ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: A NEW ONOMA, Part 8

A New Onoma,  Part 8

March 15, 2013

Well......Howdy!

Vitamins!  Yeah, you know, those four-inch in diameter old fashioned kind with the holes in the middle and the frosting on the outside.  Got a bunch of them on hand for today’s discussion.  Uhh Ohh.  They’re not on my change-of-diet.  Shhhhh…..don’t tell Della.  Shelley went to Safeway and brought them home.  We’re supposed to be in the middle of a major diet change.  Gotta lose some of this flab and get back in shape again.

Better grab them before somebody else does.  Pour yourself a nice 16-ouncer of Dark Roasted Columbian while you’re at it.

Without any preliminaries, reminiscing or new adventures, let's get right back into our discussion on the Seven Spirits of God as the expression of Jesus' onoma -- His character, His makeup, His likeness.....the very essence of Who He is!

We wrapped our last Coffee Break by saying that because the Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work during the whole act of Creation, He was involved in the selection and ordaining that we should be placed as full-grown, mature and commissioned sons of God alongside the Lord Jesus Christ as His heirs and joint-heirs.

The word translated “adoption” in the KJV is taken from the Greek: huiothesia.  This is the word which denotes the giving and granting of equal status as trusted “sons” legally.  We’ve already discussed this in the past, but the word huios is distinguished from teknon – also translated as “son” and nepios.

A teknon is any son between the age of 12 and 30 who is yet (as Paul describes in Galatians) under tutors and governors “until the time appointed of the father.”

A nepios is a child under the age of 12 who has no recognized voice of experience or authority to speak, and is therefore regarded as “not speaking.”  (There are two other Greek words which describe a newborn babe, and one who has not yet been weaned from the milk, but I won't get into those today.)

The word, huios, designates one who has reached the “time appointed of the father” and is recognized as someone who can speak for the father with his authority and exercise the father’s power.

When Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, the Father spoke from Heaven and used the same phraseology the Jews were accustomed to hearing when a son reached “the time appointed of the father.”  That phraseology was, “This is my Beloved Son (huios) in Whom I am well pleased.”

The Spirit of Grace and Supplications was being manifested on that occasion since “sonship” was officially granted.  Jesus became the officially recognized “Son of God” in that moment.  The Spirit of Grace and Supplications has been tasked with seeing that we are “holy and without blame before Him [The Father] in love.”

His objective is to so work in our lives that we become transformed “to the praise of the glory of His grace” in order that we become accepted, recognized and commissioned as “Sons of God” – heirs and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Grace was at work in Jesus Christ when He redeemed us from the curse through His Blood, forgave all of our sins and iniquities, and – together with the Spirit of Wisdom and Revelation – poured Himself into us in such a way that we would manifest the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.

John demonstrates how the Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work in Jesus in the following statements:

John 1:14:  And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

John 1:16-17:  And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.  For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Writing in Acts, Luke tells us the following:

Acts 4:33:  And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Writing to the Romans, the apostle Paul says:

Romans 3:21-26:  But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;  Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:  Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;  To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.

Are you seeing the picture?  The Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work in Jesus Christ in order to bring redemption to us.  The Spirit of Grace releases and declares the Word to us in such a way that we hear the rhema and faith is generated in us in the Blood of Jesus.

We often quote Paul’s statement in Romans 4:17 as our authority for “calling those things that be not as though they were”, but we need to see the context of that statement.

Romans 4:16-17:   Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all, (As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed, even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they were.

Now do you see it?  Faith is released by the Spirit of Grace and Supplications so that the promise of this authority can be made “sure to all the seed” of Abraham.

The Spirit of Grace and Supplications is the driving force of faith.

Let’s wrap up this part of our discussion with a look at what Paul writes in his letter to the Hebrews.

Hebrews 4:14-16:   Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.  For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.  Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.

The boldness that drives our faith – that same faith that enables us to come before the Throne of Grace – is empowered within us by the Spirit of Grace.  The Throne of Grace is that same Throne John describes (and we’ve talked about this before) in Revelation 1.

Remember this statement?

Revelation 1:4:  John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven Spirits which are before his throne;

The word translated “before” in the KJV in this verse comes from the Greek enopion, which means: in the place of and occupy.

