Lesson 2
Rise up to your potential and calling
It is a known fact that most people only use 5% of their brain potential. It is also the same spiritually. Most people barely live 5% of their potential and calling in Christ.
We do not seem to realise that there is much more for us in Christ, yet somehow so many of us seem to have missed it. I know I did for many, many years. Somehow we just seem to live at the beginning stages of Christianity, having accepted Christ into our hearts, possibly even been baptised in the Holy Spirit, yet somehow we just don’t seem to grow up into Christ our Head.
Whilst running the Spring Valley Holiday Farm and Riding Centre in South Africa, I noticed that in the Christian camps that came to us many Christians had come to a certain place in Christ and then gone no further. I thought to myself, ‘There must be more’. At first I turned to man for the answer, but got no answer. Then I turned to the Bible and Jesus and I did get an answer.
Jesus says in John 3:31:
"He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
What is this saying? This speaks of two realms, the earthly realm and the heavenly realm. This passage follows the famous passage of how Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. In John 3:3, Jesus answered him:
"I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again."
In verse 4 we read:
‘Nicodemus said to Him, "How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?"’
Then, in verses 5and 6:
‘Jesus answered, "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit"’
This is speaking of two realms. Nicodemus was speaking in the earthly realm, Jesus was speaking in the heavenly realm, but at the same time he was showing Nicodemus how to live in the heavenly realm. First he had to be born anew, or in modern language born again of the Holy Spirit.
Now if we go back to Genesis we read in Chapter 2: 16-17:
‘And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."’
We all know that Adam and Eve ate of this tree and from that day became spiritually dead. We are born of the flesh only and we all know that all flesh has to die too. That leaves man in a very helpless and hopeless condition for eternal life. It means we shall all die in our sin, for we have all sinned, we have all fallen short of the glory of God, each has gone his own way.
But the Good News is in John 3:16:
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life...”
The moment we receive the forgiveness of sins that Jesus made available for us by taking our sin upon Himself on the cross and receive Jesus into our hearts as Lord and Saviour we receive the Holy Spirit. The moment we become born again of the Holy Spirit we become born again to eternal life. We become children of our Father in Heaven, we become spiritually alive in Him: our dormant or dead spirits are made alive in Christ and become united with the Holy Spirit, whom Jesus sent to us from Heaven to dwell in our hearts. We can now call God ‘Our Father’, not only our Lord or our God, but our Father, who art in Heaven!! Now Jesus would not have taught us to say, ‘Our Father, who art in Heaven’, unless it was possible to get there, while we are still on earth. How? Through prayer, through abiding in Christ, by dwelling in His presence. This is what raises us above the earthly realm to live in the heavenly realm. We become whole in spirit, soul and body.
1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 says:
‘Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it.’
Jesus came to save men, not just souls. He came to save the spirit from death, to give us eternal life. He came to save the soul from sin to give us peace, and the body from sickness to give us healing, even as it says in 3 John 1:2:
‘Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers.’
Now in the world we know the studies.
Physiology - The knowledge of the human body and the conditions of the body.
Psychology - The knowledge of the mind and its powers, speaking of the soul.
Pneumatology - The knowledge of the spirit and its activities and forces.
Ontology - The highest study, which is manifestations of man’s body, soul and spirit.
Now God does not demonstrate mind over matter as the scientists do mentally. He demonstrates a higher fact: the power of the Spirit over mind and matter. All men are born in the flesh with a soul. Without the Spirit of God, the soul will gratify the flesh and its desires. When man is born again of the Holy Spirit he becomes spiritually alive. Now as man grows up into Christ, who is the Head, just as it says in Ephesians 4:15: ‘but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head –Christ --’ the soul will begin to yield to the Holy Spirit, who is greater than the body, thus transforming man more into the image of Christ, until we realise that we are actively spiritual beings with a soul that dwells in an earthly body.
