The Walk

Today while reading the account of Jesus's final visit to the Garden of Gethsemane it occurred to me that his disciples were not spiritually mature. It was their insensitive response to Jesus' desire for them to stand in prayer with Him, on the evening of his arrest, that reveals their immaturity. Each time Jesus knelt in prayer he became more and more spiritually burdened over the eternal importance of the events that were about to unfold. In contrast, each time Jesus approached his disciples for prayer support he found them burdened by their lack of rest and of their inability to grasp the gravity of His spiritual burden. At the most crucial time in the history of mankind Jesus was left to fight this spiritual battle alone.

John 4: 23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is spirit, and those who worship must worship Him in spirit and truth.”

As followers, before the resurrection, the disciples were both chosen and empowered by the prayers, teaching and presence of Jesus. After learning that Jesus was to suffer and die, the disciples were comforted by Him when He said; “ nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away the Helper, will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.” (John: 16: 7) Following His resurrection Jesus appeared to them in His glorified state. Those who were present believed with their whole being that He had risen from the dead! After affirming their belief, Jesus “...breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (John 20:22) Jesus taught; “It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6: 63) Those believers received the Holy Spirit fulfilling the scripture that says, “...that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” (John 3: 6)

Acts 1: 4-5 “ And being assembled together with Him, He commanded them to not depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, which “He said you have heard from Me; for John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

God is a Spirit; His kingdom is spiritual; His believers are filled with the Spirit of Christ and the battles that they face are spiritual ones. The bible teaches; “Put on the full armor of God, so that you may be able to stand up against all the schemes and the strategies and deceits of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore, put on the complete armor of God, so that you will be able to resist and stand your ground in the evil day.” (Ephesians 6: 11-13) The baptism of fire found in the book of Acts chapter 2 was the Lords’ way of effectively equipping the believers to fight the spiritual battles of the Kingdom on earth. The Holy spirit compassionately molds us into Kingdom Warriors as we acknowledge and receive the precious fruit of the Word of God. When we pray the scripture declares; “We are weak and do not know how to pray, so the Spirit steps in and articulates prayers for us with groaning s too profound for words. Don’t you know that He pleads with God for his saints to align their lives with the will of God?” (Romans 8: 26-27)

Mark 13: 35-37 Therefore keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at dawn. If He comes suddenly, do not find him sleeping. What I say to you, I say to everyone: Watch!

Nearly two thousand years have passed since those divinely ordered events unfolded in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus’ dire warning to His disciples was to “watch and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.” (Mark 14: 39) This was a testament to the disciples of Jesus’ time and the believers of today. Their folly is our gain if we glean from their experience. Jesus has entered the garden again, this time in the Spirit, and is issuing His appeal to the present-day believer to watch and pray at this most critical time.

NOTE:

This current world-wide pandemic has been responsible for magnifying the prophetic timeline in the eyes of believers around the world. In two short years this ungodly, multinational political agenda has infected the whole world by eroding constitutional freedoms, job security, personal privacy, personal health, economic security, mental health and religious freedoms, to name a few. When will this chaos end? The bible teaches; “Now learn this lesson from the fig tree: as soon as its twigs get tender and its leaves come out, you know that the summer is near, right at the door. Truly I tell you this generation will not pass away until all these things have happened. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away. But about the time and the hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. Be on guard! Be alert! You do not know when that time will come.” (Mark 13: 28-33)