Two Are Better Than One

“A SECRET” - March 21, 2011

“It is, Madame, because you seek without what you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and you will there find Him.”

The above words were given to Madame Guyon at a time when she was at the end of herself - in the depths of frustration. Her life was futility and failure from her point of view. But from the day of the above insight, she started upwards in understanding, victory and success! - though through many dangers, toils and snares.

Should you wish to review a bit of the autobiography of Madame Guyon, you can turn to our “Archives”, 2001-05-19 - on our Website <www.2rbetter.org> .

350 years ago Madame Guyon painfully picked up these words, and within time had people throughout Europe beating a path to her door, to learn her secret of victorious Christian living. Archbishop Fenelon of France was one of these.

But, centuries ago, the apostle Paul spelled out this same “secret”. In Galatians 2:20 he tells of his secret - “I have been crucified with Christ; and no longer I live, but Christ lives in me: and what I now live in theflesh I live by faith which is in the Son of :God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.” Death to self-ways through crucifixion with Christ explains it. Baptism was an analogy making this concept clear. And the literal coming into his life with the very faith of the Son of God Himself, explains the extraordinary fruitfulness of the life of this apostle. What else could explain such a transformed life?

Oswald Chambers after six years of struggle nearly leading to loss of mind - parallels what Paul the apostle discovered and experienced.

Perhaps this word from James 1:17-18 will shed further light on this secret. Everygood giving and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, neither shadow castby turning. 18With intent hebrought us forth by the word of truth, that we be a kind of firstfruits of his :creatures.” Just as Gabriel informed Mary of how physical conception would miraculously take place prior to marriage - so the Father here is seen as initiating the same on a spiritual level in the life of every member of Christ's spiritual body! Jesus is the LOgos according to John 1:1. The Father of lights initiates each one of us into His Kingdom through “the wordof truth” (LOgoa-leTHEIas). Just as Jesus came as the babe of Bethlehem through heavenly conception, so each one of us come through heavenly conception into God's Kingdom by having Christ born in us!

But - do we feed Him in the Word, prayer, devotion and obedience? Jesus as the Son of man met regularly early each morning to commune with His Heavenly Father! We should be doing the same with the Father and the Son in the power of the Holy Spirit. Paul did. Oswald Chambers did. Madame Guyon did.

See again the word Madame Guyon received from the Franciscan monk that started her on her way. “It is, Madame, because you seek withoutwhat you have within. Accustom yourself to seek God in your heart, and you will there find Him.”

And is He also in heaven? Assuredly! But when we invite Jesus into our hearts for salvation, He comes! The Father initiates this. The Holy Spirit enables it. Christ comes with Hisfaith at our disposal. Are these truths realities in our lives? Is Madame Guyon's secret our secret too? Are people trekking to our spiritual doorstep to discover Christ in our spiritual heart? It canhappen!

In 1967 the Lord gave me a vision of an organic Laser-Telescope composed of 7 component parts. The first part was “God's Bible Numeric OutlinedInterlinear Greek NT, whose two texts were prepared in a life time work of 50 years following Ivan Panin's discovery of Bible Numerics in 1890 in Boston.

And what is inherently the natureof this Interlinear NT? It is the LOgos of God (John 1:1) - Jesus is the Living LOgos - and the Bible is His writtenLOgos. When like George Muller we daily kneel before this written Word - and read and pray it aloud back to God - the Holy Spirit takes hold of it and transforms it back to a REma word, a Living Word - and God in our heart starts to commune with us - speak to us - just like spiritual Urim and Thummim. He also guidesus and protectsus. See Proverbs 6:20-22, for a 3-fold description of what the spiritual Urim and Thummim does for us! This revelation was given to me in 1944 as a new convert - by a Jewish missionary to her own people. She had literally memorized the entire Bible in English, and much in Hebrew too. She was my first true mentor.

So - Jesus is the Alphaof the spiritual Laser-Telescope. But as the 7^thComponent - He is also the Omega. “Focus on the Word” was the victorious secret of Oswald Chambers, and for the last 16 years of his short life, he fruitfully proved the secret of sharing Christ through his life.

So those who hear the Word of the Lord concerning the 7-fold Component Parts of God's Organic Laser-Telescope, will also find Christ as the Alpha and Omega of this creation - the Interlinear LOgos of the NT - as well as the 7^thPart - the Focal Point of Christ as Oswald Chamber's Secret. See the very title of his “My Utmost for His Highest! - and - Personal, Passionate devotion to Jesus!” These two statements alone show what Oswald found in Jesus! Hewas his all in all!

So - I invite you with me - findin realitythe presence of the Abiding Christ in your heart, as I have discovered Him in mine! Yes - He is in heaven too! But God is in our hearts also. As we meditatevocally on God's Word - and obeywhat the Spirit quickens to us - then Christ grows in our hearts - just as in the flesh He advanced in wisdom and stature, and favor with God and man” (Luke 2:52).

A prerequisite to all of this to simplify it all, is to see our lives in the picture of the Tabernacle in the Wilderness. Let us advance from the Outer Court with its Brazen Altar representing Christ's Finished Atoning Work on Calvary - followed by the Laver - where we are buriedwith Christ unto death through baptism.

Then in the Holy Place, we find the Menorah representing Gifts and Fruit of the Spirit - the Table of Bread representing the 12 loaves for the 12 tribes of Israel; and the Table of Incense, where we worship in Spirit and in Truth.

The Outer Court represents our body, in which the the Holy Spirit dwells. The Holy Place represents our soul, for whom Christ died. Here - our Mind, Emotions and Will figure largely.

But when we pass on through the Riven Veil into the Holy of Holies, there like David we kneel in awe before the Ark of the Covenant, and above the Mercy Seat and between the Cherubim, commune with our Heavenly Father Himself. Here our human spirit finds union with the Spirit of God Himself.

But even all of this is insufficient. David in Psalm 86:11b fervently prays - “Unite my heartto fear your Name!” When our human spirit is resurrected through the new birth, it needs to be united with the “mind” of the soul! See Romans 12:2 - “And be notfashioned according to this age: but be transformed(metamorphosized) by the renewingof the mind-” Then the resurrected spirit can unite with the renewed mindto form a UNITED HEART. This is what God longs for in each of us. This is what David longed for.

And lastly - the blessing that flows from Madame Guyon's spiritual secret - so that we embrace Mark 8:34 - “And Jesus called to himthe crowd with his :disciples, and said to them, If anywould come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his :cross, and follow me.” This is the secret of discipleship. It is notbeing discipled unto a man, a movement or a denomination. It is being discipled to Jesus only! He didn't in the Great Commission tell us top make converts, but to make disciples, and Mark 8:34 clearly and succinctly sets out the three conditions: Denial of self, so that our will is yielded completely to Hiswill; taking up our cross - which is the will of God, especially as it cuts across our will! Remember Jesus in the Garden - “Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me - nevertheless - notmy will, but Yoursbe done! There it is as an example for us in a nutshell!

And lastly - “Follow Me.” We will follow Him in the Gospels. And we will follow Him in the epistles - for in the Epistles it is notJames, Peter, John, Jude or Paul talking - but our Lord Jesus! See Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:37 and Peter in 2 Peter 1:21. There are some in evangelical churches today who feel that “custom” takes precedence over what Jesus taught through His eight NT apostles! Wrong! Doubly wrong! The weakness of the church today is that we have watered down the Word of Godto the level of the mere word of man! Not so! We allhave to answer to Christ at the BEma throne of Judgment upon His return! Howwill we answer for our deeds done in the body if we have to confess that we watered Christ's word through apostles down according to “custom”. God have mercy on our souls! J.A.W.