When Moses led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the mighty hand of
God their faith in God became the biggest issue that they faced. After
seeing God's hand of protection while Egypt struggled under the plagues
we see something in the scriptures that reveal God's true nature even
before Israel began their journey to the Promised Land. First, we see
God provision and favor on His people, "Speak now in the hearing of
the people, and let every man ask from his neighbor and every woman from
her neighbor, articles of silver and articles of gold. And the LORD
gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians." (Exodus 11:2-3) Next, we see God's desire and power to heal, "He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes." (Psalm 105:37)
Take a moment to think about these things. Israel spent 430 years in
Egypt (Exodus 12:40-41) were oppressed for 400 years (Acts 7:6) at the
hand of Egyptians taskmasters (Exodus 1:11-14). Yet when they departed
Egypt they left with the silver and gold of the Egyptians and not one
person was lacking in physical or mental strength; none were frail or
weak in any way. In brief, during their journey to the Promised Land,
God leads them, protects them and preserved them from hunger and thirst,
yet their faith
or trust in God was little at best. The apostle Paul tells us that
during their journey, Israel lusted after evil, some became idolaters,
some committed sexual immorality, some tempted Christ and some murmured
against God. Paul also tells us that these things should be examples
that believers should not follow. (1 Corinthians 10:6-11)
There is one particular account of Israel's travels in the wilderness
that I want to focus on. It deals with the twelve spies that were sent
to spy out the land. Numbers 13 tells us that after 40 days of spying
out the land they returned to the camp to give their report. (Numbers
13:25-26) At first, the spies report sounded exciting, "We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit." (Numbers
13:27) This was the report that came from God even before Israel's
deliverance from bondage in Egypt. (Exodus 3:8) However, ten of the
spies rejected God's report and gave a report based solely upon what
their senses understood rejecting God's Word, what He had said, "Nevertheless
the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified
and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there. The
Amalekites dwell in the land of the South; the Hittites, the Jebusites,
and the Amorites dwell in the mountains; and the Canaanites dwell by the
sea and along the banks of the Jordan." (Numbers 13:28-29) "...We
are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than
we. And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which
they had spied out, saying, The land through which we have gone as spies
is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw
in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants (the descendants
of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own
sight, and so we were in their sight." (Numbers 13:31-33)
The results of this bad report were the cries of doubt, fear and
unbelief and the idea that being in bondage in Egypt or dying in the
wilderness was a better alternative than believing that God was able to
give them what He had promised. (Numbers 14:1-3) The sad thing
concerning this entire account is that God's will for them was life and
blessings not death and curses, (Deuteronomy 30:19-20) and in an
unfortunate way, God permitted them to have what they asked for, "And
the LORD spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, How long shall I bear with
this evil congregation who complain against Me? I have heard the
complaints which the children of Israel make against Me. Say to them,'As
I live,' says the LORD, 'just as you have spoken in My hearing, so I
will do to you..." (Numbers 14:26-28) Finally, the ten spies that
gave the bad report were the first to die, but two of the twelve spies
who believed God, Joshua and Caleb, remained alive. (Numbers 14:36-38)
Remember, the apostle Paul told us, all that Israel did in the
wilderness were examples so that believers do not repeat their mistakes,
more importantly, that believers do not live in fear, doubt and
unbelief as Israel did.
What giants do you face that seem to be so ominous in the natural that have robbed your faith
in such a way that you also give a bad report as the ten spies? I hear
church leaders all to often give a bad report that somehow God Himself
has brought a trial such as sickness, disease or some sort of trauma
into their life or the life of someone in the congregation that they
serve. There are several reasons why this happens. I believe the main
reason was spoken by the prophet Hosea, "My people are destroyed because they don't know me..." (Hosea 4:6 TLB) John's gospel reveal an important key to knowing God, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also..." (John 14:7) "He who has seen Me has seen the Father..." (John 14:9) "God
has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...who being the
brightness of His glory and the express image of His person..." (Hebrews 1:2-3)
Jesus is God in the flesh. Everything He did or said is an exact
representation of the Father's will, nature, character, purposes and
plan. (Hebrews 1:1-4) There is not one time revealed in the ministry of
Jesus shown in the Gospels that He ever brought a trial such as
sickness, disease or some sort of trauma into the life of anyone. As a
matter of fact He did the exact opposite, because He was doing the
Father's will, "The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has
anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the
brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of
sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed; To
proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD." and "how God anointed
Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about
doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was
with Him." (Acts 10:38) If you look deep enough into the scriptures
you will see that God's Plan of Redemption began immediately after the
fall of man (Genesis 3:15) and His redemptive plan was progressively
revealed throughout the Old Testament until it was fulfilled through the
meritorious work of Christ's death, resurrection and glorification.
