Opening the Door to the Kingdom

In an earlier study, I made the case for connections between God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit, and man. I return to the theme of connections in Luke 18:15-30. Christ delivers two truths about entrance into the kingdom of God. What I hope to show in this study is simple. The connections will be made plain.

Opening the door to the kingdom is, in fact, being open to the door.

Two cases are presented to Jesus. First is the spirit of the children who are brought to him to be touched. Second is the spirit of the ruler who asked Jesus what he needed to do.

When the disciples acted on Jesus' behalf, thinking to clear him some space, trying to keep the overwhelming multitudes at bay, Jesus answered them with these words.

Luke 18:16, “Suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not: for of such is the kingdom of God.”

Upon hearing Jesus tell him to sell all and follow him, the rich ruler was very sorrowful. Noting the spirit of the ruler, Jesus made the following comment.

Luke 18:24, “How hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God.”

One spirit is pro-kingdom, one spirit is pro-world, pro-wealth. In the spirit of the small child being brought to Christ, there is no sacrifice, there is no sorrow. The spirit of the small child is on a learning curve, gaining new experience with excitement and singular focus. The spirit of the small child sets its desire on what is before it, without comparing what lies ahead to the things of the world. There are no worldly expectations in the spirit of the child.

Now, I wish to take the mindset of the small child, described above, and show it's connection to previously explained connections.

Jesus is the door, he said so. He is that entrance into the kingdom of God which this study explores. God the Father and 'Door' the son are one. That is to say that they are connected by the same spirit – the Holy Spirit.

Both the door into the kingdom of God and our own openness to that door are found in the spirit of the individual. Jesus prayed in John 17 that you and I might be one with the Father and the Son. To be on that same page, we must have a matching spirit.

Think of the pieces of a jig-saw puzzle. If we want to fit into the big picture, the only way we can do that is to be one of the interlocking pieces. We may not be something other than one of the pieces that came with the original set. Neither may we be a piece from another big picture.

Every spirit in every individual is naturally a part of the big spirit; the Holy Spirit is the spirit that is special to the Father and the Son – the spirit that makes them one. Our connection to the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost is an internal connection. It's a connection from our spirit to the Holy Spirit. We may not find that connection through anything physical such as worldly possessions.

In the context of the verses referred to in this study, both the small child and the rich ruler were connected through their personal spirits to the one spirit of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. So, I ask this – what propelled the child forward, and what detained the adult?

The case with the spirit of the child is this – there is no dilution of the spirit with worldly concretion. There is no determent, no dissuasion, no preclusion or disincentive.

The case with the spirit of the adult proves otherwise. There is dilution. There is a full lifetime of concretion. Two red flags jump out at us. One is choice, the other is free will. Free will (or willfulness) is an act of separation. This separation is implemented through desire, which walks hand-in-hand with choice.

Willfully and knowingly, man chooses to be separate from the spirit of God. Man chooses concretion deliberately, ignoring the truth that his will is unable to detach his little spirit from the big spirit. Therefore, man must view himself as physical and worldly rather than spiritual. It is choice that binds man in the chains of darkness.

The disciples were horrified. Everyone had possessions; they wondered how any of them could possibly overcome such an insurmountable obstacle. Jesus answered them with the following words.

Luke 18:27, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.”

Do you see it? It is a comparison between the physical, external, worldly man that man has created through willful separation and the internal, spiritual component in a man that no man, through any willful act, is able to separate himself from. It is a comparison between the external man of choice and the internal man of his true nature. That true nature, that spirit-to-spirit connection, can make all things possible.

We have a saying, 'fighting fire with fire.' Mankind does that every day. We may also fight choice with choice. The separating choice of the external man may be undone by the connecting choice of the internal man. The internal man is spiritual, the internal man is a spirit. God is a Spirit, Jesus said so. Man is a small spiritually interconnecting piece in the bigger picture.

The willful man who thinks he is separate can never escape the truth of his nature. One is either connected by choice or connected despite himself.

Finally, the kingdom of God, with its entrance (our internal Jesus/door connection,) is connected to yet another concept. That new concept, found in verse 30, is 'the world to come.' The disciples had forsaken all to follow Jesus, hoping to be a part of the kingdom of God. We must ask, are the kingdom of God and the world to come the same thing?

We may not say so with any certainty. The reward associated with the world to come is “life everlasting.” What is that exactly? Is it the same thing as life eternal? One synonym for the word everlasting is the word perpetual. The definition of the word perpetual is this: 'occurring repeatedly; so frequent as to seem endless and uninterrupted.'

