No, God has not changed. He is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Yet, through Jesus our ‘seeing’ of God has radically changed. Also our access to and relationship with God has been radically changed through the work of the cross.

Being ‘inside’ instead of ‘outside’

Jesus opened the path for us to live ‘inside’ God’s domain (kingdom). This positional change has a very radical effect on our view, relationship and access to God. Yet, more than a positional change, Jesus made us like Him. Through the new birth we are now the sons of God and part of His family.

Therefore our access to God is now unrestricted. Also there is nothing we can do to alter this. We are only required to boldly enter our Father’s house. No sin can alter our sonship. Neither can my sin keep me from access to the Father. This is what I believe the prodigal son teaches us.

The problem of sin being the barrier between us and God has been removed through the cross. The only barriers that remain are those of fear and choice. Many who are entitled to live ‘inside the house’ do not enter due to fear and false religious training. Also many sons who are called to live with God, choose to live independently from Him, and therefore by their volition experience God as One afar.

Punishment?

Does God not punish us for our sin? No, I do not believe He does. The punishment for our sin and failure was placed upon Jesus. The account for mankind’s sin has been fully paid for at the cross. Yet, Father does discipline us. The purpose of discipline is not ‘punishment’, but to teach us the path we are to walk in. Father disciplines us (teaching us His ways), in order for us to mature and fully grow into the image and stature of the firstborn Son, Jesus. Through this discipline we also learn who God is. We learn to see things from His point of view instead of our own or that of the world.

Judgment of the wicked

At the end of this age God will judge (weigh) all things. All things created have been created through and for Jesus and will be judged in relation to Him. At that time every knee will bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord. For those who have accepted Him as Lord this will be a glorious time. But those who did accept His gift of grace and are therefore not of Him, will be weighed and found wanting. God’s righteous indignation will burn away all that is not aligned with His Son so that only that which is perfected through the Son will remain.

The consequences of my decisions

God instituted laws in the earth which are applicable to ALL mankind. These laws are things like gravity and sowing and reaping. Father does not take away from me the consequences of my decisions. Jesus also prayed that Father would keep us in this world – not take us out of this world. For me this means that God will keep (preserve) me even when I need to walk out the consequences of foolish and sinful decisions. This is part of Father’s way to teach us His heart, ways and principles. Thus our experience of ‘bad consequences’ is not God’s punishment or judgment, but merely the outworking of His universal laws applicable to all mankind. This is why the prodigal ended in humiliation amongst the pigs.

Where are we?

The unfortunate state of the church is that few of the sons of God live together with their Father. Most are journeying along a dry and hot path in the pursuit to ‘keep God happy’. Many others are on self-induced campaigns to religious significance, pleasure or wealth. All of these paths have there own religious doctrine to validate their position ‘in Him’, yet the true freedom we have been made to live in only comes when we yield to our Father and choose to live where He lives – in His love…

I have previously mentioned the relationship between faith and
relationship. This is not to say that relationship is faith, but the
comparison does help us to understand faith. I actually want to take
the comparison a bit further and liken faith to marriage.

I do believe that there is a strong biblical case for such a
comparison since our faith in Christ is expressed through the church
being the bride of Christ. Also the culmination of our faith is union
with God.

Therefore what is the purpose of faith? Why did God design something
like faith? Why does He require faith in order to please Him? I
believe faith is necessary in order to relate to God. Without faith we
can have no relationship. And without relationship we cannot please
Him and we sin (means ‘missing the mark’). Therefore is God angry when
we miss the mark (sin)? Is He angry when we choose not to believe
(relate with Him)?

No, I do not believe He is angry. Although it does not please Him, I
believe His displeasure is more focused upon His lack of relationship
with us than Him being displeased with us. I believe that this is what
the parable of the Prodigal Son teaches us. The Father was not a bit
angry, although he was saddened by the younger son’s departure and
long absence and also the elder son’s lack of understanding why he was
not angry.

Marriage is about relationship. A good marriage is built through the
elements of love, trust, communication, friendship, intimacy,
labouring together, to mention a few.

