Chapter 8: THE CHALLENGE

After we all drank from the stream, we sat in a large semicircle to pray, and for a short teaching, in order to review all that we learned that day. There was much to process, but after the exhilaration of the day, we were emotionally exhausted. Even so, the living water quickened us so that the prayers were passionate, as was the discussion after the short teaching.

I finished with a review of our three main purposes for each day:

* Knowing the voice of the Lord * Obeying Him * Dwelling in His presence The next morning we drank, and again sat to pray together and review our purpose for the day. We reviewed our three main purposes and challenged the group how we might make the most of that day, even if we had no lion attack, no visit from Elijah, or no other drama. The Lord's presence was very real. It was hard not to just want to sit there all day, but we began walking down the path.

We had not gone far when I found myself in a small group composed of both Marys, William, Mark, and a couple of others. William began the discussion:

"The knowledge of His ways is more valuable than any earthly treasure. We all agree on that. If that had not been clear before, yesterday fully established that. We have only been on this journey a few days, but a pattern is developing. We discuss a principle or truth and then experience it's application. Can we expect this every day now?"

"If we abide in the Lord, this is one of the ways He teaches us," I answered.

"He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. For a truth to become life, it must be applied to our life. The Word says that the ways of the righteous are ordered by the Lord. He orders our steps to help turn what He is teaching us into life.

"We are promised in His Word that all who seek, find, and all who ask, receive. A more accurate translation would be that all who keep seeking find, and all who keep asking receive. The quest for these treasures of the knowledge of His ways, is one of the greatest adventures you can know in this life. Why, degree because He adds to it, the experience of the truth."

"If He wants all to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, and for all of us to know Him, why does He make it so hard?" the younger Mary asked.

"Only those who care enough, to continue the pursuit of these treasures will find them. I said, Those who care that much for them, will likely be careful enough to handle them rightly. It is like any earthly fortune. Those who do not have the experience of building a fortune, will not have the wisdom to keep it.

Those who do not have the experience of searching out His treasures of wisdom and knowledge, will not care enough to keep them or live them. Even so, the greatest treasure of all will be the fellowship we have with Him when He becomes our Teacher."

"When you were spending those years of research and study, you spoke of, did you only read or listen to messages, that you felt He had put in your hand?" the older Mary asked.

"No. I read and studied many things. I put the highest priority on any book or material I felt that He had specifically put in my hands, but only a small percentage of what I studied would I put in that category. They would often get me going on a trail, but I followed the trail with my own pursuit and research," I answered.

"Again, He's called 'the Helper' who was sent to be our Guide, not 'the Doer.' Once I got on a trail, I would feel His guidance if I started to drift from it, and He would correct me and help me get back on the right track.

I also learned that as Jesus said of Himself, He is gentle and humble of heart. He is gentle in the way He guides us. For this reason, we must stay sensitive to recognize His guidance and even His correction. He may use dramatic ways to get our attention, as we learned yesterday with the lion, but that tends to be the exception, not the rule.

"I was taught when I was a new believer, that He gave us the desires of our hearts. The things we desired in our innermost being were the things He was calling us to do. When I did not have a specific leading to study something, or a book or message that I felt He had given to me, I followed my heart in my studies. It seemed to always pay off."

"Were there others like this that you had fellowship with?" one of those I did not know well asked.

"What is your name?" I inquired of the elderly lady.

"My name is Judy."

"Judy, that is a good question. There were a few that I had fellowship with around these things. They were rare but they were rich in substance.

I thought some of our conversations were as revelatory as many books I had read. Sometimes I would ask the Lord a number of questions before meeting with these friends, and in our meeting, my questions would get answered, sometimes even in sequence. They may not even know the Lord was using them this way, but that made it even better. As close as we were drawn to one another, we were being drawn even closer to the Lord. I knew that He was my Teacher.

"However, just to meet someone with the same zeal for understanding was like finding an even greater treasure. The fellowship we had around these things was my first real taste of koinonia."

"Can you tell us a little more about yourself?" Judy asked.

"I think you deserve to know more about me since you have me here for at least a while," I began.

"I had been an agnostic before coming to know that God was real. From the time I learned to read, I had a hunger to read everything I could get my hands on. I developed a love for knowledge.

I wanted to know about everything, and had many interests, but I began to think that the greatest discovery anyone could ever make would be to know God. At the time, like most people, I was confused by religion, but I thought that if I could ever learn who the real God was I would spend the rest of my life getting to know Him. What could possibly be more important than that?

