Archive for the ‘disciples life’ Category

What a Wicked Person Can Expect from Life

Posted: May 24, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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“Indeed, the light of the wicked is snuffed out. The flame of his fire stops glowing. The light in his tent becomes dark, and the lamp above him is snuffed out. “His healthy stride is shortened, and his own planning trips him up.

His own feet get him tangled in a net as he walks around on its webbing. A trap catches his heel. A snare holds him. A rope is hidden on the ground for him. A trap is on his path to catch him.

“Terrors suddenly pounce on him from every side and chase him every step he takes.
Hunger undermines his strength. Disaster is waiting beside him. His skin is eaten away by disease. Death’s firstborn son eats away at the limbs of his body. He is dragged from the safety of his tent and marched off to the king of terrors.

Fire lives in his tent. Sulfur is scattered over his home. His roots dry up under him.

His branches wither over him. All memory about him will vanish from the earth, and his reputation will not be known on the street corner. He will be driven from the light into the dark and chased out of the world.

He will not have any children or descendants among his people or any survivor where he used to live. People in the west are shocked by what happens to him. People in the east are seized with horror. This is what happens to the homes of wicked people and to those who do not know God.” (Job 18:5-21)

Praise God there is hope In Christ Jesus for those who repent and turn their lives in submission to Him!!!

In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off]. (Gal 5:1)

We can not fight and win the battle against sin in our power!!!

And having been set free from sin, you have become the servants of righteousness (of conformity to the divine will in thought, purpose, and action). I am speaking in familiar human terms because of your natural limitations. For as you yielded your bodily members [and [a]faculties] as servants to impurity and ever increasing lawlessness, so now yield your bodily members [and [b]faculties] once for all as servants to righteousness (right being and doing) [which leads] to sanctification. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. But then what benefit (return) did you get from the things of which you are now ashamed? [None] for the end of those things is death. But now since you have been set free from sin and have become the slaves of God, you have your present reward in holiness and its end is eternal life. For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord. (Rom 6:18-23)

So many today struggle in their walk – they’ve attended conventions, conferences and Church meetings, tarried at the alters yet experience no freedom. This is what happens when a false and watered down Gospel based upon self is taught – It is void of Gods power.

To get into heaven, you have to REPENT of your sins and BELIEVE the gospel of Jesus Christ (Mark 1:15).

You have to REPENT of your sins–that means turn from them and BELIEVE that Jesus died for your sins, was buried, and rose again on the third day. Having done these things, you will be born again and the Lord Jesus Christ will help you to walk uprightly. You will read the word and follow the teachings of Jesus. The word of God will wash your mind and your desires will actually change as you obey what you read. [Beware for there are many false gospels in the world today].

God Hates Sin – So Should We

Posted: May 23, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Romans 5:12. God loved Adam and Eve and they enjoyed fellowship together. The sin Adam committed separated him – and all following generations – from God. After death entered God’s creation nothing has been the same. Since that original sin there has been a huge gulf between us and God. It is not humanly possible for us to bridge that gulf by ourselves and return to being in the presence of God. God hates sin because of that separation and had a plan to bridge that gap.

First, let’s understand what sin is. Sin is anything that is opposed to God’s ways. The Ten Commandments are a good summary and a place to start in understanding God’s ways. “Thou shalt not commit adultery”. Exodus 20:14. That’s easy enough to understand, but Jesus reveals even more of God’s ways “But I say unto you, that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart”. Matthew 5:28. The Book of Leviticus gives us a pretty good idea of what God expects of us, but read through the Sermon on the Mount and you will understand more. God gave us the Laws to follow in order to be able to be with Him. We all can understand the rules of a sports game and know that if we break one of those rules we get penalized. For instance, when I watch the Winter Olympics I see figure skaters. They do routines and I can’t see any flaw in what they do. But when the judges give points, what I thought was a beautiful performance has many points are taken away from it. Maybe their foot wobbled, or maybe a leg wasn’t high enough. We accept this, but many think that God is unfair. God gave us the facts and rules of the way to be with Him. God’s ways are perfect, but we rebel against Him and that is called sin. We think He doesn’t mind, but God does mind. God hates sin, and we push the limits.

We also need to know that sin is a choice. Yes, it is in our nature, but when Adam committed that sin so long ago it was a choice he made. God gave him everything and then gave him one rule. Just one. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Genesis 2:16. That seems easy enough. Then God did even more for Adam. He created Eve. Sometimes I try to imagine that time in history when Adam and his wife strolled around that Garden and had direct contact with God. What bliss that must have been. Well, we all know what happened. Satan lied, Eve bought into that lie, and Adam chose to sin. Yes, sin is a choice. The fellowship once enjoyed by God and His creation was broken. This is why sin is so repugnant to God.

I mentioned a plan that God had to bridge the gulf created by sin. What is that bridge? “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.” John 3:16. God hates sin, but He loves us. All it takes for us to move from death to life is belief in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus. There is no other way to be with God except for belief in Jesus Christ. “For God sent not his son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” John 3:17. Since Jesus Christ died on that cross, sin and death have been defeated and we are no longer under condemnation. What perfect love our Creator has for us! He entered His creation to give us the only way to salvation. Again, we have a choice. Either accept Him and gain eternal life, or choose to reject this gift and find eternal death. It is our choice.

“For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of god is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Romans 6:23. A wage is something you work for and earn. But a gift is freely given with no work on the part of the recipient. Jesus paid all of our sin-debt at the cross. He gave us the gift of eternal life. Why then do we still feel so dirty? We are all sinners but since the cross those of us who’ve placed our faith and trust in Jesus Christ as the one and only propitiation for the sin of the world are now seen by God as holy and righteous – fully justified – set apart from the rest of the world. His Ekklesia. The gift has to be accepted, and even though it is for everyone if a person chooses not to accept this gift they will be eternally lost.

Here’s the gist of what Jesus did on the cross, and I’m making this as simple as I can to get my point across. The Creator of the universe entered His creation and became a man – the man Jesus Christ. Yet He was still fully God. He took all sin from the beginning of time plus all the sin that would ever be committed in the future of mankind. He nailed those sins to the very cross that He occupied. “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost”. John 19:30. It is finished. Thank You, Jesus! He paid the full price for our sin when He died on that cross then rose in victory over death on the third day. Jesus Christ made the full payment required which put an end to any future need for another payment to be made. That being the case, why do we who have accepted Him as our propitiation still allow condemnation to wreak havoc in our lives? God hates sin, and so should we, but as believers in Christ we allow torment to steal our joy when we wallow self-condemnation. This doesn’t mean we have a free pass to keep sinning, but we have been forgiven. Our debt is paid. Through Jesus we have life eternal.

Many born again believers in Christ continue to hold fast to that old condemnation they had been used to before becoming a son of God. “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1. God hates sin, but through Christ Jesus we are no longer condemned. Let that sink in for a minute. We aren’t to walk after the flesh (worldly ways) but after the Spirit (Godly ways). We still sin, and often times beat ourselves up because of sins we commit. But God no longer condemns us. Jesus Christ bridged the gulf and once we accept His sacrifice we are forgiven.

Through my continued walk with Christ I’ve grown to hate sin, and yet I still sin. I know that my sisters and brothers in Christ also hate sin. But until we all learn to hate sin as God does sin will affect us. If you are trying to deal with sin and your attempts seem feeble, talk to Jesus. We are all in the same boat. When we do something we shouldn’t do it isn’t long before we’re convicted by the Holy Spirit to confess it and move on. Even if it happens over and over, Jesus still paid the full price. Here’s what to do whenever you stumble and fall. Go to 1 John 1:9 and read this verse over and over again until you have it memorized “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9. John is speaking to the brethren here and admonishing them (and us) to confess all sin before God who, as a matter of fact, has already cleansed us from all unrighteousness. There is no priest or saint needed for intercession. Jesus is our intercessor and He is all we need. Basically, John through the Holy Spirit is giving every born again believer in Christ a way to get relief because of the conviction they are going through. This simple but precious verse is the believer’s bar of soap.

Until we are at last free of these sin-riddled bodies the enemy will continue to entice us and then condemn us when we fail. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:23. This is a fact. We all sin and will continue to do so this side of Heaven. Why do we allow the enemy to fill us with thoughts of condemnation when God tells us there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (see Romans 8:1 above)? Do you believe our Creator God hates sin but loves us so much that He died for us and gave us everlasting life? Then live for Him who saved you. We’re forgiven of our sins simply by believing in what God did on the Cross of Calvary. For God, that forgiveness was not enough so He followed it up with the seal. What seal? He seals His Holy Spirit inside each of us who become His children. “…in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise,” Ephesians 1:13.

If all that wasn’t enough He gave us His Word, and in His Word He makes it plain that nothing can ever remove us from His hands “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.” John 10:28-29. You cannot fool God by saying “I believe” but not truly believe it. If you truly have accepted Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection then you are sealed and nobody – not even you – can remove you. I don’t think I could possibly love Him more. Thank You, Jesus.

There are so many verses that confirm the fact that once we become sons of God we can never lose our sonship. So, the question is why do we allow the enemy to condemn us? Paul also makes it clear how secure we are in God’s hands “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:38-39. Absolutely nothing can separate us from the love of God.

