God's Heart for His Church

Dear Friends,

How amazing to be writing to you in the area of prophecy. Many of you have known me for years and have walked with me through hardship and adversity. I hold no ministry position, no prophetic office, yet the Lord speaks to me, at times in visions and analogies, which need much help with discernment to understand; at other times in words that He speaks plainly, to my heart and face to face (Exodus 12:6-8, John 15:14-15).

For those of you who are uncertain about the validity of claiming to hear a prophetic word from the Lord, I share quickly Amos 7:14-15: “I was no prophet, nor was I a son of a prophet, but I was a sheepbreeder and a tender of sycamore fruit. Then the Lord took me as I followed the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go prophesy to My people Israel.”

Concerning myself, the Lord says, “You are not prophet, you are bride.” This reflects the promise spoken in Acts 3:16-18: “It shall come to pass in the last days says God that I will pour out of My Spirit on all flesh; your sons and daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions, your old men shall dream dreams. And on My menservants and on My maidservants, I will pour out My Spirit in those days and they shall prophesy.” A bride listens to her husband’s voice and responds wholeheartedly to His smallest whisper, even as sheep listen to their Shepherd (John 10: 3-5). How wonderful to know that everyone of us who believes in Jesus, our risen Savior, is also His Bride (Isaiah 54:5, John 3:29, Revelation 19: 7-8)!

I’m writing to all of you now because of several words I’ve received that are much bigger than me. As I’ve trembled and sought the Lord concerning them, He has said this to me: “When a farmer hits oil in his field, what does he do? He calls for the big oil rigs to come, otherwise the oil sprays over the field and hurts both animals and grain. Without the skills and expertise of the oil riggers, the oil cannot be contained, refined, or distributed to those who need it. When will the big oil rigs come? When they are summoned by those who have struck oil.”

I do not know what this black oil is in the Spirit, only that in the natural world oil is turned into kerosene and gasoline for fuel for both private and corporate use. So I am sharing these words and visions with all of you because I sense strongly in my spirit that the Lord is giving them for His Church on a worldwide scale. When I pray, “Lord, heal our land!” immediately the Holy Spirit says, “The land of the Church is the world.” Please join me in prayer concerning these visions as dear friends in the faith whom I greatly respect and love. I am so excited about all the Lord is doing in us and through us--our individual lives, our fellowships, and the world.

January 6, 2012

The first vision is this: I am standing at the edge of a great forest. Fire has consumed the sacrifice upon the altar near me, and I take a burning ember from the ground. I stare at the forest, and the Lord says, “When an ember is not sufficient to draw attention, it is time to start a fire. Let it blaze and consume the forest, these great oaks planted for My righteousness. Let the fire blaze out from the edges into the deepest parts, leaving no tree untouched, fanned into engulfing, wild flames by the wind of My Spirit. Let the fire declare My great glory, My jealousy for My people, My burning passion for them. For I am a consuming fire, and My glory I will not give to another.”

The next word is similar to one He gave me over a year ago, but I didn’t have the strength then to speak. Now I’m sharing so that we might lift up our churches and fellowships together. The Lord said to me: “My Church is selling bottled water. They have bottled it up from the springs I opened for them years ago, but now the water is going stagnant and in some places has even become contaminated and polluted. Oh, My Church, open up your veins again and let My fire run through you! I tell you, now, in this day, I am going to do a new thing. Where there has not been clear, fresh water, the people have begun to slip back into atrophy. But I am stirring up My passion and My zeal as before. I am coming into your midst, and I am burning up for you like a mighty man. Behold and watch the new thing I will do—I will burst forth fountains of water in the backyards of ordinary men and women. I will shoot forth My water out of the ground in the individual prayer closet and small group gatherings so that My Church will again become alive. Yet I have not forgotten My oaks, planted for My righteousness. Yes, I would spare you too, so repent and cry out for the latter and former rains once again. Then My fire will burn but not destroy the great forest of many generations, which has declared My glory. My Spirit will burn as He did in the burning bush, and the trees will blaze with holy fire yet not be consumed. And then My Spirit will be well-pleased. Yes, I Myself will rejoice exceedingly and be greatly glorified. This is My word for My people. Oh, My people, hear Me!”

