2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
The above scripture reveals a truth that most of us have never come to understand and that is that, we the Church, are truly a new creation on this earth. Jesus said in John 17:15-16 (Amplified) that, "I do not ask that you will take them out of the world, but that you will keep and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world) (Just) as I am not of the world." 2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) tells us, "So we are Christ's ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ's personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the Divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."
Ephesians 2:18-19 (Amplified) also says, "For it is through Him that we both (whether far off or near) now have an introduction (access) by One (Holy) Spirit to the Father (so that we are able to approach Him). Therefore you are no longer outsiders (exiled, migrants and aliens, excluded from the rights as citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's Own people, consecrated and set apart for Himself) and you belong to God's (Own) household."
And, we read in Romans 8:1-4 (Amplified), "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 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."
This "Law of our new being" is a spiritual Law that governs Heaven and God's Own house. Verse 3 says, "For God has done what the Law could not do, (it's power) being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit); Sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin. (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprive it of its power over all who accept that Sacrifice)." Verse 4 goes on, "So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit (our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit)."
We continue trying to govern the flesh, instead of the being governed by the Spirit, because we have failed to understand what we have and who we are in Christ. We still try dealing more with the flesh than by our spirit.
Jesus gave an example of how the new creation man is to walk in Matthew 18:18-9 (Amplified) saying, "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. Again I tell you, if two of you on earth agree (harmonize together, make a symphony together) they may ask, it will come to pass and be done for them by My Father in Heaven."
I recognize how Jesus began the above discourse speaking about wrongdoing towards your brother, but it doesn't change the Laws of the Spirit about "binding and loosing" here on earth. This is how the Law of the Spirit worked through Jesus on earth. The power of binding and loosing was placed in our hands, as new creation people. This is where we are to listen to the dictates of the Spirit, and not the flesh.
Do we truly know what is "already permitted in Heaven" and what is "unlawful in Heaven"? Luke 13:11-13 (Amplified) says, "There was a woman there who for eighteen years had had an infirmity caused by a spirit (a demon of sickness). She was bent completely forward and utterly unable to straighten herself up or to look forward. And when Jesus saw her, He (called her to Himself) and said to her, Woman, you are released from your infirmity! Then He laid (His) hands on her, and instantly she was made straight, and she recognized and thanked and praised God."
According to the KJV, Jesus said, "I loose you from your infirmity." This display of loosing was a knowing in His Spirit what is permitted and what isn't allowed in Heaven. We previously read, "What is and what is not allowed to be declared proper on earth." If it wasn't proper in heaven, then the higher laws of the Spirit, will declare it improper on earth as well.
During Jesus' ministry, we witnessed His walking after the dictates of the Spirit and not the flesh. And, as long as He walked after the dictates of the Spirit, Jesus walked above the dictates of the flesh, because the Laws of the Spirit are Higher Laws. Jesus walked as an Ambassador of a Higher Kingdom. As He continued walking by the Spirit, the spiritual laws of a fallen world couldn't contain Him. Satan's laws of sin and death can never override the Spiritual Laws that govern Heaven. So, as long as we walk as ambassadors for Christ, we have Diplomatic Immunity from the Law of Sin and Death.
Jesus said that we "Are in this world, but not of this world." Ambassadors acting in another country aren't subjected to the laws of that country. We are to abide by the civil laws of this country (laws that don't oppose God's Word), but we do not have to abide by the spiritual laws of satan that oppose the Laws of the Kingdom of God. Our citizenship is in Heaven, where we are "seated together with Christ Jesus in Heavenly places," according to Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified) which says, "And He raised us up together with Him and made us sit down together (giving us joint seating with Him) in the Heavenly sphere (by virtue of our being) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) the Anointed One."
Our joint seating in Heaven is given by God's grace and His mercy towards us. We're not simply saved persons who are going to heaven, but we are a new creation people sent as Heaven's ambassador to do God's will here on and in the earth. When we truly understand what Jesus said about "What is lawful and what is unlawful in Heaven," then we can know what and how to "bind and loose" with authority, through the dictates of the Spirit.
The power of God's Holy Spirit in us, is so much greater than the demonic spirits that have captured the world. The woman in Luke 13:11-13 was a covenant woman under the Law. She should have been exempt from the demonic force of the spirit that held her captive. The Priests had the authority to set her free, even under the Law, but they also walked by the "dictates of the flesh, and not the Spirit."
Like those Priests, we've failed to understand the delegated authority and the higher Laws of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus and have allowed the god of this world to hold us down under his usurped authority. When we read about how Jesus and the Apostles healed and delivered the people by the Holy Spirit, we see miracles and healings and deliverance from God Himself. We see God Himself setting the Law of the Spirit of Life in order, the things declared "unlawful" already in Heaven.
The Holy Spirit, operating through the new creation people who walk by His dictates, was restoring what God intended for us from the beginning. Jesus and the Apostles brought Heaven's (God's) will to bear on "Earth, as it is in Heaven." Jesus prayed that, "Thy Kingdom come, They will be done,m on earth as it is in Heaven," in what we call "The Lord's Prayer." We can see by the things Jesus did, how God's will is in Heaven was being restored back to earth.
We are quickly coming to the place where more and more Christians will be walking in God's Kingdom Authority and not the world's. "We are in this world, but are not of it," because we are ambassadors sent from the very Presence of God. We've been sent to restore to the world, that which is in Heaven. Instead, though, we vacillate between questions of "Is it God's will for healing today?" and saying, "Those things aren't for today's Church." We have fallen into the dictates of the flesh, instead of the Spirit. Once we begin realizing who we truly are and how the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand, then things will change. We've been so careful to not exalt ourselves, that we forgot God will exalt us as we submit to Him. It's not our authority, but His Authority being delegated to us, just like it's not our righteousness, but Jesus' righteousness. Since we've become citizens of Heaven, we walk in the Laws that govern Heaven (the Kingdom of God).
We are new creatures, with new abilities, new Laws and a new King Who is from a greater Kingdom. We're supposed to represent this New King, by revealing His Superior Laws and rule over the god who has set himself over the earth. We are instructed to pray, "Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven" and conduct our lives accordingly. When we encounter things on this earth that are not aligned with Heaven's Laws, we are to restore it back (like the woman in Luke 13 who glorified God after Jesus made her straight).
Miracles are part of who we are as God's representatives on this earth. When we preach about King Jesus, we display God's Kingdom before the people's eyes, as super-natural people from another Kingdom. In Matthew 11:4-6 (Amplified) when John the Baptist wished to know whether or not Jesus was the True Messiah, Jesus answered him by listing the things that followed Him saying, "The blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed (by healing) and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have Good News (the Gospel) preached to them and blessed (happy, fortunate, and to be envied) is he who takes no offense at Me and finds no cause for stumbling in or through Me and is not hindered from seeing the truth."
Jesus answered by describing Himself and what He had been doing. As Christians, how do we describe who we are? Do we describe our own works in the flesh or the power of the Spirit? Jesus brought restoration back in Luke 8:24 (Amplified) which says, "The disciples came and woke Him, saying, Master, Master, we are perishing! and He, being thoroughly awakened, censured and blamed and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; and they ceased and there was calm." He brought God's will to be done on earth, as it is in Heaven and stopped the wind and saved His disciples.
If Jesus was doing God's will on earth, like He said, then apparently this storm wasn't God's will. We've been told in the midst of calamities that, "They are acts of God," when in truth, they are actually demonic forces. These demonic forces were trying to destroy Jesus and His disciples through a storm. I find it difficult to believe that hurricanes, earthquakes, tidal waves, or any such acts are God's will in Heaven. Do we know what to "bind or loose" from what we've been preached or taught? If Jesus stopped that wind, then it wasn't God's will being done on earth, but was satan trying to destroy. Peter allowed the dictates of the flesh to govern him and began being swallowed by the water. Jesus allowed the dictates of the Spirit to govern Him. One brought fear, while the other brought calm (even to the sea). Peter later began allowing the Spirit to dictates his way of doing things in Acts 9:40-41 (Amplified) when, "A lady named Dorcas, much loved by the people in town, had died. They sent for Peter to come to them for help. But Peter put them all out (of the room) and knelt down and prayed; then turning to the body he said; Tabitha, Get up! and she opened her eyes; and when she saw Peter, she raised herself and sat upright. And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. Then calling in God's people and the widows, he presented her to them alive."
