Edification of the saints(a.k.a.you and me)
It is of such importance that we understand this vital essential truth, thus enabling each other more so for the ministry which is our calling.
Speaking from: Ephesians, chapter 4:1-4, 7, 29-32
[1]: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the calling to which you have been called,
[2]: with all lowliness and meekness, with patience, forbearing one another in love,
[3]: eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
[4]: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call,
[7]: But grace was given to each of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift.
This part is very important.
[29]: Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
[31]: Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, with all malice,
[32]: and be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Once again "the calling" is talked about, that purpose of us that we are made and is our reasonable service which at the same time fulfills us. I wrote of this before, that "calling" is loving thy neighbor which is made manifest through showing Christ to that person, testifying of Christ to them by word of mouth and deed which girds up each believer and sets captives free.
What really is quite frequent throughout scripture is this truth and commandment; loving thy neighbor a.k.a. Being selfless, longing just as the apostles did for our salvation and growth in the Truth. Really if you think about it the greatest two commandments are "love the Lord thy God with your entirety", and "love thy neighbor as thy self." All the other commandments are really made to make it easier how to understand and do the first commandment and that is loving God with your entirety. And when you love God you love what He loves and hate what He hates. He hates sin, thus you find yourself not desiring sin, not desiring this world, and God loves everyone, thus you find yourself loving people, desiring that they have what has been given to you, not through shedding tears, not through the flesh but the Spirit. I wish that churches would preach this.
Now back to the text and thus my point: Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
People when reading this always miss its second meaning. Its first meaning is clearly addressing not saying cruel things towards one another out of spite or anger. Now the second meaning is talking about when you listen to the enemies lies that he sings over you. Such as dwelling in defeat instead of victory, frolicking in human frailty instead frolicing in the field of victory of Christ who lives in you. That is what the scripture is talking about when it says," -Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear.
What this scripture basically is saying is "If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything." Basically say what God says about yourself and others, that's what having faith means, that is what God does. He speaks and brings out of nothingness something. We are to do the same. Speak to the mountain in your life and it will move. The church of God is not a defeated, stupid, helpless wretch, it is a powerful, intelligent, victorious church.
There are so many people who pray out of human frailty, carnality, and defeat. For example: "Oh God without You we're such sinful wretches, just help us to get through this week and take away all the distractions." God is not a manipulator, He moves when we move, He doesn't steal control of our lives and situations without our consent. Only someone who doesn't love us would do that. I really love what Andrew Wommack referenced in the Scriptures, about the authority that Christ enabled and gave to us: Speak to the mountain and it will be removed. Now that mountain could be anything. In Christ all things are possible. We have been seated with Christ in Heavenly places. Christ in us, the hope of glory.
Back to the main point and what the scripture is saying to us. "Let no evil talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for edifying, as fits the occasion, that it may impart grace to those who hear." Notice how it never says to say anything negative, but whatever may impart GRACE to those who hear. We could even take it to say that when talking with someone about Christ tell them how Christ can set them free from their prison. Extend that gift of God that was given for you, that grace, that imparts GRACE to those who hear.
What it all really comes down to is taking up the "call" of loving thy neighbor which can only come from being made worthy of the call which comes from loving God in the first place which causes you to love people, thus that's what the Christian walk is about. Anything else is false love, religion. I'll never forget the song: "Any other love is misplaced identity." Anyways I am just always brought back to this truth because almost everything centers around this.
Ephesians, chapter 4:25
Therefore, putting away falsehood, let every one speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another.
The truth is what God says about us, not what we think or feel, or the enemy says over us. There are so many passages that say a better word about us. No longer is the blood of Able over us, which cries out for judgement. The blood of Christ, that blood flowing with grace and truth speaks and pleads mercy and forgiveness over us, AND forever washes our sin and sins away. It does cover them but erases them. Therefore when in the assembly, do not testify of weakness, judgement, neither frailty. God does not say that about us and God is not a liar. Therefore always bring a word of encouragement, testify to the victory of Jesus who has taken up residence in each and every one of us. Always speak of the blood of Christ and what the cross of Christ redeemed us from and what that work of salvation has created in us. It is always that we are to speak of the new creature that we are as a result of salvation. You can't put new wine into old wineskins.
