Everyman is "enlightened" to God in some way or some manner through the pages of history all the way back to Adam. No man has an excuse to say there is no God.
1. God is revealed in nature. The creation of Earth and the creation of humanity "revealed" the Creator. The history of the Bible proves man (Jew and Gentile) is a violator to nature and the natural laws of Creation. Rom 1:19-20...Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse.
2. God is revealed through the standard of man since the Fall of Adam in the Garden. How? Man's natural inclination is in total rebellion to the Creator. The conscience of man is guilty, without strength, without hope, and helpless without God. Rom 2:12-15...For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified. For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;) Man is a violator to the conscience.
3. God was revealed in the Law of Moses given to Israel on Mt. Sinai. The Law was given to reveal man's guilt and unholiness. Man could only keep the Law with his natural will and intellect. Israel was "enlightened" to God by the authority of the Torah before the Church was purchased and the Holy Spirit was given in the New Testament. God was also revealed in the flesh when Christ came during His earthly ministry. Rom 3:19-20...Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin. Israel was a violator of the Law of Moses before and during Christ's Earthly ministry.
4. God is revealed presently through the ministration of the Holy Spirit under the Grace Covenant...in the body of Christ, the Church. God is revealed to the heart of man through the Gospel message that pertains to the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. Man is enlightened to God by the truth of the Word and the power of the Holy Spirit in the human soul that convicts, regenerates, and sanctifies.
5. No man anywhere on the planet Earth has the right to say there is no God.
6. Everyman is accountable to God...according to the enlightenment that has been revealed to his heart. All men will be judged according to their enlightenment. Rom 14:10-12...for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Monday, April 20, 2009
Revived...Churches on Trial (audio)...7-12-87 (pt.2)
This show was a two hour broadcast put into two (1 hour) segments. This broadcast brought forth beautiful clairification on the subject of Water Baptism and Eternal Punishment that refuted Jehovah Witness and Seven Day Adventist doctrine.
Self sufficiency, Religion, and the works of the Devil
Self-sufficiency from a Biblical standpoint refers to the state of not requiring any outside aid, support, or interaction from God. A good example of self sufficiency in the Bible is shown through the heart of Lucifer. Lucifer, an anointed Cherub, was the highest of God’s created Angelic beings. The order of Angelic beings can be seen as Cherubim the highest, Seraphim, Archangels, Angels, etc. Within the heart of Lucifer selfishness formed and led him to rebellion against the Creator. Lucifer desired to exalt himself higher than God. The pride within Lucifer’s heart toward God was, “I don’t need you anymore, and I can do it myself.” Note Lucifer’s declaration of… "I will" in Isaiah’s prophecy.
· Isa. 14:12-15…How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
After the fall of Adam defeat, death, and eternal damnation were pronounced upon the serpent and contained in God’s promise of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Devil had no foreknowledge of the miracle of Christ’s redemptive power through His descension to earth; or the fullness of His resurrection and exaltation back to the Throneroom. Nor did the Devil know the glory contained in the triumphant power of Salvation and holiness provided for the human soul through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.
· Gen 3:14-15…And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Although Lucifer was created a perfect being he was limited in knowledge. Lucifer did however separate from God because iniquity was found in his heart.
· Ezek 28:14-15…Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Selfish works from the heart of the serpent found a selfish part of the human soul in Eve. The serpent’s deception thus assisted in leading Eve into disobedience against God.
· 2 Cor 11:3…But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
The work of the Devil that influenced Eve caused God’s curse to come upon humanity after the “Original sin”. God’s curse came as the Adamic nature that has since been passed down through the entire human family. The ripple effects from the Adamic nature come in a form of man’s self sufficiency. For this purpose Christ was manifested to “destroy” the ongoing affects of self suffiency in the hearts and lives of sinful men.
· 1 John 3:8…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Cain the son of Adam was wrapped up in self sufficiency and missed the righteousness of God by faith. Cain with selfish intent gave the work of his hands as an offering to God. Cain in the Hebrew text…means to acquire or possess something by works. Unrighteousness from the Adamic nature possessed the heart and life of Cain.
