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Chariot May 2011 - Norm Wakefield Upcoming
Speaking Events - You're
Invited! June
16-18: Colorado
Home Educators Convention, Denver, CO June
24-30: Homeschool
Family Camp - Camp Spofford, NH, (603)
363-4788, www.campspofford.org July
14-16: California
Home Educators Association Convention, Pasadena, CA July
22-24: Father/Son
Retreat - Evangelical Institute, Greenville, SC, www.eibibleschool.org
Sept. 30-Oct. 2: Father/Son Retreat - Peniel Bible Camp, Lake Luzerne, NY, Contact: Doug Allers, dallers@nycap.rr.com Oct. 21-23: Men's Retreat - Evangelical Institute, Greenville, SC, www.eibibleschool.org Oct. 27-30: Father/Son Camp - Walnut Point State Park, Oakland, IL, www.fathersoncamp.org Do You Let Jesus Wash Your Feet?
I hope you were
encouraged as you read last month's Chariot
of Fire article about the love of Jesus Christ for us. Trusting in the
efficacy of the sacrifice the Lord Jesus made for the removal of all of
our sins is one of the ways you let Jesus wash you. Last month I put the
spotlight on the complete washing away of our sins that occurred when the
Lord Jesus gave His life that we might be justified in the presence of
God. This was surely in our Lord's mind as He took off His outer garments
and wrapped Himself in a towel to wash His disciples' feet.
The first verses of Chapter 13 set the stage for what was in Jesus'
mind. In verse one we read, "Now before the feast of the Passover, Jesus
knowing that His hour had come that He would depart out of this world to
the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to
the end." The following verses indicated that Jesus was mindful that the
time of His death was near and that He was about to initiate the process
by stirring Judas, the betrayer, to action. He wanted to assure His
disciples of His love to prepare them for what was about to happen. Jesus
was going to the Father to daily wash their feet
As Peter reclined at the table that evening, there was no way he could
understand the significance of what Jesus did for Jesus explained to him, "What
I do you do not realize now, but you will understand hereafter." What we
now know that Peter did not know was that Jesus went to the Father so that
He could continue serving those whom the Father gave Him. How? By washing
their feet daily by the power of the Holy Spirit through His Word. We
need our feet washed daily. Jesus said, "He who has bathed needs only
to wash his feet" (John 13:10). The body of Christ, the church, was
completely washed clean through Jesus' having shed the outer garment of
his physical body on the cross. However, since His new body was still
present in this world, exposed to Satan's schemes and agents, and
encumbered by flesh, a continual washing was needed. The daily need of
having our feet washed as we walk in this world getting stained by the
defilements of flesh and spirit required His ministry in another manner
through another means.
Jesus' disciples all over the world and throughout history need their
feet washed daily. Of course, in Jesus' day, people wore sandals and so
their feet got dirty everyday. Even if they had just taken a bath, within
minutes, their feet were dirty. Isn't this a graphic picture of the state
of believers? Although all our sins are washed away by the blood of
Christ, within minutes of waking each day we get our "feet" dirty. When we
selfishly demand, argue, and react, the dirt from sin coats our "feet."
The children test our patience and instead of lovingly responding, we bark
at them for inconveniencing us - another dusting occurs. By the end of the
day our "feet" are caked with the effects of sin and selfishness and are
in dire need of a good washing.
Jesus went to the Father for the express purpose of being available
24/7 to wash our feet through His Word. Here's a summary of what He told
His disciples in John 13-16. •
I am
going to the Father so you can have peace in a world of tribulation
(14:1,27, 16:33). •
I am
going to the Father so you can dwell with my Father and me everyday (John
14:2, 6, 15:7-8). •
I am the
way to the Father (14:6). •
I will
not leave you alone, I will come to you in a new manner - in the person of
the Holy Spirit (14:16-20, 15:26, 16:13-16). •
When He/I
come to you, you will know that you are not alone and that I am in you and
you are in me (14:20). •
Your
peace and cleansing will come as you, the Holy Spirit, the Father, and I
abide together in my word (14:23-24,15:7-8). •
I have
loved you as the Father has loved me. Abide in my love and love one
another as I have loved you (15:9-12). •
As I love
you and wash your feet, love one another and wash one another's feet
(13:14). Live
in the Father's
house so you can wash one another's
feet
This may be a
new view of the words of John 14 to you, but it isn't a new view in the
history of the church. Jesus went to the Father to prepare a place for us
to live with Him while we are on the earth. He told His disciples that
there are many dwelling places in the Father's house. You might think of what
Jesus said in this way. It's like the Father has a really big house, a
mansion, that has many rooms in it. Jesus went to get those rooms ready
for us to come dwell in. How did He do that? He went to the Father so the
Holy Spirit could be sent to us to provide a continual "foot washing"
place. The Word of God, more specifically, the words of Jesus Christ, are
those dwelling places in the Father's house. Every scripture verse or
divinely inspired thought contained in the Word of God is a room in the
house. (Wow! There are many rooms!). However, each scripture is only an
empty room until you and the Holy Spirit fellowship together in the room.
When you go to the Father, you go through the words of Christ and His work
on the cross. He's the front door, so to speak.
