What is the “Pastoral Paradigm?”

The “pastoral paradigm” is a continuation of the Catholic tradition of having one person be the central focus and primary participant in the assembly when Christians meet together and the one who chooses and delivers the primary message. This paradigm puts the pastor at the top of a hierarchy of leadership, who far too often has little actual accountability. Some churches will have a board of directors, elders, deacons, and even a business committee, but generally, the pastor has the dominant influence over all church activities.

However, an objective evaluation of the decline of Christianity in this nation strongly suggests that the "pastoral paradigm" has been a failure in the spiritual life of the mainstream church. A strong case can also be made that it is one of the major reasons that heretical movements like Prosperity ministries, Social Justice Theology (based on Critical Race Theory), Progressive Christianity, and New Age teachings are having such success. This is even more obvious today as respected bible ministries are publicly accusing more and more churches, organizations, and pastors of false teaching. The unfortunate result is that a disturbingly large number of professing Christians in this nation have little or no true doctrinal foundation.

The main reason given in 1990 by the 95% of professing Christians the Barna Group surveys determined had never shared their faith was that they didn't feel adequate to convey the gospel. Barna’s current surveys indicate that just one in four Americans is a practicing Christian.

My question to the mainstream church is this: how can you expect to develop evangelical Christians who pray together and have meaningful spiritual contact outside the church when you raise them to be mute spectators in the assembly in complete violation of the scriptural instruction in 1 Corinthians 14:26 and pretending 1 Corinthians 12:22-27 isn't even in the Bible?

The Biblical Model: Multiplicity of Elders

The most likely reason "pastor" is only in the New American Standard Bible (NASB) once and Christ said not to call anyone Rabbi (pastor) in Matthew 23:8-12  is because Christ established that the churches were “shepherded” by a multiplicity of elders who had mutual accountability and who led from behind and allowed the Spirit to dictate the direction! 

Example:

While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. (3)  Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” (Acts 13:2-3)

1 Corinthians 14:26 makes it clear that God intended each person to be prepared to give a testimony in the assembly of what God was doing in their lives and to be able to share any insights they were receiving in their Christian walk.

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.  (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Then the Spirit could anoint those He wanted to bring a message in season "according to the need of the moment." (See Ephesians 4:29).

Moreover, the elders would be there to keep everything on a correct doctrinal basis by nurturing encouragement and not harsh correction, then by participation the whole congregation would develop an expression of Christ and of His Gospel and feel like co-participants in the body of Christ.

It was not God's purpose to have a paid speaker choose a message from his archive of sermons he's written over the years or from a book of sermon outlines. The "pastoral paradigm" invalidates the word of God for the sake of Protestant tradition (See Matthew 15:3-6). Actually, the tradition started with Catholicism and was just not rectified during the Reformation.

Biblical Discipleship and Strengthening of the Body

This concept of each member co-participating in the functioning of the body is expanded upon in 1 Corinthians 12:22-27:

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;  (23) and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,  (24) whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, (25) so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another.  (26) And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.  (27) Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:22-27) 

Clearly, this passage works in conjunction with God’s instruction for activity in the assembly and talks about working with, encouraging, disciplining, and preparing the less presentable members to become effective witnesses for Christ. As every management manual indicates, giving people gradually more and more responsibility as a member of a team and building them up when they fall short is the most effective management style to build an effective, knowledgeable, and cohesive staff.

It appears obvious from the very poor results that we have attained in the mainstream church in this nation through the pastoral paradigm that we need a change in tactics and what other alternative would be more logical than to go back to God’s original design?

Pastoral Gift: Equip the Body to Minister, not Be The Minister

The Apostle Paul’s instruction in Ephesians 4:11-14 would seem to make God’s strategy very clear:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (Ephesians 4:11-14)

The giftings or offices enumerated in verse 11 were to equip the saints to do the “work of service”. This verse alone eliminates the entire concept of clergy and laity that places the congregation in a secondary role in the activity of the body. This point is further emphasized in the rest of this passage in Ephesians 4:11-16. , which declares that the body of Christ is built up and held together by each believer in the body doing their part in the work of the church after they have been trained by the Spirit and the elders:

But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint  (every believer) supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

It is the unified effort of all believers working in concert with one another each emphasizing their individual gifting which “causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love”. God knows this is something sorely lacking in much of the body of Christ today.

Each Believer is a Priest to God

Moreover, 1 Peter 2:9 declares that the entire body of Christ is “a royal priesthood”:

But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; (1 Peter 2:9) 

The priesthood of every believer defines our responsibilities and relationship to God. This would include our prayer life, our lifestyle of obedience, and our time spent individually reading and meditating on the word of God in the holy scriptures under the anointing and guidance of the Spirit while we are in fellowship (having no unconfessed sins).

I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. (Psalms 119:99)

Each Believer is an Ambassador to the Lost

The body of Christ’s shared responsibility to the unsaved is described in 2 Corinthians 5:18-20:

Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (19)  namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:18-20) 

Again, Paul in the Spirit is telling us that everyone in the body shares equally in the responsibility to reach the lost and to be Christ’s ambassadors to a lost and dying world. This is no more a suggestion than the Ten Commandments are the ten suggestions.

There is a tendency among believers today to think that evangelism is the duty of the ministerial staff and fail to recognize that if we fail to share the gospel with an unbeliever when we have the opportunity it is a sin of omission that takes us out of fellowship¹ with God.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17).

It is important that believers understand that evangelism is their responsibility because to be effective at it requires that we develop our expression of Christ, which requires study and preparation. It is also proven that those who carry tracts and bibles in anticipation of ministering to the lost are much more likely to respond to those opportunities in obedience.

Every Believer is a Minister to the Body

Our third area of responsibility and function in Christ is to Build Up and Edify the Body of Christ, which is every believer’s duty not just that of the person standing behind the pulpit. This is covered in detail in the second reference under Additional Resources at the end of this article. However, perhaps Ephesians 4:29-32 suggests the general scope of this function:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (30) Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (31) Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. (32) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:29-32)

This conveys the duty of every Christian to be focused on things above rather than on worldly entanglements (Colossians 3, 2 Timothy 2:4) and to be led in the moment by the Spirit.

Unfortunately, the word “grace” in verse 29 has become somewhat of a cliché.

Verse 30 instructs us not to grieve or quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) the Holy Spirit by being out of fellowship due to having active or unconfessed sins. God is righteous and cannot fellowship with sin. 1 John 1:9-10 gives us clear instructions for getting an active sin under the blood of Christ’s redemptive sacrifice and having it forgiven.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:9-10)

The phrase “to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” is God’s grace to include any sins we have forgotten or are unaware of as long as we are not trying to hide any sin.

Further, as our sins are confessed and come under the blood (Christ’s payment) God removes them as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no longer (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:19).  Not that God has a bad memory; He simply has a perfect "forgetter." 

"I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins." (Isaiah 43:25)

So unlike worldly fathers who have a habit of constantly reminding us of past sins, God removes even His memory of the sin once it is confessed and under the blood.  Therefore, if we let the memory of the sin immobilize us or delay us from returning into full kingdom participation, then we are playing into the enemy’s hands, because that is exactly what the powers and principalities of darkness want us to do! 

And the powers of darkness will keep reminding you of your sin to bring you under a condemnation that God never intended. It is unbelief and lack of faith to hold yourself to a more severe judgment than God does, and not to accept His forgiveness as full and sufficient since it represents the blood payment of Christ.

Verses 31-32 may seem challenging for new believers, however, the Spirit will give us victory in these areas if we are sincerely seeking Christ in our hearts through his word as a lifestyle. This is the process of sanctification and it is always a work in process.

Christ Forbids the Hierarchical Leadership Model in His Church

Jesus makes it clear in Matthew 23:8-12 that we are all equal in the body and no one is to be called pastor or leader to avoid possible division and any semblance of a hierarchy in the body of Christ:

"But do not be called Rabbi (pastor); for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers.  (9)  "Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven.  (10)  "Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ.  (11)  "But the greatest among you shall be your servant.  (12)  "Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:8-12)

So the bottom line is that even though our operation within the body will logically be greatly influenced by the giftings we receive from the Spirit, it is still our duty to respond in obedience in every opportunity we have to operate in our Priesthood, our Ministry of Reconciliation, and our Ministry to Build Up and Edify the Body of Christ as these are our three primary areas of responsibility².

Additional resources:

¹https://www.aliveinjesuschrist.com/p/doctrine-of-fellowship

²https://www.aliveinjesuschrist.com/p/three-functions-of-believers

In Christ,

Paul

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God’s instruction in scripture makes the relationship between all people clear, regardless of ethnic or financial category, and CRT in all its variations violates every aspect of that scriptural instruction and is, therefore, clearly evil from a biblical perspective.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; (Romans 10:12)

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (10) and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— (11) a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (12) So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. (14) Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (Colossians 3:9-14)

The “love” referred to in verse 14 of Colossians 3:14 is agape love or biblical/spiritual love. Agape love may be accompanied by a feeling of affection but essentially it is not a feeling, like being in love. Rather, it is described biblically as something that you do and how you think and act towards another person. Agape love is essentially wanting the highest good for all those God brings into your arena of influence regardless of the cost to you. Moreover, since the highest good for everyone is to come into the closest relationship possible with the Lord Jesus Christ, we are to be the agents of the Holy Spirit to help accomplish that end. However, for us to buy completely into that level of sacrifice we must sincerely believe that as we do selflessly for others that that opens the door for God to do His best for us, and that God can do more for us in a nanosecond than we can do for ourselves in a lifetime of hard work, both here below and for our eternity.

The following scriptures identify the level of commitment to one another God requires:

AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.' (31) "The second is this, 'YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:30-31)

Therefore if there is any encouragement in Christ, if there is any consolation of love, if there is any fellowship of the Spirit, if any affection and compassion, (2) make my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit, intent on one purpose. (3) Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; (4) do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others. (Philippians 2:1-4)

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God (1 Peter 4:10)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. (Romans 12:10)

So then let us pursue the things, which make for peace and the building up of one another. (Romans 14:19)

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25)

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Just these few examples of God’s instruction for man’s relationship to one another make it clear that if we live in conformance to scripture, and to Christ’s example of being led, empowered, and convicted by the Holy Spirit that every element of CRT is a meaningless contrivance of man’s flawed wisdom. There is no such thing as “white privilege”² and “Intersectionality,”³ nor any room for oppression or the oppressed in a Christian worldview. In Christ, we all are considered equal as partiality is a sin. Therefore, everyone has an equal opportunity to receive God’s blessings based on our faithfulness to follow His instruction in scripture. These Marxist concepts expressed in CRT then can only be manifest in a culture devoid of Christianity and devotion to Jesus Christ. Of course, the whole concept of Marxism is a worldview devoid of God and therefore one of atheism. In this worldview, the role of God and the guidance of scripture through the guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit are inevitably replaced by the laws and demands of the state. In Marxism, the state virtually replaces God.

Marxism, however, does recognize man’s sinful nature in as much as it emphasizes the role of the state to completely define, adjudicate, and enforce justice. Marxist social justice is based on equity, or equality of results rather the biblical equality, which is equality of opportunity. Therefore, it supports the idea of redistribution of wealth. Taking forcefully from those who have and giving to those who have not. However, this can discourage individual effort and innovation, resulting in a lack of incentive for individuals to excel. This can lead to a society where everyone is equal in poverty rather than equal in prosperity.

Marxist nations have always resulted in tyrannical, totalitarian governments that are marked by a prosperous elite, who ruled over an enslaved, poverty-stricken people who had no freedom, individual rights, or personal property. In the case of Stalin and Mao Zedong, tens of millions of innocent civilians became slaves or were murdered or starved to death.

China realized the need for material incentives to increase production during the reorganization of their farming communities from collectives to individual farms 1956-1965. The collectives failed because people wouldn’t work hard when they got the same rewards as those who did not. The implementation of the household responsibility system (HRS) in China was a “market” reform, returning collectivized land to farm households, and allowing households to make farming decisions. The Communist Party was against the idea in principle as it was a departure from Marxist ideology and was more a reflection of the meritorious nature of capitalism. However, in the face of the lack of production they were experiencing under the collective model and faced with increasing population it became a necessity that still works today. So, they devised a system where farmers were rewarded with a percentage of their produce prorated on how much they produced. Incentive is a key aspect of the human psyche that gives rise to creativity and the development of a strong personal work ethic.

History has seemingly lost sight of the impact of the “Protestant Ethic” on Western civilization. There are a myriad of views on this concept philosophically but the central impact was it helped to motivate a preoccupation with hard work and helped attach moral value to economic virtues such as hard work, thriftiness, efficiency, and professionalism. Scripturally these characteristics would be called being a “good steward” over the things God has seen fit to bless us with.

Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, (24) knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve. (Colossians 3:23-24)

Scriptures like Colossians 3:23-24 gave rise to the idea that no matter what your avocation if you performed your work diligently as unto the Lord with a spirit of excellence someone washing toilets would receive an equal reward as someone in a high political office or some prestigious position, who worked with equal diligence. This viewpoint provided an incentive that greatly contributed to the principles of capitalism and the free enterprise system that removed untold millions from poverty in the West.

A Brief Historical Perspective of Marxism in America

America’s court system was hugely impacted by Blackstone’s commentaries on the Laws of England, which were based on natural and spiritual principles that are alien to Marxism. This added to the biblical foundation of virtually all of America’s Founders and made America resistant to Marxist influence.

A central part of American law was the importance of personal property. John Adams declared that “The moment the idea is admitted into society that property is not as sacred as the law of God and that there is not a force of law and public justice to protect it, anarchy and tyranny commence” and that “Property is surely a right of mankind as really as liberty.” Of course, under Marxism the state owns everything and the citizens own nothing. (Reference: https://wallbuilders.com/private-property-rights-resolution/)

However, through the Kremlin’s infiltration of our society and our educational system after WWII, today Marxism has now become a major factor of influence for the last two generations, especially in our university systems. The two-fold strategy of the propaganda was first to remove any negatives concerning Marxism/Communism from all textbooks and course material that could reveal its failures and inhuman history. Secondly, they distorted American history to denigrate our founders and make it seem like America’s prosperity was completely achieved through slavery and that America always was and still is systemically racist, despite the truth that America has done more to eliminate worldwide slavery than any nation on earth. They completely ignore that 360,000 predominantly white Union soldiers died in the Civil War to eliminate slavery in America. Moreover, the liberal Democrats want to ignore that the Confederates were predominantly Democrats. It was the Democrats that gave rise to the KKK, voted against the legislation that emancipated the slaves, and later voted against giving dark-skinned citizens voting rights.

This Kremlin began by infiltrating our educational system with a program of propaganda and indoctrination which began shortly after WWII and according to a Russian KGB defector was already quite successful by 1985.

In 1985 Yuri Alexandrovich Bezmenov, a KGB defector from the Soviet Union, gave an interview with G. Edward Griffin which laid out the Soviet’s strategy to indoctrinate and destabilize America. He indicated that there was a long-term plan put in play by Russia to defeat America through a four-staged strategy of psychological warfare and indoctrination. It’s a long game that takes decades to achieve but in 1985 it had already surpassed the Kremlin’s wildest expectations. The reader can view this interview at

Stage 1: Demoralization

The first stage was Demoralization. Uri said it could take 20 years to accomplish this. Yet in 1985 he indicated that the strategy had been more effective than the Russian developer’s wildest hopes. The impact is easy to see when you realize that you could not say “damn” on television in 1950 and then see what kind of nudity and immorality is available in every media today. Out-of-wedlock pregnancy used to be a terrible ignominy characterized by disgrace and shame and today it is totally commonplace and over 40% of American babies are born to unwed mothers.

Violent crime was increasing yearly in America at about the rate of population growth throughout the 1900s, at around 3%. However, when the highest court in the land took prayer out of our public schools in 1962, which violated a large number of Supreme Court precedents set since 1776, violent crime took a radical change for the worse. Between 1962 and 1986 violent crime increased 544%. This was documented in a book by David Barton entitled “America: To Pray or Not to Pray,” printed by Wallbuilder Press, copyright first in 1988. The book also presented graphs of the change in topics like unwed pregnancies and STDs in school-age children. Subsequent, to that bill passing every one of these negative statistics increased exponentially. It was almost like we told God He wasn’t welcome in our educational system and He gave us and it over to our own devices.

Stage 2: Destabilization

The second stage was Destabilization and that’s where CRT, Intersectionality, and Social Justice Theology come into play to generate division, hatred, and racism. The proof of the influence this has had on our society at large is that the Democratic Party has made DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) a directive in every facet of state and federal government from the military to FEMA. Moreover, it has been adopted by a large number of major and smaller corporations. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are organizational frameworks that are presented as seeking to promote the fair treatment and full participation of all people, particularly groups who have historically been underrepresented or subject to discrimination based on identity or disability from a CRT perspective. However, in practice, it is simply a technique for promoting people into positions for which they are not qualified and to persecute straight white people, especially white men.

To this end, government agencies, universities, and businesses have instituted DEI training classes for all employees, which are nothing more than indoctrination into the distorted principles of CRT.

According to a remarkable new study by the Network Contagion Research Institute and Rutgers University’s Social Perception Lab, the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion programs that have polluted schools and workplaces in recent years have had the ironic yet predictable tendency to foster both racism and authoritarianism. The 13 researchers who collaborated on the study conducted psychological surveys that measured the impact of “anti-racist” training on the minds of those subjected to it. The results proved troubling:” Across all groupings, instead of reducing bias, they engendered a hostile attribution bias, amplifying perceptions of prejudicial hostility where none was present, and punitive responses to the imaginary prejudice,” The study results read, “These results highlight the complex and often counterproductive impacts of pedagogical elements and themes prevalent in mainstream DEI training.”

The Soviet Marxist propaganda of CRT does exactly what it was designed by them to do. It creates division and imparts an impression of racism where it doesn’t exist. It also imparts a sense of victimhood and hopelessness that encourages failing individuals to blame their problems on society instead of their own bad choices.

The state of Florida has made teaching or applying DEI or CRT a crime since it violates both the Constitution, the principles on which this nation was founded, and the best interest of Floridians.

https://www.standingforfreedom.com/2024/12/study-how-dei-turned-america-into-a-racial-powder-keg/

Unfortunately, all the Marxist ideologies have taken a severe toll on American society and our culture has never been as polarized and divided as it is today. The open vitriol we all witnessed during the race riots in 2020, the pro-Hamas demonstrations, and the 2024 presidential election is a testimony to the destabilization.

Stage 3: Normalization

The third stage is Normalization and when you realize that our universities, teachers’ unions, much of our public education system, the entire Democratic Party, and a significant number of our major corporations are dominated by these ideologies with the recent emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) it is clear that it has been normalized to a great degree. Fortunately, the election landslide for President-elect Trump appears to be a mandate from the American people that they are sick and tired of the godless, Marxist “woke” ideology being pushed at every level but especially at the federal level and want to return to the principles on which this nation was founded.

Stage 4: Crisis and Chaos

The fourth stage is Crisis and the chaos and societal breakdown that comes with it. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this including a massive worldwide food shortage which the World Health Organization has been predicting for the last two years. The fact that over a hundred food processing businesses in the U.S. and Canada have coincidently burned down or exploded in the last couple of years might be part of this global elite’s plan. Another crisis that could satisfy this strategy would be WWIII, which some see as being imminent.

The ultimate goal of the Soviets was to convert America’s Constitutional Republic, which the Democrats keep erroneously calling a Democracy, to Communism. However, there are also organized, elite forces in this world arguably centered on the World Economic Forum and the United Nations who are striving for a one-world autocratic government. In either case, American nationalism and our free enterprise system stand as the greatest impediment to all these agendas. Moreover, as Uri Bezmenov stressed, America is the last bastion of freedom in this world, and if America falls so does Western Civilization as we know it.

Dealing with the Deceptive Arguments and Lies of Critical Race Theory Proponents

It is imperative that Christians learn to recognize the techniques employed by the proponents of CRT today as its influence has now infiltrated most of the Christian seminaries. This should have been anticipated in as much as many seminaries are associated with universities and the Marxists have had a major influence in most universities for the last five decades or longer.

As the proponents of CRT and Social Justice infiltrated the Christian seminaries, they developed an argument that took advantage of the fact that justice is an attribute of God and a central biblical theme. So much so that our founders used bible passages to help shape our justice system. In fact, they found that the Bible was the book most quoted and referenced in all the writings and speeches of the Founders. Of all the books the book of Deuteronomy was referred to more than any other book.

Our system of laws however deals primarily with violations of the law outside of the Constitution’s guarantees of liberty, freedom of religion, and free speech. Our laws predominantly rely on the biblical rules of relationship (presented earlier) for our social mores and folkways, the essential or characteristic moral customs and conventions of our communities.

However, the Marxists have developed a devious strategy to distort the intentions of scripture. An expression you will hear over and over in their propaganda is that we have been taking too narrow a view of social justice and that we need to approach it more “holistically” to secure justice for the marginalized in society. In CRT the marginalized people are non-white and those suffering economically due to racism and “white privilege.” So, essentially, they want to make everything about race the primary social distinction, which is the antithesis of scripture.

The term “holistic” refers to the theory that all parts of a whole are intimately interconnected. According to holism (from the Greek “holo,” meaning “whole”), it's a mistake to study just one part, or even multiple parts separately, if we want to understand how they work together. Another word for holistic is “comprehensive.” So, essentially what they are implying is that God did not get sufficiently detailed in scripture to address the social dynamics we experience in society today. If this isn’t heretically enough, they are indicating that somehow man’s wisdom is sufficient to fill in what God left out.

Scripture puts this kind of thinking into perspective:

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, (13) which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. (14) But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (15) But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. (16) For WHO HAS KNOWN THE MIND OF THE LORD, THAT HE WILL INSTRUCT HIM? But we have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:12-16)

The larger problem that this Marxist infiltration of denominations, churches, and seminaries reveals is how far Christianity in America has strayed from the basics of the Gospel. Clearly, this is illustrated in that some mainstream churches are now accepting homosexuality as a valid Christian lifestyle and even ordaining it, as well as regarding abortion on demand as anything other than the murder of the unborn and the spilling of innocent blood, which is one of the seven things scripture says God hates.

The Barna Group just released survey evidence that before the COVID pandemic, only 5% of professing Christians held a Christian worldview, and after the pandemic, it dropped to 4%. These surveys indicated that 40% of professing Christians thought Christ had sinned at some point and 60% believe Christ is not the only way to Heaven.

Although we have more spiritual books in print than at any time in world history the knowledge of the doctrinal truth of the Gospel may quite possibly be at an all-time low in America. The result has been that the vast majority of Christians today do not have the doctrinal discernment to see that the Marxist ideologies of CRT and Social Justice Theology are not only heretical but are intended to compromise the Gospel message and destabilize the mainstream church in this nation. This is well chronicled in the following two videos:

These videos are to some degree spin-offs of the DVD called “Enemies Within the Church,” which is meant to be a wakeup call to all of American Christendom to recognize the very large and coordinated effort coming from the Marxist movement to start releasing Marxist indoctrinated pastors from all major seminaries to infect the American churches with false doctrine. This DVD can be ordered online from Olive Tree Ministries for $12: https://store.olivetreeviews.org/product/enemies-within-the-church/

The bottom line is that if those ministries that have not been infiltrated with these lies do not make a very public statement concerning these heretical teachings before the pastors currently being indoctrinated in the nation’s seminaries start preaching in local churches, we may have passed the point of no return!

In Christ,

Paul

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We must not be “empty vessels,” but rather we are commanded to “be filled with the Holy Spirit.”

I wrote a poem a few years ago about the dangers of an unoccupied soul. I hope it awakens your eyes to the dangers of “little sins.”

Who Guards the Door?

A Poem from the Parable of the Strong Man Luke 11:14-26

The Parable of the Strong Man

And He was casting out a demon, and it was mute; when the demon had gone out, the mute man spoke; and the crowds were amazed. But some of them said, "He casts out demons by Beelzebul, the ruler of the demons." Others, to test Him, were demanding of Him a sign from heaven.

But He knew their thoughts and said to them, "Any kingdom divided against itself is laid waste; and a house divided against itself falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?

For you say that I cast out demons by Beelzebul. And if I by Beelzebul cast out demons, by whom do your sons cast them out? So they will be your judges. But if I cast out demons by the finger of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.

When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are undisturbed. But when someone stronger than he attacks him and overpowers him, he takes away from him all his armor on which he had relied and distributes his plunder. He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me, scatters.

When the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and not finding any, it says, 'I will return to my house from which I came.' And when it comes, it finds it swept and put in order. Then it goes and takes along seven other spirits more evil than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first."

—Luke 11:14-26

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In Christ,

—Dave

Have You Been Crucified With Christ?

Beloved, if you have not made the decision to die to self and begin the struggle that this death sets up in your flesh, then you are living beneath your privilege in Christ, and you are restricting your spiritual growth more than you can possibly know.

Galatians 5:17 tells us clearly that,

“For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.”

For some, the moment of absolute surrender comes at salvation, but for most, it comes subsequent to salvation. At salvation, we have seen the light and we are generally sick and tired of being sick and tired, but we are usually determined in our heart to come apart from our sins of commission. These sins are the flagrant sins that make our life unmanageable and bring pain to those we love the most. At the point of salvation, we rarely have a sufficient understanding of scripture to see the sanctified life in its larger perspective.

If the new believer doesn’t find this knowledge or conviction within themself, they likely have a hard time finding it in churches today. The mainstream institutional church is no longer teaching or holding to the standard that Christ is clearly calling us to. If they did, they would lose a large percentage of their members overnight. This “cost” simply goes against the financial directive that truly governs the majority of churches in this nation.

It is generally after salvation that the Holy Spirit starts shining a light on the finer issues of the crucified life. It is in these seasons that He starts convicting us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (read Philippians 2:12-16). Even before that happens, we must discover and respond faithfully to the command to bend every effort to “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15). In Wuest’s exegesis of this passage he renders “Be diligent” as “bend every effort.” To which, the Spirit would add “as if your life depended on it” because your spiritual life does depend on it. This only comes through faithfully studying and applying the word of God to our life as a lifestyle. As we draw near to God and dig into the word, the Spirit starts engineering our funeral and the long battle that should leads us there.

DO YOU WALK IN WHITE?

by Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

“We were buried with Him … that just as Christ was raised from the dead … even so we also should walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:4).

No one experiences complete sanctification without going through a “white funeral”—the burial of the old life. If there has never been this crucial moment of change through death, sanctification will never be more than an elusive dream. There must be a “white funeral,” a death with only one resurrection—a resurrection into the life of Jesus Christ. Nothing can defeat a life like this. It has oneness with God for only one purpose—to be a witness for Him.

Have you really come to your last days? You have often come to them in your mind, but have you really experienced them? You cannot die or go to your funeral in a mood of excitement. Death means you stop being. You must agree with God and stop being the intensely striving kind of Christian you have been. We avoid the cemetery and continually refuse our own death. It will not happen by striving, but by yielding to death. It is dying—being “baptized into His death” (Romans 6:3).

Have you had your “white funeral,” or are you piously deceiving your own soul? Has there been a point in your life which you now mark as your last day? Is there a place in your life to which you go back in memory with humility and overwhelming gratitude, so that you can honestly proclaim, “Yes, it was then, at my ‘white funeral,’ that I made an agreement with God.”

“This is the will of God, your sanctification …” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). Once you truly realize this is God’s will, you will enter into the process of sanctification as a natural response. Are you willing to experience that “white funeral” now? Will you agree with Him that this is your last day on earth? The moment of agreement depends on you.

Most Professing Christians Never Embrace the Crucified Life

According to multiple Barna surveys, a large majority of professing Christians in America never make it to this point of crucifixion. The results of Barna surveys indicate that 95% of professing Christians in this nation have never shared their faith with another human being.

Therefore, the irrefutable declaration of scripture is that those who have failed to evangelize have been out of fellowship with God for virtually their entire Christian walk, and according to doctrine, they do not have any evidence or assurance of salvation. They may be saved, but they have been carnal Christians since they never recognized that the ministry of reconciliation, our ambassadorship to the lost, is an inescapable command and mandate from God throughout scripture.

Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do, and does not do it, to him it is sin. (James 4:17)

Remember, beloved, you do not get a certificate of salvation from an angelic messenger.  Scripture is clear that only those who are obedient to be led by the Spirit will get a testimony from the Spirit of God to their spirit that they are truly children of God:

For all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. (15) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, (17) and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him in order that we may also be glorified with Him. (18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. (Romans 8:14-18)

See also 2 Peter 1:5-11 and Hebrew 10:38.

Part of the “suffering” is bowing down our will to God’s will and sharing our faith and testimony at every opportunity.  The suffering and rejection will come, but some will be saved by your ministry.  Sharing the gospel is our second highest calling, and comes under loving our neighbor as ourselves.  The first is to love God with all of our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  But 1 John 4:20 tells us that,

“If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.”

So, if you say, “How have I hated my brother,”

God will respond, “You have not shared with Him the gospel of life, the cure for the human condition, without which every person will spend eternity in the Lake of Fire out of the presence of their Creator.”

Not to share the gospel, the power of God unto salvation, with everyone in your circle of influence is hating them with the most malevolent form of hatred that exists here below.  What worse transgression than to willingly withhold the means to keep a person from plunging into everlasting pain and agony?  This is the sin of spiritual murder in God’s eyes.

When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' and you do not warn him or speak out to warn the wicked from his wicked way that he may live, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require at your hand. (19) Yet if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness or from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but you have delivered yourself. (Ezekiel 3:18-19)

We Are Not Our Own

But even joyously taking up the mantle of evangelism and being obedient to share your faith is not necessarily a sign of the death or the funeral of which we speak. First, we must realize that we are not our own and that we were bought with a price, the precious and priceless blood of our Savior and Lord, Jesus Christ.

When verses like 2 Corinthians 5:15 (below) start coming alive to our understanding, we begin to be convicted of the degree to which we waste our time and resources on serving ourselves and our appetites. Our bondage to the world system is what stands in the way of abdicating our rights to ourselves and allowing Christ to live His life through us in the Spirit.

He died for all, that they who live should no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf. (2 Corinthians 5:15)

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me, and delivered Himself up for me. (Galatians 2:20)

It is when we can no longer casually repeat Galatians 2:20 without being gripped by conviction for all the areas of our life into which Jesus is denied admission that we start to feel the higher calling.  Only then will we feel the Spirit removing our addiction to self-indulgence that we had been experiencing from insisting on our rights to ourselves.

It is at this point that we come to a true Cross-road. Here, we will either denounce self and embrace our “white funeral,” or we will take the broader path and hold to a form of godliness (religious ritual and the observances of man-made religion). As long as we are insisting on our rights to ourselves we will never attain the higher life of spiritual power to which we are called. If we reject the upward call of God at this point, then we will find that we have grieved and quenched the Holy Spirit, and there is only a fading memory of the former days (Ephesians 4:30 and 1 Thessalonians 5:19).

Identity and Allegiance

It is often at the point when people fail to press forward to lay hold of the fullness that can be theirs in Christ that Baptist, Methodist, Presbyterian, Assemblies of God, Nondenominational, or some other label becomes primary on the throne of their life. It is not going to one of these churches that is the snare, but that you allow any identity other than Christ alone to be foremost in your heart.  If there is any name, any identity, or any allegiance here below that supersedes your identification with the Lord Jesus Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection, then you have compromised your identity in Christ.

Beloved, you cannot believe how insidious and deceptive this process is. Every member of every denomination will tell you that Jesus is their first allegiance, but their confession does not stand the test of their life. Pick up any denominational book, especially concerning missions, and count the number of times the mission outposts, buildings, organizational positions, and people are designated by the name of the denomination or organization. Compare that to the number of times the name of the Lord appears. Once you do, it will grate on your nerves thereafter.

If the book has the name of the denomination on the cover or in the forward, that is sufficient credit; from there on out, if there is anything worthy of note, it was completely wrought by the hand of God. Continuously repeating the name of a particular “division” of the body of Christ is not giving Christ all the glory that is due to Him alone. Their words may give Him the glory, but their primary allegiance betrays their words.

How sad it must be for the Spirit to break someone loose from the carnal bondage of the world system only to lose them to the spirit of religion!

Choked Out

And others are the ones on whom seed was sown among the thorns; these are the ones who have heard the word, (19) but the worries of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful. (Mark 4:18-19)

However, the majority of believers and those on the path to salvation are sidetracked by insisting on their rights to themselves regarding the pursuit of wealth, pleasure, position, popularity, entertainment, and the acknowledgment of man. This weapon of the enemy defeats the majority of the saints in that wide expanse of the battlefield before they reach the enemy’s strongholds and are in a position to overthrow his sway over those in their circle of influence.

Although this is largely the fault of pastors and church leaders preaching a watered-down, feel-good gospel, it is also a failure of the individual to seek truth by faithfully studying the word of God while in fellowship (having no unconfessed sins) on their own as a daily lifestyle. If they did, the Holy Spirit would lead them into the clear truth of scripture that would prevent this error.

The result is that due to false teachers teaching the doctrine of demons as well as the sin of omission on the part of those who decline to take a stand against the error, people become focused on the things here below. This violates countless scriptures like those following that try to steer us away from the fiery darts of the enemy in our thought life:

Do not be anxious then, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'With what shall we clothe ourselves?' (32) For all these things the Gentiles eagerly seek; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6:31-33)

He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. (38) And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. (Matthew 10:37-38)

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore, whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 4:4)

All it requires to be a friend of the world is to let gaining wealth (or any worldly priority) be more important to us than serving Christ. Judge yourself by examining your priorities.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (5) Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. [This includes allowing anything into the ear, eye, mouth, or mind gate of your temple that depicts any of this. What you put into your temple will conform you to its image. Do not be deceived. Therefore, pour in Christ and stop pouring in the world.] (6) For it is on account of these things that the wrath of God will come, (7) and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. (8) But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth. (9) Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices. (Colossians 3:1-9)

Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. (4) No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. (2 Timothy 2:3-4)

And put a knife to your throat, If you are a man of great appetite…..(4) Do not weary yourself to gain wealth, cease from your consideration of it. (Proverbs 23:2, 4)

And if we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. (1 Timothy 6:8)

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5)

Pursuit of His Calling

Beloved, when we are called to the “white funeral,” and there may be more than one. As God keeps calling us higher, we realize that anything that we could possibly choose in human wisdom or on the line of our fleshly agenda will fail to attain the highest good for our lives. The very pinnacle of our temple and the hinge pin of our faith has to be that Jesus has saved us to serve Him and Him alone and that in the pursuit of His calling, I will experience the highest possible good for my life.

