COME UP HIGHER

Part 6

 

July18, 2021

 

Today’s discussion wil run a bit long, but I wanted to finish up before moving on to a new discussion on a different topic.

 

We won’t simply talk about the name of Jesus, we need to get into the concept and principle of actually operating in the name of Jesus.  We’ve had this discussion before — or at least part of it — but what we are talking about is the character, the nature, the essence of Who Jesus is, His Onoma!

 

Let’s start today with some simple statements that Jesus made that illustrate this principle.

 

There is a unique statistic tht appears throughout the Word.  57 times we have the phrase, “in the name of (the Lord) (God) (Jesus)” occurring out of a total of 64.  In Hebrew, the word for “name” is shem.  In the Greek text, the word is one which we have discussed more times than I can possibly count: “onoma.”

 

In each case, both shem and onoma have virtually identical meanings.  For shem, the Hebrew lexicons translate this to: reputation, fame, glory, position, appellation, honor, authority, character — in other words, the essence of who a person is.

 

For onoma, we have this from two different lexicons, Thayer’s being the most prominent: referring to one’s reputation, being gratified by drawing pleasure from, gaining an advantage from knowing that person, “the name is used for everything which the name covers, everything the thought or feeling of which is aroused in the mind by mentioning, hearing, remembering, i.e., one’s rank, authority, interests, pleasure, command, excellences, deeds, etc.”

 

Pretty exhaustive, don’t you think?  Thus, the name of Jesus is a whole lot more than a simple reference to some unknown individual. 

 

Consider the way we use names today,   casually, obliquely, in passing, sometimes    irreverently.

 

Letr’s take a look at some of the commands that Jesus used with reference to the use of His name.

 

Matthew 28:19-20:  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

 

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.

 

Before we move on to the next example, consider just how Jesus expresses this.

 

”baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

 

A key word used here is the word, “IN” — in the name, in the onoma of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”

 

One way we can amplify this from the Greek is to express it like this: immersing them into the onoma….

 

That puts a bit of a different color to what Jesus was saying!  Each time we see this phrase, “in the name of Jesus, or in the name of the Father, etc.,” the Word is actually telling us that we must be immersed into the very character, the personality, the authority and power, the very essence of the Lord Jesus Christ (or Father, or Holy Spirit).

 

That changes things completely!  This is not simply a case of being dunked in a pool, a river, a lake (or whatever) and coming up wet from head to toe.  We are being immersed into the all that Jesus is so that we function as His Counterpart, His Other Self with all of His power and authority, His Love and all that He is being manifested in all that we do.

 

The call to Come Up Higher is a call to this place in Christ Jesus.  We MUST be His Body in the earth.  Once again, this is not mystical or theoretical.  This is real, it is practical and it produces tangible results on behalf of the Kingdom of God.  Consider how the apostle Paul describes ur positionally when we are IN Christ Jesus, IN His character, IN His personality and makeup.

 

Ephesians 2:4-7:  But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,  Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

 

And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

 

A little earlier in his letter to the Ephesians, Paul writes this:

 

Ephesians 1:16-23:  [ I ] Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;

 

That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,

 

And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,

 

Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.

 

You see it, don’t you?  “What is the hope of His calling?”  That’s us!  Then there’s “the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.”

 

Jesus’ position is ”Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”

 

It is almost mind-boggling when you put that in its proper perspective.  We are the Body of Christ!  He is our Head!  If He has been seated in Heavenly Places, then so have we!

 

Here’s the issue.  Human nature is to see all of this as mystical, theoretical — not a living, breathing, practical, experiential NOW way to live!

 

It’s NOT a theory!  We’ve been called, we’ve been designed from the very beginning, to live with Jesus Christ in this rulership dimension!  Our calling to “Come up Higher” is the call to set aside and shut down everything in our natural minds that wants to treat this as something perhaps “in the sweet bye and bye.”  It really demands that we change the way we think.  What was it that Paul wrote to the Philippians?

 

Philippians 2:5-6:  Cause this manner of thinking – to exercise and discipline your mind – in the same way that Jesus did, who, being part of the Godhead, did not consider it an inappropriate assumption, even illegal plunder, to be on par with Father God, being like Him in every respect,  (RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

That is a mouthful!  But, again, that is what Paul came to understand, and had revelation concerning.  It is an exercise, a discipline, of the mind to understand and come to the full realization that we were and are created in the image and likeness of God.  That being the case, we need to exercise and discipline our minds to understand that we have been created to function just like Him.

