Deuteronomy: the Most Quoted Book in the Bible
Whose sermons are quoted most in the Bible? The answer may surprise you. Just as the New Testament epistles are our primary
interpretive commentary on the historical narratives (the Gospels and Acts), the most venerated portion of the Old Testament -
the Torah - has, within it, its primary commentary in the form of three sermons by its principal author, Moses.
Moses was eminently qualified to speak for God. He was more than Israel's human Lawgiver: he was the founder of Israel's religion;
he was the mediator of the covenant at Sinai; he was Israel's first prophet. (Though God called Abraham a prophet, Israel did not
then exist as a nation.) Through Moses, God set such a high standard for the people that all subsequent prophets lived under his
shadow, never attaining to it, until the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Not surprisingly, the New Testament authors mentioned Moses more frequently than any other Old Testament person. His
concluding remarks after a 120-year lifetime have been handed down to us as the Book of Deuteronomy. Deuteronomy is
essentially a series of sermons by the greatest Old Testament prophet. Jesus Himself quoted more from Deuteronomy than from
any other portion of the Old Testament. (In a sense, Deuteronomy is the "Book of Romans" of the Old Testament.)
The Hebrew title of the book is 'elleh haddebarim ("these are the words") in keeping with the Hebrew custom of often titling a work
by its first word(s). The English title Deuteronomy stems from the Septuagint's mistranslation of Deuteronomy 17:18, "this
repetition of the Law." The Septuagint translated those words deuteronomion (deutero means "two" or "second," and nomion is
"law"; lit., "second Law"), which were rendered Deuteronomium in the Vulgate, Jerome's fourth-century Latin translation of the
Bible.
Moses' words were addressed to all Israel, an expression used at least 12 times in the book. Its frequent occurrence emphasizes
the unity of Israel which was brought about by God's mighty deliverance of the nation from Egypt, and by her acceptance of His
covenant at Sinai. They were uniquely God's people, the only nation on earth that had as its "Constitution" the Word of God.
Sometimes very crucial progress occurs at an excruciatingly slow pace. From Horeb to Kadesh Barnea was only about 200 miles.
The Israelites turned an 11-day journey - from Horeb (another word for Mount Sinai) to Kadesh Barnea, the first site for entering
into the Promised Land from the south - into a 40-year wandering in the wilderness before they came to their second potential site
for entering the land. It took only three days to get Israel out of Egypt; but it took 40 years to get "Egypt" out of Israel! As
Stephen pointed out centuries later, the Israelites had always been slow to believe God.
Moses' review of the Law includes many crucial issues such as the legitimacy of war, the role of capital punishment, divorce, as
well as the proper forms of worship, keeping the Sabbath, etc. But the surprise for many are the prophetic aspects of this
foundational book: the future history of Israel-including an astonishing prediction of the Holocaust, etc. However, all Scriptures are
Christ centered, so perhaps most challenging for the dedicated students are the "types" and "macrocodes" throughout the book.
We find them in the roles of the goel, the Kinsman-Redeemer, the cities of refuge, the levirate marriage, and the many calendar
issues.
God has not changed since then. Man has not changed since then. And God's primary message through His servant Moses was
Love. Not a list of do's and don'ts, not legalism, but relationship. And, of course, the ultimate consummation of all these things was,
and is, fulfilled in our Kinsman-Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ. God always rewards the diligent student, and a careful review of
this foundational book is guaranteed to be life-changing! See our Expositional Commentary on Deuteronomy for an in-depth study!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Obstructions to the New Covenant
Recently, I ran across an old writing by TA Sparks I had, which fit precisely into the
finishing pages of my book entitled, "The Dunghill: those things which block the living
presence of Christ in the Believer" I would like to share with you some of the most
dangerous forms of obstructions in the Christian life which hinder the work of God in and
through us. It is my prayer this article be considered in the light of the greater context of
this book. Without the contextual identity of the entire subject and the truth of the liberty
which exists by the work of the Holy Spirit, I fear the spirit this writing may appear to be
judgmental in nature. The central truth of the message of the cross of Christ is clear: there
is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts
4:12) There is simply no other pathway to justification and peace with God. There is no
other qualification to our eternal admittance into the presence of our Holy God than the
applied blood sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God upon the cross through faith in His
word.
First of all, there are the obvious things which obstruct the working of the Holy Spirit
within us; issues more commonly referred to as sin, or iniquity. These hindrances must be
repented of and must be cleansed from our life and heart by the applied blood sacrifice of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can have the stain of sin removed once and for all
by a sincere repentance and confident trust in the finished work of our Savior. The
1Scriptures declare emphatically that our sins, though red as crimson, shall be made white
like sheep's wool. 2They shall be forgotten, and thrown from the area of God’s
remembrance. God declared, He would separate them from His memory as far as the East
is from the West. In the Book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 16 and 17, we read the
prophetic words from Jeremiah's prophecy from chapter 31. God, in His greatest display
of grace and mercy, announces the irrevocable terms of a New Covenant. This covenant,
unlike the one instituted at the time of Moses, was based on the sole performance of God
Himself. This contractual agreement was not subject to man's works and ritualistic
observance of various practices and observances, but solely upon the work of the
Godhead on our behalf. The primary differences between the effects of this work are
itemized carefully in these scriptures for us to understand.
First and foremost, the in-dwelling life of Christ within each and every Believer, through
the work of the Spirit of God Himself, was a significant and primary difference between
the Old and New Covenant. The Apostle Paul taught throughout his writings of this
reality made possible only through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit working
within us, to make us an entirely new creation in the eyes of the Father. 3This is not a
remaking, or a renovation of the old, but a completely new being; created in the very
likeness and image of the Godhead, as the first Adam had been created. This new
creation is designed to carry the exact likeness of Christ, complete with the very nature
and characteristics of the Heavenly Father. Every aspect of the divine glory of God, as He
has existed since before the foundation of the world, is the very same glorious nature
which He has planned for each Believer to possess. This is the culmination of His plan
for mankind and the process of the maturation of the fruit for His pleasure. The overall
plan and purpose of the work and ministry of Christ, the Messiah, while on this earth was
to prepare this 4"new and living way", through His own sacrifice on the cross, whereby
we all may enter into the divine and eternal presence of the Almighty God. That old veil,
which separated the worshipers from the presence of God, was ripped away. Now, all
those who will approach the Father through the intercessory work of Christ have equal
and open access to the seat of mercy. The eternal blood of the Lamb has been applied,
and all is made open to those who approach in faith believing. The guardian cherubim
readily open their wings to expose the amazing grace, mercy, longsuffering, and
forgiveness of the Almighty God and Father. God's own righteous justice has been
satisfied once and for all. The result: no more remembrance of sin. There is the key! The
essence of the New Covenant, and the final fulfillment in the life of the child of God, is
the reality of the "sea of forgetfulness," where this powerful blood sacrifice has overpowered
the eternal damnation which awaits those who have offended the Law of God. It
is in the depths of this “sea” where the mercy of God triumphs over all demands for
justice. The grace of God, that powerful center piece of His divine glory, conquers over
every demand for judgment for all time. 5Represented by the brilliant red color of the
rainbow, grace always forms the outer covering of the blessed rainbow of God's promise
to Noah, just as this same grace shelters us from the attacks of the enemy of our souls.
Why then do we, as human beings, have so many continuing struggles with our
conscience? When a person commits an offense against God’s law, is convicted of the
sin, and receives forgiveness by faith in the work of Christ, God declares at that same
instant the blood of the Lamb of God has provided justification to satisfy His demands
for justice. He has also declared that He has completely forgotten the sin. Why then do
we continue to hang on to a guilty conscience? Why can we not live in the blessedness of
a cleansed life? Why do we continue to allow the enemy of our soul to accuse us,
especially when it is no business of his in the first place? Until we have received the
cleansing of our conscience we will not be able to approach the throne of the Father with
the boldness required to receive from Him. We approach His holy throne 6"in full
assurance of faith" because of the work of our great High Priest; our great Intercessor.
While our conscience continually condemns us, we are not living in the full awareness
and reality of the power of the blood of the cross of Christ. This, in reality, is an insult to
God's grace and His love. This double-mindedness is born from a diabolic spirit of
unbelief. When we approach the throne of God without the confidence and assurance of
forgiven and forgotten sin, we are in a most precarious position. We are asking for mercy
without the application of the eternal sacrifice of Christ. We stand naked and subject to
eternal damnation before a Holy God. Without the living reality of Christ in our life, we
have no claim to the forgiveness offered to us by the work of Christ on the cross. The
power of His eternal sacrifice has had no permanent effect on our life. We are counted as
a stranger, an alien, to the Kingdom of Heaven. We have no basis to partake of the eternal
life we are offered in Jesus Christ. The plan of our Almighty Father in Heaven is summed
up in these simple words: 7"That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith." The entire goal
of the Father from the beginning of the creation of mankind is that the life of man and
woman would carry a genetic identity which would unmistakably identify them as sons
and daughters of the Most High. To fulfill this goal, God the Father provided a clearly
marked path for all of mankind to walk upon toward full inclusion in the family of God.
The ministry of Christ on earth was to open the pathway to the peace of the presence of
the Father, which fulfilled the plan of 8"bringing of many sons and daughters to Glory".
Praise the Lord!
Hopefully, it is made clear then, the absolute and perfect position of the Believer, to make
it possible for him to stand 9"boldly before the throne of God", is for the Spirit of the
living Christ to dwell within each one. This is not possible as long as the sacrifice of
Christ upon the cross has had limited to none effect upon their life. The ultimate plan and
divinely expressed goal of the Godhead is the in-dwelling life of Christ in the Believer’s
life. A perfectly clear conscience is representative of this fact and reality. May we press
forward in our life with Christ to the revelation of the profound work of Christ in us. This
is the 10"hope of Glory". This is what all of creation waits to see become a reality,
“groaning with eager anticipation”. Yes, indeed all of Heaven and earth and the entire
Universe awaits this 11“manifestation of the sons and daughters of the Most High God”.
The Creator, that Great Architect of the Universe, has designed an inherent empty spot in
everything which will be filled with this reality. It all rests upon the will of mankind; on
you and I. The Godhead has completed all the work. Now, it's incumbent upon our everpresent
consciousness 12"to press toward the mark of this high calling of God in Christ
Jesus". This is possible to achieve in the life of those who have received forgiveness of
sin and a clean conscience before God. May the life of Christ dwell fully within each of
us as we seek to please Him.
The second primary difference between the Old and the New Covenant I would like to
discuss is found also in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 6, in the opening verses of this
chapter. There are six specific dangerous obstructions listed in the first two verses which
will hinder the realization of the in-dwelling life of Christ in the Believer. It is not my
intent to itemize these six things, but only to refer to them in general. If we look at these
items individually, it may astonish most of us to realize these items are seemingly
harmless. However, in fact, each of these items represent the type of issues which have
divided the Body of Christ for centuries. Endless bickering and often violent arguments
have divided entire nations. These insidious items have led zealots and extremists to
commit murder of thousands upon thousands of innocent lives throughout history. A
prime example of this is seen in the aftermath of the Great Reformation period, where
men, women and children were hunted down like animals and put to death because the
Church leaders judged them as heretics. Then, nearly 100 years after this time, once
again, the now-accepted leaders of the Reformation went after those, whom history has
referred to as the Brethren of the Anabaptist Movement. Once again, thousands of
innocent lives were slaughtered on the streets of Europe and elsewhere. History records
many such black marks on the pages of humanity. Indeed, even in our day, our daily
news is cluttered with the religious struggles of extremists and zealots seeking to conquer
the infidels.
So, are these things dangerous? Oh yes, but let us look at these issues in general terms as
Paul has listed them here in this verse. This is what I would like to suggest to you: when
we walk through our Christian life completely taken up with 13"defending" the doctrines
of our fathers, (which is what these are), we have excluded the presence of the indwelling
Christ from our consciousness. We are too busy trying to get these issues settled
among ourselves to walk in the truth and light of the reality of the in-dwelling life of
Christ. Once again, the goal of the divine purpose of God is set aside and all of Creation
has to go on waiting and groaning until the time of the manifestation of the sons and
daughters of God. Clearly, these divisive issues, which seem to be present in the Church
in every generation, need to become settled by each person individually. These are
referred to here in the Book of Hebrews as "principles"; elementary issues. Throughout
the writing to the Hebrews and also to the Corinthians, Paul referred to these issues as the
14“milk”, or the “first principles of the oracles of God”. In the Book of Galatians, the
Apostle Paul went into even greater detail with the listing of these issues which divide
and destroy the unity in the Body of Christ, and render it powerless. The writing to the
Galatians detailed the type of traditions and practices which were born through the
centuries of Jewish practices and observances. Indeed, the listing is endless as history is
long. The point is, the New Covenant set aside these issues as elementary but
foundational to faith. It is important for the "babe in Christ" to settle these issues in their
own life.
There is, however, a much more serious work for the Believer to commit his life to.
Hebrews 6:1 specifically states this priority as, "let us go on unto perfection", or
completion, maturity. Let's all just simply "grow up"! Seek the in-dwelling presence of
the Living Christ as the most important goal of your life. The Apostle Paul declared near
the end of his life, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His suffering.” May we all share in this glorious ambition with the passion
and determination present with Brother Paul, as he wrote, “this one thing I do…”. Let all
other arguments cease and fade with the importance of the realization of this one goal.
1Isaiah 1:18
2 Psalm 103:12
32Cor5:17, Gal 6:15
4 Heb 10:20
5 Ezekiel 1:28
6 Heb 10:22
7 Eph 3:17
8 Heb 2:10
9 Heb 4:16
10 Col 1:27
11 Rom 8:19
12 Phil 3:14
13 Jude 1:3
14 1Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12,13; 1Peter 2:2
Recently, I ran across an old writing by TA Sparks I had, which fit precisely into the
finishing pages of my book entitled, "The Dunghill: those things which block the living
presence of Christ in the Believer" I would like to share with you some of the most
dangerous forms of obstructions in the Christian life which hinder the work of God in and
through us. It is my prayer this article be considered in the light of the greater context of
this book. Without the contextual identity of the entire subject and the truth of the liberty
which exists by the work of the Holy Spirit, I fear the spirit this writing may appear to be
judgmental in nature. The central truth of the message of the cross of Christ is clear: there
is no other name under Heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Acts
4:12) There is simply no other pathway to justification and peace with God. There is no
other qualification to our eternal admittance into the presence of our Holy God than the
applied blood sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God upon the cross through faith in His
word.
First of all, there are the obvious things which obstruct the working of the Holy Spirit
within us; issues more commonly referred to as sin, or iniquity. These hindrances must be
repented of and must be cleansed from our life and heart by the applied blood sacrifice of
our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We can have the stain of sin removed once and for all
by a sincere repentance and confident trust in the finished work of our Savior. The
1Scriptures declare emphatically that our sins, though red as crimson, shall be made white
like sheep's wool. 2They shall be forgotten, and thrown from the area of God’s
remembrance. God declared, He would separate them from His memory as far as the East
is from the West. In the Book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 16 and 17, we read the
prophetic words from Jeremiah's prophecy from chapter 31. God, in His greatest display
of grace and mercy, announces the irrevocable terms of a New Covenant. This covenant,
unlike the one instituted at the time of Moses, was based on the sole performance of God
Himself. This contractual agreement was not subject to man's works and ritualistic
observance of various practices and observances, but solely upon the work of the
Godhead on our behalf. The primary differences between the effects of this work are
itemized carefully in these scriptures for us to understand.
First and foremost, the in-dwelling life of Christ within each and every Believer, through
the work of the Spirit of God Himself, was a significant and primary difference between
the Old and New Covenant. The Apostle Paul taught throughout his writings of this
reality made possible only through the miraculous power of the Holy Spirit working
within us, to make us an entirely new creation in the eyes of the Father. 3This is not a
remaking, or a renovation of the old, but a completely new being; created in the very
likeness and image of the Godhead, as the first Adam had been created. This new
creation is designed to carry the exact likeness of Christ, complete with the very nature
and characteristics of the Heavenly Father. Every aspect of the divine glory of God, as He
has existed since before the foundation of the world, is the very same glorious nature
which He has planned for each Believer to possess. This is the culmination of His plan
for mankind and the process of the maturation of the fruit for His pleasure. The overall
plan and purpose of the work and ministry of Christ, the Messiah, while on this earth was
to prepare this 4"new and living way", through His own sacrifice on the cross, whereby
we all may enter into the divine and eternal presence of the Almighty God. That old veil,
which separated the worshipers from the presence of God, was ripped away. Now, all
those who will approach the Father through the intercessory work of Christ have equal
and open access to the seat of mercy. The eternal blood of the Lamb has been applied,
and all is made open to those who approach in faith believing. The guardian cherubim
readily open their wings to expose the amazing grace, mercy, longsuffering, and
forgiveness of the Almighty God and Father. God's own righteous justice has been
satisfied once and for all. The result: no more remembrance of sin. There is the key! The
essence of the New Covenant, and the final fulfillment in the life of the child of God, is
the reality of the "sea of forgetfulness," where this powerful blood sacrifice has overpowered
the eternal damnation which awaits those who have offended the Law of God. It
is in the depths of this “sea” where the mercy of God triumphs over all demands for
justice. The grace of God, that powerful center piece of His divine glory, conquers over
every demand for judgment for all time. 5Represented by the brilliant red color of the
rainbow, grace always forms the outer covering of the blessed rainbow of God's promise
to Noah, just as this same grace shelters us from the attacks of the enemy of our souls.
Why then do we, as human beings, have so many continuing struggles with our
conscience? When a person commits an offense against God’s law, is convicted of the
sin, and receives forgiveness by faith in the work of Christ, God declares at that same
instant the blood of the Lamb of God has provided justification to satisfy His demands
for justice. He has also declared that He has completely forgotten the sin. Why then do
we continue to hang on to a guilty conscience? Why can we not live in the blessedness of
a cleansed life? Why do we continue to allow the enemy of our soul to accuse us,
especially when it is no business of his in the first place? Until we have received the
cleansing of our conscience we will not be able to approach the throne of the Father with
the boldness required to receive from Him. We approach His holy throne 6"in full
assurance of faith" because of the work of our great High Priest; our great Intercessor.
While our conscience continually condemns us, we are not living in the full awareness
and reality of the power of the blood of the cross of Christ. This, in reality, is an insult to
God's grace and His love. This double-mindedness is born from a diabolic spirit of
unbelief. When we approach the throne of God without the confidence and assurance of
forgiven and forgotten sin, we are in a most precarious position. We are asking for mercy
without the application of the eternal sacrifice of Christ. We stand naked and subject to
eternal damnation before a Holy God. Without the living reality of Christ in our life, we
have no claim to the forgiveness offered to us by the work of Christ on the cross. The
power of His eternal sacrifice has had no permanent effect on our life. We are counted as
a stranger, an alien, to the Kingdom of Heaven. We have no basis to partake of the eternal
life we are offered in Jesus Christ. The plan of our Almighty Father in Heaven is summed
up in these simple words: 7"That Christ may dwell in your heart by faith." The entire goal
of the Father from the beginning of the creation of mankind is that the life of man and
woman would carry a genetic identity which would unmistakably identify them as sons
and daughters of the Most High. To fulfill this goal, God the Father provided a clearly
marked path for all of mankind to walk upon toward full inclusion in the family of God.
