In God's divine, wisdom He purposed a most glorious victory in the cross of Jesus Christ before time itself was even set into motion. Would to God that all who claim the name of Christ would take into consideration this achievement and ponder its very depth before they forever consign the lost to the condition they are now in, for now we are in the confines of an age. This age brings us back to the subject at hand concerning the vision of a mature new man in relation to this generation. The fact that God's purpose reaches a conclusion gives the phrase "God's eonian purpose" much weight since God is not running an endless cycle through time, rather He is fulfilling a plan in which all of His creation is brought back into harmony via calvary.
We have come to a very sobering time in God's eonian purpose. Have we come this far with itching ears, only looking for a personality to scratch them? Have we circled back around a familiar ground? If so, have we seen a higher meaning in God's intention or have we grown dim, ever learning and never coming into the truth? There has been no shortage whatsoever of information and knowledge to this generation concerning the high calling in Christ Jesus, but unfortunately it is an entirely different matter to store the knowledge as information, rather than having the light of the knowledge of the glory to penetrate our hearts. As a result, we can never behold such a glory without being changed! Oh, but the knowledge has come and yet the convictions, the sobriety, the earnest desire to even be changed from glory to glory is either a rare thing when it comes to a realistic manifestation or it is something others assume to have attained with no such manifestation, no such need, no such growth, and no such change, which becomes a very comfortable philosophy that deadens and leaves the apprehended soul desensitized.
Such philosophies have been esteemed as the great enlightenment that the world has been waiting for according to those who perpetuate the ideas taught at a place we spoke of in the previous article called "The New Mars Hill." Those in such a spiritual state simply reflect everything that was said about the old Mars Hill, except in this age the name of Christ has now been worked into the ever-changing and self-contradicting belief system. There is a loud and proud clamor at the New Mars Hill, but with all its uncertain sounds, I dare say we can look down through the ages and see through the muddle of confusion and take note that this loud clamor began with a serpent's hiss.
Oh, how often has knowledge itself been partaken of without life?
How often has something of the divine nature come up missing in the
vain practice of handling knowledge without the life of God's Spirit?
The result is to be left standing naked of understanding, naked of
purpose, naked of the vision that only God can give. When our time and
attention for the Lord's divine instruction is neglected and we are
drawn away by the seductive hiss to call into question the very
foundation that has been laid in the building of our faith, then
beloved take heed on how steadfast and anchored you are in such a
faith. The easy prey for such foolish wandering is birthed out of
having absolutely no vision during such a time as this. It is in this
time frame that an incredible surplus of information about the things
of God has been gathered, watered down, marketed, redefined, misused,
and flat out abused! More than that, such knowledge has been mixed and
mingled with an agenda that comes from the proud hearts of men, who are
inspired by the spirit of the age. It brings to mind a sad state that
the prophet describes concerning a people God called out of the
nations. We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us:
for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers, from
our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord
our God
(Jer. 3:25).
From the Garden to this present time, knowledge has been improperly handled and perverted to the point where the verse in Jeremiah has far more meaning than an historical statement. The called out of God today have seen the covering of confusion and in some degree it has been experienced by all of us. More than ever, the perversions of truth have been made manifest. I think of the searing words by a late brother with a very sobering vision concerning a called out people aspiring toward maturity.
