The
Spirit of the Word
"The words that
I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." Jesus
"The letter killeth, but the Spirit giveth life." Paul
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by Ray and Doris
Prinzing
No. 10
HE SHALL FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH
"Nevertheless when
the Son of man comes, shall He find faith on the earth?" (Luke 18:8).
Jesus had just spoken a parable "to this end, that men ought always to pray, and
not to faint." It involved a widow woman that came to an unjust judge and
beseeched him to "Avenge me of mine adversary." The judge was a cold,
hard-hearted man that "feared not God, neither regarded man," but he was
concerned about his own well-being, and lest the woman would trouble him by
continuously coming to him with her request, he avenged her. Then Jesus gave
his own punchline application, "AND SHALL NOT GOD AVENGE HIS OWN ELECT, which
cry day and night unto him, though He bear long with them? I tell you that He
will avenge them speedily." (verses 7-8).
The parable is quite self-explanatory. The need for continued prayer. The
assurance that there is an answer. And that on-going prayer is exonerated.
"AND SHALL NOT GOD..." Not out of a selfish motive, like the judge, but BY
REASON OF HIS LOVE AND GRACE, out of His righteous character, how much more does
He answer the prayer of His people.
It reminds us of another comparison Jesus gave in his sermon on the mount, "If
you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, HOW MUCH
MORE shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask
Him?" (Matt. 7:11).
HOW MUCH MORE? The question is not defining an equation, but emphasizing a
point─ if we, in our sinful humanity, would
give good gifts; if we, as the unjust judge, with impure, selfish motives, will
act on another's behalf, then HOW MUCH MORE shall our all-righteous Father hold
the benefit of men before Him, to accomplish that which results in our good.
Though He "BEAR LONG" WITH US. This "bearing long" also bespeaks a vital
thought. The Greek word is "makrothumeo" meaning: to suffer long, TO BE
PATIENT. "The husbandman waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has
LONG PATIENCE for it..." (James 5:7). He is WAITING for this PROCESS TO WORK IN
US, to bring about that desired growth, surrender, dedication, etc. until
finally we come to HIS TIMING. But we are also assured that "He has appointed a
day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He
has ordained (Jesus)." (Acts 17:31). He has appointed a day─
appointed, literally, TO SET, TO PLACE. Beloved friend, OUR GOD HAS SCHEDULED
(PLACED) INTO HIS PURPOSE OF THE AGES the day of our redemption, thus the
totality of our salvation is secure. For this cause we can have confidence to
"pray without ceasing," and know that the victory shall be ours in due time.
There is a "bear long" time, while we let patience have her perfect work in us,
but when that hour of HIS TIMING has come, then it is "SUDDENLY!" "He shall
avenge us speedily." "And the Lord, Whom you seek, shall suddenly come to His
temple, even the Messenger of the covenant, Whom you delight in: behold, HE
SHALL COME, says the Lord of hosts."
(Mal. 3:1). The process may be very long, but
the climax is accomplished speedily.
Then Jesus makes the additional statement, "Nevertheless when the Son of man
comes, shall He find faith on the earth." All our life we have heard this read
with negative connotation. Perilous times will come, the love of many will wax
cold, there will be a great falling away─
and pulling these phrases out of their context, and using them to support
negative ideas and carnal concepts, they proceed to ask, "Will there be any
faith left?" With the implication being, the devil will have won the final
victory, and God will only be able to salvage a few pitiful souls and rapture
them out of here, before the final devastation encompasses the whole earth.
But now the holy Spirit challenges us to read this statement again, not as a
question, but AS A PROMISE. Nevertheless─
the Greek word is "plen" and means: "MOREOVER, or, BUT YET," while certain
translators have given it as: "indeed, really." Not only will GOD AVENGE HIS
ELECT, but MOREOVER, let Me add the thought, THERE WILL BE FAITH FOUND ON THE
EARTH WHEN I COME. "When the Son of man comes, He shall find faith on the
earth," is a much clearer rendering. In spite of HOW LONG the waiting continues,
there will be those who do not give up with their CONTINUOUS PRAYING. They
believe He will come on the scene and fulfill all that is needed for our total
salvation, body, soul, and spirit.