The ministry of Christ on earth was to open the pathway to the peace of the presence of
the Father, which fulfilled the plan of 8"bringing of many sons and daughters to Glory".
Praise the Lord!
Hopefully, it is made clear then, the absolute and perfect position of the Believer, to make
it possible for him to stand 9"boldly before the throne of God", is for the Spirit of the
living Christ to dwell within each one. This is not possible as long as the sacrifice of
Christ upon the cross has had limited to none effect upon their life. The ultimate plan and
divinely expressed goal of the Godhead is the in-dwelling life of Christ in the Believer’s
life. A perfectly clear conscience is representative of this fact and reality. May we press
forward in our life with Christ to the revelation of the profound work of Christ in us. This
is the 10"hope of Glory". This is what all of creation waits to see become a reality,
“groaning with eager anticipation”. Yes, indeed all of Heaven and earth and the entire
Universe awaits this 11“manifestation of the sons and daughters of the Most High God”.
The Creator, that Great Architect of the Universe, has designed an inherent empty spot in
everything which will be filled with this reality. It all rests upon the will of mankind; on
you and I. The Godhead has completed all the work. Now, it's incumbent upon our everpresent
consciousness 12"to press toward the mark of this high calling of God in Christ
Jesus". This is possible to achieve in the life of those who have received forgiveness of
sin and a clean conscience before God. May the life of Christ dwell fully within each of
us as we seek to please Him.
The second primary difference between the Old and the New Covenant I would like to
discuss is found also in the Book of Hebrews, chapter 6, in the opening verses of this
chapter. There are six specific dangerous obstructions listed in the first two verses which
will hinder the realization of the in-dwelling life of Christ in the Believer. It is not my
intent to itemize these six things, but only to refer to them in general. If we look at these
items individually, it may astonish most of us to realize these items are seemingly
harmless. However, in fact, each of these items represent the type of issues which have
divided the Body of Christ for centuries. Endless bickering and often violent arguments
have divided entire nations. These insidious items have led zealots and extremists to
commit murder of thousands upon thousands of innocent lives throughout history. A
prime example of this is seen in the aftermath of the Great Reformation period, where
men, women and children were hunted down like animals and put to death because the
Church leaders judged them as heretics. Then, nearly 100 years after this time, once
again, the now-accepted leaders of the Reformation went after those, whom history has
referred to as the Brethren of the Anabaptist Movement. Once again, thousands of
innocent lives were slaughtered on the streets of Europe and elsewhere. History records
many such black marks on the pages of humanity. Indeed, even in our day, our daily
news is cluttered with the religious struggles of extremists and zealots seeking to conquer
the infidels.
So, are these things dangerous? Oh yes, but let us look at these issues in general terms as
Paul has listed them here in this verse. This is what I would like to suggest to you: when
we walk through our Christian life completely taken up with 13"defending" the doctrines
of our fathers, (which is what these are), we have excluded the presence of the indwelling
Christ from our consciousness. We are too busy trying to get these issues settled
among ourselves to walk in the truth and light of the reality of the in-dwelling life of
Christ. Once again, the goal of the divine purpose of God is set aside and all of Creation
has to go on waiting and groaning until the time of the manifestation of the sons and
daughters of God. Clearly, these divisive issues, which seem to be present in the Church
in every generation, need to become settled by each person individually. These are
referred to here in the Book of Hebrews as "principles"; elementary issues. Throughout
the writing to the Hebrews and also to the Corinthians, Paul referred to these issues as the
14“milk”, or the “first principles of the oracles of God”. In the Book of Galatians, the
Apostle Paul went into even greater detail with the listing of these issues which divide
and destroy the unity in the Body of Christ, and render it powerless. The writing to the
Galatians detailed the type of traditions and practices which were born through the
centuries of Jewish practices and observances. Indeed, the listing is endless as history is
long. The point is, the New Covenant set aside these issues as elementary but
foundational to faith. It is important for the "babe in Christ" to settle these issues in their
own life.
There is, however, a much more serious work for the Believer to commit his life to.
Hebrews 6:1 specifically states this priority as, "let us go on unto perfection", or
completion, maturity. Let's all just simply "grow up"! Seek the in-dwelling presence of
the Living Christ as the most important goal of your life. The Apostle Paul declared near
the end of his life, “that I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His suffering.” May we all share in this glorious ambition with the passion
and determination present with Brother Paul, as he wrote, “this one thing I do…”. Let all
other arguments cease and fade with the importance of the realization of this one goal.
1Isaiah 1:18
2 Psalm 103:12
32Cor5:17, Gal 6:15
4 Heb 10:20
5 Ezekiel 1:28
6 Heb 10:22
7 Eph 3:17
8 Heb 2:10
9 Heb 4:16
10 Col 1:27
11 Rom 8:19
12 Phil 3:14
13 Jude 1:3
14 1Cor 3:2; Heb 5:12,13; 1Peter 2:2
Conversations on the Gift of Woundedness
On Feb 5, 2009, at 5:54 AM, "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
wrote:
So, without the discontent you sense, would you be consciously seeking the Lord and His
power in your life??... I somehow don't think so, Matt. You see, this is also one of the
tools the Holy Spirit employs to communicate with us, and "draw" us to Christ, if you
will. The distinct advantage you have in your life is a sense of being aware what is
lacking. Compared to someone who has had little exposure to the work of the Lord, you
are exremely advantaged. So, use this "stirring" of the Holy Spirit; don't lose the
opportunity to move toward the Lord and the peace of His divine presence. These are
special times in our life when the Lord draws us toward Himself.
If I can make a suggestion to you which I promise will pour great blessings into your
spiritual life... keep a journal or a small notebook and a pen handy as much as possible, or
even a small digital recorder. Carry it in your pants pocket if you have to, and lay it on a
table within reach of your bed. Use it to record "thoughts" or "words" which the Holy
Spirit speaks into your consciousness. He may speak these things to you in the early
morning hours or in the middle of the day, but I assure you, He WILL speak to you. At
first you may think you are "hearing" your own thoughts, but just jot it down anyway
(you can always stroke it off or erase it later). Then periodically review these notes, and
see what the Lord is beginning to say to you. You may have a sudden "urge" to pray, or
speak just a few words of praise to the Lord... record it! Don't disregard or dismiss
anything as a mere thought. You focus your mind and heart and emotions passionately on
the direction you are moving and keep the image of a smiling Jesus Christ standing in the
distance with His arms wide open waiting to hug you. That mental image you "see" is not
a phigment of your imagination... it is real! Just forget about the commentaries for
awhile, and the opinions of "leaders", and focus your passion and energies in this glorious
opportunity. The clutter in your mind will try to compete with your attentiion, but
consciously renw your determination and passion, and "picture yourself walking directly
toward the Lord. Picture this, every single angel in Heaven will be watching this process
unfold in your life. You see, this opportunity has never been given to them; they were
simply created as angelic beings for distinct tasks and roles to fill in the spiritual realm.
Your own guardian angel, who is observing your daily life, will shout this announcement
to ring throughout Heaven... "Matthew Zacharias is seeking a new life in the presence of
the Lord!"... and there will be excitement and anticipation in Heaven and throughout the
spiritual realm. Why?... because they too remember our Lord's words of promises... "If
you seek Me, you will find Me!"... and, "Those who find Me will never be
disappointed!"... and, "I and My Father together will come and fellowship with you!".
They know that this person who seeks and finds the Lord's presence in a greater and
deeper way will unleash the glory of the Lord throughout the entire spiritual realm. Once
again, the forces of evil will be banished and new ground taken for the Kingdom of God.
Angels get excited about this kind of stuff! Ha!
What do you think?? Take a wild, flying, leap at it, Matt! You have nothing to lose, and
an entire new life in Christ to gain... the odds of success are stacked in your favor! Go for
it! NOW is the time you have been dreaming about! Jump!
There's an old hymn that goes like this...
The mercy of God is an ocean divine,
a bottomless, fathomless, sea;
Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,
out where the full tides flow!
ch:
Launch out into the deep, oh let the full tides flow;
Launch out, Launch out in the ocean divine,
Out where the full tides flow.
(something like that... I think it is an old AB Simpson hymn, or someone like that)
Have a great day!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from Matt & Jenny Zacharias
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
So I read through this email again so that I could respond. Sorry it took me so long. I've
just been going through some stuff - I'm not even sure what, exactly. Just been a bit
discouraged at the state of my walk with Christ. Anyway, I do find it interesting in
reading this article how woundedness should be something we embrace and use it as a
tool to honor God and stretch our boundaries so that we can love God more deeply. Even
now as I go through these times of discouragement, I should use it to grow in Christ,
taking my mind of silly old me and let God's truthes grow even deeper in my life.
And I just wanted you to know that your words are always taken to heart. I always tell
people with great joy how you are my spiritual mentor and just how blessed I am to have
you in my life. I know you have to be patient with me, but I appreciate all you share. It's
always thought provoking and keeps me going in the right direction. Well, I better get to
bed. Talk to you later,
Your student,
Matt
Sent from my iPod
On Jan 31, 2009, at 7:20 AM, "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
wrote:
OK, Matt...
Sorry, I should have given you a heads up on what I am doing before just putting this
over on you.
You see, I had the benefit of reading this BEFORE I took the self-quiz... note the
"answers" below...
This is written by Francis Frangipane (one of my favorite contemporary writers) from
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is actually a part of a book he wrote called "Woundedness"
which is in the stores right now. His central theme is without woundedness,
Christlekeness is impossible. I am taking his course on "Christlikeness" by
correspondance over the internet.
Let me know your thoughts...
The Gift Of Woundedness
The world and all it contains was created for one purpose: to showcase the
grandeur of God’s Son. In Jesus, the nature of God is magnificently and
perfectly revealed; He is the “express image” of God (Heb 1:3). Yet to gaze
upon Christ is also to see God’s pattern for man. As we seek to be like Him,
we discover that our need was created for His sufficiency. We also see that,
once the redemptive nature of Christ begins to triumph in our lives, mercy
begins to triumph in the world around us.
How will we recognize revival when it comes? Behold, here is the awakening
we seek: men and women, young and old, all conformed to Jesus. When will
revival begin? It starts the moment we say “yes” to becoming like Him; it
spreads to others as Christ is revealed through us.
Yet to embrace Christ’s attitude toward mercy is but a first step in our
spiritual growth. The process of being transformed calls us to deeper degrees
of transformation. Indeed, just as Jesus learned obedience through the
things that He suffered (see Heb 5:8), so also must we. And it is here, even
while we stand in intercession or service to God, that He gives us the gift of
woundedness.
“Gift?” you ask. Yes, to be wounded in the service of mercy and, instead of
closing our hearts, allow woundedness to crown love, is to release God’s
power in redemption. The steadfast prayer of the wounded intercessor holds
great sway upon the heart of God.
We cannot become Christlike without experiencing woundedness. You see,
even after we come to Christ, we carry encoded within us preset limits
concerning how far we will go for love, and how much we are willing to suffer
for redemption. The wounding exposes those human boundaries and reveals
what we lack of His nature.
The path narrows as we seek true transformation. Indeed, many Christians
fall short of Christ’s stature because they have been hurt and offended by
people. They leave churches discouraged, vowing never again to serve or
lead or contribute because, when they offered themselves, their gift was
marred by unloving people. To be struck or rejected in the administration of
mercy can become a great offense to us, especially as we are waiting for,
and even expecting, a reward for our good efforts.
Yet wounding is inevitable if we are following Christ. Jesus was both “marred”
(Isa 52:14) and “wounded” (Zech 13:6), and if we are sincere in our pursuit
of His nature, we will suffer as well. How else will love be perfected?
Let us beware. We either become Christlike and forgive, or we enter a
spiritual time warp where we abide continually in the memory of our
wounding. Like a systemic disease, the hurtful memories destroy every
aspect of our reality. In truth, apart from God, the wounding that life inflicts
is incurable. God has decreed that only Christ in us can survive.
Intercessors live on the frontier of change. We are positioned to stand
between the needs of man and the provision of God. Because we are the
agents of redemption, Satan will always seek the means to offend,
discourage, silence, or otherwise steal the strength of our prayers. The
wounding we receive must be interpreted in light of God’s promise to reverse
the effects of evil and make them work for our good (see Rom 8:28). Since
spiritual assaults are inevitable, we must discover how God uses our wounds
as the means to greater power. This was exactly how Christ brought
redemption to the world.
Jesus knew that maintaining love and forgiveness in the midst of suffering
was the key that unlocked the power of redemption. Isaiah 53:11 tells us,
“By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as
He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus possessed “revelation knowledge” into the mystery of God. He knew
that the secret to unleashing world-transforming power was found at the
cross. The terrible offense of the cross became the place of redemption for
the world. Yet, remember, Jesus calls us to a cross as well (see Matt 16:24).
Wounding is simply an altar upon which our sacrifice to God is prepared.
Listen again to Isaiah’s prophetic description of Jesus’ life. His words, at first,
seem startling, but as we read, we discover a most profound truth
concerning the power of woundedness. He wrote,
"But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would
render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong
His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand." —
Isaiah 53:10
How did Jesus obtain the power of God’s pleasure and have it prosper in His
hands? During His times of crushing, woundedness, and devastation, instead
of retaliating, He rendered Himself “as a guilt offering.”
The crushing is not a disaster; it is an opportunity. You see, our purposeful
love may or may not touch the sinner’s heart, but it always touches the heart
of God. We are crushed by people, but we need to allow the crushing to
ascend as an offering to God. The far greater benefit is the effect our mercy
has on the Father. If we truly want to be instruments of God’s good pleasure,
then it is redemption, not wrath, that must prosper in our hands.
So, when Christ encounters conflict, even though He is the Lion of Judah, He
comes as the Lamb of God. Even when He is outwardly stern, His loving
heart is always mindful that He is the “guilt offering.” Thus, Jesus not only
asks the Father to forgive those who have wounded Him, but also numbers
Himself with the transgressors and intercedes for them (see Isa 53:12). He
does this because the Father takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked”
(Ezek 33:11), and it is the pleasure of God that Jesus seeks.
Is this not the wonder and mystery, yes, and the power, of Christ’s cross? In
anguish and sorrow, wounded in heart and soul, still He offered Himself for
His executioners’ sins. Without visible evidence of success, deemed a sinner
and a failure before man, He courageously held true to mercy. In the depth
of terrible crushing, He let love attain its most glorious perfection. He uttered
the immortal words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they
are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Christ could have escaped. He told Peter as the Romans came to arrest Him,
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at
My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53) In less than a
heartbeat, the skies would have been flooded with thousands of warring
angels. Yes, Jesus could have escaped, but mankind would have perished.
Christ chose to go to hell for us rather than return to heaven without us.
Instead of condemning mankind, He rendered “Himself as a guilt offering”
(Isa 53:10, italics mine). He prayed the mercy prayer, “Father, forgive them”
(Luke 23:34).
Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also”
(John 14:12). We assume He meant that we would work His miracles, but
Jesus did not limit His definition of “works” to the miraculous. The works He
did—-the redemptive life, the mercy cry, the identification with sinners,
rendering Himself a guilt offering—-all the works He did, we will “do also.”
Thus, because He lives within us, we see that Isaiah 53 does not apply
exclusively to Jesus; it also becomes the blueprint for Christ in us. Indeed,
was this not part of His reward, that He would see His offspring? (see Isa
53:10) Beloved, we are the progeny of Christ.
Read these words from Paul’s heart:
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share
on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in
ChristâC™s afflictions." —Colossians 1:24
What did the apostle mean? Did not Christ fully pay mankind’s debts once
and for all? Did Paul imply that we now take Jesus’ place? No, we will never
take Jesus’ place. It means that Jesus has come to take our place. The Son
of God manifests all the aspects of His redemptive, sacrificial life through us.
Indeed, “as He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
Paul not only identified with Christ in his personal salvation, but he was also
consumed with Christ’s purpose. He wrote, “That I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death” (Phil 3:10).
What a wondrous reality is the “fellowship of His sufferings.” Here, in
choosing to yoke our existence with Christ’s purpose, we find true friendship
with Jesus. This is intimacy with Christ. The sufferings of Christ are not the
sorrows typically endured by mankind; they are the afflictions of love. They
bring us closer to Jesus. United with Him, we increase the pleasure of God.
Let’s pray: Father, I see You have had no other purpose in my life but to
manifest through me the nature of Your Son. I receive the gift of
woundedness. In response, in surrender to Christ, I render myself an offering
for those You’ve used to crush me. May the fragrance of my worship remind
You of Jesus, and may You forgive, sprinkle, and cleanse the world around
me.
The Gift Of Woundedness. (answers to self-test)
1.b, 2.b, 3.c, 4.d, 5.b, 6.d, 7.b, 8.d.
By the way, your score was 62.5%... take it again! Ha!
Let's talk about this more...
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
I have answered your questions, which by the way, I am very thankful for! I did answer most of
the questions (my answers are in red). I don’t know if I could explain all my answers, but I did
choose the ones I though most appropriate. For instance, question #1. I know the answers are
not “a”, “c”, or “d” but could not explain why “our need was created for His sufficiency” or even
what that means. My thought process would be more of a knowing that, by Him all things were
created and for Him all things were created (Col 1:16) therefore I am created for God. I’m not
sure what you mean by being created for His sufficiency. But it sounds nice. Question #6 is the
only one I did not answer because I have never associated that passage with anything else other
then miracles. Not that you’re wrong, I just am not sure about your answers. I know you are
taking quite a bit of time out to make those questions for me. I really appreciate it. I look
forward to your insight on these questions.
Your student,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 6:37 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: a short quiz...
Hello, Matt...
I have a short quiz for you... your answers, please.
Darrell
1. As we seek the fullness of Christ, we discover:
a. it’s absolutely not going to happen
b. our need was created for His sufficiency
c. all we really need to become is nice people
d. there is no way
2. Once the redemptive nature of Christ begins to triumph in our lives, mercy
begins to:
a. fade
b. triumph through us into the world around us
c. look for a means to escape
d. live
3. It is through woundedness that love will be:
a. destroyed
b. lost
c. perfected
d. squished
4. Jesus knew that maintaining ______ and ______ in the midst of suffering
unjustly was the key that unlocked the power of redemption.
a. Bible study and discussion
b. gossip and jogging
c. spiritual gossip & exercise
d. love and forgiveness
5. Crushing is not a disaster. It is an:
a. event
b. opportunity
c. episode
d. exercise
6. In John 14:12 Jesus does not limit His works (that we will also do) to
miracles. Rather, the works include:
a. identification with sinners
b. the mercy cry
c. rendering ourselves a guilt offering
d. all the above
e. ???
7. In Philippians 3:10 we learn that we are not only to be identified with
Christ in our personal salvation, but also consumed with:
a. guilt
b. Christ’s purpose
c. studying
d. reading
8. What a wondrous reality is the “fellowship of His sufferings.” Here in
choosing to yoke our existence with Christ’s purpose, we find true:
a. unity with the Lord
b. friendship with Jesus
c. intimacy with Christ
d. all the above
-------------
Quote:
“Jesus not only asks the Father to forgive those who have wounded Him, but
also numbers Himself with the transgressors and intercedes for them (see
Isa 53:12). He does this because the Father takes ‘no pleasure in the death
of the wicked’ (Ezek 33:11), and it is the pleasure of God that Jesus seeks.”
