Christian Living
Let us get back to the teachings of the new testament church, when everything was revealed from on high and when something was said, it wasn't debated and decided whether this is what Jesus really meant or to throw that something out because it didn't make sense.
They didn't have a group of men deciding what to teach and how to make it doctrine.
And the proper way of expounding it.
What Jesus said, is what Paul wrote down, he actually got it all by revelation, so what was there to argue.
Gal 1:12 For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.
Gal 2:2 And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.
Eph 3:3 How that by revelation he made known unto me the mystery; (as I wrote afore in few words,
In fact much came by revelation, the word of prophecy was more like real revelation rather then the watered down messages that often come out today.
They were directly from the Lord and this was quite common during that time.
1Co 14:26 How is it then, brethren? when ye come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying.
Since Pentecost when the Spirit baptized the believers and His Spirit came down powerfully, the word of God was living and active in them, by the Spirit.
That life is our eternal life, Our resurrection life.
This was what came forth from their lips, the utterances of God by the Holy Spirit.
The Spirit of revelation
God's Spirit provides another kind of power as well. "But as it is written: 'Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.' But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit . . . No one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit [which] is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God" (1 Corinthians 2:9-12).
Please bear with me, this is a very crucial message to understand.
Bear in mind that the word of God is not a book, though it has been put in the pages and called the bible, it is much much more.
It truly is alive and it will speak to you just as if the Lord was speaking to you today.
If you pick it up as the word spoken to you from the Lord, your life will be changed as you will understand what He is teaching, what He is saying to you about Himself.
He is teaching so it is not meant to be torn apart, and dissected and evaluated. This is where we get the false teachings and doctrine today. Jesus is the living teacher.
Every word will speak to us today as it did thousands of years ago, even the old testament.
It is for yesterday, today and forever, that is the Word of God.
It never changes, it doesn't change because we are in a different era, the words He speaks to us today are relevant for any time, past, present or future.
Now when I say Jesus teaches you through the word, or that He reveals something to us through the word, doesn't mean we can try to figure it out with head knowledge, that is the problem today.
It is a book of the Spirit not a book of head knowledge, we do not have to intellectually take it apart to suit ourselves To make it mean what we THINK it means.
Read it as if Jesus was sitting there before you speaking the word to you personally. he is a personal God and that is how He wants a relationship with us.
I want you to look at some truth with me, and then you will see why it is important to go back to the new testament teachings instead of the watered down version that is being taught today.
Better still, let the Word Himself teach you in the bible.
Joh 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; Jesus IS the LIFE.
You have to look at this very carefully, because Jesus is saying that the Father has life in Himself and has given it to the Son.
God is a Spirit so you have to understand we are not talking about a living breathing body as ourselves. We are talking about the breath of God, the breath of LIFE, called in the Greek word pneuma. Also called ruach in Hebrew.
This is the same breath that called LIFE into existence, every living breathing entity, every flower, every tree, every thing that was made that is made he called it to LIFE by His Breath. he breathed life into it.
He breathed life into every man. But because of mans sin, he lost that life.
Until God the Father sent His Son to be our LIFE.
We have been redeemed and given new life.
Pro 8:35 For whoso findeth Me findeth life, and shall obtain favour of the LORD.
Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.
Joh 3:15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
Joh 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ok, we have received His life when we believe, rest, trust, and have faith in Him, that He was sent of the Father to give us His life.
We actually exchanged our life for His.
.Joh 4:14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
This is the life of Holy Spirit that springs up within us. The life that flows out from us to others.
Rev 21:6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.
He will fill us as much as we desire to be filled. Just say FILL ME LORD, and He will fill us.
Rev 22:1 And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.
The water of life flows from the throne of God, this can also be likened to love, as when we are flowing in the spirit who is love, we are flowing in His love.
Rev 22:17 And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.
Oh Lord fill us, fill us with Your life, Your love. As his bride we need to thirst for Him, thirst for His life in us, cry out to Him to fill us to over flowing so we have something to give others. More of you Lord, More of Your Spirit, we need You More.
The disciples had the Life with them, He was the light of men, and when He went to be at the right hand of the Father, He sent His Holy Spirit to be with them. And when the Holy Spirit came He filled the believers with LIFE to the fullness.
So much so that when Phillip led of the Holy Spirit came alongside of the Ethiopian man in his chariot, (who was in charge of Queen Candace treasure) and saw he was reading Isaiah, he began to preach Jesus to him, and the Eunuch believed, confessed Jesus and he was baptized right there.
And Phillip was taken up by the Spirit,and took him to Azotes, and the Ethiopian saw him no more, and he went on his way rejoicing.
