Definition of being a Christian

Most Bible dictionaries define "Christian" as an adherent or follower of Christ. A Christian is a believer of Jesus Christ the Messiah. However the term Christian is a Gentile designation for believers because the word "Christ", upon wich the term was constructed, suggests recognition of the Messiah, which no unbelieving Jew (who denied that Jesus is the Chrsit) was prepared to do. Consequently the Jews called fthe followers of Christ as the "Nazarenes" (Acts 24:5).

The word "Christian" occurs only three times, all in the New Testament. It was first given to disciples at Antioch, where Barnabas and Paul visited:

"And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26, NKJV).

The other two times are:

1. "Then Agrippa said to Paul. 'You almost persuade me to become a Christian'" (Acts 26:28).

2. Peter exhorted, "Yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter" (1 Peter 4:16).

Someone correctly said, "A Christian is not one who does certain things for God, but one for whom God has done certain things. He is not so much one who conforms to a certain outward manner of life as he is one who has received the gift of eternal life. He is not one who depends upon a hopelessly imperfect state but rather one who has reached a perfect standing before God as being in Christ".

Therefore we need to look at "Christian" from two perspectives - one, from man's perspective and two, more importantly, from God's perspective.

Being a "Christian" - from man's perspective

Before the early disciples of Christ were called Christians they called themselves "believers" (Acts 5:14), "brothers" or "brethren" (Acts 6:3; 10:23), or "saints" (Acts 9:13; 9:32; 9:41). These names, together with other names, continued to be used in the epistles of Paul and Peter and in the Church today. These are, "believers" (1 Tim. 4:12), "saints" (Romans 1:7), "the elect" (Col. 3:12; 2 Tim. 2:10), and "servants (slaves) to God or to Christ" (Rom. 6:22; 1 Peter 2:16; Phil. 1:1).

In modern times the name Christian has been somewhat emptied of its true meaning as a follower of Christ. He is more of a follower of a Christian denomination than a follower of Christ after the Protestant Reformation. He is linked with the denomination where he belonged - Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Brethren, Methodist, Pentecostal, Full Gospel and you name it. Some even called a Christian as comeone who worships in a Church building. To some today, Christian even means little more than just a "Western" religion.

Being a "Christian" - from God's perspective

God looks at the "Christian" in a much higher divine standard. God expects a Christian, as someone saved by grace, someone who received the gift of righteousness and the gift of eternal life, to live the Kingdom life and be changed by it - a Christian being a member of the household of God and His Christ.

Christians are expected to walk in the light because:

"He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins" (Col. 1:13, 14, NKJV).

Christians are chosen people of God:

"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, NKJV, emphasis added).

Biblical Truth concerning true Christians

The following is a list of five passages of New Testament Scripture concerning the mark of a true Christian. The list is by no menas complete but is considered sufficient for the purpose of this message.

1. A true Christian is a disciple of Christ who does the will of God

When Jesus was with his disciples, He replied the one who told Him His mother and brothers were looking for Him:

"Here are My mother and My brothers! For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My borther and sister and mother" (Matthew 12:49, emphasis added).

If you are a brother of Jesus or a brother of any true Christian you are yourself a Christian. If you are someone who Jesus would not name as a brother you are not a Christian. This is but simple logic.

Here Jesus laid down two conditions for being a Christian:

I. You must be His disciple. If you are not a disciple of Christ you are not a Christian. But the contemporary Church assumes Church members are Christians and tries to make disciples out of them who might not be Christians in the first place. A water-baptized Christian might not be disciple of Christ.

II. You must do the will of God. This is a really tough one. Not many self proclaimed Christians are doing the will of God. In the contemporary Church you can hardly find even a Pastor doing the will of God! A Pastor who pleases men is not doing the will of God. A Pastor who compromises the truth of God's Word in his preaching, teaching and counselling is not doing the will of God. Why? Jesus never, never pleased any man and He never, never compromised the truth of God's Word! He did the will of God at all times when He was with His disciples. God's will is in His Word and the entire Bible is His Word. Anyone who does any thing contrary to what the Bible says is not a true Christian.

2. A true Christian departs from iniquity

Paul said, "Nevertheless the solid foundation of God stands, having this seal: 'The Lord knows those who are His,' and 'Let everyone who names the name of Christ depart from iniquity'" (2 Tim. 2:19).

The Lord knows who the true Christians are and He puts His seal on them. Everyone who names the name the Christ must depart from iniquity; that is, he must be above reproach and be blameless. Sometimes we name the name of Christ without actually knowing it. We usually complete our prayer by saying - "In Jesus' Name we prayed". If we do not depart from iniquity our prayer might not even be heard, let alone being answered!

The psalmist said, "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer" (Ps. 66:18, 19).

3. A true Christian is led by the Spirit of God

Paul said, "For as many are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs - heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if we indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together" (Romans 8:14, 16, 17).

To be led by the Spirit of God, a Christian not only needs to be baptized in the Holy Spirit but also be constantly filled with the Holy Spirit in his Christian walk. The Holy Spirit in him will then bear witness that he is God's child and his destiny is to be glorified together with Jesus. And if he continues to walk in the Spirit he will not fulfill the lust of the flesh.

"Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16).

4. A true Christian has no perverted desire

Paul said, "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Gal. 5:24).

Fleshly passions and desires are perverted desires as explained in my earlier message - Partakers of the Divine Nature".

A true Christian has applied the cross to his life as Paul had applied the cross to his life:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).

5. A true Christian hears God's voice and follows Him

Jesus said, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand" (John 10:27, 28, NKJV).

Jesus Himself told us very clearly and briefly who are the true Christians and what is the basic requirement for being a Christian. What He said was very precise and very practical. All He wanted from His people is to hear His voice and to do what he says. Therefore, it is very clear that a believer who does not hear the voice of the Lord and does not do what He says cannot be classified as a Christian! The believer can go to Church every Sunday or Saturday, sing a few hymns, listen to a sermon but it makes no difference to Jesus. A believer who refuses to hear His voice and does not do what the Lord says, he does not belong to His fold, he is not His sheep!

Jesus also said, if you are truely His sheep no one will be able to snatch you out of His hand. You have probably heard of "sheep stealing" in the Local Church. A Pastor of a Local Church accuses the Pastor of another Local Church for sheep stealing when a Church member from his Church joins another Church. But Jesus said, the only sheep stealer is the Devil!

Summary

The above list of Scriptural passages gives us a good ideal of God's perspective of being a true Christian. In summary, a true Christian is a disciple of Christ who does the will of God. He has been crucifed with Christ by applying the cross in his life. He has been set free from the bondages of sin and iniquities and at all times led by the Spirit of God in his walk with God. He hears the voice of God and follows Jesus, the Good Shepherd.

God has given His people a tall order. You will notice that according to the New Testament Scripture only Paul, Peter, John and James were couted as "true Christians". Most of us have fallen short of God's requirements.

The Good News

The good news is - all Christians, "true" or otherwise, are deliverd from condemnation! The question most belivers would like to ask is - are all Christians, including those who have fallen short of God's requirement of being a true Christians, saved? I have given my comments in my earlier messages - "Judgment of True Christians" and "Christians do Sin".

According the the Scripture the judgment of Christians will not be a judgment of condemnation. This assurance came from Jesus Himself:

"He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (John 3:18).

Later on Jesus gave the same assurance:

"Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life" (John 5:24).

Notice that Jesus gave a three-fold assurance to every believer who accepts by faith His Word:

1. Every believer has everlasting life.

2. He has passed from spiritual death into eternal life.

3. He will never come into judgment for condemnation.

Paul gave the same assurance of freedom from condemnation (Romans 8:1).

Judgment of Christians is for the purpose of assessing their rewards:

Paul said to Christians, "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10, emphasis added).

In other words, the things which will be brought up for judgment will be "the things done in the body" - when believers are still alive on earth. These are the acts, ministries, service, attitude, character and behavior of every believer during his life on earth. All these are classified into two categories - good or bad.

Partakers of the Divine Nature

Christians are at the receiving end of God's precious promises. Through receiving these promises we may be partakers of the divine nature. Everything has been given to us without us having to ask for it!

Peter said, ".... His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:3, 4, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Even though God has already given us everything it does not mean that we will automatically receive what is in God's promises. The provision of God is in His promises. We need to discover His promises before we can claim them.

2. Our divine destiny is to become increasingly partakers of the Nature of God. The more you become a partaker of His Nature the less room there is for corruption in you. This is because the Divine Nature is incompatible with corruption.

