My friends,

What does this passage from the Psalter, the music of God’s chosen people,  mean to you?

Psalm 24:3-5  Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD (Yhvh)? And who may stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not lifted up his soul to falsehood and has not sworn deceitfully. He shall receive a blessing from the LORD (Yhvh) and righteousness from the God of his salvation.

For a minimum, we see that God Almighty has set requirements on spiritual ascendency. It’s not automatic. Every individual human being has a role in this pursuit.

The very nature of His requirement separates people into two camps: those who will ascend – and make it to our God – and those who will not.

Old slew foot, our arch nemesis, is in the business of thwarting this very gracious opportunity afforded to God’s human creatures. The devil does so through a very simple and effective strategy: spiritual invasions of the heart and mind.

What spiritual invasions, or threats, are you personally guarding against as Jesus commanded? What are the areas in the walls of your faith that are most susceptible to a sneak attack?

Being on the alert, as our Master proclaimed, is a consistent theme.

One spiritual invasion can be readily identified.

The New Age Movement (NAM) has invaded the western church of Jesus Christ subtlety in many ways. In Colossae, the apostle Paul was writing to those believers to be on the alert for strange eastern religious ideas that has invaded and would continue to invade their groups.

One destructive way NAM invades secretly is evident in that many believers hold to the philosophy that all Christians are equal in absolutely everything. (The fancy term used to describe this is “egalitarian”  or e-gal-ah-tare-e-an).

You know the drill so prevalent, and it goes something like this: “neither Jew nor Greek,” and “neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus.”  (Galatians 3:28 ) But this passage is a teaching against keeping the Law for salvation because doing so flies in the face of God’s wonderful grace.

Satan’s strategies include destroying distinctions among clear lines that God has drawn in His word and throughout history in His people.

How deep does this go in our culture?

I once was part of a men’s Bible study in my early years of walking with Jesus, 1989 I think. There was a brother from the now mega church I attended at the time (Northland with Joel Hunter, President Obama’s “spiritual” adviser) who had been a believer for years. He was a member of our table which I has been asked to lead some time previously.

Well, somehow we landed on that great passage in Acts regarding the Bereans. These saints were in full pursuit of spiritual ascendency. Our brother Luke the beloved physician recorded a distinction: one that grates against most westerners. And those in the western church in particular.

They were more noble than the Thessalonians.

Wow.

Was this a slap in the face by Luke who was there in person getting to “build relationships” with these new believers?

No. He was reporting the facts for all to read. And the fact was that the focused Bereans were obeying God by being certain what Paul was declaring was the true truth. They searched the Old Testament daily.

This, dear ones, is a spiritually ascendant characteristic.

So, our Bible study brother after a few weeks persuaded all the other men (except me, with loud persistent protest) that these Bereans in Acts 17 were not more noble minded than the Thessalonians, but all the same.

No distinction, for he said that’s not what God meant. But he also ignored my exhortation of what he thought God really did mean in that passage! He conveniently ignored my plea, having won over the other men in the group.

It’s all so isshy squishy mud between the toes to ‘share’ the heresy that we’re all the same in God’s body.

If you have to not be persuaded yet, try standing up some time and proclaiming in any assembly what Paul said in 1 Cor. 4:16:

Therefore I exhort you, be imitators of me.

Very likely you’ll be called arrogant to your face, or they’ll think silently in their hearts, “Who does he think he is, anyway? He’s just a Roman’s 7 sinner like me.”

God plays favorites all the time. He is in the heavens and does anything He pleases. He chose Israel to be His favorite, not America or Babylon.

He chose you and me. Few there be that find the narrow gate.

The persistent reference in the Gospels to Peter, James, and John in that order is very eastern, very Hebrew, in describing an inner circle, or close favorites.

So, it follows then that spiritual ascendency is inherent in those saints who pursue Jesus wholeheartedly.

In other words, there are those of us who are more mature and will be so throughout their life, and into eternity. We’re not all the same in regard to that distinction. Many others hate the notion of any superiority, especially if it doesn’t rest with them. Chronological age of a believer is not necessarily any mark of deepening maturity, but it should be the normal Christian life.

Actually, many years in the Lord without maturing is a problem, in one place proclaimed in Hebrews 5:11-14:

Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.

For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Of course, we must add that God in His vast mercy offers the kingdom gospel news and salvation to all. He wants all to come to repentance and the knowledge of the truth.

