The Kingdom of God and "Renewing of the Mind"

The Kingdom of God and "Renewing of the Mind"
By Charles Carrin www.charlescarrinministries.com

The miraculous life should typify every ordinary Christian life. We must discover that the trans-earthly Kingdom of God is a spiritual dimension that comes from that other realm and seeks to impact us in this earth-zone. When we fail to recognize this, we fail to apprehend the fullness of Kingdom power that Jesus provided for us and intended that we use.

After 60 years of ministry I am convinced more than ever that our penetration into the realms of God must be an ever-deepening pursuit of His Kingdom. Revelation-knowledge waits for us only in relation to the Kingdom. Studying the Church will not achieve it. I cannot over-emphasize this fact. We must be men and women driven in the holy quest for Kingdom truth. This destination can be achieved only with what Scripture calls a “renewed mind”. The “carnal mind” cannot go there. If the Universe is expanding at the speed of light, so is His Kingdom. It is this Kingdom which Jesus told Pontius Pilate was, “Not of this world”, meaning it did not originate on this planet, nor was it confined to the restrictions of the physical earth.

The Kingdom of God is not native to our world but is projected into our cosmos from the Great-Other-Realm. Therefore, all the dispensations of the Kingdom, including our ministering the gospel, experiencing gifts of the Spirit, exercising faith, doing miraculous works, etc., are all transearthly powers that are expressing themselves through us. The Kingdom of God possesses the potential to interact both with our physical dimension of time and space while it maintains a complete, uninterrupted union with the Eternal Dimension in which it originates. As gravity, electro-magnetism, centrifugal force, thermodynamics, etc., are native to our cosmos, so the Kingdom and all its works are native to the other realm. They are only projected into our’s. Scripture makes it very plain that all Kingdom attributes are extensions to us. They are “powers of the age to come”. Unfortunately,

1. We humans use only 3% of our brain power.

2. In the fall of Adam we lost access to 97% of our mental potential.

3. Albert Einstein, one of the greatest minds in 1000 years, used only 7%.

4. If–before the fall–Adam used 100% of his what must he have been like?!

5. If someone on the planet today used 100%, what would he be like?

6. Though now out of our reach, I believe we still possess the original 100%.

7. A new-born baby’s brain increases by 10,000+ synapses per second.

8. An adult brain contains more synapses than stars in the Universe.

I am persuaded that God securely “locked away 97%” of man’s mental capacity after Adam’s degeneration to prevent our sinful nature from abusing its incredible, almost illimitable power. We are now operating on the barest minimum of human intellect. Were the body’s nutritional needs in such decline, we would have totally starved to death.

Even so, in spite of our reduction to 3% brain power, the human mind is an awesome, incredible, indescribable, being. If all 5,1/2 billion people on earth were talking on the telephone at the same time and using 18 different telephones, it would still not correspond to the electrical traffic a single brain is handling. Each brain is a universe within itself. The corpus callosum tissue separating the two hemispheres of the brain contains as many connections as all the combined telephone lines in America. In other words, to cut through the corpus callosum would be far more destructive than shutting down every telephone in the U.S. The 1,000 billion cells now operating in each of us originated from a single cell at conception. In that split-instant every other mental and physical system was successfully programed. That conceptual-explosion of power in a sub-microscopic way was repetitious of the “Big Bang”. Such a detonation, occurring thousands of times daily around the globe– unimaginable as it is–is only a feather’s-weight hint at the operational capacity of the Kingdom of God. God does not merely act. He is action itself. Astonishingly, He wills to reveal that power to us and through us.

I have a pastor friend in Florida who years ago was flunking Bible College. Intellectually, he struggled. Though grievously disappointed at having to drop-out of school he was preparing to do so when a friend encouraged him to seek renewal in the “spirit of his mind”, Ephesians 4:22-24. He exhorted my friend to ask the Holy Spirit to “give him the mind of Christ” and to “bring to memory” everything Jesus had said to him.” He obeyed, the Holy Spirit miraculously responded, and today–with a renewed mind–this pastor can quote all of the New Testament and most of the Old Testament from memory–and he can do that in more than one version. What happened? He experienced “renewal in the spirit of his mind”.

And be aware that my friend experienced more than just intellectual-renewal. It was the miraculous magnification in the “spirit” of the mind! Paul tells us, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:2-3, Today, that pastor quickly admits it is not humanly possible for him to have such phenomenal recall of Scripture. He also knows this experience does not make him immune to theological error. While he is the only one of my personal acquaintance who has experienced such mind-renewing transformation, I have had the privilege to pray for a number of children and adults whose mental deficiencies underwent radical improvement. I also ministered to my friend with the astonishing memory.

