The Table of the Lord XII
Power in the Blood, Part 2
Thought I was going to move on for awhile to another topic, but realized we hadn't quite wrapped up this revelation yet -- or at least that part the Holy Spirit has downloaded in me. (Grin)
The next Coffee Break is already written, but I needed to delay its posting until we at least finish up this part of the discussion on the Table of the Lord. There's still lots more revelation to share on the Table of the Lord, but I will take a break for a few weeks following this post to deal with a prophetic outlook for the next year that needs to be shared.
This past Wednesday morning, following our early morning time of prayer and intercession, a fire and smoke alarm next to the kitchen began to sound off. There was no smoke in the house, and nothing was on the stove in the kitchen. After looking around for some cause and finding none, I grabbed a towel from the bathroom and began waving it in the air next to the alarm thinking there might be some pollutants in the air that I couldn't see. Nothing. Nada. Zip. The thing kept chirping and occasionally sounding off.
Minutes later, the fire and smoke alarm in the guest bedroom (only a few feet away) began to do the same thing. Now I WAS puzzled! Did the same thing with the towel with the same results. The alarm kept going off. Now there were two alarms sounding. It couldn't have been five minutes later when the alarm in our theater room (set up with a large HD flatscreen, seven-channel surround sound system, satellite receivers and Internet capability – in other words, lots of electronic components) also began to chirp and sound off. My first thought was that maybe some component was failing and creating fumes or pollutants triggering the rest of the alarms. We have five alarms throughout the house, by the way, but only three were sounding off.
A careful check of the equipment in the theater room made clear that there were no issues there. Finally, I gave up, got a ladder out of the garage, climbed up and began to remove each of the backup batteries from each of the alarms. The same three alarms continued their chirps and beeps. Della looked at me and said, "Honey, I want to study and spend time with the Lord, but I can't continue to put up with these alarms."
The next process was to disconnect each alarm from its electrical wiring and set it on the island in the kitchen with its appropriate backup battery. The alarms continued to sound off! NO, that's not a typo. The batteries are removed. The alarms are disconnected from the electrical wiring and physically removed from their mounts. All three are sitting beside each other on the island in the kitchen, and they are continuing to sound off! And they continued to sound off for the next two hours! Any of you readers who are electricians or electrical engineers know that what I'm describing is simply not impossible. There's just no way for an electrical device to work without electricity or some kind of electrical supply source.
Almost at the same moment, Della and I looked at each other, raised our arms up in the air and said, "OK, Lord! Are you trying to get our attention or something? Are you trying to give us some kind of warning?"
Earlier in the day I'd printed a prophetic word out from the Elijah List (http://ElijahList.com). It was a Word given by Bobby Connor (a brother in the Lord whom I originally met more than 30 years ago, and whose ministry is well proven, and whose prophetic words have proven throughout the years to be extremely accurate), and it began: "Dread Champions, Arise to to Contend and Defend! Do you hear the battle alarm? It is ringing loud and clear! We are entering a very serious season -- a season of confrontation. Our lukewarm "business as usual" attitude must die.
The Spirit of God is awakening and arousing the Church, prompting us to arise and take a strong stand for Divine Truth! The war is raging and we must prepare for battle."
I strongly recommend that you go to the following link and read the entire prophetic word. It is a critical word for this hour. http://www.elijahlist.com/words/textonly.html?ID=8428. Let me also recommend to you that you subscribe to the Elijah List in order to receive these prophetic words that come from various parts of the Body of Christ.
That said, getting back to the alarms, and the Word of the Lord that came through Bobby Connor, we were certainly put on alert. God is doing these kinds of extraordinary things to get the attention of Christians and let them know we are living and functioning in a most critical hour. The return of the Lord Jesus Christ is sooner than most folks think, and He's not coming back for lukewarm, "name only" Christians. He's coming back for a people Daniel described like this: "And such as do wickedly (rasha': violate, condemn) against the Covenant shall he [the king of the north] corrupt by flatteries; but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits." (Daniel 11:32b)
"Such as do wickedly" incorporates a whole lot more than just those who are not believing-Christians. Sadly, there are many folks who call themselves Christians who in fact violate the Covenant that Jesus made with us and for us. They cash in on the name "Christian" but live to please their flesh and their own personal desires rather than entering into a real love-relationship with Jesus Christ.
Anything that represents "cost" to them, their personal relationships with family or friends, their "good name," their reputation -- and/or their pocketbooks they justify in setting aside or pretending that the Lord is not requiring it of them. Those who enter into a real intimate relationship with the Lord, contending for and striving after His best and His heart's desire are the people whom Daniel describes as "the people that do know their God."
OK? 'Nuff said. Let's see what we can do here to fill out the picture of Jesus' Blood.