That means that if we could expend an unlimited amount of money and power trying to seek a sense of significance, meaning, value, and purpose on any other line than Christ, we would fail to achieve the joy, peace, satisfaction, love, and the condition of inner and spiritual well-being that is available to us in Him. Of course, that even pales to insignificance and worse compared to spending eternity in the presence of our Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ. Do not let Paul be talking about you in Philippians 3:18-19, but realize that your calling and destiny in Christ are described in verses 20-21:

For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of Christ, (19) whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, [They boast of and take pride in their sin.] who set their minds on earthly things. (20) For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we eagerly wait for a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ; (21) who will transform the body of our humble state into conformity with the body of His glory, by the exertion of the power that He has even to subject all things to Himself.  (Philippians 3:18-21)

The Deceitfulness of the American Dream

Prosperity, materialism, and worldly gain are the very heart of what is commonly called the “American dream.” The search for wealth, popularity, and power are the primary driving forces in the fabric of American culture today. Churches have largely abandoned the idea of self-denial to avoid alienating the large majority of churchgoers. What attracts pew dwellers today is bigger orchestras, luxurious family centers, and plenty of social functions.

A church that started classifying seeking the American dream as a sin would soon be losing its carnal members left and right, let alone if they preached self-denial, giving up your rights to self, and living as a bondservant of Christ. Today, when scriptures like 1 Corinthians 6:9 are read that declare that we “are not our own, and that we were bought with the blood of Christ,” they are received in some ethereal or supernatural sense. Surely, God could not have said anything that would compromise the American dream. After all, isn’t God an American?

God’s position is simply that what He freely gives us here below and in eternity in Christ will compensate us millions of times over for forfeiting our rights to be self-destructive in our selfish, self-centered, and futile attempts to find happiness in worldly terms. Millions of Americans have become so blinded by their sin and the false teachers they have tickling their ears that they have been deceived into believing that it is alright to spend their whole life lusting after their fleshly appetites as long as they attend church. So, we find professing Christian families soaking every day in television programs that enthrone messages and behavior that God declares in His Word to be sinful abominations.

Total Submission to Christ

Beloved, God is not an American, and to seek the American dream rather than to be in utter submission to Christ is diametrically opposed to the truth of scripture. Please let the clarity of this message get through whatever bondage you are into in the world system and let it cause you to desire to be completely obedient to Paul’s exhortation in Philippians 4:1, the verse that follows his message in Philippians 3:18-21 (above):

Therefore, my beloved brethren whom I long to see, my joy and crown, so stand firm in the Lord, my beloved.

If you are not willing to die a little more to yourself every time the Holy Spirit brings the call/conviction, then you are living so far beneath your privilege in Christ that mere words cannot express what you are missing and what it will cost you both on earth and in eternity. Think about the fact that every time you sit in a pew and hear the truth preached to you, only to leave that place and not apply that truth in your life you bring judgment on yourself.

For ground that drinks the rain which often falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; (8) but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned. (Hebrews 6:7-8)

Better that you not go to the cup of communion than to go to it unworthily (out of fellowship with God) because of having unconfessed sin. Because if you do, you curse yourself:

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord… (30) For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep (have died). But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged.  But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world.”(1 Corinthians 11:27, 30-32)

Scripture also tells us that to achieve greatness spiritually, we need to humble ourselves and be the servant of all, which violates every mandate for success embraced by this nation.

Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:4)

But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (Matthew 23:11)

And sitting down, He called the twelve and said to them, “If anyone wants to be first, he shall be last of all, and servant of all.” (Mark 9:35)

Are you beginning to see a pronounced contradiction between scriptural guidelines and what is being embraced by much of the mainstream religion and our culture in this nation too much of which is focused on prosperity?

God tells us in the following scriptures that loving one another is of supreme importance to Him, second only to loving God:

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) "By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34)

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

There is no better way to be obedient to these instructions than to dedicate yourself to evangelism and to serving the cause of Christ by becoming an agent of the Holy Spirit to accomplish the highest good for others. This is the definition of agape love. Moreover, the highest good for a person is whatever brings them into a closer relationship with Jesus Christ.

And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

You will not forgive readily when your highest priority is struggling for earthly gain.

And be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Ephesians 5:21).

We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He who does not love abides in death. (1 John 3:14)

Selfishness is Demonic

Could it be that when we are driven by our own selfish motives we are commiting sin and thus serving demons?

Anton LaVey, the founder of the First Satanic Church in San Francisco, teaches that Satan does not want us to do his bidding; rather, Satan wants us to do whatever we want to do. Satan does not care what we do so long as it is not what God commands us or is leading us to do. So when we serve our own selfish motives we are serving Satan. 

Even scripture suggests that being self-centered and selfish is sharing with demons:

No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons, and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. (21) You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (22) Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we? (23) All things are lawful, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful, but not all things edify. (24) Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor.  (1 Corinthians 10:20-24)

These passages have powerful implications for many key biblical doctrines. However, it is not by accident that God saw fit to put verse 24 following the admonishment not to sacrifice to, partake with, or share with demons.

It seems that when we seek our “own good” (verse 24) over that of our neighbor, we are serving and worshipping demons.  Actually, the word “good” is added to make sense in the English.  In the Koine Greek, “his own good” all comes from heautou, which here means “himself.” The clear implication is that when we are selfish or self-centered we are worshipping ourselves and become our own god.

Keep in mind that scripture declares that we worship God with our obedience, not by our sacrifice of convenience in a “worship service.” (Romans 12:1)

“We are not stronger than He, are we?” (verse 22) simply means, “Do we think we have the power and wisdom to accomplish more for ourselves than God can?”

In his commentary on the New Covenant, Lenski addresses verse 24, “Let no one seek his own good, but that of his neighbor,” in the following:

He [Paul] purposely states the principle in the broadest form so that it may answer all of the questions that now await solution. Not to seek one’s own interest is, of course, not to be understood in an absolute way but must be considered in connection with the seeking of the interest of the other person. It excludes all selfish regard which cares nothing for the interest of other people. It demands that we have regard for the good of others also, for by doing this we shall serve also ourselves in the best possible manner.

God’s Best Is On The Other Side of Obedience

What Lenski is saying regarding serving “ourselves in the best possible manner” is that working for the good of others is not only an issue of obedience but that as we do for others we open the door for God to do for us.

The real question is whether we would rather:

1. Work for our own good and rely on our own wisdom and power, or

2. Live for the good of others and rely on God’s wisdom and power to lead, bless, and provide the things He wants us to have.

For a believer, this should be a no-brainer. But, as stated, less than 5 percent of believers operate at this level of faith and wisdom relative to evangelism.

It does not take much intelligence to realize that if you want to know the purpose of a thing, you ask the creator of the thing, not the thing itself. God has a perfect plan for our life. He knows the end from the beginning. He has total power to accomplish His purpose and He loves us unconditionally and way beyond our capacity to love ourselves. This is why we are told:

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And do not lean on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5)

I wonder how many Christians are married to the wrong spouse because when God brought the opportunity to witness to the person who would have introduced them to the person that God had chosen for them, they were disobedient and too focused on their appetites here below.

Remember, beloved: God’s best for us is always on the other side of obedience, and obedience must be immediate, complete, and joyful. 

Anything short of that is clear testimony that we have no idea who God really is and that we are darkened in our understanding and veiled from the deeper truths in His Word.

If we reflect on our life and the thousands of implications that follow upon the application of this concept, then we will begin to understand what living beneath our privilege in Christ is all about.  An old axiom puts it very simply: “You choose, you lose!”

The problem with most nominal Christians is that they have never had a first-hand encounter with the living God because they have always insisted on their rights to themselves and have never acted in obedience while in fellowship. If they had, they would have experienced an unmistakable testimony of the Spirit to their spirit that would have increased their faith multiple-fold. This is why some Christians grow at lightspeed, and others end up going through religious motions and often become bankrupt in their faith.

Beloved, God gave you volition (free choice), and He is unwilling to compromise your ability to choose based on your own understanding and carnal appetites if you desire to do so.  However, if you have a shred of spiritual insight or wisdom, then right now, you will initiate a funeral service - your own! You will fall on your face before God and repent and confess your sins and freely abdicate your rights to yourself!

Covenant from your heart this very moment that God will make every decision in your life from this moment forward and that He should convict you of every departure from that covenant.  Ask God to identify everything in your life that does not glorify Him and stop it, get rid of it, or burn it.

Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. (Romans 6:4)

If you make this commitment then one day, in the not-too-distant future, you will be celebrating this moment on your knees, with hands raised high and with tears of joy and supplication streaming down your face, repeating His name! JESUS!

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In Christ,

—Paul

How We Are to Relate to God’s Word

Throughout scripture, God commands us to keep His word sealed in our hearts and continuously on our lips, as we see in the following Old Testament passages. 

The first passage is God’s charge to Joshua at the beginning of his leadership of Israel. The word of God was to be the center and source of Joshua’s rule and success as a leader:

“Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go. (8) This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. (9) Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go. ” (Joshua 1:7-9)

In this second passage, we see this principle extended to God’s command to a king to write his own copy of the scriptures and read it all the days of his life.

Now it shall come about when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this law on a scroll in the presence of the Levitical priests. (19) It shall be with him and he shall read it all the days of his life, that he may learn to fear the LORD his God, by carefully observing all the words of this law and these statutes, (20) that his heart may not be lifted up above his countrymen and that he may not turn aside from the commandment, to the right or the left, so that he and his sons may continue long in his kingdom in the midst of Israel. (Deuteronomy 17:18-20)

The third passage is part of the Shema of Israel, which was to be recited by the Israelites twice a day as part of the morning (Shacharit) and evening (Arvit or Ma'ariv) services:

“And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; (7) and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (8) And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. (9) And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” (Deuteronomy 6:5-9)

It is noteworthy that the word translated “diligently” in Deuteronomy 6:7 is shanan in Hebrew and is a picture of sharpening something to a sharp edge on a whetstone. The implication is to teach the word to their children until their understanding is honed to a fine edge. Actually, parents should approach this endeavor as being more important than a child's public school education and critical to enable them to avoid the secular indoctrination that is embedded in our public school system.

Additionally, we have a clear association here with the picture in the New Testament of the word being a sharp double-edged Roman sword, the machaira, which is the Greek word used for “the sword of the Spirit” in Ephesians 6:17:

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17)

This image is also repeated in Hebrews 4:12,

“For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword…” (Hebrews 4:12)

Life in Ancient Israel vs Present Day

It is revealing that God required this kind of devotion to His word in a time when life was incredibly uncomplicated compared to life today.  After all, there were no cars, computers, televisions, internet, movies, and for that matter no light bulbs, electricity, or indoor toilets.  Today, there are so many technology-supplied distractions, as well as countless hobbies, sports, and sporting teams and events that compete for our time and our very identity.  Christians often cheer for their favorite team more fervently than they have ever cheered for God.

If God, in His ultimate wisdom, declared that such diligence and focus on His word was necessary to attain victory over the flesh and the powers and principalities of darkness before the First Century, how much more critical must it be for us today?

The apathy and indifference that Christians today show toward reading and speaking scripture and understanding sound doctrine have left us defenseless against our flesh, the world system, and the powers of darkness. Simply consider the spiraling violent crime, addiction, divorce, child abuse, homosexuality, and abortion in this nation.

Christian Parents Have Failed to Train Their Children

Effective training in righteousness requires proactive participation and repetitive practice, not just listening to an endless litany of sermons.  Is it any wonder that the rate of divorce among Christians is the same as that among non-Christians in America? Our nation, where 63% of the population (210 million of the total 332 million) profess to be Christian, leads every industrialized nation in the world in almost every negative statistic, including violent crime, drug abuse, child abuse, and suicide.

Christian parents have unwittingly made a huge contribution to the problem by failing to take responsibility for the salvation and instruction of their children when outside the church.

A Barna survey in 3/7/2003 found that parents typically:

• Have no plan for the spiritual development of their children,

• Do not consider it a priority,

• Have little or no training in how to nurture a child's faith,

• Have no related standards or goals that they are seeking to satisfy,

• Do not spend any time during a typical week discussing spiritual matters or studying religious materials with their children, and

• Experience no accountability for their efforts.

Moreover, one cannot help but believe that spending their time in church as mute spectators has contributed in large part to their failure in this area.

God’s Instruction Manual for Life

God devotes Psalm 119 to examining His word and giving us promises to encourage us to read, meditate upon, and live according to His word.  The Bible is the instruction manual that God provided for His creation called “Man.” Moreover, if you want to know the purpose of a thing, you do not ask the thing, but rather you ask the Creator of the thing. 

We have all learned the folly of trying to put some complicated machine together out of the box and operate it without following the instruction manual.  It is usually a recipe for disaster. Man is a thousand times more complicated than any man-made equipment. 

Consider the following passages from Psalms 119 concerning meditating on the word of God:

"…Thy servant meditates on thy statutes." (Psalm 119:23)

“I shall lift up my hands to Thy commandments, Which I love; And I will meditate on Thy statutes.” (Psalm 119:48)

"…I shall meditate on thy precepts." (Psalm 119:78)

"O how I love Thy law! It is my meditation all the day." (Psalm 119:97)

"I have more insight than all my teachers, For Thy testimonies are my meditation." (Psalm 119:99)

I found verse 99 concerning gaining "more insight than all my teachers, For Thy testimonies are my meditation” particularly attractive. I realized early on in my Christian experience that most contemporary teachers of the word had been influenced by the accumulated agenda that has seeped into the seminaries and churches of the various mainstream denominations over the years. In the last sixty years, we have seen the pervasive influence of secular humanism, new age philosophies, political correctness (the human rights movement), and the liberal Marxist left.

This is especially evident today as we see denomination after denomination falling victim to Satan's corruption regarding homosexuality, abortion, feminist propaganda, and Marxist ideologies like CRT and Social Justice Theology.

Personal, Systematic Study of the Scriptures

From firsthand experience, I can say without equivocation that arriving at biblical truth on any subject is best accomplished by systematically studying the whole counsel of God in scripture in the Spirit and not relying blindly on what comes from a teacher or a book they wrote.

Clearly, there are many opposing interpretations of scripture among pastors concerning issues like:

• Calvinism & Arminianism

• If/when there is a rapture of the church

• Whether spiritual gifts like prophecy and tongues have ceased or not.

These differences are enumerated today when multiple pastors of large churches are being accused of heresy by other pastors. It’s a major mistake to think that a pastor's popularity or the size of his church is an indication of the soundness of his doctrine as, oft times, the opposite is true.

Bible References and Study Materials

This is not to say that there is no benefit in studying the works of recognized biblical scholars. But it is expedient to read and meditate on scripture on your own in the Spirit, before biasing yourself with someone else's perspective. There is, to be sure, some sound exposition and exegesis available, but one must be especially cautious about anything that has been published in the last sixty years.

There are sources out there that are reliable like "The Expositors Bible Commentary" (12 volumes, editors compiled it between the years of 1976-1992 with 78 different authors contributing). Doctrinal books and materials from Precept Ministries International, Charles Stanley's In Touch Ministries, the writings of Gene Cunningham of Australia, and Francis Frangipane to name a few.

However, that is not to say that there may not be controversial subjects in their teachings that other equally reputable teachers might disagree with. In the final analysis, you still have to be led by the Spirit and the Word to arrive at your own understanding, and that will change over time the more insight you receive.

One of the first things God made clear to me after my Damascus Road experience was I was not to take a snapshot of my current understanding (light, insight) and put it on the wall as a fixed creed. Quite simply, the longer you walk in right relationship with Christ through the Spirit and the Word, the greater your insight will become. This also helps you to avoid worshipping tradition (past understanding) as the priests and Pharisees of Jesus’ day and many seminaries do today.

The all-time consensus best reference on the Old Testament is "Commentary on the Old Testament" by Keil and Delitzsch (10 volumes 1886 and the 2 Volume introduction by Keil).

The unequivocal authority on the New Testament Koine Greek (the language used for the autograph versions of most of the NT books) is Gerhard Kittel's "Theological Dictionary of the New Testament (10 volumes)." 

In addition, two of the very best exegesis of the New Testament can be found in Kenneth S. Wuest's "Word Studies in the New Testament" (4 volumes) and R. C. H. Lenski's "Commentary on the New Testament" (10 volumes).

Recommended Bible Study Software: e-Sword

One of the best investments one can make to begin seriously studying the word of God for oneself is bible study software. Comprehensive Bible study software provides huge benefits as it brings many of these resources together. There are a few excellent ones available like Logos and Blue Letter Bible. However, I will restrict my remarks to e-Sword as it is best free downloadable software to run on your computer or phone.

Fortunately, and other commentaries I mentioned above, along with a large selection of bible translations are available on e-Sword. Once you have loaded and installed the e-Sword system, you can download additional resources through it.

Resources and valuable biblical study aids you can find on e-Sword include a large selection of bible translations, commentaries like The Expositors Bible Commentary, Keil and Delitzch's commentary, Adam Clark's "Commentary on the Bible," Albert Barnes' "Notes on the Bible," Robertson's "Word Pictures,” "The Treasury of Scriptural Knowledge,"  "The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia," “The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury,” "Strong's Hebrew and Greek Dictionaries," "Easton's Bible Dictionary," and many, many more.

Using e-Sword: Word Study

Initially, e-Sword has a look-up tool that you can list all the verses containing an exact phrase, containing any of multiple words, or containing all of multiple words. This is very helpful for collecting all the verses that have keywords when you are searching for all the corollaries on a particular topic. This won’t get you an exhaustive list but it is a good place to start.

If you click on the verse of a scripture in this List window. It will bring up that verse in context in the Bible window and you can easily copy verses from the Bible window and paste them into a word processor or notes application.

This is how you start collecting all the verses by topic and then save in your folders with an appropriate topic title. You can then add other verses that are pertinent to that topic when you come across them in your Bible study or listening to biblical teachers. Over time, you can then determine God’s whole counsel by topic by having the majority of the corollaries on that topic together in one document.

Using Strong’s Numbers in e-Sword

Many of the Bibles are free downloads on e-Sword and you select them in the software using the ‘Download” function. It comes with two King James versions (KJV and KJV+). The plus version just adds the Strong’s numbers behind each word in the verse in parentheses. If you put your cursor on a Strong’s number in the Bible window it opens a window with information about the original language word that word was translated from. If you click on the Strong’s number it will bring that information up in the window where the dictionaries, concordances, and encyclopedia information is displayed if you have selected a tab for one of these.

Some of the bibles and study aids are copyrighted and must be purchased but can be purchased at eStudySource. I almost exclusively use the New American Standard and the Amplified from the Lockman Foundation, which cost $20 apiece. They also come with a version that displays verses with and without Strong’s numbers. The free translations outside of the KJV don’t have that capability.

Using Commentaries and Other Features in e-Sword

When you are in the Bible window and you click on a verse number it highlights the verse. This causes the verse to sync with whatever commentary or study book tab you select in the Commentaries window so you don’t have to look for it. You can click from one commentary tab to another and they will all be synced to that scripture.

You can click on the Compare tab at the top of the Bible window and it will display the selected scripture from all the bibles you have downloaded one under the other in the Bible window.

If you click on a word in the Bible window and you have selected a tab in the Dictionaries window for a dictionary or an encyclopedia it will bring up the information on that word in the Dictionaries window.

You can copy information from all of the windows for transferring to a word processor and all the windows give you the ability to highlight with an endless number of colors that can even be selected from a spectrum of color variations in a window.

It also has a fourth major window labeled “Editors” that allows you to enter a book, chapter, and verse number in key fields for recording your own input. It provides a complete word processor tool to structure your input just like any word processor. Then any time you reenter that verse in the key fields, it will bring your comments back up for editing or for copying to transfer to an external word processor.

The download feature also allows you to download from a list of devotionals, graphics (maps, Atlases, satellite views, etc), and entire reference books like Foxes Book of Martyrs, The History of the Christian Church (Philip Schaff – 10 volumes), etc.

So, you not only get a bible lookup tool, but you get a whole library of supporting study and reference material mostly for free.

Why Speaking and Writing Is Essential

Just remember that in following any of the following guidelines always take the time to pray and make sure you are in fellowship, having no unconfessed sins to ensure you are available to the anointing and guidance of the Holy Spirit. Do this and your efforts will be Spirit-led and be accorded to you as righteousness.

You are definitely gleaning knowledge from reading scripture, listening to a sermon, or going to a Bible study. The problem is you internalize a bunch of fragmented knowledge that lacks cohesion and structure. Now, the more you share the gospel, the more that knowledge starts to come together as a cohesive whole. With this practice, you will develop a structure for the fragments of that knowledge, which is certainly beneficial.

However, when you sit down to record your thoughts, preferably in a word processor, then you really start to structure and order your knowledge into an organized and communicative format that will begin to imprint upon your memory. This is a process of crystallizing your thoughts into a meaningful network of interrelated data, which is a requirement of effect writing.

You can then take all those topical corollaries you have been collecting and weave them into a powerful tapestry of doctrine. Likewise, the most effective way of remembering information from a textbook is outlining it, because interconnected data is easier to remember as a meaningful whole than just going back and rereading the information you highlighted in your textbook for a test.

To be sure, having highlights and annotations is better than not having them, especially in your Bible. Most of the passages in my e-Sword Bible in the NASB are color-coded in such a way that I can reconnect to the primary verses and the message of a chapter at a glance.

Writing is Meditation

Writing is also one of the most effective forms of meditation.  Going back to Psalms 119:99, there is probably a good chance that some reading this do not truly understand what is meant by the word "meditation." The following definition came from Russell Kelfer, one of the finest Bible teachers of the last century: (I added “gaining insight”)

Meditation is pondering, personalizing, rehearsing, and reviewing something we already know with the intent of (gaining insight,) putting it into practice, or making it work.

We must bear in mind that meditation is a form of active learning and is therefore superior to passive learning, which includes simply reading or hearing a sermon.  However, when we follow the mandates in the Word regarding meditating on, writing, sharing, and living in obedience to the Word, we must realize that we will also benefit from a supernaturally empowered process whereby the Spirit imparts insight to us and writes the precepts of God on the fleshly tablets of our heart (our mind and understanding).

“This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws upon their heart, And upon their mind I will write them…"  (Hebrews 10:16)

Meditation on Truth Leads to Walking in Truth

The result of sincere meditation is going to be an evolving strategy for walking in the light as He is in the light (see 1 John 1:5-10) and for effectively applying God’s word to our everyday lives.  Moreover, when we do this, we will be used as instruments of God to change the lives of those around us as they see the life of Christ flowing through us.

Consider the power that the Apostle Paul is saying works in us through scripture in 1 Thessalonians 2:13:

And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.  (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Of course, the work that Paul is referring to here is accomplished by the Holy Spirit with whom we are sealed at the moment of salvation, but this work is indeed going to progress in proportion to the amount of the word that we have internalized through reading, writing, meditating upon, acting upon, and speaking the word of God.  Understanding this helps us understand God’s emphatic commandment to us in 2 Timothy 2:15:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God (not to a man or a seminary) as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, handling accurately the word of truth.  (2 Timothy 2:15)

I don’t think I have ever reread one of the hundreds of doctrinal papers I’ve written that the Spirit didn’t inspire me to add or change something to better communicate the message.

Walking in Truth Leads to Sharing Truth

I initially started writing papers to share in a prison ministry. I was a volunteer chaplain in a large county jail for 14 years that processed over 10,000 different inmates a year. The nice aspect of written material is that people can reread it as many times as it takes to fully internalize the information and share the papers with others. Plus, I always had my ministry email on the footer so they could contact me if they wanted to when they were released.

With all the opposition to Christianity today, it is much easier to hand a person God brings to you for your witness a document than to try and communicate involved doctrines orally. The main exception to that is when you are conveying the testimony of your salvation experience. According to experts, a very large aspect of personal communication is non-verbal and relies on your expressions and body language.

Motivating Yourself to Reach Out And Share The Gospel

The more you share the gospel the more you will share the gospel. Every time you overcome your reticence or fear of stepping out on faith in communicating your faith to others, the more you reduce your fear, and the more likely you will overcome the fear in the future. There are two facets to that process.

1. It is just a result of the normal human process of gaining confidence through practice.

2. The more you step out on faith while in fellowship, the more you will be aware of the role the Spirit plays in the process.

One of the biggest impediments for most Christians in being proactive about their faith is they cannot identify a single time they have experienced a firsthand encounter with the living God through the Spirit. However, if you start stepping out in faith while in fellowship, the Spirit of God will, without a shadow of a doubt, make His presence known to you. Ask any of your acquaintances that openly express their faith in public situations and they will give you a testimony of the Spirit’s operation in their lives. This is God’s promise in 2 Peter 1:2-4.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3) seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

From my own experience, I can confidently add that the greater the fear you overcome in responding in faith and obedience to an opportunity to share the gospel the more powerful movement of God you will experience!

Jesus puts this all into a simple spiritual axiom

"If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them” (John 13:17).

Preparation for Witnessing

Preparation also plays a large role in whether you will respond in faith. People who carry bibles or tracts with them are much more likely to reach out to strangers. If they carry tracts, then, if nothing else, they will have read the tracts, and that will serve to refine their understanding and structure their thought process. However, I always encourage people to evolve to the point that they can write their tracts themselves as again that greatly improves your expression of Christ.

Conclusion

Do you want to be an overcomer in your faith? Engaging deeply in God’s word is a fundamental discipline for you as a believer. The scriptures we have reviewed above emphasize that knowing and meditating on God’s word equips us to stand firm in the storms of life and spiritual battles.

The distractions and temptations you face every day in this world are immense, and neglect of a deep study and knowledge of the word will leave you vulnerable and ineffective in your faith. To stand firm and see your life transformed to impact the world around you, you need the word written on your heart by the living God who indwells you.

• Learn how to study the word at a deeper level through tools like e-Sword.

• Step out to teach and share what you learn to your children and those God places in your path.

• Equip yourself to share the gospel with those who don’t know Him.

• If you prepare yourself faithfully before God, God will be able to put you into situations where he can use you for his glory.

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In Christ,

—Paul

A SOLDIER WITHOUT HEROISM IS A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER!

HEROISM is the lost chord; the missing note of present-day Christianity!

Every true soldier is a hero!

A SOLDIER WITHOUT HEROISM IS A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER!

Who has not been stirred to scorn and mirth at the very thought of a Chocolate Soldier? In peace true soldiers are captive lions, fretting in their cages. War gives them their liberty and sends them, like boys bounding out of school, to obtain their heart's desire or perish in the attempt. Battle is the soldier's vital breath! Peace turns him into a stooping asthmatic. War makes him a whole man again, and gives him the heart, strength, and vigour of a hero.

EVERY TRUE CHRISTIAN IS A SOLDIER—of Christ—a hero "par excellence!" Braver than the bravest—scorning the soft seductions of peace and her oft-repeated warnings against hardship, disease, danger, and death, whom he counts among his bosom friends.

THE OTHERWISE CHRISTIAN IS A CHOCOLATE CHRISTIAN! Dissolving in water and melting at the smell of fire. "Sweeties" they are! Bonbons, lollipops! Living their lives on a glass dish or in a cardboard box, each clad in his soft clothing, a little frilled white paper to preserve his dear little delicate constitution.

PORTRAITS OF CHOCOLATE SOLDIERS

Here are some Portraits of Chocolate Soldiers taken by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.

"He said, 'I go sir,' and went not." He said he would go to the heathen, but he stuck fast to Christendom instead.

"They say and do not"—they tell others to go, and yet do not go themselves. "Never," said General Gordon to a corporal, as he himself jumped upon the parapet of a trench before Sebastopol to fix a gabion which the corporal had ordered a private to fix and would not fix himself, "Never tell another man to do what you are afraid to do yourself."

To the Chocolate Christian the very thought of war brings a violent attack of ague, while the call to battle always finds him with the palsy. "I really cannot move," he says. "I only wish I could, but I can sing, and here are some of my favorite lines:

"I must be carried to the skies
On a flowery bed of ease,
Let others fight to win the prize,
Or sail thro' bloody seas.

Mark time, Christian heroes,
Never go to war;
Stop and mind the babies
Playing on the floor.
Wash and dress and feed them
Forty times a week.
Till they're roly poly—
Puddings so to speak.

Chorus:

Round and round the nursery
Let us ambulate,
Sugar and spice and all that's nice
Must be on our slate."

"Thank the good Lord," said a very fragile, white-haired lady, "God never meant me to be a jellyfish!" She wasn't!

GOD NEVER WAS A CHOCOLATE MANUFACTURER, AND NEVER WILL BE.

God's men are always heroes. In Scripture you can trace their giant foot-tracks down the sands of time.

NOAH

Noah walked with God, he did not only preach righteousness, he acted it. He went through water and did not melt. He breasted the current of the popular opinion of his day, scorning alike the hatred and ridicule of the scoffers who mocked at the thought of there being but one way of salvation. He warned the unbelieving and, entering the ark himself, did not open the door an inch when once God had shut it. A real hero untainted by the fear of man!

Learn to scorn the praise of men.
Learn to lose with God;
Jesus won the world through shame!
And beckons us His road.

ABRAHAM

Abraham, a simple farmer, at a word from the Invisible God, marched, with family and stock, through the terrible desert to a distant land to live among a people whose language he could neither speak nor understand! Not bad that!

But later he did even better, marching hot foot against the combined armies of five kings, flushed with recent victory, to rescue one man! His army? Just 318 odd fellows, armed like a circus crowd. And he won too! "He always wins who sides with God." What pluck! Only a farmer! No war training!

Yet what hero has eclipsed his fear? His open secret?

He was THE FRIEND OF GOD.

MOSES

Moses—the man of God—was a species of human chameleon—scholar, general, law-giver, leader, etc. Brought up as the Emperor's grandson with more than a good chance of coming to the throne, one thing only between him and it—Truth—what a choice! What a temptation! A throne for a lie! Ignominy, banishment, or likely enough death for the truth! He played the man! "Refusing to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he chose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of sin and success for a season, accounting the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt."

Again I see him. Now an old man and alone, marching stolidly back to Egypt after forty years of exile, to beard the lion in his den, to liberate Pharaoh's slaves right under his very nose, and to lead them across that great and terrible wilderness. A WILD-CAT AFFAIR, if ever there was one!

When were God's schemes otherwise? Look at Jordan, Jericho, Gideon, Goliath, and scores of others. Tame tabby-cat schemes are stamped with another hallmark—that of the Chocolate Brigade! How dearly they love their tabbies, yet think themselves wise men!

REAL CHRISTIAN REVEL IN DESPERATE VENTURES FOR CHRIST, expecting from God great things and attempting the same with exhilaration.

History cannot match this feat of Moses. How was it done? He consulted not with flesh and blood; he obeyed not men but God.

Once again I see the old grey-beard, this time descending Mount Sinai with giant strides and rushing into the camp, his eyes blazing like burning coals. One man against two million dancing dervishes drunk with debauchery!

Bravo! Well done, old man! First class!

His cheek does not pale, but his mouth moves, and I think I catch his words,

"If God is for me, who can be against me? I will not be afraid of 10,000 of the people that have set themselves against me. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear."

And he didn't. He wins again. Whence this desperate courage? Listen!

"Now the man Moses was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth." "The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend." "My servant Moses," said his Master, "is faithful in all Mine house; with him I will speak mouth to mouth."

Such is the explanation of Moses, the chameleon, the man and friend of God, and consequently a first-class hero.

DAVID

David—the man after God's own heart—was a man of war and a mighty man of valour. When all Israel were on the run, David faced Goliath—alone ... with God—and he but a stripling, and well scolded too by his brother for having come to see the battle. What a splendid fool Eliab must have been! As though David would go to see a battle and not stay to fight.

THEY ARE CHOCOLATE SOLDIERS WHO MERELY GO TO SEE BATTLES, AND COOLLY URGE OTHERS TO FIGHT THEM.

They had better save their journey money and use it to send out real fighters instead. Soldiers don't need dry nurses, and if they did the Holy Ghost is always on the spot and ready to undertake any case on simple application.

No! David went to the battle and stayed to fight, and won! Wise beyond his years, he had no use for Saul's armour. It cramped his freedom of action. He tried it on and took it off, quick sharp. And, besides, it made such a ghastly rattle, even when he walked, that he could not hear the still small voice of God, and would never have heard Him saying afterwards,

"This is the way to the brook, David! and there are the five smooth stones! Trust only in Me and them. Your own home-made sling will do first class, and there! that's the shortest cut to Goliath."

THE CHOCOLATES RAN AWAY—they were all Chocolates—but David ran upon Goliath. One smooth stone was enough.

David's secret was that he had but one Director, and He, the Infallible One. He directed the stone, as He directed the youth. Too many directors spoil the sport, and two are too many by just one. Thus Christ said to His soldiers:

"HE shall teach you all things, HE shall guide you into all the truth."

"THIS is My Beloved Son: HEAR HIM."

"ONE MEDIATOR ONLY, between God and Man, the man Christ Jesus."

ONE DIRECTOR OF CHRISTIAN MEN—GOD THE HOLY GHOST. Whose directions require indeed instant obedience, but not the endorsement of any man.

