Dear Beloved Reader,
It has been very difficult for me to continue writing on the Flame of the Lord, and it's desire to produce Oneness with God and oneness with one another. The difficulty is not in the spiritual concept, but in the lack of spiritual substance in the Body of Christ to explore. Unity from God's perspective is hardly understood never mind hardly seen.
Psalm 133 means so much more to me know than it ever has in the past. It has always been a great spiritual concept, but for me it lacked a living expression all these years. I have mentioned, there has always been in my heart and the hearts of God's people that we would be one. We even pray for it every day.
Many in the Body of Christ believe that the teaching gifts of the five fold ministry is the tool God is going to use to bring this about. But the more I ponder psalm 133, I believe that true Godly Unity can never be taught, it has to be an experienced! Teaching unity, preaching unity has not produced unity. Trying to be united by having Pastor's associations, church's coming together in a region has not produced it. All of our feeble attempts to produce it has not produced it either.
Why is this one word unity so difficult for us to behold, never mind live it each day. Husbands and wives are hardly united. Parents and children hardly understand the unity of the family in our country today. Even the political season in both political parties is not bringing unity. Oh they may come together for the common good of winning an election, but believe me they will never unify.
The more I ponder the true "unity of the Holy Spirit," the Lord keeps burning in my heart, that Unity of the Holy Spirit is BEYOND ME AND MY UNDERSTANDING! I am not sure why this is important for me to know, accept the fact that it will make me STOP TRYING TO BRING IT ABOUT IN MY OWN UNDERSTANDING! Matter of fact, I am not trying to do it another day, but the desire for it STILL BURNS IN MY SOUL HOTTER NOW THAN EVER!
If what I am hearing is from the Lord, you dear reader have to discern that. If it is beyond me and my understanding than MAN CAN"T TEACH IT or MAKE IT! Unity of the Holy Spirit is above us as God's ways are above ours, and God's thoughts are above our thoughts. With these words "it is beyond me and my understanding," points me to the true source of UNITY, GOD HIMSELF WHO IS UNITY! He is UNITY. He is the fullness of the expression of what unity is.
I am going to share an experience I had in the Lord to help explain why this is beyond our comprehension, but it can be obtained. It can be obtained by the revelation of Jesus Christ burning in us a Holy Flame of God! It can be obtained by coming deeper into the very flame of LOVE, until we hear LOVE'S HEARTBEAT and we hear LOVE'S voice. This is an allegorical vision, or a painting of a spiritual truth!
The scripture verse burning in me is Psalm 133:1-3! This 1st verse of this Psalm is a key and a window into the depth of God's heart where true and lasting unity begins. So let us endeavor for the Holy Spirit to open our hearts to the true revelation of the UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT!
Let me start with a time of prayer back in the early 90's when a dear Pastor friend and I were together in prayer for our perspective churches and for one another. We were in prayer and worship, when I lost sense of everything around me, and my eyes were opened to a heavenly vision. As the Lord opened my eyes, I was standing in front of a great white throne that was burning in fire. I did not see anyone sitting there on the throne, but I did see a brilliant light as coming forth from that throne and a form that had sleeves filled with fire coming from it.
I could hardly breath because of the intensity of the flame. I knew I had entered into the throne room of God with clothes on, but as the flame brought me closer to Him, I realized I was absolutely naked! Every part of me was exposed before the Lord. I was so ashamed at my nakedness, that I went to place my hands over my exposed areas to cover myself.
I can't tell you what that felt like, but I knew that light was not only looking at me, it was looking through every fiber of my being inside and out. It was so intense I just wanted to fall down like a dead man. I wanted to lay down and prostrate myself before the Lord, but He would not allow me to do so. He made me stand up.
All of a sudden, I felt a hand turn me to the right and there was my Pastor friend entirely naked as I was. The same light that was looking at me was looking right through him. He also was trying to cover himself exactly in the same manner I was. All of a sudden, I felt my hand be pulled to the side and I could not even try cover myself anymore, and at the same time out of the corner of my eye the same thing was happening to my Pastor friend. Then out of no where a force hit both of us and we were standing next to each other facing each other and staring at each other's nakedness.
Now I just wanted to die right there. For I knew my brother could not only see my outside, every part of me, but he had the ability to see everything inside of me as well. This blew me away, I wept and wept, because I was so ashamed of what was on the inside and outside. He could see every imperfection in my outer body and in my soul. It was awful! It was probably the worst experience of exposure I ever had in God up to now. I was undone. A man of unclean lips in the midst of a people with unclean lips.
I tried to do all I could to do to cover my bodily parts but I was forbidden to do so. I was embarrassed, ashamed, and wanted to die. Now I am a little chunky Italian guy, and I knew my friend could see all my love handles, rolls, scars, etc. It was humiliating for me. This went on for what seemed like an hour. I was being stared at by God and my Pastor friend. Thank God this was only a vision!!! LOL
What I didn't realize at the time was that my pastor friend was doing and feeling the same exact way as me. He was trying to cover himself. He was a skinny European guy, but he had scars and imperfection on his body, and he also had them on the inside. He was trying violently to get loose to cover himself but he could not either.
