This Word is an excellent prelude to the unfolding, with the present Parousia emphasis.
It is amazing how the Scriptures, with the leading of the Holy Spirit, can bring forth exactly what we need at the moment. We never fail to find the truth in the Word that God has for us at that particular moment.
We have recently come through a time which was set aside for seeking after God. It became very devastating in some ways, but very beautiful in much of its fulfillment. You who participated in the Communion as it came forth during this time received probably one of the greatest blessings of your life. It was God’s moment to bring forth a ministry of His body and His blood which would change everything in us. Much has happened during this time of blessing and praying for one another. The intercession has been effective, mainly because the shepherds, who are the covering for the sheep, have done their job well; and the sheep have been allowed to flourish in what God wanted them to receive.
The result is wonderful in many ways. Yet for me it was a difficult time, mainly because I did not minister the application of the Word that came—I did not lay hands on very many people to impart—not nearly as much as I have in the past. Instead, the brothers were the ones who ministered. I faced a period in which I felt probably more inadequate than at any other time in my life. It seemed to continue on and on, until I began to wonder, “Which way will this thing go? What can I do?” I was reminded of Paul’s statement: “We had gone through so much that we were pressed out of measure, so that we could have despaired even of life itself” (II Corinthians 1:8). All of this came in the midst of a tremendous moving of the Lord—weeks in which we saw more from God visited upon us than at any time during these past thirty years. What has happened? I will tell you; and if you hear it, you will be transformed. You will not remain the same person as you are now.
Are you ready to learn something more from God, and to move in the next step that He has for you? It has taken me a while to understand this.
First, I kept laying everything on the altar. Have you ever gone through that cycle of seeking God and laying everything on the altar? That can be frustrating. How many days in a row can you lay Isaac on an altar? That would wear out even Isaac! Next, I tried, again and again, to “put God first.” How first can He be? I continued laying everything on the altar and putting God first, laying everything on the altar and putting God first. Then, thinking of how we want to relate right, I started seeking after God for the oneness that He is bringing forth—to communicate, to bless, to impart. Finally, I reached the place where that, too, was exhausted.
Then it dawned on me: How many times must we go back and lay the foundation? We are to build on it! How many times do we have to go through all this? It is either done, or it is not done. I realized that I had laid everything on the altar before the Lord, and that He is first. Then I thought to myself, “Then where is God?”
Have you had this same experience? Has all this impartation and blessing brought you to a place of feeling frustrated? Do you feel, “I know they really imparted to me. I know it was real. But since then, what have I been moving in? I don’t know where I am!”
Now, listen to this: I have a witness that we have moved into something new. God will never be a separate entity from His people. You say, “He dwells in my heart,” but do you still pray to Him as though you want to bring Him into a situation? Understand this: God is not crippled, but He has a habit of wanting you to carry Him into every situation. He is not crippled; yet He has a way of saying, “If I am going to be there, it will be because you bring Me into it.”
Does God lead us? Yes, there are illustrations of this in the Scriptures. He leads by a pillar of fire, by a cloud; He gives signs (Exodus 13:21–22; Nehemiah 9:10–15; Mark 16:17–20; Acts 14:3).
But we see also many examples like the following: Back in the days of Samuel, the Lord anointed Saul and said, “Do what your hand finds to do, for God is with you” (I Samuel 10:1, 7). Through the prophet Nathan, the Lord spoke to David, “Now I am with you; do whatever is in your heart” (II Samuel 7:3). God puts the responsibility back on the man. In the New Testament, Jesus said to His disciples, “I will dwell in you and I will fill you with My Spirit; then you will go” (John 14:23, 26; Acts 1:8). Did He say, “Behold, I will be there with all authority in heaven and earth”? No, He told them, “I back you with all authority in heaven and in earth. I give you My name” (Matthew 28:18–20).
Have you been waiting for God to move? He hasn’t moved much, has He? And we are starting to appreciate the fact that He will not move—until we move Him to move, until we bring Him into the situation.
If I could find one fault with this move of God, it would be that there has never been the realization of how much was really committed to us by God. We have never fully realized it. We were always looking for the next step, instead of realizing, “The next step will be a total wilderness until we learn to bring what God has become in us into that step.” Stop praying for God to come on the scene. Say, “People, God is here!” When they ask, “How do you know?” tell them, “I brought Him in the door with me.”
Consider this carefully, because by it you are going to change. You are going to change in your attitude; and you are going to say, “God is with us in this thing.”
We always get into this self-guilt thing because we wonder if we are pleasing God enough; we wonder, “Am I doing enough for God?” “We are laborers together with Him” (I Corinthians 3:9, KJV). And we must learn this next secret: how to bring God by faith into every situation, that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith. Ephesians 3:17a, KJV. He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Ephesians 3:20b, KJV. We get overly anxious for God to move on the scene and give us an answer, when all the time He is saying, “I have given you wisdom. If you still lack it, I will give more. Think with My wisdom. Move with My power” (James 1:5).
