This week we complete Tom Marshall's wonderful book with the final chapter, The Word Made Flesh.
What a rich book this is, and I trust you have been blessed and helped by it as I have been...one more notice that next week we begin Stephen Seamands Wounds that Heal.
For lack of time, this week I will simply quote some major bullet points in the chapter and conclude with my personal thoughts. This chapter is basically saying that the overarching work of the cross and the Spirit in us has to do with the "Word becoming flesh in us." In other words, the life of Jesus is incarnated in us by the presence and power of the Holy Spirit within us. So the healing, sanctifying work in us touches the whole person, spirit, soul and body so that we can "taste" of physical energizing as well as the quickening of the spirit and the healing of the soul.
Some direct quotes from this chapter are:
- In salvation, repentance is combined with faith (Acts 20:21); in sanctification, obedience is combined with faith; in healing, confession is combined with faith.
- Confession means that, out of a deep conviction of the truth of what God says, I speak out my assent or agreement with His word.
- Faith in the heart restores what is normal, which is health; and confession with the mouth brings it to pass.
- Human beings ("created creators") create by speaking into being what is in our spirits.
- We know when to exercise authority and how to exercise it by the prompting of the Holy Spirit discerned in our conscience.
I want to conclude this posting quoting and commenting on the last part of the chapter which is about "the spiritual nature of authority":
"True authority is always spiritual in origin. Because of this, it functions from the spirit of the person exercising it and it reaches the spirit of the person over whom it is being exercised. Therefore, it will affect the latter person in his conscience: there will be an 'oughtness' about the order or instruction. Nevertheless, the person's will is left free to obey or disobey. Obedience is therefore a free choice and has the liberating effect of all true obedience.
If, however, the person exercising authority is not himself living in obedience, what comes out from him is not spiritual authority but soul power...What will come out is most often willpower; but there may also be strong emotional pressure or forceful argument. Because it is grounded in the soul, it will touch the other person in his soul. There will be a clash of wills, a conflict of argument or opposing feelings. The person who is being given the orders or instructions will either give way to superior power (but feel resentful and rebellious at the same time), or he will 'stand up for himself' and there will be open conflict.
When I obey true authority, I do not feel inferior or diminished, because true authority is spiritual and respects my moral freedom. Authority that is not legitimate (but is the imposition of another's will and ideas) does not respect my moral freedom. It seeks to coerce or manipulate - and I either conform or rebel. I am usually in less danger by rebelling..."
This is critical to grasp in our relationships and ministry in the Kingdom! The issue of spiritual authority has become very real to me in recent years, and I was struck a couple of years ago with the understanding that God's way of getting things done is through spiritual authority (see the "Great Commission" in Matthew 28), and Satan's way of getting things done is through intimidation.
Keep in mind that the faculties of the soul are the mind, will and emotions. If the soul is dominant (i.e., I'm living by the power of the soul rather than out of my spirit), I will exercise soulish willpower (the human will overriding another person's moral freedom) or emotional pressure (the human emotions manipulating another person's emotional responses) or forceful argument (the human intellect out-arguing another person's reasonings). This way of "getting things done" is not life-giving but destructive and intimidating.
I have found that when true spiritual authority is operating through a believer, he doesn't have to force anything. He simply obeys, and the Holy Spirit moves to accomplish what He knows needs to happen to bring about the will of the Father. This is a restful way to live and walk, and the path to habitual walking in this rest is one of great breaking and is only possible through the cooperation of the believer with the Holy Spirit.
Because the Kingdom of God is advanced through spiritual authority (Matt. 28:16-20), this truth and the walking out of it in daily life is imperative if we are to be fruitful in the mission God has given each of us to do. No matter how insignificant a place you may feel you have on this earth now, each of us has people in our lives that need to be influenced for the sake of Jesus, and we have true influence on them through spiritual authority which is ours through a lifestyle of loving response and obedience to the words and calls of the loving Father.
Father, thank You that You love me and that all that has to do with You and Your kingdom is only good for me. I pray that You, by Your Spirit and the work of Calvary, would increase Your good work in our hearts so that Christ in us will be more fully expressed in such a way that those You have given us to influence will be drawn and attracted to Jesus, whom to know is Life! We receive Your love once again and offer our love back to You...
God bless you this week!
This book was hard work for me. I had to make time to read it and concentrate to grasp it, reading some portions 2 to 3 times. After I read a book I like to feel that I have a grasp of it, but there is so much truth in this one, I feel I have ingested just a small portion of it. But I have changed. The book encouraged me to be with God, to bring some of my past to Him, to start realizing it’s affect on me, and to move forward in wholeness through the Holy Spirit.
