I am Gabriel -

I am Gabriel That Stands in the Presence of God

I acquired the following from a Pastor friend of mine, Peter Nunziante; Which I have selected as a preamble for the treatise ‘I am Gabriel’. He wrote it on his Facebook page; and unaware at the same time I was writing this work. I have attached it without removing or changing a single word. It succinctly invites the reader to weigh up two very big questions, ‘W h y are we here?’ and ‘What are we to become?’ I believe it bookends the work and I consider its timing to have been providential.

“ Let me ask a simple but deep question: What is purpose?

At its core, purpose is the reason something exists — the reason something is made or done. It’s the why behind the what.

Purpose speaks to design, to intention. It answers the question: “Why are we here?”

And here's the truth: if God created all things — and He did — then everything that exists has purpose, including you and me. Nothing He made is without reason. No one is here by accident. Now think about that: If we were created by God with purpose, then the most meaningful thing we can ever do is discover and live out that purpose — the one He intended when He made us. And that’s where real meaning is found. See, it’s one thing to exist, to get through life, to build a career or raise a family or chase goals. Those things may have a kind of purpose — but not necessarily meaningful purpose. Not the kind that satisfies the soul.

True purpose — meaningful purpose — is found when we live for the very reason God created us.

The Bible says:

“Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.” — Revelation 4:11

That verse is foundational. It tells us plainly: We were created for God’s pleasure, for His delight, for His will.

And Scripture goes even further to show us what that pleasure is.

“For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son…” Romans 8:29

That’s it. That’s the heart of it.

We were created to be conformed to the image of Christ — to reflect His character, to walk in His love, to bear His likeness in this world.

That’s the deepest purpose of our lives— not just to do something for God, but to become someone in God.

To become like Jesus.

So, let’s not settle for surface -level living. Let’s not waste our lives asking only, “What am I supposed to do?” Let’s seek instead to become who we were made to be.

Because when we are conformed to Christ, everything else flows from that. That’s the purpose that gives life its greatest meaning.”

The following are examples of either Angels or men who actually stood in the presence of God Himself. These instances, I believe exemplify the God given, God birthed purpose for their existence. We were created with purpose, specific purpose, and with an ultimate purpose of being like, and conformed to, Jesus Himself. Each of the following examples will showcase a specific trait that God Himself possesses and is found mirrored in their examples. Please enjoy reading about them and ultimately use their experiences to find and fulfill your own unique, God given, God birthed, image within.

I am Gabriel

“… I am Gabriel , that stand in the presence of God ; and am sent to speak to you…” “ Fear not Zacharias for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elisabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John... ”

Luke 1:11-20 (The birth of a son, John the Baptist, announced to an aged couple)

And then Zacharias asks the Angel, “How…” (can this be?)

And Gabriel responds…

“And behold you shall be dumb and not able to speak until the day that these things shall be performed, because you believed not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.” We have been given instances in The Scripture whereby beings, be they Angelic or human, have stood in The Manifest Presence of God. These instances, or rather examples of their personal calling/purpose, showcase a glimpse into a world designed to mirror, by replication, an attribute of God Himself. Follow with me then as we take a quick tour of those ‘instances’ whereby The Scripture has revealed God Himself and those privileged to be standing in His Presence ; a proximity which exemplifies ‘ that specific creations ’ manifest destiny. At the end of the examples, I will bring forward the relative correlations to our

earthly callings and perhaps sway your mind to see that there is in fact causation, design with which we were indeed created to mirror both a unique facet of, and the likeness and character of our God; And ultimately to see that calling, that new creation, transformed into our Heavenly body.

*The Angel Gabriel

Sent to declare, to speak He stands in the presence of God

He receives God’s words to deliver and speak . He is sent to Zacharias.

(Luke 1:11-64) And Zacharias does not believe Gabriel; Zacharia s’ punishment, for not believing the Angel who stands in the presence of God, who is sent to speak and deliver the message of Good News? His punishment is to be struck with the in-ability to ‘ speak ’ . Interestingly his punishment was instantly rescinded when at the birth of his son- he is asked by family and friends, ‘what shall his name be’ and Zacharias asks for a tablet and writes “ His name is John.” And at that very moment his tongue was loosed, and he magnified The Lord. And the people were astonished.

