Discovering Organic Church Life: God's Eternal Purpose

At this juncture, we want to give consideration to the following questions, "What is God’s eternal purpose? Does the Bible reveal such a concept?"  As a matter of fact it does, but when one’s ‘doctrinal perception’ is in a different place, it’s easy to simply ‘read over the top of it’ without really taking note of what’s being communicated. Let's examine two texts that are 'case-in-point':  


This grace is given to me (who am less than the least of all saints) to preach the gospel of the unsearchable riches of Christ among the nations, and to bring to light what is the fellowship of the mystery which from eternity has been hidden in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ; so that now to the rulers and powers in the heavenlies might be known by the church the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord; Eph.3:8-11 [Modern King James Version] Emphasis Mine  "Therefore you should not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner.  But be partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the eternal times." 2Tim.1:8,9  [Modern King James Version]  Emphasis Mine

God’s eternal purpose is rarely, if ever, a sermon topic, much less a doctrine taught in Seminaries and Bible Colleges.  The reason for such gross oversight can be explained as a matter of perception - most Bible scholars, and people in general, when looking at the Scriptures, see them from a sin-point-of-view.  That is, everything recorded in Holy Writ is viewed from the perspective of man’s sin, and God’s redemptive remedy: Initially, God created a wonderful garden for humanity to 'tend and keep'.  Man, for his part, committed high treason against his Creator by obeying God's archenemy rather than God, incurring eternal separation from God as a consequence.  This set Him on a course to 'buy back' Adam's race through the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Anyone placing their faith in Messiah's vicarious sacrifice would experience salvation from the penalty of eternal damnation, and recover their fellowship with God. From our point of view, this became God's eternal purpose by default, so to speak.  However, that is not what the Bible actually teaches.

The eternal purpose of God is like a fine jewel with distinct facets that contributed to His motivation behind creation in general, and man's creation in particular.  This 'intention' of the Triune God has not been evolving over the ages, but was conceived before there was an earth, before there was a universe, or even before there was time and space.  One might say, at some point in eternity past, our God had a dream - a desire.  All of His subsequent creative work was woven around this dream, this eternal purpose.  Insight into the Godhead's plan can be gleaned from Jesus' prayer to His Father recorded in John's gospel, chapter seventeen, verse ten: "And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them."  [NKJV]  Dr. Marvin R. Vincent, in Vincent's Word Studies, makes the observation that 'all Mine', in this verse, should be translated 'all things that are Mine'.  Many Bibles make this their translation as well, such as the Amplified Bible, 1901 American Standard Version; 1899 Douay Rheims Bible; Hebrew Names Version; Literal Translation of the Holy Bible; The Message Bible; The World English Bible; 1912 Weymouth New Testament, to name a few.  That takes the interpretation of 'all Mine' from being strictly that of persons, (namely the disciples in this text) to all things (meaning everything).  This 'nugget of truth' isn't that hidden in the original language, but became somewhat obscured when translated into the English language.  The 1615 King James Version became the benchmark, the Authorized Version, for all subsequent translations for centuries, and it's rendering has, only of late, been challenged, and in some cases, such as the above, overruled by later translations.

John Wesley, in his Commentary of the Gospel of John, wrote concerning this verse, "These are very high and strong expressions, too grand for any mere creature to use; as implying that all things whatsoever, inclusive of the Divine nature, perfections, and operations, are the common property of the Father and the Son. . . " Jesus' remark, in the verse above, infers that at some point in eternity past, before creation of time and space, the Father heart of God wanted to give everything of Himself through the Spirit to His Son, which He did.  The Son, upon receiving such an endowment, did not keep it for Himself, but reciprocated His Father's love by giving it all back to Him by the same Spirit.  It is the nature of the Triune God to continually be giving all they are and have to each other.  John 16:15 gives further testimony to John 17:10's interpretation: "All things that the Father has is also mine.  That is why I've said, 'He takes of Mine and will announce it to you."

