Summer 1992

The Progressive Unfolding of Spiritual Truth
Edited from a spoken message by
John W Follette

All spiritual truth is a progressive revelation that unfolds and moves continually. No person or church group has a corner on truth. This vast field of spiritual life and experience cannot be pulled down, or labeled and fixed in a pattern.

Jesus did not say, "I have some truth." All other teachers and philosophers have been able to do this. Rather, He said, "I AM THE TRUTH." All truth is personified in Him and has become articulate and fully expressive in this dynamic, marvelous, living Christ.

These profound un foldings of the Spirit into the person of Christ, "In whom are HID the treasures" (Col 2:3) can only be found by our entering into a time of darkness where a discovery is made and we come out enriched. There is much of spiritual value and understanding that is visible and tangible. This is the articulate aspect of His Word and working. But there is much which is evasive and abstract that is hidden within this Christ.

Jesus said, "I am the truth." He is saying that all truth is summed up in this revelation, "He that has seen Me has seen the Father." He is not speaking of seeing a body, but rather, the manifestation of the nature and character of God. This invisible and marvelous God became visible and articulate by becoming this wonderful dynamic Person, God the Son, eternally one identified with us.

Those who heard Him speak were recipients of His grace and healing. Yet they did not have an inner revelation as to His identity. Only after His disciples had been with Him for two and a half years could Jesus ask, "Who am I?" When Peter identified who He was, Jesus said, "This came by revelation alone, not through any observation."

All spiritual truth progressively evolves and unfolds. All do not respond the same, having a different reaction to truth. There is a reason for this. Peter will never become a Paul. One receives a vision of truth and responds accordingly. Another, less perceptive, gets a glimmer of truth and reacts to it quite differently.

This principle is at work throughout the Word of God. Since all truth is progressive in its unfolding, each heart must be continually conditioned for its reception. Those who heard Jesus teach had a certain reception of life and light. Then a year or more later, there was a different heart response to the Words of Jesus. Because they were being continually trained and disciplined by the power of the Spirit of God, when they later came to the same revelation, it blossomed like a rose.

Some of us are making these discoveries, but do not know what to do with them. This is because we are experiencing "growing pains" as we push out from the confines of a limited spiritual experience. This eternal urge of God that is buried within each one of us desires to break through these barriers into fresh new openings of light and truth. These growing pains are a good sign. It means that finally we are discovering the thing for which we were designed in our spiritual makeup.

Our heart must be progressively "conditioned," or prepared to become receptive to this fuller revelation. No experience in itself, no matter how moving, profound, or revolutionizing it may be, can mature us. We should not be little, or put away these spiritual experiences, but rather, embrace them. However, we should never park, or seek to live in one of them. If we do, we will find ourselves having a difficult time maintaining our position there, when the Lord is seeking to bring us up into another realm of spiritual understanding.

Some have said, "I have this strange conviction that I do not understand." This is an indication of our being birthed out of a religious form into a realm of spiritual progression. During this time, our spirit may be agitated due to religious habits that we have cultivated over many years. But deep within, is an "urge" that is saying, "Lord, there must be more than this." He will answer, "Yes, but you must be patient until this agitation comes to its end."

Many have been blessed, but soon loose the purpose and outworking of their blessing as they have no understanding of the principles of "Life in the Spirit." This is due to a lack of being properly taught the principles of spiritual life and growth. The Lord can, in a moment, impart a blessing with great emotional resurgence. However, to find the significance of this experience, it must be lived out. Because truth is progressive, our heart will need to be conditioned for its reception. We cannot continue to grow spiritually on only the initial impact of truth.

There was a certain amount of spiritual understanding imparted within the disciples during their first and second year with Jesus. During the third year, they were able to express a measure of identification as to who He was. When Jesus asked this of Philip, he said, "Show us the Father and we will be satisfied." Jesus responded, "Have I been with you all this time and you still do not know me?" Our Lord should never need to say to us, "I have been with you for many years, but you have not made an inner contact with me, or received from me any revelation of spiritual truth which will help you in your adjustment for another age."

"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." There is a progression in this that begins with a "lamp unto my feet." At that time, a small lamp was buckled on the foot for guidance while carrying a burden. But there is also a "light unto my path." This speaks of a vision of the distant goal towards which we are pressing. Both are necessary to our spiritual development.

In this realm of spiritual reality, there are laws and principles that are just as real as those in the natural world. We would be in chaos if God had not established natural laws for us to live by. If we recognize these laws and cooperate with them, we will be comfortable. However, we will suffer if we disregard them.

In the realm of the spirit, there are laws and principles which are just as real. Because they are abstract and not tangible, we do not pay enough attention to them. All too often, we become aware of them only when they react within us. Then we say, "Oh, something is wrong." We cannot live haphazardly in the Spirit and receive spiritual results anymore than we can in the natural. If we detect the principles and laws that the Lord uses, we will save ourselves much distress.

When we enter this realm of spiritual living, we do so as a little baby. Our Lord calls this realm a "Kingdom." When we consider this word, "Kingdom," we may think of heaven, or of a political realm, but He was speaking of neither of these. Jesus did not say to the thief on the cross, "Today you will be with me in my Kingdom." He could not say this. But He can say, "Today you will be with me in paradise." He has repented, which qualifies him for heaven, but the Kingdom requires time for discipline and growth. Salvation is a gift but "through much tribulation and terrible patience we enter the Kingdom."

We were birthed into this spiritual realm as a little baby. After some time, The Lord can say, "Just as you learned the foundational principles of a spiritual life while drinking milk, you must continue on until you are able to receive strong meat." A baby is not made for meat, he can receive only the milk of the word. But as he grows, a capacity for meat with develop within him. It is possible to be saved, filled with the Holy Spirit, move in the gifts, and still live on a milk diet. Within a milk diet are all the elementary features of our Christian faith, but we were made for much more than this.

There are babes, little children, sons, grown up sons, fathers and mothers in Israel. These speak of the law of progression. We would never say, "Lord, cause this baby to become twenty-one years old today." Yet we attempt to do this with spiritual things. As our natural growth requires time, so also our spiritual growth.

This progression into spiritual things requires an ongoing submission to the laws of discipline, testing, and proving. These are open vistas, or doorways, which lead into fresh, lovely places of spiritual reality. As this door opens, we say, "Thank you, Lord." Then He will take us by the hand and lead us into the fields that are beyond. Here, we will find our full satisfaction and completion in Him, and He in us.