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)."
Luke 11:1 (Amplified) says, "Then [Jesus] was praying in a certain place; and when He stopped, One of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, Just as John taught His disciples."
At this point in His ministry, Jesus' disciples had witnessed many miracles and Super-natural things happen. These men had walked with Jesus, long enough to realize that His power came from God. They knew that Jesus' strength came from praying to and hearing from God, and so they implored, "Teach us to pray, Lord." There have been numerous occasions after I wrote about the Super-natural ability of the new creation family of God, that people say they are, "extremism." Prayer is one of the most Super-natural functions of the Church. Many times though, we disregard prayer as being Super-natural, because we've adopted man's ideas about it.
One must believe that God is there, before even beginning to pray. This is itself, an act of believing in the Super-natural. No one would pray, if he or she didn't believe "Someone was listening." When we pray, we're praying to a Super-natural Being, Who is invisible to the natural man. When we pray, we must not only believe He will hear us, but that He will intervene into the natural realm and correct things in the natural realm that might be going wrong in our lives.
Why would anything in the new creation, Super-natural man, be more extreme than answered prayers? I truly believe that unbelief in a person's heart, is the main reason so many prayers are unanswered. We still lack a full understanding of who we are now, as new creation people and as children of God.
Any time you step out in faith and break from the natural Church, you've stepped into a place they do not understand. This doesn't mean you are "wrong" or "foolish," even though you might appear that way to their eyes. You're actually accepting by faith, that Jesus is Real and He is there for you. Answered prayer should be the first sign that a believer is growing up. Many times, we pray more in hope, than in faith. God has been down-played in the world's ideas about the Super-natural things of God and this has crept into the Church as well.
Jesus told His disciples and followers that prayer was His Source of power. In John 5:20 (Amplified), He instructed them to study prayer more closely, saying, "The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (show) Him everything that He Himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, So that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment."
We seemingly think that Jesus was the Only One Who could hear from and obey the Father's Voice. The world has taught that miracles followed Jesus only because, "He was Jesus." Of course, we don't wish to take anything away from Who Jesus was, but the things He did, were the things that were to follow the new creation after His resurrection. We need to grab hold of the truth of who we are in Him.
Jesus passes this Truth to His followers and commands them to do these things, in Mark 16:15-20 (Amplified) which says, "And He said to them, Go into all the world and preach and publish openly the Good News (the Gospel) to every creature (of the whole human race). He who believes (who adheres to and trusts in and relies on the Gospel and Him Who sets forth) and is baptized will be saved (from the penalty of eternal death) but he who does not believe (who does not adhere to and trust in and rely on the Gospel and Him Who it sets forth) will be condemned. And these attesting signs will accompany those who believe; in My Name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new languages; They will pick up serpents; and (even) if they drink anything deadly, it will not hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will get well. So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into Heaven and He sat down at the right hand of God. And they went forth and preached everywhere, while the Lord kept working with them and confirming the Message by the attesting signs and miracles that closely accompanied it) Amen (so be it)."
Which was more Super-natural? The new birth or the signs that accompanied it? Both are a Super-natural walk for the new creation family of God. We've dismissed the miracles and healing part of Jesus' command, as a result of the world and natural man's ideas concerning God. Ephesians 2:6 -7(Amplified) 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 us being) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah, the Anointed One)." The next Verse explains why this is so important in the new creation person's life. Thus, it says, "He did this that He might clearly demonstrate through the ages to come the immeasurable (limitless, surpassing) riches of His free grace (His unmerited favor) in (His) kindness and goodness of heart toward us in Christ Jesus."
We must not only teach about "becoming born-again," but we must also "set at liberty all who are bound by the devil." We've been diligent to preach salvation, but we haven't raised these new believers in the knowledge about who they have become in Christ Jesus.
Being saved and born-again, is undoubtedly the most important Message for an individual, but in order for them to demonstrate Jesus to the world, we must teach them who they have become in Him. Mark 16:19 (Amplified) says, "And after [Jesus] had spoke to them, He was taken up into Heaven and He sat at the right hand of God." Ephesians 2:6 (Amplified) says that, "He raised us up together with Him, and made us to sit down together with Him." We are NOW in Him. All that Jesus was and is, He has given to us.
In these last days, we must understand the need for revealing the Super-natural things of God, to the world. It's not any more Super-natural to pray, than it is to heal the sick. Both things are displays of our faith in the ability of a Super-natural God, Who cares for and delivers His people. James 1:18 (Amplified) tells us, "And it was of His Own (free) will that He gave us birth (as sons) by (His) Word of Truth, so that we should be a kind of first fruits of His creatures (a sample of what He created to be consecrated to Himself)." James 1:22 (Amplified) also tells us, "But be doers of the Word (obey the Message) and not merely listeners to it, betraying yourselves (into deception by reasoning contrary to the Truth)."
We have betrayed ourselves through deception that is "reasoning contrary to the Truth." The things of God are eternal. They do not "pass away" and they never "go out of style," simply because someone says they do. We must place our faith into having our prayers answered. Prayer is what brings the Super-natural Presence of God, into the natural realm. We've mostly "hoped"that God will answer our prayers. Prayer should be the greatest and most integral part of our relationship with the Father. Many have dismissed the "Faith teachings," but these are the most important teachings available to the Church. It's not simply our having faith, but it's Who we have faith in.
Hebrews 11:6 (Amplified) says, "But without faith it is impossible to please and be satisfactory to Him. For whoever would come near to God must (necessarily) believe that God exists and that He is the Rewarder of those who earnestly and diligently seek Him (out)." Especially in these last days, we need to learn how to approach God in faith again. Praying isn't like playing the lottery, but should a certainty in the believer's life. Unanswered prayer demonstrates our lack of faith, in the One Who has called us. We never seem to know how our Heavenly Father will respond to our prayers. We leave room in our prayers, in case He doesn't answer them. We might not pray for others, in order to protect our pride (it would be embarrassing if we prayed for someone and it didn't work). We must examine ourselves, because He isn't to blame for unanswered prayer. His prayers are "Yes, and Amen." We must put God back in place, as God.
Tuesday, September 12, 2017
Friday, September 8, 2017
Lesson 261 The New Creation
2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) tells us, "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)."
This generation has one of the greatest examples of renewing the mind, because of the technological advances that incorporate all of our lives. Many of us are trying to clean up our computers and make them faster. We are constantly being bombarded by spam and pop-ups, that have nothing to do with what we're searching for or doing on our laptops.
Your brain is the greatest computer that has ever been designed. It was formed from the very beginning, to be filled with God's Wisdom and the things from God. After Adam's fall in the Garden, man's soul began directing him, instead of his spirit. The soul programmed man's brain, that controlled the natural man. We all have some understanding about computers, in this day and age (Yes, even me) and most of us have had trouble, trying to keep unwanted things from our computers.
In this new creation man, the brain is able to receive billions of date instantly and has already been programmed by the unregenerate mind or soul. At any moment, our computer brain will "pop-up" with some unwanted, unsolicited data that had been fed into it, during our previous life, before being born-again. Now, we have the job of cleaning up the mind and brain, in order to receive new date from a different source of information. Our old man was at one time, connected only to the natural realm of information. Your brain has stored all this input in it's memory bank and still remembers everything that was fed into it over your lifetime.
As new creations,our mind is again connected to God's Spirit and is transmitting new information, that contradicts previous data stored in its memory bank from the natural realm. We clean up the brain of the new creation, by renewing the mind that feeds info to the brain. The brain controls the natural body, so the info being fed into it, will determine the actions of the flesh.
If you had a computer that only sat on your desk, then you could pay bills, keep records, and balance your accounts at your convenience. But, if you take that same computer and connect it to the internet, then you've obtained access to infinitely more information (both good and bad). It's up to the owner of the computer, to determine what is or is not fed into it.
Our computer (brain) has been opened up again to the infinite things of God's Spirit realm. As we try digesting all the information coming in, we decide what goes into the memory bank and what doesn't. Most of the information is contrary to the information that has been stored there. We're constantly being bombarded with different things stored in our memory bank and are in need of some kind of device that will clean up unwanted things.
Everything we glean from the Spirit of God and His Word, seems contrary to the natural mind of man. If the mind rejects this information, then it refuses to transmit it to the brain. This results in our living by the dictates of the flesh or the same fallen state of man. Renewing the mind of the new creation, depends on the amount of time we spend on feeding new information into it and how much of it we want to receive and transmit to the brain. Your body can't do anything that your brain doesn't tell it to do. Your body can't do anything on it's own, because it can't do anything without direction from the brain. Such influences like drugs and alcohol, will tell or allow the body to do things it normally wouldn't do. These are a few of the pop-ups that satan uses to bring man into bondage, for use in his kingdom.
Keeping our soul under subjection, depends on whether we feed data from the Word or the world into it. Your mind didn't get saved, when you were born-again. For years, the Church has been taught that when we got saved, everything about us was new. Your spirit received Life and communion with the Spirit of God again. Your spirit-man is sealed by the integrity of the Sacrifice Jesus made for it, by His Blood.
Your soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect) is the same as it was. Even though God has deemed it already dead by the Identity in Jesus, your natural body still can only do what it has been programmed to do throughout your lifetime. It's memory bank is filled with unwanted date of your former years and it will continue in its now unwanted direction, until it receives different input from the mind. For many years, we've wondered why we still had desires and impulses to do what we no longer wish to do. We find words coming out of our mouths, that we no longer desire to use and we desire the things we no longer desire, or we seemingly do things that we no longer want to do. The reason we have these pop-ups occurring, is because we haven't cleaned up unwanted data from the unrenewed mind.
For many believers, this becomes a life long struggle between the mind of the flesh and the newborn Spirit of God in our spirit. This struggle has resulted in a life of discouragement and condemnation. If you're computer literate, then you can clearly understand what "renewing the mind" means. Your spirit receives it's info from the Lord and then transfers that data to the soul (mind), which in turn transmits it to your brain, which controls the flesh or natural body. If we put garbage in, then we'll get garbage out. We must be aware of the things we feed our minds. If we feed the world into it like before being saved, then only the world will come out. If we feed on God's Word, then that's what will come out.
Galatians 5:22-24 (Amplified) tells us, "But the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His Presence within accomplishes) is Love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence) Against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge) And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires."
This is the new data that comes into our spirit, through the new birth. In order to take it from our spirit to our brain (or godless human nature), we bring it up our of our spirit into our mind (soul) and change the information we feed the brain (which controls the flesh). We must feed our new spirit, information from God's Word and His Spirit.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified) instructs, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God Like) in true righteousness and holiness."
Because we have failed to renew our minds by God's Word, our conduct and thought life continue making us doubt our new righteousness in Jesus. This leaves us holding onto condemnation and keeps us from accepting what God's Word says about the new creation family of God.
Romans 8:1 (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."
If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then we will not be led after the dictates of the flesh any longer. If we allow the flesh (with its old habits and information) to dictate our position in Christ, then it will only dictate what it remembers from its former life's training. This always brings condemnation and guilt about "who we once were." If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then it will only dictate to you, who Jesus has created you to be. We will either walk under the condemnation of the flesh or in the "Liberty of the Spirit of Life, which is in Christ Jesus," according to Romans 8:22. It all depends on how much we renew our minds. This isn't something that will just happen in your own Christian walk, but is something you must individually do.
This generation has one of the greatest examples of renewing the mind, because of the technological advances that incorporate all of our lives. Many of us are trying to clean up our computers and make them faster. We are constantly being bombarded by spam and pop-ups, that have nothing to do with what we're searching for or doing on our laptops.
Your brain is the greatest computer that has ever been designed. It was formed from the very beginning, to be filled with God's Wisdom and the things from God. After Adam's fall in the Garden, man's soul began directing him, instead of his spirit. The soul programmed man's brain, that controlled the natural man. We all have some understanding about computers, in this day and age (Yes, even me) and most of us have had trouble, trying to keep unwanted things from our computers.
In this new creation man, the brain is able to receive billions of date instantly and has already been programmed by the unregenerate mind or soul. At any moment, our computer brain will "pop-up" with some unwanted, unsolicited data that had been fed into it, during our previous life, before being born-again. Now, we have the job of cleaning up the mind and brain, in order to receive new date from a different source of information. Our old man was at one time, connected only to the natural realm of information. Your brain has stored all this input in it's memory bank and still remembers everything that was fed into it over your lifetime.
As new creations,our mind is again connected to God's Spirit and is transmitting new information, that contradicts previous data stored in its memory bank from the natural realm. We clean up the brain of the new creation, by renewing the mind that feeds info to the brain. The brain controls the natural body, so the info being fed into it, will determine the actions of the flesh.
If you had a computer that only sat on your desk, then you could pay bills, keep records, and balance your accounts at your convenience. But, if you take that same computer and connect it to the internet, then you've obtained access to infinitely more information (both good and bad). It's up to the owner of the computer, to determine what is or is not fed into it.
Our computer (brain) has been opened up again to the infinite things of God's Spirit realm. As we try digesting all the information coming in, we decide what goes into the memory bank and what doesn't. Most of the information is contrary to the information that has been stored there. We're constantly being bombarded with different things stored in our memory bank and are in need of some kind of device that will clean up unwanted things.
Everything we glean from the Spirit of God and His Word, seems contrary to the natural mind of man. If the mind rejects this information, then it refuses to transmit it to the brain. This results in our living by the dictates of the flesh or the same fallen state of man. Renewing the mind of the new creation, depends on the amount of time we spend on feeding new information into it and how much of it we want to receive and transmit to the brain. Your body can't do anything that your brain doesn't tell it to do. Your body can't do anything on it's own, because it can't do anything without direction from the brain. Such influences like drugs and alcohol, will tell or allow the body to do things it normally wouldn't do. These are a few of the pop-ups that satan uses to bring man into bondage, for use in his kingdom.
Keeping our soul under subjection, depends on whether we feed data from the Word or the world into it. Your mind didn't get saved, when you were born-again. For years, the Church has been taught that when we got saved, everything about us was new. Your spirit received Life and communion with the Spirit of God again. Your spirit-man is sealed by the integrity of the Sacrifice Jesus made for it, by His Blood.
Your soul (mind, will, emotions, intellect) is the same as it was. Even though God has deemed it already dead by the Identity in Jesus, your natural body still can only do what it has been programmed to do throughout your lifetime. It's memory bank is filled with unwanted date of your former years and it will continue in its now unwanted direction, until it receives different input from the mind. For many years, we've wondered why we still had desires and impulses to do what we no longer wish to do. We find words coming out of our mouths, that we no longer desire to use and we desire the things we no longer desire, or we seemingly do things that we no longer want to do. The reason we have these pop-ups occurring, is because we haven't cleaned up unwanted data from the unrenewed mind.
For many believers, this becomes a life long struggle between the mind of the flesh and the newborn Spirit of God in our spirit. This struggle has resulted in a life of discouragement and condemnation. If you're computer literate, then you can clearly understand what "renewing the mind" means. Your spirit receives it's info from the Lord and then transfers that data to the soul (mind), which in turn transmits it to your brain, which controls the flesh or natural body. If we put garbage in, then we'll get garbage out. We must be aware of the things we feed our minds. If we feed the world into it like before being saved, then only the world will come out. If we feed on God's Word, then that's what will come out.
