Only
in His Likeness by Bill Britton
There are many who have absolutely
no revelation on the sons of God, who are eager to tell you what "sonship is all
about." Preachers who do not believe in "that Manifested Sons of God thing," are
going about in pulpit and print explaining what It is. Their information does
not come by revelation, or by the Word, but by hearsay. They can tell you the
weird things they have heard about it, and what "so and so" is preaching. So now,
would you permit one who does believe in the plain teaching of Scripture on the
manifestation of the sons of God (Romans 8:19), tell you what it is not? And after
we have examined some of the strange reports that men are putting out about sonship,
and have considered the negative aspects of what is not involved in this truth,
then perhaps the Holy Spirit will take us by divine revelation into the Word of
God to see what this "manifestation of sons" is really all about.
SONSHIP
IS NOT AN EGO TRIP
One of the most common objections to the message of
the sons of God, the many membered Body of Christ is that these "sons" consider
themselves to be an elite company of "super-sons," highly exalted and far beyond
any counsel or correction from other ministers or Christians. This opinion by
some has come about because of a misguided few who heard the message but did not
have the spirit of the Son, and fell into the snare of the devil with a self-
exalted delusion. They go about the country, claiming to be "manifested sons",
with all knowledge and revelation, and immune to sin, sickness, and death. They
believe that "profession is possession!', and they bring reproach upon the truth
of God, and upon Christ, with their exalted claims.
So you can understand
why people would shy away from the message altogether, when they have been exposed
to false messengers like this. This reaction, however, to unwise and unfair. If
you have the true leading of the Spirit, you will not label a message as false,
and everyone who preaches it as false prophets, just because you happen to know
of an obvious "crack-pot" who uses the same terminology.
We know that
the Baptism of the Holy Ghost to real, and the message true. We know that speaking
in tongues is a Bible truth. But if we were to judge all Pentecostals by the few
who handle snakes, kill or beat little children to "drive demons out of them,"
or engage in other forms of wild fanaticism, we would certainly miss the blessing
of God's glorious anointing upon His people in these days. If we were to put all
"born again" Christians in the same category as a hypocritical few, we would end
up having confidence in no one. "A false balance is an abomination to the Lord
(Proverbs 11:1) but a just weight is His delight." Let us be fair in examining
any people or teachings, to see if they measure up to God's plumbline.
The truth about the so called "ego trip" of the sons of God is that the real message
of sonship will humble your heart and strip you of pride as nothing else can.
For you will see the glory of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, and the utter nothingness
of your self. When you see the revelation of what God Is going to do for His people,
cleansing them completely, empowering them with dominion over all things, and
setting them upon His very own throne, and know that this is done by His grace
alone, then all your boasting will cease. Jesus Christ stripped Himself when He
came to earth, and He does not hesitate to strip His sons of all reason to be
proud and exalted, even If He has to use a messenger of Satan to do it as in the
case of Apostle Paul. When you see someone with a proud spirit, boasting of what
they are In God's kingdom, then you know they have not had a revelation of true
sonship. Their works may be great, and their miracles many, but if they are caught
up In their own importance, they do not really know the message of the sons of
God, even if they preach it from all the right texts.
NOT A FELLOWSHIP
OF "SUPER SONS"
I am fully aware that there are small groups in different
parts of the country who claim to be the "chosen elect of God," supposing that
they have a special revelation of God, and that God will work through them alone
to spearhead deliverance to all creation. Some of these groups claim to be manifested
sons of God, and when sincere Christians come in contact with this, it turns them
off to any truth concerning real sonship. Let me tell you that these sectarian
fellowships of elite super-sons have absolutely no understanding of the greatness
of God's purposes In His Church for this end-time. Yes, I know there are many
small groups of anointed sons scattered everywhere, and that God will use them
all, each in his own calling, in the Year of Jubilee. But true sons, who have
been enlightened by the Holy Spirit, will know that they are not alone in this
Kingdom of God, but that God has many other chosen vessels in other callings and
realms of life and revelation. True sons of God do not sit around In their little
exclusive cliques, laying hands on each other and prophesying about how great
they are. Nor do they withdraw into their own contest of preaching and teaching
wild and unheard of revelation, to the exclusion of solid foundational teaching.
