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●To Learn Bible Doctrine
● To Learn About And Apply The Doctrines That Will Help Us To Walk In The Spirit
CHAPTER 2
To Learn Bible Doctrine
Another reason to go to church is to learn about the many truths of the faith. God has chosen some in the church (e.g. apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastor-teachers) to convey these truths to the congregation. Some believe there are no longer apostles or prophets in the church leaving this duty for the pastor-teacher. Whether this is true or not will be discussed in another study.
This can get tricky, because what exactly are these truths we should learn? For some salvation, the bundle of benefits received by the person who believes the Gospel (repent and believe) is not described as being attained in this manner. Often water baptism is seen as the basis for a person becoming a child of God. Once this takes place many of the benefits of salvation are seen as being earned by obeying the requirements of the denomination they are involved with.
Doctrinal teachings can differ by analogy as the various facial features in people. Let me give you one example in regard to the doctrine of forgiveness. Some churches teach that not all of the sins of mankind were forgiven (wiped away; removed) at the cross. They advocate that whatever sins a person commits during their lifetime are forgiven by confession. Some say this confession should be made to a priest. If certain egregious sins are not confessed, and hence not forsaken, this person might not go to heaven at physical death. At this person’s funeral prayer might be offered to help expedite their journey to heaven. Other churches might state that all of the sins of mankind were forgiven (wiped away; removed) at the cross. In this case confession of these sins are to be made to God the Father not as in regard to one’s eternal destiny, but in regard to restoring a person’s fellowship with him.
You could probably mention any doctrinal teaching and I would guess that what is taught, is taught differently depending on the church you are attending. So where does this lead us?
I will say it like this. You should go to a church where God has literally come into the lives of the assembly by means of the indwelling Holy Spirit. If you have never experienced God’s presence (e.g. a divine love, a divine joy, a divine peace) in your life and are aware that the church you are attending has never or will never preach the pure Gospel (repent and believe), then the salvation benefits about which will spoke earlier will never become effectual in your life. And not only so, but the ministry of the Holy Spirit, which I will mention later in this study, will never become operational in your life. I have to be blunt here and say that if this is the case you should go to a different church.
If the gospel has been preached and you have responded favorably to it, then you have received the Holy Spirit along with a bundle of other benefits. Along with this the church leadership should be providing many teachings on various biblical topics such as (e.g. Blessings; Baptisms; Seven Crowns; A Godly Mouth; Divine Guidance; Defense Mechanisms, Complaining; Growth; The Virgin Birth; The Lord’s Supper; etc.) just to name a few. The view expounded concerning each of these topics will vary depending on what verses are used to support it.
You might respond by saying I am born again and either have or am attending a church whose teachings are varied as you mentioned, but I am not sensing God’s presence at all. I’m not enjoying the messages. I am gaining knowledge intellectually, but God’s presence seems to be far far away. I am considering leaving this church and even maybe this faith.
I can tell you that I have been where you are at. As I mentioned earlier I became born again in the late 70’s at a Baptist bible study. At that moment in time God’s presence was saturating. Soon thereafter I began to attend Sunday morning services along with a bible study mid-week. Some of the teachings of this particular Baptist Church that I remember are as follows. They believed in Calvinism, which is the teaching that God has chosen some to go to heaven and others to go to hell. Another teaching was as to whether a believer could have the gift of tongues. They argued that this gift had ceased operating following the death of Christ’s apostles. What I noticed in many of the teachings was there was a lot of discussion on evangelizing the lost. Not that this is a bad thing, but this objective was focused on much more than on doctrinal topics. I also remember a lot of emphasis about not committing certain sins. I can honestly say that for the most part except for one particular occasion God’s presence was nowhere to be found. After having been studying and teaching the word for over twenty years I believe I know why this was the case.
Many churches present the gospel and provide teachings on many biblical topics. However, I believe there are a few doctrines which are not taught or are taught in an incomplete manner thus inhibiting the believer from experiencing God’s presence whether during the gathering of the saints or outside of it.
Stay with me and find out how God’s presence can become more operational in your life.
CHAPTER 3
To Learn About And Apply The Doctrines That Will Help Us To Walk In The Spirit
How can God’s presence become more operational in our life?
The first doctrine I am going to present to you is one that you might respond to by saying oh no not this again. In most churches, not all that should be presented about this doctrine is taught. And whatever is taught about it to the assembly who hears it are simply told not to engage in it period. Well, the name of this doctrine is called the Doctrine of Sin. Before you run out the door let me explain this to you albeit hopefully in a different way in which it was taught to you before.
The sin issue in regard to the penalty owed to God the Father in order to satisfy his justice was taken care of once and for all by the atoning sacrifice of Christ on the cross. However whether we are a believer or not all of us has a sin nature, which sins. Some churches will say that as long as you don’t commit certain sins everything is ok. What is really lacking in this teaching is that sin is not just what we say or what we do it also has to do with what we think. So with this in mind the believer needs solid teaching on the different kinds of sins along with how they can address them in a spiritual way by means of using God’s word.
