Truth and Reality

Truth and Reality - Gifts from the Crystal LakeTo begin with:The household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar andsupport of the truth. 1 Tim 3:15And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal.Rev 4:6.1.That which is timeless.That which is forever new.That which cannot change.That is what the House is meant to minister. The House, the Church is set up as a fellowship to provide truth. The House is meant to move along paths of prayer and fellowship for the sake of ministering the gift of truth and reality to this age. The Church is placed amidst change to demonstrate that which cannot change. She is bound to plant timelessness in every tiny moment of restlessness. Her gift to this senseless world is the gift of veracity, of reality. You have come here to give this particular gift to our time and to our morally and spiritually poverty stricken societies. The House is meant to move along paths of prayer and fellowship to give support to each and every individual as well as institution where truth is sought for. You have come here for a purpose. You have come here for the purpose of supporting truth and veracity. And this is beyond time. It is bound up with timelessness, it is bound up with eternity.L. W.

2. The House declares arrival. The Church displays finality. The Body of Christ has come to that which cannot change. The Body is held to its course by its author, the author and finisher of its faith. The House is a point of ongoing arrival. The prophetic mark which it carries is that of continual returning, a returning again and again to the Word of God. Most people see the Church as a point of departure, but the prophetic community defines her as a point of arrival. There is yet again a need of a coming back, a returning to eternal values, to what the Lord has purposed. The Church is in itself the great arrival to the purposes of God, to the first and final purpose of God. ”Learn to do right. Make justice all your aim.” Jes 1:17, Moffatt. ”A ’citadel of justice’ shall you be, a true and trusty City.” Jes 1:26, Moffatt. The major issue as to church practice and presence is not one of authority. She is welcomed and recognised by her integrity and authenticity. She is made known by carrying these timeless elements in her heart, not by an iron rod in her hand. Her beauty beyond comprehension is the Newness of Life, her ministry in Newness of Life - Rom 6:4. If there is anything new about her, it is the newness, the freshness in her continuous return to the purposes of God. The freshness is the fragrance of a life that is constantly occupied with the search for what is truly true, that which is of eternal quality, that which holds that peculiar timeless substance.L. W.

3. There is an endless and futile quest going on, generated by a need to stay in touch with what is of this world, a quest for ”windows of opportunity”. It is a contradiction of what is timeless. It is a contradiction to what is gathered up in the purpose of the House. This quest is summed up in the small, but indeed pertinent question: ”What is God doing now?”. ”We have to stay in touch with what God is doing now.” This way of perceiving reality is an outcome of a faulty understanding of who God is and what he has in mind as to purpose and goal. Do we dare to search for one single point of change in him? The whole concept of godhood would disintegrate if we were to find such a point in his being or in his dealings with man, which were to be submitted to change.Where do you live your life? Do you live your life before the Throne with eternal elements in view. Or do you live amidst earthly change which forces you to change and make changes any and every minute according to the whims of a society which has made arbitrary rule its lord and saviour. Do you live by words from pastors and so called prophets ringing in your ears who declare this and then that and then moving on to the next thing, never waiting for anything to come true, never working anything through to a solid fulfilment. How do you live your Christian life? Is the Father to find anything of timeless value, of Heaven, at the core of your living and loving? Is the world to find anything there which is worth taking heed of reacting to?

4. Truth is not a matter of being informed, not even being educated by the best of mentors. Many try to gather knowledge in large quantities, but most of them tend to have missed the most important piece, 1 Cor 13. Truth belongs to the realm of being and living rather than to the area of data and complex calculation or to the realm of sublime and sophisticated speculation. To be true is far closer to the goal set up in terms of timeless substance than presenting truths perfectly ordered and eloquently mastered. Truth cannot be gathered, owned and then forced upon others. It belongs to the realm of being, it is intrinsically tied to the art of living, to the art of living in fellowship before the Throne.Truth is a matter of presence, of eternal elements. Someone is there producing, presenting and protecting these elements. ”Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom.” Ps 51:6. One does not possess the truth, one is made true. ”I am the Lord who search the heart and prove the reins.” Jer 17:10. The presence of the Spirit of Truth produces and plants this timeless quality which indeed is the embodiment of the purpose of the Father.Love for the Truth is an irrevocable manifestation of fellowship before the Throne. To formulate the same thing as a negative statement: The lack of reality in our many Christian gatherings is determined by a void as to presence. The thoroughgoing need of, and cry for the extraordinary, for spiritual manifestations is a radical display of the lack of timeless substance, the absence of Him who alone is able to lead the people of God into reality. He is the Spirit of Truth, He guards the Truth, He watches over and guards the possibilities for His own presence. What He is looking for and searching for, what He must have and what He regards as an absolute necessity, is the love for, the intense, all-consuming love for Truth. Where this love is to be found, the Spirit of prophecy is to be found.