Thus, the Throne of Grace is the same Throne which all Seven Spirits of God are in the place of, and occupy.  This is why we can come boldly before this Throne and receive the grace we need for any and every situation.

Let's move on, now, to the sixth of the Seven Spirits of God.

In a previous Coffee Break, we discussed the fact that Truth was fundamental to Jesus' onoma -- that Truth was the dynamic which went forth when the first words of creation were uttered, "Let there be light."  We talked about the fact that it was Truth which clothed Adam and Eve so long as they were in the place of intimate relationship with the Lord God -- that they were stripped naked of Truth when they ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Pivotal to Jesus' essence, His character and makeup, is The Spirit of Truth.  Without repeating all that I've written on Truth in previous Coffee Breaks, let me share the following perspectives.

Each time we see the word, "truth," used in the New Testament as it relates to either the Father, the Son, or the Holy Spirit, the Greek word, aletheia, or its counterpart, alethos, is used.  Aletheia represents: verity, the true state of things, reality, absolute certainty; truth as a personal excellence; that candor of mind which is free from affectation, pretense, simulation, falsehood or deceit; that which does not hide or conceal the actual reality.  Beyond these definitions, Thayer states that, "aletheia is opposed to superstitions, inventions of the mind, opinions and precepts."

As we have stated, therefore, on previous occasions, Truth is not a collection of facts, nor the reciting of history, nor a compilation of events, nor the quoting of Scriptures.  Each of these things -- facts, history, a recitation of events, or the quoting of Scriptures -- can be used and constructed in such a manner as to convey a lie.

In an earlier Coffee Break, we noted how Satan quoted Scriptures to deceive, and to create a picture for Jesus which was absolutely false.  Yet he quoted the Scriptures accurately.  The problem was not in the Scriptures but in that spirit that attempted to communicate them.

Some years ago, a sister called me who had been suffering debilitating pain from a degenerative bone condition.  She was shouting with joy over the realization that while there were certain medical facts pertaining to her physical condition, they were only facts -- they were not the Truth.  After grasping the Truth that Jesus had taken her diseases with Him on the cross, that by those stripes which He suffered, she had been healed nearly two thousand years ago, she was able to gain a large measure of freedom from the pain and began to move about with a liberty she had not seen in months.

In the days and weeks which followed, she realized that each time she focused on the Truth and agreed with the Truth instead of the medical facts, she experienced marked change: the pain would virtually vanish, she would be able to get up and move about with amazing mobility, and she was able to rest at night without interruption -- something which had been impossible for a long time.

Do you see the picture?  While the medical facts in the situation certainly existed, they were facts isolated from the Truth -- facts which by themselves communicated a condition which was the polar opposite of what Jesus was saying, and did.  The same can be said of those who quote Scriptures to validate some teaching or doctrinal position.

Dwain McKenzie, a friend for more than fifty-five years, close brother (he and I used to be called "the Bobbsey twins") and co-laborer in the gospel with whom I have ministered off and on in throughout the years, once made a statement which has stayed with me, "Things are not what they seem to be: they're what God says they are."  No statement could more accurately portray the difference between "facts" and the Truth.

The Truth is not what has been said.  The Truth is not some Bible verse or group of Scriptures.  The Truth is what Jesus is saying!  Truth is always current.  Truth is always alive.  Truth communicates Life!  The Spirit of Truth will often take Scriptures to testify as a "second witness" to that which He is saying, but the attempted use or application of those Scriptures apart from what He is saying -- now -- can convey a false picture which may be diametrically opposed to what the Spirit is saying.

What's the difference?  Words and letters on a piece of paper -- even if they are words and letters which communicate a picture of what Jesus may have said and done in the past -- are no substitute for a living relationship.  Jesus Christ, our Bridegroom, is not just some historical figure who lived in the past.  He is alive, now!  Why in the world would anyone want to relegate our Bridegroom, our counterpart and other self, who is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, to that which was written about Him?

As soon as you do, you turn what is supposed to be a twenty-four-hour-per-day living, breathing, on-going-communicating relationship into a religion.  The Bible is not "The Word!"  Jesus Christ is The Word!

