Perfection of the Body of Christ

Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church is perfect and He desires His Body to be perfect, fully grown up, mature, complete and lacking in nothing.

I believe before a perfect Church can be materialised there are two areas of perfection we need to look into - perfection in ministries and Christian's personal perfection. We have discussed the last one in my last posting (25th. July 2005).

Perfection in Christian ministries to others

As I mentioned in my previous posting one of the objectives of Paul's ministries is to "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus".

Paul was speaking about the revelation of the mystery of God to the saints:

"To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus" (Col. 1:27,28, NKJV, emphasis added).

In other words, there are three related ministries used by Paul in his plan to "present every man perfect in Christ Jesus". These are preaching (proclaiming) Christ, warning (admonishing or counselling) and teaching of Scriptures. These are the basic three ministries of the Word.

Now, let us see what Paul said about Epaphras:

"Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God" (Col. 4:12, emphasis added).

If we put the above two passages of Scripture in Colossians together the four basic ministries for the perfection of every Christian believer are - Preaching, counselling, teaching and prayers. Therefore, the most basic activities/programs of any Local Church must include these four basic ministries!

Perfection of Christ's Body

Jesus said, ".... and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

Clearly, the builder of the Church is Jesus and He is the Architect who supplies the perfect blue-print for the building of His Church. He uses human materials. The fact is, the best architect can give the best blue-print but very often it is difficult to find the right type of human materials for the New Testament Church. Any Bible teacher can write about "Purpose Driven Church" or "Purpose Driven Life", the fact remains that good materials make a good and strong Church. But, inferior materials make a weak and inferior Church. In other words, godly believers make a true Church and ungodly believers make an ungodly church. Homosexual believers make a "harlot" church. Christ's Church is only as good as the believers who are the Body.

I believe this is the reason why God's first emphasis is on the character of the believers. Paul understood God's way and he began Chapter 4 of Ephesians with the primary emphasis on believers' character:

Paul said, "I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, endeavoring to keep the unity the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephe. 4:1,2,3, NKJV).

In other words, those who are called (chosen) by God as Christian believers must at all times walk with the right character - in humility, meekness, unselfishness, gentleness and mildness. Be patient with one another and making allowances for one another's faults because of the agape love for one another. Do the best to ensure walking in unity and harmony and in peace in the power of the Holy Spirit.

The Church Building Ministry

Let us look closely at the first 16 verses of Ephesians 4 which I believe, lay the basic principles and purposes of the Church building ministry.

Verses 1 and 2 describe the basic character requirments of Christians with emphasis on humility - "lowliness and gentleness". It is interesting to note that Paul also emphasized on the humility of Jesus as an example in verses 9 and 10, "Now this, 'He ascended' - what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all thing". Notice that these two verses are in parentheses, signifying additional phases included in the original language.

The principle of humility was given by Jesus Himself, "For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:12).

Peter said, "Yes, all of you be submissive to one another, and be clothed with humility, ..." (1 Peter 5:5).

Solomon said, "... And before honor is humility" (Proverbs 15:33). In fact this was precisely what Paul said about Jesus in Philippians 2:5 to 11. He was exalted because He humbled Himself first, not only because He is the Son of God.

Verses 4, 5 and 6 are the 7 basic unities of the Church. Believers are united as one because there is one Body, one Spirit, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and one Father of all.

Verses 7, 8 and 11 are the diversity of Christ's gifts to men. These are the so-called five-fold ministry gifts - apostles, prophets, evangelists pastors (shepherds) and teachers. Notice that unity comes first before diversity. In these ministry gifts Christ gave Himself back to His Church by the Holy Spirit according to His will. In other words, what makes a man a pastor is not Seminary training, is not Bible School graduation or because he wants to be a pastor. It is because Christ the perfect Shepherd is in that man. For without Him a self-appointed pastor can do nothing. The truth is that many Christians fail to understand that Christ is the perfect embodiment in all the mininstry gifts - He is the perfect apostle, perfect prophet, evangelist, perfect pastor and perfect teacher.

Verses 12, 13 and 14 give us the functions and goals for which these ministries are set in the Church. Notice that these ministries are needed until all Christian believers (all the existing denominations) come into the unity of faith and full knowledge (and full acknowlegement) of Christ. Until the Church becomes a "perfect man" with the fullness of Christ.

In my opinion, the Chuch has a long way to grow into a "perfect man". Therefore we still need all these ministries. Many Local Churches have no apostles and prophets and the leadership assume that the days of the apostles and prophets are over - a very sad situation! The outcome of this ignorance is, members of the congregation "are like chrildren, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting" (Eph. 4:14). Is our Lord, Jesus Christ coming back for the Church under this condition?

Verses 15 and 16 give us the climax to the Church building process. The spiritual truth is, there is no competition in the Body of Christ. The whole Body "joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love" (verse 16).

In other words, the Church is never in a static condition. Every member of the Body does his part according to the measure of Christ's gift to enable a progressive growth into a climax - a perfect Bride for Christ!

A Christian's Personal Perfection in Christ

At first glance, the word "perfect" gives an impression that to be perfect means you will never say or do anything wrong or never make any mistake. This is obviously quite unattainable.

The word "perfect" in Scripture comes from Greek word "teleios", which means mature, fully grown up, complete all-round, nothing deficient or defective. Notice that a person can be fully grown up but can be defective in some area of his body. Or he is mature but may not be complete. Therefore, a more accurate description for a perfect person means, a person who is fully mature and grown up in "full personality" - in body, soul and spirit in the sight of God.

To be perfect is a command of Christ. If personal perfection is not attainable Jesus would not have commanded His people to be perfect.

Jesus said to His disciples, "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as you Father in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48, NKJV, emphasis added).

The word "therefore" indicates that the meaning of being "perfect" is revealed a few verses earlier. In the context, Jesus said that a person is considered a perfect person if he:

"Loves his enemies, bless those who curse him, do good to those who hate him, and pray for those who spitefully use him and persecute him" (Verse 44).

In my opinion, the ultimate goal of personal perfection is that divine love, agape love or the love of God is manifested in the character and personality of a person. Without the love of God in a person it is quite impossible for him to love his enemies. In this message we shall examine the Scripture to find out whether it is true that divine love is the ultimate goal of our personal walk with God.

Paul's Teaching on Perfection

Paul's ministry is not only to preach Christ for the sake of His Body, the Church, but also to present every man perfect in Christ:

"I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His Body, which is the church. Him we preach, warning everyman and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfection in Christ Jesus" (Col. 1:24,28, emphasis added).

Paul admitted that he had not attained complete maturity yet. There is still something lacking in him:

"Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected: but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me" (Phil. 3:12, NKJV, emphasis added).

The next few verses in Phil. 3 and 1 Cor. 9:24 to 27 show that Pual compared himself to a man running a race and heading for the finishing line. He was not going to stop until he got there. He would not look behind but did all he could to reach there. In order to do that he needed self discipline and self-control. Towards the end of His ministry Paul did see the finishing line and he ran for it!

"For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I hve finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Timothy 4:6).

Peter's Teaching on Perfection

In the Second Epistle of Peter beginning from verse 2 to verse 8 of Chapter 1, Peter gives a vivid picture of a Christian's walk to perfection by faith in the promises of God. By grace God has given every true Christian His divine nature - the nature of God (2 Peter 1:4).

Christian walk is a walk of faith. Beginning with faith there are actually seven steps to Christian perfection - Virtue, Knowledge, Self-control, Perseverance, Godliness, Brotherly kindness and Love (verses 5 to 7). Without faith, no one would be able to take the first step!

1. "Virtue" comes from the Greek word "arete" meaning exellence, be trustworthy or being faithful. Exellence is revealed through faithfulness. An example is:

Jesus said, "He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much" (Luke 16:10).

2. "Knowledge" means knowlege of God, His Word and His Will. The opposite of knowledge is ignorance. God's people must not be ignorant of the "signs of times", "God's timetable for the nation of Israel and the Church". Every Christian needs to know that God's purposes for men cannot come to their full consummation unless Israel and the Church are included.

3. "Self-control" or "temperance" comes from the Greek word "egkrateia". It is one of the nine-fold fruit of the Holy Spirit. I believe we can view self-control and endurance or perseverance together as "bottle-neck" of our walk with God. If we fail to make through these then we can make no further progress. Take as an example of Paul in 1 Cor. 9:24,25 as an athlete running a race:

"And everyone who competes for the prize is temperate in all things ...." (1 Cor. 9:25).

"temperate in all things" means having self-control.

