Filled With All the Fullness of God
Filled With All the Fullness of God
For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord's holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. (Ephesians 3:14-19)
The passage above shows that while the Christians at Ephesus already had the Spirit of God in their inner being, they were exhorted to press forward in Christ until they were filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.
I believe the implication here is that the baptism with the Holy Spirit should be the beginning of a progressive enlargement of the Spirit. We who have been baptized with the Spirit may tend to regard the baptism as a final work, with the next stop being Heaven.
Do you find this to be true in your experience in the Christian churches? If it is true, perhaps we should give some thought to the passage above. Maybe there is more of God for us. I read in the third chapter of the Book of Philippians that the Apostle Paul was pressing forward to grasp that for which he had been grasped by the Lord Jesus.
But let us look at what Jesus taught.
If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. (John 14:15-17)
The Spirit of Truth is going to be with us forever! Think of it!
We used to say in the Pentecostal movement that if a believer had not spoken in tongues he did not have the Holy Spirit. However, the truth is, one cannot be a genuine Christian unless the Holy Spirit is living in him or her.
You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. (Romans 8:9)
Jesus went on to say things that we ought to give more attention to, I believe:
Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. (John 14:19)
The above is interesting, isn't it? Jesus is maintaining that if we live by His life we will see Him.
Of late, as our church will testify, I have been preoccupied with the thought of living by the Life of the Lord Jesus. By this I mean I am offering every thought, every word I speak, and every action to Christ.
I cannot truthfully say that I am seeing Him clearly, but I will say that as I persevere in attempting to think, speak, and behave along with the living Lord Jesus, His Presence is becoming increasingly real.
He is looking over my shoulder right now, as I am writing.
I keep emphasizing living by the Life of Jesus because I can see calamity coming in the world, and also to the United States. In fact, I think we in America are going to have a civil war, because of the hatred of the left and right political wings toward one another.
Perhaps the Lord is going to use the disasters in the world to encourage us to press into Christ, to learn to live by His Life. I would not be surprised at all if such is the case.
Also the False Prophet is beginning to be revealed. The False Prophet is Christian people who are stressing miracles (the two horns of the Lamb) but are acting from their own self-will (the voice of the dragon). It appears to me that this "prophetic" movement will grow to major proportions and will deceive Christian people who are not living by the Life of Jesus.
I don't believe these "prophets" are hearing from the Lord Jesus but are planning to bring into existence the type of revival they think will be the most helpful. Such is a formula for spiritual disaster! Man is on the throne!
There is no question in my mind but that the greatest enemy of God in the universe is the self-will of people.
As we are approaching chaos in the world, our only protection will be that of bringing every thought, word, and action into fellowship and harmony with the living Jesus.
That is the "rest of God," isn't it.
On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. (John 14:20)
This realization will be necessary if we are to stand and help others to stand in Christ throughout the coming period of moral and physical chaos and desolation that even now are on the horizon.
"I am in My Father." Jesus is not the Father but dwells in the Father and reveals the Father in Himself.
We are to be related to the Lord Jesus in the same manner. We are not Jesus but are to dwell in Jesus and reveal Jesus in ourselves. Then the world will realize that it is God who has sent Jesus and loves us as He loves Jesus.
Jesus desire to live in us. This is a major, a prime issue in our day. Jesus is to live in us. We are to be crucified with Christ so that Christ is living in our flesh, just as the Apostle Paul testified.
From my point of view there is not nearly enough emphasis, in today's Christian churches, on Jesus living in us.
Instead of Christ living in us we have a religion that is operated largely by the self-will of human beings. We have our liturgies and our missionary obligations. There is nothing wrong with these, except that they are operated according to our thinking and reasoning in so many instances.
All of our Christian activities should be conducted according to a conscious fellowship, assistance, and directions from our Lord. Perhaps I am mistaken here, but maybe not.
You know, I was thinking this morning about the Christian religions, the various denominations. No doubt they are doing much good. But it may be true that as time goes on the various Christian religious systems will become void of the Spirit of God, and the true Christian disciples will know one another and automatically will become one in Christ because they are filled with the fullness of God.
Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13)
Maybe I am incorrect here, but it seems to me if the Christian people were attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ, it would be kind of ridiculous to attempt to separate them into different denominations.
I seriously doubt when we die and enter the spirit realm we will be sorted out according to our denominational preferences, but according to what kind of person we have become through Christ. How do your feel about this?
When it states in Revelation that God's firstfruits were not defiled with women, perhaps it means they were not married to a religious system.
These are those who did not defile themselves with women, for they remained virgins. They follow the Lamb wherever he goes. They were purchased from among mankind and offered as firstfruits to God and the Lamb. (Revelation 14:4)
I am not suggesting that we all troop out of our churches. Rather I am saying that while we may be affiliated with a particular denomination, we should keep firmly in mind that we are members of a larger group, the Body of Christ, and that we are one with all true Christians.
I believe this essential unity will be revealed during the closing days of the Church Age, and people then will believe it is God who has sent Jesus Christ into the world.
Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them. (John 14:21)
I must stop here and elaborate a problem that has occupied my thinking over the last fifty years.
We have a massive error in Christian thinking, and it appears that not too many of the believers notice it. It has to do with the commands of Christ and those of His Apostles.
The Apostle Paul, who attempted to bring the salvation of Christ to Jewish people, used the term "grace." Although "grace" is employed sometimes as a general blessing, "grace be with you," its most frequent usage is as forgiveness, or God overlooking our conduct.
"You ought to try to do good, but our loving God's grace will bring you to Heaven."
Do you agree with that? It could not be more unscriptural.
In the first place, our goal is not eternal residence in Heaven. Our goal is to be conformed to the image of Christ and to dwell in untroubled rest in God's Person and will.
Search in your Bible (not the Editor's notes) and underline every verse that says we are saved to go to Heaven.
You won't find any!
Secondly, the purpose of "grace" is not to be an alternative to godly living. It is to free us from the Law of Moses so we can follow Christ without distraction from victory to victory over sin and self-will..
We Christians are not obligated to live according to our flesh. Rather we are obligated to put to death through the Spirit the sins prompted by our fleshly nature. If we do not, we will not be transformed in body when Christ next appears!
Therefore, brothers and sisters, we have an obligation—but it is not to the flesh, to live according to it. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God. (Romans 8:12-14)
The Spirit of God will help us put to death the sinful promptings of our flesh.
The Lord stated that it is those who keep His commands who love Him. How about those who maintain they love Christ but do not keep His commands because they are "saved by grace" (they think)? Do they love Christ in spite of what Jesus said?
As I see it, most of the Christian world is deceived. Perhaps this is why such fearful Divine judgments are ahead for us.
But we and our loved ones will be protected in that hour if we will be obedient to Christ and live by His Life. Our reward for being sternly obedient to Christ will be the Divine protection afforded our loved ones. It is a lamb for a house!
"The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them."
If I am not mistaken, the venerable doctrine of the Trinity has brought confusion into our thinking about the Father and the Son. I understand that the authors of the doctrine intend by this to give the fullness of glory, authority, and power to Christ.
Such is a worthy goal. But the idea that Christ has no unique identity but is an expression of the Father does not fit some passages of the Scripture.
The problem arises because of the fact that Christ is One with the Father. Hence, we reason, Christ is an Expression of the Father.
And it is true that Christ is the Expression of the Father and is an integral Part of the Father. We would not in any manner whatever seek to diminish the Deity and exalted position of the Son of God.
But when we give careful thought to the following passage we see that the true Christian is being brought into that same Oneness with Christ and the Father, although our role in the Kingdom of God is not nearly as exalted.
That all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me. I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me. (John 14:21-23)
"I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one—I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity (Lit into one)." I have repeated this sentence for emphasis."
That they may be one as We are one.
I think the unwillingness of some students to accept the above passage in full force is that they wish to uphold the holiness of the Godhead. This certainly is understandable.
But there always is mischief when we seek to compromise the obvious meaning of a passage of the Bible.
