1Co 12:7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.
The Scriptures plainly teach that the “manifestation of the Spirit,” is given to each one for the profit of all. It is given in such a way that in order that we may learn, in order that we might grow and becomes sons and daughters of the King. Without this edification, how could we grow? If a child is not being nourished properly then it is often referred to as “failure to thrive.” Failure to thrive is defined as “infants or children that fail to thrive seem to be dramatically smaller or shorter than other children of the same age.” I would argue that we live in a Christian generation that has failed to thrive, Failed to grow. A generation that is more Biblically illiterate than their counterparts from 300 years ago. Despite our instant access to the Word and commentaries and Greek and Hebrew translations, we are the most Biblically illiterate generation for several hundred years. Can I suggest that when we rid ourselves of the “manifestation of the Spirit,” through the gifts that are given to us by God Himself, we could do nothing else but fail to thrive.
In the verse above we see that these gifts are “given,” by God. And then we read in verse 18 that God has “set,” each member of the Body just as it pleased Him. And finally we see in verse 28 that God has “appointed,” those who apostles and prophets, evangelists and teachers and pastors and so on. So we can clearly see that God is intimately involved in ever aspect of His Body. He gives the gifts, He sets the members, He appoints those who are to lead. He does all of that. This is what makes it the Body. This is how we thrive. This is how we are edified, this is how we grow. He takes the foolish things of this world, He transforms them through the new birth, He feeds them milk as babe, He then introduces meat when it can be handled and that one begins to grow. He or she grows up into a son or a daughter of the King. This is all done in the confines of the Body, each part set by Him and moving in the gift given to them. They are led by servant leaders whose entire goal is to see the flock strong and healthy and following Jesus. This is God’s way and it is beautiful. Men so often have entirely different agendas. They may fill a building, but it is a building full of pygmies.
1Co 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
When the Scriptures warn us about not being ignorant or not being deceived, the first thing we should do is sit up and take notice. There is always the danger of being deceived in all manner of teachings but especially in the areas we are being specifically warned about. This of course is the case with what Paul is going to say about the spiritual gifts. I trust you will agree with me when I say that one of the greatest “schisms,” that exists in Christendom is found in the subject of spiritual gifts. It actually creates a division that cannot be bridged. If one denies that there are spiritual gifts or that they no longer operate, then that one finds himself in direct conflict with the Word of God. I would argue that those who are baptized in the Holy Spirit and who operate in their giftings, given by the Holy Spirit Himself,cannot possibly have true and genuine fellowship with those who deny there very existence. For to deny that is to deny the Holy Spirit or to say, as many have, that the gifts are no the work of the Holy Spirit but indeed the devil himself.
God Himself has apportioned these gifts to men and women and has personally appointed apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. And every genuine saint has been given a gift so that he or she is a vital part of the ministry of the fellowship. And is therefore used in the edification of the Body in whatever degree the Lord sees fit. The Body of Christ cannot work or be edified outside the plan of God. This is His plan, these are His appointments and these gifts are given by Him. It is the Lord and the Lord alone who is building His Church so than no man can boast. Now this directly confronts and contradicts the man made clergy/laity system. They cannot operate side by side, its not possible. There is one Lord and His name is not “senior pastor.” Jesus alone has the preeminence. He alone guides and directs and feeds His flock through His own appointments and His own gifts. He is entirely in charge. This has been co-opted by men, hijacked if you like. And wherever that happens, men and women begin to spiritually starve. And so we see in our day that the broad swath of of what calls itself Christian is entirely emaciated.
Jesus has created the genuine saints to be united in Him. To be of one mind and one body, held together by the greatest gift of all, love. The world will know us by our love for one another. It whispers in the wind but is heard loudly wherever it is found. We are held together by its bonds. We are bond-servants to love and must stay within its confines. When the gifts are operating in the fellowship, it is an intimate thing. It draws us close to each other. We “know,” each other in ways that cannot be known outside of God’s plan for us. This system that God has created to water His own garden is the only way for genuine growth. Only by His hand can we grow. Only by His hand can we love as we ought to love. Only by His hand could a disparate group of people from a thousand different backgrounds stand together as one. This is His magnificent creation and it only works if we follow His directions. What audacious mind could ever believe that he knows better than God? We must follow God’s directions to the letter and He has clearly laid this out in regard to spiritual gifts. Do not be ignorant in this brothers and sisters. Stay close to the Lord and if men refuse to follow the Lord in this then they must be allowed to wander of. As the old song goes, “if none goes with me, still I will follow.”
1Co 10:4 ……. for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.
Jesus is the Rock that is with us. Even in the wilderness, especially in the wilderness, He is the Rock that never leaves us nor forsakes us. He causes the cloud to cover us from the searing heat of our trials and tribulations, and He causes the fire to light up the night so that we may see our way through and not be overcome by the cold. He leads us and He guides us in the ways that we should go. He waters our thirsty souls and feeds our spirits where there seems to be no water and there seems to be no food. Not only do we survive in these conditions, we begin to thrive. Our circumstances may be unstable in all their ways, but the Rock beneath our feet immovable. Our lot in this life may be poor in comparison to the earthly riches of this world, but we are rich in the treasures of heaven and of the Kingdom to come. We store up our spiritual riches here in this world that we may be rich in the things that are important to God in the next.