IT IS NOT A REVELATION KICK
Oh yes, I have been to "sonship" conventions
where if you couldn't come up with a stranger and wilder revelation then the last
preacher, you couldn't keep the people awake. There was such an urge to compete
in the pulpit, to bring forth "new things", that we began to hear things like
the "Never Die" message, "Reincarnation," the "I Am God" theory, food fads, and
many others. When given the opportunity, I have gotten up and spoken out publicly
against these wild speculations and tangents. For this to not what true sonship
to all about, and these doctrines did not come out of the end time Revival. They
were never a part of the true message, but rather an effort of Satan to muddy
the waters and drive people away from the truth.
I realize that the
true kingdom message will give birth to new truth and revelation that we never
heard In the fundamentalist and pentecostal movements. I have been shaken to the
core with the glory of His anointed Word, as the Spirit unveiled truth I had never
seen before. But true sons will have a balance, and will always be ready to bring
forth good sound fundamentals to those who need them. For true sons "time shall
be no more." Whether they are speaking a word on salvation by faith, a word that
shook the world in the sixteenth century, or preaching the message of holiness
that John Wesley preached, they will have a fresh anointing that still shakes
the world today. And they win be just as free to minister divine healing, work
miracles, and preach the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as they are to bring forth
divine revelation of the Kingdom of God. We know that the five fold ministry of
apostles, Prophets, etc., are only until we come to the maturity of that "one
now man" in the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. But those who
have been delivered from "time" will be able to submit to the present divine order
in the Body of Christ, to the plurality of elders who are given to oversee the
church of God, and at the same time they will walk in the spirit in the eternal
order of God's sons, and the Melchisedec priesthood. Do you hear what I'm saying?
IT IS NOT AN INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
Just because sons of God can no
longer be a part of a system of building up the strength of Babylon, does not
mean they are footloose and fancy free. I could not possibly maintain my integrity
with God, go back to a denominational system of sectarian religion. But l am not
independent. I am interdependent upon all the other members and ministries in
this great Body of Christ. In any given locality, when God raises up a local body
of people who are part of the anointed Body of Christ, and caught up In the end-time
purposes of God, there arises a necessity of a commitment to one another. We must
learn that we am not independent wandering stars floating around In our own little
heaven, but that we must submit one to another, and to the ministries God puts
in our midst. We can no longer "do our own thing," for we are members one of another,
bone of His bones, and flesh of His flesh.
I admit there are those who
use the terminology of the sons of God message to excuse themselves for not being
a part of a local work, and helping out with what God is doing in their locality.
"We are free," they say, "and we are not going back into Babylon by submitting
to any elders or local body of people." And so the end-time work of God goes on
without them. Look at Balaam in Numbers chapter 22, sitting on his own little
mountain. while the mixed multitude of Israel struggled in the valley below, on
their way to the promised land. Oh, he was a prophet, with a great anointing and
a wide reputation, and he was not going to spoil It by joining up with that mess
in that lower realm below. He could see the sin in the camp, the confusion and
complaining. And he could not understand why God would not curse such a people.
He could see their sins, but he could not see the grace of God, or understand
the glorious purposes of God in His called out ones. And you know what happened
to Balaam. He ended up a disaster, dead, and the only Old Testament prophet to
be denounced three times in the New Testament. How much better If he had taken
his gift, his ministry and anointing, and joined up with Israel, and used what
he had to help them get across Jordan Into Canaan.
We need you, dear
ones. And you need us. No matter that you see the glorious message of the manifestation
of God's sons, you are not independent. Not If you are a true son. You are a part
of something God is doing all over the world. Learn true submission, not to a
system of man's religion or ideas, but to what God is doing in the earth today.
SONSHIP IS NOT A SHOT OF HOPE IN THE DARK
There are some who
view this message as just another effort to find our way out of the religious
mess the world is in. "If this doesn't work, we'll try something else" they say.
And some who have been disillusioned with their denomination, come to us with
the idea that anything will be better than what they've been through. So they
will give "sonship" a chance. "It sounds good, maybe It will work, let's hope
so."
But this is not a shot in the dark. This message is for real, and
is settled in heaven. It was prophesied by the prophets of old, foretold by Jesus
and the apostles, and prefigured by many types and shadows. It is that which has
been God's plan and purpose from the beginning. God will bring forth a body of
sons, a many-membered son company in the image of Jesus Christ the Son of God.
