For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
The budding doesn’t occur all at once.
bud - a compact knoblike growth on a plant that develops into a leaf, flower, or shoot.
This phrase was spoken to me in a dream days ago. There is a process of maturation (perfecting) required with the development of each bud. Those who abide IN Christ will personally witness the gradual blossoming of fruit, made possible only by the Vine of Christ; all that a believer needs for eternal life is found IN Christ Jesus. And to that I say, GLORY! Outside of that Life Giving Vine, we are destined to wither away and perish. Inside the Vine of Christ, branches that bear fruit are purged (to cleanse and prune) in order to bring forth more fruit and more budding from and for that branch. John 15:2 The branch is a believer.
This process is not a work that the branch (a believer) can perform him or herself. In fact, it is not our work at all. May we never believe that our work/effort earns us salvation. He does not call believers to “work” their way to eternal life in order to earn it, but He does call us to obey Him during the perfecting & developing process that can only be found IN and THROUGH Christ. This maturing (perfecting) is a process that will be finished by Christ in those who obey the Lord.
Galatians 5:7 Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth?
We are told in Galatians that the two, the flesh and the Spirit, are contrary to one another. The two war against one another. Satan makes every attempt to accommodate the flesh, and the Lord, through His Spirit, will provide a way of escaping the practice of sin. This escape is made available to those who follow the Spirit of Truth.
John 16: 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
We, believers, are not made perfect (fully matured) all at once. In all honesty, we just could not bear the full revelation of Truth all at once in our lives.
John 16: 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now.
Applying this to my own life and walk with the Lord, I can distinctly look back over my life in Christ and see where the Holy Spirit has gradually brought me into His Truth in specific areas, some of which I have shared on this blog. Before the Spirit’s revelation and leading, I had believed differently on certain subjects. Thanks be to the Lord for His faithfulness to reveal His Truth to those who are IN Him. As a believer journeys through this life, the Holy Spirit will guide those in Christ to all truth. We can fully count on that fact. To that, I again, say, “Thank You, Lord!”
But even when the Spirit of God reveals Truth to us, we are left with a choice:
Will we obey the prompting of the Spirit and follow in obedience? Such obedience may require the believer to repent for a wrong that has been practiced (an error or sin).
Or
Will the believer choose to continue sowing to the flesh because the Truth revealed by the Holy Spirit calls for a difficult change of heart on the believer’s part?
One choice reaps life, and the other reaps death.
On several different occasions recently, the Lord has been linking specific symbols of the Bible together. Through dreams, while at a funeral, while listening to scripture being sung, through an email daily devotion, He has linked His Truth to His Word in a masterful way. And the Truth that unfolded before me leaves me in awe of Him.
This blog will be longer than normal, but this is needful.
Believers are formed into “golden candlesticks” . . . but this does not magically happen all at once; it is a process. The process is not as simple as pouring molten gold into a mold. Believers are not a one-step mold of gold, but instead an intricately formed beaten piece of gold. By using the candlestick in Numbers 8, the Lord remarkably parallels a believer’s life to that of a beaten golden candlestick. Like only He can, the dream He spoke to me several days ago --The budding doesn’t occur all at once-- also directly relates to that golden candlestick.
Numbers 8:4 - "And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.”
The word flowers above is the same Hebrew word used for blossom and bud.
The budding doesn’t occur all at once.
When Christ called believers to carry their crosses daily, He foretold of the tremendous suffering that would be required. There are many facets to the process of carrying the cross and suffering affliction. There is persecution from others who surround us, but what about the persecution from within? The flesh does not always easily surrender its pleasures or its carnal “truths” for the cause of Christ without a fight.
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| Wrestling Our Own Flesh |
I am in awe of the way the Lord teaches His people. May the Lord help us to have ears to hear when He speaks and when He teaches. The candlestick made of beaten gold in the Old Testament must be directly paralleled to the golden candlestick in Revelation chapter 2. The two are directly related to one another. Both represent the same concept -----> the body of believers and the process of sanctification that leads to eternal life with our great Savior, Jesus.