On Feb 5, 2009, at 5:54 AM, "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
wrote:
So, without the discontent you sense, would you be consciously seeking the Lord and His
power in your life??... I somehow don't think so, Matt. You see, this is also one of the
tools the Holy Spirit employs to communicate with us, and "draw" us to Christ, if you
will. The distinct advantage you have in your life is a sense of being aware what is
lacking. Compared to someone who has had little exposure to the work of the Lord, you
are exremely advantaged. So, use this "stirring" of the Holy Spirit; don't lose the
opportunity to move toward the Lord and the peace of His divine presence. These are
special times in our life when the Lord draws us toward Himself.
If I can make a suggestion to you which I promise will pour great blessings into your
spiritual life... keep a journal or a small notebook and a pen handy as much as possible, or
even a small digital recorder. Carry it in your pants pocket if you have to, and lay it on a
table within reach of your bed. Use it to record "thoughts" or "words" which the Holy
Spirit speaks into your consciousness. He may speak these things to you in the early
morning hours or in the middle of the day, but I assure you, He WILL speak to you. At
first you may think you are "hearing" your own thoughts, but just jot it down anyway
(you can always stroke it off or erase it later). Then periodically review these notes, and
see what the Lord is beginning to say to you. You may have a sudden "urge" to pray, or
speak just a few words of praise to the Lord... record it! Don't disregard or dismiss
anything as a mere thought. You focus your mind and heart and emotions passionately on
the direction you are moving and keep the image of a smiling Jesus Christ standing in the
distance with His arms wide open waiting to hug you. That mental image you "see" is not
a phigment of your imagination... it is real! Just forget about the commentaries for
awhile, and the opinions of "leaders", and focus your passion and energies in this glorious
opportunity. The clutter in your mind will try to compete with your attentiion, but
consciously renw your determination and passion, and "picture yourself walking directly
toward the Lord. Picture this, every single angel in Heaven will be watching this process
unfold in your life. You see, this opportunity has never been given to them; they were
simply created as angelic beings for distinct tasks and roles to fill in the spiritual realm.
Your own guardian angel, who is observing your daily life, will shout this announcement
to ring throughout Heaven... "Matthew Zacharias is seeking a new life in the presence of
the Lord!"... and there will be excitement and anticipation in Heaven and throughout the
spiritual realm. Why?... because they too remember our Lord's words of promises... "If
you seek Me, you will find Me!"... and, "Those who find Me will never be
disappointed!"... and, "I and My Father together will come and fellowship with you!".
They know that this person who seeks and finds the Lord's presence in a greater and
deeper way will unleash the glory of the Lord throughout the entire spiritual realm. Once
again, the forces of evil will be banished and new ground taken for the Kingdom of God.
Angels get excited about this kind of stuff! Ha!
What do you think?? Take a wild, flying, leap at it, Matt! You have nothing to lose, and
an entire new life in Christ to gain... the odds of success are stacked in your favor! Go for
it! NOW is the time you have been dreaming about! Jump!
There's an old hymn that goes like this...
The mercy of God is an ocean divine,
a bottomless, fathomless, sea;
Launch out, launch out in the ocean divine,
out where the full tides flow!
ch:
Launch out into the deep, oh let the full tides flow;
Launch out, Launch out in the ocean divine,
Out where the full tides flow.
(something like that... I think it is an old AB Simpson hymn, or someone like that)
Have a great day!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Hey Darrell,
So I read through this email again so that I could respond. Sorry it took me so long. I've
just been going through some stuff - I'm not even sure what, exactly. Just been a bit
discouraged at the state of my walk with Christ. Anyway, I do find it interesting in
reading this article how woundedness should be something we embrace and use it as a
tool to honor God and stretch our boundaries so that we can love God more deeply. Even
now as I go through these times of discouragement, I should use it to grow in Christ,
taking my mind of silly old me and let God's truthes grow even deeper in my life.
And I just wanted you to know that your words are always taken to heart. I always tell
people with great joy how you are my spiritual mentor and just how blessed I am to have
you in my life. I know you have to be patient with me, but I appreciate all you share. It's
always thought provoking and keeps me going in the right direction. Well, I better get to
bed. Talk to you later,
Your student,
Matt
Sent from my iPod
On Jan 31, 2009, at 7:20 AM, "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
wrote:
OK, Matt...
Sorry, I should have given you a heads up on what I am doing before just putting this
over on you.
You see, I had the benefit of reading this BEFORE I took the self-quiz... note the
"answers" below...
This is written by Francis Frangipane (one of my favorite contemporary writers) from
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is actually a part of a book he wrote called "Woundedness"
which is in the stores right now. His central theme is without woundedness,
Christlekeness is impossible. I am taking his course on "Christlikeness" by
correspondance over the internet.
Let me know your thoughts...
The Gift Of Woundedness
The world and all it contains was created for one purpose: to showcase the
grandeur of God’s Son. In Jesus, the nature of God is magnificently and
perfectly revealed; He is the “express image” of God (Heb 1:3). Yet to gaze
upon Christ is also to see God’s pattern for man. As we seek to be like Him,
we discover that our need was created for His sufficiency. We also see that,
once the redemptive nature of Christ begins to triumph in our lives, mercy
begins to triumph in the world around us.
How will we recognize revival when it comes? Behold, here is the awakening
we seek: men and women, young and old, all conformed to Jesus. When will
revival begin? It starts the moment we say “yes” to becoming like Him; it
spreads to others as Christ is revealed through us.
Yet to embrace Christ’s attitude toward mercy is but a first step in our
spiritual growth. The process of being transformed calls us to deeper degrees
of transformation. Indeed, just as Jesus learned obedience through the
things that He suffered (see Heb 5:8), so also must we. And it is here, even
while we stand in intercession or service to God, that He gives us the gift of
woundedness.
“Gift?” you ask. Yes, to be wounded in the service of mercy and, instead of
closing our hearts, allow woundedness to crown love, is to release God’s
power in redemption. The steadfast prayer of the wounded intercessor holds
great sway upon the heart of God.
We cannot become Christlike without experiencing woundedness. You see,
even after we come to Christ, we carry encoded within us preset limits
concerning how far we will go for love, and how much we are willing to suffer
for redemption. The wounding exposes those human boundaries and reveals
what we lack of His nature.
The path narrows as we seek true transformation. Indeed, many Christians
fall short of Christ’s stature because they have been hurt and offended by
people. They leave churches discouraged, vowing never again to serve or
lead or contribute because, when they offered themselves, their gift was
marred by unloving people. To be struck or rejected in the administration of
mercy can become a great offense to us, especially as we are waiting for,
and even expecting, a reward for our good efforts.
Yet wounding is inevitable if we are following Christ. Jesus was both “marred”
(Isa 52:14) and “wounded” (Zech 13:6), and if we are sincere in our pursuit
of His nature, we will suffer as well. How else will love be perfected?
Let us beware. We either become Christlike and forgive, or we enter a
spiritual time warp where we abide continually in the memory of our
wounding. Like a systemic disease, the hurtful memories destroy every
aspect of our reality. In truth, apart from God, the wounding that life inflicts
is incurable. God has decreed that only Christ in us can survive.
Intercessors live on the frontier of change. We are positioned to stand
between the needs of man and the provision of God. Because we are the
agents of redemption, Satan will always seek the means to offend,
discourage, silence, or otherwise steal the strength of our prayers. The
wounding we receive must be interpreted in light of God’s promise to reverse
the effects of evil and make them work for our good (see Rom 8:28). Since
spiritual assaults are inevitable, we must discover how God uses our wounds
as the means to greater power. This was exactly how Christ brought
redemption to the world.
Jesus knew that maintaining love and forgiveness in the midst of suffering
was the key that unlocked the power of redemption. Isaiah 53:11 tells us,
“By His knowledge the Righteous One, My Servant, will justify the many, as
He will bear their iniquities.”
Jesus possessed “revelation knowledge” into the mystery of God. He knew
that the secret to unleashing world-transforming power was found at the
cross. The terrible offense of the cross became the place of redemption for
the world. Yet, remember, Jesus calls us to a cross as well (see Matt 16:24).
Wounding is simply an altar upon which our sacrifice to God is prepared.
Listen again to Isaiah’s prophetic description of Jesus’ life. His words, at first,
seem startling, but as we read, we discover a most profound truth
concerning the power of woundedness. He wrote,
"But the LORD was pleased to crush Him, putting Him to grief; if He would
render Himself as a guilt offering, He will see His offspring, He will prolong
His days, and the good pleasure of the LORD will prosper in His hand." —
Isaiah 53:10
How did Jesus obtain the power of God’s pleasure and have it prosper in His
hands? During His times of crushing, woundedness, and devastation, instead
of retaliating, He rendered Himself “as a guilt offering.”
The crushing is not a disaster; it is an opportunity. You see, our purposeful
love may or may not touch the sinner’s heart, but it always touches the heart
of God. We are crushed by people, but we need to allow the crushing to
ascend as an offering to God. The far greater benefit is the effect our mercy
has on the Father. If we truly want to be instruments of God’s good pleasure,
then it is redemption, not wrath, that must prosper in our hands.
So, when Christ encounters conflict, even though He is the Lion of Judah, He
comes as the Lamb of God. Even when He is outwardly stern, His loving
heart is always mindful that He is the “guilt offering.” Thus, Jesus not only
asks the Father to forgive those who have wounded Him, but also numbers
Himself with the transgressors and intercedes for them (see Isa 53:12). He
does this because the Father takes “no pleasure in the death of the wicked”
(Ezek 33:11), and it is the pleasure of God that Jesus seeks.
Is this not the wonder and mystery, yes, and the power, of Christ’s cross? In
anguish and sorrow, wounded in heart and soul, still He offered Himself for
His executioners’ sins. Without visible evidence of success, deemed a sinner
and a failure before man, He courageously held true to mercy. In the depth
of terrible crushing, He let love attain its most glorious perfection. He uttered
the immortal words, “Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they
are doing” (Luke 23:34).
Christ could have escaped. He told Peter as the Romans came to arrest Him,
“Do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at
My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matt 26:53) In less than a
heartbeat, the skies would have been flooded with thousands of warring
angels. Yes, Jesus could have escaped, but mankind would have perished.
Christ chose to go to hell for us rather than return to heaven without us.
Instead of condemning mankind, He rendered “Himself as a guilt offering”
(Isa 53:10, italics mine). He prayed the mercy prayer, “Father, forgive them”
(Luke 23:34).
Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also”
(John 14:12). We assume He meant that we would work His miracles, but
Jesus did not limit His definition of “works” to the miraculous. The works He
did—-the redemptive life, the mercy cry, the identification with sinners,
rendering Himself a guilt offering—-all the works He did, we will “do also.”
Thus, because He lives within us, we see that Isaiah 53 does not apply
exclusively to Jesus; it also becomes the blueprint for Christ in us. Indeed,
was this not part of His reward, that He would see His offspring? (see Isa
53:10) Beloved, we are the progeny of Christ.
Read these words from Paul’s heart:
"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share
on behalf of His body, which is the church, in filling up what is lacking in
ChristâC™s afflictions." —Colossians 1:24
What did the apostle mean? Did not Christ fully pay mankind’s debts once
and for all? Did Paul imply that we now take Jesus’ place? No, we will never
take Jesus’ place. It means that Jesus has come to take our place. The Son
of God manifests all the aspects of His redemptive, sacrificial life through us.
Indeed, “as He is, so also are we in this world” (1 John 4:17).
Paul not only identified with Christ in his personal salvation, but he was also
consumed with Christ’s purpose. He wrote, “That I may know Him and the
power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death” (Phil 3:10).
What a wondrous reality is the “fellowship of His sufferings.” Here, in
choosing to yoke our existence with Christ’s purpose, we find true friendship
with Jesus. This is intimacy with Christ. The sufferings of Christ are not the
sorrows typically endured by mankind; they are the afflictions of love. They
bring us closer to Jesus. United with Him, we increase the pleasure of God.
Let’s pray: Father, I see You have had no other purpose in my life but to
manifest through me the nature of Your Son. I receive the gift of
woundedness. In response, in surrender to Christ, I render myself an offering
for those You’ve used to crush me. May the fragrance of my worship remind
You of Jesus, and may You forgive, sprinkle, and cleanse the world around
me.
The Gift Of Woundedness. (answers to self-test)
1.b, 2.b, 3.c, 4.d, 5.b, 6.d, 7.b, 8.d.
By the way, your score was 62.5%... take it again! Ha!
Let's talk about this more...
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Hey Darrell,
I have answered your questions, which by the way, I am very thankful for! I did answer most of
the questions (my answers are in red). I don’t know if I could explain all my answers, but I did
choose the ones I though most appropriate. For instance, question #1. I know the answers are
not “a”, “c”, or “d” but could not explain why “our need was created for His sufficiency” or even
what that means. My thought process would be more of a knowing that, by Him all things were
created and for Him all things were created (Col 1:16) therefore I am created for God. I’m not
sure what you mean by being created for His sufficiency. But it sounds nice. Question #6 is the
only one I did not answer because I have never associated that passage with anything else other
then miracles. Not that you’re wrong, I just am not sure about your answers. I know you are
taking quite a bit of time out to make those questions for me. I really appreciate it. I look
forward to your insight on these questions.
Your student,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 30, 2009 6:37 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: a short quiz...
Hello, Matt...
I have a short quiz for you... your answers, please.
Darrell
1. As we seek the fullness of Christ, we discover:
a. it’s absolutely not going to happen
b. our need was created for His sufficiency
c. all we really need to become is nice people
d. there is no way
2. Once the redemptive nature of Christ begins to triumph in our lives, mercy
begins to:
a. fade
b. triumph through us into the world around us
c. look for a means to escape
d. live
3. It is through woundedness that love will be:
a. destroyed
b. lost
c. perfected
d. squished
4. Jesus knew that maintaining ______ and ______ in the midst of suffering
unjustly was the key that unlocked the power of redemption.
a. Bible study and discussion
b. gossip and jogging
c. spiritual gossip & exercise
d. love and forgiveness
5. Crushing is not a disaster. It is an:
a. event
b. opportunity
c. episode
d. exercise
6. In John 14:12 Jesus does not limit His works (that we will also do) to
miracles. Rather, the works include:
a. identification with sinners
b. the mercy cry
c. rendering ourselves a guilt offering
d. all the above
e. ???
7. In Philippians 3:10 we learn that we are not only to be identified with
Christ in our personal salvation, but also consumed with:
a. guilt
b. Christ’s purpose
c. studying
d. reading
8. What a wondrous reality is the “fellowship of His sufferings.” Here in
choosing to yoke our existence with Christ’s purpose, we find true:
a. unity with the Lord
b. friendship with Jesus
c. intimacy with Christ
d. all the above
-------------
Quote:
“Jesus not only asks the Father to forgive those who have wounded Him, but
also numbers Himself with the transgressors and intercedes for them (see
Isa 53:12). He does this because the Father takes ‘no pleasure in the death
of the wicked’ (Ezek 33:11), and it is the pleasure of God that Jesus seeks.”
The Beautitudes
OK... let's get started on the Beattitudes... but, I am asking you at the beginning of this;
keep these 2 things in the forefront of your mind as we study together: Number 1, these
Beattitudes are actually conditions of the heart; in other words, they are attitudes.
Number 2, the order in which these are listed in Matthew chapter 5, is significant in
that they appear to be revealing a certain
progression of spiritual development.
With these 2 things in mind (we will discuss the importance and validitiy of these 2
presumptions as we go), now take a look at your own questions you sent in the last email.
What do you think, now? So, let's set aside the discussion on your question temporarily,
and start with the beginning of this chapter...
Matt 5:1...Notice how the Lord withdrew from the crowds in order to teach His own 12
disciples some very fundamental things. I believe He realized the kind of demands which
were going to be placed on the disciples themselves as they eventually began to serve the
needs of the crowds which would develop around Jesus, so He wanted to get their own
hearts in the right position or attitude for service. They needed an attitude adjustment in
order to be prepared for the draining and tiresome work of ministering to the needs of the
people.
Then in verse 2 we read some very valuable words... ...and He opened His mouth, and
taught them... . Now what is so significant about those words??... well, let's look back just
one chapter to the time Jesus spent in the Wilderness being tested by Satan. The very first
test Satan threw at Him was concerning His own needs... namely, His own physical
hunger, which is certainly understandable, since He had eaten nothing for 40 days prior to
this time. "Command these stones to be made bread... satisfy your own cravings, first...
your own desires are improtant, too, you know! Look after numero uno, above of all!!...
after all what good are you if you are sick or incapacitated??" Do you get the picture??
Look at Jesus' reply... Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything which comes
from the mouth of God. No, I did not misquote that verse... Jesus sated He was quoting
an Old Testament verse, namely, Deut 8:3, which does not contain the word "word" at
all, but, states that man is to live by everything which comes from the mouth of God. He
was speaking only what He had heard His own Father speak many years prior. Man is to
live by all the life-giving power and the living and active nature of the Spirit of God
living in us to feed us of the food of Heaven. Jesus said in John chapter 4:34... My
food/nourishment is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work. This is
the life-sustaining nourishment which He has planned for us to live by on this earth, and
indeed, for all of eternity.
Do you get the picture... the first prerequisite to spiritual development culminating into a
mature son or daughter of God, having the spiritual DNA of the Godhead, and fulfilling a
task on this earth which prepares us individually for our eternal existance as a child of the
Almighty God; the primary thing, above all other things... is to find all our nourishment
and sustainence from all which comes from the mouth of the Lord. This source of meat
and drink is infinately more valuable than realizing anything which attracts our attention
on this earth. This goes for anything at all... from acts of service to lifting a finger in
response to a need. I wish I could make this point even more pointedly... absolutely
nothing has higher in priority than this one thing!!
OK... now it's your turn... thoughts, please...
Darrell
OK... let's keep going with this discussion on the Beatitudes...
The first four Beatitudes listed here in Matt chapter 5 seem to focus on the response of
man to the working of the Spirit of God within him. Specifically, when man sees his
neediness, and recognizes the seriousness of the state of depravity of his evil heart, he is
drawn ever so lovingly by the Holy Spirit of God toward the light of His divine truth and
righteousness. As the love and grace of God shines brightly into his heart and reveals the
pathway to the cross of Christ, he becomes overwhelmed with the awful sorrow of his
rebellion and stubbornness, which has led to the state of the wounded and suffering
Savior. He realizes his own sin has caused the shedding of the innocent blood of the
spotless Lamb of God. In this state of mourning and grieving over his sin, the Spirit of
the Lord comes to him and comforts him. Immediately, his imminent sentence of "guilty
as charged" is commuted. He receives the assurance of forgiveness and experiences the
washing away of the sin and even the stain of it. From this place of being born again of
the Spirit, and receiving the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit of God, the pilgrim
walks once again in this world with full and complete memories of the state he has just
been made totally new. For the simple reason that it was not of his own doings, nor of his
own abilities, that he has obtained this new life in Christ, he walks among his former
friends and family as one who owes his entire existence to the King of kings and the Lord
of lords. He also walks daily to please His Redeemer and Savior. This is the power and
strength of the humble person who is meek as his Lord Jesus Christ. He realizes his only
source for the food for which he has cravings for is the Lord Himself. He hungers for
anything he can receive from the hand of the Lord. And, oh, the cool, refreshing water of
life which flows freely from the throne of God... this is the only water which satisfies his
thirstiness. He receives his fill daily from his Lord and Savior.
