Issues Of Faith

• Letter on: Leaving Jesus Behind

The text for this message is taken from Luke 2:41-51.

When Jesus was 12 years old, his parents went to Jerusalem to observe the feast of Passover, as they did every year. And when the feast was over, they returned to Nazareth of Galilee, not knowing that they had left Jesus behind. Whilst returning on this particular occassion, they suppossed that Jesus was in their company, and among their kinsfolk and acquaintance. It was a baseless assumption, as they did not ensure at the start of their homeward bound journey, that Jesus was really in their midst, and with them. But thank God for the realisation that came upon them, before they got home! They had only gone a full day's journey, without Christ! What a realisation, and what a wasted journey! But thank God for the door of opportunity they still had to get Christ.

I have to thank God for the thirst, which the absence of Jesus leaves upon the heart of God's predestinated seeds, the family of God's redeemed people. This thirst came upon them, and they had to take inventory, lest they got home without Jesus! They could proceed no further, and called a halt to their journey, as they sought for his presence. The void Jesus left was unmistakable, and realising they didn't have him, they had only two options: Either return to find Jesus, or continue on home without him, and pressume he would meet them at the end of their journey. The latter was too costly for them, for it leaves no room for amendment, and they wisely chose the former. But they also had a revelation of Jesus, to know where to find him: He can only be found where the Word is, for he is the truth!!! There they found him! Oh, what a joy! What a re-union! What a relief! The rest of the story is history, but a very material and highly instructive history, particularly to us living in this dark final hours of human history, a grave hour Bible prophecies cried out about, particularly in 1Tim.4:1-6; 2Tim.4:1-4; Luke18:8(b). As it is written: " THESE THINGS HAPPENED UNTO THEM FOR ENSAMPLES: AND THEY ARE WRITTEN FOR OUR ADMONITION, UPON WHOM THE ENDS OF THE WORLD ARE COME." - 1COR.10:11.

The scene related above, typifies in every essence, the reality we face today as bride saints, in our kingdom journey, as 1 Cor.10:11 points out. We cannot afford to leave Jesus behind. We have to ensure that he is not only in our lives, but that he is at the centre of our lives, lest we leave him behind unknowingly. We cannot afford to assume, simply because of our decision for Christ, and our unbroken Church service attendance, that Christ is truly and really wih us. The "Church" body can assume; the preachers can assume; a convention can be held with the assumption that Jesus is in their midst, when in fact, they may have left Jesus far behind, much more than a day's journey; but you, as an elected individual seed of God, cannot afford to assume: You must be certain of Christ!!!

In a true spiritual application of our text passage scenario, according to the Scriptures, we can only have Jesus with us, and in our midst, when we have a true revelation of his Word abiding with us and in us. This is because Christ is revealed in his Word, as he is not here physically with us. But notice that the Spirit and the Word are one, and you cannot truly have one without the other, as John 6:63 states: The Word is Spirit. But that Spirit, is the Spirit of truth, the Spirit of the Word ( John 16:12 ). You therefore cannot have the spiritual presence of Christ, outside truth. In other words, true communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ therefore, is manifested solely in the truth, even as it is written: "HE THAT HATH MY COMMANDMENTS, (i.e. my truths; my words; my revelations), AND KEEPETH THEM, (i.e. upholds and stands for them), HE IT IS THAT LOVETH ME: (i.e.the person that truly loves Christ,) AND HE THAT LOVETH ME SHALL BE LOVED OF MY FATHER, AND I WILL LOVE HIM, AND WILL M-A-N-I-F-E-S-T MYSELF TO HIM ( i.e. establish true communion and fellowship with him ). JUDAS SAITH UNTO HIM, NOT ISCARIOT, LORD, HOW IS IT THAT THOU WILT MANIFEST THYSELF UNTO US, ( i.e. to those of us holding to truth), AND NOT UNTO THE WORLD? (i.e. not to everybody?). JESUS ANSWERED AND SAID UNTO HIM, IF A MAN LOVE ME (i.e. truly loves me, and not a mere profession), HE WILL KEEP MY WORDS: AND MY FATHER WILL LOVE HIM, AND WE WILL COME UNTO HIM, AND MAKE OUR ABODE WIH HIM (i.e. the abiding presence of Christ is based on truth). HE THAT LOVETH ME NOT KEEPETH NOT MY SAYINGS: (i.e. our love for truth is the litmus or true test of our love for Christ) AND THE WORD WHICH YE HEAR IS NOT MINE, BUT THE FATHER'S WHICH SENT ME" - JOHN 14:21-24.

From the Words of Christ in John 14 above, it is obvious, and infallibly the case, that true love, fellowship, and communion with Jesus Christ, is revealed or manifested in the truth. When we have the truth, and stand for the truth, therefore, we have Christ, and are standing for Christ! The reverse is also true, that when we deny or reject or tear down truth, we do it to Jesus Christ, and it becomes obvious, we are truly devoid of Christ! Matt. 7:15-20. Simple! There is no other way! We cannot reject the truth in whatever measure, and still enjoy the fellowship and abiding presence of Christ! Impossible!!! By denying and rejecting the truth, we implicitly leave Jesus Christ behind, in our kingdom journey, but Christ will stay with the truth, for he cannot deny himself! Rom.3:3-4. And when this happens, it means that Jesus is no longer with us. And if an assembly stands against the truth, the same spiritual reality of the absence of Christ applies, irrespective of what they think or feel about themselves. We cannot even go by the prophecies they give to pat themselves on the back, but by truth, and by truth alone! The same applies if it is a convention, for you can hold a convention without Christ being in the midst! That is serious, but so true! We just have to look solely in the mirror of God's Word, and God's Word alone, for Rom.3:3-4, as well as Isaiah 8:20 holds!!! It holds, for God must be true, in any and every revelation of truth He gives, and every man, church, and convention, a lie!

