John 1:16-17 (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."
The Spiritual Blessings that have been reserved for us at this time, were withheld from those under the Law of Moses, because they were spiritually dead and separated from God in their spirit, through Adam's transgression. Now, since the Resurrection of Jesus and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, we're born-again of the Spirit and can receive these Spiritual Blessings and Gifts. Through the new birth and by Jesus Christ, we can receive these things.
The Father hasn't withheld any of the inheritance from His children, but His children haven't matured to where we understand who and what God has made us to be. It's not the fault of God's children and it's certainly not God's fault. God isn't holding out on us. Paul was Blessed by a Revelation from the Lord Himself, with understanding the new creation family of God, like no other person has understood since. Paul was taken into the Very Presence of the Lord and the Lord Himself explained the new creation to him.
The Church is to learn the Truth of the new creation and who we are now in Jesus, from and by the Holy Spirit. God gave the Revelation and ministry to Paul, in order to reveal it to the new creation family of God. This is to be a pattern for all of God's family and is meant for all who are in Christ Jesus. Those of us who are born-again, are all recipients of the same family and Seed. We're fellow heirs with the Firstborn Son of God.
If we're looking to blame someone for not teaching the Truth to God's family, then let's not place fault on man, but on the one who has deceived mankind since the Garden. Man can only teach what he knows and he only knows from what other have taught him. The enemy only needed to corrupt the Seed of Truth and sow it into the heart of the teachers. God's covenant once, only belonged to the Jew and not the Gentiles (the Church).
When I grew up in Illinois, there was what we called, "Volunteer Corn." This was seed that had been missed, when they picked the corn from the previous season. This corn survived, until the next harvest of soybeans was planted. We could see the corn stalks, among the soybeans. These volunteer cornstalks had grown-up among the soybeans and produced ears of corn at their maturing.
Even though God's family is supposed to walk in His Grace, today's Church still has seeds being planted from the Law of Moses, that are growing up like the volunteer crop of corn. This is seed that still lives in man's hearts, from the previous crop, or harvest, or covenant. This seed still produced, because it hadn't been tilled under or dried up when the old covenant was fulfilled. We now have a crop of mixed seed being sown in the Church, which produces corn and soybeans in the same field.
Only those who were Gentiles, had the seed of Grace sown without the seed of the Law of Moses. God Himself excluded them, from the Law of Moses. The covenant was only for the Jew, when the seed of covenant was sown. It became easier for the Gentile to walk by Grace, than it was for the Jews. Paul spoke about this in Galatians 3:1-3 (Amplified) saying, "O you poor and silly and thoughtless and unreflecting and senseless Galatians! Who has fascinated (or bewitched or cast a spell) over you, unto whom-right before your very eyes, Jesus Christ (the Messiah), was openly and graphically set forth and portrayed as crucified? Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit as a 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 your dependence on the flesh?"
Paul expounds in Galatians 4:16-17 (Amplified) saying, "Have I then become your enemy by telling the Truth to you and dealing sincerely with you? These men (the Judaizing teachers), are zealously trying to dazzle you, paying court to you (making much of you), but their purpose is not honorable or worthy or for any good. What they want to do is isolate you from us that oppose them, so that they may win you over to their side and get you to court their side."
One might ask, "What makes the difference anyway?" Paul explains the difference to the Church in Galatia and to us, in Galatians 4:1-3 (Amplified) saying, "Now what I mean is that as long as the inheritor (heir), is a child and underage, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate. But he is under guardians and administrators and trustees until the date fixed by his father. So we, Jewish Christians also, when we were minors, were kept like slaves under the rules of the Hebrew rituals and subject to the elementary teachings of external observations and regulations."
Paul was saying that, "If we allow ourselves to be placed back under the Law of Moses, even though we're the joint heirs of Christ, then we don't receive the inheritance granted us by the new birth, by faith. We're kept under the old teachings and regulations of the "mixed seed" of the Law of Moses. If we walk under the Law and do something wrong, then God can't Bless us. This has kept the true heirs of God in confinement of the enemy, for centuries.
The lesson from Galatians, is something that God's sons and daughters should all take into observance. Paul taught a correction for not only those in Galatia, but to us today. Proverbs 22:6 (Amplified) says, "Train up a child in the way he should go and in keeping with his individual gift (or bent), and when he is old he will not depart from it." Paul restates this in 1Corinthians 13:11 (Amplified) saying, "When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; now that I have become a man, I am done with childish ways and have put them aside."
