Tuesday 25 June 2013

The meaning of St Paul's "When I am with you in spirit"


When you are assembled in the name of our Lord Jesus and I am with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, (hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that the spirit may be saved on the Day of the Lord.)1 Corinthians 5.4 I'm not really focussing on the context....and anyway it worked so well, in the next letter,Paul had to write the opposite....Go easy, the guy's turned round. No it's the first phrase that has gripped me for several years. You see every church aims to assemble in the name of the Lord, but denominations and evangelicals stop there, and charismatics stop at the power bit. But as Evan Roberts found there was another bit too. "until I am with you in spirit" Well spiritists would just say...well it's obvious just have a seance and get Paul's spirit. Well Paul hadn't died, so it wasn't that. Paul had the spiritual gift of laying an apostolic foundation. But is that all it is? I don't think so. David Swan writes in Holy of Holies "The charismatic move is a mixed place." The Spirit is there but the majority of people haven't a clue who they are yet. People who have the Kingdom of God written in them properly by the Spirit bring another order to a meeting. Evan Roberts of the Welsh revival used to lead with his face to the floor. The more leaders and worship leaders familiarise themselves with the actual New Covenant written in them so they become living letters, the more they will be able to say like Paul....when you gather in Jesus Name and that spirit that I brought among you....then do this...or that.... This is also the meaning behind Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you. Asking in My Name has an individual setting and a corporate setting. Churches should take more and more care about whose Name they are gathering in in order to have their prayers answered. It is a specific Order in the Spirit. It is literally entering the NOW order of a living God, the Melchizedek order of the New priesthood,corporately experienced. It is NOT the aegis of one man's ministry. Once the priesthood is more fully prepared across the earth, it frankly doesn't matter who does what, the same Presence will be manifest in every location where saints gather. They will know it and recognise it.

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