We speak too lightly about the deep and sacred things of God. We speak flippantly about such divine eternal wonders as the new birth, sonship, the fulness of the Spirit, transfiguration, and the manifestation of the sons of God. The light and frivolous way in which these truths are handled proves beyond a doubt that those who handle them understand them less than Belshazzar understood the sacredness of the vessels of the Lord from which he drank wine with his lords and ladies. If we are going to approach God at all, we are going to have to come in an attitude of wide-eyed awe. We shall have to approach with reverence and godly fear lest we blaspheme and take the name of the Lord in vain. I hate to hear any man use light, frivolous, and familiar terms when speaking of the things of God. Surely if Michael the archangel durst not bring a railing accusation against the devil because we are forbidden to speak evil of dignities, then I must approach all the sacred truths cleansed by the blood and having my mind renewed and hallowed by the Holy Spirit. (George Hawtin, Treasures of Truth, Vol. 1, p. 5)
We also cannot help but find the relevance of a recent writing by Ricky Evans as we contrast the New Mars Hill to the captives of the vision who find satisfaction and lasting spiritual edification in nothing less than the fulfillment of the great desire God Himself has planted in their very being. The following quote perfectly describes the state of affairs at the New Mars Hill:
Many proclaim their far out, wild and exotic speculations as deeper kingdom truths and they pride themselves on their own so called depth in God. They run to the scriptures to find more speculation with which they can boggle the minds of those unstable souls who are tossed to and fro by every wind which blows. They exalt themselves above others as they spout off the 'newest heavy reavy' they can come up with. They will get all the tapes, all the books and stay one step ahead of the rest. They will take everything to the extreme to come up with something no one has ever heard before so as to impress those around them with their 'spirituality.' All the while nothing has been built in their lives. Everyday life causes them to fall apart. They will cuss the postman in the morning while that night they will preach their 'deep revelation.' Some have even begun to use their corrupt language while preaching their 'deep revelation' and the so called mature ones sit by and never think or say anything about it. As long as something deep sounding is coming forth so what if it comes with bar room language. 'You're just too religious' is their response to any who would even question such. BRETHREN, THIS OUGHT NOT TO BE!
There is one thing that sets the faith that God has given His called out ones apart from all the other beliefs known to creation and that one thing is the cross. We are not speaking of the cross in and of itself, but we are speaking of the work of the cross of the sinless Son who, through partaking of flesh and blood, was both our kinsmen redeemer and the final sin offering for the whole world (1 Cor. 15:21 and 1 John 2:2).
However, when the cross has become nothing more than something we know about or ascribe to our belief system rather than an experience, then we have become Gnostic in our thinking, for the knowledge alone satisfies and to experience such a death blow is senseless to those who are simply content to just know about it. Dear reader, if we make nothing more than a verbal claim of some divine mysteries and we go day in and day out unaffected by what the Spirit has spoken to us then we are all a bunch of Gnostics.
Consider the seed. It is hard and self contained and until it falls into the properly prepared soil it remains the same and it does not change. It has no effect or outworking in this earth. The truth that all the life we need is in the seed has been just enough truth to keep the life in others from coming to fruition. While it is true that it is all there in the seed, there is still a growth that must take place, which must be proceeded by death. Until these things happen, we can claim our spiritual position and yet remain impotent to impart one ounce of the Christ life to anyone.
Indeed, there has already been a death. Yet, not escaping from death, but rather by partaking of it, we realize that the impact of the historical account of the cross is taking its toll on our daily living. Beloved, from the time we come to know Christ as our Saviour and right up until the Father's unveiling of the mature sons, we should continually have our desires flickering away as the cross reshapes our hearts until what we eventually come to desire is the will of our Father. Through the work of the cross in our lives, our desires should be swallowed up into the desires of the indwelling Christ. It is my prayer that we all understand that to the degree that we have made allowances for that which is not contained in the life of the pattern Son, we will continually have such allowances hinder our growth and cloud whatever vision we may have of apprehending what we have been apprehended for!
As we ponder this great dividing line between modern Gnosticism and those captivated by the high calling of Christ Jesus, we may find a divine imprint in our thoughts that paints a portrait of the spotless Lamb nailed to a tree at the place of the skull. The fact that Golgatha means place of the skull should tell us that what happened there must have its perfect and complete work done experientially within our own personal Golgatha, meaning the place of our own thinking.
Just how did this affect Paul's thinking? How did it shape his
view
of the entire world order, known as the cosmos? But God forbid that
I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world
(Gal. 6:14). The
Good News New Testament reads: As for me, however, I will boast
only about the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ; for by means of his
cross the world is dead to me, and I am dead to the world.
The
Phillips translation renders it ...the world is a dead thing to me
and I am a dead man to the world!