*Adam and Eve

To Create, to Multiply , and In His Own Image!

Adam and Eve walked in the Presence of God, in the Garden of Eden. What was their combined manifest calling? Well, if we were to look at them standing in the Garden we would see a striking difference in their physical make-up. It becomes immediately apparent (certainly to the Angelic realm) what their fundamental roles were: Genesis 1:27-28 , “So God created man in his own image , in the image of God created He him, male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the Earth…” In other words, Go and ‘parah’ be fruitful , as I have ‘ bara- ed’ created you.

Here we see Adam and Eve were naked. The plan of God was to be obvious , but sin masked the purpose of creation, distorted and marred it- and Death, instead of Life would be the result. But now, if you are in Christ, born again, Spirit filled, The Kingdom of God is now open to you, the veil was torn, and all that God has for us now, becomes obvious again.

*Two Angels & Abraham

God accompanied by two Angels visit Abraham- To look and to See.

Genesis 18: 2-3, 16-18, 21-22 19: 1, 11, 17, 21, 26-

The mission of the two Angels who are standing in the Presence of God , is to look and to see , (Sodom and Gomorrah, and eventually to destroy it). The Scripture notes that this encounter is seen , “And Abraham lift -up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them , he ran…and bowed himself toward the ground. And said “ My Lord, if now I have found favour in your sight…” After revealing to Abraham that he would have children, the Angels set out on their mission. They turned their faces, (vs. 16 ‘And the men (Angels) rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom…) The Angels arrive while Lot was sitting in the gate of Sodom: ‘And Lot seeing them rose up to meet them, and he bowed himself with his face toward the ground…’ and he brought them into his house. Yet within a short period of time the townsmen surround the house. Now the men of Sodom were lewd, base, and greatly immoral fellows, who begin to press on the door of Lot ’s house to get in. The 2 Angels pull Lot away and strike the townsmen around the door with ‘blindness’ and tell Lot that they must leave as they are sent to destroy the city. Upon leaving, the Angels warn them “look not behind you, neither stay in the plain…”

‘Then The Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from heaven. And He overthrew those cities, and all the plain…’ But Lot’s wife ‘ looked ’ back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt.’

Here we ’re introduced to the mission of the two Angels, and it was that of ‘Seeing : ’ The punishment for the townsmen was blindness; and for disregarding the warning not to ‘Look’ , Lot’s wife was killed; having turned back to look, she was turned into a pillar of salt.

*Lucifer & Satan

In the presence of God; and then as Satan in the presence of God.

Walking, up, down, to and fro-

In Ezekiel 28: 11-19 We see Lucifer in the presence of God ; created in astonishing beauty, covered in precious gems, with pipes incorporated to facilitate worship; he was the anointed Cherub that covered; Additionally in Ezekiel 28: 14 he is described as one that ‘…walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire.’

This is a very detailed description of Lucifer, his created purpose/calling.

As we know and see in both Ezekiel and Isaiah 14 Lucifer falls because of his corruption. Now, after his fall, Lucifer is consigned, (changed into) the being Satan, and becomes charred and sullen. His work is now one of great evil in the Earth. We see this working when in Job 1:6 ‘ The Sons of God came to present themselves before The Lord. ’ It is interesting to note that Satan also presents himself, (we see in this, that he has retained an aspect of his Angelic powers, powers only in the sense that they are ‘designed’ as part of who he is/was).

In Job 1:7 The Lord addresses Satan (at some point in time during a visitation of The Sons of God) and asks him, “From whence do you come?” And Satan answers

The Lord, “From going to and fro in the Earth, and from walking up and down in it.” For many years I had always thought; what an arrogant and insolent response from this fallen creature! (Of course, we know the story of Job, how that The Lord allowed Satan to test Job; So, into Satan’s hand was delivered everything Job owned). Then we see again that there c ome’s another day, Job 2:2 , where ‘ The Sons of God came to present t hemselves before The Lord, and Satan came also…’ Again, The Lord asks Satan, “From whence do you come”. And again, Satan responds with the same answer, as if to indicate he is ‘ relegated by design ’ to say…

“From going to and fro in the Earth, and from walking up and down in it.”

