ourselves to love somebody no matter what they may be like. When I was a young Christian there was a teaching that said, "I've got to love you, even if I don't like you."

That is unmitigated nonsense.

Have you ever been on the receiving end of "love through gritted teeth?" Does it feel like love? Of course it doesn't, because it isn't. It is a pretense, a mockery. How can we say we see the value in someone if it is such an effort? How can we claim to believe that someone is "precious" and "important" if we obviously can't stand the sight of him?

What is needed is for us to learn to fall in love with one another. Have you ever noticed that most people don't fall in love with someone who is perfect? That's because there are very few perfect people out there. No, we fall in love with someone who is imperfect - sometimes glaringly so - but we don't see the imperfections. We are so focused on her good points that we don't even notice the warts on her nose. He may be a nerd to everyone else, but to us he is a knight in shining armor.

Of course, we move past that. We come to a place where we can see the warts, but we love anyway. That is real love. Yet somehow, it is the "in love" stage that moves us on to real love. Because we have seen so powerfully, so clearly, so blindingly, this person's good points, we can never really lose sight of them even when the ugliness rears its head.

This is love from the heart, not just from the will. In Christian terms, it is love born of revelation. We are greatly mistaken when we say that we must love from the will. The will is one of the functions of the soul, but love is from the spirit. It is absolutely impossible to produce a fruit of the spirit from the realm of the soul. We do not have the capacity to produce this kind of love.

How, then, does it come? By revelation. God sees that person you can't stand as He created him. He sees the potential that He placed in him. He sees His image in him - both the image He created in him, and the image into which he can be transformed by the Spirit. No, God isn't fooled. It's not that He doesn't know that this guy's an ugly, loud, obnoxious, argumentative, thoroughly nasty person. He just sees past it. And, if you allow God to give you a revelation of that person as He sees him, you will too. You won't have to work at it, you won't have to force yourself, you won't have to do it by an act of your will. You will see someone beautiful and valuable and important, and you will fall in love with him. Just as God accepted you by grace, you will accept him by the same grace.

Revelation (sometimes called intuition) is a function of the human spirit. It begins as we look into the Word of God and start, through its pages, to see things through God's eyes. We see how Jesus saw the woman taken in adultery - not as a wretched sinner deserving of the most horrible death, but as a woman in God's image, full of value and beauty. We see the thief on the cross through His eyes - not a criminal getting his due desserts, but a child of God coming home to Father. We see Saul, the terrorist of his day - but discover that God sees Paul, the apostle who would willingly lay down his life for his Lord.

Once we have learned to see through God's eyes in His Word, we are able to begin to see through His eyes in relation to the people around us - those real, flesh-and-blood people with the sandpaper ministries. We begin to see that even the sandpaper is part of God's plan, that their very abrasiveness is a thing of value as it polishes and sharpens us for the work of the Kingdom.

This is far better than gritting our teeth and trying to force ourselves to love someone. We are going to spend eternity with that person, and much as we might wish for it to be so he is not going to be at one end of heaven and we at the other!

Now all this is great, but unless it works where the rubber meets the road, it is all so much theory. Just as faith without works is dead, so is love. If we truly love, then we will behave lovingly. We will do the things necessary to bring forth the potential we have so clearly seen in the other person. We will encourage and build up. Where there is material need, we will do our best to meet it. We will defend the other person, both from natural and from spiritual attacks.

This does not mean, however, that we will be all "sweetness" and "niceness." An honest reading of the Gospels shows that there were many times when Jesus was anything but sweet and nice. Not only did He regularly rebuke the Pharisees and Sadducees for their hypocrisy, but He also rebuked His disciples for their lack of faith, even going to the extent of calling Peter "Satan" when he rebuked Jesus for talking about His upcoming death. Why? Because He knew that it was far more important for His disciples to grow in faith, and to understand that the Cross was the central purpose of His life, than for them to think that He was nice. In the same way, when the Samaritan woman came seeking help for her demon-possessed daughter, he rebuffed her, calling her a dog - because He knew that she needed to dig a little deeper into her store of faith in order to take hold of the miracle.

Sometimes "tough love" is not only appropriate, it is absolutely necessary and the only truly loving thing we can do. I have already shared about my conversion. Many Christians would consider that telling someone she was "an abomination to the Lord" was very unloving and even cruel, even if the words were taken directly from the pages of Scripture. I don't see it that way. Other Christians had tried to witness to me, telling me "God loves you." Because I thought I was a Christian, I simply answered, "Yes, I know." Their "love" would have seen me head straight for hell! The truly loving response, uncomfortable as it was, confronted me with the truth and brought me to a place where I was able to recognize both my sin and my need, and find the salvation that God had provided for me. What saved me from hell was love; what would have allowed me to continue on my way there, in the name of "niceness," was not even a remote shadow of love.

A friend had a teenage son who was going through a particularly troubled time, in spite of having been raised in a Christian home. At 16 he was insolent, disrespectful and disobedient. House rules were regularly ignored. Not only did he refuse to contribute to the family's costs, a friend had come to board then quit his job the day after he moved in, so my friend and her husband were carrying him as well. Finally, they had had enough. My friend confronted her son and gave him one week to "shape up or ship out." A week later, when nothing had changed, she packed his bag - and his mate's - and showed them the door. Of course, they both thought she was the worst mother in the world, and a very poor example of a Christian. They moved into a caravan together, and began to learn what life is really all about.

Some months later, having also shown his mate the door because of his lack of contribution to the expenses, her son told my friend with a somewhat sheepish grin, "Mum, that was the best thing you could possibly have done for me."

When my older son was about two, he somehow managed to open the lock on our front gate and run out onto the road. We lived in the country, and the road was not busy, but he timed his escape just as a truck rounded the bend and headed straight toward him. I screamed and ran, scooping him out of the way just as the truck whizzed past. Did I spank my child? You bet I did! I did it because I loved him, and I would far rather have him suffer a few moments pain in his well-padded little backside and get the message that this was not something he should ever try again, even if that meant him thinking that I was the world's worst Mummy, than speak nicely to him and take the risk that next time I would not be fast enough. Two-year-olds don't understand reason. They do understand - and remember - a smarting tail.

God tells us that He disciplines those He loves, (Heb 12:6) and there are times when our love must include rebuke, challenge, or confrontation. The important thing is that the challenge or rebuke is not for our sake \- because we are peeved or put out - but for the other's sake, to move him from a path of destruction and onto the path of life. Sometimes transparency may require that we make our personal feelings known (we'll get to that in a later chapter,) but we cannot claim that doing so is loving the other person. Tough love is about the other, not about us.

Nor should we imagine that, under the guise of "tough love," we have a free pass to behave obnoxiously. The adage about catching more flies with honey than with vinegar still applies (and if you are not interested in catching flies, remember the same goes for honey bees!) Discipline and rebuke should only be a very small part of our love relationship with our brothers and sisters in Christ. Remember one simple rule: praise is food, rebuke is medicine. Like food, praise should be dished out in healthy portions several times a day. Rebuke, like medicine, should be reserved for those times when it is strictly needed, and then only administered in the smallest possible doses.

Particularly in relation to those over whom God has placed us as leaders, there will be times when love requires us to discipline or correct. Here we must be especially careful: spiritual abuse is a trap into which we can all too easily fall. Our authority over that person does not give us the right to control him, or to demean her, in the name of discipline. For our own sake, we also need to remember that we are not responsible for the other person's response. Once we have pointed out the problem, and offered our help in overcoming it, it is up to the other person. We cannot force him to follow our advice, or even to see and acknowledge that there is a problem. And whilst her failure to do so may frustrate us to the point of our wanting to shake her, at that point we have to take our hands off and simply pray.

That brings us to another important area in relation to love: forgiveness. For some reason many Christians still have a problem with forgiveness. Oh, we don't have a problem asking for God's forgiveness. We just have a problem sharing that forgiveness with others. We know that Jesus told us that if we don't forgive, we can't be forgiven. We know that He taught us to pray that we would be forgiven in the same manner as we forgive others. We know the parable about the man who was forgiven a huge debt (it was actually the equivalent of 150,000 years wages) only to then go out and throw his friend, who owed him about the equivalent of three and a half months wages, in jail for non-repayment. We know that in the parable he was denounced and himself thrown in jail for his efforts. Yet still we find it hard to forgive.

What we fail to understand is that forgiveness is a package deal. When Jesus bought my forgiveness, He also bought yours. It isn't a matter of works - we don't somehow "earn" our forgiveness by forgiving the other person. Very simply, when Jesus paid my debt to God He also paid your debt to me (as well as your debt to God and my debt to you.) I can't take mine and not take yours. They are inseparably linked. Either I take the whole package, or I take none of it.

Unforgiveness does not hurt the person whom we refuse to forgive. It hurts us. Many years ago, when I first began ministry, I used to preach at an old folks' home in Sydney. One lady there sticks in my memory. Every time I saw her, she would tell me about the great injustice that had been done to her by her daughter, fifty years before. She could not forgive, she could not let go, and now the memory had become a great, heavy chain that held her in bondage to all the pain of the original event.

Robust relationships can stand most things, but they cannot stand through unforgiveness. Particularly within the Body of Christ, if we are to become all that God wants us to be, forgiveness is not optional. We must forgive, we must release, we must move on.

This love that sees the value in others, that lays down its life, that is worked out in the practicalities, that sometimes confronts and always forgives, has to start somewhere. Where does it start? Wherever you are! Whether your primary participation in the Body of Christ is a home fellowship of two people, or a mega church of 20,000, that is where you start. Just as we cannot say we love God if we do not love our brother, so we cannot say we love our brother on the other side of the world if we do not love our brother next door. We have to begin walking in this love - this real, radical, revolutionary love - with those we relate to day by day, week by week.
" _Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I ask that You would release to every person who has just read this chapter the grace to love as You love. Give them the revelation to see others as You see them. Help them to love from the life of the Spirit within, rather than by trying to love by an act of will. Amen."_

### HUMILITY

Often when people hear the word, "humility," their immediate thought is of a Uriah Heep type, cringing and sniveling, constantly declaring his own nothingness and lack of worth. Nothing could be further from the truth. Our outstanding example of humility is the Lord Jesus Christ. At no point in the Gospels is He ever presented as cringing or sniveling. Never at any point does He suggest that He is unimportant or unworthy. Nor does He lay down like a doormat and let people walk all over Him. Humility is not another name for an inferiority complex.

Chapter two of the book of Philippians gives us a grand overview of the humility of Christ. First, He is presented as fully equal with the Father (verse 6.) He knew Who He was. True humility is based in security, not in insecurity. Throughout His earthly life, even from the age of 12 when He went with Mary and Joseph to Jerusalem and stayed behind talking to the teachers in the Temple, Jesus was aware of His relationship with the Father. He never denied or downplayed that relationship, even when the religious authorities of the day accused Him of blasphemy for calling God, His Father. He fully understood the authority that He had over sickness, demons and even death; and He had no trouble in declaring Himself to be greater than the Temple, (Matt. 12:6) greater than Jonah (Matt. 12:41) and greater than Solomon. (Matt 12:42)

Yet, Philippians tells us, He did not consider that equality with God was something that He needed to grasp to Himself. That is the essence of humility: knowing the position that was His by right, He willing stepped down from that position, laid aside its prerogatives, and walked in a position that was far, far below Him, yet did so without ever appearing condescending. He knew that He was God, but He didn't find it necessary to blow the trumpet before Himself announcing His presence and command everyone to bow. When He came to earth, He didn't even insist on receiving the best of everything while He was here. He could have done so: He could have been born in a king's palace, lived in luxury all His life, and still died in our place as our substitute. Instead, He chose to be born of poor parents. (We know they were poor, because when the time came for Mary's cleansing after the confinement, they brought an offering of _"a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."_ (Lk. 2:24) This was the offering prescribed for those who were too poor to present a lamb - Lev. 12:8 - and it would have been an offense against the Law, and an insult to God, if it had been brought by those who were able to afford a lamb.) He lived in an ordinary house in an ordinary village, working with His hands and carrying out all the mundane tasks that would have fallen to a young boy in that culture. Knowing His own greatness, He did not need to have that greatness recognized or acknowledged by those around Him.

In doing so, He identified with us in the fullest possible way. Humility identifies with those to whom it is ministering. I am always somewhat bemused by those who go on "missions" trips to developing countries, and spend their time there staying in first-class hotels. There are times, of course, when a hotel stay is unavoidable, but by and large if we are ministering to a particular culture, then we need as far as possible to identify with that culture - even if it means sleeping on a grass mat on the floor!

Humility accepts - willingly and graciously - a position lower than that to which it is entitled. Nor does it see itself as "too important" to do the lowest jobs. Some jobs simply have to be done. The humble person understands that his worth is not diminished if he picks up a bit of rubbish, or sweeps the floor, or takes out the trash.

Philippians also tells us that one aspect of Christ's humility was that He "became obedient." I wonder whether we have ever really stopped to think about what this means. Certainly, it is not saying the He was ever disobedient. Rather, in all eternity before the incarnation, He had never needed to be obedient. He was totally equal to the Father in every way, and there was absolute and perfect agreement between Father, Son, and Spirit on every issue. There was nothing in which obedience was required. Yet, from that position of absolute authority, He willing stepped down into a position of submission. He became obedient. He who, with the Father and the Spirit, had ruled the universe, learned what it was to be ruled by the will of another.

Now that on its own is hard enough to understand. Yet there was still no real conflict between Father and Son - Jesus said clearly that He did only what He saw the Father doing, said only what He heard the Father saying - so for the greatest part of His life obedience to the Father was not a major issue. Two aspects of His humble obedience, however, stand out particularly.

The first is that He not only became obedient to His heavenly Father, Who was perfect and always only willed the best. He also became obedient to Mary and Joseph, who were not perfect, and who with all the love and good intentions in the world would sometimes have got it wrong. Most kids think that they know better than their parents, and do not hesitate to make that fact known. Jesus did know better than His earthly parents, yet spent His childhood, youth and young manhood in subjection to them.

Even more important, though, is that His obedience carried through to the ultimate extreme. He became obedient unto death. We're not just talking about physical death, as painful and horrendous as that was. No, to buy our salvation - to pay the price of our sin - He had to experience in full the death that was the penalty of our sin, the death of separation from the Father. It's impossible for us to wrap our minds around what that meant, or to grasp what it cost to willingly embrace it. Often when things are not going our way, we climb up on our high horse and shout to the world "It's just not fair! I don't deserve this!" If ever anyone had a right to say those words, it was Jesus. It was not fair that the sinless one should be saturated with our sin. It was not fair that the one who had never done wrong should pay for the wrongs of all mankind. It was not fair that the one who had brought life should be rewarded with death. It was not fair that the one who had lived in perfect unity with the Father's will should endure separation from the Father. He had not earned it, He did not deserve it, He had every right to refuse it. But He didn't. That was the measure of His obedience, and of His humility.

The passage in Philippians that gives us this picture of the humility of Jesus begins by telling us to esteem others more highly than ourselves. As we have seen in Jesus, that does not mean seeing ourselves as nothing, but rather placing the interests of others above our own. It means being willing to be a servant, even to those over whom we are placed in leadership. Sadly, many leaders in the church today are only interested in pushing themselves forward. They want the title, the status - and in some cases the fancy robes - of leadership. They want everyone to look up to them and see that they are important men or women. They behave more like the Pharisees whom Jesus denounced on a regular basis than like their humble servant-King.

Neither is this attitude confined to the "professional" clergy. Even among the laity there are many whose favorite hymn is "How Great I Am." We need to be very careful of this attitude, not just decrying it when we see it in others - which is very easy to do - but recognizing and dealing with it when it raises its ugly head in our own lives. It's not about me, and it's not about how great I am. It's about God, and how great He is. It's about our brother or sister in Christ, and how great he or she is. How great that God has touched his life. How great that God has picked her up from where she was and brought her to Himself. How great that God has given him such wonderful gifts. How great that God has placed His anointing on her, and uses her for His glory.

Not only does the Word tell us to esteem others more highly than ourselves, it also tells us not to esteem ourselves more highly than we ought. (Romans 12:3) This is written in the context of giftings, and makes it clear that our gifts or callings are not an excuse for placing ourselves above others in the Body of Christ.

Our calling in God has nothing to do with our worth. Our worth, our innate value, is based on the fact that God created us in His image. Someone has defined the value of anything as being "the price that someone is prepared to pay for it." The price that God was prepared to pay for you was the blood of Jesus. Likewise for me, and for every other person on this planet. It is the same for the lowest rag picker on the streets of Calcutta as for the Pope or the Archbishop of Canterbury in their palaces. It is the same for an African tribesman in a bark hut as for a televangelist with designer suits, fancy cars and a private jet. Our worth is the same, whether we are black or white, rich or poor, male or female, illiterate or the holder of multiple doctorates. There is no-one on this earth who is even the tiniest fraction more valuable than you, nor the tiniest fraction less. Since our value before God is the same, our callings cannot be based on our value or worth.

Neither are they based on our worthiness. There is not one of us who deserved salvation, much less the honor of being called of God to serve Him. There is nothing we have done or could ever do to earn our calling. Like everything else in our Christian lives, our callings are all of grace. We didn't earn them, therefore we cannot claim any merit in them.

Since God has not called us because we were better than our brothers and sisters in Christ, nor because we have earned more than they have, we must not imagine that our calling puts us above others in the Church.

This problem arises particularly in relation to the offices of apostle and prophet. It seems that a very large number of people in the church today want to be an apostle or a prophet, or both. They see these as the "glamor jobs" of Christian ministry. This is where the power and authority are! Many take the words "Apostle" and "Prophet" (which are actually only job descriptions and nothing more) and turn them into titles, which they see as then elevating them not only above the hoi-polloi of ordinary Christians, but above the "ordinary" ministries of evangelist, pastor and teacher.

When someone comes to me saying, "I want to be an apostle" I usually steer him to 1 Corinthians chapter 4. There Paul writes,

> " _For, I think that God has displayed us, the apostles, last of all, like men sentenced to death. For we are made a spectacle to the world, both to angels and men. We are fools for Christ's sake, but you are wise in Christ. We are weak, but you are strong. You have honor, but we have dishonor. Even to this present hour we hunger, thirst, are naked, are beaten, and have no certain dwelling place. We toil, working with our own hands. When people curse us, we bless. Being persecuted, we endure. Being defamed, we entreat. We are made as the filth of the world, the dirt wiped off by all, even until now."_

That was Paul's "job description" for an apostle - and the one for a prophet is not much better! Do you still want to be an apostle? If God has called you to it, He will give you the grace to walk in it (and my experience is that most true apostles or prophets have wrestled with it, all too aware of just what the calling is, and how much it will cost.) If God has not called you, don't try to grab it as a means of elevating yourself.

Of course, that does not mean that apostles are always "dishonored ... hungry and thirsty ... homeless ..." Paul is demonstrating the fact that, like Christ, he and the other apostles have allowed themselves to be made less so that others may be made more. Far from being above the rest of the Church, they are in fact underneath it, undergirding, supporting, upholding, suffering so that others do not need to suffer. In God's upside-down economy, they are not the top of the pile, but the bottom.

Being called as an apostle or a prophet - or even as an apostle/prophet mix - does not place you above the Body of Christ. It does not mean that you are somebody special, or that you have been especially wonderful to deserve such a great calling. It means that God, in His grace, chose to put His finger on you and say, "You're Mine for this job." He could just as easily have called you to be the janitor!

Now all this is not suggesting that we should go to the other end of the scale and see those who are called to the public ministry as nothing more than "employees of the church," there to do the bidding of the congregation. No, they are God's servants, called to serve on His terms, not those of the congregation. Many years ago I used to earn my living as a baby sitter. I worked for an agency in a major tourist area, and most jobs involved going to a hotel or resort to look after children who were on holiday with their families, while their parents went out for a night alone. I was there to serve the children, but I was not there to do what the children wanted, or to follow their orders or directions. No, I was employed by the parents, and was there to follow their directions, even if the children were not particularly happy about them (particularly in relation to things like bed times and meals!) I had the authority to enforce the parents' wishes, regardless of what the children wanted. Likewise those in ministry have the authority of God to stand in that ministry, and to lead it according to His will and purposes. Humility does not mean laying down or denying that authority - Jesus never did.

But what about those who are not called to public ministry? How does humility operate in the lives of ordinary, everyday Christians? Whilst the temptations may come in slightly different form, the average Joe or Jane Christian can be just as prone to pride as the person in the spotlight of public ministry.

Some take pride in what they have: material possessions, bank balance, cars; or immaterial things such as education or social standing; even their perfect family or good health. We need to recognize that all these things are ours only because of God's grace. In my missionary travels I have seen people who spend their entire day using a household hammer to break large boulders into gravel. They do it every day, week in week out. There is no shelter from the heat or cold, and some have been blinded by chips of flying stone. For their efforts they earn less than $2 per day. I have seen others who scavenge garbage tips for things that they can sell or eat, and tiny children who sit on the streets and beg. Am I better than them because I was born in Australia? But for God's grace, I could have been one of them.

Others pride themselves in what they are: they are white, therefore superior to all other races (they think;) they are male, therefore above females; they are intelligent, or talented, or cultured, therefore above those who are less so. These are all man-made distinctions. God did not say that white skin makes a person superior - or that black, brown or yellow skin does. Nor does He say that any other trait places the possessor above others. Everything we are, we are by His grace. We cannot claim any merit.

We also need to cultivate humility in our recognition and admission of our own faults, and in our recognition of and support for the struggles of others. Each of us has our own area where we find it difficult to walk in the life of Christ. For some that area may be in truth or honesty, for others it may be in purity, for others it may be in restraining anger. It is all too easy for us to denigrate others who are struggling in their areas of weakness, whilst quickly sweeping our battles with our own weaknesses under the nearest carpet. Humility will admit that we are also struggling, and rather than tear down our brothers and sisters will try to find a way to get beside them and help carry the burden. Without minimizing the seriousness of sin, we will be able to say "there but for the grace of God go I," and will pray that the other person will be able to find that same grace in Christ.

Because humility is based in security rather than in insecurity, it does not need to tear others down in order to feel good about itself. It is free to allow others to succeed, and to genuinely rejoice with them when they do. Even if someone else gets - or takes - the credit and praise for what we have done, a humble spirit will not need to stand up and shout, "Hey! I'm the one who did it! Here I am! Look at me!" We know who we are, we know what we've done, and we can trust God to put right anything that needs vindication.

When we walk in humility with our brothers and sisters in Christ, we open the door for a flow of grace through the Body. One of the main reasons that people were so drawn to Jesus - and therefore able to receive from Him - was the way He walked among them as an ordinary person. It was obvious that He was not an "ordinary person." They recognized that He walked in an authority that was far above anything they had seen manifested in the religious leaders of the day. Yet He was there, with them, among the people, approachable. He was not intimidating or high handed. He spoke their language and understood their struggles. So they flocked to Him.

People instinctively draw back from those who move in pride, arrogance and superiority. No-one likes to relate to someone who says, by his attitude and actions even if not by his words, "I'm better than you." Worse than that, such attitudes can even trigger pride responses: "You think you're better than me? Well, you're not. I'm as good as you are or even better!" The immediate result is a breakdown in relationship, with each withdrawing from the other. Grace cannot flow in such a situation. God's power cannot flow. And God's glory certainly is not manifested. If not dealt with, it can give opening to a spirit of independence and rebellion, and can split the church, not to mention giving a terrible witness to the watching world.

On the last night of His life on earth, Jesus had gathered with His twelve closest disciples to celebrate the Passover. He knew that the next day He would become the fulfillment of the Passover feast. For three and a half years He had demonstrated His power and authority over every force of nature, over sickness, over demons, over death. They knew He was the Messiah. Peter, James and John had even been given the privilege of seeing something of His glory on the Mount of Transfiguration. His role as the Master, the leader of this little band, was well established. Knowing all that, He took a towel and wrapped it around Himself, and kneeling before each of the twelve in turn - including the traitor Judas - He undertook the role of a servant, washing their feet. It was a powerful symbol, with several layers of meaning. At one level it spoke of their need, even having been once forgiven by Him, to return for fresh cleansing. At another, it pointed to their need to forgive each other. Over it all, however, was the very simple and very obvious: if the Master could humble Himself to serve them in the lowliest of roles, then they must likewise humble themselves to serve each other.

So must we.