In the last Coffee Break I posed the question, “Why would blood have to be shed in order for forgiveness to take place?”
Let’s revisit a picture taken from the Encarta Encyclopedia (I won't reprint that article here, but you can go back to The Table of the Lord XI).
Consider Jesus’ statement to the disciples as they sat at the Last Supper:
Matthew 26:26-28: "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
We know from the Encarta explanation that blood serves many purposes.
1. Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body.
2. Blood washes the body of waste products, (a) dispersing carbon dioxide out of the body through the exhaling of breath from the lungs, and (b) sending urea and uric acid to the kidneys where they are converted to urine and eliminated.
3. Blood serves as a means of transporting life throughout the body.
4. Blood becomes the vehicle by which chemicals and hormones are moved throughout the body to regulate the function of the various organs.
5. Blood fights disease, resists infection and keeps the body’s immune system operating properly.
6. The flow of blood throughout the body keeps one part of the body from becoming overactive and overheated by triggering the enlargement or shrinkage of blood vessels in order to regulate our body’s temperature and keep things in balance.
Now are you seeing the spiritual parallels?
1. The Blood of Jesus carries with it the breath of God to all parts of the Body.
2. The Blood of Jesus washes our spirits and our souls of those things that contaminate our daily walk with God. Consider these following Scriptures for a minute:
Revelation 1:5: And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Revelation 7:14: And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
3. The Blood of Jesus – when shed on the Cross for our sins – canceled out the curse of death and restored eternal life for us.
Hebrews 9:27-28: And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.
4. The Blood of Jesus is the means by which we as believers in Christ Jesus become one Body. The Blood of Jesus regulates the development of the Body through the transport and movement of “spiritual chemicals and hormones” and ensures proper growth and development.
Let me pause in this illustration to remind you of a point that we’ve discussed in previous times of sharing – namely, that when Jesus shed His Blood and died, He was raised from the dead by the Spirit of God. Paul, writing to the Romans, said:
Romans 8:11: But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Notice that when Jesus rose from the dead it was because He was raised by the Spirit. There was no fresh infusion of blood to make Him alive. He was alive now by the Holy Spirit. We, likewise, are made alive in Christ Jesus by the Spirit of God. It is the Spirit – replacing the Blood, and acting in the place of the Blood – that flows through the Body of Christ.
That same Spirit regulates the growth and development of the Body of Christ by His choice – not ours. That same Spirit appoints and moves throughout the Body, apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors (shepherds) and teachers for the regulation and upbuilding and strengthening of the Body as a whole.
Ephesians 4:11-16: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ:
“That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
“From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
In this sense, the Holy Spirit becomes the blood-flow of the Lord Jesus Christ – the life-flow – that regulates and stimulates growth through the five facets of Jesus’ ministry character and makeup.
5. The Blood of Jesus provides the legal means by which we fight off the infection of sin and iniquity. The Blood of Jesus legally provides us our immunity – both from Satan’s contamination and in a literal sense from disease, sickness and infirmity, weakness, poverty and everything that renders us powerless against the infection of sin.
The apostle Paul put it like this: Romans 8:1-2: There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
6. Just as blood in a natural sense regulates the body’s temperature by increasing its flow when certain parts of the body become too overheated, and restricting its flow by shrinking the size of the blood vessels in order to cause the body to warm, the Holy Spirit regulates the temperature of the Body of Christ by moving throughout with what we’ve come to refer to as “moves of the Spirit.” The regulation of the body’s temperature – in a natural or physical sense – enables us to walk and live healthy lives.
As we all know from history, the Body of Christ became extremely ill – virtually dormant – for centuries. The Dark Ages, with religion that had all but snuffed out the flow of the Holy Spirit, was very properly named as such since it was a dark and sick time for God’s people.
(a) The Reformation was the beginning of a new flow of life within the Body as the Holy Spirit began to transport some life and heat back with the revelation that “the just shall live by faith.” (b) The Reformation was followed by several sequential “moves” as the sovereignty of God was revealed, water baptism by immersion, and then a crack in the Nicolaitan doctrine of “power over the people” by an elite few began to widen into a complete break with “high church” structure.
(c) A “Great Awakening” to salvation through Jesus Christ by grace and faith began in Ireland and England and came to full flower in America just as the United States became a reality. (d) That was followed by a second “Great Awakening in the 1800’s in which evangelism began to flourish as never before in history. (e) At the turn of the 20th Century, we saw Azusa Street and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues and the gifts of the Spirit in full manifestation.