 

I hasten to say that we do not take His place, or supersede the Lord.  That’s what cost Satan his place in Heaven, his place of surrounding the Throne with praise and worship and go him thrown out of Heaven.  Whether folks realize it or not, when they decide to take matters into their own hands and ignore the instructions or mandate that we have from the Lord, it is no different than what Satan did!  We do live in an era of Grace and Mercy, and God is faithful to give us a second chance to repent of our self-will and the disobedience that generally comes with it.

 

Now, take a look at something else that Paul wrote, this time to the Ekklesia in Corinth.

 

II Corinthians 5:17:  So then, if any person is grafted into and immersed in the Anointed One (and His anointing), he is a new fabrication -- a newly formed being; the previous life [the lifestyle and the old characteristics thereof] has perished; you can see and perceive for yourself that every part of one's being is an unprecedented substance -- a new species.  (RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

I may be sounding like a broken record by now with my focus on the way we think, but this is perhaps the greatest blockade to our moving forward in Christ Jesus and responding to His call to “Come up Higher.”

 

II Timothy 1:7:  "For God has not endowed, or committed to our being and existence the spirit (the very breath and speaking forth) of fear, timidity and faithlessness; but of miraculous power, might and strength, and of agape love, and of a disciplined mind (under control and not subject to "flights of fancy")."  (RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

Let’s take this a different direction for a minute.  We’ve been talking about the exercise of our mind or our wills but John, in his gospel, makes clear that our ability to “Come up Higher” is predicated on the Will and the Word of God.

 

John 1:12-13:But as many as believed in and responded to Him, to them He gave the authority and ability to become – and be transformed into – begotten children of God,

 

Specifically to those who entrust their future existence and well-being by faith in His name, rank, position, character, personality and being; who were begotten, not of flesh and blood, nor because human flesh determined it by its own decision, nor because the mind and intellect of man seized upon it and willed it into existence, but by God as a sovereign act of His Will and determination.(RAC Translation & Amplification)

 

The apostle Paul, therefore, writes the following in his letter to the Ekklesia in Rome.

 

Romans 8:5-9a:  For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.

 

For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.

So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God. ⁹But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.

 

Once again, why do we have this focus on the mind, and the way we think?  It is simply because our minds tend to be so malleable.  We allow ourselves to drift in our thinking and thought processes instead of keeping our minds fixed on the Lord Jesus Christ, the love relationship He has paid such a high prices to establish with us, and His call to us to become so much like Him that we become His Counterpart and Other Self.

 

That, in essence, is what the call to “Come up Higher” is all about!  This call is about the design and purpose Jesus has established for us to be transformed into His onoma, the very essence of Who He is!  With that transformation comes the ability to rule with Him.  With that transformation comes the ability to function exactly as He functioned while He was here on the earth, but it is even more than that.  Let’s not forget that Jesus made the following promise and covenant with us.

 

John 14:12-14:  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

 

And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.

 

Greater works than Jesus did?  Really?  Greater works!  The natural mind just goes tilt when we try to imagine what that means.  But THAT is precisely why we have this command from the apostle Paul.

 

Romans 12:2-3:  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

 

For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.

 

Lets see how this comes out when we amplify the Greek text.

 

Don’t allow your thinking, your state of mind, to be shaped by and to come into alignment with the thoughts and ways that this world thinks and operates:

 

Instead allow a metamorphosis — a systematic reshaping of your minds and mode of thinking —to so transform you that you can test and prove to your spirit’s agreement whatever is good, excellent, joyful and beneficial; as well as being able to discern that which is well-pleasing to God within the confines of your covenant agreement with Him; and, finally, that which is well-seasoned, mature and complete when considered next to the will and heart’s desire of the Lord.  (Romans 12:2, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

The Lord Jesus Christ has empowered me through His Grace to say to everyone of you, DO NOT become arrogant and self-important in your own thinking (because of this transformation), or to consider yourself of greater importance than your brothers and sisters in the Lord.