While I do not believe we will experience restoration to Adam’s original ability, I am persuaded that this is what the Apostle Paul targeted when he told the Ephesian believers to be renewed in the spirit of their mind. Notice carefully, Paul’s using the word spirit. He was aware that this change involved much more was than mere brain tissue. And keep in mind that renewal is restoration to something once possessed but now lost. Antithetically, the only option for believers’ mental renewal is to remain “carnally” minded. Paul further addressed this possibility in his letter to the Roman saints, 8:6,7, “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God ...” My point is this: A carnal, unrenewed mind, no matter how long one may have been born-again, or how well-educated, cannot comprehend the phenomenal breadth of the Kingdom of God. No one on the earth today qualifies for that distinction. All of us are still learners. Everyone has his small bit of wisdom to share.

Dr. Lisa Randall, 45 year-old female theoretical physicist, author, and Harvard University Professor says “The Universe has higher, hidden, infinitely larger dimensions so vast that our’s in comparison is nothing more than a 3-D sinkhole.” The greatest living physicist of all, Dr. Stephen Hawkins, actively pursues her concepts. I am not saying that the “dimensions” of which Dr. Randall speaks are Heaven, Hell, Eternity, etc. I don’t know. I want never to forget that “the world by wisdom knows not God” But I want also to remember that one of the earliest Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah came from the mouth of a pagan witch-doctor, Balaam. Numbers 24:17. I will not reject truth because it doesn’t wear a denominational label.

While I totally believe in the new birth, the baptism in the Spirit, impartation of spiritual gifts, and the miraculous benefits they bring, I am equally convinced that we humans cannot comprehend Kingdom-reality apart from receiving renewal in the “spirit of our mind”. For this intellectual need, being born-again is not enough. There is a holy progression into God’s realm which we dare not fail to recognize and apply. Even with the best of Scripture learning, spiritual gifting, fervent devotion to God, without exception, the mind must be renewed! Lacking it, we cannot apprehend the Kingdom.

The Kingdom message–imparted by Jesus to Paul, Peter, Philip, others–was accompanied by mighty signs, wonders, manifestations of Kingdom power. When Peter walked the streets of Jerusalem the touch of his shadow restored invalids to health and strength. Acts 6:15. At Joppa he raised Dorcas from the dead. Acts 9:36-43. At Lystra, Paul commanded a lame man to stand and walk. Acts 14:8-10. In Samaria, Philip drove out demons. Acts 8:5-7. In every case, these men experienced the “powers of the age to come.” Hebrews 6:5. These displays were not normal earthly-events for that day. Not at all. Instead, they were invasive-flashes from the Kingdom of God.

Though the Kingdom’s full revelation is reserved for the future, these flashes of divine power suddenly–and abnormally–appeared on earth. In that moment, these men were more than mere humans; they were followers of Jesus under the revelation of Kingdom authority and the Holy Spirit’s anointing. In a sense, they stood in the edge of Glory. Their feet were on earth; their faces in Heaven. Simultaneously, they were in both realms. Eternity shone through them like sunlight through a window. They were not the Light but only the pane through which the light passed. Jesus is the Light.

When Jesus delivered the maniac of Gadara, the townspeople returned and found the man “in his right mind”. Jesus did more than regenerate his soul and cast out demons. He restored his mind! The day of the Resurrection, when Jesus appeared to the disciples on the Emmaus road, they later said,"Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?’ Luke 24:32. In part, this was a mind-opening experience. Today, fresh mental and spiritual knowledge of the Kingdom of God is being projected into our realm and we must be prepared to receive it. I need to illustrate that scene:

If you were standing at the edge of a pool of water and threw two rocks into it that land apart, each will cause a circle of ripples to flow toward the other. In our purpose, the circle on your right represents the non-physical, spiritual Kingdom of God. The one on the left can represent the natural or physical kingdom. Ripples from each will pass through the other. Where they overlap you have an eliptical shape in the water that has been created by the two circles of waves. The eliptical zone in the middle is the area in which all born-again believers live. Simultaneously, we are part of both the natural and spiritual realms. Though living here, believers have already been entrusted with miraculous “powers of the ‘age to come’”. Hebrews 6:5.

The tragedy with many born-again believers is that they remain locked into the concept of earth-life only; they keep themselves restricted to its prison-like confinements. They have never discovered the reality of their spiriutal realm and forget that “Now are they the sons of God. ”I John 3:2. Now! Now! Now! Their assumption is that “eternal” life begins when they die. Not so! Nothing is more astonishing than our discovering that God has placed within reach of ordinary believers the Kingdom’s amazing power of the Holy Spirit. That is precisely what Jesus made available to us.

He said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Acts 1:8. “These signs will follow those who believe.” Mark 16:17. Through these miraculous invasions, the Holy Spirit draws back the Kingdom’s veil and allows us to experience the wonders of the “age to come” Though we experience only a grain-of-sand demonstration of the Holy Spirit’s Kingdom power, even the smallest revelation of His presence displays this fact:

The miraculous life should typify every ordinary Christian life. We must discover that the trans-earthly Kingdom of God is a spiritual dimension that comes from that other realm and seeks to impact us in this earth-zone. When we fail to experience this, we fail to apprehend the fullness of Kingdom power that Jesus provided and intended for us to use.