(f) By the 1940’s and 50’s, the Latter Rain movement took hold with miracles on display such as the world has never known. (g) During the 1950’s and 60’s and 70’s we saw great evangelical moves with individuals like William Branham, A. A. Allen, (both of whom were intrinsic to the Latter Rain movement) Oral Roberts, Billy Graham, T. L. Osborn and others. Mass evangelism began to be seen on a scale the Body of Christ had not previously seen.
(h) The early 60’s and throughout the 70’s brought the Charismatic Renewal, and in the 1980’s, there began to be heard a depth of teaching and a flowering of understanding of “the five-fold ministries. (i) The late 1980’s saw the development of ministries such as IHOP and Morningstar with an accent on the Tabernacle of David and 24-hour praise, worship, prayer and intercession. (j) At the same time folks like Kenneth Hagin, Kenneth Copeland, Fred Price and Charles Capps emerged as powerful teachers and proponents of God’s people being restored to prosperous living.
(k) In the past decade and a half we have seen prophetic and apostolic ministries flourish as the Body of Christ has once again begun to come alive and assert the anointing and authority of the Kingdom of God in the earth.
Throughout the ages there have always been a tiny remnant of God’s people keeping the blood-flow of the Lord Jesus Christ alive and moving; and despite numerous attempts of Satan to snuff out the life of the Spirit, the flame of the Holy Spirit has continued to burn and move from place to place.
There have been teachers, preachers, evangelists and missionaries throughout the centuries who have had personal visitations from the Lord and have been faithful to the Word God has given them in order to keep the blood-flow and the life-flow of the Holy Spirit alive and moving throughout the Body of Christ. Many of them have been virtually unknown “no-names” whose faithfulness in sharing the life and revelation of the Holy Spirit has led to other, more prominent teachers and leaders – apostles and prophets and evangelists – restoring the life-flow of the Holy Spirit to the body at large.
We’ve seen an ebb and flow, but the life of the Body of Christ has continued to grow, mature and take hold in the world as the original vision and purpose of God the Father, Jesus the Son and the Holy Spirit has been being brought to fruition.
The Body of Christ IS growing up into HIM – a whole body, a living body, a ruling body; and it all began to happen when Jesus shed His Blood for us.
Jesus' Blood did a whole lot more than simply remitting our sins. It forever restored our access to the same relationship with the Father that Adam and Eve once enjoyed. It restored our access to the Heavenlies. It took away the penalty for death and restored eternity.
Jesus' Blood eradicated death and the dying process. Along with the dying process went all sickness, all disease, all bondage to Satan (no matter what form that bondage takes), and all weakness or infirmity.
Jesus' Blood restored the Abrahamic Covenant -- and the Blessing of Abraham.
Jesus' Blood canceled the curse of the Law.
Jesus' Blood canceled poverty. Jesus' Blood canceled the need to work for a living and redeemed work so that we can now "work for a giving" instead -- just like He did.
We'll come back to this topic in a few weeks when we talk about The Table of the Lord and the picture of Multiplication.
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
(509) 781-6099
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Sunday, January 31, 2010
Sunday, January 24, 2010
ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: THE TABLE OF THE LORD XI
The Table of the Lord XI
Power in the Blood
And a Fabulous, Prosperous Happy New Year, folks!
The other day, Della went to pray for her aunt, Nita, who was just released after having knee-replacement surgery. There were other cousins, nieces, nephews and some grand-nieces (is that what you call them, or do they become "cousins" instead?). Savannah is Nita's great-granddaughter. (We seem to have a bunch of Savannahs in our family -- a granddaughter, a niece, and this "grand-niece," or however she is classified.) Anyway, Savannah is not yet three years old. She was quite taken with Della and the presence of the Lord in her.
When Della went to lay hands on Nita and began to pray, Savannah came over to began to stare at Della's hand. She somehow sensed the power of God flowing but didn't understand what was taking place. Finally, she began picking up Della's hand and looking underneath to see what was there. It was both funny and revelatory at the same time. Della stopped and asked Savannah if she'd like to pray for Grandma Nita too. She nodded her head vigorously and put her hand on Nita's leg right next to Della's hand. Della placed her hand over Savannah's and began to pray in the Spirit.
The prayer became rather strong -- and long -- lasting between five and ten minutes. (Grin) Savannah didn't wriggle or move her hand even once during the prayer like most two-year-olds would do.
When Della finally lifted her hand, Savannah looked up at her and seemed to reluctantly withdraw her hand. She liked what she felt and experienced. It was both humorous and refreshing to see her reaction. When young children experience the power of God flowing like that and see the visible results of healing (Nita has astounded the doctors with her rapid recovery and full mobility without pain or after-effects.) it builds faith in them to do the same.
