Podcasts about in eph

The Three Resurrections (Various Passages) For the bulletin in PDF form, click here. Message Slides The Past ResurrectionThe Present ResurrectionThe Future ResurrectionDiscussion Questions1. Explain what we mean by the resurrection of the past, the resurrection of the present, and the resurrection of the future. Which of these three do you think about most/least? Why?The Past Resurrection 2. We have good reasons to believe Jesus rose from the grave. What are some of the most convincing arguments? 3. What are some key passages that talk about Jesus' resurrection? Why is it important we affirm this historical event when Jesus rose from the grave?The Present Resurrection4. What are some of the benefits we can experience today because of Jesus' resurrection? 5. In Eph 1:18-23 Paul talks about how we can experience resurrection power today. How have you experienced resurrection power in your life? What area in your life needs to experience this benefit today?The Future Resurrection6. 1 Cor 15:20 refers to Jesus' resurrection as the “firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.” What are you looking most forward to about experiencing the future resurrection and having a resurrection body? Why is it important that we think and talk about this future hope we have in Christ?7. DA Carson said, “I am not suffering from anything that a good, general resurrection can't fix.” What are you looking most forward to being “fixed” by our future resurrection in Christ?8. Is it helpful to you to think about the resurrection of the past, present, and future? Explain. Mission Highlight - Pray for the Unreached: The Bon Gula ChadThe Bon Gula people of Chad number approximately 3,800. Though they are nominally Sunni Muslim, most fiercely adhere to their traditional Marghai religion including sacred sites and revered animals. Only 0.42% are Christian adherents, and they have no Christian resources available in their language. With no access to the message of the gospel, the Bon Gula remain deeply unreached. Pray for workers to reach the Bon Gula, for Christian resources to be translated into their language, and for a movement to Christ to take root among them.FinancesWeekly Budget 35,297Giving For 04/06 41,352Giving For 04/13 26,958YTD Budget 1,447,183Giving 1,414,996 OVER/(UNDER) (32,187)Fellowship on the Lawn - Gather together as one united faith familySunday, May 4, at 4:00 p.m. here at Fellowship. We have completely revamped our church-wide gathering to make it a very family-orientated event. We will have a live band, a DJ, a time of organized games for families with prizes, food trucks, and Kona Ice. There will also be Baggo, Pickle Ball and even more for the adults. ”This is a “Can't Miss Event”. We hope to see you there!New to Fellowship?We are so glad that you chose to worship with our Fellowship Family this morning. If you are joining us for the first time or have been checking us out for a few weeks, we are excited you are here and would love to meet you. Please fill out the “Connect Card” and bring it to the Connection Center in the Atrium, we would love to say “hi” and give you a gift. VBS 2025 | June 23-27 | 9:00 am - 12:00 pmJoin us in ancient Egypt! You'll explore Pharaoh's palace, experience thrilling “real-life” dramas, play high-energy games, sample tasty snacks, and hear unforgettable music. Plus, you'll meet lots of new friends! VBS is for children currently in kindergarten through fourth grade - invite a friend for free! Register by June 6, at fellowshipconway.org/register. The cost is $5 per child. HIGH SCHOOL SENIORSSeniors 2025, Fellowship wants to honor you for your graduation from High School. We ask all graduating seniors that call Fellowship home to complete a simple form for Senior Sunday on May 18th at fellowshipconway.org/register. Also, please send five pictures of your senior for the slideshow to be shown during both services to Michael Mercer at mmercer@fellowshipconway.org by April 27. Luncheon for WidowsThe widows of Fellowship are invited to a Spring Luncheon at the home of Ambra Austin on Thursday, May 15th at noon. We look forward to a time of fun, fellowship and feasting! Please RSVP by May 1st to Ambra at 501-730-6795. Imperishable: a 4-Week Study of 1 peterJoin us for Imperishable, a four-week study of 1 Peter led by Heather Harrison. We'll meet Wednesday nights beginning May 28, at 6 p.m., here at Fellowship. Text Shanna at 501-336-0332 to reserve childcare. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Fellowship 101We invite you to join us on Sunday, June 8, at 9:00 a.m. to learn more about Fellowship. This is a great opportunity to hear about our mission, values, and ministries. If you're new to Fellowship, join us in the conference room (first floor) to hear what God is doing and where He is taking us. During this time, you will meet some of our ministry leaders and get to ask questions. Register at fellowshipconway.org/register.Baby dedicationMark your calendar for May 11 to dedicate your children to the Lord. More information to come.

Deception is simply taking a piece of the truth, and twisting it. That's what makes it so convincing. It sounds right... sort of. Almost. I believe I first read in one of C.S. Lewis's books, probably in several of them, that evil defines itself by the absence of God, just as darkness defines itself as the absence of light. Satan cannot create anything; all he can do is pervert something that God made, and intended for good.   The introduction of Jonathan Cahn's most recent book, "The Dragon Prophecy," puts this extremely well, so I'm going to just quote him. He writes, "If God is good, then how could there be evil? And if God is evil, then how could God be good? But if God did not create evil, then how could evil exist? Or how could God be God?... If evil was created, it would not be a problem, nor would it be evil. Evil is a problem for the very reason that it was not created. It should not exist, because it was not created, and yet it does. The existence of evil defies the created order. It is not of the creation and thus exists in opposition to the created order. Evil exists in defiance of existence... evil is not simply a force, like that of an earthquake, a hurricane, or a fire. All these bring calamity and destruction. But none would constitute true evil. Serial killers are. Why? The hurricane is an impersonal force. It acts without consciousness, will, choice, volition, or intent. But the serial killer commits his acts with conscious intent, will, an volition--and so is evil. And so evil is not an impersonal force--but a personal one, requiring consciousness, volition, will, and intent. Thus in our search for an answer to evil, we are led to personhood... Evil is an inversion--an inversion of truth, of reality, of existence. Evil is, by nature, inverted and, by nature, inverts. It twists, bends, and turns existence in upon itself. It exists as anti-existence. Its being is anti-being, and its nature, anti-nature. It is a negation and therefore seeks to negate, a nullification that exists to nullify. It has no true, ultimate, or absolute existence and therefore acts to bring that which exists into non-existence... Possessing no absolute or true existence of its own, evil is, as well, by nature, parasitic... Evil must use the good. And so though good can exist without evil, evil cannot exist without good. Truth can exist without falsehood, but falsehood cannot exist without truth. Laws can exist without crimes, marriage without adultery, and life without murder. But crimes cannot exist without laws, adultery without marriage, nor murder exist without life. Destruction requires structure, immorality requires morality, and sin requires the holy. The good is primary. Evil is the parasitic inversion of the good. And so the existence of evil inadvertently testifies not against the existence of the good--but for it. It bears witness, unwillingly, to the existence of the good--the existence of God" (9-10). So if evil itself is an inversion of something created to be good, then nearly everything God created for our pleasure and enjoyment can also become evil... but because it contains the seeds of something that was originally good, Satan can also use that kernel of goodness, or truth, to convince us that the twisted version is actually good and true, too... and if we don't know the truth well enough to tell the difference, we'll fall for it.  The Syncretism Trend According to Dr George Barna's research with the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University, the dominant worldview of Americans (92%) now is syncretism (https://www.arizonachristian.edu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/CRC-Release-AWVI-2-April-23-2024.pdf): that is, an amalgamation of disparate and contradictory beliefs, pulled from multiple religious or philosophical ideologies, according to an individual's personal inclinations and emotions. Syncretism is therefore not a single worldview, but a mishmash of beliefs--hence the common phrase, "your truth" and "my truth." The implication is that these can be mutually exclusive, without any logical contradiction. This strategy of Satan's is nothing new. He is a liar and the father of lies by nature (John 8:44). He sticks with this approach because it works.  Syncretism in the Old Testament Syncretism has  been around since the days of the Old Testament, and was the main reason why the Israelites couldn't seem to stay on the "blessing" side of God's covenant (Deuteronomy 28). Literally the first of the Ten Commandments was "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Ex 20:3)--and al, the Hebrew word translated "before", also means "by" or "beside." So God wasn't saying they simply had to worship Him the most, but it was okay if they occasionally sacrificed to Baal or Molech or Asherah--so long as He was the most important. No; they were to have no other gods besides Him. Period. The entire Old Testament history is a cycle of the Israelites' disobedience of this one commandment. The first example after the Ten Commandments were given is the golden calf that Aaron made with the spoils from Egypt while Moses was up on the mountain receiving God's law (Ex 32). These Israelites had spent their entire lives in Egypt, where a pantheon of gods were worshipped (many of whom God specifically humiliated by the plagues chosen to eventually force Pharaoh to let them go). When they made the golden calf, the Israelites declared that this was God--the One who had delivered them from Egypt (Ex 32:4). So they weren't exactly abandoning Yahweh for some other god; rather, they were mixing Him with the gods they had grown up with. Then, the Israelites tended to mix worship of Yahweh with worship of the gods of neighboring nations, even before they ever got to the Promised Land. Israel's enemies feared God, and one of them (King Balak of Moab) sent for Balaam, a local seer, to curse Israel (Numbers 22-24). God wouldn't allow Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam wanted Balak's money... so instead, he told Balak how to get the Israelites to curse themselves, by placing themselves on the "cursing" side of God's covenant (Deuteronomy 28). Numbers 25 shows the result: the Moabite harlots used sex to entice the men of Israel into idolatry. The issue in this case wasn't so much the sex, as it was that sex was used in worship of false gods.  The cycle repeats throughout the Old Testament: Israel falls into idolatry, they fall under the 'cursing' side of God's covenant as a result (bringing themselves out from under His protection, and subject to Satan's machinations), they get oppressed by their enemies, they cry out to God, and God delivers them. They renew their vows to and worship of the One True God in varying degrees, but then they forget again, fall into idolatry, and the cycle repeats. God had laid out very clearly that they would be blessed if they followed His laws, and cursed if they didn't (Deut 28), and the very first commandment was no gods before Him. It was the first for a reason: God knows that we were made to worship something, and we treasure what we worship. "Where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" (Matt 6:21), and our hearts guide the course of our lives (Prov 4:23).  Eventually Israel split into two kingdoms (Northern and Southern, or Israel and Judah) over this very issue. Most of the subsequent kings of both nations perpetuated idolatry, though a few tried to purge the nation of idolatry to varying degrees, and enjoyed the 'blessing' side of the covenant for a time as a result (Deut 28). But God sent prophet after prophet to the Northern and Southern nations (writers of most of the major and minor prophetic books of the Old Testament), warning them of impending destruction if they did not repent of their idolatry. They ignored the warning, and eventually both nations were taken into captivity because of their idolatry: Israel to Assyria and Judah to Babylon. (Though of course, God was not done with Israel, and His promises to them still stand--Ezekiel 37 prophesied their restoration to their own land as a resurrection of dry bones, which miraculously took place on May 14, 1948. And the nation of Israel takes center stage throughout most of the book of Revelation, from chapter 5 on.)  Syncretism in the New Testament  Syncretism was around during the time of the early church, too, particularly in Paul's ministry. God sent him as the apostle to the Gentiles, who practiced varying forms of pagan beliefs already. They attempted to mix Jesus with these beliefs, until Paul's preaching convicted them to follow Jesus only, burning their books of magic arts and getting rid of their idols of Greek and Roman gods (Acts 19:11-20--which turned into a big riot in the city, v 21-41). Paul described the end times as being a time of "unrighteous deception among those who perish" (2 Thess 2:10), so we can expect that as we approach that day, this will only increase. Jesus told us that in the last days, "if possible, even the elect" would be deceived (Matt 24:24). The Greek work for deception in these verses is planao, and it means "to lead away from the truth, to lead into error." This inherently means that there is such a thing as truth. If you believe something contradictory to that truth, that is deception. We're living in an age that largely borrows from postmodernism as part of the syncretic worldview. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "Postmodernists deny that there are aspects of reality that are objective; that there are statements about reality that are objectively true or false; that it is possible to have knowledge of such statements (objective knowledge); that it is possible for human beings to know some things with certainty; and that there are objective, or absolute, moral values." Holders of this worldview are therefore confused about even observable or mathematical truths, let alone those that are not observable (such as whether or not there is a God, and if there is, how many, and which one, how do we get to Him, etc). So before we even approach the topic of how to avoid being deceived, we have to establish that there is such a thing as objective truth. If there isn't, then there is no such thing as deception, either, since deception derives its definition from truth (just as darkness derives its definition from light, by the absence of it). What Is Truth (i.e. Is There Such A Thing As Objective Reality?) The best argument I've heard on the topic of whether or not there is an objective reality comes from Dr Jason Lisle's "The Ultimate Proof of Creation" (which is a book, but here is his lecture on the argument https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ_UxcV-xcM). While there is an abundance of apologetic evidence for the scientific and historical accuracy of scripture (here's the first in an apologetics series I did on the subject, https://www.drlaurendeville.com/anthropic-fine-tuning/), Lisle points out that none of these arguments can be definitive, because someone who holds a different worldview can simply invoke a "rescuing device" to explain away any evidence that seems to contradict his own position. We all do this, and it's not necessarily a bad thing--for example, if someone points out an apparent contradiction in scripture, my first reaction isn't, "Oh, I guess the Bible is wrong!" Rather, I assume there's additional information I don't happen to know about yet, which resolves the apparent contradiction, and then I go look for it. Even if I can't find it at the time, I am still certain it exists, and someone will find it eventually. That's a rescuing device, to preserve an otherwise deeply held worldview without logical contradiction. The real key to establishing which worldview is correct lies in that last statement: "without logical contradiction." There are laws that govern the way the world and the universe works--laws that we all have to believe in and abide by in order to know anything at all. C.S. Lewis expounded on this concept in "Mere Christianity" (https://www.authorcagray.com/posts/mere-christianity/) with respect to morality, in particular--the idea that we all know that there are universal laws of decency and conduct, and we further know that we don't live up to them. But, that being the case, who made those laws? Where did they come from? He argues that their very existence necessitates a lawgiver. Lisle takes this argument further--the existence of non-moral rules that govern how the material world works, such as the laws of logic, and principles of math and science, are the presuppositions upon which all knowledge is based. Everyone has to abide by these, no matter what their worldview is, or it would be impossible to know anything at all. But who made those rules? Where did they come from? Why does math work? Why do we all assume the laws of logic in order to have a coherent conversation? This, too, necessitates a creator. Many who abide by laws of math, science, and logic (and morality, for that matter) don't happen to have a theistic worldview, but that in and of itself is a logical inconsistency; they can't account for those rules in their worldviews at all. They have to borrow from the theistic worldview in order to make any of their other arguments.  This is the very place where postmodernism diverges, though. If there is no objective reality, then knowledge of any kind doesn't exist. Most of those who hold this worldview at least believe in morality of some kind. Lewis's argument might be most relevant here--you'll never get someone persuaded by postmodernism and religious syncretism to argue that murder, or genocide, or racism are fine, for example. They know these are wrong because they "feel" them to be wrong--and they're not just wrong for them, they're wrong for everyone. Now we have at least one absolute... which necessitates a lawgiver not only for morality, but also for at least one logical law: that of non-contradiction. This already establishes the existence of an objective reality. If there is an objective reality, then necessarily, some statements about it must be true while others must be false. The world is round and not flat, for example. If a world exists at all, both things cannot be true about it at the same time and in the same way, simultaneously--that would be a logical contradiction. Which Objective Reality Is It? (Can Anybody Know?) If some objective reality does in fact exist, how do we know which one it is? How do we know that our senses are reliable, first of all, and that we're not living in a simulation a la "The Matrix," for instance--one in which the laws of morality, logic, math, and science are simply foundational to the code? This argument goes back to Descartes, who concluded that at the very least, he must exist after some fashion, because his consciousness told him he must. C.S. Lewis in "Mere Christianity" used a similar line of reasoning, arguing that if there were a deeper reality, one that created this reality, we couldn't possibly find out anything about it through our five senses. Of course we couldn't; those senses are of the physical world, and can thus only give us information about the physical world. Our consciousness, however, has no identifiable physical reality. (To this day, science cannot explain what consciousness actually is - https://www.drlaurendeville.com/electromagnetism-vital-force/.) So Lewis argues that, if there were anything knowable about the world beyond our own, the only place where we might possibly expect to find clues about it would be in our own consciousness. And there, in fact, we do find such clues: specifically, we all have a sense of right and wrong. While we might quibble about the details therein--someone might say that under such and such a condition, killing someone is not murder, for example--no one will seriously argue that murder is morally fine. One might have different rules surrounding the morals of sex, but nobody is going to say you can just have any person you like anytime you like. This establishes several things, according to his argument: the existence of a moral law outside of our reality, of how we ought to behave (even though we know we don't, or at least not always, and certainly not perfectly), which necessitates the implied existence of a law-giver. The very fact that we do not keep the law (even though we know we should) is the whole point of the law of the Old Testament, too (Romans 7)--but even those who didn't know the Old Testament were aware of the moral law to this extent, so that no one is without excuse (Romans 1:18-2:16). Once we know that there is a moral law, and that we're incapable of keeping it on our own, that narrows down the possible religions considerably. We must choose one that hinges on the concept of grace, not works. There is literally only one of those. (More on that in this podcast: https://www.drlaurendeville.com/relational-apologetics/). That's why we call Christianity the gospel, which means good news: the good news is that, while you can't make yourself righteous no matter how hard you try, you don't have to make yourself righteous because Jesus did it for you. All you have to do is accept what He did on your behalf. Once you've gotten to this place, now all the scientific apologetics (start here: https://www.drlaurendeville.com/anthropic-fine-tuning/) can fall into their proper place: as corroborating evidence for the Bible. But the Bible has to be philosophically established as authoritative first. Once we've established that the Bible is truth (John 17:17, Psa 25:5, Psa 91:4, Psa 96:13, 100:5, 117:2, 119:142, 151, 160; 138:2, Prov 3:3, Col 1:5), we've got to learn what it says--well enough that Satan can't take it out of context and feed it back to us, or add a tiny bit to it to change the meaning. That's exactly how he works, though. He even tried that with Jesus (Luke 4:1-13). Fortunately Jesus was the Word made flesh (John 1:14), so He didn't fall for it... but the less we actually know the scripture, the more vulnerable we'll be to this strategy. Knowing the Truth Well Jesus warned us that as the last days approach, Satan will double down on this strategy: that false prophets will rise up and deceive many (Matt 24:11), claiming to be Jesus returned (Mark 13:6), some with signs and wonders. At the same time, Revelation suggests that in the last days, the church will become apathetic, so prosperous materially that we will be unaware of our spiritual emptiness (Rev 3:14-22). (This sounds a lot like the seeds choked by thorns in Jesus' parable of the sower: the seed is choked by "the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, and he becomes unfruitful", Matt 13:22). Peter tells us that "scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.'" (2 Peter 3:3-4). Paul tells us that the last days will be accompanied by a great "falling away" (2 Thess 2:3). Deception comes in many forms, but one thing they all have in common is that they act almost like a vaccine against the truth. There's just enough truth to them, mixed with a lot of untruth, that it's hard to tease apart the good from the bad. In that way, they can deceive "even the elect, if possible" (Matt 24:24, Mark 13:22). We protect against this, in a nutshell, by knowing the truth really, really well. This is the way bankers are trained to recognize counterfeit money: they don't study every possible counterfeit (there will always be a new one). Rather, they learn what the real thing looks like so well that they'll know when something seems off, even if they can't articulate what it is. In the same way, we're to renew our minds with the Word (Romans 12:2); that's how we will recognize truth from lies. Otherwise, it's all too easy for Satan to take a sliver of truth, mix it with a lie, and so deceive us. An Old Testament example of this is found in 2 Kings 18. The back story: in Numbers 21:6-9, the people had sinned, had come out from under the protection of God's covenant, and were dying from bites from poisonous snakes. God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent on a pole, and told the people that if they would only look at the serpent, they would be healed. We know with hindsight that this was a type and shadow of Jesus, who was made sin for us, and became our substitutionary sacrifice ("by His stripes, we are healed," Isaiah 53:5). But the Jews didn't realize that; all they knew was that God ordained healing through looking at the pole, so the pole became a symbol of deliverance. But over the centuries, they made looking at the pole into a formula: the shadow without the substance of Jesus behind it. It became an idol, which they called Nehushtan. Back to 2 Kings 18, centuries later: verse 4 tells us that King Hezekiah had torn down the high places and broke Nehushtan in pieces. Later in the chapter, Judah is threatened with destruction by a messenger from the King of Assyria, Rabshakeh. This would have been especially terrifying, since Israel (by this point they has become two nations, Israel and Judah) had already been carried into captivity by Assyria, in punishment for the fact that the people kept falling into idolatry and had forsaken God. So when Rabshakeh threatened the people with destruction, he said, "You broke down God's symbols of worship! Why would He come through for you?" (2 Kings 18:22). The people of Judah had to know God and His word well enough to know that what Hezekiah did was actually right in God's eyes (2 Kings 18:5-7). God had originally ordained the serpent on the pole, yes, but the people had made it into an idol, which broke the first of the Ten Commandments. Hezekiah's actions had placed the Jews on the right side of God's covenant (Deut 28), so they, unlike their sister nation of Israel, could trust that God would come through for them. But if the people had not understood all the back story, they might easily have believed Rabshakeh's taunts. They could have lost faith that God would come through for them, convinced that they would go the way of Israel before them, and turned against Hezekiah, thinking he'd brought them out from under God's protection. This is how the enemy works. The serpent is subtle and cunning (Gen 3:1, 2 Cor 11:3-4). Satan tried to deceive Jesus not even by misquoting scripture, just by quoting it out of context (Matt 4:6). This happens to us today all the time. One common example is the teaching that God causes or (directly) allows sickness in order to discipline us, or to teach us something, or for the "greater good". This sounds so spiritual, and a host of out of context scriptures even seem to back it up--yet Deut 28 makes it clear that sickness is always considered a curse. Jesus became a curse for us and redeemed us from the curse (Gal 3:13-14), and even before that, He healed all who came to Him (Matt 15:30, Matt 4:23-24, Matt 8:16, Matt 9:35, Matt 10:1, Matt 12:15, Matt 15:30, Luke 4:40, Luke 10:9). Jesus He was a perfect representation of the Father (John 5:19, 5:30, 8:28, 12:49). So this cannot be right. He may take what the enemy meant for evil and turn it for good (Gen 50:20), but that doesn't mean He caused the evil in the first place. Not even close. (For more on this, see https://www.drlaurendeville.com/why-bad-things-happen-from-a-biblical-perspective/). Truth is the foundation of the spiritual armor (Eph 6:14)--it must go on first, before anything else. The Bible can testify to us that not only is the Word truth, but God is the God of truth (Isa 65:16), that Jesus is the truth (John 14:6). Only knowing the truth will make us free (John 8:32). If we focus on knowing the truth, we will recognize deception. It's important to also rely upon the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of truth (John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13, 1 John 5:6), to guide us, rather than on our own understanding (Prov 3:5-6), or the wisdom of the world (1 Cor 1:20-2:7), or any other spirit besides the Holy Spirit. The world is confused about what truth is (John 18:37-38) because they don't hear His voice--but we do. This shouldn't be a problem for us.  Cross-Reference What You Hear Along those lines, just because we hear a doctrine preached from the pulpit doesn't mean it's so. It's our responsibility to be like the Bereans in Acts 17--when Paul and Silas preached the word to them there, Luke writes of them, "These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed" (Acts 17:11). They didn't just take Paul and Silas's word for it; they went straight to the source text to confirm it. Paul later wrote to the Galatians, "even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again, if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received, let him be accursed" (Gal 1:8-9). He repeats himself, because this is so important. Forget him--even if an angel preaches it, let him be accursed! We are not to blindly follow any person simply because of his or her authority. (We're to respect authority of all kinds, Romans 13:1-7--that's a different issue. But when what someone in authority says comes in conflict with God's word, we obviously go with God's word, Acts 4:19). There are plenty of warnings about false teachers in scripture (though one important note here--there's a difference between a false teacher, and a good person doing his or her best who is simply flawed. None of us is going to get everything right. This is the reason why James says that not many should become teachers, as they will "receive a stricter judgment. For we all stumble in many things," James 3:1-2.)  A false teacher, though, is one who will distort the truth (Acts 20:29-30, 2 Peter 3:16), by mixing it with myths/fables (Titus 1:14) or "merely human commands" (Matthew 16:1-12) or the traditions of men (such as forbidding to marry, abstaining from certain foods, 1 Tim 4:3), according to the principles of the world (Col 2:4-8). They will pretend to be godly or moral, though (2 Cor 11:13-15, 2 Tim 6:5)--so we must use discernment. There are a few criteria we're given to distinguish a false teacher from just a flawed human being, in process like the rest of us: Anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ is a false teacher (1 John 2:22-23, 4:2-3) Some may lie intentionally for their own gain (Deut 18:20, Ezekiel 13:9, Jer 14:14, Jer 23:16, Titus 1:10-11) or in hypocrisy (1 Tim 4:2-5), using "godliness" as a means of their own selfish gain. Others may be so blind that they truly believe they are doing God a favor in persecuting His true followers (John 16:2). Romans 16:18: Paul said in this verse that these individuals use good words and fair speeches and deceive the hearts of the simple. This means that they flatter people (2 Timothy 4:3) and appeal to the same selfish desires that they themselves have, to draw people after themselves (Acts 20:30). We can't judge another person's motives (Matthew 7:1-3), but we can, and should, judge the fruit of their lives and ministries (Matthew 7:15-20, 1 John 3:7-9). There are many who claim to be believers but aren't (Matthew 7:21-23) and they'll be among us until the end of the age, when God will finally separate them out (Matthew 13:24-30). Truth, "Signs," and Our Emotions We are the gatekeepers of our hearts (Prov 4:23), and have to guard its boundaries, careful of what we allow in. I always thought the parable of wheat and tares (Matthew 13:24-30) only referred to evil people sown amongst the good people of the church. But what if it also means good and bad ideas from good and bad spirits within a given individual-- in other words, we can bear good fruit and bad fruit from different 'trees' even within our own hearts? This might be why Jesus could tell Peter "get behind me Satan" (Matt 16:23) and James and John, "you don't know what spirit you are of" (Luke 9:55), but the men themselves were still His. This also probably goes along with the Parable of the Sower (Matt 13:3-15)... the 'tares' we allow into our own hearts are part of what can choke the word and render it unfruitful. Truth of course must correspond to an accurate description of reality (Gen 42:16)--which should negate any postmodernist philosophy, or syncretism, blending contradictory descriptions of reality. Once we know the truth, we are to continue in what we were taught (Col 2:6-7, 1 John 2:24), not mix a little Christianity with a little of some other contrary message. Paul rails against this practice in many of his letters. In 2 Cor 11:3-4, Paul is angry that the Corinthians' minds may be corrupted so that they receive the one preaching a different Jesus or gospel from the one he preached. In Galatians 1:6-9, as mentioned earlier, the Galatians are falling prey to a perverted gospel, and Paul curses those who preach such a gospel. In Eph 4:14, he writes that only "children" in Christ are tossed about by every wind and wave of doctrine, taken in by trickery and craftiness and deceit. We're supposed to guard against not just what we hear from other humans, but to test what the spirits say too--hence Paul's angel comment (Gal 1:8-9). John also tells us, "do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God" (1 John 4:1). In a lot of denominational churches that don't believe in the supernatural gifts of the spirit (1 Cor 12), this may not come up much. But in those that do, or for individuals who might ascribe to varieties of syncretism (believing in "signs from the universe" if they seem especially coincidental, perhaps), this will become important. Just because a prophet seems to be speaking from a supernatural source doesn't mean what they're saying is from God. It might be, but we have to test it. Just because an idea out of left field pops into our minds doesn't mean it was the Holy Spirit who put it there. Just because a black crow perches on a tree doesn't mean it's an omen foreshadowing our future. Just because we see the same state license plate on every car doesn't mean God is telling us to move there, etc. Solomon writes, “A simple man believes anything, but a prudent man gives thought to his steps” (Prov 14:15). Elsewhere "simple" is used as a synonym for "fool" (Prov 7:7, 8:5, 9:13). We have to remember that the physical world is a battleground. Until the earth lease is up, Satan is still technically the god of this world (2 Cor 4:4). So God can send us signs in the physical realm, yes--but so can Satan. God can whisper thoughts to our minds--but so can Satan (in fact, this is his primary tactic, 2 Cor 10:3-6). Peter writes that the scriptures are a "more sure word of prophecy" even than hearing an audible voice from heaven (2 Peter 1:19-21), probably for this exact reason: anything using the physical realm has the potential to be counterfeited. That doesn't mean God can't use physical means to communicate with us, but it's clear that the primary means He uses for His own are the scriptures, and the Holy Spirit (John 14:17, 26), who also often speaks to us by bringing the scriptures we know to our remembrance. He also will speak through the prophets (1 Cor 12:1-11), dreams and visions (Acts 2:17-18), but we have to check all of this against the Word. Scripture will divide between soul and spirit (what originates with us vs Him, Hebrews 4:12), as well as what might originate with a malevolent spirit sent to lead us astray. David tells us it's the scriptures that make the simple wise: "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple" (Psalm 19:7). What if an idea comes to us as an idea, a dream, a vision, a prophecy, or a "synchronicity" moment that seems supernatural, and it's something that isn't addressed in scripture at all, though? How do we know if it's from God, from us, or from the enemy then? The first thing to check there is whether or not the message is consistent with God's character. Jesus said we can ask anything in His name and He will give it to us (John 14:14). What's in God's name (https://www.drlaurendeville.com/names-of-lord-psalm-9-9-10-meditation/)? He is Jehovah Nissi (the Lord my Banner), Jehovah-Raah (the Lord my Shepherd), Jehovah Rapha (the Lord that Heals), Jehovah Shammah (the Lord is There), Jehovah Tsidkenu (the Lord our Righteousness), Jehovah Mekoddishkem (the Lord who Sanctifies You), Jehovah Jireh (the Lord who Provides), Jehovah Shalom (the Lord is Peace), Jehovah Sabaoth (the Lord of Hosts).  The next thing to check is the fruit that message produces (Gal 5:19-23, Romans 8:6-8). God won't lead us into anything producing negative fruit--if the fruit is bad, it's from the flesh or the enemy, and not the Spirit. If it passes those tests, though, then as we continue to pray about the message (dream, vision, prophecy, idea, etc) then it's also biblical for us to ask for additional confirmations of the message--Paul says in 2 Cor 13:1 that every word should be established by two or three witnesses. If the message is from God, He'll make sure you know it. His Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13). And as you continue to seek Him and pray about it, peace (a fruit of the Spirit) should grow, confirming that the message comes from God (Col 3:15). Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