As in marriage the purpose of faith is union. It is to be united in
all things. This union with God is not easily achieved since it
involves learning to yield to Him as He leads us on the journey of
life. And thus I understand Heb 11 in this light. Without the pursuit
of union with God (faith), it is impossible to please Him. It is this
restoration of their union that pleased the Father so much at the
return of the prodigal son. It is also this very fact that the older
son misunderstood regarding his Father’s intent.

And therefore I test whether I am ‘walking by faith and not by sight’
through my union with God. Am I being moved and led by the Spirit? Am
I remaining in His love and rest? Am I yielding to His leading? If I
can answer ‘yes’, I believe that I am walking by faith. But when I
walk through the impulses of the natural (soulish) man, I become
selfish and fearful and take matters into my own hands. I depart from
His leading (union) in order to ‘make things happen’. At this point I
believe that I am no longer walking by faith, but by sight.

Often times we become discouraged when we view faith as a formula in
order to obtain something from God or to ‘keep Him happy’. As such we
are then prone to look for signs that the ‘formula is working’ and
that God is pleased. We then reason that when He is pleased we will be
blessed by Him. I believe this is the viewpoint of a slave – not a
son. It was indeed also the mindset of the prodigal as he journeyed
back home. Yet, what a surprise when he was reunited with his loving
Father, who was not in the least interested in his formulas, sacrifice
or good works.

Father’s only interest is union with His son…

Most Christians hope for better circumstances in life. They hope, trust and believe for a better day. And although the scriptures are filled with promises regarding Father’s blessings and provision, many fail to comprehend the ways of the Lord regarding a personal life of fullness and purpose.

As a 20 something I had very similar questions 20 years ago when I was confronted with building a life of my own. I was full of faith and hope, but was exposed to very wrong and damaging teaching. The basic ‘good news’ as preached back then (as it is today) was: Go your way, hold on to His promises, obey his commandments and He will bless your faithfulness.

It surely sounds good and noble, doesn’t it? For it is indeed a generally acceptable statement. But today I must declare it to be false and the root of many unintended but nevertheless destructive consequences.

I hope to be able to help some by correcting the above statement and bring some clarity as to the dealings and purpose of the Lord in our lives.

Correction #1: ‘Follow Him’ versus ‘Go your way’

Jesus never called us to map out our own path which He is then suppose to bless. Instead He calls us to closely follow Him and keep in step with Him. In this we have to commit all to Him (daily) and then follow His leading. Most Christians follow their own understanding and pray that God would find their way agreeable as to then bless them.

Correction #2: ‘Entrust your life to Him’ versus ‘Hold on to His promises’

Don’t get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with believing the promises of God. Yet, most Christians believe the scriptures and promises selectively and as such many promises ultimately form a ‘layer’ of self-constructed deception. Somehow we choose to believe our own version of ‘the truth’ and then conveniently gloss over it with enough of His promises and words as to hide our own fear, pain and selfishness. Instead we are to take our lives, count it all up and then lay it all at the feet of Jesus. Until we have fully counted and fully surrendered all, we do not and actually cannot fully trust Him. I know that this is a continuous and lifelong process, but the key problem is that most Christian never even start!

Correction #3: ‘Listen and obey the Spirit’ versus ‘Obey His commandments’

As per the previous point, there is nothing wrong in obeying the commandments of the Lord. Yet, we tend to draw up our own lists of ‘right and wrong’ and then commit ourselves to keeping our own law, instead of simply ‘Loving God and loving others’. Why do we do this? Well in my own personal experience it is impossible to love God and love others without the Spirit of God actively manifesting His love through us. In order to fulfill the standard of the new covenant we are to be led and empowered by the Holy Spirit personally. This empowerment only happens as we follow and keep in step with the Spirit – not by keeping a list of do’s and don’ts.

Correction #4: ‘His blessing is along the path (journey)’ versus ‘He will bless your faithfulness’

I used to believe that God’s blessing befalls who pray and obey hard enough. Well, in fact it is true for those who live in the desert. Yet, the Lord’s intention for us is to journey to the ‘promised land’ or stated differently to return to the Father’s house. Father does not find any joy nor does He intend to ‘reward my good works’. Instead He desires for His sons and daughters to live full and productive lives under His reign while enjoying the blessings of His household. The faithfulness He desires is not my best works on offer. Instead He longs for the son who was ‘lost but have come home’. Therefore the faithfulness He desires is that of a broken, humbled son who chooses to journey with (back to) Him. It is such faithfulness that receives the blessing of the Lord along their journey.