3. You can only be a partaker of the Divine Nature if you have escaped the corruption that is in the world.

Corruption is in the World

The world is corrupted through lust. The word "lust" in the New Testament has a specific meaning. It means perverted desire or inordinate desire.

Man was created with good desires. But when he turned against his creator and rebelled against Him those good desires became perverted. And in order to satisfy those desires he became corrupted.

Look around you, you'll find anywhere people are doing the most senseless things - They are destroying their own bodies. Take a very simple example like smoking. It is a lust or a perverted desire. I don't condemn them but I do feel sorry for them. They are destroying themselves. This form of corruption brings lung cancer, cancer of the tongue and other related diseases.

The three basic forms of Lust

John said, "Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever" (1 John 2:15, 16, 17, NKJV, emphasis added).

The three basic forms of lust are of the world and not of the Father. The Father and the world are incompatible and it is not the will of God for anyone to love the world. The world with its lusts is passing away.

Lusts are Satan's weapons of temptation against humanity

If you analyze temptation through the Bible it always takes those three basic forms of lust. In fact they are Satan's major weapons against you and me.

Temptation started with Eve.

Genesis 3:6 says, "So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and eat. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate" (Emphsis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The three forms of lust are: "The tree was good for food" - lust of the flesh. "It was pleasant to the eyes" - lust of the eyes. "Desirable to make one wise" - pride of life.

2. The word "saw" indicates that Eve moved out of the faith realm into the sense realm. That was the beginning of her problem, Adam's problem and our problem. Everything about Christianity is by faith and through faith. Any believer who moves out the faith realm into the sense realm is in danger of being deceived.

The Nature of Temptation

If you analyze the nature of temptation you will notice that the initial temptation was not the desire to do evil. This was true not only in the case of Eve but also in any other temptation a believer may encounter. The essence of temptation was the desire to be independent of God. This is also the essence of sin. As long as you desire in your heart to be independent of God you are in a dangerous position. Nothing in this universe has any right to be independent of the Creator!

Many people think by acquiring knowledge and education they could be independent of God. They say, "I can manage my life without God. If I'm in real emergency I'll pray, but generally speaking I can handle the situation myself". But this sort of attitude does not please God. We are created to live hour by hour, day by day, moment by moment dependent on the Spirit of God.

Jesus was tempted by Satan

Satan used the same three basic lusts to tempt Jesus. The devil said to Him:

1. "If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread" (Luke 4:3) - Lust of the flesh was tested.

2. "All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it whomever I wish" (Luke 4:6) - Lust of the eyes was tested.

3. "If you are the Son of God, throw Youself down from here ..." (Luke 4:9) - The pride of life was tested.

The essence of these tests was to see whether Jesus would act independent of God the Father.

It is without doubt the last emptation was the most dangerous - to show how much power you have. To use your Spiritual Gifts to promote yourself is the subtlest of all temptation. It is the essence of pride. All religious errors are motivated by pride - eg. the religious pride of the Pharisees. Through pride, all errors come into the door of the Church!

God's Plan to replace the World

God is not going to improve this world; He is going to replace the world instead - contrary to what many people think, Christians or unbelievers. Just like His plan for people, God is not going to improve the "old man" in us, but to replace the old man - to be born again by the Spirit of God. This old world also needs to be "born again"!

Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly, I say to you, in the new age - the Messianic rebirth of the world - when the son of man shall sit down on the throne of His glory, you who have (become My disciples, sided with My party and) followed me will also sit on twelve thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matt. 19:28, The Amplified Bible, emphasis added).

The NKJV of the Bible uses the word "regeneration" instead of the word "rebirth". Notice that the phrase "The Messianic rebirth of the world" is the same as "The regeneration of the world" - the same word used to mean "being born again" of people.

An important spiritual truth revealed is - You can never get into the Kingdom of God but through a birth, whether for you as an individual person, or for the entire human race (the whole world).

It is going to take a birth to bring forth the Kingdom. What is going to be born is the new age because the present (old) age is passing away. What is going to be born is the new world for the present world is passing away. God is not going to patch the world up, He is not going to prolong it, He is going to replace it. We are living in the labor pain (birth pangs) now. The world is in labor pain out of the fact that it is corrupted - and corruption is irreversible! It must come to the God appointed climax. True Christians are looking forward to a new heaven and new earth!

A Kingdom not from this World

God is establishing a Kingdom that is not from this world.

Pilate asked Jesus if He was the King of the Jews. Jesus did not answer him explicitly but said:

"My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here" (John 18:36, NKJV).

There is a king for every kingdom otherwise it would not be called a kingdom. In the case of Jesus, He is the King of His Father's Kingdom. This is the Kingdom where all believers belonged.

Christians should not fight to establish this Kingdom. A Christian is under obligation to serve his country and to perform military duty. But this has nothing to do with the Kingdom of God. You cannot establish the Kingdom of God using military power.

God's Remedy for Humanity

Unless you are a believer you are of the world and Satan is your god and master (refer to last week's message). Your life is controlled by the god of this world and you are likely to do the will of Satan. The only answer to this problem is to apply the cross of Jesus Christ to your life.

Paul said, "And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires" (Galatians 5:24).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The above verse is a definition of being a Christian. People who are described as "Those who are Christ's" are Christians.

2. Fleshly passions and desires are perverted desires as explained early.

3. Every Christian's flesh with its perverted desires has been crucified; every Christian has applied the cross to his or her life.

Paul had applied the cross to his life - he said:

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20, NKJV).

The above was Paul's personal confession of applying the cross to his life. Every Christian should also make the same confession - confessing that he has taken the position with Christ on the cross.

Paul's glory is in the cross - he said:

"But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Gal. 6:14).

In other words, by the cross Paul died to the world. Instead of being in love with the world we should be like Paul, die to the world!

Believers and their Relationship to the World

In Scripture "The World" has a special application; it is defined as: "A social world order in rebellion against God". Through man's fall Satan has become the ruler of this world. Jesus called him that three times - John 12:31; John 14:30 and John 16:12.

Satan and the spirit of the World

Here are some brief statements of truth concerning Satan and the World:

1. Satan controls the world through deception.

2. Satan rules over all rebels including Christian rebels. Denominations do not affect Satan - it is the attitude of the heart.

3. If you are not submitted to God, then Satan is your ruler. The good news is, God loves the world and gave Jesus to die for it (John 3:16).

4. The cross was God's judgment of Satan and the world. The cross resulted in Satan's defeat. That is the thing Satan regretted most in all of history - getting Jesus crucified. He does his best to keep the Church ignorant of what Jesus did to him.

5. The world does not recognize Jesus or His disciples. The world hates Jesus and His disciples.

6. The Spirit of God and the spirit of the world are opposed to each other.

7. The Spirit of God in believers is greater that the spirit of the world (1 John 4:4).

8. When you study all that the New Testament says about the world and spirit of the world what you have got is "humanism".

Contrasts between the Spirit of God and the spirit of the world

1. The Spirit of God is the Spirit of truth. The opposite is the spirit of error; the spirit of the world is the spirit of error.

2. The Spirit of God reveals the things of God; the spirit of the world ridicules the things of God.

3. The Spirit of God focuses on Jesus; the spirit of the world focuses on man and makes man his god.

4. The Spirit of God focuses on the eternal and always makes us conscious of a world beyond time. The spirit of the world focuses on on the temporal.

5. The Spirit of God convicts a person of sin, righteousness and judgment (John 16:8) and tells man he is accountable to God. The spirit of the world blinds man to the three eternal realities of sin, righteousness and judgment. It says all things continue as they were (2 Peter 3:4); all going to go on; there will never be any intervention of God in judgment.

6. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of power over evil, of love, of sound mind and of self control (1 Tim. 1:7); the spirit of the world is a spirit of subjection to evil.

7. The spirit of the world is a spirit of strive, hatred and division. It is a spirit of rashness, self-indulgence and arrogance.

8. The Spirit of God is a Spirit of supernatural grace; the spirit of the world is a spirit of fleshly effort. When the spirit of the world comes into the Church, Pastors and leaders will do things with fleshly effort independent of God instead of being led by the Spirit of God.

Believers and their relationship to the World

I believe if the following basic Biblical principles are adhered to, the contemporary Churches all over the world will experience a total revolution. However, I am unable to claim the following list is at all complete or exclusive. You will probably discover more principles. Seeing the situation in the contemporary Church I believe God is amazingly patient that He does not bring us to a day of reckoning yet!

