A Truly Apostolic Move Part 4 by Bill Click

By Bill Click
We have been emphasizing that those who have truly received Christ have been recreated with a new life source, one which originates in God, carrying His essence and quality. As the Lord said through Paul: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17-18). This thoroughly coincides with what Jesus Himself said: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Today, let's look at what Jesus said more closely. Those with the resources of the church have repeatedly been made aware of the emphases on the words "life" (zoe) and "abundantly" (perissos).
 
 
 
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Is God Your Source of "Life?"
 
We have been emphasizing that those who have truly received Christ have been recreated with a new life source, one which originates in God, carrying His essence and quality. As the Lord said through Paul: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ" (2 Cor. 5:17-18). This thoroughly coincides with what Jesus Himself said: "I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10).
 
Today, let's look at what Jesus said more closely. Those with the resources of the church have repeatedly been made aware of the emphases on the words "life" (zoe) and "abundantly" (perissos). The Lord is speaking of an eternal dimension, which is not limited by the world or should be allowed to be by us personally. But to walk in a truly apostolic move, we must also pay close attention to what each of those terms is modified by. And that word is "have" (echo).
 
The word "have" (echo) is the same word the Lord uses through Paul to define the one who has truly received Christ, saying, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him" (Romans 8:9). Simply put, "have" (echo) means 'to hold, to possess, to have ability,' (Strong's NT #2192). This means that when we come to "have life, and have it abundantly" we 'possess' the capacity to 'hold' what has been imparted to us. And that is to "have life, and have it abundantly." Therefore, it is our right, our privilege, and yes even our responsibility to continually and repeatedly experience God in the Spirit as the source and quality of our "life," doing so repeatedly and consistently even excessively. Please keep that in mind as we continue.
 
The Truth Carries with it a 'Now' and an Eternal Consequence
 
There have been and are now many types of Christian 'movements.' (To save your time and my efforts, I will not survey those, which are more social or societal in their emphases). Although you can find the Lord wherever the anointing is present, that dynamic of God's presence is not necessarily an endorsement of everything that takes place. I know that many can struggle with that; I have as well: 'how can this be God if that happened?' etc. Answer: the same way we know we cannot say that everything the Lord allows to take place is the result of what He specifically caused to happen (2 Cor. 3:17f). We have freewill, to serve Him freely with (Gal. 5:1).
 
God gave man this freewill, and it can be surprising, alarming, even quite disheartening to discover and experience the extent and instances in which He will not control humanity. Therefore, the anointing that is experienced and released through the church is not a blanket endorsement of God in His purity, or even a full representation of His character in a specific instance. The Word says that "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves," meaning that God flows through a "vessel" made of 'tile, earthen ware, clay' (2 Cor. 4:7; Strong's NT #3749). Reading further, you can clearly see there is no endorsement for living by the flesh, but there is every indication that the Lord's servant will be faced with difficult circumstances, trials, tests, attacks, and even be required to live in the midst of unsolvable dilemmas:
 
"We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested . . . But having the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, 'I BELIEVED, THEREFORE I SPOKE,' we also believe, therefore we also speak, knowing that He who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and will present us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace which is spreading to more and more people may cause the giving of thanks to abound to the glory of God. Therefore we do not lose heart, but though our outer man is decaying, yet our inner man is being renewed day by day. For momentary, light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory far beyond all comparison, while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal" (2 Cor. 4:8-10; 13-18).
 
Both ministers of the Gospel and members of the body are accountable for the ways they represent Christ by the anointing He placed on them, in the same (even greater) way that mankind is forever accountable for its decisions and actions (John 5:22; Romans 14:10). That in mind, it is not enough to simply say "don't throw out the baby with the bath water" regarding revival or a move of God. That is to accept the unacceptable, which should neither be approved and promoted, nor tolerated and overlooked. We cannot just ignore (meaning to passively endorse) low levels of character, or what seems to be the endless, shallow, erroneous and even false teachings from twisting Scriptures to produce 'new' offerings to release blessings. We are to walk in the "faith once delivered to the saints" through the "Word forever settled in Heaven" (Jd. 1:3; Psa. 119:89).
 
If we just ignore (& passively endorse) what we know is wrong, then whatever anointing is present is (in actuality) the only thing that matters to us. Yet, even worse: what ministering impurely by "strange fire" produces is approved and sought after regardless of its effect on those ministering, or on those present (see Lev. 10:1-4). Neither of these obvious departures are the "way, truth and life" of the One whom the Holy Spirit is sent to represent (John 14:6; 16:12-15).
 
We Must Become People of the Anointing in Purity & Maturity
 
We do most certainly need the anointing. What the Lord does is never separated from the release of His Spirit (John 6:63). We always will need the anointing; we must have it, for without it there can be no witnessing presence of God's activity, let alone deliverance by Him into freedom (Romans 8:16; Isaiah 10:27). The Anointed One, however, first calls us, then prepares our vessel to represent Him as He is, and that requires each one to come to know Him as He is (Mark 3:13-15).
 
The progression from being known by Him to knowing Him is the determining factor which separates those truly called and anointed, yet not ready, from those who are commissioned, yet still charged to grow into "the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). As Christ is more fully known those who called to represent Him as He is, maturity in Him will be established. And it will be seen according to God's standards, ways which the "fruit of the Spirit" reveal Christ's "life" within (Gal. 5:16-26). Or if they are lacking, revealing what is yet to be established in Christ.
 
