In Romans 1:11 Paul’s says: “For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.” Then, Paul spends 11 chapters before he gets to the part about the spiritual gifts. He actually wants to come and lay hands on believers because he is an apostle and can impart the spiritual gifts that they have been created to carry. He has got to iron out the conflict that has been brewing in this young church, which is why the letter went out ahead of him. Once they get this stuff ironed out, they can prepare to function as members within the Body of Christ.
Paul tells us that what effects one member of the Body of Christ effects the Body as a whole.
I was just talking to someone about this yesterday. Consider for a moment, if you get a paper cut or significant hangnail on your finger. If you get one, you know you have one, in fact, your entire body moves into protection of that finger! You end up doing things in a way to keep from having your whole body go into chaos. Why? Because that thing usually swells, snags on things, and gets re-injured a couple of times before it’s healed. Every time you go to pick up a paper you are reminded of it, your entire body shivers over a little paper cut, and it effects the whole body.
Imagine the impact of a wounded member on the Church as a whole; one tiny wound and the body is in trauma. Now our skin has extra nerve endings, especially on our hands, to protect us. However, think about this for a moment: Our skin, something that we do not see as important as our brain or heart, protects everything in the body. It protects our muscles, our organs, our blood vessels; it protects us. Shouldn’t the Body of Christ strive to cover its wounded members? Not just cover, but reach into their lives and bring them to a place of healing?
Again, in Romans 1:11 Paul says, “I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end ye may be established.” So he can establish them into what they have been created to be. {This word “spiritual” did not appear until Pentecost—you do not see this particular word in the Bible until Pentecost because this is when the release of the Holy Spirit came forth into the body of Christ.)
1 Peter 2:5 says that we are to be a spiritual house, a lively stone built up as a spiritual house and a holy priesthood. That is what God is calling us to be. Each member is a stone, building the house of God, a lively and holy priesthood. Why? To offer up spiritual sacrifices to God, accepted by Jesus Christ.
Galatians 5:16 tells us that if we walk in the Spirit, we will not fulfill the lust of the flesh. And Galatians 5:25 tell us that if we live in the Spirit, we walk in the Spirit. In other words, we are to strive to attain the Spirit of the Lord. Once we attain it, we must also maintain. If we do not strive to attain to the spiritual state of the soul (on an ongoing basis—that is the maintenance) we will stumble. Why? Because the soul gets in the way! And, when one member stumbles, it affects the Body as whole. Why? Because we are the Body of Christ and we are created to function as a unit. Consider the work we do at the GOE. It’s such high-level warfare that the need to function as a unit becomes critical. When something effects one of you, it affects us all.
There’s beauty in this calling as well. As Joel’s Army Intercessors, the calling draws us together and creates friendship, intimacy and a deep love so that when we see each other, our spirits connect before our eyes do. Our spirits connect before we embrace. Why? Because there is a spiritual connection that takes place when we come together and pray.
In 1 Corinthians 3:1-3, Paul says, “AND I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?”
What is Paul saying here? The Corinthians have not been mature enough to receive anything above milk! He longs to feed them meat, but they must attain a certain level of maturity or the meat will choke them out. How does Paul know this? Because those he’s left in charge have come and brought word to him. Paul quickly sets about bringing correction to the Church of Corinth.
The truth is, 2000 years ago Paul dealt with similar levels of immaturity, abuse of authority, and false doctrine that brought about division and immaturity that we see in the Church today. This is why God is so serious about refining the Church today. We do not have time for the nonsense, my friends. He is refining, and a new breed of believers is going to arise! If we do not come to a place where we can set aside foolish things and be ready to hold onto the meat, hold onto the spiritual essence of our soul, we are not just going to stumble, we are going to fall.
The Lord told me at the end of 2017 that there is something that is taking place in the spirit-realm this year that we must grab ahold of. He told Mom and she even came on in our staff prayer line last Tuesday and told us to remember to keep preparing ourselves for what is coming. Why? Because the refining has begun and if we have not embraced it and if we are not striving, like Galatians 5 says, every day to maintain it, we will stumble and fall.
I have to tell you, it will affect us all if one of us stumbles; it will affect us all. That is why, when we do these lessons, we go so deep. And I believe that is why, when God is giving the revelations He is giving us, He is saying, “I want you all ready for what is coming! You have fought the good fight, you have run the race and I want you to fulfill the call that I placed within each of you! I want you to finish this race together! I brought you together for a reason and I want you to finish the race together!”
Embrace the refining! Let it unite you! Prepare for the meat, because I am telling you, He is giving us meat, today!
To be continued next week…
Blessings and Love,
Ricci Johnson-Wilson
