Safe...

A life is not safe in itself unless it is surrendered to God. Neither are the things which He permits or brings to us, unless they first go through His hands. That is why He calls us so many times to surrender certain things to Him, and we have a terrific time, as we say, dying our death and surrendering the things to God. That is necessary, but it isn't because He wants them. They can't enrich Him; they can't make Him more God because of it. The enrichment comes back as a reflex in us, because we have surrendered them. That which is most choice must be surrendered to Him to its death so that it can come back again safe and sound in its resurrection --in time, when we are ready. He only wants them in His hands: the cleansing medium. We bring the quivering sacrifice which is torn from our hearts, and we think we will die because of it, and we put it with trembling hands into the hands of God. He says, "Thank you.'' Now that kiss of God upon the sacrifice takes the danger element out of it, and when He gives it back it is safe. Sometimes, though, He keeps it.

So if He sees it is wholesome for us to have it, He cancels the danger point by bringing us to a place of surrender where we can allow it to go to its death. Then He says, "Thank you, I don't want it, really, you can have it." Unless it goes through His hands first, it is still a dangerous element for us to have. Paul, in order to actually maintain what God desired in his pattern, had to SUFFER the loss to make it good. "If there be first a "willing spirit" over a situation, IT {that willing spirit) is accepted as though the whole deed were done. To one He says, "You are not safe with it; it is not good for you; you give that to Me:' To another He says, "I can trust you with it. I have not come to rob; I have come to give LIFE -- and that more abundantly."

impressions...

Hast thou no wounds or scars…yet as the master shall the servant be…

wounded are the feet that follow me ….but thine are whole….

can he who would have followed far have neither wound nor scare…

God has called us aside to talk to us…talking to us, dealing with us….

Lord please don’t stop dealing with me….don't leave me where I am now

…because I see so much that there is in God for us…..Oh that the spirit of

wisdom and revelation of the things of God will rest upon us and work

within us…to know Him in the power of His resurrection. Yes that is what

brings us into His kingdom…but to go on with Him we have to know Him

in the fellowship of His suffering….partake of that Living bread that came

down from heaven…"follow me and I'll make you…….." all that God has

for us is available through the cross…It’s the end of us and the beginning

of Him. May we pay the price and remain before Him until the anointing

rests upon us Spirit, Soul and Body…

Communion

Some receive  in a ritualistic manner, by partaking of a symbol, or emblem of the Lord’s body and blood.  There is no life in a symbol or emblem and these receive only a religious or sentimental satisfaction.

Others recognize that they are partaking of the very life of the Lord, and as they partake, they are receiving His literal body and blood being imparted into them.

There should be a time of preparation so we can effectively partake of “communion.”  We must be lifted into the presence of the Lord in order for His life to flow into our lives.  Just as it is not possible for us to “wait on the Lord in His presence” until we have passed from the natural realm into the spiritual, it is not possible for us to “receive” the literal body and blood of Jesus, until we exchange realms.

The word “communion” has to do with communication – Jesus speaks and we listen, then we speak and He listens.  Thus, when we enter into “communion” with Jesus and become “one” with Him, as being a “branch” that is properly attached to the “vine,” we are able to partake of His life.

There are foundational principles that are established in the Word of God, which apply to our partaking of communion.

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus... For the law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.”  Romans 8:1-2

This “condemnation” is the judgment (death) that was imparted to Adam for his transgression.  This judgment of death has been handed down to each of us.  Through our identification with the shed blood of Jesus on the cross, we are set free from the “law of sin.”  Through our identification with the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, we are set free from the “law of death.”

We become a partaker of the “law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus” through our identification with Jesus as being a quickening, life-giving Spirit.

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam (Jesus) was made a quickening (life-giving) spirit.”  I Corinthians 15:45

This includes healing, divine health, and longevity of life.  Those who receive this gift of “life” from Jesus will stand out from all others in the quality of their health, and the length of their life span.