Obsession and addiction often go together: we tend to get obsessed with whatever we're addicted to, and can't stop thinking about it. Intrusive thoughts are also in this category - we don't want them any more than we want an addiction, but by their very nature, they dominate our thoughts, and thus become an obsession. All of these have a common origin.  All Obsessions Start With Something Good, and then Twist It Evil defines itself by the absence of God, just as darkness defines itself as the absence of light. Satan cannot create anything; all he can do is pervert something that God made, and intended for good.  So if evil itself is an inversion of something created to be good, then nearly everything  God created for our pleasure and enjoyment can also become evil, or sinful, if we make it our highest aim or focus.  Obsessions and Addiction are Placing Anything Before God God's very first commandment to the Israelites in the Old Testament was to have no other gods before Him (Ex 20:3). The Israelites broke this commandment over and over in a very literal sense, worshipping false gods first that they'd grown up with from Egypt, and then the false gods of the nations they encountered in the wilderness and in the surrounding nations of the Promised Land.  Today, most of us don't literally worship false gods, per se (though that's becoming more prevalent too). Rather, we make some desire or worry or need or love the focus of our lives, instead of God.  C.S. Lewis wrote that romantic love (a very common substitute for God) "ceases to be a devil only when it ceases to be a god." The same would go for any other positive good that God created for our benefit--all could become something we seek after, more than we seek after God. That's really a prerequisite for any obsession or addiction.  Jesus told us that if we'd seek Him and His kingdom first, everything else would be added to us (Matt 6:25-34). That's not just our needs, either. God is the giver of every good and perfect gift (James 1:17). If we make Him our primary delight, we'll get the desires of our hearts thrown in (Psalm 37:4). If we're abiding in Him first, we can ask whatever we desire, and it will be done for us (John 15:7). That's what it means, that if we find our lives (make that our primary focus), we'll lose it, but if we lose it for His sake, then we'll find it (Matthew 10:39). The problem is, most of us don't actually believe that.  One of my favorite fictional stories is the Superman myth. It's such a clear parable. (Also, apparently the creators of Superman were Jewish, not Christian, but they based the character of Superman on Moses and Samson of the Old Testament, as well as the prophecies of the coming Messiah. Some of the earlier Superman movies were conscious of the Christ symbolism, as well.) Lois Lane fawns over Superman, while ignoring Clark Kent—not realizing that Superman remains elusive to her only because it's clear that she doesn't really love him; she only loves what he can do for her. If she'd only choose Clark, she'd get Superman thrown in. I think God is exactly like that. He loves us, and He longs to bless us (Psalm 103:1-5), but He wants our hearts, not our actions. He wanted a relationship with Israel, after bringing them out of the wilderness--but they were afraid of Him, and asked Moses to just be His mouthpiece and relay to them what He said (Ex 20:18-19). Even after that, God asked Moses to take seventy of Israel's elders and bring them a little way up the mountain so that they could eat and drink in His presence--even though He was at a distance, He wanted them to catch a glimpse of Him (Ex 24:9-11). He wanted to have dinner with His family. God later made this part of how the Israelites were to worship: they were to bring all their burnt offerings, sacrifices, tithes, and heave offerings of grain to the place of worship, and eat it together in His presence (Deut 12:5-7). He blessed them with increase, and as their act of worship, He wanted them to have a big feast and enjoy it. All He asked was that they invite Him to the party!  Understanding how much God loves us is really the key to faith--faith works though love (Gal 5:6). If we don't understand how much He loves us, we aren't going to trust Him to take care of us and meet our needs (Isaiah 26:3). That's why we'll try to take matters into our own hands, attempting to meet our own needs (as an anxious primary fixation—not as the side benefit of doing our work well for the purposes of glorifying God, Col 3:23-24). But if we do truly put God first, it's the antidote to all anxiety, addiction, and obsession. Willpower ("The Law") Won't Work. That's the Whole Point. Paul describes in Romans 7:14-24 what happens when we try to suppress or control any obsessive or addictive tendency: "For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do… For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find.  For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice.  Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.  I find then a law, that evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good.  For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man.  But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.  O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." This describes the experience of every yo-yo dieter, every sugar addict, every alcoholic, or everyone addicted to any other substance or behavior. Paul repeats the same concept in Galatians 5:17: "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish." You might be able to exert willpower against those things for a time, but the very act of denying yourself actually makes the desire for the thing denied grow stronger. That's what the Old Testament law was designed to do--to make us aware that we were incapable of keeping it, apart from God's help (Romans 7:5-6). Paul addresses the next logical objection: "What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, 'You shall not covet.' But sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire. For apart from the law sin was dead. I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death." (Romans 7:7-10). This is just the way of our flesh: it rebels against any rules placed upon it--even if the rules are neutral, or if you know they're for your good and will achieve a desired end, and even if they're self-imposed. This is the whole concept behind any type of “forbidden fruit.” That phrase itself alludes to the single fruit in the garden forbidden to Adam and Eve, from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though God had given them so much abundance elsewhere (Genesis 3); the very fact that it was forbidden called their attention to it, making it more attractive. (This is also why, for instance, a perfect recipe for insomnia is to try to will yourself to sleep--the harder you try, the more wide awake you'll be. It's also why trying to suppress any intrusive thoughts will have the opposite effect. “Don't think about a pink elephant"--see, what are you thinking about right now?) Fortunately, the story doesn't end with Romans 7, though. Paul is tracing the story of God's relationship with humanity through successive covenants. Before the law came, He did not impute sin to men yet (Romans 7:8-9), which is why after Cain murdered his brother, God actually protected him (Gen 4:13-15). Yet after Noah's covenant (which was the first to include a command not to murder), then murder was to be punished as sin (Gen 9:5-6). At this point it was the only sin to be called out, though, so it was the only sin that carried punishment, until the Mosaic covenant made the rest explicit. This is the law Paul describes in Romans 7, and the entire Old Testament dramatizes the fact that men are incapable of being righteous by works; that was Paul's point. God wanted us to know that we're incapable in our flesh, so that we'd be aware that we needed a savior to do it for us. That's why Romans 8 follows Romans 7. Romans 7 is all about us (our "flesh") trying to keep the law--any law--by ourselves. By contrast, Romans 8 describes what happens when we have help from the Holy Spirit. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin... For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. ...So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you." (Romans 8:2-11). This is about salvation, yes, but it's also more practical than that. Those of us who are saved can still choose to walk in the flesh (by our own efforts) or we can surrender to God and walk by His Spirit, with His help. This is the main message of Galatians; Paul writes, "Did you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” (Gal 3:2-3). Obviously this is rhetorical--but it's clear that even those who have received forgiveness for their sins can choose to return to the efforts of their flesh, if they want to do so. But it will only produce bondage if they do. Paul writes, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage” (Gal 5:1).  Obsession and addiction is the compulsion to obey a master other than God. That's bondage. Paul writes, "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). How to Get Free: Walking By the Spirit Paul's juxtaposition in Romans opposite walking in the flesh is walking by the spirit. But the big caveat is that we don't walk in the spirit by trying to walk in the spirit; If we try, if WE try, we're doing it from the flesh. That will never ultimately work, and will likely have the opposite effect eventually. That's how all works of the flesh are. We don't "ask God to do it for us," either, though, because He already did it! He can't give us again something He already gave us. Instead, our part is to acknowledge what Jesus did for us, and thank Him for it. Paul wrote in Philemon 1:6 that Philemon's faith became effective by the "acknowledging [of] every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus." And what has Christ provided? 2 Corinthians 5:17 says, "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things have become new." (Past tense. This is ours in the spirit, but not necessarily in the flesh--we're to work this out in our souls and flesh, with God's help: Phil 2:12). Galatians 2:20: "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me." 2 Peter 1:4: "By which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire." 1 Corinthians 2:12-16: "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God... We have the mind of Christ." Phil 4:13: "I can do all things through him who strengthens me." 2 Timothy 1:7: "For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control." We also have the fruit of the spirit. We don't have to conjure it up (and indeed, we can't), but it's already ours: "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control." (Galatians 5:22). We don't strain to live from this place; we thank God that it is ours already (Phil 4:6-7). Our labor now is only to enter that state of resting in what He has already done (Hebrews 4:11). Satan contributes to obsessions and intrusive thoughts, of course--whether they originate with him or with our flesh, it's certainly his agenda to keep us in chains. But thank God, the power of Satan was sin--that was the Old Testament curse, and Jesus redeemed us from the curse (Galatians 3:13). The power Satan has over us now is only the power to deceive us. That's why Paul tells us that when Satan comes to us with lies, we're to fight back with the weapons God gave us, taking every thought captive and making it obedient to Christ (2 Cor 10:5). But they're God's weapons, not ours. In Eph 6:12-18, Paul enumerates them--they are truth (being well grounded in God's word so that we can recognize lies when we hear them, even and especially if they are half-truths), righteousness (understanding that we are righteous because of what Jesus did, not because of anything we do--and that we are righteous already, so can can come boldly before the throne of grace, and expect to receive help in time of need, Heb 4:16), peace (which guards our minds, Phil 4:7), faith (you can't have peace without faith, Isaiah 26:3), salvation (which also means we have the Holy Spirit living in us as our guide), and the sword of the Spirit, God's word. This is the offensive weapon; the only one Paul lists. The Holy Spirit will bring to our remembrance those scriptures we know, when we need them (John 14:26). So the keys God gave us to achieve freedom are to remember that He gave us His Spirit, to thank Him that although we can't free ourselves, He freed us already--and to use the spiritual weapons He gave us to enforce what is already ours. And then, go about the business of God's kingdom. Fixating on trying to solve your problem will only keep you stuck in the loop of thinking you can solve your problem. You can't; but He already did. We can trust Him for the full manifestation of that freedom, just like Jesus told us to trust Him to meet our physical needs (Matt 6:25-34). And he says we get those by going about His business, by seeking after something greater than ourselves. When we do that, Jesus promised that we'd get everything else thrown in.  Discover more Christian podcasts at lifeaudio.com and inquire about advertising opportunities at lifeaudio.com/contact-us.

The Beast Chastens Apostasy  (audio) David Eells 10/16/24  The Ignorance of Apostasy  Kaile H. - 05/22/2007 (David's notes in red)   I was visiting the old church I went to when I lived in Texas. The church building was a lot larger than I remember. On this day, the church was having a large conference of some kind and all the age groups were broken up. I decided that morning I wanted to help with the children's activities and everything that had to do with the children.  After I began helping with the children, I noticed that there was a group in the auditorium that was kind of in their own section, not surrounded by any other group of children. I thought that was a little strange. I asked a few of the other volunteers/friends and they very quietly, in almost a whisper, told me “that those children had HIV and no one really knows about them other than the church staff and those who volunteer with the children; most of the other children don't even know. Those who have found out have left the church”. (The children here represent the people in the church who are spiritually immature. 1Co 14:20 Brethren, be not children in mind: yet in malice be ye babes, but in mind be men (Greek: of full age). In the natural HIV is Human Immunodeficiency Virus, which weakens the body's immune system until it can no longer fight off its enemies. This leads to AIDS, which is Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome, and death shortly thereafter. The interpretation is one who is spiritually immature cannot fight off their enemies of sin and its curse and is ultimately conquered and spiritually dies even though they still occupy a pew. Those who find out that their church is in this state generally leave as the ones who left shows.)  When she told me this I was alarmed that no one truly cared to help these children and had been keeping this very serious matter a secret to most of the congregation. Nonetheless, I continued working with the children. (Most of the spiritually immature do not know that there is spiritual HIV in their own congregations.)  At the end of the conference, all of the families left and then all of the church staff and volunteers began to leave. When I started walking out, I saw my father and a few of my friends. I ran up to them and asked, “Did you know that there is a large group of children who have HIV in this church?”  They all agreed that they in fact knew that there were children with that ailment and didn't seem to care. (This spiritual state is so common that it is not looked on as the great danger that it is.) Then I asked them, “How did the children get HIV? Why haven't you guys left the church like the others?” (Physically, The DS created HIV so it comes from the Beast. In the natural, children generally get HIV from their mother at birth and the mother gets it from the father. The fathers are the spiritual leaders of the church. Paul said, “You have not many fathers, I begat you through the gospel.” So spiritually, the fathers, or pastors, are the ones who sow the diseased seed from their beastly nature, which destroys the immune system of the church who is the mother of the individual members. The seed that is sown in most of the church makes perpetual children out of its members, who have no real defense against the principalities and powers who administer the curse. “Come out from among them and be ye separate”.)  My dad told me, “I'm not really sure how the children got HIV but I do know the church leaders know. Maybe you should ask them. (The pastors know how the children got in this weak state because they sowed the seed of powerless dead religion in them.) I haven't left the church because this is my church and I'm not leaving just because there is a disease here”. (Those who will not leave when they see this state in the church don't because they are in gross idolatry with their dead religion.)  I couldn't understand how and why the church was so secretive about this issue that they had in their church. I thought all of the people who had stayed, including my father and friends, were extremely ignorant. I knew that I would not stand for a church that covered up something. I left the parking lot of that church very disturbed at how much it had changed and knew I was never going back. (Amen!)  As soon as I woke up the Lord revealed to me what this dream meant:  He was showing me how prevalent the apostate church is in America. The children with HIV represent a disease in the church that the church members and leaders knowingly ignore. Instead of coming out of the church many stay knowing it is not what the Lord desires for them. Shouldn't those children be healed of their ailment since by His stripes they were healed? (But generally the ignorant don't know this or the power of God to save from sin and its curse of death.) I believe this is a warning to those who the Lord has revealed the apostate church to but have ignored His revelation and continued to walk in their ignorance.  Since my earthly father was in this group of people, I knew the Lord was confirming to me that He was in fact talking about the ignorant children who have seen the apostasy but didn't turn back to Him. For many years, my father has ignored many of the revelations that the Lord has given me that I have shared with him and has decided to ignore them.  The Lord's children need to turn back to Him if they have seen the apostasy and have ignored it. If He has not yet revealed the apostasy to them, let this be a testament to His love for them to show them what is going on in our churches and come back to Him.  (Hos.4:6 My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I also will forget thy children. 7 As they were multiplied, so they sinned against me: I will change their glory into shame. 8 They feed on the sin of my people, and set their heart on their iniquity. 9 And it shall be, like people, like priest; and I will punish them for their ways, and will requite them their doings. 10 And they shall eat, and not have enough; they shall play the harlot, and shall not increase; because they have left off taking heed to Jehovah. 11 Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the understanding. 12 My people ask counsel at their stock, and their staff declareth unto them; for the spirit of whoredom hath caused them to err, and they have played the harlot, [departing] from under their God.)      The Fall of Babylonian Religion David Eells  Our Father is raising up a Beast kingdom as a demolition crew to tear down or burn down all the wood, hay and stubble built on the foundation of Christ. You can be sure that everything built on the shifting sands of this world will go too, for everything that can be shaken will be.   In a vision, I was standing on a mountain and looking down the mountainside. I saw a construction crew coming up the mountainside putting up the big metal power poles for high voltage power lines. Then I looked down beside me on the ground and noticed a very old, emaciated cow lying there. It looked as though it was about to die. Next to it was a very large baby boy that I knew had been born from that cow. Next, I saw a front-end loader come and scoop up the cow and carry it away. I picked up the baby and walked over and got on an escalator. As we were going up, I noticed a woman next to me with a normal-sized baby. Looking at my baby, she said, “That looks like a real baby boy”. Watching the front-end loader carry away the cow, I said, “Yeah, I wonder how that's possible”.  It's possible because a remnant people in this trap of dead religion which has not power from God to save, heal and deliver realize this and are birthed from the old cow which doesn't even feed good milk. Then the scene changed, and I was walking into a ministers' conference. All the famous religious leaders of the U.S. were there. A famous minister who everyone knows and who I felt represented a generation of ministers, walked over and handed me some papers. Then the Lord said to me, “This is his propaganda about what he has accomplished”. (If we have accomplished anything, it is by God's power, will, and grace for “a man can receive nothing except it come from heaven”.) God gave me the interpretation in my spirit. The power lines are the power of God coming to faithful Christians in the Kingdom, symbolized by the mountain. The power will not come until the old cow, the Babylonish religious systems of men, are moved out of the way just as new wine cannot be put in old wineskins. I was told that the old cow was the golden calf, now come to full age and passing away.   We read in Exo 32:4 And he received it at their hand, and fashioned it with a graving tool, and made it a molten calf: and they said, These are thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. They were speaking of the golden calf, they said in Hebrew, “This is thy God”. God here in the literal is Elohim just as it is in verse 11 And Moses besought Jehovah his God, and said, Jehovah, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, that thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power and with a mighty hand?   And it says in verse 5 And when Aaron saw this, he built an altar before it; and Aaron made proclamation, and said, To-morrow shall be a feast to Jehovah. Lord here in the literal is YHWH, the name of our God. In other words, they were calling the golden calf Elohim and YHWH. They were giving God's name to a false god. If you have been sold on a Jesus that looks different from the Jesus of the Bible, guess what, you are worshiping the golden calf, the old cow. The old cow is “another Jesus” as Paul called it in 2Co 11:4 For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we did not preach, or [if] ye receive a different spirit, which ye did not receive, or a different gospel, which ye did not accept, ye do well to bear with [him].  He was the Egyptian Baal; the false virgin birthed son of God from Babel. You will take on the image of the Jesus you follow. Hence, the old cow represents those who have taken on the image of a false Jesus. As this old cow is being moved out of the Kingdom the greater works will be manifest through the true disciples of Christ. We want only the true image of Jesus as it says in 2Co 3:18 But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit.  The greatest beast army the world has ever known is about to come against what is thought to be the Kingdom of God. They are the construction crew that will move the Babylonish cow out of the way. A remnant baby will come out of this cow and come to maturity which is Zion. Jer 50:3-12 For out of the north there cometh up a nation against her, which shall make her land desolate, and none shall dwell therein: they are fled, they are gone, both man and beast. 4 In those days, and in that time, saith Jehovah, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; they shall go on their way weeping, and shall seek Jehovah their God. 5 They shall inquire concerning Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come ye, and join yourselves to Jehovah in an everlasting covenant that shall not be forgotten.  (The apostates have forgotten that those who add to or take away from the word are under the curses of the Bible as the last verses of the Bible warn.) 6 My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place. 7 All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers. 8 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks.   9 For, lo, I will stir up and cause to come up against Babylon a company of great nations from the north country; and they shall set themselves in array against her; from thence she shall be taken: their arrows shall be as of an expert mighty man; none shall return in vain. (This is happening now to political and spiritual Babylon.) 10 And Chaldea (Babylon) shall be a prey: all that prey upon her shall be satisfied, saith Jehovah. 11 Because ye are glad, because ye rejoice, O ye that plunder my heritage, because ye are wanton as a heifer that treadeth out the grain, and neigh as strong horses; 12 your mother (Babylon) shall be utterly put to shame; she that bare you shall be confounded: behold, she shall be the hindermost of the nations, a wilderness, a dry land, and a desert.   The escalator represents the rest, the ceasing from our own works, which is like climbing steps, which we're told in Heb 4:10-11 For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. (The rest is the escalator.) 11 Let us therefore give diligence to enter into that rest, that no man fall after the same example of disobedience. We do this through faith in the promises as it says in Heb 4:1-3 Let us fear therefore, lest haply, a promise being left of entering into his rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it. 2 For indeed we have had good tidings preached unto us, even as also they: but the word of hearing did not profit them, because it was not united by faith with them that heard. 3 For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.   You do not walk upon an escalator; you just rest. God's land of rest is standing on the promises as God told Joshua in Jos 1:3 Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, to you have I given it, as I spake unto Moses.  And Jesus taught us in Mar 11:24 (NENT) Therefore I say unto you, All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe that ye received them, and ye shall have them. If you believe that you have received, you will cease from your struggles, self-works, and anxiety to bring it to pass. And we're told in 1Jn 5:14-15 And this is the boldness which we have toward him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us: 15 and if we know that he heareth us whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions which we have asked of him. For we who have believed do enter into that rest… in ceasing from our works, because the works are already accomplished by God in Heb.4:3.   For instance, if we ask God to deliver us from some sin or sickness (1Pe 2:24 who his own self bare our sins in his body upon the tree, that we, having died unto sins, might live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed.) or some other curse (Gal 3:13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:), we must believe we have received since these promises are all past tense. (Notice it says “bare our sins”, and “were healed”, and “redeemed us from the curse”)   In Eph 2:8 in the original Greek it says, for by grace have ye been saved through faith; and this not of yourselves, it is the gift of God. If you have been saved, then you are saved. The word saved here is the Greek word, sozo and is translated “made thee whole” in some other scriptures including Luk 8:48 And he said unto her, Daughter, thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace. Obviously, being healed is part of being saved from the curse of sin.   The word “saved” also means saved in circumstances in Mat 8:25 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Save, Lord; we perish. And it means deliverance in Luk 8:36 And they that saw it told them how he that was possessed with demons was made whole. So, “saved” covers deliverance from sin and its curses; and remember, you have been saved at the cross where Jesus said in Joh 19:30 …, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. He also said in Joh 16:33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.  By this rest, the baby will come nearer and nearer to God (like going up the escalator) and be protected and provided for in the days to come by the awesome promises we claim in:  Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Jehovah, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in whom I trust. 3 For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, And from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover thee with his pinions, And under his wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler.   5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, And ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. 8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, And see the reward of the wicked.   9 For thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge! Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, Neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. 11 For he will give his angels charge over thee, To keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, Lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot.   14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. 15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, And show him my salvation.  Psa 125:1 They that trust in Jehovah Are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth forever. 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, So Jehovah is round about his people From this time forth and for evermore. 3 For the sceptre of wickedness shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; That the righteous put not forth their hands unto iniquity. 4 Do good, O Jehovah, unto those that are good, And to them that are upright in their hearts. 5 But as for such as turn aside unto their crooked ways (Like dead religion), Jehovah will lead them forth with the workers of iniquity. Peace be upon Israel.  The cow does not even believe in the protection and blessing of the secret place of the Most High, which we just read in Psalm 91. The cow eats grass, which Peter said was flesh in 1Pe 1:24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth.. And this represents a fleshly understanding of the Word. The cow only feeds milk, and we're told in Heb 5:13 For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. (We are back to the immature) 14 But solid food is for fullgrown men, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. So they are still “babes” without experience of the Word of righteousness and it represents being without spiritual senses. Born-again people have born-again senses to know and understand good and evil. As spiritual men, we must have spiritual senses. Our carnal senses trap and rule over us and our land when we live according to what we see, hear and feel as the old man and the world does.   God showed me concerning the ministers' conference that they were the bulls of Basham who had been sowing their seed in the cow. Psalms 22:12,13 is a prophecy of the religious leadership (bulls) in Jesus' day who hindered Him. Psa 22:12 Many bulls have compassed me; Strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. 13 They gape upon me with their mouth, As a ravening and a roaring lion.  And in verse 1,16,18 are those who opposed His leadership. Psa 22:1 My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning? Psa 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: A company of evil-doers have enclosed me; They pierced my hands and my feet. 18 They part my garments among them, And upon my vesture do they cast lots.  The disciples were the new church leadership. The true disciples are going to be given a new leadership like those who followed Jesus out of Babylonish Judaism. Isa 1:26 and I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, a faithful town.  God gave the Old Covenant but at the time of Jesus they had corrupted it into a respect for men and traditions instead of the word. Christianity has repeated this history. Jesus came to make disciples (Greek: methetes -which means learners and followers) of the Word and lead them out. True disciples will hear no other voice but His as it says in Joh 10:3-5 To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. 4 When he hath put forth all his own, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. 5 And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.  You might say, “I would like to bring healing to this old corrupt religious cow”. Have you read Jeremiah 51:9? It says, We would have healed Babylon, but she is not healed: forsake her, and let us go every one into his own country; for her judgment reacheth unto heaven, and is lifted up even to the skies. Forsake her, brothers and sisters, and dwell in the promised land; meaning, live on His promises. And receive a kingdom that cannot be shaken as Paul writes in Heb 12:28-29 Wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to God with reverence and awe: 29 for our God is a consuming fire.  We are commanded to “Come out from among them and be ye separate.” 2Co 6:14-18 Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers: for what fellowship have righteousness and iniquity? or what communion hath light with darkness? 15 And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what portion hath a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement hath a temple of God with idols? for we are a temple of the living God; even as God said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. 17 Wherefore Come ye out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, And touch no unclean thing; And I will receive you, 18 And will be to you a Father, And ye shall be to me sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.  Rev 18:4-5 And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come forth, my people, out of her, that ye have no fellowship with her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues: 5 for her sins have reached even unto heaven, and God hath remembered her iniquities. Isa 52:11 Depart ye, depart ye, go ye out from thence, touch no unclean thing; go ye out of the midst of her; cleanse yourselves, ye that bear the vessels of Jehovah.  Jer 51:6 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and save every man his life; be not cut off in her iniquity: for it is the time of Jehovah's vengeance; he will render unto her a recompense. 45 My people, go ye out of the midst of her, and save yourselves every man from the fierce anger of Jehovah.  Jer 50:6-8 My people have been lost sheep: their shepherds have caused them to go astray; they have turned them away on the mountains; they have gone from mountain to hill; they have forgotten their resting-place. 7 All that found them have devoured them; and their adversaries said, We are not guilty, because they have sinned against Jehovah, the habitation of righteousness, even Jehovah, the hope of their fathers. 8 Flee out of the midst of Babylon, and go forth out of the land of the Chaldeans, and be as the he-goats before the flocks.    Leaven, Truth and the Bride  In the Church of my youth, I always felt the Spirit and joy in worship and fellowship, which was good and God did not condemn us for that. All denominations have a piece of the Lord; they just reject one another's piece. That is what makes them a denomination or sect or division; all of which Galatians calls, a work of the flesh. But the doctrine of my Church was leavened, just as in all Churches that don't teach and act on the pure Word. As it was then with me, you will need to outgrow all that to be birthed to the next level. This is the way to the Bride. She sits on the highest level of heavenly Jerusalem and includes the man-child in her body. Those who don't outgrow sects to be “one” with the holy elect, as the Shulamite (Hebrew: meaning, perfect) Bride was called in Song of Solomon, will never be in the Bride and instead will be relegated to the queens, concubines and virgins.  Son 6:8 There are threescore queens, and fourscore concubines, And virgins without number. 9 My dove, my undefiled, is [but] one; She is the only one of her mother; She is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and called her blessed; [Yea], the queens and the concubines, and they praised her.  The Bride will be taken into the house of the King on spiritual Mt. Zion. The queens, concubines and virgins will cry to look again at that which was pleasing to the Lord, which before they had not fully desired to be. 13 Return, return, O Shulammite; Return, return, that we may look upon thee. Why will ye look upon the Shulammite, As upon the dance of Mahanaim?  The thing that causes us to outgrow the immature churches is a respect for the Word above all else, including the idolatry that Christians have with these false institutions. The Word has to be respected above even dreams and visions which the religious spirits are well able to perform with God's permission so that we may be tried.  Our protection from this deception is always a love for truth and hatred for the leaven of lies. 2Th 2:9 [even he], whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.  The constant feeding on lies and false spirits must be departed from before the seven years or one will miss the Bride who is chosen before the seven day/year marriage feast. Exo 12:15 Seven days shall ye eat unleavened bread; even the first day ye shall put away leaven out of your houses: for whosoever eateth leavened bread from the first day until the seventh day, that soul shall be cut off from Israel.  When there is idolatry with the institutions of men, which holds fellowship and submission to them higher than fellowship and submission to the Word and the more righteous, we open ourselves up to deception that comes from the Lord Himself. The denominations of Israel were deceived in this way and the Church has followed the pattern.  Eze 14:1 Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. 2 And the word of Jehovah came unto me, saying, 3 Son of man, these men have taken their idols into their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them? 4 Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Every man of the house of Israel that taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet; I Jehovah will answer him therein according to the multitude of his idols; 5 that I may take the house of Israel in their own heart, because they are all estranged from me through their idols.  6 Therefore say unto the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Return ye, and turn yourselves from your idols; and turn away your faces from all your abominations. 7 For every one of the house of Israel, or of the strangers that sojourn in Israel, that separateth himself from me, and taketh his idols into his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, and cometh to the prophet to inquire for himself of me; I Jehovah will answer him by myself: 8 and I will set my face against that man, and will make him an astonishment, for a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of my people; and ye shall know that I am Jehovah. 9 And if the prophet be deceived and speak a word, I, Jehovah, have deceived that prophet, and I will stretch out my hand upon him, and will destroy him from the midst of my people Israel.  With the scriptures above I only scratch the surface of the problem but I have great hopes for you to outgrow religion and “follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth”. (Rev 14:4)  God bless you dear friend. I will leave you to your decision and pray for you. I hope you will be in the Bride.  