Notice that we are not to compete with our fellow Christians, but are competing with the forces that oppose us and keep us from obtaining the prize. The forces can be lust, fleshly desire or fleshly appetite or moodines.

4. "Perseverance" comes from the Greek word "hupomone" meaning endurance, patience or constancy.

The writer of Hebrews said, "And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promise" (Hebrews 6:11,12, emphasis added).

"For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise" (Hebrews 10:36, emphasis added).

In other words, we need endurance to do the will of God in order to recieve the promises of God.
5. "Godiness" comes from the Greek word "eusebeia" meaning peity, holiness, devout and well-reverant.

In my opinion, a godly person or a person with godliness means the presence of God is with such a person. In other words, when such a person is with you, he makes you think of God.

Paul wrote to Timothy, ".. exercise youself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come" (1 Tim. 4:7,8, emphasis added).

In other words, godliness requires excercise to develope. Godliness excercise is more important than physical bodily exercise because there is promise of the life both now and and eternity! I believe all spiritual exercise are towards godliness. Examples are prayer, Bible study, Scripture memorisation and fasting.

Jude wrote Christians, "...to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him" (Jude 15, emphasis added).

Notice that "ungodly" is mentioned 4 time which indicates that all true Christians need to cultivate godliness.

6. The phrase "Brotherly kindness" comes from the Greek word "philadephia" meaning fraternal affection, brotherly love or love of the brethren. This is the love for our fellow Christians.

Many of us assume that we love our fellow Christians. But, if we are honest enough many of us are likely to admit that it is not easy. In my opinion, this is one of the most severe tests in our Christian walk. But, the Scripture is very clear, through the new birth we are in covenant relationship with our fellow believers and so expected to love one another. Peter said, to love our Christian brothers is an act of obedience:

"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" (1 Peter 1:22).

To love one another is a new commandment of Christ. It is also the most powerful method of evangelising the world:

Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another" (John 13:34,35).

7. "Love or Charity" comes from the Greek word "agape". It is the love of God or God's kind of love. God loves the world with agape love (John 3:16).

Paul said, "For when were still without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for the ungodly" (Romans 5:6,8).

That is the reason why Jesus commanded us (His disciples) to love our enemies, love sinners, love the ungodly with agape love (the love of God) if we want to be perfect! (Matthew 5:43 to 48).

When was a Disciple called a Christian?

My readers should read my earlier postings "True Disciple and True Christian" (28th. March 2005) and "Paradigm Shift for the Body of Christ?" (11th. April 2005) before they read this. This posting is the extension of the earlier postings with some new revelations.

In most comtemporary Local Churches, the purpose of a discipleship program is to make or teach Church members to be true disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, to the contemporary Bible teachers, Church members are not disciples unless they are trained by a series of man-made "training package" or man-made system or rules.

The purpose of this message is not in any way to criticise any Local Church having a discipleship program. This is strictly a Bible study message.

The difference between a Disciple and a Christian

The Nelson's Bible Dictionary defines "disciple" as "a follower of Jesus", and "Christian" as "an adherent or follower of Christ". Clearly, there is very little difference between a disciple and a Christian except that being an "adherent" of Christ indicates that the Christian is a serious and more committed follower of Christ. In other words, a belivever being a Christian has grown to a higher level of maturity than a disciple. Therefore, if a person is not a disciple, he is also not a Christian. If he is not a Christian, there is no way we can make him a Christian. If he is a Christian, then he is automatically a disciple - a logical conclusion.

The Scripture reveals an important difference between a disciple and a Christian. Please read Acts 19:1 to7.

Paul found some disciples in Ephesus. They have not heard of the Holy Spirit and said they were baptised with John's baptism of repentance. Then Paul ministered to them and baptised them in the name of the Lord Jesus (baptism in water). When he laid hands on them, the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied. The implication is that, before water baptism a believer is a disciple. After water baptism the disciple is qualified to be a Church member when the Church was founded. Notice that in early New Testament Christianiy, disciples are water baptised before they join a Church.

Making of Disciples

The Bible commands believers to make disciples (not Christians or Church members) of the unbelieving world:

Jesus said, "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, bapitizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matthew 28:19, emphasis added).

"And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch" (Acts 14:21, emphasis added).

Notice that, disciples are made by the preaching of the Gospel which is "the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes" (Romans 1:16). About three thousand disciples were made after Peter's first sermon (Acts 2:41).

When was a Disciple called a Christian

There are three questions we can ask. When was a disciple called a disciple, when was a disciple called a Christian and when was a Christian called a disciple? The last is an invalid questian. The only valid reason why a Bible teacher or a pastor tries to teach Church members how to be disciples is, he is assuming that believing members in the Local Church are not Christians. Not only they are not Christians but not disciples as well. All Church members must be Christians. It is true that Church members have different levels of maturity, but, all of them are Christians.

In the New Testament a disciple of Christ is called a "disciple" at one time and called a "Christian" at another time. In Gospel Time all disciples (including the apostles) and followers of Jesus were called diciples. When the first Church was founded, disciples were called Christians. Since then all Church-going water baptised disciples are called Christians.

Notice that, you cannot find the word "Christian" in the Old Testament Scripture. The word "Christian" occurs three times in the New Testament, and all three times appear after the Christian Church was founded:

1. Luke recorded, "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26, NKJV, emphasis added). In other word, the disciples were not called Christians before the first Church was founded in Anotioch.

2. Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:28).

3. Peter exhorted, "If anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed" (1 Peter 4:16).

Other Names for Disciples and Christians

1. Disciples are those who are taught or instructed:

"Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples" (Isaiah 8:16).

2. At Romans time, a Christian means a slave of Christ as Caesarian a slave of Caesar

3. Before the Church in Antioch was founded (prior to the adoption of the name Christian), disciples called themselves as "believers":

"And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women" (Acts 5:14).

They were also called "saints" (Acts 9:13,32,41) or "brothers or brethrens" (Acts 6:3). These names continued to be used after disciples adopted the name "Christians".

The Importance of Discerning Times and Seasons

Jesus said to the multitudes concerning the discernment of time:

"Whenever you see a cloud rising out to the west, immediately you say, 'A shower is coming'; and so it is. And when you see the south wind blow, you say, 'There will be hot weather'; and there is. Hypocrites! You can discern the face of the sky and of the earth, but how is it you do not discern this time" (Luke 12:54,55,56, NKJV, emphasis added)?

In the context, "this time" mean the time when the Messiah should appear. Jesus said, God's people who fail to discern the time of such an important event are hypocrites. In fact, Jesus wept over Jerusalem because they "did not know the time of your (God's people's) visitation" (Luke 19:44)!

To discern the times is an improtant command of Christ. It is the spiritual responsibilty for children of God to discern the times.

Times and Seasons

Solomon "the preacher" listed 14 pairs of opposites in the book of Ecclesiastes:

"To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die;
A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted;
A time to kill , and a time to heal;
A time to break down, and a time to build up;
A time to weep, and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn, and a time to dance;
A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
A time to gain, and a time to lose;
A time to keep, and a time to throw away;
A time to tear, and a time to sew;
A time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
A time to love, and a time to hate;
A time of war, and a time of peace.

It is not always the right time to do any of those 14 things listed above. It is not always right to speak, it is not always right to build up and not always right to plant. I believe to a very large extent success in life depends on doing the right thing at the right time. But, the question is how are we, as Christians going to know when it is the right time to do a certain thing? Or, how are we to know what to do at a certain time? I believe the answers to these questions largely determine whether we are going to succeed or fail in life. Similarly, the answers also determine whether the Church, as the body of Christ is walking in the will of God, or out of the will of God.

The Mystery of Times and Seasons

I believe He who holds the key to the mystery of times and seasons is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit shows the individual Christians and the Local Church what to do at what time. There is nothing we can do effectively for God without the Holy Spirit. There is no system or any set of rules that will work to please God without to Holy Spirit. The tragedy is, without the Holy Spirit the Local Church is likely to do what seems right to the leadership.

A common practice in the contemporary Church is that, when the leadership has discovered a "success formula" they will keep on following this formula. Other Local Churches are likely to follow the same "success formula" of another Church. As I said in my previous message every Church congregation needs ongoing visions and "fresh olive oil". What worked perfectly well 20 years ago, may not be workable now. Also, what works well in one Church congregation may not works the same ways with another congregation!

I believe in discipleship and the making of disciples because it is a scriptural principle. But, if the Church makes it a system or a set of rules suggested by men, it will not work better than any other religious system or set of rules which has gone before. You will find that different men suggest different sets of rules in discipleship. It will not accomplish the purpose or will of God without the soveraign direction of the Holy Spirit. The biggest mistake of the Local Church is, trying to make it through without the Holy Spirit. God forgives us but He will never proper us.