" _Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I release to each person reading this book the grace of humility. Let that same mind that was in Christ Jesus be also in us, that just as He willingly stepped down from His position in heaven to a life of service and obedience, we may learn not to see ourselves as above others, but lay down our lives for them. Amen."_

### TRANSPARENCY

Philip was really excited about what was happening in his life. He and his friends had found the Man whom they were sure was the promised Messiah, the one of whom Moses had written. The ultimate evangelist, Philip simply couldn't wait to tell all his friends about this wonderful discovery. He found his friend Nathaniel, from his home town of Bethsaida, and poured out his news.

Nat was somewhat less enthusiastic. The guy Phil was talking about came from Nazareth – about as far away from the holy city of Jerusalem as it was possible to get, and still be remotely considered a Jewish city. He responded rather scornfully.

"Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?"

Not to be discouraged, Phil dragged him along to meet Jesus.

Now we might think that Jesus, who had seen and heard the whole transaction in the spirit, would rebuke Nat for his judgmental attitude or his prejudice, but no such thing happened. Rather, Jesus praised him: _"Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!"_ (Jn. 1:47)

Why would Jesus do that? It was not just to let Nat know that He had heard the whole conversation. He could have done that by saying something like, "Well, here's the man who thinks nothing good comes from Nazareth." In fact, that might have had an even greater impact because of the guilt factor.

No, Jesus wanted to highlight something about Nathaniel himself: here was a man with no guile, no pretense, nothing false. Nathaniel was transparent: his opinion might not have been correct, but he was honest in his presentation of it.

In the culture of the day, sincerity was a rare thing. Pharisaical Judaism was all about appearances – being seen carrying out one's religious duty. Being heard to say the right things to the right people at the right time. Being seen in the right places doing the right things. Conforming – or at least, being seen to conform – not only to the Law of God in the Torah, but to the laws of man built around the Torah to protect it from violation.

Yet here was a man willing to say what he thought, even at the risk of offending his friend. Undoubtedly his outspokenness was not unique to that day, but was his normal life habit.

Our English word "sincere" comes from the words "sine" and "cere", meaning "without wax." In Roman times, if a sculptor slipped with his chisel and took a piece out of the art work he was producing, he would fill the space with wax and polish it so that it looked like the marble around it. High quality artisans, who prided themselves as not making such blunders, would promote their work as "sine cere" - without wax. There was no filler to cover up mistakes: what you saw (and what you paid for) was what you got.

It is a very apt word for the kind of people God wants us to be: a people without cover-ups or pretense.

That means, first of all, that there should be nothing in our lives that we would want to cover up. God's people need always to walk in honesty and integrity. Our business dealings should be totally above board: every "i" dotted and every "t" crossed. Our employers should be able to trust us to do our work well and efficiently, and to give a "good day's work for a good day's pay." They should know we will not steal their stationery, or steal their money by making private phone calls on company time, or steal their time by playing games or doing crosswords when we should be working.

If we are the employer, our employees should know that they will receive fair treatment and fair pay.

Our creditors should know that they will receive payment on time, and the Tax Man should get everything we owe him.

This applies not only to individual Christians, but also to churches and ministry organizations. Over the years I have seen many churches and ministries that have been incredibly "slap-dash" in their compliance with government regulations. Now, I am the first to agree that sometimes government red tape is a regular pain in the neck. It certainly was much easier to do ministry in the days of the Book of Acts. However, the Bible is very clear that, except in cases where the law of the land conflicts with the requirements of the Lord, we are to obey the law. That includes filing the correct documents, doing tax where required and meeting whatever statutory regulations may apply to our situation.

For churches and ministries, it also means that, as far as possible, we should be transparent in our dealing with both our members and followers and the general public. Many years ago I was seeking to join a new church (the one I had been part of had closed down.) I attended for some weeks and was happy with what I found, so I put in a membership application. My application was considered by the Board behind closed doors. I was not given any opportunity to have input into the process, nor to address any of their concerns. For reasons that, many years later, I still don't know, I was told that I would not be accepted as a member at that time. Was it because I was a woman in ministry? Was it because I was Charismatic? Was it because I was divorced? Was it (d) – all of the above? I'll never know. Definitely not a transparent church! (As I later discovered, it was actually a church with some very serious problems, including a strong control spirit, all buried under a smooth and pretty veneer of "niceness," "great teaching," "respectability" and "sound doctrine.")

Likewise, I have seen churches take shameless advantage of their members. I have friends who have worked for years full time, unpaid, in church offices. Now, it is one thing to work as a volunteer when the organization cannot afford to pay – I do that myself – but it is a totally different kettle of fish when the organization is quite capable of paying a full time wage, but simply chooses to exploit the good heart of its members.

This basic level of honesty should apply in all our dealings, whether with our brothers and sisters in Christ or with people in the world. With our fellow Christians, however, the transparency should be much deeper. If our Christianity is to be real, then we must be willing to strip off the masks.

Too often we are afraid to allow our brothers and sisters in Christ to see us as we are. We want to be seen as perfect – or, at the very least, as a "good" Christian. As if our "goodness" depended on us! Or, as if our "goodness" made some difference to our position in the Kingdom! We need to really get it into our heads that every one of us is saved only by God's grace, and every one of us stands only by God's grace. That means that we stand on even ground.

Every one of us faces struggles and challenges in our Christian walk, and sometimes simply acknowledging those struggles can be an encouragement to others who might be going through the same or similar situations.

Likewise, at times every one of us fails. We fall into sin, or we simply backslide and find that we no longer have the passion for God that we once knew. These are the times when donning the "Christian mask" and pretending that everything in our life is wonderful is most dangerous. Hidden sin festers. Soon, we find ourselves not only dealing with the sin, but with guilt. If our sin has been against another person as well as God, we find ourselves wanting to maintain a distance from that person. At best, the relationship suffers; at worst it dies a slow and painful death. If we are backslidden and trying to keep up appearances, we may soon find the stress destroying both our physical and our emotional health, and causing rifts in our relationships.

At the very least, we need to "come clean" with someone. Not that a person can give us absolution – that comes only from God – but because we need to honestly allow ourselves to be seen as we are. In fact, the more we are healed in any given area, the more willing we will be for that area to be brought into the open.

Of course, that does not mean that we should allow ourselves to get bogged down and focus on what the devil is doing in our lives. Our victory is in the Lord Jesus Christ, and we should never let go of that. Yet sometimes our simple acknowledgment that at times taking hold of that victory and standing in it does not come easily, is enough to give encouragement to others who are likewise struggling.

Nor does it mean that we should blurt out all the gory details of our sins and failures to all and sundry: some of our brothers and sisters simply do not have the maturity to handle it. We need wisdom concerning what to share and when and how to share it. It might be that a simple statement that we needed to repent in some areas will be sufficient to allow others to see our heart.

Particularly we need to admit when we have been wrong in something we have done or said to a brother or sister in Christ. It is easy to go on the defensive: to pretend that it was the other person who was at fault; to pretend that we "didn't mean it" or "misunderstood"; or to blame circumstances, our background, the weather or some other factor. Transparency means that we will let down our defenses, put aside the excuses, and simply and sincerely tell the other person, "I was wrong. I am sorry." Remember, "sorry" is not a four-letter word.

On the other side of that coin, transparency also means that we should be willing to let our brother or sister know when he/she has offended us. It is impossible to build a relationship with another person if we are holding offense against him. However, offenses need to be dealt with in a Biblical manner.

" _If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother. But if he doesn't listen, take one or two more with you, that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector."(Matt 18:15 - 17)_

Far too often, the first course of action we take is to tell someone else. That person then either tells others, and the whole thing becomes blown out of all proportion, or she confronts the offender on our behalf, causing him to become defensive and resentful. The very best way to turn an offense into a rift in the relationship is to get other people involved! Most people don't like confrontation, but it is far better to go to the offender personally, as Jesus said, and tell him that we were hurt or offended. That way explanations can be offered, apologies given and forgiveness extended, and rather than being harmed the relationship can end up stronger than it ever was.

One thing that we particularly need to remember in relation to offense given or taken, is that we are all different. We have different personalities and different life experiences, and different expectations. Often offense comes not from an intention to cause hurt, but simply because we see things differently. My dear friend and Associate Minister, Fran, and I are as different as the proverbial chalk and cheese. At the time of writing we have been friends for over 20 years, and much time in those years has been spent learning to adapt to each other. Often I find myself taking a deep breath and telling myself, "It's OK. It's just that she's Frannie." Likewise, I am sure that she has many times had to excuse my actions on the basis that "it's just that she's Lynnie."

Another area where openness is needed within the Body of Christ is that of physical or material need. So many Christians are embarrassed to acknowledge that they have a need. Somehow they think that we should have it all together – after all, if we acknowledge Jesus as our Healer and Provider, isn't it a lack of faith to admit to a need? So we battle on, pretending that everything is wonderful, pretending that we are not sick, pretending that the bills are not overdue, pretending that we are not stressed out with worry.

Don't get me wrong. God is our Healer. He is our provider. We should look to Him and trust in Him, and if we do that we should not be worrying. There's just one problem with that: doing it when we need to.

I'm sure you have all heard the old saying that "When you are up to your neck in alligators, it's hard to remember that the original objective was to drain the swamp."

Likewise, when we are up to our neck in debt and sickness, it can be difficult to focus on anything other than debt and sickness, even the Lord. I'm not saying this is how it should be, simply that this is how it is. And that's what transparency is about – not what should be, but what is.

We need others in the Body of Christ. We need their prayers – and it can be really difficult to pray for someone who is not willing to tell you what his need is. Sometimes, we need them to be the channel of material provision for us. Very seldom does God rain down money out of heaven. Normally He sends what we need through other people. And whilst there have been occasions when He has spoken to one of His servants and said "Go and give such-and-such an amount to so-and-so" that is not the way He normally works. Far more often, He silently prompts His people to respond to an expressed need.

Transparency means that we do not have any hidden agendas. In the world, people often use others to get what they want or to be a step up to where they want to go. "Friendships" - and sometimes even marriages - are entered on the basis of what the person can do for us. Networking ensures that we have all the right contacts in place to achieve our goals. Even charitable work may be just something to add to the resumé, or to get us seen by the right people and create a good impression.

In the church, this should never be so. Our relationships should be based on a genuine love through Jesus Christ. Our service should be what God has called us to do, carried on for no other reason than that He has called us to do it. Particularly we need to be aware of the two "G" motivations: the gold and the glory. I'll say it as bluntly as I possibly can: if you are ministering for the money, you are ministering for the wrong reason! Of course, if you are in full-time ministry, you need money in order to be able to support yourself and your family, and to carry out the ministry effectively. Nonetheless, money should not be your motivation. If it is, what you do will be performance, not ministry. Trust in God to provide, rather than worrying about how much the love offering will be! Likewise, whether we are in professional ministry or not, our service should never be carried out as a means for self-advancement. If it is, we are not being transparent - we are pretending to be motivated by one thing (serving the Lord) whilst actually being motivated by something else altogether (gaining position for ourselves.)

Why is transparency so important? Paul says, _"But we have this treasure in clay vessels, that the exceeding greatness of the power may be of God, and not from ourselves."_ (2 Cor. 4:7 ) As born-again Christians we have the amazing honor of carrying within us the Holy Spirit. The day we were saved He took up residence within our human spirit, and His desire is that from that position He might be able to manifest Himself to the world. It is stunning that He should choose to live within our frail humanity, yet as Paul says, there is a divine reason in it. He wants the world to know that we are not saved because of our goodness, greatness or power, but because of His. However, if people in the world - or even our brothers and sisters in the church - are going to see His glory within these "earthen vessels", then we need to become transparent. Otherwise, all they will see is some dirty old pots.
" _Father, I bring each person reading this book before you, and by Your authority I release to them the grace of transparency. I ask that any and every area of their lives that is not transparent you would make glaringly obvious to them, and that you would birth in them a desire to be so transparent that all who meet them would be able to see Jesus in them. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."_

### HONOR

I understand the following to be a true story, but even if it is not, it is a very effective parable. It is set in what westerners would call a "primitive" culture, where the main currency is cattle and women are seen to have economic value. In this village, the normal "bride price" was two cows. However, one of the men in the tribe - we'll call him Samu - had a great dilemma. One of his daughters was extraordinarily plain. What's more, she was retiring and sad, always walking with her head down and having very little interaction with others. Samu despaired of ever finding a husband for this ugly duckling of a daughter. Certainly none of the men in the village wanted her. So, when a young man from a village some distance away came to town looking for a wife, Samu decided that the time for compromise had come.

Drawing the young man aside, Samu explained to him that he knew his daughter was not very attractive and did not look like a very good bargain, but he was prepared to let her go for just one cow. He was sure, he said apologetically, that she would be some use to the young man.

The young man looked over to where the girl was standing some way off, her head drooped and shoulders slumped. Turning back to Samu he said emphatically, "No, I will not give you one cow for that girl."

Samu looked crestfallen, but before he could interject the young man continued, "I'll give you three cows for her." Samu's expression switched instantly from dejected to astonished. The girl's head snapped up and her eyes widened in shock.

"No, I think you have misunderstood," Samu said when he recovered his composure. "The girl I am talking about is that one over there." He gestured toward his daughter.

"I am not mistaken," the young man said. "That is the girl I am talking about. I want her for my wife. I will pay you three cows for her."

Samu rushed to make all the arrangements before the young man could regain his sanity. Meanwhile, the whispers quickly began to circulate round the village:

"Did you hear someone paid three cows for Samu's ugly daughter?"

"Must be totally crazy."

"Must have more cows than sense."

The young man and Samu's daughter were married, and moved back to the young man's village. Nobody heard anything from or about Samu's daughter for some years. Then one day the now not-so-young man returned to Samu's village. By his side was a beautiful, radiant woman who exuded confidence and grace as she walked proudly with head held high.

One of the villages approached the man. "Ah, I see you came to your senses and got rid of that ugly daughter of Samu. This woman is a much more suitable wife for you."

"What are you talking about?" said the man. "THIS IS SAMU'S DAUGHTER!"

What had happened? The girl who had been told she was not even worth one cow had found someone who saw in her something for which he would happily give three cows. She was not even an ordinary, two cow bride ... she was a three cow bride, and she began to live up to the worth he had seen in her.

Honor does that. It sees the real value in others, it acts according to that value, and draws it out. People respond to the way they are treated.

In the Bible, we see the same thing in the story of Gideon, which begins in Chapter 6 of Judges. The Midianites were oppressing Israel, and every time a crop was ready for harvest they would raid and seize it. The young man Gideon was hiding in a wine press, threshing wheat there in an effort to keep his harvest from the oppressors. His opinion of himself - no doubt reinforced by everyone around him \- is found in verse 15: _"Behold, my family is the poorest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house."_ In Gideon's own opinion, and that of everyone around him, he was less than nobody at the bottom of a whole pile of less-than-nobodies.

Then this crazy angel turns up. First, he says, _"Yahweh is with you, you mighty man of valor!"_ Then he tells Gideon to go in his (Gideon's) strength and save Israel.

You gotta be kidding! Didn't I just tell you that I'm nobody - the least of the least of the least? Can't you see that I'm hiding here in this wine press like a scared kid - just how valiant do you think that is?

Nevertheless, in spite of his enormous reservations, Gideon went. His first assignment was to tear down his father's altar to Baal and the Ashera pole beside it - and even though he did it at night, that act required a considerable amount of courage. Already he was beginning to live up to the honor that had been given him by the angel. From there he went on to lead Israel to great victories, and did indeed become the mighty man of valor whom the angel had seen buried within the frightened young lad.

In one sense, honor is the reasonable extension of love. Love, as we have already seen, does not look at the outer appearance brought about by the situations of life, but sees beyond to the potential that God placed within the individual and his/her innate value to God. Honor makes that innate potential and value public. It focuses on the positive, and seeks to build up rather than tear down. Honor says, "I believe in you" even to those who have lost the ability to believe in themselves.

One of the most important things we can learn in our relationships with other people is that, for the most part, people live up - or down - to the expectations of those around them. If someone is told that he is helpless, or even if he is simply treated as helpless, he will become helpless. If he is told he is a hero, and treated like a hero, he will become a hero. Very few people have the inner awareness to be able to resist the shaping effect of expectations.

So, how does honor work out in our relationships within the Body of Christ? Firstly, we need to ask God to give us eyes to see the potential and worth that He has placed within our brothers and sisters. We need to look beyond what may be annoying habits or traits (surprise, surprise! we have them too) and see the good things in their lives, and bring those to the fore in our conversations with or about them.

Most people indulge in an amazing amount of negative self-talk. Like Gideon, we are all too quick to declare how small, insignificant and worthless we see ourselves as being. Some Christians even think that it is humility to be continually disparaging themselves. (As we have seen in the chapter on humility, it is not.) If we are going to honor someone, we will gently but firmly counter that negative assessment of himself:

"Oh, I'm so stupid!" "No you're not. You might have done a stupid thing, but that does not make you stupid."

"I could never do that!" "How do you know? Have you tried? If you want to do it, I think you could."

"I'm just a plain Jane." "No! You have beautiful eyes/hair/..." (find something!)

Part of my work in the ministry involves appeal days, where I sit in a shopping center and collect donations for our humanitarian fund. On these days, I am always on the look out for something to compliment in those who stop to give. It might be "I love your jumper" or "That's a beautiful necklace" or "What a pretty scarf!" Cynics might think that I am doing this just to get more money, but that is not the case. I know that when we compliment someone on what she is wearing, we are in effect saying that she has good taste. That makes people feel good. For some, it might be the only "feel good" experience they have had all day.

Of course, that kind of compliment to a stranger is, of necessity, very much at a surface level. With those we know, we can look a little deeper for things to honor. It might be telling a mother how much you admire her children's manners; or letting a businessman know that you appreciate his commitment to leading a home group. It might be telling a rebellious teen how you are blessed by her beautiful voice; or letting an old man in a nursing home know that you love listening to his stories of the old days. Whatever it is, just make sure that your compliment is honest and sincere.

Honoring someone may sometimes mean that we step aside and allow them to do a task for which we feel better qualified. In doing this, we are calling him to come up to his potential, rather than limiting him to the level of his present ability. If we make it clear that we believe he is able, and do not make a big issue of the mistakes he might make along the way, then most of the time he will live up to our expectations.

It is particularly important that we honor the calling on the life of our brother or sister. She might believe that she is called to be a worldwide evangelist. We can look at her and say "You gotta be kidding!" and tell her that if she wants to serve God she should just work in the church office. Some Christians believe this is the way all "callings" should be treated, and if the person is strong enough to stand against all the negativity and continue to pursue the calling, then maybe it is genuine.

As we have already seen from the life of Gideon, this is not how God treats His call on a person's life. The angel honored Gideon's call before Gideon even knew he had a call. It was that very honor that released him into his calling. The honor you extend to a brother or sister in relation to his/her calling could be the very thing that empowers him to follow that calling and become what God has purposed for him to be.

In honoring our brothers and sisters, we also need to cut off gossip. Gossip tears down the subject and degrades the gossipers. Particularly insidious is the gossip that comes in the form of a "prayer request." "Please pray for Sister Jane. She's having an affair with the worship leader." What this is really about is making Jane's affair public. Prayer is just the vehicle through which that is achieved. If we are sincere about wanting prayer for Jane, our request should be simply "Please pray for Sister Jane." We might perhaps add "that God would give her wisdom and direction." The details are not necessary - God already knows them, and people don't need to. When someone comes with this kind of prayer request, or if they come with just straight, simple gossip, we can simply but firmly say, "I'll pray for her. I don't need the details." If they insist on giving us the details anyway, we can make sure that the chain stops with us and we do not pass the details on.

Of course, honor does not mean that we will always agree with everyone in the Body, nor that there will not sometimes be a need for correction or the sorting out of differences. However, Jesus gave us specific instructions on how such situations are to be handled. We are first to go personally to the person involved and try to resolve the matter just between the two of us. If that does not work, we are to take one other person as a go-between. Only if both those efforts fail are we to bring it publicly to the church. Far too often, disputes between Christians are taken straight to the public (and often to the unbelieving public, not even just the church) without any effort to resolve the matter privately. Such behavior greatly dishonors those involved, and produces rifts where there might have been the possibility of reconciliation.

A particular area where honor is very necessary is within the family. The old saying, "Familiarity breeds contempt" all too often proves true within our closest relationships. Very simply, we usually know our families better than anyone else does. The church might see smiling efficiency; we see grumpy ineptitude. We not only see the warts and all, we have those warts rub up against us every day. It is all too easy to focus on the negative and thus set up an expectation of even worse behavior.

In our families more than anywhere else we need to ask God to give us His eyes to see our loved ones as He does. Our knight in shining armor may have turned into a clown in a rusty tin can; our dream princess may have become a tired old fishwife; but this is not how God sees them. We need to look for the good: the good in who they are, and the good in what they do. We need to hear his or her heart - and to do that, we need to listen. Remember when you were first in love? For most of us, that involved many hours of talking, sharing, listening, discovering. If you have been together more than a year or so, the chances are that has disappeared under the busy-ness of life. For many couples, communication has been reduced to "We need more milk" or "Where is my blue shirt?" Honoring each other means recognizing that the other person's dreams, struggles, or just simple thoughts are important, and deserve to be heard.

Again, this does not mean that we have to agree on every issue. What a boring marriage that would be! It does mean respecting the other person's opinion, even if we disagree. It also means that if we do have a dispute, we stick to the subject and don't allow it to spill over into personal insults or snide remarks.

Honoring our partner also means that we teach our children to honor him or her. There was a time when most parents would never fight or argue in front of the children, because they did not want the children to disrespect either parent. These days family life is much more open, and most children know if their parents are fighting. Some parents would even say that they prefer not to "pretend" to their children that everything is alright if it is not. The important thing is that, which ever way parents choose to handle their differences, the children see respect between them.

In their book, The Transformation of the Inner Man, John and Paula Sandford point out that there can be serious consequences for dishonoring parents, even in cases where it would seem that the parents deserve to be dishonored. Deut. 5:16 says, _"Honor your father and your mother, as Yahweh your God commanded you; that your days may be long, and that it may go well with you ..."_ The Sandfords point out that the corollary of this is that, if we do not honor our father and mother, it will not go well with us, and they suggest that the area in which it will not go well for us will be the very one in which we have dishonored our parents. This may go a long way toward explaining why so many women with alcoholic fathers end up with alcoholic husbands, even if the man they married was not alcoholic when they met him. Regardless of what they do or who they are, we can honor our parents for the very fact that they are our parents, they are the ones chosen by God to produce us, and no other two people on earth in the whole of history could have done so.

This leads on to honoring the position, not just the person. This is something we Aussies are not very good at! Most of us have little respect for politicians, and many have little respect for police, teachers or others in authority. The Yanks do it much better. No matter how much they may disapprove of the current president, the office of the President is held in high honor. The Bible teaches us that we are to respect those that are in authority in acknowledgment of the fact that it is God who has placed them in those positions. It is sobering to remember that this was written to a church that lived in a world under the boot of the hated Romans, and where corruption was rife at every level of the political spectrum. That kind of removes the excuse that we only need to honor "good" authorities.

Since we are here talking particularly about our relationships within the Body of Christ, we need now to look at our relationship with leaders within the church, and how we honor them. Some Christians don't like the idea of leadership within the church. They think that "the priesthood of all believers" means that we are all on the same footing, and nobody should be considered as above or ahead of anyone else. Whilst that is certainly true of our position in relationship to God, it is not true of our position within the Body of Christ. Leadership within God's people is very much God's idea. Throughout history, he has raised up men (and sometimes women) to lead His people. Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Debra, David, Solomon, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, Calvin, Wesley, Billy Graham ... the list goes on and on. Some held formal leadership positions, some were leaders simply by virtue of the gifting on their lives. In Eph. 4:11-12 we are told that Christ _"gave some to be apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, shepherds and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, to the work of serving, to the building up of the body of Christ ..."_ Whether you believe that these offices disappeared with the completion of the New Testament or that they are still current today, one thing is clear: not everyone in the Body is among these "some." Again, Paul gave instructions to Titus to appoint leaders within the church in every city. (Tit. 1:5)

Whether we call them elders, ministers, pastors, bishops or some other title, leaders within the Church are God's idea, and we need to learn to honor them both as individuals and for the position they hold. As with anyone, there is a good chance that the leaders the Lord has placed over us might have one or two faults. They might even have glaring faults. Know what? That's God's problem. He placed them in the position, and it is up to Him to deal with them. It is up to us to respect them, encourage them, and lift them before the Throne of Grace. It is up to us to keep a guard over them, both spiritually and naturally, cutting off both demonic attack and human undermining.

