Transitioning ...Part 2B

Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. John 4:34 (KJV)

There is a place of supernatural abundance that lies waiting for those who seek to worship the Father with their lives. Paul admonishes,

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Romans 12:1 (KJV)

The key to understanding this principle is hidden in the phrase “reasonable service”. The word 'reasonable' is the Greek word logikos, and means rational. The word 'service' is the word latreia, and speaks of one who renders ministry unto God in the form of worship or divine service. The combination of these words refers to one who has made a conscience decision to provide service, whether through worship or sacrifice, unto God. And as Paul states; “ye present your bodies”.

God will not force anyone into this position, but will provide the “wells” to see you through. The key lies in accurately discerning your calling or purpose. How does one find that? The same way as the man at the pool at Bethesda; Rise, change your foundation from a soft one to a solid one, and reclaim your dominion, start walking. That’s what the woman did;

The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? John 4:28-29 (KJV)

A waterpot is a receptacle for family water supply, she put her families desires aside and began to walk in the revelation that had been given her. And by doing so brought in many from that city into the kingdom. As we begin to walk in the revelation given us, one of two things happen. We either hit the mark, or we miss it. Each has it’s own consequences. When we miss the mark, we can be assured of rough roads, dry places, and fruitless ventures. Wisdom should tell us how to discern our fruit. If it’s rotten, than there’s real good possibility that you are “missing the mark”.

But if as you walk, you are continually finding the wells of joy and good fruit, let that be your assurance of accuracy in calling. But as with the man at Bethesda, you have to rise, and you have to seek, and you have to press on and through.

Another area that Haggai dealt with was the concept of thirst. He said; “ye drink, but ye are not filled with drink”. This same statement can also be examined in light of these scriptures.

Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. John 4:10 (KJV)

Could Jesus be giving us further insight into accurately discerning our calling with this scripture? Could He be saying, “If you knew your gifting, the one that is from God, and if you could discern when I was in your presence, you would know when to go to the well for refilling”? The word 'gift' used here is the same as the word used in Ephesians 4, where Paul says:

But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Ephesians 4:7 (KJV)

And in this particular scripture he is telling us about the grace that is given to each one of us personally as it relates to our specific giftings.

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. John 4:13-14 (KJV)

Jesus is telling us in this usage, that if we try to fulfill our callings according to our natural efforts and our own desires rather than those that the Father has purposed and planned for us, we will always have to return to the “natural well” for refilling. But if we find the place that He has created us to fill we will have constant access to the living water. Living water always tastes better and is more satisfying than water that is stagnate. Notice also the use of the phrase “water springing up into everlasting life”. An alternate way of expressing that could be “a gushing forth perpetual living”. Living water will wear down anything that stands in it’s path. It may take time, but it will eventually wear away. Whereas stagnate water begins to lose it’s ability to satisfy aftertime and in time will also breed organisms that render the water useless for consumption. Algae doesn’t reproduce well in rushing rivers!

Haggai also mentioned the clothing that these people were wearing. He said: “ye clothe you, but there is none warm”. You have on the proper garments for the season, but you just can’t seem to get warm. Could the possibility exist that you aren’t discerning the season correctly?

There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:1-3 (KJV)

Nicodemus was a ruler among the Jews. He was a member of the Sanhedrim. He represented the “current” move of God. Understanding this interaction between Jesus and Nicodemus, may possibly be one of the fundamental keys to “kingdom” theology. The name 'Nicodemus' means victorious among his people and comes from a root made up of two words. The first is the word nike which means the means of success or the means of conquest. The second word is the word demos, which means the public as bound together socially. When the two words are combined it speaks of a means of coming together in unity to succeed or conquer. The implication of that name to us should cause us to think of “kingdom purpose” as defined in Ephesians 4.

