John 18:7-8 (Amplified) says, "Then again He asked them, Whom are you seeking? And they said, Jesus the Nazarene. Jesus answered, I told you that I am He, so if you want Me (if it is only I for Whom you are looking), let these men go their way."
Even in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus' character was still under the character of the Holy Spirit Who guided Him throughout His entire ministry. The Fruit of the Spirit, the very character of Jesus, was still more concerned for His disciples rather than Himself.
As Jesus spent more time in prayer before His betrayal, His entire character was for others and not Himself. Jesus could have been bitter about His betrayal or been concerned about Himself, but He wasn't. Jesus' joy was for the thing that was to come upon those of us who would follow Him. The Fruit of the Holy Spirit wasn't for Himself even in His hour of trial.
Nobody had any idea of what it was Jesus had to face; only He knew. The fruit (or character) of faithfulness that held Him to His course was strong even in the face of the cross. Self control kept Him in the full course of His task at hand. They all watched Jesus being beaten, spit upon and mocked. They all watched Jesus carry the cross that would make Him a cursed for us. No one understood the fullness of what was to happen, but His character held true until the very end.
As He hung on the cross and felt the pain and agony of His torture, Jesus' self control was towards those who place Him there and He said, "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." As He gave up the Spirit, they could only know what they could see with their natural eyes. No one in the crowd knew or could know at the time, that all the sin, sickness, disease, curse and spiritual death was consuming Him. Yet, His Own character held fast and never faltered.
We've never endured or encountered anything like He was going through. Many in today's Church still have no idea what happened that day. They don't know that all the judgment of a righteous God came down on Him, for us. Jesus was separated from the Father, into the place of the lost, so we could become reunited to the Father again.
The entire curse of the Law from Deuteronomy 28:15-16 was coursing through His body and spirit until He Himself became a curse for us. Galatians 3:13 says that, "He became a curse for us so that we might be blessed." 2Corinthians 5:21 (Amplified) says, "For our sake He made Christ (virtually) to be sin Who knew no sin, so that in and through Him we might become (endued with, viewed as being in, and examples of) the righteousness of God (what we ought to be, approved and acceptable and in right relationship with Him, by His goodness)."
No one could know that Jesus was to descend into the lower parts of the earth for us so we could ascend into the throne room with Him. Ephesians 4:9 (Amplified) says, "(But He ascended?) Now what can this, He ascended mean but that He had previously descended from (the heights of) heaven into (the depths), the lower parts of the earth." They couldn't possibly know that what He said concerning Jonah was being fulfilled before their very eyes at the cross. Matthew 12:41 (Amplified) says, "For even as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth."
If you read the 2nd chapter of Jonah, then you'll find a man who was not in paradise, but in serious trouble. Thus, Jonah 2:1-10 (Amplified) reads, "Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the fish's belly and said, I cried out of my distress to the Lord, And He heard me; out of the belly of sheol cried I, and You heard my voice." Verses 3-10 go on, "For You cast me into the deep, into the heart of the seas, and the floods surrounded me, all Your waves and billows passed over me, Then I said, I have been cast out of Your presence and Your holy temple. The waters compassed me about, even to the (extinction of) life; The abyss surrounded me, the seaweed was wrapped about my head. I went down to the bottoms and the very roots of the mountains; the earth with its bars closed behind me forever. Yet You have brought up my life from the pit and corruption, Oh Lord My God. When my soul fainted upon me (crushing me), I earnestly and seriously remembered the Lord, And my prayer came to You, into Your holy temple. Those who pay regard to false, useless, and worthless idols forsake their own (source of) mercy and loving kindness, But as for me, I will sacrifice to You with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that which I have vowed, Salvation and deliverance belong to the Lord, And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land."
Those people surrounding the cross, only saw the Man Jesus as He died. None knew what was transpiring in the spirit realm. None could see Him become sin with our sin. None could see Him become a curse for our blessing. None could see Him be separated from the Father so we could be reunited with Him. None could witness the great exchange that took place at Jesus' death. All they could see was what happened in this natural realm.
Throughout Jesus' entire ordeal, the Fruit of the Spirit or the character of Christ, never once became tainted or twisted from the love that consumed Him. All the sin, sickness, disease and punishment that came upon Him for our sake, but Jesus' only concern was for us and not Himself. This is the fruit, the character of our Lord the Holy Spirit is working to produce in our lives.
Thursday, October 30, 2014
Lesson 12 The Character of Christ
We come to the scripture that speaks about God disciplining His children as son in Hebrews 12. We've mostly heard that God disciplines with sickness, hard times and trials. We aren't children of the Law or the flesh, but are the children of the Spirit. God is Spirit and disciplines His children (who are of the Spirit), by the Spirit. His Word is Spirit and it is life.
We are instructed and disciplined in and by His Spirit when dealing with the fruit or character of Christ. We must yield to the Holy Spirit when facing the various trials, oppositions and hostilities of the world. Hebrews 12:9 tells of the difference between "the fathers of the flesh" and our heavenly Father. Our earthly father disciplines the flesh (mostly the part that you sit on) and God disciplines the Spirit by His Spirit and His Word.
When we react to the trials of the world by the same discipline of the world, then the Spirit will correct us and bring us into subjection of the Spirit if we listen and allow His correction. Christians need to really pay attention to 1Corinthians 14:32-33. This scripture is speaking about prophesying and speaking in tongues, but there's a very bold statement we should understand and see in Verse 32 which says, "For the Spirit of the prophets (the speaker in tongues) are under the speaker's control (and subject to being silenced as may be necessary)." The King James version says it like this, "The Spirit of the prophet, is subject to the prophet."
In other words, God is not going to make you speak in tongues, your spirit is still under your control. This principle is still true when applied to producing the fruit or character of Christ in your life. Your spirit is under your control. You can either react in the meekness of the Spirit by surrendering your spirit to the Holy Spirit or in the harshness of the flesh. It's not something to be forced out of you, but it's something that flows out of you.
The character of Christ is in you by the very same Spirit that was in Christ Jesus. Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say and only went where the Father told Him to go. This is yielding your spirit to the will of God's Spirit within you. If the "Spirit of the person is still subject to the person," then don't we have a choice in how we react?
We sort of choose what part of the fruit we wish to produce in our lives. I hear people say that, "I have the fruit of long suffering" or "I have the fruit of joy." If this is true, then you've only yielded to a small portion of the Holy Spirit. Remember when Jesus said, "Not My will, but Your will be done?" This is what produces the fruit or character of Christ in our daily walk with Him.
The only way of successfully dealing with the world and the trials that it will bring against you, is to yield to His Spirit. It's not because God withheld part of His nature and character from us when we were born again. It's because we haven't imitated God in His character. Religion gives us many ways of justifying the flesh when we don't walk in His character. We've mostly heard them all, but have taken the fruits that best suit us best. We've been told that, "Not all of us have these fruits," "Yes, but that was Jesus" and "God will work it out of me in His Own time." These might sound good to the hearer, but truthfully, this character will never be seen in our lives until we yield to the discipline and direction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit knows how we're to react to the world and as His children, we know how we are to react too. It's not a matter of knowing, but of yielding. We know for instance, how to react in what and how we say things, but we're selective in how and to whom we say them. We don't mind raising our voice and being angry at home or with certain persons, but when stopped by a policeman, we react in a very different manner.
Are we living for Christ or living through Christ? If we're living for Him, then it is always a struggle. If we are living through Christ, then it's simply His character coming out.
We are instructed and disciplined in and by His Spirit when dealing with the fruit or character of Christ. We must yield to the Holy Spirit when facing the various trials, oppositions and hostilities of the world. Hebrews 12:9 tells of the difference between "the fathers of the flesh" and our heavenly Father. Our earthly father disciplines the flesh (mostly the part that you sit on) and God disciplines the Spirit by His Spirit and His Word.
When we react to the trials of the world by the same discipline of the world, then the Spirit will correct us and bring us into subjection of the Spirit if we listen and allow His correction. Christians need to really pay attention to 1Corinthians 14:32-33. This scripture is speaking about prophesying and speaking in tongues, but there's a very bold statement we should understand and see in Verse 32 which says, "For the Spirit of the prophets (the speaker in tongues) are under the speaker's control (and subject to being silenced as may be necessary)." The King James version says it like this, "The Spirit of the prophet, is subject to the prophet."
In other words, God is not going to make you speak in tongues, your spirit is still under your control. This principle is still true when applied to producing the fruit or character of Christ in your life. Your spirit is under your control. You can either react in the meekness of the Spirit by surrendering your spirit to the Holy Spirit or in the harshness of the flesh. It's not something to be forced out of you, but it's something that flows out of you.
The character of Christ is in you by the very same Spirit that was in Christ Jesus. Jesus only said what the Father told Him to say and only went where the Father told Him to go. This is yielding your spirit to the will of God's Spirit within you. If the "Spirit of the person is still subject to the person," then don't we have a choice in how we react?
We sort of choose what part of the fruit we wish to produce in our lives. I hear people say that, "I have the fruit of long suffering" or "I have the fruit of joy." If this is true, then you've only yielded to a small portion of the Holy Spirit. Remember when Jesus said, "Not My will, but Your will be done?" This is what produces the fruit or character of Christ in our daily walk with Him.
The only way of successfully dealing with the world and the trials that it will bring against you, is to yield to His Spirit. It's not because God withheld part of His nature and character from us when we were born again. It's because we haven't imitated God in His character. Religion gives us many ways of justifying the flesh when we don't walk in His character. We've mostly heard them all, but have taken the fruits that best suit us best. We've been told that, "Not all of us have these fruits," "Yes, but that was Jesus" and "God will work it out of me in His Own time." These might sound good to the hearer, but truthfully, this character will never be seen in our lives until we yield to the discipline and direction of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit knows how we're to react to the world and as His children, we know how we are to react too. It's not a matter of knowing, but of yielding. We know for instance, how to react in what and how we say things, but we're selective in how and to whom we say them. We don't mind raising our voice and being angry at home or with certain persons, but when stopped by a policeman, we react in a very different manner.
Are we living for Christ or living through Christ? If we're living for Him, then it is always a struggle. If we are living through Christ, then it's simply His character coming out.
Lesson 11 The Character of Christ
The Character of Christ is the Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23. This is what we, as Christians, are to be developing in our lives by the influence of the indwelling Holy Spirit. This comes by yielding to the leading of the Holy Spirit in our lives. It's much simpler to walk in the Fruit (character) of the Spirit than you might think.
We mostly walk in the character of the flesh that we walked in for so long. In order to walk differently, we must learn to think before reacting to the various trials and temptations that life brings our way. There are only two ways of dealing with these things in our lives. We will either react
by the Word or by the world. These are our only options.
It's always easier to do like we did before being saved because we were trained by the world. Before I was born again, I was moody and distant in many ways. I stayed away from people as much as possible. Even when people came to my house, I wondered what they wanted. It never occurred to me that someone would come simply to visit me and that they had no ulterior motive behind their visit. I chose to have only a few friends and I was quite content to leave it that way.
My wife and close family were really all I cared much about. I always lived way out in the country with my family, my horses and my collie dog. The people I worked with were just that; people I worked with. I never went to their house to hang out and they didn't come to my house. I worked hard and provided for my own and took care of things like I should. If anyone asked me, I would have told them, "I loved my family," but it was only after being saved that I realized I really didn't love them.
We can only really learn to love after we're born again. God is Love. Without Him in my life, I did what was expected out of obligation and affection more than anything else. The true meaning of Love was something only the Spirit of God can put in our hearts.
The Fruit of the Spirit is simply the Spirit of God living through us. We can stand in opposition to it and stubbornly walk in the things of the flesh like before being saved or we can yield to Him and live in His character. The character of Christ is a life lived through Christ instead of a life that's lived for Christ. Some might believe that these are one and the same.
When we allow Jesus to live through us, there is no phony or make believe nature anymore. We become transparent to the point of being "real." You're not one thing in church and something different at home. You are as He is, "The same yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever." You don't respond in anger or frustration at things that used to make you lose it anymore.
There are many things in Jesus' life that we take for granted and believe happened only because, "He was Jesus." Jesus said though, that, "It's the Father that does the works." Jesus wasn't only speaking about the miracles, but why and how He did them. He was moved by compassion and healed the multitude.
This compassion is and was the very character of the Father Who lived through Him and not He Himself. Jesus had the opportunity to become frustrated, angry and fed up with the people because it was in His flesh part of His make up. The difference between Him and us is the He never yielded to it.
Hebrews 12:23 (Amplified) says, "Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the leader and the source of our faith (giving the first incentive for our belief), And is also its finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection) He, for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Verse 3 goes on, "Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself (reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials), so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your hearts."
As we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us and not just in us, we can obtain this same "fruit" or character that was in Jesus.
We mostly walk in the character of the flesh that we walked in for so long. In order to walk differently, we must learn to think before reacting to the various trials and temptations that life brings our way. There are only two ways of dealing with these things in our lives. We will either react
by the Word or by the world. These are our only options.
It's always easier to do like we did before being saved because we were trained by the world. Before I was born again, I was moody and distant in many ways. I stayed away from people as much as possible. Even when people came to my house, I wondered what they wanted. It never occurred to me that someone would come simply to visit me and that they had no ulterior motive behind their visit. I chose to have only a few friends and I was quite content to leave it that way.
My wife and close family were really all I cared much about. I always lived way out in the country with my family, my horses and my collie dog. The people I worked with were just that; people I worked with. I never went to their house to hang out and they didn't come to my house. I worked hard and provided for my own and took care of things like I should. If anyone asked me, I would have told them, "I loved my family," but it was only after being saved that I realized I really didn't love them.
We can only really learn to love after we're born again. God is Love. Without Him in my life, I did what was expected out of obligation and affection more than anything else. The true meaning of Love was something only the Spirit of God can put in our hearts.
The Fruit of the Spirit is simply the Spirit of God living through us. We can stand in opposition to it and stubbornly walk in the things of the flesh like before being saved or we can yield to Him and live in His character. The character of Christ is a life lived through Christ instead of a life that's lived for Christ. Some might believe that these are one and the same.
When we allow Jesus to live through us, there is no phony or make believe nature anymore. We become transparent to the point of being "real." You're not one thing in church and something different at home. You are as He is, "The same yesterday, today and tomorrow and forever." You don't respond in anger or frustration at things that used to make you lose it anymore.
There are many things in Jesus' life that we take for granted and believe happened only because, "He was Jesus." Jesus said though, that, "It's the Father that does the works." Jesus wasn't only speaking about the miracles, but why and how He did them. He was moved by compassion and healed the multitude.