SCRIPTURES

Romans 12:2-3. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind , that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

1 Corinthians 2:16-3:1. For "who has known the mind of the LORD that he may instruct Him?" But we have the mind of Christ.

Isaiah 26:3-4. “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You.”

Mark 5:15 Then they came to Jesus, and saw the one who had been demon-possessed and had the legion, sitting and clothed and in his right mind. And they were afraid.

Mark 12:30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment.

Luke 12:29 "And do not seek what you should eat or what you should drink, nor have an anxious mind .

Romans 7:21-8:1. I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God — through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.

Romans 8:5-8: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

Ephesians 1:15-19. “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding (kardia/heart) being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power ...”

Ephesians 4:20-25. But you have not so learned Christ, if indeed you have heard Him and have been taught by Him, as the truth is in Jesus: that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness.

1 Corinthians 2:1-6. And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

Philippians 2:5-9. “Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.”

2 Timothy 1:7-8. For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Philippians 2:5-7. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.

Colossians 2:18-19. Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind, and not holding fast to the Head.

1 Peter 1:13. Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.”

Hebrews 9:14. “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? ___

Constantly on the Move

Constantly on the Move

Consider the waves of the ocean says the Lord. As you look at them you will see how they never stop moving! They are always building up, then surging forward towards the shore.

In the same way this is how I work. I am constantly on the move and constantly working on your behalf. It may seem like I have stopped doing anything for you. But my child I will never stop working on your behalf. As you continue to trust me, I am like those waves of the sea – constant, always moving, always on the go.

For I see your heart and I see the desires that you have. Sometimes you do not even have to speak them out. For I know them ahead of time, and before you ask of me I move to answer you.

When you cry out to me and ask me for something, I am ready to move quickly on your behalf. But sometimes it does take time to get your answer to you. For I have to often make changes in the world in order to bring you what you desire. But my child I am always moving, and always planning and doing things for your good.

So lift up your head and look to me and rejoice in me says the Lord! For I am busy even now, doing things on your behalf. I am moving, changing and rearranging things in order to bring you your heart’s desires or the good things that I have for you. All you need to do is trust me. Then soon you will look and rejoice, for you will see the manifestation of all that you have been waiting for!

Your New Land Ahead

Your New Land Ahead

I have a great adventure ahead of you says the Lord. RIght now all you can see are the oceans and the waves, but I see the land that lies ahead. Perhaps as you look at your circumstances you are like a sailor who is heading out for new land.

All you see around you is the ocean of need and problems and conflicts. But what you do not see says the Lord is that just beyond the horizon there is land. So do not give up now, but press on forward, for the time will not be long now until you see the things come to pass that I have said that I will do.

Take your eyes off your circumstances and off the winds and the waves ahead of you and push forward instead now, expecting to see the new land that I have promised you.

For I know that the nights have seemed long and that at times you even wondered if you were on the right road. But I never let go of your hand and I will not let go of it now either. Press on child. Take my hand again and allow me to paint new pictures into your mind.

Would a runner quit the race when he was just before the finish line? So also you must not give up now. Get up again. Press on again and soon you will look up and see that new land.

Then you will understand why you had to go the way you did and why I led you like I did. So rise up now in all the authority and strength that I have given you, for the journey will soon be over says the Lord.

I Will Catch You

I Will Catch You

As the mother eagle teaches her young to fly by casting them out of the nest, so the time has come for you to be cast out of your comfort zone, says the Lord.

For you have rested and waited and not moved forward, for fear of not being able to do what you know you should do. You have desired to move higher and experience My power, but you have been afraid to take the next step.

Therefore I have done for you what you have not had the courage to do yourself. I have thrown you out of your nest so that you can learn to fly.

And now, like a baby eaglet you are falling in fear, trying to flap your wings and afraid that you cannot make it. You are afraid because you have never tested your wings before. And suddenly the pressures that have come on you are far greater than you have experienced in the past.

But you have no need to fear. For just as the mother eagle comes under her little ones, to catch them and lift them up again, before allowing them to try their wings again, so I shall also do for you says the Lord.

I will not allow you to fall to the ground and hurt yourself. For I know what you are capable of. I have promised that you will never be tested beyond what you are capable of. Therefore I will catch you and lift you up again, and the pressure will ease off.

But this will only be temporary, and then you will be allowed to fall once again, to test your wings and develop the power that you have. You will be given opportunities to test what I have put in you.

Sometimes you will fail, but each time you will grow stronger. And soon you will find out how to rise up and soar into the sky as a mature bird.

But until then, I will catch you and lift you up before you are overwhelmed. So do not be afraid of this time of testing. For in the end you will learn to move fully into everything that you have desired.

And then you will rise up to greater heights than you have ever known, says the Lord.

Time To Fly

Time To Fly

As a glider in the sky is borne up by the wind and the hot air rising, and floats without any effort, so shall I bear you up says the Lord.

For if you would learn to align yourself with My Spirit, you would not need to make any effort whatsoever. All you would need to do is spread your wings like a bird, and catch the currents of My power.

