Hi all,
I felt led to share some things I've been taught that had an impact on my life. Not necessarily in chronological order, though I will start with my teen years.
One of the first things I studied as a 16 year old was the ministry of Jesus.
I saw that wherever He went, He got the highest and best results He could have for any given situation. I wasn't looking at what He said or what He did, but more about the context in which He spoke or did, especially the people around Him. Sometimes He was very limited by the people. For instance, when His home town rejected Him, Mark 6:5-6 says:
"And He was not able to do any work of power there, except He laid hands on a few weak/sickly people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief, and went around their villages teaching."
As I was thinking on this fact, and how that same circumstance happens in our day, this is exactly how I thought it:"Even when limited by the unbelief of others, Jesus still was able to do 100% of what He could in the given situation. And the solution to unbelief is balanced, Spirit-led teaching and a willingness to accept change." The Father immediately broke into my thoughts saying:
"Jesus is 100% my Word, therefore He got 100% results wherever He went, according to how they allowed Him. Therefore, the amount of the (Spirit inspired) Word allowed in any given situation, is directly proportional to the results."
I was taking high school chemistry during that time of my life, and the phrase 'directly proportional to the results' was used often. It means one's actions and the outcome are directly related. It means you have 2 variables that are directly related, and the result (in chemistry) is predictable.
In this setting, Jesus is one variable for John 3:34 says the Father gave Him the Spirit 'without limit'. So with Jesus, because He had the Spirit without limit, anything was possible. (We are told we have the Spirit with limitations, I Corinthians 12:1) The other variable is His audience, which in this case was full of unbelief. Not lack of faith, but rather full of unbelief. By following the Father's leading, Jesus was able to get the highest and best result in a setting full of unbelief - He was extremely limited, but He still got the highest and best for that situation.
That set the course of my life in a way I didn't realize at the time. It meant for instance if I was teaching people who don't believe in healing, I would have to limit my teaching to not mention that. Or, I would teach it but they would be challenged. But still, in that hypothetical situation I was imagining as a 16 year old, the Father would move through me to get the highest and best result for that situation. It meant I was never to just come up with a message, but wait for direction on what the Father wanted me to teach or do, and that way I'd get the highest and best results - that He wanted - in any given situation.
I determined right then in my heart that I would be like Jesus, doing only what He saw the Father do, sharing what the Father taught Him.* I became determined to get 100% of possible results in any given situation, as the Lord did (and still does). I also saw Mark 4:30 that Jesus, "...spoke to the people as they were able to receive it." Here is a fine line between pushing that boundary and going over it. As they were able to receive it. Key point! *John 5:19, 30
Something fun to think about, and Barb and I still talk of the future often:
I was 16 or maybe just turned 17:Father:"When you receive your glorified body you'll find it's not subject to the natural laws of the earth." Me:"What do you mean?" Father:"If you want to walk you can walk, if you want to run you can run. If you want to float you can float, if you want to fly you can fly. If you want to be somewhere, you can be there at the speed of thought."
Years later when I was condemning myself for some sin I had asked forgiveness for.
I was quoting I John 1:9, which says:"If we confess (admit) our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I was thanking the Father for forgiving me as I was driving along one sunny day, specifically saying:"Thank you Father for being faithful to me, thank you Father for being faithful to me to forgive me..." when the Father interrupted my thanksgiving:
"I'm not being faithful to you. I'm being faithful to the work of my Son on the cross."
Wow, that changed me. I realized my sin had nothing to do with anything. There was no heavenly coin toss to see if He would forgive. The grievance I felt was my own spirit somehow 'bruised' and needing time to recover the stain of sin, though the sin itself was instantly forgiven. The 'bruise' that lingered was that I might learn my lesson, just as the Father leaves our memories of our past life before Christ in our minds, that we might remember and appreciate His grace and not return to where we have been. If a person 'bruises' their spirit (best way to describe it) repeatedly, they will lose their sensitivity to that sin and get to the point Paul wrote of sinners 'who are past feeling.' That sensitivity can be restored, but refraining from that sin, and focusing on walking in the Spirit.
Years later again, I was once again thanking Him...