THE DEVIL NEEDS RED-HOT SHOT, FRESH FROM THE FOUNDRY OF THE HOLY GHOST.

He laughs at cold shot or tepid, and as for that made of half-iron and half-clay, half-divine and half-human, why you might just as well pelt him with snowballs.

Whence did this raw youth derive his pluck and skill? Not from military camps, nor theological schools, nor religious retreats. "To know The Only True God and Jesus Christ," is enough. Paul determined to know only Jesus Christ, and look at the grand result! Whilst others were learning pretty theories, David, like John, had been alone with God in the wilds, practicing on bears and lions.

The result? HE KNEW GOD AND DID EXPLOITS. He knew God only. He trusted God only. He obeyed God only. That's the secret. God alone gives strength. God adulterated with men entails the weakness of iron and clay—Chocolate—brittleness!

Yet hero as he was, even David alas! once played the role of Chocolate Soldier. HE STAYED AT HOME WHEN HE SHOULD HAVE GONE TO WAR. His army, far off, in danger, fighting the enemy, won. David, at home, secure, within sight of God's house and often going there, suffered the one great defeat of his life, entailing such a bitter, life-long reaping as might well deter others from the folly of sowing wild oats. David's sin is a terrific sermon (like Lot's preaching in Sodom must have been), its theme—

"DON'T BE A CHOCOLATE SOLDIER!"

In his simple, quick, and full confession, David proved himself a man again. It takes a real man to make a true confession—a Chocolate Soldier will excuse or cloak his sin. He tumbles in the mud, flounders on, wipes his mouth to try to get the bad taste of his acted lie out of it, and then goes on his way saying, "I have done no wickedness." A self-murdering fool! Killing his conscience to save his face, like Balaam beating the ass who sought to save his master's life. Being a Chocolate Soldier nearly did for David. Beware!

NATHAN

Nathan was another real Christian Soldier. He went to his king and rebuked him to his face, like Peter's dealing with Ananias (only David embraced his opportunity and confessed), and unlike the Chocolate Soldiers of today who go whispering about and refusing either to judge, rebuke, or put away evil because of the entailed scandal forsooth. Veritable Soapy Sams. They say

"It is nothing! nothing at all! A mere misunderstanding!"

As though God's cause would suffer more through a bold declaration and defense of the truth and the use of the knife, than by the hiding up of sin, and the certain development of mortification in the member, involving death to the whole body.

"He that doeth righteousness is righteous," and "he that doeth sin is of the devil," and ought to be told so.

He that is a second time led captive by the devil needs neither plaster nor treacle, but the brace rebuke and summons to repentance of a righteous man to effect his salvation.

WE ARE BADLY IN NEED OF NATHANS TODAY, who fear God and nought else, no, not even a scandal.

DANIEL

Daniel was another hero. Of course he was! Was he not the man greatly beloved of God who sent an angel to tell him so?

I love to watch him as he walks, with firm step and radiant face, to the lions' den, stopping but once—like his Master en route to Calvary—to comfort his weeping and agonized emperor. God shut the mouths of the lions against Daniel, but opened them wide against those who had opened their mouths against His servant.

A man is known by his works, and the works of Daniel were his three friends, who, rather than bow down to men or gold, braved the fiery furnace.

Again we see him going to the banquet hall, and hear his conductor whisper in his ear, "Draw it mild, Daniel, be statesmanlike. Place and power again for you if you are tactful and wise—especially tactful!" And Daniel's simple reply,

"Get thee behind me, Satan!"

There he stands before the king, braving torture or instant death—but it's the king who quails, not Daniel—who tells him to his face the whole hot truth of God, diminishing not a jot.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

John the Baptist—a man taught and made and sent of God—good old John! Who doesn't love and admire him? Why, even Herod did. A genuine deficiency of oil and treacle in his composition. He always told the bang flat truth, with emphasis. As he loved, so he warned. He knew not how to fawn.

HE WOOED WITH THE SWORD, AND "MEN" LOVED HIM THE BETTER FOR IT.

They always do.

The leaders of religion sent to John to ask him the dearly loved question of every Pharisee,

"By what authority doest thou these (good) things?"

They asked that of Christ Himself, and crucified Him for the doing of them. John's answer was plain and pungent,

"I will tell you what you ask, and more. (John was always liberal!) I? I am nobody, but ye and your masters are a generation of vipers."

A good hot curry, that! John never served his curries with butter sauce, but he was always very liberal with chutney—a man of God—NO SUGAR PLUM NOR CHOCOLATE SOLDIER HE!

Thus also he faced Herod after six months in an underground dungeon, and he a man of "God's Open-air Mission". Brought straight in before the king; surrounded with all the might and majesty of camp and court; blinking at the unaccustomed sight of light, but by no means putting blinkers on the truth, he blurted out his hot and thunderous rebuke,

"Thou shalt not have that woman to be thy wife."

A whole sermon in one sentence, as easy to remember as impossible to forget. John had preached like that before; like Hugh Latimer, he was not above repeating a good sermon to a king, word for word, when the king had not given sufficient heed to it.

John received the unique distinction of a first-class character from both God and the agent of the devil. Hark to the Savior indulging in an outburst of exquisite sarcasm,

"What think ye of John? A reed shaken by the wind? A man clothed in soft raiment?"

A Chocolate Christian? (How delicious! The Chocolates were right in front of Jesus at the time—Pharisees, Sadducees, priests, scribes, lawyers, and other hypocrites. How the crowd must have enjoyed it!)

"A prophet? Nay, much more than a prophet! Of men born of women there is none greater than John."

And what did the devil's agent say when, after John's death, he heard of Jesus?

"This," I tell you, "is John risen from the dead."

What a character! Fancy Jesus being mistaken for anyone! He could have been mistaken only for John. Nobody envies him the well-deserved honour, great though it was, for John was a man—pure granite right through, with not a grain of chocolate in him.

Had John but heard Jesus say,

"Ye shall be My witnesses unto the uttermost parts of the earth,"

I very much doubt if Herod's dungeon, or his soldiers, could have detained him. He surely would have found some means of escape, and run off to preach Christ's Gospel, if not in the very heart of Africa, then in some more difficult and dangerous place. Yet Christ said, referring to His subsequent gift of the Holy Ghost to every believer,

"He that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he,"

intimating that even greater powers than those of John are at the disposal of every Christian, and that what John was, each one of us can be—good, straight, bold, unconquerable, heroic.

PAUL

But here are other foot-tracks—outrageous ones: they can belong only to one man—THAT GRANDEST OF CHRISTIAN PARADOXES—THE LITTLE GIANT PAUL—whose head was as big as his body, and his heart greater than both.

Once he thought and treated every Christian as a combination of knave and fool. Then he became one himself.

He was called "fool" because his acts were so far beyond the dictates of human reason, and "mad" because of his irresponsible fiery zeal for Christ and men.

A first-class scholar, but one who knew how to use scholarship properly; for he put it on the shelf, declaring the wisdom of men to be but folly, and determined to know nothing else save Jesus Christ and Him crucified. The result—he made the world turn somersault.

His life was a perpetual gamble for God. Daily he faced death for Christ. Again and again he stood fearless before crowds thirsting for his blood. He stood before kings and governors and "turned not a hair". He didn't so much as flinch before Nero, that vice-president of hell. His sufferings were appalling; read them. He trod in his Master's footsteps, and so received—God is always just in His favors—the same splendid compliment that Jesus did.

"All forsook him."

So there were some Chocolate Christians in those days too. Anyone who forsook Paul must have been made of Chocolate. Doubtless the "CHOCOLATES" excused themselves as they do today.

"Who could abide such a fanatical, fiery fool? such an uncompromising character? Nobody could work with him, or he with them!"

(What a lie! Jesus did, and they got on well together.) A tactless enthusiast, who considered it his business to tell every man the unvarnished truth regardless of consequences. He won his degree hands down, and without a touch of the spur. A first-class one, too—that of the headman's axe—next best to that of the cross.

And so the tale goes on. Go where you will through the Scriptures or history, you find that men who really knew God, and didn't merely say they did, were invariably Paragons of Pluck; Dare-Devil Desperadoes for Jesus; Gamblers for God. "Fools and Madmen," shout the world and the Chocolates. "Yes, for Christ's sake," add the Angels!

Nobly they fought to win the prize,
Climbing the steep ascents of heaven,
Thro' peril, toil, and pain.
O God, to us let grace be given,
To follow in their train.

CHOCOLATE CHRISTIANS OF TODAY

The Chocolate Christians of today can at least boast of having ancient pedigrees.

CHOCOLATES A LA REUBEN

There are Chocolates a la Reuben (Judges 5:16), who have great searchings of heart, and make great resolves of heart too. But somehow they still sit among the sheepfolds, listening to the pipings of their much-loved organs and church choirs.

It's good to have a great heartsearching. It's better to make a great heart-resolve.

But, if instead of obeying, we squat among the sheep, leaving our few hard-pressed brethren to tackle the wolves by themselves, verily we are but Chocolate Christians.

You made a great resolve to go to Africa for Christ a year or two ago.

Where are you now? In England?

Yes! Yes! Lollipop! 

CHOCOLATES MEROZ

There are Chocolates Meroz (Judges 5:23), who earned the curse of the angel of the Lord. War was declared; the battle about to begin; the odds were outrageous, and Meroz remained in England attending conventions until the battle was over, then he went, in comfort and security, as a Cook's tourist! Doubtless they said,

"They couldn't fight till they had been properly ordained, and, besides, there was so very much to be done in fat, overfed Meroz, and surely to feed a flock of fat sheep in a safe place has always been considered the ideal training of war"

As though the best training for the soldier was to become a nurse-maid!!!

CHOCOLATES DU BALAAM

Chocolates du Balaam (Numbers 22-24) begin first-class, and earn the name of prophets. Then they develop a squint, melt, and finally run out of the frying-pan into the fire, thus Balaam.

One day he couldn't get his left eye to look at God. It would look at earth and mammon and that chit of a girl, Miss Popularity. He ought to have done as God told him, and plucked it out. But he said that was too much to ask of any man, and besides he wanted the best of both worlds. He had a hearty desire to die the death of the righteous, but he wasn't willing to pay the price of a righteous life. He hadn't the pluck to curse God's people, so he made plans for others to make them sin. But one day, while his dupes were putting his chestnuts into the fire, they fell in themselves, and Balaam with them.

"I counsel thee to buy of me eye salve, that thou mayest once again have a single eye, and be enabled to see the folly of flirting with the world."

CHOCOLATE DEMAS

Chocolate Demas (2 Timothy 4:10), who left old, fiery, hard-hitting Paul for an easier path. He said he thought Paul should wink at or slobber over sin instead of rebuking it.

"He was so very fond of the knife, you know; and he never would use sticking-plaster, because he said it never healed the sore but made it burrow underneath and become bigger, worse, and dangerous."

CHOCOLATE MARK

Mark joined the Chocolate Brigade once (Acts 13:13). He left Paul and Barnabas in the lurch, and went back to Jerusalem for a rest cure—a religious retreat. Thank God he got sick of it ere long, resigned his commission, and re-enlisting in God's army became a useful soldier.

MANY FINE YOUNGSTERS ARE TURNED INTO CHOCOLATES BY OLD PROPHETS

Old prophets who have lost their fire, or fire off words instead of deeds, usually become Great Chocolate Manufacturers (1 Kings 13). That poor young prophet. He did so well when he obeyed God only, but it was all over with him when he listened to another voice, even though that of an old prophet.

Didn't the old prophet say he was a prophet? and say he'd got the message straight from God? What a damnable lie!

The floor of Christendom and elsewhere is littered with wrecks made by old prophets.

God won't stand nonsense from any man.

Every man has to choose between Christ and Barabbas, and every Christian between God and some old prophet. Better be a silly donkey in the estimation of an old prophet than listen to his soft talk and flattery, and afterwards become a wreck.

"This is My beloved Son, hear HIM."

No! not even Moses, nor Elijah, nor both.

"HEAR HIM."

"You have an anointing from God, and you have no need that any man teach you."

You say you believe the Bible! do your deeds give the lie to your words?

THE TEN SPIES WERE CHOCOLATES

They melted and ran over the whole congregation of Israel (Numbers 13), turning them into CHOCOLATE CREAMS—"softies", afraid to face the fire and water before them. God put them all into the saucepan again and boiled them for forty years in the desert, and left them there.

He has no use for Chocolates.

It's not small things He despises, but "Chocolates"; for He said,

"Your little ones shall inherit the promised land which you have forfeited through listening to men and despising Me"

CHOCOLATE JONAH

Jonah became a Chocolate Soldier once (Jonah 1). Told to go to Africa, he went to Liverpool and took ship for America. Luckily he met a storm and a whale which, after three days' instruction, taught him how to pray and obey, and set him once again on the right track.

There's nothing that shows up CHOCOLATES so much as a bit of a breeze among God's people. Paul and Barnabas had one once. Judging from experience, I guess there were some Chocolates about then who got into a fog right away! Before that, they had vowed they would go to the heathen; but this breeze between P. and B. put them off. If they hadn't been MADE OF CHOCOLATE they would have said,

"This affair between Paul and Barnabas only makes it more necessary for me to keep close to God, and do what He told me to do more exactly and punctually; so I shall go a bit sooner to Africa—that's all!"

Difficulties, dangers, disease, death, or divisions don't deter any but Chocolates from executing God's Will. When someone says there's a lion in the way, the real Christian promptly replies,

"That's hardly enough inducement for me; I want a bear or two besides to make it worth my while to go."

FANATICS?

CHOCOLATES are very fond of talking loud and long against some whom they call fanatics, as though there were any danger of Christians being fanatics nowadays! Why, fanatics among Christians are as rare as the "dodo". Now, if they declaimed against "tepidity", they would talk sense.

God's real people have always been called fanatics. Jesus was called mad; so was Paul; so was Whitfield, Wesley, Moody, Spurgeon. No one has graduated far in God's School who has not been paid the compliment of being called a fanatic.

We Christians of today are indeed a tepid crew. Had we but half the fire and enthusiasm of the Suffragettes in the past, we would have the world evangelized and Christ back among us in no time.

Had we the pluck and heroism of the Flyers, or the men who volunteered for the North or South Polar Expeditions, or for the Great War, or for any ordinary dare-devil enterprise, we could have every soul on earth knowing the name and salvation of Jesus Christ in less than ten years.

Alas! What stirs ordinary men's blood and turns them into heroes, makes most Christians run like a flock of frightened sheep. The Militants daily risked their lives in furtherance of their cause, and subscribed of their means in a way that cried "Shame" on us Christians, who generally brand the braving of risks and fighting against odds as a "tempting of God".

CHOCOLATE CARAMELS

Chocolate Caramels—"stick-jaw," boys call them—jawing, "I go, sir," and sticking fast in Christendom. No conquest is made in assured safety, and conquest for Christ certainly cannot so be made.

We Christians too often SUBSTITUTE PRAYER FOR PLAYING THE GAME. Prayer is good: but when used as a substitute for obedience, it is naught but a blatant hypocrisy, a despicable Pharisaism.

We need as many meetings for action as for prayer—perhaps more. Every orthodox prayer-meeting is opened by God saying to His people,

"Go work today; pray that labourers be sent into My vineyard."

It is continued by the Christian's response,

"I go, Lord, whithersoever Thou sendest me, that Thy Name may be hallowed everywhere, that Thy Kingdom may come speedily, that Thy Will may be done on earth as in heaven."

But if it ends in nobody going anywhere, it had better never have been held at all. Like faith, prayer without works is dead. That is why many PRAYER-MEETINGS might well be styled "much cry, yet little wool."

Zerubbabel didn't only hold prayer-meetings; he went and cut down trees, and started to build. Hence God said, "From this day will I bless thee."

Report says that someone has re-discovered the secret of the old masters. Cannot we Christians re-discover, and put into practice, that of our Great Master and His former pupils, Heroism? He and they saved not themselves; they loved not their lives to the death, and so kept on saving them by losing them for Christ's sake.

CONVENTIONS, CONFERENCES, & RETREATS

WE ARE FRITTERING AWAY TIME AND MONEY IN A MULTIPLICITY OF CONVENTIONS, conferences, and retreats, when the real need is to go straight and full steam into battle, with the signal for "close action" flying.

The "Vox Humana" plays too important a part in our Christian organs and organizations today. The music, whoever plays, is bound to be thin when the tops of "Instant Obedience" and "Fiery Valor" are missing or unused, and without them to play the "Lost Chord" of Heroism is an impossibility.

"Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it," said the Blessed Virgin.

Do what? Not put treacle and spice into the soft holy vessels inside the house, but pour the Water of Life into those empty stone ones outside. Cana's marriage feast would have ended in shame had the wine run short.

Christ's marriage feast begins only when the wine is sufficient—a blend from every tongue and kindred and tribe and nation. The supply is assured, as soon as the water is poured out as Christ directed, into "the uttermost parts of the earth".

The mischief today is the reluctance of the servants to do the outside work. They all want to serve indoors, wear smart clothes, listen to the conversation, and make a terrible lot of themselves in the butler's pantry.

DO LET US MAKE A REAL START NOW—AT ONCE

For years, like Mr. Winkle, we've declared we were just about to begin, and then never began at all.

We must divorce Chocolate and Disobedience, and marry Faith and Heroism.

"Who shall begin the battle?" asked the king. "Thou," replied the prophet, and when the king and the young princes led the way, though the odds against them were terrific, they won with ridiculous ease. So, too, THE APOSTLES LED IN THE WAR OF GOD to the uttermost parts of the earth. Likewise in the Crusades, the kings and princes of State and Church led; then why not today in THE CRUSADE OF CHRIST TO EVANGELIZE THE WORLD?

"New wine," said Christ, "must be placed in New bottles." Those superfluously labeled and patched-up old-fashioned ones are as hopeless as the New Theology. They can't be moved lest they burst with pride and spill the wine in the wrong place.

Listen:

"And it shall be in the last days, I will pour forth of My Spirit upon all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your young men shall see visions (of faith), your old men shall dream dreams (of valorous obedience); yea, and on My bondmen and on my bondmaidens in those days will I pour forth of My Spirit, and they shall prophesy; and I will show wonders in the heaven above and signs in the earth beneath; and it shall be that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved."

But how can they call on Him of whom they have not even heard? Must you stay, young man? Can't you go, young woman, and tell them? Verily we are in the last—the Laodicean stage—that of the Lukewarm Church.

Wilt thou be to Christ the partner of His throne or an emetic (Revelation 3:21); a Militant or a Chocolate Christian?

Wilt thou fear or wilt thou fight?

Shall your brethren go to war and shall ye sit here?

When He comes, shall He find faith on the earth?

A thousand times you have admitted Christ's

“Love so amazing, so divine,
Demands your life, your soul, your all.”

Wilt thou be a miser and withhold what honour demands of thee?

Wilt thou give like Ananias and Sapphira, who, pretending to give all, gave only part?

Possessing and enjoying the vineyard, wilt thou, like the husbandman, refuse the agreed rent?

Wilt thou fear death, or devil, or men?

AND WILT THOU NOT FEAR SHAME?

Some shall rise to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.

Shall we refuse to emulate the heroes of old, or shall we accomplish the double fulfillment of those glorious words?—

“All these being men of war came with a perfect heart to make Jesus King over all the world. They were all mighty men of valor for the war! He that was least was equal to a hundred, and the greatest to a thousand! They were not of double heart! Their faces were like the faces of lions! They were as swift as the roes upon the mountains (to do their Lord's commands)! Ye sought in time past, for Jesus to be King over you. NOW, THEN, DO IT.” (1 Chron. 12:8,33,38, 2 Sam. 3:17-18.)

Shall we not reply:

“Thine are we, Jesus, and on Thy side. God do so to me, and more also, if as God has sworn unto Him, I do not even so to Jesus—to translate the kingdom from the house of Satan, and set up the throne of Jesus Christ over all the world. (1 Chron. 12:18, 2 Sam. 3:10.)

Come, then, let us restore the "Lost Chord" of Christianity—HEROISM—to the world, and the crown of the world to Christ. Christ Himself asks thee, "Wilt thou be a Malingerer or a Militant?"

To your knees, man! and to your Bible! Decide at once! Don't hedge! Time flies! Cease your insults to God, quit consulting flesh and blood. Stop your lame, lying, and cowardly excuses.

Enlist! Here are your papers and oath of allegiance. Scratch out one side and sign the other in the presence of God and the recording angel.

Mark God's endorsements underneath:

HENCEFORTH

For me—

• To live is Christ.

• To die is gain.

• I'll be a militant.

• A man of God.

• A gambler for Christ.

• A Hero.

Sign Here:______________

For me—

• Chocolate my name.

• Tepidity my temperature.

• A malingerer I.

• A child of men.

• A self-excuser.

• A humbug.

Sign Here:______________

God's promises are sure in either case:

The Hero: "I am with you always."

The Chocolate Soldier: "I will spew thee out of My mouth."

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Originally published as an introduction to the book by Christopher Dean, “Religion as it Should Be, or, The Remarkable Experience and Triumphant Death of Ann Thane Peck.” It also appeared in the Oberlin Evangelist as "The Way to Live On Christ." (May 12, 1847, p. 75.)

I came across this quote in an excellent book called They Found the Secret by V. Raymond Edman in a chapter exploring what J. Hudson Taylor called “The Exchanged Life.”

Reproduced as originally published with the exception of edits to headings, paragraphs, and punctuation to improve readability.

How to Live On Christ

The very figure which Christ uses illustrates this idea;

‘as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in me.’

Now how does a branch bear fruit?

Not by incessant effort for sunshine and air; not by vain struggles for those vivifying influences which give beauty to the blossom, and verdure to the leaf;—it simply abides in the vine, in silent and undisturbed union; and the fruit and blossoms appear as of spontaneous growth.

How Shall a Christian Bear Fruit?

How, then, shall a Christian bear fruit? By efforts and struggles to obtain that which is freely given; by meditations on watchfulness, on prayer, on action, on temptation, and on dangers?

Christians in whom these dispositions are once firmly fixed go on calmly as the sleeping infant borne in the arms of its mother.

In spiritual, as in temporal matters, they take no thought for the morrow—for they know that Christ will be as accessible tomorrow as today, and that time imposes no barrier on his love. Their hope and trust rest solely on what he is willing and able to do for them; on nothing that they suppose themselves able and willing to do for him.

Their talisman for every temptation and sorrow is their oft-repeated, childlike surrender of their whole being to him, as the infant in every trouble finds a safe asylum in the bosom of its mother. That such was the course of the subject of this narrative is shown by her great and uncommon activity in every good thing; for, we read,

‘He that abideth in me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.’

Some may say, ‘Truly this is a very delightful state of feeling, but how shall we obtain it? How shall we begin?’

Imagine a Day Spent on this Principle.

Let us imagine a day spent on this principle.

You awake in the morning and commend yourself to Christ’s care for the day.

The first temptation that besets you may lead you to a waste of time. Say immediately, ‘Lord, assist me in this particular.’

The next may be a temptation to irritation. Cast yourself again on Christ for this.

A few hours after you may be tempted to censorious remarks on some neighbor. Cast yourself upon Jesus.

A while after, you may perhaps forget yourself and give utterance to some hasty or ill-judged expression. Turn instantly to Christ, confess your fault, and ask for further help.

If you find yourself beset with uncommon difficulties and temptations and in danger of forgetting what manner of spirit you are of,—steal from your avocations though but for a few moments, and ask help of Jesus.

The example of the subject of this memoir, in having a full and stated season of prayer at noon, cannot be too highly commended. The middle is usually the most unspiritual part of the whole day. The cool of the morning is generally to everyone, a time of good purpose and resolution, and the quiet of the evening is often devoted to penitence and retrospection; but the noon is too often a season of hurry and bustle—there is therefore so much the greater need that we then consecrate a portion of the time as a stated season of prayer.

But the Christian, who would live as Christ directs, must beware of making seasons of prayer the substitute for that constant recurrence to him which we have endeavored to inculcate.

Morning and evening, the little child is with its mother in a long and fond embrace; it listens with rapture to the expressions of her affection and willingly renders the tribute of promised obedience. But in times of difficulty or danger, it instinctively runs to the same arms for protection, without reflecting whether the danger be great or small.

A direction of great importance to one who would live this life, is this:—In your sins, troubles, and temptations, make no distinction between great and little things. Remember that nothing that has the slightest bearing on your improvement and spiritual progress is insignificant in the estimation of Christ.

Now, it is a fact that Christians are more impeded in their progress by little things than by great ones;—because, for great things, they seek the strength of Christ, and for little ones, they act in their own.

But if the little accidents of every day’s occurrence, the petty annoyances to which everyone is subjected, be sufficient to ruffle the temper and excite an unchristian spirit, they are to you matters of very serious moment; and as such, you must regard them—nor can you fully abide in Christ by attaching to such things that just importance, which shall lead you to refer them to Him with the same freedom that you feel in reference to what you commonly call serious affairs.

Looking To the Life of Christ

If you are conscious of peculiar and besetting faults, familiarize your mind to those incidents of the life of Jesus, which show a particular bearing on them.

If you are irritable, examine all those incidents which show his untiring patience; if you are proud, those which exhibit his humility; if you are worldly, those that show his spirituality; if you are negligent and careless in duty, those which show his incessant zeal and activity.

Study them, understand them, keep them in memory, and pray to him to infuse into you the same spirit. The memory, too, may well be stored with those sacred songs descriptive of the character of the Saviour or imploring his divine aid; for their sweet words will sometimes come to you in hours of temptation like gentle messages from your Lord.

The remarks now made are intended as general hints, but the only teacher of the true life of faith is Christ. Go to him and ask him to direct you. Remember the remarkable dying words of the subject of this memoir in relation to the Saviour,

Christ in the Bible says this to every Christian when he says,

‘I will put my law into their hearts and write it in their thoughts.’

Christ is willing to make you just as meek, just as patient, just as lovely as he is; and if you desire it earnestly, if you desire it more than everything else, if you are willing to give up all beside for it, he will explain to you practically what is meant by ‘abiding in him,’ and by his coming to make his abode with you.

Then your Christian race will be full of love and joy; more like the free flight of a bird than the struggles of a captive. You will naturally lay aside every weight and the sin that easily besets you and run with patience the race that is set before you, because your whole soul will be so filled with the view of Jesus at its termination; you will be so inspired with admiration, hope and joy, that you will run because you cannot hold back;—the spectators, the race-course, all about you, will be forgotten in the view of Jesus, at once your helper, your judge, and your eternal reward.

— Harriet Beecher Stowe

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When the Holy Spirit was putting this message on my heart, He kept emphasizing the word “insidious” to such a degree that I looked up the underlying meanings of the word.

• “Insidious” is from the Latin insidiosus and is a derivative of insidiae, meaning “ambush”.

• According to Merriam-Webster, it embodies the idea of “awaiting a chance to entrap,” “harmful but enticing,” and “having a gradual and cumulative effect.”

• It also conveys the idea of a progression like a disease that develops so gradually as to be well established before becoming apparent.

The attack of the enemy is “insidious,” therefore, you must be diligent to:

“Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life” (Proverbs 4:23).

Matthew Henry had an excellent description of the human-spiritual conflict:

“The combat is not against human enemies, nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labor to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God’s grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee.”

Our Soul Has Two Great Enemies

1. The flesh, or our sinful nature

2. The powers and principalities of darkness in this world (Satan and his evil forces).

Together these two enemies have mounted a never-ending assault upon the life of Christ in every believer (Eph. 6:11-12; Gal. 5:17). The assault is insidious because the enemy’s strategies are designed to deceive us and blind us to the truth of God by utilizing our common sense, our natural desires, and our tendency to be insecure about ourselves and tomorrow in violation of the promises of God in His word.

Very simply, it is quite a step of faith to live by confidence in God’s word when it seems to contradict every principle that we have learned through our physical senses – by what we feel, smell, taste, see, and in general our affinities here below. As the Apostle Paul put it:

A natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. (1 Corinthians 2:14)

It is natural for a man to desire fame and fortune and to be prideful, self-centered, and disdainful of others. But if this natural working of our carnal (fleshly) mind is not restrained by the power of the Spirit in believers, it will ultimately lead to our spiritual defeat, and we will be shipwrecked in our faith.

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:7-8)

Judgmental, Critical, Contemptuous Spirit

Be gracious to us, O LORD, be gracious to us, For we are greatly filled with contempt. (4)  Our soul is greatly filled with the scoffing of those who are at ease, And with the contempt of the proud. (Psalm 123:3-4)

One of the best indexes of the life of Christ in a believer is our heart’s condition as expressed by our day-to-day attitude and how we act toward others. One of the most self-destructive attitudes that a believer can be infected with is “contempt” for others, which is another way of saying that a person has a prideful, critical, and judgmental spirit.

The result is that we become focused more on judging others’ behavior rather than on improving our own. Unfortunately, self-centeredness and pride have become a hallmark of the social landscape in the U.S. in the last fifty years. Therefore, it is easy for Christians to get drawn into this mindset through interaction with unbelievers and the world system. We have become a nation of self-centered individualists who judge the rest of the world by our own personal perspectives and agendas.

The following are behavior patterns that grow out of this strategy of the enemy:

1. Developing a critical and judgmental attitude towards others and circumstances (gossiping about and deriding others).

2. Imputing negative motives to others when we have no insight into their lives and circumstances.

3. Blaming others for our problems instead of being objective about our own shortcomings, bad choices, and character flaws and working to remedy them.

4. Developing a spirit of competition, envy (covetousness), and one-upmanship towards others.

5. Developing a demanding and impatient spirit that moves us to anger whenever people or circumstances inconvenience us or cause things not to go according to our agenda. Wanting the world to revolve around us and never interfere with our personal agenda makes us our own god!

6. Being focused on things here below rather than having our eyes and affections set upon Christ and the things that have eternal significance.

Perhaps the worst part of this behavior is that scripture clearly indicates that it both grieves the Holy Spirit and quenches His operation in a born-again believer (1 Thess. 5:12-19; Eph. 4:22-5:7).

The Law of Sowing and Reaping

God’s word clearly warns us against being contemptuous and judgmental towards others, citing some very undesirable consequences for failing to heed His warning as we see in the following passage:

Do not judge and criticize and condemn others, so that you may not be judged and criticized and condemned yourselves. (2) For just as you judge and criticize and condemn others, you will be judged and criticized and condemned, and in accordance with the measure you [use to] deal out to others, it will be dealt out again to you. (3) Why do you stare from without at the very small particle that is in your brother's eye but do not become aware of and consider the beam of timber that is in your own eye? (4) Or how can you say to your brother, Let me get the tiny particle out of your eye, when there is the beam of timber in your own eye? (5) You hypocrite, first get the beam of timber out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the tiny particle out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:1-5 Amplified Bible)

This statement is not some haphazard theory; it is an eternal law of God.  Jesus said that the basis of life was the Law of Sowing and Reaping and that as we sow into the lives of others, we will reap in our own life.

• If we sow judgment and criticism into the lives of others, then that is what we will reap (receive) in our own life.

• However, if we sow love, acceptance, forgiveness, and mercy into the lives of others, then these are what we shall receive in return from God.

According to the scripture, we all have fallen short of the righteousness of God and desperately need his mercy. It follows that we should extend that same quality of mercy to our fellowman if we expect to receive it from God.

If we are willing to first experience the sacrifice required to die to ourselves in order to get the log (sin) out of our own eye, then we will receive the wisdom and compassion necessary to be patient and loving while helping our brother to get victory over the same problems in his life.

The result will be that we will develop a generous and forgiving attitude towards the shortcomings of others, which will create a condition of peace and joy in our lives instead of the bitterness and emptiness that comes from being judgmental, prideful, and contemptuous of others.

Therefore you are without excuse, every man of you who passes judgment, for in that you judge another, you condemn yourself; for you who judge practice the same things. (2) And we know that the judgment of God rightly falls upon those who practice such things. (3) And do you suppose this, O man, when you pass judgment upon those who practice such things and do the same yourself, that you will escape the judgment of God? (4) Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and forbearance and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? (5) But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God. (Romans 2:1-5)

The reason we see hypocrisy, deceit, and a lack of genuineness in others is that they are all in our own hearts. One of the greatest characteristics of a Christian is humility, as evidenced by being able to say honestly and humbly,

If we will spend the time necessary perfecting victory over the sin in our own lives, then there will be no time left over to judge others.  Moreover, once we have gotten some victory over our own sins, we will have gained the wisdom to be more humble and compassionate in helping others deal with theirs.

The Holy Spirit is the only one in the divine position to criticize God’s children, and He alone can show us what is wrong without hurting or wounding us. He alone can create the godly sorrow that will result in repentance.

For though I caused you sorrow by my letter, I do not regret it; though I did regret it—for I see that that letter caused you sorrow, though only for a while— (9) I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us.  (10) For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. (2 Corinthians 7:8-11)

We must ever remind ourselves that it is impossible to enter into fellowship with God when we have a critical spirit. Criticism serves to make us harsh, vindictive, and judgmental and leaves us with the deception that we are somehow superior to others.

Bringing Every Thought Captive to Christ

We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5)

Jesus says that as His disciples, we should cultivate a temperament and an attitude that is humble, generous, nurturing, and forgiving. Of course, this will not happen quickly but must be developed gradually over time. We must constantly bring every thought into captivity to Christ that causes us to think of ourselves as superior to others regardless of our circumstances here below:

But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble." (James 4:6)

You younger men, likewise, be subject to your elders; and all of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, for God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble. (1 Peter 5:5)

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor. (Romans 12:10)

But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (12) Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:11-12)

We need to be objective with our own spiritual condition and remember how lovingly and patiently God has dealt with us. The knowledge that God has loved us beyond all human limits should motivate us to love others in the same way, understanding that this is only made possible by God’s grace working in and through us.