Honoring the leader for his calling as well as personally has important ramifications for our own lives. Jesus said, _"He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man will receive a righteous man's reward."_ (Matt. 10:41) This means that, if we are to receive from the gifting on a person's life, we must honor that gift. For example, if someone is called as an apostle, but we receive him only as a pastor, then we will not be able to receive from the apostolic calling on that person's life. Or, if someone is a prophet, but we see her only as a "good woman" we will not be able to receive from that prophetic anointing. This showed up in Jesus' own ministry when He was not able to do great miracles because the people in the area did not receive Him. Imagine that! Jesus was God in the flesh. There has never been a more open vessel through Whom the Holy Spirit could flow. Yet even His anointing was limited when people would not honor the gifts and calling on His life. If we want to receive all that God has for us, it is essential that we honor those through whom He sends it.

We cannot talk about honoring leadership without mentioning money. 1 Tim. 5:17-18 tells us, _"Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. For the Scripture says, 'You shall not muzzle the ox when it treads out the grain.' And, 'The laborer is worthy of his wages.'"_ The supporting verses make it obvious that the "honor" being spoken of here is money. By paying our leaders well we honor them, and also acknowledge their spiritual covering over our lives. Of course, there are some churches and ministries that simply can't afford to pay their leaders. At the time of writing I am myself leading a ministry that is in that position. However, where it is possible the leader should be paid, and his salary should reflect the honor given to him by those in the ministry or church. And a word here to the leaders - some may think that it is humble or otherwise good to refuse a salary if the church is capable of paying. If you do this, you are denying your people the opportunity to honor you and therefore also denying them the blessings that would flow from that honor.

All of this leads into the touchy subject of submission. No, it is not a four letter word. The Bible makes it clear that submission one to another is to be a standard throughout the Body of Christ, and that there is to be specific submission to those in positions of authority.

Many Christians, particularly those of my generation, are wary of submission to authority in the Church. We remember the "Shepherding" movement of years ago that took submission and authority to ridiculous extremes, requiring people to get permission from their leaders before undertaking even the most mundane decisions of life. It was rampant control, and we never want to see it again.

So, what does submission mean? Firstly, it does not mean "lay down and be a doormat for this person to walk all over." Nor does it mean that this person says "jump" and you ask "how high?" Submission never places a person above God in your life, so that you would obey him even if it means disobeying God. Peter and the other apostles made this clear when they told the Sanhedrin, _"We must obey God rather than men."_ (Acts 5:29)

Submission means, first of all, to yield. It means that we do not always insist on our own way. We allow room for the other person to be right. We become soft toward others, seeing their point of view and being prepared to give in to them.

In regard to leaders in the Church, it means that, in relation to the church or ministry of which he is the leader, we follow the leader's direction. Years ago I knew a couple who were amazingly gifted musicians and worship leaders. They could bring a congregation into the presence of God more effectively than anyone else I have ever encountered. Unfortunately, they felt that their gifting gave them the right to dictate the direction of the service, and they would not hand over to a pastor or speaker until they were ready to do so. Their argument was that the Holy Spirit was moving, and they should not cut Him short. In principle, I agree. However, the pastor is the one whom God has given authority over the meeting, not the worship leader, no matter how gifted the latter may be. If the pastor felt that the Holy Spirit should be allowed to continue to flow, then it was his place to ask them to keep the worship going. On the other hand, if the pastor felt it was now time for the Spirit to speak through the Word, that was also her call. The other factor is that in many cases churches are meeting in rented premises, and have to be vacated by a certain time. The unfortunate upshot was that in a very short space of time this couple ceased to be invited to lead worship anywhere, and the Body was denied the blessing of their wonderful gift, all because of their refusal to recognize and submit to legitimate authority.

Submission also means that we take on the leader's vision for the church. The leader is the one who is supposed to be receiving the vision from God. He should communicate that vision to the people, and the people should then stand together with the leader to see that vision fulfilled. One of the most divisive and dangerous things in the Body of Christ is the person who comes into a church or ministry with his own agenda. If you have a vision that you believe is from God, and that vision cannot "tuck in" to the vision of the church where you are fellowshiping, then either find a church where it can or go and start your own ministry. Do not sit in a church pulling in a different direction from the vision held by that church's leadership.

Following on from this is the situation of someone who takes over a church or ministry from the founder. I have been in churches where a new pastor has come in and totally changed the direction of the church, and it has suddenly ceased to be "my church home." I had joined because I resonated with the vision of the founder, but now here was a new vision with which I found myself in total discord. I believe that when God calls someone to found a church or ministry, He has a plan and purpose for what that church or ministry is to be, and He gives that vision to His chosen servant. When someone new takes on the leadership, that new leader should slide in to the vision that God has already set in place, not come with his own vision and impose it on the existing structure. Again, if you have your own vision, start your own ministry. If you want to lead an existing church or ministry, be prepared to take on its vision. (Of course, you will bring your own "flavor" to that vision, because you are a different personality from the founder, but the overall vision should remain the same.)

Finally, we can't leave a discussion on honor within the Body of Christ without looking at things the other way round: at the honor that needs to be given by leadership to those under their care. The most important lesson that leaders can learn is that leadership places them at the bottom of the pile, not at the top. It is about responsibility, not rights. Leadership does not give you the right to control people; in fact the operation of control spirits causes untold damage in the Body of Christ. Control belittles a person's own spiritual life as it seeks to come between him and God. As leaders we need to understand that every born-again person under our care is inhabited by the Holy Spirit, and has access to the Throne of Grace to hear from God for herself. Whilst some may still be immature and need our help and direction in learning how to hear from and respond to the Spirit, no-one needs us to try to take the Holy Spirit's place in her life. Honoring our people begins with acknowledging their own spiritual standing before God.

It also means acknowledging them before others. Take time to publicly thank people for their contribution to the ministry. Publicly celebrate their victories. Acknowledge their gifts and callings. Draw out their potential by speaking of it both to them and to others. And defend them from attack, whether from spiritual forces or from malicious tongues.

Honor is one of those wonderful win-win-win-win propositions. It is impossible to honor others without being lifted up ourselves; and when we honor others we release their giftings to the whole of the Body. Most importantly, when we honor others we bring glory to the Lord. We need to build a culture of honor within the Church, both for God's glory and for our own benefit.
" _Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I release an anointing of honor over all who have read this chapter. I ask Lord that You would give them eyes to see the potential in all those You have placed around them, and a heart to see others lifted up so that they may reach that potential and so that You may be glorified in them. Amen."_

### UNITY

I was saved at the height of the Charismatic revival. It was a heady time, with a marvelous unity in the Spirit between the various churches and denominations. One Christian leader at the time (sorry, I can't remember who it was) commented to the effect that it was as though there had been all these different sheep, all fenced off with their own groups, and then the outpouring of the Spirit came like a flood and lifted all the sheep above the fences, so that they were able to mingle freely. Nobody seemed to care what "tag" you had, as long as you loved Jesus.

Unfortunately, after the flood of the Spirit drained away, we found that the fences were still there. Some of the sheep had been carried by the tide to different pastures, but all that achieved was to cause the shepherds to rebuild the fences higher and stronger and more secure than ever, and the strengthening of those fences continues to the present day. As late as the mid-1980s it was quite easy for me to arrange meetings in other churches for visiting ministry, but now (2014) it is all but impossible to place a visiting minister who is not either well known within the denomination or network of the church involved, or recommended by a personal friend of the senior minister. Mostly the reaction is, if he is not part of our group, we don't want to know about him.

As a minister I certainly understand the need for pastors to protect their flocks from false teachers and false prophets. Nor do I have a problem with denominations as such. Each of us has a different approach to worship. Some like loud, others prefer quiet; some emphasize outreach, others spiritual growth; some like old hymns, others modern choruses. God loves diversity. If He didn't, He would have created just one kind of flower, bird, and insect rather than thousands of kinds of each. I'm sure the diversity of our approaches to worship, and our desire to (mostly) be with others who feel the same way, is not a problem to Him.

What is a problem - more than a problem, an enormous tragedy for the Body of Christ - is when we allow that diversity to separate us from our brothers and sisters; or even worse, to cause us to think of ourselves as superior to them.

Why should unity matter to us? Very simply, because it mattered to Jesus. His great high-priestly prayer, recorded in John 17, includes a pretty startling petition:

" _Not for these only do I pray, but for those also who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one; even as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that you sent me." (Jn. 17:20-21)_

What an incredible standard! Jesus' desire for His followers is that we should have the same kind of unity with each other as He has with Father God! The unity between Father, Son and Spirit within the Trinity is perfect. There is no rivalry, no disagreement. There are no personal agendas. Each member of the Trinity is distinct, with His own personality and work, yet there is no disharmony between them. That is the kind of unity our Lord wants for us - and He wants it for one very important reason: _"that the world may believe that You sent Me."_ How often have you heard non-believers disparage Christianity because of the lack of unity within the Body of Christ? How many have found an excuse to ignore God because God's people can't get our act together?

Nor is Jesus' prayer the only place where this high standard is set. In Ephesians, the apostle Paul tells us that God gave the Ascension Gift ministries of Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor and Teacher so that the Body of Christ might be built up _"until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ"_ (Eph. 4:13)

Very simply, God's vision for the Church is that we should "measure up" to Christ. We will be looking at this in more depth in the next chapter, but for now we will just tie it back to Jesus' prayer. He was totally one with the Father, and if we are to measure up to Him, then we must learn to become totally one with each other. We have quite a long way to go!

So how can we go about reaching that standard of unity? Perhaps we should begin by looking at how not to do it. When man seeks to bring about unity by his own efforts, what we end up with is not unity but compromise. It usually works something like this: the leaders of two different groups decide that the groups should come together. There are differences in doctrine and practice between the two groups that initially seem to make such a union impossible. Rather than work through those differences with open hearts and minds before the Lord, the people pushing for union decide that there is an easier way: they simply throw out those things that are not held in common by the two groups. A new entity is formed on the basis of the lowest common denominator. This is the equality of the lowest rung. The sad reality is that, even within this new group, there is not real unity. Those from each of the previous groups still hold to their old ways of thinking, whilst those coming into the group later are left in confusion.

God's kind of unity is not the equality of the lowest rung; nor is it achieved by following the path of least resistance.

There are two main aspects of God's kind of unity that we need to consider. The first is unity in the Spirit. This kind of unity says, "I don't agree with everything you believe, but you believe in Jesus, therefore I accept you and we can agree to disagree." It is the kind of unity we had - or at least approached - during the Charismatic renewal. When we honor each other as fellow believers, when we are prepared to stand together and present a united front to the world, when we are prepared to listen to even those with whom we disagree and "chew the meat and spit out the bones" then we become a much more powerful and effective witness. We begin to tear down the walls between "them" and "us" so that the world can see one Church, rather than a myriad of churches.

The problem that arises, and that we saw with the fading of the Charismatic Renewal, is that when the walls are down people are free to migrate across the boundaries. Some people go to visit, and then return to their former place. Others go for good, and that stirs up jealousy and possessiveness among leaders. Accusations of "sheep stealing" begin to be flung around, and up go the walls again, stronger and higher than ever. This is primarily a problem of leadership, and until the leadership within the Body of Christ can come to terms with a few simple facts, it will continue to hinder even this most basic level of unity.

Leaders, here's a bit of shocking news: "your" sheep are not yours! They belong to the Great Shepherd, the Lord Jesus Christ. They are entrusted into your care, to nurture, encourage and develop them so that they may become the people God has called them to be. Occasionally that trust will be for their lifetime, but often it will be for a season. God will leave them with you to impart certain things into their lives, but then He will move them to the care of someone else, who is able to give them a different impartation. At the same time, He will probably bring to you others who have received from another shepherd, but now need what you are able to give.

Much of this jealousy and possessiveness is born out of a fear of someone else taking what God has given to us. The story of Jeroboam in the Old Testament should be a good lesson to us. After Solomon died, and because of his unfaithfulness toward God, God divided the kingdom. He left two tribes for the house of David, but sent a prophet to Jeroboam to tell him that He was giving him the other ten tribes. He told Jeroboam,

" _I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." (1 Kings 11:37-38)_

That's a powerful promise, but unfortunately for Jeroboam he didn't really believe it. God said, "I am giving you Israel." That meant that it was his, but he was afraid that he would lose it if the people went down to Jerusalem to worship, so he set up idols at Bethel and Dan for the people to worship. By not believing that God was truly able to give him, and keep for him, what He had said He would, Jeroboam set up the very thing that would cause him to lose God's promise.

We see the same thing when the people of Israel came out of Egypt. God had said that He was giving them the land of Canaan, and that it was a good land, flowing with milk and honey. Yet when they arrived at the river Jordan, they had to test whether what God said was true - was it really a good land, and would they really be able to conquer it? The report that came back was yes to the first, but a very strong no to the second, and in their disbelief they lost the promise of God for a whole generation.

What this means is simply this: what God has said is yours, is yours. No-one can take it from you, but you can lose it by your own unbelief and disobedience. As long as you are following God and doing what He has said, He will never take what He has given to you and give it to someone else, but if you are consumed with the fear of losing it, you will probably end up doing the very things that will result in that loss.

Sheep, I also have a stunning revelation for you: your pastor is not perfect! Nor are the other members of the flock. If you genuinely believe God is moving you on to join with a different flock, well and good. If, on the other hand (as often happens) you are leaving because the pastor or someone in the church has offended you, get over it! If you "are not being fed" where you are, ask yourself whether maybe some of the feeding you need should come from your own study of the Word and time spent with the Lord. Maybe God even wants you to be one of those who would provide spiritual food for others in the church. The essential question is not "where do I want to be?" but "where does God want me to be?"

The second aspect of unity, one that we cannot even begin to pursue until we have come to at least some measure of unity of the Spirit, is unity of faith. This means that God wants us to come to a place where we actually agree on doctrinal issues. For every area of doctrinal disagreement within the Body of Christ there are two possibilities: (1) There is a singular truth, on which some are right and others are wrong; or (2) The various doctrinal stances are in fact different sides of the same coin.

Let me illustrate. First, let's take the question of spiritual gifts. One part of the Church says that manifestation gifts (e.g. tongues, prophecy, healing and miracles) ended with the completion of the New Testament, and that any such manifestations today are counterfeits. Another part of the church says that all the spiritual gifts are every bit as relevant and real in the 21st century as they were in the 1st. Both sides can back their case with Scripture. Obviously, both of these cannot be true. One is a correct understanding of the Word, the other is not. If we are going to come to unity of the faith, then one side has to budge.

Now, what many Christians do, if they do anything at all in this area, is pray that the other side will "see the light" and acknowledge the errors of their beliefs. All this achieves is to further cement us in our own thinking. Since those who hold the opposite view are also praying that we will come to our senses, nobody's thinking changes, and unity remains as elusive as ever. We need a different kind of praying. We need to come to God with humble hearts and open minds, and ask Him honestly to show us if we are wrong in our understanding on any of these "black or white" issues. We also need to be willing to sit with those in the opposite camp, not to debate, but to listen to their understanding of the Word. Just imagine what would happen if the whole Body of Christ came to a place where it was prepared to have it's doctrine shaped, not by the ego of individuals, but by the revelation of the Spirit of God.

On the other hand, let's consider the debate of Calvinism versus Armenianism. Calvinism says that God pre-destined each individual for either heaven or hell. We had no choice in the matter, no real free will. Our "choices" simply followed the path of the destiny chosen for us. Armenianism says that man does have free will, and that our destiny will be determined by how we use that will. Salvation is not only for those who have been elected to it, but "whosoever will" may come.

In my opinion, this is one of those "two sides of the coin" issues. As I understand it (and I stress that this is just my understanding) God does give man a genuine choice. There are numerous places in the Word where He commands us to choose, and if we did not have a real free will those commands would be meaningless and, worse, a cruel joke against a helpless humanity. In that sense, I am Armenian. However, God is omniscient. That means that He not only knows everything that has ever been and everything that will ever be, but also everything that would have been if at any time any individual had made a different choice. That means that before He ever created the world, He knew exactly who would accept Him and who would not. He knew how they would respond to the various situations in which He would place them, and how they would have responded if He had placed them in different situations. He knew who would end up choosing hell, and who would end up choosing heaven. He could very easily have only created those who would end up choosing Him, yet for reasons that only He will ever understand He also created those who would reject Him and choose hell. He also chose to place some people in situations that would enable or encourage them to seek Him, and others in situations that would make seeking Him difficult or impossible. In that sense, He predestined some to life and some to death. From this aspect, I am Calvinistic. What's more, I see no conflict between these two sides of my understanding.

On issues like this, we need to ask God to show us "the other side of the coin." It may well be that what at first sight appears to be an irreconcilable difference is in fact merely a different aspect of the same truth.

Unity of the faith will never come about by us clinging fiercely to our pet doctrines, but only as we come before God and each other in an attitude of humility and teachability.

Yes, there will always be heresies that we need to reject, and lifestyle choices that we cannot accept as part of Christ's spotless Bride, and there will always be those who claim the name of Christ but don't know Him, but if we will allow the Holy Spirit to make those distinctions rather than the egos of men, we will see the Body come into a place of unity where the true is easily distinguishable from the false.

Where do we begin? The best possible starting place is the local church. Here we (presumably) already have a basic agreement on our beliefs, but there are probably many conflicting personalities and many differing opinions on how things should be done. There is a reason that this chapter is placed at the end of the section on our relationship with others in the Body. If we have worked our way through loving one another, acting toward each other with humility and transparency, and honoring one another, then we will be well along the way toward unity.

If we love and honor one another, we will not indulge in gossip and backbiting. The Bible refers to this as "devouring" one another (Gal. 5:15) and it is a good analogy. In the human body, when the body starts to attack itself it is called an auto-immune disease. Our immune system is designed to protect us from germs, viruses and other threats to our health, but sometime it goes awry and thinks that our own tissues are an intruder, and it begins to wage war on those tissues. The result is that the organ involved is so busy fighting off the attack by the immune system that it is not able to function properly, and we become ill. Likewise, when one part of the Body of Christ begins attacking another, both parts are hindered from accomplishing that to which God has called them, and the Body as a whole suffers. The devil is the accuser of the brethren - he does not need our help to do his job.

Rather, if we truly love our brothers and sisters, we will look for and magnify the good in each other, and encourage others to see their brothers and sisters in the best light. We will put aside rivalry and jealousy, and will rejoice in the giftings we see on the lives of others. Appreciating and honoring the work of God in the lives of our brothers and sisters is one of the most important things we can do toward releasing the Spirit to work in our own lives.

We will get behind the vision of our pastor or leader, laying aside our own agendas and working together toward the common goal. _"In honor preferring one another"_ (Rom. 12:10) we will not seek positions, but will genuinely rejoice when others are appointed even to roles we might have liked for ourselves.

Most importantly, we will pray for one another, and particularly for our leadership. Our prayers will not be the "Lord, change him/her" variety, but a genuine release of God's blessing and anointing into lives and ministries. Any local church that would come into true unity in this way would be a powerful force in its community.

Going beyond the local church, we need to seek unity in the Church in our city. When God looks at your city, He does not see ten, twenty, fifty or a thousand churches: He sees one Church. The sooner we can begin to see one Church, the closer we will be to coming into unity. Individual assemblies should be seeking every opportunity possible to work together across the barriers.

But, I hear some of you asking, what if the other churches in the city don't want to know us? Sadly, that is often the case, and the best thing that I can suggest is that you pray for them. If at all possible, don't just make this a personal prayer, but include it as part of your church service. Imagine the impact if even 10% of the churches in your city started praying specifically for the other churches. This prayer should not be that God will change them to your way of thinking, but rather that He will bless them, that He will pour His anointing upon their leadership, that He will provide their needs and open doors before them. It is God's job to perfect them, not yours.

Also in the area of prayer, try to organize some prayer meetings that are not limited to one denomination or network. Bring people from across the Body together to pray for your city or your nation.

Where it is possible, try to support other fellowships. This mostly has to be initiated by leadership, but if you are not in leadership yourself you can encourage your pastor in this area. Generally when a new church comes to town there is an adverse reaction from the churches that are already established, but you can turn this around and in doing so move toward unity. I know a pastor in a country town in New South Wales in Australia who, when a new church was starting in town, closed down his own service for the day and took his whole congregation to support and encourage the new work. He did not see the newcomers as a threat to "his turf" but rather as a helping hand coming alongside to take the territory for Jesus. As a result of this young man's Kingdom vision, not only his own church, but all the churches in the town, were strengthened.

Another aspect that is important for unity is for us each to know our own place in God's purposes. Unity is not about us all being the same, but rather about us all moving together in the same direction. As we saw earlier, within the Godhead there is perfect unity, yet each of the members of the Trinity has a distinct personality and function. Likewise, God has given each of us distinct gifts and personality traits, and He has a specific calling for each of us. If we try to operate outside of that calling, two things will happen. Firstly, we will not be as effective as we would be within our calling; and, secondly, we will not do the thing we were called to do, and therefore both we and the Body will miss out. When we are secure in our own calling, we will not covet the callings of others. We are free to release them to follow God's call on their own lives.

This applies not only to individuals, but also to churches and ministries. Often when people are called to start a church or ministry, they do not take the time to seek God as to what the vision and purpose for that church or ministry is to be. Just as God has a specific call for you personally, if He has called you to start a work, then He has a specific call for that work. It might be that your church is to be primarily evangelistic, seeking to save the lost; or it might be a teaching church, building up the saints. Your ministry might be missionary, reaching to the farthest ends of the earth; or it might have a totally local focus. If your church is to function effectively in unity with the other congregations in your area, you need to know what you are supposed to be doing. If you are called to be a hand, don't try to be an ear.

Once you understand your role in the Body, you can begin to appreciate the roles of others. At a denominational level, this is something that I very rarely see. For example, I am part of the Pentecostal/Evangelical strand, and many within that tradition disparage the Catholics, some even to the extent of excluding them from the Body of Christ. Now, I am an ex-Catholic, so I well understand that in general Catholic teaching does not point to the way of salvation - however I know a number of Catholics who are very definitely born again. What I do see, though, is that the Catholic church has a great deal to teach the rest of the Body in terms of adoration and personal devotion. Even in churches that major on worship, I have yet to see the kind of adoration that I saw within Catholicism. Likewise many Pentecostals distance themselves from the Evangelical stream, yet could learn a great deal from Evangelicals in relation to commitment to the Word; whilst Evangelicals - who often want nothing to do with Pentes - could learn from the Pentecostal enthusiasm.

This appreciation of our own role and the roles of others will take us a long way along the path to the kind of unity that God requires of us.
" _Father, I release Your anointing to each person reading this book. May each one come to know his/her place in the Body of Christ. Give each one the assurance of your promises, so that they will neither be fearful of losing their own calling nor jealous of the callings of others. Give each one a heart to know your truth, and a willingness to let go of pet doctrines should you show him that what he has believed is not right. And most of all, Lord, bind us all together in Your love. Amen."_

###  PART 3: REVOLUTIONARY CHRISTIANITY - OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WORLD

Here we move into truly challenging territory. Most Christians have some idea about our relationship with God and about the kind of relationship we should have with others within the Body of Christ, but many do not have the faintest notion how we are supposed to relate to the world.

Throughout the centuries, many have seen "the world" as evil, and therefore the only possible way to deal with it has been to withdraw. In times past this may have meant retreating to a convent or monastery, or finding a nice cozy cave where one could live as a hermit and have as little interaction with society as possible. Today, many Christians spend their entire lives within a Christian sub-culture: they are born into Christian families, possibly home-schooled or attend Christian schools, their only interaction as young people is with others from the church youth group, they marry Christians and their social group as adults is composed totally of Christians, often from their own fellowship. They listen only to Christian music, read only Christian books and watch only Christian television. They may even work in Christian businesses. The world is out there somewhere, and really doesn't touch their lives, and that's the way they like it.

Others take this a step further, seeing "the world" as the enemy, and denouncing it at every possible opportunity. Their total vocabulary in communicating with the world is "Repent!" Some are so fiercely against "the world" that they would fervently condemn to hell anyone who happened to enjoy dancing or the movies.

Still others see the world as a project. After all, Jesus died for the world, and He told us to go into all the world and preach the Gospel. Therefore their thinking is to collect as many spiritual scalps as possible. Non-Christians avoid them like the plague, because they know that if they come within earshot of these people they can expect to be preached at.

