THE REALITY OF LIFE FOUND IN CHRIST JESUS PART 1
The Lord has laid this on my heart as He has been revealing it to me. There is such confusion over how we are to live, what we are to do, what it means to Obey His Commands, what it means to be Led by the Holy Spirit, and so many other things that are all related and tied together in how we are to live this life.
I promise you, toes will be stepped on. If you cannot read something that challenges everything you believe and hold dear (although it is true) without being offended, I strongly suggest you lay this down right now. However, if we are willing to be wrong about everything we think we know, that we are willing to be corrected in ALL WAYS by the Lord Himself, if we TRULY desire to please Him in our lives, then even though some things that are written here may cause distress, perhaps even some emotional and mental pain, we will take all the things that are written here and ask the Lord Jesus Christ if they be true; and be willing to lay down EVERYTHING if He tells us this writing is HIS TRUTH!
I also promise that everything in this writing points to Jesus Christ as the ONLY ANSWER for all things, no matter what. The trouble is, when we start deciding what WE think is correct what WE think is true and good and right. This is not a final proclamation, but it is a culmination of many years of seeking the Lord and HIS TRUTH NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEANS! Even though it has caused many to hate me, disassociate themselves from me, to believe I am a liar, deceiver, unloving, unkind, deceived myself, even a heretic and an apostate, none of that matters.
If that is how you feel about me, you can cease reading right now and go your merry way, thinking you know the truth. OR, we can all lay down our preconceived notions and ideas, our doctrine, our understandings, our ideas, our teachings, our thoughts, our abilities, our training, our schooling, our gifts, our talents, OUR RIGHTS, and begin to TRULY DENY OURSELVES that the Lord Jesus Christ might speak to us Himself and teach us His ways, NO MATTER WHO HE CHOOSES to Bring His Truth Through.
I will be quite honest here; I am nothing and nobody. I have no ministry. I have no training except what I know has come through the Holy Spirit (even if you do not agree). I do not promote myself at all and I certainly do not want ANYONE to follow me. In fact, I do not want anyone reading these words to even believe me. Instead, I ask you to do two things.
1. Lay down everything and even more than what I listed above.
2. Ask the Lord to show you through the Scriptures if what is said is true or false, remembering that IF IT DOES COME FROM GOD, then what HE says will agree with the WHOLE BIBLE, not just the parts we like.
I cannot make anyone do this. I cannot make you believe. I cannot even make you feel bad. If you have bad feelings about anything written here, it comes from yourself, not from what is written. If you are offended by what is written, I ask you WHY? If it is true, then you must allow the Lord to change you or be in rebellion against Him. If it is false, you have an OBLIGATION as a brother or sister to calmly and gently explain to me why it is wrong SCRIPTURALLY and to help me get back on the correct path. Unless of course, you are following after the flesh, in which case, you are most likely already offended and you might as well not read further.
This is NOT a well, laid out plan for living the Christian life. This is NOT a debate, nor any type of argument based on human reasoning. This is NOT to be understood by logic and rational thought; those are all human inventions made to rise up against the knowledge of God. This is a spiritual understanding given by revelation of the Holy Spirit. If we apply human reasoning to it, it will not make sense, because is it spiritually discerned.
I say all of these things to warn the unwary. I am not angry, upset, violent, promoting myself, haughty, prideful, or any of that kind of thing. I am just attempting in my own inept way to convey spiritual truth to God’s people so that the kind of life written about in the Scriptures would become a living reality once more. Please understand, I am NOT claiming inerrancy, perfection, nor am I above these things nor do I believe I am better than others. In fact, truthfully, all I can say is that I am amazed that God revealed these things to me and is using me as a mouthpiece. Please, do not assume any kind of evil against me. Just take what is written without ANY preconceived notions or ideas and ask the LORD HIMSELF if they be true.
I wish I could convey what is in my heart for all of God’s people, for anyone who reads these words. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to convey a deep love and concern for the lives of others in written form alone. Know that I am just a brother, no different from anyone else. I am not better nor am I worse than others. This is not scripture. All it is, is what the Lord has shown me over the last 20 years and more of my life. Most of the deeper spiritual understanding has come in the last 12 years or so. With all of that said, let us move forward into this message that I KNOW for a fact is VERY, VERY important and something we ALL need to not only hear, but to LIVE on a moment by moment basis.
Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ I ask You to keep back the forces of darkness that might blind the eyes and deafen the ears of those who are reading these words. Open our eyes and ears and our understandings to YOUR ABSOLUTE TRUTH ALONE, and may we all lay down our lives in such a manner that the very life of Christ Jesus would be made manifest in and through our lives to all of those around us, proving to the world that although they cannot see God, they CAN SEE HIS LIGHT in our LIVES! AMEN!
Some of the following comes from the book, “THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS” by Major W. Ian Thomas. I am not saying this man was infallible either. However, what he writes about in this instance is an excellent way of explaining God’s Spiritual Truth so that it might bring about a deeper understanding when we ARE taught by the Lord. Let me start with this short quote about the life Jesus lived which on the earth.
“It is of paramount importance, from the very outset, that we recognize the fact that when the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth, He could be God and be man at one and the same time, but He could not behave as God and behave as man at one and the same time.
“Allow me to explain a little, for to understanding this is calculated to bring you untold comfort and encouragement and to give you an entirely new understanding of the Christian life, and a richer, fuller experience of Christ Himself.
“Man was created in such a way that he could bear the image of God without God Himself becoming visible, so that not his physical form, but his capacity to behave was designed to be the means through which God intended to express His nature and His character. As we have already seen, however, this godliness or Godlikeness was not to have been an imitation of God by man, but the direct results of the activity of God in man. In other words—God Himself behaving in and through you!
“Man’s behavior as the effect, was to have been the results of God’s behavior as the cause. The former was to have been the “brightness” or the “out-shining” of the latter’s glory, the “express image” of His Person! (Heb 1:3) The image was to have been visible, while the Person still remained invisible!” (From “The Mystery of Godliness”, Chapter IV, The Nature of The Mystery By Ian Thomas)
What does that mean? Thomas goes on to use the example of electricity. NO ONE has ever seen electricity. We cannot see the electrons flow. We can measure them; we can use them; but we cannot see them. However, the cause, which we cannot see (the electricity) can bring about or CAUSE light to be seen if it is properly applied to a light bulb. As long as the current or electricity is flowing, the Light will be glowing (unless of course the bulb is broken {sin}).
