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Explanation Of The Nature And History Of This Ministry
by T. A. Sparks
From "A Witness and a Testimony" in 1956
PART 2: LIFE IN THE SPIRIT
We do not mean that there was no knowledge or experience of the Spirit
before this. As with Israel, the very deliverance from Egypt and government
in the wilderness was by the Pillar of Cloud and Fire; so we had known
that sovereignty and grace. But Jordan marked a development in this matter.
Joshua stands for ever as a type of the energies of the Holy Spirit in
relation to full thought of God. These energies stood over against
the poor fruitless energies of man's own soul.
For us this had a definite subjective meaning: it meant that the
Spirit's sword or knife cut clean in "to the dividing asunder of sou1 and
spirit". There came about the recognition of the fact that the soul is one
thing and the spirit is another, and that it is the latter through which
the Holy Spirit realises all the purposes of God. The soul is ourselves in
intelligence, will, feeling and energy. It is not in our souls or ourselves
that the Holy Spirit dwells, but in our spirits, and the renewed and indwelt
spirit is the organ of Divine knowledge, Purpose, and power. Life in the
Spirit is only possible as this distinction is made. We have covered the
ground of this distinction in a book entitled "What is Man?" and our object
now is only to indicate the steps of spiritual progress. This life in the
Spirit, then, means a new realm of spiritual knowledge and understanding,
which is closed, very largely, even to Christians. if they have not known
the meaning of death and resurrection union with Christ in its relation to
the natural man, man in his natural constitution. Such may have the
information which is given by the Scriptures on all matters, and even teach
these things--so did we; but there is all the difference of life and death
between this and being in the living good of the truth. Life in the Spirit,
then, means another life, another knowledge another energy, another
capacity.
Then, of these outstanding features of the new sphere, one that very
quickly came into view was the inclusive fact that life was thenceforth
"in the heavenlies", and this was nothing abstract and mythical. It was to
involve us in the most practical issues.
Once again Israel's history was in the course of being repeated
spiritually. In their case there was a developntent, even with Joshua. True,
he represented--and continued to represent--the energies of the Holy
Spirit, but now another feature appeared as peculiarly associated with
the new place. This is described thus:
"And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his
eyes and looked, and behold, there stood a man over against him with his
sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art
thou for us, or for our adversaries? And he said, Nay; but as captain of the
host of the Lord am I now come.
And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and did worship, and said unto him,
What saith my Lord unto his servant? And the captain of the Lord's host said
unto Joshua, Put off thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon
thou standest is holy. And Johsua did so."(Joshua 5:l3-l5).
The new feature which is brought in at this point is that of Sovereign
Headship in the heavenlies and in relation to spiritual warfare. The
"Lord's host", the "Captain", and the "sword drawn" are very significant
words. What is signified is that the Holy Spirit is not just abstract or
unrelated power, neither is He present in His own name. He and His energies
are related to, and are the servants of, a sovereignty, a Throne. The Lord
Jesus has been exalted to the right hand of the Majesty in the heavens. He
is said to have been given that place till His enernies shall have been made
the footstool of his feet. All authority has been given unto Him in heaven
and on earth. There is a mighty hierarchy of evil occupying the heavenlies
and making war in countless ways against that heavenly Kingdnm of God's Son.
Paul's well-known description is:
"Principalities...powers...world-rulers of this darkness...spiritual
hosts of wickednes in the heavenlies" (Ephesians 6:12).
It is precisely in relation to the destruction and ultimate casting out
of this system of evil powers and intelligences that the Holy Spirit is
here. He and God's Son are one in Godhead, and therefore in Divine Person,
and He is here as Christ in the captaincy of the Lord's host. He is the
mighty energy of that "all authority", that Throne. His it is to lead and
energize the people of God against the spiritual opponents of God's purpose,
Thus, it was not long after our coming into the fuller meaning of the Cross,
as to the self-life, that there broke upon us this great fact that life
in the Spirit is life in the heavenlies, and life in the heavenlies is
meant to be a life of reigning and dominion. Again, this is a life of
warfare: but in this realm and in this work it is a case, not of appealing
to the throne, but of operating or functioning as from the Throne. It is
bringing that Throne to bear upon the enemy in his hold and his devices.
Whenever the Lord has brought in livingly, something o His heavenly order.
either initially or by recovery, He has done so with such evident tokens
of it being of Himself that you never forget. For us, when this broke upon
us, there was a period in which the tokens were so clear and many as to
keep us in a state of wonder. The impact of the Throne was brought--through
prayer--to bear upon all kinds of situations in which the enemy was very
definitely implicated, and those situations were released. We are
concerned now with spiritual principles, not with examples. Through the
years there has been much spiritual education, and the battle has been
carried into deeper realms, more and more away from the surface to the
great ultimate spiritual issues of life and death, but the truth and
principle remain the same, and we remain there in the positive testimony
to the absolute Lordship of Christ in the universe.
But we were to learn more yet of the Divine mind and so, in keeping with
the Scriptures we found the Lord bringing a further matter to bear upon us.
Each fresh step included what went before and carried it further. The next
thing, into the spiritual value and significance of which we found ourselves
being led, was...
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