But now, no longer can that fallen creature access the heights of his previous calling when once he was able to … ‘ walk up and down in the midst of the stones of fire ’ ! Though Satan was once Lucifer he is now the fallen ash toned creature who must still operate within the confines of his calling: walking to and fro, but now, only in the Earth. As a point of interest worth repeating again and again (even in this twisted version of Lucifer now Satan) he must perform his duty as created. To walk to and fro, and up and down, in the Earth. What do we know of The Lord God Almighty? More specifically what does He do in the Earth? Well, we see in 2 Chronicles 16:9 t hat… “ The Eyes of The Lord run to and fro throughout the whole Earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him. ” And The Lord certainly did that on the behalf of Job, through the created being Satan, whose job it was and still is, to go to and fro in the whole Earth. With that in mind how should we react? Consider the Apostle Peter’s inspired words… 1 Peter 5:8 “ Be alert and of sober mind. For Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. ”

How can we be ‘sober and vigilant’ knowing our adversary the devil roams about like a roaring lion? By keeping our hearts perfect toward The Lord!

And by exercising our nuclear option and that is to Resist him-

1 Peter 5:9

“ Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world. ”

And James 4:7

“ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. ”

*Jacob

He physically wrestles with The Lord; Who wrestles with man.

Genesis 32:24-30

And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled A Man (The Lord Himself) with him until the breaking of the day. And when He saw that He prevailed not against him, He touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jaco b’s thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with Him. Here we see The Lord changing Jacob’s name to Israel ‘He wrestles with God’ . This depiction and now mirror of The Lord’s willingness to struggle with us, to be persistent with and for us; and The Lord’s eventual blessing to those who remain in Him. Jacob; God wrestles with, and for us. I consider Genesis 6:3 as a comparative understanding of this example, in that God does strive with people; Here in the days of Noah the Lord says: “ My Spirit shall not always *strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

*Diyn : Hebrew word meaning: to rule; judge; contend; strive; plead.

We see that from here God intends to destroy all flesh upon the Earth. But there is one, Noah, who finds favor with God and is instructed to ‘take with him into the Ark himself, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives with him.’ Interestingly, when The Lord said that He would not always *strive with man, He shortened the years of man. Then (as an analogous point) when He wanted to end the wrestling match with Jacob, He touched his hip and shortened the sinew of his thigh. And The Lord changed Jacob’s name to Israel - “Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince have you power with God and with men and have prevailed. ” Gen: 32:28 Also of great comparison we see both men erect altars to the Lord after their respective journeys. In both ‘changes’ there is found ONE who prevails with God. God will wrestle with us if need be; A nd He’s got skills!

*Joshua

As he is about to take Jericho, and the Promised Land. Meets The Captain of The Host.

In Joshua 5:13-14

‘And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood A Man over against him with His sword drawn in His Hand: and Joshua went to Him, and said to Him, “Are you for us, or for our adversaries?”

We know this to be The Lord and He responds,

“ No; but as Captain of the host of The Lord am I now come. ” And Joshua fell on his face to the Earth, and did worship … Here we see The Lord God appearing to Joshua as ‘The true Captain of the host of the armies of The Lord’ . Joshua stands as he is also ‘the Commander of the Lords army’ .

But Joshua upon hearing this response from The King, trembles and falls, worshipping before the true Commander; Whose Sword is drawn, projecting to, and receiving from Joshua, that which he is indeed created to facsimile. And then The Lord delivers the battle plan for Joshua to carry out. At this point I hope you see how The Lord has both created His servants and similarly honors them in the charge for which He has entrusted them. If you need a plumber, do you call a carpenter? If you want a cannoli, you go to the bakery, not to the butcher. If you want to fly you take a plane, not a train. Rather simple but poignant examples . And that’s how I want you to look at this as a very obvious and established pattern.

