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death, discerning the spirits, eternal life, experience, false gospel, God, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, life after death, Ministry, Satan, spiritual power, T.A. Sparks, the new self, the old self, the promised land
And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, “This is the way, walk in it,” when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left. (Is 30:21 ESV)
Photo by Susanne Schuberth
I could have also called this state I am finding myself in ‘the period of putting off the old self and putting on the new self’ which is something no one may observe but God and me. It is like being in the tomb after having endured the cross, having died to everything and everyone you once loved more than God and Jesus. And little by little, a completely new world gradually comes to light. Or in other words, “the day dawns and the morning star rises” (2 Pt 1:19 ESV) in our heart in order to never disappear again. Jesus promised us, “And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (Jn 17:3 ESV) We cannot put ourselves into eternal life as much as we might wish to get there. If we refuse to endure the cross, we remain captured in our old and fallen nature that is unable to serve and please God. There are many ‘Christs’ that have been preached from the very beginning and it seems to me even more today. However, every crossless gospel that strengthens our old nature or tries to change it (which never works) instead of telling us that our old Adam nature is completely useless for the work of God, these gospels are of satanic origin. All of them, without exception, whether it is the health and wealth gospel where our worldly desires and our mortal body gain center stage or the social gospel that tries to change the world we live in (without being called by God to do so). There are so many more things we can believe and which lead us astray, that is, away from Christ and the narrow path. What they have in common is that we can do them on our own. We do not need God’s power in order to do what we always did, do we?
Resurrection life is something we can experience on different levels, wherever we may find ourselves now. Basically, it is something God does in us and through us without having asked us beforehand to help Him out. 😉 Many of us might have wondered about what then can WE do for God? And how can it be done? You might have already guessed, I am speaking of the notion of ‘ministry’ here. Below you can read an excerpt from T. A. Sparks where he portrayed the resurrection power of God in the Christian life. Maybe, you find his words as helpful and encouraging as I did (emphasis in bold letters added).
You may ask, Have I to preach, have I to be on the platform, taking meetings? No, it does not mean anything of the kind. It does mean that you have a ministry spiritually, by your very relationship to the living Lord. Oh, that we could get delivered from this mechanical idea of ministry. The Lord has taken tremendous pains with some of us in this matter. Ministry does not consist in someone getting Bible addresses ready, Bible readings and subjects, preparing them, and getting up and giving them forth at meetings. That is not the ministry. The Lord has shown to us that it is impossible to minister in the power of the Holy Ghost, in the Word of God, in truth, unless we have the fruit of Christ’s resurrection in us. You have to come, not only to the initial experience of the bud [note: of an almond rod; cf. Aaron’s rod], being raised together with Christ; you have to come to the place where the beauty of Christ in the flower is there; and then the fruit of Christ is there in ripeness. I would not come to you to minister at any time simply because there is in the Bible a good deal of interesting matter that I have seen, and which I would like you to know. My cry to God is, Forbid me to speak to this people, unless You give me a word in my own heart that is meaning something to me. Ministry flows out of living union with the Lord Jesus, and if ministry is not that, it is not the ministry of God. Do not take on ministry in a mechanical, organised way; that will kill you sooner or later. This ministry is only possible in the power and fruit of His resurrection.
Are you knowing the fruit of His resurrection in your own heart, in your own life, so that He is really causing you to partake of the fruit of His resurrection – ripe almonds? It may be in a simple way, but you are knowing that beauty, that unction, that fellowship with the Lord in your own heart. If you are, you need not worry about ministry; that will show itself. The Lord will find ways for you. I have no doubt whatever but that when the Lord gets a child of His into a place where they are really in their own hearts enjoying the fruit of the risen Lord, the Lord will make contacts with that life which will be fruitful, and that will be ministry. He knows where there is someone who is just longing for a taste of the fruit of His risen life, and He will make the contacts. That does not exempt us from being ready, anxious to be used as the Lord will, on stretch to be of service to Him; though all eagerness to minister will be in vain if we are not in resurrection with the Lord Jesus, but, given that, ministry follows, it comes out of that. […] The ministry of the House of God is spontaneous, when there is union with Christ in risen life; the fruit is there at once.
http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/004485.html
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Oh, thank you so much for the immediate reblog, Michael! Am encouraged, my brother! 🙂
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Susanne, your article was easy to reblog because this is right where God has me as well. Like Paul said, “Out from me, that is my flesh, comes no good thing.” Jesus made it clear that none were good, not even Him, but only His Father in heaven. He also said that all the works He did and words He spoke came out from His Father. The sooner we understand and believe this as also being true of us, the better.