God will avenge His elect! God has always had HIS ELECT! "Even so at this
present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace." Romans
11:5). The elect are HIS FAITHFUL ONES! "Called, and chosen, and faithful."
(Rev. 17:14). They are faith-full. Not only are they steady in their
believing, but they are, shall we say, FULL of faith. They have gone through
the good fight of faith, through the trial of their faith, etc. and they have
proven to be IN THE FAITH, living by the faith of the Son of God.
Jesus was not asking if there would be any faith found on earth when He came
again─
HE KNEW THERE WOULD BE, for HE was/is "the Author and the Finisher of our
faith." He was simply reaffirming THE PROMISE that regardless of how intensive
the struggle, how long the wait, etc. still men and women would hold steady in
believing, and in due time reap the reward. So the point is clearly taken─
KEEP ON PRAYING, and faint not. There is a crying out for Him DAY AND NIGHT,
continuously. It is the on-going cry of the heart of those who seek after God.
And He does watch over His elect. HE WILL COME AGAIN! And MOREOVER, He will
find faith on the earth when He comes! Praise God for those who are diligently
seeking Him.
In view of all the foregoing, Paul's admonition is very timely for us in this
day─
"Examine yourselves, whether you be in the faith; prove your own selves." (2
Corinthians 13:5).
God once said of the people of Israel, "They are a very forward (perverse)
generation, in whom is no faith." (Deut. 32:20), and Jesus expressed this same
thought, saying, "O faithless and perverse generation." (Matt. 17:17). What an
indictment, to be FAITHLESS, when He is looking for the FAITHFUL.
Surely it is apparent to all that this world is facing and enduring situations
which are severely trying all men, thus there is an imperative need to have a
solid foundation upon which to stand, being rooted and grounded in Christ, that we might not only
survive the storms, but also become a TOWER OF REFUGE for others. Events are
on the horizon which will stagger the mind with their scope and intensity, yet
God's prepared ones shall stand serene, PERFECTED IN FAITH, and able to meet
every crisis with the sufficiency of Christ. True, it has taken much inworking
of the WAY OF THE CROSS, with many separations, loneliness, battles of the mind,
deep soul-searching, and all the things that accompany such a processing, but
through it all there is emerging a people who KNOW THEIR GOD, and they shall be
to His praise.
It is FAITH, given by the grace of God, which is to be the undergirding of every
child of God, bringing us into that REST wherein we have ceased from our own
carnal-directed labors, that we might be led by His Spirit. Truly, "the just
shall live by His faith." (Habakkuk 2:4).
It is not our intention to just point out the elementary rudiments of faith but
to emphasize that we must "KNOW IN WHOM WE HAVE BELIEVED," if we are going to
come through the shakings and remain unshaken. Indeed, the intense pressures of
the day are revealing the strength and quality of our faith. Peter writes, it
is the "trial of your faith," that is much more precious than gold which has
stood the test of the fire, and when such faith meets the test and stands
approved, then shall we "be found unto praise and honor and glory at the
appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 1:7).
Faith presupposes a divine revelation upon which to base its future action. We
read how, "BY FAITH Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved
with fear (carefully, devoutly), prepared an ark to the saving of his house."
(Heb. 11:7). In our haste to simplify we sometimes leave out the vital
qualifications─
"By faith Noah built an ark." That is true, but his faith was based upon the
DIRECT WORD OF GOD. This is clearly seen when we read the phrase, "BEING WARNED
OF GOD OF THINGS NOT SEEN AS YET."