Jesus fed the multitude with five loaves and two fishes.  Later, when they again became hungry, they returned to ask for more.  Jesus told them that He had something better for them, and said:

“…Except you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His blood, you have no life in you… Your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eats of this bread shall live forever.”  John 6:53, 58

Jesus offered them a higher life in which they would not die.  The condition being that they eat, not a second serving of loaves and fishes, but rather, His very flesh and blood.  This word concerning our “living forever” primarily applies to our eternal life in heaven, but there is a present application of this that can affect us in our present life.  Jesus said:

“I am the true vine… Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can you, except you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches: He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing.”  John 15:1-5

Jesus said that He is the “vine” (Tree of Life), and that we, as being a branch, only have life as we partake of His life.  Through Adam’s transgression, we were removed from our connection to the Tree of Life, and became attached to the tree of knowledge.

The Lord slew an animal and covered Adam and Eve with its skin, which through the shedding of blood, resulted in forgiveness.  Adam and Eve were forgiven, but they still had within them that which they ate from the tree of knowledge, the right to choose for themselves - they lost their abiding state of dependence on the Lord and could no longer partake of the Tree of Life.

Therefore, each one of us was born attached to the tree of knowledge.  Through the total victory that Jesus gained in our behalf on the cross, we can detach ourselves from the tree of knowledge and re-attach ourselves to the Tree of Life.  Then as we “partake of communion,” we receive the very life of Jesus flowing directly into us.

If we partake of communion as being a symbol or emblem, we are partaking of a dead religious form.  Jesus is no longer dead, but He was resurrected from death and has ascended to the throne to be seated on the right hand of His Father.

Thus, the bread is living bread turned into His living body.  The cup, the fruit of the vine, turned into His blood, is His living blood.  As we partake, His life is being imparted into us, so He can live His life through us.

If a strip of bark is totally cut around a tree and removed, the process of death will begin.  The tree can no longer receive the life that is drawn up from the root system, and will soon die.  So also, the life of the “Vine” (Jesus) is to flow into us, as being a “branch” that is attached to the “Vine.”  For this to take place, the branch (us) must be properly connected to the vine.  Only then can the life of Jesus, as being the “power of an endless life,” flow into us.

Therefore, each morning when I arise, one of the first things I do is as follows:

“Lord, I thank you for a good night’s rest.  Lord, through Adams transgression, I was born attached to the tree of knowledge.  But through your redemption in my behalf, I release myself from being attached to the tree of knowledge, and as being a branch, I humbly come to the true vine, and I reattach myself to the Tree of Life, so your life can flow into my life, as I partake of your living body, and your living blood.”

Eating food to sustain our natural body is a necessity and, we eat several times each day.  Also, our “partaking” of the life of Jesus is not an option.  This partaking of the living “body” and “blood” of Jesus should take place more often than the Church practice of partaking of communion on the first Sunday of each month.  Rather, we should partake daily, or we will suffer loss, both spiritually and naturally.

“And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.”  Genesis 3:22

I once thought that Adam had eternal existence built within him at the time of his creation, and that he would have lived forever if he had not transgressed.  However, Adam had been formed from “dust,” which speaks of a created dependency.  It is impossible to form anything from dust.  It takes “moisture,” the very life of our Lord Jesus Christ - that which flows from the Vine into the “dust” that we are, in order for us to have form, shape, and purpose.

“…Lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22).  Adam came regularly and partook, and as a result, he continued to live, but when he transgressed, he was hindered from partaking of the Tree of Life (taking communion), and he began to die.  When we take communion, we “put forth our hand and we take and eat.”  Suddenly, I saw what was being said:

Had Adam been able to continue to eat of the Tree of Life, he would have continued to live, but the judgment for transgression was death.  All that the Lord needed to do to fulfill this judgment was to prevent Adam from taking communion (putting forth his hand... taking... eating, and living).  Therefore, the Lord placed an angel with a flaming sword before the Tree of Life, to prevent Adam from partaking.

On the day of Pentecost, this “flaming sword” was removed from being a hindrance, and became a means of access.  This flaming sword descended and sat upon the head of each of the one-hundred-twenty who were present, and they were filled with the Holy Spirit.  The veil had been rent, and a way of access made for us to enter the Lord’s presence.

“…To him that overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God.”  Revelation 2:7

As we partake of “communion,” the way of entrance to the Tree of Life is opened to us, and we can partake of the very life of Jesus, as He is the Tree of Life.

