GLORY MANIFESTED
© Morris E. Ruddick
“The glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.”
John 17:22-23
This segment of Jesus’ high priestly prayer taps a very key aspect of walking out a call of God: abiding in Him.
While some conclude from these verses to make unity the goal, unity is not the goal, but rather the fruit. Unity will be the fruit of abiding. It likewise is not a conformity type of unity, but rather being so in-sync with the Lord and His heart, that those truly abiding in Him will simply be on the same page within the individuality of their spheres and callings.
“In that day you will know that I am in My Father and you in me and I in you.” John 14:19
As a young disciple, one of my two primary mentors shared about a time when he was a part of a camp meeting retreat. As those attending the gathering sought the Lord, he recounted how there came a tangible consciousness of God’s presence. As they continued seeking Him, he described something as like a smoke that descended on them which brought an even greater awareness of God’s presence.
For three days, this holy presence was so strong that the only thing anyone wanted was to bask in His presence. What had been scheduled, comparatively, no longer had any significance.
“The temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God and from His power, and no one was able to enter.” Rev 15:8
What took place was a manifestation of God’s glory, triggered by hungry hearts, in unison, from steadfastly seeking Him. The need is to bring this consciousness of His presence into our everyday lives.
The influence of this mentor’s passion resonated deeply with us, as my wife and I had come to faith as a result of a very real and insatiable spiritual hunger that pervaded our workplaces and neighborhoods. It was during the early days of the Charismatic revival.
Everyone was talking about Jesus and the Holy Spirit. People would spontaneously gather together just to pray and seek God. Those affected were acutely aware of what they were hearing from God. The miraculous became commonplace. Many experienced dramatic and life-changing answers to prayer. It was a time of abandoning yourself to God. Nothing carried any greater priority.
“The house of the LORD was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the house of God.” 2 Chron 5:13-14
These times describe when the glory manifests and is imparted, as in John 17 Jesus imparted the glory He had received to His disciples. Such times trigger God-directed change and the restoration of truths and mysteries that have been squeezed out by the cares of life and the religious precepts of men.
Abiding in Him overcomes the seductions of worldly cares and the precepts of men. Abiding in Him and being stewards of His glory carries a cost with parameters that open the path into the supernatural, into the realm of angels and His presence.
The Parameters
Jesus warned that wielding this power would not only impact the spiritual climate, but would bring tribulation. David understood this.
“Many are they who say of me, “There is no help for him in God.” But You, O Lord, are a shield for me, my glory and the One who lifts up my head.” Psalm 3:3
Becoming the source of changing the spiritual climate requires more than zeal to weather the opposition and backlash, which can, in the natural, seem impossible. Yet, that is just the point. With God, in Him all things are possible. The pathway in which His glory manifests was described by Jesus as narrow and difficult.
This pathway is the foundation for the mandate for change and restoration for this hour. It requires consistent spiritual maintenance, the continual renewal of our mind-sets, operating beyond ourselves, producing fruit that abides and tapping the generational bridges.
Spiritual Maintenance. Abiding is a lifetime process. Spiritual maintenance of personal prayer and a consistent washing of God’s word must be an ongoing priority. It requires discipline and it requires sacrifice.
Personal maintenance will be found to be progressive, with its intensity directly linked to one’s spiritual maturity. One’s spiritual maturity will be demonstrated by the fruit. The fruit will be evidenced by the level of change being wielded by the mantle.
Regular, personal, quality time with the Lord is not an option. Jesus spent entire nights alone in prayer. Many stress the importance of a well-organized prayer-shield. I don’t disagree. However, the Lord once let me know that regardless of the number of prayers I mobilize through others, that my exploits would never exceed the level represented by my own prayers. A prayer-shield serves to augment this baseline.
Renewed Mind-Sets. Consistent time with the Lord influences our thinking. We need our thinking and attitudes constantly renewed and aligned according to God’s heart and priorities. Our thinking determines how we believe and how we act in faith.
Mind-sets go deep. While they include our attitudes, which are the determinants of our behavior, they go beyond our attitudes. They also include the often very subtle cultural predispositions that the Bible refers to as iniquities. The input from the world pollutes our thinking and cultural tendencies,
True people of faith do not conform to the world’s way of thinking or doing. One of the biggest challenges God’s people have faced over the centuries has been the lure to be like everyone else, to be accepted. One of the first premises of leadership is that real leadership can never be achieved through acceptance or being liked. Leadership has its foundations in honor, trust and respect.
Our identities in God are distinctive. We are called to be leaders, each within our own spheres. The word of God tells us that we have been chosen to demonstrate God’s reality. That’s the first order of things. It requires mind-sets aligned with God’s. That forms the basis of one’s calling in God.
Beyond Ourselves. In the final analysis, it is not about us. That’s why we need our mind-sets continually being renewed. Piercing the veil beyond self is the place Jesus sought for His disciples. For Peter, it took a final word from the Lord after Jesus’ resurrection for Peter to begin walking in that place that the Lord saw in Peter when He first met him and discerned His destiny.