What if the world to come is but another round of the perpetual life/death cycle? Certainly, even those who have forsaken all hope for more from the kingdom of God. What is the kingdom of God – really?

Matthew 12:28, “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you.”

The good rewards that the disciples hoped to receive from the kingdom of God, Jesus claimed they would receive in this present world. Luke 18:29-30, “There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time.”

Just saying . . .

The Thing About Prayer

I return to the book of Luke. Luke 18:9-14 is an account of the parable that contrasts a proud Pharisee with a humble publican. Both men are inside the temple engaged in prayer. All the major points of this parable have been thoroughly covered in Sunday sermons.

I would bring forth the minor points – which may prove to be just as major if given enough attention.

The treasure buried deep in these verses is the matter of prayer. Both men stand in the same temple, both men pray, both men pray to the same God. I would venture to say that prayer is sort of a universal constant between men.

We must ask how it is that the spirit in a man may either succeed or fail in the handling of such a constant.

Two different men engage in the same spiritual communication with the same spiritual God. How is it one is justified and the other is not? The answer rests in how each man uses his spirit.

Let me be clear on this one point: prayer is a spirit-to-spirit communication. All successful communication demands that there must be something in common.

Think of a lock and key. The lock is iron. A wooden key will likely fail to open the lock. In similar fashion, a key of ice or of glass will break. Opening a lock is a material-to-material communication. There must be something in common.

A spiritual lock requires a particular kind of key – a spirit key made of the same spiritual metal.

Everything in existence requires something of whatever it has a relationship with. A cool fluid drink requires cup-likeness to hold it. A cup in reverse has nothing in common with the drink. A relationship between a road and the vessels that traverse it requires wheels. A relationship between vessels and an ocean will require something different – like paddles or sails.

Prayer is a spirit-to-spirit communication, as I have said, but what does God require of man, spirit-to-spirit-wise? That is certainly something to consider. Here is something else to consider. God is a spirit. To pray to a spirit requires a material (so to speak) with something in common.

This is a big pill to swallow but prayer is a God-to-God communication. Logic dictates that if God is spirit, then spirit is God. To answer the objection that not all spirits are God, I give this response. All spirit is God. Within those parameters, there is spirit used correctly and spirit misused.

Free will is in the nature of man. In the nature of man is found every evil possession and fallen angel. Free will in man is spirituality (our part of God) that is not always used correctly.

The parable of the two praying men portrays prayer as a God-to-God communication with the first spirit in the account (the Pharisee) misused by pride and self-righteousness. The second spirit in the account (the publican) is used correctly by humility. Humility justifies the part of God found in the publican. The misuse of the part of God found in the Pharisee finds no justification.

Here is the wording of the parable, which we may assume are the words of Jesus. “The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself . . .” Luke 18:11. We may take these words to exemplify common usage. The communication was God-to-God; the communication was spirit-to-spirit. The Pharisee's misuse of his part of the spirit-to-spirit communication was an exaltation of his small footprint in the bigger picture.

God, as a lock, is properly exalted and does not require exaltation from the smaller part of Himself found in the Pharisee. An exalted God requires one thing from the small part of Himself found in a man – humility.

What I wish the reader to take away from this study is the fact that we are not separate from God. When we pray to God, there is something we have in common with him, and we must have that in order to pray, that something is the spirit of God residing in us.

Names and Connections

For today's study, I wish to depart the usual routine and speak topically – which is how I started. Instead of following through with the next reference in the book of Luke, allow me to broach the concept of connections.

It is a level of understanding that many of us avoid. People fail to realize this level as they race through the reading of scripture like galloping wild horses. It is common to drink in large drafts of scripture in as singular a gulp as humanly possible.

Here, however, what we need to do, unlike the gulping drunk, is to step back and sip, as a wine taster sips wine, savoring each distinct nuance that completes the whole.

I wish to deal with three names and their connections. Those three names belong to God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost. See them listed here.

Holy and Reverend.

The Holy Spirit of Truth.

The Truth.

Psalm 111:9 (KJV) “He sent redemption unto his people: he hath commanded his covenant for ever: Holy and Reverend is his name.” Also, John 4:24 (KJV) “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”

John 16:13 (NIV) “But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.” Also, Acts 2:4 “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.” Also, Luke 4:18 (KJV) “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me . . .” Also, Matthew 28:19 (KJV) “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost.”

John 14:6 (KJV) “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Also, John 10:30 (KJV) “I and my Father are one.”