Then you will find yourself rising up above the cares of this world. You will soar high above the powers of the enemy, and see life from a new point of view.

But you are afraid to take the first step. You are afraid to launch out into the air, with no power to drive you. Yet it is only when you take this step in faith, trusting yourself completely to Me and to My Spirit that I can take over.

Then you will see my power rise up inside of you, as the warm drafts of air rise up to carry the glider to its destination. You will feel a new surge within that will cause your spirit to soar, and you will rise up to a new level in the realm of the Spirit that you did not know existed.

Trust Me alone to take you to your destination. Do not rely on your own strengths and abilities. But cast yourself fully upon Me and let Me bear you up.

And you will leave the world and its cares behind you, as you rise up in the fullness of My power.

Get Your Injection

Get Your Injection

As one who fears the pain of an injection and thus fails to receive the good that is needed, so you have failed to receive all that I have for you says the Lord.

For as the doctor often has to insert the treatment in a way that is not pleasant, so I too have to often place in you what you need in a way that at first does not seem pleasant to you.

Yet as the momentary pain of an injection can give way to blessing, as the substance is imparted directly to the body, so also you can experience the wonder of My power. But you must stop telling me how I should impart this to you.

For when you refuse to receive from Me in the ways that I have chosen, you prevent Me from giving you the blessing that you desire. And in the end you complain that I have withheld good things from you.

But I have withheld nothing My child. I have made all available to you. But there is always a price that you must pay in order to receive. Not that you need to earn My blessings, but you must be ready to submit to those things that I require of you before I am free to give you all that I desire to give you.

Therefore give up all your excuses, and cease telling Me how I should bless you. I know your needs even before you are aware of them. And I know the best possible way to provide what you both need and desire.

Therefore be as the patient who places his trust in the doctor and submits meekly to the treatment that is given, knowing that it will lead surely to good things.

Because of His Love

Because of His Love

As Peter heard the cock crow and was reminded of his sin, so you have come face to face with your failures says the Lord. And your heart is now condemning you.

But I did not condemn Peter. I even warned him ahead of time of what would happen. And when I had risen again I not only forgave him, but I took his very failures and turned them around, making them into a threefold commission for the work of the ministry.

Can I not also do this with your failures says the Lord?

But like Peter you are feeling condemned and find it hard to forgive yourself for your sin and failure. Yet I always forgive freely, and I will wipe away not only your sin, but also the guilt that weighs you down because of your sin.

Do not be like Judas, who was so overwhelmed with his sin that he gave in to depression and committed suicide. For I would gladly have forgiven him also if he had only come to Me in repentance.

Do not run from My presence My child, for my love for you has not changed. And there is nothing that you can do that will ever cause you to be separated from My love. For My love drove me to die for you before you had committed all your sins. And my love drives me still to forgive you freely, no matter how great your sin.

So run to My presence now, where I am waiting with outstretched arms. Return to My arms of love, knowing that I am there to lift you up and put you on your feet again.

Then, like Peter, you will rise up and become a leader in My Kingdom, and you will walk humbly before Me, knowing that it is only because of My grace that you stand. And because of My grace, you will overcome and prosper says the Lord.

Like An Onion Plant

Like An Onion Plant

Consider the humble onion. It grows slowly underground, and never shows its real self to the world. But it spouts green shoots which show that life exists. Yet the true fruit of the onion lies concealed under the ground, where the bulb that contains the food remains hidden.

This is how you are too. For I have hidden My life deep inside you. And because of this life, you produce much growth and you display to the outside world the signs of this life. But the real treasure is not on the outside - it is on the inside.

Consider then also those around you that are your brothers and sisters in Me. What do you see displayed in their lives? Do you see only leaves and shoots, but no real fruit? This is perfectly normal, for the fruit lies deep within, and until you can come close to the heart of another, you will never fully realize the treasure that is in them.

But who is willing to show what is hidden inside? Who is ready to be vulnerable enough to reveal to others the true inner motivations of the heart? You continue like the onion to hide your goodness away from those who truly need it.

So I often have to be the gardener. I have to pull the onion out of its comfort zone to reveal it to the world. I have to pull you out of the place of security that you are in, so that others can be blessed by what I have put into you.

When this happens do not allow yourself to be moved or discouraged. For this is My way of revealing you to the world. This is my way of causing what is in you to become a blessing to others.

You have asked to be used by Me, and you have desired to be a blessing. And indeed you have much inside you that can bless many people. But until you are ready to be removed from your comfort zone and exposed to the world, you are only a pretty face, like the green shoots of the onion.

Therefore let me move you now says the Lord. Let me remove from you those things that are hiding the true treasure that is in you. As a gardener removes the soil around the onion and reveals it to the world, so shall I do in your life.

And then everyone can see the wonder of what is inside of you. Then many will be drawn to you and come to receive the many blessings that have been growing inside you for so long.

Bite Like A Bulldog

Bite Like A Bulldog

It is time to hold on tight and not give up. For the enemy has tried to deter you and distract you. And you have grown weary in the fight. You have been tempted to give up and let go.