Many saints following the continuity of light today, have been put to deep spiritual sleep, by the present day ministry, shutting them off completely from true spiritual reality and focus, and from having a true communion with Christ our Lord, which the truth alone gives. How I pray they would call a halt! How I pray somebody will realise something, and like Mary, awake, that the light may shine on him or her! Rom. 13:11-12, and Eph. 5:14-16. How I pray that a thirst will strike in the heart of some people, and they would realise Jesus is not in their company, but has been left behind! The spirit of this Laodicean age has Christ tightly locked out! Rev. 3:20. How I pray, we don't decide to go on presumptuously, in this pilgrim journey, without making sure that Jesus is truly with us, and in our midst! It is too late an hour, for us not to be certain of his presence.

Have we trampled on the truth somewhere? Have we denied and rejected his Word somewhere? Nomatter how far we have walked; nomatter the years we have toiled and laboured; nomatter the crowd (the company) that follows us; nomatter the togetherness of our kinsfolk we enjoy; if we trample truth, or deny or reject truth, somewhere along the way, right there is where our true walk with Christ terminated and severed! Right there is where we leave Christ behind! For as the Prophet to this age, William Marrion Branham, often stated: "WHERE A TREE LEANS, THERE IT FALLS". And that is exactly what the Scriptures project in ECCL.11:3(b): "IF THE TREE FALL TOWARD THE SOUTH, OR TOWARD THE NORTH, IN THE PLACE WHERE THE TREE FALLETH, THERE IT SHALL BE." It means, where ever you fall, nomatter how long you seem to progress after that, and nomatter how well you think you are doing, until you go back to that place where you fell, until you go back to that point, or to that truth (that stone) you stumbled over, you will never have true spiritual progress. You may have the accolades of friends, kinsfolk and acquaintances; you may travel for years and cover miles, with a huge crowd to cheer you on in your christian walk, or in your ministry, but if you transgressed truth somewhere along the line or way, there your true fellowship with Christ ceased ( Matt. 7:21-27; Prov.8:32-36). FOR IN THE PLACE WHERE THE TREE FALLETH, THERE IT SHALL REMAIN!!! You have to call a halt, just like Mary and Joseph did, and retrace your steps to the truth of Christ you compromised, for there, you will find Jesus.

This message seeks to emphasize and drive home a serious fact of truth: Never travel without Jesus! Make sure Jesus is truly with you, and that you have not left him behind! I have to sound this urgent warning because, many today do not care enough to find out for themselves, if Jesus is truly with them; they care not enough to search out the truth for themselves, but rather, they simply take what the pastor or preacher says as gospel truth, putting themselves to sleep, and thereby derailing themselves from the truth, forgetting the exhortation Apostle Paul gave of the positive, commendable, and desirable attitude of the Berean christians in Acts 17:11-12. This present day followers of truth so-called, simply love and trust their pastor or preacher never to be wrong, when many pastors and preachers have in fact left Jesus far behind in their ministry, pathetically, and the only way to know, is to search out the truth by yourself! Such an attitude that searches out the truth, shows you truly have wisdom, for you do not simply take the word of an estate agent, in buying or acquiring a house or property, but check it out yourself; neither do you take the car dealer's word for it, when buying a car, but you inspect it yourself! How come you show so much sense, zeal, and positive attitude to material things of this world, which shall pass away, and treat spiritual things, things of eternal value, with such levity; such slackness; such apathy and contempt!? I have to ask: WHERE IS YOUR LOVE AND ZEAL FOR TRUTH?! WHERE DOES YOUR PRIORITY LAY?! WHERE LIES YOUR REAL TREASURE???!

The spirit of Laodicea has obviously taken over the lives of many believers so-called, who are following the continuity of revelation, which God used the late Chief Apostle to this age, Brother Jackson, to give to the end time bride, in furtherance of the voice of Rev. 10:7 angel messenger, Brother Branham. You must understand that it is most senseless to leave your eternal destiny, solely into the hands of mortal and fallible men, without double-checking for yourself, to be cetain that they are right, and that they are on course, using the mirror of the absolute and infallible Word of God - the Bible! It is your God given duty to find out, and ensure for yourself, that Jesus is in the camp. You cannot wait until you get to the other side, only to be told, you left Jesus behind! Think seriously about it, and be a wise virgin. You would not be able to use your church or pastor as an excuse for leaving Jesus behind! And as many as leave Jesus behind, will be here to face the anti-christ; for he in turn, will leave them behind!!!

Afterall, it is a well known fact, that many preachers today following the message of the hour, have lost focus, and as such, have stopped preaching Christ: some are preaching mere personalities; some are busy destroying servants of God with so much vigor and venom; some have turned aside to be preaching money (i.e. materialism); some are busy digging for quotes of the Prophet, rather than to search the Scriptures, and have left Jesus Christ far behind; and only few are standing for and preaching the continuiy of revelation, which Jesus Christ gave to us at this end time.

Do not forget, true communion and fellowship with Jesus Christ, is strictly in the light of truth. To leave truth is to leave Christ, and to leave Christ is to leave eternal life. Let us therefore stay with the truth of Christ, and make sure we are standing for that truh, for only then do we truly have Christ with us. But should we fall somewhere along the line, let us go back to where we fell, and start all over from there, for unless we do that, from that point on, there is nothing we do that amounts to a dime, in God's eye, and in God's kingdom, except we be reconciled with the truth. Let us be wise, and make hay while the sun still shines, for the day is so far spent. Don't leave Jesus behind.

HE THAT HATH AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR.

Shalom.

Your brother in the faith of Christ,