I also saw a wall—a great wall, the wall of Berlin, which came down many years ago. I said, “Lord, this wall is torn down.” Then He showed me that towering walls still exist in the hearts of His people, one group against another. He pointed at the wall, commanding in strong warning, “Tear down the wall. Tear it down with your bare hands in the power of My might. Do I not have the right to give to one group the faith to suffer and to another group the faith to stand in healing? These walls are not of Me, nor the accusations, fears, shame, and jealousies that exist in the people whose hands built the walls. Repent and reach out to those who are weaker than you. You who have great faith, would you condemn your brother who has only a small measure? Have I not given to him the faith to stand as well as you? Why do you boast about what you have not earned? Are you not all equal in My sight? Is not My blood alone the way of access into My presence? Who are you to set up boundaries and laws and decrees that are not of Me? Offices of prophet, apostle, teacher, and shepherd are all very well, but today I say this: I will come into your midst as a consuming fire if you do not repent. I am coming into the homes and fellowships of My Church as Her Husband, and she will be My Bride. There will no longer be any distinction between one who is appointed into spiritual office and one who labors alongside children or who kneels to repair kitchen sinks. I am Almighty God, and I am zealous for My Bride. I am zealous for her with great zeal, and it is My fierce intent that she become One once again.”

Even as I go to send this email, the Lord is opening before me a word that sends me to the floor, weeping. I share it now from the very depths of my heart, and I believe from the Lord’s, though of all the words, it is the most disturbing. Please seek the Lord concerning its meaning in your personal life since it utilizes incredibly sensitive and personal imagery.

January 7, 2012

“Oh, Church! Oh, Church! You’re My Bride, but you won’t even take off your wedding garments for Me. Where was the passion you once had to sit and wait for Me to come to you? Where has the passion gone that you once had as a young bride who yearned and ached for the Lover of her soul? I tell you—I want you--body and soul. And don’t just flash your wedding ring at Me. It’s glorious, I know. I gave you the very best. In My passionate love for you, I went all out and splurged lavishly on you, My bride. But now tell me, you who desire My presence, why do you cover up when I come near? Why are you hiding in shame in the closets of the homes I built for you? Don’t you know that the bathroom is necessary and good? But you refuse to enter it, to go into the inner prayer closet and empty yourself out completely of both good and bad. You say, “I’ll hold it; I’ll wait. That will make a mess.” Oh, My Bride, how I long for you to come to Me as in days of old! How I long for you to let me wash you and purge you with the water and wine of My love instead of tightening your sash around your waist. Dearly Beloved, should not a man see his wife? Should not a lover see his mate? But you have hidden yourself from Me in the folds of your righteous acts and well-meaning intentions. Enough! I’m overturning the temple tables once again—the long banquet tables you have set up in your souls and your churches between you and Me. I kneel beside you, but you don’t even slip off your chair to cradle My face in your hands as you did in days gone by. I yearn for you, but I must cut up your food into tiny pieces for you to digest. Ask, therefore, for the apples and raisins of our first love that the wounds within your stomach might heal. Ask for love and I will give it—the sweet, honeyed wine of My presence. See how I long for you!