Then there are those who think that the only way to reach the world is to adopt the ways of the world - worldly music, worldly dress, worldly speech. I still shudder when I remember a certain Gold Coast "evangelist" who used to pepper his street sermons with four-letter words because "that's the way these people speak," and I am deeply disturbed when I attend a service where the "worship" is indistinguishable from a rock concert.

All of these have some element of truth. It is good to fellowship with other Christians, and certainly our life partner should be a fellow believer. Yes, repentance is as important today as when John the Baptist and Jesus Himself preached it. Definitely, we are called to preach the Gospel. There is even a place for cultural relevance. Yet all of these miss the mark in terms of a relationship with the world that is truly revolutionary.

So how do we find such a relationship? To begin with, we need to understand what we mean by "the world." God tells us in what is arguably the most well-known verse in the Bible that _"For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son"_ (Jn. 3:16) Here the term refers to the people of the world: all the not-yet-Christians who share this planet with us. Jesus died to bring them into relationship with the Father, just as He has done with us, and He has commissioned us to give them that wonderful good news.

Yet even here there is a broader meaning that many people have not seen: God does not just love the people, but the whole of the planet, the whole of the creation that is found in this tiny fragment of the universe. Paul writes, _"For we know that the whole creation groans and travails in pain together until now."_ (Rom. 8:22 ) We will come back to this in a moment.

Then, "the world" can also refer to the attitudes and standards of the world: man reigning without God. In this context John warns us, _"Don't love the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the Father's love isn't in him."_ (1 Jn. 2:15) By extension from this, "the world" can also refer to the spiritual forces that operate over our planet. Although many are oblivious to these forces and their activity, the reality is that they influence everything that happens in our world, and we cannot afford to ignore them.

If we are to understand how we are meant to interact with the planet, the people, the culture and the spiritual forces that are over it all, we need to go back to the beginning of creation. When God created our first parents, He created them in His own "image and likeness." They were as much like God as it is possible for a finite creature to be like an infinite Creator. Then He gave them a three-fold mandate: to fill the world, to subdue the world, and to rule over the world. (Gen. 1:27-28) God placed them in the world as His vice-regents, to rule on His behalf over a planet that was part of His Kingdom. They were supposed to subdue and rule over every creature on earth, and that included the serpent.

They failed to fulfill that mandate, and as a result the serpent was possessed by Satan, who had been cast out of heaven because of his rebellion against God. He came to Eve with an accusation and a proposition: God had been holding out on them by not allowing them to eat of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil; but if they would eat that fruit they could become "as gods." He was not saying they would be "like God" - they were already like God. He was saying that they could be gods in their own right: not to rule as God's vice regent, but to rule for themselves, making their own laws and setting their own standards. It was the very thing he had sought to do for himself when he had declared, _"I will ascend above the heights of the clouds! I will make myself like the Most High!"_ ( Isa. 14:14)

In falling for the devil's lie, Adam and Eve did not become "as gods" but rather terminally damaged the image of God that they already had. They did not become rulers of the planet in their own right, but rather handed the keys of rulership over to Satan, themselves becoming subject to his control. Rather than man ruling over the earth on God's behalf, now Satan ruled over it. The world effectively became a rebel state within the Kingdom of God.

Satan still ruled over the world at the time when Jesus began His ministry. When the devil came to tempt Jesus in the wilderness, he offered Him all the kingdoms of the world in exchange for Jesus' worship of him, and he added defiantly, _"I will give you all this authority, and their glory, for it has been delivered to me; and I give it to whomever I want."_ (Lk. 4:6) Jesus never questioned the devil's right to all the kingdoms of the world, or the fact that it had been given to him. He knew that this was the unhappy result of man's rebellion, but He also knew that in just three short year's time He would do something that would change everything forever.

Jesus' incarnation, life, death and resurrection were not just about saving people from hell. It was about restoring the world to the Kingdom of God. It was about taking back what Adam and Eve had given away. It was about removing Satan from the throne of this world and re-instating man as God's vice-regent.

To understand how we are to relate to the world, it is absolutely essential that we develop a Kingdom mindset. The Gospel is not about us. Our salvation is, as it were, a wonderful by-product of the Gospel; but the Gospel is about the King and His Kingdom. Jesus defeated Satan at Calvary, but He leaves it to us to enforce that victory. If we are going to do that effectively, we need to learn how to operate as God's vice-regents, as He created us to be. It is that for which the planet itself groans with longing.

### CHRISTLIKENESS

Almost every Christian who has ever lived would subscribe to the idea that Christians are meant to be Christlike. However, most have a very limited view of what being Christlike actually means.

As we have already seen, the Word tells us that God created human kind in His own "image and likeness" - to be as much like Him as it is possible to be. (Gen. 1:27) The two words used in this verse, "image" and "likeness" are very interesting. One represents a static image, much like we would see in a painting or a photo. It shows the features of the subject, but tells us little of how he lives and acts. The second word represents a more dynamic image, more like a reflection or a shadow. This image may not show as much detail of the subject's appearance, but it moves as he moves, stops when he stops. It is unthinkable that you would move to the right and your shadow go to the left (unless, of course, you happen to be Peter Pan.) Put together, these two words tell us that God created man to manifest not only His characteristics, but His actions.

This was achieved by the operation of the Holy Spirit within the human spirit. God created man's body from the natural elements, then breathed into him the "breath (spirit) of life" - in other words, the Holy Spirit. Spirit produces spirit, (Jn. 3:6) thus the presence of the Holy Spirit produced the human spirit, the area of man's being in which He could reside. The interaction of the Spirit and the body produced the soul, the identity of the individual: _"Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."_ (Gen. 2:7)

The perfect chain of command was that the Holy Spirit would live His life within the human spirit, which would then lead and direct the human soul, which in turn would control the body.

When man chose to rebel against God and listen to Satan's lie, that image and likeness was fatally damaged. We were cut off from fellowship with God; the Holy Spirit no longer inhabited the human spirit. In fact, our spirits became "dead in sin."

To understand this death in sin, we need to consider the nature of death. Death does not mean non-existence. We can look at a dead tree, and still see the relic of a tree. It is not functioning as it should. It does not have leaves, flowers or fruit, and it's branches are steadily decaying and falling apart, but as long as it is a "dead tree" there is still something to see. When it finally decays totally, and there is nothing left, we can no longer say "there is a dead tree." Death is not non-existence, but inability to function. Thus, after the fall, man's spirit was still there, but it was not able to function either to connect with the Holy Spirit or to direct man's soul. It was dead.

However, the image of God in man was not totally destroyed. After the fall, we still find God saying that His image in man is the reason that men should not kill each other: _"Whoever sheds man's blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image."_ (Gen. 9:6)

Man no longer manifested the character of God, and he most certainly was not acting as God acts, yet there was still the divine imprint on His spirit: God still held to His original purposes for the race.

Jesus reiterated this in a passage that is often not fully understood. Trying, as usual, to catch Him out, the Pharisees had asked whether or not it was legal for them to pay taxes to Caesar. Jesus asked them to show Him a Roman coin.

" _Show me a denarius. Whose image and inscription are on it?"_

They answered, "Caesar's."

He said to them, "Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's." (Lk. 20:24-25)

If we look beyond the fact that Jesus very neatly out-maneuvered His detractors and endorsed the payment of taxes to the reigning authorities, we see that He was challenging them to something much deeper. The coin has Caesar's image, therefore it belongs to Caesar; you have God's image, therefore you belong to God. Giving God what belongs to Him (yourself) is far more important than giving Caesar what belongs to him (your taxes.)

God, however, wanted far more for mankind than this weak, incapacitated, barely recognizable image of Himself. His purposes for the planet are inexorably tied up with His purposes for mankind. In order to restore the planet to His original purposes, He must first restore mankind to His original creation. We often think that the reason for Jesus' death was so that we could be forgiven our sins and spend eternity in heaven with Him, but there was much more to it than that. Jesus died so that we could be restored to the image and likeness of God, and thus be made fit to rule over the earth as His representatives. To achieve that, He had not only to die for us but to live as our forerunner and example.

Jesus came to undo all that Adam had done. Adam had been made in God's image and likeness. Jesus came, not only made like God, but God Himself, the second Person of the Trinity, taking on humanity. He was not just like God, He was God. Believing the devil's lie, Adam had sought to raise himself up, to become a god in his own right. Jesus, "... existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." (Ph. 2:6-7) Adam chose to disobey God, who was infinitely greater than himself. Jesus obeyed His Father at every point, even though they were equal in every way. Adam failed to fulfill the mandate to subdue the world, which would have included the serpent. Jesus lived in authority over Satan and all his works, and died to conquer and subdue him totally. Adam, having been appointed God's vice-regent, handed that authority to Satan. Jesus, through His life, death and resurrection, took that authority back for mankind. At the same time, He paid the penalty of man's sin and made it possible for man to be brought back into relationship with the Holy God.

Because of Jesus' death and resurrection, an incredible miracle takes place when an individual turns from sin, believes that Jesus died for him personally, and accepts Jesus as his personal Lord and Savior. That person's human spirit is recreated, and the Holy Spirit comes to live within him, just as He did with our first parents at the beginning. Now, as then, His purpose is to live His life through us, and to create the image and likeness of God within us. Rom. 8:29 tells us, _"For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."_

So being Christlike is not something we achieve by striving to "imitate" Him, but rather by yielding to the Holy Spirit and allowing Him to work within us. Many years ago I was watching a documentary on television. The presenter was interviewing a sculptor, a man who was well known for his extraordinarily life-like statues of horses. The presenter asked him how he was able to achieve these incredible figures, which looked like they were just about to gallop away. The sculptor handed him a block of wood, and asked, "What do you see?"

Somewhat fazed, the presenter replied, "I see a block of wood."

"Ah," said the sculptor. "But I see a horse. All I do is take my hammer and chisel and chip away everything that doesn't look like a horse."

That is how God works with us. The Father sees Jesus in us, and then He takes the hammer and chisel of His Spirit and begins to chip away everything that doesn't look like Jesus. However, unlike the block of wood that had no say in the sculptor's work, the work of the Spirit within us requires our co-operation.

In order to co-operate fully with the Holy Spirit, we need to be able to recognize His working and to distinguish it from the other forces operating in our lives that would pull us away from becoming more Christlike. We need a kind of road map to see where we are headed: if we are going to be like Jesus, we need to see what Jesus was like.

We find that road map in the Gospels, and one of the most important things we can do in developing our spirit is to spend time in them getting to know Jesus. When we do, we might be a little surprised at what we find.

One of those surprising things that we find about Jesus is His total self-assurance. He knew Who He was. Even at the tender age of 12, He recognized that His relationship with Father God transcended His relationship with His earthly mother and foster-father, and that the purpose of His life was to be about His Father's business. (Lk. 2:42-49)

He had no hesitation in declaring Himself to be greater than the temple, (Matt 12:6) greater than Jonah (Matt 12:41) and greater than Solomon. (Matt 12:42) He spoke openly of God as His Father, something that horrified the Jewish religious leaders so much that they accused Him of blasphemy. He even went so far as to take for Himself the Name of God, I AM (Jn. 8:58) - something that was not lost on the crowd, who immediately tried to stone Him.

Jesus had a crystal-clear understanding of His identity and call. If we are to be like Him, we also need to allow the Holy Spirit to give us that revelation of our identity in Christ and the purpose for our existence.

Why is this important for our relationship with the world? Simply because God's purpose for every one of those not-yet-Christians who currently find their identity in sin and have no idea why they are on earth, is that they too should find their identity in Christ and their purpose in establishing His Kingdom. By far the easiest way for them to find that identity and purpose is for them to see it modeled in us.

We must note, however, that Jesus' self assurance was never expressed in arrogance. He never put others down in order to lift Himself up - He didn't need to. In fact, it was His security in His own identity that allowed Him to operate in absolute humility.

We have already looked briefly at Ph. 2: 1-11, the amazing passage that speaks of how God the Son laid aside all that it meant to be God, and took on a human nature. Then, as man, He became subject to the Father, with Whom for all eternity He had enjoyed absolute equality, and became obedient even to the extent of bearing the physical, emotional and spiritual torture of Calvary.

As we have seen, true humility is not about someone putting himself down, or declaring himself to be "worthless." Jesus never did such a thing: He was fully aware of His own worth, and did not attempt to hide it. Rather, humility is about one who knows his position willingly stepping down to take a lower position. It includes a willingness to serve others, even if we feel they really should be serving us. (Matt. 20:28) It includes not insisting on our rights, even though we know that we have them. It includes being willing to do the dirty work, without complaining. (Jn. 13:4-5)

It does not include being a "doormat." Jesus never allowed others to walk over Him. Whatever He did in relationship to man, He did on His terms. His "meekness" was in relation to the Father, to Whose will He always conformed. It never translated into "weakness" in relation to people.

Sometimes when people read the teachings of Jesus, particularly those about "turning the other cheek" or "going the extra mile," they think that He was telling His followers to be doormats, but in reality He was doing the exact opposite. He was telling His listeners to take the initiative out of the hands of those who would treat them as doormats and abuse them, and to stop being victims. If you strike me on the cheek, you have taken the initiative; you have abused me and I am the victim. But if I then offer you the other cheek, I have taken the initiative away from you: no longer a victim, I am now a volunteer. I am not helplessly being acted upon; rather I have chosen to act and in doing so have taken control of the situation.

We see the ultimate expression of this in Jesus' trial and crucifixion. He made it very clear that His death would not be that of a victim, but of a volunteer:

" _Therefore the Father loves me, because I lay down my life, that I may take it again. No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down by myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. I received this commandment from my Father." (Jn. 10:17-18)_

If we allow the Holy Spirit to develop in us the kind of humility that was in Jesus, we will not need to push ourselves forward or "big note" ourselves. We will walk in the security of knowing who we are, and therefore knowing that our identity will not be damaged if we take a lesser position or do a dirty job. We will happily serve others, knowing that to do so does not in any way diminish ourselves. We will not be pushed around or walked over by others, but will always have control over the situation and act in humility out of choice, not out of compulsion.

Another surprising characteristic of Jesus was His holiness: not the fact that He was holy, but the way in which that holiness was expressed. We could search the Gospels from now till the end of time, and we would not find a picture of Jesus as the austere, gloomy, miserable character that so many associate with the term "holy." Quite the opposite: we find someone who radiates life. His teaching does not focus on the negative, "Don't do this," but rather on the positive, "Do this." The Pharisees, in their pursuit of righteousness, set themselves above people, and in doing so repelled those to whom they should have been ministering. Jesus, who walked in a level of holiness far above anyone else on earth, nevertheless walked among the people, and they were drawn to Him like bees to a honey pot. It's a strange picture: tax collectors, publicans, prostitutes - those some would call "the scum of the earth" - all drawn like a magnet to this holiest of all men, while those who claimed to be seeking holiness ostracized Him.

So what is holiness? Much more than the mere absence of sin, it is most closely linked to wholeness, and is intrinsically part of God's nature. God alone is holy within Himself; He is the only fully complete being. Yet implicit to the creation of man in His image and likeness was the intention that man should share in that holiness; that we should find our completion in Him. It is important for us to understand that the holiness in which Jesus walked while on earth was not the holiness that was intrinsically His as God, but the holiness of man in the image of God and made complete in God. It was His as man totally submitted to and empowered by the Holy Spirit; and because of this it shows us that we, too, can walk in holiness if we will be submitted to the Spirit.

Because Jesus was whole in God, He never had to be afraid that He would be defiled by the sin of others. The Pharisees steered well clear of those they condemned as "tax collectors and sinners," fearing that they would somehow be tainted by the sin of these people. Jesus had no such fear. He knew that the brokenness of others could never take from His own wholeness, but rather that His wholeness could make them whole. The "sinners" knew it, too. Broken people know their own brokenness, and hunger after wholeness.

Far beyond the fact that Jesus never sinned, by both His words and His life He demonstrated the spirit and the character of God that lay behind the commandments that the Pharisees upheld in such a rigorous and legalistic manner. He tore down the "hedge" that they had built around the Law, and instead invited people to come into the Law, understand it and experience its nuances. For instance, the Law said, Keep the Sabbath day holy. The religious authorities had surrounded that with all kinds of detailed laws dictating what could or could not be done on the Sabbath. (One of these laws even said that a false tooth made of bone could be worn on the Sabbath, because bone was natural to man's body, but a false tooth made of stone could not be worn, because stone was not natural to man's body, therefore wearing it would be "carrying a load!") Jesus effectively said, Come into the Sabbath and look at it. Why was it made? It was made for man, not the other way round. It is a holy day. Is healing a sick person a holy act, or an unholy one? It is a holy act, therefore it is appropriate to do it on a holy day. And, by the way, the Sabbath is a sign of your covenant with God, (Ezek. 20:20) but I am the God with whom you have this covenant: I am greater than the Sabbath; I am Lord of the Sabbath. (Lk. 6:5) Your true rest is not in a day, it is in Me. (Matt. 11:28)

So how does this relate to us? One of the most important things that the church today needs to learn is that legalism is not holiness: in fact, it is the devil's counterfeit of holiness. True holiness comes from finding our wholeness in Christ by allowing Him to mend our brokenness and build His character in us.

Perhaps Jesus' greatest characteristic, and the one that is almost universally recognized, is love. As we consider His life, we see that His love was first of all to the Father. This, of course, is inevitable. The statement "God is love" applied to the Trinity before creation. For all eternity there has been a wonderful, ever-shifting, ever-the-same kaleidoscope of Lover - Love - Beloved between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. That was never going to change just because the Son became man: it could not change, without changing the very nature of God.

Yet strangely (or maybe not so strangely) it is not His love of the Father on which people focus, but His love of people. Many have tried to reduce this to a soppy, mushy kind of feeling that accepts everything, but that is not a true picture of Jesus. His love was not just emotional, but spiritual. He did not just see the outward circumstances of people's lives, but the inner value that was theirs because of the image of God within them, and the potential that He had placed within them when they were created. We need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the kind of revelation that sees people as Jesus sees them.

Jesus' love for people was a robust love. Certainly He was compassionate. In fact, His compassion was the driving force behind His miracles. This is a very important point for us, if we want to see His power manifested through us. Jesus never performed a miracle or a healing to promote or vindicate Himself, and when others tried to persuade or coerce Him to do so, He refused. He did not use miracles to publicize His ministry, but rather told many whom He healed or delivered to tell nobody about it (though some went and blabbed it all over town anyway.) Every miracle He performed, every healing, every deliverance, was born out of compassion. If we are to see His power released through us, we need to ask the Holy Spirit to give us the same heart of compassion.

He was particularly compassionate toward the poor, even to the point of identifying with them. He could have come as a rich man, born into a king's palace, and still lived a sinless life, ministered in the power of the Holy Spirit, and died on the cross. Instead, he chose to be born to a poor family and live as a poor man. Yes, there are some who teach that Jesus was rich in His earthly life, but this is not backed up by the Gospels. For a start, when Mary and Joseph brought Him to the temple to be dedicated, they brought _"A pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."_ ( Lk. 2:24) This was a substitute offering that could only be brought by the poor, the regular offering being a year-old lamb. (Lev. 12:6-8) During His ministry, when one man wanted to follow Him, Jesus told him _"The foxes have holes, and the birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head."_ (Matt. 8:20) and when He was challenged about paying the Temple Tax, He sent Peter out to catch a fish that had swallowed a coin (Matt. 17:27) - in other words, He didn't have enough in His pocket to pay this small amount.

One of the greatest revelations of His heart toward the poor is His teaching about the sheep and the goats in Matt. 25:31-46, where He says unequivocally, _"What you do for the least of these, you do for Me. What you don't do for the least of these, you don't do for Me."_ (P) In this compassion He was reflecting the character of God expressed throughout the Old Testament, which has as much to say about compassion for the poor as it does about moral purity. With that in mind, I am astounded that so many today who name the Name of Christ seem to feel that compassion for the poor is an optional extra to Christianity. If we are to be truly Christlike, we must allow the Holy Spirit to develop within us His heart of compassion.

Yet this same compassionate Jesus told the Canannite woman who came seeking healing for her daughter, _"It is not appropriate to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs."_ (Matt. 15:26)

How can this be? Jesus calling a woman a dog, just because she wants to see her daughter healed? In fact, Jesus saw into her heart. He saw that she had the capacity to reach deeper in faith, and He acted in the way He did to draw out that faith. When she dug deep into that faith, her daughter was healed, but the gift that she received was far greater than her daughter's healing - it was a new level of relationship with God.

Jesus was gentle when dealing with sinners. When a woman gatecrashed His dinner at a Pharisee's house and proceeded to wash His feet with tears, He countered the Pharisee's condemnation of her by justifying her and praising her faith. When the religious authorities brought a woman (but interestingly not the man) who had been caught in adultery and demanded that He stone her, he highlighted their own sins and did not condemn her. Yet in both cases it was not a pat on the head and "it's OK." Rather, He made it clear to both women - the first implicitly, the second explicitly - that they were not to continue in their life of sin.

At the same time, Jesus' love never stopped Him from dealing strongly - at times it would seem even harshly - with sin. He regularly denounced the hypocrisy of the religious leaders, calling them a "brood of vipers" (Matt. 12:34, 23:33) and "whitewashed sepulchers." (Matt. 23:27) He called Herod "that fox." (Lk. 13:32) He told the people that they were no better than those who had experienced God's judgment in the past, and that unless they repented they too would perish. (Lk. 13:1-5) He often warned of the danger of hell, and strongly called upon people to repent. His words are often totally inconsistent with the soft, mushy kind of love that people associate with "Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild" but totally in character for the kind of love that seeks to challenge people to live at their highest capacity.

Today we are bombarded with messages of "tolerance" and "inclusiveness" that masquerade as love. But if I see you doing something that God hates, something that will keep you away from Him and see you heading for an eternity in hell, and I say nothing because I must be "tolerant" and "inclusive" am I really loving you? Surely it is more loving to tell someone he is heading for hell than to keep quiet and allow him to go there. Jesus' love was always willing to confront evil and challenge people's choices. If we are going to be truly Christlike we need to allow the Holy Spirit to develop in us a love that is more like Jesus kind of love and less like the world's wishy-washy imitation.

Another characteristic of Jesus was His authority. He taught with authority; He healed with authority; He cast out demons with authority; He defied the religious leaders with authority. It was one of the things that the people noticed most about Him. _"They were all amazed, so that they questioned among themselves, saying, 'What is this? A new teaching? For with authority he commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey him!'"_ (Mk. 1:27)

It is important for us to understand how He operated in that authority, because He has also given us authority, and we need to walk in our authority in the same was as He walked in His. Jesus' authority did not come because He was God. When He became man, He laid aside all the power and authority that came with His divinity. He became fully like us, except for sin, so that we could become fully like Him. He exercised authority as man, but as man under God.

We have already seen that when God first created mankind, He placed us on this planet as His vice-regents, with His authority to subdue and rule over the creation. Adam and Eve handed that authority over to Satan, but Jesus came and claimed it back. He walked in that delegated authority, and used it in the way that God had originally intended it to be used. Interestingly, whilst the Jews did not understand this, a Gentile centurion did, declaring, _"For I am also a man under authority, having under myself soldiers. I tell this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and tell another, 'Come,' and he comes; and tell my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it."_ (Matt. 8:9) This was a recognition that, just as his own authority came through the chain of command, so Jesus' authority came from God. Just as the centurion's authority must be obeyed as long as he was speaking as a representative of Rome, so Jesus' authority had to be obeyed as long as he was speaking as a representative of the Father.

We are included in everything Jesus did. We know that we are included in His death: it was, effectively, also our death, paying the penalty of our sin. _"I have been crucified with Christ, and it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me. That life which I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me."_ (Gal. 2:20) What we often don't understand is that we were also included in His life. When He took up the authority as God's vice-regent on earth, He did not do it just as Jesus of Nazareth, the carpenter, the son of Joseph, but as Man; as us. That's why His favorite title for Himself was "the Son of Man." We don't have to get authority, we have it. Jesus has already taken it on our behalf. But to walk in it we need to recognize, as He did, that it is derived authority: it is ours only as long as we are acting as God's vice-regents. The minute we start acting out of ourselves, as "private citizens" the authority is no longer there. This is confirmed by the words of the Great Commission: _"All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. [therefore] Go ..."_ (Matt. 28:18-19) He didn't need to say, "I give it to you." It had already been given to us when it was given to Him, we just need to take it and go.