What a powerful thought! It is
very easy to ignorantly under estimate the power and accomplishment of
the cross, and yet at the same time this death can be assumed by so
many who are actually very much alive to this world!
Before we carry this awesome thought any further, let us take note of the original language. The Concordant Greek Text renders the word world in Galatians 6:14 as system. This is not speaking of this planet we are on, but it is speaking of the present orderly arrangement of the cosmos. Some have limited this to mean that it speaks of nothing more than the Old Covenant system that tried to get a foothold in the Churches to which Paul ministered and wrote. However, that was not the only thing that was looking for a place in the called out of God. As we have stated in previous writings, the Old Covenant system was passing in Paul's day and it met a horrible end. For those who could hear by the Spirit in the Apostle's day, it had already passed away for them. Today, the Old Covenant system has been likened to the traditions of men in the ranks of organized Christendom and we can see this as a valid application.
Nevertheless, while the New Mars Hill claims to be dead to the system of organized religion, they fail to see that the cosmos encompasses more than their religious background. You see, while some tried to go back to the weak and beggarly elements of the Old Covenant, some were having to try and avoid the weak and beggarly elements of other things such as Epicureanism, Gnosticism, and many other ism's, some containing elements of Judaism and others were strictly moral free hedonistic world views that sought to recruit new members. Such a battle took place in Paul's day and it takes place today. While those at the New Mars Hill, with prideful glee, will tell you about the system they came out of, they have ignorantly embraced another system. The Spirit speaks a fresh and relevant word to each and every generation that has an ear to hear. Galatians 6:14 has just as much to say about the system of eastern philosophies, the New Age movement, and the entire carnal mind of the cosmos as a whole, as it does the Old Covenant.
It is sad to think that just because someone left a group of people in a building that they feel as if they now have come into "THE TRUTH." Ah, beloved let us treasure Christ in us as well as among us, but the full measure has yet to come. Can we not see that in one sense we are still coming out of this cosmos and coming into THE TRUTH?
The cosmos not only contains all the unscriptural world views and all the falsehoods that take on the name of Christ, but it contains every selfish and proud thought that seeks a place in our own microcosm. With that in mind, if the cross has not yet had its earthshaking affect within our own microcosm, should we expect to be used by the Lord to shake the kingdoms and systems of man? Let's just be blunt. We either embrace the cross whole heartedly or we have something that we would like to incorporate in Christ that the pattern does not call for. The New Mars Hill, that spiritual state of mind that revolves around the most soulish agendas, offers a crossless gospel in the most horrible sense. For the main thrust of such a sad state is not to change from glory to glory, nor to be found mature, but rather it is to come and unite under a banner and add to the confusion. All who proudly parrot the latest terms and redefine what it means to know Christ are welcome. Just lend an ear to all the buzz words and begin to ride the wave of sensationalism.
If you ever find yourself gripped by the meaning of being crucified to this cosmos, and conviction runs hot like the passion of a soul just stung in the heart with one of the Lord's love shot arrows, then those waves of sensationalism will cease as the river that supports the wrong things within us begins to dry up. Can we not see that it is in love and mercy that the Lord breaks such foolish pride? If you have come out of the presence of the Lord with a high and lofty revelation and you sneer inwardly or otherwise at those deemed as babes, I dare say that if you truly know how to enter such a place then you should enter back in until true humility has melted your heart. True humility comes from being in the Lord's presence, and although it is true that He is within us as well as with us, to be in Him in such a way in which we are aware of His nature and in communion with Him can only bring to the surface the attributes that creation is groaning for.
