‘Almost persuaded’

‘Almost persuaded’ doesn’t accomplish anything, for it is but falling short of reaching our goal to please God.

We must be ‘fully persuaded’ of every doctrine, every truth, every principle we believe, in order to please God, as we continue to study them to their ultimate understanding.

But we must not stop there. The whole issue is to find out how we may please God in the scriptural patterns which He has designed for us, and then He will be pleased, and so will we, although we encounter some other shortcomings while we are earnestly attempting to arrive at our highest goal, that we may please God entirely.

While God is pleased with our earnest efforts through faith in His word of truth, there are some considerations to which we must apply ourselves wholeheartedly.

One way is to search the scriptures daily whether those things are so, which we have been taught, as the new believers in Berea did.

Acts 17:10-11:Paul and Silas taught of Jesus to Jews at Berea:
10) “And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews.
11) “These (at Berea) were more noble than those (renegades) in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things (which Paul and Silas taught them out of the scriptures) were so.”

Keep in mind that, the only scriptures that were available in those times were the Old Testament scriptures: the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalms, as Jesus described them:

Luke 24:44: Jesus speaks of Himself in the Old Testament scriptures:
44) “And He said unto them (the eleven apostles), ‘These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you (before death on the cross, burial, and resurrection of the body of Christ), that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning Me.’.”

　
Doctrine:
Consider this:

Romans 14:5: Paul writes this disclosure on ‘doctrines’:
5) “One man (believer) esteemed (holds more highly) one day above another: another esteemed (considers) every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (, that the doctrine which he believes is, in his own mind, surely what the scripture reveals to him).
6) “He that regarded the day, regarded it unto the Lord; and he that regarded not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth (whatever he wants), eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not (eateth selectively, as he believes may please the Lord), to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.”

And so it is with every doctrine, as one understands it, after careful study and consideration by the word of truth; for it is obvious that, within the body of Christ, there are many and varying ways which believers perceive and understand the word of truth.

Does that mean that all those various concepts are right?

No. It means that men construe a statement in the scripture in many different ways. And partly, that may be that they do not know enough of the scripture to make an educated concept of what it truly says. And, though all but one understanding (if even one) may be correct, all others will not be right.

However, we are not equally at the same stage of growth in Christ, and in the word of truth; therefore, we must learn what we can, and faithfully apply it, improving on it until we get it right; and God will be pleased, and to whatever stage one faithfully reaches and practices, God will be well-pleased.

As new converts to Christ, we must therefore:

I Peter 2:1-3: Peter instructs new believers in Jesus:
1) “Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speaking,
2) “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye many grow thereby:
3) “If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious (are born again, saved).”

Hebrews 5:13:13) “For every one that useth milk is unskillful in the word of righteousness:”

So then, we must grow in Christ, and by the strength of His word, knowing that God will receive the faithful child of the Father.

We must be fully persuaded, at every stage of our growth in Him, that the things which we understand will please the Father, until we come to the place where we read in:

Hebrews 5:14: The greater stage of growth: maturity:

14) “But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their (spiritual) senses exercised to discern (distinguish between) both good and evil.”

Principles of God: The way of truth:

Isaiah 28:9-10: Gathering principles of God for sound doctrine:

9) “Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine (of God)? Them that are ‘weaned from the milk’, and ‘drawn from the breasts’.

10) “For precept must be (concisely adjoined) upon precept, precept upon precept; line (verse, phrase, passage, word) upon line, line upon line; here a little (portion, part), and there a little:”

II Timothy 3:16-17: Paul declares the surety of the word of truth:

16) “All scripture is given by the (specific and concise) inspiration of God, and is profitable

II Timothy 2:15: Paul tells us whose responsibility it is for knowing the truth in the true word of truth:

15) “Study to show thyself (you, yourself) approved unto God (not man, or an organization, or group, but unto God), a workman that needeth not to be ashamed (during your stewardship in Christ, or at the judgment seat of Christ), rightly dividing (understanding, perceiving) the word of truth.”

There is one common reason that we do not all come to the same understanding by the word of truth:

John 16:12-13: Jesus tells the apostles what they will need to do that they might understand the truth in the word of truth, after Jesus returns to heaven, and is again glorified with the Father: (John 17:5):
12) “I have yet many things (truths, hidden mysteries, wisdom of the Father, hidden knowledge of the Spirit) to say unto you, but ye cannot bear (perceive, understand) them now.
13) “Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth (the Holy Ghost: Joel 2:28) is come, He will guide you into all truth.”

The apostles were not able to know more than what the scriptures read in the Old Testament, because the truth had not yet been revealed, except at times when Jesus gave them understanding to perceive only certain things, as in:

Luke 24:45: Jesus gives them power only to perceive this portion:
45) “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures,”

Then He spoke only those things they were to understand at that one specific time; and then that capability was taken from them until they, which were among about a hundred twenty believers, received the baptism with the Holy Ghost:

Acts 2:4:4) “And they were all (about a hundred twenty, including the eleven apostles) filled with the Holy Ghost, and they began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’

So the whole existing Church, which consisted only of all those listed in the previous scripture, was, individually, baptized with the Holy Ghost, as the whole Church should be; and must be, in order to know the truth, as did the apostles. And afterward, those whom God called to the ministry of the gospel of Christ saw to it that the whole Church did receive the baptism with the Holy Ghost, so that there would be no deviation from the truth, which is by the Spirit of truth, the Holy Ghost, by the baptism with the Holy Ghost.

