WHEN WILL HIS GLORY FILL THE TEMPLE?

THE RETURN OF THE GLORY OF GOD

There are many people that have not been able to make the distinction between “the gospel of the grace of God” and “the gospel of the glory of Christ.” They are not the same according to Scripture.

God’s glory is the theme that runs throughout the Book of Ezekiel. Glory is an aspect of God’s character. His name alone is glorious. The Spirit of God seems to be featured more prominently in the Book of Ezekiel than any other of the prophetic books. One of the first visions that Ezekiel has portrays the Spirit of God leaving Solomon’s Temple, as the Babylonians were besieging the city of Jerusalem around B.C. 586. The departure of the glory of God signaled the end of a relationship between God and His people that had existed for four centuries. The Divine King finally abandoned His residence. This was all happening because His chosen people had despised His laws, turned aside from worshiping Him, filled the land with violence and persecuted His prophets. God never withdraws unless He is rejected and driven away, which is exactly what had happened; His people hand been stubborn, obstinate, and rebellious.

Many of the Jews had already been captured and exiled in Babylon and were still in shock over the destruction of Jerusalem. Like Isaiah, Ezekiel was called to prophesy to these rebellious people that another glorious kingdom was coming and that it would never be destroyed. He was appointed by God as a “watchman,” not only to warn Israel about the dangers of Divine Judgment, but also to encourage them about the blessings that lie ahead for their obedience. God told Ezekiel not to fear how the Jews responded, but to speak His Word, His Word only:
Ezek 2:6-7

6 And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

7 And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious.
KJV

Successes, God told him, would be measured by his faithfulness to proclaim the message, not by Israel’s response, a great lesson for us to remember also.

The highlight of the Book of Ezekiel is his detailed description of the Millennial Temple in chapters 40-46. This vision was to make the Jews ashamed of their previous sins, to cause them to repent and finally, to make them realize God’s faithfulness to every one of His promises.

The climax of Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the Millennial Temple (chapter 47); occurs when the glory of God returns from the East, over the Mount of Olives, and once again enter the temple:

Ezek 43:1-5
43:1 Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east:

2 And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.

3 And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face.

4 And the glory of the LORD came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east.

5 So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the LORD filled the house.
KJV

When the glory of the Lord takes position of the temple and fills it with His radiance of heavenly light and power, it highlights God’s presence among His people again and the restoration of their fellowship. Haggai tells us that not only will God Himself dwell in this temple, but that “the glory of this house shall exceed the glory of the former:
Hag 2:9

9 The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the LORD of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the LORD of hosts.
KJV

Ezekiel’s vision describes a literal temple that will be built in the Millennium. Many other Old Testament prophets envisioned this same future temple in their writings. (See Isa. 60:13; Joel 3:18; Micah 4:2; Haggai 2:7-9; Zech. 6:12-15; 14:16).

Some theologians believe that the temple we see in Ezekiel is the temple that will be built in the Tribulation and that will be desecrated by the Antichrist. Some have difficulty accepting that, I don’t really; the very way I believe Jesus Christ will dethrone Satan and take his crown and the scepter (when He becomes all in all), it’s the way I believe He will take over the new sanctified temple. Holiness will be the main focus of the new temple in the Millennium.

It is interesting to note that “the glory of the Lord returns to the temple only when the separation between the sanctuary and the profane place is accomplished.” The Spirit of the Lord returns to the temple only when the purification is completed. This whole event in Ezekiel – The filling of the temple with the glory of God – can be somewhat analogous to a believer being filled with the Spirit. We, too, can be refilled only when we are purified and holy. We must personally confess and repent of our sin and self so that God’s Spirit can, once again, manifest Himself through us.

The message of Ezekiel’s Temple to the believer is a call to holiness. Scripture tells us that we must be holy, just as He is holy:
1 Peter 1:15-16

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
KJV

As it is in Ezekiel’s Temple, holiness is seen by the encircling wall around the sanctuary, making the separation between it and the profane place secure:
Ezek 42:20

20 He measured it by the four sides: it had a wall round about, five hundred reeds long, and five hundred broad, to make a separation between the sanctuary and the profane place.
KJV

Dear believer, “take time to be holy”.