Paul put it this way, "All Scripture is God-breathed and advantageous and profitable for teaching, for conviction, for correction, for [the] discipline which [comes] in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete and fully fitted for that excellence with which he is occupied."  (II Timothy 3:16-17 -- my translation)

Do you get it?  Do you understand the significance of this statement?  The phrase, "for [the] discipline which [comes] in righteousness," makes clear the fact that the Scripture is "advantageous and profitable" for those who are dikaiosune: walking (currently living) in an ongoing state or condition of rightly-related personal relationship with the Lord.  One does not walk with words on a piece of paper; they walk with someone who is alive and personally close!  The Scripture, therefore, has been given for the purpose of witnessing to and with that which Jesus Christ is saying to us personally.

OK.  Gotta stop there for today.  There's a whole lot more to share on the Spirit of Truth, and that's where we'll continue next week.

Blessings on you!                                                        

Regner

Regner A. Capener                                                            
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^thStreet
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

A Tale of Two Brides is now available on Amazon.com: http://www.amazon.com/Tale-Two-Brides-Relationship-ebook/dp/B00BSV6HZC/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1363139096&sr=8-8&keywords=A+Tale+of+Two+Brides#_

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 available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.com.   Coffee Break articles are normally published weekly.

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ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: A NEW ONOMA, Part 7

Another Coffee Break:

A New Onoma,  Part 7

March 8, 2013

Let's see....how do we start this morning?  OK!  Coffee's on.  Come and get it!

We were doing a little reminiscing a few days ago, talking about a funny experience I had when I was at First Assembly in San Jose back in 1963.  Attending Bethany Bible College at the time, I had access to a wonderful group of musicians and singers who would join me periodically as I orchestrated and directed music at the church.  And that says nothing about the fine group of musicians and singers, young and old(er) :-) that worked with me regularly.

Oops...Almost forgot to mention that I was a fan of Ray Conniff and his orchestra.  Really liked the way he used voices as instruments, and thoroughly enjoyed the syncopation he employed between the piano and the bass.  We had a 14-year-old piano prodigy at First Assembly, and it was easy to get him to duplicate Conniff's syncopated jazz-styled piano.  The two ladies who played stand-up bass were a different issue, and that's what brings me to my story.

Apart from my love and enjoyment of praising and worshiping with brand new spontaneous music as Holy Spirit downloads it into my spirit, I've always enjoyed playing around with musical arrangements of older gospel songs and hymns and re-orchestrating them in more contemporary stylings.  One Sunday afternoon the orchestra and chorus was working out with me at the church, and we were doing a Ray Conniff-style version of an old gospel favorite, Just A Closer Walk With Thee.

Our young pianist had things down perfectly.  With a trio of trombonists from the Bible College blending with some ladies voices, a sax player and a string section doing their respective parts, and me providing basic rhythm on electric guitar along with a light percussion group, that left us with the bass players to get their parts down.

Besides the other various instruments learned throughout the years, I've been a bass player since I was 12 years old, having learned on a big standup bass that was taller than me at the time.  I knew exactly what these two bass players needed to do in order to provide the same "walking bass" sound that Ray Conniff's bass player created.  Somehow it just wasn't getting through to these two ladies.

It had been a fairly warm day, so the double entry doors at the front of the church were standing open.  Anyone walking past the church could hear what the orchestra was doing.  Sure enough, a gentleman walking past heard our practice, came up the front steps and stood in the doorway listening as I frustratedly tried to help our two bass players understand exactly what kind of sound I was looking for.

After doing a run through Just A Closer Walk with the orchestra, the bass players seemed to be stuck mentally on a "country western" style of slap bass, and nothing I could say or demonstrate seemed to get through.  The gentleman who'd been standing at the back listening finally came up and stood next to me for a minute.  He introduced himself (his name meant nothing to me at the time) and then walked over and took the double bass out of the hands of the lady who'd been playing it, saying, "Do you mind?"

He looked at me and said, "Go for it."  I somehow had the notion that this guy was no stranger to the bass, so I nodded to the orchestra and we began another run through the song.  He had the sound absolutely down pat!  He put together a walking bass sound through the song that was exactly what I was looking for.  When we finished, he handed the instrument back to the lady who'd been playing it and said to her, "Think you can do that?"  She nodded her head and laughed.  "I've got it now!"

