15 May 2017
Spirit life is such a
contrast to our normal life it is truly disturbing yet freeing in so
many ways. It is when we look at sin we start to understand Gods
heart in a whole new way. God invites us constantly to embrace life
to be life and to live life and in that invitation God frees us from
what we had thought was life. We cannot make the decision to let
things go as when we have the power to let go we have the power to
pick up.
Intimacy is what God is
all about when God said “lets make man in our image” he was
serious about the intimacy required for such an amazing union. God
knew in order for man to become God he had to be god of his own world
and forsake it to enter His world. Intimacy was and is all God had
interest in and man was to live a lifetime of pseudo intimacy called
religion.
It was necessary that God
do away with sin as we know. Religion has God forgiving sin but
spirit life has the revealing of God doing away with sin altogether.
The reasons why we may never totally understand while on this earth
but one huge reason is the fact sin and the focus of sin is never the
issue. While man looks at the sin God looks at the intimacy, while
man strives to be free so he can “be like God” the Godhead says
cease striving and know that I am God. Know that intimacy is all I
desire and as our heart self strives its condemned by our inabilities
fears and insecurities. Godhead is there with “be still and know
that I am God”.
There are so many
examples in scripture of this but maybe none so obvious as the rich
young ruler. He came to Jesus and wanting to follow him and Jesus
told him to go sell all and come follow me. I noticed something about
this passage for the first time. Every disciple Jesus had was busy
living life and Jesus came and said “come follow me” they all
forsook all and followed Jesus. Some walked out on the fishing nets,
another left his tax business and so forth. These men walked out on
life for no apparent reason. There was no natural security for
tomorrow. No understanding what would become of their families. These
men walked into intimacy and yes there was then a process of being
renewed in their minds but they walked life. Then here comes the rich
young ruler and look at his heart. The heart he had was so fat on
religion he could not see his self righteousness for one second. Yet
again the riches were never the issue to Jesus and Jesus cut right
through everything and laid him bare.
This rich young ruler
desired spirit life. He desired the intimacy of the fellowship and
saw what perhaps all man see and that is his ability to help. After
all why would Jesus not need him? Jesus was homeless, he lived off
women and never knew where he would sleep from night to night. To any
religious way of seeing it there was an obvious need and an obvious
match here. Yet the man missed the point of what happened here. Jesus
had no thought for the money, the rich ruler had many thoughts for
the money. It was impossible for the ruler to see past the money and
understand he was missing the point. He was missing the fact his
money was pseudo intimacy and had him trapped all alone.
So Jesus spoke to the
heart and told him to sell all give it away and come follow Him. The
intimacy would have been amazing and would have been everything the
rich young ruler craved. Everything his money had tried to find but
had left him isolated. But he just couldn't do it and the bible tells
us he went away sad as he owned much.
Lets get down to it the
only thing spirit life is about is INTIMACY. God desires “lets make
man in our image” Jesus was poor and worthless in the eyes of
mankind but he had no care for the money. He had no care for
tomorrow and he lived the fullness of today. Something the rich young
ruler failed to see. Jesus had all his needs met anyway he didn't
need the rich ruler wealth. He didn't need his money to provide.
Jesus was living the day free of this world and the money was not the
issue the intimacy was.
He was perhaps one of the
only or the only one who came to Jesus wanting to be His disciple and
was turned away. So lets transpose that into modern church life. How
many people get problems and come to Jesus looking for His life. They
offer something, their skills, their money, their abilities etc. Then
there are the “called out ones” these just live life and Jesus
walks into their life and invites them to forsake all and come follow
Him. Come have intimacy and these called out ones will abandon
everything and follow as they are wired for intimacy with the
Godhead.
