Monday, September 17, 2007

Fellowship In The Spirit

Before the fall of man, when Adam walked in fellowship with God in the Garden of Eden, he experienced God’s glory with a spiritual connection. He was alive spiritually. His entire Spirit, Soul, and body functioned together, as designed by God, on whom he was totally dependent. Adam had the perfect relationship with God, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit. He knew them as the three, and the one. He had a relationship with them and saw them face-to-face.

When Adam disobeyed God and fell, everything changed. He died spiritually and his connection to the spirit realm of God was severed. With his spiritual eyes now closed, he was left with a lost soul and a body of flesh. The glory was gone. Not only was Adam’s ability to see into the spirit realm gone, but the glory that had rested upon his physical body was gone as well.

Oh, that old serpent was right when he told Eve that their eyes would be opened to know good and evil, but his deceptive lie did not reveal to them that their spiritual eyes would be closed. The realm of God, yes, even God Himself was darkened to them. They left the presence of the glory of God and entered into a dark world of flesh…of sin.

Up until then, Adam had lived a sinless life and was destined to live forever, as was his offspring. However, just as God had warned, on the day that Adam ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he died spiritually and so did all of humanity within him. He became a new creature, a beastly, sinful natured human being, and so did we, as we were all in him.

What Granddaddy Adam lost for himself, and all of us, was unfathomable. And you just know that for the rest of his life he wanted it back. What did he want back? He wanted to be as he was, and to walk in fellowship with his Father, our Father. Try as he might, even with all the sacrifices, he would not get it back. It would take a miracle. It would take a savior. It would take the Word of God made flesh to dwell among us, and take upon Himself the blame, the shame, the sin, and the punishment.

The Lord Jesus did just that on Mount Calvary! Then He rose from the grave, after leaving our sin behind in hell. He ascended back to Father, and reconciled humanity back to Him. We are dead in sin no longer. Once we, with our free will, repent of our sins, accept Christ as our savior, and invite Him into our hearts, we are born again into the spirit, into the kingdom of God, and into God Himself! Our spirits are alive unto God as Granddaddy Adam’s was in the beginning. When our bodies die, we will live eternally with Him, with them! Praise God!

But one little thing… Yes we are born again, but like babies in the womb, our eyes are not open. That is, our spiritual eyes. In order to regain everything that Granddaddy Adam lost for himself, and us, in the garden, we must regain our sight.

Our spiritual eyes must be opened so that we might once again fellowship in the Spirit with our Father, Lord Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. But wait! Did Jesus leave that out when He left this earth? No. As recorded in John 17:24, Jesus said, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory.” Jesus wants us to walk in the spirit with Him and see!

He also promised the baptism of the Holy Spirit. He told the Disciples to wait for the Comforter. They received the baptism of the Holy Spirit and so have we! We are born again and baptized in the Holy Spirit. Though we feel and sense His presence in the Spirit, one little detail remains. We want to see in the Spirit. Proverbs 29:18 say that where there is no vision the people perish. We must have our spiritual eyes opened so that we may see the Lord! We must regain the final portion of what Granddaddy Adam lost! We want to fellowship in the Spirit!

In Ephesians 1:18 Paul wrote, “I pray also that the eyes of your heart be enlightened in order that you know the hope to which He has called you.”

The gift has been given, so let us receive it. Our prayer is, ”Lord, open our spiritual eyes and let us see your glory, and fellowship in the Spirit with you.”