Years ago, during a time alone seeking the Lord, the Lord told me: “Morris, you’re too introspective.” What the Lord was telling me had nothing to do with getting our attitudes in line with His truth and priorities. Instead it gave focus to a Western mantra of self-improvement that goes beyond this level of alignment. Being too introspective can become a fine-line distraction and illusion that distorts the balance of our callings. Walking out a call of God requires humility.
Humility is the recognition that we can’t, but He can. Humility is a constant dependence on Him. Humility is the realization that a significant part of the “cleanup” is God’s prevue and our response needs to faithfully hold fast to Him, seeking Him and being “doers of the word.” It’s learning to walk with God with a purity of heart that is beyond ourselves.
Business people tend to be doers. For those with callings like Joseph and Daniel and Peter, it means piercing the veil and flowing in a place beyond our human capabilities. It’s not what we can do for God, but rather what we allow the Lord to do through us. That’s the essence of the greater sacrificial love that Jesus modeled.
Fruit that Abides. Jesus made it very clear that we would be known, not by our activity, but by the fruits from our activity.
Bearing fruit is a strong part of Jesus’ message. It is the result of flowing in the Spirit according to our gifts. Bearing fruit that remains transfers the anointing and calling to those being ministered to.
The glory will come when we are abiding and consistently finding our life-source in Him. Bearing fruit that abides will come from our lives operating in that place beyond ourselves, in Him.
“If you abide in Me and my words abide in you, you will ask what you will and it will be done for you.” John 15:7
The Generational Bridge. Among the mysteries being restored in this day is the generational bridge. The generational bridge is more than mentoring and passing the baton to the next generation, although that is certainly an important part. The generational bridge involves mantles, the callings that transcend that of an individual and are sparked and fulfilled through generational bridges.
Joseph the Patriarch was the fourth generation from His great-grandfather Abraham. From the promises and mantle given to His great-grandfather, Joseph not only brought an incredible fullness to this mantle, but he set the stage for what would be the next generational bridge, the alignment of which would be actuated by Moses.
We have reached a time in which there has come a convergence that is beyond the current generation. We catch a glimmer of this convergence from the description in Hebrews of the great cloud of witnesses.
It is a time when not only do generations pave the way for one another, but there is an added dimension where anointed members of connecting generations are working together and bringing a dimension seldom seen operating in days past. In short, it is a time when the anointings of Abrahams, Isaacs and Jacobs begin operating together and sparking new dimensions. As we abide in Him and apply the parameters of this pathway, these connected anointings will serve as three-fold cords that trigger supernatural change and restoration.
The Mandate for Change and Restoration
Jesus came to raise the standard. He raised the bar. He reset the spiritual default to conform to God’s heart and priorities. Resetting priorities in this way releases the mantle of fire of God’s glory to bring change and restoration.
“He who speaks from himself seeks his own glory; but He who seeks the glory of the One who sent Him is true, and no unrighteousness is in Him.” John 7:18
With the glory Jesus imparted to His followers came the authority to reestablish God’s order in the midst of a world masked and ruled by disorder.
“I came to bring fire to the earth and how I wish it were already kindled, but I have a baptism to be baptized with and how distressed I am until it is accomplished.” Luke 12:49-50
The fire that Jesus had kindled manifested significantly following the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. Scripture describes it as a time when great fear (of God) came upon all the church and to as many who were exposed to and were hearing about the supernatural manifestations happening. It was a time marked by the consciousness of His presence in everyday life.
Simultaneously, it was a time of great spiritual backlash. Stephen and John’s brother James were martyred. Peter was imprisoned, yet was supernaturally delivered as the saints faithfully prayed. Angelic manifestations and miracles were common.
“Now the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shown in the prison and the chains fell off his hands. Then the angel said to him, follow me. So he followed him, but did not know that what the angel was doing was real. When they were past the first and second guard posts they came to the iron gate, that leads to the city, which opened of its own accord and immediately the angel departed from him.” Acts 12: 7-10
Change and amazing things will result when God’s glory manifests. It incorporates the power that defeated death and the grave. It brings change that aligns and restores God’s ancient truths and covenants with Abraham, Moses and David.
“Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads and look. Then ask for the ancient paths where the good way lies. Then walk in it and you will find rest for your souls.” Jer 6:16
Getting the abiding factor and priorities right sets the stage for the glory to manifest. It is the foundation for the authority needed to bring change and restoration.
“The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” John 14:10
It is the fine line of our walk with Him for this hour.
“So, open the gates, so that all who are righteous may enter, those who have remained faithful. The steadfast of mind You will keep in perfect peace, because he trusts in You. For in You we have an everlasting Rock. The way of the righteous is level and smooth. O Upright One, make the path of the righteous straight. While following the way of your judgments, we have eagerly waited for You. At night my soul longs for You. Indeed my spirit seeks you diligently. For when the earth experiences Your judgments, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness.” Isa 26:2-3, 7-10