But as the bulldog once it bites does not let go easily, so you too must push through and persevere says the Lord. For as you continue to stand in faith and hold on in hope, you will soon see the results of your faith.

Know that I am working behind the scenes to bring about those things that you have desired of Me. And as you continue to stand firm in faith, the angels are working even now to arrange circumstances to bring your desires to pass.

Therefore do not be discouraged and do not lose hope. For though you might suffer for a season, the end result will be well worth the wait.

I completed the work that the Father gave me to do, and set My face as a flint, not allowing any diversion or tempation to stop me. And as you do the same, you will reach your goal, and then you will look back with joy.

For the things that you desire are being worked out right now. Only be patient and endure says the Lord. Bite and hold on tight like a bulldog, for in due season you will rejoice as you see your goal accomplished.

A DAILY PRAYER OF CONFESSION

A DAILY PRAYER OF CONFESSION

"Establishing the will of God in our lives by what we confess.

Father, I believe the Bible is your Word; that your word is not only true, but when it is spoken out in faith, it also has creative power. I believe the words of Jesus when he said, "I assure you that whoever tells this mountain to get up and throw itself in the sea and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him." I believe that when I confess in faith what you have said about me in your word, I establish these realities upon myself in the spirit realm and that they will eventually become evident in the material realm.

Lord, I thank you that you have brought me out of darkness into your marvelous light and that I am a child of God by faith in Jesus. I am an heir of the promises you gave to your servant, Abraham. Abraham's blessings are mine and I receive them with thanksgiving! You said that all the promises of God are "Yes" to us because of our union with Jesus Christ, and I shout to you my "Amen" to the glory of God. Yes, Lord, bring me into the fullness of these blessings!

I thank you, Father, that Jesus shed his blood to pardon my sins and that I have clean hands and a pure heart by faith in His atoning sacrifice on the cross. I now come boldly before your throne of grace because I am clean, I am pure, I am holy, I am forgiven, I am justified, and I am sanctified by the blood of Jesus.

Father, you said that, in Christ, we have all things that pertain to life and godliness. I confess that I am all that you say I am; I am filled with your Holy Spirit; I am able to do all things through Christ who strengthens me; I have all I need and an abundant overflow so that I can be generous to others. I praise you for fulfilling your word to make me prosperous in all that I undertake.

Your name is Jehovah-Rapha, the Lord my healer. There is nothing too hard for you to do and there is nothing impossible to those who believe your word. I believe it is your will to heal me and in Jesus' name I declare that no sickness or disease shall come upon me and remain upon me! JESUS HEALS ME NOW!

Father, Jesus suffered the agony of forty stripes so that I might be healed; I thank you for your promise of divine health. It belongs to me! I believe it; I receive it; I embrace it, I confess it! and I act on it. In Jesus' name I am healed through His sufferings on my behalf.

I confess that those who live in the shadow of the Almighty shall be satisfied with long life. I place my life in your hands and when it comes my time to leave this world, I shall go in your time, in your will, and in your way.

In Jesus' name I affirm that I shall complete all the purposes of God for my life and that, in the end, I will be able to say with Paul, "I have a desire to depart and be with Christ, which is far better. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, and I have kept the faith."

Father, you said that he who lives and believes in you shall never die; that if a man keeps your word he will never see death; he will never taste of death. I confess that when I depart this life, I shall walk with Jesus through the valley of the shadow of death into the next life with loud shouts of resounding Joy! Amen!