Are you secure in your faith? Studying the Bible will strengthen your faith and you’ll come to the realization that your security in Christ will never fail. Neglect or disregard for the word of God will only weaken your faith. I know there are many born again believers in Christ who neglect Bible study. God’s word tells God’s heart. We aren’t left to imagine what may or may not be a sin. God hasn’t changed, so we don’t have to try to figure out if a sin in Moses’ day is still a sin in our modern age. Yes, it is still sin and God hates it. Many begin to feel like failures in their walk with the Lord, but Jesus bridged that gulf. But be sure to re-read 1 John 1:9.

Believers in Christ need to understand how much God hates sin. He gave His life to bridge the gulf created by sin. We are of Christ and our lives belong to Him. We need to move closer to Him and further from the world that Satan owns. This evil creature lied to Eve and immortality was lost. As Christian’s we need to look and act like Jesus and not look like and act the world. We need to hate sin as God does. We shouldn’t allow the enemy to have such influence over us since God is all powerful and He gives His children power to withstand the enemy. Use the power! Put it to work in your life. Get back on track and get out there and be a witness for the Kingdom of Heaven. God expects it, don’t let Him down.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

“Tickle Our Ears, Please!”

Posted: May 22, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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As in Paul’s day, many today flock to listen to false grace teachers who will tell them what they want to hear, just as Paul predicted:

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths (2 Tim. 4:3-4).

Clearly, the time which Paul said will come has arrived. People naturally love to hear the message of God’s wonderful love and grace, how their sin has been dealt with by Jesus, how salvation is a free gift, and how it is received by faith and not earned by works, all of which are true. But this is where God’s grace begins to be modified.

Today we are told that repentance is only a change of mind that may result in no change of actions. People can believe in Jesus and continue practicing sin. They can be born again and never give any outward indication of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling. Christians can be adulterers and fornicators, and we certainly don’t want to judge them because we don’t know their hearts. Those who maintain that heaven is only for the holy are legalists. Faith without works can save. Those who don’t do God’s will are still heaven-bound as long as they’ve made a verbal profession of faith in Christ. If a person has faith for one minute of his life, he is eternally secure, regardless of whether he abandons his faith, becomes an atheist, and returns to a life of immorality. Many true Christians are indistinguishable from non-Christians, placed in a special category of believers called “carnal Christians.”

These and many lies like them are being propagated to millions of unsuspecting people. Consider the following quotations from some of the most popular teachers in the church today, people whose names are household words in modern Christian circles:

Shortly after that campaign was held, the evangelist that led him to Christ defected from the faith. His family was broken apart. He wandered across the United States like an animal, finally died a drunkard in the gutter of South Chicago….If you have trusted the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are still a child of God. You may deny Him, but He will never deny you.

Is this true? Jesus said, “But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny him before My Father who is in heaven” (Matt. 10:33). Additionally, Paul wrote that no drunkard will inherit God’s kingdom (see 1 Cor. 6:9-10).

We are saved because at a moment in time we expressed faith in our enduring Lord….Even if a believer for all practical purposes becomes an unbeliever, his salvation is not in jeopardy.

Are we eternally secure in our salvation if we believe for just “a moment in time”? Is that what Jesus meant for us to believe when He said, “He who has believed…shall be saved” (Mark 16:16)? If so, then we must also conclude that if we disbelieve for a moment in time, then our damnation is eternally sealed, because Jesus went on to say, “He who has disbelieved shall be condemned” (Mark 16:16).

This same popular grace teacher, desperate to mold Scripture to accommodate his theology, has actually turned hell into heaven:

Where is this place represented by the “outer darkness” in Jesus’ parables? To be in the “outer darkness” is to be in the kingdom of God but outside the circle of men and women whose faithfulness on this earth earned them a special rank or position of authority.

The “outer darkness” represents not so much an actual place as it does a sphere of influence and privilege. It is not a geographical area in the kingdom where certain men and women are consigned to stay. It is simply a figure of speech describing their low rank or status in God’s kingdom (emphasis his).

Amazingly, this teacher also wants us to believe that “gnashing of teeth”….“does not symbolize pain as many have thought.” Rather, it is symbolic for the frustration unfaithful believers will feel in heaven when they realize the rewards they could have earned by earthly obedience:

Just as those who are found faithful will rejoice, so those who suffer loss will weep. As some are celebrated for their faithfulness, others will gnash their teeth in frustration over their own short-sightedness and greed.

We do not know how long this time of rejoicing and sorrow will last. Those whose works are burned will not weep and gnash their teeth for eternity.

Is this all true? When Jesus spoke of the “outer darkness,” was He speaking of a place in heaven where unfaithful and greedy Christians will temporarily weep and gnash their teeth out of regret for the rewards they could have earned for themselves? For the obvious answer, see Matt. 8:10-12; 13:24-30, 36-43; 24:42-51; 25:14-30; Luke 13:22-28. And will there be any greedy people in heaven? See 1 Cor. 6:9-10; Eph. 5:3-6.

It is amazing how far some teachers will go to make allowance for Christians to practice grievous sins and still make it into heaven. In reference to Paul’s warning that those who practice the works of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God, one popular radio preacher says:

Inheriting the kingdom has to deal with the bonuses that you get in the kingdom. It’s not the same as entering the kingdom. So unless you distinguish between inheriting and entering, you’ll think you’re not gonna get in the kingdom because of these problems [notice he doesn’t even call them sins]. But you can lose benefits from the kingdom because of them.

Is this true? Compare 1 Cor. 6:9-10 with 1 Cor. 15:50-54 and Jesus’ words in Matt. 25:34-41.

While Jesus and Paul both stated that adulterers and fornicators will not gain heaven, one very influential television minister says:

But Christians may still lose rewards in heaven. Indeed, we can only wonder what some Christians will feel like and experience on that day when they lose those heavenly rewards because of the spiritually numbing and other consequences of fornication or adultery while on earth. It will certainly be an infinitely poor exchange—losing eternal rewards in heaven for a few fleeting moments of sexual pleasure on earth (emphasis added).

Another long-standing radio minister is asked by a listener:

Q. I thought that I was born again when I was fifteen years old. I felt happy and secure in Christ. But over time, sin surely crept in, and I went the downward path. Three marriages, adultery, drinking. Was I born again?

A. The very fact that you were disturbed indicates to me that when you say you were born again at fifteen, you are accurate.

Is the test of authentic salvation a person’s guilt? See Romans 2:14-15 for the answer. Are adulterers and drunkards saved? I think you know the answer to that by now.

 

By Steve Servant

Possess Godly Character or the Anointing of God

Posted: May 12, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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I was reading a magazine article in a Christian Magazine.  This article was discussing the question– What is most important for a Christians to possess a godly character or the anointing of God?

Immediately I felt the Holy Spirit rise up within me and say, “You must have both.  You must possess godly character and the anointing.” “The anointing with no godly character brings shame to the Body of Christ.”  “There has been too many who have gone forth ministering in the Body of Christ who have not possessed both–a godly character and the anointing of God.”  “You must have both.”  “It is not meant to be one without the other.”

Saul

In 1Samuel 10:1 Samuel anointed Saul as ruler over Israel.

1Samuel 10:20-22 Thus Samuel brought all the tribes of Israel near, and the tribe of Benjamin was taken by lot. 21 Then he brought the tribe of Benjamin near by its families, and the Matrite family was taken. And Saul the son of Kish was taken; but when they looked for him, he could not be found. 22 Therefore they inquired further of the LORD, “Has the man come here yet?” So the LORD said, “Behold, he is hiding himself by the baggage.”

Saul began walking in his position as the anointed of God with the godly character trait of humbleness.  He was hiding himself by the baggage.

Saul already knew from the Lord that it was he who was anointed as King and ruler of Israel.   He was not exalting himself among the people and yelling “It’s me!!  I’m the anointed one!!!”  “Look over here at me; I’m the anointed one of God!!”  Saul humbly hid himself among the baggage.

Saul did not continue to walk in a godly character.  In 1 Samuel 13: 8-9 we find King Saul offering a burnt offering.  This violated what God had commanded him to do.  In 1Samuel 13:13 Samuel tells Saul because of his disobedience that the Lord had sought out another to appoint as ruler over His people.

In 1Samuel 15:9-11 we find Saul once again disobey God.  God spoke to Samuel that He regretted making Saul king because he had turned away from following Him and had not carried out His commands.  In 1Samuel 15:26 Samuel tells Saul that the Lord has rejected him from being king over Israel.

In 1Samuel 16:14 we find the last state of Saul — the Spirit of the LORD had departed from Saul.

Saul did not continue to walk in a godly character.  Because of his lack of possessing a godly character along with the anointing, God removed the One who anointed Saul – God removed the Holy Spirit from him.

Saul remained the one who was anointed to the position and title (we know this because David refers to Saul as “the anointed of God”), but the presence of the Holy Spirit was removed from him.  Saul kept his position and title until his death, the Holy Spirit’s presence which had dwelled with him was removed

We see this today in the Body of Christ.  There are those who because of faulty and flawed characters have had the presence of the Holy Spirit removed from them, their ministries and their churches.  They continue on in position and in a title but the Holy Spirit’s presence has been removed from them.