You would think that all who were offered such gifts from heaven would thrive. Yet, even in the most difficult of circumstances, where it would seem natural to reach out and take the hand of God, so many turn this hand away. They complain and they grumble and are disobedient to the God that they know. They desire in their heart to return to where they came from, like the dog returning to its vomit. Imagine desiring to be enslaved just so you knew where you next crumbs were coming from? Rather than continuing to trust the God who has helped you over and over again and in whom you have witnessed His delivering power. We who stand should always take heed lest we fall. A heart full of thanksgiving, one that is obedient to follow His lead is a heart that thrives even in the harshest desert. And if we can do this in the wilderness, just imagine what we shall do in the land to come that shall be overflowing with milk and honey.
Signs and wonders and miracles follow those who believe. It follows the dramatic transformation of souls, which is of course the greatest miracle of all. A large majority of Christendom seem only transfixed on miracles. We see in Acts 8-9 a man called Simon magician or sorcerer. Upon seeing the power of the Apostles, he wanted the same power and desired to “purchase,” it. Of course he is sternly rebuked. He is never mentioned in Scripture again. In extra biblical writings it seems he continued in his sorcery while still being around the Christian community. He gave rise to the word “Simony,” which means “using religion for profit.” Men like Simon would never move in the power of God. May I suggest we live in an age of Simony. There is so little evidence of the miraculous power of God in Christendom because Christendom in large part is run by men who “use religion for profit.” God is still a miracle working God, therefore if there is a fundamental lack of the true supernatural power among that which names itself the church, then that is a reflection on them and not upon our Lord who never changes.
If God has not changed, and of course He has not, then why it is that there is next to no supernatural power on display in what we call the church today? Can I suggest that one of the major causes is “Simony” those who “use religion for profit.” And Gideon said unto him, Oh my Lord, if the LORD be with us, why then is all this befallen us? and where be all his miracles which our fathers told us of, saying, Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt? (Judges 6:13) Where are all the miracles Gideon asks? The very first thing Gideon had to do was tear down the idols of his fathers. What Gideon did, we will not do. The traditions of our fathers still stand and they are more important to us than the commandments of God. The definition of insanity is to keep doing the same things over and over again and expect different results. If there is a crisis and a lack of genuine power within the ranks of Christendom, then the answer is not to dim the lights, bring on the smoke machines and turn Sunday services into secular looking concerts. The answer, as always, lies within the Word of God and His commandments. 1 Cor 14. This is the model, and if we refuse to return to the Word of God in order to maintain our own traditions and the salaries of “senior pastors and so called worship leaders” then, of course, not only will nothing change, it will only get worse.
1Co 9:25 And every one who competes for the prize is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a perishable crown; but we an imperishable.
We have to run this race in such a way that we are trying to win. An athlete is totally committed to his or her sport. They will not do anything that would undermine their ability to be in the best shape that they could be. This is a fairly simple truth which has been preached on a lot and few would disagree with the truth of it. Yet, the context of chapter nine is money. It seems like Paul is complaining about not being supported financially. He then lays out the reasoned argument as to why he should be just like some of the the other Apostles. He says things like “who plants a vineyard and does not eat of the fruit?” And again “you shall not muzzle the ox while it treads out the grain.” And then he uses the always interesting word “nevertheless.” This adverb is used in a sentence after a concession. He concedes that the rule is that he should be supported “but.” And it is the but that is interesting.
“We have not used this but endure all things lest we hinder the Gospel.” “That when I preach the Gospel of Christ without charge, that I may not abuse my authority in the gospel.” It follows that just because you can do a thing, does not mean you should. An athlete does not have to train every day. He or she does not have to rigidly watch their diets. They have the freedom to do such things, but would it be wise? Would it hinder their ability to run the race properly? And of course, it would. This is what Paul is saying in chapter nine, which is so often used in defense of countless ministries being supported. Paul disciplines himself and refrains from what could be lawfully his “lest when I have preached to others I myself should not be disqualified.” The gospel is central to everything that Paul does. He lives and breathes the Gospel. He even goes as far as to say that “it would be better for me to die than anyone should make his boasting void.” Death would be more appealing to Paul than anyone accuse him of preaching the Gospel for money’s sake.
This passion that causes us to run the race is the Lord Jesus Christ Himself! The genuine saint is horrified if he or she would do anything that would bring their Lord and His gospel into disrepute. They would rather suffer the loss. Saints, how then do we run this race? In some kind of half heart-ed measure? Shall we not run this race of life like the top athletes who disciplines their body in order to win the price? And that price is but for a perishable crown, something that can never last. Yet we for an imperishable crown! For holiness sake! For glories sake! For righteousness sake? For Christ’s sake! These are all eternal. With our eyes firmly set upon the Lord Jesus Christ and His Gospel, we run, not like those of the world who run for money and for fame and for fortune. Our treasure lies in heaven above. We store up our treasure by running the race with everything that we have, holding nothing back. Laying down every single thing that would hinder us and the Gospel of Jesus and the Kingdom. This is our calling brothers and sisters, to lay it all down, starting with our rights. Paul was laying down his right.The only right we really have is the right to suffer and die for the cause of Christ! And we know that those who suffer with Christ shall reign with Him. That is our reward, that is our “imperishable crown.”