As the disciples learned about the Spirit and how to follow His dictates, we witness the works of Jesus continuing through their ministries and being taught to the Church. The enemy has convinced the Church that the age of miracles has passed. God though, is reviving the Church through His people who will follow the dictates of the Spirit and not the flesh. Your flesh will always argue about the Word, but your spirit will simply walk in God's will "Here on earth, as it is in Heaven." Then, we will bring God's Kingdom into glory, in the eyes of the people we minister to.
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
Thursday, July 14, 2016
Lesson 69 The New Creation
Jesus said in John 14:12 (Amplified), "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to My Father."
Jesus also said in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified), "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; In My Name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new languages They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Let's return to 2Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified), where Paul says, "Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruit of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ)." We find it difficult to reflect on these scriptures sometimes, because they make us aware of our own lack of faith. Paul also said, though, "I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapproved, on trial, and rejected."
We have been raised in what we have always been taught. And, what we've been taught isn't the full Truth. We are of a Kingly Seed and Bloodline of the Super-natural Seed of Almighty God. You are royalty and have been commissioned to bring Heaven's way of "doing and being right" into the earth. Jesus demonstrated how things are done in Heaven. When He saw a blind man (there are no blind persons in Heaven), He simply brought God's will in Heaven, into the earth. And, God brought sight to the blind eyes. When Jesus came upon a man with a withered hand, He simply brought God's will "As it is in Heaven," to bear on earth and the withered hand was restored. Jesus instructed us to do all the things He did, when He prayed in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified), "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
It is obviously God's will in Heaven for mankind to be well and whole, otherwise Jesus couldn't have performed miracles nor would He tells us to pray that way. It wasn't enough for Jesus to simply ask for God's will to be done, but He asked that God's will be done here, like it is in Heaven. Many of us would love to see Heaven on earth, the way God intended it to be, but few of us will do like Jesus instructed in John 8:38 (Amplified) saying, "For I have come down from heaven not to do My Own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me."
It seems obvious that it was God's will to heal, make whole, cleanse the lepers and bring sight to the blind. It seems obvious it was God's will to forgive, feed, clothe, raise the dead and care for the homeless and helpless. Since these things are God's will, He needed someone to do His will here on earth. If God didn't require a man to "do His will," then it would have automatically been done already.
We've majored on the natural things in the Gospel and have done a tremendous job preaching and practicing the feeding, clothing and helping the poor, but we've neglected the super-natural things like healing and miracles. This is also part of God's will for the Church, according to 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified) which says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value) (No) even though we once did estimate Christ from a human point of view and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)." Verse 17 goes on, "Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether) the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
We need to begin seeing ourselves like Paul said, "Not from a (purely) human point of view, in terms of natural standards of value," but after the spirit of our new creation. We've almost ignored our heritage in the Spirit altogether. You don't become a spirit after you die, because you are a spirit now. Within this new creation, is the Living Spirit of God Who is ingrafted into your spirit, until you become one like Jesus and the Father were One in His earthly walk.
Jesus said in John 17:21-23 (Amplified), "That they may be one (Just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be One with Us. So that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be One (even) as We are One, I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
One miracle from God that is performed for the world to see, can change things quicker than any Sunday morning sermon. We've been asking people to believe something in which we can offer no proof of, anymore than any other religion. Jesus said, "If you cannot believe what I am saying, at least believe the work that I do," in John 10:37-38. As Christians, we haven't been "backing up" what we preach, anymore than any other religion has. The time is upon us, when the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in the Church, is going to find men who will believe in the new creation being we have become and who will do the Father's will "on earth, as it is in Heaven." The end time revival is starting now, in the earth. BE PART OF IT!
Jesus also said in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified), "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; In My Name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new languages They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Let's return to 2Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified), where Paul says, "Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruit of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ)." We find it difficult to reflect on these scriptures sometimes, because they make us aware of our own lack of faith. Paul also said, though, "I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapproved, on trial, and rejected."
We have been raised in what we have always been taught. And, what we've been taught isn't the full Truth. We are of a Kingly Seed and Bloodline of the Super-natural Seed of Almighty God. You are royalty and have been commissioned to bring Heaven's way of "doing and being right" into the earth. Jesus demonstrated how things are done in Heaven. When He saw a blind man (there are no blind persons in Heaven), He simply brought God's will in Heaven, into the earth. And, God brought sight to the blind eyes. When Jesus came upon a man with a withered hand, He simply brought God's will "As it is in Heaven," to bear on earth and the withered hand was restored. Jesus instructed us to do all the things He did, when He prayed in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified), "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven."
It is obviously God's will in Heaven for mankind to be well and whole, otherwise Jesus couldn't have performed miracles nor would He tells us to pray that way. It wasn't enough for Jesus to simply ask for God's will to be done, but He asked that God's will be done here, like it is in Heaven. Many of us would love to see Heaven on earth, the way God intended it to be, but few of us will do like Jesus instructed in John 8:38 (Amplified) saying, "For I have come down from heaven not to do My Own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me."
It seems obvious that it was God's will to heal, make whole, cleanse the lepers and bring sight to the blind. It seems obvious it was God's will to forgive, feed, clothe, raise the dead and care for the homeless and helpless. Since these things are God's will, He needed someone to do His will here on earth. If God didn't require a man to "do His will," then it would have automatically been done already.
We've majored on the natural things in the Gospel and have done a tremendous job preaching and practicing the feeding, clothing and helping the poor, but we've neglected the super-natural things like healing and miracles. This is also part of God's will for the Church, according to 2Corinthians 5:16-17 (Amplified) which says, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value) (No) even though we once did estimate Christ from a human point of view and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)." Verse 17 goes on, "Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether) the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away. Behold, the fresh and new has come."
We need to begin seeing ourselves like Paul said, "Not from a (purely) human point of view, in terms of natural standards of value," but after the spirit of our new creation. We've almost ignored our heritage in the Spirit altogether. You don't become a spirit after you die, because you are a spirit now. Within this new creation, is the Living Spirit of God Who is ingrafted into your spirit, until you become one like Jesus and the Father were One in His earthly walk.
Jesus said in John 17:21-23 (Amplified), "That they may be one (Just) as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be One with Us. So that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be One (even) as We are One, I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
One miracle from God that is performed for the world to see, can change things quicker than any Sunday morning sermon. We've been asking people to believe something in which we can offer no proof of, anymore than any other religion. Jesus said, "If you cannot believe what I am saying, at least believe the work that I do," in John 10:37-38. As Christians, we haven't been "backing up" what we preach, anymore than any other religion has. The time is upon us, when the power of the Holy Spirit that resides in the Church, is going to find men who will believe in the new creation being we have become and who will do the Father's will "on earth, as it is in Heaven." The end time revival is starting now, in the earth. BE PART OF IT!
Wednesday, July 13, 2016
Lesson 68 The New Creation
In 2Corinthians 5:16 (Amplified) the Apostle Paul, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, said this, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value). (No) even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)."
By the standards of what we have come to believe by today's religious standards, the above scripture is a startling thing. Paul went on to say in Verse 17, "Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away, Behold, the fresh and new has come."
Paul was saying to today's Church, that we've been given the opportunity to know Jesus in the ingrafting of the Spirit, better than those who walked with Him as a Man (in the flesh), during His earthly reign. The new creation people we've become (or have been created to be), not only know Jesus is a greater way than those who walked with Him, but we're ingrafted into the very same kind of being that He is today. Jesus took upon Himself, flesh, in order to die in our place and to restore life back into our spirit.
We are called God's children and we've been distinguished as Jesus' being the Firstborn of many brethren. Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit (assuring us) that we are children of God. And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him)."