One Flock, One Shepherd

One Flock, One Shepherd
Posted on 11. Apr, 2009 by Chip Brogden in Articles & Essays
“Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and His arm shall rule for Him: behold, His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed His flock like a Shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm, and carry them in His bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young (Isaiah 40:10,11).”
“And I will set up ONE shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even my servant David; He shall feed them, and He shall be their shepherd. And I the LORD will be their God, and my servant David a Prince among them; I the LORD have spoken it (Ezekiel 34:23,24).”
“I am the Good Shepherd; I know My sheep, and My sheep know Me – just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father – and I lay down My Life for the sheep. I have other sheep which are not of this fold. I must bring them also. They will hear My Voice, and there will be One Flock, and One Shepherd (John 10:14-16)”.
The Church is compared to many things in the Scriptures. It is described (among other things) as a Bride, a Body, a City, a Flock of sheep, and a House of Living Stones. Each represents a particular truth, but not the entire truth, so we really should be familiar with each of them that we may adequately comprehend God’s thought for the Church. The Bride represents union with Christ; the Body represents Life; the City represents refuge and peace; the Flock represents unity; and the House of Living Stones represents God’s work and residence among us.
I’d like to talk about the Church as the Flock.
May we see before God that there is One Flock, the Church; and One Shepherd, Jesus Christ. There are not many flocks with many shepherds. God established centuries ago that His preference is One Flock and One Shepherd. How did this come about?
In Ezekiel 34, the Lord complains that the shepherds of Israel were feeding themselves and not the flock. They abused the sheep and took more than they gave. They failed to bind up the broken, or seek out the stray, or protect them from the enemy. They ruled with force and cruelty. They allowed the sheep to fight amongst themselves. They permitted the flock to be scattered and devoured. So the Lord vows that He will get rid of these shepherds and install One Shepherd, David, to care for the flock and gather them together into one place.
Obviously God is not talking about literal shepherds in a literal field in Israel, nor is He planning to bring King David back from the dead to tend to literal sheep. The Lord here is speaking of Jesus Christ, who is known as the Root and Offspring of David. He is also known as the Son of David and the Seed of Jesse. All of these titles mean the same thing. This speaks of His earthly lineage, and it also speaks of His heart towards His Father. David is described as a man after God’s own heart. In the same way, the Lord Jesus Christ is totally in touch with and attuned to the heart of God. He is truly a Son of David.
Just as there is One Body with many members, so there is One Flock with many sheep.
THE GOOD SHEPHERD IS ONE SHEPHERD
Jesus is the Good Shepherd. Let us realize that the Lord Jesus Christ is the only One Who totally pleases God in every way. “This is my beloved Son – hear Him.” Jesus Christ alone perfectly satisfies the heart and will of God. He is perfectly obedient to Him in all things. No one else in heaven or on earth is worthy. No one else may take the scroll, read what is written therein, or even look upon it.
Because the flock was abused and scattered by hirelings, the wisdom of God declared that He would shepherd the flock Himself and gather them together again, not just from Israel, but from all over the world, encompassing both Jews and Gentiles, loving and caring for them. Has this happened yet? Yes, the word of the Lord has already come to pass. When did He gather the flock together under One Shepherd? He did it when He raised Christ from the dead and established the Church. Jesus Christ is the Good Shepherd Who lays down His life for the sheep.
In John 17, Jesus says, “I pray that they may be one.” This is more than a cry for unity in the Body, it is a cry for One Flock under One Shepherd. May I say that all who share in the Life of the Lord are already gathered together into One. The One Flock is the Ecclesia, the called-out-of-the-world assembly of those who have the revelation of Jesus. The One Shepherd is Jesus. This is so plain that it cannot be missed.
David looked ahead to this day and declared, “The Lord is my Shepherd.” We might put it this way, for the meaning is the same: “The Lord is my Pastor.” How does that sound? How would you like to have Jesus for a pastor? Psalm 23 is talking about the Church, and Jesus is your Pastor. Of course it’s talking about our individual relationship with Christ, but remember He has more than one sheep. It is not just you and Jesus walking around by yourselves, hand in hand. There’s a whole flock in mind here. It’s talking about what it means to be under the Shepherd’s care as one of many sheep. David is describing the One Flock with One Shepherd. How glorious and beautiful was his insight.
Jesus plainly said, “I am the Good Shepherd.” In John 10 He tells us the difference between the Good Shepherd and the hireling. He even says that ALL who came before Him were thieves and robbers. That’s why God sent the Son to Shepherd the flock for Him. No one else is worthy. Apart from Him we are all hirelings. We just love ourselves too much. In the same way that no one is worthy to open the seal and read the contents of the scroll except for Christ, so no one is worthy to shepherd the flock of God but Christ. The Lord declared that He would tend the flock Himself, and so He has done so and is doing so through the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE UNDERSHEPHERDS SERVE THE CHIEF SHEPHERD
Yet, there is such a thing as human beings who are called to the work of the ministry as pastors and shepherds. They are God’s gift to the Church along with apostles, prophets, evangelists, and teachers, to build up the Body and bring them into Christ. Since there is no question that God has chosen the Lord Jesus to be the One Shepherd, why would the Lord see the need for setting pastors in the Church for its edification? What is the nature of a New Testament pastoral ministry?