Believers are the Light of the world

Jesus said, "You are the light of the world" (Matthew 5:14, NKJV).

God and His people are the only source of light in this darkened world. Do not confuse education (secular or seminary) with light. You can be highly educated and totally in the dark (spiritually) at the same time. Similarly you could have obtained the highest degree in theology and is still in total darkness.

Paul said, ".... you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, ..." (Phil. 2:15, 16, NKJV, emphasis added).

Notice that we only shine in so far as we hold forth the Word of life. Each one of us in some area and in some measure is responsible to hold fast the Word of life. The more the Word of life (God's Word) we have, the more light we are going to shine forth. Very oftern human wisdom and knowledge derived from education is a stumbling block to the understanding of the Word of life (1 Cor. 1:18 - 25).

Believers represent Jesus in the world

You are the only Bible somebody is ever going to read - he can be somebody whom you work with or he can be somebody living in your neighborhood. He might never open a Bible but he will certainly look at your life.

John said, "... because as He is, so are we in this world" (1 John 4:17).

The world does not see Jesus but they see us and they should see us being like Jesus.

Believers are obligated to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom

Believers are obligated to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom to the whole world before Jesus comes again.

Jesus' disciples asked Him: "What will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age" (Matt. 24:3, emphasis added)?

Jesus didn't answer them immediately but told them many other signs have to come to pass first. Then He finally gave them the last sign, "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14).

The destiny of the world hinges on us - our fruitfulness in proclaiming the Gospel. We are the ones who are responsible for seeing the present evil age is brought to God's appointed climax. Jesus commanded us not only to proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom but also to make disciples of all nations (Matt. 28:19).

Unfortunately we got it all wrong -we try to make Church members of all nations. So we build more Churches not knowing that too many Churches with the wrong kind of people will not help. The real problem is our Chruches are full of members who are not disciples. Opening new Churches will not bother the Devil at all. As long as the Devil sees these Churches keep their members harmlessly occupied with Church activities he is happy.

Jeus said to His eleven disciples, "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe; ..." (Mark 16:15 - 17, emphasis added).

Notice that two conditions need to be fulfilled before you can see signs following. One is the believer must go; and secondly, he must believe. No signs (miracles) will follow anyone who does not go. Someone has said, "It is hard to follow a parked car and the Chruch is a whole lot of cars parked at the parking lot". Furthermore, there are lots of unbelieving believer sitting in the Church pews!


Believers must use and not abuse the World

James said, "... and to keep oneself unspotted from the world" (James 1:27).

The world is dirty; every time you touch it you need to wash yourself. Don't let those dirty, greasy marks of the world come on your beautiful fine linen robe of righteousness (Rev. 19:8). If you have got a greasy mark you must us one detergent that truly cleanses - the Blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7).

James said, "Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with God? Whoever therefore wants to be a friend of the world makes himself and enemy of God" (James 4:4).

In the Eyes of God those who are friends of the world are adulterers and adulteresses - and they are enemies of God. You can't be friendly with the world system. You can be friendly with unbelievers and love them, but do not fall in love with the world system because it is wicked and controlled by the prince of darkness.

Believers must expect tribulation in the World

Jesus said, "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33).

Paul and Barnabas were with a group of new converts in a city they had visited; Paul said to them, "We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God" (Acts 14:22).

This is one of the hard facts of the Christian life.

The Good News

The good news is through faith believers are victorious over the world.

John said, "For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believer that Jesus is the Son of God" (1 John 5:4, 5, emphasis added).

The use of the phrase, "overcomes the world" indicates there is a conflict with the world. You don't overcome something unless it is opposing you. But we do overcome the world by our faith - if we keep on exercising our faith and don't cop-out. That is precisely the reason why Jesus said, "Many are called, but few are chosen" (Matt. 22:14).

There are endless different ways the Devil can divert you from God's purpose for your life. He doesn't mind what means he has to use provided he is able to get you out of line with God's purpose for your life. You won't be a lost soul, but you have a much smaller reward in glory than you could have.

Paul said, "I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:14, NKJV).

Paul fulfilled his calling, for he said, "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim 3:7).

I believe one major requirment to fulfill your calling can be summed up in just one simple phrase: "Single mindedness".

James said, "... let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways" (James 1:7, 8).

In other words, unless you are single-minded you are unstable in all your ways. Anyone who is unstable in all his ways will not fulfill his calling!

The Nature of God's Gifts

This message is a brief study of the nature of God's gifts to believers. It is not a study of Spiritual gifts as described in the Twelve Chapter of 1 Corinthians although references will be made from it. References will also be made from the Fourth Chapter of Ephesians concerning the five ministry gifts.

The Grace Gifts of God

A good Concordance will show you that there are nine different Greek words equivalent to the English word "gift". One of the Greek words translated is "charisma". The real meaning of the word "charisma" is derived from a basic Greek noun "charis" which means "grace" in English. Therefore in New Testament teaching all God's gifts are "grace gifts".

The Grace of God

Biblically, grace is the the free unmerited favor of God toward the undeserving and the ill-deserving. It is not merely that we do not deserve good, we actually deserve evil. And in place of evil God offers us good. The only reason is that God chooses to give us grace. First of all, grace is free and can't be earned; no one ever earned the grace of God. If you can earn it, then it isn't grace. Secondly, it is sovereign. God is absolutely entitiled to do what He will with His grace; He owes no one any account or explanation of His grace. The gospel (good news) is simply the manifestation of the grace of God to the undeserving sinners.

Here are some statements of truth about God's grace as revealed in the New Testament Scripture:

1. God gives grace to the human race through only one channel. That channel is His Son, Jesus Christ.

John said, "For the laws was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ" (John 1:17, NKJV).

Apart from Jesus Christ, God offers grace to no one.

2. Grace is only offered to one kind of person - the humble. Both James (James 4:6) and Peter (1 Peter 5:5) in their epistles quoted Proverbs 3:34: "Surely He scorns the scornful, but gives grace to the humble" (NKJV).

3. There is only one way by which grace can be appropriated, by which you can have it in your life and your experience - by way of faith.

Paul said, "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast"(Ephe: 2:8, 9, emphasis added).

Notice that both salvation and faith are grace gifts of God.

4. There is only one administrator or dispenser of the grace of God - He is the Holy Spirit. He is called the Spirit of grace (Hebrews 10:29).

The Gifts of God

All gifts of God are grace gifts given freely by Him. The following statements are made by Paul in his epistles:

Spiritual gifts

"For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gifts, so that you may be established ...." (Rom. 1:11).

Notice that no specific gifts were mentioned. But we know that these spiritual gifts are meant to establish the Church of Jesus Christ.

Ministry gifts

Christ Himself established the five specific ministries (offices) for the Church:

"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers" (Ephesians 4:11, emphasis added).

These five ministry gifts came from the hand of the exalted and glorified Christ at the right hand of the Father in heaven. They are His own provisions for the continual maturity of His Church through the ministries of those who are called, chosen and ordained of God.

Gift of righteousness

"For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who recieve abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17, emphasis added).

The majority of professing Christians completely failed to realize we are offered righteousness as a gift - we can't earn it, we can't work for it, we can't strive to attain to it, we simply accept it as a gift.

"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).

We are made righteous with the righteousness not our own but the righteousness of Christ. All we need to do is to receive it by faith.

Connection between life and righteousness

"And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness" (Rom. 8:10).

Life comes in by the Holy Spirit because we are reckoned righteous. God cannot give life to the unrighteous.

The difference between wages and God's gifts

"For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Rom. 6:23).

Paul was drawing a deliberate contrast between wages and grace gifts. Wages are the due reward for what you have done. If you work with a monthly fixed salary, at the end of the month you collect your wages. Paul said that the due reward for the sins we have all committed is death. If you want justice you can have it because God is just. Since your "work" is sin, He who is faithful and just, will pay your salary and you will recieve death as your wages. Death is therefore your due reward! His alternative is grace gift of eternal life! The choice is yours.

The Gifts and Calling of God

Paul said, "For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable" (Rom. 11:29, NKJV).

The Amplified Bible puts it more vividly - "For God's gifts and His call are irrevocable - He never withdraws them when once they are given, and He does not change His mind about those to whom He gives His grace or to whom He sends His call".

Paul gave a very brief statement but it speaks volumes. It is one of few Bible verses which still hold true whether it is in the context or taken out of context.