WISDOM BEGINS WHEN ONE FEARS THE LORD

FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANT (Matt. 24:42-51)

The word “wisdom” is used in Scripture in a very unique way, it is usually in reference to a believer that is “faithful.” The Psalmist expresses it thus:
Ps 111:10

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom : a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.
KJV

The writer of the Proverbs also conveys the same theme:
Prov 9:10

10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom : and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
KJV

Jesus’ distinction between a carnal believer and a spiritual in His parable of the “Faithful and Wise servants” of Matthew 24 is clearly presented. There are many different interpretations of this parable, so I suggest our being like the saints at Berea in Acts 17:11; “search the Scriptures and see if these things are so.”

After finishing with the parable of the “fig tree,” Jesus warns His disciples: “Watch, therefore; for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.” Then He continues, “But know this, that if the Goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched and would not have suffered [allowed] his house to be broken into. Therefore, be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.”

Then He asks His disciples, “Who, then, is a faithful and wise servant who his lord hath made ruler over his household, to give them meat in due season? Blessed is that servant whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, that he shall make him ruler over all his goods.”

Jesus then warns His disciples about the unfaithful and disobedient servant: “If that evil servant shall say in his heart, ‘my Lord delayeth his coming;’ and shall begin to smite his fellow servants, and to eat and drink and be drunken, the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he looketh not for him, and in an hour that he is not aware of, and shall cut him asunder and appoint him his portion with the hypocrites, there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. The same idea is conveyed in Luke’s gospel:
Luke 12:47

47 And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.
KJV


COMENTS ABOUT THE “FAITHFUL AND WISE SERVANTS”

The unfaithful and disobedient servant here is equivalent of the carnal Christian. The word “evil” (Strong’s #2556) in Matthew 24:48 simply means a worthless or injurious person. It means he lacks the qualities that he should possess. He thought his lord would delay his coming. And this, of course, affected how he lived his life. He was lazy, untrustworthy and cruel. He abused his position by being ill tempered and self-indulgent to all those who worked with him. He thought he would never be called into account, because he secretly believed his lord would not come. [Are there some similarities with Christians here today?]

In verse 51 the Lord says something similar to the parable of the Ten Talents and the Man without the Wedding Garment. However, “outer darkness” is replaced by the term “a portion with the hypocrites.” Again I advise you to search the Scriptures and see if we are both seeing the same thing.

He says the unfaithful servant will be “cut asunder,” appointed “a place [or portion] with the hypocrites” and there will be “weeping and gnashing of teeth.” Being “cut asunder” (Strong’s #1371) means appropriate discipline “for one who had lived a double life.” It means the thoughts and motives of the person’s heart will be exposed and scrutinized. Hebrews 4:12 talks about a sharp two-edged sword that will bring to light the motives of our hearts, the things of darkness. “A portion with the hypocrites” could be referring to the “outer darkness” where other unfaithful Christians are, who assumed the role of servants but who did not really take care of others, have gone.

Another interpretation could well be unfaithful Christians being excluded from the Millennial kingdom of Christ and spend that one thousand years with those that have rejected Christ. They are the ones whose names are found in the book of life (seen in Rev. 20:15) and were not cast into the Lake of Fire. Their tears would be wiped away (Rev. 21:4) as the tabernacle of God is once again with them:
Rev 21:3-4

3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
KJV

Like the disobedient servant in the “parable of the Ten Talents,” this unfaithful servant will be thrown into the “separate place” – a place with all the other hypocrites – where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. (Matt. 8:12; 22:13; 25:30). Again, we believe, (you check it out in the Word) this speaks of a dark space outside the lighted and company of the spiritual saints and the blessings provided to them – [depicted in Ezekiel’s Temple (Ezek. 42:20), the Gizrah, the Profane or separate place.”]
A Christian who refuses to avail himself of the moment-by-moment cleansing that God provides, is seen as walking in darkness. He has not been cleansed by the washing of the water of the Word, therefore he can only remain in the darkened courtyard outside the light of the Holy Place.

Weeping and gnashing of teeth could well apply to carnal believers reflecting remorsefully on their lives and all the missed opportunities. Scripture says they will remember. Again, God will have just reminded them of every detail of their lives ant the Judgment Seat.

The Pulpit Commentary says that “rewards and punishments will be allotted in the coming world with strict justice. To some, great knowledge of the Divine will be given and a high lace in the city of God will be allotted. But for those that fail, their portion will be many stripes…They will occupy a lower grade in the hierarchy of heaven, (or in the darkness outside) [emphasis mine].