If the Father's redemption of humanity began at the fall and was
fulfilled in Christ and Christ did nothing but reveal the Father's will,
nature, character, purposes and plan, how can anyone honestly believe
that our heavenly Father would bring a trial upon one of His children
especially in the form of sickness, disease or some sort of trauma? The
fact is, trials are either brought on by the believer (James 1:13-18) or
by the devil (Job 1:6-19, 2:7) not God! God however will permit these
things happen because believers still have the freedom of choice plus
the devil looks for opportunities to get place in the believers life
although Paul warns us not to give him the opportunity (Ephesians 4:27) A
trial is a place where the believer rises up as a giant in the land,
believes and acts upon God's Word and in the name of Jesus stands
victorious filled with joy. (James 1:2).
I myself have prayed the Word of God over a situation many times and
believed for the answer only to see things grow worse. Did God do this?
Certainly not! I know that I have an adversary that tries to oppose me
and sway my faith.
(Ephesians 6:12) However, I know that faith is not confessing and
agreeing with the problem, but confessing and believing that God gave
His Word and the blood of Jesus to overcome every circumstance no matter
how large or small the circumstances may be. (Revelation 12:11)
Sometimes our prayer may not see immediate results, but it certainly
does not mean that God did not hear our prayer or that He has not sent
the answer, "Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if
we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that
He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we
have asked of Him." (1 John 5:14-15)
The question comes down to, where is our confidence, in ourselves, in
the problem, in others or what God said? Are we doing what Jude exhorts
us to do, "...I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend (to strive for the mastery) earnestly for the faith..." (Jude 3) You see these things come down to an individuals faith. Have
you contended earnestly for the faith, that is believed God's Word
without contradiction, without question? Honestly, sometimes what we
have asked of God comes immediately but sometimes it doesn't. When it
does not manifest immediately, you must continue thanking and praising
God for the answer even though it has not manifested. When we thank Him
we are acting in faith, believing that His Word is true and that we have
what He has promised even though we have no tangible evidence, "Abraham
not being weak in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead
(since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah's
womb. He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was
strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced
that what He had promised He was also able to perform." (Romans 4:19-22) We are acting like Abraham.
What I am revealing is true faith as
the scriptures teaches. We are to believe God's Word even when there is
not one shred of evidence in the natural. We believe because God said!
This is what makes a believer a giant in the land. This is what makes a
believer refuse sickness or disease to ravage their body, the temple of
the Holy Spirit. This is what separates Christianity from every other
religion on earth, we believe and act upon God's Word period! "And
since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, I
believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak."
( 2 Corinthians 4:13) I want to encourage you that no matter how long
you have been struggling with the issues that try our faith in this life, simply go to the scriptures. For in them you will find the solution to every problem. Then do as
the apostle Paul said, "I believed and therefore I spoke, we also believe and therefore speak."
So speak to that mountain. (Mark 11:23) Call those things that are not
as though they were (Romans 4:17). Then begin to thank the Lord that He
has not only heard your prayer but has answered it even if you do not
see the evidence immediately. Let's do as Abraham. Do not consider the
natural although it is real, but "give glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform." Amen...
Monday, September 13, 2021
Believers Are Giants
Monday, September 6, 2021
Laboring Together in Love
According to the United States Department of Labor, Labor Day, which
falls on the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor
movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of
American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the
contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and
well-being of our country. From a life perspective, Labor Day for most
means, summer vacation is over, students return to school, college and
universities to begin a new year of learning, which labels Labor Day as
the unofficial end of summer.