As we have taken note of the view held at the New Mars Hill, which circumvents the born again experience, it is only natural that a crossless gospel is birthed out of this. This crossless gospel, which is another gospel (see 2 Cor. 11:1-4), sounds very soothing and is very sweet, but unlike the sweetness John experienced in Revelation 10:10, there is no bitterness in the stomach that speaks of conviction. There is only a sweetness that eats away at the soul and conditions our spiritual taste with a soulish agenda, leaving a cavity rather than growing toward the full measure of Christ. Lately there is a flood of information circulating that perpetuates an appetite for this syrupy gospel, and sadly enough, the people would have it so. You see, it is very convenient to straddle the fence by knowing we are called out of this cosmos, and yet the cosmos is alive and well within us. Such fence riding will be coming to an end, because in this quest toward our inheritance, those who keep their own ways, which are a part of the cosmos, at some point regress. It is as if what some have mistaken as an oasis has turned out to be a mirage, for such souls talk of a living water they partake of, yet their words betray them as they babel through their carnal teachings like a disillusioned man with a mouthful of sand. Let us draw near with our thirst for the water which flows from the Rock, rather than kid ourselves that we can find the same river of life in the mingled, foul fluids that run out of all the thieves and robbers that have attempted an alternate route to the Father and any type of true spiritual fulfillment! (John 10:1).
We have also come to a place in time in which those who boast of
their liberty and claim they have achieved full maturity, or
perfection, are becoming the overbearing and dogmatic ones. Rather than
doing away with the bitter attitudes they claim to have faced so often
through legalism in the past, they have came down to the same level and
taken on the same attitude. I would like to drop a little hint for the
sake of everyone's consideration and this is nothing more than a verse
that has been quoted very often and yet is very fitting: For as
many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God
(Rom. 8:14). Notice that it did not say, for as many that have a
chip on their shoulder, or for as many use their liberty for
an occasion for the flesh, or for as many that do things just
to shock others. Would to God that we would consider the bondage
that we have been liberated from! But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ
from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that
dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh,
to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die:
but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall
live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God
(Romans 8:11-14).
Some are content to be delivered simply from the guilt of sin
and relate
the above verses to Gentiles being made free from the heaviness of the
Old Covenant law, without even considering the bondage of sin itself.
Yet,
some of us have seen a perfected man displayed in the heavens which has
one destination and that is to manifest such a heavenly nature right
here
on earth until the bondage of sin is no more! Know ye not, that to
whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom
ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?
(Rom. 6:16). This servant-hood to sin and all of its vain trappings,
which begins with death in one dimension and consummates with death in
another dimension, inspires the groan of all creation. BUT WE HAVE
NOT RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF BONDAGE, WE HAVE RECEIVED THE SPIRIT OF
SONSHIP! (Rom. 8:15). Brothers and sisters, if you are going to get
any clear word of understanding out of these pages at all, please get
this: IT IS NOT THE DESIRE OF A TRUE SON OF GOD TO JUST BE SIMPLY
FREE FROM THE GUILT OF SIN. THE TRUE DESIRE SHOULD BE TO PUT SUCH A FOE
UNDER FOOT THROUGH CHRIST IN US!
You see, dear friends, it is not an issue of having a shouting match with those who would quickly give a list of rules, but the real issue at hand is being so ruled by the Sprit within, that we have been so overcome by Jesus Christ that we have no desire to do anything that would grieve the Spirit. Show me someone who has been overcome by Jesus Christ and you have just shown me an overcomer. It is just that practical. There is no mystical trance we have to fall into. We do not have to be a theological juggernaut to come to this place of overcoming. What we have to do is confront that which would steer our soul from the will of God and take it to our own garden of Gethsemane. Let me assure you that you will never find Gethsemane at the New Mars Hill.
I think of the timely words of T. Austin Sparks in relation to this matter of maturing in the Spirit apart from externally imposed demands.
You ought to know in your own heart by the Holy Spirit, if you are born of the Spirit, you ought to know by the Spirit making you uncomfortable about certain things. Not whispering in your ear in words and saying: 'No, you must not do that,' but inside. 'I'm not so happy about this as I once was; I don't feel so free to do these things as I once did.' You know what I mean; the Holy Spirit is only bringing you back to the Cross and saying again: 'zero to that, the end of that, that belongs to the old humanity.' (The Great Transition From One Humanity To Another, p.81)
What is it that would bring us to our own personal Gethsemane? Before we even think to answer such a question, I think it is becoming more and more evident that the syrupy sweets and ear tickling jingles of the New Mars Hill, which are nothing more than the fruit of tare seeds sown into the minds of men by the spirit of the age, will fail to prompt us toward that olive press where we come into alignment with the will of God. It is a most pathetic practice to use the name of Christ and lay claim to preaching His kingdom when there is no motive or goal to bring the cross into full view as an instrument that crucifies the very last visage of this cosmos, this polluted arrangement, which seeks to always have a place in our heart.