*Moses & Elijah

‘ On The Mount ’ at the Transfiguration

The Lord Jesus is transfigured and visited by Moses and Elijah.

Now with Moses and Elijah, but especially Moses, I am going to dig a bit deeper because they represent the Law and the Prophets, and it warrants attention.

Matt: 17: 1-12 Mark: 9: 2-13 Luke: 9: 28-36

And after 6 days’ time , (Matt./Mark) or 8 days of time (Luke) the difference in time depends on ‘what things’ Luke is referring to for a locale in his discourse; and we know Luke has undertaken a more precise, if you will, depiction based upon a more perfect understanding of events, Luke 1:3. For instance, in the transfiguration discourses only Luke indicates the nature of the conversation between Jesus, Moses and Elijah as stated here- Luke 9:31 “Who appeared in Glory, and spoke of His decease, which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. So, why Moses and Elijah? (Who now appear in the presence of The Transfigured Christ.) Well Moses ’ created purpose was to deliver the Israelites from captivity, to give them Manna, and to set them free to serve God. Elijah represents the Spirit and The Prophets, who, was sent to ‘Make straight the path of The Lord’ and who was also taken up in a fiery chariot.

With the following text I’m going to further elaborate, possibly beyond what you might be comfortable with; starting with bridging the Transfiguration and the discourse Jesus had with 2 disciples on the Road to Emmaus. And then speak to how integral Moses’ life was to Jesus’ ; (relative to His work of deliverance and then being seen as the One who was Struck for our offenses). Here, on the Mount, you will see Jesus discussing how He was to fulfill ‘ The Law and The Prophets ’ in His death, burial, and resurrection . Then we look at the ‘ Road to Emmaus ’, after Jesus’s resurrection ; He joins 2 disciples leaving Jerusalem. The Scripture says that ‘ their eyes were holden that they could not know Him’. Jesus questions them and finds them to be in unbelief, (even after having numerous witness accounts relative to His resurrection). And for this reason, He rebukes them saying, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory?” And then Jesus delivers the greatest Bible study ever to be referenced: AND BEGINNING AT MOSES AND ALL THE PROPHETS , He expounds to them in ALL the Scriptures the things concerning Himself . For a distance perspective it was a 7 mile walk (60 stadia), which more than likely took about three hours of time. The net result of the Bible study was this statement from those disciples.

Luke 24:25-32

“Did not our heart burn within us, while He talked with us by the way, and while He opened to us The Scriptures?” So, we see both Moses and Elijah as created men who mirrored to The Lord their specific created purposes. And here, that mirror is also a discourse with The Lord in that which He had planned, the essence of His mission; to fulfill the Law and the Prophets. So that you can more fully appreciate the comparative actions/life of Moses with that of Christ I invite you to look back at the children of Israel in Numbers 20 ; they had already left Egypt and were again in need of water; however, this time as

they began to chide with Moses, bitterly complaining against him at Kadesh- barnea, ‘Meribah’ ; Moses becomes angry, and fails to obey The Lord.

Numbers 20

‘ And there was no water for the congregation: and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron. And the people chastised Mos es, and Spoke, saying, Would God that we had died when our brethren died before the LORD! ’ So, Moses and Aaron responded by going to The Lord and appearing before Him. There The Lord instructs them to speak to The Rock and water will pour out. “ Take the rod, and gather all the assembly together, you, and Aaron your brother, and speak ye to the rock before their eyes ; and it shall give forth his water, and you shall bring forth to them water out of the rock. ” But then in an act of disobedience Moses, instead of speaking to the Rock , strikes the rock, twice! “ And The LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, Because you believed me not , to sanctify Me in the eyes of the children of Israel, therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. ” As a result of Moses’ disobedience The Lord does not allow him to enter the Promised land; but he dies outside the camp on Mount Nebo. Here is the understanding; Moses is so integrally created to mirror The Lord that his very death, through disobedience, is a prophetic reflection of Jesus being crucified outside the camp for the disobedience of the people ; Struck by The Lord.

Here in Zechariah ’s prophecy of The King it is clearly understood.

