Loving Like God

In His prayer in John 17, Jesus said,

“I have revealed you to those whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me…I gave them the word that you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given, for they are yours…I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me..

I found myself praying that same prayer. I wasn’t praying it on purpose, so to speak, but supernaturally. Without even trying, I was saying the things that the Father is saying, loving the ones that the Father had given me. It wasn’t me, it was Christ who lives in me.

Jesus did not try to reproduce by having office hours, and making appointments. Rather, He said to those that the Father gave Him, “Come on with Me.” They had something like three, round-the-clock, years with each other. It must have been something! That has been our heart for many years now. We have tried to walk it out in such a way that those that the Father has given us can get as close as they want for as long as they want. Quite a few have stayed in our home, some longer than others. There have been 3:00am desperate bursting into the house, all night deliverance sessions, lots of house calls, carried some, bandaged others, lots of tears, you name it. And all the while our own flesh and blood children were still with us.

The flesh and blood kids are mostly gone, and now here is a new daughter In The Lord. I wanted her to know that we are not likely to have the time together that would be the desire of a father’s heart, especially a father with a new daughter. If she moved into the house, after three years, I might want a break, but short of that, not to count on it. This to say, that she has full and complete access, whether in tears or rejoicing, whether in confusion or in clarity, yes, even in sickness and in health, and whether abounding or abased. 

This is The Church, as she is revealed on and between the lines of the Scriptures. To the religious she looks like a cult, but to God, she is the light of His life to people living in darkness. She is the validation of, and expression of the Love of Christ in the World.

Eight years ago today, Jay Ferris was taken home to his place in Christ. Many on this list knew him, and were personally impacted by the specific revelation God gave him about relationships, as well as the palatable love of God that poured through him. On this anniversary, I wish to invite everyone, whether you knew him or not, to remember the legacy of this saint gone before, in one of three ways. 

1. Visit the Jay Ferris Memorial Page, where you can read dozens of testimonies and short stories of people who knew Jay personally. Find it at: https://lovinglikegod.com/memorial/

2. Watch an inspiring 30 minute interview about the nature of the Kingdom of God. Jay’s responses, according to the interviewer, were unlike anything he had heard before. Go to: https://lovinglikegod.com/media/video-kog/ 

3. Listen to one of his audios, some of which were at a “Searching Together” Conference which he regularly attended. As Jay often said, “Buckle up,” because I believe you’ll find these audios to be a powerful ride. Listen at: https://lovinglikegod.com/media/ 

Father, we thank You for the gift Jay Ferris was to the world. As fellow “Lovers in Training,” may we not pull back in fear or unbelief from what You have for us. May a revelation of Your love in Christ make us different people today, than we were yesterday! 

In Love!

Pamela

As with the old creation, the new creation grows by reproduction, and reproduction is the result of an act of love. And so it is that as we speak the truth in love flowing out of a circumcised heart: the life of Christ being reproduced and nurtured in the hearts of others. “The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this,” Isaiah 9:7. The zeal of the Lord is the passion of the Lord. May the Lord keep us from reproduction or nurture without passion! ”Nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou has left thy first love,” Revelation 2:4.

Either way, a preoccupation with physical circumcision misses the point. 

If we have good seed in our hearts, we must not become as a “garden enclosed, a spring shut up, or a fountain sealed,” (Song of Songs 4:12) and this for a lack of passion. “Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south; blow upon my garden, that the spices thereof may flow out. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his pleasant fruits…” Song 4:16.

It is so wonderful to be able to speak about such things with those who God has given me.

The reason that David could say what he did about the love he shared with Jonathan, is that sexual love was only a picture — perhaps the best available at the time — but a picture none-the-less, of the surpassing love that we can share in Christ without the limitations of human sexuality. Among other things, we are talking about conversational reproduction. 

The implications of this are a bit unsettling, but I think it’s past time that we became unsettled.  

In this love that surpasses knowledge,

Jay Ferris

Originally written Jan 9, 2000.