For I am your greatest encourager.

For I am your greatest encourager.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17 (NKJV) 16 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.

Dave and Novie, The Father is our greatest encourager! He has not come to condemn us, but to encourage us and give us hope. I believe that He stands on the sidelines cheering us on as we race down the field of life, all the while speaking hope into the deepest part of our being. His shouts of encouragement provide us with the strength that we need, when we need it, in order for us to finish the race that was uniquely charted for us.
I imagine Him running alongside of you, speaking words of affirmation as you continue to press on. With each loving glance and encouraging word, your muscles seem to strengthen and your endurance increases with the assurance that He loves you and wants you to finish well. When you do stumble and fall, you are quickly picked up and reminded that you were never actually running the race on your own, for it was Jesus who had been carrying you all along as He ran in stride with His Father.
The Father and the Son truly are our greatest encouragers. May their eternal encouragement bring us hope and provide us with the strength we need in order to run the race set out before us.
PRAYER
Father, I thank You for loving me and being my greatest encourager. Help me to always listen for Your words of hope and eternal encouragement! Thank You for placing within me the life of Your Son, that through Jesus, I might be able to run the race that You have set before me. In the name of Your beloved son Jesus I pray, AMEN.

A Letter from Our Spiritual Father

Dear Dave and Novie,
I want you to know it is a pleasure knowing you two and hope in the coming days our relationship will continue to grow founded upon the truth and will fulfill God's Purpose.
In the old days disciples chose their teachers but Jesus chose His disciples. In the beginning days there were those who want to be with me and follow me. recently a Singaporean Chinese minister wanted to follow me [he only heard one message from me] and I told him to go back to his church in Spore and be part of what God was doing in and through that church. Although there are pastors and ministry leaders that have relationship [father and son ] in other nations I have a longing to be a blessing to my own nation. In the midst of alot of bitterness, suspicion, fear and pride in our local churches I need to do the work The Father has called me to do. I recently chose 3 pairs of pastors to pour into their lives. Please pray for them. In Indonesia I chose Onggo and Caroline / you and Novie.
But I want you to know that I do not have anything
1] No house of my own
2] Even the car was bought for me by another friend.
3] No church to show.
4] No big ministry.
5] very little support.
6] No website

according to todays church trend -I am a failure.
But those who have received ministry testify of God's grace in and through us. I am attaching testimonies of pastors. Though I want you to know that I do not live by the testimony of man but desire to live by the testimony of my Father in heaven

desiring to hear from HIM to say

This is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased.
Here is my son who is after my heart.

Love you both. Hope to work together to accomplish HIS PURPOSE.