The Holy Spirit is the administrator of the entire wealth of God's Kingdom. He is the steward and administrator of our inheritance. He imparts divine wisdom, knowledge and understanding to any Christian who has the ears to hear.

Daniel said, "Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, for wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding" (Daniel 2:20,21, NKJV, emphasis added).

In other words, God is the source of all wisdom and knowledge and He gives wisdom and knowledge to those who have understanding so as to enable them to discern the right time and season to do the will of God.

Consequences of failing to discern Times and Seasons

After the Babylonian exile, it was time to rebuild the temple in Jerusalem. God spoke through Haggai, the prophet to Zerubbabel, the governor and Joshua the high priest saying:

"The people says, 'The time has not come, the time that the Lord's house should be built'" (Haggai 1:2).

But God said it was the right time to rebuild the temple and it was not right for the people to dwell in these own houses when the temple was in ruins (Verses 3 and 4).

The Lord said, because the people refused to discern the time to rebuild the temple the following things happened:

"You have sown much, and bring in little; you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but you are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to to put ino a bag with holes" (Verse 6).

"You looked for much, but indeed it came to little; and when you brought it home, I blew it away. The heavens above you withhold the dew, and the earth withholds its fruit" (Verses 9 and 10).

To me, it sounds like a "financial curse" upon God's people. The rest of the Book of Haggai says that, the people received the message from Haggai. They changed their way and began to prosper. The people responded to the words of the Lord's prophet. That changed the destiny of God's people.

"Hear me, O Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem: Believe in the Lord your God, and you shall be established; believe His prophets, and you shall prosper" (2 Chron. 20:20, NKJV, emphasis added).

I believe there is a parallel truth applicable to the New Testament Church. In other words, the Lord is also speaking the same thing to His Church if Christians fail to discern times and seasons. God is trying to get a message to the Church. If the Church of Jesus Christ fails to receive God's message, we must be ready to face the same consequences!

An important thing to note is that God did not speak to the people directly. He spoke through the Prophet (Haggai), to the Governor or king (Zerubbabel) and to the Priest (Joshua).

In my opinion, the Local Church needs all these three ministries - prophet, king and priest to discern times and seasons, in order to do the right things at the right time and to walk in the perfect will of God. These three ministries are also needed to restore or rebuild every Local Church.

It is interesting to note that the Lord has also given these three ministries to one person in every Christian home - the father! Every God-fearing father is responsible and accountable to God to discern times and seasons in order to ensure his family does the right thing at the right time.

I believe God reveals an important spiritual principle here - Wherever God builds, He calls for all three ministries; Priestly, Prophetic and kingly (government).

The Local Church needs Divine Visions

Solomon said, "Where there is no vision (no redemptive revelations of God), the people perish; ...." (proverbs 29:18, The Amplified Bible).

The word "vision" comes from the Hebrew word "chazown" which means a dream, a mental sight, revelation or oracle.

The truth is that, all God's people both in the Old Testament and the New Testament need visions. In my opinion, the type of vision that the Local Church needs to seek is a continuing, on going, relevant revelation of God's will and purpose at any given time and in any situation. In other words, the Church of Jesus Christ always need to be hearing from God and to do what He says.

The writer of Hebrews said, "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe" (Hebrews 1:1,2, NIV, emphasis added).

In other words, in Old Testament time God spoke to His people through His prophets of old. But, in the last days, or at the present time Jesus spoke directly to Christians through the Spirit of God. It follows that any Christian Group or Local Church fails to hear from Jesus when He has spoken, there is something wrong somewhere!

The following verses of Scripture show that God wants His people to hear His voice and obey what He says at all times:

Moses said to Israel, "If you will listen diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, being watchful to do all His commandments which I command you this day, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth" (Deut. 28:1, The Amplified Bible).

God said to His people through Jeremiah, "But this is what I commanded them, saying, 'Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people. And walk in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well with you" (Jeremiah 7:23, NKJV).

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow me" (John 10:27, NKJV).

In other words, Jesus Himself says that those who are known by Him will follow Him when they hear His voice. It is obvious that only a true Christian will hear His voice, because any person who does not hear His voice is not his sheep. If the Christian fails to hear his voice he cannot follow Him and He does not know him. Therefore the true Church must be able to hear Him continuosly and able to discern the revelation or vision given by Him at any particular moment of time.

I believe God has an on-going vison for any particular group or congregation of the Local Church, and any particular ministry, at any particular situation. God usaully gives a different vision for different Local Church groups at a particular time under different situations. What is a correct vision for a group is not necessarily correct for another group. Each Local Church needs to seek fresh visions from God to do God's will. In other words, there is no such thing as a "success formula" for all Local Churches to follow!

What happens when there is no Vision

Let us look at a situation in the Old Testament to see what happened when God's people failed to hear from God.

A good example is at the time when Samuel was called:

"The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions" (1 Samuel 3:1, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice that there were not many visions before Samuel was called because the Lord was silent. During the time of "Judges" the nation of Israel has sunk to a low ebb in which moral authority was no higher than self-will. The inspired Scripture sums up it up with a disappointing epitaph - the last verse of the Book of Judges:

"In those days there was no king in Israel; everyone did what was right in his own eyes" Judges 21:25, NKJV).

I believe when God's people start to do what is right in his own eyes, the end result is backsliding. Israel had the Law, they had the tabernacle, the priesthood and everything that religion could offer. None of these things kept them from backsliding. It is the same with the Church. Any Local Church group that does not have visions will backslide, in a religious way - they are missing God. They do what is right in their own eyes and not what is right in God's eyes. They seek after man's teaching and man's method because they lack spiritual discernment.

Lampstand and the Olive Trees

We need to understand that everywhere in Scripture Lampstand typifies the Church and Olive Old typifies the Holy Spirit. Therefore, the Olive Tree typifies the source of the Holy Spirit.

Zechariah saw a vision of a lampstand with two olive trees beside it (Zechariah 4).

"Then I answered and said to him, 'What are these two olive trees - at the right of the lampstand and at the left?' So he said, 'These are the two anointed ones, who stand beside the Lord of the whole earth'" (Zech. 4:11 and 14, NKJV).

The lamp depends on the oil to give light. A continuous supply of fresh olive oil flows from the olive tree is needed to keep the lamp burning. In fact, verse 13 says that the oil is so fresh that it actually comes directly out from either sides of lampstand.

Now, let us refer to the book of Revelation. John described the two witnesses in Chapter 11 in this way:

The angel said to John, "And I will give power to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy one thousand two hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth. These are the two olive trees and the two lampstands standing before the God of the earth" (Rev. 11:3,4, NKJV, emphasis added).

I believe the "olive trees" speaks of the prophetic function in relationship to the Church of Jesus Christ. It is the prophetic function of the Local Church that keep the fresh oil flowing into the lampstand to give light to the world. In other words, we the Church must not live on "stale" vision or revelation, not on stale bread and stale activities.

God has something new to say to the Church today! Do we have the ears to hear?

Pledging, Oath taking and making of Vows

Whether we would like to admit it or not, many Christians in the contemporary Local Church are having problems with pledging, oath taking, and making of promises or vows in a fund raising or donation campaign. A likely reason why many Local Churches desire their members to pledge is because the leadership wants them to give more than they can afford at the moment. Not every one has ready cash to donate with a one-time payment. The question is not, whether Christians are willing to donate to a good cause or not, but most are wondering whether these practices are biblical, permissible or necessary in the New Testament Church. Let us search the Scripture for our answers.

"Swearing", oath taking, vow making and pledging come from the Greek word "ommno". An oath is a solemn statement or claim used to validate a promise. The BBC English Dictionary defines a pledge as "A solemn promise to do something". If a person pleges something, he promises solemnly that he will do it or give it. A pledge is also something given as downpayment on a debt. Unless a person fulfills his pledge he is still in debt.

Old Testament Practices

Oath taking, swearing or making a vow are common Old Testament practices. These are permitted by God, but, God commanded that all oaths should be taken in His Name:

"You shall fear the Lord your God and serve Him, and shall take oaths in His name" (Deu. 6:13, NKJV, emphasis added).

But, God gave a solemn warning for His covenant people before they made a vow. Vowing was voluntary. But after a vow was made, it had to be performed. Vows, therefore, were to be made only after careful cosideration:

"It is a trap for a man to dedicate something rashly and only later to consider his vows" (Proverbs 20:25, NIV).

