The New Testament Scripture makes it very clear that regeneration of the human spirit and the baptism in the Holy Spirit are two different distinct experiences. This statement might offend many theologians who seem to obscure the distinction. This is very unfortunate. The result of this deception is, many churchgoers believe that when they have repented of their sins, said the "sinner's prayer", saved and genuinely born again they have "got in all" and there is no question that they have not received the Holy Spirit yet! Consequently, they are missing what God has in store for them.
It is interesting to note that according to the Scripture John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus in ministry and message; it follows that John's baptism of repentance was also the forerunner of Jesus' baptism in the Holy Spirit:
Jesus said, "John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now" (Acts 1:5, NKJV).
Any Christian who takes Jesus's Word seriously would surely like to be baptized by Him with the Holy Spirit!
When a natural person repents of his sin and turns toward Jesus and confesses Jesus as his Saviour and Lord his spirit is instantly regenerated and his recreated spirit is ready to receive the Holy Spirit.
What happens when a person is regenerated?
Regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit producing a new nature in the spirit of man. The dead spirit of the natural man is recreated by the incorruptible seed of the Word (Jesus) of God at the time of regeneration. The result of this instant transformation is that the Jesus nature, the Word of God nature is reproduced by the Spirit of God within the believer. This is what happens when a person is born again by the Spirit of God.
Every born again believer is able to say boldly:
"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ live in me; ..." (Gal. 2:20, NKJV).
Every believer knows the mystery (1 Cor. 2:7) of God that has been hidden:
"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiels: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27, emphasis added).
In other words, when Christ is in you, there is hope of glorifying with Him when He comes again. On the other hand, there is no hope when Christ is not in you because you are not regenerated! This mystery is made known to the regenerated spirit of Gentile believers.
The Temple of the Holy Spirit and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit
The New Testament Scripture says true believers as a body of Christ (worshipers in the Local Church) are collectively the "temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in them" (1 Cor. 3:16). In other words, God the Spirit dwells in the midst of the local congregation of the true Church of Jesus Christ. The next verse says anyone defiles this temple of God, God will destroy him!
The Scripture also says the physical body of the individual believer is also the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19).
God chooses the physical bodies of regenerated men to do His works on earth. Our earthly bodies belong to God and are created to be holy vessels for His Spirit to dwell in so that we can to do His work effectively. Always remember that whatever work we do for God is accomplished by the Holy Spirit that dwells in us. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Power in preaching and witnessing (Acts 1:8) are two examples.
The recreated spirit of man is now led by the God's Spirit and is given the privilege of welcoming the Holy Spirit into the body which has become His temple. The baptism in the Holy Spirit is essentially the welcoming of God's Spirit into His temple.
I hope the following Scripture passage will help to make my point clear.
Paul wrote to the Spirit baptized Christians of the Church in Corinth:
"Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price" (1 Cor. 6:19, NIV).
There are two important things to take note of:
1. The body of every believer in the Corinthian Church is the temple of the Holy Spirit because all of them are baptized in the Holy Spirit. Everyone has received the Holy Spirit from God and everyone has the Holy Spirit dwelling in his body.
2. Paul is reminding them that they are redeemed by the the blood of Jesus even though at the present time the redemption of their individual body is not complete yet. As I have mentioned before, complete redemption will only come at the resurrection when the believer's body will be transformed into a glorified body. But, Christ's ownership of the believer's body is already established because He has already paid the full price of redemption!
Paul said, "The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also"(1 Cor. 6:13 and 14, NIV, emphasis added).
Notice that the reason why Christ (in His Spirit) dwells in the body of the Spirit baptized believer is because his body is rightfully His! The devil has no claim on the body of the Spirit baptized believer. Furthermore, if our bodies do not belong to the Lord, God would not raise us up - which means no resurrection.
What happens when the Holy Spirit comes into the temple?
I hope the following two examples will throw in some lights:
1. Solomon said, "The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the inner depths of his heart" (Proverbs 20:27).
A lamp needs oil to burn and to give light. The spirit of the un-regenerated person is like a lamp without the oil and without the light. The spirit of the regenerated person is like a lamp with oil but without light. But, when the Holy Spirit comes in and the spirit of the regenerated man is set on fire and becomes the lamp of the Lord searching the inner depths of his heart or belly (King James). So, until you are regenerated and baptized in the Holy Spirit you are in the dark about yourself. You simply do not know what is inside you. But, when the Holy Spirit comes in and the light of God begins to shine inside you, you might be shocked to find out all the unclean and rotten things inside you. This happened to me when I was baptized in the Holy Spirit years ago. I did not know how sinful I was until God's Spirit came to dwell in my body! We must not expect the Holy Spirit to say that we are perfect, for if we are perfect we would not need the Holy Spirit.
2. Jesus was in the company of unbelieving Jews and the Pharisees. They believed in Moses but not in Jesus. They were having some religious festival for several days. At the end of the last day of the feast Jesus stood and cried out to them:
"If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37 and 38, emphasis added).
The next verse indicates that Jesus was talking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. Notice that John's record of this incident in the Gospel is prophetic.
"But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified (verse 39, emphasis added).
Notice that the Holy Spirit was sent by God the Father after Jesus was glorified (John 16:7 to 11). This happened in the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2).
Jesus was saying when the believer is baptized in the Holy Spirit, out of his heart (his belly) would flow rivers of living water. Not just one river by rivers! The transformation is simply amazing. Man's spirit is created to relate to God and to receive His Spirit. He has a thirst for God after regeneration. This thirst could only be quenched with the filling of God's Spirit. When he thirsts for God, God will fill him with the Holy Spirit. When he is filled, the "rivers of living water" will flow out from him to touch lives and he will be an effective channel of God's blessings for others.
Notice that religion (comes from the human soul) does not satisfy the thirst of man's spirit. The Jews and the Pharisees were practicing religion during their ritualistic religious festival. They could only understand things of the soul (mind, reasons, theology, rules and regulations) but not things of the Spirit. They failed to understand what Jesus was talking about.
What happens when Spirit baptized believers speak in tonques?