Here is what man and the Church today have failed to understand. As long as that electricity (GOD) is flowing, Light will be produced. BUT as soon as the electricity is removed, no amount of coaxing, trying, striving, etc, will ever allow the light bulb to produce light on its own.
It does not matter what the motivation is. The light bulb cannot produce true light without electricity; MAN cannot produce GODLINESS unless God is doing it through him!
“It has been shown that the primary limitation imposed upon you as man, in order that you may be in the likeness of your Maker and bear the image of the invisible, is that of total dependence upon God—in that your behavior, to be godly, must derive directly and exclusively from God’s activity in you and through you. An activity, therefore, in which you may engage, no matter how nobly conceived, which does not stem from this humble attitude of dependence upon God, violates the basic principles of your true humanity and the role for which you were created. By independence (or the absence of faith), you eliminate God, and substitute yourself, to become both cause and effect—the source of your own “godliness”. But only God has the right to be the source of His own godliness, so that however unwittingly, you are acting as your own god!
“You will still believe or pretend that you are worshipping God; but as the object of your imitation, even Christ Himself may only be an excuse for worshiping your own ability to imitate—an ability vested in yourself. And this is the basis of all self-righteouness!
“It is startling to discover that even God may be used as an excuse for worshiping yourself, demonstrating again the satanic genius for distorting truth and deceiving man—for it was to this temptation that Adam and Eve fell in the Garden!
“Satan said, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5). Satan succeeded in introducing into human experience and attitude toward God which he himself had already adopted, one of arrogant self-sufficiency, at once hostile to God, repudiating both the indispensability of the Creator to the creature and the moral responsibility of the creature to the Creator.
“In so many words, Satan persuaded man that he could be Godlike without being God-conscious; that he had an adequate capacity in himself for being good, without the necessity of having God; that he could be righteous in his own right, morally adult without the need of being spiritually alive! In short, that man could be independent—both cause and effect!” (From “The Mystery of Godliness”, Chapter IV, The Nature of the Mystery, by Ian Thomas)
Here I wish to pause and ask us all to consider these things carefully. Please try to understand the things that I am going to say, for they are spiritual truth, not the mere ramblings of a man. Ask the Lord if these things be true, and I must emphasize this clearly>>>> I DO MEAN ASK THE LORD AND MAKE SURE WE ACTUALLY HEAR FROM HIM, not what we think is already true, for if we do this, we will remain in deception. I honestly and truly mean, we must hear His voice, His Holy Spirit speaking the words to us. For if all we do is imagine that what we think is right is correct, we will never change. And I must also ask each of us, are we actually living and walking on this earth JUST LIKE JESUS?
That is NOT some pipe dream or fantasy. Pray look at this verse>>>
I John 2: 6Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
Read that again. If we are actually abiding in Christ Jesus, then we are supposed to be walking and conducting ourselves in the VERY SAME WAY JESUS DID when He walked on this earth! This does not happen from our striving to be like Jesus, but from the manifestation of the Life of Jesus being made observable in and through us.
Did Jesus ever do ANYTHING independent from the Father? Did He ever speak a word or perform one action that God the Father did not tell Him to say or do? Did Jesus by His OWN POWER, ever work one miracle or heal one body? The answer is of course, Absolutely NOT!
And we are to live in the same way.
What all of this means is, we cannot read the Bible, figure out what we think it says and set out to obey the scriptures, even with the attitude that we are only doing what God has told us to do. Why? Because then we are cause and effect; we are the light bulb trying to brighten the room with our own facilities and abilities without relying on the power of electricity; it just will never happen.
Obedience to God’s commands does not come from our reading and complying with those commands. Obedience to God’s commands comes when we connect spiritually to the Lord and His life flows through us so that we naturally do those things that are pleasing in His sight and WE DO NOT WALK CONTRARY TO HIS WILL IN ANY WAY!
Nor does it mean that we remove or refrain from doing what WE THINK God does not want us to do. That is also of fleshly origin. No pear tree will ever produce anything but pears. It does not matter how many pears are removed from the pear tree, all that will grow in the place of those picked pears will be pears.
Can we understand this analogy? As long as we are trying to STOP SINNING, we will never, ever cease from sin! Why? Because that thing that produces sin in us can only produce sin; that is the fruit it produces, even if we think the fruit to be pleasant to the eye, good for food, and to make one wise; it is still sin in God’s sight!
We must change trees. The root is the problem and as long as we are still connected to the old way of life, that old way of life will indeed continue to produce the SAME FRUIT in our lives as it always has. It matters not how we dress it up, how acceptable we think we can make it, how wonderful we think it is, IT IS STILL UNACCEPTABLE TO GOD!
Paul wrote about this in Romans 7, although the vast majority of people completely misunderstand what he was speaking of. Please forgive this long quote from Paul.
Rom 7:14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
Rom 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
Rom 7:16 Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
Rom 7:17 However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]
Rom 7:19 For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].
Rom 7:21 So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands.
Rom 7:22 For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self [with my new nature]. [Ps. 1:2.]
Rom 7:23 But I discern in my bodily members [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh].
Rom 7:24 O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?
Rom 7:25 O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Rom 8:1 THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. [John 3:18.]
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:3 For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], [Lev. 7:37.]
Rom 8:4 So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].
Romans Chapter Seven is commonly thought of as a picture of Paul’s life and that of the normal Christian. The problem is, the description given is anything but that of an overcoming, abundantly full, divine life given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. The description is that of a DEFEATED PERSON! Totally overcome by sin and ruled by the power of sin, this person has NO VICTORY at all in their lives. The common understanding is NOT a scriptural one. It is an EXCUSE offered by those who live FAR BELOW what Watchman Nee called the Normal Christian Life. (I am not advocating this book, just using the term).
We MUST understand that a life that is governed by the dictates of the flesh can look VERY religious, even what man would call righteous. Satan will use whatever he can to distract man from following God’s ways. He will even use religion, “peace”, “joy”, “happiness” and behavior that man would call righteous, holy and godly, just to keep that person from following God.
Please look at this quote from Tozer’s “THE PURSUIT OF GOD”.