We see these (pastor, teacher, prophet, apostle and evangelist) still able to operate in their spiritual gift but the Holy Spirit’s presence has been removed from them.

God’s Word says that his gifts are given without repentance in Rom 11:29.

Romans 11:29 (KJV) For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance.

The Word in the Greek for repentance means IRREVOCABLE.

Irrevocable according to the dictionary means: not to be revoked or recalled; unable to be repealed or annulled;

Do you see that Saul’s call was irrevocable—he still continued on in the title and position of king until his death?   Even as he retained the call the dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit was removed from him.

Do you see that many in church today still operate in their spiritual gifts but the dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit has been removed from them?

David had seen Saul without the presence of the Holy Spirit dwelling with him.  I believe that is why David cried out to God “do not remove the Holy Spirit from me.”  He had seen the terrible state that it was to be in if you did not have the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.  David did not want to walk in title and position without the presence of the Holy Spirit.  I believe that is why he cried out to God “don’t remove the Holy Spirit from me.”

What a terrible position it truly is even this day – to walk in the spiritual gifts but have not the presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.

I personally sat under and served on staff with a pastor whom I knew lied and gossiped about his people. I often heard him at staff meetings speak critically, harshly and in ridicule of the people in this congregation.

The Word of God says we shall be known by our fruit.

Matthew 7:16-17 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? 17 “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad
tree bears bad fruit.

I was looking at the wrong fruit!!!  I was looking at the fruit of the spiritual gifts being in operation in this pastor’s life.  I was not looking at the fruit of his character that was pouring out of his heart. I mistakenly thought the fruit of the spiritual gift in operation through him at the altar verified the presence of the Holy Spirit and the approval of God upon this pastor.

As we saw with Saul, the gifts and call is irrevocable but the presence of the Holy Spirit can be and is removed.  Seeing spiritual gifts in operation does not verify that God’s presence is upon someone or that God has set His approval upon them.

Matthew 7:20-23 “So then, you will know them by their fruits. 21  “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. 22 “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ 23 “And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.’

God is saying clearly in this scripture that we are not to look upon the fruit of the spiritual gift operating in someone’s life.  They had these gifts in operation but God calls them “those who practice lawlessness.”  These did not walk in godly character and because they did not the presence of the Holy Spirit was taken from them.  How do I know this??

Because the Word says that He does not know them.  God knows all who have His Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit’s presence with them.

God is clearly saying we are to look for the fruit of a godly character.  Where there is the fruit of a godly character there will be also be the anointing of God.

God is clearly saying our fruit must be the fruit of a godly character!!!  God is clearly saying when we manifest the fruit of a godly character we will possess His anointing which comes through the dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

I understand now what the Holy Spirit meant when He said, “You can’t have one without the other.”  If you walk in the fruit of godly character you will possess the anointing through the dwelling presence of the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit said “Godly Character without the anointing has no power to change lives.”

I understand now what the Holy Spirit was saying.  The anointing is the presence of the Spirit in our lives and without the presence of the Spirit you do not have the effectual effective working power to see lives changed.  I understand now that when I walk in a godly character and manifest the fruit of that character, His Holy Spirit anointing will also be manifested in my life.

We are not to have one without the other!!!

David

In 1 Samuel 16: 1-13 we have the story of David’s anointing as king over Israel.  David is picked by God from among his brothers and anointed as king.

1Samuel 16:13  Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. And Samuel arose and went to Ramah.

When David was anointed as king of Israel the Holy Spirit came upon him mightily.  David now possessed the anointing of the Lord.  The presence of the Holy Spirit was with David from that day forward.  He went forth from that day to work mighty exploits in the name of the Lord; he did so through the presence of the Holy Spirit which was with Him.

We know from scripture that both Saul and David sinned against the Lord.  The Holy Spirit was not removed from David as He had been from Saul because David possessed the godly character of a repentant heart.  Saul when confronted with his sin made excuses and blamed others for his sin.  He did not take responsibility for his actions.  He did not come to true repentance.  He did not come to a repentance that was according to the will of God that leads to salvation.

2Corinthians 7:10  For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death.

David when confronted with his sin repented.  David was not a man after God’s own heart because he was sin free.  David was a man after God’s own heart because he came to repentance according to the will of God that led to salvation.  David walked in godly character and he manifested the good fruit of repentance.

The Holy Spirit and His presence remained with David.  David possessed both the qualities of a godly character and the anointing of the Lord.

When we sin we must have the godly character of repentance.  We must repent as David – without excuse, without blaming others for our sin, and by taking responsibility for our actions.  We must turn from our sin and turn to God.  We must move forward by bearing good fruit in keeping with our repentance.

Matthew 3:8 “Therefore bear fruit in keeping with repentance;

Luke 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits in keeping with repentance …

Act 26:20  but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance.

We are to perform deeds/ bear good fruit appropriate to repentance.

Where there is the fruit of a godly character there will be also be the anointing of God.

Balaam

Balaam walked with a faulty and flawed character.  He is an example of many in the body of Christ today who function in a title and position but possess a faulty and flawed character.

We find the story of Balaam in Numbers 22 – 25.  Balak the king of Moab sent the elders of his nation to Balaam with money to pay for his service of cursing Israel.  God told Balaam to not go with them, for He, God, has blessed Israel.  Balaam speaks correctly to the king’s emissaries that God has refused to let him go with them.

The king of Moab then sends to Balaam more numerous and more distinguished leaders with a promise of honoring him richly.

Here is where we begin to see the flaw in the character of Balaam.  He knew God’s word to him that he was not to go and that Israel was not to be cursed for He, God, had blessed them.  The character flaw we find in Balaam is love of honor and love of riches!!!

2Peter 2:15 forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness;

Balaam speaks three times the words God tells him to speak over the people Israel.

Numbers 23:5 says God put a word in Balaam’s mouth and Numbers 23: 16 says the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth.  We find the last time Balaam speaks for the king of Moab to be different.

Numbers 24:1-2  When Balaam saw that it pleased the LORD to bless Israel, he did not go as at other times to seek omens but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2  And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

I believe the two times Balaam spoke before that he was speaking out of his gift.  He did not speak these words by the anointing, which is the presence of the Holy Spirit with him.

The Holy Spirit’s presence was not with him until this third time and he did not seek omen as he had at the other times.

Balaam mixed the worship of God with pagan worship!!  The presence of the Holy Spirit was not with him until he did not seek to hear through omens.  Not only did Balaam possess the flawed character of love of honor and money, he also possessed the flawed character of mixing the worship of God with pagan worship.  His heart was not totally Gods!!

We can not be as Balaam and mix the worship of God.  We must worship Him and Him alone.  We must not have this flawed character.  Our hearts must totally belong to God andto Him alone.

We are going to look at the next example of Balaam’s actions that we often see in the church today.  He spoke the right words but his actions did not line up with those words!!!

Numbers 24:13-14 ‘Though Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not do anything contrary to the command of the LORD, either good or bad, of my own accord. What the LORD speaks, that I will speak’? 14 “And now, behold, I am going to my people; come, and I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the days to come.”

What did Balaam advise the King of Moab?  First, Balaam prophesied the future of Israel to the King of Moab.  A deeper look at scripture will tell us the rest of Balaam’s advise to the king.

Numbers 25:1-3 While Israel remained at Shittim, the people began to play the harlot with the daughters of Moab. 2 For they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods. 3 So Israel joined themselves to Baal of Peor, and the LORD was angry against Israel.

Num 31:16 “Behold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.

Revelation 2:14  ‘But I have a few things against you, because you have there some who hold the teaching of Balaam, who kept teaching Balak to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols and to commit acts of immorality.

Balaam spoke the right words from his mouth that made him sound as if he was totally dedicated to God.  His actions of teaching Balak the king of Moab how to put a stumbling block before the sons of Israel did not line up with his words of devotion to God.

Balaam advised Balak in the way only way Israel could be cursed and destroyed!!  He knew that idol worship/departing from serving God and God alone was the only way Israel would be cursed and destroyed.  Balaam advised Balak to send in the women of his nation who would then entice and lead the men of Israel into idol worship.

It is the same in the church today, many speak what is right in front of others – where they are seen, but the actions of their lives do not line up with their words.  They speak as if they have great godly character but their actions/ their true character shows that they do not.

They are as Balaam—their lives do not line up with their words.  These do not possess a godly character and the anointing, the presence of the Holy Spirit is not with them.

Philippians 2:21 For they all seek after their own interests, not those of Christ Jesus.

Many in the church today are as Balaam, seeking after their own interests of wealth, of honor, or fame and are not seeking after the interests of Christ.

Philippians 1:15-17  Some, to be sure, are preaching Christ even from envy and strife, but some also from good will; 16  the latter do it out of love, knowing that I am appointed for the defense of the gospel; 17  the former proclaim Christ out of selfish ambition rather than from pure motives, thinking to cause me distress in my imprisonment.

Philippians 2:3 Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit…

Some in the church today preach Christ out of selfish ambitions—what is in it for them!!!

