Summer 1996
The Way to Glory - Reduction
Wade E Taylor

"And after six days Jesus taketh Peter,
James, and John his brother, and
bringeth them up into an high mountain
apart" Matt 17:1.

This phrase, "And after six days" speaks of our day. It is prophetic of the end of man's time, and the approaching day of the Lord which leads into the Millennial Kingdom.

There were twelve disciples, but three within the twelve were chosen by Jesus to go with Him into the mount. So also today, there are those who are being separated and called to a higher purpose.

We are told,

"For by grace you are saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves, it is the
gift of God, not of works, lest anyone
should boast" Eph 2:8-9.

The next verse tells us,

"For we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus to good works, which
God has before ordained that we
should walk in them" Eph 2:10.

In one verse, we are told that our salvation is not of works. In the next verse, we are told that we are to walk in good works. This might appear to be a contradiction, but rather, it is a progression.

"Therefore, my beloved, as you have
always obeyed, not as in my presence
only, but now much more in my absence,
cultivate your own salvation with fear
and trembling. For it is God who works
in you both to will and to do of His
good pleasure" Phil 2:12-13.

As we rest in Him, the Lord works to make the salvation, which He accomplished upon the cross in our behalf, become within us a personal, experiential reality. This speaks of a cooperative relationship with our Lord in which He is released to accomplish His purpose, which is to bring us to full spiritual maturity.

It is the attitude of our heart, as we abide within this state of rest, that attracts the attention of the Lord to us.

"If you are willing and obedient, you shall
eat the good of the land" Isa 1:19.

The purpose of this "willing obedience" is to release a greater blessing in the realm of the spiritual. During 1957, this verse changed my life. I learned the principle of "building platforms" from a Bible teacher, John W. Follette. This speaks of something that we do, which releases the Lord to move, or to work in a completely different area of our lives.

For example, I may notice a piece of paper on the floor and be prompted by the Lord to pick it up. Within itself, this act of obedience does not result in any particular blessing, but the "fact" of my obedience releases the Lord to move in a totally different area of my life, that may drastically affect and change me. This can happen in hundreds of different ways.

To those who have fully committed their lives to the Lord, there is no division between "secular" and "spiritual." All becomes spiritual. When we include the Lord in the simple things that we do, we are preparing a platform upon which He may greatly affect our lives. Because the Lord cannot act or move arbitrarily in our lives, this opens the door to Him. Thus in Rev 3:20 He says, "If anyone hears My voice and opens the door ..."

It is the fact of our obedience that is important. As we obey, even in simple mundane things, the Lord will respond and the result may far transcend the immediate circumstance. This can be demonstrated in the following passage of Scripture.

"The people pressed upon Him to hear
the Word of God" Luke 5:1.

There was an action on their part that released the Lord to move in a greater way. Notice that the responsibility was upon them for this release. God is sovereign, and it may be said that He can do anything. But this is not true, as He has placed His Word above His Name. Thus, the Lord is limited by His Word.

The people pressing upon Him created a platform upon which He could stand and meet their need. In this setting, there were two ships that were standing near by. There always are - His way and our way. A "ship" is a "platform" that will hold us in a setting which is beyond our present ability. When we make the right choice, Jesus will enter this choice, push us out from our circumstance, and sit down to teach us the principles that will take us yet further. His entering our "boat" speaks of His approbation or favor becoming active in our life experience.

The fishermen had left the ships to wash their nets. We also fish for all kinds of things, and the nets speak of the methods we use to get what we want. We fish for acceptance, security, provision, and satisfaction in manifold areas of our lives. The "nets" being washed speaks of a cleansing of the methods we use to get what we want. Once we have admitted the Lord into our lives and all that pertains to us, He will deal with the self manipulations we use for our own benefit and purpose.

When I graduated from a Bible school near Philadelphia in 1959, I learned about Pinecrest through the Dean of Men, who had resigned during my senior year to become the President of a new Bible College at Pinecrest. This school was being formed to teach the younger Italian generation to minister the Gospel in the Italian language.

Since I am not of Italian descent, I felt that this school had nothing to do with me. Besides, a pastor had offered to help me pioneer a church in Philadelphia, and this made much more sense to me.

On July 4, 1959 I began a trip to Philadelphia to look for a store front in which to begin a church, and to find housing for my family. The Lord sovereignly stopped me and spoke that I was to go to Pinecrest. He could have spoken before I began the trip to Philadelphia, but He waited. My taking a step toward ministry created a platform upon which the Lord moved, and I was directed to Pinecrest as a result.

Soon after being settled in a room at Pinecrest, I found a place to get alone and pray. I began to explain to the Lord why this was not the appropriate place for me. He clearly showed me that He would allow me to go to Philadelphia, and that He would give me a ministry there and bless it, but that Pinecrest was His will for me. Fortunately, I said "yes, Lord."

There were two ships, Pinecrest and Philadelphia. The Lord desired to get into the one rather than the other, and directed me accordingly. Had I chosen to go to Philadelphia, my life and calling would be totally different than it is today. Pinecrest as it is today may have never come into being.

Our choices are very important. The Lord has said,

"If a man loves Me, he will keep My Word.
And My Father will love him, and We
will come to him and make Our abode
with him" John 14:23.

This speaks of His approbation and favor resting upon a specific life. There is always a requirement that will release the Lord to step into the situation in which He intends to work.

The Lord is choosing out a Bride from among the daughters. This Bride has a part in being chosen. She must become attractive and of value to the Heavenly Bridegroom. There is nothing we can directly do in order to be chosen, but we can make ourselves so attractive that He will desire to choose us and step into our boat. After this, our lives will never be the same.

My going to Philadelphia made sense to me, but the Lord had something much better. He orchestrated a situation in which I could respond in obedience to His will for my life and ministry. Because I obeyed His word and turned around, He has done a marvelous work in Pinecrest, spanning over twenty eight years in which multitudes of lives have been affected for His purpose.