The faithful and wise servant in this story, of course, is equivalent to a spiritual Christian. He placed the lord of the house and his desires above his own and was an obedient steward who provided fro his family. He did what he was required to do and he steadfastly awaited his lord’s return. In the same way, God entrusts us, His own servants, to feed His spiritual family, to do His will and to await His soon return. Our rewards for doing this will be the privilege of greater service in the coming kingdom.
The special pleasures, honors and splendors, which are to accompany the return of the Lord from heaven and the setting up of His kingdom, are to be a reward for fidelity and faithful service in His absence. Without these things, blessings will be forfe

SIGNS OF A CARNAL CHRISTIAN

CHARACTERISTICS OF A CARNAL CHRISTIAN

A carnal Christian is one in whom the flesh is in control. These are believers who have a regenerated spirit (they are born again), but there has been no life transformation in their soul:
Rom 12:1-2
12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
KJV

Instead of overcoming the flesh, the world and the enemy by the authority and power of God, carnal Christians have themselves been overtaken. In the carnal Christian, the flesh rules, the world has a hold on them and the enemy has acquired an entrance. (The flesh, by the way, is Satan’s workshop – his realm of operation.) If we can learn to overcome the flesh by God’s Spirit, we put Satan out of work.

Some of the characteristics of a carnal Christian are independence, self-confidence and self reliance. (Much of the following description is taken from Watchman Nee’s The Spiritual Man.) A carnal Christian often makes himself the center of attraction and values self-will above God’s will. He is a soulish Christian, which means his self-life rules. He can do righteous deeds and do them well; however, Scripture tells us that any food deed that the flesh does is an abomination in the sight of God.
Luke 16:15

15 And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.
KJV

A carnal Christian is ruled by self-centeredness, self-glory, self-exultation, self-love, self-pity and self-importance, self-ambition and pride. Everything he does, he does for show and to gain something for himself, even if it’s just the praise of men.
Isa 29:13

13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
KJV

These things are done for the love of self, not for God or His glory. In the Old Testament, Saul, Solomon, Lot and Uzziah would be considered carnal Christians.
Ezek 18:24

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.
KJV
A lack of love shows a denial of Christ’s character.

Further marks of identification are: Carnal Christians are often talkative and flippant, always making themselves the center of attraction. They tend to use many words and look upon themselves as more advanced than others. As a result, they are often faultfinders. Working for the Lord is of the utmost importance to them; however, they feel that everything must be done in a hurry. They do not wait on the Lord for His direction and His answers. They walk by sight, not faith. They often are uncommonly gifted, have great talents and majestic personalities. The also may have large spiritual vocabularies. They are usually ambitious and want to attain glory for themselves. They seek spiritual discernment in light of worldly wisdom rather than depending upon the Holy Spirit to lead them. But, again, they do all of this to dwell upon their own superiority, rather than reaching out to others.

Many carnal believers try to satisfy their curiosity by studying; there is this great quest to become “doctor”. They believe that knowing “mentally” is the same as possessing “experientially.” Thus, they are often double minded. They have great acquired knowledge, but very little Spirit-related knowledge. It’s important to be aware that increased spiritual head-knowledge can often become a trap. It can often strengthen our carnality, deceiving us into thinking we are spiritual. The danger of this is that because God’s Spirit is suppressed, the soulish and bodily realm will rule, allowing the power of darkness to also get advantage. God designed the sanctification process to remove all hindrances such as these, so that the Holy Spirit can control and direct us. Remember, sanctification is simply the process of restoring the image of Christ in each of us (salvation of the soul).
Gal 5:19-21

19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,

20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,

21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
KJV

It is difficult for us to know who is carnal and who is spiritual, God and the person knows. However, our lives and our actions will tell the real story. Our lives will either show forth “the fruit of the Spirit” manifested by our spiritual nature, or display “rotten fruit” showing forth our carnality. These are the ones that will not inherit the kingdom of God.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO UNTO THE LORD

A SERVANT’S HEART

When we think of spiritual Christians, there are some people that readily come to mind. These are people who are willing to put others first, but also to be total servants to all around them. Nothing is too hard for them and nothing is beneath them.

As we look around the Christian community today, however, it’s amazing how very few of these “servant-hearted” people we really see, especially in the Christian ministry. Christians who are willing to scrub toilets if necessary, work in the kitchen if needed or simply be behind the scenes. Humility, again, seems to be the word that best describes this type of spiritual believer.