To be known by you sets my troubled heart at ease
It lifts me high above the waves, above the stormy seas
To be known by you fills me with such great desire
It overflows my flooded heart and puts out every fire
To be known by you means that I have been redeemed
Delivered from the guilt and shame and every voice that screamed
To be known by you puts a sword into my hand
To be lifted up from the battle-field that I once more might stand
To be known by you sets all my enemies to flight
And with the Word of God helps me navigate the night
To be known by you it is manna to my soul
For that which once was broken, you have now made whole
To be known by you will hold me in that hour
When all the world is crumbling, I'll be standing in your power
This I know in the depths of my heart to be true
That I am overwhelmed that I am known by you.
1Co 8:3 But if any man loves God, the same is known of him.
What does it mean to love God? Ask the majority of people if they love God and they will quickly say yes. It is, of course, the correct answer. Yet as we know, words do not equate to love. If you are married to a man who beats you but tells you that he loves you, you can be certain that man knows nothing of love. You may be his possession, but he certainly does not love you. In short we shall know if someone loves someone, not by what they say but but what they do. That is not to detract from words, words are important. When true love and words combine, then a majestic noise is heard in the heavenly’s We will talk about what we are passionate about. For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak. Yet actions certainly do speak louder than words, it is a cliche for a reason. Love is sacrificial. We see the highest example of this on the cross where Jesus died for us. Love is obedient, we see that in Gethsemane where Jesus struggles yet in the end He is obedient to His Father because of His great love and desire to do His Fathers will.
Jesus taught us that there is no greater love in this world than when a man lays down his life for a friend. This is not an issue of the head, but it is an issue of the heart. Knowledge promotes pride in us and makes us arrogant. Yet love promotes self sacrifice and it edifies the soul. Knowledge in the wrong hands can cause our weak brothers and sisters to perish, but love would rather deny itself than see another fall. We know that we love because we were first loved. God loves us and when we love Him there is a vital connection. When we enter into the love of God then we have the capacity to love as God loves. We are one in Him as Jesus and the Father are one, we enter into that unity. We can never love that which we have never encountered. It is vital to encounter God. The crowd in Acts chapter two encountered God through the power of the Holy Spirit spoken through Peter. This encounter led many to cry out to God and embrace the God they encountered. Many more rejected that very same encounter. Further on in Acts chapter seven we see the Holy Spirit again encounter men through Stephen, these men violently reject God.
If love were to be numbered, one being the most basic human love, and ten being God, we could never engage people in the love of God lest we ourselves had encountered a ten, God. If you were raised in a household where you experienced a three, then that is the capacity that you have. You cannot love beyond that which you have encountered. Yet, when a human being encounters the love of God and loves God back, then that one is “known,” of God. That one carries the favor of God. That one walks in His love and His grace and His mercy. The number ten which reflects the perfect love of God is revealed to us through Jesus our Lord and Him crucified. It is only how we react to this revelation that can determine if we shall walk in the love of God. No matter how much you think you love and no matter what capacity you think you have for love, outside of Calvary and your encounter with it, you have but a fleshly love. You might think that your love is special and that you would lay your life down for a loved one. Much of the world would do this. Who would lay down their life or the life of their own son for someone who hates them and hates there son? Only God. To encounter God and receive His love is to be swallowed whole by glory.
I want to share a personal testimony. Many of you, my brothers and sisters in the Lord, over the years, have prayed for my family. I praise the Lord for that. Prayers for youngest son Daniel who has Down Syndrome, and prayers for my oldest son Christopher, who had, to say the least, a very challenging life due to sin and breaking the law. He is 38 now, but all of his troubles really began back in high school. The police were at our door a lot. After he left high school he just kept on going. Alcohol and drugs and crimes related to that. Violence and lies. It broke me as a father and I threw myself at the feet of Jesus. If I tried to get up on my own two feet, I would quickly be knocked back down. I was in over my head and I had no idea how to handle that. The old Frank was constantly screaming for control. It was really an exhausting battle. I was being thoroughly broken. I cried out to God from the depths of my heart, on my knees, more times than I can remember. In the quiet of the night, walking the floor, many many tears. In the morning getting up, and being strong again for the family.