The Son was, and is, the Father's Beloved; the One upon whom He lavishes all the passion and love within His heart.  The Son loves His Father and reciprocates all of His love, but He, Himself, had no beloved upon whom He could pour out the overflowing passion and love that beat within His heart.  This was known and understood by the Father which became the impetus of His dream - His great desire and 'eternal purpose' - which was to: provide a 'beloved' wife for His Son; find a resting place, a home for Himself; and have a family that 'looked just like Himself', through whom He could be seen and understood by the universe that would yet be created. This is what the Apostle Paul called "a great mystery" in Ephesians 5:32. Next, we will be exploring this 'great mystery': A wife for the Son!

Discovering Organic Church Life: The Fundamental Concept

Americans, and for that matter, many around the world, who perceive themselves as Christians, have, of late, been confronted with a term, heretofore, unknown or unheard of - 'Organic Church' or, 'An Organic Expression of Church Life'. The 'web' has a few sites addressing the topic, but, by and large, there is precious little information explaining what these kinds of churches are, and what they believe. Consequently, it seems prudent to put as much understanding together that is available, in order to paint a clear enough picture, that one might structure a mental image sufficient enough to make an informed decision, whether or not to pursue such an expression of church life. What follows is not an exhaustive treatment of the subject by any means, but more of a 'framework' from which one might use to further his/her own understanding. There appears to be less than one hundred churches in America that meet the criterion of what it truly means to be an 'organic church'. This translates into the fact that a small percentage of Christians are presently, or have ever participated in this kind of Body life. What is encouraging, however, is that the New Testament seems to paint the same portrait of what church is supposed to look like as these 'organic churches' are endeavoring to be.

First, let's define the word 'organic'. Noah Webster's 1828 Dictionary of American English defines organic as: "Pertaining to an organ or to organs; consisting of organs or containing them; as the organic structure of the human body or of plants." Using this definition, we can deduce that an organic church, fundamentally, constitutes a body, similar to that of a human, which is made up of various organs, each contributing to the overall well being of the organism. With this, the New Testament most definitely agrees: 1Cor.12:12 "For as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body; so also is Christ." 1Cor.12:14 "For the body is not one member, but many. " 1Cor.14:26 "Then how is it, brothers? When you come together, each one of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be for building up." Eph.4:15,16 "But that you, speaking the truth in love, may in all things grow up to Him who is the Head, even Christ; from whom the whole body, fitted together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of each part, producing the growth of the body to the edifying of itself in love." For many American Christians, this is not a new concept by any means. However, the practical functioning and outworking of it would be quite novel indeed.

With this first piece of understanding in place, we need to explore the fundamental concept upon which an organic church is built: to truly be organic, the church's organs (members) draw deeply from the well of the indwelling Holy Spirit's life for their own life's expression; this 'communion' is then shared, daily, with the other members as a natural expression of their fellowship in the Spirit; this 'expression', over time, matures into the very life expression of the Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, through this Body of believers to all the world around them. Consider this statement by the late T. Austin Sparks as it relates to the primary principle of organic church life: "... In the Divine order, life produces its own organism, whether it be vegetable, animal, human, or spiritual. This means that everything comes from the inside. Function, order, and fruit issue from this law of life within. It was solely on this principle that what we have in the New Testament came into being. Organized Christianity has entirely reversed this order."

Up to this point you might be thinking, "So, what's new... I've believed in the 'body-life model' of church most of my Christian life!" My answer to you would be, "Yes, but have you seen it done? Have you been able to experience it on a day by day basis?" You must understand that this 'expression' of Body life cannot, nor will not, work on a 'once a week' gathering of the believers. Those participating in such a church as this, would not even consider meeting just once a week! They want, no, they need, to be together as much as possible; it's their life, their sustenance. It's not a, 'how much participation is necessary' mentality for these brethren, but, 'how much fellowship can we participate in this week', that separates them from the average American Christian. Their commitment goes so far as to, literally, sell homes and move to within walking distance of each other to facilitate fellowship! How else could vital organs function together in a healthy body? The question that cries for an answer in light of such a stark contrast between those who desire to be together all of the time and those who find it difficult to meet once a week is, "WHY"? Why would anyone want to be 'in church' all of the time? Therein is the answer... these believers are not 'in church', nor do they 'go to church'... they perceive themselves as 'the church'! This 'difference' makes all of the difference. Please don't misunderstand this as mere 'semantics'! The difference rests in their understanding of, and participation in God's 'eternal purpose'; not an intellectual understanding, but a deep revelation of it! The greater the revelation, the greater the expression of Christ's life through that Body.