Flowing on from Jesus' authority was His power: power over sickness, power over demons, power over nature, power over death. His power was as much part of Who He was as was His love, and if we are going to be like Him then it must also be part of who we are. Too many Christians think that if they imitate His love and humility they will be Christlike, they do not need to worry about power and authority, but a powerless person is no more Christlike than an unloving person. The world needs all that He is, not just part of it.

Again, I cannot emphasize strongly enough that Jesus did not exercise power as God. He had laid that aside when He came to earth. He exercised power as man living the way God originally intended, in total dependence upon the Holy Spirit. That is why the Holy Spirit came upon Him at His baptism. He did not "receive" the Holy Spirit at that time - the Spirit had been with Him from the moment of His conception - rather, at His baptism, He was empowered by the Spirit. Before then, He did not perform a single miracle.

This leaves us without excuse. If Jesus had performed His miracles as God, we could easily dismiss their relevance for our own lives - after all, we are not God. But He did them as man empowered by the Holy Spirit: the same Holy Spirit Who empowers us. The key for us is to allow the Holy Spirit to give us the same awareness of Himself, and the same dependence upon Him, as Jesus had.

We live in a world where the supernatural is having a massive resurgence. Magicians perform tricks that can only come from demonic empowerment, in some cases even replicating some of Jesus' miracles. Occultic practitioners push their healing abilities. Clairvoyants trumpet their "prophetic" skills. The devil is not shy to boast about how clever he is, and to flaunt his powers. "Gentle Jesus Meek and Mild" offers no answers for this world. This world needs to see the real Christ, with humility that is not weakness, holiness that is not legalism, love that is not indulgence, and power and authority that manifest the glory of God. And the only chance it has of seeing Him is if it sees Him in us.
" _Father God, I release an anointing over all who have read this chapter. I ask that You would reveal Jesus to us, not as man has imagined Him to be, but as He really is, and that you would transform us to be truly like Him; that we would truly manifest His holiness, His love and His power so that the world may see Him in us. In the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen."_

###  MARTYRDOM

A young man in the nineteenth century was going as a missionary to "darkest Africa." As he stood on the dock waiting to board the ship that would take him away from all that was familiar and into a great unknown future, his friends crowded around him.

"This is foolishness," they said. "You will almost certainly be killed by savages. Do you not fear for your life?"

The young man replied, "I have been crucified with Christ. The moment I gave my life to Him, I died. My life is now His, and when and where He chooses to claim it is entirely up to Him."

That attitude is what I am referring to as "martyrdom." Not necessarily that we will physically lay down our lives for Christ - although quite possibly some reading these pages will be required to make that ultimate sacrifice - but that our lives belong to Him, whether we live or die.

For many of us, that requires a major shift in emphasis. Regrettably, many today have come to Christ under "come to Jesus and get the goodies" type preaching. Come to Jesus and be healed. Come to Jesus and be prospered. Come to Jesus and get your relationships fixed. Come to Jesus and find peace, joy, comfort. Even, come to Jesus and get a free ticket to heaven.

Yes, God has all those "goodies" for us, and they are available because of Christ and in Him. But the emphasis makes the Gospel all about us. As we have already seen throughout this book, the Gospel is not about us.

The true Gospel is this: God created us for a purpose, that we would manifest His glory and represent Him in this world; and our lives will never be truly complete till that purpose is fulfilled in us. Sin made the fulfillment of that purpose impossible, but Christ identified with us in His life and death, canceling the power of sin and making it again possible for us to be all that God created us to be. What we receive from God is not nearly as important as what we become through Him.

If we understand that receiving Christ means identifying with His death, martyrdom ceases to be an issue. If we are already dead, then dying \- whether physically or metaphorically - is really not a big deal. If that death allows Christ to be more fully manifested through us, then we embrace it and rejoice in it.

Martyrdom says, I am living for something that is more important than my life.

Surprisingly, the world often embraces this concept, though most of the time it does not refer to it as martyrdom. Think of a young sports star, with his sights set on Olympic gold. He sacrifices much of his life to that goal. He forgoes the normal social life that would be enjoyed by a person his age. He sacrifices comfort, rising early in the morning and spending long hours on the track or in the pool. He avoids foods that would hinder his performance. He even harnesses his mind, directing all his mental energy toward his desired end. In a very real sense, he is a martyr to his Olympic dream.

Or consider a single mother, determined to make a good life for her children. She goes without many things so that they can have a better life. She works hard, maybe even at two jobs. Her own ambitions are put on hold, if not entirely thrown out the window. She happily gives up her "life" so that her children may be blessed.

Again, think of the soldier who goes off to defend his country in war. Whilst he is certainly hoping that he will not end up being one of the casualties, he is aware that there is a good chance that he might be. He endures rigorous training before he leaves, and whilst on his tour of duty he suffers deprivation of home, family, friends, personal time and comfort.

Each of these, and many other "everyday martyrs", is motivated by one thing: a cause that is greater than his life and lifestyle. Why, then, should it be difficult for Christians to embrace the concept that the cause of the Kingdom of God is greater than our lives?

Of course, there are many who do embrace it. I think of my friend Shirley, who went as a young woman to Brazil, to one of the remote tribes along the Amazon. There she spent forty years, learning the language, putting it into a written form, teaching the tribes-people to read, and finally translating the Bible into their language. She gave up home, comfort, friends, career, marriage, even the simple pleasure of being with people who spoke her own language. Few people in the world have ever heard of Shirley or the work she did, but I strongly suspect that she will have one of the highest thrones in heaven.

Martyrdom means that we have already died to our own agendas, but also that we continue to die to them each day. Jesus said, _"If anyone desires to come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, [daily] and follow me."_ (Lk. 9:23)

It is relatively easy in a moment of spiritual fervor to make a grand decision to lay all on the altar and promise to "Go wherever You want me to go, do whatever You want me to do, say whatever you want me to say, no matter what the cost." Five, ten or twenty years down the track, when the cost is right in our face and we are being pressured from every side, that commitment may not be so easy to maintain. That's why we must take up our cross anew every day. (And no, our "cross" is not the illness, difficult relationship or other problem that life has dished out to us. Jesus chose to go to the cross, and likewise our cross is the choice to die to self and follow and serve Him, even unto death.)

So how can we do it? How can we, in the midst of trials, disappointments and frustrations, keep ourselves from jumping off the altar and running away to an island in the sun? The best thing we can do is to follow the example of Jesus Himself: _"looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising its shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."_ (Heb. 12:2)

In other words, we need to keep our eyes on the end game. Paul understood this well when he wrote,

" _For our light affliction, which is for the moment, works for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory; while we don't look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:17-18)_

Paul's "light affliction" included beatings, stoning, ship-wrecks, imprisonment, near starvation - yet through it all he was able to remember that all these things would pass, but the Kingdom of God for which he was laboring would last forever. Like the athlete sacrificing all in the hope of a gold medal, he had his "eyes on the prize" and that made all that he had to endure worthwhile.

There is a story of an elderly missionary couple returning to America after many years of service. On the same ship was a Broadway star returning after a tour of Europe. As the star descended the gangplank, reporters and photographers surged around her, while an army of fans pressed forward to get a glimpse. After the fuss had died down, the missionary couple walked down the same gangplank. There were no reporters or photographers, no crowds to greet them. No-one was even aware they had arrived. That night, exhausted from the trip and weary from their years of service, they cried out in tears to the Lord, "Lord, we have served you faithfully all these years, and not a single person came to greet us when we returned home, yet this actress who has done nothing for the Kingdom was mobbed by fans." Then the Holy Spirit whispered softly to their hearts, "You are not Home yet." No doubt, when they did finally land on the shores of their heavenly home, the reception was very different!

Martyrdom means total surrender to the will of God, not only for our own lives and our personal relationship with Him, but for our service in the Kingdom of God. However, it does not mean fatalism. It does not mean that we simply lie down and accept whatever comes to us as being from the hand of God. We need to understand that, even though he was defeated at the Cross, the devil still tries to destroy lives and hinder God's servants wherever possible. In one sense, those of us who are committed to a life of martyrdom are even more vulnerable to his attacks, precisely because we are prepared to endure whatever it takes for the sake of the Kingdom. Knowing this, the devil is likely to make sure that we have plenty of hardships to endure. We need the discernment to be able to know which have been permitted by God, and through which we simply need to stand strong so that God can be glorified in us; and which have been brought by the devil and against which we need to take up our spiritual arms and stand in the victory of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Jesus came into this world specifically to die to pay the penalty of sin so that we could be restored to our original purpose and the earth could be brought back into the Kingdom of God. Probably from His childhood, and certainly from the beginning of His public ministry, He knew that this was His destiny. Yet there were several "opportunities" to die before the Cross. At the beginning of His ministry, when He spoke in the synagogue, He so infuriated the people that they dragged Him out to a cliff to throw Him over (Lk. 4:16-29) but He just walked through the crowd and went away. On another occasion He claimed for Himself the Name of God, with the result that the people took up stones to stone Him (Jn. 8:58-59) but again He simply walked through the mob and went away. Even though He was committed to dying, He knew on both these occasions that this was not the time, the place or the way set by the Father, so He refused to simply allow the situation to take its course but instead moved in authority to overcome what He knew to be an attack from the enemy.

Martyrdom is not victimhood! Jesus has defeated Satan, and that means that we do not have to take any of the devil's nonsense. There are times when God will use the devil's plans to achieve His own purposes, as He did in the death of Jesus (1 Cor. 2:8) but there are other times when the problems are simply an attack of the enemy. We need to be able to discern between the two: to submit joyfully to the former, and to resist the latter in the power and authority that is ours through the Holy Spirit.

There is a vast difference between martyrdom, in the sense in which we are using the word here, and a "martyr complex" - that pitiful, sniveling, ever complaining attitude that sees the whole world as "out to get me" and complains constantly of "the suffering I must endure for others."

Unlike those of other faiths, a Christian martyr does not seek out suffering, persecution or death. Some people subject their bodies to torture with severe asceticism, self-flagellation, even allowing themselves to be nailed to crosses, in the hope that this will atone for their sin. They have tragically failed to understand that Jesus has already paid that price, and nothing they can ever do can add to His finished work. Others blow up themselves (and everyone around them) in the vain hope that this will win them favor with their god. None of these things is true martyrdom. Rather they are a sad manifestation of self will, human understanding and demonic deception. We are not to seek this kind of false martyrdom. Most Christians would understand this.

We also should not provoke persecution, and this is an area that many Christians seem to not understand. I have been in developing nations where worship and preaching is broadcast on loud speakers from the church at all hours. When the non-Christian neighbors complain, the Christians cry that they are being persecuted. That is not persecution! The very reasonable reaction of the neighbors was provoked by the very unreasonable actions of the Christians - and, to be honest, if I had been living next to those churches I would have complained too! Both in our public ministries and in our personal lives, we need to be very careful that we do not bait others to attack us, and then claim martyrdom.

Martyrdom is not passivism. Passivism is that kind of false spirituality in which we do nothing, it is all done by the Holy Spirit: we are just clay in His hands. We have no thoughts, desires or will of our own. Nothing could be further from the way we see God interacting with man throughout the Word. From beginning to end, every step along the way, God invites us to join with Him in the work of the Kingdom. Serving as a martyr does not mean that we no longer have a will or desires of our own, but rather that we choose to pursue God's will and desires rather than our own. Consider this: even Jesus, God in the flesh, had a will of His own. How else could He have prayed, _"Not My will but Yours?"_ (Matt. 26:39 P) Surrendering our will to God is not something that is achieved once and for all in one mighty burst of "I surrender all" but rather it is the day-by-day, moment-by-moment choosing to follow His way rather than our own, even when that choice is a costly one.

To be a martyr in the sense in which we are using the word is to be totally sold out for Jesus, and to be willing to serve Him in whatever situation He places us, whether that be the most humble and hidden of ministries as with my friend Shirley, or right at the forefront of the battle in the public arena. It means that we will count no sacrifice too great, whether it be daily living for Him or literally dying for Him; but we will make only those sacrifices that He requires of us, and not yield to the false demands of the devil. It means that we will embrace persecution and death should God send it, but we will not pursue or provoke it for its own sake. In the sense in which we are speaking, Jesus was the ultimate martyr. From the moment He left heaven till He returned to sit at the Father's right hand, His life was a continual dying, a continual placing of the interests of the Kingdom ahead of His own.

The heart of a martyr is essential if we are going to establish the kind of relationships with the world that will see the restoration of God's Kingdom on earth.
" _Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I release to all who have read these pages a heart of martyrdom. I ask that You would cause each of us to catch a vision that is greater than our own comfort, greater than our own desires, greater than our own lives. I ask that You would draw each one so strongly to Yourself that each will become totally sold out for You and Your Kingdom, and will be willing to live and if necessary die for You alone. Amen."_

### PRIESTHOOD

The concept of the priesthood of all believers is one of the most misunderstood of all Christian doctrines, so it is important that first we look at what it does not mean. It does not mean that all believers should have a part in the governance of the local congregation, even though those who believe in congregational government like to use it in this way. The New Testament makes it very clear that the apostles appointed leaders in the churches, (see Tit. 1:5) and it was they and the apostles who made the decisions for the churches. Not all Christians are called to leadership in the formal sense, and priesthood is not about leadership in this sense - though of course all Christians are called to leadership in the informal sense, and we will be talking about that in a later chapter.

It also does not mean that all believers have the same ministry, or that all are called to public ministry. Comparing the Church to a body, Paul makes it clear that each part has a different role to play, and each is important to the functioning of the whole body. (1 Cor. 12:12-29) Each member is a priest, but not every member has the same function.

Unlike under the Mosaic covenant, priesthood is not limited to one particular group of believers. Whilst some denominations refer to their ordained ministers as "priests" this is really not correct, other than in the sense that they are priests the same as all other believers.

Before we move on from looking at the mistakes about priesthood, there is one other false doctrine that needs to be laid to rest, and that is the teaching that "the husband is priest of the household." This is totally contrary to the priesthood of all believers, which says that the wife is also a priest, and so are the children (if they are believers.) To make the husband the "priest of the household" is to make him a priest over the priest(s), in other words a high priest - the position that belongs to Jesus Christ alone. As far as I can find, the only thing on which this teaching has been based is the NIV translation of Isaiah 61:10, which has the bridegroom adorning his head as a priest. However, it is clear that this is purely metaphorical - in Isaiah's day, every bridegroom could not be a priest, only those of the tribe of Levi and the family of Aaron. (Note that this is different from saying that "the husband is head of the wife." That statement is also misunderstood, but it is not the subject of the discussion here.)

So, what is the priesthood of all believers really about? Firstly, we need to understand that there is a difference between priesthood and ministry. The word "ministry" simply means service, and can legitimately be applied to any area of service within the Body of Christ. "Priesthood" is a particular kind of service. Primarily, priesthood is about two things: access and representation. Wherever a priesthood exists, it means that only the priests have access to God. Because the general population does not have that access, the priests must represent God to the people, and the people to God.

Secondly, we need to understand God's purposes for priesthood. To do this we need to go right back to the creation of the world. God created the whole material realm, then finally He created mankind in the "image and likeness" of God. The rest of the material creation did not have direct access to God, but man did. Man was created to be like God, so that he would represent God to the material creation. He was to tend and nurture it, just as God would, releasing the life of God into the world around him. The creation should have been able to look at mankind and see what God was like.

Instead of taking up this high calling, however, man listened to the devil's lie that he could become a god for himself, not needing any input or control from the God of the universe. Instead of representing God to the creation, he handed control of creation over to the devil, who was only interested in representing himself.

God, however, had not given up on His purposes to be truly represented in the world. Eventually He picked a man, Abraham, through whom the whole world would be blessed. (Gen. 12:3) Ultimately, this refers to the coming of the Messiah, but it also speaks of the raising up of a people who would faithfully represent God to the nations.

Over four hundred years later, after He brought the descendants of Abraham out of Egypt under the leadership of Moses, God said to them, _"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine; and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests."_ (Ex. 19:5-6) God's intention for Israel was that they would have access to Him, and that they would represent Him to the world. He wanted a nation of people at whom the world could look and say, "Now we know what God is really like. We have seen it in His people." At the same time, Israel was to represent the world before God, making intercession and calling forth His mercy and grace. Notice that the intention was not for there to be a separate, exclusive priesthood that did these things, but that the whole nation would be "a kingdom of priests".

Like our first parents, however, Israel rejected God's offer of a face-to-face relationship out of which they would minister to the world. Instead, they were happy to pass the responsibility to Moses. "All the people perceived the thunderings, the lightnings, the sound of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking. When the people saw it, they trembled, and stayed at a distance. They said to Moses, _"Speak with us yourself, and we will listen; but don't let God speak with us, lest we die."_ (Ex. 20:18-19) Afraid of what a face-to-face relationship might cost, they chose to let someone else represent them. The result was the establishment of the priesthood, an exclusive group with sole access to the presence of God, and then only under carefully limited circumstances, who would from then on represent God to the people and the people to God.

This was never God's intended purpose. So He waited. Waited until the Son came and by His death tore open the veil separating the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies. Once again the ordinary believers were to be given free access to God's presence. They could now _"draw near with boldness to the throne of grace."_ (Heb. 4:16) They did not need anyone else to represent them because Christ was their High Priest and the _"one mediator between God and men."_ (1 Tim. 2:5)

Once again God made that wonderful statement, _"you are ... a royal priesthood."_ (I Pet. 2:9) He repeats it in slightly different form in Rev. 1:6 and 5:10. As was His original intention for Israel, His intention for the Church was not that it HAVE a priesthood, but that it BE a priesthood. God has given us free access to His throne. We can come before Him any time we want. We don't have to bring the blood of bulls and goats, because the blood of Jesus has been shed once and for all. In fact, the Holy Spirit, who is God, dwells within every born again believer, and wants to communicate with us on a regular basis. More than that, God intends that we should represent Him to the world around us. The world should be able to look at us and say, "Ah, now we know what God is like!" God also intends that we represent the people to Him. There are probably many people you know who do not know God. For many of those, you may be the only Christian they know. Do you lift them regularly before the throne of Grace? Do you represent them and their needs, particularly their need of salvation, faithfully before God?

Unfortunately there are many Christians who still want to have a priesthood rather than being a priesthood. They want someone else to pray for them (I am not talking about asking someone to stand in agreement, which is legitimate, but about asking someone else to take the responsibility of taking their needs before the Father.) They want someone else to prophesy over them, or to hear the word of God on their behalf. They want to go to church on Sunday and be spoon fed.

And in it all, they are missing God's call to priesthood – a call that applies not to an exclusive group within the Church, but to the whole Body of Christ.

Whenever a group is defined, that group will have certain things that bind them together and make them a group, whilst at the same time separating them from others who may have some superficial similarities but are not part of the same group. Thus the priests of the Lord in the Old Testament formed a priesthood, but that priesthood excluded those who were priests of the false gods of the surrounding nations.

Let's now look at some of the things that define the Royal Priesthood that is the Church. The first of these is the sacrifice.

Every priesthood has a sacrifice, and in fact sacrifice is one of the chief reasons why priesthood exists. The priests of false religions, both in the days of the Old Testament and even through to modern times, offer many sacrifices, some of them very strange and even bizarre, in an attempt to appease the gods they serve. These sacrifices of false religions have not been prescribed by God, but are the attempt of man to come to their understanding of God, and reflect a "racial memory" going right back to the Garden of Eden, that man must bring something when he approaches the deity.

As we have already seen, when God created Adam and Eve they had free access to Him, and were supposed to represent Him to the rest of the material creation. When they chose to step out from God's rule, however, and become "gods" unto themselves instead of "priests" unto God, they lost that access. They were driven from the garden, and a huge angel with a flamings sword was stationed at the entrance to bar their return.

Before that happened, however, God did something rather wonderful. Stripped of the glory of God that had covered them in their innocence, Adam and Eve had realized that they were naked. Now God took one of the animals He had created – an innocent victim – and killed it, using its hide to make a covering for His rebellious children that was more effective than their own flimsy efforts to string together leaves. From the outset He had told them that disobedience would lead to death. What they now saw was the death of another, an innocent sacrifice, to provide a covering for their sin. So the memory was born in the heart of mankind, that only the shedding of blood can bring the forgiveness of sins.

The principle was passed on to their children, and we see Abel bringing an acceptable blood sacrifice, whilst the rebellious and self-righteous Cain considered his vegetables to be good enough. God, however, was not pleased with the fruit of self-righteousness, and rejected Cain's offering, with the result that his true nature came to the fore.

From that time on, man always approached God with sacrifices. When the Law was set in place through Moses, God went into great detail about what sacrifices the people were to bring, when they were to bring them, and how they were to be offered. Always, there was the principle of the necessity of the shedding of blood for the covering of sins. The priesthood of the Old Testament was bound together by the sacrificial system. They existed to offer the sacrifices. Rivers of blood flowed from the altar of the Temple, and all to one purpose: to drive home to the people that sin is deadly, and that sinners can only approach a holy God through shed blood.

Yet all of it was only temporary. Hebrews tells us clearly that _"... it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins."_ (Heb. 10:4) The sacrifices of the Old Testament priests, even though they were prescribed by God, could only ever provide a temporary "cover" for sins, whilst pointing to the One whose blood would not only cover, but would pay the price of sin and remove it for all time.

That One, of course, was the Lord Jesus Christ. When He shed the only sinless human blood that had ever been shed, He offered the one sacrifice that was really able to take away sin. Not only that, but because it was effective, it only had to be offered once. There are some who think that Jesus' sacrifice must be "offered" every day, but to believe this is to totally misunderstand the effectiveness of Calvary. That which achieves its purpose only has to be done once. When we partake of the Communion, we are not re-offering Christ's sacrifice, but reminding ourselves of what He has done for us.

This means that for the New Testament priesthood, that "Royal Priesthood" that the Church is rather than has, the whole concept of sacrifice is changed. The sacrifice that binds this priesthood together is not one that we bring to God, but one that He brings to us. He has done what we could not do: He (the Son) has offered an effective sacrifice and He (the Father) has accepted it. There is no further sacrifice we can bring to Him. His sacrifice has given us access to the Throne. His sacrifice has made us priests.

Now our role as priests is not to bring the sacrifices of the people to God, but to bring the sacrifice of God to the people. There is a world of people out there who don't know that the perfect sacrifice has been offered on their behalf. They are still trying to bring their own sacrifices. Some are still vainly trying to cover themselves with the fig leaves of their own effort, or self-righteously bringing whatever they consider to be suitable to God. Others have grasped the principle of costly sacrifice, but think that it is they who must pay the cost, and try by flagellation or self-mutilation or asceticism. They need God's Royal Priesthood to come to them, pointing them to the sacrifice that God has made for them, and offering them the life and forgiveness that it has bought.

The second thing that a priesthood has in common is the place of service.

When the Old Testament priesthood was first formed under Moses, the place of service was the Tabernacle, the tent that accompanied the Israelites in their travels. At the center of the Tabernacle was the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was placed, and where God "dwelt" in the midst of His people. The entire service of the priesthood was carried out within the confines of the Tabernacle, in the place of God's presence.

When the Temple was built under Solomon, it had the same basic layout as the Tabernacle: the outer court, which was open to the people, the Holy Place, where only the priests could go, and the Holy of Holies, where the Ark of the Covenant was kept, and which could be entered only by the High Priest, and then only once a year and with special restrictions. God chose to manifest His presence, the Shekina, in the Temple. Again, the whole of the priestly service was carried out within the Temple. God made it very clear that He would not accept sacrifices that were offered anywhere other than at the Temple in Jerusalem.

After the death of Solomon, God divided the nation, giving the northern half to Jeroboam. (1 Kings 11:31) He accompanied this with an awesome promise:

" _I will take you, and you shall reign according to all that your soul desires, and shall be king over Israel. It shall be, if you will listen to all that I command you, and will walk in my ways, and do that which is right in my eyes, to keep my statutes and my commandments, as David my servant did; that I will be with you, and will build you a sure house, as I built for David, and will give Israel to you." (1 Kings 11:37-38)_

Jeroboam's kingship was guaranteed by God, as long as Jeroboam obeyed God. That obedience included the priesthood serving God in the Temple at Jerusalem.

