Christian Living
The Church Now and Then
We experience in the church today what the early church experienced but at a different level of understanding. We are just as accountable today as they were then when the Word first came to then. The time has come for us to realize that we must come together. God made a way through Jesus Christ for us to be united. Together we stand, divided we fall. We are in this together, whatever comes our way. We are in this together, It’s all about Jesus; He is the Way, the Truth, and the Light. We are one, one in the blood. We need to come together to defeat the enemy. We are one in the body of Christ. Binding us together, pulling together we will have so much more. Divided we fall. We are in this together, lift our voice and say Jesus is the way. Christ as our guide, Spirit down inside, we can touch the world spreading the love of God. We are in this together, whatever comes our way. To get the job done we need a clean heart, serve God in Spirit and Truth, and follow his lead. We should follow Christ without price. God don’t need riches He is already rich. The earth is his and the fullness thereof and all they that dwell therein.
We experience in the church today what the early church experienced but at a different level of understanding. We are just as accountable today as they were then when the Word first came to then. It is high time that we drop the act. The Art of Professionalism has no place in the church of Jesus Christ. We are a people that should be moved and led by the Spirit of God and not the flesh. It’s too much flesh on parade flashing across the screens of Christian television and played out across the Altars of the Church of Christ. It’s time we refocus our attentions on Christ, the Holy Spirit, and God, not man. It’s time to drop the act and pick up the Spirit. We are like the Scribes and Pharisees of Jesus day. They were more seen doing than actually being a doer of the Word. It’s time out for the let’s play church act!
Do we know who we are and understand God? What is man? Man is a spirit with a soul that lives in a body. Why would we have assurance of salvation and how is it attained? If we grab hold of life, the spirit makes us live. If the spirit makes us live why do we need it to dwell if we are only to follow Him? The Holy Spirit allows us to interact moving in the earth and spiritual realm. Because of its distinction and mobility the spirit has we can move freely in peace with God. The body we know is the temporary housing place of the living soul and the human spirit. The Holy Spirit must rule man’s spirit to rule the soul. The Holy Spirit leads, guides and control our conduct where we will find ourselves yielding to God’s lead and Commandments rather than serve out our flesh. We cannot see God without the Holy Spirit He is our life.
The living soul, mind, conscience, will, intellect and emotions is the real eternal you that allows the human body or human spirit to dictate its present life and future destination. He also desires to assist us in our decisions. He desire that our lifestyle reflects God’s holiness. The Spirit is the free moral agent of eternity. He seeks to lead us in the ways of God. We need godly virtues in preparation to receive God’s Spirit. Sanctification, Holy Spirit and God’s Word is there to separate us from the things of the world that we might be sanctified through God’s truth. God gave His Spirit to help us to overcome the world. For when we would do good evil is present so we find ourselves warring with our flesh over the Spirit. The Spirit of God helps us to defeat the temptations from the enemy against our flesh. The Spirit of God helps us ward off Satan’s tactics to draw us away from God. He helps us to transform through the trouble in our lives. When we fear God and keep his commandments we are wise and the godly wisdom the Spirit helps us to acquire.
The Spirit of God is a fountain of life. The soul has been converted. The Spirit comes and is acquired through a study of the Word of God, observance of the commands in our hearts and a life of holiness. We have escaped the condemnation of God through righteousness. Are we sure of our salvation? The Spirit of God makes us sure along with the Word of God, the Work of Christ and the witness of the Spirit. The law of sin and death comes when the rules of conduct has been broken. We have yielded our members to sin rather than keep God’s Word. (Psalm 19:7). The body is dead because of sin but the Spirit is life; that’s what the Spirit does for our bodies. He is our inner verification; He verifies that we are children of God.
If we look long and hard enough we will find flaws in everyone that crosses our path but when we reverses the light and shine it on us we will find that we are not perfect either. If we think on this manner we are bound for a spirit of pride that will destroy everything in us that was God. In the life we live in today many flaws in man can be found just as in the days prior when our fathers and forefathers disobeyed the Word of God. It’s time for man to stop running and come and accept restoration Jesus came to bring to man. Jesus brings us into full relationship with God. Not only do our flesh learn how to be submitted to God’s Word, but our spirit man give God’s Spirit free course in our lives. When we come to obey God’s Word with it comes an understanding of God’s Spirit. God have what we need for survival both naturally and spiritually. We must understand and be understood. Man has a need to be understood. Before we can appreciate the redemptive work Jesus did at Calvary we must understand that He loves His Father and man.
We needed help then and we need help now. We need to realize we need help and accept the help God sends us. Many have entertained angels unaware. If God does not help us there is no restoration of man in this life. We are responsible for our own actions. We respect our fellow man, love and tolerate each other and through inventory of our own lives we will find how much of God is in us. Salvation is a personal relationship with God. Only God knows what’s in the relationship. We are to take our salvation serious and face the fact that we aren’t perfect. Giving up or giving in to the pressures of life keeps us bound. If we fall down we have to get up.
Deliverance is a process and our steps are ordered by the Lord. We take one step at a time. To stay with God we must understand the process. No child born in the world walks upright the day they are born. We do not walk before the time. As a baby grows and grow; they age and learns how to walk and stand one step at a time. So it is in the Spirit. A new convert continues to grow as they learn of God and willingly obey His Word. Sometime we don’t understand that we are to endure this Christian walk of Salvation all the way to the end. We are saved and we sanctify ourselves every day. Man however is human and is never satisfied. He has a problem because they try to please man. Man is to convince themselves through the Word of God that we are to confess our bad habits and know our own deficiencies that we face them and deal with them accordingly.
Repentance is to the Christians as food is to the body. Repentance brings salvation and salvation brings us to the heart of God. God’s Spirit keeps the flesh under subjection to the perfection and providence of God. Repentance brings us face to face with God. It keeps us righteous before God and not in ourselves where the hands of pride can take a grip on us. God that made the world and all things therein; seeing that He is Lord of Heaven and Earth is not in temples made by the hands of men.
We miss God because we don’t really get to know all that He is. Genesis 28:16 surely the Lord was in this place and I knew it not. In the house of righteousness is much treasure. God cannot be contained in the mind of man. The Heaven and the Heaven of Heavens cannot contain God. So how can we in our finite minds contain God therein? It is God Spirit that helps us do spiritual warfare when we have been equipped for duty. Doing battle in the Spirit realm (Ephesians 6:10-12). Love is the very nature of God and He put all of Him in man. God’s grace is his favor and goodness to us the3at deserved condemnation. It’s not getting what we deserve. God’s mercy is getting what we do not deserve.
Jesus lived in the flesh a perfect life and now God’s Spirit is here to help us live perfect lives also; as much as be possible. It is the Spirit of God that walks us through the sanctification process that we can live sanctified. The Holy Ghost changes our desires toward the world through the Word that we may grow in the Word.
It’s time the lights come on in the world. Driving along the highway one day sometime we notice that the day had passed and night came. On the other side of the highway some cars had lights on and some drove with no lights. We noticed that no cars in front of us flashed their lights to let them know on the other side that their lights were not on. It’s time the lights come on in the world, the church have to drop the act and consider if our ways are like God or not. God says there is too much flesh on parade across the stage of religion. Is religion now just another show? Is being saved now just getting up and performing? Should my desire be for me to be seen? We must consider our ways!
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