Paul was referring to the lesson he gave to the Church in Galatians 4:1-2, 4-5 (Amplified) which says, "As long as the heir is just a child and underage, he doesn't differ from a slave, even though he is the master of the estate. But he is under guardians and administrators or trustees until the date fixed by his father." Paul concluded in Verses 4-5 saying, "But when the proper time had full come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, to purchase the freedom of (to ransom, to redeem, to atone for) those who were subject to the Law, that we might be adopted and have sonship conferred upon us and be recognized a God's son."
We are no longer "children under guardians," but we are sons of God and joint heirs with Jesus. The "date fixed by the father," has come and we're no longer subject to the trustees. We've been released as being full heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ. There are still those who would release our inheritance as they deem we can handle it, but the Truth is that we're to be trained up in righteousness, capable of handling our inheritance.
1Peter 2:2 (Amplified) says, "Like newborn babies you should crave (thirst for, earnestly desire), the pure and unadulterated spiritual milk (the Word) that by it you may be nurtured and grow into completed salvation." In order to handle our inheritance, we must grow into maturity by God's Word and the Holy Spirit. Satan's sowed deception into the hearts of God's children, which has held us back from being who the Father birthed us to be.
In Mark 4:24 (Amplified), Jesus aid, "Be careful what you are hearing." We must not allow the volunteer seed from the previous, old crop, to seep into our new seed of Truth. Paul writes in Galatians 4:1 (Amplified), "Now what I mean is the inheritor (heir) is a child and underage, he does not differ from a slave, although he is the master of all the estate." If we allow others to be trustees over our estate, then we will never grow up. There comes a time when we should become the master over all the estate that Jesus died to give us. This doesn't mean that we don't need one another or that we don't need teachers, but we must "Be careful what we hear!"
Those who've been Christians for awhile, have been exposed to many teachings over the years. We've not always done our homework, studying God's Word and listening to the Father, for ourselves. God's Church has been taught many things that have held us back, for centuries. Many things that are the Wisdom of God have been dismissed, because of a lack of understanding. Our learning, knowing and understanding God's Wisdom doesn't mean that we must separate from the brethren. God's children must grow up.
Many administrators of the Church haven't introduced God's Wisdom to us, for centuries. Proverbs 16:25 (Amplified) says, "There is a way that seems right to a man and appears straight before him, but at the end of it is the way of death." Jesus spoke about His Words in John 6:33 (Amplified) saying, "It is the Spirit Who gives Life (He is the Life-Giver); the flesh conveys no benefit whatever; there is no profit in it. The Words (Truths) that I have been speaking to you are SPIRIT AND LIFE."
Man has devised many things throughout the years, that aren't always Spirit and Life. Many of the things leftover from the Law of Moses, have not brought forth Life, but have brought death, condemnation, guilt and many other things of the flesh instead.
We're supposed to have the new creation spirit man, rule the flesh and not have the flesh rule the spirit man. We've catered to the flesh and have been ruled by both good and bad feelings and emotions. These are the shackles of the old man, who was under the Law, and not those of the new creation family of God. Romans 8:1-2 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, there is now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong), for those who are in Christ Jesus who live and walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit." The dictates of the flesh are condemnation and guilt from our past and present actions. They are the residue or dregs from the old Law of Moses and not things from the master of the estate. Verse 2 continues, "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."
The god of this world has deceived mankind from the Garden of Eden until now. He can't stop the new birth and the ministry of the Holy Spirit, so he tries to deceive mankind. If he can restrain God's Church by that deception, then he can hold onto his earthly kingdom for awhile longer. In these Last Days, the Lord is giving His Church understanding, like we haven't seen for a long time. Some will cling onto the traditions of men, like they did during Jesus' ministry, but there will others who go on with the Power of the Lord and bring His Power to the world.
Paul was the messenger God used to bring forth the Revelation that we're God's family. The enemy has been working hard, trying to discredit the Revelation Paul received from the Lord. Without understanding of the Spirit, the Church has been bogged down in traditions and teachings of man. The people who established these traditions and teachings, were probably good men and wished to serve God, but they could only serve and teach from the understanding they had.
We need understanding of the new Revelation, which unveils what was already there. Paul received Revelation from the Lord Himself, which was the unveiling and uncovering of the Word. The Holy Spirit has removed the veil from our eyes and given us the ability to see and understand what God has always had for us. The Revelation Jesus gave to Paul, is the same Revelation that the Holy Spirit wrote to us in God's Word. This isn't a new thing, but it's the revealing of Jesus with understanding.
There will be more miracles, healings and deliverance's in this coming time, then the world and God's Church have ever seen, since Jesus' ministry and the birth of the Church. This is the time called, "The End of Days" and the soon coming of the Lord.
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