printable view

Z: WHO LIVES?

ARCHIVE OF ORIGINAL, POSTED AT

http://zephdaniel.blogspot.com/

Thursday, July 19, 2007

by Zeph E Daniel

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. ~ Galatians 2:20

What would we do without the letters of St. Paul? His ability to use "legalism" to glorify Christ is unparalleled, and his ability to say, in few words, what we have in Christ, what we have with Jesus, what we have with the Father, is simply awesome.

In this simple verse we learn that we are crucified with Christ, in death, but yet we live! How marvelous is this notion--WE ARE ALIVE and that means already ETERNAL LIFE. Not later, not yesterday, but NOW. Oh, I can tell you that I have walked through the lands of the dead lately, and most don't even know that they are dead. Our condition, no matter where you came from, what your circumstances are, or were, reveal also that you were dead.

When Jesus speaks with Nicodemus in the Gospel of John, Chapter 3, we see how vexed Nicodemus is in trying to comprehend what Jesus is telling him.

He said: "Except that a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God."
~ John 3:3.

Now, mind you, this is not some guy on the street Jesus is talking to, this is Nicodemus, "a ruler of the Jews," an elite Pharisee. He is at once a religious and political leader and has stature in his years, and yet he goes on like a child when he questions Jesus in the very next verse:

"How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?"

We might expect this lack of spiritual insight from a newbie in Christ, perhaps, or a 10 year old child, but this is an expert in spiritual matters.

He takes Jesus words literally and is virtually DEAD to the things of spirit. I have always found a parallel between Nicodemus and so many church leaders, as well as so many online Christians, who say they are "born again" as that is the lingo, but haven't a clue as to what it means.

I could go on about DYING TO SELF, which is also contained in Jesus' message. It is a natural process of born again--I.E. DYING ONCE.

The Luciferians of the planet (or those who follow the "Way of the World") have another method of being born again, and that is hazing a person until they are broken, then building them back up IN THE SYSTEM.

The same is true of the military--and the same is true of ancient initiation rites into manhood and womanhood in primitive cultures.

And yes, there is something to say about the way of the world--it works. But it is the way of death, as spoken of in Proverbs 14:12. The way of the world works only temporarily, and then, as old-age or sickness or poverty set in, those who sowed to this system, reap unimagined pain, suffering and death, despite their obedience to their elders.

But even for them, THE GOSPEL or GOOD NEWS OF LIFE, the Message of Messiah Jesus, is that He and He alone, gives LIFE to anyone who seeks it.

But it is not US who live.

NO!

That's the important thing. Just as those who go the world's way ARE CHANGED in every way, especially in their personalities, the same is true of the followers of Christ, but first the DYING MUST TAKE PLACE. It is the very same with the counterfeit way of the world. The dying first, and then the pudding.

And for us, we ARE CRUCIFIED with Christ. It can be painful, my brethren.

Yes. It must be.

And this process of birthing may be instantaneous, but perhaps many of you feel as though you are dying, dying, dying, dying, so that you may once and for all live.

It's a fluid situation. When a person is so far down it "looks like up" to quote an old Blues tome, that person is ready to die to self, is quite often ready to forsake the world (and his own former initiation into it), as the world has already forsaken him, despite his obedience.

Jesus goes after these eagerly--these souls have been world-worn, they are ready for anything; ready to drop it all, get up and go. They were betrayed (as we all were but haven't realized it yet, or haven't had the guts to admit it yet), and they know that in this world THEIR SHIP WILL NEVER COME IN. There will be no gold for them, for their conformity and cooperation at the end of the rainbow. The world has turned their backs, as they must on all who are not successful in their system.

So in essence, born again does not mean we live, but Christ within us, which is SPIRIT--He lives. And Creation suddenly makes sense: We were created for HIS PURPOSE, not to do our own thing.

Dying to self is the only way in which we can LIVE.

Are we willing to give up all that we were?

Heaven forbid!

He created all that we are for HIS PURPOSE, so when He lives in us, He can then bring these talents or yearnings or desires into full bloom in Eternal Kingdom terms, so that He can reveal Himself and glorify Himself to the whole world--so that LIFE lives, and DEATH dies.

And so how now do we live?

BY FAITH, by the Son of God--i.e. faith given by HIS POWER, not our own.

Faith because He lives IN US.

Faith due to the fact that we are crucified with Him, and die, and so that He lives.

It is a strange mirror image in the world system--they go through hazing, ritual death, then resurrection and acceptance by polite society.

That makes Jesus Christ anathema to polite society, and utterly proves my thesis that there are no such thing as Christian nations, and never were, because nations are built of man, and not God, not until HIS REIGN takes place upon the earth, and that would indeed be amazing, as we would definitely live in ANOTHER DIMENSION altogether.

This word metaverse to me really means God's creation. His all-encompassing mystery.

Further, in Galations 2:20, Paul states that all this can take place because God loves us.

And that love is really what breathes life into the dead, or into those in PROCESS of being born.

When God sacrifices Himself, it is efficacious. That means that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ--God in the Flesh--is efficacious.

That means that all who call upon the Name of Jesus Christ will be saved, as He is perfect and His Word is Perfect.

Which ultimately means, anyone initiated into the world system can be delivered out at any time, gloriously.

I've seen people walk out and walk amongst them, not a hair on their heads is touched, as their faith is strong, because why?

Because God is strong. I'm weak, friends, I cannot produce faith. So I quit trying to do that, trying to put on the appearance of faith.

I can no more be faithful than any sinner--that's because I am weak; the flesh can overpower me.

But if Christ lives in me, then He is faith. He is strong. He is the one who lives, so I don't worry about faith. I do not beat myself up if I am going through a trial or troublous period, as I know that God is doing a work, so I have to ultimately relax and let God stamp out all that garbage that is the ego-based flesh who wants to live and do his own thing.

My emphasis here is that you call upon Jesus, and He will do the rest. Literally, that is where the walk in Christ differs, and is successful, compared to the world's religions.

I will end it there--suffice to say this is good news indeed

Z