This book puts the lie to the rather weird sounding random pictures and images, and certainly in the context of the Heavenly Tabernacle, lays out quite clearly what the direct link between "our portion of light" down here and the heavenly reality is. It is our choice entirely what we want to make "ours" here on earth.
David Heisler's "Meaning of Union" series makes it plain: IT IS ALL OURS now....but there has to be a "taking of it". He and I hate any sense of elitism in Christianity. And , to be frank, some of that was still emanating from Ed Miller...or maybe it was just our perception as it is those who first encounter the subject of this blog.
Jesus had a very simple solution for elitism. The Father picked the whole of the Adamic race up in the spirit,squeezed the whole lot together in the palm of His hand and plunged the whole spirit actuality of it into His Son Jesus on the Cross. Every single human that ever lived or will live. Not some elite. As He did that, the whole of creation moaned big time. It went completely dark. The whole area surrounding Golgotha had the oppression of Ausschwitz, Hiroshima after the bomb, and countless other events rolled into one. The spectating centurions and soldiers didnt know what was going on, but they felt it.
But you see in that moment we all completely died. We didnt partially die. The elite didnt die more. There were no elite. We were all absolutely annhilated, then on the third day raised up in Christ. Which is a problem for those who still believe they can live in their own right. And that is a lot of the belief struggle that is the Christian Life. We rather like to think we live in our own right. This is discussed here:
We're not spiritual as the world understands spiritual
My problem with spending the entire time trying to have spiritual encounters is this: we are going to spend eternity doing it, and it dishonours the very real purpose why we were placed here on earth. Someone will say, we were placed here in a material world so we would hunger and inquire into the spiritual. This would appear to be justified by verses such as "Set the mind on the things that are above and not earthly things..."
Maturity in the spirit is not how the world understands the word "spiritual".
The world , or some of the world have this ennobled airy fairy view of Buddhists and Eastern ascetics navel gazing all day, or seated at the tops of the poles contemplating the infinite. And lots of young Christians bring this into Christianity with them and get baptised in the Spirit. How do I know? I think to some extent I did too.
I get the slight impression that David Swan spends too long shutting himself away in the mistaken view that this is what a charismatic leader does in order to rightfully serve his minions every Sunday in his charismatic services.When what a charismatic leader really should do is be a facilitator in encouraging everyone to give and share.
Spiritual in a Christ context is "setting our minds on things that are above", but seen through everything we see around us. Living normally. Understanding that it is ALL in one sense or another God stuff going on. Jesus spent 30 years in our material universe LIVING. The whole charismatic, rather immature version of Christianity hardly honours this at all. Yet all the negatives of being a supposed bastard child, plus all the positives of being in a very mixed race cosmopolitan trading town on a major trade route that was Nazareth, plus possibly being a carpenter like Joseph......all this was caught up in the phrase "He learned by the things that He suffered." But without sin. Learning to live it all IN THE FATHER. The authority of His High priesthood,is in this paragraph in Hebrews 7:15 " And this is clearer still if another priest arises according to the likeness of Melchizedek, who has become such
not on the basis of a law of physical requirement, but according to the power of an indestructible life."
And if it suited the Father for the first "ensample " of this new race to learn in this way.... so it does us too.
And part of the reality of our own authority is learned in the choices and experiences of everyday life. Learning God's life in it all. So setting your mind on things that are above ARE IN THIS CONTEXT.
Perhaps I am being unfair to David Swan, who is after all a bit of a modern pioneer, and so someone had to do it, and write about it. I do not see any distinction between our deepening walk in the Spirit in very real, all too human messes down here, and our deepening awareness as the Body of Christ in realms of the Spirit, and in perhaps our collective worship together.
I think we should from now on be so minded, so armed, that we will take on a committal mind set to explore the depths of both equally.
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