We may get irritated because we have to contend with difficult people. But then we must reflect on how obstinate, disobedient, and rebellious we have been towards God and pray for those people rather than judge them! The real question is this:

Neither natural affection nor God’s divine love will long remain or grow in us unless it is nurtured. Love is from God, but it must be maintained through discipline and practice and, above all, by being honest with ourselves about our own shortcomings.

When we stay focused on God’s grace working in us, it is much easier to be patient with others as He works in them. But the result of our humility and compassion towards others is that we will experience God’s love and joy and peace in our own lives, and we will stay in fellowship (a lifestyle of immediate repentance and confession when we sin) with Him and continuously available to the transforming power of the Spirit working in our lives.

Spirit of Competition and Individuality

Take heed to your spirit, that you do not deal treacherously. (Malachi 2:16b)

Our state of mind is powerful in its impact on our countenance and attitude toward others. It can be the enemy that penetrates right into our soul and destroys the work of the Spirit in creating the life of Christ in us.

This nation is literally overwhelmed with a spirit of competition and a spirit of individuality, both of which are identified with the spirit of anti-Christ and diametrically opposed to every principle of humility and dying to self that God instructs us to follow in Christ.

A spirit of competition for material things, popularity, or power will always get our eyes off of Christ and tempt us to deal treacherously with one another. Our goal should be to do our utmost to glorify God in all we do, not to compete with one another. We should diligently do our best in all things (as unto the Lord) and trust Him with the results.

The truth is that as we do for others from a pure heart, the infinite and incomprehensible power and wisdom of Almighty God will be working on our behalf to transform us more into the image of Christ.

• Do we think for one moment that we can do better for ourselves than God can?

• Do we even think for a moment that we could, in our own wisdom, devise circumstances that could bring us contentment and a sense of significance and well-being?

If we do, then we make ourselves our own god and put our common sense on the throne of our lives instead of Jesus Christ. Once we do this, we will create all kinds of idols to our desires and passions here below that will work insidiously in the power of the evil one to destroy any relationship we might have with others or with our Creator and Lord.

The spirit of competition leads us into the sins of covetousness and preoccupation with the approval of others. It gets our eyes off Christ and causes us to rely on our own devices and provision, which will inevitably cause us to be brought into bondage to “the cares of this world …” (Mark 4:19).

These are the very things that produce wrong attitudes and idolatry in our lives. It is incredible what enormous power there is in simple things to distract our attention away from God. We must refuse to be caught up by “the cares of this world” or anything else that keeps us from trusting in and relying upon Christ for every detail of life.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (Matthew 6:33-34)

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (Colossians 3:1-4)

Self-Vindication vs. Approval of God

The spirit of competition will also give rise to the need to constantly justify and vindicate ourselves, and this behavior will fight against the work of the Holy Spirit in convicting us of sin and righteousness. As St. Augustine prayed,

Such a need for constant vindication destroys our soul’s faith in God. Stop feeling that you must get people to understand you and that you must convince them of the rightness of your actions.

Christ never explained anything—He left the misunderstandings or misconceptions of others to correct themselves. We, like Christ, should only be concerned with the acknowledgment and approval of God and trust Him and Him alone to give us whatever favor we need with one another and with the world.

Life is 10% Circumstances, 90% Attitude

The Apostle Paul said in Romans 13:8 that we are to:

Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

In other words, if we will maintain a godly attitude towards those around us and love them with the love of Christ, then God will supernaturally engineer the details of our relationships here below through the power of His Spirit in us. But remember that we cannot maintain earthly affection or supernatural love for anyone we disrespect or treat with contempt.

So, if we disrespect our spouse through impatience, contemptuous words, thoughts, or actions, then we are effectively tearing down our relationship with them. Such is the insidious and deceptive strategy of the enemy to destroy marriages and relationships.

Thus, our attitudes toward a person will ultimately determine the quality of our relationship with them. So, if you want your love for your spouse to grow, then determine to treat them with honor, respect, and love whether you think they deserve it or not….as we sow, so shall we reap!  Changing your attitude will not only change your behavior, but God will work supernaturally to give you favor with those around you!

One of my favorite quotes is by Dr. Chuck Swindoll, who states that:

Another way of saying this is that every circumstance can be either a blessing or a curse depending on how we respond to it.

It is the same with money. Money is not a blessing; it’s a test! It is our attitude toward it and how we spend it that determines whether it is a blessing or a curse!

Likewise, it is true that the bigger the offense that you respond to in a humble, compassionate, and godly way, the greater the reward you will receive from God. However, keep in mind that the greatest reward we can receive is a closer relationship with Jesus Christ!

The Blessings of Total Surrender

We will never know the joy of self-sacrifice until we surrender every detail of our lives to God and abdicate our rights to ourselves. However, self-surrender is the most difficult thing for us to do. We make it conditional by saying,

Or we approach it by saying,

We will never find the joy of self-sacrifice in either of these ways. We are totally missing God if, like Saul and Balaam, we see God’s law as a restriction that keeps us from achieving our own design, instead of agreeing with David that:

Thy word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against Thee…(15) I will meditate on Thy precepts, And regard Thy ways (16) I shall delight in Thy statutes; I shall not forget Thy word. (Psalm 119:11, 15-16)

Seeing God’s word as burdensome and restrictive instead of delighting in it is proof of the rebelliousness of our own heart, and rebellion keeps us from believing that God’s will is the highest good for our life.

But as soon as we do totally surrender, abandoning ourselves to Jesus, the Holy Spirit gives us a taste of His joy. The ultimate goal of self-sacrifice is to lay down our lives for our friends (see John 15:13-14). When the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, our greatest desire is to lay down our lives for Jesus. Yet the thought of self-sacrifice never even crosses our minds but sacrifice through obedience to Christ is the ultimate expression of love.

Agape love for another is desiring to be the agent of the Spirit to accomplish the highest good for their life regardless of the cost to us, even unto death. Clearly, the highest good for anyone is to bring them into a closer relationship to Him. However, we will never fully abdicate our rights to God until our faith is strong enough to truly believe that God can do more for us in a nanosecond than we could do for ourselves in a lifetime of hard work!

Our Lord is our example of a life of self-sacrifice, and He is perfectly exemplified by Psalm 40:8, “I delight to do Your will, O my God ….” He endured tremendous personal sacrifice, yet with overflowing joy.

If He is not the One to whom you are looking for direction, protection, and sustenance, then there is no benefit in your sacrifice. But when our obedience and sacrifice is made with our eyes focused on Him, not to benefit us but to please Him, then, slowly but surely, His molding influence will become evident in our life.

It is then that we will become overcomers in Christ as the operation of the Spirit in us will defeat the insidious attacks of the enemies of our soul.

And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

Love is patient, love is kind, and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, (5) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, (6) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

Scriptures for Life in Christ

Be on guard, that your hearts may not be weighted down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day come on you suddenly like a trap. (Luke 21:34).

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice! (5) Let your forbearing spirit be known to all men. The Lord is near. (6) Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. (7) And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, shall guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (8) Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, let your mind dwell on these things. (9) The things you have learned and received and heard and seen in me, practice these things; and the God of peace shall be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9)

You therefore, beloved, knowing this beforehand, be on your guard lest, being carried away by the error of unprincipled men, you fall from your own steadfastness, (18) but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory, both now and to the day of eternity. Amen. (2 Peter 3:17-18)

For we also once were foolish ourselves, disobedient, deceived, enslaved to various lusts and pleasures, spending our life in malice and envy, hateful, hating one another. (Titus 3:3)

My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. (22) For they are life to those who find them, And health to all their whole body. (23) Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. (24) Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put devious lips far from you. (25) Let your eyes look directly ahead, And let your gaze be fixed straight in front of you. (26) Watch the path of your feet, And all your ways will be established. (27) Do not turn to the right nor to the left; Turn your foot from evil. (5:1) My son, give attention to my wisdom, Incline your ear to my understanding; (5:2) That you may observe discretion, And your lips may reserve knowledge. (Proverbs 4:20-5:2)

But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. (2 Timothy 3:13) 
[Old Axiom: Nothing good every results from something bad!]

I have more insight than all my teachers, For Your testimonies are my meditation. (Psalm 119:99)

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In Christ,

—Paul

The most important thing you can do in your entire life is to ensure that you have eternal life. Since you don’t know the day you will die, the most urgent thing for you to do right now is to test your own heart and life to determine if you are indeed saved from the wrath of God and are found in Christ on the day of Judgment.

Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now declaring to men that all people everywhere should repent, because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He has appointed, having furnished proof to all men by raising Him from the dead."
— Acts 17:30-31

The scary reality is that many are woefully unprepared for that day. The Barna Group recently determined through extensive surveys that only 4% of professing Christians hold a Christian worldview. This means that only 4% of Christians hold to the essential doctrines required to be truly saved. It would seem that the broad and narrow way doesn’t refer to the world and the church alone but also to those who think they are saved in the church.

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
— Matthew 7:13-14

Seems accurate enough based on the definitions of the words, but scary at the same time to think that so many could be genuinely deluded about their relationship with God and their eternal state.

Jesus Told Us it Would Be This Way

Did you know that Christ taught that there would be many people in the church who call themselves Christians who are not actually saved? Not only did He assure us that this would be the case, but God has purposefully intended this so as not to uproot and destroy the genuine faith of the saved.

Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25  "But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away. 26  "But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also. 27  "The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, 'Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have tares?' 28  "And he said to them, 'An enemy has done this!' The slaves said to him, 'Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?' 29  But he said, 'No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30  Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, "First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn."
— Matthew 13:24-30

Not only will the church in general not know who is saved and who is unsaved within the church, but we also understand that the individuals who are not saved won’t understand their own condition until it is too late.

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. (22) Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' (23)And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'
— Matthew 7:21-23

Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God.
— 1 Corinthians 4:5

If these statistics hold, many who read this article will be Christians in name only. However, one of the symptoms of being a nominal Christian is that they are blind to the reality of their own lack of true faith.

Scripture has a remedy for this: it commands us to test ourselves to see if we are in the faith, and whether Christ dwells in us.

Judaizers in Corinth Prompt the Test

The Corinthian believers were hearing from Judaizers who followed Paul in his missionary journeys and tried to convince the churches that they had to keep the law of Moses (which unfortunately hasn’t ceased even to our day). These Judaizers were (and still are) challenging whether Paul was a true apostle and whether he was saved at all. The gullible Corinthians then challenged Paul on this point to prove his own apostleship (see 2 Corinthians 11).

Paul flips this logic on them and challenges them to examine their own faith and salvation - for if Paul was a false apostle and did not preach Christ to them in truth, they would also be unsaved themselves.

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you—unless indeed you fail the test? But I trust that you will realize that we ourselves do not fail the test.
— 2 Corinthians 13:5-6

The challenge to test ourselves is an unpopular notion to the flesh and makes people upset or feel bad about themselves. No one likes to be told that they are living a lie.

But love says that it is better to know the truth now while you have a chance to repent and change than to help you feel good about yourself until you die and you end up being one Christ commands to depart!

In a corollary passage we will revisit at the end, Peter makes a similar argument about evaluating our lives and our fruit:

For he who lacks these qualities [of a true believer] is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you…
— 2 Peter 1:9-10

Diligent here is translated from spoudazo which, according to NASEC, means to make every effort. This means hard and earnest work - all the more important because your eternal life rests on you getting this one fact right - that you are indeed in Christ!

I know that every time I have measured my life up against the plumb line of Scripture I have been both challenged and encouraged. Seeing the truth about your own soul is hard, but it is commanded by God, and we would do well to heed!

Ultimately, all we want to be able to determine to confirm that we are “in the faith” and are saved is whether “Jesus Christ is in you.”

So let’s jump into the test…

Essential and Evidence Questions

There are two types of questions I am going to present in the following test: essential and evidence.

Essential questions are deal-breakers as they are essential to saving faith. These questions deal with the “seed” of our faith. If you answer “no” to these questions, you do not qualify, according to Scriptural standards, to be called a Christian.

Evidence questions are those that test the fruit of your faith. Jesus says, that “you will know them by their fruits.” (Matthew 7:15-20) If the fruit is a grape, you can be sure that the seed from which the vine grew that yielded the grape was a grape seed. If the fruit is a blackberry, then you can be sure the seed was not a grape seed.

The Test of a True Believer

Essential Questions

1. Faith: Do you believe in (trust in and rely upon) Jesus Christ alone, and His sacrifice on the cross in your place for your sins, for your eternal salvation from the wrath of God? (John 1:12-13, 3:16-21, 5:24, 6:29, 54, 17:3, 1 John 5:11-13, 20)

2. Born Again: Have you been born again out of spiritual death and into spiritual life and become a new creature in Christ? (Matthew 10:32-33, John 3:3-8, Ephesians 2:1-10, 2 Corinthians 5:14-21)

3. Holy Spirit: Have you received the Holy Spirit? (Acts 2:38, 19:2-6, Romans 5:5, 8:9, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 12:13, Galatians 3:2, Ephesians 1:13, Titus 3:5)

4. Confession: Have you publicly professed Jesus Christ as Lord outside of the church building? (Within the church is a given, but if no one outside knows, you might have a problem) (Matthew 10:32-33, Romans 10:9-10, 1 John 4:1-6)

5. Believing the Truth: We won’t go to in-depth into each of these doctrines here, but I do want to lay out some essential doctrines that are necessary for saving faith. As in, if you think you qualify based on the above, but don’t believe the following, the Scriptures testify of you that you are not saved.

   1. Deity of Christ - Jesus is the One Eternal God in Flesh, Fully God and Fully Man, Born of a Virgin, the Only Perfect Sacrifice for Sins, the Object of our Faith. (Mat 1:23, John 1:1,14, 8:24,58, 10:30-33, 20:28, Col 2:9, Phil 2:5-8, Heb 1:8, 1 Tim 2:5, 1 John 2:2, 4:2-3)

   2. Salvation by Grace - Salvation is by grace through faith, not of works (Rom 3-5, Eph 2:8-9, Gal 2-5), we cannot add to the work of God in salvation (Gal 2:21).

   3. Resurrection of Christ - Physical resurrection is the proof and cornerstone of our justification, and if He did not rise, our faith is useless. (1 Cor 15:14,17, John 22:19-21)

   4. Gospel - Jesus is God in flesh, who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and freely gives the gift of eternal life to those who believe. Jesus is the one and only Way to God the Father. (John 1:1,14, 10:30-33, 14:6, 20:28, Rom 10:9-10, Gal 1;8-9, Col 2:9, Phil 2:5-8, Heb 1:8)

   5. Monotheism - There is only one God, all other “gods” are false. (Exo 20:3-6, Isaiah 43:10, 44:6,8, 45:5,14,18,21,22, 46:9, 47:8, John 17:3, 1 Cor 8:5-6, Gal 4:8-9)

   6. Trinity - God is one Being in three distinct, simultaneous, eternal persons: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. (Gen 2:24, Mat 3:16-17, 28:19, 1 Cor 12:4-6, 2 Cor 13:14, Eph 1:4,7,13 4:4-6) The Trinity is an in-depth study in and of itself. I recommend this article by Matt Slick.

Evidence Questions

1. Baptism: Have you obeyed the Lord’s command to be baptized? (Matthew 28:18-20, Mark 16:16) Scripture does not teach that you have to be baptized in water to be saved, but if you claim to be saved and are refusing to be obedient to Christ’s command to be baptized, this is strong evidence that you are not saved.

2. Abiding:

   1. Do you abide in Christ? (John 15:1-10, 1 John 2:27, 4:13

   2. Is the increasing focus and desire of your heart to grow in fellowship and union with God above all else? (John 17)

3. The Scriptures:

   1. Does God’s word abide in you? (John 15:7, Hebrews 8:10, 1 John 1:10)

   2. Do you read the Bible every day? (1 John 2:14, 24)

   3. Have you read the whole Bible? (2 Timothy 3:16)

   4. Do you hold fast to the word of God? (1 Corinthians 15:2)

4. Prayer: Are you drawn to pray, and do you pray as a lifestyle? (Matthew 6:5-15, Ephesians 6:18-19, 1 Thessalonians 5:17)

5. Witness: Do you regularly share the Gospel with the lost who don’t know Jesus? (2 Corinthians 5:18-20, 1 Peter 3:15)

6. Growing Fruit: Do you see your life and heart changing and the fruit of the Spirit increasing in you, not by trying really hard to be a good person, but by the natural flow of His life in you? (Matthew 7:15-20) These fruits include:

   1. Love of God and Others (Romans 5:5, 1 Corinthians 13, 2 Thessalonians 3:5, Hebrews 6:10, 1 John 3:17, 4:7-21, Jude 21)

   2. Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, Faithfulness, Gentleness, Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-23)

   3. Moral Excellence, Faith, Knowledge, Self-Control, Perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly Kindness, Love (2 Peter 1:3-11)

   4. Fruit of your efforts or the supernatural fruit of the life of Christ in you? (1 Corinthians 3:12-13)

   5. Increased humility or increased pride? (Romans 11:19-24, Philippians 2:3-11 James 4:6-7, 1 Peter 5:5-6)

7. Sin: Are you living in consistent, unrepentant sin before God? (1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Hebrews 10:26, 1 John 1:6-10, 3:9)

8. Suffering: When you are crushed, pressed, and beaten down by the storms of life (Matthew 7:24-27), what comes out of you?

   1. Good or Evil Words? (Matthew 12:33-37)

   2. Insistence on your rights or laying down your life for others? (2 Corinthians 5:5)

   3. Repaying evil for evil or overcoming evil with good? (Romans 12:21, 1 Thessalonians 5:15)

   4. Your faith is shaken and you doubt, or your faith is strengthened? (Matthew 7:24-27, 1 Thessalonians 3:5, James 1:5-8)

9. Persecution: When you are persecuted or afflicted for being a Christian, how do you respond?

   1. Do you fall away or turn back from God? (Matthew 13:20, Luke 8:13, 1 Timothy 4:1, Hebrews 6:4-6, 10:38)

   2. Shrink back from confessing Christ before men (Matthew 10:32-33)

   3. Rejoice, Count it All Joy (2 Corinthians 12:7-9, 1 Peter 5:12-19, James 1:2-4)

10. Life from Within: Do you experience God’s indwelling life and strength welling up from your innermost man? (John 7:37-39, 15:11, Acts 1:8, Romans 5:13, 2 Corinthians 4: 16, 12:9, Ephesians 3:16-19, 5:18, Philippians 4:13, Colossians 1:11,27, 1 Thessalonians 1:5)

11. Desires:

    1. Are you longing for Egypt or the New Jerusalem? (Numbers 14:4, Acts 7:39, Hebrews 11:9-16, 12:22-24, 13:14)

    2. The world or heaven? (James 4:4, 1 John 2:15-16)

    3. The pleasures of sin or the presence of God? (Hebrews 11:25, 12:1-17)

    4. Building your kingdom here below or building the kingdom of God? (John 12:25, 1 Corinthians 3:10-17)

Pass or Fail?

Let’s be honest: if you claim to have passed this test, you’re wrong. The standard is perfection. The only one who can live up to this standard is Christ.

Many people will go back to this list and go back to “try harder” to be saved. That isn’t the point at all - in fact, that is worse!

The test isn’t whether you can live up to God’s standard of perfection. It isn’t whether you are good enough. It isn’t about your ability at all. All we want to know is whether Jesus has taken up residence in your soul and is living His life in you.

If Christ is in you, then His life will be manifested through you. This isn’t a life you can work up in your own strength and ability. God never intended you to be able to live the Christian life! He made you to be a vessel to be filled with His life so that He could live His perfect, divine life in and through you!

The most amazing assurance comes to your heart when you look back over a circumstance or trial you have just walked through and you see that there is no way you could have done that in your own strength or ability. Your life exuded patience and love and joy and the fruit that came from God Himself. It is as though, like Peter, you were able to walk on water as you looked to Christ. When you look back and see the fingerprints of a divine life, you can rejoice in the life within!

And let me tell you a secret that not everyone wants to hear: God is orchestrating the circumstances and storms of your life such that they will prove whether or not the divine life of Christ is in you or not! He doesn’t want this to be a secret - and He doesn’t want you to wait until the judgment seat to figure it out!

The same storms will hit the saved and the unsaved but with dramatically different results:

Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.
—Matthew 7:24-27

I’m reminded of a time I was talking to a young man who had lost his faith and left the church after his mother died of cancer. I listened to his story, then shared my own story about how my late wife passed away from cancer. I was able to reflect with him how the same circumstances that hardened his heart against Christ caused me to draw nearer to God’s throne. as Charles Spurgeon stated:

Consider also the following passages:

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
— John 15:5

I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.
— Galatians 2:20

to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
— Colossians 1:27

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; 8 we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; 9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; 10 always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body.
— 2 Corinthians 4:7-10

Hopefully, you are breathing a sigh of relief - this doesn’t depend on you!

But if this isn’t the reality of your life, you still must take action.

Make Certain His Calling and Choosing You

After detailing the work of the Holy Spirit within the heart and life, Peter concludes his test with two outcomes: increasing fruit or blind and shortsighted.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. 10 Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you.
— 2 Peter 1:8-11

Let’s break this down a little.

Are these Qualities Yours and Increasing?

Increasing comes from the Greek word pleonazō. This word means to superabound, abundance, more than enough. If we were to think of this in mathematical terms, we would say that it was exponentially increasing.

We want the fruit of the life of Christ to be a bumper crop from your life from year to year growing more and more. If this is the case, praise God! You are of use to Him, and your life is evidencing the reality of Christ in you!

Continue to press into His presence and draw from His life. Test yourself regularly to ensure your life continues to bear fruit for God.

Do You Lack these Qualities?

“Lack” is simply to be without. If you don’t have these qualities growing up from within you, popping out in your life in unexpected ways, then you have lost your vision of Christ and the life He intended for you.

Peter is not saying that you are not saved, but that no one except God, not even yourself, can tell whether you are or not. Your sin is blinding the eyes of your heart, and you are possibly deluding yourself into believing you are saved when you are not.

So what do you do if the fruit of your life is proving that the seed you thought was Christ is actually wrong? Don’t get discouraged or upset, and certainly don’t delay

Start back at square one.

Humble yourself before God.

Repent of your sins.

Believe on Christ.

Pray and ask God to begin to live His life in and through you as only He can.

If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; 10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation. 11 For the Scripture says, "WHOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM WILL NOT BE DISAPPOINTED." 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call on Him; 13 for "WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED."
— Romans 10:9-13

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, (6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. — 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

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Any objective social analyst would conclude that the United States faces its fair share of moral and spiritual problems. A new research study from Barna Group suggests that a large share of the nation’s moral and spiritual challenges is directly attributable to the absence of a biblical worldview among Americans. Citing the findings from a just-completed national survey of 2033 adults that showed only 4% of adults have a biblical worldview as the basis of their decision-making, researcher George Barna described the outcome. 

“If Jesus Christ came to this planet as a model of how we ought to live, then our goal should be to act like Jesus. Sadly, few people consistently demonstrate the love, obedience and priorities of Jesus. The primary reason that people do not act like Jesus is because they do not think like Jesus. Behavior stems from what we think – our attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions. Although most people own a Bible and know some of its content, our research found that most Americans have little idea how to integrate core biblical principles to form a unified and meaningful response to the challenges and opportunities of life. We’re often more concerned with survival amidst chaos than with experiencing truth and significance.”

About The Barna Group

Since 1984, Barna Group has conducted more than two million interviews over the course of thousands of studies and become a go-to source for insights about faith, culture, leadership, vocation, and generations. Barna is a private, non-partisan for–profit organization.

This excerpt is a repost of a section of an article originally published by The Barna Group, Ltd on Dec 3, 2003. Here is a link to the full article. We feel that this research is still critically relevant and timely to the church, even 20 years later.

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The Barna Group recently determined through extensive surveys that only 4% of professing Christians hold a Christian worldview. To put that in perspective, the surveys determined that 60% believed that Christ wasn’t the only way to eternal life, and 40% believed that Christ sinned at some point. Both of these beliefs violate the very pillars of Christianity. If you believe either of these statements, then you could not qualify even to be called a Christian.

Anyone monitoring the controversies concerning specific ministries across the nation realizes that many ministries, from megachurches to small churches, are being accused of teaching false doctrine. This has to be the case for us to reach such an appalling 4% figure. The deeper concern here is that the American Church is dangerously close to a turning point in becoming an Apostate Church.

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. (2) Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; (3) and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep. (2 Peter 2:1-3)

The Dividing Line

A universal issue is missing from virtually all Christian teaching in America today. This issue marks a serious dividing line between those who know about Christ (which apparently is 96% of the church) and those who know Christ Himself (4% or less).

Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. (22) Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' (23)And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.' (Matthew 7:21-23)

On judgment day when all is finally revealed, Jesus doesn’t address false doctrine or false teaching, but rather a lack of knowing Himself. The issue of apostasy ultimately comes down to truly knowing Jesus Himself over holding a superficial knowledge about Jesus.

Notice that these people tell Jesus that they know Him, but Jesus’ response to them and the true test of salvation is whether Jesus knows you. This “knowing” is the intimate knowledge of a husband “knowing” his wife (we are, after all, the Bride of Christ!).

True Knowledge of Christ

Two passages from the Apostles Paul and Peter deal with what they indicate to be the sources of the greatest spiritual wisdom and anointing, or knowing Jesus Himself, through which “you may be partakers of the divine nature.”

The first passage is Colossians 1:9-12 where the Apostle Paul is praying for the believers in Colossae:

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (10) so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously (12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

This passage can be understood in more depth by studying the following corollary in 2 Peter 1:2-4:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3) seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

What will readily be missed by people who do not study in the original languages is tucked away in verses 9 and 10 in the Colossians passage and verses 2 and 3 in the 2nd Peter passage. “Knowledge”  and "True knowledge" in these two passages are epignosis not gnosis, the alternate word for knowledge in the Koine Greek of the New Testament (NT).

Gnosis is book or classroom (sermon) knowledge, second-hand knowledge. Whereas, epignosis refers to the “application knowledge” received from the Spirit by actually being obedient to do what God’s word has commanded.

True Knowledge Leads to Obedience & Fellowship

We cannot divorce our knowledge of scripture and God Himself from obedience and fellowship. Being in fellowship means having no unconfessed sin.

If we are willing to obey the truth we know, God will immediately take our superficial knowledge (gnosis) of His word and write it on the fleshly tablets of our hearts and make it experiential knowledge (epignosis) of Himself.

I can read everything written about rebuilding a transmission, but I will never gain the "application knowledge" until I actually tear a transmission down and rebuild it. In the natural realm, this is called active learning, but in the spiritual realm, it is a much deeper concept as the Holy Spirit empowers this process from the inside out.

This is why any scripture involving epignosis is always in the passive voice, meaning it is being received through anointing from the Spirit as a consequence of our obedience. Scripture also indicates that obedience should be immediate and done with diligence. If we could get epignosis in our strength, human understanding, and effort it would be in the active voice.

True Knowledge Leads to Life

We see this concept emphasized in Philippians 1 in terms of its ongoing effect on a believer:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge [epignosis] and all discernment, (10) so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; (11) having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

The Apostle Paul stresses the importance of receiving epignosis from the Spirit “in order to be sincere and blameless” and to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” “May abound” is in the present or continuous tense again requiring that we are in fellowship as a lifestyle.

These passages clearly tell us that to gain everything “pertaining to life and godliness,” it is not enough to know these things by having heard or read scriptural truth. No, we receive the fullness of Christ’s promises through the Word and the Spirit only when we are obedient to follow God’s instructions in our three functions when God brings the opportunity.

Moreover, the Apostle James tells us clearly in James 2:17 that “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself,” and further in verse 26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Then James deals the final blow to lack of obedient action in James 4:17 where he deals with sins of omission: “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

This is further testified to by our Lord’s words in John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” and in John 15:10-14:

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. (11) These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (12) This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (13) Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends. (14) You are My friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:10-14).

So, you can see that Christ clearly defines how we have a relationship with Him. The closer that relationship is through our obedience, the more supernatural grace and epignosis we will receive.

The bottom line is that for a believer to qualify to receive any of the promises in scripture, they must first be in fellowship, having no unconfessed sins, and then they must be diligent to act in obedience to God’s mandates in scripture when the opportunity arises, as failure to do so is sin. Fulfilling these requirements will result in immediate blessing, insight, understanding, and the supernatural power (grace) to obey these commands and to face whatever circumstances God places us in. And God will place us in many situations to test, grow, and purify our faith and knowledge of Himself.

Learning vs True Knowledge

This principle of true knowledge is further testified to by 2 Timothy 3, which deals with weak women weighed down with sin. It describes them in verse 7 as “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Again, “knowledge” here is epignosis.” “Learning” is translated from manthanō and means “to learn or understand from teaching or reading” and is in the active voice and is therefore through man’s own faculties.

Verse 6 indicates they are “weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.” So whether they are truly saved or not, they would not have been qualified to receive insight or anointing from the Holy Spirit, which is the only way to receive epignosis.

We read in Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" However, what is meant is to obey God's commands while in fellowship having no unconfessed sins, then you will experience (taste) His blessings. Moreover, “taking refuge” in Him requires having a sincere faith, or truly "trusting in and relying upon" Him, which is the very Koine Greek definition of pisteuo, which is translated as “believe” throughout the NT.

A major problem with many Christians today is they think that if they attend church and tithe that the pastor and church staff somehow can fulfill what the Bible defines as their duty in their three functions by proxy, which could not be further from the truth.

“Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.” (James 4:16).

Conclusion - 3 Steps to Knowing God

If you’re reading this and you think you might be a part of the 95% who know about Christ and go through religious motions, but you don’t have a true experiential knowledge of the indwelling Christ as discussed above, here are 3 steps to take.

Step one is to maintain a lifestyle of fellowship

Fellowship is the cornerstone of our relationship with God once we are saved. Being in fellowship is accomplished by simply having no unconfessed sins. Sin causes a separation between ourselves and every member of the Trinity because God cannot fellowship with sin (Isaiah 59:2, Proverbs 28:13, Psalm 66:18). So when we have unconfessed sins God does not hear our prayer that doesn’t begin with repentance and confession (1 John 1:6-9).

“If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; (7) but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us” (1 John 1:6-10).

Moreover, unconfessed sin will “grieve” and “quench” the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thessalonians 5:19), which means while we are out of fellowship the Spirit is not able to guide us or give us the insight we so desperately need to negotiate this evil world. You can review the entire Doctrine of Fellowship at this link: https://substack.com/history/post/144156051

Step two is to familiarize yourself with your three Christian Functions

These are simply God’s commands for fulfilling your relationship to Him, which is your Priesthood (1 Peter 2:5,9), your relationship to the lost, which is your Ministry of Reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:17-20), and your relationship to other believers, which is your Ministry to Build-up and Edify the Body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10, Romans 14:19, Hebrews 10:24-25, Philippians 2:3)

The majority of the commands that you need to fulfill to qualify to receive “true knowledge” (epignosis) is involved in these three functional areas of responsibility or duties. You can find these detailed in the scriptures covered in the “Three Functions of Believers” document at https://substack.com/home/post/p-144227478?source=queue

Step three is to develop a ministry strategy to fulfill your three functions that is centered around your spiritual gift(s)

To begin with, start each day by confessing any sin you may have overlooked in your bedtime prayers. If none come to mind pray that God will forgive you for your sins of omission and commission and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness.

Secondly, develop a schedule you can commit to for reading and meditating on the word of God daily starting first thing in the morning for at least 15 minutes or more.

Get a three-ring notebook that you can use to record prayer requests by date and jot down any leading you feel you are getting from the Spirit, especially while you are studying God’s word or listening to a teaching. Then revisit that guidance, pray about it, examine it in scripture, and share it. When we honor God's guidance, we open the door to receive more insight. If we fail to record it we will generally soon forget it and that can serve to lessen what we receive.

Next, you can email the articles you find on Alive In Jesus Christ to your saved and unsaved acquaintances. First, ensure you are in fellowship and ask God to bless the articles to impact those receiving them for Christ. This is the easiest way to begin to operate in God’s army of Christian soldiers and God will accord your efforts to your spiritual account as righteousness, which He will be faithful to reward.

Lastly, since you are in the Bible business purchase some paperback Bibles and tracts (or preferably write them yourself) and have them available to give away when God brings you the opportunity. People who are prepared to share the word are many times more likely to share it than those who make no preparation. (Keep watch; we will shortly be posting a more in-depth guide for maximizing your time in the word and developing effective strategies for sharing the gospel.)

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• What was your favorite part of the article?

• What was most convicting for you?

• What would you love to learn more about?

Feel free to drop them in the comments and we can dive deeper!

Leave a comment

In Christ,

—Paul

Sin’s Separation - Cast Out to the East

The LORD God commanded the man, saying, "From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; (17) but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die."
— Genesis 2:16-17

When man sinned, a deep rift occurred between God and man. God had to remove sin from His presence because of His holiness and righteousness. He could not join with or abide and commune with sin or He would deny Himself, His very nature.

…God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.
— 1 John 1:5

God’s initial judgment on Adam and Eve was the curse of death; not only physical, but also spiritual separation from life. Every aspect of the life they had known was now cursed by the fact that it was separated from the life of God.

The picture in Scripture is of Adam and Eve being driven from the garden of Eden, the first temple of God where man was to abide and dwell with God. God sent them out to the east of Eden away from the temple garden and set the first gate guarded by an angel.

Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— (23) therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
— Genesis 3:22-24

We next see Cain slay Abel after his sacrifice was not accepted by God. Cain is sent out to the East away from the presence of God as “a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

[God] said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground. (11) Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (12) When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”… (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
— Genesis 4:10-12,16

Great Problem for Man

For Adam, as for you and me, our great problem is that we have been separated from the source of life in God and are doomed to remain spiritually dead and separated from God forever because of our union with sin. Our state of independence from God, Who is eternal life, is the very disposition and nature of sin in the heart of every man and the source of death.

