The Ascended Life Is
His Life
Reaching forth unto
those things which are before...." This "one thing" has two
aspects. We cannot "cleave" (cling to, stick to, adhere) to our
destiny until we "leave" behind (forsake, depart from) our past. We
cannot embrace this "new thing" (Isa. 43:19) until we forsake our old
paradigms and mind¬ sets. Moses, the old order, is "dead" (Josh.
1:2). It is time for the Joshua generation to arise, cross Jordan, and possess
the land!
DEFINITION OF THE
HIGH CALLING
The Apocalyptic Message of the Book of Joel,
gives clear definition to this "high calling."
This corporate
Overcomer and partaker of the "heavenly calling" (Heb. 3:1) is revealed throughout the Bible.
The people of Zion
are pictured by these notable Scripture examples:
1. The Joseph Company or Benjamin Company
(Genesis 37-50).
2. The Moses-Aaron (King-Priest) Ministry
(Exodus 6-12).
3. David's Mighty Men (2 Samuel23; 1 Chronicles
20).
4. The Elijah Ministry (2 Kings 2).
5. The Shulamite (Song of Solomon 6:8-9).
6. The Saints of the Most High (Daniel
7:18-27).
7. Joel's Army (Joel2:1-ll).
8. The Hundred-fold Company (Matthew 13:23).
9. The Melchisedec Priesthood (Hebrews 5:1-8:
6).
10.
The Corporate Overcomer (Revelation 2-3; 21:7).
11.
The Man-child Company (Revelation 12:1-5).
12.
The 144,000, the First fruits Company (Revelation14:1-5).
THE ASCENDED LIFE
The way of life is above to the wise, that he may
depart from hell [death] beneath (Proverbs 15:24).
Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and
the life...John 14:6).
This high calling,
this way or manner of life in the heavens, is the ascended life.
The ascended life is
His life! The purpose for Jesus’ incarnation was that "they (we) might have life, and that they (we) might have it more
abundantly" (John 10:10). The ascended life, the abundant life,
began when we were "born again."
Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, no one
can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. Flesh
gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be
surprised at My saying, 'You must be born again'" John 3:5-7, NIV).
Compare John 3:3; 1Peter 1:23.
The term "born
again" is taken from two Greek words. "Born" is the word
gennao1 and it means, "to
procreate (properly, of the father, but by extension of the mother);
figuratively, to regenerate; to be born, be begotten. "Again" is the
word anothen and it means, "from
above; by analogy, from the first; by implication, anew; from a higher place; used
of things which come from heaven or God. “It is derived from ana (upward or on
the top, on high). Anothen is used in James 1:17 and James 3:17, the key texts
for Chapters Six and Seven of this writing.
Ano is translated as the "high" calling (Phil. 3:14). To be
"born again" is to be "born from above." Our ascended life
in Christ began when we accepted Him as our personal Savior and His blood
removed our sin! Who shall ascend into the hill
of the Lord? or who shall stand in His holy place? (Psalm 24:3). The
Hebrew word for "ascend" is aw-law
This primitive root
means, "to ascend, intransitively (be high) or actively (mount); to go up,
to climb; to spring up; to go up over, to rise; to exceed to be superior to; to
offer up." It suggests movement from a lower to a higher place. This is
the verb for the noun a-law' which is translated as the "burnt
offering" (explained fully in the next chapter).
Jesus saith unto her, Touch Me not; for I am not yet
ascended to My Father: but go to My brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto
My Father, and your Father; and to My God, and your God (John 20:17).
Wherefore He saith, When He [Jesus] ascended up on high,
He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that He
ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of
the earth? He that descended is the same al so that ascended up far above all
heavens, that He might fill all things.) (Ephesians 4:8-10).
Jesus is the One who
ascended and gave gifts unto men (Eph. 4:11). He ascended up "far
above" all principality, and power, and might, and dominion (Eph. 1:21)!
His is the highest Name (Phil. 2:9; Heb. 1:4)!
The Greek word
for "ascend" or "ascended" in these verses is anabaino. This compound of ana (up) and basis (to walk;
a pace, a base; the foot) means, "to go up; to rise, to mount, to be
borne up, to spring up." It is
translated in the King James Version as, "arise, ascend (up), climb (go,
grow, rise, spring) up, come (up)."
Thus, to "ascend" is to "walk
up" or "step up." The ascended life, His life, is a lifestyle
or way of life. Step forward so that you can step up! In the Book of Acts,
Christians were known as the people of the "way" (Acts 18:25-26;
24:14). That word means, "a road; a progress (the route, act, or
distance); figuratively, a mode or means; metaphorically, a course of conduct,
a way (that is, manner) of thinking, feeling, deciding." Again, the
ascended life is a way of life, a lifestyle.