As we have seen in my previous postings when a person is born again, his spirit is recreated and the original purpose and functions of his spirit, soul and body are restored. His spirit, led by the Spirit of God directs his soul and his soul directs his body in this order.
The spirit of man does not normally directly control his body without going through his soul. There is one unique activity of the spirit that does not go through a person's soul. This is speaking in tongue. In speaking or praying in tongue the spirit of the spirit-filled Christian directly controls the five senses of his body without going through his mind and his reasoning. His tongue utters things according to the Spirit of God - things our natural mind, intellect and reasoning could not understand (Romans 8:26).
Paul said, "For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit. For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful" (1 Cor. 14:2 and 14, NIV, emphasis added).
When a person speaks in tonque he speaks to God and not to men. No one understands him because "understanding" comes from the soul realm. In fact, he himself does not understand what was speaking or praying about unless this person has the gift of interpretation of tongues! All these are "mysteries" to men but not to God.
Praying in tongue is the only effective way of praying according to the perfect will of God!
Monday, October 31, 2005
Monday, October 24, 2005
True Biblical Worship
Worship is an attitude originates from the spirit of man. When a regenerated man worships God he shows the inward attitude of his heart towards God.
"Worship" derives from the Greek word "proskuneo" which means "to prostrate oneself in reverence and adoration towards God", or "kiss of the hand" of the object of worship to show reverence.
Biblical Example of True Worship
Psalms 95 paints a vivid picture of the steps to be taken in worshiping the Lord our God.
First, the psalmist gives his reason for praising Him with shouts of joy:
"For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods" (Ps. 95:3 and 4, NKJV).
We praise Him because He is our great and mighty God and He is worthy of our praise.
Notice the prelude to worship is praise and thanksgiving (verse 1 and 2). After this we enter into true worship:
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (verse 6).
The reason for worshiping Him is:
"For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand".
In other words, God wants every one of His sheep to worship Him. Any person who has no reason to worship Him is not His people!
Notice that to praise and to give thanks to God is a decision a man needs to make (in his soul realm) before he is able to enter into true spiritual worship.
The benefits of worship is hearing God's voice and entering His rest (Verses 7 and 11). God's voice comes with the revelation of God's purpose for the worshipers. If the worshipers obey and followup with the revelation he shall enter His rest.
Do we hear God's voice in our weekly "Worship" service in the Local Church? If we fail to hear His voice and fail to enter His rest then it is quite possible that we fail to worship him the way He wants us to. It is possible to praise Him correctly but fall short of true worship.
The Intimacy of Spiritual Union with God in Worship
As we have seen in my previous posting "The Saving of Souls" the spirit of the regenerated man enables him to relate to God directly in intimate union in the spiritual realm. Out of this Spirit-to-spirit union man gets to know Him and to worship Him. Man's ability to have union and communion with God in one Spirit is restored in the new birth.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians:
"Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh'. But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit" (1 Cor. 6:16 and 17, NIV, emphasis added).
Here Paul paints a vivid picture of the intimacy brought about by the union in one spirit between God and man by comparing it with the physical union between a man and a prostitute. The former is a Spirit-to-spirit union and the other is a body-to-body union. Both unions are equally intense and intimate. But, the former is pleasing to God and the other is an abomination to God. I am not saying that all body-to-body unions are not acceptable to God. The body-to-body union between a man and his wife is not only acceptable but honorable (Hebrews 13:4)!
Worship that is Acceptable to God
Jesus own Words declared who are the true worshipers and what form of worship God the Father seeks after:
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23 and 24, NKJV, emphasis added).
The two spiritual conditions laid down by Jesus to make believers' worship acceptable to God are "worship in spirit and in truth".
Worship God in Spirit
Believers need to worship God in spirit because God is Spirit. As I have mentioned earlier it is the spirit of the regenerated man and not his soul or his body that is capable of having direct relationship and fellowship with God. Fellowship and worship are both in the spiritual realm and they go hand in hand together. Our soul and body are not capable of worshiping the true God. Un-regenerated religious people usually worship their god in the soul realm - using their intellect to observe man-made rules and regulations; using their reasoning and their own strength and effort.
Let us examine the attitude of the Samaritan woman at the well. The Samaritan woman was a sinful un-regenerated person. Obviously she was spiritually blind and only her soul realm was active. She did not understand things of the spirit and so she used her reasoning to explain her idea of worship. Her emphasis was the right place of worship (John 4:20). To her the place of worship is more important than the acceptable way of worshiping God. She was accustomed to follow rules and regulations.
Notice the words spoken by Jesus to the woman were prophetic. Within 100 years of the meeting with the woman the temple in Jerusalem (where the Jews gathered to worship) was destroyed. Jesus was telling her if she would worship in the spirit, then the place of worship became unimportant.
Worship God in Truth
I believe this means worshipers need to conduct themselves in sincerity, absolute openness and honesty before God. They need to come to God holding nothing back, concealing nothing and exposing their whole heart and life to Him. This excludes many things found in religious practice - things like hypocrisy, mere outward show, lip service and lying (insincerity).
The worship of Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5) illustrates this truth perfectly. They sold a possession and offered to God (as an act of worship) the proceeds of their sale. But their action was not sincere for they lied to the Holy Spirit. They pretended to have given all, but in actual fact they kept back a part for themselves. This action of failing to worship God in truth costs them their lives!
Major Spiritual Activities related to Worship of Regenerated Men
The Scripture reveals three major activites only the spirit of the regenerated men could accomplish. These are worship, fellowship and revelation taken in this order. Out of worship we have fellowhip with God and with other believers. Out of fellowship there is revelation and out of revelation there comes a spiritual birth.
This truth is vividly illustrated by the worship and fellowship of the believers in the first Church at Antioch.
"In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaeo (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off" (Act 13:1, 2, 3, NIV, emphasis added).
A group of believers including prophets and teachers were fellowshiping in the Church at Antioch. They were worshiping and fellowshiping with the Lord, ministering to Him together. Out of these spiritual activities (with prayer and fasting) came forth a divine revelation of a divine purpose - "The Holy Spirit said, ....". The Church received a divine instruction to send Paul and Barnabas for the First Missionary Journey.