Paul said above that, "The Holy Spirit Himself, testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children." With this, we can better understand Paul's saying in 2Corinthians 5:16 about our "Knowing Christ better and sharing in a knowledge of Him in then Spirit, better than those who knew Him as a Man." Paul writes in 2Corinthians 13:4-6 (Amplified), "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He goes on living by the power of God, and though we too are weak in Him (as He was humanly weak), yet in dealing with you (we shall show ourselves) alive and strong in (fellowship with) Him by the power of God. Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ) Do you not yourselves realize and know (thoroughly by an ever increasing experience) that Jesus Christ is in you- unless you are (counterfeits) disapproved on trial and rejected? But I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapprove on trial and rejected."
Once we understand who we really are in Christ, we must stop trying to make God prove Himself. Paul said, "But for us to prove ourselves to see if we are holding to the faith." We've been taught and heard that "Certain things and powers are not for everyone" and "Certain Gifts of the Spirit have passed away." We seem to be constantly praying and seeking "proof" of god in our lvies. Paul instructed us to "Stop proving Jesus and prove ourselves."
According to the revelation Paul was given by the Holy Spirit, "We have such knowledge of Jesus that we no longer know Him in terms of the flesh, but by the Spirit." No one understood Jesus or knew Him the way new creation people can know Him, when He was on earth. Most of what we're taught about Jesus, is derived from the Gospels about the Man from Galilee. We identify with this Man, but we've failed to identify with the Risen Christ in us. Many of us believe that only Jesus can do the works of God, but when we begin seeing who we are in Him as a new creation, we can understand what our earthly mission is.
When Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it it in heaven," He intended for us to do God's will through this new creation and to bring things back into God's plan for mankind. We see Jesus work the healings and miracles throughout the Gospels and He repeatedly said, "It was not Him, but the Father in Him, that was doing the works." Jesus also said that, "He came to do the Father's will." We are supposed to be doing the things Jesus did during His earthly mission on earth.
The things we see as miracles, are God intervening in men's lives in order to bring things back into order with Heaven's will. Because God's will wasn't being done on earth as it is in Heaven, so God sent Jesus to restore what He had intended for His creation. If God's will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then God needs His children to do His will.
We've been taught that everything that occurs must be God's will. If this was true, then Jesus wouldn't have needed to do God's will, because it would simply just be done all the time. As God's representatives, we are to represent God's will in heaven, here on earth and we are to be feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the helpless and preaching the Gospel. But, Jesus sent His disciples to do more than than, in Luke 10:8-12 (Amplified) saying, "Whenever you go into a town and they receive and welcome and accept you, eat what is set before you; and heal the sick in it and say to them, the Kingdom of God has come close to you But whenever you go into a town and they do not receive and accept and welcome you, go out into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we are wiping off against you; yet know and understand this, the Kingdom of God has come near you."
If we, the Church, would take upon ourselves the ability to heal the sick and do the miracles that accompany the new creation, we would allow the Kingdom of God to be seen to all the world. The ability to heal and do the things Jesus did, came with the new birth. We are a super-natural people.
Jesus said in John 17:15-18 (Amplified) that, "I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world) (Just) as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy) by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
We know Jesus didn't send us into the world to die on the cross for the salvation of mankind, therefore, what was it He was sending us into the world to do? To bring God's will in heaven to pass on the earth. We can be confident that the sickness and suffering we see on today's earth, isn't how Heaven functions. Jesus said in John 14:12 (Amplified), "I assure you; most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to My Father."
We've mostly skipped over the above scripture and have said, "He did these works because He was Jesus," but that's not what Jesus said. Jesus said that, "These signs will follow those who believe in His Name," in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified). Thus, He said, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; In My Name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new languages, They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Let's return to 2Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified) where Paul says, "Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruit of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ)." We don't especially like to read such scriptures, because they make us aware of our lack of faith. But, Paul also said that, "I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapproved, on trial and rejected."
We haven't been raised on the full Truth of God's Word. We are of a Kingly Seed and Bloodline, One of the Super-natural Seed of Almighty God. You are royalty. We've been commissioned to bring Heaven's way of "doing and being right" into the earth. Everything Jesus did was to demonstrate how things are in Heaven. When Jesus saw a man who was blind (there are no blind men in Heaven), He simply brought God's will in Heaven into the earth, and God brought sight to the blind eyes. When Jesus saw a man with a withered hand, He simply brought God's will "as it is in heaven" to bear on earth and the withered hand was restored. These were things that Jesus told us to do when when He prayed in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified) saying, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
It was obviously God's will in Heaven for mankind to be well and whole, otherwise, Jesus couldn't heal and restore nor would He tell us to pray that way. It wasn't enough for Jesus to simply ask that God's will be done, but to also do God's will on earth, as it is in Heaven.
By the standards of what we have come to believe by today's religious standards, the above scripture is a startling thing. Paul went on to say in Verse 17, "Therefore if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away, Behold, the fresh and new has come."
Paul was saying to today's Church, that we've been given the opportunity to know Jesus in the ingrafting of the Spirit, better than those who walked with Him as a Man (in the flesh), during His earthly reign. The new creation people we've become (or have been created to be), not only know Jesus is a greater way than those who walked with Him, but we're ingrafted into the very same kind of being that He is today. Jesus took upon Himself, flesh, in order to die in our place and to restore life back into our spirit.
We are called God's children and we've been distinguished as Jesus' being the Firstborn of many brethren. Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit (assuring us) that we are children of God. And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him)."
Paul said above that, "The Holy Spirit Himself, testifies together with our spirit that we are God's children." With this, we can better understand Paul's saying in 2Corinthians 5:16 about our "Knowing Christ better and sharing in a knowledge of Him in then Spirit, better than those who knew Him as a Man." Paul writes in 2Corinthians 13:4-6 (Amplified), "For though He was crucified in weakness, yet He goes on living by the power of God, and though we too are weak in Him (as He was humanly weak), yet in dealing with you (we shall show ourselves) alive and strong in (fellowship with) Him by the power of God. Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruits of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ) Do you not yourselves realize and know (thoroughly by an ever increasing experience) that Jesus Christ is in you- unless you are (counterfeits) disapproved on trial and rejected? But I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapprove on trial and rejected."
Once we understand who we really are in Christ, we must stop trying to make God prove Himself. Paul said, "But for us to prove ourselves to see if we are holding to the faith." We've been taught and heard that "Certain things and powers are not for everyone" and "Certain Gifts of the Spirit have passed away." We seem to be constantly praying and seeking "proof" of god in our lvies. Paul instructed us to "Stop proving Jesus and prove ourselves."
According to the revelation Paul was given by the Holy Spirit, "We have such knowledge of Jesus that we no longer know Him in terms of the flesh, but by the Spirit." No one understood Jesus or knew Him the way new creation people can know Him, when He was on earth. Most of what we're taught about Jesus, is derived from the Gospels about the Man from Galilee. We identify with this Man, but we've failed to identify with the Risen Christ in us. Many of us believe that only Jesus can do the works of God, but when we begin seeing who we are in Him as a new creation, we can understand what our earthly mission is.
When Jesus taught us to pray, "Thy will be done on earth as it it in heaven," He intended for us to do God's will through this new creation and to bring things back into God's plan for mankind. We see Jesus work the healings and miracles throughout the Gospels and He repeatedly said, "It was not Him, but the Father in Him, that was doing the works." Jesus also said that, "He came to do the Father's will." We are supposed to be doing the things Jesus did during His earthly mission on earth.
The things we see as miracles, are God intervening in men's lives in order to bring things back into order with Heaven's will. Because God's will wasn't being done on earth as it is in Heaven, so God sent Jesus to restore what He had intended for His creation. If God's will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven, then God needs His children to do His will.
