FINE TUNING

While Ronnie Huneycutt and I were in Silistra, Bulgaria ministering we stayed at a better than five star hotel. Sometimes God will let us stay in the finest of accommodation and sometimes God finds a place for us in stark poverty and filth, but in either place a heart of thankfulness is what God is looking for in us. At times in Africa and India I have slept with the cattle. In Bukoba, Tanzania I have showered by lifting a bucket of water over my head that was retrieved (before I got up) and heated over an open fire by the pastor’s wife from a river over two miles way. How could I not enjoy my shower knowing the effort and sacrifice involved? How could I not be thankful? How could I want anything better? I really believe at these times God is checking us out and fine tuning our heart condition to be able to show us our heart and to see just how thankful we really are for the things He provides. Well in Bulgaria God put us up in the finest place in town: a four room apartment complete with a stocked (plenty of food, coffee maker, etc.) kitchen, huge bathroom, and two comfortable beds that Pastor Niki and his wonderful father built. What else could we want? Another feature we really enjoyed was Niki’s office computer which allowed contact with our families; just down the outside back stairs and into the back of Pastor Niki’s print shop. One morning as I was coming through the door in the back of the print shop I noticed a man was setting up one of the print machines. I stopped and watched in amazement. The man (I never got his name) looked up and smiled, but continued to work. He was a man on a mission and his mission was to get this machine to run at peak ability and function. Now what was so amazing was the way the man was adjusting or fine tuning the machine. He knew every inch of that machine like the back of his hand, he knew every turn of the dials, every lift of the levers, and every adjustment and slide of the paper guides. He knew every reaction to the adjustments he was making and compensated correctly to get the machine to run at its full potential. I was in awe I was watching a master at work. I know you may think I am somewhat crazy, but it was like watching a master violinist or cellist play their instrument. Foolishly I tried taking a picture, but he would not stop long enough for me to get the shot and it kind of annoyed him so I backed off. He adjusted and fine tuned; after those he nudged the machine again, a half roll of the print drum and another nudge, a slide of the paper guide and another nudge, another half roll of the print drum and another nudge where he then measured and nudged again. This went on for about 30-40 minutes and then added paper filling the paper tray. After a final inspection and a few more gentle nudges the on switch was engaged and the machine was off and running; one sheet, two sheets, three sheets, suddenly the machine was switched off. The adjustments and fine tuning was not to the master’s liking so the man was back to nudging, measuring, sliding the paper guide, and many half turns of the drum. Another inspection then machine was off and running again. The man was not so concerned about time as much as he was about the peak performance of the machine and turning out quality copies of the original. The machine was turned off again and more nudges and fining tuning was completed. At last he was ready to go. The paper tray was filled to the top and the on switch was engaged the machine seemed to rhythmically sing as it spit out copy after copy of the original image. And as I was standing there the LORD spoke to me and said, “this is what I must do to my children I must fine tune them so I can make exact copies of my Son.” What an unexpected word, but powerful word from God. God has to fine tune us so He can make copies of His Son Jesus Christ. Now we all know that, right? Sure we all know Paul told this to the Church at Rome, “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Romans 9:29-30) This is God’s main objective in our lives, “to conform us to the image of His Son.” God is not trying to make us happy (He can care less if we are happy), rich, popular, intelligent, or famous God started something back in the Book of Genesis, “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.” (Genesis 1:26) And God has not changed His mind He is still in the business of conforming man, still in the business of making “man in our image after our likeness” and He will do everything we will allow Him to do to fine tune and complete this process of becoming like Him in our lives. Did you know God is more concerned about our character than He is about how long we can speak in tongues, sing and dance in the Spirit, how much money we give to the church, even how long we have been walking with Him. All these things are okay, but they are not on the top of God’s list of important things for our lives. Our character is God’s number one focus; our character looking like or resembling the character of Jesus Christ. God is even more concerned about our character than He is about our service to Him. Do we really think God cannot get things done on earth without us? Of course not God can do anything He so desires He does not need man, but He made man, He