God's Word for Today2 Oct, 202412 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.17 I love those who love me, and those who seek me diligently find me.18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.- Prov 8:12-21 ESV WISDOM IS WEALTHOne of the wealth of wisdom is prudence. "Prudence" is from a Hebrew word meaning sense and shrewdness. There is the ability to make godly decisions based on knowledge. This was contrasted with someone gullible or naïve (see v.5)12 “I, wisdom, dwell with prudence, and I find knowledge and discretion.13 The fear of the Lord is hatred of evil.Pride and arrogance and the way of evil and perverted speech I hate.There is ‘fear of God' evidenced by hatred to evil. And, this perspective means recognizing God's holiness, goodness, and pursuing it. Thus, it includes hating and rejecting whatever is opposed to Him. In Eph 5:15–17, Paul exhorts, "Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise but as wise, making the best use of the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understanding what the will of the Lord is." Wisdom also is power. Through godly wisdom, God's delegated authorities will govern justly.14 I have counsel and sound wisdom; I have insight; I have strength.15 By me kings reign, and rulers decree what is just;16 by me princes rule, and nobles, all who govern justly.Perverse women destroy kings [Prov 31:3] but godly wisdom builds kingdom.Wisdom also guarantees eternal riches. 18 Riches and honor are with me, enduring wealth and righteousness.19 My fruit is better than gold, even fine gold, and my yield than choice silver.20 I walk in the way of righteousness, in the paths of justice,21 granting an inheritance to those who love me, and filling their treasuries.We who are believers have an inheritance that is "imperishable, undefiled, and unfading" that is kept in heaven for them (1 Pet 1:4). Someday believers will see Jesus as He is and be like Him (1 John 3:2). No amount of worldly wealth can compare to what believers have in Christ. As a hymn writer testified, "I'd rather have Jesus than silver and gold."This wisdom is not illusive. Is God illusive? Definitely not! God has initiated this for us to know Him in Christ.[Rom 5:8]. Jesus' love for us does kindle in us a reciprocal love for Him, doesn't it? The apostle John writes, "We love because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19). Let's reflect this truth in our hearts today. Do you diligently seek God today? As Jeremiah writes, “You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the Lord”[Jer 29:13,14a]Watch in YouTube: https://youtu.be/lPuuvKVODmgListen and FOLLOW us on our podcast Spotify: http://bit.ly/glccfil_spotify Apple Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-applepcast Google Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-googlepcastAudible Podcast: http://bit.ly/glccfil-audibleFollow us on various media platforms: https://gospellightfilipino.contactin.bio#gospellightfilipino#godswordfortoday#bookofProverbs

Endure to Manifest Salvation (6)  (audio)  David Eells (7/14/24)  I'm going to pick up where we left off in our last teaching about how our faith transforms us. I mentioned just briefly about the rewards. There's a difference of reward concerning sonship. Many have been taught that everybody gets the same reward, but that's contrary to the Scriptures. There's a difference of reward because every servant will not become a son. They may have been called, but they will not be chosen. Let's start in (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince.... The “prince” was the High Priest in the Old Testament and it says in (Heb.4:14) Having then a great high priest, who hath passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Jesus Christ is our High Priest. (Eze.46:16) Thus saith the Lord God: If the prince give a gift unto any of his sons, it is his inheritance, it shall belong to his sons; it is their possession by inheritance. (17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty.... The “year of liberty” is the Marriage Feast. The “year of liberty” to the Jews was when the land went back to the original owner and when the servants were set free.   As it says in (Lev.27:21) But the field, when it goeth out in the jubilee, shall be holy unto the Lord, as a field devoted; the possession thereof shall be the priest's. (25:54) And if he be not redeemed by these [means,] then he shall go out in the year of jubilee, he, and his children with him. Those who were in bondage were set free and we have come to a debt jubilee in NESARA/GESARA. All of this earth is going back to its original owner and those servants who are manifesting sonship are going to be set free and be joint heirs with Jesus. (Eze.46:17) But if he give of his inheritance a gift to one of his servants, it shall be his to the year of liberty (So if God gives this gift to an unprofitable servant, he's going to keep it only until the year of liberty.); then it shall return to the prince; but as for his inheritance, it shall be for his sons.  See, He's going to take the talent away from the unprofitable servant who has the one talent and He's going to give it to His sons! His sons get the inheritance of all those other servants because the other servants didn't walk in faith and they didn't manifest Christ. The sons get the whole inheritance. We see this in (Eze.46:18) Moreover the prince shall not take of the people's inheritance, to thrust them out of their possession; he shall give inheritance to his sons out of his own possession. We are joint-heirs with Christ! We receive the same inheritance He receives!   God does what He says He's going to do. And a person who doesn't manifest fruit from the gift given to them by the Lord will have their gift taken away and given to those who have chosen sonship and are bearing fruit. There's a difference of reward for what we have loosely called “Christians.” First of all, there was the servant with the two talents and the servant with the five talents. That's a difference right there, but both of those people brought forth everything that they could bring forth and that's what God put in.   God has given you knowledge and understanding, and He's going to hold you responsible to do something with it. (Luk.12:48) ... And to whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required: and to whom they commit much, of him will they ask the more. God expects you to do something with what He gives you. It's not a heavy burden that He puts upon you. (Mat.11:28) Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30) For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. He said, “my burden is light,” because knowledge is the way to fruit. If you don't know what His promises are, then you can't set your faith on them and you certainly can't have them.   It says in (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue; (4) whereby he hath granted unto us his precious and exceeding great promises; that through these ye may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world by lust. We see here the profitable servants become sons having been set free by the divine nature. See, you have to know what to reach out for. Some people are going to use the excuse, “Well, the preachers didn't teach me!” Or, “The preachers lied to me!” But Jesus said, (Joh.7:17) If any man willeth to do his will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from myself. In other words, “If you do the will of the Father, you're going to know the teaching.” No one can stop you from getting the truth, if you really want to know God, because He will make sure that it gets through to you.   Those who stay in apostate religion, don't really seek for truth, and risk being cast out and losing their inheritance. (Pro.2:16) To deliver thee from the strange woman (This is the Harlot, Babylon.), Even from the foreigner that flattereth with her words; (17) That forsaketh the friend of her youth (Jesus Christ), And forgetteth the covenant of her God: (18) For her house inclineth unto death, And her paths unto the dead. And then He goes on to warn these people in (21) For the upright shall dwell in the land, And the perfect shall remain in it. (22) But the wicked shall be cut off from the land, And the treacherous shall be rooted out of it. Remember the wedding guest who didn't have the wedding garment on? He came to the marriage feast but then he didn't get to stay. It's important to understand this because it really motivates you.   The Lord says in (Isa.65:8) Thus saith the Lord, As the new wine is found in the cluster, and one saith, Destroy it not, for a blessing is in it: so will I do for my servants' sake, that I may not destroy them all. He is talking about the apostate people of God. He's saying that there's a remnant of something good in their midst and that's why He's not going to destroy them all. (Isa.65:9) And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains; and my chosen shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.  (Notice the servant doesn't inherit the land but dwells there for a while.) (10) And Sharon shall be a fold of flocks, and the valley of Achor (This represents tribulation. The root word for “Achor” means “to afflict” or “trouble.”) a place for herds to lie down in for my people that have sought me. (11) But ye that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain (speaking of His Kingdom), that prepare a table for Fortune (These people are lusting after, and paying attention to the things of the world, prosperity.), and that fill up mingled wine unto Destiny; (12) I will destine you to the sword, and ye shall all bow down to the slaughter; because when I called, ye did not answer; when I spake, ye did not hear; but ye did that which was evil in mine eyes, and chose that wherein I delighted not. A brother, who is a friend of mine, asked, “Lord, what is going to happen to the carnal Christian?” And these were the Scriptures God gave him.   Another warning follows just a few verses later in (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. So after God has created a new heaven and a new earth, (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. We saw previously that a “child” and “servant” are the same. (Pro 29:21)  He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last.  Here we saw that the “bondservant of sin” and the “child” are the same. The servant is someone who hasn't entered into sonship, either through faith or through manifestation. And Isaiah says, “the sinner being a hundred years old.” Well, 100 is a tenth of the millennium, a tenth of 1000, and a lot of people under the Law are just doing business with God. They say, “I give God my 10 percent,” like the Israelites did in the Old Testament. But Jesus said we must renounce ownership of 100% to be a disciple.  But Paul said in (Gal.5:4) Ye are severed from Christ, ye who would be justified by the law; ye are fallen away from grace. We are free from the Law, we are free to follow the Spirit and, if we follow the Spirit, we will surpass anything that the Law says. Again, remember that the guest without the wedding garment was in the wedding feast and he did get to stay for a little while, but then he was cast out. I believe that's what this is talking about: (Isa.65:17) For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered, nor come into mind. (18) But be ye glad and rejoice forever in that which I create; for, behold, I create Jerusalem (the Bride) a rejoicing, and her people a joy. (19) And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people; and there shall be heard in her no more the voice of weeping and the voice of crying.   (20) There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days; for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner being a hundred years old shall be accursed. These bondservants of sin, who chose to remain children instead of believing and entering into sonship, will not be able to enter into the New Jerusalem Bride as it says in (Rev.21:27) And there shall in no wise enter into it anything unclean, or he that maketh an abomination and a lie: but only they that are written in the Lamb's book of life. and (22:15) Without are the dogs, and the sorcerers, and the fornicators, and the murderers, and the idolaters, and every one that loveth and maketh a lie. These people will be cast forth from the city. There's a big difference of reward between those who do serve God and those who profess God but don't serve God. Everyone who has not believed on the only begotten Son of God is already judged, but the judgment is going to be in the “separating.” We see this in (Mat.13:24) Another parable set he before them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man that sowed good seed in his field: (25) but while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares (which has small useless fruit) also among the wheat, and went away. (26) But when the blade sprang up and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. (27) And the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst thou not sow good seed in thy field? whence then hath it tares?   (28) And he said unto them, An enemy hath done this. And the servants say unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? (29) But he saith, Nay; lest haply while ye gather up the tares, ye root up the wheat with them. (30) Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather up first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them; but gather the wheat into my barn. We're entering into the Kingdom right now and the separating the sheep from the goats is happening.   We know that we are sons of God through faith, but the Bible also teaches, (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God (The Greek word there is teknon or “child” and not huios, which is the word for “son.”) and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. (3) And every one that hath this hope [set] on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. Wow! That's a promise, isn't it? The Lord commanded us that, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect. You know, it would have been ludicrous for Him to make a command like that, if He hadn't given us the power to bring it to pass!  Now see what Jesus said in (Joh.19:30) When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up his spirit. And in (16:33) These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. “Be of good cheer ... it is finished ... I've overcome the world.” We are privileged to enter in by faith to what Jesus has already done. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest; even as he hath said, As I sware in my wrath, They shall not enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world.   The only thing that remains is for us to put our trust in God and enter into those works by faith. (Joh.6:28) They said therefore unto him, What must we do, that we may work the works of God? (29) Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent. We must do the works of God, which is made possible when we, “believe on him whom he hath sent.” That's the Gospel! We just have to believe that what Jesus accomplished on the cross is ours! It's our gift and it covers it all!   What Jesus bought and paid for is that we would be sons of God, not just sons by faith, but sons by manifestation. (1Pe.1:15) But like as he who called you is holy, be ye yourselves also holy in all manner of living; (16) because it is written, Ye shall be holy; for I am holy. (22) Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: (23) having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. You are progressively being saved in your soul through your obedience to the truth.   You can read this message of progressive salvation over and over in the Scriptures, but as the Bible also says, you have to be able to see your goal before you can reach it. (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We see the goal by faith! If you can see in the Scriptures what it is that God has provided for you, then you can reach out your faith to it and you will manifest the sonship that Jesus paid for you to have. Jesus is the progenitor of the new creation man. He's the Father of the sons of God. (This is not to be confused with the erroneous and dangerous Manifestation of the Sons of God or Joel's Army movements, which arose from the Latter Rain movement of the late 1940s and are still being promoted today by apostate leaders.)   Throughout the Scriptures, we see a parallel with the adoption traditions of the Hebrews, Greeks and Romans. As it says in (Pro.29:21) He that delicately bringeth up his servant from a child Shall have him become a son at the last. They all had a tradition of adopting their servants and making them sons. A fictional example is the story of Ben Hur by Lew Wallace. Briefly, Ben Hur is sentenced to be a galley slave, but after he saves the life of the warship's commander, Arrius, he adopts Ben Hur and makes him a free citizen. Ben Hur becomes the heir of Arrius, who is a leader in the Roman government and, through his inheritance, Ben Hur gains the power and authority that he wants. Can you see that this is what God is doing with us?   God used the traditions of those cultures, or else He created the traditions of those cultures, so that we would understand what He was saying when He said He adopted servants and made them sons. Paul says this in (Rom.8:16) The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God: (17) and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified with [him]. We can see where we are, but we also have to see where we are going. (Psa.119:105) Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, And light unto my path. Without the Word to show you where you are going, you have nothing to exercise faith in. God is showing us in the Scriptures that we are going toward sonship, which is why the Bible commands us to see Jesus in the mirror.   Most of the church says, “No, that's not possible!” But that's what the Bible commands us to do, whether they like it or believe it, or not! It's the Good News; it's the Gospel that we are to accept from the first moment of our salvation. From the very beginning, by faith we receive everything that God has provided for us, even before we see it manifested. That's why we say, “We are saved.” People don't realize what they are saying when they say, “I'm saved.” They don't understand that the Greek word soteria, which is the word translated as “saved,” incorporates total deliverance from the curse of sin and of death. Total deliverance! When people say, “I'm saved,” they're saying a word by faith. It's a deception to believe that you are saved by manifestation because then you have no reason to walk it out. We're told in (Php.2:12) So then, my beloved, even as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. We are progressively saved by working out our salvation.   We were baptized and then, as we let the water of the Word put to death the old man, that baptism is increasingly manifested in our life as we walk on with God. Baptism is an act of faith. God has given us the goal of sonship through faith in Jesus Christ. We accept it as a free gift and, as we keep on confessing sonship in the face of trials, troubles and tribulations, we will see the manifestation of sonship in us. It will be just as automatic as planting a natural seed in the ground. That seed comes up, it produces a plant and the plant bears fruit, according to the type of plant it is. God's seeds are just like that, too. You plant them in good soil hearts and they're going to come up, and they are going to bear the fruit of God.   Now it says in (Rom.8:14) For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. What is it that keeps us from being led by the Spirit? Staying a child is to remain a servant and that will keep you from being led by the Spirit. (Gal.4:1) But I say that so long as the heir is a child, he differeth nothing from a bondservant though he is lord of all; (2) but is under guardians and stewards until the day appointed of the father. The manifestation of sonship is coming in the lives of those people who will give up being children or servants.   Children or servants are in bondage as it says in (Gal.4:3) So we also, when we were children, were held in bondage under the rudiments of the world. What is it that causes us to stay in bondage to the rudiments or principles of the world and not bear fruit? Walking by the carnal senses will keep us in bondage to the flesh, to the devil and to the world. Our biggest problem is walking by sight, by hearing, and by feeling. (1Co.13:11) When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child: now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. A son of God must give up walking by what is seen in the natural and start walking by the eyes of the Spirit.   And it says in (Heb.5:11) Of whom we have many things to say, and hard of interpretation, seeing ye are become dull of hearing. (12) For when by reason of the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need again that someone teach you the rudiments of the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of solid food. Notice that we're looking at two different sets of rudiments. We have the rudiments or first principles of the world and the rudiments of the first principles of God, but you can't stay in either one, if you're going to mature to bear fruit. “Babes” are in these rudiments.   (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. (14) But solid food is for fullgrown men (or “perfect men”), [even] those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern good and evil. “Babes” are not experienced in the “word of righteousness” because they don't have their “senses exercised” to discern good from evil. “Babes” in the Lord walk according to the first principles of the Lord and they speak what comes to their mind through their natural senses. They can't experience the “word of righteousness” because they walk after their carnal mind. Their knowledge is not a knowledge of what Jesus meant when He said, (Mat.13:9) He that hath ears, let him hear, and (16) But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear.   The people He was talking to all had physical eyes and ears, but Jesus was saying that the people who received His Word would be those who had spiritual eyes and ears. Your carnal mind is influenced by your natural senses and it assimilates the influences of your natural senses. That's why people who walk after their natural senses can't walk by faith. They can't see the wonderful works of God! And they will never see the manifestation of Jesus, if they don't walk by faith, because it's just not possible. Often, people will have faith in one area, yet not in other areas. All of God's promises are manifested through faith and that means faith must be in every area of our lives. We read in (1Jn.5:4) For whatsoever is begotten of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that hath overcome the world, even our faith. Faith “is the victory” that overcomes the world. However, even babes can be justified by receiving sonship through faith. This means they are accounted righteous through faith, believing they have received.  “Babes” who walk by their natural senses, many times, do warfare that's carnal, but (2Co.10:3) For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. This warfare must be accomplished, but it cannot be accomplished with your carnal senses! You are fighting an enemy that's unseen and you have to fight him with the unseen. We have to “call the things that are not, as though they were.” (Rom.4:17) ... even God, who giveth life to the dead, and calleth the things that are not, as though they were. Did you know that the things that are made are not made out of things that appear? We read this in (Heb.11:1) Now faith is assurance of [things] hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. (2) For therein the elders had witness borne to them. (3) By faith we understand that the worlds have been framed by the word of God, so that what is seen hath not been made out of things which appear.   The things that are seen are made out of faith! Sonship is made out of faith. So you can't war in the flesh; you can't war with the natural senses. We're taught in (2Co.10:4) For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but mighty before God to the casting down of strongholds), (5) casting down imaginations (or “reasonings”), and every high thing that is exalted against the knowledge of God, and bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Where do “reasonings” come from? Reasonings, or imaginations, come from what your carnal mind has assimilated through your natural senses or dead religion. But we're told in, (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We're commanded to repent!   Again, “repent” is the Greek word metanoeo and it means “change your mind.” We must change our mind! We must not receive into our mind what is put there by the carnal senses. We have to receive what is put there by the spiritual senses, by the hearing of God, by the seeing of God. You have to change your mind to have any hope of Christ manifesting Christ in you. I don't say this to make anyone fear because sons of God are, first of all, sons of God through faith. You have to receive sonship through faith before you have it by manifestation and faith is accounted as righteousness. (Rom.4:5) But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is reckoned for righteousness.   There are people who preach the manifestation of sonship, but they leave out the Grace of God. See, until righteousness is manifested in you, faith stands in its place. By faith, we are sons of God now! And we're studying to know what a son of God looks like, so that when we look in the mirror, we can be transformed into the same image. Be careful that the Jesus in your mirror is the Jesus of the Bible. Paul warned us about those who received another Gospel, another spirit and another Jesus! (Gal.1:6) I marvel that ye are so quickly removing from him that called you in the grace of Christ unto a different gospel; (7) which is not another [gospel] only there are some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. (8) But though we, or an angel from heaven, should preach unto you any gospel other than that which we preached unto you, let him be anathema. (9) As we have said before, so say I now again, if any man preacheth unto you any gospel other than that which ye received, let him be anathema.   Our Jesus has to look just like this Jesus! If not, you'll be transformed into a “Jesus” that is not the Jesus of the Bible and that's not the sonship of the Bible, either. I see it happen all the time! The fault here is people are somewhere in between assimilating through their natural senses and assimilating through their spiritual senses. We have to learn to see the way God teaches us to see and Jesus came to be our example of that. Now I'm sure a lot of people will say, “Well, yeah, that was just Jesus.” No, the Bible called Jesus a “sign.” (Isa.7:14) Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (Luk.11:30) For even as Jonah became a sign unto the Ninevites, so shall also the Son of man be to this generation. Jesus came to be our example, our pattern, in everything He did. Paul said, (1Co.11:1) Be ye imitators of me, even as I also am of Christ.   When Jesus was baptized, it was “to fulfil all righteousness.” (Mat.3:13) Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. (14) But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? (15) But Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffereth him. In other words, “Here is what you need to do for the sake of righteousness.” He taught His disciples to do what He did. (1Jn.2:6) He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also to walk even as he walked, so obviously, it must be possible for us to do that. And what we have to learn from Jesus is the way He wants us to walk. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... This is the Sabbath rest of God!   There is a Sabbath! It says in (Heb.4:9) There remaineth therefore a sabbath rest for the people of God. (10) For he that is entered into his rest hath himself also rested from his works, as God did from his. The sabbath rest for the people of God is to cease from your works. (Heb.4:3) For we who have believed do enter into that rest.... If you believe the Word of God, it's going to cause you to cease from your own struggling, cease from your own works, cease from trying to be a son of God and, instead, to accept “sonship” as your gift! The Word of God is designed so that when we believe it, if we really do believe it, we have to stop trying to deliver ourselves. (1Pe.2:24) ... by whose stripes ye were healed, and, if you believe that, then you have to stop trying to heal yourself. If you believe that, then you are healed.   All the rest of the Bible is designed the same way; it's designed in the past tense. We have been made free from sin. (Rom.8:2) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. See, you should never be anxious about your sin because the Bible says you've been made free from sin. (Col.1:13) Who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love. You have been made free from the power of darkness. Why is it always past tense? It's past tense so that when you believe it, you can enter into the rest. You automatically have to cease from all of your self-works. It's a privilege to do that; it's not a law. This is our opportunity to keep a New Testament “Sabbath unto the Lord” by ceasing from our own works.   Jesus kept a New Testament sabbath! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself.... That seems strange, doesn't it? He said, “The Son,” and do you know why He said that? It was because He wasn't talking about just Himself. (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. Do you think He saw a vision of everything He was about to do? I don't think so, but He did have a vision of what the Father was doing.  One of the places He got it from was in Isaiah's prophecy about the anointing. (Isa.61:1) The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening [of the prison] to them that are bound; (2) to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; (3) to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Jesus had a “vision”; He knew, He saw what the Father's attitude was toward those who accepted His Word. He knew His responsibility and He knew His ability!   And what we have to do is get a “vision” of, “Where does my responsibility start and where does my ability start?” You know, folks, it's big! It's real big! (Mat.18:18) Verily I say unto you, what things soever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and what things soever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. That's what Jesus said and He meant it! We are the ones who are loosing what's coming into our lives. We sow a seed that brings forth a harvest in our lives. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.   We're creating our tomorrow right now! The Bible says, “What you bind on earth is bound in heaven, and what you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.” And did you know that we can bind the devil and we can bind God? That's because God will not change His Word. (Mat.24:35) Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. (Psa.119:89) Forever, O Lord, Thy word is settled in heaven. He will not go beyond the boundaries He has set. A good example of that is what Jesus experienced in His own hometown. In (Mat.13:54) And coming into his own country he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?   (55) Is not this the carpenter's son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Judas? (56) And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? (57) And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honor, save in his own country, and in his own house. (58) And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief. Jesus Himself couldn't do many mighty works because of their unbelief! They had bound God! By our faith we loose God and we bind the devil. And by our unbelief we loose the devil and we bind God.   Jesus did those things that He saw of His Father and He said, (Joh.14:9) ... he that hath seen me hath seen the Father.... Not because they were one and the same, but because He was the express image of the Father as it says in (Heb.1:3) Who being the effulgence of his glory, and the very image of his substance, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had made purification of sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. What Jesus believed, the Father believed; what Jesus said, the Father said.   You know it says in, (1Pe.4:11) if any man speaketh, [speaking] as it were oracles of God; if any man ministereth, ministering as of the strength which God supplieth: that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion for ever and ever. Amen. (Col.3:17) And whatsoever ye do, in word or in deed, [do] all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. That means everything that we do, we do to represent Him. We can't do anything to represent ourselves. In word or in deed, do all in the name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. That is ceasing from your works. That is accepting a death-to-self, so that, (Gal.2:20) …it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that life which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, the faith which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   This is what we must accept! It's a radical, death-to-self walk. I've heard some groups preach, “You must die to self. You must crucify yourself.” But you have been crucified with Christ! We are privileged to have been crucified with Christ. (Rom.6:11) Even so reckon ye also yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive unto God in Christ Jesus. If you don't reckon yourself to be dead unto sin, then you will never become dead unto sin. If you don't believe that He bore all your sins, past, present and future, at the cross, then they'll never go away!   Jesus said that He only did those things that He saw of His Father. And we have to learn to do the things that we see of our Father, too, because He put these in the Bible for an example to us. If you see it in the world, that's not a good enough reason to copy it. If you see it in religion, that's certainly not a good enough reason to copy it. But He will honor His Word, if we do the things we see our Father doing! (Joh.5:19) Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father doing: for what things soever he doeth, these the Son also doeth in like manner. (20) For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth (And you know, the same is still true for us.): and greater works than these will he show him, that ye may marvel.   He also said in, (Joh.14:12) Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto the Father. So we know that Jesus is still talking to us. (Joh.5:21) For as the Father raiseth the dead and giveth them life, even so the Son also giveth life to whom he will. (22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but he hath given all judgment unto the Son. By the way, it says in (Joh.20:23) Whose soever sins ye forgive, they are forgiven unto them; whose soever [sins] ye retain, they are retained. “David, do you mean, God gave that authority to men?” Yes! The Pharisees rebuked Jesus because He had that authority and Jesus passed it on to His disciples, the sons of men.   (Joh.5:22) For neither doth the Father judge any man, but He hath given all judgment unto the Son; (23) that all may honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father that sent him. (24) Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth him that sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but hath passed out of death into life. We pass out of death and into life by hearing the Word! We have to hear the Word in the midst of the circumstances and situations that come against us! We have to hear the Word because, if you hear the Word, you won't hear the flesh and you won't hear the devil.   When you hear the Word, you experience a spiritual resurrection from the dead and you pass out of death and into life. As it says in (Eph.2:1) And you did he make alive, when ye were dead through your trespasses and sins. And (Col.2:13) And you, being dead through your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, you, [I say,] did he make alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses. We were dead and all around us are people who are dead! (Joh.5:25) Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. Notice: “and now is”. Jesus is not just talking about a physical resurrection of the dead but a spiritual one. He's talking about passing out of death and into life because you hear the Word!   When we hear the voice of the Son of God, we come up out of our graves; we come into resurrection life. The Word is the seed that's being sown by Him and that seed brings forth the fruit. The seed has all the power it needs to bring forth the fruit. All it needs is good earth for God to sow His Seed in and that's about all the natural man is good for; he's the dirt.   Next Jesus goes on to talk about the physical resurrection of the dead. He says in, (Joh.5:26) For as the Father hath life in himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have life in himself: (27) and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is a son of man. Notice, Jesus had to be a son of man in order to have the authority to execute judgment. Adam was given authority over the creation and now the “last Adam” has it. The Father gave this authority to the Son because the Son came down here in “the likeness of sinful flesh” and overcame, conquered and condemned sin in the flesh. We read this in (Rom.8:3) For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh: (4) that the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.   (5) For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. Jesus had the authority to judge because He overcame His flesh. (Rom.4:15) For we have not a high priest that cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but one that hath been in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Do you know why the “old man” can't judge? It's because the old man is the one who's done all the sinning in the first place! He's guilty! (Rom.2:1) Wherefore thou art without excuse, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself.... If you judge others, you judge yourself. Our old man has no authority to judge, but the spiritual man in us has every authority to judge.   And in (1Co.2:14) Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. (15) But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, and he himself is judged of no man. The spiritual man judges all things and he's judged of no man because he has the mind of God. When the natural man is subject to the spiritual man there is no sin or its curse. Back to (Joh.5:28) Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, (29) and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of judgment. Do you know who's going to be resurrected to life? Only those who have been resurrected spiritually in this life are going to have the resurrection of life. You have to wonder about all those people who say that the whole Church is going to be raptured out. Wait a minute! Look what it says in (Eze.18:4) Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. “The soul that sins, it shall die”; that's the Word and the Word cannot ever be broken (John 7:23).  And as we have seen those who attain to life will have star, moon and sun glory, bodies. Therefore, if anybody's going to fly away without dying, it's going to be those who have overcome because the soul that sins must die. So what they're talking about is not scripturally possible. We're here to go through trials, troubles and tribulations, in order to receive resurrection life, which is His life. We must lose our life to gain our life as Jesus said. We are constantly faced with making decisions. “Am I going to accept the Word?” Or “Am I going to do things my way? If we choose our way, if we choose to do things the way of the world, we separate ourselves from God. If we choose to accept the Word and do things according to the Word, we manifest more and more sonship. It's ludicrous to think that God would plant us here and pluck us up before we bear fruit! Nobody who wants a harvest picks the plant before it bears the fruit and nobody who wants a harvest pulls the seed out of the ground before it bears the plant. God doesn't do that, either, because He wants a harvest.  The reason we study the Scriptures is so that we will have spiritual eyes and spiritual ears. Jesus said, (Joh.5:30) I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is righteous; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. The Lord only did those things that He heard and saw of the Father. We want spiritual eyes and spiritual ears so that we'll no longer be “babes,” but we'll be able to experience the “word of righteousness.” (Heb.5:13) For every one that partaketh of milk is without experience of the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. The Scriptures are called the “word of righteousness” because justification is through faith in the Word.   “Justification” means “accounted righteous,” so when you speak faith and you walk by faith, God will count you as righteous, just as He did Abraham in (Gen.15:6) And he believed in the Lord; and he reckoned it to him for righteousness. He counted Abraham as righteous and it didn't have anything to do with salvation. It had to do with the fact that Abraham believed what God said. That covers everything, not just what we normally think of as salvation. God said Abraham was righteous; He called Abraham His friend because he believed what He said. (Jas.2:23) And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned unto him for righteousness; and he was called the friend of God.   God reckons righteousness the same way today. There are a lot of God's people who have no eyes or ears because they are not hearing what God says. (Joh.8:47) He that is of God heareth the words of God: for this cause ye hear them not, because ye are not of God. The righteous are those who hear what He says. Jesus was talking to religious people, those Jews who had believed Him (John 8:31), and He told them that! If we are, ultimately, the elect of God, we will find out. Do you know why? It's because we are going to hear God's Word! People who won't listen to you when you try to gracefully give them the Word of God either aren't being drawn by God at that time or they're not children of God.  “He that is of God hears the words of God.” Jesus gave us this example. He didn't do anything but what He heard and saw, and that's what babes do, too. The problem is that sometimes babes are using the wrong eyes and ears, and so they are without experience of the Word of righteousness. Speaking faith, which is “calling those things that are not, as though they were” (Romans 4:17), is a Word of righteousness. God has done everything from the beginning this way. He didn't create the world in any other way, but this way. It says in (Isa.46:9) Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me; (10) declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done; saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure. God speaks the end from the beginning and it comes to pass. We are in training to be sons who do this.  Now He's teaching us, as sons and daughters, to do the same thing, but you won't be able to do that, if you're paying attention to your natural eyes and your natural ears. You will always be inexperienced in the Word of righteousness. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to say the things the Bible says you should say. You will always be a babe, unless you begin to see the way the Bible commands you to see. And we need to be reminded of how the Scriptures tell us to see because it's so easy to slip back to seeing in the natural. Do you know what happens when you walk in the natural? You become worried and anxious, you become troubled because you're not seeing come to pass what's in the Scriptures. You start thinking, “It will never come to pass.” Well, it will never come to pass, unless you have spiritual eyes.   You have to see the way God tells you to see. And He tells us, (2Pe.1:2) Grace to you and peace be multiplied in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord (So, the more you know about God, the more grace and peace you're going to have, but then he goes on.); (3) seeing.... You're not going to have grace and peace without being able to see this! (2Pe.1:3) Seeing that his divine power hath granted (Notice this is past tense; it's already done.) unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue. If you can see that His divine power has already granted us everything that pertains to life and godliness, you can have it! If you can't see that, then you can't have it! Grace comes from being able to see this way.   Jesus was always bold to speak things before they came to pass, and you've probably never seen a miracle that you didn't speak first, before it came to pass. The biggest miracles that I've ever seen were bold statements of faith right out in front of everybody! Look at this in (Jos.10:12) Then spake Joshua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel; and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; And thou, Moon, in the valley of Aijalon. (13) And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, Until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is not this written in the book of Jashar? And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hasted not to go down about a whole day.   (14) And there was no day like that before it or after it, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for Israel. Joshua stopped the whole solar system! He spoke it right out in front of everybody. That sounds like something a fool would do, doesn't it? But the Bible says that no one who puts their trust in Him will ever be put to shame. (Rom.10:11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be put to shame. If you're going to see miracles, you may have to step out there and look like a fool.   I'm not talking about saying things that you don't see; I'm talking about things that you do see. That “seeing” could be something that you see in the Word of God or it could be something that you've received in a dream or a vision from the Lord, or it could be a Word of knowledge or a Word of wisdom from the Lord. “Seeing” can come many ways and one foundational “seeing” is that God has already given you everything that pertains to life and godliness! He's telling you this is what you must see, if you're going to have it. You can't be what Peter describes as near-sighted. First he lists all the Christ-like virtues: (2Pe.1:5) Yea, and for this very cause adding on your part all diligence in your faith, supply virtue; and in [your] virtue knowledge;   (6) and in [your] knowledge self-control; and in [your] self-control patience; and in [your] patience godliness; (7) and in [your] godliness brotherly kindness; and in [your] brotherly kindness love. (8) For if these things are yours and abound, they make you to be not idle nor unfruitful unto the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. And then he tells you, (9) For he that lacketh these things is blind, seeing only what is near, forgetting that they have been cleansed from their past sins. So a near-sighted person is someone who sees with their natural eyes, not their spiritual eyes; and you can't have these gifts, these virtues of Jesus Christ, if you're near-sighted. (Jas.1:23) For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a mirror. Someone who sees their natural face in the mirror becomes a hearer of the Word, but not a doer of the Word.   This is how we're told to see, in (2Co.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory, even as from the Lord the Spirit. We have to see Jesus in the mirror by faith! We have to see Him with spiritual eyes and call the things that are not as though they were because the way that God does His work is through our faith. (1Co.1:26) For behold your calling, brethren, that not many wise after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, [are called:] Notice that God is speaking of people here not “things”, which is not numeric in the following text.) (27) but God chose the foolish things of the world, that he might put to shame them that are wise; and God chose the weak things of the world, that he might put to shame the things that are strong; (28) and the base things of the world, and the things that are despised, did God choose, yea and the things that are not, that he might bring to nought the things that are: (29) that no flesh should glory before God.  God chose the things that “are not” to bring to nothing the “things that are.” What are “the things that are”? It's the curse! What are “the things that are not”? It's what Jesus accomplished on the cross! He gave us sonship at the cross, but it is not yet manifested! (1Jn.3:2) Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him; for we shall see him even as he is. If you don't see Him as He is, you can't be like Him. We study the Scriptures so that we get a vision of Christ and we see Him as He is. He had a vision of His Father; that's why He did what He did. We study the Scriptures to get a vision of Christ so that we can do what He did, live what He lived, be what He was!   Of course, most of the Church says, “No! It's not possible!” But those people say that because they are only counting upon their own strength and they don't count upon the promise of the Word of God, which is backed up by God's strength. If God says, (Mat.5:48) Ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect, you can have faith in Him and He will do it in you. Now, I agree that “perfect” is different for every one of us. The Greek word here for “perfect” is teleios, which is the same word for “mature.” God is maturing each one of us to do a different job in His Kingdom, so we are not going to look alike. The Bible clearly states that we're supposed to be growing into the fullness of Christ. In (Eph.4:13) Till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. That's what we are supposed to reach; that's God's promise to us.   Now the bad report preachers are like the spies who went into the Promised Land and said, “Nope! We can't take it! We just have to settle for where we are! We can't overcome sin. We are always going to be sinners!” (Num.13:31) But the men that went up with him said, We are not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we. (32) And they brought up an evil report of the land which they had spied out unto the children of Israel, saying, The land, through which we have gone to spy it out, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of great stature. (33) And there we saw the Nephilim, the sons of Anak, who come of the Nephilim: and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight.   They, and everyone who believed them, died of the plague in the wilderness. They didn't go into the Promised Land because they brought a bad report! (Num.14:28) Say unto them, As I live, saith the Lord, surely as ye have spoken in mine ears, so will I do to you: (29) your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness; and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, that have murmured against me, (30) surely ye shall not come into the land, concerning which I sware that I would make you dwell therein, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun.   That's because Joshua and Caleb said, (Num.14:9) Only rebel not against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for they are bread for us: their defense is removed from over them, and the Lord is with us: fear them not. They told the people, “Those giants are bread for us!” If they're “bread” for you, that must mean you're supposed to eat them and they'll cause you to grow, right? Yes! That's what it's all about! In type, those “giants” are the natural man who dwells in the Land of Promise. The spiritual man has to go in there to kill that giant and take his house, which is this body of our flesh.   God bless you Saints! I suggest that you meditate on this teaching to give roots to it. It is very important.