When he stepped away from the bass, I said to him, "Who are you, really?  Are you from around here?"  He shook his head and said, "I'm the bass player for Ray Conniff.  We're in town to do a couple of concerts."

It was one of those unforgettable incidents for all of us.  Needless to say, our rendition of the old classic spiritual that night was a really fun experience -- and one that has stayed with me ever since!  (By the way, wild horses couldn't have kept me away from Ray Conniff's concert the following night. :o))

OK!  That's enough reminiscing.  Time to get back to our real sharing.

Once again, my objective in sharing these pictures is to show you exactly what the Bride of Christ has been being transformed into -- metamorphosed, if you please -- so that the very character, the nature, the personality, the true authority and power of the Lord Jesus Christ -- AS HE HAS WORKED HIMSELF IN US -- can be put on display in sharp contrast to the spirit of antichrist.

Again, it is important that we remember that The Spirit of Grace and Supplications works toward the fulfillment of the Plan of the Godhead, ordained, orchestrated, and set in motion before time began.  There is nothing sloppy about the mercy of His grace.  It is precise, and yet encompassing.  Everything which unfolds in the development of our lives and our relationship with Jesus Christ has been planned and ordained so that He can receive His purchased inheritance -- a Bride who in every respect fulfills His onoma.

We've already said this, but let me repeat once again.  Two words occur in the Greek text of the New Testament to translate out “grace” and “supplications.”

The word, grace, is universally translated from charis.  If there ever was a word misunderstood or misapplied, this is it!

Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon defines this word like this: (1) that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness; (2) good-will, lovingkindness, favor; (3) the act of favoring; (4) the act of kindness of a master towards his inferiors or servants; (5) charis is used of the merciful kindness by which God the Father, exerting His holy influence upon souls, turns them to The Anointed One and His Anointing, keeps, strengthens, increases them in faith, knowledge, affection, and kindles them to the exercise of spiritual virtues.

While the concept of “unmerited favor” certainly is incorporated in this definition of charis, that description oversimplifies what Jesus Christ gives to us.

The same is true of the word, “supplications.”  Here, the word in the Greek text is deomai.  This word is one which comes out of the concept of “Covenant.”

Deomai literally means: to bind oneself to; to present a petition.  It comes from the root word, deo, and it means: to be in a bond with, to knit together, to tie, to bind.

This, folks, is exactly how the Spirit of Grace and Supplications works.  This spirit binds itself to us.  It exercises the grace and graciousness of the Father towards us.  It woos us.  It draws us.  It makes entreaty for us.

With compassion, this Spirit of Grace and Supplications acts on the behalf of the Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to the place of repentance, acceptance and acknowledgement of Jesus as our Lord and Savior.

Because this Spirit is acting on behalf of the Lord, its primary function is to prepare us as a worthy Bride for our Bridegroom, creating in us and with us that which affords joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, and loveliness to God.  It is the act of our Master towards us – who first come as undeserving servants – to bring us to Sonship.

The Spirit of Grace and Supplications turns people towards Jesus Christ, the Anointed One – and His Anointing – so that there can be a “full house,” a completed family who is like the Lord in every respect.

This is part of the fulfillment of the Covenant that God made with Abraham.  We are being transformed into “friends of God.”

We are having God’s Covenant with Abraham extended towards us in order that we might become heirs, joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, and recipients of that same Covenant through faith.

Paul puts it like this:

Galatians 3:6-15:   "Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.  Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.  

^"So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.  For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written, Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them.  But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.  And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in them.  

^"Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:  That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

It is the Spirit of Grace and Supplications which works in us with and because of this covenant in order to ensure that we are recipients of it.  Understand?

Consider another way in which Paul puts it:

Ephesians 2:5-10:   Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)  And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:  That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:  Not of works, lest any man should boast.  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Let’s back up one chapter in Ephesians and look at a different aspect of the Spirit of Grace and Supplications.

Ephesians 1:3-8:  Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:   According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:   Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,   To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.   In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;  Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;

Are you beginning to see something here?

It is by the Spirit of Grace and Supplications that we have been chosen.

It is the purpose of this particular Spirit of God to show us just how rich this grace is that we have received, and to demonstrate the kheseed of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Spirit of Grace releases faith to us as a gift in order that we can receive sozo (healing, deliverance, salvation, safety, protection, health, wholeness and prosperity).

