|
Chapter Twenty Three
Paul’s Thorn
This is a good place to mention Paul’s thorn in the flesh. I believe that the thorn in Paul’s flesh were the religious – self righteous people of his day that were constantly opposing the message of grace for living in the reality of the Kingdom of God.
The grace that Paul was given was not to just submit to some affliction -- but the grace was that the message he had been given --when he made his round trip to heaven to hear the reality of The Truth -- was sufficient to give him the victory over those that opposed the message of The Truth.
People – no matter who they are-- that refuse to accept the Truth of the Gospel of righteousness by a gift and blessings by inheritance are messengers of Satan. They come with the false message of The Lie that says you have to be righteous by your works and blessed by your works. They bring the message of Satan which is you can be blessed through self-rule and lordship over yourself..
As I begin to search for the knowledge -- understanding and wisdom of God -- I realize that I’m beginning a great adventure. I also realize that I can’t begin to do this until I put behind me the world’s way of thinking and doing things and more often than not -- that even includes the so-called Christian world and its ways. It also includes family and friends that love the world’s way and want to live in it.
I came to understand for myself that the things that are taught in the Churches of today -- and I’ve tried quite a few of them -- don’t work. They don’t work because the foundation is wrong. For the most part the message is powerless to meet my needs on a daily basis. It’s only source of power is the accumulation of wealth coupled with human strength.
The Christian Church of today has mastered the process of having spiritual babies. It’s what I call spiritual fornication. It gets people to sleep with Jesus -- or perhaps a better way to say it is -- be intimate with Jesus to be born again. Jesus never intended it to be that way. Jesus isn’t looking for just intimacy. He is looking for oneness of purpose and life’s destiny ordained by God.
(Mat 13:15 KJV) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Then the Church tells them to go and live the world’s ways in order to get blessed. Remember -- when I say the world’s ways I don’t mean outward gross sins. I mean religiousness and the ways that the world gets wealth and health by works. When they do that -- they are always trying to be with Jesus on Sunday and when ever they need Him to bail them out of a mess that they got into by doing things the way the world’s system says to do it.
The Double Life
It’s a double life. Intimacy with Jesus to have babies -- then live in the world to get blessed. It’s a false gospel. It’s only half true and so-- it is a Lie.
The Church knows how to get someone born again. They use the name of Jesus to guide a person into the reality of their need to be born again. That enables the person to see the Kingdom of God. (John 3:3 KJV) Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.
However -- being born again is only the beginning of a new life. The next question should be -- Where and how are you going to live this new life? The Lord says you are to live this new life in the reality of the Kingdom of God that is now within you. The Church says you are to try to live this new life in the kingdoms of this world -- using the world’s ways to experience the God that is supposed to be your Lord.
I need to explain what I mean when I say that the Church sends new believers back into the world to try to make the world system bless them. We didn’t see that in Jesus’ life. He didn’t use any of the world’s ways to accomplish His ministry.
Kingdom Giving
Example – the Church says -- Give tithes and you will be blessed. They use many verses to establish that as the truth -- but those verses are not saying what they say that they are saying. The Church is teaching that we are to give out of our lack. If we will do that -- we will be given an increase -- they say. In other words – give to get. They claim they are not saying that but they are.
Jesus is teaching that we are to give out of our abundance of inheritance. That is giving out of the inheritance that the Lord says is ours by a gift. If we are to believe God -- we have to see ourselves as He says we are. Jesus says we have an infinite supply. No matter how it looks -- we are to always give out of that abundance. When we do -- we are given more from God’s storehouse so we can receive His supply to us as well as pass it on to the world.
Dr. Myles Monroe has a great teaching on this principle. We are to see ourselves as Ambassadors for Christ. As ambassadors we have the supply of the Kingdom we represent. We have the full resources of the Kingdom of God at our disposal and so are never in lack. We may not have received the latest shipment of goods from our home land but never the less --we have it. When it arrives we distribute it according to the instructions that the King sent with it.