The end result was that they accomplished the purpose of God as recorded at the end of Act 14.
"From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now accompleted" (Acts 14:26, NIV).
They've got the job done because it was born out of the Spirit and not out of the soul realm. The purpose of God is always fulfilled in the spiritual realm.
"What ever is born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4, NKJV).
What ever is born of God must succeed and cannot fail. What ever is born of God cannot be touched or be defeated by Satan. The same cannot be said about what ever is born of the human soul -mind, intellect, reasoning, will and emotion!
In fact, the soul realm could open a place for Satan's foothold. Satan cannot touch our spiritual worship to God because all true worship is in the spiritual realm.
"Worship" derives from the Greek word "proskuneo" which means "to prostrate oneself in reverence and adoration towards God", or "kiss of the hand" of the object of worship to show reverence.
Biblical Example of True Worship
Psalms 95 paints a vivid picture of the steps to be taken in worshiping the Lord our God.
First, the psalmist gives his reason for praising Him with shouts of joy:
"For the Lord is the great God, and the great King above all gods" (Ps. 95:3 and 4, NKJV).
We praise Him because He is our great and mighty God and He is worthy of our praise.
Notice the prelude to worship is praise and thanksgiving (verse 1 and 2). After this we enter into true worship:
"Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (verse 6).
The reason for worshiping Him is:
"For He is our God, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand".
In other words, God wants every one of His sheep to worship Him. Any person who has no reason to worship Him is not His people!
Notice that to praise and to give thanks to God is a decision a man needs to make (in his soul realm) before he is able to enter into true spiritual worship.
The benefits of worship is hearing God's voice and entering His rest (Verses 7 and 11). God's voice comes with the revelation of God's purpose for the worshipers. If the worshipers obey and followup with the revelation he shall enter His rest.
Do we hear God's voice in our weekly "Worship" service in the Local Church? If we fail to hear His voice and fail to enter His rest then it is quite possible that we fail to worship him the way He wants us to. It is possible to praise Him correctly but fall short of true worship.
The Intimacy of Spiritual Union with God in Worship
As we have seen in my previous posting "The Saving of Souls" the spirit of the regenerated man enables him to relate to God directly in intimate union in the spiritual realm. Out of this Spirit-to-spirit union man gets to know Him and to worship Him. Man's ability to have union and communion with God in one Spirit is restored in the new birth.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian Christians:
"Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh'. But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit" (1 Cor. 6:16 and 17, NIV, emphasis added).
Here Paul paints a vivid picture of the intimacy brought about by the union in one spirit between God and man by comparing it with the physical union between a man and a prostitute. The former is a Spirit-to-spirit union and the other is a body-to-body union. Both unions are equally intense and intimate. But, the former is pleasing to God and the other is an abomination to God. I am not saying that all body-to-body unions are not acceptable to God. The body-to-body union between a man and his wife is not only acceptable but honorable (Hebrews 13:4)!
Worship that is Acceptable to God
Jesus own Words declared who are the true worshipers and what form of worship God the Father seeks after:
"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth" (John 4:23 and 24, NKJV, emphasis added).
The two spiritual conditions laid down by Jesus to make believers' worship acceptable to God are "worship in spirit and in truth".
Worship God in Spirit
Believers need to worship God in spirit because God is Spirit. As I have mentioned earlier it is the spirit of the regenerated man and not his soul or his body that is capable of having direct relationship and fellowship with God. Fellowship and worship are both in the spiritual realm and they go hand in hand together. Our soul and body are not capable of worshiping the true God. Un-regenerated religious people usually worship their god in the soul realm - using their intellect to observe man-made rules and regulations; using their reasoning and their own strength and effort.
Let us examine the attitude of the Samaritan woman at the well. The Samaritan woman was a sinful un-regenerated person. Obviously she was spiritually blind and only her soul realm was active. She did not understand things of the spirit and so she used her reasoning to explain her idea of worship. Her emphasis was the right place of worship (John 4:20). To her the place of worship is more important than the acceptable way of worshiping God. She was accustomed to follow rules and regulations.
Notice the words spoken by Jesus to the woman were prophetic. Within 100 years of the meeting with the woman the temple in Jerusalem (where the Jews gathered to worship) was destroyed. Jesus was telling her if she would worship in the spirit, then the place of worship became unimportant.
Worship God in Truth
I believe this means worshipers need to conduct themselves in sincerity, absolute openness and honesty before God. They need to come to God holding nothing back, concealing nothing and exposing their whole heart and life to Him. This excludes many things found in religious practice - things like hypocrisy, mere outward show, lip service and lying (insincerity).
The worship of Ananias and his wife Sapphira (Acts 5) illustrates this truth perfectly. They sold a possession and offered to God (as an act of worship) the proceeds of their sale. But their action was not sincere for they lied to the Holy Spirit. They pretended to have given all, but in actual fact they kept back a part for themselves. This action of failing to worship God in truth costs them their lives!
Major Spiritual Activities related to Worship of Regenerated Men
The Scripture reveals three major activites only the spirit of the regenerated men could accomplish. These are worship, fellowship and revelation taken in this order. Out of worship we have fellowhip with God and with other believers. Out of fellowship there is revelation and out of revelation there comes a spiritual birth.
This truth is vividly illustrated by the worship and fellowship of the believers in the first Church at Antioch.
"In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaeo (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off" (Act 13:1, 2, 3, NIV, emphasis added).
A group of believers including prophets and teachers were fellowshiping in the Church at Antioch. They were worshiping and fellowshiping with the Lord, ministering to Him together. Out of these spiritual activities (with prayer and fasting) came forth a divine revelation of a divine purpose - "The Holy Spirit said, ....". The Church received a divine instruction to send Paul and Barnabas for the First Missionary Journey.
The end result was that they accomplished the purpose of God as recorded at the end of Act 14.
"From Attalia they sailed back to Antioch, where they had been committed to the grace of God for the work they had now accompleted" (Acts 14:26, NIV).
