Fulfillment of Covering continued

I took a detour from covering to include a portion of the victory of the cross of Jesus. The cross is always important in any study for it is the point of contact. The victories won for us by Jesus are vital to understand for these are points Satan seeks to diminish to us and if we don't take heed to God's viewpoint, our lives are ineffective in doing His Will as we struggle in areas His Victory has already overcome. Sometimes I am almost overwhelmed by the lack of faith I find in Christians. It seems to me that unbelief is learned in church. Blessed is the body of people who have a pastor who has audacious faith and lives in that danger zone that believes God can and will do what He says He will do. Religious ritual and "canned baby food" zap a church of the Life Jesus came to bring us. But that is not for us to dwell on now so let us return to the covering of covenant!

Jesus is the covering of the Church He purchased. Luke, the physician, wrote two books to Theophilus to root him in his Christian experience. The Book of LUKE sets out an orderly account of the ministry of Jesus and what He accomplished. The Book of ACTS begins with a description of LUKE as what "Jesus began to do and teach" until He was taken up to heaven. The key to this book of Acts is just that. We cannot view the ministry of the apostles as anything less than a continuation of the work of Jesus. It has never ceased. We in this generation are called to continue the work and teaching of Jesus. He is in the position His victory has earned Him and He will manifest that victory into us as we live and minister under His covering. It is as simple as that. We have complicated it with our unbelief and efforts to take over the "headship" of His church with man's "knowledge" and control. Jesus taught the apostles concerning the Holy Spirit. We will benefit much from His teaching.

Jesus did not leave this realm a helpless state but in the Divine Plan a continuation of His ministry was to begin on this earth. The Holy Spirit would begin a new ministry within the people living in this realm who would follow Jesus. That was the call to the disciples, "Follow Me." When we take up our cross and follow Him, responding in obedience and trust, we are His disciples. He may have been speaking these truths to one generation, but He is "I Am" and every generation of His disciples hear His Words through the Holy Spirit. We are failing in our mission if we are not heeding every word He spoke to His disciples concerning the work He began to do. He showed us the Way and we are to walk in it just as the book of Acts showed the believers did.

To understand the covering Jesus is to the Church, we have to understand the ministry of the Holy Spirit in the Church. Jesus is continuing His work on earth through believers full of the Holy Spirit. That is a key, for Jesus did His work on earth in flesh filled with the Holy Spirit, and that is why He could say with confidence that the works He was doing they, too, would do. We have not yet seen the "greater works" but we will for His Day is fast approaching. Jesus is vitally connected to His Church (He is the Head) and is at work bringing us to perfection in Him. I am more confident and at rest in Him now than when I started out, but that did not limit what He could do through me. Our "works" are not our justification and it is not because of what we are that we do His works. It is all about Him and His Victory that He purchased for us. He fills us with His Spirit and ordains what we will do. It is our covenant response to Him that allows us to be used by Him. That response is to His expectation (that we call His commission and push off to "ministers")that He said to those who believe. Our problem in this day is that we listen to people who filter out His words and we do not let the Holy Spirit speak His Words to us. John 16:7-15 (NASB)7"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you. 8"And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; 9concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; 10and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; 11and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.
13"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. 14"He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. 15"All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you.

One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to take what Jesus wrought on earth for our sake and manifest the victory of His completed work into us. He does this by disclosing to us what Jesus became for us. The birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus was because of our need. What we could not do, God did through Jesus. What we cannot do, the Holy Spirit does by disclosing Jesus to us. When we are in control, the Holy Spirit cannot do His work of disclosing to us. We have to become the recipient partner in covenant and yield to the covering partner. Jesus was under the covering of The Father and He said, Not my will but Yours be done. When this becomes the mantra of our life, the Holy Spirit will be doing in us what He beholds the Father doing.

We have a tendency to make "saints" out of the people God uses, but it is not about the vessels used but about God Who is moving toward His goal to make man in His image. In His wisdom, mercy and grace, He allows us to be laborers together with Him and commissions, enables and guides us to do. Philippians 2:13 (NLT) For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.