The first thing I would like to do is present a scriptural section that describes certain sins. After which I will tell you, what should be the first thing you should do if you find yourself thinking about or having engaged in any of these sins. I will also reveal to you what is the second thing you should do after you have done the first thing which will help you in combating those sinful reoccurring mental preoccupations that have served as the catalyst for verbal or overt sins. Please go to the book of Galatians.
The works of the flesh:
Galatians 5:19
The apostle Paul is stating that the works (deeds) of the flesh (sin nature) are manifest (visible and obvious) which are:
~ Adultery: Not found in the best manuscripts.
~ Fornication: Refers to any and all forms of illicit sexual relationships (e.g. adultery, fornication, pedophilia, bestiality, lesbianism, homosexuality, incest, etc.)
~ Uncleanness: Moral uncleanness in thought, word and deed.
~ Lasciviousness: one who acknowledges no restraints in these sexual activities; one who shamelessly outrages public decency.
Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
All of these sins mentioned are sexual in nature. If a Christian is having a problem in any of these areas what should they do?
By just trying to stop thinking about or committing them doesn’t address the real cause behind them which is the sin nature. There are three things that can help to subdue the desires or tendencies of the sin nature. The first is found in the book of 1 John.
If we confess:
1 John 1:9
When we sin mentally, verbally, or overtly the first thing we should do is confess or admit this sin to God the Father. We could say something like this to him, God I acknowledge this thought, word, or action as sin and I ask for forgiveness. The word forgiveness means when we do our part God will do his part. God’s part is that he will remove the discipline that we would have incurred if we had not confessed the sin to him. It also means to recover the filling of the Spirit and to remove lost fellowship with God.
What in the world does it mean to recover the filling of the Spirit? Many churches don’t teach on this topic because they either don’t know what it means or if they do know what it means they don’t know how to recover it. Before I tell you what it is and how to recover it I want to mention one more thing in regard to the confessing of sin. If all a believer does is acknowledge and confess sin this cycle will never end. The confessing believer will go around and around and see no changes in any of these sinful areas. What is missing from this equation? Let’s go to the book of Romans.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Be ye transformed:
Romans 12:1-2
For many churches what is being conveyed in these scriptures is not being conveyed to the assembly in regard as to how to address the sin nature. For them the basic message is go to church, participate in church activities, and try not to sin. But there is another way which should be taught from the pulpit. This other way says the only way we can appear as new persons with new habits is by a change for the better of our mental processes. What does this mean? It means that our thoughts need to be changed by thinking with a different perspective (a divine perspective) toward any sinful tendency. You might say, I still don’t understand what you mean.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. (Romans 12:1-3)
Let’s say we have a weakness in any of the sexual sins that were mentioned earlier from Galatians 5:19. How can we rule over these tendencies so that we are not continually in subjection to them? The answer is by learning, appropriating, and meditating upon the divine perspective which is found in the word of God. In this respect we need to change our views from looking at others with sexual self-gratification in the mind to looking at others with what God’s view is for us to have toward them.
For example our mind toward unbelievers should be toward their salvation. Here are a couple of verses that we should hide away in our heart.
For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. (Luke 19:10)
Like Jesus our mind set should be to seek and save that which is lost.
Having your conversation (behavior) honest (morally good; an outer goodness that strikes the eye) among the Gentiles (the unsaved world): that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers (doing what is bad), they may by your good works (deeds; actions) , which they shall behold (view attentively), glorify God in the day of visitation (the good works of Christians, their beautiful and separated lives are used of God as one of the means of bringing lost sinners to the Lord Jesus. When they are saved, God becomes the spiritual overseer of their souls).(1 Peter 2:12)
In regard to our fellow believers our mindset toward them should be of loving them with a pure heart.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another (a love called out of one's heart by the preciousness of the person loved where the idea is of self-sacrifice for the benefit of the person loved) with a pure (free from every admixture of what is false) heart fervently (continually; in an all out manner): (1 Peter 1:22)
So there it is. I have added some of the meanings for some of the scriptural words by placing them within parenthesis. What your responsibility is, is to read these verses over and over so that they will become engrained in your mind. Throughout your day reflect on them so that God’s perspective is what you are focusing on. If you are consistent in doing this something miraculous will begin to happen. Do you know what it is? Please go to the book of Ephesians.
But be filled with the Spirit:
Ephesians 5:18
As we focus on God’s word the Holy Spirit fills (controls) us. What does this mean? It means the Holy Spirit fills the believer with himself, which is another way of saying that we begin to experience his presence (e.g. a divine love, a divine joy, a divine peace) in our own life and as a result manifest it to others. This is where our walk with God gets really exciting. As we align ourselves with God’s word the ministry of the Holy Spirit becomes activated. No longer are we void of God’s presence. And to top it all off there is so much more to the ministry of the Holy that we will begin to become aware of.
And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit
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