In Part 9, we made the statement that “operating the gift mix out of our spirit is flawed function”.
Undoubtedly, all spiritual function involves our spirit; but, our spirit must [be objectively focused to] receive and develop all function [in and] through the life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST [1 Cor 15:45 + Phil 1:19c]:
- Hence, the declaration [in Philippians 4:13, KJV] that we can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us
- Hence the declaration [in Colossians 1:26-27] that CHRIST in us is the hope of glory
- Hence the declaration [in Revelation 21:9-11] that the Bride of the LAMB will have the glory of GOD
- Hence the declaration [in Colossians 1:28, 26-28] that every man is to come forth “perfect in CHRIST JESUS” [KJV] fulfilling the demand of the Law of CHRIST [in Matthew 5:48]: “be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.”
YESHUA remains the Way, the Truth and the Life – absolutely [see John 14:6]. The life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST is the Spirit of Prophecy [see Rev 19:10c].
Given all that YESHUA declares in Matthew 7:21-23, about the failing away of some very gifted ministers, we need to understand the root cause of the ‘lawlessness’ that the LORD points to, in verse 23, in declaring: “I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!”
This practice of lawlessness comes about by us persistently doing ‘our own thing’, using our spirit to operate our gift-mix, to fulfill our carnal desires and agendas.
The life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST stands in the fulfillment of the Law [Matt 5:17-18; Rom 1:3-4; Col 1:28-29]; and, opens us to the promises [in the Prophets] that flow [in progressive fulfillment] as a consequence of the fulfillment of the Law [2 Cor 1:20; Col 3:17; John 14:12-15; 15:7-10; 16:23-27].
The life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST – progressively – enables us to function [to live] in accordance with the demands of the Law of CHRIST. The capacity of function [of living] – by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS – is carried in the life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST.
We actualize the life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST by prayer; by praying in the understanding [see Heb 1:3b; Prov 9:10b] of the Word of GOD, in the context of the Testimony of JESUS [Luke 24:44-45; Matt 5:17-18; 2 Cor 1:20; Rev 19:10c].
The true understanding of the Word of GOD unveils in an intimacy with the Holy One, MASHIAH YESHUA [see Prov 9:10b].
This true understanding unveiled in an intimacy is entirely a construct of the Spirit and Life of JESUS CHRIST [see John 6:63].
We pray in the SPIRIT to energize the contents of the Word of GOD, in the Spirit and Life of YESHUA [this is what the HOLY SPIRIT does with the Word – John 6:63], appropriating [actualizing] the realities of everything definitive and functional in the Word [for example: righteousness, holiness, obedience, love, faith, wisdom, knowledge, understanding, character, nature etc.] in, from and through the Spirit of JESUS CHRIST!
While pursuing the realities of the Word of GOD in prayer, we must put into practice the realities of the Word in every function of our being in thought, word, deed and relationship.
[Understand that the Spirit and Life of YESHUA communicate the fabric of the fullness of JESUS CHRIST – into us and through us!]
Prayer energizes the (Logos) Word of GOD – by the HOLY SPIRIT – into Rhema [or, into quickened, energized] realities that become operational [functional] in the fabric of the Witness [1 John 5:10a] – in us, in Spirit, Water and Blood [1 John 5:8].
[By this we put on CHRIST: progressively actualizing the fulfillment of the Law in our being; progressively actualizing capacities to do all things through CHRIST who strengthens us; progressively actualizing the promises of GOD opened to us by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS; progressively actualizing the ‘fatness’ of the inward anointing [Isa 10:27, KJV+NASB; 1 John 2:20,27].]
The Witness in us – as the Logos Word of the Cross [see 1 Cor 1:18; Eph 3:20c] – is energized, by the HOLY SPIRIT, in the power that works within us. Now we are in a position to function by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS, in thought, word, deed and relationship – in our personal, social, work place and ministry functions.
We can now understand that every one of us who is born again has the inherent capacity to be fully functional in GOD – by the SPIRIT, in CHRIST JESUS – in conscious, sub-conscious and unconscious terms. This is the Amen of YESHUA’s Witness [Rev 3:14b] alive and operational in our inward parts by the HOLY SPIRIT [John 16:14b] – in Spirit, Water and Blood [1 John 5:10a+8].
We need to understand that we must move towards doing all things in MASHIAH YESHUA. For this purpose the HOLY SPIRIT indwells us. To facilitate this entire operating reality within us, YESHUA went to the Cross, to manifest the Amen, the faithful and true Witness, the Beginning of the Creation of GOD – in Spirit, Water and Blood, in us!
This is the inward reality through which we operate our gift mix. The finished work of the Cross is not ‘history’ but, is the ever present [operating] reality of all that YHWH has provided in the only begotten SON [John 3:16; Gen 22:14] by Witness opened in our inward parts [1 John 5:10a, 7-8, NKJV; 2 Cor 3:3, NKJV] by the HOLY SPIRIT[Romans 8:2].
The Amen of YESHUA’s Witness [see Revelation 3:14b] progressively unveils us – by the HOLY SPIRIT – as a people being perfected and completed; being made perfect as our heavenly FATHER is perfect [see Matt 5:48; Heb 12:23c; Col 1:28, KJV]. Amen!
We are a people whose spirits are being made perfect [see Heb 12:23c] as our spirits are configured in the life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST.
It is function in the life-giving Spirit of YESHUA that destroys the poisoned waters of lawlessness that permeates the fabric of human reality, in sin, sickness, disease, iniquity, transgression, decay and death.
In functioning in the life-giving Spirit of JESUS CHRIST, our inward parts are clothed with the ‘fatness’ (the inward anointing) of the Spirit of MESSIAH to fulfill the Peace Offering [see Lev 3:3-5; 23:16-19; Isa 10:27 (NASB+NKJV)].
Intimacy with YESHUA through the ‘fatness’ of His Spirit is missing from those mentioned in Matthew 7:21-23!
The result was lawlessness, the ‘prophetic’ ingredient of the spirit of the anti-CHRIST, the spirit of lawlessness, the ‘prophetic’ ingredient of the apostasy that is in our midst [see 2 Thess 2:7-14].
Written By: James Niles
The Tabernacle School Of Ministry