Galatians 5:22-24 (Amplified) tells us, "But the Fruit of the Holy Spirit (the work which His Presence within accomplishes) is Love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness, Gentleness (meekness, humility), self-control (self-restraint, continence) Against such things there is no law (that can bring a charge) And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires."
This is the new data that comes into our spirit, through the new birth. In order to take it from our spirit to our brain (or godless human nature), we bring it up our of our spirit into our mind (soul) and change the information we feed the brain (which controls the flesh). We must feed our new spirit, information from God's Word and His Spirit.
Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified) instructs, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (God Like) in true righteousness and holiness."
Because we have failed to renew our minds by God's Word, our conduct and thought life continue making us doubt our new righteousness in Jesus. This leaves us holding onto condemnation and keeps us from accepting what God's Word says about the new creation family of God.
Romans 8:1 (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."
If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then we will not be led after the dictates of the flesh any longer. If we allow the flesh (with its old habits and information) to dictate our position in Christ, then it will only dictate what it remembers from its former life's training. This always brings condemnation and guilt about "who we once were." If we will renew our minds by God's Word, then it will only dictate to you, who Jesus has created you to be. We will either walk under the condemnation of the flesh or in the "Liberty of the Spirit of Life, which is in Christ Jesus," according to Romans 8:22. It all depends on how much we renew our minds. This isn't something that will just happen in your own Christian walk, but is something you must individually do.
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Lesson 260 The New Creation
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)."
Romans 12:2 (Amplified) says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude) so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
The above scripture is very familiar, to anyone who is hearing and reading the Word. Reading this Verse and classifying in as "just another scripture," is the very thing Paul says not to do. In Verse 1 of the same chapter, Paul writes about "making a decisive dedication of our bodies, as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable and spiritual worship." We've fought against our bodies (our flesh) for centuries, in order to try and "make it" behave." Like a spoiled child, the body refuses to obey and simply continues on its own course.
We've never really understood the power of the mind (the soul), so we keep trying to deal with behavioral modification, by an extreme act of our will. We fail to realize though, that willpower also comes from the soul of man. The soul is made up of the mind, the will, the emotions and the intellect. In order to train the flesh (which is controlled by the brain), we must change the information we're putting into the brain. We must feed it with spiritual knowledge and understanding.
Man's soul has been man's only input of information, since Adam's fall in the Garden. When's man's spirit was severed from the Life of God, because of Adam's transgression, Godly Wisdom and guidance was absent. Man then, needed to learn how to live on his own and care for himself, with only his senses or soulish man. For centuries, the soul has held control and mastery over mankind. It was man's only source of life.
Adam's fall resulted in satan's controlling the things God had given to Adam (mankind) and satan became the god of this world. Man's knowledge derived from the wisdom of this world, which was under the control of the outlaw spirit (satan).
The world and the earth aren't to be used as though they are the same thing. What Paul refers to as "the world" or "this age," is the Babylonian system that satan established to control and enslave mankind. This was an academic system that denied God and forced man into a dependence on that system. Satan was the puppet master or god over this system. He positioned his generals and dignitaries over every city, state and nation, in order to control, manipulate and force his will upon the people. Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified) says, "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents) but against the despotisms, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
Man's natural, unrenewed mind has been controlled by the world's system, that it has adapted and adopted it. The untrained mind has accepted this as being, "The way it's supposed to be." When we are born-again, we again, become part of the Spirit realm of God. Our spirit has now been placed in communication again, with spirit things, as well as what we were taught before. The training we received as mere men, is in direct opposition to the Spiritual Truth and Wisdom of God. We struggle to make sense, out of our new Christianity and the things happening to us in our new creation persons. Our minds have been trained against God's Kingdom, so it's difficult to understand God's will or His purpose in our lives.
The carnal, unrenewed mind of the world will always in opposition to the Truth of God's Word and His will, because satan is still controlling the world system. In order for satan to maintain control of God's children, he must convince a Christian's unrenewed mind that the same lies are true.
Now, when satan brought sickness and disease upon men, he only changed the lies he used. He told us that, "God is using these things to teach you" and because we were unlearned and untrained in God's Wisdom, we continued living like we did before being born-again. We accepted and blamed God for the heartaches and calamities that befell us, just like nothing had changed in our lives.
We became like those James writes about in James 1:8 (Amplified), saying, "(For being as he is) a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute) (he is) unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, and decides)." Paul said that "our warfare was with Spiritual wickedness and demonic power and demonic rulers of this present age." Many in the Church still seem unwilling or unable to believe that satan has anything a man, after he has been born-again. Many teach that satan can only operate in a Christian's life, with God's consent and approval.
Now you can see the necessity of renewing your mind and not being adapted to this age (or world's) way of thinking. If you spend time speaking with other Christians, then you'll witness how diffuse and double minded they are, concerning the Father's will for us. You will then understand why the Church doesn't have much faith in deliverance and victory. Most of cannot differentiate between the Father and the enemy. Some say that the devil puts things on us, in order to kill us. Others says that God is the One putting these things on us, in order to teach us. How is the Church to be anything other than double-minded, uncertain and unreliable in what we feel, think and decide, when we're being taught such differing things?
If we go to learn about the Father from the world, then we are asking to be deceived. It's like being puppets, in the puppet master's hands and allowing the enemy to continue orchestrating the play.
Your new creation spirit man is once again in contact with the Father and filled with His Spirit. Wisdom and Truth are now made available to every believer. There are only two sources of wisdom available to us. One Source comes from Above, while the other is the wisdom of the world and they are in complete opposition. James 3:13-17,18 (Amplified) says, "Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? then let him by his noble living show forth his (good) works with the (unobtrusive) humility (which is the proper attitude) of true wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambitions) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth. This (superficial) wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal) even devilish (demonic) For wherever there is jealousy, envy, contention (rivalry and selfish ambition) there will be confusion, unrest, disharmony, rebellion and all sorts of evil and vile practices. But the Wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled) then it is peace-loving, courteous, considerate, gentle (It is willing to) yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; It is whole hearted and straight forward, impartial, and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity)." Verse 18 continues, "And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God's will in thought and deed) is (the fruit of the Seed) sown in peace by those who work for and make peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals with undisturbedness (in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts)."
"Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get Wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding."
Romans 12:2 (Amplified) says, "Do not be conformed to this world (this age) (fashioned after and adapted to its external, superficial customs), but be transformed (changed) by the (entire) renewal of your mind (by its new ideals and its new attitude) so that you may prove (for yourselves) what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, even the thing which is good and acceptable and perfect (in His sight for you)."
The above scripture is very familiar, to anyone who is hearing and reading the Word. Reading this Verse and classifying in as "just another scripture," is the very thing Paul says not to do. In Verse 1 of the same chapter, Paul writes about "making a decisive dedication of our bodies, as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable and spiritual worship." We've fought against our bodies (our flesh) for centuries, in order to try and "make it" behave." Like a spoiled child, the body refuses to obey and simply continues on its own course.
We've never really understood the power of the mind (the soul), so we keep trying to deal with behavioral modification, by an extreme act of our will. We fail to realize though, that willpower also comes from the soul of man. The soul is made up of the mind, the will, the emotions and the intellect. In order to train the flesh (which is controlled by the brain), we must change the information we're putting into the brain. We must feed it with spiritual knowledge and understanding.
Man's soul has been man's only input of information, since Adam's fall in the Garden. When's man's spirit was severed from the Life of God, because of Adam's transgression, Godly Wisdom and guidance was absent. Man then, needed to learn how to live on his own and care for himself, with only his senses or soulish man. For centuries, the soul has held control and mastery over mankind. It was man's only source of life.
Adam's fall resulted in satan's controlling the things God had given to Adam (mankind) and satan became the god of this world. Man's knowledge derived from the wisdom of this world, which was under the control of the outlaw spirit (satan).
The world and the earth aren't to be used as though they are the same thing. What Paul refers to as "the world" or "this age," is the Babylonian system that satan established to control and enslave mankind. This was an academic system that denied God and forced man into a dependence on that system. Satan was the puppet master or god over this system. He positioned his generals and dignitaries over every city, state and nation, in order to control, manipulate and force his will upon the people. Ephesians 6:12 (Amplified) says, "For we are not wrestling with flesh and blood (contending only with physical opponents) but against the despotisms, against the powers, against (the master spirits who are) the world rulers of this present darkness, against the spirit forces of wickedness in the heavenly (supernatural) sphere."
Man's natural, unrenewed mind has been controlled by the world's system, that it has adapted and adopted it. The untrained mind has accepted this as being, "The way it's supposed to be." When we are born-again, we again, become part of the Spirit realm of God. Our spirit has now been placed in communication again, with spirit things, as well as what we were taught before. The training we received as mere men, is in direct opposition to the Spiritual Truth and Wisdom of God. We struggle to make sense, out of our new Christianity and the things happening to us in our new creation persons. Our minds have been trained against God's Kingdom, so it's difficult to understand God's will or His purpose in our lives.
The carnal, unrenewed mind of the world will always in opposition to the Truth of God's Word and His will, because satan is still controlling the world system. In order for satan to maintain control of God's children, he must convince a Christian's unrenewed mind that the same lies are true.
Now, when satan brought sickness and disease upon men, he only changed the lies he used. He told us that, "God is using these things to teach you" and because we were unlearned and untrained in God's Wisdom, we continued living like we did before being born-again. We accepted and blamed God for the heartaches and calamities that befell us, just like nothing had changed in our lives.
We became like those James writes about in James 1:8 (Amplified), saying, "(For being as he is) a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute) (he is) unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, and decides)." Paul said that "our warfare was with Spiritual wickedness and demonic power and demonic rulers of this present age." Many in the Church still seem unwilling or unable to believe that satan has anything a man, after he has been born-again. Many teach that satan can only operate in a Christian's life, with God's consent and approval.
Now you can see the necessity of renewing your mind and not being adapted to this age (or world's) way of thinking. If you spend time speaking with other Christians, then you'll witness how diffuse and double minded they are, concerning the Father's will for us. You will then understand why the Church doesn't have much faith in deliverance and victory. Most of cannot differentiate between the Father and the enemy. Some say that the devil puts things on us, in order to kill us. Others says that God is the One putting these things on us, in order to teach us. How is the Church to be anything other than double-minded, uncertain and unreliable in what we feel, think and decide, when we're being taught such differing things?
If we go to learn about the Father from the world, then we are asking to be deceived. It's like being puppets, in the puppet master's hands and allowing the enemy to continue orchestrating the play.
Your new creation spirit man is once again in contact with the Father and filled with His Spirit. Wisdom and Truth are now made available to every believer. There are only two sources of wisdom available to us. One Source comes from Above, while the other is the wisdom of the world and they are in complete opposition. James 3:13-17,18 (Amplified) says, "Who is there among you who is wise and intelligent? then let him by his noble living show forth his (good) works with the (unobtrusive) humility (which is the proper attitude) of true wisdom. But if you have bitter jealousy (envy) and contention (rivalry, selfish ambitions) in your hearts, do not pride yourselves on it and thus be in defiance of and false to the Truth. This (superficial) wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual (animal) even devilish (demonic) For wherever there is jealousy, envy, contention (rivalry and selfish ambition) there will be confusion, unrest, disharmony, rebellion and all sorts of evil and vile practices. But the Wisdom from above is first of all pure (undefiled) then it is peace-loving, courteous, considerate, gentle (It is willing to) yield to reason, full of compassion and good fruits; It is whole hearted and straight forward, impartial, and unfeigned (free from doubts, wavering, and insincerity)." Verse 18 continues, "And the harvest of righteousness (of conformity to God's will in thought and deed) is (the fruit of the Seed) sown in peace by those who work for and make peace which means concord, agreement, and harmony between individuals with undisturbedness (in a peaceful mind free from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts)."
"Wisdom is the principal thing. Therefore, get Wisdom, and with all your getting, get understanding."
Wednesday, September 6, 2017
Lesson 259 The New Creation
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 reconciliation with Him)."
It will require obedience to the Spirit and God's Word, in order for the Church to walk naturally Super-natural. We've had this idea of our being two different persons simultaneously. We hear people teaching about "being in the flesh" and "being in the spirit," like we're constantly jumping from one to the other and it's mostly from a lack of understanding about our new creation being. We were created new in our spirit, and our natural being must be trained by our new spirit and God's Word. Your body didn't get saved. It died with Jesus, at His crucifixion.
Our soul, mind, will, emotions and intellect, must be renewed by our new spirit, in order to walk with the Father. We've learned God's Word with our intellect, but we haven't developed trust in it, by our new spirit. We're still trying to live simultaneously in two worlds. One moment, we're trying to be spiritual and the next minute, we're just mere men. We don't just have a spirit, but we are spirit. We are called to walk by the spirit in this natural world, not the other way around.
It doesn't matter what others might tell you, you are always in the spirit, as far as God's concerned. Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified) says, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion. And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness."
If this couldn't be done, then the Holy Spirit would never have allowed the above scripture to be written. God will never instruct us to do something that cannot be done and then judge us, for not doing it. The greatest key found in the above scripture, comes in Verse 23 which says, "And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind." Doesn't God's Word say that, "We have the mind of Christ?" Christ then, is the Spirit of your mind. He will bring the newness of Life into our thought life and direct our steps. When we allow our minds to think with the mind of Christ, we can put on the new nature, created in His Image.
We haven't renewed our minds, to the point where we actually think God's thoughts. Most of us, think like we did before being born-again and this causes us to separate ourselves into two camps (being in the flesh and being in the spirit). One part uses carnal thinking to live by, while the other uses spiritual thinking to live by. This leads to our being like James describes in James 1:8 (Amplified) which says, "(For being as he is) a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute) (he is) unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, decides)." This is faith's worst enemy. It the new creation man and woman's worst and most difficult thing to overcome.
Your spirit man is to guide your flesh, by your soul. Your soul is the go-between of your natural man and your spirit man. God was to direct your spirit by His Own Holy Spirit and His Word. Your spirit was to direct your fleshly body, by the wisdom and impulses of the soul. Your body was to communicate these impulses to your brain (the command center for the flesh) and then the body would live in the natural world, by the spirit. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, the communication was severed between God's Spirit and Adam's spirit. This led to Adam's soul only able to contact wisdom, by the five senses that controlled the flesh. Being taught by the lost soul of man, the body could only do what it learned from the worldly realm.
That's why we must renew the mind (the soul). Until the mind is renewed by your spirit through the Holy Spirit, the brain's catalog is contrary to God's Word. Your brain is the greatest computer that has ever been designed. It cannot simply forget, but must be reprogrammed with new data. The only source of reprogramming, is the soul (mind, will, emotions) that were created to guide it. Your spirit is now made alive to the Holy Spirit, but your soul is not. It must be renewed, in order to change the way the body functions.