Again, you might be thinking, "Isn't God's Eternal Purpose redemption of fallen humanity... The cross of Christ?" If you were thinking this, you might be surprised to learn that your conclusion does not correlate with the Biblical record. As with most of us, you were probably taught this explicitly or by implication, but whichever it was, this is what the greater community of believers understands, but not so for those in organic churches!

What, then, is God's Eternal Purpose if not humanity's redemption? We want to explore the answer to this question, next!

The Discipline of Receiving Revelation: Step 4 - Application

We have arrived at the fourth and final step in the discipline of receiving revelatory encounters with the 'Lover of our soul'! Our journey started with the 'acquisition' of intellectual understanding concerning those things freely given to us as His children - "exceeding great and precious promises", as Peter calls them (2Pt.1:4). But we discovered, that after acquiring such knowledge, one must 'assimilate' it, before any renewing of the mind can truly occur. At some point, during the assimilation process, it is the Holy Spirit's prerogative to 'appropriate' the disciple to a particular desire the Father has for him/her. In other words, "the word of faith" has come to that one (Rom.10:8,17).


A remarkable phenomenon that befalls many believers, as they are pursuing Christ, is the aborting of any one, or all of these steps before arriving at their destination. Consequently, they fail to enter into the Life this path would ultimately render! Let's unpack this last statement a little more: consider the probable outcome if Peter had not taken the time to commune with the Lord while at Simon the tanner's house (Acts10:9-16); he would not have experienced 'appropriation' (i.e., the vision of the sheet descending during a trance); accordingly, when the men sent by Cornelius arrived, Peter would have been less inclined to accept their invitation, since they were Gentiles, and he a Jew; if that would have taken place, he would have aborted God's desire of formally initiate the Gentiles into His redemptive plan! Granted, if the above scenario would have transpired, Father's desire would have been accomplished through some other vessel, but Peter, himself, would have forfeited the Life event of witnessing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Cornelius' household.


'Application', then, is the obedience rendered by the believer who has been 'appropriated' by the Holy Spirit to some 'good work' foreordained by God (Eph.2:10). In James 2:14-26, the apostle presents the cogent argument that: 1) faith without works (obedience) is dead; 2) faith is only completed (made perfect) when its accompanied by works of obedience. Returning to Peter's appropriation at Simon's house, in order for his faith to be 'complete', he needed to 'go' to Cornelius' house, and 'proclaim' Christ to those assembled. Once a disciple 'applies' what has been 'appropriated', the results are then within God's purview. When this takes place, one has effectively ceased from his own works (those do's and don'ts that we contrive in an effort to please God - also referred to as 'dead works' in Heb.9:14), and entered into His rest (Heb.4:9-12).


Combining these steps, let's see how they look from the Holy Spirit's perspective as recorded in the Scriptures (Lk.1:26-38). This is the account of Mary, mother of Jesus, being encountered by the angel Gabriel concerning God's choice of her being the virgin who would bear the Messiah, as recorded in Isaiah 7:14. 
1) Acquisition 
Being of Hebrew descent, Mary, from an early age, would have been familiar with Isaiah's prophecy about the advent of Christ. In other words, she already had 'acquired' knowledge of this particular promise of God to His people. However, she could not have known who this 'virgin' was until Gabriel's declaration: "...listen! You will become pregnant and will give birth to a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus." (Lk.1:31  -  Amplified Bible) 
2) Assimilation
At this juncture, try putting yourself in Mary's shoes! What would you have done with such an announcement? Look back at verse 29 where we are afforded a glimpse into how she was processing all of this: "...she was greatly troubled and disturbed and confused at what he said and kept revolving in her mind what such a greeting might mean."  [Amplified Bible] You will remember that one of the definitions for meditation is 'to roll over and over within the mind'. Being a Jewess, Mary would have been practicing meditation for the greater share of her young life. Consequently, when confronted with knowledge that was beyond her mind's natural ability to comprehend, she defaulted to the discipline of mediation in order to 'assimilate' these words being given to her.
3) Appropriation
"Then the angel said to her, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you [like a shining cloud]; and so the holy (pure, sinless) Thing (Offspring) which shall be born of you will be called the Son of God."  (Lk.1:35  -  Amplified Bible) In order to fully appreciate why we are construing this verse as 'appropriation', let's put verse 37 under the microscope. An interlinear rendering of this verse, from The Majority Text, is as follows: "Every word (rhema) will not be impossible with God" (Emphasis Mine). The Amplified Bible correctly translates this verse as, "For with God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment." Referring back to how 'appropriation' occurs, as the disciple meditates on that which has been 'acquired', it becomes the Holy Spirit's prerogative to 'lay bear that which was previously hidden to him/her, and to disclose Truth' into your inner man'. Or, stated another way, He 'breathes' a 'rhema' word into your spirit, effectively 'setting you apart' for some particular desire of the Father. In the passage under consideration, the Holy Spirit, through Gabriel, was speaking this rhema word, recorded in verse 35, into Mary's heart.
4) Application
For Mary, at this point in the process, the only requirement of obedience (application) to the 'word' spoken, was her consent, which she immediately gave: "Then Mary said, Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be done to me according to what you have said. And the angel left her."  (Lk.1:38  -  Amplified Bible) It is this writer's conviction that, upon consenting to the Lord's request, Mary, at that very moment, conceived Seed in her womb (Gal.3:16). Of course, the implication of applying this word would have far reaching ramifications that she could not possibly have realized at the time. However, as this Life event unfolds, we can observe, from heaven's perspective, Mary's settled acquiescence to the angel's request. 