“And so I am doing a new thing, a thing to astonish and horrify the proud and self-righteous, the ones who have not dealt with their hidden sins and outrageous lies. I am stripping Myself down and walking among you naked. Yes, I am coming among you utterly naked with not even a loin cloth on, and I will fight for you as a berserker in the days of old, clad only in the zeal of the Lord of hosts. Do you doubt this? Look in My Word and see. See for yourselves the Mighty Man I have vowed to be when My Church wanders in her heart from Me. Have you prayed for revivals? Good! I am glad that you call out to Me to come again with a downpour of My Spirit. So know this—I will surely come, but not until you have thrown off your linen garments for Me. Yes, even your good reputations and righteous deeds which I have given to you. I want it all—I want you! Make an altar—pile up the stones, pour water over the wood. Call out to Me as Elijah did. Call out to Me before all the world and tell them—The God who answers by fire is God! Would you discard your reputations for Me? Surely I discarded Mine for you when I hung upon the Cross at Calvary. Will you cease selling bottled waters from My wells? For surely, I see what you do and it greatly displeases Me when you charge your neighbor to drink from My fountain. Do you know what I speak of? You charge them a visit to the bathhouse, a change of garments, and a scented bottle of ointment to come see Me. Oh, My Church! NO, NO, NO!!! I want the poor, the unclean, the naked, the abused. I want the dirty, the ragged, the boisterous, the maimed, the ugly! Don’t charge them to enter My dwelling place! Fling open the doors and let them come! I am telling you now, if you do these things, then, then heaven itself will not be able to contain Me. I will burst open the floodgates of heaven upon your families, your little ones, your fellowship gatherings, and your fields. I will pour out such blessing that there will not be room to contain it! Test Me now in this and see, see if I will not do all that I have said. Lest when you walk in your proud finery, your wedding robes that you donned for Me, your enemies come and strip you naked and mock you before the eyes of all. But you were made for Me, Beloved. Your nakedness is for My eyes alone. Only come to Me. Let the pretenses fall, the good works and reputations you depend so heavily upon. Cry out to Me, and I will answer you and show you great and mighty things which you did not know. Cry out to Me and I will water the vineyards with My presence and gush forth in every valley My overflowing springs. For I am the Lord!!!

“And now I say to you who have courage, to you who desire to take heart: Strip away the soiled garments clinging to you that they might be washed in pure water and I will give to you the robe of many colors—the beautiful radiant colors of the soul when you are purified and healed and made whole. For this is the garment I want: the beautiful gown of light that exudes from a soul in which I dwell without restraint. Then you will walk before Me naked and not be ashamed. Then you will go out before others to fight with Me and will be invincible in the mightiness of My Spirit. Not armor or weapons of flesh but the zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Do you not know what David did when he was offered the armor of another? He would not put it on.‘How can I fight like this?’ he asked. And so he went to face the giant with only his staff, his sling and stones from a brook, but I was with him. I was valiant within his soul, and he stirred up his passion for Me like a lion. So do not be afraid, you who yearn for My heart. Walk in boldness before Me, depending upon Me and Me alone to be your refuge and salvation. Will I not open the windows of heaven and rain down upon your land? Better than that, I will most surely walk among you, and I shall be your God and you shall be My people.”

Scriptural basis: Genesis 2:25, I Samuel 17:38-47, I Kings 18:21-45, Psalm 45:10-15, 68:7-11, Proverbs 28:1, Song of Solomon 2:4-5, 7:9-13, Isaiah 42:12-13, 59:6, 15-17, 64:1-6, Jeremiah 33:3, Ezekiel 14:4-7, 16:8-14, Daniel 12:3, Hosea 2:9-15, Zechariah 3:3-4, 10:5, Zephaniah 3:14-15, Micah 1:8-12, Matthew 5:40, Luke 14:13, 21-23, John 2:14-17, 3:29, Romans 13:11-14, I Corinthians 6:13-20, Philippians 2:5-11, Hebrews 4:13-16, 5:12-14, Revelation 3:17-22

How I love you all! May all these words stir up within us passion for the Lord to have His way in our lives, our hearts, and our churches, and may we see revival come!!!

All my love and prayers, Ayrian

Scriptures that accompany the January 6 words:

The Lord's jealousy and consuming fire: Luke 12:49, Isaiah 64:1-2, Amos 7:4, Zeph 1:18, Isaiah 10:16-19, I Kings 18:21-46, Song of Songs 8:6, Hebrews 12:28-29

Mighty Man and Roaring Lion: Isaiah 42:13, Hosea 11:10-11, Jeremiah 25:30, Zechariah 10:7-8

Wall of Division: Ephesians 2:14-18, I Corinthians 1:10-13, 3:3-11, Romans 12:3-8, 14:3-23, Hebrews 11:30-12:2

Selling Bottled Water: Jeremiah 2:13, John 2:13-17

New Fountains of Water: John 7:37-39, Acts 2:17-18, Isaiah 43:18-21, 44:3-4

Rain: Acts 3:19-20, Hosea 5:14-6:3, Psalm 68:7-11, II Chr 6:26-27, 7:12-14

Bride/Unity: John 17:20-24, I Cor 12:12-13, Ephesians 4:3-7, Revelation 3:19-22, 19:7-8, Hosea 2:16-23

A New Wardrobe

I’m not much into clothes shopping. 

