2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) he is a new creation (a new creature altogether); the old (previous moral and spiritual condition) has passed. Behold, the fresh and new has come. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ reconciled us to Himself (received us into favor, brought us into harmony with Himself) and gave to us the ministry of reconciliation (that by word and deed we might aim to bring others into harmony with Him)."
2Corinthians 12:1 (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 revelation of the Lord."
We've mostly been taught about the above scripture, concerning Paul's "thorn in the flesh." We've not heard much about how that "thorn in the flesh" was "a messenger of satan," sent to buffet and harass Paul. Many any of us have heard though, that God gave Paul this thorn of the flesh, in order to keep Paul humble. May God give us understanding and open our eyes to see the Truth of His Word, and not religion. Paul says Jesus directly gave him the revelation of the new creation in a vision. He also says that his "thorn in the flesh" was a demon spirit satan sent to take away the Message by force."
Jesus was preaching the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:15 (Amplified) and says, "The one along the path are those who have the Word sown (in their hearts) but when they hear, satan comes at once and (by force) takes away the Message which is sown in them. It was God, Who gave the revelation about the new creation to Paul. Satan did everything he could to stop Paul and "steal" the Word that Paul was preaching and sowing in the people's hearts. Paul speaks about the persecution he had undergone, in order to preach this revelation to the world, in 2Corinthians 11. Most of us wouldn't have endured the persecution Paul underwent. We probably would have quit preaching the Word and returned home. Not Paul. Despite the trouble and strife satan stirred up against him, Paul stated in 2Corinthians 12:1,9 (Amplified), "True, there is nothing to be gained by it (boasting of his infirmities, or weaknesses of his natural man) (but as I am obligated) to boast, I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord." In Verse 9, Paul tells about asking the Lord to "remove this messenger" from him and the Lord actually gave him revelation of "more grace" and it's ability to deliver him. By revelation, Paul states that "when he was weak as a natural man, is when God's strength is greater."
Remember, the same Paul who wrote these previous Verses, is also the Paul who wrote 2Corinthians 4:6-7 (Amplified) which says, "For God Who said, Let Light shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts so as (to beam forth) the Light for the illumination of the knowledge of the Majesty and Glory (as it is manifest in the Person and is revealed) in the Face of Jesus Christ (the Messiah). However we possess this precious treasure (the Divine Light of the Gospel) in (frail, human) vessels of earth, that the grandeur and exceeding greatness of the power may be shown to be from God and not from ourselves."
We can now understand what Paul meant in 2Corinthians 12:9 (Amplified), saying, "Therefore, I will all the more gladly glory in my weaknesses and infirmities, that the strength and power are made perfect (fulfilled and completed) and show themselves most effective in (your) weaknesses. Therefore I will all the more glory in my weaknesses and infirmities that the strength and power of Christ (the Messiah) may rest (yes make a tent over and dwell) upon me."
In 2Corinthians 12:1 (Amplified), Paul wrote, "I will go on to visions and revelations of the Lord." This is a continuing revelation that reached beyond the cross and continues even unto "being seated together with Jesus in the Heavenlies," according to Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified) where Paul 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)."
Paul goes "on in visions and revelations" of Jesus and he instructs the Church (us) to continue on with him, as he shares this revelation in 2Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified), "AND ALL OF US; as with unveiled face, (because we) continued to behold (in the Word of God) as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are constantly being transfigured into His Very Own Image in ever increasing splendor and from one degree of glory to another, (for this comes) from the Lord (Who is) the Spirit."
Many of us in the Church, have only a limited revelation of the cross and not much beyond the remission of sin. Some do not even have a clear revelation of this and continue to refer to themselves as "only forgiven sinners." For many, the revelation of our righteousness in Christ has been blinded by the god of this world. For many more, the revelation of Jesus' Sacrifice has been limited to "going to Heaven when we die."
Much of our "revelation" has been derived from the four Gospels. That revelation was limited, because it wasn't time to reveal the Mystery of God, to the world. It was only after Paul was "taken into the third Heaven" and given the "revelation of this Mystery that was hidden in God,"that we received even a glimpse of the new creation. We still concentrated on the sins of the flesh, rather than the righteousness of the new man, who had been created within our spirit. Of course, the sins of the flesh must cease and be done away with, but it's done by the power of the Spirit of God that is now within our new creation man. Laws and rituals try to control the flesh from the outside only.
Reading through Paul's letters to the Church, we see him writing more about learning "who we are," rather than "who we were." His idea of weakness was that the flesh has no power in it. Only the new man has power, because the Holy Spirit lives within him or her. We've allowed ourselves to return to the bondage of the world, by denying the power from within. Until we "come to further revelations" (like Paul preached and wrote about), we've reached the limits of our understanding of who Jesus really made us to be.
Paul wrote to the Church in Galatians 3:2-3 (Amplified), "Let me ask you this one question; Did you receive the Holy Spirit as the result of obeying the Law and doing its works, or was it by hearing (the Message of the Gospel) and believing it? Was it from observing a Law of rituals or from a Message of faith? Are you so foolish and so senseless and so silly? Having begun (your new life spiritually) with the Holy Spirit; are you now reaching perfection (by dependence) on the flesh?"
I am truly impressed by the faith of the early Church, after the heard the Gospel. They received what was preached by faith and received the moves and miracles of the Holy Spirit, according to Acts 5:15-16 (Amplified) which says, "So that they (even) kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, (in the hope) that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. And the people also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured."
Today, what are we preaching that is so different from what they preached?"
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