The reader should understand that the above chronicle was extraordinary in the sense of being a 'one time' event, and therefore must realize, one's own revelatory encounters with the King of kings, might seem somewhat mundane by comparison. This perspective, however, is strictly from the human point of view. From God's vantage point, every Life event, resulting from a revelatory encounter, is on the same plane of equality (1Pt.1:17).


The above four steps of discipline for receiving revelation, have but one objective: to recondition the disciple's being, so he/she is ever being enlarged within the spiritual arena, and less inclined within the soulish. The reason is simple - God is Spirit! Those seeking to know Him must do so with their spirit man. 

The Discipline of Receiving Revelation: Step 3 - Appropriation

"Let me tell you, my friends, that the gospel I preach is not of human origin. I did not receive it from any human being, nor did anyone teach it to me. It was Jesus Christ himself who revealed it to me... Fourteen years later I went back to Jerusalem with Barnabas, taking Titus along with me. I went because God revealed to me that I should go... God revealed his secret plan and made it known to me. {I have written briefly about this, ..."  (Gal.1:11,12; 2:1,2a; Eph.3:3  -  Good News Bible - Emphasis Mine)


It can be all too easy to 'read over the top' of verses, like the ones above, without truly appreciating the implication of the writer's experience. Western culture tends to be skeptical, and sometimes even cynical, when it comes to the paranormal. In centuries past, the Church classified people, who claimed experiences like those above, as 'mystics'. Labels of this sort have the effect of intimidating anyone who might be considering that such experiences are possible and desirable, thus 'dampening' their motivation to prepare themselves, mentally and spiritually, to enter into a revelatory encounter with God.


The Greek word translated as 'revealed', is 'apokalupsis', and is used eighteen times in the New Testament by Paul, Peter, John, and Luke. From the import of their writings, it is clear that without 'apokalupsis', there would be no New Testament, no relationship with God, nor even salvation, itself. Thayer's Greek New Testament Lexicon defines this word as: "laying bare, making naked; a disclosure of truth, instruction concerning things before unknown . . ."


For the 21st Century believer, it should be obvious that what our culture calls 'paranormal', the Bible considers a 'normal' life style for its adherents. Or, stated another way, the Christian experience is only possible through revelatory experiences. Consider, again, the apostle Paul's statement above. In essence, he is saying that everything he wrote, that we now refer to as the epistles of Paul, was revealed to him by Jesus Christ. He didn't learn it in the rabbinical schools, or through any other human agency! Without 'apokalupsis', Paul would not have had any contribution to the content of the New Testament, let alone a relationship with his Creator.