We've shared in the past how our granddaughter, Jessica, experienced the same thing when she was three years old and went around praying for her brothers and sisters whenever they experienced pain or the onset of a cold or flu or whatever. The manifestation of healing was instant -- so much so that whenever they have gotten hurt or felt bad for one reason or the other the automatic response has become, "get Jessie to pray for you!"
That, my friends, is the way it ought to be! We're bringing up a new generation of young people. They need to be brought up in an environment of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It'll multiply over and over and over again -- just like the loaves and fishes -- and the power of God to heal, save, deliver and make whole will spread like fire!
Well, Good Morning, folks! This Coffee Break begins our seventh year of publication and sharing the things God has been speaking and doing in our lives. At the same time, here at River Worship Center, we've been sharing around the Table of the Lord and a continually unfolding revelation concerning the bread and the cup for the past year and a half. I remember hearing Juan Carlos Ortiz share a number of years ago how the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him off the subject of God's Love in his church in Argentina for more than a year; and wondering how in the world one could stay on the same topic without saying the same thing over and over and over again to extreme boredom. Now I know! There's nothing boring about it, and the continual flow of revelation and impartation is nothing less than life-changing!
Let's begin by laying a few foundations.
We know by virtue of God's statement to Moses "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)
Then God goes on to say the following: "Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17: 12-14)
This is a critically important principle for us to get hold of. If the life of all flesh is in the blood, then the blood has both the power of life and death as it flows through our bodies. So long as the blood renews itself and is renewed by breath (breathing) [We'll come back to this momentarily] it carries the power of life throughout our bodies, bringing health to our minds -- or more specifically, our brains -- and keeping our bones, our organs, our muscles and our tissue continually renewed. If the blood, however, is not renewed and reoxygenated, it loses its life-giving power and our bodies begin to suffer the consequences with disease, infirmity and weakness as the immediate results, and -- given enough time -- death as the final result.
Blood becomes diseased when its cells begin to die or to replicate in unbalanced fashion. Anemia, leukemia and hemophilia are good examples.
Encarta Encyclopedia gives us the following description: Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all the other tissues in the body and, in turn, carries waste products, predominantly carbon dioxide, back to the lungs where they are released into the air. When oxygen transport fails, a person dies within a few minutes. Food that has been processed by the digestive system into smaller components such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is also delivered to the tissues by the blood. These nutrients provide the materials and energy needed by individual cells for metabolism, or the performance of cellular function. Waste products produced during metabolism, such as urea and uric acid, are carried by the blood to the kidneys, where they are transferred from the blood into urine and eliminated from the body. In addition to oxygen and nutrients, blood also transports special chemicals, called hormones, that regulate certain body functions. The movement of these chemicals enables one organ to control the function of another even though the two organs may be located far apart. In this way, the blood acts not just as a means of transportation but also as a communications system.
The blood is more than a pipeline for nutrients and information; it is also responsible for the activities of the immune system, helping fend off infection and fight disease. In addition, blood carries the means for stopping itself from leaking out of the body after an injury. The blood does this by carrying special cells and proteins, known as the coagulation system, that start to form clots within a matter of seconds after injury.
Blood is vital to maintaining a stable body temperature; in humans, body temperature normally fluctuates within a degree of 37.0° C (98.6° F). Heat production and heat loss in various parts of the body are balanced out by heat transfer via the bloodstream. This is accomplished by varying the diameter of blood vessels in the skin. When a person becomes overheated, the vessels dilate and an increased volume of blood flows through the skin. Heat dissipates through the skin, effectively lowering the body temperature. The increased flow of blood in the skin makes the skin appear pink or flushed. When a person is cold, the skin may become pale as the vessels narrow, diverting blood from the skin and reducing heat loss. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
My apologies for this rather academic explanation, but the objective is to make very clear how and why "the life of the flesh is in the blood." We could get much more technical from a purely physical standpoint, but this ought to suffice. The spiritual significance here is that while natural blood flows through our veins to bring life-giving power to every part of our physical bodies, the Holy Spirit has been given to us to flow through our beings to give life to the Word. Without repeating much of what has already been written in this series of Coffee Breaks, we know from John's gospel that Jesus was and is The Word. He described Jesus as "the Word ... made flesh" and dwelling tangibly, physically in their midst.
But Jesus described the Word as also being manna -- bread from Heaven. At the Last Supper, Matthew records, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)
Question. Why would God say to Moses, "I have given [the blood] to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
Why was it so important that blood be shed on the altar in the first place "to make an atonement" or, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Hebrews, "almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission"? This word, "remission" is a translation of the Greek, aphesis, which comes from aphiemi; and it essentially means: to dismiss, to send away, to cause to disappear, to omit. In short it means: to erase from existence, to make as though it never was.
