About the Author
Diane Jurino is a
Spirit-filled Christian who resides in Erie,
Pennsylvania. She is the mother of three grown
children, and four grandchildren. Her professional
background is in Copywriting, Sales, Advertising, and
Marketing. She has developed and conducted custom
training courses in Human Relations, Communications,
Personal and Professional Development.
Disclaimer:
Unless otherwise
indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are
from the King James Version of the Bible.
Dedication:
John 8:32 "And ye
shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you
free."
May the God of all
truth bless you richly in the knowledge of His Son,
Jesus Christ.
Preface
1Timothy 4:1 "Now
the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to
seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;"
It was predicted
that men would go astray from the truth in these last
days and be caught up in a spirit of dead religion
that has a form of godliness but no power in it. We
have all been affected by worldly philosophies and
heretical doctrines to some extent or another, and our
genuine faith in the saving power of Jesus Christ and
His death and resurrection has been contaminated.
However, we are
quickly approaching the consummation of all things,
and we are permitted no leeway in what we believe in
the future. We have to seek the Lord for the truth,
and His alone, in these critical days that lie ahead.
We are being held to much higher standards of
accountability than ever before, and He is purging us
of all that pollutes us and setting us free for all
time.
We will be
sanctified to enter the Kingdom of God when it is
ushered in on the earth. All evil will be expelled
from God's presence. We will be schooled in
righteousness rather than fables. We must reject all
man-made traditions and false dogma, and embrace the
truth of our redemption. We should loose the shackles
that have bound us in lies and prepare to receive
eternal life.
1Corinthians 1:30
"But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made
unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification,
and redemption:"
We are to believe
the indisputable doctrine of Jesus Christ, His death
and resurrection. Through Him, we are sanctified in
the truth and receive redemption and justification for
our sins. Our right standing with God is restored and
we inherit all the promises of sons and daughters of
the Most High. Our covenant of peace with God is
reinstated and we are deemed righteous in His eyes.
The Lord is tearing
down all dead religious strongholds and exposing their
lies. So too, we are individually responsible to
search out the powerful knowledge of Him and His Word
in the Bible as our source of all truth. There will be
no more anti-Christ gospels preached that entice men
into freewheeling lawlessness and rebellion or
minimize the conviction of the Holy Spirit in their
lives.
Galatians 1:9 "As we
said before, so say I now again, If any [man] preach
any other gospel unto you than that ye have received,
let him be accursed."
All hypocritical,
controlling, religious spirits that would dominate men
in the name of God will be eradicated from the face of
the earth once and for all. Christ Himself will soon
return to destroy all the ungodly and their
ungodliness in His coming wrath. He will take
vengeance on all enemies in the pulpit who have
perverted the Gospel message and altered the truth in
any way. They will have their share in the eternal
lake of fire.
There will be no
separation between God and man ever again. The Lord
will turn the captivity of His people for all time and
actually dwell in our presence. He will uphold
universal principles of spiritual truth and
righteousness that will not be compromised in any
fashion. All those who believe in Him, walk in love
and obey His commandments will enjoy peace and
prosperity, joy and unity, safety and security in the
Kingdom of God.
Introduction
Titus 2:11-14 "For
the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,
and godly, in this present world; Looking for that
blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great
God and our SaviourJesus Christ; Who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and
purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works."
The Lord is setting
us straight for all time; the truth cries out to be
heard. We must relinquish all hedonistic
materialism and reject man-made theology and get back
to the basics of our faith. We are to have no other
gods before Him. Nor are we to buy into religious
myths, fables or doctrines of demons. We are to
believe and teach the uncompromised truth of the
Gospel message - Christ crucified and resurrected - so
all men might be set free and turned towards
righteousness.
We must walk in love
for the Lord and for others and satisfy the full
requirements of God's law. We should sanctify
ourselves in the flesh, soul and spirit and grow in
spiritual maturity, until we reach holiness and
perfection. We should lay down our personal goals and
ambitions, and adopt the Lord's plan and purpose for
our lives as our very own. We have eternal destinies
that will be fulfilled in the days to come, and we
have no time for any distraction from the truth.
Exodus 34:14 "For
thou shalt worship no other god: for the LORD, whose
name [is] Jealous, [is] a jealous God:"
Those who have been
engaged in idolatry of any kind will be forced to
repent and turn back to God or perish. He is a jealous
God and will not permit anyone or anything to have
preeminence over Him in our lives. We must renounce
all of our worldliness and focus on Him and Him alone.
We should cleanse ourselves of all defilement and
embrace sound doctrine. Only those who believe the
truth and obey the commandments will receive blessings
in the Kingdom of God.
Jesus Christ will
judge both His church and the nations with the same
fair and equitable standards of righteousness and
justice. He will no longer tolerate the perpetrators
of religious lies that have led men astray for so many
years. He will eliminate all those who have seduced
others with seeker friendly sermonettes that minimize
sin and ignore God's moral absolutes. He will destroy
all man-made traditions that promote legalism, invoke
bondage and demand servitude.
The Lord desires a
personal relationship with His people, unfettered by
materialism or religious traditions that glorify men
rather than Him. It is His greatest desire that all
men would turn to the truth and be reconciled to Him.
He wants to be our Father and dwell with us for all of
eternity. He will provide all our needs generously and
abundantly. There will be nothing that separates us
from Him in the future; all barriers between God and
man will soon be eradicated forever.
Job 15:34 "For the
congregation of hypocrites [shall be] desolate, and
fire shall consume the tabernacles of bribery."
The Babylonian world
religious system is failing. Pretended piety and
sanctimonious shows will not impress the Lord in the
days to come. Only the righteous who walk in love and
do the will of the Father will enter into God's
Kingdom when it comes to the earth realm. Those who
have watered down the Gospel message or altered it for
their own selfish reasons will be severely punished.
The Lord will not permit His people to be blinded to
the truth any longer.
There's a major
shake up coming for many of our churches. Hypocrisy
will be exposed and all heresy will be revealed. Those
who have manipulated others and perverted the truth
will be removed from positions in leadership. Their
methods and motives will be obvious to everyone. They
will no longer lead God's people into perdition. They
will be replaced with shepherds after the Lord's own
heart, who teach the simple truth that changes men's
lives as nothing else can.
Everything that is
taught will line up with the Word of God in the Bible.
Jesus Christ will be glorified as our Lord and Savior,
as He deserves. There will be no gray areas of
possible distortion that pollute or dilute God's Word.
The Gospel message is not for rent, sale or lease. It
is not to be negotiated or compromised in any way. It
is an "all or nothing" proposition. You either believe
the truth and gain eternal life, or you succumb to
lies and are eternally damned.
2Timothy 4:18 "And
the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and
will preserve [me] unto his heavenly kingdom: to whom
[be] glory for ever and ever. Amen."
The glory of God is
being poured out all over the face of the earth in
these last days. God's power is manifesting in
miraculous signs and wonders that will improve men's
lives as never before and attract them to our faith in
great numbers. We are evangelizing the entire world
with the message of Jesus Christ's victorious death
and resurrection. The full end-time harvest of souls
is being gathered in and baptized in the one, true
faith, as the Lord desires.
Truth is overcoming
all lies of the enemy that deceive and control men in
the name of religion. The Lord is destroying our
idols, delivering us from the evils of false doctrine
and releasing us from bondage right before our very
eyes. We will be vindicated and set free in the truth
for all time. The destruction of all dead forms of
religion is a sure sign that the return of Christ is
very near and the establishment of the eternal Kingdom
of God is imminent.
Heaven will be
ushered into the earth realm with awesome power, and
all evil will be destroyed. Christ will return to
judge both the righteous and the unrighteous. Only He
can determine who receives rewards and punishment.
Believers will be free to enjoy eternal life and all
of its blessings, while those who have rejected the
Lord will be excluded from His Kingdom. The Lord will
have a people that worship Him in Spirit and in truth
for all of eternity!
Chapter 1 - The Babylonian World System
Isaiah 60:2 "For,
behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross
darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon
thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee."
Gross darkness
covers the entire world and all its people today. We
are exposed to defilement, death and destruction all
around us. We are deceived at every turn and thwarted
in our efforts to find meaning and purpose for our
lives. We are fearful and perplexed, tired and weary,
oppressed and depressed. The enemy of our souls is
severely attacking us and we do little or nothing to
resist his efforts. We are too caught up in our
worldliness to even notice or break free.
Satan is wreaking
havoc on the earth because he knows that his time is
short. He will do anything to blind men to the truth
of the Gospel message. He wants to play us out of
position, so that we are tempted to sin and abdicate
our faith. He whispers that there is no God and that
we can do anything that we like and get away with it.
Deep in our hearts and spirits, we know that we are
not right with our Creator and we need to reconcile
ourselves to Him once and for all.
But we have strayed
far from our God and His way of doing things. We
ignore moral absolutes and believe blatant lies
instead of the truth. Every man does his own thing,
with little or no regard for his neighbor's needs. We
are not walking in love and unity, as we ought to be.
We have permitted chaos and confusion to come in and
disturb the peace and order of our lives. We violate
God's commandments at every turn and we are becoming
licentious and rebellious.
The people of God
are supposed to shine in the midst of darkness; we
have to repent of our stubbornness and sin or perish
in the meantime. The Lord's glory is about to break
forth all over the earth and fall on His people. We
cannot be drawn in by the gloom and doom that
surrounds us. We must sanctify and prepare ourselves
to be vessels suitable for His purpose. We have
eternal callings and divine destinies; the entire
world is looking to us for a righteous example.
1John 2:15-17 "Love
not the world, neither the things that are in the
world. If any man love the world, the love of the
Father is not in him. For all that is in the world,
the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and
the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the
world. And the world passeth away, and the lust
thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for
ever."
Unfortunately there
is too much of the world in the church today. We have
lost our influence over society. We do the very same
things that the unbelievers do. We lie, cheat and
steal; we commit adultery, fornication and get
divorced. We glorify men rather than God and worship
material things. We look down on others because they
have no faith or it is a different version than ours.
We are cruel and judgmental and have lost our first
love, as it was predicted that we would do.
Contaminated by
false religious doctrines, we have turned to heresies
instead of worshipping the one, true God. We have all
but abandoned Him, yet we selfishly wonder where our
blessings are. We mistakenly think that the Lord
should provide for us regardless of our sin. We fail
to repent and get back to the basics of our faith in
the Word of God. We are stubborn and rebellious and
doomed to total destruction by the Babylonian world
system that threatens to overtake us.
We have permitted
the pride of life and lusts of the world to
contaminate our thinking and control our behavior. We
are so caught up in just surviving, that we have
compromised our standards and abandoned our faith and
trust in almighty God. He has become subordinate in
our list of priorities, and we have ignored our role
as His sons and daughters. We must reassess our
position and get back to the basic fundamental truths
that distinguish us from the world.
Titus 1:15-16 "Unto
the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are
defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even
their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess
that they know God; but in works they deny [him],
being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good
work reprobate."
We profess to know
God, but our behavior is contradictory to His way of
doing things and being right. We have defiled
ourselves with worldly values and false religious
doctrines. Our minds are clouded to the truth and our
consciences are seared. We have become lawless and
reprobate in our thinking, and our behavior mirrors
that of the unrighteous. If we continue as we have
been we will be subject to severe punishment and
relegated to permanent separation from our God.
This is all about to
change as the Lord confronts our wickedness and purges
it from us. He will turn our captivity and draw us
back to Him and the promised blessings of the Kingdom
of God that will soon be ushered into the earth realm.
We will finally know the truth, and it will set us
free for all time. We will repent of our hard
heartedness and disobedience; rejoice in all that God
has planned for us; and assist Him in bringing heaven
to the earth as He has planned.
The glory of the
Lord is about to manifest in His people. While we were
once disobedient and estranged from Him, we will soon
be reconciled again. He will show Himself strong on
our behalf and encourage us in the truth. We will
acknowledge our salvation through His Son, Jesus
Christ, and walk in love, peace and unity with others.
We will make His name a praise among men, and He will
fellowship with us for all eternity as He desired from
the foundation of the world.
Exiled to Babylon
Jeremiah 29:10 "For
thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be
accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform
my good word toward you, in causing you to return to
this place."
The Lord allowed His
chosen people of old to be overcome by their enemies
because they were worldly and backslidden. They
refused to surrender to His will and follow His
guidance and direction for their lives. They turned to
false prophets and errant priests, rather than to the
one and only God. They strayed far from the truth,
worshipped other gods and violated the sabbath, all of
which was an abomination to Him. Their sin brought
calamity on them - war, famine, plague and dispersion
- and lost them blessings.
While God gave them
ample opportunity to repent of their defilement and
appropriate His perfect plan for their lives, they
were stubborn and hard-hearted. They violated their
covenant relationship with Him. They ignored His
warnings, refused correction, and suffered dire
consequences as a result. He finally permitted the
pagan Babylonian ruler, Nebuchadnezzar, to destroy
their way of life and take them captive. They were
exiled from their land for seventy years, since they
had been defiant and rebellious to their God.
Jeremiah 29:11 "For
I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the
LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you
an expected end."
Not all of God's
people abandoned their faith in Him. There were some
who still adhered to the truth, and these He was able
to bless during their captivity. Daniel, Hananiah,
Mishael and Azariah were four Jewish lads who gave Him
all the honor and glory that He deserved. They refused
to bow to pagan gods or eat defiled foods from the
king's table. They were able to give strong testimony
on behalf of the Lord, and positively influence the
Babylonians.
God gave them great
favor in the court of the king and they exalted Him in
the midst of their enemies. He showed Himself strong
on their behalf. He protected them from all harm and
delivered them from the fiery furnace and the ravaging
lions. Our God was with them in all things despite
their adversity. His greatest desire was to free His
people and reconcile Himself to them. He did not
totally abandon them for all time in Babylon, but He
did permit them to see the consequences of their
actions.
The Lord was able to
touch the hearts and minds of the vulnerable Jewish
people and convict them of their sin, so that they
finally repented and called out to Him once again. He
ultimately turned their captivity; returned them to
their land; and restored what had been taken from
them. However, they suffered a great deal for their
disobedience in the interim. Their relationship with
God was never totally reconciled and the Lord still
yearns for His chosen people.
Worldliness Instead of Godliness
Colossians 3:5-6
"Mortify therefore your members which are upon the
earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection,
evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is
idolatry: for which things' sake the wrath of God
cometh on the children of disobedience:"
That should be a
stern example to us today. We are also worldly and
openly defy our God. We have forgotten that we are
walking, talking, spirit beings having human
experiences. We ignore our Creator - the Father
of all spirits - and refuse to follow His
absolute moral truths. We lust after false gods and
permit our carnal desires and selfish ambitions to
dictate our consciences. We do not position our inner
spirit man in ascendancy to our flesh and our soul.
Ours is a jealous
God; He desires close, intimate relationship with us
above all things. It is not His will that anything
take precedence over Him in our lives. He wants to be
our total focus and the provider of all of our needs.
His way of doing things and being right far exceeds
anything that the world has to offer us. His blessings
are far more desirable and permanent, than the
temporary satisfaction and fading pleasure we get from
our material covetousness and blatant carnality.
We must renounce all
sins and get back to the basics of our faith. We
cannot be greedy or succumb to sexual sins and
uncleanness of any type. Our Lord should be our first
love that we cherish above all others. He desires that
we love Him with all our hearts, minds, souls and
strength and that we love others as we love ourselves.
We have to control our emotions and discipline our
desires, so that we obey all of His commandments as we
have been taught.
The Lord will not
close His eyes to our sinfulness. He has wrath stored
up for those who are disobedient to Him. We cannot be
both worldly and spiritually minded. We must make the
choice to sanctify ourselves and overcome the world,
our flesh and the devil. Through the power of the Holy
Spirit of God, we can prevail in all things. It is
possible for us to walk in the Spirit instead of our
flesh. We should strive for holiness and perfection,
just as God is holy and perfect.
Exodus 20:3 "Thou
shalt have no other gods before me."
It is possible to
make false gods out of anything that holds our
attention disproportionately. If we put anyone or
anything above God in our lives, we are engaged in
covetousness and idolatry. If we refuse to listen to
the voice of the Lord and go our own way, we will be
victims of our own ignorance and become spiritually
backslidden. We will eventually become slaves to
whatever captures and holds our attention, either for
the short term or for all of eternity.
We cannot be so
wrapped up in the creation itself that we forget the
Creator God who gave us all things freely to enjoy. We
have to put our lives in perspective and remember that
we were formed spirit beings with souls and bodies. If
we neglect our spiritual development and indulge our
flesh and souls, we will become imbalanced to the
point that we are carnal and worldly. This displeases
God, separates us from Him and leads us into spiritual
destruction.
Without Him in our
lives, we are pitiful and powerless to withstand the
oppression of the enemy. His protection is vital to
our well-being and gives us the safety and security
that we need. We require the Lord's guidance and
direction, so that we can succeed in all that we do.
But if we openly deny our God and deliberately
transgress His laws, He will be compelled to abandon
us to unrighteousness. He will never override our free
will or force Himself on us.
2Timothy 4:3 "For
the time will come when they will not endure sound
doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to
themselves teachers, having itching ears;"
It is difficult to
sanctify ourselves in the truth and put our lives in
order. We must have sound teaching and get back to the
basics of our faith. We should study the Word of God
and follow all of His commandments to us. While this
may seem difficult at first, it is ultimately in our
best interest. If we become lazy or impatient, we will
be tempted to disobey the truth and succumb to lies
instead.
There are many false
teachers who would lure us from the truth and make a
spoil of us in today's world. They do not care if we
are eternally damned, as long as we financially
support them. We have to fight the good fight of faith
and cling to what we know is sound doctrine. The Word
of God will keep us on the right track and we have
discernment through the power of the Holy Spirit to
detect all error.
We cannot deviate
from the truth of the Gospel message or we will be
lost in darkness and deception. There is only one God
and He has a wonderful plan for our lives. We must
believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and all He did for
us. We have gained eternal life and all of its
blessings. We should walk in love and righteousness,
so that we always have a close, personal relationship
with God.
Idolatry
1Corinthians 10:14
"Wherefore, my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry."
We have no excuse;
we know the truth. We are to have no idols or false
gods. Yet we continue to insult our God by putting
anything and everything before Him. We worship the
creation instead of the Creator and we deify inanimate
objects, that only decay and are destroyed over time.
Our eternal
salvation is at stake because we refuse discipline. We
are hedonistic and worldly; we foolishly think that
this life is all that exists. Materialism has replaced
true spirituality. The Lord calls out to us, yet we
still neglect to acknowledge Him and change our
behavior, as we should.
We have homes,
vehicles, televisions, stereos, computers, gaming
systems and telephones that now serve as our worldly
gods. They are only a few things that consume our time
and lure us away from our faith, yet we glorify them
rather than the one true God who created the entire
universe.
Our desires are
spiraling out of control as we struggle to keep up the
race for more material goods and possessions. We sell
our souls for the latest fashion trends and electronic
gadgets. God is patiently waiting for us to come to
the end of our selfishness, so that He can truly bless
our lives.
He wants us to have
all the temporal and spiritual blessings that He has
to offer us, but we must be disciplined in their use.
We cannot become so out of balance that we put things
before God and His people. We must remember why we are
here and discover our eternal destinies.
Life is not an
amusement park, as some would be inclined to think. We
were created in the very image and likeness of God to
impact this earth for good. We have an important work
to do; we must take up the ministry of Jesus Christ
and draw all mankind to the truth of the Gospel
message.
2Kings 17:12 "For
they served idols, whereof the LORD had said unto
them, Ye shall not do this thing."
We are guilty of
idolatry and worship false gods of money, sex, drugs
and alcohol. Our lives are vicious circles of desire,
greed and acquisitiveness. We are carnal,
materialistic and covetous. We lust after our flesh
instead of walking in the Spirit. We are seekers of
pleasure rather than God. We make no time for Him
unless we need something that we can't provide for
ourselves.
Entertainers and
sports figures are deified instead of the one true God
and His Son, Jesus Christ. Recreation takes the place
of worship in our lives. We gamble and deal in games
of chance, rather than pay our bills or minister to
the poor. We are bad stewards of our resources and we
never have enough to meet our needs. Yet we expect God
to bail us out of all our bad decisions.
We turn to Him in
desperation, when our own efforts have failed us. But
the heavens have turned to brass because we are
selfish and insincere, and we have neglected to
develop our relationship with Him. We have become
hard-hearted and callous to His guidance and
direction. The Lord is under no obligation to provide
for us, if we are rebellious and disobey all of His
commandments.
Greed and Covetousness
Jeremiah 6:13 "For
from the least of them even unto the greatest of them
every one [is] given to covetousness; and from the
prophet even unto the priest every one dealeth
falsely."
We are greedy and
oppress those less fortunate than ourselves,
regardless of how our actions impact others. We lie,
cheat and steal to get ahead. We envy and imitate the
rich and powerful, who have little, if any, moral
compunction. We walk in selfishness instead of love
and compassion. Our needs and wants are endless; we
are shallow, materialistic and covetous.
Our economy is
unstable and our future insecure, yet we still want
what we cannot have. Unemployment and crime rates
soar; men are becoming desperate and lawless. We live
in constant fear that others will take what we have or
destroy us in their anger and malice. Trust is a thing
of the past, yet we do not even recognize that we now
have fear-based mentalities.
Many live off of
credit spending and fail to pay what they owe. We are
being consumed by our own greed and devoured by our
creditors. Our expenditures exceed our income and we
drive ourselves into unnecessary debt due to
covetousness. We have no one to blame for our
circumstances other than ourselves; our bad habits
have become our downfall.
We are callous to
one another's needs and charity is not even named
among us. Every man looks out for himself and few care
for others. We are greedy and power-hungry and ignore
those who suffer poverty and lack. We have a strong
sense of entitlement and expect that things should
just be handed to us. The truth is that we do not even
appreciate all that we do have.
Luke 12:15 "And he
said unto them, Take heed and beware of covetousness:
for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of
the things which he possesseth."
Christ warned us of
the dangers of covetousness and materialism. He
reminded us that life is so much more than what we
possess. He exhorted men to seek the Kingdom of God,
rather than the things of this world. However, we have
forgotten His teaching and are backslidden.
We ignore the Lord's
commandments to us and have abandoned His ways in
favor of our own. Our hearts are hardened and our
consciences are seared. We are prime targets for the
enemy to move in and destroy us, because we have no
divine guidance and protection in our lives.
Honor, character and
integrity are things of the past. We steadfastly
refuse the truth and we are doomed to spiritual
destruction. We go from bad to worse and our lives are
slipping out of control. We have been overcome by our
transgression and almost consumed by our desires.
We are worldly and
focus our energy on acquiring endless material
possessions. We refuse discipline and indulge every
carnal whim and fancy. We spend our time in the
pursuit of fun and pleasure, rather than in the search
for eternal truth and the knowledge of our higher
calling.
The Lord forbids all
of these practices and He is calling out to us to
realign our priorities and turn back to Him before
it's too late. However, if we are stubborn and
rebellious, He has no alternative but to abandon us to
our own devices and permit us to suffer adverse
consequences.
Rebellion
1Samuel 15: 23 "For
rebellion [is as] the sin of witchcraft, and
stubbornness [is as] iniquity and idolatry. Because
thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also
rejected thee from [being] king."
Our rebellion in
little things eventually opens us up to even more
serious sins. Disobedience to God's laws and moral
absolutes is the norm today. Men lack boundaries and
limits in their lives. Anything goes in modern
society; our moral fiber is rapidly deteriorating and
we experiment with all sorts of evil practices. We
have become very much like the heathen nations, and we
are setting ourselves up for possible extinction due
to our lack of honor and integrity.
We may dabble in the
occult and consult psychics, mediums and
fortunetellers. We are spiritually hungry and
desperate for the truth, yet we refuse to seek God. We
encourage polytheism in our efforts to promote
diversity in our culture. We permit pagan religious
practices to replace the worship of the one true God.
We too easily forget that our forefathers established
a nation in covenant with Him, dedicated to the
eternal truth and total liberty that only the Bible
declares.
Our people have
abandoned the one true faith and resorted to secular
humanism instead. We are defiant, selfish and
spiritually corrupt, yet reluctant to repent of our
evil ways. We will face a harsh judgment for our
wickedness, unless we wake up and restore the Lord to
the prominence that He deserves in our lives. We must
show Him reverential fear, deference and respect or He
will bring judgment on our nation for its lawlessness,
as He will do with all the unrighteous.
Proverbs 17:11 "An
evil [man] seeketh only rebellion: therefore a cruel
messenger shall be sent against him. "
Rebellion is a
serious sin and we will be held strictly accountable
for it. We all know the truth; it has been made
readily available to us in the Word of God. We are not
a heathen nation that has an excuse for our ignorance.
Our country was founded with religious freedom as one
of its fundamental liberties. We have a responsibility
to seek God and establish a relationship with Him. How
we choose to do so remains our choice, but we must
acknowledge Him as our source.
We can no longer
live our lives as we have been. We must get back to
the basics of our faith and stir up our moral
consciences. We need to examine our goals and
reevaluate our priorities. We must repent of all our
idolatry, false religion and rebellion and ask the
Lord to forgive us. We desperately need His input in
our lives and His guidance and direction. He is
merciful and compassionate, and wants nothing more
than to fellowship with us and provide for all our
needs. If we repent from our hearts and turn towards
Him again, He will forgive us and touch our lives.
However, He cannot
bless us if we are indulging ourselves or rebellious
in any way. We must follow all of His commandments and
walk in love and unity as we have been taught. If we
minimize the impact of sin on our lives, we will
become so licentious that we tolerate anything. The
Lord's way of doing things is the only acceptable
standard that we should follow. Deliberate
disobedience brings the curse on us. We cannot be
lawless or we will be overcome by our sin.
Lies and Seductions
2Peter 2:3 "And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words
make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long
time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not."
Perhaps we flirt
with man-made traditions that make us feel good about
ourselves, but avoid the mention of sin and its
penalty. They may downplay eternal rewards and
punishments. They seem innocent enough, but are
serious digressions from the truth. In reality, they
are the manifestation of evil, mind blinding spirits
that would rob us of our salvation and lead us
straight into perdition.
Charismatic
individuals, who appeal to our pride, egos and human
reason, promote these social gospels that deviate from
the truth of God's Word. They do not truly care for
us, nor do they have our best interest at heart. They
are greedy, power hungry and controlling. They usually
want our money and attention, but destroy our very
souls in the process of making themselves rich and
famous.
They try to convince
us that God is so open-minded that anything goes in
our lives. They may promote such controversial issues
as gay marriage and abortion. They usually minimize
the importance of following all of God's commandments
to us, and allow secular humanism to control their
doctrines. They believe that there are many ways to
seek God and often deny the deity of Jesus Christ.
These false teachers
victimize God's people, but they will not remain
unpunished. The Lord will take vengeance on all
enemies in the pulpit who deceive and exploit His
people. He will judge them severely and rescue us.
Very soon now all playing fields will be leveled as
the Lord ushers in His Kingdom. Christ will destroy
all the ungodly and their ungodliness in the wrath of
His coming.
Jeremiah 14:14 "Then
the LORD said unto me, The prophets prophesy lies in
my name: I sent them not, neither have I commanded
them, neither spake unto them: they prophesy unto you
a false vision and divination, and a thing of nought,
and the deceit of their heart."
False teachers have
flimsy credentials and do not even know the real
Gospel message. They have no formal training. They
make up their own religious doctrine and rules as they
go. Their teachings are insidious to our spiritual
welfare and will lead us into damnation rather than
into eternal life. They speak only lies and deception
to us, yet we tolerate their tactics because we are
ignorant of the truth.
They claim to have
heard from God and speak prophetic words, but their
hearts are far from Him. They do not walk in love,
mercy and compassion for others, nor is the genuine
power of God demonstrated in their lives. They are
charlatans that victimize God's people and try to
consume them with reports of bogus visions and false
prophecies. Countless numbers of Christians are
seduced by their words, adversely influenced and led
into perdition.
The Lord will not
blink the eye at satanic seductions of His people for
much longer. He will hold every false teacher
accountable for the souls that he or she has led
astray. There will be harsh judgments for those who
come in God's name, only to pillage those who are
unsuspecting. Their evil schemes will soon become
obvious to all and they will ultimately be destroyed
in the wrath of Jesus Christ's coming.
Proverbs 14:25-26 "A
true witness delivereth souls: but a deceitful
[witness] speaketh lies. In the fear of the Lord is
strong confidence: and his children shall have a place
of refuge."
If we embrace
pseudo-theologies instead of the one true faith, we
will be doomed to captivity as were the chosen people
of old. We will become entrenched in darkness and
deception. We will reach a point where we can longer
separate truth from fiction, and be totally overcome
by lies and false doctrines.
We will expose
ourselves to needless demonic oppression in our lives
and be left as prey to the enemy for total spiritual
destruction. We will ultimately be subject to harsh
judgment by the Lord Himself for our foolishness and
error, and lead lives that are desolate of meaning and
truth, purpose and direction. We must have a
reverential fear and respect of the Lord.
Our very lives are
at stake. We must seek the truth that sets us free.
Christ died to save us from our sins and restore us to
right standing with God. We must believe in Him;
sanctify ourselves of all sin; follow the
commandments; and walk in love, as we have been
taught. Then we will be righteous before God.
We have an
obligation to seek the truth and insist on accurate
teaching that is based on the Word of God. We should
never arbitrarily accept man-made traditions and false
doctrines that deviate from the one true Gospel
message. There is no other way to approach God except
through the cross of Jesus Christ. It is only through
our faith in Him that we can be saved.
A Form of Religion
Galatians 6:7-8 "Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to
his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he
that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap
life everlasting."
Maybe we try to fool
ourselves into thinking that we are in good standing
with God. We sandwich Him into a small slice of
weekend time between our recreational events and work
schedules. We try to find the shortest, most
comfortable church service that exists and get our
"feel good" ticket punched for the week. We think we
are being righteous and holy, but our God is not
mocked.
We go to casually
socialize with others, sing a few songs, doze,
daydream and participate as little as possible. It's
more important to us that we are seen by men, rather
than be sincere seekers of the truth. Maybe we throw a
few dollars in the collection plate, so that others
will think we are generous. The truth is that we have
only wasted our time and effort in simply "playing
church."
Convinced that we
have fulfilled our total duty to the Lord in just a
few hours, we expect Him to meet all of our needs on
demand. We wonder why our lives are so messed up for
the rest of the week. We are sick, tired and
threatened with poverty; our jobs are in jeopardy; our
families are in chaos and confusion. We are a people
lost in sin and darkness; we have no moral strength or
conviction.
We have abandoned
our first love and we break all the commandments. We
are insincere in our personal relationships with God
and with others. We pretend to be righteous, but our
behavior mirrors that of the heathen. We are proud,
self-centered, covetous and wicked. We fail to repent
and renounce all our sinfulness, and the Lord has no
choice but to leave us to our own devices.
2Timothy 3:1-5 "This
know also, that in the last days perilous times shall
come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves,
covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to
parents, unthankful, unholy, Without natural
affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent,
fierce, despisers of those that are good, Traitors,
heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than
lovers of God; Having a form of godliness, but denying
the power thereof: from such turn away."
We have a form of
godliness with no power in it. We go through the
motions of "practicing religion," but our hearts are
far from our God. We relegate Him to the least amount
of time and effort that we can spend and still appear
respectable to our peers. We are insincere and make a
mockery of true worship. Our lives are devoid of
spiritual power and meaning as a result.
The Lord knows our
hearts and despises our pretense at worshipping Him.
He knows that we are selfish, proud and ungrateful,
boasters and blasphemers. We have broken covenant
relationship with Him and we will suffer the
consequences. Our hearts and spirits are not in right
standing with God, and we are not showing Him the
deference and respect that He deserves.
We fail to put Him
first in all things and walk in love with our
brothers. We do not diligently keep His commandments
and our righteousness is but a sham. If we repent and
turn from our wickedness, we will be restored to our
right standing with God and He will blot all our sin
from His memory. We are responsible to walk in the
truth and be godly examples to others.
James 1:21-25
"Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of
naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted
word, which is able to save your souls. But be ye
doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving
your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word,
and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his
natural face in a glass: For he beholdeth himself, and
goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner
of man he was. But whoso looketh into the perfect law
of liberty, and continueth [therein], he being not a
forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man
shall be blessed in his deed."
We have no excuse
for our behavior. We have become worldly and
licentious and it must cease. We have abused our
privileges as the children of God and forgotten Him as
our first love. We have to get back to basics and
realign our priorities. We cannot have false gods,
errant teachers and rebellious spirits and hope to
please our Creator.
We know the truth
and are responsible for walking in the light of it. We
must turn back to God and walk in righteousness and
love or be denied into His presence. We should be
doers of God's Word and not hearers only. It is one
thing to know the truth and act on it with an
occasional slip in behavior, and quite another to
deliberately violate it.
We cannot be lawless
and rebellious and hope to please God. He will turn
His back on us if we fail to keep His commandments. He
will abandon us if we continue to abandon Him as we
have done. Our lives will become superficial, without
meaning and direction. We will miss out on His
blessings, and be excluded from His Kingdom.
We have a serious
choice to make. We can be reconciled to our God or
suffer eternal damnation. We must repent of all our
sinfulness and embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ with
zeal and fervor. We are new creatures in Christ and
can appropriate divine strength and power to overcome
all our worldliness by the power of the Holy Spirit.
James 1: 26-27 "If
any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth
not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this
man's religion [is] vain. Pure religion and undefiled
before God and the Father is this, To visit the
fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to
keep himself unspotted from the world."
Religion is
distinctly different than relationship. Our heavenly
Father wants us to fellowship intimately with Him in
Spirit and in truth. He is not overly impressed by our
religious practices because they have become shallow
and meaningless to Him. We are to be continually
righteous and walk in love as we have been taught. We
cannot be both worldly and spiritually minded. We must
approach the Lord sincerely with hearts and spirits
that seek to serve Him and His people in unselfish
love.
It may very well be
that we have good intentions and gather together to
worship the Lord with other believers. But perhaps we
are self-righteous and gossip or start rumors in our
fellowships. Maybe we feel superior to others and
hypocritically judge and condemn their sins, but
overlook our own transgression. Although we may not be
truly mean-spirited, we are still guilty of sin.
Regardless of our motives and methods, we will be held
accountable for our lack of love and true
righteousness.
Sins of the mouth
such as gossip and bickering lead only to strife and
division. We cannot succumb to carnality in our
relationships. We must walk in love and unity with
fellow believers. We are to be at peace with all men,
to include unbelievers, wherever possible. Our love is
what distinguishes us as the sons and daughters of
God, and we must deliberately guard it. In the
critical days that lie ahead, the Lord will call on
His church to fulfill their divine destinies and
demonstrate His love to others.
The commandment of
love is not optional; we are to follow it at all
times. Either we repent and realign our priorities, or
we will be devoured by our own bad habits and evil
ways. We will consume one another in our hatefulness.
We have a serious responsibility to reassess our lives
and recapture our missing values, or we will be
permitted to destroy ourselves in the process. The
Lord will never impose Himself on us or violate our
free will. The choice is up to us; we can turn back to
God or be damned.
The Lord's Controversy With His People
Hosea 4:1-2 "Hear
the word of the LORD, ye children of Israel: for the
LORD hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the
land, because [there is] no truth, nor mercy, nor
knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying,
and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery,
they break out and blood toucheth blood."
We break all of the
Lord's commandments and we think that He will
disregard our blatant disobedience. He cannot and will
not ignore our lawlessness and rebellion and blink the
eye at our sin. We will face a fearsome judgment for
all of our wickedness and be removed far from His
presence. He cannot abide evil of any kind and He
grieves when His people go astray. He is ever calling
out to us in His infinite love, mercy and compassion.
We must repent and turn back to our God or be severely
judged.
We have managed to
all but totally eliminate God from our daily lives,
and we face severe consequences for our actions. We
have taken Him out of our schools and government
operations. He has no place in our homes or in our
businesses. There are more bars, nightclubs and
gambling casinos than churches in our communities. We
think that God is out to ruin our fun, so we avoid Him
wherever and whenever possible. He has no choice but
to withdraw His blessings from our lives until we come
to our senses.
We debate the truth
and dally with removing "In God We Trust" from our
money and try to alter our Pledge of Allegiance and
our National Anthem to exclude all references to Him.
We view the Ten Commandments as if they were offensive
instead of life changing. We don't even own a Bible,
much less read the Word of God as we should. We think
that attending church is a waste of time and
old-fashioned. We neglect to honor the Lord and give
Him all the deference and respect that He deserves.
We forbid prayer in
our schools and then we wonder why our children are
going astray. We have failed to give them moral
absolutes, sound guidance and direction. We have an
entire nation of young people who are unhappy,
confused and rebellious. They are a lost generation
without purpose or meaning in their lives. Their
parents are far too busy and pre-occupied with their
own problems to give them the attention that they
require. Neither parent nor child acknowledges our
Creator or His way of doing things.
We trade wholesome
moral values and common decency for selfishness and
greed. Our businesses and government operations are
amoral and corrupted from within. They are ultimately
doomed to destruction. We plot and scheme to get
ahead, and devour our peers in an effort to promote
our own self-interest. We are consuming one another
and developing hard hearts and seared consciences. We
have lost our first love and abandoned godly
principles. God sees it all and has a serious
controversy with His people.
Our Wake-Up Call
2Chronicles 7:14 "If
my people, which are called by my name, shall humble
themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from
their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and
will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."
Once a strong nation
under God, our country is now threatened from within
and without by heathen terrorists. We are in an
economic shambles; we live off of credit spending and
we are devoured by our lenders. People are losing
their jobs, their homes, their self-respect and even
their sanity. We feel that God has abandoned us, or
that He never existed at all.
The truth is that we
have all but forsaken God of our own free will; we
have insulted and ignored Him, and denied His supreme
deity. He is not impressed by our pretended piety. We
have put Him in a nice little box of our own making,
yet we have no personal relationship with Him. He is
not able to manifest Himself in our lives, because we
do not invite His input.
We have transgressed
God's laws and violated His moral absolutes. We have
worshipped false gods and expect Him to tolerate it.
We refuse to believe the truth and we are spiritually
bankrupt. The Lord will not force Himself on us, nor
is He under any obligation to forgive our sins or
provide for our needs, if we are deliberately
rebellious and disrespectful to Him.
If we will repent
from the heart and renounce our sins, the Lord will be
merciful and compassionate to us. He will hear our
penitential prayers and relent in His punishment for
our sins. It is His greatest desire to fellowship with
His people and provide for all their needs. He is
waiting for us to come to our senses, so that He can
bless us once again and heal our land.
Psalm 40:4 "Blessed
[is] that man that maketh the LORD his trust, and
respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to
lies."
If we truly want our
country to prosper and remain strong, we must repent
and turn back to God. We need to pray for our leaders
and our people, so that their minds would be open and
their hearts receptive to all that the Lord wants to
teach us. We should fight to keep God's name prominent
among us and welcome Him into our homes, schools,
businesses and government.
It is time for us to
get back to the fundamental truths of the Bible that
once made this country great. We are God's chosen
people, but we must walk in His ways. He desires
intimate fellowship with us, so He can bless us as He
did our founding fathers. We must put Him first in all
things and acknowledge our salvation through Christ's
death and resurrection on our behalf.
Our Lord and Savior
laid down His life for us, so that we could be set
free from our sins and enjoy eternal life. All that we
must do is repent of our sin; believe in Him; confess
our faith; and embrace righteousness and truth. God
loves us and desires that we have a close relationship
with Him. We should keep all of His commandments and
walk in love for Him and for others.
Ezekiel 37:26
"Moreover I will make a covenant of peace with them;
it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I
will place them, and multiply them, and will set my
sanctuary in the midst of them for evermore."
We have a covenant
with the Lord as long as we respect our faith and act
on it. Our thoughts, attitudes and behavior must all
line up with the truth explained in the Bible as the
Word of God. We have no excuse for not following the
Lord's commandments to us. They are reasonable and
attainable for each of us. We should examine our
hearts and repent of all our unrighteousness.
The Lord wants to be
our God and provide all our needs in abundance. He
will prosper us and restore our peace and honor among
all men. He will soon take up residence with His
people on the earth, and we must sanctify ourselves to
dwell in His holy presence. We should welcome His
purging fire and put Him first in our lives. We must
walk in righteousness and love for others.
If we fail to do so,
our country will continue to decline in moral strength
until we are consumed by our sins. We will be
relegated to the plight of those disobedient nations
all over the world. We will experience curses instead
of blessings, and our fundamental liberties will be
jeopardized. If the Lord removes His merciful
protection from us, we will be totally devoured by our
enemies.
Repentance From Idolatry and False Religion
Ezekiel 37:23
"Neither shall they defile themselves any more with
their idols, nor with their detestable things, nor
with any of their transgressions: but I will save them
out of all their dwellingplaces, wherein they have
sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my
people, and I will be their God."
The Lord is ever
ready to forgive and forget our sins of idolatry,
worldliness and false religion. He wants to turn our
captivity and restore all that has been taken from us.
He desires our intimate relationship with Him more
than anything else. The Bible tells us that He will
actually blot our iniquity from His memory. If we will
sincerely repent and turn away from all our worldly
idols, avoid false teaching and get back to the basics
of our faith - prayer, meditation and the study of
God's Word - we will be spared eternal punishment and
enjoy the blessings of health and prosperity instead.
