Saturday, January 9, 2010

The limited first commission and the great commission...which one applies today?

For anyone that examines the scripture closely they will find the four Gospels contain (2) commissions given by Christ. The first commission (touched on yesterday) was limited to Israel only and it consisted the Kingdom of Heaven message that John the Baptist, Jesus himself, the 12 disciples, and the 70 carried during the Earthly ministry of our Lord under the covenant of the Law of Moses. Remember Jesus was born under law, lived under Law, and taught Law. The Grace Covenant didn't begin until His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus purchased the Church with His own blood...Acts 20:28

The second commission (an unlimited commission) was the Gospel message according to the Prophets. The first commission and the second commission are not to be confused, mixed up, or twisted or the Holy Scriptures cannot be rightly divided. The second commission was given by Christ after the nation of Israel rejected the first commission (the limited Kingdom message to Israel only where Christ would rule and reign as the Messiah in Jerusalem). After the rejection of the Messiahship of Christ, Jesus commanded His disciples to carry the Gospel message into all the world not just to the Jew only. Mat. 28:19, Mark 16:16-20, Luke 24:44-49. Jesus Himself preached the first Gospel sermon to His disciples in Luke 24:44-49.

His first commission (the Kingdom message) changed after Israel as a nation had rejected His Messiahship and earthly reign! The Gospel message of the death, burial, and resurrection 1 Cor. 15:1-4 (the second commission) was a distinct and different message than the Kingdom of Heaven message given to Israel only. This is where the confusion comes in! People mix up these two commissions today and don't rightly divide God's Word...especially in the four Gospels. False doctrines have been formed from these misconceptions! Peoples faith by the thousands has been ripped apart for centuries as a result of these false teachings. The Gospel message (to all the world) unlike the Kingdom of Heaven message (to the Jew only) was commissioned by Christ to be taken to both Jew and Gentile which today has birthed the Church, the body of Christ we now live under. This is where the dispensation of the fullness of times began. It is called the miracle of the Church which came under the Grace Covenant.

The Grace Covenant we now live under began at the death of a Saviour. The death of the Saviour never happened until Israel first rejected the King and the message of His Kingdom! Israel rejected Christ's first commission. When Israel rejected the King the message of the Kingdom of Heaven changed to the message of the death,burial, and resurrection of Christ. All four Gospels indicate such when you examine them closely. When you're able to see this in the Scriptures the liberty and freedom that comes from the revelation of Divine Grace is birthed in your heart. Glory! The Spirit of God will confirm it to you!

The Church was birthed through the shed blood of Christ at Calvary. The limited first commission (to Israel only) ceased and the unlimited commission of the Gospel (to all humanity Jew and Gentile alike) began. The Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus became the Law written in the tables of our hearts. The veil was rent twain as the ministry of the Holy Spirit could now be given to all the world through the preaching of the Gospel message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ according to the Prophets. That's what Paul, Peter, James and John taught and gave their lives for! Divine Grace now keeps the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit present in the Church. The great commission of the Gospel message was commanded by Christ to be taught in all the world. Not just to the lost sheep of Israel! That's what Jesus meant when He said, "I will be with you always".

I'd like to mention one last thing. The writers of the New Testament Epistles did not teach the Kingdom of Heaven message or the parables of Christ... and there is a reason why they didn't. The teachings of Christ, the parables, and the Kingdom of Heaven message applied to the limited first commission given to the lost sheep of Israel. These teachings were teachings according to the Law of Moses. The Jewish Apostles knew Israel rejected the King and the Kingdom that's why they didn't teach it! They had a New Testament revelation of Grace given to their hearts by the Spirit of God. They were enlightened to Divine Grace through the message of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ which was Christ's second commission...or what some call the Great Commission. Never do you see the these Apostles teaching the Kingdom of Heaven message, or the Parables. Why? Those teachings were the teachings of Christ under Law. The Apostles after the death of Christ had a new Revelation...it was called Divine Grace, the Church, the body of Christ . Being Jewish these Apostles had enlightenment to the distinction that was to be made between Law given to Isreal and Grace given to both Jew and Gentile.

More coming later on the difference between Kingdom authority from the four Gospels... and Throneroom authority from the New Testament Epistles. Why the Apostles did not teach Jesus' parables after the death of Christ. Clairification on the Kingdom of Heaven and the Kingdom of God. All this simply pertaining to right division of God's Word. God Bless you all! May the Grace of God minister truth, liberty, and freedom to all you hearts. He's exalted! Amen! Christ is exalted! He's exalted! Glory!

Friday, January 8, 2010

Did you ever wonder why Jesus gave the following command to His disciples?

Matt 10:5-8... Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

This profound passage can unfold a wealth knowledge for every student of God's Word. It puts the four Gospels into an orderly context, magnifies the truth about the Kingdom of Heaven, and unfolds great depth concerning God's Promise of restoring the land given to the Hebrew nation. Above all... Christ is magnified as our promised Messiah!

God bless you all as I look forward to this great teaching!

In order to understand this passage it's necessary to understand what the Kingdom of Heaven is. After all the Kingdom of Heaven is what Jesus is commanding His disciples to preach to the lost sheep if Israel. John the Baptist preached the Kingdom of Heaven. Jesus himself preached the Kingdom of Heaven. The Kingdom of Heaven was promised by God to Israel.