Sanctified From Wickedness (3)  (Audio)  Escaping Apostasy David Eells 5/12/24  Let's look at the letters to the seven churches since there's so much in them about the apostasy or falling away among God's people. I believe that the letters to the churches are also letters to certain kinds of Christians, which are symbolized by each church. Of course, I know that there's a prophetic value there, too (Revelation 1:3), but people should be able to recognize themselves in one of these churches. This is not a complete study of the Churches, but some very important things that we can take warning from.  Beginning in (Rev.2:1) To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, he that walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: (2) I know thy works, and thy toil and patience, and that thou canst not bear evil men, and didst try them that call themselves apostles (People who fall away because of their pride and so forth, many of them are calling themselves prophets and apostles, but we need to test them. They need to have the signs of an apostle.), and they are not, and didst find them false; (3) and thou hast patience and didst bear for my name's sake, and hast not grown weary.   People do get tired when they don't keep their eyes on the Lord and His promises, which pick you up and give you courage and faith. We must keep our eyes on Jesus and the promises that He's made. Don't get worried or anxious, because the devil likes to wear you down and then, before you know it, you've fallen-away.   (Rev.2:4) But I have [this] against thee, that thou didst leave thy first love. Yes, a lot of people have started out really in love with Jesus and wanting to know all about Him, but it doesn't take long before they've been side-tracked by these false apostles or false pastors or false leaders. (5) Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works… The “first works” were wanting to know what it is to please the Lord. You wanted to know how to obey the Lord but you probably didn't read enough of the Book to find out what a church looked like, so you went to something that you thought was a church where, sadly, you were led astray and wasted a whole bunch of time. Go back! Go back and be obedient to the Lord as when you first entered into Christ, before you were led astray by these charlatans who told you that you didn't have to be obedient.   (Rev.2:5) Remember therefore whence thou art fallen, and repent and do the first works; or else I come to thee, and will move thy candlestick (The Greek word translated “candlestick” denotes “an oil-fed, portable lamp.”) out of its place, except thou repent. That's a falling-away. He is the One Who stands in the midst of the candlesticks. He is the One Who keeps your “oil-fed, portable lamp,” lit. You have to have fellowship with Him, and He is the Word. The best way to pray is when you read the Word. If you see something you like, then pray it. You can read the Word and pray at the same time. Whenever you run across something you know you need, or are lacking in, anywhere you see a promise, stop and pray. Stop, repent if you need to, and pray. Oh, thank you, Father, for pouring the oil of Your Spirit into the lamps of our portable tabernacles! Amen.   (Rev.2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Nicolaitans started out with a priestly order, like that of the Old Testament, where there is a priest between you and God, and that's what Catholicism started doing. There is a priest over the church and between you and God and so forth, and the Protestants picked it right up because their apple didn't fall far from the tree and now the pastor is the head of the church for them, too. But there's nothing more false in the whole Scriptures. That is the Nicolaitan error, which He said He hated, and that the church in Ephesus also hated.  (Rev.2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give to eat of the tree of life… Between Adam and the “tree of life” there was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” (Gen.2:16) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. Well, as we know, Adam failed that test and he had to be removed from the garden lest he eat of the “tree of life” (Gen 3:22-24). However, we who have been born-again, have the power to do something with the knowledge of good and evil. The natural man doesn't have that; we who are born from above have that.   (1Co.2:14) Now the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him; and he cannot know them, because they are spiritually judged. Therefore, we are to study the knowledge of good and evil in the Scriptures, not necessarily what men say is good or evil, but according to what the Scriptures say. We are to study it and know it. (Rev.2:7) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh (That's somebody who studied it; they know it, and they're obeying it.), to him will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the Paradise of God.  (Rev.2:8) And to the angel of the church in Smyrna write: These things saith the first and the last, who was dead, and [lived] again: (9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich)… Yes, they are rich in the ways of the Kingdom. (Jas.2:5) Hearken, my beloved brethren; did not God choose them that are poor as to the world [to be] rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he promised to them that love him? And, yes, they are beloved.   (9) I know thy tribulation, and thy poverty (but thou art rich), and the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. It's interesting that this is addressing the church, but he is speaking about the church error, in which there are Jews who claim to be Jews, yet they are not Jews according to the New Covenant, the New Testament. It's important to understand this. Unless you're born-again, you're not a member of the New Covenant, nor are you a Jew according to the New Testament. We're told, (Rom.2:28) For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh: (29) but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.   The Jews had a “letter” Covenant; it was according to the letter. The Christians have a spiritual Covenant; it is a spiritual fulfillment of the Old Testament type. We don't inherit their literal promises; we're not replacing them in a literal way. Their land is not our “land.” Our “land” is a spiritual land, as we were taught (John 17:14,16, John 18:36; 1 John 2:15). So if you're a member of the New Covenant, you have been circumcised in heart, which is having the “flesh” cut away from your heart.   When He says that they are a “synagogue of Satan,” it's obviously identifying physical Jews and He's telling the church that these people are not Jews. They're claiming to be Jews, but they are not. They are a synagogue of Satan. Why would they be a synagogue of Satan? It's because they're not born from above. If you're born from above (John 3:3), you're circumcised in heart. It doesn't matter if you're a physical Jew or a Gentile.  We can see this borne out again very well here. (Rom.9:25) As he saith also in Hosea, I will call that my people, which was not my people (That's because His original people were all physical Jews.); And her beloved, that was not beloved. (So He loves someone that is not a Jew and was not called “my people.”) (26) And it shall be, [that] in the place where it was said unto them, Ye are not my people (This is the Gentiles.), There shall they be called sons of the living God. (27) And Isaiah crieth concerning Israel, If the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, it is the remnant that shall be saved. He's talking about natural Israel there; only a remnant of natural Israel “shall be saved,” however, we know that “all Israel” shall be saved who is grafted into the “Olive Tree” (Rom 11:26).   (Rom.11:19) Thou wilt say then, Branches were broken off (Those “branches” were natural Israel.), that I might be grafted in. (20) Well; by their unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by thy faith. Be not highminded, but fear: (21) for if God spared not the natural branches, neither will he spare thee. In other words, if you walk in unbelief concerning His Word, you also shall be cut-off. (22) Behold then the goodness and severity of God: toward them that fell, severity; but toward thee, God's goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. (23) And they also, if they continue not in their unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again.   (24) For if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree, and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree; how much more shall these, which are the natural [branches], be grafted into their own olive tree? (25) For I would not, brethren, have you ignorant of this mystery, lest ye be wise in your own conceits, that a hardening in part hath befallen Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in;   (26) and so all Israel shall be saved: even as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer;(Jesus in the Man-child reformers) He shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: (27) And this is my covenant unto them, When I shall take away their sins. So we should fear, lest we walk outside the bounds of God's Covenant, which is His Word to us. Many do, and they see no problem with that, whatsoever, but we know it to be extremely dangerous because we're going to be judged according to our works.   Going back to the church of Smyrna (Rev2:10) Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer… Yes, we will suffer, although many people falsely think we won't have to suffer. We will suffer, and that suffering, of course, is losing our life: It's the “old man” dying and the “new man” taking his place. Whatever we have to go through to lose our old life and gain our new life, it is necessary, and it is suffering. You have to suffer the loss of your carnal life and the carnal way of living. You need to remember that there's an important difference between those who are “sons” of God and those who are “children” of God. “Sons” of God follow the Spirit of God; “children” do not.   Christ is our example of suffering. (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh… He went to His Cross; His flesh was crucified. He said, (Mat.10:38) … he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. And also, (Luk.14:27) Whosoever doth not bear his own cross, and come after me, cannot be my disciple. That means we, too, must go to a spiritual cross of death to self. (2Co.4:16) Wherefore we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. As you die, you live.   (1Pet.4:1) Forasmuch then as Christ suffered in the flesh, arm ye yourselves also with the same mind; for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin… There is no law against somebody who has “ceased from sin”. Suffering in the flesh gives a person the fear of God and it's a proof that they're losing their life. A person losing their carnal life is not going to fall away. Suffering is the normal Christian life, and we should expect it to be that.   (2) that ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. This is extremely important, because if we walk after the flesh, we must die (Rom 8:13). That's a falling-away, isn't it? How do we avoid the falling-away? The flesh has to die, because it will do nothing but try to subvert you the rest of your life. And according to this, we don't have to live the rest of our “time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God.” We have to live the crucified life. People grow very quickly once they realize that their cross is to deny themselves and follow Jesus. Most religion doesn't teach denying self, but then, people don't grow up in God through most religion, either. So we see that this must be done. It is a suffering, but it must be done.   (Rev.2:10) Fear not the things which thou art about to suffer: behold, the devil is about to cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried… We know of somebody who was cast into prison to be a type and shadow for us, and that was Joseph (Gen 39:20), who came out of that prison to become the second ruler of the kingdom (Gen 41:40). He represents Jesus, and he also represents the Man-child in our day. The Man-child company in these days is suffering at the hands of wicked men, and it is for the good purpose of their crucifixion. That will prepare the Man-child to lead the Woman into the wilderness, but the Woman in the wilderness still needs to have the same fruit of Jesus Christ.   That means there is a time for the Woman in the wilderness to also suffer in the exact same way, to suffer by being “cast into prison.” You know, there are lots of things we can't do. We're limited by the “bars” of the Word of God from doing them, because obeying the Word crucifies us. It restrains the “old man” to the point that he dies. Joseph was prepared through a death to rule, and Jesus preached to the souls in prison until He was resurrected to rule, and now He reigns. That's a parable for us. We, too, all of us, not just the Man-child but the Bride and Woman who goes into the wilderness will also be going through the exact same thing that the Man-child has gone through, at the hands of wicked people.   (Rev.2:10 …that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days. Be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee the crown of life. Notice the condition here. People falsely think that salvation has been put into their hand when, actually, salvation is in Christ. And we know that when Christ went to the Cross, we went with Him as far as the sacrifice is concerned. (Gal.2:20) I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I that live, but Christ living in me: and that [life] which I now live in the flesh I live in faith, [the faith] which is in the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself up for me.   We still need to go to our cross, but we reckon that it was done at the Cross. We believe we have received, as Jesus taught us (Mark 11:24). We need to be “faithful unto death,” the death of self, and, if necessary, the death of this old fleshly body. For some, it will take that much for them to enter into the Kingdom. But we, at the very least, have to die to self. Self is the enemy of God that must be crucified, and that's what we're here to do. We need to learn that lesson well.   So as we read, (1Pe.4:2) … ye no longer should live the rest of your time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God. Once you learn how to cooperate with God, you can do this fairly quickly, and then you're in a position where God can use you. You get the “crown of life” for death; you enter into God's Life through death, death to self. Before that, you're not trustworthy because you're living after the flesh. You have many idols to distract you, many rulers besides God but, of course, once you're crucified, there is only one Ruler, and that's the Lord. When He is the Head, there's not much chance that you're going to fail God because it's the flesh that walks astray; it's not the spiritual man.   (Rev.2:11) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. “Overcoming” is overcoming the things that we're reading about. It's obvious that when people fall away, they're not overcoming, but we're called to be overcomers. There are no promises in the letters to the churches for those who are not overcomers, therefore, we must lose our life. Just as our Lord took up His Cross, we are here to take up our cross and follow Him.   (Rev.2:11) …He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death. What is the “second death”? (Rev.20:11) And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat upon it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. (12) And I saw the dead, the great and the small, standing before the throne; and books were opened: and another book was opened, which is [the book] of life: and the dead were judged out of the things which were written in the books, according to their works.   Everybody's going to be judged according to their works. You may say, “David, I thought we are judged according to our faith.” No, faith is manifested through works. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17). The proof of faith is works. If a person believes, they will walk with the Lord. If they don't believe, they won't walk with the Lord. Therefore, all that God has to do to judge our faith is to judge our works. That's why it says, “according to their works.”   Those people who think they can live any way they want to live and still call themselves a “Christian” or “believer,” they don't believe that their sins were taken away. If they did believe that their sins were taken away, they would constantly be being taken away and it would be seen in how they live. No, their faith is hollow; they're just “accepting the Lord,” but there's nothing about “accepting the Lord” in the Bible. We're commanded to repent and believe the Gospel The Greek word for “repent” means to “change your mind” and believe what God says. This is what religion refuses to do, and that's why they're in rebellion, and that's why there's a great falling-away. There is a great falling-away, and it's their fault. Their blood is on the Harlot. (Rev.17:6) And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints, and of all that have been slain upon the earth.   (Rev.20:13) And the sea gave up the dead that were in it; and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death, [even] the lake of fire. (15) And if any was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into the lake of fire. How do you get into the Book of Life? Well, according to that text, it has everything to do with your works.   Then how do we change our works? We do that through the Blood of the Lamb. We accept the fact that we were crucified with Him and now it's no longer we who live, but it's Christ Who lives in us. And our good confession is accepted by the High Priest of our Confession, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the One Who gives us authority over the old flesh. He is the One (Php.2:13) … who worketh in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure. That's not true of everybody who claims to be a “Christian.” Many don't have the Will of God in them; they have their own will, which is self-will. That's why “self” has to die.   (Rev.2:12) And to the angel of the church in Pergamum write: These things saith he that hath the sharp two-edged sword: (13) I know where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's throne is; and thou holdest fast my name… That is, of course, what it takes not to fall away. (Now this is not a study of Revelation, this is a study of the falling-away, so there are things I'm going to skip over in order to emphasize the things that could possibly cause you to fall away.) We know that the word “name” in the Greek is onoma, which means “nature, character, and authority.” We hold fast to the real Jesus, His nature, His character, and His authority.   I would say that a lot of the church has denied that. They have created a new “Jesus” in these days, as Paul said (2 Cor 11:3-4; Gal 1:6-9) and, of course, that only makes you anti-Christ. A new Jesus makes you anti-Christ. The prefix “anti” not only means “against,” it also means “in the place of” because you've replaced the Jesus of the Bible with the Jesus of your religion. We need to learn not to go astray from the real Jesus.   (Rev.2:13) I know where thou dwellest, [even] where Satan's throne is; and thou holdest fast my name, and didst not deny my faith… As we've seen, this is so important because “he that endureth to the end” in faith, is going to have what they're believing for, by the grace of God. Don't deny the faith. Many people do deny the faith every time they speak, since they speak totally contrary to the promises of God. The Bible says, (Rom.10:9) … if thou shalt confess with thy mouth Jesus [as] Lord, and shalt believe in thy heart that God raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. We need to speak, what the Bible says about us. The word “confess” is the Greek word homologeo, which means “to speak the same as.” We are told to say what God says.   (Rev.2:13) …and didst not deny my faith, even in the days of Antipas my witness, my faithful one, who was killed among you, where Satan dwelleth. Yes, of course, some will die. Some will be martyred. We're all going to be spiritual martyrs if we're going to make it into the Kingdom. The old man is going to be crucified, so we're all going to be spiritual martyrs, and some will be physical martyrs, too, but if they stay faithful unto death, He will give them a “crown of life”.   (Rev.2:14) But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there some that hold the teaching of Balaam… We know Balaam was a hireling. Balak hired him, and he was tempted and lusted after the things that Balak had to offer him. There are many hirelings out there that do what they do for profit, and when a person is perverted in that way, you can't trust anything they say or teach. If all they have their eyes on is the money, the gain, and the ego trip, they're not trustworthy; they have no business being in the ministry at all and you shouldn't be following them. It's sad, but there are many Balaams out there.   (Rev.2:14) …who taught Balak to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit fornication. What is it to “sacrifice” to “idols”? Anything can be an idol if it is more important to you than God. When you put it before God, if you serve it, if your money is wound-up in it, if your time is wound-up in it, then you're robbing God of the time that a disciple would spend with Him and money that would be going toward doing His work. One way or the other, it's a sacrifice. You can be sacrificing the old life, or you can be sacrificing the new life. So in the church at Pergamum, they were sacrificing things to idols. We are told in, (1Jn.2:15) Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. That's the same way with idols. However much you love an idol, it's that much that you do not love the Father.   (1Co.10:14) Wherefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. (15) I speak as to wise men; judge ye what I say. (16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not a communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not a communion of the body of Christ? “Communion” means “having in common.” Do you spend a lot of time with people who are idolators? Do you have things in common with people who are idolators?   Scripture tells us very plainly how we are to live. (Rom.12:1) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living sacrifice (Are you presenting your body as a living sacrifice to the Lord and to His work? Or are you sacrificing your body to the world and to the love of the world and the things of the world?), holy, acceptable to God, [which is] your spiritual service. (2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. We are to sacrifice of our own mind and thoughts and actions because we give in to God's mind and thoughts and actions. We make this body do what is in agreement with the Word. We should not sacrifice our spiritual, higher, life to this world.   People can be idols in your life, as Jesus said. (Mat.10:37) He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. After you come into the Kingdom and you're of age, you are called upon to follow your heavenly Father, your Lord, Jesus Christ. You're not called to follow your earthly father or mother; you're called to honor them, but not to follow them. They may not know what you know and so you would, of course, be an idolator if you followed them instead of Jesus. (Mat.10:38) And he that doth not take his cross and follow after me, is not worthy of me. (39) He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.   Let's go back to (Rev.2:15) So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. Now remember what we've already learned about the Nicolaitans. (Rev.2:6) But this thou hast, that thou hatest the works of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate. The Greek word Nikolaités which is translated “Nicolaitans,” is made up of two words: nikos meaning “a conquest, triumph, victory,” and laos meaning “a people, particularly used of the people of the Lord...the root of the English term ‘laity.'” When you put them together, “Nikolaités means “to conquer the people.” God says He hates this, and the people of the church at Ephesus also hated it.   It's a very destructive doctrine that's prevalent in the churches. The Nicolaitans followed the Old Testament, priestly order. They put the priest between you and God, which is false doctrine. We know that we are a “kingdom of priests”, but we've been called to not follow a priestly order. In these days, we are all priests and we all have a sacrifice to make, the sacrifice of this old flesh. We've been called to follow the Lord.  That priestly order came through Catholicism right on down to the Protestants, who have put the pastor in the place of the priestly order. The pastor is the undisputed head of the church and it revolves around him but, of course, we know that this is totally false doctrine because the Bible says otherwise. In (Eph.4:11) And he gave some [to be] apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; (12) for the perfecting of the saints… Notice the Lord gave the five-fold ministry “for the perfecting of the saints.” Their one-fold ministry cannot perfect the saints. Any church that is working properly will have a multiplicity of input of the gifts, of the ministries, and so on. This is where we're headed; We're going back to the five-fold ministry as God has chosen. It is a place of safety for God's people.   (Eph.4:12) For the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering… He's raising us up to minister in one form or another. Not everybody can be a preacher or an elder in the church; it's not permitted, in many cases, but we can all minister. The Greek word translated “minister” is diakonia and it just means “serve.” (13) … till we all attain unto the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a fullgrown man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.   When everybody but the pastor is a spectator, and they just sit there and they're not learning to serve, they're not learning to be ministers, does it surprise you that nobody's growing up under this Nicolaitan error? That's why God says He hates it so much, and He gives credit to the churches that also hate it. (Eph.4:14) That we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men (Yes, this is what a Nicolaitan preacher is all about.), in craftiness, after the wiles of error.    There's another important benefit of the five-fold ministry: (Pro.11:14) Where no wise guidance is, the people falleth; But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety. The true Church is made up of specialists. The Nicolaitan error is that the pastor usurps the rest of the five-fold ministry. That is not permitted, because “in the multitude of counselors, there is safety.” If one man goes astray, he's going to take everybody with him, unless there's a church split where some people disagree with the man and others blindly follow him. (Pro.15:22) Where there is no counsel, purposes are disappointed; But in the multitude of counsellors they are established. The purposes of God are established in “the perfecting of the saints, unto the work of ministering.” The purposes of the Christian, in growing up and not staying a child the rest of their life, is a purpose that needs to be fulfilled. When will the five-fold ministry be restored to the Church. History repeats. Jesus the Man-child raised up the apostolic leadership who raise up churches and appointed five-fold elders to rule them. So the coming Man-child body will repeat this in the beginning of the Tribulation. (1Ti.5:17) Let the elders that rule… First of all, you have to see here that the elders rule. The elders are not assistants to the pastor. That's the Nicolaitan error. The elders are the five-fold ministry but this escapes a lot of people. (1Ti.5:17) Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and in teaching. Let me show you how elders are ordained of God as ministers of God as a five-fold ministry. (Act.20:17) And from Miletus he (This is the apostle Paul.) sent to Ephesus, and called to him the elders of the church. An elder is first somebody who is older in the Lord, who is able to lead other people not someone who has been merely ordained by men to that position. So Paul called the elders together.   (Act.20:18) And when they were come to him, he said unto them … (28) Take heed unto yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops (“Bishop” is the Greek episkopos meaning an “overseer.” Notice that the elders are the “bishops,” the “overseers,” the five-fold ministry ordained by God. Some qualifications for Bishops or elders are in 1Ti 3: 2  The bishop therefore must be without reproach, the husband of one wife, temperate, sober-minded, orderly, given to hospitality, apt to teach;  3  no brawler, no striker; but gentle, not contentious, no lover of money;), to feed the church of the Lord (Teaching and feeding the Church is the job of the five-fold ministry.) Back to Acts 20:28…which he purchased with his own blood. (29) I know that after my departing grievous wolves shall enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Yes, these “wolves” are a bunch of dictators that usurped the authority of the five-fold ministers who were ordained of the Lord Jesus Christ, and they took over the church, usurping every other avenue of God's wisdom and gifts to the church, “not sparing the flock.” (Act.20:30) And from among your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them.   (Act.20:31) Wherefore watch ye, remembering that by the space of three years I ceased not to admonish every one night and day with tears. (32) And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build [you] up, and to give [you] the inheritance among all them that are sanctified. This is the job of the five-fold ministry and this is why Paul called the elders to him to explain their job.   (33) I coveted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. That's not true of any of the apostate leaders today, but who is there to stop them? They're the head. Who is there to say, “No, you can't do that”? So here Paul is instructing the five-fold ministry, the elders, the bishops, in the ways of the Kingdom and he gives himself as an example. (34) Ye yourselves know that these hands ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. (35) In all things I gave you an example, that so laboring ye ought to help the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that he himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive.   Going back to (Rev.2:15) So hast thou also some that hold the teaching of the Nicolaitans in like manner. (16) Repent therefore; or else I come to thee quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of my mouth. They had to repent of the Nicolaitan error, and part of this error was unqualified elders ruling over the people without the qualified five-fold ministry. If you're sitting under the Nicolaitan error, you must be ready to change. God said He hates it. The Man-child leaders are coming to change this soon.  (Rev.2:17) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna… The “hidden manna” is the Spirit of the Word. The letter is what everybody can see; it's not hidden, however, (2Co.3:6) … the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life. God is able to translate for us the parables of the Old Testament, because that's what they were. The letter was given to the letter Jew and the Spirit was given to the spiritual Jew, who is the New Testament born-again, born from-above, Jew.   (Rev.2:17) …To him that overcometh, to him will I give of the hidden manna, and I will give him a white stone… What is this white stone? According to the Old Testament Law, on the Day of Atonement, two goats were presented before the High Priest, and also a pouch with two stones. They were “lots” which were inside the pouch (Lev 16:5-34) and one of those stones was a white stone called “the lot of the Lord.”   The other stone was a black stone called “the lot of the scapegoat.” Without looking, the High Priest would choose a stone from the pouch with his right hand and hold the stone over the right-hand goat. If it was the white stone for the lot of the Lord, that goat would be sacrificed, but the other goat would be set free in the wilderness, which symbolized the Lord's sacrifice in our place. We were set free and He was sacrificed. That's the white stone and it represents God's acceptance of your sacrifice, and the fact that the Lord bore your curse and your sin, and you are free.   (Rev.2:17) …and I will give him a white stone, and upon the stone a new name written, which no one knoweth but he that receiveth it. The “new name” that only the overcomers have and know is the nature, character, and authority of the Father and Jesus.   (Rev.2:18) And to the angel of the church in Thyatira write: These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like a flame of fire, and his feet are like unto burnished brass: (19) I know thy works, and thy love and faith and ministry and patience, and that thy last works are more than the first. Yes, this is the way it is supposed to be. I know many people who started out by getting the beam out of their eye so they could see clearly to serve the people of God, and they did serve for a while, but then they went back to serving themselves.   They gave up their ministry and turned away from the Lord and started doing their own thing again. Their “last works” were not more than their first works. God knows everything we do, and we're going to be judged according to our works, which are all written in His books. Thank God that we have a Blood covering if we're not willfully disobedient! If you're seeking out His Will in the Word of God, seeking to be a disciple, seeking to lose your life in order to gain your life, if you're doing these things, you're not going to fail. You're not going to fall away.   (Rev.2:20) But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess… There is no office of “prophetess” in the five-fold ministry. There's only the office of “prophet” as part of the five-fold ministry. That's because a “prophet” is an “elder, bishop, overseer,” and a woman cannot teach or take authority over the man. So here is a Jezebel, whom we know well from the Old Testament as a woman who ruled over her Ahab husband, to both his destruction and to the destruction of his whole family.   All of her children through him, died. They were sentenced to death by the Lord Himself. It's the same with this “Jezebel.” She teaches, but her teaching leads the people into sin. She teaches, but she's not supposed to teach. (1Ti.2:11) Let a woman learn in quietness, with all subjection. (12) But I permit not a woman to teach, nor to have dominion over a man, but to be in quietness. And he goes on to say that Adam was the first-formed, and then Eve. She was a help-meet for him. She was to serve him. (13) For Adam was first formed, then Eve; (14) and Adam was not beguiled, but the woman being beguiled (So Adam was not deceived, but Eve was deceived and that was one reason she shouldn't be a teacher.) hath fallen into transgression: (15) but she shall be saved through her child-bearing, if they continue in faith and love and sanctification with sobriety.   Understand that this Jezebel in Revelation made herself a prophetess; she “calleth herself a prophetess.” It's possible she was a prophetess before she fell away, because a “prophetess” is just “a woman with a gift of prophecy.” It does not mean she has the office of prophet; there's a difference. There's the gift of prophecy and there is also an office of prophet as one member of the five-fold ministry. The gift of prophecy does not give her, as a woman, authority in the church to teach or take authority over the man. It is not permitted, but that is what Jezebel does, and that is what Jezebel spirits do.   They take authority over the man: in the family, in the home, in the church. It's an evil spirit that leads people to destruction, and because the woman is more easily deceived in these things, she leads others astray. That's why it is not permitted for a woman to teach or take authority over the man. This is very important to understand and obey this. Now we have an in-depth study covering this subject and about women and their role in our book “The Word, Women and Authority”.  Now let's go back to (Rev.2:20) But I have [this] against thee, that thou sufferest the woman Jezebel, who calleth herself a prophetess; and she teacheth and seduceth my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. We've seen what it is to partake of “things sacrificed to idols.” An idol is anything more important to you than following and serving the Lord. As for fornication, here is a woman, Jezebel, who is a fornicator in that she is not receiving the seed of the husband. This is spiritual fornication because she is receiving the seed of the devil. The Jezebel spirit is a demon spirit. Somebody who receives a Jezebel spirit is receiving the seed of a very selfish, self-willed, demon spirit that causes a domineering woman to rule over the man, disobeying what the Scripture says.   Maybe you've heard the lying excuse preachers will give about how, “All these things passed away with the apostles and it's different today.” No, it was an everlasting Covenant (Isaiah 24:5, 53:5). We are not to accept anybody who changes the Covenant. (Rev.22:18) I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, if any man shall add unto them, God shall add unto him the plagues which are written in this book:   (19) and if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part from the tree of life, and out of the holy city, which are written in this book. That's because they have led God's people astray and caused them to disobey His Word. It is very important that we obey His Word. So there is fornication, and Jezebel is teaching people to receive another seed that is not the seed of the Husband, Who is the Lord. The Lord is the Word. We have to obey the Word.   (Rev.2:21) And I gave her time that she should repent; and she willeth not to repent of her fornication. We know that all of Jezebel's seed were destroyed, and this is a type and shadow for the things to come. The people who follow Jezebel are going to be destroyed. (22) Behold, I cast her into a bed, and them that commit adultery with her into great tribulation, except they repent of her works. It doesn't sound like they're going to escape this “great tribulation.” There are people who are going to go through this tribulation and do very well, but Jezebel and her seed will not.   (23) And I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he that searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto each one of you according to your works. There are good works and there are evil works. Jezebel is an evil work and those whom she trains are evil works. They're going to die in great tribulation, like Jezebel's seed did and Ahab's seed did. It was Ahab who refused to be the head over Jezebel his wife. Instead, he just gave into her and so both of them and all their seed were destroyed (2 Kings 9).   (Rev.2:24) But to you I say, to the rest that are in Thyatira, as many as have not this teaching, who know not the deep things of Satan (Wow! This is saying that the teachings of Jezebel are “the deep things of Satan.”), as they are wont to say; I cast upon you none other burden. (25) Nevertheless that which ye have, hold fast till I come. (26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end (His works wouldn't be the teachings of Jezebel, they wouldn't be the Nicolaitan error, and there wouldn't be Gentiles going back to follow Judaism.), to him (he that overcometh.) will I give authority over the nations…   If you have authority in the church, you first had to be an overcomer. There is no true elder who is not an overcomer because he's been given authority. He's not only an authority for the Church, he's an authority against any nation that would hurt the Church. (Rev.2:26) And he that overcometh, and he that keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give authority over the nations: (27) and he shall rule them with a rod of iron, as the vessels of the potter are broken to shivers; as I also have received of my Father: (28) and I will give him the morning star. (29) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Notice that in every address to the churches, He makes promises only to the overcomer. The overcomer is overcoming all of these temptations to go astray from what is written.   (Rev.3:1) And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars: I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. I've always supposed that this name could be “Christian.” (Act.11:25) And he (This is speaking of Barnabus.) went forth to Tarsus to seek for Saul; (26) and when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that even for a whole year they were gathered together with the church, and taught much people, and that the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.   The lost people called the disciples “Christians” because they followed in the steps of Jesus. They spoke His Word, they had His Power, they did His Works. It's sad that many people have taken the name of “Christian” but they haven't taken on His Name. When we baptize people, we baptize them into the Name of the Lord, Jesus Christ. When you're baptized and go down in the water, you accept by faith that you have died and are buried with Him in the likeness of His death. The water represents “the washing of water with the Word” (Eph 5:26) and the Word puts to death our old man. So when you go down into the water, you accept by faith that your old man died, and that the One Who comes up is Jesus Christ. You've been baptized into His Name and you are now a member of His Body.  (Rev.3:1) …I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and thou art dead. Until we come into the Name, we are “dead” and of no use to ourselves or anyone else. Coming into the Name is, first of all, coming into the revelation of what it represents, which is the Word of God.   The reason we're here is to bear fruit. Remember the Parable of the Sower, and how it showed that three out of every four people who hear the Word, don't bear fruit and so they fall away. If you're side-tracked by Nicolaitan errors or by Jezebel spirits or by any of the other things we've been speaking about, you're not going to bear fruit. You have to overcome your flesh in order to bear fruit, and this is why I've said, many times, that when people become Christians, they need to start reading in the New Testament and read and read and read to renew their minds with the Word of God. That's the only way to know the truth for yourself. We've been told to each work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. (Php 2:12)   I know God ordained this for me, but I started reading the Word of God only because my Baptist friend challenged me to do it. I didn't have any knowledge of the Word of God because I was raised in Catholicism and they don't teach you the Word of God. Well, that turned out to be a good thing. As I was reading the Bible day and night, since I didn't have anybody to tell me otherwise, I just believed what I was reading and it was changing my mind and it was changing my life. I learned that the Holy Spirit Himself can teach you. He taught me not to add-to, or take-away-from, the Word. These are principles I learned before I ever went to a church and by the time I did go to a church, I already had the Word in my heart, so I didn't stick anywhere very long because I realized that these people had gone astray with religion.   Of course, we have to “repent,” which is to “change your mind,” every time we pick up the Word of God and we see what it says. The Lord taught me that, (Psa.119:160) The sum of thy word is truth; … And (Isa.28:10) For it is precept upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, there a little. It's a little here and a little there, but when it's all added up, you don't have to reject any of it because it all fits together. If you'll do this, you'll learn quickly enough whether or not you're in a Nicolaitan church, a church which is (2Ti.3:5) holding a form of godliness, but having denied the power thereof. From these also turn away. Leave; just leave. The power is manifested through the specialists of the five-fold ministry.   Once you find out what the Church is supposed to look like, you're a lot less likely to get hung-up in some error and fall away. The “harlot” is a parable of not just a particular religion, but all religion that is apostate, fallen-away, and receiving the seed that is not of the Husband, Christ.   In Jesus' day. He came to the denominations of Judaism and none of them chose Him. Only those people who came out of those denominations chose Him. They were His Church, His “called-out” ones, and today, we are called out of the apostate denominations of Christianity, just as they were called out of the apostate denominations of Judaism. History always repeats. The things that have been are the things which shall be (Ecc 1:9). We are called out from among them to be separate. (2Co.6:16)   We are called to walk as He walked (1John 2:6). We're called to be overcomers. With most doctrines in the denominations, you don't have to overcome anything, but that's not what the promises to the churches say. That's why you need to read and find these things out. So He said to the church in Sardis, “You have a name that lives, but you're dead,” and that's true of an awful lot of people who call themselves “Christian.”   (Rev.3:2) Be thou watchful, and establish the things that remain, which were ready to die… Feed your spirit man on the Word and you will live.  Do what I did 55 years ago; I got rid of all my hobbies. God was my constant hobby after that. Be a disciple of Jesus. Mat 6:33 But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. The heart of man is deceitfully wicked (Jer 17:9). It's very easy to be deceived. That's why God sent us His Word, and proved to us that it was His Word by putting a numeric pattern in it. That numeric pattern is God's “signature.”  The Word is His DNA. Its power and life. (Rev.3:2) …for I have found no works of thine perfected before my God. He's obviously saying that it's a normal thing for our works to be perfected before God, but how can that be, except we have a renewed mind? (Rom.12:2) And be not fashioned according to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, and ye may prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God. How can our works be perfected if we don't have this renewed mind, and don't repent and follow the Lord? Without a renewed mind, we don't know what the truth is.   (Rev.3:3) Remember therefore how thou hast received and didst hear; and keep it, and repent. What the denominations do is train us to ignore Scriptures that disagree with their pet doctrines. They give us reasons of why we need to overlook this or that or the other, and one of their favorite reasons is, “This all passed away with the apostles.” Well, they can't give any proof of that, whatsoever, because we've seen that the Bible says the exact opposite. The Bible says that it was “an everlasting Covenant” from the time it was made, and that we can't add to it or take away from it without falling under a curse. (Rev 22:18-19)   (Rev.3:3) …If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. You never know when your time will be up and, therefore, you need to live every day like it's your last.   (Rev.3:4) But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments… What are these “garments”? (Jud.1:22) And on some have mercy, who are in doubt; (23) and some save, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Our garments are our works so put on Jesus' works; Rom 13:14  But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof. The spots are works of the flesh. There are many people walking with “defiled garments.” Everything they do is fleshly and defiled, and therefore, everything they reap is defiled. (Gal.6:7) Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. (8) For he that soweth unto his own flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth unto the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap eternal life.   When your “garment” is defiled, what you do is defiled and you're going to reap the same, but God came so that you might sow a good seed and reap a good harvest. Our “actions” are what we “sow” and the Word of God is there to restrict our actions so that we can receive a good harvest. And since our “garments” represent our works, what should we be clothing ourselves with? But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ…  So, how is the Bride dressed? (Rev.19:8) And it was given unto her that she should array herself in fine linen, bright (That's the Greek word lampros and it's also translated as “shining, magnificent, gorgeous, splendid.”) [and] pure: for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. (The Bride is radiant and glorious, but what about those who are invited to the marriage feast? What are they wearing?) (Rev.19:14) And the armies which are in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white [and] pure. White here is the Greek word leukos meaning “white”.   Those who are invited to the marriage feast will have the glory that comes with purity, but they will not have the magnificent radiance that is shining forth from the Bride. If you want to be in the Bride, you don't want your “garment” defiled because the Bride has a spotless and blemishless garment. Everything She knows about the Word, She is being obedient to, because She is walking by faith in the Lord and the Lord is working in Her to will and to do of His good pleasure. And He goes on to say, (Rev.3:4) But thou hast a few names in Sardis that did not defile their garments: and they shall walk with me in white; for they are worthy. Well, now we know that that is about one quarter of the people that received the Gospel according to the parable of the sower.   (Rev.3:5) He that overcometh shall thus be arrayed in white garments; and I will in no wise blot his name out of the book of life… When you're born again, you're written in the Book. If you don't overcome, you're erased out of the Book. The only people who are not erased out of the Book are the people that overcome. In other words, overcomers know what is right and they know what is wrong, and they're going to do right. The promise of not being blotted out is only to overcomers. (Rev.3:5) …and I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels. The angels administer salvation to those who inherit it. They are the ministers of God's salvation to us and through us. (Rev.3:6) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches.   (Rev.3:7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia… This is the church of brotherly love. “Philadelphia” is formed from two Greek words, philos meaning “affectionate friend” and adelphós meaning “brother, brotherly,” i.e., “loving one's brother.” The Philadelphia church is the greatest of all the churches. Just as Moses, as a type and shadow of the Man-child, married one of seven daughters (Exo 2:16,21), the church in this city, Philadelphia, the church of brotherly love, represents the Bride. The test, of course, is to see how much you love the Lord by keeping His commandments, and how much you love the brethren because you love the Lord. These are the ones who will be chosen.   (Rev.3:7) And to the angel of the church in Philadelphia write: These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David (David was the ruler in Jerusalem, which was the Bride.), he that openeth and none shall shut, and that shutteth and none openeth. What you bind on earth is bound in heaven. This authority was given to the people of God, but most of them don't have the faith to exercise it, because they don't have the knowledge of the Word that brings about the faith. (Rom.10:17) So belief cometh of hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.   (Rev.3:8) I know thy works (behold, I have set before thee a door opened, which none can shut)… Praise the Lord! This is an opening for the work of the Lord to go forth. The Philadelphia church in these days is going to bring resurrection life to the rest of the church, just as Jesus, Who was the Man-child, did. He was the Head of the Bride. John the Baptist told his disciples, (Joh.3:29) He that hath the Bride is the Bridegroom …. Jesus raised up those disciples to go forth and raise up the five-fold ministry. Once again, this is going to happen. The disciples of our day are going to go forth and raise up the five-fold ministry which “none can shut.”   (Rev.3:8) … that thou hast a little power, and didst keep my word, and didst not deny my name. It's easy to deny the Name of the Lord; it's not just Judas and Peter who denied the Lord. There are a lot of people who deny the Lord because every time you read the Word of God, Who is Jesus Christ, and you deny it, you're denying the Lord. If you will not subject yourself to the Word, you're denying the Lord.   (Rev.3:9) Behold, I give of the synagogue of Satan, of them that say they are Jews, and they are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. This speaks of how those natural Jews who will not be born again and become a member of the church, a member of the body of Christ, will be subservient to the Philadelphia church, which He loves. (10) Because thou didst keep the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is to come upon the whole world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.   In Revelation 17:12, God speaks about that hour when the beast makes war on the saints, which is not about “flying away”; it's about overcoming so that there is no trial for you. Remember how Moses went through his own wilderness, and that experience prepared him to bring God's people through the wilderness. It was not so much Moses being tried as it was God's people being tried. His trial was them. Their trial was the wilderness. Moses had been in the wilderness and he had overcome, or else God would not have used him to bring God's people there. It was their turn to overcome the wilderness; they had to overcome the fact that they couldn't do things the way they'd always done things. They had to have faith in God, just as Moses had faith in God.   (Rev.3:11) I come quickly: hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown. Notice that they had the crown; they weren't seeking for the crown. In other places, we see that they were promised the crown “if,” because they had to meet a condition, but these people had the crown. They were the “Crown City.” These were the people of God, spotless and blemishless, walking in all the knowledge that they had. (12) He that overcometh, I will make him a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go out thence no more: and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem…   This is the Bride. They have the Name of their God, the nature, character, and authority of their God, which makes them the Bride, which makes them the one of the seven. It makes them the “Esther” who went into the King's house, but all the rest of the women went back to the house of the women. They were culled and Esther became the Bride, and that's what we're talking about here. The new Jerusalem, which is from above, according to John is coming down out of heaven (Rev 21:2), and here we see the same thing. It's not something that's going to happen in the future, it's something that is happening because you're either being born of this City, the Bride, or you're being born of the rest of Israel.  (12) …and I will write upon him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, the new Jerusalem, which cometh down out of heaven from my God… Notice it says “cometh,” which is present tense. We are being born from above. Paul spoke about coming to the Heavenly City, the New Jerusalem (Hebrews 12:18-29). (Heb.12:18) For ye are not come unto [a mount] that might be touched … (22) but ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable hosts of angels,   (23) to the general assembly and church of the firstborn (Jesus is the firstborn and Jesus in the Man-child is the firstborn in our day. They were the head of the Bride body.) who are enrolled in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect. This is not “a mount that might be touched,” but the apostate church erroneously teaches that this is a physical city which is coming down out of heaven at the end of the tribulation, and some push it even further into the future than that. (12) …and mine own new name. (13) He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith to the churches. Oh, thank You, Father!   This is a great prize! Paul said, (Php.3:12) Not that I have already obtained, or am already made perfect: but I press on, if so be that I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on by Christ Jesus. (13) Brethren, I count not myself yet to have laid hold: but one thing I do , forgetting the things which are behind (Forgetting past failures), and stretching forward to the things which are before (Seeing Jesus in the mirror by faith.), (14) I press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.   And this will be your prize if you are willing to give up your life in this world to follow after Jesus, as those early disciples did. They gave up their selfish desires and anything else that stood in the way of them serving Jesus. They gave it up, and so it is today. Your most important employer is the Lord Himself. Wherever you are, you're supposed to be representing Him. People will be changed by your witness, by your testimony, by the fact that the Lord, through the Bride, lives in you. People will be changed by that. 