They've got the job done because it was born out of the Spirit and not out of the soul realm. The purpose of God is always fulfilled in the spiritual realm.
"What ever is born of God overcomes the world" (1 John 5:4, NKJV).
What ever is born of God must succeed and cannot fail. What ever is born of God cannot be touched or be defeated by Satan. The same cannot be said about what ever is born of the human soul -mind, intellect, reasoning, will and emotion!
In fact, the soul realm could open a place for Satan's foothold. Satan cannot touch our spiritual worship to God because all true worship is in the spiritual realm.
Monday, October 17, 2005
The Saving of the Soul
It is common for Christians to talk about the saving of souls. For example you might have heard a fellow Christian asking you something like this, "How many souls were saved in the Evangelistic Meeting last night?" Another might say, "This brother is a good soul winner."
What this Christian brother means, without any doubt is how many lost persons were saved, how many were born again or how many gave their life to Jesus. But if you ask him how many lost souls were regenerated he might think you are weird or even crazy.
The Nelson Bible Dictionary defines "regeneration" as the spiritual change brought about in a person's life by an act of God. In regeneration a person's sinful nature is changed, and he is enabled to respond to God in faith. "Regeneration" comes from the Greek word "Paliggenesia" which means spiritual rebirth, spiritual renovation or messianic restoration. Therefore, the true meaning of regeneration is the new birth or the born agin experience. Regeneration is an instant act of God. There is no such thing as a gradual birth or rebirth!
The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:4, 5, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that the work of the Holy Spirit, among other things is the regeneration and renewing of man's spirit. Do not confuse this act of the Holy Sprit with the "washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:25, 25) which means "sanctification" by the Word of God.
The truth of the matter is, salvation of the whole person involves three stages - Regeneration of the human spirit, saving of the human soul and the transformation of the human body. There is no confusion provided we understand the fact that every human being is a spirit being. He has a soul (mind, will, and emotions) and he lives in a body.
I suggest my readers refer to my earlier postings before they continue to read this - "The Three Type of Man" (28th. Feb 2005) and "Christian's New Heart" (10th. March 2005).
The Impotance of the Right Teaching
Some Local Churches fail to give the right teaching and as a result many Christians still think there is no difference between the spirit and the soul in a person. But the Scripture is very clear.
Paul said, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23, emphasis added).
In other words, in our earthly life (Christian's journey of salvation) our whole spirit, soul, and body need to be set apart (sanctification) so as to remain blameless before God till the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews said, "For the word of God is living and powerful, an sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, emphasis added).
In other words, any Bible teacher who teaches that there is no difference between the spirit and soul is ignorant of the Word of God. He has in effect blunted the two-edged sword of the Spirit. The result is those who submit themselves to such teaching are easy targets for Satan.
Division of Spirit, Soul and Body
Very briefly, here are the functions of the whole nature of man:
The spirit of man relates man to the spiritual realm. It give man the ability to know (not just knowing about) God (1 Cor. 2:11, 12 and John 17:3). This is only possible after the spirit of man has been quickened by the Spirit of God (ie after regeneration). Conscience is a function of the human spirit. It has been created with the ability to "see" general moral truths. Therefore even before the act of regeneration the natural man has a measure of conscience (Romans 2:14, 15). The natural man is not totally immoral and has some natural desire to do "good". Otherwise, he would behave like a wild animal!
The soul of man relates man to the interllectual and emotional realm. The soul is that part of man consisting of mind, the will, and the emotion. The soul makes a man self-conscious.
The body of man relates man to the physical realm. It relates to the world with the five senses. Notice that with our body we contact the world where Satan is god (2 Cor. 4:4). Therefore unless our soul and body are under the subjection of the regenerated spirit of man, we are in danger of demonic attack. More on this in my next posting.
The True Meaning of Saving of Soul
When a person is born again by the Spirit of God only his spirit is regenerated. The new birth is a spiritual rebirth and not a "soulish" rebirth or a physical rebirth. There is no change in his soul or body. If he was baldheaded before he was born again, he is still baldheaded. He still sins sometimes when he is tempted and if he fails to let his regenerated spirit takes control of his soul-life (please read my previous posting - "Christians do Sin"). But, the difference is, after rebirth he has the right spiritual man inside him to control his soul and his body. In other words, after rebirth he still has his outword man (soul and body) to deal with; but now he has the power to put his fleshly carnal nature (his unredeemed soul) under subjection of his regenerated spirit throughout his Christian walk. His soul needs to be saved because of this.
How the Soul of Man Saved
1. James wrote to born again believers:
"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:21, 22, emphasis added).
In other words, a Christian's soul is saved by the implanted word. He must also be a doer of the Word and not a hearer. So, according James the Word of God is the only thing that will save the believer's soul - his mind, will and emotion.
Someone correctly said that it is either the Bible keeps us from sin or sin keeps us from the Bible. But some Christian are persuaded that it is either the Church keeps them from sin or sin keeps them from the Church! Pastors who convey such message to the members of the congregation would find their Churches always growing!
2. Peter wrote to Christians:
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the Brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:22, 23, emphasis added).
Notice that after having been born again, the soul (mind, will and emotion) of the Christian needs to be purified (saved, renewed, protected, healed, preserved, made well and whole) through (by recieving and by doing and unholding) the truth of God's Word. In other words, compromised or man-pleasing "truth"will harm the soul instead of purifying it!
3. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1, 2, emphasis added).
The mind is part of a man's soul. The Christian mind needs to be renewed, renovated or to be restored or to be made like new again. The way to have the mind renewed is to "present the bodies as living sacrifice to God". God wants submitted bodies and transformed minds. When our mind is renewed with the Word, our thinking is transformed. When our thinking is transformed, our acting is transformed. When our acting is transformed we (our entire life) are transformed. The result is knowledge of the perfect will of God. No one knows the perfect will of God without the transfomation of the mind and thinking by the Word of God.
4. David's Psalm 23
Let us look at another verse in connection with the saving of the soul. Most Christians are familiar with Psalm 23 (the Shepherd Psalm):
"The Lord is my shepherd ..... He restores my soul; ...." (Psalm 23:1, 2, 3, emphasis added).