In fact, I don’t like shopping much at all except for my kids at Christmas time and when their active play puts holes in their jeans a lot sooner than growth spurts put their shirts into storage. My unconcern with staying in style means that my personal wardrobe consists mostly of items given to me by my mom and sister who enjoy using their fashion sense to help me out.

So it comes as a huge blessing to find out that my Heavenly Father is also intent on helping me dress in style—heaven’s style! My wonderful Daddy tells me in His Word that He’s selected the right wardrobe for me. His tags don’t read Calvin Klein or Levi Strauss. His handmade garments come crafted by the Holy Spirit. Eugene Peterson, in The Message Bible, translates Colossians 3:12-14 this way:

So chosen by God for this new life of love, dress in the wardrobe God picked out for you: compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, discipline. Be even-tempered, content with second place, quick to forgiven an offense. Forgive as quickly and completely as the Master forgave you. And regardless of what else you put on, wear love. It’s your basic, all-purpose garment. Never be without it.

These qualities are reflective of the fruit of the Spirit. And there’s more:

             God has given us “the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness” (Is 61:3).

             “He has clothed me with the garments of salvation…the robe of righteousness.” (Is 61:10).

He has also provided the right shoes so we can be “shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace” (Eph 6:15).

Eugene Peterson offers us an even more spectacular picture in his translation of Ephesians 5:26-27 where he writes, “Christ’s love makes the church whole. His words evoke her beauty. Everything He does and says is designed to bring the best out of her, dressing her in dazzling white silk, radiant in holiness.”

Wow. I want to be dressed in Christ’s wardrobe every day. And that means spending time with Him, letting His presence drape me with the robes of compassion, mercy, and grace.

We abide in God's presence as we lift our thoughts up to Him—every worry, every fear, every hurt, every need, every delight. When we do this, our entire thought life is transformed into communion with God. And that transformation affects far more than our thoughts. It influences the whole of our personality, attitude, actions, and demeanor.

The psalmist wrote, “In Your presence is fullness of joy, at Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.” (Psalm 16:11). Dressing in our new wardrobe--the one created for the new "us"--fills us with incredible delight in our Heavenly Father who sees all that we need and gives us His very best.

F.F. Bruce declares with laughter, “God’s peace is joy resting. His joy is peace dancing.” Yes, Holy Spirit, weave faith, hope, and love into my tunic of salvation so that it sparkles with glorious, insuppressible joy and peace!!!

Algebra 101

“That they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me.” –Jesus  (John 17:21)

All of creation testifies to the glory of God—even mathematics! During my algebra class last semester, I was amazed to discover spiritual truths hidden within the natural order of numbers. And why not? God created the rules and application of algebra the same as He created the stars in space and the hairs on our heads. Certainly, He loves to use every opportunity to teach us more about Himself, and when we pay attention, these opportunities are limitless!

One lesson in particular stood out to me: it regarded “Unity” or “Oneness”.

In algebra, one of the primary goals of mathematicians is to reduce a complex fraction of factors and numbers to its simplest form. For instance, picture the fraction: 5a72b(33c) over 34x41y3z. This fraction has no common factors. It can’t be reduced within itself because two or three or four or thirteen cannot divide evenly into all the numbers. This fraction can only be simplified—or, put another way, brought to “oneness” –through an external manipulation of some sort.

I believe that God sees the diverseness of the human race and the distinct differences of each human being the same way. Certainly, He created us as beautifully unique, so our complexity is not a bad thing! However, I Corinthians 12:12 says, “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.” Jesus desires a Church that is One with Him, yet the rifts and differences between Christians are often strong and sharp!

