Effectual Prayers - Fire and Quest

This is from the blog A Word in Season:

“Tell me, I pray thee, thy name”

Genesis 32:29

Buried within the hearts of those who know the call of God is the stirrings of the Divine seed. Emmanuel, “God with us”, must give way to “God IN us”. The rest we find in God’s providential care should propel us on in that eternal quest to know Him more.

The One who was the Emmanuel of God declared:

“Nevertheless I tell you the truth;
It is expedient for you that I go away…”
John 16:7

WHY?

Because having Jesus with us… is not to be compared to having Jesus IN US! His incarnation made it possible for Him to become our sacrifice to the end He could Dwell IN US! His Spirit could not come until Jesus was glorified (*see scripture below). His blood was shed so that we may draw near to Him “by a new and living way”! We need to begin to comprehend the enormity of the phrase “The Body of Christ” as being His church – not some pedantic building on a street corner, or an isolated, esoteric group of people. The Body of Christ is a Unified Glorious Temple, made up of living stones, each stone infused with the pulsating breath and fire of God, ONE Body in full submission to the Head who has pre-eminence overall!

“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’ Now, this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, *for as yet the Spirit had not been given because Jesus was not yet glorified.”
John 7:38-39

JACOB AND EMMANUEL

As astounding and magnificent is this truth of Emmanuel, “God with us”, it is only the beginning of our journey into Him. Jacob at Peniel was close to or just over 100 years old. His life had been filled with the interventions of God before Peniel. No doubt he knew well God’s call, from his mother’s own narrative, even before his birth. Throughout His wanderings, he encountered God at every turn. Though God was “with” him he understood intuitively he did not know Him who is unknowable. The evident Hand of God in his life was not in truth the Face of God; there is a vast difference between a good and providential religious experience and the experiential relationship of true-born sons.

The true passion of His Own is to know Him rather than having the satisfaction of knowing much about Him. The difference between these two is revealed in the secret place of prayer.

ALONE WITH GOD

“The same night he arose and took his two wives, his two female servants, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. He took them and sent them across the stream, and everything else that he had. And Jacob was left alone.”
Genesis 32:22-24

At Peniel, Jacob was alone. He had purposely sent all those around him away as the hidden workings of God moved within Jacob toward a divine appointment with Himself. Jacob was the name given to him prophetically; it accurately described his nature, his essential self. God had another name reserved for him – Israel. This name held a deep and eternal call with repercussions that would reverberate throughout history to this very day. By necessity, what this man was by nature (Jacob), must become another (Israel) for God’s purposes to find fulfillment.

Those who know His call feel this necessity and internal cry which cannot find rest in knowing God is with them. The quest for intimacy and relationship is to apprehend His eternal purpose for them individually (Philippians 3:13). The true love of God desires union not a mere awareness of His existence.

The man Jacob would always feel a stranger with the God who over-shadowed his way. God would remain an unknown to him. The mysterious One would always be there for him but that sense of relationship would remain obscure and incomplete.

“Tell me, I pray thee, thy name”
Genesis 32:29

Love ever seeks the object of its desire. The true heart longs for a relationship that is eternal and infinite. The Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a singular name. It is this Quest to know God’s Name, His Person, and His being for which Jacob inquired!

“…baptizing them in the name (not names)
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost…”
Matthew 28:19

In the Son coming to earth He pleased and glorified the Father in a new way. And the Holy Spirit revealed the new wonders of Christ to all of creation. Even angels could not comprehend the mystery of His work in and through Christ!

“To whom it was revealed that not to themselves, but to us they ministered the same things, which now were announced to you by those having preached the gospel to you in the Holy Spirit sent from Heaven; into which things angels long to look into.”
1 Peter 1:12

The name of God (YHWH) means the “ever-becoming One”. This is the eternal truth of Himself; He is ever becoming more glorious. In everything, He is working new wonders of Himself. Each life that responds to His Call becomes an extension of His unique and living testimony which creation has never seen before. Early on, God revealed Himself through men and women just like us. Their history became part of His own name!

“Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me…”
Exodus 3:16

Yet, the God of Moses was unlike anything revealed by Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. All creation was struck anew by the power of God revealed through Moses. Consider all who have gone before us. Peter, James, Paul, and Jude all brought fresh, uncompromising expressions of the ONE Triune God. Who can be satisfied in a life lived here without being a unique light and expression as were so many who have gone before us? Each one mentioned in the Book of Hebrews, though not perfect, left an indelible expression of their God. To pass our time here without consequence, without leaving a mark of His glory upon another life, is unthinkable to those who feel that passion to make Him known. When Paul asked for prayer, it was not to have his circumstances changed but that he would know the power of God to make Christ known in all boldness!

“Pray also for me, that to me may be given speech in the opening of my mouth with boldness to make known the mystery of the gospel…”
Ephesians 6:19

Those who know their God cannot refrain from proclaiming Him. The more they know Him the greater is their passion to know Him more. The unaffected, the distant ones who are content with unfulfilled promises, unfruitful and uneventful lives; feel not the passion to leave His mark in the world around them. Though God is in truth Emmanuel to many, there are those who, like Jacob, are moved by an inner desire to be “alone” with Him. These ones know the internal conflicts of their hearts; the wrestling, the struggles, and the prevailing work of God! These agonizing experiences are necessary for those who would know the fundamental and essential change from a lost and wandering Jacob to the Israel of God!

Prayer becomes the means to this life-changing relationship. Asking for things is transcended by touching the ONE in whom all provision and glory reside. He is no longer just a god; He is no longer the God of a church, a minister, or an organization. He is now GOD; your own personal Shepherd, King of kings, Lord of lords, and the sole purpose for which this life is lived.

Many may know His acts; many may know the sheer wonder of His providence. But until an individual seeks Him for Himself, He will remain shrouded in mystery and obscurity. He is good, and He will remain good to all who call upon Him. But to those who pursue Him, who desire an audience with Him, will He unveil His wonder and Person.

PRAYER IS THE PRIVILEGE
OF THE HUNGRY OF HEART.

The hungry of heart do not depend on scheduled prayer meetings for their heart is an altar upon which the fire burns continually. Abraham did not start a fire as many must do – He brought the fire!

“And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering
and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire…”
Genesis 22:6

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“And when they had lifted up their eyes,
they saw no man, save Jesus only.”
Matthew 17:8

Please Read: The Prayer of Moses

Brian Troxel

The Straight Gate & The Narrow Path

This is from the blog A Word in Season:

“Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way,
which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
MATTHEW 7:14

Without context, the focus of most Christians becomes the gate. The message presented in many places today is one of being “born again” with little thought of entering the Kingdom of God. Religion likes things simple and easy and the English language plays into this concept very well. However, in the Greek language, there is a whole different thought to what Jesus is saying to us.

“Because strait is the gate, and narrowing (compressing) is the way,
which is leading unto the life, and few there be that are finding it.”
Literal Greek Translation

The Greek tense used here is the Participle mood, best translated here with an “ing” suffixed to the basic verb form. This communicates to us a progressive walk and an on-going sense of growth and development. The narrowing or compressing of the way is the daily experience of all who would find the resurrection Life of Jesus. The leading speaks of following Him with the discovery that death to the outward man is the path to experiencing His life within. Discipleship is the life of the narrowing way, and few there are who choose this path.

SEEING VS. ENTERING

We hear much of the scripture:

“Except a man be born again,
he cannot SEE the kingdom of God”
JOHN 3:4

However, Jesus goes on in his discourse to Nicodemus:

“Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit,
he cannot ENTER INTO the kingdom of God”
JOHN 3:5

While many of God’s children are content with seeing the Kingdom, there is a cry within the heart of God that some enter into the Kingdom. There is a pursuit  and a cost involved with this entrance. The narrowing and confinement of the path must be walked in the reality of our hearts. We discover that this way is neither popular nor easy. It is the way of the Cross. It is found in the following of Him, not in the structured ways of men. It leads us into the wilderness where we discover that He came not only to forgive us but to save us from our sins and self-will. Of necessity we must be born not only of water (the cleansing aspect of His life) but also of the Spirit (the empowering aspect of His life) where we find enablement to overcome the issues that bind us. This birthing of the Spirit is also accompanied by the fire of His life to purge the dross and the impurities from our hearts. It is a purifying that no amount of washing will ever accomplish.