Firstly, putting away sin is essential for the heart of man to become one with the heart of Christ. This relationship is like a transfusion of His life and love through all our being, through the Holy Spirit coming to dwell in our beings and spirit, and then His healing to our bodies becomes as natural as His peace to our minds or His rest to our spirits declaring that Christ has become our all in all. When we receive Jesus into our hearts and are baptised in the Holy Spirit, we must not just stay in the earthly realm as so many do, but instead spend time reading the Bible and in prayer, to bring about the renewing of our mind. Romans 12: 1-2 says:
‘I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.’
This scripture, along with also hearing the voice of Jesus, will help us to recognise and resist the lies of the enemy. Jesus will speak truth to us and the truth sets us free. Then as our soul stops just gratifying the desires of the flesh, it takes on the character of Christ. When this happens, we stop living in just the limited earthly realm; we begin to live in the heavenly realm instead.
Ephesians1: 3-5 says:
‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will,..’
Then Ephesians 1:16-23 says:
‘I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF HIM, the EYES OF YOUR UNDERSTANDING being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of HIS CALLING, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power TOWARD US WHO BELIEVE, according to the working of HIS MIGHTY POWER WHICH HE WORKED IN CHRIST WHEN HE RAISED HIM FROM THE DEAD AND SEATED HIM AT HIS RIGHT HAND IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His BODY, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.’
We can know God!! We can rise up in prayer to that which God has called us to. When we receive Jesus and His indwelling Holy Spirit into our lives we are born to eternal life and our spirits come alive. But there is still another level.
We can also be baptised in the Holy Spirit. This is what happened to the Apostles on the Day of Pentecost. Read for yourself what it says in Acts 1:7-8 and Acts 2:4. When we receive the baptism in the Holy Spirit we also receive the gifts of the Holy Spirit and power.
We then come to know the power of His Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts, the same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead!! Yes, this same Holy Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead now dwells in our mortal bodies!! If only we could realise this and live it, we would come to know His great power that enables us to live and witness for Him, who is seated at God’s right hand far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and above every name that is named. That is, above all evil, all sin, all sickness, all demons and every force of darkness. This is not all. Ephesians 2: 1-10:
‘And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others. But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), AND RAISED US UP TOGETHER, AND MADE US SIT TOGETHER IN THE HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST JESUS, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are HIS WORKMANSHIP, CREATED IN CHRIST JESUS for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.’
Where? In Heaven or here on earth?
The Bible speaks of this happening now and in the coming ages, while we are still on earth, that we should walk in them now. Jesus wants to raise us up above sin, sickness and all demonic powers and raise us up with Himself into the Heavenly places. When we live in the limited earthly realm, sin is a struggle, sickness is stronger than us, demons, curses, evil spirits and all demonic things are stronger than us, but when Jesus raises us up with Him into the Heavenly places, He raises us up, above sin, above sickness and above every demonic thing, into His victory.
Then He gives us the authority of His name to cast out sickness, to cast out pain, to cast out demons, as it says in Mark 16:17-18:
"And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover."
In Luke 10:19 it says,
"Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.
How can this be? Philippians 2:8-11 tells us:
‘And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’
The authority of His name He gives to us is that which enables His healing on earth. He secured this victory on the cross, and from that moment, every knee must bow to the authority of His name. When we command sickness to go in His name, it must obey, pain must obey, demons must obey, that is if we are truly living in the heavenly realm in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:1-2 says:
‘If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.’
When we seek to live in the Heavenly realm in Christ Jesus, He raises us up above the earthly realm into another dimension of living in Him. To this life He has called us, for this life He has prepared us, even before the foundations of the world, that we should walk in Him.
Let us no more be limited to walk in the earthly realm, let us look to Jesus and let Him raise us up to the full potential and calling that He has called each of us to live. We can all live in the heavenly realm in Jesus our Lord and Saviour.
Questions To Think About
What is the difference between living in the earthly realm and living in the heavenly realm?
How can we be lifted up into the heavenly places where Christ dwells?
Name three areas in our lives that Jesus changes by what He did on the cross.
What power does the authority of Jesus’ name have on the earth?
How do we receive this power and authority, to live as Jesus wants us to and to do His work on earth?