So, these first four progressive steps refer to the inner working between the Godhead and
the soul of man. Then we come to the next three stages. These next steps seem to be more
focused on the intimacy of a relationship which is in every way closer than any brother,
sister, mother, or father of this earth. This relationship is even closer than the intimacy
existing between husband and wife. The first step in this group is specifically referring to
those who have received the mercy of the Lord. No person can come in contact with the
mercy and compassion of the resurrected Christ and ever hope to remain unchanged. The
change is complete and radical. The one who has received the work of God's mercy to
them becomes one who shows mercy now to others. He or she cannot help it. They have
been made into a new creation by the work of mercy in their own life, and what was not
in their nature to do before, now they freely show mercy as one who has a new nature. In
Matthew 9:13 and 12:7, Jesus refers to the heart of His Father when He repeats His
Father's own words... I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. In James 2:13 we read these
words, Mercy rejoices (exalts over, boasts over, is victorious over) judgment. Or, in other
words, "mercy is more powerful than judgment; mercy conquers judgment." Hebrews
chapter 4, at the end of the chapter, states that we have in Heaven a High Priest who
understands our weaknesses, and therefore has mercy and compassion on us. He knows
what we are going through. So, in the last verse of that chapter, verse 16, we find these
words, Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy
and find grace to help in our time of need. In Hebrews 9:5, we see the name given to the
covering of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant is "Mercy Seat". This is the place
where the blood of the atonement for sin was to be sprinkled every year, bringing with
the action a reminder of the absolute need for cleansing from sin. Even in the Old
Testament prophesies we have reference to the powerful nature of mercy over the
application of judgment. Take a look at Micah 6:6-8... Wherewith shall I come before the
Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
and calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten
thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression; the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul? He hath shown thee, O man, what is good. What doth the Lord
require of thee? But, to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. James
chapter 1 and verse 27 states this truth in other words... Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The work of mercy in our life is to change
us into those who will show mercy. This amazingly powerful force, which triumphs over
judgment, requires much more than human determination or discipline to accomplish. It
requires the one showing the mercy to have first of all received it.
The next step in this group of changes of the nature of man by the power of God's Holy
Spirit residing within is the receiving of a pure heart. Now, obviously most people will
place this concept alongside the use of the word "perfection", and say, "Well, we are just
now going to be like this till we get to Heaven." Well, clearly, we are not talking about
man's own tendency to excuse himself of inadvertent slips of human error or immoral
behavior. We are speaking of a changed heart... one which is pure in God's eyes. First
Timothy 1:5 says this, Now the end of the commandment is charity (agape) out of a pure
heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned... (sincerity). Think about that for
a bit... the whole essence of the Law of God is love from a pure heart. Jesus said that the
greatest law was to love God with all the heart, etc., and thy neighbor as thyself... on
these 2 statements the entirety of God's Law given to rule and guide mankind, and also all
of the prophesies of all the Prophets are summed up in these two statements. There is
clearly a state of purity in our heart which is achievable in this life here on this earth, and
as Christians, we are called to be such. But, look at what is the "reward" or the experience
of such a one... (Matt 5:8)... Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Wow!
Now there's something we all should want... to see God! Who of those who have been
washed and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb would not want to see God?? Obviously,
something is wrong in the life of the Believer who seeks to hide from the face of the
Lord... right?? Sure we want to see God! But, this isn't speaking primarily of physical
eyesight. Clearly, this is speaking of having our spiritual eyes opened to see God. Jesus
referred to the spiritual senses we all possess, and of the sad state of man who has eyes
and ears and cannot see or hear. He also told His disciples that He would speak to certain
groups of people in parables so they would not be able to see or hear the true meaning of
His words. On another occasion, Jesus told His disciples that whoever has "seen" Him
has "seen" the Father. This comment was in response to a request from one of them of
their desire to "see" God. Also, I believe the gift of spiritual eyesight is given so we can
"see" the characteristics of Christ in those around us, and thereby be able to embrace
them as part of the household of God. Second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18 says
that as we "look upon" the (glory/nature/characteristics) of the Lord, we ourselves are
changed (by the process of metamorphosis) into Christ's own likeness, progressively. It
starts with receiving the spiritual sense of sight, and ends in the transformation of our
nature into the nature of Christ. Now, this is not some powerless gospel... this is
powerful! We are talking about being born again and living in a new life in Christ till we
become like Him.
The third and final stage in this new man with the likeness of Christ being a reality is
seen in verse 9 of Matthew chapter 5. Jesus said this, Blessed are the peacemakers; for
they shall be called the children of God. The beauty of this verse is slightly obscured by
the English translation from the early Greek texts, resulting in a phrase which seems to be
saying, "people will refer to the peacemakers as children of God". However, if you follow
the Greek words and their placement here, even if all you do is use the Strong's dictionary
to get a preview of what is being stated, the actual text seems to be saying, "Those who
make peace... will be called to become the sons (and daughters) of God." Now this is
consistent with John chapter 1, verse 12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. In Romans
chapter 8, verse 14, we read, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of
God. Also, the New Covenant God made with man after the Old Covenant had suffered
irreparable breeches, stated that God Himself would put His laws in our heart, and write
them on our mind, and that He would live within us (by His Spirit) and walk in us, and
that those are the ones who He would refer to as sons and daughters of His own. So, those
who make peace are not primarily those who make peace between brothers, but first of
all, one who makes peace with his Heavenly Father to the result of God living within
these individuals, empowering them to acts of faith and love and service.
Now, these are seven stages, or steps of progressive spiritual development for mankind.
There remains one more Beatitude for our discussion, which I will deal with separately.
This is the final step or goal of the life which bears the image and likeness of Christ. So,
until the next time...
So, how about your thoughts now on the first 7...??
OK... let's get started on the Beattitudes... but, I am asking you at the beginning of this;
keep these 2 things in the forefront of your mind as we study together: Number 1, these
Beattitudes are actually conditions of the heart; in other words, they are attitudes.
Number 2, the order in which these are listed in Matthew chapter 5, is significant in
that they appear to be revealing a certain
progression of spiritual development.
With these 2 things in mind (we will discuss the importance and validitiy of these 2
presumptions as we go), now take a look at your own questions you sent in the last email.
What do you think, now? So, let's set aside the discussion on your question temporarily,
and start with the beginning of this chapter...
Matt 5:1...Notice how the Lord withdrew from the crowds in order to teach His own 12
disciples some very fundamental things. I believe He realized the kind of demands which
were going to be placed on the disciples themselves as they eventually began to serve the
needs of the crowds which would develop around Jesus, so He wanted to get their own
hearts in the right position or attitude for service. They needed an attitude adjustment in
order to be prepared for the draining and tiresome work of ministering to the needs of the
people.
Then in verse 2 we read some very valuable words... ...and He opened His mouth, and
taught them... . Now what is so significant about those words??... well, let's look back just
one chapter to the time Jesus spent in the Wilderness being tested by Satan. The very first
test Satan threw at Him was concerning His own needs... namely, His own physical
hunger, which is certainly understandable, since He had eaten nothing for 40 days prior to
this time. "Command these stones to be made bread... satisfy your own cravings, first...
your own desires are improtant, too, you know! Look after numero uno, above of all!!...
after all what good are you if you are sick or incapacitated??" Do you get the picture??
Look at Jesus' reply... Man does not live by bread alone, but by everything which comes
from the mouth of God. No, I did not misquote that verse... Jesus sated He was quoting
an Old Testament verse, namely, Deut 8:3, which does not contain the word "word" at
all, but, states that man is to live by everything which comes from the mouth of God. He
was speaking only what He had heard His own Father speak many years prior. Man is to
live by all the life-giving power and the living and active nature of the Spirit of God
living in us to feed us of the food of Heaven. Jesus said in John chapter 4:34... My
food/nourishment is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work. This is
the life-sustaining nourishment which He has planned for us to live by on this earth, and
indeed, for all of eternity.
Do you get the picture... the first prerequisite to spiritual development culminating into a
mature son or daughter of God, having the spiritual DNA of the Godhead, and fulfilling a
task on this earth which prepares us individually for our eternal existance as a child of the
Almighty God; the primary thing, above all other things... is to find all our nourishment
and sustainence from all which comes from the mouth of the Lord. This source of meat
and drink is infinately more valuable than realizing anything which attracts our attention
on this earth. This goes for anything at all... from acts of service to lifting a finger in
response to a need. I wish I could make this point even more pointedly... absolutely
nothing has higher in priority than this one thing!!
OK... now it's your turn... thoughts, please...
Darrell
OK... let's keep going with this discussion on the Beatitudes...
The first four Beatitudes listed here in Matt chapter 5 seem to focus on the response of
man to the working of the Spirit of God within him. Specifically, when man sees his
neediness, and recognizes the seriousness of the state of depravity of his evil heart, he is
drawn ever so lovingly by the Holy Spirit of God toward the light of His divine truth and
righteousness. As the love and grace of God shines brightly into his heart and reveals the
pathway to the cross of Christ, he becomes overwhelmed with the awful sorrow of his
rebellion and stubbornness, which has led to the state of the wounded and suffering
Savior. He realizes his own sin has caused the shedding of the innocent blood of the
spotless Lamb of God. In this state of mourning and grieving over his sin, the Spirit of
the Lord comes to him and comforts him. Immediately, his imminent sentence of "guilty
as charged" is commuted. He receives the assurance of forgiveness and experiences the
washing away of the sin and even the stain of it. From this place of being born again of
the Spirit, and receiving the comforting presence of the Holy Spirit of God, the pilgrim
walks once again in this world with full and complete memories of the state he has just
been made totally new. For the simple reason that it was not of his own doings, nor of his
own abilities, that he has obtained this new life in Christ, he walks among his former
friends and family as one who owes his entire existence to the King of kings and the Lord
of lords. He also walks daily to please His Redeemer and Savior. This is the power and
strength of the humble person who is meek as his Lord Jesus Christ. He realizes his only
source for the food for which he has cravings for is the Lord Himself. He hungers for
anything he can receive from the hand of the Lord. And, oh, the cool, refreshing water of
life which flows freely from the throne of God... this is the only water which satisfies his
thirstiness. He receives his fill daily from his Lord and Savior.
So, these first four progressive steps refer to the inner working between the Godhead and
the soul of man. Then we come to the next three stages. These next steps seem to be more
focused on the intimacy of a relationship which is in every way closer than any brother,
sister, mother, or father of this earth. This relationship is even closer than the intimacy
existing between husband and wife. The first step in this group is specifically referring to
those who have received the mercy of the Lord. No person can come in contact with the
mercy and compassion of the resurrected Christ and ever hope to remain unchanged. The
change is complete and radical. The one who has received the work of God's mercy to
them becomes one who shows mercy now to others. He or she cannot help it. They have
been made into a new creation by the work of mercy in their own life, and what was not
in their nature to do before, now they freely show mercy as one who has a new nature. In
Matthew 9:13 and 12:7, Jesus refers to the heart of His Father when He repeats His
Father's own words... I will have mercy, and not sacrifice. In James 2:13 we read these
words, Mercy rejoices (exalts over, boasts over, is victorious over) judgment. Or, in other
words, "mercy is more powerful than judgment; mercy conquers judgment." Hebrews
chapter 4, at the end of the chapter, states that we have in Heaven a High Priest who
understands our weaknesses, and therefore has mercy and compassion on us. He knows
what we are going through. So, in the last verse of that chapter, verse 16, we find these
words, Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we might obtain mercy
and find grace to help in our time of need. In Hebrews 9:5, we see the name given to the
covering of the Old Testament Ark of the Covenant is "Mercy Seat". This is the place
where the blood of the atonement for sin was to be sprinkled every year, bringing with
the action a reminder of the absolute need for cleansing from sin. Even in the Old
Testament prophesies we have reference to the powerful nature of mercy over the
application of judgment. Take a look at Micah 6:6-8... Wherewith shall I come before the
Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings,
and calves a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten
thousand rivers of oil? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression; the fruit of my body
for the sin of my soul? He hath shown thee, O man, what is good. What doth the Lord
require of thee? But, to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God. James
chapter 1 and verse 27 states this truth in other words... Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this: to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction,
and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The work of mercy in our life is to change
us into those who will show mercy. This amazingly powerful force, which triumphs over
judgment, requires much more than human determination or discipline to accomplish. It
requires the one showing the mercy to have first of all received it.
The next step in this group of changes of the nature of man by the power of God's Holy
Spirit residing within is the receiving of a pure heart. Now, obviously most people will
place this concept alongside the use of the word "perfection", and say, "Well, we are just
now going to be like this till we get to Heaven." Well, clearly, we are not talking about
man's own tendency to excuse himself of inadvertent slips of human error or immoral
behavior. We are speaking of a changed heart... one which is pure in God's eyes. First
Timothy 1:5 says this, Now the end of the commandment is charity (agape) out of a pure
heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned... (sincerity). Think about that for
a bit... the whole essence of the Law of God is love from a pure heart. Jesus said that the
greatest law was to love God with all the heart, etc., and thy neighbor as thyself... on
these 2 statements the entirety of God's Law given to rule and guide mankind, and also all
of the prophesies of all the Prophets are summed up in these two statements. There is
clearly a state of purity in our heart which is achievable in this life here on this earth, and
as Christians, we are called to be such. But, look at what is the "reward" or the experience
of such a one... (Matt 5:8)... Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God. Wow!
Now there's something we all should want... to see God! Who of those who have been
washed and cleansed by the blood of the Lamb would not want to see God?? Obviously,
something is wrong in the life of the Believer who seeks to hide from the face of the
Lord... right?? Sure we want to see God! But, this isn't speaking primarily of physical
eyesight. Clearly, this is speaking of having our spiritual eyes opened to see God. Jesus
referred to the spiritual senses we all possess, and of the sad state of man who has eyes
and ears and cannot see or hear. He also told His disciples that He would speak to certain
groups of people in parables so they would not be able to see or hear the true meaning of
His words. On another occasion, Jesus told His disciples that whoever has "seen" Him
has "seen" the Father. This comment was in response to a request from one of them of
their desire to "see" God. Also, I believe the gift of spiritual eyesight is given so we can
"see" the characteristics of Christ in those around us, and thereby be able to embrace
them as part of the household of God. Second Corinthians chapter 3 and verse 18 says
that as we "look upon" the (glory/nature/characteristics) of the Lord, we ourselves are
changed (by the process of metamorphosis) into Christ's own likeness, progressively. It
starts with receiving the spiritual sense of sight, and ends in the transformation of our
nature into the nature of Christ. Now, this is not some powerless gospel... this is
powerful! We are talking about being born again and living in a new life in Christ till we
become like Him.
The third and final stage in this new man with the likeness of Christ being a reality is
seen in verse 9 of Matthew chapter 5. Jesus said this, Blessed are the peacemakers; for
they shall be called the children of God. The beauty of this verse is slightly obscured by
the English translation from the early Greek texts, resulting in a phrase which seems to be
saying, "people will refer to the peacemakers as children of God". However, if you follow
the Greek words and their placement here, even if all you do is use the Strong's dictionary
to get a preview of what is being stated, the actual text seems to be saying, "Those who
make peace... will be called to become the sons (and daughters) of God." Now this is
consistent with John chapter 1, verse 12, But as many as received Him, to them He gave
the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name. In Romans
chapter 8, verse 14, we read, For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of
God. Also, the New Covenant God made with man after the Old Covenant had suffered
irreparable breeches, stated that God Himself would put His laws in our heart, and write
them on our mind, and that He would live within us (by His Spirit) and walk in us, and
that those are the ones who He would refer to as sons and daughters of His own. So, those
who make peace are not primarily those who make peace between brothers, but first of
all, one who makes peace with his Heavenly Father to the result of God living within
these individuals, empowering them to acts of faith and love and service.
Now, these are seven stages, or steps of progressive spiritual development for mankind.
There remains one more Beatitude for our discussion, which I will deal with separately.
This is the final step or goal of the life which bears the image and likeness of Christ. So,
until the next time...
So, how about your thoughts now on the first 7...??
Conversations on Kingdom Principles
From: "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
Save
Address
To: benmiller_16@hotmail.com (Ben Miller); ruthie-miller@hotmail.com
Subject: re: another writing to Matt...
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009 7:17:08 AM [View Source]
Reputation: No information. Show details
Ahhh... you see this is how we uncover the root of the issue... the will of man, and the
free volition one has; choices, desires, attractions, passion, contrasting interests and
responsibilities, and, ultimately... a DIVIDED HEART. Isn't this REALLY where the
problem seems to exist, especially in our North American church?? Is it any wonder
why the "power" of God ( dunamis/miracle-working mighty resurrection power) is not
prevelent inside the typical congregation to heal the sick, cast out deamons, expose the
sinister plans of the enemy to disrupt and divide, and conquer all strongholds of the
enemy in our midst?? You see, the real reason why is because so few us will follow
passionately the road the bloody and battered Lamb has walked ahead of us. I can
promise you, it is an all-out passion... one must not be dabbling, but completely soldout
to Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Why should God entrust His
divinity and His mighty power to the hands of ministers who want a part-time, halfhearted,
take-it-or-leave-it, self-promoting, lazy, service to Him?? God is not looking
to increase His wealth by selling off piece-meal bites and pieces of His power to this
kind of individual. NEVER! He is looking for sons and daughters who will follow
Him through the wind, fire, and floods... with eyes and ears tuned in to His voice as
their primary and the default setting. These are the ones He can simply whisper in their
ears during the lonely nights on their knees before Him... seeking for the life-giving
water which is only flowing from His being into theirs'. They have no attraction to the
many voices clamoring around them to be heard, or to buy this book or that. They
don't need to mercilessly beat themselves into times and seasons of prayer and
devotion... it is more like, from out of the depths of their innermost being there is a
hunger and a thirst for what's real, and a deep-unto-deep crying, which they know
from past experience can only be satisfied by a season in the presence of the Lord God
Himself. Conrary to many popular authors and so-called Christian leaders, these times
are not by our own design as far as the right time and the right place. These times are
"set-up" and directed by divine appointment by the Holy Spirit of the Living God.
Let me make myself perfectly clear, the only place true death to the old nature can take
place is when we are "planted together" into the death of Christ. I don't want to be
misundersood on this point. Paul spoke of dying daily (ICor15:31)... and it is a daily
process in our walk with the Lord. The provision our Savior made for us is the
spiritual reality of the ordinance of Baptism. Most people who have attended church
for very long, or read many books about the Christian life, are familiar with the words
of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, especially chapters 6-8. Am I correct? There are
probably few other portions of Scripture which are analyzed and preached on more
than portions of these chapters. Yet, I challenge you to read very carefully through
chapter 6 right now... notice the clear teaching on the very issues we are discussing...
the place of dying to the old nature, the new life of Christ transforming us, being set
free from the life of sin and unrighteousness, living in the new life of righteousness
and power... what do you think?? Where does the life lived full of the supernatural
power of God get its infusion of God's nature?? Also, read further of the spiritual work
in Baptism in Colossians chapter 2, and also in IPeter chapter 3.