Ephesians, chapter 5:4
Let there be no filthiness, nor silly talk, nor levity, which are not fitting; but instead let there be thanksgiving.
This is another aspect and part of "being made worthy of His call." God's call to every believer is for them to love God with everything that is in them, and to love thy neighbor, extending the grace given to us, testifying that Christ is risen can set them free. A labor of love is loving thy neighbor which is manifested in the edification of each saint by each saint. (Not through the shedding of tears, nor the offering of food or drink.) Not letting corrupted communication come out of our mouths, but only that which edifies one another, thus bringing grace to the hearers.
There are too many people living out of slavery, out of carnal obedience, out of duty(not love, but a set of rules just like Catholics do) to Christ, to God. Duty was never intended to express love or help us to love but only act to keep our attention focussed. In these last days a defiled Gospel is preached. This gospel puts emphasis and stock upon a defeated better looking sinner, which is opposite from what the Bible you are reading and believe in says about you. It makes one dwell upon and put stock in circumstances, wealth, emotions, feelings, duty, and impulses first. Not selflessness, brokeness, humility, God fearing, meekness, loving one another and suffering with one another. It has all become, "God will help them, oh please God help them." We are ignoring the fact that God has put us in the earth to steward it, to reap the white field harvest. We expect God to do our job for us. When in reality, the and in the perfectly historical and proveable Bible that you believe in and reference and read, God moves to human hearts through human hearts. He doesn't suddenly break out like some child with a temper tantrum.
God is order, not impulse. Why do you think that people are dying in the main line churches (and the persecuted church overseas who are seeing the dead raised, walking on water when there is a flood and they need to get to work, money appearing out of thin air) when God has given you the authority to cast out devils and uncleaniness? It is because we refuse to acknowledge that power and authority that God HAS given to us and not in a future time, right now. We believe God to be a liar, and He is not.
Ephisians 5:18-21
And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father. Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.
Friday, November 14, 2008
The undefiled Gospel
The undefiled Gospel. Preaching Christ plainly:
Also be aware that this truth is what Paul was talking about when he said, "I did not come to you with lofty words but out of humility." What he was saying and pointing out was that he just pached Christ. He didn't try to water the Gospel down to impresd the intellegent or well learned. He didn't try to impress with eleoquent words like ninety percent of main line Church pastors do all the time with their glorified self help garbage. Paul did not preach with man's doctrines about God or man's desperate attempts at understanding God through their own impulse driven vain hearts. Paul was under the authority of the Spirit. He couldn't help preaching un-eloquently. Jesus was a meek humble servant, thus Paul pached out of Christ's character, who and what Christ was.
You see what I mean, Paul is a manifestation of the undefiled Gospel of Christ. Paul preached that very Gospel of Christ. If only our sheltered man appointed dead main line Churches could heed this Gospel. But we would rather make ourselves feel good about doing nothing.
When one is shown an undefiled Gospel of Christ, all fear, frailty, and weakness are gone. They are set for life, forever blood stained, forever ruined. This is why so many eleged Christians find it so hard to serve God. They have been shown a defiled gospel that is circumstancial, feeling, and emotionally based, robbing from and qwelling an even slight possible true move of the Holy Spirit in ones life to break the ones heart and make that one man into a holy temple capable of housing the Living God.
One of the biggest parts that will affect ones witness is whether or not ones life is lived out in the flesh, or the Spirit. Too many times does one preach based off of and upon emotions, feelings, and circumstance. A true life preached out of Christ and His resurrection, a life that is lived out to God is one that is like John the Baptists ministry whose sole message was "Behold the Lamb of God."