The strait gate is the introduction to the Narrow Way. The Gate is not an end in itself as many suppose. It is merely the beginning ever leading us farther on the Narrowing Way wherein we discover the “the breadth, and length, and depth, and height” of our God.

“We want to reach the kingdom of God,
but we don’t want to travel by way of death.
And yet there stands Necessity saying: ‘This way, please.’
Do not hesitate, man, to go this way,
when this is the way that God came to you.”
--AUGUSTINE

It is the broad and easy road which leads to destruction. A crossless walk is the way of the broad and easy way, its end is judgment and misery.

“…for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction,
and many are the ones entering in through it”
Matthew 7:13

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“If you here stop and ask yourselves why you are not as pious as the early Christians were, your own heart will tell you that it is neither through ignorance nor through inability, but purely because you never thoroughly intended it.”
--William Law

Brian Troxel

The Blood Sanctifies Our Walk

This is from the blog A Word in Season:

“…and Moses took of the blood of it,
and put it upon …
the great toe of his right foot”
Leviticus 8:23

Election, Godliness and Being Chosen by God

DISCIPLESHIP

“But know that the Lord hath set apart
him that is godly for himself:
the Lord will hear when I call unto him”
Psalm 4:3

It is the godly whom the Lord sets apart for Himself. It is the godly in character and heart whom God hears. It is in this context that men and women must consider God’s grace. God’s election by Grace must be coupled with man’s response. “Many are called, but few are chosen”. Teachings, miraculous deliverances, movings of His Spirit in signs and wonders and even His own goodness are no insurance of entering the Kingdom of God. Israel saw His manifest power as He laid Egypt waste and yet they failed in the wilderness and perished without entering into God’s purpose. It is essential for us to see and grasp the truth of God, His ways and His Holiness.

“Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea; And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; And did all eat the same spiritual meat; And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. But with many of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the wilderness”
1 Corinthians 10:1-5

Paul goes on to say that these things were written for our learning and admonition. These were people who grieved God. Despite all the miraculous signs and provisions of God, this generation fell short of God’s desire for them. They did not consider Him in their walk. They lacked the desire to please and bless Him by how they conducted themselves in their daily affairs of life. They went through life choosing the things that would please themselves rather than God. They saw His acts without ever discovering His ways.

“He made known his ways unto Moses,
his acts unto the children of Israel”
Psalm 103:7

We see this same truth in the New Covenant.

“But without a parable spake he not unto them:
and when they were alone,
he expounded all things to his disciples”
Mark 4:34

It is the disciples whom Jesus pulls aside to expound on the hidden truths of the parables. Disciples are those who follow Jesus. They live to learn of Him and because of this “…the Lord sets apart him that is godly for Himself…” They are sanctified by God for His purposes and it is these ones He consecrates (chooses and sets as living stones in the breastplate of His Holiness). These works of God are for those who choose Him, who desire to follow Him, discovering His ways and the wonder of His heart. Discipleship is the path into His Love. The verity of all true disciples will be revealed by the signature of in His Love in them.

“By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples,
if ye have love one to another”
John 13:35

God’s love is the defining feature of His true disciples. Many who are religious will (as the Pharisees) love their own little circle; the stamp of a true disciple is one who loves God’s people with the same Love that beats within the heart of our Heavenly Father. This Love is characterized by a passion and concern for the spiritual condition of His people. Denominational ties are irrelevant as they only see One church, One Flock and One Body. It is a Love that seeks out God’s sheep and God’s approval and cares little about the approval of man. True disciples do not seek positions or prominence; they seek to function within the confines of His calling upon their lives. The mark of God in the life of a true disciple is one of serving God not men. This Love “seeks not its own things…”

