Shownotes
INTRODUCTION:
The Father's plan is for He Himself to come and take up His abode in us. This is not a one-time experience, but it's the development of an ongoing relationship, as the Holy Spirit comes to us and leads us. It's important to develop a relationship with the Holy Spirit by opening our hearts to Him and receiving what He is saying. This voice may come from the “God in the sky” but in this day, it is more likely to come from people who know Him and love Him.
SHOW NOTES:
Christ is teaching us to function together as we come into oneness as the body of Christ.
Before we come into a maturity in the Lord, we try things on our own to observe what's available in the world and eventually realize it is pretty dead.
When a new person begins to search to find life and God's love, he will most likely find help from someone in Christ's body.
Many people say they're being led by the Holy Spirit, but they may only be led by their minds, their imaginations, their own independence.
As believers function together, they are being built up into the head—Christ.
Remaining open and teachable is really important so we don't miss things that the Lord is trying to impart to us.
Even if you don't get a witness the first time you hear a word, stay open for possible confirmation.
QUOTATIONS:
The Lord in the flesh is knocking on our door; each one of us is Christ in the flesh.
At times you don't know where you're at, and it helps to have someone walk you into it.
As we love one another, the Christ in us begins to create these deep relationships of trust and love in one another.
As we go into this deep oneness of the body of Christ, as we enter into it more and more, I believe we're going to be so open to the Christ in one another, that we will have our wills crossed, and we will be taken to places that we would not.
Someone comes up with something that you can't handle, put it on the shelf for a little bit and let the Lord deal with you on it.
I personally do not want to close off or reject something that I either don't understand or that doesn't resonate with me at that moment.
It's not up to you and I to do it the first time around and get them (young people) on their knees and all this stuff. We're just there to plant a seed, and somebody else comes along and waters, and God will bring forth the harvest in the right time.
REFERENCES:
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit,, whom the Father will send in My
name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Truly, truly I say to you, when you were younger, you used to gird yourself and walk wherever you wished; but when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands and someone else will gird you, and bring you where you do not wish to go.
For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, “blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Just as it is written, “things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those who love Him.”
“I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. But when He,the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.
speaking the truth in love we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.
So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.
SUMMARY:
Now is the time to expect to hear people speaking beyond their normal ability to speak. We long to hear the words of the Lord that can reveal His will for our lives. It's time to open up to a relationship with the Holy Spirit so that the communication that comes in being with members of His body goes deeper and deeper.
Transcripts
Ken: Jesus standing at the door and knocking. He wants to have a relationship with us.
Debbie: (Right.)
Ken: His representative is the Holy Spirit, who will come in and relate to us, talk to us, and lead us into all truth. In order to be led by the Spirit, you have to have a relationship with the Spirit. I have never thought about that particular scripture in Revelation 3, where John said that Jesus stood at the door and knocked. If any man hears my voice and opens the door, it’s something that he will do. If we open that door, he will come in, and he will sup with us. In other words, there will be relationship. And I think we have to make that door open to have that relationship with the Lord.
Ron: Ken, you’re saying that, and you know what comes to me is I’ve always thought, okay, the Lord’s knocking on the door and I open the door to you, Holy Spirit, and I let you in. Like I said, I always thought of that as the Holy Spirit knocking on the door, and I open my heart, Lord, to you. I open my whole heart to you, Holy Spirit. And I believe there’s a truth in that, but I think there’s another truth that’s interesting to think about. The Lord in the flesh is knocking on our door. Each one of us is Christ in the flesh.
And are we open? The Lord in one another, as he’s knocking, or as he is trying to speak to us—he’s knocking on the door. Are we open to Christ in the flesh? Because to me, that’s where he’s residing now, more so than anywhere else, in one another.
Ken: Christ knocking at the door. Perfect salvation message. But it’s not just a salvation message. It’s about an introduction to a relationship with the Lord whereby you could be led by his Spirit. It’s not just a one-time kind of thing. This is a continual thing, because a relationship doesn’t just end with one time—it’s an ongoing relationship.
How are we going to be led by the Spirit if we don’t have a relationship with the Spirit? God is Spirit, okay? They that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The triune God is Father, Son, and Spirit. So when you answer the call to come into that relationship with the Lord, it’s the triune God you’re having a relationship with, and the Holy Spirit is going to bring to you truth, life—all the things that God has for us are in that relationship. Being led by the Holy Spirit is really important.
Debbie: You could use each other to be that instrument of pulling us into the right place, pulling us into where we’re to be. Because I know at times, you don’t know where you’re at, and it helps to have someone walk you into it.
Ron: Are you open? And what’s that scripture that talks about when you get older, someone else will take you and lead you where you would not?
Debbie: Yeah, you could be the one that helps me into the next level. I could be the one that helps you. We’re all ministering to each other—could be a help and a blessing to each other.
