“Spiritual Street People”
The motivation and title for this month’s article come from a true story which many of you have probably heard at one time or another. This story best sets the stage for what the Lord has placed on my heart concerning the state of The Body of Christ today. It is the sad but true story of Stanley William McKenna Walker:
Stanley William McKenna Walker was the son of a wealthy British shipbuilder. At age 50, he was the heir to a $4 million estate in England. But, this man had become a wino on Chicago’s skid row. For many years, he barely survived by eating leftover garbage and sleeping in two-bit hotels. When his millionaire father died, the authorities searched throughout the saloons and flophouses of Chicago, trying to find him so they could inform him of his new inheritance. When they finally located him, they discovered that he had just died the night before in the doorway of a Chicago rescue mission. How sad that Stanley Walker missed out on a lifetime of all the riches that were rightfully his. He could have lived as a king but instead he lived and died as a pauper. What is more tragic is that Stanley Walker is a picture of the way many Christians unnecessarily live and die as spiritual street people, struggling to survive, in bondage to sin, all because they don’t know about all the wealth that is available to them in Jesus Christ. As James would say, “My brethren, these things ought not to be this way” (James 3:10b). A better life has been provided for us in Christ (John 10:10b).
The phrase, “spiritual street people” was used by The Holy Spirit to fill my heart with compassion for this describes the way many Christians live today. Therefore, it is important to “examine yourselves whether ye be in the faith: [to] prove your own selves” (2 Corinthians 13:5a). Are you struggling to survive today? Are you in bondage to sin and feeling helpless to get free? If so, you are living unnecessarily as a spiritual street person. You are in bondage when you could be enjoying the liberty for which Christ has set you free (Galatians 5:1). Considering this desperate situation, it is important to look to the liberating Truth of God’s Holy Word in Ephesians 1:1-7. This is the message Satan fears will be heard and The Apostle Paul fears will not. It is a passage of Scripture that not only tells us about the riches we have in Christ but also how to appropriate them in our daily life. This is critically important because many Christians know, at least intellectually, they are rich in Christ but do not know how in a practical sense to appropriate those riches. They have not yet learned the account number that empowers them to draw upon God’s rich account for them. Listen to Paul’s words from God to the saints who are at Ephesus and who are faithful in Christ Jesus:
“1. Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints who are at Ephesus, and who are faithful in Christ Jesus: 2. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, 4. just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved. 7. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace, (Ephesians 1:1-7)”
Here Paul, as one sent from God, shares three wonderful truths and teaches us how to appropriate them so we don’t have to live as spiritual street people. First, Paul says YOU AND I ARE BLESSED. Ephesians 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” You and I should worship and praise God because we are blessed with not just some but every spiritual blessing we need. We have everything necessary for life and life abundant (see Colossians 2:10 and John 10:10). So, if that is true (AND IT IS!), why do so few Christians enjoy spiritual blessings and abundant life? Could it be we don’t know how to appropriate spiritual blessings? Could it be we have not yet learned? Notice, Paul says the spiritual blessings are “in the heavenly places in Christ”. What does that mean? Many people think it refers to heaven. In other words, these aren’t blessings for us now but when we get to heaven. Granted, there will be many blessing for you and I in heaven’s glory but the phrase here means in the spiritual realm as opposed to the earthly realm. And those blessings in the spiritual realm as opposed to the earthly realm are contained in a person, Jesus Christ. Thus, the blessings referred to are meant for today not when we get to heaven. Otherwise, Christ would have a diminished role as our Advocate and High Priest.
Since these blessings are in the spiritual realm, we don’t access them as we would earthly blessings. Earthly blessings are achieved, if done ethically and legally, through your own good works, your hard effort and the sacrifice of blood, sweat and tears. For example, you set a goal such as obtaining a college degree, a job promotion, etc. Then, you keep focused on that goal and work hard to achieve it. If you are successful, you realize your hard efforts made the earthly blessing possible. But with “spiritual blessings in the heavenly places in Christ” it is different. The hard work, the effort, the blood, sweat and tears are graciously rendered and accomplished on your behalf by another. The work is already done. You only have to accept it by faith and live in the trust that it is already accomplished – because it is!
This principle, which applies to appropriating all spiritual blessings, is best illustrated by salvation. Salvation is a “spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ”. When Jesus died on the cross for your sins and mine, He said, “It is finished” or paid in full. He did all the work for us – He did all the achieving but for us it is grace – an unmerited favor He obtained for us. But the blessing of salvation doesn’t benefit you or I until we repent of our earthly way of achieving blessings and trust totally in Christ. We must trust he did all the work for us. Therefore, I must personally place my faith in his finished work at Calvary and not my own efforts if I want to appropriate the blessing of salvation. That is why Paul would later say, “For by grace are ye saved through faith: and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God; Not of works, lest any man should boast.” (Ephesians 2:8, 9). In earthly blessings you work to achieve the goal. In spiritual blessings, the goal is already achieved, the work is already done. You live in the trust it is done for you.
