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.”