Book 1 of Musings As I Live by the Father

The goal toward which we are to be pressing is that of being filled with God and Christ at all times.

I have written a great deal about the spiritual fulfillment of the Jewish feast of Tabernacles. Tabernacles comes after the feast of Pentecost, and is one of the primary concerns of the Spirit of God in the present hour.

I have mentioned that the fulfillment of Tabernacles is in two dimensions. The first is that which happens to our personality. Our original, earthly personality must die on the cross with Christ. Our new personality comes into being as Christ is formed in us. This is the first dimension of the spiritual fulfillment of the feast of Tabernacles. It is a change in what we are as a person.

The second dimension is the coming of the Father and the Son to dwell in the new personality that has been formed in us.

It is interesting to note that Christ was filled with the Presence of God. Yet when He prayed, He looked up to His Father in Heaven. Did you ever notice that?

I can remember back in the early 50's when the "Latter Rain Revival" was being preached. Much good was accomplished in those days, but there was some error. One of the errors was that since Christ is in us we do not need to pray like we used to. "Sons of God march forward." This sort of thing. Since Christ was in us we had no more need of the gifts of the Spirit; also, no more need of the Communion service, although I do not see the connection.

In any case, the idea was that since Christ is in us we have all power. I suppose some even prayed to the Christ in them. They lost the objectivity of the Kingdom of God. Christ Himself did not pray to the Father in Him but to the Father in Heaven. How much more is this objectivity to be true of us!

Perhaps most of us are new at this sort of thing and need to patiently work our way forward until we know how to behave in the Kingdom of God.

One of the great errors of our time, as I have said in other places, is to try to "put on our administrative hat," so to speak, and begin to "command" our desires into existence. Ministers are attempting to command the Holy Spirit. This is ignorance on our part.

Our example is the Lord Jesus. How many times did He tell us He did nothing of Himself. It was the Father who was with Him. The following passage reveals how the Father and Christ worked together.

Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, to your amazement he will show him even greater things than these." (John 5:19-20)

The Lord Jesus wants us to be in relationship with Him as He is with the Father. Do you believe this?

Notice that Christ can do nothing by Himself, but only what He sees His Father doing. Here is the way we should be living and behaving. We should recognize that we can do nothing by ourselves but only what we see Christ doing.

There is so much talk today of how we Christians are going to believe God and do this, that, and the next thing. We are going to work miracles. We are going to receive power and move mountains and empty hospitals. We are going to save the world. We! we! we! we! It is absolutely sickening. In fact it is the False Prophet, trying to get the power of the Lamb (the two horns) while speaking with the voice of the dragon (self-will.)

How many of us are willing to quit trying to play God and just wait until we can see what Christ is doing? Then we work with Him and do the same thing.

Personally I think this is the great need of the hour - to hear from Jesus and not guess at what it is He wants and is ready to do.

We don't want God to give us power. Power corrupts. "Absolute power corrupts absolutely," it is said. A study of the lives of some of the workers of miracles of the past century will reveal that having power can be dangerous.

I don't see that Christ ever talked about getting power from God. He did speak of faith. But faith is our assessment of God's Character, not some kind of magic that enables us to impress people or otherwise accomplish our desires.

What we need today is more of Jesus, not more of His power but more of Him. We need to be filled with God; filled with God; filled with God.

We need to learn to live by Christ as He lives by the Father. We learn to live by Christ by eating His flesh and drinking His blood. His flesh and blood are hidden manna given to those who faithfully are doing God's will.

Every time we set aside our own will and ambitions we are given to eat of the body and blood of Christ. Perhaps most of us every day have an opportunity to choose to set aside our own will that we might do the will of Christ in a given circumstance. When we do this, when we choose to go Christ's way instead of our own, we are given His body and blood in the spirit realm. In this way we learn to live by Him as He lives by the Father.

I believe the Lord is ready and willing to give revival today, revival characterized by righteous behavior on the part of the saints and also by demonstrations of miraculous wisdom and power. But He must have people who are unassuming, not exalted ministers who love the spotlight.

I am expecting to see ordinary believers to whom Christ will speak in these days, people who have waited on the Lord for years and who know His voice. When He tells them to do something they do it conscientiously and thoroughly, just as Moses did in the Old Testament. When the Lord, working along with their obedience to His voice, performs some mighty act, they remain unmoved.

I have often thought of what would happen if the Lord gave someone the power to multiply food. Can you imagine the sensational headlines, the reporters pushing one another and ruining their lawn and their peace, the involvement of government officials as they saw a means of solving one of the great needs of mankind?

Can you imagine the pressure on that believer to stay before the Lord and do only what the Lord said? He really would have had to have been prepared in advance.

Can you imagine how the Christian leaders would seek to use this sign to "save souls"? At one time pressure was put on William Branham by his "advisers" until he disobeyed what the Spirit was telling him to do.

How many workers of miracles have been able to just remain before the Lord and pray only when He said to do so? Dr. Charles Price, an outstanding evangelist of some years back, wrote that no matter how many sick were brought before him, he would pray only for those to whom the Lord directed him. Outstanding miracles of healing were performed.

Didn't Jesus behave that way? Do you remember the multitude who were waiting for the water to be troubled? Yet Jesus prayed for only one person.

Why? Because Christ was doing only what He saw the Father do.

We really have to get hold of this principle if we expect Christ to move in our day. There have been enough exalted evangelists. What we need now is saints who are living a righteous, holy life, and who do not advertise themselves as being some great person.

Kathryn Kuhlman used to say that she did nothing; it was Christ who did the healing. When you saw her in action you could see that she was doing nothing more than repeat what the Lord was telling her. When I saw her minister she did not lay her hands on the problem and make some great pronouncement, which would have called attention to herself. But the sick and disabled were healed!

I wouldn't be surprised if this difference between what we are going to do and what Christ is going to do becomes one of the major issues of our day. How many Christians ministers are ready to fade into the background and just permit Christ to do what He will?

I am not suggesting that a minister should not do what God clearly has called him to do, I am speaking rather of running ahead of God and trying to be some great one - trying to have the largest crowd at a meeting, or the fastest growing church in the country.

I don't know about you, but I want nothing more to do with spectacular Christian programs, seminars, formulas for raising money or increasing attendance, ad nauseam. I want to hear from God. I want Christ to live in me so it no longer is I but Christ who is living.

More than that, I want to see Him work His mighty acts in our day. I want to stand by while He stretches forth the hand that upholds the stars in their courses. I want to see Him do the same works and the greater, that He promised.

"We would see Jesus," the Greek visitors said. This is how I feel. I would see Jesus. What is your opinion of this attitude?

"Come, Lord Jesus. Our world is in a turmoil. Our nation is not giving you the glory in the midst of its problems. We are looking to our togetherness as Americans, our courage, our ability to survive, instead of to reliance on You. We are in error in this. What will it take to turn us back to a public declaration of faith in God to save us?

"You never change. You are the same yesterday, today, and forever. Have mercy on us and turn our hearts to You lest we perish in our stubborn self-will.

"Amen."

Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. (John 6:57)

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