That is who we are and that never changes. So-- if we believe that we never give to get. We always give out of the riches of the Kingdom we represent. Giving to get is working to be blessed and that is the False Gospel and a Lie.
Jesus’ ministry was that of Him sowing out of the abundance of the Kingdom of God. He never sowed to get an increase for Himself. He sowed to get a harvest for the Kingdom of God. He was always a supply -- never a need.
Jesus didn’t always have enough in the natural to be a supply to the people. So what did He do -- have a bake sale? No -- He received an offering from a little child and held it up to His Father and asked Him to bless it out of His inheritance. Then He passed it out in faith and it met the need of the people. What was left over was returned to the little boy that gave it and so he was blessed with more also.
The people that ate were filled and blessed but the little boy ate for many days on the increase that he gave and we don’t know if that seed sown kept on multiplying each day as that boy took from the basket to eat – probably him and his family. Just maybe that family had a cupboard of multiplying Manna just like Israel and the widow woman that Elijah multiplied the oil for.
Jesus was taking the fish and loaves that He received as a gift and held it up to His Father and asked His Father to multiply it according to the Kingdom principles of giving. Holding the fish up was His faith action and asking for the Kingdom of God to be manifested right now. That was praying as He had taught his disciples to pray and He was answered from heaven.
I believe that if we find ourselves in a similar place and we do the same thing – the answer would come for us as it did for Him.
Did you ever think about how that miracle with the fish and the bread played out as Jesus gave the fish and loaves to His disciples? I believe that -- after Jesus blessed the food -- He broke it to fulfill a likeness to Him being broken for the needs of the people.
When I say – Jesus being broken I mean He ceased from any idea that He could meet the needs of the people by His own strength. Then -- He took the pieces and placed some in each basket that His disciples had. I believe that -- as He broke it to place it in their baskets -- it multiplied. The disciples saw that happen and it increased their faith as they watched.
Then Jesus told the disciples to feed it to the people as He had given it to them. As they walked to the people sitting in groups of fifty -- they looked in the basket and there were only a few pieces of fish and bread in the bottom of the basket. I believe that the disciples faith kept them walking to the place where the people were waiting.
They held out the almost empty basket to the first person. That person reached into the basket and took the fish and loaves in their hand and broke off as much as their faith would allow them to. It says that all the people were filled. So they must have had the faith to take as much as they felt they could eat -- or perhaps more than they could eat because there was a lot left over.
That says that they couldn’t eat all they took. As they broke off the pieces they saw it multiply in their hands. Or perhaps they took all that was in the basket and as the disciple moved to the next person there was more in the basket. Their faith in what Jesus was teaching must have leaped forward.
I believe that when that crowd got through eating the fish and loaves their faith and their needs were totally satisfied and the lesson that Jesus had taught was illustrated before them. I believe that is the kind of teaching that Jesus wants taught for today. If it was – we would have strong and power filled Churches.
This kind of teaching that involves the people as well as the teacher takes the light off the teacher and puts it on Jesus where it belongs. These ministries that have the name of the teacher plastered all over their books and programs is a clue as to who is being lifted up. They build big ministries but for the most part --they are powerless outside of the fact they get a lot of money for the literature they sell and the power of their ministry is built on that wealth.
Jesus said that the True Gospel isn’t in word only but in power. That doesn’t mean in the power of money – but the power of the Word of God as it is acted on in our lives.
Isa. 55:1 Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
We are never to give out of our lack because that is believing the Lie that we don’t have an abundance in Christ. When we sow out of our lack -- we are sowing out of ourselves and it is never enough. We wear ourselves out because it is us that is doing the giving. When we sow that way we get the idea that we are giving our own money away. All kinds of bad things come into our hearts when we do that. When we sow out of the Christ that is in us -- there is always more than enough and we are refreshed as well.
