We  know the meaning of the term "connected", because it is used a lot in the Internet. A person  is connected while one is connected to the rest of the world through the Net. 

Nevertheless  it is not only the Internet to benefit of this term. The Bible uses it also and, if you allow me, its been doing it a much longer time!   

When it admonishes not to abandon its own community, not to desert the activities of the work in which one is involved, is it not perhaps saying of... remaining connected to it?

And when it exhorts to the submission towards ones own leaders and to the loyalty in their comparison, is it not perhaps saying the same thing?

But, above all, when it teaches to remain faithful to Jesus, when it writes to persevere until the end and not returning back, is it not perhaps saying to remain connected to the Plan of Salvation that one has received?

All of us  want to remain connected to heaven, because it is from heaven  that the blessings come down for our life and it is always from heaven that the victories come upon the challenges that we meet during our walk. 

Glory to God for the connection!

 What would we do without it?

How could we progress in the Lord, overcoming the obstacles, resisting the trials, beyond passing the mountains and reaching the goal, if at the same time we were not connected with heaven?! 

 You see, I see the spiritual connection with heaven as that wonderful opportunity of being able to approach the blessings of God, blessings that become grace within our reach to the Grace of God, that sort of modem that the Lord has provided, until we could reach heaven!

Just like a computer has need of a modem in order to access Internet, also us Christian have the need of an intermediary in order to access with heaven and its blessings.

Jesus is our mediator!

Glory!

Stay  connected with Heaven, my friend, because this is your only opportunity  to win in this life!

Don’t unplug the wire, do not live a wasted and apathetic Christianity, but remain connected with the kingdom to which you already belong to, with the place in which your real Father resides with, Heaven!

AM I CONNECTED  OR NOT?

Now how can I say of being connected? In what way can I control and assess that my spiritual connection is active?

It’s the same rules in the Lord.  

It is necessary to be connected to Him, before being able to navigate with success, before being able to assess the answers that the Bible promises for our life. Its not enough to have received Salvation in our own heart, but it is also necessary living in constant connection with the Lord, because if Salvation guarantees your eternal destination, the daily connection with Christ guarantees the success in your daily walk. 

If although He gives the Salvation and although you have Jesus in your heart but you are not receiving answers from Heaven, then it is probable that you are not connected. Yes, perhaps, you have the legal possibility to navigate between the blessings of heaven, you have Christ in you, but you do not succeed to see certain manifested answers. Well, if this is your case then it is probable that, for some reason, your communion with Christ has been interrupted.

RELATIONSHIP AND COMMUNION

 You see, there is a difference between a relationship with Jesus and being in communion with Him.

The relationship is the legal ties to the family of God, and if you have received Christ in your heart then legally you are  part of His house.

The relationship of a son belongs to you.

But the communion is the decision to have use of His  company and to share with Him your daily life, your desires, telling Him your hopes and listening  to His.

Here, this is the connection which I speak about!

But in reality it is a bit like in a marriage.

In a married couple it is possible living in communion with one another, otherwise legally living together, but without speaking or sharing ones own heart. All the married couples benefit of the legal relationship of husband and wife, but unfortunately all of them cannot say of living in communion between them.

You need more of a physical relationship to live together, to have communion with one another.

I think you remember the parable of the prodigal son. Do you remember the situation, true? One of the two sons of that father abandoned the paternal  home in order to go to live a reckless life. In spite  that such did not live at the house with the father and even though did not have use any more of the help and protection of the parents, the Bible continuous to call him "son". Why? Because  a son does not stop being such only because he goes away from the house.

When a son interrupts the relationships with the parents,  he does not stop to maintain the legal relationship of a son with them. Certainly, he does not benefit the support given by the mother or father  anymore, but legally continuous to being their  son.

What  instead comes to lack is the communion.

Yes, to be children is already a blessing, but to have communion with the father it is something greater. Yes, because if from a relationship you only have the legal benefits, from a communion you receive of the virtues.