A double-minded man is one who is born-again, but his old way of thinking is contrary to his new way of living. Everything God feeds into his spirit, gets filtered through his soul (carnal mind) and the conflict begins. That man has no certain direction for his body to go, because the body is steered by impulses from the mind (which is now in confusion). This man will probably comply with things he's familiar and walk in the flesh, instead of by the spirit. Simply learning the scriptures, isn't the same as knowing them. This might sound like a play on words, but it isn't. You can learn the Word in the natural and still not know the meaning of the Word in your heart. One is called "education," and the other is called "revelation." One is religion and the other brings relation. Education comes into your intellect, but has no Light. The other comes into your spirit and brings Light from and in God.
This has been the greatest battle that the new creation man might ever fight. This is truly, "The good fight of faith." Faith doesn't come from your mind, but from your born-again spirit. Even though we might "know" what the Bible says, our carnal mind will not accept it and our faith is unproductive in our spirit. We read that, "By Jesus' stripes we are healed," and our spirit believes this and tries producing faith to receive it. Our carnal minds acknowledge the words, but cannot receive the revelation and we remain sick.
It's not that "God is holding out on us" or that "healing isn't for today," but it's like James says, "A double-minded man will not receive anything from the Lord." James didn't say that God won't give us the Wisdom, but that a man who has an unrenewed mind will not accept that Wisdom. This has caused many divisions in the Church. We all agree that God's Word is True, but when we remain double-minded in it, we don't allow the revelation knowledge to come in.
It seems so simply, but it's probably the most difficult part of our Christian walk. What the Lord did in our spirit, is complete and so perfect that, He can now actually reside in us, as His Temple. The flesh has become so dominate, that it will continue walking in the things it learned and what was taught to the command center (the brain). The mind has been taught by the god of this world, though, and is determined to hold onto his control of it.
When our spirit and mind (our soul) comes into agreement, nothing can stop this new creation being from waking in victory, on this earth. Jesus and Peter both walked on water. We mentally accept this for Truth, because we were educated enough to read the Words. If we tried walking on water, however, then our carnal minds declare, "Graveyards are full of people who drowned" or "Everyone knows you cannot walk on water."
Knowledge, but no revelation. Education, but no Living Truth for the Super-natural. An unrenewed mind can't receive from God, because "The carnal mind is in enmity to the things of God and can't be reconciled to it." It must be renewed by the believer and the Holy Spirit. It must be renewed by meditating on and reading God's Word and praying in the Holy Spirit and Wisdom.
It will require obedience to the Spirit and God's Word, in order for the Church to walk naturally Super-natural. We've had this idea of our being two different persons simultaneously. We hear people teaching about "being in the flesh" and "being in the spirit," like we're constantly jumping from one to the other and it's mostly from a lack of understanding about our new creation being. We were created new in our spirit, and our natural being must be trained by our new spirit and God's Word. Your body didn't get saved. It died with Jesus, at His crucifixion.
Our soul, mind, will, emotions and intellect, must be renewed by our new spirit, in order to walk with the Father. We've learned God's Word with our intellect, but we haven't developed trust in it, by our new spirit. We're still trying to live simultaneously in two worlds. One moment, we're trying to be spiritual and the next minute, we're just mere men. We don't just have a spirit, but we are spirit. We are called to walk by the spirit in this natural world, not the other way around.
It doesn't matter what others might tell you, you are always in the spirit, as far as God's concerned. Ephesians 4:22-24 (Amplified) says, "Strip yourselves of your former nature (put off and discard your old unrenewed self) which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion. And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind (having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude) And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's Image (Godlike) in true righteousness and holiness."
If this couldn't be done, then the Holy Spirit would never have allowed the above scripture to be written. God will never instruct us to do something that cannot be done and then judge us, for not doing it. The greatest key found in the above scripture, comes in Verse 23 which says, "And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind." Doesn't God's Word say that, "We have the mind of Christ?" Christ then, is the Spirit of your mind. He will bring the newness of Life into our thought life and direct our steps. When we allow our minds to think with the mind of Christ, we can put on the new nature, created in His Image.
We haven't renewed our minds, to the point where we actually think God's thoughts. Most of us, think like we did before being born-again and this causes us to separate ourselves into two camps (being in the flesh and being in the spirit). One part uses carnal thinking to live by, while the other uses spiritual thinking to live by. This leads to our being like James describes in James 1:8 (Amplified) which says, "(For being as he is) a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute) (he is) unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything (he thinks, feels, decides)." This is faith's worst enemy. It the new creation man and woman's worst and most difficult thing to overcome.
Your spirit man is to guide your flesh, by your soul. Your soul is the go-between of your natural man and your spirit man. God was to direct your spirit by His Own Holy Spirit and His Word. Your spirit was to direct your fleshly body, by the wisdom and impulses of the soul. Your body was to communicate these impulses to your brain (the command center for the flesh) and then the body would live in the natural world, by the spirit. When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, the communication was severed between God's Spirit and Adam's spirit. This led to Adam's soul only able to contact wisdom, by the five senses that controlled the flesh. Being taught by the lost soul of man, the body could only do what it learned from the worldly realm.
That's why we must renew the mind (the soul). Until the mind is renewed by your spirit through the Holy Spirit, the brain's catalog is contrary to God's Word. Your brain is the greatest computer that has ever been designed. It cannot simply forget, but must be reprogrammed with new data. The only source of reprogramming, is the soul (mind, will, emotions) that were created to guide it. Your spirit is now made alive to the Holy Spirit, but your soul is not. It must be renewed, in order to change the way the body functions.
A double-minded man is one who is born-again, but his old way of thinking is contrary to his new way of living. Everything God feeds into his spirit, gets filtered through his soul (carnal mind) and the conflict begins. That man has no certain direction for his body to go, because the body is steered by impulses from the mind (which is now in confusion). This man will probably comply with things he's familiar and walk in the flesh, instead of by the spirit. Simply learning the scriptures, isn't the same as knowing them. This might sound like a play on words, but it isn't. You can learn the Word in the natural and still not know the meaning of the Word in your heart. One is called "education," and the other is called "revelation." One is religion and the other brings relation. Education comes into your intellect, but has no Light. The other comes into your spirit and brings Light from and in God.
This has been the greatest battle that the new creation man might ever fight. This is truly, "The good fight of faith." Faith doesn't come from your mind, but from your born-again spirit. Even though we might "know" what the Bible says, our carnal mind will not accept it and our faith is unproductive in our spirit. We read that, "By Jesus' stripes we are healed," and our spirit believes this and tries producing faith to receive it. Our carnal minds acknowledge the words, but cannot receive the revelation and we remain sick.
It's not that "God is holding out on us" or that "healing isn't for today," but it's like James says, "A double-minded man will not receive anything from the Lord." James didn't say that God won't give us the Wisdom, but that a man who has an unrenewed mind will not accept that Wisdom. This has caused many divisions in the Church. We all agree that God's Word is True, but when we remain double-minded in it, we don't allow the revelation knowledge to come in.
It seems so simply, but it's probably the most difficult part of our Christian walk. What the Lord did in our spirit, is complete and so perfect that, He can now actually reside in us, as His Temple. The flesh has become so dominate, that it will continue walking in the things it learned and what was taught to the command center (the brain). The mind has been taught by the god of this world, though, and is determined to hold onto his control of it.
When our spirit and mind (our soul) comes into agreement, nothing can stop this new creation being from waking in victory, on this earth. Jesus and Peter both walked on water. We mentally accept this for Truth, because we were educated enough to read the Words. If we tried walking on water, however, then our carnal minds declare, "Graveyards are full of people who drowned" or "Everyone knows you cannot walk on water."
Knowledge, but no revelation. Education, but no Living Truth for the Super-natural. An unrenewed mind can't receive from God, because "The carnal mind is in enmity to the things of God and can't be reconciled to it." It must be renewed by the believer and the Holy Spirit. It must be renewed by meditating on and reading God's Word and praying in the Holy Spirit and Wisdom.
Tuesday, September 5, 2017
Lesson 258 The New Creation
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)."
Our entire relationship with God is based upon our trusting Him and placing faith in what He's said in His Word. We are in a place where we must evaluate our own degree of trust. We've heard and believed in the things others have taught from their own experiences and their own degree of trust. Because of this, we've fallen short of what our Heavenly Father really wants for us.
When we refuse to admit to or receive what God says about us, we are denying trust in what He's done for us, in Jesus. It sounds humble to the carnal, natural man, to say, "I'm not righteous," but to God's ears and His Spirit, it sounds like a lack of trust and faith in His Word and His Son's Sacrifice for us. When we accept and confess our righteousness in Jesus, we are actually honoring and exalting God in His Provision and the righteousness He has provided for us in Jesus.
We've been "talked out" of many things that the Father intended for this new creation family. Many things have been dismissed as foolishness, in the Church. I heard Charles Capps teaching about the words that come out of our mouths and I knew that it was God Who was speaking to me. He preached about how we've been speaking and living so negatively in our lives and never received anything. I began to listen from my heart and found that what he preached, was true in my life. I had been speaking faith-filled words, but they weren't God's Words. They were the words I heard and learned to accept in life, before I knew Jesus.
Like many of you, we came from a family of poverty and lack. We've spoken and accepted our way of life as being, "It is what it is." The things I had been speaking were coming to pass, but they weren't things I wanted, only what I had been believing. Sickness and strife were faith-filled words that were continually coming to fruition in my life. When I began changing the words I spoke, I began seeing change in my life too.
Many will dismiss this entire teaching of the Holy Spirit as "foolishness," and they will continue in the same depression that they had before being born-again. The entire validity of this teaching was lost to them, because someone else didn't believe it and it must therefore, be untrue. We cannot base our walk with the Father, on what others do with the Sacrifice of Jesus. It's true that we all trust and believe that we will all go to Heaven when we die, but what about now?
It seems that many people are always in opposition to what God says. We find this truth throughout God's Word, in the old and new covenants. I believe that when the early Church preached Jesus, that healings and miracles occurred for those who were born-again. Paul never spoke much about these things, but he had received his revelation straight from Jesus. All these things were very a very important part of Jesus' ministry on earth. There were such profound things happening in the crowds of people Peter and Paul preached too, that even unbelievers came to salvation.
Since that time, we began separate sermons about healing and salvation, into different categories. Both of these are Super-natural events, with one you can see and one you cannot see. We dismiss the things we can see (like healings and miracles) and accept only what we never knew by our senses. Being born-again is something very few people can actually see, so we assumed it worked in our lives.
God has brought us into this world now, in His new creation family who are Spirit-filled, Super-natural people, in order to reveal Himself to the world, like He did in times past. We have the ability in our individual lives, to increase our faith and trust in Him and further our own relationship with Him. Our walk with the Holy Spirit isn't based on what everyone else believes, only on what you believe.
If Jesus had based His walk on the things others believed, then He would never been able to do the things He did. His Trust was only in "The things the Father said and did," instead of what the Scribes and Pharisees believed, said and did. Jesus stood in opposition to everything the world said about God. We too, stand in opposition to the same religious order, that denied the Lord and His Words. Some people say, "One cannot take the Word literally." How else can we take it and still trust it to produce?
We've never learned to "Divide the Word" accurately, like Paul told Timothy to do. We still see believe God deals with the new creation, like He did before Jesus came. We've based our discipleship on natural things, instead of Spiritual things. We've centered our learning and teaching on the Curse, instead of the Blessing. Many believe that teaching on the Blessing are not sound doctrine. Our trust must be based on what God's Word declares and decrees. Anything else is not trusting in our Sacrifice of Jesus. Through the Word, we've found heroes of faith like God points out in Hebrews 11. These were people who trusted God, above all others. When everyone laughed at Noah's saying, "A flood is coming," Noah believed what God said and he was delivered. When Joshua and Caleb believed what God said instead of the people, they inherited the Promised Land. Today, if we dare believe and trust in Him, then we can still have the Promises of God fulfilled in our lives, when no one else does. God is not a Respecter of Persons, but He is a Respecter of your faith.
This is the time when God is going to show Himself throughout the world and He is going to do it through the Church. Not everyone in the Church will be able to be used by the Father, but many are coming to personal trust in Him. Through recent history, the great heroes like Smith Wigglesworth, Katherine Kulman, John G. Lake, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham and many others, were just like you and me, but they developed a relationship with the Father on their own. It's hard to do what the Father has asked us to do, if we don't hear His Voice. We must step out in faith, in order to hear the Voice of our Great Shepherd Jesus.
When God audibly spoke to Jesus at Lazarus' tomb, no one heard it except Jesus. Most thought it had thundered. They "heard" it, but Jesus heard it by His Own Spirit. Through this new creations, we have the Same Spirit and are enabled to Hear His Voice, just like Jesus did.
This is developing your new creation man, to know in your spirit, what God is saying to you. Only you can develop this new ability in your life. It comes from spending time in His Presence and listening with your new man. Your natural ears might hear Him, but no so much as your heart. God created you to know and hear His instructions. Trying to do things from presumption, is foolish. Knowing and perceiving in your spirit, is what the Father has created us for.
The world will never understand you, but they will appreciate you, as you deliver what the Father has sent you to do. Many of the people Jesus interacted with, only came out of curiosity. When they witness the demonstration of the Spirit, they believed. The world wants to believe, but they've never seen anything they can relate to. The world can see the healing and deliverance of those they're familiar with. Don't expect them to only listen to you. Show them Jesus in your actions.
Our entire relationship with God is based upon our trusting Him and placing faith in what He's said in His Word. We are in a place where we must evaluate our own degree of trust. We've heard and believed in the things others have taught from their own experiences and their own degree of trust. Because of this, we've fallen short of what our Heavenly Father really wants for us.
When we refuse to admit to or receive what God says about us, we are denying trust in what He's done for us, in Jesus. It sounds humble to the carnal, natural man, to say, "I'm not righteous," but to God's ears and His Spirit, it sounds like a lack of trust and faith in His Word and His Son's Sacrifice for us. When we accept and confess our righteousness in Jesus, we are actually honoring and exalting God in His Provision and the righteousness He has provided for us in Jesus.
We've been "talked out" of many things that the Father intended for this new creation family. Many things have been dismissed as foolishness, in the Church. I heard Charles Capps teaching about the words that come out of our mouths and I knew that it was God Who was speaking to me. He preached about how we've been speaking and living so negatively in our lives and never received anything. I began to listen from my heart and found that what he preached, was true in my life. I had been speaking faith-filled words, but they weren't God's Words. They were the words I heard and learned to accept in life, before I knew Jesus.
Like many of you, we came from a family of poverty and lack. We've spoken and accepted our way of life as being, "It is what it is." The things I had been speaking were coming to pass, but they weren't things I wanted, only what I had been believing. Sickness and strife were faith-filled words that were continually coming to fruition in my life. When I began changing the words I spoke, I began seeing change in my life too.
Many will dismiss this entire teaching of the Holy Spirit as "foolishness," and they will continue in the same depression that they had before being born-again. The entire validity of this teaching was lost to them, because someone else didn't believe it and it must therefore, be untrue. We cannot base our walk with the Father, on what others do with the Sacrifice of Jesus. It's true that we all trust and believe that we will all go to Heaven when we die, but what about now?
