If we are to contend with God as Jacob did (Genesis 32:24–32), we must first be rid of any feeling of uncertainty. We want to declare very positively to our Lord that we are reaching into more blessing, greater appropriation, and a deeper dedication. We are determined not to back off!
The faith, the steadfast hope, and the love that we are moving into are living realities. It is enlightening to see how the Scriptures tie these together. The book of Hebrews presents a beautiful picture in comparing our spiritual experiences and growth with the sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament. Hebrews 10:22: Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.
This passage refers to the priesthood of the Old Testament. As they left the outer court of the Temple and moved into the holy place, a certain amount of cleansing was required because the outer court, the place of burnt offerings, was as gory as a slaughterhouse. There the priests killed the animals and prepared them for sacrifice to the Lord. At the dedication of Solomon’s Temple, so many animals were sacrificed that they could not be counted (I Kings 8:5). Imagine those burnt offerings without end! And do not assume that they sent forth the good smell of roast lamb or roast beef either; rather, the burning of whole animals produced a stench before the face of the Lord.
As you come into the presence of the Lord, you go through many experiences; and the first conclusion you reach is that God wants saints that smell good. He is always concerned that your offering come up to Him as a sweet savor, an incense; and this can happen only if God has first burned the stench out of you. Then you are free to leave the outer court where your sin was taken care of. Next as you desire a pure walk with God, you approach the laver and wash your hands. Finally, you arrive at the altar of incense where you can offer pure worship.
If you do not first stink as a sacrifice, you will not smell good afterwards. First must come the abominable process of eliminating the flesh life. Do you sometimes feel in your own spirit that you are an abomination even to yourself? But after God purges you, you become that living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Him. In Romans 12:1 Paul exhorts us, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God … First we give God that which stinks, but He waits patiently for the day when we can give Him that which is a sweet-smelling savor in His nostrils.
With our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water, we can come right into His presence; we draw near to the Lord.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. Hebrews 10:23. We must confess our hope without wavering. God is looking to find something else besides a fickle heart that vacillates from day to day. He wants those who have set their hearts upon Him, those who will not waver or be discouraged.
Every teenager who begins to realize his development as a human being goes through moods of melancholy and despondency. It hits some earlier than others, but sometime between the ages of twelve and nineteen, he may have periods of melancholy and moroseness, causing him to wonder, “What is this? When I was a little kid, I enjoyed life. Now I am morbid at times. Why?” The old nature is manifesting itself.
The religions that are most popular, although they are not based on revelation, capitalize on the power of positive thinking. What are they trying to do? Simply lessen the low depressive periods that are natural to the human nature. But the essence of what God says is, “I would rather that you eliminate this idea of having the power of positive thinking, whereby your mind controls your life and your emotions, because it does not work very effectively. I want you to come close to Me and hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering.” Hang onto that living hope within you. It is the stabilizer that will hold you steady and keep you from wavering and swerving. Hold fast to your hope without wavering, because that is your stabilizer.
Hebrews 10:24–25a shows how the mind enters into this. And let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together. Love can be provoked; it can be stimulated. Do not think of love as being a quality that some have in a limited quantity and others have in a greater amount. Love is like a muscle. It can be used and exercised. Love can grow and become continually stronger, until it has become a great force in your life. In fact, you may not even realize how much love you have until the moment comes to beam it at someone, or turn it loose. Song of Solomon 8:6 tells us that love is as strong as death.
This brings to mind a true story of one mother’s great love. While her son was working under his car, the jack fell and he was pinned underneath the car. Hearing his cries, his mother ran out and lifted one end of the car while he crawled out. She smashed three vertebrae in the process, but she succeeded in lifting 2400 pounds (almost a record for a dead-lift) to save her son’s life. A man who has practiced in a gym for a long time to build his muscles would not be able to lift nearly that much. But here was an untrained, unconditioned housewife and mother whose love turned loose a great burst of strength.