We've been taught that everything that occurs must be God's will. If this was true, then Jesus wouldn't have needed to do God's will, because it would simply just be done all the time. As God's representatives, we are to represent God's will in heaven, here on earth and we are to be feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, helping the helpless and preaching the Gospel. But, Jesus sent His disciples to do more than than, in Luke 10:8-12 (Amplified) saying, "Whenever you go into a town and they receive and welcome and accept you, eat what is set before you; and heal the sick in it and say to them, the Kingdom of God has come close to you But whenever you go into a town and they do not receive and accept and welcome you, go out into its streets and say, Even the dust of your town that clings to our feet we are wiping off against you; yet know and understand this, the Kingdom of God has come near you."
If we, the Church, would take upon ourselves the ability to heal the sick and do the miracles that accompany the new creation, we would allow the Kingdom of God to be seen to all the world. The ability to heal and do the things Jesus did, came with the new birth. We are a super-natural people.
Jesus said in John 17:15-18 (Amplified) that, "I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world (worldly, belonging to the world) (Just) as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy) by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. Just as You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world."
We know Jesus didn't send us into the world to die on the cross for the salvation of mankind, therefore, what was it He was sending us into the world to do? To bring God's will in heaven to pass on the earth. We can be confident that the sickness and suffering we see on today's earth, isn't how Heaven functions. Jesus said in John 14:12 (Amplified), "I assure you; most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to My Father."
We've mostly skipped over the above scripture and have said, "He did these works because He was Jesus," but that's not what Jesus said. Jesus said that, "These signs will follow those who believe in His Name," in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified). Thus, He said, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; In My Name they will drive out demons, they will speak in new languages, They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Let's return to 2Corinthians 13:5 (Amplified) where Paul says, "Examine and test and evaluate your own selves to see whether you are holding to your faith and showing proper fruit of it. Test and prove yourselves (not Christ)." We don't especially like to read such scriptures, because they make us aware of our lack of faith. But, Paul also said that, "I hope you will recognize and know that we are not disapproved, on trial and rejected."
We haven't been raised on the full Truth of God's Word. We are of a Kingly Seed and Bloodline, One of the Super-natural Seed of Almighty God. You are royalty. We've been commissioned to bring Heaven's way of "doing and being right" into the earth. Everything Jesus did was to demonstrate how things are in Heaven. When Jesus saw a man who was blind (there are no blind men in Heaven), He simply brought God's will in Heaven into the earth, and God brought sight to the blind eyes. When Jesus saw a man with a withered hand, He simply brought God's will "as it is in heaven" to bear on earth and the withered hand was restored. These were things that Jesus told us to do when when He prayed in Matthew 6:10 (Amplified) saying, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven."
It was obviously God's will in Heaven for mankind to be well and whole, otherwise, Jesus couldn't heal and restore nor would He tell us to pray that way. It wasn't enough for Jesus to simply ask that God's will be done, but to also do God's will on earth, as it is in Heaven.
Thursday, July 7, 2016
Lesson 67 The New Creation
2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified) tells us, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed away, Behold, the fresh and new has come."
As Christians, we mostly believe the above scripture refers to our being forgiven of sin and that is all the new creation implies. We still view ourselves and others the way we did before our being born-again. We entered into the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father and became brand new at being born-again. Paul received a revelation of this new creation man and refused to acknowledge the flesh that covers or houses the new man, in 2Corinthians 5:16 (Amplified) where he said, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value) (No), even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)."
It's surprising Paul made this statement to the Church. Most of our teaching and preaching about Jesus has come from His earthly walk as a Man. It seems unthinkable that we can know Jesus "No longer as a Man." We've been taught and have come to know Jesus, almost entirely from a human point-of-view. We've identified more with His death on the cross, rather than with His resurrection from the dead. Many times we only read the Words that are in "Red," from our Bibles. Paul never knew Jesus as a Man. He never knew Jesus from His human viewpoint, but only by His Spirit.
2Corinthians 12:1-5 (Amplified) says, "True, there is nothing to be gained by it, but (as I am obliged to boast), I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-was caught up to the third heaven And I know that this man-whether in the body or away from the body I do not know, God knows. Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter. Of this same (man's experience) I will boast, but of myself (personally) I will not boast, except as regards my infirmities (my weaknesses)."
Paul distinguishes between the things Jesus revealed to him in the third heaven and what he himself, as knowing the Lord, believed to be what Jesus would do. In 1Corinthians 7:25 (Amplified), Paul says this truth, "Now concerning the virgins (the marriageable maidens) I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion and advice as one who by the Lord's mercy is rendered trustworthy and faithful." Paul makes a distinction between his own advice and the actual revelation given to him by Jesus in the third heaven.
When we preach and teach from the Epistles of Paul, we are quoting Jesus. Paul preached and taught us about the new creation man, directly from Jesus' mouth. In the four Synopsis (the four Gospels), we see that Jesus was limited in what He could preach and teach. He wasn't addressing born-again people, but those who were still under the Law. They were still "dead in spirit," because the new birth and the Holy Spirit hadn't come yet.
There's a difference in the terminology between the Gospels and the Epistles. The Holy Spirit speaks to a new creation people in the Epistles. He doesn't charge them as "sinners," but encourages them, as new born babes, to grow by the Word of God. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us as the Risen Christ and reveals our position in Him with the Father. We've truly become a new creation people, through our faith in Jesus Christ and His position with the Father.
It's seldom taught to any degree of depth, about who we have now become. We've only taught and dealt with the flesh and continue viewing ourselves, others and Jesus, more after the flesh than the new creation.
In reality, we're a new creation and have entered into a new realm of glory. Jesus spoke about the new creation man who would come to believe on Him, in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified). Notice, the attributes He ascribes to the new creation man who would believe in Verses 17-18, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Jesus describes the new creation man and his "natural ability" in the Spirit realm. He also describes the attributes of the new creation and his character in the New family of God. Notice! that this new creation was given a "new language" to communicate in his new realm with God. This new language is also spoken about in 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified), which says, "For one who speaks in an (unknown) tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning,because in the (Holy) Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things (not obvious to the understanding)."
For many years, the Church has struggled with spiritual things and has only recently entered into this new creation men as babes. Sadly enough, we've failed to go onto maturity and adulthood as new creatures in Christ. Everything about you in "new and fresh" when you are born-again. Even our communication with God has changed and we've been given a new language to do so. This new language surpasses the natural mind and can only be spoken by the new creation man, according to 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified) which says, "For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God."
This new language is the direct line between our Heavenly Father and His new creation family (us). Satan has fought the speaking of tongues with everything he has, because this is direct communication to the Spirit of God from the new man of the spirit. This new language provides access to the "hidden things and secret truths of God." Like Jesus, we can hear and do as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. When we allow ourselves to truly enter into the new way of life, we will walk in the super-natural place of power and ability in God.
We've allowed religion and lack of insight into this new creation, to keep us from developing into God's Image and Likeness. We are called to walk simultaneously, as masters in two realms. We are called to change the natural into the super-natural, by the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus did in His earthly walk and this is the ability He gave to His new creation man. We read Jesus' description of the new creation in Mark 16:15-20 (Amplified). Verse 17 says, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe."
The only qualification to the super-natural, was believing the new birth and new creation man. Religion says that, "This isn't for everyone" or "These things were only for the Apostles." These are excuses and the only requirement is to believe. Believe in what? You might say, "I believe and am saved." If you are saved, then you're a new creation. And, if you're a new creation, then these signs will follow you into the earth, as you preach and show forth the Light of the Father.
Paul speaks about the old covenant and the new covenant in Galatians 6:15 (Amplified) saying, "For neither is circumcision (now) of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but (only) a new creation (the result of a new birth and a new nature) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah)."
We also find the example of the new creation people in Ephesians 2:15 (Amplified), "By abolishing in His (Own crucified) flesh the enmity (caused by) the Law with its decrees and ordinances (which He annulled); that He from the two might create in Himself one new man (one new quality of humanity out of the two) so making peace." Paul says too, in Ephesians 4:23-24 (Amplified), "Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God Like) in true righteousness and holiness."