In the entire Chapter 11 of Romans Paul spoke about how Israel rejected the gifts and calling of God. And as a result salvation came to the Gentiles. God, in His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel), chose Israel as His own Bride. You can find many references in Isaiah Jeremiah and Ezekiel. Notice also that God had also chosen His Church as the Bride for His Son. God's gifts and calling for both Israel and the Church are irrevocable - cannot be withdrawn. He will never change His mind - God never changes (Malachi 3:6).

The logical meaning of "gifts"

Many believers fail to understand why when God has given a gift to someone He does not subsequently change His mind and withdraws it. Let us apply some simple logic. For example, if you give your son a fast car, and if it is a gift you can't subsequently withdraw it if he misbehaves. Otherwise it is not a true gift. It is but a conditional loan.

Similarly, when God gives you and me gifts, He gives them but He does not take them away even if we misuse the gifts. We are accountable for what we do with them, but because they are gifts and not loans, God will not withdraw them. This is true for both gifts and the calling of God.

Take the case of an evangelist (a called minister), every time he preached and subsequently gave an altar-call, sinners would respond and be saved. But in many other aspects this man's life is all together crooked, out of order and found wanting. People say how a man like that can be used by God. The explanation is that God is sovereign and He gave him a gift and being a just and covenant keeping God He will never takes away what He has given, because if He does, it will not be a gift.


But, it does not mean that this evangelist will never lose his gift. If he keeps on disobeying God and keeps on leading an unholy lifestyle, subsequently his ministry will not be effective. If I give my son $100 for him to keep, and if he is careless and loses $50 the next day, he cannot turn around and say I have taken back $50 from him. He is accountable to keep the money safely.

God's Purpose will stand

In Isaiah God said of Himself: "I am God and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like me. I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient time, what is still to come. I say: My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please" (Isaiah 46:9, 10, NIV).

God is sovereign and knows what He is doing; His prophecies concerning His people come true cover the entire Bible, from Old Testament to New Testament and from Israel to His Church.

Concerning Israel

We have seen that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable but it doesn't mean that all Israel will be saved.

In Romans Paul quoted a prophecy from Isaiah 10:22 concerning Israel: "Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, the remnant will be saved" (Rom. 9:27, NKJV, emphasis added).

God spoke through Zephaniah concerning Israel: "I will leave in your midst a meek and humble people, and they shall trust in the name of the Lord. The remnant of Israel shall do no unrighteousness and speak no lies, nor shall a deceitful tongue be found in their mouth ..." (Zeph. 3:12, 13, emphasis added).

It is true that all Israel received their gifts and calling but only the remnant will not lose them. God is looking for a meek and humble people who will trust in the name of the Lord, a people who is righteous and speak no lies.

Concerning the Church

I believe God's purpose for His Church is the same. He is also aiming to produce a meek and humble people who will trust in the Lord.

Several Scripture passages, concerning the Church, seem to depict a remnant that has fulfilled certain conditions:

1. Jesus addressed the question: "Are there few who are saved?"

"Strive to enter through the narrow gate, for many, I say to you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the Master of the house has risen up and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door, saying, 'Lord, Lord, open for us,' and He will answer and say to you, 'I do not know you, where you are from.' Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.' But He will say, 'I tell you I do not know you, where you are from. Depart from Me, all you workers of iniquity.'" (Luke 13:24 - 27, NKJV).

2. Jesus gave a similar warning at the Sermon on the Mount:

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you, depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'" (Matthew 7:21 - 23, NKJV).

These people who were given the grace gifts of God (working of miracles, prophesying, casting out demons) were not lying, but they failed to measure up to God's requirement - the nature of the Lamb (Jesus), meekness, purity, holiness and never to compromise the truth of God's Word!

An Empty Cistern or a Full Reservoir

God's people both in the Old Testament and in the New Testament have a choice - either be an empty cistern which cannot hold God's Living Water or be a Full Reservoir of God's Living Water.

God spoke through Jeremiah, "For My people have committed two evils; they have forsaken Me, the fountain of living waters, and hew themselves cisterns - broken cisterns that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13, NKJV).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. God was saying that Israel had committed two evils: One evil was they forsook God, the God of living waters. The second evil was they hewed out for themselves cisterns - broken cisterns which could hold no water. In other words, they left God's plan and made their own plans. And because their own plans were man-made, they couldn't prosper.

2. God is speaking the same thing to the contemporary Church. We need to follow God's plan for everything we do so we won't be empty, broken cisterns that can hold no water. God doesn't want His people to be empty cisterns; He wants them to be full reservoirs able to hold much living water of the Holy Spirit. Believers won't be able to be full reservoirs without the anointing of God upon their lives. When all believers are anointed the entire Church will be anointed to fulfill God's plan.

Anointing for the Office of Priest and King

In the Old Testament anointing oil was used to commission men to stand in the office of a priest. A good example was the anointing of Aaron and his sons as priests:

"And you shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and consecrate them, that they may minister to Me as priests" (Exodus 30:30, NKJV).

Anointing oil was also used to commission men to stand or function in the office of a king - for example the anointing of David.

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him (David) in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward" (1 Samuel 16:13).

God said, "I have found My servant David, with My holy oil I have anointed him" (Psalm 89:20).


All believers have already been made kings and priests unto God

The New Testament Scripture clearly says we have been made kings and priests and we should be reigning as such in this world now:

"To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen" (Rev. 1:5, 6, NKJV, emphasis added).

".... and have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10).

Paul said, "For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:17, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. Christians are "Those who receive abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness" and they should be reigning through Jesus Christ at the present time - not during the next age!

2. All believers are called to be priests and kings. Because of this fact, all believers are expected to function as intercessors (priests) and rulers (kings).

God desires His Church to be a Full Reservoir

I believe God wants every one of His children to be a full reservoir to His glory. But believers won't be able to be full reservoirs without the anointing of God upon their lives.

You may say that you are already an anointed of God because you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you speak in tongues and you have it all. But the sad truth is that one initial filling with the Holy Spirit years ago is never enough and you need continuous filling if you want to do God's work effectively.

Someone once said, "People living on past experiences are living on stale manna".

A Spirit baptized Christian without the flesh anointing or unction of the Holy Spirit is living on stale manna. By the way, the word "unction" means "The continuous act of anointing of the Holy Spirit" according to my Greek Dictionary. In short, "unction" means "flesh anointing".

The psalmist said, "But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil" (Ps. 92:10).

Here are some Scriptural incidences of refilling (fresh anointing) of the Holy Spirit:

1. Peter and John arrested (Act 4)

Peter and John were arrested by the Jewish leaders. Later they let them go after forbidding them to speak or teach in the Name of Jesus. Then they gathered the disciples to pray for boldness (Acts 4:29).

"And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness" (Acts 4:31, NKJV, emphasis added).

These early Christians were initially filled with the Holy Spirit (in Acts Chapter 2). But now they received the unction of the Holy Spirit - the fresh anointing.

2. Christians in Ephesus (Ephesians Chapter 5)

Paul said to the Christians in Ephesus, "And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, ...." (Ephe. 5:18).

In saying this, Paul was not telling these Christians to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit again; they had already received the Holy Spirit as recorded in Acts 19:1 - 6. Paul was telling them to maintain a constant experience of being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Unction is generated through the Word by the Holy Spirit

The divine unction of God is always associated with the Word of God and the Holy Spirit. The spoken Word must be quickened and anointed by the Holy Spirit to give power.

The writer of Hebrews said, "For the word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12, KJV, emphasis added).

The Word is quickened and made powerful because of the anointing. The anointing is a divine quickening that is released from the Holy Spirit through the one speaking as the Word is communicated to bring life and reality to the hearers. In other word, unction gives power to the preacher and this unction ministers the Word to the spirit (heart) of the hearers. Without the anointing and the unction the Bible and the messages preached are just words without power. Some Bible teachers called the spoken Word as "rhema" Word - but this is not a Biblical sord and you cannot find it in any version of the Bible.

Paul said, "... that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheitance in the saints, ..." (Ephe. 1:17, 18).

You can listen without hearing and you can look without seeing. Truth can be truth on fire or truth on ice. The difference lies in the unction of the Spirit working through the one who speaks and the anointing of the Holy Spirit upon the listeners.

John said, "But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you, and you do not need that anyone teach you; but as the same anointing teaches you concerning all things, and is true, and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you will abide in Him"(1 John 2:20, 27, emphasis added).

Taking what Paul and John said together, the "all things" actually means "the revelation in the knowledge of Jesus". Furthermore, Jesus is the Word (John 1:1). To abide in Jesus means also abide in His Word - quickened (anointed) by the Spirit of God.