He is the firstborn of many brethren (Romans 8:29)," and nothing can stop this
from coming about. It Is not dependent upon winning everyone's approval of the
message, nor making all the religious leaders see the truth of It. It will happen
In spite of all Satan's efforts to distort and disrupt and defile. This message
is not just another small group of preachers off on another tangent of their own.
It is God's Word, and He will bring It to pass.
IT IS NOT A CASTING
AWAY OF THE WRITTEN WORD
What has turned some away from this truth is to
hear some so called "sons of God" say that we can now throw away our Bibles. "We
who have received the Christ in fulness" so they say, "no longer need the old
black lids of death (Bible), for we now have the words of Life, and what we say
is just as inspired as what Peter, Paul, or John spoke." Yes, I have heard them
say that too, but it did not turn me away from sonship, for they are not God's
manifested sons, they are imitation phonies. Twenty years ago I sat in one of
their meetings and heard them say that "the letter killeth," and that we ought
to throw away the Bible. When they asked me to say Something, I told them that
if I was preaching what they were preaching, I would certainly throw the Bible
away, for that precious inspired Book denounces all their false doctrine. And
as long as the written Word is unveiled and preached, they will be exposed as
false teachers. A few months later, the leader of that "Never Die" group was dead
with cancer, and the church I visited that day no longer exists. But the written
Word of God still abides victorious.
Even today I find people who glory
in just preaching off the top of their heads, never reading from the Scriptures,
or teaching out of the Bible. They seem to think that they already know what is
contained In the Book, and now have such a divine wisdom that they can no longer
be instructed from the Bible. Their revelation "goes far beyond what you can find
in the written Word". And it does, too. For what they are saying, you sure can't
find in the Bible. But don't confuse them with true sons of God. There is no kinship
whatsoever.
True sons are going to find more glorious revelation than
ever dreamed of, for the next thousand years, right from the pages of God's written
Word. For those who are moving in God's end-time purposes, that Book is taking
on a greater Impact than ever before. It is coming alive all over again. And what
we are seeing is not just a bunch of new doctrines. We are seeing Him In His glory!
We are seeing the Son, Jesus, sitting on His throne, high and lifted up. And as
we see His glory, through the revelation of His Word, we are being changed Into
that same Image, from glory to glory!
IT IS NOT A LICENSE TO SIN
Just
because that people are being delivered from the religious systems and codes of
men, does not mean they are free to follow the wicked desires of the carnal man.
Sonship is not a letting down the standards of holiness. But holiness Is maintained
now, not by following the laws and dogmas of the church, but because of the indwelling
Spirit of the Son. Where Jesus Is Lord, sin cannot reign. And the true message
of sonship, teaches us to come into His Image, and let Him rule supreme in our
lives.
I know of preachers who no longer had a Bishop or Presbyter standing
guard over them to keep them on the straight and narrow, so they felt free to
do whatsoever their little hearts desired - And some let their appetites and lusts
rule over them. Some even devised doctrines that would excuse their wicked behavior.
"Nothing In the Bible says that beer Is sin," they said, and "take a little wine
for thy stomach's sake." But It was not their stomach they were having trouble
with, it was their heart. It was getting full of carnal appetites. Then there
was "antinomianism," an old Greek philosophy that says that nothing you do in
the body is wrong, as long as your spirit is right. So drinking, foul jokes, fornication,
etc. , are okay as long as you keep praising the Lord. A doctrine of devils. Some
preached that we are Kings In the Kingdom, and kings are allowed many wives and
concubines, such as David and Solomon. So they excused their evil practices. Others
just lived together without benefit of legal matrimony, saying they were not under
the laws of the land any longer. But my friends, all these evil practices are
not a part of the message of the sons of God, and those who do these things have
no revelation on sonship. Sure, I know that true sons will sometimes fall Into
sin through temptation. David did, Peter did, and others. But by the grace and
mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ, they repent and are forgiven and restored. But
being a son of God does not release you from the command of Jesus: "Be ye holy."
True sons, both men and women, will dress decently and modestly, not to meet some
requirement of church by-laws, but to avoid being a temptation to someone, out
of real love for the Body of Christ. The motivation is greater, and the results
are far better. Praise ye the Lord!