As a side note to the above, we see the word "forgive" often used as a translation of this word, aphiemi, through the NT. There are actually two other Greek words which more accurately translate to "forgive" and the picture would better be described from either of those words: to pardon, to give or extend grace towards one who has offended. The singular difference is that "forgiveness" defines pardon or grace without the utter erasure of the attending penalty; whereas "remission" describes not only full pardon but total erasure to the point where both the offense (or sin) and the penalty for that offense no longer exist. When Jesus spoke of it (and our English versions translate it "forgive," Jesus NEVER used any other word than the word aphiemi for total erasure. THIS is the description for "the remission of sin."
The Hebrew word, kaphar, parallels the Greek, aphiemi, and -- with the other meanings from the Greek -- adds: to cancel out, to cover (specifically with bitumen). That ought to be graphic enough!
Back to our question. Why would blood have to be shed in order for forgiveness to take place?
Consider this. Life was taken from Adam and Eve when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The poison of humanly-acquired knowledge (in place of receiving divinely-given knowledge and revelation) caused a spiritual separation between mankind and God and introduced death and the dying process into the human genepool. Although I tend to believe (but I can't absolutely prove it) that blood replaced Spirit in Adam and Eve's frame, it is certainly true that from the moment Adam and Eve were cut off from their intimacy with the Lord, the blood that flowed through their veins was contaminated with death. If, therefore, death and dying replaced eternal life -- and it was the blood that flowed in their veins that gave them life -- it follows that there had to be the death of blood as legal compensation. (Del or Rifkah, if you have any further light on this, I'd appreciate your input.)
Under the Mosaic Law, the penalty for taking someone's life was the life of the one taking it. "Life for life," in other words. When sin was committed -- sin being defined as erring from the keeping of or fulfilling the commandments God gave -- that sin could be remitted or atoned for by the shedding of blood. Hence the sacrifice of innocent sheep or oxen as an interim substitute for human life. Because animal sacrifice only provided for the remittance of the sin, and not the return of eternal life or intimacy with the Lord God, it became necessary that a once-and-for-all sacrifice take place where innocent human blood was shed.
The trick was that there was no human being on earth who qualified as "innocent" under the Law. Paul, in writing the Romans, (5:12) said, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." It became necessary, therefore, for someone who qualified as "human" and as a member of the human race who had NOT yielded to sin, and was not born with the DNA of sin in his genes (and resulting slavery to Satan) to die as the innocent sacrifice for the sins of the human race.
When Jesus took the Cup at the Table with His disciples and said, "Drink ye all of it; for this is the blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins," He was referring to the New Covenant that would replace the Law -- the Old Covenant with its animal sacrifices. Notice that He did NOT say, "This is the blood of the new testament which is shed for ALL for the remission of sins."
Had it been for ALL, there would have been no conditions for men and women to be restored to their relationship with God. Jesus' Blood was shed for the "many" who would come back to the Father THROUGH Jesus Christ! There would be no other way for salvation. There would be no other path to relationship with God.
Hence, Jesus made it abundantly clear when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Pretty clear, don't you think? And He didn't leave it there.
Jesus also said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)
Thus the apostle Paul again writes -- this time to Jews who clearly understood the significance of the Law and the sacrifices commanded by Moses: "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (Hebrews 9:23-28 NASB)
NOW you can see why Paul said (I Corinthians 11:25), "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come."
Show who? Satan, of course! He's the one who holds the Law over our heads. He's the one who constantly says, "You're my slave. You're not even a person. You are my property and I can do with you whatever I please." And THAT, folks, is a lie! Because he shed innocent blood -- the Blood of Jesus -- he became a murderer and stands judged of that crime. With that crime, he relinquished his right to hold in bondage those who receive the remission of sin through the shedding of Jesus' Blood. But Jesus' Blood did a whole lot more than simply remitting our sins. It forever restored our access to the same relationship with the Father that Adam and Eve once enjoyed. It restored our access to the Heavenlies. It took away the penalty for death and restored eternity.
Jesus' Blood eradicated death and the dying process. Along with the dying process went all sickness, all disease, all bondage to Satan (no matter what form that bondage takes), all weakness or infirmity. Jesus' Blood restored the Abrahamic Covenant -- and the Blessing of Abraham. Jesus' Blood canceled the curse of the Law. Jesus' Blood canceled poverty. Jesus' Blood canceled the need to work for a living and redeemed work so that we can now "work for a giving" instead -- just like He did!
Once more, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come."
And to repeat what we said in the last Coffee Break, that word, "show," comes from the Greek, katangello: to promulgate, to praise, to proclaim publicly, to demonstrate, to teach, to declare.
