Galatians 3:3 (KJV)
“Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?”
Being will never be a manifestation of doing; doing is a manifestation of being. If it is not in us to do, we simply cannot. Our spirit is made alive in Christ by the Holy Spirit; therefore, the righteousness of God is when our doing is a result of who we become in Christ Jesus.
Consequently, being responsible to the Spirit is greater responsibility than that of the flesh. The flesh is sinful in nature; the Spirit (“S” Holy Spirit) is supernatural and is righteous in nature. The Spirit in our text is not the spiritual realm of things or us being spiritual; it is a person, the Holy Ghost. We begin in Him, move, breathe, and have our being in Him. Outside of Him it is all us.
“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things” (1 John 2:20). Being in the Spirit can never be a work of the flesh. Flesh motivating our doing and the Spirit working it in us are two different things. The person behind the doing makes all the difference. When the Holy Ghost comes upon us we receive power to be. When His person is involved all we need to know is available.
Paul being filled with the Holy Ghost set his eyes on Barjesus (Acts 13). When the Holy Ghost is involved our spirit is able to do the supernatural.
Yeppers, the person behind the action makes all the difference. The sons of Sceva was stripped naked by demons simply because the person behind their action was them and not the Holy Ghost (Acts 19). If the Holy Ghost is not the person behind our righteousness it is simply flesh hogging out on itself.
We have got to be graveyard dead to ourselves to be alive in Christ Jesus. “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain” (Galatians 2:20-2).
Living in the Spirit is living in a person – the Holy Ghost – this is the spirit of Christ in us. “You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him” (Romans 8:9 ESV).
Friday, August 15, 2014
Thursday, August 14, 2014
REPLENISH
Ephesians 5:30-32 (KJV)
“30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
We become one flesh with Christ. His interest becomes our interest, His need becomes our responsibility. His purpose in this world now becomes our purpose. We no longer live to ourselves; and in this love, this deep passionate intimacy, our whole being will receive, multiply, and reproduce all He gives us.
“30 For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.
31 For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh.
32 This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church.”
We become one flesh with Christ. His interest becomes our interest, His need becomes our responsibility. His purpose in this world now becomes our purpose. We no longer live to ourselves; and in this love, this deep passionate intimacy, our whole being will receive, multiply, and reproduce all He gives us.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
DISQUALIFY OR QUALIFY?
2 Corinthians 1:21-22 (KJV)
“21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
There were some folks trying to discredit Paul’s intentions concerning his itinerary upon his schedule to visit them. It is common to have those who are looking for ways to disqualify us rather than qualify.
However, as believers we should always look for reasons to qualify each other. Therefore, Paul’s defense was not a reaction of defending himself; he took it as an opportunity to defend the consistency and faithfulness of the Spirit living inside us.
It is the Holy Spirit who establishes us in Christ; He brings us to Him, connects us to Him, and He teaches us Him. “Who also sealed us…” what does this mean? It means He marks us as they did in those days with a stamp of wax over a package to be given with the protection that what is inside has not been taken or messed with.
Once we have allowed Jesus inside our living, the Holy Ghost stamps us as a packaged deal. He assures what is inside stays there so when it is delivered it remains. When our accuser seeks to destroy us the seal reminds him of who is inside.
He becomes our earnest for all God has planned for us. Earnest here is of a Hebrew origin and means a pledge, part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest that is to come. (Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary)
This simply means the Holy Spirit is teaching us Jesus and working His character into us. He is our down payment to legally work this work in us, and the stamp is there saying this work on the inside cannot and will not be messed with until it gets to where it is going.
This work is the qualifying we need to exalt in each other and this is what Paul was teaching them. We must not seek to disqualify but rather exalt the qualifying of the work the Holy Ghost is working in us.
“21 Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;
22 Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
There were some folks trying to discredit Paul’s intentions concerning his itinerary upon his schedule to visit them. It is common to have those who are looking for ways to disqualify us rather than qualify.
However, as believers we should always look for reasons to qualify each other. Therefore, Paul’s defense was not a reaction of defending himself; he took it as an opportunity to defend the consistency and faithfulness of the Spirit living inside us.
It is the Holy Spirit who establishes us in Christ; He brings us to Him, connects us to Him, and He teaches us Him. “Who also sealed us…” what does this mean? It means He marks us as they did in those days with a stamp of wax over a package to be given with the protection that what is inside has not been taken or messed with.
Once we have allowed Jesus inside our living, the Holy Ghost stamps us as a packaged deal. He assures what is inside stays there so when it is delivered it remains. When our accuser seeks to destroy us the seal reminds him of who is inside.
He becomes our earnest for all God has planned for us. Earnest here is of a Hebrew origin and means a pledge, part of the purchase-money or property given in advance as security for the rest that is to come. (Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary)
This simply means the Holy Spirit is teaching us Jesus and working His character into us. He is our down payment to legally work this work in us, and the stamp is there saying this work on the inside cannot and will not be messed with until it gets to where it is going.
This work is the qualifying we need to exalt in each other and this is what Paul was teaching them. We must not seek to disqualify but rather exalt the qualifying of the work the Holy Ghost is working in us.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
STANDING FAST
1 Thessalonians 3:8 (KJV)
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
To stand fast is to be stationary or to persevere. We cannot allow ourselves to wonder off if we really want to live; get all up in here and stay here.
Something to be said about being stationary, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). ...
It takes some suffering to persevere; we are not really living up in here until we have worked through some things and come out on the other end still up in here.
“For now we live, if ye stand fast in the Lord.”