Moreover, there was nothing good that we could do that would be accepted before God without the divine Spirit of God within us. God has so formed us that we would have the capacity only to hold and house the glory and life of God, not to create or sustain that life in and of ourselves.

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins…
— Ephesians 2:1

I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.
— John 15:5-6

So we are here, destitute of God, cast from His presence, and with no ability in ourselves to attain the life that Adam lost, doomed to spiritual and physical death. And so we have seen the history of mankind as one fall after another deeper into sin and depravity. As in the days of Noah, so in our day - the world thinks and cares so little for our Creator and only for ourselves and how to satisfy our own lusts. Even the good that we do is mostly done to help us feel good about ourselves, which is a form of self-righteousness and is viewed as the height of wickedness in the sight of God.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
— Genesis 6:5

Great Problem for God

This was also a problem for God, who had designed and created man as the pinnacle of His creation, a creature He made specifically in His image to reflect His glory. He made man with the capacity to enter into the love and communion of the Godhead and to freely choose to love Him in return. God’s problem was that there was no way He could attain this goal while man was joined to his sin, which was abhorrent to His nature.

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God
— Isaiah 59:2

And yet even from that first sin in Eden, God promised that He would make a way for us. He promised to make another separation to undo the first separation from God through Adam’s sin. God would make a way to separate man from his sin so that we can once more be brought back into fellowship and an abiding union with Him.

Return from the East to the West

Though Adam and Eve were cast out to the east of the presence of God due to their sin, God would make a way for their return, removing them from their sins.

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
— Psalm 103:12

This way of fellowship in returning to God from the east, the wilderness of sin, back to the west, His presence, was given as a pattern through the Tabernacle and the Temple.

But in order to fully accomplish this redemption, God needed to reveal and teach these key realities to man:

1. The utter sinfulness and depravity of man

2. The supreme holiness of God

3. The separation between a holy God and sinful men

4. God’s desire to dwell with His creation

5. The way that God has made to reconcile sinful man to Himself

Heavenly Patterns

The history given to us in the Old Testament was given to us as an example, like a picture book to teach us these truths in a real and tangible way. These were types and shadows according to the book of Hebrews, a pattern of the heavenly reality according to Moses, and such things were written for our instruction according to Paul:

…who serve a copy and shadow of the heavenly things, just as Moses was warned by God when he was about to erect the tabernacle; for, "SEE," He says, "THAT YOU MAKE all things ACCORDING TO THE PATTERN WHICH WAS SHOWN YOU ON THE MOUNTAIN."
— Hebrews 8:5

According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it… (40) See that you make them after the pattern for them, which was shown to you on the mountain.
— Exodus 25:9,40

Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come.
— 1 Corinthians 10:11

The key pattern that God gave to Israel, and so to us through the Old Testament, of how to abide with Him is the Tabernacle and the Temple. All through the book of Genesis and into Exodus we see man longing but continually failing to return back to the Garden of Eden and into relationship with God. But when the children of Israel arrive at Sinai, God begins to paint a picture of how such a restoration is to take place.

Utter Sinfulness of Man

Before the building of the Tabernacle, God brought Moses to the top of Sinai for 40 days. While on the mountain with God, we know that God revealed much to Moses, but two things that he brought down when he returned were the Ten Commandments on the tablets of stone and the architectural designs for the Tabernacle.

Let them construct a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell among them. 9 According to all that I am going to show you, as the pattern of the tabernacle and the pattern of all its furniture, just so you shall construct it.
— Exodus 25:8-9

When He had finished speaking with him upon Mount Sinai, He gave Moses the two tablets of the testimony, tablets of stone, written by the finger of God.
— Exodus 31:18

We see the Law and the Tabernacle reflecting a few deep realities about what it means to abide with God:

1. The separation between the holiness of God and the sinfulness of man

2. God’s desire to abide and dwell with His people

3. The way must be through the offering of a sacrifice and the application of blood

Before God could abide with His people, He had to make them holy - He had to separate them from their sin.

The LORD came down on Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain; and the LORD called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up. 21 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, "Go down, warn the people, so that they do not break through to the LORD to gaze, and many of them perish.”
— Exodus 19:20-21

The Law of Moses

When we see ourselves in light of God’s law, His holiness and our sinfulness are revealed. Examine your own heart before the Lord based on the 10 commandments - does it expose you as a sinner?

• You shall have no other gods before Me.

• You shall not make for yourself an idol…

• You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain…

• Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy...

• Honor your father and your mother…

• You shall not murder.

• You shall not commit adultery.

• You shall not steal.

• You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

• You shall not covet…

— Exodus 20:3-17

The Divine Life

Jesus takes this outward law of actions and works and exposes that God intended a much deeper reality - that of a perfect heart before God. If you thought the Old Testament Law was tough, you need to reckon with Jesus’ requirements in the Sermon on the Mount:

“You have heard that the ancients were told, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER' and 'Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.' But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty…“
— Matthew 5:21-22

"You have heard that it was said, 'YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY'; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.
— Matthew 5:27-28

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
— Matthew 5:48

Let that last statement sink in… be perfect just like God. The Law of Moses can’t hold a candle to this command! In other words, live a divine life, in all its glory and righteousness and perfection… all the time! If you think, “that’s impossible!”, then you would be on the right track!

Man was separated from God’s life in the garden, and so lost the reality of the indwelling relationship of God in him. In order to live up to God’s requirements, you need the divine life living in and through you.

Function of the Law

The law has a very clear function in the plan and purpose of God. It is not to make you perfect or to impart life, but rather to show you how sinful you are and how holy God is. It exposes your condition and reveals the truth about the judgment you face and your desperate need for a Savior so that you cry out to God for deliverance.

by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified in His sight; for through the Law comes the knowledge of sin… 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
— Romans 3:20,23

The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
— Romans 5:20

I would not have come to know sin except through the Law; for I would not have known about coveting if the Law had not said, "YOU SHALL NOT COVET." 8 But sin, taking opportunity through the commandment, produced in me coveting of every kind; for apart from the Law sin is dead. 9 I was once alive apart from the Law; but when the commandment came, sin became alive and I died;
— Romans 7:7-9

Why the Law then? It was added because of transgressions, having been ordained through angels by the agency of a mediator, until the seed would come to whom the promise had been made….For if a law had been given which was able to impart life, then righteousness would indeed have been based on law. 22 But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. 23 But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law, being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. 24 Therefore the Law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith.
— Galatians 3:19-24

Sinful Man’s Way Back to a Holy God

Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
— John 14:6

The Tabernacle Pattern - The Way

The Tabernacle was erected after God established His standard of holiness through the Law. Israel was used to worshipping idols, and viewed God in much the same light as all the other gods they served and were familiar with. But God knew that if they came before Him as they did these false gods, they would be killed because His holiness could not abide with their sinfulness. In knowing Who God was, they could approach Him in truth according to the way that He prescribed.

This way back into the presence of God was established through the picture of the Tabernacle. God provided Moses with clear instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, and each part and piece of furniture is rich with imagery and principles for how man can dwell with God.

The beginning of man’s way back to God can be clearly seen through the fence and the gate. Unless you had a higher vantage point above the tabernacle, what you were most likely to notice about the tabernacle structure was the 7 ‘6” white linen fence surrounding the outer court of the tabernacle. This is the outermost of the 3 boundaries that God made between His holy, life-giving presence and a sinful people, dead in their trespasses and sins.

The fence was closed on the north, west, and south sides of the tabernacle, and had a single gate on the east side.

For the gate of the court there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four sockets.
— Exodus 27:16

What this fence shows us is that we cannot come to God any way we wish, on our terms and the way we want to. There aren’t multiple ways to God through a variety of religions and gods and patterns. God erected a boundary and if anyone crossed that boundary without coming through the gate according to God’s terms, the penalty was death (Exodus 19:12, 28:43, 30:20).

God made a single entrance to the east, a gate through which the priests and Israelites might enter to be reconciled with God, to atone for sin, and to dwell with Him.

One Door

There was one entrance, one way, one door, one gate, one way into fellowship with God. This gate, or door, was a foreshadowing of Christ, who said:

So Jesus said to them again, "Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. 8 All who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. 9 I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.
— John 10:7-10

Jesus is the door that is the only entrance to the way of abiding with the Father. In beginning this journey into the deep, abiding life of God, I want to challenge and exhort you to first ensure that you have entered through the right door.

This passage issues some serious warnings that we must heed. We must recognize that there is a thief who is advocating many different ways to God, making promises he cannot keep as he seeks to lead many astray. But the end of all other ways except Christ is destruction.

Narrow Gate

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
— Matthew 7:13-14

In this passage, we see that the door, or gate, is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it. The door is open to all to enter through it, and in this way there is a universal offer for any who would come.

At the same time, this door is very exclusive of all other ways and specifically condemns all other religions and man-made ideas of how to get to heaven as “the way that is broad that leads to destruction.” The entrance is small, but as we will discover further, the path narrows down even further as we step closer to the Holy of Holies and into the presence of God. It truly is a narrow way, but it is the path that we must follow if we are to know true life.

Offense at God’s Exclusivity

Many get offended at this point as they ask why God would condemn so many people who believe in other religions and other ways to God. What they do not understand is that, although He loves the whole world, God cannot deny Himself. Simply because God desires none to perish apart from Him, does not mean that He can overlook sin and rebellion and hatred of Him.

The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
— 2 Peter 3:9

That God has made a way at all should astound us and cause us to fall before Him in thanksgiving and deep gratitude. That He made a way by sending His Son to die a brutal death on the cross and pour out His own life to redeem us to Himself should shut our mouths and lead us to mourn over our sin and repent.

The Father Turns His Face Away

In the Garden of Gethsemane before Jesus’ crucifixion, Jesus prays to the Father three times, in such intense agony that he sweats drops of blood. His prayer is that the cup of the crucifixion and bearing the weight of the sin of the world in Himself would pass from Him.

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will." 42 He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, "My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done."
— Matthew 26:39,42

If it was possible for God to reconcile man to Himself by any other way, would the Father not answer His prayer and release Jesus from this horrible fate? Absolutely!

So to get offended that this way is so exclusive is to make the false and dangerous assumption that salvation and reconciliation is even possible through any other way. Jesus is the only way to the Father because there is no other possible way to satisfy God’s wrath on sin without destroying those who have committed sin against Him.

Far from scorning and judging this door as exclusive and condemning of other religions, we should appreciate the depth of God’s love for us, the price Jesus paid, and the length to which God went to redeem us.

The Many and the Few

Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
— Matthew 7:13-14

The last point I would like to emphasize from this passage is that of the “many going the broad way to destruction” against the “few going the narrow way to life.”

The reality is that those who choose to enter through this small door and into Christ will find themselves going contrary to the world and cut off from the path that many are following.

Have you ever gone along with a crowd without really understanding what was happening?

There is a kind of comfort and contentment we get when we look around and see everyone around us doing the same thing and going the same way. It gives us a kind of assurance that we are safe and are doing the right thing. Surely, not everyone in the crowd could be wrong, could they?

However, I need to raise the warning flag for you here. If you are following the crowd, then you are in danger of following the path that leads to death. Do not be lulled into a false sense of security because of the crowd. Scripture is clear that when you die, you will stand before God alone and He will call you to account for every word and deed, regardless of who was going along with you.

It is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment
— Hebrews 9:27

Go back and read through the 10 Commandments - does this convict and condemn you? When you stand before Him on this day, will you be innocent or guilty? Unless you have entered through the door and are found in Jesus Christ, you will bear your guilt on that day. If you are found in sin, you will be separated from God forever. There are no exceptions, no second chances, and no other ways to salvation but Jesus.

If we are to enter into a deep relationship with the living God, we must enter through the Way that He has provided. Jesus is the door and He has made a way for you.

Have you entered through the door into life in Christ?

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This article is a longer article as it is the first chapter of the book titled, “Are You Walking in Christ’s Anointing?” In this article we will explore the qualifications to receive scriptural blessings, beginning with an understanding of how and why we do not qualify by default as we are not walking in obedience and God cannot fellowship with or bless our sin. We will then explore the two primary principles for receiving God’s blessings: fellowship through a lifestyle of no unconfessed sins, and our three functions as believers of our Priesthood to God, our ministry of reconciliation to the lost, and our ministry to build up and edify the Body of Christ. We will then explore how to walk out these blessings through growing in true, experiential knowledge of God and walking out scriptural principles in our lives.

Conditions of God’s Promises

When we read scripture, we should read it with a believing heart and an analytical mind. If we don’t, we can miss some of the deepest truths that God has carefully placed therein. We must remember that, although Jesus was the perfect sinless incarnation of the Son of God, the people he was dealing with were in many ways just like people today, flawed and imperfect. As such, we often knowingly and unknowingly disqualify ourselves for receiving God’s blessings.

God Chooses Flawed, Imperfect People

This would also include the Apostles themselves as the Apostle Peter demonstrated when he denied Christ three times on the night he was arrested. Of course, that was before Peter received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. However, after Pentecost, the Apostle Paul had to correct him in Galatians 2:11-14 when he effectively shunned the Gentile believers and kept aloof along with the Jews that had come from James for fear of being judged by them according to the law. Verse 13 records that

The rest of the Jews joined him in hypocrisy, with the result that even Barnabas was carried away by their hypocrisy. (Galatians 2:13, NASB)

Perhaps, the clearest proof of the imperfection of even the Apostles came from the Apostle Paul’s letter to the Romans 7:15-25. Albert Barnes in his Notes on the Bible summarizes these verses this way:

“Thus, every Christian can say that he does not choose to do evil, but would wish to be perfect; that he hates sin, and yet that his corrupt passions lead him astray.”

The Apostle Paul restates this principle in Galatians 5:16-18:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (18)  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law. (Galatians 5:16-18)

God chooses flawed, imperfect people, but then, like Peter, fills them with His Spirit and power to walk out a transformed life that is increasingly conformed to the image of Christ, laying aside the flesh and walking in the Spirit.

Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (10) and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him (Colossians 3:9-10)

Is Prayer Sufficient to Receive Blessings?

One of the errors most people make in reading scripture is to believe that the prayers of the Apostles will automatically come to pass. They believe they can pray scriptural prayers and lay claim to the promises regardless of whether they are walking in the Spirit or the flesh.

So, to demonstrate what the meaning of reading with an analytical mind can entail we will examine the Apostle Paul’s prayer for the believers in Colossae:

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (10) so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;  (11)  strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously  (12)  giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

Whenever we read prayers in scripture like Paul’s prayers for the Colossian believers, we should ask ourselves a question: Is Paul suggesting that his prayers are sufficient by themselves to accomplish what he is praying for the Colossians? Can we pray these words after him and expect the resulting blessings?

The answer to that question is a resounding “No!”

• First, we must realize that Paul is aware that all God’s promises and blessings are based on qualifications we must fulfill to be available to receive them.

• Second, we must understand that Paul believes he is praying for true believers who are walking in these qualifications based on the information that has come to him.

Qualifications of the Colossian Believers

We have no evidence in the letter to the Colossians that Paul has ever been in Colossae. But he makes it clear in 1:3-8 that he has heard from Epaphras, who is with him in prison (Colossians 4:12, 18), that the Colossians are evidencing faith and love in the Spirit and are bearing spiritual fruit in Colossians 1:3-8:

We give thanks to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,  (4)  since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and the love which you have for all the saints;  (5)  because of the hope laid up for you in heaven, of which you previously heard in the word of truth, the gospel  (6)  which has come to you, just as in all the world also it is constantly bearing fruit and increasing, even as it has been doing in you also since the day you heard of it and understood the grace of God in truth;  (7)  just as you learned it from Epaphras, our beloved fellow bond-servant, who is a faithful servant of Christ on our behalf,  (8)  and he also informed us of your love in the Spirit. (Colossians 1:3-8)

The portions that are in bold are actions that require the operation of the Spirit to truly be accomplished and to be accorded to them as righteousness. Since Paul has most assuredly schooled Epaphras in the foundations of the gospel, he is confident that Epaphras has imparted the knowledge to those in Colossae of what is required to be walking in the light, in fellowship with God, and available to receive God’s grace (anointing) through the Spirit.

This information is evidence that would indicate to the Apostle that the Colossians to whom he is writing are truly saved and fulfilling the basics of the gospel that are necessary for them to be walking in righteousness and therefore are anointed to bear fruit. This gives him the confidence to pray this prayer asking God to magnify His grace in their lives as they would seem to be qualified to receive that grace.

Now, much of that may sound strange to a large majority of Christians in this nation as the majority of American churches have not been teaching and emphasizing some important gospel basics for decades, probably for fear of offending their congregants. Moreover, this failure on the part of church leadership is what has opened the door to the powers and principalities to invade the body of Christ in this nation with worldly sin. This has resulted in professing Christians and church organizations accepting things like abortion and homosexuality, and most recently the infiltration of many churches, denominations, and seminaries with the Marxist ideologies of Critical Race Theory, Social Justice Theology, and other anti-biblical doctrines, which are really doctrines of demons:

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.  (1 Timothy 4:1)

God Can Not Fellowship With Sin

We will now explore the main reason why God cannot and will not release scriptural blessings whenever we ask.

Scripture makes it clear that unconfessed sin makes a separation between us and God. When we have unconfessed sin God won’t even hear our prayers that don’t start with true repentance and confession:

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59:2)

What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice? (Jeremiah 11:15) [“Disaster” refers to a lifestyle of disobedience, an unrepentant heart, and unconfessed sins.]

Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly... (15) So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  (Isaiah 1:13,15)

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; (Psalm 66:18)

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

He who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will find compassion. (Proverbs 28:13)

King David expresses this truth effectively in Psalms 32:1-5 and Psalms 51:1-19.

“For You do not delight in sacrifice, otherwise I would give it; You are not pleased with burnt offering.  (17)  The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and a contrite heart, O God, You will not despise. (Psalms 51:16-17)

Merriam-Webster defines “contrite” as

“feeling or showing sorrow and remorse for improper or objectionable behavior, actions, etc.”

Wikipedia rightly states:

“In Christianity, contrition or contriteness is repentance for sins one has committed. The remorseful person is said to be contrite. A central concept in much of Christianity, contrition is regarded as the first step, through Christ, towards reconciliation with God.”

In case you are thinking that these are all Old Testament verses and that our relationship through Christ has changed this dynamic, the following verses make it clear that, although our sins may be under the blood and we are positionally righteous in Christ at salvation, our sins can and do make a functional separation between us and God that cuts us off from scriptural blessings:

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. (Mark 11:25, also see Matthew 5:23-24)

But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions. (Matthew 6:15) [Unforgiveness is one of the most prevalent sins of omission that continues unrecognized for years in a believer’s life]

But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. (7) For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord. (James 1:6-7)

You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures… (6) But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD [unrepentence is the chief form of pride], BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE [contrite]”… (8) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:3,6,8)

Unrepentent sin, prideful opposition to the Spirit’s convicting of sin in our hearts, and a lack of humility and contrition cuts us off from God blessing us as He desires and intends according to scripture.

Qualifications for Receiving God’s Blessing

The two major guidelines for satisfying God’s qualifications for being blessed in ministry once we are saved are found in the Doctrine of Fellowship and in the Doctrine of the Three Christian Functions that all believers are commanded to fulfill in scripture. These two guidelines are based on fulfilling the principles of:

1. A lifestyle of confession and maintaining a life of unhindered communion and fellowship with God, and

2. Obedience to the indwelling Spirit’s work within our hearts as reflected in the commandments we see in the New Testament

The Doctrine of Fellowship

The doctrine of fellowship is clear throughout all of scripture but is brought into operational focus in 1 John chapter one in verses 5-10 with the central dynamic being in verse 9:

And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light [perfect righteousness], and in Him there is no darkness [sin/unrighteousness] at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [unconfessed sin/unrighteousness], we lie and do not practice the truth; (7) but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (8) If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

“To cleanse us from all unrighteousness,” means that when we confess our known sins, God cleanses of all our sins, including those we are unaware of or have forgotten as long as we are not trying to hide any.

2 Corinthians. 6:14 would then be a logical corollary to this passage:

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians. 6:14)

The Process of Salvation

When we ask God to forgive us of our sins and receive Christ as our Lord and Savior, then God, who is judging our hearts and not our lips, indwells us and seals us with the Holy Spirit in our hearts as a pledge (1 Corinthians 1:21; Ephesians 1:13-14). In the moment of salvation, God places the payment for all the sins we have or ever will commit to our spiritual account. This is made possible because Jesus paid the price for all human sin from Adam to the last human to be alive on earth at the Cross (1 John 2:2):

And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:2)

God knows the end from the beginning (Isaiah 46:10). At this point all of our earlier sins committed prior to the moment we are saved are under the blood as God applied the payment from our spiritual account to every sin. In that moment, we are sinless and imputed with the righteousness of Christ, which is necessary for God to seal us with the Spirit. This just leaves the payment for future sins in our account.

Sin Breaks Fellowship

However, the first time we sin, we are immediately out of fellowship as the Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, is God and God cannot fellowship with sin. He doesn’t leave us, we have just broken relationship.

Subsequently, any good work we perform out of fellowship is not accorded to us as righteousness and we forfeit any reward that work would have gained for us if it was done in fellowship. In addition, when we are out of fellowship we are not available to any supernatural guidance or insight from the Spirit, which means we are operating completely in our flesh. During these times we are more vulnerable to our sinful nature and the insidious influence of the powers and principalities of darkness (1 John 5:19).

This is why we are warned:

Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)

Do not quench the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)

Confessing our Sins

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

When we do sin, we should immediately repent and confess our sins. This results in our being forgiven for the sins we confessed and cleansed of all unrighteousness. “All unrighteousness” includes the sins we are unaware of or have forgotten, as long as we are not trying to hide any.

As we confess our sins, the payment is withdrawn from our spiritual account and applied to each sin. Thus, those sins are now under the blood (Christ’s payment) and God removes them as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no longer (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:19).  Not that God has a bad memory; He simply has a perfect "forgetter."

We are then immediately back in fellowship with full ministry power and anointing. Moreover, we need to immediately accept God’s grace and walk in victory in it. To punish ourselves further or to operate in some form of self-imposed shame or punishment before or after confessing is simply being of little faith. Christ’s sacrifice is enough to cover your sins - you can’t add anything to it if you tried, and to do so is an offense to God!

Perhaps the most severe admonishment in scripture concerning being in fellowship is from the Apostle Paul regarding taking communion in 1 Corinthians 11:27-30:

Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord.  (28)  But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup.  (29)  For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself if he does not judge the (his) body rightly.  (30)  For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep. (1 Corinthians 11:27-30)

The only way for a true believer to come to the communion table in an unworthy manner is to be out of fellowship and/or treat the bread and wine as just another meal. Doing so dishonors the sacrifice of Christ, as some believers were doing (verses 11:17-22), which again is sin and takes them out of fellowship.

So, to be safe even if someone is unaware of any unconfessed sin, it is only prudent to humbly ask God to forgive them their sins of omission and commission and to cleanse them of all unrighteousness. In this way, if they have forgotten any or have committed sin they were unaware of then they can be sure to be in fellowship.

In verse 30, the Apostle indicates that “many among you” are guilty of this resulting in weakness and sickness, and some have even died. Clearly, God regards this faith failure extremely seriously. This is especially concerning when you realize that the majority of churches today do not even teach the doctrine of lifestyle fellowship. The pastors will be held responsible for the judgment that befalls their congregations due to their failures as shepherds over their flocks to teach right doctrine.

In Fellowship and Available to the Anointing of the Spirit

Unless we maintain a lifestyle of obedience, confession, and fellowship, we will not grow, be of use to Christ, or be pleasing to God! But if we will cleanse ourselves and remain in fellowship with God as we are commanded to do, then we will have life and it abundantly in productive service to God:

Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)

For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God, you may receive what was promised.  (37)  FOR YET IN A VERY LITTLE WHILE, HE WHO IS COMING WILL COME, AND WILL NOT DELAY.  (38)  BUT MY RIGHTEOUS ONE SHALL LIVE BY FAITH; AND IF HE SHRINKS BACK, MY SOUL HAS NO PLEASURE IN HIM.  (39)  But we are not of those who shrink back to destruction, but of those who have faith to the preserving of the soul. (Hebrews 10:36-39)

Scripture makes it clear that for us to function in Christ we need to be available to the guidance, power, and anointing of the Spirit in us:

…Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12a-13)

And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.  (Colossians 1:29)

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,  (Ephesians 3:20)

And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.  (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

True believers who practice confession will also experience the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).  However, the true riches of God’s blessing in the gospel, the “Good News” to all of mankind, is more than victory over our sin and living in joy here below, and even more than eternal life in the kingdom of God; it is Jesus Christ in us the hope of glory! (See Colossians 1:27).

I thank my God always concerning you for the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,  (5)  that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge,  (6)  even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you,  (7)  so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ,  (8)  who will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ.  (9)  God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:4-9)

I have covered these principles in greater detail in The Doctrine of Fellowship.

The Doctrine of the Three Christian Functions

Being in fellowship moment-by-moment makes us fit and available for the anointing of the Holy Spirit, but if we through ignorance go on committing sins of omission by failing to obey what God has called us to do, we will be continually out of fellowship. We need to both walk in fellowship and in obedience to the Spirit.

Perhaps, the most misunderstood aspect of our Christian duty is in fulfilling God’s commandments concerning our relationship to God, to those who are unsaved, and to our Christian brothers and sisters in Christ. Understanding these three functions will help you understand the obligation that lies nearest to you at any given point so that you will know how to walk in obedience to the Lord.

Our Priesthood: Our Relationship to God

Every believer is a priest to God and has the right to present himself before the throne of grace while in fellowship.

You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… (9) But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  (10)  for you once were NOT A PEOPLE, but now you are THE PEOPLE OF GOD; you had NOT RECEIVED MERCY, but now you have RECEIVED MERCY. (1 Peter 2:5, 9–10)

In Hebrews 10:19–22 we are urged to "draw near" to God, from the Greek proserchomai, which means "to come face-to-face." Because our approach is built on fellowship through confession, we can walk boldly into the throne room of God knowing every sin has been paid for up to that point and we have been redeemed and imputed with the righteousness of Christ (Hebrews 4:14-16). God wants us to live face-to-face (connected) with Him.

Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. (Hebrews 10:22)

Our priesthood is private, between us and the Lord. We function as priests through the study of the Word (2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16-17), which is God's written communication to us, and prayer, which is our communication with Him. Our responsibility is to stay in fellowship (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:7–9), to pray (Hebrews 13:15; 1 Thessalonians 5:17–19), and to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 1:2-10; 3:14-18).

The Ministry of Reconciliation, our Ambassadorship for Christ to the Lost: Our Relationship to Unbelievers

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (18)  Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

God has given us the Ministry of Reconciliation so that we might serve as Ambassadors of Christ. We have a duty to the unsaved (Act 1:8). Jesus Christ came to earth "to seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He began his ministry in the flesh but He continues it in us.

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you. (John 20:21)

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. (Matthew 28:19-20)

Our responsibility is to urge men to be reconciled to God by presenting the good news of the Gospel to them.

To put this into perspective, consider the following example. If I go into an AIDS ward with a pocket full of pills that will cure AIDS and I help change their bedpans and treat them with kindness but don’t give them a pill, then I have hated them unto physical death. However, if I know the Gospel, the cure for the human condition of being lost, and do not share it with a lost person, I have hated that person unto eternal damnation. This is arguably the worst sin of omission we can commit. Of this, the Apostle John wrote:

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  (10)  The one who loves his brother abides in the Light and there is no cause for stumbling in him.  (11)  But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:9-11)

Encouraging the believers to maintain their witness of the gospel in the face of intense opposition, the writer of Hebrews 10:23 tells his readers to "hold fast the confession of our hope." Katecho, "hold fast," is a nautical term that means "to steer a straight course toward an objective." Elpis, "hope," is with absolute certainty. Confidence in God produces courage before man. As our intimacy with God grows through the function of our priesthood, so does our effectiveness as ambassadors for Christ.

Ministry to Build Up and Edify the Body of Christ: Our Relationship to Believers

Key scriptures for this function which I would encourage you to read through prayerfully include: 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11-31; Romans 12:1–8; Ephesians 4:11-16; Hebrews 10:23-25; 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

Each one of us is called to be a servant to every other Christian. Our spiritual gifts define the area in which we are to concentrate our service. At salvation, every believer is given a spiritual gift(s) through which he is to minister to the Body of Christ. That gift(s), bestowed sovereignly by the Holy Spirit as He wills, outlines the plan of God for our lives (1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 7:7). Through the gifts of the Spirit the Body of Christ (the church) is built up and strengthened.

In Hebrews 10:24–25, we are exhorted to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds encouraging one another." The word translated "consider," katanoeo, means "to bear down with the mind, to concentrate." In the exercise of our spiritual gifts, we should bear down in intense concentration, meditate, and exercise some mental energy in considering other people and their needs.

We should constantly ask ourselves:

• How can I stimulate someone else to live in the energy of the Spirit?

• How can I use my gift today to encourage and strengthen someone else?

In Ephesians 4:15-16, we are instructed that the body of Christ is built up and held together by each believer in the body doing their part (as led and anointed by the Spirit in us is implied).

In a Barna Group survey that was published in the early 1990s, they reported that their surveys indicated that only 5% of professing Christians had ever shared the gospel with another person. However, since every Christian has been given the ministry of reconciliation and to refuse to be obedient to this command is a sin, then 95% of Christians have been out of fellowship virtually their entire Christian life if they were actually saved. So, it is little wonder that we see very few Christian churches that are operating in spiritual power. It also might help explain the recent Barna surveys that indicated that only 4% of professing Christians after the pandemic have a Christian worldview. The surveys indicated that 40% believed that Christ sinned at some point and 60% believed that Christ was not the only path to eternal life. Clearly, these are alarming statistics.

A more complete explanation of this topic is found in The Three Functions of Believers.

How to Correctly Understand and Apply Biblical Principles

At this stage, we have reviewed the Doctrine of Fellowship and the Three Functions of Believers in our exploration of how to qualify to receive scriptural blessings. We will now explore how to rightly understand and interpret scripture and be diligent to act in obedience to those scriptures in order to qualify to receive the promises found in those scriptures.

True Knowledge through Obedience

Repeating Apostles Paul’s prayer in Colossians 1:9-12, we find that one of his key prayers is for their increase in knowledge:

For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, (10) so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; (11) strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously (12) giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light. (Colossians 1:9-12)

This passage can be understood in more depth by studying the following corollary in 2 Peter 1:2-4:

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; (3) seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. (4) For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (2 Peter 1:2-4)

What will readily be missed by people who do not study in the original languages is tucked away in verses 2 and 3. “Knowledge” (verse 2) and "True knowledge" (verse 3) are epignosis not gnosis, the alternate word for knowledge in the Koine Greek of the New Testament (NT). This is the same word translated as "knowledge" in Colossians 1:9-10 of Paul’s prayer (above). Gnosis is book or classroom (sermon) knowledge, second-hand knowledge. Whereas, epignosis refers to the “application knowledge” received from the Spirit by actually being obedient to do what God’s word has commanded.

We cannot divorce our knowledge of scripture and God Himself from obedience and fellowship. If we are willing to obey the truth we know, God will immediately take our superficial knowledge (gnosis) of His word and write it on the fleshly tablets of our heart and make it experiential knowledge (epignosis) of Himself.

I can read everything written about rebuilding a transmission but I will never gain the "application knowledge" until I actually tear a transmission down and rebuild it. In the natural realm this is called active learning, but in the spiritual realm it is a much deeper concept as the Holy Spirit empowers this process from the inside out.

This is why any scripture involving epignosis is always in the passive voice, meaning it is being received through anointing from the Spirit. If we could get it in our strength and effort it would be in the active voice.

We see this concept emphasized in Philippians 1 in terms of its ongoing effect on a believer:

And this I pray, that your love may abound still more and more in real knowledge [epignosis] and all discernment, (10) so that you may approve the things that are excellent, in order to be sincere and blameless until the day of Christ; (11) having been filled with the fruit of righteousness which comes through Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God. (Philippians 1:9-11)

The Apostle Paul stresses the importance of receiving epignosis from the Spirit “in order to be sincere and blameless” and to be “filled with the fruit of righteousness.” “May abound” is in the present or continuous tense again requiring that we are in fellowship as a lifestyle.

These passages are clearly telling us that to gain everything “pertaining to life and godliness,” it is not enough to know these things by having heard or read scriptural truth. No, we receive the fullness of Christ’s promises through the Word and the Spirit only when we are obedient to follow God’s instructions in our three functions.

Moreover, the Apostle James tells us clearly in James 2:17 that “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself,” and further in verse 26, “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead.” Then James deals the final blow to lack of obedient action in James 4:17 where he deals with sins of omission: “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”

The following is a quote from Oswald Chambers in his devotional “My Utmost For His Highest” for July 27, the most popular devotional in history:

“The golden rule to follow to obtain spiritual understanding is not one of intellectual pursuit, but one of obedience. If a person wants scientific knowledge, then intellectual curiosity must be his guide. But if he desires knowledge and insight into the teachings of Jesus Christ, he can only obtain it through obedience.

No one ever receives a word from God without instantly being put to the test regarding it. We disobey and then wonder why we are not growing spiritually.” 

This is further testified to by our Lord’s words in John 14:15 "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments” and in John 15:10-14:

If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. (11) These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be made full. (12) This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. (13) Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.(14) You are My friends if you do what I command you. (John 15:10-14).

So, you can see that Christ is clearly defining how we have a relationship with Him and the closer that relationship is through our obedience the more supernatural grace and epignosis we will receive.

The bottom line is that for a believer to qualify to receive any of the promises in scripture, they must first be in fellowship, having no unconfessed sins, and then they must be diligent to act in obedience to God’s mandates in scripture when the opportunity arises, as failure to so is sin. Fulfilling these requirements will result in immediate blessing, insight, understanding, and the power to obey these commands and grace to face whatever circumstances God places us in.