Ron: It’s through people. It’s much easier to, quote, say that you’re being led by the Spirit if it’s just you and, quote, the Holy Spirit. But when your brother or sister comes and says, “This is the way, walk ye in it,” it’s the Holy Spirit speaking through them, and you’re open to the Holy Spirit.
I feel like many people say they’re being led by the Holy Spirit, but they’re not. They’re being led by their minds. They’re being led by their imaginations, their own independence—many things. We’ve had steps of confirmation, which we’ve tried to walk in, which is good. But I think there’s even a greater step. As we love one another, the Christ in us begins to create these deep relationships of trust and love in one another. Then the leading of the Holy Spirit becomes more available.
I think it’s easier, honestly, for the Holy Spirit to speak through your brother or sister than it is to your carnal mind. This is where the will gets crossed up more so than “God in the sky” speaking to you. If the Lord really speaks to them, it may not be what they want to hear. And so then they say, “That’s not the Lord. That can’t be.” They dismiss it. They grieve the Holy Spirit.
But as we go into this deep oneness of the body of Christ, as we enter into it more and more, I believe we’re going to be so open to the Christ in one another that we will have our wills crossed, and we will be taken to places that we would not.
Ken: You are absolutely right, but the preparation of your own spirit to be a part of that scenario—
Ron: (Yep.)
Ken: The body of Christ functioning together, being led by the Spirit of the Lord, is to do what? Build up the body of Christ.
Debbie: (Right.)
Ken: We are going to be built up into the head. And so, being led by the Spirit means that when the Lord speaks to you to give something, you share it. And that sharing out of your spirit, people who are walking in the Spirit identify with the word that you’re speaking. Thereby, they receive that level of the message from the Holy Spirit.
Debbie: I’m not sure that they receive the message of the Holy Spirit immediately.
Ken: Not necessarily, no. Sometimes you can speak a word that the Lord’s given you, and you recognize the fact that not many people really heard what you said at that time. If it was voiced in the Spirit, it will resonate—it will reside in the spirit realm and will come into their minds.
Debbie: We have to believe that we’re going to be open to receive from each other. Because if we’re not open to receive what you’re saying, then we’re not going to be able to walk in it. If we’re open to the Lord and we open our heart before him, being honest and saying, “Lord, here I am, lead me, direct me,” and someone comes up with something that you can’t handle—put it on the shelf for a little bit and let the Lord deal with you on it. Let the Lord make it real to you. Don’t jump into it immediately, thinking that you know what you’re saying, because he may not.
is: We’ve got to be Matthew:Ken: So we can hear things from the Holy Spirit, but the minute we begin to speak with the Lord, we feel the Holy Spirit is speaking. Then it becomes something that is either received, put on a shelf, or even dismissed, saying, “I don’t identify with that.”
Debbie: Doesn’t bear witness with me.
Ken: It doesn’t bear witness.
Ron: This is a core thing that we deal with every day. To me, it’s really important, because there are many things that I hear that I don’t necessarily agree with, or it doesn’t, quote, resonate at the time they’re speaking it. That does not mean the Lord was not speaking through that person at that time. And I personally do not want to close off or reject something that I either don’t understand, or that doesn’t resonate with me at that moment.
I want to be open to the Lord. Like you said, put it on the shelf, so that he can bring it back to me and say, “You might reconsider this.” To me, that’s really important, because I don’t want to miss things that the Lord’s trying to impart to me—just because maybe I’m having a bad day. I just don’t want to miss it.
Ken: Here’s a scripture for you on that too: “Eye has not seen, ear has not heard, neither has it entered into the heart of man the things that God has prepared for those that love him.” But God has revealed them by his Spirit. “I have many more things to say to you, but you’re not ready for it yet. But when you are ready, you’ll hear that word coming through loud and clear, and it will be confirmed in your spirit.”
What are the young people looking for today? Something that’s real.
Debbie: (Real.)
Ken: And if it’s not real to you, it’s not going to be real to them.
Mike: Yeah. You have to realize that these young people, from the time they hit school all the way through high school and college age, they’ve experienced more of what the world has thrown at them than what we did in our generations.
Right, that’s true. At a younger age, they’ve just about tried everything they can in the world and realized that it’s dead. There’s nothing. There’s no life—it’s a dark place. And so anything that comes in the form of light, or love, or something totally different than the darkness, catches their eye, so to speak. And then they get curious, and then they start looking into it a little bit more.
They may not be open to it initially, because of all the darkness they’ve been exposed to, but it’s different—that makes them pursue it more. And I think that’s when the Lord, by his Spirit, can move through individuals. If not you the first go-around, you’re just planting a seed. Somebody else comes along and waters that seed. But see, then God can bring forth the harvest.
It’s not up to you and I to do it the first time around and get them on their knees and all this other stuff. No—we’re just there to plant a seed, and somebody else comes along and waters, and God will bring forth the harvest in the right time.
