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being born again, discerning the spirits, discipleship, experience, eyes of the heart, following Jesus, illumination, knowing God, revelation, T.A. Sparks, Tradition
Following Jesus directly as our only guide and trying to follow Him through the guidance of human beings, which is commonly known as doing church, is not only not the same, it is indeed the exact opposite. From hence it is clear that someone who receives a command instantly through the Holy Spirit – whenever God sees fit – and someone who needs to wait on God telling them something until men tell them about it at an appointed time, this cannot be the same kind of Christianity, right?Β π
I dare to say that these two kinds of Christians are on the one hand fleshly, carnal Christians who have not yet been born again (even though they sometimes believe they have as they do not know the difference) and on the other hand spiritual Christians who have been born again. The apostle John wrote about this distinction in his gospel this way. [Jesus said to Nicodemus,]
“That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, βYou must be born again.β The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.β (Jn 3:6-8 ESV)
The apostle Paul explained this difference further here. We read,
“For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit set their minds on the things of the Spirit. For to set the mind on the flesh is death, but to set the mind on the Spirit is life and peace.
For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to Godβs law; indeed, it cannot. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.
You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.” (Rom 8:5-9 ESV)
T. Austin Sparks offered some deeper insights on what I just wrote as an introduction, so to say. Here is an excerpt from a longer article you could delve into if you followed the link below. TAS said,
“We have pointed out that with the sign of the feeding of the five thousand Jesus entered upon a new phase of His ministry, that is, upon the phase of conflict. There arose a great deal of conflict out of that work, and from that time He was in an atmosphere of controversy.
“When we come to this incident we see how the conflict is intensifying and the division is widening, and the end of this incident is complete division. The emphatic statement concerning this man is: “And they cast him out”, and that made the division complete.
“The two sides were becoming increasingly distinct and definite. On the one side there was religion, and over against that was spiritual sight. On the one side there was tradition, and on the other side there was revelation. On the one side there was the historic system, and on the other side was spirituality. On the one side there were disciples of “Moses” – you notice what they said in verse 28: “Thou art his disciples; but we are disciples of Moses” – and on the other side there were the disciples of Christ. And these two sides were getting further and further apart – the distinction between these things was becoming more manifest. On the one side religion, tradition, historic system, “Moses”: on the other spiritual sight, revelation, a spiritual state and disciples of Christ.”
[…]
“Now we must come back to where we started. Have you recognized one thing that is so important? We have spoken of the great division, of how things were dividing into two classes, and that division was because a man had received spiritual illumination. That is the factor which always causes the trouble. Dear friends, we can divide professing Christians into two classes. The one class may believe all the Scriptures as being inspired by God; they may believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God; they may believe in the deity of Christ and all the fundamentals of the Christian religion; and they may still be people without spiritual revelation – they may still be unspiritual people. Is that true? Yes, the division there was just as distinct as between believers and unbelievers. And if the Lord really does open someone’s eyes and give them spiritual revelation, they are in for trouble – and their trouble will come from the religious world.
“Well, here were these orthodox Jews. They believed in the Bible and in all that the Bible taught so far as the words were concerned. But when one man in their midst received spiritual sight they cast him out. Spiritual revelation always provokes hostility – tradition never does. Orthodox religion never does cause trouble, but if you are a man or a woman living in the power of resurrection life, with your eyes wide open, you will meet trouble, and, as I have said, that trouble will come from the religious people.
“What are you going to do about it? Well, we have already pointed out that many of the Lord’s disciples said: “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” and “Many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him” (John 6:60,66)… ‘This way of spiritual illumination is too hard. We are not prepared to pay the price for it. We are not going that way.’
And so the Lord sifts out on this one thing, and the true disciples are those who have really had their eyes opened. The Lord make us true disciples!” (1)
Amen to this prayer!
My intention with writing this article is not about causing division between Christians. Quite the contrary! In fact, this post should simply serve as a distinction for those who are interested in getting to know the whole truth. What worth is it to know God merely theoretically in doctrine and man-made religion if God Himself has offered us a way exceedingly beyond what man might ever be able to imagine?Β π The apostle Paul, again, would hint to this secret he knew about as he said,
“But, as it is written, βWhat no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.β (1 Cor 2:9 ESV)
My heart goes out to those who want to know God better but have not yet received what they have prayed about, maybe again and again. As hard as it is at times, I think we need to just keep knocking at His door, asking God to fill us with His Spirit whenever our heart longs for more. May it be so with us! If then we have received something that is way more than we might have expected, we must be cautious to not boast about it. Sometimes it is better to keep this secret between God and us alone. The following caveat has been issued by God Himself.
Thus says the Lord: βLet not the wise man boast in his wisdom, let not the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches, but let him who boasts boast in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the Lord who practices steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth. For in these things I delight, declares the Lord.β (Jer 9:23-24 ESV)
Boasting about knowing the Lord,Β β€ not about anything less than Him. That’s it!Β π
(1) https://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/001455.html
All images Β© Susanne Schuberth 2021
This is, I think, the distinction to which Paul referred when he said, “I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for solid food. In fact, you are still not ready, for you are still worldly” (1 Cor. 3: 2-3).
