N.Y., Heidi Baker, and Free Food; or The Privileges of Knowing

About 2 months ago I was in New York and I went to a college there to do some research on Carrie Judd Montgomery, the one whom I am doing my PhD on. Because of my interest in her, the people at the college welcomed me with open arms. I had a personal meeting with the Dean of Seminary, free lunch with the president of the college, a tour of the historic campus, and received great help in the library doing some research. This all happened, not because I personally knew someone, but because I was interested in someone whom the people at the college also shared an interested in. Because of this, I was given favor and had a blessed time there (at Nyack College).

Something cool happened to me about a week ago. Let me go back to the start. About a month ago I noticed that Heidi Baker was going to be in England speaking so I have been planning to see her. I also prayed that I would be able to spend a little more time than just a quick hello with her as it has been so long since I have seen her last. Then, a few weeks ago my flatmates asked me to go on a fun trip to see a castle in Northern England this past Saturday. Normally a road trip and castle would be something I would do in a heart beat. For some reason though, I felt that I wasn’t supposed to go and that I needed to keep that day open, for what reason I had no clue.

They had to know about buying tickets ahead of time so I just decided to get one, figuring that if something came up, I could just give it to someone else. I thought that maybe the weird feeling inside of me was just me. Even after I bought the ticket though I still felt strongly that I was supposed to keep that Saturday wide open and not go, still not understanding why.

Then, this past Thursday I received an email inviting me and a few others to go to a church in Oxford to spend time with Heidi Baker on SATURDAY before her conference. I obviously did not go on the trip with the flatmates and went to Oxford for the whole weekend to spend some long overdue “Heidi time.” It was such a rich time and a blessing to my soul to be there. The other cool thing was that because I knew Heidi, I was given a free ticket to the sold out conference, got free food, and met lots of great people. This access to the conference all happened because of my connection with Heidi.

All this has made me think about favor and how much more I can have access to in this life because I know Jesus.

Heidi mentioned Ephesians 1:11 over the weekend: “In Him we have also obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to counsel of His will…” From this verse, it appears that we have ALREADY obtained the said inheritance which means we can have free access to it now, in this very moment. I guess if we have an inheritance from the King, then we have full access to His kingdom. That must mean we get to heal the sick, cast out demons, and even raise the dead (both physically and spiritually). I want access to that!

I mentioned that I got free food at both places as well. In the same way and even more so, knowing Jesus intimately means that we get to eat the best food in the world. He even invites those who have no money to come and eat for free, food that satisfies even our souls in abundance (Isaiah 55).

What would our lives look like if we fully understood the significance of having a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus, the Revolutionary of love? What if we woke up one day and actually truly believed the truth that we are chosen and adopted sons and daughters of the King (Eph. 1:5)? And what things do we have free access to right now because we are personally chosen and handpicked by Him? What part of His kingdom can we partake in today because of that same fact? What privileges through our intimate connection with the King are we not tapping into?

Today, in this moment, we have access to so much because of who we know. If we just ask, we have immediate accessibility to peace that passes understanding, direction, healing, mercy, forgiveness, provision, acceptance, love, authority in Christ, strength, courage, hope, and fullness of the Spirit to name a few.

Do we realize, I mean truly realize all that we have access to in Christ? And how would our lives look different if we walked with our heads held high, believing that we are sons and daughters of the King who have full access into His kingdom today?

Carrie Judd Montgomery believed this and in 1895 she wrote: “Oh, I am sure that it is our privilege not to be half full, but to be filled to overflowing, and that all the time, and the overflowing rivers will then be poured out to a thirsty, lost world.”

Knowing of Carrie Judd Montgomery gave me favor at a college in New York. Knowing Heidi Baker gave me entrance and access into a sold out conference. How much more must await us in Christ because we know HIM. What an even greater privilege it is to know Him, with even greater rewards. May we be encouraged to search out, access, and fully receive what is already available to us in His inheritance because we not only know of Jesus, or know Him just a little bit, but we know Him intimately.

May the Lord open our eyes to see all that we have access to in Him. May we fully receive and walk in all the privileges we have in Him simply because we know Him and He knows us. “And this I pray, that the eyes of your understanding will be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power…” Ephesians 1:18-19

posted 5/9/2009
See also video interview with Heidi Baker on the topic of revival and Carrie Judd Montogmery