In a similar way, believers are called also too celebrate Labor Day but for more than one day a year. The Apostle Paul tells us, "And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves."
(1 Thessalonians 5:12-13) Who they were is not mentioned. However, it
is evident that the church was not left without appointed persons to
equip the saints for the work of ministry. We know that there were
elders ordained over the church at Ephesus, and over the churches in
Crete (Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5), and that there were bishops and deacons
at Philippi (Philemon 1:1), and here, "who are over you in the Lord" would lead us to believe that similar leaders would have been appointed in every newly organized church.
In the King James Version of the Bible the phrase "recognize those who labor among you" is "know them which labor among you."
This gives the idea of not only church leaders, but also those who
labor as coordinators or head over ministries, those active in ministry,
as well as elders, bishops and deacons. The word “know” carries with it
the idea that the believers in the local church were not to make
themselves strangers toward those who labor in ministry or to be
ignorant of their needs. They should also seek to be personally
acquainted with them and trust them concerning their own personal life
as well as spiritual matters.
"And admonish you" means,
to put in mind; and then to warn, entreat, exhort. It is a part of the
duty of church leaders to put the people in whom they serve and lead in
mind of the truth; to warn them of danger; to exhort them to perform
their duty; to admonish them if they go astray. As those who labor perform these duties, believers are to respond by "esteeming them very highly in love."
Church leaders who are faithful in their office and function, can
expect high regard from the believers they lead and serve, not because
they deserve it, per se, but because of their unwavering labors. The
Apostle Paul tells Timothy something similar, "Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine." (1 Timothy 5:17)
Paul tells, of these laborers, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you."
(Galatians 4:19) Here is a striking illustration of what church leaders
are to do concerning the people they lead and serve. Church leaders are
to labor
over the people until Christ reigns wholly in their hearts. Church
leaders who are truly called into the ministry will labor over the
people they lead and serve not as a labor of struggle or because it is their "job," but as a labor of love. Paul tells us, "We then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak, and not to please ourselves." (Romans
15:1) The phrase "who are strong" means the strong “in faith” not
limited to, but most likely church leaders who should not be novices,
but be mature, strong in faith. They ought to bear; to lift up; to bear
away; to remove; to bear with; to endure patiently, the weaknesses of the weaker believers. Church leaders should be willing to deny themselves to promote the happiness of others.
So,
this Labor Day let us be mindful, that as Christians, especially those
called into the ministry, we are not to observe a day free of labor, but
we are called to labor with one another in love, until Christ is formed
in you. Happy Labor Days...
Monday, August 30, 2021
Revelation Knowledge
Strength training is a type of physical exercise specializing in the use
of resistance to induce muscular contraction which builds the strength,
anaerobic endurance, and size of skeletal muscles.Other benefits of
strength training are, develop strong bones, control weight, boost
stamina, manage chronic conditions and sharpen your focus. It is
estimated that Americans spends around $2.6 BILLION! per year on gym
memberships. Another type of strength training so to speak is developing
the mind. According to statistics, the USA spend approximately $809.6
BILLION per year on education. There is nothing wrong with strengthening
our body and our mind, but when the rubber meets the road, both of
these areas are limited. How so? Well, if a portion of the body (an arm
or a leg for example) does not function then the entire body suffers
loss. In the same way, if one of the five senses does not function, then
knowledge also becomes limited.
The Apostle Paul in his letter to the church at Thessalonica writes, "Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your
whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23) We see that man is not
only body and soul (mind, will, emotions and intellect) but he is
spirit. Man was made in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26) and
God is Spirit (John 4:24). If man is indeed spirit with a soul in a
body then a dilemma exists. The part of man that is most important and
needs to be strengthened, the spirit, becomes the part that is most
neglected. It's not that we haven't tried to develop the spirit. We had
thought that the only way to do this was through religion or religious
education. Interestingly enough, most Bible Colleges, Seminaries and
Local Churches only teach knowledge and tend to fail at bringing
students and or congregants to a place of understanding spiritual
things.