Therefore stop trying to keep God happy with all manner of good intentions and good works. Commit your whole life to Him; step out onto the path of following Him; listen and obey the Spirit and ‘all the things the gentiles seek will be added to you’.

In this you will also fulfill the law of the Lord and of the Spirit.

This is what the Lord spoke to me regarding raising our children in the ways of the Lord. But before I get into the details, just a bit of background.

Jana and I have 3 kids, Ester (11), Daniel (8) and Tine (5). The older two have made a commitment to Christ and the younger is a keen inquirer!

So the question to the Lord was ‘How do I train and teach me children regarding knowing and following Jesus’. This has obviously been a question being asked over an extended period of time as we as parents grapple with the challenges of our growing family.

Well for starters we know and did this much:

1. Do not train them in religious or sacrificial actions towards God. God does not want nor require any sacrifice – Jesus is, was and will always be the only accepted sacrifice.
2. Do not train them in religious behaviour. But do teach them right from wrong (firm loving discipline is the key)
3. Live the life of following Jesus before them to see.
4. Tell them about Him.
5. Pray for and with them.
6. Trust Holy Spirit to show them the Way.

This is pretty much what we teach wherever we go so we basically applied it in our family.

Yet, the other day the Lord told me, ‘Teach them to live!’

This really triggered some things in my heart. For so much of Christianity focuses on being ‘safe’, ‘being holy’, ‘going to heaven not hell’ and ‘keeping God happy’, that we hardly get to living His life in and through us. And when ‘living’ is taught it is normally portrayed in ‘financially prosperous, successful and influential’ terms. Even worse is that most Christians are taught that true life comes as a result of, or reward for religious conformation!

Jesus said that, ‘I have come so that you might have life and live that life to the full’.

Jesus’ mission was to restore His life back unto whosoever will believe in Him. He came to give life and also to teach us to live by that same life. But Jesus is also the Path of Life and calls us to follow Him along that Path which leads to a relationship with Father. And finally he calls us to give that life away to others so that they might also live.

Therefore to the above list I am adding the following:

1. Teach and demonstrate to them that Christianity is about His Life in us
2. Teach and show them that that Life is a Person to follow (Holy Spirit)
3. In following Him daily you travel along the journey of the Path of Life
4. This Path leads to a growing relationship with Father
5. This Path leads you to lose yourself and afford you the luxury to give it all away
6. You will end up a giver of Life and a blessing to others

In short: Teach them to hear and follow Him and then give themselves away.

We all know the story of the 10 lepers who Jesus healed. One of the ten returned to thank Him. The other nine were simply happy to have their need met and rushed along to live their lives to the full.

So was Jesus upset? No, I believe not. He loves people. He loves to heal and restore the sick and broken.

But what did Jesus truly desire for them? What was the fullness that He promised in John 10:10 when He said, “I have come that you may have life, and have that life more abundantly”? Jesus came to introduce mankind to His Father. He came to introduce them to a life of knowing His Father. He came to show them that they did not need to live selfish lives, but had the option to live by Father’s love instead.

Regarding this life of love, the 10 lepers (including the thankful one) knew very little. They could not see nor perceive this love or relationship for they were simply too focused on their own need.

This is the great tragedy of the church at large. She is too bound up by her own wounds, pain, need and endless striving to ‘save self’, that she fails to recognize her great purpose – to be the bride of the One who loves her.

The great tragedy is that most of God’s people will strive (for a while at least) to press into Him to have their ‘leprosy’ healed, but very few will seek to love and be loved by Him. Their love simply ends at the point where self is healed, touched or elevated by God. They fail to understand the meaning of His great love. They fail to understand His desire to be one with them.

Failure, lack or sickness is a great door through which we seek Him. But let us not stop there. Let us press beyond our need and engage the One who loves us. Only His love can transform us into the loving faithful bride. Only His love opens the door so that we may have and live His life and have and live in His life more abundantly.

Stay hungry…

I saw a house that was built with living stones – a dwelling place of the Lord. It was positioned in the world, yet not of the world.