Finally, 1 John 5:6-8 (KJV) “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one. And there are three that bear witness in earth, the Spirit, and the water, and the blood: and these three agree in one.”

Those are the names; these are the connections:

First, both God and the Holy Ghost are a 'spirit' – their first name is even the same, 'Holy'. God is a spirit named Holy and the Holy Spirit is a spirit named Holy.

Second, the Holy Spirit of Truth has his last name in common with the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the Truth and the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.

Third, all three persons of the Trinity are one and the same – this according to 1 John 5:6-8. It is also according to Deuteronomy 6:4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.” True also according to Zechariah 14:9 “And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one.” They are “One.”

What does that Mean? God is a spirit, the Holy Ghost is a spirit, and Jesus (even in the flesh) is a spirit. If Jesus is the Truth, so also is the Holy Ghost and God. God, after all, is the Father of the Truth. Not only is Jesus the 'Word', but so is the Father of the Word and the Spirit of the Word. All three are the one way, but the pivotal component of the Trinity is the spirit that connects a spiritual Father to a flesh and blood person born of the Holy Spirit. That is according to Matthew 1:18. John 3:6 (KJV) confirms with these words, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”

The careful consideration of such connections should put a higher spin on the prayer of Jesus found in John 17:20-23 (KJV) “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.”

Perseverance in Prayer

Luke 18:1-8 is about the unjust judge. I have already made a study of this parable. Still, there is somewhat to say on the matter. Take a look at verse one. The first verse shows us that the writer of this account had been made aware of the meaning of the parable. As this writing occurred at some distance from the actual fact, we must assume that the making aware of the meaning was a practice whereby a previous source is divulged to a new iteration – over and over again down the time line.

So, the meaning of the parable was understood and passed along with each iteration. We must also assume that each person in the know also understood what the parable was not about. The parable did not purport that a man can wear down God with constant pestering. The parable did not compare the unjust judge, who basically made himself unreachable, to God.

Jesus concluded his parable and subsequent explanation with this statement found in Luke 18:8 – “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, will he find faith on the earth?” What is the parable really about and what must each of us come to understand? The parable is about faith. The parable is about an enduring faith that is able to go the distance. It is about a persevering faith that never gives up.

The bold widow was not rooted in the judge or his judgments. The widow was rooted in her faith. She came often before the judge, an issue the judge is shown to consider. Obviously, the judge delayed his judgment time and time again. She never gave up; she knew her claim was just under the law. She had a right to be avenged of her adversary. She knew that a judge had to bend his will to that of the law.

As in the case of the widow, our prayers are petitions to a judge. Our judge is just. The widow's judge is described as unjust. The widow is chronicled with the attributes of faith and perseverance. Let us ask, then, why the widow persevered in her faith? Let us ask why the constant delays of the judge did not sway her faith? What did she have that so many of us seem to lack?

The widow did not ask for trivial matters; she asked for the one thing under the law she knew she had a right to ask for. Knowing what one may petition for is an important first step in prayer. Consider the case of King Solomon. He prayed not for long life, neither did he ask for the destruction of his enemies. Solomon petitioned for the wisdom necessary to lead God's people. Solomon asked for the very thing that God wanted and was willing to give. The king was already wise enough to know what to pray for.

We often pray about small matters that ultimately work themselves out without divine intervention. We are brash enough to ask for things we would doubtless waste upon the altar of our personal desires. We ask God to let us win the lottery – just in case.

Prayer is more than just a petition. Prayer is a relationship one may not enter without the prerequisite belief in the one we pray to. Not only must a person first believe in the one who hears our prayers, a person must develop an understanding of the one we stand before. We may not simply be caught up in personal issues and expect the random prayer to be answered. We must have a knowledge of what God wants and is willing to give. It is a relationship not unlike all others; a relationship is 'give and take'.

We may not seek a withdrawal from the bank of prayer before the required deposits. One gets from anything only what one puts into it. Perseverance in pray is a prerequisite to answered prayer. Belief in God is a prerequisite to prayer. Faith is the prerequisite to perseverance.

At this point, it will suffice to body forth some supporting Bible verses on the topic of perseverance in prayer. To that end, I submit these references:

“Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving,” Colossians 4:2.

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer,” Romans 12:12.

“And as for you, brothers and sisters, never tire of doing what is good,” 2 Thessalonians 3:13.

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people,” Ephesians 6:18.

“Ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you – If you remain in me and my words remain in you,” John 15:7.

“We want each of you to show this same diligence to the very end, so that what you hope for may be fully realized,” Hebrews 6:11.