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."
For years there have been teachings about faith, Blessings and the Goodness of God, which are portrayed as being "pie in the sky." Others though, receive these things as being part of the believer's walk with the Father. Some think these teachings about the Promises of God and His Goodness are "foolishness" and only those with "hyper faith" can walk in them. Allow me to qualify what they mean by "hyper faith." Hyper faith is someone who trusts God more than they do. No one can have too much faith in God.
The main difference in the faith of believers, is what the individual walks in. Some feel that being saved is all that's required for them, while others go a step further and are baptized by the Holy Spirit. Many of those believers stop at speaking in tongues and do so sparingly. Others strive to know God and want to sit at His feet in fellowship with Him.
God spoke a Word in Deuteronomy 30:19 (Amplified) that still applies to us today. Thus, He said, "I call Heaven and earth to witness this day against you that I have set before you Life and death, the Blessing and the curses, Therefore choose Life, that you and your descendants may Live." This scripture makes it clear that the choice is ours to make. God doesn't make the choice. We do. God emphasized this, saying, "Therefore choose Life."
You'd be amazed to know how many Christians don't choose Life. They actually continue doing the opposite and then are angry with God, when the curses and death operate in their lives. Faith isn't some teaching about healing or prosperity, tongues or anything else. Faith is a guide to knowing God and having faith in Him, which is where all these other things come from. We must learn to have faith in the Healer, instead of just trying to have faith for healing.
Not every Christian spends time in God's Word and getting to know Him. This isn't sin, but it doesn't necessarily bring faith. The Lord corrected me about this very thing, when I was preparing for Sunday service. He said to me, "You are in error." He didn't say, "You're in sin," but that I was "in error." My first response was, "I rebuke that in the Name of Jesus," because I wondered how I could possibly be in error, when I was reading God's Word. God then said, "You're not studying, in order to learn of Me, but you're doing so, just to have something to preach." I realized that when we study to know Him, we will always have something to teach, because we're seeing more of Him.
You're reading today's lesson, which is based on my spending time in God's Presence. You can learn from this, but you must still spend time with God, for this to become Truth and Revelation in your life. God has set teachers in the Church, who train-up and minister to His family. All ministry is not to the Church, but comes from the Church, according to Ephesians 4:12 (Amplified), which says, "God's intention was the perfecting and full equipping of the saints (His consecrated people), that they should do the work of ministering toward building up Christ's Body (the Church)."
God's Word is Truth, but not everyone is walking in Truth, because they lack understanding. When we don't understand something, then it's almost always misused. Wisdom comes through God's Word, while understanding comes through the Spirit...it's called Revelation. Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is, get Wisdom, skillful and Godly Wisdom! For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principal thing; And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)." Notice that discernment, comprehension and understanding are also listed in 1Corinthians 12, as Spiritual things that come by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives these things for individual use by each person and not just for ministry.
One can read God's Word and it is Wisdom, but without understanding, it's only intellectual knowledge. Without Revelation, it's only a religious exercise and not understanding. There are many man-made doctrines based on God's Word, that have no Revelation at all. We each have the privilege of coming to know the Father for ourselves. We can only know Him by His Word and His Spirit, because He is a Spirit Being, according to John 4:24 (Amplified) which says, "God is a Spirit (a Spiritual Being), and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and Truth (reality)."
The above scripture tells us that God's Word is Truth and reality. The reality is Revelation, that comes by Truth and worship. The word "worship," is derived from a word that means, "Worth ship." What is His worth, in your life? Worth ship, comes when you truly have Revelation of His Person here in this life and not only after we leave this planet. How much is He worth to you, here in this life? How much time and thought do you, as an individual, give to Him? How much time do you spend meditating on His Word, on a daily basis?
This isn't religion, but it's relation. It's up to each individual, to build a relationship with the Father. Preachers and teachers can show us the principals from God's Word, but we must pursue the Truth of His Word and make it Revelation in our lives. The Holy Spirit can and will bring Revelation to you, but you must still seek Him out, in understanding. We're not just a people who follow a doctrine, we're God's family. The same Father Who birthed you, birthed me and He loves us all the same. What is mine, is yours too. It's not based on who we are, but on Who He Is.
Having a personal walk with the Lord, is the greatest thing we can have in this life. We can know for ourselves, what His will and purpose is in this life. When you hear or read a teaching, then you should go to God's Word and seek Truth, to see whether or not it's Truth. If it is God's Truth, then we must go to Him for further Revelation.
Don't depend solely on your pastor or teacher, to do it for you. Take what's being taught and then apply it in your own life. Go to God's Word for Wisdom and come into His Presence for understanding. Let Him show you the Power of what His Word says, by His Spirit. We've lost much of the Truth and Revelation of God's Greatness, which has led to a lack of healing and miracles in today's world. Even when the old covenant people saw God's Power, they forgot His Greatness. Today, we speak about His Greatness, but haven't witnessed much of His Power. We can really know Him on a personal level and the Power of His Resurrection, by Revelation knowledge and fellowship with Him.
Paul wasn't satisfied to stop his walk with God, where everyone else stopped, but he wrote in 2Corinthians 12:1 (Amplified), "I will go on to further Revelation." Paul never found a place to stop, while he was still on this side of Heaven. How much Revelation is enough for you? Are you content with only knowing what you know now? It this as much Revelation of the Most High, you'll ever have or will you go on to further Revelation?
Disciples and students desire to become like the one who is teaching them. No one would like to have a surgeon, who only attended one year of med school or board a plane, where the pilot never learned how to land a plane. We expect quality and perfection from those who serve us, so shouldn't God be able to expect these from us too? We expect perfection in Him, so shouldn't He expect our best? Excellence is the best we have to give, but excellence is based on how much time and effort we give it.
God's Promises are no longer promises to the believer, but they are now Truth. These Promises have all been met in Jesus and are now fact and Truth for us. We're waiting for these Promises to become "real," but we don't even know what the Promises are. The Promise of the Holy Spirit in Galatians 3:15, didn't just mean the Day of Pentecost and speaking in new tongues. The Promise was that the Holy Spirit would come to live in us and deliver and fulfill all the Promises of God (Who is Spirit), into our natural lives today. The Spiritual Blessings we read about in John 1:17, come by and through, the Holy Spirit.
No comments:
Post a Comment