The house is a community of the sons of God fully surrendered and living by the life of Christ. This community has no other name but the Name of Jesus. They have no mission other than to see the King abide with and amongst them. In being a community placed in the world but not of the world and being a dwelling place of the King, the authority of Christ was being extended in and through their lives and interaction with the world. The house was dynamically (re-)constructed by the Spirit, constantly changing in shape and size in accordance with the desire of the Lord.

“The true extension of My rule takes place when successive generations remain a living dwelling place or house for My Spirit, without the next generation having to start alone on their journey into Me (surrender). If you teach and train your children the path of the kingdom through surrender and obedience, they will not need to travel alone through the desert and learn about My heart and ways on their own. They will remain in the kingdom (under My rule) and will therefore become yielded vessels of my kingdom much sooner in life. In this way My rule will truly be accelerated and extended for the restoration of all things unto its original purpose.”

Comments:

• I see this ‘house of the Lord’ as a multi-generational community of those surrendered unto the Lord.
• In my own experience it is the closest resemblance to ‘the Way’ – as the church was called in the book of Acts. In essence such a community is not just an assembly of people, but a group journeying together with Christ as their Way.
• In this word we see the critical importance of a multi-generational community where the older men and women teach the younger ones, and the parents train their children in the way of the Lord.
• Thus the church, as a community, is more like a family than a gathering. It takes upon itself the task of passing on the love, light, holiness, word, revelation and grace of the Lord to the next generation.
• I believe that it is critical for the continuation of this purpose of the Lord as manifested through His reign and kingdom.
• I believe the key in this is to teach our children to ‘journey with the Lord’. This happens through hearing and obeying the Spirit in the same way we are called to do. Some of us still have this opportunity with our children and we need to ensure that we walk with them as they embark on the journey of the heart. This journey leads us away from a self-centered life back to a surrendered life under God.
• We must be very careful to distinguish between teaching religious conformation to standards (law), instead of teaching others to be led by the Spirit. For in learning to hear, obey and follow the Spirit they will not fulfill the lusts of the flesh and He will teach and lead them on the journey towards union with God.
• I am trilled to be able to testify that the Lord has raised up a number of such communities and I pray that the Lord will continue with this whether there are surrendered followers of Him.
• Another key element of this word is that this relational structure (community) had no name, but only carried the Name of the King – Jesus. I believe this is one of the key elements that testifies of a true kingdom community.
• Positioning. This is another critical element of this house. This house was established by the Lord in the world – yet not of this world. One of the great purposes of the kingdom of Christ as reflected through His people, is that they are the light on a hill, the salt to the meat and the yeast to the dough. Godly communities produce strong, healthy and mature sons and daughters who can and should take their place in this world without being conformed to this world. Let us learn to fully live in this world, but not of this world, without becoming religious (which is the immature substitute for a mature Spirit-led life). I believe that much of the fear that Christians experience (and fail to overcome) is because they are deprived from the love that a Godly community (not a religious one) brings.

Well, I am looking forward to this year with great expectation. We are so privileged to have been led by the Spirit in such a remarkable way the past 15 years of prophetic journey. Today I can truly say that the prophetic is being overtaken by reality! Everywhere I look I see the seeds of the Lord’s word germinating and small plants coming up in His name. To some this might seem insignificant, but for a ’seer’ it is quite a magnificent sight!

Over the next couple of weeks, I will post 9 prophetic words that I received exactly a year ago. I received them as a further exposition to the 21 year prophecy (1994) of which we have entered the third seven year season during March/April 2008.   I did share these words in Pretoria during the Feb 2008 gathering, but actually felt to let the seeds die in the ground and comment on them after they have germinated. So below is the first word I received during December 2007 followed by my own personal comments.

The invisible army

I saw Jesus as King on a horse, leading an army into battle. This army was the sons of the Kingdom – those who did not love their lives even unto death. Issues regarding Christ’s identity, Christ’s purpose and Christ’s mission have been worked out and rooted in their lives.

It was an invisible army. They were invisible to the world as well as the religious systems of the day. They crossed the battle line between the visible church and the world undetected and were sown as seeds in the enemy’s territory. These seeds are the sons of the kingdom who give their lives to see the great harvest of the kingdom.