We are contemplating the third step in the discipline of receiving revelation, which is 'appropriation'. By definition, it means "to be set apart, to authorize, to take possession of". The function of the first two steps (acquisition and assimilation), is to bring us to a spiritual conditioning where we can be 'appropriated' by Jesus through the agency of the Holy Spirit. That last phrase may sound foreign to the Bible student, until you consider that the words 'holy', 'saint', and 'sanctify', come from the same Greek root, which means 'to set apart for a special purpose'. Consequently, from a Biblical perspective, there is a presumption that believers are to be experiencing an ongoing appropriation, by the Holy Spirit's activity, in order to fulfill God's plan and will for one's life.


The dynamic of the above paragraph was graphically portrayed through the life of Jesus, while on earth. He came to fulfill the will of His Father, which He totally succeeded in doing, by being able to both 'see' and 'hear' what the will of God was for His life (Jn.5:19,30). The question that begs an answer is, "How was He able to 'see' and 'hear' God?" Since He had 'stripped Himself' of the prerogatives of Deity, as the Son of Man (Phil.2:6-8), limiting His capacity of communing with God to that of all human beings, Jesus could have only been able to understand His Father's will through revelatory insight - 'apokalupsis'.


At some point, during the practice of 'assimilating' those things which have been 'acquired', the Holy Spirit desires to 'lay bear that which was previously hidden to you, and disclose Truth' into your inner man, for the purpose of 'appropriating' you to His will. Some segments within the Christian community refer to this as 'receiving a rhema word' from God (Rom.10:17). This impartation of 'apokalupsis' can happen through a variety of ways, such as dreams, visions, trances, or simply a perceiving within one's spirit. How this happens is not what's important here, but the communication of the Father's heart with that of one of His beloved children. Encounters, such as these, tend to validate the disciple's spiritual birthright in ways that, otherwise, could not be appreciated.


The Christian experience has always been about a vibrant, ever-increasing relationship with a Creator who is passionate about lovingly, fathering His children. Regrettably, a large percentage of Christendom, like Cain of old, has set this aside, in favor of 'growing' its own list of do's and don'ts, laws and regulations, to perpetuate the never ending duty of trying to please a perceived 'austere' God. However, the 'Lover of our soul' only desires that we learn how to 'encounter' Him as such - a Lover. John 4:24 declares, "God is sheer being itself—Spirit. Those who worship him must do it out of their very being, their spirits, their true selves, in adoration." (The Message) 


Practicing the steps in 'the discipline of receiving revelation', will eventually condition one's being to becoming more and more perceptive to that realm where God's voice is perceived and understood. The last and final step, in this discipline, is 'application'.
  

The Discipline of Receiving Revelation: Step 2 - Assimilation

But his delight and desire are in the law of the Lord, and on His law (the precepts, the instructions, the teachings of God) he habitually meditates (ponders and studies) by day and by night. And he shall be like a tree firmly planted [and tended] by the streams of water, ready to bring forth its fruit in its season; its leaf also shall not fade or wither; and everything he does shall prosper [and come to maturity]. [Psa.1:2,3 - Amplified Bible]


Webster's 1828 Dictionary defines 'discipline' as: "... to prepare, by instructing in correct principles and habits;". In this blog, we will discuss the discipline of 'assimilation', in preparation and positioning yourselves, mentally and spiritually, to receive revelation from the Holy Spirit. Our ultimate goal is the ability to, daily, 'walk-out' God's will for our lives. The capacity to apprehend revelatory insight explains, to a large degree, why Jesus' life was so dynamic and successful - "So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn]." [Jn.5:19 - Amplified Bible] It is Biblically incorrect to make the assumption that Jesus' life, during His first advent, was lived in the power of His deity as God's Son. Philippians 2:5-7 unequivocally affirms that Jesus 'stripped Himself, of that prerogative and rightful dignity, in order to assume the likeness of a servant'. Or, stated another way, every born-again believer has the possibility of living a life on the same spiritual plane as Jesus lived during His earthly ministry! The secret to a lifestyle such as His, is the practice of those disciplines He would have been taught from His youth.