Salvation comes to us by and through the Spirit of Grace and Supplications.  It is by and through the drawing of this Spirit that we are even able to receive Salvation from sin.

We have been made to sit in the Heavenlies in Christ Jesus by and through the Spirit of Grace.

Ephesians 1:3 begins with the statement that the “Father of our Lord Jesus Christ hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings.”

This word “blessed” and “blessings” comes from the Greek eulogeo, which is very like the concept of “supplications” as it occurs in Zechariah 12:10.  It means: to speak over, to declare the Word of the Covenant, to command to prosper.

The OT Hebrew word translated “supplications” is tachanun, which comes from the root: chanan, which means: to bless, to bestow favor, to speak prosperity.

With the prefix, tach, added, the word now becomes a request for release of that covenant favor and blessing.

Thus the Spirit of Grace not only blesses and releases blessing and favor, but looks to His companion Spirits of God for release of all they have ready to give.

Because the Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work during the whole act of Creation, He was involved in the selection and ordaining that we should be placed as full-grown, mature and commissioned sons of God alongside the Lord Jesus Christ as His heirs and joint-heirs.

I don't mean to get overly technical with my explanations and sharing, and my apologies if it comes across like that.  There is so much revelation in this picture that it is sometimes hard to condense it all.  Anyway, we'll stop for now and pick it up here next week.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

709 South 7^thStreet
Sunnyside, Washington 98944

(509) 515-0133

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 available at http://www.RegnersMorningCoffee.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 remove yourself from the mailing list, please 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.

ANOTHER COFFEE BREAK: A NEW ONOMA, Part 6

Another Coffee Break:

A New Onoma,  Part 6

March 1, 2013

Good Morning!

It was just 21 years ago this month that Holy Spirit downloaded into us a vivid prophetic picture of the calling of the Bride into the secret place (see Song of Solomon 2:13-14).  In the midst of a time of spontaneous prophetic worship we heard and played (and recorded) music which we later compiled into a recording titled The Secret Place.

This past Sunday, in the midst of our worship gathering, as we were experiencing a very intimate time of worship, I heard the Lord speak the following Word to me as clearly as I've ever heard Him:

"In this past season, I've been calling the Bride to come away with Me, to spend intimate time with Me in our secret place, to get to know Me, My character, My makeup, My way of thinking and acting.  It has been a productive period for the Bride.  The time of trial and testing, the pressures, the weeding-out of all performance-based thinking and the fires of purification have accomplished exactly what I've purposed and intended.

"Now the time has come for Me to reveal My Glory in My Bride, and to show the world what I've accomplished in this company of chosen, called-out and responsive people.  It's time for the so-called "church" to see the difference between religion and relationship.  It's time for the world to see the reality of Who I AM in my people, and who they are in Me!

"The harvest begins!"

This really is what I've been focusing on in this series on The New Onoma.  My objective in sharing these pictures is to show you exactly what the Bride of Christ has been being transformed into -- metamorphosed, if you please -- so that the very character, the nature, the personality, the true authority and power of the Lord Jesus Christ -- AS HE HAS WORKED HIMSELF IN US -- can be put on display in sharp contrast to the spirit of antichrist.

I've said this in the past, but I'll repeat it again.  The spirit of antichrist is not simply some individual (or individuals) setting up in direct opposition and rebellion to the Lord Jesus Christ.  The spirit of antichrist is a false, deceptive, counterfeit which presents itself as truth.

This spirit invaded the body of Christ during the first century, and has been alive and well in many forms, just as John testified in his first general epistle (see I John 2:18).  It preaches a watered-down "gospel" which denies the very character and personality of the Lord Jesus Christ and subverts the Bridegroom's purpose to have a Bride in His image and likeness alive and well in the earth.

That said, let's get right back into our discussion as we resume our look at the Seven Spirits of God -- those same Seven Spirits which are part and parcel of His character and makeup.

We finished up our last Coffee Break by stating that, in the realm of the Soul, there is a fear which attacks relationships, and it is described in Scripture as The Fear of Man.  This fear is the greatest hindrance to genuine fellowship, and it -- perhaps more than any other spirit of fear -- impedes the growth of believers by interfering with the development of trust.  The greatly needed capacity to expose our weaknesses without fear or intimidation is one of the primary purposes of the Paraklete during the preparation and processing which occurs within Ekklesia.