It all came to a head when he was arrested for a very serious crime. The police had been watching him for many months and they had turned one of the guys who bought from him and sent him in to make a purchase and that is when they swooped in and arrested him. They wanted him to turn on the guy above him, but he refused to. And so he was under house arrest awaiting trial. He had to blow into a machine which also takes your picture. Unbeknownst to me, he had a bottle of Whiskey in the basement. A surprise call on the machine at 2am in the morning caught him of guard. He was to turn himself in immediately to be incarcerated. Rather than doing that, he cut the GPS unit of his ankle ( a felony in and of itself) and went on the run for well over a year. We had the US Marshals at out door. He ended up in Scotland and then finally he was caught by the Federales in Mexico. Extradited to Florida and then extradited to Kansas. He was finally home. I agreed to get him a “good,” lawyer, but only if he pleaded guilty to his charges. He reluctantly agreed.
He was remanded in jail and was eventually sentenced to three years in Lansing state prison in Kansas. For the first time in our whole lives, we really began to establish a relationship. I would visit him most Saturdays. In the middle of all of this we faced two horrible court battles in order just to see our grandson. Through every moment in this story there was miracle after miracle, not least the miracle of our sanity. My wife and I grew much closer together and a few times we would just look at pictures of Christoper and Mason and cry together. It was “our pain.” It is hard to explain God’s favor sometimes but every step of the way, He was one step ahead of us. When I was down and thought I could not get back up, He picked me up. When my mind was like a violent sea with mountainous waves, He came to me and whispered that He was jealous for my thoughts and suddenly the waters were still.
It has been around eight years now since Christopher has been released. He committed his life to Jesus and has been out of trouble. A few months ago he came to me and told me he was going to apply to have his three felonies expunged. I was delighted with that idea. Myself and a dear brother prayed about this, as did Christopher’s Godly grandma. Two of the three records were expunged but the most serious of the crimes, the drug dealing was not. When he was sentenced he was put on a drug dealing registry. Very few States have them but Kansas did. For 15 years he has to register with the local Sheriff every three months and pay a fee. If he traveled anywhere in the county, the local Sheriff of where he was going had to be notified. The Judges hands were tied, by law, he could not expunge it. We thanked and praised the Lord for the two that were expunged and committed the other one to His will. About three weeks ago Christopher got a letter from the prosecutors office. The law had just been changed. If you had stayed out of trouble for five years after your probation was over, then the judge now has the discretion to expunge. Yesterday Christopher was in front of the judge and this final part of his history was erased.
I thought about the world expungement. In practical terms it means that if you look up Christopher’s record now, he does not have one. It is like he never had this past. How many of us have been Spiritually expunged? No matter our past, the forgiveness and mercy and grace of the Lord wipes it all away, born again. Renewed. I want to take a minute today to publicly thank my Heavenly Father! And my Lord Jesus Christ who sticks closer to us than a brother. And the power of the Holy Spirit to move over and over again. No matter how many waves threaten to drown us, His hand kept our heads above water. We stand, because of His great love. An incredibly broken situation that seemed to be irreparable, has been put back together by the magnificent Hand of God. Maybe you think your own situation or your family situation is broken beyond repair? Its a lie. There is nothing that God cannot put back together. Take your pieces and bring them before the throne. It is there alone that an all powerful, loving God can take the ashes of your situation and make something beautiful out of it. There is a history of rebellion in my family, but there is a greater history of redemption.
1Co 5:11 But now I have written unto you not to keep company, with anyone named a brother who is sexually immoral or, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; not even to eat with such a person.
Fellowship, is one of the most vital aspects of our faith. First and foremost is our fellowship with the Lord. Unless we are vitally connected to Him then we have no power. He alone is the reason that we stand. He alone is the reason that we have been transformed. It is His love and His grace and His mercy that we totally rely upon to live. We cannot let anything or anyone come between us and the Lord. If something or someone is hindering our walk with the Lord we must choose. Who shall you choose to offend? Will you offend the Lord so that you may not offend a friend? These are the kinds of choices that shape us. Who shall we be in Christ? This phrase “named a brother,” is interesting. Paul could have just wrote brother, but he did not. The inference is obvious. Just because you call yourself a brother, or a sister, in no way means that you are. We shall know them by their fruit the Word tells us.
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? (2Co 6:14) People who profess to be Christians but who live in any of the sins mentioned above are not to be fellowshipped with. This is the plain reading of the Scripture. This is the great flaw in most of what we call “churches,” today. It is vital oh saint that you gather together with other people who have a like minded passion for Jesus and His Word. Only you can discern what this means to you. What does the Word say? What is the Holy Spirit saying to you? The communion of the saints is such a vital part of who we are as Christians, but it must be with other saints living a Biblical life, it cannot be with false professors. How can I know this Frank? You must discern it by the Word and by the leading of the Holy Spirit. Remember saints, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A man or woman will talk about their passions. The Spirit in you will witness with the Spirit in others. Only by this kind of fellowship comes growth. You cannot grow in any other way other than that which is prescribed by the Word of God.
Where could we flee from His Spirit? Even if we take the wings of the morning and flee to the uttermost parts of the earth, He is there and if darkness believes it can swallow us whole it is sadly mistaken for even the very darkness is Light to our God.
Could there have been a darker time than Calvary where even in the natural there was a supernatural gross darkness. Yet …….yet……God. God alone commands light to shine forth from darkness! He calls forth the dead to arise and be swallowed whole in His impenetrable light. What can penetrate His light? Nothing, least of all darkness which in its essence is but the absence of light.