February 11, 2024 - Sunday AM Sermon   Being Righteous Humbly  Neal Pollard  Introduction    A. Paul Defines "Righteousness" As Behaving _____________, ________________,           And ______________________    B. How Can We Be Righteous Humbly?    I. HUMILITY IS A QUALITY WHICH ISN'T ______________ BY ________________       A. In Acts 20, It Is Accompanied By _____________ And ____________ (Marks Of             _____________________ In The Roman Period)       B. In Eph. 4, It Is Accompanied By ____________, _____________, ____________           And _____________________       C. How Unlike The _______________________ This Was (Mt. 23:2-7)    II. HUMILITY ISN'T TO BE ________________, BUT IS TO BE ______________ ON       A. It Is Possible To Be Guilty Of _____________________ Humility    III. HUMILITY'S VALUE IS APPARENT IN GROUP _____________________        A. How _____________________ You Think Of Others (Phil. 2:3)?        B. How Well Do You Treat Those _____________________ Than You (1 Pet. 5:4)?        C. How Do You Treat The _______________________ (Rom. 12:16)?        D. How Do You Respond From _________________ From Brethren (1 Pet. 3:9-10)    IV. HUMILITY IS AN EXPLICIT WAY TO ____________ WITH _________ (Mt. 11:29)    Conclusion    A. There's A Huge Chasm Between ________________ And _____________________    B. "True Nobility Is Being ___________________ To Your _______________ Self" (E.H.)   Duration 38:42

Text: Romans 13:11-14 (ESV)   11 Besides this you know the time, that the hour has come for you to wake from sleep. For salvation is nearer to us now than when we first believed. 12 The night is far gone; the day is at hand. So then let us cast off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light. 13 Let us walk properly as in the daytime, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in sexual immorality and sensuality, not in quarreling and jealousy. 14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires.   GET UP FROM SLEEP   In a spiritual metaphor, Paul pictures that the sun is about to rise and it's time to get up. Salvation is nearer to us now. That is, the time of salvation's ultimate glory and judgment is imminent and fast approaching. More than two thousand years had gone by and we are looking forward to it. Even creation groans along with us as we wait for our adoption to be finalized and the redemption of our bodies on that day (Rom 8:22–23).   The night is far gone. It's soon daybreak. We must throw away any works of darkness, any of the worthless things that we have done that belong to the night – orgies, drunkenness, sexual immorality, sensuality, quarreling and jealousy. These are nighttime lifestyles. We need a new way of living as children of light. Thus, we have to put on the armor of light.   Christians are to fight against the darkness rather than condone it. In Eph 6:10–17, Paul describes in detail our spiritual armor to put on as we stand against the forces of spiritual darkness. In verse 14, we have to put on the Lord Jesus Christ. This means we will symbolically wear Jesus - His triumph. In other words, our goal as Jesus-followers is to live as Jesus would empower us how to live. That we won't gratify the flesh, that is our human appetites not to go wild and berserk.   Listen and FOLLOW us on our podcast ------------------------- Visit and FOLLOW Gospel Light Filipino on YouTube, Facebook and Instagram

In Eph 1:11-14 the Apostle Paul describes the glorious heavenly inheritance of the Christian.  He seeks to encourage the Ephesian Christians — many of whom had given up earthly glory — by reminding them of an even greater glory in Christ.  May Paul's words be a wonderful encouragement to the church today!

In Eph 1:11–14 the Apostle Paul describes the glorious heavenly inheritance of the Christian. He seeks to encourage the Ephesian Christians—many of whom had given up earthly glory—by reminding them of an even greater glory in Christ. May Paul’s words be a wonderful encouragement to the church today! Participants: Jim Cassidy, Mark A. Winder, Robert […]

Saints! Building our relationship takes time, and discipline. Walk with me as we go through ways to build. By reading your love letters, praying, and fastingk we build a closer connection to our creator. READ YOUR LOVE LETTERS Reading His word gives strength It gives assurance to continue In Eph.6: 10-24 it speaks of a spiritual battle, that you only get through reading His word This is how you learn who our Savior is PRAY This is how we communicate with Him Seeking Him and keeping His will FASTING Importance to fasting is to Depend on our Father, & trust Him You are showing complete dependablity on Him Some things can only be done through fasting Thanks for listening! Join us on the free app SPACES BY WIX in your app store. Receive a free text message to the app by entering your mobile number to the bottom of any page on our website. Website: Podcasts | 5 Crowns-Lambtoalion Instagram: Milan Milan (@lamb2alion7) • Instagram photos and videos Buzzsprout: https://milanspodcast.buzzsprout.com Also find us on Amazon Music, & Spotify! Amazon Music: music.amazon.com/podcasts/8d05e54f-a4b0-4a4f-9287-a1171215ff4c/milan's-podcast Spotify: open.spotify.com/show/3eV565qj26ZWJF4U2NdPT5 Podvine: https://podvine.com/podcast/milans-podcast-YuhOxCB41 NEW PODCASTS EVERY SATURDAY @ 12 PM EST YAH WILLING! PODCAST/BLOG/SHOP THANKS AGAIN FOR LISTENING! Thanks for listening! Join us on the free app SPACES BY WIX in your app store. Receive a free text message to the app by entering your mobile number to the bottom of any page on our website.

Those who are in Christ have been given a new identity and we are called to live in light of that identity. Like a change of wardrobe, we are to “put off our old self,” stripping off certain behaviors and attitudes as a set of filthy, smelly clothes. Off with the Old.In Eph. 4, Paul “insists” that believers must no longer live like the godless around us. Why? Because they have…·      a darkened mind (vs. 17-18)Why are our minds so important?  Because what we think determines what we do.   You don't ever step into compromise without first of all rationalizing why it isn't so bad.  Behavior is cognitive before it is experiential.Directly related to this idea of a dark mind is…·      a hard heart (vs. 18-19)The Greek word refers to an especially hard kind of stone. It was also used to describe calluses.  And in this case, it emphasized how repeated behaviors could deaden any sensitivity.  Those who walk in the old way of life and continue to compromise gradually grow more and more deadened to the conviction of the Spirit.  The result of a dark mind and a hard heart is…·      a godless lifeTwo of Paul's terms are particularly strong: ·      Sensuality – “This man… does not care how much he shocks public opinion so long as he can gratify his desires…he is lost to decency and shame.” Wm. Barclay·      and Greed – “…always ready to sacrifice his neighbor to his own desires…the irresistible desire to have what we have no right to possess.” Wm. BarclayPaul warns his readers and us to not live this way…to be off with the old. Instead, we must say…On with the New.He calls for us to have…·      a renewed mind. (vs. 20-24)How do we keep renewing our minds?  We continue to give them a spiritual education. Where does that instruction come from?  Scripture. The only thing that can compete with the voices of this world is the voice of God's Word.  The second aspect of this is to seek…·      a soft heart.Having a soft heart is one of the best deterrents to slipping back into old ways. Being open to the Spirit's conviction or others' observations…and then responding in repentance can keep the calluses from growing thick.A renewed mind and a soft heart lead to…·      a godly life.          To be godly means leaving behind values and choices that reject God's will and way and embracing the values and choices that are aligned with God's will and way.It's like taking a shower each day that cleanses us and readies us to put on the Christ-like clothes of our new wardrobe. And it means throwing out our old worldly clothes once and for all. Text: Ephesians 4:17-24Originally recorded on May 8, 2016, at Fellowship Missionary Church, Fort Wayne, IN.  

Recorded July 7, 2023 Buckling the Belt of Truth, lesson 3 THEME:  following the SPIRIT's lead I will not read all the verse numbers, nor will I always cite which translation I am quoting from. If I don't say which translation, it is either NLT or GNT. The complete information is found in the episode notes. One of the mistakes I made in trying to find victory over my evil desires was thinking that the spiritual reality of my death and resurrection with Christ was going to be the key that would give me total victory over sin. It doesn't work that way. But the reality I find is that the Holy Spirit empowers all the truth about our unity with Christ. The Spirit is actually the Answer to the prayers we made based on the first two lessons for bucking the belt of truth. He is our rescuer from evil desires (our ‘flesh') which is bent on taking us to spiritual death. He is the power for transformation, the creator of a new creation, the motivator of our hearts. But realizing the role of the Holy Spirit is not like finding a key to anything. He is a person. It would be insulting to His personhood for me to give you steps for using or controlling God's Spirit. You must get to know Him.  The personhood of the Holy Spirit actually made it difficult for me to write this lesson. Let me give an example: In my first draft I wrote the next heading as “How to get the Spirit.” How insulting that must be to Him! And I beg his pardon. He is not a thing we obtain. People do slip sometimes and talk about marriage that way, like, “Where did he get that wife?” or like insensitive advice to a woman, “You need to get a husband.” Gale and I have built our relationship over 51 years, over many tough times, and through the crucible of taking our family to live in a different culture. Yet I still need to keep a close eye on maintaining my relationship with Gale. Now, the tricky thing is, if I were able to go back in time to 1972 to give myself advice, I would not be able to articulate a set of steps for how to keep Gale happy. Living with the Spirit is like that. I can't tell you very much about how to know Him, while paradoxically, I know He has been my friend. So that next heading is: How do we start a relationship with the Spirit? The answer is incredibly simple. John 7:37-39 GNT On the last and most important day of the festival Jesus stood up and said in a loud voice, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me, and whoever believes in me should drink. As the scripture says, ‘Streams of life-giving water will pour out from his side.'” Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not been raised to glory.   This agrees with Rev. 22:17 GNT The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come!” Everyone who hears this must also say, “Come!” Come, whoever is thirsty; accept the water of life as a gift, whoever wants it.   So the simple answer to how we start a relationship with Him is to come to Him in prayer and ask Him to start his work in your heart. I'll give pointers about how to pray at the end of this lesson.   Cooperate with the Spirit: We must understand that God's Spirit is the Author of Scripture. Therefore, we can know that He wants to do his work in us in a way that matches what we find in Scripture. The memorizable verses to support this are 2 Peter 1:20‭-‬21 (NLT): Above all, you must realize that no prophecy in Scripture ever came from the prophet's own understanding, or from human initiative. No, those prophets were moved by the Holy Spirit, and they spoke from God.   Your results may vary: In Eph 4 and Col 3 (by using verbs related to clothing) Paul gives us two metaphors, telling us to take off the clothes of our old life and put on the clean clothes of our new life. This process is directed by the Holy Spirit. My experience leads me to conclude this: There is more to our part in the equation than simply surrendering to the Spirit. The Spirit wants to motivate and help us, but He doesn't want to do everything for us. We don't get to be lazy.    This is why some believers have stories of amazing overnight changes that happened in their lives when they believed in Jesus, but then afterwards, it seems that all of us find left-over problems in living according to God's will that only can be conquered with personal effort and spiritual understanding. For me the Spirit immediately changed the way I talked. For others the Spirit gives immediate freedom from anger or various kinds of addictions. But after that, there always seem to be plenty of things left over for us to work on under the patient help of God's Spirit.   Ephesians 4:21‭-‬24 NLT Since you have heard about Jesus and have learned the truth that comes from him, throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. Put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy.   What kind of things can be thrown off? Immediately after those verses Paul rapidly lists such life changes as stopping lying, anger, stealing, bitterness, outbursts of rage, and slander.   Please know: There is no fakey-ness in ‘putting on' the new clothes that the Spirit gives. When such changes come welling up from inside you, be brave and allow them to show, like wearing a pair of obviously new jeans. Read the Bible daily and the Spirit will direct you in applying your new wardrobe. Sometimes following the advice of well-meaning friends will lead to frustration. They will want you to change everything all at once.   The Holy Spirit is the engine empowering our spiritual transformation.  I take that idea from the book of Romans. In chapters 5-7, Paul talks of the victory we have over the power of sin and death, but I find no hint of how that victory can actually be obtained. Then suddenly in chapter 8 Paul starts talking about the Holy Spirit.   Here is how Paul comes back to his topic after a long parenthesis in chapter 7: Romans 8:1‭-‬3 NLT So now there is no condemnation for those who [*are one with//belong to] Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin's control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins.   Romans 8:4‭-‬8 (NLT) He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit. Those who are dominated by the sinful nature think about sinful things, but those who are controlled by the Holy Spirit think about things that please the Spirit. So letting your sinful nature control your mind leads to death. But letting the Spirit control your mind leads to life and peace. For the sinful nature is always hostile to God. It never did obey God's laws, and it never will. That's why those who are still under the control of their sinful nature can never please God.   Paul's intention is absolutely clear here! Believers can “follow the Spirit's leading.” Both NLT and GNT use the word ‘controlled' in verse 5, but I think that word can give the wrong impression. The translators were struggling to express what is mysterious and difficult to grasp. Let me try to express it! The Holy Spirit doesn't take over complete control of our minds, but when we are clinging to Jesus, the Spirit enables us to know how to think and act. In verse 4, Paul literally says ‘walk according to the Spirit'. This Greek idiom of ‘walking' means our manner of life. NLT's translation of ‘following the Spirit's leading' is perfect in saying what the Greek means. We aren't controlled but more subtly directed, being enabled to ‘follow the Spirit's leading'.   My team in Indonesia worked hard to translate those verses in a way that makes sense to our Indonesian readers. Please listen to how our Indonesian translation sounds when translated into English.    Romans 8:4-6 (PET)  God did that [declared an end to sin's control over us] so that the right way of life required by God's Law would be fulfilled in us because of being united with Christ. Now, we are enabled to live obeying the leading of God's Spirit rather than going back to following our sinful natural desires.  Allah melakukan hal itu supaya cara hidup benar yang dituntut oleh Hukum Taurat terpenuhi dalam diri kita karena kita bersatu dengan Kristus. Sekarang, kita dimampukan untuk hidup menaati pimpinan Roh Allah dan tidak lagi mengikuti naluri yang berdosa.  Anyone who still follows their sinful natural desires lives to satisfy themself alone. Whereas every person who lives clinging to God's Spirit is helped by Him to think according to his will. If the direction of our lives is only to satisfy our sinful natural desires, we will end up in destruction. But if [the direction of] our lives is directed by God's Spirit, we will receive eternal life and feel calm/peace under the protection of God. Setiap orang yang masih mengikuti naluri berdosanya, berarti dia hidup untuk memuaskan diri sendiri saja. Namun, setiap orang yang hidup bergantung pada Roh Allah ditolong-Nya untuk berpikir sesuai dengan kehendak-Nya. Bila tujuan hidup kita hanya untuk memuaskan naluri kita yang berdosa, kita akan berakhir dalam kebinasaan. Tetapi bila [tujuan] hidup kita [dipimpin oleh//dikuasai] Roh Allah, kita akan mendapatkan hidup yang kekal dan merasa tenang dalam perlindungan TUHAN.    So, these verses claim that the Spirit can enable us to know how to think and act according to God's will. Following the outlook/direction of God's Spirit is what ‘ends sin's control over us'! (I want that!) But wait! Is what Paul is saying available to only a few super-Christians— like Paul himself— or is it available to all believers?    Truth: Yes, this is for you! You (a sincere believer listening to this) have been enabled to live following the Holy Spirit's leading. A basic principle that makes this possible is realizing that we have been united to Christ. (Rom. 8:1 We are truly ‘unified with/in Christ'.) Your part in this is to decide clearly the direction you want for your life (v.6). There must be an intentional change of your mind empowered by the Holy Spirit and prayer. The Greek word for ‘mind' here is phronema in v6  means ‘thought, purpose, aspirations'. Ask for the Spirit to renew your mind. We must cooperate with the Spirit! Our part #2: In verse 5 translators struggle to express the meaning found in the Greek of ‘living according to the Spirit' (ESV), or as NET translates it, having our ‘outlook shaped by the Spirit'. I think our part in that is to cling to, or lean on the Holy Spirit (v.5).    I dislike the way NLT translates this as ‘letting the Spirit control your mind'. Stating it like that seems to make me more powerful than God's Spirit.   Instead we are the weak party in our collaboration with the Spirit, and that's why I prefer to use the word ‘cling'. This is supported by Romans 8:26‭-‬27 (GNT) which says: In the same way the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. And God, who sees into our hearts, knows what the thought of the Spirit is; because the Spirit pleads with God on behalf of his people and in accordance with his will.   With what Paul just said about the Holy Spirit praying for us, let's look at John 14:16‭-‬20 (NLT), where Jesus says, I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you. No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you. Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live. When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you.   The Spirit is our Helper and Advocate. The Greek word translated like that literally means that He comes alongside. The Spirit has 3 functions in this passage in John 14: He leads us into all truth. In his advocate role and just like Paul said, the Spirit intercedes for us. He prays to the Father for us. He gives us confidence in our unity with Jesus. We are not left like orphans.   Let's put that alongside John 16:13‭-‬14 (NLT): Jesus told his disciples, When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.   Part of knowing God's Spirit is to realize that his motive is to bring glory to Jesus. He never seeks glory for himself. It follows then that if we are following his lead, we also will not seek to glorify ourselves.   When Jesus mentioned to his disciples how the Holy Spirit would ‘speak' and ‘tell you about the future', that has primarily been fulfilled for us in His giving us the Bible. I can't remember any times Jesus or the Holy Spirit have spoken to me in an audible voice. He nudges me in other ways, often when reading the Bible. When verses jump off the page, pay attention! He uses our consciences to tell us when we have sinned or to warn us not to sin. But, I still believe that the Father, Son, or Holy Spirit still do occasionally speak to people in what they perceive as an audible voice. From a few testimonies I have considered believable, God's voice or an angel's voice only come once in a lifetime. It is obviously not the Holy Spirit's prefered method of communication with us. The Bible is the prefered method! Those who claim that they daily hear the Lord speaking to them are sadly deceived. Mascurading demons are happy to give daily messages. Similarly, my advice is to never seek to be given direction through dreams.    How should we pray involving the Holy Spirit? I have mentioned the importance of prayer several times. This makes me think that some listeners might like a few pointers about how to pray.  The Holy Spirit does not seek to glorify himself, so the normal direction about praying should work well for us, namely, We pray to God the Father in the name Jesus the Son and through the mediation of the Holy Spirit. Most of the time I address my prayers like that to our Father in heaven. But it is perfectly fine to address prayers to any member of the Trinity. If I happen to be praying about something that reminds me of  Jesus, then I will often address my prayer to Him. An example would be realizing that I have a special need today for Jesus to be with me in something facing me. So I find it natural to pray, “Lord Jesus, You promised You would be with us always in Matthew 28, and I need You to be with me today.”  Similarly, I pray directly to the Holy Spirit when I am praying something that has to do with the ministries of the Holy Spirit as described in the Bible. As I said above, He leads us into all truth. He is also the author of Scripture. So it is fine to invite the Holy Spirit to help you when you need direction in understand or putting into practice something you've found in the Bible. The Holy Spirit pleads for us directly to the Father. So if I am praying to the Father about some urgent issue, I sometimes ask the Holy Spirit to help me bring my plea powerfully to the Father. Since Paul says we are enabled to be directed by the Holy Spirit (as in Romans 8), then asking Him to remove any communication barriers is a good idea. Ephesians 4:30 says: “Do not bring sorrow (grieve) the Holy Spirit.” He won't want to direct your thinking/outlook if you have done that. It is certain that He will be pleased if you come to Him and ask for forgiveness. Ephesians 6:18 (GNT) “… Pray on every occasion, as the Spirit leads. For this reason keep alert and never give up; pray always for all God's people.” Therefore it is certainly a good thing to pray to the Holy Spirit asking for Him to lead you in praying, giving you alertness to things He wants you to pray about. Ephesians 6:17 (GNT) Directs us to “accept … the word of God as the sword which the Spirit gives you.” It is therefore a great idea to ask the Holy Spirit for wisdom in how to bring God's Word into your conversations. Then we can't forget to ask Him for this one too: Ephesians 5:18 (GNT) “Do not get drunk with wine, which will only ruin you; instead, be filled with the Spirit.”   We have run out of time to discuss the gifts that are given by the Spirit. Paul urges us to pray, asking to be given the most useful spiritual gifts. When someone thanks you for the way God is using your gift in your local church, don't get proud about that. But use that feedback as an encouragement to cling even tighter to the Holy Spirit.    Let's pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Paul says that as a believer in Christ, the power of sin should no longer control our lives. So my listener and I have already been enabled through the truth of your Word to live obeying the leading of the Holy Spirit. Dear Father, please give our minds a new sensitivity to the nudges of your Spirit. O Holy Spirit, help us to realize any ways we have grieved You. Please lead us in asking for your forgiveness. And teach us how to cling to You. Dear Jesus, we pray that we will remember that we are so unified to you that it is as if we died with You on the cross and now have been raised to live a life under new management. Therefore Lord, help us to realize when our minds go back to well-worn pathways that lead to the desires that used to dominate our thoughts. Help us to put our eyes back on You, Lord Jesus. Heavenly Father, I pray for my brother or sister listening to me now, if he/she struggles to believe that the Holy Spirit is in any way active in his/her life. Dear Jesus, please convince my listener that you haven't left them alone and orphaned. O Holy Spirit, come to my listener and to me. Renew our minds and make us a new creation.    Amen. And Gale and I say, “May the Lord bless you ‘real good'.”  