This time I was again thanking Him for being faithful to the work of Jesus on the cross, in His forgivenss of sin in I John 1:9. I was condemning myself again. (I am my own worst enemy, always have been, though I've softened a bit over the years). I was telling the Father:"Father, I know better, I am SO sorry, at this point in my life I know better than to sin, I'm SO sorry Father." Suddenly the Father broke in, saying this about I John 1:9:
"Notice he said 'we'. If 'we' confess our sin." I reacted immediately, amazed that the age apostle John, in about the year 95, shortly before his death, wrote; "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." Even then, he was sinning. He could have written; "If you confess your sin..." but he wrote; "If we confess our sin." Wow. That changed me.
Once again I realized the Father was looking at the big picture. That He invited each of us to call Him Father, knowing that while in these frail and sin proned bodies, we would sin all our lives, just as the great apostle wrote. If we confess our sins...
About 1989 Jesus said this...
It was during a visitation on a whole other subject, that He turned to leave, but then turned back. Normally in visitations He will leave by turning, then take one, then a second, and then lift his leg for a 3rd step, at which He simply disappears. I know He is setting that foot down in someone else's room, service, or such.
But this time He took one step then stopped and turned around. "You know, people get saved for Ephesians 2:6. I knew what Ephesians 2:6 says:"(The Father) has raised us up and made us sit together with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So I asked, "What do you mean?"
He replied in part:"People get saved for a variety of reasons, like they have a crisis or trauma, so seek me, or they are seeking the truth and the Father draws them to me. Ephesians 2:6 represents your righteousness and authority in me." The He turned His head a bit and smiled broadly:"But the Father and I saved you for verse 7!" And He turned and walked away, disappearing with that 3rd step.
Verse 7 continues:"So that in the ages to come He (Father) may show us the exceeding riches of His grace which is towards us through Christ Jesus." The ages to come...the Father and Lord are looking at the big picture when we will have glorified bodies that can' sin, and we therefore will have no desire to sin, our spirit and soul and body will be one in righteousness forever.
Amazing grace, and I pray this installment gives you that sense of the Father's love and grace towards us, especially if you are like me, your own worst enemy....I'll continue next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
I felt led to share some things I've been taught that had an impact on my life. Not necessarily in chronological order, though I will start with my teen years.
One of the first things I studied as a 16 year old was the ministry of Jesus.
I saw that wherever He went, He got the highest and best results He could have for any given situation. I wasn't looking at what He said or what He did, but more about the context in which He spoke or did, especially the people around Him. Sometimes He was very limited by the people. For instance, when His home town rejected Him, Mark 6:5-6 says:
"And He was not able to do any work of power there, except He laid hands on a few weak/sickly people and healed them. And He marveled because of their unbelief, and went around their villages teaching."
As I was thinking on this fact, and how that same circumstance happens in our day, this is exactly how I thought it:"Even when limited by the unbelief of others, Jesus still was able to do 100% of what He could in the given situation. And the solution to unbelief is balanced, Spirit-led teaching and a willingness to accept change." The Father immediately broke into my thoughts saying:
"Jesus is 100% my Word, therefore He got 100% results wherever He went, according to how they allowed Him. Therefore, the amount of the (Spirit inspired) Word allowed in any given situation, is directly proportional to the results."
I was taking high school chemistry during that time of my life, and the phrase 'directly proportional to the results' was used often. It means one's actions and the outcome are directly related. It means you have 2 variables that are directly related, and the result (in chemistry) is predictable.
In this setting, Jesus is one variable for John 3:34 says the Father gave Him the Spirit 'without limit'. So with Jesus, because He had the Spirit without limit, anything was possible. (We are told we have the Spirit with limitations, I Corinthians 12:1) The other variable is His audience, which in this case was full of unbelief. Not lack of faith, but rather full of unbelief. By following the Father's leading, Jesus was able to get the highest and best result in a setting full of unbelief - He was extremely limited, but He still got the highest and best for that situation.
That set the course of my life in a way I didn't realize at the time. It meant for instance if I was teaching people who don't believe in healing, I would have to limit my teaching to not mention that. Or, I would teach it but they would be challenged. But still, in that hypothetical situation I was imagining as a 16 year old, the Father would move through me to get the highest and best result for that situation. It meant I was never to just come up with a message, but wait for direction on what the Father wanted me to teach or do, and that way I'd get the highest and best results - that He wanted - in any given situation.