Beloved, Sonship brings us to that garden in which we find
ourselves,
not forced into submission, but coming into the great realization that
no matter how painful of an ordeal we are facing, the thing that would
have a seat in our heart, and would justify alternatives to the cross,
would be abolished at the laying down of our will. The spirit of the
age
has a place in all who have yet to lay down their will, their desire,
their
way, their appetite, their reasons for self-preservation, and all
allowances
for the impurities of the heart. It is to the degree that the cross of
Christ has been experienced in our hearts that we can manifest a life
that
cannot be swayed by this polluted cosmos. Oh, that the magnitude of
Galatians
6:14 would have its impact upon us. But God forbid that I should
glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world.
The crossless gospel knows no devastation that is involved in the
experience of the crucifixion of this cosmos, which has its effects on
all world views, all philosophies, all ideas and concepts contained in
the worldly wisdom of the age. The only real devastation it will have
is
bringing about the anti-Christ concept that God is not in the least bit
concerned with any absolute convictions concerning the preeminence of
Jesus
Christ. You see, when the Lordship of Christ has the first place in our
hearts, then and only then will the truths that we have heard and even
marveled at concerning our Sonship begin to unfold as an experience
that
each serious growing child of God must embrace. If we do not go on to
embrace
such an awesome call then what will we embrace? If we have experienced
the cross of Christ in such a way that involves more than just knowing
two thousand years ago or so that Jesus died for our sins, then we will
find that we have nothing left to embrace. There will be nothing more
that
we can turn to and find rest in. There will be nothing that we can
cling
to that could bring us life. Will we go back to what we were and no
longer walk with the Lord? Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the
words of eternal life
(John 6:68).
While we have the response that Peter gave the Lord, which should be a confirmation to all who have come to Peter's conclusion, others would have us believe that you can go elsewhere to find the words of eternal life. At the New Mars Hill the tenet is held that we can find the words of eternal life in all world religions, because after all they must have a measure of truth. Peter's response contradicts this tenet held in the New Mars Hill mind set that easily finds a place of attention in the gullible souls that give heed to the so-called deeper teachers of the kingdom. Do we really need to go drink from the polluted fountains of humanism and call it living water? Boil all these religions and philosophies down, and all you will find is man trying to find an alternative route to spiritual fulfillment.
This humanistic mixture is nothing more than a product of
Mystery Babylon.
This brings to mind a powerful picture of a man who sat in the heart of
Babylon yet with the convictions of the Lord, which set him apart from
the gross spiritual darkness and dense human pride that inhabited such
a kingdom. But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not
defile himself with the portion of the king's meat, nor with the wine
which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs
that he might not defile himself
(Dan. 1:8).
Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself. He purposed this in his heart! This is the example and this is where the lines are drawn between those who would defile themselves with the nourishment, or we should say spiritual malnourishment, of Mystery Babylon and those who have purposed in their hearts that they will not defile themselves with the inconsistent Babylonian belief system of this cosmos and the polluted fountains of humanism. The cross of Christ can change our taste buds and strip us of our old appetites and have us see in the newness of life that what we once fed on only serves to make us sick! We do not come to know any difference between such things until we come to know a cosmos crucified and we have been crucified to it!
"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world... And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth inwickedness" (1 John 2:15-16 and 5:19).