We must believe that
His Son, Jesus Christ, came to the earth to save us
from our sins. Christ died for us, was buried and
resurrected from the dead to give us eternal life. If
we repent of all our sin, accept Him as our Lord and
Savior and confess our faith in Him, we will be saved.
We are then baptized into our faith and the process of
regeneration begins. We are literally changed from the
inside out and our lives are never the same. The
subsequent baptism in the Holy Spirit assures us that
we will hear from God on a regular basis and mature in
holiness and perfection, just as He is holy and
perfect.
There is but one
true faith and that is readily available to all men.
We should examine how we live our lives on a daily
basis, and resolve to walk in the eternal light versus
the darkness. If we obey Christ's law of love and
reverence the Lord as we should, we will be on track.
If we love others and place their needs on an even
plane with our own, we will be deemed righteous before
God. If we strive for spiritual gifts as much as we do
material things, our lives will turn around for the
better. If we pray and meditate on the promises of
God, we will have hope and confidence, peace and joy.
Zechariah 2:7
"Deliver thyself, O Zion, that dwellest [with] the
daughter of Babylon. "
Zion is a type and
shadow of the church in Biblical terms. We are to be
in the world, but not contaminated by it. The Lord
wants His people delivered from all forms of
Babylonian world values, that keep men in bondage and
separated from the simple truth of the Gospel message.
We have a serious obligation to get our priorities
right and in alignment with God's will. We must put
God before everything and everyone in our lives. We
should have no false gods or idols of any kind. These
will distract us from the truth and interfere with our
loving and serving Him.
We are to follow the
Lord's commandments and walk in love and peace with
all men wherever possible. We should put others' needs
on an even plane with our own. We should forgive and
forget all wrongs done to us, and be willing and
obedient to share our resources with those who are in
need. We are to believe the basic fundamental truths
that the Bible - the Word of God - teaches, and those
alone. We should not even flirt with the traditions of
men that deviate from our faith, because these only
corrupt and confuse and will lead us into total
spiritual destruction.
Getting it Right
Micah 3:11 "The
heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests
thereof teach for hire, and the prophets thereof
divine for money: yet will they lean upon the LORD,
and say, [Is] not the LORD among us? none evil can
come upon us."
While the Lord will
indeed take vengeance on all enemies in the pulpit one
day soon, He still expects us to stand up for our
rights and privileges as His chosen people. We should
be highly insulted that anyone would attempt to
perpetrate lies in place of the true Gospel message.
We have a responsibility to seek the uncompromised
truth and avoid all defilement that comes from
pseudo-theologies. We have been given spiritual
discernment to detect all ungodly theories and
doctrines of demons, and we must resist and expose
false teachers that attempt to deceive us.
They mistakenly
think that the Lord will tolerate their misbehavior
and close His eyes to their attempts to manipulate and
coerce us. Nothing could be further from the truth. He
will soon eradicate all evil off the face of the
earth, and those who pervert the truth and teach
others false doctrines will be held strictly
accountable for their actions. No one who misleads
others in the name of religion and causes men to be
separated from their God will ever enter into His
Kingdom. The Lord will make certain that they receive
their eternal punishment in the lake of fire.
We should never ever
tolerate prophets for hire or those preachers and
teachers who bilk God's people out of their money and
resources in return for spiritual favors and false
promises. The Gospel is not for rent, sale or lease.
It is freely available to all men, just as it was in
the days of Jesus Christ. The gifts and manifestations
of the Holy Spirit of God will be diminished and leave
those who are greedy and oppress others. These false
teachers will be operating in the flesh and their
tactics will become obvious to all men, so that they
are avoided wherever possible.
False religion is
worse than none at all because it insults the Lord and
ridicules true spirituality. Each of us must make the
decision to establish a personal relationship with our
God and adhere to sound Biblical doctrine. We
desperately need to know the truth that sets us free,
and should never settle for less. Jesus Christ died to
save us from our sins and give us eternal life. We
should be grateful and imitate His laid down life. If
we do so, our own lives will improve and we will
experience hope for the future. If we walk in love for
God and others, we will be blessed.
Isaiah 65:16 "That
he who blesseth himself in the earth shall bless
himself in the God of truth; and he that sweareth in
the earth shall swear by the God of truth; because the
former troubles are forgotten, and because they are
hid from mine eyes."
We must relinquish
all of our idols and reevaluate our priorities. We
cannot be greedy and materialistic and hope to impress
our God. He desires truth in our inward parts and a
people that earnestly strive for a personal
relationship with Him. He is not demanding, but He is
beckoning to us. He wants to deliver us from
everything that interrupts our fellowship with Him.
The Lord is dismayed
that His people are caught up in doctrinal errors and
pseudo-theologies that glorify men instead of Him. He
wants a people that will worship Him in Spirit and in
truth for all of eternity. He is not impressed by our
pretended piety or our false religions that cause us
to go astray. He wants us to return to the fundamental
Bible truths that set men free.
We are saved and
justified by our faith in Jesus Christ, and Him alone.
We should avoid all man-made traditions that deviate
from the truth of the Gospel message and attempt to
lure us into perdition. We cannot earn eternal life or
purchase its benefits. It is a free gift made
available to all men; we overcome by the Blood of the
Lamb and the word of our testimony.
If we keep all of
the Lord's commandments and walk in love for Him and
for others, we will remain continually righteous in
His eyes. We are joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to all
the covenant promises. We are guaranteed eternal life
through our faith in Him, and we will be blessed
beyond our wildest imagination when we inherit the
Kingdom of God and all of its benefits.
1Timothy 2:5 "For
[there is] one God, and one mediator between God and
men, the man Christ Jesus;"
Blessings of
righteousness are for all who believe the truth of the
Gospel message. There are no spiritually elite who are
more favored of God than others. That is a lie from
hell created to manipulate men into thinking that they
needed a mediator between themselves and God. We have
one Mediator and High Priest, Jesus Christ, who is
accessible to all who believe in Him.
Christ died to save
us from our sins and provide us with life in
abundance. We are not alone and struggling in this
world. We do not have to make our way against all
odds. Jesus always makes intercession for us with His
Father and will provide all that we need to be
healthy, happy and prosperous. If we repent of all our
rebellion and depend on Him, the Lord will never let
us down.
We can relate to God
only through the work of the cross. Our redemption has
been complete and we are now in right standing with
Him. When the Lord sees us, He sees Jesus in all of
His righteousness. We can approach the throne of grace
with any need and know that it will be met. We are
actually sons and daughters of almighty God and seated
with Christ in heavenly places.
Through our faith in
Jesus Christ, we are set free in the truth. Christ is
in us and with us to do His perfect will. We have
inherited eternal life and all its benefits and we
will soon enter in to His Kingdom, if we are righteous
and walking in love as we have been taught to do. Our
lives will be full and meaningful once again and we
will dwell in the very presence of our God forever.
Topics for Discussion
1. Describe the Babylonian World System
2. Worldliness vs. Godliness
3. Idolatry, Greed and Covetousness
4. Rebellion
5. A Form of Religion
6. The Lord's Controversy With His People
7. Repentance From Idolatry and False Religion
Chapter 2 - Dead Religion
Mark 7:6 "He
answered and said unto them, Well hath Esaias
prophesied of you hypocrites, as it is written, This
people honoureth me with [their] lips, but their heart
is far from me."
Some of us
mistakenly believe that we are really holy because we
attend church regularly or tune into religious
programming on television or radio. However, we may
embrace seeker-friendly sermonettes that dilute the
Gospel message to flatter men rather than glorify our
God. We follow self-appointed teachers, prophets,
priests and apostles into pomp, ceremony and
perdition.
Maybe we recite long
litanies and memorized prayers that mean little to
God. We burn candles and incense before Him and
participate in meaningless rituals that can be likened
to sorcery. We pray to angels and saints and expect
that our prayers will be heard. We deify the clergy
over the one true God and we downplay the doctrine of
Christ's death and redemption on our behalf.
Perhaps we attend
churches that have their own versions of the Bible and
twist doctrinal truths to suit their own agendas. They
purport to have an inside track to salvation, but end
up consuming us with all their man-made rules and
regulations. They want us to be proselytes and
promoters of their own brand of wickedness, and they
boldly seek converts anywhere and everywhere.
The Lord has seen
all our dead religious practices and He is appalled by
our hypocritical pretense at worship. We give lip
service to our faith, but our hearts are far from God.
We have no intimate personal relationship with Him,
and we do not seek His guidance and direction for our
lives. We have deviated from the truth of the real
Gospel message and succumbed to overt lies instead.
Lamentations 2:14
"Thy prophets have seen vain and foolish things for
thee: and they have not discovered thine iniquity, to
turn away thy captivity; but have seen for thee false
burdens and causes of banishment."
It could be we are
searching for spiritual manifestations such as words
of prophecy and dramatic signs. We want the power of
God to show up, but it has to be on our terms. We
might be seeking Holy Ghost goose pimples and
emotional highs. However, if we do not adhere to sound
doctrine, we will be eternally doomed regardless of
what efforts we make at practicing religion.
The Lord is not in
the midst of supernatural manifestations that glorify
men rather than Him. Only the Holy Spirit can
determine what spiritual gifts are administered to
God's people. They are always given for the benefit of
all men, without fee or gratuity. We should be most
wary of those who purport to have special gifts, but
are motivated by greed and the desire for power.
False prophets
deliver rose-colored pictures of our future,
irrespective of our relationship with the Lord. They
mislead us into thinking that all is well with our
God. They deliberately avoid confrontation, so that
they can glean our favor and receive offerings and
honoraria from us. They flatter our egos, but they
don't encourage us to repent, sanctify ourselves and
seek God's will.
Psalm 26:5 "I have
hated the congregation of evil doers; and will not sit
with the wicked."
Desperate for the
truth, we may go to church every day or several times
a week, like religious groupies. Our lives are in
chaos, confusion and disorder, if we have a form of
godliness but no power in it. We are horribly misled
if we are following man-made traditions and religious
superstitions rather than the Word of God. There is
but one truth and that will set us totally free.
The Lord is calling
out to His people in love and mercy. He wants to
deliver us from religious doctrines that deceive us
and pollute our faith. He desires an intimate
relationship with us. We must seek the truth in the
Bible as the Word of God and put Him first in all
things. We should love Him with all our hearts, minds,
souls and strength and love our neighbors, as we love
ourselves.
In addition, we must
keep all of His commandments and renounce all of our
sins. We cannot be deliberately rebellious and please
our God. He desires truth in our inward parts and
wants us to be humble, sincere and contrite in heart.
We should carefully guard our righteousness and seek
His guidance and direction for our lives rather than
the approval of men who may be in error.
Contrary to what
many believe, the Lord is not always found in
churches, synagogues or man-made temples. He resides
in the inner man of the heart in all those who believe
in His Son, Jesus Christ, and walk as He walked. Our
God is not so concerned about where we worship Him,
but that we do so in Spirit and in truth. He wants us
to be in personal relationship with Him.
Hypocrisy
Matthew 23:28 "Even
so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but
within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."
Although we make
quite a show of practicing religion, the Lord is not
impressed with sanctimonious showmanship. He wants us
to be genuine in our faith and righteous in all of our
ways. We are more concerned about how we appear to
others, rather than how we appear to our God. However,
He knows our intentions and insists that we repent
from our hypocrisy and pretense.
We are often
controlling and religious, and deem ourselves better
than others. We refuse to listen to messages that
confront our sin and we steadily deny our moral
responsibility. We do not follow the Lord's
commandments, and our hearts are far from Him. We fail
to put God first in all things and walk in love. We do
not treat our neighbors with affection, compassion and
respect.
The Lord sees the
inner man of the heart and desires that we be humble
and contrite, sincere seekers of truth and teachable
in His ways. Only Jesus Christ can determine if we are
truly righteous and eligible to enter into the Kingdom
of God. He will reward those who keep the commandments
and love others as we were taught. Those who are
deliberately evil will be eternally punished.
Anyone who makes a
habit of criticizing and condemning others is
operating in a hypocritical spirit. Those who gossip
and malign others are guilty of a lack of love. If we
cause strife and division in our personal
relationships for any reason, we are guilty of
unrighteousness. We must be extremely careful that we
strive for peace with all men, believers and
unbelievers, wherever possible.
Job 36:13 "But the
hypocrites in heart heap up wrath: they cry not when
he bindeth them."
The spirit of
hypocritical religion is more damaging than no faith
at all, because it deceives men into thinking that
they are at peace with God. Our righteousness is
determined by our faith In Jesus Christ, and in Him
alone. We cannot receive eternal life unless we adhere
to sound doctrine and appropriate the life-changing
truth of His death and resurrection on our behalf.
It is only through
faith in the atoning work of Christ Himself, that we
experience righteousness at all. We have grace with
God and are restored to right standing with Him,
through no merits of our own. We enjoy sonship
privileges and can approach Him at any time. He will
always answer our prayers and treat us as He would
treat Jesus. The Lord will meet all our needs in
abundance.
We should never
regard ourselves as superior to others, or suppose
that we are in better standing with the Lord than
another. That is simply not true. Our righteousness is
not determined by any of our works. The Lord desires
that all men come to a full knowledge of the truth. He
loves each of us with a deep, abiding love and is
infinitely patient and merciful to all mankind.
Matthew 23:25 "Woe
unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye
make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter,
but within they are full of extortion and excess."
Hypocrisy is demonic
in origin; it blinds our minds and hinders our
salvation. It seduces us into thinking that we are
righteous and holy in and of ourselves, but God is not
mocked. He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in
truth, with sincere, contrite hearts and teachable,
pliable spirits. He expects us to walk in love at all
times, and to be meek and humble in our relationships.
Jesus Christ Himself
condemned all the hypocrites that He encountered,
because they drove others away from God with their
heavy demands and unreasonable expectations. They
convinced men that He was unapproachable. They had
myriads of rules and regulations. We should eliminate
any hypocritical tendencies we might have which
negatively influence others.
Furthermore, we
should never tell anyone that God is punishing them or
withholding His blessings when they experience
misfortune. He is a loving and merciful God, and does
not give us adversity to teach us anything. Pain,
oppression and suffering come from Satan, the enemy of
our souls. Our disobedience and sin give him a legal
right of entry to negatively affect our lives.
We often bring pain
and suffering on ourselves due to our own sinfulness.
The wages of sin are death, if have not made Jesus
Christ our Lord and Savior. When we make Him Lord of
our lives, we are released from the curse of death to
eternal life. Our faith in Him assures us we are in
right standing with God. If we walk in love and follow
all the commandments we will be blessed.
Psalm 1:5 "Therefore
the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous."
Hypocrisy is a
grievous sin and the Lord will not overlook it. There
are many self-righteous individuals who gloat when
others miss the mark and are tempted to sin. They
mistakenly believe they are above punishment for their
own behavior. The Lord will not tolerate a lack of
love or righteousness in His people. We are to draw
all men to Him rather than repel them.
Our God is not
waiting for us to mess up so that He can punish us, as
some would have us believe. He rejoices when we are
doing well and grieves when we fall. He is ever ready
to forgive us when we make mistakes, as long as we
repent from a sincere heart. None of us is more
righteous than another; we all fall short of the glory
of God and need His mercy and compassion.
There are many who
are first now, who will be last in the Kingdom of God,
because of their self-righteous attitudes and critical
judgments of others. If we wish to dwell in the
presence of the Lord, then we must sanctify ourselves
of all controlling, religious spirits. We should share
the Gospel message with all men in love, and pray for
and encourage them in their search for truth.
The Lord desires
that no one perish for lack of knowledge. We should
spread the good news of Jesus Christ and urge men to
be reconciled with God. He has a deep, abiding love
for all mankind and desires that we build a personal
relationship with Him. Religion is not the same as
true spirituality. Religion only mimics the genuine
relationship God desires with His people.
He wants to
fellowship intimately with us without any barriers
between God and man. He is not distant or forbidding,
but loving and kind. The Lord wants to provide all our
needs and share in the intimate details of our lives.
If we are sincere and humble in our relationship with
Him, He will give us all good things and teach us His
ways, so that we can be successful in all that we do.
A Spirit of Religion
2Peter 2:1 "But
there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction."
Simply because a
teaching has been around for a long time, doesn't make
it an accurate Biblical truth. There are many
religious traditions that are man-made and have
deceived men for centuries. They started out
innocently enough as myths and fables, but have
progressed to the point that they are totally
heretical and threaten our salvation. We should avoid
these doctrines and expose them as the lies that they
are. They will destroy our faith and lead us into
destruction.
Jesus Christ is the
Head of His church, and we are His Body on the earth.
We have the privilege to worship God without religious
fanfare and ceremonial mysticism. Our relationship
with the Lord has been restored for all time. We need
no priests or ministers to mediate for us or to
forgive us our sins. Our Lord and Savior intercedes
for His people and teaches them all that they need to
know about righteousness. He alone deserves all of our
praise, worship, honor and gratitude.
It may be that we
have good intentions and simply follow the religious
teaching that we received as children. We mistakenly
think that we are being obedient to God by following
in our ancestors' footsteps, even though they were
deceived. We are now adults and we are responsible to
seek the truth for ourselves. If we believe lies,
participate in meaningless rituals and pray to false
gods, we are doomed to spiritual death. We must seek
the truth and adhere to sound doctrine.
Matthew 6:5-8 "And
when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites
[are]: for they love to pray standing in the
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that
they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter
into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door,
pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But
when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen
[do]: for they think that they shall be heard for
their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto
them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need
of, before ye ask him."
The Lord does not
want us to recite long litanies and memorized prayers
that mean nothing to us or to Him. He wants us to have
intimate conversation with Him when we pray. Prayer
should be sincere and heart-felt communication with
God. We should speak and listen for His response. He
knows our needs even before we ask Him, and delights
that we share all that we think and feel with Him. We
should never pray hypocritically for the sake of being
heard or seen by men.
We should pray
continually throughout our day and maintain close
fellowship with our God. We do not need to be in a
church setting to have real and meaningful
communication with the Lord. He is always available to
listen to our thoughts and requests. He dwells in each
of us, if we have made Jesus Lord of our life, and He
is eminently approachable at any time and in any
place. Prayer, praise and worship can all be conducted
in private as well as in a corporate setting.
Ephesians 5:11 "And
have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of
darkness, but rather reprove [them]."
We are to pray to
no man, living or dead; that is simply not
scriptural. We are to pray to God alone as our Creator
and the source of all our needs. We do not need
statues, altars, or incense and rituals of any kind to
come boldly before the throne of grace for every need.
We have the Blood bought righteousness of Jesus Christ
Himself that assures us of right standing with God. He
is our Mediator and High Priest, readily accessible to
all who believe in the power of His redemption.
If we repented of
our sins and confessed Christ as Lord and Savior, we
are born again in our spirit man and reconciled with
God forever more. There is no longer a separation
between us. We have right standing restored to us
through our faith in Christ. We enjoy true Christian
liberty and we can approach the throne of grace with
every need. In fact, we are actually seated with
Christ in heavenly places at the right hand of God
Himself, as His very own sons and daughters.
The Lord is not
confined to churches, synagogues and temples that are
of man's making. He is everywhere, and intimately
present in our lives if we have made Jesus Christ our
Lord and Savior. When we are born again and baptized
with water and the Holy Spirit, our bodies become the
very temples of God. We can worship Him in Spirit and
in truth anywhere and everywhere. Our lives should be
a fragrant offering to Him and a continuous tribute to
His honor and glory.
Legalism
2Corinthians 11:20
"For ye suffer, if a man bring you into bondage, if a
man devour [you], if a man take [of you], if a man
exalt himself, if a man smite you on the face."
Perhaps we are
steeped in the man-made rules of denominationalism or
embrace various religious sects that are popular from
time to time. We may be involved with secret societies
or cults that appear to serve God, but really serve
Satan. We follow men of questionable repute into
perdition. They entice us from the truth and we
actually permit them to influence our lives.
Like lost sheep, we
go astray following the whims and fancies of
individuals who don't even care about us. We are
misled and misguided, confused and perplexed. We have
digressed so much from the truth, that we don't even
remember the basic tenets of our faith. We too easily
forget that Jesus Christ died to save us from our sins
and rose again to bring us eternal life.
Our Savior came into
this world to liberate us from fear and dread. We no
longer have death as a penalty for our sins. We enjoy
true Christian liberty. We should never submit to
man-made rules and regulations that separate us from
our God and cause us to be in bondage of any kind.
Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave has
provided us with life in abundance.
We subject ourselves
to needless religious bondage by following the rules
of men that make sincere worship of the Lord a
mockery. We subscribe to every popular religious
theory that comes along in hopes of impressing God and
acquiring His favor. In the process, we end up
insulting our Creator Father and His Son, Jesus
Christ, and forfeiting our Blood-bought freedom.
2Timothy 4:4 "And
they shall turn away [their] ears from the truth, and
shall be turned unto fables."
We think we are
pleasing God when we follow all our so-called church
rules and regulations. We are being kept in bondage
and exacting servitude, blinded, coerced and
powerless. Yet we are afraid to challenge what we are
taught. In many cases, we are subjecting ourselves to
religious lies and the doctrines of demons. These will
bring spiritual darkness and destruction on us.
There is but one God
and His truth in the Gospel message. We should be very
cautious when we hear of a new sect or denomination
that purports to have an inside track to salvation.
The only way to God is through the cross of Jesus
Christ. No blend of secular humanism with science and
fable will gain eternal life for us. We either believe
the truth or we will perish for all eternity.
The people of God
are being caught up in heresies and man-made
traditions that deviate from the truth as we have been
taught. We have to get back to the basics of our faith
and repent of all our foolishness. The Lord is
beckoning to each of us, "Be much with me." He wants
to turn our captivity, deliver us from evil and gather
us in to the safety and security of the Kingdom of
God.
Anti-Christ Spirit
1John 4:1-3
"Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the
spirits whether they are of God: because many false
prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye
the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that
Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every
spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh is not of God: and this is that [spirit]
of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should
come; and even now already is it in the world."
Many believe that
the Anti-Christ is a man that will be the devil
incarnate, who wreaks havoc all over the earth in
these last days and brands us with tattoos that read
"666." I believe that anti-Christ spirits now dwell in
many human forms that would defile and mislead
God's people. Every supposed minister of the Gospel
who glorifies himself rather than God, and leads men
into chaos, confusion or religious bondage of any
kind, is an accurate depiction of Anti-Christ in the
Book of Revelation.
Anti-Christ spirits
try to seduce us into thinking that we are righteous,
despite the fact that we are not walking as the Lord
would have us walk. They excuse sin and minimize the
repercussions of it. They often deny the deity of
Jesus Christ and elevate themselves to positions of
authority with God's people when they are not divinely
ordained or anointed for service. Their primary goals
are profit and control and they stop at nothing to
deceive us. They perpetrate various lies to coerce and
manipulate us to do their will.
They are truly
dangerous and demonically driven to blind men to the
truth. The good news is that Jesus Christ defeated the
devil and all his minions with His victory over sin,
death and the grave. He restored dominion over the
earth back to men. We do not have to put up with lies
and deceit of any kind that comes wrapped in a
"religious package." Through the power of the Holy
Spirit of God, we can detect all error and deliberate
falsehoods and banish them from our lives before they
cause us harm.
Ezekiel 13:22
"Because with lies ye have made the heart of the
righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and
strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should
not return from his wicked way, by promising him life:
Therefore ye shall see no more vanity, nor divine
divinations: for I will deliver my people out of your
hand: and ye shall know that I am the Lord."
Every seducing
spirit that would violate our free will, attempt to
keep us is in bondage and harsh servitude is of the
devil. Anyone that alters the truth of the Gospel
message and twists it to his or her own advantage is
operating in an anti-Christ spirit that will be
exposed and abolished by the Lord Himself. All motives
of power and greed that would seduce others in the
name of religion will be revealed in the days to come
and be severely punished. Those who mislead and
exploit others will be consumed; all needless
oppression and persecution of God's people will cease.
The Lord is holding
us to much higher standards than ever before. A
minister of the Gospel must be beyond reproach in what
he teaches others. He should reflect the mercy, love
and compassion of Jesus Christ Himself. It is critical
that the Word of God itself be preached without
compromise or alteration. No seeker-friendly social
gospels that flatter men, instead of revealing the
truth, will be tolerated. Secular humanism, hedonistic
materialism and religious egomania will never replace
the power of Jesus Christ's death and resurrection to
save men from their sins.
The Gospel will be
preached to the entire world. All men have to be
confronted with the truth. They must believe that
Christ died to save them from their sins, and that He
rose again to give them eternal life. There is no
other way to God except through the cross of Jesus
Christ. We either accept the truth or we will perish.
We must additionally be born again of water and the
Holy Spirit in order to enter into the Kingdom of God.
We should be baptized in our faith and ask the Lord to
send His very own Spirit to us, so that we can grow
and mature as His sons and daughters.
False Teachers
2Corinthians
11:13-15 "For such [are] false apostles, deceitful
workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light. Therefore [it is]
no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as
the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be
according to their works."
There are many
so-called Christians in the world today that appear to
have a form of religion but do not have a personal
relationship with God. Their hearts are far from Him;
they do not worship Him in Spirit and in truth. They
walk in prideful, haughty, elitist spirits rather than
genuine love for God and for others. They are
self-righteous, religious, and criticize and condemn
others.
They fancy
themselves as "ultra holy" and often confer all sorts
of self-appointed church titles on themselves that are
meant to impress men and manipulate them. They may
have no formal religious training or even be well
schooled in the truth of God's Word. Yet they set
themselves up as church leaders and spiritual
advisors. Their motives are basically pride, profit
and control.
These individuals
are from the synagogue of Satan. They disguise
themselves very cleverly, so that it is difficult to
detect their error. They may be extremely intelligent
and persuasive of speech. One thing that they lack is
sincerity and the manifest power of God in their
lives. They do not heal the sick or cast out demons of
any kind. They could never raise the dead back to
life.
Psalm 101:7 "He that
worketh deceit shall not dwell within my house: he
that telleth lies shall not tarry in my sight."
Sometimes they rise
to leadership positions in our churches. Other times,
they merely wait in the wings and seize every
opportunity they can to influence others and impress
them with their so- called spiritual gifts and
dogmatic opinions. They offend us and cause strife and
division in our fellowships. They are blight on the
Body of Christ and should be purposely avoided at all
times.
These individuals
serve as enemy agents to get God's people off track
and confuse them. They entice men with false promises
and pervert the Gospel message. They glorify
themselves rather than God, yet purport to have a
special relationship with Him. The truth is that He
does not know them. The Lord Himself will expose their
lies and hold them strictly accountable for their
actions.
One day in the very
near future, He will expose all workers of deceit and
punish them in the lake of fire. He has vengeance in
His heart for anyone who has exploited His people.
There will be safety and security in the Kingdom of
God. The Lord will supply all of our needs, both
temporal and spiritual. All men will know our God and
worship Him in Spirit and in truth as He desires.
Matthew 23:13 "But
woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for
ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye
neither go in [yourselves], neither suffer ye them
that are entering to go in."
These false teachers
are often judgmental and criticize those who do not
believe as they do. They impose heavy yokes and
burdens on others that they themselves ignore. They
are hypocritical and self-serving. They are
pretentious and religious, but lack God's power in
their lives. They do not preach the truth of the
Gospel, nor do they work miracles on His behalf. They
are wolves in sheep's clothing that are out to destroy
the Lord's people.
They teach men that
God should be feared and dreaded, and that He punishes
and dominates us, rather than lovingly encourages us
to seek a personal relationship with Him. They impose
all sorts of man-made rules and regulations on their
followers. They try to convince us that the Lord
sometimes ignores our prayers and that He allows bad
things to happen to us to teach us a lesson. These are
lies from hell and total perversions of the truth.
It is not the Lord's
desire that any man perishes or is excluded from His
Kingdom and its eternal blessings. Salvation through
faith in Jesus Christ is available to all men
everywhere without prejudice. None of us is inherently
worthy of God's favor, but He makes redemption
available to each of us. It is only through the
operation of the Holy Spirit that we can learn the
truth, be sanctified and attain godliness and
perfection in our walk with the Lord.
Theft by Deception
Matthew 10:7-8 "And
as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at
hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the
dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely
give."
The people of God
have become prey for the enemy in every area of our
lives. We have been duped, deceived, and bilked out of
our resources by charlatans from the synagogue of
Satan. They lie in wait to oppress us when we are at
our most vulnerable point. They promise us that our
lives will improve if we accept their religious
theories and financially support their efforts. They
want us to help propagate their lies and underwrite
their deceptive practices, so that others are led into
spiritual destruction.
Sometimes we make
contributions to our churches, thinking that this will
somehow buy us God's favor. We often tithe and make
sacrificial offerings out of fear, rather than
devotion. We are coerced into a false sense of
financial obligation by those who minister to us. They
manipulate us to part with our money. The truth is
that God does not need our cash, and Jesus never took
up a collection during all His time in public
ministry. Freely He gave of Himself, and freely men
received.
The Gospel of Jesus
Christ - to include prophecy, healing and
deliverance - is not for rent, sale or lease.
Those who purport to have supernatural gifts should be
extremely careful that they do not extort money from
God's people. The Lord will severely judge and punish
anyone who exploits others in any way. He is
particularly displeased with charismatic chicanery
that mimics true spiritual manifestations. False
prophets and supposed healers will soon be exposed as
the lying thieves that they really are.
2Peter 2:19 "While
they promise them liberty, they themselves are the
servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome,
of the same is he brought in bondage."
It is one thing to
contribute to the spread of the true Gospel message in
mission fields around the world, and quite another
matter if we are supporting local enemies in the
pulpit. We should not promote erroneous religious
doctrine, nor should we support it with our finances.
We will be held accountable if we are proponents of
lies that cause men to be held in bondage. The Lord
expects us to use discernment and discretion in the
use of our money at all times.
False teachers are
very crafty and experts at coercion and exploitation.
They often try to convince their followers to support
their ministries with large gifts and offerings. They
promise them spiritual blessings and favor for their
financial commitments, even though they cannot deliver
on these promises. The Lord is the source of all
blessings, and He never extorts cash from us in
return. He supplies all of our needs in abundance -
generously and unconditionally.
We should always
seek God's direction in our giving. He may have us
tithe and make offerings to individuals who preach the
uncompromised Gospel message. Perhaps He wants us to
support various charities or contribute to the needs
of the poor and disadvantaged. Whatever the Lord
directs us to do with our finances is His prerogative.
He supplies our needs and expects us to be good
stewards of our wealth and distribution channels for
His material resources.
Matthew 7:15 "Beware
of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's
clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye
shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes
of thorns, or figs of thistles?"
We must beware of
religious mercenaries who travel between churches and
are really just false prophets and errant teachers.
They make their way into our fellowships and cause
great harm to God's people. They attempt to influence
us with so-called visions and words from God that they
purport to receive. They may try to lead us in
directions that are opposite of what the Lord has
planned for us. They are often liars and manipulate us
into supporting their fake ministries.
Their thoughts and
behavior are not what the Lord desires in His teachers
and ministers, although they make quite a show of
pretended piety. They pray long and hard, but God is
not mocked; He desires that we have sincere, contrite
hearts and teachable, pliable spirits no matter who we
are. He holds His teachers more accountable for the
truth than the average believer. If a prophet has not
heard a confirmable word from the Lord Himself, he has
no authority to speak it.
Each of us can
receive our own word of prophecy and direct revelation
from our God. We can and do hear from Him on a regular
basis. All we must do is pray and seek His wisdom,
guidance and direction for our lives. Through the
operation of the Holy Spirit, He will reveal all that
we need to know. There is never a time that we should
be without the Lord's input. He will always take the
time to reach out to us in love, mercy and compassion
and fellowship intimately with us.
Charismatic Chicanery
Mark 13:22 "For
false Christs and false prophets shall rise, and shall
shew signs and wonders, to seduce, if [it were]
possible, even the elect."
We should beware of
false prophets that run rampant in the world today.
They often have a unique twist on the Gospel message
and purport to hear direct from God. The truth is that
He does not know them. They are of the synagogue of
Satan himself. They lie, cheat and steal from us in
the name of religion, but their hearts are far from
God and His way of doing things. They work bogus signs
and wonders to attract our attention, but God is not
the source of their power.
False prophets want
us to believe that the power of God operates in their
lives, but they cannot replicate the genuine truth.
They make quite an ostentatious show in practicing
their religion. However, they do not heal the sick,
cast out demons or raise the dead, as only the
righteous are able to do. They do not preach the full
Gospel, nor do they promote salvation of men's souls
unto eternal life. They seldom, if ever, point us to
the Word of God for guidance and direction.
They are anti-Christ
pretenders who make fools out of sincere seekers of
truth. They conduct sacrilegious religious services
that make a mockery out of true praise and worship.
They are entertainers at best, but poor excuses for
men of God. They try to convince us that they hear
straight from heaven and that we need their teachings
and their intercession to save our souls from
damnation. They deny Jesus Christ with their very
conduct and He does not know them.
Matthew 24:4 "And
Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no
man deceive you."
It is easy for us to
be deceived by charismatic individuals that put on
religious dog and pony shows. They are very crafty and
almost convince us that they are the real thing. They
say that have had prophetic dreams, visions and
angelic visitations. They may be eloquent speakers and
gifted writers. They go to great lengths to persuade
us of their authenticity, but we should be suspect and
put a halt to their practices. They are often
anti-Christ in spiritual orientation.
They claim to hear
from God and have an inside track to salvation. They
try to convince us that He wants us to do certain
things that may not always be in accordance with His
will or His Word. Their advice is often shallow and
worldly and can lead us into spiritual destruction. We
must be very wary of their words and seek the Lord
Himself for confirmation in all things. The Holy
Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth, so that
we can be sure that we heard from God.
Hebrews 2:3-4 "How
shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation;
which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and
was confirmed unto us by them that heard [him]; God
also bearing [them] witness, both with signs and
wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the
Holy Ghost, according to his own will?"
Some charismatic
individuals claim to have genuine gifts of healing and
prophecy. They make their way from church to church in
an effort to solicit fees, gifts and offerings to
support their so-called ministries. They make
elaborate claims to have heard from God and say that
they possess special spiritual gifts. They are full of
fanfare and act much like circus entertainers.
No mixture of hype
with sanctimonious showmanship should be permitted to
seduce us into abandoning our genuine faith in the
Lord Jesus Christ and all that He did for us. Jesus
was the "real deal" and any purported minister of the
Gospel that tries to pervert His teachings or
merchandise His ministry outreach methods will be
destroyed in the wrath of His coming.
Our Lord and Savior
worked healing signs and wonders to attest to the
truth of what He taught us. He did not engage in the
miraculous to draw attention to Himself or to beguile
those who followed Him. Jesus never worked miracles as
a crowd pleaser. He simply manifested the anointing
power and authority of God to confirm that He was
genuine and specifically sent to us.
There is no evidence
in the scriptures that Christ or His followers ever
charged fees or accepted gratuities for their service
to mankind. We should be very suspect of charismatics,
who abuse their power to extort monetary offerings
from the people. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not to
be contaminated in any way, nor should it be
mass-marketed for the benefit of the greedy.
The Search for Truth
Jeremiah 3:15 "And I
will give you pastors according to mine heart, which
shall feed you with knowledge and understanding."
The Lord anoints,
and only He appoints, who should guide His people in
their search for the truth. Many so-called ministers
of the Gospel would do well to resign their positions
before they lead more men to destruction and invite a
harsh judgment on themselves. The Lord will no longer
blink the eye at false teachers and self-appointed
religious clerics with anti-Christ tactics. He abhors
anything that leads His people astray; it is not His
desire that any man should perish.
He will replace all
charlatans and enemies in the pulpit with shepherds
that truly care for His flock and teach the
unmitigated truth of the Gospel message. They will
walk in divine power and authority, and draw many to
the faith with their godly example and sound
preaching. They will minister healing and deliver the
afflicted and demonically oppressed. They will usher
God's people into His Kingdom in unprecedented
numbers, and enjoy the rewards of righteousness for
all time.
1John 2:27 "But the
anointing which ye have received of him abideth in
you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as
the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in him."
If we have been born
again and baptized in the Holy Spirit, we really have
no need that any man should instruct us in
righteousness and godliness. We can personally seek
the Lord's will and direction for our lives. He will
lead us and guide us, and fill us to the overflow with
His knowledge, truth, wisdom and understanding. It
would be in our best interest if we sought direction
from the Lord direct, rather than rely on human
teachers that can twist spiritual truths.
We can no longer
ignore the Lord's moral absolutes and disobey His
commandments. We will soon face a fearsome judgment
for our rebellion and lawlessness. None of us will be
able to withstand His wrath if we continue behaving as
we have been. We should seek His presence, His way of
doing things and being right more than anything else.
His Word in the sacred scriptures is His final
authority, and it teaches us all that we need to know
to serve Him effectively.
Every sincere
believer that sanctifies Himself for divine service is
capable of preaching the Word of God and working
miracles, signs and wonders to attest to our faith. In
the days ahead, the Lord will confer His anointing
power and authority on ordinary men, women and
children who desire to expand the Kingdom of God and
bring in the end-time harvest of souls that is
necessary. We will preach the Gospel, heal the sick,
cast out demons and raise the dead as Christ did.
Romans 8:27 "And he
that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind
of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the
saints according to [the will of] God."
The Holy Spirit will
convict us of all our sins and strengthen us to
sanctify ourselves of all that is worldly. He will
lead and guide us into all truth, so that we abide
with the Lord at all times. Our relationship with God
and His Holy Spirit is paramount. We need direction
that only the Lord can provide. We have eternal
callings and divine destinies that must be fulfilled
in the days to come. It is critical that we hear from
our God directly and be obedient to do all that He
asks of us.
The Lord insists
that all of His followers walk in mercy and compassion
for others, and share the powerful truth of the Gospel
message with all men. He wants our motives and methods
to be beyond reproach, so that we can be living
testimonies to His love and kindness, mercy and
compassion to all of mankind. Each of us should be
walking in full authority and persuading all men to
embrace the truth, so that they can join us in the
Kingdom of God and inherit eternal blessings.
If we have been born
again and baptized with water and the Holy Spirit,
then the Lord dwells in each of us to the fullest
extent possible. He works in us and through us to
impact the lives of others. We can all share our faith
and work miracles, signs and wonders in God's name, if
we have completely sanctified and consecrated
ourselves for His holy purpose. We are capable of
healing the sick, casting out demons and even raising
the dead as Christ did during His ministry.
We Have Serious Responsibilities
Isaiah 33:14 "The
sinners in Zion are afraid; fearfulness hath surprised
the hypocrites. Who among us shall dwell with the
devouring fire? who among us shall dwell with
everlasting burnings?"
The Lord is not
placated by our religious intentions. He is not into
our pomp or ceremony. He is not impressed by
mysterious ritual or meaningless recitation of
memorized prayers and long litanies. He can see right
through pretense into the inner heart of a man and
determine who is sincere. He will destroy all false
religion that has kept His people in bondage and
exacting servitude. He will abolish all Babylonian
religious practices that are hypocritical and
meaningless to Him. He will have a people who will all
worship Him in Spirit and in truth in the days ahead.
We were created for
intimate fellowship with our God. He wants our
heart-felt devotion and our obedience to His will. He
desires open, honest communication with us, and strict
adherence to His guidance and direction for our lives.
He expects us to seek the truth by asking Him for
wisdom, knowledge and understanding. He wants us to
search out what He has told us in the Bible, as the
Word of God. It is not His will that we be led astray
into lies and eternal damnation. We have discernment
available through the Holy Spirit to detect falsehood
and openly rebuke it.
Romans 16:17 "Now I
beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions
and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have
learned; and avoid them. For they that are such serve
not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by
good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the
simple."
We are to be walking
in love and unity with one another as believers in the
Lord, Jesus Christ. Anyone who tries to stir up strife
and division among us with unsound doctrine should be
avoided. We all know the truth that has set us free.
The Holy Spirit abides in each of us, and leads and
guides us. We must cleanse ourselves of all that
defiles us in any way. We are to believe the
uncompromised Gospel message; Christ died to save each
us from eternal damnation. It is only through our
total faith in Him that we are eligible to receive
eternal life and all its many blessings.
All hypocritical
religious spirits will be destroyed in the wrath of
Christ's coming. He abhors anything that deceives His
people. He is our only true standard for
righteousness, and all self-righteousness will be
revealed as a sham. We will all be judged one day in
the very near future. It would be wise for us to
examine our consciences and reevaluate our priorities.
Only those who know the truth, walk in love and do the
will of the Father will enter into the Kingdom of God,
while those who have led His people into perdition
will all be destroyed in the lake of fire.
2Samuel 22:31
"[As for] God, his way [is]
perfect; the word of the LORD [is] tried: he [is] a
buckler to all them that trust in him."
The Bible is the
yardstick by which we should measure all spiritual
truth. If a doctrine does not line up with the Word of
God and give glory to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and
acknowledge His death and resurrection, then it is a
false teaching that should be exposed and avoided at
all costs. There is no way to approach God except
through the cross of Jesus Christ.
The truth of the
Gospel message is readily available to each of us.
However, it involves our personal effort to search it
out and make certain that it is true. What we allow
into our minds, eyes, ears and hearts must line up
with what God Himself teaches us in the sacred
scriptures. This information will impact us in all
that we think, say and do and affect our eternal
salvation.