The knowledge obtained tends to become the only thing that is important,
but again it is limited. This is why the apostle Paul warns us,
"Knowledge puffs up..." (1 Corinthians 8:1) Paul was explaining to the
church that their knowledge of things had filled them with pride and
self-sufficiency, which could lead them to stray from the truth. The
knowledge that they had filled their minds with was sense knowledge.
Knowledge that comes through ones senses. This is the type of knowledge
is the type of knowledge that fills the mind of every person. However,
the Bible does exhort the believer to grown in the knowledge of the
Father and Jesus the Son. (Ephesians 1:17, 2 Peter 3:18) This type of
knowledge only comes through revelation by the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit enables the believer to use the wisdom of God to use knowledge
wisely.
Jesus tells us, "I will pray the Father, and He will give you another
Helper, that He may abide with you forever, the Spirit of truth, whom
the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but
you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you." (John 14:16-17) and "However,
when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all
truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears
He will speak; and He will tell you things to come." (John 16:13)
Here Jesus tells us that the Spirit of Truth, the Holy Spirit would come
and take Jesus' place after He had fully completed His work of
redemption. Unknown to most, the Holy Spirit does not communicate
knowledge to the intellect, except in rare cases, but communicates with
our spirit. Until we know this fact and act upon it, for most there will
be no development of faith nor will we come into the knowledge of our rights and privileges as God's children.
We must also keep in mind that the spirit will never grow and be
strengthened in the things of God until it receives eternal life through
"confessing with the mouth the Lord Jesus Christ and believing in the heart that God raised Him from the dead."
(Romans 10:9) By new birth, the Holy Spirit recreates our human spirit
and imparts to us the Father's nature. With the Father's nature comes
the Father's wisdom (1 Corinthians 1:30). This is the process by which
the believer uses knowledge wisely. In fact, God imparts His entire
nature within the believer (2 Peter 1:4). We may not have worked fully
with the Holy Spirit in developing His nature in us, nevertheless it
does exist within our recreated spirit. This is why it is so important
for believers to grasp the fullness of redemption.
It takes faith to
come to the place where our spirit become so developed that it
dominates the soul and body. Once this happens I believe that the
believer will walk in the same limitless life that Jesus walked in His
ministry on earth as the Son of Man.
Monday, August 23, 2021
The Real Person
In Paul's first letter to the church at Thessalonica he reveals an important piece of knowledge concerning the make up of man, "Now
may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your
whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our
Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Modern psychologists do
not understand this so they do not really know man. Their problem is
they cannot get past the realm of the senses. We see that man is a spirit with a soul inside a body. We see this further carried out when we look back to the creation of man, "Then God said,"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness..." (Genesis 1:26) Finally, we see what being created in the image and likeness of God actually mean, "God is Spirit..." (John 4:24) So, behind the sense ruled soul (mind, will, emotions and intellect) is the real person (man), who is spirit.
Most of the church for centuries has been unfamiliar with this fact.
They have not understood the full depths of the new creation, that is,
mans recreated spirit through faith in Jesus Christ, "Therefore,
if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed
away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God..." (2
Corinthians 5:17-18) What an incredible fact! Just think if believers
could learn to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit in their recreated
spirit and keep intimate fellowship with the Father, there would be no
limitation to where we could go in spiritual things, "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us..." (Ephesians 3:20)
The Holy Spirit was given to believers to guide us into all truth or reality, "when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth..."
(John 16:13) However, the Holy Spirit has a difficult job at best
trying to lead believers who live by their reasoning faculties.
Therefore, truth seems to allude them and they tend to never move beyond
the regeneration experience. Peter refers to the recreated spirit as, "...the hidden man of the heart."
