Tuesday, March 08, 2005

We Are Made Alive In Christ

"But God, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) And hath raised us up together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:" Ephesians 2:4-5

Let’s also read this verse in the Amplified Bible. “But God--so rich is He in His mercy! Because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense love with which He loved us, Even when we were dead (slain) by [our own] shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; [He gave us the very life of Christ Himself, the same new life with which He quickened Him, for] it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation).”

Our Father has an intense love for us, He loves us just as He loves Jesus, John 17:23. “I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me.” We all say that God loves us, but His love is so intense for us, that He had to do something to satisfy it. Our Father needs to love us and He is unwilling to be without us, so He did something about it, He made us alive with Christ, even when we were dead in sins! He made us alive together with the exact same life force that He used for Jesus, the life force that He used for Himself. Our Father has made us alive together with the exact same Anointing that He gave to Himself when He came to the earth and manifested Himself as a man! The Anointing that God trusted to keep Jesus alive and in full power and fellowship with Him while He was here as a man, has now given to us. The very thing that our Father trusted for Jesus, is exactly the same thing that He trusts for us! How awesome in that Truth?

What does it mean, even when we were dead in sins? It means that God was not willing to wait to have fellowship with us, so He enabled us to have fellowship with Him on this earth, as well as for eternity in Heaven! Our Father wants us to be alive with Him now and forever, so that our oneness with Him will be used to reveal the Light of Truth that will save the world! We too have this love, this intense and wonderful love within us, we are one with it, it consumes us as it consumes our Father. This is why there is such a desire for me to preach that we are one with God, this unity with God through Jesus is what He will use to win the world! Think about it, all nations at one time worshipping our Father, China, Iraq, Iran, Russia, India, and Africa, as well as Europe, the America’s, and yes even Israel! The world, a glorious church without spot wrinkle or blemish, a world where our Father is magnified, this is what our unity with God through Christ will allow!

Now let’s look at the second half of this verse in Ephesians 2: hath raised us up together with Christ in Heavenly places. People talk about Heaven as if it is some future tense thing, all of the benefits, all of the glory, and all of the power, yet our Father says that with Christ we have already been raised up to Heavenly places. This is why Jesus said, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” John 16:33 We can be of good cheer now because we are in Christ now, and we have been raised up together with Him, we have been made alive together with Him. In heaven there is no tribulation, no foes, no distresses, and we have now been raised up to be with our Father in Heavenly places.

But we are here, on this earth, where Jesus teaches that there are tribulations, how can we be in both places at the same time? Hold on, because this is awesome stuff! Turn over to 1 John 4:17, “Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.” Is God in Heaven and on the Earth? Is Jesus in Heaven and on the Earth? Is the Holy Spirit in Heaven and in the Earth? Yes, they all are! Who are we now one with? As He is, so are we in this earth! Our Father is omnipotent; He is everywhere all at once, yet He is intimate with us all at once! As He is so are we in this world! It’s no issue to think of God as being in multiple places, and the Truth is that we are now one with Him, created in His image, made to be conformed to the image of Jesus, so where is the stretch for us to be the same way? We have been raised up together and made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus! As He is, so are we in this world, crucified with Him, yet we live, yet it is not us who live, but Christ in us! Our Father is God and He can do all things, so empowering us to be as He is, in Heaven and in Earth is no big deal! Our Father is that powerful! The ability lies in God, not in man.

Now here is another awesome thing, in Heaven there is no tribulation, yet Jesus says on the earth there is, so where do we stand? We are here, yet we have been raised up together with Christ in Heavenly places. Think about it, Jesus is here, on the earth, as well as in Heaven, so is there any situation in this earth that can stand up against Him? What about our Father, is He moved by any earthly woe or ill? Does the Holy Ghost back down from any force on the earth? No, there in lies our power, as He is so are we on this earth! Tribulations will arise for the Words sake, but be of good cheer; Jesus has given us the power to be used and protected by God as He is, through Christ we are unmovable! So as Jesus enjoys the Heavenly blessings, so do we, even though we are here on the earth, just as Jesus is. Our Lord is in both places, and so are we, be of good cheer, Jesus has deprived the earth of its power against us!

Hey, do I think I have obtained this all yet, no! But this one thing I do, I forget the things that are behind, and I press towards the prize of His high calling, and as many as be perfect, be thus minded! I am telling you Truth, when He appears we shall be like Him, the Church is heading places before Jesus returns that are far beyond what we can think of, pray of, or ask for, and it is all going to happen by the power of Christ that is within us, the power of the Holy Spirit! The Church will do greater works than Jesus did, the Church is going to be as He is, the Church will be glorious and without spot, wrinkle, or blemish! Our Father said it, it will be! Faith is the evidence of things hoped for!

How do I know this will be, our Father has allowed me to taste bits and pieces of it. God has instructed me to lay hands on the sick, and they have recovered, right there, no other reason than God worked through me. I have been praying and my spirit grew beyond the confines of my body. Our Father allowed me to taste a fraction of how He is, it was so small, and only for a moment, yet He allowed me to see that we do have the capacity to be in touch with the Body of Christ beyond our flesh. He allowed me to experience just a little taste of His omnipotence. I never ask you to believe just because I have written it, shoot I never would, taste it for yourself, ask our Father to come to you and ask Him to allow you to experience Him. Ask for His Word to consume you, surrender all and then receive it all. If you still have your will, give it away, take on His will, it’s a lot better!

"For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them." Ephesians 2:10

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