Notice that Psalm 23 is a prophetic Psalm written by the psalmist David for the Church. We are living in Psalm 23 right now because it says, "The Lord is my shepherd" and in the New Testament Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). Once again it is the Word (Jesus is the Word) who restores or renews our soul.
Conclusion
Man's spirit is not restored or renewed; it is instantly recreated in rebirth. But, man's soul (mind, will and emotion) needs to be restored (or saved) with the Word of God.
Jesus says His Words are Spirit and Life:
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63, emphasis added).
The "flesh" comes from the unsaved or unrestored soul (the old Adamic nature) which "profits nothing".
What this Christian brother means, without any doubt is how many lost persons were saved, how many were born again or how many gave their life to Jesus. But if you ask him how many lost souls were regenerated he might think you are weird or even crazy.
The Nelson Bible Dictionary defines "regeneration" as the spiritual change brought about in a person's life by an act of God. In regeneration a person's sinful nature is changed, and he is enabled to respond to God in faith. "Regeneration" comes from the Greek word "Paliggenesia" which means spiritual rebirth, spiritual renovation or messianic restoration. Therefore, the true meaning of regeneration is the new birth or the born agin experience. Regeneration is an instant act of God. There is no such thing as a gradual birth or rebirth!
The apostle Paul wrote to Titus, "But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit" (Titus 3:4, 5, NKJV, emphasis added).
Notice that the work of the Holy Spirit, among other things is the regeneration and renewing of man's spirit. Do not confuse this act of the Holy Sprit with the "washing of water by the Word" (Eph. 5:25, 25) which means "sanctification" by the Word of God.
The truth of the matter is, salvation of the whole person involves three stages - Regeneration of the human spirit, saving of the human soul and the transformation of the human body. There is no confusion provided we understand the fact that every human being is a spirit being. He has a soul (mind, will, and emotions) and he lives in a body.
I suggest my readers refer to my earlier postings before they continue to read this - "The Three Type of Man" (28th. Feb 2005) and "Christian's New Heart" (10th. March 2005).
The Impotance of the Right Teaching
Some Local Churches fail to give the right teaching and as a result many Christians still think there is no difference between the spirit and the soul in a person. But the Scripture is very clear.
Paul said, "Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23, emphasis added).
In other words, in our earthly life (Christian's journey of salvation) our whole spirit, soul, and body need to be set apart (sanctification) so as to remain blameless before God till the second coming of Jesus Christ.
The writer of Hebrews said, "For the word of God is living and powerful, an sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, emphasis added).
In other words, any Bible teacher who teaches that there is no difference between the spirit and soul is ignorant of the Word of God. He has in effect blunted the two-edged sword of the Spirit. The result is those who submit themselves to such teaching are easy targets for Satan.
Division of Spirit, Soul and Body
Very briefly, here are the functions of the whole nature of man:
The spirit of man relates man to the spiritual realm. It give man the ability to know (not just knowing about) God (1 Cor. 2:11, 12 and John 17:3). This is only possible after the spirit of man has been quickened by the Spirit of God (ie after regeneration). Conscience is a function of the human spirit. It has been created with the ability to "see" general moral truths. Therefore even before the act of regeneration the natural man has a measure of conscience (Romans 2:14, 15). The natural man is not totally immoral and has some natural desire to do "good". Otherwise, he would behave like a wild animal!
The soul of man relates man to the interllectual and emotional realm. The soul is that part of man consisting of mind, the will, and the emotion. The soul makes a man self-conscious.
The body of man relates man to the physical realm. It relates to the world with the five senses. Notice that with our body we contact the world where Satan is god (2 Cor. 4:4). Therefore unless our soul and body are under the subjection of the regenerated spirit of man, we are in danger of demonic attack. More on this in my next posting.
The True Meaning of Saving of Soul
When a person is born again by the Spirit of God only his spirit is regenerated. The new birth is a spiritual rebirth and not a "soulish" rebirth or a physical rebirth. There is no change in his soul or body. If he was baldheaded before he was born again, he is still baldheaded. He still sins sometimes when he is tempted and if he fails to let his regenerated spirit takes control of his soul-life (please read my previous posting - "Christians do Sin"). But, the difference is, after rebirth he has the right spiritual man inside him to control his soul and his body. In other words, after rebirth he still has his outword man (soul and body) to deal with; but now he has the power to put his fleshly carnal nature (his unredeemed soul) under subjection of his regenerated spirit throughout his Christian walk. His soul needs to be saved because of this.
How the Soul of Man Saved
1. James wrote to born again believers:
"Therefore lay aside all filthiness and overflow of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your soul. But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (James 1:21, 22, emphasis added).
In other words, a Christian's soul is saved by the implanted word. He must also be a doer of the Word and not a hearer. So, according James the Word of God is the only thing that will save the believer's soul - his mind, will and emotion.
Someone correctly said that it is either the Bible keeps us from sin or sin keeps us from the Bible. But some Christian are persuaded that it is either the Church keeps them from sin or sin keeps them from the Church! Pastors who convey such message to the members of the congregation would find their Churches always growing!
2. Peter wrote to Christians:
"Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the Brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart, having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and abides forever" (1 Peter 1:22, 23, emphasis added).
Notice that after having been born again, the soul (mind, will and emotion) of the Christian needs to be purified (saved, renewed, protected, healed, preserved, made well and whole) through (by recieving and by doing and unholding) the truth of God's Word. In other words, compromised or man-pleasing "truth"will harm the soul instead of purifying it!
3. Paul wrote to the Roman Christians:
"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of you mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God" (Romans 12:1, 2, emphasis added).
The mind is part of a man's soul. The Christian mind needs to be renewed, renovated or to be restored or to be made like new again. The way to have the mind renewed is to "present the bodies as living sacrifice to God". God wants submitted bodies and transformed minds. When our mind is renewed with the Word, our thinking is transformed. When our thinking is transformed, our acting is transformed. When our acting is transformed we (our entire life) are transformed. The result is knowledge of the perfect will of God. No one knows the perfect will of God without the transfomation of the mind and thinking by the Word of God.
