14.3 The Bond of Connection

We use the term “the bond of connection” because Jesus is always the first connection between any two or more things. Jesus is our only connection with God. Then, Jesus is our first connection with ourselves. And Jesus is our first connection with one another. The word “first” means that, even when we have a conversation together, that is, a connection, it first passes through Jesus. 

We do not limit the ways in which Jesus connects, but we have seen these, as Blood Covenant, as Surety, as Propitiation, and as the One who carries. Paul said, “Do not be unequally yoked.” Connections are powerful and connections rule. Yet here is an extraordinary thing, Jesus is the only Connection that sets you completely free of Himself.

The Power Flowing Through. Connection is the POWER of belonging. It is the willingness to join together and to be the place where that joining together can happen. It is specifically “the power of the Blood,” an appropriate term when it is truly defined. The Blood is first the value God places upon you, and second, your seal inside of God. I have seen this visibly, that all darkness flees the Blood.

It is the Bond of the Covenant, the Blood upon which we sit, that enables God’s energeia and our energeia to synergeo together. It is the touchpoint of all power passing through us. By this Bond of Connection that is Christ Jesus, our inheritance becomes our possession. It is the power of ownership, the power of being the heir of God.

The Pathway Itself. Here is the pathway of the Covenant. – But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear and immediately out came blood and water (John 19:34). – Mixing with the dirt of the earth, becoming the Church. Here is the pathway of marriage. – And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man (Genesis 2).

The pathway is all costliness. The inheritance comes out from you, out from your set-forth soul, torn open as the Veil. Here is the path again – Because you have given Me your only son, surely in blessing I will bless you (Genesis 22).

A Flow of Gospel Words. The Lord Jesus will eliminate and render inoperative – the same anxious care for one another – Love is longsuffering and kind – Love covers all, believes all, hopes all, carries all – when He shall have rendered inoperative – in all our pressures of travail inside and out – the sufferings of Christ abound into us –as you share of the sufferings – we groan with great pressure of travail – He died for all – the one having died for their sakes – the old things are already gone – already reconciled us to God – ministry of reconciliation – the weapons of our warfare are God-able – inside of distress and anguish for the sake of Christ – I have been crucified with Christ – having given Himself for me – carrying into salvation – the redemption inside of Christ Jesus – set forth as propitiation – declared justly innocent – Christ died for us, for our sakes – buried together with Him.

He died to all disconnection from sin once for all – made you free – share together with Him in His suffering – creation groans and travails together – in line with Father for the sake of others with inexpressible groanings – we are hyper-overcomers – present your bodies a living sacrifice – I rejoice in sufferings for your sake – I fill up what is lacking of the travailing pressures of Christ in my flesh for the sake of His body – having erased and obliterated – caused to cease in His own flesh the hostility – an offering and a sacrifice to God in a sweet smelling aroma – the fellowship of His sufferings – already symmorphosed with His death – who has abolished death, rendering it inoperable – having crafted by Himself the full cleansing away – that He might eat up death for the sake of all – Jesus has become the surety of a better Covenant – Jesus saves to the uttermost – I will propitiate their acts of injustice.  

Having been offered once to bear the sins of many – one unlimited sacrifice for sins – inside the blood of Jesus consecrating for us a newly sacrificed as well as a living way through the veil, that is, through His flesh – hearts sprinkled from an evil consciousness – carried through faith into salvation – the proving of your faith – God’s enabling presence carrying you – redeemed by the precious blood of Christ – the one eating My flesh and drinking My blood has life – My flesh is true food and My blood is true drink – I set forth my soul – He is the propitiation encompassing our sins – by this we have known love, in that He set forth His soul for us, and we also are committed to setting forth our souls for our brothers and sisters – this is the victory that has overcome the world – they overcame him through the blood of the Lamb – they have not loved their souls unto death.

Acknowledging God as Father. I am overwhelmed by the clarity and meaning of this flow of Gospel Words, for we see exactly what the Father wants and how His desire is brought to Him. God intends a direct and personalized relationship, a union, with every created thing coming out from Himself. Then, God WANTS all created things to relate together inside of Love, that God might have a visible form inside creation.