The truth is, when we are born again we now have two natures. We still are children of Adam. But now we also have been born of the Seed of God. We now are of the Divine Nature, a different race, if you will.
As such we can become an integral part of the Father, just as Jesus is, and therefore a genuine brother of the Lord.
If Jesus were not an authentic Person, then His cry in Gethsemane indeed is confusing: "Not My will but Yours be done."
Perhaps by theologic gymnastics we can prove that Jesus and the Father are the same Person and still assert that the prayer in Gethsemane remains valid. But as for me, I believe Jesus was praying to a Person with a will different from His.
And what makes an individual more unique as a person than his will?
Because of later comments in the present essay I am stressing at this point that the Father and the Son are two authentically unique Persons, although totally One in thinking, speech, and behavior,.
I say they are one in thinking, and they are when the Father gives Jesus the Father's knowledge. I believe Jesus gains the Father's knowledge and will as Jesus prays.
Jesus said to them, "You will indeed drink from my cup, but to sit at my right or left is not for me to grant. These places belong to those for whom they have been prepared by my Father." (Matthew 20:23)
"The one who loves me will be loved by my Father ."
If we show our love for Jesus by keeping His commands, the Father will love us.
Jesus is the Way to the Father, He informs us. When Jesus was lifted up, He drew all people to Himself. He draws people to Himself that He may bring them to the Father.
I think we should be picturing our Father more often than we do. We should be crying out to Him, "Father, Father" as we begin to recognize His great love for us.
We are brothers and sisters of Christ. When He ascended to Heaven, He ascended to His God and our God; to His Father and our Father.
Is that marvelous or is that marvelous!
I think America today is rejecting Christ. When we reject Christ we are rejecting the Father; we leave the blessing of God. Soon we will notice the effects of the current rejecting of Christ and His Father!
Then Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, "But, Lord, why do you intend to show yourself to us and not to the world?" (John 14:22)
As the days grow spiritually darker, Christ will become clearer to those who are seeking to live by His Life. Unfortunately, the people of the world will not share this experience but will plunge ahead according their own will. Their destiny is not enviable.
Jesus replied, "Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them. (John 14:23)
We might consider that the above verse is the same as the baptism with the Holy Spirit. I do not believe it is.
In the seven feasts of the Lord, Pentecost, symbolizes the baptism with the Holy Spirit, the celebration of Pentecost is number four. The Christian Church was born when the Apostles spoke in tongues on the very day of the Jewish festival of Pentecost.
However, the climactic celebration was the seventh and last feast, the festival of Tabernacles.
It is my opinion, and I have been contemplating this issue for many years, that the coming of the Father and Christ to abide in us is not the same as the baptism with the Holy Spirit.
Perhaps we could say the coming of the Father and Christ to abide in us is just more of the Spirit. But I don't think so. That would be to confuse the members of the Godhead, in a sense.
The Father is the Father. The Son is the Son. The Spirit is the Spirit. "God in three Persons, blessed Trinity."
It might be acceptable to say that the Spirit works in us, preparing us for the coming of the Father and the Son.
It is interesting to note that the Greek term utilized in John 14:2, and translated "mansions," is related directly to the Greek term "home,"in John 14:23 (place of abode).
God created man, male and female, to be His image in the creation. As far as I know, of all the creatures of God, including even the Cherubim of Glory, only man can be made an integral part of the Godhead, being born of God's Divine Nature.
God created man to be God's home, His eternal place of abode.
God created man be a place for God to rest. The "rest of God," as mentioned in the fourth chapter of the Book of Hebrews, speaks of our untroubled rest in God's Person and will, and God's untroubled rest in us.
God created man to be the place of His Throne, from which the works of His hands are governed.
For this reason we must be set free totally from every sin of the flesh and spirit.
Even more importantly, to be the Throne of God we must become poor in spirit, surrendering to God all of our own plans, motives, desires, ambitions, fears, duties. In their place the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and finally we ourselves when we are at rest in God, must occupy the throne room of our personality.
All of this is possible to us through our Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Way to the Father!
Have we been forgiven and filled with God's Spirit? Let us then press forward in Christ until we are filled with all the Fullness of God.
All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27)