Thank you for the reminder to diligently seek the Lord, Susanne.
With love,
A. β€ β€ β€
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Wow, a few minutes ago I was pondering on the very Scripture you just quoted, Anna! πππΌ If that has not been God’s leading, I don’t know… π
Thank you so much for sharing these verses, dear Anna! Much appreciated! πππ
Solid food ππ±π is something we often have to chew on when the trials come in like a flood. But we can trust that God will deliver us out of them all, howsoever and whensoever… β³ποΈππΌ
You are very welcome as to the reminder.
With love,
Susanne β€οΈβ€οΈβ€οΈ
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Susanne, so true. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit…You must be born again.” And that goes with this one,
“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” (John 1:12-13, ESV2011)
“… Who believed in his name” literally means those “who believed INTO His Person-hood”… we are totally born of a new Spirit into who Christ IS, not who He was or who we give lip service to.
If we are born of the Spirit, our souls (minds, wills and emotions) we find that our old way of thinking is contrary to God and must die daily and we find ourselves going through many trials as a result. God’s desire and end goal is for the will and life of Christ to be manifest in us and this is where the battle begins! In the above verses we see that salvation does not come by us choosing to get saved! Salvation is not only a miracle, but we are chosen to be born of the Spirit by God Himself! We can’t make a “decision” to be born again. If a person goes forward in a gospel meeting to make a “decision for Christ,” by their will or because their emotions were touched… Sorry, but that is no different that a still-birth. It is no wonder that churches are filled with people who are in constant arguments, division or caving to sensual-ism and affairs when they have been “saved” by the cunning of a good humanistic speaker. Is it any wonder that the divorce rates in churches are the same as with the “un-churched?” We MUST be born of the Spirit of Christ and willing to let His daily cross kill our old natures that would draw us into all these old vices. Paul wrote,
This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that you cannot do the things that you would. But if you be led of the Spirit, you are not under the law [of sin]. (Gal 5:16-18, KJ2000)
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Ha! I was not sure whether I should add Galatians chapter 5 to my article as well as I had already quoted many Scriptures. But now you did it, Michael. π€£π€£π€£ Just as it was with Anna, all God’s leading, I believe. ππΌποΈπ
Excellent observations, my brother! ππΌ Thank you! πππ
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Thanks, Susanne. How timely was your whole message! We had a conversation this morning with an older brother and his wife from western Washington that came over for a visit and that conversation covered much of what you wrote here on this blog article!
What Sparks went on to say about the rejection from “Christians” that comes our way as we walk in spiritual sight was so insightful. It has been for us just like it was with the blind man who Jesus healed. We have received eye-opening revelation from His Spirit which we dared to share and they counter it with their dead traditions and cast us out of their synagogues. Quite often this has been caused by sheer jealousy. “Men prefer darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil.” “They make void the commands of God [the voice of His Spirit] by clinging to their own traditions.” They can get away with calling their teachings “light” until HIS Light shines in the midst of them and that light has to be put out before someone else sees it! Like it was 2000 years ago so it is today…
“Then gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, and said, What do we? for this man [Jesus] does many miracles. If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation.”(John 11:47-48, KJ2000)
Oh no! We must not lose our place, our high place before the people that we have so carefully been building up all these years!!! How different this is with the attitude of John the Baptist (see John 3:23-30)
Those are some interesting pictures you took. It looks like your area might be in the final throws of winter. What does that sign say in German in the middle of that marshy area? I have a hunch there is a message for us on it.
Thanks again for sharing with us His light once again.
Michael
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Again, great comment by you, Michael! βββ
I did not know that you talked with this brother and his wife about similar things, but it seems we see God’s guidance here once more. πποΈππ
I had to zoom in on the picture… The sign says, “Protect this biotope.” π²ππ£π³ And then it goes on… “Built by the county of FΓΌrth with friendly assistance of the State Forest Administration.”
You are very welcome as to the sharing, Michael. π
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“Protect THIS Biotope!”… those who walk after the spirit and not after the flesh… the Body of Christ. ππΌποΈ “Father, lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Amen.”
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Yes, Michael, THIS Biotope must be protected by God Himself! π
From the Greek origin of the word Ξ²ΞΉΟΟΞΏΟΞΏΟ (pronounced “biotopos”), I really think God wanted to tell us something here. Biotope is a compound noun, composed of “bios” (Greek Ξ²ΞΉΟΟ) which means LIFE and “topos” (Greek ΟΟΟΞΏΟ) which means place, locus, or spot.
A spot is a limited, even restricted area to which not everyone can get access, right? There must be someone who owns this spot and allows us to go there. That somehow rings true to my ears as I remember that where two or three are gathered in His name, He is in the midst of them, and He is THE (real) LIFE!