It seems that many people are always in opposition to what God says. We find this truth throughout God's Word, in the old and new covenants. I believe that when the early Church preached Jesus, that healings and miracles occurred for those who were born-again. Paul never spoke much about these things, but he had received his revelation straight from Jesus. All these things were very a very important part of Jesus' ministry on earth. There were such profound things happening in the crowds of people Peter and Paul preached too, that even unbelievers came to salvation.
Since that time, we began separate sermons about healing and salvation, into different categories. Both of these are Super-natural events, with one you can see and one you cannot see. We dismiss the things we can see (like healings and miracles) and accept only what we never knew by our senses. Being born-again is something very few people can actually see, so we assumed it worked in our lives.
God has brought us into this world now, in His new creation family who are Spirit-filled, Super-natural people, in order to reveal Himself to the world, like He did in times past. We have the ability in our individual lives, to increase our faith and trust in Him and further our own relationship with Him. Our walk with the Holy Spirit isn't based on what everyone else believes, only on what you believe.
If Jesus had based His walk on the things others believed, then He would never been able to do the things He did. His Trust was only in "The things the Father said and did," instead of what the Scribes and Pharisees believed, said and did. Jesus stood in opposition to everything the world said about God. We too, stand in opposition to the same religious order, that denied the Lord and His Words. Some people say, "One cannot take the Word literally." How else can we take it and still trust it to produce?
We've never learned to "Divide the Word" accurately, like Paul told Timothy to do. We still see believe God deals with the new creation, like He did before Jesus came. We've based our discipleship on natural things, instead of Spiritual things. We've centered our learning and teaching on the Curse, instead of the Blessing. Many believe that teaching on the Blessing are not sound doctrine. Our trust must be based on what God's Word declares and decrees. Anything else is not trusting in our Sacrifice of Jesus. Through the Word, we've found heroes of faith like God points out in Hebrews 11. These were people who trusted God, above all others. When everyone laughed at Noah's saying, "A flood is coming," Noah believed what God said and he was delivered. When Joshua and Caleb believed what God said instead of the people, they inherited the Promised Land. Today, if we dare believe and trust in Him, then we can still have the Promises of God fulfilled in our lives, when no one else does. God is not a Respecter of Persons, but He is a Respecter of your faith.
This is the time when God is going to show Himself throughout the world and He is going to do it through the Church. Not everyone in the Church will be able to be used by the Father, but many are coming to personal trust in Him. Through recent history, the great heroes like Smith Wigglesworth, Katherine Kulman, John G. Lake, Billy Graham, Franklin Graham and many others, were just like you and me, but they developed a relationship with the Father on their own. It's hard to do what the Father has asked us to do, if we don't hear His Voice. We must step out in faith, in order to hear the Voice of our Great Shepherd Jesus.
When God audibly spoke to Jesus at Lazarus' tomb, no one heard it except Jesus. Most thought it had thundered. They "heard" it, but Jesus heard it by His Own Spirit. Through this new creations, we have the Same Spirit and are enabled to Hear His Voice, just like Jesus did.
This is developing your new creation man, to know in your spirit, what God is saying to you. Only you can develop this new ability in your life. It comes from spending time in His Presence and listening with your new man. Your natural ears might hear Him, but no so much as your heart. God created you to know and hear His instructions. Trying to do things from presumption, is foolish. Knowing and perceiving in your spirit, is what the Father has created us for.
The world will never understand you, but they will appreciate you, as you deliver what the Father has sent you to do. Many of the people Jesus interacted with, only came out of curiosity. When they witness the demonstration of the Spirit, they believed. The world wants to believe, but they've never seen anything they can relate to. The world can see the healing and deliverance of those they're familiar with. Don't expect them to only listen to you. Show them Jesus in your actions.
Monday, September 4, 2017
Lesson 257 The New Creation
2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) says, "Therefore, if any person is (ingrafted) in Christ Jesus (the Messiah) hew 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)."
There have been things that man has taught and things that the Holy Spirit has taught us, about our relationship with the Father through Jesus. Sometimes these things differ greatly, by what we (as believers) walk in. We've learned so many things throughout the years that have been taught and preached from the carnal mind of men and this has led to our setting a course that is different from the course the Holy Spirit has laid out for us to walk. By doing this, the enemy has undermined the glory and grace of our Lord, in our lives.
Paul spoke about his experience of being caught up into the very Presence of the Lord and receiving the revelation of the new covenant and the new creation man in Christ, in 2Corinthians 12. Through the Epistles, we read about God's righteousness that is now been bestowed on His children. God's Word tells us that we've been justified and declared righteous in the Holy Spirit, by Jesus' Own death and resurrection. This is part of the revelation Paul received, while in God's Presence.
For the most part, man hasn't concentrated on Paul's revelation that will set us free, but have instead focused on his struggles and the persecution of the enemy, who tried preventing him from teaching these to the people. We've even gone so far as, preaching that Paul's "thorn in the flesh," was "given to Him by God, because of Paul's pride." The entire chapter of 2Corinthians 12, is dedicated to the revelation of the Glorious Gospel that Paul taught throughout his letters to the Church.
Paul's wrote about his weakness of the flesh, in order to demonstrate how God could and would use Paul, in spite of man's own weakness. The people of the old covenant were angry at Paul, because he preached salvation for us (Gentiles) and this was one of the weaknesses Paul endured. His revelation message of salvation for the Gentiles, made him put-out from his own people. Paul was hurt by the disdain of his people.
There were times when Paul needed to be hidden from people trying to kill him, because of they were angry about his preaching this revelation. He was constantly in danger during his ministry, by satan, who was trying to cease the Good News from being preached to Gentile nations. Paul wrote about satan assigning a demon spirit that followed him into every crowd, in order to stir up opposition to the Gospel and to try and kill Paul. Paul wrote about God's assurance to him, that "His grace would sustain Paul in all his endeavors and keep him strong in his ministry." Paul talked about "coming to further revelation" and in Verse 10, he spoke to those struggling with revelation of continuing in further revelation, saying, "So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in my infirmities (weaknesses), insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities, and distress; for when I am weak (in human strength), then am I (truly) strong (able, powerful in Divine strength)." Paul went on to speak about how it "would be foolish of him to even speak of his infirmities of the flesh, when we should have been hearing of the revelation."
What Paul was saying to us had nothing to do with his problems preaching the revelation, but his delight in the revelation that the Lord Jesus gave him. We've been taught to focus on Paul's weakness of the flesh (natural body), instead of the power of his word and the ability of his spiritual, new creation man. We've even been taught that Paul's thorn of the flesh, was given by God. How foolish carnal man has been, in reading Spiritual Truths.
After the Church in Galatia heard the revelation Paul was entrusted with, they had no trouble from those who came later to steal that revelation and place them back into bondage to the flesh. Satan doesn't have a problem with those who preach Law and bondage to the Law. He only has a problem with those who preach the revelation that sets men free by the grace of the revelation in Jesus.
Many in the Church preach that God places all the hardships we face, on us, in order to disciples us when we are wrong. Paul's thorn of the flesh, came from satan, who was trying to stop Paul from preaching the revelation Jesus gave to him. The revelation came from God. The thorn came from satan, who was trying to prevent Paul from preaching the revelation to others. Sometimes, the devil will bring things against you, in order to keep you from what Paul said was "further revelation."
If you preach healing, then satan will try making you sick, in order to you prevent you from this revelation. If you preach about the Gifts of the Spirit, then satan will try discouraging you and tell you "It's all foolishness." If you preach on tithing, then satan will try breaking down the car, washing machine and anything else in your home, in order to "prove" it doesn't work. We must understand the strategies of our enemy and find the Truth about revelation knowledge. We must know that satan hates for God's people to learn about the Truth of our new creation being.
This is the same fight satan used against Jesus, John, Peter and all who taught liberty. This is the same fight he uses against anyone today, who will preach and teach revelation knowledge to God's people. One of satan's greatest lies, is probably the has has perpetrated in the Church about righteousness, brought by our faith in Christ Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit, Paul writes in Romans 3:10 (Amplified), "As it is written, none is righteous; just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one." This scripture has been taken out of context and has kept God's people from having fellowship with the Father and from being confident in our prayer life. If most of us realized we are truly in right standing with God, then we would have faith that God hears our prayers and will answer them.
We find the Truth of this revelation Paul received from the Lord, in Romans 3:21 -25 (Amplified) which says, "But now the righteousness of God has been REVEALED independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the prophets. Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah) (and is meant for all) who believe, for there is no distinction. Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (All) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus."
God has declared you "righteous" in His eyes, by your faith in the redemption through Jesus and His Blood. Satan would like to prevent the Truth of this revelation from you, so that you have no real confidence in your relationship with the Father. Paul experienced trouble when trying to tell us that we are righteous before God. The same thorn in the flesh that troubled Paul, is prominent in today's Church. Satan continues using it against those who preach the revelation that will lift God's people out of his control and bondage.
It's not exalting yourself to say you're in right standing and righteous before God, but it's actually exalting your trust and confidence in what Jesus has done for you. It's not pride, but faith in your own Sacrificed Lamb of God. Declaring that you're not made righteous, is denying the Truth of what God did for us in Jesus. If God has said you are justified and righteous before Him, then who do you think you are to tell Him that He is wrong? God made you righteous. He made you righteous, when you received Jesus and His righteousness.
Satan never tires from trying to distort the Truth of the revelation about the new creation that God gave to Paul. Satan will always oppose God's Truth, with man's wisdom from the carnal mind.
There have been things that man has taught and things that the Holy Spirit has taught us, about our relationship with the Father through Jesus. Sometimes these things differ greatly, by what we (as believers) walk in. We've learned so many things throughout the years that have been taught and preached from the carnal mind of men and this has led to our setting a course that is different from the course the Holy Spirit has laid out for us to walk. By doing this, the enemy has undermined the glory and grace of our Lord, in our lives.
Paul spoke about his experience of being caught up into the very Presence of the Lord and receiving the revelation of the new covenant and the new creation man in Christ, in 2Corinthians 12. Through the Epistles, we read about God's righteousness that is now been bestowed on His children. God's Word tells us that we've been justified and declared righteous in the Holy Spirit, by Jesus' Own death and resurrection. This is part of the revelation Paul received, while in God's Presence.
For the most part, man hasn't concentrated on Paul's revelation that will set us free, but have instead focused on his struggles and the persecution of the enemy, who tried preventing him from teaching these to the people. We've even gone so far as, preaching that Paul's "thorn in the flesh," was "given to Him by God, because of Paul's pride." The entire chapter of 2Corinthians 12, is dedicated to the revelation of the Glorious Gospel that Paul taught throughout his letters to the Church.
Paul's wrote about his weakness of the flesh, in order to demonstrate how God could and would use Paul, in spite of man's own weakness. The people of the old covenant were angry at Paul, because he preached salvation for us (Gentiles) and this was one of the weaknesses Paul endured. His revelation message of salvation for the Gentiles, made him put-out from his own people. Paul was hurt by the disdain of his people.
There were times when Paul needed to be hidden from people trying to kill him, because of they were angry about his preaching this revelation. He was constantly in danger during his ministry, by satan, who was trying to cease the Good News from being preached to Gentile nations. Paul wrote about satan assigning a demon spirit that followed him into every crowd, in order to stir up opposition to the Gospel and to try and kill Paul. Paul wrote about God's assurance to him, that "His grace would sustain Paul in all his endeavors and keep him strong in his ministry." Paul talked about "coming to further revelation" and in Verse 10, he spoke to those struggling with revelation of continuing in further revelation, saying, "So for the sake of Christ, I am well pleased and take pleasure in my infirmities (weaknesses), insults, hardships, persecutions, perplexities, and distress; for when I am weak (in human strength), then am I (truly) strong (able, powerful in Divine strength)." Paul went on to speak about how it "would be foolish of him to even speak of his infirmities of the flesh, when we should have been hearing of the revelation."
What Paul was saying to us had nothing to do with his problems preaching the revelation, but his delight in the revelation that the Lord Jesus gave him. We've been taught to focus on Paul's weakness of the flesh (natural body), instead of the power of his word and the ability of his spiritual, new creation man. We've even been taught that Paul's thorn of the flesh, was given by God. How foolish carnal man has been, in reading Spiritual Truths.
After the Church in Galatia heard the revelation Paul was entrusted with, they had no trouble from those who came later to steal that revelation and place them back into bondage to the flesh. Satan doesn't have a problem with those who preach Law and bondage to the Law. He only has a problem with those who preach the revelation that sets men free by the grace of the revelation in Jesus.
Many in the Church preach that God places all the hardships we face, on us, in order to disciples us when we are wrong. Paul's thorn of the flesh, came from satan, who was trying to stop Paul from preaching the revelation Jesus gave to him. The revelation came from God. The thorn came from satan, who was trying to prevent Paul from preaching the revelation to others. Sometimes, the devil will bring things against you, in order to keep you from what Paul said was "further revelation."
If you preach healing, then satan will try making you sick, in order to you prevent you from this revelation. If you preach about the Gifts of the Spirit, then satan will try discouraging you and tell you "It's all foolishness." If you preach on tithing, then satan will try breaking down the car, washing machine and anything else in your home, in order to "prove" it doesn't work. We must understand the strategies of our enemy and find the Truth about revelation knowledge. We must know that satan hates for God's people to learn about the Truth of our new creation being.
This is the same fight satan used against Jesus, John, Peter and all who taught liberty. This is the same fight he uses against anyone today, who will preach and teach revelation knowledge to God's people. One of satan's greatest lies, is probably the has has perpetrated in the Church about righteousness, brought by our faith in Christ Jesus.
Through the Holy Spirit, Paul writes in Romans 3:10 (Amplified), "As it is written, none is righteous; just and truthful and upright and conscientious, no, not one." This scripture has been taken out of context and has kept God's people from having fellowship with the Father and from being confident in our prayer life. If most of us realized we are truly in right standing with God, then we would have faith that God hears our prayers and will answer them.
We find the Truth of this revelation Paul received from the Lord, in Romans 3:21 -25 (Amplified) which says, "But now the righteousness of God has been REVEALED independently and altogether apart from the Law, although actually it is attested by the Law and the prophets. Namely, the righteousness of God which comes by believing with personal trust and confident reliance on Jesus Christ (the Messiah) (and is meant for all) who believe, for there is no distinction. Since all have sinned and are falling short of the honor and glory which God bestows and receives. (All) are justified and made upright and in right standing with God, freely and gratuitously by His grace (His unmerited favor and mercy) through the redemption which is (provided) in Christ Jesus."
God has declared you "righteous" in His eyes, by your faith in the redemption through Jesus and His Blood. Satan would like to prevent the Truth of this revelation from you, so that you have no real confidence in your relationship with the Father. Paul experienced trouble when trying to tell us that we are righteous before God. The same thorn in the flesh that troubled Paul, is prominent in today's Church. Satan continues using it against those who preach the revelation that will lift God's people out of his control and bondage.