Those that teach that we should give out of our lack use the story of Elijah and the widow woman and her son as an example of why we should do that. Those verses are actually saying just the opposite.
Elijah came to the woman and asked her what she was doing –
(1 Ki 17:10 KJV) So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
(1 Ki 17:11 KJV) And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
(1 Ki 17:12 KJV) And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
Does that statement sound familiar? Jesus told Adam that in the day you eat of the work of your own hands you will die. We have to be eating from the supply of God that comes to us as a gift if we are to be blessed. People say – look at the wealth that God has given me as a blessing. Maybe – did God give it to you as a gift or did you do works to get it?
Now right here look carefully at what Elijah said to the woman.
(1 Ki 17:13 KJV) And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
The man of God was saying -- don’t change what you need to do -- but change your reason for doing it. Give me the first cake and after that you will have many cakes for you and your son.
So the man of God was telling the woman that the cake she was making wasn’t her last cake -- it was her first cake. It was the first of many cakes. The woman believed what the man of God said and when she did -- what she was doing changed her circumstances into faith actions. Faith in her inheritance. So the woman wasn’t giving out of her lack -- she was giving out of her abundance by faith. When she did that -- the increase came.
She wasn’t giving out of her lack to get more cakes. She was giving out of her abundance -- the first of many cakes.
So the lesson taught here isn’t give out of your lack -- it’s give out of your abundance by faith. That kind of giving produces an abundance because it’s the Truth and the True Gospel. We are a supply to the earth -- not a need looking for a supply. That woman became a storehouse to bless herself and others with the abundance of God.
(1 Ki 17:14 KJV) For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
(1 Ki 17:15 KJV) And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
(1 Ki 17:16 KJV) And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah.
Now was this supernatural supply to last the rest of her life? No – not in that way. The supply lasted until God could change the circumstances so that the natural process could begin to supply her need on a daily basis. However --I believe that even though the time came for her to eat the meal that the fields produced for her – she forever saw that it was still God’s supply to her. She was a different person after this experience.
So from these Scriptures we can either learn about Kingdom giving -- or the kingdoms of this world giving. What makes the difference in what we will learn? You see -- we will either strengthen The Truth or we will strengthen The Lie depending on what we believe.
For years I taught The Lie from these Scriptures. The Lie of giving to get. Many still teach that. Now I teach The Truth from these same Scriptures. What caused the change? I saw and understood the True Gospel. I knew from my spirit that giving to get was somehow not The Truth -- but there didn’t seem to be any other way. Now I see that there is another way – the way of faith in The Truth.
The Truth says -- You are righteous by a gift and you are multiplied by inheritance. I have to apply this Truth to every Scripture I read or I will fall into believing The Lie that says -- You are righteous by your works and multiplied by your works.
It’s having a understanding of The Truth about the True Gospel that saves me from reading the Scriptures wrong.
I hear it said -- what we need is more prayer or singing -- or more worship -- or more praising -- or more teaching -- or more prophecy. Those things are good -- but they are supposed to be the fruit of a root called the Kingdom of God. Those fruits are to grow out of the root of the Truth about the Kingdom of God and cause the listeners to come to the fullness of the stature of Christ. Those virtues are to come out of the root. They are not supposed to be made into a root. If I’m doing those great things to make myself like Jesus – then they are works to be blessed.
Jesus was careful not to let this happen in His life and teachings. Jesus said -- I talk in parables so that the people that don’t really want to change their life from living in the world to living in the Kingdom of God won’t understand what I’m saying. They will hear but they won’t understand. They will see but they won’t perceive what is being offered.
(Mat 13:13 KJV) Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
(Mat 13:14 KJV) And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
(Mat 13:15 KJV) For this people's heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
Did You Hear That
What is this that Jesus the healer is saying? Jesus is saying that if someone doesn’t want a changed life where Jesus is Lord – then He doesn’t want to heal them. He doesn’t want to heal people that just want to be well so they can return to the life that made them sick by self-rule.