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Ephesians 4:13 (KJV)

This is the point we all should be aiming at. So Nicodemus comes to Jesus at night. This was not any time of night. The word used here is the Greek word nux which means midnight. Midnight represents change, specifically the cusp of change. Nicodemus came to Jesus during a kairos that was set to change and he could sense it. This can be seen in his statement to Jesus “we know that thou art a teacher come from God”. They weren’t in the habit of seeing God manifest to the degree that Jesus was presenting. In fact, they hadn’t heard from a Prophet in four hundred years, except for John the Baptist, and they weren’t too sure about him. So what appears as a Ruler humbling himself and coming to Jesus for insight into the things of God, gets real confusing, real quick, because of Jesus answer: “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

What a response! Here comes this guy seeking and Jesus nukes him! Or so it seems ! We have traditionally seen this scripture fairly one sided. For the most part we have only looked at it through the “evangelism” eye. We have used this scripture almost exclusively in the light of leading the lost to Christ. But is that all it means? In the light of apostolic reformation technology, it can take on an entirely new and exciting meaning. It means “transition”.

The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him. 3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. John 3:2-3 (KJV)

Jesus tells Nicodemus that in order to enter into the new move of Gods Spirit, you have to enter it as a child. You have to start over! What you know from the past move may not have any bearing at all, in the environment that you are seeking to enter. You have to be willing to lay it all down. Nicodemus as a ruler of the synagogue would have been wearing his religious robes when he came to Jesus. You could easily distinguish the religious leaders by the clothing that they wore. This is what Haggai was eluding to. You have all the right clothing for your season, but is your season the same as Gods? What Jesus was telling Nicodemus was that your robes won’t bring about the results you desire in the next move. If you want to enter, you're going to have to change them. Your current clothing will not give you the intimacy with Christ that you will need. In fact, if you don’t change your clothing to align with the new thing God is doing, in time, your robes will keep you from hearing from God at all!

The robes represent the “religious” practices that take the place of relating with a living God. It is the 'God in a box' syndrome. Then Jesus goes even further. Jesus answered,

Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. John 3:5 (KJV)

Could Jesus be telling him that unless you flow with the Spirit as water and are regenerated from that Spiritual flow, you cannot enter into the “current” move?

A further analogy that can be applied here is the parable of the rich man and the eye of the needle.

And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. Matthew 19:16-22 (KJV)

This guy represents those that have trusted in their religious exercises to gain them entrance into the “kingdom” environment. Notice in verse 20, he knows that he still lacks something. He has done all the “things”, but still knows in his heart that he has come up short. Jesus tells him to lay down all that he has trusted in and walk in the revelation of who I am, and then you will be able to enter the next phase of the Fathers purpose, But it seems our friend can’t leave “his riches” behind. This is not only talking about his possessions, but all that he has trusted in. This includes his “religious” works. Jesus than reveals the technology

Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. 24 And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. Matthew 19:23-24

Rich men can be rich in possessions, religious men can be rich in position. That is what the Pharisees feared about Jesus. He had the ability to cause their entire belief structure to become obsolete. The needle spoken of here is not a sewing needle. At night when they would close the gates of the cities, they had built into the gates, a slit. This opening would be just big enough for a camel to enter in through, But there was a catch. The opening was just big enough for an “unloaded” camel to enter through! This was done to allow for people to enter after dark into the safety of the walls, but also made it difficult for invading armies to flood the city without being noticed. This opening would require that whoever wanted to enter, would have to unload their camel on the outside of the city, then cause their camel to kneel down and crawl through the opening. Once inside, they would go back out and hand carry through the gate their supplies or treasures. This speaks of the rich man humbling himself and laying down all he holds dear, in order to enter in. History has proven and will prove again, that the greatest hindrance to a new move of God, will be the current religious rulership. We, as a people, get so set in our ways of doing things in the religious realm, that we fail to see the cloud of his presence move. In our desire to uncover reformation technology, we too must not allow what is revealed to us today, to become our treasures that we refuse to lay down, should the Lord tarry.

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also. Matthew 6:21

A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Matthew 12:35 (KJV)

Then said he unto them, Therefore every scribe which is instructed unto the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old. Matthew 13:52

We need to be able to discern properly, with Godly wisdom, what treasures are to be cherished in the coming move, and be willing to lay down even those we cherish, in order to enter in.

If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. James 1:5 (KJV)

TO BE CONTINUED...