I determined right then in my heart that I would be like Jesus, doing only what He saw the Father do, sharing what the Father taught Him.* I became determined to get 100% of possible results in any given situation, as the Lord did (and still does). I also saw Mark 4:30 that Jesus, "...spoke to the people as they were able to receive it." Here is a fine line between pushing that boundary and going over it. As they were able to receive it. Key point! *John 5:19, 30
Something fun to think about, and Barb and I still talk of the future often:
I was 16 or maybe just turned 17:Father:"When you receive your glorified body you'll find it's not subject to the natural laws of the earth." Me:"What do you mean?" Father:"If you want to walk you can walk, if you want to run you can run. If you want to float you can float, if you want to fly you can fly. If you want to be somewhere, you can be there at the speed of thought."
Years later when I was condemning myself for some sin I had asked forgiveness for.
I was quoting I John 1:9, which says:"If we confess (admit) our sin, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." I was thanking the Father for forgiving me as I was driving along one sunny day, specifically saying:"Thank you Father for being faithful to me, thank you Father for being faithful to me to forgive me..." when the Father interrupted my thanksgiving:
"I'm not being faithful to you. I'm being faithful to the work of my Son on the cross."
Wow, that changed me. I realized my sin had nothing to do with anything. There was no heavenly coin toss to see if He would forgive. The grievance I felt was my own spirit somehow 'bruised' and needing time to recover the stain of sin, though the sin itself was instantly forgiven. The 'bruise' that lingered was that I might learn my lesson, just as the Father leaves our memories of our past life before Christ in our minds, that we might remember and appreciate His grace and not return to where we have been. If a person 'bruises' their spirit (best way to describe it) repeatedly, they will lose their sensitivity to that sin and get to the point Paul wrote of sinners 'who are past feeling.' That sensitivity can be restored, but refraining from that sin, and focusing on walking in the Spirit.
Years later again, I was once again thanking Him...
This time I was again thanking Him for being faithful to the work of Jesus on the cross, in His forgivenss of sin in I John 1:9. I was condemning myself again. (I am my own worst enemy, always have been, though I've softened a bit over the years). I was telling the Father:"Father, I know better, I am SO sorry, at this point in my life I know better than to sin, I'm SO sorry Father." Suddenly the Father broke in, saying this about I John 1:9:
"Notice he said 'we'. If 'we' confess our sin." I reacted immediately, amazed that the age apostle John, in about the year 95, shortly before his death, wrote; "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from ALL unrighteousness." Even then, he was sinning. He could have written; "If you confess your sin..." but he wrote; "If we confess our sin." Wow. That changed me.
Once again I realized the Father was looking at the big picture. That He invited each of us to call Him Father, knowing that while in these frail and sin proned bodies, we would sin all our lives, just as the great apostle wrote. If we confess our sins...
About 1989 Jesus said this...
It was during a visitation on a whole other subject, that He turned to leave, but then turned back. Normally in visitations He will leave by turning, then take one, then a second, and then lift his leg for a 3rd step, at which He simply disappears. I know He is setting that foot down in someone else's room, service, or such.
But this time He took one step then stopped and turned around. "You know, people get saved for Ephesians 2:6. I knew what Ephesians 2:6 says:"(The Father) has raised us up and made us sit together with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus." So I asked, "What do you mean?"
He replied in part:"People get saved for a variety of reasons, like they have a crisis or trauma, so seek me, or they are seeking the truth and the Father draws them to me. Ephesians 2:6 represents your righteousness and authority in me." The He turned His head a bit and smiled broadly:"But the Father and I saved you for verse 7!" And He turned and walked away, disappearing with that 3rd step.
Verse 7 continues:"So that in the ages to come He (Father) may show us the exceeding riches of His grace which is towards us through Christ Jesus." The ages to come...the Father and Lord are looking at the big picture when we will have glorified bodies that can' sin, and we therefore will have no desire to sin, our spirit and soul and body will be one in righteousness forever.
Amazing grace, and I pray this installment gives you that sense of the Father's love and grace towards us, especially if you are like me, your own worst enemy....I'll continue next week. Until then, blessings,
John Fenn
cwowi.org and email me at [email protected] or [email protected]
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