You’d Be A Fool to Fool Yourself

The parable of the ten virgins and the oil, do the virgins not depict the virgin Spirit we have from Christ, the seed of incorruptibility, unleavened and pure? We all receive this seed at our new birth. The bridegroom is Christ and He is now being revealed. Who has the sustaining oil of the Spirit that does not run out? There are many that think because they are born again they have the oil that won’t run out, but that isn’t true.

If your current spirituality is one that is always being fed from sources outside yourself, outside the Spirit of Christ within you, outside your personal relationship with Christ, you are fast going to run out of oil. Sources outside yourself would be, not knowing what to do if you didn’t have a church to go to, or feeling condemned if you didn’t tithe because this was a ‘law’ of your spirituality. Or you can’t go without fellowship and social interaction with other ’Christians’. Maybe you feel you must attend church, or must be under the ‘covering’ of a pastor or other people calling themselves Elders. It could be that you couldn’t imagine being without a Bible. Do you pray religiously or so regularly you couldn’t imagine doing otherwise?

Many believers that congregate with other more spiritual believers, think this is all they need. But what if you find yourself without their company? And I mean in a life or death, do or die situation. Like what is coming. Then what? Do you have the oil to sustain you? Or not?

How do you know? By asking yourself honestly some of the questions above and absolutely seeking God yourself, on your face, on your knees, without others, without rote, without agenda or any other pretence, and ask Him. Don’t get up until you know.

The number ‘Ten’ signifies the perfection of Divine order. The ideal, God’s will. ‘Five’ signifies Grace. All ten were given grace, the time required to fill their lamps with oil and get more besides. Only some used that period of Grace to do just that. The others did not use the time of their Grace before His coming/revealing to do that and found the door closed to them.

The time we are in, that is fast coming to a close, is that period of Grace. This isn’t to say God’s grace will end, but this time of grace before judgment will and is ending. If time over the last few years, has seemed to be passing very quickly to you, the ticking of this clock should be so loud it keeps you up at night!

This time of Grace is for repentance. What is repentance? To turn from your sins. Confess to Him your sins and wash yourselves in Him and be clean. How do you know if you’ve actually done this, or are doing this? Humility is the fruit of repentance. But our hearts are utterly deceitful. Don’t trust your own judgment on whether you are humble. Ask others you know would be honest with you, and ask the Lord, of course. And don’t get up until you know, or know what further repentance He requires.

Why is repentance so important? Because without it you are not a new wineskin and He will NOT put His new wine (His Spirit in abundance and grace) into your old wineskin. Both would be ruined. Of course I don’t mean you have to be perfect first. I mean REPENT. Have the heart of repentance. If you are incapable of repentance, regularly, instantly and always, whenever the Spirit convicts you, as a proper steward He could NOT put greater riches within your Spirit, both would be ruined.

Repentance is learned in the beginning and laid in our foundation, but it doesn’t stop there. There is much in the way of milk after that and then meat, but until we are perfected we remain a mixture, always required to walk in a state of repentance. Don’t waste time. Don’t waste His grace. Do not take it for granted!

I’m speaking to CHRISTIAN BELIEVERS, NOT THE UNSAVED!!!

You’ve got oil in your lamp. Great. Now, do you have a supply to keep it going? Do you know His voice when He speaks to you? Do you know immediate obedience when He speaks to you to do something He has not ever required of you before? Or something that the flesh would be afraid looks foolish, or frightening. Do you know calm in the boat when the waves are crashing over the sides?

I’m not there yet myself, but I recognize that I need to be. Let’s pray for one another that we would not shame all He is and has done in and for us. When He comes to seek faith in the earth, will He find it? Will He find it in me? Will He find it in you?

This isn’t church anymore, people. This is showtime.

 

Bless the Feet

Aside from doing the job of a servant in foot washing, what is the foot washing for? Why is it important that Christ signified we have clean feet, and be willing to humble ourselves to wash our brother or sisters feet?

The feet represent our walk with God. We should have clean feet. Our feet also carry the good news to the places of the sick and needy, the worldly, the sinners that need the good news. Surely we would get residue of these environments on us as we walk, symbolically speaking. We do what we can to keep ourselves clean (the washing of the water of the Word), and we hope to have the loving support and care of our brothers and sisters in the Lord, to help us. We also are to help them, pray for them, help them in practical ways, monetary ways, etc.

Yet as the world continues to spin, and we feel/sense, and in some cases see, the intensity of the times we are in happening about us, it is brothers and sisters turning away from each other that I see. Very little foot washing is taking place.

Consider the humility of foot washing. It is putting another’s walk before your own. Another’s relationship with Christ and what He has called them to, above your own. This isn’t about who is or isn’t greater than you, it is about the Spirit of love and humility in service to one another and not to be greedy, selfish or even mindful about your own.

Here is where I see some believers missing the mark.

As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:14-16 NASB)

Peter *said to Him, “Never shall You wash my feet!” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.” (John 13:8 NASB)

Simon Peter *said to Him, “Lord, then wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” (John 13:9 NASB)

Why would Jesus say “If I do not wash you, you have no part of Me”?

We must be washed clean by Him who is the Word. Yes. But if He is also showing us how to be with each other, what does this mean? I think it means that we are not truly a part of the Body of Christ, the corporate, many membered body, if we are not willing to humble ourselves, even to the complete removal and disregard for our own calling or ministry, in favour of another’s. We MUST, as servants to the body, and in the body, serve the Corporate Body, not just our safe and comfortable little fellowship group or church.

God looks on the heart. This must be a true service of love and humility, otherwise we deceive ourselves.

When the depth of the truth Jesus said to Peter, dawned on him, he then said Jesus could wash his hands and head too. These body parts are certainly perceived to be more important parts of the body than the feet. But it was the part of the body that was bound to the earth that Jesus displayed great service and humility toward.

The Body’s service and mobility is reliant on the feet or it can’t go to serve and bring the glad tidings. And these feet have no choice but to walk in the earth, which we are ‘in’ but not to be ‘of’. The feet need great care. The entire body is relying on them.

Let’s prayerfully and carefully take care of each other. Let’s let the Christ in each of us continue to wash each other’s feet, otherwise we may have no part of Him.