Heavens Hidden Gems
Heavens Hidden Gems
Ben Girod
It is the desire of every true Christian to uncover the mysteries of the Kingdom and its hidden treasures (Matt. 13:44-52). Nothing on earth will equal this noble quest—to search and discover some of these hidden eternal secrets. Considering such the quest, a question arises: How much time and effort are we willing to invest in this life, to finding some of the treasures that are dearest to the Father’s heart?
History is full of men and women who, in their day, discovered deep wells in their quest for the Lord, out of which arose various movements or even denominations observed today. However, as time is drawing to a climax, God is preparing His Bride and releasing mysteries to her in untold dimensions. These hidden wells are being uncovered by unnamed heros—men who have secretly labored throughout their lifetimes under some of the most unjust and extreme circumstances imaginable. It is through the Grace of God that they retain their sanity, courage and determination to fulfill their Divine destiny. The opposition that is constantly allowed in their lives would leave most of us terror-stricken.
The Kingdom of God is presently being built by some of earth’s most broken and bruised vessels—vessels representing lives laden with failure, lives that have endured crushing disappointments, out of which God is extracting some of the purest jewels. But the greatest gift of all is that within their authority, on Christ`s behalf, to forgive and to restore into the kingdom those who come against them to disgrace them, even as Christ Himself forgave those who judged and crucified Him (John 20:21-23). This is being accomplished through unreserved obedience to the dictates of the Holy Spirit.
It is said of Christ Himself, "He learned obedience through what He suffered.” He did not, as we might assume, bring obedience to the earth. As a man, He needed to learn it. Through His suffering He was perfected, thereby He became the author of salvation to all those that would likewise not only believe, but obey as well (Heb, 5:8-9). This brand of obedience does not allow for excuses or exceptions. Persistence in reasoning with God will separate us from attaining God’s dearest and most precious jewels. The cost for Jesus to attain our salvation was that of a life lived in unquestioned obedience—obedience which ended at the Cross. Can we comprehend this? He being God, needed to learn obedience? Where does this put the rest of us? One thing it does tell us; without suffering we will attain very little for the Kingdom. Suffering has been the hallmark of the “hall of fame” heroes depicted in Hebrews chapter 11.
How many weary or exhausted soldiers are falling by the wayside today? How many of us have found a plateau after many years of sore trials and testings, only to miss our God given call for our lives? How many of us have said, “This is enough, I will go no further, for I can see no fruits in all my intense labors over so many years.” How many of us are missing our goal to attain our God-given destiny? God has foreordained for all of us, a life of service for Him and our fellow man, and has given each of us a talent, or perhaps many talents that He expects us to invest during our journey (Matt. 25:13-30). Too often, our expectations fall far short of God’s predestined plan for our lives. It would amaze most of us, if we could suddenly see the depth, length and breadth of what God has planned for our lives. But these are the things God withholds, to shape our character, to test our resolve, to forge our mettle. This course often sets one on a solitary path, where God can speak to him alone. It is here where we begin learning some of the hidden mysteries of the Kingdom. It is within this realm that select men of old have discovered the breadth of their callings, and have walked them out. We who have the Spirit have every opportunity to find this place as well, but we must first resolve to find it at all costs (Matt. 5:13-14).
History teaches us that there are two classes of Christians. There are those who encounter God, radically changing the course of their lives. Some of these, due to their calling, forge through many difficult obstacles as well as treading many uncharted waters to find their place in the Kingdom. In their limitations they often commit some errors in the course of their journey. This causes some to become so deeply wounded and discouraged that they give up the race, while others continue to press on for the upward call of God to obtain the prize (Phil. 3:14).
On the other hand, there are those who are willing to sit idle, and to allow others to labor while they themselves pursue their own interests. These rarely discover the deeper things pertaining to true life in Christ.
To claim Jesus as Lord of our lives will require unquestioned obedience, which in turn causes us to dig deep if our ministry is to sustain the violent storms that will surely come against it. With every succeeding storm we are able to determine whether we need to go deeper still, to determine if what we are standing on is less than solid ground (Luke 6:46-49).
While growing up in Missouri I had to dig a few cisterns with a pick and shovel. Digging through the hard dry Missouri clay inch by inch was arduous, laborious, and often very discouraging. But it had to be done, so to lean on my shovel only prolonged the extremely detestable job. The key lies in not leaning on our spiritual shovels, but to move our muscles, even when it seems we cannot lift another ounce, or go another step (2 Tim. 2:3, 4:7).
John the Revelator had the indescribable opportunity to observe the true Bride of Christ (Rev, 21:9). Yet what he saw was not the Bride Herself, but rather the materials being used to build what was to become the Heavenly City. No doubt the materials she was using had been forged in the furnace of afflictions while on earth. The city itself was made up of transparent gold. The walls were made of jasper. Each of the gates were constructed of one pearl. The foundation walls were constructed of every description of precious stones. As stated above, the materials she is using, constitutes the trials, tests, disappointments, sweat, pain, tears, hardships, sufferings and afflictions that she has endured in life. Yet in all these, she becomes more than a conqueror. In her determination, she will not allow anything to come between her and her destined call to fulfill her purposes here on earth, no matter the grief, pain, separations or loneliness this may entail. The Love of God constrains her! (Romans 8:36-39). She alone has the distinction of building this city. It will then be, that the nations that are saved will also walk in its light, and the kings of the earth will bring in their glory as well. As the day of her marriage to the Bridegroom approaches, we may expect many supernatural upheavals heralding His coming (Rev, 19:6-9).
The bedrock of our faith is Jesus Christ Himself, Who, when He came to earth, denied Himself the privileges of Heaven’s glory. He made Himself vulnerable to all the limitations of man, allowing for the possibility to fail His mission. It was while in this state that He overcame, even as the gates of hell threw all their weight against Him. Obedience to the smallest detail was the hallmark of His success. Even in His supreme test in the garden, when the cup was in question, He denied Himself the liberty of forgoing the cross. The cross was not the problem. The redemption of mankind was at stake. To drink the cup meant to receive the curse upon Himself, separating Him from the one eternal glory and security He had known—His intimate connection with the Father. The pain of this separation cannot be comprehended. I doubt that we shall ever understand the full reality of this moment, when Heaven and earth hung in the balance. His agony reached such proportions that blood pressed from His pores, and an angel was dispatched to strengthen him.
In conclusion, we have this consolation: there is not a trial, test, or temptation in any measure that we may face in this life that Jesus has not already tapped and overcome (Heb, 2:17-18). In Him we are secure, blameless and without fault. Through Him, we shall perform our mission and carry out great exploits for His Kingdom! (Dan. 11: 32b).
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Ben Girod is an Amish Bishop residing in the outskirts of Libby Montana with his wife Barbara. Ben is team leader of Anabaptist Connections—a ministry devoted to the international healing and reconciliation of the Swiss/German Reformed Church and Anabaptists. Anabaptist Connections is equally devoted to ushering Anabaptists into the fullness of life in the Spirit. For more information, as well as directions for obtaining a copy of Ben’s book, Baptized by Fire—The Gethsemane Way, you may view the following web address: www.anabaptistconnections.org. You may read Ben’s previous article entitled The Apostolic Age, at: www.TheQuietCorner.org. You may contact Ben personally, at: BenGirod@gmail.com