Could that be? That a person can see just enough to be healed -- but not want to see enough to be converted and be made whole. To see enough to be healed and not want to change their ways of living.
What about a Pastor that appeals to that self-ruling heart of a person and offers them just enough to get healed. What does God think of the Shepard that does that. Are they the blind leading the blind? I think so.
(Mat 13:16 KJV) But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
(Mat 13:17 KJV) For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Do you grasp the magnitude of what Jesus is saying here? Jesus is saying that there have been many righteous men -- even prophets -- that have been born again and yet -- they haven’t seen this Truth. What Truth is Jesus talking about? ... The reality of the Kingdom of God and the invitation to live in it now. The invitation to give up self-rule and choose to make Jesus King over you.
I see the King and the Kingdom of God like a gate. The gate or the door itself is the King. Receive the King or go through the door and you can enter the Kingdom. Walk through the gate and you are into the Kingdom. After you go through the gate -- the treasures of the Kingdom of God are yours by inheritance. The treasures of the Kingdom are laying all around on the ground like the manna that Israel had when they came through the Red Sea.
How would it be possible to enter in at the gate and not enjoy the Kingdom? The same way Israel came through the Red Sea and never enjoyed the manna that God gave to them as His supply for them. Israel never saw the manna as a reminder of the faithfulness of God – they saw it as something God owed them like they earned it by leaving Egypt.
The manna was received in two different ways by the people. One group sat around eating the manna thinking about how much work it was to gather it. That group was eating the works of their own hands. The manna wasn’t manna to them – it was the mammon of the world because they didn’t receive it as inheritance but rather wages that they earned.
The other group was sitting around the table being reminded how God had supplied them with the blessings of His table. They were resting in the supply of God. It was the same manna -- but it was received two totally different ways – by works or by inheritance.
The disciples had eyes to see The Truth because the King of the Kingdom of God was teaching them the reality of the Kingdom and telling them that they could live in it right then with Him. They had an intimate relationship with Jesus and enjoyed His supply to them. He was bringing them to the place of oneness of purpose with Him.
Well -- Why would righteous men desire to see this Truth of the Kingdom and not see it? Because their heart waxed gross Jesus said. What does that mean? That means that the people’s heart -- including their mind had become calloused or hardened. The people had become hardened to the pain of living outside of the reality of God’s love and provision. They wanted to provide for themselves their own way. They didn’t want to have to rely on God for their provision. They felt that they could no longer trust God to care for them -- so they cared for themselves or tried too.
Well -- who’s fault was that -- God’s or theirs? Was God to blame for all their trouble -- or was it because they wouldn’t believe the Truths that were taught about the reality of the Kingdom of God; Or weren’t the Truths of the Kingdom taught -- like they are not taught today? I’m sure it isn’t God’s fault. He will feed a hungry heart if it will seek Him. If the heart isn’t hungry -- it won’t seek Jesus.
So here is a prophecy for you – if you are trusting in yourself and you belong to God – He will cause circumstances to come into your life that will show you that you can’t trust in yourself. Your problems will become so large that trust in yourself will become obviously foolish.
We can try to blame many things for our being deceived -- but in the final analysis -- we alone are to blame for not seeking The Truth with our whole heart. When we do -- God will answer. That is what separates the disciples of Jesus from all the rest of the world.
We have to have the attitude that we will not take no for an answer. We want to see Jesus and nothing or no one can stop us. Well – how will I now that I’m not seeing Him in what is being taught? The teachings will have no power to heal my life’s problems. The teachings may be based on the Scriptures in part – lots of music – even gifts of the Spirit in operation – but no knowledge of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Those kinds of meeting don’t lead to changed lives – they lead only to religious lives.
We have to determine that we won’t let ourselves be offended with God. The Devil will try to get us to find fault with God and His ways. We have to determine -- no matter what happens -- we will not be offended with God.