NO LOSS OF MISSIONARY ZEAL
One
comment I hear sometimes about those who hunger for the deeper truths of God,
is that they no longer have a passion for souls, have lost their missionary zeal,
and are not interested in evangelism. Nothing could be farther from the truth.
It is true that I have run across people who seem more interested in their own
spiritual attainment than the winning of souls. But this is not the spirit of
the Son of God, and It is not a result of the message of sonship.
Jesus,
the Son of God, was the greatest missionary of all. He came the farthest distance,
with the greatest message, and suffered more than any missionary ever sent out.
He was always willing to stop whatever He was doing, to bless a little child,
comfort a grieved mother, heal a leper, or rescue a harlot. And he spoke to the
multitudes with words of clarity and simplicity, without fanfare, whether it be
at the seashore, or in Solomon's porch at the Temple. He had the deepest revelation
of the Kingdom of God of any man who ever searched the Word. Yet he was willing
to talk to farmers and fishermen and housewives In plain and simple terms, In
order to bless them on the realm where they lived. He brought men from every realm
of life closer to God. And this is what a true son of God will strive for. His
heart will reach out to the dying world, whether it to a multitude in a great
auditorium, or one soul in a restaurant. He will share the Word of God, with anointing
and joy, whether It is revelation of God's end- time purposes and the Melchisedec
priesthood, or telling a new convert why they should be baptized In water.
Our church in Springfield is thrilled with the message of sonship. We glory
in what God is revealing about His purposes, and His glory. We are a struggling
church, and a growing church, with many young families and a multitude of small
children. We have had to enlarge our church building several times, and our expenses
have been heavy. But we have maintained a strong Missionary program, with approximately
one fifth of our total budget going to foreign missions, over $45,000.00 in the
past five years. And I believe this is one reason why God has blessed the church
as He has. God truly loves the church that loves lost souls, And this is the spirit
of true sonship.
SONSHIP IS NOT SECTARIANISM
Sonship Is not being
bound in man's ecclesiastical organizations, denominations, or sectarian "fellowships".
The first thing Jesus did when He began His ministry was to form a local church
with twelve elders, in training. He went into the Jewish Temple and synagogues
and taught the message of the Kingdom. But there was no way that the Son of God
could join the scribes and Pharisees, or be any part of building up the old system
of religion of the past. He was there to tell the people they were free from that
sectarian order that bound them in the chains of religion, the order that said
they were the "chosen people of God" and could fellowship with no one else. Jesus
brought the message that He had "other sheep which were not of this fold." And
His message was that all of God's sheep had the same Shepherd, and were not to
be divided by sectarian fences.
I know that there are those who teach
denominational people to receive the Holy Ghost, speak In tongues, but stay in
their denomination and help build up that system. I'm sure they do it sincerely,
hoping that if enough of the people in those denominations are filled with the
Spirit, it will give new life to the old order. But God has decreed that He will
burn that false thing with fire, and a man of God who has been touched with the
call of sonship, will eventually find himself forced out, either by the Spirit
or by the system itself. A true son of God cannot work behind walls that keep
him from fellowshipping God's precious people, regardless of their doctrinal Views
or organizational background. God made us all different, but that Is no reason
for separation and distrust.
One thing that must be said about sectarianism:
it is not limited to organized denominations. Some of the most sectarian people
I have met have been from a non-denominational "free" church. If you are not "one
of them," belong to their church or fellowship, or believe all their doctrines,
then they will have none of you. In one medium sized city I know of, there are
at least five good "Charismatic" churches that are free of denominational affiliation.
Yet, so far, the one pastor who has tried, has been unable to get any these groups
together for fellowship. Neither the people nor the preachers will recognize or
confess their responsibility to the members of the Body of Christ in that city,
outside their own church walls. Which in itself is a strong statement of the fact
that they are not moving in sonship truths and principles.
A true son
of God will have an open heart to others precious faith, and will not split hairs
over minor points of doctrine or break fellowship over differences of opinion.
There are major problems of heresy and sin that cannot be condoned. If a brother
can be salvaged from such disaster, then we have an obligation to try. But we
cannot fellowship sin or works of darkness. But this is not the problem with most
"non-denominational sectarian fellowships" who refuse to flow with other brethren.