· 1 John 3:12…Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Abel was a righteous man because of faith and gave a firstling from his flock out of obedience to God. Abel’s intention was not selfish toward God. Abel obtained a righteous witness because of his faith in God. Abel proved righteousness from the heart through the sacrificial offering of his firstling to God.
· Gen 4:4…And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
· Heb 11:4…By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:
Self sufficiency has caused many to fall short of God’s righteousness. Self sufficiency caused Lucifer to fall. Self sufficiency opposes God’s righteousness given to the heart of man by faith. Self seeks its own.
Man’s natural tendency of self sufficiency has formed false religions throughout the pages of history. Ponder the following:
· Reincarnation as all the following believe …Scientology, Native American Indian religion, Hinduism, Theosophy, Buddhism…In the Buddhist scriptures, our body is compared to a guesthouse and our mind to a guest dwelling within it. When we die, our mind leaves our body and goes to the next life, just like a guest leaving a guesthouse and going somewhere else.
· Karma, the works of man
· Zodiac, Astrology, tarot cards, Ouija board
Religion is a form of worshipping something or another God without the experience of a God given righteousness in the human soul. Hundreds of Religions have formed through course of time as the hearts of men have chosen not to recognize God’s authority through conscience nor remain faithful to His Holy presence. The Devil from the beginning was created perfect and accountable to God…but separated because he abode not in the truth. When iniquity was found in his heart he lost faith and thus became unfaithful to God.
· John 8:44…Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Adam and Eve were both created accountable to God. They separated from God because they lost their faith and became disobedient to the Creator. Cain and Abel both heard of God from their parents. Out of jealousy and unfaithfulness to God (from the Adamic nature) Cain slew his brother Abel.
· 1 John 3:12…Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Abel was righteous because he had faith in God. Abel maintained faith by a righteous witness given from God. Faith allows man to have a righteous witness from God because guilt and sin is removed from the conscience. The Lord had respect Abel’s sacrificial offering by faith as it pointed toward the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.
· Heb 12:24…And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Men of faith are faithful to God. Obedience is a product of Faith. Faithful men do things pleasing in God’s sight. Examine the Scripture closely you’ll see that Enoch pleased God by faith.
· Heb 11:5…By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Faithfulness is and always has been a product of Gods righteousness in the hearts of men who have faith in God. Unfaithfulness and unrighteousness are products of man’s unclean heart without faith in God. Man cannot please God without a clean heart. Man cannot cleanse his own heart through works, religious acts, sacraments, or a philosophy however; this is man’s natural inclination and tendency.
Religions are formed by natural men that attempt to change themselves or lead others to a higher plain by human effort or human knowledge. Religion proves mans natural inclination to be self-righteous; or shows mans ability to achieve God through works. Religion leaves out the impartation of God’s righteousness in the human soul that men receive by faith alone. After the flood in Noah’s day, observe man’s religious works that led them to build the tower of Babel.
· Gen 11:5-9…And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel;
· Tower of Babel…When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they had not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before;The Hebrew meaning of the word Babel, is confusion.
· Isa. 14:12-15…How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.
After the fall of Adam defeat, death, and eternal damnation were pronounced upon the serpent and contained in God’s promise of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ. The Devil had no foreknowledge of the miracle of Christ’s redemptive power through His descension to earth; or the fullness of His resurrection and exaltation back to the Throneroom. Nor did the Devil know the glory contained in the triumphant power of Salvation and holiness provided for the human soul through the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.
· Gen 3:14-15…And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
Although Lucifer was created a perfect being he was limited in knowledge. Lucifer did however separate from God because iniquity was found in his heart.
· Ezek 28:14-15…Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.
Selfish works from the heart of the serpent found a selfish part of the human soul in Eve. The serpent’s deception thus assisted in leading Eve into disobedience against God.
· 2 Cor 11:3…But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty,
The work of the Devil that influenced Eve caused God’s curse to come upon humanity after the “Original sin”. God’s curse came as the Adamic nature that has since been passed down through the entire human family. The ripple effects from the Adamic nature come in a form of man’s self sufficiency. For this purpose Christ was manifested to “destroy” the ongoing affects of self suffiency in the hearts and lives of sinful men.