4. David's Psalm 23
Let us look at another verse in connection with the saving of the soul. Most Christians are familiar with Psalm 23 (the Shepherd Psalm):
"The Lord is my shepherd ..... He restores my soul; ...." (Psalm 23:1, 2, 3, emphasis added).
Notice that Psalm 23 is a prophetic Psalm written by the psalmist David for the Church. We are living in Psalm 23 right now because it says, "The Lord is my shepherd" and in the New Testament Jesus called Himself the Good Shepherd (John 10:11). Once again it is the Word (Jesus is the Word) who restores or renews our soul.
Conclusion
Man's spirit is not restored or renewed; it is instantly recreated in rebirth. But, man's soul (mind, will and emotion) needs to be restored (or saved) with the Word of God.
Jesus says His Words are Spirit and Life:
"It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life" (John 6:63, emphasis added).
The "flesh" comes from the unsaved or unrestored soul (the old Adamic nature) which "profits nothing".
Monday, October 10, 2005
Christians Do Sin
At first glance, this statement is obvious. Most Christians understand that only God is sinless and the best a Christian can do in his Christian walk is try not to sin and try to be blameless and above reproach in conduct and attitude.
The question is not whether Christians would sin or not, but more importantly are genuinely born again Christians supposed to sin and yet acceptable to God.
Recently I was asked to comment on a verse written by John in his first Epistle:
"Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, NKJV, emphasis added).
My own paraphrase of this verse goes like this:
"A true Christian who claims to be born again does not sin because God's seed remains in him. The fact that he has been born of God, not only he does not continue to sin but he is not capable of sinning".
If my interpretation is correct and acceptable then true Christians do not exist and no one has God's seed remain in him. Furthermore, whether a believer is born again or not has no significance because everyone is quite capable of sinning without even trying! I must have taken this verse out of context; or this must be one of the "hard sayings" in the Bible.
Before we throw up our hands in disbelief and consider this as one of the "secret things" of God (Deu. 29:29) let us look at some other translations:
Instead of using the phrase "he cannot sin" (as in King James, NKJ, New American Standard and RSV), the NIV says "he cannot go on sinning", the New Living Version says "they can't keep on sinning".
A not-so-common version of the Bible - Charles B. Williams's New Testament Translation - says:
"Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin because the God-given life-principle continues to live in him. And he cannot practice sinning, because he is born of God"
The Amplified Bible also says "he cannot practice sinning".
In my opinion "he cannot practice sinning" seems to be a more accurate description. The word "practice" implies sinning willfully, openly and in action. The phrase implies that a true Christian does not sin in deed (Rom. 1:32) and in word (Matt. 5:22). But, he can (even if he is not expected to) sin in thought.
A good example of sinning in thought is:
"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life" (1 John 3:15, NIV).
Another example is:
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28, NIV).
God allows Christian to sin
The Scripture says not only God allows but expects Christians to sin. There are several reasons for this:
1. Paul's teaching
The apostle Paul acknowledges this truth. In Chapter 7:14 to 25 of the Epistle to the Romans Paul describes the burden of sin vividly:
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Rom. 7:19, 20).
In verses 17 and 25 Paul says it is the flesh in him that causes him to serve the law of sin.
Paul further says that, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1, emphasis added).
In other words, born again Christians (those who are in Christ Jesus) would not be condemned provided they keep on walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
2. John's teaching
The First Epistle of John is written to believers to give them instructions in their Christian walk. John acknowledges that Christian do sin sometimes even in their fellowship with God and with one another.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses up from all sin. If we say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:6 to 8, emphasis added).
John tells Christians what to do when they sin:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
In other words, Christians must confess their known sins - sins revealed by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit convicts and does not condemn.
Why do Christians sin?
Let us turn our attention to Paul's epistle to the Romans:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:29, 30).
Some Bible teachers call this well-known passage the "Golden chain of salvation". The Bible never endorses instant salvation for mankind. Salvation is a journey or a process begins with God's foreknowledge and is carried through to the glorification of the believer. Those who are interested to know my comment on foreknowledge and predestination should read my earlier posting - "God's Choice and God's Calling" dated 28th Feb. 2005.
Born again believers are saved as Paul said, "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ... " (Romans 3:24). But, their salvation is far from complete. Believers sin because their salvation is not complete. They need to go through the process of sanctification in their life:
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctifiaction by the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13, emphasis added).
Jesus prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17).
In other words, God's Word and God's Spirit are the means of sanctifying and cleansing (read Eph. 5:25 to 27).
Salvation will be complete at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ:
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:27, 28, emphasis added).
In other words, complete salvation is offered to believers who are ready and and are eagerly waiting for His return.
Believers will have glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:51 to 54). They will be glorified just as Christ is glorified and becomes sinless as Christ is sinless - for there is no sin in heaven!
The question is not whether Christians would sin or not, but more importantly are genuinely born again Christians supposed to sin and yet acceptable to God.
Recently I was asked to comment on a verse written by John in his first Epistle:
"Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God" (1 John 3:9, NKJV, emphasis added).
My own paraphrase of this verse goes like this:
"A true Christian who claims to be born again does not sin because God's seed remains in him. The fact that he has been born of God, not only he does not continue to sin but he is not capable of sinning".
If my interpretation is correct and acceptable then true Christians do not exist and no one has God's seed remain in him. Furthermore, whether a believer is born again or not has no significance because everyone is quite capable of sinning without even trying! I must have taken this verse out of context; or this must be one of the "hard sayings" in the Bible.
Before we throw up our hands in disbelief and consider this as one of the "secret things" of God (Deu. 29:29) let us look at some other translations:
Instead of using the phrase "he cannot sin" (as in King James, NKJ, New American Standard and RSV), the NIV says "he cannot go on sinning", the New Living Version says "they can't keep on sinning".
A not-so-common version of the Bible - Charles B. Williams's New Testament Translation - says:
"Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin because the God-given life-principle continues to live in him. And he cannot practice sinning, because he is born of God"
The Amplified Bible also says "he cannot practice sinning".
