“From Henceforth” … The Conflict of Flesh and Spirit in Relationships

Posted on September 19, 2014 by LovingLikeGod.com

By Jay Ferris
Originally posted on March 15, 2013 titled, “One of the Battles in a War of Many Fronts”

divided house” This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law,” Galatians 5:16-18.

In this context we are touching on one of the battle fronts in this war between flesh and Spirit. Certainly this is an important part of the war, but not the front I have in mind for present exploration. Rather what I am thinking about and wanting to address in this post is the war that goes on between flesh and blood family members and the presence of the Spirit in our lives.

“Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division: For from henceforth there shall be five in one house divided, three against two, and two against three. The father shall be divided against the son, and the son against the father; the mother against the daughter, and the daughter against the mother; the mother in law against her daughter in law, and the daughter in law against her mother in law,” Luke 12:51-53.

This is the war that we have in view in this post.

Interesting that Jesus begins His answer with “For from henceforth…” This suggests a point of demarcation between how things once were in flesh and blood families, and how things are about to be in families. The last thing that Jesus said before this, as recorded by Luke was:

“But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished!”, Luke 12:50.

This suggests the possibility that what Jesus is looking at here in His Baptism of sorts has consequences that might also impact our lives, and especially our family lives once we have undergone the fall-out from His baptism, in our case, the baptism of The Holy Spirit. The baptism changes our position or location, certainly our priorities where relationships are concerned. Baptized in the Spirit we find ourselves in a new love, with new and different people, and this is very threatening to those we have been associated with to date, especially our own flesh and blood.

This is much like what happened in the heart of Cain when Abel came along and displaced Cain from his central place in the lives of his parents. This kind of displacement can and most often does cause a relational war. Flesh and blood relationship is no longer our highest priority, and unless the flesh and blood people in our lives come under the influence of the same Spirit with some understanding of the magnitude of the difference that makes relationally, as likely as not they will make war on our new lives and relationships in Christ.

Make no mistake, this is a real war. It is very painful all around, because it is born out of woundedness, resentment and not love. It is the number one killer of spiritual relationships. Flesh and blood will put up with this intrusion provided it is limited to flesh and blood marriage, and that, likely as not, for the sake of the perpetuation of the flesh and blood family.

Spiritual relationships, however, are not bound by or to the flesh. They may be reproductive in the Spirit, but that reproduction has to do with the family of God, not the family of the flesh.

This front in the war between flesh and Spirit is one of the most telling, where our ability to move forward in Christ is concerned, because moving forward in Christ is first and ultimately about Spiritual relationships first with Him, and ultimately including each other. This transition in relationship begins in this present age where the war is still going on. It is little wonder that Jesus addressed this reality early rather than late, because it is such a big obstacle to receiving Him and Him in each other.

The Holy Spirit changes our relational priorities, if only we are strong enough in The Spirit to Let Him have His way with us.

Please note, this is not a call not to take care our own, where flesh and blood is concerned, but only to be aware that in Christ we have a new “our own,” and taking care of them is also a priority of the highest order.

Love!

Posted in J.Ferris: Reposts with Notes | 2 Comments

Getting it Right…Again

Posted on July 17, 2014 by LovingLikeGod.com

The following post was one of Jay’s earlier, and more foundational posts after first starting this blog in 2011.   An ‘oldie but goodie,’ and definitely worth revisiting … again. :)

“Getting it right” has to do with getting Him right.

What I hope to do here is to take a step back to a question that was asked of me about 10 years ago now. Here it is in context:

I had just arrived late for a leaders gathering in Charlotte, NC.  I couldn’t help but note a rather common, almost pleasant look on the faces of those already present – like a group of cats who had just shared a canary.

Before I could take my seat, the presiding leader asked, “Jay, what does the Church in this city look like?”  I hesitated a second or two and then responded,

“It looks like the sum total of all of those who belong to Christ in this city, who know who are theirs in Him.  Everything else is show business.”

I share this by way of further introduction to what I would like to blog about here.  The kind of intimacy that we are looking for is not likely to be found until we accept Jesus as Lord of relationship.  We need to know and receive one another as from Him.  What God calls church is not about “let’s make a deal” on a human level.

In a subsequent leaders meeting, but still back in that same time frame, I shared that, 

“There are places in all of us where we have never been. We can’t get there alone because, if we did, it wouldn’t be the same place as it would be if somebody was there with us. The problem is that there is so much garbage between here and there, that we are afraid to go there, either alone or with someone else.  We need to have a place to put the garbage. That is a place that only Christ can provide, and has provided. ‘Behold, The Lamb of God who takes away the ‘garbage’ of the world.’  He is not only our garbage man, but He wants to make garbage men out of us for the sake of those He has given us to love. We don’t have to take away the garbage of the whole world, but we are called to, and can, take away the garbage of those He has given us to love in Him.”

Having said that, which I know sounds very nice in theory, I must quickly add that in my experience it only happens in the intimacy that is possible when He is Lord of relationship. Unless we discover who we are in Him, and in relationship to others in Him, we dare not get that close.

Jesus wants to give you, and has, in fact, promised to give you significant others in Him. Keep your eyes open, because you never know when He is going to give you the gift of another person. Opening the package can easily take a life time.  Oh yes, the package can only be opened in the presence of God’s kind of love, the kind He demonstrated on the day He said, “I love you,” when He and His expectations were nailed to the tree. 

We need this revelation if we are ever going to love like God.

Posted in J.Ferris: Reposts with Notes | 3 Comments

A Soundbyte on Agreeing with God

Posted on June 19, 2014 by LovingLikeGod.com
One of the things that occurred to me yesterday as I shared on the two creations with our little bunch here, and that is, “There is nothing that gets into heaven except what comes down from there.”
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This is to say that our responding to commands, demands or suggestions just doesn’t cut it. There is only one thing for us to respond to, and that is the “very great and precious promises of God.”  The question is do we believe them or not?  Those who do, acknowledge that God’s way is right, Luke 7.  What other ways are there???  Ours and the devils.   Should be a no brainer.  What has God said about us, and do we believe it – that’s the deal.
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It isn’t a good idea to disagree with God, especially about our self.  His is the only opinion that counts, and we need to agree with it, even about each other, and that’s the worship He’s after from us.
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By Jay Ferris
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Posted in J.Ferris: New Releases | 1 Comment