· 1 John 3:8…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Cain the son of Adam was wrapped up in self sufficiency and missed the righteousness of God by faith. Cain with selfish intent gave the work of his hands as an offering to God. Cain in the Hebrew text…means to acquire or possess something by works. Unrighteousness from the Adamic nature possessed the heart and life of Cain.
· 1 John 3:12…Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Abel was a righteous man because of faith and gave a firstling from his flock out of obedience to God. Abel’s intention was not selfish toward God. Abel obtained a righteous witness because of his faith in God. Abel proved righteousness from the heart through the sacrificial offering of his firstling to God.
· Gen 4:4…And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
· Heb 11:4…By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts:
Self sufficiency has caused many to fall short of God’s righteousness. Self sufficiency caused Lucifer to fall. Self sufficiency opposes God’s righteousness given to the heart of man by faith. Self seeks its own.
Man’s natural tendency of self sufficiency has formed false religions throughout the pages of history. Ponder the following:
· Reincarnation as all the following believe …Scientology, Native American Indian religion, Hinduism, Theosophy, Buddhism…In the Buddhist scriptures, our body is compared to a guesthouse and our mind to a guest dwelling within it. When we die, our mind leaves our body and goes to the next life, just like a guest leaving a guesthouse and going somewhere else.
· Karma, the works of man
· Zodiac, Astrology, tarot cards, Ouija board
Religion is a form of worshipping something or another God without the experience of a God given righteousness in the human soul. Hundreds of Religions have formed through course of time as the hearts of men have chosen not to recognize God’s authority through conscience nor remain faithful to His Holy presence. The Devil from the beginning was created perfect and accountable to God…but separated because he abode not in the truth. When iniquity was found in his heart he lost faith and thus became unfaithful to God.
· John 8:44…Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Adam and Eve were both created accountable to God. They separated from God because they lost their faith and became disobedient to the Creator. Cain and Abel both heard of God from their parents. Out of jealousy and unfaithfulness to God (from the Adamic nature) Cain slew his brother Abel.
· 1 John 3:12…Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.
Abel was righteous because he had faith in God. Abel maintained faith by a righteous witness given from God. Faith allows man to have a righteous witness from God because guilt and sin is removed from the conscience. The Lord had respect Abel’s sacrificial offering by faith as it pointed toward the redemptive work of Christ on the cross.
· Heb 12:24…And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.
Men of faith are faithful to God. Obedience is a product of Faith. Faithful men do things pleasing in God’s sight. Examine the Scripture closely you’ll see that Enoch pleased God by faith.
· Heb 11:5…By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Faithfulness is and always has been a product of Gods righteousness in the hearts of men who have faith in God. Unfaithfulness and unrighteousness are products of man’s unclean heart without faith in God. Man cannot please God without a clean heart. Man cannot cleanse his own heart through works, religious acts, sacraments, or a philosophy however; this is man’s natural inclination and tendency.
Religions are formed by natural men that attempt to change themselves or lead others to a higher plain by human effort or human knowledge. Religion proves mans natural inclination to be self-righteous; or shows mans ability to achieve God through works. Religion leaves out the impartation of God’s righteousness in the human soul that men receive by faith alone. After the flood in Noah’s day, observe man’s religious works that led them to build the tower of Babel.
· Gen 11:5-9…And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do. Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech. So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel;
· Tower of Babel…When God saw that they acted so madly, he did not resolve to destroy them utterly, since they had not grown wiser by the destruction of the former sinners; but he caused a tumult among them, by producing in them diverse languages, and causing that, through the multitude of those languages, they should not be able to understand one another. The place wherein they built the tower is now called Babylon, because of the confusion of that language which they readily understood before;The Hebrew meaning of the word Babel, is confusion.
Saturday, April 18, 2009
How does the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer “affect” the works of the Devil?
The Church is what keeps the Holy Spirit present in the life of a Christian. Men become conscious to the Holy Spirit’s presence when they hear the Gospel message. The Holy Spirit is recognized “after” men accept Christ for forgiveness of sins. Acceptance of His righteousness allows the Holy Spirit’s regenerating power to change the moral make-up of fallen man. This work of the Spirit of God in the human soul is what “defeats” the cause of the Devil. Christ …through the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit manifests holiness and righteousness within the human soul. How? …By giving the believer a divine nature. This new nature gives man power to live holy; and the strength to overcome sin. The Bible teaches that God purposed Christ to manifest Himself in heart of man…first to keep the believer from committing sin…second to destroy the works of the Devil.