"When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; for He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed - better not to vow than to vow and not pay" (Eccl. 5:4,5, NKJV, emphasis added).

"If you make a vow to the Lord your God, do not be slow to pay it, for the Lord your God will certainly demand it of you and you will be guilty of sin. But if you refrain from making a vow, you will not be guilty. Whatever your lips utter you must be sure to do, because you made your vow freely to the Lord your God with your own mouth" (Deu. 23:23, NIV).

In other words, God gave His covenant people a choice. To make a vow or not to make a vow; to pledge or not to pledge. But, it is sinful in the sight of God if a person after making a pledge and fails to honour it. Notice that even slow in a paying a vow or a pledge is sinful! The word "slow" is very subjective. Anything that is not done immediately could be considered as slow and consequently guilty before God. The words uttered from a person's mouth are so binding that no one can take back his words. Furthermore, a person is considered, by God, as a "fool" if he fails to honour his vow or pledge. The Biblical principle is, do not pledge or take an oath unless a person is absolutely sure of performing it immediately!

The first mention of a vow in the Bible is of Jacob at Bethel:

"Then Jacob made a vow, saying, 'If God will be with me and will watch over me on this journey I am taking and will give me food to eat and clothes to wear so that I return safely to my father's house, then the Lord will be my God and this stone that I have set up as a pillar will be God's house, and of all that you give me I will give you a tenth'" (Genesis 28:21-22).

Jacob made a vow to pay tithe. God did His part to bless Jacob and he honoured his vow.

Sometimes oaths or vows were accompanied by protective curses to make sure they were kept:

"And the men of Israel were distressed that day, for Saul had placed the people under oath, saying, 'Cursed is the man who eats any food until evening, befoe I have taken vengence on my enemies.' So none of the people tasted food" (1 Samuel 14:24, NKJV).

David pronounced a curse upon himself in connection with an oath which he had taken. He vowed not to eat until evening with these words:

"God do so to me, and more also, if I taste bread or anything else till the sun goes down" (2 Sam. 3:35). This was a strong pledge on his part that he expected to keep his promise.

New Testament Practices

Christians should always remember that Jesus came to fulfill the Law and not to destroy or abolish it:

"Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. I tell ou the truth, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished" (Matt. 5:17,18, NIV).

Seeing in this light, the principle on pledging, oath taking and vow making laid down in the Old Testament is equally applicable in the New Testament. However, Jesus carried this principle to a higher level:

"Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but keep the oaths you have made to the Lord.' But I tell you, Do not swear at all; either by heaven, for it is God's throne; or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one" (Matt. 5:33-37, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice that, Jesus was laying down the principle that the Christian must not have two standards of truth, but his ordinary speech must be so sacredly true as his oath or pledge that his "yes" and "no" are in point of reliability is equivalent to any oath or pledge. In fact, if he does more than saying "yes" or "no" or later changes his mind to mean "no" after saying "yes", such action is led by an evil spirit. God the Holy Spirit should at all time so vividly present in the life of Christian that he would do anything, including saying "yes" or "no" and mean it, to honour God. Therefore, any Christian Church should not practice pledging, oath taking or vow making.

"Above all, my brother, do not swear - not by heaven or by earth or by anything else. Let your 'Yes' be yes, and your 'No,' no, or you will be condemned" (James 5:12, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice that the early Church practised this principle of giving. Christians were given the liberty to decide to give or not to give, or to say "yes" or "no". There were no mention of pledging, oath taking or making of vows in any of the Epistles.

In fact, Paul advicesd the Corinthians to emulate the christians in Macedonian Churches in the preparation of their finacial gifts to the brethren in Judea. Later, he sent Titus with some brethren to collect and convey these gifts (2 Cor. 8 and 9).

Covenant Relationship between Christians

The Old Covenant Relationship

In the Old Testament the basis of the covenant relationship of God's people with one another is the covenant God made with Abraham in Genesis 17. Subsequently, at Mount Sinai the covenant was established a second time, not with Abraham individually, but with all his descendants collectively - Israel.

The process by which God entered into His covenant with Israel is described in Exodus, beginning in Chapter 19. Here, God declared the purpose for which He was bringing Israel into covenant relationship with Himself:

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation" (Exodus 19:5,6, NKJV).

Notice that, from then on, Israel was set apart (from other nations) unto God as a special people, not by any intrinsic righteousness of their own, but by the covenant God made with them.

As members of one covenant people, the Israelites had special obligations to one another, different from those that they had to members of other nations who had no covenant relationship either with God or with Israel.

The general principle of covenant relationship may be seen in this way:

Those who have a covenant relationship with God necessarily also have a covenant relationship with one another. The relationships established by a covenant extend in two directions: vertical and horizontal. The covenant that brings God's people into union with God must of necessity also bring them into union horizontally with all who have entered into the same covenant with God.

The New Covenant Relationship

The same principle of covenant applied when carried over from the Old Testament to the New Testament (Covenant). When Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with His disciples and shared with them the bread and the wine, He brought them into a covenant relatioship with Himself by that act. After He had handed them the cup and told them all to drink of it, He said:

"For this is My blood of the new covenant ...." (Matt. 26:28).

Notice that, his disciples not merely shared the cup of the covenant with Him; they also shared it with one another. The same solemn act that brought each of them into covenant with Jesus, at the same time brought them all into covenant with one another. From then on, their covenant relatioship was not merely vertical, to Jesus; it was also horizontal, to one another.

This truth is borne out in 1 Corinthians, where Paul was explaining the significance of the Lord's Supper. He emphasized this horizontal relationship between all who partake of the one loaf and the one cup:

"The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body, for we all partake of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:16,17).

Peter declared that all believers who entered into the new covenant in Christ has the same effect as God's previous covenant with Israel:

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; who once were not a people but are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy" (1 Peter 2:9,10, emphasis added).

Therefore, as God's own special people, all Christians are obligated, by their covenant commitment, to relate to one another as they relate to God individually. By picking out phrases such as "one another" wherever they occur in the New Testament Scripture we may form a general picture of this mutual obligations.

All Christians who have entered into the new covenant in Christ are required to behave in the following ways toward one another:

1. Love one another (John 13:34).

2. Build up or edify one another (Romans 14:19).

3. Accept or receive one another (Romans 15:7).

4. Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16).

5. Greet one another (Romans 16:16).

6. Through love serve one another (Galatians 5:13).

7. Bear one another's burdens (Galatians 6:2).

8. Show forbearance to one another (Ephesians 4:2).

9. Kind to one another (Ephesians 4:32).

10. Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32).

11. Be subject or to submit to one another (Ephesians 5:21).

12. Teach one another (Colossians 3:16)

13. Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18).

14. Encourage or exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13).

15. Stimulate or to stir one another to love and to do good works (Hebrews 10:24).

16. Confess their sins and trespasses to one another (James 5:16).

17. Pray for one another (James 5:16).

18. Be hospitable to one another (1 Peter 4:9).

19. Be submissive to one another (1 Peter5:5).

20. Be clothed with humility toward one another (1 Peter 5:5).

In my opinion, unless we, as Christians, discharge these mutual responsibilities with the right attitude toward one another, we are not fulfilling the terms of the New Covenant. In the sight of God, we become "covenant breaker"!

The Outworking of the Covenant Relationship among Christians

What really concerns me is that there is a teaching in the contemporary Local Church that christians are urged to form "friendship pairs" or "discipleship pairs" among members of the congregation. The purpose is to encourage both members of the pair to grow in their christian walk and to discharge the 20 mutual responsibilities that I have listed above. Note carefully that each responsibiblity contains the phrase "one another" and not "each other". The problem is, this method is not biblical. For details please read my earlier message - "Paradigm Shift for the Body of Christ? - posted on 11-4-05".

As you can see, under the New Covenant, christians in a local congregation as part of the whole Body of Christ are to relate to "one another" and not just to "each other" (as in the so called "friendly pair" relationship) for the purpose unity. This is made clear by the apostle Paul in Ephesians Chapter 4:

"I, therefore, prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love ........ " (Eph. 4:1 to 6, emphasis added).

In my opinion, "friendship pair" is not only an unscriptural but a harmfull man-made doctrine:

1. It causes division and "competition" in the local congregation. Some people tend to maintain a close relationship only with their partner and not with all those who are worshippers in the same Local congregation.

2. It is possible for the "pair", even of the same sex to develop into an unhealthy relationship or unhealthy "bonding". Paul said, "Do not give the devil a foothold" (Eph. 4:27, NIV).