Chris and Vijaya.k

Enter the Kingdom

Enter the Kingdom
by Chip Brogden
“Someone asked, ‘Lord, will only a few be saved?’ Jesus answered, ‘Make every effort to enter through the narrow gate, because I tell you this: many will try to enter but will not be able to… For narrow is the gate, and narrow is the path which leads to Life, and few will find it (Luke 13:23,24; Matthew 7:14).’”
We live in a day of easy-believism. According to the way today’s church operates, it is very easy to be saved. All we have to do is make a confession, or repeat a prayer, or make a decision, or respond to an altar call. What is more, every day we hear reports of hundreds or thousands of people being “saved” in crusades and evangelistic meetings around the world. We are being told to prepare for a great last days harvest of souls which will proceed the return of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Since it is easy to become a Christian, it is even easier to remain one. So long as we do not recant our original confession, we believe, all is well. Once we have “prayed the prayer” we are Christians. Particularly if we attend church services, read the Bible, witness, give, and obey the Ten Commandments. But, we are told, those things have nothing to do with salvation - having entered in, we are safe and secure. According to the way we have been taught it is the easiest thing in the world to become a Christian, and once your name is on the roll it is difficult, if not impossible, to have your name erased.
We are not debating if you can have your salvation and lose it - we are questioning whether these “easy believers” ever found real salvation at all. It is a foundational issue of eternal significance. In stark contrast to the conditions which exist in our day, Jesus frankly tells us that few will be saved, and few will find Life. When we read what Jesus Himself has to say we have to come to the conclusion that some within Organized Religion are guilty of trying to make the narrow gate and the narrow path into the wide gate and the wide path. We have become excellent salespeople and know how to use our powers of persuasion. We have become good at arguing our viewpoints. We are skilled at manipulating the emotions of other people. Those who know how can lead many people to the Lord - at least, according to the outward appearance.
It behooves us to go back to what the Lord Himself says, and we believe we have found at least seven occurrences in the Scriptures (beyond the two cited above) which seem to indicate that the way to Life is anything but easy. By the time we are concluded with our examination we will understand why Jesus says few are able to enter into the Kingdom. In the first place, the Kingdom is more profound than we have been taught. In the second place, the Way which leads us into the Kingdom is more narrow than we have been taught. By the grace of God let us ask the Lord enlighten us so that we will not go on deceiving or being deceived.
1. Unless you are born-again, you cannot enter.
“I tell you the truth, unless a man is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God… unless a man is born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God (John 3:3,5).”
All of us are familiar with these verses, but we are not so familiar with what they actually mean. To state it simply, being born-again is not the goal, but the first step towards the goal: the goal is the Kingdom of God. We could state it like this: the narrow gate is not the goal, but it is the first thing we must pass through in order to enter the narrow path. Our goal, and God’s goal, is not the gate, or we would not need a path. Though we begin our journey by entering the gate, the goal is at the end of the path, not at the beginning of the path. So what is the goal?
“It is God’s will for all men to be saved [narrow gate] and to come to the full-knowledge of Truth [narrow path] (I Timothy 2:4).” Here we see one will of God with two expressions - a gate and a path. We enter the gate in a moment, but we walk the path over time. We are saved in a moment, but we come to the full-knowledge (epignosis) of Christ over time. So John 3:3 is not telling us about our ending, but our beginning. Birth is the beginning of Life, not the goal of Life. The goal in view here is not being born-again, but entering the Kingdom. Jesus does not just say, “You must be born again.” If He did then we might be correct in saying that is all there is to it. But Jesus says, “Unless you are born again, you cannot see or enter into the Kingdom of God.” It is clear that the Kingdom is what we are trying to gain entrance into, and while being born again is the gate, the ultimate destination of the Kingdom of God is at the end of the path.
So what is the Kingdom of God? Stated simply, it is where Christ has the preeminence as All in All. It is where we finally behold Him in all His fullness. To begin with this preeminence is found inwardly in the individual disciple, where it is then seen a little more visibly in the Church, from which it is eventually manifested outwardly in all of creation. This is why we lay such stress on disciples, for as the disciples go, so goes the Church. Jesus did not establish His Church until He had selected His disciples.
What is commonly preached as the “Full Gospel” might be more properly termed the “Fifty Percent Gospel.” We lay such stress on the gate, on the initial coming to the Lord; but the other half of the equation, the Kingdom and the ultimate intention of God, is hardly alluded to. What is worse, we invite sinners to Christ on the basis of their own self-serving needs (e.g., come to Christ and He will take away all your burdens, etc.). As a result, most of these people will sit just inside the gate, claiming salvation, but never enter the Kingdom, never come to the full-knowledge of Truth, and never demonstrate the preeminence of Christ over sin, self, and satan.
2. The proper confession is not enough.
“Not everyone who says to Me ‘Lord, Lord’ will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but the one who does the Will of my Father in heaven (Matthew 7:21).”
We began by saying that not only is the Way more narrow than we have been taught, but the Kingdom is more profound than we have been taught. For some, the Kingdom of God (alternatively known as the Kingdom of Heaven*) is a place where Christians go when they die. In the meantime we are supposed to hold on to our faith the best we can, and if we persevere, then we will enter the Kingdom of Heaven when we leave this earth. This is an error. While to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, and while there is a place called “heaven”, the Kingdom of God is not up in heaven, nor is it someplace in our future. The Kingdom of God is “at hand”, “has arrived”, “is among you”, “is within you.”
So we will state it again: the Kingdom of God is where Christ has the preeminence as All in All, beginning with the individual disciple, then the Church, and ultimately, all of creation. “Thy Kingdom come… on earth as it is in heaven.” Obviously, the Kingdom would include heaven, but it is not heaven. Jesus tells us not to look for an outward Kingdom, or a political Kingdom, or an earthly Kingdom. “My Kingdom is not of this world… the Kingdom of God is within you.” Jesus lifted up His eyes to heaven when he prayed in John 17, yet He says the Kingdom is within you already. We may look up for heaven, but we look within for the Kingdom. When a Christian dies he or she does not travel to a heaven within themselves, nor do they go to live within a heaven which indwells other believers. So entering the Kingdom of God is more encompassing than going to heaven when we die.
Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter into this Kingdom. Are we saying confession is unimportant or unnecessary? God forbid! “As I live, says the Lord, every knee will bow to me, and every tongue will confess to God (Romans 14:11).” Yet, even if “every tongue will confess” sooner or later, it still remains that not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter the Kingdom. It is most difficult to find a religious person who does not claim to be following Christ and does not say, “Lord, Lord”. Even so, they will not enter in based solely on saying, “Lord, Lord”. The text goes on to say that there are even those who can perform signs and wonders in the Name of Jesus, but the Lord does not even know who they are! Obviously this is a serious problem.
We cannot make the narrow Way more narrow than it is already, but we can certainly mislead people into believing it is wider than it really is. We dare not make it too difficult; but we should tremble at making it too easy. That is why this word must be spoken. Remember, we are not making any claims in our own name, nor are we suggesting some hidden secret we possess that others do not, nor are we establishing a system whereby we can judge the eternal destination of others. We are merely calling attention to Jesus’ own words. He says few will be saved; many will try to enter but will be unable; few will enter the gate and walk the path in order to find Life. Many are called, but few are chosen.
3. Unless you become a child, you cannot enter.
“The disciples came to Jesus and wanted to know, ‘Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven?’ So Jesus called a little child and had him stand in the midst of them. And then He said, ‘I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like this little child, you will never enter the Kingdom of Heaven. So the greatest one in the Kingdom of Heaven is the one who humbles himself like this child (Matthew 18:1-4).’”