After Jesus was raised from the dead He commissioned Peter by saying, “Feed My sheep.” Please see that the sheep belong to the Lord Jesus and Peter is being told to feed them. The Lord did not say He would give Peter some sheep of his own to take care of or rule over. He is not giving Peter anything to have as his own. He did not tell Peter to go start a church and begin gathering people together in his own name. Neither did he tell Peter to go get himself elected to take the place of Jesus as the new leader of the disciples. In fact, no one has ever been elected to take the place of Jesus after He was taken up into heaven. Why? Because He is still the Head, and He is still the Good Shepherd. He never laid aside that role. Do you see this? “Feed MY sheep,” Jesus said. Whose sheep are they? The Lord’s sheep.
So now we have some insight into how this works. Jesus, the Good Shepherd, commissions undershepherds to feed and care for His sheep. We know that Christ is our Meat, Bread, Milk, Honey, and Water. So to feed the flock is to bring them to Christ as their Source. This is a holy work. This is much more difficult (humanly speaking) than preaching a three-point sermon once a week.
How is God going about the process of bringing everyone into One Flock under One Shepherd? He is doing this through undershepherds. A true pastor is but an undershepherd, and the Lord Jesus is the Chief Shepherd. There are but two classes of shepherds: the undershepherds, who are many; and the Chief Shepherd, who is One. What does the undershepherd do? The undershepherd serves the Chief Shepherd. He (or she) is supposed to be out herding the sheep into the One Flock, bringing them to Christ, feeding, caring, and watching over the Lord’s possession.
If God intends on having One Flock under One Shepherd then we know that nothing belongs to any individual. Frequently we hear men speak of “my people”, “my flock”, or “my church”, as though they possessed something. Let us see instead that the undershepherd owns nothing, but is a steward over God’s possession. The Scripture plainly says that we are the sheep of His pasture. Everything belongs to the Father, Who has committed all things into the care of His Son, the Good Shepherd. No undershepherd can claim anything or anyone as belonging to him personally. If we only realized this we would immediately begin treating the Lord’s sheep with greater respect and humility. How can a man lord over something that doesn’t belong to him? How can he abuse and mistreat what is not his?
Let me ask you this question: what do you think the Lord will do to an undershepherd who rules the Lord’s flock with cruelty, abuses the sheep, scatters them in all directions, and lets the enemy come in to tear them apart? Will the Lord just shrug His shoulders, or will He visit that undershepherd and avenge the sheep? It is such a holy trust. We must tread lightly with the sheep and minister to them in fear and trembling. We dare not entertain thoughts of doing as we please with the Lord’s possession. It is not a frivolous thing.
THE HIRELINGS WILL BE JUDGED
Here is where many people err. They think to themselves, now that I’m a pastor I’m in charge of these sheep, and they better start submitting to me. They need to support my vision for ministry and give me the honor and glory due my name. And so on. You’ve seen and heard the type. But again, the sheep do not belong to us. Jesus says that the Father gave Him the sheep, and no man can snatch them out of His hands. Certainly He is not going to just turn around and give them away to some earthly man.
This is the spiritual reality. But when we look around, what do we see happening? We see first of all that the flock is scattered and divided. Next, we see that the flock is diseased and wounded. Then, we see that the flock is ruled by individual shepherds. It appears that the earthly facts do not live up to the spiritual reality. On the one hand the promise is fulfilled in the Good Shepherd, and on the other hand the conditions described in Ezekiel 34 still remain.
What usually happens? Many who claim to be pastors parcel up the flock among themselves, fighting over individual sheep, endeavoring to gather them together into their own little fold with themselves as their own little shepherd. They are not working on behalf of the Chief Shepherd, but on their own behalf. Jesus said, “He that is not gathering with Me is scattering.” This is what hirelings do. They claim to be gathering people together but they end up scattering the Lord’s flock. They want the wool and the fat for themselves. They take more than they give. They don’t truly care for the sheep. They are not undershepherds, but hirelings. Read Ezekiel 34 and see if you have experienced this for yourself.
I know all about hirelings because I was one for many years. I did not work for the Chief Shepherd, but for the denomination. I saw the sheep as the fruit of my ministry, not as the Lord’s possession. So eventually the Chief Shepherd removed me from tending His sheep. Later, only when I learned that the sheep indeed belonged to Him, He permitted me to feed them as His undershepherd. This time the hirelings came and removed me. They permitted me access to “their” sheep as a fellow hireling, but not as an undershepherd. For to be an undershepherd of the Chief Shepherd brings shame to the hireling.
How do you think the Chief Shepherd is going to respond to the situation we have today? First of all, do you think He is totally blind to what is going on? Far from it. What will He do with these hirelings? Why, He will remove them from tending the flock and will call the sheep to follow after Him. May I say to you that no man can snatch a single lamb out of the hands of the Good Shepherd. He knows His sheep, and they know Him. When He calls they will come running.
So it happens that when sheep find themselves within something other than the One Flock, penned up in a cage with a hireling, the Lord will call them out and unto Himself, and the hireling will eventually be judged. We don’t have to take matters into our own hands. The Lord will see to it. I am so thankful that He judged me and is making me into what He wants me to be. Now I work for Him, and no man.
THE ONE IN CHRIST TRANSCENDS ALL HUMAN DIVISIONS
We hear a lot of talk about trying to unify the Church, but until we see that we are already One Flock we will just keep on talking about it and never experience it. We must see before God that He has already made us One Flock under One Shepherd. This is not some future event, but a spiritual reality, waiting for us to enter into.
Permit me to say that from the vantage point of heaven there are only two groups of people: the ones with Life and the ones with no Life. And we cannot say someone does or does not have Life by judging them according to the outward appearances of how they worship, where they worship, or what earthly organization they do or do not belong to. God really and truly does not calculate the members of the Ecclesia by looking at the membership rosters of our denominations, counting heads on Sunday morning, reviewing our baptismal records, or seeing how many home church groups are meeting together. You may or may not find Life in any of these places.