Even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death we shall fear no evil. He shall make us lie down beside still waters. He calms the storms that rage in our hearts and minds and souls. Indeed He restores our souls. He keeps us walking in the paths of righteousness.
He and He alone comforts us to the very core of our beings. He anoints our heads with oil so that even in the midst of the battle our cups runneth over. And until the last days of our lives we are overcome with goodness and mercy. And at all times and into eternity we shall dwell in the depths of the Father’s heart.
1Co 4:8 You are already full. Yow are already rich, you have reigned as kings without us:
You are rich, you have increased in goods and have need of nothing! Jesus says this to the church at Laodicea and yet as we find out from the Lord, they were actually , wretched, miserable and poor, blind and naked. This is the tragedy of what happens when pride rises in the hearts of men. They become disconnected to the one who truly sustains them. They begin to look to themselves and are proud at what they see. They look to numbers. How many people in your church? How many churches affiliated? How much money in the offering plate? How much money in the bank? How big is your church? How big is your house? Are you on the radio? Are you on TV? Are you rich in all of these things? You may not say it out loud that you have “need for nothing,” but of course the Lord knows the heart.
And in another application Paul is correct. Genuine saints are rich, they are full, they shall rule and reign with Christ if they indeed suffer with Him. We have an abundance of grace. We are overwhelmed with mercy. We are full of the favor of God, and the love of the Lord extends to us as far as the east is from the west. Who could be richer than that? Paul explains this to the Corinthians by telling them how he and the other Apostles live. They have hungered he says. They have been poorly clothed. They have often been beaten and are oftentimes homeless. They all labor with their own hands to put food on their own tables. They are hated not loved. They are reviled and persecuted yet…….. they are rich beyond measure! We see this richness displayed by Paul and Silas when they worshiped in the depths of a dungeon. We see this great faith displayed when Paul said that he counted all loss as “dung,” as long as he was “found in Him.
This is the great treasure saints. God says that He is our exceeding great reward! And it is in this reward that we see the genuine saints thrive. Some men fill themselves with grace and love and mercy and forgiveness, and with these treasures given, they freely give them to others. This is rich. Other men fill their bank accounts with money and gather properties and land. They seek power and influence and stature. The desire of a man’s heart is not hidden from God. He sees and He judges rightly. Paul describes how he and his fellows Apostles live, and then advises others to imitate them. (1 Cor 4:11-16) Is this how we see “leaders,” live today? Or do they rule as kings without God and His saints? There is enmity between the desires of this world and the desires of the saints. Today there are millions of “instructors in Christ,” but not many genuine leaders. Paul instructs would be leaders to follow His example. Look at a “leaders,” hands. Are there calluses there? Look at Paul’s back, his stripes testify to his leadership.
For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; (1Co 3:11-12)
There is but one foundation and His name is Jesus. How then shall we build upon that which was laid down for us? There are those who receive the love truth of the Word and the Lord Jesus Christ, high and lifted up. Nothing will cause them to deviate from what they have been taught by the Holy Spirit through the Word of God. Though cultures may change and systems may be added, they will have none of it. The traditions of men mean nothing to them, only the preeminence of the Lord Jesus Christ and Him crucified. They determined in their hearts to not know anything other than this, the great foundation of Christ. Though men may persecute them and burn them, the fire that men kindle cannot destroy the works of God in them, rather it but purifies them. They stand immovable upon the solid foundation and this is precious in the sight of God. Precious like spiritual gold and silver and precious stones.
Now, there are many who build upon His foundation with wood and hay and stubble. In any fire these elements burn up quickly and it leaves but ashes behind. Men will find out in that great day of what elements their work was of. I put it to you that most of what we see in Christendom today is but wood and hay and stubble. It shall all be swept away in the fire of God’s judgment and those involved will suffer great loss and come out of it with but his soul saved if he is indeed the Lord’s. Imagine the great tragedy of a lifetimes work gone in a moment of time. What you thought was precious, all of your works and efforts, revealed to be but wood, hay and stubble. Yet those whose works endure shall receive a reward. What works you might ask? The works of love and joy and peace in the midst of hatred and insecurity and anxiousness. The works of obedience to the Lord and to His word despite the traditions of men who set themselves up to come against anyone who would challenge their traditions and the authority they have.
God does not judge the outer man, he judges the inner secrets of the heart. He is not impressed with huge buildings and organizations of. He does not dwell in temples built by human hands. Heaven is His throne and earth is His footstool. In the last 2000 years these institutions have been led by stiff-necked men who always resist the Holy Spirit. They reject the Word of God in favor of the traditions of men and the pursuit of power and authority. It is all wood and hay and stubble. And yet there are the few who have built upon the true foundation with Truth and endurance, suffering and overcoming, to them belong the reward. They may have been hated here on earth but they walked in the love of God. They may not have a “ministry,’ as men measure these things but they minster to the Lord before His throne with the tears of their broken-hearts and their contrite spirits. Their narrow road home is laid upon the foundation of Christ and Him crucified. To walk this way is to suffer indignities. To be broken. To be ridiculed and rejected by men. To be seen as nothing according to the measurements of men but to have great treasure indeed in the economy of God. We are rich brothers and sisters, never forget that. Into our hands and hearts was placed gold and silver and precious jewels. And by these we have been called to enrich others.