How then does the Lord bring “oneness” to His Church, His Bride? How does He make us one with Him and each other? In algebra, the Lord helped me to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about this transformation. Primarily, it is a covering of grace until we all reach the “perfect man” spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 4:13.

Using the algebraic example above, the Holy Spirit represents the mathematician who understands that numerator and denominator must develop common factors which make the differences insignificant. The fruit of the Spirit’s work is kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, and love, which create a reciprocation of grace when developed in the lives of believers. The Holy Spirit births within each of us a “new man” made in the image of Christ. This new man, spoken of by Paul in Ephesians 4:20-24, is the common factor we all possess. In algebra, this means that 5a72b(33c) willingly multiplies to 34x41y3z. This creates a big long number that seems even more complicated, but the work of the Spirit, our mathematician, isn’t done yet. At the same time He is at work in us, He is at work in others. The denominator also accepts the same bonding process: 34x41y3z is multiplied to 5a72b(33c).

Here’s the amazing truth hidden within this simple procedure: When the factors in the numerator exactly mirror the factors in the denominator, they reduce down to 1. One on top; one on bottom. And one over one is simply: 1. Ephesians  4:4-5 says, “There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”

Jesus has created us equal in Him! He’s generated, by the power of His Spirit, a new man, which is our new nature, made like Him in us!!! (Romans 6:5, 8:29)

Galatians 3:28 says, “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Does this Scripture mean we lose our uniqueness when the Holy Spirit performs His equalizing work in us? Not at all. Rather, our individuality no longer calls the shots. Through the power of the Spirit, we submit to His work of love in our lives, and we are able to lavish on others the kindness and grace which the Lord has given us.

Paul says in Philippians 2:1-3, “If there is any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself.”

For a long time, I believed that this debasement meant devaluing myself, saying I wasn’t special or worth much. But that’s not what Jesus says. He says we’re each precious, the apple of His eye, cherished and beloved in His sight. (Zechariah 2:8, Isaiah 43:1-4) No, the equalizing work of the Holy Spirit is not one of demeaning oneself but of lifting others up, treating them with the same incredible value we experience the Lord giving us so that they might experience and believe His great love for them too.

Do I feel beloved and precious to the Lord? Then may I see others the same way! Do I experience the passionate, personal love of the Lord poured upon me as His beloved? (Song of Songs 1:2) Then let me be the friend who stands next to the Bridegroom and rejoices to see His passion for others! (John 3:29)

Did Jesus allow others to debase Him, surrendering His privileges as God Most High? Yes, He did. Then may I also have the humility to walk past the insults of people who wound me, whether knowingly or not, without retaliating against them but continuing steadfastly to love them. “For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps…who when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness.” (I Peter 2:21-24)

The Lord has called us to unity, and the equalizing factors He has offered us are the fruits of His own Spirit at work in our lives: forgiveness, peace, and mercy as well as blessing, joy, and love.

May our lives radiate the fullness of His glorious grace!!!

Divine Union

“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”

I Corinthians 6:17

At the beginning of creation, God designed marriage to illustrate a vital truth about His relationship with humankind: the loving fellowship, mutual service, and intimate fidelity between creature and Creator. The unity of two distinct items does not occur merely as an exterior bond, such as two lanterns glued together, but as a shattering of the glass that keeps each flame apart followed by a merging of the two flames into one. For the human soul united with the Triune God, this experience can be pictured as two hearts of flesh, soft and pliable, ripped into pieces by pain and suffering: the first, a human soul broken by the realization he or she can never be good enough or strong enough to be everything God requires; the second, Christ’s soul broken upon the Cross when He took upon Himself all the sins of the world. At the moment of divine union, all these hurting pieces are gathered together in the grace-filled hands of God then fused together into one new heart by the power of the Holy Spirit, the pieces intermingled to such a degree that every thought, every emotion, and every desire vibrates with love for the other.