They do not preach Christ out of pure motives.  They preach Christ out of the motive of what will it bring to them.  They will not go where they do not receive a large honorarium, they will not go where there is not a large crowd who will give honor to them—they are too busy and important to serve the small congregations.   They preach Christ with the impure motive of “what is in it for them!!!”  These do not walk in godly character and are in danger of losing the anointing and the presence of the Holy Spirit.

We are commanded to not operate as these.

Pharisees

The Pharisees had “religion” they did not possess godly character.  Because they lacked godly character they did not have the anointing or the presence of the Holy Spirit with them.

We must not confuse having “religion” with possessing a godly character.  God does not see them as the same.  Jesus called the Pharisees who had “religion” a brood of vipers.  Jesus called them evil.  Jesus told them they were of their father, satan!!!  We must not confuse having “religion” with possessing a godly character and the anointing of God.

Matthew12:34-35 “You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart. 35  “The good man brings out of his good treasure what is good; and the evil man brings out of his evil treasure what is evil.

Good fruit comes forth from one who has godly character.  Good fruit does not come forth out of “religion” it alone comes forth from one who walks in a godly character.  The presence and the anointing of the Holy Spirit are present with one who walks in a godly character.

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Pharisees were a sect of self-righteous and zealous Jews.  They were zealous for their interpretation of the law and for their traditions.  Jesus corrected them for their traditions nullifying the Word of God.

Matthew 15:3 And He answered and said to them, “Why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?

Matthew 15:9 ‘BUT IN VAIN DO THEY WORSHIP ME, TEACHING AS DOCTRINES THE PRECEPTS OF MEN.'”

Mark 7:8 -9 “Neglecting the commandment of God, you hold to the tradition of men.” 9 He was also saying to them, “You are experts at setting aside the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition.

Mark 7:13 thus invalidating the word of God by your tradition which you have handed down; and you do many things such as that.”

In the church today there are those who set aside the commandment of God in order to keep their tradition, their religion.  Their “religion” and “tradition” has become more important to them than having the presence of the Holy Spirit and His anointing with them!!!

The Pharisees through their interpretation of the law and traditions laid heavy burdens upon men.  They also by their religion prevented others from finding liberty and freedom. I want you to know that religion always does this – it keeps others in the same bondage they are in – it refuses to allow others to be set free.

Matthew 23:2-4 saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; 3  therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. 4  “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger.

Matthew 23:13  “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you shut off the kingdom of heaven from people; for you do not enter in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.

Religion always makes “carbon copies” of those who follow in its way.  There is no freedom in religion.

Matthew 23:15  “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you travel around on sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Jesus came to set us free from religion and all its traditions!!!  Religion is devoid of the presence of the Holy Spirit and His anointing.

The Pharisees loved honor and glory to be given to them from men.  The Pharisees were full of the spirit of pride.  They esteemed themselves above all others.  The Pharisees did all their deeds to be noticed by men, not out of a heart of compassion of love for the people.  They did their deeds for the “good report” it would bring them.  Many in the body of Christ do the same today.

Matthew 23: 5-7 “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. 6 “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, 7  and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.

Matthew 23:14 [“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense you make long prayers; therefore you will receive greater condemnation.]

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their “religion” and their appearance of righteousness when they did not possess righteousness or a godly character.

Matthew 23:23 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier provisions of the law: justice and mercy and faithfulness; but these are the things you should have done without neglecting the others.

Matthew 23:25 -28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the dish, but inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 “You blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and of the dish, so that the outside of it may become clean also. 27 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. 28 “So you, too, outwardly appear righteous to men, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

Matthew 23:33 “You serpents, you brood of vipers, how will you escape the sentence of hell?

The Pharisees had “religion” they did not have godly character.  The Pharisees were devoid of the presence and the anointing of the Holy Spirit and if they remained in this state would not be able to escape the sentence of hell.

The Holy Spirit began this discourse with the words “We as Christians must have both a godly character with the anointing.” “We are not to have one without the other.”  We have learned we walk must in a godly character, then the anointing and the presence of the Holy Spirit will be with us.

Let us as the people of God who seek to be His anointed in the earth examine our walks and our characters this day.

Let us persevere to walk with a godly character and the anointing which is the presence of the Holy Spirit with us.

 

Author: Dawn Wilson

http://www.dawnwilsonministries.org

Can we not control our tongue?

Posted: May 9, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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In chapters 1-2 we have seen how James explains the two characteristics of the mature Christian: patient in trouble (James 1) and practicing the truth (James 2). In chapter 3 he shares the third characteristic of the mature believer: power over the tongue.

The power of speech is one of the greatest powers God has given us. With the tongue, we can praise God, teach God’s Word and lead lost sinners to Jesus Christ. But with that same tongue we can tell lies that can ruin a reputation or break someone’s heart. The ability to articulate truth is one of the most powerful ways we influence others; and yet so often we take this ability for granted. In order to impress on us the importance of controlled speech, and the great consequences of our words, James gave us six pictures of the tongue: the bit, the rudder, fire, a poisonous animal, a fountain, and a fig tree. You can put these six pictures into three meaningful classifications that reveal the three powers of the tongue.

1. Power to Direct : The Bit and the Rudder (James 3:1-4)

“Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways. If anyone is never at fault in what he says, he is a perfect man, able to keep his whole body in check. When we put bits into the mouths of horses to make them obey us, we can turn the whole animal. Or take ships as an example. Although they are so large and are driven by strong winds, they are steered by a very small rudder wherever the pilot wants to go.” (James 3:1-4)


Apparently, several people in the assembly wanted to teach and lead, for James has to warn them: “Not many of you should presume to be teachers, my brothers” (James 3:1).This is because those who teach the Word face the stricter judgement. Teachers must use their tongue to share God’s truth, and it is terrible when those appointed to teach God’s Word, sin with their tongue. Furthermore, teachers must practice what they teach; otherwise, their teaching is hypocrisy. But teachers are not the only ones who are tempted and sin; every Christian must admit that “we all stumble in many ways” (James 3:2). And sins of the tongue seem to head the list. Control of the tongue is a sign of spiritual maturity.  Is James making a mistake connecting sins of the tongue with sins of “the whole body”? No, because words usually lead to deeds. During World War II there were posters that read ‘Loose lips sink ships’.  But loose lips also wreck lives. Make an unguarded statement and you may find yourself involved in a conflict. Our tongue may force the rest of our body to defend itself.  In selecting the bit and the rudder James presented two items that are small of themselves, yet exercise great power, just like the tongue.

A small bit enables the rider to control a horse, and a small rudder enables the pilot to steer an entire ship.
The tongue is a small member in the body, and yet it has the power to accomplish great things. Both the bit and the rudder must overcome contrary forces. The bit must overcome the wild nature of the horse, and the rudder must fight the winds and currents that would drive the ship off its course. The human tongue also must overcome contrary forces. This means that both the bit and the rudder must be under the control of a strong hand. When Jesus Christ controls the tongue, then we need not fear saying the wrong things—or even saying the right things in a wrong way! “Death and life are in the power of the tongue,” warned Solomon (Prov. 18:21). No wonder David prayed, “Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing” (Ps. 141:3-4). The bit and rudder have the power to direct, which means they affect the lives of others. A runaway horse or a shipwreck can mean injury or death to pedestrians or passengers. The words we speak affect the lives of others. A judge says “Guilty!” or “Not Guilty!” and those words affect the destiny of the prisoner, his family, and his friends. Never underestimate the guidance you give by the words you speak or do not speak.  The power to direct: The bit and the rudder.

2. The Power to Destroy: The fire and the animal (James 3:5-8)

“Likewise the tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark.  The tongue also is a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell. All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea are being tamed and have been tamed by man, but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:5-8)


On the night of September 2, 1666, a small fire broke out in the premises of a baker’s shop in Pudding Lane, London, perhaps started by the carelessness of a maid.  In the close-packed streets of London, where buildings jostled each other for space, the blaze soon became an inferno. Fanned by an east wind, the fire spread with terrifying speed, feeding on the tar and pitch commonly used to seal houses. Our best account of the Fire comes from the diaries of Samuel Pepys, Secretary of the Admiralty. He watched the course of the destruction from a safe position across the Thames, and called it,
“a most malicious bloody flame, as one entire arch of fire… of above a mile long. It made me weep to see it. The churches, houses, and all on fire and flaming at once, and a horrid noise the flames made, and the cracking of houses at their ruin …Over the Thames with one’s face in the wind you were almost burned with a shower of firedrops.”

 

After four days while helpless citizens stood by and watched the destruction of their homes, the wind mercifully died and the fire was stopped. When a dazed populace took stock of the damage, 80% of the city was destroyed, including 13,000 houses, 89 churches and 52 Company (Guild) Halls. The spiritual hub of the city, Old St. Paul’s Cathedral, was nothing but rubble. It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions. Our words can start fires just as terrifying.

 

“Without wood a fire goes out; without gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fire, so is a quarrelsome man for kindling strife”. (Prov. 26:20-21).