3. In the partaking of the Holy Communion, those who are involved in "friendship pair" may unknowingly failed "to discerning the Lord's body" (1 Cor. 11:29). According to Paul, "many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep" (V.30). One of the reasons why christians need to come to the Lord's table as often as possible is to remind them of the covenant relation between one another - and certainly not to remind them of the covenant relationship between the "friendship pair" partners only (Please read my earlier message "Biblical significance of the Holy Communion" - posted on 27-4-05).

New Covenant, New Lifestyle

Christains under the New Covenant are initiated into a new lifestyle. This new lifestyle is described by the Greek word "koinonia" which means "having in common" or "fellowship" or "to be in union with" or "to share in common life". The earlier Church in Jerusalem fits this description very well:

"Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common" (Acts 4:32, emphasis added).

The new lifestyle of "koinonia" (fellowship) is the result of the whole congregation of believers in convenant relatioship walking in the light together. And when believers walk in the light, their sins are cleansed by the blood of Jesus:

"But if we walk in the light as He is in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowhip with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin" (1 John 1:7, emphasis added).

This is also the description of the early Church:

"And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowhip, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers" (Acts 2:42).

Is there a place of "friendship pair" fellowship in the early Church? Paul wrote to many Local churches. Is there a suggestion from him that the members of the congregation should be divided into many "friendship pairs"?

The Truth about Divine Healing

The source of all healings is God. God Himself revealed to His covenant people after He brought them out of Egypt that He is the Healer:

"If you diligently heed the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you" (Exodus 15:26, NKJV, emphasis added).

In other words, God is not only the healer, He also controls diseases and healings. He puts diseases on people and takes away diseases. The conditions given by Him for living a disease-free life and receiving healing are:

1. Diligently heed the voice of the Lord.

2. Do what is right in His sight.

3. Obey and keep his commandments.

On the other hand, if God's covenant people refuse to do the above, then curses would come upon them:

"But it shall come to pass, if you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you" (Deu. 28:15).

The list of curses includes consumption or wasting disease, severe burning fever and inflammation(V22); incurable boils, tumours, scabs or festering sores and incurable itch (V27,35); blindness (V28); extraordinary, fearful, prolonged plagues, serious and prolonged sicknesses or severe and lingering diseases (V59); and every other kind of sickness and plague (V61).

These curses become hindrances to Divine healing. However, by God's mercy a way was made possible for the release of these curses - by the divine exchage of what Jesus has done on the cross. The most complete account of what was accomplished at the cross was given through the the prophet Isaiah seven hundred years before it actually took place (Isaiah 53).

Jesus the Healer

God's healing nature was manifested on earth in the Person of Jesus Christ.

Peter said, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him" (Acts 10:38).

Notice that all three Persons of the Godhead are mentioned here. The implication is that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are united in the ministry of healing to sick humanity. Jesus has the power to heal because God is with Him and anointed Him with the Holy Spirit. It is true that not all sicknesses are due to the oppression of the Devil, but Jesus heals all deseases and sicknesses including those brought about by the oppression of demons.

God makes healing available through His Word

The psalmist said, "Fools, because of their transgression, and because of their iniquities, were afflicted. Their soul abhorred all manner of food, and they drew near to the gates of death. Then they cried out to the Lord in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He sent His word and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions" (Psalm 107:17 - 20, emphasis added).

The psalmist gives us a picture of men so desperately sick that they have lost all appetite for food and are lying right at death's door. In their extremity they cried out to the Lord, and He sent them His Word to heal them and delivered them from death.

The truth of physical healing through God's Word is even more fully stated in Proverbs, where God says:

"My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:20,21,22).

Notice the all-inclusive promise of physical health and healing. The conditions of receiving the promise are fourfold:

1. Give attention to God's Word. As we read God's Word, we need to give it close and careful attention. We need to forcus our understanding upon it. We need to give it free, unhindered access to our whole inward being.

2. Incline our ear to God's Word. The inclined ear indicates humility. It is the opposite of being proud and stiff-necked. We must be teachable. We must be willing to let God teach us.

3. Not to let the Word depart from our eyes. We must keep both eyes fixed unwaveringly on the Lord's promise. We must not be doubtful, double-minded or waver in our faith (James 1:6 - 8).

4. Keep God's Word in the midst of our heart. The heart has decisive influence in human experience. In other words, what is in our hearts controls the whole course of our lives and all that we experience. God's Word in our heart gives life to our souls and health to our flesh.

An important truth is that not all Christians receive divine healing. This remains a secret, known only to God and not revealed to man.

"The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law" (Deu. 29:29).

God wants us to concern ourselves only with those things which are revealed in God's Word. These belong to us and to our children forever; they are our heritage as believers. And they belong to us "that we may do them" - We may act upon them in faith. When we do, we prove them true in our experience.

"Gift of healing?"

You often hear people talk about someone having the gift of healing. This makes it appear that God has given this person a supernatural ability to heal the sick. It seems then that whoever this person prays for ought to be healed. Whoever is not healed it is assumed to be the result of the lack of faith of the person prayed for! This belief is not biblical.

There is no such thing as the gift of healing! The Bible does not mention any such gift given to a person. Read 1 Cor. 12 carefully you will notice that Paul wrote about "gifts of healings" ministered by the same Holy Spirit who ministers other gifts also (1 Cor.12:9). Each healing is a separate and individual gift given by God. The healing itself is a gift! Therefore through a certain Christian at a certain time, God sovereignly produces different kinds of healing according to His own wisdom and will.

Some of the healings from Paul's ministry may fall into this category. The healing of the crippled man in Lystra certainly was a sign to the people, and convinced them of the authority of the ones proclaiming the Gospel (Act 14:8 - 11).

"Healing Ministry" carried too far

There is a woman pastor ministering in a small town in Malaysia. She claims to have an effective healing ministry. Her husband died of cancer some years ago. She was involved in the occult and suffered the same illness. Finally she received Christ, and instantly received divine healing. She built herself a ministry to preach divine healing at her "Prayer and healing" centre immediately. She said God uses her mightily to heal the sick. Soon she was overcome with pride and started to preach against doctors and medicines. Christains heard her said in some of her nightly meetings that medicines are of the Devil and everyone she prayed for must not take medicines any more. If what she said is true, then the logical conclusion is, if medicines are of the Devil than all doctors are working for the Devil! Deception! It follows that it was evil for Paul to give advice to Timothy to drink wine because of his frequent infirmities (1 Tim. 5:23)! It must also be evil for Isaiah to give advice to king Hezekiah to use "a lump of figs" to heal his boil (Isaiah 38:21)!

The place of doctors and medicines in healing the sick

James said, "Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning" (James 1:17, emphasis added).

We all know that medical help is a gift of God and it does accomplish good for suffering humanity. In my opinion, if divine healing is the perfect gift from God, then medical knowledge is a good gift from the same God! We need to receive all gifts that God has to offer.
No one knows when natural healing and when divine healing would come about. Only God knows. I do not think it matters. Both healing actions are gifts from God Himself!

Understanding New Testament Divine Healing

New Testament Divine Healing is a Gift of God through the Atonement of Jesus for the sins of the world. Isaiah 53 (the "Atonement Chapter) has this prophetic vision about Jesus Christ:

"But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for you iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5, NKJV, emphasis added). 1 Peter 2:24 says the same thing.

Notice that, "by His stripes we are healed" and not "will be healed" - which means healings are already provided for anyone who believes.

Two New Testament Ordinances for Healing

1. Jesus said, "And these signs will follow those who believe .... they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover" (Mark 16:17, 18, emphasis added).

2. James said, "Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven" (James 5: 14, 15, emphasis added).

Notice that both these ordinances for divine healing are effective only through the exercise of faith in the Name of Jesus. In the case of anointing with oil, it is specifically stated that prayer must accompany this act. In the passage about laying hands on the sick in Mark's Gospel, no specific mention is made of praying. However, in most cases it would be natural to pray for the sick person, as well as laying hands on him.

Notice also that "the sick" in Mark's Gospel are not necessarily means only sick christians. In fact the ordinance of laying of hands on the sick, as set forth in Mark 16 is intended to go together with the preaching of the gospel to the unconverted. Healing is one of the miraculous signs (Mark 16:17) that follows those who go and preach the Gospel. Any believer sitting quietly in the pews and not "going" may not experience these signs.

On the other hand, the epistle of James is addressed primarily to professing Jewish christians. But the phrase "among you" would seem to refer to all believers who attend a christian church with elders. A sick person who made no profession of faith and was not associated with any christian church would not be included in the phrase "among you". Therefore, the ordinance of anointing with oil is intended primarily for those who already profess faith in Christ and are associated with some Christian church.

