A Personal Note And Exhortation

by Dan DeVitis

bout 37 years ago something happened in my life that changed my life forever. It changed the very core of the fabric of my being. From that day on, I no longer thought the same, talked the same, acted the same, or desired the same things. Like most of you who are reading this message, this great miracle in my life came with being born again of the spirit in Christ and the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

But, today I want to talk about something that is heavy upon my heart, something that was born within me at that time and has not let go over the years—though for a time I almost succumbed. By His grace He kept me by my "friends in Christ." This is not being written out of pride or any such thing. But, I am writing because so many that I know, that had come into that spiritual walk experienced those many years ago, and many of those I know and love today, are now not walking in that same dimension of truth. I am not addressing the issue of morality, though it may also be considered in some cases, but of position of the spirit in spiritual matters. This is not a letter of judgment, but of a desperate call for a reawakening. Permit me to briefly elaborate.

Today, when I see a replica of the cross, I do not just see an iconic symbol of the crucifixion of Christ. Rather, something deep within my spirit lays hold of the significance of that cross, and there is an inward longing in a way it is difficult to explain. I can only say there is a sense of brokenness, weakness, of overwhelming awe, of sacredness and purity. I am humbled before it. It hurts me to see the cross displayed in an ungodly manner. I value it so highly.

The same may be said of what happens in my heart when we, as a fellowship, break bread and drink the cup at communion. The same mixture of emotions floods my inward man, and I become very sensitive and fragile—words are difficult to come by, my inward man is overwhelmed. O the sense of being in the presence, and partaking, of the Lamb of God. Here too, I am deeply hurt when communion is taken lightly, indifferently, or symbolically at best. Even the expression: the Lamb of God, works the same way in me. I cannot explain it. It just happens.

I speak of these things to show how when certain scriptures are read or quoted, they too touch a spiritual nerve, and there is a solemn quickening in my heart. (I am sure I am not alone as this happens in many believers, and you can identify with what I am describing.) Such is true of the title scripture, "...how I bore you on eagles wings and brought you to myself," Ex. 19:4b Yes, God is speaking here to the Israelites, having delivered them from Egypt and was bringing them into a special relationship with Himself. However, its spiritual significance does not stop there.

Two wondrous thoughts flood my heart when this verse is read: grace, O the marvel of the grace of God; and freedom, freedom to soar at heights with God.

As I reflect on my life, I see the continuous hand of God upon me—even when I thought I was making the decisions, and determining my way in life. And, I am humbled by that thought. I am humbled by how He graciously led me to Christ, and to an unspeakable life in Him. I am humbled by the thought that I, like you, am, "called according to His purpose,"—that somehow this day, even as I write this, there is a moving into, and unto the purposes of God. Amazing, isn’t it?

All this now being said as a preface, the real theme of this message, the call of my heart to my brethren, is to never, never, never, forego the freedom to soar with God, "as on eagles wings." At the time of my visitation, when the Spirit of Christ came into my heart, I sensed (and may have even heard) chains breaking and clashing to the floor. All those things that had bound me all my life, all those things that imprisoned me, from pride to religion, went crashing to the floor—and I was never the same again.

To further refine the point of this message, I wish only to speak here of religion. You know, that great deceptive system of rites and rituals, of holy days and symbolic gestures, of doctrine and dogma, of form and structure, of programs and activities, of order and bylaws, of committees and memberships. Religion is as a great box, filled with these "things"—and one finds himself or herself enclosed in this box. The spiritual senses are dead here because one doesn’t need them to live and function in this box. It all seems good and proper. Somehow it all seems right, but is deceptively dead. In every way it provides for, touches, and satisfies the outward man, but has little effect on the inward man still bound by those chains.

We must resist "churchiness", formality, and "religious" order in worship, fellowship and in life’s walk. We must resist titles and positions, and serve our Lord with all our heart and soul. Allow the Spirit to define who and what you are in the Body of Christ. The notion of "clergy" and "laity" must be rejected and see ourselves as "living stones" in the temple of God, as equal members of the functioning Body of Christ, yet acknowledging ministries of spiritual authority.

Above all, let us seek with all our hearts to rightly divide spiritual reality from religious ceremony. Remember this: without striving, without reaching forward, without pressing upward with all our hearts, the natural tendency will be a degrading downward towards the customary, formality, and habitual—the end product is "religion." Regretfully, elements of this truth cannot only be seen in individual lives, but in church fellowships that walk in greater measures of spiritual truth as well.

May we all awaken to our position, flee the death grip of religion, and be lifted in the freedom of the Spirit to worship, service, and fellowship. Religion belongs to those great institutions of the world: Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, and so on. But religion has no place in Christianity where we are called to a relationship and fellowship with God in Christ and one another high above this earthly plane.

He has given the believer the gift of the Holy Spirit to make alive and guide the inward man, He has given spiritual gifts and anointed ministries to aid in growth and maturity, and He has given us His Son, that in Him we may have access to His very presence. "As on eagles wings He brought us to Himself."