As with every experience of God, divine union occurs only through sheer grace. No amount of ascetic piety, good deeds, vigilance, or temperance of heart and soul can merit divine touch or divine presence. God, by His very nature, is Love; therefore, He longs to pour Himself into every human soul. However, like an adulterous wife, each of us runs after other loves, and so He waits. He waits for us to come, broken, before Him, longing only for Him and for His touch. Brokenness produces humility, which frees a believer from the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—all of which hinder the awareness and experience of God’s active presence in a believer’s life. God knows the moment when the soul is so depleted of all false, fleshly, and demonic loves that He is able to pour Himself utterly into the cavity of the believer’s heart, enabling the believer’s emotions and neurons to experience a pure and fulfilling mergence with the fullness of Love Himself.

Origen of Alexandria, one of the earliest Church fathers, perceived this passionate romance in the Song of Solomon. He wrote in his commentary, “It seems to me that this little book is…a marriage-song, which Solomon wrote in the form of a drama and sang under the figure of the bride, about to wed and burning with heavenly love toward her Bridegroom, who is the Word of God. And deeply indeed did she love him, whether we take her as the soul made in his image, or as the church…who has been joined to him.”

Indeed, the Bible is replete with analogies of Christ and His people being presented as Husband and Wife. The prophet Hosea utilized mystical language when he presented Yahweh’s passionate appeal to His people: “Therefore, behold, I will allure her, will bring her into the wilderness, and speak comfort to her…. And it shall be, in that day, says the Lord, That you will call Me ‘My Husband’ and no longer call Me ‘My Master’. I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness and you shall know the Lord” (Hosea 2:14,16,20).

For the New Testament believer, spiritual transference into the Kingdom of God occurs at the moment of salvation: accepting Jesus Christ as personal Lord and Savior (Romans 10:9-10). At that moment, this person receives the Spirit of adoption, through whom we cry out, “Abba, Daddy!” (Romans 8: 15). We become members of the Church, Christ’s bride (Revelation 21:7-8); yet Christ’s love is not limited to the whole. Instead, divine union occurs as a subjective experience within an individual because the Lord passionately pursues and bestows His loving grace upon each individual member (I Corinthians 12:27).

As a Christian struggles to overcome sins of the flesh and of the mind as well as demonic temptations, the covenant of spiritual marriage to God is much like the legal document signed by husband and wife. The covenant is solid and binding, declaring a legal truth: the two are a couple. Yet, as with every human marriage, acting as one takes time. Every decision made for the good of the other person, with a conscious awareness and desire to act in accordance with the spouse’s will, deepens the feelings of intimacy. Such degrees of intimacy also exist in a believer’s relationship with God.

Unfortunately, since encountering the Risen Lord is a subjective experience within an individual’s heart, some Christians believe the only way to be free of spiritual deception is to reject all mystical experiences. They believe spiritual unity occurs in heaven, apart from feelings, through a believer’s adherence to fundamental doctrine and Biblical morality. However, late Christian counselor Brent Curtis points out in his book The Sacred Romance, “Above all else, the Christian life is a love affair of the heart. It cannot be lived primarily as a set of principles or ethics. It cannot be managed with steps and programs. It cannot be lived exclusively as a moral code leading to righteousness.” Many Christians in both Protestant and Catholic traditions testify that God can be experienced through the senses and that He desires to reveal Himself in this way.

Bernard McGinn, professor emeritus at the Divinity School of the University of Chicago, explains the lifeblood of mystics throughout Church history: “The mystic wants to penetrate to the living source of the biblical message, that is, to the Divine Word who speaks in and through human words and texts.”  Evelyn Underhill, a contemporary Christian mystic, summarizes the muscle tone of a mystic’s heart this way: “The Christian mystic therefore is one for whom God and Christ are not merely objects of belief, but living facts experimentally known first hand; and mysticism for him becomes, in so far as he responds to its demands, a life based on this conscious communion with God.”

TobyMac, a popular Christian pop/hip-hop singer, expresses divine union with beautiful clarity in his song Captured. Speaking of Jesus, he says, “Like blood in my veins, You’re my sustenance. The moment of trust, the ‘me’ becomes ‘us’, the ‘we’ become ‘one’. Your gift is my gust of wind ‘til we meet again. All I want to do is get into You. You’ve got me captured by Your love. All I wanna do is stay here with You. You’ve got me raptured. Can’t get enough!” Yes, Jesus is real, present, and powerful, and He disregards man-made religious boundaries. He is Himself, the Word of God made flesh, and He is above all human pride, fear, and prejudice. For a mystic, spiritual connection with Christ means that the unseen indwelling of the Holy Spirit develops into a deeply felt, conscious awareness of Christ’s interior and exterior presence.