We can point to all the denominations, sects, movements, factions, and individual churches as proof that we are not in unity. Outwardly speaking we are divided. Outwardly speaking I doubt we will ever be in unity. Wheat and tares, sheep and goats will continue to be mixed together until they are separated at the end of the age. But we should see that God neither recognizes nor endorses any of our labels, organizations, and associations. It is not that God is for or against the Baptist denomination, or the Pentecostal denomination. He simply overlooks all of it. It is of no account to Him and has no bearing on His eternal purpose. You can be in, out, for, or against whatever you please, but God is not looking at that either. Of course it’s terribly important to earthly-minded folk, but those who are seated in heavenly places with Christ view things differently.
Now when someone says he goes to the First Baptist Church, I can say, “Praise the Lord, brother! Do you have Life?” And when someone says she goes to a house church, I can say, “Praise the Lord, sister! Do you have Life?” And when people say they don’t know where to go or what to do, I can say, “Praise the Lord, brothers and sisters! Do you have Life?” I’m not looking to the outward anymore, but to the inward. You see, if the Life is there, then the Son is there, and that’s all that interests God. He that has the Son has Life. And if they need to get in this or out of that then the Life will instruct them. Who am I? We cannot call unclean what God has called clean. We cannot reject whom the Lord accepts.
Let me state here and now that man, not God, started every denomination, institutional church, and house church on the face of the earth. Some may be following God’s will, some only think they are following God’s will, and most are just doing what they want to do with no thought to God’s will. We aren’t interested now in explaining how or why they do what they do, we simply wish to state that man does all these things, not God. The Kingdom is within you. There is only One Church, and that is the Church that Jesus is building. There is only One Flock, and One Shepherd. Everything else is periphery.
When we see how much of this is man’s doing we are liable to become upset over it all, but God just bypasses and transcends the boundaries we put up between one another. God is just too big to confine Himself to working within one little sect, whether they are “in” or “out” of the religious system. God has never blessed a denomination, and He never will. He blesses people, not movements. He judges people, not systems. He only sees one thing, and that is His Son. He only gives us one thing, and that is His Son. If you have the Son, you have Life. If you do not have the Son, you do not have Life. This is the only thing God is looking for.
GETTING BABYLON OUT OF YOU
This is what I am most afraid of: that we begin thinking anyone who doesn’t have the revelation to “come out of Babylon” is spiritually dead. I made this serious error when God first began to show me the True Church and spoke to me concerning the One Flock. I was still judging by outward appearances. So let me clarify: you can no more come out of Babylon by leaving a church than a leopard can change his spots by leaving the jungle. Babylon is a mindset, a paradigm, a religious spirit, if you will. Some of the people who claim to have left Babylon are still bound by Babylon. They still think, talk, behave, and relate to others as Babylonians. They haven’t really come out, they just stopped attending church services. If that’s all there is to it, how simple it would be! How easy to tell the difference between the “true” and the “false” if that’s all we have to look for!
Just as we are called to be in the world but not of the world, some people are called to be “in” Babylon but not “of” Babylon. Some have been called by God to walk in the midst of Babylon and represent Him there as a Daniel or an Ezekiel. Some have been called by God to come out of Babylon and represent Him in Jerusalem as a Nehemiah or an Ezra. Not everyone is a Daniel, and not everyone is a Nehemiah. Eventually Babylon will be judged and there will be a New Jerusalem. All the “Daniels” and all the “Nehemiahs” will each give an account of themselves to God. So let everyone be where the Lord has called them to be. Most of all, whether we leave or stay, go out or go in, let it be by revelation, not by the words of some earthly man or teacher.
Some emphasize the actual meeting together and are engrossed in the details of where, how, why, and what we’re supposed to do when we meet. I say bring people together who have Life and the rest of it will take care of itself. We know that the Law was given to people who had no Life. The Law must teach us outwardly, but the Life will instruct us inwardly. When we don’t have Life then we have to depend upon a rule or method or tradition or law. Some say that’s too simplistic, just getting together like that. Well, that’s the idea. You see Life just doesn’t start flowing when we come together into some kind of meeting. Life is present at all times. You don’t turn it on and off like a spigot. Community isn’t something we can create in a test tube, it’s a daily adventure and releasing of Life as we go about the ministry of one-anothering wherever we happen to be at that particular moment in time.
THE TRUE FLOCK IS ONE FLOCK
How do we achieve unity? We do not. Rather, God reveals His Son to us as the Head of the Church. If we see the Head, if we know the Good Shepherd, we will come to know the Body and the Flock. We cannot say we love God if we do not love our brothers and sisters. We cannot maintain communion with the Head if we are separated from the Body. When we follow One Shepherd as One Flock then we will be in one accord. If we are one with the Head, we are one with the Body, even if we are not gathered together. But, if we are not one with the Head, we are not one with the Body, even if we are gathered together in the guise of unity.
Our prayer for the Church is that we would all come to the unity of the faith through the revelation of Christ. All who see Him will be like Him, for they will see Him as He is; and as He is, so are we, in this world.
Today, God’s heart is One Flock with One Shepherd, with the Son filling all in all. May the Church fulfill His desire. Amen.