Once you walk in the Father's house through Jesus Christ, you can pick
any room you wish in which to dwell, and there you can meet with Jesus
through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will then make the presence of
Jesus Christ known in the room as He teaches you about how it applies to
your life. This is the way Jesus now loves and washes the feet of His
disciples. So while walking in a world of great tribulation, darkness, and
discouragement that dirty the "feet", a disciple and friend of Christ, can
at the same time dwell in the Father's house by abiding in Jesus Christ
and His Word. Out of such fellowship and ministry in the presence of
Christ by the Holy Spirit through His word, one disciple can wash the feet
of another disciple and thus fulfill Jesus' new commandment, "A new
commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved
you, that you also love one another" (John 13:34).
Arthur Pink, renowned Bible teacher and author of Exposition
of the Gospel of John commented on the relationship between the Word
of God, the living presence of Christ, and the believer. He wrote, "We
cannot wash our own feet; we are totally incompetent, not only for the
saving of our souls, but also for the cleansing of our defiled walk. Nor
has even the Word apart from His
living presence (italics his) any efficacy. Our feet must be in His
hands, that is to say, we must completely yield to Him. It is not simply that we are to judge our ways
according to our apprehension of
the Word, and its requirements, but He
must interpret and apply it, and for this we must
be in His presence."
Pink explained precisely what the Lord Jesus said to His disciples. He
went to the Father so He could make a place where He could continue
washing His disciples' feet as an expression of His love and humility. As
we abide with the Holy Spirit in the Word of God, we are daily washed and
prepared to minister to our brothers and sisters in Christ and to testify
in a dark and dirty world. How
does abiding with Christ in His Word affect our relationships?
Jesus stated in John 13:8 something we all need to know. "If I do not
wash you, you have no part with Me." If we are to have a part in Christ,
then we must let Him wash our feet daily. For Him to wash our feet daily
means we live our lives on earth with our feet on the earth, but our
hearts and heads in the Father's house. We must be in constant fellowship
with our Lord and Teacher, Jesus Christ, all day, everyday. By abiding in
Him, we have fellowship, peace, and revelation that affects our
relationships and our prayer life.
Now here is the application to our relationships. Jesus said, "If I
then, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another's feet" (John 13:14). From our abiding place in the Father's
house, our fellowship with the Holy Spirit in God's Word, we can minister
to our spouses and children and brothers and sisters in Christ.
Here's how this works for me. When I wake up, I go to the Father
through Jesus Christ and begin a new day in our relationship. I meet Jesus
in a "room," a scripture, where He teaches me by showing me around the
room. He tells me why this room is next to the adjacent room, why these
rooms are in this wing of the house, and how this wing of the house fits
into the grand layout of the mansion. I ask Him questions about the
furniture and decorations in the room, and He explains them to me by
showing me other rooms in the mansion.
As I continue hanging out in the room with Jesus, I seek to know Him
better. Why did He create this room for us? What can I learn about Him
from this room and its decor? Then I meditate on these things perhaps for
days or even weeks as I constantly dwell in that room. I meet with Jesus
in the same wing or room until He wishes to meet with me somewhere else.
This fellowship with the Lord Jesus has a peaceful, cleansing affect on my
life. I have found that as I minister to my wife, children, and others, I
simply wash them with the same "water" with which I have been washed, and
the presence and ministry of our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, is
manifested. The result is that Jesus washes the feet of His disciples
again. Would
you like to be on the Elijah Ministries Prayer Team? The backbone of Elijah Ministries is the prayer team who pray diligently for God to turn the hearts of men to Himself, their wives, and their children. Before I leave to speak, I send out a prayer team invitation to those who will intercede for God to work for His glory in us as a team for the Kingdom. Not only is it a blessing to those whom I speak and myself; but it is also a reminder to the team about the direction of their own hearts. If you would like to enter into the labor together with me, you may go to my website and click on "Prayer Team". Has Norm's Chariot or other resources been an encouragement to you? As a nonprofit organization, Elijah Ministries needs support from people like you in order to function. If God has ministered to you through Elijah Ministries and Norm Wakefield, would you consider supporting the work? You can do so here. (Elijah Ministries is a tax-deductible 501c3 and is financially accountable to an overseeing board of 8 non-paid members from around the country.) The Chariot is also available as a podcast. You can automatically receive the Chariot each month in iTunes by subscribing here. (An RSS capable browser such as Internet Explorer 7 or Safari is required.)
If you
haven't visited our website, www.spiritofelijah.com,
please stop by sometime. You'll find: * Resources to equip you and your family * Previous Chariot articles * Norm's speaking schedule *
Free MP3 downloads * Subscribe to the Chariot Podcast here. * Various resources/pages translated and available in Spanish * An online store to purchase resources and make tax-free contributions by credit card
I invite you to be a part of the
moving of the Spirit of Elijah in your church, community, and the world.
How?
1.
Send this article to other men or families that you know would
benefit from it. You might inform them of the previous articles
available on-line at our website.
2.
Share resources from the Spirit of Elijah Ministries with others.
If Equipping Men or Rising to the
Call have been a blessing to you, then you know it will be
beneficial to others. Either share your resources, tell them about the
resources, or purchase a set or two as an investment in their lives. 3. Share with others what you have learned and put into practice in turning your heart to God, your wife, and your children. If God has done this in you, then He wants to affect others through you.
4.
Join the Elijah Ministries email prayer team and make
intercession for others that their hearts would be turned in revival to
the Lord, their wives, and their children. This can be done on-line at www.spiritofelijah.com.
Norm
Wakefield 05.11 To unsubscribe, click here.
Do not change the subject of the email that launches when you click
above; just press send. Or send an email with the subject Unsubscribe
Chariot to chariot@spiritofelijah.com.
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