The disciples wanted to know who would be the greatest in the Kingdom. What they were really asking was, “Which one of us is the greatest?” In their question we see that they are heading in the wrong direction already. They see themselves as leaders, as kings, as lords, as heads inside this Kingdom. But Jesus seems to say, “Why do you assume that you have even entered the Kingdom? Unless you change from what you are into what this child is, you cannot even enter, so how can you claim to be the greatest?” Pride is a great stumblingblock. Proud people cannot enter the Kingdom of God. They cannot give up their own preeminence for His.
Jesus did not have to call a child over to make His point. He could have just said, “Humble yourself as a child.” But He did not. So there is a significance to calling the child over and having him stand in the midst of them. Only after this was done did Jesus say, “Become like this child, or you cannot enter the Kingdom.” So what is the significance? Jesus called the child, and the child responded to Jesus. There is no questioning from the child, such as, “What do You want?” or “Who are you?” Jesus had him stand in the midst of them, and again, the child complies. We do not hear him say, “Why?” or “What are you going to do now?” or “I don’t have time to stand here, I want to go play.”
The Lord would have given two simple instructions to the child, “Come over here” and “Stand right here”. There is much we can say about being with the Lord and standing still, but we will not dissect that now. Our point is simply this: the child did what he was told. Silent, meek, surrendered, obedient. It is very simple, Jesus says. The greatest people in the Kingdom are the ones who do what I tell them to do, nothing doubting. It is only when we get older that we begin to question everything. To enter this Kingdom we must know there is only room for one Head, for one Preeminence, for one King, for one Lord. We are disciples, not masters. We may struggle and question His dealings with us, but if we progress in the Way then one day we will learn the best course is to bow our heads and say, “Yes, Lord.”
We are waiting for Jesus to give us grand instructions and commandments: “Go around the world and proclaim the Gospel full-time” or “Rise up and fulfill the ministry of an apostle” or “I have appointed you to be a prophet to the nations.” But if we cannot hear and obey in the small things, how can we expect Him to lead us into greater things?
4. Unless you are perfectly righteous outwardly, and inwardly, you cannot enter.
“I tell you the truth, unless your righteousness is greater than the Pharisees and teachers of religious law, under no circumstances will you enter the Kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 5:20).”
We know from the Scriptures and from historical writings that the Pharisees were the strictest sect of Judaism. These people were zealously religious, even to the point of giving God a tenth of all their herbs. It was the Pharisee who stood and prayed with himself, “I thank you God that I am not like the others… for I fast twice in the week and give a tenth of all my possessions.” It was the Pharisees who had Jesus arrested and turned Him over to Pilate to be crucified - all the while thinking they were doing the right thing. Before meeting the Lord Jesus, Saul carried out their tradition as a member of this elite group and led a fanatical persecution against Christians thinking he was doing his duty to God. Looking back on his religious experiences, Paul said he was “blameless” insofar as the Law was concerned.
According to man’s own standard, there is none more holy or righteous than a Pharisee. So when Jesus says a disciple of His must have a righteousness which surpasses the Pharisees, it is, for all intents and purposes, an impossible, idealistic goal. It would be like expecting everyone to have an athletic ability which surpasses Michael Jordan. We cannot even bring ourselves to the outward standard that the Pharisees represent, much less the perfection of an inward standard which Jesus says will characterize His followers.
It is amazing to see how many people, even today, try to please God in their own strength with outward works. They wear themselves out with church attendance, ministry, and giving. Unconsciously or not, they believe God will bless them because of their works. Consider a couple who told me they did not agree with what the church was doing with their money, but they continued to tithe anyway because they did not want to lose God’s “blessing” on their finances. This is the logic of Pharisees blinded by their own self-righteousness. Such unwavering support of religious things would appear to be applauded by God, but Jesus says it counts for nothing insofar as the Kingdom is concerned.
Jesus leads us down an impossible path, and demands of us a righteousness that not only looks good outwardly, but looks good inwardly. Are you beginning to understand why few are able to follow this Way? The word translated “narrow” means “difficult to pass through because of many obstacles standing about”. More and more I am finding that it is Jesus who puts these obstacles in front of us. And this is one of the biggest hurdles - how to have a righteousness that exceeds a Pharisee but does not turn me into a Pharisee. What a dilemma!
5. Apart from much tribulation, you cannot enter.
“[Paul and Barnabas] strengthened the disciples and encouraged them to continue in the faith, saying, “We must enter the Kingdom of God through much tribulation (Acts 14:22).”
This does not sound like something which would strengthen and encourage young disciples. If Paul and Barnabas brought this message to some churches they would not be invited back. Our idea of overcoming is to avoid tribulation, not pass through it. We certainly do not connect entering the Kingdom with going through tribulation. We think having the victory means eliminating all tribulation. Nothing could be further from the truth.
In order to enter the Kingdom there must be an increase of Christ and a decrease of Self. This is an ongoing process, and by it we judge how far along the Path we have progressed. But how is Self decreased? We cannot do it by saying over and over, “I have to die. I have to decrease. I have to take up my cross.” The more we try to decrease the more we are increased. Any attention we give to ourselves, even in an attempt to decrease ourselves, only serves to make us larger. So what is the answer? The answer is in our circumstances and trials. They are sufficient to decrease us. We need not do anything but wait for them to come, and see them as our opportunity to have Self decreased and Christ increased.
There are some who want the full-knowledge of Christ and want to advance along the narrow path. But they resist the dealings of God which are meant to push them farther along and deeper into Christ. On the one hand they want more of God, but on the other hand they do not want to experience what they must experience in order to see Him. Hence, they unnecessarily delay the work of the Cross. They find fault with their circumstances, murmur, complain, and resist every contrary thing. After ten, twenty, or thirty years of being dealt with they are still as stubborn and headstrong as ever.
Some have no depth in God because they have no depth of circumstances. Their life has been relatively easy. Even what we think are huge trials, Paul calls “light afflictions”. Here is a man who has some depth of circumstances. The biographies of these men reveal they have had hard lives, both before and after knowing the Lord. If we desire ease and comfort then we will not have much depth. The Lord Jesus is “a Man of sorrows, and familiar with grief.” It is better to agree with the Word of God, and realize that we cannot enter the Kingdom except through much tribulation. If we want to reign with Him, we must suffer with Him.
6. Unbelief and disobedience is enough to disqualify you.
“So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief… some will enter that rest, but they to whom it was first preached did not enter in because of their disobedience (Hebrews 3:19; 4:6).”
The people referred to here are the Hebrews, most of whom died in the wilderness between Egypt, (representing the bondage of sin) and the Promised Land (representing the Kingdom of God). In First Corinthians 10:1-11, Paul says that they were ALL delivered, they ALL passed through the sea, they ALL ate the manna and ate the meat and drank the water from the Rock, Who is Christ. In spite of this they were not pleasing to God and they were destroyed in the wilderness. Twice we are told these things happened as an example to us. Why were they destroyed? Because of disobedience. They never lived out of all God had for them. They missed the fullness.
Upon hearing this message many become concerned about their relationship with God, and rightfully so. They have been taught that because God brought them out of Egypt, fed them manna, and gave them water that now they are set for life and can do as they please. Again, we are not questioning anyone’s inward condition before God. There is no need to. Our own heart will either convince us or convict us. If we are in the Path we know it; and if we are not, inwardly we know that as well.
What we are endeavoring before God is to show His people that the issue of Life dwelling in us today is not based upon a confession that was made years, months, weeks, or days ago. It is not based on mighty works done in the Name of Jesus. It is not based on spiritual gifts or experiences. It certainly is not based on church membership or attendance. Life today is immediately and directly related to whether or not we are abiding in Christ! This abiding is a continual thing, and this continual abiding WILL (not might) result in fruitfulness. Without the fruit, we cannot claim to be abiding in Him at all.