WARNED OF GOD─
"And GOD SAID unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me; for the earth
is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the
earth. Make an ark..." (Genesis 6:13-14)
Yes, Noah had to BELIEVE and ACT upon the Word of God. No, there had never been
a need for an "ark" before this, and there was no way that he could have
conceived in his own mind what a down-pour of rain was coming. Nor had he ever
seen an "ark" before this, so that he had an example to follow. But he did have
something to base all of his action upon─
and that was A DIRECT WORD FROM GOD. He believed God! That is where faith came
in─
he gave himself to this Word, committed all his energies to obeying that Word,
and it resulted in his ultimate preservation through the flood. BY FAITH, by
steadfastly committing himself to believing and obeying the Word, the ark was
built, and the purpose of God was fulfilled. So the question is rightly asked,
"How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? and how shall
they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without
a preacher? and how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written,
How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring
glad tidings of good things!" (Romans 10:14-15).
Difficult to believe in One of whom you have never heard. And difficult to hear
a word that remains unspoken, whether by God or man. Furthermore, it is
exceedingly difficult to declare a word when God has not given it to us, nor
sent us. We have seen and heard enough of "man sent ministries." They prattle
on with their creeds and doctrines, but there is no life nor change brought
about. One cannot place faith in their word, because it doesn't hold up.
Religious drivel about escapism raptures, or carnal-minded ideas of heaven, do
not offer a solid basis upon which to stand to face the daily onslaught of
negative forces. It requires a clear-cut "THUS SAYS THE LORD" if we are to
stand fast, unmovable, unceasingly committed to Him, knowing that what He has
promised us shall be fulfilled in His time. Overcoming is not bouncing around
in a skip and a hop like a jackrabbit. It means there is a SOLID UNDERGIRDING
upon which we firmly remain─
steadfastly believing until we have COME OVER every obstacle. THANK GOD, there
is a progressive revelation that is vital for the days ahead, and "He that has
an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says unto the called-out (churches)." (Rev.
3:6).
There must of necessity be a
people of faith in every generation. Jesus said that at His coming they would
be present. "He shall find faith on the earth." For, "Without faith it is
impossible to please Him: for he that comes to God must believe that HE IS, and
that HE IS A REWARDER of them that diligently seek him." (Heb. 11:6). There are
those "In whom He is well pleased." They prove their faith by DILIGENTLY seeking
Him, just as the widow woman continuously beseeched the judge.
It is in our continuously COMING TO HIM, praying, worshipping, communing,
walking on, desiring His life, yes, requiring the abiding of His Spirit within
us, that we manifest that we do believe in Him. Jesus admonished His disciples
to "Have faith in God." (Mark 11:22). Literally, the Greek text reads, "Have
the faith OF God." GOD-IMPARTED FAITH comes when HE speaks His Word into our
being. And if we receive it, inherent in His Word is the faith for believing
it. Not just a mental reception, but a heart acknowledgment that it is true,
and for us, and we give ourselves to it.
John writes that we are to have CONTINUOUS FELLOWSHIP with our Lord. "if we
walk in the light, as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with another."
(1 John 1:7). In his "Word Studies in the Greek," Wuest points out that "The
words 'one with another' are a translation of a preposition and a reciprocal
pronoun in the Greek text." It bespeaks the fact that not only do we have
fellowship with God, but He reciprocates in having fellowship with us. There is
a WALKING IN THE LIGHT, yes, IN THE ANOINTING, where we continuously come to the
throne of grace to find help in the time of need, where we continuously offer up
our praise and worship, where we continuously rest upon the foundational
substratum of HIS WORD. All of this reveals our faith in God─
and, yes, the operation of HIS FAITH in us.