The old self, the natural man, cannot understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Romans 8:10 (Amplified) says, "But if Christ lives in you, (then although) your (natural) body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the Spirit is alive because of (the) righteousness (that He imputes to you)." We must learn to walk outside of the natural and into this great new creation fellowship with our Heavenly Father. Very little has been taught in our modern churches about this new creation that we have become. We've been trained from the pulpit to focus on our short comings, instead of our new man.
Colossians 3:10 (Amplified) tells us, "And have clothed yourselves with the new (spiritual self) which is (ever in the process of being) renewed and remolded into (fuller and more perfect knowledge upon) knowledge after the Image (the Likeness) of Him Who created it. Jesus, our Lamb and our Lord, never intended us to remain babes in Christ, but to grow into His Image by true knowledge of who we've been made to be.
Many hold the ultimate goal of being born-again and if you must choose a place in God, then getting someone born-again is the most important thing. This means they've escaped hell and are now God's children. I cannot help but wonder why we've stopped short of raising the new babes in Christ to be laborers, kings and priests for God. We've somehow taken the truth of a new creation to mean we are saved. Very few have gone on in the Spirit to raise and mature these babes to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. We've created nurseries full of infants who are dependent upon the pastor, instead of the Master.
We've spent much time telling these new babes what to do and what not to do, but we've forgotten how to train them up in righteousness by the Holy Spirit. We already knew that we were living the wrong way, otherwise we wouldn't have been open to the Holy Spirit. I don't need to be taught about sinning, I already knew how to do that. What I needed to know was how to walk above the sin and how to walk with God in the Spirit.
We're not called to tell a sinner that he is a sinner. We are called to reveal a new creation of men, through Jesus, and to reveal the way out of sin and the misery it brings. Colossians 3:1-3 (Amplified) says, "If then you have been raised with Christ (to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead) aim at and seek the (rich, eternal treasures) that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things) not on the things that are on the earth. For (as far as this world is concerned) you have died, and your (new, real) life is hidden with Christ in God."
We've been working hard to become what Jesus has already made us to be, in this new creation. Instead of developing our new man, we've been trying to become a new man. We've worked hard at trying to become righteous and by so doing, we've failed to simply believe that Jesus has already make us to be the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus. Now, we must understand that this new creation is already righteous in God's sight. This is what the new creation man is all about. Man couldn't do what was required of him to be in right standing with God. So, our God, through Jesus, declared in Romans 8:3-4 (Amplified), "For God has done what the Law could not do (its power) being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of the power over all that accept that sacrifice) So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move, not in the ways of the flesh, but in the ways of the Spirit (our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit)."
Our new creation man is "Now righteous, just, consecrated and set apart, unto all good works in Christ Jesus." The problem we've had is we've failed to believe that what Jesus did on our behalf, is is that was needed to do the job. We continue trying to become on our own, what Jesus and Jesus alone, could and has already done. We must finally believe who we are and learn how to walk in this heavenly realm of the Kingdom of God.
As Christians, we mostly believe the above scripture refers to our being forgiven of sin and that is all the new creation implies. We still view ourselves and others the way we did before our being born-again. We entered into the Kingdom of our Heavenly Father and became brand new at being born-again. Paul received a revelation of this new creation man and refused to acknowledge the flesh that covers or houses the new man, in 2Corinthians 5:16 (Amplified) where he said, "Consequently, from now on we estimate and regard no one from a (purely) human point of view (in terms of natural standards of value) (No), even though we once did estimate Christ from a human viewpoint and as a Man, yet now (we have such knowledge of Him that) we know Him no longer (in terms of the flesh)."
It's surprising Paul made this statement to the Church. Most of our teaching and preaching about Jesus has come from His earthly walk as a Man. It seems unthinkable that we can know Jesus "No longer as a Man." We've been taught and have come to know Jesus, almost entirely from a human point-of-view. We've identified more with His death on the cross, rather than with His resurrection from the dead. Many times we only read the Words that are in "Red," from our Bibles. Paul never knew Jesus as a Man. He never knew Jesus from His human viewpoint, but only by His Spirit.
2Corinthians 12:1-5 (Amplified) says, "True, there is nothing to be gained by it, but (as I am obliged to boast), I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord. I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago-whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows-was caught up to the third heaven And I know that this man-whether in the body or away from the body I do not know, God knows. Was caught up into paradise, and he heard utterances beyond the power of man to put into words, which man is not permitted to utter. Of this same (man's experience) I will boast, but of myself (personally) I will not boast, except as regards my infirmities (my weaknesses)."
Paul distinguishes between the things Jesus revealed to him in the third heaven and what he himself, as knowing the Lord, believed to be what Jesus would do. In 1Corinthians 7:25 (Amplified), Paul says this truth, "Now concerning the virgins (the marriageable maidens) I have no command of the Lord, but I give my opinion and advice as one who by the Lord's mercy is rendered trustworthy and faithful." Paul makes a distinction between his own advice and the actual revelation given to him by Jesus in the third heaven.
When we preach and teach from the Epistles of Paul, we are quoting Jesus. Paul preached and taught us about the new creation man, directly from Jesus' mouth. In the four Synopsis (the four Gospels), we see that Jesus was limited in what He could preach and teach. He wasn't addressing born-again people, but those who were still under the Law. They were still "dead in spirit," because the new birth and the Holy Spirit hadn't come yet.
There's a difference in the terminology between the Gospels and the Epistles. The Holy Spirit speaks to a new creation people in the Epistles. He doesn't charge them as "sinners," but encourages them, as new born babes, to grow by the Word of God. The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus to us as the Risen Christ and reveals our position in Him with the Father. We've truly become a new creation people, through our faith in Jesus Christ and His position with the Father.
It's seldom taught to any degree of depth, about who we have now become. We've only taught and dealt with the flesh and continue viewing ourselves, others and Jesus, more after the flesh than the new creation.
In reality, we're a new creation and have entered into a new realm of glory. Jesus spoke about the new creation man who would come to believe on Him, in Mark 16:17-18 (Amplified). Notice, the attributes He ascribes to the new creation man who would believe in Verses 17-18, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents, and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them, they will lay hands on the sick, and they will get well."
Jesus describes the new creation man and his "natural ability" in the Spirit realm. He also describes the attributes of the new creation and his character in the New family of God. Notice! that this new creation was given a "new language" to communicate in his new realm with God. This new language is also spoken about in 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified), which says, "For one who speaks in an (unknown) tongue speaks not to men but to God, for no one understands or catches his meaning,because in the (Holy) Spirit he utters secret truths and hidden things (not obvious to the understanding)."
For many years, the Church has struggled with spiritual things and has only recently entered into this new creation men as babes. Sadly enough, we've failed to go onto maturity and adulthood as new creatures in Christ. Everything about you in "new and fresh" when you are born-again. Even our communication with God has changed and we've been given a new language to do so. This new language surpasses the natural mind and can only be spoken by the new creation man, according to 1Corinthians 14:2 (Amplified) which says, "For one who speaks in an unknown tongue speaks not to men but to God."
This new language is the direct line between our Heavenly Father and His new creation family (us). Satan has fought the speaking of tongues with everything he has, because this is direct communication to the Spirit of God from the new man of the spirit. This new language provides access to the "hidden things and secret truths of God." Like Jesus, we can hear and do as we are directed by the Holy Spirit. When we allow ourselves to truly enter into the new way of life, we will walk in the super-natural place of power and ability in God.
We've allowed religion and lack of insight into this new creation, to keep us from developing into God's Image and Likeness. We are called to walk simultaneously, as masters in two realms. We are called to change the natural into the super-natural, by the Holy Spirit. This is what Jesus did in His earthly walk and this is the ability He gave to His new creation man. We read Jesus' description of the new creation in Mark 16:15-20 (Amplified). Verse 17 says, "And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe."
The only qualification to the super-natural, was believing the new birth and new creation man. Religion says that, "This isn't for everyone" or "These things were only for the Apostles." These are excuses and the only requirement is to believe. Believe in what? You might say, "I believe and am saved." If you are saved, then you're a new creation. And, if you're a new creation, then these signs will follow you into the earth, as you preach and show forth the Light of the Father.
