21.2 Heart with Heart
© 2017 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
I will write on him the name of My God… (Revelation 3:12).
Jesus’ soul is our salvation, the source of our new and total identity. And that action of Jesus is all energia, all working, all active doing in giving the entirety of our selves back to ourselves brand new. Yet Jesus is nothing in Himself, but only what the Father is first in Himself.
I have just done a word search at biblegateway.com of the two words, “Father” and “work” in the gospel of John. The search gave me twelve verses, each of which I would love to include here, if I could. Yet suddenly I see every one of these statements of Jesus in a totally different light.
The Father Works
Let me give the first two before positioning all of these incredible statements. But Jesus answered them, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” – For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel (John 5:17 & 20).
This great work of Jesus in exchanging His soul, His self-story for every moment and nuance of mine, giving me my own life back as pure and holy and brand new, but containing Jesus’ own self-story just as much, this great work is indeed a marvel; I have never known a greater marvel.
Yet there is a far greater marvel, as Jesus said.
Not What I Wanted
After I had written the soul-sobbing statements in the last lesson, placing Jesus together with me and as me in the very worst moments of my life, I looked more closely at something that was bothering me. You see, I had written the lesson “A Bridge to Cross,” quite differently from the one you received. In the original version, I focused on myself, what I WANT, and even boasted just a bit. Yet I “liked” what I had written and momentarily resisted the thought of re-writing it. But after writing most of “Soul with Soul,” I went back and re-wrote most of “A Bridge to Cross.” As I completed the new version, I KNEW that this was what I had really wanted to write; the other was NOT what I wanted.
A Total Flip
And in that moment something HUGE in the story of my life FLIPPED totally around.
I refer you to a letter I wrote in agony – God of the Cup, to the last part of that letter. If you would, go to the divider and read from “I freely confess” on, but especially my discussion of the innumerable times in my life that God said, “NO,” to me. Quote: “I cannot count the number of times over many years, that the word "NO!" has hammered against me in implacable slow motion. "NO!" never comes with explanation, it never gives options, it never moves or quiets down, it never stops. When a "NO!" begins against me, it grows and grows, against my crying, against my arguing and raging, until I fall in silence before Him and the only thing I can say is, ‘Yes, Lord.’”
Father with Me
In that present moment of understanding, Jesus opened to me something I have never known. That was never “God” separate from me, stopping me in my tracks and demanding “NO, you will not do that.” It was always my own heart speaking to me.
Let me tell you a secret about the “overcomes” in Revelation 2 and 3. The “I will give” part comes first, entirely by faith, always, before the “him who overcomes” part could ever be. I will write on him the name of My God always comes first; our faith that God speaks true in us is the overcoming. Yet that was not just ME, telling myself what I really and truly wanted, but it was my Father, sharing heart with me.
This Marvelous Work
The Father who dwells in Me does the works (John 14:10). Jesus is speaking now, in us, not “back then.”
Now, let me set forth my own soul for you in order to take you, and me as well, through this marvelous work of Father in us. I will share briefly one of the strongest and longest lasting NO’s Father and I together spoke to myself, one of many.
It was a girl. – I’m no good with girls. The moment I think I “like” a girl, I can no longer speak to her. When I dated a girl I liked in high school, I said, “Hi,” and I said, “Goodbye,” but through our whole time together at the school theater presentation, I could not say another word, though my mind raced as to what and how the whole time.
My Own Heart
Then there was this girl in move community; she was very attractive to me. But she talked, she talked to me constantly as her best friend. She initiated every part of a relationship together. I thought I wanted her to be my wife.
The NO’s began early on. Because she talked so cheerfully and endlessly, at first I could talk back. But the day came when the growing and endless “NO” silenced me. I could not get a word out, no matter how hard I tried to speak. She and her family became angry with me. Yet I thought I “loved” her, for months and years after. My “heart” pined for what I thought I had lost.
Baloney! It was my own heart, Father with me, telling me NO! And it was my own heart, Father with me, that saved me from the life of grief I would have known had I married her.