There is a path which no fowl knoweth, and which the
vulture's eye hath not seen:
The lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce
lion passed by it (Job 28:7-8).
And a highway will be there; it will be
called the Way of Holiness. The unclean will not journey on it; it will be for
those who walk in that Way; wicked fools will not go about on it. No lion will
be there, nor will any ferocious beast get up on it; they will not be found
there. But only the redeemed will walk there (Isaiah 35:8-9, NIV).
Compare Isaiah 40:3; 62:10.
This way of life is
the "highway" (thoroughfare, turn pike, and staircase) of Isaiah's
writings. This raised way, this public road, is the highway of the upright
(Prov. 16:7). No lion (the devil, as in 1 Pet. 5:8), no lion’s whelps (demons),
knows or walks that path, that way. It is "far above” them (Eph. 1:21;
4:10)! Interestingly, the word for Jacob's "ladder" in Genesis
28:12, means, "staircase," and is taken from
the same root word as
"highway." This bottom of Jacob's ladder is this end of Heaven; at
the top, the other end of Heaven, is the throne of grace (Matt. 24:31).
Anabaino, the Greek
word for "ascend," is also translated in the English Bible as
"went up." Jesus, the Pattern
Son, often "went up into a mountain" (see Matt. 5:1; 14:23; 15:29;
Luke 9:28; John 6:3).
The ascended life,
His life, is the way of life in the heaven lies, and is "far
above"7 all else! We can live
"far above" the devil and demons, "far above” the circumstances
of life. The old preacher said, "This is so far above that the devil gets
a nose-bleed trying to find it!"
The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is
the hope of His calling, and what the riches of the glory of His inheritance in
the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of His power to us ward who
believe, according to the working of His mighty power, Which He wrought in
Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in
the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in
that which is to come: And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to
be the head over all things to the church, Which is His body, the fullness of
Him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:18-23).
Can you begin to
fathom the weight of the world's sin that Jesus bore on Calvary's cross? Now
can you begin to imagine the dimension of power that it would take to raise all
of that from the dead? The Holy Ghost demonstrates this power, the power of
resurrection life. His is the power by which we are able to live the ascended
life!
The Ascended Life is
His Life
Know ye not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? Therefore we are buried with Him by baptism
into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the
Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been
planted together in the likeness of His death, we shall be also in the likeness
of His resurrection (Romans 6:3-5). Compare Galatians 2:20; 1Corinthians
15:16-23; Colossians 2:11-12.
When Jesus died, we
died with Him. When He was buried, we
were buried with Him.
When He arose, we
arose with Him. And when He ascended, we ascended with Him!
The ascended life is
His life!
For in Him we
Live, and move, and have our being ... (Acts 17:28).
For it is through union with Him... (Acts 17:28,
Goodspeed Bible).
We live and move in Him, can't get away from Him!
(Acts 17:28, The Message Bible).
For to me to live is Christ ...
(Philippians 1:21).
For to me living means Christ... (Philippians 1:21,
Williams).
Alive, I'm Christ's messenger... (Philippians 1:21,
The Message Bible).
For ye are dead,
and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life,
shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory (Colossians 3:3-4).
Your old life is dead. Your new life, which is your
real life- even though invisible to spectators- is with Christ in God. He is your life (Colossians 3:3-4, The
Message Bible).
When Christ
(your real life,) shows up again
on this earth, you'll show up, too-
the real you, the glorious you...
The Christian life
is living the life of another! We have died, and our life is hidden with Christ
in God. When the enemy comes knocking, we send Christ to the door!
The ascended life is
His life, the life of the One who has ascended up far above all else to fill
everything with Himself!
We are not speaking
in the mode of the previous order, striving to get the victory. We are not
putting this dominion into the future. The ascended life is the life of Him who
has already ascended! Jesus is the Ascended One. He that is joined to the Lord is "one
spirit" (1 Cor. 6:17). This is not something that we are trying to attain.
We are already seated with Him in heavenly places "far above" (Eph.
1:21; 2:6). The hard part isn’t getting “up there" or “back there” (in the
Most Holy Place). The hard part is
coming back down and coming back out!
...1 am come that they might have life, and that they
might have it more abundantly (John 10:10).
Moreover, the
ascended life is the life of His abundance. The
word "abundantly" here
means, "in the sense of beyond, superabundant (in quantity) or
superior (in quality); by implication, excessive; over and
above, more than is necessary, superadded; superior,
extraordinary, surpassing, uncommon
pre-eminence, superiority, advantage, more
eminent, more remarkable,
more excellent"- the high calling!