Paul speaks about the old covenant and the new covenant in Galatians 6:15 (Amplified) saying, "For neither is circumcision (now) of any importance, nor uncircumcision, but (only) a new creation (the result of a new birth and a new nature) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah)."
We also find the example of the new creation people in Ephesians 2:15 (Amplified), "By abolishing in His (Own crucified) flesh the enmity (caused by) the Law with its decrees and ordinances (which He annulled); that He from the two might create in Himself one new man (one new quality of humanity out of the two) so making peace." Paul says too, in Ephesians 4:23-24 (Amplified), "Be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God Like) in true righteousness and holiness."
The old self, the natural man, cannot understand what the Holy Spirit is saying to us. Romans 8:10 (Amplified) says, "But if Christ lives in you, (then although) your (natural) body is dead by reason of sin and guilt, the Spirit is alive because of (the) righteousness (that He imputes to you)." We must learn to walk outside of the natural and into this great new creation fellowship with our Heavenly Father. Very little has been taught in our modern churches about this new creation that we have become. We've been trained from the pulpit to focus on our short comings, instead of our new man.
Colossians 3:10 (Amplified) tells us, "And have clothed yourselves with the new (spiritual self) which is (ever in the process of being) renewed and remolded into (fuller and more perfect knowledge upon) knowledge after the Image (the Likeness) of Him Who created it. Jesus, our Lamb and our Lord, never intended us to remain babes in Christ, but to grow into His Image by true knowledge of who we've been made to be.
Many hold the ultimate goal of being born-again and if you must choose a place in God, then getting someone born-again is the most important thing. This means they've escaped hell and are now God's children. I cannot help but wonder why we've stopped short of raising the new babes in Christ to be laborers, kings and priests for God. We've somehow taken the truth of a new creation to mean we are saved. Very few have gone on in the Spirit to raise and mature these babes to be citizens of the Kingdom of God. We've created nurseries full of infants who are dependent upon the pastor, instead of the Master.
We've spent much time telling these new babes what to do and what not to do, but we've forgotten how to train them up in righteousness by the Holy Spirit. We already knew that we were living the wrong way, otherwise we wouldn't have been open to the Holy Spirit. I don't need to be taught about sinning, I already knew how to do that. What I needed to know was how to walk above the sin and how to walk with God in the Spirit.
We're not called to tell a sinner that he is a sinner. We are called to reveal a new creation of men, through Jesus, and to reveal the way out of sin and the misery it brings. Colossians 3:1-3 (Amplified) says, "If then you have been raised with Christ (to a new life, thus sharing His resurrection from the dead) aim at and seek the (rich, eternal treasures) that are above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. And set your minds and keep them set on what is above (the higher things) not on the things that are on the earth. For (as far as this world is concerned) you have died, and your (new, real) life is hidden with Christ in God."
We've been working hard to become what Jesus has already made us to be, in this new creation. Instead of developing our new man, we've been trying to become a new man. We've worked hard at trying to become righteous and by so doing, we've failed to simply believe that Jesus has already make us to be the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus. Now, we must understand that this new creation is already righteous in God's sight. This is what the new creation man is all about. Man couldn't do what was required of him to be in right standing with God. So, our God, through Jesus, declared in Romans 8:3-4 (Amplified), "For God has done what the Law could not do (its power) being weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of the power over all that accept that sacrifice) So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move, not in the ways of the flesh, but in the ways of the Spirit (our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit)."
Our new creation man is "Now righteous, just, consecrated and set apart, unto all good works in Christ Jesus." The problem we've had is we've failed to believe that what Jesus did on our behalf, is is that was needed to do the job. We continue trying to become on our own, what Jesus and Jesus alone, could and has already done. We must finally believe who we are and learn how to walk in this heavenly realm of the Kingdom of God.
Lesson 12 The New Creation I don't know how I missed this one, I'm sorry.
As God's children, we are joint-heirs with Christ and have been placed in a very unique position. We simultaneously have the inheritance of the earth and the provision of heaven. Romans 8:16-17 (Amplified) says, "The Spirit Himself (thus) testifies together with our own spirit, (assuring us) that we are children of God. And if we are (His) children, then we are (His) heirs also; heirs of God, and fellow heirs with Christ (sharing His inheritance with Him) only we must share Hi suffering if we are to share His glory."
We've been more inclined with sharing in His suffering, than His glory. The suffering Jesus went through wasn't like we think about. This was to set us free from sin and the curse. We were never able to share that, it was only Messiah Who could do such a thing. That suffering was to set us free from the powers of the enemy.
The suffering we will have to share is being misunderstood in our mission here on earth and our being rejected by the ones who don't know Jesus. This includes the religious people of our time, just like they did in Jesus' time. The persecution facing those who will dare step into the arena of the supernatural place of God, comes from the world and even the Church who don't recognize or understand who we really are.
Anything different comes under scrutiny and the suspicion of the the "normal," according to John 9:21-22 (Amplified) we find the account of the man who was born blind. Jesus gave him his sight back and the crowd tried desperately to find a way of disputing the miracle. Verse 21 says, "But as to how he can now see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him; let him speak for himself and give his own account. Verse 22 goes on, "His parents said this because they feared (the leaders of) the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, he should be expelled and excluded from the synagogue."
There are venues today where if you should acknowledge speaking in tongues or walking by faith, then you aren't welcome in their company. It would seem we all believe in a super-natural God, not not the supernatural. We've been called as a people of destiny. There was, and is, an appointed time of His unveiling into the world. We're like Joshua and Caleb who went into the Promised Land, who had been reserved and appointed for that time. We are a people who see our God as bigger than giants. We've been intimidated by the government and forced to accept unjust laws that keep us under the "Pharaoh" of our time. We've been relegated to accepting a way of life that isn't God's best, but what the devil would only allow us to have. He is an ungodly taskmaster who wanted to keep our inheritance, and "dole it" out, at his leisure.
We've been more inclined with sharing in His suffering, than His glory. The suffering Jesus went through wasn't like we think about. This was to set us free from sin and the curse. We were never able to share that, it was only Messiah Who could do such a thing. That suffering was to set us free from the powers of the enemy.
The suffering we will have to share is being misunderstood in our mission here on earth and our being rejected by the ones who don't know Jesus. This includes the religious people of our time, just like they did in Jesus' time. The persecution facing those who will dare step into the arena of the supernatural place of God, comes from the world and even the Church who don't recognize or understand who we really are.
Anything different comes under scrutiny and the suspicion of the the "normal," according to John 9:21-22 (Amplified) we find the account of the man who was born blind. Jesus gave him his sight back and the crowd tried desperately to find a way of disputing the miracle. Verse 21 says, "But as to how he can now see, we do not know; or who has opened his eyes, we do not know. He is of age, ask him; let him speak for himself and give his own account. Verse 22 goes on, "His parents said this because they feared (the leaders of) the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that if anyone should acknowledge Jesus to be the Christ, he should be expelled and excluded from the synagogue."
There are venues today where if you should acknowledge speaking in tongues or walking by faith, then you aren't welcome in their company. It would seem we all believe in a super-natural God, not not the supernatural. We've been called as a people of destiny. There was, and is, an appointed time of His unveiling into the world. We're like Joshua and Caleb who went into the Promised Land, who had been reserved and appointed for that time. We are a people who see our God as bigger than giants. We've been intimidated by the government and forced to accept unjust laws that keep us under the "Pharaoh" of our time. We've been relegated to accepting a way of life that isn't God's best, but what the devil would only allow us to have. He is an ungodly taskmaster who wanted to keep our inheritance, and "dole it" out, at his leisure.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
Friday, July 1, 2016
Lesson 66 The New Creation
Those Israelites who came out of Egypt in the Exodus, were free from bondage, but weren't able to receive that fact as true, in their minds. They were free and had God in their very midst, but they kept looking back into their bondage where they knew they could walk. They didn't know how to walk in liberty, once they had it. Even though God said it and Joshua and Caleb brought proof of the Promised Land, their minds remained in bondage.