This compassion is and was the very character of the Father Who lived through Him and not He Himself. Jesus had the opportunity to become frustrated, angry and fed up with the people because it was in His flesh part of His make up. The difference between Him and us is the He never yielded to it.
Hebrews 12:23 (Amplified) says, "Looking away (from all that will distract) to Jesus, Who is the leader and the source of our faith (giving the first incentive for our belief), And is also its finisher (bringing it to maturity and perfection) He, for the joy (of obtaining the prize) that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising and ignoring the shame, and is now seated at the right hand of the throne of God." Verse 3 goes on, "Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself (reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials), so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your hearts."
As we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us and not just in us, we can obtain this same "fruit" or character that was in Jesus.
Wednesday, October 22, 2014
Lesson 10 The Character of Christ
John 15:1-8 (Amplified) says, "I Am the true Vine, and My Father is the Vine dresser. Any branch in Me that does not bear fruit (that stops bearing) He cuts away (trims off, takes away); and He cleanses any repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." Verse 3 goes on, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you." Verses 4-8 go on,
"Dwell in Me, and I will dwell with you (live in Me, and I will live in you) just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a (broken-off) branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me (abide vitally united to Me) and My Words remain in you, and continue to live in your hearts; ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine."
There is so much to share in these few scriptures and so much to be learned from them. We have misinterpreted much of what Jesus had to say in these verses. He said that, "He is the Vine" and the life of the branches is fed through the vine. God is the Vine dresser and owner of the vineyard. He is the One Who takes care of the vineyard and is in charge of the vine. 1Timothy 2:6 (Amplified) says that, "(It is) the hard working farmer (who labors to produce) who must be the first partaker of the fruits. It is the Father (the Farmer, or the Vine dresser) that is reaping the harvest of sons into glory."
Jesus said in Verse 2 that "every branch that stops bearings, He prunes and cleanses so it will bear fruit again; and every branch that is bearing fruit (leading the people to salvation) He prunes and cleanses it to bear better fruit."
If you will read to Verse 3, you'll find how He is pruning and cleansing the branches. Thus, it says, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word and teachings that He had given them." Our pruning and cleansing doesn't mean trials and tribulation or sickness and hardship. It is the Word that will prune away things that hinder our witness.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (Amplified) says, "So that He might sanctify her (the Church, the believer) having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the Church to himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things (that she might be holy and faultless)."
The vine can only produce sons and daughters in the same image as the seed. This fruit isn't the "Fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5, but it's the fruit of the new birth. God said in Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified) that "Not only will each thing produce after kind, but will carry its seed within itself."
We learned in 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) that after we're born again, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God. Jesus is the Word according to John 1:14 (Amplified) which says, "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate)."
Jesus was sown as a seed in the earth. John 12:24 (Amplified) says, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains (just one grain, it never becomes more but lives) by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
These scriptures make it plain that the fruit we are to produce from John 15:1-8 is the same fruit (the born again sons of God) that the seed produces. And, because the seed is the Word of God (Jesus), as we go into all the world preaching the Word, we are sowing seed to bring the new birth or children to God.
Jesus continued His discourse in John 15:4-8 (Amplified) saying, "Without abiding in Him, we cannot reproduce the fruit." He didn't say that we're not the fruit, but that the seed (Word) that reproduces isn't dwelling in us. In Verse 5 Jesus says that whoever believes in Him and He (the Word) lives in them, they will bear more fruit. These are seed bearers and those who witness and plant the Word in others. Jesus says something that is often misunderstood in Verse 6 saying, "If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a (broken off) branch, and withers, such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned."
Those who don't dwell in Him (Who is the Vine), are those who are not born again. Only those who are saved are the branches of the vine. These "branches" aren't Christian people, but the unsaved persons. Only the branches of a watermelon vine can produce the fruit of the watermelon. So, those who are not "dwelling or joined to the vine" aren't born again yet. If we preach the Word and sow the seed in their hearts, then they can still become fruit of the Vine.
Verse 7 is one that we need to pay close attention to, saying, "If you live in Me (abide, vitally united to Me) and My Words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you."
There are many times when we fail to study and search the Word. We're not backslidden or back in the world, but we're not "vitally united to Him" like we should be or once were. We begin living more by what we know than by "Who we know." We start living by sermons and religion instead of by united fellowship of revelation. We become "Churchy."
Did you ever buy a package of seed in the spring that produced a very low level of fruit? I've planted seed in the spring that was leftover from prior years, but because it was too long removed from the vine, it lost some of its vitality to reproduce.
The discourse Jesus gave on the vine and the fruit is about the new birth and the fruit of the seed (Jesus). When we become born again, we are in His Image and in His likeness. The Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 comes into play in our lives as seed bears. Ephesians 5:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, Be imitators of God (copy Him and follow His example) as well-beloved children (imitate their Father) and walk in love (esteeming and delighting in one another) as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God (for you, so that it became a sweet fragrance)."
We see that as imitators of God, we walk in the Fruit of the Spirit and have the character of Christ living through us on an individual basis. In order to produce the character in our lives, we must find the instructions on how to perfect it. Thus, John 15:2-3 (Amplified) says, "And He cleanses us and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." Verse 3 says, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)."
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) will be honed to sharpness and effectiveness by the Word and the Vine dresser and their teachings. The more time you spend in God's Word by the Spirit, the more His character will abide in you and you will become "imitators of God" through the revelation of His character.
"Dwell in Me, and I will dwell with you (live in Me, and I will live in you) just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a (broken-off) branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned. If you live in Me (abide vitally united to Me) and My Words remain in you, and continue to live in your hearts; ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you. When you bear much fruit, My Father is honored and glorified, and you show and prove yourselves to be true followers of Mine."
There is so much to share in these few scriptures and so much to be learned from them. We have misinterpreted much of what Jesus had to say in these verses. He said that, "He is the Vine" and the life of the branches is fed through the vine. God is the Vine dresser and owner of the vineyard. He is the One Who takes care of the vineyard and is in charge of the vine. 1Timothy 2:6 (Amplified) says that, "(It is) the hard working farmer (who labors to produce) who must be the first partaker of the fruits. It is the Father (the Farmer, or the Vine dresser) that is reaping the harvest of sons into glory."
Jesus said in Verse 2 that "every branch that stops bearings, He prunes and cleanses so it will bear fruit again; and every branch that is bearing fruit (leading the people to salvation) He prunes and cleanses it to bear better fruit."
If you will read to Verse 3, you'll find how He is pruning and cleansing the branches. Thus, it says, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word and teachings that He had given them." Our pruning and cleansing doesn't mean trials and tribulation or sickness and hardship. It is the Word that will prune away things that hinder our witness.
Ephesians 5:26-27 (Amplified) says, "So that He might sanctify her (the Church, the believer) having cleansed her by the washing of water with the Word, that He might present the Church to himself in glorious splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such things (that she might be holy and faultless)."
The vine can only produce sons and daughters in the same image as the seed. This fruit isn't the "Fruit of the Spirit" found in Galatians 5, but it's the fruit of the new birth. God said in Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified) that "Not only will each thing produce after kind, but will carry its seed within itself."
We learned in 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) that after we're born again, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God. Jesus is the Word according to John 1:14 (Amplified) which says, "And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate)."
Jesus was sown as a seed in the earth. John 12:24 (Amplified) says, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains (just one grain, it never becomes more but lives) by itself alone. But if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest."
These scriptures make it plain that the fruit we are to produce from John 15:1-8 is the same fruit (the born again sons of God) that the seed produces. And, because the seed is the Word of God (Jesus), as we go into all the world preaching the Word, we are sowing seed to bring the new birth or children to God.
Jesus continued His discourse in John 15:4-8 (Amplified) saying, "Without abiding in Him, we cannot reproduce the fruit." He didn't say that we're not the fruit, but that the seed (Word) that reproduces isn't dwelling in us. In Verse 5 Jesus says that whoever believes in Him and He (the Word) lives in them, they will bear more fruit. These are seed bearers and those who witness and plant the Word in others. Jesus says something that is often misunderstood in Verse 6 saying, "If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a (broken off) branch, and withers, such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and are burned."
Those who don't dwell in Him (Who is the Vine), are those who are not born again. Only those who are saved are the branches of the vine. These "branches" aren't Christian people, but the unsaved persons. Only the branches of a watermelon vine can produce the fruit of the watermelon. So, those who are not "dwelling or joined to the vine" aren't born again yet. If we preach the Word and sow the seed in their hearts, then they can still become fruit of the Vine.
Verse 7 is one that we need to pay close attention to, saying, "If you live in Me (abide, vitally united to Me) and My Words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you."
There are many times when we fail to study and search the Word. We're not backslidden or back in the world, but we're not "vitally united to Him" like we should be or once were. We begin living more by what we know than by "Who we know." We start living by sermons and religion instead of by united fellowship of revelation. We become "Churchy."
Did you ever buy a package of seed in the spring that produced a very low level of fruit? I've planted seed in the spring that was leftover from prior years, but because it was too long removed from the vine, it lost some of its vitality to reproduce.
The discourse Jesus gave on the vine and the fruit is about the new birth and the fruit of the seed (Jesus). When we become born again, we are in His Image and in His likeness. The Fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 comes into play in our lives as seed bears. Ephesians 5:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, Be imitators of God (copy Him and follow His example) as well-beloved children (imitate their Father) and walk in love (esteeming and delighting in one another) as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a slain offering and sacrifice to God (for you, so that it became a sweet fragrance)."
We see that as imitators of God, we walk in the Fruit of the Spirit and have the character of Christ living through us on an individual basis. In order to produce the character in our lives, we must find the instructions on how to perfect it. Thus, John 15:2-3 (Amplified) says, "And He cleanses us and repeatedly prunes every branch that continues to bear fruit, to make it bear more and richer and more excellent fruit." Verse 3 says, "You are cleansed and pruned already, because of the Word which I have given you (the teachings I have discussed with you)."
The Fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) will be honed to sharpness and effectiveness by the Word and the Vine dresser and their teachings. The more time you spend in God's Word by the Spirit, the more His character will abide in you and you will become "imitators of God" through the revelation of His character.
Lesson 9 The Character of Christ
As Christians, we've never allowed the Holy Spirit to develop the character of Christ in us. This is the work of the Holy Spirit that comes by our yielding ourselves over to Him. This is the most difficult part of "working out our own salvation" that we encounter.
The receiving of Jesus as our Lord and Savior has insured our eternal salvation. This isn't about whether we are saved or not, but how we yield and allow Jesus to actually live through us. The manner we lived in the flesh and the walk we took in our unsaved condition are difficult to rise above. It's not that we don't wish to walk in the Spirit, it's more that we don't know how to.
We've depended on ourselves and the world for everything for most of our lives. And, now we're learning to surrender ourselves over to something completely foreign to us. We deal with the more obvious things in our lives fairly quickly, but are slower to deal with the hidden nature. We change our drinking, drugging, cussing or whatever we were involved in quickly after being saved.
It's the personality or the habits of our old self that we have trouble dealing with. We mostly find ways to cover up these things in church or public and don't change them.
This is the fruit of the Spirit Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22-23. You have already become the fruit bearing branch from John 15. The law of Genesis 1:11-12 says that everything produces after its kind. As the first fruits, Jesus reproduced exactly what He is, a new creature, in us. We were born again into the same creation that Jesus was as Spirit filled, God life and sons of God. The very life of God was reproduced in us by His Word and His Spirit.
In one sense, it's no different from children born in the natural sense. The moment they're born, they are humans. They don't need to be taught how to be human because they are humans. We begin teaching and training them the very character of humanity. They must be taught how to walk, talk, eat, read, count and get along with other humans. None of these things are natural to them and must be taught to them. Children learn from their parents to become what they see and hear. Everything they are subject to makes a difference in their development. The very same principle is true in the Body of Christ. Most of us have learned more from religion and the world than from the Word and the Holy Spirit.
We were born with all the attributes of humanity and we were also born with all the attributes of our Heavenly Father. Somehow, we've reached the conclusion that "If God wants it done, then He will do it." Nothing can be further from the truth though. We know God wants it done, so why are we still walking as mere men and not getting it done? The fruit of the Spirit comes by yielding all the things the world has trained us to do, over to Him. This includes not only sinful things, but natural things.
We have a natural personality that includes our disposition and temperament. Each of us has a different attitude towards others depending on how we were trained and raised in our fellowship with others. For instance, those raised in the deep South and those raised in New England both speak English, but the way we speak sounds very different. This has to do with our culture and environment.
I had an explosive temper before being saved and found that I still had it after being saved. As I began yielding to the Holy Spirit, I learned how to yield to gentleness and meekness of the Spirit. This is part of the old nature and training of the natural man that abides in the carnal man. I was trained and brought up that way.
I yielded my smoking habit over to the Lord shortly after being saved. The Spirit didn't deliver me from breathing, only from breathing cigarette smoke. As I yielded that part of myself to Him, the Holy Spirit manifested His "fruit" in place of what Galatians called the "works of the flesh." I still live in this flesh and blood body, but the life of the Spirit is presently in more control than the old habits of the world's training.
I am bearing more and more of the character of Christ in my body by yielding my old nature over to the Holy Spirit. We've all known Christians who still speak and act unbecomingly who we've decided must not "be really saved." We've concluded that they're not really Christians because of the way they behave and talk.
This isn't necessarily true, but results from their not yielding the nature of their personality over to receive not only the Life of the Spirit, but the very nature and character of the Spirit. They aren't bearing fruit to make the seed (the Word they preach) attractive to the hearer. Therefore, "The seed (Word) falls on hard, stoney soil and bears no fruit," according to Mark 4.
Sometimes we wonder why our witness has no effect on others. It's mostly because we don't make our "Fruit of the Spirit" attractive to the hearer. When we appear stiff, stern, without joy, bound by religious traditions and without having attractive fruit, then who would want to be reproduced in that image? The meat or fruit of the apple is attractive. The bright red skin and sweet, enticing white crisp of the apple entices people to partake of the "fruit." The entire purpose of the meat of the apple if to nourish and protect the seed. Once the fruit or meat of the apple is eaten, the seed is revealed to renew and replenish the same kind of apple and complete the cycle.
You are the reproduction of what Jesus (the original seed) has brought to life. Jesus, the Word Himself, has reproduced Himself in us. Now, we must go into all the world, like He did, and preach the Gospel according to Mark 16:15. Why? Because the Word of God is the seed that brings forth the new creation! Listen carefully to what 1Peter 1:23-25 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God." This is the seed that produces the new creation or the new creature and is the fruit of the Vine found in John 15. 1Peter 1:24-25 go on, "For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, the grass withers and the flower drops off. But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever, And this Word is the Good News which is preached to you."
