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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