Many are s imply competing for the crowds, and they try to lock their people into
"the only right way In town," for fear that fellowship and interflow with other
groups would cause them to lose some of their members. This is not God. In the
first place, they are not "our sheep," pastors - They are God's sheep. Furthermore,
as we fellowship together and add to one another, each group will not only grow
spiritually, but numerically as well. And the city will have a far stronger witness
of what God is doing in the last days. There is no place for a sectarian spirit
in the heart of the Son of God, nor in His sons. A true son will not feel at home
in a denomination, exclusive "fellowship even a sectarian local church. Yes, he
will have a bond and commitment to a local body of believers, if there is one
in his community he will submit himself to the order and leadership of that part
of the Body of Christ. He will minister in that group as the Lord leads, and will
support it with prayer, presence, and generous finances. But he will not consider
that "this is the people, and wisdom will die with them." He will know that God
has
other chosen ones who may use strange terminology, or pronounce "Shibboleth"
differently, but who are part of God's divine plan of the ages. This, my dear
friends, is the true message of sonship.
IT IS NOT FEARING A NEW WORD
Every
time the Holy Spirit sounds the trumpet of divine revelation, and a new word begins
to come forth, there are those who draw back into their security shells, and cry
out "It must be false doctrine, for we have never heard it before." These are
"Turtle Christians," not sons of God. They have a degree of faith, it is "Rev.
John Doe, T. C. (Turtle Christian)."
When sons of God hear a new word,
they don't run and hide. Neither do they immediately swallow it down, hook, line
and sinker. They examine it, pray about it, check it out In the Scriptures, to
see if it be from God or no. They have a witness in the Spirit to that which is
truth, and since the Word says that "by the mouth of two or three witnesses every
word shall be established," they submit it to other sons, to see how they witness
to it.
These are days when God Is unveiling beautiful treasures of truth,
and our hearts and eyes need to be open. There are also many other voices being
heard, that are not of God, and there must be a safeguard. But the safeguard is
not the doctrine books or catechisms of the past. True sons will constantly press
on to know Him, and will keep their hearts open to understand present truth. One
day I was at the print shop at a Baptist Bible college, and I invited a dear brother
out to a meeting at our church. "This preacher" I said, "is thrilling our hearts
with some beautiful now things from the Word". He looked at me in shocked amazement.
"Now things?" he asked, "What In the world could be now? We Baptists believe all
the Bible already." Well, perhaps they do, or think so. But there may be some
things in the mind and heart of God that He has not
yet revealed to man.
It Is absolutely presumptuous for us to think that right now we already know and
understand all the truths contained In God's Word, or even that our puny brains
will ever contain all the wisdom of God. Roman 11:33-34 says: ''O the depth of
the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments,
and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who
hath been his counselor?"
IT IS NOT TRYING TO ESCAPE FROM THE BATTLE
One
of the things God had against the preachers In Ezekiel chapter 13, was that they
did not make up the hedge "for Israel to stand in the battle in the Day of the
Lord". They seduced the people (verse 10) "saying peace, and there was no peace".
And even preachers who are otherwise sound In the Scriptures, are telling] people
that they will not be here In the battle in the Day of the Lord "You will be raptured
and carried out into the wild blue, eat in the sky at the Marriage Supper, while
the world below is through its Great Tribulation", they say, as though it was
a in the Bible. Well, the Great Escape is not in the Bible, ; sons of God are
not preparing to run. They are putting on the whole armor of God, not wings to
fly away.
Paul the Apostle was not like those preachers in Ezekiel told
the church at Ephesus, and us, to put an the whole armor God, "that ye may be
able to withstand IN THE EVIL DAY (of Tribulation), and having done all, to stand."
But, you a ministered to sons. His call was to those who were pressing on to the
mark of the prize of the high calling of God In Christ Jesus. And these sons are
not thinking about trying to escape the trouble on earth, but to deliver creation
from its groaning and pain.