 

Have you ever had that experience? Of course you have! A hot head and a hot heart can lead to burning words that later we will regret. David had a temper, and he had to have God’s help in controlling it. No wonder Solomon wrote, “A man of knowledge uses words with restraint, and a man of understanding is even-tempered.” (Prov. 17:27).  Fire not only starts small and grows, and creates heat; it also defiles. A friend recently suffered a fire in the entrance to her house, and the smoke and fire damage so soiled the house that she has had to move out while the house was redecorated. Fiery words can defile a home, a Sunday club, a church. The only thing that can wash away that defilement is the blood of Jesus Christ. Fire burns and hurts, and our words can burn and hurt. One of the sorrows our Lord had to bear when He was here on earth was the way His enemies talked about Him. Because He graciously accepted invitations to dine with people the Pharisees did not like they called Him a “glutton and a drunkard” (Matt. 11:19). When He performed miracles, they said Jesus was in league with Satan. Even when He was dying on the cross, His enemies could not let Him alone but threw vicious taunts into His face. Fire spreads, and the more fuel you give it, the faster and farther it will spread. The tongue “sets the whole course of his life on fire” (James 3:6). James suggests that all of life is connected, and therefore, but for the grace of God, we cannot keep things from spreading.

Sunday was VE day – the day we celebrate 60 years ago that the Nazi leaders surrendered and war ceased in Europe. For every word in Hitler’s book, Mein Kampf, 125 lives were lost in World War II. Our own words may not have caused wars or wrecked cities, but they can break hearts and ruin reputations. How important it is for us to let our speech “Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” (Colossians 4:6).

 

Not only is the tongue like a fire, but it is also like a dangerous animal. Some animals are poisonous, and some tongues spread poison. On Monday on our walk we came across this adder – the only indigenous poisonous snake in Great Britain. A couple of folk on the walk stood between the other walkers and the snake as we all passed by safely.

 

The deceptive thing about poison is that it works secretly and slowly, and then kills. How many times has some malicious person injected a bit of poison into your conversation and you didn’t notice initially? James reminds us that animals can be tamed; and, for that matter, fire can be tamed. When you tame an animal, you get a worker instead of a destroyer. When you control fire, you generate power. The tongue cannot be tamed by man, but it can be tamed by God. Your tongue need not be “set on fire of hell” (James 3:6). Like the Apostles at Pentecost, it can be set on fire from heaven! If God lights the fire and controls it, then the tongue can be a mighty tool for the winning of the lost and the building up of the church. The important thing, of course, is the heart; for it is “out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks” (Matt. 12:34). If your heart is filled with hatred, Satan will light the fire. If your heart is filled with love, God will light the fire.

1. Power to direct : The bit and the rudder
2. Power to destroy : the fire and the animal

3. Power to Delight: The Spring & the Tree (James 3:9-12)
“With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring? My brothers, can a fig-tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.” (James 3:9-12)


In hot countries like Palestine the natural spring provides beautiful cool refreshing water people need to stay alive. Water is life-giving, and our words can give life too. “The words of a man’s mouth are deep waters, and the fountain of wisdom is a bubbling brook” (Prov. 18:4). The tongue is also delightful because it is like a tree. In Bible lands, olive trees are vitally important to the economy: they help to hold down the soil; they provide beauty and shade; and they bear fruit. Our words can help to shelter and encourage, and can help to feed a hungry soul. “The lips of the righteous feed many” (Prov. 10:21). Jesus said, “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63).

1. Power to direct. 2. Power to destroy. 3. Power to Delight. I don’t think any of us would deny that we have problems with our tongues. Some of us struggle more than others, but each of us needs to find a way to tame that beast. Let me give you five practical steps to consider in this process:

1. Be quick to listen and slow to speak
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” (James 1:19)
“It is better to remain silent and be thought a fool, than to open your mouth and remove all doubt” (Abraham Lincoln).

2. Bite your tongue more often
”If anyone considers himself religious and yet does not keep a tight rein on his tongue, he deceives himself and his religion is worthless.” (James 1:26)

3. Refuse to tear other people down
”Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another… Don’t grumble against each other, brothers, or you will be judged.” (James 4:11, 5:9)

4. Speak only what is true
”Above all, my brothers, do not swear—not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your “Yes” be yes, and your “No”, no, or you will be condemned.” (James 5:12)

5. Surrender your tongue to God
”but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.” (James 3:8) We cannot tame our tongues without supernatural help. To help you surrender your tongue to God, let me encourage you with a little speech therapy. Before you speak something that may be harmful ask yourself these five questions:

Is it true? Is what I’m going to speak the truth? If not, stop. If it is, second ask,
Is it necessary? Jesus said we are going to be judged for every careless word. There are so many things that we say that are not necessary. Third ask,
Is it beneficial? Is what I’m going to say going to build someone up or tear them down?  Fourthly,
Do I have permission to share it?
Before you speak think about what kind of friend you’re being. Finally, ask yourself,
Is my motive pure? Why am I saying this? We all struggle with our tongues to varying degrees. There’s something we can all do about gossip. Remember gossip is when I share with you something about a third person and neither you or I are part of the problem or the solution.

Will you listen more, bite your tongue more, refuse to tear others down, and surrender your tongue to Jesus Christ? This is not some extra thing that God is requesting of us. This is a mandate for being a Christ-follower. Yes, the tongue may be the smallest and largest troublemaker in all the world. It has the 1. Power to direct. 2. the Power to destroy, but also 3. the Power to delight. God can use our tongues to guide others into the way of life, and to sustain them in the trials of life. Give God your tongue each day and ask Him to use you to be a blessing to others.

A NEW COMMANDMENT I GIVE YOU

Posted: May 6, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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The NEW COMMANDMENT
as compared to the OLD ONES
Are they really the same?
John 13:34

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

As I wrote this paper, I asked myself whether anyone would understand this. Especially given the fact of my diminished level of ability to communicate in writing. The answer came back that anyone with the Spirit would understand. Well of course, but then why write something for those who already understood? As I typed these thoughts, this was my dilemma.

When the Savior speaks of a “New Commandment,” what does He mean? Is it really just a refurbishing of the old ones? Is His New Commandment simply the Ten Commandments gussied up in a new fashion? Is there really anything new about the New Commandment? Perhaps its man’s renewed attempt to keep them that makes them so new.

Or perhaps He calls them “New” because He intends to make the old ones more presentable now? Having somehow lost their original luster, they need to be made more attractive. Salesmen understand this principle. Every year they offer the same old product by advertising it as NEW AND IMPROVED. Was this the ploy the Savior used?

Was it the Savior’s mission to help man bear a burden that our Father’s had never been able to bear—the keeping of the commandments? Acts 15:10.

The New Commandment to love one another was not part of the old law. It would only come with the Spirit—the “law of the Spirit” Romans 8:2.

The Savior explained it this way. John 16:7 “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.” When the Spirit would come to them, then it was that they would experience the New Commandment to love. Without the indwelling Spirit, this is impossible.

The disciples had long had the commandments of course, but this was to be something new. Something entirely new—the New Commandment. They didn’t have the Spirit. If His disciples already had the Spirit, He would not have told them of the necessity of His going away. They had the commandments, but if they had the Spirit He would not have had to “go away.”

What would it mean to have His Spirit? He explained to them what this would mean. “I will not leave you comfortless, I will come to you.” He would come to them in a way in which He could not come to them while physically present here on earth. How was that? While walking with them on earth, He could not indwell them. The indwelling as He described it, would be far more “expedient,” for them.

All this was part of the “new commandment” that he would give them. These He said were “My Father’s commandments.” And these were what He said He kept. This is what the Savior intended that man would enjoy when he had received the Spirit of His Father. It would be the law of the Spirit, Romans 8:2. Not something a little better than what man already experienced. Not a reworking of the old, but something new altogether. It was to be so great a difference as between light and darkness. It was so new that it would be the difference between life and death.

The new commandment was to love one another. The reason it was so new was because the old one did not have this ability. Wonderful principles that they were, they lacked this quality. This was to be no magnifying of the old. The old commandments were helpless in this regard. This is why the old were to be abolished for the believer, not renewed. The old ones had no life giving power whatsoever.

Thus we see there is no comparison between the old commandments and the new one. Just as there is no relationship between the new covenant and the old one. The one was to replace the other. In 2 Cor. 3, we see them compared, the one written in tablets of stone (the Ten) was called the “ministration of death.” The law (ministration of death) cannot be changed (to make it give life.) The Savior’s new commandment to love had a ministration to life. Big difference. So we see then that the two commandments are not compatible.

Further, we are told that the commandments written in tablets of stone had a ministration of condemnation. And this particular quality could not be changed or improved upon. The new commandment ministers freedom from condemnation. It provides the “justification of life eternal to every man.” The old commandments could only provide death. Death was their ministry.

The Savior often made comparison of the two commandments. Whenever He did so, it was not to magnify the old ones, beautify them or to change their ministry. It was always to show their vast deficiency, by comparison.

When He spoke of the seventh commandment for instance (adultery,) He did not say how wonderful it was. He did not claim to magnify it, deepen its level, nor heighten it as many imagine. No, but instead of that, He showed how awful it was. He showed that those with the “good intention” of keeping it were really breaking it.

Mat. 5:27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.