Breaking the Yoke with the Anointing

In Scripture the word "Yoke" speaks of bondage, burden and pressure upon God's people - both literally and figuratively (spiritually).

Israel was under the yoke of bondage of the Assyrians:

"It shall come to pass in that day that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder, and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil" (Isaiah 10:27, emphasis added).

God allowed Israel to come under the heel of Assyria, a nation He called "the rod of His anger" (Isa. 10:5), because of their disobedience, neglect, willful refusal to listen to God. Notice that God did not only take the yoke away, but He destroyed it because of the anointing. The power of the enemy was broken and God's people were set free.

God is also doing the same thing to Christians today. His anointing will break the yokes of religious and traditional bondage. God wants us to return to the understanding that when the Son sets us free, we are free indeed. Knowing the truth of this is what sets us free. God wants us to live by His light, not by our own light. He has an anointing and a flow of life and power for His people so that all Christians can live in freedom and without fear of bondage.

The Yoke of relationship with Christ

Jesus said, "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light" (Matthew 11:28 - 30)

Jesus is telling us that while there is a yoke of bondage, there is also the yoke of relationship with Him. He wants us not to be yoked with the world, but to be yoked with Him. In other words, He will carry our burden. The world's yoke gives us burden and pressure, but His yoke is easy to bear.

In Christ all yokes of bondage are already broken

Paul said, "Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee" (2 Cor. 1:21, 22, NKJV, emphasis added).

We need to live in this truth - God has anointed us, we have the Anointed One (Jesus) within us. Christians are sealed with the same Holy Spirit that came upon Jesus:

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; ... " (Isaiah 61:1).

We are living in the last of the last days and end-time prophecies are being fulfilled - earthquakes, terrible floods, terrible droughts and all kinds of natural disasters, famines, new diseases, global-warming, wars and rumors of wars, devastating accidents causing the loss of hundreds of lives, senseless killings and uprisings and rampant evil.

One of the strongest yokes of bondage that people are living under today is fear which is linked to the bondages of pressure, stress and anxiety. The divine answer to fear is found in - 1 John 4:18 and 2 Tim. 1:7, 9.

God wants us to live in victory over our circumstances that the curse has brought upon this world. The curse came through Adam, but the victory comes through Christ. We can rejoice in the midst of all our troubles for the yokes that Satan put upon us are already broken because of His anointing over our lives.

Be full reservoirs, and never settle for empty cistern which cannot hold the Living Water of God!

Ancient Boundaries and Ancient Paths

It is the eternal nature of God to set boundaries and paths for His people. These boundaries and paths can be both physical and spiritual. If His people walk outside the physical boundaries they would be in danger of being attacked by their enemies. The walls of the walled cities in Old Testament time were meant to keep people saved from enemy attack.

This message concerns spiritual boundaries and spiritual paths. If God's people walk outside the boundaries and walk outside the paths set by God they will live a life of defeat. Furthermore, they will die spiritually which will also lead to early physical death.

God's boundary for Adam and Eve is a vivid example:

"And the Lord God commanded the man, 'You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die'" (Genesis 2:16, NIV).

Eve was deceived by the serpent and she removed God's boundary for herself and Adam. Not only had she eaten the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, she also gave some to Adam (Gen. 3:6). The result was what the Bible says "The Fall". The immediate consequence of the Fall was death, symbolized by their loss of fellowship with God. Adam and Eve did not sin simply as private persons, but as representatives of all members of the human race. Their sin is the sin of all (Romans 5:12).

Ancient Boundaries and Ancient Paths for Christians

Today we may not have physical boundaries to subject to, but we do have many other boundaries: moral boundaries and boundaries pertaining to our spiritual calling. These boundaries identify us as citizens of the Kingdom of God, even as the walls (physical boundaries) of Jerusalem identified the citizens of Jerusalem.

The New Testament Christians were clearly distinguished by (and sometimes scorned for) the boundaries they chose to maintain. But the contemporary Christians, by and large, have moved their boundaries in spite of clear Scriptural admonishment to the contrary:

"Do not move the ancient boundary which your fathers have set" (Proverbs 22:28, NASB).

They have also refused to listen to the Lord:

Thus says the Lord, "Stand by the way and see and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way is, and walk in it; and you shall find rest for your souls. But they said, 'We will not walk in it'. And I set watchmen over you, saying, 'Listen to the sound of the trumpet!' But they said, 'We will not listen'" (Jeremiah 6:16, 17, NASB, emphasis added).

Moral Boundaries

1. Boundary between the sexuality of male and female

One of the ancient boundaries we have to take heed of is the boundary of sexuality - because homosexuality is forbidden by God. God created male and female for the purpose of sexual union between male and female and not between male and male or female and female.

The removal of this boundary caused the destruction Sodom (Genesis 19).

Lot invited the two angels (they were male) to spend the night in his home. This is what the Bible says:

"Now before they (the angels) lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house. And they called to Lot and said to him, 'Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally'" (Gen. 19:4, 5, NKJV, emphasis added).

Before they could do anything, those homosexual men were instantly struck with blindness (Verse 11) and the angels later destroyed Sodom together with Gomorrah (Verse 24).

The same moral boundary applies to Christians today also:

Paul said, "For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the natural use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due" (Romans 1:26, 27, NKJV, emphasis added).

2. Boundary between male and female in look and dressing

Paul said, "Judge for yourselves: Is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered? Does not the very nature of things teach you that if a man has long hair, it is a disgrace to him, but that if a woman has long hair, it is her glory? For long hair is given to her as a covering" (1 Cor. 11:14, 15, NIV, emphasis added).

The above needs no comment.

3. Boundary between Christians and non-Christians

Paul said, "Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever" (2 Cor. 6:14, 15).

A Christian should not have partnership with a non-Christian in business. Similarly a Christian should not marry a non-Christian. In other words, a Christian should not "cut" a convenant with a non-Christian.

Paul further said, "Therefore come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord, do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:17, 18).

Very often Christians indulge in the same ungodly activites as non-Christians to the point that a believer cannot be distinguished from an unbeliever. If they keep on doing this the Lord will not receive them as sons and daughters!

Boundaries of God's Calling

When God calls you to fulfill the purpose of His will He also places a boundary to your calling.

Paul said, "and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose" (Romans 8:28).

In order to receive the blessings of God - "All things work together for good", there are two conditions which must be fulfilled first. The believer must love God and he must faithfully works out God's calling for him according to God's purpose. In other words, he must stay with the boundary of his calling.

The following two examples will make this clear:

1. Paul - One who stayed within the boundary of his God-given ministry

Paul said, "We (together with Timothy), however, will not boast beyond measure, but within the limits of the sphere which God appointed us - a sphere which especially includes you. For we are not overextending ourselves (as though our authority did not extend to you), for it was to you that we came with the gospel of Christ; ..." (2 Cor. 10:13, 14, NKJV).

2. Saul - One who failed to stayed within the boundary of his calling

A good example of a person who failed to stay in his calling was king Saul. Saul was God's choice (1 Samuel 9:16, 17). He started out fine, but later he disobeyed God and Samuel. He presumptuously offered burn offering and peace offering at Gilgal. It was Samuel's duty to offer burn offering and peace offering. He acted beyond the boundary of his calling (1 Samuel 13:5 - 14). Saul was eventually rejected by the Lord from being the king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:26).

Boundary for the Pastoral Ministry

Paul said, "And He (God) Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, ..." (Ephesians 4:11, 12, emphasis added).

When God calls someone to be a Pastor He also places a boundary for his ministry. Out of the five ministries stated, the ministry of a Pastor is the only "residential" (not mobile) ministry. The Greek word for "Pastor" is "poimen" which also means a "shepherd" - a feeder of sheep. Being a shepherd he looks after the Local sheep fold on behalf of the Good Shepherd - Jesus Christ (John 10).

If the Pastor of a Local Congregation travels too much and minister to other Local Churches he removes the Boundary set by God. The result can be "Burnout" - a disease of the over-committed. The sheep in his own sheep fold will suffer.

Someone said, "The will of God will stretch us, but will never lead us to burnout. The will of God will never lead us where the grace of God cannot sustain us". Therefore a Paster or any other minister of God who is experiencing burnout is not walking in the will of God.


But this does not mean a Pastor cannot leave his Local ministry at all. This problem can be resolved if there are more than one Pastor in the Local Church. I have mentioned before, God's will for the Church in every city city or locality is - One Church with plurality of shepherds. But men have turned it around - Many Churches with a single shepherd.