The traditional pre-tribulation escape rapture
theory is a doctrine born out of a union of Fear and Selfishness, and is supported
by Scripture. It was never preached by the sons of the early Church, not found
in the writings of the saints and martyrs Dark Ages, nor In the Restoration beginning
with Martin Luther. This doctrine began a little over a hundred years ago, gained
momentum tam through the writings and preaching of some fundamentalists, until
several denominations accepted it as Gospel truth. But in our generation, the
Holy Ghost has been exposing It for what it is, tradition. And the Word of God
has come alive with the truth of what really happens when Jesus returns to earth,
and the purposes of God in His overcoming Army of Sons. I'm sure you can understand
the consternation in the ranks of denominations to whom this doctrine is one of
the foundations of their structure. They are now frantically trying to stem the
tide, and are vainly trying to convince the people that they will soon "fly away
to a meeting in the sky while their unsaved loved ones will be taking the mark
of the Beast and suffering the horrors of the Great Tribulation. And they Say,
now that the church and the Holy Ghost are gone, the greatest Revival of a will
take place on earth, with multitudes being saved and Nations turning to God during
the Tribulation. That not only doesn't make sense, It Is absolutely contrary to
the Scriptures. Well, There will be Revival all right, but the Holy Ghost and
God's priest company of sons will be right here in the middle of It. There will
be Great Tribulation for sure, but the saints of the Most High will prevail, and
will take the Kingdom. Glory to God!
NOT SETTLING FOR SECOND BEST
Our
Lord Jesus said when good seed is planted, there are different rates of productiveness.
Some bring forth 100 fold, some 60 fold, and some 30 fold (Matthew 13.8, 23).
Now the quality of the seed is not being brought into question here, nor the fact
that it is good ground. But what makes the difference is what the good ground
does with the seed. Nor is it implying that the 30 fold will be bound into bundles
to be cast into the fire. All the harvest, on whatever plane they produce, will
be brought into the Father's barns. And all born again Christians who produce
His likeness are on the way to Heaven. But if I have a choice, I want to become
a son of God, in the complete image of Jesus Christ (Romans 8:29, John 1:12) and
bear His likeness on the 100 fold realm. There is a call in my heart for God's
highest and best.
The true son of God will not be satisfied with less
than God's best. The 30 fold speaks to me of the born-again fundamentalist. Loves
the Lord, going to Heaven, with the life of Christ within. But there is more.
The 60 fold is the double portion, the Spirit-filled life, walking in the supernatural
of God, manifesting the fruit and gifts of the Spirit. We call it the pentecostal
experience, the place of divine anointing. It is what happened to the disciples
in Acts chapter two. It is a glorious experience and a beautiful walk in God,
and I have enjoyed this realm for nearly half a century. But it is not the fulness.
One hundred is the number that speaks of fulness. And the 100 fold people go beyond
pentecost, into the fulness of Christ-likeness. This is what we call true sonship.
It is simply being like Jesus, in the full meaning of the term. The sons will
settle for no less. Just getting Into Heaven "by the skin of our teeth" is not
good enough. We are not excited by the prospects of a mansion in Glory, nor a
cabin in the corner, nor a house next door to Jesus. These Ideas may make nice
sounding songs, but a white robe and a halo and a star in our crown is not what
thrills us. We are pressing to come into the measure of the stature of the fulness
of Christ. To "be filled with all the fulness of God (Ephesians 3:19)" is our
goal, nothing else will satisfy.
Abraham saw a City, whose builder and
maker is God, and from that time on, nothing else mattered to him. He didn't waste
time trying to build his own city. What he had seen was far beyond the efforts
or dreams of men. So he waited for God to bring him to it. He counted himself
a pilgrim and stranger on this present plane of life, because he was a citizen
of a higher order. And sons today are of a like spirit. "For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come (Hebrews 13:14)." Sons will not settle for what
they possess now, though it seems safe and good, and presents no immediate dangers.
They are willing to risk danger, trusting in Him, to whom they have committed
all things, that they might gain all that He is and has for them.
JUST
WHAT IS MANIFESTED SONSHIP?
Now that we have told you a few things that
sonship is not, to contrast to the reports going around, please let me say just
about what it is. There to an unfolding revelation of His person, so I could not
possibly pretend to explain fully all that is involved in the unveiling or manifestation
of His sons.
There are those who say they cannot find the word "Sonship,"
in the Bible, and this is true, if you look only in the King Version. But let
me quote from the Amplified Bible In Romans 8:15: "But you have received the Spirit
of adoption - the Spirit producing Sonship - in the bliss of which we cry Abba,
That Is, Father!" The word adoption used here, as well as in Ephesians 1:5 and
Galatians 4:5, deals with the born again child of God coming into fall maturity
as a son, in the likeness of Jesus Christ. Galatians 4:1-7 tells us that in our
minority, as immature children, we are still heirs and sons, but do not have the
authority and dominion over the elements of the world that has been reserved for
us.
