Freedom Voice Network

The Unrealized Reality

Richard Halverson

Dr. Richard C. Halverson, former Chaplain of the United States Senate, talked with Marshall Shelley, Associate Editor of Leadership, in their tape series, Preaching Today. Marshall Shelley asked:
''Dr. Halverson. Share some thoughts with us on the topic of preaching, and some of the lessons that you have learned.''

Dr. Halverson replied:

''In the three and a half years I have been in the Senate, I have realized that there are two themes that are so important for the church that I tend to touch on either or both of them in all of my preaching.''

''One is the sheer necessity of intercessory prayer. When I came here I sensed that what men and women in public life--those in authority--needed, more than anything else, was for the Church to pray for them.''

''And the second is the Christ-in-you theme. I believe that this theme is the great unrealized reality in the body of Christ. It is not taken seriously at all. Every Christian mouths the words, 'Christ in you, the hope of glory,' and 'I am crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Christ lives in me.' These phrases are even memorized by many believers. Though Christians think that Christ-in-you is a nice thing to believe, they still think they have to DO something. Christ-in-you is a fundamental theme in the Bible that is just not taken seriously.''

The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household? Fear them not therefore: for there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed; and hid, that shall not be known. What I tell you in darkness, that speak ye in light: and what ye hear in the ear, that preach ye upon the housetops. (Matthew 10:24-27)

We, having been given the Spirit of God, in no fractured measure, for God cannot be divided, and being in Christ, are as much Anointed as Jesus was Anointed Himself. The Anointing IS FATHER'S LIFE.

LOVE.  What is it?  We all say that we LOVE. IF we LOVE, then we are what Father said, in Genesis. "And God created MAN in HIS IMAGE", we ARE LOVE, because GOD IS LOVE. 
We have been waiting for all that HE IS, to manifest. While waiting, SOME are missing what they REALLY ARE. Just as, in Jesus' day. They were WAITING for a King that would free them from slavery. And while WAITING, they missed Him. We have been doing the same as those folks.

We think of the sweetie sweet, cuddly, soft, passionate, fuzzy feeling, blood raising, feeling of the natural, when we think of LOVE. But, try this. This is what Father is showing me.
Draw a large heart. Now, take a ruler and mark off small little squares ALL over the heart. Then start naming each and every square:  EX; compassion, caring, desiring, giving, equality, splendour, pouring out of self, willing to give life for or to, enjoyment, touching, lifting up, all you can think of. You will find that there are SO MANY squares STILL untitled. Let me help you fill in some more.
correction, pain, confusion of the Word, hate of (self), horrible experiences, emptiness, loneliness, abuse, lose of life natural), being disliked, being rejected, being despised, sickness, lowliness,  unsettled, doing without, letting go, giving up.

Then ask yourself, have you experienced all of this? If not, you haven't experienced LOVE. For you see, we have to experience all of both, the sweetie sweet and the other side of the coin, to come to the place where we DO truly KNOW and BE LOVE. Because you see, when you come to the true fact that YOU don't exist as YOU and all there is, is Father, THEN we can say, "I LOVE". Not only, "I LOVE", but " I AM LOVE". When we can say this, we have come to realize that God is all there is, so what does that make you?    When we can see LOVE in EVERYONE we see, then we can say, "I AM LOVE". When we can TRULY say "I forgive", and mean it, no thoughts of what was done or said, THEN, we can say, "I AM LOVE".

When we can give and expect NOTHING in return, THEN, we can say, "I AM LOVE". When we have NO NEED, but, just think of what OTHERS NEED, THEN, we can say, "I AM LOVE". Can you look at what's happening NOW, no matter how much it hurts, and see LOVE in the finality of that thing? THEN we can say, "I AM LOVE".

NOW, all this is said to say this, YOU ARE ALREADY LOVE, IF you will allow it to come forth. For, "As HE is in this present arrangement, so are WE".

Father's love, Linda