Boundary for Male-Female role relationships in the Church

Please read my earlier message "Male-Female Role Relationships in the Church" (Posted on 19th. April 2006) where you'll find Biblical answers to many questions the contrmporary Church finds too sensitive to ask. One of which is - "Should a woman take the role of man in the Church"?

All I need to comment is, in line with the Scripture and the New Testament teaching, every female Pastor has, knowingly or unknowingly, removed the Divine Boundary set up by God. Consequently every female Pastor is not walking in the will of God.

Rebuilding the Ancient Boundaries

Boundaries can only be rebuilt by only one way - by convictions. The root of the problem is that the contemporary Church has little or no convictions. It is because of this that the Church has no boundaries which, in turn, lead every person to do whatever he feels like. The Church is supposed to impact the world for Christ, but Christians have turned it around - allowed the world to get into the Church!

Jesus said, "But I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; ..." (John 16:7 - 10, NIV).

Clearly, convictions are established by the Holy Spirit (the Counselor). The Holy Spirit convicts in three areas: in sin, in righteousness, and in judgment. We need to give good thought to the area of righteousness. Today there is very little righteous living.

The key to our conviction is to have a consistent prayer life. Where there is no prayer, there is no Holy Spirit to convict. You can base your convictions on the Bible, but only if you are a person of prayer. If you aren't a person of prayer, you'll not have the guidance and instruction from the Holy Spirit that you need.

The Scriptures have never been a source of conviction apart from the Holy Spirit. The New Testament Pharisees are ample proof of this. They knew and could quote all the Old Testament Scriptures, but that knowledge was useless to them because they had the wrong spirit. With their knowledge of the Old Testament, they were able to crucify the Son of God. That is why Jesus said it was to our advantage that He leaves to send the Counselor. Without the Helper, we could have ended up no better than the Pharisees!

The Holy Spirit convicts us of righteousness by reminding us of what Jesus was like. He is our righteousness. When we have no prayer life, we lose sense of the righteousness of Christ.

The Church must get back to prayer, allowing the Holy Spirit to instill immovable conviction and rebuild the ancient boundaries.

The Holy Spirit and the Church

Every believer knows that the Church is brought forth by the Holy Spirit. This is revealed in the first few chapters of the Book of Acts. But the majority of Christians do not understand the utmost importance and significance of the Holy Spirit in the life of believers collectively. The Church is the Body of Christ and ultimately all true believers collectively will become the Bride of Christ.

An interesting Parable

By way of introduction let us take a close look at Genesis 24 where we read about Abraham looking for a bride for his only son Isaac. It is a picture of God the Father looking for a Bride for His only son Jesus Christ. This is a true story and also scripturally a parable - an unnamed parable.

In this parable Abraham represents God, Isaac represents God's Son and Rebekah, the chosen bride represents the Church. Th servant or steward, who is unnamed, is the Holy Spirit. This is so typical of the Holy Spirit - He never attracts attention and does not even name Himself.

If you consider all that is involved in the story it will give you a vivid picture of how the Church is totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. The agent that selected the bride was not the son but the steward. The moment Rebekah made the right response and indicated that she was the chosen bride the steward opened up his treasure and began to bestow gifts. He had ten camel loads of gifts which were quite a lot. The fact that Rebekah visibly adorned herself with the gifts was the evidence that she was the chosen bride.

This picture clearly shows that it is totally contrary to all logic that any Church that rejects the gifts of the Holy Spirit could claim to be the Bride of Christ.

Rebekah made her decision in total reliance on the steward. She had never seen Abraham, never seen Isaac and she had never been where they lived. The only source of information she had about every thing was imparted by the steward and the only way to get there was to follow the steward.

This is a reminder and a picture of how totally the Church depends on the Holy Spirit. There is no other way we can know about God the Father and Jesus Christ His Son unless the Holy Spirit chooses to reveal them to us. There is no other way we can receive our inheritance and there is no other way we can be marked out as the true Church! He is the exclusive administrator of the entire inheritance from God! The Church cannot bypass or snub the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, "Anyone who speaks a word against the Son of Man, it will be forgiven him; but to him who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit, it will not be forgiven" (Luke 12:10, NKJV).

Revelation of the Council of the Godhead

God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit take council together. Out of this council proceeds the counsel that determines the course of history. Everything the Godhead does is out of collective decision.

Here are some examples:

1. Creation of man - God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; ...." (Gen. 1:26).

2. The Fall - The Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil" (Gen 3:22).

3. Commission of Isaiah - The Lord said, "Whom shall I send and who will go for Us" (Isaiah 6:8)?

Notice that the counsel of the Godhead always proceeds out of plurality.

In order for us to get revelation on how God is saying or doing we need to gain access to hear the council of the Godhead. The key is the Holy Spirit.

Jesus, at the close of His ministry on earth, said to His disciples:

"When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. All things that the Father has are Mine. Therefore I said that He will take of Mine and declare it to you" (John 16:13 - 15, NKJV, emphasis added).

The Holy Spirit hears the council of the godhead and therefore He can tell us what is coming. The Holy Spirit is the only channel of access to the council of the Godhead. We, the Church, are interested to know because it is the council of the Godhead that decides the course of history.

Paul said, "But as it is written: "Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him'. But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:9, 10).

The Church has the Mind of Christ

Paul said further on in the same Chapter (1 Cor. 2).

"But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. For 'who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct Him?' But we have the mind of Christ" (Verses 14 to 16).

It is very important to note that Paul did not say, "I have the mind of Christ". His emphasis was on the plural. It is impossible for any on of us to completely appropriate the mind of Christ on our own. The mind of Christ is imparted by the Holy Spirit just as the ministry gifts for the Church are imparted by the Holy Spirit. Some one said - "God has hidden His wisdom in the other members of the Body so no one can say he has it all!"

The spiritual principle we need to grasp at is: The counsil of the Body of Christ is a projection of the council of the Godhead. In other words, the council of God's people proceeds out of the council of the Godhead in heaven.

I believe the way God took Israel out of the bondage of Egypt gives us a pattern of how the Church should do things collectively as a Body of believers. Israel moved together and stayed together under the direction of God. When they entered into the Promised Land under Joshua, God absolutely insistent of one thing - every Israelite had to be there, not one was to be left behind. God is also saying the same thing to the Church - either we all do it or no body does! Individualism has no place in the Church. The Corinthian Church was in a mess because of individualism. They had the doctrine, they had the gifts, but they lack one important thing - right relationship!

The Essence of the Gospel

I believe the gospel is essentially an invitation from the Godhead to join them. It is an invitation to join the fellowship of the Godhead. The is made clear by John:

"That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched - this we proclaim concerning the Word of life. This life appeared; we have seen it and testify to it, and we proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and has appeared to us. We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 John 1:1 - 3, NIV, emphasis added).

Your salvation and my salvation have been collectively decided by the council of the Godhead before we were born!

Human authority in the Church

The ultimate human authority in the Church, in line with the Godhead, is plural. However within that plurality there are God ordained principles to follow. The primary principle is - Unity but not equality. Please read my "Father's Day" message - "God's Mandate for fathers".

Jesus said, "I and My Father are one" (John 10:30). He also said, "My Father is greater than I" (John 14:28).

In the Godhead there is perfect unity and yet there is no equality. So, within the unity (in the Church) there is also a distinction that does not put every body on the same level. Unfortunately in the contemporary culture, influenced by the New Age philosophy, unity means egalitarianism - the belief that all people are equal and should have the same rights. Egalitarianism says, "I am as good as my father, I'm as good as the president, I'm as good as the Pastor; don't say any body is better than any body else, we are all alike. Egalitarianism is taking democracy to the extreme. The spirit behind it is not the Spirit of God. Actually it is contrary to the deepest principles of God. God does not run the universe as a democracy - no such thing as casting of vote! Similarly there is no such thing as casting of votes in Church administration! There are denominational Churches doing just that - casting of votes to elect a Church president and a Bishop. This is totally out of line with, and totally against any New Testament Church principle.

Principles pertaining to the Godhead and the Church

In the Godhead there are three eternal principles that must be taken in the right order - Fatherhood, Headship and Fellowship. The same principles apply also to the Church.

I have dealt with the principles of Fatherhood (Eph. 3:14, 15) and Headship (1 Cor. 11:3) in my message - "God's Mandate for fathers". Out of Fatherhood proceeds Headship and where both are functioning in harmony then you can have fellowship (1 John 1:1 - 3).