In ministry, many Christians want to be up in front where they can be seen as “spiritual.” They want the visible jobs, the noticeable jobs and the best jobs! A spiritual Christian with a servant’s heart is one who is more interested in what God thinks and will do everything with pleasing Him in view. Therefore, the job is not the issue its more how it’d done. The Bible tells us that God’s eyes are towards the humble, the unpretentious and the ones who are free from pride. He knows our hearts and He can see our humility, as He also sees our pride, our arrogance and our self-centeredness. What is scary is that He is taking notes and will talk to us about each of these characteristics at the Judgment Seat.

This brings to memory a statement made by M.R. De Haan: “To come to Christ cost you nothing, to follow Christ cost you something; but to serve Christ cost you everything.

A couple of things to remember as we aspire to become spiritual Christians:

If whatever we do, does not issue from depending upon God’s Spirit of power, it is “of the flesh.”
Attempting to follow God without denying self, is root of all failure.
Putting confidence in the flesh will destroy our ability to glorify Christ.

Consequently, a spiritual Christian is one who is continually empowered by and controlled by God’s Spirit (His Love and His wisdom). They must continually bring their flesh into captivity and judge themselves so that God’s Life can come forth. Again, this is called the “exchanged life” and it is what the sanctification process is all about, (the salvation of the soul).

1 Peter 1:9

9 Receiving the end of your faith , even the salvation of your souls.

WALK IN THE SPIRIT (SPIRITUAL CHRISTIAN)

CHARACTERISTICS of a SPIRITUAL CHRISITAN

Most Christians would like to believe they are “spiritual” and that's great, but the Bible has some clear guidelines that distinguish spiritual believers from carnal.

A spiritual Christian is one that depends on the Holy Spirit for everything. All his works are done by the power of the Spirit, not his flesh. His motive for speaking, working and living is simply the Love of God. A spiritual Christian is one who has not only been born again, but one who is also walking in the Spirit by the authority and power of God, thereby glorifying Him in all he does.

Galatians 5:22 gives us the characteristics that God lays down for a spiritual Christian. He is filled with “the fruit of the Spirit” as evidenced by Love (Agape), joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. All these characteristics manifest themselves in humility.
Luke 14:11

11 For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
KJV

This description of a spiritual Christian is amplified in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 where Paul says, “Love (Agape) suffereth long, and is kind; [His Love] vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not [its] own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth’ beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things, [God’s Love] never fails”

2 Peter 1:5-8 describes these attributes even more. “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to our faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; and to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; and to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Then in verses 10-11: “Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall. [(What do you think will happen if you don’t?). The answer is simply, you will fall – fall from what and fall where?)] For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ.” Could it be that this “entrance” into the “age-lasting” kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ be taken from us.

Wow! This is the bottom line isn't it! A spiritual Christian is one who puts others first, and thus, willbe warmly received in the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

Heb 4:14:1 Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.

KJV

FOLLOWER OF CHRIST - HOW FAR?

WHAT IS A TRUE DISCIPLE?

The word disciple, simply mean learner, student or follower. And there are different kinds of students, learners and followers.

Jesus on the night of the Last Supper made a statement that caught the attention of the disciples:
Matt 26:20-22

20 Now when the even was come, he sat down with the twelve.

21 And as they did eat, he said, Verily I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me.

22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?
KJV

The important thing here was not so much the Lord’s betrayal as was the disciple’s response. They were exceedingly sorrowful and each began to ask, “Lord is it I?” At this point however, Judas was not the likely candidate to betray the Lord, from this side of history it would more likely be Peter; he was the one that ultimately denied the Lord.
Matt 26:34-35

34 Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

35 Peter said unto him, Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. Likewise also said all the disciples.
KJV

But it would be of interest to note that Judas was one of the “twelve” that was actively involved in carrying out the work of the ministry like the other eleven.
Matt 10:5-8

5 These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not:

6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

7 And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.

8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give.
KJV

Judas went and preached “the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” Judas went and “healed the sick,” Judas went and “cleanse the lepers,” Judas “raised the dead,” Judas “cast out devils,” Judas “freely gave.” Who could have spotted Judas as one that would betray Jesus? Judas was eternally saved, heard the message of the kingdom and performed signs, wonders and miracles in relation to it. Yet despite this, Judas betrayed Jesus. Why?
Matt 26:14-15

14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.
KJV

All that happed here is that Judas was more mindful of the things of men than he was the things of God, [a mind full-of]. In very simple terms, “what is the difference between a ‘true disciple’ and a false?” – What his mind is “full – of”.

