SEEING, UNDERSTANDING AND APPREHENDING OUR INHERITANCE
Kay Keith Peebles 6/11/2021 21.22
The Apostle Paul has always been fascinating to me. He was not one of the original 12 disciples Jesus called to follow Him. Paul was a Pharisee; he was also the son of a Pharisee. See Acts 23:6. The Pharisees were the largest sect in Judaism. The term Pharisee is defined as “the Separated Ones”. (Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary). They were believed to be set apart by one of three functions: separated from the people, separated to the study of the Law, or separated from all pagan practices. They were monotheistic and fully believed in the inherency of the Law, Torah, the Prophets and writings of the Old Testament. They affirmed both the written and oral Law of God. Although they interpreted the Law of God more liberally than other sects, their main concern was for the proper keeping of the Sabbath, the giving of the tithe and following all purification rituals.
Paul was very self-confident in his faith, stature and zeal for God until he met the risen Jesus on the road to Damascus! In Philippians Chapter 3:3, Paul encouraged the church in Philippi to disregard any status they achieved by the flesh. His lineage and history of service to God was impeccable. His zeal for God caused him to not only persecute, but also kill the believers in Jesus because he thought they were leading the Jewish people astray. However, his Damascus encounter changed him completely. He renounced all pride and trust in who he had been before his encounter with Jesus. He considered his previous accomplishments as dung in comparison with his newfound knowledge of the risen Lord Jesus.
Paul continued in verses 4-7, “Though for myself I have [at least grounds] to rely on the flesh. If any other man considers that he has or seems to have reason to rely on the flesh and his physical and outward advantages, I have still more! Circumcised when I was eight days old, of the race of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew [and the son] of Hebrews; as to the observance of the Law I was of [the part of] the Pharisees, as to my zeal, I was a persecutor of the church, and by the Law’s standard of righteousness (supposed justice, uprightness, and right standing with God) I was proven to be blameless and no fault was found with me.”
After disqualifying himself on his own personal merits, Paul expounds upon his very heart’s cry for the Ephesian church (Ekklesia, believers in Christ) in verse 10. “[For my determined purpose is] that I may know Him [that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His Person more strongly and more clearly], and that I may in that same way come to know the power overflowing from His resurrection [which it exerts over believers], and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed [in spirit into His likeness even] to His death, [in hope] that if possible I may attain to the [spiritual and moral] resurrection that lifts me] out from among the dead [even while in the body].”
Paul encountered something on the Damascus road that much of the western church (believers), have not encountered. That is to resolve ourselves to be conformed to Jesus’ death and sufferings for the sake of truly knowing the depths of who He is! In Muslim countries, those who convert to faith in Jesus Christ know by doing so they will become a target for extreme persecution and possible martyrdom. It is the same for those in China and India, and yet they continue to be converted! They not only convert, they spread the Gospel by telling others about Jesus.
The western church has been missing a key element in regard to our Christian faith. We have demanded the “blessings” of God, but we have neglected the call to be willing to suffer for Christ and if need be, die for Him. Very few have enough scripture knowledge to even lead someone to the Lord or explain why they believe in Jesus. Others have never “heard” the voice of God or been directed by Him in their daily walk. There are many who have not been “empowered” by the Holy Spirit to not only live righteously but be transformed through the renewal of the mind. Thank God, revival is on the way! For those who will cry out to the Lord, He will come and revive them, renew their strength and get them in the place where they can be taught, equipped, empowered and sent forth to make disciples!
Paul’s prayers for the Ephesian church should be our heart’s cry for today. “May He (Heavenly Father) grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, that you may be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; [that you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]!…” Ephesians 3:16-21.
May I speak plainly? We do not know Him, or the power that He has given us to overthrow the kingdom of darkness! We have been confused, manipulated, fooled and broken down by the enemy, but that is not who God called us to be! He said we are to be so filled and flooded with His Holy Spirit that wherever we go, no matter how dark, the light of Christ would shine brightly through us causing the darkness to flee. When we become so surrendered to God that all the idols in our heart have been pulled down, wherever we go the entire atmosphere around us must change! We have authority over the enemy. It’s time to execute it.
So, who are we supposed to be and what are we expected to do? Paul clearly laid the path out in his writings, but Ephesians 3:10-11 capsulated it beautifully. [The purpose is] that through the church (Ekklesia, a called out congregation of believers) the complicated, many-sided wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might now be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers) in the heavenly sphere. This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in [the person of] Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Instead of complaining about the “darkness” we are to render it helpless, ineffective, and unable to do its lawless deeds through decreeing, binding and loosing. As we bring others to Christ Jesus, we are to “plunder hell as we populate heaven” (Reinhardt Bohnke)! We are no longer a part of the problem but we become a part of the solution. We’re no longer running amuck in fear and panic; instead we’re using our God-given authority to cause the darkness to flee 7 ways! Deuteronomy 28:7. We’re no longer blaming God for what’s wrong, wringing our hands in doubt and unbelief; we’re commanding the mountains to MOVE out of our way!
Jesus ascended into heaven having obtained all authority in heaven and on earth by His sinless life, death and resurrection. He said He would send us the Holy Spirit who would lead us into all truth. John 16:13. He would empower us to do the same works He did and more. John 14:12. We have no excuse! It’s not the devil. It’s not God. The problem is a wimpy, compromised, uncommitted church sitting back and watching the world disintegrate!
If we do not confess our sin, repent, and turn from our wicked ways of self-focus (idolatry), He will not hear our cries or heal our land. If we do confess and repent while turning from our wicked ways, He will use our voice, our prayers, our hands and our feet to heal our land!
For those who are hungry for more of God, He’s watching you. For those who are dissatisfied with the status quo, He’s listening to your cries. For those who want His Presence more than life, He’s ready to open the heavens above you. For those who will not settle for mediocrity, He will lead you to the wells that run deep and the waters of life that flow freely. You will be satisfied!
The treasures He has for His church are not for the apathetic, compromised or half-hearted. He is looking for the revolutionaries who refuse to give the enemy any more ground and are determined to take back everything he has stolen from them and others. God is looking for those who will do more than study Bible history; He’s looking for those who want to make Bible history! The Book of Acts is still being written. The question is, would we be mentioned in the book of our generation? If so, we will be the ones who See, Understand and Apprehend our Inheritance in God!
