The Lord says 'Ascend to transcend…'

Submitted by Becky Prasad 04/07/2010

Several weeks ago I was before the Lord regarding many obstacles and challenges that are before us. I heard the Lord say 'ascend to transcend.' For days it kept resonating in my spirit, 'ascend to transcend!' I shared this with Joshua and there was notable and strong quickening in his spirit. I believe God is saying this is a word for his church in this season. Certainly our season is not uneventful or lacking in excitement.

The Bible is not silent on the idea of ascending. The OT is always speaking of going up to heaven (Deut 30:12, Amos 9:2, 2 Kings 2:11…Elijah caught up in a whirlwind to heaven). When God ascends his throne, he subdues all of Israel's enemies (Psalm 47:5; 681…let God arise and his enemies be scattered). The Hebrew word (ala) that translates ascend has the connotation of a conduit and often described those who went up to the temple in Jerusalem. In the NT the Ephesians 4 texts speak of Christ ascending after he descended. Simply put, Webster may not be too far off on this. Ascend is defined as moving upwards along, to mount and or to succeed to a throne. Ascendancy is defined as a position of control and domination. To transcend is to go beyond the limits, to surpass and excel.

I started putting together 'ascend to transcend' within the bigger message over this last year. God had previously spoken that 'Life comes from death' and the text that 'the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us.' Somewhere in the spectrum of death, resurrection, ascension, and glorification, the Father's call is for us to ascend and transcend to advance His kingdom.

Paul understood resurrection as something that will happen when Jesus returns. He speaks with assurance to the Thessalonians about the dead being raised when Christ returns (1Thess 4:16-17). However, we see Paul on many other occasions expressing a more immediate understanding of the resurrection as well. Indeed Jesus' declaration to Martha that He is the resurrection and the life was a foreshadowing of his death and resurrection. But there is more. Paul expressed a deep longing to know the power of Christ's resurrection, not when he died but in his life time. What does knowing the power of His resurrection do for us?

Phil 3:10-11

10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death,

11 if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. NKJV

Why did Paul see the need for this? There is a life of ascendancy that comes from death and suffering endured for Christ. It comes from knowing the power of His resurrection. Death was not foreign to Paul. "For your sake we are killed all day long….yet in all these things we are more than conquerors (Rom 8:36-37). It is the place of ascendancy that is authoritative and releases life from our death. Ascendancy is related to knowing the power of His resurrection.

Knowing the power of His resurrection here and now (not when the dead in Christ shall rise) positions us differently here and now. It gives us a position of ascension. With this position it is a different ball game! We make the rules. Not to mention the assurance that moves us to fearless service, moving forward and in realizing God's unshakable kingdom. If we know resurrection power then no problem is without solution! This reality stirs faith beyond that which dies or is about to die. Martha and Mary had faith that Jesus can heal their sick brother. Martha believed in the resurrection in the end but knew nothing of the 'now' resurrection and the life. After Lazarus stopped breathing their faith wilted and they were deeply overburdened. Yet the Father had orchestrated this platform of a crisis in every day life to reveal Jesus as the Resurrection and the Life. This makes possible a faith and rule beyond death. When Jairus' daughter died his servant hurried to tell him not to bother the Master anymore. Why? This revealed their paradigm – their faith does not go beyond death and Jesus could only handle it as long as she had a pulse. There was no room for transcendancy, for surpassing barriers or for going beyond. In fact the mourners were terribly upset when Jesus made it to Jairus' house. I think Paul blew apart this paradigm and God is saying we need to do the same.

There is something about ascending that is defying to the natural. My eight year old niece had an open vision, made a trip to heaven and had a private meeting with Jesus. Are you jealous? “Is there anything you want to do that you can’t do on earth?” Jesus asked her. “I want to float in a bubble” she answered. She described that "out of nowhere a bubble appeared and I got inside. It was fun!" Well I bet it was! I remember both Joshua and I had several dreams of us ascending and ascending….into endless space with such ease and naturalness. He describes it as a Peter Pan experience and I just think it was fun of cosmic proportion! Now for the reality, huh! When Jesus walked the earth he called his disciples to be with Him and then he sent them out. Yes? Well, we were called by the resurrected, ascended glorified Jesus, and yes He calls us to be with Him as he sends us out. Well where is he? He is in a position of ascendancy!

Paul's cry to know Christ in the power of his resurrection is not just for himself but for us too. This is the paradigm shift that is upon us!

Eph 1:19-21

19 and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power

20 which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places,

21 far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. NKJV

This exceeding great power that worked in Christ placed Him in an ascension position on the right hand of the Father in the heavenly place. Paul tells us that our death in Christ and being raised with Him is an already accomplished reality. Yet, Paul prayed that we will know this power and I believe it is so that we can experience the present reality of ascendancy. Well the Spirit in me is the same one who raised Christ to this position. Huh! He will also give life to my mortal body!

Rom 8:11

11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. NKJV

I have watched some of our leaders physically stretch beyond what is humanly possible to bear. At times I have gotten overly concern. I have also heard the Spirit say that He is giving life to their mortal bodies! Yes! One minute Paul was so beaten they taught he was dead and not so long after he was up and about preaching and teaching! The same Spirit lived in him too. Well, did Paul say that we are also raised up with Christ in the heavenly place (Eph 2:6) as testament of the incredible grace of God? In many ways we are called to ascend to where we are expected to be.

I believe there are obstacles and hurdles before us as ministers of the Gospel and carriers of the heavenly vision that will only be overcome as we 'ascend to transcend' them. I have been audibly apprehending and bombarding myself with the realities that: the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in me; Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life now; I am in Him and He is in me; that the experience of the exceeding great power of the resurrection is for me now; this place of right standing in the heavenly place has my name on it and must not be vacant; that I am a conduit of resurrection life! Paul's cry is God's cry for us…and now is ours!

God keeps saying, "Becky I do not raise the half-dead, but the dead." This stirs faith beyond death. We often pray as long as there are some hope and last signs of breath or life. Very often with death we move on with quick assumption, living up to our own paradigm. We resign ourselves to the death of: people, business deals, relationships, marriages, issuance of permits and licenses, and many lost souls. At other times it seems that we have been using our resurrection power to keep alive or resurrect all the wrong things. Something need to remain dead! Then there are those cases where we need to call Lazarus forth…for Christ's glory! Both Martha and Abraham had a theological position of the end time resurrection – Abraham before he was about to slay Isaac and Martha after Lazarus' death – and learnt that there is also a now resurrection reality. Paul caught this availability of now ascending and transcending paradigm. In his writing about Abraham and Sarah, I love how Paul qualifies God as one who gives life to the dead…now… for the fulfillment of bigger things!

Rom 4:17-18

17 -- God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did

18 who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spoken, "So shall your descendants be." NKJV

Our part is to understand that in death, 'contrary to hope, in hope we believe!' I am learning the reality of ascending in worship, abiding, and loving. The reality of transcending the good, the bad and the ugly!

Ascend to transcend, says the Lord!