Cleaning House - Spiritually Speaking

Cleaning House – Spiritually Speaking

I’ve been on a roll around my house.  Cleaning, organizing and tossing things out.  Some items that seemed important to keep only a year ago now must find themselves a new home.  The Wisconsin weather this summer has been unseasonably cool even for us and the frequent rains have made staying inside guilt free.  

Obviously I know that I am cleaning my physical house that I live in, but another part of me seems to be saying we must make room for future changes. Not necessarily physical ones. What I mean is, I feel the winds of change coming, and that I must take off everything that hinders and run the race marked out for me.

Hebrews 12:1-2  Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,  fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

This house cleaning is both physical and spiritual.  I read a journal entry that I wrote 17 years ago, 2 years before I came to know Christ. It made me shudder and part of me wanted to rip it up.  And yet I know it is a reality check to look back on the old degenerate me and see the changes that have taken place.  I will likely look back 17 years from now and see huge growth again.  I am being renewed day by day. I think to myself, how could God stand to be around me back then.  I was so unholy and self-focused that He had to work really hard to make a dent.   

As I move forward with my house cleaning I move forward, too, with a new understanding of the Bible.  I believe we were never meant to sit in churches on Sundays and then go right back into the world on Monday.  What I mean is this: we have power and most churches are not teaching the power of God.  Oh, they teach that Jesus had power, but that power is available to us as co-heirs of God because of Jesus. Sound like heresy?  Look again at your Scriptures, here are a few examples:

Ephesians 1:18-21  I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which he has called you, the riches of his glorious inheritance in his holy people, ¹⁹ and his incomparably great power for us who believe. That power is the same as the mighty strength he exerted when he raised Christ from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come.  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.  (emphasis added)

Romans 16:20   The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.  (emphasis added)

The bottom line comes down to this: There are four main groups or persons in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. They are as follows:

Jesus

Disciples

Pharisees

Sick People

As we go through we can see where we are to fit in.  We are not to be the sick people, rather those laying hands on the sick.

We are not to be the religious Pharisees who were so caught up in the law that they missed and killed their Messiah.

Now there are only two left.  And most commonly thought is that we are to be disciples; well there is a problem with that.  The disciples in the Gospels had not received the gifting of the Holy Spirit yet.  It wasn’t until Jesus’ ascension to Heaven that the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost.  Throughout the Gospels and before Jesus was crucified they had not been baptized with the Holy Spirit.  So if you have been baptized with the Holy Spirit to try to be like the disciples is like taking a step backward.

The only one to be like and learn from is Jesus.  He says numerous times in His word that we can ask anything in His name and it will be given to us.  Most preachers will say, “Well, He didn’t exactly mean that.”  I disagree with them; yes, yes He did mean exactly that.   The key is to operate in His power.  But you have to know who you are in Jesus first and you have to study Him regarding healing, miracles and signs and wonders.  To make room for what He has in store for us.

Ephesians 3:20  Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. (emphasis added)

This Christian walk isn’t simply a list of do’s and don’ts and be nice and kind, which build character. No wonder so many men and young people shy away from the traditional churches.  There is nothing wrong with character building; as a matter of fact, character is a large part of having your mind renewed. But so is the power.  And the pendulum has swung so far to one side for so long, I feel it making its move (if I can call it this) back to a balance of power.  

And I believe that is what I am cleaning house for.  

If you find Jesus boring, look again at the Scriptures, Jesus lived the dream and it is available to you, too.  By the dream, I mean He walked with constant communication with God and had the power to bring Heavenly resources to Earth.  He came here to show us how to walk, like the way God intended back in the book of Genesis.  Just saying….