Two Important Lessons from James 5:14,15

1. God expects every sick christian to seek Him first, for healing through faith by spiritual means. This does not mean it is necessarily unscriptural for a christian who is sick to seek the advice or help of a medical doctor. But it is absolutely contrary to Scripture for any professing christian who is sick to seek for human medical aid without first seeking for divine help from God Himself, through the appointed elders of the church. All sick christians who do not seek divine help first before seeking medical help are guilty of direct disobedience against the ordinaces of God as set forth in the New Testament. In the face of this, any christian who falls sick and calls for the doctor, without calling for the elders of the church, is guilty of open disobedience. It is tantamount to saying to God: "I do not need You. I do not really believe You can help me or heal me. I am content to accept the best that man can do for me without seeking You for guidance or help". This prevailing attitude among professing christians is one main reason why so much sickness also prevails among them. God is the healer and it is not wise to close the doors of our home or churches against Christ the healer.

2. God expects every christian to associate himself with a church and that the elders of this church must know him and is known to him. These elders shall be ready to minister in faith, according to the Scripture, to the physical needs of their church members.

Notice that no believers can claim the fulfillment of Jemes 5 unless the church is a true church of Jesus Christ and the elders are true ministers who are called by God to take on the function and qualifications of elders.

How God ministers Divine Life and Divine Healing

Notice that there is no suggestion that the anointing oil used possesses any natural healing properties. Here, as in many other passages of Scripture, the oil is simply a type or picture of the Holy Spirit.

Thus, placing the oil upon the sick person represents the claim of faith on behalf of that person that the Spirit of God shall minister divine life and healing to his sick body. This claim is based upon a clear promise from God:

" But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you" (Romans 8:11, emphasis added).

Here the phrase "to give life to your mortal bodies" means to impart divine life and power to the mortal, physical body of the believer in whom the Spirit of God dwells. The great agent of the Godhead who imparts this divine life is the third Person, the Holy Spirit. Sickness comes when a christian lacks divine life.

To be continued in the next message.

What Jesus says about War

Jesus said, "He who is not with Me is against Me and he who does not gather with Me scatters abroad" (Matthew 12:30, NKJV).

Anyone who is against God is an enemy of Jesus. The primary enemy of God is Satan. Because of pride and rebellion Satan opposed God from the beginning, even before Adam was created. Satan became the "god of this age" (2 Cor. 4:4) when Adam sinned. Therefore, those who are not with Jesus and those who do not believe Jesus as their Lord and savior are all under the dominion of the "god of this age" - whose kingdom is in opposition to the Kingdom of God. War began when the kingdom of Satan opposed the Kingdom of God. There are always wars between the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the world whose king is Satan. There are always wars and conflicts between darkness and light, wars between the good and the evil, wars between righteousness and sin and wars between Christ and Satan. In other words, these two opposing Kingdoms are always at war with each other until the end of the age.

Paul said, "Giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:12-14, NIV, emphasis added).

Notice, there are two kingdoms. There is the kingdom of light, in which our inheritance lies. But there is also the dominion of darkness. The word translated "dominion" is the Greek word "exusia", which means "authority". In other words, whether we like it or not, Satan has authority. He is the ruler of a kingdom that the Bible recognizes. So these two kingdoms are engaged in mortal warfare and the war is coming to its climax in our day as this age comes to a close.

War begins in the spirit - the spirit of the world wars against the Spirit of God. And then physical wars follow. The types of wars existed are spiritual war, religious war, physical war and political war. It is beyond the scope of this message to dwell on each type of wars in any details.

Jesus Accepts War

The Scripture indicates that Jesus not only allows wars to happen, but also accepts war as part of the present world-order. In fact it is one of the conditions of discipleship. When we are born again by the Spirit of God we become representatives of God's Kingdom here on earth. Whether we like it or not, believers find themselves involed in an an all out spiritual war with Satan's opposing kingdom. What begins in the spiritual will be manifested in the physical. And this is the main reason why there are physical religious and political wars.

Jesus says, "And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet" (Matt. 24:6, NKJV, emphasis added). Other Gospel writers said the same thing (Luke 21:9 and Mark 13:7).

In other words, Jesus says there will be wars and rumors of wars in the last days - and all of us are living in the last of the last days.

Jesus said to his 12 disciples that He did not come to bring peace (the opposite of war) but a sword on earth. There will be war even in a man's own household (Matt. 10:34,34,35).

Physical wars are due to sin of selfishness and greed:

"Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask" (James 4:1,2).

Wars are under the full control of the Almighty God:

Solomon (the preacher) said, "A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war and a time of peace.

In other words, everything has its time - to everyting there is a season, and God gives time to fulfill his every purpose on earth:

"A time to be born, and a time to die; A time to plant, and a time to pluck what is planted; a time to kill and a time to heal; A time to break down, and a time to build up; A time to weep, and a time to laugh ...." (Eccle. 3:2,3,4).

We may not understand it, but I believer this is God's answer for those who are killed in a war. I can not find any other reason given by God in the Scripture.

God decides when wars shall cease and the final victory belongs to Him:

"He makes wars cease to the end of the earth; He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two; He burns the chariot in the fire" (Psalm 46:9, emphasis added).

"These will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King of kings; and those who are with Him are called, chosen, and faithful"(Rev. 17:14, emphasis added).

The Real Purpose of Life

Many books have been written to help Christians how to find the purpose of life and to live life according to Biblical principles. The purpose of life is a pupular theme for Church Camps or Church Seminars all over the country. Some of these teachings are good and even helpful, but not all are Biblical. Majority of these teachings originated from the wisdom of men. They bring new "doctrine" to local churches with irrelevant references to the Scripture to feed iching ears.

Paul gave a solemn warning to christians:

"Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ" (Col. 2:8, NKJV).

If Christians care to search the Scripture diligently they will not fail to realise that the main purpose of life is knowing God. Jesus Himself expressed this beautifully when He prayed to the Father:

"And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent" (John 17:3, NKJV, emphasis added).

In the context, "they" means "Jesus' disciples and those whom God had given eternal life.

This, I believe is the ultimate purpose of all life - to know the one and only true God. Out of this knowledge there comes eternal life, divine life, the life of God Himself. Eternal life is the hope of all men and only by knowing God this hope can be realised.

Paul said, "If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable"(1 Cor.15:19).

In other words, our hope in Christ is beyond our present life on earth; our hope is our eternal life with Christ! Paul said, "For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" (Col. 3:3). The life that is hidden with Christ in God is eternal life - the result of knowing God.

However, knowledge of God is not merely intellectual. It is not merely theology or doctrine. It is not knowing about God. It is actually knowing God Himself - knowing Him directly and intimately; knowing Him as a Person. It is a person-to-person relationship. It is a spiritual union between the Spirit of God and the spirit of man quickened and made alive by the Holy Spirit.

Covenant relationship between Christ and His Church

Before we can understand life's purpose of "knowing" God we must understand the convenant relationship between God and His people and Christ and His Church.

In the Old Testament, God compared His relationship with Israel to that of a husband with his wife. He traced this relationship back to the covenant back to the covenant that He made with Israel at Mount Sinai after He had delivered them out of Egypt (Jeremiah 31:31,32).

However, by unfaithfulness and idolatry, Israel violated their covenant relationship with God as their Husband. Hosea gave a prophetic picture of God bringing Israel back into a new covenant with Himself and thereby restore His relatioship to them as their husband:

"I will betroth you to Me forever; yes, I will betroth you to Me in righteousness and justice, in lovingkindness and mercy; I will betroth you to Me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord" (Hosea 2:19,20, NKJV, emphasis added).

Through Israel's covenant commitment they would come to "know the Lord" as they had never known Him before - just like the marriage covenant commitment between a man and a woman through which a man comes to "know" his wife.

The nature of this new covenant is more fully reveiled in the New Testament. This New covenant in Christ is viewed as bringing believers into a relationship with God that is analogous to the marriage relationship between husband and wife. This truth is brought out by Paul in Ephesians 5:25-33 which says, Christ redeems and sanctifies His church in order that He may present it to Himself as a bride is presented to her husband, "holy and without blemish" (V. 27).

One Spirit with God

The picture of a bride is not only for the body of true believers (the true Church) as a whole. Paul said, God desires to have an intimate relationship with each individual believer - to be in one Spirit with Him:

"Do you not know that that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For 'the two,' He says, 'shall become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him" (1 Cor. 6:16,17, emphasis added).