“The answer usually given, simply that we are 'cold,' will not explain all the facts. There is something more serious than coldness of heart, something that may be back of that coldness and be the cause of its existence. What is it? What but the presence of a veil in our hearts? A veil not taken away as the first veil was, but which remains there still shutting out the light and hiding the face of God from us. It is the veil of our fleshly fallen nature living on, unjudged within us, uncrucified and unrepudiated. It is the close-woven veil of the self-life which we have never truly acknowledged, of which we have been secretly ashamed, and which for these reasons we have never brought to the judgment of the cross. It is not too mysterious, this opaque veil, nor is it hard to identify. We have but to look in our own hearts and we shall see it there, sewn and patched and repaired it may be, but there nevertheless, an enemy to our lives and an effective block to our spiritual progress.
“This veil is not a beautiful thing and it is not a thing about which we commonly care to talk, but I am addressing the thirsting souls who are determined to follow God, and I know they will not turn back because the way leads temporarily through the blackened hills. The urge of God within them will assure their continuing the pursuit. They will face the facts however unpleasant and endure the cross for the joy set before them. So I am bold to mane the threads out of which this inner veil is woven. It is woven of the fine threads of the self-life, the hyphenated sins of the human spirit. They are not something we do, they are something we are, and therein lies both their subtlety and their power.
“To be specific, the self-sins are these: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins, egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion, are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. They are so much in evidence as actually, form any people, to become identified with the gospel. I trust it is not a cynical observation to say that they appear these days to be a requisite for popularity in some sections of the Church visible. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.
“One should suppose that proper instruction in the doctrines of man's depravity and the necessity for justification through the righteousness of Christ alone would deliver us from the power of the self-sins; but it does not work out that way. Self can live unrebuked at the very altar. It can watch the bleeding Victim die and not be in the least affected by what it sees. It can fight for the faith of the Reformers and preach eloquently the creed of salvation by grace, and gain strength by its efforts. To tell all the truth, it seems actually to feed upon orthodoxy and is more at home in a Bible Conference than in a tavern. Our very state of longing after God may afford it an excellent condition under which to thrive and grow.
“Self is the opaque veil that hides the Face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. As well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our self-sins to the cross for judgment. We must prepare ourselves for an ordeal of suffering in some measure like that through which our Saviour passed when He suffered under Pontius Pilate.
“Let us remember: when we talk of the rending of the veil we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant; but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. In human experience that veil is made of living spiritual tissue; it is composed of the sentient, quivering stuff of which our whole beings consist, and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt us and make us bleed. To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death no death at all. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free.
“Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life in hope ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy 'acceptance' from the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and the oxen.
“Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough, and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the Presence of the living God. Lord, how excellent are Thy ways, and how devious and dark are the ways of man. Show us how to die, that we may rise again to newness of life. Rend the veil of our self-life from the top down as Thou didst rend the veil of the Temple. We would draw near in full assurance of faith. We would dwell with Thee in daily experience here on this earth so that we may be accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there. In Jesus' name, Amen. (The Pursuit of God, Chapter Three, Removing the Veil by A.W. Tozer)
Please go back and read that portion that is underlined once more. This self-life, this flesh, THRIVES in a religious atmosphere, under the Law, in Prayer Groups, and Singing Songs of Redemption, even in what is commonly called Altar Calls where many think they are doing business with God. It loves the rigidity and rules. It thrives and even grows there. The flesh becomes more manifest, gains strength and begins to push God completely out of the picture, out of the life of the “believer”. Paul tells us this in Colossians.
Col 2:20 If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world's crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules and regulations?--such as]
Col 2:21 Do not handle [this], Do not taste [that], Do not even touch [them],
Col 2:22 Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines. [Isa. 29:13.]
Col 2:23 Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh.]
Again, many mistake these words of Paul because they interpret them according to what they ALREADY BELIEVE instead of asking the Lord what HE means; they look and search for what they THINK are verses that agree with what they already believe instead of seeking the Lord and asking Him to teach them HIS TRUTH! How do we know what Paul is saying is to those who keep the Law instead of living by the Holy Spirit? Because Jesus tells us the very same.
Mat 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.
Mat 23:26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men's bones and everything impure.
Mat 23:28 Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity. [Ps. 5:9.]
And this is exactly what Modern Christianity avoids, cleaning the inside of the cup. Instead, although we may avoid some of the seemingly extreme behavior of cults and the Pharisees themselves, we do the very same things on the inside. We can see this by looking at the cases of moral failures that have become rampant in the Evangelical Church today, and I do refer to the big names that have fallen in various ways and the many that have yet to be exposed.
If this were not an epidemic in the Church today, then we would not lead the nation in divorces. The Church in America today actually has more divorces than the rest of the country. If we had truly dealt with the self-life and were allowing the Lord to live His life through us, there would not be any divorces in Christian marriages; not in those who were truly saved and following the Holy Spirit.
How many churches look like Matt 23:28 above? How many actually live that way? Perhaps it would be easier to ask, how many do NOT live in this manner, but actually live lives where the inside of their lives have TRULY been cleansed, where there is no pretense, lawlessness and ini quity, people who TRULY have pure hearts? Yet that is exactly what Jesus came to do, what the Promise of the Father tells us.
What IS the Promise of the Father?>>>>>>>
Ezekiel 11: 19And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God], 20That they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
And>>>>
Ezekiel 36: 23And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it--My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them--and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours. 24For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. 28And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
THIS is the Promise of the Father as revealed to His servants the Prophets and it is this same Promise that came on the Day of Pentecost as described by Peter.
Acts 15: 7And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it). 8And God, Who is acquainted with and understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us; 9And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God).
Notice that Peter tells us what happened on Pentecost; their hearts were cleansed by FAITH! He does not mention speaking in tongues (even though they did) nor does he mention any of the other gifts they received, although they received many. What Peter focuses on is the Promise of the Father; the cleansing of the heart by faith as promised by God in Ezekiel. The gifts are secondary as Paul explains in Corinthians. How many actually live lives where they Love from a pure heart?
1 Timothy 1: 5 Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.
2 Timothy 2:22 Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy ] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.
Is THIS the reality that is found in the modern Church today? Or do we have pretense, self-centeredness, selfishness, deception, false humility, false love, etc. Do we conform to the Will of God in THOUGHT, word and deed? Have our hearts TRULY been cleansed and PURIFIED or are they still full of deceit, and all sorts of uncleanness?