The Word and Gospel that was preached to you has produced the same Spirit and life in you like it did in Jesus. You're not Jesus, but you came from the same seed. When you pick and apple and remove the seed from it and plant it, it will produce another apple tree. The same kind of apple seed will reproduce the same apple tree every time. It will never produce anything but another apple tree. That apple tree will bear the same kind of apple. It's not the same apple, but another that is just like it.
Most orchard owners take care of their fruit trees because if they're not cared for properly, then they will not bear "good fruit." The same seed is inside the apple, but the "fruit" of the apple is undesirable to eaters. This is exactly what happens in our Christian lives when the same seed (the Word) has born the exact same thing, but the fruit (the life of the believer) is unattractive and not desirable to be partaken of by those hearing. The seed within them doesn't reproduce and these people seldomnly lead others to the new birth.
The receiving of Jesus as our Lord and Savior has insured our eternal salvation. This isn't about whether we are saved or not, but how we yield and allow Jesus to actually live through us. The manner we lived in the flesh and the walk we took in our unsaved condition are difficult to rise above. It's not that we don't wish to walk in the Spirit, it's more that we don't know how to.
We've depended on ourselves and the world for everything for most of our lives. And, now we're learning to surrender ourselves over to something completely foreign to us. We deal with the more obvious things in our lives fairly quickly, but are slower to deal with the hidden nature. We change our drinking, drugging, cussing or whatever we were involved in quickly after being saved.
It's the personality or the habits of our old self that we have trouble dealing with. We mostly find ways to cover up these things in church or public and don't change them.
This is the fruit of the Spirit Paul talks about in Galatians 5:22-23. You have already become the fruit bearing branch from John 15. The law of Genesis 1:11-12 says that everything produces after its kind. As the first fruits, Jesus reproduced exactly what He is, a new creature, in us. We were born again into the same creation that Jesus was as Spirit filled, God life and sons of God. The very life of God was reproduced in us by His Word and His Spirit.
In one sense, it's no different from children born in the natural sense. The moment they're born, they are humans. They don't need to be taught how to be human because they are humans. We begin teaching and training them the very character of humanity. They must be taught how to walk, talk, eat, read, count and get along with other humans. None of these things are natural to them and must be taught to them. Children learn from their parents to become what they see and hear. Everything they are subject to makes a difference in their development. The very same principle is true in the Body of Christ. Most of us have learned more from religion and the world than from the Word and the Holy Spirit.
We were born with all the attributes of humanity and we were also born with all the attributes of our Heavenly Father. Somehow, we've reached the conclusion that "If God wants it done, then He will do it." Nothing can be further from the truth though. We know God wants it done, so why are we still walking as mere men and not getting it done? The fruit of the Spirit comes by yielding all the things the world has trained us to do, over to Him. This includes not only sinful things, but natural things.
We have a natural personality that includes our disposition and temperament. Each of us has a different attitude towards others depending on how we were trained and raised in our fellowship with others. For instance, those raised in the deep South and those raised in New England both speak English, but the way we speak sounds very different. This has to do with our culture and environment.
I had an explosive temper before being saved and found that I still had it after being saved. As I began yielding to the Holy Spirit, I learned how to yield to gentleness and meekness of the Spirit. This is part of the old nature and training of the natural man that abides in the carnal man. I was trained and brought up that way.
I yielded my smoking habit over to the Lord shortly after being saved. The Spirit didn't deliver me from breathing, only from breathing cigarette smoke. As I yielded that part of myself to Him, the Holy Spirit manifested His "fruit" in place of what Galatians called the "works of the flesh." I still live in this flesh and blood body, but the life of the Spirit is presently in more control than the old habits of the world's training.
I am bearing more and more of the character of Christ in my body by yielding my old nature over to the Holy Spirit. We've all known Christians who still speak and act unbecomingly who we've decided must not "be really saved." We've concluded that they're not really Christians because of the way they behave and talk.
This isn't necessarily true, but results from their not yielding the nature of their personality over to receive not only the Life of the Spirit, but the very nature and character of the Spirit. They aren't bearing fruit to make the seed (the Word they preach) attractive to the hearer. Therefore, "The seed (Word) falls on hard, stoney soil and bears no fruit," according to Mark 4.
Sometimes we wonder why our witness has no effect on others. It's mostly because we don't make our "Fruit of the Spirit" attractive to the hearer. When we appear stiff, stern, without joy, bound by religious traditions and without having attractive fruit, then who would want to be reproduced in that image? The meat or fruit of the apple is attractive. The bright red skin and sweet, enticing white crisp of the apple entices people to partake of the "fruit." The entire purpose of the meat of the apple if to nourish and protect the seed. Once the fruit or meat of the apple is eaten, the seed is revealed to renew and replenish the same kind of apple and complete the cycle.
You are the reproduction of what Jesus (the original seed) has brought to life. Jesus, the Word Himself, has reproduced Himself in us. Now, we must go into all the world, like He did, and preach the Gospel according to Mark 16:15. Why? Because the Word of God is the seed that brings forth the new creation! Listen carefully to what 1Peter 1:23-25 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God." This is the seed that produces the new creation or the new creature and is the fruit of the Vine found in John 15. 1Peter 1:24-25 go on, "For all flesh (mankind) is like grass, the grass withers and the flower drops off. But the Word of the Lord (divine instruction, the Gospel) endures forever, And this Word is the Good News which is preached to you."
The Word and Gospel that was preached to you has produced the same Spirit and life in you like it did in Jesus. You're not Jesus, but you came from the same seed. When you pick and apple and remove the seed from it and plant it, it will produce another apple tree. The same kind of apple seed will reproduce the same apple tree every time. It will never produce anything but another apple tree. That apple tree will bear the same kind of apple. It's not the same apple, but another that is just like it.
Most orchard owners take care of their fruit trees because if they're not cared for properly, then they will not bear "good fruit." The same seed is inside the apple, but the "fruit" of the apple is undesirable to eaters. This is exactly what happens in our Christian lives when the same seed (the Word) has born the exact same thing, but the fruit (the life of the believer) is unattractive and not desirable to be partaken of by those hearing. The seed within them doesn't reproduce and these people seldomnly lead others to the new birth.
Monday, October 20, 2014
Lesson 8 The Character of Christ
When we realize that love is not a gift of the Spirit, but is actually the Giver of the gifts, then we learn somethings about the nature and the character of Christ. The Holy Spirit is God Himself and is the Giver of life. That life is the very life and nature of our Heavenly Father.
The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit Jesus spoke about in John 15:5 (Amplified) and that fruit is what Jesus produced in His life and resurrection. This fruit isn't what Paul spoke of in Galatians 5:22-23.
In John 15:5 (Amplified) we see that the fruit Jesus produced was the life of the Father in all who will believe and the fruit produced in Galatians 5 produces the character of this life. Galatians 5:22-23 (Amplified) says, "But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self control (restraint, continence). Against such things there is no Law (that can bring a charge)."
These things (fruits) are the very nature and character of the new life the Holy Spirit produces through our salvation in Jesus. In the Law of Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified), "God said, Let the earth put forth (tender) vegetation; plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so, the earth brought forth vegetation; plants yielding see according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it."
We are called to reproduce the seed sown in us, which is the new birth in unbelievers. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God."
When we go forth preaching the Word (seed) of God, that seed (Word) will bring forth the new birth to unbelievers. It will produce the same new life in them that it did in us and make them part of the family of God, too, because "everything produces after kind." This is the fruit Jesus spoke about in John 15. A watermelon seed will produce another watermelon. The meat of the watermelon is what entices people to eat it. The whole purpose of the "fruit" of the melon, is to carry and nourish the seed within in.
The "fruit" of the Spirit that we're to produce in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) is to make the seed or the Word we minister attractive to the hearer so that they receive it and reproduce it in their own lives. The only purpose for the fruit of the watermelon (the rich, red, succulent meat of the melon) is to carry the seed.
We've never really given much attention to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians and have failed to understand what Paul was saying. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives, is the character of our Father that should be manifest in our lives to the world. Instead of wrapping the seed in the character of Christ and making it attractive, we wrap it in religion and make in unattractive and unattainable. We wrapped the seed of the new birth in how we dress, speak, worship and the Laws we insist on in our churches.
These things aren't always a "meat" of the fruit we're to bear nor the seed we are to sow. Remember the Parable of the sower in Mark 4? Jesus said that the sower sows the Word. If the fruit we sow isn't desirable to the hearer, then the seed (Word) falls on deaf ears or hard soil. Jesus said in Mark 4:21 (Amplified), "Is the lamp brought in to be put under a peck measure, or under a bed, and not (to be put) on the lampstand?" In other words, the sower it to be a light for those to whom he is speaking and is not to keep the seed (Word) darkened by something else.
If we read this parable in the light of the Spirit in which it was spoken, then we are the ones who determine if the lamp is lifted high or placed under a darkened rule of religion. We are the ones who are sowing the seed of the new birth now. This seed (Word) is to produce in kind, the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 15. The fruit of the Spirit spoke about in Galatians 5:22-23 is the nature and character of the Vine (Jesus) that makes the seed desirable to the hearer.
Galatians 5:22-23is what we're to bring to pass in our lives as we yield to the life and leading of the Holy Spirit on a personal basis in our lives. 2Corinthians 3:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom. And all us, as with unveiled face, (because we) continued to behold (in the Word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigures into His very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another, (for this comes) from the Lord (Who is) the Spirit."
The above scripture perfectly reveals the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 which is the character and nature of the Image of Jesus in our lives. The fruit or character of Jesus and our Father, is the goodness or the meat of what we've become. The new creature brings forth the enticing watermelon meat that makes our seed fall upon the hearts of man. We're called to become bearers of the seed (the Word of reconciliation) and to bear the fruit, which is the Image of the Vine Who produces the fruit we've become. The fruit is the life of God, the sons of God and the fruit of the vine.
The fruit of the Spirit is the fruit Jesus spoke about in John 15:5 (Amplified) and that fruit is what Jesus produced in His life and resurrection. This fruit isn't what Paul spoke of in Galatians 5:22-23.
In John 15:5 (Amplified) we see that the fruit Jesus produced was the life of the Father in all who will believe and the fruit produced in Galatians 5 produces the character of this life. Galatians 5:22-23 (Amplified) says, "But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self control (restraint, continence). Against such things there is no Law (that can bring a charge)."
These things (fruits) are the very nature and character of the new life the Holy Spirit produces through our salvation in Jesus. In the Law of Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified), "God said, Let the earth put forth (tender) vegetation; plants yielding seed and fruit trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind, upon the earth. And it was so, the earth brought forth vegetation; plants yielding see according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it."
We are called to reproduce the seed sown in us, which is the new birth in unbelievers. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born again), not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from one that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God."
When we go forth preaching the Word (seed) of God, that seed (Word) will bring forth the new birth to unbelievers. It will produce the same new life in them that it did in us and make them part of the family of God, too, because "everything produces after kind." This is the fruit Jesus spoke about in John 15. A watermelon seed will produce another watermelon. The meat of the watermelon is what entices people to eat it. The whole purpose of the "fruit" of the melon, is to carry and nourish the seed within in.
The "fruit" of the Spirit that we're to produce in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23) is to make the seed or the Word we minister attractive to the hearer so that they receive it and reproduce it in their own lives. The only purpose for the fruit of the watermelon (the rich, red, succulent meat of the melon) is to carry the seed.
We've never really given much attention to the fruit of the Spirit from Galatians and have failed to understand what Paul was saying. The fruit of the Spirit in our lives, is the character of our Father that should be manifest in our lives to the world. Instead of wrapping the seed in the character of Christ and making it attractive, we wrap it in religion and make in unattractive and unattainable. We wrapped the seed of the new birth in how we dress, speak, worship and the Laws we insist on in our churches.
These things aren't always a "meat" of the fruit we're to bear nor the seed we are to sow. Remember the Parable of the sower in Mark 4? Jesus said that the sower sows the Word. If the fruit we sow isn't desirable to the hearer, then the seed (Word) falls on deaf ears or hard soil. Jesus said in Mark 4:21 (Amplified), "Is the lamp brought in to be put under a peck measure, or under a bed, and not (to be put) on the lampstand?" In other words, the sower it to be a light for those to whom he is speaking and is not to keep the seed (Word) darkened by something else.
If we read this parable in the light of the Spirit in which it was spoken, then we are the ones who determine if the lamp is lifted high or placed under a darkened rule of religion. We are the ones who are sowing the seed of the new birth now. This seed (Word) is to produce in kind, the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 15. The fruit of the Spirit spoke about in Galatians 5:22-23 is the nature and character of the Vine (Jesus) that makes the seed desirable to the hearer.
Galatians 5:22-23is what we're to bring to pass in our lives as we yield to the life and leading of the Holy Spirit on a personal basis in our lives. 2Corinthians 3:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty (emancipation from bondage, freedom. And all us, as with unveiled face, (because we) continued to behold (in the Word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigures into His very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another, (for this comes) from the Lord (Who is) the Spirit."
The above scripture perfectly reveals the fruit of the Spirit found in Galatians 5:22-23 which is the character and nature of the Image of Jesus in our lives. The fruit or character of Jesus and our Father, is the goodness or the meat of what we've become. The new creature brings forth the enticing watermelon meat that makes our seed fall upon the hearts of man. We're called to become bearers of the seed (the Word of reconciliation) and to bear the fruit, which is the Image of the Vine Who produces the fruit we've become. The fruit is the life of God, the sons of God and the fruit of the vine.
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Lesson 7 The Character of Christ
1John 4:8 (Amplified) says, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him) for God is love."
Until we become acquainted with the Father of the new covenant, we will never know love the way we should. Love is not the character of God, but is actually God Himself. Love is not a "gift of the Spirit," but is the actual presence of God's Spirit Itself.
Love is the author and the very person of the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. The more we allow our Father to fully live in and through us, the more of His Own person is revealed to the world. Without Him, we're incapable of displaying His person of love. Our natural person of flesh is by nature (fallen nature) selfish and boastful. We can only reveal our Heavenly Father to the worldby allowing Him to live through us.
The gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit are God Himself living in our place. Jesus said in John 10:30 that, "He and the Father are One." He said in John 15:9-10 (Amplified) that, "I have loved you (just) as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love (continue in His love with Me). If you keep My commandments (if you continue to obey My instructions) you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love."
This Love is not the gift, but is the Giver of the gifts. It's very person of God Himself. Without knowing Him as love, we become once again, religious in our relationship with Him. We begin laying down laws and rules and rituals in order to gain access to Him, when all the while, He has already made the way into His presence. All that is required of us is that we simply believe in His love (His person) and receive.
We can only ever hope to flow and move in His gifts and bear fruit by knowing Him in His person (love). John 15:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you (live in Me, and I will live in you). Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me." Verse 5 continues, "I am the Vine; you are the branches, Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing."