This is life everlasting, this is resurrection life, this is the life that raptures, or translates, as Phillip was translated.
Heb 11:5 By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.
Translate means to transport, transfer, change, move, carry away.
Do you notice that it says that he did not see death, because God translated him, because he pleased God.
Phillip was full of this life, he had the Spirit of God in Him. And he must have pleased God. he was translated from one place to the next.
To be filled with the Holy Spirit is one way to have this life in us, but there is also other ways to get more of His life.
One way is to abide in Him, just as a branch abides in tree, it cannot bear fruit unless it is abiding in the vine. Or the tree. The life is in the tree, or vine, it goes forth up from the roots and goes into the branch so that it can bear fruit.
This is the same way we must draw on more of this life.
We see that a branch that has been cut off from the tree and is hanging there, has no life in it, it looks like it is hanging on for dear life.
And sooner or later the gardener comes to that tree and cuts down the branch because it has no life in it, because it is no longer attached to the life in the tree.
And then there is the tree that though it may have a branch that is attached, yet it looks dead, and that is because it is diseased, and it must be cut off so it doesn't affect the whole tree.
So as we stay attached to the Lord, abiding in Him all through the day. It means to adhere to, stay close to, His life goes through us.
I had someone make a comment to me that a tree doesn't always produce fruit, that is true, and usually the Gardner prunes it so it produces or produces more fruit. though I am not an expert on trees the example I am sharing with you was giving to me by the Lord, and it has stuck with me ever since.
The other way we can get more of this life in us is by eating Him as bread or the word.
Joh 6:33 For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.
Joh 6:35 And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.
Jesus is talking about being bread, which is the word of God.
Joh 6:48 I am that bread of life.
Joh 6:49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.
Joh 6:50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.
Joh 6:51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The word of God is called bread, and His flesh, which was shed for us. Jesus is the Word, the living word.
So for us to consume the word, to take it in daily not a few lines in the bible but to allow it to sink deep down, to let Him speak to you through the word. You are taking in life. his life, life everlasting.
Think about what he is saying to you, let it dwell deeply. Let it become a apart of you. Ask the Lord to give you life, to give you wisdom, understanding, and knowledge of Him. pray also for discernment.
So what do you want coming from the pulpit, a dead word, one that has been changed by seminarians,an intellectual word of head knowledge, one that tickles your ears.
Or do you want to hear the word of Life, that comes forth when a man or women is taught of the Holy Spirit. It is the spirit that gives life. The flesh profits nothing.
What was given to the early church was as the Holy Spirit revealed it to the Apostles, it wasn't watered down to suit the congregation.
And I am sure that Paul never got up and told jokes, or funny stories like they do today. It is known that the reason Pastors and teachers do not speak the truth, or speak about holiness, is that they do not want to offend anyone. if they offend someone, and the person never comes back they lose money.
Often they will not even preach on a certain topic, or subject that might cause someone to see their sins, and it offends them, because the person might think that the Pastor was talking about him or her. And leave and never come back.
What do we want, a church full of pew sitters or real disciples? It is the spirit of God that changes us through the truth spoken in the word of God.
Isa 58:1 Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins.
Brothers and sisters, this is the LIFE that I speak about, we want it in our pulpits, we want it in our daily life, we want to be filled to over flowing with His life, do you see the importance?
A dead false word will not give you life.
it might make you feel ok about yourself, and not see your sins that you might need to repent of, and it might make you feel good about going to church, but it certainly does not have the affect the word of God is intended to have.
That is why you are struggling, that is why you are depressed, that is why your marriage isn't working, that is why you are caught up with the things of the world. Because you lack this real LIFE. If you had this life in you, You would enjoy life, you would not be lonely. You would not get up and wonder what is wrong with your life, you would not be seeking other things, drugs alcohol, sexual addictions.
I am not saying everyone doesn't have some discouraging days, or times, but when you have His life, you overcome, you are led, you have joy, you have His word in you, and He is in You, and everything you do, you do it in Him. Because HE IS YOUR LIFE.
And you have faith In the Lord in life's circumstances. You know because he lives you shall see tomorrow, and because He lives in you, no matter the trials He gives you, You know that you know they will all work together for good. That they are just trials to work more of His life in you.
You no longer live but Christ lives in you. You live and breathe and have his His life in you, you give His life to others, by giving them the word of life, by giving them Jesus, by giving them a word of encouragement.
LIFE EVERLASTING, RESURRECTION LIFE.
Joh 11:25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:
Joh 11:26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?
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