The above verses from Timothy and Peter are not the norm in modern American Christianity. In fact, these things are not taught as realities to be lived in this day. I am not sure what is truly believed about verses such as this. Often they are either explained away as something that is exclusively a spiritual thing that God sees us this way, or ignored entirely. There is no living reality of these verses, being expressed on this earth through what is commonly called the Church in this day and age. Yet THAT is NOT what the Bible tells us.
So who is correct; the Modern Church or the Writers of the Bible? They both cannot be correct as one contradicts the other. I submit, that according to the scriptures, they are the TRUTH that is found in Christ Jesus and what the modern Church preaches is a LIE!
Not only that but what is commonly accepted as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is in reality either TRUE Salvation or merely the realization by Faith the Gifts given by the Holy Spirit that have always been there since that person was truly saved. The TRUE BAPTISM of the HOLY SPIRIT is what is described in Ezekiel above, confirmed by many passages throughout the Bible.
Just to refesh our memories a little, here are a small example of passages that all agree with Ezekiel and what was just written.
Ephesians 1: 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. 17[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, 18By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), 19And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, 20Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], 21Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. 22And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], 23Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].
Ephesians 3: 14For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. 16May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. 17May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, 18That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! 20Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-- 21To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
Ephesians 4: 20But you did not so learn Christ! 21Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him], 22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
Can we see how these prayers are all in absolute agreement with the Promise that is made by God Himself in Ezekiel? Why would Paul pray for the Ephesians to put off the old unrenewed self which is corrupt and put on the NEW NATURE that is created to be like God in True Righteousness and Holiness if they already HAD the new nature just because they were saved? That contradicts the modern “gospel” as well.
I admit, every time I pray about this writing, the Lord lays more and more on my heart to convey to the reader. My concern is the length and how few will be willing to HONESTLY read this, taking every aspect to the Lord for Him to confirm or reject. I know the Lord is telling me to divide this up. There will be further writing on this whole subject. At this time, it is sufficient. Any questions or comments are welcome. In fact, questions could bring about a deeper teaching and understanding of His Truth for all of us.
God bless you all! A bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk
The Lord has laid this on my heart as He has been revealing it to me. There is such confusion over how we are to live, what we are to do, what it means to Obey His Commands, what it means to be Led by the Holy Spirit, and so many other things that are all related and tied together in how we are to live this life.
I promise you, toes will be stepped on. If you cannot read something that challenges everything you believe and hold dear (although it is true) without being offended, I strongly suggest you lay this down right now. However, if we are willing to be wrong about everything we think we know, that we are willing to be corrected in ALL WAYS by the Lord Himself, if we TRULY desire to please Him in our lives, then even though some things that are written here may cause distress, perhaps even some emotional and mental pain, we will take all the things that are written here and ask the Lord Jesus Christ if they be true; and be willing to lay down EVERYTHING if He tells us this writing is HIS TRUTH!
I also promise that everything in this writing points to Jesus Christ as the ONLY ANSWER for all things, no matter what. The trouble is, when we start deciding what WE think is correct what WE think is true and good and right. This is not a final proclamation, but it is a culmination of many years of seeking the Lord and HIS TRUTH NO MATTER WHAT THAT MEANS! Even though it has caused many to hate me, disassociate themselves from me, to believe I am a liar, deceiver, unloving, unkind, deceived myself, even a heretic and an apostate, none of that matters.
If that is how you feel about me, you can cease reading right now and go your merry way, thinking you know the truth. OR, we can all lay down our preconceived notions and ideas, our doctrine, our understandings, our ideas, our teachings, our thoughts, our abilities, our training, our schooling, our gifts, our talents, OUR RIGHTS, and begin to TRULY DENY OURSELVES that the Lord Jesus Christ might speak to us Himself and teach us His ways, NO MATTER WHO HE CHOOSES to Bring His Truth Through.
I will be quite honest here; I am nothing and nobody. I have no ministry. I have no training except what I know has come through the Holy Spirit (even if you do not agree). I do not promote myself at all and I certainly do not want ANYONE to follow me. In fact, I do not want anyone reading these words to even believe me. Instead, I ask you to do two things.
1. Lay down everything and even more than what I listed above.
2. Ask the Lord to show you through the Scriptures if what is said is true or false, remembering that IF IT DOES COME FROM GOD, then what HE says will agree with the WHOLE BIBLE, not just the parts we like.
I cannot make anyone do this. I cannot make you believe. I cannot even make you feel bad. If you have bad feelings about anything written here, it comes from yourself, not from what is written. If you are offended by what is written, I ask you WHY? If it is true, then you must allow the Lord to change you or be in rebellion against Him. If it is false, you have an OBLIGATION as a brother or sister to calmly and gently explain to me why it is wrong SCRIPTURALLY and to help me get back on the correct path. Unless of course, you are following after the flesh, in which case, you are most likely already offended and you might as well not read further.
This is NOT a well, laid out plan for living the Christian life. This is NOT a debate, nor any type of argument based on human reasoning. This is NOT to be understood by logic and rational thought; those are all human inventions made to rise up against the knowledge of God. This is a spiritual understanding given by revelation of the Holy Spirit. If we apply human reasoning to it, it will not make sense, because is it spiritually discerned.
I say all of these things to warn the unwary. I am not angry, upset, violent, promoting myself, haughty, prideful, or any of that kind of thing. I am just attempting in my own inept way to convey spiritual truth to God’s people so that the kind of life written about in the Scriptures would become a living reality once more. Please understand, I am NOT claiming inerrancy, perfection, nor am I above these things nor do I believe I am better than others. In fact, truthfully, all I can say is that I am amazed that God revealed these things to me and is using me as a mouthpiece. Please, do not assume any kind of evil against me. Just take what is written without ANY preconceived notions or ideas and ask the LORD HIMSELF if they be true.
I wish I could convey what is in my heart for all of God’s people, for anyone who reads these words. Unfortunately, it is very difficult to convey a deep love and concern for the lives of others in written form alone. Know that I am just a brother, no different from anyone else. I am not better nor am I worse than others. This is not scripture. All it is, is what the Lord has shown me over the last 20 years and more of my life. Most of the deeper spiritual understanding has come in the last 12 years or so. With all of that said, let us move forward into this message that I KNOW for a fact is VERY, VERY important and something we ALL need to not only hear, but to LIVE on a moment by moment basis.