It's not exalting yourself to say you're in right standing and righteous before God, but it's actually exalting your trust and confidence in what Jesus has done for you. It's not pride, but faith in your own Sacrificed Lamb of God. Declaring that you're not made righteous, is denying the Truth of what God did for us in Jesus. If God has said you are justified and righteous before Him, then who do you think you are to tell Him that He is wrong? God made you righteous. He made you righteous, when you received Jesus and His righteousness.
Satan never tires from trying to distort the Truth of the revelation about the new creation that God gave to Paul. Satan will always oppose God's Truth, with man's wisdom from the carnal mind.
Friday, September 1, 2017
Please, pray for Texas!!!
President Donald Trump has declared this Sunday a National Day of Prayer on behalf of the Hurricane Harvey victims, their families and the volunteers helping out there. Pray for courage, strength and Godly Wisdom for all of those impacted by Harvey. And, let's believe God that Hurricane Irma will weaken to nothing and not touch any land, anywhere. Amen.
Lesson 256 The New Creation
2Corinthians 5:17-18 (Amplified) tells us, "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 unto Him)."
In these last days before Jesus' return, the Church is returning to the revelation knowledge of our only being flesh and blood, but actually being a spirit. For many years, our knowledge of being spirit has somehow been overlooked or postponed "until we die and get to Heaven." Our outreach to others has been mostly from a human standpoint. As I witness and pray for those struggling in Texas right now, I see how thousands of people are turning out to help them. The compassion for and towards these flood victims, is amazing.
The Church has never lacked in their giving and helping others in need, however, in these last days, our pushing people in wheelchairs to help, will become raising them up out of those wheelchairs. God's doing something in the hearts of His people, that's giving us the determination to do more to help those of this world and bring them into His Kingdom and His Love.
We've known about the spirit for years, but never really pressed into the realm of our own new creation spirit, as being the very thing that changes the hearts of the lost. The knowledge of what happened to us when we were born-again, has mostly been limited to the things we can do (like changing old habits) the natural man. We've had very little revelation about what we can now do,in the new creation spirit man.
Our Christian walk has mainly been limited to doing good to and for others, in the natural realm. This is a good and noble Christian move of God in our lives, but we've limited Him from going further into the miraculous things of the Spirit of God. "The god of this world has blinded the eyes of the Church to the full Light of the Glorious Gospel," according to 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified) which says, "But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God) it is hidden (only) to those who are perishing and obscured (only) to those who are spiritually dying and veiled (only) to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers minds (that they should not discern the Truth), preventing them from seeing the illuminating Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
In many ways, the god of this world has been blinding the eyes of the Church, as well as the eyes of the world, to the Glory of Jesus We often think of the above scripture in terms of the lost and unsaved world. Even though we've been made alive once again to the Father, through our receiving Jesus, we still have been blinded to all that has now been made available to us and through us, in this world.
As new creation family and joint heirs with Jesus, we've been partially blinded to what this means to us now. Most of our knowledge about salvation, has been put off until another time. There are people (even in the Church) who are perishing, are discouraged, and are spiritually weak, but we have no answer for them, other than "It must be God's will for your." This isn't the "illuminating Light of the Gospel of Glory of Christ." Even the people who didn't know about God, were illuminated by God's Glory in the early days of the Church.
The Holy Spirit is revealing who our new creation spirit being really is, so we can not only give people what they need in the natural realm, but we can restore the body, soul and spirit, into unity of the Word. We've been like the old covenant people, who were under the Law and dealt from the outside-in, but the Holy Spirit is teaching us to deal from the inside-out. Jesus didn't only fee the multitudes who came to Him, but He healed all their sick and cast out many devils.
The ministry of the Church is about to step into an entirely different realm, than what it has been operating in for many years. We're once again, going to see (and be) in a place where the Holy Spirit will flow in our Church services, in a way that's going to startle even the ministers who're conducting them. God's beginning to once again move by His Spirit, instead of our own spiritual understanding.
The Church has always believed that God can do anything, but we've only seen Him do this through certain persons. Throughout the years, we've seen and heard about those who walked in the Super-natural power of the Holy Spirit, but we dismissed it as being "only for a few chosen people." These are the day of restoration and the "few" will become the "many." The Glory of the Lord is going to shine so brightly, that the world will see Him as He truly is, through His Body, the Church.
I love the way Paul writes about this time of restoration, in Ephesians 3:9-13,14 (Amplified) saying, "Also to enlighten all men and make known to them what is the plan (regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men) of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in (the mind of) God Who created all things by Christ Jesus (The purpose is) that through the Church the complicated, many-sided Wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might NOW be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers( in the Heavenly sphere) This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in (the Person of) Christ Jesus our Lord In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (and unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear So I ask you not to lose heart (not to faint or become despondent through fear) at what I am suffering in your behalf (rather glory in it) for it is an honor to you."
We have misunderstood the things that many have suffered at the hands of the devil and the world. Paul goes on in Verse 14 saying, "For this reason (seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ), I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
By revelation given him by Jesus Himself, Paul wasn't only allowed to see what was happening to the Church at that time, but to see the end of this revelation that is called "the Church." It is to be through the Church, that God is going to reveal Himself in this time to all the demonic rulers, principalities, authorities and angelic powers that have been operating until this time. God will make Himself known to everyone on this earth and to those who have opposed Him, through and in the new creation Body of Christ.
Paul said that the Truth he reveals to you, will be an honor to you. Paul withstood all the enemy brought against him, by faith in Christ. He tells us to rejoice in this Truth that he's bringing about the Church. This is the generation God will flow through in a way that will awaken all who care to see (and even those who don't). Paul encouraged us, in Ephesians 3:13 (Amplified), "Don't lose heart, become despondent through fear and don't faint."
The Father is about to shine in this new creation, even greater than He did in the first creation. Christ in us, our hope of Glory, will shine for everyone to witness.
In these last days before Jesus' return, the Church is returning to the revelation knowledge of our only being flesh and blood, but actually being a spirit. For many years, our knowledge of being spirit has somehow been overlooked or postponed "until we die and get to Heaven." Our outreach to others has been mostly from a human standpoint. As I witness and pray for those struggling in Texas right now, I see how thousands of people are turning out to help them. The compassion for and towards these flood victims, is amazing.
The Church has never lacked in their giving and helping others in need, however, in these last days, our pushing people in wheelchairs to help, will become raising them up out of those wheelchairs. God's doing something in the hearts of His people, that's giving us the determination to do more to help those of this world and bring them into His Kingdom and His Love.
We've known about the spirit for years, but never really pressed into the realm of our own new creation spirit, as being the very thing that changes the hearts of the lost. The knowledge of what happened to us when we were born-again, has mostly been limited to the things we can do (like changing old habits) the natural man. We've had very little revelation about what we can now do,in the new creation spirit man.
Our Christian walk has mainly been limited to doing good to and for others, in the natural realm. This is a good and noble Christian move of God in our lives, but we've limited Him from going further into the miraculous things of the Spirit of God. "The god of this world has blinded the eyes of the Church to the full Light of the Glorious Gospel," according to 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified) which says, "But even if our Gospel (the glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God) it is hidden (only) to those who are perishing and obscured (only) to those who are spiritually dying and veiled (only) to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers minds (that they should not discern the Truth), preventing them from seeing the illuminating Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
In many ways, the god of this world has been blinding the eyes of the Church, as well as the eyes of the world, to the Glory of Jesus We often think of the above scripture in terms of the lost and unsaved world. Even though we've been made alive once again to the Father, through our receiving Jesus, we still have been blinded to all that has now been made available to us and through us, in this world.
As new creation family and joint heirs with Jesus, we've been partially blinded to what this means to us now. Most of our knowledge about salvation, has been put off until another time. There are people (even in the Church) who are perishing, are discouraged, and are spiritually weak, but we have no answer for them, other than "It must be God's will for your." This isn't the "illuminating Light of the Gospel of Glory of Christ." Even the people who didn't know about God, were illuminated by God's Glory in the early days of the Church.
The Holy Spirit is revealing who our new creation spirit being really is, so we can not only give people what they need in the natural realm, but we can restore the body, soul and spirit, into unity of the Word. We've been like the old covenant people, who were under the Law and dealt from the outside-in, but the Holy Spirit is teaching us to deal from the inside-out. Jesus didn't only fee the multitudes who came to Him, but He healed all their sick and cast out many devils.
The ministry of the Church is about to step into an entirely different realm, than what it has been operating in for many years. We're once again, going to see (and be) in a place where the Holy Spirit will flow in our Church services, in a way that's going to startle even the ministers who're conducting them. God's beginning to once again move by His Spirit, instead of our own spiritual understanding.
The Church has always believed that God can do anything, but we've only seen Him do this through certain persons. Throughout the years, we've seen and heard about those who walked in the Super-natural power of the Holy Spirit, but we dismissed it as being "only for a few chosen people." These are the day of restoration and the "few" will become the "many." The Glory of the Lord is going to shine so brightly, that the world will see Him as He truly is, through His Body, the Church.
I love the way Paul writes about this time of restoration, in Ephesians 3:9-13,14 (Amplified) saying, "Also to enlighten all men and make known to them what is the plan (regarding the Gentiles and providing for the salvation of all men) of the mystery kept hidden through the ages and concealed until now in (the mind of) God Who created all things by Christ Jesus (The purpose is) that through the Church the complicated, many-sided Wisdom of God in all its infinite variety and innumerable aspects might NOW be made known to the angelic rulers and authorities (principalities and powers( in the Heavenly sphere) This is in accordance with the terms of the eternal and timeless purpose which He has realized and carried into effect in (the Person of) Christ Jesus our Lord In Whom, because of our faith in Him, we dare to have the boldness (courage and confidence) of free access (and unreserved approach to God with freedom and without fear So I ask you not to lose heart (not to faint or become despondent through fear) at what I am suffering in your behalf (rather glory in it) for it is an honor to you."
We have misunderstood the things that many have suffered at the hands of the devil and the world. Paul goes on in Verse 14 saying, "For this reason (seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ), I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."
By revelation given him by Jesus Himself, Paul wasn't only allowed to see what was happening to the Church at that time, but to see the end of this revelation that is called "the Church." It is to be through the Church, that God is going to reveal Himself in this time to all the demonic rulers, principalities, authorities and angelic powers that have been operating until this time. God will make Himself known to everyone on this earth and to those who have opposed Him, through and in the new creation Body of Christ.
Paul said that the Truth he reveals to you, will be an honor to you. Paul withstood all the enemy brought against him, by faith in Christ. He tells us to rejoice in this Truth that he's bringing about the Church. This is the generation God will flow through in a way that will awaken all who care to see (and even those who don't). Paul encouraged us, in Ephesians 3:13 (Amplified), "Don't lose heart, become despondent through fear and don't faint."
The Father is about to shine in this new creation, even greater than He did in the first creation. Christ in us, our hope of Glory, will shine for everyone to witness.
Thursday, August 31, 2017
Lesson 255 The New Creation
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 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)."
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). (For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principle thing) And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)."
Matthew 12:42 (Amplified) says, "The Queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon, and behold, Someone more and greater than Solomon is HERE."
1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God has made our Wisdom from God (revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as) our Righteousness (thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God), and our Consecration (making us pure and holy) and our Redemption (providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin)."
1Corinthians 2:6 (Amplified) tells us, "Yet when we are among the full grown (Spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding) we do impart a (higher) Wisdom (the knowledge of the Divine plans previously hidden) but it is indeed not a Wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away)."
Ephesians 1:7-8 (Amplified) says, "In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His Blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (short comings and trespasses) in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor Which He lavished upon us in every kind of Wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence)."
Ephesians 1:17 (Amplified) says, "(For I always pray to) the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that He may grant you a spirit of Wisdom and of revelation (of insight into the mysteries and secrets) in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him."
Colossians 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make (special) request for you, (asking) that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual Wisdom (in comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God) and in understanding and in discernment of spiritual things."
God instructs us, "With all your getting, get understanding." We've been given the Wisdom of God, when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The understanding of this Wisdom has been clouded over, by the present evil strategies of this world. We've had insight into the Truth of our going into the full Life of God when we die and go to Heaven, but we're blind to what God's will is for us in this life. Have we just been left as we were before He created us as new creations? Are we to simply do what we're now doing or is there a higher realm that we're called into? Only the Wisdom of God can lead us into this Higher realm. As long as we simply believe the wisdom of the world, we will never walk in the Wisdom of our new creation being.
Jesus didn't do everything He did, so we could stop cussing or drinking and become "nice" people. He did those things, so we would be delivered from this present evil age and become what Paul call us in 2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) where he said, "So we are Christ's Ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ's personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the Divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."
Ephesians 2:18-19 (Amplified) says, "For it is through Him that we have both (whether far off or near) now have an introduction (access) by One Holy Spirit to the Father (so that we are able to approach Him). Therefore you are no longer (exiles, migrants and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's Own people, consecrated and set apart fro Himself) and you belong to God's (Own) household."
We aren't "going to be God's Own people," we already ARE God's Own people. Even now, while we're in this physical body, we're new creation people by Jesus Christ and we're God's children. If we are now God's children, then we have our Father's nature and ability to not only rise above the things of this world, but to elevate others into this same state of being. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and the other believers in the New Testament, didn't simply walk in God's ability, but also raised those around them, into it too.
We've misinterpreted God's power, for His Love. His power is His Love and it was "shed abroad in our hears by the Holy Spirit," according to Romans 5:5 (Amplified) which says, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's Love has been poured out abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us." 1John 4:4 (Amplified) says, "And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to, and put faith in, and rely on) the Love God cherishes for us, GOD IS LOVE and he who dwells and continues in Love, dwells in and continues in God, and God dwells in and continues in Him."
This Love is what gives the Word of Life, to those who are lost and it restores Life to the broken bodies and souls, of those to whom we speak it to. This Love is so strong in the new creation people of God and it cannot stand to see the condition satan has put the world in. God's Love wants to set them free!
We've been taught for many years, that only a few people have been blessed with the ability to heal and deliver those who are sick and dying. Having Wisdom and understanding this Wisdom will encourage and empower those of us by Love, to reach out through the Holy Spirit and "set at liberty all those who are bound." Jesus didn't say that He would "Someday set the captives free." In Luke 4:18 (Amplified) Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord (is) upon Me, because He has anointed Me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the Good News (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity) to proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."
God's power is His Love and it's through this great Love that miracles, healings, deliverance, and restoration are manifest in the sight of the world. It's not for "someday," but NOW IS THE TIME for God's people to reveal Him as He really is, in the sight of a broken world and it's people.
Proverbs 4:7 (Amplified) says, "The beginning of Wisdom is; get wisdom (skillful and Godly Wisdom). (For skillful and Godly Wisdom is the principle thing) And with all you have gotten, get understanding (discernment, comprehension, and interpretation)."
Matthew 12:42 (Amplified) says, "The Queen of the South will stand up at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to listen to the Wisdom of Solomon, and behold, Someone more and greater than Solomon is HERE."
1Corinthians 1:30 (Amplified) says, "But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God has made our Wisdom from God (revealed to us a knowledge of the Divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as) our Righteousness (thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God), and our Consecration (making us pure and holy) and our Redemption (providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin)."