Then the same force that made us face each other, pushed us to look at the great white throne, and now we were both being examined by those eyes of fire. They penetrated every fiber of our being. I don't know how we were surviving in that Glory! I really thought it was over for us at this point, because we saw all each others imperfections and flaws in our bodies and souls.
There was no reason to live at this point, we were undone. I really was expecting God to rebuke or kill me at this point, but the strangest thing happened to me there. A voice came out of the Fire! Did you hear me, Beloved! A VOICE spoke out of the fire and said these words to the depth of my being. "When you can stand here before me naked, and before one another and not be moved by seeing your imperfections in each other. When you can just love each other as I have loved you, you will understand WHAT TRUE AND LASTING UNITY IS! IT IS THE ABILITY TO SEE EACH OTHER AS I SEE YOU AND NOT SEE ONE ANOTHER'S FLAWS ANYMORE AND STILL LOVE EACH OTHER!THIS IS UNITY BEYOND ANYTHING YOU UNDERSTAND.
This is where I began to get a little glimpse that the UNITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,was much different than just working together or doing things together. It was much different than trying to unify. It was a unity beyond description. After the Lord spoke these words to me, I know longer saw my brothers imperfections. I still could look right through him, but I did not see anything in him but the love of God. It was like a great light within him. I knew those other things may still be there, but I could not see them anymore.
It is here I began to understand the words. Behold, how good and pleasant it is when the brethren dwell together in unity! Psalm 133:1 You see unity begins with the words BEHOLD!Behold means to: look at, see, regard, gaze upon, view, watch, discern. It means: To perceive by the visual faculty; see: beheld a tiny figure in the distance. To perceive through use of the mental faculty; comprehend.
The Word of God in Psalm 133:1 begins with BEHOLD,HOW GOOD IT IS! What was God trying to teach me in this vision. He was teaching me that the only way there can be true "unity of the spirit is by BEHOLDING! The first thing I experienced was GOD BEHOLDING ME! His beholding burned up my clothes, go figure. Isn't that what He did to Adam and Eve? He made them remove their fig leaves. He did this because Adam said, "we hid from you because we were afraid and WE ARE NAKED.It was their understanding of NAKEDNESS that cause them to hide.
I wanted to do the same thing in this vision as well. I wanted to hide, because I was ashamed and naked. God was looking right through me and at me, every fiber of my being. There WAS NO PLACE TO HIDE! Do you get it? Behold, How good and pleasant it is. Beloved, there was not one pleasant thing about me or the Lord at first in this vision! I was undone, yet I was not burnt up! I was able to stand there before the Lord vulnerable, naked, with His eyes piercing me, but I was not condemned by God, but my own heart.
If you remember the last blog, I talked about the heart of Cain. God was not rejecting Cain, but the offering he was bringing him. I was ashamed in that moment, because something in ME WANTED TO BE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD! There was not one thing I could find that was RIGHTEOUS! NOT ONE! No wonder the word of God says, "our righteousness is but filthy rags before the Lord." Don't you see beloved? God burnt up my filthy rags on the way to the midst of the flame. I had nothing to cover myself with or a place to hide.MY RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS GONE,or better yet all MY SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS WAS GONE
Oh, if we could only hear that in our hearts. Most of our attempt to unify the body of Christ can be rooted in our SELF-RIGHTEOUSNESS! That is why it never happens. That is what this vision had to explain. I did all I could to try to cover myself before God and worse before my brother. It was bad enough that God saw me, but worse my brother saw me is that way. What a horrible heart, huh? I was more concerned with my brother seeing me naked than my God?
Yet, at the same time, my brother is feeling the same exact way. Beloved, this is our true spiritual hearts towards God and one another. It is the reason why we can never be truly united in the Holy Spirit. I wish I could explain this better. Please forgive my feeble attempt to do so, but I pray the Holy Spirit will make this truth alive in your spirit. The Lord was beholding me AS I REALLY WAS! Yet, He did not leave. He did not tell me He did not want or love me. Truth is, I had the sense He was not going anywhere and neither was I. Could this be the essence of the unity of the Holy Spirit is. Seeing each other as we are, and not going away!
The Lord allowed me to see that my brother was feeling exactly the same as I was. We were no different from one another. We both had flaws in our outer bodies. We both had flaws on the inside of our hearts as well. We both were naked before God and exposed. We both wanted to do anything to cover ourselves. We both wanted to hide before God and each other. We both were ashamed and feeling guilty in our hearts. We both were forbidden to cover ourselves and both our clothes were burnt up in the fire.
I wonder what oneness would look like from God's perspective? I think we have confused perfection with oneness. That the only way we can be one is when we all believe the same, or think the same or we are both perfect. It is this misconception that causes us to to belittle ourselves or exalt ourselves like the Pharisee's. At least I didn't lie, cheat or steal, like that publican! It is our misconception that causes us to see ourselves accepted or rejected by God.
