Tasting the Heavenly Gift.
By Colin Thompson, Gateshead,
England.
Heb 6:4 Those who
were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made
partakers of the Holy Ghost,
Heb 6:5 And have tasted the good word of God, and the
powers of the world to come,
Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he
power to become the sons of God, even to
them that believe on his name:
Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the
will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Jesus knew Who his Father was and was living in the presence of His Father.
Our
Heavenly Father is in the heavenly places, and that is where we meet with Him.
The
kingdom of heaven is within us, right here, right now. Not pie in the sky for
when we die.
Luk 12:29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what
ye shall drink, (things of the earth.) neither be ye of doubtful (literally
suspended in the air – halfway between earth and heaven!) mind.
Luk 12:30 For all these things do the nations of the
world seek after: and your Father knows that ye have need of these things.
Luk 12:31 But rather seek (pursue) ye the kingdom of
God; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Luk 12:32 Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Luk 12:33 Sell that ye have, and give alms; provide
yourselves bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heavens that fail not,
where no thief approaches, neither moth corrupts.
Luk 12:34 For where your treasure is, there will your
heart be also.
We can choose to live in the heavenly realm,
or to make our dwelling place in the world.
Our earthly self loves the world. The way out
of this is to take up our cross daily, reckoning our self dead, that we may
live unto Christ.
1Co 15:47 The first man is
of the earth, earthy: the second man is
the Lord from heaven.
1Co 15:48 As is the earthy, such are
they also that are earthy: and as is the
heavenly, such are they also that are
heavenly.
Part
of the earthy is religion. For those of us who have by the grace and unmerited favour of God
been born from above, the great danger is in the deception that is evangelical
Christianity. Religion is a feature of all human existence. It is born of the
tree of knowledge of good and evil.
Christ
Jesus came to give us eternal life (of the heavens) so that we could live in
that life, not act it, learn it or preach it.
If
we ‘act’ spiritual, rather than die to the flesh and live in the spirit, we are
dead while we are alive.
The
kingdom of heaven is to be entered, not discussed. The Holy Spirit is to
immersed in, taught by, led by, not explained. Jesus is here to be eaten, not
described in detail like a course on a menu.
The
heavenly demands obedience, fear, awe and reverence.
(Act 26:19)
Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly
vision:
Our
hope is in the heavenlies;
(Eph 1:3)
Blessed be the God and Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in
heavenly places in Christ:
(Eph 1:20) Which
he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
(Eph 2:6) And
hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
We
are transported there in the spirit as we are partakers of the Spirit, through
faith in the Son of God, operating upon us. Has to be experienced. Are we desperate
for the Kingdom?
(Heb 3:1)
Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider
(set your thoughts upon) the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ
Jesus;
As
he is seated at the right hand of the Father in the heavens, that is where we
are to earnestly look and set our affections.
Living
in the spirit/Spirit is living in the Heavenly places.
We make our choice daily, whether to settle
for the present earthly life, perhaps with religious embellishment, or the
heavenly, which is through the Spirit.
(Heb 11:16) But
now they desire a better country, that
is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he
hath prepared for them a city.
(Heb 12:22) But
ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly
Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels.
The
Lord Jesus, the Christ, looked for the source of things and men.
(Luk 20:4) The
baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men?
The
Father who is in heaven is now looking for those who will worship Him in Spirit
and in Truth. Not in an earthly form, centred on places, rituals,
personalities, structures etc.
We
can now enter beyond the veil, into the heavenly realm.
(Eph 1:20) Which
he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
(Heb 12:2)
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.
Will
we?
Colin Thompson.
Gateshead. England. (Nobody important.)
Comments welcome by email to colin@followingjesuschrist.co.uk
Other material on site at http://www.followingjesuschrist.co.uk/