The Path (Fire on the Mountain Series) (6 page)

“It will not be an easy journey, but it will be worth it. That you had what it takes to begin means you also have what it takes to finish, if you do not get distracted from the path. There are many traps intended to get us off the path. Some are deceptive, and all are enticing, but they will all result in getting you so lost that it will be difficult for you to find the path again.

“This wilderness is hostile to us in every way. It is dangerous, and many do not make it through. It is probable that you will now face the greatest trials you have ever faced in an environment that is trying every way it can to stop you. I know you called yourselves ‘The Society of Bonhoeffer.’ That is fitting, because you will need to draw on the kind of courage and focus that he had for this journey.”

A young lady spoke up, “We will not be easily turned back. We have all experienced what it is like to live without a great purpose. It is better to die as Bonhoeffer did than to not walk the path we have been called to. Death is not the worst thing that can happen to us.”

“What is your name?” I inquired.

“Mary.”

When she spoke I could tell that many looked at Mary with affection and respect, even though she was young, maybe in her early twenties. Then another one in the group said,

“Mary has a double portion of curiosity,” which the others quickly affirmed with their laughs. Mary seemed not to notice.

“So Mary has a lot of questions, which keeps everyone else seeking answers. Good, we need that,” I said.

“That you are here means you have heard the call, and you made the choice to obey it. It is one of the most important choices you have ever made. As Bonhoeffer once wrote, ‘When the Lord calls a man, He bids him to come and die.’ You are about to experience the truth of that, but you will also know the truth of what the Lord said, that if we lose our life for His sake we will find it. You will die some every day, but you are now on the greatest adventure that one can have in this life.”

And so the journey began.

CHAPTER FOUR

THE PATH

M
ary had questions because she wanted answers. She was not just seeking attention. In fact, she was so confident that I could tell that she did not need or want the attention or deference the others gave her. She wanted the truth. I could also sense that I was about to be subjected to her tests to see if I was qualified to be their leader. This was interesting to me because when I had met them on the beach they had somehow known that I was to be their leader.

“It seems that you are well prepared for this journey,” I said to the group. “I have made it through this part of the wilderness, and I want to share with you how I did it. I did not do everything right, and some of the things I did we don’t want to repeat, but I think we can learn from them so as not to make those mistakes again. My goal is to get you through this part as fast and as safely as possible, while learning everything we’re here to learn.

“I think one of the things that helped me most was to reckon myself as dead. I not only resolved to take up the cross and die to my own wants and even my needs, I considered that every day would be my last, and I would very likely die that day. The last few days I did not have to imagine this, I really thought that death was likely, the journey had become so difficult.”

“That’s a bit melodramatic, isn’t it?” someone in the back remarked.

“I think it would be if it were not true.” I answered. “There is an advantage to this. As I was saying, we are likely to experience things ahead that make us think it really will be our last day in this life. Considering yourself as already dead to this world makes it much easier to face this. If we live or die, we are the Lord’s. If the fear of death starts to control us we will not make it through.

“There is another way this can help us. When you consider that every day might be your last it brings a focus to your life so that you live more every day than you may ever have before. That enables us to get the most out of every day, which is one of the purposes of the wilderness. When we are threatened with death we begin to live like never before.”

As I surveyed the group, I was encouraged by how they listened so intently. The art of listening had become rare in our times, but this group was different. I knew the living water had a lot to do with their present mental sharpness, but they seemed exceptionally clear and resolute for this journey. The Voice leaned over and whispered to me:

“Vision is what you are seeing. They would not be sojourners if they were not people of exceptional vision. This helps to give them their focus. You must have uncommon vision to even hear the call to come here.”

As Elijah motioned for me to continue, I did:

“If we walk in fear, we are almost certain to fall. We are going to need more faith and more of the peace of God in our hearts for the battles ahead of us. Fear will cause us to make the wrong choices. If we are already dead to this world what can the world do to us? A dead man has nothing to fear. If we have truly died with Christ, we will be raised with Him, so we should have no fear, even of death. We must live by faith and be guided by faith, not fear, to stay on the right path.

“I did not want to die, but when I died to my own life I began to really live. When I got my focus off myself, off my needs, and on to what I was supposed to be learning, I began to cherish every day as the gift that it is. Render yourself dead now and it will be much easier for you. Those who live this way are the freest of all people. He who is dead needs nothing. As a great saint once said, ‘He who stands in need of nothing cannot be bound by anything.’

“It is those who are dying daily that are the most alive. This living water is the sweetest to them and the most powerful. Death is the path to true life, and dying to self is how we stay on the path of life.

”There is another more important reason why we must reckon ourselves as dead. This is the commandment of the Lord for His disciples. When He said that if we seek to save our lives, we will lose them, but if we will lose them for His sake, we will find them, He was giving us one of the great keys to true life. We lay down our lives for Him because He deserves this devotion. He deserves a people who will be obedient in all things, and this is basic to being His disciple.”

