The Mystery of Godliness apart VI

Written by Major W. Ian Thomas

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience {and reliance on God}. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete {in faith, Grace and Love}, lacking nothing… Blessed is the man who endures temptation {in the time of testing}; for when he has been approved, he will receive the Crown of Life {the Kingdom-Life} which the Lord has promised to those who Love Him. (James 1:2-4, 12 Emphasis added)

But may the God of all Grace, who called us to His eternal Glory by (through) Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while {while being turned from the old self-sufficient way of life in the times of testing}, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you. (1 Pet. 5:10 Emphasis added)

Christ has provided His Church with pastors and teachers to build the members of His Body up in their faith so they will begin to rely on God for all things. Both the Spiritual Life and the works that Jesus has planned to display through the members of His Body can only take place when they are living wholly by faith in Him. They will therefore need someone who can help them understand how Jesus lived by the power of the Spirit through faith. This is why the church needs Spiritual leaders who can instruct and exhort the members of Christ’s Body “till we all come to the unity of the faith and the Knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man {complete in faith, Grace and Love}, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:13 Emphasis added)

Merely holding a position in the church does not make someone spiritual. All too often we find unspiritual people striving for positions in the Body of Christ in the same way people “of the world” achieve their positions. The flesh has a natural appetite for position and power over others. It loves to be recognized, consulted, honored, admired and obeyed. Obviously, any “leader” who is still following the self-sufficient and self-exalting ways of this world will be incapable of leading others into the kind of faith that permits Christ to establish His Kingdom-Life within the hearts of His believers, followers and disciples (though the disciple is to be living in the Kingdom-Life of Christ and approved by God). But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal Life {the Kingdom-Life}… (1 Tim. 6:11-12)

How patient Christ was with His first disciples! Having learned nothing from the feeding of the five thousand, they were given another opportunity in a different setting to learn this lesson about living by faith in God. “For they had not understood about the loaves; their hearts were hardened.” (Mark 6:52)

In this next lesson they were separated from Christ’s presence. They were left alone and in a difficult position to help them recognize how great was their need to have God’s power working in their lives. And of course, trouble was bound to develop when they became separated from Christ’s presence. They ended up “…in the middle of the sea, tossed by the waves, for the wind was contrary.” (Matt. 14:24 Emphasis added)

Jesus will often leave His believing ones, followers and at times His disciples on their own when they are still trying to live by their own strength. He will permit them to be confounded by many “contrary” providence. It is during these rough times that He will be doing His work of breaking their self-sufficient spirit and teaching them to live by faith in God’s power.

Do you remember how Peter considered himself to be strong before he was clothed with power from the Spirit on the day of Pentecost? He thought he was capable of standing with Jesus even until death. But Jesus knew this human “strength” would prevent Peter from entering into the Kingdom of Light where everyone lives by faith in God’s power. Jesus therefore permitted Satan to “sift” Peter for a while. (Luke 22:31-32) Only after Peter’s sense of self-sufficiency had been brought to a real death would he be able to truly live by faith in God’s power.

Once Peter had become “poor in spirit” (had a broken and contrite heart) and had lost all hope in his own strength, he was in a position to enter into the kind of dependent faith that enabled God to lift him with Divine power into the Light of Christ’s Kingdom-Life. (Matt. 5:3) Once he had lost hope in his own strength, he was prepared to wait on God in prayer to be clothed with power from above.

Living by dependent faith in the power of God is the Mystery of Godliness. Every believer will need to learn this foundation Truth: The power of the Holy Spirit is perfected through God’s children as yielded receptive believers (disciples) become weaker in self and more dependent on Him. (2 Cor. 12:9)