So many people have natural gifts in and of themselves so they set out to do great things out from themselves, separate from the leading of God. Whether we use our natural talents for good or for evil, we are STILL in rebellion against God! We are still eating and feeding others (as Eve did to Adam) from the wrong tree. Only the Tree of Life which is the Ascended Christ can add to the spiritual health of others. I love these two quotes from TAS:
“This ministry is only possible in the power and fruit of His (Christ’s) resurrection.”
“The ministry of the House of God is spontaneous, when there is union with Christ in risen life; the fruit is there at once.”
Or as Jesus put it, “If you abide IN me and I abide IN you, you will bring forth much fruit.” Ours is to abide IN Jesus Christ. His is to bring forth His fruit in us. Dear sister, may we both find that rest in the presence of the Father and the Son from where REAL spiritual fruit comes as we abide in the One who IS Life. Jesus prayed,
“That they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. (John 17:21, ESV2011)
THIS simple abiding together in the unity of the Father and the Son is where our witness to the world comes from, not our clever writings and speech. “Amen, Lord Jesus, make it so!”
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Amen to your prayer, Michael.
Excellent thoughts! ⭐
Regarding the utter depravity of our old nature, I have realized most recently that as soon as we can sit down and accept this as a hard fact, God gives us a new heart. However, as long as we try to be somehow ‘better’ in our old selves, we still have to wait for our personal resurrection. And it’s a really long wait until God has us where we need to be, that is, utterly helpless without Him. But then, finally, the truth and promise of the following verse can be experienced by us. Jesus said,
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” (Mt 5:3 ESV)
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Susanne, you just gave me a deeper look at what Jesus was saying about being “poor in spirit,” utterly poor and helpless without Him. No wonder it has taken me all these years to get a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven.
Thank you. ⭐
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You’re so welcome, Michael. 🙂 I recall having read an exposition on this very verse in a mystic writing (maybe Meister Eckhart or Teresa of Àvila, not sure) many years ago and I immediately ‘knew’ I had to reach that place of no return where God would be my first ‘address’ and only Helper who can always be trusted.
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Hey there you two! Smiles galore for this blog. Yes indeed. Something is definately happening to me in a good way. However small or huge it may be. Rising again. I am reminded of another blog by you two from another time. Surrendering to the fact that I may be single for the rest of my life. I had chosen to give up any idea of ever being with someone if God so wills. I wanted to be purified for at least 7 years. I have been obedient to that. Because I knew I had nothing left to offer except that the Lord shall heal me in many areas of my inner being. I was dead for such a long time. Until I started reading your blogs then I started to desire more and more to understand why I was going through what I was going through.
I “thought” I was “supposed” to do this and that until finally boom! Down I went. I think I may have met my match to someone I once knew 40 years ago. Turns out we are in close proximity to each other. We are only in the “getting to know each other” stage but I can tell it is so much different than I have ever known. Only God knows. Good kind of strange. No rush. I have risen to a different and more peaceful level.
This I know can only come from God.
I love you Susanne and Michael. I owe you two so much for helping me to overcome some obstacles. I without a shadow of doubt know that the Holy Spirit has used you two to reach into me. Thank you! I will be eternally grateful. I am now back staying with my daughter to help her out with the kids. Again. Then where I don’t know. One day at a time.
And yes Michael I have had to pray for my enemies. I just say the simple prayer Jesus said on the cross. Forgive them Father for they know not what they do.
Love, Stacey
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I am glad to hear God has put you on a more peaceful level lately, dear Stacey. Also, I am grateful to hear that God reached into you, whether through us or through anyone else. In fact, it is amazing to me to realize that which comes after death to self is no longer about what I think I am, I can, I want or what I am not, I cannot, and I do not want. To put it simply, it is ALL about Him and what He is – the I AM who can do the impossible things, that is, He raises our dead and very dry bones to life again. Even, to an eternal life not known before.