"Then I had a supernatural conversion experience that left me with no doubt that God is real and that Jesus is the Son of God and everything He said He was in the Scriptures. This was the greatest day of my life. I knew I had found the greatest treasure of knowledge anyone could ever find. I have been in constant awe and fascination with Him ever since. I cannot imagine life being more wonderful than getting to know Him and serving Him.

"It is written that 'God is Love,' and I learned that you could not learn anything about Him without loving Him more. That compels you to learn more about Him so that you get caught up in an ever tightening and ascending life spiral that gets stronger and stronger. I call this 'the great addiction' that every other addiction is a counterfeit of. There is nothing that will ever satisfy the human soul like knowing God. Once you start to know Him, you just cannot get to know Him enough."

"To this I will attest," said Elijah, who had joined our company without even being noticed.

"I have seen the glories of earth and Heaven.

The glories of Heaven overshadow the greatest glories of earth, more than can be conveyed, but the glory of God overshadows the glory of Heaven even more so.

"I have sat in the great councils of Heaven. The greatest of all marvels is how the Lord shares His glory with men, and how He intends to dwell on the earth among men. His love for man is more than anyone has yet comprehended. To know this is the greatest knowledge of all; this is the greatest treasure of all. The highest pursuit of all is to know Him."

We were all still pondering what Elijah had said. There was a long silence, but it was not awkward-it was holy. The presence of the Lord was so great that we just wanted to enjoy Him. After a long time, Mark spoke:

"The Lord built His first dwelling place among men, in the wilderness with the children of Israel. But it is here that He is building His dwelling place among us."

"Why did Elijah just come upon us so strongly like that, here and now?" someone asked.

"Because we were talking about His love," the older Mary answered.

"The real revelation was not in the words, but in what we felt-His love for us. He is with us. He loves us."

"He is with us all the time, we know, but it is so different when He comes upon us like this," someone else chimed in.

"This is His manifest presence," someone added.

"He is with us all the time, but He does not always manifest Himself like this. Being with Him in His presence is like nothing else. This is what we were made for-to dwell with Him, to know His special fellowship."

We had to stop. It just was not possible to keep walking. The rest of the group gathered around, and we prayed and worshipped for a long time. No one wanted to leave. Many tears flowed. Then there was laughter. No jokes, just joy. We all seemed to know at the same time that we needed to start walking again. We all just got up and started.

"Do you feel rejuvenated?" William asked.

"That was even better than the living water. I don't know if I have ever felt this good."

"'He is a quickening Spirit who will quicken our mortal bodies'," someone quoted.

"That was what King David called 'the sweet fellowship' they experienced in the house of the Lord," another chimed in.

"There is nothing else like it. That is why David had to have the Ark with him in Jerusalem."

As we were basking in what we had just experienced, I looked around at the group and could not help but think of how much more wonderful it was to go through the wilderness with them. For this, I could be content to stay in the wilderness. The presence of the Lord is more wonderful than anything. I had not experienced anything like this when I went through this same place alone. I loved them all. I looked at the ones I had not even met yet, and I loved them and could not wait to get to know them.

"You are known to be a historian, especially with church history. What led you to study these?" someone asked me.

"Did you read much about experiences like this with others?"

"I'll answer the last question first," I began.

"Yes, some did write about their experiences with the manifest presence of the Lord. Those who experienced it described it differently in some ways, but there was a common thread. The result was always the same: an insatiable desire to be close to the Lord and koinonia fellowship with all who experienced it together, just as we are experiencing now.

"You could tell a difference in the writings of those who had experienced this. Their message was far more than just doctrine and principles. There was a life on it that made you not want to put the book down. I feel for all who sit for years under teaching and preaching, but never experience the Lord Himself. That is too common in our times, but I think it has been common since the first century. Ecclesia, the structure and government of the church, is a terrible thing without the koinonia-the fellowship with the Lord and His people we are called to have.

"As to your first question about what led me to study history, especially church history, I was given instructions to do so. I was told that is where some of the greatest treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found. It is true.

"The Bible is basically a history book. It's mostly about God's dealings with men and how He has accomplished His purposes through them in the past. History comes from the words His and story. My purpose for studying history was to see His works in it, and by this, to know His ways better. However, the first two years of studying church history were probably the driest times I've ever spent reading. I did not realize that I was building a foundation of general knowledge that was necessary for the great revelations that were to come. Without that foundation some of the greatest treasures I found would not have even made sense to me, and I would have likely discarded them. You must go through a wilderness to get to the Promised Land, and that wilderness is usually the exact opposite of what you've been promised. My wilderness lasted about two years in regard to my study of history, but since then it has been a most wonderful promised land."