With regard to conflicting interests presenting themselves as ligitimate choices
compared to spending time in devotion and prayer... come on!... don't we do the things
we WANT to?? Who has to be coaxed to give their time to just simple pleasures and
entertainment in life? Why is devotion and refreshing communion with the Lord
presented to our will to choose as out-and-out drudgery?? I'll tell you why... it is
because there is so little life-changing power coming out of those times spent
previously with the Lord, that there is no compelling desire to go there again. So, we
blame simple, innocent, inanimate objects such as computers and televisions for our
lack of spiritual passion, instead of laying the responsibility squarely on the shoulder
of the one responsible... the arch-enemy of our souls... Satan! You see, he knows for a
certainty that if he can obstruct a person's pathway to the streams of living water, it
won't be long till the soil of that person's heart gets dried up and parched, and the seed
of the word of the Lord will be greatly hindered from sprouting and growing into a
mighty tree of life for the Kingdom of Heaven. At issue here is the lack of meaningful
times of refreshing in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Here's
the truth... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness fo they shall be
filled! and, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God! and,
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
As far as what seems to be my stubbornness in attending a local church goes... let me
explain... I was called and ordained to the ministry as an evangelist on October 16,
1983, through the divine inspiration of our Lord's gift of prophesy, which He gave to
the Church, when He ascended to the Heaven to sit at the right hand of Almighty God
and Father of us all. I have never shyed away from ministering where the Lord sends
me. I follow the direction of the Holy Spirit to pray for those who are in need;
sometimes quietly and privately, and other times by anointing with oil and laying my
hands on them. Since we have arrived in Western Canada, almost 2-1/2 years ago now,
we have been seeking the Lord's leadership as to where to serve or attend, as some
people would say. The way things have gone, we have been led to various meetings
either in our own home or in someone else's home or in a restaurant or nursing home.
Sometimes, it will be on Sundays... but more often, it is more of a spontaneous
meeting, and could take place any day of the week. I have been blessed by the Lord,
personally, because He has sent Eldon Boldt and another man, Jake Thiessen from
Plenty, SK, and my own Dad, into my life as those to provide counsel and
oversight for me. I really appreciate these people, as they have faithfully and
graciously listened to my many struggles and questions regarding the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God. So, this is how the Lord has led us. My primary interest and goal is
to hear more clearly the voice of the Lord and to sense His direction in my life each
and every day. He has chosen me as one to experience some things which seem far out
to some folks, but I have never questioned or rejected His dealings with me. I am
learning little by little what it means to exercise the spiritual senses in my own life. I,
by no means, am an expert at this, or above disappointment or delusion. But, I have a
firm commitment and a burning desire to know God more today than yesterday, and to
know Him even more tomorrow... that's my desire and my goal. My service is
primarily to my Lord and Savior, and only to people when and as He directs. Please
pray that I will be faithful to the end of my days. Thank You.
OK... enough for now.
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Ok, that was really good, but we are still required to come before God to chose and to obey
Him. Death only takes place when we choose to come before God and ask Him to change us.
To spend time in the fire so the chaff can be burned off. And yes I agree that it is not a case
of saying we have to spend this or that much time before God but the truth is we cannot be
changed without making that choice and picking up our cross and following Him. Choosing
time in the Word over time in my video game or sports. I understand that Matthew
Zacharias cannot change himself, but I still must choose to abide in the One who can which of
course is Jesus. I think often I am drawn to spend time in the Word but have chosen foolishly
and I would like to change that. The question I have is that if God is not in the remodeling
business but into the 100% new construction, then why are so many “Christians” just a mask
of what they were. Where is that life giving power of God that should be in our churches?
Even our church at South Lawrence is having issues. Why isn’t the power of God at work like
it should be. God promised that the disciples that in the last days there would be even
greater miracles done then when Jesus was on the earth, yet it seems in North American
churches that there are more cobwebs then people with that power of God evident in their
lives. I’ll tell you what, I thank God that I have you in my life to inject these life giving
principles in my life. Oh how I need that mentorship.
My only challenge to you would be is this, why do you not use your gifts and the things God
has taught you to instill them into a local church? It seems you have so many valuable things
that people need to hear. I’m not saying this because I think you should be a card carrying
member of some church so you can say I goto this church, but it’s more a case of, that I think
people need to hear the truths you are learning. We need more God fearing men in our
churches today to teach what it means to really follow God. How many more people could
be changed by the truths you share. Maybe I’m just to old fashioned…..or maybe the
Mennonites have infiltrated my brain, but I guess I look at our church and I see all the young
men and women who need more people like you to teach them. Well, anyway, I am very
fortunate to have you in my life. Like I often say, and mean with all my heart, I pray that
God’s riches blessings would be bestowed upon you and your family,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:42 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
I think you are beginning to get it, Matt...
Here is the difference between humanism and life in the Kingdom of God... in a nut
shell (hopefully)...
Humanism is mankind's own attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. Every manmade
program which involves self-improvement and self-discipline is just exactly
that... self-improvement and self-discipline. This philosophy is even at the heart of the
entire Masonic teaching mantra... "Making a good man better." This method of
becoming acceptable to a Holy God had been provided to mankind by way of the Old
Testament Law. The problem was, and still remains the problem today, is that if you
break the Law in one single point, you are judged as a LawBreaker, and there is no
longer a remedy for your sin as long as you live. This approach has always been
attractive to human beings, until they fail... compared to...
... a life in the Kingdom of God. In the life in the Kingdom, where Jesus Christ is the
sole Lord and King, the new life which comes forth from the death of the "old man", is
an entirely brand new spiritual being... it has been Born Again! Jesus Christ, our
Messiah, is not in the remodeling business; but He is 100% into New Construction.
This pathway to righteousness is provided for us as we enter the waters of Baptism,
and are raised up again in New Life. All of the old man is buried in Christ's death, so
the new man can come up out of the water hearing the testimony of the Heavenly
Father Himself declaring, "Thou art my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased!"
He accepts this new child as His own because of the sacrifice of His only begotten
Son, Jesus Christ as the once-for-all sacrifice for all sin. He accepts our faith in the
work of Christ as the seed of His own doing. Now we are a Brand New Person, in
Christ. Just as Jesus Himself was not recognized by His own disciples after He rose
from the grave, so we are able to be changed into and bear His own image in our new
life without offense before God the Father. In each case when Jesus appeared to His
own disciples, He had to show them who He actually was... He opened their spiritual
eyes. God will only ever accept the New Life with the image of Christ's stamp of
authenticity on it. He will never accept the presentation of our own hands, which is
nothing more than a patched up "Old Man".
Now, keep in mind, unless we see the reality of these truths in the spiritual realm, and
cross that bridge between the physical realm into the spiritual realm, we will never see
the final result of our faith. As long as we live on this earth, this process of being
changed into the image of Christ is on-going. When we finally shake off the shell of he
flesh in the grave, we will be eternally free to live forever in this state of being
acceptable to God. This is precisely where things begin to trip us up. We keep our eyes
tuned to the physical life as proof of the status of our spiritual life. BUT, God looks
firstly, and foremostly upon the heart... the spiritual side... the new life, and whether or
not it is living IN Christ... connected to the vine.
The only issue I would still take with your reply is the comment concerning the
amount of time spent abiding in Christ/the vine. If your life is not drawn into these
times by the Holy Spirit Himself, there will be a tendency once again to make even
this time a subject of self-discipline, and eventually, a law. At that point, the effort
reverts once again back to a man-made attempt to prove oneself to God... humanism!
The next thing we know, Matthew will have his own new church which has a new set
of rules... that to be a member, you have to spend the right amount of time alone with
God in order for it to count. Can you see the absurdity of this??... the utter uselessness.
This is where the old man does battle with the spiritual man.
Enough for now... talk to me!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Once again – Thank you! I think I do understand, it’s all about abiding in the vine – letting
God supernaturally change you as you spend time with Him. Maybe that’s one of the single
most important factors to why the American church is the way it is because there is a lack of
spending time with God, abiding in Him. And that’s my answer too. Needing to sit alone in
the presence of God and let Him transform me. I like that. Just keep praying that I do just
abide in Him. Let it be my goal for this year to abide in Christ. To let Him transform me.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:05 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
Thanks for your thought, Matt...
Actually, I am writing right now on "Kingdom Principles". But, your reply has
touched on at least 2 of these... one of them is the Principle of Growing, or Producing
Fruit. The other is the Principle of Transformation, or The Miracle of Metamorphosis.
Let me just give you a brief glimpse into these amazing principles and how things
work when Christ Jesus rules our hearts as King and Lord.
First of all, one simple question... how does the worm become a butterfly? What much
does it actually have to know about the process, or, how long does it have to discipline
itself before it can become a butterfly?..., or, how hard does it have to work at
changing itself into a butterfly??... can you begin to see the point?? The worm simply
begins to secrete juices what is left over from all the leaves that it has been eating
during its short lifespan in such a manner that a cacoon begins to form around itself.
This step it accomplishes as a natural part of its life. In no way has it had to be taught
the discipline of forming a cacoon... it just simply does it, naturally. Once it is inside
this shell-like house, an amazing process begins to take place which we refer to as
"Metamorphosis". (We English borrowed this word from the Greeks.) The various
uses of this word is found in our Bibles and translated as "transformed" (Rom12:2),
and "transfigured" (Jesus, Peter, James, and John on the Mt of Transfiguration), and
"changed" (2 Cor3:18)... among other places. If we could take a look inside the cacoon
the worm has made, without destroying what is being done, we would see what looks
like deep sleep has come over the worm, or we may even think the worm has died.
But, what is actually taking place is a miracle of new life, unlike anything the worm
could have ever been trained for, or disciplined for. What appears to be death, or neardeath,
is actually a resurrection of new life. Then, the sruggle begins... as this new life
begins to live, it realizes it cannot just lie there... it has to break out of the shell which
is surrounding it and actually suffocating it. It digs and struggles toward the light
which surrounds the cacoon. The result is, a beautiful butterfly emerges from the
cracks of the shell which has held it prisoner...
Next, we have the Principle of Growth, or Fruit Production. A simple, lifeless little
seed with a shell, or casing of sorts around it, is lying dormant on a shelf somewhere,
or in a seed bag. A farmer, or a gardener, takes that little seed, and places it in loose
soil. Before he covers it up, he tries to make certain there is at least some amount of
moisture content in the soil. Then it happens... death! The seed begins to decay and
die... not because it is doing anything for which it has been trained for many years...
but, simply because it is placed there, watered, and covered up. So, it dies... so we
think. But what is actually taking place is once again is an act of miraculous
resurrection life. Regardless how decayed the outer shell casing of the seed becomes,
there is a power of new life in the center of it, waiting to break out... and break out, it
does! It begins to push away the clods of dirt which was over it, and fight its way
upward, always in the direction of light; NEVER in the direction of darkness! This is
the Principle of life in the Production of Fruit. This is a Kingdom Principle, and it is a
natural process of life when the Giver of all life, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus
Christ, is Lord and King in this Kingdom.
The enemy of these amazing processes are the natural elements which would try to
destroy the seed, and keep the new life from being a reality. Enemies such as floods,
draught, winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. In our spiritual life the enemies may be preconceived
ideas we have adopted or have been taught, traditions by which we judge
and rule one another, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, etc. In the
Kingdom of God, the enemy of this tranformation process seeks to keep this process
from taking place as well. He, Satan, knows if he can interrupt the natural processes of
dying and the springing forth of the new life in Christ , he will keep one more soul
from walking into the Kingdom of Life, setting the captives free, and healing the sick
and raising more of the dead. But, let me ask you, what did the seed have to do to
make this process all take place? How much training did it have to have so it would be
able to die "just right"?? How many times did it have to practise this process to make
certain he would be able to "do" this??? ... can you begin to see the point? How much
discipline and training do we have to know about dying? Whose doing the work
anyway while we are dying?? Why aren't we content to just let the Lord do the work in
us He is trying to accomplish? Do we think we can actually "help" Him do a better job
on us??
Take a look at these verses... this is the Truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom...
"A-B-I-D-E... in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will and it
shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified; that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Contiue ye in my
love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in His love." (John15:4-10)
Can you see the principle by which fruit production works in the Kingdom of God??... the secret is; ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! That's it! As the seed lies in its grave, and as the worm lies dormant in its cacoon, so we are to ABIDE
IN CHRIST!! There is our role, and there is our discipline... ABIDE IN CHRIST!! If we can get this one thing
straight, everything else will work itself out to the honor and the glory of God. No one ever praises the dead seed
for how beautiful of a plant it has produced. Why?... it is dead! The farmer gets the praise! That's pretty simple, isn't
it??
OK... write back now... you hear! Let me know if this helps turn on a light bulb for you.
Your old uncle,
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Thanks for the email! The thing that really struck me was Romans 12:1-2. That we would
present our bodies as a living sacrifice and I love that he puts in there which is our reasonable
service. It’s like saying that giving up your life for God should be normal and is a very
reasonable request when you look at what Jesus has done for us. How often do you hear of
people truly laying down their life for God? Then the second part of that verse is great to.
But let us no longer be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing your
mind. Now I do have a question. Is that transforming work something I need to do or is it
only God who does that work? Is it the work that happens when I get in the word and God
continues to show me things and change the way I think? Is it a result from faithful
obedience to Him? I need to be transformed and feel too often I am not there. Paul Washer
asks the question, how can you say you’re a Christian and have met God and not be
changed? Ok, just as I’m asking that question, the thought of the Israelites comes to mind.
They experienced God in many supernatural ways throughout the Old Testament and yet
often turned back to their idols and such. I guess it’s just sinful man making choices. It only
takes one bad choice to negate many good ones. So maybe the question is more of, why are
so many Christians today not staying changed or not continuing to be transformed?
Although I guess the answer to that would be that the bible states that many will fall away in
the last days and maybe that’s what is happening. So maybe the real question is how do we
prevent that in our own lives? And if we have lost that zeal for God how do we get it back? I
like your questions about what will we say to God when we meet Him? What will we have to
show for our lives? Very challenging! I am back at this starting block of discipline
again…..been here to many times….last year’s goals didn’t happen and this year’s goals
haven’t begun – as a matter of fact I don’t know what I want my goals to be this year. So
please continue to pray for me. You know that this whole discipline thing has been my
greatest stumbling block and continues to be that. It’s hard to die to self without discipline.
Darrell, I feel like I’m that rich young ruler who comes to Jesus sincerely and says, look, I am
trying to do what is right, what else do you require and Jesus tells him to sell all he has, give it
to the poor and follow me. And he just doesn’t do it. What holds him back? What holds me
back? I guess those are answers I need to find, but I really appreciate your emails and your
insight. I pray that God continues to reveal a greater level of truth to you and that He blesses
you for all the time you spend emailing the truths of His word to me. I truly am grateful.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: Happy New Year...
Good Morning, to you all in beautiful Wisconsin...
Hope all is well with you and your families, and full of anticipation to the New Year!
I pray that this year will be one of many more joys than sorrows for you, and that most
of all, you find a depth in the life of Christ where you can live fully immersed in His
divine will!
I was up early on New Year's morning, and in prayer and meditation, asking the Lord
for a word of guidance for this new year... here is what He directed me to...
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen."
Now, clearly these words are the closing words to the verses we have in our
Bibles known as the Lord's Prayer. Usually, by the time we are either repeating this
prayer from memory, or we are hearing it prayed, we are thinking that it is being
closed... kind of like a benediction. But, if we take a little closer look at what Jesus is
saying here, we will receive a wonderful blessing of His truth revealed. Jesus' entire
earthly work was to do the work of His Father in Heaven and to preach the good news
of the Kingdom of God. He said He only spoke the words He heard His Father speak,
and only did those things which He had seen His Father do. This was His role and well
defined purpose during His time on this earth. Without faltering or hesitation, He
performed His role perfectly and with total confidence in the sustaining power of His
intimate fellowship and communion with the Heavenly Father. His message of the
"good news" of the Kingdom of God caused hope to be born in the lives of the
hopeless. The lame jumped and ran for joy. The lepers were cleansed. The Scriptures
declare that ALL disease and ALL sickness was irradicated by the power of the words
of this message. The "good news" of the message of the Kingdom of Heaven is pure
and unhindered divine power, overcoming the forces of the enemy of our soul. This
message brings restoration of our original intended purpose in this life and perfect
alignment between our will and the will of our Father in Heaven. This is REAL power!
As I contemplated quietly the depth of these words and read and re-read this prayer our
Savior spoke for our learning, I did a concordance check to see if this phrase was
recorded elsewhere in Scripture. To my amazed eyes came a verse from the Old
Testsment... 1 Chronicles chapter 29, and verse 10-13...
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is
the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all
that is in Heaven and Earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exated
as head above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou reignest over all;
and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give
strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious
name..."
King David, a man whom God Himself testified concerning that he was a man with a
heart as God's heart, had been accumulating huge amounts of building materials for his
son to use in the building of the magnificant temple according to the instructions the
Lord had shown to David. God had explained to David he was not to be the person to
actually construct the temple, but one of his sons would be chosen. David had much
violence and blood on his hands, and was not a man of rest and peace. From all of his
sons, the one chosen was Solomon, whose name in itself means peacefulness. So, the
Lord God placed in Solomon a spirit of rest and quietness and confidence. In the
chapter just prior to this one, the Bible states that God would make Solomon His son,
and He would be a father to Solomon. So, not only did David relinquish control over
all the vast wealth of his kingdom which he had amassed during his 40 year reign, but
he also relinquished the throne and even his own son into the hands of Jehovah God.
All that had defined his life was placed into the hands of the Almighty.
In the Book to the Hebrews, chapter 10, we read wonderful words of the once-for-all
sacrifice of our Savior for the sins of all mankind. In verse 5, we read these words,
"Wherefore when He (Jesus) cometh into the world, He saith, 'Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
Consistant with the offering of all that David had, our Savior and Lord came to this
earth without worldly wealth and riches, but all that He had been given by His Father,
namely His physical body, He offered as a sin offering which was to be accepted by a
holy and just God as the all encompassing sacrifice for all sin. This He accomplished
through His own personal obedience and alignment with the Heavenly Father's will.
What about me?... what will I offer to my King as a sign of my commitment and
allegiance to Him? With what will I come before the throne of my King? What has
been accomplished in my life which will last as a memorial of my love for my Savior?
How will I show my love and appreciation to Him for all He has sacrificed for my
benefit? These are questions we must confront our own life with at some point before
we find ourselves standing before the throne of God naked and embarrassed. What
of my life will endure throughout eternity? With as much certainty and clarity as I
have ever witnessed concerning, the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit approached
me and reminded me of these words from Romans 12:1-2...