Most of the persons reading this blog, will never meet or see me, until we are in God's Presence forever. Tony Grullo tagged me, "Cowboy Jim" back when I had a radio program. He gave me that nickname because of my demeanor and manner of speaking. I have always chosen to live in the country, far enough from civilization to raise kids, cattle, horses, chickens and pigs. Everything I have, came from the blessing of the covenant of this new creation.
I've never had to "make" a horse, a horse. They were horses when they were born. I find very few things more beautiful than a horse or a foal. From the moment of their birth, until they leave this life, horses remain horses and beautiful. My place isn't to make them a horse, but to train them into being useful to me. The horse only knows what I teach them or train them to do, even though he is still a horse.
I train some horses for one purpose and others for another purpose, but they all remain horses. We've trained some horses to run barrels, some to pull carts and others to cut cattle. It doesn't matter what you need the horse to do, there is still a basic training you give to every one of them. You must train them all to lead or to halter break them. You must teach them to pick up their feet so you can trim their hooves or shoe them. We train them to take a bridle and saddle, for riding.
Some people "cowboy" break their horses, but I prefer to gentle break mine. The most important thing I've found in all these experiences, is building trust. Once there's a trust established between myself and the horse, I've found they're eager to please me (like a big ole dog). You never break the horse's spirit, but you want the horse to do what is asked of him, in love and trust. There comes a time when your horse will do anything asked of him, because he believes you will never do anything that will hurt him.
You can break a horse to ride and never establish a trust or bond between the horse and yourself, but is simply something the horse is broke to do out of mental bondage and he is simply yielding to you by force. There is also the horse who is eager to please you in whatever you ask, because of a bond between the two of you. As you and the horse come together in trust, you can ride and have delight in one another (even without a bit in his mouth). You can move together as one, by simple knee pressure and not by a bit in his mouth. Trust makes the horse and rider move as one unit. You can use a bit in your horse's mouth and make him obey, but this isn't so much a thing or trust, but a form of dominance.
Your Heavenly Father wants you to be this new creation family, without the fear of reprisal to "keep you in line." There are those who serve the Master in love and those who serve Him grudgingly. Our new creation being requires our learning how to operate as such. You are already a new creation, so there is no need to try becoming what God has already made you to be.
This is the time for the training up of this new creation, so that we've useful in God's Kingdom. I've seen herds of wild horses running free and they are amazingly beautiful doing so, but they are not useful. I've watched Christians in this new creation, who are like the wild mustangs. They are beautiful, but not useful. Their mind is still wild and carnal. Their actions still need to be dominated and "beaten" with religion, instead of being guided by relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The thing about training is, you must do things on a consistent plan. I can work with one of my horses for awhile and see improvement in his conduct. But, if I'm not consistent in my training, then the horse tends to go back to his old ways. The same is true about renewing your mind by the Word of God. We get busy in life and neglect our training, then begin thinking like the world again.
Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So then faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself) So then, faith comes by hearing." Faith in the Word comes by hearing the Word and faith in anything else, comes the same way. We understand what Jesus meant in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) when He said, "Be careful what you are hearing. The measure (of thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of virtue and knowledge) that comes back to you-and more (besides) will be given to you who hear."
What we hear, determines what we think. What we think, determines what we do. What we do, determines our usefulness as vessels in the Master's House. 1Timothy 2:20 (Amplified) tells us, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also (utensils) of wood and earthen ware, and some for honorable and noble (use) and some for menial and ignoble (use)."
Consistency in training makes the difference whether we walk naturally super-natural or religiously and out of obligation to God. Romans 10:17 says that "Faith comes by hearing" (present tense) and not by "Faith comes by heard." The memory of a hamburger will not nourish your body, only eating one will. The memory of the Word doesn't nourish the spirit either. Consistency in training means doing it like you're training for an Olympic event. One doesn't get up one day and decide to win a gold medal. He or she trains with fervor and consistently for years.
Our minds will begin con forming to whatever they hear or are subjected to on a constant basis. Hebrews 5:14 (Amplified) says, "But solid food is for full grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law."
We need to go to God's Word to learn how we are a new creation and how to function in this new creation. The only way to truly understand our born-again spirit, is to find out what this spirit man is supposed to be. 1Corinthians 2:11-12 (Amplified) says, "For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit (that belongs to) the world,but the Holy Spirit Who is from God (given to us) that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts (of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly) bestowed on us by God."
Today's Church still struggles over "The Blessing," the grace of God, sonship rights, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the promise of healing, among other things. The Word says that we received the Holy Spirit so we can "comprehend and appreciate the divine favor and blessing God has freely bestowed upon us." The only way to know the Mind of God and His way of doing and being right, is to train up or renew our new mind of Christ by the Word and the Holy Spirit. then, we can think and act in this new creation family we are born into. It's nearly impossible to walk usefully in this New Kingdom, by the old dictates of a mind that only knows the way of the world.
This doesn't mean God isn't your Father or that heaven isn't your home, but only that we might not become vessels to be used for greater things in the Master's House. All of the utensils were already in the House, but some would be used for lesser use and others for greater use. The more consistently we train our new mind by the Word and the Holy Spirit, the more God can use us for His Glory. You cannot train occasionally and expect perfect performance, that only comes by habitually training and using the Word. This is where the discipline of training our minds and being careful what we hear and how we use (or become doers of the Word) will make us profitable to the Father.
Our lives have been controlled by the spirit of this world or age. We had lived in this realm completely, until being born-again. Now, we must learn to listen to the Word and not the world. The world has no idea on how to walk in the newness of our minds. It only knows what it has been trained to react to. Our now dead, old man had been led by the senses. It's like the bear who wouldn't leave the cage, even though the door was open and he was invited into a beautiful, new realm. We've become futile and feel hopeless, waiting for the time when we can be free, when we've been made free through Christ Jesus all along.
Jesus is our example and walked in liberty, despite all the opposition He had to endure. We will encounter opposition to what God had called us to be, but we have one advantage that Jesus didn't have. At that time, the devil could use all his forces on the One Man (Jesus), because Jesus was the Only Son of God at the time. We are now also God's children and are born again as new creation people, so the devil must divide his forces against millions of forces, instead of targeting Only One. Satan has his hands full, trying to control the Church.
The more we learn and train ourselves up in renewing our minds, the harder it will be for the enemy to control us, like he does by religious act of self-helps ministries. Only God knows what the new creation is capable of and God's Spirit will reveal to us, who we really are in this world. This must be one of satan's greatest fears. He must fear the time when the entire Church walks in what Jesus instructed in John 17:24. We must make the effort of renewing our way of thinking and begin thinking like our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus. If we will be consistent in renewing our minds,then we won't have to fight the flesh, but bring it into a place where it will respond to the training.
When I begin training a new colt to lead, he will simply "pull back" or go his own way. I can try dragging him or I can show him a better way. If I'm consistent in his training, then he will yield to me and follow me after awhile, even without a lead rope. Even an animal will respond to constant renwing of his mind, when it's done correctly. I submit to you today, that if I can train my farm dogs to be useful and train my horses to be useful, then surely I can train up my new creation man, who is in the Image and Likeness of God. I would hate to think that my horse is smarter than my new creation being.
When we hear how, "These things are passed away" or "Those things were for the early Church and not for us today," we must not allow them to undo our constant training and renewing of our minds. These things are only there to confuse the truth, so we cannot walk in it. Religion has no room for revelation. Religion was brought about to make the Word of God to no effect in our lives. It would hold us in bondage, like the bear who was free, but wouldn't leave his cage to walk in that freedom.
Most of the persons reading this blog, will never meet or see me, until we are in God's Presence forever. Tony Grullo tagged me, "Cowboy Jim" back when I had a radio program. He gave me that nickname because of my demeanor and manner of speaking. I have always chosen to live in the country, far enough from civilization to raise kids, cattle, horses, chickens and pigs. Everything I have, came from the blessing of the covenant of this new creation.