Ephesians 5:8-13
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye]
light in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the
fruit of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and
righteousness and truth;) Proving what is acceptable
unto the Lord. And have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
[them]. For it is a shame even to speak of those
things which are done of them in secret. But all
things that are reproved are made manifest by the
light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light."
We are responsible
to walk in the light we have, and we will be held
strictly accountable for what we believe. We should
seek the truth with all our strength and never settle
for second best. We have wisdom and discernment
through the power of the Holy Spirit to sift through
religious lies, man-made traditions and doctrines of
demons. He will lead and guide us, so that we are
never deceived or confused ever again.
We have the right
and the responsibility to refuse lies and insist on
the truth. We must be very wary of what we put in our
minds, hearts and spirits. We should resist all
teaching that defiles us and threatens to lead us into
damnation. We should expose false teachers and
charismatic charlatans and warn others of their
motives and methods. We should never accept any
religious practices that glorify men over God.
We should believe
and share the Gospel of Jesus Christ crucified and
resurrected, and help to destroy all Babylonian
religious systems that hold men in needless bondage.
The Lord will bless us for our boldness and empower us
to work miraculous signs and wonders to attract others
in support of our faith. It is His greatest desire
that all men be reconciled to Him and believe the
truth that will set them free for all eternity.
Getting Back to the Basics of Our Faith
Romans 6:23 "For the
wages of sin [is] death; but the gift of God [is]
eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord."
All men have sinned
and fallen short of the glory of God. We cannot make
restitution for our sinfulness through our own
efforts. The wages of sin are death, and without faith
in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we will suffer
spiritual and physical death. The Lord sent His very
own Son into the world, so that all men might be saved
through Him. Jesus was our mediator and our
sacrificial victim. He paid our sin debt, so that we
would not have to suffer death as a penalty for our
sins. He was the innocent Lamb of God and the only
fitting substitute for us.
Christ was totally
sinless and perfectly obedient unto death. He took on
all our transgression, as if it were His very own. He
laid down His life of His own volition, and was the
perfect sacrificial offering for the sins of all
mankind. His obedience unto death provided us with a
divine exchange of sin for pardon. He restored us to
right standing with God for all time, and His
resurrection from the dead is our guarantee of eternal
life. If we believe in Him with all our hearts and
confess Him as our Savior, we will be saved and born
again as new creatures in Christ.
Romans 6:4
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life."
We should then be
baptized with water as an outward sign of the inward
change that takes place in us. We become dead to sin
and the process of spiritual regeneration begins. Our
minds will be renewed in the truth and our behavior
totally transformed. We can then ask the Lord for the
baptism in the Holy Spirit and He will give it to us.
The Holy Spirit will lead and guide us into all truth
and convict us of sin if we miss the mark. We will
develop spiritual attributes that are like those of
God Himself, so that we can grow in godliness and
become holy and perfect.
The Lord desires a
people who are pure and innocent. He wants us to be
sanctified in the truth and genuine in our praise and
worship of Him. He never asks us to do anything that
violates our free will or makes a mockery out of true
worship. He is interested in our sincere love and
devotion, not blind obedience out of fear and
constraint. His heart is always open to His people; we
need not do anything special to attract His attention
or glean His blessings. He wants to be a Father to us
and supply all that we need to be happy, healthy and
prosperous.
Jesus' victory over
sin, death and the grave is our assurance of victory
over all forms of false religion. He made an open show
of Satan and all his principalities and powers, the
Bible tells us. The enemy was defeated at the cross
and he has to relinquish all his attempts at mind
control that create chaos, confusion, strife and
division among us. We should expose all religious lies
that would deceive us and separate us from one
another. We should be unified in our faith in our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, and fellowship as brothers
with all who believe in Him.
2Corinthians 5:17-18
"Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: old things are passed away; behold all
things are become new. And all things [are] of God,
who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and
hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; "
The Lord created us
for ongoing, intimate fellowship with Him. That plan
was disrupted in the Garden of Eden and He was
compelled to develop an alternate plan of
reconciliation. He sent His only Son, Jesus Christ,
into the world to save us from all our sins and
restore us to right standing with Him. Christ died and
rose from the dead to give us all the blessings of
eternal life.
Jesus was sinless
and perfect and He taught us a basic fundamental truth
in His law of love. We are to love the Lord with all
our heart, mind, soul and strength and love our
neighbors as we love ourselves. Christ did not come to
abolish the Ten Commandments of the law. He came to
fulfill them and simplify them for our understanding,
so that we could fully obey them at all times.
Following the Lord's
moral absolutes is not optional for us. We must avoid
all teaching that excuses or minimizes sin in favor of
doctrines of universal salvation. Many are called to
the Kingdom of God, but only those who are righteous
and walking in love will actually enter in. The Lord
is not obligated to endorse any gospel that encourages
lawlessness and rebellion.
If we do sin and
miss the mark, we must repent from the heart and
renounce our sin. If we are sincere, the Lord will be
merciful and compassionate to us and forgive us once
again. He will even blot our sin from His memory and
reinstate all of our blessings for righteousness. We
have become new creatures in Christ and our right
standing with God should never be in question.
Romans 13:9 "For
this, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not
kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false
witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if [there be] any
other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this
saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as
thyself."
The total
requirement of the law is satisfied in the law of
love. When we put God first in all things and love
others as we love ourselves, we are deemed righteous
before God and will not even think to break any of the
Ten Commandments. Sin offends God and hurts others; if
we walk in real love for the Lord and for our fellow
man, we will not sin and transgress any of God's laws.
That would violate Christ's law of love and be
deliberately rebellious.
We will walk in
personal integrity and comply with the Lord's will for
our lives. We will examine our consciences and
evaluate our thoughts, motives and behavior to see if
they line up with God's Word. We will grow in
spiritual maturity and imitate the laid down life of
Jesus Christ Himself. We will cultivate spiritual
attributes and be focused on the Lord and others
rather than ourselves. We will praise and worship God
with unfeigned love, as He deserves.
The Lord desires
that we offer up our lives in sacrificial service. In
the days to come, ordinary men, women and children
will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom under the
anointing power of God Himself. There will be no more
deviation from the truth. All men will know the Lord,
from the least to the greatest. His people called
after His name, will walk in the miraculous and heal
the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead back
to life again.
Babylon Is Doomed To
Destruction
Revelation 18:2 "And
he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon
the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the
habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul
spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird."
The Lord is
dispatching His angels to root out all evil on the
face of the earth, even prior to Christ's return. They
are gathering His elect from all over the world in
preparation for the coming of His Kingdom to the
earth. He is calling out the Body of Christ, His
end-times army, to overthrow all demonic strongholds
that would impede its progress.
All Babylonian
religious strongholds will be destroyed in the wake of
God's powerful, sweeping advance. False teachers will
be exposed as the anti-Christ charlatans that they
really are. Mankind will finally be delivered from the
man-made traditions that pollute and control them, and
embrace the fundamental truth of the Gospel message.
The Body of Christ
will preach the uncompromised Word of God that has the
power to save men unto eternal life. They will
encourage everyone to repent of their sins and be
baptized in the one true faith. If men are sincere and
ask the Lord for His Holy Spirit, they will be able to
comprehend the truth and change their lives for the
better.
It is comparatively
simple to walk with the Lord in a close, intimate
relationship. We must simply repent of our sins,
submit our lives to Him and strive for righteousness
in all that we think, say and do. If we embrace the
powerful truth of the Gospel message, we will be saved
to eternal life and inherit the blessings of the
Kingdom of God.
Psalm 119:104-107
"Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I
hate every false way. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I will
perform it, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.
I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O LORD,
according unto the word."
We must make the
decision to embrace the truth rather than lies. We may
have been misled and misguided in the past, but we are
now set free. We have an obligation to sift through
all that we have been taught, and reject anything that
does not meet the test of sound doctrine. The Word of
God is our ultimate authority, and lights our path
towards righteous living.
In the days to come,
Jesus Christ and the power of His death and
resurrection will be preached to all men, with
miraculous signs and wonders manifesting to attract
them to the truth. There will be mass healings and
many captives set free from enemy oppression. The dead
will be raised back to life as a dramatic sign that
God loves us and wants what is best for us.
The Holy Spirit of
God will move over the face of the entire earth and
convict men of their sins. He will lead them and guide
them into all truth, and facilitate their
understanding of key Biblical doctrines. Men
everywhere will be set free in the truth, so that they
can enjoy eternal life and all of its benefits in the
Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth realm.
Psalm 33:12 "Blessed
[is] the nation whose God [is] the LORD; [and] the
people [whom] he hath chosen for his own inheritance."
The Lord is calling
out to His people to be a holy nation in and of
itself, but we must first cleanse ourselves of all
defilement of the body, soul and spirit. It is
critical that we sanctify ourselves and prepare to
meet our Creator. We have divine destinies that will
be fulfilled in the very near future and we must be
consecrated and dedicated to the Lord's eternal plan
and purpose.
The end-time harvest
of souls will be brought in and even the nation of
Israel will be converted and baptized into our faith.
All the nations of the world will be impacted, as
their governments are restructured and reorganized to
adhere to Kingdom principles of fairness and equality
for all men. There will finally be peace on the earth
and men will walk in genuine love and unity.
God will show
Himself strong on our behalf and turn our captivity
right before our eyes. He will usher us into His
Kingdom for all of eternity, so that we might enjoy
blessings instead of spiritual darkness and
oppression. He will actually take up residence with
His people, and we will enjoy an intimate relationship
with Him as He intended from the very foundation of
the world.
He will be a God to
us, and we will be His people called after His holy
name. The Lord will soon be at the center of our
lives, not an after-thought. We will worship Him in
Spirit and in truth for all eternity. Every man will
know God, from the least to the greatest. He will be
glorified on the earth as He is in heaven, and we will
give Him all the thanks, honor and praise that He
deserves.
Topics for Discussion
1. Describe Dead Religion
2. Hypocrisy
3. A Spirit of Religion
4. Legalism
5. Anti-Christ Spirit
6. Getting Back to the Basics of Our Faith
7. Babylon is Doomed to Destruction
Chapter 3 - Fundamentals of Our Faith
Ephesians 2:8 "For
by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of
yourselves: [it is] the gift of God:"
We eventually come
to realize that we are not right with our God and we
search for a more meaningful relationship with Him. If
we are truly sorry for all our sins and determined to
have new and improved lives, the Lord will have mercy
and compassion on us. He will lead and guide us into
salvation through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ, and
His atonement for all of our sins.
None of us is
inherently worthy to receive our salvation, but the
Lord purposes that we all be reconciled to Him. We
have our redemption made available to us by the grace
of God. We must believe that Jesus Christ died to save
us from our sins, and that He rose again to give us
eternal life. We are saved only through our faith in
Christ, not by any of our works in the flesh.
It is possible for
us to be at peace with God and have a close, personal
relationship with Him. It is His greatest desire to
fellowship intimately with us. We were created in His
very own image and likeness to spend all of eternity
in His presence. However, there is no way to approach
God except through the cross of Jesus Christ. Without
faith it is impossible to please God.
Salvation by Faith in Christ
Romans 10:8-10 "But
what saith it? The word is nigh thee, [even] in thy
mouth, and in thy heart: that is, the word of faith,
which we preach; That if thou shalt confess with thy
mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be
saved. For with the heart man believeth unto
righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made
unto salvation."
The Gospel of Jesus
Christ is simple to understand, yet powerful for
changing lives. God so loved us that He sent His only
Son to the world, so that those who believe in Him
might have eternal life. However, those who deny
Christ will receive eternal condemnation. We must make
the all-important choice to accept Jesus as our Lord
and Savior, so that we no longer have death as a
penalty for all of our sinfulness. Christ came to
deliver us from the curse of death.
We should repent of
our sins and turn towards God in an effort to
reconcile ourselves with Him. We must believe in our
hearts that Jesus Christ was God made man, and that He
died for us and rose again from the dead. If we do
believe, and confess Him with our mouths as Lord and
Savior, we will be saved. He died to restore us to
right standing with God and to give us eternal life.
When we are born again in our spirit man, we become
joint-heirs with Christ to all the promises for
righteousness and we are baptized with water as a sign
of our spiritual rebirth in Him.
Our relationship
with God ultimately becomes personal and intimate. We
are treated as His very own sons and daughters. We are
actually seated with Christ in heavenly places at the
right hand of God Himself. When the Lord sees us, He
sees Jesus in all of His righteousness, and we can go
boldly to the throne of grace with every need. If we
have faith that God hears our prayers, we also know
that He will answer them and supply everything we need
in our lives.
We are able to honor
Christ's life and death through the celebration of the
Holy Eucharist. When we bless the bread and wine and
partake of it reverently, as if it were the Body and
Blood of Christ Himself, we commemorate His suffering
and death on our behalf. This is a fitting tribute to
our Lord and Savior and communion can be taken
corporately or in the privacy of our own home, as long
as we are sincere and respectful. Christ encouraged us
all to participate in this rite in remembrance of Him.
We should do so prayerfully, with love and gratitude
in our hearts.
Heirs Of Eternal Life
John 17:2 "As thou
hast given him power over all flesh, that he should
give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him."
Jesus was the
ultimate sacrifice, the unspotted Lamb of God. He laid
down His deity and took on human form during His time
on the earth. Although He was perfect and without sin
Himself, Christ paid our sin debt with His death on
the cross, and provided us with a divine exchange of
sin for pardon. This is the doctrine of the atonement,
and if we believe in it, we will be saved unto eternal
life with all its blessings.
If we sin after
having received our salvation through Jesus Christ, we
have the obligation to repent and renounce our sin. If
we do so sincerely, the Lord will immediately restore
us to right standing with Him. He will even blot our
iniquity from His memory. We will walk in all the
fullness of our blessings for righteousness. The Lord
will hear all our prayers and provide all our needs as
if we had never sinned.
Religion will never
impress God, but relationship does interest Him very
much. He created us for intimate fellowship with Him
and desires that all men come to know the truth that
sets them free of dead religion to have a personal
relationship with Him and His Son, Jesus Christ. He
wants our day-to-day devotion, not a weekly attempt at
placating Him. His primary goal is to have us know Him
as our Creator and Father.
The Lord does not
want to manipulate our lives or force Himself on us.
He makes salvation available to all men, but does not
compel them to receive it. He wants us to willingly
choose righteousness over sin. If we do believe in
Jesus Christ and all that He did for us, we will never
have to experience any separation from God. We will
live forever in His presence. However, if we reject
the truth, we will be eternally damned.
Titus 3:7 "That
being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs
according to the hope of eternal life."
Jesus Christ died so
that we don't have to suffer the penalty of death for
our sins. We are restored to right standing with God
because of His perfect obedience on our behalf. We
have become heirs to eternal life and better promises
than our ancestors ever had. It may be difficult to
believe, but we are actually seated with Christ in
heavenly places at the right hand of God Himself. We
are the sons and daughters of almighty God and we can
approach the throne of grace with any need.
We become new
creatures in Christ and the work of regeneration
begins in us. Our minds are renewed in the truth and
our behavior is totally transformed so that we become
more Christ-like. As we mature spiritually, our
relationship with God becomes stronger and He is able
to reveal our divine destinies to us, so that we can
receive all the power and authority He intends. We
partner with Him in reaching out to others and share
our faith with them, so that they can be set free.
Sin no longer reigns
over us; we overcome the world, our flesh and the
devil. Spiritual matters become more important to us
than material things. We keep all of the commandments
and walk in love as the Lord expects of us. We grow
and mature in the things of God and are grateful for
His favor. We put Him first in all things and treat
others, as we ourselves hope to be treated. We walk in
the Holy Spirit rather than our flesh, so that we can
do the works that Jesus Christ did on the earth.
Children of God
Galatians 3:22-26
"But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that
the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to
them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept
under the law, shut up unto the faith which should
afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our
schoolmaster [to bring us] unto Christ, that we might
be justified by faith.
But after that faith
is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster. For ye
are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus."
All men have missed
the mark and fallen short of the glory of God. Without
our faith in Jesus Christ, we are doomed to eternal
damnation for our sins. We are without hope and
permanently separated from our God. We are obligated
to live by the Old Testament law, which was our
schoolmaster. It was so detailed and intricate that no
man could attain to its perfection.
The law was created
to keep men on track and to prevent them from straying
from the standard that God expected of them. It was a
guideline for daily living that was so stringent, that
it was impossible for them to follow it to the letter.
It involved intense cleansing rituals and mandated
that specific sacrifices be made for various sins, but
it never restored true righteousness to men.
It is only by our
faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement for all of our
sins that we are saved. We are actually children of
God by faith. We have a royal family that provides all
our needs and protects us from all harm. We are no
longer bound by the works of the law, but enjoy true
Christian liberty. We can communicate with our Father
and His Son any time we choose.
We are seated with
Christ in heavenly places at the right hand of God
Himself. We go boldly to the throne of grace and make
all our needs known as sons and daughters of the
living God. We need not beg or grovel for attention.
The Lord is ever ready and willing to hear from us.
Our relationship is strong and intimate; we can share
our innermost thoughts and feelings with Him.
Romans 8:17 "And if
children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that
we may be also glorified together."
We are the children
of almighty God, if we accept that Christ died to
redeem us from our sins and give us eternal life. We
are joint-heirs with Him and have rights and
privileges. We are seated with Him in heavenly places
at the right hand of God Himself. We can approach the
throne of grace at any time and for any reason, and
the Lord will hear our prayers. We are no longer
estranged from Him in any way.
We have favor with
God through the merits of His Son, Jesus Christ. We
relate to our Father through the work of the cross.
Christ's death restored our right standing with God
once and for all, so that there is no longer a
separation between God and man. We are deemed
righteous only by our faith in Christ, and that alone.
We receive great and wonderful promises as a result of
our faith, and we are blessed in all we do.
However, we cannot
ever take our salvation for granted. We must sanctify
ourselves of all worldliness and sin. We should lay
down our personal lives and present our bodies as
living sacrifices to the Lord in service to Him and
His people. We must keep all of His commandments and
walk in love. We have eternal callings and divine
destinies that must be fulfilled, so that we can share
in Christ's honor and glory.
One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
Ephesians 4:4-6
"[There is] one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are
called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one
faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who
[is] above all, and through all, and in you all."
It is possible to
know and understand our God; He wants to share Himself
intimately with us. However, we cannot develop a clear
understanding of His nature and all of His
characteristics, unless we comprehend the concept of
the Holy Trinity. God is three distinct and different
personalities in one integrated godhead - Father, Son
and Holy Spirit - all at the same time. The Holy
Trinity is a unified whole; God is one Supreme Being
with three separate parts.
He is Father, Son
and Holy Spirit simultaneously. His power and glory
fully permeate each of His identities. God the Father
is our Creator; Jesus Christ is our Redeemer; the Holy
Spirit of God is our Comforter and Counselor. The Lord
wants us to understand the different aspects of His
character, so that we can relate to Him as our God at
all levels. There is no more separation between God
and man. The triune God actually dwells in us in all
fullness, if we are born again.
Believers are all
one with Him and in Him - we are one Body in Christ.
God Himself took up residence in our spirits when we
made Jesus our Lord and Savior by faith. His death and
resurrection brought us eternal life. There is no
other truth under heaven by which men must be saved.
When we are born again and confess Christ as Savior,
we should be baptized with water in the one true
faith, to symbolize our death to sin and our brand new
lives in Christ.
Romans 6:4-8
"Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into
death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. Knowing this, that our old
man is crucified with [him], that the body of sin
might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now
if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall
also live with him:"
Baptism with water
is critical to our salvation experience. It is an
outward sign of an inward change that takes place in
us, when we are saved and born again in Jesus Christ.
It signifies that we willingly submit ourselves to the
same rite that Christ Himself did. The waters of
baptism cleanse us from our sins and serve as a
reminder to remain sin free and righteous at all
times.
When we are
baptized, we die to ourselves and are raised to the
newness of life. We become new creatures in Christ and
He actually dwells in us in all His righteousness. We
imitate His laid down life and walk in love for God
and for others. We renounce all known sin, mature
spiritually and strive for holiness and perfection,
just as the Lord is holy and perfect.
Our eternal
destinies are revealed to us, and we desire the things
of God more than the things of the world. We lay down
our carnal desires and soul ambitions in favor of the
Lord's will for our lives. Our minds are renewed in
the truth and our behavior becomes completely
transformed. The process of regeneration takes time
and will be ongoing in us until we see Christ
face-to-face.
Colossians 2:12-13"
Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen
with [him] through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead
in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh,
hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven
you all trespasses;"
We have been
redeemed from the curse of the law through our faith
in Christ and His victory over sin on our behalf. We
have been baptized with Him unto death and raised with
Him to eternal life. We have rights and privileges
that we have not even begun to explore. We also become
eligible to enter in the Kingdom of God and enjoy all
its blessings for righteousness.
Our right standing
with God has been restored for all time. We have an
intimate relationship with the Lord and we can
approach Him on a very favorable basis. The Bible
tells us that we are actually seated with Christ in
heavenly places at the right hand of God Himself. We
are sons and daughters of God, legal heirs to better
covenant promises than our ancestors had.
We can go boldly to
the throne of grace with every need and be assured
that we are heard. No need is too small, nor any
problem too great. The Lord will assist us in all that
we require to lead healthy, happy and prosperous
lives. He will empower us to be successful in all that
we do. We will have favor and grace with Him all the
days of our lives and into eternity itself.
Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Luke 11:13 "If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
We can also ask the
Lord for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, and He will
freely send it to us. The Holy Spirit will lead and
guide us into all truth. We may receive our
supernatural prayer language and God's very own Spirit
will fill us with all Spiritual fruit. Among these are
love, faith, joy, peace, temperance, meekness,
goodness and longsuffering. Spiritual fruit will
enable us to overcome our fleshly desires and soul
ambitions, so that we walk in total victory in every
area of our lives.
It is possible for
us to grow in spiritual maturity and godly behavior to
the point that we attain holiness and perfection, just
as God Himself is holy and perfect. We must walk in
the Spirit instead of the flesh, and the Lord will
purge us and cleanse us of all unrighteousness. We
will eventually achieve total spiritual perfection as
the Kingdom of God is ushered in on the earth. We will
actually dwell there in the presence of God Himself,
and nothing evil can co-exist with Him.
John 3:5 "Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God."
We should be
baptized in our new faith with water and the Holy
Spirit in order to enter the Kingdom of God one day.
Baptism is an outward sign of an inward change that
takes place in us, when we make Christ our Lord and
Savior. Water baptism is simple, yet imperative for
the new believer. It signifies that he is cleansed and
dead to sin, buried with Christ and risen in the
newness of life. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is
also essential for the new believer to receive.
If we ask the Lord
to send His Holy Spirit to us, He most definitely will
do so. His very own Spirit will overshadow us and
completely indwell our spirit man, impacting our lives
for all eternity. We may receive our spiritual prayer
language. We can then pray in other tongues and make
direct spiritual contact with the Lord. The Holy
Spirit of God will convict us of sin, and lead us and
guide us into all righteousness. He will reveal all
truth to us. Spiritual fruit will eventually emerge in
our lives and enhance our relationship with God and
with others.
We receive Spiritual
manifestations, gifts and callings that enable us to
optimally serve the Lord and His people. If we develop
them to their fullest, we will become spiritually
mature and walk like Christ Himself walked on the
earth. We have eternal destinies that will be
fulfilled in the very near future, and we must
sanctify ourselves of all that contaminates us. Our
righteousness will never be in question if we aspire
to holiness and perfection, just as God is holy and
perfect.
Titus 3:5 "Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;"
The process of
regeneration takes time. We are literally changed from
the inside out. After we are born again, our spirit
man takes ascendancy to our flesh and souls. Our minds
are eventually renewed and we are transformed from
glory to glory, as we walk with the Lord in close
fellowship. However, we must continually sanctify
ourselves, renounce all sin and strive for holiness.
We all miss the mark
from time to time, and fall short of the glory of God.
The good news is that we have unmerited favor -
justification by grace - through our faith in Jesus
Christ and the power of His death and resurrection. We
enjoy undeserved mercy and compassion from God despite
what we may have done in the past. We need only repent
and believe, to be made righteous.
The Lord understands
our human frailty and is quick to overlook our
shortcomings. If we do sin after having received such
a great salvation, we should always be quick to repent
and turn from all our unrighteousness. God will
forgive us and restore us to right standing with Him.
He even blots our transgression from His memory and
reinstates all of our blessings as before.
It is possible,
through the operation of the Holy Spirit of God at
work in us, to remain sin free and strive for holiness
and perfection just as God is holy and perfect. The
Holy Spirit convicts us of sin and leads and guides us
into all truth. Spiritual fruit grow and develop in us
to permit us a closer walk with God. Spiritual
manifestations, gifts and callings enable us to serve
others.
Justification by Faith
Romans 3:22-28 "Even
the righteousness of God [which is] by faith of Jesus
Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for
there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come
short of the glory of God; Being justified freely by
his grace through the redemption that is in Christ
Jesus: Whom God hath set forth [to be] a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his
righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; To declare, [I say],
at this time his righteousness: that he might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
Where [is] boasting then? It is excluded. By what law?
of works? Nay: but by the law of faith. Therefore we
conclude that a man is justified by faith without the
deeds of the law."
The doctrine of
salvation is critical for our understanding. We are
justified by our faith in Jesus Christ, and by that
alone. We cannot earn righteousness by the law or
through our good works. We have grace with God, and
through our faith in the redeeming work of His Son our
sinfulness is no longer an issue. If we have made
Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior, we will have eternal
life.
When God see us, He
sees Jesus in all of His righteousness, because we
were bought with His very own Blood sacrifice in
atonement for our sins. He sees us as perfect and
sinless and we are able to enter into His presence on
a regular basis. We can fellowship with Him intimately
and have all of our prayers heard. The Lord provides
all of our needs and sustains us in all we do.
However, we cannot
ever be deliberately rebellious and transgress God's
law. We must follow all of His commandments and
protect our righteousness at all times, so that we
remain in right standing with Him. If we miss the mark
and fall short of God's glory, we must earnestly
repent of our sin and renounce it. The Lord is
merciful and compassionate and will gladly forgive us
again.
Sanctification
should be our ongoing goal. We cannot be both worldly
and spiritually minded. We must make the important
decision to crucify our flesh and subdue our souls, in
favor of the Lord's eternal plans for us. If we are
emptied of ourselves, He can fill us with His very own
anointing power to serve Him in the critical days that
lie ahead, before heaven is ushered into the earth.
Galatians 2:16
"Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of
the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we
have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be
justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works
of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh
be justified."
We are not justified
by works of the law; we enjoy perfect Christian
liberty. We have been set free from the power of sin
to destroy us and separate us from God for all time.
We should no longer feel unworthy or ashamed. We are
under no guilt or condemnation; we are justified by
our very faith in Christ, and by that alone. We don't
have to do anything special to approach the Lord; we
can do so with clear consciences. He is eager and
willing to hear from us.
The Lord delights in
fellowshipping with His people. He created us in His
very own image and likeness to be His companions for
all of eternity. Contrary to what some may believe,
our God actually wants to be involved in our daily
lives and communicate with us on a regular basis. We
are His very own sons and daughters, and He is proud
of us. He will supply all of our needs; sustain us in
all that we do; and empower us to be successful in
service to all of mankind.
We have grace in all
that we do. When we miss the mark and make mistakes,
we can ask God for forgiveness once again. He is ever
ready to hear our penitential prayers if they come
from sincere hearts. If we repent and turn from all
evil, He will forgive us and reinstate all our rewards
for righteousness. We are covered by the Blood of
Jesus Christ Himself. The Lord treats us with love,
mercy and compassion, and blots all our sin from His
memory.
Fear, Doubt and Unbelief
Hebrews 10:38 "Now
the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw
back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."
We have eternal
destinies as the children of God. We are to walk as
Christ walked on the earth, and do what He did during
His ministry. The Lord wants to freely supply all that
we need - both spiritual and temporal requirements -
for all eternity. All that we must do is believe in
God and trust in His provision, to enjoy all that
heaven has available to us. He will never leave us or
forsake us, and He showers us with blessings in
abundance to meet every need.
Our faith assures us
that we can ask God for all that we require. However,
there are times when our prayers are not answered as
quickly as we might like them to be. We may become
afraid, begin to doubt and slip into unbelief. At
times such as this, we must discipline ourselves to
have continued faith and patience, so that we can
indeed reap our promised rewards. We should persevere
in prayer, and actually believe that we have what we
ask even before it manifests.
So too, it can be
intimidating to think that the Lord has a calling on
our lives to serve Him. He will never assign anything
for us to do that He doesn't equip us to handle
totally and completely. His anointing power and
authority is conferred on any believer that has
consecrated himself for its use. The Lord can and will
use anyone who is willing and obedient. He will have
us preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, heal the
sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead.
Romans 4:20 "He
staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief;
but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;"
The Lord hates fear,
doubt and unbelief because they are opposed to our
faith. They come from Satan, the very enemy of our
souls. He is out to steal our blessings and destroy
us, if at all possible. He comes at us through our
minds and emotions and even through other people. If
he can get us off track and into erroneously thinking
that God does not care for us any more, he may be able
to disturb our faith to the point that we abandon our
trust in God and turn away from Him.
The good news is
that the devil is a totally defeated foe; Christ made
an open show of him with His victory over sin, death
and the grave. All we must do is enforce that defeat
in our own individual lives. We can and should take
dominion over every effort of the enemy to oppress us
by doing spiritual warfare of our own. We can rebuke
and bind him with our words of faith; cast him out of
all our affairs; and loose a multitude of blessings
that he would otherwise steal from us.
The promises of God
are more powerful than any doubt, fear and unbelief
that the enemy can ever hand us. We should focus on
the Lord and all that He has promised us, to see
tangible manifestations of His goodness in our lives.
He will never leave us empty-handed or cause us to be
ashamed for our faith. We can totally rely on Him to
keep His word and make good on all He has planned for
us. We give the utmost glory to God when we trust Him
and walk in total faith.
Faith With Works
James 2:17-20 "Even
so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.
Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works:
shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew
thee my faith by my works. Thou believest that there
is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe,
and tremble. But wilt thou know, O vain man, that
faith without works is dead?"
The stronger our
faith grows, the more mature and Christ-like we become
in our spiritual lives. Christ did not come to abolish
the law, but to fulfill it during His life on the
earth. He taught us to love the Lord with all our
heart, mind, soul and strength and to love others as
we love ourselves. If we walk in genuine love, we will
fulfill the total requirement of the Old Testament law
without having to adhere to its stringent demands and
excessive cleansing rituals.
We are justified by
our faith in Jesus Christ, and by that alone. However,
we cannot simply rest on our laurels and wait for God
to do good things for us. We must step out in faith
and claim all of our Blood bought promises for
righteousness. We are sons and daughters of the most
high God. We have power and authority conferred on us
through our faith in Jesus Christ. We should walk the
earth just as He did, doing good to all men. We have
divine destinies to fulfill and we must be about our
Father's work.
Faith without works
is a dead faith. We must continuously strive for
godliness by walking our faith out in our daily lives.
If we see others in need, we should provide assistance
any way that we can. We should be loving, merciful and
compassionate and treat all men, as we ourselves would
hope to be treated. So too, if the Lord asks us to do
something, we should be quick and obedient to respond.
After all that He does for us, it's the very least
that we can do for Him.
James 2:24 "Ye see
then how that by works a man is justified, and not by
faith only."
We have divine
callings and eternal destinies that must be fulfilled.
We are the Body of Christ on the earth. We will spread
our faith and work miracles of healing and
deliverance. We will preach the Gospel and work
miraculous signs and wonders to attract all men to our
faith. We need not ever fear that we will be incapable
of doing what is required of us.
The Lord will give
us a full anointing of Christ's very own power and
authority to do the seemingly impossible in the days
ahead as we complete His ministry on the earth. All
that we must do is be sanctified for His use and be
willing and obedient to His guidance and direction. We
should follow His example and do only what we are told
to do, and speak what we are asked to speak.
The Body of Christ
will restructure and reorganize all world governments,
so that they line up with Kingdom principles of
righteousness, fairness and justice for all men. There
will finally be peace and order on the earth and men
everywhere will learn to walk in love and unity. The
Lord's laws will eventually be written in their minds
and hearts for all time.
We will restore all
of creation back to its original beauty and balance
and regulate the climate, so that there are no more
natural disasters. We will destroy all enemy
strongholds that interfere with our work or impede our
progress in ushering in the Kingdom of God. The Lord
will be with us in all we are assigned to do and we
will fulfill our divine commission totally and
completely.
Unity of the Faith
Ephesians 4:13 "Till
we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the
knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto
the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"
If all believers
walk in love and unity with one another, we can do
great things for the Lord and dramatically change
things on the earth even before Christ returns. We can
accomplish a great deal in working cooperatively as a
team. If we are willing to lay down our fleshly
desires and abandon our own personal goals in favor of
the Lord's eternal plan and purpose for our lives, we
will help to restore all of creation and bring peace
and order to the earth.
As we grow in our
faith and successfully overcome all worldly
distractions, we will walk more in the realm of the
Holy Spirit of God and grow in spiritual maturity. We
will be vessels sanctified for God's use. The Lord
will be able to work through us mightily in ushering
in the Kingdom of God on the earth. We will impact the
entire world through evangelization of our faith and
the performance of miraculous signs and wonders that
will attract all men to our God.
If we are found to
be consistent and trustworthy, we will be empowered
with Christ's very own anointing to do what He did on
the earth. We will lay hands on the sick, and they
will recover. We will cast out demons that oppress men
and even raise the dead back to life again. We will
bring in the full end-time harvest of souls that is
required for entering into the Kingdom of God, and
overcome all demonic strongholds that would impede our
progress.
We have been given
the keys to the Kingdom of God and they are designed
to operate through our mouths. With our power-packed
words that are like those of Christ Himself, we will
bind and cast out all demonic influence in the world
that oppresses and exploits mankind. We will release a
multitude of blessings everywhere, so that heaven can
be ushered in as planned. We will prepare the entire
earth for Christ's return to rule and reign in His
everlasting Kingdom.
Psalm 133:1 "Behold,
how good and how pleasant [it is] for brethren to
dwell together in unity!"
The Lord insists
that we are righteous and walk in love for Him and for
others at all times. It is essential that there be
unity in the Body of Christ in the days ahead. We have
to forego all denominationalism and reject man-made
traditions in favor of the truth. We must overcome our
doctrinal differences and look for the ties that bind
us together. We cannot present a unified front if
there is strife and division of any kind among us.
We must seek our
commonality of interest and esteem others as better
than ourselves. We all have unique spiritual gifts and
manifestations that are required to strengthen the
entire Body of Christ. We are equally important to the
Lord's eternal redemption plan and purpose. We must
rise up as a Body; intercede for our brothers and
sisters in Christ; support and encourage one another
to fulfill our eternal callings and divine destinies.
There is much at
stake on the earth right now, and we cannot be
involved in disputes with one another. We should be
unified under the guidance of our Lord and Savior,
Jesus Christ, and walk as He walked on the earth
during His ministry. We must be found preaching the
Gospel, healing the sick, casting out demons and even
raising the dead when He returns to us. This will be
the climax of our spiritual walk and our greatest
hour.
Sharing Our Faith
1Corinthians 2:5
"That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of
men, but in the power of God."
Men in the world
think they are wise and have knowledge of all things,
but they are totally misled if they think that they
can live without faith in God. Our faith is not like
worldly wisdom that can be overturned or refuted in an
instant; it has the ability to change lives forever.
The power of God Himself resides in our faith and we
have an obligation to share it with all men.
It is only through
our faith in the atoning work of Jesus Christ Himself
that we can be saved and have eternal life. While we
were once doomed to eternal damnation for our sins, we
now have hope and confidence for our future. We will
never be totally separated from our God ever again. So
too, we will not have to suffer the penalty of death
for our sinfulness. We have been delivered from the
curse of the law; we enjoy true Christian liberty.
Our lives now are
totally different than they were before we were saved
and believed in Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior.
We were once weak, pathetic and pitiful, but now the
power of God is available to us so that we can be
successful in all we do. Our faith motivates us to
serve the Lord and His people in sincere love and
accomplish great things for the Kingdom of God.
Hebrews 4:2 "For
unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them:
but the word preached did not profit them, not being
mixed with faith in them that heard [it]."
It is not the Lord's
desire that any man should perish for lack of
knowledge of the truth. We are His voice on the earth.
We are obligated to share the good news of Jesus
Christ with all those with whom we come in contact.
While they may not receive our words with faith of
their own and profit from them, we can at least make
the truth available. We can share our testimony of
what God has done in our own lives and perhaps
persuade them to be converted and baptized.
If we are sincere
believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should not be
ashamed of sharing the Gospel message with others. It
is our distinct privilege and sacred responsibility to
do so, and we should be open and honest in our
teaching. We should share the basic tenets of our
faith in all their simplicity; they have the power to
change men's lives for all time. Persistence always
pays off in winning souls to the Lord, and
evangelization can even become second nature to us.
Philemon 1:6 "That
the communication of thy faith may become effectual by
the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you
in Christ Jesus."
Our testimony to
others need not be rehearsed or structured. It should
be spontaneous and sincere. We can communicate with
people at their level of understanding, by simply
explaining how our lives have changed for the better
because of what we believe. We can tell others how we
acted before we believed in Christ and the power of
His death and resurrection. We can contrast how we are
now, compared to what we were like before we developed
our faith. The difference is striking and will impact
their lives.
We should explain
that every good thing in us comes from God Himself. He
is the author and finisher of our faith. We can do all
things through Christ; without Him in our lives, we
are powerless over the world, our flesh and the devil.
The best testimony of all is to walk in love and
compassion for others. We should put their needs and
feelings on an even plane with our own. That way we
will become living gospels for Christ's Kingdom on the
earth, and win many souls to salvation in the truth by
our example.
Faith That Changes Things
Mark 11:22-24 "And
Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say
unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast
into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but
shall believe that those things which he saith shall
come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye
desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them],
and ye shall have [them]."
Christ came so that
we would be delivered of our sins and experience life
in abundance to the overflow. He taught us to have a
total, comprehensive faith in God to provide all our
needs. He wants us to depend on Him rather than on
ourselves. He said that if we will pray faith-based
prayers, that the Lord will indeed answer all our
requests and supply all our needs in abundance.
Our faith has to be
a vital driving force in our lives. If we truly
believe in the Lord and the power of His promises, we
will have faith in all our situations and
circumstances. We must believe that we receive from
Him, and act as if we already have our answers to
prayer. We should walk in faith at all times, in total
confidence that the Lord will provide all our needs
even before we ask Him.
Jesus even said that
our words hold power in and of themselves for
manifesting what we desire. After all, we were created
in God's image and likeness, and with words He created
the entire universe. If we wish something to
materialize in our own lives, we should speak it
forth. If we do not doubt, but have pure, child-like
faith, it will indeed appear. We can have whatever we
speak.
2Corinthians 4:13
"We having the same spirit of faith, according as it
is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken;
we also believe, and therefore speak;"
Our words are
containers of power and possibility. We must speak our
faith into action. We will be held accountable for
every idle word that we speak; we cannot afford to
speak negativity into our lives or the lives of
others. The Bible says that by our words we are either
condemned or justified. We must be extremely careful
to say only what God says about our circumstances.
We should never do
what those in the world do. They discuss all their
problems and lament over their shortcomings. They take
ownership of everything evil that happens to them and
that gives it more power to bring destruction in their
lives. We have a great and glorious God that supplies
all of our needs. We must have faith in Him and focus
on the answers to our problems.
The Lord has said
that He will never leave us or forsake us. He promises
to be with us in all that we do every day of our
lives. We should believe what He has told us and rely
on Him totally and completely for everything that we
require. He will never leave us empty-handed or
ashamed for our faith in Him. We should have total
confidence that He will provide for us for all
eternity.
Our faith must be
backed up by action. For example, I can always pray
and ask God to meet a need, but I also have a
responsibility in that area. I must believe that I
receive what I ask for and declare it to be a reality.
I have to act as if I already have the answer to my
prayers. I should have hope and confidence that God
backs up my faith-based words that line up with His
will.
Proverbs 18:21
"Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and
they that love it shall eat the fruit therof."
It is always
critical to have faith and speak it into reality. If I
speak only positive words over my situation and
circumstances, then positive things will result.
However, if I speak fear, doubt and unbelief, I will
see negative results. We cancel out our positive
confessions with subsequent negativity. We should
concentrate on the solution rather than the problems
that we face.
We should never
discuss our problems with anyone, if we can help it.
That gives them added power to destroy us. We must
purposely focus on the solutions and believe the many
ways that the Lord can and will bless our lives. He
has promised that He will never leave us or forsake
us, and that He will be with us in all that we
experience, both good and evil. Our heavenly Father
created the entire universe. There is no problem or
perplexity that He cannot solve.
If we wish to have
powerful, victorious lives, then our minds and our
tongues have to line up with what God thinks and says
about us. If He declares us to be His sons and
daughters, then we must start acting with divine power
and authority, just as He does. He wants us to believe
and speak His promises at all times, and we should
discipline ourselves to do what He would do.
Spiritual Decrees
Job 22:28 "Thou
shalt also decree a thing, and it shall be established
unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways."