With this, He ruined it. For those keeping it, it was now ruined. Why did He say this? In His day as in ours, there are many who go long periods without committing the act of adultery with one of their neighbors. Some have never “broken” the letter of this commandment. How comfortable they are with their performance. They feel no guilt in their keeping the Ten Commandments this way. They figure it’s the fornicators who are failing and lost. With this saying, the Savior dashed their hope. He ruined their religion. And He said it with that purpose in mind—the dashing of their commandment keeping hope. Why would He do such a thing?

Everybody knows that keeping the commandments is considered good religion, especially if you have heard a sermon on TV or in person. The Savior came to destroy the TV evangelist’s old theme. Peter says it this way:

Acts 15:10 Now therefore why tempt ye God, to put a yoke upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear?

The apostles had to decide what to require of the new converts. Paul is referring to the yoke of commandment keeping which the other apostles (to the Jews) wanted to place on the gentile converts. (The other apostles intended to require the new converts to be circumcised and keep the commandments. They came to the Galatians 2 meeting for instance with that in mind.) But Paul knew that the Savior’s intention was “to break every yoke.” This of course would include the Ten Yokes to which Paul referred–the ones “written in tablets of stone.”

When the Savior spoke of the old law and law keeping, he did not mean for man to keep the letter of it. Though He never sinned, He didn’t keep it to the letter. Instead, He obeyed the Spirit of God that indwelt Him. For instance, the old law says that on the Sabbath, “Thou shalt not do any work.” How many know of this plain injunction? Is there any room here for equivocation? “Not Any Work” does not leave any room for “any work.” But the Savior worked. John 5:17, 18. And so does His Father work on the Sabbath. This is what Jesus and John say. Read the two texts carefully. Don’t read your own ideas into it.

So we see plainly that neither He nor His Father are concerned with the letter. This means they are not concerned with what is written in the old law. The reason they are not concerned with the letter is because they have something better. According to the letter, they both break the Sabbath commandment, just as John and the Savior describe it.

We see this breaking of the commandment (without sin) all through the Saviors ministry. For instance, with regard to the seventh commandment again (about looking at women) said the Savior, Mat 5:29, “And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.”

This is another plain statement. How many really understand it? Its just as plain as “the seventh day is the Sabbath.” Men do not understand it because they are legalists. They teach that men should keep the law, but then they don’t keep this law. Strange. It says if your eye offends you pluck it out. Is there a question about how it is stated? No, any child can understand what He said to do.

Expert law keepers should obey this commandment. Just as they teach others to obey the other plainly written laws. This reveals the failure and hypocrisy of their good intentioned religion. They don’t keep this law and they don’t really keep the others either. And this was the Savior’s message to them.

The commandment to pluck out your eye is no different than any other. To keep it to the letter will blind you. Those who have obeyed it spend the rest of their days blind in that eye. Gal 5:3,4. Paul says to keep any of the law written in stone will kill you. The letter blinds. The letter kills. The letter is not just one thing of many that kills, it is the only thing that kills. But without the new commandment, the letter is the only option men have. And those that don’t pluck out their eye are guilty of disobeying the commandment as they teach it should be kept.

The Savior came to destroy the popular and legalistic teaching to keep the commandments. His message is the good news that through love, the commandments have been kept now. By love, He fulfilled every one of them for us. Love is the fulfilling of the whole law. The attempt to keep one of the commandments puts one under obligation to keep the whole letter of the law which not even the Savior tried to do. Love, upon this commandment hang all the law and the prophets. And this is how He kept them all. Not by the letter.

If men are not going to obey to pluck out their eye, and then the other eye when it too offends, they should confess their religion has failed them and keep the new commandment instead—to love.

The Savior did what we could not do for ourselves. He did not come to help us do what was impossible, (old law keeping that had never worked). He did not come to help us bear a burden that neither we nor our Fathers could bear. He came to free us of that burden by replacing it with His new commandment.

It is the good intention to keep the commandments that makes Christ of none effect and destroys the blessing of the cross for such a person. In the new commandment, the intention is to obey the Spirit, every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. They proceed today. Today, moment by moment.

The Spirit may tell us to do something against the letter of the law as in the Savior’s case. How many times this happened.

His accusers were correct in their charge against Him, He had broken the Sabbath commandment and others on occasion, yet without sin. And He never challenged those charges. But He did challenge the idea that He and His disciples had committed a sin thereby.

It is by faith that we are to “keep the new commandment,” in other words, not by a good intention. And it is by love that faith works. How many understand this? How many realize the meaning of the cross? All those who are indwelt moment by moment and kept by the Spirit. We don’t keep anything, the Spirit keeps us. And how many are still in the old covenant, law keeping mode–the one so prominent before the coming of the Savior.

~David Mead

A Critical spirit is a deadly room mate!!!

Posted: May 3, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, Prophetic, teaching, wilderness
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Definition of Critical – Inclined to find fault, or to judge with severity

Quote: It is impossible to help anybody after they have developed a critical spirit.

“Son of man, these men have set up idols in their hearts and put wicked stumbling blocks before their faces. Should I let them inquire of me at all? (Ezek 14:3)

One of the quickest ways to shut up the Heavens over ones life and stop receiving the blessings of God is to allow entrance of a critical spirit. Even worse are those who have welcomed this spirit in and actually made room in their hearts for it to stay. Sadly the room was made via the eviction of the love of God from their lives, for they now are worshiping the spirit of the deceiver, the accuser of the saints, Satan himself.

 Now He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath.  And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up. But when Jesus saw her, He called her to Him and said to her, “Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And He laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God. But the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath; and he said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

 The Lord then answered him and said, “Hypocrite![a] Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?  So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound—think of it—for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath?”  And when He said these things, all His adversaries were put to shame; and all the multitude rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by Him. (Luke 13:10-17)

I. The Causes of a Critical Spirit

A. An Unhealthy Appreciation of Self – vs. 14 the ruler of the synagogue

  • Romans 12:3  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.

A critic is one that considers themselves an authority or a master of a subject which qualifies them to point out the good and the bad.  Their own knowledge and expertise is their authority; not a defined standard.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary: A person skilled in judging of the merit of literary works; one who is able to discern and distinguish the beauties and faults of writing. In a more general sense, a person skilled in judging with propriety of any combination of objects, or of any work of art; and particularly of what are denominated the Fine Arts. A critic is one who, from experience, knowledge, habit or taste, can perceive the difference between propriety and impropriety, in objects or works presented to his view; between the natural and unnatural; the high and the low, or lofty and mean; the congruous and incongruous; the correct and incorrect, according to the established rules of the art.

We ought to wake up every morning singing, “I’m not worthy to be here, but THANK GOD I belong!”

B. An Unbiblical Adherence to a System – vs. 14

Where did this rule come from? Where did he come up with this?? You can only be healed on certain days?

  • Colossians 2:8 Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.

Truth is, he made this rule up.  Since he had never had a person healed in his synagogue on a sabbath, surely God cannot be in it!

A critical spirit will come when you are always thinking you know what OUGHT to be done when the truth is, you don’t have a clue!

Here he was telling people when they OUGHT to come get healed, and he had never healed anybody!  In essence, He was limiting God – trying to cram God in his own little test tube!!

He was an expert in a system that didn’t even exist except in his own mind.

C. An Unreasonable Attitude toward the Sovereignty of God – vs. 14

NOTE: He was upset with what God did, so he took it out on the people.

God can do what He wants to, when He wants to, however He wants to.  Deal with it!

He mistook GOD working for MAN working.  (there are six days in which men ought to work)  It wasn’t man working – it was GOD.

You say – “I just don’t understand it.”  If you understood everything, you’d be God.

His ways are past finding out.

  • Romans 11:33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!

Keep your mind open to this possibility: God might work in a way you never thought possible or have never seen before.  God might use somebody you didn’t think He could, He might save somebody you never thought could be saved.  He might manifest Himself in a manner that you’ve never seen before.  He might be trying to teach you something!  Quit criticizing and learn!!!

II. The Curses of a Critical Spirit

A. It will Belittle the Positive – vs. 14 (because that Jesus had healed…)

Positive things such as:

  1. Jesus is in the midst – vs. 10 (theirs wasn’t the only synagogue; they were honored)
  2. Jesus was teaching them things – vs. 10 (many people never learn anything or grow)
  3. There were people in the place that were there in spite of their infirmities – praise God!
  4. Jesus was still calling hurting people to himself – vs. 12 that’s a blessing!
  5. Jesus was still laying his hands on people and touching people – vs. 13
  6. People were still getting straightened out after years of being wrong – vs. 13
  7. New converts were praising and glorifying God – vs. 13

Did any of this matter?  NO!!  The man with the critical spirit saw NONE of the positive things

B. It will Badger the People – vs. 14 …and he said unto the people…

Interesting NOTE: We find no record that this ruler of the synagogue ever badgered or criticized this woman UNTIL she got STRAIGHT!

For 18 years, she had been in a mess, and he never helped her.

Now she’s right with God and he gets mad!

If somebody bothers you, just imagine how bad it would be if you’d known them before they met Jesus!

C. It will Buck the Praising – vs. 13, 14 they glorified; he answered with indignation

  • A critical spirit will cause you to pout when others are praising.
  • A critical spirit will make you mad when others are magnifying.
  • A critical spirit will make you tense when others are testifying.
  • A critical spirit will cause you to hinder people when God is trying to help people.
  • A critical spirit will cause people to ask “What’s wrong with him or her?”