(1 Peter 3:4) For many, this has a somewhat literal meaning in that the
recreated spirit within the believe is concealed rather than seeing it
as an open avenue to receive all of the inheritance that we have now
through Jesus Christ, "The Spirit Himself bears witness with our
spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs
of God and joint heirs with Christ..." (Romans 8:16-17) and "Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light." (Colossians 1:12)
The reality of the new creation, the recreated spirit of man was foretold through the prophet Ezekiel, "I
will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take
the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I
will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and
you will keep My judgments and do them." (Ezekiel 36:26-28) Notice
the extremes that God said that He would do. He was not going
spiritually heal man as some have been erroneously taught to believe.
Nor was He going to fix-up or renovate man. No, He said, "I will put a new spirit within you; I will put My Spirit within you..." God
said that He was going to give man a new spirit. He is going to make a
new man out of him. This is the reality of the new creation.
What a wonderful promise that has come to pass on all who are in
Christ. The new creation means that the old sin nature has been taken
out and replaced with God's divine nature. Man is no longer called the
"old man" but the "new man, created in the image of God in righteousness and true holiness." (Ephesians 4:24) As a sinner, the old man could not approach God, but now through faith in
Jesus Christ, God has performed a miracle. He has recreated man. The
old man has stopped being and the new man has taken its place. The
"hidden man of the heart" is now born by the very Spirit of God and has
access to "every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ."
(Ephesians 1:3) Now that we know these facts, we should see just how
imperative it is to develop our recreated spirit by the Holy Spirit
through the Word of God. In doing so, believers will walk a daily
victorious life knowing that "God always leads us in triumph in Christ..." (2 Corinthians 2:14)
Monday, August 16, 2021
No Time For Cruising
Cruise control (sometimes known as speed control or auto cruise) is a
system that automatically controls the speed of a motor vehicle. The
system takes over the throttle of the car to maintain a steady speed as
set by the driver. Most automobiles today come equipped with this
convenient feature. When this feature is engaged at the desired speed
(hopefully equal to or lower than the legal speed limit) the driver can
ease back and relax a little. The driver doesn't have to watch the
speedometer nor be uncomfortable due to his foot putting constant
pressure on the accelerator.
For many in a local church today, cruise control has become their approach to Christianity.
We press the accelerator of faith, love, obedience, service, etc.,
until we have brought our life up to a certain level (speed). The gauge
that we use to do this is mostly based upon the standard of Christianity
of those around us. We don't want to lag behind others because we want
to be as spiritual as they are. However, at the same time we are not
motivated enough to forge ahead of them because we wouldn't want to be
different. We just want to blend in with the level of Christianity of
those around us. In other words, we do not want to rock the boat.
Once we have arrived at the desired level of Christianity, we set the
cruise control. Now we can sit back and relax letting our desired level
of Christianity take over. We don't have to watch, as it were, the
highway signs of God's Word that empowers us to exercise godliness as
well as transforming us more and more into the image and likeness of
Christ. This attitude is also called comfortable Christianity.
It is the place where we can become satisfied with what we have and all
we need in Christ. Although some may disagree, there is another term
that describes the same, "Fire insurance Christianity." It's the idea
that one has enough Christianity (which is based on an individuals own
standard) that will keep them from going to hell.
The sad thing is, this is not the Christianity of the Bible. Our comfortable Christianity
has led many in the church down the path of apathy where our concerns
are focused upon our kingdom and not Gods. It has caused many to have
faith in the world rather than God. What I mean by this is that we are
quick to work overtime (there is nothing wrong or evil working overtime)
to make ends meet at the expense of family, rather than really
believing, "my God shall supply all our need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19) The same attitude causes many to call a doctor before even considering calling upon the Healer, "Jesus
Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died
to sins, might live for righteousness, by whose stripes you were
healed." (1 Peter 2:24) (There is certainly nothing wrong with most
doctors. They help people and even save lives) Divorce among those who
attend a local church is not much different than that of a lost world.
This type of Christianity has also opened the door for the twisted
thinking of atheists to convince many in the church that there is a
separation between church and state when in fact we have the privilege
of the freedom of religion not freedom from religion.