Numbers 8:4 - "And this work of the candlestick was of beaten gold, unto the shaft thereof, unto the flowers thereof, was beaten work: according unto the pattern which the LORD had shewed Moses, so he made the candlestick.”
The word beaten sounds brutal. Forceful blows occur repeatedly when something is being beaten into a specific shape or form (candlestick). Intense heat is often needed to hammer the piece into the proper form.
Hit after Hit.
Strike after strike.
Blow after blow.
Nothing about being “beaten”, be it a candlestick or a person, sounds quiet. Can you hear the hammer making contact with the metal? . . . Strike after strike . . .
Gold is the most malleable (pliable/ workable/ able to be shaped through hammering) of all metals. Isn’t it proper that the Lord uses the concept of gold to help believers understand His work within us. The hammering is not silent.
Blow after blow. Blow after blow. The pliable gold metal is beaten into its proper shape. Believers are beaten/hammered so that Christ can be formed in us.
The buds - which are a part of the candlestick - are shaped by the beating. In Numbers 8 above, the flowers on the candlestick are briefly described, but in Exodus 25, the Lord provides a closer look at this candlestick:
31 And thou shalt make a candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his shaft, and his branches, his bowls, his knops, and his flowers, shall be of the same.
32 And six branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out of the other side:
33 Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a knop and a flower: so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick.
34 And in the candlesticks shall be four bowls made like unto almonds, with their knops and their flowers.
35 And there shall be a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, and a knop under two branches of the same, according to the six branches that proceed out of the candlestick.
36 Their knops and their branches shall be of the same: all it shall be one beaten work of pure gold.
The Hebrew word for the candlestick described above is menowrah. The word is pronounced /menorah/.
Can you see this candlestick? Do you see what it is? Can we read this description of the candlestick with the branches, the knops, the buds, and the flowers without thinking of John 15 - the Vine, the branches, the fruit?
Do we see the striking similarity between the hammering needed to “beat” the gold into the proper shape of the candlestick to that of the purging spoken of in John 15? Without the purging of fruit bearing branches, the growth of the branch will be stunted, and continued growth of the branch won't occur.
If there is no hammering, then the candlestick will not be formed. As violent as the process is, a thing of beauty is being made.
forge - make or shape (a metal object) by heating it in a fire or furnace and beating or hammering it.
As the candlestick is made of beaten gold and the branches in the vine are purged in order to bring more growth, the final result is perfection and great beauty. A final product that pleases the One who forged the gold metal, the One who purged the branch.
Yet, this is not the only possible outcome. There is a warning given to the golden candlestick, as well as to the branch, and both pertain to being obedient to the Spirit of God. Both the golden candlestick and the branches on the vine represent believers.
Revelation 2:
1 Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks;
2 I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars:
3 And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name's sake hast laboured, and hast not fainted.
4 Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
5 Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
In these verses, the Spirit is directly addressing the church of Ephesus. Jesus reveals in John 16: 13 that one role of the Spirit is to lead the believer into all truth. The Spirit has revealed an area of sin in this church. The Spirit calls the Ephesus church to repent. This church has left its first love. ( Matthew 24:12 - And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.) Can we read the choice given to the church at Ephesus? Will they follow the leading of the Spirit? Life. Or will they choose to follow the flesh? Death.
Without repentance, there is a negative consequence: “I . . . will remove thy candlestick.” This candlestick of beaten gold has been given a choice. When the Spirit visits a believer and shows the believer an error in his or her life, the believer is being called to repentance by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is clear above; UNrepentant sin will result in the candlestick (believer) being removed.
In the first few chapters alone, the Spirit expressly calls the churches in Revelation to heed the warning of the Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit calls a particular church to overcome and to continue being faithful; at other times, the Spirit speaks strong warnings to particular churches. Each time, the following words are used:
Revelation 2:7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
Revelation 2:11
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
Revelation 2:17
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches
Revelation 2:29
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Revelation 3:6
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Revelation 3:13
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
Revelation 3:22
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.
The Spirit reveals Truth and commandments of the Lord to a believer and calls a believer to repentance. Those who are obedient are forgiven and washed clean. (1 John 1:9).
