A Relationship With God
By Apostle Eric vonAnderseck
A few nights ago the Lord again visited me in a dream whereas I was
looking down a corridor and I saw a very bright light as a door was
being opened. As I began to travail in the Spirit I awakened.
I was reminded of the scripture in 2 Corinthians 3:18 which says, “But
we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord,
are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the
Spirit of the Lord.”
Do you feel locked out from a meaningful relationship with God?
We just read 2 Corinthians 3:18 in which God describes His relationship
with us. A relationship with God reflects this process of change and
progression from one expression of His glory to the next as each
issuance of grace opens the door for this communion. Having an intimate
relationship with God means that a divine exchange is taking place and
this divine exchange takes place by His mercy expressed in Jesus Christ
who is our peace.
[Listen to the audio teaching “A Relationship With God” by Apostle Eric vonAnderseck delivered November 21, 2015. CLICK HERE]
A Relationship Established Upon Covenant
Have you ever wondered why the word covenant is found 280 times in the
Bible, but the word relationship is not found at all? Not even once!
This is because God uses the word “covenant” to describe the terms of
His engagement with us. And when we engage God on His terms, our life is
a mirror image of the One who called us and embraces us.
The problem in the church today is that believers desire a relationship
with God without covenant. This is like love without commitment or
rules. God uses the analogy of sports to convey to us the importance of
“playing by the rules”.
“And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully.” (2 Timothy 2:5)
God uses sports as an analogy to the covenant in that sports speaks of
playing on a team, working towards common goals, listening to the coach,
winning the game. It's like field goals in a sport, like when you play
soccer or foot ball... when you make a field goal, that's a point that
advances the position of your team. And then you make another point,
which means, now you're progressing to the next level of winning the
game—there's a progression within the game.
And so we, all with open face are changed from glory to glory, we're
continually making these goals, but God is providing us the substance to
make the goal. He's providing us this grace. The same thing when the
coach gives the ball to the team, the team now knows what to do with the
ball, which means, in order to advance their profession, they have to
play according to the rules.
And we play according to the rules, we labor at the altar in the
priesthood of Jesus Christ. And at the altar we see His face. And it's
at the altar that we're also partaking of the enrichment of this grace,
the treasures which are from above, the gifts, the callings, the graces
of God. All these things we're receiving from him for the purpose of
taking on that image for returning to him.
Why Faith is Sidelined
If you don’t know what ministers are saying half the time, you are not
alone. This is the reason for the season of transition back to the
covenant of Jesus Christ. For years ministers have claimed to be God’s
voice, teaching and explaining what it means to be saved and how to know
Jesus.
And then when people complain that there seems to be missing pieces to
their faith a minister will say that this is normal, you’re not supposed
to know truth, that faith is supposed to be this never ending journey
towards the very things God intended for you to have, but you don’t
have… so you need to “claim it” – as if you have to squeeze God for it –
shout it from God—and legally claim it from God as if He is deaf,
crippled, indifferent, or senile.
God fixed this problem by restoring to the church apostles through whom
He restored the original foundation of truth—to reconnect you to the
new covenant. God also called out ministers to stop their destructive
practices. Ministers responded to God’s challenge by taking out their
glue gun. As they had done in the past (a misguided, long-held
tradition) so they’re repeating today– to glue the word “relationship”
on everything.
For example, if you’re feeling out of sorts because you can’t fit true
holiness into your current faith model and that lack of experience has
left a troublesome void, a minister will sooth that hurt by saying,
“Holiness isn’t about rules! It’s about relationship” as if the word
“relationship” will somehow magically connect you to what you need from
God.
Another example, if it seems like you’ve made the declaration over and
over again that “Jesus is the Lord of my life” yet you’re still doubtful
about how to live that out and there seems so much disconnection, a
minister will sooth that hurt by saying the same thing, “The Lordship of
Jesus is lived out in a relationship with Him.” Again, gluing the word
relationship onto a very troubled path as if that will make everything
alright.
The word relationship has become the noncommittal answer for all the
woes in the current Christian culture. The word “relationship” is a
doctrinal apothecary used as a balm that has an ugly side effect: it is
causing a very itchy rash. Every teaching is as self medications that
worsens your spiritual condition.
