Dear Phyllis,
It has been a slow week but we are told not to despise the day of small things (Zech. 4:10). Vocationally. I guess I am a wood-worker/cabinet man. At least that is what consumes most of my time. I wonder how many hours a day Paul spent making tents. It must have been sufficient to support himself and the staff that were with him (1 Cor. 4:12; Act. 18:3). Unfortunately, I don't make any money. Actually this is costing me money. The purpose of this endeavor is to teach hill tribe young men a trade to enable them to financially do better in life. I am not sure how this advances the kingdom of God but it is better than sitting in a office reading Time magazine. The Lord has provided a very outstanding Lisu pastor who is working with me, who will be able to take over this operation soon. I really like this guy. John is the best co-worker I have had since Koji 40 years ago.
Physically my body has been engaged in making a cabinet and a podium for the kindergarten where I teach, and an order for ten bunk beds that have to be done by the end of the month, but my mind has been engaged in trying to get a better understanding of the Blood Christ. I told you I would try to discuss drinking the Blood of Christ. My understanding of that subject is still probably less than 5%, but I am beginning to see why Jesus made that statement (Jn. 6:55).
It can be safely said that there is nothing more important in life than blood. Blood has at least two basic functions. It is the vehicle that provides the nutriment for the body, and it takes away the spent nutrients, or it is the garbage man. But beyond that the Bible tells us one more vital piece of information. It says that the life is in the blood (Lev. 17:14). And it emphasizes that by saying “the life of all flesh is in the blood.”
I have been trying to get a better understanding about life and have come to the conclusion that it is impossible to define. We can see its existence, and know its effect or actions. Lifes absence is obvious. We know where life is and where it isn't, but to define it is beyond human comprehension. I feel strongly that we are up against the same problem in understanding the Blood of Christ. There is much we can know about it, and see its effect or power. What it produces is very real, but to probe deeper into that mystery is beyond human understanding. However it appears there is no subject more prominent in the Scripture than the Blood.
There is a basic difference between a mannequin and a human. A mannequin has no life and a human does. Without life all you have is a corpse. To have life there must be a supply system that does two things – carry the food to the body, and take away the waste. Without a steady supply of food any living thing will die. Life is not static. Living things must be feed. I fear this is a serious problem for many Christians. How in the world can we sustain life if we don't feed daily on Jesus? Devotions is not just a good idea; it is as an absolute necessity as sitting at a table and eating three times a day. Jesus said that we don't live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Mt. 4:4). This tells us three things. The first is obvious – we must have bread (food). Secondly, there is spiritual food that we must feed on, And thirdly that bread is what proceeds from the mouth of God. And in this may I state, that there is a difference between God speaking to us, and reading something printed on a page. It is not just a good idea, it is utterly necessary that we maintain a close relationship with the Lord speaking to us on a daily basis. We must be on speaking terms with God or we will die.
In any living organism there must be a system to carry away the spent waste. When I was in Oregon building a church several years ago, a dear 60 year old sister came to me asking if there was anything she could do to help. I told her that if she would help with cleaning up, that would be a great assistance. Every morning at 6:00 AM, Dorthy Webb was at the job site picking up scrap, straightening up piles of things, and sweeping the floor. Sub-contractors who came in there told me they had never seen such a well run, clean, job site. Without Dorthy we would have buried ourselves in scrap. Somebody has got to pick that up. The blood carries away the spent food as well as carrying the nutrients to the body.
All living organisms have within them the law of life in the seed. An acorn doesn't look like much, but planted in the ground, it will produce an oak tree. Amazingly, that oak tree produce more acorns, which will continue to produce oak trees. This process will go on indefinitely. At this point, it is impossible to explain how sin nature is transmitted in humanity, but history has proven, incontestably, that Adam's sin nature has been transmitted to every child born since Cain. There is something in that seed that has been reproduced in billions of babies for 6,000 years.
Doctors tell us that at conception, when the male seed fertilizes the female egg, the blood of the child comes exclusively from the male seed. From the moment of fertilization on there is nothing of the mothers blood in the fetus. The placenta separates the child from the mother for the entire period of pregnancy and the supply system through the umbilical cord keeps the blood separate. Something happened in Mary that had never happened since Adam first opened his eyes in the Garden. Every child that has ever been born on this planet had inherited his blood from Adam. But, in Jesus case, that was the only child that has ever been born that didn't have a drop of Adam's blood in Him. At conception that Fetus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. That is why the Blood of Jesus is different and that is why Jesus was the only person born without Adam's sin nature. His Blood was absolutely unique. That Being grew to be a man and lived for 33 years without ever once stepping out of line in a perfect life of obedience to the will of God. He fulfilled what was God's initial purpose in creating man in the Garden. That perfect life was in His Blood.
