Possessing the Land, and Adoption
By Alice Baum
As I have read the many posts here and on the other board I would like to bring forth some of that which I've been shown by the Holy Spirit. Some He has shown me Himself through study and some through the giftings of others in the body.
First I'd like to say, without hesitation, that I have never perceived
that Robert or Thomas have EVER taught, advocated or preached that
we are saved by anything other than grace through faith in Christ
Jesus finished work at the cross. There has been confusion and a definite
need to rightly divide the word and I believe that Robert has attempted
to do so both on this board and the other. So far it seems as though
it is falling on deaf ears.
The promised land (a land where the people of Israel would have entered into rest BUT because of their unbelief they DID NOT). These scriptures were written for our admonition because there still remains a rest for us to enter into.
God gave them the land. He said every place where their foot would tread would be theirs. They had to WALK it out experimentally. God could have just gone in there and killed off all of the enemies before they even went in. They could have sat in their lounge chairs and looked on while He did it and said "Hey, He gave us the land it's a done deal. It's ours and we are naming it and claiming it."
NO! It didn't work that way then and it doesn't work that way now. Just as they were commanded to go in and take the land and because of their fear and unbelief turned back to the wilderness and died off SO CAN WE. We need to APPROPRIATE what has been given to us "GRACE and FAITH" and WALK IT OUT. Our souls are in the state of BEING SAVED. We are qualifying for placement as sons here. We are not talking about the salvation of our spirits, regeneration, which gives us access to the KINGDOM. We are talking about a KING and His subjects or as Eby says KING-DOM broken down to mean DOMINION of the KING. This is where the "rubber meets the road" this is the nitty gritty of life." Who is sitting on the throne, "MYSELF or HIM?" WHO is ruling and reigning and possesing my land?
There are many enemies to be thrown out and rooms to be opened to HIM. Is He in possession of every "nook and cranny" of my being? YES and NO. YES by right of redemption He paid the price and He owns me. NO, because in reality I KNOW there are still enemies and areas I have not surrendered. Some I am not even aware of yet but He is faithful WHO started this good work and will bring it to completion. Does that mean I just sit back passively? No. I yield to my KING I surrender to Him when He reveals those things in me. It's called "working out your salvation in fear and trembling". Why should we fear and tremble because we might just miss entering into our rest because of passivity and saying we have it already. There's a difference here because WE ARE QUALIFYING for sonship, not salvation, without which we couldn't even see the Kingdom but sonship where we are to become priests and kings to MEDIATE between God and a dying world. There are degrees of REWARDS for those who are faithful and degrees of punishments or "stripes" for those slaves who knew to do their Master's will and didn't. I have not qualified yet but I press on toward the mark of the high calling (sonship).
Adoption the Jewish rite. Another interesting phenomonon. Not like adoption as we know it in America. Jesus was adopted at the age of 30. His Father's pronouncement at the river Jordan. "This is my beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased". He learned obedience by the things He suffered. Was He a Son when He was born yes, at age 10 yes, 19 yes but why was this different? He had qualified for adoption. How? Through obedience, testings trials. He had every right to name it and claim it all of His life because God was fully in Him and He knew His identity. He was sinless but He humbled Himself. He didn't say I AM the Christ until Father had conferred the title upon Him by the rite of adoption.
This rite is where a Jewish son qualifies to run the fathers business, sign his checks, wear his signet ring and conduct business in his fathers name. Are we there yet?
Judging the state of things in the world today I can say that we aren't. We will be, in His perfect timing, there's no doubt about that, but WE AREN'T.
I'd like to quote here from the anointed teaching of brother Eby that I received yesterday.
"A Pentecostal, Charismatic or Fundamentalist Christian who has been fed the "dispensationalist" scheme of things has only future concept of the Kingdom of god. On the other hand, there are those who preach a "right now" word about the Kingdom, the present reality of the Kingdom, but conclude that the present expression and manifestation of the Kingdom is all there is. They have no concept of any PROGRESSIVE or FUTURE dimensions of the Kingdom. I do not hesitate to tell you, my beloved, if what I have seen of the Kingdom up until now is ALL THERE IS, then the Kingdom will never be victorious, triumphing in all realms! If the present activity and power of the Kingdom is all there is, I believe I have reason to fear that it will never break in pieces, subdue and consume all other kingdoms as the prophets have prophesied, and all nations will never come to worship before the Lord, God's will will never be fully done on earth as it is in heaven,and God will never be all in all!
Those who read these lines are, for the most part, God's very elect, a people beloved of the Father, a people chosen and predestined to sonship, the most enlightened and obedient people out of all the children of God on the face of the earth. BUT if what you and I currently have in God is all there is, then the power and glory of the Kingdom is most limited, and the hope of creation is cut off. There is a glory yet to be revealed in us!"end quote.
I will stop here and say amen to what brother Eby is saying because we may go around all day long and say "I am the Christ" but Father is the one that needs to pronounce our adoption and it has not happened nor will it until He finds us qualified, tested and tried and He is well pleased with us. We can be well pleased with ourselves and say we are rich and in need of nothing but get ready for the eyesalve to be applied to the blindness we hold and won't let go of.
Alice