Their purpose is to reclaim territory lost to Satan through Adam’s rebellion. As they surrender to Christ and give their lives for His kingdom, the Lord uses them to redeem that which was lost. They loosen the shackles of darkness, deception and sin. They are the executors for the New Covenant mandate.

Comments:

• Expect to be sent to unusual places and to be given unusual tasks.
• Understand that you are a seed that will die and through it there will come forth life in dying, dry and dark places.
• Do not expect ‘religious recognition’ – you are supposed to be invisible! I see this ‘invisibility’ in the light of Jesus’ parable of the yeast and the mustard seed.
• Our expectation should be to see liberation come to people, communities, businesses, families and institutions.
• Our expectation should not be to see perfection in results! Many may struggle with this statement. Yet, perfection is personally centered in Jesus – not in this world, its systems or even our own relational communities. We are each personally called into union with the One who is perfect, and He has made ample provision for us by becoming our personal holiness, righteousness and sanctification. Yet, beyond this union, we engage a broken, sinful and lost world (and church in most cases). This engagement is not suppose to be perfect! It is suppose to be an engagement of light conquering darkness, love displacing fear, grace outperforming law and holiness overcoming sin.
• Our expectation and faith should be to see Jesus’ light, love, holiness and grace step by step ‘make the world a better place’. To some this Jesus’ touch will mean personal salvation. To others it will mean better health care or education. Jesus’ brought salvation to the lost, taught about His kingdom, healed ungrateful lepers, forgave a prostitute and rebuked the religious all in one go! As kingdom people we are called, equipped and empowered by the Spirit to do the same.
• Let us never live in religious and cultural boxes again for we are an advancing force and the army the devil has always feared! Yet, this is only possible for those who have died to their own in order to step up into that which He has purchased for us. Have great courage and great faith!
• As an encouragement I added a portion of the 21 year prophecy.

Extract from the 21 Year Prophecy

Third 7 years (2008-2014)

The third seven year season is going to be a time of battle. A time that My light is going to break forth. A time that My servants is going to be trained in warfare; they are going to be trained to fight with faith and by the word of the Spirit they shall overcome. And it is going to be 7 years that I will fight in this nation. No longer will you fight like you do now, for the ways and schemes of men will pass away. The darkness will be dark and the light, lighter. The darkness will be utter darkness. The world will say: ‘Yes, darkness has come, but My church will say: ‘Wait, wait the light of the Lord has risen upon us”. It will be seven years that I will press into this nation. No longer will they fight, but I will fight for them.

One of the most fundamental structural weaknesses of the institutional church is its insistence to function organizationally in the same manner as the world’s organizations. Yet, when we fully grasp that being the church is wherever two or more gather in His name, under the headship of Christ, and with the belief that the Spirit leads and builds His church, we can truly live free from the need for humanistic structures in church life. We have become a building of His making and have returned to the Lord’s original design of family and community.

Once we have come to this point we also realize that we are perfectly positioned to proclaim and demonstrate both the love and rule of Christ. Because we carry no banners, wear no robes, and do not have to conform to religious constitutions or constituencies, we are free to ‘become all things to all men, that we might by all means save some.’ (1 Corinthians 9:22)

Jesus prayed that we might be one with Him and the Father in the same manner that They are one. Yet, in the same prayer He also prayed that those who are so united with the Lord, not be removed from this world. Jesus knows that those who have lost their lives in Him are safe from this world for they are no longer of the same world they were born into. They are therefore positioned as the light to the world, shining as stars and witnesses to the world and the principalities and power of the air.

Jesus’ strategy to save the world was exactly the same and He left us with the perfect example for bringing salvation to a people. Jesus became a man, lived a normal life amongst sinners, rejected the religious order of the day and by the time He was crucified by the powers to be it was too late. He came as yeast and when His work was done the whole lump was affected. Persecution of His followers only worked to strengthen the faith and resolve of those who believed in Him.

Why have the church at large failed to see this? Because the church is simply neither mature nor strong enough in their faith to trust Him in the day of battle. Most Christians are self-focused instead of Christ-focused. Therefore their gatherings, prayers, faith and works are also self-focused. Instead of engaging in the real battles of the Spirit, they pick fights with the devil which were actually triggered by their own carnal desires. Yet, when we turn our eyes fully upon the Lord as Joshua and Caleb did in their day of opportunity, we will also see the hand and power of God at work in the same way.