The concept of having a relationship with God makes one feel better
about themselves, but the minister is dealing falsely with God’s people,
even as we read in the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 6:14-14
13 For from the least of them even unto the greatest of them
every one is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even unto the
priest every one dealeth falsely.
14 They have healed also the hurt of the daughter of my people slightly, saying, Peace, peace; when there is no peace.
The prophets and priests spoke deceptively to the people, promising
them the goodness of God, helping them feel better about themselves,
apart from covenant. As history repeats itself, false ministers do the
same today, to promise a relationship with God apart from covenant.
A Relationship With God is About Divine Reciprocation
We want to get you to the point of understanding that a relationship
with God is about divine reciprocation. We reciprocate the virtue of
Christ by faith because we are the praise of the glory of His grace,
which shows that that which is the substance of faith is what honors
Him; it gives volume to the soul, and the soul increases, or is
enlarged.
To focus on your covenant relationship with God means that you have to
build from the foundation of truth. When we learn how God designed the
12 elements of the gospel with this reciprocation in mind, we can
understand true holiness is in reciprocation to God’s sanctification.
You can observe the design of our relationship with God in this verse, “We love Him because He first loved us.” (1 John 4:19)
God first loved us by sprinkling the blood of Jesus upon the terms,
knowledge, tools, stewardship and priesthood of the new covenant. God
loved us by sanctifying our vessel with the things of Christ. In turn,
we respond in kind. We love God in the same way, in the same manner.
Meaning, God intended for us to separate ourselves from the world unto
Him by using the very things He sanctified for our contact with Him.
This is true holiness.
Sanctification (element #5) and holiness (element #6) are not “rules”
to be followed (man setting order to his own logic for his own peace and
security apart from Christ). Sanctification (element #5) and holiness
(element #6) are living stones in your foundation. These two essential
elements share a binary relationship that allows you enter into the
experience God intended for you to have based on His provisions.
We’re using 12 distinctive icons to help you remember what the 12
elements of the gospel are and their primary function in faith and how
they reflect Jesus Christ. We're going to just look at the first 4
elements. The element grace is given the eye of revelation in that grace is the power to perceive Christ in the presence of the anointing. Faith is given the joy of embracing in that we are called to respond to God—to obey Him.
Righteousness is given the measure of Christ in that Jesus
Christ is God’s standard and when we measure faith to Him we meet God’s
expectations perfectly. Justification is given the liberty found in the divine exchange as Christ cleanses the conscience. We behold Him face to face.
To better study each of the 12 essential elements of the gospel and
how each one reflects Jesus Christ and how they play upon faith CLICK HERE to watch the teaching video.
Sanctification and holiness are the elements we’re
sharing in this lesson to show how our relationship with God is formed
and lived out by the power of God. Sanctification is given the presence
of the Holy Spirit for that is the first tool of our sanctification. God
separates us from the world to Himself by engrafting His Spirit within
us. Holiness is given the garments of our priesthood by which we
reciprocate.
We cannot approach God on our own terms, telling God how much we love
Him and promising to do this or that for Him. These “things” that we
select would always be something that we value. This is why, one of the
first things you learn upon coming into covenant with God is that God
only values Jesus Christ. God placed the value of Christ upon the
knowledge and tools of the new covenant for our contact with Him.
God receives great joy when we reciprocate to Him with the “things”
that He selected as this is how He is healing your soul of the
afflictive scaring that occurred while in the hands of Satan in his
kingdom; and how God is also planting and grooming within your soul the
fruit of the Spirit. That process of regeneration takes place every day
and describes what it means to be saved.
As you study the binary relationship of the elements of the gospel,
notice how our response follows the pattern given by God. We have to
approach God with the “things” of Jesus Christ that He selected for our
contact with Him. “Set your affection on “things” above, not on things
on the earth.” (Colossians 3:2)
As in a mirror, face answers to face, so it is when we are in
covenant with God. We have to be of the same mind as God. He constructed
the covenant knowledge, stewardship, tools, and priesthood to reflect
Jesus Christ (the vessel of mercy) so that our faith would express Him.
We have to follow through in due process; continue in prayer: praying
in the Spirit. Praying in tongues is important in order for you to
assist the Spirit within this process, because the Lord also helps our
infirmities (Romans 8:26). He assists us through the processes of our
growth as we continue to show that conformity, speaking in the language
that's foreign to our common experience. Yet now, our common experience
is Jesus Christ.
