Conforming To His Image

When we speak of conforming to the image of Jesus Christ, we speak of things that are holy. We speak of His Divine Lordship over all things in the heavens and on the earth, and we speak of His keys to hell and death. And sometimes, without affluent  knowledge or understanding, we speak of entering the fellowship of His sufferings. 

It is elementary: Before we can enter into the fellowship of His sufferings, we have to be conformed into His image...

"That I may know him (truly know him - intimately) and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; if by any means I might arrive at the resurrection of the dead" (Philippians 3: 10-11).

It has never been, it is not now, nor will it ever be, acceptable to be tepid or cavalier  in our walk with Christ the Father, Christ the Son and Christ the Holy Spirit. Heaven rejoices and Heaven applauds the saint that yields to the Holy Ghost, that he may be conformed to the image of Christ. Heaven applauds the saint that enters, though often unaware, into the fellowship of His suffering. Such a one as this is a healthy branch, connected to and fed by the true vine. Such a one as this is an humble servant to all and heir to the Kingdom of God, for most assuredly he will not neglect, "so great a salvation."

From the moment we first heard His Name, the story of His Cross and the testimony  of His infinite love, we began to build a spiritual house - on the sand or on the rock. Some started out in the sand but eventually moved their foundations to the Rock. Others started out on the Rock but did not anchor their foundations and they  soon collapsed into the sand. It has not been an easy road for many, but there was never a promise it would be easy. It is the same today as it was in all the yesterdays. We are tossed around by the same storms of life that caused the Disciples to fear for their lives. Today, as it was in that long-ago day, Jesus still quiets the storm with a single command, "Peace, be still."

In addition, there are the temptations of Cain's bunch, those lewd and Godless  Canaanites that lure and tease the weak and lonely into submission. And if the lures  and promises don't convince them, the king of the Canaanites will send the suave spellbinder to weave a logical persuasion, laced with the inevitable and invisible poison unto death...

Every soul that lives and breathes needs the strength and wisdom of God and the fellowship of saints who have fellowship with Christ...

Do not be misled by what I say. Do not misunderstand my warning. It is not mine, but the warning of the Prophets who spoke by inspiration and anointing of the Holy Ghost. The Word admonishes, "Pray without ceasing." It is a Word that has a lot of believers baffled. How can they work, take care of their families and their home if they are on their knees without ceasing. Why did God give them a family if He didn't want them to care for them? How can they do this impossible thing?

Dear ones, this is not what the scripture is saying - it is telling us to keep our minds stayed on Him while we drive to work, while we are at work, while we do our cooking, cleaning, laundry, mowing the lawn, etc. so that He can guide us into all things at all times. We are to listen to the needs of our children, our spouses and our neighbors while we - at the same time - tune in and listen to the wise counsel of the Holy Spirit. It is the only way we can get to know Him...

Praying without ceasing is keeping our minds stayed on Him, in direct line communication with Him, open to His suggestions and corrections, and praising Him in our whispers, in our thoughts, and in our examples to others. We are to live the Word of God - not just preach it. We are to share His love by being a living  example. Only a living example can cast a welcoming light into the darkness...

This is the fellowship of His suffering - being so close to Him, so gathered into His fellowship, we hear, feel and experience His grief, His joy, His tears, His rejection and His otherwise abiding love as they are transmitted into our own spirit. In such gathering of hearts and minds, in such communion of Spirit, we are carried away in His presence, awakened to His need for our fellowship...

In such moments we weep with Him for the lost, in a time when words are not necessary, when petition is not given. Our tears are our prayers, they are sufficient. Whether my Lord weeps for casual believers, falling saints or confessed enemies of the Kingdom, these souls have lost their way. And like any child who has run away from a loving home, they are searched for, prayed for, wept for, and desired with a great desire...

Sometimes we rejoice with Him. Sometimes we simply enter into Praise and Worship of Him, face to face, for we cannot deny the Divine Unction of the Holy Spirit to do so. And sometimes we don't know how to pray, so we succumb to the moans and groans of the Spirit within, suffering together the rejections of men who hate both of us. In times like these we enter into the fellowship of His sufferings.