I trust that we might all have the faith to look pass our own fears to simply follow Jesus wherever He may lead us.

To those who fear for my sake, or the sake of my family, I appreciate your concern, but may simply not entertain any unbelief. We are not novices on this journey. Twelve years ago we left great opportunity for religious recognition, stability and ministry, to go where others feared for our safety, sanity and future. And although we have faced hard and difficult times, this journey has only enriched our lives, strengthened our faith the Lord, added many incredible relationships to our community of friends and left us with great hope for the future.

Please add your faith to ours in praying for His will to be done. Pray that He may open the doors to be opened, and close the doors to be closed. We want nothing but His will. We are fully committed to follow Him regardless whether the journey leads us to cross or glory.

Have great faith, for the Lord is on the move!

I believe that the core temptation and subsequent damage done to man through the deception and work of the devil is the destruction of his identity.

For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God… (Gen 3:5)

Satan deceived Adam into exchanging his identity as a son of God for an alternative identity: to be like God. So what is it that God had that Adam did not have?

Well, before we get there let’s first look at what Adam already had. Adam as a son of God was relationally bound into family. He was a son and also a steward of God’s property. He lived off inheritance and had responsibilities to oversee the earth. He was given a mandate to fulfill and in doing so bring glory to his Father.

Now, what did Adam not have which tempted him into being like God? Adam was not afforded to be the creator of his own destiny. Neither did he have control over his life, purpose and dreams. Also there was certain knowledge hidden from him, which he felt could lead to the unlocking of God’s secret to power and authority.

I would like to highlight 3 key issues here: Control, destiny and knowledge. Adam desired to gain control of his own world. Through this control he would be able to ‘imagine his own world’, ‘map his own path’ and then ‘do things his own way’. In other words Adam could become the master of his own destiny. Yet, for him to achieve this he required information of the unknown and thus the quest for knowledge began. Knowledge would give him the power to gain control and pursue his own destiny.

Thus Adam desired to be ‘upgraded’ from a son in God’s family, to become the creator of his own destiny. In this Adam followed in Satan’s footsteps and thus became bound by the same sin and realm of darkness reserved for the devil. He ended as a son of evil and a slave to sin. Man’s identity, male and female created in God’s image, was thus destroyed and Satan’s goal to distort the image of God in the universe was achieved. The fatal blow to Adam was that his identity, rooted in the image of God, was altered forever. He ended as a slave. Yet, to this day Satan still deceives man through the illusion of freedom offered through control, destiny and knowledge.

Jesus was sent as the second Adam to restore the image of God in the universe. As the image of God was given to mankind, Jesus had to become a man in order to reclaim it. Sin was the obvious stronghold holding man captive and thus Jesus destroyed its power and paid the ransom in full with His own life and blood. Yet, the ultimate liberty purchased by Christ was not only the forgiveness and redemption from sin, but the restoration of man’s identity and place in the family of God.

Whereas forgiveness and the redemption from sin is a free gift of grace received through faith in Christ, the inner journey of discovering and choosing to be a ‘son in the house’ instead of a self-centered pursuer of vain imaginations can take a lifetime.

Who am I?

I truly believe that to the extent that an individual is able to answer this question in his inner being he is able to overcome in this world and therefore help others along this journey. This is a very personal journey that each and every individual has to make on their own. This does not however mean that they should be alone. On this journey we can and should help one another, yet each and every individual son and daughter of God has to reach Father’s house in their own personal capacity and way.

I was first confronted with the question of ‘dying to self’ in 1989. Through a very personal and difficult journey (it always is) I discovered that ‘surrendering to God’ opened the path of ‘dying to my own way’, in order for me to then follow Him along His way. This particular journey has shaped and transformed my life for the past 20 years.

At first I experienced ‘dying to self’ as a battle for life. It involved the exchanging of my will for His will, with the result that I experienced my life ‘slipping away’ and His ‘life becoming increasingly prominent’. This can be a terrifying experience since one looses what is closest to you – your self-will. Although I increasing became convinced that all of this was a work of the Lord, I did not at first understand His reasoning. Due to the experience of an increase in His life (light, holiness, love), I gathered that His reasoning was to restore His life in me. This is of course true, but the foundational understanding for this process I have only come to realize during the last couple of years.