Zechariah 13: 6-7

‘ And one shall say unto Him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then He shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, and against The Man that is my fellow, says The Lord of Hosts: ‘ SMITE’ The Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered . ’

So as a last glimpse of the Transfiguration, I want you to visualize the scene: The King of Kings is transfigured, (He is radiant in glory, his clothing so dazzling as to be worthy itself of comment); He receives as an audience Moses and Elijah, who also appear in glory. The King looks upon them and sees Moses with whom He had conversed many times in the wilderness, whose every prophetic utterance He Himself had delivered. He sees the disobedience of His people Israel; He sees the man Moses standing in the gap when He Himself wanted to destroy the whole nation. On Mount Nebo He shows Moses the Promised Land (which he cannot enter because of disobedience); He sees Moses take his last breath.

Moses dies ‘ outside the camp’ .

Then The King looks upon Elijah; Elijah who defied the evil leadership of the nation Israel. Elijah who worked many miracles and signs; Elijah who stood alone against 450 baal priests, defeated and killed them; Elijah who represents the forerunner to Jesus through John the Baptist; Elijah who is taken to heaven on a fiery chariot and does not see death.

Elijah was taken to heaven , whose body ‘ does not see corruption’ .

Now I want you to see, to look at and imagine, what The Transfigured Christ, The King might in that moment be weighing, more than the words being spoken; The King sees ALL that is in both Moses and Elijah, ALL that they represent both in Prophecy and in their very lives; the essence, the substance of their creation. God The Father sends to His Son ‘these’ two men just before His crucifixion; they speak with The King, yes; But the visual, that which The King looks upon (that picture which is worth a thousand words) was that of His mission, His plan; He sees Himself standing in the gap for all the world, He sees the joy set before Him (the Promised Land), He sees Himself being struck, He sees Himself dying outside the camp, He sees Himself triumphing over the devil, He sees His body incorruptible, He sees Himself ascending to His Father. My God, My Champion!

We are created for His pleasure. And He shares That Life with us. Emanuel.

*Moses The Person

And the burning bush - Meekness and Plain Speech

God reveals to Moses He is The , “ I Am That I Am ” .

Numbers 12: 3 & 6- 7

3: ‘ Now the man Moses was very MEEK, above all the men which were upon the face of the Earth. ’ 6: ... ” Hear now My words: If there is a prophet among you, I The Lord will make Myself known to him in a vision and will speak to him in a dream. ” 7: “ My servant Moses is not so, who is faithful in all mine house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches: and the similitude of The Lord shall he behold ” : …

Matthew 11: 29

29: And Jesus says “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me; for I am MEEK and lowly in heart: and you shall find rest unto your souls. ”

Hebrews 3: 5-6

5: ‘ And Moses verily was faithful in all His house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after ’ ;

6: ‘ But Christ as a Son over His own house; whose house are we …’

Deuteronomy 18:15

15: “ The Lord Thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me : unto Him you shall hearken ”… Referring to Jesus

Acts 3: 22

22 : For Moses truly said to the fathers, “ A Prophet shall The Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever He shall say to you. ”

Also consider that Moses was concerned about the quality of his speech, saying:

Exodus 4:10

“ O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since You have spoken to Your servant: but I am slow of speech and of a slow tongue. ” It is debatable as to whether Moses had a physical impediment or, was he just slow in forming and structuring thoughts into words. Regardless, after he appealed to the Lord, (angering God), He gave him his brother Aaron as a proxy to the people. So much of a proxy that God Himself says this of the dynamic:

Exodus 4:16

“ And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people: and he shall be, even he shall be to you instead of a mouth, and you shall be to him instead of God .” Please consider Jesus Himself when He addresses the people regarding his doctrine and authority:

John 12:49

“ For I have not spoken of myself: but The Father which sent me, He gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak.” God spoke clearly to Moses and revealed that He is “ The I Am That I Am ” . No ambiguity, no veil; God plainly showed Moses who He was. And Moses reflected that very image, and Aaron spoke the words he was given ‘by Moses’ to the people. And for those of you that can receive it, here in Christ’s empty tomb is the napkin that was about His head, folded up and put in a separate place, no longer veiled by parables, for He establishes a New Covenant with man whereby we now see Him clearly.