To this end, we want to continue our quest of discovering these same disciplines for our own personal lives as members of His body. You will remember from a previous blog, the first step, or discipline, is to 'acquire' a mental understanding of Biblical truth. This is tantamount to grocery shopping, to acquire those food products we intend to consume for our physiological needs. Comparing this analogy to the average Western Christian, he/she 'acquires' spiritual food week after week, month after month, and year after year, with very little, if any, intention of 'consuming' it. Let me explain. To acquire physical food products, for the sole purpose of acquisition, is absurd. We buy food to consume it, for the most part. On the other hand, Christians acquire Biblical truth, in the belief that, in so doing, they are being nourished by it. When you look at it from this point of view, it should appear as ludicrous as gathering groceries with a preconditioned mindset that this will, in and of itself, supply our bodily needs. In the introductory Scripture above, 'delighting in the Law of the Lord' is immediately followed by 'meditating' upon it, which is how Biblical truth is 'assimilated'. To assimilate something means, "to take in and make part of oneself; absorb; digest".


Biblical meditation has, practically, become a lost discipline within Christendom. One reason for this is a reaction to its misuse by certain religions. In effect, the Church has 'thrown out the proverbial baby with the water'. Even so, one must keep in mind that meditation is, and has always been, God's plan for assimilating His Word. So, what does it mean to meditate, in a Biblical sense. One of the Hebrew words for meditate is 'haw-gaw', which carries the idea of "to muse over; to devise; to mutter to one's self; to imagine; to roll over and over within the mind". In our culture, becoming 'lost in thought' could be a close equivalent. Putting this into practice, you might consider a particular Scripture verse, or even an attribute of Christ's nature to ponder on, over and over within your mind. In Hebrew thought, meditation is similar to a cow chewing its cud. It chews, and chews, then swallows the cud only to regurgitate it to chew on it some more. By so doing, it maximizes the extraction of nutrients contained within the cud.


As simple as it may sound, disciplining the mind, for the purpose of meditation, is not easy! Focusing on one exclusive thought,for any protracted length of time,will prove formidable for the mind that has not been 'disciplined' to do so. Holding one's complete mental attention on a single thought is foreign to the experience of the average Westerner. Our mind tends to jump from thought to thought, throughout the day, without even being noticed. This is evidence of a mind that has not been made to obey its possessor! The foregoing is not meant to discourage the reader, but simply a warning for what faces the one who makes the decision to pursue such a discipline.


The disciple that perceives the need to move beyond his/her present spiritual plane, and endeavors to begin 'assimilating' what has been 'acquired', is encouraged to: (1) Choose a time of day that is the least demanding of his/her attention; reduce as many distractions as you can to facilitate a physical environment that lends itself to contemplation. (2) Select a room in your home that becomes the place where you will rendezvous with your Creator. (3) It will prove helpful to not enter this time mentally 'keyed-up'; try to unwind prior to entering into any meditative activity. (4) Have a Scripture verse, or a character attribute of Christ already chosen that will be the focus of your sole attention. (5) Choose a comfortable posture that can be maintained for a protracted period of time; you don't want the body vying for your attention. (6) With the above in place, focus all of your attention on Him; simply 'behold' Him; now, ask Him to bring understanding to your heart concerning that particular verse or attribute you previously determined to mediate on.


If you are like most us, your mind will not be cooperative in this exercise - it will want to wander off to work on an issue, only to go somewhere else to deal with something else. If, and when this happens, gently bring it back to the exercise. Do this as often as is necessary. In the beginning, your meditation time will be limited to just making the mind obey you. But those students who refuse to give up and quit, out of utter frustration, will eventually win the battle over the undisciplined mind to enter into a meditative state where the activity of their spirit becomes discernible. This is important, since it is here that Christ dwells by His Spirit. In 1Kings 19, Elijah learned that God speaks in a 'soft, gentle voice'. This is because the voice of our own mind is usually so loud that only when quieted will we be able to hear His voice from within our spirit man. David, in Psalms 131, verse 2, succinctly describes the dynamic we are endeavoring to achieve through mediation: "Surely I have calmed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with his mother, like a weaned child is my soul within me [ceased from fretting]."[Amplified Bible]


In the next blog, we will consider the third step in the discipline of receiving revelation: 'appropriation'.