The Greek word for world in the above verses is cosmos. Cosmos is used 23 times in this short letter we know as John's first epistle. He used the word more than any other New Testament writer. There is no doubt that the Lord gave John a burden in this letter for the body of Christ that was being faced against one of the many systems with which the spirit of the age has sought to sway believer's hearts. Today, any such burden is scoffed at as simply being religious or legalistic. The call for many spiritual leaders has turned out to be nothing more than a mission to pacify sinful hearts and many churches are more or less social clubs for those who like to carry the luggage of Adam around in a comfortable setting. In those suit cases we find the things that feed the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes, but I dare say the New Mars Hill has majored on the pride of life!
They are proud of their knowledge and so glad that they don't believe in all those legalistic traditions everyone else is involved in. Mountains of paper and oceans of ink will be spent on how much these traditional systems have missed God's will, which is true in so many ways; however, far too often those who spend their words in such a way blindly bask in a system operating in their own heart that reeks with spiritual pride! All that is found in such a proud state is the pride of life and it is just as much a part of this present orderly system that lies in wickedness as anything else is. Such proud souls will tell us that it does not matter how you live and what you do. Their emphasis is to "be in the know." The important thing to them is to "be in their know," that is to say their knowledge and their teachings. The emphasis is to just know these deep truths as they continue to develop and if it turns out to be unscriptural, just expect it, because they are sure to have gone beyond the scriptures. When we teach that which has no witness in scriptures, what measure of truth we have then becomes perverted. It is a proud thing to hold such thoughts, because it gives a sense of superiority over others, just as the Gnostics claimed that the deep mysteries they held made the Christian's absolute need of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus seem outdated, obsolete, and unnecessary.
We find an extremely relevant exhortation given in 2 John 9: Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God.
The Concordant Literal New Testament renders this verse as, Everyone
who is taking the lead and not remaining in the teaching of Christ has
not God.
The Phillips translation gives a much more blunt meaning
in relation to the Gnostic mindset: The man who is so 'advanced'
that he is not content with what Christ taught has in fact no God.
Many
today feel they have advanced past the teachings of Christ and on
toward allowances for other beliefs that Christ never gave. That was
the case with the Gnostics in John's day and so it is today with the
Neo-Gnostic, New Age teachings of men who proudly call their babble the
"Kingdom Message."
You see, the spirit, the idea, the belief, and philosophy of the
Gnostics,
as we have said, is still with us today. You can hold their belief
without
even knowing a single thing about them! This is possible, because the
spirit
of the age has a place in each heart that opens up to the pride of
life.
However, true spiritual revelation should humble us all the more,
rather
than cause us to be lifted up within ourselves.
The cross of Jesus Christ leaves no room for the pride of life. The cross must be experienced inwardly and spiritually, or else it too becomes just a piece of knowledge that we may easily take pride in and not even know it. The cross is the thing that is used by Christ to weed out that which is of Him and that which is of the cosmos! It puts a barrier and a great deal of tension between such proud attitudes and the attitude that every son of God should have. This attitude is expressed in great detail all through the entire letter of 1 John. We have such strong exhortations on love, and yet, at the same time, we have the most blunt statements laid down about the condition of this cosmos. The Holy Spirit which inspired John gave no allowances for that which is of the cosmos.
The popular concept that people now use to define love has been
to simply
let everyone know that they are already perfect and a son of God. It
does
not matter how much bondage you are in, because God loves you. Yes, God
loves all of us, but God is not blind. One person once described love
in
a ballad as "a blind ambition." That is a blind world's
sentiment
for you. However, God is not blind to our bondage, which is often
perpetuated
by misconceptions of the Gospel. When we read what many consider to be
the love chapter in 1 Corinthians 13, we must be aware that God is not
waiting on us to become mature before He loves us. That is not the case
at all. We are not questioning His love. What we wish to point out is
that
all who have been called out of the world, at some point, must come to
the realization that the One who called them has the objective of
developing
the Father and Son relationship that must mature in fullness before
creation
as a whole shall experience God's love! For whom the Lord loveth he
chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth
(Heb. 12:6).