· 1 John 3:8…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Through the "miracle of the Church" the Holy Spirit was given to all men who accept Christ’s power and presence into their hearts. Holiness of heart comes into members of the body through a conscious recognition of Christ. This work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is what “defeats” the Devil’s cause. How? Christians resist the Devil by faith. Christians are in subjection to Christ not the Devil or His demons. That’s why the Scriptures teach that through man’s faith in Christ, “The Devil will flee”.
· James 4:7…Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
· 1 Peter 5:8-9…because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
Regardless of what the world says, Christians have victory over the Devil! The Spirit of God says so! The Bible says so! The victorious life of a Christian over the Devil is produced because the power of a living Christ is manifested every minute, every hour, every day… in the heart and mind of a believer!
This writer is thankful that members of the body of Christ… have the mind of Christ. Their mind is pure because their heart is pure. Clean thoughts and clean thinking gives the believer the ability to overcome sin and the works of the Devil. Members of the body of Christ think right and do right because they are “kept” by the power of God.
· 1 Peter 1:5…kept by the power of God through faith
The keeping power of God in the heart of man provides the believer with a way to “escape temptation” and to “escape the deceptive works of the Devil”. Without strength given from the Holy Spirits witness man is helpless to the powers of darkness. With Spirit given strength in the heart of a believer, the child of God has power to “overcome” sin, disobedience, the flesh, and the Devils devices. Here’s how!
The Devil and the powers of darkness are subject to Christ whose Spirit of holiness governs the heart and life of a believer. Through the power and presence of a resurrected Savior the Devils authority is spoiled. A believer’s triumph over the works of the Devil comes not only because of what Christ did on the cross; but what Christ is doing presently in from the Throne room. Members of the body of Christ triumph over the powers of darkness because Christ “spoiled” their powers openly. How? ... He is God! He rose from the grave! He’s alive forevermore! …Halleluiah!
· Col 2:15…And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
· 1 John 3:8…He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.
Through the "miracle of the Church" the Holy Spirit was given to all men who accept Christ’s power and presence into their hearts. Holiness of heart comes into members of the body through a conscious recognition of Christ. This work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is what “defeats” the Devil’s cause. How? Christians resist the Devil by faith. Christians are in subjection to Christ not the Devil or His demons. That’s why the Scriptures teach that through man’s faith in Christ, “The Devil will flee”.
· James 4:7…Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
· 1 Peter 5:8-9…because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist stedfast in the faith,
Regardless of what the world says, Christians have victory over the Devil! The Spirit of God says so! The Bible says so! The victorious life of a Christian over the Devil is produced because the power of a living Christ is manifested every minute, every hour, every day… in the heart and mind of a believer!
This writer is thankful that members of the body of Christ… have the mind of Christ. Their mind is pure because their heart is pure. Clean thoughts and clean thinking gives the believer the ability to overcome sin and the works of the Devil. Members of the body of Christ think right and do right because they are “kept” by the power of God.
· 1 Peter 1:5…kept by the power of God through faith
The keeping power of God in the heart of man provides the believer with a way to “escape temptation” and to “escape the deceptive works of the Devil”. Without strength given from the Holy Spirits witness man is helpless to the powers of darkness. With Spirit given strength in the heart of a believer, the child of God has power to “overcome” sin, disobedience, the flesh, and the Devils devices. Here’s how!
The Devil and the powers of darkness are subject to Christ whose Spirit of holiness governs the heart and life of a believer. Through the power and presence of a resurrected Savior the Devils authority is spoiled. A believer’s triumph over the works of the Devil comes not only because of what Christ did on the cross; but what Christ is doing presently in from the Throne room. Members of the body of Christ triumph over the powers of darkness because Christ “spoiled” their powers openly. How? ... He is God! He rose from the grave! He’s alive forevermore! …Halleluiah!
· Col 2:15…And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
Why the “Church” (God’s great blessing of the Grace Covenant) is perfect…
First, Jesus is the builder of the Church…
Matt 16:18… I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Second…the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church and here’s the reason why. The powers of darkness, the Devil, and death cannot prevail against the church because Jesus is the head (or the one in authority over the Church)…
Col. 1:18…And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
What makes Jesus the head of the Church? He purchased the Church through suffering, His shed blood, and a cruel death on the cross.