"What was the single most important thing you learned from church history?" Mary asked.

"Without question it would be God's relentless pursuit of man and His unimaginable patience and love for man, even though He is constantly rejected or ignored by man. It's the most painful love story ever written, and it is not over. He is in relentless pursuit of a bride, but, to date she seems to have little or no time for Him. So far, it is the greatest of all tragedies, but we know it will have the most wonderful of all endings. He will have the bride that He is so worthy of."

"You said this as if you felt His pain. I could feel it too when you were sharing it," Mary said.

"There is a lot of suffering on earth, and it is right to have compassion for it," I continued.

"But I think it is even more important to know the suffering of the Lord. His suffering did not end on the cross. He still intercedes for us because He still feels for our suffering, and it hurts Him. However, I don't think this will end until we see and are touched by His suffering and devote ourselves to seeing the bride that He is so worthy of make herself ready for Him, and they are united. Then, the end of all suffering can come, and the new age in which His kingdom comes will begin.

"Spiritual maturity begins when we stop being self-focused and begin to focus on serving the Lord and helping others. Advancement in the kingdom comes by becoming greater servants of others. We were created for His pleasure, and nothing will ever satisfy our own souls like fulfilling this purpose. To spend a lifetime just to bring Him joy for a single moment would be a life well lived, but we can bring Him joy every day. What do we have to do that is more important than that?"

We walked on in silence for a time. I looked around at the rest of the group. All but a few were now in small groups. Most were talking as they walked, some laughing, others seemingly in deep discussions. There were a few individuals walking alone, but they seemed to want this, caught up in their own thoughts or praying. It was a special time, no trauma or drama yet. It seemed to be just what we needed after the intensity of the day before. The presence of the Lord was so strong that I felt like we were children out on a walk with our Father. It was a revelation that such a desolate place could be so wonderful.

Soon I could tell that Mary had more questions she wanted to ask, so I encouraged her to:

"What is on your mind?" I began.

"What you shared about your lessons from history was profound. I never want to forget it. Can you share anything else? I don't think we will have as much time to study as you did, and I want to learn all I can while we have the chance," she began.

"You're a practical person, so I will share with you what I think is the most practical lesson I learned from studying history: The saying is true that 'those who do not know history are doomed to repeat it.' The repetitious cycles of history are tragic. Mankind has made impressive progress in many ways, but in some of the most basic, the most important issues of all, we do not seem to have learned much. We keep repeating the same mistakes.

"The church has been just as guilty of this as the rest of the world. Every spiritual generation tends to make the same mistakes as the previous generations. Of course, any historian or student of history will see this, and some have offered solutions, but to date, we have not escaped from this terrible downward spiral. This is the cause of the worst human tragedies, and why they are repeated over and over."

"That is the most important lesson?" William inquired.

"It's become such a cheap cliché that everyone repeats."

"You're right. Everyone says it, and I think most really believe it, but they keep doing it," I answered.

"Why do you think this is?" someone else asked.

"It's a combination of things, but I think the most prevailing reason is pride. The core of this pride causes every generation to think that they are better than the last one. We tend to think we are smarter, wiser, and definitely not like our parents, and this keeps us in the trap. As we grow older, we become just like our parents, or out of a reaction to our parents and trying to be different from them, we become even more shallow shells of who we could be. Reactions to the problems of our parents, or anyone else, will not get us free of this trap. Only repentance, and the humility that would enable us to be teachable, will get us free.

"The Lord gave us the answer to this dilemma when He gave the law to Moses and commanded us to honor our fathers and mothers. He did not say honor the great ones, or even just the good ones, but whatever parents we got. I think if our mindset was to honor those who have gone before us instead of disregarding them, we could even learn so much from the bad ones that our progress could be multiplied.

"Alex Haley once said that when an old person dies it's like a library burning down. That our elders are not listened to, that we do not try to learn all that we can from those who have been this way before, is one of our greatest mistakes, and the reason why we repeat the great mistakes of history over and over.

"The great teachings and great truths can become common, but it is rare to find anyone who has been changed by the truth. Multitudes can quote the great teachings of the faith, but it is rare to find those who are living them. I think humility must be mixed with the truth in order for it to change us.

"God commanded Israel to repeat their history every year. This was not to get them to live in the past, yet we cannot deal with the present or the future as we should if we forget the lessons of the past. Not respecting the past enough to study it is probably the main cause that so many empires have risen, through all that it takes to build such a thing, only to quickly disintegrate for the lack of a simple, basic, understanding.