4. Truth is not a matter of being informed, not even being educated by the best of mentors. Many try to gather knowledge in large quantities, but most of them tend to have missed the most important piece, 1 Cor 13. Truth belongs to the realm of being and living rather than to the area of data and complex calculation or to the realm of sublime and sophisticated speculation. To be true is far closer to the goal set up in terms of timeless substance than presenting truths perfectly ordered and eloquently mastered. Truth cannot be gathered, owned and then forced upon others. It belongs to the realm of being, it is intrinsically tied to the art of living, to the art of living in fellowship before the Throne.Truth is a matter of presence, of eternal elements. Someone is there producing, presenting and protecting these elements. ”Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom.” Ps 51:6. One does not possess the truth, one is made true. ”I am the Lord who search the heart and prove the reins.” Jer 17:10. The presence of the Spirit of Truth produces and plants this timeless quality which indeed is the embodiment of the purpose of the Father.Love for the Truth is an irrevocable manifestation of fellowship before the Throne. To formulate the same thing as a negative statement: The lack of reality in our many Christian gatherings is determined by a void as to presence. The thoroughgoing need of, and cry for the extraordinary, for spiritual manifestations is a radical display of the lack of timeless substance, the absence of Him who alone is able to lead the people of God into reality. He is the Spirit of Truth, He guards the Truth, He watches over and guards the possibilities for His own presence. What He is looking for and searching for, what He must have and what He regards as an absolute necessity, is the love for, the intense, all-consuming love for Truth. Where this love is to be found, the Spirit of prophecy is to be found.

5. To perceive perfectly is always a matter of position. To hear clearly is indeed a matter of being within earshot. To be offered a place in the stalls is oftentimes a mark of favour. In every setting one will find a desirable ”in front of”. The right place, the best place always holds highest potential as to receiving and obtaining, it will always offer the most in regards to perfecting the experience at hand. No distortion there, high fidelity, superb tracking, monitoring at its best.And before the throne there was, as it were, a sea of glass like crystal.Rev 4:6.And I saw, as it were, a sea of glass mixed with fire, and those who had come off victorious from the beast and from his image and from the number of his name, standing on the sea of glass, holding harps of God. Rev 15:2.A crystal lake right before the throne, and the saints standing on it. In front of, the perfect position, and the perfected saints perfectly at peace while standing there. No effort to take up a single one of those harps to disturb the deep serenity. What would they bring if they were to come back to earth out from that flawless and perfected state and position? And yet, saints are to enter and to return from that priestly position daily. What would they bring?Isn’t it true that He is holy and true, Rev 6:10? Isn’t it true that He is the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God, Rev 3:14? Isn’t it true that anyone who enters the fellowship of the saints who are gathered before the Lord, standing on that lake of crystal, would bring little but crystal out from that place? This is what the House represents.Are you asking what that precious material really is? Substantiated eternity. The godliness of the dwellers of the Kingdom. Newness of life. That timeless element which only the cross of Christ will produce in man. Authenticity rests with this. Reality is bound up with this. Authority rests with this timeless element, the character of God, this Newness of Life which is obtained while standing with the saints in the middle of that crystal flow. Perfect consistency. No contradictions. No distortion. Not even a shadow or tendency to darker colours.