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is! This is the path of righteousness which the Lord Himself has built for each
of us to follow His steps to eternal life. This is the highway of holiness carefully
mapped out through the twists and turns of this life which we can walk on in full
confidence of its safety and condition. You see, many multitudes have walked this path
before us, including our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a liberty and a
divine freedom afforded those who will navigate by the light of the precious Word of
God as they walk on through this life. The work of the cross to bring resurrection life
into our soul and body is a work of tears and disappointments. But, this necessary
work cuts away the elements of this world which has attached its sticky tennacles to
our very existance. In spite of the worries and the fears, we can speak the message of
hope and trust in our resurrected Lord. For all that exists in Heaven and on Earth
belongs to the Lord God Almighty. Therefore, we pray,
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... for Thine is the
Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen."
Have a Happy New Year!
The Millers in the Northland
From: "Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller"
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To: benmiller_16@hotmail.com (Ben Miller); ruthie-miller@hotmail.com
Subject: re: another writing to Matt...
Date: Thursday, January 8, 2009 7:17:08 AM [View Source]
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Ahhh... you see this is how we uncover the root of the issue... the will of man, and the
free volition one has; choices, desires, attractions, passion, contrasting interests and
responsibilities, and, ultimately... a DIVIDED HEART. Isn't this REALLY where the
problem seems to exist, especially in our North American church?? Is it any wonder
why the "power" of God ( dunamis/miracle-working mighty resurrection power) is not
prevelent inside the typical congregation to heal the sick, cast out deamons, expose the
sinister plans of the enemy to disrupt and divide, and conquer all strongholds of the
enemy in our midst?? You see, the real reason why is because so few us will follow
passionately the road the bloody and battered Lamb has walked ahead of us. I can
promise you, it is an all-out passion... one must not be dabbling, but completely soldout
to Christ and the Gospel of the Kingdom of God. Why should God entrust His
divinity and His mighty power to the hands of ministers who want a part-time, halfhearted,
take-it-or-leave-it, self-promoting, lazy, service to Him?? God is not looking
to increase His wealth by selling off piece-meal bites and pieces of His power to this
kind of individual. NEVER! He is looking for sons and daughters who will follow
Him through the wind, fire, and floods... with eyes and ears tuned in to His voice as
their primary and the default setting. These are the ones He can simply whisper in their
ears during the lonely nights on their knees before Him... seeking for the life-giving
water which is only flowing from His being into theirs'. They have no attraction to the
many voices clamoring around them to be heard, or to buy this book or that. They
don't need to mercilessly beat themselves into times and seasons of prayer and
devotion... it is more like, from out of the depths of their innermost being there is a
hunger and a thirst for what's real, and a deep-unto-deep crying, which they know
from past experience can only be satisfied by a season in the presence of the Lord God
Himself. Conrary to many popular authors and so-called Christian leaders, these times
are not by our own design as far as the right time and the right place. These times are
"set-up" and directed by divine appointment by the Holy Spirit of the Living God.
Let me make myself perfectly clear, the only place true death to the old nature can take
place is when we are "planted together" into the death of Christ. I don't want to be
misundersood on this point. Paul spoke of dying daily (ICor15:31)... and it is a daily
process in our walk with the Lord. The provision our Savior made for us is the
spiritual reality of the ordinance of Baptism. Most people who have attended church
for very long, or read many books about the Christian life, are familiar with the words
of the Apostle Paul to the Romans, especially chapters 6-8. Am I correct? There are
probably few other portions of Scripture which are analyzed and preached on more
than portions of these chapters. Yet, I challenge you to read very carefully through
chapter 6 right now... notice the clear teaching on the very issues we are discussing...
the place of dying to the old nature, the new life of Christ transforming us, being set
free from the life of sin and unrighteousness, living in the new life of righteousness
and power... what do you think?? Where does the life lived full of the supernatural
power of God get its infusion of God's nature?? Also, read further of the spiritual work
in Baptism in Colossians chapter 2, and also in IPeter chapter 3.
With regard to conflicting interests presenting themselves as ligitimate choices
compared to spending time in devotion and prayer... come on!... don't we do the things
we WANT to?? Who has to be coaxed to give their time to just simple pleasures and
entertainment in life? Why is devotion and refreshing communion with the Lord
presented to our will to choose as out-and-out drudgery?? I'll tell you why... it is
because there is so little life-changing power coming out of those times spent
previously with the Lord, that there is no compelling desire to go there again. So, we
blame simple, innocent, inanimate objects such as computers and televisions for our
lack of spiritual passion, instead of laying the responsibility squarely on the shoulder
of the one responsible... the arch-enemy of our souls... Satan! You see, he knows for a
certainty that if he can obstruct a person's pathway to the streams of living water, it
won't be long till the soil of that person's heart gets dried up and parched, and the seed
of the word of the Lord will be greatly hindered from sprouting and growing into a
mighty tree of life for the Kingdom of Heaven. At issue here is the lack of meaningful
times of refreshing in the presence of the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. Here's
the truth... Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness fo they shall be
filled! and, Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom of God! and,
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God!
As far as what seems to be my stubbornness in attending a local church goes... let me
explain... I was called and ordained to the ministry as an evangelist on October 16,
1983, through the divine inspiration of our Lord's gift of prophesy, which He gave to
the Church, when He ascended to the Heaven to sit at the right hand of Almighty God
and Father of us all. I have never shyed away from ministering where the Lord sends
me. I follow the direction of the Holy Spirit to pray for those who are in need;
sometimes quietly and privately, and other times by anointing with oil and laying my
hands on them. Since we have arrived in Western Canada, almost 2-1/2 years ago now,
we have been seeking the Lord's leadership as to where to serve or attend, as some
people would say. The way things have gone, we have been led to various meetings
either in our own home or in someone else's home or in a restaurant or nursing home.
Sometimes, it will be on Sundays... but more often, it is more of a spontaneous
meeting, and could take place any day of the week. I have been blessed by the Lord,
personally, because He has sent Eldon Boldt and another man, Jake Thiessen from
Plenty, SK, and my own Dad, into my life as those to provide counsel and
oversight for me. I really appreciate these people, as they have faithfully and
graciously listened to my many struggles and questions regarding the mysteries of the
Kingdom of God. So, this is how the Lord has led us. My primary interest and goal is
to hear more clearly the voice of the Lord and to sense His direction in my life each
and every day. He has chosen me as one to experience some things which seem far out
to some folks, but I have never questioned or rejected His dealings with me. I am
learning little by little what it means to exercise the spiritual senses in my own life. I,
by no means, am an expert at this, or above disappointment or delusion. But, I have a
firm commitment and a burning desire to know God more today than yesterday, and to
know Him even more tomorrow... that's my desire and my goal. My service is
primarily to my Lord and Savior, and only to people when and as He directs. Please
pray that I will be faithful to the end of my days. Thank You.
OK... enough for now.
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Ok, that was really good, but we are still required to come before God to chose and to obey
Him. Death only takes place when we choose to come before God and ask Him to change us.
To spend time in the fire so the chaff can be burned off. And yes I agree that it is not a case
of saying we have to spend this or that much time before God but the truth is we cannot be
changed without making that choice and picking up our cross and following Him. Choosing
time in the Word over time in my video game or sports. I understand that Matthew
Zacharias cannot change himself, but I still must choose to abide in the One who can which of
course is Jesus. I think often I am drawn to spend time in the Word but have chosen foolishly
and I would like to change that. The question I have is that if God is not in the remodeling
business but into the 100% new construction, then why are so many “Christians” just a mask
of what they were. Where is that life giving power of God that should be in our churches?
Even our church at South Lawrence is having issues. Why isn’t the power of God at work like
it should be. God promised that the disciples that in the last days there would be even
greater miracles done then when Jesus was on the earth, yet it seems in North American
churches that there are more cobwebs then people with that power of God evident in their
lives. I’ll tell you what, I thank God that I have you in my life to inject these life giving
principles in my life. Oh how I need that mentorship.
My only challenge to you would be is this, why do you not use your gifts and the things God
has taught you to instill them into a local church? It seems you have so many valuable things
that people need to hear. I’m not saying this because I think you should be a card carrying
member of some church so you can say I goto this church, but it’s more a case of, that I think
people need to hear the truths you are learning. We need more God fearing men in our
churches today to teach what it means to really follow God. How many more people could
be changed by the truths you share. Maybe I’m just to old fashioned…..or maybe the
Mennonites have infiltrated my brain, but I guess I look at our church and I see all the young
men and women who need more people like you to teach them. Well, anyway, I am very
fortunate to have you in my life. Like I often say, and mean with all my heart, I pray that
God’s riches blessings would be bestowed upon you and your family,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:42 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
I think you are beginning to get it, Matt...
Here is the difference between humanism and life in the Kingdom of God... in a nut
shell (hopefully)...
Humanism is mankind's own attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. Every manmade
program which involves self-improvement and self-discipline is just exactly
that... self-improvement and self-discipline. This philosophy is even at the heart of the
entire Masonic teaching mantra... "Making a good man better." This method of
becoming acceptable to a Holy God had been provided to mankind by way of the Old
Testament Law. The problem was, and still remains the problem today, is that if you
break the Law in one single point, you are judged as a LawBreaker, and there is no
longer a remedy for your sin as long as you live. This approach has always been
attractive to human beings, until they fail... compared to...
... a life in the Kingdom of God. In the life in the Kingdom, where Jesus Christ is the
sole Lord and King, the new life which comes forth from the death of the "old man", is
an entirely brand new spiritual being... it has been Born Again! Jesus Christ, our
Messiah, is not in the remodeling business; but He is 100% into New Construction.
This pathway to righteousness is provided for us as we enter the waters of Baptism,
and are raised up again in New Life. All of the old man is buried in Christ's death, so
the new man can come up out of the water hearing the testimony of the Heavenly
Father Himself declaring, "Thou art my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased!"
He accepts this new child as His own because of the sacrifice of His only begotten
Son, Jesus Christ as the once-for-all sacrifice for all sin. He accepts our faith in the
work of Christ as the seed of His own doing. Now we are a Brand New Person, in
Christ. Just as Jesus Himself was not recognized by His own disciples after He rose
from the grave, so we are able to be changed into and bear His own image in our new
life without offense before God the Father. In each case when Jesus appeared to His
own disciples, He had to show them who He actually was... He opened their spiritual
eyes. God will only ever accept the New Life with the image of Christ's stamp of
authenticity on it. He will never accept the presentation of our own hands, which is
nothing more than a patched up "Old Man".
Now, keep in mind, unless we see the reality of these truths in the spiritual realm, and
cross that bridge between the physical realm into the spiritual realm, we will never see
the final result of our faith. As long as we live on this earth, this process of being
changed into the image of Christ is on-going. When we finally shake off the shell of he
flesh in the grave, we will be eternally free to live forever in this state of being
acceptable to God. This is precisely where things begin to trip us up. We keep our eyes
tuned to the physical life as proof of the status of our spiritual life. BUT, God looks
firstly, and foremostly upon the heart... the spiritual side... the new life, and whether or
not it is living IN Christ... connected to the vine.
The only issue I would still take with your reply is the comment concerning the
amount of time spent abiding in Christ/the vine. If your life is not drawn into these
times by the Holy Spirit Himself, there will be a tendency once again to make even
this time a subject of self-discipline, and eventually, a law. At that point, the effort
reverts once again back to a man-made attempt to prove oneself to God... humanism!
The next thing we know, Matthew will have his own new church which has a new set
of rules... that to be a member, you have to spend the right amount of time alone with
God in order for it to count. Can you see the absurdity of this??... the utter uselessness.
This is where the old man does battle with the spiritual man.
Enough for now... talk to me!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Hey Darrell,
Once again – Thank you! I think I do understand, it’s all about abiding in the vine – letting
God supernaturally change you as you spend time with Him. Maybe that’s one of the single
most important factors to why the American church is the way it is because there is a lack of
spending time with God, abiding in Him. And that’s my answer too. Needing to sit alone in
the presence of God and let Him transform me. I like that. Just keep praying that I do just
abide in Him. Let it be my goal for this year to abide in Christ. To let Him transform me.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:05 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
Thanks for your thought, Matt...
Actually, I am writing right now on "Kingdom Principles". But, your reply has
touched on at least 2 of these... one of them is the Principle of Growing, or Producing
Fruit. The other is the Principle of Transformation, or The Miracle of Metamorphosis.
Let me just give you a brief glimpse into these amazing principles and how things
work when Christ Jesus rules our hearts as King and Lord.
First of all, one simple question... how does the worm become a butterfly? What much
does it actually have to know about the process, or, how long does it have to discipline
itself before it can become a butterfly?..., or, how hard does it have to work at
changing itself into a butterfly??... can you begin to see the point?? The worm simply
begins to secrete juices what is left over from all the leaves that it has been eating
during its short lifespan in such a manner that a cacoon begins to form around itself.
This step it accomplishes as a natural part of its life. In no way has it had to be taught
the discipline of forming a cacoon... it just simply does it, naturally. Once it is inside
this shell-like house, an amazing process begins to take place which we refer to as
"Metamorphosis". (We English borrowed this word from the Greeks.) The various
uses of this word is found in our Bibles and translated as "transformed" (Rom12:2),
and "transfigured" (Jesus, Peter, James, and John on the Mt of Transfiguration), and
"changed" (2 Cor3:18)... among other places. If we could take a look inside the cacoon
the worm has made, without destroying what is being done, we would see what looks
like deep sleep has come over the worm, or we may even think the worm has died.
But, what is actually taking place is a miracle of new life, unlike anything the worm
could have ever been trained for, or disciplined for. What appears to be death, or neardeath,
is actually a resurrection of new life. Then, the sruggle begins... as this new life
begins to live, it realizes it cannot just lie there... it has to break out of the shell which
is surrounding it and actually suffocating it. It digs and struggles toward the light
which surrounds the cacoon. The result is, a beautiful butterfly emerges from the
cracks of the shell which has held it prisoner...
Next, we have the Principle of Growth, or Fruit Production. A simple, lifeless little
seed with a shell, or casing of sorts around it, is lying dormant on a shelf somewhere,
or in a seed bag. A farmer, or a gardener, takes that little seed, and places it in loose
soil. Before he covers it up, he tries to make certain there is at least some amount of
moisture content in the soil. Then it happens... death! The seed begins to decay and
die... not because it is doing anything for which it has been trained for many years...
but, simply because it is placed there, watered, and covered up. So, it dies... so we
think. But what is actually taking place is once again is an act of miraculous
resurrection life. Regardless how decayed the outer shell casing of the seed becomes,
there is a power of new life in the center of it, waiting to break out... and break out, it
does! It begins to push away the clods of dirt which was over it, and fight its way
upward, always in the direction of light; NEVER in the direction of darkness! This is
the Principle of life in the Production of Fruit. This is a Kingdom Principle, and it is a
natural process of life when the Giver of all life, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus
Christ, is Lord and King in this Kingdom.
The enemy of these amazing processes are the natural elements which would try to
destroy the seed, and keep the new life from being a reality. Enemies such as floods,
draught, winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. In our spiritual life the enemies may be preconceived
ideas we have adopted or have been taught, traditions by which we judge
and rule one another, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, etc. In the
Kingdom of God, the enemy of this tranformation process seeks to keep this process
from taking place as well. He, Satan, knows if he can interrupt the natural processes of
dying and the springing forth of the new life in Christ , he will keep one more soul
from walking into the Kingdom of Life, setting the captives free, and healing the sick
and raising more of the dead. But, let me ask you, what did the seed have to do to
make this process all take place? How much training did it have to have so it would be
able to die "just right"?? How many times did it have to practise this process to make
certain he would be able to "do" this??? ... can you begin to see the point? How much
discipline and training do we have to know about dying? Whose doing the work
anyway while we are dying?? Why aren't we content to just let the Lord do the work in
us He is trying to accomplish? Do we think we can actually "help" Him do a better job
on us??
Take a look at these verses... this is the Truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom...
"A-B-I-D-E... in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch,
and is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are
burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will and it
shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father glorified; that ye bear much fruit; so shall
ye be my disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Contiue ye in my
love. If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my
Father's commandments and abide in His love." (John15:4-10)
Can you see the principle by which fruit production works in the Kingdom of God??... the secret is; ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! That's it! As the seed lies in its grave, and as the worm lies dormant in its cacoon, so we are to ABIDE
IN CHRIST!! There is our role, and there is our discipline... ABIDE IN CHRIST!! If we can get this one thing
straight, everything else will work itself out to the honor and the glory of God. No one ever praises the dead seed
for how beautiful of a plant it has produced. Why?... it is dead! The farmer gets the praise! That's pretty simple, isn't
it??
OK... write back now... you hear! Let me know if this helps turn on a light bulb for you.
Your old uncle,
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Hey Darrell,
Thanks for the email! The thing that really struck me was Romans 12:1-2. That we would
present our bodies as a living sacrifice and I love that he puts in there which is our reasonable
service. It’s like saying that giving up your life for God should be normal and is a very
reasonable request when you look at what Jesus has done for us. How often do you hear of
people truly laying down their life for God? Then the second part of that verse is great to.
But let us no longer be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing your
mind. Now I do have a question. Is that transforming work something I need to do or is it
only God who does that work? Is it the work that happens when I get in the word and God
continues to show me things and change the way I think? Is it a result from faithful
obedience to Him? I need to be transformed and feel too often I am not there. Paul Washer
asks the question, how can you say you’re a Christian and have met God and not be
changed? Ok, just as I’m asking that question, the thought of the Israelites comes to mind.
They experienced God in many supernatural ways throughout the Old Testament and yet
often turned back to their idols and such. I guess it’s just sinful man making choices. It only
takes one bad choice to negate many good ones. So maybe the question is more of, why are
so many Christians today not staying changed or not continuing to be transformed?
Although I guess the answer to that would be that the bible states that many will fall away in
the last days and maybe that’s what is happening. So maybe the real question is how do we
prevent that in our own lives? And if we have lost that zeal for God how do we get it back? I
like your questions about what will we say to God when we meet Him? What will we have to
show for our lives? Very challenging! I am back at this starting block of discipline
again…..been here to many times….last year’s goals didn’t happen and this year’s goals
haven’t begun – as a matter of fact I don’t know what I want my goals to be this year. So
please continue to pray for me. You know that this whole discipline thing has been my
greatest stumbling block and continues to be that. It’s hard to die to self without discipline.
Darrell, I feel like I’m that rich young ruler who comes to Jesus sincerely and says, look, I am
trying to do what is right, what else do you require and Jesus tells him to sell all he has, give it
to the poor and follow me. And he just doesn’t do it. What holds him back? What holds me
back? I guess those are answers I need to find, but I really appreciate your emails and your
insight. I pray that God continues to reveal a greater level of truth to you and that He blesses
you for all the time you spend emailing the truths of His word to me. I truly am grateful.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: Happy New Year...
Good Morning, to you all in beautiful Wisconsin...
Hope all is well with you and your families, and full of anticipation to the New Year!
I pray that this year will be one of many more joys than sorrows for you, and that most
of all, you find a depth in the life of Christ where you can live fully immersed in His
divine will!
I was up early on New Year's morning, and in prayer and meditation, asking the Lord
for a word of guidance for this new year... here is what He directed me to...
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen."
