From glory to glory

And all of us...are constantly being transformed into His very own image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord [Who is] the Spirit ( 2 Cor. 3:18).

The Holy Spirit can change our desires, our tastes, and our habits---but He works so gently and gradually that we ourselves might not even notice that we are changing at first.

One of the universal characteristics of people who fall in love is that they begin to "see" and appreciate nature all of a sudden, even if they had not noticed it previously:  "Has the moon always been that bright?"  "What a beautiful day!"  "Did you see that cardinal?"  Love has a way of softening and slowing people down to take in the wonders of the earth.  In the same way, once the Spirit begins working on our personalities, we "slow down" and "grow" more from the inside.

It is the job of the Holy Spirit to form in us the character of Jesus, without destroying-but enhancing- our own personalities.  It is more that Jesus takes on our flesh and lives through our particular lives.  When the Holy Spirit is at work in us, there are two processes going on simultaneously:  first, He is forming our character (the inner man) and second, He is producing gifts in us to be of service to others (the outer man).  The gifts (wisdom, understanding, knowledge, counsel, power, reverence, fear of the Lord) would be of no value without the character of Jesus; gifts --- useful for the church and for others-- can make us haughty if we are not careful.  Even the Apostles were arguing among themselves about who was the greatest, and in the Book of 1 Corinthians, Paul warns us of being "puffed up" about the gifts. 

Galatians 5:22 shows us what the Spirit first produces in us:  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  These are called the fruits of the Holy Spirit because they are result of the work of the Holy Spirit in us; we cannot give ourselves peace or joy.  We can "work on" patience and kindness, but that does not mean we actually feel those things, only that we are controlling ourselves.  The person who is being controlled by the Spirit of God does not need to "work on" these qualities---the Holy Spirit gradually changes us from the natural man to the image of Jesus, from glory to glory.

The Book of Ephesians outlines what Watchman Nee called The Normal Christian Life.  His first book, Sit, Walk, and Stand is an absolutely beautiful exposition of Ephesians as a whole book.  The first 3 chapters of Ephesians presents what God has already done for us while we were "sitting"---that is, helpless to help ourselves, much as the Israelites in Egypt.  God poured out on us all grace and every spiritual blessing, even while we were "dead in sin" and raised us up to sit with Christ in heavenly places. 

Since God took the initiative on our behalf, then, Paul urges us in Chapter 4 to "walk in the newness of faith," to "live a life worthy of the Lord," and to be "imitators of God."  Chapters 4 and 5 outline the way we are to walk in the "new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness." 

And Chapter 6 gives us the image of what we are to do when we can do no more--to put on the armor of God and to "stand," for we are wrestling against powers too strong for us.

It is worth reading and re-reading Ephesians with Watchman Nee's outline in mind---Sit, Walk, and Stand.  Once we see the pattern of how the Holy Spirit works, we can see it throughout the Old and New Testaments---in Genesis, in Exodus, in Psalm 23, in the Gospels and in the Book of Revelation---from glory to glory, we are being transformed! 

Unless the Lord Himself first ministers to us, we are unable to minister to anyone else.