"It is of faith, that it might be by grace..." (Romans 4:16). FAITH WORKS, but
faith does not come "by works." Faith believes into the GRACE of God, and GRACE
does the works. Thus the Scriptures speak of the REST wherein we have ceased
from our own labors, and BELIEVE INTO HIS! "Then said they unto Him, What shall
we do, that we might work the works of God? Jesus answered and said unto them,
This is the work of God, that you BELIEVE ON HIM whom He has sent." (John
6:28-29). Challenged to believe on Him, they immediately countered, "What sign
do You show then, that we may see, and believe You? What work will You do?" Like
all carnal men they wanted it brought down to the earthy level where they could
discern by their five senses, touch, taste, smell, hear, see. But FAITH THAT
PLEASES GOD is not of the flesh, it is of the Spirit. "For with the heart man
believes into righteousness." (Rom. 10:10). And while faith can believe for
things to be seen, faith does not come from the seeing. "The eye is not
satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing." (Eccl. 1:8). It is the
Spirit that quickens, illumines within, causing faith to rise up and we believe
into Him. In spirit and in truth, the Father seeks such to worship Him.
If the fulfillment of the promise was dependent upon our works, the Lord knows
that we would never reap the promise. But it is GRACE THROUGH FAITH that makes
it sure unto all men. All of our works must be the resultant action of
BELIEVING INTO HIM, and receiving His enablement─
and so it is truly, "Not by might, nor by power, but BY MY SPIRIT, says the Lord
of hosts." The energizing is His, and the direction is His, and we but become
"laborers together with God," as we believe into Him and He fulfills His plan
and purpose. Without Him we can do nothing! So what is our work? It is to
believe on Him─
and then HE DOES THE WORKS!
"Lord, You will ordain peace for us: for You also
have done all our works in us." (Isaiah 26:12).
The Lord gives a promise, imparting a divine revelation that this certain thing
is for us, and then the days, months, years go by and we don't see the least bit
of outward evidence of its fulfillment─
in fact, it may even appear to be going in the opposite direction, with
conditions deteriorating instead of improving. We are stripped of all the gifts
and graces we once felt we possessed. Desperately our flesh would reach out and
try to help hasten that promise to fulfillment, but there is nothing that man
can do. Yet the Word was given, He planted the revelation deep within, and now
you can only HOLD STEADY─
grounded on that Word, and believing God until. Your very vision and truth will
try you to inmost core! "Until the time that his word came (i.e. word of his
release from prison): THE WORD OF THE LORD TRIED HIM." (Psalm 105:19). How
interesting! The very WORD that caused FAITH to take hold in us, is also the
WORD that will try us, and put that faith to a test. His Word will both quicken
and purify. Truth revealed and experienced is HEAT as well as LIGHT. How we
need it to warm and purify the heart, as well as give light to our reason. And
then we will continue to believe, even though we see not. We will not bow
beneath the weight of time, and seek for another way to fulfill the promise.
Praise: God, HE SHALL FIND FAITH ON THE EARTH WHEN HE COMES!
"And we desire that every one of you show the same diligence to the full
assurance of hope unto the end: that you not be slothful, but followers of them
who through faith and patience inherit the promises." (Heb. 6:11-12).
"There is a path which no fowl knows, and which the vulture's eye has not seen:
the lion's whelps have not trodden it, nor the fierce lion passed by it." (Job
28:7-8). As followers of them who ultimately inherited their promises, so we
walk this new way, in the pathway of faith, BELIEVING THAT WE SHALL ALSO
ULTIMATELY POSSESS OUR VICTORIES.
O path of faith that knows no end, and feareth
not storms that impend,
But stretches onward, upward still, into the fulness of God's will.
To take thy step not knowing where, a going out─
new realms to share,
With minds untroubled by the way, nor fretting
at the length of day.
O path that pierces the unknown, how glorious are
thy mysteries shown
Unto the one who
dares to walk the path where lions never stalk.
The vulture's eye has neler beheld this way
divine─
unparalleled,
For holiness shall undergird the entrance through
the living Word.
Thy avenues are all unseen, yet glistening with a
dewdrop's sheen,
So rare a path thou cannot find by walking with a
carnal mind.
'Tis not by fancy, world of dream, for things are
not all as they seem,
The path of faith is solid, sure─
an upward way that shall endure.