Not only can love turn something loose in you when the need is there, but your love can be sufficient to turn something loose in another person. You can stir, provoke, stimulate other people to love. Do you know someone with whom you cannot get along because he seems so mean and ornery and without love? You do not know his potential in God. A little love in his heart, when provoked and stimulated by you, might rise up to heights such as the saints of God in the early Church walked in. Start becoming aware of what your love can turn loose in those around you.
We learn about love from one another. We know that God loves us, but often we do not understand love until we see it coming through some individual. Some little action can open the door for us to be stimulated to love. We learn how to love when we are babies. That is one reason why breast-feeding gives mental and spiritual health to a child that a bottle-fed baby never achieves until later, provided there is a great deal of compensation for it. A breast-fed baby will often drink as much as he can, then nuzzle and quickly fall off to sleep, or else stay awake and play. He thrives on the love and attention that he receives.
The U.C.L.A. Medical Center conducted a study on a large group of babies who were being cared for in an orphanage. Their research showed that when the babies were not adopted within a certain number of months, they became mentally retarded, and this condition would probably continue throughout their lives. In order to develop properly, a little baby must be held and loved. Hospitals which treat babies must understand this and realize that a child can become sick through neglect. Someone must take the time to hold each baby, to love him and talk to him.
Even though the baby does not understand what the adult is saying, he understands the love that is being conveyed, and he draws that love because he needs it. After a while, that baby also learns to respond with love. This area could be one of the greatest ministries that Shiloh or any of the local churches could have. Those who realize the value of this should volunteer to hold the little babies, to love them, talk to them, and speak blessing to them. It has been scientifically proven that if you talk kindly even to a house plant and bless it, it will grow better; but if you speak harshly, you can make it wither and die. If you can create a positive effect in a plant by talking kindly to it, can you not do the same to a little child? However you spend your time, try to include the child. Never leave him in a corner, hoping that he will behave himself and not cry or bother you while you do your thing. Bless that child by bringing him into your activity. Neglecting to show love can be a great sin. If this is true in our relationship with children, how much more true it is in the Body of Christ!
Anyone who gives personal ministry to members of the Body knows how the sword of the Spirit in his mouth can divide the joints and marrow, and lay out and judge all the thoughts and intents of the heart, as we read in Hebrews 4:12. But immediately following that verse, the Word tells of our High Priest who is touched with the feeling of our infirmities (verses 14–15). Never rip anyone open with strong words unless you have the love of the great High Priest when you do it.
Hebrews 4:12–16: For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart. And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are open and laid bare to the eyes of Him with whom we have to do.
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need. In other words, a spiritual operation is wonderful, when you use the sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) to cut open the affected area; but afterwards you should always minister the love to heal it.
The apostle John exhorts us, “Beloved, let us love one another” (I John 4:7). Pray for the Lord to give us all a holy baptism of love, to help us love one another. How terrible it is to feel that nobody cares about you, or to be unaware that someone else is thinking that you do not care about him. Do you care? A little sincere “sweet talk” helps once in a while.
No doubt there are many who could truthfully say, “If my church had just shown more love, then all of these terrible things would not have happened to me.” When cancer invades the human body, the cells of the body suddenly become lawless and uncontrolled. If doctors knew how to control those lawless cells, cancer could be cured overnight. Lawlessness and a lack of love can run riot also in the Body of Christ, creating great harm.
Why is it that someone with a good heart can sometimes become separated from the Body of Christ, only to wander as a derelict? Love is the bond that keeps him one with us. The Body makes increase of itself in love through that which comes in love to one another (Ephesians 4:16). Speaking harshly can be very detrimental. However, if you speak with love to your brother, even a strong word will not offend him because he will respond to your love. Those who come to me with love can say almost anything they want, and I will not be offended. Strange as it may seem, I find my heart very open. On the other hand, when someone expresses criticism, and I do not feel any love behind it, then I experience a very insecure feeling. Do you not react the same way? I do not care if someone rips me open with his words, provided he has enough love in God to sew me up before he leaves. Would there be anything more embarrassing than to be lying on the operating table with your insides all exposed, with nobody caring enough to sew you up? We must have the love of the great High Priest. He has compassion for each one of us, because He was tempted in all points as we are. So we come boldly to Him because we know that regardless of what He does to us, we will be healed when it is over, because He loves us.