Always is our life to point back to Jesus, His power, His resurrection, His grace extended to us, always back to Jesus. How He CAN deliver us once and for all time from sin, and free us of it for all time. That through Him He has granted and given authority to cleanse the sick, (not just make them feel better while they still suffer) cast out devils and all unclean spirits and forms of uncleaniness. This is a very and completely Biblical thing of which I write.
It is not preached nor lived out of human frailty, fear, or weakness. Christ had neither, thus they are not in the Gospel of Christ. The gospel of man is not the Gospel of God. We must put away old things. We are not to take old things with us, things made from the flesh, unholy manifestations into the Holy presence of God, they cannot exist in His holy presence. Bob Gladstone said it best using King Uziah as an example stating that you cannot mix politics with the things of God and if you do you become unclean.
We must understand this, that His Gospel is not of weakness and false humility, it is of salvation, saved from our sins and a new man in us made, the New Man Christ Jesus in us. He did not bring back old things, He came and made new things. Salvation is not a drug that only deals with the symptoms and not the problem. Christ is the remedy. He doesn't make us feel better while we remain sinful, we are made a new creation. Our sin problem is remedied. The old man is killed. We are no longer of the earthly fallen kingdom but of the Heavenly kingdom where God dwells. We dwell with God and God with us, in God and God in us. And God cannot dwell where there is sin and uncleaniness, UNDERSTAND THAT. And we dwell with and in God right now, not some time in the future, NOW. We are His ambassadors who manifest His Kingdom here on earth, right now.
Also be aware that this truth is what Paul was talking about when he said, "I did not come to you with lofty words but out of humility." What he was saying and pointing out was that he just pached Christ. He didn't try to water the Gospel down to impresd the intellegent or well learned. He didn't try to impress with eleoquent words like ninety percent of main line Church pastors do all the time with their glorified self help garbage. Paul did not preach with man's doctrines about God or man's desperate attempts at understanding God through their own impulse driven vain hearts. Paul was under the authority of the Spirit. He couldn't help preaching un-eloquently. Jesus was a meek humble servant, thus Paul pached out of Christ's character, who and what Christ was.
You see what I mean, Paul is a manifestation of the undefiled Gospel of Christ. Paul preached that very Gospel of Christ. If only our sheltered man appointed dead main line Churches could heed this Gospel. But we would rather make ourselves feel good about doing nothing.
When one is shown an undefiled Gospel of Christ, all fear, frailty, and weakness are gone. They are set for life, forever blood stained, forever ruined. This is why so many eleged Christians find it so hard to serve God. They have been shown a defiled gospel that is circumstancial, feeling, and emotionally based, robbing from and qwelling an even slight possible true move of the Holy Spirit in ones life to break the ones heart and make that one man into a holy temple capable of housing the Living God.
One of the biggest parts that will affect ones witness is whether or not ones life is lived out in the flesh, or the Spirit. Too many times does one preach based off of and upon emotions, feelings, and circumstance. A true life preached out of Christ and His resurrection, a life that is lived out to God is one that is like John the Baptists ministry whose sole message was "Behold the Lamb of God."
Always is our life to point back to Jesus, His power, His resurrection, His grace extended to us, always back to Jesus. How He CAN deliver us once and for all time from sin, and free us of it for all time. That through Him He has granted and given authority to cleanse the sick, (not just make them feel better while they still suffer) cast out devils and all unclean spirits and forms of uncleaniness. This is a very and completely Biblical thing of which I write.
It is not preached nor lived out of human frailty, fear, or weakness. Christ had neither, thus they are not in the Gospel of Christ. The gospel of man is not the Gospel of God. We must put away old things. We are not to take old things with us, things made from the flesh, unholy manifestations into the Holy presence of God, they cannot exist in His holy presence. Bob Gladstone said it best using King Uziah as an example stating that you cannot mix politics with the things of God and if you do you become unclean.