Do excited Christians get on your nerves?

Do people that brag on the Lord and the church and their pastor irritate you?  You’re critical!

D. It will Broadcast the Poison – in vs. 10, Jesus is teaching; where is the ruler then?

He let EVERYBODY know where he stood on the subject.  Notice that nobody asked him.

Watch out for this line – “Well, if you ask me…”  Nobody will.  They don’t care as much about what you think as you do!

Critical spirits are not happy until they’ve poisoned everybody they meet with their criticism.

Question: Do the excited, testifying, praising Christians stay excited, keep testifying and are they still praising after you’re done with them?

Do you find yourself more comfortable around those that are uncomfortable?

  • Ever noticed that the people that are most critical are the one’s that’s not doing anything?
  • Ever heard a soul winner complain about too many visitors?
  • Ever heard a bus worker complain about the mess that bus kids make?
  • Ever heard a grass cutter complain about how the grass was cut?
  • Ever heard a friendly hand shaker complain about not getting their hand shaken?
  • Ever heard a shouter and testifier complain about a service being dead?
  • Ever heard a servant criticize another servant’s way of doing something?
  • Ever noticed that the one’s that never bring anybody to church can tell you how it’s done?

III. The Cures for a Critical Spirit

A. Admit your Hypocrisy – vs. 15 “Thou hypocrite!”

Most of the things that people criticize in others are things they are guilty of themselves.

  • Illustration: The beam and the mote in the eye.
  • Start judging people by the same standard you judge yourself!  You’ll be more longsuffering.

Even if you had ALL YOUR DUCKS in a row and all your own personal issues resolved, you still wouldn’t have the right to have a critical spirit, but your own shortcomings and faults and failures make your critical spirit even that much more hypocritical!

B. Be Ashamed that your Heart is not 100% right with God – vs. 16, 17

God’s will was not their will.  Their will always will contradict what God wants to do.

God’s will was all about this woman’s problem getting healed.

The critic’s will was all about his position being honored.

God’s was concerned about sinners; they were preoccupied with standards.

C. Acknowledge all the glorious things that are being done by Him – vs. 17

Stop looking for the negative and the problems and start seeing what God is doing.

There’s many faults and failures in the lives of everybody you come in contact with.

  • Philippians 2:3 Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.
  • I Cor. 13  Charity thinketh no evil…

Spend your time planting grass instead of pulling weeds.

You don’t have to elaborate on everything that you see wrong.  Why not elaborate on what you see RIGHT and what God is doing?

  • Colossians 4:6 Let your speech be alway with grace, seasoned with salt,…

http://www.pleasantview.org/2011/a-critical-spirit-what-the-bible-says-series

Leadership in the middle of a divorce?

Posted: May 1, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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Should a person in a leadership position going threw a divorce be left in leadership?

I do not believe so in fact I believe it is out of Biblical order. Yet today like so many scriptural teachings we have become user friendly and only apply the scriptures that suit us rather than using the scriptures as a Biblical outline of Church government. I also believe that the emotional stress of a divorce can hinder a person discernment and have found in such instances that they fall for many loose doctrines to support their position. It’s time that the Church gets back to scriptural leadership and do away with the opinions of men.

Over the past 50 to 60 years divorce has swept through our nation and churches are filled with people who had been divorced. As so often happens, the doctrines and convictions of the church conveniently changed to reflect the new culture of divorce. We developed a man-centered, therapeutic faith that was more about making people happy than making them holy. Gradually, divorced people took more and more significant places in the church. As the moral slide continued, divorce turned into a minor issue. Some denominations today are discussing whether to marry and ordain unrepentant homosexuals. In that kind of culture, divorce seems like a much less crucial issue.

Sadly we see that the Church in America has a long history of being led more by our culture than by the Scriptures. When Southern culture approved and defended slavery, so did Southern Christians. As the feminist agenda took hold of our national mindset, women in pulpits became more common. As homosexuality has become more acceptable in culture, it has become more acceptable to Christians. Is this what has happened with divorce? Has the prevalence of divorce caused us to sacrifice biblical moral standards for the sake of convenience? Or, perhaps, did the prevalence of divorce cause us to reexamine beliefs that were long-held and traditional, but not biblical?

I believe that God is a God of forgiveness while at the same time He is a God of order.

I believe in a redemptive view which is based on the transforming power of Jesus Christ and the Cross. This view upholds the biblical standard of lifelong marriage and recognizes that divorce is the result of sin on the part of one or both partners. What this view refuses to do is put divorcees into a special category of sin. And it emphasizes the transformational, renewing power of Christ.

Jesus came to forgive sin and redeem sinners. A murderer can be forgiven and redeemed. An adulterer can have his sin washed white as snow. So can a thief, a drug addict, a prostitute, even a homosexual. In the same way, those who are divorced are forgiven and redeemed by the power of Christ.

Leadership in the church is a matter of character and integrity. Those who lead the church must have spiritual integrity in their walk with Christ and must have demonstrated character to the church and community in their public walk. We are all sinners, though that sin takes different forms. God is working to conform us to the image of Christ. Those who lead the church are those who are farthest in the process of Christlikeness.

What matters is not what I did 20 years ago, but what I am today. Maybe 20 years ago I was a drug dealer. But today I am walking with Christ and people can see what I am. Maybe 20 years ago I robbed a bank. I did my time, got right with God and began to grow. If I have demonstrated that I am a new man in Christ, and have reliable character, I can be a leader in God’s church.

Why is divorce any different? If I am in the middle of a divorce, I am certainly not ready to be a pastor, elder or deacon in the church, even if I am the “innocent” party in the divorce. But if I was divorced 25 years ago, remarried, and have been a faithful husband to my wife for all these years, should that divorce forever eliminate me from significant service?

I believe that blanket elimination of a person who has been divorced from service in the church is a denial of the redemptive power of Christ. Jesus came to redeem sinners and to make them like Christ. To continually throw a sin of the past in the face of someone who has repented and has been renewed in Christ is, to me, an unintentional but real denial of Christ’s transformational work.

Yet I believe that a person who is presently going threw a divorce should not be left in a leadership position. Whether it be their error which is causing the divorce, the spouses error or a combination of the two is mute. That can be handled in regard to restoring one to ministry if the Lord so reads. When we have a culture in the Church with the condoning of leaders getting divorced and maintaining their leadership role I believe that it establishes a very bad moral culture for our younger generation.

But that is my position and I would be glad to hear yours and what scriptures you have to support your position.

Having the Mind of Jesus

Posted: April 30, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching
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1 Corinthians 2:16 ‘For who hath known the mind of Yahweh that he may instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.’

Christ being the head of the body knew His Father’s mind, but as the question asks, who can instruct Him? The answer and the truth is no one instructs the Lord God. He is the Father. We all were made to conform to His will. Any other behavior is rebellion. The world is in a state of constant rebellion. We cannot think like the world thinks.

1 Corinthians 2:12 ‘Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of the Creator; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of the Creator.’

Like Jesus, we as Christians can have the mind of Christ, a mind anointed by the spirit of the Creator God the Father. We cannot instruct Him with this mind but we can learn how to be in accord with His will, work in harmony with His Holy Spirit – content in His desire.

John 5:30 ‘I can of Mine own self do nothing. . . I seek not Mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent Me.’

This is the most difficult part of being a Christian – and yet the most powerful part. Knowing what has been freely given to us by Jesus frees us from understanding and caring about the wisdom and spirit of the world.

1 Corinthians 2:14 ‘But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of the Creator: for they are foolishness unto them. . .’

When you read Scripture, you have to learn to look beyond the natural man. Those who choose to mock, doubt and condemn Scripture are doing so according to the yearnings of the flesh – and often times it is hard to admit but they are correct because what Scripture states is hardly ever conducive to the flesh, it is not beneficial to its pleasure or existence.

John 6:63 ‘It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.’

Mysterious Glory

By staying in the natural mode of thinking and reasoning, the Bible will always appear foolish and cold. You can’t make the Bible make sense to anyone who wants the Word to benefit their flesh man. Romans 8:7 tells us that the carnal mind is enmity against the Creator and to think and reason with it and live according to it, is death.

This is such a hard confession to embrace but as Christians, we have to come to the conclusion that all life under the sun is truly vain. Our carnal mind does not want to accept such a foolish notion and it struggles every day to convince us that there is some importance to what we as humans accomplish.

1 Corinthians 2:6-7 ‘Howbeit we speak wisdom among them that are perfect: yet not the wisdom of this world, nor of the princes of this world, that come to nought: But we speak the wisdom of the Creator in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which the Creator ordained before the world unto our glory:’

Remember, we want the mind of Christ and not the wisdom of the world. As Christians we have to see clearly that the things scientist, politicians and nations accomplish are vain and come to nought. They are all the result of the wisdom of this world, and of the princes of this world.

When anointed, we as Christians speak the wisdom that is a mystery and utter foolishness to them. Technology and advancements in science, medicine, education, engineering and history are all that matter to worldly people, the evolution of the human species. The Lord warned us that the accomplishments of worldly wisdom and worldly works are no different than the bread Moses gave. (John 6:27-35) It is temporal fodder and not conducive to eternal life.