The Hebrews’ immediate concern was to get out of Egypt, but God’s concern was getting them to enter the Promised Land. It was relatively simple to get them out of Egypt, but only two men out of several million of that first generation reached God’s goal and crossed the Jordan. I think the problem is this: we have “going to heaven when we die” as the ultimate goal, and Christ has “entering the Kingdom of God” as the ultimate goal. Do we want to “just” go to heaven when we die, or do we want the preeminence of Christ expressed in “Your Kingdom come, Your Will be done, on earth [now] AS IT IS in heaven”? If we continue to preach an easy Gospel and bring sinners to an easy Jesus by having them pray an easy prayer then we are guilty of propagating another gospel, a false gospel, a Gate without a Path. Thank God for the Gate, but there is a Path, and neither of them are wide, and neither one of them are easy. But do we preach this?
7. The wealthy will find it virtually impossible to enter.
“Jesus looked around at His disciples, and said, ‘How hard it is for those with riches to enter the Kingdom of God!’ And the disciples were astonished at this saying. But Jesus repeated, ‘Children, how difficult it is for those trusting in wealth to enter the Kingdom of God! I tell you the truth, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God (Mark 10:23-25).’”
We have saved the best for last. It seems this rich young ruler came to Jesus as a model “seeker”, having obeyed all the commandments from his childhood. If ever there was someone ready to walk the aisle, sign a decision card, or pray the Sinner’s Prayer it was this man. He actually ran up to Jesus! Surely there is a future apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher in this one! At the very least he can use his wealth to help support Jesus Christ World Outreach Ministries, Inc. No soulwinner or fisher of men worth his salt would let this catch get away.
But instead of doing what we would do, Jesus pinpoints the very thing that is going to keep him from entering the Kingdom, and throws it up in front of Him as an obstacle to entering. As soon as the rich young ruler knows the cost, he turns away, grieving, and we never see or hear from him again. It is interesting that Jesus, even though He loved him, just watched him go. Does this sound like an easy Jesus? Does this sound like a soulwinner? What kind of fisher of men is this? What a contrast to the way we solicit converts every Sunday, with repeated altar calls and singing that hymn “just one more time” to give everyone an opportunity to come forward. Eventually, under such pressure, someone always does. But have they really counted the cost, or did we just make it sound too cheap? A cheap Gospel results in cheap disciples with no depth of root.
The Jews had been taught that material prosperity was a proof-positive sign of God’s blessing (not too unlike some of the teaching we hear today). That is why Scripture records the shock and amazement of the disciples when Jesus announces that rich people will have a hard time entering the Kingdom. According to the way He words it we have to assume that it is well nigh impossible, more difficult than getting a camel to go through the eye of a needle. I have known some rich people, and I can affirm what Jesus says. It is most difficult for Him to have the preeminence over someone with great wealth. Even people of modest means can still be bound by riches, pursuing wealth or blessings, hoping to make it big one day. The pursuit of wealth is as dangerous as the accumulation of wealth.
The point is not that every disciple must be penniless. The point is that in this Kingdom, Christ alone has the preeminence, and you cannot serve two masters. Why are riches such a stumblingblock? It all relates to Self. For the rich man, Self is mostly represented in his riches. For the wise man, Self is mostly represented in his wisdom. For the good man, Self is mostly represented in his goodness. For the strong man, Self is mostly represented in his strength. YOU are your biggest obstacle to entering in. Why? Because there is no room in the Kingdom of God for Christ and Self. To leave the Kingdom of Self and enter the Kingdom of God is indeed a Narrow Path that few ever find.
WHO THEN CAN BE SAVED?
“His disciples were astonished beyond measure, saying among themselves, ‘Who then can be saved?’ Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With men, it is impossible! But not with God; for with God all things are possible (Mark 10:26,27).’”
If you have endured everything said up to this point perhaps you are angry, confused, burdened, or amazed, just like the first disciples of Jesus, that entering the Kingdom is not as easy as you had at first thought. The Scriptures tell us that the Lord Jesus is “full of grace and truth.” With Truth comes Grace, and we will now conclude with how God accomplishes this impossible work by Grace.
Let us review all that is required of us in order to enter the Kingdom. We must be born again. In addition to saying, “Lord, Lord” we must actually do the Father’s will. We have to humble ourselves like children. We should be more righteous than a Pharisee without becoming a hypocrite. We must endure tribulation joyfully. We ought never disobey or show lack of faith. We have to give up every vestige of Self, whatever we love the most, whether it be money, pride, natural wisdom, friends, family, position or status. On top of all this we are told that many will try to enter in but will not be able to. So the odds are against us already. Then Jesus says, “It is impossible with man.” That eliminates self-effort altogether.
Some will say, “Oh yes, I can do all these things.” Very well. My advice to those who think they can do it is: keep trying! Perhaps one day you will come to the end of yourself. But the rest of us already know better. The disciples, absolutely dumbfounded by this time, were beginning to question this among themselves: “Who in the world can be saved?” And Jesus frankly said, “It is impossible with man.” Please note we are using “saved” in its ultimate intention of being established in the Kingdom of God, not merely going to heaven when we die, for that is the context in which it is used in this passage. Jesus says you cannot do it, I cannot do it, no human being can do this.
Where does God’s grace begin? It begins with man’s impossibility. It begins with “I cannot”. It does NOT begin with “All these things have I done from my youth until now.” As long as it is possible with man, there is no need for grace. We may be able to fulfill six out of seven things, or ninety-nine out of one hundred things, but when we meet Jesus on the grounds of self-effort there is always “one thing thou lackest.” And this “one thing” is going to stop us dead in our tracks every single time, no matter how perfect we otherwise are. The Lord is waiting for us to know and to confess, “I cannot”. For He can do what we cannot do; and He will do what we will not do! And once we allow Him, He brings us to where He wants us to be in a most remarkable manner.
“I am the Door [Gate]… by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved (John 10:9a).”
“‘So how can we know the way?’ Jesus answered, ‘I am the Way [Path]‘… (John 14:5,6ff).”
What is impossible with man is possible with God. Jesus is the Narrow Gate whereby we enter in and are saved. This much is obvious. So what is the Path? Is it being a good disciple? Is it fasting and prayer? Is it living a more holy life? Is it attending church or doing great works for God? Not at all. For Jesus tells us, “I am the Way, and the Truth, and the Life.” The Narrow Gate is Christ, and the Narrow Path is Christ. This explains why the Gate and the Path are so narrow. There is no room for you at all. There is no room for self-effort. There is only room for Christ.
To enter the Kingdom is to lay down my life and live the Life of Another. The very thing which frustrates me is the answer to my problem: since I cannot do it, I have to depend upon the Life of Another to do what I cannot do. Hallelujah! I cannot enter again into my mother’s womb and be born again, because I am too old; I cannot be faithful to do God’s will at all times, because I am rebellious; I cannot humble myself and be like a child, because I am too proud; I cannot have a righteousness that is outwardly perfect and inwardly pure, because I am a hypocrite; I cannot endure tribulation with joy, because I love myself too much; I cannot find my way out of Egypt and into Canaan, because I am disobedient; I cannot just give away from everything I have worked for all my life, because I am selfish. I cannot, and you cannot, and no one can. This Gate and this Path is too narrow, too demanding. It is impossible.
Only one Man has perfectly fulfilled all these requirements - the Lord Jesus Christ - and this Man lives in me now. I thank God that what is impossible with me is easy achievable with Him! “As you have received the Lord Jesus Christ [Gate], so walk in Him [Path] (Colossians 2:6).” We come to the Lord admitting that we cannot save ourselves, and He does the saving. That is the Gate. Now we come to the Lord every day, admitting that we cannot enter the Kingdom, and He does what it takes to conform us into His image. That is the Path. Hence, I have no secret for the Christian Life, but Christ. I have no key, but Christ. I have no method, but Christ. I have no formula, but Christ. I have no technique, but Christ. I have no life, but Christ for it is no longer I that lives, it is Christ that lives in me (Galatians 2:20a). In Him, through Him, because of Him, by Him we may enter the Kingdom.
Lord Jesus Christ, I thank You that You are my Way, my Truth, and my Life! I praise You that I cannot save myself. I praise You that I cannot enter the Kingdom. As I trusted in You to bring me out of Egypt, so I trust in You to bring me into the Promised Land. As I have received You, so I will walk in You. You are my Narrow Gate, and You are my Narrow Path. As I am decreased, You are increased, and my life is exchanged for Your Life. I thank you, Lord, that through You we may enter the Kingdom. Amen.