John 20: 7

‘ And the napkin, that was about His Head, not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself ’ (For this is the Old Testament, now folded up and put in a separate place in the tomb; unfolded by God alone who reveals to us, through His Son Jesus Christ, His plan of redemption, and the riches of His goodness throughout the ages).

END OF EXAMPLES

So to conclude, I would like to draw your attention to a particular facet of the diamonds cut, the facet whereby we see their (individual) apparent callings. What is it about their purpose or life reveals an attribute or glimpse of who God is? We know the very reason for our creation, it ’ s revealed to us in the New Testament, we are called ‘ … to be like Him ’ ; 1 John 3:2

And in Rom 8:29

‘…For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren…’ But like Him in what capacity? To what degree? Will we be All knowing, All powerful, Omni-present? NO- How about Infallible? Or any other virtue, or attribute that, in full power, can only be ascribed to The I AM That I AM- NO- Of course not.

Yet we shall be like Him, we shall be like Him .

Yet The Lord says in Isaiah 40:25

“ To whom then will you liken Me, or shall I be equal? Says The Holy One.” Here we see The Lord uses the word ‘equal’

And in 46:5

“To whom will you liken me, and make me equal, and compare me, that we may be like?” When I see my adult children there are times that I say, this one, or that one, is very much like me in such and such regard . We also know that we are called to be His Bride! A Holy, Virtuous, Righteous, Wise, Stunningly Beautiful, Industrious, and Ferociously Attentive collection of Saints wholly devoted to our Lord. Now, some might say, and let’s briefly explore this avenue; This earthly walk of ours has little to no synergy whatsoever in our future estate, and at best it is simply reward based with respect to bearing. Well let’s explore at least one example that seems to refute the notion by taking the Transfiguration of Jesus into account. Here, atop a mountain, we see The Glorified King of Kings speaking with Moses and Elijah. This is not a casual appearance and neither is their conversation. As we considered earlier, both Moses and Elijah performed specific ‘ callings or duties ’ within their respective interactions with God. These Earthly duties were so integral to their existence that anyone would be hard pressed to say they had lives apart from their callings. I would say their callings, and their lives were one. Not only would I, but it appears their callings transcended their Earthly veil to the degree that they (Now in Glory) converse with The King of Kings in the very matter to which they were originally assigned. These men reflected to their Creator the purpose for which He had made them; in the image for which He had assigned them to be like Him . Let me ask you a question, who would Jesus best be served by via a discourse of God’s plan ? An ordinary man? An incredibly intelligent man? Of whom would He take counsel? Mere men? Or vessels who have been so designed to reflect the purpose of God ’s very concern, the mirror of His very plan, the design of His creation. If The Words that God speaks go out and they do not return void, how

then should we not understand that that which has been created to receive His word would not similarly project the same in kind. That His creation is that which exactly reflects The Word of His Power; For it stands to reason that if His Word is God Himself, then that which He sends forward must accomplish that for which it was sent, and it must return back to God; for God has said that it does. Now in the beginning that Word was rebelled against, and so we see that the creation was marred, no longer to reflect The Creator. But now In Christ, there MUST be a new creation; And that creation MUST reflect its creator, not maybe, it MUST and it WILL>

Romans 11:34-35

“For who has known the mind of The Lord? Or who has been His counsellor? Or who has first given to Him, and it should be recompensed to Him again?”

Isaiah 40: 13-14

Or… “Who has directed The Spirit of The Lord, or being His counsellor has taught Him? With whom took He counsel, and who instructed Him, and taught Him in the path of judgment, and taught Him knowledge, and shewed to Him the way of understanding ?” My contention is that these men, Moses and Elijah appeared in Glory to reflect back to God that for which He alone had created them. They discussed that understanding for which they were created to embody, to mirror, to display for all eternity that facet of The God of their creation.

Now, who are you?

