Excerpt from Church Alive Album by our Mother Foundress

“You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses” (Acts 1:8)

St. Peter and St. Paul talk a lot about this spiritual building that we are being built up into in order to offer spiritual sacrifices. As a priestly person and priestly Church, how do we really offer spiritual sacrifices? This is what the Apostles are telling us to do. When I read this I began to realize this is because the Spirit consecrates us in union with Jesus to be the sacrifice. Jesus and the Spirit make the sacrifice spiritual. So when the Holy Spirit calls us into sacrifice, into the heart of Jesus to lay down our lives, then our whole life becomes a sacrifice. Our whole life becomes a spiritual offering to the Lord, and it is pleasing to the Lord.

Jesus is at the right hand of the Father now as the eternal High Priest, mediating, reconciling, in intercession at the Father’s right hand. Yet that eternal High Priest is continuing to live His priestly ministry within each one of us in a very mystical way. This is why He needs us. He needs intercessors; He needs flesh and blood; He needs bodies to enter into so He can continue and perpetuate His sacrifice on the Cross. He wants to continue to cast Fire upon the earth. He couldn’t wait for this type of baptism. He said, “I have come to light a Fire on the earth. How I wish the blaze were ignited! I have a baptism to receive. What anguish I feel till it is over! (Lk 12:49-50). He was enflamed by it because He wanted to cast Fire, to cast Love, to cast Grace, to cast Life, upon the earth into everyone’s heart no matter who they are, no matter where they are.

Not only did He give us a New Covenant, but He also gave us a New Commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 15:12). It is only possible to live that commandment if He is living it within me. This is exactly what He intended! He wants to continue living this commandment within us. He wants to continue loving His people in this sacrificial agape love, and He wants to use us now, His Body here on earth, to do it.

“I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)