Who indeed? We humans love to deify men. We love to lift them up and glorify them. Christians in particular love to do this. It is really an abomination to God and shall not be overlooked. Diotrephes is the logical conclusion of the lifting up of men which is why the apostle Paul tackles this issue head on. If we elevate men, men will love it. If we desire to follow men, and we so often do, the very same men will love it. They will, of course, for decorum’s sake, deny any of this. Even as men lift them aloft above their heads, they will feign giving Jesus the glory, but their actions and the actions they allow in others denies this. Paul smashes into this head on in his typical style and no holds barred words. “Neither he who plants is anything, not he who waters, but God who gives the increase,” is everything. We are nothing without God, even that which we have was given to us. What then can we glory in, other than Christ? How could we ever let stand for one minute anyone who would try and raise us up? God forbid.
He who plants and he who waters are one. One Body. One work here on earth. Nothing rises above the spiritual parapet save Jesus Christ. If you look up and see a man, God help that men. If you look up and try to raise up that man to anything other than what He is in Christ, part of the Body, one in nature, then God help you. All of it robs from God who gives the increase. All of it robs from Christ who is preeminent. Its all robbery, its all theft, its all religion. Diotrephes loved the preeminence and allowed himself to be raised up and encouraged others to raise him up. Men like this make themselves indispensable . This means they steer the sheep towards reliance upon them and not the great Shepherd. Do you know anyone like this? Unless we are forever pointing men towards the Word of God and the risen Christ then we are of the priesthood of Diotrephes. Carnal in nature, carnal in spirit and if it remains so, then lost forever. Jesus Christ first, Jesus last and Jesus forever. The old enemy has caught more men in this trap then any other. More seductive than women, more seductive than money, the greatest seducer of all, power and the desire for it and the lust of it, in all its many manifestations.
My uncle was a dispatch rider in the WW2. He was a private. It was a dangerous mission so the High Command were never going to waste men of higher rank in delivering messages. In the scale of things, in the order of importance, the rider was the least important. You could always replace the rider, but motorbikes were hard to come by. What was important was the message. The one giving it and the one receiving it. It is so in the Kingdom. The one delivering it is can be readily replaced. We brothers and sisters should remember that lest we think too much of ourselves. We are simply one. The message is all important. And whether we ride the bike or maintain the bike then that is all well and good, but the message Giver and the recipient of the message is of vital importance. The message is preeminent and Jesus is the message. Jesus is the author, and by His Blood He came to deliver this message Himself. What general or high ranking officials would ever lower themselves by delivering the message themselves? Yet, the greatest communication ever delivered to men had to be delivered by the greatest one that existed, the One who ever existed, God’s only Begotten Son. Remember this with all of your hearts brothers and sisters, some of us plant, some of us water, but God……but God….but God always has and always will, give the increase by the power of the Holy Spirit.
1Co 2:9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
Taken from Isa 64:4 we see here repeated the marvel of the prophet as he talks about those who love God and who wait upon Him, and with expectation, rejoice in what is coming through God’s hand. No amount of wisdom or knowledge nor understanding could give anyone even a glimpse of the things that God was preparing for those who loved Him. The Christ Himself was coming! God, in the flesh, was coming to walk this earth among men! He was coming to establish a connection with Father, long since broken by sin. He was coming to defeat hell and death and sin. Who could understand such things before He came? Who could see that He was coming to the whole world? The seed of Abraham would bless all nations. “For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus……..there is neither Jew nor Greek….. slave nor free…..male nor female …..you are all one in Christ Jesus.” For those who would be born again and baptized into a Christ who would be rejected, tortured, ridiculed and spat on and nailed to a tree
And yet we also see a glorious future revelation. “I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.” (John 14:2-4) This place, in His Fathers house, that the Lord has prepared for us who know Him, is a place that we know, according to Jesus. And though no eye has seen nor ear heard nor has it entered into the hearts of man, these things which God has prepared for those who love Him, those who know the Lord, know these things by the Spirit of revelation. Upon our hearts are written His law and in the depths of this heart God has revealed these things to us. “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” (1 Cor 2:10) We “know,’ brothers and sisters, we know. The very same Spirit of God searches the depths of the Father and reveals these things to His own that men outside of the Kingdom know nothing of.