To stand fast is to be stationary or to persevere. We cannot allow ourselves to wonder off if we really want to live; get all up in here and stay here.
Something to be said about being stationary, “But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you” (1 Peter 5:10). ...
It takes some suffering to persevere; we are not really living up in here until we have worked through some things and come out on the other end still up in here.
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
APOSTLE
1Thessalonians 2:4-8 (KJV)
"4 But as we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts.
5 For neither at any time used we flattering words, as ye know, nor a cloke of covetousness; God is witness:
6 Nor of men sought we glory, neither of you, nor yet of others, when we might have been burdensome, as the apostles of Christ.
7 But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherisheth her children:
8 So being affectionately desirous of you, we were willing to have imparted unto you, not the gospel of God only, but also our own souls, because ye were dear unto us."
For us to come into the unity of the faith, until every joint is supplying itself in Love, and until we become the one man Christ Jesus, we will need working among us the ministry of the apostle. It is not in the heart of a true apostle to be a burden. They are gentle as a nurse, willing to be drawn from.
We do not offer apostle license in our organization, nonetheless, we need them; we need their nurturing as individuals and nurturing corporately. This ministry was given to the church as a gift. We can let them set on the shelf because we do not understand their place or purpose, or maybe we might be afraid we would lose control to their place of authority.
In heaven we cast our crowns at His feet and we lift ourselves from our seats to do so. What we do in the heavens will manifest in the earth. After all, He has given us the keys to the kingdom of heaven. A true apostle is not out to condemn or to challenge polity just simply supply the Gospel. If we are not giving Jesus we are not giving what we should be giving whether we be apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, or saint.
We are gifts by grace; otherwise, we are about ourselves.
Monday, August 4, 2014
MR. RELATIONSHIP
John 7:37-39 (KJV)
"37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
The Holy Ghost is pure Love. God is Love and the Holy Ghost is God. He is the activator, comforter, teacher, and motivator; the one telling us, He speaks of the Father and the Son, yet not one word of Himself (carrier of the Word). He brings them both to us in spirit. Sounds like Love to me. He is the river flowing out of the throne. In one scripture (Daniel) the river is fire, and in another scripture (Revelation) the river is crystal clear water.
Jesus knows this River and is telling them of this River out of this knowing. This River is constantly flowing out of the Father and the Son (belly). This River is everything going on between them (relationship). Actually, a tangible description of Him, this river, would be relationship or pure Love.
The greatest act of Love had to take place before He would be sent to us by the Father, sent to us uncorked as the River (relationship); after all, He is Mr. Relationship Himself. He is the cultivator cuddling us into the arms of the Father and the Son. This (Love) brings us into the family and the union between them – we become family.
This River “Mr. Relationship” flows out of our belly as a call for others to become family and to enter into this union between us.
"37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)"
The Holy Ghost is pure Love. God is Love and the Holy Ghost is God. He is the activator, comforter, teacher, and motivator; the one telling us, He speaks of the Father and the Son, yet not one word of Himself (carrier of the Word). He brings them both to us in spirit. Sounds like Love to me. He is the river flowing out of the throne. In one scripture (Daniel) the river is fire, and in another scripture (Revelation) the river is crystal clear water.
Jesus knows this River and is telling them of this River out of this knowing. This River is constantly flowing out of the Father and the Son (belly). This River is everything going on between them (relationship). Actually, a tangible description of Him, this river, would be relationship or pure Love.
The greatest act of Love had to take place before He would be sent to us by the Father, sent to us uncorked as the River (relationship); after all, He is Mr. Relationship Himself. He is the cultivator cuddling us into the arms of the Father and the Son. This (Love) brings us into the family and the union between them – we become family.
This River “Mr. Relationship” flows out of our belly as a call for others to become family and to enter into this union between us.
Friday, August 1, 2014
ME, MYSELF, AND I
2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 (KJV)
“10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The righteousness of God is simply God at work in us reconciling us to Himself, the opposite of that is the absence of God as we work on our own.
We have been taught self-reliance from every angle we turn; Secularism, Individualism, and humanism, has given us rights to refuse boundaries set by any outside source other than ourselves. Anything disagreeing with us is viewed as rejection and militant. Anything disagreeing with us cannot be imagined as right. God working in us transforming us can only be viewed as God against us. After all, God transforming us would be a violation of our “rights of self-preservation.”
For this cause God sends strong delusion helping us to believe what we choose to believe. Delusion is a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. In such cases God gives us the ability to live with faulty paradigms as we block every opposing idea that cannot fit our choices.
I could expound more on this, however, I will let the Word say what it is saying and let it be at that. We must have a love for truth to hear truth. In other words, we must choose to believe we are not God.
“10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
The righteousness of God is simply God at work in us reconciling us to Himself, the opposite of that is the absence of God as we work on our own.
We have been taught self-reliance from every angle we turn; Secularism, Individualism, and humanism, has given us rights to refuse boundaries set by any outside source other than ourselves. Anything disagreeing with us is viewed as rejection and militant. Anything disagreeing with us cannot be imagined as right. God working in us transforming us can only be viewed as God against us. After all, God transforming us would be a violation of our “rights of self-preservation.”
For this cause God sends strong delusion helping us to believe what we choose to believe. Delusion is a fixed false belief that is resistant to reason or confrontation with actual fact. In such cases God gives us the ability to live with faulty paradigms as we block every opposing idea that cannot fit our choices.
I could expound more on this, however, I will let the Word say what it is saying and let it be at that. We must have a love for truth to hear truth. In other words, we must choose to believe we are not God.
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