Now, clearly these words are the closing words to the verses we have in our
Bibles known as the Lord's Prayer. Usually, by the time we are either repeating this
prayer from memory, or we are hearing it prayed, we are thinking that it is being
closed... kind of like a benediction. But, if we take a little closer look at what Jesus is
saying here, we will receive a wonderful blessing of His truth revealed. Jesus' entire
earthly work was to do the work of His Father in Heaven and to preach the good news
of the Kingdom of God. He said He only spoke the words He heard His Father speak,
and only did those things which He had seen His Father do. This was His role and well
defined purpose during His time on this earth. Without faltering or hesitation, He
performed His role perfectly and with total confidence in the sustaining power of His
intimate fellowship and communion with the Heavenly Father. His message of the
"good news" of the Kingdom of God caused hope to be born in the lives of the
hopeless. The lame jumped and ran for joy. The lepers were cleansed. The Scriptures
declare that ALL disease and ALL sickness was irradicated by the power of the words
of this message. The "good news" of the message of the Kingdom of Heaven is pure
and unhindered divine power, overcoming the forces of the enemy of our soul. This
message brings restoration of our original intended purpose in this life and perfect
alignment between our will and the will of our Father in Heaven. This is REAL power!
As I contemplated quietly the depth of these words and read and re-read this prayer our
Savior spoke for our learning, I did a concordance check to see if this phrase was
recorded elsewhere in Scripture. To my amazed eyes came a verse from the Old
Testsment... 1 Chronicles chapter 29, and verse 10-13...
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is
the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all
that is in Heaven and Earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exated
as head above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou reignest over all;
and in thy hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give
strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious
name..."
King David, a man whom God Himself testified concerning that he was a man with a
heart as God's heart, had been accumulating huge amounts of building materials for his
son to use in the building of the magnificant temple according to the instructions the
Lord had shown to David. God had explained to David he was not to be the person to
actually construct the temple, but one of his sons would be chosen. David had much
violence and blood on his hands, and was not a man of rest and peace. From all of his
sons, the one chosen was Solomon, whose name in itself means peacefulness. So, the
Lord God placed in Solomon a spirit of rest and quietness and confidence. In the
chapter just prior to this one, the Bible states that God would make Solomon His son,
and He would be a father to Solomon. So, not only did David relinquish control over
all the vast wealth of his kingdom which he had amassed during his 40 year reign, but
he also relinquished the throne and even his own son into the hands of Jehovah God.
All that had defined his life was placed into the hands of the Almighty.
In the Book to the Hebrews, chapter 10, we read wonderful words of the once-for-all
sacrifice of our Savior for the sins of all mankind. In verse 5, we read these words,
"Wherefore when He (Jesus) cometh into the world, He saith, 'Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
Consistant with the offering of all that David had, our Savior and Lord came to this
earth without worldly wealth and riches, but all that He had been given by His Father,
namely His physical body, He offered as a sin offering which was to be accepted by a
holy and just God as the all encompassing sacrifice for all sin. This He accomplished
through His own personal obedience and alignment with the Heavenly Father's will.
What about me?... what will I offer to my King as a sign of my commitment and
allegiance to Him? With what will I come before the throne of my King? What has
been accomplished in my life which will last as a memorial of my love for my Savior?
How will I show my love and appreciation to Him for all He has sacrificed for my
benefit? These are questions we must confront our own life with at some point before
we find ourselves standing before the throne of God naked and embarrassed. What
of my life will endure throughout eternity? With as much certainty and clarity as I
have ever witnessed concerning, the wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit approached
me and reminded me of these words from Romans 12:1-2...
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your
mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is! This is the path of righteousness which the Lord Himself has built for each
of us to follow His steps to eternal life. This is the highway of holiness carefully
mapped out through the twists and turns of this life which we can walk on in full
confidence of its safety and condition. You see, many multitudes have walked this path
before us, including our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a liberty and a
divine freedom afforded those who will navigate by the light of the precious Word of
God as they walk on through this life. The work of the cross to bring resurrection life
into our soul and body is a work of tears and disappointments. But, this necessary
work cuts away the elements of this world which has attached its sticky tennacles to
our very existance. In spite of the worries and the fears, we can speak the message of
hope and trust in our resurrected Lord. For all that exists in Heaven and on Earth
belongs to the Lord God Almighty. Therefore, we pray,
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... for Thine is the
Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen."
Have a Happy New Year!
The Millers in the Northland
Conversations on Humanism vs. Life in the Kingdom of God
Ok, that was really good, but we are still required to come before God to chose and to obey
Him. Death only takes place when we choose to come before God and ask Him to change us. To
spend time in the fire so the chaff can be burned off. And yes I agree that it is not a case of
saying we have to spend this or that much time before God but the truth is we cannot be
changed without making that choice and picking up our cross and following Him. Choosing time
in the Word over time in my video game or sports. I understand that Matthew Zacharias cannot
change himself, but I still must choose to abide in the One who can which of course is Jesus. I
think often I am drawn to spend time in the Word but have chosen foolishly and I would like to
change that. The question I have is that if God is not in the remodeling business but into the
100% new construction, then why are so many “Christians” just a mask of what they were.
Where is that life giving power of God that should be in our churches? Even our church at South
Lawrence is having issues. Why isn’t the power of God at work like it should be. God promised
that the disciples that in the last days there would be even greater miracles done then when
Jesus was on the earth, yet it seems in North American churches that there are more cobwebs
then people with that power of God evident in their lives. I’ll tell you what, I thank God that I
have you in my life to inject these life giving principles in my life. Oh how I need that
mentorship.
My only challenge to you would be is this, why do you not use your gifts and the things God has
taught you to instill them into a local church? It seems you have so many valuable things that
people need to hear. I’m not saying this because I think you should be a card carrying member
of some church so you can say I goto this church, but it’s more a case of, that I think people
need to hear the truths you are learning. We need more God fearing men in our churches today
to teach what it means to really follow God. How many more people could be changed by the
truths you share. Maybe I’m just to old fashioned…..or maybe the Mennonites have infiltrated
my brain, but I guess I look at our church and I see all the young men and women who need
more people like you to teach them. Well, anyway, I am very fortunate to have you in my life.
Like I often say, and mean with all my heart, I pray that God’s riches blessings would be
bestowed upon you and your family,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:42 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
I think you are beginning to get it, Matt...
Here is the difference between humanism and life in the Kingdom of God... in a nut shell
(hopefully)...
Humanism is mankind's own attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. Every manmade
program which involves self-improvement and self-discipline is just exactly that...
self-improvement and self-discipline. This philosophy is even at the heart of the entire
Masonic teaching mantra... "Making a good man better." This method of becoming
acceptable to a Holy God had been provided to mankind by way of the Old Testament
Law. The problem was, and still remains the problem today, is that if you break the Law
in one single point, you are judged as a LawBreaker, and there is no longer a remedy for
your sin as long as you live. This approach has always been attractive to human beings,
until they fail... compared to...
... a life in the Kingdom of God. In the life in the Kingdom, where Jesus Christ is the sole
Lord and King, the new life which comes forth from the death of the "old man", is an
entirely brand new spiritual being... it has been Born Again! Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is
not in the remodeling business; but He is 100% into New Construction. This pathway
to righteousness is provided for us as we enter the waters of Baptism, and are raised up
again in New Life. All of the old man is buried in Christ's death, so the new man can
come up out of the water hearing the testimony of the Heavenly Father Himself
declaring, "Thou art my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased!" He accepts this new
child as His own because of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ as the
once-for-all sacrifice for all sin. He accepts our faith in the work of Christ as the seed of
His own doing. Now we are a Brand New Person, in Christ. Just as Jesus Himself was not
recognized by His own disciples after He rose from the grave, so we are able to be
changed into and bear His own image in our new life without offense before God the
Father. In each case when Jesus appeared to His own disciples, He had to show them who
He actually was... He opened their spiritual eyes. God will only ever accept the New Life
with the image of Christ's stamp of authenticity on it. He will never accept the
presentation of our own hands, which is nothing more than a patched up "Old Man".
Now, keep in mind, unless we see the reality of these truths in the spiritual realm, and
cross that bridge between the physical realm into the spiritual realm, we will never see
the final result of our faith. As long as we live on this earth, this process of being changed
into the image of Christ is on-going. When we finally shake off the shell of he flesh in the
grave, we will be eternally free to live forever in this state of being acceptable to God.
This is precisely where things begin to trip us up. We keep our eyes tuned to the physical
life as proof of the status of our spiritual life. BUT, God looks firstly, and foremostly
upon the heart... the spiritual side... the new life, and whether or not it is living IN
Christ... connected to the vine.
The only issue I would still take with your reply is the comment concerning the amount
of time spent abiding in Christ/the vine. If your life is not drawn into these times by the
Holy Spirit Himself, there will be a tendency once again to make even this time a subject
of self-discipline, and eventually, a law. At that point, the effort reverts once again back
to a man-made attempt to prove oneself to God... humanism! The next thing we know,
Matthew will have his own new church which has a new set of rules... that to be a
member, you have to spend the right amount of time alone with God in order for it to
count. Can you see the absurdity of this??... the utter uselessness. This is where the old
man does battle with the spiritual man.
Enough for now... talk to me!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Once again – Thank you! I think I do understand, it’s all about abiding in the vine – letting God
supernaturally change you as you spend time with Him. Maybe that’s one of the single most
important factors to why the American church is the way it is because there is a lack of spending
time with God, abiding in Him. And that’s my answer too. Needing to sit alone in the presence
of God and let Him transform me. I like that. Just keep praying that I do just abide in Him. Let it
be my goal for this year to abide in Christ. To let Him transform me.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:05 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
Thanks for your thought, Matt...
Actually, I am writing right now on "Kingdom Principles". But, your reply has touched
on at least 2 of these... one of them is the Principle of Growing, or Producing Fruit. The
other is the Principle of Transformation, or The Miracle of Metamorphosis. Let me just
give you a brief glimpse into these amazing principles and how things work when Christ
Jesus rules our hearts as King and Lord.
First of all, one simple question... how does the worm become a butterfly? What much
does it actually have to know about the process, or, how long does it have to discipline
itself before it can become a butterfly?..., or, how hard does it have to work at changing
itself into a butterfly??... can you begin to see the point?? The worm simply begins to
secrete juices what is left over from all the leaves that it has been eating during its short
lifespan in such a manner that a cacoon begins to form around itself. This step it
accomplishes as a natural part of its life. In no way has it had to be taught the discipline
of forming a cacoon... it just simply does it, naturally. Once it is inside this shell-like
house, an amazing process begins to take place which we refer to as "Metamorphosis".
(We English borrowed this word from the Greeks.) The various uses of this word is found
in our Bibles and translated as "transformed" (Rom12:2), and "transfigured" (Jesus, Peter,
James, and John on the Mt of Transfiguration), and "changed" (2 Cor3:18)... among other
places. If we could take a look inside the cacoon the worm has made, without destroying
what is being done, we would see what looks like deep sleep has come over the worm, or
we may even think the worm has died. But, what is actually taking place is a miracle of
new life, unlike anything the worm could have ever been trained for, or disciplined for.
What appears to be death, or near-death, is actually a resurrection of new life. Then, the
sruggle begins... as this new life begins to live, it realizes it cannot just lie there... it has to
break out of the shell which is surrounding it and actually suffocating it. It digs and
struggles toward the light which surrounds the cacoon. The result is, a beautiful butterfly
emerges from the cracks of the shell which has held it prisoner...
Next, we have the Principle of Growth, or Fruit Production. A simple, lifeless little seed
with a shell, or casing of sorts around it, is lying dormant on a shelf somewhere, or in a
seed bag. A farmer, or a gardener, takes that little seed, and places it in loose soil. Before
he covers it up, he tries to make certain there is at least some amount of moisture content
in the soil. Then it happens... death! The seed begins to decay and die... not because it is
doing anything for which it has been trained for many years... but, simply because it is
placed there, watered, and covered up. So, it dies... so we think. But what is actually
taking place is once again is an act of miraculous resurrection life. Regardless how
decayed the outer shell casing of the seed becomes, there is a power of new life in the
center of it, waiting to break out... and break out, it does! It begins to push away the clods
of dirt which was over it, and fight its way upward, always in the direction of light;
NEVER in the direction of darkness! This is the Principle of life in the Production of
Fruit. This is a Kingdom Principle, and it is a natural process of life when the Giver of all
life, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, is Lord and King in this Kingdom.
The enemy of these amazing processes are the natural elements which would try to
destroy the seed, and keep the new life from being a reality. Enemies such as floods,
draught, winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. In our spiritual life the enemies may be preconceived
ideas we have adopted or have been taught, traditions by which we judge and
rule one another, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, etc. In the Kingdom of
God, the enemy of this tranformation process seeks to keep this process from taking place
as well. He, Satan, knows if he can interrupt the natural processes of dying and the
springing forth of the new life in Christ , he will keep one more soul from walking into
the Kingdom of Life, setting the captives free, and healing the sick and raising more of
the dead. But, let me ask you, what did the seed have to do to make this process all take
place? How much training did it have to have so it would be able to die "just
right"?? How many times did it have to practise this process to make certain he would be
able to "do" this??? ... can you begin to see the point? How much discipline and training
do we have to know about dying? Whose doing the work anyway while we are dying??
Why aren't we content to just let the Lord do the work in us He is trying to accomplish?
Do we think we can actually "help" Him do a better job on us??
Take a look at these verses... this is the Truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom...
"A-B-I-D-E... in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will and it shall be done
unto you. Herein is my Father glorified; that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Contiue ye in my love. If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments and abide in His love." (John15:4-10)
Can you see the principle by which fruit production works in the Kingdom of God??... the secret is; ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! That's it! As the seed lies in its grave, and as the worm lies dormant in its cacoon, so we are to ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! There is our role, and there is our discipline... ABIDE IN CHRIST!! If we can get this one thing straight,
everything else will work itself out to the honor and the glory of God. No one ever praises the dead seed for how
beautiful of a plant it has produced. Why?... it is dead! The farmer gets the praise! That's pretty simple, isn't it??
OK... write back now... you hear! Let me know if this helps turn on a light bulb for you.
Your old uncle,
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
: --------------
Hey Darrell,
Thanks for the email! The thing that really struck me was Romans 12:1-2. That we would
present our bodies as a living sacrifice and I love that he puts in there which is our reasonable
service. It’s like saying that giving up your life for God should be normal and is a very reasonable
request when you look at what Jesus has done for us. How often do you hear of people truly
laying down their life for God? Then the second part of that verse is great to. But let us no
longer be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing your mind. Now I do
have a question. Is that transforming work something I need to do or is it only God who does
that work? Is it the work that happens when I get in the word and God continues to show me
things and change the way I think? Is it a result from faithful obedience to Him? I need to be
transformed and feel too often I am not there. Paul Washer asks the question, how can you say
you’re a Christian and have met God and not be changed? Ok, just as I’m asking that question,
the thought of the Israelites comes to mind. They experienced God in many supernatural ways
throughout the Old Testament and yet often turned back to their idols and such. I guess it’s just
sinful man making choices. It only takes one bad choice to negate many good ones. So maybe
the question is more of, why are so many Christians today not staying changed or not continuing
to be transformed? Although I guess the answer to that would be that the bible states that
many will fall away in the last days and maybe that’s what is happening. So maybe the real
question is how do we prevent that in our own lives? And if we have lost that zeal for God how
do we get it back? I like your questions about what will we say to God when we meet Him?
What will we have to show for our lives? Very challenging! I am back at this starting block of
discipline again…..been here to many times….last year’s goals didn’t happen and this year’s
goals haven’t begun – as a matter of fact I don’t know what I want my goals to be this year. So
please continue to pray for me. You know that this whole discipline thing has been my greatest
stumbling block and continues to be that. It’s hard to die to self without discipline. Darrell, I
feel like I’m that rich young ruler who comes to Jesus sincerely and says, look, I am trying to do
what is right, what else do you require and Jesus tells him to sell all he has, give it to the poor
and follow me. And he just doesn’t do it. What holds him back? What holds me back? I guess
those are answers I need to find, but I really appreciate your emails and your insight. I pray that
God continues to reveal a greater level of truth to you and that He blesses you for all the time
you spend emailing the truths of His word to me. I truly am grateful.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: Happy New Year...
Good Morning, to you all in beautiful Wisconsin...
Hope all is well with you and your families, and full of anticipation to the New Year!
I pray that this year will be one of many more joys than sorrows for you, and that most of
all, you find a depth in the life of Christ where you can live fully immersed in His divine
will!
I was up early on New Year's morning, and in prayer and meditation, asking the Lord for
a word of guidance for this new year... here is what He directed me to...
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen."
Now, clearly these words are the closing words to the verses we have in our
Bibles known as the Lord's Prayer. Usually, by the time we are either repeating this
prayer from memory, or we are hearing it prayed, we are thinking that it is being closed...
kind of like a benediction. But, if we take a little closer look at what Jesus is saying here,
we will receive a wonderful blessing of His truth revealed. Jesus' entire earthly work was
to do the work of His Father in Heaven and to preach the good news of the Kingdom of
God. He said He only spoke the words He heard His Father speak, and only did those
things which He had seen His Father do. This was His role and well defined purpose
during His time on this earth. Without faltering or hesitation, He performed His role
perfectly and with total confidence in the sustaining power of His intimate fellowship and
communion with the Heavenly Father. His message of the "good news" of the Kingdom
of God caused hope to be born in the lives of the hopeless. The lame jumped and ran for
joy. The lepers were cleansed. The Scriptures declare that ALL disease and ALL sickness
was irradicated by the power of the words of this message. The "good news" of the
message of the Kingdom of Heaven is pure and unhindered divine power, overcoming the
forces of the enemy of our soul. This message brings restoration of our original intended
purpose in this life and perfect alignment between our will and the will of our Father in
Heaven. This is REAL power!
As I contemplated quietly the depth of these words and read and re-read this prayer our
Savior spoke for our learning, I did a concordance check to see if this phrase was
recorded elsewhere in Scripture. To my amazed eyes came a verse from the Old
Testsment... 1 Chronicles chapter 29, and verse 10-13...
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in
Heaven and Earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exated as head
above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thy
hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto
all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name..."
King David, a man whom God Himself testified concerning that he was a man with a
heart as God's heart, had been accumulating huge amounts of building materials for his
son to use in the building of the magnificant temple according to the instructions the Lord
had shown to David. God had explained to David he was not to be the person to actually
construct the temple, but one of his sons would be chosen. David had much violence and
blood on his hands, and was not a man of rest and peace. From all of his sons, the one
chosen was Solomon, whose name in itself means peacefulness. So, the Lord God placed
in Solomon a spirit of rest and quietness and confidence. In the chapter just prior to this
one, the Bible states that God would make Solomon His son, and He would be a father
to Solomon. So, not only did David relinquish control over all the vast wealth of his
kingdom which he had amassed during his 40 year reign, but he also relinquished the
throne and even his own son into the hands of Jehovah God. All that had defined his life
was placed into the hands of the Almighty.
