The following is an excerpt from my book: Secrets of the Spiritual Matrix. It gives a major reason why I believe spiritual leaders are failing to equip thier people in reality living. True joy come from knowing what your purpose is, and how to accomplish that purpose…. especially as husband and wife.
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What Price – Freedom?
I would like us to reflect on the price necessary to free Neo from the prison of the Train Depot before we embark on his final journey. Most believers are stuck here, and it will serve us well to find out the kind of passion that is necessary to help them find their way back to reality. Neo is a prisoner of the Train Man, at the Train Depot, until something happens outside of where he was that would secure his release. That “something” happens when Trinity, Morpheus and Seraph (the guardian angel of the Oracle) fight their way into the stronghold of the Marovengian to intercede for the release of Neo.
Loves Lasting Legacy
The Marovengian listenes to their plea, but says that, in order to get something out of the Train Depot something would have to be given in return. Trinity becomes weary of the antagonistic attitude of the Marovengian and takes matters into her own hands. She risked her life in an attempt to free Neo. She retrieves a weapon, and points it directly at the center of the Marovengian’s forehead, while at the same time, the Morovengian’s bodyguards points their weapons at Trinity and her companions. Here we see a good, old-fashioned standoff. What would happen next?
The silence is broken when the wife of the Marovengian tells her husband that it is futile to fight Trinity if he desired to live. She recognizes that the driving force behind the passion displayed by Trinity was true love. Not true love as in a movie called The Princess Bride, but true love as it relates to the willingness of one to give their life for another.
I Go A Fishing (How To Overcome Failure)
This sequence of events reminds me of an instance when Jesus was questioning Peter as to his love for his master. Jesus had just shown Peter and the other disciples, by way of a miracle, what His purpose was for their lives. I don’t want you to miss this, so put on your spiritual thinking cap. In John 21:3, Peter had quit on the Lord. When he quit, he influenced Thomas, Nathaniel, and two other disciples to quit with him. He went fishing and caught nothing, nada, zip, and zero – zilch. He fished all night and did not catch a single thing – not even a crab. In John 21:5-6, Jesus appeared on the shore (He had already ascended and came back to appear to over five hundred people), and instructed them to cast their nets on the “right” side of the ship. He said that if they would do this, they’d find what they were seeking.
They did as they were told, and to their amazement, they caught so many fish that they were not able to draw in the net; therefore, they had to carry it on the side of the boat until they reached the shore. They caught 153 fish, and that number is significant to our discussion. The number (9) represents fruit bearing in the Bible. If you add (1) plus (5) plus (3) – you have (9). Therefore, the number 153 can represent fruit bearing. Another way you can extrapolate truth from this passage is by defining the three numbers in question. The number (1) stands for unity. The number (5) means death/grace, and the number (3) is the number for the Godhead. So, as we are unified (#1) in our purpose, and choose to die to the desires of the world (#5), then we can glorify God (#3) by producing fruit that remains (#9—the total of 1+5+3)). We will look at Biblical numerics more closely when we arrive at that particular rule of Bible study. We know this is the case because of the context of the verses in question. You’ll see the principle come to life in the following pages. Trust me! One would have to be blind to miss what God is teaching us through this story.
Skinny Fishing
They did not know that the person who instructed them was Jesus until verse seven. Peter, being told it is the Lord, puts on his “garments” (for he was fishing with no clothes on – naked), jumps into the water and swims to the shore. Don’t miss the fact that Peter did not want to be found “naked and ashamed” at the presence of his Lord. He was naked. The Greek word for naked is “gummos,” and it literally means “nude.” He put on his “garments” so that he would be properly clothed. In the Bible, “garments” are a type of how people spiritually live their lives. We either wear the “garments of praise,” or the “garments of a life soiled” by the sinfulness of the world. Notice the following verses for clarification of the “garments” teaching.
Isaiah 61:10 I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decketh himself with ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her jewels.
Jude 1:23 And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Ezekiel 18:7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment;
Come And Dine
In John 21:9-11, Jesus is preparing a fire so that they can cook the fish that they just caught. I’m going to show you the purpose of God in the form of this illustration, so please put on your spiritual ears. Verse nine says that “they saw a fire of coals there, and fish laid theron, and bread;” Jesus told them to bring him the fish they had just caught. Keep in mind that not all the Bible was written ABOUT you, but it was all written FOR and TO you.
The lesson that Jesus was teaching these backslidden disciples is incredibly practical to our lives today. Coals are a picture of purity (Isaiah 6:5-7), fish are a picture of those we are to free from the false reality (Matthew 4:19) and bread is a picture of the Word of God (John 6:35). Jesus is simply telling his disciples that he had not given up on them, and if they would purify their lives by finding their nourishment in the Bread of life He would bless them in their efforts to be fishers of men as they dine (sup) with Him on a daily basis. You know the rest of the story, and that is exactly what transpired in the lives of the disciples. In only seventeen years, the entire known world had heard about the saving grace of Jesus Christ!
Feed My Sheep
Now for the key that unlocks the power of this story. After they had dined with the Lord, Jesus asked Peter the following question – “lovest thou me more than these?” With a puzzled look on his face, Peter answered the Lord by saying – “Yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.” Then Jesus said to Peter – “Feed my lambs.” Jesus asked Peter the same question again, and to that question, Peter gave the same answer – “Yea Lord; thou knowest I love thee.” This time Jesus tells Peter to feed his sheep.
In verse seventeen, Peter realized why Jesus is questioning him, and it grieved his heart. Jesus was asking Peter if he loved (agapao) Him, and Peter was responding by saying that he loved (phileo) Him too. God was looking for an agapao love. This is the greatest kind of love that can be displayed. It is a love that will willingly give one’s life for another. Peter responded two times by saying that he had a sincere, friendly love for Jesus (phileo). Peter, now understanding what the question really is said, “Lord, thou knowest all things; thou knowest that I love (phileo) thee.” Peter now understood that God knew he needed to develop an agapao love for the Lord in order for him to be successful in His purpose. God can’t lead us if we don’t understand the price that is to be paid. He is looking for people that will finish the race that is set before them. Quitters are a dime a dozen, but God is looking for people who will commit to be winners, so He can invest his power into them.
Love Has a Price
The reason that this line of questioning is so significant is because Jesus knows that Peter is going to have to surrender his life for the cause of Christ. He wanted Peter to know what kind of love would be necessary to stand up for the truth. In John 21:18-19, Jesus tells Peter that, one day, “Another shall gird thee, and carry thee whither thou wouldest not.” Someone is going to take Peter where he does not wish to go, all because he is successfully freeing minds from the control of the false reality. Jesus punctuates this illustration by telling Peter to “follow thou me,” without regards to the plan He (Jesus) had for others (specifically, John).
Back To Loves Lasting Legacy
Love has a price. Trinity was willing to give up her life to secure Neo’s freedom from the Train Man. The Marovengian’s wife knew that true love was very dangerous to tamper with, so she gave her husband the advice to let Neo go. The Marovengian submitted to their “request” and freed Neo from his wilderness wandering in the Train Depot.
I know the power of love; my wife, Karen, has been my Trinity. She helped free me from the bondage of the Train man. Karen… I love you!!
markharrell