Dear James,
I am from Singapore and have been listening to your messages since August 2010
which you articulate week after week has given me a greater understanding on the
finished work of Christ and the Perfect Rest from Him.
I knew Jesus in my late teens, knew He died for me and my sins forgiven, received
Him, was filled with so much love for Him in the initial years but got caught up with
many teachings that I have to be Holy and be Perfect as my Heavenly Father is.
The Old Testament then to me was always showing me a fiery and angry God who
consumed His people whenever they disobeyed. It was too scary for me. My mum
then was also an idol worshipper and coming from a traditional Chinese family I also
faced a lot of family opposition. I grew in my job through the rank and file and soon
my career just became the major priority of my life and became a workaholic with
very long hours of deadline. However the beginning years with Jesus were sweet
wine and His life and presence was so strong as I saw His sustaining strength in
every area. I saw my prayers answered and I just had this intimacy with Him which
gradually became like the dry bones mentioned in Ezekiel. I guess the Lord saw that
despite how I feel towards Him, I knew He was the answer to all my needs and I
would continue to call on Him whenever I need help.
I went to church every Sunday routinely and continued for many, many years. In Sep
2000, a friend introduced me to attend New Creation Church where Ps Joseph Prince
was the Senior Pastor. I was pleasantly surprised when you mentioned Ps Joseph
Prince in your March 2009 messages. Ps Joseph Prince preached from the flow, no
written notes, when we worship, we were not reciting from printed notes and it was
simply awesome as He unveiled the loveliness of Jesus and that the angry God that I
saw was no longer angry because all the anger and judgment was at the Cross. I had
so much to relearn about my sin forgiven, praying in the Holy Spirit, worship, and my
righteousness in Christ Jesus. I kept hearing and listening to the message of Grace
and the Finished Work of Jesus and Jesus awesome goodness and beauty unveiled.
However, I still could not understand the old man, new man, flesh and Spirit and the
fight that we keep having with self. I know I am under grace and not under law but still
frustrated and hungry, I started to check on sermons from other Pastors for answers.
I found Gateway Church, listened to Ps Robert Morris and then to Ps Clark Whitten
from Gateway website. His message on “Why God does not live in a Dirty House†set
my heart on fire. I knew my body was the temple of the Holy Spirit but the awareness
of my union with Him was not a conscious awareness. I started to search for Ps Clark
messages to learn more and hit on Grace Orlando’s website in August 2010 and found
your teachings. I was awed with the 2008 message that we live in a parallel universe,
salvation is a Place, the Mansion to live in is now and not after I leave this body, the
invisible vs. the visible realm, awed with the union that we have with Christ, awed
with the power of sin that was quarantined in this body which is dead and the new
creation, awed to know that my God only judges the secrets of men by Jesus Christ.
(Romans 2:16). The Lord knew that these were messages that I needed to hear
because many of us understands Grace but only touched the tip of the iceberg of
Jesus awesome love, goodness and imparted righteousness but we still do not
understand the power of sin that is in this body, the new creation, the light that is
already in us. What man calls change on the outside is the manifestation of the light
inside, I had new revelation of Jesus light that shone out at Mount Transformation
which made His garments so white that no launderer on earth could make it
whiter..(Mark 9:3, Matt 17:2)…Jesus my light on the inside and clothed with His
righteousness had a new meaning and simply warmed my heart.
My mind was blown away when you expounded on the many sayings of Jesus, the
hidden mystery no longer a mystery now. Everything that Jesus said written in red
makes sense and I understand we were not married to law but married to the flesh
and held by it and the flesh stirred because of the law…..if we live in the Spirit, we
sin not…… the revelation of what Jesus did for me at the cross, the flaming (Blazing
Righteousness) sword that guarded the way to the Tree of Life (Gen 3:24) was the
sword that pieced through my inner man showed me why I still could not rest fully
despite hearing the message of Rest until I see the Union that I have with Him, one
with Him, connected to Him, the Tree of Life. As He is so I am. Connected to the
Vine, Connected to the Head…living through the Life of another living in me. When
I become impatient, it is not me and His light in me will continue to shine through
and as He is so I am. I am not changed gradually day by day but I in union with the
Spirit of Life, manifest Him more and more and His light in me gets brighter and
brighter.(your illustration of the 3 lamps was awesome). Now I ponder the visible
which reveals the invisible, renew my mind, see my new heart, my new mind, my new
soul. I am excited with life and enter His Rest every day.
I know my outward man is perishing but my inner man is renewed. I know I am in
Union with Him and His Life gives life to my mortal body. I see the realm I live in is the
truth, the reality that I live in the Spirit. I worship Him in the Spirit and in Truth I see
the invisible which is eternal and not the visible which is temporal, and why creation
groans for the revelation of the sons of God. All that is visible will pass away and
be dissolved but now we live in the invisible realm in Christ Jesus, we look for new
heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells (2 Peter 3:13). Absent in the
body present with the Lord. (2 Cor 5:8)…His Mansion is here…and I live in Him, He in
me.
I thank Jesus that my mum once an idol worshipper is saved, so is sister and her
children and I continue to believe that they too will see the awesome work of the
finished work that we not only have a Savior who loves us but we are truly out of this
world one with Him. “In this world but not of this world… holy and perfect†He keeps
us and makes His face shines on us, the good Shepherd that always knows His
sheep.
Thanks James for being a blessing to me and to the many who will get to hear this
awesome gospel of His death, burial and resurrection that gives us Perfect Rest.
Many of the revelation that you articulate week after week, I keep listening and each
time I hear, I hear something fresh. It is the Spirit revealing the great and mighty
things that we know not of. This is reality, the t…ruth. Jesus finished work is perfectly
perfect, completely complete. I died, was buried and now raised from the dead in
Christ, a new creation created after true righteousness and holiness. The Tree of
Death that Jesus nailed Himself is the Tree of Life. It just blows my mind.
Shalom and Love from my union with Jesus who is my Life.
PS: (Can’t wait for Ps Clark’ Whitten’s book, Pure Grace, can we order now?)
(Name Withheld By Request)