Father God, in the precious Name of Jesus Christ I ask You to keep back the forces of darkness that might blind the eyes and deafen the ears of those who are reading these words. Open our eyes and ears and our understandings to YOUR ABSOLUTE TRUTH ALONE, and may we all lay down our lives in such a manner that the very life of Christ Jesus would be made manifest in and through our lives to all of those around us, proving to the world that although they cannot see God, they CAN SEE HIS LIGHT in our LIVES! AMEN!
Some of the following comes from the book, “THE MYSTERY OF GODLINESS” by Major W. Ian Thomas. I am not saying this man was infallible either. However, what he writes about in this instance is an excellent way of explaining God’s Spiritual Truth so that it might bring about a deeper understanding when we ARE taught by the Lord. Let me start with this short quote about the life Jesus lived which on the earth.
“It is of paramount importance, from the very outset, that we recognize the fact that when the Lord Jesus Christ was here on earth, He could be God and be man at one and the same time, but He could not behave as God and behave as man at one and the same time.
“Allow me to explain a little, for to understanding this is calculated to bring you untold comfort and encouragement and to give you an entirely new understanding of the Christian life, and a richer, fuller experience of Christ Himself.
“Man was created in such a way that he could bear the image of God without God Himself becoming visible, so that not his physical form, but his capacity to behave was designed to be the means through which God intended to express His nature and His character. As we have already seen, however, this godliness or Godlikeness was not to have been an imitation of God by man, but the direct results of the activity of God in man. In other words—God Himself behaving in and through you!
“Man’s behavior as the effect, was to have been the results of God’s behavior as the cause. The former was to have been the “brightness” or the “out-shining” of the latter’s glory, the “express image” of His Person! (Heb 1:3) The image was to have been visible, while the Person still remained invisible!” (From “The Mystery of Godliness”, Chapter IV, The Nature of The Mystery By Ian Thomas)
What does that mean? Thomas goes on to use the example of electricity. NO ONE has ever seen electricity. We cannot see the electrons flow. We can measure them; we can use them; but we cannot see them. However, the cause, which we cannot see (the electricity) can bring about or CAUSE light to be seen if it is properly applied to a light bulb. As long as the current or electricity is flowing, the Light will be glowing (unless of course the bulb is broken {sin}).
Here is what man and the Church today have failed to understand. As long as that electricity (GOD) is flowing, Light will be produced. BUT as soon as the electricity is removed, no amount of coaxing, trying, striving, etc, will ever allow the light bulb to produce light on its own.
It does not matter what the motivation is. The light bulb cannot produce true light without electricity; MAN cannot produce GODLINESS unless God is doing it through him!
“It has been shown that the primary limitation imposed upon you as man, in order that you may be in the likeness of your Maker and bear the image of the invisible, is that of total dependence upon God—in that your behavior, to be godly, must derive directly and exclusively from God’s activity in you and through you. An activity, therefore, in which you may engage, no matter how nobly conceived, which does not stem from this humble attitude of dependence upon God, violates the basic principles of your true humanity and the role for which you were created. By independence (or the absence of faith), you eliminate God, and substitute yourself, to become both cause and effect—the source of your own “godliness”. But only God has the right to be the source of His own godliness, so that however unwittingly, you are acting as your own god!
“You will still believe or pretend that you are worshipping God; but as the object of your imitation, even Christ Himself may only be an excuse for worshiping your own ability to imitate—an ability vested in yourself. And this is the basis of all self-righteouness!
“It is startling to discover that even God may be used as an excuse for worshiping yourself, demonstrating again the satanic genius for distorting truth and deceiving man—for it was to this temptation that Adam and Eve fell in the Garden!
“Satan said, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:5). Satan succeeded in introducing into human experience and attitude toward God which he himself had already adopted, one of arrogant self-sufficiency, at once hostile to God, repudiating both the indispensability of the Creator to the creature and the moral responsibility of the creature to the Creator.
“In so many words, Satan persuaded man that he could be Godlike without being God-conscious; that he had an adequate capacity in himself for being good, without the necessity of having God; that he could be righteous in his own right, morally adult without the need of being spiritually alive! In short, that man could be independent—both cause and effect!” (From “The Mystery of Godliness”, Chapter IV, The Nature of the Mystery, by Ian Thomas)
Here I wish to pause and ask us all to consider these things carefully. Please try to understand the things that I am going to say, for they are spiritual truth, not the mere ramblings of a man. Ask the Lord if these things be true, and I must emphasize this clearly>>>> I DO MEAN ASK THE LORD AND MAKE SURE WE ACTUALLY HEAR FROM HIM, not what we think is already true, for if we do this, we will remain in deception. I honestly and truly mean, we must hear His voice, His Holy Spirit speaking the words to us. For if all we do is imagine that what we think is right is correct, we will never change. And I must also ask each of us, are we actually living and walking on this earth JUST LIKE JESUS?
That is NOT some pipe dream or fantasy. Pray look at this verse>>>
I John 2: 6Whoever says he abides in Him ought [as a personal debt] to walk and conduct himself in the same way in which He walked and conducted Himself.
Read that again. If we are actually abiding in Christ Jesus, then we are supposed to be walking and conducting ourselves in the VERY SAME WAY JESUS DID when He walked on this earth! This does not happen from our striving to be like Jesus, but from the manifestation of the Life of Jesus being made observable in and through us.
Did Jesus ever do ANYTHING independent from the Father? Did He ever speak a word or perform one action that God the Father did not tell Him to say or do? Did Jesus by His OWN POWER, ever work one miracle or heal one body? The answer is of course, Absolutely NOT!
And we are to live in the same way.
What all of this means is, we cannot read the Bible, figure out what we think it says and set out to obey the scriptures, even with the attitude that we are only doing what God has told us to do. Why? Because then we are cause and effect; we are the light bulb trying to brighten the room with our own facilities and abilities without relying on the power of electricity; it just will never happen.
Obedience to God’s commands does not come from our reading and complying with those commands. Obedience to God’s commands comes when we connect spiritually to the Lord and His life flows through us so that we naturally do those things that are pleasing in His sight and WE DO NOT WALK CONTRARY TO HIS WILL IN ANY WAY!
Nor does it mean that we remove or refrain from doing what WE THINK God does not want us to do. That is also of fleshly origin. No pear tree will ever produce anything but pears. It does not matter how many pears are removed from the pear tree, all that will grow in the place of those picked pears will be pears.