Positive decrees are
powerful for manifesting good in our lives. The Lord
will always support our faith-based prayers and words
that line up with His will and His plan for us. It is
always His will that we prosper and be in good health,
even as our souls prosper. For example, we can speak
words that promote both health and financial blessings
for us and be assured of receiving them.
If we have health
issues, we should declare the Word of God over our
lives and speak forth these or similar words of
healing that come straight from the Bible itself.
"Jesus bore my infirmities and carried my diseases,
and by His stripes, I was healed" or "The same Spirit
that raised Jesus from the dead dwells in my mortal
body." The Lord is our Healer and will restore us to
good health.
When we have
financial needs, we should speak God's promises for
prosperity over our lives, knowing that they will
indeed manifest. We should say something like: "My God
does supply all my needs according to His riches in
glory" or "I am prospered coming in and going out" or
"Everything I put my hand to prospers." We will indeed
prosper and be in health, even as our souls prosper.
Whether we need
personal blessings of health and prosperity or
spiritual blessings to share with others, we can
meditate on the Word of God for our needs and speak it
forth in faith. Our words will indeed manifest right
before our very eyes, and we will see the power of God
activated by our voices. However, we should make
certain that what we speak lines up with the Word and
the will of God.
We cannot be
frivolous or selfish and expect God to deliver
everything that we demand. He supplies our needs, not
our greed. He will never support covetousness in our
lives. We should align our thinking with His very own,
and be sure that we ask for practical solutions to our
problems. He will supply all the basic needs that we
require, according to His riches in glory through
Christ Jesus.
Visualization With Decrees
Proverbs 29:18
"Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he
that keepeth the law, happy is he."
When we meditate on
the Word of God, we form mental pictures of what He
has promised to us. We can take these mental pictures
a step further and actually see manifestations of them
in the natural realm if we purposely focus our
concentration on them. This meditation and mental
imaging is possible through the operation of the Holy
Spirit at work in us to do His will in our lives.
It is possible to
use our spiritual gift of positive mental imaging and
actually generate what we want to see manifest in
reality. We should combine that creative visual
picture with faith-based words and then decree what we
want to appear in the natural realm. If we pray and
ask the Lord to back us up, He will always grant our
requests, if they line up with His will and with His
Word.
For example, if I
need a job, I should both decree and visualize myself
at work in my new position. If I need financial help,
I should speak forth decrees of prosperity and
actually envision myself with the necessary money in
my hands. If I am sick, I should speak wellness and
see myself healthy. If I have any material or
spiritual need, I can both decree and visualize it to
occur.
If we are
consistent, and do not deviate from the Word and the
will of God, we can help manifest extraordinary
results in our lives through our positive decrees and
detailed visualization. We can produce all sorts of
desired results by putting our faith in action. We
should act as if we already have what we need, and be
totally confident that the Lord will support us in our
efforts.
2Corinthians 10:3-5
"For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after
the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of
strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every
high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge
of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to
the obedience of Christ;"
We must carefully
guard our thoughts and words, because they have
inherent power to influence our lives for good or for
evil. We should line up our thinking with what the
Word of God says about our situations and
circumstances. We have to discipline our minds and our
mouths to believe and speak only what God says, and
decree positive results into reality in our lives.
Decrees of our
Biblical promises, coupled with faith-based prayers
and creative mental imaging, are powerful for
generating good results. When we have any need, we
should boldly approach the throne of grace and ask the
Lord to meet it. He wants to be our total source; He
will never leave us empty-handed, but always backs up
our faith with His very own power. He will supply us
with all good things and enable us to be successful in
all that we do.
Our lives should be
testimonies to the power of God that works in us by
faith. We should not judge with our eyes, but believe
what God promises to us. Our faith changes things in
our lives for the better. If we have real faith, and
act on it, then anything can become a reality to us.
As long as it lines up with the Word and the will of
God, we will see it manifest in the natural.
Walking by Faith
2Cointhians 5:7
"(For we walk by faith, not by sight:)"
Walking by faith is
exciting and fulfilling; it thrusts us into the "God
space." The Lord wants us totally dependent on Him,
and delights in our faith and confidence in His
provision. He has all the resources of the universe at
His disposal, and will supply all our needs in
abundance. He has promised us that He will be with us
always, and will never leave us or forsake us.
We have a blessed
hope for the future that has yet to manifest. We will
soon enter into the Kingdom of God on this earth. If
our faith does not waver, we will actually see God
face-to-face and dwell in His very presence. He will
provide all our needs even before we ask Him. We will
enjoy peace and prosperity, joy and gladness, health
and longevity in God's Kingdom.
The dead in Christ
will be raised again to join us in Kingdom living. We
will finally be reunited with all of our loved ones.
Our bodies will all be changed in the twinkling of an
eye, as we put on glorious, resurrection forms that
are free of disease and decay and live forever. We
will be perpetually young and strong and serve the
Lord with limitless energy and vitality.
There will be
nothing evil that defiles us and enters into the
Kingdom of God. We will live free of fear and
molestation. All men will have safety and security,
since Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of iron and
strictly enforce Kingdom principles of righteousness
and justice. Satan will be banished to the bottomless
pit and all evil will be punished in the eternal lake
of fire.
The Lord will take
vengeance on all our enemies and boast of us to all
creation. We will assist Christ in judging both men
and angels. We will be appointed kings and priests of
God, and rule and reign over the nations. Our God has
promised us that we will have the heathen for our
inheritance, and that all men will eventually learn to
walk in love and unity with one another.
Ephesians 1:10 "That
in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might
gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; [even] in
him:"
The Kingdom of God
is a pending reality; it is not a myth or a fable. We
live in a world without end, and God's will is coming
to the earth realm as we have prayed for thousands of
years in the Lord's Prayer. Our God will deliver us
from all evil and dwell with us for all eternity, as
He has promised us in His Word. Life will be a
veritable paradise for all believers in the very near
future.
We should envision
life in the presence of God and focus all our thoughts
and energy on the coming of His Kingdom. We should
earnestly pray that heaven is ushered in on the earth
and decree it to manifest. We must make ourselves
available to assist the Lord in His eternal plan for
our redemption, and walk by faith in all that He asks
us to do to usher in the Kingdom of God.
If we have faith in
God and in all of His promises, then we will see
supernatural results in our lives. All that we must do
is be sanctified for the Lord's use and dedicated to
bringing heaven to the earth, as He has planned. If we
are willing and obedient, we will be instruments of
change. We can partner with the Lord and improve
things in our world, even before Jesus Christ returns.
Luke 9:62 "And Jesus
said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of
God."
If our faith is
strong and does not waver and turn into doubt or fear,
we will be successful in all that we do in the days
ahead. We will bring in the full number of souls in
the end-time harvest and work miracles of healing and
demonic deliverance for all men. We will even raise
the dead back to life again, so that we all might
enjoy life together in the Kingdom of God for all
eternity.
The Body of Christ,
operating in the mountain-moving faith of Christ
Himself, will restructure all world governments to
line up with Kingdom principles of fairness and
justice for all. We will bring peace and order back to
the earth, so that all men can live free of fear and
molestation. They will walk in love and unity, as the
Lord has intended from the foundation of the world.
All of creation is
waiting for the revealing of the sons of God to set it
free to enjoy the same liberty that we experience. We
will help to renew and re-create all of nature so that
there is no decay and destruction any longer. The
climate will be regulated, so that it is temperate and
predictable again. The plant and animal kingdoms will
be in harmony with one another and subject to man.
We will deliver the
Kingdom of God to Jesus Christ on His return and help
Him judge both men and angels. We will eradicate all
evil off the face of the earth and see Satan bound in
the abyss. We will enjoy many rewards for our faith
and righteousness, and have the heathen nations for
our inheritance. We will also share in Christ's very
own glory and rule and reign with Him.
Ephesians 1:3
"Blessed [be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual
blessings in heavenly [places] in Christ:"
We will be blessed
among all men and enjoy many temporal and spiritual
advantages in the Kingdom of God. The Lord will relate
intimately to us, and provide all our needs from the
vast resources that the universe has to offer. He will
boast of His Body and His Bride to all of creation and
take vengeance on all our enemies. We will walk in
love and unity with all men and dwell in the very
presence of God Himself. We will have joy, peace and
prosperity, safety and security, health and longevity
for all of eternity.
The Lord will wipe
away all our pain and sorrow from our memories. We
will no longer remember all the struggles that we went
through to protect our faith in Him. All that defiles
us will be far removed from the Kingdom. Only fairness
and justice will prevail for all of eternity. Jesus
Christ will be a righteous King and rule and reign
with a rod of iron, to protect His people from all
evil and defilement. All those who have led men astray
from the one true faith will be banished to eternal
punishment in the lake of fire.
Life in the Kingdom
of God will be idyllic for both God and man. There
will be no more artificial barriers or separation of
any kind between us. The people of God will be
released from all forms of religious bondage and
legalism to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth.
No man will have to teach us about Him or His ways.
Everyone will know Him intimately. We will keep all of
His feast days and sabbaths, as He desires. His laws
will be written in our minds and hearts, so that we
walk in love and righteousness.
We can only imagine
how wonderful our lives will one day be in God's
Kingdom. It will be heaven on the earth, as we have
been promised. We will long enjoy the works of our
hands and dwell in beautiful homes that house our
large families. The dead in Christ will be raised from
the dead to live with us for all time. We will have
glorious, resurrection bodies that are impervious to
disease and death. The Lord will take an active role
in our lives as our Father. We will give Him all the
praise, thanks and honor He deserves.
Topics for Discussion
1. Salvation by Faith in Christ
2. One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism
3. The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
4. Justification by Faith
5. Faith With Works
6. Faith That Changes Things
7. Walking by Faith
Chapter 4 - Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the Life
John 14:6-7 "Jesus
saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life:
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had
known me, ye should have known my Father also: and
from henceforth ye shall know him, and have seen him."
Any dogma of faith
or religious doctrine that is not centered on Jesus
Christ as our Lord and Savior is a false teaching that
should be avoided at all costs. It is simply not a
spiritual truth, but merely an opinion, theory or
man-made tradition that has enticement, entrapment and
bondage of men as its ultimate goal. False teachings
are demonic and oppressive and will destroy us
mentally, emotionally and spiritually. We should
expose them as lies and warn others of their danger,
so that they can be set free.
There is no way to
gain eternal life and experience salvation from our
sins other than through an accurate knowledge of the
truth. We can approach God only by way of the cross.
Christ came to the earth realm to set all of mankind
free from all their sins, for all time. Through His
death, He restored us to right standing with God. With
His resurrection, He brought us the guarantee of
eternal life. He taught us His law of love and gave us
a divine commission to do the very same works
that He did while on the earth.
We all have
righteousness and holiness available to us, if we will
believe that Christ was the Son of God and that He
died and was raised for our benefit. We must renounce
all our sins and be transformed as sons and daughters
of the living God. We have eternal callings and divine
destinies to fulfill. We should sanctify ourselves of
all worldliness and walk as Christ Himself walked the
earth. Through the operation of the Holy Spirit, we
can be regenerated into powerful demonstrations of the
glory of God.
Hebrews 9:14 "How
much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the
eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God?"
If we sin after
having received such a great salvation, we are still
covered by the Blood of Christ. We have the privilege
and responsibility to repent and seek forgiveness once
again. We should openly renounce our sin and ask for
God's pardon. He will restore us to right standing
with Him and reinstate all of our blessings. He
actually blots our sin from His memory and gives us
His grace, or unmerited favor. When the Lord sees us,
He sees Jesus in all of His righteousness.
Our righteousness is
determined by our faith in Jesus Christ and His
perfect atonement for our sins, and through that
alone. However, we must put our faith into action and
walk it out in our daily lives. Faith without works is
a dead faith. We should walk in love as Christ Himself
walked, as a demonstration of all that we believe. We
will receive eternal rewards for our righteousness and
receive many blessings as a result of our dedicated
service to the Lord in the days to come.
The Doctrine of the Atonement
Romans 5:11 "And not
only [so], but we also joy in God through our Lord
Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the
atonement."
Sin requires payback
or atonement for transgression, regardless of how
serious it is. In the Old Testament, men were expected
to abide by the law and make sacrificial offerings in
atonement for their sins, in order to receive
absolution. They required a priest as mediator in
their dealings with God. They had to offer the blood
of pigs, sheep, calves or goats as a sin
offering at least once a year, and more regularly if
they committed certain offenses. It is important to
note that animal blood sacrifices never truly paid
their sin debt or restored them to right standing with
God.
In order for total
reconciliation to be made, mankind required a more
significant sacrificial offering to be made on our
behalf. That is why the Lord arranged to send His very
own Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth realm. He served
as both mediator and sacrificial victim just for us.
He alone was totally righteous, and the perfect Lamb
of God that was needed for the payment of our sin debt
- past, present and future. Christ served as
the sacrifice for all of our sins, so we would not
have to suffer the penalty of sin, which is death.
Through His atoning death, we receive eternal life.
We have grace,
unmerited favor, with God. We do not have to do
anything special to get His attention or be worthy of
His blessings. He considers us to be His very own sons
and daughters, and we are joint-heirs with Christ to
all the rewards for righteousness that Jesus will one
day receive. Very soon now, the Lord will boast of us
to all creation as we usher in the Kingdom of God. He
will vindicate us before men and angels and take
vengeance on all our enemies. We will have praise and
glory for our former shame and even be appointed kings
and priests of God.
1John 2:2 "And he is
the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only,
but also for [the sins of] the whole world."
Christ took on all
our sin debt as if it were His very own. He became a
sacrifice for us, in full atonement for all of our
transgression. His shed Blood provided us with a
divine exchange of sin for pardon and contention for
peace. There is no other way to relate to God except
through the cross of Jesus Christ. His sacrificial
death assures us of our right standing with God. We
can now approach the throne of grace without fear and
condemnation of any kind. We are actually seated with
Christ in heavenly places at the right hand of God
Himself.
When we have a
personal relationship with Jesus Christ, it may seem
like He died just for us. Although we are particularly
aware of what He did for us individually, we must
remember that His death atoned for all the sins of
all humanity. There is no sin too hideous, no
individual too incorrigible that the Blood of Jesus
will not cover and provide atonement. Every man, woman
and child on the face of this planet can repent, be
saved and born again in Christ, regardless of what
they have done or not done in the past. The Lord
desires that we all be saved unto eternal life.
It is relatively
simple to be born again in our spirit man. If we
repent of all our sin, believe in our heart that Jesus
died for us, and confess with our mouth that He is our
Lord and Savior, we will be saved unto eternal life.
Then we can be baptized with water as an outward sign
of the inward change that takes place in us. We can
also ask the Lord for the baptism of the Holy Spirit,
and He will gladly grant it to us. God's Spirit will
actually come and indwell us so that we can grow in
holiness. He will convict us of our sin and lead and
guide us into all truth.
Faith and Confession
Romans 10:9-10 "That
if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised
him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the
heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the
mouth confession is made unto salvation."
Our faith in Christ
should not be simply mental assent; it should be
proactive. If we believe in our hearts that Jesus died
for our sins and was raised from the dead, we must
proclaim that with our mouths. If we confess Him as
our Lord and Savior, we will be saved. There is no
other way that we can have eternal life except though
total faith in Christ's redemption for us, and through
the words of our testimony. That starts the
regeneration process in our lives.
Our minds are
renewed and our behavior is eventually transformed so
that we begin to resemble Christ Himself. None of that
is possible except through the operation of the Holy
Spirit of God at work in us to change us. We should
pursue our sanctification at all times. We must
crucify our flesh and subdue our souls, so that we can
strive for holiness and perfection. When Christ
returns we will be like Him and see Him face-to face
in all His glory.
1Peter 1:23 "Being
born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever."
Jesus Christ was the
Word of God made man. If we believe that He died to
save us from our sins, then we are born again in our
spirit man and restored to right standing with God for
all time. There is no more separation between God and
man. We are able to approach the Lord as often as we
desire. He stands ready to hear all our prayers. There
is no good thing that He will withhold from those who
love Him.
This doctrine of
atonement is a powerful spiritual truth that changes
men's lives as nothing else can. Righteousness is
imputed to us by our faith in Christ. We are delivered
from death and destruction to life and light. We
experience blessings instead of curses, and walk in
the very newness of life. We have peace with God, hope
and confidence for our future.
Our heavenly Father
has a wonderful plan in place for our future
well-being. He will bring heaven to the earth realm,
so that He can dwell with us for all of eternity. We
will experience peace and prosperity in His presence
in the Kingdom of God. There will be no more
oppression or exploitation of mankind. The Lord will
take vengeance on all our enemies. We will have safety
and security instead of fear and dread.
The Lord will meet
all of our needs in abundance. All men will share
fairly and equitably in all the vast resources that
the universe has to offer us. We will have no poverty
and lack in our lives. There will be no conflict, war
or insurrection. Jesus Christ will rule with a rod of
iron to make certain that nothing evil enters into His
Kingdom to defile His people.
The Doctrine of the Resurrection
1 Corinthians
15:20-26 "But now is Christ risen from the dead, [and]
become the firstfruits of them that slept. For since
by man [came] death, by man [came] also the
resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in
his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ's at his coming. Then [cometh] the
end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to
God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all
rule and all authority and power. For he must reign,
till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last
enemy [that] shall be destroyed [is] death."
The punishment of
death - spiritual and physical - came on all of
mankind when Adam sinned in the Garden. Jesus overcame
sin, death and the grave with His powerful
resurrection from the dead. He defeated the devil for
all time and stripped him of his power to hurt and
destroy us. He restored dominion over the earth back
to men. We now walk in hope and confidence for our
future. We are at peace with God and heirs to eternal
life.
Death is a heinous
enemy to mankind. Had Christ not died and risen again,
we would all be doomed to death as punishment for our
sins. But Jesus stripped death of its power for all
time with His resurrection from the dead. He destroyed
its sting; and we will all enjoy eternal life because
of that. The same Holy Spirit of God that raised Jesus
from the dead gives life to our mortal bodies and will
raise the dead back to life again when Christ returns.
Christ is the first
of those who are raised from the dead. It is only
right and fitting that He would precede us into glory.
All the dead will be raised at His coming and stand in
judgment before Him. The faithful will receive
glorious, resurrection bodies that never disease or
decay, and enter into the Kingdom of God. We who are
alive will also be changed in the twinkling of an eye
and put on the imperishable, so that we live forever
in God's presence.
1Corinthians 15:55
"O death, where [is] thy sting? O grave, where [is]
thy victory?"
The very same
explosive power, called "dunamis," that the Lord used
to raise Jesus from the dead, will one day be used to
change our mortal bodies in the twinkling of an eye.
We will put off all decaying flesh that is subject to
corruption and death, and trade it for glorious,
resurrection bodies that are impervious to disease and
decay and live forever in the Kingdom of God.
Our bodies will be
totally metamorphosized in their very essence, so that
we escape the penalty of physical death for all time.
We will put on incorruptible life forms that are like
that of Christ Himself. The Bible says that we will
see Him face-to-face and be like Him in every way. We
will live long and strong in His very presence.
In the days ahead,
the Body of Christ, comprised of believers from all
over the face of the earth, will be empowered to heal
the sick and destroy enemy strongholds of all types.
We will even raise the dead back to life again. At
that point, all enemies - including death -
will have been put under Christ's feet, and He will
return to rule and reign in His Kingdom for all
eternity.
1Peter 1:3 "Blessed
[be] the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in
the last time."
One day very soon,
our redemption will be complete when Christ returns to
change our mortal bodies to be like that of His very
own. We will all be changed in our very essence, so
that we are no longer just flesh and blood. We will
put on the imperishable form, so that we are like
Christ in every way and see Him face-to-face. Our
glorious, resurrection bodies will be undefiled by
disease and decay.
It is only through
this evolution that we can have eternal life and avoid
total physical destruction, which is the just penalty
for our sins. Because of Christ's death for us, we
will live forever in His presence. Until then, we are
kept by the power of God and we should prepare
ourselves to enter into His Kingdom. We must sanctify
our flesh and subdue our soul, so that we can become
holy and perfect.
New Creatures in Christ
Colossians 2:12
"Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen
with [him] through the faith of the operation of God,
who hath raised him from the dead."
Christ submitted to
the rite of baptism Himself. Even though He was
totally pure and sinless, He was baptized in the River
Jordan at the beginning of His public ministry as an
act of submission and consecration to His Father. At
that point, He was also baptized with the Holy Spirit.
He is our role model for righteousness and we should
also choose to be baptized as He was.
We are baptized with
water as an outward sign of the inward change that
takes place in us when we are born again in our spirit
man. Baptism signifies that we have been buried with
Christ unto death, and risen again with Him to the
newness of life. We actually become new creatures in
Christ and our lives change for the better. Our water
baptism consecrates us to the Lord.
The most important
aspect of water baptism is the symbolic act of
cleansing that it represents. Our old man dies to self
and we are born again through the operation of the
Holy Spirit of God. The regeneration process begins in
us, so that we grow and evolve in Christ. Our minds
are renewed and our behavior is transformed, so that
we become godly in all we think, say and do.
Galatians 3:27 "For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have
put on Christ."
Christ is the
firstborn of many sons and daughters, the Bible tells
us. We actually "put on" Christ and all His attributes
when we are born again and baptized. We emulate His
laid down life and can actually walk as He walked on
the earth. We are His Body in this world since He has
returned to the Father, and He cannot function in
ministry without us.
We received a divine
commission from Him to share our faith with others and
work miraculous signs and wonders in His name. We can
preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, heal the
sick, cast our demons and even raise the dead back to
life again. We are like Him in every way and He imbues
us with His very own power and authority to do good
for others.
Our water baptism
assures us that we can also receive the baptism in the
Holy Spirit. All that we must do is ask the Lord for
His Spirit and He will indeed comply. Once we have
received the Holy Spirit, Spiritual fruit will begin
to emerge in our lives that help us grow in holiness
and spiritual maturity. Our goal should be to walk in
the Holy Spirit at all times.
Philippians 1:11
"Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which
are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of
God."
We are changed from
glory to glory as we walk with Christ as new creatures
in Him. The fruits of righteousness begin to manifest
in our lives as we demonstrate our love for God and
for others. We are generous and kind, patient and
good, forbearing and forgiving all men. We share what
we have with those in need, and pray for those who
need intercession.
Our thoughts,
attitudes and behavior are all above reproach as we
serve the Lord with joy and gladness. We are living
testimonies to His power and goodness, and readily
share our faith with all those with whom we come in
contact. We are yielded vessels for the Lord's use and
we present our bodies as living sacrifices, as is only
our reasonable service to Him.
None of what we
accomplish can be done without the operation of the
Holy Spirit at work in us. He is our Counselor and
will guide us into all righteousness and truth. If we
sanctify ourselves, we are given manifestations of the
Holy Spirit of God for the benefit of all mankind.
These enable us to walk in the supernatural and
minister to others just as Christ did.
We will become
ambassadors for the Kingdom of God and treat all men
with love, mercy and compassion, as the Lord desires.
We will preach the Gospel with power and conviction
and heal the sick of all their diseases. We will cast
out demons and set men free of enemy bondage. We will
even raise the dead back to life as Jesus Christ did
when He walked the earth.
Sealed With the Holy Spirit of Promise
Ephesians 1:13-14
"In whom ye also [trusted], after that ye heard the
word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that
holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our
inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory."
When we confess
Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, we begin a wonderful
journey in the spirit. We become new creatures in
Christ and are literally changed from the inside out.
Our minds are transformed and renewed in the truth. We
experience sanctification from fleshly desires and
worldly ambitions through the subsequent baptism of
the Holy Spirit. We are actually sealed with the Holy
Spirit, protected by God and preserved from evil until
the return of Christ.
The direction of our
lives changes for the better and we desire spiritual
gifts more than we do material things. Spiritual fruit
begin to appear in us and emerge to make us strong in
the Lord and the power of His might. They help us to
mature and be more like Christ in our thoughts, words
and deeds, and enhance our relationship with God and
our effectiveness with others. Eventually we learn to
walk in the Spirit instead of our flesh and become
godly in all that we do.
The baptism in the
Holy Spirit in simply an earnest down payment of what
we can hope to receive in the future. We will have a
divine inheritance with all the saints. Our mortal
bodies will be redeemed and changed to be like
Christ's very own. We will enter into the Kingdom of
God and dwell in the presence of the Lord. He will
supply all our needs in abundance. We will experience
peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and
longevity for all of eternity.
Romans 8:1 "[There
is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit."
We should imitate
the laid down life of Jesus Christ Himself and
sanctify ourselves, so that we are under no guilt or
condemnation. If we walk in the Holy Spirit, we will
have love for the Lord and for others and strive for
holiness and perfection, just as the Lord is holy and
perfect. We must serve Him with joy and gladness in
all that He asks us to do. He has a wonderful plan in
place for our complete redemption.
We receive our
spiritual gifts and callings and the Lord reveals our
divine destinies to us, so that we can become all that
we were intended to be. We will do the actual works of
Jesus - and even greater works - and
impact the entire earth even before Christ returns. We
will operate in the supernatural realm as sons and
daughters of almighty God. If we sanctify ourselves of
all carnality and subdue our selfish soul ambitions,
the Lord will give us a full anointing of His very own
power and glory.
We can then walk the
earth as Christ did, working miracles, signs and
wonders for the benefit of all mankind. We will put
all enemies, including death, under Christ's feet. We
will reorganize entire nations and teach them Kingdom
principles of righteousness and justice. We will bring
peace and order to the earth and restore all of
creation back to its original beauty and balance as we
usher in the Kingdom of God.
The Mind of Christ
1Corinthians 2:12-16
"Now we have received, not the spirit of the world,
but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the
things that are freely given to us of God. Which
things also we speak, not in the words which man's
wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth;
comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of
God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he
know [them], because they are spiritually discerned.
But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he
himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the
mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we
have the mind of Christ."
The natural man is
not capable of understanding the ways of God, because
he is not spiritually oriented and lacks supernatural
insight and understanding. God's words are mere
foolishness to him because he lives in darkness and
deception. However, once he completely submits himself
to God and takes Jesus Christ to be his Lord and
Savior, spiritual matters become easier for him to
apprehend and apply to his own life. He walks in a new
type of clarity that only Christ can provide.
It is possible for
each of us to know and understand the deep mysteries
of God that impact us for all eternity. We have the
very mind of Christ, if we are believers in Him. We
can comprehend the basic tenets of our faith and know
all deep spiritual truths that the Lord would reveal
to us. We have spiritual discernment through the power
of the Holy Spirit, so that we can fully grasp what
God has done for us and what He desires to accomplish
though us.
We understand how
our salvation was effected through Christ's atoning
death on the cross. We are able to envision the
powerful scope and magnitude of His resurrection and
ascension. We revel in the fact that He overcame sin,
death and the grave, and took back dominion over the
earth from the devil, so that men would have total
authority restored to them. We discover our rights and
privileges as heirs with Christ to all the promises of
God and we walk in our divine destinies.
Isaiah 26:3 "Thou
wilt keep [him] in perfect peace, [whose] mind [is]
stayed [on thee]: because he trusteth in thee."
Believers have
access to supernatural capabilities as a result of
their relationship with Jesus Christ. He lives in us
to do His will and can accomplish great feats on the
earth due to our cooperation and willingness to serve
Him. We can walk exactly like Christ walked during His
earthly ministry, if we are fully yielded to the Lord
and sanctified for His purpose. Jesus is our Head, but
we are the Body of Christ on the earth now that He has
gone to be with the Father.
We should think like
Christ thought, say what He said and do what He did.
We can have total trust in Him to lead and guide us,
as we usher in the Kingdom of God on the earth. We
should imitate His laid down life and develop an
all-encompassing love for the lost and forsaken. We
are destined as He was, to set men free in the truth
and deliver them from all forms of bondage and
oppression. We can teach them how to walk in
righteousness and love and serve God.
Christ will equip us
to do all that we must do to bring heaven to the earth
realm. We can rely on Him for all that we need. Hosts
of ministering angels will back us up, so that we are
in total protection and fully successful in completing
His ministry before He returns to rule and reign in
His Kingdom. We will accomplish the seemingly
impossible if we keep our mind on Christ and stay true
to His purpose. The entire earth will be prepared for
His return.
All of creation will
respond to our commands and be re-created to its
original beauty and balance. The climate will be
regulated. Plants and animals will be subject to man
once again. We will restructure all world governments,
so that peace and order prevail on the earth. All
those who exploit and injure others will be stripped
of their powers. Mankind will finally be set free to
seek the Lord and His way of doing things, so that
they can be totally blessed.
A Better Covenant
Hebrews 8:6 "But now
hath he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how
much also he is the mediator of a better covenant,
which was established upon better promises."
As heirs with
Christ, we inherit better promises than our ancestors
had. We can approach God without guilt, shame or
condemnation. Our right standing with Him has been
restored for all time. So too, we know that we will
have what we ask of Him if we pray in faith. He always
hears our prayers and grants our requests. We can
believe that we receive all good things from God.
We are actually
seated with Jesus in heavenly places and commune with
the Lord on an intimate basis. He supplies all our
needs abundantly, according to His riches in glory. We
are in covenant with Him and enjoy all the privileges
of sons and daughters. Christ Himself is our mediator
and role model for victorious living, as we overcome
the world, the flesh and the devil in our lives.
So too, we share in
an everlasting covenant of peace with God that Christ
has established for us. We will one day enter into the
Kingdom of God for all of eternity. The Lord will take
vengeance on all our enemies and boast of us to all
creation. We will experience peace and prosperity,
safety and security, health and longevity and dwell in
the in the very presence of our loving God.
There will be no
evil that hurts or defiles us in any way in Christ's
Kingdom. He will rule with a rod of iron to make
certain that Kingdom integrity is maintained at all
times. He will take vengeance on all our enemies and
vindicate us before men and angels. Jesus Christ will
personally bind Satan in the bottomless pit, so that
he can never oppress or exploit God's people ever
again.
Romans 10:4 "For
Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness to
every one that believeth."
Christ came to
fulfill the law. His Blood sacrifice was the total
atonement that was required for our sin for all time.
Our righteousness is by faith in Christ and ensures us
that we are eligible to enter into the Kingdom of God
when it is ushered in on the earth. We will actually
see our Lord face-to-face and dwell in His very
presence. We will have peace and prosperity, health
and length of days, joy and pleasure for all eternity.
The Lord will meet all of our needs in abundance.
There is no good
thing that the Lord will withhold from His people. He
will provide all of our needs from the vast resources
that the universe has to offer. We will be blessed
beyond our wildest imaginings and share in Christ's
very own honor and glory. The people of God will be
elevated to positions of power and prestige for all of
eternity. The Lord will take an active role in our
lives, and we will fellowship with Him without the
artifice of religion to interfere in any way.
We will walk in love
and unity with both men and angels. No evil will
defile us ever again; the Lord will take vengeance on
all our enemies and protect His people from all harm.
We will have safety and security in God's Kingdom. He
will boast of us to all creation, and we will be kings
and priests of God. We will be just rulers and capable
teachers of all men, and have the heathen for our
eternal inheritance. We will rule and reign with
Christ over all the nations of the world.
Saints in Light
Psalm 97:10 "Ye that
love the LORD, hate evil: he preserveth the souls of
his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the
wicked."
Christ not only came
to this world to save us from our sins, but also to
deliver us from all the works of the devil. He spoiled
powers and principalities with His victory over sin,
death and the grave. We need no longer fear that we
will be misled by the enemy and experience spiritual
destruction. We know the truth that has set us free
for all time.
All those who repent
of their sins, believe in Jesus Christ, and confess
Him as their Lord and Savior will be saved to eternal
life. The Lord will not abandon His people if we are
sincere in our faith. He will turn our captivity and
take vengeance on all our enemies. No evil will harm
us if we take refuge in the Lord and walk in the
light, as we should.
We must carefully
guard our faith from worldly contamination and
sanctify ourselves in the truth. We should walk in
love and keep all of the commandments, as we have been
taught. If we are continually righteous, we will
overcome the world, our flesh and the devil. We will
walk as Christ Himself walked and serve the Lord and
His people.
Colossians 1:12-14
"Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us
meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints
in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of
darkness, and hath translated [us] into the kingdom of
his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his
blood, [even] the forgiveness of sins:"
We should be
eminently grateful that the Lord has seen fit to
deliver us from all false teaching and provide us with
the truth that sets us free. We are now in the light,
as Christ Himself is in the light. We have freedom and
hope for the future. We are able to worship the Lord
in Spirit and in truth, without fear or constraint of
any kind. We enjoy true Christian liberty. We have an
inheritance with all the saints that we can expect to
receive in the days that lie ahead.
The Kingdom of God
with all its promises for righteousness becomes
available to us. We will have eternal life in the
spirit and in the flesh. We will enjoy peace and
prosperity, love and unity, joy and pleasure forever
more in God's Kingdom. The Lord will supply all of our
needs in abundance even before we ask Him. We will be
rewarded for our faithful service, and we will dwell
in the very presence of God and fellowship intimately
with Him for all eternity.
Jesus Christ will
take vengeance on all our enemies and destroy all
those who have perverted the Gospel message and
attempted to lead His people into perdition. They will
be severely judged and eternally punished in the lake
of fire. Only the truth will prevail in these last
days as we preach the Gospel. All men who follow the
one true faith and seek baptism with water and the
Holy Spirit will be made righteous through the Blood
of Christ and set free forever.
Ephesians 1:18-23
"The eyes of your understanding being enlightened;
that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and
what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the
saints, And what [is] the exceeding greatness of his
power to us-ward who believe, according to the working
of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when
he raised him from the dead, and set [him] at his own
right hand in the heavenly [places], Far above all
principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and
every name that is named, not only in this world, but
also in that which is to come: And hath put all
[things] under his feet, and gave him [to be] the head
over all [things] to the church, Which is his body,
the fulness of him that filleth all in all."
We are saints in
light - sons and daughters of almighty God Himself. We
have eternal callings and divine destinies that will
be fulfilled in the days to come. We will usher in the
Kingdom of God in all its power and glory. The very
same dynamic, resurrection power that raised Jesus
Christ from the dead will be given to us, so that we
can serve the Lord in these last days.
The church is the
actual Body of Christ that will take back the earth
and everything in it for our Lord and Savior. We will
restructure the entire planet and prepare it for
Christ's return to rule and reign in His everlasting
Kingdom. Nothing will be impossible to us; we share in
Christ's very own anointing power and authority to do
good wherever we go, in whatever we do.
We will spread our
faith all over the world and set men free from all
forms of oppression and bondage. We will preach the
Gospel of the Kingdom to give mankind hope for the
future. We will heal the sick, cast out demons and
even raise the dead, as Christ Himself did when He
walked the earth. We will destroy all demonic
strongholds that interfere with our progress.
Everything that we
do will be instrumental in bringing heaven to the
earth realm, so that all things can be united in
Christ. We will not abuse our power or be self-serving
in any way. Christ will lead and guide us as the Head
of His Body. We will one day share in His very own
honor and glory. He will appoint us as kings and
priests and we will rule and reign with Him.
Divinely Commissioned
Mark 16:15-16 "And
he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and
preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth
and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth
not shall be damned."
We share in Christ's
very own anointing. We are empowered to do what He did
on the earth and serve the Lord in righteousness. We
are to spread our faith and testimony to others, and
convert all men to a full knowledge of the truth in
the days to come. We should baptize them in the name
of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, so that
they will receive eternal life.
It is critical that
we evangelize souls and bring in the end-time harvest
that is required. The Kingdom of God will not be
ushered in until all of mankind has been given the
opportunity to hear the Gospel message. It is not the
Lord's desire that any man should perish for lack of
knowledge in the truth. He doesn't want anyone
condemned or excluded from Kingdom blessings.
Men from every
tongue and nation of the world will be saved,
converted and baptized into our faith. Everyone whose
name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be
gathered into the Kingdom of God. The Lord will have a
people that love Him and worship Him sincerely in
Spirit and in truth. His laws will be written in our
minds and in our hearts for all of eternity.
Mark 16:17-18 "And
these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name
shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they
drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they
shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
There are certain
signs that follow all believers in the Lord, Jesus
Christ. We receive the gift of spiritual tongues. We
can speak in our supernatural prayer language and
communicate directly with the throne of God. We can
lay hands on the sick and they will recover.
We can set men free
of enemy oppression of all types, and walk in total
dominion over all matters in the earth. We can serve
the Lord will full power and authority, and nothing
will in any way harm us or impede our progress in
ushering in the Kingdom of God.
All that we do in
the name of Jesus Christ with a full anointing of His
power will be successful. We can work miracles, signs
and wonders as His followers. We have been given
divine authority to walk as He walked on the earth and
preach the Gospel message to all men.
Mark 16:19-20 "So
then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was
received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of
God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the
Lord working with them, and confirming the word with
signs following. Amen."
Authority is simply
delegated power. Christ delegated His very own divine
power for doing good to us who believe. His ministry
was complete once He transferred His authority and
assigned His duties to us. The Bible tells us that
Christ was the firstborn of many sons and daughters.
We are now authorized to act in His place, to say what
He said and do what He did.
We are His hands,
feet and voice on the earth. We are responsible to
pick up where He left off and do the works that He did
for all of mankind. He ascended into heaven and sat
down at the right hand of God, which implies that He
rested from all His efforts. He is waiting until the
fullness of time is complete, and then He will return
to rule and reign in His Kingdom.
In the days ahead,
it will be possible for all believers to do the works
that Jesus did on the earth. We will receive a full
anointing of His very own power to do good. We will
evangelize the entire earth. We will perform
miraculous signs and wonders to demonstrate the power
of God to all men. We will heal the sick and raise the
dead, and destroy all enemy strongholds.
The Lord will be
with us in all that we are asked to do. He will
confirm His Word with powerful manifestations of His
glory, so that all men are attracted to our faith. We
will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom of God and bring
in the full end-time harvest of souls all over the
earth. Everyone whose name is written in the Book of
Life will be called into the Kingdom.
Dedicated to His Service
Romans 12:1-5 "I
beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye
transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may
prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and
perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace
given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to
think [of himself] more highly than he ought to think;
but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to
every man the measure of faith. For as we have many
members in one body, and all members have not the same
office: So we, [being] many, are one body in Christ,
and every one members one of another."
We are to present
our bodies as living sacrifices in service to the
Lord. We should lay aside all fleshly desires and
personal ambitions, and consecrate ourselves for His
purpose in the days ahead. We must do our part so that
heaven comes to the earth, as we have prayed for so
many years in the Lord's Prayer. We have key roles,
eternal destinies that will soon be revealed to us.
Believers are the
Body of Christ on the earth - His hands, feet
and voice. We are responsible to pick up His ministry
where He left off and preach the Gospel of the Kingdom
of God to all men, so that they can receive eternal
life and all of its blessings. We are to demonstrate
the love, mercy and compassion that Christ displayed
in our dealings with others.
Every member of the
Body of Christ has a different role and function that
complements the operation of the whole Body. Each of
us is important to one another and to the Lord. None
of us can boast because our gifts and callings come
from the Lord Himself. They are to be used for the
benefit of all of mankind and in important service to
the Lord in the critical days that lie ahead.
Ephesians 2:10 "For
we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto
good works, which God hath before ordained that we
should walk in them."
As members of the
Body of Christ on the earth, we should be walking in
total love and unity with one another, with Christ as
our Head. We can accomplish much more if we work
cooperatively in the days to come, rather than if we
are functioning individually. We have divine callings
and a unified purpose that must be fulfilled in
ushering in the Kingdom of God on the earth. We are
partnering with the Lord in implementing His eternal
redemption plan.
Believers will walk
in the miraculous in the days to come and put all
enemies under Christ's feet, as planned. We will
destroy enemy strongholds that would impede the coming
of the Kingdom of God to the earth realm and set men
free from all bondage and deception. We will restore
all of creation to its original beauty and balance. We
will help to reform and reorganize all world
governments to line up with Kingdom principles of
fairness and justice for all men.
Restoration and Reorganization of the Earth
Romans 8:19-22 "For
the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for
the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature
was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by
reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope.
Because the creature itself also shall be delivered
from the bondage of corruption into the glorious
liberty of the children of God. For we know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain
together until now."
All creation is
waiting for the sons of God to be revealed, so that we
can help to restore what has been lost in nature since
the fall of Adam. The plant and animal kingdoms will
line up with the Word of God and be in harmony with
man again. We will take back control over the climate
and eliminate all natural disasters that have plagued
and frightened mankind over the years.
Heaven will be
ushered into the earth realm with all of God's power
and glory manifesting. We will be the Lord's hands,
voice and feet on the earth and consecrate ourselves
to His plan and purpose. We will be empowered to work
all sorts of miraculous signs and wonders that will
facilitate the coming of the Kingdom, so it can be
delivered to Christ once and for all.
We will accomplish
the seemingly impossible in the days to come. The Body
of Christ will speak powerful words of re-creation to
the entire planet and the Lord will send His
ministering angels to back us up with His very own
power and authority. The entire earth will be
renovated and restored to its pre-satanic state, as
the Lord has planned from the foundation of the world.
1John 3:1-2 "Behold,
what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God: therefore
the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not
yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he
shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see
him as he is."
The Body of Christ
will help to restructure and reorganize world
governments so that they line up with the fair and
just principles of the Kingdom of God. We will restore
peace to the earth and put an end to all oppression
and exploitation of men. We will help to punish all
the ungodly and their ungodliness when Christ returns,
and rule and reign with Him.
