As A Child - by David Heisler

As a Child - Facebook note 28th July

“Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child shall in no wise enter therein.” Luke 18.17

You will note that Jesus did not say “in a child-like manner”. Often that’s what we want Him to say. No. He said “as a child”. So, what’s the difference? I think it’s all in your attitude.

“Child-like” never grows up. I understand “child-like” has certain good attributes – acceptance - unquestioning – dependent – things like that. But the problem with “child-like” is that He is perceived as a separate being – apart from me - that I try to imitate and obey.

“As a child” is a whole different thought and approach. You note that Jesus said the child will “receive the kingdom”. Jesus did not say the child will “see the kingdom” or “live in the kingdom” – no, He said “receive the kingdom”.

The time of being “child-like” is over. The time of perceiving Him as afar off, waiting for us to pray Him into action while He evaluates our self-imposed obedience is at an end.

More on that in Part II

Part Two

So we see there is a difference between “as a child” and “child-like”.

The one who is “child-like” bounces around with “every wind of doctrine”. Rather than “receive the Kingdom” the “child-like” one tries to create his own kingdom through a “Christian process”. The word of Jesus is never good enough. So the process begins with bible study, learning how to pray, submitting yourself to your perceived Christian authority, attending every “Christian seminar”, attending every “Christian” activity – why? – so he can “become” a better Christian”.

“Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” [2 Tim. 3.7] “That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine …” [Eph. 4.14]

The “child” is different than the “child-like” You cannot lie to a child. When Jesus says - the child “receives the kingdom”. The “kingdom” is Jesus. He is received. He is internalized. He is not a separate being. The child takes Jesus at His word and doesn’t try to make it happen. The child simply receives. Jesus, in fact, IS the kingdom. The King and His kingdom have come into the child. The child “receives” the truth of the fact that “he is crucified with the King [Christ]” and now the King lives in the child – as the child – being the lover of the child’s lost world.

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Comment on Part Two by Chris Welch Facebook

So good thanks for sending it.A flash of something went through me yesterday as I mused on the Facebook conversation on being like a child...as to the simplicity of it being to do with childlike in heart.The child in the Spirit is still locked in his surface thinking.One reason he or she gets blown around is because holding Spirit truth in a receptacle that's not made for it just doesn't fully ever work,and you're blown by the Heisler wind,(I mean only an outer intellectual appreciation of what you are actually saying) or the DuToit wind, or the faith ministry wind, or the practical works wind....but it's all "out there wind" and not inner wind, and helping us to connect with who God made us, and what He's doing today in us. Proverbs 3:5-6 is SO the way into the third level and away from linear thinking on storm tossed waves.As we acknowledge Him in ALL our ways as us, He straightens our paths and untangles them.Doctrine ceases to be something "out there" in separation,but something that is inseparable from the True Me. So we have two strangely parallel existences: the spiritually immature looking down their noses at us and scoffing at us for being so immature,and for "our truth" sounding rather simplistic and self-evident to the intellect, or worse annoyingly obtuse.And then there's us not being at all impressed by a clever doctrine if it doesn't have legs,- if it doesn't walk." A Proverb in the mouth of a fool is like a man with lame legs". Our teaching may be simple sounding and lacking programmes and hoops to jump through, but through experience and trial and error, we KNOW this one WORKS, in fact it is the ONLY thing in the Universe that WORKS....so we view all other unrelated cul de sacs of learning as pretty much that....dead ends. Christ's own Living Word has its own resident power within it to do the job. Man's clever teaching doesn't go anywhere. A generation later Bertrand Russell is all but a forgotten name.