Melted Sugar

Okay, time for some fun. I’m calling this entry “Cooking 101 with Jesus.”

Yesterday, the Lord gave me a picture of His kitchen. He had two pots on the stove. One held butter, the other sugar. We were making No-Bake Cookies. Yum!!! He brought the flame under the sugar pot to a steady flicker. (We’re dealing with the gas stove of the Holy Spirit here; ie, Romans 12:11, II Timothy 1:6.) J

The butter the Lord said represented the respect we give one another as fellow believers. Our respect for the work of the Holy Spirit melts our hearts and keeps us soft and sensitive, responding to His grace and power at work in our lives through the ministry of the Church.

The sugar He said represented His love, the extravagant sweetness He places in our lives that make our cookies (the deeds we do for His Kingdom) so scrumptious!

To my curiosity, the burner under the pot of butter began to act up. The flame shot high, burning too fast, then too low, leaving the butter cold. The Holy Spirit said, “Place the butter with the sugar, so they are in one pot.” Respect and love work best when melted together. A good illustration of this is the reciprocation between spouses (Ephesians 5:21-33). Another is submission within a body of believers, where we respect one another’s free will and individual choices yet remain united through the love of the Spirit poured into our hearts (Romans 15:1-2; Philippians 2:1-2).

Then Jesus did something that shocked me. After I combined the two ingredients in one pot, He took the five-pound bag of sugar on the counter and dumped the whole thing into the pot. The sugar filled the pot and overflowed, making a mess all over the stove and floor. I stared. Was it an accident?

Jesus smiled. “My love is extravagant.”

I studied the mess and decided that if Jesus had that much love to give, I needed to get a bigger pot. So I switched the pot for a big kettle, but Jesus just can’t be outdone. He walked in with a twenty-pound bag of sugar, hefted it onto His shoulder, and poured…and poured…and poured.

Laughter bubbled up. “Jesus, You win! No matter how big the pot I find, Your love overflows the brim.” I sat cross-legged in the mountains of sugar on the floor and gazed up with a smile brimful of delighted adoration. “So what am I supposed to do?”

He smiled. “Cook. And let the little children dip their fingers in the sugar that has overflowed the pot. My love cannot be restricted to boundaries. I give My Spirit without measure.” (Luke 6:38, John 3:34)

Eugene Peterson expresses it this way in the Message Bible: “Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn’t love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that.” (Ephesians 5:2)

Jesus isn’t interested in measuring cups or the human boundaries we set on loving people. He said, “Melt the sugar in the pot and get more butter. Make an even bigger batch.” What we do for others, we do for Him (Matthew 25:40). He desires the condition of our hearts and souls to be incredibly soft and pliable—more than pliable, liquid gold—for Him to pour out His love, and even our lives, in any fashion He desires (I Thessalonians 2:8, II Timothy 4:6).

Yet, even as melted butter and sugar are not easy for anyone to handle except the Lord—they’re too hot and drip all over the place—so the Lord adds our humanity to the mix of our melted hearts, allowing others to "handle" us in the interface of common, everyday life. Our humanity is like the oatmeal flakes added to the No-Bake Cookies recipe. Once the ingredients set up with the oatmeal, anyone can pick them up and “taste and see” the work and love of God in our lives—prayerfully and hopefully experiencing it in a fresh, mouth-watering way, exclaiming with delight, “The Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8)

PS. We often here of the "milk of human kindness" and people's personalities are sometimes referred to in terms of "chocolate" or "vanilla". It seems fitting that in this recipe of loving others that friendship and personality get melted into the mix!

Freedom

Jesus, Jesus,

There’s a playground built up in my mind

All the free rides a girl could want.

Except there’s chains attached and I feel the weight upon my soul.

