Christ – All in All

CHRIST, ALL IN ALL—FOR HIS GLORY ALONE

1. What are the keys to continuing freshness in your love relationship with the Lord Jesus?

Through my times spent with the Lord in the night watches. He reveals to me more of Himself and the more I see of Him and know HIM, Christ Jesus my Lord, the more precious He becomes.

2. What do you experience of the Holy Spirit’s speaking and leading in your every day life?

As I spend time in His word, I find that the Holy Spirit speaks to me concerning Christ’s Body and His desire to see His people come into a deeper walk with Him. So much of what we prayed for as Intercessors for Zimbabwe was for the status quo to be maintained. It is not about that. It is all about the heart of God and what He wants for His people – to have a relationship with Him which goes beyond using Him as a ‘convenience store’ type of relationship, into a deep love relationship with Him Who is our Life.

3. Can you describe your everyday communication with God? Has this changed much since you first gave your life to Christ?

I spend time reading His word, praying the word and sharing the Word (Jesus) as I have never done before. It is quite a different type of communication. I write out the word of God, I underline and meditate upon it. I take themes, or a book and just go through it as the Spirit leads. Sometimes it means going back to the same places over and over as I believe that the Lord has much to teach me from those portions.

This is leading me into a new kind of intercession – praying according to His word and according to His will. I understand this more than ever before.

4. What is worship to you these days? How does it play a part in your everyday life?

It is just being with Him and enjoying Him for Who He is, and allowing the Holy Spirit to reveal more and more of the Lord to me as I wait before Him.

5. What is your experience of blessings and disappointments in your relationship with other believers?

The blessing is being part of the Body of Christ in a nation that is falling apart, with less and less of this world’s goods. It is wonderful to be able to share our lives, encouraging each other and growing up into HIM. We are learning together to overcome. When others get ‘down,’ we are there to build one another up. We see changes in attitudes, and it is a joy to behold. The less we have, the more He becomes to us, for He is our ALL and in ALL.

Yes, there are disappointments, but we have learnt to love those who despitefully use us and to come alongside them and woo them back into a relationship with Him.

6. What is your present understanding of local church life, leadership and structure?

Local Church life: By this I now understand that it is not going to a building. It is the Body of Christ. We are the Church. We are being built into the Temple of the Lord, living stones with Him as the Chief Cornerstone. We are able to share Him wherever we may go and we do.

Leadership and structure: We look to those whom the Lord has put us with to lead us in the things of the Lord. We respect their knowledge of what the Lord has been teaching them, and we learn from them; but in the fellowship, we all play a part in bringing words of encouragement, teaching or whatever the Spirit has been showing us.

7. What 2 or 3 things have become increasingly important to you over the period since you first trusted in the Lord?

1. That He is my Life. I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. He is the One Who has changed my life around and given me a purpose.

2. Spending time with the Lord in the night watches has become very precious to me.

9. At the present time, what is your main area of desire, concern or aspiration?

The Lord keeps taking me to Ezekiel to show me that it is all about His glory that He wished for Himself and His people. But alas, they had turned their backs on Him. He pulled back the curtain, as it were, and revealed to Ezekiel, just what was going on amongst the Lord’s people. They were rebellious, worshipping idols and doing many things that were not pleasing to the Lord, even in His house. God said that He would bring judgment upon them that they may know that He is the Lord.

This, I believe, is one aspect that the Lord has shown me to pray for. That His people will turn from serving their own agendas, seek the face of God for forgiveness, and serve Him for Himself alone. I pray for the students at the Seminary down the road from here that they my go out changed people. These are the words that the Lord has given me for His purposes.

JB: in Ireland: “Where is the fire, the passion, the burning love, the spiritual desperation . . . resulting in sleepless nights of anguish in prayer . . . someone daring to ‘go it alone’ that looks like reckless obedience to the Holy Spirit? Where is there a new deep, pure sense of spiritual urgency, and Spirit-inspired, and Spirit–filled enthusiasm? Where is there healthy fear and reverential awe of God among believers? Where is there undeniable, pure Spirit-filled activity, conviction and anointing in life, in word and in emotions? Where is conviction of sin and deep repentance . . . wholehearted radical conviction of sin? “

The Lord then gave me: Jer. 23:29 “Is not My word like fire, declares the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks the rock in pieces.”

Isa 45:8 “You heavens above, rain down righteousness, let the clouds shower it down. Let the earth open wide, let salvation spring up, let righteousness grow with it, I the Lord have created it.”

These are a few of the desires that the Lord has laid on my heart. To see the fulfilment of these words that He has given to me. Oh for a people who have entered into such a place with the Lord! I pray for His people that His word will, like a fire, burn up the dross, the rubbish and bring forth a pure bride for Himself that His word will break up the hard places in the hearts of His people.

In Ezekiel, God speaks of those who have trampled the pastures and muddied the waters. Surely this has been happening in so much of the body of Christ where the truth as it is in Christ Jesus out Lord, has been trampled and muddied People have been led astray and been lost to God’s full purposes for their lives, and sadly even to eternal life, which is in Christ Jesus.

We have been called to pray for the Glory of God. That means a fresh understanding of Who He is – His majesty, His glory, His awesomeness.

T Austin-Sparks says in His book ‘Men Whose Eyes Have Seen the King’: “These men who had come to understand the meaning of the Transfiguration; these men whose eyes had seen the King – Jesus, perfected, glorified, exalted, attested by Heaven-men who had seen Him, thus, went everywhere; and what an impact! Rarely, if ever, did they fail to register on this earth, in the kingdom of Satan.”

If we catch a glimpse of Christ like this – what an impact upon us and upon those we meet! Oh that the Lord would have such a people in these days.

by Nancy Frazer, Zimbabwe