A Jesus Manifesto for the 21st Century Church

A Magna Carta
for Restoring the Supremacy of
Jesus Christ
a.k.a.
A Jesus Manifesto
for the 21st Century Church
by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola

Christians have made the gospel about so many things … things other than Christ.
Jesus Christ is the gravitational pull that brings everything together and gives them significance, reality, and meaning. Without him, all things lose their value. Without him, all things are but detached pieces floating around in space.
It is possible to emphasize a spiritual truth, value, virtue, or gift, yet miss Christ . . . who is the embodiment and incarnation of all spiritual truth, values, virtues, and gifts.
Seek a truth, a value, a virtue, or a spiritual gift, and you have obtained something dead.
Seek Christ, embrace Christ, know Christ, and you have touched him who is Life. And in him resides all Truth, Values, Virtues and Gifts in living color. Beauty has its meaning in the beauty of Christ, in whom is found all that makes us lovely and loveable.
What is Christianity? It is Christ. Nothing more. Nothing less. Christianity is not an ideology. Christianity is not a philosophy. Christianity is the “good news” that Beauty, Truth and Goodness are found in a person. Biblical community is founded and found on the connection to that person. Conversion is more than a change in direction; it’s a change in connection. Jesus’ use of the ancient Hebrew word shubh, or its Aramaic equivalent, to call for “repentance” implies not viewing God from a distance, but entering into a relationship where God is command central of the human connection.
In that regard, we feel a massive disconnection in the church today. Thus this manifesto.
We believe that the major disease of the church today is JDD: Jesus Deficit Disorder. The person of Jesus is increasingly politically incorrect, and is being replaced by the language of “justice,” “the kingdom of God,” “values,” and “leadership principles.”
In this hour, the testimony that we feel God has called us to bear centers on the primacy of the Lord Jesus Christ. Specifically . . .
1. The center and circumference of the Christian life is none other than the person of Christ. All other things, including things related to him and about him, are eclipsed by the sight of his peerless worth. Knowing Christ is Eternal Life. And knowing him profoundly, deeply, and in reality, as well as experiencing his unsearchable riches, is the chief pursuit of our lives, as it was for the first Christians. God is not so much about fixing things that have gone wrong in our lives as finding us in our brokenness and giving us Christ.
2. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his teachings. Aristotle says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Socrates says to his disciples, “Follow my teachings.” Buddha says to his disciples, “Follow my meditations.” Confucius says to his disciples, “Follow my sayings.” Muhammad says to his disciples, “Follow my noble pillars.” Jesus says to his disciples, “Follow me.” In all other religions, a follower can follow the teachings of its founder without having a relationship with that founder. Not so with Jesus Christ. The teachings of Jesus cannot be separated from Jesus himself. Jesus Christ is still alive and he embodies his teachings. It is a profound mistake, therefore, to treat Christ as simply the founder of a set of moral, ethical, or social teaching. The Lord Jesus and his teaching are one. The Medium and the Message are One. Christ is the incarnation of the Kingdom of God and the Sermon on the Mount.
3. God’s grand mission and eternal purpose in the earth and in heaven centers in Christ . . . both the individual Christ (the Head) and the corporate Christ (the Body). This universe is moving towards one final goal – the fullness of Christ where He shall fill all things with himself. To be truly missional, then, means constructing one’s life and ministry on Christ. He is both the heart and bloodstream of God’s plan. To miss this is to miss the plot; indeed, it is to miss everything.
4. Being a follower of Jesus does not involve imitation so much as it does implantation and impartation. Incarnation–the notion that God connects to us in baby form and human touch—is the most shocking doctrine of the Christian religion. The incarnation is both once-and-for-all and ongoing, as the One “who was and is to come” now is and lives his resurrection life in and through us. Incarnation doesn’t just apply to Jesus; it applies to every one of us. Of course, not in the same sacramental way. But close. We have been given God’s “Spirit” which makes Christ “real” in our lives. We have been made, as Peter puts it, “partakers of the divine nature.” How, then, in the face of so great a truth can we ask for toys and trinkets? How can we lust after lesser gifts and itch for religious and spiritual thingys? We’ve been touched from on high by the fires of the Almighty and given divine life. A life that has passed through death – the very resurrection life of the Son of God himself. How can we not be fired up?
To put it in a question: What was the engine, or the accelerator, of the Lord’s amazing life? What was the taproot or the headwaters of his outward behavior? It was this: Jesus lived by an indwelling Father. After his resurrection, the passage has now moved. What God the Father was to Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is to you and to me. He’s our indwelling Presence, and we share in the life of Jesus’ own relationship with the Father. There is a vast ocean of difference between trying to compel Christians to imitate Jesus and learning how to impart an implanted Christ. The former only ends up in failure and frustration. The latter is the gateway to life and joy in our daying and our dying. We stand with Paul: “Christ lives in me.” Our life is Christ. In him do we live, breathe, and have our being. “What would Jesus do?” is not Christianity. Christianity asks: “What is Christ doing through me … through us? And how is Jesus doing it?” Following Jesus means “trust and obey” (respond), and living by his indwelling life through the power of the Spirit.
5. The “Jesus of history” cannot be disconnected from the “Christ of faith.” The Jesus who walked the shores of Galilee is the same person who indwells the church today. There is no disconnect between the Jesus of Mark’s Gospel and the incredible, all-inclusive, cosmic Christ of Paul’s letter to the Colossians. The Christ who lived in the first century has a pre-existence before time. He also has a post-existence after time. He is Alpha and Omega, Beginning and End, A and Z, all at the same time. He stands in the future and at the end of time at the same moment that He indwells every child of God. Failure to embrace these paradoxical truths has created monumental problems and has diminished the greatness of Christ in the eyes of God’s people.