Paul was speaking about the sexual union between a man and a woman. He said that a man who has sexual relations with a harlot makes himself "one body" with her. Then he went on to say that a believer can have a similar kind of union with God in which he becomes "one spirit" with God. That means, the relationship that God invites each believer to have with Him is precisely parallel, on the spiritual plane, to the sexual union which, on the physical plane, a man may have with a woman.

The above Scriptures also brought out an important truth. The union between a man and the harlot is fornication, which is sinful. Unlike a man and his wife whose marriage union is preceded by mutual covenant commitment. Paul applied this priciple also to the relationship between God and the believer. God desires spiritual union with each individual believer. At the same time, however, it is certain that God will never violate His own laws. He will never be a party to "spiritual fornication", which means a believer shall have no other covenant relationwhip with other gods. Therefore, union with God in this sense depends upon, and receded by covenant commitment to God. Until a believer is ready to make the total, unreserved commitment to God that covenant requires, he can never have this full spiritual union with God that is the purpose of redemption.

Take the situation that is so common in an evangelistic campaign in the local Church or in an evangelistic rally. Many people are touched by the message. They respond to the altar call and come forward to receive Christ. They desire a relationship with God. They may even lay claim to such a relationship. Nevertheless, their desire is unfulfilled; their claim is unjustified. The reason is that they have never made that solemn, unreserved, personal commitment to God that is the only basis upon which He will receive them into the relationship that they desire. Religious ritual, such as baptism or confirmation of Church membership may not change a thing in their relationship with God. It is the committed covenant relationship with God that God is after. Short of this no believer shall get to really know God. And without truly knowing God there is no real purpose of life. Knowing God is beyond discipleship!

A true disciple of Christ should never be interested in some watered-down, religious substitute for the real intimacy with God. Look at the picture of intimacy painted by the psalmist David:

"O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You; my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land where there is no water" (Psalm 63:1, NKJV).

In other words, there can be only one source of ultimate satisfaction for the thirsty soul; it is God Himself. To stop at less than true union with Him is to miss the real purpose of living. It is to remain forever frustrated, forever unfulfilled in the christian life.

Covenant commitment between between man and God causes man to really know God - on the vertical plane. Similarly, covenant commitment between a man and his wife causes man to really know his wife - on the horizontal plane. Any christian or disciple who fails to know God as mush as he knows his wife does not know the real purpose of life!

An Important Aspect of God's Word

God gives man His Word because He loves man and gives man a free will - freely to obey His Word or to reject His Word. The basis of given man a free will is His love for man and His love to have fellowship with man. This is His primary purpose when He created man in His own image (Gen.1:27, NKJV) and commanded man to be fruitful and multiply (Gen. 1:28).

God's Word for Adam

God gave Adam a free will. He could always choose to obey or disobey. Free will is a mockery if there is no choice. After creating Adam, God did not remain around, like a policeman on duty, following Adam and saying, "Now do this!" or "Don't do that!".

Apparently, God left Adam and Eve for significant periods on their own. Genesis 3:8 says, "...the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day ...". That would be about the time that it was getting a little cool and the evening breeze was beginning to blow. It seems clear that God had not been in the Garden all day. The verse seems to suggest that God used to drop in for a visit and fellowship with Adam and Eve in the evening.

Although God did ot remain permanently present in person in the Garden, He left with Adam one permanent representative, one thing that always represented God, one thing that never departed from Him - HIS WORD. God left Adam the Word. Therefore, the basis of Adam's relationship to God was his relationship to the Word of God. God gave Adam not the entire Bible but only two verses:

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, 'Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die'" (Genesis 2:16,17).

Take note of the three successive phases to God's Word to Adam:

1. Permission. "You may eat of every tree that is in the Garden except one".

2. Prohibition. "But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat".

3. Warning. "In the day that you eat of it you shall surely die".

As long as Adam believed and obeyed God's Word, no evil could touch him. Nothing could take away his peace, his life or his peace. But, Adam chose to obey the word of Satan who spoke, "You will not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). Adam and Eve were confronted by a situation where they have to exercise free will to obey God or to obey Satan. The tragic error was that they rejected the Truth of God's Word and received Satan's lie.

God's Word for Christians

There is a direct parallel truth between Adam's situation in the Garden and the situation confronted by the new creation in Christ in the present dispensation.

Christians are believers created anew in Christ. Just like what happened in Adam's time, God does not wave a big stick at us all the time commanding us, "Do this!" or "Don't do that!". Instead, He left with us one permanent representative of Himself - HIS WORD, the entire BIBLE.

Jesus said, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23).

In other words, God the Father and Jesus will love the christian who keeps His Word. Not only that, God the Father and God the Son will come to him and dwell with him. God comes to us and abides with us through His Word. The spiritual principle is - the place that God's Word has in our lives is the place that God Himself has. The same honour and respect that we owe to God, we owe to His Word. The fact is that we do not love God more than we love His Word. The test of our relationship to God is our attitude toward His Word.

The Authority of God's Word

The psalmist David understood the authority of God's Word;

"Forever, O Lord, Your Word is settled in heaven" (Ps. 119:89).

Jesus Himself said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away" (Matt.24:35).

David said further that, "The entirety of Your word is truth" (Ps.119:160).

In other words. the Bible is true from Genesis 1:1 right on through to the very last verse of Revelation. Conversly, we can say the "The entirety of Satan's word is lie"!

Anyone who compromises the teaching of the Bible compromises and denies the truth of God's word. This is tantamount to committing the same sin committed by Adam who denied the Word of God, but took heed of the word of Satan instead.

If only Adam had said:

"Your word I have hidden in my heart, that I might not sin against You" (Ps. 119:11).

Adam and the Last Adam

The Apostle Paul said to the Church at Corinth:

"The first man Adam became a living being. The last Adam became a life-giving spirit. The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven" (1 Cor. 15:45,47, NKJV).

It is obvious that Jesus is called the Last Adam and not the second Adam - there is no second Adam. Jesus is also called the "second Man" not a descendant of Adam, the "first man". God gave Adam a freewill. He was given the ability to obey God or to disobey and sin against God. But he chose to sin and the whole race descended from him became sinners. Jesus the last Adam brough forth a new race when He died on the cross and rose again from the dead. Those who believe in Him become a new race descended from Him and made righteous with the righteousness of God (Romans 3:22).

The Adamic Race

God created man to be a ruler and to have dominion over the entire earth.

"Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeess; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air and over the cattle, over all the earth and over ever creeping thing that creeps on the earth" (Genesis 1:26, emphasis added).

Notice that these words were not spoke of Adam as an individual, but of the race descended from him: "Let them have dominion ...". The Adamic race was created to rule the entire earth is clearly brought out in Psalm 8:4-8. The same words applied to Jesus the Son of God are quoted in Hebrews:

"What is man that You are mindful of him, or the son of man that You take care of him? You have made him a little lower than the angels; You have crowned him with glory and honor, and set him over the works of Your hands. You have put all things in subjection under his feet" (Heb. 2:6-8).

Therefore, the purpose of God (to rule and to have dominion over all creation) for the Adamic race found fulfilment in only Jesus (in His humanity) who was the Head of the Adamic race. Before Jesus came, the purpose was stated but was not fulfilled. There is something even in fallen man that still knows he was created to rule. But his capacity to rule is impaired because of the work of sin in him. The whole Adamic race inherited the sinful nature of the first man, Adam.

The God-Man Race

Jesus is called the last Adam because spiritually he was the end of the whole evil Adamic inheritance (1 Cor. 15:45).

When He died on the cross and was buried that whole evil Adamic inheritance was buried in Him. His was the last of the of the Adamic race. He put away sin once and for all by the sacrifice of Himself. When He rose from the dead three days later He was the second (not second Adam) Man. He was the new kind of Man. He became the Head of a totally new Race never existed before. This is the God-Man race - God and men fused together in one nature. This is our inheritance in Christ.

Peter said, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time" (1 Peter 1:3-5).

Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ sinners can be born again, out of sin, out of death and begotten again into the new Race in a new Kingdom of which Jesus is the Head.

Paul said to the christians in Colosse about Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church:

"He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence" (Col. 1:18, emphasis added).

In other words, because Jesus is the firstborn from the dead (the first born again Man) all born again believers becomes His body and follow Him - the Head comes first and the body follows. So, we are part of His body, a part of this new Race in a new Kingdom, through faith in His death and resurrection. We are a new creaction (2 Cor. 5:17) with a new kind of life - a divine undefeatable eternal resurrected life.