Look at the Lord’s comments relating to His betrayal:
Matt 26:23-24

23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born.
KJV

Many interpret verse 24 to be in reference to eternal destiny, this could not be the case; it has to be in reference to Millennial Kingdom – all the disciples were being warned the very same way. All believers, will stand before Christ at the Judgment Seat and give account for the things they do, Judas one day will. The writer of the Hebrews issued a warning to believers that it would do us well to heed:
Heb 10:26-27, 31

26 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins,

27 But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries…….

31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
KJV

What we need to see here is that Judas was not a lost person, not was he inherently more evil than anyone else; nor was he demonically possessed. Every Christian including you and I have the potential to be just like Judas. Most of us would like to deny that but be let’s be honest with ourselves, because God knows our hearts.

Peter denied the Lord three times, not a lost person but one that appeared with Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration.


Luke 22:59-62

59 And about the space of one hour after another confidently affirmed, saying, Of a truth this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilaean.

60 And Peter said, Man, I know not what thou sayest. And immediately, while he yet spake, the cock crew.

61 And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice.

62 And Peter went out, and wept bitterly.
KJV

Here is a most poignant picture of events that will take place at the Judgment Seat for those that denies Christ:
Matt 10:32-33

32 Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.

33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.
KJV

The Lord gives commentary on the same subject in Revelation:
Rev 3:5

5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
KJV

We see the Lord turning around and looking at Peter – remember His eyes like a flame of fire – then Peter leaving the lighted courtyard – going into darkness outside and weeping bitterly in realization of what he had done. When I see that I am compelled to consider Matthew 25:30.
Matt 25:30

30 And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
KJV

What reason do we have here for Peter’s denial of the Lord and the distraction of the other disciples? They at this point had a greater fear of man than of God. They were more “mind-full” of the things of men, than the things of God.

Being a true disciple indicates that a life action is accompanying the man’s belief. A true disciple is one that not only follows Christ, but one who obeys what he hears. He proclaims the message of Christ, while at the same time shows forth His Life:
Gal 5:25

25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
KJV

GOD'S LOVE THROUGH US

THE SIGN OF GOD’S EMPOWERING – LOVE

Love is the confirming sign that we have been empowered by God’s Spirit. It is the ultimate “fruit” (the highest good deed)! It is gold! John 13:35 vindicates this:
John 13:35

35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love [Agape] one to another.
KJV

Agape is the “sign” that the sanctification process (seeking for the salvation of the soul) is working. As in 1 Corinthians 13:2 it says, “If we have not Agape, we are nothing.” A believer filled with God’s love has exchanged life with Christ. He has partaken of and is sharing Christ’s abundant Life. And, he is learning to overcome (seeking for the salvation of his soul).

Agape Love is the greatest gift of all! (1 Corinthians 13:13).

God wants His Agape Love to operate in every segment of our lives. He says that all of his commandments will be fulfilled in just one word – Love which is the governing law of grace. But, again, the process of sanctification is the only thing that will produce this kind of Love in our lives.

Then, 1 John 4:17 tells us that “we can have boldness in the day of judgment, because as He is [Agape], so are we in this world.”

Those that genuinely love God and love others will inherit the kingdom. These are the ones who have acquired “righteous deeds” (fruit) done by the power of the Holy Spirit in them. The will not only be approved at the judgment seat of Christ, but they will have on the appropriate wedding garment to qualify them for the marriage festivities.

To sum it all up: The salvation of the spirit – our being born again – is only the beginning. This must be followed by the salvation of the soul – being sanctified – which is what matters at the judgment seat of Christ. The Christian walk, that lifelong process of change called sanctification, implemented by God’s resurrection power and shown forth by His Love; that will eventually lead to the salvation of the body - when we see Christ.
Eph 3:20

20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
KJV

FORSAKEN ALL FOR THE KINGDOM

WE HAVE FORSAKEN ALL (Matthew 19:16-26)

This thought is echoed in Matthew where Jesus tells His disciples how difficult it is for a “rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.” He tells them that in order to enter the kingdom, they must “go and sell all they have, give to the poor and come and follow Him.” In other words, give up everything for Him (v. 21).