Can we understand this analogy? As long as we are trying to STOP SINNING, we will never, ever cease from sin! Why? Because that thing that produces sin in us can only produce sin; that is the fruit it produces, even if we think the fruit to be pleasant to the eye, good for food, and to make one wise; it is still sin in God’s sight!
We must change trees. The root is the problem and as long as we are still connected to the old way of life, that old way of life will indeed continue to produce the SAME FRUIT in our lives as it always has. It matters not how we dress it up, how acceptable we think we can make it, how wonderful we think it is, IT IS STILL UNACCEPTABLE TO GOD!
Paul wrote about this in Romans 7, although the vast majority of people completely misunderstand what he was speaking of. Please forgive this long quote from Paul.
Rom 7:14 We know that the Law is spiritual; but I am a creature of the flesh [carnal, unspiritual], having been sold into slavery under [the control of] sin.
Rom 7:15 For I do not understand my own actions [I am baffled, bewildered]. I do not practice or accomplish what I wish, but I do the very thing that I loathe [which my moral instinct condemns].
Rom 7:16 Now if I do [habitually] what is contrary to my desire, [that means that] I acknowledge and agree that the Law is good (morally excellent) and that I take sides with it.
Rom 7:17 However, it is no longer I who do the deed, but the sin [principle] which is at home in me and has possession of me.
Rom 7:18 For I know that nothing good dwells within me, that is, in my flesh. I can will what is right, but I cannot perform it. [I have the intention and urge to do what is right, but no power to carry it out.]
Rom 7:19 For I fail to practice the good deeds I desire to do, but the evil deeds that I do not desire to do are what I am [ever] doing.
Rom 7:20 Now if I do what I do not desire to do, it is no longer I doing it [it is not myself that acts], but the sin [principle] which dwells within me [fixed and operating in my soul].
Rom 7:21 So I find it to be a law (rule of action of my being) that when I want to do what is right and good, evil is ever present with me and I am subject to its insistent demands.
Rom 7:22 For I endorse and delight in the Law of God in my inmost self [with my new nature]. [Ps. 1:2.]
Rom 7:23 But I discern in my bodily members [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh] a different law (rule of action) at war against the law of my mind (my reason) and making me a prisoner to the law of sin that dwells in my bodily organs [in the sensitive appetites and wills of the flesh].
Rom 7:24 O unhappy and pitiable and wretched man that I am! Who will release and deliver me from [the shackles of] this body of death?
Rom 7:25 O thank God! [He will!] through Jesus Christ (the Anointed One) our Lord! So then indeed I, of myself with the mind and heart, serve the Law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.
Rom 8:1 THEREFORE, [there is] now no condemnation (no adjudging guilty of wrong) for those who are in Christ Jesus, who live [and] walk not after the dictates of the flesh, but after the dictates of the Spirit. [John 3:18.]
Rom 8:2 For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.
Rom 8:3 For God has done what the Law could not do, [its power] being weakened by the flesh [the entire nature of man without the Holy Spirit]. Sending His own Son in the guise of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [God] condemned sin in the flesh [subdued, overcame, deprived it of its power over all who accept that sacrifice], [Lev. 7:37.]
Rom 8:4 So that the righteous and just requirement of the Law might be fully met in us who live and move not in the ways of the flesh but in the ways of the Spirit [our lives governed not by the standards and according to the dictates of the flesh, but controlled by the Holy Spirit].
Romans Chapter Seven is commonly thought of as a picture of Paul’s life and that of the normal Christian. The problem is, the description given is anything but that of an overcoming, abundantly full, divine life given to us by the Lord Jesus Christ. The description is that of a DEFEATED PERSON! Totally overcome by sin and ruled by the power of sin, this person has NO VICTORY at all in their lives. The common understanding is NOT a scriptural one. It is an EXCUSE offered by those who live FAR BELOW what Watchman Nee called the Normal Christian Life. (I am not advocating this book, just using the term).
We MUST understand that a life that is governed by the dictates of the flesh can look VERY religious, even what man would call righteous. Satan will use whatever he can to distract man from following God’s ways. He will even use religion, “peace”, “joy”, “happiness” and behavior that man would call righteous, holy and godly, just to keep that person from following God.
Please look at this quote from Tozer’s “THE PURSUIT OF GOD”.
“The answer usually given, simply that we are 'cold,' will not explain all the facts. There is something more serious than coldness of heart, something that may be back of that coldness and be the cause of its existence. What is it? What but the presence of a veil in our hearts? A veil not taken away as the first veil was, but which remains there still shutting out the light and hiding the face of God from us. It is the veil of our fleshly fallen nature living on, unjudged within us, uncrucified and unrepudiated. It is the close-woven veil of the self-life which we have never truly acknowledged, of which we have been secretly ashamed, and which for these reasons we have never brought to the judgment of the cross. It is not too mysterious, this opaque veil, nor is it hard to identify. We have but to look in our own hearts and we shall see it there, sewn and patched and repaired it may be, but there nevertheless, an enemy to our lives and an effective block to our spiritual progress.
“This veil is not a beautiful thing and it is not a thing about which we commonly care to talk, but I am addressing the thirsting souls who are determined to follow God, and I know they will not turn back because the way leads temporarily through the blackened hills. The urge of God within them will assure their continuing the pursuit. They will face the facts however unpleasant and endure the cross for the joy set before them. So I am bold to mane the threads out of which this inner veil is woven. It is woven of the fine threads of the self-life, the hyphenated sins of the human spirit. They are not something we do, they are something we are, and therein lies both their subtlety and their power.
“To be specific, the self-sins are these: self-righteousness, self-pity, self-confidence, self-sufficiency, self-admiration, self-love and a host of others like them. They dwell too deep within us and are too much a part of our natures to come to our attention till the light of God is focused upon them. The grosser manifestations of these sins, egotism, exhibitionism, self-promotion, are strangely tolerated in Christian leaders even in circles of impeccable orthodoxy. They are so much in evidence as actually, form any people, to become identified with the gospel. I trust it is not a cynical observation to say that they appear these days to be a requisite for popularity in some sections of the Church visible. Promoting self under the guise of promoting Christ is currently so common as to excite little notice.