6. And, being true in love, we may increase to Him in all things, who is the head - the Christ. Eph 4:15 - Young.Spiritual increase is fundamentally linked to truth. Enlargement in the spiritual realm is indeed connected to love for the truth. Growth unto manhood will not materialise unless this particular love grows. Truth is substantiated presence, is crystallised presence. Being spiritually inclined and at the same time being out of touch with reality is one of those popular contradictions in the modern Church.In the prophetic dimension we find certain concepts without which this very sensitive realm would fall apart and fall apart rapidly. Veracity is one of those items and issues which out of necessity must receive proper attention. The habit of being true. The deep-rooted custom of being real. The fixed and constant routine of attending to what is of the light. That is what it is to be veracious. That is what is meant to bring in something of the essence of the Crystal Lake.The Holy Spirit speaks truth. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. Consistency. That timeless element. He never speaks anything new, anything which is never heard of. His role is to plant Newness of Life, which indeed is the mystery of godliness - 1 Tim 3:14-16. The modern Church is set on a quest for hidden wisdom in the name of prophecy and novelty, rather than acquiring a familiarity and consistency with the obvious and fundamental truths of the Gospel. There is nothing new at the Crystal Lake, only Newness of Life, only plain spiritual reality in purity. Being firmly positioned there is the role of the House. To be firmly positioned there is the point of arrival, an arrival unto the eternal purpose of God.

7. Truth shining forth from a humble and loving heart is convincing as to matters of heavenly character. Truth shining forth from a personality which has become a vessel for the timeless elements brings conviction. Communion at the lake convicts. Communion brings controversy because it reflects and embodies reality in its final and refined state. Priesthood, the fundamental ministry of the House, the basic concept of ministry in the Kingdom, moves to the forefront as Truth is being sought for. This ministry is not as popular as many other, due to its connection to sacrifice and sufferings as well as its absolute position as to truth. Priests were meant to be teachers of truth as well as being judges - Ez 43:23 - 24.He did make us kings and priests to his God and Father - Rev 1:6. Priests ministering reality. Priests worshipping in spirit and truth. Priests positioned in front of the Throne. Many other ministries are easily converted into something that serves personal interests. They easily help you find a good title to carry in front of you. But the role of a priest speaks death to personal ambition, but life unto God. It brings division for the sake of truth, peace and fellowship. And this fellowship goes far deeper than the common concept of unity. This fellowship belongs to the crystal realm. This fellowship is life, rather than agreements. To become one takes fellowship, it takes hearts willing to yield to Him who alone is True.

8. In this realm of existence the cross of Christ becomes the final authority. In this realm of existence the cross of Christ acts as the instrument of judgment unto life. The cross is the absolute line of division. No one will ever be able to move from one side to the other without a radical change within, a salvation through the sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth - 2 Thess 2:13.The Newness of Life will always take you back to what is of eternal value. You will be brought back to the first beginnings, the original idea. In the beginning was the Word, in the beginning was reason, and wisdom. In the beginning, He created for the intent of displaying timeless elements. When He works within His creation, it is done for the sake of the recovering of these timeless elements. He brings us back to beginnings to be able to secure a proper roundup of what He intended from the beginning. Anything which to us will have the distinct features of newness will always be found to have its roots properly sunk into what is of eternal character.In this realm of existence the cross of Christ will have final authority. The prophetic realm is not really a movement unto something new, a movement forward. The prophetic movement is set to re-conquering and recovering the eternal purposes of the Father. Prophets are sent to this world and certainly to the Church to bring it back to obedience, to thorough adherence to truth, to a full display of reality as it is perceived at the Crystal Lake. The Church is indeed meant to be and become the vessel of veracity.Mush is said concerning the need of an awakening. To add to it and to condense it, it must be said that an awakening as to position and purpose is of greatest importance. It is to be defined as an absolute necessity to recover the insight into the ministry of the interior by which timeless elements are secured for the sake of bringing salvation to our world in this final hour.

9. Be not led astray, my brethren beloved; every good giving, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the lights, with whom is no variation, or shadow of turning; having counselled, He did beget us with a word of truth, for our being a certain first-fruit of His creatures. Jas 1:16-18.No change. Habitually truthful and honest. For ever consistent. Very real. Absolutely genuine. Veracious. The true light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. The very Spirit of Truth. A constant agreement, in fullness of fellowship and solid testimony constituting what will for ever be the Truth, the only truth that ever will exist.The House of God is set up in this world to carry within itself a testimony to this truth, this timeless element. The House of God, which is an assembly of the living God - a pillar and foundation of the truth. 1 Tim 3:15.A ’citadel of justice’ shall you be, a true and trusty City.

Dear Hanna and readers,Yes, I cut the article in nine parts to make it a bit more accessible in this forum.Lars

"We" can never fight and overcome the earthly -- we are the earthly.In my efforts to try to begin to define what is of us and what is of God, I have found quite a few things which is worth taking note of,but this one nails it harder than most.Bless you all,L. W.