6. It’s possible to confuse “the cause” of Christ with the person of Christ. When the early church said “Jesus is Lord,” they did not mean “Jesus is my core value.” Jesus isn’t a cause; he is a real and living person who can be known, loved, experienced, enthroned and embodied. Focusing on his cause or mission doesn’t equate focusing on or following him. It’s all too possible to serve “the god” of serving Jesus as opposed to serving him out of an enraptured heart that’s been captivated by his irresistible beauty and unfathomable love. Jesus led us to think of God differently, as relationship, as the God of all relationship.
7. Jesus Christ was not a social activist nor a moral philosopher. To pitch him that way is to drain his glory and dilute his excellence. Justice apart from Christ is a dead thing. The only battering ram that can storm the gates of hell is not the cry of Justice, but the name of Jesus. Jesus Christ is the embodiment of Justice, Peace, Holiness, Righteousness. He is the sum of all spiritual things, the “strange attractor” of the cosmos. When Jesus becomes an abstraction, faith loses its reproductive power. Jesus did not come to make bad people good. He came to make dead people live.
8. It is possible to confuse an academic knowledge or theology about Jesus with a personal knowledge of the living Christ himself. These two stand as far apart as do the hundred thousand million galaxies. The fullness of Christ can never be accessed through the frontal lobe alone. Christian faith claims to be rational, but also to reach out to touch ultimate mysteries. The cure for a big head is a big heart.
Jesus does not leave his disciples with CliffsNotes for a systematic theology. He leaves his disciples with breath and body.
Jesus does not leave his disciples with a coherent and clear belief system by which to love God and others. Jesus gives his disciples wounds to touch and hands to heal.
Jesus does not leave his disciples with intellectual belief or a “Christian worldview.” He leaves his disciples with a relational faith.
Christians don’t follow a book. Christians follow a person, and this library of divinely inspired books we call “The Holy Bible” best help us follow that person. The Written Word is a map that leads us to The Living Word. Or as Jesus himself put it, “All Scripture testifies of me.” The Bible is not the destination; it’s a compass that points to Christ, heaven’s North Star.
The Bible does not offer a plan or a blueprint for living. The “good news” was not a new set of laws, or a new set of ethical injunctions, or a new and better PLAN. The “good news” was the story of a person’s life, as reflected in The Apostle’s Creed. The Mystery of Faith proclaims this narrative: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again.” The meaning of Christianity does not come from allegiance to complex theological doctrines, but a passionate love for a way of living in the world that revolves around following Jesus, who taught that love is what makes life a success . . . not wealth or health or anything else: but love. And God is love.
9. Only Jesus can transfix and then transfigure the void at the heart of the church. Jesus Christ cannot be separated from his church. While Jesus is distinct from his Bride, he is not separate from her. She is in fact his very own Body in the earth. God has chosen to vest all of power, authority, and life in the living Christ. And God in Christ is only known fully in and through his church. (As Paul said, “The manifold wisdom of God – which is Christ – is known through the ekklesia.”)
The Christian life, therefore, is not an individual pursuit. It’s a corporate journey. Knowing Christ and making him known is not an individual prospect. Those who insist on flying life solo will be brought to earth, with a crash. Thus Christ and his church are intimately joined and connected. What God has joined together, let no person put asunder. We were made for life with God; our only happiness is found in life with God. And God’s own pleasure and delight is found therein as well.
10. In a world which sings, “Oh, who is this Jesus?” and a church which sings, “Oh, let’s all be like Jesus,” who will sing with lungs of leather, “Oh, how we love Jesus!”
If Jesus could rise from the dead, we can at least rise from our bed, get off our couches and pews, and respond to the Lord’s resurrection life within us, joining Jesus in what he’s up to in the world. We call on others to join us—not in removing ourselves from planet Earth, but to plant our feet more firmly on the Earth while our spirits soar in the heavens of God’s pleasure and purpose. We are not of this world, but we live in this world for the Lord’s rights and interests. We, collectively, as the ekklesia of God, are Christ in and to this world.
May God have a people on this earth who are a people of Christ, through Christ, and for Christ. A people of the cross. A people who are consumed with God’s eternal passion, which is to make his Son preeminent, supreme, and the head over all things visible and invisible. A people who have discovered the touch of the Almighty in the face of his glorious Son. A people who wish to know only Christ and him crucified, and to let everything else fall by the wayside. A people who are laying hold of his depths, discovering his riches, touching his life, and receiving his love, and making HIM in all of his unfathomable glory known to others.
The two of us may disagree about many things—be they ecclesiology, eschatology, soteriology, not to mention economics, globalism and politics.
But in our two most recent books—From Eternity to Here and So Beautiful—we have sounded forth a united trumpet. These books are the Manifests to this Manifesto. They each present the vision that has captured our hearts and that we wish to impart to the Body of Christ— “This ONE THING I know” (Jn.9:25) that is the ONE THING that unites us all:
Jesus the Christ.
Christians don’t follow Christianity; Christians follow Christ.
Christians don’t preach themselves; Christians proclaim Christ.
Christians don’t point people to core values; Christians point people to the cross.
Christians don’t preach about Christ: Christians preach Christ.
Over 300 years ago a German pastor wrote a hymn that built around the Name above all names:
Ask ye what great thing I know,
that delights and stirs me so?
What the high reward I win?
Whose the name I glory in?
Jesus Christ, the crucified.
This is that great thing I know;
this delights and stirs me so:
faith in him who died to save,
His who triumphed o’er the grave:
Jesus Christ, the crucified.
—
Jesus Christ – the crucified, resurrected, enthroned, triumphant, living Lord.
He is our Pursuit, our Passion, and our Life.
Amen.
*****
To discuss this manifesto and its implications, go to A Jesus Manifesto Blog at
http://ajesusmanifesto.wordpress.com/