“One should suppose that proper instruction in the doctrines of man's depravity and the necessity for justification through the righteousness of Christ alone would deliver us from the power of the self-sins; but it does not work out that way. Self can live unrebuked at the very altar. It can watch the bleeding Victim die and not be in the least affected by what it sees. It can fight for the faith of the Reformers and preach eloquently the creed of salvation by grace, and gain strength by its efforts. To tell all the truth, it seems actually to feed upon orthodoxy and is more at home in a Bible Conference than in a tavern. Our very state of longing after God may afford it an excellent condition under which to thrive and grow.
“Self is the opaque veil that hides the Face of God from us. It can be removed only in spiritual experience, never by mere instruction. As well try to instruct leprosy out of our system. There must be a work of God in destruction before we are free. We must invite the cross to do its deadly work within us. We must bring our self-sins to the cross for judgment. We must prepare ourselves for an ordeal of suffering in some measure like that through which our Saviour passed when He suffered under Pontius Pilate.
“Let us remember: when we talk of the rending of the veil we are speaking in a figure, and the thought of it is poetical, almost pleasant; but in actuality there is nothing pleasant about it. In human experience that veil is made of living spiritual tissue; it is composed of the sentient, quivering stuff of which our whole beings consist, and to touch it is to touch us where we feel pain. To tear it away is to injure us, to hurt us and make us bleed. To say otherwise is to make the cross no cross and death no death at all. It is never fun to die. To rip through the dear and tender stuff of which life is made can never be anything but deeply painful. Yet that is what the cross did to Jesus and it is what the cross would do to every man to set him free.
“Let us beware of tinkering with our inner life in hope ourselves to rend the veil. God must do everything for us. Our part is to yield and trust. We must confess, forsake, repudiate the self-life, and then reckon it crucified. But we must be careful to distinguish lazy 'acceptance' from the real work of God. We must insist upon the work being done. We dare not rest content with a neat doctrine of self-crucifixion. That is to imitate Saul and spare the best of the sheep and the oxen.
“Insist that the work be done in very truth and it will be done. The cross is rough, and it is deadly, but it is effective. It does not keep its victim hanging there forever. There comes a moment when its work is finished and the suffering victim dies. After that is resurrection glory and power, and the pain is forgotten for joy that the veil is taken away and we have entered in actual spiritual experience the Presence of the living God. Lord, how excellent are Thy ways, and how devious and dark are the ways of man. Show us how to die, that we may rise again to newness of life. Rend the veil of our self-life from the top down as Thou didst rend the veil of the Temple. We would draw near in full assurance of faith. We would dwell with Thee in daily experience here on this earth so that we may be accustomed to the glory when we enter Thy heaven to dwell with Thee there. In Jesus' name, Amen. (The Pursuit of God, Chapter Three, Removing the Veil by A.W. Tozer)
Please go back and read that portion that is underlined once more. This self-life, this flesh, THRIVES in a religious atmosphere, under the Law, in Prayer Groups, and Singing Songs of Redemption, even in what is commonly called Altar Calls where many think they are doing business with God. It loves the rigidity and rules. It thrives and even grows there. The flesh becomes more manifest, gains strength and begins to push God completely out of the picture, out of the life of the “believer”. Paul tells us this in Colossians.
Col 2:20 If then you have died with Christ to material ways of looking at things and have escaped from the world's crude and elemental notions and teachings of externalism, why do you live as if you still belong to the world? [Why do you submit to rules and regulations?--such as]
Col 2:21 Do not handle [this], Do not taste [that], Do not even touch [them],
Col 2:22 Referring to things all of which perish with being used. To do this is to follow human precepts and doctrines. [Isa. 29:13.]
Col 2:23 Such [practices] have indeed the outward appearance [that popularly passes] for wisdom, in promoting self-imposed rigor of devotion and delight in self-humiliation and severity of discipline of the body, but they are of no value in checking the indulgence of the flesh (the lower nature). [Instead, they do not honor God but serve only to indulge the flesh.]
Again, many mistake these words of Paul because they interpret them according to what they ALREADY BELIEVE instead of asking the Lord what HE means; they look and search for what they THINK are verses that agree with what they already believe instead of seeking the Lord and asking Him to teach them HIS TRUTH! How do we know what Paul is saying is to those who keep the Law instead of living by the Holy Spirit? Because Jesus tells us the very same.
Mat 23:25 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but within they are full of extortion (prey, spoil, plunder) and grasping self-indulgence.
Mat 23:26 You blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup and of the plate, so that the outside may be clean also.
Mat 23:27 Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, pretenders (hypocrites)! For you are like tombs that have been whitewashed, which look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of dead men's bones and everything impure.
Mat 23:28 Just so, you also outwardly seem to people to be just and upright but inside you are full of pretense and lawlessness and iniquity. [Ps. 5:9.]
And this is exactly what Modern Christianity avoids, cleaning the inside of the cup. Instead, although we may avoid some of the seemingly extreme behavior of cults and the Pharisees themselves, we do the very same things on the inside. We can see this by looking at the cases of moral failures that have become rampant in the Evangelical Church today, and I do refer to the big names that have fallen in various ways and the many that have yet to be exposed.
If this were not an epidemic in the Church today, then we would not lead the nation in divorces. The Church in America today actually has more divorces than the rest of the country. If we had truly dealt with the self-life and were allowing the Lord to live His life through us, there would not be any divorces in Christian marriages; not in those who were truly saved and following the Holy Spirit.
How many churches look like Matt 23:28 above? How many actually live that way? Perhaps it would be easier to ask, how many do NOT live in this manner, but actually live lives where the inside of their lives have TRULY been cleansed, where there is no pretense, lawlessness and ini quity, people who TRULY have pure hearts? Yet that is exactly what Jesus came to do, what the Promise of the Father tells us.
What IS the Promise of the Father?>>>>>>>
Ezekiel 11: 19And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God], 20That they may walk in My statutes and keep My ordinances, and do them. And they shall be My people, and I will be their God.
And>>>>
Ezekiel 36: 23And I will vindicate the holiness of My great name and separate it for its holy purpose from all that defiles it--My name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned among them--and the nations will know, understand, and realize that I am the Lord [the Sovereign Ruler, Who calls forth loyalty and obedient service], when I shall be set apart by you and My holiness vindicated in you before their eyes and yours. 24For I will take you from among the nations and gather you out of all countries and bring you into your own land. 25Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleanness; and from all your idols will I cleanse you. 26A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you, and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. 28And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and you shall be My people, and I will be your God.
