February 19
Make every effort to keep the
unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace (Ephesians 4:3 NIV).
The new creation is a
company, it is a Body indwelt by the Holy Spirit, actuated by the Holy Spirit,
actually made one by the Holy Spirit. “In one Spirit were we all baptized
into one body” (1 Cor. 12:13). The oneness is the oneness of the Holy
Spirit. “Giving diligence to keep the unity of the Spirit” (Eph. 4:3),
not to make it but to keep it. A new
creation.
Well now, of course that is
just the key that opens the door to everything when you see what new creation
Life means. And with that you introduce the whole matter of the proper order,
the proper regulated order of heavenly Life. Heavenly Life is according to
heavenly law. It is not lawless. Each member of this body is not a law unto
himself or herself. We are bound by this integrating, regulating law, that we
are not allowed to be independent. Here the Holy Spirit forbids it. We are not
allowed to take the law into our own hands. We are not allowed to act as
individuals; the Holy Spirit will not allow it. There is a regulating order
with this Life. This Life expresses itself according to its own laws, as life
does in every part of the organic creation. It follows its own lines. That part
of the creation follows the laws of the life that it possesses, and this is the
Life of the Spirit, and you have not to organize or systematize this.
Immediately you begin to do it, you bring death in. It is as fatal to try and
make a New Testament church after the New Testament pattern as it is to have no
pattern at all! It can be deathly to do that. The thing happens if the Life has
its way. We have learned this, yet, much as we know about the truth, we are
still so much governed by our own natural life, even in our spiritual
activities. There is disorder and running before the Spirit. However, we are
all in the school, and we are just stating the laws, the principles and the
truth that here you have no need to go and organize something on a New
Testament basis. It will come about if the Holy Spirit is really having His way
in terms of Life.
By T.
Austin-Sparks from: The Testimony of
the Christ - Chapter 7
This photograph is from a Facebook page called Live Life in Color.
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