Practical application for the Church

It is useless to have a lot of theory if you cannot apply it to the Local Church. So, in my opinion, if we want to reproduce the council of the Godhead to the council on earth (the Church) we have to receive the counsel of the Holy Spirit. The Church is totally dependent on the Holy Spirit. In order to receive the Holy Spirit we have to behave in a way which attracts the Holy Spirit - not offend Him but to please Him. To do that we have to be rightly related to one another in the Local Church - He comes only where we are rightly related and stays away when we are not.

So, the key to effective collective leadership is right relationship within the leadership. Right relationship will reproduce what is in the Godhead - Fatherhood, Headship and fellowship. The essence of what we are looking for is discerning Fatherhood, recognizing that Fatherhood gives Heaship and when they are both properly functioning we will have fellowship; our relationship will be such that the Holy Spirit will be with us and in us, and He will open to us the counsel of God.

In my opinion, in order to succeed as a leader, you have to find out (to discern) your appointed function and you have to function in right relationship to the other leaders who are in the council in which you are a part.

The key is the fear of the Lord.

Paul said, "... submitting to one another in the fear of God" (Eph. 5:21, NKJV).

The psalmist (David) said, "The secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him, and He will make them know His covenant" (Ps. 25:14, NASB, emphasis added).

The word "secret" in other passages of Scripture is translated as "counsel" which comes from the council of the Godhead. In other words, the secret council (the counsel of the council) of God is for those who fear Him and His covenant becomes a reality to them. Until we enter into the secret council of the Lord we simply cannot understand His covenant.

Covenant is one of the hardest things for the natural mind to understand but only comes by way of revelation. God gives His revelation not on the basis of Seminary or Bible School training or intellectual ability but on the basis of Christian character. The basic character requirement is the fear of the Lord. Therefore the secret council of the Lord is only available to those who fear Him; following that comes the the revelation of His covenant. What a fantastic wealth of promises of God attached to the fear of the Lord!

Motivation for Living

What makes life worth living? What gives meaning and purpose to life? I hope to answer these searching questions Biblically in this message.

Many churchgoers have never been challenged by the leadership of todays's Local Churches. Pastors and leaders are so worry about losing members that they never call members to any real commitment, sacrifice or effort. Many seek to please men by compromising the truth of God's Word in their preaching or teaching. They failed to understand true Christians don't want leaders to please them. They never understand inwardly members are longing for chanllenges; longing for something they can give their life for and something worth living and dying for. In general, if a thing isn't worth committing yourself to, isn't worth much. Today's Christianity has little to offer because they demand so little. On the other hand, Jesus, the Head of the Church, demands everything from His people. The Bible says unless you forsake all and follow Jesus you cannot be His disciple! Jesus offered a great deal, but His demands were on the same level as what He offered - which I think is reasonable.

It is hoped that this message will motivate you, as a believer, by giving meaning and purpose to your life whether your Local Church fails to motivate you or not. We'll take our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostle Paul as examples.

The Earthly Life of Jesus

What is the real motivation in the life of Jesus? What was it that caused Him to go through with the tasks that were committed to Him? I believe the one great overruling motive for everything He did was to do the will of God - that was how He started, that was why He came and that was how He ended. If we desire to be like Jesus, if we desire to have any strength and stability in our Christian walk, our desire must arise from the same motivation. It should be our sincere desire to do God's will.

Psalm 40 paints a prophetic picture of Jesus of His eternal nature before He became a carpenter's son of Nazareth. It is a prophetic picture of the motivation that made him willing to give up His place in the Glory of Heaven, to be born of a human child and to live a life of humility, struggle and suffering.

"Sacrifice and offering You did not desire; My ears You have opened. Burnt offering and sin offering You did not required. Then I said, 'Behold, I come; in the scroll of the book it is written of me, I delight to do Your will, O my God, and Your law is within my heart'" (Ps. 40:6 - 8, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. The above is a picture of what was spoken by Jesus to God the Father. This is confirmed by the writer of Hebrews - Heb. 10:5 - 7.

2. Hebrews further indicates that Jesus set aside the first sacrifice according to the Mosaic Law to establish the second - His own personal sacrifice (Heb. 10:8, 9).

3. The will of God for Jesus let up to the sacrifice of Jesus Himself on the cross was the ultimate destination of God's will culminated according to what was written in the scroll for Jesus!

"By that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10, emphasis added).

Our scroll and our suffering

I believe, just like our Lord Jesus Christ, God has a scroll for every person's life so that we may do everything that is written - this is His will for every one of us.

Paul said, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10).

Written in our scroll there are times of joy and suffering. I don't think any of us can avoid suffering. The question is, are we going to grow by suffering or are we going to be defeated by it. There is an appointed share of suffering for every one of us.

Paul said, "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" (Col. 1:24).

The Motivational Strength of Jesus

We now turn to some words of Jesus (all in John's gospel) during His earthly Ministry to bring out the continuing unchanging motivation that guided and impelled Him all through His earthly life.

1. Jesus at Jacob's well

Jesus' disciples went out to buy food, and on returning they found Jesus at Jacob's well talking to a Samaritan woman. They offered Him some food, but Jesus said to them:

"I have food to eat of which you do not know. My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work" (John 4:32, 34, NKJV, emphasis added).

Then He talked about the harvest which according to Jesus the time was ripe (white) for harvest. But His disciples failed to see the urgency of the harvest.


Here are some statements of truth:

I. According to the context, without partaking of natural food Jesus actually had been physically strengthened. There is a source of supernatural vitality which comes from doing the will of God.


Paul said, "Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day" (2 Cor. 4:16).

The lesson learnt is, as Christians we have to learn to live on an inner source of strength and vitality. Always go for the spiritual and God will make up what is needed in the natural.

II. Being sent to do the will of God, Jesus had a different perspective from that of His disciples concerning the urgency of the harvest. Jesus saw what the disciples could not see because He was united with the will of God.

It could be true in your life and my life. We fail to see the urgency of the world situation we are facing today. There is so much unrest politically and socially. I believe the changes are tremendous; and the opportunities are also tremendous. It is a real tragedy, as children of God, if we could not see what evil forces we are confronting now. If you are not really committed to do the will of God you'll remain spiritually blind. Many Local Churches are in spiritual slumber!

2. Jesus' righteous judgment

Jesus said, "I can of Myself do nothing. As I hear, I judge; and My judgment is righteous, because I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me" (John 5:30).

The only judgment that is righteous and acceptable in the sight of God is judgment according to the will of God and never according to our own will. But there is a lack of realism in the Church today. Instead of judging people with righteous judgment we relate to people on the basis of what we hope they would be. We project ourselves with our emotion hoping people would be changed by our kindness shown to them. But it just won't work out this way. The truth is if a person is unreliable three times, he won't be reliable at all.

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).

3. Jesus' finished work

Jesus said, "For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" (John 6:38).

At the end of His earthly ministry Jesus prayed to the Father:

"I have glorified You on earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do" (John 17:4).

At the last moment on the cross the Scripture says:

"After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, 'I thirst!' So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, 'It is finished'" (John 19:28, 30, NKJV, emphasis added).

That was His food - did God's will and completed it. There was nothing more for Jesus to do - He had seen it to the end!

Notice that in Greek, the powerful phrase "It is finished" is one single word "teleo" which means, "perfectly completed", perfectly accomplished" or "perfectly executed".

The Motivational Strength of Paul

The same motivational strength that directed Jesus also directed the life of Paul.

1. Back to Jerusalem

Paul was speaking to the elders of the Church in Ephesus:

"And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, ..." (Acts 20:22 - 24, emphasis added).

It was the will of God for Paul to finish the ministry which he received from Jesus (V. 24) in all circumstances.

2. Sharing the suffering of Christ

"... that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection of the dead" (Phil. 3:10, 11).

Not many of us can say what Paul said. Paul didn't want to see Jesus suffer alone. When you are really committed to a person you are not only just interested to share his joy but equally interested in sharing his suffering.

Paul was essentially saying, "If Jesus is going to bear the cross I want to be there". Paul was a man with a simple motive - to attain to the resurrection of the dead; not just to go to heaven. I believe God unerringly discern our motives. He deals with us much more according to our motives than the things we actually do.

3. Time of Paul's departure

Paul said to Timothy, "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 have finished the race, I have kept the faith" (2 Tim. 4:6, 7, emphasis added).

I believe the above was the most victorious statement made by Paul in his entire ministry.