The Fear of Man attempts to subvert this work of the Holy Spirit.  The Fear of Man is also responsible for manipulation, for witchcraft, for pride and arrogance, for rebellion, and for a host of activities designed to keep "man in control."  All of the extremes (and I emphasize this aspect) of the various so-called "rights" movements (e.g., Women’s Rights, Racial Equality, the Labor Movement, etc., etc., etc.) are born out of this fear.

Where the Spirit is concerned, agape is the only love which can function.  It is important to note that it is impossible to love with agape by an act of one's will or determination.  It is a supernatural love empowered through an intimate and extremely personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  Just as worship can only occur at the level of the spirit ("God is a Spirit, and they that worship God must worship Him in spirit and in truth") in the place of communion with the Lord, so also does agape become functional in that place of communion.

By contrast, phileo cannot function within the realm of the spirit because it is not a spirit-based love.  As you will shortly see -- if in fact you do not already see it -- Jesus' statement that, "By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have agape one for another," signifies a demonstrable and visible proof of that intimate love-relationship with Him.  Because agape is the very substance of His onoma, our living and operating in agape becomes the most living and tangible witness that we are One with Him.

The Fear of Evil is a master spirit which functions at the level of our spirit-existence.  It is the dominant force behind religion, and the spirit which works hand in glove with The Fear of Man to keep the structured church system with its organizations, titles and offices intact.  It was and is the power of Babylon.

The Fear of Evil is the father of the Spirit of Rejection.  It is the spirit which turns men and women into cowards.  It is the spirit which -- more than any other -- intimidates God's people and keeps them from asserting the authority given through the onoma of Jesus Christ to dethrone the "rulers of the darkness of this world."

Consider again, therefore, John's statement that, "Perfect agape casts out all fear."

Agape is THE authority over The Fear of Death, The Fear of Man, and The Fear of Evil.  When agape truly functions as the essence of our onoma, there is no fear which can remain and/or stand before it.  This being the case, you can easily understand why the Bride -- when free from fear -- becomes such a deadly threat to the  dominions of Satan.

Because agape was and is the makeup and character of Jesus Christ, He could   without hesitation say, "The prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in me."  (John 14:30 KJV)  It wasn't a boast!  It was a simple testimony of His existence -- His onoma.

So far, we've covered the first four of the Seven Spirits of God.  (In the last Coffee Break, I mistakenly referred to the Spirit of Knowledge and of the Fear of the Lord as the third of the seven spirits instead of being the fourth, a common mistake made by many because of viewing just those Spirits of God mentioned in Isaiah 11.)

Before we take up the fifth of the Seven Spirits, let's review the overall picture once again:

1. The Spirit of Judgment and Burning  (Isaiah 4:4)

2. The Spirit of Wisdom and Understanding  (Isaiah 11:2)

3. The Spirit of Counsel and Might  (Isaiah 11:2)  -- referred to by the apostle Paul as: The Spirit of Power

4. The Spirit of Knowledge and of The Fear of the Lord  (Isaiah 11:2)  also referred to by Paul as: The Spirit of a Sound Mind

5. The Spirit of Grace and Supplications  (Zechariah 12:10)

6. The Spirit of Truth  (see John 15:26)

7. The Spirit of Glory  (see I Peter 4:14)

As noted, the fifth of the Seven Spirits is that of which Zechariah prophesies: the Spirit of Grace and Supplications.

When Zechariah prophesied concerning the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah, he said, "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of Grace and Supplications: and they shall look upon me......." (Zechariah 12:10 KJV)

The Hebrew word, chen, (pronounced, khane) which is derived from chanan, is both "grace," and "supplications."  It represents: grace, graciousness, to have mercy upon, to make entreaty or supplication on behalf of.

It is easy to see this facet of the onoma of Jesus Christ.  In Hebrews 7:25 we read, "Wherefore He is able to save, heal, deliver, and make whole all those who approach unto God through and by Him, always living to intercede for them."