ReplyDeleteNita, what you said about soulish willpower, emotional pressure, and forceful argument reminded me of interactions with my adult boys, who are in their early 20’s. I don’t know how God has worked this in me, but I have been relating to them differently, with much more of a rest in what God is doing in their lives, and a peace as I interact with them. God has given me a Spirit-led way to react and converse with them. I’ve used soulish willpower, emotional pressure (even this week), and forceful argument (even yesterday), but overall, when I rest in God, He gives me ideas of what to say and a lot of times I just listen to the boys. I know they want respect and by listening and not forcing my ideas on them, God is doing something!
Also, with some friends I have who try my patience, I am not as “disagreeable”, but more prayerful and quiet in my interactions with them. I don’t have to “fight” for my way or correct them. It’s more of a rest in knowing as I pray, God will move, and I don’t have to force anything. He’s working in my life and in my “difficult” friends’ lives. I can love them and not let the strife rise up (that “arrrrgggghhhh” feeling) in me when they say something abrasive. It’s a God thing. It’s like he reminds me to be kind and thoughtful and He gives me gentle ways to respond. And I also compliment and encourage, not in a manipulative way to get my way with a person, but a true “God-inspired” compliment.
That reminds me…I have not always had the best relationship with my mother, but now that I’m in my 50’s and can appreciate the many wonderful things my mother has done and how God has created her, I can give her compliments (which I did so rarely before). Doing that and also asking her opinion on things (even asking for recipes), has improved our relationship. I know these things sound so basic, but I think there was a “divide” between us because my mother sensed her lifestyle was different than mine and that perhaps I was critical and looked down on her. For the most part I don’t think I did that, but if I don’t encourage her and respect her (by my actions), she may not sense God’s deep love for her in a way she may not otherwise. All that to say, God is healing the relationship I have with my mother. This is a huge thing in my life and I thank the Lord!!!
I haven’t gotten the next book and am wondering if Amazon’s free shipping works that well. Seems I should have ordered it WAY in advance because it’s taking a long time to get it. Hey, Angela M., if I can borrow Wounds That Heal from you one night this week, that would be great!
Nita's comment on obedience and the role of authority it so true...it seems this ability to rightly disagree with authority kept us from the maturing work of the Holy Spirit in us. I realize some would not agree with this.
ReplyDeleteWe mature through an obedience called forth because we love the Other...our Living God. Such as when we are attempting to teach our children to choose rightly by having that bond of love between us--and this in turn prepares them to respond in obedience to God themselves… because they can trust Him.
How many of us succumbed to this fear of authority--and thus were unable to know who we really were and be able to contribute to the whole with the gifting God had given to us. It leaves us unaffirmed and, for me, this should have been met years before and so I still struggle with it in some fashion today. (to be sure this began long before I really became a Christian...before my Bethany days).
As Nita states, we must have at the core ...the nature of God...then we can begin to see true humility and submission happening in our life.
I just wanted to quote a particular passage from the book:
If we ask how wickedness has become so rampant in society, the answer is that human beings spoke it into existence. How did the permissive society happen? It was spoken into being. Do you see why it is in Satan's interest to control the media? He knows this principle. Can you understand why he strives to keep the mouths of Christians closed? So that they will not create. True, we witness by what we are, as well as by that we say, but there is one fatal flaw in a witness that is only of life and not of words: such a life rarely creates, seldom reproduces itself. Underline this basic truth until it is etched into your entire being:
Human beings create by speaking into being what is in our spirits.
True love, true relationship, true humility and true submission into the Love of God is the only way to have the voice of truth get into this world....courage. How, I ache for us as well as the church, the world, and all to be just this. No doubt this is what we all really ache for.
I really appreciated this book...it opened areas of my life that made me aware of not only what I had gained in life and study but to allow God to really reach me in a deep, personal way regarding His love and intimate care for me...of all people...but His people!!!
Joan Frazerhurst
Sue, I had to add a thank you to you for sharing what you did. It is so powerful and encouraging. It is wonderful to read the things that the Lord has brought you, and all of us, for that matter during the reading of this book. Wish I could say more....must go for the moment.
ReplyDeleteJoan
Hi Joan! I don't have much time to write, but I wanted to say I appreciate your comments and they ring true to me! Sometimes I think it would be great to chat face-to-face about the truth that is changing our lives. If you are coming to Bethany and want to visit over a cup of coffee or cocoa, let me know! Love, Sue
ReplyDelete