The Discipline of Receiving Revelation: Step 1 - Acquisition

All things were delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows who the Son is except the Father; and who is the Father, except the Son, and he to whom the Son may desire to reveal Him.  [Literal Translation of the Holy Bible]

In a previous blog, we discussed the difference between having a religious opinion, and being in possession of Scriptural faith. To further support this, let's consider the confessions from two different Biblical characters, and Jesus' response to each. The first occurred when Jesus asked the disciples the question, " . . . who do you say that I am?"  Peter answers with, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God!"  [Matt. 16:16] 


The second confession comes from Nathanael, after he first encountered Jesus: " . . . You are the Son of God; You are the King of Israel!"  [Jn.1:49] Both confessions are virtually the same in content, but Jesus' response to each is quite different. To Peter, He pronounces a blessing, declaring his confession to have originated from a revelation from the Father. To Nathanael, He questions the declaration, due to the shallowness of its impetus. Jesus understood the difference between an opinion, based upon the cognitive abilities of the human soul, and faith, obtained by revelation, which accounts for the way He responded to each man's confession.


Consequently, as a believer, it is imperative that one can, and does, receive ongoing revelation from his/her Father. As simple as this may sound, for many of us, it occurs seldom, as well as randomly. The reasons for this are myriad, but at the top of the list, is our being 'out-of-spiritual-condition'. Or, said another way, we lack the spiritual discipline necessary to consistently 'hear' what He is, daily, saying to each of us!


The following is a step-by-step discipline to spiritually position yourself to receive revelation. Caution: this is not a formula, in the sense that, if you do this, then this will happen. Spiritual intimacy is just that; the development of an intimate fellowship with one's Creator, where you move beyond religious superficiality, and into a living love affair with the One who is absolutely 'in love' with you!


In this blog, we will begin the journey by considering the first step toward receiving consistent revelation of one's relationship with his/her Lover: 
1) Acquisition


By definition, acquisition means: "the act of acquiring or gaining possession of". In our study, we are interested in acquiring a mental knowledge or understanding of Biblical truth. For the believer, any time he/she reads or hears God's Word, there is an intellectual acquisition of spiritual truth. Proverbs 16:16b states, "to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver." (NKJV)


In Western church culture, gaining or acquiring Biblical knowledge is deemed desirable, and is usually pursued by one's daily devotional reading and/or listening to the preaching/teaching of God's Word. Of the '4 step discipline' for receiving revelation, this step is the easiest, and the one most naturally practiced. However, it's the one most misunderstood and misused. Let me explain: the fallacy lies in our belief that when we have acquired an intellectual understanding of a spiritual truth, we are in 'full possession' of that truth - we are now ready to move on to the next doctrine . As important as gaining spiritual knowledge is, by itself alone, it will generate a religious pride that is as subtle as it is lethal. The apostle Paul stated it this way: "Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies".   1Cor.8:1 (NKJV)


Many reading this may be surprised at the above dynamic, so let's unpack it a little further. You may remember, in a previous blog, we considered how much importance and trust Western culture puts on the human capacity to 'think through' something, in order to gain a perspective of truth or reality on any given subject matter. Again, Paul disclosed the heresy of this belief: "So this I say and solemnly testify in [the name of] the Lord [as in His presence], that you must no longer live as the heathen(the Gentiles) do in their perverseness [in the folly, vanity, and emptiness of their souls and the futility] of their minds. Their moral understanding is darkened and their reasoning is beclouded. [They are] alienated (estranged, self-banished) from the life of God [with no share in it; this is] because of the ignorance (the want of knowledge and perception, the willful blindness) that is deep-seated in them, due to their hardness of heart [to the insensitiveness of their moral nature]. Eph.4:17,18  (Amplified)  Here, he is pointing out the fact that, even as born-again believers, we retain the capacity to 'think like' the heathen think!  It might be well to re-read the above Scripture with this point in mind. As far as spiritual truth is concerned, our brain does not have the capacity to arrive at spiritual understanding on its own. If there is a paradox here, it would be, that on the one hand, we need to acquire intellectual knowledge of the Scriptures. On the other hand, one must always keep in mind the fact that intellectually acquired knowledge of Biblical truth, in and of itself, leads to religious pride, not spiritual truth and maturity.


An analogy of the above might be likened to the starter on an automobile . . . its use should be confined to starting the engine, not propelling the car down the road. Intellectually acquired truth should be viewed as the start of a journey toward a revelatory experience with Truth, not the completion of that journey.


We will consider the second step toward receiving consistent revelation of one's relationship with his/her Lover in our next blog. 

