August, 1839
T H E K I N G ’ S B U S I N E S S
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Throne Lif By N O RM A N P. GRUBB London, England in such a union ' that you and He are described as “one spirit.” Do not cry for what you already have, but use it, use it. “Wherefore criest thou unto me ? , . . stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it.” Speak out the word of faith. Exercise the authority of God. Speaking Christ’s Word of Authority Christ spoke such a word as this. He spoke it once to a-fig tree, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever” (Mk. 11:14). Next day Peter noted that it had withered, and he commented, “Master, behold, the fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.” Now note what Christ said, in effect: “You go and do the same. I spoke the word of authority with which I am equipped by the Indwelling Father -[cf. John 14:10J. Now you_speak it also.” His actual words were, “Have the faith of God. For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; . ’ . . he shall have whatso ever he saith.” “Have the faith of God” is the lit eral rendering, as in the margin of the Authorized Version, and this conveys the vital meaning more clearly than just “Have faith in God,” as in the Authorized Version text. For to “have faith in God” means to many just a reliance on the ability of God in His heaven and a leaving it to Him to do it. But to “have the faith of God” means to recognize an indwelling God (as Jesus did in the instance c i t e d above), to realize that we have His mind, and that by the inspiration of His Spirit we speak forth with our hu man lips the word of believing faith, of authority, just as He did when He said, “Let there be light: and there was light,” or the Lord Jesus did in the above incident. And we are told in Romans 4:17 the characteristic of the faith of God, who “calleth those things which be. not as though they were.” We are to do the same. Thus Christ said, “Say unto this mountain.” “Say,” not “pray.” The word is most significant. The thought is not that prayer should be omitted —for the Word counsels us to pray. Prayer is the attitude of one who has not and needs. Saying the word of faith
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“And the Lord said unto .Moses, Wherefore criest thou unto me? speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward: But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it; and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.” (Ex. 14:15, 16). W HY do you ask Me to do it? Do it yourself,”.God was say ing, in reality, to Moses. “Stretch out your rod and divide the sea.” In other words, Moses had said to God, “You do it”; but God answered Moses, “No, you do it” (cf. Ex. 14:15, 16.) A glance through, the Bible or Christian biography multiplies instan ces of this by the thousand: Jeremiah, Gideon, Hudson Taylor, and the like. In the settlement of this controversy lies the key to all .spiritual power and achievement throughout history. Man starts on the Christian highway with much of the graveclothes of the Fall still upon him. Separation from God has been a stark reality to him; he knows the weakness of the flesh; visible lack and need are more concrete to him than invisible fullness and supply. He knows the reconciling grace of God through Christ, conveying to Him the assurance of adoption into God’s family; but his expressions and attitude still contain the consciousness of separation. He makes the analogy of the members of one family, but distinct and separated members: “I am weak. He is strong.” “I have. need. He has supply.” “I am of the earth, earthy. He is the Lord from heaven.” Joined to Christ But to those who have ears to hear and hearts set to follow comes a new word: “Say not, I am a child.” “Go in this thy might.” Say not, I am weak, I am carnal, I am needy, I am earthy. Awake thou that sleepest and arise from the dead. Understand that the Lord is joined unto you, one spirit. Understand that you have the mind of Christ. Understand that the life of Christ is ever flowing in and through you as the sap of the vine through the branches. Do not keep asking for what you already have. Do not sing, “I need Thee, oh, I need Thee." Sing, “I have Thee, oh, I have Thee.” Never waste breath by asking Him to be near you, who is already within you, joined to you
is the attitude of one who has and dis- penses what he has. Such is the “throne life” as we commonly speak of it. A throne is occupied by a king. A king is a possessor and dispenser of gifts. Thus, as we who are believers are joined to Christ, He the head, we the mem» bers of one Body, physically on earth, spiritually enthroned, we are told that we are “kings . . . unto God,” and “seated in the heavenlies.” Lack Versus Supply Examine the men of God through the Bible—prophets, apostles—and you will find this conscious attitude of authori* tative faith to be theirs. The difference stands out clearly with Hezekiah and Isaiah. Hezekiah was a man of prayer. The threats of the enemy came upon him with overwhelming force. He prayed. He bemoaned weakness. “This day is a day of trouble, and of rebuke, and of blasphemy: for the children are come to the birth, and there is not strength to bring forth ” Isa. 37:3). “Not strength” was his emphasis. Then he sent word of the situation to the man of faith. Hear Isaiah’s answer, a dec laration, a saying unto this mountain. “Thus saith the Lord, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard, where with the servants of the king of Assyria have blasphemed me. Behold, I will send a blast upon him, and he shall . . . return to his own land” (vs. 6, 7). And later, “The virgin, the daughter of Zion, hath despised thee, and laughed thee to scorn . . . I [will] put my hook in thy nose, and my bridle in thy lips, and I will turn thee back by the way by which thou earnest” (vs. 22, 29). The one—godly, praying man though he was—spoke in weakness. The other spoke in authority. The one was fully conscious of need and lack and separa tion from the supply of power. The other knew union, with God, and spoke as His mouthpiece. The Principle in Operation Latterly, in the Worldwide Evangeli zation Crusade, of which I am British Secretary, I was notified of a severe crisis in one department of the work, sufficient, if it came to a head, to spoil the advance of years in that area. Be fore I understood the life of authority in the Spirit, I would have recognized the attempt of the devil to disrupt a work, and would have labored in prayer [Continued on Page 326]
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