However, Jeroboam obviously did not believe God's promise. He decided that if the people continued to go to the Temple in Jerusalem to worship, they would return to serving Rehoboam, the King of Judah, and that his own life could be in danger as a result. To counteract this possibility he established new worship centers at Dan and Bethel, made golden calves as the "gods" who reigned from them, and set up a priesthood of his own choosing for their worship. (1 Kings 12:25-33)

Notice that Jeroboam's idolatry began with his refusal to accept the Temple at Jerusalem as the only legitimate place of service to God.

So how does all this relate to us as the New Testament priesthood? Firstly, we know that for us the place of service is not physical. We have a bad habit of referring to buildings as "churches", but the building is not the church, it is merely the place where the church meets. The word refers to us both corporately and individually as God's Temple. However, the principle that carries through from the Old Testament is that the Temple was the place of God's presence. Just as the whole of the Old Testament priests' service was carried out in the place of God's presence, so our service as New Testament priests can only be carried out in the place of His presence.

The minute we try to move out from God's presence to carry out our service to Him, we fall into the error of Jeroboam. If we will not serve God in the place of His choosing, then it is not God we are serving but a god of our own creation. Moving out of God's presence inevitably and invariably leads to idolatry.

In the Temple the Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant. The covenant is the absolutely binding relationship between the Lord and His people. When we move away from His presence, we move away from that relationship, and all the strength and benefits that that relationship brings.

The Ark of the Covenant contained the tablets of the Law, which spoke of God's righteousness. As New Covenant priests we don't have an external law written on tablets of stone. Rather, God has given us His righteousness and written His law on our hearts by the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit. If we move away from the place of His presence, we move away from His righteousness. Without His righteousness, we are left to stand in our own righteousness, which is no righteousness at all.

The Ark also contained the pot of Manna, speaking of God's provision. God's provision, both spiritual and material, cannot be separated from His person. Much as some would try, it is not possible to take the gift without the giver. Thus, when we separate ourselves from the place of God's presence, we are also separating ourselves from the place of His provision.

Finally the Ark held Aaron's rod that budded, speaking of God's power. The only way to move in God's power is to be connected to the power supply. When we remove ourselves from the place of His presence, we remove ourselves from that supply.

When we look at the two distinctives of priesthood, it is obvious that they can only be exercised in the presence of God. Firstly, priesthood is about access to God. It should be obvious that we only have access to God by coming to Him, yet so many try to access Him by reading about Him or listening to sermons about Him, or through the prayers of others. Don't get me wrong. Books are great (I'm a writer, I have to say that!) Sermons are great (I'm a preacher, I have to say that too!) Intercession is great (and yes, I'm an intercessor so I have to say that too!) But all those things done by someone else can only give you a second hand relationship with God. A priest has access. To have access, you have to personally enter into His presence.

Secondly, priesthood is about representation – representing God to the world, and the world to God. Again, it should be obvious that this can only be done from the presence of God. It is not enough for us to take the God whom we know only on a second hand basis and try to present Him to a desperately needy world on a third hand basis. Nor can we hope to bring the needs of that world before God unless we actually personally come before Him.

In the Old Testament there was no legitimate place of priestly service other than the Tabernacle and later the Temple. In the New Covenant there is no possible place of priestly service other than the place of God's presence. Are you serving in and from His presence, or are you trying to serve somewhere else?

In the Old Testament, the priest was to wear specific garments to identify himself and the role he was to fulfill. Likewise, we of the New Covenant priesthood have special garments we are to wear in our priestly service.

The first of these is the robe of righteousness. (Isa. 61:10) This is not something that we have ourselves, but something that God provides for us through Christ. Earlier in this book we looked at the parable of the wedding feast. Those called came in dirty, straight from the fields or their workshops, but they were provided with a beautiful wedding garment. To refuse to accept that garment was a huge insult to the host, and would cause the person who did so to be thrown out.

In the same way, God calls us while we are dirty – not from work, but from sin. He provides for us the righteousness of Jesus, to cover our own unrighteousness. The only way we can be found without His righteousness is if we have insisted in standing in our own self-righteousness, which is in fact filthy rags. To do that is to refuse God's grace, and to lose our place in the Kingdom.

Not only in our personal salvation, but especially in our priestly service, it is important for us to remember that we stand only by God's grace. His choosing of us was not because of anything in us, but purely because of His grace.

The Old Testament priest wore an ephod and a breastplate. The ephod contained the Urim and Thumim, stones that were used to determine the will of God in any matter, and the breastplate was set with twelve stones representing the twelve tribes of Israel, which were to be worn over the heart of the priest. Both of these speak of the prophetic nature of the New Covenant priesthood. Even those who are not called to the prophetic office, even those who do not move in the prophetic gifts, have the Spirit of God living within and are therefore able to hear the voice of God and know His will. Likewise, even those who are not intercessors are to carry the people on their hearts before the Lord.

The Old Testament priest also wore a turban, with a gold plate at the front inscribed "holy to the Lord". In modern language, this was like a sign saying "For God's use only!" As New Covenant priests we are set aside for God's service. Whether we are called to "full time" ministry or not, our first commitment is to the work of the Lord. That work may be carried out in front of a congregation, or it may be carried out in an office or factory or on a farm, or in any number of other situations in which people live and work. We may be a "minister", or we may be a cook or an accountant or a laborer or a sailor – no matter what function we carry out, we are first and foremost a priest of the living God, set apart for His service in whatever form it may take.

Finally, the garments of the Old Testament priests were to be made of linen, so that the priests did not sweat. As New Covenant priests, we must learn not to strive and struggle in our own strength, but to rest in Jesus and be yoked together with Him. Our own efforts will never minister to anybody, and may in fact be a hindrance to those we would seek to help.

Another thing the priesthood has in common is ordination. When we talk about ordination in relation to the Royal Priesthood, it is important that we remember that we are not talking about "ministry" in the sense of an exclusive group within the Church, but of the whole Body of Christ. We are all "ordained" to be priests of God.

In the Old Testament the ordination ceremony consisted of four particular elements: washing, clothing, anointing and consecration.

First, the priestly candidates were to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting and washed with water. (Ex. 29:4) This indicated to the whole congregation (and also reminded the priests themselves) that they, like everyone else, needed to be cleansed before they could approach the Throne of God. Unlike false religions, which elevated their priests as holy men, and sometimes even as semi-gods, God wanted it clearly understood that these were ordinary men, sinners in need of God's mercy and forgiveness, and that they held their position not because of any merit of their own but because of God's grace that had caused them to be born into the priestly line.

We also need to remember that God's gracious choice of us does not make us better than those in the world. Like them, we needed – and continue to need – God's forgiveness and mercy. When I was a child there was a saying that was applied regularly on seeing someone in worse circumstances than ourselves: "There, but for the grace of God, go I." It is a truth we would do well to remember as we reach out even to those we consider the worst of sinners, lest we fall into the trap (of which unbelievers so often accuse us) of thinking ourselves better than those to whom we minister.

Secondly, the priests were clothed in the priestly garments. This spoke both of their "setting apart" for the priesthood, and the fact that they were clothed with an authority that was not their own. Exodus 28:40 says that the garments were _"to give them dignity and honor."_ (NIV) Even though they were ordinary men, they were called to an extraordinary function, and were given the authority for that function. They were to be respected, not because of who they were in themselves, but because of the office in which they stood.

Although we, too, are ordinary people, we have also been called to a high office. As priests unto our God we are His ambassadors, (2 Cor. 5:20) and as such we have an authority that is not our own, but is a part of the office to which we are called. We are called to walk in humility, but not to be "doormats". We need to stand tall in the dignity and honor with which God has clothed us, and not be afraid to walk in that authority.

Next, the priest was anointed by pouring oil on his head. (Ex. 29:7) The oil spoke of God's favor and blessing. (Ps. 23:5) Since oil is used for lubrication, it also spoke of God's enabling, equipping the priest for his service; and since oil was also used for burning, it spoke of God's empowering.

We also need God's favor and blessing, His enabling and equipping, and His empowering. We receive it in our "personal Pentecost", when the Holy Spirit comes upon us in power not to bring us into the Kingdom of God, but to release us as God's priests, as His witnesses. When we consider that even Jesus, who was God in the flesh, did not begin His earthly ministry until He had received that power outpouring from the Spirit at His baptism, how much more do we need it! The Baptism in the Holy Spirit was never meant to be just a nice spiritual experience – it is meant to equip us for all that God has called us to be.

Finally, the priests were consecrated. One ram was used to consecrate the altar and the sacred objects. Then the priests laid their hands on the second ram, identifying with it, (Ex. 29:19) after which it was slaughtered. No-one could possibly mistake the significance that this consecration was a consecration unto death! The moment the future priest laid his hands on that ram, he became a dead man. His life was no longer his own. Self no longer had any place. Then, just to emphasize it even further, the first place the blood was daubed was on his right ear. This was a reminder of the law that allowed a slave who was due for release to bind himself permanently to his master. If the slave indicated that he did not want to leave his master, the master was to take him before the judges, stand him beside a doorpost and pierce his earlobe with an awl, (Ex. 21:6) after which the slave was bound to his master for life. Thus the priest was bound to the Lord for a lifetime of service. The blood was then daubed on the thumb of his right hand and the big toe of his right foot, indicating that the priest no longer had right of control over what he did in service for the Lord, or where he went.

Our sacrificial Lamb was slain for us at Calvary. We were happy to identify with Him in His death on our behalf, bearing away our sins. But have we really come to understand that identifying with Him means identifying with His death? That we, like the priests of old, have been consecrated unto death? That death to self is not an optional extra of our Christian walk, but the very heart and essence of it? That we no longer have rights over our lives, or to choose our form or place of service?

When we came to Jesus, we were ordained into the Royal Priesthood, and priests have to be every bit as dead as the sacrifice they offer.

As part of the Royal Priesthood we have access to God, an access that is available only because our great High Priest, the Lord Jesus Christ, has offered the sacrifice of Himself, and gone before us to open the way into God's presence. We must not use that access selfishly. We must remember always that the reason the priest has access to God is so that he can represent others before the Throne. We come into His presence bearing the world on our hearts, just as the Old Testament bore the tribes of Israel, represented by the stones in the breastplate. Then, when we go out from God's presence, we do not go to simply carry on with our own lives, but to represent God before the world that so desperately needs to see Him.
" _Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I release an anointing over every reader, that he or she may come into a deep understanding of what it means to be Your priest, and may step into this wonderful role that You have given to us. Amen."_

### SERVANTHOOD

We have already talked a little about servanthood as we looked at Christlikeness and priesthood, but this subject is so important that it deserves deeper consideration.

Both the Old Testament and the New speak of the Messiah as a servant:

" _Behold, my servant, whom I uphold;_

my chosen, in whom my soul delights—

I have put my Spirit on him.

He will bring justice to the nations." (Isa. 42:1)

" _Behold, my servant will deal wisely._

He will be exalted and lifted up,

and will be very high." (Isa. 52:13)

" _who, existing in the form of God, didn't consider equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." (Ph. 2:6-7)_

" _For who is greater, one who sits at the table, or one who serves? Isn't it he who sits at the table? But I am among you as one who serves." (Lk. 22:27)_

" _even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." (Matt. 20:28)_

Since our primary call is to be like Christ, it is impossible to escape the fact that we are called to servanthood. That call to servanthood is threefold, and corresponds to the three sections of this book: we are servants of the Lord; we are servants of His people; and a we are servants of the world.

Some Christians object to the concept of our being servants of God. They quote the Scripture from John, _"No longer do I call you servants, for the servant doesn't know what his lord does. But I have called you friends, for everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you."_ (Jn. 15:15) and insist that because of this we should not call ourselves God's servants.

However, when we look properly at this verse, that is not what Jesus was saying. He was not talking about how they should see themselves in relation to Him, but about how He saw them. Their relationship had progressed through many levels. It had grown from a simple response to the call "follow Me" through various levels of teaching, to the point of ministering with Him (for example, as He gave them responsibility to distribute the loaves and fishes on the occasions of these two miracles - the multiplication did not happen whilst the food was in Jesus' hands, but when it was in the hands of the disciples.) From there they had gone on to be sent out in pairs by themselves, but still knowing that Jesus was nearby and they could return to Him any time they needed.

Throughout this time, Jesus' revelation of Himself to them had also been progressive, and for much of the time they had little understanding even of the revelation they had already received. Now, Jesus was about to fulfill the purpose of His coming to earth. He was going to the cross, and even though He would have a short while with them following His resurrection, they were soon going to be left to carry on the work of the Kingdom by themselves, with only a spiritual connection to Him rather than His physical presence. He was elevating them to a new level of trust and intimacy: He would no longer treat them as servants, whose role was only to do what they were told. Now He was treating them as friends, who would still serve, but would do so out of love and understanding rather than out of compulsion.

Our relationship with God is multifaceted. We are His people, His sons (a term that applies equally to both genders,) His children (used more in the sense of "little children" as opposed to adult sons,) His bride (again, both genders are included,) His building, His temple, His body, His servants. None of these is exclusive of the rest, any more than one facet of a diamond makes the rest redundant. In fact, all the facets contribute to the beauty of each individual facet.

The same apostle Paul who wrote, _"For you didn't receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'"_ (Rom. 8:15) also referred to himself as a doulos, "slave" of Christ ( often translated as "servant" in English versions - Rom. 1:1; Ph. 1:1; Tit. 1:1.) He was not a slave by force, but by choice.

This is similar to the principle we saw in the last chapter, where under the Law of Moses a slave who was due to be set free could choose to be bonded to his master for life. Likewise we, who have been set free by Christ, who have been elevated by Him to the level of friendship, and beyond that to the level of sonship, and even to the ultimate level of intimacy as His bride, can still choose to be bound to Him in service without in any sense negating any of the other aspects of our relationship.

Truly, we will never be effective as servants of the Body of Christ, much less as servants of the world, unless we are first true servants of the Lord.

To be a servant of the Lord means, before anything else, that we walk in obedience. In fact, Jesus said that this was the test, not only of our service, but of our love: _"One who has my commandments, and keeps them, that person is one who loves me. One who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and will reveal myself to him."_ (Jn. 14:21)

That does not just mean obeying what we find written in the Word of God, but obeying His personal directions to us. To walk in that kind of obedience, we need to learn to hear His voice. That brings us back to the need to develop our human spirit, which is the part of us that is designed to be attuned to the Holy Spirit. If we blunder along, aware only of the leading of our soul - our intellect, emotions and will - or of the advice of others, however well-intentioned, we will never be able to truly know what God wants of us. If we do not know what He wants, then how can we obey Him?

This applies particularly in relation to our gifts and calling. These are given to us to enable us to serve the Body and the world, but if we do not understand what they are, then our service will not be effective. It is important for us to take time in God's presence, asking the Holy Spirit to reveal to us the areas of service to which He has called us, and the gifts that He has given us to equip us for that service.

Once we know what God wants of us, we will pursue that with all our heart and soul. It becomes a priority in our life, but we never need worry about it pushing out other legitimate areas of service, such as our family, for they are also part of God's plan. If we are listening to His voice and following His purposes for us day by day, everything will come together in its proper place.

In relation to our service in the Body of Christ, Jesus made it clear that we are to serve each other, just as He served His disciples, (Mk. 9:35, Jn. 13:14) whilst Paul said that, even though the apostles were the leaders in the church, in God's upside-down order they were in fact at the bottom. (1 Cor. 4:9) We have already looked at how we need to serve others in the body in humility and honor.

Our main purpose in this chapter is to consider our service to the world. It is very important that we understand from the outset that being servants to the world does not mean obeying the world's commands or doing things the world's way. That is why we must first be servants of the Lord, and then serve the world as part of our service to Him, and as directed by His Spirit.

I have talked earlier in this book about the job I held years ago as a babysitter. I was there to serve the children, but I was definitely not there to do whatever the children wanted. My instructions came from the parents, and I did for the children what the parents wanted done for them.

Likewise, in our service to the world, our instructions are to come from the Lord, not from the world system - something that should be remembered by churches that try to be "seeker friendly" at the cost of being unwelcoming to the Holy Spirit.

Some people (mostly evangelists) believe that the only way we should be serving the world is by preaching the Gospel. To them, everything starts and ends with the Great Commission, and the Great Commission applies without exception to every born-again believer.

Whilst in one sense this is true, it is vastly over-simplified, which means that in another sense it is not true at all. The truth is, the Great Commission is not given to individuals, but to the Church. In fact, it would be utterly impossible for any individual to fulfill it - no individual has the capacity to "go into all the world" and "preach the Gospel to every creature." For one person to reach everyone on earth would take many lifetimes, and millions more would have been born, lived and died before they could be reached. No, this is a task for the Body, and Scripture makes it very clear that we do not all have the same role in the Body.

Think about a football club. The purpose of the club is obviously to win football games, but not everyone in the club is out there on the field kicking goals. There are also coaches, managers, physiotherapists, doctors, referees, promoters, supporters and many other roles that work toward that goal of winning games. Even within the actual team that takes to the field to play, not everyone will be kicking goals. Yet all the roles are important, and they all contribute toward the achievement of the club's purpose.

It's the same with us. Our purpose is to see people brought into the Kingdom of God and released to be all that God created them to be. Evangelism is part of achieving that purpose, but it is not the only part, or even the biggest part.

In fact, if our only focus is on evangelism, we are more likely to alienate people than to draw them to Christ. Many people will perceive us as seeing them as nothing more than another spiritual "scalp" for us to collect - and, sadly, it is often a correct perception. Nothing turns people off more quickly than someone with an obvious agenda!

So, how are we to serve the world? The answer is simple: we serve the world the same way that Jesus did.

Yes, Jesus began His ministry with a call to repentance, and many times throughout his ministry he talked about the reality of hell and the need to turn away from sin. We need to do those things, too. But that was not all He did.

He accepted people, and honored them. When a sinful woman (who, incidentally, was not Mary Magdalene) gatecrashed a Pharisee's party to wash Jesus' feet with her tears and dry them with her hair, He acknowledged her service as greater than that of His host. When he saw a poor widow put the last coin she had into the collection, he honored her faithfulness. When a centurion showed greater understanding than the Jewish religious leaders, He praised his faith. When a hated tax collector climbed a tree to get a better view of Jesus, He singled him out for a home visit.

He mingled with the ordinary people, with those the religious authorities branded as "sinners," with lepers and outcasts, even with the hated Samaritans; but also with the respected members of the Jewish community, business people and even Pharisees. There was a classlessness about Him that made Him available to every stratum of society.

He healed the sick, not so that He could publish details of His miracles to promote His next crusade, but because He cared. Repeatedly in the Gospels it speaks of Jesus healing someone because He was moved with compassion for them. Many never bothered to say "Thank You" and few went on to follow Him, but that did not change His attitude or His compassion.

He fed the hungry, without asking first whether their morals were pure or their doctrine correct. He didn't tell the five thousand or the four thousand, "You were foolish not to make provision for food for yourselves. You should have realized that this was likely to be a long day, and had the sense to bring some lunch with you. You are in this predicament because of your own choices, so I am not going to help you." No, He simply fed them, performing a miracle to do it.

Nor did He use those miracles simply as "bait" to get people into the Kingdom. There was no altar call after the disciples picked up the baskets of leftovers. Yes, He knew that He had something to offer that was worth far more than a fish dinner, but He allowed people to seek it for themselves rather than pushing it upon them.

As we have seen earlier, compassion was one of His defining characteristics. Likewise our service to the world must be grounded upon His compassion, not upon our own agenda - not even the agenda of getting people into the Kingdom of God. It is interesting that Jesus uses as an illustration of God's perfection the fact that He sends rain on both the just and the unjust. (Matt. 5:45-48) There is no agenda here: simply, rain is needed, so rain is given.

It disturbs me greatly that, particularly in the west, compassion seems to be so lacking in much of the Body of Christ. I have even been verbally abused by Christians because the organization I lead supports humanitarian projects as well as spiritual purposes.

Many Christians will happily campaign against homosexuality or abortion, but when it comes to standing up for the most vulnerable members of society, our voices are often silent. Worse, many of us adopt the "rich man's" habit of blaming the vulnerable for their position: they made, and continue to make, wrong choices; they are lazy; they cheat the system so don't deserve any better.

As Job so rightly says, _"Men at ease have contempt for misfortune as the fate of those whose feet are slipping."_ (Job 12:5, NIV)

Others know that they should be doing something to help those in need, but their action is motivated by a desire to accumulate "brownie points" for themselves. They might pity the needy, but it is the kind of pity that looks down on its objects, all the while feeling vastly superior to them. That is not how Jesus dealt with people.

There is a vast difference between pity and compassion. Pity stands above the person being helped. Compassion stands beside him. Pity does not begin to understand the other person's feelings. Compassion understands them deeply - the very word "compassion" means "feeling with." Yet compassion is also more than empathy. Empathy may "feel with" another, but do nothing about it. Compassion cannot entertain that option: if it is possible to act, it must act.

We need to get our hands dirty. It is not enough to "tut-tut" or even to shed a tear over starving orphans in Africa. Prayer is important, but prayer by itself is not enough. Our prayers need to have legs - our legs, to carry the answers to those who need them. Whether it is helping out at a local soup kitchen, collecting toys for needy children at Christmas, visiting an elderly shut-in, or traveling to the other side of the world to volunteer in an orphanage, there are a million different ways we can serve the world and express the compassion of Jesus.

Here we meet a challenge. The need is so enormous that if we try to approach it in our own strength we will surely be overwhelmed. This is yet another reason why we must first be servants of the Lord. Then He can direct us to the area of service that He has prepared specifically for us; an area where the gifts that He has placed within us will be used most effectively. His compassion can flow through us to those who need it, and we will be able to serve from His heart, not from our own agenda.

Yes, we need to take a stand on the moral issues, and we will be looking at that further in the next chapter. But until the not-yet-Christians of this world sees that we truly care about them with the kind of compassion that Jesus had, they will not be interested. We will be to them nothing more than a "noisy gong or a clanging cymbal."
" _Father, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I release an anointing of service and compassion on all who have read this chapter. I ask that You would give them a fresh revelation of the needs that surround them in the world, and of the special place of service to the world that you have prepared for them. Amen."_

### LEADERSHIP

Leadership is primarily about influence.

Paul wrote, _"Be followers of me, even as I also am of Christ"_ (1Cor. 11:1 KJV)

In contrast, many Christians today say, "Don't follow me, just follow Jesus." It seems they have never stopped to ask the simple question: How exactly are non-believers supposed to do that?

Non-believers, by definition, do not know Christ. Even if they attended Sunday School at some point of their lives, have read a bit of the Bible, or have in some other way heard about Him, it is almost certain that information has been filtered through the thinking of the world system to produce a very distorted image of Him. They cannot find Him in the Word, because they have been blinded to its truth. (2 Cor. 4:4) The images produced by Hollywood are inadequate at best and totally inaccurate at worst (which is most of the time.) Even some modern theology will lead them astray, searching for the "historical Jesus" whilst stripping Him of both His divinity and the power of the Holy Spirit. If they try to follow Him, according to what they understand, they are likely to be pursuing a god of their own making, and rather than end up drawing near to Christ will find themselves further away from Him than ever.

We, on the other hand, have the privilege not only of knowing Him, but of being in the process of being transformed into His likeness. (Rom. 8:29; 2 Cor. 3:18) We have the Holy Spirit living within us. The only place non-believers will ever see Jesus is in us. The only way they have any chance of following Him, is if they follow Him in us, until they meet Him personally.

We have already seen that not all believers are called to a position of formal leadership within the Church. We are, however, all called to leadership in the informal sense, and in that role we are to be leading people in one direction: toward Christ. As we have already seen, that does not mean that we are to go out and "belt people over the head with the Gospel." Rather, it is about living the life of Christ before them in such a way that they will be drawn to Him, just as the people were drawn to Him when He personally walked upon the earth.

In the earlier chapters of this section we have looked at the things that are necessary for us to function in this role of leadership:

Firstly, and most obviously, we must be Christlike. If the world's only chance of seeing Jesus is in us, then we had better be sure that it is Jesus they are seeing, not our old sinful nature. Before we can lead others to Christ we need to be sure that we are allowing the Holy Spirit to do His mighty work of transformation within us. It is our recognition of the areas within our lives that are not Christlike that causes us to say, "Don't follow me, just follow Jesus." What we are really saying is that we do not want to change in these areas. We are like Peter, who after the first miraculous catch of fish fell at Jesus' feet saying, _"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, Lord."_ (Lk. 5:8) At that point in his journey with Jesus, he was more interested in holding on to his sin than in getting to know this miracle-worker. Instead, why not simply bring those areas to Christ and ask Him to change us?