Kingdom knowledge that is but a mystery and foolishness to men, is clear to the saints. We walk in a certainty and an assurance of things to come. We “know,” things,’by the Spirit of God. We recognize other saints by the Spirit of God. He witnesses to our spirits. Men should not be surprised at this. As someone who was born and raised in Scotland, no matter where I am in the world and I hear a Scottish accent, I immediately can identify a fellow countryman. Dear saints, it is so in the Spirit. I speak to a certain man or a woman and I hear the “accent,” of God. I hear the unmistakable language of the Spirit in another though they come from lands far from me yet we both belong to the same Kingdom which has its own language which resonates in the depths of my spirit. An utter joy to hear and recognize another saint. And in this I am not speaking about the gift of tongues. A language of the heart that can only be spoken by those who have “seen,” His glory. Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks! We “know,’ things that are not known by natural men, for we are supernatural men and women. Our spiritual eye has seen, and our spiritual ear has heard the glory of God. It has indeed invaded the very depths of who we are. We see Him high and lifted up and the train of His robe fills the temple. We are that temple.
Suppose a company of ugly, unattractive persons lived together in one house. Suppose that they never saw any other man or woman, only themselves, they never saw anyone that was arrayed with the splendors and perfections of physical beauty. They would not be capable of comparing themselves with anything other than themselves, and consequently would not know and not be disappointed at their own ugliness and natural defections. Now, bring them them out of their cells and holes of darkness, where they have been shut up by themselves, and let them see the beauty and attractiveness of others and then, they will be sorry and dejected at the view of their own ugliness.
This is the case, men are marred by sin and are rotten, corrupted and depraved. When they dwell together in the dark they see neither God, nor angels nor saints in their excellent nature and beauty. Therefore they are apt to count their own ugliness and deformity as things of beauty and glory. Now, let such, as I said, see God, see saints, or the beauty of the Holy Spirit and know themselves that they have not any of this, and they cannot but be affected and sorry for their own deformity. (John Bunyan, The excellence of a Broken heart. )
John, very ably speaks, in his analogy, of a broken ugly world marred and deformed by sin. Those so marred rarely have any desire to be around what is beautiful. Think of David as he worshiped God and Saul tries to pin him to that wall with a spear. Saul hated David. He hated David first and foremost because David had God and every time he saw him it was a reminder to Saul that he did not. The saints of God would be hated is they never spoke a word. The beauty in them, that shines upon their face and is displayed by their love and forgiveness, is a terrible reminder to a dark and ugly world that they are dark and ugly. The worlds solution is simply to never be around Gods excellent ones. they must only be around their own.
Then their ugliness and sin is swallowed up by the perpetual darkness of their fellow ugly people. Lest some people make the claim that they are good and not ugly and deformed, God says that all the righteousness of men are like filthy rags before His eyes. The people of the world are ultimately united in their ugliness and their desire to avoid, at all costs, the mirror of truth. To look into this mirror is to see the vileness of the one looking back. The world has its own mirror and it is as deceptive as their blackened hearts. This is why, to genuinely encounter God is to fall down as one who is dead. To cry out “is there mercy for me.” To shout out from the depths of their exposed darkness “what must we do.” To see the ultimate beauty of God in His perfection and glory is to cast His light onto the lying mirror and suddenly we are horrified to see what is looking back.
The mask is ripped away. The fig leave falls to the ground. And there we are, naked before God and we know, no one has to tell us anything. We know of our deformity and ugliness. And now we must be swallowed whole by His majesty and glory. The mountain of our sin and darkness melts like wax in the presence of the Lord. That which was ugly now reflects the beauty of God. That which was deformed now is made whole. From the ashes of our fallen flesh rises the beauty of our risen Lord and He rises up in us. Now the world sees something of His majesty in us and sees their own wickedness reflected back. Only in this state, when a man or woman is confronted with who he or she truly is, and then discovers that there is mercy and grace to be found in the beauty of His holiness, can that man or woman truly be saved. To truly fall and rise again in the newness of birth, the second birth. Those who reject this revelation of who they are, their conscience accuses them, condemn themselves to an eternal life of ugliness.
1Co 2:2 For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.
This is the heartbeat of genuine Christianity. It is so central to who we are that it is forever before us. Jesus Christ and Him crucified. From this flows all things. From the Lord Jesus and His death for us flows life eternal. For us to walk in this life we must walk in Christ with a cross upon our back. Take up your cross daily the Lord commands us, that we might be worthy to be His disciples. Jesus is our singular identity. It is Jesus first and last and in all things. His cross draws us to take up our cross. Without a daily cross, without the breaking process, we are simply not worthy to be called His disciples. Tozer would say “you know one thing about a man carrying a cross our of the city, you knew he wasn’t coming back.” There is no turning back when there is a cross upon your own back. You are dead to this world and the world knows it. The testimony of Christ in you is the cross on your back and the supernatural joy that is in you that you are counted worthy to bear it.
It is not the words that we speak or the way that we speak them, it is the life that we live that is a testimony to the Lord Jesus Christ. No eloquence is required although when the Holy Spirit gets a hold of your tongue it will make William Shakespeare seem like stammering fool. It is our calling to declare the testimony of God and the testimony of God is Christ and Him crucified. It burns at the heart of who we are. It rises up in us and declares Him holy. Again and again and again in our lives we are reminded that we walk under the shadow of the cross. Of the One crucified, of the greatest sacrifice, and we are called to follow in our Lord’s footsteps. Oh how the disciples celebrated after they were scourged. They could not believe that they were counted worthy of entering into His sufferings. Do you see that Spirit today? Paul spoke in weakness and fear and in much trembling. Paul was not afraid to highlight his weaknesses in order to lift up His Lord, because it was all about Jesus, it was all about Him crucified, it was all about lifting Him up, not himself. Oh that we were surrounded by such men today, and yet, tragically it seems that we are surrounded by the opposite.
