bEphesians 4 needs to be read as a whole chapter. Paul addresses the Body of Christ to “walk worthy of the vocation wherewith we are called,” (verse 1) and then expounds our walk in the whole chapter, but he begins by calling himself “a prisoner of the Lord.”
The line of a song comes to mind:
“Freedom isn’t really freedom, till I bind myself to Thee…” (Willy Moffat)
Our times are in God’s hands, (Psalm 31:15). Do I trust Him with His perfect timing? Am I at rest in the process He is taking me through in my life? Do I rest in the “is” of God?….or am I constantly looking to the future and trying to get out of what I am in? God uses every moment of the process to teach us to live with a captivated heart, where He can comfortably reign.
For many years the Lord sent a message through Arthur to the Body of Christ. He was a type of “John the Baptist”, a voice crying in the wilderness of the Church, “Prepare, ye, the way of the Lord,”…….teaching and demonstrating through his life that God was preparing a people to live in, and carry, the Presence of God. For many who were at a loss in their walk with the Lord, Jesus turned up for them, (because God loved them!) in a man called Arthur Burt, with a life-changing message…..but it was JESUS who came and made the difference, not Arthur, he was just the messenger – a servant and “prisoner” of the Lord. Let us not raise up a statue to Arthur, he was a signpost to Jesus!
Where now is the God of Arthur Burt? He is with us!…..alive and well in the form of His wonderful Son, Jesus, dwelling within us. At salvation when I was born again, God’s holy, incorruptible seed was placed within me containing every ingredient needed to come to the full stature of the fullness of Christ. God has done everything from His side of the covenant, my responsibility is to make the right choices in my life and humble under His mighty hand, as He works in the circumstances of my life to teach me to live in His Presence and extend His kingdom on this earth in, and through, me to His glory.
As we were worshiping the Lord this morning, a brother had a picture: He saw a massive building structure containing vast numbers of people inside, a mixture of Believers and Non-believers. They were all going about their daily business when suddenly a huge earthquake struck the place. The Non-believers panicked as total chaos surrounded them, but the Believers were at total rest in the chaos. There was a sudden realisation with the Non-believers that the Believers were demonstrating a peace and calm that they were not experiencing, and they cried out to them in desperation and fear, “What shall we do?”
This is a picture of what is to come, maybe not literally, or maybe so….but a time is coming of deep distress. If we have not been prepared to walk with the Lord in whatsoever circumstances we find ourselves in, to be rid of fear, anxiety, depression, dismay and panic, we will be of no use to those experiencing these. These are tumultuous times, but amidst them all we can learn to nestle into the bosom of our Saviour, enter His Rest and carry His Presence to a needy and lost generation.
God’s word cannot be thwarted. Romans 14:11 “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess…”
Habakkuk 2:14 “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.”
We are stepping into a new era. Each of us has opportunity to take the baton of the truths we have heard and witnessed to, and run towards our divine destiny with an expectant heart.
“Lord Jesus, help us to be found faithful to our heavenly calling. Your beauty leaves us breathless and speechless as we bow and allow you to captivate our hearts….all for YOUR Glory, Lord, as you continue to work with us to “seek first, the kingdom of God,” and be carriers of Your Presence.”