Many in the Body of Christ today have either cut themselves off from or have been cut off from this knowledge of Him by teachings that don't reveal Love as the One Who is our life. We try conuring love by our own notions and mostly reveal a bias and self righteous presentation to the world.
1John 4:8 says that if we don't love and reveal God through our lives, then we don't now and never did really know our Father. We can be born again and saved from death, but still really not know our Father. We've never truly understood that it's not our understanding of what love is, but God Himself living in through us Who is love.
We become self righteous when we judge others in our own understanding of love. As we judge and allow Him to judge through us, can we only then reveal the redemptive character of Love (God).
We see the gifts of the Spirit (love) moving in order to release those who are in bondage to sin and the world in 1Corinthians 12. We've mostly believed that these gifts were for the Church. These can be used in the Church to help those who are still babies in Christ and are struggling , but they're mostly to be used by the Church for the unsaved world. God still "So loves the world" and is sending His Spirit, Who is Love Himself, to deliver them through us.
These gifts are the same life and character Jesus walked in when He said in John 14:11-12 (Amplified), "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the (very) works themselves, (If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's Name convince you), I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the thing that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father."
It was only after Jesus had gone to the Father and the Spirit of the Father (love) had been poured out on mankind and the earth, that we could ever dare hope to do the things Jesus spoke of. Jesus said that its wasn't Him, but the Father in Him, Who did the works. Only Love, God Himself, could ever overlook, forgive and remove all the things sin had brought onto the people.
The people under the Law rejected those outside the Law. Even those who had the Law, regulated the divine deliverance of the Law by judging wrongly. We see how those under the Law were commanded to love, but without God (love living in them) they couldn't do it. The leaders under the Law assigned certain days for healing and other things like it.
God (love) wanted to cleanse the leper, but man wanted to separate them. Love (God) wanted to change man's spirit, but man wanted to change man's behavior. Anything leaders under the Law invoked could never produce the Fruit of the Spirit (the character of God-Love) because they were still separated from the Vine Whoe produces love.
The entire character of our Father was displayed in the life of Jesus. We still judge and sentence mankind based on our own love that operates in us. When God's love, His very life is operating through us, we don't need to separate man from us, but separate them from the world by His gifts of the Spirit, Love (God) can and will set them free.
Isn't this what Jesus said in Luke 4:18 (Amplified) where He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, to release the captives, set at liberty those in bondage, to preach the good news?" These gifts are Love (God) living through us to deliver the world from captivity. Love has come into the earth, grace has removed the barrier, mercy has overridden judgment and Love God has triumphed over death.
Now this fruit of John 15:1-12 (Amplified) is actually producing the very life of the Vine Who is Love Who is God Himself in the midst of earth.
Until we become acquainted with the Father of the new covenant, we will never know love the way we should. Love is not the character of God, but is actually God Himself. Love is not a "gift of the Spirit," but is the actual presence of God's Spirit Itself.
Love is the author and the very person of the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit. The more we allow our Father to fully live in and through us, the more of His Own person is revealed to the world. Without Him, we're incapable of displaying His person of love. Our natural person of flesh is by nature (fallen nature) selfish and boastful. We can only reveal our Heavenly Father to the worldby allowing Him to live through us.
The gifts of the Spirit and the fruits of the Spirit are God Himself living in our place. Jesus said in John 10:30 that, "He and the Father are One." He said in John 15:9-10 (Amplified) that, "I have loved you (just) as the Father has loved Me; abide in My love (continue in His love with Me). If you keep My commandments (if you continue to obey My instructions) you will abide in My love and live on in it, just as I have obeyed My Father's commandments and live on in His love."
This Love is not the gift, but is the Giver of the gifts. It's very person of God Himself. Without knowing Him as love, we become once again, religious in our relationship with Him. We begin laying down laws and rules and rituals in order to gain access to Him, when all the while, He has already made the way into His presence. All that is required of us is that we simply believe in His love (His person) and receive.
We can only ever hope to flow and move in His gifts and bear fruit by knowing Him in His person (love). John 15:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you (live in Me, and I will live in you). Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me." Verse 5 continues, "I am the Vine; you are the branches, Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me (cut off from vital union with Me) you can do nothing."
Many in the Body of Christ today have either cut themselves off from or have been cut off from this knowledge of Him by teachings that don't reveal Love as the One Who is our life. We try conuring love by our own notions and mostly reveal a bias and self righteous presentation to the world.
1John 4:8 says that if we don't love and reveal God through our lives, then we don't now and never did really know our Father. We can be born again and saved from death, but still really not know our Father. We've never truly understood that it's not our understanding of what love is, but God Himself living in through us Who is love.
We become self righteous when we judge others in our own understanding of love. As we judge and allow Him to judge through us, can we only then reveal the redemptive character of Love (God).
We see the gifts of the Spirit (love) moving in order to release those who are in bondage to sin and the world in 1Corinthians 12. We've mostly believed that these gifts were for the Church. These can be used in the Church to help those who are still babies in Christ and are struggling , but they're mostly to be used by the Church for the unsaved world. God still "So loves the world" and is sending His Spirit, Who is Love Himself, to deliver them through us.
These gifts are the same life and character Jesus walked in when He said in John 14:11-12 (Amplified), "Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me; or else believe Me for the sake of the (very) works themselves, (If you cannot trust Me, at least let these works that I do in My Father's Name convince you), I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the thing that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father."
It was only after Jesus had gone to the Father and the Spirit of the Father (love) had been poured out on mankind and the earth, that we could ever dare hope to do the things Jesus spoke of. Jesus said that its wasn't Him, but the Father in Him, Who did the works. Only Love, God Himself, could ever overlook, forgive and remove all the things sin had brought onto the people.
The people under the Law rejected those outside the Law. Even those who had the Law, regulated the divine deliverance of the Law by judging wrongly. We see how those under the Law were commanded to love, but without God (love living in them) they couldn't do it. The leaders under the Law assigned certain days for healing and other things like it.
God (love) wanted to cleanse the leper, but man wanted to separate them. Love (God) wanted to change man's spirit, but man wanted to change man's behavior. Anything leaders under the Law invoked could never produce the Fruit of the Spirit (the character of God-Love) because they were still separated from the Vine Whoe produces love.
The entire character of our Father was displayed in the life of Jesus. We still judge and sentence mankind based on our own love that operates in us. When God's love, His very life is operating through us, we don't need to separate man from us, but separate them from the world by His gifts of the Spirit, Love (God) can and will set them free.
Isn't this what Jesus said in Luke 4:18 (Amplified) where He said, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, to release the captives, set at liberty those in bondage, to preach the good news?" These gifts are Love (God) living through us to deliver the world from captivity. Love has come into the earth, grace has removed the barrier, mercy has overridden judgment and Love God has triumphed over death.
Now this fruit of John 15:1-12 (Amplified) is actually producing the very life of the Vine Who is Love Who is God Himself in the midst of earth.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Lesson 6 The Character of Christ
1John 4:8 (Amplified) tells us that, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never know Him) for God is love."
Love is the very person of our Heavenly Father. John said that those who don't walk in love, don't know and never have known God. He didn't say that they aren't known by God, but that they don't know Him.
Many in today's Church, still only know God through the Old Testament personality. They find it difficult to know Him under the new covenant. The reason we struggles with this, is because we actually know Him. We seemingly know about Him and draw conclusions from what others say about Him, but we really have no personal relationship with Him.
We see the just and righteous God of the Old Testament. We watch as He deals with His people and we believe this how He deals with us. Has God "gone soft" on sin and unrighteousness? Of course not! Does He still judge sin? Of course He does. The question is, how does He do it?
The person of God (love) determines the character of God. He is love and He is also just and righteous. As a Holy God, He must judge sin in order to remain righteous. The thing we seem to miss is that He already judged and punished all sin and unrighteousness in Christ Jesus.
We can't seem to get it into our hearts and conscience that this is what the sacrifice of Jesus was for. God had to judge sin in order to maintain His righteousness. He covered man's sin and unrighteousness the best He could through the sacrifice of bulls and goats. He knew, though, this could never remove the sin, but could at least cover it for a time. As man continued to transgress, God had to deal with it, as a righteous judge.
Because we see this part of God's character, we expect to see the same reaction to our sins today. What we fail to realize is that we've already been judged, punished, died the death of the cross and now that sentence has been passed and the penalty paid, we're declared righteous with Him, because of Jesus.
We hear that, we read that and we know that, but we don't walk in that. We still have an unconscious need to be punished when we fail to measure up. It's only by faith that we can truly allow the fulfillment of the penalty to be paid by Jesus. We know we're still not perfect and we believe we deserve to be punished for our failures.
Do you remember what the Holy Spirit inspired John to say in 1John 4:16-18 (Amplified), "And we know (understand, recognize, are conscience of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to, and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in Him." Verses 17-18 go on, "In this (union and communion with Him) love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment (with assurance and boldness to face Him) because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love's complete perfection)."
John makes a second statement about the fear of punishment in 1John 4:8 (Amplified) saying that he who lives in this state of fear "does not and never did know God." As we read these scriptures in the text that the Holy Spirit assigned them, we find how because we don't understand (know) God as love, we're still awaiting our deserved punishment when love has already paid the penalty and punishment for us.
It's nearly impossible to walk in the character of Love or the Image of our Father without understanding the very person of God (love). When we have a wrong image of our Father, we have a problem living up to what He has created us to be. When Love paid my debt and then declared me righteous in His sight, I can now see others in that light and change my behavior to yield to His Spirit and walk through His love.
Once we understand the Person of Love (God our Father), it becomes easier to allow Him to express His Own character through us. We don't have the ability to walk in this character without Him living through us because only love has these characteristics and attributes. Man cannot do it without the love of God (the expression of His life) in him.
This has become a great source of condemnation to the Church. We try doing what love demands and expects because we know this is His command to the Church, but fail because we don't allow Him to live through us. When we fail at our "love walk,"we expect punishment. 1John 4:18 declares that not knowing or understanding this love, brings fear of punishment.
It's of utmost importance that we come to know the Father of the new covenant, instead of just knowing the God of the old covenant. How can we let the character of love live through us, if we don't understand the Person of Love?
As we begin to understand the Person of God, we see His character in an entirely different way. We can begin to know what Peter said in 2Peter 1:5-9 (Amplified) about "adding to our faith", along with Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says "we're saved by grace, through faith." Now that by faith, we've received the grace of God to be born again, we begin adding to our faith (our relationship to this Love) and add the character of Him to that relationship.
When you know Who He really is, you can trust Him to live through you with all His attributes. Love has judged us, found us guilty, punished our trespass in Jesus and declared the debt fully paid and restored us back to right standing with God our Father. There's no need to be fearful or to walk under condemnation of the mistakes we make. We will out grow them as we allow Him to walk and live through us. And, when we understand these things, we can see beyond the faults and mistakes of others and actually Love them like He does.
Love is the very person of our Heavenly Father. John said that those who don't walk in love, don't know and never have known God. He didn't say that they aren't known by God, but that they don't know Him.
Many in today's Church, still only know God through the Old Testament personality. They find it difficult to know Him under the new covenant. The reason we struggles with this, is because we actually know Him. We seemingly know about Him and draw conclusions from what others say about Him, but we really have no personal relationship with Him.
We see the just and righteous God of the Old Testament. We watch as He deals with His people and we believe this how He deals with us. Has God "gone soft" on sin and unrighteousness? Of course not! Does He still judge sin? Of course He does. The question is, how does He do it?
The person of God (love) determines the character of God. He is love and He is also just and righteous. As a Holy God, He must judge sin in order to remain righteous. The thing we seem to miss is that He already judged and punished all sin and unrighteousness in Christ Jesus.
We can't seem to get it into our hearts and conscience that this is what the sacrifice of Jesus was for. God had to judge sin in order to maintain His righteousness. He covered man's sin and unrighteousness the best He could through the sacrifice of bulls and goats. He knew, though, this could never remove the sin, but could at least cover it for a time. As man continued to transgress, God had to deal with it, as a righteous judge.
Because we see this part of God's character, we expect to see the same reaction to our sins today. What we fail to realize is that we've already been judged, punished, died the death of the cross and now that sentence has been passed and the penalty paid, we're declared righteous with Him, because of Jesus.
We hear that, we read that and we know that, but we don't walk in that. We still have an unconscious need to be punished when we fail to measure up. It's only by faith that we can truly allow the fulfillment of the penalty to be paid by Jesus. We know we're still not perfect and we believe we deserve to be punished for our failures.
Do you remember what the Holy Spirit inspired John to say in 1John 4:16-18 (Amplified), "And we know (understand, recognize, are conscience of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to, and put faith in and rely on) the love God cherishes for us. God is love, and he who dwells and continues in Him." Verses 17-18 go on, "In this (union and communion with Him) love is brought to completion and attains perfection with us, that we may have confidence for the day of judgment (with assurance and boldness to face Him) because as He is, so are we in this world. There is no fear in love (dread does not exist) but full grown (complete, perfect) love turns fear out of doors and expels every trace of terror! For fear brings with it the thought of punishment, and (so) he who is afraid has not reached the full maturity of love (is not yet grown into love's complete perfection)."
John makes a second statement about the fear of punishment in 1John 4:8 (Amplified) saying that he who lives in this state of fear "does not and never did know God." As we read these scriptures in the text that the Holy Spirit assigned them, we find how because we don't understand (know) God as love, we're still awaiting our deserved punishment when love has already paid the penalty and punishment for us.
It's nearly impossible to walk in the character of Love or the Image of our Father without understanding the very person of God (love). When we have a wrong image of our Father, we have a problem living up to what He has created us to be. When Love paid my debt and then declared me righteous in His sight, I can now see others in that light and change my behavior to yield to His Spirit and walk through His love.
Once we understand the Person of Love (God our Father), it becomes easier to allow Him to express His Own character through us. We don't have the ability to walk in this character without Him living through us because only love has these characteristics and attributes. Man cannot do it without the love of God (the expression of His life) in him.
This has become a great source of condemnation to the Church. We try doing what love demands and expects because we know this is His command to the Church, but fail because we don't allow Him to live through us. When we fail at our "love walk,"we expect punishment. 1John 4:18 declares that not knowing or understanding this love, brings fear of punishment.
It's of utmost importance that we come to know the Father of the new covenant, instead of just knowing the God of the old covenant. How can we let the character of love live through us, if we don't understand the Person of Love?
As we begin to understand the Person of God, we see His character in an entirely different way. We can begin to know what Peter said in 2Peter 1:5-9 (Amplified) about "adding to our faith", along with Ephesians 2:8 (Amplified) which says "we're saved by grace, through faith." Now that by faith, we've received the grace of God to be born again, we begin adding to our faith (our relationship to this Love) and add the character of Him to that relationship.