If we truly endeavor to mature, the Word and Spirit of the Lord will encounter us with the vast discrepancies between our character and His. We will become greatly aware of the extent we must (but have yet to) "be conformed to the image of the Son" (Romans 8:29). And whereas that clash between His nature and ours begins with God's revelation of Himself to us, if we continually respond, we eventually become less childish, meaning we embrace more responsibility, even becoming proactive in our desire to become like Christ. Our motives, however, will only mature to the extent we have truly experienced and received His presence. Being upgraded in ways, which cause us to hunger for even more is what truly transforms us and glorifies the Lord. And that is how God's Spirit becomes our standard. For that to take place, we must experience Him over and over, in true relationship, becoming those who "worship in spirit and truth"  (John 4:24).
 
With the Spirit of God becoming our barometer for Christ's "life" (zoe) within, we are led into being ones who "examine" our own intentions and goals, the reasons for our own priorities of life and the emphases for our works. This includes paying attention to the ongoing impact of what we spiritually release into others. Paul said it this way, "Each man's work will become evident; for the day will show it because it is to be revealed with fire, and the fire itself will test the quality of each man's work" (1 Corinthians 3:13). Not only is the lasting impact of what we do "revealed by fire," but we also are to be tested: "if any man's work which he has built on it remains, he will receive a reward. If any man's work is burned up, he will suffer loss; but he himself will be saved, yet so as through fire" (1 Corinthians 3:14-15).
 
Self Evaluation by the Spirit is for the Glory of God
 
A problem arising when we attempt to evaluate spiritual life and ministry is that we are very inclined to assess eternal realities by natural criteria. We tend to look for either a measurable means of "program evaluation" or for our own (or another's) 'self-improvement.' Instead, we are to be focused on an obedience to faith which requires submitting to the Spirit for following the revelation of His Word, reflecting our degree of it (Deut. 8:3; Mt. 4:4). We too often mistakenly look at it as either "church work" or 'personal growth,' rather than seeing all life as a holy offering to the Lord, one that He paid for, one which enables us to receive and embrace all of that which we are now the stewards of (Luke 12:34-48). But when we use such carnal reasoning, we have fully aligned ourselves with what prevails today in the world. We have attempted to define our spiritual lives, ministry, and yes, even the church, in natural terms rather than according to God's "eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:11).
 
As stated previously, even the very best attempts of the church seeking to do 'for' God are sociological, meaning they start with the situation of man. And at their very best they seek God's supernatural power to accomplish these works. Ultimately, the highlighted processes and visible results of these efforts point toward those being benefited, exalting those used of God to provide them. So what is so wrong about that? It all too often comes at the expense of the praise due to God and the glory of the Lord. We are so very prone to disconnecting the Lord's "life" in its demonstration to and through us from "Christ in us, the hope of glory," that we exalt, promote and profile people (both organizations & individuals) above the Lord of the Church. Find one that is highly visible which makes the Lord even more visible than it is than they are.
 
There is an apostolic remedy for that malady which seems so rampant among us. There is a way to insure that the Lord looms larger than those He is demonstrating Himself to and through. It is conditioned on us strictly staying "within the measure of the sphere which God apportioned" (2 Cor. 10:13). To be succinct: "a truly apostolic move" in the body and among its members never tries to go beyond the grace, which has already been established and is readily available in the Spirit. It does not try to do things 'for' God. So what is left? We only do what God is doing.
 
Are we better than Jesus? He said, "The Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He sees the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner" (John 5:19). And then: "I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 5:30).
 
When we attempt to move and build beyond (or without) the "the measure of the sphere which God apportioned" we become infected in what Paul had to stay clear of as well, "For we are not bold to class or compare ourselves with some of those who commend themselves; but when they measure themselves by themselves and compare themselves with themselves, they are without understanding"  (2 Cor. 10:12). Paul had a foundation in His life which kept Him stable, yet it did not originate with Him; it came from Christ's "life" within him: "I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord" (1Cor. 4:3-4).
 
You have been designed to live with God by the Spirit- to live by the new nature, God's Spirit becoming your standard (Gal. 5:25; 2 Cor. 5:17-18). If you truly grow into God's plan, you will respond to His leading, becoming more proactive by engaging the Lord for examination on His terms. You are to specifically seek God, recognizing that you have come to 'possess' the capacity to 'hold' what has been (& will be) imparted to you. And that is to "have life, and have it abundantly." It is your right, our privilege, and yes, your responsibility, to repeatedly and continually experience God in the Spirit and to do so repeatedly, and consistently, even excessively. Your eternal purpose is inseparable from "the glory of God" (Romans 5:2; John11:40). "Christ in us, the hope of Glory" will only emerge as you- the church- moves according to the imperative made clear in the New Testament: the Holy Spirit's leading and functioning through the body (Romans 8:14; Galatians 5:25). Jesus told us that He would lead all by His very own voice:
 
"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you" (John 16:13-15).
 
Whenever works are not rooted in the person of the Spirit representing Jesus, such 'movements' either immediately, eventually, or ultimately fail to represent the authenticity of Christ and the Spirit. The fruit will not remain (John 15:8,16). But when you are 'about' Christ in life source, Spirit-led and impacting, such moves not only begin but can continue by revelation and power as long as they are being received, held highest and released as you daily carry them. God can do all He wants, with anyone He chooses, for as long as He wants, in whatever way He desires. But only when what matters most in "life" is, as Jesus Himself said: "the glory of God" (John 11:40).
 
Bill Click