Here he gives us the illustration of a Jewish son who has reached
the age when his father presents him to the community and states "This to my son,
when you hear him, you hear me. Whatever business he contracts, I will stand behind.
We are partners and I trust him, for I have spent many years training him in how
to be a true son." You remember that this is what God said about Jesus when He
came up out of the water at the River Jordan. It was His "Adoption," or placing
as a full grown son. Up to this point, Jesus had done no miracles, healed no sick,
nor forgiven any sins. It was at this time of adoption that He received the Spirit
without measure, the Holy Ghost descended upon Him as a dove. From that time on,
whatever the Son spoke, was done, whether it involved fig trees, fish, storms,
demons, or lepers. He was demonstrating true sonship.
"God took a man
(Adam), and without a woman, He brought forth a woman (Eve) through whom was to
come those who would bear the image of the First Adam. Then God took a woman (Mary),
and without a man, He brought forth a man (Jesus), through whom was to come those
who would bear the image of the Last Adam".
"The first man is of the
earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from Heaven (1 Corinthians l5:47,49)."
"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of
the heavenly." This is what we. mean by sonship. The Amplified Bible states that
"The first man was from out of earth, made of dust- earth minded." "And just as
we have borne the Image of the man of dust, so shall we and so let us also bear
the Image of the Man of heaven.
SONSHIP IS THE LORDSHIP OF JESUS CHRIST
"For what we preach is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord (2 Corinthians
4-5 Amplified). It is as simple as one-two-three! 1. As Jesus, He is our Saviour
(Matthew 1:21). This speaks to us of the new birth, of the experience of being
born again. 2. As Christ (anointed One) He is our Baptizer (Matthew 3:11, Acts
10:38). This is the Bible basis for the experience of the Baptism of the Holy
Ghost. This Is the supernatural realm of glory that Spirit-filled people now dwell
In. But there is more ... 3. As LORD, He is absolute ruler of our lives, the Mind
that dwells within us, the King that sets upon the throne of our hearts, making
every decision for us. Now be honest with yourself, and don't try to kid me ...
even Spirit-filled people have not yet reached this place in God. We speak of
it, we declare it to be so In faith, and we desire it. But we do not possess this
in the fulness that the Son possessed and manifested it when He said: "I can do
nothing of myself. I do always those things that please the Father." This is sonship,
this is His Lordship, and this is where we are going. Nothing else will satisfy
a son. Jesus must be, and He will be, Lord of all. "All who are led by the Spirit
of God are sons of God (Romans 8:14)." This to not an occasional leading to help
us with our decisions, but this is total Lordship. This is total commitment. True
sonship to living to please the Father. This is the next experience in God.
Some will say "That all sounds good, I don't find anything strange or controversial
about being like Jesus, of letting Him be Lord. Why would anyone oppose this message?
No real Christian should oppose the true message of sonship, If they hear It correctly.
But some have distorted it in the speaking of it, and some in the manifestation
of it in their lives. Others have. distorted it in the hearing, and others have
just plain borne false witness. But the fact is, that the hearing of the message
Is not so controversial as trying to put it into operation. For when you start
walking in the steps of the Son of God, putting on His Image and likeness, and
start living by sonship principles, then you will find the Enemy coming against
you in a violent rage. And you will also find your own flesh rebelling against
the Cross. You'll find yourself in a warfare that is frightening, and you'll begin
to wonder about this message. Why has It brought such conflict into my life Why
is It exposing such a rotten area of my life that never seemed to exist before?
Am I backsliding, or becoming more carnal than I used to be? No, not at all. But
He knows that flesh and blood cannot inherit this Kingdom of God, nor can the
Adamic nature. So He is exposing what has lain hidden and dormant deep within
your human nature, that He might let you see the ugliness of it and cast it forth.
He is, in fact preparing you for the Throne. You are being stripped, cleansed,
and dressed for Kingdom living, Glory to His great Name! This is true sonship,
this is being conformed to the image of the Son (Romans 8:29).
Bill
Britton "Writings of his Unlimited Glory" 