When you know Who He really is, you can trust Him to live through you with all His attributes. Love has judged us, found us guilty, punished our trespass in Jesus and declared the debt fully paid and restored us back to right standing with God our Father. There's no need to be fearful or to walk under condemnation of the mistakes we make. We will out grow them as we allow Him to walk and live through us. And, when we understand these things, we can see beyond the faults and mistakes of others and actually Love them like He does.
Lesson 5 The Character of Christ
We have allowed the Word to be read and separated into small parts. We've determined that the Fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit are separate things. The gifts and the fruit are all a part of the same character of the Lord Who saved us. The same Spirit Who lives in and through us, is the same Spirit Who lived in and through Jesus. It is the very Spirit of our Father, the Almighty God.
Galatians 2:13-14 (Amplified) says that, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us) from the curse (doom) of the Law (and its condemnation) by (Himself) becoming a curse for us, for it is written (in the scriptures) 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified) [Deuteronomy 21:14}.'" Verse 14 goes on, "To the end that through (their receiving) Christ Jesus, the blessing (promised) to Abraham mighty come upon the gentiles, so that we through faith might (all) receive (the realization of) the promise of the (Holy) Spirit."
The "promise of the Holy Spirit" is the blessing in itself. Once we have received the Holy Spirit of God, we have all God has promised, in and through His presence in us. The gifts of the Spirit include the nature of the Spirit, the character of the Spirit, the authority of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. The same Holy Spirit lived and moved through Jesus in everything He ever did in His earth walk. This is the same Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead.
I've heard people break the fruits of the Spirit into portions and sections. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches who bear the fruit. Apple trees don't have any trouble deciding what fruit to bear. And, Christians shouldn't have any problem determining what fruit they're to bear. I've heard people say that they walk in the Spirit of love, but not of joy.
Love (God) is the very life and the sap that flows through the vine and the branches. The Holy Spirit is that sap. So, all the fruits of the Spirit are already flowing in our spirit by the very life of God in us. This is the "blessing of Abraham." Abraham only had the shadow of the blessing by the outward application of the Spirit. We have the fullness of the blessing by the indwelling of this Spirit.
1Corinthians 12 is a chapter that talks about the very nature of the Holy Spirit and how He is the blessing and the One Who gives these gifts as He wills. This Church age is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit Himself. How does He determine who to distinguish Himself to in giving these gifts? He gives to those who will allow Him liberty to flow through according to Galatians 5:16 (Amplified) which says, "But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit), then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)."
The degree we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us, is the degree that we bear fruit. This fruit is actually God's very presence, revealed through us to the world. Jesus said that, "When you have seen Me, you have seen the Father."
1Corinthians 13 is called the Love chapter and tells the very nature of God. The fruit chapters are Galatians 5:22-26 tell the very character of God. The gifts chapter of 1Corinthians 12 explains the power of God. The Holy Spirit is the Promise of God to fulfill the blessing. Thus,Genesis 12:2-3 (Amplified) says, "And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you (with abundant increase of favors) and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing (dispensing good to others). And I will bless those who bless you (who confer prosperity or happiness upon you) and curse him that curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed (and by you they will bless themselves)."
Paul says in 1Corinthians 1:7 (Amplified), "That you are not (consciously) falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace (the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit) while you wait and watch (constantly living in hope) for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and (His) being made visible to all."
The Holy Spirit isn't only living in us, but actually is the only life we have, as are the attributes and the nature and character of our heavenly Father. As Christians, we have decided that "not everyone cane do these things" or that "not everyone has these qualities" or that "not everyone walks in this power."
It's true that each person in the Body of Christ has his own function, but we all have the same Holy Spirit to manifest all of the same functions to the glory of Jesus. 1Corinthians 12:18-20 (Amplified) says, "But as it is, God had placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each (particular one) of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation." Verses 19-20 say, "But if (the whole) were all a single organ, where would the body be? And now there are (certainly) many limbs and organs, but a single body."
Some have decided after reading these scripture that certain parts of the Body of Christ are "more anointed" than others. Not so! The whole body is anointed and each one has the same Holy Spirit and the same gifts, fruits, and abilities with its own duties or function for the same glory of the Father.
Galatians 2:13-14 (Amplified) says that, "Christ purchased our freedom (redeeming us) from the curse (doom) of the Law (and its condemnation) by (Himself) becoming a curse for us, for it is written (in the scriptures) 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified) [Deuteronomy 21:14}.'" Verse 14 goes on, "To the end that through (their receiving) Christ Jesus, the blessing (promised) to Abraham mighty come upon the gentiles, so that we through faith might (all) receive (the realization of) the promise of the (Holy) Spirit."
The "promise of the Holy Spirit" is the blessing in itself. Once we have received the Holy Spirit of God, we have all God has promised, in and through His presence in us. The gifts of the Spirit include the nature of the Spirit, the character of the Spirit, the authority of the Spirit and the power of the Spirit. The same Holy Spirit lived and moved through Jesus in everything He ever did in His earth walk. This is the same Holy Spirit Who raised Jesus from the dead.
I've heard people break the fruits of the Spirit into portions and sections. Jesus is the vine and we are the branches who bear the fruit. Apple trees don't have any trouble deciding what fruit to bear. And, Christians shouldn't have any problem determining what fruit they're to bear. I've heard people say that they walk in the Spirit of love, but not of joy.
Love (God) is the very life and the sap that flows through the vine and the branches. The Holy Spirit is that sap. So, all the fruits of the Spirit are already flowing in our spirit by the very life of God in us. This is the "blessing of Abraham." Abraham only had the shadow of the blessing by the outward application of the Spirit. We have the fullness of the blessing by the indwelling of this Spirit.
1Corinthians 12 is a chapter that talks about the very nature of the Holy Spirit and how He is the blessing and the One Who gives these gifts as He wills. This Church age is the dispensation of the Holy Spirit Himself. How does He determine who to distinguish Himself to in giving these gifts? He gives to those who will allow Him liberty to flow through according to Galatians 5:16 (Amplified) which says, "But I say, walk and live (habitually) in the (Holy) Spirit (responsive to and controlled and guided by the Spirit), then you will certainly not gratify the cravings and desires of the flesh (of human nature without God)."
The degree we allow the Holy Spirit to live through us, is the degree that we bear fruit. This fruit is actually God's very presence, revealed through us to the world. Jesus said that, "When you have seen Me, you have seen the Father."
1Corinthians 13 is called the Love chapter and tells the very nature of God. The fruit chapters are Galatians 5:22-26 tell the very character of God. The gifts chapter of 1Corinthians 12 explains the power of God. The Holy Spirit is the Promise of God to fulfill the blessing. Thus,Genesis 12:2-3 (Amplified) says, "And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you (with abundant increase of favors) and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing (dispensing good to others). And I will bless those who bless you (who confer prosperity or happiness upon you) and curse him that curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed (and by you they will bless themselves)."
Paul says in 1Corinthians 1:7 (Amplified), "That you are not (consciously) falling behind or lacking in any special spiritual endowment or Christian grace (the reception of which is due to the power of divine grace operating in your souls by the Holy Spirit) while you wait and watch (constantly living in hope) for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and (His) being made visible to all."
The Holy Spirit isn't only living in us, but actually is the only life we have, as are the attributes and the nature and character of our heavenly Father. As Christians, we have decided that "not everyone cane do these things" or that "not everyone has these qualities" or that "not everyone walks in this power."
It's true that each person in the Body of Christ has his own function, but we all have the same Holy Spirit to manifest all of the same functions to the glory of Jesus. 1Corinthians 12:18-20 (Amplified) says, "But as it is, God had placed and arranged the limbs and organs in the body, each (particular one) of them, just as He wished and saw fit and with the best adaptation." Verses 19-20 say, "But if (the whole) were all a single organ, where would the body be? And now there are (certainly) many limbs and organs, but a single body."
Some have decided after reading these scripture that certain parts of the Body of Christ are "more anointed" than others. Not so! The whole body is anointed and each one has the same Holy Spirit and the same gifts, fruits, and abilities with its own duties or function for the same glory of the Father.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Lesson 4 The Character of Christ
Jesus said that it was not Him, but the Father in Him doing the works He did. Paul made a synonymous statement in Galatians, saying that it wasn't him who lived, but Jesus living through him.
We've not arrived at the place yet, where we have learned to live through Christ. We've been living for Christ, but not through Him. Paul said in Galatians that, "It's no longer I who live, but Christ that now lives in me." The is the thing now coming to be realized in the Church of the Lord Jesus that will truly manifest the true character of Christ in and through us.
We've been trying to manifest this nature and character in our lives for years. We've made valiant efforts, but always returned to laws and rules to modify our behavior. We always failed in our efforts because the nature and the character resides in our spirit and not in our flesh. We've tried making our body behave like it should through our own efforts instead of allowing the Spirit of God to rule from within us. This isn't from lack of trying on our part or from lack of devotion, but from a lack of understanding.
The supernatural presence of God resides in our spirit and not in our flesh. It doesn't matter how hard we try to keep our flesh in line (and we should). It can't be done by our own efforts. We can make it do or not do good things, but we can't make supernatural things happen by operating in the natural realm. We can only manifest His character by having His Spirit and presence in us. This is why 1Corinthians 13:3 KJV says, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned; and I have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
Although feeding the poor and giving your body to be burned for Christ may be "good things," it's still not the character from within, but the works of the flesh (good works) of man, instead of the actual Love or nature of God from within. Even under the Law, men worked from their own efforts instead of from the spirit. They had no choice because the Holy Spirit and the new birth hadn't been given yet. We, however, aren't called to walk in Law, but by Spirit. We're not called to be bound by works of the flesh man, but directed by the Holy Spirit from within us.
It doesn't matter how noble our efforts seem, they are not enough without the Spirit within us. 1Corinthians 13:9-13 KJV says, "For now we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away; When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Verses 12-13 go on, "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity."
God Himself, Who is Love, must be the true source of what we do and who we are. Otherwise, it's still simply the works of the flesh (man's own idea and effort) and not God, Who is Love, working through us. Some of the meanest people I have ever encountered are Church people. This was true in Jesus' Own ministry when the "religious" people withstood Him even to the point of delivering Him up to death. This sort of religions isn't motivated by Love (God), but is what man thinks it should be.
The only way the world will see Jesus in the Church, is by our allowing Jesus to live and through us. It seems we're always in one ditch or the other. On one hand, we don't wish to seem judgmental and we allow sinful acts to occur without consequence or our saying a word. On the other hand, we've become so judgmental that nearly everything we do is considered wrong. Man's religious laws can never replace the Love of God within us.
When we try being charitable to others, we almost always fail in our efforts. It seems like we can't give to the poor without really then feel poor. We give at the expense of their dignity and self respect. Jesus, though, was always giving and serving the poor while maintaining their dignity. We seem to think our name should be on a plaque that shows how much we have given and done.
We pride ourselves in our giving and workings and don't credit Jesus for them. I understand where we are and how we got here, but we're still wrong. We're still living for Jesus and working for God when we're supposed to be living through Jesus and working by God.
Jesus said and did these things so simply that we missed what He'd done. And, we've concluded that He could do these things because He was Jesus. This made it easier for us to excuse our own lack of surrender to the Spirit.
If Jesus was the only One Who could do these things, then He had no right to make this statement in John 14:12 KJV, "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." Nor should He say in Mark 16:15-18 KJV, "And He (Jesus) said unto them, God ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." Verses 17-18 go on, "And these signs shall follow them that believe, In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they (those who believe in His Name) shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
The acts Jesus spoke of are the manifestation of the Father living through believers and living in us like He was in Jesus. None of these things can be done without allowing Him to live through us. Jesus said that, "It's the Father in Me Who doeth the works." John 6:63 KJV says, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth (makes alive); the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life."
The character of Christ is the very nature and character of our heavenly Father. Only He, living through us, can manifest the true nature of love to the world. Jesus never had a youth group, a children's ministry or any of the things we think reveals His character to the world. We must learn to surrender to Him so that He is living through us.
This truth is for the whole Church and not just a few elite persons. It's a personal decision that every individual must make. Romans 10:1 KJV says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
We've always believed it necessary to "clean ourselves up" in order to present ourselves a living sacrifice to God. God took care of "cleaning us up" by the sacrifice of Jesus. Paul says to present ourselves a living sacrifice or give our body over to God to live through and make us acceptable to God. He already lives in you. What He wants is for us to present ourselves for Him to live through us.
We've not arrived at the place yet, where we have learned to live through Christ. We've been living for Christ, but not through Him. Paul said in Galatians that, "It's no longer I who live, but Christ that now lives in me." The is the thing now coming to be realized in the Church of the Lord Jesus that will truly manifest the true character of Christ in and through us.
We've been trying to manifest this nature and character in our lives for years. We've made valiant efforts, but always returned to laws and rules to modify our behavior. We always failed in our efforts because the nature and the character resides in our spirit and not in our flesh. We've tried making our body behave like it should through our own efforts instead of allowing the Spirit of God to rule from within us. This isn't from lack of trying on our part or from lack of devotion, but from a lack of understanding.
The supernatural presence of God resides in our spirit and not in our flesh. It doesn't matter how hard we try to keep our flesh in line (and we should). It can't be done by our own efforts. We can make it do or not do good things, but we can't make supernatural things happen by operating in the natural realm. We can only manifest His character by having His Spirit and presence in us. This is why 1Corinthians 13:3 KJV says, "And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned; and I have not charity, it profiteth me nothing."
Although feeding the poor and giving your body to be burned for Christ may be "good things," it's still not the character from within, but the works of the flesh (good works) of man, instead of the actual Love or nature of God from within. Even under the Law, men worked from their own efforts instead of from the spirit. They had no choice because the Holy Spirit and the new birth hadn't been given yet. We, however, aren't called to walk in Law, but by Spirit. We're not called to be bound by works of the flesh man, but directed by the Holy Spirit from within us.
It doesn't matter how noble our efforts seem, they are not enough without the Spirit within us. 1Corinthians 13:9-13 KJV says, "For now we know in part, and we prophesy in part, but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away; When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." Verses 12-13 go on, "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then shall I know even as also I am known. And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three, but the greatest of these is charity."
God Himself, Who is Love, must be the true source of what we do and who we are. Otherwise, it's still simply the works of the flesh (man's own idea and effort) and not God, Who is Love, working through us. Some of the meanest people I have ever encountered are Church people. This was true in Jesus' Own ministry when the "religious" people withstood Him even to the point of delivering Him up to death. This sort of religions isn't motivated by Love (God), but is what man thinks it should be.