When the multitude, who came to see miracles, became hungry, Jesus multiplied five loaves and two fishes, and they were fed to the full (John 6:1-26).  Later, they came back for more, and when Jesus told them that they were to eat His flesh and drink His blood, they ridiculed Him and left.  At that time, Jesus could not explain how to partake of His flesh and drink His blood, as it was not yet time for Him to die upon the cross for our sin, and then in resurrection, become to us quickening life-giving spirit.

When the time of Jesus’ ministry was completed, during the evening before He was to give His life on the cross, He was able to explain how we are to eat His flesh and drink His blood.

“…the Lord Jesus... took bread: and when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do you, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  I Corinthians 11:23-25

Notice that Jesus said, “This bread is My body; and, this cup is My blood.”  He did not say, “This is an emblem, or a symbol of My body and of My blood.”  Jesus then said that He would not partake again with us until we partook together with Him, in the Kingdom.

“For I say to you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”  Luke 22:16

The Word says, “Unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).  When we partake of communion, we see bread, but Jesus said, “This is My body.”  As we partake of the cup, we see the fruit of the vine, but Jesus said, “This is My blood.”  Having the mind of a child, we are to simply believe what Jesus said - not what we see.

Some teach that the “bread,” and the “fruit of the vine,” must first be transformed into the body and the blood of Jesus, and a priest seeks to do this for the believer.  Others say that we can do this for ourselves, without the priest.

Rather, we are to believe what Jesus said, and partake of the bread and the fruit of the vine in faith, believing that we are partaking of the literal body and blood of Jesus.  The necessary change is in “us,” not in the bread and the fruit of the vine.

“And when He had given thanks, He broke it, and said, Take, eat: this is My body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of Me. After the same manner also He took the cup, when He had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in My blood: this do you, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”  I Corinthians 11:24-25

“… This do you, as often as you drink it….”   This word “often” clearly says we can personally partake of communion as often as we desire.  We are totally free to partake anytime.  We are not limited to communion being served in a church service.

Jesus said that we are to partake “in remembrance of Me.”  Rather than referring to our remembering His death on the cross, He is directing our thoughts back to the time when he told the multitude that they were to “eat His flesh and drink His blood.”

“From that time many of His disciples went back, and walked no more with Him. Then said Jesus to the twelve, Will you also go away?”  John 6:66-67

At that time, Jesus could not explain how to partake, but now, He could.  With this understanding, when we believe what Jesus said, with child-like faith, we are literally partaking of His body and blood.  As we partake, we must make a decision - “Lord, I look and I see bread and the fruit of the vine, but I choose to believe, not what I see, but what you said” (this is My body, and My blood).

“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening (living, life-giving) spirit.”  I Corinthians 15:45

In His ascension, Jesus became available to us as a life-giving Spirit, as He is the Tree of Life.

“Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.”  Hebrews 7:16

Thus, when we partake of communion, we are eating and drinking the very life of the One who is able to impart life.

“For He shall grow up before Him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground….”  Isaiah 53:2

Jesus is a “root” (the Tree of Life) out of a dry ground.  Therefore, it can be said that He is the Tree of Life in mystical form, recognizable only to those who have spiritual eyes.

“But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eats and drinks unworthily, eats and drinks damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.”  I Corinthians 11:28-30

Communion is the “mystical form” of the Tree of Life, hidden from the spiritually blind.  Jesus said that if we partake unworthily (without understanding that He Himself is the Tree of Life), we are merely partaking of the process of death, receiving bread and the fruit of the vine - another good meal and we are that much closer to death.

But, if we partake with spiritual understanding, knowing what we are doing, we will no longer be weak, sickly, and dying prematurely.  Rather, as we rightly partake of communion, we are receiving “quickening life-giving spirit,” and we will be living.

“For as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you do show the Lord’s death till He come.”  I Corinthians 11:26

“For as often as you eat….”  This tells us that we can personally, privately partake of communion, whenever we choose to do so.  Our “showing” the Lord’s death means that we are demonstrating the value of it.   If we die the same as other people, we are not demonstrating anything.  When we partake of life, we are receiving the life that Jesus came to offer - “Life more abundantly.”

Paul tells us that we have been set free from the “law of sin and death.”  As we identify with Jesus in His death on the cross, and then partake of the bread (His body), we receive healing and we are released from the process of death.