Cain saw the Lord not receiving his offering as rejecting him. His worth was based on what he did and what he brought the Lord. This was His clothing and covering. What did God do, burn it up and leave him naked before his brother. His brother had another kind of clothing. God was His covering. This provoked Cain so much that He rose and killed Abel. Abel brought the better and accepted sacrifice to God and that covered him, Cain did not!
So instead of unity, there was murder because one offering of self-righteousness was not received. Both myself and my pastor friend had NOT ONE THING TO JUSTIFY OURSELVES BEFORE GOD, NOT ONE! We were as naked as anyone could ever be. Everyone of our flaws, faults were exposed by the flame of the Lord, yet we were still there beholding God and beholding one another.
Wow! We were also beholding God. What did I see, Fire, flames, brilliant light, examining and searching love looking in, at and through me, yet I was not consumed. I saw light come out of His sleeves as He turned me to behold my brother. Remember the definition of BEHOLD? To See, look out, regard, gaze upon, watch and discern, To perceive by the visual faculty; see: beheld a tiny figure in the distance.
This psalm of unity begins with the word "BEHOLD!" I was able to see, look out, regard, gaze upon, watch and discern the Lord. I knew exactly what He was doing. Then as He turned me to see my brother and him to see me, we saw, looked out, regarded and gazed upon, watched and discerned each others spiritual condition. We were BEHOLDING GOD, and BEHOLDING ONE ANOTHER! Where we doing this? IN THE VERY FLAME OF YAHWEH! IN THE BURNING EMBERS OF HIS BEING! We were undone, naked, guilty and ashamed in those moments. Our own hearts were condemning us not God's. We were already washed in the Blood of the Lamb.
We were condemned because WE WERE TRYING TO REACH PERFECTION IN THE FLESH LIKE THE GALATIANS'S CHURCH! We were bewitched to believe that somehow our own works and efforts were good enough to stand before God. Beloved, they weren't even good enough to stand before each other, never mind God! This was our self-righteousness, and it is the ROOT CAUSE why we don't see a real expression of the KIND of UNITY! We can't see true unity because GOD IS NOT OUR COVERING!
In my vision WE WERE LOOKING for OUR CLOTHING! We did not like the fact that we were naked, no more than Adam did in the garden. There is the simple truth! WE ARE NAKED, CLOTHED OR NOT! As long as our faith is in our clothing or are own righteousness we can never stand before God or one another. So we beloved, can never experience the unity of the Holy Spirit.The Lord spoke to me, "When you can stand naked before me, and before one another and not see each others flaws, than you will be unified."
Oh beloved, what a simplistic thought isn't it. So easy when you get down to it, but so hard to live, because our flesh wants to BOAST IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD! That is why it has to be crucified. The only way to remove that boasting is to come into the very FLAME OF GOD, who is LIGHT! There is nothing humanly possible to do to remove this from the heart. You can't study it out, pray it our, or even fast it out.
IT HAS TO BE BURNED OUT! That is what this vision taught me. MY clothes, my righteousness had to be burned up as I approached the Lord. This was going to leave me totally vulnerable before the Lord and my brother. What path would I take now? I wanted to hide and cover myself, but the SPIRIT OF GOD CONSTRAINED ME! Yes, it forbade me to cover myself. Why? Because, PERFECT LOVE CAST OUT ALL FEAR!
The only thing the flame of the Lord was going to do was work a DEEP SURRENDER in my heart, until I stopped trying to hide and cover myself. This work can only be done in the "Flame of Holy Love. A LOVE that is a person who will not reject, or leave you alone. A love that will stand there with you until you can see as He See's and your whole world will change with the knowledge and Glory of the Lord WHO IS OUR COVERING.
This constraining love stopped me from covering myself. It stopped my brother from trying to cover himself UNTIL ALL WE COULD DO IS STAND NAKED BEFORE GOD AND ONE ANOTHER AND EVERY TRACE OF SHAME AND GUILT IS REMOVED! Beloved, this is where the Unity of the Spirit begins. This is what the very flame of God has come to bring. This is only the first word in Psalm 133. But when you give up and surrender to that flame and stop trying to cover yourself in self-righteousness and your brother and sister does the same thing. WE CAN BECOME UNITED IN HIM! We can stand before one another and God naked and unashamed.
Because that flame that pierces us also heals and restores us until we do not see the FLAW IN US OR OTHERS, WE JUST SEE GOD AT WORK IN US, WHO PROMISED TO FAITHFUL TO COMPLETE THAT WORK IN US! This is the HEARTBEAT of what UNITY really is! We will continue dissecting this psalm in the next couple of blogs until God opens our eyes to see the Highway of Holiness that He has brought before us. It starts with unity of the Holy Spirit THAT BRINGS US NAKED BEFORE GOD AND ONE ANOTHER!
I leave you know with psalm 133 verse 1. BEHOLD, HOW GOOD AND PLEASANT IT IS, WHEN BRETHREN DWELL TOGETHER IN UNITY!
"Stay tuned for the next lesson!
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