In my opinion "he cannot practice sinning" seems to be a more accurate description. The word "practice" implies sinning willfully, openly and in action. The phrase implies that a true Christian does not sin in deed (Rom. 1:32) and in word (Matt. 5:22). But, he can (even if he is not expected to) sin in thought.
A good example of sinning in thought is:
"Anyone who hates his brother is a murderer, and you know that no murderer has eternal life" (1 John 3:15, NIV).
Another example is:
"But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart" (Matt. 5:28, NIV).
God allows Christian to sin
The Scripture says not only God allows but expects Christians to sin. There are several reasons for this:
1. Paul's teaching
The apostle Paul acknowledges this truth. In Chapter 7:14 to 25 of the Epistle to the Romans Paul describes the burden of sin vividly:
"For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice. Now if I do what I will not to do, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me" (Rom. 7:19, 20).
In verses 17 and 25 Paul says it is the flesh in him that causes him to serve the law of sin.
Paul further says that, "There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit" (Rom. 8:1, emphasis added).
In other words, born again Christians (those who are in Christ Jesus) would not be condemned provided they keep on walking according to the Spirit and not according to the flesh.
2. John's teaching
The First Epistle of John is written to believers to give them instructions in their Christian walk. John acknowledges that Christian do sin sometimes even in their fellowship with God and with one another.
"If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses up from all sin. If we say that we have not sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us" (1 John 1:6 to 8, emphasis added).
John tells Christians what to do when they sin:
"If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
In other words, Christians must confess their known sins - sins revealed by the Holy Spirit. Notice that the Holy Spirit convicts and does not condemn.
Why do Christians sin?
Let us turn our attention to Paul's epistle to the Romans:
"For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified" (Romans 8:29, 30).
Some Bible teachers call this well-known passage the "Golden chain of salvation". The Bible never endorses instant salvation for mankind. Salvation is a journey or a process begins with God's foreknowledge and is carried through to the glorification of the believer. Those who are interested to know my comment on foreknowledge and predestination should read my earlier posting - "God's Choice and God's Calling" dated 28th Feb. 2005.
Born again believers are saved as Paul said, "being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus ... " (Romans 3:24). But, their salvation is far from complete. Believers sin because their salvation is not complete. They need to go through the process of sanctification in their life:
Paul said, "But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God from the beginning chose you for salvation through sanctifiaction by the Spirit and belief in the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13, emphasis added).
Jesus prayed to the Father, "Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth" (John 17:17).
In other words, God's Word and God's Spirit are the means of sanctifying and cleansing (read Eph. 5:25 to 27).
Salvation will be complete at the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ:
"And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation" (Hebrews 9:27, 28, emphasis added).
In other words, complete salvation is offered to believers who are ready and and are eagerly waiting for His return.
Believers will have glorified bodies (1 Cor. 15:51 to 54). They will be glorified just as Christ is glorified and becomes sinless as Christ is sinless - for there is no sin in heaven!
Monday, October 03, 2005
Jesus the Prophet
Jesus has many titles. We usually call Him the Savior, Lord, King, King of kings, Lord of lords, the Good Shepherd and many other names. But, one important title seldom used in the Contemporary Church is Jesus the Prophet.
Moses spoke to all Israel, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear" (Deuteronomy 18:15, NKJV).
In other words, Moses, the greatest of all hebrew prophets prophesied that the future generations of Israel would hear the voice of the Prophet whom God raised up from among the Jews. This Prophet is Jesus Christ.
In New Testament time Jesus is also the Prophet to Hebrew and Gentile Christians:
The writer of Hebrews said, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds ...." (Hebrews 1:1, 2, emphasis added).
Notice that, in general, all truth or revelation is prophetic, pointing to some future event, happening or person. God speaks to us through His son by the Holy Spirit in "these last days" (New Testament time) concerning things to come.
The Prophetic Ministry of Jesus
The prophetic ministry of Jesus is manifested throughout the Gospels and other New Testament Scripture.
Here are some examples:
1. Jesus identified His betrayer, Judas Iscariot
Jesus said, "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He" (John 13:18, 19, emphasis added).
Notice that the thing that sets apart Jesus as the Prophet is the ability to predict or foresee the betrayal of Judas Iscariot.
2. Jesus predicted Peter's denial
Jesus said to Peter, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times" (Matthew 26:34).
3. Jesus said to Ananias (in a vision) concerning His plan for Saul
"Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:15).
The above verse describes the entire ministry of Paul which came to pass precisely!
The Prophetic Ministry of the Church
I believe the prophetic truth of the Bible is greatly neglected in many sections of the Church of Jesus Christ today.
Generally, the Church Universal is divided into two unequal sections. One is a small section that is tremendously concerned with prophecy and in many cases gone overboard and become extreme in implying or interpreting prophecies. They often make sensational predictions with fixing of dates. When one prediction fails they substitute the next. In a certain extent they undermine the confidence of Christians in the prophetic Word of God. This is very unfortunate. The result is the other section of the Chruch rejects prophecies alltogeter. They say the prophetic ministry has died with the 12 apostles.
A renowned pastor of the biggest Church in California (if not the biggest in the USA) was heard saying "biblical prophecy is a diversion" (Reference from "Prophecy Update Ministry).
Strangely, what some Churches believed is predicted by Peter:
"....scoffers will come in the last day, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation'" (2 Peter 3:3, 4).
The fact that people misuse something (gift of prophecy) that God has provided is no reason why we should not use it. Satan can cause almost any good gift of God to be discredited by its misuse. If the Church is deceived by this we are actually giving Satan the victory!
The Church needs Prophets
According to the apostle Paul the Church of Jesus Christ fails to mature, fails to "come to the unity of faith" and fails to become a "perfect man" because Christians have rejected some of the five-fold ministry gifts:
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, som evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ..." (Ephesians 4:11 to 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). If w do not use the prophetic side of the sword of God's Word we have blunted one of the edges of the double-edged sword. This I believe is one of the reasons why a section of the Church has been defeated by false doctrine of deceitful and cunning men.