We then identify with Jesus in His resurrection and ascension.  As He ascended, He became “quickening spirit.”   In this identification, we receive the life of Jesus as the life of the vine flowing into us as being a branch.  Then, His life can be lived within us.

Thus, we are partaking “worthily.”

The “Tree of Life” relates to life or death.  The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” relates to that which is good or bad, or, right or wrong.  In our daily life experiences we often make decisions, or choices that relate to right or wrong, and comment about it being either good or bad.  As we do this, we again become attached to the tree of knowledge.

Therefore, as I prepare for communion, the first thing I do is to release myself from this attachment to the Tree of Knowledge.  I then reattach myself to the Tree of Life and speak to the Lord words that include the following:

“Lord, I release the totality of my being from the Tree of Knowledge, and through your redemption in my behalf, I humbly come to you and reattach myself to the Tree of Life, as being a branch that can live, only as I receive the life of the true vine, flowing into my life.

Lord, you took bread and blessed it as being your body.  Lord, I sanctify this bread that I am holding in my hand, to be what you said it is, your body.  As I partake, I receive your living body being imparted into the totality of my being, that you might live your life within my life.

Lord, you then took the cup and blessed it as being your blood.  Lord, I sanctify this cup, the fruit of the vine, that I am holding in my hand, to be what you said it is, your living blood.  And as I partake, I receive your living blood, the power of an endless life, so you body can actively live within my life.

Lord, in identification with you as being the Tree of Life, I release the totality of my being from the power of death, and I receive healing and longevity of life, that you might live your life through my life.”

Just as Adam, we must come often to the “Tree of Life” in order to continue to live, or we will progressively die.  Therefore, when we, in faith, partake of communion as being the “Tree of Life,” we will live the fullness of the time that has been given to us.

Those whom the Lord is calling to become “remaining ones” are discovering the connection between communion and the Tree of Life as a principle that is being revealed at the present time.  Paul said, “…We who are alive and remain at the coming of the Lord...” (I Thessalonians 4:15).

Jesus, on the 8th day of His life, was taken into the temple to be dedicated.  Two people were there, Anna and Simeon.  Anna was old, but Simeon had a “word” that he would not see death until he saw the anointed of the Lord.  Anna was “alive,” but Simeon was “remaining.”  Thus, two classes of people were present.

Paul said that in the time of the return of our Lord, these two classes would be present; those who are “alive” through the normal course of life, and those who are “remaining” - whose lives have been extended because they have learned the principle of communion.

These are looking beyond liturgical religious forms, into spiritual reality and are partaking in faith, knowing that they are eating the very flesh, and drinking the very blood of Jesus, who is the Tree of Life.

Communion can be taken as often as we desire.  The word clearly confirms this - “as often as you eat this bread, and drink this cup, you show the Lord’s death (demonstrate the value, by receiving life), till He come.” (I Corinthians 11:26).

If we realize that we are partaking of healing and life, we will do so, often.

Is there anything God is asking of you...

"Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have
from God? and ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in
your body" (1 Cor. 6:19,20).

A day must come in our lives, as definite as the day of our conversion, when we give up all right 
to ourselves and submit to the absolute Lordship of Jesus Christ. There may be a practical issue 
raised by God to test the reality of our consecration, but whether that be so or not, there must be 
a day when, without reservation, we surrender everything to Him -- ourselves, our families, our
possessions, our business and our time. All we are and have becomes His, to be held
henceforth entirely at His disposal. From that day we are no longer our own masters, but
only stewards. Not until the Lordship of Jesus Christ is a settled thing in our hearts can the
Spirit really operate effectively in us. He cannot direct our lives effectually until all control of
them is committed to Him. If we do not give Him absolute authority in our lives, He can be
present, but He cannot be powerful. The power of the Spirit is stayed.
Are you living for the Lord or for yourself? Perhaps that is too general a question, so let
me be more specific.  Is there anything God is asking of you that you are withholding from Him?
Is there any point of contention  between you and Him Not till every controversy is settled and the 
Holy Spirit is given full sway can He reproduce the life of Christ in the heart of any believer.

Spirit or Flesh??...