Each step is measured by His love, and linked
unto His throne above,
And they who take its way shall be enthralled
with pure reality.
Truly, faith can move with God through the realms unseen, knowing that the
unseen is more stable, sure, real, than all that the carnal imaginations of man
can produce. So Paul writes, "We look not at the things which are seen, but at
the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but
the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Cor. 4:18).
To the eye of faith the invisible realm is solid and sure. By faith Moses
"endured, as seeing Him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27). And though the
pressures and processings are many, we can declare the truth we believe, as did
Paul. "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I
believed, and therefore have I spoken; WE ALSO BELIEVE, AND THEREFORE SPEAK." (2
Cor. 4:13). This does not mean that we run around blabbing all of God's
secrets, nor speaking out of turn. But when it is time to declare the truth─
we believe, and therefore declare it, to His glory and praise.
But there is one more point to be touched upon, in our assurance that there will
be FAITH ON THE EARTH WHEN HE COMES. Jesus taught, "If you have faith as a
grain of mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain, 'Move from here to
there,' and it will move; and nothing shall be impossible for you." (Matt.
17:20). Again the approach by many is concerning the "size" of the mustard
seed, and that if you have just a wee little bit of faith you can do great
things. But Jesus was not speaking of the quantity but of the QUALITY of
faith. What KIND of faith does a mustard seed have?
"A grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is less than all
the seeds that be in the earth: but when it is sown, IT GROWS UP, and becomes
greater than all herbs, and shoots out great branches; so that the birds of the
air may nest under it's shade. (Mark 4:31, 32)
What is the QUALITY of faith in a mustard seed─
it is the KIND THAT GROWS. It may start out exceedingly small, but it grows
into a great thing. Jesus spoke to those who had "little faith." "Why are you
fearful, you of little faith." (Matt. 8:26). And He spoke to those who had
great faith. "O woman, great is your faith." (Matt. 15:28). But again, the
issue is not the amount of faith, quantity-wise, but of the QUALITY─
faith that reaches out to lay hold of the reality of God. It is strengthened
and increased as it is also tested and tried. It is believing that matures into
a KNOWING. THE FAITH OF GOD, which shall be FOUND ON THE EARTH, in a people who
have been duly processed, is a faith that PLEASES GOD, and shall inherit the
promises.
How often have we, like the disciples of old, said to our Lord, "Increase our
faith." (Matt. 17:5). And immediately find that He has plunged us into
circumstances and situations which tested every ounce of faith that we had. But
the wonder of it all is to see how this DIVINE INWORKING increases our faith
with every obstacle overcome. Rest assured, beloved friend, God knows exactly
what He is doing in His purpose of the ages, and there is a bringing forth of a
FAITH PEOPLE that KNOW IN WHOM THEY HAVE BELIEVED, and they shall show forth the
praises of Him who has called them out of darkness, into His marvelous light.
How precious is the "Gospel of Christ: - for therein is the righteousness of God
revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith."
(Romans 1:17). Tucked in this verse are volumes of truth for our pondering, but
let it be said─
God is bringing forth a people of whom it is written, "Your people also shall be
all righteous." (Isa. 60:21), for, as Paul also concurs, we are to be "made the
righteousness of God IN HIM." (2 Cor. 5:21). Thus, as the GOSPEL WORKS IN US,
going from faith to faith, growing, expanding, developing, maturing, it shall
reveal that GOD HAS HIS ELECT, HIS FAITH PEOPLE on the earth. They are being
prepared to inherit the kingdom, and see the establishment of His righteousness
upon the earth, for they, too, shall bear after their own kind, even as our Lord
is birthing them. Into His image and likeness we come, and praise God, He shall
be glorified. THE JUST, His justified ones, clothed with His righteousness,
shall LIVE and WALK BY FAITH. How glorious is this handiwork of our God!
_________________________________________________
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Prinzing, Ray and Doris "Letters of Truth"
Boise, Idaho 83705, P.O. Box 5822
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