I know - I know- a lot of saints identify their own griefs with His suffering when we are ill, near death, or have just lost a loved one or a precious child. Truly we suffer in such times, and Jesus weeps with us, whether we are aware of His presence or not, and surely we identify with our Heavenly Father and Mary, who suffered the day their son was nailed to a rugged criminal's cross.

They watched their Beloved suffer agonies unto death while a cruel world of mockers and scorners spat on Him. Three days later He arose and left the tomb for  hell and death were not strong enough to stop Him. In that moment, and from that day forward, believers entered into the fellowship of His suffering when He became "Savior" to them. Many were martyred, many died in filthy dungeons, many were put to the sword by Rome, many were exiled while other committed souls spread the Gospel to Jew and Gentile alike, living the Word they preached...

We do not pray for our enemies because Christ commands us to. We pray for our enemies with a burden that is activated by a reverent deference to the command. We begin with a reverent deference to His Holiness, His sovereignty, His wisdom and His Great Salvation. When we seek Jesus, truly seek Him, we do not engage in ritualistic religiosity. We do not try to be like others we consider of high spiritual degree. We do not look to the Annas' of the church, his five priestly sons or the Caiaphas of national leadership for our salvation. That is Pharisaic hogwash, seeded with pride, idolatry and covetessness.

We need to repent of our dependence on those white washed tombs of decaying hypocrites and stop trying to be something we are not. No man or woman of the Church, or should I clarify, of God, will ever be wise enough, strong enough or spiritual enough to cleanse his own heart and mind and save his own soul. If such a thing were possible, the Cross of Christ was for nothing, His resurrection was a lie, and His asension was the illusion of a few crazed men.

Many believe such malarky. But we who know Him rejoice in the truth:

"Not as though I had already arrived at the resurrection of the dead, either was already (made)perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before" (Phillipians 3: 12-13).

Paul is telling us those things that are behind him - his education, his credentials, his past successes and achievements, are all counted as loss (Paul counts them as loss in that they mean nothing compared to what lies ahead). His one goal is to know Christ and he will not allow past guilts or prides to get in his way or hold him back. Neither will he allow past glories and successes to interfere. Those things which are before him includes knowing Christ, the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings. The high calling of God (Phillipians 3:14) is the divine invitation extended to every believer for personal salvation, that they may know Him.  It must never be taken lightly...

Conforming to the image of Jesus Christ is not our work to do. We cannot willfully effect the change. Only the Holy Spirit can work that good work within us as He lives in our hearts and guides our way. We are saved by Grace, not by works, lest any man should boast (Ephesians 2:8-9), and God keeps the tally of our thoughts of Him in His Book of Remembrance (Malachi 3:16).

Christians today are being persecuted and slaughtered in China, North Korea, India, Pakistan, Egypt, Iran and Africa, etc. Even here in America we are mocked and scorned and called extremists. Enemies of God take away more and more of our religious freedoms on a daily basis while blasphemous unholy agreements are yielded to them by the Church. And, while the Church sleeps upon the tormented graves of the lost, choosing to be silent while hell enlarges, God sees, God hears, and God is not slack in dealing with this problem. He is still in control.

God will soon judge the Church and the political leadership of this land. Changes are coming, corruption will be exposed and a cleansing of the land will begin. Following the judgment of the Church, Congress will fall into His hands and the seats of Satan, the enemies of God's laws and the U. S. Constitution that incorporates those laws, will be purged.

But know this - before the purging is complete, Israel will be at war. We will be unable to help her. God will be her only friend and ally. These things must happen if the end-time prophecies are going to be fulfilled as they are written. World politics and economies are doomed to disaster before the antichrist can take his place as the head of nations.

He will enter as an economic genius, a military genius and a political genius. His platform will promise peace, yet he will kill one third of mankind in the first three years of his tyrannical reign. He will be a type of Antiochus Epiphanes, Joseph Stalin, Adolf Hitler and Mao Zedong. I suppose we can eliminate Barack Obama as the antichrist - he isn't genius enough. But if he believes Ahmadinejad of Iran, Putin of Russia and Sarkozy of France, if he continues to fall for the deceptions of the UN, he will be foolish enough to follow and fall into the deceptions of the antichrist...

We are entering a time that is going to shake the world. It is a time for clinging to Jesus. It is a time of preparation that includes knowing Him, abiding in Him, living His Word, watching and listening for His shout and the sound of a trumpet...

And remember, "Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks..."