1 John 3:2

Beloved, now are we The Sons of God, and it does not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, ‘ when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. ’

Yes, when we see Him (in presence) we shall reflect exactly that for which we have been apprehended of God- We will be like Him, fully transformed; a full and complete transformation, the effects of sin within us will be no more; Morally, Physically, Socially, all of that which we are, Heart, Mind, Soul, and Strength will be totally transformed.

1 Corinthians 15: 47-53

‘The first man is of the Earth, Earthy : the second man is The Lord from Heaven. As is the Earthy, such are they also that are Earthy: and as is the Heavenly, such are they also that are Heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the Earthy, we shall also bear the image of the Heavenly. Behold, I show you a mystery: we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible MUST put on incorruption, and this mortal MUST put on immortality .’

The When will you be, the who of what you will be!

1 Thessalonians 4:17

For ‘ The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the Archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain, shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet The Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with The Lord. ’ L et’s discuss who we are today, now, ‘ our calling ’ ; Are we operating/living in this calling? To operate or live in our calling we must, not maybe, we must be ‘ abiding in the vine ’

John 15

“… Abide in Me, and I in you… I am The Vine, you are the branch ’s, He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for without Me you can do nothing! ” ... How much time do we spend ‘In His Presence’? Are His Words abiding/living in us? ‘ Please bear with me for a few moments, I am about to become somewhat critical, but I believe pruning helps to bring about more fruit ’ . (This was a contribution from my wife, Kathy), it’s * the touchy-feely, warm and cuddly aspect that I lack. She often reminds me there is a second edge to the sword. In my mind, however, I believe my intent is clearly understood, perhaps it is the generation in which we live. I can’t help but see the cut accomplishes the work, and as the second edge follows automatically within the swing, that distance , the width of the blade (is the time it takes for the heart to be healed) then in time we bear fruit, if we bear long. Painful in the moment, but that can’t be helped. If you’ve ever had a deep cut needing stitches (I’ve had many) you know that it takes time to heal, and when it is healing you can feel that tingling itch, it feels good. Correct me if I’m wrong. I’ve been on the receiving end, so I speak from experience. To the point; I’m talking about truly responding to Him, not as we see so many times in a message on social media; with a simple Amen, or, as I’ve seen too many times, a plethora of emoji’s , as if to signal that you yourself are the wedding guest who is inadequately dressed; and who was also ‘speechless’ . Matt 22:11-12 What I ’ m addressing is the very real ‘ relational ’ criteria Jesus Himself said we MUST do to have life- ‘ we must eat of His flesh and drink of His Blood ’ ; Not once, not having spent some time back when we were younger, or last year etc. No, that experience is also very reflective of the man who received a single talent, he caressed it, he cuddled with it, he wrapped it up in a cloth and buried it (In a place I facetiously like to call his ‘ backyard ’ , {not even in the ‘ front yard}, you know, my life with God is, ‘ personal ’ ). Which is why, and here I go again, The Lord only gave him 1 talent, why would He waste more power with someone who only responds

with an AMEN. (Yes, I went there- if that ’ s you then start abiding ). Cut, pain, healing, ahhhh. There are so many people that I know who understand The Way, but presently there’s no real life in them, they ’ve known The Way, they ’ve just buried it in their backyards. When you speak with them, however, they ’ re full of words expressing ‘ their ’ interests, but few words if any expressing ‘ His ’ interests, nor is there a desire to commune about what The Master has spoken, why? Because they ’re not invested in wanting to hear from Him; Again, because they are not abiding. The why of that is covered in the parable of the Sower. And the who of that is covered by the Apostle Paul when referring to his desire to evaluate the Philippians by sending an embassage: Timothy

Philippians 2: 19-21

“But I trust in The Lord Jesus to send Timothy shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort, when I know your state, For I have no man likeminded, who will naturally care for your state. For ALL seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ ’s.” So, I exhort you toward this state of abiding, which brings us individually into our respective relational postures and eventually into our focused divine callings. Without abiding in Him, we have no life in us, (Amen, preach it ‘ Pastor ’ , emoji, emoji; lol). And it is that life within us that brings us to the operation of faith which is both pleasing to God and is the literal substance* required for us to fulfill our callings and purpose. Now, when we are walking, we should also walk together, not just for communion and fellowship, but for excellence and strength, for consolation, for reproof, for the increase of the body of Christ in love. I am talking about enjoining together with our shared, God birthed life in Christ. And again, of course, we must first be actively IN CHRIST (never can repeat this too often). This enjoining, as we will see in Paul’s ministry , gives us insight into the need or desire for a support system that not only would help the one who enjoins, but also provokes the one enjoined to co-labor with others.