We are drinking of resurrection life! Understand? Resurrection Life! That same power that raised Christ from the dead. But we have to do it by faith. Once again, there is nothing common, or ordinary, or casual about this. The Table of the Lord is transformative -- and we are shouting it from the housetops!
Therefore, if you aren't already, begin eating of the Lord Jesus Christ daily at His Table. Eat of His Word. Drink from the Cup of Blessing. Drink of Resurrection Life! Receive the life-changing and metamorphosing Bread of Heaven: the rhema! Show the world what Jesus has done in you. More than that, shove it in Satan's face! Show him that he no longer has power over you! You are no longer his slave or his servant. You are free!
John 8:32, 33, 36: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed!"
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
(509) 781-6099
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
Power in the Blood
And a Fabulous, Prosperous Happy New Year, folks!
The other day, Della went to pray for her aunt, Nita, who was just released after having knee-replacement surgery. There were other cousins, nieces, nephews and some grand-nieces (is that what you call them, or do they become "cousins" instead?). Savannah is Nita's great-granddaughter. (We seem to have a bunch of Savannahs in our family -- a granddaughter, a niece, and this "grand-niece," or however she is classified.) Anyway, Savannah is not yet three years old. She was quite taken with Della and the presence of the Lord in her.
When Della went to lay hands on Nita and began to pray, Savannah came over to began to stare at Della's hand. She somehow sensed the power of God flowing but didn't understand what was taking place. Finally, she began picking up Della's hand and looking underneath to see what was there. It was both funny and revelatory at the same time. Della stopped and asked Savannah if she'd like to pray for Grandma Nita too. She nodded her head vigorously and put her hand on Nita's leg right next to Della's hand. Della placed her hand over Savannah's and began to pray in the Spirit.
The prayer became rather strong -- and long -- lasting between five and ten minutes. (Grin) Savannah didn't wriggle or move her hand even once during the prayer like most two-year-olds would do.
When Della finally lifted her hand, Savannah looked up at her and seemed to reluctantly withdraw her hand. She liked what she felt and experienced. It was both humorous and refreshing to see her reaction. When young children experience the power of God flowing like that and see the visible results of healing (Nita has astounded the doctors with her rapid recovery and full mobility without pain or after-effects.) it builds faith in them to do the same.
We've shared in the past how our granddaughter, Jessica, experienced the same thing when she was three years old and went around praying for her brothers and sisters whenever they experienced pain or the onset of a cold or flu or whatever. The manifestation of healing was instant -- so much so that whenever they have gotten hurt or felt bad for one reason or the other the automatic response has become, "get Jessie to pray for you!"
That, my friends, is the way it ought to be! We're bringing up a new generation of young people. They need to be brought up in an environment of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. It'll multiply over and over and over again -- just like the loaves and fishes -- and the power of God to heal, save, deliver and make whole will spread like fire!
Well, Good Morning, folks! This Coffee Break begins our seventh year of publication and sharing the things God has been speaking and doing in our lives. At the same time, here at River Worship Center, we've been sharing around the Table of the Lord and a continually unfolding revelation concerning the bread and the cup for the past year and a half. I remember hearing Juan Carlos Ortiz share a number of years ago how the Holy Spirit wouldn't let him off the subject of God's Love in his church in Argentina for more than a year; and wondering how in the world one could stay on the same topic without saying the same thing over and over and over again to extreme boredom. Now I know! There's nothing boring about it, and the continual flow of revelation and impartation is nothing less than life-changing!
Let's begin by laying a few foundations.
We know by virtue of God's statement to Moses "For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul." (Leviticus 17:11)
Then God goes on to say the following: "Therefore I said unto the children of Israel, No soul of you shall eat blood, neither shall any stranger that sojourneth among you eat blood. And whatsoever man there be of the children of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn among you, which hunteth and catcheth any beast or fowl that may be eaten; he shall even pour out the blood thereof, and cover it with dust. For it is the life of all flesh; the blood of it is for the life thereof: therefore I said unto the children of Israel, Ye shall eat the blood of no manner of flesh: for the life of all flesh is the blood thereof: whosoever eateth it shall be cut off." (Leviticus 17: 12-14)
This is a critically important principle for us to get hold of. If the life of all flesh is in the blood, then the blood has both the power of life and death as it flows through our bodies. So long as the blood renews itself and is renewed by breath (breathing) [We'll come back to this momentarily] it carries the power of life throughout our bodies, bringing health to our minds -- or more specifically, our brains -- and keeping our bones, our organs, our muscles and our tissue continually renewed. If the blood, however, is not renewed and reoxygenated, it loses its life-giving power and our bodies begin to suffer the consequences with disease, infirmity and weakness as the immediate results, and -- given enough time -- death as the final result.