Freely we have received, and freely we give (Matthew 10:8). We receive from the Lord, so we give it out. That puts the initiative upon us. If you do not think that is so—if you are still waiting for God to do it—then go back and read the parables, where Christ told about giving several men each a talent. Each was to go out and do merchandise, do business. One man produced ten, another five, another two talents; but they each had to use what they had received. It was at their initiative. They were using God to bring forth to His glory (Matthew 25:14–30; Luke 19:12–26).
There is such a thing as a man taking all the abilities and gifts that he can, and even taking God’s people, and using them for his own glory. But when you serve only for God’s glory, you manifest the difference between the true and the false.
The distinction between a faithful steward and the false prophet is very fine. They both may use what they have to the fullest extent; but the steward uses it to bring glory to God, while the false prophet uses it to line his own pockets. That is the difference. They both may use initiative. The initiative of the flesh is used to produce a kingdom, to possess, to dominate. But the initiative of stewardship of the Spirit is used to bring people into subjection to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, so that they serve Him only.
What are we really after? We are after you to be a servant of the Lord. Were you taken advantage of before, when money that was raised did not go for the right thing? That may be a problem—but that false stewardship does not negate the fact that there is a true stewardship in which we all give everything, all for the glory of God.
We refuse to see a whole lifetime of all that we have given and done and have it evil spoken of, simply because there were false prophets, false cults, and false religions that came along to which people want to compare it. Would you destroy good money, or throw it away, just because there is counterfeit money in circulation? Likewise, just because there are false disciples, that will not stop us from going right ahead and living a life of true discipleship for Jesus Christ. We believe in discipleship.
I am going to see that God becomes more in my life, in what I do and in what I say. And when I, like Jacob, start wrestling with God, I know I will lose; but He is going to be more in my life.
You may prefer to be religious and say, “Oh, dear Jesus, You have all authority in heaven and earth.” But He says, “What about that authority I put in you? I gave you authority.”
Believe what you have! Believe the prophetic Words that are over you. Don’t just say, “Well, I had some promises from the Lord; I review them once in a while.” Those Words are you! Believe them. You are becoming a living epistle. It is written on your heart (II Corinthians 3:2–3). Speak it. Do it. God will go wherever you take Him.
Under Joshua’s command, when the priests put the ark of the covenant on their shoulders and marched into the Jordan River, the river parted—but they got their feet wet first! The Jordan was overflowing its banks at that time, yet they walked in. God did not roll back the water for them until they first had the faith to go in. By that act, they were saying, “God, we’re carrying You.” When the priests led with that ark of the covenant, the people were following the leading of the Lord; but the leading of the Lord was literally carried before them (Joshua 3:14–17).
Do you want to end some of your frustration? With all that God has imparted to you, do you still wonder, “What’s wrong?” You! When you begin to blame God for His not being there, He will say to you, “Well, I had to let you run ahead, until you learn that you are to carry Me into every situation.” God will do what you speak Him to do in a situation. God will be what you believe Him to be, and believe Him to do, within you. God will flow through your hands.
“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.” John 14:12–14.
And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be granted him. Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they shall be granted you.” Mark 11:22–24.
For months this has been the emphasis: Bless, impart, draw, flow, eat of His flesh and blood, become, express it, communicate and share it with one another, praising the Lord. And keep doing it. For what purpose? Is it just so that you can say, “Well, I got a great blessing out of that, a real breakthrough”? What are you doing with it?
“Well, I don’t know; I have some real problems.”
Bring God into them! That is the whole purpose of the ministry that you received!
We have all said, “I want to walk with God.” A walk with God has various stages. There are times when He seems to take you by the hand and lead you. And there are times when you have to take God by the hand and lead Him, because He will be just as close to you as you insist that He be. He will be just as much to you as you want Him to be, as you insist that He be. He has promised it. His moving in the earth cannot operate separately from you.
“Well,” you say, “we don’t have enough wisdom.” This wisdom is His anyway; ask of Him (Luke 21:15; James 1:5). “We don’t have enough faith.” It is a gift of faith; ask of Him (I Corinthians 12:4, 8–9). Begin to believe God. Say, “Lord, I don’t have enough of You. I take more of You.” And when God says, “What are you going to do with it?” say, “I’m going to go out and bring men into the Kingdom, under Your Lordship.” His Spirit is in you.