1 Corinthians 2:3 ‘And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.’

Do you find that the biggest preachers and noblest teachers, the bastions of education, science and politics walk amongst the common people?

As Christians we choose – either the apple or the orange – but we cannot have both
Apples and Oranges

When anyone preaches from a pedestal, from a place of success and prosperity, they are doing so from a place of carnal strength, confidence and security. It is easy for them to tell people who have nothing to have faith in “God” because they can go out in the world and buy and sell as they wish, the mark of the beast is upon them; and they are part of the beast system. To them, the beast system can be used for the good of “God.” To them, people should not oppose the beast system but rather enter it and conform to it – take the Mark and use it. To them, the Lord lets the beast breathe for the good well-being and health of the carnal Christian.

1 Corinthians 2:1-2 ‘And I brethren, when I came to you, came not with excellency of speech or wisdom, declaring unto the testimony of the Creator. For I determined not to know anything among you, save Yahshua the Messiyah, and Him crucified.’

Jesus was crucified by the world and the worldly.

How many Christian preachers have branched out into other avenues of worldly life wisdom? How many Christian preachers produce tapes and sermons that talk about worldly finances and prosperity, about entering politics and introducing change? How many of them want to convince you that you that there can be peace and you can be part of the carnal world and the spirit world at the same time?

1 Corinthians 2:13 ‘Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Spirit teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.’

We don’t compare spiritual things with worldly things, nor worldly things with spiritual things – it is apples and oranges.

Romans 8:5 ‘For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit.’

What is the result of walking spiritually and not carnally?

1 Corinthians 2:4-5 ‘And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man’s wisdom, but in demonstrations of the Spirit and of power: That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of the Creator.’

The Creator gave us incredible power, so much more than we know. Our carnal minds have blinded our spiritual minds. We walk and touch with our hands while our spirits grope and bump about in darkness. We stand confused and unsure how to use our spiritual eyes, how to open our minds to the possibilities of the things we cannot see. It is only by faith, by closing our worldly eyes that we can begin to see the truth and trust that He is.

1 Corinthians 2:9 ‘But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which the Creator hath prepared for them that love Him.’

Right now, many are looking darkly into the mirror, and their spirit is still straining to see. We have to die to our fleshly understandings. The carnal eye, ear and heart will never see, hear or understand.

1 Corinthians 1:27 ‘But the Creator hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. . .’

Faith is the substance of things hoped for, evidenced by things not seen. As Christians, our power comes from believing more in a world to come, then the world that is.

The mind of Christ knows without a doubt, the wisdom of the world is vain and everything accomplished amounts to nothing. With that anointed belief, we can be Christ-like and love our neighbors as ourselves and meet the needs of people who have needs without counting any cost as loss.

1 Corinthians 2:7-8 ‘But we speak the wisdom of the Creator. . .which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.’

The world will crucify anyone who speaks with too much power of the righteous things to do. When your actions, your power in Christ, become louder than your words, you become a threat to their worldly prosperity and their foolish vanity like Jesus did to the Pharisees and Sadducee s.

Matthew 4:23-24 ‘And Jesus went about all Galilee teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness, and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria. . .’

We see Christian preachers gain fame today but the worldly are not threatened by them and in fact, the worldly flock to them. I wonder if you would ever hear a prosperity preacher tell a rich man to sell all he has and follow him. If anything, he’d probably tell him to donate more to their church and that’s about it.

Matthew 5:11-12 ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.’

If you have the mind of Christ, the world thinks your reasoning and faith is foolish. They will speak evil and accuse you falsely of being almost inhumane. Don’t forget, many believe the Bible is a book of hate. As a Christian, you have to put your faith in a higher court than man’s court. As it stated in 1 Corinthians 2:7 & 9, the worldly princes can’t even begin to fathom the things the Creator hath prepared for us unto our glory.

1 Corinthians 2:15 ‘But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.’

When we have the mind of Christ, we can judge all things ‘spiritually’ and the world may disagree with our conclusions but we are not judged by man and we know it. We have no fear of what man can do to us when we walk in the Spirit. We shall be justified on that great day of judgment and so we rejoice and are exceedingly glad when we are reviled for our faith. The truth truly does set us free.

Amen

A true disciple is following Jesus and eager to learn and change.

Posted: April 24, 2013 in disciples life, Kingdom Teaching, teaching, wilderness
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While walking by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon (who is called Peter) and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea, for they were fishermen. [19] And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.” Immediately they left their nets and followed him. And going on from there he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, in the boat with Zebedee their father, mending their nets, and he called them. Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him. (Matt 4:18-22)

The first requirement to be a disciple—a Christian—is to follow Jesus.

To follow involves three elements: belief, life-change, and submission.

Following Jesus requires belief in who he was and what he came to do. Simon Peter and Andrew weren’t asked to follow someone they didn’t know. They had spent time with Jesus previously (John 1:35-42), and even believed he was the Messiah. When Jesus approached them in Matthew 4, they had already known Jesus for some time, scholars say a year. So we understand that the first requirement of a disciple of Jesus Christ is to believe.

Of course, the Simon Peter and Andrew didn’t know a lot about Jesus. But they believed he was the Messiah, even though they didn’t entirely understand. And this is the beauty of following Jesus—you don’t have to be a genius to figure it out. Your understanding of Jesus doesn’t have to complete. In fact, usually it’s the simple ones who get it best. “God chooses the foolish to shame the wise.” You can’t follow someone you don’t believe.

What you do have to know is that you have a sin problem that has earned you punishment and Jesus alone can save you. There are more details—a glorious and beautiful treasure trove of details—but the essentials of following Jesus today remain quite simple. God made you. You rebelled. Faith in Christ saves those who repent and believe. Those who believe those things are saved.

Following Jesus also implies life change. When Jesus says “follow me” the underlying directive is stop following that. If he says follow me, he means give up on your ways. If he says live for me, he means stop living for yourself. Simon and Andrew got it—they left their nets and followed him. Following Christ meant giving up their careers in fishing. James and John were mending their nets, trying to fix them so they could catch more fish. And suddenly when Jesus called them, they left the nets in the boat. They weren’t important anymore—following Jesus meant leaving behind old ways.

That’s what following Jesus is—not literally following him around, like the original disciples did. For us, following him has a much broader meaning: we are to follow his way of life, his teachings, his priorities, his goals.
Following Jesus also indicates submission. Jesus says follow me, and that means we give up the rights to run our lives. This is called repentance. We have handed over the title deed of our lives. We gladly submit to Jesus as our lord, master, leader, and guide.

Some try to make Jesus’s call easier than it actually was. They like to accept Jesus as Savior but not as Lord or Master. And so they think they’ll can be saved without submitting to Christ. This isn’t so—the truth is that if Jesus ain’t your Master he ain’t your Savior. If you haven’t submitted you haven’t been saved. It’s the blunt truth that Scripture is careful to repeat over and over again.

So let me recap quickly: When Jesus says “follow me” this is what he means: believe me, make a change in direction, and submit completely.

When Jesus said “I will make you” the offer was out on the table. Jesus was being straightforward. His intention was to make them into something they were not. Jesus wanted to fundamentally change their priorities, their desires, their goals, their dreams, their purposes—and he was clear about it. It was like he said, “I know you’ve spent your life catching fish. Not anymore. I’m going to change you.” To our modern ears, that sounds offensive. What right does he have? We shouldn’t try to change people, that’s rude. Let them be, man. Tolerate.

Jesus didn’t fit it then and he probably wouldn’t fit in now. His goal—and he was absolutely unashamed of it—was to change people. To make them into something they weren’t. From the beginning, this was laid out on the table. A disciple, then, is something who is being changed by Christ.

If you are to start following Christ—by believing, by changing, and by submitting—you must understand what you’re agreeing to. Almost everything you sign up for these days has a long tedious document with terms and conditions. Does anyone actually read those? Well, Jesus has terms and conditions that we must agree to if we are to follow him. But they’re not long, hard to read, annoying and complicated. They’re actually simple. He says” if you follow me, understand this: I am going to change you. That means you must be eager to learn and eager to change.”

True disciples are learners. People who think they have nothing else to learn aren’t good disciples. The best disciples are the best learners. They are hungry for knowledge, hungry for information, hungry for insight, hungry for wisdom, hungry to acquire skill, hungry to hone their talents, hungry to practice what they’ve been taught. Part of what it means to follow Jesus is admitting you not only have the deep-seated problem of sin, but the deep need of being taught.

True disciples want to change. This goes right along with being a learner, but it takes it to the next level. Being a true disciple means not only learning but practicing what you’re learning. True disciples aren’t about acquiring information for information’s sake. They want to change. They hate their sin and they want to grow. That’s why Jesus’s call must have been so appealing. I love it—Jesus promises to change them. “I will make you.” Perk up whenever Jesus makes an “I will” statement. He said to his disciples that he would make them fishers of men. He would set out to change them and he wouldn’t fail. This is great hope for us, because the promise we receive is that Jesus will change us to make us useful for his service as we follow him.

So a true disciple is following Jesus and eager to learn and change. And he is also someone being changed by Christ. He is radically in love with Jesus and willing to submit to whatever and wherever the Master commands him

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