So, we are not strangers with God any longer because we're speaking
the language of the Spirit of the kingdom which we're in now. And that
which we speak in mysteries, the Spirit is making known through your
cycles of growth—in dreams particularly. The Spirit of the Lord is
issuing the dreams for you (level 1 dreams) in order to give you the
report card of the process of your healing.
So, by his stripes you are healed. You're healed because you're
following the chief shepherd of your soul, Jesus Christ. And you have
been adopted into his kingdom by the knowledge which you're receiving
through the stewardship, which he has anointed. So, you can see all
these things—the things of his fulness are taking play on the field of
your life...
The same thing with baseball. You have the players in the field out
there, but every player is unique in their position, in order to see
through the process of the game. So you have 9 players in the field—same
thing, the gifts, the callings, the graces of God...(the 9 gifts, the 9
fruits, and the 5 callings). You see that all these things have a play
in making this goal.
A Covenant Relationship With God
God is hitting home the point: The problem is that ministers are
trying to lead you into a relationship with God without teaching you
about the new covenant. As stated earlier, the word covenant appears in
the Bible 280 times while the word relationship appears 0 times. A
living, vibrant, relationship with God is established upon the terms of
His covenant.
Coming into covenant with God is just like getting married and this
is why Apostle Paul, through the Spirit, used the marriage bond as an
analogy of our union with God (Romans 7:4).
A bond exists between husband and wife because of a covenant
agreement: “With this token ring I thee wed.” When entering into a
covenant agreement with God, He gives us the token of Himself, which is
the Holy Spirit saying, “With this token I take you to Myself. I remove
you from the kingdom of darkness, sin, and death and bring you into My
kingdom.”
A marriage is a binding agreement to build with each other. An
exchange takes place with the agreed upon tokens. The more you honor the
one you love by honoring the tokens given for exchange, the closer you
get to that person. God is the one who sets the terms for our exchange
with Him and gives us the tokens (tools) of the covenant.
A Relationship of One
It has been a great temptation for the church to build a relationship
with God with the stones of one’s own person rather than the stones of
the knowledge of Christ. The stones of one’s person speaks of the needs
of the flesh, and the delights of one’s own heart – wishing and wanting
God to meet you there.
This one-sided relationship is as disappointing to God as it is to
you. It’s much like throwing a stick to your dog and have him run the
other way. The point of having thrown the stick is the delight of having
your dog retrieve it and joyfully return it to you. He gets a pat on
the head and big hug as you say, “Atta boy!”
God teaches us through these common things that He delights in our
reciprocation on the grounds of His covenant. He did not go through the
task of establishing His love for us upon the sacrifice of His Son on
the cross, sprinkle His blood upon the tools of the new covenant, and
give us a priesthood of knowledge simply to have us do our own thing
–run the other way.
Jesus agrees to forgive our sins and remember them no more, to purge
the conscience of sin, to be our righteousness and holiness if we agree
to keep His new covenant commandments. We must reciprocate to Him what
He is, not what we are.
2 Corinthians 4:5, “For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake.”
“For we preach not ourselves” Paul said here. Our message is
not the letter or brightness of our own signature, but we're introducing
and expounding on Christ Jesus, which we're talking about His temple,
not our temple.
When he says, Christ Jesus the Lord, we're talking about
a reciprocation comes full cycle because we worship him, Jesus Christ
our Lord. So we see that which proceeds from the Father is being
reciprocated back to him, and that's called propitiation. Through this
form of propitiation of gift receiving, which is our experience of him,
we have a true relationship. A false relationship is in word only. A
true relationship is in word and in deed.
Vs 7: “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.”
Highlight the word, treasure in this verse. These are the valuable
tokens of God’s throne. We're seeking the treasures which are above, and
God is sharing with us these treasures, which brings us experience—a
relationship.
The earthen vessel, which we read about has to do with the dust, the
clay earth, which has to do with the human body. Then the Spirit of God
speaks of the excellency of His power, meaning that the effects of this
process increases by the anointing... “that the excellency of the power”
(that's the anointing) “may be of God, and not of us.”
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