Were It Not For Jesus Christ, We Would Have Nothing And Be Nothing. Pastor Robert R. McLaughlin. We begin this morning with some of the blessings and accomplishments that our Lord's ascension, descension, and session were about to be mentioned and supplied by our Lord's victories upon the cross. This is a reference to our Lord's ascension into heaven following His resurrection and His position at the right hand of God the Father for when He arrived into Heaven He heard those magical words which were quoted from Psa 110:1; Mat 22:44; Mar 12:36; Luk 20:42; Acts 2:34‑35; Heb 10:12‑14. Psa 110:1; Mat 22:44; Mar 12:36; Luk 20:42; Acts 2:34‑35; Heb 10:12‑14. “Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” This is a passage that describes the Doctrine of the Session which is a doctrine of Christology that pertains to the glorification of our Lord's humanity at the right hand of God the Father. For when our Lord received the title that He did to sit down at the right hand of God, He was beginning to experience the ultimate glory of everything He could ever imagine that was about to happen to Him. Things like 1CO 2:9 "Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him." Or things like 1PE 1:12 It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves, but you, in these things which now have been announced to you through those who preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven‑‑ things into which angels long to look. This is also a time in 2CO 5:10 when each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. In 1Co 3:14, It will also be a time when winner believers shall receive a reward. The point is that the Doctrine of the Session is that doctrine of Christology pertaining to the glorification of our Lord's humanity at the right hand of the Father. If TLJC remained on earth, He would have a limited glory, but when He went to the third heaven He became superior to all creation, and therefore He received unlimited glory. Look how the apostle Paul put it beginning with COL 3:1 If then you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. So in COL 3:2, he writes Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. It's interesting that the word he used for mind is the present active imperative of the verb phroneo which is a word for loving with affection. Why? Because in COL 3:3 For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. COL 3:4, and When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. This reveals the fact that upon arrival in the third heaven, our Lord was seated at the right hand of God the Father which is one of the many blessings of the Doctrine of the Session. Then He received His third royal title "King of kings, Lord of lords, the Bright Morning Star." This was this time that the human race was elevated higher than the entire angelic creation; Heb 1:14; Heb 2:7; Psa 8. Then Paul says back in COL 2:1 For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf, and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face, COL 2:2 that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in impersonal unconditional love, and attaining to all the wealth [that is the riches] that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge [or epignosis or metabolized doctrine] of God's mystery, that is, the mystery doctrine of Christ Himself, COL 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. It's interesting that the word for treasure is the Greek noun thesaurus which means a treasure chest of almost anything just like the English word is used to describe anything that can be used or has meaning. COL 2:4 I say this in order that no one may delude you or deceive you with persuasive argument. COL 2:5 For even though I am absent in body, nevertheless I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good discipline and the stability of your faith or doctrine in Christ. Therefore, in COL 2:6 As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord yourselves [as Eph 2:8 says, by grace, through faith; and not of works], so walk in Him, COL 2:7 having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith, just as you were instructed, and overflowing with gratitude. Now, according to PSA 8. originally, man was created higher than the animal creation and lower than the angels. PSA 8:1 (For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David.) O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth, Who hast displayed Thy splendor above the heavens! PSA 8:2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, Because of Thine adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease. PSA 8:3 When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, The moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; PSA 8:4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? PSA 8:5 Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty! PSA 8:6 Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, PSA 8:7 All sheep and oxen, And also the beasts of the field, PSA 8:8 The birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, Whatever passes through the paths of the seas. PSA 8:9 O Lord, our Lord, How majestic is Thy name in all the earth! Now, when our Lord arrived in heaven as a member of the human race, He was rewarded by God the Father for His strategic and tactical victory in the angelic conflict. And. He was also given a brand new title for this strategic victory. That brand title that He did not possess before He became a member of the human race is “The King of kings, the Lord of lords, the bright and morning star. This was His third royal title. His first two titles were the Son of God and His Royal Family was God the Father and God the Holy Spirit so that all three members of His Royal Family were god or deity. His second title was the son of David and His Royal Family was made up of Jews or the Davidic Dynasty the Son of David. However, because His third royal title had no Royal Family, the age of Israel was halted or paused and the Church-age was inserted for the calling out of His third Royal Family called the [ekklesia] or the Royal Family; 1Pe 2:9. 1Pe 2:9 But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for {God's} own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; However, there would be a fantastic change made from David's Psalm in the book of Hebrews. For example, in HEB 2:6 But one has testified somewhere, saying, "What is man, that Thou rememberest him? Or the son of man, that Thou art concerned about him? That's a quotation from PSA 8:4 What is man, that Thou dost take thought of him? And the son of man, that Thou dost care for him? Now look at HEB 2:7 "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Thou hast crowned him with glory and honor, And hast appointed him over the works of Thy hands; HEB 2:8 Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. That's a quotation from PSA 8:5-6, Yet Thou hast made him a little lower than God, And dost crown him with glory and majesty! Thou dost make him to rule over the works of Thy hands; Thou hast put all things under his feet, However, notice what is added in Heb 2:7, "Thou hast made him for a little while lower than the angels; Only for a little while. David never said that? Why? Because Old Testament were not elevated higher than angels because they were not in union with Christ like New Testament saints. So, HEB 2:8 says Thou hast put all things in subjection under his feet. "For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him. HEB 2:9 But we do see Him who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone. HEB 2:10 For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. So, because of our union with Christ and because of the ascension and session, Jesus Christ is seated at the right hand of God and you and I are: EPH 2:6 Raised up with Him, and seated with Him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus, HEB 1:13 says But to which of the angels has He ever said, "Sit at My right hand, Until I make Thine enemies A footstool for Thy feet"? God the Father never said this to any angel, but only to Jesus Christ. It is very significant that God the Father said this to the humanity of Christ in a resurrection body. This means that although we are now inferior to angels in our human bodies on earth, in the future in resurrection bodies we will be totally superior to angels. Then concerning the elect angels look at HEB 1:14 Are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to render service for the sake of those who will inherit salvation? Now, all of this is why this doctrine of ascension and session is the missing link between the resurrection of Christ and the Christian way of life. Something new had to be created to accompany this new third royalty of Jesus Christ, a new royal family. His new royalty had to be a new spiritual species, as per 2Co 5:17. 2Co 5:17 Therefore if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come. In ROM 6:4, we are given a newness of life; 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. In ROM 7:6 But now we have been released from the Law, having died to that by which we were bound, so that we serve in newness of the Spirit and not in oldness of the letter. In GAL 6:15 For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation. In EPH 2:15, we are now called one new man, by abolishing in His flesh the enmity, {which is} the Law of commandments {contained} in ordinances, that in Himself He might make the two into one new man, {thus} establishing peace, In EPH 4:24, we are commaned to put on the new self, which in {the likeness of} God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. Look at COL 3:9 Do not lie to one another or do not live in the lies of the cosmic system, since you laid aside the old self with its {evil} practices, COL 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 COL 3:11 ‑‑{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. In HEB 8:13, we have "A new {covenant}," In 2PE 3:13 But according to His promise we are looking for new heavens and a new earth, in which righteousness dwells. 1JO 2:8 On the other hand, I am writing a new commandment to you, which is true in Him and in you, because the darkness is passing away, and the true light is already shining. REV 21:1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer {any} sea. Look at all the new things we are to look for. REV 21:5 And He who sits on the throne said, "Behold, I am making all things new." And He *said, "Write, for these words are faithful and true." So, these two doctrines of ascension and session combine to form the climax of the strategic victory of Christ in the angelic conflict. While the angels were still talking our Lord was already in the third heaven. He traveled billions and billions of light years in just a few seconds. After His ascension, His session fulfilled the prophecy of Psa 110:1 "The Lord [God the Father] said to my Lord [God the Son], `Sit down at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.'" So, the strategic victory of Jesus Christ in the great power experiment of the Hypostatic Union is related to the award of His third royal title. His first royal title is related to His deity. His title is "Son of God." His royal family is God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. His second royal title is related to His humanity. His title is "Son of David." His royal family is the Davidic dynasty. His third royal title is related to His resurrection and ascension. His entire title is "King of kings, Lord of lords, Bright and Morning Star." His royal family is in the process of being completed, made up of every Church-age believer. You are not simply a child of God; you are a royal child of God. So, the ascension and session is not only related to the Hypostatic Union, but it also to the angelic conflict. With the resurrection of Jesus Christ, all angelic creatures including fallen angels, are subordinated to Him in His humanity. In His deity, Jesus Christ is the creator of angels. In His humanity, He was made lower than angels, Heb 2:7. But now in His resurrection, He is higher than angels in His humanity. And some day in our resurrection body, we will share that same privilege experientially. Being in union with Christ, we are already positionally higher than angels. But in resurrection bodies, we will be experientially and physically higher than angels. Eph 1:22, "And He [God the Father] has subordinated all [angelic creatures] under His feet. Furthermore, He appointed Him [Jesus Christ] ruler over all things to the Church." After studying the ascension and the decension, we are now ready for and the importance of understanding the Doctrine of the Session. This lead's us to one more major doctrine that is extremely important and that is the Doctrine of what is known THE BIG GENUFLEX. The big Genuflex is the interim event between the Rapture and the Judgment Seat of Christ when every knee will bow before TLJC. Right after the rapture or the resurrection of the church and before the judgment seat of Christ where winners will be rewarded, there is a period of time when TLJC will be worshipped by all believers in their resurrection bodies. Therefore, the big Genuflex is both the glorification of the Father's plan and the recognition of our Lord's victory over sin and Satan which was bestowed on Him at His session. At this time, the entire royal family is present, and they confess to the victory of TLJC over sin and over Satan. This explains passages like PHI 2:9 Therefore also God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the title or title which is above every other title. It is also found in PHI 2:10 where the apostle Paul says; that at the title of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth. PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Now, we must have a resurrection body as He does because we are His family. And, in resurrection body, the entire royal family will identify the Head of the family, Jesus Christ, to the glory of God the Father. In our moment of greatest happiness we will be talking and singing about the Lord Jesus Christ. Our greatest moment of happiness will be thinking and talking about our Lord. This also explains the relationship between Rom 14:10-11 and Phi 2:9‑11. Look at Rom 14:10 But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. ROM 14:11 For it is written, "As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God." ROM 14:12 So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. Now, the big Genuflex is the moment of maximum +H which is perpetuated forever. It is followed by the Judgment Seat of Christ. And we make that happiness meaningful by receiving our eternal rewards and decorations. However, you won't lose this fantastic happiness at the Judgment Seat of Christ even if you receive no reward, due to your failure in life. We can understand the confession of the royal family immediately following the Rapture based on the concept of Christ's battlefield royalty, for we will be in total awe of Him. This moment will be the fulfillment of all our doctrine, and the realization of the purpose of our new birth and why we lived for Him while on earth. We will each personally praise the strategic victory of the angelic conflict and relate it to our very purpose for living, Rom 14:11. Blessing and rewards which glorify Christ fulfill prophesies in the Old Testament, Isa 53:12b, "Then He will distribute the spoil or the blessings to the great ones or the mature believers." Christ was willing to suffer on the cross that we might share in the plunder or spoil of His victory. So, the big Genuflex, our acknowledgment of Christ in eternity, will be the greatest moment of worship in history, full of great singing. In time, we acknowledge Christ by our daily intake of doctrine. In the eternal state, we will acknowledge Him through our worship. Now, something very interesting is said about our Lord in Phi 2:10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and under the earth, The phrase that "every knee should bow" is the recognition of the Celebrityship of Christ by both believers and unbelievers. This is a reference to unbelievers who did not do it the easy way. The easy way is through the communication of doctrine by the pastor-teacher to his con­gregation, so that they can reach super-grace and occupation with the Person of Christ, our unique Celebrity. The hard way is described as the unbeliever on his knees at the end of time. He has rejected Jesus Christ. He has used the Name of Christ in profanity and derision. Or he has ridiculed Him or has been passive and indifferent toward Him. But the time will come when the Celebrityship of Christ will be manifest to all creatures in the universe. PHI 2:11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. God the Father had a plan that He made billions and billions of years ago—sometime in eternity past. And the epitome of the expression of God's Plan is the God-Man-Savior. Prin: A per­fect Plan from a perfect Father glorifies a perfect Son. His Plan was that all creatures would come to recognize the Celebrityship of Christ. First of all, by the Gospel, leading a person to Phase One (salvation). Next by reaching super-grace in Phase Two (the believer in time), we are now able to glorify the Lord. Now, where does this leave be­lievers who are ignorant of doctrine and who do not recognize the Celebrityship of Christ? They are completely missing out on the Plan of God for their lives, and thus they are losing out on the greatest and most wonderful blessing life can offer! And this need not be the case in any believer's life. Christ CAN become a reality NOW through doctrine. "Christ is all and in all" (Col. 3:11), or literally, "Christ is all things be­cause He is the source of all things." COL 3:13 bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you. COL 3:14 And beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. COL 3:15 And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful. COL 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. COL 3:17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father. Beginning with doc­trine, He is the grace source of everything we have of value. Were it not for Jesus Christ, we would have nothing and be nothing. Bible doctrine in the soul counteracts the old sin nature, demon influence and every other adverse circumstance in life. It is the basis for reaching the­ capacity to love. And when we have maximum capacity for Category One love under super-grace living, then we have a new focus, a new concentration, a new motivation, a new happiness—in short, we have a fantastic life! As for unbelievers, before they get to the Lake of Fire, they will recognize and finally acknowledge, the hard way, that Jesus Christ is the ONLY CELEBRITY of the universe. Even unbelievers are going to hell on their knees saying "JESUS IS LORD! Prin-There is nothing greater that a believer can do during the course of this life than to live in the sphere of the Celebrityship of Jesus Christ—the highest status in exper­iential Christianity! We also need to note The Necessity for the Humanity of Christ. Why did Christ have to become a human being….eight reasons? Jesus Christ became true humanity to do the will of the Father, Heb 10:5-10. Heb 10:5, Therefore, when He entered the world [at virgin birth], He said [Psa 40:6-8], `You [God the Father] do not desire sacrifice and offering [soteriology of the ritual plan of God for the dispensation of Israel], At that time [virgin birth] I said [from His deity], Behold, I have arrived; (in the scroll of a book it stands written about Me [Old Testament prophecies] to accomplish Your will, O God. After saying the above, `Sacrifices and whole burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You have not desired, nor have You been propitiated by them; (which sacrifices are offered according to the law), then He said, ”Behold, I have arrived to execute Your will, He has abrogated [taken away] the first [the Mosaic Law] that He might establish the second [PPOG for the Church]. By which will [purpose, plan] we [new spiritual species, royal family of God] have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once and for all. So, when our Lord says in Heb 10:7, “I have arrived to accomplish Your will, O God, it was spoken from the deity of Christ in Hypostatic Union. It refers to the election of Jesus Christ related to the salvation or the incarnation plan of God. And when verse 9 says; He takes away the first in order to establish the second; it means the PPOG for the Church Age supersedes the ritual plan of God for Israel. The new spiritual species of the Church Age replaces the new racial species of Israel, i.e., until the second Advent, when Israel will again become a client nation to God. The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross and resultant efficacious unlimited atonement fulfills and abrogates the ritual authorization of the Mosaic Law. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be the Savior of the world, Phi 2:7-8; Heb 2:14-15. As God, Jesus Christ could not have anything to do with sin except judge and reject sin. Sovereignty is not subject to death. Eternal life cannot die, and physical death was necessary for our Lord's resurrection. Only humanity could bear our sins. So, Jesus Christ had to become true humanity and perfect humanity in order to receive the imputation and judgment of our sins on the cross, 1Pe 2:24. 1Pe 2:24 and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be the mediator between God and man, Job 9:2,32-33; 1Ti 2:5-6. He had to be equal with both God and mankind to be a mediator between both parties. Therefore, Jesus Christ had to be both undiminished deity and true humanity in one person forever. Job 9:2 In truth I know that this is so but how can a man be in the right before God? JOB 9:3 If one wished to dispute with Him, He could not answer Him once in a thousand times. JOB 9:32 For He is not a man as I am that I may answer Him, that we may go to court together. JOB 9:33 There is no umpire between us, Who may lay his hand upon us both. 1TI 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus. 1TI 2:6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony borne at the proper time. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be a High priest for the human race. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be a Priest for the human race. A priest must be a man in order to represent man before God. Jesus Christ became true humanity to be our high priest after the order (or pattern) of Melchizedek, Heb 7:4-5,14, 28; 10:5, 10-14. HEB 7:4 Now observe how great this man was to whom Abraham, the patriarch, gave a tenth of the choicest spoils. HEB 7:5 And those indeed of the sons of Levi who receive the priest's office have commandment in the Law to collect a tenth from the people, that is, from their brethren, although these are descended from Abraham. In HEB 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, a tribe with reference to which Moses spoke nothing concerning priests. In HEB 7:28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word of the oath, which came after the Law, appoints a Son, made perfect forever. In HEB 10:5 Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "Sacrifice and offering Thou hast not desired, But a body Thou hast prepared for Me; In HEB 10:10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. In HEB 10:11 And every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; HEB 10:12 but He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, HEB 10:13 waiting from that time onward until His enemies be made a footstool for His feet. HEB 10:14 For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. Jesus Christ had to become true humanity to be a king and rule forever. He had to be the son of David to fulfill the Davidic covenant to Israel, 2Sa 7:8-16; Psa 89:20-37. These definitions presume your understanding of the Hypostatic Union and they closely related to and based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. 1TI 6:16 who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light; whom no man has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen. And when He says "He takes away the first in order to establish the second," it means the PPOG for the Church-age supersedes the ritual plan of God for Israel. The new spiritual species of the Church Age replaces the new racial species of Israel, i.e., until the second Advent, when Israel will again become a client nation to God. The substitutionary spiritual death of Christ on the cross and resultant efficacious unlimited atonement fulfills and abrogates the ritual authorization of the Mosaic Law. These definitions all presume your understanding of the Hypostatic Union and they closely related to and based on the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.

When a Christian walks out their door, they cross into a spiritual battlefield of the fallen world. We are vulnerable targets for the enemy, but there's good news. We come fully equipped with protection and weaponry Paul called the Armor of God. In Eph. 6:10, Paul tells us to put on the whole thing. This series sets out to explore each of these pieces of holy armor, what they mean and how we can apply them to our lives. In part one, we look at the foundation of all the rest of the set, the Belt of Truth.

In this episode, we finish out Ephesians chapter 3 and the the indicatives of part 1 of the book. In Eph. 3:14 - 21, Paul models not only praying bigger, but models how to specifically pray for Spiritual strength. The 3 main issues we  delve into from this passage in this episode are: 1)What does it mean to pray for spiritual strength? 2) What is the spiritual strength we are given? 3) Why is it even necessary that we have spiritual strength? But before we get to that, we define what "God's manifold wisdom" is. A confusing, sometimes misunderstood concept.Lots to learn together!! Join us!

Point 4. The Manifestation of Kenosis in our Lord's Evidence Testing. Sunday morning, I quoted Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer who wrote the following: I may comment now and then, if necessary. First of all, Throw away your concept that Satan tries to get people to sin. As Dr. Chafer wrote said; Y "A serious question arises whether the presence of gross evil in the world is due to Satan's intention to have it so, or whether it indicates Satan's inability to execute all he has designed. The key word here is “inability” Satan has found out that controlling the human race is an impossible task and it is very difficult. Next, he says: Y The probability is great that Satan's ambition has led him to undertake more than any creature could ever administer." Then he warns us: Y "Beware of false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits" (MAT 7:15-20).” MAT 7:15 "Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves. MAT 7:16 "You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn {bushes,} nor figs from thistles, are they? MAT 7:17 "Even so, every good tree bears good fruit; but the bad tree bears bad fruit. MAT 7:18 "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. MAT 7:19 "Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. MAT 7:20 "So then, you will know them by their fruits. Y The warning to the children of God under grace is against false teachers who are to be discerned by their doctrine concerning Christ (2Pe 2:1, 2Jo 1:7-11): never by their lives. Y The warning to the children of God under grace is against false teachers who are to be discerned by their doctrine concerning Christ (2Pe 2:1, 2Jo 1:7-11): never by their lives. And this falls under the principle of it's not the man but the message that counts. Y for outwardly, false teachers are said to be directly under the power of Satan who himself appears as an angel of light (2Co 11:13-15). Y The attractive personality of the false teacher affords g1reat advantage as a background for the appeal he makes for his doctrine." MAT 4:1 Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. MAT 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He then became hungry. Now, in verses 3-11 we have five principles concerning the temptations. MAT 4:3 And the tempter came and said to Him, “Since You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread." Satan isn't interested in you or me cranking out sin; this hurts his cause. He is interested in your cranking out human good. This leads us to verse 4 MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, "It is written, 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'" For forty days He had been living on the Word and now He is ready for the devil. The devil is not the one who tries to get people to sin; the devil can use people who are full of human good — do-gooders, religious people. There is a man called Paul Harvey that some of you may remember who would tell five minute stories with great lessons behind them. One of them is entitled “If I Were the Devil.” It is really amazing to realize over 47 years ago how accurately he “prophesied” the future spiritual condition of the United States. Many of his statements were considered ridiculously outlandish at that time in history. Yet, we find ourselves today in almost exactly what we are going through. Like Chafer, I will quote him to illustrate the principle. If I were the Prince of Darkness, I'd want to engulf the whole world in darkness, and I'd have a third of its real estate, and four-fifths of its population, but I wouldn't be happy until I had seized the ripest apple on the tree. I'd set about however necessary to take over the United States. I'd subvert the churches first by beginning with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent, I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: ‘Do as you please. “To the young, I would whisper that ‘The Bible is a myth.' I would convince them that man created God instead of the other way around. I would confide that what's bad is good, and what's good is ‘square.' And the old, I would teach to pray, after me, ‘Our Father, which art in Washington' “And then I'd get organized. I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that anything else would appear dull and uninteresting.” I'd threaten TV with dirtier movies and vice versa. I'd pedal narcotics to whom I could. I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction. I'd tranquilize the rest with pills. “If I were the devil I'd soon have families that fight with each other, war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames. If I were the devil, I would encourage schools to refine young intellects, but neglect to discipline emotions. Just let the emotions run wild, until before you knew it, you'd have to have drug sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every schoolhouse door. “Within a decade I'd have prisons overflowing, I'd have judges promoting pornography. Soon I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the houses of Congress. And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion, and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys and girls, and church money. If I were the devil, I'd make the symbols of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle. “If I were the devil, I'd take from those who have, and give to those who want until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.” And what do you bet I could get whole states to promote gambling as the way to get rich? I would caution against extremes and hard work in Patriotism, in moral conduct. I would convince the young that marriage is old-fashioned, that swinging is more fun, that what you see on the TV is the way to be. And thus, I could undress you in public, and I could lure you into bed with diseases for which there is no cure. In other words, if I were the devil, I'd just keep right on doing what I'm doing. Then he was known for two salutations; At the end of his message, he would say; “Paul Harvey, Good day! Or at the end of his message: He was known for the statement, “And now you know, the rest of the story.” Our Lord knew Deuteronomy because: He quotes from DEU 8:3, and He gave Satan a dogmatic answer: “It is written,” in the perfect tense, it is written in the past with the result that it goes on forever. Deuteronomy is the book that describes the walk of the people in the land when it says; “Man shall not live” which indicates that it takes more than mere survival to be truly alive, When Jesus Christ set up the pattern for the Church-age believer, He had the indwelling Spirit and He had the filling of the Spirit, both of which He never lost. We lose the filling of the Spirit but we will never lose the indwelling of the Spirit; JOH 14:16 "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; Another principle concerning Mat 4:4, that man must not live by bread alone, is that: Our Lord indicated to us that just having food, shelter and clothing and the necessities of life isn't living. Man is not living apart from relationship to God and so man is not going to live by bread alone. Bread is a type of logistical grace blessings. And we all know that in: 2TI 2:4 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. The word “alone” also adds the spiritual to it because we still all need food in order to survive. Relationship with the Lord must come first, however. Food is necessary to sustain physical life but the sustaining of physical life is meaningless without spiritual life --- because that simply is not living. Here's where we go back to the principle of I.C.E. and note the exegesis or the original language; There are three Greek words for life: bios, psuche, and zoe. These words have different meanings: Bios refers to the existence of life Psuche refers to thinking of life as a normal function Zoe refers to the supernatural way of life. The word living here is the word “zoe” which is the “life” our Lord revealed to us when He handled the temptations that He faced. The zoe life! What is it? Zoe comes from zoology and it means the function of life and here it refers to the super-grace life which is the objective of all doctrine. The objective of doctrine is to take the believer to the super-grace life. The “zoe life” is God's fantastic grace provision which is far beyond even your most fervent prayers. You have never prayed for anything that even comes close to the "zoe life” or the life that God has designed for you. The “zoe life” came from the doctrine of the Hypostatic union when our Lord as a man operated in the Doctrine of Kenosis. Kenosis was when our Lord revealed the uniqueness of His Hypostatic Union by living in the “zoe” life. The "zoe life” is God's fantastic grace provision which is far beyond things for which you have asked from others. You ask parents, people, friends, spouses, and children for things throughout your lifetime. However; The "zoe life” or the "life that God has designed for you" is far beyond anything for which you have ever asked from anyone. EPH 3:20 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, TLJC said; JOH 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have [zoe] life, and might have {it} abundantly. The "zoe life” is also God's fantastic grace provisions which are far beyond your fondest dreams. No matter how wild and seemingly impossible your dreams may be; God has provided something far greater than any thinking or imagination in any dream you have ever had. And what God has provided for the mature believer in the "zoe life” staggers the imagination. The "zoe life” is the direct result of fulfilling the life beyond gnosis or knowledge into epignosis . It's one thing to know something, it's another to experience it. The life beyond gnosis of Eph 3:19 is the means of entering the zoe life of Eph 3:20. In EPH 3:18, Paul says that we: EPH 3:18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God. The life beyond gnosis or knowledge is the means of executing the PPOG, and the "zoe life” is the result of executing the PPOG. In the "zoe life, God does infinitely more than two things stated in Eph 3:20. 1. He does infinitely more than all we ask, whether the asking is toward God in prayer, or toward man by request. Secondly: 2. He does infinitely more than all we think or imagine, which is our personal desires, expectations, and our thoughts associated with happiness symbols. Dreams can represent: What we want to be! What we want to have!. With whom we desire to associate! To what we want to be promoted to. And where applicable, with whom we desire to marry. Dreams carry us to the farthest extent of our imagination. So: For every member of the royal family of God, there is a "zoe life” which goes beyond anything for which we can ask of anyone, whether God or man. For every Church-age believer, as a member of the body of Christ, there is a life beyond our dreams and our imaginations. It is a fantastic life. A life that is in view in Col 3:3 For you have died and your life [zoe-life] has been hidden together with Christ by means of God. This is the ultimate life, and it is what God expects for every believer to have. And for this life, God has made complete and total provision. The provisions come in three spiritual mechanics and the four spiritual skills. The three spiritual skills: 1. The filling of the Holy Spirit, 2. The ten problem-solving devices, 3. The execution of the PPOG. The four spiritual mechanics are: 1. The utilization of divine power 2. The three spiritual skills 3. The deployment of the 10 PSD. 4. The execution of the three stages of spiritual adulthood; S.S.E.; S.A.; S.M. Now, dreams are often an escape from reality, but there is nothing but reality and indescribable blessing in the "zoe life”. In other words, the zoe life doesn't escape from reality, but it is fantastic, indescribable reality. We do not even have the imagination to dream or the power to ask for the things which God has prepared for us in the zoe life. 1Co 2:9 "However, as it stands written, `no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him.'" "Those who love Him" here refers to mature believers. Isa 55:8 "My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are My ways your ways,' says the Lord." This means God has done some thinking way beyond our thinking. And His thinking becomes a reality for us once we enter the zoe life. And the ways of God are way beyond our understanding. But once we reach the “zoe-life”, we begin to comprehend God's ways in a way which gives worship and gratitude and appreciation for God an entirely new meaning. ISA 55:9 "`For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.'" But those ways of God, though higher, are not beyond our grasp. Because….. In the “zoe-life”, we learn about those ways and experience some of those ways that are higher than our ways. The point is that you cannot even begin to think, imagine, or dream of the fantastic things that God has provided for you in the “zoe life”. This is all because our Lord chose to live in the Doctrine of Kenosis and gave us the power and the ability to do so. In the life beyond gnosis, the Church glorifies God through the attainment of spiritual maturity. In the zoe life, the church glorifies God through receiving their escrow blessings for time and in the eternal state. And the poor attempt of the pastor to teach about your escrow blessings doesn't even begin to describe what God has for you personally in the zoe life. Your blessings for time are infinitely more than all we can ask or imagine. They are life beyond our dreams. Now, if you are normal, you want things in life. People dream about what they want or desire in life. These dreams are associated with happiness symbols. And there is nothing wrong with having dreams providing that: These dreams do not inhibit your relationship with God or and come between Him and your assigned personal sense of destiny. People dream about what they want or desire in life. And these dreams are associated with happiness symbols. For example, people dream of: a. Greatness or success. b. Commendation from people. c. Being respected and receiving approval. d. Money and security. e. Social life and romance. f. The possession of materialistic things which are coveted for pleasure or which are desired as a status symbol. g. Achievement in some field in which they are interested. h. Possessing beauty, strength, attractiveness, and-or health. i. And where applicable, being married to the ideal person. These dreams express what we want, what we desire, what we think, and what we imagine. But God has provided for the mature believer a zoe-life, beyond imagination, and beyond our greatest solicitation to self-interest. For dreams, imaginations, prayers, and asking favors of others all add up to solicitation to self-interest. Yet God provides for the mature believer the "zoe life" which is beyond all of that. So, there is nothing like the Zoe-life or the life of God. Therefore, let's notice some principles concerning this life “zoe life” that God has for us which is hidden in Christ as found in the Gospel of John. First of all, 1. This life is only found in Christ and gives us guidance and direction; JOH 1:4. JOH 1:4 In Him was life, and this zoe-life was the light f men. Notice, light gives you guidance, direction and clarity. There is no confusion or chaos or boredom with the zoe-life. 2. This life is made available to anyone who believes in TLJC, JOH 3:15. JOH 3:15 That whoever believes may in Him have eternal life [that is the “zoe life”. The “zoe life” is life more abundantly; JOH 10:10 "The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have “zoe life,” and might have {it} abundantly. 3. This “zoe life” or the life which comes from God fulfills the desires which are found in every one of us, JOH 4:14. JOH 4:14 But whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life." PSA 37:4 Delight yourself in the Lord; And He will give you the desires of your heart. 4. This life is made available to us in time, not beginning with eternity, JOH 5:24. JOH 5:24 "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, "has" eternal life zoe life or the life which comes from God , and does not come into judgment, but "has passed" out of death into life. 5. This “zoe life” or the life which God gives to us is given to us through the intake of doctrine, JOH 6:27. JOH 6:27 "Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life [zoe-life], which the Son of man shall give to you, for on him the Father, even God, has set his seal." In JOH 6:63 "It is the Spirit who gives zoe-life; the flesh profits nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life. 6. This “zoe life” is given without measure depending upon the believer's desire for it; JOH 3:34. JOH 3:34 "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God; for He gives the Spirit without measure. 7. This life can never be taken away, Joh 10:28-30. JOH 10:28 And I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. JOH 10:29 "My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father's hand. JOH 10:30 "I and the Father are one." 8. This "zoe life” is described in Joh 17:3 as "knowing" God and TLJC. JOH 17:3 "And this is eternal life, that they may know Thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom Thou hast sent. 9. It is through the written communication of Bible doctrine that this life is offered to every member of the human race, Joh 20:31. JOH 20:31 But these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of God; and that believing you may have zoe life in His name. 10. In PHI 4:11-12, we have the correct interpretation of life is for the believer who sticks with doctrine and lives in the way and the truth manifested by the Kenosis life. PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. PHI 4:12 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. This is what it means to be on the right side of history or to accept your calling and place in life. This, of course, refers to the lifestyle and thinking of the mature believer.......contentment no matter what. This is the result of perception, metabolization of and application of Bible doctrine. This is living in "the zoe-life." For the true purpose of receiving doctrine is to recognize what TLJC means when He said in JOH 14:6: JOH 14:6 "I am the way [entrance], and the truth [doctrine], and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. The reason why truth is so important is because of what it produces as mentioned in our passage when the apostle Paul said: PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am. The Truth leads to the Christian life, or the zoe-life. Zoe means the function of life. In the spiritual life, zoe refers to the super-grace life which is the objective of Bible doctrine resident in the soul. This zoe-life refers to an extraordinary peace that God desires for us to experience even in time. The “zoe life.” Even in time, you have the ability to begin to experience “zoe-life” within you.....as we noted last evening in he Gospel of John. This sense of inner peace and contentment may decrease or increase because this new life, the zoe life, a life of complete contentment is given little by little. However, in the eternal state, this zoe-life will fill you entirely. However, the point is that: As God has a plan for our lives which enables us to recognize death to old sin nature with its selfish desires, as a part of that plan He also gives us the experience of zoe-life in time.

