What God said to the Apostles of the Lamb He still is saying to His Church: "It is only by your death that you can live in My Presence. Enter My death and resurrection. Death is the only path to the Throne of God."

By death we mean the surrender of our personality to God, allowing Him to fill us with His Life. We tell the Lord we are His bondslave forever. Our delight is to do the will of God only. We have learned that to follow the desires of our own life brings frustration and pain.

What is accomplished by our death?

God is able to destroy the body of sin.

In our adamic personality there is a "body of sin," a set of lusts and attractions that influence our behavior. Because the body of sin is so intertwined with our personality it is impossible for our adamic personality to be reformed, to be saved. The only solution is to slay it completely. Then the Divine judgment can call forth the body of sin and kill it.

For if ye live in the appetites of the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify [put to death] the deeds of the body, ye shall live. (Romans 8:13)

When we die in the Lord, our life becomes the Life of the risen Christ.

Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: (Romans 6:8)

We learn obedience to the Father.

Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:8)

The most important discipline any individual ever learns is stern obedience to the Father. But such rigorous obedience can be learned only through the suffering and death of the cross. Even the Lord Jesus, our Master in every area, had to learn obedience. He learned it as every son of God learns it—through things He suffered during His pilgrimage on the earth.

We are enabled to perform the work of the Kingdom.

And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life. (Mark 10:29,30)

There is work to be done if the Kingdom of God is to come into our own life and from there into the earth.

If we are to be able to do the work of the Kingdom we must be willing, if Jesus should require it, to leave much that is dear to us. If we make such a sacrifice, and it truly is for Jesus' sake and the Gospel's and not because of a false motive on our part, we will be rewarded richly now and will receive eternal life in the ages to come.

Only those who have placed all their relationships on the altar of God are able to leave all when the Lord calls.

For if I do this thing willingly, I have a reward: but if against my will, a dispensation of the gospel is committed unto me. (I Corinthians 9:17)

To be continued.