Acts 20:28…the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
The reason the church is perfect is because Christ purchased it, built it, is the head of it, and gave his Holy Spirit so you and I could be part of it!
Eph 2:22…In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Believers are a habitation of God through the Spirit.
The Bible teaches that members of Christ’s body, the Church are the “temple of the Holy Spirit and the temple of God is “holy”.
1 Cor 3:16-17… Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Holiness is the perfect work of God in the human soul. All members of Christ’s body are holy. Holiness is a result of God’s redemptive work within all members of the body of Christ. All members of the Church are God’s creation.
1 Cor 6:19-20…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
The Church is the perfect work of God that came into existence at the death of our Saviour. The Church is the blessing of the New Testament and the Bible teaches.
Heb 9:15-17…And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Before the death of Christ the Law of Moses given to Israel was the greatest blessing on the planet Earth. The Law of Moses was the greatest set of morals ever written. The Law of Moses demanded the shedding of blood for the remission of sins but when Christ died on the cross and purchased the Church with His own blood a greater blessing than the Law of Moses was given. That blessing was the Church, the body of Christ governed by God’s greatest blessing…the Holy Spirit. Under Grace the Holy Spirit prevails in the Church. Under Law the 613 commandments were given to Israel. Under Grace God blessed the “whole” human family…both Jew and Gentile.
Eph 2:11-14…Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
The Blessing of the Church was greater than Law because it was given to both Jew and Gentile. The Blessing of the Church was greater than the Law of Moses because it wasn’t only the commandments given to Israel. The Blessing of the Church is Grace given to the whole human family. …Jew’s and Gentiles. The Blessing of the Church tore down the wall of partition to Israel only…
Eph 2:13-16… But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
The blessing of the Church is the dispensation of the fulness of times…
Eph 1:10… That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
That “fullness” is the work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul.
2 Cor. 3:3…written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
The morals of the tables of stone were kept by man. The moral holiness in the Church is given through the perfect work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul. This moral holiness is written on the tables of the human heart. In the Old Testament man did works to keep the Law. In the New Testament man has the work of the Spirit within. This is the blessing of the Grace Covenant we now have in the Church.
There are some that call the Church the “salt of the earth”. This is not a true statement and takes the Bible from its proper context! Why? Israel was the “salt of the earth” and they lost their savor when they rejected the Messiahship of Christ.
Matt 5:13… Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
The Church could never lose its savor or be trodden under the foot of men or it would be “imperfect”. Christ would never create an imperfect Church. Israel was imperfect because they “rejected” Christ when He came. The Church is perfect because its builder is perfect. Remember against the Church the gates of Hell shall never prevail!
The Church is a product of the Grace Covenant we now live under. The Grace covenant is better covenant than the Covenant of the Law given to Israel. Why? Members of the Church, the body of Christ have the work and witness of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Under Law man worked to do right…under Grace it was the work of Christ within that allows the believer to do right.
Heb 9:11-12…But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:14-15…How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
May this revelation, given from a resurrected Christ be given to all believers like it was the Apostle Paul. May this revelation teach all believers in Christ how to rightly divide the Holy Scriptures…thus giving confirmation on how to make the distinction between the Church and Israel, Law and Grace, Jew and Gentile, and the Old and New Testaments. Grace and peace to all…
Matt 16:18… I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Second…the gates of Hell shall not prevail against the Church and here’s the reason why. The powers of darkness, the Devil, and death cannot prevail against the church because Jesus is the head (or the one in authority over the Church)…
Col. 1:18…And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.
What makes Jesus the head of the Church? He purchased the Church through suffering, His shed blood, and a cruel death on the cross.
Acts 20:28…the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
The reason the church is perfect is because Christ purchased it, built it, is the head of it, and gave his Holy Spirit so you and I could be part of it!
Eph 2:22…In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
Believers are a habitation of God through the Spirit.
The Bible teaches that members of Christ’s body, the Church are the “temple of the Holy Spirit and the temple of God is “holy”.