To be broken and contrite we have to actually be broken. It is not an abstract truth but a living reality. God does the breaking. He fellowships with the lowly and the contrite in high and lofty places. He does indeed love us and He does indeed have a plan for each of His children, His plan is to completely dismantle our lives. To be broken is the only true acceptable sacrifice. We see an example of true brokenness in David in psalm 51. David was perhaps one of the most broken men to have ever walked the earth. And then comes Jesus.
The most anguished cry ever uttered, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” This is the true horror for any saint. David “wakes up,” at the sound of the prophets voice and discovers he is far far away from God. The joy of his salvation was gone. His heart was despoiled, and the Holy Spirit was silent in the depths of His heart. And in the midst of that pressing reality he cries out to God, in the depths of his personal darkness, his hands are raised towards the light, he cries out this great eternal truth ” against thee alone oh God have I sinned.” Broken, humbled and contrite and in the midst of that he finds total restoration. This is what God loves. This is the acceptable sacrifice.
1Co 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.
There is a great gulf that exists, a divide that cannot be bridged. Much like the divide between the beggar Lazarus and the unnamed rich man. This divide exists between the those who are genuinely saved, and all the rest of the world. What divides us is not the fact that one set of people will be saved eternally and the other set will perish, although that is certainly true. What truly divide us is fellowship, first and foremost, with God. In verse nine we are told that “God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord.” The saint has an intimate and genuine fellowship with Jesus. And this is primary and it is a calling, we were called into it. This is the gateway into the Body, the Church. All things pass through Jesus. We cannot have spiritual, eternal, edifying fellowship, true fellowship, unless we have fellowship with Jesus. This is the primary reason why there is so little genuine fellowship in Christendom.
Those who have intimate fellowship with Jesus are greatly affected by His suffering, His death and His resurrection. It forms the core of their very being. They see the victory where others see defeat. They see the King high and lifted up because He was lifted up. The Jews were looking for an earthly King who would liberate them from Rome and establish them on this earth in power and glory. The Greeks were looking for a philosopher who by strength of intellect would also rule and dominate. Jesus was utter foolishness to both. God has chosen the things that are despised, and the things which are not, to bring to nothing the things that are, that no flesh should glory in His presence. He hides Himself in the midst of what men consider to be foolishness. He raises up the weak things of this world to confound the wise. Men who are drawn to strength and their own abilities are blind to the God who hides Himself among the broken and the contrite.
Brothers and sisters, Jesus came to call and to heal the broken-hearted. He did not come to the high and the mighty, but rather He came to set at liberty the captive. He came to raise up the pauper and to fellowship with those whom He would deliver. I thank God that we are enriched by the mercies and the grace of God and not the titles and the riches of men. I thank God that the testimony of Jesus is confirmed in His own and that He gives us gifts in order to edify us and establish us in Himself. The greatest gift being that of fellowship with God. The world and the wise may despise us, yet they do not fellowship with God. The mighty and the noble and the wisest of men are but fools to God so therefore God has taken the foolish things of this world and raised them up in Himself. Without education or riches, we, the foolish ones, are recipients of the wisdom of God and the world marvels. We are in Christ, who became for us wisdom from God, and not only wisdom but righteousness and sanctification and redemption and now we glory, not in ourselves, but we glorify the Lord.
Isa 66:12 For thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will extend peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream:
The Lord is coming back for His own. Those who know Jesus are one in Him. And in Christ there is glory. The very glory that He received from His Father, He has given to us. It flows from heaven itself and it carries its glory all the way to the sea, the sea of endless glory, before the throne room of God. My peace I give you says the Lord, not as the world gives peace but as only God can bring peace. Let not your hearts be troubled in a world that is plunging headlong towards judgement. A world that is rising up and shaking two angry fists at God. The heathens rage and the peoples are caught up in vanity. The kings and the rulers of this world set themselves against God and His anointed. Yet even still, let not your hearts be troubled, rather, know that all of this means His return is imminent.
Behold the Lord will come with fire and with chariots, like a whirlwind, to render His anger and His fury. With a sword in His hand, a sword that He does not wield in vain, He will judge all flesh. Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And of His glory there shall be no end. And His majesty shall be as a perpetual sun that never sets. The created sun is but a flickering candle in comparison to His perpetual radiance. And the vastness of the seas, but a single teardrop from the Masters eye. What mind can conceive what the Lord has prepared for those who love Him? For those who loved Him, yet were mocked and ridiculed and rejected and killed by the anger and the rage of a heathen world. Yet they overcame everything that the enemy threw at them by the Blood of the Lamb and the word of their testimony and they loved not their lives unto death.
And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a robe dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his robe and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS (Rev 19-11-16)
A Call To The Remnant 