In the Book to the Hebrews, chapter 10, we read wonderful words of the once-for-all
sacrifice of our Savior for the sins of all mankind. In verse 5, we read these words,
"Wherefore when He (Jesus) cometh into the world, He saith, 'Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
Consistant with the offering of all that David had, our Savior and Lord came to this earth
without worldly wealth and riches, but all that He had been given by His Father, namely
His physical body, He offered as a sin offering which was to be accepted by a holy and
just God as the all encompassing sacrifice for all sin. This He accomplished through His
own personal obedience and alignment with the Heavenly Father's will. What about
me?... what will I offer to my King as a sign of my commitment and allegiance to Him?
With what will I come before the throne of my King? What has been accomplished in my
life which will last as a memorial of my love for my Savior? How will I show my love
and appreciation to Him for all He has sacrificed for my benefit? These are questions we
must confront our own life with at some point before we find ourselves standing before
the throne of God naked and embarrassed. What of my life will endure throughout
eternity? With as much certainty and clarity as I have ever witnessed concerning, the
wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit approached me and reminded me of these words
from Romans 12:1-2...
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be
not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is! This is the path of righteousness which the Lord Himself has built for each of
us to follow His steps to eternal life. This is the highway of holiness carefully mapped out
through the twists and turns of this life which we can walk on in full confidence of its
safety and condition. You see, many multitudes have walked this path before us,
including our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a liberty and a divine freedom
afforded those who will navigate by the light of the precious Word of God as they walk
on through this life. The work of the cross to bring resurrection life into our soul and
body is a work of tears and disappointments. But, this necessary work cuts away the
elements of this world which has attached its sticky tennacles to our very existance. In
spite of the worries and the fears, we can speak the message of hope and trust in our
resurrected Lord. For all that exists in Heaven and on Earth belongs to the Lord God
Almighty. Therefore, we pray,
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... for Thine is the
Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen."
Have a Happy New Year!
The Millers in the Northland
Ok, that was really good, but we are still required to come before God to chose and to obey
Him. Death only takes place when we choose to come before God and ask Him to change us. To
spend time in the fire so the chaff can be burned off. And yes I agree that it is not a case of
saying we have to spend this or that much time before God but the truth is we cannot be
changed without making that choice and picking up our cross and following Him. Choosing time
in the Word over time in my video game or sports. I understand that Matthew Zacharias cannot
change himself, but I still must choose to abide in the One who can which of course is Jesus. I
think often I am drawn to spend time in the Word but have chosen foolishly and I would like to
change that. The question I have is that if God is not in the remodeling business but into the
100% new construction, then why are so many “Christians” just a mask of what they were.
Where is that life giving power of God that should be in our churches? Even our church at South
Lawrence is having issues. Why isn’t the power of God at work like it should be. God promised
that the disciples that in the last days there would be even greater miracles done then when
Jesus was on the earth, yet it seems in North American churches that there are more cobwebs
then people with that power of God evident in their lives. I’ll tell you what, I thank God that I
have you in my life to inject these life giving principles in my life. Oh how I need that
mentorship.
My only challenge to you would be is this, why do you not use your gifts and the things God has
taught you to instill them into a local church? It seems you have so many valuable things that
people need to hear. I’m not saying this because I think you should be a card carrying member
of some church so you can say I goto this church, but it’s more a case of, that I think people
need to hear the truths you are learning. We need more God fearing men in our churches today
to teach what it means to really follow God. How many more people could be changed by the
truths you share. Maybe I’m just to old fashioned…..or maybe the Mennonites have infiltrated
my brain, but I guess I look at our church and I see all the young men and women who need
more people like you to teach them. Well, anyway, I am very fortunate to have you in my life.
Like I often say, and mean with all my heart, I pray that God’s riches blessings would be
bestowed upon you and your family,
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Wednesday, January 07, 2009 6:42 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
I think you are beginning to get it, Matt...
Here is the difference between humanism and life in the Kingdom of God... in a nut shell
(hopefully)...
Humanism is mankind's own attempt to make oneself acceptable to God. Every manmade
program which involves self-improvement and self-discipline is just exactly that...
self-improvement and self-discipline. This philosophy is even at the heart of the entire
Masonic teaching mantra... "Making a good man better." This method of becoming
acceptable to a Holy God had been provided to mankind by way of the Old Testament
Law. The problem was, and still remains the problem today, is that if you break the Law
in one single point, you are judged as a LawBreaker, and there is no longer a remedy for
your sin as long as you live. This approach has always been attractive to human beings,
until they fail... compared to...
... a life in the Kingdom of God. In the life in the Kingdom, where Jesus Christ is the sole
Lord and King, the new life which comes forth from the death of the "old man", is an
entirely brand new spiritual being... it has been Born Again! Jesus Christ, our Messiah, is
not in the remodeling business; but He is 100% into New Construction. This pathway
to righteousness is provided for us as we enter the waters of Baptism, and are raised up
again in New Life. All of the old man is buried in Christ's death, so the new man can
come up out of the water hearing the testimony of the Heavenly Father Himself
declaring, "Thou art my beloved child, in whom I am well-pleased!" He accepts this new
child as His own because of the sacrifice of His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ as the
once-for-all sacrifice for all sin. He accepts our faith in the work of Christ as the seed of
His own doing. Now we are a Brand New Person, in Christ. Just as Jesus Himself was not
recognized by His own disciples after He rose from the grave, so we are able to be
changed into and bear His own image in our new life without offense before God the
Father. In each case when Jesus appeared to His own disciples, He had to show them who
He actually was... He opened their spiritual eyes. God will only ever accept the New Life
with the image of Christ's stamp of authenticity on it. He will never accept the
presentation of our own hands, which is nothing more than a patched up "Old Man".
Now, keep in mind, unless we see the reality of these truths in the spiritual realm, and
cross that bridge between the physical realm into the spiritual realm, we will never see
the final result of our faith. As long as we live on this earth, this process of being changed
into the image of Christ is on-going. When we finally shake off the shell of he flesh in the
grave, we will be eternally free to live forever in this state of being acceptable to God.
This is precisely where things begin to trip us up. We keep our eyes tuned to the physical
life as proof of the status of our spiritual life. BUT, God looks firstly, and foremostly
upon the heart... the spiritual side... the new life, and whether or not it is living IN
Christ... connected to the vine.
The only issue I would still take with your reply is the comment concerning the amount
of time spent abiding in Christ/the vine. If your life is not drawn into these times by the
Holy Spirit Himself, there will be a tendency once again to make even this time a subject
of self-discipline, and eventually, a law. At that point, the effort reverts once again back
to a man-made attempt to prove oneself to God... humanism! The next thing we know,
Matthew will have his own new church which has a new set of rules... that to be a
member, you have to spend the right amount of time alone with God in order for it to
count. Can you see the absurdity of this??... the utter uselessness. This is where the old
man does battle with the spiritual man.
Enough for now... talk to me!
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Hey Darrell,
Once again – Thank you! I think I do understand, it’s all about abiding in the vine – letting God
supernaturally change you as you spend time with Him. Maybe that’s one of the single most
important factors to why the American church is the way it is because there is a lack of spending
time with God, abiding in Him. And that’s my answer too. Needing to sit alone in the presence
of God and let Him transform me. I like that. Just keep praying that I do just abide in Him. Let it
be my goal for this year to abide in Christ. To let Him transform me.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Tuesday, January 06, 2009 8:05 AM
To: Matt & Jenny Zacharias
Subject: RE: Happy New Year...
Thanks for your thought, Matt...
Actually, I am writing right now on "Kingdom Principles". But, your reply has touched
on at least 2 of these... one of them is the Principle of Growing, or Producing Fruit. The
other is the Principle of Transformation, or The Miracle of Metamorphosis. Let me just
give you a brief glimpse into these amazing principles and how things work when Christ
Jesus rules our hearts as King and Lord.
First of all, one simple question... how does the worm become a butterfly? What much
does it actually have to know about the process, or, how long does it have to discipline
itself before it can become a butterfly?..., or, how hard does it have to work at changing
itself into a butterfly??... can you begin to see the point?? The worm simply begins to
secrete juices what is left over from all the leaves that it has been eating during its short
lifespan in such a manner that a cacoon begins to form around itself. This step it
accomplishes as a natural part of its life. In no way has it had to be taught the discipline
of forming a cacoon... it just simply does it, naturally. Once it is inside this shell-like
house, an amazing process begins to take place which we refer to as "Metamorphosis".
(We English borrowed this word from the Greeks.) The various uses of this word is found
in our Bibles and translated as "transformed" (Rom12:2), and "transfigured" (Jesus, Peter,
James, and John on the Mt of Transfiguration), and "changed" (2 Cor3:18)... among other
places. If we could take a look inside the cacoon the worm has made, without destroying
what is being done, we would see what looks like deep sleep has come over the worm, or
we may even think the worm has died. But, what is actually taking place is a miracle of
new life, unlike anything the worm could have ever been trained for, or disciplined for.
What appears to be death, or near-death, is actually a resurrection of new life. Then, the
sruggle begins... as this new life begins to live, it realizes it cannot just lie there... it has to
break out of the shell which is surrounding it and actually suffocating it. It digs and
struggles toward the light which surrounds the cacoon. The result is, a beautiful butterfly
emerges from the cracks of the shell which has held it prisoner...
Next, we have the Principle of Growth, or Fruit Production. A simple, lifeless little seed
with a shell, or casing of sorts around it, is lying dormant on a shelf somewhere, or in a
seed bag. A farmer, or a gardener, takes that little seed, and places it in loose soil. Before
he covers it up, he tries to make certain there is at least some amount of moisture content
in the soil. Then it happens... death! The seed begins to decay and die... not because it is
doing anything for which it has been trained for many years... but, simply because it is
placed there, watered, and covered up. So, it dies... so we think. But what is actually
taking place is once again is an act of miraculous resurrection life. Regardless how
decayed the outer shell casing of the seed becomes, there is a power of new life in the
center of it, waiting to break out... and break out, it does! It begins to push away the clods
of dirt which was over it, and fight its way upward, always in the direction of light;
NEVER in the direction of darkness! This is the Principle of life in the Production of
Fruit. This is a Kingdom Principle, and it is a natural process of life when the Giver of all
life, our Savior and Redeemer Jesus Christ, is Lord and King in this Kingdom.
The enemy of these amazing processes are the natural elements which would try to
destroy the seed, and keep the new life from being a reality. Enemies such as floods,
draught, winds, storms, earthquakes, etc. In our spiritual life the enemies may be preconceived
ideas we have adopted or have been taught, traditions by which we judge and
rule one another, the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, etc. In the Kingdom of
God, the enemy of this tranformation process seeks to keep this process from taking place
as well. He, Satan, knows if he can interrupt the natural processes of dying and the
springing forth of the new life in Christ , he will keep one more soul from walking into
the Kingdom of Life, setting the captives free, and healing the sick and raising more of
the dead. But, let me ask you, what did the seed have to do to make this process all take
place? How much training did it have to have so it would be able to die "just
right"?? How many times did it have to practise this process to make certain he would be
able to "do" this??? ... can you begin to see the point? How much discipline and training
do we have to know about dying? Whose doing the work anyway while we are dying??
Why aren't we content to just let the Lord do the work in us He is trying to accomplish?
Do we think we can actually "help" Him do a better job on us??
Take a look at these verses... this is the Truth of the Gospel of the Kingdom...
"A-B-I-D-E... in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it
abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the
branches; he that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for
without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered, and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned. If ye
abide in me, and my words abide in you, you shall ask what ye will and it shall be done
unto you. Herein is my Father glorified; that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my
disciples. As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you. Contiue ye in my love. If ye
keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's
commandments and abide in His love." (John15:4-10)
Can you see the principle by which fruit production works in the Kingdom of God??... the secret is; ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! That's it! As the seed lies in its grave, and as the worm lies dormant in its cacoon, so we are to ABIDE IN
CHRIST!! There is our role, and there is our discipline... ABIDE IN CHRIST!! If we can get this one thing straight,
everything else will work itself out to the honor and the glory of God. No one ever praises the dead seed for how
beautiful of a plant it has produced. Why?... it is dead! The farmer gets the praise! That's pretty simple, isn't it??
OK... write back now... you hear! Let me know if this helps turn on a light bulb for you.
Your old uncle,
Darrell
-------------- Original message from "Matt & Jenny Zacharias"
Hey Darrell,
Thanks for the email! The thing that really struck me was Romans 12:1-2. That we would
present our bodies as a living sacrifice and I love that he puts in there which is our reasonable
service. It’s like saying that giving up your life for God should be normal and is a very reasonable
request when you look at what Jesus has done for us. How often do you hear of people truly
laying down their life for God? Then the second part of that verse is great to. But let us no
longer be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewing your mind. Now I do
have a question. Is that transforming work something I need to do or is it only God who does
that work? Is it the work that happens when I get in the word and God continues to show me
things and change the way I think? Is it a result from faithful obedience to Him? I need to be
transformed and feel too often I am not there. Paul Washer asks the question, how can you say
you’re a Christian and have met God and not be changed? Ok, just as I’m asking that question,
the thought of the Israelites comes to mind. They experienced God in many supernatural ways
throughout the Old Testament and yet often turned back to their idols and such. I guess it’s just
sinful man making choices. It only takes one bad choice to negate many good ones. So maybe
the question is more of, why are so many Christians today not staying changed or not continuing
to be transformed? Although I guess the answer to that would be that the bible states that
many will fall away in the last days and maybe that’s what is happening. So maybe the real
question is how do we prevent that in our own lives? And if we have lost that zeal for God how
do we get it back? I like your questions about what will we say to God when we meet Him?
What will we have to show for our lives? Very challenging! I am back at this starting block of
discipline again…..been here to many times….last year’s goals didn’t happen and this year’s
goals haven’t begun – as a matter of fact I don’t know what I want my goals to be this year. So
please continue to pray for me. You know that this whole discipline thing has been my greatest
stumbling block and continues to be that. It’s hard to die to self without discipline. Darrell, I
feel like I’m that rich young ruler who comes to Jesus sincerely and says, look, I am trying to do
what is right, what else do you require and Jesus tells him to sell all he has, give it to the poor
and follow me. And he just doesn’t do it. What holds him back? What holds me back? I guess
those are answers I need to find, but I really appreciate your emails and your insight. I pray that
God continues to reveal a greater level of truth to you and that He blesses you for all the time
you spend emailing the truths of His word to me. I truly am grateful.
Matt.
From: Darrell, Ruth and Ben Miller [mailto:drbmiller@mchsi.com]
Sent: Friday, January 02, 2009 11:47 AM
To: Jenny Zacharias
Subject: re: Happy New Year...
Good Morning, to you all in beautiful Wisconsin...
Hope all is well with you and your families, and full of anticipation to the New Year!
I pray that this year will be one of many more joys than sorrows for you, and that most of
all, you find a depth in the life of Christ where you can live fully immersed in His divine
will!
I was up early on New Year's morning, and in prayer and meditation, asking the Lord for
a word of guidance for this new year... here is what He directed me to...
"For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever! Amen."
Now, clearly these words are the closing words to the verses we have in our
Bibles known as the Lord's Prayer. Usually, by the time we are either repeating this
prayer from memory, or we are hearing it prayed, we are thinking that it is being closed...
kind of like a benediction. But, if we take a little closer look at what Jesus is saying here,
we will receive a wonderful blessing of His truth revealed. Jesus' entire earthly work was
to do the work of His Father in Heaven and to preach the good news of the Kingdom of
God. He said He only spoke the words He heard His Father speak, and only did those
things which He had seen His Father do. This was His role and well defined purpose
during His time on this earth. Without faltering or hesitation, He performed His role
perfectly and with total confidence in the sustaining power of His intimate fellowship and
communion with the Heavenly Father. His message of the "good news" of the Kingdom
of God caused hope to be born in the lives of the hopeless. The lame jumped and ran for
joy. The lepers were cleansed. The Scriptures declare that ALL disease and ALL sickness
was irradicated by the power of the words of this message. The "good news" of the
message of the Kingdom of Heaven is pure and unhindered divine power, overcoming the
forces of the enemy of our soul. This message brings restoration of our original intended
purpose in this life and perfect alignment between our will and the will of our Father in
Heaven. This is REAL power!
As I contemplated quietly the depth of these words and read and re-read this prayer our
Savior spoke for our learning, I did a concordance check to see if this phrase was
recorded elsewhere in Scripture. To my amazed eyes came a verse from the Old
Testsment... 1 Chronicles chapter 29, and verse 10-13...
"Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in
Heaven and Earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exated as head
above all. Both riches and honor come from thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thy
hand is power and might; and in thy hand it is to make great and to give strength unto
all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name..."
King David, a man whom God Himself testified concerning that he was a man with a
heart as God's heart, had been accumulating huge amounts of building materials for his
son to use in the building of the magnificant temple according to the instructions the Lord
had shown to David. God had explained to David he was not to be the person to actually
construct the temple, but one of his sons would be chosen. David had much violence and
blood on his hands, and was not a man of rest and peace. From all of his sons, the one
chosen was Solomon, whose name in itself means peacefulness. So, the Lord God placed
in Solomon a spirit of rest and quietness and confidence. In the chapter just prior to this
one, the Bible states that God would make Solomon His son, and He would be a father
to Solomon. So, not only did David relinquish control over all the vast wealth of his
kingdom which he had amassed during his 40 year reign, but he also relinquished the
throne and even his own son into the hands of Jehovah God. All that had defined his life
was placed into the hands of the Almighty.
In the Book to the Hebrews, chapter 10, we read wonderful words of the once-for-all
sacrifice of our Savior for the sins of all mankind. In verse 5, we read these words,
"Wherefore when He (Jesus) cometh into the world, He saith, 'Sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me."
Consistant with the offering of all that David had, our Savior and Lord came to this earth
without worldly wealth and riches, but all that He had been given by His Father, namely
His physical body, He offered as a sin offering which was to be accepted by a holy and
just God as the all encompassing sacrifice for all sin. This He accomplished through His
own personal obedience and alignment with the Heavenly Father's will. What about
me?... what will I offer to my King as a sign of my commitment and allegiance to Him?
With what will I come before the throne of my King? What has been accomplished in my
life which will last as a memorial of my love for my Savior? How will I show my love
and appreciation to Him for all He has sacrificed for my benefit? These are questions we
must confront our own life with at some point before we find ourselves standing before
the throne of God naked and embarrassed. What of my life will endure throughout
eternity? With as much certainty and clarity as I have ever witnessed concerning, the
wonderful presence of the Holy Spirit approached me and reminded me of these words
from Romans 12:1-2...
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies
a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be
not conformed to this world; but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye
may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
There it is! This is the path of righteousness which the Lord Himself has built for each of
us to follow His steps to eternal life. This is the highway of holiness carefully mapped out
through the twists and turns of this life which we can walk on in full confidence of its
safety and condition. You see, many multitudes have walked this path before us,
including our own Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a liberty and a divine freedom
afforded those who will navigate by the light of the precious Word of God as they walk
on through this life. The work of the cross to bring resurrection life into our soul and
body is a work of tears and disappointments. But, this necessary work cuts away the
elements of this world which has attached its sticky tennacles to our very existance. In
spite of the worries and the fears, we can speak the message of hope and trust in our
resurrected Lord. For all that exists in Heaven and on Earth belongs to the Lord God
Almighty. Therefore, we pray,
"Thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven... for Thine is the
Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever! Amen."
Have a Happy New Year!
The Millers in the Northland
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