Truth In Christ Topical Commentaries: The Truth: The Pattern(s) of God:

Part One: The Pattern of God for the Church:

Is God specific in every thing He speaks, that we should adhere precisely to it?

Proverbs 30:5a:
5a) “Every word of God is pure:”

II Timothy 3:16:
16) “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17) “That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”

Ephesians 2:8-10:
8) “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
9) “Not of works, lest any man should boast.
10) “For we are His workmanship, created (re-created, born again, a new man) in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.”

Matthew 4:4: Jesus speaks to Satan when the Lord is tempted:
4) “But He answered and said, ‘It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’.”

II Peter 1:21:
21) “For the prophecy (word) came not in ole time by the will of man: but holy (sanctified) men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

John 14:21-24: Jesus speaks to the disciples of the words of God:
21) “ ‘He that hath My commandments (not the ‘ten’, although they are fulfilled through faith, which worketh by love: Galatians 5:6b, Romans 13:8-10), and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will love Him, and will manifest Myself to him.’
22) “Judas saith unto Him, not Iscariot, ‘Lord, how is it that Thou wilt manifest Thyself unto us, and not unto the world?’
23) “Jesus answered and said unto him, ‘If a man love Me, he will keep My words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.
24) “ ‘He that loveth Me not keepeth not My sayings (words, or, commandments): and the word which ye hear is not Mine, but the Father’s Which sent me.’.”

Deuteronomy 18:18-19: God is speaking to Moses:
18) “I will raise them (Jews, Israel, the ‘Circumcision’) up a Prophet from among their brethren (but not of the flesh of their brethren, for Jesus is the ‘Child of the Holy Ghost’ (Matthew 1:18), and not of Adam’s sinful flesh), like unto thee, and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.
19) “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto My words which He shall speak in My name, I will require it of him (who does not hearken, whosoever he be).”

Isaiah 55:8-12:
8) “ ‘For My thoughts are not (as) your thoughts, neither are your ways (as) My ways’, saith the Lord.
9) “ ‘For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.
10) “ ‘For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11) “ ‘So shall My word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.’.”

Are there boundaries to the word of truth which we may cross, and still be in the will of God?

James 4:17:
17) Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin (transgression).”

James 2:10:
10) “For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all (the law).”

Luke 12:48b:
48b) “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall much be required.”

And that is why God provided this escape from sins that we inadvertently commit as believers:

I John 2:1:
1) “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate (Attorney, Lawyer) with the Father, Jesus Christ, the righteous:”

I John 1:9:
9) “If we confess our sins (unto God), He (God) is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Just as salvation is sure to the believer, and the devil will be cast into the eternal lake of fire, so is the word of God, the scriptures:

Numbers 22:18: Balaam the prophet replies to Balak’s offer to him:
18) “And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, ‘If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of the Lord my God, to do less or more.”

Revelation 22:18-19:
18) “For I (John) testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy  (revelation) of this book, ‘If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:
19) “ ‘And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy (revelation), God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’.”

In Part Two, we shall go into more detail as to what we must really expect of ourselves before the Father, as we work out our personal stewardship.

Here are the basic steps to successfully living in Christ, and serving our Lord; beginning with:

Step 1: Ye must be born again (saved, with your past sins taken away by believing in the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ, the Lord:

John 3:16-18:
16) “For God so loved the world (of sinners), that He gave His only Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
17) “For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through (believing in) Him might be saved.
18) “He that believeth on Him is not condemned (by their past sins any longer): but he that believeth not is (still) condemned (by his past sins, being unforgiven), because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

Step 2: Commit your life into the hands of God, and study the word of truth, how you may keep the new covenant of faith in Jesus; for you are personally responsible to God for what you believe in the word of truth, for you alone will be judged when you appear at the judgment seat of Christ, that you may receive just reward for your stewardship.

II Timothy 2:15:
15) “Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman (steward) that needeth not to be ashamed (either during your stewardship, or at the judgment seat of Christ), rightly dividing the word of truth.”

Step 3: Now that you are a child of God on the path that leads to victory in Jesus, you need to be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Matthew 28:19.

Step 4: Receive the Holy Ghost (the Spirit of truth), whereby you may have access to the hidden wisdom and knowledge of God within the written and true word of God, the scriptures, and have access to the mysteries of God, even as Paul the apostle spoke of many times, that we may be fully informed of the things that God has prepared for them that love Him, and ‘follow on to know the Lord’, diligently learning His ways, discerning His thoughts.

(Remember Isaiah 55:8-11, above)

Here is the complete example, or manifestation of the Lord's giving of the gift of God to all men who will receive it through Christ Jesus:

Acts 10:43-48: Peter preaches the gospel, even to us, the Gentiles:
43) “To Him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of (all past) sins (which all have committed: Romans 3:23).
44) “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word
45) “And they of the circumcision (Jews, Israelites) which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost (Joel 2:28).
46) “For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify (glorify) God. Then answered Peter,
47) “ ‘Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we (believing Jews and apostles)?’
48) “And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord (of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost). Then prayed they him to tarry certain days.”

And water baptism can be done either before, or after, receiving the Holy Ghost, as the scriptures clearly designate in various locations in the Bible.

Postlog:

I seek to please the Father, that He may use my calling to bring about blessing in the lives of others. I seek no acclaim, and do not seek donations, or any goods, services, or favors. All of those things will be regulated and controlled by the Father Himself.

As Paul said, ‘I am as ye are.’ Just love me also as a brother in Christ.

As believers, we are family; we are sisters and brothers in the Lord Jesus Christ: we are the Church, 'the body of Christ, and members in particular.': I Corinthians 12:27.

Speaking plainly, each of us has been assigned to become a particular functional part (member) of the body of Christ, as the Spirit of the Lord guides us. And that calling is the function of the body that we are to develop in Jesus, though we may also do good works of faith, by love, in other functions, as we are led by the Spirit to do so.

Paul wrote (II Timothy: 4:5) to Timothy, his fellow helper in the ministry of Jesus Christ, 'But watch (consider, evaluate, attend) thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist (preach the gospel to all people of all nations), make full proof  of thy ministry (by the doing of it).'

We, as well, by the doing of whatever ministry is immediately set before us, we also make full proof of our ministry, to both God, and man, in the love of Christ that is within us, for all men are made in the image of God.

Brother Allan Thomasson, humble and obedient servant of my Lord Jesus Christ, and of all my sisters and brothers in Jesus, of every nation, and of every denomination, administrator and coordinator of the three participating ministries listed below:

I research scriptural truth, and write the truth for:

1) ‘Last Days’ Ministry to the Church that Jesus Built’,

2) ‘Apostolic Believers’ Worldwide Fellowship In Christ’, and

3) ‘TRUTH IN CHRIST MINISTRIES’

Remember, ‘God loves you. Love Him back.’