The only way the world will see Jesus in the Church, is by our allowing Jesus to live and through us. It seems we're always in one ditch or the other. On one hand, we don't wish to seem judgmental and we allow sinful acts to occur without consequence or our saying a word. On the other hand, we've become so judgmental that nearly everything we do is considered wrong. Man's religious laws can never replace the Love of God within us.
When we try being charitable to others, we almost always fail in our efforts. It seems like we can't give to the poor without really then feel poor. We give at the expense of their dignity and self respect. Jesus, though, was always giving and serving the poor while maintaining their dignity. We seem to think our name should be on a plaque that shows how much we have given and done.
We pride ourselves in our giving and workings and don't credit Jesus for them. I understand where we are and how we got here, but we're still wrong. We're still living for Jesus and working for God when we're supposed to be living through Jesus and working by God.
Jesus said and did these things so simply that we missed what He'd done. And, we've concluded that He could do these things because He was Jesus. This made it easier for us to excuse our own lack of surrender to the Spirit.
If Jesus was the only One Who could do these things, then He had no right to make this statement in John 14:12 KJV, "Verily, Verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father." Nor should He say in Mark 16:15-18 KJV, "And He (Jesus) said unto them, God ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not, shall be damned." Verses 17-18 go on, "And these signs shall follow them that believe, In My Name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them: they (those who believe in His Name) shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover."
The acts Jesus spoke of are the manifestation of the Father living through believers and living in us like He was in Jesus. None of these things can be done without allowing Him to live through us. Jesus said that, "It's the Father in Me Who doeth the works." John 6:63 KJV says, "It is the Spirit that quickeneth (makes alive); the flesh profiteth nothing; the words that I speak unto you, they are Spirit and they are life."
The character of Christ is the very nature and character of our heavenly Father. Only He, living through us, can manifest the true nature of love to the world. Jesus never had a youth group, a children's ministry or any of the things we think reveals His character to the world. We must learn to surrender to Him so that He is living through us.
This truth is for the whole Church and not just a few elite persons. It's a personal decision that every individual must make. Romans 10:1 KJV says, "I beseech you therefore brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service."
We've always believed it necessary to "clean ourselves up" in order to present ourselves a living sacrifice to God. God took care of "cleaning us up" by the sacrifice of Jesus. Paul says to present ourselves a living sacrifice or give our body over to God to live through and make us acceptable to God. He already lives in you. What He wants is for us to present ourselves for Him to live through us.
Friday, October 10, 2014
Lesson 3 The Character of Christ
Philippians 3:10-11 (Amplified) says, "For my determined purpose is, that I may know Him (that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, perceiving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of His person more strongly and clearly) and that I may in that same way come to know the power out flowing from His resurrection (which it exerts over believers) and that I may so share His sufferings as to be continually transformed (in spirit into His likeness even) to His death (in the hope) that if possible I may attain to the (spiritual and moral) resurrection (that lifts me) out from among the dead (even while I am in the body)."
Paul's prayer and purpose was to be continually transformed into the very Image of Jesus, even in his natural body. Paul's purpose was that the character and nature of Jesus to be manifest in him, even while he was still in his own fleshly person. This is something we must yield to rather than do works to achieve. This character has already been placed inside us through the new birth. We must learn how to yield by faith, to Him living through us, instead of our trying to live to ourselves. We keep trying to mast the flesh instead of allowing Him to master the dead flesh by His Living Spirit. We've tried making the the flesh behave differently through regulations and laws, but the flesh has been well trained by the sin nature living within it.
Paul makes a statement that we should strongly desire to do more than just read in Galatians 2:20 (Amplified). Thus, he says, "I have been crucified with Christ (in Him I have shared His crucifixion), it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Paul determined himself to be dead and that Jesus was alive and living through his dead body. We've always tried living for Jesus instead of allowing Him to live through us. If we were crucified with Him, then we died with Him. Now, He is the only One Who actually is living through us. We've always tried finding a way to let us feel worthy enough to have God use us. If only we could arrive to the place where we realize that it's Him Who is the Only life we have.
We read the scriptures and understand what they say, but then miss the truth about what they truly say. Because we still walked, talked, ate, slept and worked at our jobs, we considered ourselves alive. Truthfully, though, we are already dead, buried in baptism and raised to newness of life in Jesus. Paul said that, "The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God." This means that "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
We believed, by faith, that we've been forgiven of our sin and are saved. Mostly, we didn't let our faith "lead us to more faith," but instead we just had faith we were going to heaven when we die. Our faith was supposed to continue growing into His life and by faith, having His life living through us.
The character of Christ Himself is something we must allow, by faith, to flow out of Him through us. We've always felt we were unworthy or saw ourselves as still sinners in some cases. Our lack of faith in these areas of our life, is the reason why the world doesn't see Him represented in our lives. The world has been seeing people striving to live for Christ and not seeing people who are living through Christ. The world views us as phony and self-righteous. This isn't what the people saw when Jesus walked among them. They saw His holiness, but they also saw His love and His ability to change them without condemning them.
We've tried walking in His character by means of the soulish realm or by our feelings. Our own humanity gets in the way of His Spirit. Because we didn't wish to seem self-righteous, we went to the other extreme of accepting everything. We laid down laws and creeds to live by instead of allowing Him to live through us without all the ritual.
The world has seen a bunch of hard nosed, judgmental people who had no compassion (even among themselves). We fought against one another and against other denominations. We became self-righteous and refused to listen to anyone who disagreed with us. We weren't called to make the world behave differently, but we were called to reveal Jesus to others. When Jesus is revealed, He doesn't make the world behave differently. He changes the world into new creatures who behave differently.
You can lead a donkey into the stables of a Kentucky thoroughbred and you can groom it until it shines. You can feed that donkey the best grain and hay and give it jockey colors and a jockey of his own. You can lead it to the track and place him at the starting gate. But, when that gun signals the start of the race, that donkey will still be standing at the gate because he was never a race horse,but a well treated donkey.
The presence and character of God can only be manifest in us by the Spirit of God. We need to allow our faith to accept the that that this is acceptable and desirable by God for us. Once we realize that this is God's will and purpose for our lives, we will walk in this area. Only God can manifest God's love through us. His presence needs to be revealed to the world. They need to see Him and not us. God's character can't be counterfeited nor can we make it manifest aside from Him. We might change the way we dress, talk, walk, sing or do anything, but these things can't reveal Him. He has to reveal Himself and not reveal us, to the world.
Jesus said in John 12:45 (Amplified) that, "Whoever sees Me sees Him Who sent Me." Most of us can't say that, "Whoever sees me sees Him Who sent me." We still want people to see the goodness and right things that come from us, but they are of no value unless they reveal Him. If it only reveals us, then it is still by works and not by faith. Our good works and right things are important, but only if the world sees Jesus in them and not just us.
1Corinthians 13:1-3 (Amplified) show us the very difference between good works and God works. All of the things Paul spoke about in these verses are good things, but if they don't reveal the presence of God (Love) in them, then they don't mean much to God's kingdom. The world can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and even house the homeless, but never reveal Love in them.
Paul's prayer and purpose was to be continually transformed into the very Image of Jesus, even in his natural body. Paul's purpose was that the character and nature of Jesus to be manifest in him, even while he was still in his own fleshly person. This is something we must yield to rather than do works to achieve. This character has already been placed inside us through the new birth. We must learn how to yield by faith, to Him living through us, instead of our trying to live to ourselves. We keep trying to mast the flesh instead of allowing Him to master the dead flesh by His Living Spirit. We've tried making the the flesh behave differently through regulations and laws, but the flesh has been well trained by the sin nature living within it.
Paul makes a statement that we should strongly desire to do more than just read in Galatians 2:20 (Amplified). Thus, he says, "I have been crucified with Christ (in Him I have shared His crucifixion), it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
Paul determined himself to be dead and that Jesus was alive and living through his dead body. We've always tried living for Jesus instead of allowing Him to live through us. If we were crucified with Him, then we died with Him. Now, He is the only One Who actually is living through us. We've always tried finding a way to let us feel worthy enough to have God use us. If only we could arrive to the place where we realize that it's Him Who is the Only life we have.
We read the scriptures and understand what they say, but then miss the truth about what they truly say. Because we still walked, talked, ate, slept and worked at our jobs, we considered ourselves alive. Truthfully, though, we are already dead, buried in baptism and raised to newness of life in Jesus. Paul said that, "The life that I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God." This means that "The just shall live by faith." Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the gospel a righteousness which God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (disclosed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) As it is written, the man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith."
We believed, by faith, that we've been forgiven of our sin and are saved. Mostly, we didn't let our faith "lead us to more faith," but instead we just had faith we were going to heaven when we die. Our faith was supposed to continue growing into His life and by faith, having His life living through us.
The character of Christ Himself is something we must allow, by faith, to flow out of Him through us. We've always felt we were unworthy or saw ourselves as still sinners in some cases. Our lack of faith in these areas of our life, is the reason why the world doesn't see Him represented in our lives. The world has been seeing people striving to live for Christ and not seeing people who are living through Christ. The world views us as phony and self-righteous. This isn't what the people saw when Jesus walked among them. They saw His holiness, but they also saw His love and His ability to change them without condemning them.
We've tried walking in His character by means of the soulish realm or by our feelings. Our own humanity gets in the way of His Spirit. Because we didn't wish to seem self-righteous, we went to the other extreme of accepting everything. We laid down laws and creeds to live by instead of allowing Him to live through us without all the ritual.
The world has seen a bunch of hard nosed, judgmental people who had no compassion (even among themselves). We fought against one another and against other denominations. We became self-righteous and refused to listen to anyone who disagreed with us. We weren't called to make the world behave differently, but we were called to reveal Jesus to others. When Jesus is revealed, He doesn't make the world behave differently. He changes the world into new creatures who behave differently.
You can lead a donkey into the stables of a Kentucky thoroughbred and you can groom it until it shines. You can feed that donkey the best grain and hay and give it jockey colors and a jockey of his own. You can lead it to the track and place him at the starting gate. But, when that gun signals the start of the race, that donkey will still be standing at the gate because he was never a race horse,but a well treated donkey.
The presence and character of God can only be manifest in us by the Spirit of God. We need to allow our faith to accept the that that this is acceptable and desirable by God for us. Once we realize that this is God's will and purpose for our lives, we will walk in this area. Only God can manifest God's love through us. His presence needs to be revealed to the world. They need to see Him and not us. God's character can't be counterfeited nor can we make it manifest aside from Him. We might change the way we dress, talk, walk, sing or do anything, but these things can't reveal Him. He has to reveal Himself and not reveal us, to the world.
Jesus said in John 12:45 (Amplified) that, "Whoever sees Me sees Him Who sent Me." Most of us can't say that, "Whoever sees me sees Him Who sent me." We still want people to see the goodness and right things that come from us, but they are of no value unless they reveal Him. If it only reveals us, then it is still by works and not by faith. Our good works and right things are important, but only if the world sees Jesus in them and not just us.
1Corinthians 13:1-3 (Amplified) show us the very difference between good works and God works. All of the things Paul spoke about in these verses are good things, but if they don't reveal the presence of God (Love) in them, then they don't mean much to God's kingdom. The world can feed the hungry, clothe the naked and even house the homeless, but never reveal Love in them.
Wednesday, October 8, 2014
Lesson 2 The Character of Christ
1John 4:8 (Amplified) says, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him), for God is love."
Notice how this scripture doesn't say that the person isn't saved, but that he doesn't know his Heavenly Father. Many in the body of Christ today don't know God. We've mostly drawn our understanding of God from the Old Testament. And, many Christians have never actually known Him as Father. When God brought about the new birth through Jesus, the relationship with mankind changed forever. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says that, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God."
When God brought about this new birth, as our Father, He made the decision to become responsible for us in every way. Even in our mortal state or natural life here in America, we have laws about "dead beat dads." Every man who brings forth offspring, is responsible for raising and providing for his own children. Would we expect our Heavenly Father to be less responsible for His children?
In the old covenant, God watched over His people as their protector. He stood against their enemies as their help and guard. As Father, He now deliberately took the full responsibility of a Father and His family. This character and nature of God has now been passed onto us through our new birth and the indwelling Spirit of God.
We've received the very nature and character of our Father by this new birth. Because we've not actually begun to think of ourselves as really being in His Image, we don't strive to become as He is. We keep hearings such things from Christians as, "Yes, but that was Jesus and we can't be like He was in our walk with God." We've looked upon Jesus as being something different from ourselves. I'm not implying at all that we are the Messiah or Savior. And, we're not the Head of the Church, but we are called "the body of Christ."
Since Jesus is the Son of God and we are also called sons of God, it would stand to reason that if we both have the same Father, then we would have the same attributes and character. Jesus was not born of mortal man and never had the same genetics of death and sin that was bred into us from the Garden on. Mankind walked in the darkness for generations. The character of God that flowed so easily from Jesus, is something we must learn how to allow flow from us. The very same Spirit, life, character and attributes that Jesus had as a man, are also present in us.
Learning how to flow in this new birth and learning how to live is where we run into problems. We had walked in the realm of the flesh and darkness that we had trained ourselves to respond only in that realm. Our mind and body have never known anything else. This is why Peter admonished the Church to know the full personal knowledge of Jesus and the promises of the new birth in 2Peter 1:4-5 (Amplified) saying, "For this very reason, adding your diligence (to the divine promises) employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop all the other attributes of Christ." All of these things come by faith in your personal knowledge of Jesus.
We exercised our faith in God when we received forgiveness and our new birth, but we didn't always add the other parts of the promise to our faith.
Until we realize we're supposed to be this way, we will exercise our faith in these areas. Because we know from 1John 4:7 that, "God is love," we can assume that as God's offspring, this is also our nature. Paul gives us a perfect plan for operating in the same supernatural gifts of the Spirit when he said in 1Corinthians 12:31 (Amplified) that, "Earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and choicest graces) And yet I will show you a more excellent way (one that is better by far and the highest of them all-love)."
Paul teaches that the best way to obtain these gifts is by knowing and walking in love. All of these gifts of the Spirit are attributes of God's character. Without the character of God's love, all these gifts are out of our reach. Jesus, Who was God's Love in the flesh, didn't do the things He did because of pride or proud display, but because Love couldn't stand seeing the people bound in sin or sickness. God's heart went out to the people and love set them free.