We must understand this, that His Gospel is not of weakness and false humility, it is of salvation, saved from our sins and a new man in us made, the New Man Christ Jesus in us. He did not bring back old things, He came and made new things. Salvation is not a drug that only deals with the symptoms and not the problem. Christ is the remedy. He doesn't make us feel better while we remain sinful, we are made a new creation. Our sin problem is remedied. The old man is killed. We are no longer of the earthly fallen kingdom but of the Heavenly kingdom where God dwells. We dwell with God and God with us, in God and God in us. And God cannot dwell where there is sin and uncleaniness, UNDERSTAND THAT. And we dwell with and in God right now, not some time in the future, NOW. We are His ambassadors who manifest His Kingdom here on earth, right now.
Loving thy neighbor
Loving our neighbor and one another in and through Christ:
(3rd John Chapter 1:5-8
Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God’s service.
For they have set out for his sake and have accepted nothing from the heathen. So we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers in the truth.)
I am writing a truth that so many miss and is key to a true ministry. This key issue is what Paul writes about where he says that few love.
(1 Thessalonians, chapter 1:2-3
We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.)
Now, why was it that the apostles gave thanks to God in their prayers for this particular group of people? Why and what did these group of people do that was the reason the apostles gave thanks? And always gave thanks? What was this "labor of love" this "work of faith"? It was the first commandment which was "Love the Lord with everything" which out of that love for God that birthed in them the second commandment, "Love they neighbor." Now what does "Love thy neighbor" mean exactly which is what I will be getting into and explaining and is the reason and point of all of this.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:3-4
We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.)
Again this love which is being shown by believers to believers is that which is called "charity," which means sharing Christ and extolling one another in faith and the truth, and that truth being Christ, testifying each others lives lived out of Christ to one another girded up and strengthened the body of Christ. And that is what loving your neighbor means. Nagurak, carnal love that is birthed by flesh giving birth to flesh cannot do this. Only that love which is of the Spirit can. Flesh gives birth to flesh, Spirit gives birth to Spirit. Whg do you think that the Church of God has become so weak? We have forgotten the difference between natural love and Spiritual real Godly love. We believe that coffee and monkey bread will show the world God's love. In the words of Aaron Weis, "A glass can only spill what it contains." The love we show one another is the love we show the world. Remember it is the Church that shapes the world.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:11-12
[11]: To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
[12]: so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.)
Now what does it mean "to make you worthy of His call" It means to perfect the Son who is in you. And that comes by beholding God daily, taking on gthe mind of Christ, for one of the greatest bagttlefields in the human is the mind, for as a man thinks he is. Once the mind us surrendered to God, we can move out in the calling, we are finally made worthy of His calling. But fhis does not come by the shedding of tears at an alter, nor does it come by reciting from wrote what someone else did or prayed.
Just like repentance it is through action, the will, not feelings or emotions. It is through thought and deed. That is what is means by "the Word of God is on their foreheads and hands." The forehead is the mind, the hand is the deed or way of acting it out. The greatest way that we show God that we have repented and changed our hearts is by our deeds and by our lives, not our feelings.
Being worthy of His call is living and imitating Christ in all things. And this is a reasonable request. But as long a we listen to man we will not be able to live this reasonable calling.
Society, that is Church society has become to Greekish thus inhibitting the move of the Holy Spirit of God. We take Him with us but never let Him out of us for those who are dying right in front of us. Greekish means too educated to make a difference. We take and take until theres nothing and the our fat weighs us down so that we can't move. Remember, "The Jews seek a sign, the Greeks seek knowledge(not Spiritual knowledge)
So in the end we must seek a revelation of the Cross. We must repent, seek God for His love which upset and forever changed the world. We must understand the true essence of the first and second commandment; Love the Lord your God with all that is in you and is you." and "Love thy neighbor as thyself." When we learn how to love thy neighbor and to first love God, then we are worthy of His call, that call which is reasonable and for every man woman and child who lives and breathes.
This is a labor of love, a work of faith. May Christ be made manifest in all that we do. May we understand this reasonable request. May we live living sacrifices, the reasonable request that is not hard, for His yoke is easy, His burden light. Obeying God is not the uphill battle.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:12
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.)
