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Mike,

I wanted to thank you for your work in this ministry. Please forward my appreciation of your work to all those involved as I know it takes more than one man to run a ministry as yours. I read your website every day. It is a great relief for me to have a place to measure my interpretation of God’s word. I love to study His word, and when I feel I have a good hold on it, I come here as a check and balance, for “in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” I have been studying the sacrifice in Leviticus chapter one and was greatly distressed as my interpretation was a bit off. I pictured us as the burnt offering, while you and Jukes have Christ as that burnt offering, which is a more accurate view of the text. I was just a little down that I had not seen that. Being corrected by the word is a tough thing. I just wanted to let someone know my distress right now over that.
God Bless you and your family, Mike.

L____

Hi L____,

Thank you for your encouraging words. I am very pleased that you find iswasandwillbe. com to be in any way edifying and confirming to what the Lord is opening your eyes to see. I especially appreciate the fact that you realize that this is the work of a team of “fellow servants.” If it were not for all the behind the scenes people who make this web site possible, you would not have had the opportunity to write this e- mail. But the Lord has laid it upon the hearts of those who make this possible to help us to make the gospel available via the internet to those who are given eyes that see and ears that can hear the mysteries of the kingdom of God.
Frankly, I am encouraged to hear that your take on the burnt offering is that it is us. I say that simply because of John’s statement that “as He is, so are we in this world.”

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Christ was and is our burnt offering, but when we are finally given to see and understand what ‘the Christ’ is, then we will be given the ability to believe Christ’s own words:

Act 9:5  And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
Act 22:8  And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest.
Act 26:15  And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

There it is three times, “I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.”  Saul of Tarsus never touched Christ, except as he persecuted Christ’s disciples, and it is Christ who said “as you have done it unto the least of these my brothers, you have done it unto me.”

Mat 25:40  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.
Mat 25:45  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

Those are truly powerful words which make give great weight to John’s statement that we are as He is. Was Christ a sweet smelling burnt offering? Of course, He was. He is first and preeminent in all things.

Col 1:18  And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.

But we too, are to present ourselves as He is.

Rom 12:1  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

We are to reckon ourselves as crucified with Him.

Gal 2:20  I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

Was He afflicted for us? Of course, He was. But His afflictions are not yet filled up because He Himself has said that we are Jesus Christ of Nazareth and must therefore fill up what is behind of His afflictions.

Col 1:24  Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body’s sake, which is the church:

Why do we “fill up what is behind of His afflictions? We do it for the same reason He does it. “For His body’s sake, which is the church.”
Was Christ a sweet savor? So are we.

2Co 2:15  For we are unto God a sweet savour of Christ, in them that are saved, and in them that perish:

 I hope that you are not too hard on yourself for seeing us as the sweet smelling burnt offering. In Christ, that is exactly what we are, “Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you persecute…”

1Jn 4:17  Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

Your brother in Christ,
Mike