John 1:16-17,18 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance) we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth came through Jesus Christ."
Notice, the above scripture tells us that, "We have all received, all had a share, and were all supplied with." No one has been left out or exalted above any other. Some have accepted these Spiritual Blessings, some have accepted these Gifts and some have accepted His Grace and favor, but some have not. However, all were given the same Grace, favor, Gifts and Spiritual Blessings.
Verse 18 continues, "No man has ever seen God at any time; the Only Unique Son, or the Only Begotten God, Who is in the bosom (in the intimate Presence) of the Father, He has declared Him, He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen, He has interpreted Him and made Him known."
When we see Jesus, we see God! We should be able to determine God's will, by the Manifest Presence and deeds of Jesus, during His earthly ministry. We don't need to struggle knowing God's will concerning healing, help, anointing, humanity or acceptance of our humanity, or the trials and problems that present themselves before us. We only need to look unto Jesus and then we will see God.
Before Jesus came to earth, God was untouchable. After Jesus came, man can touch God and Jesus Who is God in the flesh, is willing to touch us. Even in our most terrible times, troubles, or diseases, Jesus would put out His hand, in order to touch and remove these things (even the foul disease of leprosy). He was willing to come into our presence and be where we are. Jesus even walked in some of the same persecution that we walk in.
We've overlooked many of the things God has made available to and for us, because we don't know our Heavenly Father. C.S. Lewis says is so beautifully, saying, "The Son of God became the Son of Man, so that the sons of man could become the sons of God." Through Jesus, God came to our level of life, in order to bring us up to His level of Life. Paul writes in 2Corinthians 5:17 (Amplified), "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."
Many of God's children have overlooked the Gifts, spoke about in John 1:16-17 or haven't reached out to accept them. Paul writes about the Gifts of the Spirit. Most of us mistakenly accept the belief that, "We don't qualify for any of these Gifts," but the Word tells us that, "The Holy Spirit gives these Gifts severely as He wills." We stop at the 9 Gifts of the Spirit, when there are actually 11 Gifts of the Spirit. Paul writes about the rarely spoke about Gifts of government and helps in 1Corinthians 12:18 (KJV) saying, "And God hath set some in the Church, first of all apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, and Gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."
How many in the Church have been anointed by the same Holy Spirit, to function in helps and governments, but have no idea they're anointed to do these functions? Here are some different translations of these Gifts. Helps means, "Helpers, assistants, those who help others." Governments means, "Administrators, organizers, power to guide them, wise guides, those who can get others to work together, managers."
How many in the Church are called to walk in these Gifts of the Spirit, but have never accepted the call or the anointing for these positions? We major on the nine Gifts and ignore the other two nearly altogether.
We see some of these Gifts, that came through our union with Jesus in Romans 5:1-2 (Amplified) which says, "Therefore since we are justified, acquitted, declared righteous and given a right standing with God, through faith, let us grasp the fact that we have the peace of reconciliation to hold and to enjoy, peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One) Through Him also we have our access, entrance, introduction by faith into this Grace (state of God's favor in which we firmly stand). And let us rejoice and exalt in our hope of experiencing and enjoying the Glory of God."
The things I underlined above, are a Gift that came through Jesus, in Grace and Truth. Romans 5:17 (Amplified) says, "For if because of one man's trespass (lapse, offense) death reigned through that one; much more surely will those who receive God's overflowing Grace (unmerited favor) and the free Gift of righteousness putting them in right standing with Himself, reign as kings in Life through the One Man Jesus Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One)."
These are not things you work to obtain, but these are Gifts you receive by faith in what is already your's through Jesus. Romans 7:6 (Amplified) tells us, "But now we are discharged from the Law and have terminated all intercourse with it, having died to what once restrained and held us captive. So now we serve not under obedience to the old code of written regulations, but under obedience to the prompting of the Spirit in newness of Life."
Romans 8:29-30 (Amplified) says, "For those whom He foreknew (of whom He was aware and Loved beforehand), He also destined from the beginning, fore-ordained them to be molded into the Image of His Son and share inwardly His Likeness, that He might become the Firstborn among many brethren. And those Whom He thus fore-ordained, He also called, and those whom He called, He also Justified, acquitted, made righteous, putting them in right standing with Himself, and those Whom He justified, He also Glorified, raising them to a Heavenly dignity and condition or state of being."
All of these underlined scriptures, are "Gift heaped upon Gift," given in John 1:16. We don't always see righteousness as a Gift, nor do we see justification or sanctification as Gifts. This is why it's called, "Grace," because it's "unearned, undeserved favor and Spiritual Blessing and Truth."
John 1:16 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness, abundance, we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift." We have all been given every advantage of the Spiritual Blessings that came through Jesus. These are all Spiritual Blessings that the old covenant people couldn't receive, because the newness of Life or the Promise God gave to Abraham of the Holy Spirit hadn't come yet. That Promise was Jesus. He is the Seed, God Promised.
Now that He has come, these Spiritual Blessings can be manifested in the new creation man and woman, who has a born-again spirit. Don't neglect and turn away from the Gifts and Spiritual Blessing, by religious teachings that tell you, "No, none are righteous." This was before Jesus and these were nonspiritual men who weren't under the covenant of Grace and Truth in Jesus.
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