13.2 Being Real
© 2018 Christ Revealed Bible Institute
But everything being proven wrong by the light is indeed made visible. Light is that which makes visible (Ephesians 5:13 – JSV). Light is a great separator. Most, when the light turns on, become obsessed with what is being proven wrong, with no notice of the Light Himself.
We are different. When the Light turns on inside of us, the Lord Jesus Christ, we, knowing the worthlessness of that which is not, make that Light our only story. We rest in the Light, knowing that we ourselves cannot ever “measure up” and thus we are free to be real as God made us. What does it mean to be real?
Fallen Short. Let’s start with what it means to be fake as a Christian. The internal cause of the false human self is the sense of having fallen short of God. An unregenerate person is fallen short of God. In such a person, feeling “bad” about having fallen short could be a good thing, as it could be the first step to repentance.
A Christian, however, is not “fallen short” of God. God placed us into Christ Jesus who “hits the mark” as us every time, according to Paul’s gospel. A Christian, by nature, is at peace with God. God does not, however, force His knowledge on anyone, and thus being a Christian means also a choice of two “trees.”
Two Self-Stories. Our self-consciousness, the spirit words of our own self-story, all the thoughts and beliefs, feelings and desires going on inside our mind/heart connection, are shaped by one tree or the other.
The tree of knowing right from wrong, of hearing and obeying, of doing one’s best to please God, is a place of always falling short. It creates a mindset that says, “not enough” in every direction. It is a mind of separation.
The tree of knowing Christ Jesus as one’s only life is a place of expectation and wonder. It creates a mindset that says, “God is more than enough,” in every direction. Such a mind is more than “at peace” with God; it is a mind that shares all things with Father.
Which Tree? The Christian who chooses to continue living in knowing good and evil, defines the Bible and God by that mind-set, in agreement with the serpent’s definition of God and of man inside the lie. The fullest expression of that “Christian” thinking is Calvinism, all the verses of the Bible in all the wrong places, and Augustine – getting as close as one can get to the tree of LIFE, even while continuing to think by the tree of knowledge.
Now, as I lay this out again, I realize that, although I’m trying to limit such re-teaching, still, this point must be underlined here regarding the Spirit in the Church. The issue of walking together is – in which tree do we live?
Renewing the Mind. For the law of the Spirit of life inside of Christ Jesus has made you free from the law of sin and death {the tree of life has made you free from the tree of death} – For those who be according to flesh mind [think – tell the self story of] the flesh, but those who be according to Spirit mind [think – tell the self story of] the Spirit. For minding the flesh {outward appearance} is death, but minding the Spirit {Christ in our hearts} is life and peace (Romans 8:2 & 5-6 - JSV).
Paul is clearly setting out the two trees in the garden, two sources of human consciousness, of the story we tell ourselves about ourselves. “Christ not I” or “I” (not Christ). The entire transition between being fake or being real as a Christian is the extent of the one mind or the other in each of us. – Be transformed by the renewing of your mind (Romans 12:2).
Outward Appearance. The entrance of Light into our life together, that is, the mind of the Spirit, results in brethren being real with one another.
When we use the terms “religious” or “religiosity,” we typically mean a Christian who seems fake. The flesh or religious mind is a thinking that says, “I might be fallen short of God, but I will make myself righteous. I will hear and obey.” Such a mind uses the outward appearance of the flesh as its definition of reality; that is, it measures itself by its view of others. On the one hand, it fights for superiority in some way, and on the other hand, it acts in order to impress others. Self-righteousness is the fiercest form of pretending and the darkest against the light.
How God Made Us. Walking in the light of the Spirit means no need whatsoever to pretend to be something we are not, especially “righteous.” The flesh is weak; this is how God made us. Light intermingled with shadow as a garden bower, Spirit upon, in, and flowing through flesh, is the very peace and joy of God, the appearance of Father through us.
Because we are one with Father through Christ Jesus, we are free to see one another as better than ourselves. Because we are complete, made perfect, come to full salvation inside of incorruptible sinlessness, that is, Christ Jesus, we have no need to try to be something we are not in order to impress others.
Two Things Together. As Christ is our only story of self, so we are free to walk real. But if not-Christ is our story of self, we will pretend towards one another in arrogance.
But look at both sides of the mind of Christ. Being complete in Christ and thus being real in myself is only one part of that mind. The other part of the mind of Christ is seeing one another as “better,” that is, as Jesus Himself to me. “Just being real, brother,” typically means being offensive and fake. One who acts towards his brother with disrespect is demonstrating a self-story of NOT being complete in Christ. Two things always go together: being REAL and being KIND.