1 Cor 3:16-17… Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Holiness is the perfect work of God in the human soul. All members of Christ’s body are holy. Holiness is a result of God’s redemptive work within all members of the body of Christ. All members of the Church are God’s creation.
1 Cor 6:19-20…know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
The Church is the perfect work of God that came into existence at the death of our Saviour. The Church is the blessing of the New Testament and the Bible teaches.
Heb 9:15-17…And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.
Before the death of Christ the Law of Moses given to Israel was the greatest blessing on the planet Earth. The Law of Moses was the greatest set of morals ever written. The Law of Moses demanded the shedding of blood for the remission of sins but when Christ died on the cross and purchased the Church with His own blood a greater blessing than the Law of Moses was given. That blessing was the Church, the body of Christ governed by God’s greatest blessing…the Holy Spirit. Under Grace the Holy Spirit prevails in the Church. Under Law the 613 commandments were given to Israel. Under Grace God blessed the “whole” human family…both Jew and Gentile.
Eph 2:11-14…Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
The Blessing of the Church was greater than Law because it was given to both Jew and Gentile. The Blessing of the Church was greater than the Law of Moses because it wasn’t only the commandments given to Israel. The Blessing of the Church is Grace given to the whole human family. …Jew’s and Gentiles. The Blessing of the Church tore down the wall of partition to Israel only…
Eph 2:13-16… But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:
The blessing of the Church is the dispensation of the fulness of times…
Eph 1:10… That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ,
That “fullness” is the work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul.
2 Cor. 3:3…written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart.
The morals of the tables of stone were kept by man. The moral holiness in the Church is given through the perfect work of the Holy Spirit in the human soul. This moral holiness is written on the tables of the human heart. In the Old Testament man did works to keep the Law. In the New Testament man has the work of the Spirit within. This is the blessing of the Grace Covenant we now have in the Church.
There are some that call the Church the “salt of the earth”. This is not a true statement and takes the Bible from its proper context! Why? Israel was the “salt of the earth” and they lost their savor when they rejected the Messiahship of Christ.
Matt 5:13… Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
The Church could never lose its savor or be trodden under the foot of men or it would be “imperfect”. Christ would never create an imperfect Church. Israel was imperfect because they “rejected” Christ when He came. The Church is perfect because its builder is perfect. Remember against the Church the gates of Hell shall never prevail!
The Church is a product of the Grace Covenant we now live under. The Grace covenant is better covenant than the Covenant of the Law given to Israel. Why? Members of the Church, the body of Christ have the work and witness of the Holy Spirit in their hearts. Under Law man worked to do right…under Grace it was the work of Christ within that allows the believer to do right.
Heb 9:11-12…But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.
Heb 9:14-15…How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the New Testament that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
May this revelation, given from a resurrected Christ be given to all believers like it was the Apostle Paul. May this revelation teach all believers in Christ how to rightly divide the Holy Scriptures…thus giving confirmation on how to make the distinction between the Church and Israel, Law and Grace, Jew and Gentile, and the Old and New Testaments. Grace and peace to all…
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
The authority of the Church presently defeats the cause of the Devil
Here's an excerpt from a document I wrote a while ago...perhaps it will stir your thinking.
• The head of the Church is Christ…who has “all” authority. The Devil and his demons are subject to Him.
• The Church was purchased with Christ’s blood. Man’s faith in this redemptive work destroys the power of death.
• The Church is the Spiritual body of Christ and consists of those who accept Christ’s person in their hearts and lives.
• The Church unites both Jew and Gentile and makes them one… through the ministration of the Holy Spirit.
• The Church universal is one body having many different members. All members are holy.
• The work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth baptizes believers into the Church.
• Sanctification through the Spirit rids members of the Church from an inherited Adamic nature.
• The Church defeats the cause of Satan through the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a believer.
• The Holy Spirit in the Church withholds or hinders God’s Wrath from being ministered now! The Wrath of God will be ministered in the Great Tribulation
• The mercy of God leaves Earth when the Holy Spirit steps aside at the Rapture of the Church
• When the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit steps aside at the Rapture, the Antichrist steps in for seven years according to Daniel.