Revelation Is Sufficient

Revelation Is Sufficient
by Chip Brogden
One characteristic of the last days is people will run to and fro and knowledge will be increased (Daniel 12:4). They will be ever learning, but in spite of this abundance of knowledge they will never come to a realization of the truth (II Timothy 3:7). The accumulation of knowledge in the Information Age is highly sought after and prized, yet it is possible to know all the right answers and still not come into an experiential knowledge of Truth.
Please note that when Simon Peter confessed, “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God”, Jesus did not congratulate him for figuring this out through intense study and research, as if THAT would have made any difference. Instead, the Lord tells Peter that he is blessed: not just for knowing Who He is, but for the WAY in which he came to know Who He is. How did Peter know that Jesus is the Son of God? Because it was revealed to him by the Heavenly Father.
Here, Jesus contrasts “flesh and blood” knowledge with Truth which is revealed by God (and of course, Jesus is Truth [John 14:6]). The two are as different as night and day. In the matter of flesh and blood knowledge obtained from human, earthly sources we may have reason to boast in our ability to study, investigate, reason, and decide. This is the Tree of Knowledge. In the case of revelation, we have definitely no room to boast, for revelation is simply that which is revealed to us from heaven by the Lord. We cannot work to obtain it nor do we merit it. Additionally, no man may give it to us. Its source is God working in us through His Holy Spirit. This is the Tree of Life.
If in our quest for spiritual growth our idea is only to learn a few facts about the Bible, glean tidbits of information from this preacher and that teacher, fill our brains with facts and fill our libraries with more books and magazines, we run the risk of fooling ourselves into thinking that we know and understand God - when it could be that we are ever learning “truths” without knowing the Truth. Have you met someone like this? They seem to have all the right answers, but they have the wrong spirit. They tenaciously cling to their minute opinions and cannot be persuaded otherwise. Their knowledge has not changed them, except to make them worse: for now they are puffed up in the vanity of their own mind (I Corinthians 8:1,2). True spiritual growth is characterized by grace (not works) and an increased knowledge of Jesus Christ (II Peter 3:18). And, we maintain that this knowledge of Jesus Christ cannot be obtained by study, but is only granted by way of revelation.
THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
What do we mean by revelation? We affirm that there is really only one revelation, and that is The Revelation of Jesus Christ. People use the term “revelation” rather loosely and flagrantly, flippantly categorizing every new thing, random thought, impression, leading, feeling, teaching, vision, voice, or dream as “revelation”. They consider every notion that flashes across their brain to be “revelation”. Not only is this fraught with danger, it is extra-biblical.
We simply say that Jesus Christ is the only thing God reveals to us. “In [Christ] are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Colossians 2:3).” It is not that God gives us revelation into five, ten, one hundred, or one thousand things. None of these “things” by themselves really matter. Rather, He has placed all those “things” within Christ, and reveals Christ to us. He will not reveal anything to us apart from the Revelation of Jesus Christ. To possess the Son is to possess all that pertains to the Son, for the Scriptures declare, “He that spared not his own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things (Romans 8:32)?” Christ is the sum of all spiritual things, the fullness of God in a bodily form (Colossians 2:9). Again, it is not that God desires to give us revelation into these many things, but for us to have the Revelation of Jesus Christ. By apprehending Him we will subsequently gain insight in those “things”. To seek revelation into the “things” apart from the Revelation of Christ fails to give Christ the preeminence. We dare not circumvent the knowledge of Him in the pursuit of “things”, even spiritual things, for they are all summed up into Him.
Jesus Christ is the Mystery which has been hidden for ages and generations, but is now made manifest to the saints (Colossians 1:26, 27). The Old Testament proclaims the Mystery and prepares the way for the Revelation of Jesus Christ. It is full of types, shadows, and symbology. The New Testament reveals that which was previously hidden. It explains the types and shadows of the Mystery and gives us the Revelation as substance and reality.
Nevertheless, the Lord will not manifest or reveal Himself to the world at large because the world in general will not love or receive Him (John 14:21-23). So, He establishes the Ecclesia, the called-out-of-the-world assembly of those who have been given the Revelation of Jesus, that they may translate it into the Testimony of Jesus by bearing witness to what they have seen and heard. Indeed, God has purposely hidden the knowledge of Jesus Christ and will only grant it to individuals by way of revelation once they have humbled themselves as children. This fact is so foundational to our understanding that we will quote it here:
“In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast HID these things from the wise and prudent, and hast REVEALED them unto BABES: even so, Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to Me of my Father: and no man [through human, flesh and blood knowledge] knoweth Who the Son is, BUT THE FATHER [Who He has chosen to reveal it only unto babes]; and Who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal Him. And He turned Him unto His disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: For I tell you, that many prophets and kings 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 (Luke 10:21-24, emphasis and bracketed comments mine).”
Although we are using many words to explain this, in actual experience it is neither complicated nor difficult. It actually takes longer to explain it than it does to comprehend and participate in it. Basically, the difference is between “learning” and “seeing”. Not, “blessed are the minds that have studied and learned” but “blessed are the eyes that SEE.”
The whole purpose of prophetic speaking and writing is to bring further revelation of Jesus to the Church and to the world. We refer to this as the Testimony of Jesus. “It is the truth concerning JESUS that inspires ALL prophecy (Revelation 19:10, Knox, emphasis mine).” A majority of what is called “prophetic” today is merely eschatological, that is, inspired by the study of end time events, but not necessarily inspired by the Spirit to bring us into a further revealing of Jesus Christ. We do a disservice to the Church if we muddy the waters between that which is prophetic and that which is eschatological: for the Church is not established upon her understanding of end time events, but upon her revelation knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Even the Book of Revelation itself is not primarily the revelation of what the end of the world will be like (although we do learn that), but the Revelation and Testimony of Jesus Christ (Revelation 1:1,2). We are immediately confronted with a vision of Jesus Christ standing in the midst of the Ecclesia: it is quite different from the image of the suffering Messiah, despised and rejected of men. So, this is a further unveiling or revealing of the Lord Jesus and is genuinely prophetic. The rest of the book, its symbols, and its meaning may be unclear, and we may disagree with the interpretations thereof, but the main gist of the book, the revealing of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last, is beyond dispute.
THE FOUNDATION OF THE ECCLESIA
Why is it vital that we have this Revelation of Christ? Because the Church that Jesus is building, the Ecclesia, consists of all those who have this Revelation. Without the Revelation we cannot know the Way to the Father, and thus can have no membership in the Ecclesia, for Jesus is the Way (John 14:6). How can we know what the Church is apart from knowing Jesus Christ? How can we apprehend the Body if we do not apprehend the Head? The Church is not built upon Peter the individual, but upon all those who know Jesus Christ by revelation (Matthew 16:17,18). Apart from this we cannot be numbered among the Ecclesia. This IS the Church: those to whom the Father has revealed the Son by the Spirit.
Whereas Peter was a good Jew but a plain fellow, Paul, formerly known as Saul, was a self-proclaimed “Pharisee of the Pharisees”, religious, devout, learned, and righteous according to the law of Moses, zealous for the things of God and the traditions of the Jews. Yet, we find him to be persecuting the Church of Jesus Christ, erroneously thinking that God was pleased with him. How is it that Saul, with all his learning, did not understand Who Jesus Christ was? Simply because it had not been revealed to him by the Heavenly Father. Indeed, it was the Pharisees and other religious leaders and teachers who rejected the Lord and had Him crucified. They lacked the Revelation. They had the written Word memorized, but there stands the Word made flesh and all they see is “the carpenter’s son”, a demon-possessed man, a blasphemer, a magician. This demonstrates how worthless religious flesh and blood knowledge is.