The disciples were floored and asked Him, “Who then can be saved?” Jesus responds, “With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Then Peter says to the Lord, “Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed Thee. What shall we have, therefore?”

Whereupon Jesus answers, “Verily I say unto you that ye who have followed Me, in the regeneration [next life], when the Son of man shall sit on the Throne of His glory, ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or fathers or mother, or wife or children, or lands for My sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life [age lasting life].

But then He adds, “Many that are first [here] shall be last [there]; and the last [here] shall be first [there].”

Jesus is just reiterating what He says in verse 21: that in order to receive true abundant life, we must be willing to surrender anything and everything that stands in the way of God’s Spirit working freely through us. Then, and only then, will we inherit the blessings of the future kingdom.

Surely, this is the reason why so many Christians are powerless today. When we loose the ability to surrender ourselves, we also loose our power for they are interrelated. If we try to live Christ’s life for Him rather than relinquish ourselves totally and let Him live His life out through us, then we not only won’t have His power, we also won’t have His life. The reverse is also true. The more we surrender ourselves to Him, the more we'll be conformed into His image and the more we’ll have His power.

Remember, the term “Christianity” is simply the manifestation of divine power in the presence of human weakness.

2 Timothy 3:2 tells us that one of the reasons these “last days” just before Christ returns will be so difficult is because “men will be lovers of themselves….boastful, proud and unholy.” Their heart’s motivation is wrong. They are not serving God and depending upon the power of the Holy Spirit; rather, they are working for their own benefit and their own glory.



Matt 7:22-23

22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
KJV

Unless we let the power of God’s Spirit freely point out the ungodly deeds of our soul and body, the truth we possess in our heads will just remain a theory. And we won’t be able to genuinely teach any of these principles to others. We can only give out what we ourselves possess.

The Lord must first break down our outward man, which is often accomplished by discipline or chastisement from the Holy Spirit. Next, He must point out the things in our soul that need to be surrendered which is accomplished by personal revelation. And finally, He transforms our soul and body by filling them with His life and His power. This, again, is what the sanctification process is all about. Seeking for the salvation of our souls and receiving age lasting life in the kingdom.

THAT I MAY KNOW HIM...

PERSONALLY KNOWING THE POWER OF HIS RESURRECTION

Phil 3:10

10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
KJV

All of this raises a couple of questions: Where is the power of God among Christians today? And what are we doing wrong that we have missed it?

To answer these questions, we must understand that Christians can have three different kinds of “knowledge”: Firstly, we can have head knowledge of the Scriptures which is good and great, but it really doesn’t help much with real life, unless that knowledge is coupled with God’s power to perform His will in our lives. Secondly, we have experiential knowledge of the power of God. And, again, that’s good and great, but without an understanding of what God’s will is as stated in His Word; there is no way to know if what we are doing is right. [Matthew 6:10 and Luke 11:2 are the two passages in Scripture that tells us what God’s will is]
Matt 6:10

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
KJV

Luke 11:2

2 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.
KJV

That explains why we are admonished in Matt. 6:33 to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness…..

And thirdly, we can have both knowledge of God’s will and experiential knowledge of His power to perform that will in our lives which is the ultimate goal and God’s purpose for us. Be reminded that His purpose given in Gen. 1:26, 28 is to have dominion (in His kingdom).

We must not only intimately know Christ, but also know the power of His resurrection. This is the power to cancel our past, the power to conquer our present problems and the power to change our future. Then, we’ll be able to overcome the world, the flesh, and the evil one, proclaim the message of Christ and have the assurance of a place in the future kingdom.

The resurrection power of God is a steady flow of energy that is not dependent upon our own understanding, our own emotions or our circumstances, but simply upon our choice to believe God’s Word and, then, trust Him to implement that Word in our lives.

The answer to the above questions then – Where is the power of God among Christians these days? And, what are we doing wrong that we are missing it? – Just like God’s love, His resurrection power is quenched among many Christians today because they have chosen to hang on to their own sin and self, rather than confess and repent of it and lay it at the Cross. There are others who have been stuck in the rut of their traditions (thinking they understand the Word, when in fact, they miss what God is saying). God’s dunamis power is still in their hearts, but like God’s love, it’s unable to come forth in their lives because that is what Satan really wants. Once we come to a mature knowledge of the Word all this will change.