Blood becomes diseased when its cells begin to die or to replicate in unbalanced fashion. Anemia, leukemia and hemophilia are good examples.
Encarta Encyclopedia gives us the following description: Blood carries oxygen from the lungs to all the other tissues in the body and, in turn, carries waste products, predominantly carbon dioxide, back to the lungs where they are released into the air. When oxygen transport fails, a person dies within a few minutes. Food that has been processed by the digestive system into smaller components such as proteins, fats, and carbohydrates is also delivered to the tissues by the blood. These nutrients provide the materials and energy needed by individual cells for metabolism, or the performance of cellular function. Waste products produced during metabolism, such as urea and uric acid, are carried by the blood to the kidneys, where they are transferred from the blood into urine and eliminated from the body. In addition to oxygen and nutrients, blood also transports special chemicals, called hormones, that regulate certain body functions. The movement of these chemicals enables one organ to control the function of another even though the two organs may be located far apart. In this way, the blood acts not just as a means of transportation but also as a communications system.
The blood is more than a pipeline for nutrients and information; it is also responsible for the activities of the immune system, helping fend off infection and fight disease. In addition, blood carries the means for stopping itself from leaking out of the body after an injury. The blood does this by carrying special cells and proteins, known as the coagulation system, that start to form clots within a matter of seconds after injury.
Blood is vital to maintaining a stable body temperature; in humans, body temperature normally fluctuates within a degree of 37.0° C (98.6° F). Heat production and heat loss in various parts of the body are balanced out by heat transfer via the bloodstream. This is accomplished by varying the diameter of blood vessels in the skin. When a person becomes overheated, the vessels dilate and an increased volume of blood flows through the skin. Heat dissipates through the skin, effectively lowering the body temperature. The increased flow of blood in the skin makes the skin appear pink or flushed. When a person is cold, the skin may become pale as the vessels narrow, diverting blood from the skin and reducing heat loss. © 1993-2003 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
My apologies for this rather academic explanation, but the objective is to make very clear how and why "the life of the flesh is in the blood." We could get much more technical from a purely physical standpoint, but this ought to suffice. The spiritual significance here is that while natural blood flows through our veins to bring life-giving power to every part of our physical bodies, the Holy Spirit has been given to us to flow through our beings to give life to the Word. Without repeating much of what has already been written in this series of Coffee Breaks, we know from John's gospel that Jesus was and is The Word. He described Jesus as "the Word ... made flesh" and dwelling tangibly, physically in their midst.
But Jesus described the Word as also being manna -- bread from Heaven. At the Last Supper, Matthew records, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." (Matthew 26:26-28)
Question. Why would God say to Moses, "I have given [the blood] to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul."
Why was it so important that blood be shed on the altar in the first place "to make an atonement" or, as Paul wrote in his letter to the Hebrews, "almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission"? This word, "remission" is a translation of the Greek, aphesis, which comes from aphiemi; and it essentially means: to dismiss, to send away, to cause to disappear, to omit. In short it means: to erase from existence, to make as though it never was.
As a side note to the above, we see the word "forgive" often used as a translation of this word, aphiemi, through the NT. There are actually two other Greek words which more accurately translate to "forgive" and the picture would better be described from either of those words: to pardon, to give or extend grace towards one who has offended. The singular difference is that "forgiveness" defines pardon or grace without the utter erasure of the attending penalty; whereas "remission" describes not only full pardon but total erasure to the point where both the offense (or sin) and the penalty for that offense no longer exist. When Jesus spoke of it (and our English versions translate it "forgive," Jesus NEVER used any other word than the word aphiemi for total erasure. THIS is the description for "the remission of sin."
The Hebrew word, kaphar, parallels the Greek, aphiemi, and -- with the other meanings from the Greek -- adds: to cancel out, to cover (specifically with bitumen). That ought to be graphic enough!
Back to our question. Why would blood have to be shed in order for forgiveness to take place?
Consider this. Life was taken from Adam and Eve when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The poison of humanly-acquired knowledge (in place of receiving divinely-given knowledge and revelation) caused a spiritual separation between mankind and God and introduced death and the dying process into the human genepool. Although I tend to believe (but I can't absolutely prove it) that blood replaced Spirit in Adam and Eve's frame, it is certainly true that from the moment Adam and Eve were cut off from their intimacy with the Lord, the blood that flowed through their veins was contaminated with death. If, therefore, death and dying replaced eternal life -- and it was the blood that flowed in their veins that gave them life -- it follows that there had to be the death of blood as legal compensation. (Del or Rifkah, if you have any further light on this, I'd appreciate your input.)