Secondly, we must have a martyr heart. Just as not everyone followed Jesus when He was on earth, not everyone will want to follow us, no matter how faithfully we present Him. Some people have been so led astray by the devil's lies that the more we are like Jesus, the more they will hate us and the more strongly they will oppose us. This is even more so as the return of the Lord draws closer and the world divides more and more into two opposing armies. We must be prepared that our leadership in the world will bring us persecution and possibly even death; but at the same time we must be careful not to seek or provoke persecution.

Thirdly, we must be priests. We have been given the privilege of access to God through the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. The world does not have that access; and as ones who do, we must use that access to represent the world before the Throne, and to represent God before the world.

Fourthly, we must be servants. Jesus, the King of kings, came as a servant leader, and the only way the world will accept our leadership is if we come in the same way. However, this cannot be the service of an underdog who is forced into servitude by his own lack of resources or power; rather it is the kind of service that steps down to serve, without any hint of condescension, but out of a willing heart of love.

With those four things in place, let's consider how our role as leaders in the world might be expressed. In broad terms, the areas in which the world needs leadership are worship, righteousness, justice and compassion. In each of these areas we must lead firstly by setting an example, and secondly by taking a stand.

We need to lead the world in worship - and I use the word here in its broadest sense, what the world would place in the basket of "religion." We know that the God of the Bible is the only true God. We know that He manifested Himself in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, who was God in the flesh. We know that the only way of salvation is through the grace provided by the death of Jesus. (If you don't know these things, I would suggest you need to go back and re-read the early chapters of this book and get born again.) Yet today there are many Christians, including internationally recognized leaders in the church, who are dallying with other religions, sharing worship services with them, allowing their prayers to be said and their scriptures read in Christian churches. Do not be deceived! This is an abomination to God, and He will deal most severely with those who follow this path.

These people might think that they are reaching out to those of the world's religions, opening a door of communication with them; but what they are really doing is telling these people that their religion is just as good as Christianity, thus removing from them any incentive to consider change. At the same time they are bringing confusion to young Christians who come under their influence, by subtly suggesting to them that maybe Jesus is not unique, and maybe He is not the only way of salvation. We cannot expect others to find Jesus as THE way, THE truth and THE life if we ourselves are living as if He is merely one of many ways, one truth among many, and one option for life.

More subtle, but no less damaging, is the practice of many churches of adopting worldly forms of entertainment as part of their "worship." The most obvious is the rock-concert worship service. As well as music loud enough to cause physical damage to the hearing of all present, these often include strobe lighting, smoke machines and a darkened auditorium. Some churches even have the interior of their buildings painted black to enhance the effect. As I sat in one of these services one morning, the thump of the beat vibrating through my seat in the back row of the balcony, watching the "worship leader" highlighted in the spotlight, I found myself wondering, just whom is being worshiped here - Jesus or the band?

Don't get me wrong - if Christian rock concerts are your thing, enjoy them by all means. They at least provide an alternative to the vile lyrics that you would hear at a worldly rock concert. Just don't call them worship. Worship should be focused on the Lord, and nothing should distract from that focus. Everyone present should be aware that they are not there to worship the music or the musicians, or to get high on the experience, but to express love and honor and glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.

I talked to a young Christian on an internet forum about this one time, and he said that worship without the trappings would be boring. If that is what you think, then you don't really know Jesus.

Although the most blatant, rock concert worship is not the only way in which churches incorporate worldly entertainment into worship. I have seen magic shows used in church. Yes, I know it is not "real" magic, merely prestidigitation, but using it gives the subtle message that dabbling in the occult is acceptable. Magic of any kind has no place in the Christian life, much less as part of a worship service. Likewise, I have seen dance that included the most suggestive of moves included as part of "worship." Sorry, but lust is lust, and it is no more acceptable within the context of worship than it is in the world - in fact, it is even less so.

The bottom line is, everything we do in the expression of our faith is supposed to be focused on the object of our faith, the Lord Jesus Christ. Anything that focuses elsewhere, or that detracts from His uniqueness, does not have a place. The way we live out our relationship with God must be such that it will draw others to want to seek Him, not send them off looking for other things. Only when they see our example of worshiping Christ and Him alone will they be open to considering our words when we tell them that He is the only way.

Of course, setting the example in worship does not exempt us from speaking up. When someone invites us to join in a "multi-faith" service, we can politely decline, and explain that we worship only one God. We can share our faith when the opportunity arises, without forcing it upon people. The key is to lead, not to push; to influence, not to force.

We live in an amazing time in history, when social media gives the ordinary person a platform to speak to the world. We can use that platform, as well as our personal real-world contacts, to direct people to the true God. When someone suggests that all gods are the same, we can ask respectfully, "How can one God be the same as millions of gods? How can the god who says he has no son be the same as the God who manifested Himself in the Person of His Son?" When atheists ask facetiously "Who made God?" we can point out that this is an illogical question, much like asking "Why is a circle not square?" A circle, by definition, is not square; and God, by definition, is eternal, and therefore cannot have a creator. When the opportunity arises we can say clearly and emphatically that the problems of the world will not be solved by human governments or wars, but by the world submitting to the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.

In the area of righteousness, we know that _"There is no-one righteous; no, not one"_ (Rom. 3:10) and that our righteousness comes only by grace. Grace, however, is not just about having our sins forgiven: grace enables us to walk in the righteousness that has been credited to us through Christ. If we are not walking in righteousness, then it may be that we have not fully taken hold of grace.

The world has no standard of true righteousness: all it has is rules made by man, which are constantly changing as corruption spreads from the individual to society as a whole. Just as an example, take the area of profanity. When a new "swear" word first emerges, it is treated with shock. Only the boldest and most rebellious use it. Over time, it begins to gain acceptance with a greater group. Society as a whole might still disapprove, but it does not evoke the same horror as at first. More people adopt it, and society comes to the point where it is simply ignored. Finally, it enters everyday language. This is demonstrated in Australia by the words "bloody" and "bugger," both of which were frowned upon when I was a child, and would never be used in polite company, but in recent years have been used in major national advertising campaigns, including ones by the Australian government.

Whilst the area of profanity is a fairly minor one, we have seen this downward progression in almost every area of morality and righteousness, and if we are honest we have to acknowledge that it has happened because we, the Church, have allowed it. In fact, even more than allowing it, we have participated in it by allowing ourselves to be swept along by the world's standards rather than standing in the righteousness that Christ has provided for us. In this, as in every other area, we need to first lead by example. That means that many of us need, by the power of the Holy Spirit, to clean up our act. Sexual immorality, dishonesty, lying, pride, greed, occultic practices and anything else that does not reflect the righteousness of Jesus should have no place in our lives.

One of the most important principles of spiritual warfare is that of building positive strongholds. When a particular sin is practiced on a regular basis by an individual, that sin gains a stronghold over that person's life, making it harder and harder for him to resist the pull toward it. When that sin extends over a group of people, a town, a state or a nation, the stronghold also extends over that group or area. It becomes more and more difficult for people in that area to resist, and harder and harder for Christians to break through. We see these strongholds expressed time and again in the characteristics of particular areas.

What works in the negative can also work in the positive: by one person living in righteousness, and that righteousness then spreading to others, we can begin to build positive strongholds that will make it easier and easier for people to resist sin and follow our example of righteousness. If you can identify a negative stronghold over your town, workplace or even your church, begin to live in a way that is the direct opposite of that stronghold. If, for example, you identify a stronghold of lying, then you need to live in absolute honesty and integrity, avoiding even the smallest of "white lies." If you sense a stronghold of lust, you need to live in absolute purity, making sure that you do not look at, listen to or read anything that is in the slightest way tainted with lust.

Of course, this is not easy. Even in the general society these things surround us, and if you are living in an area that has a stronghold of a particular sin, then resisting that sin will be all the harder. However, unlike the rest of society around you, you have the Holy Spirit. You have the new nature that God has given you when you were born again. You have the ability to break through, and your breakthrough will make it easier for the next person.

Scientists in the area of climate change talk about "tipping points" - those points at which the influence in one direction becomes great enough to overcome the entrenched tendency in the opposite direction and things begin to move in the new direction. We can imagine it as children on a see-saw. If there are a number of children on one side of the see-saw, it will be almost impossible for just one child on the other side to lift them. However, as more children come on to the second side of the see-saw, it becomes easier and easier, till finally the second side has the weight and it is difficult for the children on the first side to move it.

"Tipping points" are also very relevant to our leadership in the world. Whilst it may be very difficult for a single Christian to influence his culture sufficiently to make a difference, the more the members of Christ's Body stand together in righteousness, the easier and more quickly we will reach those tipping points. Thus we come back to the point that the Church needs to get her act together so that we can provide the leadership that the world needs so desperately.

The only way anyone can become truly righteous is by repenting of sin, accepting Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, and being born again by His Spirit. Those in the world are not there yet. In the meanwhile, they need an external standard of righteousness to point the way for them.

In this sense, our lives become for the world very much the same as the Law was for the nation of Israel. The Israelites did not have the Spirit of God living within them, so God gave them the Law as an external standard. It could never give them righteousness, but it could show them something of God's character, and hopefully enable them to see that they could not measure up to that standard and therefore point them to Christ (Gal. 3:24) In the same way, we cannot give people righteousness, but we can provide an external standard that shows them God's character, demonstrates their lack, and points them to Christ.

Leading by example gives us the right to speak into the lives of individuals and society, and creates an atmosphere in which it is easier for us to speak, but it does not exempt us from the need to speak. Issues like homosexuality, abortion and the occult need to be addressed with a clear statement of Biblical standards. Many of these things have gained power simply because the Church has failed to stand for Godly principles. We have allowed the world to set the standard, and now we are reaping the consequences. That has to change.

However, how we speak, and the motives from which we speak, are as important as the fact that we do speak. If we stand outside an abortion clinic holding a placard saying "Abortion is Murder" whilst seeing ourselves as superior and looking down on those using the service, we may be speaking the truth but we will definitely not be speaking the truth in love, and those we are targeting are more likely to reject us angrily than they are to embrace us and our truth. There is a place for the "Abortion is Murder" message, and a place for campaigning against liberal abortion laws, and we certainly need to do these things; but when dealing with the individuals involved we need to be gentler, more understanding, and more willing to offer alternative solutions.

The same goes for every other area of righteousness. We need to speak up for the truth, and for God's standards; but simply trying to impose our views on others will not work. We need to take the harder road, the road that would seek ways to convince others that God's way is right, and would come beside them to lead them into truth. This does not mean that we embrace their unrighteousness, or accept it, but rather that we embrace and accept them, just as Christ embraced and accepted us.

Many Christians today are taking at least some level of stand on issues of morality and righteousness. Justice, however, is an area that seems to have largely passed us by. When voices are raised in support of those who have been treated unjustly, it seems that more often than not those voices come from the world rather than from the Church.

It should go without saying that Christians should be just in our dealings with everyone. That means more than just observing the letter of the law. Some actions may be perfectly legal, yet be unethical and unjust. Here again, we need to lead by example.

At the same time, if we are blessed to live in a democracy where we have the privilege of having some input into the government of our nation, ours should be the loudest voices raised against unjust laws and unjust practices. Obviously, we should not campaign for "rights" that violate God's standards of morality, such as same-sex marriage, but there are many issues that do not fall into such a category, and where our voices could be much louder. (In some cases, the merest whisper would be louder than they are at present.) Issues such as poverty, racial inequality, slavery, refugees, the abuse of women and children and other such areas of gross injustice are often largely ignored by Christians who are comfortably untouched by them. Even worse, some Christians try to claim the moral high ground and lay the blame for these injustices upon the victims.

Which brings us to the other area where we need to lead the world, the area of compassion. There are many Christians, and Christian organizations, who are doing much in the area of compassion by supporting the most needy people in the world. Sadly, there are many more who are not. For those of us who live in developed nations, it is easy to be so comfortable that we cannot relate to the needs of those in the third world. One of the most confronting experiences I have had in ministry was on my first visit to India. We were going around some of the villages, and my host pointed out a man on a bicycle with an enormous load of plastic buckets, bowls and pots on the back (actually, the load was so big that the man was not able to ride the bicycle, he just walked beside it.) My host explained that there are many of these traders who go through the villages selling their wares on time-payment. I remember thinking, "I cannot imagine what it would be like to be so poor that you had to buy a plastic bucket on time-payment!"

On the other hand, some of us might be moved by an image of a starving African child on the television, but when it comes to the family down the street who are on welfare it is a different matter. Again, the victims are blamed - they are lazy; they spend all their money on drugs, alcohol and cigarettes; or they are just plain rorting the system - all these accusations without even bothering to get to know them or their circumstances. It seems every time governments want to boost their bottom line, the first people to get hit with cuts are the most needy, and many comfortable Christians - and Christian organizations - find every excuse under the sun to justify it.

What does that tell the world about the people who preach a loving Savior who gave His life to save mankind? We need to put our money where our mouth is. We who have benefited from so much of God's compassion toward us should be the first to give, the first to help, and the first to take a stand on behalf of the most vulnerable.

All of these areas of leadership apply to all Christians: we all need to lead both by example and by speaking out in the areas of worship, righteousness, justice and compassion. To do that, we need to break out of our Christian environment and actually interact with the world.

Jesus told us that we are the salt of the earth. (Matt. 5:13) Salt preserves; it adds flavor; it draws moisture. However, it is absolutely no use as long as it remains in the salt shaker. It is only when it gets out of the salt shaker and into the stew that it can begin to do its work.

Likewise, we are no use to the earth (the world) if we stay within the Christian sub-culture (our comfortable little salt shaker.)

It is very nice to be surrounded by Christian friends, where we can openly share our experiences in God and know that everyone not only knows what we are talking about but rejoices with us in God's goodness. We need that fellowship, that support, that encouragement. We are part of a Body, and we need regular contact with other parts of the Body.

The problem is not our enjoyment of our Christian sub-culture. The problem arises when we never go outside of that sub-culture. The world then sees us as aloof, and is happy to leave us to our little Christian club, but they want no part of it.

Leadership is about influence. We cannot hope to influence the culture if we remain aloof from the culture. We need to be involved. We have for too long been plagued with the idea the "ministry" and "leadership" is about the person standing behind the pulpit on a Sunday morning. That concept has to go. Every Christian is called to ministry and leadership in the broader sense, and that ministry and leadership must be carried into every sphere of influence in the world. Let's look at some of those spheres of influence, and how we might fulfill our call to leadership within them.

GOVERNMENT

Obviously a very important sphere of influence, the government of a nation dictates what will and will not be allowed within that nation. In some countries, the realm of government is a difficult one to penetrate - they are ruled by dictatorships. However, even if you are in one of those countries, you can still influence the sphere of government: not directly, but by prayer and spiritual warfare.

For those of us who are blessed to live in a democracy, there are many ways in which we can influence this sphere, and they do not all involve running for public office - though Christians are definitely needed within our houses of parliament. By joining a political party you can have some influence upon their policy making decisions. You can write letters to your local representatives on issues that concern you. You can also send letters to the editor of your local newspaper - be sure to follow their editorial guidelines to give yourself a chance of being printed. You can sign petitions and even take part in rallies to bring Christian issues into the political arena. Perhaps most crucially, you can influence other Christians to make their voices heard in the political sphere. It is easy to ignore one voice; it is harder to ignore ten, and harder still to ignore a hundred or a thousand.

EDUCATION

To a very large extent, the attitudes of the next generation are formed in the classrooms of today. The education system needs Christian teachers, and not just in Christian schools. It needs Christian principals, Christians in the preparation of the syllabus, Christians on the Parents and Friends Association, Christian tuck shop operators, Christian janitors. Yes, asserting Christian influence in some of these roles is not easy. We have stood back for too long and allowed humanism to take the lead. The ground may need to be regained one struggling step at a time, beginning with prayer ... but it must be regained.

HEALTH

The area of health today is a very mixed bag. On one hand there is the traditional medical establishment - doctors, nurses, pharmacists. On the other hand is alternative medicine, in itself a mixed bag of good holistic medicine and New Age practices. It is an area that desperately needs Christian input to sort out the good from the bad.

ENTERTAINMENT

In spite of what some Christians may think, entertainment is not a dirty word. By choosing to absent ourselves from this sphere of influence, we have allowed the vile and the violent to dominate. If ever an area needed "salting down," entertainment is it.

Many people will say, "If you don't like it, simply don't watch it or don't listen to it." Whilst that is certainly a good principle - here again we should be leading by example - it is only half the story. As we saw earlier, corruption spreads from one person to a group to a society. Whether we choose to watch a violent movie or listen to a filthy song or not, they will inevitably affect the society in which we live. As ones who represent God and His standards, we should object to that.

BUSINESS

Business is pretty much a universal domain, in the sense that all of us are touched by it and therefore have the opportunity to influence it. If you have a job, you are involved in business. If you shop, you are involved in business. If you have electricity, gas, telephone, television, internet in your home, you are involved in business. In fact, as a customer, you have the most important role in business there is: more important than the CEO. Without customers, no business can survive. That means that you have the opportunity to set the terms under which you will remain a customer.

Of course, if you have a business yourself you also have the opportunity to lead by example in honesty, fairness to your staff, quality service to your customers and generosity to the needy.

These are just some of the domains in which Christians need to show leadership. I am sure you can think of more. Not every Christian will be involved in all of these domains: you need to pray and see where the Lord would have you exert influence and leadership.

Whatever domain it is in, you cannot lead whilst sitting comfortably in a church pew. Leadership involves action, it involves effort. It means getting out of our comfort zone and onto the battle field. For too long we have sat back and allowed the devil to take leadership in the world. For too long we have allowed those with an ungodly agenda to set the standards. It's time we said "enough!"
" _Father God, in the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ I release an anointing of leadership and influence upon every person who has read this chapter. I ask that You would tip us out of our arm chairs and place within our hearts a zeal to lead the world to You. Lord, show each of us the specific spheres of influence in which You want us to operate, and give us the strategies to salt those areas for the Kingdom of God. Amen."_

###  DESTINY FULFILLED: DOMINION

Leadership is about working within the existing systems to raise up a standard, to be light and salt within the situation, and to point people and systems in the direction of God. Dominion takes us into a whole new dimension. It is not about convincing people of God's ways, but rather about donning our spiritual armor and taking up our spiritual weapons and the authority given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ to enforce in the spiritual realm the victory that He won two thousand years ago at the cross.

Man was created to rule. Of the three-fold mandate given to our first parents, two aspects related to their role as God's vice-regents: they were to subdue the world (which included the animals and the spiritual forces) and to rule over it. Because they failed to carry out that mandate, man lost the ability to rule as God wanted him to. What's more, their rulership over the earth would no longer be a natural thing. The ground would now bring forth weeds rather than plants for food, and it would be farmed only with hard labor on man's part. (Gen. 3:17:19) When the mandate for dominion was reiterated after the flood, God made it clear that rather than the willing submission that could have come from the animal world, the relationship would now be one of fear, rulership by force. (Gen. 9:2) As a result, over time rulership became the prerogative of the most powerful, and tyrants began to rise up over households, over clans and over nations. Even those who sought to rule with justice and compassion were limited because of the operation of the sin nature.

Now God has established a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17, Gal. 6:15) - creation of people who have been given His righteousness and who are being restored into His image. And to this people, His Church, His Body, He has restored the initial three-fold mandate: to fill the world (with people who are also being restored in His image,) to subdue the world (the spiritual forces that control the world) and to rule over the world (the natural creation and the spiritual forces) as His vice-regents.

Only those who have the Holy Spirit living within them are equipped to rule on God's behalf - but before we do, we need to do some deep soul-searching and repentance.

Nearly 2000 years ago, at the Cross of Calvary, Jesus defeated Satan forever. Paul paints this wonderful picture for us: _"having stripped the principalities and the powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it."_ (Col. 2:15) The image is that of a Roman general returning from battle. In an extravagant procession called a Triumph, he would ride into the city in his chariot. Those he had conquered, stripped naked, were chained to the back of his chariot and forced to run or be dragged along behind. It is a picture of absolute defeat and total humiliation.

In that victory, Jesus stripped Satan of his power and authority to rule over this world. He broke the power of sin, sickness and death over human lives. He broke the curse that saw nature standing opposed to man. He destroyed everything that had prevented man from entering fully into the dominion for which God designed us and return to our position as God's vice-regent on earth. And He made provision for the Holy Spirit to live within us and enable us to carry out that commission in accordance with God's will.

Having defeated Satan and all his hordes, Jesus then left it to us to enforce that victory. It was a bit like the time after the Second World War, when Japan had been defeated but many pockets of Japanese soldiers remained in remote locations, still fighting the war. As the allies encountered each stronghold, they had to overthrow the Japanese forces and enforce the victory.

So how have we done? Not so well, it would seem. Nearly 2000 years after he was defeated, Satan still runs rampant in the world. Immorality gets worse and worse. God haters rise up more and more. Millions are bowed under the weight of poverty and injustice. Life seems to have less and less value. False religions abound, and are becoming increasingly aggressive in their determination to hold people in bondage, and bring more and more into bondage. Sickness still abounds, with new diseases arising regularly, and whilst medical science sometimes finds answers, they are often priced so highly that none but the most wealthy can afford them.

It certainly doesn't look like a world in which Satan and his cohorts have been defeated. How can this be? The answer is very simple: we, the Church, have defaulted on our mandate. We have failed to enforce the victory that Jesus bought at such an awesome cost. We have failed to exercise the authority that He gave us. We have allowed Satan to run rampant, and we need to repent. We need to accept responsibility, acknowledge our sin, and seek God's forgiveness and restoration. Then we need to take up the authority that God has given us and start being the rulers that He has created us to be. We need to start believing what God says about us, and become attuned to Him and dependent upon His Spirit, so that His power can flow through us to this desperately needy world.

Picture this: You are approached by a blind person; you touch his eyes, and he can see. You are at a huge gathering and nobody has thought to bring lunch; you take a few bread rolls and a couple of sardines, and feed thousands with enough left over to feed hundreds more. A woman has suffered a debilitating and embarrassing illness for years, has spent all her money looking for a cure, and the doctors have given up on her; she touches your coat and is instantly healed. You walk into a psychiatric ward where there is a patient so violent that he has to be permanently restrained; you speak a word and the demons that were tormenting him leave and he is restored to complete sanity. You go to a funeral, but instead of joining in the mourning, you tell the dead person to get up, and he does. Your teaching so enrages the religious authorities that they drag you to the top of a cliff, intending to throw you over; but you simply walk through the crowd and walk away. All of these, or their equivalent - as well as many more - were done by the Lord Jesus Christ, acting not as God but as Man empowered by the Holy Spirit. And He told us that we would do even greater works.

You see a disabled beggar in the street; he is looking for money, but instead you tell him to get up and walk, and he does. You are preaching the Gospel in the street when a woman comes up yelling that people should listen to you. Her message sounds good, but you recognize that the source is a demon seeking to divert attention from the Gospel to her. You command it to leave, and she is set free. The healing power of God upon your life becomes so well known that people bring out their sick and set them where your shadow will fall on them, and they are healed. You are thrown in jail, but an angel comes and sets you free, at the same time bringing salvation to the jailer and all his family. These and many more similar things were experienced by the saints in the Book of Acts, by the power of the same Holy Spirit. (In Biblical terms, "saints" does not just refer to a few very special and holy people, but to all who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and have been born again by His Spirit.)

The king has a dream that nobody can interpret; you seek God and He gives you the interpretation, with the result that you are given the second highest position in the kingdom and the Name of the Lord is held in high honor even though it is a heathen nation. You are leading a huge group of refugees out of a situation of oppression and persecution when you find yourself stuck at the edge of a sea with no means of crossing; you lift your walking stick over the sea and it parts, allowing you and your people to cross on dry land. You are thrown into a raging furnace by those who hate you, but the only thing that is burned is the rope that bound you, and you walk out without even the smell of smoke on you. A young man who is with you drops a borrowed ax in the river; you throw in a stick and the heavy ax head floats. All these, and many more, were done or experienced by Old Testament believers who did not even have the Holy Spirit living within them, but could only call on Him for specific situations.