Both 1Corinthians 12:4-8 and 1John 4:7 teach us that God is love. We can read these verses by putting (love) in the place of God, reading"God (love) endures long and is patient and kind, God (love) never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, God (love) does not display Himself haughtily." Verses 5-8 say, "God (love) is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride) God (love) is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act becomingly. God (love) (His Own presence in us) does not insist on His Own rights or His Own way, for He (love) is not self-seeking, God (love) takes no account of the evil that is done to Him (He pays no attention to a suffered wrong. God (love) does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. God (love) bears up under anything and everything that comes, God (love) is ever ready to believe the best of every person, God (love) His hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and God (love) endures everything (without weakening). God (love) never fails (never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to and end)." Verse 13 says, "And so, faith, hope love abide (faith-conviction and belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things; hope-joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love (God) true affection for God and man growing out of God's love for and in us) These three; but the greatest of these if love (God Himself)."
The gifts of the Spirit listed in 1Corinthians 12 are God's (love's) weapons of warfare against an enemy who has held God's people in bondage for millenniums. It's God Himself (love in action) Who moves by His grace to set the people free from the curse. Jesus Himself said, "It's not Me, but the Father (love) in Me that does the works."
This love (which is God Himself), is the most powerful things in the universe. As we come to know Him in this person knowledge that Peter spoke of, we understand how these gifts and miracles work. They work by love or God in us. They work by the Father in me Who does the works. The great heart of God cannot stand to see what sin and death does to mankind who He made in His Image. There's no "dead beat dad" who would care about his children. Our Abba Daddy cannot stand to see His children suffer. He depends on our learning and being directed by His presence in us, "To set at liberty, all those who are bound."
Notice how this scripture doesn't say that the person isn't saved, but that he doesn't know his Heavenly Father. Many in the body of Christ today don't know God. We've mostly drawn our understanding of God from the Old Testament. And, many Christians have never actually known Him as Father. When God brought about the new birth through Jesus, the relationship with mankind changed forever. 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says that, "You have been regenerated (born again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm), but from One that is immortal by the everliving and lasting Word of God."
When God brought about this new birth, as our Father, He made the decision to become responsible for us in every way. Even in our mortal state or natural life here in America, we have laws about "dead beat dads." Every man who brings forth offspring, is responsible for raising and providing for his own children. Would we expect our Heavenly Father to be less responsible for His children?
In the old covenant, God watched over His people as their protector. He stood against their enemies as their help and guard. As Father, He now deliberately took the full responsibility of a Father and His family. This character and nature of God has now been passed onto us through our new birth and the indwelling Spirit of God.
We've received the very nature and character of our Father by this new birth. Because we've not actually begun to think of ourselves as really being in His Image, we don't strive to become as He is. We keep hearings such things from Christians as, "Yes, but that was Jesus and we can't be like He was in our walk with God." We've looked upon Jesus as being something different from ourselves. I'm not implying at all that we are the Messiah or Savior. And, we're not the Head of the Church, but we are called "the body of Christ."
Since Jesus is the Son of God and we are also called sons of God, it would stand to reason that if we both have the same Father, then we would have the same attributes and character. Jesus was not born of mortal man and never had the same genetics of death and sin that was bred into us from the Garden on. Mankind walked in the darkness for generations. The character of God that flowed so easily from Jesus, is something we must learn how to allow flow from us. The very same Spirit, life, character and attributes that Jesus had as a man, are also present in us.
Learning how to flow in this new birth and learning how to live is where we run into problems. We had walked in the realm of the flesh and darkness that we had trained ourselves to respond only in that realm. Our mind and body have never known anything else. This is why Peter admonished the Church to know the full personal knowledge of Jesus and the promises of the new birth in 2Peter 1:4-5 (Amplified) saying, "For this very reason, adding your diligence (to the divine promises) employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop all the other attributes of Christ." All of these things come by faith in your personal knowledge of Jesus.
We exercised our faith in God when we received forgiveness and our new birth, but we didn't always add the other parts of the promise to our faith.
Until we realize we're supposed to be this way, we will exercise our faith in these areas. Because we know from 1John 4:7 that, "God is love," we can assume that as God's offspring, this is also our nature. Paul gives us a perfect plan for operating in the same supernatural gifts of the Spirit when he said in 1Corinthians 12:31 (Amplified) that, "Earnestly desire and zealously cultivate the greatest and best gifts and graces (the higher gifts and choicest graces) And yet I will show you a more excellent way (one that is better by far and the highest of them all-love)."
Paul teaches that the best way to obtain these gifts is by knowing and walking in love. All of these gifts of the Spirit are attributes of God's character. Without the character of God's love, all these gifts are out of our reach. Jesus, Who was God's Love in the flesh, didn't do the things He did because of pride or proud display, but because Love couldn't stand seeing the people bound in sin or sickness. God's heart went out to the people and love set them free.
Both 1Corinthians 12:4-8 and 1John 4:7 teach us that God is love. We can read these verses by putting (love) in the place of God, reading"God (love) endures long and is patient and kind, God (love) never is envious nor boils over with jealousy, God (love) does not display Himself haughtily." Verses 5-8 say, "God (love) is not conceited (arrogant and inflated with pride) God (love) is not rude (unmannerly) and does not act becomingly. God (love) (His Own presence in us) does not insist on His Own rights or His Own way, for He (love) is not self-seeking, God (love) takes no account of the evil that is done to Him (He pays no attention to a suffered wrong. God (love) does not rejoice at injustice and unrighteousness, but rejoices when right and truth prevail. God (love) bears up under anything and everything that comes, God (love) is ever ready to believe the best of every person, God (love) His hopes are fadeless under all circumstances, and God (love) endures everything (without weakening). God (love) never fails (never fades out or becomes obsolete or comes to and end)." Verse 13 says, "And so, faith, hope love abide (faith-conviction and belief respecting man's relationship to God and divine things; hope-joyful and confident expectation of eternal salvation; love (God) true affection for God and man growing out of God's love for and in us) These three; but the greatest of these if love (God Himself)."
The gifts of the Spirit listed in 1Corinthians 12 are God's (love's) weapons of warfare against an enemy who has held God's people in bondage for millenniums. It's God Himself (love in action) Who moves by His grace to set the people free from the curse. Jesus Himself said, "It's not Me, but the Father (love) in Me that does the works."
This love (which is God Himself), is the most powerful things in the universe. As we come to know Him in this person knowledge that Peter spoke of, we understand how these gifts and miracles work. They work by love or God in us. They work by the Father in me Who does the works. The great heart of God cannot stand to see what sin and death does to mankind who He made in His Image. There's no "dead beat dad" who would care about his children. Our Abba Daddy cannot stand to see His children suffer. He depends on our learning and being directed by His presence in us, "To set at liberty, all those who are bound."
Tuesday, October 7, 2014
Lesson 1 The Character of Jesus
2Peter 1:3-10 (Amplified) says, "For His Divine power has bestowed upon us all things that (are requisite and suited) to life and godliness through the (full, personal) knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His Own glory and excellence (virtue) By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, So that through them you may escape (by flight) from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in from the world because of covetousness (lust and greed) and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature." Verses 5-7 go on, "For this reason, adding your diligence (to the Divine promises), employ every effort in (exercising) your faith to develop virtue (excellence, resolution, Christian energy) and in (exercising) virtue (develop) knowledge (develop) self-control (develop) steadfastness (patience, endurance) and in (exercising) steadfastness (develop) godliness (piety) And in (exercising) godliness (develop) brotherly affection (develop) Christian love." Verses 8-10 say, "For as these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you, they will keep (you) from becoming idle or unfruitful unto the (full personal) knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) For whoever lacks these qualities is blind (spiritually) short sighted (seeing only what is near to him, and has become oblivious to the fact) that he was cleansed from his old sins. Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall."
There is so much to glean from the above scriptures and it's imperative that we seek the Holy Spirit when trying to understand them. This is the very entrance and dwelling into the nature and character of Jesus Himself. Peter said that, "If we will follow these instructions, then we can come into the place in out walk where we will never stumble or fall."
This is the position every serious Christian has been trying to obtain since being born again. Peter shows us in Verse 8 that these qualities are ours and will increasingly abound in us. They will keep us from becoming idle or unfruitful in the full personal knowledge of Jesus.
In Verse 2 from the same chapter of 2Peter he says, "May (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in (the full, personal, precise and correct) knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord."
According to these scriptures, we already have all these things through our new birth inside us. As we exercise these attributes or character natures of God in us, we can and will, come into the full personal knowledge, grace and peace and freedom from fear and more conflict will be multiplied to us.
These character traits of Jesus are already in us by our new birth according to Verse 8 which says, "As these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you and they will keep you from being idle and unfruitful in personal knowledge of Jesus." These aren't things we have to believe God for, but things we need to realize God has already placed in us. These traits of God will come into play in our lives when we yield to the Holy Spirit.
Many of us have allowed some of these things to function through us, but few have actually tried to develop them on a full time basis.
1Corinthians 13 tells us about the character of love, which is the very nature of our Father. This love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 (Amplified) tells us, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, For God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us."
1John 4:8 (Amplified) says that, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him) for God is love." 1John 4 declares that if we don't have these attributes of love, then it's because we don't really know God. It's not that God doesn't know you or that you aren't saved, but that we don't know Him.
Paul speaks about the manifestation of the character and nature of this love in Galatians 5:22-23 (Amplified) saying, "But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), Gentleness (meekness, humility), self control (self restraint, continence) against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge)."
All of these things found in the above scripture are the very nature of our Father. These things became part of us when we became born again. They aren't something we have to become, but they're only things we must learn to develop and exercise in our lives. 2Peter 1:5 (Amplified) says, "For this reason, adding your diligence (to the divine promises) employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop."
We've used our faith for many things in our Christian walk through the years, without many results. These scriptures tell us that if we will just exercise our faith in these things, then our faith will make us these things. 1Peter 1:10 (Amplified) says, "If you do this (employ these attributes in our lives) we will never stumble or fall."
Paul says in Galatians 2:20 (Amplified), "I have been crucified with Christ (in Him I have shared His crucifixion); it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; And the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
The life we are living is really His life, by faith in Him. This same faith in Him, is the same faith Peter spoke of in 2Peter 1:3 (Amplified) when he said that, "Exercising your faith to develop" all these other attributes of the character of Jesus in our lives.
The personal knowledge of Jesus and our Father is just that; personal knowledge. This doesn't mean you don't need what your pastor is preaching in a service or the things we've learned throughout the years. Jesus said in John 10:4 (Amplified), "When He has brought His Own sheep outside; He walks on before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice."
Many of us have never really developed a personal relationship with our Lord to where we truly "Hear His voice." Many Christians even, would doubt
There is so much to glean from the above scriptures and it's imperative that we seek the Holy Spirit when trying to understand them. This is the very entrance and dwelling into the nature and character of Jesus Himself. Peter said that, "If we will follow these instructions, then we can come into the place in out walk where we will never stumble or fall."
This is the position every serious Christian has been trying to obtain since being born again. Peter shows us in Verse 8 that these qualities are ours and will increasingly abound in us. They will keep us from becoming idle or unfruitful in the full personal knowledge of Jesus.
In Verse 2 from the same chapter of 2Peter he says, "May (God's favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in (the full, personal, precise and correct) knowledge of God and Jesus our Lord."
According to these scriptures, we already have all these things through our new birth inside us. As we exercise these attributes or character natures of God in us, we can and will, come into the full personal knowledge, grace and peace and freedom from fear and more conflict will be multiplied to us.
These character traits of Jesus are already in us by our new birth according to Verse 8 which says, "As these qualities are yours and increasingly abound in you and they will keep you from being idle and unfruitful in personal knowledge of Jesus." These aren't things we have to believe God for, but things we need to realize God has already placed in us. These traits of God will come into play in our lives when we yield to the Holy Spirit.
Many of us have allowed some of these things to function through us, but few have actually tried to develop them on a full time basis.
1Corinthians 13 tells us about the character of love, which is the very nature of our Father. This love has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 (Amplified) tells us, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, For God's love has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us."
1John 4:8 (Amplified) says that, "He who does not love has not become acquainted with God (does not and never did know Him) for God is love." 1John 4 declares that if we don't have these attributes of love, then it's because we don't really know God. It's not that God doesn't know you or that you aren't saved, but that we don't know Him.
Paul speaks about the manifestation of the character and nature of this love in Galatians 5:22-23 (Amplified) saying, "But the fruit of the (Holy) Spirit (the work which His presence within accomplishes) is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), Gentleness (meekness, humility), self control (self restraint, continence) against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge)."
All of these things found in the above scripture are the very nature of our Father. These things became part of us when we became born again. They aren't something we have to become, but they're only things we must learn to develop and exercise in our lives. 2Peter 1:5 (Amplified) says, "For this reason, adding your diligence (to the divine promises) employ every effort in exercising your faith to develop."
We've used our faith for many things in our Christian walk through the years, without many results. These scriptures tell us that if we will just exercise our faith in these things, then our faith will make us these things. 1Peter 1:10 (Amplified) says, "If you do this (employ these attributes in our lives) we will never stumble or fall."
Paul says in Galatians 2:20 (Amplified), "I have been crucified with Christ (in Him I have shared His crucifixion); it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; And the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me."
The life we are living is really His life, by faith in Him. This same faith in Him, is the same faith Peter spoke of in 2Peter 1:3 (Amplified) when he said that, "Exercising your faith to develop" all these other attributes of the character of Jesus in our lives.
The personal knowledge of Jesus and our Father is just that; personal knowledge. This doesn't mean you don't need what your pastor is preaching in a service or the things we've learned throughout the years. Jesus said in John 10:4 (Amplified), "When He has brought His Own sheep outside; He walks on before them, and the sheep follow Him because they know His voice."
Many of us have never really developed a personal relationship with our Lord to where we truly "Hear His voice." Many Christians even, would doubt
Monday, October 6, 2014
Lesson 1 Walking in the Spirit
For many years, we've teetered with being in the spirit and being in the flesh. It seems like Christians have split personalities for centuries. How many times have we heard the age old statement about "being in the flesh" We've mostly been frustrated with trying to walk in the spirit and then ended up walking in the same old traditions and religious rituals.
We find scriptures or are preached the same sermons that have kept us in bondage to the old life. Instead of simply believing what the scriptures say, we put our faith in the testimonies of other Christians. We seem to need a justification for whatever goes on in our lives and for some reason we omit the truth that this world is still in a fallen state.
As Christians, we seem to think we're either exempted from trials or that God's subjecting us to them. I've often wondered who or what we blamed things on before being saved. I don't remember my old friends and I (before I was saved), thinking God was testing us when trials occurred in our lives. We mostly, picked ourselves up and went on with our lives despite trials. The same trials and problems that confront Christians, are the same trials and problems that confront the unsaved persons. The devil knows no boundaries (as far as he is concerned). He is consistent in what he does because he hates all of us, both saved and unsaved.