We see that so clearly in Jesus’s dealings with the woman in --
(Mat 15:21 KJV) Then Jesus went thence, and departed into the coasts of Tyre and Sidon.
(Mat 15:22 KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil.
(Mat 15:23 KJV) But he answered her not a word. And his disciples came and besought him, saying, Send her away; for she crieth after us.
(Mat 15:24 KJV) But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
(Mat 15:25 KJV) Then came she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
(Mat 15:26 KJV) But he answered and said, It is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it to dogs.
(Mat 15:27 KJV) And she said, Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table.
(Mat 15:28 KJV) Then Jesus answered and said unto her, O woman, great is thy faith: be it unto thee even as thou wilt. And her daughter was made whole from that very hour.
Here -- Jesus as much as calls her a dog and not worthy of the bread that God has sent to His children. Her response shows she will not allow herself to be offended with the master. She persists that even though she is a dog in God’s eyes -- His mercy could give her of the crumbs of what His people have and that would meet her needs.
She had an amazing ability to face the Truth and not be offended. Even though it was brutal -- she still would persist until God gave her what she needed. This shows forth her humility and her confidence that because God loves all people she can move Him to help her if she will humble herself before Him. There is no sign of this attitude of -- You owe this to me God. When we have that attitude it shows that we are approaching Him on the basis of our merit.
When I don’t understand the oneness of King Jesus with His Kingdom -- I believe the Lie that I can know the King and then --go and live in the kingdoms of the world and still get blessed. That Lie has existed in the Christian Church from the Fourth Chapter of the book of Acts until this present day. That Lie and the belief of it-- is the reason for the powerlessness of the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ today.
The virtues and gifts that the Lord Jesus has given us are supposed to be flowing out of a relationship with the King and the reality of the Kingdom of God. The foundation of the Lordship of Jesus is to allow the life of that root -- to flow into us and bring forth those fruits of the Spirit. Most often those gifts are nothing more than us using them out of the power of our own spirit -- coupled with the power of money to do good things and bring attention to us.
The confirming evidence of the supernatural life isn’t seen. It isn’t seen because it isn’t there and so we -- as a Church -- have no choice except to use the ways of the world to preach a False Gospel that is void of the power of God. It causes us to do good and help the helpless and the name of Jesus is heard but the power of God isn’t seen.
The Church has become a humanitarian organization that encourages people to stay in their circumstances and take handouts. It’s right to help people out when they are hurting – but if we don’t follow that up with the teachings of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God we will only encourage people to become welfare recipients.
I believe that even the way the Christian world thinks doesn’t reflect the life Jesus lived and the power that was released because of what He taught and believed. So if I want to know Him -- the One that believed The Truth and lived it -- I have to leave behind everything that stands in the way of that kind of life. I believe we who want that -- have to go where few men have gone. I also believe when we engage our heart to do that -- Jesus comes along side to guide us and the Spirit of Christ within us rises up to empower us.
For the disciples it took fifty days. From the time Jesus died on the Cross until Pentecost was fifty days. It seems that it is taking an awful long time for this next outpouring of the Spirit. We have lost the desire and even the belief that we can live in the reality of the Kingdom of God now. There are very few people seeking the reality of the Kingdom of God and I believe that it is because they don’t know about it. Therefore --their getting together isn’t for the same reason that the disciples gathered together in the upper room to wait for the coming of the Kingdom of God with power.
Jesus’ disciples and the one hundred and twenty in the upper room were looking for the manifestation of the Kingdom of God and were patiently waiting for it – so it came quicker.
If you just like to have everyone be like you -- and you get your strength from crowd mentality -- then you won’t go on this trip in search of the reality of the Kingdom of God.
If Jesus should come before I find the reality of the Kingdom of God or I should die before I find it – and He asks me what I was doing with my life. I will say – I was looking first for your Kingdom. I was seeking it with my whole heart.
|