The kingdom of this world is not the kingdom of God. God had in His heart a world system
- a universe of His creating -- which should be headed up in Christ His Son (col.
1:16,17). But Satan, working through man's flesh, has set up instead a rival system known in
Scripture as "this world" -- a system in which we are involved and which he himself
dominates. He has in fact become "the prince of this world" (John 12:31).
Thus, in Satan's hands, the first creation has become the old creation, and God's primary
concern is now no longer with that but with a second and new creation. He is bringing in a
new creation, a new kingdom and a new world, and nothing of the old creation, the old
kingdom or the old world can be transferred to the new. It is a question now of these two rival
realms, and of which realm we belong to.
The apostle Paul, of course, leaves us in no doubt as to which of these two realms is now
in fact ours. He tells us that God, in redemption, "delivered us out of the power of darkness,
and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love" (Col. 1:12,13).
But in order to bring us into His new kingdom, God must do something new in us. He
must make of us new creatures. Unless we are created anew we can never fit into the new
realm. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh"; and, "flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption" (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:50).
However educated, however cultured, however improved it be, flesh is still flesh. Our fitness
for the new kingdom is determined by the creation to which we belong. Do we belong to the
old creation or the new? Are we born of the flesh or of the Spirit? Our ultimate suitability for
the new realm hinges on the question of origin. The question is not `good' or bad?' but `flesh
or Spirit?' "That which is born of the flesh is flesh", and it will never be anything else. That
which is of the old creation can never pass over into the new.

A Present Word...

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.
“His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written, that no man
knew, but he himself.
“And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.
“And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.
“And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with
a rod of iron: and he treadeth the wine press of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.
“And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.” 
(Revelations 19:11-16)

In this day of fear and anxiety, and distress among nations, how assuring to look into the scriptures and catch
a glimpse of God’s war plans, and to know that the Commander-in-Chief of the armies of Heaven is about to
break forth on the scene of human depravity and futility, riding upon a white horse of righteousness and power,
and leading His armies to battle and to total victory!
How assuring to know in this hour, when men’s hearts are failing them for fear, and kings and rulers and
presidents of nations are frustrated in their attempt to solve the nuclear arms crisis, and to lay a foundation for
peace... to know that there is One who has conquered, and who by God’s decree sits even now at God’s right
hand of power and authority, ruling and reigning “in the midst of His enemies”...but who simply awaits God’s
time-schedule, and the signal from the throne of the eternal Jehovah-God, to charge forth into battle against
the Enemy, and put an end to the reign of evil.
And to know also that we, if we are accounted to be ‘faithful and true’ shall be a part of that army that will follow
the Son of God as He goes forth to battle in the great Day of God Almighty. These are the people who not only
profess to have FAITH and TRUTH; but faithfulness and truthfulness have been wrought into their very being,
as they have learned obedience by the things they have suffered, and have followed the Lord in all His ways.

This Body Pt 2...

Picture, if you will, a group of people spread out across the world, sold out to Jesus, crying and travailing 
before God for the desperate need of the world. Suddenly, He appears! Not to everyone, but to those 
who are looking for Him. And He appears unto full salvation! Not to run away with us to hide from the 
battle in the day of the Lord, but to anoint us and fill us with His glory and power and the fullness of His Spirit! 
And the act of His appearance this group of people are made one body, separated by many miles in the flesh, 
but joined to One Head, and operating under the same divine command.

This Body...

This body of people, though made up of a multitude of saints throughout the world
and throughout the ages, yet is seen in the Bible as one Body, spoken of as God's Perfect Man, and the
Overcomer. How this Body comes into existence and what happens to it can be
learned by studying the Pattern, the Lord Jesus Christ. And although there will be unnumbered multitudes of
people saved by the Grace of God through the precious blood of Jesus, and we do thank God for these dear
ones, yet the real purposes of God are tied up in that group of saints who press their way to the mark for the
prize of the High calling of God in Christ Jesus. They are the Hundred-fold of the Harvest, the Principal Wheat,
the Precious fruit of the earth, brought forth by the latter rain. These are virgins who follow the Lamb
withersoever He goeth, who are not defiled with women (harlot churches under man's headship). These are
His Witnesses in the earth whom He has anointed by the Spirit without measure. They are the ones who put
Satan under their feet, and gain back the inheritance lost by Adam, and much more beyond that. They are part
of the Bride of Christ, the Holy City, New Jerusalem, but they are more than just part of the City which is known
as the Temple of the Living God, filled with the glory and presence of God. To be continued.....