I like the way the Lord does things. The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me. Psalm 138:8a. Every day I say, “Lord, I congratulate You for being such a wise, benevolent, wonderful Lord.” (I say that because I know that He may discipline me as a true son before the day is over, and I am trying to get as close to Him as I can.) My mother was a great disciplinarian. The only trouble was that she herself was never disciplined in giving discipline. She disciplined first and asked questions afterward. She was a well-upholstered woman with short arms. When she was ready to spank me, I would rush up to her and hug her so close that it took away all of her force and leverage. I kept hugging her and saying, “Mama, I love you,” until her anger was spent.
The Scripture says that God’s anger endures but for a moment (Psalm 30:5). So get up in the morning and say, “Lord, I love You.” Draw close to Him. We know that the Lord chastens those whom He loves (Hebrews 12:6), but there is considerably less leverage in the scourging if you are holding Him close.
The way the Lord teaches us about Himself is truly marvelous. John 13 gives a beautiful illustration of that with the account of Jesus washing the disciples’ feet. Picture the disciples sitting there, basking in the impartation of that experience. They were probably thinking, “Isn’t this marvelous? The Lord and Master washed my feet. How humbly I must wash my brother’s feet.” Jesus spoke to them for a while, and then nailed it down for them in verses 34–35: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” In the context of this message, we see a truth here that perhaps has been bypassed: We learn to love by following someone’s example. Jesus told the disciples, “Love one another just as I have loved you.”
Love is taught by example. That is why most children learn to love from their mothers. Fathers are generally busy making the living. But the mother is there to do all the little things. She teaches the child how to tie his shoelaces, how to dress himself, and many other things. The child grows up with his mother’s love. Finally the time comes when he will reflect what he has been taught in love. He has been stimulated or provoked to love and good works by his mother’s example, and he has absorbed it. How can we do anything less for one another?
This walk in the Spirit will face serious problems if any ministries arise in the churches who are not examples of love, who are not bond servants to teach the people how to serve God. The hour of danger comes to any church and to any people when their leader fails to lead them in sacrifice and in love.
There will be times when you will say to the apostles and prophets, “You minister to us all the time, brothers. Now let us minister to you.” People love a leader who is a true shepherd, and they want to help him and serve him. But sometimes the one in authority must refuse service, because it has put him in a position where he is the served one; he is being ministered to and not ministering out. Then he must insist that the roles be reversed and that he become the one who ministers. Best of all, let us strive to minister to one another.
Jesus gave this new commandment: “Just as you have watched Me wash feet, just as you have seen Me love you, that is the way you will love each other” (John 13:14–15, 34). Do you suppose that any of the disciples were thinking, “It’s one thing to let You wash my feet, Lord, but how can I let Peter or Thomas wash my feet?” We remember how the disciples argued over who was the greatest (Mark 9:33–34). James and John had asked to sit on Jesus’ right and left hand, and they were waiting for the baptism of fire that would prepare them; they were waiting to drink the cup so that they would be able to sit next to Him (Mark 10:35–40). And now He wants them to stop and wash feet!
Those working at Shiloh might feel like complaining, “You do not know what it is like to do the same job, day after day. It becomes so tiresome.” Serving is most blessed when it has been faithfully done for some time. Serving is like cheese, or a good wine. Until it gets old, it is not of great value. Working in the garden at Shiloh may seem very appealing at first and bring forth this reaction: “Oh, hallelujah, this kind of work really jazzes me up.” Fine, but let us wait until he has been doing it week after week in hot, humid weather. Then we will see how much he likes it. It is when you get tired of the game, that you learn how to play. It is when you are so weary that you could drop, that you get your second wind. It is when you reach the point where loving is probably the last thing in the world you want to do, that you really learn how to love. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end. John 13:1b.