loves man, and He wants to use man to herald the good news of the Gospel message to men. What a wonderful truth that God desires for man to help save other men. Many say (as I just did) we are to be conformed into the image of Jesus Christ and this is true, but what image are we talking about? Are we talking about Jesus’ physical image? No of course not. My teacher Charles Haun was the most gifted Bible Teacher I have ever heard; many millions of people around the world would agree with me on this, but some went to the extreme. Many of Charles’ students bought glasses and even copied his dress and mannerisms they were called Haunites, but all of this never made them like Charles Haun. We are to be conformed to the spiritual character and nature of Jesus Christ not His physical features. Now I have a beard like Jesus, but that will never allow me act and touch like Christ. We are to love like Him, but before we can do that we must have a heart like Him. We are to think like Him, but before we can think like Christ we must have a mind like Christ. There is a spiritual principle that says a man cannot give what he does not have. How can we be like Christ if we have never allowed God to work the character of Christ, through His dealing and judgments, in us? So how do we get a mind and heart like Christ? How can we be conformed into the expressed (original) image of Jesus Christ? Well my friend this is a painful process indeed. Just asking God to forgive you of your sins will not do it, oh no my friend there is a process of opening up our heart and lives to God and allowing Him free rule and reign to work in our lives. At the end of Romans 9:30 we read these word, “them he also glorified.” Now most Christians who read these words would think like the disciples, “God is going to make us rich, popular, and famous maybe give us the biggest following in the land,” but not so. John tells us during Jesus victorious entrance to Jerusalem before His crucifixion, “Fear not, daughter of Sion: behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass’s colt. 16 These things understood not his disciples at the first: but when Jesus was glorified, then remembered they that these things were written of him, and that they had done these things unto him.” (John 12:15-16) The disciples thought now we are going to set up the Throne of David and kick those Romans out of Jerusalem, but not so. Jesus told the disciples, “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.’ (John 12:23-25) Die who wants to die? Lose who wants to lose? Not me I want to live and be free in Christ, well that is not the spiritual order. The spiritual order is death before glorification. And if we have a good death we will be glorified by the Father like Jesus. Jesus was teaching the disciples a critical spiritual principle, death comes before glorification. If we desire to be glorified like Jesus then we too must die to our fleshly, carnal, lower character and nature. At the same measure we can die to our lower carnal life at that same measure we will be raised in newness of life with Christ Jesus. Also in Romans Paul tell us, “For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection:” (Romans 6:5) “Planted together in the likeness of his death?” His death? What about the abundant life of God? I want nothing to do with His death, well if so then we shall never be raised “in the likeness of his resurrection:” The Spiritual order is death before glorification my friend. This death in us only happens as we become His workmanship. Paul in Ephesians tells us, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9Not of works, lest any man should boast. 10For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:8-10) The good works we are created (or conformed into His image) in Christ Jesus is God’s dealings and judgments in our lives. God’s “good works” (not our works or service to Him), God’s fine tuning (by grace) in our lives will bring us to more than salvation and will do more than take us all to heaven it will conform us into the character and image of Jesus Christ. Now I have understood this truth to be conformed for some time now, but to be honest (is not honesty good for the soul) I have never really understood why God wants us to be conformed to the nature and character of His precious Son Jesus Christ. There must be more to God’s intention here (God always wants more in our lives) and one day while studying I ran across these verses, “And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 21In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: 22In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:20-22) Now I am sure I have read these verses before I guess I could not handle this bit of truth then, but it was the missing piece to the puzzle God desires us to be His eternal temple of habitation for all eternity not in the heavens or the earth, but in us. Man is to be God’s eternal abode. I cannot explain (I dare not) why God chose to live in man’s heart forever, but He is God and we are not and He chose to live within man for all of eternity. No wonder He must fine tune us like the print master. No wonder God must adjust us He wants His temple to be perfect, holy, and blameless before Him. Written by David Stahl