One day the grace of God determined to grant Saul the Revelation of Jesus. That is to say, Saul was not seeking revelation, he believed he had it already. He and his peers had concluded that Jesus was not the Son of God. So Saul was on his way to Damascus to arrest the followers of Jesus and bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. How zealous he was for “truth”! Without warning a bright light appeared to him, casting him to the ground, and a Voice called to him saying, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” Saul asked, “Who are you?” And the Voice replied, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting!”
All it takes is a millisecond of time for the Revelation to strike you down. I recall when I first received the Revelation of Jesus Christ. I had had many religious and spiritual experiences up to that point, more than the average person. I had been a pastor and teacher for many years. I thought I really knew the Lord. But one day God revealed His Son IN me. I was sitting in the backyard reading the Word and without warning, in my heart of hearts, I “saw” (not with my eyes, but inwardly) Jesus seated at God’s right hand, and I saw myself raised and seated with Him in heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6). That day was like walking out of one room and into another, closing the door behind me. I got a glimpse into another world. I finally knew what before I had only talked about. Though not as outwardly dramatic as Paul’s experience, inwardly a massive earthquake had taken place and my foundations were ripped to shreds. It was the beginning of the end of my career as a preacher for Organized Religion. I saw the real Jesus and realized He was nothing like flesh and blood had said. Hallelujah!
When Saul met the Lord, Jesus didn’t say, “Why are you persecuting My people?” With the simple words, “I am Jesus, the One you are persecuting,” Paul received revelation into the Person of Jesus Christ as well as the Church. To persecute the followers of Jesus is to persecute Jesus Himself. Why? Because Christ and the Church are one! It would be a few years before Paul was able to pen the beautiful passages of Scripture describing the Body of Christ, but it all began with this initial Revelation of Jesus Christ there on the dusty road to Damascus. The Revelation of Jesus is the foundation of the Church.
BEING A “CHRISTIAN” VERSUS KNOWING THE LORD
How did Paul learn the Gospel? Who taught it to him? “I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me is not after man. For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Galatians 1:11,12).” What a glorious statement! Five words uttered by revelation are worth more than ten thousand words obtained through flesh and blood. Dear friend, do you really know the Lord? Is this knowledge based on revelation, or is it merely your idea, or what you’ve been taught by flesh and blood? Now is the time to examine your foundation and discover if you have been building on rock or on sand. We now know how it is possible for one to do many mighty works in Jesus’ Name, yet not know the Lord: revelation is the difference between religious activity and true knowing (Matthew 7:23).
It is quite possible that we have been “Christians” for many years and not known the Lord. I used to find that hard to believe but not anymore. I can truthfully say that I have been a “Christian” all my life, but I have only KNOWN the Lord a few years. Calling yourself a Christian these days is almost the same as calling yourself a Republican or Democrat. It has become more of a label for social convenience sake than a true testimony that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the living God, dwelling within me.
A. W. Tozer wrote: “I see and hear of things that Christian people are doing. As I watch them operate within the profession of Christianity I do raise the question of whether they have been truly converted.”
In the 1980’s I used to go out with other brothers and sisters knocking on doors and passing out tracts. We would ask, “Are you born again? Are you saved? Are you a Christian?” But these terms in recent years have become so watered-down and vague that most everyone who has ever attended a steeple house on Christmas or Easter claims to be a born again Christian - but they don’t have the Revelation of Christ! That the potential exists for us to do things in the name of Jesus without truly knowing and being known of Him ought to put us on our face before the Lord, praying for experiential knowledge of Him by way of revelation. There’s no other way to truly know Him. God has made sure of that.
How much of what we hear being preached and peddled around the world in the Name of Jesus is but the regurgitations and ramblings of people who can only repeat what everyone else is saying? Where is the Revelation of Jesus Christ? Who is the man or the woman that refuses to confer with flesh and blood, but only speaks according to what they have seen and heard by revelation through the Spirit? Most teachers are teaching what was taught to them, and their teachers learned it from their teachers, and so on it goes until we no longer have Spirit-birthed revelation, we have third and fourth-generational head-knowledge, yesterday’s manna and hand-me-down flesh and blood doctrines. As one of my brothers puts it: there are many echoes in the land, but few voices. There is an ocean of difference between repeating what you have heard and speaking of what you have experienced! Is it any wonder that there is much learning, but no experiential knowledge of Truth? If we speak of ourselves then we can only impart knowledge. But, if we resolve to only speak by revelation, we can impart Life. Only revelation can change a person.
Immediately upon hearing this message some may be tempted to ask, “What do I have to do to get this revelation?” The answer is nothing, because it is all of grace. Along with Paul, we may certainly pray for “a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of our understanding being enlightened (Ephesians 1:17,18).” Beyond that, we need only trust that the Spirit will indeed reveal the Lord to us if we humble ourselves as children as ask. Once we realize that revelation is all that matters, and God is the only one who can give it, we will stop trying to impress people with our knowledge, powerful speaking, or title. Instead, we will humble ourselves and ask the Father to reveal His Son in us.
THE TESTIMONY OF JESUS MEANS THE LOSS OF ALL THINGS
What about Paul’s commission to preach the Gospel? He did not seek credentials, ordination, or affiliation with a human organization. He did not wait for anyone to confirm the call on his life. He did not seek for hands to be laid on him. But “when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother’s womb, and called me by His grace, to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again to Damascus (Galatians 1:15-17).” Preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ was renegade enough, but to preach the gospel to the Gentiles was a departure from the norm for even the Church at that time. It would later prove to be quite controversial and divisive. Prudence would dictate that it would be better to check with the other apostles and get their opinion and feedback before striking out in a new direction. Yet, Paul says once he obtained revelation he had no need to confer with flesh and blood. Why, because he was a maverick, an independent spirit, a rebel? No, it is only because the Revelation of Jesus is sufficient guidance. Flesh and blood cannot add to or take away from the Revelation.
Paul’s testimony before Agrippa expounds upon this initial conversation with the Lord. He says the Lord told him, “I have shown Myself to you for a reason - you are chosen to be my servant and a witness of those revelations of Me that you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you (Acts 26:16,17, 20th Century NT).” This was Paul’s commission - to testify as to what he has seen, not what he has theorized about, and not what he has heard someone else say. He was to bring the Revelation of Jesus to the world. And so he did. How rich was his understanding! How profound his writings! And oh how great his sufferings!
And what of all that Paul learned as a devout student of Gamaliel? What about his former rank and influence among the religious elite of his day? “What things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for Whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ (Philippians 3:7,8).” When a person has the Revelation of Christ they will gladly and with great joy suffer the loss of all things. A person who has the Revelation will willingly lay down their life for what they have seen (Revelation 6:9;12:11).
The Revelation of Jesus Christ will be the stone of stumbling and the rock of offense to Organized Religion (I Peter 2:8). When Stephen was called to give an account to the religious leaders his testimony convicted them so that they ground their teeth in anger. With face shining as an angel, being full of the Holy Ghost, he lifted up his eyes and saw Jesus Christ standing at the right hand of God (Acts 7:54-56). What a blessed, holy moment; what a vision! - but just look and see what the revelation cost Stephen. They dragged him outside and stoned him to death.
To be sure, when you really and truly meet Jesus of Nazareth, when you “see” Him for the first time, when He reveals Himself to you, it will immediately put you at enmity with those who claim to see but do not see: mostly, the religious and “spiritual” ones, the denominations and Towers of Babel which dot the landscape of Christendom, the scribes and Pharisees of Organized Religion.
How blessed are they which do see and hear the Lord! Many are seeking power, anointing, spiritual gifts, title, office, position, and audience. But revelation is sufficient. If we have the Revelation of Jesus Christ we don’t need anything else. And if we don’t have the Revelation, nothing else will make any difference.