Those who do not repent and do not cease from that sin (we can’t do it without the Spirit) are not forgiven, for the Word says “Repent and believe.” The word repent occurs first. Not repenting and being led into all Truth by the Spirit then becomes willful sinning because the Spirit has already revealed the error to the person. This is spoken against very specifically in Hebrews 10:29+ and Hebrews 6. Do we not believe that this is part of the Holy Spirit’s role.
Titus 2:
11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
15 These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
There are certain sins that we very obviously know are wrong and realize we should not practice those sins. However, there are other sins that we are ignorant of because we have, by repeatedly committing those sins, conditioned ourselves to believe our sinful actions are acceptable. Perhaps we have even justified the action(s).
A loving God will not allow those sins to go unidentified.
This is where, using His perfect timing, the Holy Spirit will bring conviction for a sin -- perhaps even a subtle sin that has been practiced for years, yet He chooses to bring it into the light at a very specific time. The Spirit attempts to prune the believer and purge the believer of this particular sin in order to bring about more growth and of course, more fruit. See Hebrews 12.
Once the Spirit places the finger of Truth on the sin or error, the individual has a choice to either obey the Spirit’s leading into all truth on the matter (repent and turn away from the error), or the individual can disregard the Spirit. Have we not seen this happen? Some attempt to convince themselves that the Spirit of God wasn’t calling the person to repentance. Some seek to justify the action or thought. Recently, the Lord sought to reveal an error I had been committing for years. The Spirit used one recent event to bring that error to light. I can now (after repentance) look back and see the number of times I erred in this area -- all the while in the past, I attempted to justify my reaction in such cases. Pride was at the core of the error and so was fear (the fear of “What will others think?” if I don’t react a certain way.)
When the Spirit of the Lord is calling a person to repentance, Satan has a tendency to send delusion and supporters of the sin to that person in order to prevent repentance. That is why when we are confused and not sure what step to take next, we must “try the spirits.” We must stay in prayer, fast, and read the Word of God (The Holy Bible) during times of tremendous battles/testings and confusion.
Most recently, I battled great confusion and spent a tremendous amount of time trying the spirits, all the while dying to my flesh and the desires (pride and fear) of my flesh. My prayer during much of that anguished time was “Lord, help me to accept Your Truth and prepare me to hear it. Let my heart hear and accept Your FULL Truth on this matter. Get me there, Lord. Get me there, Lord.”
I am telling you that I can now look back over those several days of agony and say that I can see how the Lord fed me with manna - piece by piece at the designated time. In dreams. During times of Prayer. In encounters with others. His Spirit absolutely brought me to His full Truth on the matter. First, the desires of my flesh had to die. In fact, with prayer, He gave me the Power I needed to die to the flesh, for we know the Lord successful crucified the flesh. He gives those who follow Him (obedient to Him) the Power to also conquer our flesh. Hallelujah!
What is the message of this blog?
- When the Spirit of the Lord calls you to have ears to hear and makes you aware of an error in your life, give heed to the Spirit. The flesh will likely rise up for battle, but through prayer and surrender to the Lord's will, a person can come to true repentance and walk in the Truth due to the Spirit's leading.
- Although great anguish is often involved when we are being called to repentance, receive each blow of the hammer with joy. Receive each snip of the pruning shears with meekness, knowing that the Lord is creating a masterpiece IN you.
- Let us not look the other way when we read in the Word that unrepentance, which is disobedience, will result in the candlestick being removed and the unfruitful branch being cast into the fire. We cannot afford to place our hands over our ears when the Spirit is prompting us to seek Him further on a matter in our lives and in our hearts.
- Take heart - the Lord does not wave a magic wand of perfection all at one time when we begin following Him. As we journey with the Lord, His Spirit will guide a believer into all truth gradually. His timing will be perfect; we need only hear and obey.
He does the work within us; He simply calls us to humbly fall before Him in obedience.The budding doesn't occur all at once.
What a blessed Savior He is. What hope He offers to those who believe in Him.
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