The same goes for the darkened heart which does not know itself and does not understand its own motives, goals and intentions which are always behind all the heart’s desires. No matter how good and noble such desires, goals or intentions of our natural heart may be, they are always tainted with our personal character, hence, they are always selfish! If our natural heart is “deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked” (Jer. 17:9), we may be sure that neither our born-again experience, nor our water baptism had changed that kind of heart in any noticeable, quick or sufficient way.
The Lord cannot take His abode in such a heart and cannot govern it in any way. Yet, such a heart may be sincerely convinced that it is given to work for the Lord, for His Glory, to follow the “calling of the Lord” upon itself. Any notion questioning these things would be flatly rejected. Such a heart (soul) may be quite easily offended upon hearing that its intentions, desires and goals may not be of God to a large extent, or not at all! This would be viewed as an unfair attack on that soul!
The Church at Ephesus was apparently on the highest spiritual level from all the churches that Apostle Paul founded and corresponded with. Paul heard of their faith in the Lord and love for all the saints, which seems to be a rare commodity in many churches of today. And yet…
DESPITE THEIR FAITH IN THE LORD AND LOVE FOR THE SAINTS, THEY WERE STILL SPIRITUALLY BLIND AND NEEDED THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION AND OPENING OF THEIR SPIRITUAL EYES! (PLEASE, READ THIS WORD OF GOD IN EPH. 1:15-18 AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN… AND SEE AND UNDERSTAND ITS DEPTH!)
FAITH AND LOVE ARE TWO INSEPARABLE FOUNDATION STONES THAT ARE REQUIRED FOR ANY FURTHER ADVANCEMENT OF THE SAINTS IN THE AREA OF SPIRITUAL SEEING AND THUS IN SPIRITUAL LIVING. (Gal. 5:6// 1Tim. 1:5,14// Philemon 5) THEY ARE ALSO THE “TWO BREASTS” OF THE MAIDEN OF SHULAMITE WHICH MUST GROW AND BE EQUAL IN ORDER THAT SHE MAY BE PERFECT IN THE SIGHT OF HER BELOVED – THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. (S.Sol. 4:5; 7:3; 8:8,10)
HE, WHO DOES NOT SEE IN SPIRIT, CANNOT LIVE IN SPIRIT. HE, WHO HAS NO TRUE LOVE AND TRUE FAITH, CAN SEE NOTHING IN SPIRIT. SPIRITUAL SEEING GOES HAND-IN-HAND WITH LIVING IN SPIRIT. THE SPIRITUAL LIFE GIVES THE SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE IN SPIRIT AND LIVE CARNAL LIFE OR VICE-VERSA. HENCE, THE DEGREE OF OUR SPIRITUAL EYESIGHT DETERMINES OUR DEGREE OF LIVING THE ETERNAL LIFE OF GOD IN OUR EARTHLY LIFE HERE AND NOW!
We must devote our absolutely undivided attention to this MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE in the earthly lives of true believers which is the matter of SEEING THE UNSEEN OR BEING BLIND TO IT. THE UNSEEN THINGS ARE ETERNAL AND MORE REAL THAN THE THINGS SEEN! This fact is surely a great controversy and mystery to every natural soul.
Our very Redemption, the beginning of our Salvation, was a matter of our SEEING the facts which were previously UNSEEN to us, namely, that we were sinners and needed a Saviour. We did not understand it, but we SAW it. All the ends of the earth have SEEN the Salvation of God! (Ps. 98:3b) Also, the Grace of God that brings Salvation appeared TO ALL MEN TO SEE! (Tit. 2:11) And again, the GOSPEL WAS PREACHED TO EVERY CREATURE UNDER HEAVEN! (Col. 1:23b)
Missionaries and evangelists should take a note of these Words of the Scripture though they are also guided by Rom. 10:14-18. This latter Word does not contradict the other three quoted above! Yet, the Salvation of peoples does not depend solely on missionaries and evangelists.
What men did or still do with this Grace and Light of God is a different story. After having traveled through many countries of the world, I have experienced the outright tragic fact that when this Grace and Light of God, that were made visible to all people, are rejected in their hearts, shortly thereafter, Satan comes and replaces them with his darkness and deceptions which become much deeper than they were before the people saw the Grace and Light. Multitudes of peoples had made tragic choices in their hearts in rejecting that Grace and Light and keeping the darkness.
Our SEEING THE UNSEEN has become our spiritual, miraculous and supernatural foundation on which our whole Redemption and the ensuing Christianity has been based. If you have never seen anything in your conscience, you may not be a true born-again believer, you may still be a pagan as before, only this time you may be a “religious pagan”, who received this Light into your mind and memory, but not into your heart. That makes the difference between Life and Death. Why do we absolutely have to SEE?
WE SIMPLY CANNOT ACCEPT OR DECIDE ON ANYTHING WHICH WE DO NOT SEE EITHER WITH OUR PHYSICAL EYES, OR WITH OUR “MENTAL EYES” (understanding, imagination, logic) OR WITH OUR “SPIRITUAL EYES” (FAITH). BUT WE MUST SEE TO DECIDE EITHER IN PHYSICAL OR SOULISH OR SPIRITUAL WORLD.
All our efforts in teaching, preaching, persuading, arguing, pleading, emotional pressuring even threatening will not bring any results or any life to anybody. Imagine arguing with Saul of Tarsus and trying to persuade him about Jesus of Nazareth. After your many prolonged and zealous efforts, he would still ponder how to get rid of “that hopeless and dangerous heretic”. There was NO WAY TO PERSUADE SAUL OF ANYTHING HE COULD NOT SEE. It took one look at the Lord where HE COULD SEE what he had never seen before – and that did it! He turned around “on a dime” and became the chief writer of the most important and profound Epistles in the New Testament!
How many “Sauls of Tarsus” exist and even minister in the Church today? I do not mean such that would not believe in Jesus of Nazareth, but such that are similarly zealous and NOT SEEING the spiritual truths and realities which Jesus of Nazareth established in the New Testament and desires all believers to SEE. But He cannot show them because of the unbelief in their flesh, which blocks the spiritual seeing; because they are not (at least sufficiently) crucified to receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation and the opening of their spiritual eyes. Unbelief is the greatest sin man can commit against God! In its essence, unbelief touches the very Holiness and Character of God making Him a liar!
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To be continued next week in chapter 3 – part 15
brother Hanola
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