Father is fundamentally restoring us as sons and daughters in His family. At the core of this restoration is our identity. This restoration involves the following aspects:

• We cannot effectively live the Christian life outside a relationship with God. Both Jesus and Adam had a conversational relationship with Father which involved their daily activities, choices and journey.

• This relationship is defined both in a family and a kingdom context. God is our Father and Jesus our Friend and Brother. The church is a community of family members – brothers and sisters in the household of God. Yet, God is also Creator, Judge and Ruler, whereas Jesus is both Saviour, Lord and King. This places us also in a kingdom context of laws, authority, power and influence.

• Our restored identity may only be defined by our Father – not ourselves. He chooses to call us ‘His sons and daughters’. Today He calls us to ‘see’ ourselves in the same terms.

To follow the abovementioned to its full conclusion I have come to the following understanding:

Following (my-)self instead of the Spirit leads to a breakdown of my conversational relationship with God and a decrease in His life in a similar way it did with Adam. And thus whenever I experience a strain in my conversational relationship with God, I check whether I have been following my own way instead of the path of the Lord (following the Spirit).

Following (my-)self leaves me isolated. Although it affords me ultimate personal control, it also leads to loneliness, depression and competitiveness. Humility and the acknowledgment and honouring of my wife, children, brothers and sisters leads to interdependence and the decrease of personal control. Contrary to self’s logic this leads to healing, joy and peace. Why? Because we were designed by God to be like Him – living in community.

Any attempt at giving one an alternative identity other than that of a son of our Father must be resisted. Denominations give people alternative identities through their names, and the titles, robes and positions they have on offer. Certain events in life such as success or failure, personal sin, financial status, upbringing or racial and culture heritage also attempts to shapes our identity. All of these ‘shapers of identity’ have to be rejected and laid aside in order to come to the fullness that Father has destined us to be.

This is not an issue of ‘good versus evil’ or ‘right and wrong’. It is therefore also not an issue of law or works. Instead, restoration of my identity is completely rooted in grace! To us who ‘see’, the grace has been granted to live in a fuller dimension of liberty, life and relationship. Others who do not yet see and embrace this identity in Christ will by necessity grasp at different things to ‘make sense of themselves’ in their endeavor to find their ‘lost’ identity.

Love is the key

I am convinced that only God’s love can effectively liberate and empower a person to press through on the journey of exchanging a self-pursuing-life for a life lived in the containment of the Lord’s path, will and life.

The choice of the narrow path, which is difficult, is the choice of exchanging my life in His love. When I am confronted with the choice between life and death, wisdom will dictate that I hopefully choose life. Yet, when I am confronted with the choice of loving Him versus loving what I already love (without death or destruction being an obvious consequence), I will only choose His way if I personally love Him above what I already love. This is a hard choice, yet one that can be overcome when we experience His love. This is also a journey of faith in allowing the Lord to heal our pain, disappointments and brokenness through His love. We sometimes hold on to these wounds as reasons (weapons) to justify our behaviour. All these need to be surrendered to the Lord and exchanged for His love in order to be made whole.

Being taught ‘who we are in Christ’, is not sufficient in my opinion. Most of these teachings are presented and applied as knowledge to sugar-coat self and are used as keys to unlock blessings and prosperity (exactly what Adam did). No, unless we understand and embrace Father’s restoration as a relational reunion, which is fully based in love and experienced on a heart level (self), all our knowledge regarding ‘who we are in Christ’ are mostly mere additives to probably already toxic potion of self-indulgence.

To this purpose I believe that we must faithfully pray for the revelation of Father’s love for our families, friends and communities. Jesus came to demonstrate this love and purchased our liberty along the way. We as His followers are also to continue along this path as witnesses to a broken world.

Through our love for God and one another, we are both the testimony and hope for a dying and lost world. We are also to serve as a compass to the church at large who are mostly still running themselves to exhaustion along the never-ending path in pursuit of self’s significance and identity (in His Name!).

