Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

1 Corinthians 2:13-14

Hence lies the mystery of Jesus’ words regarding the Gospel.  As the Kingdom lies wholly within the realm of the Holy Spirit, and does not exist outside of the context of it, Jesus came as one teaching on a subject that no one could understand.

Think about it.  The natural man, the one without His Spirit, cannot receive spiritual truths.  They are utterly foreign to him, and he simply cannot discern them.  But, for the man with the Spirit, they speak of spiritual things using spiritual words.

Jesus was concerned with the Eternal.  He was concerned with the natural, but only as it affected the Eternal. He based His speech on that which mattered, and kept His thoughts there.

He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.

John 3:31

We are crucified with Christ.  We are buried with Him.  We are seated with Him, far above all rule, authority, power and dominion.  We do reign with Him.

Yet, it is only as we believe this, live this, and accept this, and expect this, that we see it practically in all of our lives.  It is still true, for those who are believers, but the difference is all the world.

But, were we so blind as to make the mistake that some are afraid of, we might still forget what the “above” looks, feels like.  What is the Kingdom of Heaven like?  It is like a little bit of leaven, that a woman hid in three measures of dough, and the whole was leavened (Luke 13:20-31).

When we are seated above, we think from above, as Christ did.  Christ did not use His authority to exercise it over others, nor did His Father.  Rather, Christ was good to all, merciful to all, and laid down His life for all.

The difference between living from above, and living with the above to satisfy oneself is life and death.  It is death to live with all the power and authority of heaven, but to take it to oneself.  Even as Matthew 7:21-23 says that those who live lawless lives are told to depart from Him, Christ said it was love that was the fulfillment of the law.  But, to live with all the authority of heaven, knowing that it is for love, is all the world and life.

Think about this.  The anointing, the power of God, is relatively easy to obtain.  Simply pray, fast, and beg from heaven, and you will end up with it.  But, when we walk as Jesus walked, in humility of heart and spirit, it is a light load, an easy yoke, and a gentle walk in the Spirit.

His authority is not separate from His heart, and His heart is portrayed in the Sermon on the Mount.  God comes to those who need Him, and He extends His hands to those who are bowed low, who are humble, and to the broken.

The one formula for always having the presence of God in your life is this.  He is near to the broken hearted.  Therefore, if you are broken-hearted when He leaves, he never will.

But, when we think from His perspective, rather than our own, our priorities line up with His.  Our methods match His.  Our words are His Words.  Our life is His life, and His Spirit is pleased to be with our Spirit.

Heavenly words must resemble earthly words, for we use language of men that even an unbeliever could repeat.  But, it is spiritual, because it speaks of something that the carnal man cannot see (John 3:3, 5).  Though the words are seen, their meaning is not, even in the parables of Jesus.

The parables of Jesus are the best conveyance of the Gospel truths of faith, and life in Christ.  They are perfect, because they explain to people how to live by faith, and, whether one understands them or not, they stay with you.  For the person who has seen faith, and has operated in it, it is perfectly clear.  For the person who does not have faith, who might some day, they stay with them, and when the connection is made, they can immediately say, Amen.  And, for the person who does not have faith, who never will, they are merely silly little stories, which everyone assumes they understand.

So, to those who see, more is given, and to those who do not see, they go forward a little, stumble backwards and fall.  Even what they have is taken away.

The life from above is pure, it is holy, and it is perfect.  It is not in the arm of the flesh, nor the arm of man.  Just as we are in this world, but not of it, we use spiritual words of human utterance to express the hidden, heavenly things.  But, our real conversation is from above, our eyes are from above, and our character is from above.

To come any other way is mere robbery and theft.  To come by them in His way is life and truth.

Christ came as a ransom for many.  He came to lay His life down.

In the same way, let us, who are His, lay our lives down for one another, with all authority, power, and dominion, flowing through us, and let the outside world remark that we are Christians, because of our love for one another (John 13:35).