We must understand that prophecy is an integral part of the Bible. It is one of the great distinctive features of the Bible that separates it from any other religious books of the world. There is no true prophetic ministry in any religion of the world.
The Church needs to take heed of Prophetic truth
The New Testament teaches us emphatically to take heed of prophetic truth of God's Word.
Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:16 to 19, NIV, emphasis added).
Peter emphasizes to the tremendous importance of prophecies in the last days:
Take note of the following:
1. Peter's theme is the coming of Jesus in power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). The Greek word for the coming of Jesus is "parousia" indicating the physical return of the Lord Jesus with His bride on the Day of God (Please read my previous posting).
2. Peter gives a preview of what would be like when Jesus comes back. He is referring to the experience of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1 to 9). Peter and two other disciples, James and John witnessed how Jesus "was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light" (verse 2). This is what Jesus would be like when He comes in His glory. Peter says this is not a stroy made up by him.
3. The strongest single testimony is not what Peter, James and John saw as eyewitnesses but what the what the prophetic Word of God declares. The word of the prophets is made more certain because Peter has already seen the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Jesus.
4. Christians who pay attention to this prophetic Word are not in darkness but like "a light shining in a dark place". If we continue to seek and heed the prophetic Word a day will come when "the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts".
Conclusion
Seeing all the signs of the times coming to pass the Church cannot afford to remain in darkness. We need to heed of the precious Prophetic Word of God - God's final Authority.
Moses spoke to all Israel, "The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your midst, from your brethren. Him you shall hear" (Deuteronomy 18:15, NKJV).
In other words, Moses, the greatest of all hebrew prophets prophesied that the future generations of Israel would hear the voice of the Prophet whom God raised up from among the Jews. This Prophet is Jesus Christ.
In New Testament time Jesus is also the Prophet to Hebrew and Gentile Christians:
The writer of Hebrews said, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds ...." (Hebrews 1:1, 2, emphasis added).
Notice that, in general, all truth or revelation is prophetic, pointing to some future event, happening or person. God speaks to us through His son by the Holy Spirit in "these last days" (New Testament time) concerning things to come.
The Prophetic Ministry of Jesus
The prophetic ministry of Jesus is manifested throughout the Gospels and other New Testament Scripture.
Here are some examples:
1. Jesus identified His betrayer, Judas Iscariot
Jesus said, "I do not speak concerning all of you. I know whom I have chosen; but that the Scripture may be fulfilled, 'He who eats bread with Me has lifted up his heel against Me.' Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He" (John 13:18, 19, emphasis added).
Notice that the thing that sets apart Jesus as the Prophet is the ability to predict or foresee the betrayal of Judas Iscariot.
2. Jesus predicted Peter's denial
Jesus said to Peter, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times" (Matthew 26:34).
3. Jesus said to Ananias (in a vision) concerning His plan for Saul
"Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake" (Acts 9:15).
The above verse describes the entire ministry of Paul which came to pass precisely!
The Prophetic Ministry of the Church
I believe the prophetic truth of the Bible is greatly neglected in many sections of the Church of Jesus Christ today.
Generally, the Church Universal is divided into two unequal sections. One is a small section that is tremendously concerned with prophecy and in many cases gone overboard and become extreme in implying or interpreting prophecies. They often make sensational predictions with fixing of dates. When one prediction fails they substitute the next. In a certain extent they undermine the confidence of Christians in the prophetic Word of God. This is very unfortunate. The result is the other section of the Chruch rejects prophecies alltogeter. They say the prophetic ministry has died with the 12 apostles.
A renowned pastor of the biggest Church in California (if not the biggest in the USA) was heard saying "biblical prophecy is a diversion" (Reference from "Prophecy Update Ministry).
Strangely, what some Churches believed is predicted by Peter:
"....scoffers will come in the last day, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, 'Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation'" (2 Peter 3:3, 4).
The fact that people misuse something (gift of prophecy) that God has provided is no reason why we should not use it. Satan can cause almost any good gift of God to be discredited by its misuse. If the Church is deceived by this we are actually giving Satan the victory!
The Church needs Prophets
According to the apostle Paul the Church of Jesus Christ fails to mature, fails to "come to the unity of faith" and fails to become a "perfect man" because Christians have rejected some of the five-fold ministry gifts:
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, som evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of faith and the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, ..." (Ephesians 4:11 to 14, NKJV, emphasis added).
The Word of God is the sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6:17). If w do not use the prophetic side of the sword of God's Word we have blunted one of the edges of the double-edged sword. This I believe is one of the reasons why a section of the Church has been defeated by false doctrine of deceitful and cunning men.
We must understand that prophecy is an integral part of the Bible. It is one of the great distinctive features of the Bible that separates it from any other religious books of the world. There is no true prophetic ministry in any religion of the world.
The Church needs to take heed of Prophetic truth
The New Testament teaches us emphatically to take heed of prophetic truth of God's Word.
Peter said, "We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased'. We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts" (2 Peter 1:16 to 19, NIV, emphasis added).
Peter emphasizes to the tremendous importance of prophecies in the last days:
Take note of the following:
1. Peter's theme is the coming of Jesus in power and great glory (Matt. 24:30). The Greek word for the coming of Jesus is "parousia" indicating the physical return of the Lord Jesus with His bride on the Day of God (Please read my previous posting).
2. Peter gives a preview of what would be like when Jesus comes back. He is referring to the experience of the transfiguration of Jesus (Matt. 17:1 to 9). Peter and two other disciples, James and John witnessed how Jesus "was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became as white as light" (verse 2). This is what Jesus would be like when He comes in His glory. Peter says this is not a stroy made up by him.
3. The strongest single testimony is not what Peter, James and John saw as eyewitnesses but what the what the prophetic Word of God declares. The word of the prophets is made more certain because Peter has already seen the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Jesus.
4. Christians who pay attention to this prophetic Word are not in darkness but like "a light shining in a dark place". If we continue to seek and heed the prophetic Word a day will come when "the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts".
Conclusion
Seeing all the signs of the times coming to pass the Church cannot afford to remain in darkness. We need to heed of the precious Prophetic Word of God - God's final Authority.
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