Learning vs True Knowledge

This is further testified to by 2 Timothy 3 which is dealing with weak women weighed down with sin. It describes them in verse 7 as “always learning and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Again, “knowledge” here is epignosis.” “Learning” is translated from manthanō and means “to learn or understand from teaching or reading” and is in the active voice and is therefore through man’s own faculties. Verse 6 indicates they are “weak women weighed down with sins, led on by various impulses.” So whether they are truly saved or not, they would not have been qualified to receive insight or anointing from the Holy Spirit, which is the only way to receive epignosis.

We read in Psalm 34:8 "O taste and see that the LORD is good; How blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him!" However, what is meant is to obey God's commands while in fellowship having no unconfessed sins, then you will experience (taste) His blessings. Moreover, “taking refuge” in Him requires having a sincere faith, or truly "trusting in and relying upon" Him, which is the very Koine Greek definition of pisteuo, which is translated as “believe” throughout the NT, and the implication of "sincere faith" in 1 Timothy 1:5.

Diligence - Bend Every Effort

The concept of fellowship is even stressed in scriptures like 2 Timothy 2:15, but you have to parse the participles (verbs) in the original language to discern this:

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth. (2 Timothy 2:15)

Wuest interprets “be diligent”, spoudazo in Koine Greek, to mean, “to bend every effort” with emphasis on immediacy. Spoudazo is from the noun spoude, which means “earnestness” or “zeal”.   Spoudazo is in the active voice indicating that the motivation and volition must come from the hearer, in this case Timothy.

“Accurately handling”, translated “Rightly dividing” in the KJV, is the compound Greek word orthotomeo. The word is from orthos, meaning “straight” and temno, which means “to cut or divide.”  The principle is to be able to accurately cut or traverse the full counsel of God from Genesis to Revelation on any subject systematically (topically and in context), without cutting out any “paper dolls” along the way on the line of our own biased selective agenda.

Very importantly, however, this verb is in the present passive middle participle.

• The present tense indicates that believers must be able to perform this function continuously as a lifestyle.

• The passive voice indicates that we cannot accomplish this in our own power and understanding, but rather that we must receive the requisite insight from beyond our human understanding – obviously from the indwelling Spirit of God.

• The middle voice is more difficult to translate as we have no middle voice in English, but it represents the subject as acting in some sense upon himself or concerning himself. In this case, it implies that the person must be in fellowship (having no unconfessed sin). In addition, we should have a positive mental attitude that is conditioned upon believing that the Spirit can and will anoint our understanding.

The Goal of Our Instruction

So, let’s examine how these principles apply to 1 Timothy 1:5:

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

“The goal of our instruction” means just that, the goal of all of our Christian teaching.

“Love from a pure heart” addresses the fact that we are to be operating in agape love for those around us, which means we are to be sacrificially devoted to working for their highest good with no regard for our personal agenda or the cost to us. Of course, their highest good is achieved by being in the closest possible relationship with Christ.

So to accomplish the highest good in the lives of others, we must be an agent of the Holy Spirit to build them up in their faith and do everything to draw them into closer intimacy with Christ.

However, to be this sacrificial, we must believe that as we do for others God will do for us and provide our every need supernaturally. This and the belief that God can do more for us in a nanosecond than we could do for ourselves in 40 years of hard labor is what gives us the faith and confidence to live sacrificially for others as Christ did. Additionally, this gives God glory and is pleasing in His sight!

“A good conscience” refers to walking in lifestyle fellowship through the practice of confessing our sins immediately as we commit them and thus continuously abiding in Christ and right relationship with the Father (see 1 John 1:5-9, Psalms 32, 66:18, Isaiah 59:12, Proverbs 28:13, and Mark 11:29).

“A sincere faith” is faith that believes that Jesus is the Son of God, and that completely “trusts in and relies upon God,” which again is the actual Koine Greek meaning of the word pisteuo translated “believe” throughout the NT. It is true or sincere faith that gives rise to the belief spoken of in 1 John 5:5:

Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? (1 John 5:5)

This is the whole secret of the overcoming life in all its simplicity and complexity.  “Overcomes” here and throughout the NT is translated from nikao in the original Greek text.  Nikao means “to conquer or to be victorious.” In this verse, nikao is in the present active participle. The present tense is the continuous tense, so the question here is really, “Who is victorious over the world system moment-by-moment as a lifestyle?”

The answer is simple but profound – “he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God.”  “Believes” again is translated from the Greek word pisteuo, which is the action word for faith, which comes from the noun pistis translated as “faith” in English.  Pisteuo means, “to trust in and rely upon,” and it is also in the present or continuous tense in this verse.  “Believes” is not talking about a matter of mental ascent or “head belief”, it is talking about a belief that results in action on the line of one’s faith while being in fellowship.

Hence, the verse is saying “Who is the one who is victorious over the world continuously, but he who continuously operates on the unwavering assurance that Jesus is the Son of God.”

Biblical Principles in Practice

First, let us always remember that if we are praying while out of fellowship God doesn’t even hear our prayers (Isaiah 59:2; Psalms 66:18; Proverbs 28:9); and Mark 11:25, 5:23-24). Moreover, if we expect to get credit for any good works or to be the recipient of any promise in scripture we must be operating in fellowship having no unconfessed sins.

Secondly, it is imperative that we read and understand God’s instructions in scripture to the extent that we can apply them in every circumstance in our lives as we are commanded in 2 Timothy 2:15.  Failure to strive to be obedient to this instruction is a sin of omission. God tells us in 2 Timothy 3:16-17 that reading, understanding, and obeying His word in scripture is critical for being equipped to fulfill our three functions in serving God in our daily walk:

All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; (17) so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

Therefore, it is a good practice to periodically take a fearless inventory of our behavior and to test ourselves to make sure we are walking in righteousness and in accordance with scripture:

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test? (2 Corinthians 13:5)

Active Participants or Passive Spectators?

God expects each one of us to be active participants with the Spirit in the work of the kingdom here below. The need for each believer to operate in his calling and gifting is critical to the operation of the body of Christ:

‘But speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:15-16)

If you think for a moment that a Christian is fulfilling their kingdom responsibility by showing up to church services every week and joining the league of mute spectators sitting in a pew and then spending the rest of the week ignoring their three Christian functions and indulging their rights to themselves in worldly endeavors, you are sorely mistaken. Scripture makes it exceeding clear in James 4:4 that living a life focused on worldly priorities is a snare that corrupts our very souls:

You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. (James 2:4)

During the Cold War, a pastor came to the U.S. from Romania, which was behind the Iron Curtain. At this time the Communist Soviet Union being Marxist was atheist in ideology and did everything to suppress the Christian faith. After being in America for a short time the pastor made a fairly disturbing observation. He said that it seemed clear to him that Christianity prospers under persecution but does not fare well in the face of affluence and advantage. It seems that people living quite literally in the lap of luxury as the large majority of Americans do have a strong tendency to be lulled to sleep spiritually and to cause them to lose sight of the fact that we are in the midst of a daily spiritual warfare.

As Matthew Henry wrote:

“The combat is not against human enemies nor against our own corrupt nature only; we have to do with an enemy who has a thousand ways of beguiling unstable souls. The devils assault us in the things that belong to our souls, and labor to deface the heavenly image in our hearts. We must resolve by God's grace, not to yield to Satan. Resist him, and he will flee.”

So, the fact that recent Barna surveys indicate that only 4% of professing Christians hold a Christian worldview would be a strong indicator that the church in America is failing in a very decisive way. We would all have to agree that a grade of 4% on any test is about as low of an F as you can get.

Crippling Effect of our Pastoral Paradigm

Perhaps, the fact that the pastoral paradigm we follow in this nation completely ignores two of the most basic scriptural instructions concerning our assembling together has something to do with this failure. The first scripture is 1 Corinthians 14:26:

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

God clearly did not intend for the congregation to be mute spectators; quite the contrary. Moreover, this would suggest that the congregation was to come to the assembly prepared to share a testimony from their daily experiences in their walk with the Spirit. This also suggests that the Spirit would control the meeting by anointing different ones to bring a message that was timely and for the moment.

This would be consistent with Ephesians 4:29:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

Unfortunately, “grace” has become somewhat of a cliché in the American church as we witness very few supernatural manifestations of God owing in large part to the fact that our society has slipped so far into immorality that sins like fornication, adultery, homosexuality, sodomy, abortion, euthanasia, New Age religion, and violence have become commonplace and are enthroned in a large percentage of our books, movies, and television programs.

However, when one reads reports coming from groups like Gospel for Asia and Voice of the Martyrs they are filled with the supernatural manifestations of God. “It will give grace to those who hear” is talking about releasing supernatural anointing into the lives of the hearers, an anointing that has the power to transform people and circumstances.

1 Corinthians 14:25 also would seem to indicate that God intended to continue the First Century pattern of the church being led by a multiplicity of elders, who were mutually accountable and led from the rear according to Ephesians 4:11-13:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13)

Clearly, the leaders were to be training up the congregation to do the work of the kingdom. How better to prepare the believers to share the Gospel and impact the world for Christ than to have them constantly contributing in the assembly where they can be corrected and groomed by the elders?

In the Barna survey mentioned earlier which found that only 5% percent of professing Christians had ever shared their faith, the main excuse given was that they didn’t feel adequate to present the Gospel effectively.

By analogy, think what would happen if when soldiers went to boot camp and all they got was lectures and were only able to watch the drill instructor run the obstacle course and fire his weapon on the range but were never allowed to experience those things for themselves.

This leads into the second most ignored passage which is 1 Corinthians 12:22-27:

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; (23) and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, (24) whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, (25) so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. (26) And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. (27) Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:22-27)

Clearly, this passage is talking about working with, encouraging, and grooming the less presentable members to become effective witnesses for Christ. As every management manual indicates, giving people gradually more and more responsibility as a member of a team and building them up when they fall short is the most effective management style to build an effective and cohesive staff.

It appears obvious from the very poor results that we have attained in the mainstream church in this nation through the pastoral paradigm that we need a change in tactics. What other alternative would be more logical than to go back to God’s original design?

Maybe it could have been a sign from God that the term “pastor” only occurs one time in the New American Standard Bible. After all, it would appear that Christ was instructing us against labels including Rabbi, the Jewish equivalent of pastor. Certainly, it would be a significant change and would challenge congregants who have spent decades being mostly apathetic and mute spectators.

But do not be called Rabbi; for One is your Teacher, and you are all brothers. (9) Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven. (10) Do not be called leaders; for One is your Leader, that is, Christ. (11) But the greatest among you shall be your servant. (12) Whoever exalts himself shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted. (Matthew 23:8-12)

The picture is clear - Jesus is and intends to function as the Head and Leader of His Church, the Holy Spirit as the Teacher, and the Father to reign above all. People are ever prone to seek someone to go between them and God, from the children of Israel rejecting God at Sinai in favor of Moses to their appointing a king in place of God when in the land of Canaan. And so today we hear prayers every Sunday that God would speak to His people through the pastor.

Something has to change - if not in the church at large, at least in your life. You have read the scriptures in this article and you understand how to walk in fellowship, how to walk in your three functions to God, the Lost, and the Body, and you know how to read the word and walk in His promises for you.

God wants to bless you with every spiritual blessing in Christ. He has poured out His Holy Spirit within you to lead and guide you, to convict you, to teach you, to empower you, and to help you experience the life of Christ flowing through you. Step up into your inheritance in Christ!

Realistic Application

If you find that you cannot function effectively in your giftings and ministry to the Body in the church service, I would encourage you to prioritize a smaller fellowship in your week. You could find a few people of like precious faith based on the principles you have just read and meet in a home for a Bible study or ministry night once a week to walk out these commands and to genuinely minister Christ one to another, share communion, and fellowship.

It is important to be led by the Holy Spirit and the patterns laid out in scripture in how and where to fellowship. It is Christ who composes His Body how He desires and places us where He wills. It is for us to function where we are planted and find ways to be obedient to His commands in ministering to and edifying the Body.

Be Blessed in Christ!

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen. (Ephesians 3:20-21)

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In Christ,

—Paul

It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, But the glory of kings is to search out a matter.
— Proverbs 25:2

Details in Scripture matter. God places His patterns and pictures through the pages of scripture as treasures for those who would seek them out.

This article is for those who love to search out the concealed truths of scripture and uncover the precious truths God has placed there for us.

Key Passages in Scripture - East to West

Here is one treasure I’d like to trace for you - that of “East to West.” Let your mind piece together this puzzle and I’ll meet you at the end with a summary of my thoughts.

Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— (23) therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. (24) So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
— Genesis 3:22-24

He [God] said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's [Abel’s] blood is crying to Me from the ground. (11) Now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. (12) When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”… (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
— Genesis 4:10-12,16

Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. (2) It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. (3) They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly." And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. (4)  They said, "Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth."
— Genesis 11:1-4

Then he proceeded from there to the mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, with Bethel [house of God] on the west and Ai [ruins of the world] on the east; and there he built an altar to the LORD and called upon the name of the LORD
— Genesis 12:8

He [Ishmael, a picture of the flesh] will be a wild donkey of a man, His hand will be against everyone, And everyone's hand will be against him; And he will live to the east of all his brothers.
— Genesis 16:12

Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.
— Exodus 3:1

For the rear of the tabernacle, to the west, you shall make six boards.
— Exodus 26:22

The width of the court on the east side shall be fifty cubits… (16) For the gate of the court [on the east side] there shall be a screen of twenty cubits, of blue and purple and scarlet material and fine twisted linen, the work of a weaver, with their four pillars and their four sockets.
— Exodus 27:13,16

Moreover, he shall take some of the blood of the bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on the east side; also in front of the mercy seat he shall sprinkle some of the blood with his finger seven times.
— Leviticus 16:14

He took up his discourse and said, "From Aram Balak has brought me, Moab's king from the mountains of the East, 'Come curse Jacob for me, And come, denounce Israel!'
— Numbers 23:7

Solomon's wisdom surpassed the wisdom of all the sons of the east and all the wisdom of Egypt.
— 1 Kings 4:30

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
— Psalm 103:12

Then He brought me into the inner court of the LORD'S house. And behold, at the entrance to the temple of the LORD, between the porch and the altar, were about twenty-five men with their backs to the temple of the LORD and their faces toward the east; and they were prostrating themselves eastward toward the sun [worshipping idols].
— Ezekiel 8:16

Then he brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, water was flowing from under the threshold of the house toward the east, for the house faced east. And the water was flowing down from under, from the right side of the house, from south of the altar. (2) He brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around on the outside to the outer gate by way of the gate that faces east. And behold, water was trickling from the south side. (3) When the man went out toward the east with a line in his hand, he measured a thousand cubits, and he led me through the water, water reaching the ankles. (4) Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the knees. Again he measured a thousand and led me through the water, water reaching the loins. (5) Again he measured a thousand; and it was a river that I could not ford, for the water had risen, enough water to swim in, a river that could not be forded.
— Ezekiel 47:1-5

In that day His feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, which is in front of Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives will be split in its middle from east to west by a very large valley, so that half of the mountain will move toward the north and the other half toward the south.
— Zechariah 14:4

Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem [to the west], saying, (“2) Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him."
— Matthew 2:1-2

They took Jesus, therefore, and He went out [from Zion, Jerusalem, to the west], bearing His own cross, to the place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha [Mount Moriah, to the East]. (18) There they crucified Him…
— John 19:17-18

For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy place by the high priest as an offering for sin, are burned outside the camp. (12) Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people through His own blood, suffered outside the gate [to the East]. (13) So, let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His reproach.
— Hebrews 13:11-13

East

What picture is God painting through “the East” in scripture?

• Removal from the presence of God

• Removal from fellowship and communion to being a “vagrant and a wanderer on the earth”

• Independence from God

• Dwelling of man

• Man’s achievements apart from God

• Wilderness

• Ruin of sin

• Pride

• World

• Flesh

• Where God calls men from (Abraham, Moses)

• The entrance into the way back to God

• Where the sacrifice for sin took place (brazen altar in the tabernacle)

West

What picture is God painting through “the West” in scripture?

• Dwelling, Abiding with God in His Temple

• Communion and fellowship, belonging with God

• Dependence on God, Faith

• Humility

• Atonement

• The Way back to the Father

• Men searching for God

• Direction of writing from East to West toward Jerusalem (for languages begun east of Jerusalem)

• The place of God’s throne, His house

• Where the blood of the sacrifice was brought (Mercy Seat) to make atonement for sin

• God’s plan for salvation goes from East to West

• God’s glory and river extend from west to east flowing from the temple to the world

My favorite verse out of this collection is the following:

As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us.
— Psalm 103:12

This is not simply a nice poetic way to say this. This is a promise… Christ’s sacrifice to the east was brought before God’s throne on the west, and atonement was made. God made a separation from our sin which separated us from God, so that we could be once more joined to Him. As far as the east is from the west - He has made atonement through the blood of Jesus.

When God looks from His throne on the west toward the east, He no longer sees your sin or mine, but rather the perfect sacrifice of Christ, the Lamb of God slain for us on the altar as a substitutionary offering for our sin. We are washed in the blood, free to boldly enter before Him clothed in the righteousness of Christ!

The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in the field, which a man found and hid again; and from joy over it he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field.
— Matthew 13:44

But from there [the East where God has scattered you] you will seek the LORD your God, and you will find Him if you search for Him with all your heart and all your soul.
— Deuteronomy 4:29

Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, (25) to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.
— Jude 24-25

Search for Him - you will find Him!

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This short article is going to explore an often overlooked, but key scripture in this controversial topic within Christendom today. We will explore the nature of covenant promises, 3 key texts, and how to walk out your faith in relation to healing.

Covenant Guarantees

To understand the scriptures we are going to explore and how they relate to healing, we need a brief overview of Covenant guarantees. In each of these covenants, God has commitments that He has promised and obligated Himself to fulfill and is “guaranteed.” There are unilateral (one-sided) covenants like God’s promise to Noah to not destroy the earth by flood again. And there are multilateral covenants like the Mosaic Covenant with requirements on both sides - Israel to obey the laws given, and God to bless if they obeyed or curse if they failed (see Deuteronomy 28-29).

The New Covenant in Christ is a multilateral covenant where if we fulfill our requirement to believe in, trust in, and rely upon Jesus and His work on the cross for our salvation, God fulfills His promise and guarantees our salvation, forgiveness of our sins, and eternal life.

The question when it comes to physical healing that we want to help you answer in this article is as follows:

Is your right to be healed a covenant guarantee by Christ’s death on the cross in the same respect as is your redemption through faith and subsequent ability to confess your sins and be forgiven?

Text #1: By His Wounds You Were Healed

First, let’s consider the often-used proof-text of 1 Peter 2:24-25:

And He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed.  (25)  For you were continually straying like sheep [by sinning], but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Guardian of your souls. (1 Peter 2:24-25)

If we diagram this sentence, we see that “for by His wounds you were healed” is a prepositional phrase that modifies the preceding declarations of the sentence, which are solely concerned with sin and living in righteousness in victory over sin. There is no reference to the flesh at all, as we should perhaps expect that there was nothing at the Cross which would glorify the flesh.

Clearly, the healing referred to in verse 24 is a healing from our iniquity. Again, verse 25 reinforces the thrust of the sin focus of verse 24 by emphasizing the sinful nature of man in “continually straying like sheep.”

Text #2: If we confess our sins…

Now, let’s examine perhaps the clearest statement of covenant in the New Testament in 1 John 1:9, which is directed at believers, who have been saved and sealed (indwelt) by the Spirit of God:

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9)

Clearly, forgiveness of sins is the basis of the atonement and therefore a covenant promise from God established through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Calvary. When we satisfy the requirements for a covenant promise, then because God is not a man and cannot lie and cannot be unrighteous, He will always be faithful and righteous to keep His part of the covenant promise.

Text #3: Epaphroditus’ Sickness

Now, let’s consider Philippians 2:25-27:

But I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother and fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger and minister to my need;  (26)  because he was longing for you all and was distressed because you had heard that he was sick.  (27)  For indeed he was sick to the point of death, but God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, so that I would not have sorrow upon sorrow. (Philippians 2:25-27)

Clearly, if God was going to tell us that physical healing was a part of the Atonement at the Cross, this passage would be a perfect opportunity.

First, Paul gives what would appear to be the spiritual medal of honor to Epaphroditus, declaring him as a “brother,” “fellow worker,” “fellow soldier,” and a minister to the Apostle Paul’s needs. This would appear to make Epaphroditus’ salvation to be absolutely assured, remembering also that Paul is speaking by the Spirit. The Apostle then goes on to emphasize that Epaphroditus was indeed sick even to the point of death.

So, if healing is guaranteed in the atonement, where are the “FAITHFUL” and “RIGHTEOUS” declarations like we see in 1 John 1:9?

Contrary to the use of “FAITHFUL” or “RIGHTEOUS,” Paul’s use of the word “MERCY” in verse 27 clearly indicates that God had a choice and therefore physical healing is not a covenant promise.

It is clear from scripture that God can and will heal, we must recognize that healing is based on His SOVEREIGN WILL and that God is not compelled by a COVENANT PROMISE to heal anyone in any given circumstance!

How To Approach Faith and Healing

Hence, though our faith may play apart in God’s decision whether to heal us or someone we are praying for, the final decision is totally based on God’s plan and purpose in any particular circumstance based on His SOVEREIGN WILL.

Keeping in mind that we can only see the most immediate impact of a particular outcome, whereas God’s perspective is looking at the long term impact, which could be decades in the future or even in eternity future. So, it is short-sightedness on our part to ever ask “WHY” God allows or does anything, for as scripture clearly declares:

"For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).

We simply must accept by faith that God is perfect wisdom, love, grace, and justice and that whatever His decision it is for our highest good!

Scripture even declares that:

Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. (Psalms 116:15)

Unfortunately, many people who have been unable to justify the ”why” in their own understanding and have become shipwrecked in their faith after hearing statements like, “if he only had enough faith, he would have lived.” In light of this Philippians passage, statements like this are false teaching!

It is also unfortunate that most Christians are so overwhelming preoccupied with the realities of this present world and trying to improve and extend their lives here below that the following passages are difficult for them to grasp and appreciate:

Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord— (7)  for we walk by faith, not by sight— (8)  we are of good courage, I say, and prefer rather to be absent from the body and to be at home with the Lord. (2 Corinthians 5:6-8)

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.  (Philippians 1:21)

Power is Perfected in Weakness

When our minds are transformed to have the mind of Christ, we have the opportunity to gain God’s perspective on our circumstances, like Paul expressed when he prayed (in faith!) that the Lord would remove his “thorn in the flesh” which admittedly is possibly, but not certainly, a physical malady. I would encourage that the same principal of faith-filled prayer and rest in God’s sovereignty and eternal purpose be applied to all trials and suffering, including physical sickness.

Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me—to keep me from exalting myself! (8) Concerning this I implored the Lord three times that it might leave me. (9) And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)

When encountering sickness, which can be a “tormenting” “thorn in the flesh” in our lives, we should bring our requests before the Lord in prayer for healing and release.

But we should be open to the reality that His answer may be yes, no, or not yet.

• If the answer is yes, praise God that He is powerful to heal!

• If no, or not yet, I encourage you to recognize that God’s promise to you is that His “grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.”

Paul’s change in perspective caused him to rejoice and boast in his weakness and difficulties because he understood that Christ would be glorified through these circumstances. Far from the trial being something detracting from God’s plan and purpose, Paul knew that whatever had come into his life as he walked by faith had already passed through the sovereign hand of God.

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves; (8) we are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not despairing; (9) persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed; (10) always carrying about in the body the dying of Jesus, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. (11) For we who live are constantly being delivered over to death for Jesus' sake, so that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our mortal flesh. (12) So death works in us, but life in you. (2 Corinthians 4:7-12)

Not that I speak from want, for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. (12) I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. (13) I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:11-13)

And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose. (Romans 8:28)

My Journey through the Valley of the Shadow of Death

We have addressed the theological side, but the reality is that this issue of healing rocks us to the core of our being when it comes to sickness in our own body or with someone we love. I would like to share a little about my own personal journey. I will share in greater depth in other articles, so please excuse my brevity, but for those of you who are reading this in the depths of the valley of the shadow of death, I want to let you know that I understand what you are going through at the deepest level.

Having walked this road in a life-and-death battle with my wife’s cancer where I was forced to walk out these scriptures through the valley of the shadow of death, this was a fundamental scriptural truth I had to understand and walk out in faith before God. The Spirit made the following truths clear to me through this journey:

• We had only one Lord - Jesus Christ. We would not bend the knee to sin, sickness, or Satan, but to Christ alone.

• If we walked in faith, we were guaranteed victory in Christ.

• The result of the victory is in the hands of God as He is working all things together for our good and His glory.

• This victory would come through one of three forms:

  • She would be healed.

  • She would be raised from the dead.

  • She would be with Christ in glory forever.

• The only way to “lose” would be to take our eyes off Christ and fail to trust in Him completely, for healing, for resurrection, or for eternal life.

I found the following prayer to be my prayer of faith for her healing while keeping my hands open to the eternal purposes of God:

Lord Jesus,
I believe in your power to save, to heal, and to raise from the dead.
I pray that You would preserve and strengthen and heal my wife’s body until the work that You have prepared for her from before the foundation of the world be accomplished in and through her.
I pray against anything that would stand in the way of Your will being done on earth as it is in heaven in her body and life, including all sin, sickness, and work of the enemy.
In the Power of Jesus’ Name, Amen

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God does not save us and then turn us out to wander aimlessly until He returns. The instant we are saved, we are given three assignments or general functions that define the purpose of the rest of our lives and tells us how to deal with God and everyone we meet. No believer ever has to wonder, "What am I here for?"

Those three assignments are:

1. Our Priesthood: Our Relationship to God

2. The Ministry of Reconciliation, our Ambassadorship for Christ to the Lost: Our Relationship to Unbelievers

3. Ministry to Build Up and Edify the Body of Christ: Our Relationship to Believers

Our Priesthood: Our Relationship to God

You also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ… But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God's OWN POSSESSION… (1 Peter 2:5,9)

Every believer is a priest to God and has the right to present himself before the throne of grace.

In Hebrews 10:19–22 we are urged to "draw near" to God, from the Greek proserchomai, which means "to come face to face." Because our approach is built on confession, we can walk boldly into the throne room of God knowing every sin has been paid for and we have been redeemed (Hebrews 4:16). God wants us to live face to face (connected) with Him.

Our priesthood is private, between us and the Lord. We are responsible to function as priests and maintain our relationship with God through:

• Reading, studying and applying the Word of God, His written communication to us, diligently as a lifestyle. (2 Timothy 2:15, 3:16-17, James 1:22, John 13:17)

• Prayer, which is our communication to Him. Staying vigilant and alert and praying unceasingly in all things. (Ephesians 6:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:17-19, Hebrews 13:15)

• Stay in fellowship (1 Corinthians 1:9; 1 John 1:7–9)

• To "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).

• Confessing our sins as a lifestyle immediately upon sinning (1 John 1:5-9, Psalms 32, James 5:16, Revelation 3:19)

• Worshipping God with our obedience and devotion. (Romans 12:1, 2 Corinthians 5:15, Colossians 3:1-11)

• Maintaining a heart of thanksgiving toward God for His grace and praising His holy name. (Psalm 104:4; Colossians 3:16; Philippians 4:4; 1 Thessalonians 5:16, Colossians 1:11-12)

The Ministry of Reconciliation, our Ambassadorship for Christ to the Lost: Our Relationship to Unbelievers

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. (18) Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) namely, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and He has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

God has given us the ministry of reconciliation so that we might serve as ambassadors of Christ. We have a duty to the unsaved (Acts 1:8). Jesus Christ came to earth "to seek and save that which was lost" (Luke 19:10). He began his ministry in the flesh but He continues it in us (John 20:21; Matthew 28:19-20). Our responsibility is to urge men to be reconciled to God.

Hebrews 10:23 tells us to "hold fast the confession of our hope." Katecho, "hold fast," is a nautical term that means "to steer a straight course toward an objective." Elpis, "hope," is absolute certainty. Confidence in God produces courage before man. As our intimacy with God grows through the function of our priesthood, so will our effectiveness as ambassadors.

Love your neighbor as yourself. (Matthew 12:31)

So Jesus said to them again, "Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." (John 20:21)

For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, (20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." (Matthew 28:19-20)

Become all things to all men, so that we may by all means save some. (1 Corinthians 9:22-23)

Consider your life as no account to yourself that you might be of use to Christ, and therefore be willing to be expendable in the cause of Christ, which is to seek and to save the lost. (Revelation 12:11; Matthew 16:25; Philippians 3:8)

But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; (16) and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. (17) For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. (1 Peter 3:15-17)

Ministry to Build Up and Edify the Body of Christ: Our Relationship to Believers

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, (5) so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. (Romans 12:4-5)

But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (11) But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:7,11)

What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. (1 Corinthians 14:26)

Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Each one of us is called to be a servant to every other Christian, and our spiritual gift defines the area in which we are to concentrate our service. At salvation, every believer is given a spiritual gift(s) through which he is to minister to the Body of Christ. That gift, bestowed sovereignly by the Holy Spirit as He wills, outlines the plan of God for our lives. Through the gifts of the Spirit, the Church is built up and strengthened.

In Hebrews 10:24–25, we are exhorted to "consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds encouraging one another." The word translated "consider," katanoeo, means "to bear down with the mind, to concentrate." In the exercise of our spiritual gifts we should bear down in intense concentration, meditate, exercise some mental energy in considering other people and their needs. We should constantly ask ourselves, "How can I stimulate someone else to live in the energy of the Spirit? How can I use my gift today to encourage and strengthen someone else?"

Below are some of the commands and Scriptures related to our ministry to build up and edify the Body:

• We are called to love our brothers and sisters in Christ as ourselves. (Mark 12:31, Acts 2:42)

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

If we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! (5) You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. (6) These words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart; (7) You shall teach them diligently [shanan in the Hebrew meaning to hone on a whet stone repetitively until it has a sharp edge as in “the two edged sword of the Spirit”] to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up. (8) You shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead. (9) You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates. (Deuteronomy 6:4-9)

Part of the Shema of Israel that they were to memorize and recite daily. It is God’s strategy for us so that we will not be a different person on the job, another at home, another at play, and still another at church. We are to be equally Christ-like in every aspect of our life. To do otherwise is to be a hypocrite and a religious impostor. Moreover, it is the job of parents to teach this concept diligently to our children.

• Observe Communion together in remembrance of Christ’s sacrifice and imminent return. (Luke 22:19-20, 1 Corinthians 11:23-32). [Sacrament]

• Baptize believers in water symbolic of our having been baptized into Christ’s crucifixion, death, burial, and resurrection at salvation. [Sacrament] (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38; Mark 1:8, Acts 19:1-6, 1 Corinthians 12:12-13, Romans 6:3-8, Colossians 3:1-4)

As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. (1 Peter 4:10) [Do you know your gifting yet?]

So then let us pursue the things, which make for peace and the building up of one another. (Romans 14:19)

Therefore, laying aside falsehood, speak truth, each one of you, with his neighbor, for we are members of one another. (Ephesians 4:25) [Be honest and transparent with one another and do not lie or play games]

And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you. (Ephesians 4:32)

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (1 Peter 4:8)

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, that it may give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy. (1 Corinthians 14:1)

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord. (Hebrews 12:14)

Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also may be fearful of sinning. I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus and of His chosen angels, to maintain these principles without bias, doing nothing in a spirit of partiality. [Cliques are an exercise in partiality and dictate to God who we will fellowship with instead of letting Him lead us.] (1 Timothy 5:19-21)

But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors. (James 2:9)

Do not lay hands upon anyone too hastily and thus share responsibility for the sins of others; keep yourself free from sin. (1 Timothy 5:22)

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father; and be subject to one another in the fear of Christ. (Ephesians 5:18-21)

And so, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience; (13) bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. (14) Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. (15) Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts [Make decisions based on what will create peace in your life and avoid contention, unless it is necessary for the cause of Christ], to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. (16) Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (16) Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. (Colossians 3:12-17)

Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; (11) not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord; (12) rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer, (13) contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality. (14) Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. (15) Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. (16) Be of the same mind toward one another; do not be haughty in mind, but associate with the lowly. Do not be wise in your own estimation. (17) Never pay back evil for evil to anyone. Respect what is right in the sight of all men. (18) If possible, so far as it depends on you, be at peace with all men. (Romans 12:10-18)

I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, entreat you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing forbearance to one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. (Ephesians 4:1-3)

Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.(James 5:16)

“One Another” & the Clergy-Laity Divide

One could probably write a book on any one of these operational scriptures but the goal of this manuscript is to illustrate the more general view of God’s guidelines to the body of Christ.

The operational dynamics identified in the foregoing, many of which are in the imperative mode and therefore are commands and not suggestions, are not being emphasized in much of the mainstream church today. Rather, churches are focused on teaching that doesn’t offend, on ceremony, and on programs that take place within the church walls.

The church is searching for a better program and God is searching for a better man.

The mainstream church has created a separation between the leadership and the congregation, commonly referred to as the clergy and the laity that prevents the majority of the body from being equal participants in body life and in the work and administration of the kingdom.

Further, as the rank-and-file Christians became second-class citizens in spiritual terms, we also lost the dynamic of discipleship and with it the development of true covenant relationship and agape love, which are the supernatural fruits of godly discipleship. Too many churches consider Sunday school to be discipleship. The result is many churches have derailed God’s plan for the growth and perfection of the body.

We are commanded to “make disciples of all the nations (all people) teaching them to observe (to do) all things I have commanded you…” (see Matthew 28:19-20).