We seek out certain Bible verses and use them as cover for whatever occurs in our lives. Romans 8 is one such verse and seems to sum it all up for us. We bypass all the other verses in that chapter and focus on Verse 28 which says, "All things work together for the good of those who love God." We mostly misquote this verse and make it say what we want it to say.
We customarily quote this scripture to mean that, "Whatever happens to us as Christians is God and the mostly bad things happening are God working for our good." This covers a wide assortment of trials and such bad things as car accidents, cancer, death, child abuse, poverty, sickness, divorce, homelessness and storms of Biblical proportions that occur in our lives. We say that "All these things are working together for our good."
If our earthly father treated any of his children like that, then he'd be put in prison for child abuse. Even the laws that govern our natural life have determined that this isn't acceptable behavior. Do we honestly believe that we are more loving towards our children than God is towards us?
We also misread Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) which say, "Therefore, (there is) now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who (live and) walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life (which is) in Christ Jesus (the law of our new being) has freed me from the law of sin and of death."
Romans 1:8(Amplified) is where those looking to justify their actions read, "So then those who are living the life of the flesh (catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature) cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him." They say, "See, Brother! We are back in the flesh." That's not true. Read on to Verse 9 which says, "But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the (Holy) Spirit of God (really) dwells within you (directs and controls you) but if anyone does not possess the (Holy) Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God)."
So, then, we are either saved and in the spirit or we are unsaved and still in the flesh. You cannot go from being in the Spirit to being in the flesh. You are either walking in one or the other. If we make mistakes as we grow in Christ, we haven't returned to our fallen state, but we simply don't have enough of the Word in us to walk properly.
I can't understand how something as positive as the new birth and the victory of the resurrection have become so negative to so many people. We spend most of our Christian walk reading Job and identifying with him rather than reading about Jesus and identifying with Him. We focus on Paul's fight to get the Word out rather than identifying with Paul's receiving great revelations from God. How can the children of God be so powerless against all the things that the children of satan seem to overcome?
We glean the scriptures looking for ways to fail and declare it to be for the glory of God and God's will for our lives? Do Christians have trials and troubles? Of course, we do. Is our heavenly Father bringing them to us? Of course not. If God is our problem, then we don't have any recourse. God is not our problem, but He is the answer to the problem.
When trials and problems arose in the Apostle Paul's life, he didn't sit down and quit. He went on with what God called him to do despite the problem. Everyone who has ever done anything at all for the kingdom of God, has suffered persecution from the devil and the world, but not from God. If you're looking for an excuse to sit down and quit, then don't use Jesus as that excuse. He is the only help you have to rise above your trials. If you think that Jesus is the origin of your problem, then where do you go for help?
When we read the Bible, we need to read it from the perspective of those who are redeemed and not like someone who is still without Christ. God's Word is still a mystery to the world, but it's our victory and revelation of newness of life.
We find scriptures or are preached the same sermons that have kept us in bondage to the old life. Instead of simply believing what the scriptures say, we put our faith in the testimonies of other Christians. We seem to need a justification for whatever goes on in our lives and for some reason we omit the truth that this world is still in a fallen state.
As Christians, we seem to think we're either exempted from trials or that God's subjecting us to them. I've often wondered who or what we blamed things on before being saved. I don't remember my old friends and I (before I was saved), thinking God was testing us when trials occurred in our lives. We mostly, picked ourselves up and went on with our lives despite trials. The same trials and problems that confront Christians, are the same trials and problems that confront the unsaved persons. The devil knows no boundaries (as far as he is concerned). He is consistent in what he does because he hates all of us, both saved and unsaved.
We seek out certain Bible verses and use them as cover for whatever occurs in our lives. Romans 8 is one such verse and seems to sum it all up for us. We bypass all the other verses in that chapter and focus on Verse 28 which says, "All things work together for the good of those who love God." We mostly misquote this verse and make it say what we want it to say.
We customarily quote this scripture to mean that, "Whatever happens to us as Christians is God and the mostly bad things happening are God working for our good." This covers a wide assortment of trials and such bad things as car accidents, cancer, death, child abuse, poverty, sickness, divorce, homelessness and storms of Biblical proportions that occur in our lives. We say that "All these things are working together for our good."
If our earthly father treated any of his children like that, then he'd be put in prison for child abuse. Even the laws that govern our natural life have determined that this isn't acceptable behavior. Do we honestly believe that we are more loving towards our children than God is towards us?
We also misread Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) which say, "Therefore, (there is) now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who (live and) walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life (which is) in Christ Jesus (the law of our new being) has freed me from the law of sin and of death."
Romans 1:8(Amplified) is where those looking to justify their actions read, "So then those who are living the life of the flesh (catering to the appetites and impulses of their carnal nature) cannot please or satisfy God, or be acceptable to Him." They say, "See, Brother! We are back in the flesh." That's not true. Read on to Verse 9 which says, "But you are not living the life of the flesh, you are living the life of the Spirit, if the (Holy) Spirit of God (really) dwells within you (directs and controls you) but if anyone does not possess the (Holy) Spirit of Christ, he is none of His (he does not belong to Christ, is not truly a child of God)."
So, then, we are either saved and in the spirit or we are unsaved and still in the flesh. You cannot go from being in the Spirit to being in the flesh. You are either walking in one or the other. If we make mistakes as we grow in Christ, we haven't returned to our fallen state, but we simply don't have enough of the Word in us to walk properly.
I can't understand how something as positive as the new birth and the victory of the resurrection have become so negative to so many people. We spend most of our Christian walk reading Job and identifying with him rather than reading about Jesus and identifying with Him. We focus on Paul's fight to get the Word out rather than identifying with Paul's receiving great revelations from God. How can the children of God be so powerless against all the things that the children of satan seem to overcome?
We glean the scriptures looking for ways to fail and declare it to be for the glory of God and God's will for our lives? Do Christians have trials and troubles? Of course, we do. Is our heavenly Father bringing them to us? Of course not. If God is our problem, then we don't have any recourse. God is not our problem, but He is the answer to the problem.
When trials and problems arose in the Apostle Paul's life, he didn't sit down and quit. He went on with what God called him to do despite the problem. Everyone who has ever done anything at all for the kingdom of God, has suffered persecution from the devil and the world, but not from God. If you're looking for an excuse to sit down and quit, then don't use Jesus as that excuse. He is the only help you have to rise above your trials. If you think that Jesus is the origin of your problem, then where do you go for help?
When we read the Bible, we need to read it from the perspective of those who are redeemed and not like someone who is still without Christ. God's Word is still a mystery to the world, but it's our victory and revelation of newness of life.
Wednesday, October 1, 2014
Lesson 11 Learning To Live
Jesus spoke in John 10:10 (Amplified) saying, "The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)."
For the most part, we've not understood what Jesus was actually saying and truthfully, we continue not understanding what He said. Everyone in the crowd listening to Jesus probably believed that they were indeed already alive. They had no idea Jesus was speaking of the total reconciliation to the very life of God that man was separated from because of Adam's fall in the Garden. Life in the Spirit was (and still is) a mystery to most men.
Jesus came that we have life and enjoy life to the full. Religion would tell us that we cannot enjoy this earthly life and must wait until we go to heaven to do so. Our church traditions have tried making life here as miserable as possible. We, as Christians, are not aloud to sing, listen to worldly music, attend football games, watch T.V., dance, dress nicely, along with such other things.
When our Father created this earth, He said that, "It was good." As a matter of fact, He said that, "It was very good!" The fall of Adam brought into this realm, a hard task master and a new order. The "worldly things" like demonic nature, are off limits to the believer.
To enjoy life here means to live like it was meant to be from the beginning. Under satan's lordship, the world has many ungodly pastimes and degrees of carnal pleasures. These are the things we don't become involved in. The things God created for man in the beginning are still enjoyable to the believer. We've decided that as long as we're on earth, we cannot (or shouldn't) be happy. There's a great difference between "things of the world" and the earthly things. The "world" is a system that runs according to the fallen nature. The earth is "The Lord's and the fullness thereof."
1John 4:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Little children, you are of God (you belong to Him) and have (already) defeated and overcome them (the agents of the anti-Christ) because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world." Verse5 goes on, "They proceed from the world and are of the world (its whole economy morally reconsidered) that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them."
In John 15:19 (Amplified), Jesus said, "If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), But I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you."
We've been delivered from this world system and not the earth. How many Christians do you know who feel like they've back slid because they enjoyed life? God created this earth for us to enjoy. The simple things in life are God given. All of the things the wisdom of God has created in these last days, are for the enjoyment of God's children and not for the perverse use of the world. We've given most of these things over to the world without a fight.
Our government was supposed to be led by Christian people and not heathens. It's been taught for numerous years in the Church, that Christians don't get involved in politics. Now, we find ourselves living under the bondage of laws preventing any God related things in our government.
We've never learned how to live in the authority and dominion that Jesus Christ restored back to us. We've tried functioning in the newness of our new life in the Spirit, by the same laws that governed us in the world. We never learned that the new life in Jesus has lifted back into a new realm. In Jesus, we were given haven's laws and principles to govern the laws of this earth.
We try getting heaven to move on our behalf while using worldly knowledge. We were given a whole new life which is the very life of God Himself. Jesus ruled the laws that governed this earth, but He operated in the higher laws of the Spirit. He could (and did) govern even the laws of gravity.
Jesus controlled storms, the seas, gravity, death, sickness, unclean spirits, the laws of lack (by the loaves and the fishes) along with everything satan had trusted in and established. Jesus superseded it all. This was to be the fullness and abundant life that Jesus came to restore back to us.
Matthew18:18 (Amplified) says, "Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven." This kind of authority became ours in this new life. This is the God kind of life that we received when we were born again.
This is the life we must now learn how to live. We've allowed the "world" to govern our lives like it did before we were born again. We've really never bothered learning about our new life at all. It only meant rules to keep us in line and not to change things around us. We imposed the things we decided were right and wrong unto others. We used the same rules that governed the old covenant to govern the new covenant. We used the things of the flesh to only control things of the flesh.
This abundant life is God now living through us and no longer ourselves only. The same life that was in Jesus is the same life that's in you now. What are we to do with this authority, dominion and ability when we get to heaven? There won't be anyone there who needs to be saved, healed, delivered or anything else we were empowered to do.
This power of life was to be used here where it's needed and not in heaven where we won't need or lack anything. What will we need to bind or loose in heaven? Why would we need to lay hands on the sick there? Why indeed, would we need to cast out devils? This God kind of life, this abundant, overflowing life, this Jesus ruled life and power...is for here. We just never learned how to live it.
For the most part, we've not understood what Jesus was actually saying and truthfully, we continue not understanding what He said. Everyone in the crowd listening to Jesus probably believed that they were indeed already alive. They had no idea Jesus was speaking of the total reconciliation to the very life of God that man was separated from because of Adam's fall in the Garden. Life in the Spirit was (and still is) a mystery to most men.
Jesus came that we have life and enjoy life to the full. Religion would tell us that we cannot enjoy this earthly life and must wait until we go to heaven to do so. Our church traditions have tried making life here as miserable as possible. We, as Christians, are not aloud to sing, listen to worldly music, attend football games, watch T.V., dance, dress nicely, along with such other things.
When our Father created this earth, He said that, "It was good." As a matter of fact, He said that, "It was very good!" The fall of Adam brought into this realm, a hard task master and a new order. The "worldly things" like demonic nature, are off limits to the believer.
To enjoy life here means to live like it was meant to be from the beginning. Under satan's lordship, the world has many ungodly pastimes and degrees of carnal pleasures. These are the things we don't become involved in. The things God created for man in the beginning are still enjoyable to the believer. We've decided that as long as we're on earth, we cannot (or shouldn't) be happy. There's a great difference between "things of the world" and the earthly things. The "world" is a system that runs according to the fallen nature. The earth is "The Lord's and the fullness thereof."
1John 4:4-5 (Amplified) says, "Little children, you are of God (you belong to Him) and have (already) defeated and overcome them (the agents of the anti-Christ) because He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world." Verse5 goes on, "They proceed from the world and are of the world (its whole economy morally reconsidered) that they speak, and the world listens (pays attention) to them."
In John 15:19 (Amplified), Jesus said, "If you belonged to the world, the world would treat you with affection and would love you as its own. But because you are not of the world (no longer one with it), But I have chosen (selected) you out of the world, the world hates (detests) you."
We've been delivered from this world system and not the earth. How many Christians do you know who feel like they've back slid because they enjoyed life? God created this earth for us to enjoy. The simple things in life are God given. All of the things the wisdom of God has created in these last days, are for the enjoyment of God's children and not for the perverse use of the world. We've given most of these things over to the world without a fight.
Our government was supposed to be led by Christian people and not heathens. It's been taught for numerous years in the Church, that Christians don't get involved in politics. Now, we find ourselves living under the bondage of laws preventing any God related things in our government.
We've never learned how to live in the authority and dominion that Jesus Christ restored back to us. We've tried functioning in the newness of our new life in the Spirit, by the same laws that governed us in the world. We never learned that the new life in Jesus has lifted back into a new realm. In Jesus, we were given haven's laws and principles to govern the laws of this earth.
We try getting heaven to move on our behalf while using worldly knowledge. We were given a whole new life which is the very life of God Himself. Jesus ruled the laws that governed this earth, but He operated in the higher laws of the Spirit. He could (and did) govern even the laws of gravity.
Jesus controlled storms, the seas, gravity, death, sickness, unclean spirits, the laws of lack (by the loaves and the fishes) along with everything satan had trusted in and established. Jesus superseded it all. This was to be the fullness and abundant life that Jesus came to restore back to us.
Matthew18:18 (Amplified) says, "Truly I tell you, whatever you forbid and declare to be improper and unlawful on earth must be what is already forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit and declare proper and lawful on earth must be what is already permitted in heaven." This kind of authority became ours in this new life. This is the God kind of life that we received when we were born again.
This is the life we must now learn how to live. We've allowed the "world" to govern our lives like it did before we were born again. We've really never bothered learning about our new life at all. It only meant rules to keep us in line and not to change things around us. We imposed the things we decided were right and wrong unto others. We used the same rules that governed the old covenant to govern the new covenant. We used the things of the flesh to only control things of the flesh.
This abundant life is God now living through us and no longer ourselves only. The same life that was in Jesus is the same life that's in you now. What are we to do with this authority, dominion and ability when we get to heaven? There won't be anyone there who needs to be saved, healed, delivered or anything else we were empowered to do.
This power of life was to be used here where it's needed and not in heaven where we won't need or lack anything. What will we need to bind or loose in heaven? Why would we need to lay hands on the sick there? Why indeed, would we need to cast out devils? This God kind of life, this abundant, overflowing life, this Jesus ruled life and power...is for here. We just never learned how to live it.
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