“Love has patience, is kind; love is not envious; love is not vain, is not puffed up; does not behave indecently, does not pursue its own things, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices in the truth. Love quietly covers all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never fails”
1 Corinthians 13:4-8 LITV

Those who seek the pre-eminence in the midst of God’s people are not His disciples nor are they His true sheep. Those who encourage the affection of God’s people toward themselves, rather than ministering that His people fall in love with Jesus, have not seen God’s heart. The desire of the true ministers of God is not to draw men to their church, fellowship or their person; it is to Glorify God in all things. The cry of a true disciple is:

“He must increase, but I must decrease”
John 3:30

Brian Troxel
http://www.aword.info

REAL RELATIONSHIP: The Revelation (1)

This is from the blog Real Christianity:

“There is a reason people have problems in their attempt to minister together. The chief obstacle which has been in the way for the greater portion of the church age is still in the way…”

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         I have written extensively on this subject. My book, Real Christianity, delves deeply into the issue. I have taught many Bible Studies on the topic.

         Though the following excerpt from the book is relatively brief, it presents the historical and Biblical essence of Real Relationship and helps every believer to discover how it positively affects his or her Christian experience and discipleship.

         Speaking of which, I highly recommend buying my book. It has received excellent reviews. Its pages are loaded with truth that reveals this application of the Lord’s teachings, the Divide and Conquer tactic against it, and so many other methods of the enemy that strive to limit and even stop the progress of the Lord’s real Community by eliminating real spiritual relationship, both with the Lord and with one another.

         Thank you and be blessed:

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REAL RELATIONSHIP

         There is a reason people have problems in their attempt to minister together. The chief obstacle which has been in the way for the greater portion of the church age is still in the way. We exist in the midst of a major revelation, which Christendom has repeatedly failed to apply properly. This attests to its freshness. That it had to come by revelation shows the depths of our collective naiveté. Of course, many in the pew saw the need for it long before the pulpiteers, but were powerless, in their estimation, to do anything significant about establishing it since it seemed to be in opposition to the status quo. Indeed, the ruling clergy is threatened by it and has therefore tried to water it down or channel it in a “safe” direction. But such puny attempts by even punier autocrats will never succeed against the will of God.

         What is this major revelation? Put simply, it is real relationship. Its fundamental hindrance is the clergy-laity division which was firmly established by the fourth century A.D. Remember, the Church, or Qahal, [1] which Jesus initiated was a community—the community of called-out ones. In the early days, there were no class distinctions or divisions—everyone participated in a meaningful, fulfilling way. At present, though we might try, we will never arrive at real relationship church-wide, until we do away with the clergy-laity split. [2]

         Many churches have attempted to incorporate spiritual relationship between members into their objectives, and most of them think they have succeeded. This reveals at least a small amount of religious pride which must be eliminated as well. The clergy can attach any label it desires to a thing, but labeling is often as far as it gets. Those who have made great starts in the heat of great opposition, on the other hand, should be commended for their stand and supported for stepping out. In takes more time than we think, however, before real relationship is established within a group, and those who have begun the process must press on. When we at last lay to rest the evil root which causes division in the Church, we will have:

1. True recognition of each and every one of God’s people

2. A revelation of the inestimable worth of each member of the congregation

3. The utilization of this worth toward the building of real community

4. The functioning of every person in the Church according to his God-ordained purpose within his destined ministerial calling

5. The maturing of the Church into an organic ministering fellowship (the body of Messiah) with any number of horizontal relationships between members, yet only one direct vertical relationship—that between each member and the Lord Jesus [3]

         © 2016 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.

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[1] Qahal is the Hebrew equivalent for “Church,” and is the word most likely used by Jesus.

[2] The word “Laity” originates from the New Testament Greek word laos (lah-’os). It is defined as a people group, whether socio-political, socio-religious, or cultural-ethnic. It generally refers to the “common people,” as a crowd, a populace, or a nation. It is also used as the people of God. When used in the latter sense, it means all of the people collectively. It is easy to see how the meaning of this word was corrupted when class division entered Christianity.

[3] Real Christianity—The Nature of the Church © 2001 by RJ Dawson. All Rights Reserved.