Too often believers develop the idea that the church can somehow fulfill their covenant responsibilities by proxy, if they just attend and put enough money in the plate. They seem to lose sight of the book of James that tells us clearly that “Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead, being by itself (James 2:17), and “For just as the body without the spirit is dead, so also faith without works is dead (James 2:26), and “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin (James 4:17).

But then much of the church leadership has lost sight of the fact that God has given every believer the ministry of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18-20), not just the so-called clergy. To not fulfill that responsibility when God brings the opportunity is a sin that can keep a Christian perpetually out of fellowship.

This also means they have no evidence or assurance of salvation and that they do not have on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-17) and the deterrent to sin and the powers and principalities of darkness that it affords.

It was God’s plan through the operation of discipleship, under the tutelage of the Holy Spirit, to produce in His children the seamless behavior pattern that we see in Christ. But having created a gulf between church leadership and the rest of the body, Satan succeeded in fracturing the body of Christ and fragmenting God’s plan for Christian development.

As the clergy focused more on teaching doctrine and using it as the hinge-pin for elevating themselves above the so-called laity, they lost sight of the very focus and purpose of godly instruction. And in so doing we began to major in the minors of the Christian life and to lose sight of its primary goal.

The Goal of Our Instruction

The true goal of all Christian enterprise is love (agape) from a pure heart, which is a heart that is devoid of any self-motive or personal agenda but rather is a servant’s heart that desires the highest good for those who are the objects of that love regardless of the cost. As a result, agape love usually begins at the threshold of inconvenience.

But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (1 Timothy 1:5)

“A good conscience” simply means walking in lifestyle fellowship through immediate confession of sins.

“A sincere faith” is to sincerely “trust in and rely upon” Jesus Christ and nothing else, which is exactly the meaning of the Koine Greek word “pisteuo” translated “believe” throughout the New Testament. Yes, believe is an action, not a mental inclination. To put another way, “saved is as saved does!” So, test yourself to see if you are in the faith (2 Corinthians 13:5)!

Now flee from youthful lusts, and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. (9) Be hospitable to one another without complaint. (1 Peter 4:8-9)

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself. (Philippians 2:3)

Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, (5) does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, (6) does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; (7) bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. (1 Corinthians 13:4-7)

And, of course, the highest good for anyone is whatever brings them into a closer relationship with God in Jesus Christ, since “Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights..” (James 1:17). God intends for his children to be his agents of agape love regardless of the personal cost to them in worldly terms even unto death (John 15:13, 1 John 3:16).

God’s Guidelines for Assembling Together

The majority of the mainstream church today is ignoring some critical biblical guidelines, like 1 Corinthians 14:26 that instructs us:

…When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.

We have lost sight of “each one!”

In God’s plan, the order of service was to be determined by the Holy Spirit, who would anoint those he chose to contribute during each time of assembly. This has been replaced with a pastor’s plan and a bulletin that might be prepared days in advance. Scripture throughout indicates that God always deals “in the moment.” We see a good example of this in Ephesians 4:29:

Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear. (Ephesians 4:29)

The clear message of this verse is that God the Holy Spirit will anoint those who are in fellowship with insight to deal with the immediate circumstances.

Further, today the word “grace” has become more or less a dynamic-less cliché when indeed as in this verse it is speaking to life-changing supernatural power and blessing.

1 Corinthians 14:26 (above) with its focus on “each one” then works in conjunction with 1 Corinthians 12:22-25 in “bestowing… honor”:

On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary; (23) and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, (24) whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, (25) so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. (1 Corinthians 12:22-25)

It goes without saying that this instruction has been lost to the church in America in our preoccupation with affluence financially and educational achievement.

Together, these two dynamics of “each one” and “bestowing honor” supercharge believers in a church to operate effectively in their three functions. The parallel would be the difference to those in military boot camp being trained through constant exercise and practice under the tutelage of the drill instructor as opposed to simply watching the drill instructor run the obstacle course and fire his weapon on the firing range and not be involved personally in the process. However, this is essentially the same picture of a congregation of mute spectators listening to a paid speaker and an amateur singing group.

If churches would follow this biblical dynamic instead of the flawed pastoral paradigm they practice today then and only then could they fulfill the requirements of Ephesians 4:11-16:

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (12) for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (13) until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (14) As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; (15) but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, (16) from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. (Ephesians 4:11-16)

Moreover, in the First Century most of the congregation lived close to each other. Whereas today congregants might be traveling many of miles to get to church and unless they make a concerted effort will only see each others on Sundays and perhaps Wednesday night. This makes the dynamics in the Ephesians passage just that much more difficult to achieve.

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In Christ,

—Paul

Walking in lifestyle fellowship is the very cornerstone of our relationship to God and it is impossible to operate in anointing and power in the Kingdom without practicing it.

God is faithful, through whom you were called into fellowship **with His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:9)

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship **has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all. (2 Corinthians 13:14)

And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. (6) If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; (7) but if we walk in the light as He Himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  (8) If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us. (1 John 1:5-10)

The principle is that since all have sinned and fallen short of the righteousness of God (Romans 3:23), then it follows that the only righteousness available to us is that which is imputed to us in Christ.

The grounds on which this can happen is detailed in 1 John 1:9, which tells us that God forgives our sin when we confess it from a repentant heart. The word “confess” is homologeo in the Greek and is in the present subjunctive active. The Greek word means “to confess or acknowledge” and has the connotation of listing or numbering. The present tense is the continuous tense, which implies it needs to be a lifestyle practice and the active voice means it is up to me to provoke myself to do the action.

In the following we will study:

• The Doctrine of Fellowship in Scripture

• How to Stay in Fellowship with God and One Another

• The Spiritual Dynamics that result

Doctrine of Fellowship in Scripture

The word translated “fellowship” in the Koine Greek is koinonia, which is also translated “participate” and  “sharing” in the NASB.  It implies the idea of being bound together or being in partnership and co-participants with someone. The concept also embodies the idea of spiritual union and communion, which is why we have to be operationally righteous when we come into the presence of God, because God cannot fellowship or commune with unrighteousness.

We see the implications spelled out in the following passages:

But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear. (Isaiah 59: 2)

Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what fellowship has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Now then let the fear of the Lord be upon you; be very careful what you do, for the Lord our God will have no part in unrighteousness, or partiality, or the taking of a bribe. (2 Chronicles 19:7)

The bottom line is that lifestyle fellowship with God is the very heart and cornerstone of our Christian walk and yet the principle and the practice has truly been lost to much of the mainstream church in this nation with disastrous results.

We’ve Lost our Grasp of Lifestyle Fellowship

If you ask pastors if they believe the doctrine in general, they will tell you that they do, but the majority somehow have lost or never grasped the idea of walking in lifestyle fellowship.

Remaining continuously in fellowship and constantly available to the renewing power of God the Holy Spirit requires that we keep a “short sin account,” and “rebound” through immediate confession every time we sin.

Unfortunately, dealing with sin is not popular in our self-serving world and so there is a tendency in churches to euphemize sin as a “problem” or an “area of weakness” and in various other ways that disguise the destructive impact it has on our lives and on our relationship with God.  The end result is that we no longer see sin as the evil that it is, and thus we likewise have lost the thrust of the doctrine of repentance and confession.

But we must understand that only in fellowship with God are we available to the life transforming power and anointing of the Holy Spirit:

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, (8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Romans 8:5-8)

In the flesh (out of fellowship) we are “not even able to” subject ourselves to the law of God (v. 7), because this is only possible in and through the power of the Spirit:

And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (2 Corinthians 12:9)

Out of fellowship, we cannot operate in the anointing of the Spirit to receive insight into the word or to operate in any of the various gifts of the Spirit:

As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. (1 John 2:27)

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; (9) to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, (10) and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. (1Corinthians 12:8-10)

Once we realize that we can do nothing in our own strength, then we will draw near to God and draw upon His infinite supply of divine strength and grace.

Again, we must be in right relationship having no unconfessed sin for this supply to be available to us, because God cannot fellowship with sin.  However, in fellowship with God, His power is perfected in our weakness, and our weakness is perfected in absolute loving obedience and submission to Him.

Spiritual vs Carnal Believers

We should be reminded, however, that true obedience requires that the obedience be immediate, complete, and joyful.

Therefore, at any moment believers are either

• “Spiritual” and operating in relationship/fellowship with God, or

• “Carnal” and removed from relationship and communion with Him.

The Apostle Paul deals with this concept repeatedly in his writings.  Consider 1 Corinthians 3:1-3 for example:

And I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men, but as to men of flesh as to babes in Christ. (2) I gave you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, (3) for you are still fleshly. For since there is jealousy and strife among you, are you not fleshly, and are you not walking like mere men?  (1 Corinthians 3:1-3)

The word “brethren” tells us that Paul is addressing believers.  The words “flesh” and “fleshly” are translated “carnal” in the KJV, and are translations of the Koine Greek word sarkikos (4559 – Strongs Concordance) which is from sarx (4561), **the Greek word for “flesh.”

Sarx (flesh) **is a symbol of the entire domain of our fallen nature in the Greek New Testament, a state in which sin has dominion over us.

These are synonyms of psuche (5590 – “soul”) and psuchikos (5591 – “soulish”) in the Greek, because these also carry with them the idea of man’s affinity for his natural sinful propensities or baser instincts.

“Spiritual” is pneumatikos (4152) and comes from pneuma (4151), the word translated “Spirit.”  It conveys the idea of being “available to the assistance of the Holy Spirit” according to The Complete Word Study New Testament by Zodhiates.

Paul tells us in Romans 7:18:

For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh; for the wishing is present in me, but the doing of the good is not. (Romans 7:18)

In the flesh, I do not have the power to live for Christ. Moreover, this power is essential to our functioning in the Body of Christ:

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,  (6)  who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life. (2 Corinthians 3:5-6)

Psalm 66:18 tells us that God does not hear our prayer when we have iniquity or wickedness in our hearts (unconfessed sin), unless, of course, our prayer starts with repentance and confession:

If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; (Psalm 66:18)

He who turns away his ear from listening to the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. (Proverbs 28:9)

We know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is God-fearing, and does His will, He hears him. (John 9:31)

God Cannot Fellowship With Sin

God the Father and God the Holy Spirit withdrew from God the Son when He was imputed with our sin on Calvary (Matthew 27:46; Psalm 22).  How much more should we be assured that God cannot and will not fellowship with us when we have unconfessed sin in our life?

Unconfessed or “active sin” will always separate us from and prevent us from communing with God. God is light (perfect righteousness) and in Him there is no darkness (unrighteousness or sin) at all (1 John 1:5).

We must understand that in fellowship we abide (dwell) in Him and He abides (dwells) in us.  Actually, the Spirit never leaves us once we are sealed with Him, but we grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30) and quench (1 Thessalonians 5:19) His active involvement in our lives when we are out of fellowship due to unconfessed sin.

God makes it clear in the Old Testament that those in lifestyle sin and rebellion are not welcome in His house nor in His presence:

What right has My beloved in My house When she has done many vile deeds? Can the sacrificial flesh take away from you your disaster, So that you can rejoice? (Jeremiah 11:15)

“Sacrificial flesh” refers to the animal sacrifices that the Hebrew offered in the Temple in accordance with the Levitical law. “Disaster” refers to a lifestyle of disobedience and unconfessed sin.

Bring your worthless offerings no longer, Incense is an abomination to Me. New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies-- I cannot endure iniquity and the solemn assembly.... (15) So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you, Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.  (Isaiah 1:13,15)

In Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible he explains verse 15:

“The expression full of blood, denotes crime and guilt of a high order - as, in murder, the hands would be dripping in blood, and as the stain on the hands would be proof of guilt. It is probably a figurative expression, not meaning literally that they were murderers, but that they were given to injustice; to the oppression of the poor, the widow, etc. The sentiment is, that because they indulged in sin, and came, even in their prayers, with a determination still to indulge it, God would not hear them.”

Sins of Omission

Both in the Old Testament and the New Testament, “Your hands are covered with blood,” is also a picture of not sharing the truth concerning God’s judgment upon sin to a lost world.  Failing to share the gospel in our area of influence when God brings the opportunity is still one of the most common sins of omission among believers to this day.

Church surveys of professing Christians in 1990 indicated that only 5% had ever shared their faith with another person.

This principle is attested to by Ezekiel 33:8-9.

When I say to the wicked, 'O wicked man, you will surely die,' and you do not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity, but his blood I will require from your hand.  (9)  But if you on your part warn a wicked man to turn from his way and he does not turn from his way, he will die in his iniquity, but you have delivered your life.  (Ezekiel 33:8-9)

For instance, if we went into an AIDS ward with a pocket full of pills that would cure AIDS and changed their bed pans, played checkers with them, and in general encouraged the patients but did not give them the pills, then we would have been hating them unto physical death.

However, if having the truth about the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the cure for the lost human sin-condition, and don’t offer it to some unsaved soul that we meet then potentially we have hated that person unto eternal damnation, which is easily the most malignant for of hatred possible.

The Apostle John is very clear about such hatred in First John:

The one who says he is in the Light and yet hates his brother is in the darkness until now.  (1 John 2:9)

But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness and walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going because the darkness has blinded his eyes. (1 John 2:11)

Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer; and you know that no murderer has eternal life abiding in him. (1 John 3:15)

If someone says, "I love God," and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen. (1 John 4:20)

Christ’s Final Payment for Sin

On Calvary, Christ made the full payment for our sin, one sin at a time.  That is why in Isaiah 53:12 "death" is in the intensive plural:

Therefore, I will allot Him a portion with the great, And He will divide the booty with the strong; Because He poured out Himself to death, And was numbered with the transgressors; Yet He Himself bore the sin of many, And interceded for the transgressors.  (Isaiah 53:12)

Christ died one physical death, but he suffered the equivalent spiritually of a death for each sin of every human being who would ever live, as God poured out his wrath upon the Second Person of the Trinity in the full measure of all human sin, one sin at a time.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; (2) and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Thus he redeemed (purchased from the slave market of sin) every member of the human race. He bought the title deed of the soul of every human being from the slave market of sin, much like we would buy the mortgage on a house as an investment.

Then by the grace of God made possible by Christ's complete payment (God’s righteousness demands a payment for each and every sin), God offers that title deed to our soul to us in Christ conditioned upon our receiving Christ as Lord and Savior by faith and faith alone.

Note that he had to give us a package deal in Christ.  It would not benefit us to be the sole owners of our soul, because we could not negotiate death, let alone the point at which God will destroy everything by fire and intense heat (2 Peter 3:12) and make a new heaven and a new earth. So we are placed into Christ and into the family of God and become co-inheritors with Christ to God's riches in glory (Romans 8:14-17).

It is important to understand that we do not go to eternal damnation or Hell for our sins, but only for not accepting Christ’s payment for our sin by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior.

Christ created a spiritual account for each of us at Calvary that included a payment for every sin we would commit in our lifetime, from the first sin when we reached the age of the knowledge of God to the last sin before we die. When we satisfy the heart condition of faith in Christ to receive salvation as the unmerited grace of God, then that account is placed to our spiritual account.

It is the first of our inheritance in Christ. In the moment of salvation we are placed into Christ “positionally” at the right hand of God the Father, and are made from that point forward “the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21). When God in eternity future looks back into the fullness of time (God created the dimension of time but does not live in it), He sees our ultimate sin debt as zero overlaid as it were by Christ's complete payment.

How to Stay in Fellowship with God and One Another

Therefore, we are made sinless, and the righteousness of God in Christ. This is called positional righteousness. We are clothed in Christ and wrapped in the cloak of His righteousness (Galatians 3:27).  Christ’s righteousness is inputted to our account through His substitutionary death on our behalf. He literally took our punishment upon Him, and died in our place, paying our sin debt in full!

However, before God can seal us and indwell us with His Holy Spirit of promise, we must be “operationally” righteous. To accomplish this, God must transfer the payment from our spiritual escrow account to our active sin account in order to bring our current balance to zero. This happens in the twinkling of an eye, but the dynamic is none-the-less required.

The Holy Spirit’s Two Primary Functions

It is only at this point that God places or translates us into the Kingdom of His dear Son, and into the inner circle of being in fellowship with Him. Immediately thereafter, the Holy Spirit starts to perform His two primary functions in us.

The first is to lead us into all truth, but we need to be reading and acting upon the word in order to facilitate that process. As we read the word and then respond in obedience to the word in faith, the Holy Spirit writes that word on the fleshly tablets of our heart.  It is in this way that we become progressively more like Christ.  We choose to obey, then the Spirit gives us the power to act on our choice, and our faithfulness is rewarded with more faith.   It is in this way that we progressively appropriate His life within us.

Secondly, the Spirit begins to kill everything that is alive in us that was not alive in Christ. He does this through conviction, discipline, and through transforming our "liker" from the inside-out supernaturally into the likeness of Christ's "liker." The result is that progressively we start to like the things of God more and the things of the world less!

Lifestyle of Fellowship

But this process only goes on while we are in fellowship (having no unconfessed sins). The first time we sin the process comes to an immediate halt, and does not resume until we apply the provision of 1 John 1:9. When we confess our sins He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins (all the sin we name as long as we are sincere and are not trying to hide any), and to cleanse us of all unrighteousness.

This last part means that the Holy Spirit also applies the payments for all our active sins of which we are unaware. Since sin is anything that falls short of the righteousness of God, and His ways are as far above our ways as the heavens are above the earth, then we can have both sins of omission and commission of which we are unaware!

Keep in mind that as our sins are confessed and come under the blood (Christ’s payment) God removes them as far as the east is from the west and remembers them no longer (Psalm 103:12; Isaiah 43:25; Micah 7:19). Not that God has a bad memory; He simply has a perfect "forgetter."

I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25)

So unlike worldly fathers who have a habit of constantly reminding us of past sins, God removes even His memory of the sin once it is confessed and under the blood.

Therefore, if we let the memory of the sin immobilize us or delay us from returning into full kingdom participation, then we are playing into the enemy’s hands, because that is exactly what he wants us to do!  And the powers of darkness will keep reminding you of your sin in order to bring you under a condemnation that God never intended.

It is unbelief and lack of faith to hold yourself to a more severe judgment than God does, and not to accept His forgiveness as full and sufficient since it represents the blood payment of Christ.

Immediately, when we confess from a pure and sincere heart, then God applies the payment from our sin escrow account to our active sins and our active sin debt goes back to zero.  We are wrapped back in the mantle of Christ's righteousness and placed back into fellowship, and the Holy Spirit becomes active in us again.

Keeping a short sin account, rebound, and lifestyle confession are all terminologies for staying in fellowship with God as a lifestyle and thus being perpetually available to the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. This concept is clear even in the Old Testament as we can vividly see in King David’s writing in Psalm 32 (also see Psalm 51):

When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long. (4)  For day and night Your hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah. (5) I acknowledged my sin to You, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; And You forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah. (6) Therefore, let everyone who is godly pray to You in a time when You may be found; Surely in a flood of great waters they will not reach him. (Psalms 32:3-6)

Beloved, this ongoing dynamic of redemption is powerful and can work as rapidly as we are diligent to stay available to it.

Therefore, new believers that stay in fellowship every minute possible for the first year of their life in Christ can be available to the transforming work of the Spirit more minutes in one year than someone sitting in a pew for 20 years that does not understand and apply the principle.

Spiritual Growth in Christ

Of course, this requires that the new believers read the word and pray and evangelize in order not to fall into lifestyle sin.  We must be faithful to do the threefold function of believers:

1. Our priesthood;

2. Our ministry to buildup and edify the body of Christ (other believers); and

3. Our ministry of reconciliation, or our ambassadorship to the lost.

The dynamic of redemption is not a one-time event at salvation, but rather and ongoing process that is constantly creating the life of Christ in us and the things of that life around us, from “faith unto faith”, and “glory unto glory.”  That is, we go from one position in Christ to a progressively more advanced position in Christ as we grow spiritually.

The following verses speak of the supernatural dynamic of redemption working in us through the Spirit and the word:

…Work out your salvation with fear and trembling; (13) for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure. (Philippians 2:12a-13)

And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.  (Colossians 1:29)

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us,  (Ephesians 3:20)

And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.  (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Test yourselves to see if you are in the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you-- unless indeed you fail the test?  (2 Corinthians 13:5)

But we all, ….., are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory (one position in Christ to the next), just as from the Lord, the Spirit. (2 Corinthians 3:18)

For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. (17) For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith (from one position of faith to the next greater one); as it is written, "BUT THE RIGHTEOUS man SHALL LIVE BY FAITH." (Romans 1:16-17)

Biblical Guidelines for Confession and Repentance

And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. (26) But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions. (Mark 11:25-26)

If therefore you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, (24) leave your offering there before the altar, and go your way; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering. (Matthew 5:23)

In both of these gospel teachings, Jesus is teaching the principles related to avoiding being out of fellowship and ineffective due to unconfessed sin.

The issue in Mark 11:25-26 is that God is not going to hear our prayer if we are out of fellowship because of unforgiveness.

In Matthew 5:23 the issue is that the gift will be an act of man’s good works and therefore would not be accorded to the individual as righteousness nor worthy of reward until the dispute with the brother is put right. Putting it right could require confession, asking for forgiveness as well as forgiving, an apology, and in some cases restitution. Once you have resolved this issue and are returned to fellowship, then present your offering and it will be accorded to you as righteousness.

Examine Yourself

God’s word indicates in 1 Corinthians 11:28-32 that it is especially important that we examine ourselves and confess our sins before we partake of the emblems of Christ’s sacrifice in communion, in order to avoid being disciplined by God.

But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. (29) For he who eats and drinks, eats and drinks judgment to himself, if he does not judge the body rightly. (30) For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.  (31) But if we judged ourselves rightly, we should not be judged. (32) But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord in order that we may not be condemned along with the world. (1 Corinthians 11:28-32)

Verse 30 warns us that MANY are weak, sick, and a number are dead, because they partook of the sacrament of communion while out of fellowship with God.  There is good reason to believe that the churches of this nation are filled with people who are sick and dying because of failing to act in obedience to this mandate as many churches do not emphasize confessing your sins as a lifestyle.  God is love, but it is dangerous to approach Him except on His terms and by His directions.

Walking in Victory Over our Personal Sin

Unless we maintain a lifestyle of obedience, confession, and fellowship, we will not grow or be of use to Christ or be pleasing to God!  But if we will cleanse ourselves and remain in fellowship with God as we are commanded to do, then we will have life and it abundantly in productive service to God:

Therefore, if a man cleanses himself from these things, he will be a vessel for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work. (2 Timothy 2:21)

True believers who practice confession will also experience the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23).

However, the true riches of God’s blessing in the gospel, the “Good News” to all of mankind, is more than victory over our sin and living in joy here below, and even more than eternal life in the kingdom of God; it is Jesus Christ in us the hope of glory!

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.  (2)  Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.  (3)  For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  (4)  When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.  (5)  Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.  (6)  For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience,  (7)  and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.  (8)  But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.  (9)  Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (10) and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— (11)  a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all. (Colossians 3:1-11)

Conclusion

Believers can only be transformed progressively into the likeness of Christ while they are in fellowship.  Out of fellowship, believers are carnal, fleshly, and powerless against their sin nature since they are not available to operate in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Believers must be in fellowship in order to have on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6).  Out of fellowship, believers are offering an open door to Satan, the enemy of their soul, and to the powers and principalities of darkness in violation to God’s mandate in Ephesians 4:27, which instructs us not to give the devil any opportunities.

Believers who remain in lifestyle fellowship will grow and advance in the faith and their progress will be evident to those around them (2 Timothy 2:21).

However, believers who spend the majority of their time out of fellowship will be stunted in their growth and spiritual understanding, and will be unstable in their faith, and of little or no use to God, constantly learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth.

As new believers, we should abdicate (give up) our rights to ourselves and ask God to forgive us of our sins immediately upon sinning, thus maintaining a lifestyle of fellowship with God. We should desire to give our entire life to God with no reservation, no qualifications, and nothing held back.

We should discipline ourselves to start each day with a quiet time with God if it is only for 15-20 minutes, in which we confess our sins and read some scripture and ask Him to guide us through the day.  A “morning watch” or quiet time is recommended by almost all the heroes of the faith since Pentecost, and should be time spent meeting and fellowshipping with God personally, not just studying.  We should also give God thanks daily for what is freely ours in Christ!

We should pray for God to send us people for our testimony and be prepared to give it, as well as to be able to present the gospel and to lead someone in a prayer of salvation!  We should also do everything possible to buildup and edify other believers, as well as consider them as more important than ourselves (Philippians 2:3).

Believers can grow as fast as they want to in the plan and purpose of Christ; it is a matter of commitment and discipline to God’s instructions in scripture, dying to self, and being submitted in all things to Christ.  God will bring supernatural increase when we are willing to put Christ first in our lives and to live by His example and for His glory.

But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. (34) So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own (Matthew 6:33-34).

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In Christ,

—Paul

As I was reading the Scriptures this morning, I was struck by a phrase in Paul’s closing comments in his letter to the Colossians.

Paul thought it important to mention two aspects of the prayers of Epaphras for the believers in Colossae to whom he had originally shared the gospel: “perfect” and “fully assured.”

Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of your number, a bondslave of Jesus Christ, sends you his greetings, always laboring earnestly for you in his prayers, that you may stand perfect and fully assured in all the will of God.

Perfect

Perfect comes from teleios, meaning brought to completion, fully matured, become fully what you were created to be. 

Paul and Epaphras labored and taught the Body to this end: that every person be made to realize the reality of the indwelling Lord Jesus, Christ in them, their hope of glory, and to fully mature and manifest His life. 

Colossians 1:27-28 to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ.

Fully Assured

Fully Assured comes from plērophoreō, meaning to be fully convinced and established with certainty, brought to full measure, and complete.

This is the same word Paul uses to describe Abraham’s faith in God that God credited to him as righteousness:

Romans 4:20-22 yet, with respect to the promise of God, he did not waver in unbelief but grew strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully assured that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. Therefore IT WAS ALSO CREDITED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

Will of God

In all the will of God - God’s will is His ultimate desire and plan for us to be made like Christ and united with Him. 

This is not something that happens from the outside in, us working on being better and attaining righteousness and pleasing God through our own works. This is as important after salvation as it is before we are saved.

But rather it is from within - the full manifestation of the life of Christ in you through the indwelling Spirit - Christ’s perfect life lived in and through you, the willing, sanctified, but weak vessel.

This is God’s will and ultimately brings God great glory and honor and praise.

Christ in You

What does this reality of “Christ in You” look like? Paul has devoted much of this letter to revealing the truth about this life:

Colossians 1:9-12 …filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all power, according to His glorious might, for the attaining of all steadfastness and patience; joyously giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified us to share in the inheritance of the saints in Light.

Colossians 2:2-3 …attaining to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God's mystery, that is, Christ Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.

Colossians 2:6-7 Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith

Colossians 2:10 …in Him you have been made complete

Colossians 3:10 and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him

Colossians 3:15-16 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts… Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you…

Ultimately, the will of God boils down to one fully manifested, fully assured, perfect reality within your soul:

Colossians 1:27 …Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Your Reality

Paul’s purpose in laboring for the Colossians is the same reason I am writing here today:

Colossians 1:28-29 We proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

Is His life manifested in your body?

Are you maturing in the lived experience of God taking up residence in your body as His Temple?

Is His life transforming you into His image?

Are you walking with Him, with undistracted devotion, sharing each moment of your life with your Lord?

This is our hope of glory! 

How have you walked out the indwelling life of Christ? How has Christ transformed your heart and life? I’d love to discuss more in the comments below.

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My family and I have been seeking a new church home for the past few months, and the fresh exposure to a wide variety of churches has opened my eyes to the nature of true worship through music. I’ve had multiple discussions with my wife and kids as well as other Believers about this and decided to do a bit of a deep dive into what the Word has to say about true and false worship to God.

As I’ve studied and reflected on this, I have seen the following four kinds of worship which I would like to frame here in terms of the Biblical principles of the fire of the Tabernacle and “spirit and truth” from John 4:

Leviticus 6:13 Fire shall be kept burning continually on the altar; it is not to go out.

John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

Four Types of Fire at the Altar

I’ve seen the following types of worship in the churches we have visited (highlights/Tl;dr for those who don’t want to read the whole article!):

• Abominable Fire = False spirit + No Truth

  • Worship of false gods (idols & demons) or the true God in the wrong form (i.e. golden calf at Mount Sinai)

  • Celebrity Preachers and Musicians who use the stage to receive glory for themselves.

• No Fire = No Spirit + Some Truth in words only

  • Lifeless, passionless, Spiritless rote music sung or mouthed by passive, distracted spectators ticking the box of their religious duty.

  • They know the truth about God, but their hearts are far from Him.

• Strange Fire = Spirit + No Truth

  • Worship that has good intentions and desires, but bringing the “best of the flesh” to worship God, violating God‘s commandments, pattern, and truth.

• Fire of God = Worship in Spirit + Truth

  • Live & Walk by the indwelling life of the Spirit

  • Know the truth about God and know the true God

  • Worship God with your whole being

  • Putting no confidence in the Flesh

Abominable Fire - False spirit + No Truth

Abominable fire comes in two forms: the worship of false gods (idols & demons), or the true God in the wrong form (i.e. golden calf at Mount Sinai). In both cases, men are guilty of creating a god in their own image which is really no god at all and failing to understand the nature of the one true God.

We have been visiting churches in the Kansas City area during the 2024 Super Bowl for the Chiefs. There were a number of congregations far more excited about the Chiefs Kingdom than the Kingdom of God, with football game watch parties in the church that drew more passionate worshippers than on Sunday mornings. The reality is that sports in America and around the world is idol worship, and we in the church make little separation between serving a holy God and worshipping the game. I know that I probably offended half of the American church in what I have just written, but I wonder if God is offended more than they are by what His people do in His name? 

Football? Movies? Food? Social Media? They are all satanic substitutes for God if we give them the place in our lives.

Romans 1:25 For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.

Exodus 32:8 They have quickly turned aside from the way which I commanded them. They have made for themselves a molten calf, and have worshiped it and have sacrificed to it and said, 'This is your god, O Israel, who brought you up from the land of Egypt!'" 

Jeremiah 2:13  "For My people have committed two evils: They have forsaken Me, The fountain of living waters, To hew for themselves cisterns, Broken cisterns That can hold no water.

Revelation 2:20-23 'But I have this against you, that you tolerate the woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, and she teaches and leads My bond-servants astray so that they commit acts of immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols. I gave her time to repent, and she does not want to repent of her immorality. Behold, I will throw her on a bed of sickness, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of her deeds. And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each one of you according to your deeds.

Beyond this, I have watched as pastors and worship leaders take center stage and soak up the attention of the audience, stirring up the crowds like a comedian, or a worship leader wowing the people with showy singing. I’m actively avoiding the more overt mega-churches because of this, but I still see it in the smaller congregations.

I cringe because I fear for them that they are stealing glory from God and are falling into the snare of the devil. Man was not created for the stage, to receive glory from men, and is inevitably corrupted by it and falls into pride and self-glorification, just like Satan when he sought the glory and worship due only to God. 

Satan’s Sin

What was Satan’s primary sin? Pride. He took the glory that had been given him by God for the worship of God, and he instead proclaimed himself worthy of glory. In other words, he set himself up as an idol in the place of God to receive worship. Ever since this time, Satan’s primary goal has been to take glory and worship away from God and receive it for himself. Christian worship and music is high on the order of what Satan seeks to distort and twist.

Ezekiel 28:17 [speaking of Satan]  "Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, That they may see you.

Revelation 9:20-21 The rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues, did not repent of the works of their hands, so as not to worship demons, and the idols of gold and of silver and of brass and of stone and of wood, which can neither see nor hear nor walk; and they did not repent of their murders nor of their sorceries nor of their immorality nor of their thefts.

1 Timothy 3:2,6-7  An overseer, then, must… not [be] a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. And he must have a good reputation with those outside the church, so that he will not fall into reproach and the snare of the devil.

Psalm 115:1  Not to us, O LORD, not to us, But to Your name give glory Because of Your lovingkindness, because of Your truth.

James 4:4-7  You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Or do you think that the Scripture speaks to no purpose: "He jealously desires the Spirit which He has made to dwell in us"? But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, "GOD IS OPPOSED TO THE PROUD, BUT GIVES GRACE TO THE HUMBLE." Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

No Fire - No Spirit + Some Truth in words only

Lifeless, passionless, Spiritless rote music sung or mouthed by passive, distracted spectators ticking the box of their religious duty. 

I’m amazed when I look around and see the church mouthing hymns and songs that hold such amazing truths, but there is no true worship in their hearts, and no recognition of the reality of the God they profess with their lips. These churches are often doctrinally sound, with nothing overly objectionable in their teaching, but are devoid of the life of the Spirit.

Isaiah 29:13 Then the Lord said, "Because this people draw near with their words And honor Me with their lip service, But they remove their hearts far from Me, And their reverence for Me consists of tradition learned by rote.

Matthew 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which on the outside appear beautiful, but inside they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness.

Revelation 2:2-4 ‘I know your deeds and your toil and perseverance, and that you cannot tolerate evil men, and you put to the test those who call themselves apostles, and they are not, and you found them to be false; and you have perseverance and have endured for My name's sake, and have not grown weary. But I have this against you, that you have left your first love.

How can we profess to know the living God and lay claim to eternal life where we will worship Him forever, and be so half-hearted in our worship. It reminds me of this quote from A.W. Tozer:

We haven’t lasted too long in these churches because I have had enough dry, dead religion in my life. I see very little in the Word about this kind of church because this isn’t the nature of a church that serves living God and a risen Savior - the New Testament Church is filled with life! As a good friend once told me:

I’d rather have a messy, living church than clean, dead religion.

I’d rather sanctify the worshiper than replace a heart of stone.

Praise God, He is in the business of both!

Strange Fire - Spirit without Truth

Worship that has good intentions and desires in serving the Lord, but ignorantly violating or ignoring God‘s commandments, pattern, and truth. 

