I've found since receiving the Lords gift of"the spirit of wisdom and revelation" and the ongoing "opening of the eyes of my heart so that i can know the hope to which I have been called", that there is a new path to walk that is very different from my previous experience with churches and other people of"faith".In fact it has been an ongoing frustration that it seems as if very few are on the same path.Maybe this is the narrow gate that the Lord was talking about....
The clarity of who Christ is and how we are made right in his eyes by faith becomes more evident every day.The bible is alive, and even more important, Christ as the Living Word and that the Word is not just ink on paper but is a living being, the Son of God is alive to me. That we come into a place of rest in Him because there IS a sabbath rest for the people of God,because those who enter God's rest also rest from their own work,just as God did from his.
Perhaps it is part of my tempermant, to receive this total release from works, and of total faith. That what God has revealed not only is true,but that it is a gift for all and that it IS a GIFT.There was no performance standard,no special level of being spiritual,no list of rules and regulations that allowed this wonderful gift to be bestowed.I honestly believe that it came first by hearing the Word and then believing that it was true,and i think to an extent even the believing aspect was a gift.The fact that it took 3 years for it to finally come meant nothing.To have one DAY of this gift is worth all the waiting,period.
There have been "trials". We have since left the church we had attended for 21 years.We have tried attending two other "charismatic" type churches since then.I was even given freedom to teach at the last church we were at.But this grace that I was sharing,this way of life IN Christ Jesus was never fully accepted.It was looked at as some kind of"higher"spirituality by the congregation, and that this freedom and grace without some type of acknowledging our "worthlessness and unworthyness" before God was looked at as "cheap grace" by the pastors.
So we find ourselves sharing this life with our small bible study group,with our grown children but currently are not in a traditional"church" at all.We fellowship with other believers we have found online that are scattered around the country and even outside the country.
The interesting thing though,this grace does not,has not and I believe will not, diminish but our awareness of it seems to grow daily.It is the very life of God that we experience when we partake of his Son Jesus by faith.It is not bound by a formula,by a building or a doctrine,it just IS. After all ,in the beginning was the Word,and the Word was with God and the Word WAS God......Life in Him just IS .
The King James version of the bible says in Galatians 5:22 that the fruit of the spirit is love joy peace.....FAITH.So even faith is something that God gives to us.What a precious gift.I hope this testimony has encouraged you in your faith.Fell free to write me if you have any comments or questions on how we are walking out this wonderful journey in Him.
dave
email mcdave7@yahoo.com