Recently the Lord showed me something that is obvious but interesting. Jesus is eternal. John says that,“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word (Jesus) was with God, and the Word (Jesus) was God” (Jn.1:1). In eternity there is no time. But Jesus stepped into time when He became a man. Before the inception in Mary's womb there never was the Blood of Jesus. That is why it was necessary for Jesus to become a man so there could be His Blood.
Life has something to do with spirits. Angelic and demonic spirits have life but they have no bodies. In that we are unique. I believe this is one reason why demons want to live in something. They want to live in a human, an animal (Mk. 5:12), an idol, a spirit house, or even a tree. That is why groves were significant in the Bible. We have a spirit in our body. We remain alive as long as that spirit stays in the body, but when there is separation then we have death to the body – but not the spirit.
When we die our spirit leaves our body and blood decays. But Jesus' body was unique in that there was no corruption (Acts 2:27). Jesus body and His Blood did not decay. There was something unique about His Blood. In the resurrected Body of Jesus He mentioned His flesh and bones but said nothing about His Blood (Lk. 24:39). Here is a mystery that can not be comprehended by our human minds. The Blood of Jesus was (is) real. When the soldier thrust that spear into the body of Jesus the Blood poured out (Jn. 19:34). That was very real Blood. When Jesus died and shed His Blood on the Cross there was a transition from the physical to the spiritual. Up until Jesus' Blood was shed it was something entirely physical. He could give blood to the Red Cross just like we do and it would only be physical. But after the Blood was shed, it is entirely spiritual. Hebrews speaks a great deal about the subsequent work and power of the Blood. Indeed the entire message of the Blood in the Bible is all related to the shed Blood of Christ. That Blood may be spiritual but it is still very real and we see the effect of it daily. The power of the Blood is real. Fictitious or imaginary things have no power. But the Blood of Christ cleansed heaven, erased sin, cleansed our hearts, destroyed the power of the devil, and broke the power of sin. How this happens no one can understand. But for anyone who is born of the Spirit of God there is no question but what it is real.
The central issue on this planet is life and death. The Bible tells us clearly that the cause of death is sin. The fundamental law that “the soul that sins it shall die” (Ez. 18:20) has never changed. And the strength of sin is the law (1 Cor. 15:56). That is why for 4,000 years there were millions of animals whose blood was shed to prefigure the real Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world. It was His life that fulfilled the law
making it possible for His Blood to cancel sin.
But what
does it mean to drink His Blood? For many years I had no idea, but
one thing I did know was that somehow I had done it. I knew that
because there was no question but what Christ lives in my heart. His
life is in me. I am born of His Spirit. Without the new-birth there
simply is no life. That is clear (Jn. 3:3,15; Rom. 8:9). Obviously
it is possible to drink the Blood without understanding the theology.
The thief on the cross knew noting about the Blood but he was saved.
Millions all over the world are saved and born of His Spirit without
understanding the theology of the Blood. The stone-age savage in the
Amazon can be saved and born of the Spirit of God without being able
to read or understand theology. But they have His life. Jesus said
unless a person eats his flesh and drinks His Blood they have no life
in them (Jn. 6:55). This being true, it also means that if a person
has life he has partaken of Jesus' flesh and drunk His Blood.
Therefore drinking His Blood is not dependent on an intellectual
understanding. The Blood and the Life are the same. The Life is in
the Blood, and, with Jesus, we cannot separate them. Drinking the
Blood means partaking His Life. Obviously this is spiritual. To
illustrate that Jesus explained, “As I live by the Father, he that
eateth Me, even he shall live by Me”. You cannot make anything
physical out of that. But when we partake of the Life of Christ that
Life enters our hearts so intimately that the power of it is
expressed in His nature in us. Peter confirms that by reminding us
that we are partakers of the divine nature (2 Pet. 1:4). This is our
new nature or the new man.
And eating and drinking is not a one time experience. This business about believing in Jesus when someone is 12 years old and then doing nothing after that is insane. Jesus told us that we must feed on Him. I am convinced that eating His flesh and drinking His Blood is not a new intellectual understanding. But there is understanding involved in it. No one understands the full scope of life when they are first born. But as we walk
with the Lord the Holy Spirit reveals to us the details of what that Life is and how to maintain it. We talk about feeding on football, feeding on sex, feeding on politics, etc. I think we can understand that. Anyone who feeds on something spends a lot of time thinking about that. It is safe to say they have a passion about it. We need to have a passion about Jesus. We need to spend a great deal of time in the Scripture allowing the Holy Spirit to show us spiritual truth that is so vital. We spend hours a day sitting at tables eating and drinking. We need to spend much time doing the same with the Lord.
Gomen nasai for this rambling exposition. You may be more confused than before but this is a subject that has tremendously engaged me.
Have a good week walking with Jesus,
bill
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