Jesus said, "But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you." (Matthew 6:33) He also said, "All
authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore
and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe
all things that I have commanded you..." (Matthew 28:18-20) We
cannot seek the fullness of God's kingdom and obey the great commission
if we are only seeking our kingdoms. The apostle Paul said, "But what
things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet
indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all
things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found
in Him..." (Philippians 3:7-9) Is this how we value our
Christianity? If not, we should. This should not be the apostle Paul's
desire only, but for all believers.
Next, Paul says, "that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death."
(Philippians 3:10) This also should be the aspiration of every
believer. We should desire to have Christ formed in us so much, that His
life working in and through us has a profound affect on all those
around us. Finally, Paul goes on to say, "Not that I have already
attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold
of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me. Brethren, I do
not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting
those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which
are ahead, I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of
God in Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this
mind..." (Philippians 3:12-15) Notice in Paul's conclusion he says, "Therefore let us, as many as are mature, have this mind..."
It's apparent that any believer who lives by cruise control, comfortable Christianity
is an immature believer and needs to be brought to these truths so
their life can be transformed into the image of Jesus not conformed into
the image of the world that Jesus Christ has freed us from. But for the
mature believer, our thinking concerning "growing in the grace and knowledge of Jesus Christ"
(2 Peter 3:18) should be a never ending desire to want to be like
Christ. It's not about not having enough time, money or education. I
believe it comes down to one of two things. Jesus said, "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." (Matthew 6:21) and or "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour." (1 Peter 5:8) It comes down to a heart issue or an issue of the devil's deceptions to keep Christians weak, sickly and faithless.
So, let us once again turn this world upside down by letting Jesus to be
formed in us and being doers of the Word not hearers only...
Monday, August 9, 2021
Transformed
In Paul's letter to the church at Galatia he makes an interesting statement, "My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you." (Galatians 4:19) Paul's desire was to see believers come to a place in their Christianity to where they were "Imitators of God." (Ephesians
5:1) His desire was not his own, but the very desire that God has for
all of His children. In Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth he
says the same thing in a different way, "But we all, with unveiled
face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being
transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the
Spirit of the Lord." (I Corinthians 3:18) Again, we see the Lords desire for His children. But what does it mean for the believer to have
Christ formed in them or to be transformed into the Lord's image?
The word transformed is the same as the word metamorphosis which means a
complete change of physical form, character and or appearance.When most
think of metamorphosis, they think of the transformation of a caterpillar
into a beautiful butterfly. That is exactly what happens to a person
who is born again. The transformation of a child of the devil into a
child of God. It is being "delivered from the power of darkness and conveyed into the kingdom of the Son of His love." (Colossians 1:13) The moment a person is born again they are immediately in Christ. Paul tells us, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Although all of this does take place the moment one is born again, the
work of transformation is a continuous process in every believer. This
work is called, sanctification.
In short, sanctification is the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer
that progressively transforms them into the image of Christ. The more
the believer gives himself to the influence of the Holy Spirit, the more
the glory of Christ is reflected in their life, moving them from one
degree of glory to another. It’s also a work of grace. Our part in this
marvelous work is our cooperation and response to the Holy Spirit.
According to Paul's letter to the church at Ephesus, it says, "Do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit."
(Ephesians 5:18) Believers should experience a continuous filling of
the Holy Spirit, that is, being transformed from glory to glory.
To be like Jesus should be the goal of every believer, but we must
remember it is not about us working hard in our own strength trying to
stop the old nature from having place, it simply comes down to what
Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:34) and "Jesus said, I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." (John 5:30) and also "Jesus said, For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me."
John 6:38) As we see, to be like Jesus is to always seek to do the will
of the Father not because it is an obligation, but as the Psalmist
said, "I delight to do Your will, O my God...” (Psalm 40:8) as well as "Jesus said, I always do those things the please the Father." (John 8:29) Our attitude towards doing the Fathers will should be one of delight desiring to please the Him. Simply put, it is, “…Faith working through love.” (Galatians 5:6)
According to 2 Corinthians 3:18, who is responsible for the transformation process? "...The Spirit of the Lord." The verb being transformed is passive which means that something is being done in us, not by us. Again, we come to the place of faith,
depending upon and yielding to the Holy Spirit working in us
transforming us. In his letter to the church at Thessalonica he tells
us, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and
may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the
coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful, who also
will do it." (1 Thessalonians 5:23-24) In other words not only is
God Himself doing the work from the time we are born again, but He wants
to complete the process of sanctification in our whole spirit, soul,
and body, so it is up to the believer to let Him do the work.
