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When Heaven Invades Earth
Week Nine: Chapter 13
April 20 – April 27, 2008
The Holy Spirit is
on a mission to make us like Jesus for, “As He is, so we are in this
world” (I John 4.17). He gifts us, comforts us, reminds us and
empowers us to live in the resurrection life Christ has bought for
us; this calls for a revolution in our identity which will lead to a
security in our character . Instead of embracing a counterfeit cross
which keeps us focused on our brokenness, Johnson advises that we
need to embrace “true brokenness (which) causes complete dependency
on God, moving us to radical obedience that releases the power of
the gospel to the world around us” (147). The Holy Spirit is the
only one who can provide the grace to live such a changed life and
He is the One who knows what needs changed, so self guided
introspection and judgment is a useless exercise that will
ultimately weaken our faith and undermine the Spirit led, joyful
life God intends for believers (148).
“The first place
faith must be exercised is in our own standing with God” (148). If
we want to discover the power of resurrection, we must believe what
He has said concerning us regardless of how we feel or what we so
often see of our failings. “At some point we must rise up to the
high call of God and stop saying things about ourselves that are no
longer true [because of the cross of Christ, and embrace]... the
sufficiency of God's redemptive work that establishes us as sons and
daughters of the Most High” (149). “The only part of the past that
we have legal access to is “the testimony of the Lord”
(Ps.119.111) and what he has done in our lives (151).
Because we are
called to be like Him, Johnson specifies four characteristics which
he believes will characterize the corporate Church and individual
believers in ever increasing measure in the days ahead and need to
be embraced as a part of God's plan (149 - 51):
- GLORY – the manifest presence of
Jesus sometimes seen and frequently felt, resting on
congregations and individuals, generally related to worship.
This fire of His presence has been entrusted to the Church. “He
is building us into His eternal dwelling place.” Control and
emotional hype are extinguishers of the flame of His glory
sometimes exercised by those in charge to whom this fire has
been entrusted.
- POWER – The power of the Holy
Spirit reveals the heart of God and is to be the most visible
manifestation of the believing Church. Human reasoning, which
has invaded the Church is antithetical to the power of God and
has drained us of a credible witness to the lost. “If we had it,
they would see it. If they saw it, they would come” (150).
- TRIUMPH – Every name and power has
been placed under the feet of Jesus; as we are the Body of
Christ, even the 'lowest' are above and have authority over the
highest part of anything else. We can live from the triumph of
Christ instead of the influence of our past because our victory
is secure (151).
- HOLINESS - “...is the language
through which the nature of God is revealed... and holiness in
the Church reveals the beauty of God” (151). Holiness is not a
matter of “do's and don'ts” but a display of His beauty. Johnson
says there will be an unveiling of the beauty of God's holiness
in this season unlike any which the world has ever seen.
“ We've discussed an incredible
promise of paramount importance for the Church. There are few things
further from our grasp than the statement, “as He is so are we in
this world.” And so we have the choice: to stand in the shoes
of Zacharias (unbelief) and lose our voice, or walk in the ways of
Mary (surrender) and invite God to restore to us the promises we
cannot control”
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