In the Livitical Priesthood according to the Mosaic Law every offering of animal sacrifice had to have a drink offering of wine pour out on it (or with it). What Paul said was essentially, "My contribution to the Church of Jesus Christ is like the offering, but with it I have to pour out my life as a drink offering". That was Paul's way of doing God's will.

I really believe the only offerings that God will ultimately accept are those accompanied by the drink offering that our own lives pour out on it! God does not want us to be martyrs - He desires that we offer ourselves entirely to Him, to do His will and to finish it.

Warning Against Presumption

Jesus uses three parables in the Bible to warn His people against presumption. It is a warning against presuming on a relationship with God that they don't actually have. His warning raises two questions - one, what kind of people receives God's provision, and two, what kind of people misses God's provision? You may find the answers in these parables.

1. The Parable of the Vineyard (Matthew 21:33 - 46)

A landowner (God) rented out a vineyard to his workers (vinedressers - Jewish workers). He expected them to bring some fruit as payment of the vineyard. They refused to do that and even killed the landowner's servants who came to collect the fruit. Eventually they killed his son (Jesus) as well.

The following verses describe how the landowner dealt with the vinedressers:

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scripture: The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Matt. 21:42 - 44, NKJV, emphasis added).

The vinedressers made a mistake, they assumed that they could take over the ownership of the vineyard for themselves. They didn't realize that they were only stewards appointed by the owner and they had an obligation to the owner. In New Testament Scripture, the word "vineyard" speaks of the "Kingdom of God".

The Jews' presumption

The real issue which was raised in this parable was the issue of fruit. God wanted His people (the Jews) to bring forth fruit. Jesus Himself was telling His own Jewish people that if they fail to bring forth fruit He would take the vineyard from them and give it to another nation. To the Jews another nation means a Gentile nation. These were terrible words to the Jewish ears. Because of their special background (being God's chosen poeple) and all the privileges that God had bestowed upon them they couldn't conceive the idea that they would lose their privilege positon and these privileges would be given to another nation.

A new holy nation

The other nation in Jesus' mind was not a specific nation such as the UK, the USA, Australia or Germany. I believe it is a "nation with a new nature" that God has brought forth through Jesus Christ.

Peter wrote to the Jewish believers who were pilgrims under persecution:

"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, NKJV, emphasis added).

That is the nation that Jesus had in mind - it is made up of both believing Jews and believing Gentiles. The problem with these unbelieving and presumptuous Jews was that they presumed they had a relationship with God, which actually by their misconduct, they had forfeited. They presumed because of their background. God did exactly what Jesus had warned them He would do. He took the privilege position away from them and gave the Kingdom of God (His vineyard) through the Message of the Kingdom, the Gospel, to what we called today - the Church.

The Church (the new holy nation) is formed out of many different nations (Jews and Gentiles) and Jesus reminded them this had been predicted by the psalmist:

"The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone" (Ps. 118:22).

There are only two ways (Matt. 21:44) by which a person may respond to the Stone:

1. You may fall on the stone in repentance, "broken" and be saved.

2. But if you refuse to bow before the Stone and humble yourself and acknowledge your need of God's mercy, the Stone will fall on you and destroy you - grind you to powder!

2. The Parable of the Wedding Banquet (Matthew 22:1 - 14)

The gospel writers mentioned two banquets; one at the beginning of the day (morning) which is called the Wedding Banquet (NIV) or the Wedding Feast (NKJV) an the other at the end of the which is called the Great Banquet (NIV) or the Great Supper (NKJV).

A certain king (God) invited His people, the Jews, to attend His Son's wedding but they refused to come. They even killed some of His servants who were sent to invite them.

"But when the king heard about it, he was furious. And he sent out his armies, destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city" (Matt. 22:7).

This was historically fulfilled when God released the Roman's army against Jerusalem and against the Jewish people. Jerusalem was burnt and the temple destroyed - all because they refused God's invitation. The wedding which was scheduled had to be postponed because the guests didn't come. It is a terrible thing to refuse God's invitation; it is the greatest insult.

Salvation comes to the Gentiles

God then commanded His servant to invite othe guests - "So those servants went out into the highways and gathered together all whom they found, both bad and good. And the wedding hall was filled with guests" (Matt. 22:10, NKJV, emphasis added).

When the Jewish people refused, Jesus commanded His disciples to go to all the world and make disciples (both bad and good) of the Gentile world. Notice Jesus put the "bad" before the "good". Generally speaking, it is the bad people that respond to the gospel first.

Jesus said to the religious people, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you" (Matt. 21:31).

Religious people think they are good enough already and so they do not need God.

The wedding garment

In those days wedding garments were provided by the generous host of the wedding. Some of the guests that came to the wedding banquet presumed that they could get in without the appropriate garment. It is dangerous to presume that you have a close relationship with God that you actually don't have.

Many are invited but few are chosen - few met the condition of wearing the wedding garment. The wedding garment represents salvation through faith in Jesus Christ and being clothed with His righteousness and not your own (2 Cor. 5:21).

"I will greatly rejoice in the Lord, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the rob of righteousness, ..." (Isaiah 61:10).

3. The Parable of the Great Supper (Luke 14:15 - 24)

This is not just a great banquet as the NIV says; it is a supper, a meal at the end of the day. It speaks of the end of the Age. Jesus was not referring to the Jewish people - they were not in focus. The privilege of invitation was given to believers in Christ, both Jews and Gentiles. This privilege has been offered to the professing Christians for more than 20 centuries.

The Christians' presumption

We are Christians, followers of Christ; we have the Church and the gospel has been proclaimed. None of us deserves any thing, but by grace we received all the privileges from God for being children of God. But we are in danger of making the same kind of mistakes that the Jews made - presuming that we have a relationship with God because of the privilege we enjoyed. It looks like the roles have been reversed. Now we are the people who think "we have got it all"! We are born again, baptized in the Holy Spirit and speak in other tongues. Everything we say is true, but the fact is that none of us has more than we had received from God. We are at the beginning of our pilgrimage journey with the Lord. We need to keep on receiving God's invitations - whatever He has for us.


These are the excuses believers made to the host of the Great Supper:

"But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused.' And another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to test them. I ask you to have me excused.' Still another said, 'I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.'" (Luke 14:18, 19, 20, NKJV).

These are mere excuses because: Who would ever buy a piece of land without seeing it first? Who would buy five yoke of oxen without testing them first? Why a newly married man would refuse an invitation?

Obviously some Christians are too busy to respond to the call of God. They were busy with other things: Real estates, business venture and social relationship.

Jesus said Christians are just like those in the days of Noah and the days of Lot (Luke 17:26, 27, 28). What they did was all legitimate (eating, drinking, buying and selling, planting and building) but they were so engrossed and preoccupied in their materialistic pursuits that they had no time to respond to God's invitations.

True guests for the Great Supper

A lot of professing Christians today are not prepared to come to the Great Supper. They were so busy making money that when they do come and sit and listen to 45 minutes of sermon they assumed they have done God a favor!

"Then the master of the house, being angry, said to his servant, 'Go out quickly into the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor and the mained and the lame and the blind.'" (Luke 14:21).

Then the second invitation went out, "Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled" (V. 23).

The lesson learnt? Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled" (Matt. 5:3, 5, 6).

The Kingdom of Heaven is meant for many of those who are not invited the first time. The later invitations include those who are not so sophisticated and materialistic that they don't need any more. They are poor, humble and meek people who hunger and thirst for righteousness.

Paul said, "For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit" (Romans 14:17).

The Marriage Supper of the Lamb

This parable of Jesus is not like any of His other parables; it is also prophetic. It speaks of the future event when the Bride of Christ (the true Church) is taken to heaven (the rapture) to attend the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. Please refer to my earlier postings - "The Bride of Christ" and "The Marriage Supper of the Lamb".

"Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready. And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Rev. 19:7, 8, NKJV, emphasis added).

Here are some statements of truth:

1. This Marriage Banquet is a supper, unlike the Wedding Banquet which was a breakfast referred to by the parable of the wedding banquet (Matt. 22:1 - 14). This happens in heaven, a future event; whereas the parable of the wedding banquet refers to the calling of the Jewish people befor Jesus built His Church.

2. Jesus Himself clothes His Bride with fine linen which is the righteous acts of the saints. Fine linen has great significance all through Scriptures.

Jesus was wrapped in fine linen before Joseph laid Him in the tomb (Mark 15:46).

The priestly garment was made with fine linen (Ex. 28:39).

The Lord Himself clothed His people with fine linen (Ezek. 16:10 - 13).