We will soon be
appointed kings and priests of God. What we bind on
earth is bound in heaven, and what we loose on earth
is loosed in heaven. It will be increasingly important
that we learn to judge all matters as Christ Himself
does. We will help Him judge both men and angels when
He returns. That will require us to think like the
Lord thinks and be fair and just.
Christ Himself will
reveal us to be the sons and daughters of God and
boast of us to all creation. He will take vengeance on
all our enemies and give us glory and honor for our
former shame. This will be our greatest hour, the
climax of our eternal destinies. We will be generously
rewarded for all our service to the Lord in ushering
in His Kingdom on the earth.
The Lord will supply
all our needs in abundance even before we ask Him. We
will have peace and prosperity, safety and security,
joy and pleasure, health and longevity in the Kingdom
of God. We will see the Lord face-to-face and actually
dwell in His presence. He will be a God to us, and we
will be His people that worship and praise Him for all
eternity.
Prepare the Way of the Lord
Psalm 115:16 "The
heaven, [even] the heavens, [are] the LORD'S: but the
earth hath he given to the children of men."
Before we receive
our inheritance in the Kingdom of God, we have
important work to do in preparing the earth for
heaven's arrival here. We must appropriate our total
dominion over all matters that Christ has provided for
us. We should rise up as His Body and bring peace and
order to the planet in preparation for the coming of
His Kingdom and eternal rule and reign.
We must do our part
to eliminate all the chaos and confusion, decay and
destruction that have presided since the fall of Adam
and Satan's rise to power. We must tear down all
demonic strongholds that interfere with heaven coming
to the earth and defeat the devil once and for all
time. We have been given total dominion and authority
over the earth and everything in it. If something
needs changed, we have the authority to do it and all
of heaven will back us up.
The Lord is waiting
for us to fulfill our destiny and usher in His
Kingdom. We will not be evacuated from the earth, as
some believe. We have an important function in these
last days that must be completed. We are the sons of
God that will take back the entire planet and set
mankind free in the truth, so heaven can be ushered in
to the earth with divine power and glory.
Jeremiah 1:10 "See,
I have this day set thee over the nations and over the
kingdoms, to root out, and to pull down, and to
destroy, and to throw down, to build, and to plant."
The Body of Christ
will bind all satanic influences over men and nature
that wreak havoc in this world and prepare the way of
the Lord, Jesus Christ. We will take back control over
all the world governments' political and economic
matters. We will restore all of nature to its original
beauty and balance. Everything will line up with the
Word of God and His express will for mankind.
If we follow the
Lord's guidance and direction, we will overcome all
evil with good as He intends. We will work miraculous
signs and wonders to draw all men to the truth, so
that they are set free. We will heal the sick and
deliver all captives of enemy oppression. The dead
will be raised back to life again, and the awesome
power and glory of the Lord will manifest all over the
earth.
We will teach all
men how to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth. We
will destroy all forms of Babylonian religion that
have kept them in bondage to lies and deception for so
many years. All false teachers will be stripped of
their power to hurt God's people and lead them astray.
Men everywhere will know the truth and turn towards
their God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Isaiah 56:1 "Thus
saith the LORD, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for
my salvation [is] near to come, and my righteousness
to be revealed."
Christ will soon
return to rule and reign in the Kingdom of God. He
will judge both men and angels and root out all evil
from the face of the earth in the wrath of His coming.
His righteousness will be revealed as the standard by
which we should live our own lives. He was the
firstborn of many sons and daughters, the Bible tells
us. We will become like Him in every way and even be
kings and priests of our God.
As the Body of
Christ on the earth, we should imitate His laid down
life and walk in sincere and humble service to the
Lord in the days to come. If we do so, we will share
in His very own honor and glory. We must begin to
practice a new standard of righteousness without
compromise or deviation from the goal of holiness and
perfection. We should walk in the Spirit, instead of
the flesh, and appropriate divine power.
We will be judged
according to the same fair and equitable standards
that Christ will use in judging all men. Our lives
must be above and beyond reproach in the days ahead,
so the Lord can depend on us to usher in His Kingdom
according to His eternal purpose. It is His desire
that all mankind be persuaded in a knowledge of the
truth. Our eternal rewards will be based on our
faithful service to the Lord and to others.
Topics for Discussion
1. The Doctrine of the Atonement
2. The Doctrine of the Resurrection
3. Faith and Confession
4. Sealed With the Holy Spirit
5. Saints in Light
6. The Divine Commission
7. Restoration and Reorganization of the Earth
Chapter 5 - Righteousness and Godliness
Genesis 15:6 "And he
believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for
righteousness."
None of us is
righteous in our own strength. We all miss the mark
and fall short of the glory of God. We must
appropriate the righteousness of Jesus Christ and
believe in all that He did for us. We have a Blood
bought privilege to approach our God without fear and
condemnation of any kind. If we are born again, we are
considered righteous.
Our faith in God is
counted as righteousness in us. Without faith, it is
impossible to please God. We must believe that God
exists and seek His truth in all matters. His way of
doing things and being right is the absolute standard
for moral living. He knows the end from the beginning,
and His guidance and direction are critical to success
in our lives.
If we are obedient
and do not deviate from the precepts of our faith in
Christ and His atoning work on our behalf, we will be
deemed righteous before God. If we sanctify ourselves
and lay down our own selfish desires and personal
ambitions, we will walk as Jesus Christ walked on the
earth, and grow in godliness and spiritual maturity.
We should be rooted
and grounded in our faith at all times and walk in the
Holy Spirit of God instead of our flesh and souls.
Sanctification should be our primary goal in the days
ahead as we usher in the Kingdom. We cannot be both
worldly and spiritually minded; we must make the
choice to follow the Lord and cooperate with His plans
for us.
Deuteronomy 6:25
"And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to
do all these commandments before the LORD our God, as
he hath commanded us."
Our righteousness is
demonstrated by our willingness to submit to the
Lord's commandments to us. They are intended for our
benefit, and will always keep us on track. They are
never heavy, oppressive or burdensome. They are easily
understood and attainable by all men. The total
requirement of the law can be summed up in the law of
love that Christ Himself taught us.
The Lord desires
that we put Him first in all things, and love Him with
all our heart, mind, soul and strength. In addition,
He wants us to love others as we love ourselves, and
follow all of His commandments to us. If we walk in
love for God and for others, we will be able to keep
all of the Ten Commandments of the law and remain
righteous before God in our individual lives.
While we should
never try to impress God with good works, He does
expect us to be obedient and willing to assume all
duties that He assigns to us. He desires to partner
with us in ushering in His Kingdom on the earth. We
have eternal callings that are vitally important to
His plan and purpose. We should make ourselves
available to assist the Lord any way that we can.
The Basis for Our Righteousness
Romans 10:3-4 "For
they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going
about to establish their own righteousness, have not
submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.
For Christ [is] the end of the law for righteousness
to every one that believeth."
We were once bound
by all the requirements of the Old Testament law,
through which no man could be made perfect. We were
responsible to make atonement for our own sin and
adhere to strict cleansing rituals. Since Jesus Christ
came to the earth as an expiation and propitiation for
our sins, our sin debt has been paid and our
righteousness has been restored for all time.
His agonizing
suffering and death paid for our transgression, so
that we might have our right standing with God
restored. We were redeemed from the curse of the law
since Christ was made a curse for us. His victory over
sin, death and the grave brought us eternal life. We
are once again in covenant relationship with God, as
was intended from the very foundation of the world. If
we have faith in Christ and His redemption on our
behalf, we are deemed righteous.
As believers in
Christ, we can now approach the throne of grace
without guilt and condemnation. We are able to
fellowship with the Lord and experience His grace and
unmerited favor in every area of our lives. If we sin
and miss the mark after having received so great a
salvation in Jesus Christ, we can repent and renounce
our sin and be restored to right standing immediately.
However, we cannot
deliberately transgress God's law and get away with
it. Lawlessness and rebellion are serious sins and can
affect our lives for all of eternity. We must be
sincere in our relationship with God and continually
sanctify ourselves of all carnality and selfish soul
ambitions. We are to be spiritually minded rather than
worldly thinking. If we walk in the Holy Spirit, we
will overcome the world, our flesh and the devil and
be continually righteous in the Lord's eyes.
Romans 5:17 "For if
by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more
they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift
of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus
Christ.)"
Where all men were
once penalized due to the transgression of Adam, now
all have the potential to be saved through the merits
of Christ's death and resurrection. We were damned at
one time, but we are made righteous and have eternal
life available to us through our faith in Jesus
Christ. We have become joint-heirs with Him to all the
promises of God that accompany our faith, and enjoy
many current blessings and future rewards for our
righteousness.
We know that we can
approach the throne of grace with every need and be
assured that the Lord will hear our prayers. So too,
if we pray in faith, we know that we receive all good
things in accordance with the will of God for our
lives. The Lord wants us totally dependent on Him, and
He will not leave us empty-handed. He will supply all
of our needs in abundance according to His riches in
glory. That gives us great hope and confidence in Him.
The Lord will
strengthen us in the power of His might, so that we
can walk as overcomers in all matters on the earth. We
will be successful in all that we do because He leads
and guides us into all righteousness in Him. We will
become ambassadors for the Kingdom of God even before
it is ushered into the earth realm. Our lives will be
testimonies to the entire world to the power and glory
of God at work in us and through us for the benefit of
all mankind.
2Corinthians 3:18
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass
the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image
from glory to glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the
Lord."
It is possible for
us remain in right standing with God and actually
attain holiness and perfection, as we grow and develop
in spiritual maturity. We go from glory to glory, the
Bible tells us. We can successfully overcome the
world, our flesh and the devil and reign in life
through the power of Jesus Christ. We can be totally
victorious over all evil and become more like God
Himself. We can grow in godliness and be righteous
examples to all men.
As we receive our
spiritual callings and revelation of our divine
destinies in the days ahead, we will be amazed at how
the Lord plans to use us in fulfilling His eternal
redemption plan. He will have us witness to our faith
all over the world and draw all men to Him, so that
they can be saved and have eternal life. We will be
empowered to walk as Christ Himself walked on the
earth and heal the sick, deliver the oppressed and
even raise the dead back to life.
We will take control
of all world governments and realign them according to
Kingdom principles of righteousness and justice for
all men. There will eventually be peace and order on
the earth, so that heaven can be ushered in with all
of its glory. We will restore all of nature back to
its original balance and beauty. The climate itself
will be regulated so that there are no more natural
disasters. The plants and animals will be in harmony
with mankind.
None of this will be
possible if we operate in our own strength or are
insubordinate in any way. The Holy Spirit of God
Himself will facilitate our work in the days to come.
If we are willing and obedient to serve the Lord and
His people and sanctified for His use, then we will
have a full measure of His anointing power given to
us. We will destroy all demonic strongholds that hold
God's people in bondage and take back the entire earth
for the Kingdom of God.
Crucified With Christ
Galatians 2:20 "I am
crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live
in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God,
who loved me, and gave himself for me."
When we give our
lives to Christ as our Lord and Savior, we are born
again in our spirit man. He actually comes and takes
up residence in us, and we begin to imitate His ways.
We grow more loving and peaceful and reach out to
others, as we may have never done before. Our lives
become more orderly and purposeful, and we willingly
embrace our calling. We do the good works that Jesus
did and glorify Him on the earth.
We sanctify
ourselves and freely take up our cross and follow
Christ in our daily lives. We no longer live; He lives
in us to do His perfect will. We present our bodies as
living sacrifices and we dedicate ourselves to divine
service. We lose our self-lives, but we gain eternal
life through our faith in Jesus Christ and His
atonement for our sins. We have present and future
rewards for our righteousness and godliness. We have
become heirs to better promises than our ancestors
had.
The Lord
communicates with us regularly, and meets all of our
needs for guidance and direction, wisdom and
understanding. He reveals His truths to us and shows
us the deeper mysteries of our faith both clearly and
comprehensibly. He gives us divine inspiration and His
very own empowerment to be successful in all that we
do on His behalf. We can perform miraculous signs and
wonders and win many to our faith.
2Peter 1:3
"According as his divine power hath given unto us all
things that [pertain] unto life and godliness, through
the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and
virtue:"
We have eternal
callings and divine destinies that will play out in
the critical days ahead. Through the power of the Holy
Spirit of God we can lead virtuous lives and
demonstrate the Lord's glory all over the face of the
earth, as He desires. He will confer His very own
anointing power on us, so that we fulfill His eternal
redemption plan in the world prior to Christ's coming.
We will walk in the supernatural realm; perform many
signs and miracles; and impact the entire earth for
the coming of the Kingdom of God.
The Lord enables us
to accomplish mighty feats on His behalf if we walk in
faith and total sanctification of purpose. We must
continually strive to lay down our fleshly desires and
selfish soul ambitions and adopt His eternal plan for
our lives as our very own. Christ will work in us and
through us to achieve His will. We have important
roles to fulfill that will positively impact the world
in every way. We will preach the Gospel, heal the
sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead back to
life again as Christ Himself did. We will speak to
seemingly impossible situations and they will yield to
our faith-based words.
We are here for a
reason; we are not without purpose and direction. We
are called to glory and virtue; we have significant
callings that await us. Life is so much more than what
it appears to be. We have hope of future rewards that
we will share in, and goals and dreams that have not
even begun to emerge. With God's help, we will do
great things on the earth and change men's lives as
never before. We will make outstanding contributions
in every field of expertise, and demonstrate our faith
in all that we say and do.
Transformation and Regeneration
2Corinthians 5:17
"Now if any man be in Christ, He is a new creature;
old things are passed away; behold, all things are
become new."
We become recreated
spirit beings when we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord
and Savior. We are changed from the inside out, and
transformed into entirely different creatures. Our
minds and spirits are renewed in the truth. The
process of regeneration begins to operate in our lives
and will be ongoing, until we reach spiritual
perfection and meet Christ face-to-face in His
Kingdom.
Our thoughts,
attitudes and behaviors change when we are born again
and baptized in the Holy Spirit of God. We desire the
things of God more than the things of the world. We
purposely strive after holiness and spiritual
maturity, and we become eager for knowledge of the
deeper mysteries of God. We ask for wisdom, revelation
knowledge and increased understanding.
When we are
sanctified for the Lord's use and willing and obedient
to His direction for our lives, we are given spiritual
gifts and manifestations that can be used for the
benefit of others. We walk in the supernatural realm
and assume our divine destinies. Jesus Christ was the
firstborn of many sons and daughters; we must take our
place as the sons of God on the earth.
If we lay down our
own personal ambitions and agendas, the Lord can use
us to impact others' lives for good. We must assume
our important roles in His long-term plan and purpose
for the redemption of all mankind. We will join in
love and unity with fellow believers to effect
positive and permanent changes in the earth, in
preparation for the coming of the Kingdom of God.
Titus 3:5-7 "Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of
regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Which he
shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;
that being justified by his grace, we should be made
heirs according to the hope of eternal life."
We receive special
insight and discernment through the power of the Holy
Spirit. He is our Counselor and leads and guides us
into all knowledge of the truth. We are given the
gifts and manifestations of the Spirit of God and
begin to operate in them. Spiritual fruit begin to
emerge in our personal lives and help us to become
godly and effective in our dealings with others. We
now walk in the power of the Holy Spirit of God
instead of the weakness of our flesh and souls.
None of this happens
because we are inherently worthy of it. Salvation is a
free gift of God, made available to all men equally.
It is only by His mercy and grace that any of us are
saved and transformed. We cannot accomplish any of
this through our own efforts. Our righteousness and
godliness are impossible without our total faith in
Christ, and the positive influence of the Holy Spirit
of God. Without God, we can do nothing, but with Him
all things are possible to us.
We can never be
righteous and holy in and of ourselves. No man can
boast of righteousness through his good works. None of
us is better than another. We all miss the mark and
fall short of the glory of God from time to time. His
mercy and compassion extend to each of us. The Lord is
ever ready to forgive us and restore us to right
standing, when we sincerely repent and renounce all
our sins. We must strive for holiness and perfection,
just as God is holy and perfect.
Godliness
Romans 12:2 "And be
not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by
the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is]
that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."
We are not to be
worldly in any way; we are to put our spirit man in
ascendancy to our flesh and soul. When we were born
again in Jesus Christ the process of spiritual
regeneration began and will culminate in our
developing godliness. It is ongoing, and requires us
to be proactive. We are not automatically changed when
we are baptized into our faith. Our sanctification
requires that we continuously lay down our fleshly
desires and soul ambitions and become more
disciplined.
We can actually
mirror the attributes of God Himself, if we discipline
our lives. We should always walk in the Holy Spirit
instead of the weakness of our flesh and souls. As we
grow and mature in the deep things of God, and spend
more time in His presence we will become godly
ourselves. Our goal should be to pattern our lives
after that of Jesus Christ and imitate His attitude,
words and behavior. Jesus only said what the Father
told Him to say and did what He was told to do. We,
too, will speak the words of God and see dramatic
changes occur all over the earth.
We will grow in
spiritual maturity by developing the fruit of the Holy
Spirit in our lives. We become loving, peaceful,
joyous, meek, good and gentle with practice and
determination. We should put the Lord and others first
place in our lives, and dedicate ourselves to humble
service. Our goal should be to become holy and perfect
just as God is holy and perfect, so that we can enjoy
a closer relationship with Him. We will dwell forever
in His presence and He cannot abide with evil.
1Timothy 4:7-8 "But
refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise
thyself [rather] unto godliness. For bodily exercise
profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all
things, having promise of the life that now is, and of
that which is to come."
God's people are
redeemed and delivered from the legalism, false
religion and man-made traditions that once held us in
bondage. We now choose to believe the truth. We have
the freedom that only righteousness with God produces.
We are able to live our lives in close intimacy with
Him and enjoy all His promised blessings. As we grow
and mature in our walk with the Lord, we will increase
in godliness and become more Christ-like in our
behavior.
We can practice
godliness in our daily lives without being pretentious
or religious. God is real and expects us to be sincere
and genuine in our relationship with Him and with
others. We must strive for sanctification from our
fleshly desires and soul ambitions. We are able to
acquire the Lord's very own divine attributes - called
Spiritual fruit - and cultivate these in our lives, so
that we will eventually become holy and perfect, as He
is holy and perfect.
If we walk in love,
mercy and compassion for others, we will be patient
and kind in our dealings with all men. We will treat
others fairly and equitably, as we ourselves would
like to be treated. We will be generous and supportive
to them in their needs, and quick to forgive and
forget all wrongs done to us. We will be living
testimonies to the power and love of God at work in
us, so that others may be won to our faith by our
righteous and godly example.
Universal Call to Righteousness and Godliness
1Kings 8:61 "Let
your heart therefore be perfect with the LORD our God,
to walk in his statutes, and to keep his commandments,
as at this day."
We should strive for
holiness and spiritual perfection in our walk with the
Lord. He is not impressed by our good intentions; He
is concerned with the inner man of the heart. We must
always keep His commandments. They are never heavy or
burdensome, but were created in our best interest. If
we walk in love, we will not sin or hurt God and
others in any way. It will not even cross our minds.
We will put God and others first, and think less of
our own needs and desires.
However, we can't be
so heavenly minded that we are of no earthly use. We
should never be religious or controlling in our
dealings with others. Pretended piety will annoy the
Lord and turn people off. We should not criticize and
condemn others for doing the very same things that we
have done in the past. We should be merciful and
compassionate to their plight. We should be patient
and persistent in wanting the best for them, just as
the Lord Himself has desired it for us.
If we are
self-righteous, legalistic and demanding, we will
never please God or influence others in a positive
way. The Lord hates dead religion and He will not
tolerate it in His people. None of us is righteous
through our own merits; we are all covered by the
Blood of Christ. Our faith in Him justifies us, and
that alone. We can never hope to impress the Lord with
our works or good intentions. He desires truth in our
inward parts and He will purge us of all our
hypocrisy.
We must lead by
godly example and use gentle persuasion rather than
harsh, controlling attitudes to win others to the
Lord. We should never attempt to override their free
will. We ought to treat them, as we ourselves would
also hope to be treated. We should be thankful that we
have overcome our own shortcomings. But for the grace
of God, we would all be lost in sin for all time. The
Lord has shown us love, mercy and kindness; we should
do the same with others.
2Corinthians 13:11
"Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good
comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of
love and peace shall be with you."
We should not look
for ways to make spiritual "brownie points" with God.
He is not flattered by our sanctimonious showmanship
or impressed by pretended piety. He wants us to be
sincere in our faith and be genuine in our devotion to
Him. He knows whether we are being real or simply
putting on a front. It is His greatest desire that we
choose to be loving and obedient of our own free will,
rather than serve Him out of fear, constraint or
obligation of any kind.
We must work at
developing our relationship with the Lord through
prayer, meditation and the study of His Word. As we
grow in intimacy with Him, our behavior will improve
to the point that we will not desire to sin in any
way. His loving kindness will touch us deeply in our
spirits. Our love for others will be a spontaneous
overflow of our love for God Himself. We will reach
out to all those we meet with fair, just and equitable
treatment towards all men.
We will walk in real
love, as we grow spiritually and mature into holiness
and perfection. We will promote peace and unity with
all men, despite our individual differences. We will
search out ways to better relate to others as we grow
and develop spiritually. We will desire the best for
others, as we do for ourselves. We will share what we
have and be patient and forgiving of all wrong done to
us. This will please the Lord and be a powerful
testimony to our godliness.
1Timothy 2:3 "For
this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our
Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to
come unto the knowledge of the truth. For there is one
God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be
testified in due time."
It is not God's will
that any man should perish. He wants every man, woman
and child on the earth to come to a full knowledge and
understanding of the truth. His invitation to eternal
life in abundance is open to one and all. We have a
distinct privilege and serious responsibility to make
the Word of God available to all men regardless of who
they are or what they may have done and believed in
the past. No person is too incorrigible to be saved by
the Blood of Jesus Christ.
If we have faith and
confidence in God, then we will spontaneously share
that with others. We need not have a formal plan or
agenda. We can give real life testimonies to Jesus
Christ and His saving power. Evangelization should be
a way of life for us, so automatic that we don't even
think about it. If we truly love the Lord, then we
will want what He wants and do what He asks of us.
Freely have we received the truth, and freely should
we share it with all those we meet.
We must lead by a
godly, loving example. Men will imitate our
righteousness and turn towards the Lord and embrace
the truth of the Gospel message. Our behavior must be
above and beyond reproach if we wish to be proper
witnesses of our faith. We should glorify God in all
that we think, say and do. Very soon now, all men will
know the Lord; no one will have to be taught His ways
any longer. His laws will ultimately be written in our
minds and hearts for all of eternity.
In the interim, all
men will look to us as they would to Jesus Christ
Himself. They will be watching our behavior to see if
it lines up with what we teach them. We must be
consistently righteous and godly in our interactions
with others. We cannot be hypocritical if we want to
lead others to the truth. Our very lives should
demonstrate the Gospel message in a clear and relevant
way. We should be role models to others in wholesome
Christian living, ever real and genuine in our faith.
Judgment For
Righteousness
2Chronicles 6:23
"Then hear thou from heaven, and do, and judge thy
servants, by requiting the wicked, by recompensing his
way upon his own head; and by justifying the
righteous, by giving him according to his
righteousness."
Jesus Christ will
soon return to judge both men and angels. No one will
escape His scrutiny or avoid His universal judgment.
It will be irrefutable, final and permanent. The
righteous will inherit eternal life and all of its
blessings in the Kingdom of God, and the rebellious
will have their share in the eternal lake of fire. He
will take vengeance on all the enemies of His people.
We face the imminent
judgment of Jesus Christ Himself. He will judge both
great and small, to include the living and the dead.
Only He is able to determine who is righteous among us
and who is walking in iniquity. Our unfeigned love,
deep faith and perfect obedience will ensure us that
we are eligible to enter the Kingdom of God when it is
ushered in on the earth.
If we are loving,
obedient and fulfill the Lord's will in all situations
and circumstances, we will be found righteous and
acceptable by Kingdom standards. However, if we
deliberately choose sin as a way of life, we will be
permanently excluded from God's Kingdom and subject to
eternal punishment. The choice is ours and has serious
long-term ramifications for our lives.
2Corinthians 6:14
"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers:
for what fellowship hath righteousness with
unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with
darkness?"
We should walk
circumspectly in everything that we do, as we will be
judged by stringent standards in the days to come. We
should guard ourselves against all evil and avoid the
temptation to sin. That means that we may have to
acquire new habits and develop healthier relationships
in our lives. We can no longer do the things we once
did and get away with them. We are held accountable
for every thought, word and deed that does not line up
with the Word.
We may have to sever
our intimate ties with men and women in the world for
a time and a season, until we grow in faith and
discipline. If we are to become holy and perfect, as
the Lord is holy and perfect, we should spend more
time developing our relationship with Him than with
anyone else. We should focus our time and attention on
prayer, meditation and the study of God's Word. We are
responsible to walk in the light we have and be godly
examples to others.
We cannot be so
spiritually minded that we are of no earthly use. We
are to be in the world as a role model to others
without being religious or hypocritical in any way. We
must emulate the laid down life of Christ Himself and
walk as He walked. He was warm and affectionate
towards all men, but also very selective in developing
His intimate relationships. His disciples proved their
loyalty to Him, encouraged His work and were devoted
companions in His earth walk.
Promised Rewards for Righteousness and Godliness
2Peter 3:13-14
"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness. Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look
for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of
him in peace, without spot, and blameless."
Righteousness and
godliness should be our aim, as we seek the Lord's way
of doing things rather than our own. Sanctification
must be our ongoing goal if we would live forever in
the presence of the Lord. He is holy and perfect and
cannot abide with evil or defilement of any kind. We
must lay down our fleshly desires and purge ourselves
of all ambitions of the soul. We are to be without
spot or blemish and blameless at the coming of our
Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
We have a blessed
hope and confidence for the future. Very soon now, the
Lord will bring heaven to the earth in the Kingdom of
God. He will turn our captivity once and for all. Our
bodies will be changed and live forever, free of
disease and decay. We will experience peace and
prosperity, as He meets all of our needs in abundance
even before we ask Him. We will enjoy fellowship and
unity with all men and dwell in the very presence of
God Himself for all eternity.
All earthly kingdoms
will be absorbed and reorganized in the Kingdom of
God. If we are faithful and true to His calling, we
will actually serve as kings and priests of our God.
We will rule and reign with Jesus Christ. We will have
the heathen for our inheritance and be just rulers and
able teachers of God's people. He will boast of us to
all creation and we will share in Christ's very own
glory. We will receive honor and praise instead of our
former guilt, shame and condemnation.
1Timothy 6:11-12
"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow
after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience,
meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on
eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast
professed a good profession before many witnesses."
Hypocritical,
self-righteous individuals will have no inheritance in
the Kingdom of God. Idolaters and the covetous will
never enter into His presence. All those who worship
false gods and embrace doctrines of demons will be
excluded. Those who have perverted the Gospel message
in any way and led men astray will be eternally
punished. Anyone who has persecuted God's people or
held them in spiritual bondage will be held
accountable and cast into the lake of fire.
We are to fight the
good fight of faith and proclaim the Gospel of the
Kingdom to all the nations of the world. The Lord
desires that all men come to a full knowledge of the
truth. We have been called to eternal life, not
darkness and deception. We should share our testimony
with others and persuade them to repent and be
baptized in our faith. The redemption of Jesus Christ
is available to all men everywhere without prejudice,
and will lead to the blessings of eternal life.
If we are good
stewards of our faith and pursue righteousness and
godliness in our daily lives, we will have many
blessings and rewards in the Kingdom of God in the
very near future. The Lord will provide all our needs
in abundance and confer honor and glory on us instead
of our former shame. We will rule and reign with
Christ Himself and have the heathen for our
inheritance. We will even be kings and priests of our
God, and judge both men and angels in His Kingdom.
Psalm 58:11 "So that
a man shall say, Verily [there is] a reward for the
righteous: verily he is a God that judgeth in the
earth."
There will be no
evil present to mar life in the Kingdom of God in any
way. Christ will destroy all the ungodly and their
ungodliness in the wrath of His coming. No one and
nothing that defiles will enter into God's presence.
Jesus Christ will decide who resides in His Kingdom
and enjoys its blessings. He will determine who is
righteous and godly, and walking in obedience.
The righteous will
inherit eternal life and all of its blessings, while
those who have done evil will be punished for all of
eternity. The Lord will destroy all those who have
injured others in any way or prevented them from
turning to Him. Everyone whose name is written in the
Lamb's Book of Life will be saved, despite the efforts
of the ungodly to lead them into perdition.
Many who are first
now will be last in the Kingdom of God. The Lord is
not mocked or easily fooled. He will take vengeance on
all the enemies of His people. Those who are
hypocritical, religious and controlling individuals
will be cast into the eternal lake of fire. Anyone who
has perverted the truth of the Gospel message will be
excluded from God's Kingdom for all of eternity.
Matthew 5:3-11
"Blessed [are] the poor in spirit: for theirs is the
kingdom of heaven. Blessed [are] they that mourn: for
they shall be comforted. Blessed [are] the meek: for
they shall inherit the earth. Blessed [are] they which
do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they
shall be filled. Blessed [are] the merciful: for they
shall obtain mercy. Blessed [are] the pure in heart:
for they shall see God. Blessed [are] the peacemakers:
for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed
[are] they which are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are
ye, when [men] shall revile you, and persecute [you],
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely,
for my sake."
The Lord sees the
inner man of the heart and it is His deepest desire to
have an intimate relationship with those who are pure
and undefiled. We should guard our righteousness and
diligently work to be godly in all that we think, say
and do. We must be loving at all times and put the
Lord before anything and everyone else, if we wish to
dwell in His presence for all eternity.
Only the humble and
sincere in spirit will enter into the Kingdom of God
and enjoy its blessings. The meek will inherit the
earth, not the influential and powerful. There will be
no oppression or exploitation of God's people any
longer. We will enjoy safety and security for all
time. We will walk in love and unity with others, and
there will finally be peace and equality on the earth.
There will be no
more defilement or persecution for our faith. The Lord
will take vengeance on all our enemies and vindicate
us before men and angels. He will boast of us to all
creation and we will share in Christ's very own honor
and glory. Our names will soon be a praise on the
earth and the Lord will appoint us as kings and
priests, so that we can rule and reign with Christ
forever.
Even our bodies will
be changed into incorruptible, glorious, resurrection
forms in a twinkling of the eye. We will enjoy Kingdom
life, and be in harmony with the plant and animal
kingdoms. We will actually help to re-create and
restore all that was lost in nature since the fall of
Adam. The earth will be as it was in the Garden of
Eden, a perfect dwelling place for man and God to
enjoy!
Topics for Discussion
1. The Basis for Our Righteousness
2. Crucified With Christ
3. Transformation and Regeneration
4. Righteousness
5. Godliness
6. Judgment for Righteousness
7. Rewards for Righteousness and Godliness
Chapter 6 - The Nature and Operation of the Holy Spirit
Luke 11:13 "If ye
then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto
your children: how much more shall [your] heavenly
Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
There is a spark of
the divine in every human being on the face of the
planet; it simply lies dormant until activated. We
were created in God's image and likeness to be with
Him for all of eternity. However sin interrupted that
relationship. That is the very reason that the Lord
sent Jesus Christ to save us from our sins and
reconcile us to Himself once and for all.
When we were born
again and baptized in water, we became eligible for
the baptism of the Holy Spirit of God, as well. We
must sanctify ourselves and be receptive to the Holy
Spirit, then ask Him to indwell us in all His
fullness. He will gladly accommodate us and take up
residence in our spirit, so that we develop a more
intimate relationship with God and become more like
Him in every way.
We may receive the
gift of supernatural tongues as evidence of the
presence of God's Spirit in us. We can then choose to
communicate with the Lord more directly and
effectively through our spiritual prayer language. We
will also eventually receive the manifestations of the
Holy Spirit of God, so that we have all good spiritual
gifts with which to serve others.
Spiritual fruit will
soon manifest in our lives, so that our relationships
with the Lord and His people are improved. We will
develop attributes very much like those of God
Himself. We will have increased faith, love, peace and
joy. Goodness and gentleness will emerge in our
character; we will also acquire meekness, temperance
and longsuffering, so that we become more humble and
patient.
Exodus 35:31 "And he
hath filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, in
understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of
workmanship;"
When we receive the
baptism of the Holy Spirit, our lives are
significantly changed. We are transformed into spirit
beings, who desire wisdom, understanding and knowledge
of the deeper things of God. He can and will share all
good spiritual things with us if we desire them. We
can communicate with the Lord direct - human spirit to
Holy Spirit. We can hear from Him quickly and clearly,
so that we can immediately respond to His words and
obey His commands.
The Holy Spirit is
our connector to the divine and enables us to walk in
the supernatural realm of unlimited possibility. He
fills us with the very character and attributes of
God, so that we can assume our roles as His sons and
daughters. All of creation is waiting for us to be
revealed, so that we can set it free. We will bring
peace and order to the entire earth.
The Holy Spirit
convicts us of sin and tells us when we have missed
the mark of true holiness. He gives us spiritual
discernment to know right from wrong. He leads us and
guides us into all truth and encourages us to fulfill
the will of God in our lives. The Holy Spirit comforts
us in our sorrow, and gives us the peace of God that
passes understanding. He strengthens us in our faith
and empowers us to be holy and perfect, so we can
overcome the world, our flesh and the devil.
Spirit Beings
1Corinthians 3:16
"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that]
the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
We have discernment
through the Holy Spirit of God. It goes without saying
that we should search out the truth and avoid all
false doctrines. We cannot have any other gods in our
lives. We must put the Lord first in all things and
seek His way of doing things and being right. We
should purge our flesh and discipline our soul. We
must walk in the Spirit and strive for holiness.
We are privileged to
know the truth. As believers in Jesus Christ, we are
actually the temples of God on the earth. He dwells in
us in all of His fullness and His Spirit permeates our
entire being, leaving us changed in every way. While
we were once lost in sin, darkness and deception, we
are now filled with righteousness and light and share
in God's power and glory.
We were created for
a specific, divine purpose; we are spirit beings
having a human experience. We are in the world, but
not really of it. We walk in the supernatural realm,
as well as in the natural. We accomplish great things
for the Lord as long as we discipline ourselves and
remain in the Spirit. Only sin can interrupt that; the
Holy Spirit will take leave of an unclean vessel.
Ezekiel 36:27 "And I
will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk
in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do
[them]."
We must remember to
follow all of the Lord's commandments to us and walk
in love as we have been taught. We should put our
spirit man in ascendancy to our flesh and souls and
protect ourselves from worldly contamination. We are
temples of the Holy Spirit and we should walk
circumspectly in all that we think, say and do, if we
wish to receive the Lord's anointing power.
The Lord manifests
Himself in our lives in surprising ways. He works in
us and through us to attract others to our faith. We
can lay hands on the sick and they will recover. We
are able to cast out demons and set men free. We can
even raise the dead back to life again. We are His
hands, feet and voice on the earth and we are
responsible to impact lives for good in everything we
do. We must actively pursue peace and restore order on
the earth.
It is critically
important that we sanctify ourselves of all known sin
and unrighteousness on a daily basis. We must
consecrate our lives to the Lord's eternal redemption
plan, if we would be of any use to Him in serving
others. If we are willing and obedient, we can fulfill
our divine destinies as the children of God and change
the world for good even before Christ's return to the
earth.
Romans 8:9-16 "But
ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be
that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man
have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And
if Christ [be] in you, the body [is] dead because of
sin; but the Spirit [is] life because of
righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up
Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up
Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal
bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore,
brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live
after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh, ye
shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the
deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are
led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again
to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself
beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the
children of God:"
Men in the world,
who do not know Christ as their Savior, walk in the
flesh and are subject to death as a penalty for their
sins. They are under the curse, and everything that
they do leads them to physical and spiritual
destruction. However, we walk in the Holy Spirit of
God as believers, and overcome our flesh with all of
its corruption and sin. We are led by the Holy Spirit
in all situations and circumstances. We can be totally
victorious in this world and in the next.
When we made Jesus
Christ the Lord of our lives, the same resurrection
power that raised Him from the dead became available
to us. We were spiritually reborn and became new
creatures in Christ. The born-again man or woman is a
new species of human being that walks in the
supernatural realm of God, instead of in the weakness
and sinfulness of the flesh. We now have eternal life
available to us, and we become joint-heirs with Christ
to all the promises of God.
We walk in newness
of life; we are spirit beings in fleshly form. So too,
when Christ returns, our mortal bodies that are
susceptible to disease and death will be changed in
the twinkling of an eye to glorious, resurrection
bodies that will live forever in the presence of God
on the earth. There will be no sickness or infirmity
in God's Kingdom. Death will be a thing of the past.
All men will live long and strong, enjoying all the
blessings that the Kingdom has to offer us.
Our human spirits
bear witness to the fact that we are the children of
God. We call our Creator "Abba" or "Daddy." We have an
intimate relationship with Him. He is our Father and
provides all of our needs - both temporal and
spiritual. We know the truth and have confidence that
He will lead and guide us in all that we do. We are
not alone; we have Christ in us, working through us to
do all good things. Our bodies have literally become
temples of the Holy Spirit.
2Corinthians 3:17-18
"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of
the Lord [is], there [is] liberty. But we all, with
open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the
Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to
glory, [even] as by the Spirit of the Lord."
The Spirit of God in
us changes things in our lives; we have true Christian
liberty. That does not give us license to sin, after
we received our salvation through faith in Jesus
Christ and His atonement for our sins. It simply means
that we have rights and privileges that, for the most
part, remain untapped and underutilized. We go from
glory to glory in our walk with God.
We can approach the
Lord with every need, regardless of how large or how
small it might be. We know that if we ask Him, that He
will meet all of our needs abundantly. We can pray and
intercede for others, and know that He always hears
our prayers and grants our requests. We are glorified
in God in every respect; He stands ready to back us up
in all that we do.
The awesome power
and glory of God will manifest in our lives in the
days to come. We will take back the entire earth for
the Kingdom of God. We will have extraordinary energy
and limitless authority to do good. We will destroy
all demonic strongholds that impede our progress or
interfere with our work. The Lord will move mightily
through His people who walk in the Spirit.
1Corinthians 2:10-12
"But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a
man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so
the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God."
Mundane knowledge
will not sustain us in the days to come. We will
require revelation knowledge to fulfill our destinies,
as we should. We receive wisdom and understanding of
the deep things of God through the power of His Holy
Spirit. The Spirit of God teaches us all things and we
are enlightened, so that we can be successful in all
that we do on the Lord's behalf.
Eternal destinies
mark us as the very children of God. We are
world-changers and walk as Christ Himself walked on
the earth. We receive directives from the Lord to
minister to men's lives and effect permanent, positive
changes for them. We can work supernatural miracles of
healing and deliverance and proclaim the good news of
the Kingdom of God to them, so that they are set free.
We have total
dominion over the enemy and all of his efforts to
oppress and destroy us. We can bind him by the
operation of the Holy Spirit and plead the Blood of
Jesus over all our situations and circumstances. We
have protection through the merits of Christ Himself,
and we can stop any demonic interference that would
impede the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.
Praying in the Spirit
Romans 8:26
"Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for
we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but
the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with
groanings which cannot be uttered."
Sometimes we are so
perplexed and burdened in our spirit man, that we
simply do not know how or what to pray. It is then
that we should pray in tongues, so that the Holy
Spirit can make intercession for us and we can receive
the revelation that we need. Our prayers will be more
effective and bypass our minds and human reason,
getting right to the heart of the matter.
When we pray in the
Spirit, we communicate directly with the Lord Himself
and build up our spirit man. There is no interference
when we use our supernatural prayer language. The
enemy cannot contaminate our prayer lines, since our
spirit is in direct connection with God's Spirit. We
can make our needs known and hear back from the Lord
more accurately.
We will need that
sort of relationship with God in the days to come, if
we will successfully serve Him. Only He knows the day
and the hour for the return of Jesus Christ. He will
have to lead and guide us, as we proceed to usher in
His Kingdom on the earth. It will be critical that we
hear from the Lord clearly and obey immediately, so
that we can fulfill our destinies.
1Corinthians 14:14
"For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit
prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is
it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray
with the understanding also: I will sing with the
spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."
We should pray in
the Spirit and build ourselves up in the Lord. We need
clear, concise direction from Him that is only
available through close, personal communication. We
need to hear from God direct, so that we can properly
serve Him at all times. It is imperative that we pray
often in our spiritual prayer language, so that we are
immediately responsive and obedient to Him.
Prayer in tongues is
often our only option, since our minds can become
cluttered with fear and anxiety. We should pray in
tongues and with our human understanding, so that we
will always hear from God despite what circumstances
we face. It is not so important how we pray, but it is
critical that we do so at all times, so that we will
know the express will of God in all situations.
If we are righteous
and godly, the Holy Spirit of God will dwell in us
richly. We will imitate the laid down life of Jesus
Christ and do the things that He did during His
earthly ministry. We must strive to continually walk
in the Spirit and crucify our carnal desires and
selfish soul ambitions. We should consecrate all of
our efforts to God's eternal redemption plan and
purpose for our lives.
1John 4:13-17
"Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us,
because he hath given us of his Spirit."