Since the Kingdom has historical continuity, we can speak of it in the past, present and future tenses (already-but not yet). In each phase, God's people rejoice in what they have and look forward to more to come. One phase builds upon the other. As we now experience some limited aspects of the Kingdom, we gain confidence that the future Kingdom will also be a reality. The expression “already, but not yet” helps us understand Jesus' statement in Matthew 4:14 and Mark 11:4-15 that the Kingdom of Heaven was at hand. Yet, the Kingdom was also distant since Jesus repeatedly told the disciples that the Kingdom was yet future. In Eph. 2:6, Paul says that Christians are already seated in Heaven. “…and raised us up with Him; and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” But we are still here on earth! Only when Christians die do they go to Heaven.

Samuel was born around 1100BC and his hometown was Ramah, located in the hill country of Ephraim. He was a Levite from the descendants of Kohath. Samuel was the last of the judges, the first of the (major) prophets and the anointer and counsellor of Kings. Acts 3:24 Indeed, beginning with Samuel, all the prophets who have spoken have foretold these days. Acts 13:20 All this took about 450 years. “After this, God gave them judges until the time of Samuel the prophet. Samuel literally ushered in a new day for Israel. Imagine God trusting you to be that person. Could it be that there is a new day coming for your entire family, industry or your nation and God is entrusting you to transition his people into this? In this message we will study key events in Samuel's life and see why God could trust Him with such a responsibility. In Eph 4:1 Paul states: As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Our lifestyle should match our calling. When more believers understand this, there will be more people that God can trust with specific assignments for this generation. Heb 11:32 And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson and Jephthah, about David and Samuel and the prophets. There is a reason why Samuel is included in the great hall of faith mentioned in the book of Hebrews and in this message will explore why he was one of a kind.

True and False Spiritual Warfare, Part 16 - Understanding Prayer, presented by Bob DeWaay and Jessica Kramasz. In Eph 6 the prayer is for boldness to proclaim the gospel. Prayer is believers coming "...boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:16), not deploying weapons to manipulate the spirit world. (duration 00:26:00) Click here to play

In Eph. 5:16, Paul states something that if we aren’t careful we will miss its importance. He says the days we are living in are evil! In the entire book of Ephesians he continually alerts us to the oppressive, divisive and destructive work of the evil cosmic powers. But he also shines light on God’s mission in Christ that defeated them, and released people from every tribe, tongue and nation from their bondage. But just because we are released from their control in Christ doesn’t mean we can live in a manner that is oblivious to their continued influences in our days.     In Ephesians 5:15-18, Paul gives us an overarching principle and two practical ways to navigate through the darkness and evil we live in. We are encouraged to first lean into God’s wisdom and then walk in it by understanding his will and by being continually filled by his Spirit. These very things give us the way to make the most of every opportunity in our lives by demonstrating the Christian life to our family members, friends, colleagues, neighbours and classmates. 

True and False Spiritual Warfare, Part 14 - Called Out of Darkness, presented by Bob DeWaay and Jessica Kramasz. In Eph 5 Paul tells us that we were once in darkness but now are light in the Lord. Pagan religious practices offer enlightenment but lead to darkness. True enlightenment comes through the gospel and is found in Christ alone. (duration 00:30:37) Click here to play

In Eph 1:15-23, Paul earnestly prays for the church to receive a revelation of the power and authority vested in Jesus. This power is demonstrated not only in His resurrection but in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. The ascension is the coronation of Jesus as the rightful King and it assures us that everything will be brought under His Lordship. We are living in times when the church is facing many challenges. We need this reminder that Jesus is King, and He is on the throne! This vision puts all of our problems into perspective.

In Eph 1:15-23, Paul earnestly prays for the church to receive a revelation of the power and authority vested in Jesus. This power is demonstrated not only in His resurrection but in His ascension to the right hand of the Father. The ascension is the coronation of Jesus as the rightful King and it assures us that everything will be brought under His Lordship. We are living in times when the church is facing many challenges. We need this reminder that Jesus is King, and He is on the throne! This vision puts all of our problems into perspective.

In Eph 5,19 werden unsdrei Inhalte der Gottesbegegnung geschildert: Lobpreis, Anbetung und geistgewirkte Lieder. Was bedeutet das für unsere Gotesdienste? YouTube-Kanal: www.youtube.com/c/yourweeklybiblestudy  |  Fachartikel und Coachingangebote: www.ywbs.ch  |  Danke für Ihre Spende, damit YWBS weiterentwickelt werden kann. Hinweise unter www.ywbs.ch/podcast

This week Chelsey sat down with Alisha Illian to dive into a deep conversation of living surrendered to the Lord and pursuing Christ's heart in a world that desires to distract us with living for ourselves.Alisha is a wife, mom, founder of Women (re)Purposed, author of Chasing Perfect: Peace and Purpose in the Exhausting Pursuit of Something Better, and she loves equipping women with biblical truth and hope for their day-to-day struggles.  1) Tell us a little about you!Two years ago I moved from Dallas, TX back to my hometown of Wichita, Kanas with my husband of 14 years and our three, high-octane kids who are 8,10, and 12. We are the in the golden years — the are old enough to rides their own bikes on family bike rides, but no hormonal rollercoaster rides yet. My kids are big into sports and extracurricular activities. Even when we just do one sport per child....it gets busy fast. MOST CHALLENGING PART of ministry and family life. NOT BALANCE, BUT JUGGLING.I’ve been in women’s ministry both at home and in the local church for the past 20 years. Currently the founder and director for Women rePurposed, a ministry that God planted in my heart a couple of years ago and is just now launching with a full team this summer.WRP MISSION: Encouraging and Equipping Women to Love God, Learn Truth, and Live Transformed 2) I am really excited to dive into this conversation today - I’d love to start with this. Your book is titled, “Chasing Perfect”. Can you give a quick run down of the book and then share where this message came from in your own life. What changed/shifted/conviction did you feel on your heart from the Lord?Chasing Perfect: Peace and Purpose in the Exhausting Pursuit of Something Better. Authors often write books, not because they have it all figured out or have perfectly overcome a struggle, but they have learned to STRUGGLE WELL.Not all women would probably consider themselves “perfectionists”, wanting all dishes put away, beds made and counters immaculate. I certainly don’t! But many of us are constantly seeking the next best thing or reaching for something better in order to feel content.We are chasing after so many things — satisfaction in our jobs, happiness in our homes, a great tribe of friends, and a beautiful body. THE PERFECT PLAN, CONTROL, IDENTITY.I honestly believe that the most socially acceptable idols of our day IS ACHIEVEMENT — the continual desire to be great or better. I would add...to be in control. The pandemic and state of our world right now has made that painfully clear. We are looking for an answer. So we strive to be better, do better, find better, live better in an attempt to manage, tidy, and control the outcomes of our lives.BUT GOD ISN’T ASKING US FOR TIDY LIVES, BUT TRANSFORMED LIVES. HE CALLS US TO PERFECTION, BUT NOT THE PERFECTION THAT WE CAN ATTAIN, BUT THE PERFECTION THAT HE PROVIDES.“Be perfect as I am perfect.” Matthew 5:48The NT Greek idea of “perfect” here ‘TE-LE-AS’ is less about doing everything just right AND WITHOUT FLAW as the English word describes it and more about living into your purpose and identity we were designed and called to ... “being brought to it’s end, complete and mature”NOT A COMMAND TO ETHICAL EQUALITY WITH GOD, BUT THE COMMAND TO IMITATE AND REFLECT GOD. WHICH IS WHY JAMES 1:2-4 IS SO POWERFUL WHEN IT SAYS TO “COUNT IT ALL JOY WHEN YOU MEET TRIALS OF VARIOUS KINDS, FOR YOU KNOW THAT THE TESTING OF YOUR FAITH PRODUCES STEADFASTNESS. AND LET STEADFASTNESS HAVE ITS FULL EFFECT THAT YOU MAY BE “PERFECT” AND COMPLETE, LACKING IN NOTHING.”We are called to aim for increasing holiness and sanctification. He wants us to grow. But through Him and for him and in him. We aren’t chasing perfection in ourselves or for ourselves.“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted.” Hebrews 12:1-3The more I studied the scripture on this idea of “perfection” and contentment, the more I realized that the desire is not wrong. But, In fact, it may be intentional, part of how God created us.The problem is that, in my life, I often had and still often do, chase the wrong things. We were made to chase Jesus. 3) The idol of self has blazed a trail in our world and taken the Lord off of the throne of our hearts. Where do you see this being most destructive and where in scripture would you take someone as they are trying to move away from this way of living?It saddens me that so many books, and supposedly Christian authors anchor their messages on self-determination and personal fulfillment. That true hope and purpose is found in “fulfilling your potential”. They may have large followings, but they fail to tell you WHO you should really follow and that the meaningful life is not found in self-empowerment, but the surrender of self to God’s power and provision.Rachel Hollis - was on New York Times best seller list 46 weeks, sold over 3 million copies, 1.6 million followers. Her books are flying off the shelf and women are listening and admire her. Says a lot about our culture. HUSTLE CULTURE trend - started when a very popular book was released “Girl, wash your face.” This book was released by a Christian publisher, but is more of a motivational and self-help book with a little Jesus sprinkled in. But the idea of the message and this authors message is that YOU CONTROL YOUR OWN HAPPINESS AND THE ULTIMATE GOAL IS LIVING INTO YOUR BEST SELF POSSIBLE. YOU CONTROL YOUR HAPPINESS AND DESTINY.THE MANTRA ... LIVE INTO YOUR POTENTIAL. SO, you need to constantly chase your “ideal self”. You can take active steps to be happy and fulfilled. Definitely a self- help type message. You are in control of your fulfillment in life. Although some of these things can be helpful, we can’t expect to find soul peace and purpose outside of God. According to this author — “lost” means living into other people’s expectations of yourself and not your own. Ultimate happiness is living into your own potential!! (How you look, how much money you have, how you feel about yourself) the posture is rooted in the here and now! Almost a “chasing of your ideal self” that is her idea of heaven. The mantra is ... “Just try harder!”You are your own Savior!It seems like culture (and even Christian subculture) is really BUYING INTO THIS IDEA OF THE “GOSPEL OF SELF” — it’s everywhereITS HONESTLY EXHAUSTING TO BE FORCED TO BELIEVE THAT I AM ENOUGH AND THAT MY HAPPINESS IS DEPENDENT ON ME. DEEP DOWN INSIDE I KNOW I’M NOT ENOUGH.And the Bible says I’m not enough. - In Romans it says that I am a sinner. In Eph 2 it says that I am dead in my sins. In Is 64:6 it says that my good works are like filthy rags. We have to get the diagnosis right before we can accept the cure. If we think we are good and able and capable, we will never accept God’s remedy. The endless chase for hope and purpose will go no where and in the wrong direction.Self is not the answer. It’s the problem.The Gospel is the answer, the good news. Jesus perfection for me. “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2 For. 5:21I needed reminded that the GOSPEL changes everything. In my struggles, insecurities, anxieties ... I need to settle my mind and heart in the hope of the gospel. Jesus said, “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Matthew 11:28-30The “yoke” was a visual of the harness that was used for sen to get them to pull a cart or farming equipment. One yoke for two oxen. The yoke of Jesus was his teaching ... the gospel. The Jews of Jesus day were living under the heavy weight of the law, trying to earn favor with God through adherence to over 600 laws and many extra laws that were merely tradition. This was exhausting. Jesus way was light because it wasn’t dependent on their efforts that were futile, but on his sufficiency. Anytime we look inward to find hope and peace, we pick up our heavy yoke.It’s so easy to start feeling frazzled and discontent when the source of our hope comes from ourselves...how we measure up, how we perform, how we compare. It’s exhausting. We will never be ENOUGH. We are the problem, so we can’t also be the solution. We know we aren’t enough, so when the world or even the Christian sub-culture tells us that we are, we get disheartened.But Jesus is enough, his perfection is enough. He is our hope...not the number on the scale, your spouses mood, your ability to accomplish or impress. Sure, we are called to put forth effort in life, steward our bodies, gifts, and passions, but the point is .... Our acceptance and identity can’t be dependent on those things. We work from a place of acceptance, not for a place of acceptance. That is life-giving and liberating.And let’s not forget that the gospel message transforms or should transformed every aspect of our lives. Because of the grace of God, we can forgive others, live in the freedom that we are found worthy on the merit of Jesus, not our performance. We can extend grace to others in the same way. Because of Jesus, we don’t need to find our significance in our significant other, our waist line or even our ability to handle every situation perfectly. The gospel gives us hope outside of ourselves or our uncertain circumcstances, so when we walk in obedience, aiming to live into the “teleas” or perfect completion, we are not fighting for hope and peace, we are living in and from his provision and purpose.  4) Self-help doesn’t work, the blood of Christ is what saves. You have the quote that went wild on the internet, "You can eat all the kale, buy all the things, lift all the weights, take all the trips, trash all that doesn't spark joy, wash your face and hustle like mad, but if you don't rest your soul in Jesus, you'll never find peace and purpose.” I’ve seen so many women caught in the trap of “self-help” culture. How would you steward someone away from this lie and to the truth of God’s Word?THE IRONY IS THAT THE SELF-HELP GOSPEL ISN’T HELPING OURSELF— ...We think we are STRIVING FOR ACHIEVEMENT, POWER, OR POPULARITY. What WE ARE really AFTER is JOY, PEACE, PURPOSE, SATISFACTION, LOVE, CONTROL .... JESUS!We don’t need transformed out of our idols of success, being better, having more, comfort, control, etc. .... We needed transformed out of our DISBELIEF AND DISTRUST.Ultimately, WE don’t believe he is enough. We don’t trust him. The kingdom of God says ... Surrender self ... not this idea of promotion of self or focus on self. Surrender is required for soul peace.NLT “If you cling to your life, you will lose it. If you give up your life for me, you will find it.” Matt 10:39To bear fruit (the fruit of what we are all after — joy, peace, purpose, etc) we must “die” to ourself. John 12:24 (unless the kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains only a single seed ... it won’t produce abundant life)The worship of God, the centrality of God in our lives, not self, is the life-giving well that will bear much fruit.THE GREATEST SELF-CARE IS SOUL CARE. THE GREATEST WAY TO LOVE YOURSELF (OR HELP YOURSELF) IS TO LOSE YOURSELF. 5) Submission to God’s will is difficult for all of us at some point. What has this looked like for you - where in your life did you see surrender to the Lord needed to happen most?I’ve always struggled with wanting to control the outcomes. Jesus said to cast my cares on him. I liked that idea, as long as I didn’t cast them so far that I couldn’t manage them. HE KNEW I HAD A CONTROL PROBLEM. Knowing that, he allowed me to experience and struggle through a condition that would affect the part of the nervous system that we have no control over and with no real clear control over or answer to what it would turn into or how to manage it. I now have temperature control issues, twitching muscles, heart rate/BP. My hands shake ... but my heart no longer does.“If dependence is the goal, weakness is the advantage.”But anything that makes us lean on him and turn to his word for truth, security, and hope is a blessing.C.S. Lewis said this ... “Pain makes us put away our toys”In our struggles we tend to turn away from ourselves, our insufficiency, our entertainment and turn toward the ETERNAL, the sufficient. We cling to the steady and immovable.It was this season that I realized I was chasing my own sufficiency and control over Jesus for happiness. My joy was dependent on circumstances, not his presence.But ... every day is A daily decision to trust God. SOMETIMES HIS DELIVERANCE ISN’T TO TAKE US OUT OR REMOVE US FROM THE DIFFICULTY. HIS DELIVERANCE IS HIS PRESENCE. 6) This makes me want to address the beloved verse Jer 29:11, many in the world even love this. Though many disregard that this is a call to submission, not a promise to have what we want, when we want it, with no pain in life. I’d love to heart from you, how have you seen God draw you in through the “plans and provisions” He’s had for you that were NEVER what you thought it would look like?The 3 most important aspects of good Bible study is ....CONTEXT CONTEXT CONTEXT. We have to read scripture in light of the immediate context of what is happening and the big story of scripture if we want to properly interpret. This particular verse is frequently plucked out of context to convey this idea that God will only give us a pleasant and prosperous life....according to world standards. That feels nice. It seems so uplifting. But God was actually giving a promise to his people ISRAEL (who were going to be exiled to Babylon and have their nation and temple destroyed). It was a specific promise that they would return to the land in 70 years. See verse 10. This was a re-assurance that God would not forsake them.So the primary application is not for us today. BUT we can apply it as a general principle of God’s consistent character, his grace and affection for those he loves, including us...his daughters! For us, in Christ, he has promised that our sins are forgiven, we stand before God justified (Jesus perfection as ours), and will work all things together for our good ... even the trials and difficulties of life. (Romans 5:5, Romans 8:31-39).So, as I walk this out ... I’m daily deciding to trust him. It’s easy to trust him with my soul, it’s harder to trust him with my life. With my chronic neurological condition, with my marriage, my family, my ministry. Sometimes God is quiet.He asks me to trust him in the middle moments, when I do the things that don’t get immediately recognized or appreciated. He wants me to walk in step with the spirit, yielding to him instead of controlling and micromanaging every aspect of my day or planning out every step. I’m learning that often his plan isn’t this specific “thing”, but his will is daily dependence and surrender.Will I turn to the world’s answer and solution or trust God and his plan, even if it means that the answer may not come or the promise for good may not be realized until I see him face to face and the world is renewed and restored? 7) I ask all my guest this -T he Living With Less Podcast was birthed from John 3:30, “He must increase, I must decrease.” If someone asked you what they needed to begin living with less of what would you tell them and why?First, can I just say that that is my favorite verse in the Bible. It’s actually my life verse. My pastor preached on John 3 last week and talked about JTB. John said these final worlds as a response to his disciples who were frustrated at the greater success of Jesus disciples. What humility to realize that it wasn’t about him! His efforts were always just a response and desire to make much of Jesus. I read the book, “The Voice of Prophet” by A.W. Tozer last month and he talks about how God will use the man (or woman) with whom his glory is most safe.This was a mic drop moment for me as I considered how so often I don’t think God’s glory is safe with me. I want the glory. I want applause. I care about what people think, if they like me and approve.I want to live with less of me — concern for acceptance, approval and applause. I want to live for the praise and love of Jesus. I want him to lifted, glorified and increased.And here’s the crazy thing, the more I live for him, surrender to his will, and willing to lose my life ... the more hope, joy, purpose and freedom I will find. We were never meant to chase perfection, but chase the Perfect one. In him alone and for his glory alone will we find what we are looking for and rest for our souls. Connect with Alisha:www.womenrepurposed.comOrder Chasing Perfect HERE!@womenrepurposed  - Instagram@alishaillian - Instagram

We are all gifted to be a part of the body of Christ; so work together to grow this body for His glory. In Eph. 4:11-16 Paul names some of the different gifts and roles, but more importantly he continues the idea of congregational unity. 1- The Bodybuilding Instructors (v. 11): Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Shepherds, and Teachers. 2- As an Instructor, Build up the Body by Equipping Them (v. 12): We are equipped to build the body by Reaching Out and Reaching In. 3- The Purpose (v. 13): Unity. 4- The Results (vs. 14-16): Spiritual Maturity.

Open description for time stamps. Welcome to my Passion Project! Where real scholars test the wild claims of Brian Simmons about his new Bible, The Passion Translation, so that YOU can know what's really going on with this suddenly popular new Bible version. Today's video features Dr. Darrell Bock and his thoughts after reviewing the book of Ephesians. Scroll down for links to Dr. Bock's paper. This same link will have ALL the reviews and papers as they are published. You should see a total of 5 uploaded by mid way through January. After that I will need to wait a while for more scholars to finish their papers and do interviews. I hope to have it all done in the next few months. What was my goal with this? I want the people of Christ to know the truth about this "translation" so that they can love what God has said without Brian Simmons altering it in unjustified ways. However, in the course of researching for this project I've uncovered some other very concerning things about Brian Simmons' teachings including false prophecy and various extreme claims regarding his own spiritual experiences. I'll be sharing some of this in future videos as well since I have realized that he is not just styling himself as a Bible translator but as an inspired Bible interpreter who is going to release a last days transformation in the people of God so that "everything that can be said about Jesus can be said about you". Yeah, it's weird. Stay tuned to my channel for more info on this in the coming weeks. LINK to all interviews AND papers as they are uploaded. https://biblethinker.org/index.php/th... A direct download link for just Dr. Bock's paper https://biblethinker.org/images/Notes... Here is Dr. Bock's "The Table" program on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Darrell Bock's CV https://blogs.bible.org/curriculum-vi... My website https://BibleThinker.org Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 0:16 What is My Passion Project? 0:38 Today's video synopsis. 1:41 Who is Dr. Darrell Bock and why is he reviewing TPT? 2:50 Why it is not truthful to call TPT a "translation." 4:09 If Dr. Bock was to evaluate TPT as if it were a paraphrase what would he say? 5:15 The CENTRAL issue of Simmons misleading people about using Aramaic in Ephesians. 8:14 How Brian Simmons abuses homonyms which he says are a secret that God gave him. 12:32 TPT changes the focus in Ephesians 1 from God to us. It is too anthropocentric. 13:59 One example of a where Simmons adds a whole sentence to the Bible. without italics or footnote. 15:50 In Eph 2 Simmons gives us more authority than we have in this passage. 17:32 Another passage where TPT changes the focus from God to us. 19:30 Are getting what Paul really wrote in TPT version of Ephesians? Spoiler: no. 20:38 A number of times Ephesians is changed in TPT from speaking to tho corporate church to individuals. 21:48 How a mistranslation in Eph 5 vs. 11 will can mess up how we apply the Bible. 23:25 How TPT limits what Ephesians is saying about marriage roles. 26:13 Brian tries to use "the Aramaic" to justify his alterations but Dr. Bock says this misleads the reader. 27:17 How TPT mishandled the passage on slavery in Ephesians. 28:45 Another example of taking the issue of slavery out of Ephesians with an unjustified appeal to "Aramaic" that doesn't exist. 30:40 The danger of TPT. 32:08 Dr. Bock comments on the claims that TPT website makes. 32:46 Dr. Bock reacts to Bill Johnson's quote endorsing TPT. 33:37 What paraphrase Bible would Dr. Bock recommend? 34:13 The challenge of translation and paraphrase and where TPT fits in that. 35:19 I ask Dr. Bock to comment briefly on The Message. I'm still not very happy with it ;) 36:29 Does TPT distort the Bible even though their web site says they don't? 37:26 Should TPT be in bookstores, Bible app, and Bible web sites? 39:10 Did God give Brian Simmons secrets of Hebrew and Greek? 41:37 Brian lacks real credentials and claims supernatural gifting. It could be true but it sure

Open description for time stamps. Welcome to my Passion Project! Where real scholars test the wild claims of Brian Simmons about his new Bible, The Passion Translation, so that YOU can know what’s really going on with this suddenly popular new Bible version. Today's video features Dr. Darrell Bock and his thoughts after reviewing the book of Ephesians. Scroll down for links to Dr. Bock's paper. This same link will have ALL the reviews and papers as they are published. You should see a total of 5 uploaded by mid way through January. After that I will need to wait a while for more scholars to finish their papers and do interviews. I hope to have it all done in the next few months. What was my goal with this? I want the people of Christ to know the truth about this "translation" so that they can love what God has said without Brian Simmons altering it in unjustified ways. However, in the course of researching for this project I've uncovered some other very concerning things about Brian Simmons' teachings including false prophecy and various extreme claims regarding his own spiritual experiences. I'll be sharing some of this in future videos as well since I have realized that he is not just styling himself as a Bible translator but as an inspired Bible interpreter who is going to release a last days transformation in the people of God so that "everything that can be said about Jesus can be said about you". Yeah, it's weird. Stay tuned to my channel for more info on this in the coming weeks. LINK to all interviews AND papers as they are uploaded. https://biblethinker.org/index.php/th... A direct download link for just Dr. Bock's paper https://biblethinker.org/images/Notes... Here is Dr. Bock's "The Table" program on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Darrell Bock's CV https://blogs.bible.org/curriculum-vi... My website https://BibleThinker.org Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 0:16 What is My Passion Project? 0:38 Today's video synopsis. 1:41 Who is Dr. Darrell Bock and why is he reviewing TPT? 2:50 Why it is not truthful to call TPT a "translation." 4:09 If Dr. Bock was to evaluate TPT as if it were a paraphrase what would he say? 5:15 The CENTRAL issue of Simmons misleading people about using Aramaic in Ephesians. 8:14 How Brian Simmons abuses homonyms which he says are a secret that God gave him. 12:32 TPT changes the focus in Ephesians 1 from God to us. It is too anthropocentric. 13:59 One example of a where Simmons adds a whole sentence to the Bible. without italics or footnote. 15:50 In Eph 2 Simmons gives us more authority than we have in this passage. 17:32 Another passage where TPT changes the focus from God to us. 19:30 Are getting what Paul really wrote in TPT version of Ephesians? Spoiler: no. 20:38 A number of times Ephesians is changed in TPT from speaking to tho corporate church to individuals. 21:48 How a mistranslation in Eph 5 vs. 11 will can mess up how we apply the Bible. 23:25 How TPT limits what Ephesians is saying about marriage roles. 26:13 Brian tries to use "the Aramaic" to justify his alterations but Dr. Bock says this misleads the reader. 27:17 How TPT mishandled the passage on slavery in Ephesians. 28:45 Another example of taking the issue of slavery out of Ephesians with an unjustified appeal to "Aramaic" that doesn't exist. 30:40 The danger of TPT. 32:08 Dr. Bock comments on the claims that TPT website makes. 32:46 Dr. Bock reacts to Bill Johnson's quote endorsing TPT. 33:37 What paraphrase Bible would Dr. Bock recommend? 34:13 The challenge of translation and paraphrase and where TPT fits in that. 35:19 I ask Dr. Bock to comment briefly on The Message. I'm still not very happy with it ;) 36:29 Does TPT distort the Bible even though their web site says they don't? 37:26 Should TPT be in bookstores, Bible app, and Bible web sites? 39:10 Did God give Brian Simmons secrets of Hebrew and Greek? 41:37 Brian lacks real credentials and claims supernatural gifting. It could be true but it sure seems false. 43:13 What would Dr. Bock say to someone who loves TPT? 43:43 Dr. Bock's podcast (which I recommend as a resource). 46:11 A preview of the next interview. 47:07 Special "cameo" by Brian Simmons.