"The command to honor our fathers and mothers is the only commandment with a promise. It is found in both the Old and New Testaments. The promise is that it will go well with us, and we will live long in the land that the Lord has given us. The short-lived empires, businesses, or families are often so unnecessary. To honor our fathers and mothers requires much more than just knowing their stories, it is continuing with a respect for their teachings."

"How can we get that honor?" someone asked.

"It is much easier to teach on the grace of God than to walk in it. It is all grace, but only those who pursue Him find His grace. We must care enough about this command of the Lord to pursue what it means to honor our fathers and mothers. I don't think there is a certain formula for it. We have to care enough to seek to understand it and then to do it.

"It can begin with caring enough to know their story and to hear what they have to say. We have much teaching on faith, but the Word says that it takes faith and patience to inherit the promises. I think the patience part often gets left out. It takes great patience to study history or to listen to our elders, but those who do are rewarded.

"One of the great revelations of God in history is His seemingly infinite love for, and patience with, man. We are ever learning but not coming to the knowledge of the truth. Even so, He sends His witnesses to every generation and tries to help us. Every generation resists those who are sent to them, and then they stumble over the same stumbling blocks as the previous generations, but He keeps reaching out to man. Even the few who honor His witnesses seldom really do what they say. Yet the Lord has never given up on us. He remains faithful even when we are so unfaithful."

"Do you see any hope for our generation?" the younger Mary asked.

"Yes. I see great hope. Your generation could be the one that breaks the cycle, fulfills its purpose, and truly prepares the way for the coming of the kingdom," I responded.

"Before I give the main reason for this hope, please bear with me to share a couple of other principles I've learned. What may at first discourage us can lead to an even greater, more substantial hope. The true hope that will never disappoint us often has to begin with losing our hope in men, but that is when we can put our hope in the only One who is worthy of our trustthe Lord. Our hope cannot be in people, even God's people, but in Him.

"What has kept me going and believing in the ultimate glorious victory of the church is that my trust is in God to bring this to pass, not people. To be disillusioned means to lose your illusions. That is a good thing, but then we must replace the illusions with faith. True faith is always centered on God, not men.

"True faith cannot be based on anything but truth. Part of the truth is to see our true condition, but even more importantly, to see God's heart and purposes for us. Israel went through repetitious cycles of: trusting Him and seeing His victory; forgetting Him and falling into apostasy; falling into bondage; crying out to Him for deliverance, and He would deliver them, over and over. The church has done the same thing throughout history.

"Through all of this, God has never lost His patience or His hope in us, because He is not really trusting in us as much as He is in His Holy Spirit to bring this to pass. There will be a generation that breaks this downward cycle we have been trapped in, and your generation is showing signs that it could be the one.

"We can be sure that the one that does break out of this terrible trap will be a generation that learns to honor their fathers and mothers. They will learn the lessons without having to repeat past mistakes, because they will resist the delusion that they are so much smarter or better than previous generations. That generation will break through and possess the Promised Land.

"One of the things that gives me hope in your generation is the profound arrogance that is now gripping it, and the way that pride and rebellion is being glorified," I said.

"How would that give you hope? Isn't that the opposite of what we need to be embracing?" Mary almost blurted out.

"Yes, it is, and that is the point. A main factor about the times is that the end of the age is the harvest. A main factor about the harvest is that all of the seeds that have been sown are coming to maturity, both the good ones and the evil ones. The pride and arrogance of man seems to be coming to full maturity in your generation, but we can also know by this that the good seeds will mature too.

"When the Lord spoke about the end of the age, He said that He would send His angels to gather out of His kingdom all of the stumbling blocks. The tares will be reaped first, and that will leave the wheat.

"True sojourners do not follow the masses, but always move in the opposite spirit of this world. The pride and arrogance of man has reached the levels that were prophesied for the end of this age. It cannot get much worse, so those who overcome this darkness will be some of the strongest ever. Those who overcome pride will be some of the most humble and, therefore, the most teachable and wise of all time.

"'Where sin abounds grace does that much more abound. ' God gives His grace to the humble, and God's grace is the most valuable of all treasures. There is nothing that can stop God's grace, and there is nothing that cannot be accomplished with God's grace. We are getting close to the time when the humble will inherit the earth. They will do this because they walk in God's grace. Therefore, the greatest in the kingdom are the most humble. Your generation will produce some of the greatest in the kingdom because they will be some of the most humble."