I've never had to "make" a horse, a horse. They were horses when they were born. I find very few things more beautiful than a horse or a foal. From the moment of their birth, until they leave this life, horses remain horses and beautiful. My place isn't to make them a horse, but to train them into being useful to me. The horse only knows what I teach them or train them to do, even though he is still a horse.
I train some horses for one purpose and others for another purpose, but they all remain horses. We've trained some horses to run barrels, some to pull carts and others to cut cattle. It doesn't matter what you need the horse to do, there is still a basic training you give to every one of them. You must train them all to lead or to halter break them. You must teach them to pick up their feet so you can trim their hooves or shoe them. We train them to take a bridle and saddle, for riding.
Some people "cowboy" break their horses, but I prefer to gentle break mine. The most important thing I've found in all these experiences, is building trust. Once there's a trust established between myself and the horse, I've found they're eager to please me (like a big ole dog). You never break the horse's spirit, but you want the horse to do what is asked of him, in love and trust. There comes a time when your horse will do anything asked of him, because he believes you will never do anything that will hurt him.
You can break a horse to ride and never establish a trust or bond between the horse and yourself, but is simply something the horse is broke to do out of mental bondage and he is simply yielding to you by force. There is also the horse who is eager to please you in whatever you ask, because of a bond between the two of you. As you and the horse come together in trust, you can ride and have delight in one another (even without a bit in his mouth). You can move together as one, by simple knee pressure and not by a bit in his mouth. Trust makes the horse and rider move as one unit. You can use a bit in your horse's mouth and make him obey, but this isn't so much a thing or trust, but a form of dominance.
Your Heavenly Father wants you to be this new creation family, without the fear of reprisal to "keep you in line." There are those who serve the Master in love and those who serve Him grudgingly. Our new creation being requires our learning how to operate as such. You are already a new creation, so there is no need to try becoming what God has already made you to be.
This is the time for the training up of this new creation, so that we've useful in God's Kingdom. I've seen herds of wild horses running free and they are amazingly beautiful doing so, but they are not useful. I've watched Christians in this new creation, who are like the wild mustangs. They are beautiful, but not useful. Their mind is still wild and carnal. Their actions still need to be dominated and "beaten" with religion, instead of being guided by relationship with the Holy Spirit.
The thing about training is, you must do things on a consistent plan. I can work with one of my horses for awhile and see improvement in his conduct. But, if I'm not consistent in my training, then the horse tends to go back to his old ways. The same is true about renewing your mind by the Word of God. We get busy in life and neglect our training, then begin thinking like the world again.
Romans 10:17 (Amplified) says, "So then faith comes by hearing (what is told) and what is heard comes by the preaching (of the message that came from the lips) of Christ (the Messiah Himself) So then, faith comes by hearing." Faith in the Word comes by hearing the Word and faith in anything else, comes the same way. We understand what Jesus meant in Mark 4:24 (Amplified) when He said, "Be careful what you are hearing. The measure (of thought and study) you give (to the truth you hear) will be the measure (of virtue and knowledge) that comes back to you-and more (besides) will be given to you who hear."
What we hear, determines what we think. What we think, determines what we do. What we do, determines our usefulness as vessels in the Master's House. 1Timothy 2:20 (Amplified) tells us, "But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and silver, but also (utensils) of wood and earthen ware, and some for honorable and noble (use) and some for menial and ignoble (use)."
Consistency in training makes the difference whether we walk naturally super-natural or religiously and out of obligation to God. Romans 10:17 says that "Faith comes by hearing" (present tense) and not by "Faith comes by heard." The memory of a hamburger will not nourish your body, only eating one will. The memory of the Word doesn't nourish the spirit either. Consistency in training means doing it like you're training for an Olympic event. One doesn't get up one day and decide to win a gold medal. He or she trains with fervor and consistently for years.
Our minds will begin con forming to whatever they hear or are subjected to on a constant basis. Hebrews 5:14 (Amplified) says, "But solid food is for full grown men, for those whose senses and mental faculties are trained by practice to discriminate and distinguish between what is morally good and noble and what is evil and contrary either to divine or human law."
We need to go to God's Word to learn how we are a new creation and how to function in this new creation. The only way to truly understand our born-again spirit, is to find out what this spirit man is supposed to be. 1Corinthians 2:11-12 (Amplified) says, "For what person perceives (knows and understands) what passes through a man's thoughts except the man's own spirit within him? Just so no one discerns (comes to know and comprehend) the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have not received the spirit (that belongs to) the world,but the Holy Spirit Who is from God (given to us) that we might realize and comprehend and appreciate the gifts (of divine favor and blessing so freely and lavishly) bestowed on us by God."
Today's Church still struggles over "The Blessing," the grace of God, sonship rights, the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, the promise of healing, among other things. The Word says that we received the Holy Spirit so we can "comprehend and appreciate the divine favor and blessing God has freely bestowed upon us." The only way to know the Mind of God and His way of doing and being right, is to train up or renew our new mind of Christ by the Word and the Holy Spirit. then, we can think and act in this new creation family we are born into. It's nearly impossible to walk usefully in this New Kingdom, by the old dictates of a mind that only knows the way of the world.
This doesn't mean God isn't your Father or that heaven isn't your home, but only that we might not become vessels to be used for greater things in the Master's House. All of the utensils were already in the House, but some would be used for lesser use and others for greater use. The more consistently we train our new mind by the Word and the Holy Spirit, the more God can use us for His Glory. You cannot train occasionally and expect perfect performance, that only comes by habitually training and using the Word. This is where the discipline of training our minds and being careful what we hear and how we use (or become doers of the Word) will make us profitable to the Father.
Our lives have been controlled by the spirit of this world or age. We had lived in this realm completely, until being born-again. Now, we must learn to listen to the Word and not the world. The world has no idea on how to walk in the newness of our minds. It only knows what it has been trained to react to. Our now dead, old man had been led by the senses. It's like the bear who wouldn't leave the cage, even though the door was open and he was invited into a beautiful, new realm. We've become futile and feel hopeless, waiting for the time when we can be free, when we've been made free through Christ Jesus all along.
Jesus is our example and walked in liberty, despite all the opposition He had to endure. We will encounter opposition to what God had called us to be, but we have one advantage that Jesus didn't have. At that time, the devil could use all his forces on the One Man (Jesus), because Jesus was the Only Son of God at the time. We are now also God's children and are born again as new creation people, so the devil must divide his forces against millions of forces, instead of targeting Only One. Satan has his hands full, trying to control the Church.
The more we learn and train ourselves up in renewing our minds, the harder it will be for the enemy to control us, like he does by religious act of self-helps ministries. Only God knows what the new creation is capable of and God's Spirit will reveal to us, who we really are in this world. This must be one of satan's greatest fears. He must fear the time when the entire Church walks in what Jesus instructed in John 17:24. We must make the effort of renewing our way of thinking and begin thinking like our Heavenly Father and our Lord Jesus. If we will be consistent in renewing our minds,then we won't have to fight the flesh, but bring it into a place where it will respond to the training.
When I begin training a new colt to lead, he will simply "pull back" or go his own way. I can try dragging him or I can show him a better way. If I'm consistent in his training, then he will yield to me and follow me after awhile, even without a lead rope. Even an animal will respond to constant renwing of his mind, when it's done correctly. I submit to you today, that if I can train my farm dogs to be useful and train my horses to be useful, then surely I can train up my new creation man, who is in the Image and Likeness of God. I would hate to think that my horse is smarter than my new creation being.
When we hear how, "These things are passed away" or "Those things were for the early Church and not for us today," we must not allow them to undo our constant training and renewing of our minds. These things are only there to confuse the truth, so we cannot walk in it. Religion has no room for revelation. Religion was brought about to make the Word of God to no effect in our lives. It would hold us in bondage, like the bear who was free, but wouldn't leave his cage to walk in that freedom.
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