That is a problem, for there is always offence and misunderstanding. And so, “for Father’s sake” means that Jesus first bears all that difficulty inside Himself, eliminating it, and then we also share His sufferings as we ourselves swallow up one another’s offensiveness, thus casting down all that separates, for Father’s sake, that He might be known by all – the Covenant – torn flesh and set forth soul – the Father’s cup.

A Flow of Our Words. Lord Jesus, even as I share in Your sufferings, giving myself with You to the Father for the sake of others, so I also share in Your glory, Your deepest essence made visible, Your great work accomplished to Victory.

You and I together, Lord Jesus, render sin and death inoperative, eliminating that which would divide and separate, that others might enjoy one another and the Father with no thought of anything else. Your mighty power to set others free, that they might join together with God, is made perfect and brought to full completion inside all the agony of my human weakness. Our travail together, Lord Jesus, can only bring forth Life.

The Tension. The Bond of the Covenant is the deepest tension inside God’s being. The question of Gethsemane was, “How much was I worth to Jesus?” The same question now is, “How much is the Church clothed with Jesus worth to us?” There is something of God’s essence that requires a splitting wide open to reveal the deepest value inside; it’s called glory.

God corrected my understanding of the Veil. It is not gone; rather, forever we see the Church, our brothers and sisters, through the Veil torn apart for them, the flesh of Jesus now shared with us. The work of Jesus to reconcile, to bring back together, is continuous, active, and forever. Inside of Jesus-Given, then, is found all Fellowship.

The Entrance of Perversion. Consider Gethsemane in this way, “I would be willing to pay ten bucks for Daniel Yordy, Father, but certainly not My life.” Negotiation, measurement, buying and selling, making it look like giving all, even while keeping plenty in reserve. In fact, in this perversion, we find the most devilish aspects of a “God” who knows evil. “Pay Me what you owe Me.”

This is the power religious people use to manipulate others – “You have to give to me, that is, you have to win my approval, in order to win God’s approval.” This perverted power gains its full strength from the pagan definition that Jesus died to appease the “evil side” of God. Such a “God” can never truly be appeased, and so you must produce more, under “my” direction.

A Flow of Darkness. Limited atonement – Those people aren’t really saved – confess your sins to me – do penance – write a list of all your sins this week – be ashamed of yourself – you might be “saved,” but you still have a sin nature. God doesn’t hear you because I don’t approve of you – stay before the cross – you cannot claim entrance into God – God abhors presumption – see God and know how evil you are.

“Join our club and swear allegiance if you want to do business in our town.” Think of this one. We are talking about all controlling requirements placed upon people that give them permission or “license” to connect together. Liberty acknowledges all connections to be personal and free, but tyranny demands tax and license on all human interaction.

The Actions of Overcoming. The Blood of the Covenant is what turns us around, the meaning and extent of three little words, “And we also.” This is the hidden manna, that we also are now the bread of heaven, given as the flesh of Jesus for the sake of the Church (Colossians 1:24). It is the affirmation of God, “This is My beloved son/daughter, in whom I am well-pleased.” It is the new name given to us.

The Word is costliness and the Spirit is travail. It is the Ark of the Covenant at the bottom of the Jordan, standing firm against death until every little one who belongs to Jesus has entered into all the Life of Christ. Yet here is the point of all overcoming – it’s for the sake of others, that they might know the Lord in glorious liberty.

The Meaning of Victory. Again, “Because you have done this thing.” – Therefore, also, God highly exalted Him and favored Him with the name above every name (Philippians 2:9).

The Covenant is that we are just like the Lord Jesus Christ; the Victory is that we Love as He Loves. We share with Jesus in all swallowing up of that which offends and separates, that Love might have its Way, that Father might be at Home. Exposing sin increases separation. Overlooking sin resolves nothing. Placing sin inside the propitiation, the Blood of Jesus, is all costliness. – The Egyptians you see today, you will see no more forever – swallowed up in the death of Christ.

Personal Fellowship. That I might share in the fellowship of His sufferings (Philippians 3). I spent a year working with Abel Ramirez in a fellowship together concerning the needs of those men who had come to the community at the Ridge seeking help. It was one of the best and most anointed times of my life. Genuinely caring for others together is True fellowship. This is the fellowship of warfare, of the sufferings of Christ, which are always for one purpose – to join others together with the Father and with one another – for further fellowship.