Well, if you have received Jesus in your heart and therefore you find yourself to benefit of the relationship of a son of God, you also have care to have communion with Him, and not only the relation. Do it  in a way that the celestial blessings are not only yours from a legal and doctrinal point of view, but that they are manifested also visibly and practically in your life.

In other words, remain connected!

HAVE A QUICK GLANCE AT THE CABLES!

How do you do it, therefore, to control that your connection with Christ is active? Exists  a spiritual check-list that can help you, in this? How can you control something like the spiritual communion that, in the end, it cannot be seen or be touched with the hand?

Simple, you must give  a look at the cables!

And which  are these cables?

Are all  those practical connections with the kingdom of God, those connections that bring you to remain connected to your modem and therefore to the... Internet.

They are not to abandon the reading of the Word of God and the daily prayer, the time spent with Him.

 They are the respect, the submission and the loyalty towards your leaders for an example the simple fact that the Lord has placed them for edification and protection of your life.

They are the commitment in helping and supporting your community or the works in which you are involved with, with all the passion and the zeal that this deserves.

Perhaps all are not called to the mission or to operate in difficult areas, but all of us can honor God with that passion that Jesus has placed in us. 

All of us can and must be, before anything else, faithful members of a work and in loyal  submission to the constituted authorities.

They are these, cables that you can easily control, just because they are practical and tangible, and it is difficult to be tricked on their connection. In fact, If you are living a walk of respect and obedience towards your Pastor, if you are respecting and honoring the commitments of your community and if you are disposed to stay next to the one who is ministering the Word in your life, then this you know. You know if these cables are connected. They are cables very, practical, my friend. They are in reality on which nobody can be tricked:  everyone of us knows very well if he is fulfilling them or not.

 They are certainly not the only ones, it is obvious, and we do not have here the way to list them all, but already just these say something on your connection to the Net, believe me. They are fundamental principals, simple and available to all, the ABC of the discipleship, nevertheless you would be surprised if you knew how many believers live without having a Pastor who can minister in their life or without having a ministry which to submit themselves and to be connected, towards learning to render account of their own spiritual work. They pretend to doing great things for God, but without beginning to act in those simple and basic things. They say of wanting to obey the Lord, but then they are not able to obey any Pastor and at times they don’t even have a Pastor! These, are believers,  completely detached from their local church, independent from whatever ministry,  believers to which nobody can say nothing to and that nobody can really pasture them. Of the rest, if they do not learn the discipline of having to render account to a Pastor that they see and hear in the natural, how can they pretend of being disciplined with a God that they do not see and they do not listen?

Even though, those people are legally the children of God, they  live far from His instructions and from His discipline for their life. Who will help them, if they do not have a Pastor?  And who will ever straighten up their path, if they don’t allow anybody to do it?

 If they have received Jesus they are believers. But if they are not submitted to a ministry and they do not learn to render a lovable account to someone of their own work, then they are very far from receiving the powerful and long-lasting blessings of God.

They need to return to being connected!

DO YOU HAVE NEED OF A GOOD TECHNICIAN?

The word “weakness”, from the Greek astheneia, literally means "area in which we lack strength", and if therefore you notice that you re not connected, then you have need of strength in that area.  

Well, the Holy Spirit is willing to supply it to you!  Isn’t marvelous?

Therefore don’t underestimate the help of the Holy Spirit. He is here for you, just for you.   And it is one of His tasks, To help you to  remain connected with heaven!

Look what Jesus says with regard to: "…. he shall teach you all things..." (John 14:26). In the phrase "every thing" is certainly included also the teaching on how to maintain  active our connection with heaven. Glory!

He is here also for this, and certainly He will not be offended if we humbly ask help from the Father in order to restore that connection that perhaps, for some reason, got disconnected.

Do not limit eternal life that the Lord has donated to you giving it to you in your spirit, my friend.

And only in this way, being certain, you could be sure to remain connected with Him!

Transleted by Umberto e Gina Zinetti

©2007 Vita Abbondante Ministries. In case of quotations of the articles is obligatory to indicate the author and the source.