These called out ones
will see a revealing of the same life Christ had. They will loose
interest in anything this world has to offer, anything it promises
and anything it provides. The world will think it wants something
from them as it so obviously has need. But these called out ones just
crave intimacy. Jesus craved intimacy with the ruler and the ruler
completely missed what was going on. As his focus was natural Jesus
had an eternal focus of life and impossible life that cannot exist to
a natural mind. It was so obvious to the ruler Jesus would need him
but it was so obvious to Jesus that in all His natural needs nothing
mattered but intimacy and the ruler was trapped and needed to be
free. Jesus had what He needed for the day, He always did and always
would. So too will we as we live intimacy and embrace life that
without effort causes the emptying of self that unites Godhead and
“lets make man in our image”
As I sit here writing I
think of Ananias and Saphira in the book of Acts in the bible. They
brought a portion of what they owned and laid it at the disciples
feet to distribute as any had need. The problem was the were lying to
God and themselves and fell down dead. Now many a preacher has spoken
from this passage and perhaps missed the whole point. The money was
never the issue, the lie was no even the issue. Yes they were rebuked
for the lie but the underlying issue was they craved the intimacy of
spirit koinonia and thought they could bridge the natural to the
spiritual with their money. They wanted koinonia and the security of
natural control and the two and at odds with each other. The
community they saw around them the bible tells us was filled with
people meeting daily and eating in each others homes. It was filled
with people selling their extra and giving it to free the koinonia as
any had needs. I do not believe the disciples distributed for people
to live. It wasn't socialism but yes they likely didn't interview
everyone to find out the needs. They just freely gave and received.
With no purpose perhaps as this seems to be spirit. They distributed
to free the captives. I have no doubt the Marius and Annette's were
given the proceeds of sales to loose them from debt. Now they were
free of the world system and were able to be a laborer in the harvest
field.
Spirit community loosed
the captives and was a beautiful astounding manifestation of
intimacy. In honor they preferred one another and those with spirit
purchased natural release for each other and as an act of liberated
unity enjoyed meals and fellowship daily. They never cared who gave
and I don't think and kept track of that. Nobody used their wealth to
be noticed or to belong they just enjoyed being “called out ones”
intimacy was alive and they had nothing in them that would allow
their possessions to hold them anymore.
Yet Ananias and Saphira
attempted to enter on a natural level. What they owned was never the
issue, what they gave was never the issue and the apostles made that
clear when they told them such. The issue was they attempted to make
religion. Religion that presents a psuedo intimacy while a man keeps
control of what he owns. Which ultimately reveals he has not forsaken
all and cannot be one with Christ or his body.
So intimacy is all Jesus
purchased at Calvary when He died on the cross. He freed all mankind
to be spirit and to no longer have the chains of sin that hold man to
himself and his own desires and needs. Mankind could be called out
from being his own God and abandon all. He could have no thought for
tomorrow and enjoy true life. The issue is we cannot choose to come
to Christ He chose us from the beginning of the world and invites us
to embrace life.
What would have happened
if the rich young ruler had of seen Jesus did not care about his
needs? He could never understand that any in spirit have needs but
they are met daily. What would have happened if the ruler had of sold
his all and given? Jesus never said sell all and tithe to Judas so
our money bag is full for tomorrow. Jesus in an amazing act of
invited intimacy said get rid of it all and come join our party of
life.
To me the passage where
Jesus said “pray for laborers to be sent out into the harvest
field” simply means people are called out ones who will abandon
what they own to be a move of the spirit of God. They will lay it at
the feet of the apostles who will never abuse this for themselves but
rather they will distribute as any had need. That need I see first
and foremost was to be free from the world system and just as some
are trapped by wealth and ownership others are trapped by debt and
what was a desire to own. Only in true spiritual community can we see
it is not about daily needs as they are taken care of. It is about
laborers being freed to enter the harvest field.
Jesus saw the stupidity
of the rich young rulers heart. But he spoke to the intimacy and was
not offended by a complete lack of understanding for what was going
on. After all what hope do natural ways have, but to die? As in death
chimes life. Koinonia does not need anyone or anything. It is
complete and in that completeness needs no longer exist and the
desire to meet needs no longer exists. It is a seamless flowing of
life through every part of who we are.
