FIVE SMOOTH STONES - The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherds Bag

FIVE SMOOTH STONES — The Five Ascension Gifts in the Heavenly Shepherd’s Bag

Jesus said - “ I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you .” (John 14:18) and, “ For I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord !’” Matthew 23:39 Jesus told us that He would come to those who follow Him. While the Church is often preoccupied with His ultimate “ return ” they have missed His coming. This is not His will, but certainly is a work of satan to hinder the Lord from appearing to His Church and manifesting Himself. The spirit of Diotrephes has robbed the Church of too much of this blessing. John 10:10 “ The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. 11a “I am the good shepherd… ” I think it is important also to note when dealing with this spirit in the Church, the apostle John said that if he comes, he will deal directly with Diotrephes. Again, we should note the humility of John versus the arrogance of Diotrephes. The humility of John takes an aggressive approach against the arrogance of Diotrephes. John’s humility is expressed throughout the New Testament in how he served others, most notably watching over Peter after the events in the Garden on the night Jesus was betrayed, continuing through the resurrection events at the tomb, on to the Ascension and Pentecost, and the several events acknowledging him in the book of Acts. In his gospel he referred to himself simply as “ The disciple whom Jesus loved .” I think humility is an essential counter measure in dealing with this spirit. 1 Peter 5:5 tells us that God opposes the arrogant, but gives grace to the humble. Not everyone is called to directly confront this spirit, but God will give grace for dealing with it to those who are called. Likewise, it is important to remain positive and in faith. It is necessary to guard our hearts with all diligence and protect the love of God when doing so. We all can be involved in the harvest, discipling and receiving those who are sent in the Name of the Lord, despite the spirit of Diotrephes. Just as Jesus has angels to gather out of His kingdom those who practice lawlessness, He has those, like the apostle John, who have the anointing and calling to directly confront the spirit of Diotrephes.

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