One of the most wasted experiences that people have had is what is called the “baptism of the Holy Spirit.” More than eighty years have passed since the first great restoration of the Holy Spirit came to people in America, and it is still one of the most wasted experiences. One person had estimated that through what was known as the Pentecostal Movement, fifteen million people had received the Holy Spirit in those early movings of the Lord, from about 1900 on. That may have been exaggerated, but of the millions of people in the world, that is still only a handful. Today there may be many more; the Charismatic Movement has reached many people—although the Holy Spirit is not emphasized among them so much now. Throughout this century there have been many people who received the Holy Spirit; they talked in tongues or they prophesied, but to most of them it was a wasted experience.
What was the whole purpose of receiving the Holy Spirit? To receive power! A Greek word for power is dunamis. The words dynamics, dynamite, and dynamo all come from dunamis. Jesus told His disciples, “You shall receive power” (dunamis, the dynamics of God) “when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.
What happened to that power? You can see that the Pentecostal Movement had an experience which was largely wasted because they did nothing with it.
But let’s go one step further: What are we doing with what we have? I am struck by the words that Paul spoke to Timothy: “Stir up the gift that is in you” (II Timothy 1:6). Stir it up! Get the thing moving! “Neglect not the gift that is in you” (I Timothy 4:14). Quench it not! Stir it up! Use it! Explode that power! Do something! How do you do it? God is in you! Christ dwells in your heart!
You say, “I know He does, but I’ve been working for some time on this thing of the cross in my life. I’ve been wanting to die out to the flesh—isn’t that the goal?” Why? A sarcophagus is not the ultimate end of the work of the cross; resurrection life is! The symbol is an empty tomb. We are not perpetuating a cross experience without finality (Philippians 3:10–11; 1 Peter 1:3). “But there may be some of the old flesh left alive.” What are you going to do? Wait to see if it twitches again? Death has to be appropriated as much as life does. Reckon yourself dead (Romans 6:11). Then get into life: “I am crucified with Christ; nevertheless, I live.” Get the right emphasis: “I am crucified, but I live; yet not I, but Christ lives in me!”
I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:20–21, KJV.
“I do not frustrate the grace of God.” It is going to work in my life. Do you see that you need to repent and to seek God? You realize, “I’ve been receiving so much, and yet I haven’t really believed to move in what I’ve received.” The Lord is saying that this is a time of activists. An activist is someone who is active about the things that he believes. The real Communist does not just carry a card in his wallet; he carries a bomb in his pocket. The real disciple is not just a member on a church roll; he is one who carries God into a situation—with power! This is what will make people run down the street crying out, when you come to town, “These that have turned the world upside down have come hither also” (Acts 17:6, KJV). You will do it because God is in you.
The Greek mathematician Archimedes said that if he had a lever long enough, he could move the world. He had many clever ideas but notice that he never did move the world. It took someone like Paul to really move it. He had the lever. Those early disciples were a little different from what you would expect them to be, because humility is not easily recognized. Humility in a person makes you say, when you look at him, “He can’t do anything.” But that is the one the Lord lays His authority upon. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5, KJV.
They are the ones who are active with what God gives them.
What are you going to do with this? It is up to you. Are you thinking, “Oh, I’m frustrated! There’s not enough of God in this situation. I’ve prayed and prayed and prayed, and still nothing happens.” Then do it yourself in faith.
The best prayer is still a do-it-yourself kit.
“But I’m praying for So-and-so.”
Go lay hands on him; heal him! Don’t say, “I just hope everything works out for him.” Lay hands on him; impart to him; minister to him; make it happen!
We have known this all along. It is not a carnal ambition; it is a commission. There is a difference between fulfilling an ambition and fulfilling a commission. You may have no ambition, but you do have a commission. You may not want to do anything great, but you are commissioned to do it.
“Well, I just don’t want to be seen.”
Self-consciousness has to die on the cross, right along with self-assertiveness; it’s all self. When you say, “I don’t want to be seen,” you are hiding in a hole. That is self, too. That is false humility, which is still a form of pride.
I want to do one thing—to stir you up to move in God, to bring God more into the picture of your life. Stop beating yourself down. Have a little faith in your faith. Act on it! Get out of your rut! You have moved into a place of appropriation, impartation, and commission. Have you hit a dead end? You will stay there until you walk in what you have received. Use it! Do it! Bless one another! Bless with the intention of pulling one another out of the hole of false humility.
You are going to have to carry God. He is not crippled; He just says, “You carry Me into the situation.” It is a kind of calculated neglect which God uses to bring forth maturity.
When children reach a certain age, you do not watch over them every minute; you give them the chores and the jobs to do, and you walk away deliberately, saying, “Here, you’re the one who has to do it!” God is doing the same with us. He says, “I will not do this independently from you; instead, I put My glory and My presence within you. Now you do it. You go and make disciples of all the nations. You do this! You go and cast out the devils; heal the sick. You tell them what I have told you. My Words will be in your mouth. If they listen to My Words, they will listen to yours, because it is the same thing” (Matthew 28:19; Luke 9:1–2; John 15:20).