By the Grace of God Christ stepped down from Heaven and experienced death on the cross. Why? So men could have life and union with Him through the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. Adam’s sin brought death into the world. Death separated man from Eternal Salvation. Glory be to God...belief in Christ unites sinful man back to an Eternal Salvation. By the Grace of God Christ gives the believer a clean heart and power to have victory over sin. For this reason God’s Holiness in the heart of man defeats the Devil’s cause. Christ resurrected from the tomb because He was God… not man! Christ had power over the Devil because He created the Devil! The serpent who beguiled Eve in the Garden was judged by God after the original sin in Genesis 3:15!
• Gen 3:15… And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head,
This judgment came through God’s promise of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ that “bruised” the head of Satan. Simply put, “Satan’s authority was crushed by Christ as the Devil is in present subjection to the power of a resurrected Lord”. (In the future tense the Devil will be cast into the lake of fire.)
• Eph 1:20-22…which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
The effects from Satan’s works in the Garden of Eden yielded death and separated man from God. Death has reigned through humanity since the fall of Adam. God’s promise of the sacrifice of Christ was an atonement made to “Destroy the power of death”. Unsaved men find life and union with God through faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Christ’s death on the cross was the bridge that allows sinful men to pass back from death unto life. The sacrifice of Christ destroyed him who had the power of death which is the Devil. How? ...Through the holy heart given to a believer.
• Heb 2:14… Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil
The fruit of holiness is Eternal life and Salvation to the human soul. The fruit of unholiness is Eternal death and damnation upon the human soul. Note how the Bible teaches that the power that comes from the death of a Savior can “destroy” him that has the power of death that is the Devil! That is the victory all believers have in the Church, the body of Christ! God destroys three things in the Bible that hinders man from receiving or maintaining Eternal Salvation. 1. The body of sin, which is the Adamic nature. (Romans 6:6). 2. The works of the Devil. (1 John 3:8) 3. The Antichrist at the end of the seven year Tribulation. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
• The head of the Church is Christ…who has “all” authority. The Devil and his demons are subject to Him.
• The Church was purchased with Christ’s blood. Man’s faith in this redemptive work destroys the power of death.
• The Church is the Spiritual body of Christ and consists of those who accept Christ’s person in their hearts and lives.
• The Church unites both Jew and Gentile and makes them one… through the ministration of the Holy Spirit.
• The Church universal is one body having many different members. All members are holy.
• The work of the Holy Spirit in the new birth baptizes believers into the Church.
• Sanctification through the Spirit rids members of the Church from an inherited Adamic nature.
• The Church defeats the cause of Satan through the work of the Holy Spirit in the heart of a believer.
• The Holy Spirit in the Church withholds or hinders God’s Wrath from being ministered now! The Wrath of God will be ministered in the Great Tribulation
• The mercy of God leaves Earth when the Holy Spirit steps aside at the Rapture of the Church
• When the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit steps aside at the Rapture, the Antichrist steps in for seven years according to Daniel.
By the Grace of God Christ stepped down from Heaven and experienced death on the cross. Why? So men could have life and union with Him through the omnipresence of the Holy Spirit. Adam’s sin brought death into the world. Death separated man from Eternal Salvation. Glory be to God...belief in Christ unites sinful man back to an Eternal Salvation. By the Grace of God Christ gives the believer a clean heart and power to have victory over sin. For this reason God’s Holiness in the heart of man defeats the Devil’s cause. Christ resurrected from the tomb because He was God… not man! Christ had power over the Devil because He created the Devil! The serpent who beguiled Eve in the Garden was judged by God after the original sin in Genesis 3:15!
• Gen 3:15… And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head,
This judgment came through God’s promise of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ that “bruised” the head of Satan. Simply put, “Satan’s authority was crushed by Christ as the Devil is in present subjection to the power of a resurrected Lord”. (In the future tense the Devil will be cast into the lake of fire.)
• Eph 1:20-22…which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
The effects from Satan’s works in the Garden of Eden yielded death and separated man from God. Death has reigned through humanity since the fall of Adam. God’s promise of the sacrifice of Christ was an atonement made to “Destroy the power of death”. Unsaved men find life and union with God through faith in the sacrifice of Christ. Christ’s death on the cross was the bridge that allows sinful men to pass back from death unto life. The sacrifice of Christ destroyed him who had the power of death which is the Devil. How? ...Through the holy heart given to a believer.