I wonder how many so-called sons of God would consider the passages in
Hebrews 12 to be a love chapter? If any, it would probably be those
that yield forth the peaceable fruit of righteousness that the Lord's
chastening brings (Heb. 12:11). This chapter speaks of our Sonship just
as much as 1 Corinthians 13 speaks of a mature son's attitude.
You see, those who love this world order have no problem with the teachings that put no barriers between them and the things of this present world order known as the cosmos. The world loves its own, for its own pose no threat of death to its order, yet death must take place before you can have the fruit of resurrection life. He who died on the cross told his disciples that they would be expected to take up their cross, but that is unacceptable to a world that will savor darkness and fail to see the serious spiritual leprosy that lurks in their members (Luke 9:23).
From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no
more with him
(John 6:66). The first major weeding out process that
Jesus did took place when He prescribed a steady diet of Lamb to His
followers. This prescription separated those who followed Him and those
who He called (out of the cosmos) to follow Him. Whoso eateth my
flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him
up at the last day
(John 6:54). In light of what Jesus said, it is
becoming quite common in the 'deeper' circles to see others add to this
diet and even encourage others to partake of eastern philosophies,
pantheism, and other beliefs that deny the exclusive claims Jesus
Christ made and the absolutes that are found in Him. In the same
sentence they will say, "Yes, Jesus is the way, but God is not
concerned if others do not know what happened on the cross." The world
has no problem with this crossless version of Christ. However, when the
real thing stands in the midst of this cosmos, those who realize their
need are often drawn to it, but those who do not, hate it. Yes indeed,
the sin vexed heart is there in the comfort of darkness with a hope
that it will not be tormented before its time.
Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you
(1 John 3:13).
Those who hold no convictions and no absolutes and yet claim the name
of Christ will never have to worry about marveling at the world's
reaction to them. Many have 'advanced' beyond such things as
convictions. Perhaps the thing that truly goes on to impact the cosmos
is articulated most accurately in a timely book by Watchman Nee
entitled Love Not the World. Before we share the following
quote, let us say that we know what Nee means when he uses the term
Christian. Some have a problem with the word "Christian," but
like it or not, regardless of the hypocrisies that surface, there has
always been a diamond in the rough. Many people who have had no problem
calling themselves Christian have lived a very devout life through
Christ to further His Kingdom, without having to use the word "kingdom"
every time they opened their mouth!
"When the world meets in us a natural human honesty and decency, it appreciates this, and is ready to pay us due respect and place in us its confidence. But as soon as it meets that in us which is not of ourselves, namely the divine nature of which we have been made partakers, its hostility is at once aroused. Show the world the fruits of Christianity and it will applaud; show it Christianity and it will oppose it vigorously. For let the world evolve as it will, it can never produce one Christian. It can imitate Christian honesty, Christian courtesy, Christian charity, yes, but to produce one single Christian it can never aspire. A so-called Christian civilization gains the recognition and respect of the world. The world can tolerate that; it can even assimilate and utilize that. But Christian life---the life of Christ in the Christian believer: that it hates, and wherever it meets it it will assuredly oppose it to the death" (p.48). History itself will testify of the above quote. Martyrdom in the early Church alone bears this out, not to mention the untold accounts of believers in other countries today who are literally losing their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ.
It is the spiritual convictions, the absolutes, and the steadfastness of being true to what has been experienced in our walk with the Lord that weeds out that which is within us that has yet to be subdued by Christ. This is also true on the corporate level. This is where we come back to the New Mars Hill, that spiritual plane of sensationalism, being lost in an ocean of information, which never centers us on Christ. This is where we see who will leave such a spiritual state and who remains content in such a condition. It is the weeding out that will take us to this third place we have mentioned, which is one of divine discontentment. This place speaks of a heart that cannot find peace in stagnation and sees no growth at the wide spread table of assorted ideas founded on an appetite for new thrilling information, which gullible souls feast upon while the puffed up gurus serve it. Spiritual stagnation and the Mars Hill mind-set have quite a comfortable place in this polluted cosmos.