Acts 10:34-35  Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

And certainly Romans 1 declares the fact that God’s creation displays His certainty as a Person. His glory is declared by the handiwork that He has fashioned. Magnificent!

Let me finish this Part 1 with three insightful quotes taken from larger works, first from T. Austin Sparks, and second two others from the noted apologist C.S. Lewis:

For although God will achieve His purpose in the end, it will be achieved in a representative company, and all Christians will not reach this end. If it were otherwise, why the conflict, why all the exhortations, the entreaties, the urgings, the warnings of the Word of God to Christians? Why do we not just automatically come to it? What is all the trouble about, if after all it does not matter, since we shall reach that goal in any case?…

…You see how absurd it is to take it for granted that willy-nilly, once you are a Christian, you are going to arrive at God’s full purpose. You are not! Israel, even though they were called and God on their side, and every divine resource at their command for the realization of the end, encountered things that proved too powerful for them and were worsted in the fight. They are used again and again as a warning to the church. The things which caused that downfall are the things of which we have to be fully aware, and although they are not pleasant things, they have to be said – in all faithfulness…

…Spiritual Ascendancy is not a popular subject today. Some say we are proud if we talk about this matter…The very thought that some Christians will reach God’s goal and others will not, is something that offends many. However, let us remember that the desire to reach the goal is not a selfish one. It is a longing that God will have a glorious church for His Son, and that the Lord Jesus Christ will have that for which He died…

Our dear brother C.S. Lewis wrote about Screwtape the demon as he proposes a toast, from The Screwtape Letters Part II:

No man who says, “I’m as good as you,” believes it. He would not say it if he did. The St. Bernard never says it to the toy dog, nor the scholar to the dunce, nor the employable to the bum, nor the pretty woman to the plain. The claim to equality, outside the strictly political field, is made only by those who feel themselves to be in some way inferior. What it expresses is precisely the itching, smarting, writhing awareness of an inferiority which the patient refuses to accept.

And therefore, resents. Yes, and therefore resents every kind of superiority in others; denigrates it, wishes it’s annihilation. Presently, he suspects every mere difference of being a claim to superiority…

Here’s a good fellow who says he doesn’t like hot dogs, thinks himself too good for them, no doubt…If they weren’t honest to God all right Joes they’d be like me. They’ve no business to be different. It’s undemocratic.”

And again, Lewis wrote:

The demand for equality has two sources; one of them is among the noblest, the other is the basest, of human emotions.  The noble source is the desire for fair play.  But the other source is the hatred of superiority…

Equality (outside mathematics) is a purely social conception.  It applies to man as a political and economic animal.  It has no place in the world of the mind.  Beauty is not democratic; she reveals herself more to the few than to the many…

Virtue is not democratic; she is achieved by those who pursue her more hotly than most men.  Truth is not democratic; she demands special talents and special industry in those to whom she gives her favours.  Political democracy is doomed if it tries to extend its demand for equality into those higher spheres.  Ethical, intellectual, or aesthetic democracy is death.

There are numerous immature folks out there who might mistakenly refer to themselves as “soldiers of Christ.” They may even seek to pull you down to their level. Resist this temptation with all the power of Jesus.

Don’t let the NAM (New Age Movement) seduce you and your circle with its schemes.  We trust you’re not of this vein, but are pressing on to further maturity in Jesus Christ so you may enter into life and hear well done.

Have your senses trained by our powerful Helper, the Holy Spirit, to discern good from evil.

Philippians 3:10-16 beautifully shows this wonderful truth for us when that happens:

…that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.

Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect (flawless), but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude; and if in anything you have a different attitude, God will reveal that also to you; however, let us keep living by that same standard to which we have attained.

You may move to read Part 2 of this series by clicking here.

Your may also read T. Austin Sparks’ Spiritual Ascendency work here.

Every grace today, beloved…

Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.

Your friend and brother in fighting the good fight,

Marc

+++

Saints, we’re one day closer to Home, and Him! Love Him wholeheartedly!

Marc and Walk Worthy are supported in part by the body of Jesus Christ. Please consider donating on a regular basis:

www.WalkWorthy.org/donate

You may view our Archives here: MONDAY MANNA – ARCHIVES; Complete Archives. May our Father richly bless you with His grace, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in order to walk worthy of His name.

Please comment on this post right below. Feel free to write and proclaim your leadings in the Spirit in an honorable fashion.

Marc White, Director, Walk Worthy Ministries, www.WalkWorthy.org