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! all things are made new. But all things are from God, Who through Jesus Christ has 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)."
Because we are a "new creation," the Only Example we have to know we we are in Christ, is Jesus. The early Church knew Jesus in Person and lived to be like Him, but after only a few hundred years, the Church became just another religion. The same miracles and healings that followed Jesus, were prevalent in the early Church, but these things later became just traditions and rituals and "things that have passed away."
In order to become who we were created to believe, we must receive revelation knowledge from the Holy Spirit. We must read God's Word with the mind of Christ and allow it to tell us who we were really meant to be. The knowledge of our being righteous in God's eyes, has nearly been lost to the Church and we continue struggling to make ourselves righteous, by works and performance. Both of these things are void of power and repugnant to God, because it ignores what Jesus did for us.
The Super-natural expression of the Holy Spirit has been reduced to a mere whisper of who and what He is, in the believer. Many believers have removed the Holy Spirit completely from their expression of who they are, altogether. We acknowledge the Presence of the Holy Spirit with our words, but deny His Presence in Truth. We've made studies of Who He "used to be," and found a way to keep Him only in the early days of our new creation.
Some teach that the Holy Spirit had to move in the early Church, in order to establish the Church, but today's Church can "function on our own." The Truth is that without the Holy Spirit, the Church doesn't function at all. He is the One Who gives Life to this new creation and without Him, we become a social club. We've been faithful to give and meet the natural needs of the people, but we've mostly ignored the Super-natural needs. We've become a referral center for those who need the the power of God to deliver them.
We refer people to rehab, doctors, mental health facilities and to women's crisis centers, but what has happened to setting them free by the power of the Spirit and the Name of Jesus? One might answer, "Yes, but not everyone can do these things." I would then say, "Have you really sought and listened to the Spirit, to see if He wanted to do these things through you?" We've categorized the Gifts of the Spirit and determined "who has been chosen to operate in them." Why not let Him decide and do "as He wills?" The worst that could happen is, the people are't healed and are no worse off.
It doesn't only take faith in what we're called to be, but it requires courage enough to step out in that faith. It's God's faith we're using and it hasn't diminished. God is responsible to "do the works," not us. We need to learn to trust God to keep His Word and then lean on His ability in us. Jesus said He did nothing of Himself, but He only did "what the Father told Him." We haven't been hearing.
Jesus told the Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:23-24 (Amplified) saying, "The sower sows the Word." I wonder whether or not, the thing we've been hearing is the Word. Jesus said, "If any man has ears to hear, let him be listening and let him perceive and comprehend. And He said to them; 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."
Most of can quote Romans 10:17 (KJV) which says, "Faith cometh by hearing." We assume this implies to the Word of God and it does. The Amplified Bible says, "So 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)." This is Spiritual Law that functions both ways. Words are seeds and seeds are sown by speaking or preaching. Our heart (or spirit) is the soil and whatever we hear, is able to produce in our spirit. We must be careful about what we hear and allow to be planted.
Faith in God, comes by hearing the Truth of God's Word. Faith in anything else, also comes by hearing. If we hear anything long enough, then we put faith in it (whether it's wrong or right). Why would we believe that not everyone who hears the Word preached, will not believe it? The old covenant Jews didn't believe Jesus when He preached, because their faith was still in the words of the Law and the sacrificing of lambs and bulls that was taught by Moses. They had faith, but it was in the seed that had already been sown in their hearts and produced others things than what Jesus preached.
The seed principle or law, is true in any kind of word seed. All words are seed, not only God's Word. If we only allow certain words (seeds) into the soil of our hearts, then we can control the harvest that comes from the seed. In Matthew 12:35-37 (Amplified) Jesus said, "The good man from his good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse, flings forth evil things. But I tell you, on the day of judgment men will have to give account for every idle inoperative non-working word they speak. For by your words you will be justified, and acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned and sentenced."
Jesus was saying, "We are to be responsible for whatever we hear, because what we hear is what we believe and will say." We are revealing from our hearts, with our words, what we really have allowed to be sown by men, in our hearts. This is why Jesus admonished us to, "Be careful what you are hearing." The only way I know to hear the Truth, is to know the Truth. If we don't listen to and seek Truth from God's Word and the Holy Spirit, then we will never recognize the Truth when we hear it.
Every individual person is responsible to, "Be careful what he hears." Today, there are so many differing things being sown into the world and the Church. Truth can only be determined by the person who is hearing. Some who haven't heard the Truth about Jesus, will receive and allow the seed of the world or false religions to be sown in their hearts, placing their faith into evil reports and doctrines and will be judged by what they allow to be sown in their hearts.
I'm mostly speaking to the Church and I'm confident that the Seed you've received has brought forth a new creation. I trust the Word of faith that you've heard, has done exactly what it was meant to do and that is to produce a new creation. Now that you've become what the Seed (Word) produced, how you grow and develop in this new creation depends on what words you allow to be sown into your new spirit. Seeds always "produce after kind." Apple seeds always produces apple trees. They will never produce peach trees. The Seed of words, always produces what the Word or Seed is.
Today, words produce many things in the earth, but only if they find a place in someone's heart to take root and produce the mature tree that puts forth more seeds. By hearing, many have put faith in other gods, Hollywood, communism, holy wars and even cannibalism. They done so by hearing and allowing the seed of words, to produce a culture other than the Kingdom. These words will either bring justification or condemnation in the lives of those who were not careful what they hear.
There are seeds that do no belong in the garden of our new creation hearts and these will bring forth unbelief, doubt and even bondage in the spirit. Every year, I discover things growing in my hay fields, that I didn't sow. The wind will bring seeds from many sources, that take up root in my fields. The same is true in the world. There are seeds (words) that are almost "blown on the wind," which we come into contact with daily. We can't turn on the television or the internet, without hearing political confusions broadcast by the news media, or hearing about global disasters happening and broadcasters unknowingly spreading fear to our hearts through their reports on terror attacks. We have seeds of public opinion, overtaking our schools and children. We seem to have lost the ability to determine between what is "good seed and what is evil seed."
I hear even God's people say, "The Seed of God is the One behind all the evil things that are now taking place," and this leads me to believe we either don't God's Word or we don't know our Father. If you receive these seeds, then they will grow a crop of immobility in your life. If received, these will grow crops of fear, doubt, guilt, condemnation and a lack of faith in God's being able and willing to do and His ability to perform what He has promised. God's Word is like the rain and snow, that comes down and waters the earth. And, according to Isaiah 55:10-11 (Amplified), God's Word "will not return to Him void, but will accomplish and prosper in the thing He sent it to do."
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