The nature of God is
love, and those who walk in love dwell in God and He
dwells in them. He has given us His very own Spirit,
so that we might be like Him in all respects and
successful in all we do. The Lord expects us to love
Him with all our being, and love others as we love
ourselves. We are to imitate the laid down life of
Jesus Christ and say and do what He did on the earth.
It is important to
note that when Christ came to the earth, He laid down
His deity and all of its privileges and walked as a
mere man among us. Yet He was sinless and perfect in
every way. He was in close communication with His
Father at all times and was blessed with strength and
endurance as a result. Nothing Jesus did could have
been accomplished without obedience.
Christ walked in the
Holy Spirit of God continually. He always did what the
Father told Him to do, and spoke only what He was told
to say. He was in constant prayer and meditation, so
that He would know the Lord's express will in all
situations and circumstances. His relationship with
the Father was deep and intimate, and He was anointed
with God's power to do good works.
If we pray in the
Spirit and guard our righteousness at all times, we
will be strengthened in our spirit man, just as Christ
was when He walked the earth. We will be in
continuous, intimate communication with our God and He
can give us vital information that we require to serve
Him optimally in ushering in His Kingdom. Praying in
the Spirit is vital to our overall effectiveness.
Sowing and Reaping to the Spirit
Galatians 6:8 "For
he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap
corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of
the Spirit reap life everlasting."
The lusts and
desires of the flesh and the selfish ambitions of the
soul are all corruptible and lead to death. We must
discipline ourselves and put the Lord first in all
things. When we put our spirit man in ascendancy to
our flesh and soul, we walk in the newness of life.
Ever since we
embraced the truth of the Gospel message, we have
experienced transformation in our lives. We no longer
want and need the same things that we did in the past.
Our very thoughts and words have changed, and our
behavior is actually becoming godly.
We are new creatures
in Christ and operate in the supernatural realm of
infinite possibility; the miraculous is real and
attainable to us now. If we sow to the Spirit, we will
also reap in the Spirit and walk in the power and
glory of Christ Himself, doing good to all whom we
meet.
Walking in the
Spirit is a fine-tuned balancing act that we perform.
It requires discipline and commitment. We have to
purposely choose spiritual things over natural ones.
If we crucify our flesh and subdue our souls, we will
be able to walk in the Spirit successfully.
1John 3:24 "And he
that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he
in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by
the Spirit which he hath given us."
The Spirit of the
living God dwells in us if we keep all His
commandments and walk in love. If we put our spirit
man in ascendancy to our soul and flesh, we will
receive an anointing of the Lord's very own power and
authority to change the entire earth for good.
Never are we
permitted to deliberately sin or transgress God's
laws. We are always expected to keep the Lord's
commandments to us. They are never too difficult for
us, but rather, are intended for our ultimate
well-being and our spiritual perfection.
Christ came to
fulfill the old law, and instructed us in His law of
love, which reduces all of the Ten Commandments into
two basic precepts. None of them has been
eliminated; Jesus Christ only simplified them for our
understanding and compliance.
We are to love the
Lord will all our heart, mind, soul and strength, and
love our neighbor as we love ourselves. This is the
sum total of the law, and if we observe it, we remain
in right standing with God and literally dwell in His
very own Holy Spirit.
If we walk in love
for the Lord and for others we will not sin in any
way. Genuine love leads and guides us into all
righteousness in Him. It keeps us on a straight and
narrow path that will produce permanent spiritual and
temporal blessings in our lives.
The Fruit of the Spirit
Ephesians 5:8-10
"For ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light
in the Lord: walk as children of light: (For the fruit
of the Spirit [is] in all goodness and righteousness
and truth;) Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord."
While we were once
lost in darkness and deception, we are now in the
light of the Lord. We know the truth and it has set us
free for all time. We do not need the artifice of
religion to impress our God or be righteous in His
eyes. We have the Blood of Christ that has made us
acceptable to Him. Jesus Christ actually lives in us
to do His perfect will and we are new creatures in
Him.
We eventually become
more like God Himself, since He actually dwells in us
and we dwell in Him. The fruit of the Spirit begin to
emerge in us after we are baptized in the Holy Spirit
of God. These are spiritual attributes that lead us
into all goodness, righteousness and truth. If we
strive to remain sin free, they will grow until our
entire lives are noticeably transformed.
Spiritual fruit will
enable us to better relate to God and to others. They
will empower us to walk in the supernatural realm, in
unselfish love and humble servitude. They make us more
effective and successful in every area of our lives.
They are visible signs that we are maturing
spiritually and aspiring to holiness and perfection,
just as the Lord is holy and perfect in every way.
Galatians 5:22-25
"But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace,
longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness,
temperance: against such there is no law. And they
that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us
also walk in the Spirit."
We can develop
spiritual attributes that are like God's very own
characteristics. Spiritual fruit will manifest in us,
as we continue in our walk with God and grow in
spiritual maturity. We can always trust Him to provide
us with all good things. For example, if we walk in
love, we will experience peace and joy in our lives.
If we develop our faith to the fullest, then we will
have hope and confidence before God and please Him
with our boldness.
If we are patient
and longsuffering, we will be able to relate better to
others, and forgive and forget any wrongs done to us.
If we are gentle and good, we will be compassionate to
others' needs and treat them with respect. If we are
meek, we will be humble and sincere servants to others
and inherit the earth as has been promised to us in
God's Word. If we are temperate, we will crucify our
flesh and soul and lead simple lives of discipline and
prayer.
Spiritual fruit
positively impact our lives, so that we can be more
like God in every way. They help deepen our intimacy
with Him. They enable us to serve the Lord and others
with increased effectiveness and facilitate our
spiritual growth and maturity. They are vital to our
spiritual and temporal success. If we work at
cultivating Spiritual fruit in our lives, we will walk
in the Spirit rather than our flesh, and please God in
everything that we do.
The Spirit Of Life
Romans 8:1-2 "[There
is] therefore now no condemnation to them which are in
Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after
the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in
Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death."
We have been set
free from the law of sin and death. We experience the
newness of life in Jesus Christ. No longer bound by
sin, we are free from guilt, shame and condemnation in
our relationship with the Lord. We have gained eternal
life and enjoy many rights and privileges as the
children of God. We are joint-heirs with Jesus to all
the promises of righteousness. We have an even better
covenant than our forefathers had. We are actually
seated with Christ in heavenly places at the right
hand of God Himself.
Whatever we require
to be healthy, happy and successful, the Lord will
accommodate us. We can approach the Father for any
need and know that it will be met abundantly. If we
intercede for others in prayer, He will always respond
affirmatively. If we desire revelation knowledge or
better understanding, He will provide all that we ask
of Him. It is His greatest desire to supply all of our
needs and be our complete source for all good things
in our lives, both temporal and spiritual.
When we miss the
mark and fall short of God's glory, we are able to
repent and ask for His forgiveness once again. We need
not make sacrificial offerings to atone for our sins.
We are not under the curse of the law or subject to
death as a penalty for our sin. We simply go boldly to
the throne of grace and ask for pardon. If we are
sincere, the Lord will promptly restore us to right
standing with Him and reinstate all of our blessings
as before. He will even blot our sin and transgression
from His memory.
However, we never
have the right to be deliberately disobedient and
violate any of the commandments. We are to be
uncompromisingly righteous and loving in all that we
think, say and do. The entire human race is looking to
us for example, and we should lead them by our godly
actions. We are sons and daughters of the living God
who will release all men from their bondage to sin. If
we are holy and perfect, we will have full protection
from all evil and impact the entire earth.
Proverbs 4:23 "Keep
thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the
issues of life."
Through our faith in
Christ we have gained eternal life with all of its
promises. If we concentrate on spiritual things rather
than worldly matters, we will reap many blessings now
and in the days to come. However we cannot be
double-minded. We must diligently guard our hearts and
protect our minds and spirits from contamination by
false religious doctrines and man-made traditions.
We know the truth of
the Gospel message; we should not permit anything to
taint that. As believers, we have responsibilities and
privileges. We cannot afford to be lax in our faith or
sloppy in our walk with the Lord. We have to crucify
our flesh and subdue our souls and strive for holiness
and perfection, just as God is holy and perfect. We
are the very sons and daughters of God and should
reflect His glory.
None of that is
possible without the operation of the Holy Spirit in
our lives. The Holy Spirit will lead and guide us, and
fill us with divine attributes that are like those of
God Himself. If we fully surrender our lives to the
Lord, He can do a great work in us and through us to
impact the entire earth for good. His anointing power
will fill us to the overflow, if we walk in His Holy
Spirit instead of our flesh.
Walking in the Spirit
Galatians 5:16-18
"[This] I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall
not fulfil the lust of the flesh. For the flesh
lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the
flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so
that ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye
be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."
The spirit of a man
is ever at war with his flesh and his soul. There is
continual temptation to step out of the Holy Spirit
and into carnality. However, it is possible to crucify
our flesh and subdue our selfish soul ambitions and
put our spirit man in ascendancy. If we have been born
again and baptized with water and the Holy Spirit of
God, we will reign victorious in life.
We should emulate
the laid down life of Jesus Christ. He put the work of
the Kingdom before His personal needs and desires. He
was totally obedient to the Father, and said and did
only what He was told. Christ accomplished all that He
did because He put His spirit man in ascendancy to His
flesh and soul. He did not operate as God on the
earth, but as a perfectly disciplined man walking in
full divine power and authority.
If we walk in the
Spirit instead of our flesh, we will not even think of
gratifying our carnal desires or fulfilling our own
selfish goals and ambitions. We will seek the Lord's
plan and purpose over our own, and lead humble lives
of love and service to others. God's power will
manifest in us and through us, as we sanctify
ourselves and dedicate our lives to Him in sacrificial
service.
If we empty
ourselves of all carnality and selfish soul ambitions,
we will appropriate divine power in our lives to
overcome all obstacles. We will tear down demonic
strongholds that have held mankind in bondage and
oppression for so many years. We will bring peace and
order to the earth and establish Kingdom principles of
fairness and justice for all. We will deliver all
creation from death and destruction.
The Body of Christ
will be a powerful force to be reckoned with, and
totally successful in all that we are assigned to do.
We will usher in the Kingdom of God with manifest
power and glory, so that all the world will be
astonished and give praise to God as they should. We
will judge both men and angels; be appointed kings and
priests of God; and even rule and reign with Christ as
promised.
Romans 8:4 "That the
righteousness of the law might be fulfilled in us, who
walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit."
We will accomplish
the seemingly impossible if we are anointed of God and
walk in the Holy Spirit instead of our flesh. In the
days ahead, ordinary men and women who walk in the
Spirit of God will heal the sick, cast out demons and
even raise the dead back to life. We will bring in the
full harvest of souls that is required before the
Kingdom of God comes to the earth.
Those who walk in
the Spirit in divine power and authority will
restructure and reorganize world governments to line
up with Kingdom principles of peace and equality for
all men. We will help to restore all creation to its
original beauty and balance. The plant and animal
kingdoms will be subject to us. All of nature will
comply with our directives and be in total harmony
again. We will speak to seemingly impossible
situations and they will yield to our authority.
While it may seem
difficult to walk in the Spirit, we must remember that
this is exactly what Christ did while He was on the
earth. Since we are His Body - His hands, feet and
voice - we will also be able to eventually walk
totally in the spirit realm. This will enable us to
accomplish mighty feats on His behalf and usher in the
Kingdom of God as He intends we do.
The Anointing Teaches
Us
1John 2:27-28 "But
the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in
you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as
the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is
truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you,
ye shall abide in him. And now, little children, abide
in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have
confidence, and not be shamed before him at his
coming."
We have received a
full anointing in the truth by the power of the Holy
Spirit of God. We will not require any human
instruction in all that we are asked to do. The Lord
Himself will lead and guide us into everything that we
require to be successful for His purpose.
He will download
revelation to us on a need-to-know basis. Everything
that He tells us will be valid and purposeful, and
relevant to our individual calling. He will grant us
special insight into the details of His eternal
redemption plan and we will do all that He asks of us.
The anointing power
of the Holy Spirit of God that abides in us will
convict us of any sin in our lives and comfort us in
our times of trouble. It will lead and guide us in the
days ahead, so that we can successfully operate as
Christ did on the earth, in selfless service to
others.
We must be
continually walking in love and unity with other
members in the Body of Christ. We can accomplish a
great deal more by working cooperatively, than we
could if we functioned alone. We should always
intercede for others and encourage one another in our
faith.
Ephesians 4:21 "If
so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by
him, as the truth is in Jesus:"
Jesus Christ will be
our Commander In Chief and tell us when to move, and
what to say and do as we usher in His Kingdom. We
should be tuned into the voice of God, rather than the
voices of men who may lack wisdom and understanding
regarding our divine roles.
It is critical that
we communicate directly with the Lord, and be quick
and obedient to respond to His guidance and direction.
We cannot do our own thing or be insubordinate in any
way, if we would be of useful service to the Lord in
the important days to come.
When Christ returns,
He should find us doing His work on the earth as He
did during His ministry. We should be preaching the
Gospel of the Kingdom of God, healing the sick,
casting out demons and even raising the dead back to
life again as He Himself did.
If we are faithful
to His divine commission to us, we will be amply
rewarded in the Kingdom of God. Jesus will share His
very own honor and glory with us. We will judge both
men and angels and rule and reign with Him for all of
eternity as kings and priests.
Manifestations of the Spirit of God
1Corinthians 12:7-12
"But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every
man to profit withal. For to one is given by the
Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of
knowledge by the same Spirit; To another faith by the
same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the
same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to
another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to
another divers kinds of tongues; to another the
interpretation of tongues: But all these worketh that
one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man
severally as he will. For as the body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body,
being many, are one body: so also is Christ."
The Lord distributes
the gifts and the callings of the Holy Spirit at will
to each believer as He sees fit. He knows the end from
the beginning, and determines what manifestations of
the Holy Spirit will benefit us most in our individual
lives. He decides who will receive words of wisdom and
words of knowledge to share for the betterment of
others. He calls the prophet to office and determines
what type of revelation He wants shared with His
people.
He makes healing and
the working of miracles available to us, according to
His plan and purpose and to demonstrate His power. He
gives the discernment of spirits to some men, and
supernatural tongues to those who are receptive. He
always arranges for an interpreter to be present for
the edification of the entire group. There is but one
Holy Spirit of God, with many diverse gifts, callings
and manifestations given for the benefit of all
believers.
It is important to
note that gifts of the Holy Spirit should never be
offered for rent, sale or hire. The Holy Spirit will
take leave of unclean vessels and these greedy
individuals will ultimately be stripped of their
influence over others. Those who charge fees or expect
gratuities for their service to others will be
severely judged and punished when Christ returns. They
will be on the outside looking in when the Kingdom of
God is ushered into the earth.
Joel 2:28-29 "And it
shall come to pass afterward, [that] I will pour out
my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your
daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream
dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also
upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days
will I pour out my spirit."
There will be a
miraculous outpouring of God's very own Holy Spirit in
the days to come, as we prepare to enter the Kingdom
of God on the earth and deliver it to Jesus Christ at
His coming. Any person that willingly dedicates his
life to God will be a candidate for receiving
spiritual gifts and callings that will enhance his
performance in service to the Lord and to others.
We will dream
prophetic dreams and have detailed visions of what is
to come. The Lord's glory will be poured out over all
the earth to get mankind's attention and attract many
to the truth. It will not be unusual to see small
children or older people prophesying and ministering
healing and deliverance to large crowds of people. Men
and women alike will be used in ministry to others.
The Holy Spirit of God can and will operate through
any willing and obedient vessel.
Our background and
talents will have no bearing on our effectiveness for
the Lord in the days to come. All we must do is be
yielded to His plan and purpose. We should sanctify
ourselves for His use, and be found trustworthy of
functioning in His anointing power to perform miracles
of all kinds. The extent to which we lay down our own
lives, will determine our overall effectiveness.
Sharing the Spirit of Truth
John 3:34 "For he
whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God
giveth not the Spirit by measure [unto him]."
It is critical that
every believer learns to share his faith with others
in these last days. We are the Lord's voice on the
earth, and we are obligated to spread the truth. The
Lord wants to make eternal salvation and blessings
available to all men. There is a full number of souls
that must be converted and baptized before the Kingdom
of God is ushered in. This is called the end-time
harvest of souls and precedes the coming of heaven to
the earth realm.
The Lord will equip
the Body of Christ with a full anointing of His very
own power to evangelize the entire world, so that no
one will perish for lack of hearing the truth. While
we cannot override their free will and make others
believe as we do, we can at least make the truth
available and understandable to every man, woman and
child on the face of the planet. We can become living
gospels of the Kingdom of God in all that we think,
say and do.
Our lives will be
demonstrations of spiritual power and authority. We
will walk in miraculous signs and wonders to attract
all men to our faith. They will be in awe as we
minister healing and deliverance to all who are sick
or oppressed of the devil. We will even raise the dead
back to life again, so that they can join us in
enjoying Kingdom blessings for all of eternity.
Everything that we do will glorify God and promote the
coming of His Kingdom.
We will not have to
beat others up with our Bibles or invoke heavy rules
and regulations on them. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is
powerful and convicting in and of itself. God so loved
us that He sent His only Son to be the atonement for
all of our sins. If we repent and believe in Christ,
we will be saved unto eternal life. We need only
confess our faith, be baptized in water and with the
Holy Spirit to enter into the Kingdom of God for all
time.
Matthew 10:20 "For
it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father
which speaketh in you."
Our evangelization
will be easily accomplished by the power of the Holy
Spirit that works in us and through us. The Lord
Himself will unveil the minds and reveal the hearts of
our listeners, so that we will be able to persuade
them with His very own words of love and conviction
spoken through us. We will be actual testimonies to
the power of God at work in our own lives, if we share
what He has done with others.
The Lord Himself
will speak through us to all men as we spread the
Gospel of the Kingdom. He will gently convict them by
the power of the Holy Spirit, so that their hearts are
touched and they repent from their sins. He will teach
them the truth, and many will be converted and
baptized into the one, true faith. All we must do is
make ourselves available for His use. We will speak
powerful words straight from God, that change men's
lives as never before.
We will be given a
healing anointing and deliver many from sickness and
disease, and work creative, restorative miracles. We
will perform many signs and wonders in Jesus' name, to
include demonic deliverances. It is promised that we
will even raise the dead back to life. We will say
what God says and do what He tells us. All we
accomplish will be by the power of the Holy Spirit of
God at work through us.
Topics for Discussion
1. The Operation of the Holy Spirit
2. Spirit Beings
3. The Fruit of the Spirit
4. The Spirit of Life
5. Walking in the Spirit
6. Spiritual Manifestations, Gifts and Callings
7. Sharing the Spirit of Truth
Chapter 7 - Power in the Truth
James 1:18 "Of his
own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we
should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures."
God created man in
His very own image and likeness. He spoke powerful
words that manifested into reality and formed an
entirely new species of creatures that were fashioned
like Himself in every way. He predestined us to be His
sons and daughters on the earth from the foundation of
the world, and He desires that we fellowship with Him
in ongoing truth and increasing intimacy.
While sin separated
us from Him for a time and a season, the Lord had an
eternal salvation plan prepared that would reconcile
Him to us once and for all time. He sent His only Son,
Jesus Christ, to the earth realm to teach us His way
of thinking and being right, and to serve as the
perfect atoning sacrifice for all our sins. Through
our faith in Christ, we have eternal life.
When we confess
Jesus as Lord and Savior, our very own words testify
to the truth. Through our faith in His atonement for
all our sins, we have received total forgiveness. We
are freed from the curse of the law and no longer have
death as a penalty for our sins. As long as we are
righteous and walk in love, we have favor with God and
enjoy an intimate relationship with Him once again.
Romans 8:29 "For
whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate [to be]
conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be
the firstborn among many brethren."
Jesus was the
firstborn of many sons and daughters, the Bible tells
us. We are joint-heirs with Him to all the promises of
God for righteousness. We will share in His eternal
honor and glory, and rule and reign with Him in the
Kingdom of God. We will judge both men and angels and
be appointed kings and priests of God. Our heavenly
Father will boast of His children to all creation.
We are spirit beings
having a human experience, which tests and tries us to
see if we will be obedient to the Lord and all that He
asks of us. We will one day be judged by our works in
the flesh to determine our righteousness and our
eligibility to enter the Kingdom of God with all its
blessings. We should walk in love, keep all the
commandments and fulfill God's will for our lives.
The people of God
are chosen and elect for divine destinies. We have
been set free from all our carnality and selfish, soul
ambitions to serve the Lord with total integrity of
purpose. We should imitate the laid down life of
Christ Himself and sanctify ourselves, so that the
anointing power of God can manifest itself in our
lives. We will revolutionize the entire world in the
days to come.
Strength in Our Spirit Man
Ephesians 3:16 "That
he would grant you, according to the riches of his
glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in
the inner man;"
Christ not only died
to save us from our sins, but He also gave us simple
instruction how to be righteous before God and retain
our right standing with Him. He gave us the law of
love to rule our lives, and keep us walking in peace
and unity. He made arrangements to send us the Holy
Spirit of God, who would continue to lead us into all
truth and spiritually strengthen us.
Our spirit man is
strong in the power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. We can do all things through Him. We should
pattern our lives after His very own and walk as He
walked on the earth. We have eternal destinies that
will be revealed in the days ahead. It is critical
that we assume our role in the Lord's eternal
redemption plan and do what is required of us, so that
the Kingdom of God can be ushered in.
Jesus gave us His
divine commission and told us we should fulfill His
ministry and do what He did on the earth. He wants us
to love others as we love ourselves, and share our
faith with them so they will be free. We are expected
to heal the sick and cast out all demons. We will even
raise the dead back to life again, if we recognize our
authority and exercise our God-given power.
Psalm 119:142 "Thy
righteousness [is] an everlasting righteousness, and
thy law [is] the truth."
The Lord's standard
of everlasting righteousness is not difficult; His law
of love is the truth. He requires that we follow His
commandments and walk in love for Him and for others
at all times. If we are obedient, we will serve God
and His people with joy and gladness as He desires.
Our love for Him
will spontaneously overflow into our relationships
with others and influence all that we say and do. We
will regard others as we do ourselves, and be loving
and kind, generous and merciful. We will minister to
others freely and walk in love, peace and unity with
all men.
There is power in
the truth. The law of love determines our
righteousness and should always be obeyed. Even if
others do injure us, we should purposely walk in love
and forgive and forget all wrongs done to us. The Lord
will take vengeance on all our enemies and vindicate
our rights.
All playing fields
will be leveled as we usher in the Kingdom of God.
Only the uncompromisingly righteous will dwell there
for all of eternity. Many who are first now, will be
last because they refused to obey God's laws and walk
in love for Him and for others, as we were taught.
We need not worry
that we will be excluded from Kingdom blessings if we
follow all of the commandments and love God and
others, as we should. We must continually sanctify
ourselves of all carnality and strive to be holy and
perfect, just as the Lord is holy and perfect.
Galatians 5:13-14
"For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only
[use] not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by
love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled
in one word, [even] in this; Thou shalt love thy
neighbour as thyself."
We will not even
think to sin and transgress God's law if we walk in
love and righteousness, as we should, because that
would hurt others and be a violation of the law of
love. We are simply expected to love the Lord and show
Him all the deference and respect that He deserves,
and treat others, as we ourselves would hope to be
treated. The requirements of the law of love will then
be fully satisfied and we will experience true
Christian liberty.
Without walking in
love and sanctifying ourselves for His purpose, we
will never see the glory of God manifested in our
lives. If we cannot even follow His law of love, we
will not be assigned more critical tasks in ushering
in His Kingdom. The Lord will not entrust His power
and authority to those who operate in the weakness of
their flesh. He requires that we exercise right
judgment and discipline ourselves in the use of His
awesome anointing.
It is vital that we
walk in the Spirit and cultivate Spiritual fruit in
our lives, if we would be entrusted with the anointing
power of God in the days to come. We should be patient
and humble, meek and forbearing. We should forgive all
wrongs done to us, and walk in peace and love with all
men wherever possible. Our self-lives must be laid
down, in favor of the Lord's eternal redemption plan.
We have eternal destinies that will soon be revealed.
Knowledge of the Truth
Psalm 51:6 "Behold,
thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the
hidden [part] thou shalt make me to know wisdom."
We were created for
a specific purpose; we have divine destines and
eternal callings. We can know all spiritual truths,
and they will set us free from the bondage of sin and
the decadence of worldly living. If we will accept
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, and believe that
God raised Him from the dead so that we would have
eternal life, we will be set free for all time. We
will experience improvement in every area of our lives
and overcome all hindrances.
No longer steeped in
darkness and deception, we can walk in the light and
receive guidance and direction from the Lord Himself.
He will lead us by the power of His Holy Spirit and
never leave us or forsake us. He will provide all of
our needs, both spiritual and temporal. We can
approach the Lord with any concern and acquire His
wisdom and revelation knowledge for solving even the
most complex problems that trouble or perplex us.
The Lord desires
truth in our inward parts. He wants all men to be
humble and contrite in spirit. He can easily detect
hypocrisy. Only those who are sincere seekers of truth
and uncompromisingly righteous will enter into the
Kingdom of God and enjoy life in His presence for all
of eternity. Those who are insincere or defy the Lord
and injure His people will be punished in the lake of
fire. Now more than ever, it is critical that we seek
the truth and walk in it.
Psalm 145:18-19 "The
LORD [is] nigh unto all them that call upon him, to
all that call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the
desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their
cry and will save them."
Our God is real and
approachable. As long as we show Him all the deference
and respect that He deserves, we can cry out to Him at
any time and for any reason and He will save us. He is
not a forbidding God, but a God of love, mercy and
compassion. It is His greatest desire that we develop
an intimate relationship with Him and rely on His
providence for all our needs.
If we diligently
seek the Lord in all matters, we will receive many
current benefits and eternal rewards. We can approach
the throne of grace with any petition and know, beyond
a shadow of a doubt, that our prayer will be answered.
We can ask the Lord for wisdom, understanding and a
full knowledge of the truth, and He will grant it. He
will withhold no good thing from us.
The Lord wants us to
serve as ambassadors for His Kingdom. It is vital that
we seek His guidance and acquire insight into His
plans and purposes for us. We need to remain in close,
intimate communication with Him in the days ahead, so
He can disclose our eternal destinies to us. He will
empower us for success in every area of our lives and
never leave us or forsake us.
Psalm 25:5 "Lead me
in thy truth, and teach me: for thou [art] the God of
my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day."
The Lord reveals His
secrets and all His mysteries to those who truly love
and respect Him as their God. When we strive to please
Him more than anything else, He will amply reward us
for our efforts by sharing knowledge of eternal truths
with us. But we must desire revelation into His way of
doing things and being right above everything else in
our lives.
We were created for
intimate, ongoing fellowship with our God. Now that
our sinfulness is no longer an issue, the Lord can
groom us to become more like Him in every way. He will
lead and guide us; teach us His just, fair and
equitable standards of judgment; and empower us to
serve Him in ways that we have only dreamed that we
could do before now.
It is critical that
the Lord prepares us for our future roles in the
Kingdom of God. We are kings and priests in training,
and we will have many nations to rule and govern. We
must be well schooled in righteousness ourselves, if
we are to be capable teachers of God's people. We
should seek the Lord's guidance and direction in all
that we think, say and do.
Discernment of the Truth
Psalm 119:95-106
"The wicked have waited for me to destroy me: [but] I
will consider thy testimonies. I have seen an end of
all perfection: [but] thy commandment [is] exceeding
broad. O how love I thy law! it [is] my meditation all
the day. Thou through thy commandments hast made me
wiser than mine enemies: for they [are] ever with me.
I have more understanding than all my teachers: for
thy testimonies [are] my meditation. I understand more
than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. I have
refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might
keep thy word. I have not departed from thy judgments:
for thou hast taught me. How sweet are thy words unto
my taste! [yea, sweeter] than honey to my mouth!
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I
hate every false way. Thy word [is] a lamp unto my
feet, and a light unto my path. I have sworn, and I
will perform [it], that I will keep thy righteous
judgments."
If we keep all of
the commandments and walk in love as we have been
taught, we will be continually righteous in God's
eyes. His law is not burdensome, but intended for our
well-being. It will keep us on the right track, so
that we are never deceived or mislead ever again. The
Lord wants us to know the truth, so that we can defeat
all of our adversaries who try to keep us in bondage.
If we know the Word of God, we will have power to
resist evil.
The Word of God is
the only standard of righteousness that we should
follow in our pursuit of spiritual truth. Man-made
traditions are often heretical and will lead us into
overt sin and spiritual decadence. There are many
false teachers and self-proclaimed prophets that have
their own agendas, and corrupt the Word of God for
their own selfish purposes. They will be carefully
scrutinized, held accountable for their actions, and
ultimately destroyed.
However, we have a
serious responsibility to discern the truth for
ourselves. God's Word is readily available to us. We
need only open our Bibles and read it, to see its
power influence our lives. We have no excuse for not
knowing the truth. It is accessible to every man and
woman on the face of the earth. Through the power of
the Holy Spirit of God, we can readily understand the
truth in the Bible and apply it to our own individual
situations.
It is our handbook
for righteousness and offers the answer to every
perplexity that we face. The scriptures offer us
guidance and direction and an accurate knowledge of
God's will for our lives. Through our understanding of
them, we can prevail in all matters. The Word reveals
God's mysteries and explains His way of doing things
and being right. It exposes all lies and false
teachings, and it shows us the path that we need to
take to receive eternal life.
We have been set
free in the truth so that we can pursue our
relationship with God unfettered by man-made
traditions and heretical doctrines. We must earnestly
guard our faith because the enemy is ever at work to
mislead us and cause us to doubt the Lord and question
His promises to us. However, our God never lies or
deceives us. We can be confident that we will lead and
guide us by the power of the Holy Spirit into the
blessings of the Kingdom of God.
1John 2:20-21 "But
ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all
things. I have not written unto you because ye know
not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie
is of the truth."
We now know the
truth, and it has set us free. Christ died to save us
from our sins, so that we are in right standing with
the Lord. If we dedicate ourselves to His eternal plan
and purpose for mankind, we will be privileged to
serve Him in miraculous ways in the days to come. We
will receive a full anointing of His power to
evangelize all men and work miracles, signs and
wonders as we usher in the Kingdom of God.
We will convert many
to an accurate knowledge of the truth, just as we
ourselves have discovered it, and they will also be
baptized in our faith. Supernatural manifestations
will follow us everywhere we go, as we lay hands on
the sick and cast out demons of all types. We will
destroy all enemy strongholds that impede our
progress. We will even raise the dead back to life, as
Christ Himself did when He walked on the earth.
We will take control
over all demonic influences that have wreaked havoc on
the earth for so many years. We will be strong and
powerful to do good, and effect positive changes in
the earth. We will reorganize world governments, so
that they line up with God's perfect will. We will
restore all of creation to its original beauty and
balance, and take total dominion over all of nature
and the plant and animal kingdoms.
The Truth Perfects Us
Psalm 85:10-11
"Mercy and truth are met together; righteousness and
peace have kissed [each other]. Truth shall spring out
of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from
heaven."
Although we may
aspire to spiritual maturity, holiness and perfection,
we often fall short of the glory of God and make
mistakes. While we may not intend to do evil, we still
sin and miss the mark. It is beneficial to have
absolute standards of moral and spiritual behavior.
These keep us on track and going in a positive
direction that pleases God. The commandments serve as
sound guidelines for daily living. They are not
unreasonable or oppressive; they help us maintain our
righteousness.
Regardless of how
great or how slight our transgression is from God's
law, sin is still sin and it requires payback. We are
covered by the Blood of Christ, but that does not
permit us to be deliberately rebellious. We have to
repent of all wrongdoing and change our ways. We
should ask the Lord for forgiveness and make any
necessary restitution to others. If we are sincere, He
will always be merciful and compassionate to our human
frailty, and restore us to right standing with Him.
It is the Lord's
deepest desire that His will be done on earth as it is
in heaven, so that all things can be united in Jesus
Christ as He has planned from the beginning of time.
Only righteousness and peace prevail in heaven; there
is no evil there. It should be our goal to bring
mercy, truth, righteousness and peace to the earth
realm in all that we think, say and do. We have the
responsibility to restore peace and order to the
world, so that the Kingdom of God can be ushered in
with all its power and glory.
1Thessalonians
2:12-13 "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath
called you unto his kingdom and glory. For this cause
also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye
received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye
received [it] not [as] the word of men, but as it is
in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh
also in you that believe."
The more we discover
spiritual truth, the less inclined we will be to sin
at all. Knowledge is power, and the truth sets us free
to enjoy real Christian liberty in our lives. The Word
of God is the source of all truth for us. It is
sharper than any two-edged sword and cuts right to the
heart of every matter. It is the yardstick by which we
should measure the truth and validity of all spiritual
doctrine. Anything that we see, read or hear must line
up with the Word of God itself.
Knowledge of
Biblical truths will enrich and mature us in the deep
things of God. The Word will motivate us to become
more like God Himself, and to desire His way of doing
things and being right rather than our own. The Word
of God works in us to help us grow in wisdom and
understanding, and provides us with keen insight and
spiritual discernment in all matters pertaining to
life. It offers us the solutions to all the problems
and perplexities that confront us. It is the standard
that we should use in evaluating everything.
The Word of God has
inherent power in and of itself to work miracles in
our lives. If we meditate on all the promises of God
that are in the Bible, we will have our faith, hope
and confidence dramatically increased. We will develop
a new appreciation for all that God has done for us
and be perfected. The Word will inspire, edify,
motivate and equip us to fulfill the call of God on
our lives. It will empower us to overcome all things,
as it never returns void.
2Corinthians 4:2
"But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty,
not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of
God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth
commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the
sight of God."
We will never
mislead or deceive others by distorting the Word of
God and polluting the Gospel message, if we know the
truth and walk in it uprightly before God. To do so
would prove us to be outright rebellious. It is one
thing to misinterpret the scripture because of its
complex nature, and quite another matter if we
deliberately twist and manipulate it for our own
personal advantage. We should treat the Word of God as
a sacred treasure and be very careful not to add to or
subtract anything from it.
The Word often
interprets itself and the more we read and study it,
the clearer it becomes to us. There are many
translations of the Bible that are readily available
for our understanding. Although the King James version
may be among the most popular, it could very well be
that another version works better for our reference.
We should be certain that we choose a Bible that
facilitates our comprehension and understanding, so
that we use it regularly as a reference tool and
guideline for daily living.
Babylonian religion
is based on falsehood that openly challenges the Word
of God and its truth. There is no other standard by
which we should evaluate truth, other than the Bible
itself. Although it may have been repeatedly
translated since its original writing, and some
discrepancies may have occurred as a result, it is
still the inspired Word of God. We are required to
maintain total integrity in teaching and sharing
Biblical principles with others at all times. We are
guilty of grievous sin if we manipulate the truth.
Disobedience of the Truth
Romans 1:18 "For the
wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all
ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the
truth in unrighteousness;"
Without the Lord, we
lack guidance and direction, meaning and purpose for
our lives. We are responsible to seek God's eternal
truth and accurately apply it to our behavior.
Deliberate rebellion is a serious sin and the Lord
will not overlook it. He will withdraw His presence
from those who contend with Him, because they develop
reprobate minds that lead to all sorts of
unrighteousness. They will miss out on eternal
blessings and experience many curses instead.
The Lord desires
that we always seek wisdom, knowledge and an accurate
understanding of the truth. We are responsible for the
light we have and compelled to walk in it at all
times. There are moral absolutes that we must always
follow. If we refuse to do so, we will develop
hardened hearts and seared consciences. Blatant
disregard for the truth subjects us to darkness and
deception, and these will ultimately lead to our total
spiritual destruction and eternal damnation.
It is only by the
Blood of Jesus Christ that we were made righteous and
restored to right standing with God. We cannot earn or
buy our salvation with good works and religious
practices. We are justified by our faith in Christ,
and that alone. We must protect our righteousness by
walking in love and following all of the Lord's
commandments. If we do so, we will be living
testimonies to the validity of the Gospel message and
be eligible for Kingdom life and all its blessings.
2Thessalonians
2:10-12 "And with all deceivableness of
unrighteousness in them that perish; because they
received not the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. And for this cause, God shall send them strong
delusion, that they should believe a lie: that they
all might be damned who believed not the truth, but
had pleasure in unrighteousness."
The enemy is always
at work to blind our minds to the truth and hinder our
salvation. While he does indeed have limited power to
oppress us, we can also withstand his efforts. We
should submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and
he will flee from us. We should study the Word of God
and search out its meaning to determine what is
relevant for our own lives. If we pray and ask God for
wisdom, knowledge and understanding, He will gladly
accommodate us.
We cannot be saved
from our sins and have eternal life without a sincere
belief in the truth. Unless we believe in the doctrine
of Christ crucified, resurrected and glorified, we
will perish. There are many men and women that have
every opportunity to hear the Gospel and still reject
it. The Lord will never force Himself on us. The
decision to embrace the truth is ours alone. If we
deliberately reject the Lord and His way of doing
things, we will be eternally damned.
Men should alter
their lives in accordance with God's Word and always
walk in righteousness and love. We should adapt our
behavior to coincide with what the Lord teaches us. If
we refuse right thinking and walk in sin and darkness,
we will be subject to punishment for all time. We will
be on the outside looking in, while those who accepted
and submitted to the truth in this life, will enjoy
eternal blessings in the Kingdom of God when it is
ushered in on the earth.
Romans 2:6-9 "Who
will render to every man according to his deeds: To
them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for
glory and honour and immortality, eternal life: But
unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the
truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and
wrath, Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man
that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the
Gentile;"
There are eternal
ramifications for our disobedience. The Lord is under
no obligation to provide for those who contend with
Him. We need His blessings to be successful in life.
Without Him, we are powerless and pitiful; our lives
lack meaning, purpose and direction. We subject
ourselves once again to the curse, when we are
deliberately lawless and disobey the Lord.
While God is
infinitely patient, compassionate and merciful, there
will come a time when He no longer permits us the
opportunity to repent and be saved from our sins. If
we have repeatedly refused His truth and rejected Him
and His way of doing things, we will experience
anguish and tribulation for our rebelliousness. The
Lord will permit us to be destroyed.
On the contrary,
those who obey the Lord and seek after righteousness
will be eternally rewarded. They will serve Him in joy
and gladness, and walk in love in all that they think,
say and do. They will lay down their lives as sincere
and humble servants and please God. Obedience is not
too difficult for us; the Lord's commandments are
easily understood and attainable to all.
We have serious
decisions to make in our lives. Will we choose
blessings or curses? The truth constrains us to walk
in love and be righteous in all our dealings with
others. If we deliberately refuse to follow God's
commandments and continuously rebel against all His
wishes, we will endure eternal punishment for our
disobedience and be tormented to death in the lake of
fire.
A Spirit of Error
1John 4:6 "We are of
God: he that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of
God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of
truth, and the spirit of error."
It is relatively
easy to determine who is walking in truth and who is
walking in error. We have discernment through the Holy
Spirit of God and can evaluate all things pertaining
to godliness. If we have intimate fellowship with
others, it is usually because they embrace the same
spiritual values and moral absolutes that we do. We
know that they are of like precious faith.
If we perceive
contention in our relationship with others, it may
very well be that they do not adhere to God's Word or
follow His commandments. Those who know God receive us
and hear our words, as if they were the words of God
Himself. The Word of God attracts men of faith, but it
appears foolish and confuses those who walk in
darkness and deception.
We should not be
intimately involved in relationships with unbelievers.
Bad company makes for loose morals, and another's way
of thinking could possibly subject us to temptation
and sin. We should be role models to all men, and
intercede for their salvation. There will come a day
that we can renew our fellowship with unbelievers,
once they have embraced the truth.
Matthew 22:29 "Jesus
answered and said unto them, Ye do err, not knowing
the scriptures, nor the power of God."
While we can have a
working knowledge of God's truth and all that it
entails, it is still possible to be in error from time
to time. Sometimes we mentally accept something, yet
it doesn't penetrate deep in our hearts and spirits.
We must study God's Word diligently to be approved,
and remain teachable and pliable to His guidance if we
would know the truth that will set us free.
There is power in
the Word of God; it holds the secrets to eternal life.
If we will become sincere seekers of spiritual truth,
the Lord will assist us in facilitating our
comprehension and promoting our understanding. There
is no excuse to be confused or in error; we have sound
doctrine readily available, and we can always seek
revelation from the Holy Spirit for confirmation of
all things.
The Word of God
often confirms itself. There may be several Biblical
references concerning any individual topic. We can
know the truth at all times by searching it out in the
Word and asking the Lord Himself for confirmation. He
will always reveal whatever we need to know, so that
we can accurately apply Biblical principles to our
lives and be successful in all we do.
Proverbs 19:27
"Cease, my son, to hear the instruction [that causeth]
to err from the words of knowledge."
While those who
pervert God's Word have a serious obligation to
correct their ways, we also have the responsibility to
separate truth from fiction. There is never a time
that we should be confused; we have spiritual
discernment available to us. We can search the
scriptures to determine what is true and what is
false, based on God's Word to us that is easily
understood.
We can also seek the
counsel of the Holy Spirit of God and evaluate what we
have heard or been taught. It is critical that we put
only accurate information in our minds. What we read
and hear goes down deep into our hearts and eventually
comes out of our mouths and manifests in our behavior.
If we believe lies, we will be in error and
susceptible to temptation and sin.