You are called on urgently to visit someone who is dying. The home is many kilometers away, and the only transport you have is your own two legs. As you walk out through the door of your home, you find yourself walking in through the door of the sick person's home. You pray for him and he is raised up. You have an appointment with a businessman, and are waiting in the room where a large number of employees are working. You do not say anything, just sit in the corner quietly, but one by one the employees begin to fall to their knees in repentance. You are at a border crossing, smuggling Bibles into a country where Christians are persecuted and the Word of God forbidden. The border guard is aggressive, and you do not speak the language, but suddenly you find yourself both understanding him and replying perfectly in his own language. You and your friends have been praying for revival in your city; God comes down on the place where you meet, and His presence is so strong that as soon as anyone crosses into the town he fall on his knees in repentance. You pray for a man who has been told that he must have an operation on next week; when he goes for the pre-op check, he is told to go away, there is nothing wrong with him. You pray for a lady who has a metal rod down her spine; when you finish she can bend, and the metal rod has disappeared. You pray for a lady whose eyes are completely white with cataracts, and watch them clear as you pray. All these, and many, many more, have been done and experienced by Christians moving in the power of the Holy Spirit in the centuries since the age of miracles supposedly closed at the end of the New Testament era.

All of these, at least to some degree, were moving in Kingdom authority and power even though most of them, apart from Jesus Himself, probably did not have a real revelation of the Kingdom.

If they, why not we? If then, why not now? If sometimes, why not always?

Many Christians do not even believe that this is possible. They have a very bleak picture of the future for the Church and the world. When they read the judgments in the Book of Revelation, and look at the way the world around us is going, they can think of only one thing: Get me outta here! Their only hope is for a rapture in which Jesus will snatch them away just when things are starting to get interesting, before the world goes totally "to hell in a hand basket." To them, the Kingdom of God is something that will be established when Jesus returns for the millennium, and we have no part in ushering it in.

Let me give you the Scriptural reasons why I believe in a different future for the church and the world.

Firstly, the Word of God makes it clear that Jesus is coming back for a spotless, radiant, victorious Bride (Eph. 5:27) not for a defeated little slave girl cowering in a corner and hoping for her Bridegroom to sweep in and rescue her at the last possible moment. He promised that the "gates of hell" would not prevail against His church. (Matt. 16:18) Some have taken this to mean that we would survive against the devil's attack, but that is not what Jesus was saying. Gates are not a weapon of attack, but a means of defense, a means of keeping the enemy out and the captives in. What Jesus was saying in this verse was that we, the Church, will tear down those gates. They are not strong enough to keep us out. We will invade Satan's territory and set the captives free - hardly a picture of a Church that is just barely surviving the devil's onslaught!

The Book of Haggai in the Old Testament tells of the rebuilding of the Temple after the people returned from the exile in Babylon. For a while they had allowed themselves to be distracted by other things, notably the building of their own homes and re-establishing their lives, and the work on the Temple had been put aside. God sent Haggai to get them back on track, and the work on the Temple resumed, but now a new problem arose. There were among them some very old men, who could remember Solomon's Temple, that magnificent structure with its twenty three tons of gold in the sanctuary. No doubt, due to the passage of time, their memories made it even more grand and glorious than it had been. Now they looked at the little structure they were erecting. It was adequate, and it would mean that they had a place of worship for the first time in seventy years, but Solomon's Temple it definitely was not! Then, through Haggai, God spoke this awesome message to them:

" _For this is what Yahweh of Armies says: 'Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, the earth, the sea, and the dry land; and I will shake all nations. The precious things of all nations will come, and I will fill this house with glory, says Yahweh of Armies. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine,' says Yahweh of Armies. 'The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former,' says Yahweh of Armies; 'and in this place will I give peace,' says Yahweh of Armies." (Hag 2:6-9)_

Most prophesies in Scripture have a dual fulfillment - part in the immediate or close future, and part in the distant future. I believe that is the case here. _"The latter glory of this house will be greater than the former"_ applied to the Temple they were building back there in Jerusalem, but I believe it is also God's word for the Church today.

Christians today often look back at the Church as portrayed in the Book of Acts, and wish that we could return to that level of holiness and power. I believe God is saying that we can, and that if we will respond to Him we will not only see the things recorded in the Book of Acts, but far greater things. That makes sense to me. After all, the Church in the Book of Acts was a baby church, spiritually speaking still in diapers. If God could do that with a baby Church, how much more can He do with a mature Bride? It is also a principle that God keeps the best till last. (Jn. 2:10) We have barely begun to scratch the surface of the miracles that God wants to release through His people in these last days. Back in Haggai's day, God told the people that the thing they valued about Solomon's temple - the silver and the gold - belonged to Him, and He was just as able to release it to them as He had been to release it to Solomon. To us He says that the thing we value about the Book of Acts - the power of the Holy Spirit - also belongs to Him, and He is just as able to release it now as He was then.

Some will insist that those things are for the millennium, but Scripture does not bear that out. For a start, Jesus began His ministry proclaiming, _"Repent! For the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand."_ (Matt. 4:17) He did not say, "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven will come in two thousand years time." No, there is an urgency about the message: it is here, it is now, it is time to act. The restoration of the Kingdom began the second God the Son left heaven.

Jesus taught us to pray, _"Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth."_ (Matt. 6:10) He was not talking about the millennium! We do not need to pray for the millennium to come: it is fixed in God's purposes, it is going to happen. No, He was telling us to pray that the restoration of the Kingdom, which began with His coming to earth, and would be legally established by the victory of Calvary, would continue throughout the years from His ascension to His return. How many millions of times have those words been prayed, without those praying having even the slightest notion that they were meant to be part of the answer to that prayer?

Again, many will point to the events spoken of in such passages as Matthew 24, and in the Book of Revelation, and insist that the time before Jesus' return will be one of darkness and gloom, with much of the Church grown cold and indifferent, and the few that are on fire for God persecuted out of existence. Certainly, when we look at the current state of the world and the Church, it is an easy concept to embrace. But are we, maybe, missing something? One thing that we need to understand is that often verses that immediately follow each other in Scripture are actually separated by many years. Think of the prophecy in Joel 2 concerning the outpouring of the Spirit. On the day of Pentecost, Peter joyfully declared, "This is that!" (Acts 2:16 KJV) yet really it was only verses 28 and 29 of "that" - verses 30 to 32 have still to come!

Let's look at Matthew 24 more closely:

" _You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you aren't troubled, for all this must happen, but the **end is not yet**. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, plagues, and earthquakes in various places. But all these things are the **beginning of birth pains**. Then they will deliver you up to oppression, and will kill you. You will be hated by all of the nations for my name's sake. Then many will stumble, and will deliver up one another, and will hate one another. Many false prophets will arise, and will lead many astray. Because iniquity will be multiplied, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end, the same will be saved. **This Good News of the Kingdom will be preached in the whole world for a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come."** (Matt 24:6-14, emphasis mine)_

This passage certainly seems to speak about our time, and it is not pretty. However, note the parts that I have made bold in verses 6 and 8 - the end is not yet, this is just the beginning of sorrows. Most importantly, note verse 14. In context, it seems that the preaching of the "Gospel (Good News) of the Kingdom" is something that will follow all the horrible stuff, and will precede the return of the Lord. There is a whole era tucked away in this one verse! Yes, the Gospel has been preached around the world since the time of the apostles, but it has been the Gospel of Salvation, not the Gospel of the Kingdom. The Gospel of Salvation is about the individual turning from sin and finding forgiveness as a result of Jesus' sacrifice. The Gospel of the Kingdom is not a "different Gospel", but it paints a far bigger picture: it seeks to see mankind restored to his original position as God's vice-regent over the earth. We might say that the Gospel of Salvation sees God's interaction with man from a man's-eye-view, whilst the Gospel of the Kingdom sees it from a God's-eye-view. The Gospel of the Kingdom can only be preached by those who have themselves come into that revelation, and its preaching will bring a massive transformation in the Church, and a massive revolution in the world.

Another interesting thing about this verse is that Jesus uses the expression _"the beginning of birth pains."_ Note that He does not say "the beginning of death pains!" The pain will usher in something wonderful, just as the pain of childbirth precedes the delivery of new life.

Here's another passage to consider:

" _For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord comes like a thief in the night. For when they are saying, "Peace and safety," then sudden destruction will come on them, like birth pains on a pregnant woman; and they will in no way escape." (1 Thes. 5:2-3)_

Paul says that the end (the return of Jesus) will come when people are saying "peace and safety" - that does not suggest the fear that is engendered by "wars and rumors of wars" and "earthquakes in various places!" Clearly there will be a period of peace and security after the mayhem, which will then be followed immediately by Christ's return.

So how do I see the future of the Church and the world unfolding? It begins with Christians having a real revelation of who we are. Speaking of the purpose of the five-fold ministry, Paul wrote, _"until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a full grown man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;"_ (Eph. 4:13) As a body, we are meant to be "the stature of the fulness of Christ" - in simple, modern language, the Body should be fully like the Head.

Individually, we are told that _"For whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers."_ (Rom. 8:29) Individually, we are meant to be like Jesus.

Very simply, the reason for our existence, both individually and as a body, is to manifest the glory of Jesus Christ.

At the time of writing, this is definitely not true of the Body, nor of many individuals within the Body. So what will make the difference? It will start with persecution. Persecution of Christians world wide is both more widespread and more fierce than it has ever been. Up till now, many in the west have been able to ignore what is happening with our brothers and sisters overseas, but very soon that comfort zone is going to be tipped upside down, and our pillows torn apart and scattered. Exactly what so many Christians expect of the end times ... but the end is not yet. In face of that persecution, Christ's Body will be thrown upon Him for survival, and will begin to seek Him as we never have before in the history of the Church.

I believe that there is coming a world-wide move of the Holy Spirit that will not be about "Jesus bumps" or "what's in it for me?" or even about the wonderful manifestations of the presence of the Holy Spirit that have been seen in some ministries, but about the transformation of believers. It will be, very simply, "Get hot or get out!"

For some, coming out of their comfort zones will be too hard and they will choose to walk away from God rather than face that challenge; but from many there will be the heart cry, "The comfortable, compromised version of Christianity we have known is not satisfying! It does not enable me to stand in this situation! I want more! I need more!" In them, the Spirit will begin a work that will not only bring them into conformity with the character of Jesus, but will release them into His power. We will learn the reality of Jesus' victory over Satan, and will learn to enforce that victory over sickness, over natural disasters, and over the efforts of the enemy to destroy others through those who have given themselves over to him. We will finally learn to live out of the realm of the spirit rather than the realm of the soul.

No longer will it be about "my healing," "my prosperity," or even "my salvation" - it will be about the King and the Kingdom. It will not be led by the "superheros" - the "big" ministries that promote their own agendas rather than the Kingdom - every Christian will rise up to his or her role in the Body, and will be supported in that role by the rest of the Body. (Eph. 4:16) The Church will finally come to the place where what is seen is no longer the individual Christian, but the manifestation of Jesus Christ. As in the days when Jesus walked personally on earth, people will be drawn to that manifestation in droves, and millions will be swept into the Kingdom - not to become pew warmers, as so many have in the past, but to become themselves passionate, on-fire manifesters of the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, ready to lay down their lives to see His Kingdom established.

I am not suggesting that the world will become Christian. God has given man free will, and He will not violate it. There will always be those who choose evil. As the "gates of hell" are broken down by the Church, the captives will be set free; but there will always be the captors and those who choose to align with them who will remain within those parameters, even without gates to hold them there. In fact, we will see an increasing division of the world into two separate armies: the army of God and the army of Satan.

At that time, the joyous cry will resound around heaven: _"The kingdom of the world has become the Kingdom of our Lord, and of his Christ. He will reign forever and ever!"_ We hear the words sung every Christmas as part of the Alleluia Chorus, and most Christians think they are referring to the millennium - but this is only Revelation 11:15, and Christ's physical return to set up the millennial Kingdom does not occur till chapter 19. Between the declaration that God's Kingdom has been established on earth and the physical return of Jesus is the rise of the Antichrist and the false prophet, the mark of the beast, and the fall of Babylon. The Word even tells us that the Beast will be given authority to make war on the saints. Yet all of it will be part of the working out of God's purposes, and will not detract from the reality of God's people exercising the dominion that God has given us.

In the Gospels, Jesus said two seemingly contradictory things. In Lk. 9:50, when the disciples wanted to stop a man who was casting out demons in His name, He said, _"he who is not against us is for us"_ but in Matt.12:30 He said, _"he who is not with me is against me."_ In our present time, there are many who are "not against" Jesus: they may be "nominal" Christians, but not born again, or they may be "believers" who acknowledge God but have no real commitment to follow Him. For the time being, they may be considered as being "for us." The time is coming, however, when that middle ground will be eroded. It will no longer be possible to sit on the fence, simply not being against Christ: they will be forced to jump to one side or the other. To not be for us will automatically mean being against us. The world is dividing into two armies, and no-one will escape being recruited into one or the other.

This will be precipitated by the transformation in the Church. Every time the devil's work in someone's life is thwarted by a Christian's authority; every time a Christian starts moving away from the "all about me" Gospel; every time a territory once held captive by Satan falls before the Kingdom of God, he will get angrier. He will raise up the Antichrist and the False Prophet, and those who choose to be part of his army will become more and more hateful toward the people of God. In spite of that anger, hate and persecution the Kingdom of God will continue to advance.

Satan's anger will also be increased by the judgments of God that will be brought against the world. In light of the Scripture that says Jesus will return when people are living in peace and security (1 Thes. 5:3) I believe that those judgments will be quick and close together, just as were the judgments brought by God against Egypt through Moses. At the beginning, God's people will suffer along with the rest of the world (Jer. 45) but then we will be kept safe, just as the people of Israel did not experience most of the plagues at the time of Moses. (Ex. 8, 9) Note, however, that the people of Israel were not taken out of Egypt until after the judgment was over; they were simply kept safe within the land. This, and a number of other passages, convince me that the idea of a pre or even mid tribulation rapture is a false hope, a form of Christian escapism that would see us miss out on some of the Church's greatest moments.

The devil's anger will lead ultimately to the final confrontation: two armies drawn up against each other at the valley of Armageddon. Just whom is Satan expecting to confront in this final battle for control of planet earth? It cannot be Jesus Himself, because Jesus made it very clear that no-one, not even the angels in heaven, knows the time of His return. (Matt. 24:36) If the angels in heaven do not know that day, we can be pretty sure that the fallen angels, including their leader, do not know it. It is reasonable to presume that Satan does not intend to simply line up his army and sit there waiting for the Lord to come at some time, he knows not when - after all, for all he knows it could be another two thousand years! No, the devil will be gathering his army to fight with someone at that time. Who is that someone? The Lord Jesus Christ, not in person, but as manifested in His Body. Just as Satan thought he had victory all sewn up when they nailed Jesus to the Cross, he will think that his victory is complete; but just as he could not have been more wrong then, he will find to his horror that he has massively and disastrously miscalculated this time also.

In fact, just as Calvary was not Satan's idea, so Armageddon will not be his idea. Jesus told a parable about the tares and the wheat:

" _He set another parable before them, saying, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field, but while people slept, his enemy came and sowed darnel weeds [tares] also among the wheat, and went away. But when the blade sprang up and produced fruit, then the darnel weeds appeared also. The servants of the householder came and said to him, 'Sir, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did these darnel weeds come from?'_

" _He said to them, 'An enemy has done this.'_

" _The servants asked him, 'Do you want us to go and gather them up?'_

" _But he said, 'No, lest perhaps while you gather up the darnel weeds, you root up the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the harvest, and in the harvest time I will tell the reapers, "First, gather up the darnel weeds, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn."'(Matt. 13:24-29)_

Later, when the disciples asked Him to explain the parable, He said,

" _He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world; and the good seed, these are the children of the Kingdom; and the darnel weeds are the children of the evil one. The enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. As therefore the darnel weeds are gathered up and burned with fire; so will it be at the end of this age. The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause stumbling, and those who do iniquity, and will cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be weeping and the gnashing of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." (Matt. 13:37-43)_

Compare this with Rev. 16:12-14:

" _The sixth [angel] poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates. Its water was dried up, that the way might be prepared for the kings that come from the sunrise. I saw coming out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet, three unclean spirits, something like frogs; for they are spirits of demons, performing signs; which go out to the kings of the whole inhabited earth, to gather them together for the war of that great day of God, the Almighty."_

Bearing in mind that, as we have already seen, God is perfectly capable of using demonic spirits to achieve His purposes - just as He is capable of using demonically influenced men - it seems to me that the two passages may well be talking about the same event. At the end of the age God will use the forces of Satan's army to gather together those who have given allegiance to the devil, for the purpose of destroying them - but they will think that they are gathering to overthrow Him.

As the Body of Christ takes a final stand, not in a defeated huddle but standing tall and clothed in God's glory, our Head will return. With a word He will defeat the enemy and all his hordes and march in to take the Kingdom that He bought with His shed blood at Calvary, and has been established ready for His rule by a Body that is now so like Him that it is impossible to tell them apart.

Even so, come Lord Jesus.

###  CONCLUSION – BRINGING IT ALL TOGETHER

For the purposes of this book I have separated the real, radical and revolutionary elements of true Christianity, applying them to our relationships with God, others in the Body, and the world respectively. In truth, however, all aspects of our Christian life have to be real, radical and revolutionary. They have to be real, flowing from the spirit rather than from the soul. They have to be radical, rooted in the Word of God and radically different from the ways of both the world and the comfortable Church. They have to be revolutionary, overthrowing the rule of self and yielding to the Kingship of the Lord Jesus Christ, and causing those with whom we come into contact to do the same.

In this book I have raised up a standard. I have no hesitation in saying, I am not there yet. In fact, there have been many times as I have been writing that I have wondered, Who am I to write such things? Yet the fact that I am not there does not change the validity of the standard. Rather, my hope is that, having set forth the standard, that standard will change me: that the Holy Spirit will work in me the things of which I have written, so that my own relationships with God, with others in the Body, and with the world will be truly real, radical and revolutionary.

I pray that reading this book will have challenged you, as writing it has challenged me. The time for playing games is past. We see the world growing darker every day. It does not need to see a comfortable, conformist, compromising Church that it can safely ignore. It needs the blazing light of the manifestation of Christ through His people.

It is no longer good enough to rest in the knowledge that we are heading for heaven some day, or even that God meets our needs while we are here on earth. The time for "pie in the sky bye-and-bye" has passed, but so has the time for "steak on the plate while we wait."

If you take only one thing from this book, let it be this: the Gospel is not about us, it is about the King and His Kingdom. May we all live in such a way that He will be glorified through us, and His Kingdom established on earth.

Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen

###  APPENDIX – THE TESTS OF PROPHECY

These guidelines apply to prophetic words, words of knowledge or words of wisdom that we believe receive personally from God, that are given to us as a personal word by somebody else, or that are spoken out in the congregation.

1. Does it line up with Scripture?

God is the author of both Scripture and a true prophetic word. (2 Tim. 3:16, 2 Pet. 1:20) He does not change, and will not say something different in prophecy to what He has already said in His word.

2. Does it line up with the character of God?

Sometimes something can line up with the letter of the Word, but is contrary to the character of God - e.g. it is harsh, unloving or unjust. The letter kills, but the Spirit (who embodies God's character) gives life. (2 Cor. 3:6)

3. Does it line up with my own spirit?

As New Covenant believers we have the Spirit of God living within us. It is His job to communicate the things of God to us. (Jn. 14:26) Prophecy simply confirms, or occasionally prepares us for, God's word to our own spirit. If it does not strike a chord with our spirit, we should throw it out.

Even if it is a word of rebuke that we chose not to accept because we don't want to know about it, if it is of God we will know in our spirit that it is true.

4. Is it true?

God is a God of truth. He does not lie, exaggerate, or fiddle with truth. If it is not true, it is not God.

5. Is it spiritually relevant?

Unlike the devil, God is not interested in tickling our curiosity. Nor is He interested in showing off His knowledge or anything else. He does not need to prove a thing to anyone. If a word is true but irrelevant, chances are it came from a psychic source not God.

6. If a time frame is given, does it come to pass in the time frame?

(Deut. 18:22) God knows when He plans to do things. If a prophetic word says, "Today I will do such-and-such," and by 1 minute past midnight tomorrow morning such-and-such has not happened, it was not God. If a time frame is implied (e.g. personal prophecies imply that what is spoken will happen in the person's lifetime) it must happen within that implied time frame.

However, if no specific time frame (particularly in relation to what God is going to do in and through your life) don't think it's going to happen tomorrow. Put it on the back burner and let God cook it properly!

7. Where is it leading me/us?

Deut. 13:1-5. A word might meet all the above criteria, yet still be from the pit of hell to lead us away from God. Acts 16:16-18. We need to ask, "If I take this into my spirit, will it bring me closer to God or take me away from Him?"

8. What is the spirit behind it?

When God is active, the devil is also active in imitation and deception. Like Paul in the above Scripture, we need the gift of discerning of spirits to recognize what spirit is active behind any spiritual activity.

###  MEET THE AUTHOR

Lynn Fowler cannot remember a time when she did not write. Her father, who was a poet and freelance writer, instilled in her a love for the written word, and from her earliest years she was putting thoughts on paper.

After a difficult childhood and an early marriage, Lynn became caught up in spiritualism, from which she was dramatically saved in December 1974. The day she was saved the Lord called her to preach, and within six weeks she had started studying at Sydney Missionary and Bible College. Her full salvation testimony can be found at her web site,

<http://lynnbfowler.com/testimony>

From that point on most of Lynn's writing was focused on Christian life, and she had a number of articles and poems published in Christian magazines in Australia, and a few overseas. In 1990 her children's book, A Crazy Alphabet, was published in Australia and the USA, and was nominated for the Children's Book of the Year Award in Australia. She has published two other Christian books: My Little Chats With God, a collection of Bible meditations; and Called To Battle, a manual of spiritual warfare.

First ordained in 1983, Lynn briefly laid down her credentials in the mid-90s due to personal circumstances. She was re-ordained in 1998. Over the years she has been involved in various pioneering situations and itinerant ministry, and since 1989 had made numerous short-term missions trips.

Lynn holds two diplomas and a Bachelor of Theology degree, and in 2013 was awarded an honorary Doctorate in Ministry from St Andrews Theological College and Seminary, India, in recognition of 38 years of ministry.

With a passion to see people "set on fire" for Jesus Christ and for His Kingdom, Lynn likes to refer to herself as a "spiritual pyromaniac."

Lynn has two adult sons and five grandchildren. She lives alone in a tiny country town in Victoria, Australia.

###

If you would like to hear more from Lynn, go to http://signup.lynnbfowler.com and sign up for her newsletter, Lynn Fowler Writes.

Connect with Lynn Fowler:

Facebook:

<http://facebook.com/revdrlynnbfowler>

Twitter:

<https://twitter.com/revlynn>

Blog:

<http://lynnbfowler.com/blog/>

Smashwords Interview:

<https://www.smashwords.com/interview/lynnbf>

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<https://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/lynnbf>

###  SNEAK PEEK - MY LITTLE CHATS WITH GOD - Bible Meditations for Daily Life

## ABIDING IN THE VINE

> I am the vine. You are the branches. He who remains in me, and I in him, the same bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

> John 15:5

The idea of bearing much fruit sounds good to me, Lord. It's no fun working your heart out, only to find that in the end it all turns to dust. That's what happens with our human efforts. I've seen it in others, I've experienced it for myself, and I really can do without it.

So, You're saying that the trick is to remain in You - to "abide" in You, as the old version says. I'm guessing that You mean something rather more than simply continuing to profess the Christian faith - there's heaps of people that do that, but without the slightest evidence of fruit in their lives.

It seems to me the branch is in a place of total dependence upon the vine. The vine is its only source of life. If it is cut off from the vine, it dies. I guess we need to be in that kind of dependence upon You: not looking to other things or other people as our source of life, strength, happiness, peace, provision, health or anything else. It all has to come from You, even though You might deliver it through other means to get it to us.

At the same time, I see a constancy here. The branch doesn't toddle off and do its own thing, then just come back to the vine when it needs another feed of sap. It stays attached to the vine all the time. It receives from the vine in a constant flow.

That's the hard bit, Lord. Learning to stay constantly attached to You through all life's ups and downs and runnings around in small circles. It's all too easy to fall back to seeing prayer as a quick meal snatched between battles - and sometimes the battle gets so long and dragged out that it's easy to forget to pray at all.

Help me, Lord, to become so attached to You that Your life is able to constantly flow to me, and through me.

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The revised and expanded edition of My Little Chats With God is due for release in June 2015.