              

Revelation: Foundation of the Church

In the gospel of Matthew, Chapter 16, verses 17 & 18, Jesus said to Peter:  "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.  And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it."  [NKJV]                                                                                                                

In Ephesians 1:17, the apostle Paul states: "[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, . . . "  [Amp]


If you live in the USA, have become 'born-again', and go, or have 'gone, to church' for any length of time, the above verses should be somewhat recognizable to you.  However, familiarity can be tricky in the sense that one may 'recognize' the content of a passage of Scripture, but not understand what the writer was actually trying to communicate, yet thinks he does.  This can be attributed, at least in part, to the reader's mental preconditioning at the time.  For example, how do you interpret the Matthew 16 verses above; was Jesus stating to Peter that He was going to build His church on the foundation of people who have come, and continue to come to a knowledge of Jesus Christ through the revelatory medium given by God, or was Jesus telling Peter He was going to build the church upon him as its foundation?  The above represent two totally different interpretations of these verses, however both cannot be correct!


Interpretation of Scriptures has been the dividing point between Christians for as long as there has been 'Christians'.  Who's to say which interpretation is an accurate representation of the writer's intent?  When consensus, regarding an issue of this importance, can not be arrived at, the usual course of action is to divide and take sides resulting in faction.  What is the solution when a scenario such as this develops between brethren?  One thing most of us would agree upon is division, resulting from differing perspectives of Scriptural interpretation, does not achieve the 'oneness' Jesus spoke of in John, Chapter 17.


Ironically, the solution is contained within the context of the two texts sited above, namely -- revelation! . . . not the last book in the Bible, but an 'unveiling of' that which has been written in Holy Writ by or through the agency of the Holy Spirit.  After all, He is the ultimate interpreter of the Word (Jn.16:13,14).  In the third chapter of Philippians, verse 15, Paul succinctly puts the issue of Scriptural elucidation into the purview of the Godhead.  Our problem, as Western Christians, is the preoccupation with our 'frontal lobes', or stated another way, the amount of trust we place in our ability to reason through a concept, believing that, through this process, we can come to accurate conclusions about spiritual truths.  Yet, the Scriptures unequivocally state that "the natural man" (more accurately translated "the man governed by his soul - mind, will, emotion")  [Gk. = psuchikos] cannot come to an accurate understanding of Scripture, since they are "spiritually discerned" (or accurately judged by him who is governed by the Spirit) [Gk. = pneumatikos] ICor.2:14.  Paul, in the next chapter verse 1, corroborates this concept, but uses a different word with virtually the same meaning: "And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people [pneumatikos], but as unto carnal, [sarkikos] . . ." [governed by human nature which indicates the use of one's mind, will, emotion].


Few Bible scholars would dispute that the apostle Paul's understanding of grace has set the standard for the doctrine of grace in Christendom. Interestingly, by Paul's own admission, he did not get this understanding through the mental gymnastics of his soul or anyone else's, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ (Gal.1:11,12).  It's no wonder that one of his prayers for the Church was that she would be given a spirit of revelation (Eph.1:17), since every aspect of Paul's gospel was revealed to him by the Spirit of God.  


When He came as the Lamb of God to the earth, Jesus never did one thing on His own initiative, but only that which He heard and saw His Father doing (Jn.5:19,30).  Although most Bible believers would rarely put it into these terms, one could accurately say that, as a result, everything Jesus did, He did by the revelation of the Father!  We conclude that Jesus always walked by faith during His first advent.


If the above thesis is accurate, one would, of necessity, have to come to the conclusion that without being in possession of revelation concerning spiritual truths found in any portion of Scripture, the most one could possibly have is an opinion . . . a conjecture.  On the other hand, when the Holy Spirit imparts revelation, you now have the faith of God concerning that word (Rom10:17) - "And this proves that faith comes from a Message heard, and that Message comes through its having been spoken by Christ."  [1912 Weymouth New Testament]  The question that should occupy our attention, in light of this, is: ". . . But when the Son of Man comes, will He find on this earth anyone with faith?" Lk.18:8b  [Contemporary English Version]


Next, we will consider the subject of how one can get himself into a place conducive for receiving revelation, thus becoming positioned for walking by Biblical faith.