After a moment someone in the group asked, “Who is your friend?”

I turned and looked at the Voice. I saw him shake his head so slightly that I was probably the only one who could see it, but I knew I could not tell them yet.

“He is a friend of yours, too,” I responded. “We will be seeing a lot of him, and you will get to know him well in due time. I need to speak to him alone for a few minutes, and it is time for you to get going. I’ll catch up with you shortly.”

With that, the group started out. After they had passed out of hearing, the Voice began:

“I’ve come to talk to you about William and Mary. Anyone who has made it this far on the path is a person of exceptional faith and vision, but these two are among the most exceptional I have seen for a very long time. I was told there are others like them in this group as well. They will also be your biggest trials. Keep in mind that they are worth it for what they can ultimately become. I was sent to warn you of a trial that will come through Mary that can also jeopardize your whole group.”

“What kind of trial?” I asked.

“It’s not what you think. She does know very well how to use her beauty. The world taught her that at a very young age, but that is not the main trial you will face with her. Mary has questions that you must answer. They are questions that almost all think about, but very few consider them as important as she does. They are important questions, and they need to be answered, not just for her sake, but for the sake of all who are with you.”

“Will you answer them?” I asked.

“No. You will.”

“Do I have the answers? I don’t even know what the questions are.”

“One of the reasons why you were chosen to lead this group is because you had the same questions at one time, and you kept asking them until you found the answers. It is not just giving the right answers to Mary’s questions that are important, but how you answer them.”

With that the Voice looked me sternly in the eyes, nodded, and then started walking away.

“Do you know the questions?” I called after him. “Tell me how I answer them if that is so important.”

“With wisdom and patience,” the Voice replied, just before he disappeared in the trees.

I walked fast to catch up with the group. This time they had not gone as far as I expected. It seems that William opening up about his life had caused others to do the same. Almost all were walking rather casually while sharing their stories with each other. I felt that this was healthy, so I slowed and decided to stay behind them and let this go on. It was not long before I was spotted.

“Okay. You have to tell us who your friend is,” one of them demanded.

“Trust me, you will get to know him very well before we get out of here, but it’s not time to talk about him yet,” I said, as emphatically as I could to try to discourage more questions about him. It didn’t work.

“That wasn’t the Lord, was it?” one elderly lady chimed in.

“No.” I assured her.

“Was it an angel?” another asked.

“I hate to disappoint you, but he is not an angel. I will tell you as much as I can at the right time, if he does not do it himself,” I said as firmly as I could without being rude.

“I was listening to your conversation as I caught up with you. One of the most important purposes of this wilderness is to forge the greatest fellowship we can have on earth—
koinonia.
”

“What is that?” William asked.

“It is the Greek word used in The Bible for fellowship or communion, which means common-union. However, this is much more than the kind of fellowship or friendships we have in this world.
Koinonia
is a bonding together like the members of our body into a single, greater unit that are inseparable. It implies a bonding so deep that if we were separated it would be like having a member of your body cut off. We will have to become that close for what we are entering into. We will perish in this wilderness without it.

“As vital as this is, it is not something that we can just manufacture. We can help the process by keeping in mind that we must have this, and therefore, refuse to let anything divide us. However, there are two basic things that will forge us together as we must be. The first will be the process of experiencing this wilderness together. The second, and even more important, is growing in our love for the Lord so much that we love Him more than our own life. Then, we will always treat even the least of His people as we would treat Him, knowing how important this is to Him.

“These are the things that lead to
koinonia
. As we are told in I John 1:7, ‘
If we abide in the light as He is in the light, we have koinonia and the blood of Jesus will cleanse us from all sin
.’ It is written that ‘
the life is in the blood
,’ and we must have
koinonia
for the life of Christ to flow through His body, just as the members of our body must all be connected for the life-blood to flow through them.

“For you to already be as close as you are you must have begun to taste this in your small groups on the ship. There was already such a bond that all who were experiencing it on the ship came on this journey. This place will cause you to bond even deeper. Treasure these times. Never take them for granted. Such an experience is becoming rare in Christianity, but it is essential for the fullness of Christ to be revealed through His people.”

“This is not such a bad place, but I don’t think I would want to go anywhere like this alone. Why did you go alone?” one of them asked.

“I couldn’t find anyone at the time to go with me. That is why it was so much harder for me than it needed to be, and why I didn’t get very far,” I confessed.

“What do you mean you did not get very far? I thought you made it through this wilderness before,” Mary spoke up.

“I have been to the mountain before, but I got there a different way. I have actually been through quite a few wildernesses though, but this one is different. All of the others seem to have just been training for this one. I only made it part of the way before I was taken back to the beginning to help you.”