I believe there is a parallel truth between Adam and Eve and Jesus and His Bride, the true Church.

God gave Adam the desire for fellowship; first to fellowship with God and then to fellowhip with Eve, the "helper comparable to him (Adam)" (Gen. 2:20). Adam himself said, Eve was "bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh" because God made Eve from Adam's rib (Read Gen. 2:21-24). God performed a unique operation on Adam physically for this purpose.

To me this is a clear picture, in type, of Jesus Christ and the true Church, the Bride of Christ. But the Bride of Christ comes from Jesus spiritually - Cor. 15:45 says Jesus is the life-given spirit. The picture I see is, while Jesus "slept" in the tomb, God "took out from His death that which He will build into a Bride for Jesus". The Bride is prophetic.

To me the Church is going to be to Jeus what Eve would become to Adam, "bone of His bone and flesh of His flesh", and thus fulfil His longing for fellowship. It is the eternal nature of God to long for fellowship with man!

"Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, God Himself will be with them and be their God'" (Rev. 21:2,3, emphasis added).

The ultimate purpose of God is not to bring His Bride to heaven to dwell there, but to have intimate fellowship with Him in the New Earth under the New Heaven!

The Original Sin

It is very important for all Christians to realize that the first sin (the original sin) in the universe was not murder, nor sexual immorality, but pride. It was pride that produced rebellion. God is the Author of all blessings. God created Lucifer and He gave him power, authority, beauty and wisdom - all were gifts from God. Yet Lucifer's wrong attitude turned them into instruments for his own destruction. All these things happened to Lucifer long before Adam came into the scene.

Lucifer had occupied a position of unique honour in heaven. What God said to him and about him was recorded in Ezekeil 28:12-15. Lucifer was perfect in beauty, but he was a created being. Pride motivated him to challenge God and to claim a place of equality with God. Apparently Lucifer had authority over a company of angels, and he had succeeded in alienating some of those under him from their loyalty to God. In response, God cast Lucifer and his partners in rebellion from His presence. But, Lucifer continued his rebellion by setting up a kingdom of his own in opposition to God's Kingdom.

Jesus said, "Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and a house divided against a house falls. If Satan also is divided against himself, how will his kingdom stand?" (Luke 11:17,18 NKJV). In the context of these and other verses Jesus revealed that Satan has a kingdom of his own.

Isaiah analysed the motive behind Lucifer's rebellion. He had an ambition to be equal with God. Read Isaiah 14:12-15 and you will notice that Lucifer made five successive declarations prefaced by the phrase I will. He said, "I will ascend into heaven ... I will exalt my throne ... I will sit on the mount of the congregation ... I will ascend above the heights of the clouds". Finally came the climax, "I will be like (or equal to) the Most High, like God Himself". Lucifer's self-promoting ambition was the cause of his fall.

Contrast between Jesus and Lucifer

Notice that Scripture confronts us with a deliberate contrast between Lucifer and Jesus.

Paul depicted the self-humbling of Jesus:

"Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of not reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. And being found in apperance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:6,7,8).

There are actually 7 downward steps taked by Jesus to humble Himself:

1. He made Himself of no reputation.

2. He took upon Himself the form of a servant.

3. He was made in the likeness of man.

4. He was found in fashion (appearance) as a man.

5. He humbled Himself.

6. He became obedient unto death.

7. He became obedient to the death of a crimainal on the cross.

Lucifer was not in the form of God; he was a created being. He had no right to be equal with God. Yet he grasped at equality with God, and when he reached up, he slipped and fell. On the other hand, Jesus was divine by eternal nature and enjoyed equality with God. He did not need to grasp at it, but rather, He humbled Himself.

It is interesting to note that when Jesus humbled Himelf God exalted Him in 7 upward steps in the next few verses.

"Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9,10,11).

Here we have the 7 upward steps of the exaltation of Jesus:

1. God has highly exalted Him.

2. God has given Him a name that is above every name.

3. At the Name of Jesus, every knee shall bow.

4. "Of those in heaven".

5. "Of those on earth".

6. "Of those under the earth".

7. Every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The above principle of self-humbling was taught by Jesus to the Pharisees:

"For whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted" (Luke 14:11).

The principle of "The way up is down" is declared all through Scripture. For example, Solomon declared:

"Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall" (Proverbs 16:18).

"Before destruction the heart of a man is haughty, and before honor is humility" (Proberbs 18:12).

The apostle Paul wrote to the believers at Philippi:

"Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 2:3,4,5, emphasis added).

The two motivations that Paul rules out are self-centred ambition and conceit.

God's Perfect Plan of Redemption

The entire message of the Gospel revolves around the one and only one unique historical event - The sacrificial death of Jesus Christ on the Cross. This is God's perfect plan of redemption. He offered His only Son to die on the cross as a perfect sacrifice to redeem all mankind.

The writer of Hebrews said, "For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified" (Hebrews 10:14, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice that "perfected forever" depicts a sacrifice that comprehends every need of the entire human race. The effects of this sacrifice extend throughout time and on into eternity.

The most complete account of what was accomplished a the cross was given throught the prophet Isaiah. God made Jesus' soul (life) "an offering for sin" (Isaiah 53:10). On the cross, the sin of the whole world was transferred to the soul of Jesus. The outcome is described in Isaiah 53:12:

"He poured out His soul unto death".

By His sacrificial, substitutionary death, Jesus made atonement for the sin of the whole human race.

Paul said, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (2 Cor. 5:21).

The above verse is the basis of "Divine Exchange" Jesus made for us on the cross. Notice that Paul did not speak here about any kind of righteousess that we can achieve by our own tighteousness. It is the righteousness of God that we can only receive by faith. This divine exchange may be summed up as follows

Jesus ws made SIN with OUR SINFULNESS that we might become RIGHTEOUS with HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The divine purpose accomplished by the sacrifice of Jesus Himself is summed up:

"All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isaiah 53:6, emphasis added).

The above verse describes the universal problem of all humanity - "we have turned, every one, to his own way". In other words, our iniquity is "independence" and in rebellion against God. This type of sin is common to all. Notice that not only Jesus identified with our iniquity, but He also endured all the evil consequences of that iniquity.

I believe this is the true meaning and purpose of the cross. On the cross a divinely ordained exchange took place. First, Jesus endured in our place all the evil consequences that were due by divine justice to our iniquity. Now, in exchange, God offers us all the good that was due to the sinless obedience of Jesus. This divine principle of exchange are revealed in Isaiah 53:4 and 5:

"Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed."

Notice that Jesus on the cross, took our place both spiritually and physically. Spiritually, Jesus received the punishment due to our transgressions and iniquities that we, in turn, might be forgiven and so have peace with God (see also Romans 5:1). Physically, Jesus bore our sicknesses and pains that we through His wounds might be healed.

The physical application of the exchange is confirmed by Peter who referred back to Isaiah 53:5 and 6 and said of Jesus:

"(He) Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you were healed" (1 Peter 2:24).

The spiritual and physical aspects of exchange described in the above verses may be summed up as follows:

Jesus was PUNISHED that we might be FORGIVEN; Jesus was WOUNDED that we might be HEALED.

Another aspect of the divine exchange is stated by Paul:

"For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Cor. 8:9).

Actually, Jesus became poor on the cross. In fact Jesus was in absolute poverty in four expressions: He was hungry, He was thirst (John 19:28), He was naked (John 19:23), and He was in need of all things. He no longer owned anything whatever. After His death He was buried in a borrowed robe and in a borrow tomb (Luke 23:50 - 52). Thus, Jesus, exactly and completely, endure absolute poverty for our sakes. In other words, Jesus broke the poverty curse for us forever (Deu. 28:48).

Another aspect of the divine exchange is rejection by God:

"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, My God. why have You forsaken Me?'" (Matt. 27:46, emphasis added).

For the first time in the history of the universe, the Son of God called out to His Father and received no response. He was at that moment forsaken or rejected by God. The rejection of Jesus resulted in our acceptance. We were accepted by God "in the Beloved" (Eph. 1:5,6).

This may be summed up as:

Jesus endured our REJECTION that we might have HIS ACCEPTANCE as children of God.

Finally, Jesus became a CURSE that we might receive the BLESSING.

Paul said, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Gal. 3:13,14).

Notice that the curse that came upon Jesus is defined as "the curse of the law". It includes every one of the curses, listed by Moses in Deuteronomy 28. Therefore, Jesus has opened the way for us to obtain full release from the curses and to enter into the corresponding blessings!

All we need to do is to received by faith, what Jesus has done for us on the cross.