THIS is the Promise of the Father as revealed to His servants the Prophets and it is this same Promise that came on the Day of Pentecost as described by Peter.
Acts 15: 7And after there had been a long debate, Peter got up and said to them, Brethren, you know that quite a while ago God made a choice or selection from among you, that by my mouth the Gentiles should hear the message of the Gospel [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] and believe (credit and place their confidence in it). 8And God, Who is acquainted with and understands the heart, bore witness to them, giving them the Holy Spirit as He also did to us; 9And He made no difference between us and them, but cleansed their hearts by faith (by a strong and welcome conviction that Jesus is the Messiah, through Whom we obtain eternal salvation in the kingdom of God).
Notice that Peter tells us what happened on Pentecost; their hearts were cleansed by FAITH! He does not mention speaking in tongues (even though they did) nor does he mention any of the other gifts they received, although they received many. What Peter focuses on is the Promise of the Father; the cleansing of the heart by faith as promised by God in Ezekiel. The gifts are secondary as Paul explains in Corinthians. How many actually live lives where they Love from a pure heart?
1 Timothy 1: 5 Whereas the object and purpose of our instruction and charge is love, which springs from a pure heart and a good (clear) conscience and sincere (unfeigned) faith.
2 Timothy 2:22 Shun youthful lusts and flee from them, and aim at and pursue righteousness (all that is virtuous and good, right living, conformity to the will of God in thought, word, and deed); [and aim at and pursue] faith, love, [and] peace (harmony and concord with others) in fellowship with all [Christians], who call upon the Lord out of a pure heart.
1 Peter 1:22 Since by your obedience to the Truth through the [Holy ] Spirit you have purified your hearts for the sincere affection of the brethren, [see that you] love one another fervently from a pure heart.
Is THIS the reality that is found in the modern Church today? Or do we have pretense, self-centeredness, selfishness, deception, false humility, false love, etc. Do we conform to the Will of God in THOUGHT, word and deed? Have our hearts TRULY been cleansed and PURIFIED or are they still full of deceit, and all sorts of uncleanness?
The above verses from Timothy and Peter are not the norm in modern American Christianity. In fact, these things are not taught as realities to be lived in this day. I am not sure what is truly believed about verses such as this. Often they are either explained away as something that is exclusively a spiritual thing that God sees us this way, or ignored entirely. There is no living reality of these verses, being expressed on this earth through what is commonly called the Church in this day and age. Yet THAT is NOT what the Bible tells us.
So who is correct; the Modern Church or the Writers of the Bible? They both cannot be correct as one contradicts the other. I submit, that according to the scriptures, they are the TRUTH that is found in Christ Jesus and what the modern Church preaches is a LIE!
Not only that but what is commonly accepted as the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is in reality either TRUE Salvation or merely the realization by Faith the Gifts given by the Holy Spirit that have always been there since that person was truly saved. The TRUE BAPTISM of the HOLY SPIRIT is what is described in Ezekiel above, confirmed by many passages throughout the Bible.
Just to refesh our memories a little, here are a small example of passages that all agree with Ezekiel and what was just written.
Ephesians 1: 16I do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. 17[For I always pray to] the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, that He may grant you a spirit of wisdom and revelation [of insight into mysteries and secrets] in the [deep and intimate] knowledge of Him, 18By having the eyes of your heart flooded with light, so that you can know and understand the hope to which He has called you, and how rich is His glorious inheritance in the saints (His set-apart ones), 19And [so that you can know and understand] what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength, 20Which He exerted in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His [own] right hand in the heavenly [places], 21Far above all rule and authority and power and dominion and every name that is named [above every title that can be conferred], not only in this age and in this world, but also in the age and the world which are to come. 22And He has put all things under His feet and has appointed Him the universal and supreme Head of the church [a headship exercised throughout the church], 23Which is His body, the fullness of Him Who fills all in all [for in that body lives the full measure of Him Who makes everything complete, and Who fills everything everywhere with Himself].
Ephesians 3: 14For this reason [seeing the greatness of this plan by which you are built together in Christ], I bow my knees before the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15For Whom every family in heaven and on earth is named [that Father from Whom all fatherhood takes its title and derives its name]. 16May He grant you out of the rich treasury of His glory to be strengthened and reinforced with mighty power in the inner man by the [Holy] Spirit [Himself indwelling your innermost being and personality]. 17May Christ through your faith [actually] dwell (settle down, abide, make His permanent home) in your hearts! May you be rooted deep in love and founded securely on love, 18That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God's devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length and height and depth [of it]; 19[That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]; that you may be filled [through all your being] unto all the fullness of God [may have the richest measure of the divine Presence, and become a body wholly filled and flooded with God Himself]! 20Now to Him Who, by (in consequence of) the [action of His] power that is at work within us, is able to [carry out His purpose and] do superabundantly, far over and above all that we [dare] ask or think [infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, hopes, or dreams]-- 21To Him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations forever and ever. Amen (so be it).
Ephesians 4: 20But you did not so learn Christ! 21Assuming that you have really heard Him and been taught by Him, as [all] Truth is in Jesus [embodied and personified in Him], 22Strip yourselves of your former nature [put off and discard your old unrenewed self] which characterized your previous manner of life and becomes corrupt through lusts and desires that spring from delusion; 23And be constantly renewed in the spirit of your mind [having a fresh mental and spiritual attitude], 24And put on the new nature (the regenerate self) created in God's image, [Godlike] in true righteousness and holiness.
Can we see how these prayers are all in absolute agreement with the Promise that is made by God Himself in Ezekiel? Why would Paul pray for the Ephesians to put off the old unrenewed self which is corrupt and put on the NEW NATURE that is created to be like God in True Righteousness and Holiness if they already HAD the new nature just because they were saved? That contradicts the modern “gospel” as well.
I admit, every time I pray about this writing, the Lord lays more and more on my heart to convey to the reader. My concern is the length and how few will be willing to HONESTLY read this, taking every aspect to the Lord for Him to confirm or reject. I know the Lord is telling me to divide this up. There will be further writing on this whole subject. At this time, it is sufficient. Any questions or comments are welcome. In fact, questions could bring about a deeper teaching and understanding of His Truth for all of us.
God bless you all! A bondslave in Christ Jesus, Dirk