The Heart of Father
What just happened to me? What is this total flip that has taken place only in the last few days? How did a “stern and implacable” God become, in one moment, my own heart, Father sharing heart with me? Heart with Heart. I think we can safely say that inside the Soul of Jesus is found the Heart of Father. We must do that diagram again.
| The Flesh of Christ, you and me, one Body on earth |
Passion, the Desire of Christ |
Consciousness, Jesus’ Self Story |
Faith, of the Son of God |
The Spirit of Christ, you and me, one Spirit in heaven |
||
| < Body > | Emotions of Christ | < Mind > of Christ |
Will of Christ |
< Spirit > | ||
| ^ Heart of Father |
^ Heart of Father |
^ Heart of Father |
||||
Father Inside of Jesus
The diagram is the Body/Spirit of Christ Jesus, walking this earth right now. Jesus is the soul of His body as He fills our souls with His. Yet the Father always comes inside of Jesus and the Heart is always Father.
The problem is that when we are young, we do not know our own hearts. We have compulsions and feelings that we pursue for a while only to discover that those things just are not us. Some, of course, turn their outer feelings into addictions and live only there, far away from their real hearts. Yet from the moment we are born again on, Father’s heart and our real human heart are the same.
Our Own Heart
To discover Father is to discover what your own heart has really been all along. We know Father only by heart. It was my own heart that turned me from temptation. It was my own heart that made my way back into Christian community whenever my outer feelings had said otherwise. It was my own heart set upon knowing the Father that has been the true voice inside of me all along. It was my own heart; it was Father’s Heart.
And now, as I allow Jesus to place Himself, His soul, into every moment of my life, to imprint my own soul with His, something else happens as well. The merging together of Father’s Heart with mine also opens to me.
The Name of Our Father
When I began this session, the four names of Revelation 2 and 3 written upon us were nowhere near my thoughts, even though I had the present titles of the lessons. Yet now, having written the majority of this session, it is obvious to me that Soul with Soul is referring to our new name, which is Jesus’ soul merged with our soul.
Yet we also possess Jesus’ own name, that is first Christ as us, our new name, and then Christ through us, His full name revealed. And the name of Jerusalem, you and me together as one, is the source of Love Poured Out in the next lesson. But Heart with Heart is the name of our Father within us.
Good to Be Human
The center of all things is the beating Heart of Father, beating every moment in our own breasts, our own hearts. The source of all life flow. The throne of heaven. The Mercy Seat out from which pours all redemption and salvation, life and glory. Our hearts. Father’s Heart.
When we know that God is meek and lowly of heart, that He thinks of others as better than Himself – and not that other wicked image of superiority and arrogance – then it is so good to be human. We just relax into ourselves, simple and silly, compassionate and crazy, laughter and tears – humans, Father revealed.
Depths of Glory
But inside of our full and relaxed humanity, we also know the depths of capacity (glory), the depths of God, in our hearts. Unending depths of compassion. Boldness invincible. Confidence flowing out. A shoulder on which others can cry.
I’m driving for Uber now, after my writing time is over of a day; it’s something I can do. Yesterday, I picked up a little old lady and drove her to the medical center. She preached to me the whole way about how important knowing God is and how she believes only what the Bible says. My mind could have analyzed her, but my heart, that is, Father’s heart, that is, my heart said, “Don’t you dare. This is a mother in Israel. This is a most precious one to Jesus. She is the whole reason why Wwe pour out our lives – for her sake.”
Allow God
I cannot tell you how important it is to you to allow God to call your true heart, through every moment of your life and every moment today, His own Heart. You will do that only inside of allowing Jesus to call every moment of your life, including your very worst, His own moment, His own Soul with you, removing all that was sin and leaving you in the same moment utterly brand new.
This is a process that takes time. This is sanctification. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth. As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth (John 17:17-19).
Sanctification
I have never really taught sanctification because, although I knew what it was NOT, I did not really know what it was. Now I do. Sanctification is the process through which you and I allow Jesus to call every moment and particle of our life by His own Soul present inside of ours, thus giving us a new name, our own story returned to us pure and holy and good.
And in the center of that Soul with Soul is the same process through which you and I allow Father to call every moment and particle of our true heart by His own Heart present inside of ours, the throne of Heaven. And in the center of Father’s Heart filling ours, is the sending. Just as You sent Me, in that exact way, I send them.
The Source of Life
And that sending is as the Jerusalem of God, a fully successful Christian Church walking this earth, Jesus Himself in His Body/Spirit, life laid down and love poured out.
Father’s Heart, our heart, same thing. A meek and lowly Heart, a heart that, we know and confess, looks out at all others, regardless of their twisted appearance, and sees them as better than ourself, that is, as someone to love. We do not make this judgment by human judgment, but by His Word, for His Word is the truth.
Father’s Name on our forehead, Father’s Heart beating inside of ours. Here we stand; here we live; from here we will never be moved. Together, the source of all life flowing out.