One of the more challenging aspects of being a Christian is to come to grips with is our ‘positioning’ in God. Early on in my walk with Christ I was introduced to the ‘in Christ’ teachings which basically highlighted the fact that my personal perfection was already completed and perfected in Christ, and that I simply needed to accept it by faith and walk accordingly. For me it basically boiled down to a conceptual recognition of biblical fact and then a ‘trying my best’ to believe and live accordingly. To say the least, I rather quickly came to the realization this is not the full truth.

In fact I learnt that the Holy Spirit is given to me as a Person to make the ‘in Christ’ promises a reality in my life. The Holy Spirit is the Life of Christ dwelling in me to perform and complete the work which Christ has purchased for me on the cross. Yet, I also realized that being filled with the Spirit was also not quite enough. I had to learn to ‘follow the Spirit, and in so doing I would not fulfill the lusts of the flesh.’

And thus I learnt that being complete in Christ means to firstly believe in the completed work of Christ through the cross. Secondly, I needed to yield to the Spirit of Life on a continuous basis and then follow Him as He experientially makes the Life of Christ a present-day reality. Jesus walked in this same manner while He was here on earth. His whole walk was in complete dependence on His Father’s words and actions. And thus His perfection was being practically worked out through following His Father.

Likewise we have to come to grips with the fact that being ‘in God’ means to ‘move with God’. For believers without a developed conversational relationship with God, this is almost impossible to understand. Most believers in God have a relationship with Him based upon sacrifice. They approach Him from afar, and try to ‘keep Him happy’ by offering acceptable sacrifices (good works) to Him. Most would see their faith in the completed work of Christ is their goal. On this the Bible is clear: those who believe will be saved. For we are saved by faith, not by works, and therefore faith alone in Christ is sufficient to make me a member of the household of God and a citizen of His kingdom.

Yet, is faith in God the fullness that the new (and final) covenant promises to us? I believe not! Jesus was not only intent on saving us. He opened the way to bring us into a living relationship with the Godhead. It is this journey towards relational union with God that is the pursuit of my heart.

I believe that the pursuit of God, through following the Spirit, leads us to progressively ‘enter into God’. Yet, not all Christians pursue God in this manner. Why, I do not really need to know. Perhaps it depends upon one’s hunger for more of God. Perhaps it is a glimpse of the eternal love that has captivated one’s hearts. Nevertheless, for those who have been called to press deeper into God, we have to journey in faith and hope, by the Spirit of Christ who leads us. For us it is not enough to ‘belong to’ or be ‘a part of’. We need to be ‘in’. We are not satisfied with being a member of the household – we need to be in the house!

‘Belonging to’ without being ‘in’

I believe that the parable of the lost son speaks of this. The prodigal son was not an unsaved sinner, for he was indeed a son of the Father. Yet, he was a son who pursued his selfish ambitions and left the Father’s house. Although the prodigal belonged in the Father’s house in being a member of the household, he was no longer ‘living in the house’. And thus we find the picture of those who belong to Christ, yet are not living and walking with Him. The prodigal did indeed depart from the ‘rule’ of his Father, although he still belonged to the Father. And in this we also have the picture of those who depart from ‘being under’ the kingdom of God, although they remain members of that same kingdom.

And thus, for me, the references of ‘seeing’, ‘entering’, ‘receiving’ and ‘inheriting’ the kingdom of God do not refer to eternal salvation, but instead to the pursuit of the rule of God in an individual’s life. The prodigal’s journey back to the Father’s rule is marked by these stages. He firstly ‘sees’ his Father’s rule of love at his lowest point amongst the pigs (repentance). Then he ‘enters’ through his journey back home (surrender and obedience). When he meets his Father again, he ‘receives’ the Father’s loves as a child (not as a servant – humility) and thus ‘inherits’ again as he is restored in his Father’s home.

The parable of the prodigal speaks about the Father’s incredible love, but also about the effects of being ‘in’ or ‘out’ of His sphere of rule. Neither the Father’s love nor the prodigal’s place in the house changed during the son’s wayward journey. Yet, due to the son’s pursuit of his own rule (self), he did not live or dwell ‘in’ the house where he belonged.

Jesus says ‘I have gone to prepare a place for you. I am the way … no one comes to the Father except through Me.’