Fall 1987
On Being Apprehended
Wade E Taylor

"But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but refuge, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" Phil 3:7-9.

Paul is testifying that he had "given up" to the Lord all temporal things; and then, experienced the loss of them. This is followed by a prayer in which he expresses his intense desire that now, eternal things will replace these temporal things that have been removed from his life.

"That I may know Him, and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being made conformable unto his death" Phil 3:10.

Through this experience of suffering the loss of all things, Paul understood that coming into this three-fold experience of identification with the Lord in intimate knowledge, resurrection life power, and in sharing His sufferings, would require that he take up his cross in the same condition of mind as the Lord, who in willing obedience submitted to His cross.

In relating his experience in the taking up of his cross, Paul said, "...I die daily" I Cor 15:31. He was expressing the actual outworking of the commitment that he had made to the Lord. Now, he was going through a crucifixion of all the things that he once valued, in order to gain that for which the Lord had apprehended his life.

Now, he was free to seek a resurrection into a higher spiritual realm of\ life experience. Therefore, he began to pray, "If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead" Phil 3:11. This speaks of a present out- resurrection from among the living dead, as well as a future resurrection at the coming of the Lord. Paul was expressing his intense desire to be identified with the Lord in His resurrection life and power.

We also must surrender all things to the Lord, and likewise experience a "being made conformable to His death". Then, we too can pray for this "out- resurrection" and come into the same experience of identification with the Lord that Paul was praying for.

To do this, we must pay the price of putting the Lord first in every aspect of our lives, by dying to all else. This will leave us free to follow the Lamb whithersoever He leads. It will also be accompanied by an intense desire to intimately know the Lord, and to experience His presence and fellowship.

No longer will we be like the one who came to the Lord with one talent, and said to Him, "I have kept what you gave me. At the end of my life, take me to Heaven. In the meantime I am going to enjoy myself, and will be just careful enough not to squander my salvation." These will never hear "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy Lord" Matt 25:21. There is a present experience of apprehending eternal things.

Thus Paul's intense prayer, "If by any means, I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead". He did not want to live any longer in a mere form of religious existence. He knew the difference between religiously existing and spiritually living. There is a "quality" spiritual life and experience that is available to us, but it must be intensely desired, and sought after.

There is a difference between a house and a home. A "home" is something that is created, it has a special atmosphere. A "house" may have furniture, pictures, and rugs, but it is not necessarily a home. It has to have a personal touch, and special attention, in order to be made into a home.

We are to experience this out-resurrection from among the living dead and work towards this higher realm of spiritual life. It is up to us, as to how far we will go in cultivating a quality spiritual life, living in resurrection fellowship with the Lord.

We are never to become satisfied with the present state of our spiritual life and begin to take eternal things for granted. Paul had a marvelous spiritual experience, yet he continued to pray "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, IF THAT I MAY APPREHEND that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" Phil 3:12.

This is one of the most powerful and necessary prayers that we could ever pray. We have been truly apprehended of Him. But, the Lord looks upon us as He did those who received the talents, to see what they would do with them. Thus, there is a present experience in "apprehending" that we must seek after.

The world looks for natural abilities, but the Lord does not look at us that way. His view of us is according to our desire toward Him. Thus, these expressions by the Apostle Paul moved the heart of the Lord towards him: "That I may Know him"; "If by any means I might attain"; "I follow after, if that I may apprehend"; "I press toward the mark".

Our coming into this present experience of identification with the Lord depends on our seeking Him, rather than on our resting in all that has been accomplished for us on Calvary's cross. This is our Judicial standing. We already have it, we do not need to appropriate it. But, it is up to us to respond to His apprehending of our lives. We are to seek the purpose that He had in mind, when He apprehended us.

During 1957 I was seeking the Lord concerning ministry, feeling that anything that was worth doing was already being done. I felt that others had the personality, and the ability to do better. Then, this verse on "apprehending" became very real to me, and I began to hold it before the Lord and pray, "Lord, that I might apprehend that for which you called me."

In my greatest imaginations, I never pictured a ministry such as Pinecrest being in my pattern of life. That I would come into a ministry here at Pinecrest, was beyond all that I could have even hoped for, yet I knew the Lord had called me, and began to pray, "that I might apprehend that for which also I am apprehended".

I placed myself fully in His hand, and trusted Him for the processing of my life, to bring about the preparation within me for this ministry that I was praying to be apprehended for, whatever it might be.

In seeing the faithfulness of the Lord in answering this prayer, I can now testify, "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" Phil 3:13-14.

The Lord has been most faithful in my life. As I look back over the years of ministry here at Pinecrest, I can only marvel at the wisdom and goodness of the Lord, and His continued hand upon my life. He hears and answers our prayers.

Better, he places within us the desire to be apprehended for the very purpose that He had in mind when He first touched our lives. We must believe this and begin to seek the outworking of it in our lives.

Then, as we respond to this desire, He will bring it forth into full view and function.