The mark of the Kingdom is that believers, both Catholics and Protestants, stop looking to a crucifix on the wall to visualize Christ; they stop looking at Sallman’s portrait of the head of Christ in a book or on a calendar. They stop thinking of God as some vague entity behind the incense and the candles. Instead, He is saying, “I am walking up and down in the midst of your lampstands. I am right here” (Revelation 1:13). Bring Him into it. Invite Him in: “Dear Jesus, come into this situation now!” Entreat Him!
Does this sound like sacrilege? It is not. Jacob had to wrestle with God for a while, so that God could be glorified in his life (Genesis 32:24–28). And that is what you are doing in this work of the cross. In this work of the cross, you come to the place where you say, “I am coming to grips with You, God, until this old thing dies in me, and You come alive in me!” Christ the Lord is becoming indelibly woven within the fabric of your being. “I am crucified, nevertheless I live yet not I; Christ liveth in me” (Galatians 2:20).
Take a little more initiative. Suppose that you unwittingly make a mistake? Don’t worry; you will find out about it. Suppose that you don’t have the right answers? The wrong answers don’t count, nothing works but the right answers anyway, so go ahead. Will it work? It had better work, because nothing else that you are doing is effective to bring forth the greater works, except that you follow into this next step. You received it; now give it. Is it a gift? Then employ it for His glory. Do you want to speak? Speak as the oracle of God. Do you want to minister? Minister by the ability that God gives.
If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God; if any man minister, let him do it as of the ability which God giveth: that God in all things may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. I Peter 4:11, KJV.
Use your gifts to glorify God and to build one another up. Do it! What the flesh cannot do, what you are not in yourself, God has given you enough anointing to do.
When you watch the ministries developing, you see this transition into a state of effectiveness where they are really moving in God. It happens because they learn how to bring God into the situation. When they bring God in, they are effective! They begin to realize, “I’ve just started. Now I’m going to go everywhere, spreading God around. I have it. And the more I am aware of what I have, the more I give.”
I have come to the conclusion that I have enough authority to change any situation. Never again am I going through a time such as we experienced recently. Every time God imparted to us, it was so real. We would sit and eat the bread, partaking of the Communion together; then hell would break loose. We didn’t know what was happening to us. We were all in the same situation. We have to come to the place where we know one thing: In the flesh dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18). We are not sufficient of ourselves, but we have something that makes us able ministers of a new covenant (II Corinthians 3:5–6). It is there. When we reach a place where total inadequacy hits us, that is usually the first sign that we have had a real impartation. God removes the bolstering scaffolding that has held up the flesh because we have crucified it. Then what happens? You are in a place where you have to start really believing in the impartation. What if you do not believe in the impartation? I think you know that answer: You are going to be in no-man’s-land until you believe it. You have it! You have God dwelling within you!
Listen to what this Word is saying. Draw upon the fact that this is a Word from the Lord. Do not continue with any measure of defeat in any area because you have not put God in that situation. The victory of the Lord Jesus Christ is yours. Are you miserable? That is your fault. Are things really bad for you? Draw on the joy of the Lord. When misery comes because there is the work of the cross in your life, you must have compensation for it in the joy of the Lord that is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10). Draw from the Lord. Draw His joy. Draw His blessing.
You are more than God’s people; you are a people who will show forth His praises, His glory in the earth (Psalm 79:13; Isaiah 43:21; 60:1–6). This you will do sooner or later. You can do it now, or you can have another week or month of hell. The Word is given to you; now you decide how much you are going to move into it. What do you want to be? Do you want to just survive? No, you are going to die; the work of the cross brings that to a final conclusion. Are you going to live? Yes, but it will be Christ living in you; and a lot of that will be at your initiative.
Sometimes in the middle of the storm you will look around and say, “Where’s Jesus?”
“He’s asleep!”
“Wake up, Jesus! Wake up! Don’t You care that we perish?”
And He will say to you, “O ye of little faith,” but He will surely stop the wind (Luke 8:23–25).
I told the Lord, “I am going up on the mountain, and I am going to meet You there. You be there. Then I am going to stay on the mountain!”
I refuse to live in the valley when He is on the mountain. Do you feel the same way? Let’s move up!
God is not a cripple, but He wants you to carry Him into every situation.
You will take your next step in God when you learn what God has become in you.
His presence precedes us; His authority proceeds from us.
Let the Lord take you by the hand; but know that you take Him in your heart. He will not move in the earth separately from you.
The best prayer is still a do-it-yourself kit. Ephesians 3:20.