(3rd John Chapter 1:5-8
Beloved, it is a loyal thing you do when you render any service to the brethren, especially to strangers, who have testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey as befits God’s service.
For they have set out for his sake and have accepted nothing from the heathen. So we ought to support such men, that we may be fellow workers in the truth.)
I am writing a truth that so many miss and is key to a true ministry. This key issue is what Paul writes about where he says that few love.
(1 Thessalonians, chapter 1:2-3
We give thanks to God always for you all, constantly mentioning you in our prayers, remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.)
Now, why was it that the apostles gave thanks to God in their prayers for this particular group of people? Why and what did these group of people do that was the reason the apostles gave thanks? And always gave thanks? What was this "labor of love" this "work of faith"? It was the first commandment which was "Love the Lord with everything" which out of that love for God that birthed in them the second commandment, "Love they neighbor." Now what does "Love thy neighbor" mean exactly which is what I will be getting into and explaining and is the reason and point of all of this.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:3-4
We are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren, as is fitting, because your faith is growing abundantly, and the love of every one of you for one another is increasing. Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring.)
Again this love which is being shown by believers to believers is that which is called "charity," which means sharing Christ and extolling one another in faith and the truth, and that truth being Christ, testifying each others lives lived out of Christ to one another girded up and strengthened the body of Christ. And that is what loving your neighbor means. Nagurak, carnal love that is birthed by flesh giving birth to flesh cannot do this. Only that love which is of the Spirit can. Flesh gives birth to flesh, Spirit gives birth to Spirit. Whg do you think that the Church of God has become so weak? We have forgotten the difference between natural love and Spiritual real Godly love. We believe that coffee and monkey bread will show the world God's love. In the words of Aaron Weis, "A glass can only spill what it contains." The love we show one another is the love we show the world. Remember it is the Church that shapes the world.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:11-12
[11]: To this end we always pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of his call, and may fulfil every good resolve and work of faith by his power,
[12]: so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.)
Now what does it mean "to make you worthy of His call" It means to perfect the Son who is in you. And that comes by beholding God daily, taking on gthe mind of Christ, for one of the greatest bagttlefields in the human is the mind, for as a man thinks he is. Once the mind us surrendered to God, we can move out in the calling, we are finally made worthy of His calling. But fhis does not come by the shedding of tears at an alter, nor does it come by reciting from wrote what someone else did or prayed.
Just like repentance it is through action, the will, not feelings or emotions. It is through thought and deed. That is what is means by "the Word of God is on their foreheads and hands." The forehead is the mind, the hand is the deed or way of acting it out. The greatest way that we show God that we have repented and changed our hearts is by our deeds and by our lives, not our feelings.
Being worthy of His call is living and imitating Christ in all things. And this is a reasonable request. But as long a we listen to man we will not be able to live this reasonable calling.
Society, that is Church society has become to Greekish thus inhibitting the move of the Holy Spirit of God. We take Him with us but never let Him out of us for those who are dying right in front of us. Greekish means too educated to make a difference. We take and take until theres nothing and the our fat weighs us down so that we can't move. Remember, "The Jews seek a sign, the Greeks seek knowledge(not Spiritual knowledge)
So in the end we must seek a revelation of the Cross. We must repent, seek God for His love which upset and forever changed the world. We must understand the true essence of the first and second commandment; Love the Lord your God with all that is in you and is you." and "Love thy neighbor as thyself." When we learn how to love thy neighbor and to first love God, then we are worthy of His call, that call which is reasonable and for every man woman and child who lives and breathes.
This is a labor of love, a work of faith. May Christ be made manifest in all that we do. May we understand this reasonable request. May we live living sacrifices, the reasonable request that is not hard, for His yoke is easy, His burden light. Obeying God is not the uphill battle.
(2 Thessalonians, chapter 1:12
so that the name of our Lord Jesus may be glorified in you, and you in him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.)
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