A Social Construct. Let’s make this practical. You see, being real and pretending are both social constructs. When you are by yourself, the face you wear has no meaning. We pretend towards others; we are real towards others. Adam and Eve covered themselves over because they did not want the other to see how they now saw themselves.
When I see myself as false, as fallen short, I will do whatever I can to hide my insufficiency from you. I am quick to defend myself because I think you must be attacking me. I push “my way” the moment I say it, because I cannot be found wrong. I act in ways that I think you will call “spiritual” or “holy” because I don’t want you to see the rot I imagine.
Masks We Wear. A whole lot of the drive behind the pretending masks we wear comes out from unresolved issues with other people in our past. If we have not placed the Lord Jesus upon every moment of our past, every hurt and sin and offense, then we will strike out from that same hurt against someone in the present moment, someone who appears the same to us as the original hurt. Here is where the “just being real” pretends to be real. I “feel” hurt and inadequate, so I equate my bad treatment of you with my “being real.” Sorry, that, also is fake.
The worst form of pretending, however, is when I pretend to be superior to you. And the pretending that comes from a fake sense of superiority results in words and actions of disrespect and manipulation of those I deem inferior.
The Works of the Flesh. There are three kinds of pretending, then, inside the ongoing interaction together with brethren in the Church. First, is the attempt to hide perceived lack by acting spiritual and okay, putting on a show in order to trick others into thinking highly of me, even when I am ashamed of myself. Second is reacting out from past hurt, claiming that you are “just being real” because the absence of Christ in your past, apparently defines you. And third is being rude, disrespectful, and manipulative in order to force others to see you as superior.
The works of the flesh, especially contention, are simply the means by which people who are ashamed of themselves react against other people.
I Am Wrong. When we walk together, sharing the decisions of life together, we WILL offend one another. You will say and do things that I perceive to be an attack against me, and I will say and do things that you perceive to be an attack against you. It goes with the turf.
It is inside of contention, then, where being real shines its brightest light. The ability to say, “I was wrong. Please forgive me,” IS the clearest indication of being real. It does not matter if I think you were mostly wrong. I can always find something that I could have done differently. I can always place responsibility for the conflict on my own foolishness.
Forgiveness. Willing to be foolish, willing to be wrong, willing to take the blame, willing to bear the loss: these are qualities of being real. And always to honor the other as Jesus Himself.
And when someone says, “Please forgive me,” there is only one response to give. Say, “I forgive you.” Brushing off the offense as if it is nothing is all part of pretending. Forgiveness, giving space for one another, consciously and vocally, is the oil that bathes our walking together in Christ. And the only way I can walk with you in this way is if I have embraced Jesus as all that I am, bringing Him into every moment of my life and thus seeking no sufficiency in myself.
In my book, The Feast of Tabernacles, I set out four things I would require of anyone with whom I walked in ministry. We can place those four things here as our antidote to fakery inside of life together. Let’s position these as confessions of Christ.
1. I justify God in all things. I justify God as being right and true concerning everything in life I have ever gone through or that has happened to me, including my present experiences. God is not responsible for any evil thing against me, but He and I together make everything intended for evil into unending goodness. Yet I will see nothing apart from God; for I see Him alone in all things. When people do or say things that hurt me, I find God right and true, regardless of any loss to myself.
2. I Blame No One for anything that happens – that includes no pretending need to “prove I am right,” and no gossiping about other people’s motives.
Regardless of who does what, I blame no one. I do not join with Adam or Korah or Absalom, pointing the finger at other people. Jesus died for the sins of all; I never dishonor Him by finding fault with my brother. I never imagine that I know anyone else's motives nor any secrets of their hearts – unless I ask and they tell me. I never gossip about another person, imputing my own tendencies upon them and then talking about “them” to others. I leave all free of me entirely in the hands of our most capable Savior.
I do not speak against other people; I do not speak against God.
3. I Give Thanks FOR all things. I give thanks. I thank God for everything that happens to me, everything I am and everything I have. I thank God for the difficult things as much as I thank Him for the good things. I never worry about my present feelings of frustration, but I always end every difficulty with a full giving of thanks. When I share with others concerning my difficulties, thankfulness is the primary thing they hear.
4. I Speak Only Blessing and Christ to all others. If God leads to correct, that will be private, personal, and tender only, spoken out of the conviction that, “I, myself, am so often wrong.”
