By Sidharth Mohandas
I just got back from a conference at Charalkunnu. Pastor Stanley Hickman, a man of God from Pennsylvania, comes every year to teach us God’s Word with a team of 8-10. Every year Pastor Hickman takes us into a different dimension of walking with God, and during the workshop sessions we are divided into many groups and the team that comes with him deals personally with us and teaches us how to practice what is taught.
This time, the teaching was on moving into the deeper things of God. Titto Thomas [new iM author] and I will share what we received from these sessions and also combine it with what the Lord has taught us on the same in a series of posts. Paul tells us in Hebrews 6:1-2 to leave behind foundational teachings of Christ and press on to maturity. I believe majority of the body of Christ is still caught up with foundational doctrines, which is vital, but very few have moved on to answer the call to press onto maturity. Pastor Hickman started the series with the vision the prophet Ezekiel had in Ezekiel 47:1-7. In this vision Ezekiel sees water coming from under the threshold of the temple. A man takes Ezekiel into this water…the water is first ankle-deep, and as he moves forward it becomes knee-deep, and then waist-deep, eventually he could not walk in it for it had turned into a river and he had to swim in it. God asks Ezekiel, “Son of man, do you see this?”. This is the same question I want to ask you and myself today, “Son of man, do you see this?”. God is calling YOU to go deeper in Him. Do you see this call? It doesn’t matter who you are or what you’ve done, God has sent a personal invitation to YOU and calling you to go deeper with Him.
Well and good that God has called us into the deep, but we also need to realize that this means our adversary the devil will keep us from moving into the deep. In the upcoming posts, we hope to deal with his [devils] schemes individually and how we as believers must respond to it and press forward.
Pressing forward into the deep! Thanks Sidarth. I love this passage!
Quick Snap
This I Do…
A great message to start off 2008. I look forward to becoming more aware of the devil’s schemes as I become more mature in Christ.
Makes me think of plants. As the roots grow deeper, the plant grows higher and into greater maturity. We must go deeper to go higher with God. Very good post. Look forward to hearing more.