 

Rather put a moderate emphasis and estimate upon yourself, curbing your own passions and exercising self-control according to the required standard and measure of faith given you by God.  (Romans 12:3, RAC Translation and Amplification)

 

You see what Paul is sharing here, don’t you?  He is admonishing us to allow for a Spirit-driven shift to consume the way, the mode of our thinking so that a real transformation takes place in our entire makeup.  That starts with a major shift in the way we think, what we dwell on, the intensity with which we pursue our love-relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Let’s not forget that everything that happens to us, with us, for us, in us and around us is founded in the agape love of the Lord.  His passion for us knows no bounds!  We are all aware of the fact that it was His love for us that brought Him to earth to live as a normal human.  It was that same love that sent Him to die on the cross to reverse the curse that separated us from Him and from Father.

 

Holy Spirit was sent by them so that we could be taught everything necessary to grow up in the onoma of Jesus, to become His mirror image, His likeness and makeup.  It was Holy Spirit’s task to lead us systematically from one spiritual dimension to another throughout a process of time.  That process, and the length of time in each stage was — and is — dependent upon our responsiveness and our obedience to everything He instructs.

 

The more easily we respond to the still small voice of Holy Spirit, the greater the degree of our pursuit of Him and His desires, the quicker we grow and develop into His character and makeup.

 

Something I’ve discovered throughout the years is that the Lord often seeks out children.  He looks for the younger generation simply because they have not been conditioned and pre-programmed by society to think the way the world thinks.  Jesus made this clear when He said to the disciples:

 

Matthew 18:3-6:  And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them,

 

And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

 

Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

 

And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.

 

But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

 

That makes is about as clear as anything Jesus ever said!  Children are not programmed wityh society’s fear, doubt, unbelief, and the falsehoods that accompany them.  Children see things in a clear, uncolored way.  As a consequence, they have no problem receiving the truths of the Gospel.  When you explain Jesus and Salvation to them, they have no problem accepting.

 

I need to tell you a rather humorous story from my early years.

 

We were living in Nome, Alaska at the time.  It was winter and we had experienced a monumental snow storm that created drifts around our church building and residence that were easily 20 feet deep, and in some places, the snow reached the top of the building.

 

I was perhaps five or six years old at the time.  My brother and I decided to dig some rooms into the snow bank.  This one in particular featured a nice doorway, a window where we could put a candle for some light, and we even built, or rather carved, a bench out of the very packed snow.  What we had was our own little church.  We invited our friends (who were mostly our age) to come to our “church.”

 

My brother led the singing (he was 19 months younger than me) and I did the preaching.  I preached about Jesus, and I shared the message of Salvation. 

 

( I remind you that this was during the roughly three-and-a-half years that I was having regular visitations from angels.  When these experiences began, my mother realized that the Lord was doing something really out of the ordinary with me, and she took time to teach me how to read by reading the Bible.  By this time, I had probably been through the Bible as much as a half-dozen times.  I knew the message of Salvation like the back of my hand.)

 

When I finished my message, there was nothing to do but give an altar call.  Each of our young friends knelt down at the snow altar and accepted Jesus Christ.  When we finished, I informed them that they needed to be baptized in water.  Obviously, that wasn’t happening with all that snow on the ground so I told them that when Spring came and we had some ponds that were deep enough, we could baptize them.

 

It was probably April or May that the Spring runoff was in full evidence.  When our friends came by the house one day, I suggested that this was a good time to baptize them.  We found a mud puddle that was deep enough to immerse them and baptized them.  Obviously they had to run home and get into some dry clothing.

 

The simple and uncomplicated way that these children accepted Jesus Christ, and then followed it up in baptism is a perfect example of what Jesus was describing.  THAT is exactly how we need to be ready to respond to the call to “Come up Higher!”  That simplicity is what the Lord is looking for as a response in us!   Got the message?

 

In case you are missing out on real fellowship in an environment of Ekklesia, our Sunday worship gatherings are available by conference call – usually at about 10:30AM Pacific.  That conference number is (712) 770-4160, and the access code is 308640#.  We are now making these gatherings available on video usingZOOM.  If you wish to participate by video on ZOOM, our login ID is 835-926-513.  If you miss the live voice-onlycall, you can dial (712) 770-4169, enter the same access code and listen in later.  The video call, of course, is not recorded – not yet, anyway.

 

Blessings on you!

 

 

Regner

 

     

Regner A. Capener
CAPENER MINISTRIES

RIVER WORSHIP CENTER
Temple, Texas 76502

Email Contact: CapenerMinistries@protonmail.com

 

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