To this we add Paul's statement (Ephesians 2:8), "For by grace you are saved, healed, delivered and made whole through faith; and this is not of yourselves; it is the gift of God."  (my translations)

This is perhaps the best known aspect of agape.  It is also one of the most preached aspects of Jesus' character and makeup.  Were it not for His grace, none of us would be having this discussion.  We generally think of grace as "unmerited favor."  To some extent this is true, although grace goes far beyond the simple extension of His favor to an unworthy people.

The Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work even before the foundations of the earth were set in place. The Bridegroom well knew that the large majority of the human race, though given the opportunity to choose and enter into an intimate relationship with Him, would for the most part reject His wooing and beckoning.

Yet He prepared a plan which would execute His grace to provide an opportunity for their deliverance from the Serpent.  The Spirit of Grace and Supplications was at work even before Adam and Eve exited the Garden, preparing the path, and setting in place the necessary foundations for the redemption of their seed.

Grace is something which is not integral to unregenerate human nature.  In fact, as you look at the human race today, grace is an absolute rarity.  It is the polar opposite of the “me-first” mentality that pervades society.  In the work-a-day business world of this generation, grace is stomped under foot as a sign of weakness, and a mark of timidity, and viewed as a plague to those who consider “the bottom line” as the epitome of success.

With the ups and downs of the world’s — and particularly our nation’s — economies, grace is the supposed antithesis of prosperity.  Corporations rise and fall at the whim of officers who fear the loss of their positions and credibility in the business world should they fail to act decisively in firing hundreds or thousands (and even tens of thousands) of employees at the first sign of downturn.  Often, with scarcely a moment’s notice, families find themselves ruthlessly cast adrift financially.  Decisions are made by deal-makers lacking in ethics, consumed by their own self-importance and greed.

The presence of grace, therefore, in the character and makeup of God’s people is one of the marks that sets them apart from a people and society under the domination of the Beast.

Supplication is the “flip side” to the Spirit of Grace. It is putting feet to grace.  Grace, in and of itself, is passive.  Supplication makes it a force to be reckoned with.  Supplication makes grace a functioning reality.

Let me explain.

The Apostle Paul wrote in Hebrews 7:25 (we assume him to be the writer), “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”

Ezekiel uttered the cry of the Lord when he said, “And I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”

Intercession is integral to supplication.  Grace impels the Lord to intercede on behalf of those who come before the Father.  Sin causes people to be unworthy to stand before the Father or to bring their requests.  Grace bridges the gap.  Grace takes the unworthy individual and makes them righteous before the Lord.  Jesus Christ, therefore, substitutes His righteousness by grace for the unrighteousness of the unworthy individual.

Originally intended to be God’s people in the earth, representative of Him, His nature, and personal relationship, Israel was supposed to demonstrate the righteousness and mercy of the Lord God to the world, as well as His intention to redeem mankind.  When the nation fell into adultery by chasing after false gods, and was contaminated with and compromised by the spirits of the seven nations they were commanded to drive out of the land of promise, during a period of some nine centuries the Lord raised up leaders and intercessors who cried out on Israel’s behalf.  That supplication and intercession resulted in bondage being broken and some modicum of relationship restored between Israel and God.

Ezekiel prophesied during Israel’s final captivity.  As he saw and heard the heart of a weeping Bridegroom seeking after his wayward Bride, he cried out “I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.”

Even in the days of the Mosaic Law, with all of its rigidity and penalties, the heart of the Lord was inclined towards grace on behalf of a people worthy of death under the Law.  Though Israel was suffering the consequences of her sin, her adultery, her compromise, the Lord still sought for someone who would intercede with Him so that He could once again in grace, take away the penalty.  Hence, Ezekiel’s heart-cry, “I found none.”

That said, it is important that we remember  The Spirit of Grace and Supplications works toward the fulfillment of the Plan of the Godhead, ordained, orchestrated, and set in motion before time began.  There is nothing sloppy about the mercy of His grace.  It is precise, and yet encompassing.  Everything which unfolds in the development of our lives and our relationship with Jesus Christ has been planned and ordained so that He can receive His purchased inheritance -- a Bride who in every respect fulfills His onoma.  The Spirit of Grace and Supplications MUST, therefore, be a unified part of our onoma.

Once again, we're running long, and I'm not quite finished with this discussion.  We'll resume next week.

Blessings on you!

Regner

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

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