My friend Kemper explains our two most fundamental relationships in terms of horizontal and vertical. Our relationship with Our Heavenly Father is the “vertical” relationship. Our Lord Jesus Christ established that relationship when He died on the cross and was resurrected. To this very day, it seems everyone spends their time and focus on the “vertical” but are waiting on some special empowerment for the “horizontal”. Jesus told us to fulfill the Law is summarized in two commandments:
Mark 12:29 Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. 30 And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment.
31 And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
The first commandment establishes your “vertical” relationship with Our Heavenly Father. Let’s face it, this relationship is well established. If you truly believe in the restoration of all mankind, you know this vertical relationship was taken care of by the blood of Jesus Christ. The Remnant should now be focusing on the second commandment of Love: Love thy neighbor as yourself.
The anointing from Above flows from the vertical to us and our responsibility is to continue its flow in the “horizontal” to all mankind. The first two feasts, Passover and Pentecost, tend to focus on our vertical relationship with Our Heavenly Father. Both the “baptism” of water and the Holy Spirit are signs of these two feasts. The third feast focuses on “fire”. This “fire” is intended to burn out the fleshly nature in us so that we are no longer self-centered as children. We are to become mature sons and daughters and focus on the “horizontal” relationships. Those who keep waiting for some future event to occur are missing the mark. Now is the time to Love thy neighbor, the second of the two great commandments.
The passage isn’t yet complete. The scribe then comments:
32 So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. 33 And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Clearly, the scribe had understanding of the essence of the Law and the Character of Our Heavenly Father. However, the scribe in a subtle fashion modified what Jesus said. Jesus said to Love Our Heavenly Father:
1. with all your heart
2. with all your soul
3. with all your mind (dianoia)
4. with all your strength
The scribe said:
1. with all thy heart
2. with all (wisdom and) understanding (synesis)
3. with all thy soul
4. with all thy strength
Jesus embraced the modification made by the scribe after He spoke the two commandments and then said:
34 Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
The scribe was on the right path. He understood the essence. The second commandment is every bit as important as the first in the eyes of Jesus. Loving thy neighbor is more important than “all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” (acts focused on the “vertical”).
We must direct our attention to the “horizontal”. This is the focus of Kemper’s book “Raising the Remnant”. We are expected to bring forth the Kingdom by ministering Love to our neighbor. Our neighbor should see the Kingdom in our eyes and our actions. If you are self-centered… stop it, repent. If you are insecure, you need greater revelation of the “vertical” for HE is your security, not flesh and blood. Wisdom from Above will bring forth the Kingdom but we need not wait on some future event. The Kingdom is ready to come now. Now is the time for “horizontal” ministry. This is the focus of Servias Ministries’ mandate, the books we have published, and the weekly Bible study broadcasts. This is our priority, what is yours?