If we listen to
erroneous teaching or embrace false doctrines, that
can actually interfere with our walk in the Spirit. We
become slaves to whatever we accept and adopt in our
lives. If we permit error to creep into our minds,
hearts and spirits, it will subject us to spiritual
bondage and destruction. We should believe the
uncompromised Word of God that changes our lives
forever.
Power in Spiritual Truth
Luke 4:18 "The
Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised"
The truth produces
power in our lives. It keeps us on track and walking
in righteousness and blessings. It sets us free from
darkness and deception and shows us the path to
eternal life. There is simply no reason to entertain
false doctrines or follow the traditions of men; they
only keep us in bondage and interfere with our service
to the Lord and to others. They may even affect our
eternal destinies and prevent us from entering into
the Kingdom of God altogether.
If we seek God's
truth above all things, we will be vessels sanctified
for His purpose. The Lord is able to accomplish great
things through a people that are yielded to Him and
walking in love, righteousness and truth. We can do
nothing good and meaningful for God in our own
strength. It is only by the anointing power of His
Holy Spirit that we can produce good results. With God
all things are possible, but without Him we are
powerless, pitiful and ineffective.
In the days ahead,
we will be called to do the seemingly impossible in
the fulfillment of the Lord's eternal salvation plan.
He will have us evangelize great numbers of souls in
His end-time harvest and baptize them into our faith.
We will lay hands on the sick and see miraculous
healings. We will deliver captives of the enemy free
from oppression and affliction of all types. We will
even raise the dead through the operation of God's
power and glory at work through us.
Zechariah 4:6 "Then
he answered and spake unto me, saying, This [is] the
word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by
might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD
of hosts."
This will not be a
friendly takeover of the planet; we will meet with
great demonic resistance. The enemy does not want to
see the Kingdom of God ushered in, as planned, because
he will be an outcast for all eternity. We must resist
him in all his efforts to impede the coming of heaven
to the earth. Christ Himself will ultimately return to
bind him in the bottomless pit, so that he can no
longer oppress and defile God's people in any way. No
evil will enter into God's Kingdom.
Satan is the father
of all lies and he delights in leading men away from
the truth. He wants them to believe that there is no
God and there are no eternal rewards or punishments
for their actions. If he can succeed in blinding men
to the truth, he can deter many souls that are
intended for the Kingdom of God. We should bind him
with our words of faith and cast him out of all our
affairs on the earth. We have been given total
dominion over the enemy and he is already a defeated
foe.
Knowledge is power.
The more we read, study and meditate on the Word of
God, the more knowledgeable in the truth we will
become. That will strengthen us in our spirit man and
enable us to be a more effective witness to others. We
cannot properly share our faith unless we are armed
with the truth and schooled in sound doctrine. The
power of God Himself is inherent in His Word. We
should use our Bibles as tools of righteousness and
weapons of warfare, as they are intended.
1Corinthians 6:14
"And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also
raise us up by his own power."
The Body of Christ
will utterly annihilate the devil and defeat all of
his attempts to blind men to the truth. We will preach
the Gospel of the Kingdom with power and conviction,
so that men everywhere have an opportunity to hear the
truth and act on it. We will work miracles, signs and
wonders to attract others to the Lord. We will heal
the sick, cast out all demons and even raise the dead
back to life again through the operation of the Holy
Spirit of God at work in us and through us.
We will successfully
tear down all demonic strongholds that have kept
entire nations in chaos, conflict, bondage and defeat.
We will help to reorganize and restructure all world
governments to line up with Kingdom principles of
fairness and equality for all men. We will restore all
of creation to its original beauty and balance. We
will overcome all natural elements and take control of
the climate and the plant and animal kingdoms, so that
they are in total harmony with man.
The Spirit of God
will move in us and through us to bring peace and
order to our world. Our very own words that line up
with the Word of God will effect miraculous changes in
our surroundings. We will speak only what the Lord
tells us and see dramatic results. The Word of God
never returns void and will accomplish all that is
intended. We should carefully guard our minds, hearts
and tongues, so that we believe and speak only God's
Word into our situations and circumstances.
John 1:12-13 "But as
many as received him, to them gave he power to become
the sons of God, even to them that believe on His
name: Which were born, not of blood or of the will of
the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."
All believers are
conceived of God's will for a specific divine purpose
that encompasses eternity. We will receive a full
impartation of His very own anointing power and
authority without measure, so that we can fulfill His
will on the earth. All that we must do to be effective
in our tasks, is to be willing and obedient vessels
that are yielded to Him. He will lead and guide us in
all we are required to do to fulfill His eternal
salvation plan and set men free for all time.
We are called and
chosen by the Lord for eternal destinies that must be
fulfilled in the days to come. We must be obedient to
the call of God on our lives. We were born again of
water and the Holy Spirit of God Himself. We walk in
the newness of life and have supernatural wisdom and
strength. We are a new species of creatures. We are
walking, talking spirits. We are the sons and
daughters of the living God who will inherit and
inhabit His glorious Kingdom.
The Kingdom of God
will be ushered into the earth realm by the Body of
Christ with explosive power. We will be vessels
sanctified for His purpose, to perform many miraculous
signs and wonders. The Lord Himself will empower us to
do all that is required on our part. He will boast of
our accomplishments and generously reward us for our
efforts on His behalf. We will actually rule and reign
with Christ as kings and priests, and share in His
glory for all eternity.
Serving God in Truth
Deuteronomy 13:4 "Ye
shall walk after the LORD your God, and fear him, and
keep his commandments, and obey his voice, and ye
shall serve him, and cleave unto him."
There are moral
absolutes that we should follow; these commandments
are not negotiable, but are totally attainable by all
men. God has made it very simple for us to be
converted and baptized into the faith of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. He makes plain what He considers
righteousness and clearly defines sin for our
understanding. He is not out to deceive or confuse us
in any way; He has only our best interest at heart. We
should reverence the Lord and serve Him in
righteousness and in truth, with honesty and
sincerity.
The Lord requires
our help in ushering in His Kingdom. We are the Body
of Christ on the earth, the very sons and daughters of
God. If we sanctify ourselves for His purpose, we will
have a full anointing in His power and authority to do
good. We will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom, heal
the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead back
to life again, just as Jesus did when He walked on the
earth. We will tear down all demonic strongholds that
impede our progress or interfere with heaven coming to
the earth realm. We will cleave to the Lord, knowing
that in Him lies all the power we need to totally
defeat the enemy.
We will prepare the
way of the Lord, so that Christ can return to judge
both the living and the dead. He is the only righteous
judge, who will reward righteousness and punish sin.
It's that basic. We each have an opportunity to seek
the truth and embrace it. Our free will permits us to
choose life or death, blessings or curses. God's truth
in His Word is a constant; the only variables in
salvation are our willingness to accept the truth and
apply its power to our lives. We have the
responsibility to choose good over evil at all times.
1Samuel 12:24 "Only
fear the LORD, and serve him in truth with all your
heart: for consider how great [things] he hath done
for you."
We are to reverence
the Lord in all that we think, say and do. Ours is a
great and mighty God capable of both creative and
destructive power. He blesses His people that He loves
and trusts, and destroys His enemies with a vengeance
that is unmatched in the entire universe. It is a
fearful thing to fall under the judgment of almighty
God. His way of doing things and being right is the
absolute moral standard by which we should operate in
our own lives. We must take our sanctification to an
entirely new level, so that we can be suitable vessels
for His anointing power.
We have eternal
destinies to fulfill and we must walk in the Spirit
and in truth to be successful in all that He assigns
us in the days ahead. The Lord deserves our loyal and
devoted service. We should serve Him in truth with all
our hearts and partner with Him in ushering in His
Kingdom, as He desires. He will never ask too much of
us; we will always be able to accomplish whatever He
assigns us. We can have faith and confidence that He
will supply all that we need, so that we prevail in
all we do. He will never leave us or forsake us; we
are His people called by His name.
Hebrews 12:28
"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be
moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear:"
We will make
significant changes on the earth in the days to come.
The Gospel will be preached in all the nations of the
world, so that no man has an excuse for denying the
truth. We will heal all sickness, pain and suffering
and release men from all sorts of bondage and
oppression. We will even raise the dead back to life
again, so the power and glory of God is demonstrated
for all to see. All world governments will be
restructured to line up with Kingdom principles of
fairness and justice. All creation will respond to our
direction and be released from decay and destruction.
We will soon fulfill
our eternal callings and divine destinies as the sons
and daughters of almighty God. We can expect many
wonderful rewards for our faithfulness when heaven is
ushered into the earth. We are future kings and
priests, and we will share in Jesus Christ's very own
honor and glory. We will be elevated to positions of
prestige and prominence in the Kingdom of God. We will
judge both men and angels and rule and reign with
Christ Himself over all the nations of the world. The
Lord will boast of us to all creation and fellowship
intimately with us for all eternity.
Topics for Discussion
1. Strength in Our Spirit Man
2. Knowledge of the Truth
3. Discernment of the Truth
4. The Truth Perfects Us
5. Disobedience of the Truth
6. A Spirit of Error
7. Power in Spiritual Truth
Chapter 8 - The Judgment of All Things
Jeremiah 23:5
"Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall
reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and
justice in the earth."
Jesus Christ is the
only righteous judge of all men. He was perfect in all
of His ways and He is the only one qualified to render
fair and equitable judgment of others. He will judge
the great and the small, the church and the nations,
all the living and dead. No one will escape His
scrutiny or avoid His judgment; it will be permanent
and irrefutable.
If we are deemed
acceptable to Him, we will be eternally rewarded in
the Kingdom of God when it is ushered in on the earth.
If we have missed the mark, and walked in darkness and
sin, we will be on the outside looking in and endure
eternal punishment.
The return of Jesus
Christ is imminent. He is returning to destroy all the
ungodly and their ungodliness in His coming wrath. He
will take vengeance on all our enemies and banish
Satan to the bottomless pit, so he can no longer
oppress God's people in any way. Christ will tolerate
no evil around His people; He will expel it from His
Kingdom forever.
Christ will rule and
reign as a righteous King with a rod of iron, to make
certain that there is fairness and justice in the
Kingdom of God. All men will eventually come to know
the Lord and walk in love, peace, and unity with one
another as we have been taught.
We will abandon all
forms of dead religion that have separated us from our
God and embrace a personal relationship with Him, as
He has always desired. He will dwell with us for all
of eternity and take an active role in our lives as
our Creator, Provider and Father. The Lord will
finally have a people that worship Him continually in
Spirit and in truth.
Revelation 21:27
"And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing
that defileth, neither [whatsoever] worketh
abomination, or [maketh] a lie: but they which are
written in the Lamb's book of life."
Our God will destroy
all forms of false religion that have tormented His
people over the years and held them in bondage and
servitude. He will abolish the anti-Christ spirit that
has deceived them. He will personally confront all
those who have led His people astray and caused them
to deviate from the truth and to sin against Him in
any way.
Ours is a fair, yet
vengeful God and He will punish all who have led men
away from Him and the Gospel of His Kingdom. He will
liberate His people and persuade them in the truth.
All those whose names are written in the Lamb's Book
of Life will be saved and baptized in our faith.
There will be
nothing that defiles us in God's Kingdom; all evil
will be punished in the lake of fire. Christ Himself
will rule and reign over us and make certain that
Kingdom principles are strictly enforced. There will
be fairness, justice and equality for all believers.
We will be appointed kings and priests of God and have
the heathen for our inheritance.
The Lord Himself
will dwell with us and bind up all our wounds. No one
will harm us ever again. Nothing will separate us from
the love of God. His laws will be written in our minds
and hearts, so that we always obey them. Only
righteousness and truth will prevail in the Kingdom of
God.
The Only Righteous Judge
Deuteronomy 32:4
"[He is] the Rock, his work [is] perfect: for all his
ways [are] judgment: a God of truth and without
iniquity, just and right [is] he."
We should accept
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and be set free in
the truth. Once we are baptized into the faith, we
will also be eligible to receive the Holy Spirit of
God that takes up residence in us. The Spirit will
convict us of sin and lead us into all righteousness.
The fruit of the Spirit will emerge in our lives and
help us to mature spiritually and grow in godliness.
God never blinks the
eye at sin. He expects us to walk in love and
righteousness, as we were taught. We must continually
strive for sanctification in our body, soul and
spirit. Our goal should be to aspire to holiness and
perfection, since we will soon dwell with God in His
Kingdom. He cannot be associated with anything or
anyone that is evil and defiling in any way.
It would be an
egregious breach of justice if we expected the Lord to
disregard our iniquity. We are righteous only by the
Blood of Christ. If we have accepted Him as Lord and
Savior and walk in true righteousness and love, we
will be deemed eligible to enter into His Kingdom for
all eternity. If we have been rebellious and
deliberately sin, we can expect punishment.
There is a time
coming when no more second chances will be given to
men. It will one day be too late to repent and turn
towards salvation through belief in Jesus Christ and
the atoning Blood of His sacrifice on our behalf. The
Lord is drawing a line in the sand that no man can
cross. The time to act is now! We must repent
of all known sin and renounce it once and for all.
2Timothy 4:1-2 "I
charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant
in season, and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort
with all longsuffering and doctrine."
We cannot plead
ignorance any longer. The truth is readily available
for all men in the Bible as the Word of God. We have
the responsibility to believe sound doctrine and walk
in righteousness and love as we have been taught. We
will all face judgment before Jesus Christ and give
accountability for our actions. We cannot be
self-righteous and expect the Lord to overlook sin.
Jesus Christ is the
only one capable of rendering righteous judgment of
both men and angels. He alone was totally perfect and
sinless, and our standard for righteousness in all
matters. He is a God of truth and totally just. The
Lord will decide who among us is deserving of eternal
rewards and who is subject to punishment in the lake
of fire. His judgment will be irrefutable and final.
Christ will judge
the living and the dead, the righteous and the
unrighteous. He is no respecter of persons and will
judge each of us according to our works in the flesh
by the same fair and equitable standards. If we have
been saved and are totally righteous, we will enjoy
eternal life. If we have been stubborn and rebellious
and chosen evil over good, we will be eternally
punished.
We must share our
faith with all of mankind, so that no one perishes for
lack of knowledge in the truth. The Gospel of the
Kingdom is powerful for changing lives and drawing all
men to the Lord. If we plant the seed, the Holy Spirit
will convict them of their sins and Christ Himself
will give the increase. Almighty God will successfully
reap the entire end-time harvest of souls.
Psalm 89:14 "Justice
and judgment [are] the habitation of thy throne: mercy
and truth shall go before thy face."
Christ has earned
the right to judge all men and determine their eternal
destinies. He came to the earth as a mere man and laid
down His deity during His time here with us. He was
sinless and perfect, the unspotted Lamb of God. His
very own Blood was the only suitable sacrificial
offering that could be made for the atonement of our
sin debt. He paid the ultimate price just for us.
Jesus was human in
every respect, and He is ever merciful and
compassionate to our frailty. He understands the
pressures that we face and the temptation to sin that
oppresses us. His victory over sin, death and the
grave is our assurance of eternal life, despite the
fact that we are still in the flesh and subject to
carnality. Through Christ, we can experience the
newness of life.
We are now recreated
spirit beings through our faith in Jesus and the hope
that His resurrection bought us. We have free will and
the opportunity to choose good over evil. We can
demonstrate our love for the Lord and for others, and
satisfy the total requirements of the law. We can put
our spirit man in ascendancy to our flesh and soul and
do what Christ Himself did here on the earth.
While it may not be
easy to walk in the Spirit, it is indeed possible. We
must face the fact that we will be subjected to a
fair, yet exacting judgment one day. The Lord will
judge the living and the dead, the righteous and the
unrighteous, the church and the nations. If we wish to
enjoy eternal life and all its blessings, our thoughts
and deeds should correspond with the truth.
Judgment for Kingdom Eligibility
John 3:5 "Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God."
Only the righteous
will spend all of eternity with the Lord. Everyone
evil and defiling will be eternally punished. Men must
repent of their sins and turn towards the truth of the
doctrine of Jesus Christ and His salvation. They must
be born again - of water and the Holy Spirit - in order to enter into the Kingdom of God when
it comes to the earth.
There is no other
way that we can be saved from eternal damnation. It is
not the Lord's will that any man perishes. Salvation
is a free gift to all men, and we should make others
aware of its benefits to them. The conversion process
is simple, yet effective. It's all about making a
quality decision to trust Jesus Christ as Lord and
Savior. Men must choose to believe the truth in their
hearts and testify to their faith with their mouths.
If they do, they will be saved to eternal life.
Our baptism in
Christ assures us that we can also receive the baptism
of the Holy Spirit and grow in godliness. We will be
strengthened in the power and might of God when the
Holy Spirit indwells us in all His fullness. Our lives
will be transformed, as we make holy and healthy
choices that lead to life and light instead of death
and darkness.
We should
continually sanctify ourselves of all carnality and
selfish soul ambitions and walk in the Spirit instead
of our flesh. Through the operation of the Holy Spirit
of God, we can become spiritually mature and godly.
Our minds are renewed and our behavior totally changes
to resemble that of Christ Himself. So too, our mortal
bodies will one day be changed and put on the
imperishable. We will be like Christ in every way and
see Him face-to-face in His Kingdom.
1Corinthians 6:9
"Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit
the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither
fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor
revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom
of God."
No evil of any kind
will be permitted in God's Kingdom. Certain sins are
particularly heinous to the Lord. Among these are
sexual sins, thievery, extortion and idolatry in all
its many forms. If we put anyone or anything above God
in our lives, we must sincerely repent. If we
compromise our righteous principles in any way, we
will be severely judged for our evil ways.
If we lead others
away from the Lord into sin and destruction, we will
be eternally punished in the lake of fire. We dare not
persuade anyone to follow heretical doctrines or
man-made traditions. We must share the uncompromised
Gospel truth with all men; encourage them to repent
from their sins; and seek the Lord for His guidance
and direction in their lives.
It is critical that
we renounce all our sins, particularly those that
offend God the most. He is holy and perfect. If we are
to dwell with Him for all eternity, we must sanctify
ourselves from anything and everything that defiles
our flesh, soul or spirit before Him. We should strive
for spiritual maturity and His very own holiness and
perfection, so we can enjoy eternal life.
The eternal
blessings we receive in the Kingdom of God far out
weigh the responsibilities that we have. We will enjoy
peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and
longevity for all eternity. We will dwell in the very
presence of our God and walk in love and unity with
all men. The Lord will boast of us to all creation and
take vengeance on all our enemies.
Mark 10:15 "Verily I
say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein."
The Lord wants us to
be innocent and trusting. Children are not controlling
or power hungry. They are guileless and speak the
truth in all matters. We should emulate their honesty
and purify ourselves, as they are pure. We should get
back to the basics of our faith and learn to rely on
God in all situations and circumstances. We must be
humble, sincere children of God.
Sanctification is
possible for each of us. We must purposefully lay
aside all defilement of the flesh and soul and walk in
the Spirit. We should feed on the truth of the Word of
God, and then we will be set free. We must seek the
Lord's will for our lives and be in tune to His
guidance and direction for us. We should desire
spiritual gifts more than material things.
We have the promise
of a wonderful future in the Kingdom of God. All that
we must do is have simple, child-like faith, so that
we can enter into the presence of God. We should be
continually righteous and be mindful of the needs of
others. We will assist the Lord in ushering in His
Kingdom, if we remain faithful, true and obedient to
His guidance and direction for our lives.
Judgment of the Household of God
Psalm 119:30 "I have
chosen the way of truth: thy judgments have I laid
[before me]."
Eternal judgment
will begin with the household of God. All believers
are being scrutinized as never before, to see if we
meet the necessary standards for eligibility that are
required to enter the Kingdom of God. We should judge
ourselves so that we do not need to be judged by God.
We should assess our motives and behavior to see if
they line up with the truth.
We must carefully
examine our consciences to make certain that we do not
worship any idols in our lives. We have to be
absolutely sure that the Gospel message that we
believe and preach to others is the uncompromised
Bible truth. We cannot entertain doctrines of devils
or be seduced by man-made traditions that excuse sin
and glorify man rather than God.
The Lord is a
jealous God and He insists that we put Him first in
all matters. We must realign our priorities to line up
with the will of God for our lives. We should correct
any covetousness or materialism that we may be
involved in. God must take preeminence in all things
and be honored and glorified, as He deserves. We
cannot put anything or anyone above the Lord.
If we do sin and
fall short of the glory of God, we should be quick to
repent and renounce all our sinfulness. The Lord
grants us grace in our time of need, and shows mercy
and compassion to us. We will soon dwell in the very
presence of God Himself, and nothing evil can be
associated with Him. We should strive for holiness and
perfection, just as He is holy and perfect.
Proverbs 21:3 "To do
justice and judgment [is] more acceptable to the LORD
than sacrifice."
While we should
present our bodies as living sacrifices for the Lord's
service, He desires that we
are righteous and
just more than anything else. Faith in Jesus Christ
brought us right standing with Him, so that we can
fellowship with Him on an intimate basis now. We are
actually seated with Christ in heavenly places at the
very right hand of God Himself.
We should walk in
love for God and others and keep all of His
commandments. We should be loving and fair in our
dealings with all men, and be kind and generous to
them as the Lord is to us. We should be quick to
forgive and forget all offense, just as God does. It
is imperative that we be at peace with all men
wherever possible - believers and unbelievers.
If we judge others,
we must use the same standards of judgment for
ourselves. We are not to be hypocrites; none of us is
more righteous than another. We should never criticize
or condemn others for their sin. We all miss the mark
and fall short of the glory of God at times. His mercy
and compassion extend to each of us, and He is ever
willing to forgive us our sins.
Zechariah 8:16
"These [are] the things that ye shall do; Speak ye
every man the truth to his neighbour; execute the
judgment of truth and peace in your gates:"
We should speak the
truth in love to all men and share our faith as the
Lord arranges our contacts. We must never fail to
treat others, as we ourselves would hope to be
treated. We should be patient, kind and gentle in our
dealings with all those with whom we come in contact.
We ought to persuade men in the faith and tell them
how much God loves them.
We must be humble
and sincere, yet determined in our evangelization
efforts. It is the Lord's desire that we preach the
Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world, so that men,
women and children everywhere have an opportunity to
be converted, saved and baptized in our faith. It is
not His will that anyone perishes for lack of
knowledge in the truth.
We must never be
judgmental or critical of others. That serves no
purpose but to turn them away from the truth. God is
love and He wants us to be loving and kind to all men,
even if they respond negatively. We should be living
examples of righteousness through our goodness and
patience. We must practice our compassion, just as the
Lord does with us.
Righteous Judgment of Others
Romans 2:1-6
"Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou
art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another,
thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest
the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of
God is according to truth against them which commit
such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that
judgest them which do such things, and doest the same,
that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Or
despisest thou the riches of his goodness and
forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the
goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance? But after
thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto
thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation
of the righteous judgment of God; Who will render to
every man according to his deeds:"
The Lord is
infinitely patient and merciful to all men. He is
forbearing and longsuffering. He knows our human
frailties and is compassionate to us in our weakness.
We must show the same attitude towards others with
whom we come in contact. We should judge no man unless
we are willing to be judged by the very same standards
of righteousness. All of us miss the mark and fall
short of the glory of God at times.
We are kings and
priests in training for reigning. We must learn the
same fair and equitable standards for judgment that
Jesus Christ Himself uses. We will one day assist Him
in judging both men and angels. But we're not there
yet ... We still have a great deal to learn about
righteousness ourselves. We should attempt to practice
righteous judgment in all matters, yet always seek the
Lord's direction in our judgment.
If we would be just
rulers and able teachers of all men in the Kingdom of
God, then we must devote ourselves to learning the
truth that is in the Word of God. We must be obedient
ourselves, so that we can instruct others in Kingdom
principles of righteousness. We should be humble,
sincere servants of others. We will become living
testimonies to the power of God at work in us, if we
fully submit ourselves to Him.
1Corinthians 6:2-3
"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?
and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye
unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not
that we shall judge angels? how much more things that
pertain to this life?"
Our very lives must
be above and beyond reproach if we would evaluate the
righteousness of others. We should lay down all our
fleshly desires and personal soul ambitions, and walk
after the Holy Spirit instead of the flesh. We should
be holy and perfect, just as God is holy and perfect.
We should lead by example in everything we think, say
and do.
It is possible to
judge all matters pertaining to life, but avoid
passing judgment on other men. We are to use our own
spiritual discernment to determine right from wrong,
but we cannot force our standards on others in any
way. Each of us is accountable for our actions to the
Lord direct. Only Jesus Christ can determine whether
or not we are being righteous.
The conviction of
sin is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit. We have
no right to criticize and condemn others for their
shortcomings. We have all fallen short of the glory of
God and will continue to do so, until Christ returns
to fully redeem us. Judgment of others without
prerequisite spiritual authority will subject us to
punishment for our lack of love.
Matthew 5:19
"Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least
commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be
called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but
whosoever shall do and teach [them], the same shall be
called great in the kingdom of heaven."
One thing we can and
should judge above all others is what we put in our
own minds and hearts. We must never succumb to false
doctrines of demons or man-made traditions that lead
us away from the truth. We are responsible to walk in
the light that we have and share it accurately with
others. Everything that we believe must line up with
the Word of God itself.
We should never be
arrogant or proud of our accomplishments, to the point
that we boast of them and criticize or condemn others.
We were once lost in sin, just as many others are now
lost. But for the grace of God, none of us would be
saved from our sins. We should be infinitely patient
in dealing with others and persuade them to follow the
Lord's guidance and direction.
It is critically
important that we share the uncompromised truth with
all men. We cannot minimize the impact of sin on their
lives. We should encourage them to adhere to the
commandments and strive for righteousness in all they
do. Each of us needs to go up higher in our walk with
God and attempt to be holy and perfect, so that we can
dwell in His presence.
While our spiritual
maturity takes time and is assured us through the
operation of the Holy Spirit, we must still strive for
improvement. We should walk circumspectly in all that
we do. None of us will escape judgment for our actions
in the flesh. We must show the Lord all the deference
and respect that He so rightly deserves and treat
others, as we would like to be treated.
Matthew 7:1-2 "Judge
not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye
judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye
mete, it shall be measured to you again."
We should judge
others by the very same standards of righteousness
that we use to judge ourselves. None of us is yet
perfect, and we must be lenient with those who are new
to our faith. We should always try to be understanding
and sympathetic to their struggles. It is hypocritical
to talk the talk, but walk as mere men in the weakness
of our own flesh. If our behavior is holy and perfect,
then we are qualified to judge others just as Jesus
Christ Himself does.
Since we all make
mistakes and fall short of God's glory, we should be
patient and kind in our dealings with others. We
should be merciful and compassionate to their needs
without compromising God's absolute moral standards in
any way. We should pray for them and encourage their
spiritual growth and development, rather than focus on
their shortcomings. No one is too incorrigible to be
touched by the love and mercy of God.
The Lord is able to
bring all of us up to His standards of righteousness
in a heartbeat. The Holy Spirit leads and guides us
into all truth. He will be our divine empowerment to
reach spiritual maturity, holiness and perfection. We
go from glory to glory, the Bible tells us, and we
will all supernaturally reach the full stature of
Jesus Christ one day in the very near future. The
Bible tells us that we will see our Lord face-to-face
and be like Him in every way.
Judgment of the Nations
Isaiah 43:9 "Let all
the nations be gathered together, and let the people
be assembled: who among them can declare this, and
shew us former things? let them bring forth their
witnesses, that they may be justified: or let them
hear, and say, [It is] truth."
The Lord is even now
contending with the nations of the world in judgment.
He has absolute standards for righteousness and
justice that must be obeyed. He expects all leaders to
be fair in their dealings with His people; He will no
longer tolerate oppression or violence on the face of
the earth. He is making swift decisions and sweeping
changes that will impact all world government for
good. It is His deepest desire that men walk in peace
and unity.
We see visible signs
of God's judgment throughout the entire world. He
prospers those nations that walk according to His way
of doing things. He withholds blessings from those who
are unrighteous in their dealings with others. When
the Kingdom of God is ushered into the earth realm, it
will swallow up all worldly kingdoms and governments,
and Christ will rule and reign as a righteous and just
King over all the tongues and nations of the world.
He will enforce
Kingdom principles of fairness, righteousness and
justice for all men. Those nations that are prone to
contention, engage in open conflict and injure others
will all be removed from the face of the earth. There
will be nothing that defiles that ever enters in to
the Kingdom of God. The Lord will set up godly rulers
over His people, so that they dwell in peace and
prosperity, safety and security - free from fear and
molestation for all of eternity.
Jeremiah 4:2 "And
thou shalt swear, The LORD liveth, in truth, in
judgment, and in righteousness; and the nations shall
bless themselves in him, and in him shall they glory."
Every knee will soon
bow, as men everywhere give honor and glory to Jesus
Christ as their Lord and Savior. All the nations of
the world will pay Him homage and go up to Jerusalem
for the Lord's feast days. Even the country of Israel
will acquiesce, and be won to our faith. They will be
taught the truth and evangelized, just as all the
unsaved are redeemed and justified.
Many Jews will
acknowledge Christ as their long awaited Messiah, and
mourn the fact that He had to die at the hands of
their unjust leaders. They will be converted and
baptized into the Christian faith in the days to come.
The Lord will rejoice in His reunion with His chosen
people, and we will all dwell together in peace and
unity in the Kingdom of God for all eternity.
Believers from every
tongue, race and nation in the world will populate the
Kingdom of God. All those who walk in righteousness
and love and do the will of the Father will receive
eternal life and its many blessings. There is a full
number of believers that must be called in to the
Kingdom. Everyone whose name is written in the Lamb's
Book of Life will ultimately be saved.
Deuteronomy 32:43
"Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will
avenge the blood of his servants, and will render
vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful
unto his land, [and] to his people."
Christ will soon
return as King of kings and Lord of lords to set
matters straight on the earth for all time. He will
not be a meek and mild Lamb of God this time. There is
vengeance in His heart to destroy all the ungodly and
their ungodliness. He has seen all the oppression and
suffering of His people and He will vindicate their
rights before men and angels. No evil will remain
unpunished by our Savior.
There are many
nations of the world that will be blessed in the days
to come. Their governments will be restructured and
reorganized according to Kingdom principles of
fairness, justice and equality for all. Their people
will all know the Lord and give Him the gratitude,
praise and honor that He deserves. God will reward
them for their righteousness and offer them many
blessings in return for their faithfulness.
The Lord will
provide the needs of His people in abundance. He will
bless us with all the resources that the universe has
to offer. We will enjoy peace and prosperity, health
and longevity, safety and security. He will avenge the
blood of His people and destroy all evil off the face
of the earth. All men will walk in harmony with one
another and with all of nature. Nothing will hurt or
destroy in God's Kingdom.
Judgment of False Teachers
Matthew 7:21-23 "Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter
into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will
of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy
name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy
name done many wonderful works? And then will I
profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me,
ye that work iniquity."
The Lord is not
fooled by pretended piety and sanctimonious
showmanship. He can spot a phony very readily. Jesus
Christ will determine who among us is a reputable
teacher and minister of the Gospel. He will not
tolerate the Word of God to be compromised in any way.
He will root out all dead religion and eradicate it
from the face of the earth. False teachers will be
carefully scrutinized, judged and punished because
they led many souls into spiritual defilement.
Pastors who have
abdicated their roles and permitted their sheep to go
astray after other gods will be reprimanded. False
prophets who have been motivated by greed and power
will all be exposed. Those who have coerced and
manipulated us with their self-righteous rules and
regulations will be cast into the eternal lake of
fire. All hypocrites and those who criticize, condemn
and judge others will be judged themselves and
excluded from God's Kingdom.
Only those who have
been uncompromisingly righteous and walked in love for
God and for others at all times will enter into the
Kingdom of God. Christ will tolerate no defilement or
pollution of any kind in the presence of His Father.
We will live free of fear, oppression and exploitation
for all eternity. All men will know the truth from the
least to the greatest of us. We will have the Lord's
laws written in our minds and our hearts, so that we
always walk uprightly before Him.
Isaiah 59:3-4 "For
your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers
with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue
hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice,
nor [any] pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity,
and speak lies; they conceive mischief, and bring
forth iniquity."
Many who were once
first, will be last when the Kingdom of God is ushered
into the earth. The Lord will judge the iniquity of
these so-called ministers of the gospel and take
vengeance on them for their sins. Ours is a jealous,
protective God and He does not want His people to
suffer. When they are misled and confused, they are
prey to the enemy. Satan is out to destroy them and
rob them of their salvation, but he will not be
successful in separating God from those He loves.
The people of God
have suffered from false religions and man-made
traditions for far too long. They have been seduced by
demonic doctrines that led them into chaos and
confusion. Some of them have even experienced such
extensive defilement, that it could lead them into
total spiritual destruction. False teachers have
innocent blood on their hands, and will suffer severe
and lasting punishment for their wickedness and lies
in the eternal lake of fire.
The Lord Himself
will rescue His people and gather them into His
Kingdom for all eternity. Very soon now, all men will
have had an opportunity to hear the truth of the
Gospel message. They will not be seduced into false
doctrines any longer; they will believe the
unmitigated truth of Christ crucified and resurrected
to save them from their sins for all time. They will
be set free to be baptized in water and the Holy
Spirit, and redeemed from the curse of the law to
eternal life.
2Peter 2:1-3 "But
there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who
privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying
the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves
swift destruction. And many shall follow their
pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth
shall be evil spoken of. And through covetousness
shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you:
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and
their damnation slumbereth not."
All anti-Christ
spirits that deny Jesus Christ came in the flesh to
save us from our sins will be abolished from the face
of the earth. Our Lord and Savior will no longer be
insulted and ignored. Christ came to redeem us from
the curse and restore us to right standing with God.
His death on the cross freed all men for all time. His
resurrection from the dead is our guarantee of eternal
life. Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave
is our assurance that we will also reign in life.
There will be harsh
and permanent penalties for those who have perverted
the truth and diluted the power of the Gospel message.
All those who have held others in spiritual bondage
will be removed from power. They will be banished upon
Christ's return; He has vengeance in His heart. He
will destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness.
There will be many hypocritical Christians who have
lured others into spiritual lies and false teachings
that will also be eternally punished.
Only those who have
been good stewards of the faith and led others into
the truth will be eligible to enter into the Kingdom
of God as kings, priests and just rulers of all men.
These individuals will carefully protect the integrity
of God's Word and share it accurately with others.
They will be sincere seekers of truth, who apply its
power to their own lives. They will walk in perfect
Christian liberty and enjoy many eternal rewards for
their righteous service to God's people.
Nahum 1:2 "God [is]
jealous, and the LORD revengeth; the LORD revengeth,
and [is] furious; the LORD will take vengeance on his
adversaries, and he reserveth [wrath] for his
enemies."
False doctrines,
damaging heresies and man-made traditions will all be
exposed as the lies that they really are. Men will no
longer be condemned or controlled by self-righteous
hypocrites. Only the truth will be preached in the
days to come. People everywhere will have the Gospel
of the Kingdom preached to them with power and
conviction. They will have the opportunity to hear the
message of Christ crucified and resurrected. They will
know the truth and gain eternal life.
The love and mercy
of God will be revealed as believers evangelize the
entire earth and bring in the full end-time harvest of
souls. They will demonstrate the Lord's compassion by
healing the sick and delivering the oppressed from
various demonic influences. They will even raise the
dead back to life again. There will be such a visible
manifestation of God's power and glory that men will
seek His truth with all their hearts, and ultimately
be converted and baptized in our faith.
Ours is a jealous
God; He loves us so much that He grieves for anyone
who is misled and perishing for lack of knowledge. It
is not His will that any man is excluded from His
Kingdom and damned to eternal punishment. However, He
is also a vengeful God and will take action against
all our adversaries who have twisted the Gospel
message, so that His people have been separated from
Him. He will strictly judge and severely punish all
those who have misrepresented the truth.
Bringing Down Babylon
Hebrews 12:25-29
"See that ye refuse not him that speaketh. For if they
escaped not who refused him that spake on earth, much
more [shall not] we [escape], if we turn away from him
that [speaketh] from heaven: Whose voice then shook
the earth: but now he hath promised, saying, Yet once
more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven. And
this [word], Yet once more, signifieth the removing of
those things that are shaken, as of things that are
made, that those things which cannot be shaken may
remain. Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot
be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God
acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God
[is] a consuming fire."
The Lord hates all
forms of dead, Babylonian religion that have injured
His people over the years. Many have been martyred for
the one true faith. Others have been needlessly
oppressed due to false religion that promotes
servitude. Some have been beguiled by lies that excuse
sin altogether. Anti-Christ doctrines will be exposed
and eradicated, and all their proponents will be
punished one day soon. The Gospel of the Kingdom, that
sets men free for all time, will prevail.
There's a major
shake-up coming all over the face of the earth, so
that what cannot be shaken remains in the Kingdom of
God. Jesus Christ Himself is about to return to
destroy all the ungodly and their ungodliness in the
wrath of His coming. No longer the meek and mild Lamb
of God, He has vengeance in His heart to punish all of
His enemies. Those who have kept others in religious
bondage and separated them from the one true God will
be utterly destroyed.
Those of us who have
believed the truth and shared it with others will be
eternally rewarded in the Kingdom of God. We will
enjoy peace and prosperity, health and longevity, love
and unity in the presence of almighty God Himself. He
will provide all of our needs, both temporal and
spiritual. We will share in Christ's very own glory
and rule and reign with Him. We will judge both men
and angels; be just rulers and teachers; and have the
heathen for our inheritance.
2Timothy 4:1-5 "I
charge [thee] therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus
Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his
appearing and his kingdom; Preach the word; be instant
in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with
all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come
when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after
their own lusts shall they heap to themselves
teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn
away [their] ears from the truth, and shall be turned
unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure
afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full
proof of thy ministry."
All believers have
the distinct privilege and sacred responsibility to
share their faith with others, and help to destroy all
forms of religious strongholds that hold men in
bondage. The entire world is shrouded with darkness
and deception; the enemy lies in wait to destroy God's
people. We must share the authentic Gospel message
with all with whom we come in contact. If we fail to
do so, they may never get another opportunity to hear
the truth and be set free. It is critical that we
accept our call to evangelization. It is our eternal
calling and divine destiny as sons of God.
The Gospel of the
Kingdom must be preached to all the world, so that men
everywhere have access to eternal life. They must
personally make the all-important decision of
embracing the truth over lies. In the days to come,
God's power and glory will be readily visible to all
mankind. They will be most receptive to the truth,
since we will walk in miraculous signs and wonders.
The power and glory of God will be obvious, so that
men will be attentive to what we teach them. The Lord
will spread His message of eternal salvation to all of
mankind most effectively.
It will be
impossible for them to deny our Lord, Jesus Christ,
and the doctrine of His salvation and resurrection.
The light always overcomes darkness and the eternal
truth will prevail over all demonic lies. All men will
have an opportunity to know the Lord, from the least
to the greatest of us. His laws will be written in our
minds and in our hearts, so that all believers walk in
love and righteousness. There will no longer be a
separation between God and His people. We will be
reunited with Him for all of eternity. We will worship
Him in Spirit and in truth as He desires.
We should dedicate
ourselves anew to spreading our faith, so that the
end-time harvest of souls is reaped in its fullness.
It is not the Lord's will that any man should perish
for lack of knowledge. He has an exact number of
believers that He desires to be brought in, whose
names are written in the Book of Life. Then, and only
then, will He permit heaven to come to the earth
realm, so that all who believe the truth enjoy eternal
life and perpetual blessings in the Kingdom of God.
There will be peace and prosperity, safety and
security, health and longevity for all God's people.
Vengeance on All Our Enemies
Isaiah 63:4 "For the
day of vengeance [is] in mine heart, and the year of
my redeemed is come."
Christ is returning
as a mighty conqueror; He will destroy all the ungodly
and their ungodliness in the wrath of His coming. His
feet will touch down on the Mount of Olives and cause
a global shaking, as the world has never seen. All
evil will be obliterated in His awesome presence. The
dead will be raised and the redemption of our bodies
completed in the twinkling of an eye.
The Kingdom of God
will level all playing fields once and for all. The
Lord has heard the cries of His people and He has
vengeance planned for all those who have oppressed and
exploited others in any way. He is judging us
individually with the same fair and equitable
standards for all. He will reward the righteous and
destroy the ungodly, as He has promised that He will.
Christ's judgment
will be comprehensive, irrefutable and permanent. He
will not tolerate evil around His people any longer.
The righteous will inherit eternal life and all of its
blessings in the Kingdom of God. They will have peace
and prosperity, safety and security. All those who
have injured His people in any way will be cast into
the lake of fire and subject to eternal punishment.
Nothing evil will
ever be present in the Kingdom of God. Christ will
rule with a rod of iron and make certain that Kingdom
integrity is preserved. His people will live totally
free of fear and molestation. Life will be pleasant,
joyous and peaceful. We will experience love and unity
in all of our relationships and actually dwell in the
presence of almighty God Himself for all eternity.
Isaiah 35:4 "Say to
them [that are] of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear
not: behold, your God will come [with] vengeance,
[even] God [with] a recompence; he will come and save
you."
We need not worry
that we will suffer from oppression and exploitation
forever. The Lord has a perfect plan in mind for the
redistribution of power. He will remove those who have
injured others from positions of leadership, and
replace them with kind and just rulers of His own
choosing. They will be like Christ in every way. Only
the humble and sincere will rule and reign with Him in
the Kingdom of God.
