THE SPIRIT OF BABEL VS THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD

                THE SPIRIT OF BABEL VS THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD   (A short article by my son Zach.)

Each of us seems to be “tuned” to a particular “channel”, and this “channel” seems to be a tendency we are born with. This channel is our basic character, our default personality, our primal worldview. The “channel” can be changed by trauma or by the experience of conversion. For some, the channel is Money, for others, Power. There is the Security channel, the Fear channel, the Lust channel, the Convenience channel, the Materialist channel, the Spiritual channel, the Survival channel, the correct channel…and various combinations of these that form each person’s unique experience of reality. This is why it is nearly impossible for one person to communicate with another. Each channel has its own language that arises from the context of the experience it provides. Thus, each channel has its own definitions for words. For instance, a person who exists in the Power channel does not mean the same thing when he says, “I love you” as someone who exists on the Security channel when they use the same words. This leads to terrible confusion and I believe this is what is meant by the confusion of tongues at Babel.

It was not the case at Babel that, suddenly, one group spoke Sumerian and another Akkadian and another Khemetic and another Chaldean; no, it is that the mass of those gathered lost their common cause, their common Sense. They lost their “psychic” connection and were reduced to merely language for the sake of communication. They had all been on the same Channel in unity against their Creator.  They were a “hive mind” under Nimrod. In place of their rebellious unity, the Lord assigned gods to rule over them and drive them apart into the various nations and cultures so that their decay might be slowed and their salvation achieved. The influence of these gods become the various channels of tendency or ‘fate’. Having handed the nations over to lesser gods, Yahweh the Creator chose an insignificant portion for himself, Israel. To these few he began to teach the way out from under the powers and to replace fate with destiny.  

When the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles at Pentecost, “divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, devout men from every nation under heaven. And at this sound the multitude came together and they were bewildered, because each one was hearing them speak in his own language. And they were amazed and astonished, saying, ‘Are not all these who speak Galileans? And how is it that we hear, each of us in his own native tongue?’”(Acts 2: 3-8) For in the Holy Spirit returned the true Common Sense, the communion of the Holy Trinity. In the Holy Spirit men find a life of service, a life of love, a life of struggle against the principalities and powers. The human being walking in the power of the Holy Spirit becomes a unique, living stone, unshaped by human hands.

The devil has a false unity of purpose that is illustrated in scripture by the pressing of slime into molds to make bricks. The devil’s unity is a destruction of the self-offering image of God within a person and the reshaping of that person into a brick. It is a peculiar trick of Satan’s to lure people into a life of self-fulfillment, self-expression, self-indulgence and self-entitlement which results in a multitude of uniform human bricks.

The Holy Spirit restores to mankind the original language, which is the Word by which all things were made. Those who hear his voice and speak in his Name are saved from Death’s world, for in him is life, abundant life. Those who dwell in the communion of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit share their love which is true language. This is the original language, the tongues of fire which were divided unto the Apostles. The division of these tongues of fire, the passing of the fire from one to the next, does not diminish but rather enlarges the light they give. It is like the division of a single candle’s flame onto many wicks so that the entire room is filled with light. Those who walk in the way of Christ and do as he taught begin to speak the same language. This is the fellowship of believers; those who hear his voice, follow him and speak in his Name. These speak in harmony. These know each other in a mystery, even when their languages and cultures and traditions are alien to one another.

ME AGAIN

                In our youth groups in the 70’s we used to sing, “We are one in the Spirit; we are one in the Lord.” This is true and it is vital to the body of Christ, and yet we see another seemingly opposite thing going on in the world. Even though we are Christians worshipping the same Lord and believing the same Bible, we are nevertheless divided into some 30,000 denominations… and each of us believes we have the “Truth” to which the rest of the world must come in order to have unity in the Body of Christ.

                Like I said in my article on “Unity in the Body of Christ,” I don’t believe that we will ever, on this present planet, achieve unity through doctrines or prophetic interpretations. There is a much deeper principle at work in which unity is achieved.

                Actually the word “Unity is only mentioned twice in the Bible. Psalms 133:1-3 says:

                “Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity! It is like the precious oil upon the head, coming down upon the beard, even Aaron’s beard, coming down upon the edge of his robes. It is like the dew of Hermon, coming down upon the mountains of Zion; for the Lord commanded the blessing- life forever.”

                What was it that brought unity to the children of Israel? It was the anointing oil by which Aaron was anointed their priest. This, of course was a type and a shadow, because Jesus the Christ actually means “The anointed one.” For in Him dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead I bodily form.

                On the day of Pentecost, Jesus sent down that same anointing to us and it is this anointing oil of the Holy Spirit that brings unity in the Body of Christ. So if the church is fractured into many factions, it may be because we have become divided by our doctrines rather than united by the Holy Spirit.

                Our focus has gotten off track in many cases because we have moved from the oneness and power of the Holy Spirit and resorted to intellectual arguments about various interpretations of Scripture. We sometimes become so heated in these arguments that we will abandon the fruit of the Spirit in order to win our intellectual viewpoint.

                But our focus has gotten off in other ways as well, for in the New Testament, we are given but one goal to reach when it comes to unity and it is found in Ephesians 4: 13 (The only other place in Scripture where the word “Unity” is used. ) So if we are to become the spotless Bride of Christ when He comes, we need to get our focus back on Him and herein we can see exactly what must be the mission of those who are Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists,, Pastors and Teachers. They are to equip the saints for the work of service to the building up of the body of Christ: until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” Ephesians 4:10-14

                And what will the result be? Paul says: “As a result we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ.

                Jesus, as the divine Son of God, sent down His Holy Spirit in order to bring many sons to glory. Heb. 2:10-18. So when we concentrate our focus upon reflecting His Character in bearing the fruit of the Spirit, there will be a kind of unity that is above our intellectual differences.

                But there is a much greater division happening in the church right now than mere doctrinal differences. Some are abandoning altogether the fundamentals of the Gospel in order to find unity with the world. Jesus never ever once told us to seek unity with the world. He never told us to become yoked together with unbelievers. Yet, this is what the Pope and various parts of the church are doing, removing the core principles of salvation along with the name of Jesus so as not to offend those with whom we have no part.

                Jesus never taught us to seek unity with pagans. He never taught us to live like the world in order to win the world. We are to be lights in a dark place… and the difference between light and darkness is, well… astronomical, to be exact. A universe without light could not even exist. Light is at the heart of everything that exists. So when people choose to live in darkness, they are choosing death.

                Jesus said that He came that we might have life and to have it more abundantly and John tells us that His life is the light of man. Jesus is the light of the world. Without Him we would never have existed and without Him we could never have been redeemed.

                It is time to turn our eyes back upon Jesus and to be anointed with the same anointing that empowered His life… His Holy Spirit. Only in Him will we find the unity of a Bride adorned for her Husband.