Greetings again my Brethren. God has so many benefits for us, this day, and not in the sweet by and by in the future. Whether we receive of these benefits of God is not up to God, but up to us. The requirement for receiving of God’s benefits is for us to meet God’s conditions. Each benefit has a condition. I wonder why this is not taught in most churches today? Much of the word of God (the Bible, the Scriptures) is not taught in most churches well . . . maybe that explains why America has drifted away from God into almost every distraction conceived in the heart of man. We have covered many benefits thus far over many months, but the one this month we will look at is probably the most mysterious yet the most important. Beginning this month and probably for the next few months we will look at the aspects of God’s divine enabling to: live on a high plane above the things of earth, run the race without failing by the wayside, and walking circumspectly. So who would not want to live on a high plane above the things of earth? Well this is God’s intention for us, but again whether this happens or not is not up to God it is up to us. Now I will be honest I am not there yet. I do not always live on the high plane that God intends, my flesh and carnal nature engages with my thinking and I often fall from the place of victorious Christian living God has for me. My salvation is still intact and as long as I walk with Him in faith and righteousness I can never lose my salvation, but if I knowingly and wilfully turn away from God and His plan for my life my salvation can be in jeopardy of being lost. Believe it or not this too is a part of God’s divine enabling. Let us look at the Book of Ephesians to get a better clarification on this month’s enabler. Paul writes to the Church at Ephesus and us, “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love where with he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: 7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4-10) In these verses detail God’s plan of salvation (so much better than John 3:16) and the positions in God we obtain by understanding His message of love and our responsibility in accepting it. Verse six says, “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:” God (Himself) has raised us up and “made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” As long as we are “in Christ Jesus” which is our position of truth we shall be able to function in heavenly places. Now that is not us on thrones in heaven, oh no. Us sitting by God and with God discussing the affairs of men and women on earth as some Christians believe from wrong teaching in their churches. If we are “in Christ Jesus” then we can operate in the spiritual realm, we can function in the things of the Spirit while on earth. In John 3:12-13 Jesus told Nicodemus, “If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven.” (John 3:12-13) Now we must remember the ascension of Jesus is in the future. Jesus was not talking about people who have ascended into heaven like Enoch or Elijah. Nor is He talking about Jesus (Himself) in an incarnation, nor is He talking about the Son of God leaving Heaven to be born of a virgin. Jesus was talking about God (in the person of Jesus) descending down to earth to commune with man. And as we ascend up into the heavenly in spiritual understanding we can descend with the things of God and give them to men. For Nicodemus to come out of His darkness he must ascend and then descend. We are no different than Nicodemus we too must ascend into the heavenly not physically, but spiritually (and be seated in heavenly places in Christ Jesus) to be useful to God on earth ministering to those who are still in darkness and not “in Christ Jesus.” Either we are “in Christ Jesus” or we are in darkness “no man’s land.” This descending from the heavenly with the things of God to give men is an example of God’s divine enabling. I like the beginning of verse 10 in Ephesians 2, “For we are His workmanship.” This explains the ascending and descending from the heavenly. Notice the order is ascend then we descend. We first must get to heaven well how does that happen? Death, but there will be no descending our eternity is sealed. No it is the “workmanship” that God can do in us that gets us to heaven. The more work God can do in us the higher place we will be seated “in Christ Jesus.”
Next month we will continue to look at God’s divine enabling while continue to wait on God. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have you built God a temple? If you do He will abide and wait for you. Written by David Stahl