Isn’t it true that there are only a few Christians who have experienced His Life on an ongoing basis? π We need to admit that experiencing His death, i.e., the crucifixion of our fallen nature belongs to this sanctification process, too.
Only when our old nature is silent, His light life can come through so that others can ‘see’ it as well. That reminds me of a sentence I lately read in one of T. Austin Sparks’ devotionals. (1) He said,
Period. π
(1) http://www.austin-sparks.net/english/books/002953.html
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When I said that I felt that the sign had a message that applied to this blog, little did I know just how true it was! Thanks for drawing “biotopos” out for us to see how important it is to have life in our walks with Jesus. Yes, two or three being gathered in His name… like that little pond where the sign was. π
In this world “bigger is better,” especially in heavily commercialized America. This is just the opposite of the thought of God. The larger the crowd, the more opportunity for the flesh to manifest and distract us from His presence. Two or three in fellowship with Him by His bios – His life – that is enough. “In Him was life AND THE LIFE WAS THE LIGHT OF MEN.” It is HERE that our testimony to the rest of the world happens! No divine Life, no light. Thanks for letting Him manifest His life in you, dear sister!
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Michael, I can trust when God shows me something and nudges me to take a picture that you later will point it out to me when I have used it on my blog. Indeed, I had no clue why I had to take this pic at all, so I first objected to doing it, thinking it was anything but pretty. And such a gray day at that! π Meanwhile we have a lot more snow as it has been snowing day and night. βοΈββοΈ But God… wanted exactly THIS picture! πΈ And He was right, of course, as always. π
Yes, bigger seems to be better in this world, not only in America. What counts is success, money, power and sensual pleasures of any kind. I think the ways Jesus was tempted by Satan in the wilderness made it very clear to us that His way is the opposite.
What’s funny, my brother, is what has just happened to me here. I rechecked the quote from Sparks as I had jotted it down from memory only. I wrote above, “Our current purpose in this world is testimony only.” As I wanted to add the link to the devotional I did a Google search on it. But oh, I could not find it anymore!! π³
Sooooo… something must have been wrong. However, what I found, instead, was an article on your A Wilderness Voice Blog where I saw that it did not read our CURRENT, but our PRESENT purpose in this world… Aha! It is His light He wants to shine on this dark world through us when we let Him. ποΈπ‘ππ‘ποΈ
Your blog article I just referred to was We are not of this world. Isn’t God often humorous as to how He leads us and gives us the confirmation we need? πππ
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Yes, Susanne, He surely is humorous at times, and more often than not very subtle. He is far from “I am the Great Oz” with a loud voice, flashing lights and thunder when He speaks. It requires diligence on our part to “be still and know that I am [He] is God.”
You have taught me a lot by your examples of observation and listening to Him with those “gentle nudges” you often refer to. For me He often just puts a Bible verse or part of one in my mind that applies to what He is wanting me to hear or share with another, but it is always subtle. These things and many others He uses always require us to be in that state of holy rest spoken of in Hebrews chapter four. It takes the labor of His “child training” to get us to that place for sure for our overpowering minds and emotions always want to be preeminent. It is easy for me to see why He uses the spiritual wilderness for such long periods in our lives, that place where all flesh dies and only a spiritual Joshua (Savior) and Caleb (the two Hebrew letters here are pic-to-graphic showing the shepherd’s hooked staff and the yoked ox) comes forth into sweet fellowship with Him to do His bidding.
Wow! He just now showed me the significance of their names: Jesus walking in fellowship with us as our Shepherd and leading us to do His work and will.
Once again I am sooooo greatful for this sweet fellowship IN Christ we have together,
Michael
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I am so very grateful for our always surprising and sweet fellowship in the Holy Spirit, too.
Michael, it has been so good to see you just had another revelation while writing this response! ππΌποΈππ¬πππ‘ Yeah, what a God!!! πποΈπ
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In the above comment I was referring to Strong’s Analytical Concordance for Caleb see H 361 where it shows the pictograph and the Hebrew.
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Thank you for this additional information, Michael. β
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Yes, what a God and Father we have who appointed the Word spoken of by John… and HE IS STILL SPEAKING!
IN MANY separate revelations each of which set forth a portion of the Truth and in different ways God spoke of old to forefathers in and by the prophets, [But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time. (Heb 1:1-2, AMP)
Thanking God always for you and your wonderful place in His body,
Michael
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Thank you, Michael, and yes, HE is still speaking!
Why should God ever stop speaking? Isn’t one of Jesus’ names also “The Word of God”? (cf. Jn 1:1; Rev 19:13) π In fact, He has never stopped sharing His thoughts with us little human beings as “[t]he Scriptures say, βPeople do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.ββ (Mt 4:4 NLT)
Jesus who is also called “The Life” speaks words that quicken/enliven/regenerate us in a way human words could never do. He said,
“The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.” (Jn 6:63 NLT)
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That really nails it! β β
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Thx, bro π€©
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