In Paul's letter to the Philippians he tells us, "being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ."
(Philippians 1:6 ) If we give ourselves to this good work of the Holy
Spirit in us, He will continue do the work until we either leave this
life for the next or Jesus returns, which ever comes first. The
transformation process of the Holy Spirit in each believer comes down to
the value that one places on their relationship with God and His Word.
It also takes faith to believe that God wants to reproduce Himself in every believer. Paul tells us that the believer is to, "…work out your own salvation…”
(Philippians 2:12 ) To “work out” is an imperative mood, which means it
is a command. It is in the present tense, which means that the action
is continuous. It is also in the passive voice, meaning that we have
something to do, but the main action is done by the one sending the
message, that is, God Himself. Being transformed into the image of
Christ from glory to glory is simply letting God reproduce Himself in
us. So, let go of all the things that prevent you from experiencing more
of God's glory and let Him complete the good work that He has started in you.
Monday, August 2, 2021
God's Word is Full of Power
After doing a little research I found that the "old adage," "sticks and
stones will break my bones but words will never harm me" is an English
language children's rhyme. It was to persuade a child who was a victim
of name calling to ignore the taunt, to refrain from physical
retaliation, and to remain calm. It is reported to have appeared in "The
Christian Recorder" of March 1862, a publication of the African
Methodist Episcopal Church. Although it is excellent advice to ignore
the taunt of name calling, to refrain from physical retaliation, and to
remain calm the truth is, words are more powerful than sticks and
stones.
Sticks and stones may break bones, but words can crush the heart, "How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with words?"
(Job 19:2) Few people realize that the very words that we speak can
torment our soul and imprison us. It is the words that we speak that
will build power or weakness in us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit." (Proverbs
18:21) We will eat the fruit of our spoken words. Our mind may cast
away the unkind words that are spoken, but they are absorbed in your
spirit. We confess what we believe and what we confess is what dominates
our inner being. If we talk or confess sickness, it's because we
believe in sickness. If we talk weakness and failure, it's because we
believe weakness and failure. If we confess lack in any area of life,
it's because we believe in lack. When we realize that we will never rise
above what we confess, we are getting to the place where God can really
begin to use us.
"Let us hold fast the confession of our faith without wavering, for He who promised is faithful."
(Hebrews 10:23) Our confession is the Word of God. His Word cannot be
broken because God is faithful. What He said is true. What He said, He
will do, because He cannot lie, "God is not a man, that He should
lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He
not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers
23:19) When we doubt His Word it simply means that we do not trust Him.
Our confidence may be in our abilities. It may be in medicine. It may be
in highly educated people, but whatever our confidence is in, if it
contradicts the Word of God, then it neutralizes faith. It causes our prayers to be powerless. It will bring us into bondage
and we may find ourselves blaming God for something that He had nothing
to do with.
The Bible tells us, "For we walk by faith, not by sight." (2 Corinthians 5:7) Every person who walks by faith will be tested. However, testing does not come from the Father, "Let
no one say when he is tempted (Tested), I am tempted (Tested) by God;
for God cannot be tempted (Tested) by evil, nor does He Himself tempt
(Test) anyone." (James 1:13) Testing come from our adversary. The
devil is going to test you in every way he can for one reason. He knows
the day that you become strong enough to resist all of his tests and
deceptions, you become dangerous to him. When believers come to the
place where they, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean
not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He
shall direct your paths" (Proverbs 3:5-6) the adversary is defeated in your life.
My prayer for you is that your confidence in the integrity of God's Word
be strengthened, so that you will know, "that no Word from God
is without power." God told Jeremiah, "I watch over my Word to perform it." (Jeremiah 1:12) Your confidence in the Word of God and holding fast to your confession of faith in the face of every assault of the enemy will put him to flight, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7)