Those who have been
faithful to the Lord and obedient in the service of
His people will share in Christ's very own honor and
glory. We will judge both men and angels and be
appointed kings and priests of God. Justice, fairness
and equality for all men will prevail in the Kingdom.
The Lord will restore all that has been taken from us
and make certain that no one ever interferes with our
relationship with Him.
Kingdom residents
will receive joy and pleasure for our former sorrow
and pain. We will be blessed in abundance; the Lord
will anticipate all our needs, spiritual and temporal,
even before we ask Him. We will experience peace and
prosperity, instead of poverty and lack, conflict and
contention. Nothing that defiles us in any way will be
tolerated; all evil will be expelled from the presence
of God and His people.
All men will know
the Lord - from the least to the greatest of us. His
laws will be written in our minds and hearts for all
eternity, so that we are continually righteous and
walk in love, peace and unity. We will have a personal
relationship with our God, unfettered by man-made
traditions and religious rules and regulations. He
will actually dwell with us and we will give Him all
the praise and honor that He deserves.
Topics for Discussion
1. Jesus Christ as Righteous Judge
2. Judgment for Kingdom Eligibility
3. Judgment of the Household of God
4. Judgment of the Nations
5. Judgment of False Teachers
6. Bringing Down Babylon
7. Vengeance on All Our Enemies
Chapter 9 - In Spirit and in Truth
John 3:16-21 "For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not
his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that
the world through him might be saved. He that
believeth on him is not condemned: but he that
believeth not is condemned already, because he hath
not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of
God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come
into the world, and men loved darkness rather than
light, because their deeds were evil. For every one
that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to
the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he
that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds
may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."
It is the Lord's
deepest, heart-felt desire that all men be reconciled
to Him and accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and
Savior, so that they can be set free in the truth.
There is simply no other way that they can have
eternal life and all its blessings. They must repent
of their sins and be baptized in water and the Holy
Spirit, in order to enter into the Kingdom of God for
all eternity.
We should share the
Gospel in Spirit and in truth, so that men everywhere
have an opportunity to be saved. All that we need do
is tell them about our Lord, Jesus Christ, and what He
did for us. If we preach the power of the cross, we
will see many come to salvation in Him. However, those
who deliberately choose darkness and deception over
light and truth will be condemned.
Those who walk in
the light of Christ will be loving and righteous in
all that they do. They will be rewarded for their
faithfulness and have eternal blessings in the Kingdom
of God. The Lord will provide all our needs in
abundance and be a personal God to us. He will
actually dwell with us and take an active role in our
lives, as He planned from the foundation of the world.
There will no longer
be a separation between God and man, as there has been
in the past. Our faith in Christ assures us that we
have our right relationship with the Lord restored for
all time. We can fellowship intimately with Him as His
very own sons and daughters. He will be a Father to us
as He always desired, e always desireHe and supply all
that we need to be healthy, happy and prosperous.
Ephesians 4:20-24
"But ye have not so learned Christ; If so be that ye
have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the
truth is in Jesus: That ye put off concerning the
former conversation the old man, which is corrupt
according to the deceitful lusts; And be renewed in
the spirit of your mind; And that ye put on the new
man, which after God is created in righteousness and
true holiness."
When we accepted
Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, we put off the
old man and all his worldliness and were born again in
our spirit man. We began a regeneration process that
will be ongoing until Christ Himself returns. Our
minds are renewed in the truth and our behavior is
eventually transformed so that we become righteous and
godly in all that we do.
Jesus taught us
eternal truths. He came to fulfill the Ten
Commandments of the law and summed up the total
requirement for righteous living in two basic
precepts. We are to love the Lord with all our heart,
mind, soul and strength, and love others as we love
ourselves. If we follow the law of love diligently, we
will not sin and hurt God or others in any way.
We will put the Lord
first in all things and reach out to all men with
love, mercy and compassion. If they have spiritual
needs, we will pray for them and encourage them in
their faith. If they lack temporal blessings, we will
share our material resources. We will be patient and
understanding, and forgive all offenses, so we can be
at peace with one another.
Believers are new
creatures, born of heaven's plan to redeem all of
mankind and reconcile us to God. A spark of the divine
indwells us, so that we need not ever be separated
from our God. We must carefully protect our
righteousness and strive for holiness and perfection
in our walk with the Lord, so we can spend all of
eternity with Him in the Kingdom of God.
The Spirit of Truth
John 14:15-17 "If ye
love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the
Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that
he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of
truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth
him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he
dwelleth with you, and shall be in you."
Some people believe
that the Holy Spirit of God comes on us when we are
born again and accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and
Savior. While this is true to some extent, there is an
even more intense spiritual experience that we can
have. The Lord's Spirit will actually overshadow and
indwell us totally and completely if we invite Him
into our lives.
If we are born again
and sincere in our quest for truth, we can ask for the
baptism of the Holy Spirit of God. The Lord will
always honor our request and His very own Spirit will
take up residence in us, so that we can overcome the
world, our flesh and the devil. We may be given our
supernatural prayer language, so that we can
communicate with the Lord more directly.
We will eventually
receive Spiritual gifts and callings that enable us to
serve others in astonishing ways. The Lord administers
these Spiritual manifestations to those whom He can
trust to serve mankind. He may give us gifts of
healing and prophecy. To others, He may grant the
working of miracles. Still others receive revelation
for sharing with His people.
John 16:13 "Howbeit
when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide
you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself;
but whatsoever he shall hear, [that] shall he speak:
and he will shew you things to come."
It is possible for
us to have a direct connection with the divine.
Through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, we become one
with God. His Spirit permeates our very being, so that
we can hear clearly and directly from Him. The Holy
Spirit will reveal all that we need to know to be
effective and successful. He speaks the words of God,
so that we can readily understand them.
The Holy Spirit of
truth convicts us of sin and leads and guides us into
all righteousness. We must keep all of the
commandments and walk in love as we were taught. We
are actually temples of the Holy Spirit and we should
sanctify ourselves continually. The fruit of the
Spirit will begin to emerge in our lives, so that we
grow in godliness and develop in spiritual maturity.
Spiritual fruit will
permit us to better serve God and others. They will
greatly enhance our ability to be all that we can be
in service to our God. They are our link to the
supernatural and mirror the very attributes of God
Himself. They will subtly, but surely, transform our
behavior so that we can develop in holiness and
perfection, even as the Lord Himself is holy and
perfect.
We will have faith,
peace, hope and joy to strengthen us in our spiritual
journey. Goodness, meekness and gentleness will cause
us to be more sensitive to the needs of others.
Temperance and longsuffering will discipline us, so
that we have patience and endurance under all
situations. The Holy Spirit will even show us things
to come, so that we are prepared well in advance.
He is our Guide,
Counselor and Comforter. He will never leave us or
forsake us. He solves even the most complex problems
for us. He gives us the peace that passes
understanding and encourages us to develop in our
faith. We hear from the Lord through His Holy Spirit,
that bears witness with our very own spirit, and
teaches us all that we need to know about
righteousness.
Romans 8:16 "The
Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we
are the children of God:"
If the Holy Spirit
of God dwells in us, then we know that we are the very
sons and daughters of God. We were created in His
image and likeness for a specific purpose. The Lord
wants to fellowship with us for all of eternity and
provide for all our needs as He has promised us. We
will share in Christ's honor and glory, provided that
we also share in His ministry on the earth.
We have eternal
callings and divine destinies that are about to be
revealed. We will partner with the Lord Himself in
ushering in His Kingdom on the earth. We need not be
extraordinary in any way for God to use us. He will
provide all that we need to be successful in our
service to Him and to others. He will actually empower
us to walk in the supernatural in the days to come.
The Lord wants to
reach out to all mankind and show them His love, mercy
and compassion, and reconcile Himself to them, as He
has desired from the foundation of the world. He will
work through us to heal the sick, cast out demons and
even raise the dead back to life again. All that we
must do is be fully consecrated for His use and we
will impact the entire earth with His love.
Sanctified in the Truth
John 17:17-19
"Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I
also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I
sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified
through the truth."
Jesus Christ prayed
that we would be sanctified in God's truth and
consecrated for His holy purpose. If we crucify our
flesh and forego all worldly ambitions, we will be
suitable vessels for His anointing power to manifest
through us. We will receive a full impartation of
Christ's very own power and authority to do His work
on the earth in the days to come.
However, we must
continually renew our minds in the truth and walk in
the Spirit instead of the flesh. We should renounce
all sin and be quick to repent when we miss the mark
and fall short of God's glory. We ought to be
immediately responsive to the Lord's voice, and tune
out all distractions that would interfere with
ushering in the Kingdom of God.
If we pursue love,
peace and unity with fellow believers, we can
accomplish great things for the Lord and quickly and
expediently usher in the Kingdom of God, as we are
supposed to do. If there is strife and division in the
Body of Christ, we will not be effective. We should
walk in love and righteousness at all times and
diligently adhere to His Word.
Christ has
commissioned us to finish His earthly ministry where
He left off. He has promised us that we will do even
greater works than He did. We must release all men
from bondage to dead religion, and persuade them to
believe the Gospel of the Kingdom. We will set the
captives free and destroy all attempts of the enemy to
blind them to the truth.
Psalm 33:4-6 "For
the word of the LORD [is] right; and all his works
[are done] in truth. He loveth righteousness and
judgment: the earth is full of the goodness of the
Lord. By the word of the Lord were the heavens made;
and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth."
The Lord loves
righteousness and sound judgment. He desires that we
always walk in love and adhere to His commandments. He
wants us to be good and gentle with one another, and
reflect His glory all over the face of the earth. With
mighty words, He created the entire universe. We must
be very careful that our words line up with His very
own.
The Lord will
eventually reveal our eternal callings and divine
destinies to us. He desires to partner with His people
in redeeming all of mankind. He will assign us to do
the works that Jesus did on the earth, as we usher in
the Kingdom of God. We will preach the Gospel message,
heal the sick, cast out demons of all types and raise
the dead back to life again.
Our very words will
mirror the authority of God Himself. They will be
awesome powerhouses that speak life and light to the
entire world. With words, we will set men free for all
eternity, and with words we will bind all the enemy's
attempts to wreak havoc with God's people. We will
rebuke sickness, death and oppression and release
blessings to all of mankind.
World governments
will be restructured and reorganized to line up with
Kingdom principles of righteousness and justice for
all men. We will speak peace and order on the earth
and prepare the way for the Kingdom of God. We will
restore all creation back to its original beauty and
balance and take dominion over the climate, plants and
animals.
We will not have to
be ordained by men to fulfill our divine destinies, as
we should in the days to come. The Lord will confer
His very own anointing power and authority on us to do
good. We will overcome all evil by the power of God
that works in us and through us. If we are totally
sanctified in the truth as Jesus Christ was, then we
will revolutionize the earth.
Putting on the Incorruptible
John 3:5-6 "Jesus
answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a
man be born of water and [of] the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God. That which is born of
the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit."
It is a basic tenet
of our faith that we must be born again and baptized
in order to enter into the Kingdom of God and have
eternal life. Christ showed us, by example, that we
must be baptized with water and in the Holy Spirit
just as He was during His public ministry. We now
realize that we are spirit beings having a temporary
human experience on this earth as Jesus did.
We are human in very
way, yet we walk in the Holy Spirit of God Himself. We
exhibit divine attributes as we go deeper in our
relationship with the Lord and acquire Spiritual fruit
in our lives. We are living temples of the Holy
Spirit. God works in us and through us to minister to
others. We are His ambassadors on the earth and reach
out in compassion to all mankind.
While we are elect
and chosen of God for eternal destinies, we still
cannot neglect our personal sanctification. We should
purposely lay down all that defiles us and interferes
with our service. We cannot be both worldly and
spiritually minded. We must control our carnality and
forego all selfish, personal agendas in favor of the
Lord's eternal redemption plan.
We have important
roles to fulfill in the critical days that lie ahead,
and we can't be insubordinate in any way. We will have
to be perfectly obedient to the Lord's guidance and
direction and move when and how He tells us. Christ is
the Head, and we are His Body in this world; we must
operate as one powerful unit and take back the entire
earth for the Kingdom of God.
Nothing that we do
will be done in our own strength. Everything will be
accomplished in the spirit realm. We will perform
miraculous feats through the operation of the Holy
Spirit of God that works through us. The anointing of
Jesus Christ Himself will empower us to evangelize the
whole world and destroy all demonic strongholds that
have kept mankind in bondage.
1Corinthians
15:50-53 "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth
corruption inherit incorruption. Behold, I shew you a
mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be
changed, In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at
the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the
dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on
incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on
immortality."
If we are in the
flesh instead of our spirit, we will never enter into
the Kingdom of God. God Himself is Spirit and all who
dwell with Him will put their spirit man in ascendancy
to their flesh and soul. We must crucify our flesh and
walk in the Holy Spirit in order to enter God's
Kingdom.
We cannot be carnal
or worldly in any way if we wish to spend all of
eternity with our Creator. The Lord is holy and
perfect and He cannot relate to us if we are
contaminated by our flesh and souls. We must fully
sanctify ourselves at all times and repent and
renounce all our sinfulness.
So too, our fleshly
bodies that are corruptible and subject to disease,
decay and death will have to be changed to be like
Christ's very own resurrection body. We are promised
that our redemption will be complete when He returns.
We will all be changed in the twinkling of an eye.
Our new, glorious,
resurrection bodies will live forever, impervious to
disease and death. We will be perpetually young and
vigorous, and serve the Lord with vitality and
strength. Even the dead in Christ will be raised to
put on new imperishable bodies, so that they can enjoy
eternal life.
We will see our Lord
and Savior, Jesus Christ, face-to-face and be like Him
in every way. He will boast of us to all creation and
we will share in His very own honor and glory. All men
will look up to us, as we judge both men and angels
and rule and reign with Christ Himself for all
eternity.
Walking in the Light
1John 1:6-7 "If we
say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: But if we walk
in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin."
Christ lives in us;
we know what constitutes righteousness. It will be
vital that we walk in love and unity with others of
like precious faith and commitment to the Lord. We can
accomplish a great deal more if we work cooperatively.
Our attitudes and behavior must be beyond reproach in
these last days. We will be living examples of the
power and glory of God at work in our own lives and
godly role models for others, if we walk in unselfish
love as we are commanded.
The Holy Spirit will
take leave of unclean vessels. We cannot be both
spiritually minded and worldly in our thinking. We
have to sacrifice all, to get all that the Lord has
for us. We have eternal destinies that will play out
in the days ahead; there are serious ramifications to
our being willing and obedient to the Lord's purposes
for us. We must make the critical choice to follow our
God at all costs, knowing that we will have a generous
reward for our faithfulness.
We must continue to
cleanse ourselves of all defilement on a regular
basis, and dedicate ourselves to the Lord's eternal
redemption plan. We will be entrusted with His
anointing power, and that requires our total
consecration to His purpose. If we sin and fall short
of God's glory, we must be quick to repent and turn
from our sin back to righteousness again. The Blood of
Christ will continue to cleanse and perfect us, until
He returns to receive His eternal Kingdom from us.
Ephesians 5:6-8 "Let
no man deceive you with vain words: for because of
these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children
of disobedience. Be not ye therefore partakers with
them. For ye were sometimes darkness, but now [are ye]
light in the Lord: walk as children of light:"
We were once all
lost in sin and darkness due to our disobedience. We
followed men of ill repute into perdition and risked
spiritual destruction for our foolishness. However,
when we were born again and saved from all our sins,
we came to the light of the Lord. We now know the
truth, and we have been set free for all eternity. We
are the children of light.
The Lord desires
that we become spiritually mature and strive for
holiness and perfection. We must continue to lay down
our fleshly desires and forego our personal soul
ambitions in favor of His plan and purpose for us. We
have a covenant of peace with God, and if our hearts
do not condemn us, we can assume we are deemed
righteous before Him.
The Holy Spirit will
convict us of all sin and lead and guide us into the
truth if we give Him full sway in our lives. We can
walk in the Spirit instead of our flesh and soul, and
be suitable vessels for the anointing power and
authority of God to operate through us. However, we
must make a concerted effort to remain righteous and
sanctified for the Lord's purpose.
There is no excuse
for us to be confused or led astray by false doctrines
ever again. We know the truth, and the Holy Spirit of
God confirms it. We are responsible to walk in the
light that we have and share the truth with others in
love and humility. It is not the Lord's desire that
any man should perish. We must preach the Gospel of
the Kingdom over the entire earth.
We will gather in
the full end-time harvest of souls and set many free
in the truth. They will no longer be in bondage to
religious rules and regulations. We will teach them
how to worship the Lord in Spirit and in truth, as He
desires. Countless numbers will come to know the Lord
and enter into His Kingdom. His laws will be written
in our minds and hearts for all time.
Psalm 25:8-10 "Good
and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach
sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in
judgment: and the meek will he teach his way. All the
paths of the LORD [are] mercy and truth unto such as
keep his covenant and his testimonies."
We are obligated to
share our faith with others, as the Lord directs us
and arranges our contacts in the days ahead. We are to
be actively engaged in bringing in the full end-time
harvest of souls that is necessary to usher in the
Kingdom of God. Our lives should be living testimonies
to the power of God at work in us, so that men will
turn to the truth and be saved.
It is critical that
we persuade all men to reconcile with God. It is His
greatest desire that they will come to repentance and
be saved through their faith in Jesus Christ. We
should demonstrate His love, mercy and compassion
without compromising His moral absolutes in any way.
Our job is to plant the seed of truth and let the Holy
Spirit convict them of their sin.
We should never
criticize others for their failings. We all fall short
of the glory of God and miss the mark. Were it not for
the atonement of Jesus Christ, none of us would be
saved from our sins. As it is, the Lord desires that
all mankind have an opportunity to repent and be
converted to the truth. We should patiently, yet
diligently, share the Gospel of the Kingdom.
The Lord desires
that we remain meek and humble, sincere and contrite
in heart at all times. We should never flaunt our
faith or beat others up for their sin. God is
consummate love and those who walk in His ways are
loving and kind to others. We will win more people to
the Lord with our righteous example than by scolding
or threatening them with punishment.
The Chosen Ones
Deuteronomy 7:6 "For
thou [art] an holy people unto the LORD thy God: the
LORD thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people
unto himself, above all people that [are] upon the
face of the earth."
The Lord has called
us from the beginning of time to be His family and to
enjoy a close, intimate relationship with Him. It is
His deepest desire that all men come to a full
knowledge of the truth and embrace Him as their God.
He desires our fellowship and righteousness more than
anything else. There is but one God and He deserves
all our deference and respect; we owe Him our
heart-felt devotion, all of our gratitude, honor and
praise. He delights in the sincere praises and
attention of His people.
Our God wants to be
our Father and Provider for all of eternity. He will
generously supply all of our needs from the vast
resources that the universe has to offer us. We will
enjoy peace and prosperity, safety and security,
health and longevity for all of eternity. There will
be no more oppression and exploitation; no man will
defile us with lies that threaten our salvation. We
will know the truth and walk in love and righteousness
with others as we have been taught to do.
The Kingdom of God
promises to be the answer to all of our prayers. The
Lord will actually dwell with us as He has promised.
He will provide all that we need, both spiritually and
temporally, and fellowship intimately with us, as He
planned from the very foundation of the world. Dead
religion will one day be a thing of the past and
replaced with personal relationship, as the Lord
intends. We will not be defiled or enslaved by the
artifice of religion any longer. We will be free to
love and be loved by God.
John 15:16 "Ye have
not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained
you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and
[that] your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye
shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it
you."
We are not estranged
from our God in any way. We are not bound by religious
expectations or held in spiritual bondage of any type.
We were created in the very image and likeness of God
and have divine attributes like His very own. We are
the Body of the Lord, Jesus Christ, and we walk as He
walked on the earth. We have perfect liberty and full
spiritual authority over all things.
We have eternal
callings and divine destinies as the sons of God. The
Lord has granted us the distinct privilege of ushering
in the Kingdom of God and drawing all men to the
truth. In the days to come, we will preach the Gospel
and bring in the full end-time harvest of souls that
is required before heaven is ushered in. We will
minister to the sick and dying and set men free of
oppression.
We will reorganize
all human governments to align with Kingdom principles
of fairness and justice for all. We will restore peace
to the earth and prepare the way for Jesus Christ to
return to rule and reign in His Kingdom. Whatever we
need to accomplish the tasks that the Lord assigns us
to do will be given to us. We will have legions of
ministering angels that back us up in all that we do.
We will be revealed
to all of creation as the sons and daughters of God,
so that we can set it free from satanic turmoil, death
and decadence. We will speak to nature and regulate
the climate, so that it is temperate and conducive to
life in all forms. There will be no more natural
disasters that threaten us. The plant and animal
kingdoms will be recreated to be in harmony with man.
We can ask anything
in Jesus' name and the Lord will give it to us. He
will supply all our needs in abundance, so that we
fulfill our divine destinies and implement His eternal
redemption plan. Nothing will be impossible for the
Body of Christ as we usher in the Kingdom of God. We
will tear down all demonic strongholds that interfere
with us and take dominion over the entire earth.
The Anointing Brings Freedom
Luke 4:18 "The
Spirit of the Lord [is] upon me, because he hath
anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath
sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach
deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight
to the blind, to set at liberty them that are
bruised,"
Jesus Christ came to
this earth as a mere man, but He was anointed of God
above all others to serve the Lord and His people. He
preached the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, healed the
sick, cast out demons of all types and even raised the
dead back to life. He set all captives free, so that
they could enjoy life in abundance as He had promised
them.
The very same
anointing that was on Jesus is available to the Body
of Christ today. We need only sanctify ourselves, so
that we can be suitable vessels for His power to
manifest through us for the benefit of others. We have
been given a divine commission by Christ Himself to
set men free of all forms of oppression that bind them
in weakness.
We cannot do
anything in our own strength. However, through the
operation of the Holy Spirit of God at work in us and
through us, we can accomplish great feats. We will do
the work of Jesus Himself and have the same
astonishing results. We will heal the sick, cast out
demons and raise the dead, so that they can enter the
Kingdom of God with us.
Nothing will be
impossible to us if we are functioning in our
delegated, divine power and authority. We will destroy
all demonic strongholds that would interfere with
heaven coming to the earth. We will reorganize world
governments, so that peace and order prevail on the
earth. We will restore all of creation and establish
balance in nature again.
Isaiah 10:27 "And it
shall come to pass in that day, [that] his burden
shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his
yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be
destroyed because of the anointing."
The anointing of
Jesus Christ removes burdens and destroys yokes. We
are to set men free in the truth and deliver them from
every form of oppression and bondage. If we sanctify
ourselves totally and completely, we will walk as
Christ Himself walked on the earth and have a full
measure of His very own anointing power and authority
to do good wherever we go.
Christ has promised
us that we will do the works that He did on the earth,
and even greater works, since He has gone to be with
the Father. He will imbue us with awesome power to
change the earth and everything in it to line up with
Kingdom principles of righteousness, fairness and
justice for all. We will ultimately set men free of
all sorts of oppression and exploitation.
There will be no
bondage of any kind that remains to hurt God's people.
We will be liberated from all that has kept us in
fear, weakness and sin. The Gospel of Jesus Christ
will be preached everywhere, so that all men can be
set free in the truth. Men, women and children from
every nation will be gathered in to the Kingdom of God
in unprecedented numbers.
Isaiah 58:6 "[Is]
not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the
bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to
let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every
yoke?"
There will be no
more legalistic rules and regulations that keep men in
bondage and fear of damnation. False doctrines will
soon be a thing of the past. The enemy will no longer
blind men to the truth. We have been set free through
our faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement on our
behalf. Christ has destroyed all yokes and removed all
burdens far from His people.
We will obliterate
all forms of Babylonian religion and loosen the bonds
that keep men in exacting servitude. False teachers
will be exposed as the charlatans that they really
are. They will no longer seduce men with heretical
doctrines that enslave them in lies and sin. The Body
of Christ will lead men into the truth and overcome
all barriers that separate them from God.
The anointing will
be available to us, so that we are successful in all
that the Lord assigns us to do. We will preach the
Gospel of the Kingdom in all its power, and cause many
to repent and be baptized in our faith. We will heal
the sick and cast out demons of all kinds. We will
even raise the dead back to life again and demonstrate
the Lord's love, mercy and compassion.
There will soon be
peace and order established on the earth that can
never be disturbed ever again. The Kingdom of God will
be ushered in with awesome power that overcomes all
forms of evil with good. Men will soon be able to
enjoy the freedom for which they were created. They
will be able to fellowship with God for all of
eternity as His very own sons and daughters.
Released From Bondage
Acts 14:22
"Confirming the souls of the disciples, [and]
exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that we
must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom
of God."
There is no way to
enter into the Kingdom of God except through much
tribulation. We will have to take total dominion over
the enemy and all of his attempts to interfere with us
or impede our progress in ushering in God's Kingdom.
He will not willingly acquiesce to our demands. We
will have to bind him in all of his efforts and cast
him out of our affairs once and for all. He must
concede to our authority because we have it conferred
on us by Christ Himself.
All of heaven will
back us up in our stand to take back the earth and
everything in it for the Lord, Jesus Christ. We will
have legions of angels to assist us, as we preach the
Gospel and evangelize the full numbers of souls that
must be gathered in. So too, the Body of Christ will
take control of all world governments, so that men
everywhere are free of fear, oppression and
exploitation. There will finally be peace and order on
the earth, as the Lord desires.
We will prepare the
entire planet for Christ's righteous rule and reign
for all of eternity. All evil will soon be abolished
and punished in the lake of fire. The creation itself
will be restored to its original beauty and balance.
We will take dominion over all the plants and animals
and even regulate the climate, so that there are no
more natural disasters that threaten mankind ever
again. Life in the Kingdom of God will be a veritable
paradise for both God and man to enjoy.
Isaiah 14:3 "And it
shall come to pass in the day that the LORD shall give
thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from
the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve,"
The enemy of our
souls will no longer torment us or tempt us to abandon
our faith. He will soon be vanquished to the
bottomless pit by Christ Himself. We will finally be
set free of all doctrines of demons that have
threatened our salvation. There will be no more
artificial barriers between man and God. We will be
privileged to see our Lord face-to-face, as He is. We
will be like Him in every way and share in His very
own honor and glory.
Very soon now,
heaven will come to the earth and we will rest from
all of our labors for all of eternity, as we have been
promised. We will not be in bondage to anyone, nor
subject to religious domination of any type. We will
no longer have to teach men about the Lord. All those
who dwell in the Kingdom will know Him and have His
laws written in their minds and hearts. All men will
eventually walk in love or be excluded from the
Kingdom.
We will not remember
the pain and suffering we experienced for our faith.
The Lord will blot out all unpleasant memories from
our minds. We will have joy and gladness and enjoy
peace and prosperity. There will be righteousness and
love in God's Kingdom and all men will thrive in His
presence. We will have a personal relationship with
our God that is ongoing and intimate. He will boast of
us to all creation as His very own children.
Romans 8:15 "For ye
have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear;
but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby
we cry, Abba, Father."
We are sons and
daughters of the living God. We will spend all of
eternity in His loving presence. He will provide all
of our needs in abundance from all the vast resources
that the universe has to offer. We will be blessed
beyond our wildest dreams and give the Lord all the
honor, thanks and praise that He deserves. No one will
have to persuade us to worship the Lord and obey His
laws. We will all be righteous and walk in love, as we
were taught.
The people of God
will enjoy perpetual blessings for their faithfulness.
They will join with angelic hosts in praising God for
all eternity. He has made wonderful provisions for His
children. The Kingdom promises us peace and
prosperity, joy and gladness, health and longevity,
love and unity. We will experience only good things in
the actual presence of our God.
Nothing that defiles
or oppresses God's people will ever enter into the
Kingdom of God. Jesus Christ will destroy all the
ungodly and their ungodliness in the wrath of His
coming. He has vengeance in His heart for all that has
been done to hurt and confuse us. He will rule with a
rod of iron to make certain that no evil harms us in
any way. We will live free of fear and molestation all
the days of our lives and share in His very own honor
and glory.
True Christian Liberty
John 8:36 "If the
Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed."
Christ has redeemed
us from the curse of the law and all forms of
Babylonian false religious systems. We now know the
truth; we enjoy true Christian liberty. As long as we
follow all of the Lord's commandments to us and walk
in love, we are deemed righteous in His eyes and
eligible to receive eternal life and all of its many
blessings.
Loving God should
not be painful or burdensome to us; He is not to be
feared or dreaded. He loves us with a deep, abiding
love and has a perfect plan in mind for our eternal
well-being. He is bringing heaven to the earth realm,
so that all men who believe in Him and His Son, Jesus
Christ, can dwell in love and unity with Him for all
time.
The Gospel will be
preached around the world, so that all men have an
opportunity to hear the truth. Everyone whose name is
written in the Lamb's Book of Life will enter into the
Kingdom of God. The Lord knows who His beloved are,
and He will not be satisfied until all who love and
serve Him are gathered in to His Kingdom.
Galatians 5:1 "Stand
fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath
made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke
of bondage."
We have had adequate
warning. We should not become enslaved by idolatry,
humanism or dead religion ever again. We now know the
truth that sets us free for all time. Christ died and
was risen from the dead, so that all men might have
eternal life and dwell in the presence of God in His
everlasting Kingdom. We possess true Christian liberty
and are heirs to great blessings.
As long as we walk
in love and keep all the Lord's commandments to us, we
remain righteous in His eyes and enjoy an intimate
relationship with Him. We can approach the throne of
grace with every need and be certain that everything
we require will be given to us. We should seek the
Lord for His guidance and direction, so that we can
properly serve Him in the days to come.
We have eternal
callings and divine destinies that must be fulfilled
before the Kingdom of God is ushered in. We must
complete Christ's ministry on the earth as He has
commissioned us to do. We will actively demonstrate
the love, mercy and compassion of God to the entire
world. Men everywhere will be touched and positively
impacted by our humble service and discipleship.
Very soon now,
heaven will come to the earth, and we must prepare
ourselves. We will be kings and priests of our God and
rule and reign with Christ for all eternity. We will
be leaders of all men. We cannot be caught up in
anything that defiles us; all evil will be rooted out
of God's Kingdom. We should worship the Lord in Spirit
and in truth and adhere to sound doctrine.
Deuteronomy 4:2 "Ye
shall not add unto the word which I command you,
neither shall ye diminish [ought] from it, that ye may
keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I
command you."
It is critical that
we spend time in the Word of God and consult the Bible
as our final authority in all matters. Everything that
we are taught must line up with the truth. We have
discernment by the power of the Holy Spirit. We should
seek the Lord's guidance and direction, rather than
the tutelage of men. We have a responsibility to
believe the one true faith, and it alone.
The people of God
must follow all the commandments and walk in love so
that we are continually righteous and eligible to
enter into the Kingdom of God. We must share the truth
accurately with others, so that they have an
opportunity to repent, be saved and baptized in our
faith. We cannot add to the Word of God or subtract
from it; its integrity must be maintained at all
times.
We should expose
false teachers and destroy all attempts of the enemy
to hold us in religious bondage of any kind. All the
ungodly and their ungodliness will be destroyed in the
wrath of Christ's coming, and be eradicated from the
face of the earth. Our captivity will be turned once
and for all, and we should give the Lord all the
thanks, praise and glory that He rightly deserves.
The Lord has a
genuine love for His people and He will not be
satisfied until He can demonstrate that to them on an
intimate, ongoing basis in the Kingdom of God. He has
a great and wonderful redemption plan in mind that
will soon be implemented. He will provide all of our
needs even before we ask Him. He will soon take up
residence with us and be our God for all of eternity.
Religion vs. Relationship
1Timothy 6:12 "Fight
the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a
good profession before many witnesses."
We should teach
others the unadulterated truth. God loves them and
desires that they be born again and saved unto eternal
life. They must accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
and be baptized in water and the Holy Spirit. They
cannot be saved without turning towards the truth of
the Gospel message. It is purposely simple and basic
for their complete understanding.
There is no other
God but the God of the Bible, and His Son, Jesus
Christ. To dispute otherwise is not only foolish, but
a waste of time and energy. The truth speaks for
itself. We should avoid all senseless controversies
over pagan deities, man-made idols and human
traditions. These are moot points, since we already
know the truth that has set us free for all time.
We should focus our
attention on the one true God - a God of power and
love, righteousness and peace, justice and judgment.
Our faith should be an actual way of life for us, not
just a Sunday morning experience. We should worship
the Lord in Spirit and in truth, all day every day. He
must always be the center of our attention, and not
simply an after-thought.
Romans 5:1
"Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace
with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:"
The Lord is not
interested in religion; He desires relationship. He
wants a people that are truly loving and respectful.
We were created in His image and likeness and we
cannot ignore our spirituality and be fully alive. We
should get back to the basics of our faith and seek a
personal relationship with God. We must learn to be
genuine, innocent, pure, humble and contrite in heart.
God desires a people
that relate to Him with no interference of any kind.
He knows and accepts us as we are and personally
reveals His character and attributes to us. None of us
is inherently worthy to fellowship with the Lord. The
Blood of Jesus Christ assures us that we can approach
the throne of grace at all times, regardless of who we
are or what we may have done in the past.
We are justified by
our faith in Christ and our right standing with God is
restored for all time. We are actually seated with
Christ in heavenly places. When the Lord sees us, it's
as if He sees Jesus Himself. We are His very own sons
and daughters, and can lay claim to great and precious
promises. He will never leave us or forsake us; He is
with us in everything that we do.
As believers, we
have inherited eternal life with a wonderful future
ahead of us in the Kingdom of God. The Lord will
supply all of our needs, both spiritual and temporal.
He will be a Father to us and actually dwell in our
presence, as He has promised. We will soon experience
peace and prosperity, safety and security, joy and
gladness, health and longevity for all of eternity.
James 1:27 "Pure
religion and undefiled before God and the Father is
this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their
affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the
world."
We are to be in the
world, but not of it. That means that we are to remain
unspotted and free of all worldly contamination. We
should be seekers of God rather than seekers of
pleasure. We should walk in love and be charitable
towards others. The Lord supplies all our needs in
abundance. He expects us to share our time, talents
and material possessions with those who lack the
blessings that we have. We are to be distribution
centers for God's resources to all men.
The law of love
requires that we put our faith into action and put God
first in our lives. We are to show Him all the
devotion, deference and respect that He deserves. It
also mandates that we treat others with love and
kindness, warmth and affection as befits the children
of God. We are to minister to the needs of others, as
we ourselves would hope to be treated. We should be
merciful and compassionate and pray for one another.
We should be patient in our dealings with others, and
forgive and forget any offense that is committed
against us.
We are obligated to
share our faith with all men. It is not God's will
that any man should perish for lack of knowledge of
the truth. Many are in bondage to sin and at risk of
eternal damnation. If we fail to share the Gospel with
them, we will be held responsible for their demise.
There is a full number of souls that must be brought
in during these end days; evangelization is our
primary obligation. Light always overcomes darkness
and the truth will win out over all enemy lies.
While we should
always fear and reverence the Lord, we must be very
careful that we do not turn others away from God by
making Him seem forbidding and unapproachable. The
Lord is not a distant and demanding God. He is a God,
first and foremost, of love. He is ever merciful and
compassionate to His people and sympathetic to their
plight. He is patiently waiting for all men to turn
towards Him and accept His love and forgiveness. It is
His greatest desire to reconcile Himself with us, as
He has planned from the foundation of the world.
1Corinthians 2:9-12
"But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the
things which God hath prepared for them that love him.
But God hath revealed [them] unto us by his Spirit:
for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep
things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a
man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so
the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of
God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the
world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might
know the things that are freely given to us of God."
The Lord has a
wonderful redemption plan in mind for His people. All
those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ, and walk
in righteousness and love will be gathered in to His
everlasting Kingdom. Very soon now, we will be
reunited with our God, as planned from the foundation
of the world. He will provide all of our needs and
actually dwell with us, when heaven itself is ushered
in to the earth realm.
The dead in Christ
will be raised again and we will all have new,
resurrection bodies that live forever free of disease
and death. We will build homes for our families and
enjoy all the bounty and beauty of the creation. No
man will attempt to manipulate and control us ever
again. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies
and make certain that we are free of fear, oppression
and exploitation.
We will share in
Christ's very own honor and glory as His Body and His
Bride. We will judge both men and angels and He will
boast of us to all creation. We will rule and reign
with Christ and enforce Kingdom principles of fairness
and justice for all men. Nothing that is defiling will
ever harm or disturb us again. All evil will be
punished in the lake of fire and Satan will be bound
in the bottomless pit.
There will be peace
and prosperity, safety and security, joy and gladness
for all of God's people in the Kingdom of God.
Everyone will be righteous and loving; His laws will
be written in our minds and in our hearts. We will
keep all of His sabbaths and celebrate all His feast
days, as He desires. We will praise the Lord and give
Him honor and glory, with no barrier separating our
God from His people.
Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth
John 4:23-24 "But
the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for
the Father seeketh such to worship him. God [is] a
Spirit: and they that worship him must worship [him]
in spirit and in truth."
Those who are
sincere seekers of the truth will come to full
awareness and worship the Almighty in Spirit and in
truth in everything that they do. They will not be
seduced by false doctrines that water down the Gospel
message and attempt to change the Lord into a God of
their own making. They will accept Him as He is, in
all His power and glory, and continually acknowledge
His presence in their lives as more important than
anything else.
The Lord is a
jealous God and He desires that we put Him before
anyone or anything else. We cannot have false gods or
worldly idols that distract us from our relationship
with Him. If we continually seek the Kingdom of God
and all its righteousness, the Lord will supply all
that we require in abundance. We will not have to make
our own way, or provide for our own needs. Our
heavenly Father has all the resources of the universe
stored up for us.
We should be
involved in continual, reverent worship of the Lord.
As we walk in righteousness and godliness and seek to
serve Him and others with all our hearts, we will
please Him with all that we think, say and do. We will
dedicate ourselves to His holy purpose and present our
bodies as living sacrifices for His eternal redemption
plan. We will be consecrated for our divine destinies
and walk in the very power and glory of God Himself.
The Lord will be
with us in all that we are called to do. He will
assign legions of ministering angels to back us up, so
that we are totally successful in ushering in the
Kingdom of God. He will confer His very own anointing
on us so that we can overcome the world, our flesh and
the devil in all that we do. We will take charge of
all human governments and realign them according to
His will. All of creation will respond to our words
and be in balance.
It will not be
necessary for us to follow men in our search for truth
in the days to come. The Lord Himself will lead us and
guide us by the power of His Holy Spirit. We will know
all that we need to know to properly serve our God and
worship Him as He desires. We will have an intimate
relationship with Him as our Father, and He will
provide all our needs as He has promised. He will
boast of us to all creation as His very own sons and
daughters.
Ephesians 4:6 "One
God and Father of all, who is above all, and through
all, and in you all."
Our heavenly Father
is not unapproachable as some may think. We are able
to relate to Him on a personal, ongoing basis. God
Himself dwells in us and we are temples of His very
own Spirit, created in His image and likeness. We come
from royal lineage if we have accepted Christ as our
Lord and Savior. We can enter the throne room of
heaven at any time and for any reason, and He will
always make time for us and accommodate all our needs.
The Lord desires a
people that relate to Him without the artifice of
religion. He is not a distant God that requires our
homage out of fear and dread. He desires our unabashed
love and willing devotion to Him. He does not want us
to worship out of obligation or constraint, as some
people believe. He wants intimacy with His people that
are called by His name, and He will settle for nothing
less than our full attention and sincere affection for
Him.
Very soon now,
heaven itself will be ushered into the earth realm, so
that there is no longer a separation between God and
man. The Lord desires that all men will come to the
truth and be reconciled with Him for all of eternity.
He will be sorely grieved if any soul is lost to
perdition. However, there will be some who continually
reject Him and His way of doing things. Sadly enough,
they will be lost for all time and remain on the
outside looking in.
Ezekiel 37:27 "My
tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be
their God, and they shall be my people."
The righteous will
shine with the light of Christ and be gathered
together to enter the Kingdom of God, as we have been
promised. Nothing and no one that defiles God or man
will ever trouble us again. Jesus Christ will rule
with a rod of iron to make certain that Kingdom
integrity is never violated in any way. There will be
peace and prosperity, safety and security, health and
longevity, joy and gladness for God's people for all
of eternity.
The Lord has plans
to come and take up residence with us in the Kingdom
of God. He will dwell in our very midst, as He has
always desired. He will relate to us intimately as His
sons and daughters and provide all of our needs in
abundance as He has promised. He will take an active
role in our lives and we will commune with Him
face-to-face. We must prepare ourselves for our future
and develop our personal relationship with God now. He
is eager and willing to embrace us as His very own
family.
When the full number
of all those whose names are written in the Lamb's
Book of Life has been called into the Kingdom of God,
the Lord will usher heaven into the earth realm as He
has promised us. Life will never be the same again.
There will be no artificial barriers that separate us
from Him. He will be a Father to us, as He has always
desired. We will be blessed beyond all our
expectations, and totally free to worship Him in
Spirit and in truth!
Topics for Discussion
1. The Spirit of Truth
2. Sanctified in the Truth
3. The Anointing Brings Freedom
4. Released From Bondage
5. True Christian Liberty
6. Religion vs. Relationship
7. Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth
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