1Corinthians 2:6 (Amplified) tells us, "Yet when we are among the full grown (Spiritually mature Christians who are ripe in understanding) we do impart a (higher) Wisdom (the knowledge of the Divine plans previously hidden) but it is indeed not a Wisdom of this present age or of this world nor of the leaders and rulers of this age, who are being brought to nothing and are doomed to pass away)."
Ephesians 1:7-8 (Amplified) says, "In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His Blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (short comings and trespasses) in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor Which He lavished upon us in every kind of Wisdom and understanding (practical insight and prudence)."
Ephesians 1:17 (Amplified) says, "(For I always pray to) the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of Glory, that He may grant you a spirit of Wisdom and of revelation (of insight into the mysteries and secrets) in the (deep and intimate) knowledge of Him."
Colossians 1:9 (Amplified) says, "For this reason we also, from the day we heard of it, have not ceased to pray and make (special) request for you, (asking) that you may be filled with the full (deep and clear) knowledge of His will in all spiritual Wisdom (in comprehensive insight into the ways and the purposes of God) and in understanding and in discernment of spiritual things."
God instructs us, "With all your getting, get understanding." We've been given the Wisdom of God, when we received Jesus as our Lord and Savior. The understanding of this Wisdom has been clouded over, by the present evil strategies of this world. We've had insight into the Truth of our going into the full Life of God when we die and go to Heaven, but we're blind to what God's will is for us in this life. Have we just been left as we were before He created us as new creations? Are we to simply do what we're now doing or is there a higher realm that we're called into? Only the Wisdom of God can lead us into this Higher realm. As long as we simply believe the wisdom of the world, we will never walk in the Wisdom of our new creation being.
Jesus didn't do everything He did, so we could stop cussing or drinking and become "nice" people. He did those things, so we would be delivered from this present evil age and become what Paul call us in 2Corinthians 5:20 (Amplified) where he said, "So we are Christ's Ambassadors, God making His appeal as it were through us. We (as Christ's personal representatives) beg you for His sake to lay hold of the Divine favor (now offered you) and be reconciled to God."
Ephesians 2:18-19 (Amplified) says, "For it is through Him that we have both (whether far off or near) now have an introduction (access) by One Holy Spirit to the Father (so that we are able to approach Him). Therefore you are no longer (exiles, migrants and aliens, excluded from the rights of citizens), but you now share citizenship with the saints (God's Own people, consecrated and set apart fro Himself) and you belong to God's (Own) household."
We aren't "going to be God's Own people," we already ARE God's Own people. Even now, while we're in this physical body, we're new creation people by Jesus Christ and we're God's children. If we are now God's children, then we have our Father's nature and ability to not only rise above the things of this world, but to elevate others into this same state of being. Jesus, Paul, Peter, John and the other believers in the New Testament, didn't simply walk in God's ability, but also raised those around them, into it too.
We've misinterpreted God's power, for His Love. His power is His Love and it was "shed abroad in our hears by the Holy Spirit," according to Romans 5:5 (Amplified) which says, "Such hope never disappoints or deludes or shames us, for God's Love has been poured out abroad in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, Who has been given to us." 1John 4:4 (Amplified) says, "And we know (understand, recognize, are conscious of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to, and put faith in, and rely on) the Love God cherishes for us, GOD IS LOVE and he who dwells and continues in Love, dwells in and continues in God, and God dwells in and continues in Him."
This Love is what gives the Word of Life, to those who are lost and it restores Life to the broken bodies and souls, of those to whom we speak it to. This Love is so strong in the new creation people of God and it cannot stand to see the condition satan has put the world in. God's Love wants to set them free!
We've been taught for many years, that only a few people have been blessed with the ability to heal and deliver those who are sick and dying. Having Wisdom and understanding this Wisdom will encourage and empower those of us by Love, to reach out through the Holy Spirit and "set at liberty all those who are bound." Jesus didn't say that He would "Someday set the captives free." In Luke 4:18 (Amplified) Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord (is) upon Me, because He has anointed Me (the Anointed One, the Messiah) to preach the Good News (the Gospel) to the poor; He has sent Me to announce release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to send forth as delivered those who are oppressed (who are downtrodden, bruised, crushed, and broken down by calamity) to proclaim the accepted and acceptable year of the Lord (the day when salvation and the free favors of God profusely abound)."
God's power is His Love and it's through this great Love that miracles, healings, deliverance, and restoration are manifest in the sight of the world. It's not for "someday," but NOW IS THE TIME for God's people to reveal Him as He really is, in the sight of a broken world and it's people.
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Lesson 254 The New Creation
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 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)."
The new creation is exactly what God's Word says it is, a new creation. When speaking about the new creation, we've speaking about the Body of Christ Jesus Himself. We were so created by our Father in this new creation, that when He raised Jesus from the dead, all who would believe in Him, would also (at that time) be raised and resurrected with Him. Colossians 1:17-18 (Amplified) says, "And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together) He also is the Head of (His) Body, the Church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place (stand First and be pre-eminent)."
This new creation family of God was raised from spiritual death, with Jesus and is now living and acting on Spiritual Life on this earth, as the very Body of Christ Himself. Many of us have believed that our spiritufal life with God begins at our death in the flesh, when we enter into spiritual union with God in Heaven. God's Word says that this has already happened, in Colossians 1:21-22 (Amplified) saying, "And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities. Yet now has Christ (the Messiah) reconciled (you to God) in the Body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His (the Father's) Presence."
We find the entire key to walking in this new creation family, which is knowing and believing the Father's Love for us. 1John 4:16 (Amplified) says, "And we know (understand, recognie, are conscience of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in, and rely on) the Love God cherishes for us. GOD IS LOVE, and he who dwells and continues in Love dwells and continues in God and God dwells and continues in him."
We read that, "God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son," in John 3:16, along with 1John 4:16 that, "God is Love," but do we know and believe this Love that He has for us? Ephesians 3:19 (Amplified) says, "(That you may really come) to know, (practically, through experience for youselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the Divine Presence and become a Body wholly filled and flooded withGod Himself)."
This is for the Body of Christ, but it's also for each individual who makes up the Body. When one person doesn't know and believe this Love, that doesn't mean another part of the Body must wait for him to know and believe, in order to experience that Love. We have witnessed this Love in the scriptures and have mentally accepted it as Truth, but it's another things to believe this Love by faith and revelation in our spirit.
Much of our doctrine and teaching through the years, shows a lack of revelation of this Love, when compared to what we now believe. Some of what we've been taught, has come from reading about the former covenant between flesh and blood men and God. We have likened ourselves to the old covenant, by not having the True revelation of this new creation family. Even though God loved them, He couldn't deal with them, like He can now deal with His new creation. The old covenant people were abiding in spiritual death they inherited from Adam's transgression in the Garden. Sin and death were locked in them and had placed them under a Law of the Spirit realm called, "The Law of Sin and Death." This Law was one that God (being Just and Righteous), couldn't simply ignore. He had to adhere to, until He could fulfill this Law and supercede it by a Higher Law.
The laws that govern Heaven and the Spirit realm, are laws that cannot be overlooked or ignored. This is why satan had such confidence in his hold over mankind and this world. Satan didn't see a way for God to fulfill this Law and believed God couldn't retain what He intended in the Kingdom. Without revelation from the Holy Spirit, satan had locked himself into only knowledge of the natural man.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (Amplified) says, "But God-so rich is He in His mercy! because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense Love with whih He loved us Even when we were dead (slain) by (our own) shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; (He gave us the very Life of Christ Himself, the same new Life with which He quickened Him), for it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation)."
This new creation man was (and really still remains) a mystery to the world and even unto many in the Church. Ephesians 3:3-6 (Amplified) says, "(And) that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. (This mystery) was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the Holy Spirit."
Satan had no idea the depth that the Father would go to actually fulfill the Law of Sin and Death and bring His family back to Himself, because satan had no understand of the full and unchanging Love of God. Satan couldn't understand God's Love that was so great that He would send Jesus to actually die in our place, in order to receive the entire weight of this Law and reclaim His family to Himself. God's Love for the family He created, is still a mystery to satan today.
The revelation of the depth of God's Love for His new creation family is found in Romans 8:1-3, but it remains a mystery to many in the Church. We read about how "God Loved us so much that He sent Jesus," in John 3:16, but we haven't believed it. It's like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop and God will pour His anger out on us, because of our shortcomings. I'm not saying that it doesn't matter how we live in this natural body, but we must believing God's Love will bring everything into focus for the new man.
Paul was given revelation about God's Love for the believer, in Romans 8:1-3 (Amplified) which 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 flesh is still in opposition to this scripture and has no revealed Truth of what His great Love has done] The Spirit will dictate, or reveal to you the depth that Love has gone to set us completely free. 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."
God didn't simply put aside the Law, but being a Just Judge, He had to judge those who were under the Law. The devil had no idea that Love would actually die, become sin, pay the penalty of separation from God, and suffer the full debt, in order to reclaim His family. Satan is selfish, rebellious, fearful, and destructive, so even though he knew of God's Love, he never truly believed it. Satan could never understand that Love Himself would go this far, in order to deliver humankind from his hands and bring them back to Himself. The Father justly paid and fulfilled what the Law of Sin and Death required. He Himself paid for man's sins and rebellion, in order to establish a Higher Law, which is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. It was just, legal and everlasting, in order to satisfy the legal claims of Heaven.
Verse 3 goes on, saying, "For God has done what the Law could not do, (its power) being made weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) Sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accepts that Sacrifice)." Now you can better understand, know and believe this Love. We must learn what Paul meant in Ephesians 3:19 (Amplified) when he wrote, "That you may really come to know (practically through experience for yourselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience), that you may be filled throughout your being unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the Divine Presence, and become a Body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself."
The new creation is exactly what God's Word says it is, a new creation. When speaking about the new creation, we've speaking about the Body of Christ Jesus Himself. We were so created by our Father in this new creation, that when He raised Jesus from the dead, all who would believe in Him, would also (at that time) be raised and resurrected with Him. Colossians 1:17-18 (Amplified) says, "And He Himself existed before all things, and in Him all things consist (cohere, are held together) He also is the Head of (His) Body, the Church; seeing He is the Beginning, the Firstborn from among the dead, so that He alone in everything and in every respect might occupy the chief place (stand First and be pre-eminent)."
This new creation family of God was raised from spiritual death, with Jesus and is now living and acting on Spiritual Life on this earth, as the very Body of Christ Himself. Many of us have believed that our spiritufal life with God begins at our death in the flesh, when we enter into spiritual union with God in Heaven. God's Word says that this has already happened, in Colossians 1:21-22 (Amplified) saying, "And although you at one time were estranged and alienated from Him and were of hostile attitude of mind in your wicked activities. Yet now has Christ (the Messiah) reconciled (you to God) in the Body of His flesh through death, in order to present you holy and faultless and irreproachable in His (the Father's) Presence."
We find the entire key to walking in this new creation family, which is knowing and believing the Father's Love for us. 1John 4:16 (Amplified) says, "And we know (understand, recognie, are conscience of, by observation and by experience) and believe (adhere to and put faith in, and rely on) the Love God cherishes for us. GOD IS LOVE, and he who dwells and continues in Love dwells and continues in God and God dwells and continues in him."
We read that, "God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son," in John 3:16, along with 1John 4:16 that, "God is Love," but do we know and believe this Love that He has for us? Ephesians 3:19 (Amplified) says, "(That you may really come) to know, (practically, through experience for youselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience); that you may be filled (through all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the Divine Presence and become a Body wholly filled and flooded withGod Himself)."
This is for the Body of Christ, but it's also for each individual who makes up the Body. When one person doesn't know and believe this Love, that doesn't mean another part of the Body must wait for him to know and believe, in order to experience that Love. We have witnessed this Love in the scriptures and have mentally accepted it as Truth, but it's another things to believe this Love by faith and revelation in our spirit.
Much of our doctrine and teaching through the years, shows a lack of revelation of this Love, when compared to what we now believe. Some of what we've been taught, has come from reading about the former covenant between flesh and blood men and God. We have likened ourselves to the old covenant, by not having the True revelation of this new creation family. Even though God loved them, He couldn't deal with them, like He can now deal with His new creation. The old covenant people were abiding in spiritual death they inherited from Adam's transgression in the Garden. Sin and death were locked in them and had placed them under a Law of the Spirit realm called, "The Law of Sin and Death." This Law was one that God (being Just and Righteous), couldn't simply ignore. He had to adhere to, until He could fulfill this Law and supercede it by a Higher Law.
The laws that govern Heaven and the Spirit realm, are laws that cannot be overlooked or ignored. This is why satan had such confidence in his hold over mankind and this world. Satan didn't see a way for God to fulfill this Law and believed God couldn't retain what He intended in the Kingdom. Without revelation from the Holy Spirit, satan had locked himself into only knowledge of the natural man.
Ephesians 2:4-5 (Amplified) says, "But God-so rich is He in His mercy! because of and in order to satisfy the great and wonderful and intense Love with whih He loved us Even when we were dead (slain) by (our own) shortcomings and trespasses, He made us alive together in fellowship and in union with Christ; (He gave us the very Life of Christ Himself, the same new Life with which He quickened Him), for it is by grace (His favor and mercy which you did not deserve) that you are saved (delivered from judgment and made partakers of Christ's salvation)."
This new creation man was (and really still remains) a mystery to the world and even unto many in the Church. Ephesians 3:3-6 (Amplified) says, "(And) that the mystery (secret) was made known to me and I was allowed to comprehend it by direct revelation When you read this you can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ. (This mystery) was never disclosed to human beings in past generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles (consecrated messengers) and prophets by the Holy Spirit."
Satan had no idea the depth that the Father would go to actually fulfill the Law of Sin and Death and bring His family back to Himself, because satan had no understand of the full and unchanging Love of God. Satan couldn't understand God's Love that was so great that He would send Jesus to actually die in our place, in order to receive the entire weight of this Law and reclaim His family to Himself. God's Love for the family He created, is still a mystery to satan today.
The revelation of the depth of God's Love for His new creation family is found in Romans 8:1-3, but it remains a mystery to many in the Church. We read about how "God Loved us so much that He sent Jesus," in John 3:16, but we haven't believed it. It's like we're waiting for the other shoe to drop and God will pour His anger out on us, because of our shortcomings. I'm not saying that it doesn't matter how we live in this natural body, but we must believing God's Love will bring everything into focus for the new man.
Paul was given revelation about God's Love for the believer, in Romans 8:1-3 (Amplified) which 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 flesh is still in opposition to this scripture and has no revealed Truth of what His great Love has done] The Spirit will dictate, or reveal to you the depth that Love has gone to set us completely free. 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."
God didn't simply put aside the Law, but being a Just Judge, He had to judge those who were under the Law. The devil had no idea that Love would actually die, become sin, pay the penalty of separation from God, and suffer the full debt, in order to reclaim His family. Satan is selfish, rebellious, fearful, and destructive, so even though he knew of God's Love, he never truly believed it. Satan could never understand that Love Himself would go this far, in order to deliver humankind from his hands and bring them back to Himself. The Father justly paid and fulfilled what the Law of Sin and Death required. He Himself paid for man's sins and rebellion, in order to establish a Higher Law, which is the Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus. It was just, legal and everlasting, in order to satisfy the legal claims of Heaven.