The devil lies and says the price is paid

For every ride I take.

But a lifelong pass to self-indulgence,

shreds my joy and robs my faith--

stealing everything that's You.

It's sad to say the playground's here

When You've torn it down before.

The lures, the taunts, the whispered lies,

The counterfeit image waltzing like grace.

Addictions don’t stop with stronger resistance,

Not when the playground music’s still playing.

You come with a sledgehammer

to smash up those rides.

But it’s my mind and I get to choose.

Grace traded in for a license to sin.

Oh, God, did I do it again?

“You’re part of Me,” You say and swing that hammer high.

“My lovely bride; I want you pure and without blame.”

Oh, Jesus, I choose: I relinquish all hold

On masquerades that only poison the soul.

So shatter these thoughts, the proud imaginations of my heart.

Replace with good the ugliness, and take me in Your arms again.

"So since we’re out from under the old tyranny [of the law], does that mean we can live any old way we want? Since we’re free in the freedom of God, can we do anything that comes to mind? Hardly. You know well enough from your own experience that there are some acts of so-called freedom that destroy freedom. Offer yourselves to sin, for instance, and it’s your last free act. But offer yourselves to the ways of God and the freedom never quits."  Romans 6:15-17, The Message Bible (brackets mine)

Paid in Full

Paid in Full.

Jesus stamped these words on our past: on every mistake, every sin, every riotous thought that hasn’t honored Him. He stamped the words, inked with blood-red stain, on every wrong conception and misperception we have about Him, ourselves, each other, and this world.  It’s not just that He cancelled our debt from back then, but that He continues to pay the debts we incur every time those misperceptions hurt us or wound others.

It’s like going to a doctor for wounds inflicted by jealousy, fear, anger, or even unintentional prejudice—just to name a few of the ways a soul gets wounded. The Doctor removes the bandages that friends carefully applied, anoints the injuries with healing oil, and prescribes antibiotics for infection. Then at the clerk’s counter, the bill gets totaled. XXX amount for the doctor’s expertise; XXX for the medical supplies. Responsible, we write a check to pay the bill even as our hearts pinch with our pocketbooks because the check represents more than money. Each check means trying to do better next time, keeping more rules and all their fine print, and walking on egg-shells to keep from offense. It’s all the stuff Paul tells us in Galatians that the Law demands for right-standing with God. Such a high price for basic health care. But we need soul-provision, and the Holy Spirit is the only soul-physician around.

Then as the weight of our future failures fall heavily upon us, stooping our shoulders and bowing our heads, in walks the CEO of the medical center, the top Executive who pays the salaries of all the people on hHs staff and who owns the building with all its specialized equipment.  But He’s more than the CEO: He’s the Man we’re dating; the Man absolutely in love with every single one of us.

He takes the check we wrote—the payment that comes from bruised pieces of our hearts—tears it into tiny pieces and smiles at the clerk. “I’m covering this account. Every expense accrued on it in the past and from this day forward is paid in full. By Me.”

And it’s just that simple.

We need the Great Physician’s loving care, the generous oil of the Holy Spirit provided through the ministry of His church, and the merciful grace of family and friends. We’ll need these gifts every day of our lives, and we’ll need to give them out as lavishly as we’ve received them. The cost is more than we can ever afford to pay, but our heavenly account already holds our Bridegroom’s sprawling signature with the beautiful words, our guarantee: Paid in Full—For All Eternity.

Paul, former pharisee and appointed apostle, says it this way: "I tried keeping rules and working my head off to please God, and it didn't work. So I quit being a 'law man' so that I could be God's man. Christ's life showed me how and enabled me to do it." (Galations 2:19, The Message Bible)

And just in case we still don't get it, Paul presses home the point: "The obvious impossibility of carrying out such a moral program [of rule-keeping] should make it plain that no one can sustain a relationship with God that way. The person who lives in right relationship with God does it by embracing what God arranges for him." (Galations 3:11, The Message Bible; brackets mine)

And by the way, the CEO, the One we’re courting, He has alot of titles, alot of names. Most of us known Him best as Jesus.