May you, your family and your time in Florida be blessed, my sister! 🙂
Love,
Susanne
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I could not have said it better than Susanne just did, Stacey. God bless you as you trust and rest in Him. “The Lord is my Shepherd, I SHALL NOT want.”
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Thanks, Michael! 🙂
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When Christ is inside, life itself is a ministry. There’s no speaker and no audience, just all that IS, shining from the inside out. That is all there ever needs to be.
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Sounds good to my ears, ART.
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As happens so often, I pop in here and you are speaking MY experience somehow. I love this post especially the TA Sparks you emphasized in bold.
“Ministry flows out of living union with the Lord Jesus, and if ministry is not that, it is not the ministry of God. Do not take on ministry in a mechanical, organised way; that will kill you sooner or later. This ministry is only possible in the power and fruit of His resurrection.”
YES! Mechanical organized – NO. Life FROM death YES! Is this fun? Is this comfy, neat and clean? In no way. I shared this with a friend just this morning….
“Except a grain of wheat fall…” John 12: 24
NOW we come to the out-working of the Cross subjectively as a law of life out of death for fruit-bearing. We must be brought into a real fellowship with Christ in His death. There is an experimental knowledge of the Cross. The Spirit of God applies the death of Christ to us, and then the life-power of the resurrection. He begins at the centre, and works out to the circumference. In the pathway of fellowship with His death we learn first, the liberation of the spirit, and then find how it works out to the soul realm-that is in relation to the intellect, the emotions, the dispositions-and then how it works out to the sphere of the body.
But I must point out that although this may be the sequence of God’s working He does not always work in this order. Sometimes believers begin at one of the later stages, and then have to be taken back to learn the first elements of truth. Much depends upon their environment, and the knowledge of those who help at the beginning of their Christian life. Moreover, with some the Lord cannot work very quickly. He fits His dealings to the limitation of the soul, and has all kinds of methods, and ways of working (I Corinthians 12:6). Let us not ask Him to put us all in one mould of experience.
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Very good, Skylla! Thanks for sharing this with us on here.
You are so right, my sister, it is anything but fun to die to what is natural to all (fallen) human beings. No one can free himself and love God in the first place and then our neighbors as ourselves, but what is impossible with man is possible with God. (Lk 18:27 ESV)
Every blessing to you and yours! ❤
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Oops – I didn’t mean to leave off who wrote that, it was Jessie Penn Lewis.
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No prob, Skylla. Thanks for adding the info.
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I wanted to pm you and can’t find you – are you off Facebook?
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Yes, I left Facebook lately (orders from the Lord).
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ok! Just checking. 😉
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Too many confusing, seducing, and worldly spirits on FB…
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I love when God emphasizes a verse to me: this makes twice this week that He has shown me Isaiah 30:21. And the point is the same, too: listen to Him, do what He says. (ONLY what He says! 🙂 )
Blessings!
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I am happy to hear that, dear Louise! 🙂 Yes, we do ONLY what He says!
Love and blessings! ❤
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Thank you for this Sister. 🙂
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You’re very welcome, David. 🙂
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Thank you, Susanne, for the blog. Recently, I have been asking the Lord, “what is it to share in the power of the resurrection as stated by Paul in Philippians 3: 10? Your article with the writing by TAS was very helpful.
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You’re very welcome, dear Pat. I am glad to hear that you found TAS helpful too. 🙂
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A very powerful word that ministered to me so much! I’m a little depressed due to the Lord stripping away a little more vanity, pride, ego and my old self doesn’t like giving up control and being clueless! But it occurred to me in prayer today that the Lord wants me to cry out “I don’t know which way to go!”
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Thank you so much for your encouraging contribution, Nancy. 🙂
I can assure you that my old self is just the same, never any inclination to give up control. Sometimes God needs to put me into a place where I have no influence or control any longer. And then the struggle (read fight) with God begins. Today I know that I, my old Eve, had always distrusted Him… there is no real faith in my old nature. I truly need the faith and heart OF Jesus Christ if I want to ever be free.
Your crying out to God makes a lot of sense to me. I do that too – often!!
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