Verse 3 goes on, saying, "For God has done what the Law could not do, (its power) being made weakened by the flesh (the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit) Sending His Own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an Offering for sin, (God) condemned sin in the flesh (subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accepts that Sacrifice)." Now you can better understand, know and believe this Love. We must learn what Paul meant in Ephesians 3:19 (Amplified) when he wrote, "That you may really come to know (practically through experience for yourselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience), that you may be filled throughout your being unto all the fullness of God (may have the richest measure of the Divine Presence, and become a Body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself."
Tuesday, August 29, 2017
Lesson 253 The New Creation
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 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)."
In order to understand the new creation you've become, you must first understand that you are a spirit. You do not have a spirit, but you are a spirit. It was your spirit that was born by God's Word, into a new creation being. Your spirit was always living within you, but was no longer connected to Life, Who is the Father. Man has always been a spiritual being, from the very beginning. When the Word said that we "were dead in trespass and sin," we were alive in our spirit, but not "alive unto God."
When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, his spirit was cut off from the Father, because of his sin. God is Life. Spiritual death became the very essence of death. Adam could only produce sin and death, after his separation from the Father, Who is Life. The Father lost His communication with His family and needed to find a way to bring them back to Him. Jesus said in John 10:10 (Amplified) that "He came only to bring Life." He was speaking about the Life of God. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you were born-again from death unto Life.
In your new creation man, your spirit is infused by and with the Spirit of God. The resurrection from death has already occurred, in the life of the believer. We were virtually raised from death unto Life in God. This new creation man is the living spirit, that the Word of God has given new Life. Your body wasn't made new and your soul (mind, will, emotions) wasn't made new. Your physical sense weren't made new, but only your spirit was made new. We're now brought into a place with the Father, where we can be led by and hear His Voice once again. We were designed to walk with God in our spirit, not with our senses.
We've accepted the Truth, that when a Christian leave earth in death, he has gone to be with the Lord. I could take you to a cemetery and who you that, they're still here. Your response would probably be, "Their spirit has gone to the Lord." You would be 100% right. My question would then be, "When did they become a spirit?" Was it after they died or were they always a spirit? The Truth is, that they were always a spirit, but we fail to recognize this fact while we're still alive in the body.
Your new creation spirit man, is the real you. The outer-man is only the "house," where he lived while on this earth. We've been trying to walk in the spirit, by the same carnal mind that led us before we became this new creation. We've never trained or taught our new creation man to take dominion of the flesh and become the dominant being that hears and leads us in the things of the Father. We've walked by our senses, instead of our spirit being. Now that he has been made alive once again into and unto God, he is the way that the Lord will communicate with us.
We've been double-minded, concerning the Super-natural things of the Father, because our carnal mind (our senses) have been leading us for so long. We've lost our ability to hear the Father's Voice, because He speaks to our spirit and not our minds or intellect. Only our new creation man has the ability to hear from God. You might hear a preacher say something one hundred times and still not get any revelation from his words. Your spirit can pick up on it after one time and bring revelation to the preacher's words. This is the Holy Spirit speaking into your new born spirit. Now, it is a living Word in you, when before it was just carnal learning and intellectual information that has no power for change.
Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified) that, "The Words I speak to you are Spirit and Life." Only your spirit can receive revelation by Spirit Words, they are simply "words," until then. We must learn to train ourselves to hear, by our new creation man again. I find myself speaking to myself in an audible Voice, from the Father. Many times He speaks to me in my spirit, that is communicated to me in my own voice.
Some might say that I'm speaking to myself and they would be right. The Words don't come from my intellect though, they come from my spirit. You might ask, "How do you know the difference?" I know the Voice of the Shepherd and I follow His Voice. While the Father speaks to me through my own spirit, my carnal mind must be silent while my mouth is speaking. Then, I have only the thoughts of my spirit speaking through the renewed mind of my new being man.
The best way to make your carnal mind be still, is when you are speaking. When the words come from your spirit, your mind must be still in order to hear what you're saying. Now, you are renewing your carnal mind to receive God's Word and renewing itself. You must be in God's Word, in order to hear His instructions. He isn't limited to the written Word, but He will never contradict it. You new creation spirit will know and understand Him, because He lives in your new spirit. When you read and listen to God's Word, your spirit will grow incrementally stronger. God's Word is food for your newborn spirit, just like milk is to a newborn baby.
In order to understand the new creation you've become, you must first understand that you are a spirit. You do not have a spirit, but you are a spirit. It was your spirit that was born by God's Word, into a new creation being. Your spirit was always living within you, but was no longer connected to Life, Who is the Father. Man has always been a spiritual being, from the very beginning. When the Word said that we "were dead in trespass and sin," we were alive in our spirit, but not "alive unto God."
When Adam fell in the Garden of Eden, his spirit was cut off from the Father, because of his sin. God is Life. Spiritual death became the very essence of death. Adam could only produce sin and death, after his separation from the Father, Who is Life. The Father lost His communication with His family and needed to find a way to bring them back to Him. Jesus said in John 10:10 (Amplified) that "He came only to bring Life." He was speaking about the Life of God. When you receive Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you were born-again from death unto Life.
In your new creation man, your spirit is infused by and with the Spirit of God. The resurrection from death has already occurred, in the life of the believer. We were virtually raised from death unto Life in God. This new creation man is the living spirit, that the Word of God has given new Life. Your body wasn't made new and your soul (mind, will, emotions) wasn't made new. Your physical sense weren't made new, but only your spirit was made new. We're now brought into a place with the Father, where we can be led by and hear His Voice once again. We were designed to walk with God in our spirit, not with our senses.
We've accepted the Truth, that when a Christian leave earth in death, he has gone to be with the Lord. I could take you to a cemetery and who you that, they're still here. Your response would probably be, "Their spirit has gone to the Lord." You would be 100% right. My question would then be, "When did they become a spirit?" Was it after they died or were they always a spirit? The Truth is, that they were always a spirit, but we fail to recognize this fact while we're still alive in the body.
Your new creation spirit man, is the real you. The outer-man is only the "house," where he lived while on this earth. We've been trying to walk in the spirit, by the same carnal mind that led us before we became this new creation. We've never trained or taught our new creation man to take dominion of the flesh and become the dominant being that hears and leads us in the things of the Father. We've walked by our senses, instead of our spirit being. Now that he has been made alive once again into and unto God, he is the way that the Lord will communicate with us.
We've been double-minded, concerning the Super-natural things of the Father, because our carnal mind (our senses) have been leading us for so long. We've lost our ability to hear the Father's Voice, because He speaks to our spirit and not our minds or intellect. Only our new creation man has the ability to hear from God. You might hear a preacher say something one hundred times and still not get any revelation from his words. Your spirit can pick up on it after one time and bring revelation to the preacher's words. This is the Holy Spirit speaking into your new born spirit. Now, it is a living Word in you, when before it was just carnal learning and intellectual information that has no power for change.
Jesus said in John 6:63 (Amplified) that, "The Words I speak to you are Spirit and Life." Only your spirit can receive revelation by Spirit Words, they are simply "words," until then. We must learn to train ourselves to hear, by our new creation man again. I find myself speaking to myself in an audible Voice, from the Father. Many times He speaks to me in my spirit, that is communicated to me in my own voice.
Some might say that I'm speaking to myself and they would be right. The Words don't come from my intellect though, they come from my spirit. You might ask, "How do you know the difference?" I know the Voice of the Shepherd and I follow His Voice. While the Father speaks to me through my own spirit, my carnal mind must be silent while my mouth is speaking. Then, I have only the thoughts of my spirit speaking through the renewed mind of my new being man.
The best way to make your carnal mind be still, is when you are speaking. When the words come from your spirit, your mind must be still in order to hear what you're saying. Now, you are renewing your carnal mind to receive God's Word and renewing itself. You must be in God's Word, in order to hear His instructions. He isn't limited to the written Word, but He will never contradict it. You new creation spirit will know and understand Him, because He lives in your new spirit. When you read and listen to God's Word, your spirit will grow incrementally stronger. God's Word is food for your newborn spirit, just like milk is to a newborn baby.
Friday, August 25, 2017
Lesson 252 The New Creation
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)."
Jesus is the Example of our new creation being. He was the Only Example, we have as a Spirit-filled Man on earth. Under the old covenant, the Holy Spirit would come upon certain people and rest upon them, for whatever the Lord needed to accomplish and then He would lift off of them. We, the Church, the Body of Christ, are blessed with the Ever Present Holy Spirit living inside us. Even though we know this and even testify concerning this, we still have different understandings about it.
The main thing to know and remember about the new creation, is that, "It's not me, but the Father in me Who does the works." Even Jesus declared, "I can do nothing of Myself." Many in today's Church, are caught between two dichotomies. One group has a "God complex," believing they are God, while another group won't acknowledge that "God can still work through the Church." Both sides have left the Father's work undone and incomplete, in the earth today.
Many believe that the blessings and intervention of the Holy Spirit, along with most things having to do with God, are for "when we die and get to Heaven." Many have lost all credibility, because they've been foolish and tried doing things without, "the Father in me, Who does the work."
The Father only told us to "believe Him," in order to do what was needed through us. In some parts of today's Church, we've put off hope, until the time when we die and go to be with the Lord. This certainly is a valid hope and expectation, but we need hope here on earth. Prayer has become something we're so double-minded about. This leaves us having very little hope and placing no faith in our prayers.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) is a scripture that has opened many things in the eyes of the Church. There are many differing opinions about this Verse, but only the ones that line-up with God's Word, are useful for us. Thus, it says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the Title Deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)."
There has been much said about the above scripture for many years. As new creation, Spirit-filled believers, we now in Christ Jesus, have the ability through faith to see in the spirit realm, from which we are born. Through faith in Jesus and the Word, we've been given insight into the Kingdom of Heaven. The natural man doesn't have this capability, but the new creation man and woman does. For so long, our hope has been limited by what we've learned, that our faith would no longer bring God's Promises to bear fruit in our lives.
Many things the Lord has promised us as "the Seed of Abraham in Jesus," couldn't come to pass, because our hope (concerning these things) has mostly been lost, ignored or forgotten. "Faith is the assurance of what we hope for," and without hope (trusting God's Word) our faith has no place to reach or no goals to achieve. We've put off our hope for a time in the future and our faith in God's Promises has been left for a time of the future too.
It's an absolute Truth, that when we (and our loved ones in Jesus) die, we will leave this earth and live with Him for all eternity. This is the foundation on which Christianity has stood and remained strong, for two-thousand years. But, our hope in God shouldn't simply stop at this Promise. The same Jesus Who made this Truth in our lives, has also made the rest of the Promises in God's Word.
In order to develop our faith to the level where we become mature Christians, we must learn to trust that all the Father's Promises are "Yes, and Amen." When we believe that healing will only come when we get to Heaven, then our hope for healing has been pushed for then too. When hope went, faith for healing had no goal to perform and faith for our healing ceased. Through the years, we've lost hope in many of God's Promises and because our hope was gone, our faith grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the only hope we have left, is for "when we get to Heaven."
The Promise of salvation through Jesus Christ, is the greatest we can lay claim to. When a loved one leaves this earth in death, we all believe he has gone (in his spirit) to be with the Lord. This is the ultimate Truth of our new creation being. My question is, "If they died and went to Heaven in their spirit, then when did they become a spirit?" We all believe that our spirit will one day be in Heaven for eternity, but why is it so difficult to believe the Lord can do things with our spirit now? We didn't "become" a spirit, when we left this earth, but when we were born-again. We became a new creation with God in us and we in Jesus. Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23 (Amplified) saying, "I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given to Me, that they may be one (even) as We are One. I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
We don't become His children only when we leave this earth and we don't become only a spirit, when we leave here. We are a spirit now, living in a natural body, like Jesus was on this earth. The Father wants to be able to do in and for us, like He did in and for Jesus. He wants to do so, not only for us, but for many others who desperately need Him in their lives. This isn't having a "God complex," but is being an obedient son (like Jesus was), one who does what the Father instructs, goes where the Father says to go, and say what the Father says to say. We've become what Jesus was on the earth. We are vessels that carry the Very Presence of God within us, because the Holy Spirit indwells this new creation being.
The time of miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, has not "passed away." It's only the hope that we could still walk in them, has been placed for a future time of "when we get to Heaven." This has made our faith for them, weak. Ephesians 3:16-18,19 (Amplified) says, "May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner-man by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling your innermost being. May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell, (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in Love and founded securely on Love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints (God's devoted people, the experience of that Love) what is the breadth, and length and height and depth (of it)."
Verse 19 goes on to say, "(That you may really come) to know (practically through experience for yourselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience) that you may be filled (throughout all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may you have the richest measure of the Divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)."
This is our hope and faith will bring the fullness (substance) of this into our lives, as we begin seeing what our Father desires to do in and through His new creation family. We have seen ourselves like the Israelite spies who went into the Promised Land in Numbers 13. Upon their return from spying out the Promised Land, they told the people, "We were as grasshoppers in their eyes" (in the eyes of the inhabitants of that Land).
God never told them to "Look at yourselves" and He never intended for them to do so. God only instructed them to, "Go into and look at the Land that I have Promised you." God didn't intend for them to conquer the Land, because He had already done it. We don't have to try and "tear down the Walls of Jericho." We only need to walk, shout and blow trumpets and God will bring down the Walls.
We don't need to "do the work" of bringing healing, hope and deliverance to the world. We must only allow Him do to the work, through us. Our part is to be obedient to His Voice and leading. We must do like Jesus did and say, "Without the Father, I can do nothing of myself." We must remember that we are never without the Father, because He has made His abode in us. Let your hope rise up, into a place where your faith can bring God into the Light and glory this world needs to see. Let God work through you, as His new creation family.
Jesus is the Example of our new creation being. He was the Only Example, we have as a Spirit-filled Man on earth. Under the old covenant, the Holy Spirit would come upon certain people and rest upon them, for whatever the Lord needed to accomplish and then He would lift off of them. We, the Church, the Body of Christ, are blessed with the Ever Present Holy Spirit living inside us. Even though we know this and even testify concerning this, we still have different understandings about it.
The main thing to know and remember about the new creation, is that, "It's not me, but the Father in me Who does the works." Even Jesus declared, "I can do nothing of Myself." Many in today's Church, are caught between two dichotomies. One group has a "God complex," believing they are God, while another group won't acknowledge that "God can still work through the Church." Both sides have left the Father's work undone and incomplete, in the earth today.
Many believe that the blessings and intervention of the Holy Spirit, along with most things having to do with God, are for "when we die and get to Heaven." Many have lost all credibility, because they've been foolish and tried doing things without, "the Father in me, Who does the work."
The Father only told us to "believe Him," in order to do what was needed through us. In some parts of today's Church, we've put off hope, until the time when we die and go to be with the Lord. This certainly is a valid hope and expectation, but we need hope here on earth. Prayer has become something we're so double-minded about. This leaves us having very little hope and placing no faith in our prayers.