• Heb 2:14… Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil
The fruit of holiness is Eternal life and Salvation to the human soul. The fruit of unholiness is Eternal death and damnation upon the human soul. Note how the Bible teaches that the power that comes from the death of a Savior can “destroy” him that has the power of death that is the Devil! That is the victory all believers have in the Church, the body of Christ! God destroys three things in the Bible that hinders man from receiving or maintaining Eternal Salvation. 1. The body of sin, which is the Adamic nature. (Romans 6:6). 2. The works of the Devil. (1 John 3:8) 3. The Antichrist at the end of the seven year Tribulation. (2 Thessalonians 2:8)
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Revived! Churches on Trial ...7-12-87 (audio) Part one of a two hour talk show.
2 Cor 4:5-6... For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus' sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
The following audio holds a special place in this writer's heart as it pertains to God using Brother Lindsey's radio broadcast to minister to those in bonds. This writer was first introduced to Brother Lindsey and his ministry for Christ during those years throughout a time of incarceration. At the beginning of this audio a dear Brother in the Lord, by the name of Larry Shilling had written Brother Lindsey and Jim Elsman a letter telling them about "us" who were incarcerated at Milan Correctional Facility in Milan Mi. The letter was a letter of love from a Church behind the fence...that contained a question about "Water Baptism" which Brother Lindsey very much clarified.
Brother Larry Shilling introduced me to Hubert Lindsey's ministry during that time as Larry and I both followed the Churches on Trial until it terminated in the 1990's. Unfortunately Brother Shilling was transferred I think in 1989. During that time frame Brother Lindsey and others from the Church at Birmingham came to Milan FCI to minister the Gospel to us in bonds. God knew and provided our needs. Meeting and getting to know Brother Lindsey was an unforgettable experience for this writer that impacted me enough that I was able to leave Milan, come home to Williamsburg Ohio to my wife, son, and daughter, restore a marriage, built a Church house, continue preaching the Gospel, and carry on Brother Lindsey's ministry up til now...21 years later. I know Brother Lindsey is smiling down from Heaven at this Blog that has "revived" his audio ministry after all these years. Hallelujah...God knows.
Brother Lindsey, Jim Elsman, Tom Lunn, and others were used by God to make Christ "real" to this writer who was called by Christ to also carry the Gospel. That's why I built the "Upper Room" a Church in Williamsburg, Ohio and carry on this ministry today.
I do it with the "Joy of the Lord" because He... is my strength.
The following audio holds a special place in this writer's heart as it pertains to God using Brother Lindsey's radio broadcast to minister to those in bonds. This writer was first introduced to Brother Lindsey and his ministry for Christ during those years throughout a time of incarceration. At the beginning of this audio a dear Brother in the Lord, by the name of Larry Shilling had written Brother Lindsey and Jim Elsman a letter telling them about "us" who were incarcerated at Milan Correctional Facility in Milan Mi. The letter was a letter of love from a Church behind the fence...that contained a question about "Water Baptism" which Brother Lindsey very much clarified.
Brother Larry Shilling introduced me to Hubert Lindsey's ministry during that time as Larry and I both followed the Churches on Trial until it terminated in the 1990's. Unfortunately Brother Shilling was transferred I think in 1989. During that time frame Brother Lindsey and others from the Church at Birmingham came to Milan FCI to minister the Gospel to us in bonds. God knew and provided our needs. Meeting and getting to know Brother Lindsey was an unforgettable experience for this writer that impacted me enough that I was able to leave Milan, come home to Williamsburg Ohio to my wife, son, and daughter, restore a marriage, built a Church house, continue preaching the Gospel, and carry on Brother Lindsey's ministry up til now...21 years later. I know Brother Lindsey is smiling down from Heaven at this Blog that has "revived" his audio ministry after all these years. Hallelujah...God knows.
Brother Lindsey, Jim Elsman, Tom Lunn, and others were used by God to make Christ "real" to this writer who was called by Christ to also carry the Gospel. That's why I built the "Upper Room" a Church in Williamsburg, Ohio and carry on this ministry today.
I do it with the "Joy of the Lord" because He... is my strength.
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