Under the Mosaic Law, the penalty for taking someone's life was the life of the one taking it. "Life for life," in other words. When sin was committed -- sin being defined as erring from the keeping of or fulfilling the commandments God gave -- that sin could be remitted or atoned for by the shedding of blood. Hence the sacrifice of innocent sheep or oxen as an interim substitute for human life. Because animal sacrifice only provided for the remittance of the sin, and not the return of eternal life or intimacy with the Lord God, it became necessary that a once-and-for-all sacrifice take place where innocent human blood was shed.
The trick was that there was no human being on earth who qualified as "innocent" under the Law. Paul, in writing the Romans, (5:12) said, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." It became necessary, therefore, for someone who qualified as "human" and as a member of the human race who had NOT yielded to sin, and was not born with the DNA of sin in his genes (and resulting slavery to Satan) to die as the innocent sacrifice for the sins of the human race.
When Jesus took the Cup at the Table with His disciples and said, "Drink ye all of it; for this is the blood of the new testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins," He was referring to the New Covenant that would replace the Law -- the Old Covenant with its animal sacrifices. Notice that He did NOT say, "This is the blood of the new testament which is shed for ALL for the remission of sins."
Had it been for ALL, there would have been no conditions for men and women to be restored to their relationship with God. Jesus' Blood was shed for the "many" who would come back to the Father THROUGH Jesus Christ! There would be no other way for salvation. There would be no other path to relationship with God.
Hence, Jesus made it abundantly clear when He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6) Pretty clear, don't you think? And He didn't leave it there.
Jesus also said, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." (John 10:9)
Thus the apostle Paul again writes -- this time to Jews who clearly understood the significance of the Law and the sacrifices commanded by Moses: "Therefore it was necessary for the copies of the things in the heavens to be cleansed with these, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood that is not his own. Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the consummation of the ages He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him." (Hebrews 9:23-28 NASB)
NOW you can see why Paul said (I Corinthians 11:25), "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come."
Show who? Satan, of course! He's the one who holds the Law over our heads. He's the one who constantly says, "You're my slave. You're not even a person. You are my property and I can do with you whatever I please." And THAT, folks, is a lie! Because he shed innocent blood -- the Blood of Jesus -- he became a murderer and stands judged of that crime. With that crime, he relinquished his right to hold in bondage those who receive the remission of sin through the shedding of Jesus' Blood. But Jesus' Blood did a whole lot more than simply remitting our sins. It forever restored our access to the same relationship with the Father that Adam and Eve once enjoyed. It restored our access to the Heavenlies. It took away the penalty for death and restored eternity.
Jesus' Blood eradicated death and the dying process. Along with the dying process went all sickness, all disease, all bondage to Satan (no matter what form that bondage takes), all weakness or infirmity. Jesus' Blood restored the Abrahamic Covenant -- and the Blessing of Abraham. Jesus' Blood canceled the curse of the Law. Jesus' Blood canceled poverty. Jesus' Blood canceled the need to work for a living and redeemed work so that we can now "work for a giving" instead -- just like He did!
Once more, "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till he come."
And to repeat what we said in the last Coffee Break, that word, "show," comes from the Greek, katangello: to promulgate, to praise, to proclaim publicly, to demonstrate, to teach, to declare.
We are drinking of resurrection life! Understand? Resurrection Life! That same power that raised Christ from the dead. But we have to do it by faith. Once again, there is nothing common, or ordinary, or casual about this. The Table of the Lord is transformative -- and we are shouting it from the housetops!
Therefore, if you aren't already, begin eating of the Lord Jesus Christ daily at His Table. Eat of His Word. Drink from the Cup of Blessing. Drink of Resurrection Life! Receive the life-changing and metamorphosing Bread of Heaven: the rhema! Show the world what Jesus has done in you. More than that, shove it in Satan's face! Show him that he no longer has power over you! You are no longer his slave or his servant. You are free!
John 8:32, 33, 36: "Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. ... If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed!"
"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)
Be blessed!
Regner
Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES
RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
455 North River Road
Prosser, Washington 99350-6554
(509) 781-6099
All Coffee Break articles are copyright by Regner A. Capener, but authorization for reprinting, reposting, copying or re-use, in whole or in part, is granted – provided proper attribution and this notice are included intact. Older Coffee Break archives are now available at http://regnersrangers.multiply.com/journal/ and are being slowly added at http://www.AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.
If you would like to have these articles arrive each morning in your email, please send a blank email to: Subscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com. To unsubscribe, send a blank email to Unsubscribe@AnotherCoffeeBreak.com.
CAPENER MINISTRIES is a tax-exempt church ministry. Should you desire to participate and covenant with us as partners in this ministry, please contact us at either of the above email or physical addresses, or visit http://www.RiverWorshipCenter.org.
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