This is the most common form of worship I have seen. People can more easily discern abominable fire, and our culture is moving away from obligatory, dry, dead religion (although there is still plenty of it out there).

I’ve seen churches where they know, or have known, what true worship looks like and have experienced a true move of the Spirit, and they desire that there be a genuine move of God in their worship. But they make the mistake of trying to generate a move of the Spirit through the flesh.

They try to “copy” the Spirit through an excellent and emotionally moving musical performance, excellent singers, the right lighting, with soft piano background music for a well-crafted prayer. But by doing this, we have simply replaced the fire of God and a genuine move of the Spirit with the strange fire of entertainment, an exciting atmosphere, and worldly music techniques and performances designed to elicit and emotional response. We are more focused on entertaining a crowd than leading worshippers before the throne of God. This fleshly offering to God will always be rejected by Him, and often with serious consequences for the offender.

Romans 10:2 For I testify about them that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge 

In the Old Testament, we see multiple situations where worship and offerings were given to God, but not according to what was ordained or the pattern God had prescribed. 

Abraham’s Ishmael

After receiving the promise that Sarah would have a son, Abraham offers Ishmael (the product of his fleshly attempt to please God) to God to be the fulfillment of His promise.

Genesis 17:18-19 And Abraham said to God, "Oh that Ishmael might live before You!" But God said, "No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.

Saul’s Agag

King Saul’s rejection by God centers on this issue of obedience to the truth and worship of God. After receiving a command to utterly destroy all the Amalekites and all of their animals (a type of the flesh), Saul keeps their King Agag alive along with the best of the livestock to "offer to God." I’ve included the passage below, and as you read, I want you to notice the following and see if you can recognize the parallels to our worship:

• Saul defeated the Amalekites but kept the best (of the flesh - surely our beautiful voice and eloquent speech is acceptable to God!) and only destroyed what was despised and worthless (the stuff that we don’t want to see on stage anyway).

• God was grieved over Saul’s disobedience while Saul proclaimed his obedience.

• Saul made a monument for himself (not the Lord).

• Saul kept the best (of the flesh) to offer as a sacrifice to God, but Samuel rightly calls this an act of selfish greed and lust.

• Obedience to the command of God and walking by the truth is more important to God than our worship. Sinful, fleshly worship is not pleasing to God.

• Rebellion is akin to divination, and insubordination like idol worship. Far from worshipping God, God says this is the worship of demons.

• Saul feared man more than God and only wanted to worship God with Samuel to look good in front of the people.

• Though Saul repented and worshipped God, he no longer referred to the Lord as his God, but Samuel’s God.

1 Samuel 15:7-31

So Saul defeated the Amalekites, from Havilah as you go to Shur, which is east of Egypt. 8 He captured Agag the king of the Amalekites alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. 9 But Saul and the people spared Agag and the best of the sheep, the oxen, the fatlings, the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to destroy them utterly; but everything despised and worthless, that they utterly destroyed.

Then the word of the LORD came to Samuel, saying, 11 “I regret that I have made Saul king, for he has turned back from following Me and has not carried out My commands." And Samuel was distressed and cried out to the LORD all night. 

12 Samuel rose early in the morning to meet Saul; and it was told Samuel, saying, "Saul came to Carmel, and behold, he set up a monument for himself, then turned and proceeded on down to Gilgal." 

13 Samuel came to Saul, and Saul said to him, "Blessed are you of the LORD! I have carried out the command of the LORD." 

14 But Samuel said, "What then is this bleating of the sheep in my ears, and the lowing of the oxen which I hear?" 

15 Saul said, "They have brought them from the Amalekites, for the people spared the best of the sheep and oxen, to sacrifice to the LORD your God; but the rest we have utterly destroyed." 

16 Then Samuel said to Saul, "Wait, and let me tell you what the LORD said to me last night." And he said to him, "Speak!" 17 Samuel said, "Is it not true, though you were little in your own eyes, you were made the head of the tribes of Israel? And the LORD anointed you king over Israel, 18 and the LORD sent you on a mission, and said, 'Go and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they are exterminated.' 19 Why then did you not obey the voice of the LORD, but rushed upon the spoil and did what was evil in the sight of the LORD?" 

20 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I did obey the voice of the LORD, and went on the mission on which the LORD sent me, and have brought back Agag the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. 21 “But the people took some of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the choicest of the things devoted to destruction, to sacrifice to the LORD your God at Gilgal." 

22 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams. 23 For rebellion is as the sin of divination, And insubordination is as iniquity and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of the LORD, He has also rejected you from being king." 

24 Then Saul said to Samuel, "I have sinned; I have indeed transgressed the command of the LORD and your words, because I feared the people and listened to their voice. 25 “Now therefore, please pardon my sin and return with me, that I may worship the LORD." 26 But Samuel said to Saul, "I will not return with you; for you have rejected the word of the LORD, and the LORD has rejected you from being king over Israel." 27 As Samuel turned to go, Saul seized the edge of his robe, and it tore. 28 So Samuel said to him, "The LORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today and has given it to your neighbor, who is better than you. 29 “Also the Glory of Israel will not lie or change His mind; for He is not a man that He should change His mind."

30 Then he said, "I have sinned; but please honor me now before the elders of my people and before Israel, and go back with me, that I may worship the LORD your God." 31 So Samuel went back following Saul, and Saul worshiped the LORD.

What is tragic about this story is not only did God utterly reject Saul, but ultimately Saul’s demise on Mount Gilboa came at the hand of an Amalekite.

2 Samuel 1:6-10

The young man who told him said, "By chance I happened to be on Mount Gilboa, and behold, Saul was leaning on his spear. And behold, the chariots and the horsemen pursued him closely. When he looked behind him, he saw me and called to me.

And I said, 'Here I am.'

He said to me, 'Who are you?'

And I answered him, 'I am an Amalekite.'

Then he said to me, 'Please stand beside me and kill me, for agony has seized me because my life still lingers in me.'

So I stood beside him and killed him, because I knew that he could not live after he had fallen.

Nadab & Abihu’s Strange Fire

In the case of Nadab and Abihu, it seems that they had the incense of God, but they brought fire from outside the Tabernacle, not the fire of God from the brazen altar.

The fire of the Tabernacle was first lit by the fire of God (Lev 9:24), and the priests were to keep it burning continually (Lev 6:12-13). God would only accept heavenly fire (of the Spirit), not of any other source (the flesh) in their offering of worship and incense before Him.

Leviticus 10:1-2 Now Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took their respective firepans, and after putting fire in them, placed incense on it and offered strange fire before the LORD, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them, and they died before the LORD.

Uzzah & The Ox Cart

For Uzzah, this unfortunate fellow was with the crowd of worshippers with great intentions to bring the Ark to Jerusalem, but lacking reverence for God’s holiness and proper handling of the holy Ark, he was struck dead for touching the Ark as it was tipping - in the middle of a worship celebration!

2 Samuel 6:5-7 Meanwhile, David and all the house of Israel were celebrating before the LORD with all kinds of instruments made of fir wood, and with lyres, harps, tambourines, castanets and cymbals. But when they came to the threshing floor of Nacon, Uzzah reached out toward the ark of God and took hold of it, for the oxen nearly upset it. And the anger of the LORD burned against Uzzah, and God struck him down there for his irreverence; and he died there by the ark of God.

Good Intentions

In all of these examples - Abraham, Saul, Nadab & Abihu, and Uzzah, we see what we from the outside and often call “good intentions,” but God looks at the heart and sees rebellion, selfishness, reliance on the flesh, and lack of faith in His Word. God will never honor the flesh or its works. In every case in the Old and New Testaments, God rejects and calls for the flesh to be crucified. We must in like manner reject the fleshly attempt to mimic the work of the Spirit in the flesh, even as this will inevitably lead to

Romans 13:14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts. 

Galatians 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

Fire of God - Worship in Spirit and in Truth

I’ve discussed the many ways we have distorted and twisted worship that doesn’t glorify God, but I’d now like to present how true worship can and should be done within the Body of Christ - in Spirit and in Truth.

It is one thing to be able to rightly criticize and point out all the things people do wrong. But it is quite another thing to build up and edify the Body to pursue what pleases God. I recognize that this is likely going to make this a lengthy article, but I don’t want to split this into “part 2” as I don’t like to separate what should be rightly torn down from that which needs to be built up.

A key passage which explores the nature of worship is from the conversation of Jesus with the Samaritan Woman at Jacob’s well.

John 4:21-24  Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

The remainder of this paper will explore these themes in turn: Spirit, Truth, & Worship 

In Spirit

What does it mean to be and worship “in spirit?” John’s Gospel is full of this emphasis on the Spirit. We see that the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit supersedes and brings a new life and relationship wholly different and greater than:

• The Water of Baptism - John 1:26,33, 3:5

• The Water of Purification - John 2:6

• The Flesh, our First Birth and Life - John 3:5-6, 6:63

• The Water of Jacob’s Well - John 4:7-26

• The Water of Healing - John 5:2-8

• Feast of Tabernacles - John 7:37-39, 9:7

• Physical presence of Jesus on earth - John 16:7

The only worship that God, who is spirit, will accept is that which is done “in the Holy Spirit.” John is communicating throughout his gospel that the life of the Spirit is of a wholly different nature than the flesh, the world, and our natural thinking. We must draw our life from a wholly different source than what we have known.

I have broken this down into four main areas of our life and faith in the Spirit. I will expound on this more in other articles, but I want provide a summary outline below and let the Scriptures to speak to what life and worship in the Holy Spirit is all about. 

Receive the Holy Spirit

• We must be born again of the Holy Spirit - John 3:5-8

• We must be baptized in the Holy Spirit - John 1:33, Acts 1:5, 1 Cor 12:14

• We must receive the Holy Spirit - John 7:39, 14:17, 20:22, Acts 2:38, 8:15, 19:2-6, Romans 8:15, 1 Cor 2:12, Galatians 3:2, 14

Live by the Indwelling Life of the Holy Spirit

• We are to live by the Spirit - Galatians 5:25, 1 John 4:9

• The Spirit Abides, Dwells, and Rests in us - John 14:17, 15:1-5, 17:21-23, Romans 8:9-11, 2 Tim 1:14, James 4:5, 1 Pet 4:14, 1 John 3:24, 4:13

• The Spirit is the source of rivers of living water flowing from our innermost being - John 7:38-39

• We are to be [continually being] filled with the Spirit - Ephesians 5:18

• We are to be full of the Holy Spirit - Luke 4:1, John 14:17, Acts 2:4, 4:31, 6:5, 7:55, 9:17

• We are to be in the Spirit - Romans 8:9

• The love of God is poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit - Romans 5:5, 1 Cor 13, Colossians 1:8

• The Holy Spirit is a pledge and seal of our inheritance in God - 2 Cor 1:22, 5:5, Ephesians 1:13

• The Holy Spirit gives us life - 2 Cor 3:6, 1 Peter 3:18, 4:6

• The Holy Spirit brings us freedom and liberty - 2 Cor 3:17

• The Holy Spirit renews and regenerates us - Titus 3:5

Walk by the Spirit

• We are to walk by the Spirit - Galatians 5:16-18, 25, Romans 8:4

• We are to Speak & Confess by the Holy Spirit - Acts 2:4,17-18, 1 Cor 2:13, 12:3, Eph 4:29, 1 Peter 4:11, 2 Peter 1:21, 1 John 4:2-3, Revelation 22:17

• We are to be taught by the Spirit - John 14:26, 1 Cor 2:13, Heb 10:15

• We are to walk in the Power and Strength of the Holy Spirit - Romans 15:13,19, Ephesians 3:16, 1 Thess 1:5

• We are to receive and walk in the gifts and manifestation of the Holy Spirit - 1 Cor 12, Heb 2:4

• We are to sow to the Spirit - Galatians 6;8

• We are not to grieve or quench the Holy Spirit - Ephesians 4:30, 1 Thess 5:29

• We are to wield the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God - Ephesians 6:17

• We are to Walk in the Light, in Fellowship, and with No Unconfessed Sin - John 8:12, 1 John 1:6-10

Worship in the Spirit

• We are the Temple of the Holy Spirit - 1 Cor 6:19, Ephesians 2:22, 1 Peter 2:5

• We are to offer our lives to God through the Spirit as living sacrifices - Romans 12:1-2, Gal 2:20

• We are to worship in the Spirit of God - Philippians 3:3

• We are to Pray in the Spirit - Romans 8:26-27, 15:30, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 6:18, Jude 1:20

• We are to Listen to the Holy Spirit - Revelation 2:7,11,17,29, 3:1,6,13,22

• The Holy Spirit Sanctifies us- 2 Thess 2:13, 1 Peter 1:2

• The Holy Spirit brings us Joy - 1 Thess 1:6

In reviewing this list afresh after outlining this, I find I am encouraged and strengthened in this simple meditation - what a life we have in Jesus!

Taking the context of this work of the Spirit in us, I want to elevate the following Scriptures related specifically to the Spirit and Worship:

Ephesians 5:18-19  And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;

Colossians 3:16  Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Philippians 3:3 for we are the true circumcision, who worship in the Spirit of God and glory in Christ Jesus and put no confidence in the flesh, 

The Spirit leads each one to draw near to God in worship as we abide in Him. May we all come to know life in the Spirit in this way!

In Truth

Jesus was clear in the passage to the Samaritan woman that true worship begins with a true knowledge of God, not in ignorance like the Samaritans. This involves first knowing the truth about God, and then entering into a personal knowledge of the True God.

John 4:22, 24 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews… God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Knowing the Truth about God

True worship must be rooted in the truth about the God we worship. We must know Him as He is, and reject all false imaginations and ideas about Him that aren’t true. We must seek to know Him as He is and enter into a deep and abiding union with Him. In the following verses, we see the importance of knowing God Himself and trusting in and relying upon Him alone.

Hebrews 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.”

John 16:13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.

John 17:17 “Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.

Knowing the True God

It isn’t enough to know the truth about God, but rather do you know God Himself, The “knowing” in the following passages is used to describe the intimacy of a husband knowing his wife. Indeed, our relationship as the bride with our bridegroom is similar, but so much deeper. Do you know the one true God? And, more importantly, does He know you?

John 17:3 “This is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. 

John 10:14-15,27-28 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me, even as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep… My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.

Galatians 4:9 But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things, to which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

Philippians 3:7-11 But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8  More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, 9  and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith, 10  that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death; 11  in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. 

Matthew 7:21-23 “Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter. Many will say to Me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; DEPART FROM ME, YOU WHO PRACTICE LAWLESSNESS.'

Worship

Worship must be rooted in living by and through the indwelling Holy Spirit and in the Truth of knowing God as He is. Worship is also the offering of our whole being to God - the focus and attention of our minds, the adoration and love of our hearts, the energy and strength of our bodies, and our time and our life. This is the kind of worship God seeks as reflected through the Shema - that which Jesus says is the first and most important commandment:

Deuteronomy 6:4-5 “Hear, O Israel! [Listen to the voice of the Spirit of God] The LORD is our God, the LORD is one! [Knowing the True God] You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might [Worship of God in Spirit and Truth].

This is the essence of worship - whole devotion and focused attention and desire turned toward the one true God led by the Spirit of God.

Our discussion has been worship as experienced during a “music worship service” in the gathering of the church. But as we have seen so far, worship is so much more than a mere 15 minutes of singing once a week. Worship through music is simply the overflow of a life steeped in worship where one’s entire being is devoted to God with nothing held back.

First Mention of Worship in the Bible

We see one of the most profound pictures of a life of worship comes from the first mention of worship in the Bible when Abraham went to offer Isaac on Mount Moria. In offering up his only son, the son of the promise, the one he had trusted God for those many years, we read that he viewed this laying down of his hopes and dreams and all that God promised in faith and trust in God as “worship.”

Genesis 22:2-14

[God] said, "Take now your son, your only son, whom you love, Isaac, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I will tell you." 3 So Abraham… arose and went to the place of which God had told him… 5 Abraham said to his young men, "Stay here with the donkey, and I and the lad will go over there; and we will worship and return to you.”…

7 Isaac spoke to Abraham his father and said, "My father!" And he said, "Here I am, my son." And he said, "Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?" 8 Abraham said, "God will provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.”…

9 Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

11 But the angel of the LORD called to him from heaven and said, "Abraham, Abraham!" And he said, "Here I am." 12 He said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me."

13 Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. 14 Abraham called the name of that place The LORD Will Provide, as it is said to this day, "In the mount of the LORD it will be provided."

Have we, like Abraham, forsaken all else - our hopes, dreams, desires, and life - and abandoned ourselves upon God like Abraham in worshipful obedience and faith? This is the pattern that God gives us for the worship He desires from us.

Abraham prophesied that another Lamb would be provided as a sacrifice by the Father, of Whom Isaac was just a type. Living on this side of Jesus’ sacrifice, we see God’s intent for those of us who are in Christ - that we would live a life of worshipful abandon like Abraham. What is God calling you to lay down in absolute devotion to Jesus?

2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Our God is Jealous for Our Worship

Why does God demand so much from us? Wasn’t Abraham’s sacrifice a little much?

Our attitude in worship tells us what we truly believe about God - proving to most of us that we need major transformation in how we view Him. But we must also understand the reason that God seeks to take our “Isaac” and crucify our flesh - He is jealous for the first position in our lives and won’t tolerate any false gods on the throne of our lives. Our God is jealous of our worship, attention, adoration and life.

As I have walked with the Lord, I have found this to be true many times when I come under deep conviction whenever I would seek enjoyment or rest or satisfaction in anything other than a deep, abiding relationship with Him. It is truly like the jealousy of a husband over his wife that her heart, eyes, emotions, and body be solely for him.

Exodus 20:5-6  "You shall not worship them or serve them; for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children, on the third and the fourth generations of those who hate Me, but showing lovingkindness to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

Exodus 34:13-15 But rather, you are to tear down their altars and smash their sacred pillars and cut down their Asherim—for you shall not worship any other god, for the LORD, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God—otherwise you might make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land and they would play the harlot with their gods and sacrifice to their gods…

1 Corinthians 10:21-22 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. Or do we provoke the Lord to jealousy? We are not stronger than He, are we?

Raising God High

God jealously demands the first position in our lives. He desires to be exalted in our sight to His rightful place. Worship rightfully elevates the Father, Son, and Spirit in our eyes and hearts and expresses the honor, reverence and praise due to God. This is a right response to understanding who God is and what He has done for us, and is one of the primary ways that we see God receiving glory from both men and angels. The Lord is seeking such a holy priesthood and people to worship Him for all eternity - this is the purpose of His entire creation!

The glory and praise of God is a central theme of the Psalms:

Psalm 86:8-13 There is no one like You among the gods, O Lord, Nor are there any works like Yours. All nations whom You have made shall come and worship before You, O Lord, And they shall glorify Your name. For You are great and do wondrous deeds; You alone are God. Teach me Your way, O LORD; I will walk in Your truth; Unite my heart to fear Your name. I will give thanks to You, O Lord my God, with all my heart, And will glorify Your name forever. For Your lovingkindness toward me is great, And You have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

Psalm 150:1-6 Praise the LORD!
Praise God in His sanctuary;
Praise Him in His mighty expanse.
Praise Him for His mighty deeds;
Praise Him according to His excellent greatness.
Praise Him with trumpet sound;
Praise Him with harp and lyre.
Praise Him with timbrel and dancing;
Praise Him with stringed instruments and pipe.
Praise Him with loud cymbals;
Praise Him with resounding cymbals.
Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.
Praise the LORD!

When Jesus is exalted in the midst of His people, He draws all men to Himself.

John 12:32 And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to Myself."

Philippians 2:9-11 For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

A life of worshipful abandon to God alone is the foundation for the expression of that worship in music to God. This is our destiny for all eternity - and we get to practice now!

We can see a beautiful picture of such worship in Revelation:

Revelation 7:9-12 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; 10 and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb." 11 And all the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures; and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, 12 saying, "Amen, blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might, be to our God forever and ever. Amen."

Revelation 19:5 And a voice came from the throne, saying, "Give praise to our God, all you His bond-servants, you who fear Him, the small and the great."

Presenting Our Worship to God

Romans 12:1-2  Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

On the one hand, when we come to God in the flesh, with sin in our hearts, our focus on ourselves, and seek our own entertainment or self-glorification, we present an offering to God which He utterly rejects. 

On the other hand, the Body whose members are individually worshipping Christ with their life, walking in fellowship with and yielding to the Spirit of God, and entering into a true knowledge of the one true God, is one that can join together in true, Spirit-filled and anointed worship of God. A Body that can worship God in this way will “attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.” (Eph 4:13)

I have experienced many living room worship nights with the saints over the years that left me in awe of Jesus, seeing Him clearly, knowing His presence, and experiencing His ministry to my heart and through me to others. It is a taste of heaven on earth and a precious gift that I pray many more in His Body would come to know and treasure as I do.

When we walk by the Spirit, the Spirit reveals Christ to our hearts, and when we comprehend Him as He is in truth, the natural response of our heart before Him is worship, just as Paul expressed:

Ephesians 3:14-21 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fullness of God.

Now to Him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen.

In Christ,

— Mark

What about you? How do you see worship in the Scriptures? What has your experience in the Body been? I’d love to hear your story and thoughts in the comments below.

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God’s design for man did not change after the Fall. Our redemption in Christ brings about a holy remodel of our house to be fit for the Master’s use. This article explores the five rooms of the soul, how the Fall affects our proper function, and how God restores us through the redemption of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

If Christians are to grow and mature in the knowledge and admonition of the Lord, it is imperative that they understand what scripture says concerning building the house of the soul, and be able to apply these principles to their lives.

The house of the soul has five rooms or components:

1. The Will

2. The Mind

3. The Conscience

4. The Emotions

5. The Awareness of Self

To understand each completely, we must understand God's purpose for each part of the soul, or the role each was to play in the overall plan of God.

Part One: Before the Fall

Will

The "will", or the ability to choose, is the first divine establishment of God for man.  This study would be meaningless unless man had the divinely bestowed capability to choose for himself, which means he has the freedom to choose for or to reject the God who created him.  In Genesis 1:26-27, we are told that God made man, both male and female, in His own image and gave them dominion over the earth.  Consistent with God's nature and in order to exercise authority, man was given volition.  God's purpose was for man to choose for order and righteousness, and therefore to choose to be submitted to Him and His authority. 

Mind

The "mind" is that part of man with which God intended man to receive, understand, and meditate upon His word.  Thus, the purpose of the mind was to take in spiritual nourishment and catalog spiritual truth.

Conscience

The "conscience" was intended to be the storehouse of man's knowledge of the principles of righteousness.  It was to be the judge of man's thoughts, words, and deeds in respect to his conformance to righteousness.  A conscience properly ordered by truth will thus convict man of sin, any area where man is missing the mark or falling short of absolute obedience to God.

Emotions

The "emotions" were given to allow man to experience joy and the fullness of the blessings of God.  When kept in control by the mind and the conscience, the emotions amplify the way in which man experiences creation and his relationship to His Creator.  There is no way to understand from the point-of-view of fallen man the immeasurable joy that was available to Adam in soul harmony and fellowship with God.

Awareness to Self

“Awareness of Self" was originally given man to allow him to see himself accurately in respect to God and the rest of creation.  It was to allow man to identify himself with God as both his creator and a loving Father.  It was also to make it possible for man to recognize the likeness of God in himself, while remaining in reverence and awe at the glory and majesty of El-Elyon, the Most High God. It was to impart the perspective to man to understand that it is in fellowship, and in voluntary obedience and submission to God that man is accorded all the privileges of a loving, sovereign God. 

For Adam to fulfill his purpose and to enjoy all the privileges that God had intended for him, it was only necessary for him to walk in right relationship with God, which entails being obedient and maintaining a reverential and loving attitude towards God.  Just as God would later convey to His chosen people the Hebrews.

“Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you will be My people; and you will walk in all the way which I command you, that it may be well with you.”

— Jeremiah 7:23b

And of course, we are commanded to love God with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength.  Man will never be great or powerful in or of himself, but through the favor and grace of God, man can become and experience all that is possible for him as a created being. So although man will never be God and that which is finite can never become infinite, he can enjoy the fullness and privilege that comes from being the object of God’s unconditional and limitless love and favor. If we want to know the purpose of a thing, we do not ask the thing, we ask the Creator of the thing.

Part Two:  After the Fall

But then came the fall, and the curse, and man was cast out of the garden and into a different relationship with his Creator. Man was separated from God by his disobedience and his insistence upon his rights to himself. With the fall, sin entered the human race, and with it both physical and spiritual death.  Spiritual death is being separated from God for eternity. 

However, God's plan for the redemption of the human race was already complete in his mind before the foundation of the earth. A body was prepared, and Christ entered the world at the appointed time. He became our ransom from the slave market of sin, and our mediator with the Father.

Though Fallen, Our Function Remains Unchanged

The function and purpose of the soul remains unchanged; however, now man must deal with an accursed world, an ever present and wicked adversary (Satan and the fallen angels), a sin nature, and his fellow man.

Keep in mind that born-again believers can work on our behalf and are commanded to do so, but also that the powers and principalities of darkness can use (work through) unbelievers to come against us, and can even deceive believers into acting as our enemies and even enemies of God.  

Through all of this, God's purpose for the operation of his creation is unchanged, despite the interruption caused by sin. It is still God's will to transform the soul of man into the image of His glory, Jesus Christ; and to bring redeemed and regenerate man into complete union and communion with the Godhead. 

Living Bread - the Word

God has supernaturally provided “living bread” to us through His word and His Spirit that our soul might prosper and grow.  We are to feed upon the word, and we are to metabolize it by meditating on it, speaking it, sharing it, praying it, and acting upon it in faith.  As Jesus said to the disciples,

"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves."

— John 6:53

What Christ is saying is that unless we are baptized into Him, and then appropriate His life continuously as a lifestyle through working out our salvation with fear and trembling, then we will be like the Pharisees, just dead men's bones.  The manna in the wilderness that was gathered and not eaten the same day bore worms and became corrupted. 

Word Received then Rejected

Likewise, the word that is received and then rejected by not being acted upon, becomes sin to us, which will harden our hearts and separate us from the Spirit’s transforming power. We eat Christ’s flesh by reading and acting upon His word.  But unless we “drink His blood” by continuously partaking of our kingdom provision in 1 John 1:9 to stay in fellowship through confession, then we will not be available to the process. Christ is after all the very "bread of life,” and it is from Him that we must draw our spiritual sustenance.

Self-Destructive Road

All the parts of the soul still function as at the beginning.  Today we can still choose to reject the word of God, and instead pour the toxic waste of the world into our soul. This sends us down a self-destructive road: 

• This defiles the mind and the conscience (Titus 1:15). 

• In turn the mind and the conscience fail to control the emotions as designed. 

• Then the mind and the conscience begin to be ruled by our emotions and our lusts.

• So the soul becomes like an out-of-control car with no brakes and the throttle stuck open. 

• So instead of being ruled by the mind of Christ in our decisions, we become ruled by our flesh

• And life becomes a carnal roller coaster ride propelled by the gravity of sin.

• This condition causes our self-awareness to become disfigured and dysfunctional. 

• Then instead of being God-centered and submitted to him in reverence, we become self-centered, rebellious, irreverent, and idolatrous.  

We therefore abnormally use, and therefore abuse our soul, which God has created to glorify Him, and in our iniquity we become bent on glorifying ourselves. "Defilement" of the soul is a process of abuse whereby we operate the soul in a manner in which it was not designed until we compromise its ability to perform as originally intended. 

It is sort of like running a lawn mower over rocks until the blade is so distorted that it will no longer cut grass. Abuse of the soul ultimately erodes the capacity of the soul to function as it was originally purposed.

Man was designed to run on the word of God, just like a car was designed to run on gasoline. However, a man that is filling his tank with the toxic waste of the world system will no more function as designed than a car running on kerosene.  Instead of being a sweet smelling aroma to God, we will be producing the darkness of sin, which like a smoking car will reduce the visibility of the light that is available to us, and we will emit an odor that is offensive to God. 

Eventually we will cease to function RIGHTLY altogether as our heart becomes scarred and calloused and becomes insensitive to the Spirit. Just like a spark plug that is fouled by carbon and can no longer spark to ignite fuel, our heart will cease to be able to be ignited by the fire of the Holy Spirit unto repentance and cleansing. 

Guarding the Eye, Ear, & Mind Gates

What we must understand as believers is that what we take in through the eye, ear, and mind gates of our body, the temple of the Holy Spirit, becomes the building materials of the house of our soul.

What we put into our soul will make us in its image.

• If we pour in the world, then we will be conformed to the world.

• If we pour in Jesus Christ, then we will be progressively conformed and transformed through the Spirit (supernaturally) into His image. 

Thus, even if we are building on the firm foundation of salvation, corrupt materials will compromise the structure, no matter how little or how infrequently they are used.  just like a building in the physical realm, once it gets out of square or faulty material is used, you can't just patch the outside. 

To correct the problem, all the corrupt structure must be torn down and cast away, then the house must be restored using quality materials that are applied by the hand of a master builder.  In the case of man, this builder must be the original Manufacturer, Christ our Lord.  

Holy Remodel

Confession (1 John 1:9), the act of allowing God to remove the corruption of sin, should be applied in a timely fashion before corruption is built upon corruption, and the whole house is compromised and in ruins.  Jesus Christ is the carpenter of our resurrected soul. If you will allow Him to create His life in you, He will change and remodel you from the inside out.  He will restore your house starting with the foundation, reinforcing every joint, and straightening every support.

Part 3: How the Spirit Works Within Us

Christ through His Spirit in us will transform each of us into His own likeness, if we will just remain in fellowship and available to the work. The following Scriptures outline how the Spirit works within us:

Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, 

— Ephesians 3:20

And for this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received from us the word of God's message, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. 

— 1 Thessalonians 2:13

For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus. 

— Philippians 1:6

For it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

— Philippians 2:13

But we all, ….., are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.

— 2 Corinthians 3:18

Then as God's Spirit in us restores us to our original purpose and design, we become a suitable building block for the corporate body of Christ. God can then place us into our proper position in the larger design of Christ's Church, and into our assigned position in the Royal Army and Priesthood of believers:

In whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord;  (22) in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

— Ephesians 2:21-22

From whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love. 

— Ephesians 4:16

"He who is not with Me is against Me; and he who does not gather with Me scatters."

— Matthew 12:30

The principle Christ gave in this last verse is so simple, yet so grossly misunderstood in these times when evil is so prevalent that even much of what is considered normal and acceptable behavior by believers, is a violation of the word and an abomination to God. We are truly a hardheaded and rebellious people, worse perhaps even then those addressed in Isaiah 65 2-6: 

"I have spread out My hands all day long to a rebellious people, Who walk in the way which is not good, following their own thoughts,  (3a) A people who continually provoke Me to My face, ... (5) "Who say, 'Keep to yourself, do not come near me, For I am holier than you!' These are smoke in My nostrils, A fire that burns all the day. (6) "Behold, it is written before Me, I will not keep silent, but I will repay; I will even repay into their bosom."

— Isaiah 65:2-6

Believers are in a battle until death against an enemy who is totally superior to them in the flesh (out of fellowship with God), and who can only be overcome by the operative power of the Spirit in us:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (17) For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.

— Galatians 5:16-17

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. (6) For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, (7) because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, (8) and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

— Romans 8:5-8

In the Spirit, wrapped in the inputted righteousness of Christ, and in fellowship with God (having no unconfessed sin in our heart), Satan must flee from us (James 4:7-8). However, to consistently overcome such an enemy, we must never give him an opportunity (Ephesians 4:27). Therefore, we must maintain a consistent lifestyle of being in fellowship, which requires a lifestyle of confession (1 John 1:5-9).

We must remain on the alert, always vigilant and ever prepared. We cannot fight a defensive battle, because our enemy never ceases from his attack. On the contrary, the only winning strategy available to us is to constantly press the advance, by being constantly available and submitted to the life of Christ in us.

This means that if we are to prevail and avoid being a spiritual casualty in the angelic warfare, we must walk in the light as He is in the light. We must be wholly conformed to obedience, to prayer, to evangelism, and to building-up the body of Christ. 

We must be anointed and empowered daily by His Spirit in us, never relying on our own strength, but rather always relying on and waiting upon God. Our waiting must be one of faith rest. Faith rest is never inactivity, but rather continuous preparation and continuous practice, a lifestyle of perpetually stirring up and refining our spiritual giftings and insight.

Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God,  (6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

— 2 Corinthians 3:5-6

Therefore, the life of Christ is one that in no way compromises with the world. Not that we aren't in the world, but rather that we aren't of the world (John 17:16). We are to live up to the standard of Christ, and to reject the standard of the world. The Christian walk is not a religion of "don'ts"; it’s a dynamic life of activity that chooses only those alternatives that glorify Christ and magnify His life in us. 

The life that is sold out to Jesus freely chooses to lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin, which so easily entangles it, and to run with endurance in order to win the prize (Hebrews 12:1).  It chooses to strip itself of every worldly encumbrance so that it can run the best race it can possibly run, even in the face of constant ridicule and rejection from a lost and dying world that can't help being offended by it.  

Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. (2) Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. (3) For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (4) When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. (5)  Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. (6) For it is because of these things that the wrath of God will come upon the sons of disobedience, (7) and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them. (8) But now you also, put them all aside: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive speech from your mouth.  (9) Do not lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, (10) and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him— (11)  a renewal in which there is no distinction between Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave and freeman, but Christ is all, and in all.

— Colossians 3:1-11

This life does not concern itself with the norms and acknowledgment of man, but rather with the approval and favor of God - our Creator and Lord, Jesus Christ!  Remember it was Christ who said, "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me." So, if you want to achieve the hightest possible good for yourself in this life, then develop a strategy today to serve Him to your utmost for His highest!

I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 

— Romans 12:1-2

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In Christ,

— Paul