Hebrews 11:1 (Amplified) is a scripture that has opened many things in the eyes of the Church. There are many differing opinions about this Verse, but only the ones that line-up with God's Word, are useful for us. Thus, it says, "Now faith is the assurance (the confirmation, the Title Deed) of the things (we) hope for, being the proof of things (we) do not see and the conviction of their reality (faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses)."
There has been much said about the above scripture for many years. As new creation, Spirit-filled believers, we now in Christ Jesus, have the ability through faith to see in the spirit realm, from which we are born. Through faith in Jesus and the Word, we've been given insight into the Kingdom of Heaven. The natural man doesn't have this capability, but the new creation man and woman does. For so long, our hope has been limited by what we've learned, that our faith would no longer bring God's Promises to bear fruit in our lives.
Many things the Lord has promised us as "the Seed of Abraham in Jesus," couldn't come to pass, because our hope (concerning these things) has mostly been lost, ignored or forgotten. "Faith is the assurance of what we hope for," and without hope (trusting God's Word) our faith has no place to reach or no goals to achieve. We've put off our hope for a time in the future and our faith in God's Promises has been left for a time of the future too.
It's an absolute Truth, that when we (and our loved ones in Jesus) die, we will leave this earth and live with Him for all eternity. This is the foundation on which Christianity has stood and remained strong, for two-thousand years. But, our hope in God shouldn't simply stop at this Promise. The same Jesus Who made this Truth in our lives, has also made the rest of the Promises in God's Word.
In order to develop our faith to the level where we become mature Christians, we must learn to trust that all the Father's Promises are "Yes, and Amen." When we believe that healing will only come when we get to Heaven, then our hope for healing has been pushed for then too. When hope went, faith for healing had no goal to perform and faith for our healing ceased. Through the years, we've lost hope in many of God's Promises and because our hope was gone, our faith grew weaker and weaker. Finally, the only hope we have left, is for "when we get to Heaven."
The Promise of salvation through Jesus Christ, is the greatest we can lay claim to. When a loved one leaves this earth in death, we all believe he has gone (in his spirit) to be with the Lord. This is the ultimate Truth of our new creation being. My question is, "If they died and went to Heaven in their spirit, then when did they become a spirit?" We all believe that our spirit will one day be in Heaven for eternity, but why is it so difficult to believe the Lord can do things with our spirit now? We didn't "become" a spirit, when we left this earth, but when we were born-again. We became a new creation with God in us and we in Jesus. Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23 (Amplified) saying, "I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given to Me, that they may be one (even) as We are One. I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and (definitely) recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them (even) as You have loved Me."
We don't become His children only when we leave this earth and we don't become only a spirit, when we leave here. We are a spirit now, living in a natural body, like Jesus was on this earth. The Father wants to be able to do in and for us, like He did in and for Jesus. He wants to do so, not only for us, but for many others who desperately need Him in their lives. This isn't having a "God complex," but is being an obedient son (like Jesus was), one who does what the Father instructs, goes where the Father says to go, and say what the Father says to say. We've become what Jesus was on the earth. We are vessels that carry the Very Presence of God within us, because the Holy Spirit indwells this new creation being.
The time of miracles and manifestations of the Holy Spirit, has not "passed away." It's only the hope that we could still walk in them, has been placed for a future time of "when we get to Heaven." This has made our faith for them, weak. Ephesians 3:16-18,19 (Amplified) says, "May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner-man by the Holy Spirit Himself indwelling your innermost being. May Christ through your faith (actually) dwell, (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in Love and founded securely on Love, That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints (God's devoted people, the experience of that Love) what is the breadth, and length and height and depth (of it)."
Verse 19 goes on to say, "(That you may really come) to know (practically through experience for yourselves) the Love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge (without experience) that you may be filled (throughout all your being) unto all the fullness of God (may you have the richest measure of the Divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself)."
This is our hope and faith will bring the fullness (substance) of this into our lives, as we begin seeing what our Father desires to do in and through His new creation family. We have seen ourselves like the Israelite spies who went into the Promised Land in Numbers 13. Upon their return from spying out the Promised Land, they told the people, "We were as grasshoppers in their eyes" (in the eyes of the inhabitants of that Land).
God never told them to "Look at yourselves" and He never intended for them to do so. God only instructed them to, "Go into and look at the Land that I have Promised you." God didn't intend for them to conquer the Land, because He had already done it. We don't have to try and "tear down the Walls of Jericho." We only need to walk, shout and blow trumpets and God will bring down the Walls.
We don't need to "do the work" of bringing healing, hope and deliverance to the world. We must only allow Him do to the work, through us. Our part is to be obedient to His Voice and leading. We must do like Jesus did and say, "Without the Father, I can do nothing of myself." We must remember that we are never without the Father, because He has made His abode in us. Let your hope rise up, into a place where your faith can bring God into the Light and glory this world needs to see. Let God work through you, as His new creation family.
Thursday, August 24, 2017
Lesson 251 The New Creation
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 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 unto Him)."
The new creation people must pattern themselves after Jesus, Who is the Example and "the Firstborn of many brethren," according to Romans 8:29 (Amplified) which says, "For those whom He foreknew (of whom He was aware and Loved and Loved beforehand) He also destined from the beginning (foreordained them) to be molded into the Image of His Son (and share inwardly His Likeness) that He might become the Firstborn of many brethren."
The above scripture tells us that we are to be "molded into the Likeness of Jesus" ad become the family of the Firstborn. This isn't saying that we are to be "the Savior," but we're to be like Jesus was and is. He is our Pattern. Some will have a problem with this statement, but I didn't write it, I only copied it. If this scripture is True (and you know it is), then Jesus was and is what the Father expects us to become.
I don't believe this scripture is referring to "when we die and get to Heaven," but it's for those whom God can speak through and to and carry out what He wants done here in the earth. In order for us to grow up in Him and be able to hear and carry out His instructions, we must go beyond what the world has told us we are. We must develop into what the Father expects of us.
Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness that God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (dis clothed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) as it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith." It's plain to see here, that we're to grow and mature in our new life in Jesus, intothe maturity of son-ship for the us of the Father.
2Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified) tells us, "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."
After being born-again, we are to grow up in Him, because we are His sons and family. The Father needs us to be able to hear Him when He speaks and be able to do what we hear Him direct us to do (through Him). Our Heavenly Father needs to reveal His glory in the earth, through us. The world tells us that "we can only do these things, when we get to Heaven." This has held the Church in the place of neutrality, for over two-thousand years. We've only adapted to the outer-man and restrained from the sins of the flesh. We've never grown into the new creature that we've become, in our spirit man.
Proverbs 20:27 (Amplified) says, "The spirit of man (the factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God) is the Lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts." It's our spirit man, by which illumination from God comes. This is the real you, that God created in this new creation, in order to hear and obey His Voice and leadings. The spirit man was severed from GOd, by Adam's fall from grace. It was God's way of directing His children, from the very beginning. When Adam fell, God lost the way into man's lives and death came from the separation from the Spirit of God, Who is Life.
Through this new creation man, God has once more, a direct Voice and and way to lead mankind. God's Own Spirit lives inside the born-again, newly created spirit, through Jesus. The Father has never changed from what His heart desired from the beginning. It has always been the desire of God's heart, to have a family. This isn't for when we arrive in His Presence, after our mortal bodies die, but is for while we're here on earth. He wants us to bring others into His family. We are still His Source of "Sowers of the Kingdom of Heaven" and through Him, we're the reapers for the harvesting of more children in His Kingdom.
Isaiah 54:13 (Amplified) says, "And all your (spiritual) children shall be disciples (taught by the Lord and obedient to His will) and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children." The spiritual children would receive the ability to once again "hear God's Voice and know and obey His will." The only way the outer man could hear, was like Paul spoke about in Hebrews 1:1-2 (Amplified) saying, "In many separate revelations each of which set forth a portion of the Truth) and in different ways God spoke of old to (our) forefathers in and by the prophets, (But) in the last of these days, He has spoken to us in (the Person of a ) Son, Whom He appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things, also by Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time, (He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them in order)."
The Father is speaking to us (those of the last of these days), through Jesus, Who is the Living Word and by the new creation man who has been born of this Word, making us in His Image. We find the Law of Genesis in Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified) which is that "everything bears seed after kind." Thus, it says, "And God said, Let the earth put forth (tender) vegetation; plants yielding seed and fruit, trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind upon the earth, and it was so. Then earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it."
This Law of Kind, has prevailed even until now and everything bears fruit after kind. Apple seed only produce apple trees and fruit. Acorns only produce Oak trees and their fruit. Horses produce horses, people produce people and spirits produce spirit after kind, according to the Seed. After Adam's fall in the Garden, he still produced mankind (not only in this human body, but also the spirit of mankind). In His earthly ministry, Jesus described Himself as "a Seed," in John 12:24 (Amplified) where He said, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and it dies, it remains (just one grain) it never comes more but lives by itself alone. But, if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest." 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born-again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from One that is Immortal by the Ever Living and Lasting Word of God."
If the Law of Genesis holds true (and we know from the natural things around us that it does), then the Seed (Who is Jesus) will only "produce after Kind." Galatians 3:16 (Amplified) says, "Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his offspring, his Heir). God doesn't say, and to seeds (descendants, heirs)," as if referring to "many persons." He says, "And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir)," obviously referring to One Individual, Who is none other than Christ Jesus, the Messiah.
If Jesus is the Seed and the Law of Genesis holds true, then God (through Jesus' Seed) has produced children in the Same Likeness. You're not the same seed the was sown (only Jesus is that), but you came through that Seed. You are the same as the Seed that was sown, which is a new creation spirit being, just like the Seed that spawned you.
The new creation people must pattern themselves after Jesus, Who is the Example and "the Firstborn of many brethren," according to Romans 8:29 (Amplified) which says, "For those whom He foreknew (of whom He was aware and Loved and Loved beforehand) He also destined from the beginning (foreordained them) to be molded into the Image of His Son (and share inwardly His Likeness) that He might become the Firstborn of many brethren."
The above scripture tells us that we are to be "molded into the Likeness of Jesus" ad become the family of the Firstborn. This isn't saying that we are to be "the Savior," but we're to be like Jesus was and is. He is our Pattern. Some will have a problem with this statement, but I didn't write it, I only copied it. If this scripture is True (and you know it is), then Jesus was and is what the Father expects us to become.
I don't believe this scripture is referring to "when we die and get to Heaven," but it's for those whom God can speak through and to and carry out what He wants done here in the earth. In order for us to grow up in Him and be able to hear and carry out His instructions, we must go beyond what the world has told us we are. We must develop into what the Father expects of us.
Romans 1:17 (Amplified) says, "For in the Gospel a righteousness that God ascribes is revealed, both springing from faith and leading to faith (dis clothed through the way of faith that arouses to more faith) as it is written, The man who through faith is just and upright shall live and shall live by faith." It's plain to see here, that we're to grow and mature in our new life in Jesus, intothe maturity of son-ship for the us of the Father.
2Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified) tells us, "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."
After being born-again, we are to grow up in Him, because we are His sons and family. The Father needs us to be able to hear Him when He speaks and be able to do what we hear Him direct us to do (through Him). Our Heavenly Father needs to reveal His glory in the earth, through us. The world tells us that "we can only do these things, when we get to Heaven." This has held the Church in the place of neutrality, for over two-thousand years. We've only adapted to the outer-man and restrained from the sins of the flesh. We've never grown into the new creature that we've become, in our spirit man.
Proverbs 20:27 (Amplified) says, "The spirit of man (the factor in human personality which proceeds immediately from God) is the Lamp of the Lord, searching all his innermost parts." It's our spirit man, by which illumination from God comes. This is the real you, that God created in this new creation, in order to hear and obey His Voice and leadings. The spirit man was severed from GOd, by Adam's fall from grace. It was God's way of directing His children, from the very beginning. When Adam fell, God lost the way into man's lives and death came from the separation from the Spirit of God, Who is Life.
Through this new creation man, God has once more, a direct Voice and and way to lead mankind. God's Own Spirit lives inside the born-again, newly created spirit, through Jesus. The Father has never changed from what His heart desired from the beginning. It has always been the desire of God's heart, to have a family. This isn't for when we arrive in His Presence, after our mortal bodies die, but is for while we're here on earth. He wants us to bring others into His family. We are still His Source of "Sowers of the Kingdom of Heaven" and through Him, we're the reapers for the harvesting of more children in His Kingdom.
Isaiah 54:13 (Amplified) says, "And all your (spiritual) children shall be disciples (taught by the Lord and obedient to His will) and great shall be the peace and undisturbed composure of your children." The spiritual children would receive the ability to once again "hear God's Voice and know and obey His will." The only way the outer man could hear, was like Paul spoke about in Hebrews 1:1-2 (Amplified) saying, "In many separate revelations each of which set forth a portion of the Truth) and in different ways God spoke of old to (our) forefathers in and by the prophets, (But) in the last of these days, He has spoken to us in (the Person of a ) Son, Whom He appointed Heir and Lawful Owner of all things, also by Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time, (He made, produced, built, operated and arranged them in order)."
The Father is speaking to us (those of the last of these days), through Jesus, Who is the Living Word and by the new creation man who has been born of this Word, making us in His Image. We find the Law of Genesis in Genesis 1:11-12 (Amplified) which is that "everything bears seed after kind." Thus, it says, "And God said, Let the earth put forth (tender) vegetation; plants yielding seed and fruit, trees yielding fruit whose seed is in itself, each according to its kind upon the earth, and it was so. Then earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds and trees bearing fruit in which was their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good (suitable, admirable) and He approved it."
This Law of Kind, has prevailed even until now and everything bears fruit after kind. Apple seed only produce apple trees and fruit. Acorns only produce Oak trees and their fruit. Horses produce horses, people produce people and spirits produce spirit after kind, according to the Seed. After Adam's fall in the Garden, he still produced mankind (not only in this human body, but also the spirit of mankind). In His earthly ministry, Jesus described Himself as "a Seed," in John 12:24 (Amplified) where He said, "I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and it dies, it remains (just one grain) it never comes more but lives by itself alone. But, if it dies, it produces many others and yields a rich harvest." 1Peter 1:23 (Amplified) says, "You have been regenerated (born-again) not from a mortal origin (seed, sperm) but from One that is Immortal by the Ever Living and Lasting Word of God."
If the Law of Genesis holds true (and we know from the natural things around us that it does), then the Seed (Who is Jesus) will only "produce after Kind." Galatians 3:16 (Amplified) says, "Now the promises (covenants, agreements) were decreed and made to Abraham and his Seed (his offspring, his Heir). God doesn't say, and to seeds (descendants, heirs)," as if referring to "many persons." He says, "And to your Seed (your Descendant, your Heir)," obviously referring to One Individual, Who is none other than Christ Jesus, the Messiah.
If Jesus is the Seed and the Law of Genesis holds true, then God (through Jesus' Seed) has produced children in the Same Likeness. You're not the same seed the was sown (only Jesus is that), but you came through that Seed. You are the same as the Seed that was sown, which is a new creation spirit being, just like the Seed that spawned you.
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