The whole purpose of God is to restore relationship, that fellowship might be free, committed, and joyous. It is when we share this purpose together that we truly know the Father.

Relationship with other Pathways. The female side of the Covenant is a Church set free in glory, the visible appearance of God, His face inside of creation. Think of this. John said, “By this we know love.” The sacrifice of Jesus is the essence and substance of God made visible to us. Then consider these three, essence, entrance, and connection. We are also saying “Substance – becomes – Appearance” on the side of Christ Jesus. Consider also devotion, response, and likeness. We are also saying “Substance – becomes – Appearance” on the side of the Church.

To one side of Propitiation is entrance, He humbled Himself, and to the other side is the means of devotion. Propitiation itself is the essence of devotion, but the next pathway is how devotion operates as the life force of God with us.

Two Principles for Kingdom Building. Synergeia: There is always a flip side to synergeoing together with God and with one another to make all things good. That flip side is synergeoing together to render inoperative all that would cause to separate. These two parts of our work take us into every shadow of hades in every closed-off soul.

Symmorphy: There was a time when we applied to our own need “symmorphosed with His death” and overcoming the accuser. But that season ceased for us when we turned around upon the Mercy Seat. Now, it is our ministry forever to share form with Jesus in the same way, not for our sakes, but for the sakes of others.

Guiding and Influencing. All leadership is by example first. This is a costly practice, and even though many say this, few do it. Consider these false words, “You have to earn my respect.” If as a leader I do not give my full respect to you in the first place, I will never gain respect back from you in return. Yet here we are speaking of God’s only covering for sins – the propitiation, and our ministry of reconciling others to God.

The leader, him or herself, bears the greater part of the costliness of offence. When the follower sees that sacrifice, they are free to repent, yet they remain free to refuse. That’s why the ministry of reconciliation is costly indeed. Yet Paul made it clear that the Sacrifice of Jesus, shared with us His firstfruits, wins all in the end, the ultimate influencer.

Building and Protecting. Yet here is the further problem inside this pathway of power. – You can’t hurt other people. If you continue, you must go elsewhere, no matter how “offended” you feel. The Kingdom is a place of safety and protection. Home has to be safe for each, otherwise it is home for no one.

This is what the overcomer does, even as a soldier, he makes homes safe for others. Safety for each, including the sheltering roof, is a central consideration in everything being built. We fight for freedom, for glorious liberty, but what is freedom? Freedom is the power to belong inside full respect. The Kingdom of God through us is to build places of belonging across the whole earth, for everyone.

Interaction and Sharing. This aspect of the Kingdom is all about making connections across the whole earth and among all the peoples. The Bond of Connection is the power that makes all those connections, and the free flow of goods, people, and ideas, to be wholesome and True.

The resurrected sons of God will possess a quality of Life, life given for the sake of others, that they might be free, that fellowship might be free, that is known to every individual on earth and thus is the open door for strangers to receive strangers in safety and hospitality. The certain knowing that there are a people, the firstfruits of Christ, who “love not their souls unto death” for the sake of others, is sufficient for all.

Our Conclusion. My understanding of “resurrection life” has changed and grown tremendously. Consider “heavenly bliss.” “Heavenly bliss” is pure and unhindered selfishness. It has neither meaning nor purpose; that is, it is without glory. Resurrection Life, coming out of the Bond of the Covenant, is sharing glory with Jesus, that is, sharing His deepest purpose and His great work – both of which are forever to join together others with Father and with one another – freely.

You and I have the right, given to us by God, to bring every moment, circumstance, and interaction of our entire lives, past, present, and future, including all our failure, into this shared suffering/glory with Jesus, that everything we are and have ever been might be RESURRECTION LIFE only – for the sake of others.

Reading for Next Time. The next lesson is 14.4 “The Means of Devotion.” There is a close relationship between the essence of devotion, sharing with the Sacrifice of Jesus, and the means of devotion, giving to others what God freely gives to us.

The essence of devotion is actually a negative, swallowing up that which offends for Father’s sake. In contrast, the means of devotion is always positive, the continuous giving of Life. God loves us first, and then we turn and give that same Love that is God to others, thus it returns to the Father from whence it came, to come again into us in ever greater Joy. This is how God lives; this is how we live. This is Life shared together, life forevermore.