A Truly Apostolic Move Part 1 by Bill Click

By Bill Click
Everything in the universe began with God. The Scripture makes it clear: "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
 
 
 
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Everything in the universe began with God. The Scripture makes it clear:
 
"Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. For He rescued us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by Him all things were created, both in the heavens and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things have been created through Him and for Him.
 
He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. He is also head of the body, the church; and He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that He Himself will come to have first place in everything. For it was the Father's good pleasure for all the fullness to dwell in Him, and through Him to reconcile all things to Himself, having made peace through the blood of His cross; through Him, I say, whether things on earth or things in heaven" (Col 1:12-20).
 
Therefore, 'we' are not the indispensable component for understanding what exists, how it should be understood, or for what should take place. The Creator and Sustainer of all life is the only place life originates and also the only place that absolute truth can be found.
 
How We Begin Determines the Route We Take
 
A few years ago I released an email teaching series titled "Sociological vs. Pneumatological Dimensions of the Apostolic." As I came across it recently, it got my attention and called me back to a starting point for what the Lord is wanting for the Body of Christ at this time.
 
What I meant by that wordy title was: there can often be a vast difference between what we seek to do 'for' and 'by' God compared to that which the Lord longs to do 'with' and 'through' us to establish Christ's Church by the Spirit.
 
Whenever our orientation to God begins first with us, we all too often impose our understandings on Him, thus describing life as we see it apart from divine revelation. To do that is to align with the very definition of religion, because religion strives for God through human effort instead of functioning by His grace in the Spirit. Whenever we start toward God in the natural based on what we see, hear, feel, think or desire, we fail. Why? Instead of connecting by the Spirit that is within us to function with Him by, we present our own perception and purpose, eliciting Him to respond accordingly, expecting to be honored and answered according to our own understanding.
 
Scripture makes it clear: God is a "responder" to faith, and "faith" comes by hearing Him speak His Word to us (Hebrews 11:6; Romans 10:17). Therefore, we "must" function by the Spirit in all matters relating to the Lord and in the world, because "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth" (John 4:24).
 
Jesus defines God's substance as "spirit" (pneuma) and commands us to connect with Him in that way (pneuma to pneuma). Whenever that takes place, we truly connect with God and can expect not only to be heard, but blessed by the assurance and manifestation of His presence.
 
The Route We Take Determines the Destination We Arrive At
 
It is God's initiative and power that truly leads the Church forward, not the initiatives based on our evaluations and efforts (Acts1:8). Jesus made it clear: "No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draw him" (John 6:44). Also: "I said unto you, that no man can come unto me, except it be given unto him of the Father" (John 6:65). From the outset: to become God's we must yield to Him in that moment He seeks to make Christ known to us.
 
And after becoming His we must continue to respond to Him in that very same way during such moments. There is a wooing of the Holy Spirit toward you by the Father that you must yield to if you are to truly connect with God. Yes, there is also a "taking the kingdom by force" (Matthew 11:12). But "taking the kingdom by force" is not for breaking down a barrier that Jesus forever removed by what He did at the Cross and continues to do in continual intercession for us (Hebrews 7:22-24). Instead, it has everything to do with what we have to do to "force" our way out of self by the Spirit.
 
Yes, we "must" pursue God (Jeremiah 29:12-13), but a consistent, continual response to His pursuit of us is what it means to pursue Him. By that God's initiative and power become truly honored in us and we are led forward (Romans 8:14). This is because everything related to life with Christ comes from God (Colossians 15-17). And Jesus said: "you did not choose me, but I chose you" (John 15:16).
 
We cannot connect with God on our natural wavelength; we must enter the Spirit by the deposit of the Holy Presence He put within us. That means life in Christ is about activating and responding to God by the Spirit, pursuing the Person who manifests that Holy Presence. This in itself is a explanation of Matthew 5:6, which says: "blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled."
 
What we may seek to do 'for' God is often said to be the highest good of Christianity. But in fact, man's efforts to attain godliness and/or rise up to God's level is the very apex of religion. And that is not the same as God's work through men for Christ's Glory. We must not settle for less than the glory of God. We must not substitute our work for Him, negating His work through us. Anything less than God working through us will not be true to what Jesus came to establish; nothing less than Christ building His Church will result in what is able to stand and remain as an eternal witness of His rule and reign (Matthew 16:13-19).
 
What we may seek for God to do may be our very best understanding of what is good. It may even be our best interpretation of what God wants. But in the natural, it lacks God's revelation and power and will not suffice- even if it should seem that God has honored it. Again: anything less than God through us will not be what Jesus came to establish; nothing less than Christ building His Church will result in what is able to stand and remain as a witness of Him.
 
"Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Unless the Lord guards the city the watchman keeps awake in vain. It is vain for you to rise up early, to retire late, to eat the bread of painful labors" (Psalm 127:1-2).
 
Bill Click
 

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Part 1 emphasized that we must not let go of this absolute reality: there is a quietness in God that He designed and desires for each of us. And just as importantly, that promise, and grace is also granted and to be seized for our surroundings. But since the prevailing winds of lifestyle in our world today are not conducive to this, many regard God's promise either skeptically, as laughable, or virtually impossible. But again, the absolute reality is there is a quietness in God that He has designed and desires for each of us - one that not only quiets the spirit but restores the soul and will even bring wholeness to the body. Believing that revelation of the Lord, the question most often becomes 'how do I get there from here?'
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