This type of transparency allowed Paul to reveal that his ministry was earmarked by a particular manifestation or result, like a tell if you will of his authenticity.

Consider the following.

Paul writes in Philippians 1 & 2 an admonishment to the Church, after expressing the great conflicts he experienced because of The Cross of Jesus Christ; what he describes as ‘ the fruit of his labor, ’ meaning his calling brought him to great suffering and persecution, and as he continued, he would always be in such an estate. Interestingly (slight rabbit hole) when Jesus introduced Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9) knocking him off his horse, and saying …I am Jesus whom you are persecuting: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks* (goad*, a sharp instrument meant to keep the Oxen in a straight line; and also referring, in tenor, to a defiance of leadership, or authority). Paul here is told that he was presently experiencing pain, and was in rebellion, and that God was about to send him to be a witness to the Jews and Gentiles. But first we see that Paul is both knocked off his horse, blinded, and told that he was persecuting God Himself. Not a great place to be, there would be ramifications. Now at this same time Jesus Himself speaks with a disciple named Ananias who was also in Damascus: Acts 9:15-16 Regarding Paul Jesus tells Ananias “ Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and Kings, and the children of Israel: “ For I will show him how great things he must suffer for My Names sake.” Paul’s tell. As a point of instruction I would add that as you press into God keep a journal. (BTW what is meant by ‘Pressing into God’ ?) Well, it’s an older colloquial Christian saying meant to describe the woman who was desperate for healing and ‘Pressed through a crowd’ to get to Jesus and was healed for her great faith. That ‘crowd’ represents anything and everything that gets between you and getting to Jesus. Family, Friends, Work, Your Mind, Their Minds, and Most Certainly Whatever is Popular.

And gentleman if you want a guy’s perspective on ‘Pressing Into God’ consider King David; the bear, lion, and giant killer; who could bend a bow of bronze, and who said in Psalm 144:1 “ Blessed be the LORD my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight .”

That’s appealing right, bravado-Esque. And absolutely but also consider the heart of this Shepherd King found on full display while bringing back The Ark of The Lord to The City of David.

2 Samuel 6: 14-23

And it was so that when they that bare the ark of The LORD had gone six paces, he sacrificed oxen and fatlings. And David danced before the LORD with all his might; and David was girded with a linen ephod. So, David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of The LORD with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet. And as the ark of The LORD came into the city of David, Michal Saul's daughter looked through a window, and saw king David leaping and dancing before The LORD; and she despised him in her heart . Then David returned to bless his household. And Michal the daughter of Saul came out to meet David, and said, How glorious was the king of Israel today, who uncovered himself today in the eyes of the handmaids of his servants, as one of the vain fellows shamelessly uncovers himself! And David said to Michal, It was before The LORD, which chose me before your father, and before all his house, to appoint me ruler over the people of The LORD, over Israel: therefore, will I play before The LORD. And I will yet be more vile than this, and will be base in my own sight: and of the maidservants which you have spoken of, of them shall I be had in honour. Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.

So, to end, ‘ See how it is that The Lord uses you ’ - what you hear from The Spirit- That will begin to be your, ‘tell’ if you will. The who you are in the body of Christ. The time spent now in His Presence brings us closer to, and more present in our calling. So, this abiding in Him makes us bear much fruit, in every regard, in our Salvation and our calling, (which I struggle to find a difference, if there is any) and I believe you will see that your calling is one which has an indication of your future being. A telescopic view into the ‘ who ’ of what you will be; the particular manner in which we will mirror Our Father.

Imagine for a moment The Lord saying,

“John is so much like me in that regard”

“ Well done thou good and faithful servant, well done ”

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