The Kingdom of Heaven was Christ's physical reign on Earth as the Promised Messiah. God's Promised Kingdom of Heaven would begin in Israel where Israel would be restored as promised in Old Testament Prophecy. Christ's reign would be an earthly and visible Kingdom and would begin in Jerusalem. The land that flowed with milk and honey promised of Old would be restored by God. Humanity would be restored morally. The plant life would be restored, the animal life would be restored, and the Garden of Eden would begin in Israel and spread throughout the world by the obedience of Israel to the law of God. Christ would rule on the throne of His father David as promised in Old Testament Prophecy. Any Jew could understand this teaching!

Why did Jesus command his disciples to preach this message to the lost sheep of Israel only? The Kingdom of Heaven was promised by God in the Law of Moses! The Kingdom of Heaven was promised by God in the Psalms! The Kingdom of Heaven was promised by God and given to the Prophets! Gentiles knew absolutely nothing about God's Prophets. Gentiles knew absolutely nothing about the Jewish Priesthood. Gentiles knew absolutely nothing about God's Promises of the Kingdom given to Israel! That's why Christ openly forbid the disciples to preach the Kingdom of Heaven message to the Gentiles. The Kingdom of Heaven was never preached to a Gentile in Jesus' day nor should it be preached to Gentiles today!

Why? First, you rob Israel of God's Old Testament Promise of restoration to the land which by the way has not been fulfilled yet. Second, you're taking the four Gospels out of their proper context given to Israel and applying these wrongly to the Church now. Thirdly, you're causing confusion in the personal study of students of God's Word which has caused many to have a shipwrecked faith years down the road in their Christian walk.

When the Gospels are put into proper context a foundation is laid (for any man) that can be built upon for a lifetime! This foundation will stand throughout life's trials! It will stand because its built by rightly dividing God's Word! There will be no confusion! There will be no frustration! There will be no spiritualization! It will fortify your faith! It will give you something to cling to everyday of your life until the Rapture of the Church or until you die and go the Heaven!

Matt 10:5-8... Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.

Learn it! Understand it! Rightly divide it! Build upon it! God bless you all! Ask your questions! More to come on this beautiful subject...

Wednesday, January 6, 2010

The Churches on Trial does not use the Bible to "entertain" the mind...

To entertain the mind with the Bible comes from mixing up, spiritualizing, and taking the Bible from its proper context. Using the Bible to entertain the mind is a very dangerous concept and can lead any convert to a frustrated faith over a period of time. Biblical entertainment of the mind offers no foundational backing, no right division, and causes future confusion for the new convert in Christ. Confusion has frustrated the faith of many new converts for centuries as the truth of the Bible is missed and the Devil has his way in the religious world.

Right division of the Word of God does not entertain the mind! The intent of the Bible is not to entertain the mind ...but to confirm the truth about Christ! Who He was in Creation..Who he was during His earthly ministry...What He done at Calvary...Who He is now...and what He's going to do in the future.

Right division of the Bible makes distinction between Law given to Israel and Grace given to the Church now. Right division makes the distinction between the Kingdom of Heaven message to Israel during Christ's earthly ministry...and the Gospel message today in the Church, the body of Christ. This kind of truth is not entertaining! It's Bible Truth and fulfillment of prophecy. Right division of the four Gospels takes out much of the modern day entertainment of the mind and gets to the core truth of the Holy Scriptures! Here's a few examples.

Right division of living holy under Grace is different than living holy under the Law of Moses! To go back to the days of Christ, under the teachings of Christ would put you under Law of Moses...because Christ taught the Law of Moses! Right division of the Word does not put the Church under the teachings of Christ...it puts the Church under the teachings of Grace now...where the Holy Spirit regenerates, sanctifies, and leads the believer in Christ. All the Epistles teach such doctrine! This is the doctrine if the New Testament! The New Testament began at the death of a Saviour. The birth, life, and ministry of Christ was under the Old Covenant of the Law of Moses. The Grace covenant had not began yet...and the Church had not been birthed yet! Many today are taught or find it entertaining to take these teachings in the four Gospels and run them into the Church Now. This kind of doctrine is dangerous and has plagued society for centuries.

When this kind of right division is brought to peoples attention...there is no entertainment to the mind, no spiritualization, or no emotionalism formed as a basis for faith. This leaves no room for confusion to seep in...that has led many to a frustrated a faith in Christ. When Scriptures are rightly divided they can be built upon for a lifetime. Heartfelt faith is built! Heartfelt Faith is grown! Heartfelt Faith is added to! Faith is not entertaining it is substance to the soul of a believer in Christ! It lasts for Eternity! It offers a relationship that has been prophetically recorded since the first Promise of a Saviour in Genesis 3:15.

There is no entertainment to the mind when confirmation is found in rightly dividing the truth. This type of confirmation is found in the heart and soul and fortified by the truth of rightly dividing the Holy Scriptures! Right division does not entertain the mind...it magnifies Christ, the Father, and the Holy Ghost in the prophetic truth of the Scriptures. Law has its place, Grace has its place. The four Gospels have their place, the New Testament has it's place. The Old Testament has its place, the New Testament has its place. The Kingdom of God has it's place the Kingdom of Heaven has its place. All have a certain place!

DON'T MIX UP THE BIBLE! IF YOU DO... IT CAN CAUSE GREAT HARM! IF YOU DON'T IT CAN BE VERY REWARDING! LEARN THE BIBLE IN ITS PROPER CONTEXT AND YOU'LL NEVER ENTERTAIN THE MIND!