Every plant, which my heavenly Father hath not planted, shall be
rooted up
(Matt. 15:13). Jesus told the disciples there would be a
divine uprooting of that which was not planted by the Father. He did
not acknowledge every belief system under the sun to be instituted by
God, otherwise what would there be to uproot? We do, however, have a
very obvious testimony of the divine weeding out process that God has
in mind for those who will be used to represent Him in the earth. If
there was ever such a testimony, we find it in the life of Jesus. We
find it in His death - the way He died and what it symbolized to every
earthly passion that cultivates those ugly weeds of humanism that
spring up in the Garden of God. His resurrection testifies of the new
life we possess that holds no charm for the philosophies of this
cosmos. The testimony is there and yet it is so hidden to the world.
There are many flavors of what can be called the "Kingdom
Message"
and those of the New Mars Hill mind set would have them all mixed into
one system. It does not matter that the whole system contradicts itself
and opens itself up to world views that deny the Lord, as long as they
can just get more items on the table. This is the very thing that must
and will be weeded out of God's Kingdom. We must realize that it is one
thing to differ on some minor points and then an entirely different
matter
to be void of any convictions that link our hearts to He alone who is
to
be the lover of our souls. The heart that is gripped in awe at the
passionate
work of the cross of Christ may know what a conviction really is.
However,
one who has knowledge of such a sovereign turning point in God's
economy,
who has come to the knowledge of the only Saviour, and yet
teaches
others that the liberty they have been looking for is found in
humanistic
self-deification cloaked in 'deep' terminology, is void of godly
convictions.
"These are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever. For when they speak great swelling words of vanity, they allure through the lusts of the flesh, through much wantonness, those that were clean escaped from them who live in error. While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, and the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them" (2 Pet. 2:17-21).
The above passage is not about the unbeliever. It is not about those of other religions. It is not about the New Ager who has yet to meet Jesus Christ. It is not even about the Jews in Peter's day that denied Christ as the Messiah and yet claimed to have known God. The above passage speaks of those who knew the liberty found in Christ and yet turned back to what they felt was a greater liberty, but in reality was bondage. They sought to convert others in the household of faith to their bondage, and so we have it today with the syrupy, watered down, crossless gospel and the smorgasbord that has been prepared, which includes every dish of humanistic philosophy that denies the Lord.
Who will be compelled by the Spirit to once and for all embrace the instrument the Lord has chosen to weed out and differentiate between the desensitized and the convicted, false humility and utter brokeness, pride and true humility, unstable souls and sober minds, the unrepentant and those who are whole heartedly committed, the compromising and the sold out? Who will go on to their own personal garden of Gethsemane and yield their hands to those divine hands that can uproot everything of this cosmos that would rob us off the conclusion every obedient son will offer the Father? Who, after knowing the liberty of the children of God and receiving the Spirit of Sonship, will undergird themselves with the mind of Christ and follow the Lamb where ever He goes? Who has this hope of the high calling? Is it not those who have found nothing to take the place of spiritual intimacy with Jesus Christ? Is it not those who prefer the Lord above the soulish ecstacy of humanism and learn not to mistake Him for such a thing? Is it not those who spot the spiritual thieves that rob others of "THE WAY" simply by knowing the voice of their Master and not following another? Is it not those who recognize the cosmos crucified and are dead to all it has to offer?
Is it not those who know that only the Lord has the words of eternal life? Is it not those who have nothing to turn back to or refuse to turn back because of the mark of the prize of the high calling set before them? Do you see the mark? Have you gotten a glimpse of the inheritance? Isn't He beautiful in all of His glory? Is there anything in all of this cosmos that compares to Him? Does He not encompass creation in the work of His cross and yet privilege us to be partakers of His divine nature? Let us treasure the hunger He planted in our hearts lest we grow content with weeds that are soon to be plucked up.
We would like to dedicate this article to our dear brother in the Lord, the late Larry Hodges. His reverence toward God and his emphasis on walking out the revelations that God reveals to His people will remain an encouragement to Shawnda and I as we press on in our spiritual sojourn. Larry's writings are still available on the web at http://shofarletters.org