Open description for time stamps. Welcome to my Passion Project! Where real scholars test the wild claims of Brian Simmons about his new Bible, The Passion Translation, so that YOU can know what’s really going on with this suddenly popular new Bible version. Today's video features Dr. Darrell Bock and his thoughts after reviewing the book of Ephesians. Scroll down for links to Dr. Bock's paper. This same link will have ALL the reviews and papers as they are published. You should see a total of 5 uploaded by mid way through January. After that I will need to wait a while for more scholars to finish their papers and do interviews. I hope to have it all done in the next few months. What was my goal with this? I want the people of Christ to know the truth about this "translation" so that they can love what God has said without Brian Simmons altering it in unjustified ways. However, in the course of researching for this project I've uncovered some other very concerning things about Brian Simmons' teachings including false prophecy and various extreme claims regarding his own spiritual experiences. I'll be sharing some of this in future videos as well since I have realized that he is not just styling himself as a Bible translator but as an inspired Bible interpreter who is going to release a last days transformation in the people of God so that "everything that can be said about Jesus can be said about you". Yeah, it's weird. Stay tuned to my channel for more info on this in the coming weeks. LINK to all interviews AND papers as they are uploaded. https://biblethinker.org/index.php/th... A direct download link for just Dr. Bock's paper https://biblethinker.org/images/Notes... Here is Dr. Bock's "The Table" program on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Darrell Bock's CV https://blogs.bible.org/curriculum-vi... My website https://BibleThinker.org Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 0:16 What is My Passion Project? 0:38 Today's video synopsis. 1:41 Who is Dr. Darrell Bock and why is he reviewing TPT? 2:50 Why it is not truthful to call TPT a "translation." 4:09 If Dr. Bock was to evaluate TPT as if it were a paraphrase what would he say? 5:15 The CENTRAL issue of Simmons misleading people about using Aramaic in Ephesians. 8:14 How Brian Simmons abuses homonyms which he says are a secret that God gave him. 12:32 TPT changes the focus in Ephesians 1 from God to us. It is too anthropocentric. 13:59 One example of a where Simmons adds a whole sentence to the Bible. without italics or footnote. 15:50 In Eph 2 Simmons gives us more authority than we have in this passage. 17:32 Another passage where TPT changes the focus from God to us. 19:30 Are getting what Paul really wrote in TPT version of Ephesians? Spoiler: no. 20:38 A number of times Ephesians is changed in TPT from speaking to tho corporate church to individuals. 21:48 How a mistranslation in Eph 5 vs. 11 will can mess up how we apply the Bible. 23:25 How TPT limits what Ephesians is saying about marriage roles. 26:13 Brian tries to use "the Aramaic" to justify his alterations but Dr. Bock says this misleads the reader. 27:17 How TPT mishandled the passage on slavery in Ephesians. 28:45 Another example of taking the issue of slavery out of Ephesians with an unjustified appeal to "Aramaic" that doesn't exist. 30:40 The danger of TPT. 32:08 Dr. Bock comments on the claims that TPT website makes. 32:46 Dr. Bock reacts to Bill Johnson's quote endorsing TPT. 33:37 What paraphrase Bible would Dr. Bock recommend? 34:13 The challenge of translation and paraphrase and where TPT fits in that. 35:19 I ask Dr. Bock to comment briefly on The Message. I'm still not very happy with it ;) 36:29 Does TPT distort the Bible even though their web site says they don't? 37:26 Should TPT be in bookstores, Bible app, and Bible web sites? 39:10 Did God give Brian Simmons secrets of Hebrew and Greek? 41:37 Brian lacks real credentials and claims supernatural gifting. It could be true but it sure

Open description for time stamps. Welcome to my Passion Project! Where real scholars test the wild claims of Brian Simmons about his new Bible, The Passion Translation, so that YOU can know what’s really going on with this suddenly popular new Bible version. Today's video features Dr. Darrell Bock and his thoughts after reviewing the book of Ephesians. Scroll down for links to Dr. Bock's paper. This same link will have ALL the reviews and papers as they are published. You should see a total of 5 uploaded by mid way through January. After that I will need to wait a while for more scholars to finish their papers and do interviews. I hope to have it all done in the next few months. What was my goal with this? I want the people of Christ to know the truth about this "translation" so that they can love what God has said without Brian Simmons altering it in unjustified ways. However, in the course of researching for this project I've uncovered some other very concerning things about Brian Simmons' teachings including false prophecy and various extreme claims regarding his own spiritual experiences. I'll be sharing some of this in future videos as well since I have realized that he is not just styling himself as a Bible translator but as an inspired Bible interpreter who is going to release a last days transformation in the people of God so that "everything that can be said about Jesus can be said about you". Yeah, it's weird. Stay tuned to my channel for more info on this in the coming weeks. LINK to all interviews AND papers as they are uploaded. https://biblethinker.org/index.php/th... A direct download link for just Dr. Bock's paper https://biblethinker.org/images/Notes... Here is Dr. Bock's "The Table" program on YouTube - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list... Darrell Bock's CV https://blogs.bible.org/curriculum-vi... My website https://BibleThinker.org Time Stamps 0:00 Intro 0:16 What is My Passion Project? 0:38 Today's video synopsis. 1:41 Who is Dr. Darrell Bock and why is he reviewing TPT? 2:50 Why it is not truthful to call TPT a "translation." 4:09 If Dr. Bock was to evaluate TPT as if it were a paraphrase what would he say? 5:15 The CENTRAL issue of Simmons misleading people about using Aramaic in Ephesians. 8:14 How Brian Simmons abuses homonyms which he says are a secret that God gave him. 12:32 TPT changes the focus in Ephesians 1 from God to us. It is too anthropocentric. 13:59 One example of a where Simmons adds a whole sentence to the Bible. without italics or footnote. 15:50 In Eph 2 Simmons gives us more authority than we have in this passage. 17:32 Another passage where TPT changes the focus from God to us. 19:30 Are getting what Paul really wrote in TPT version of Ephesians? Spoiler: no. 20:38 A number of times Ephesians is changed in TPT from speaking to tho corporate church to individuals. 21:48 How a mistranslation in Eph 5 vs. 11 will can mess up how we apply the Bible. 23:25 How TPT limits what Ephesians is saying about marriage roles. 26:13 Brian tries to use "the Aramaic" to justify his alterations but Dr. Bock says this misleads the reader. 27:17 How TPT mishandled the passage on slavery in Ephesians. 28:45 Another example of taking the issue of slavery out of Ephesians with an unjustified appeal to "Aramaic" that doesn't exist. 30:40 The danger of TPT. 32:08 Dr. Bock comments on the claims that TPT website makes. 32:46 Dr. Bock reacts to Bill Johnson's quote endorsing TPT. 33:37 What paraphrase Bible would Dr. Bock recommend? 34:13 The challenge of translation and paraphrase and where TPT fits in that. 35:19 I ask Dr. Bock to comment briefly on The Message. I'm still not very happy with it ;) 36:29 Does TPT distort the Bible even though their web site says they don't? 37:26 Should TPT be in bookstores, Bible app, and Bible web sites? 39:10 Did God give Brian Simmons secrets of Hebrew and Greek? 41:37 Brian lacks real credentials and claims supernatural gifting. It could be true but it sure seems false. 43:13 What would Dr. Bock say to someone who loves TPT? 43:43 Dr. Bock's podcast (which I recommend as a resource). 46:11 A preview of the next interview. 47:07 Special "cameo" by Brian Simmons.

In Eph. 2:1-10, Paul clarifies the REASON that Christians enjoy such spiritual blessings (v. 3-14) and spiritual power (v. 15-23): the grace of God. He unfolds the "spiritual biography" of every follower of Christ, all with the aim of highlighting and celebrating the lavish grace of God.

In Eph.5:18 we find God's command: “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery.” (Which is wild, reckless living). Then the verse continues with the command: “Instead, be filled with the Spirit”. So, it is God's clear instruction to all Christians to be filled with the Holy Spirit. In I John 5:14,15 there is this promise: “that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, we know that we have what we asked of Him”. This means that if we ask God to fill us with His Holy Spirit according to His command, we can know that according to His promise, He hears us and fills us with His Holy Spirit. We are filled with the Holy Spirit by faith alone. True prayer is one way of expressing our faith. The following is a suggested prayer: Dear Father, I need You. I acknowledge that I have sinned against You by directing my own life. I thank You that You have forgiven my sins through Christ's death on the cross for me. I now invite Christ to again take His place on the throne of my life. Fill me with the Holy Spirit as You commanded me to be filled, and as You promised in Your Word that You would do if I asked in faith. I pray this in the name of Jesus. As an expression of my faith, I now thank You for filling me and directing my life through the Holy Spirit. You can use this prayer, which is in the outline, to ask God to fill you with His Holy Spirit. At our next meeting we will look at the results of living under the control of the Holy Spirit.

Have you ever felt so strongly about something that you just had to insist? You couldn't let it go? Well, that's how Scripture is on some points. Because the content is from God, the writers often say (in so many words), “I insist!” In Eph. 4:17, the Apostle Paul says he “insists on it in the Lord.” He feels strongly about how God's people should live – and not live.  Let's unpack this. A Little More of This Insistence You know, as I think about it, we could use a little more of this kind of insistence. Socially accepted practices Read More ... For more resources and tools that inspire and equip you to live well using God's Word in practical ways each day, visit the Alive and Active Life website.

S Good News and Bad News -Start with bad news, if our heart isn't totally committed to Jesus Christ in a relationship vs. a religious spirit, we're a not a true follower of Jesus, anything less than total surrender to Jesus doesn't cut it, we understand this type of commitent is a necesary part of a marriage, God shows us how He wants our relationship to have that same, even higher commitmment, In Eph 5:25-33 he compares those 2 relationships, "Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might [g]sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, 27 that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. 29 For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. 30 For we are members of His body, [h]of His flesh and of His bones. 31 “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” 32 This is a great mystery, but I speak concerning Christ and the church. 33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband" -Eph 5:25-33, "For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God" Exodus 20:5, In Revelation Jesus talks to John about 7 churches.  All of these churches did good things, but Jesus rebuked or corrected all of them, except 2, Smyrna called the Persecuted Church and Philadelphia called the Spiritual alive church, The Laodicean church called the Luke Warm church Jesus said he would spit them out of His mouth, in Matthew 5:28 Jesus says "But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart." in this and other passages he shows that it's not enough to keep the Laws or commandments in terms of your actions you have to guard your heart and take captive all your thoughts to the obedience of Christ, the Psalmist understood this in Ps 139:22-24 "Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me, and know my anxieties;24 And see if there is any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting." 1 Samuel 16:7 says "For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart."  Jesus blasted the Pharisees for having good outward appearance while neglecting matters of the heart, Matthew 23:27 Jesus said "“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and all uncleanness",   Rom 8:6 "For to be [b]carnally minded is death" vs 7 says "Because the [c]carnal mind is enmity against God", notice Paul talks about our mind not what we do with our hands and mouth, my Pastor says a good way to think about our sin is 3 words: doing, thinking, saying, my pastor also spoke recently about racism that we've made great strides as a country at politically correct, i.e. we've gotten good at not doing and saying certain things when it comes to race, but being PC doesn't change the heart, I'll personally testify that doing the "right" things in marriage but having an angry, judgmental, non-loving and non-compassionate heart will lead to strife, bitterness, and pain, when it comes to our work if we do a "good job" at work but our heart is filled with discontent, envy, judgment and we're not in relationship with God while we're at work, we will be miserable in our job and will not prosper, here's another piece of bad news: good intentions are worthless, saying "I'm trying" or "I'll try to do better" if worth than doing nothing at all, let me be transparent with an example of this: I recently started carrying a small NT/Psalms Bible from the Gideons with me to work, I just realized and am ashamed to admit that I've been doing this for weeks and not once have I looked at it, are you now ready for some good news? Let me start with the First Light Devotion from Pastor Brian Biggers sent on July 9 - "I have always loved the twenty first chapter of John. It is the great story of Simon's restoration. It is also God speaking to you and me revealing what He is really like at heart. Perhaps no one in history has blown it with God like Simon. He was Jesus' dearest friend; the one Jesus took with Him everywhere. He was the one that Jesus confided in and looked to most often. As a side note, the fact that God chose a redneck, ignorant, uneducated fisherman to be His best friend brings me great hope! When told of Christ' impending arrest and murder Simon vowed that even if all abandoned Him, he would stick with Him. You know the story. In His greatest hour of need at a mockery of a trial, Simon told all present that He had never met the Man. When pressed about the issue he cursed and swore that he had no idea who Jesus was. Some friend! Far be it from me to look down my nose at the famous fisherman. My loyalty could be questioned at no few times. As often happens when a follower of Christ messes up very badly, Simon went back to his old life at sea assuming that his days in God's inner circle were over after His public failure. What a shock to look up from his nets early one morning and see Jesus standing on the shore! First time he had seen Jesus since he had cursed Him and watched as Jesus turned to gaze at him without speaking. What would He do? What does God do to people that betray Him and abandon Him? When Simon arrived at the shore Jesus invited him to eat breakfast that was prepared on a coal fire. As they sat around the fire not a word was spoken about the downfall. It was never mentioned again. Finally, after eating, Jesus looked at Simon and asked him, "do you love me"? He replied, no doubt with deep humility, "yes Lord, you know I love you". After his response Jesus simply said, "tend my sheep".  This is God. This is how He treats people that mess up. Big time. No revenge. He didn't even ask him if he thought he could do better from now on. With Him the question is never "can you behave". It’s always "do you love me"? He is immediately restored in his relationship with Christ and repositioned as the chief preacher in God's great movement. Who cannot love a God that forgives that freely and never gives up on His plans for you? How about you? Have you missed it with Him? Blown it big time? Here's the message of the Bible. If you're not dead, God's not done! Father, I would have given up on me a long time ago. Your mercy makes no sense. Thank God! Now I want to borrow from the message I heard from Pastor Adam Cook this morning about freedom, Adam and Eve were naked, content and connected, this was God's will all of use, by comparison now all who sin are marked by shame, striving and separation.  Think about that for a moment, how those 3 things describe aspects of your life, I don't have to think hard to think about how they apply to mine, think specifically about your work, shame shows up in awareness of the mistakes we make at work, not measuring up to our co-workers or to standards set by ourselves or our boss or both,, striving shows upo in feeling like we're working hard, seeing our work as boring or drudgery, being a perfectionist being prideful of of our work which only brings us misery as we judge others we see as not measuring up to our standards, separation shows up at work when when we feel lonely at work, disconnected from others and from God, waiting for church on Sunday to feel spiritual but otherwise feeling like we're just blending with the world while we're at work, working for the dollar or working for the weekend,, buy heart of Jesus in John 8:34-36 Jesus says "34 Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. 35 And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. 36 Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.", 1 Corinthians 32:17 NIV says "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom", Galatians 5:1 NIV says "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery."  We just celebrated Independence Day in the U.S., in America value highly our freedom, you could say we worship it, when it comes to politics both sides have their own version of what freedom means, I'm realizing more and more that freedom by worldly standards is not true freedom, I like the definition of spiritual freedom that my Pastor Adam gave "the unhindered experience of the presence of God".  The curse that came from sin giving us shame, striving, and separation is reversed by Jesus if we walk in it. We can walk in the cool of the day with Jesus, as my Pastort said, it's like God is saying to us you can swing and miss but you can’t fail because you’re free in me, that is the abundant life that only comes from surrendering our lives to Jesus not just when we're born again but in our daily walk at work and everywhere else E Grant Smith update L 1 Thess 4:11-12 NIV "11 and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, 12 so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody." A None H 9) Pray (before, during and after meeting)

In Eph 2-11-13, we learn that we are driven to walk in good works by the gifts and privileges of our new life in Christ, of our membership in the commonwealth of the church, and of our covenantal bond to God.

In Eph 4, Jesus gave gifts and callings to the church to bring us to the fullness of the measure of His stature. What does a full-grown Jesus look like, live like?

In Eph.6:1-3, the Apostle Paul makes it clear that children have a responsibility before God and that keeping the commandments has definite benefits for them to anticipate receiving. One of the benefits mentioned is the prospect of long life which also contains an implication of prosperity.

Ephesians 6:10-20 (NKJV) There have been some changes for 2019 to the body armor that soldiers wear in the military. Over the years there have been a lot of changes to the body armor to give the soldiers the best chance to stay alive and to win the battle. In Eph. 6, the Bible tells […]

Well, you don’t need me to tell you this, but today is the last day of 2018. Another year has come and gone. 2018 has been a bit of a roller coaster for me. I can honestly say I’ve had more highs than lows, so I don’t have any complaints, which by the way is a fantastic segway into today’s topic. Why is it useless to complain? Many people often believe that when they become a Christian that life is going to be nothing but happiness. However, they fail to realize that God warned us in 1 Pet 4:12 that it is not. I don’t know about you, but when I encounter obstacles, I find it incredibly difficult to fight against the urge to complain. The last thing in the world I feel is joy, especially during those days when it seems like nothing is going right. Guess, what? In Eph 4:26 it tells us it’s okay to be angry, but it’s a sin to complain (Phil 2:14-15). I think one of the main reasons 2018 went well for me is because I finally realized that regardless of how bleak a situation that I am in, I must choose to speak life (Proverbs 18:21). Now, this is a lot easier said than done. However, you must have faith and believe that this is a goal that you are more than able to achieve. One of the best ways to stop yourself from complaining is to identify situations that can elicit this type of response. In order to be notified when new content is available, please be sure to subscribe to my podcast . Don't forget to stop by https://hustleinfaith.com to download your free goal setting planner. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/hustleinfaith/support

Project 938 Small Groups Guide Sermon Based When Love Comes to Town: September 23, 2018 What stood out in the Bible about this week’s sermon? What stood out to you most about the sermon as a whole? What was the application of this week’s sermon for our church? What was the application of this week’s sermon for your personally? Read Eph. 1:15-23 as a group and write down what you observe about the passage. Talk about initial observations/questions of the passage as a group and then transition into these questions. In Eph. 1:17, Paul prays for the Ephesians to know Christ better. As a Christian, how can we have the Holy Spirit but still be disconnected in our relationship with Jesus? Examples: Not gathering together with other Christians; not spending time reading God’s Word; not praying What are you tempted to turn to in your vulnerability? Examples: overworking, sleep,spending all our time on kids’ activities, distancing ourselves from close relationships Can you share a time where you found the relationships in your life more valuable than anything else? What application(s) can we draw from looking closely at Paul’s prayer to the Ephesians? We don’t need to be afraid from our vulnerability as Christians – God will protect us! Go for depth, not breadth in our relationships. Who is a trustworthy friend I can ask to stand and pray in the vulnerability with me?

In Eph 4:17-24, Paul talked about the old lives of the Ephesians that were not changed by Christ and the new life in Christ. You are being transformed, renewed, regenerated. Your new life in Christ is nothing like your old life. Paul exhorts, put off the old life like old clothes, put on new life like new clothes. Ephesians 4:25-5:2 V. 25. Put off falsehood. Speak the truth. There are obvious parallels between Eph 4 and Zech 8. These are the things that you shall do: Speak the truth to one another (Ze 8:16) ’emeth – Hebrew for truth occurs 5x in Zech 8. Alētheia (alAYthaya)– Greek for truth occurs 4x in this chapter, 6x in chs 4-6 Zech 8 speaks of the new Jerusalem, the place where renewed people of God live. Isaiah 2:2 says the nations will flow to the house of the Lord. Why? The integrity of God’s people will reflect God’s presence among them. And in response, peoples and nations say, “Let us go, for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zech 8:23b) David committed adultery and conspired to have her husband killed – in secret, but God knew and sent Nathan to declare the truth publicly what David in secret. In repentance he wrote in Psalm 51:6a “You delight in truth in the inward being” “Purge me… wash me… blot out all my iniquities” “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” -Ps 51:10 God desires truth in your life, in your speech, all the way to your inner being. He can purge you, wash you, change your heart, renew your spirit. When God changes hearts of his people & they put off falsehood and speak truth, the world takes sees and comes streaming to God, who is renewing us in his truth. vv. 26-27 “Do not sin in your anger” God knows we will get angry. The exhortation is don’t stew in your anger. One of our problems: When other people sin against us, we sin right back - And we feel justified to sin in response. Like their sin is wrong, but ours is right “do not let the sun go down on your anger.” Be quick to resolve your differences. Be quick to forgive. You’re going to have differences in your marriage – we want to win arguments. Married 25 years. Figured out: There is no argument worth ruining our relationship. There is nothing that is worth allowing to separate us. Satan whispers to you when you’re stewing in anger and unforgiveness. “You deserve better than this.” That is the voice of destruction. Relationships that last are the ones in which you are loving, but honest. Where you have differences; but can work through them. Where you don’t have to win every time. “Be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger.”- James 1:19b Be quick to resolve your differences. Be quick to forgive. v. 28. Do not steal; work. Be honest. v. 29 “No corrupting talk” The renewed life, that work of the Holy Spirit in us is renewing our inner being. It works out in the hard work of our hands, now the speech from our mouths. “Corrupting” is rotten, like a rotten tree makes rotten fruit. Rotten, decaying fish. Language that is harmful: abusive, vulgar, slander. Our speech should be “good for building up”. “The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life” (Prov 10:11a) “The lips of the righteous feed many” (Prov 10:21a) “The tongue of the wise brings healing” (Prov 12:18b) v. 30. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” God has stamped us with his own character and guarantees his protection. The Spirit is grieved when God’s people continue in sins that divide the body. The seriousness of continuing in sin is this: you grieve the Spirit of God. Vv. 31-32. Put away all anger; be kind and forgiving “As God in Christ forgave you.” Forgive others as you have been forgiven – completely, unconditionally

In Eph 4:25, Paul exhorts the believers to put aside falsehood and speak truth to one another. Without putting aside falsehood it is impossible to tell the truth. Putting falsehood aside is key to telling truth. What is falsehood? Let us see

In Eph 4:25, Paul exhorts the believers to put aside falsehood and speak truth to one another. Without putting aside falsehood it is impossible to tell the truth. Putting falsehood aside is key to telling truth. What is falsehood? Let us see

In Eph 6 Paul wrote on family and work relationships. For Paul, these relationship were designed to bring glory to God and be a light to the world.

In Eph. 6:10-13, we have what Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says "a call to battle." In Eph. we learn of the great power that dwells in us by our riches in Christ, but we also learn that there is a great evil power arrayed against us to thwart our process in the Gospel and our proclamation of the Gospel.

In Eph. 6:10-13, we have what Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones says "a call to battle." In Eph. we learn of the great power that dwells in us by our riches in Christ, but we also learn that there is a great evil power arrayed against us to thwart our process in the Gospel and our proclamation of the Gospel.

Mankind was created as one, which included the male and the female, and was called Adam. They was created as a "Living Soul". The nature of the First Adam must surrender to the nature of the Second Adam. In Eph we are told to put off the old man. This actually means to bow, to kneel, to lay down, to be prostrate, to purpose to sink down. This is to position our original First Adam's nature to receive from the Second Adam that we may be one with Christ: even as a wife is one with her husband. Furthermore, it calls the First Adam, an antique or worn out old mankind nature, which destroys. How do we accomplish this? We must understand our old nature before we are able to understand it and put it down or before it can bow. Listen now.

Passion Sunday: The Triumphal Entry -- Today we enter the holy city with Jesus and his disciples. We are coming to Holy Week. Given the events of Good Friday, the death of Jesus, why is today called the triumphal entry? Why did Jesus choose to voluntarily consent to suffer such psychological and physical torture at the hands of his enemies? C.S. Lewis says that he came as a weak, unassuming baby, voluntarily emptying himself of attributes of divinity (Phil 2 reading today)because he was being snuck behind enemy lines, into a dysfunctional, fallen world. And, therefore, as he began to emerge, he attracted opposition. We see the climax of this opposition to God’s covert operation in the Passion narrative. In reflecting on the success of this operation, God’s mission to redeem and restore fallen creation in the person of Jesus, Paul says that “we speak a wisdom (in Christ crucified), a wisdom that has been hidden and that God destined for our glory before time began. None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. However, as it is written: ‘No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him.’ But God has revealed it to us by his Spirit (I Cor. 2:7f). Holy Spirit come and reveal it to us. Today in the holy city, Luke wants us to see how all forms of human sin and dysfunction come out to meet him, in the Temple, in the Garden, in the Roman Praetorium, and at Calvary. In the very wounds of Jesus shout the brokenness of the world. But now all that sin, all that disorder has been swallowed up, conquered by the ever greater forgiveness and love of God. What we see in the cross is the greatest act of love. The Father sent the son, why? Precisely because in the beginning all things were made through him … God said … and the Word, the Logos effects the created order (John 1). The creator is rightly the redeemer. Thus, he sent the son all the way into our human condition, what we call incarnation … the Logos divinely conceived by the Holy Spirit in the flesh of Mary. He did this because forgiveness is not enough. The whole life and mission of Jesus is effecting new creation, not just a forgiven creation. Let me stress that forgiveness is absolutely amazing! But Atonement is about restored union with God. Forgiveness in Christ makes this possible. Paul tells us that as a result of this glorious work of redemption that though outwardly we are perishing, inwardly we are being renewed day by day (2 Cor 4:16). In Eph. 4:23 he says to be made new in the attitude of your minds, and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. That can’t happen by merely being forgiven. We must have a divine infusion of Grace, of the Holy Spirit within ourselves. That’s a total restoration of what was taken away from us. It takes a second Adam, fully human and fully divine, to be born, live, die and rise for us and for our salvation. We determine to know nothing by Jesus Christ and him crucified. This presupposes that Christ has died, Christ has risen and Christ will come again. This is the victory of God.

Gods Word Community Church The Churches of the New Testament Sermon on 1 Thessalonians 3Intervening For Each Other’s Spirits:How often do we hear people in our culture say that their relationship with God is between them and Him? The culture created by Jesus and the Apostles is very different: We see a community that knows that each person needs support to walk faithfully with God. In Eph 1:16-19 Paul prayed in detail for the faith of the Ephesians. In Hebrews 3:13-14 he gives us responsibility to keep each other from drifting away. In 1 Thess 3, he intervened with changed plans to confirm the faith of his brothers and sisters.Current Sermons Audio: 

Colossians is about the supremacy and sufficiency of Christ. It is about the fullness of Christ. It is about how his completeness and fullness. It's also about how Christ's fullness fulfills us. We will see Paul proclaim the absolute supremacy of Jesus Christ above all things. He will declare Jesus as The Lord over all creation, the head of the church, the ruler over every power and authority. Because Christ is Lord over all, He is the rightful ruler over our lives. Paul will also describe the sufficiency of Christ, that in him is everything we need. Because Christ is sufficient, he is all we need and we can stop trying to fill up what is missing in our lives. If you have found Jesus Christ, you have found what your life and soul has been missing. These ideas are found together in a key verse: Colossians 2:9-10 Jesus Christ is fully God and he fulfills us. Colossians 1:1-8 introduction, thanksgiving and prayer V. 1 - Paul was an apostle - by God's will, not his own appointment and, therefore, had the authority to write and correct them. He had divine authority, a message greater than any human teaching, and a humility that this was not his own wisdom or authority. Timothy - known to the Colossians. Paul's protege, missionary, pastor. Paul wrote to him as it became clear that he would be killed by the Romans. V. 2 - "holy and faithful" Also "saints and believing brethren" Means "holy" or "set apart" or "dedicated". These are "God's own". Separate from the world, separated to God. "Brothers" points to the fellowship, family atmosphere of the church, and the Father we have in common. We are God's family. "In Christ" very important phrase to Paul. He used it 164 times in his writings. Speaks of our being united with Christ, somehow in the mystery of God, when Christ died, our old, sinful selves died. When Christ arose, we arose to new life. When Christ ascended, we too ascended into glory. when Christ is given his inheritance, we will share it with him. If we could understand all the meaning of this two-word phrase, we would never lack, nor fear, nor seek empty pursuits again. "Grace and peace". Grace denotes the favor of God. Peace in the Scripture is more than absence of conflict. It refers to a wholeness. V. 3 - "we thank God" Thank God for his goodness to you. Paul writes how our attitudes should continually reflect thankfulness to God because he has done so much for us. He is the one thanked, not the believers, because if there is any virtue in the lives of the believes, God did it. V. 4. Paul gives thanks because of the Colossians' faith in Christ Jesus and love for fellow believers. Faith is a dependence on Christ. It is an anchoring in, or resting on Jesus. It is a reliance on Christ. "Love" is the fruit of faith. It is the proof of genuine faith. A sacrificing love for each other. V. 5. "Faith... love... Hope" found together, inter-related. Hope in Christ leads to faith and love. Hope is a glorious reward, like a treasure, stored up in heaven. Knowledge of this hope came from the gospel. The gospel is "truth". Reminiscent of Christ's word's "I am the way, the truth, and the life." V. 6. "All over the world", not that the gospel had been heard all over the world, but that it had taken hold in every society, demographic, religious background that it was preached. It is relevant in every society. The gospel is "bearing fruit and growing" it was spreading and had an impact on the lives of people who believed. V. 7. "You heard it from Epaphras" Paul must not have ever been in Colossae. Epaphras brought the gospel there. He was a native of Colossae. He may have become a Christian when Paul was in nearby Ephesus. He also ministered in Laodicea and Hieropolis. He was imprisoned for the cause of Christ. Epaphras visited Paul in Rome, while Paul was under house arrest there in about A.D. 60. Epaphras told Paul what was going on in Colossae, which prompted this letter. V. 8. "Love in the Spirit" a love for fellow believers, which was an expression of their relationship with the Holy Spirit. Colossians 1:9-14 V. 9. Our prayers for others are a test of our dedication to God and our love for others. Paul prays that they be so filled with the knowledge of God's will that they will live in a way that is worthy and pleasing to him. Knowledge should lead to life change. This is not just for options, but obedience. Knowing God's will should cause us to want to live in a way that pleases him. We should not be indifferent to what God's will is, but want to know and follow it. V. 10. We are called to live a worthy life in -fruitfulness (10b), -growth in the knowledge of God (10c), -endurance and patience (11), and -gratitude to God (12). Paul prays for this because this requires our attention and God's power. If this just happened, Paul would not pray for it. This is a struggle for us. It is only possible when we pursue God for it and He empowers us by His Spirit. Knowledge of God and His will - deep comprehension of Who God is, understanding what pleases him. Deep, complete, personal knowledge that is learned through a vibrant, personal relationship with him. Bearing fruit - present tense, meaning continually. Active worship of God, active service for others, active growth as a believer. V. 11. "Strengthened with all power." The power of God at work in us. In Eph., a Paul said this power in us is like the power that brought Jesus back from the dead. This is not by our own effort, but on a dependence on God's strength. Patience and endurance - are passive in our language, but active in Greek, hinting at fortitude or strength. Vv. 12-13. Gratitude - is the final virtue of a worthy life. It is a recognition that whatever is going on in our lives, we have received an abundance from God. However great our troubles, our blessings are always greater. Four reasons to thank God -He qualified us to share a glorious inheritance. -He rescued us from the dominion of darkness. -He brought us into the Kingdom of His Son. -He has redeemed us and forgiven our sin.

Head wounds are the worst kind of wounds In Eph. 6:17, we're told to keep salvation as a head covering. Great! But do you know what we're saved from? Really? Do you live according to the reality of salvation's necessity for yourself? For others?

Just before Princess Margaret walked to the microphone to make her first speech as a young girl, her mother, Queen Elizabeth, leaned over and said, “You are a princess. Walk like one!” In Eph. 4:1, the apostle Paul issues a similar challenge to us as believers. He urges us to live up to the high […]

I heard about a doctor who said to his patient, “You’re in good hands. I’ve performed this operation over fifty times. In fact, if I continue to have such good success, I think I’ll apply for a license.”If aspiring politicians were required to apply for a license and past a stringent test before they could run for office, our Country might be in better shape. It will never happen, but if people where required to pass a course in such things as communication, book keeping, budgeting, shopping, forgiveness, temperance, love, gentleness---you get the idea?---marriages would last longer and homes would be a more stable place to raise children.God has the best idea. “Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it Prov. 22:6.” In Eph. 6:4, the Apostle Paul said that families should make sure that the training of their children included giving attention to the Lord, Jesus Christ. We have no right to claim an interest in the future when we neglect to include in the training of our children the teachings of the Bible.Paul Graham