I have no problem abandoning myself because Christ is my only life. Yet in finding Him as me, I find all of me returned back, pure and holy and good. I speak Christ of myself. In the same way, I see only Christ when I see others, and I speak Christ and blessing to everyone to whom I speak. When I am reviled, I bless. When I am accused falsely, I speak Christ in encouragement and faith. I speak Christ, lifting you up, carrying you, swallowing up all your sin and rebellion, ascending on high, and you inside of Him. I speak Christ.
How We See. Light is how we see. Light enters a house through the windows and a body through the eyes. Light is how we see one another. If I see you as God made you, weak, but filled with Christ, then the thought of placing obligation on you will never enter my mind. If I see you as Jesus to me, then the thought of “my superiority” will never enter my mind. By the one part of the mind of the Spirit, we “live and let live,” receiving one another as Jesus receives us. And by the other part of that same mind, we serve one another in joy.
A Miracle. Therefore, he says, “Awake you who are sleeping and rise up out from the dead, and Christ will shine forth from you” (Romans 5:14 – JSV). The window is also Christ shining forth from one to the other and out from the community to all. Being real is being Christ, that is, being kind. Yet both directions are speaking of the Spirit in the Church. And Spirit means Christ as a connecting Spirit of power.
I now see what I am reaching for in this metaphor of light through the windows, or say, electricity through the wires. Knowing our union with Christ is a miracle of the Holy Spirit.
Human as Christ. As we speak Christ our only life, acknowledging Christ in and as one another, so the light flows through the windows of life together. However, we do not speak Christ “AT” one another, for that is the darkness of pretending.
No Christian has ever been as frustrated and depressed as Jesus was as He entered Gethsemane. – “Agony” is an English word because Luke used it to describe Jesus’ mental state. When I am frustrated and depressed, regardless of my turmoil, I never see myself as anything other than Christ as me, causing me to be one with Father. Part of being real is allowing one another to be human as Christ.
No Super Christ. Part of the false image of a “super” Christ is that to be like Jesus is to be always “above everything.” And a huge amount of fakery inside of the Church comes out from imposing that image on one another. “Daniel is under the weather this morning, let’s pray for his deliverance.” I tell you want, I will wear any mask I need to keep people from saying such a thing.
When Jesus is sharing His agony with me, do you know what helps me the most? The thing that helps me best is a gentle smile and a kind and simple word of appreciation. We do not speak the arrogant Christ, “Get up above yourself,” we speak Jesus, “I share all that I am with you, even as you find yourself to be.”
Something Else Happens. And so, on the one hand, we honor Christ as one another being careful not to impose the image of the super Christ in our words. But something else happens inside of intentional Christian Community as well. Because we are members of one another, members of Christ, there is also a connection of Spirit power in our midst.
Consider the spark plug again. If the spark plug is by itself because it is waiting to be put into an engine, then it remains perfect even though it has no idea what it is, or what its parts are for. But a spark plug that is cast aside is a thing of no value. Yet in its place in the engine, the spark plug rules as power coming from other members passes through it.
A Power of the Spirit. The spark plug knows neither power nor the purpose of its parts until it is in perfect working relationship with other members of the engine. In the midst of the Church there is a power of the Spirit that cannot be known by scattered individuals.
This is the same thing David was attempting to describe in Psalm 133. Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, running down on the beard, the beard of Aaron, running down on the edge of his garments. It is like the dew of Hermon, descending upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing—Life forevermore.
A Tangible Presence. David used the oil flowing down Aaron and the dew flowing down Mt. Hermon in order to convey the very same reality that I am using the spark plug to convey.
There is a quality of God known only inside of life together, a power, a tangible presence, a God-here-and-now among us, that typical Christians in their present-day Church relationships simply do not know exists. And that quality of knowing God among us is the light inside life together that is the greatest quality of comfort one knows inside of Home. And this quality is best described by the placement of windows that capture light, bringing it into a home, or oil running down the garment or the dew on Mt. Hermon.
Let Us Be Real. When we say, “the entrance” of the Holy Spirit, we do not mean an absent Spirit, finally “showing up.” We mean, rather, a quality of always being discovered, always surprising us, always becoming known in new and meaningful ways. That “entrance” of the Holy Spirit is not happenstance, but rather, comes through specific functions or “windows” in the Church – those “windows” are fruit, gifts, and ministries.
Only one thing clouds the energeoing of the Spirit inside of life together, and that is fakery. There is only one antidote for our fakery, and that is knowing Christ living as me. Sin for a Christian is any form or expression of not believing in Jesus living as Personal Spirit Word inside our own hearts.
Let us cease from sin; let us be real.