THE FOREVER THING

Many "believers" have been taught and therefore truly believe and say they will "go to heaven when I die", and while true, is only a small bit of the Truth. This belief has led them to struggles while on earth between light and darkness never finding their true self within Christ.           

                In Genesis Chapter 1 we learn that in beginnings Elohim created the heavens and the earth and what He created was beautiful and He also said upon His completion of it that it was very beautiful. But there came a separation through deception ("for the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak"-Matthew 26:41) and so "in the fullness of time Elohim sent His Son" (Galatians 4:4) to die to the flesh "once for all" (Hebrews 10:10).

                God's favor, His grace, has been given to us freely and it is His Son, Christ Jesus, who lives within us and within whom we live and have our being (Acts 17:28). Paul tells us in Ephesians 2:10, "we are His (God's) workmanship (creation) created within Christ Jesus that God (Elohim the creator) had prepared from before the foundation of the earth that we should walk (the Way) within them."    

                Before dying however Jesus had to first submit His entire being unto Elohim (His Father). He had to suffer first in His soul before suffering in the flesh. He had to be willing to give up His entire will to the will of His Father and only then would the sacrifice of the flesh be an acceptable sacrifice. (Luke 22:42-44)

                In truly receiving Christ it is as much about willingly dying as it is about living, for unless we receive both Jesus' death to the flesh and His soul as our own and the new life given within Him through His resurrection we will continue to be at times separated and at others united with Him in a state of what I have termed the "wilderness of the soul". Having been freed from the slavish obedience to the flesh and yet unwilling, whether through ignorance or self-will, to enter the fullness of the spirit wherein is the "land of promise".

                We must come to the revelation that although we who believe are in the world we are not of it. That goes equally as well by saying although we are in the flesh we are not of it. "For out of Him (Elohim) are you within Christ." It is a forever thing.  We must agree with Him 24/7 and walk in Him (the Spirit) to experience the fullness that He has given. And that is a forever thing too.

I HAVE LOVED YOU

Today, I heard the Lord say, “Curtis, it’s really more simple than you have made it”. I heard myself saying in response, “What’s more simple?”  As I contemplate His statement my mind is going in a dozen different directions.

                Then I am reminded of an event about ten years ago. I had gone to a prison with some friends to minister. About ten of us were singled out to minister at one of the units, which is called lockdown or solitary. As I remember there were three wings and each had about 22 individual cells about 6’ x 10’. In the back of the cell was a small window which allowed the sun in but did not offer much of a view other than walls of the other wings.

                We broke up into teams of 3, 3, and 4 and went to the door to the wing assigned. The guards told us to not get close to the door of the cells but stand close to the outer wall because these inmates were known to urinate on visitors or worse and would most certainly scream obscenities at us. It was very loud because the whole unit was mostly steel and concrete and the inmates were very loud.

                As soon as the doors to the units were opened (all three at once), a hush came across the whole unit. My team of three then split up taking about six cells each (all were not occupied). I only remember what happened at one particular cell.

                The inmate was standing on something and leaning against the wall in the rear of the cell looking out the small window. He did not turn around immediately or acknowledged my presence in any way. Suddenly I was impressed to stretch out my arms as if on a cross. He turned and came to the front door of bars and I began to speak something I had never said before.

                I said, “He died for you and removed every hindrance in order that you would be free to make a decision to believe and follow Him or to deny Him. It makes no difference which decision you make He will back it up for all eternity but know this, if you decide not to believe He is who He says He is and follow Him you will for all of eternity be separated from true love, peace, joy, happiness, kindness and gentleness and will experience for all eternity only the opposite.”

                He then said to me, “You don’t sound like any preacher I ever heard.” I responded with, “I am not a preacher, just someone who brings good news. I hope you will reflect on these things.” The guards called for us to come out of the wings because our time was up.

                When we reached the guards’ desk one of them said, “Who are you people? It has never been this quiet in here.” We told them that it was the presence of the Holy Spirit and we were men who simply believed and then led several of them to Jesus because they too could sense the anointing which was extremely thick and peace was over the entire unit.

                The thing that impressed me today is Jeremiah 31:3 – “…I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore have drawn you with loving kindness.” If that drawing is rejected and the love with it, the only thing that remains is the awful prospect of the agony of the soul’s separation of all that is good, acceptable and perfect and the eternal reminder of, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

                So you see it is not what we do but the grace we acknowledge moment to moment and the receiving of the free gift of eternal life which is found within Jesus Christ. Now isn’t that simple enough?

HOLY LOVE QUEST

Suddenly it came, the thought that we are constant, those of us who believe; in two places at once, in but not of the world, citizens of heaven and residents of earth. Although it be true that Elohim is everywhere, present always at once and is our eternal home, it is He who surrounds us and we therefore walk the hallowed halls continually but much of the time scarcely even being aware or taking note.

We quickly espouse Holy Truths and yet fear them not. Those Truths surround us, permeate our true being, our essence and yet we remain desirous of things that soon will become vapor, gone with the using or abusing or simply abandoned for “the new thing”.

We ARE compassed about by the residents of heaven, a great cloud of witnesses of whom we read about, laud their exploits and sacrifices and yet we pay their Creator and Lord little mind much of the time, ever learning but having no true knowledge of the intimacy which was theirs and brought them to their place in history.

His Holy Presence is ever about. His Holy Love readied to invade a hungry soul at the asking, to bring and sustain with all that eternity contains.

The Apostle is correct to exhort us to not think more highly of ourselves. Really, how can it be that we would even think equality with Him? He made us and the things that “even the Gentiles eagerly seek”.

All things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His purpose for what end? His end, purposed before the foundation of the world that we be found in Him and in His presence to, without ceasing even as the branch receives of the Vine, be nurtured of His Holy Love which bears the fruit which when taken freely by the hungry continues the propagation processes of Love’s essence. Oh, that sweet nectar that comes from the womb of Eternal Life which is forever birthing the more of Holy Love’s infinite manifestations.

That Holy Love which will continue on in its quest to conquer all not of its essence and to conform to the likeness and image of itself by and through the Word which is near, in our mouth and in our hearts. Oh for a thousand tongues that I might sing of His Holy Love which can change a heart in the twinkling of an eye.