Second, Paul says you need not live as a spiritual street person because YOU ARE CHOSEN. Listen to Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:4-6: “just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and blameless before Him. In love 5. He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will, 6. to the praise of the glory of His grace which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.” Without focusing on a debate between Election and Free Will, we should accept by faith that the Bible teaches both – they are parallel tracks that never cross. Instead, we should focus on the joys of being chosen. First, if God had not chosen us, we would all be dead in our trespasses and sins. The Bible clearly states: “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Romans 3:10). We have all like sheep gone astray (Isaiah 53:6). Thus, without being chosen, we have no hope in the world.
Second, we have been chosen “in Him” meaning Christ. This assures our eternal security. God cannot disown us anymore than He could His own Son in whom He is well pleased. Third, we were chosen in Christ “before the foundation of the world.” This gives us value and identity. We are not an accident or an afterthought in God’s mind. We were on His heart from the beginning. He loves us and before the foundation of the world made provision for us in Christ “that we should be holy and blameless before Him.” The word “holy” implies that we have been made whole – it means we are now complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10) – the missing part has been found – the empty space has been filled. Also, “holy” means you and I have been set apart for God’s purposes. “In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ.” In other words, like with the “spiritual blessings in heavenly places”, the hard work, the effort, the blood, sweat and tears are graciously rendered and accomplished on your behalf by another. The work is already done.
You only have to accept it by faith and live as if it is already accomplished. You are already holy and blameless and the purposes you are to fulfill are already predestined. That is why Paul says later in this letter: “For we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2:10).” Notice God did this “according to the kind intention of His will” not our will. God has made provision in Christ for His wonderful plan for us to be completed as we live holy and blameless before him. Isn’t that wonderful? Is that not what God says to us through His prophet Jeremiah? “For I know the plans that I have for you declares the Lord, plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11).” God wants to enrich our lives by our walking in the kind intention of His will, which will be the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.
This principle can be illustrated by the story of a young married couple building their first home. The plans for their home are drawn up and tailored to their personal needs. The plans for this home represent what God has ordained for our life. He has already drawn up the plans and they are tailored made for each of us to give us a future and a hope. However, the house is not yet built even though the plans are completed. You might say God the Father chose the house, God the Son purchased the house and God the Holy Spirit is building the house according to the Father’s plan. As construction on the house continues, the couple excitedly watches its progress. Every two to three days the couple monitors the progress. They do this so they can personally experience the joy of seeing their own home go up. They see the foundation being laid, the frame going up, the roof, interior walls and so forth until the house is completed. They can rejoice in this process as they reflect on each completed stage and look forward to living in their new home when the work is finished. This is a picture of the kind intention of the Father’s will and His promise to us (read Philippians 1:6). Therefore, we should gladly “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5, 6).
Believers, God has written the last chapter and we know how the story ends. We come out as victors not victims. We have a future and a hope. Thus, in light of this truth, Jesus says, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also (John 14:1-3).
Finally, Paul says YOU ARE FREE. You need not live as a spiritual street person because God has set you free from such a lifestyle. Listen to Paul’s words in Ephesians 1:7: “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace,” Christ has paid the purchase price and he paid the price in full to set you free. You no longer need to sleep in the doorway of a rescue mission, struggling to survive and in bondage to sin. Paul tells us “that our old man is crucified with him [meaning Jesus] that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth, we should not serve sin (Romans 6:6). “Sin no longer has dominion over you for ye are not under the law, but under grace (Romans 6:14). Again, the hard work, the effort, the blood, sweat and tears to set us free are graciously rendered and accomplished on our behalf by another. The work is already done. “If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed (John 8:36).” You only have to accept it by faith and live in the trust that it is already accomplished – because it is! You have in Christ the spiritual blessings in heavenly places to be free from your three arch enemies: Satan, The World and Your Flesh.
An article I recently read asked this question: If The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery in the United States on December 18, 1865, how many slaves were there on December 19? Of course, the answer is none. There didn’t have to be any. But, the article stated not all salves knew about it. Some plantation owners didn’t let them know about it. They reasoned, As long as these people think they’re still slaves, the Emancipation Proclamation will have no practical effect. As long as we keep them from learning the truth, our control over them will not even be challenged. Even if they hear about the Thirteenth Amendment, we’ll just tell them that they’ve misunderstood it. We’ll tell them that they are going to be free someday, not that they are free already. And as long as they continue to do what slaves do, it will not be hard to convince them that they are still nothing but slaves. How sad that this is still true for many Christians today.
We must remember that The Bible says, “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1).” Christian, don’t live another moment like Stanley William McKenna Walker or fall for the lies of the enemy. God is able to keep you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy (Jude 24).
Now that you know how to appropriate the riches available to you in Christ, DO SO. After all, Jesus said, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them (John 13:17).” If you do you will experience this joy of knowing on a personal level that “…my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Now to our God and Father be the glory forever and ever. Amen (Philippians 4:19-20).