However, all things considered, we must accept one another, though we may not all believe exactly the same thing; for Jesus commanded us, beginning with the apostles:

John 13:34-35:34) “A new commandment I give unto you, ‘That ye love one another; as I have loved you (even though you have many shortcomings, and are somewhat ‘slow learners’, and also at times, ‘poor listeners’), that ye also love one another (showing My nature, and humble, with charity, as it is defined in Romans chapter 14.)
35) “ ‘By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, if ye have love one to another.’.”

However, the pattern of God for the Church, the body of Christ, is this:

I Corinthians 1:10: Paul writes this firm but loving statute of God:
10) “Now, I beseech (firmly and with deep love of God, admonish) you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing (truth, doctrine), and that there be no divisions (denominational separations) among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together (as ‘members in particular’, of the body of Christ) in one mind and in one judgment.”

Beloved sisters and brothers, in order to keep the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ (as stated in John 13:34-35 above), we must strive to bring that pattern of God to come to pass; for God is not in any way pleased when we do not conform to His ‘patterns’ which He has specifically and concisely set throughout the word of truth.

In order to conform to that one necessary pattern of God, how shall we successfully perform the good works of faith? Therefore, we must repent, and return to God, as the scripture says:

Hosea 6:1-3: This prophecy of Hosea dates about BC725:
1) “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn (us apart), and He will heal (put us together again) us; He hath smitten (look at us: we are smitten, we are bruised), and He will bind us up (bandage us, cover the wounds).
2) “After two days (about two thousand years: ) will He revive us (out of our sleep, from our lack of sobriety, awaken us): in the (beginning of the) third day He will raise us up (as His mighty army against the evil, and in compassion for the lost souls of the world), and we shall live (be alive) in His sight (of approval).
3) “Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord: His going forth (before us) is prepared as the morning (awakening, refreshing, light, realization that there is work to do, time to come clean, arising to the occasion); and He shall come unto us as the rain (outpouring), as the latter (outpouring of His Spirit) and former (as the first rain, the outpouring on the Church of individual believers in Christ, on the day of Pentecost: Acts 2:4) unto the ‘earth’ (literally the flesh).”

Then we shall come together as one body of Christ, fellowship with the gospel, doctrinal differences aside as the secondary objective of the Church, that we may win the world, which is our prime objective in the first place, at the last harvest of souls, just before the Church of true believers in Jesus is taken away from the world, to be with Christ, where He is, for evermore. (I Corinthians 15:51-54;
II Thessalonians 4:16-18)

God’s ways and thoughts are much higher than our ways and thoughts; therefore, we must depend upon God, the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of truth, to clarify God’s ways and thoughts to us, as we search the scriptures for His knowledge and His doctrine.

This will reveal to every one the fact that, in order to be able to think within the range of God’s higher ways, and higher level of thoughts, we need to become capable and qualified to come up more to the level of His ways and thoughts. And it is not within the range of the capabilities which man can develop without receiving His power to acquire those capabilities without the intervention of God by the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth.

I was many years in the same situation as all ‘denominational’ sisters and brothers are today. I had my scriptures, and I had my arguments.

But God had a plan for me. And He took me to a place of humility and hunger, and revealed to me that we, all believers, are to receive the same power as the apostles had, and though those twelve were the only ones chosen by Christ to be apostles, we are to do the work of an apostle, or and evangelist, or a prophet, or a teacher, or any office which it becomes necessary to fill at any given time, and God does qualify us when the need arises. Therefore, I sought His will on all of that for six weeks.

And God rewarded me, for then, as I prayed for the Holy Ghost to fill me, Jesus baptized me with the Holy Ghost, and I spoke almost uncontrollably with other tongues, and I glorified God, like this:

Acts 10:43-47: Peter preaches Jesus Christ to a houseful of Gentiles:
43) “ ‘To Him (Jesus) give all the prophets witness, that through His name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins.’
44) “While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them that heard the word.
45) “And they of the circumcision (6 Jews) 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 (the Holy Ghost being the gift, the ‘promise of the Father’: Joel 2:28-29; Luke 24:49; Acts 1:4-5, 8; Acts 2:4; Acts 2:36-39;
Acts 19:1-7...).
46) “For they heard them speak with tongues (‘as the Spirit gave them the utterance’), and magnify (glorify) God. Then answered Peter,
47) “ ‘Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized (immersed in water), which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we (all believing Jews throughout the Church of Jesus Christ)?’

Here, then is what will happen after that ministry of Christ from heaven
(John 1:33; John 7:37-38; John 13:15-17):

John 8:32: Jesus speaks to born-again believers, what shall happen:
32) “And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:36: And now Jesus tells them how they shall know the truth:
36) “If the Son therefore shall make you free (to the knowledge of the truth by the Spirit of truth, Which is come by the baptism with the Holy Ghost), ye shall be free indeed.”

Jesus made us free from our sins by His finished work on Calvary’s cross. And those are they to whom He spoke these things, who had believed in Him unto that salvation, that freed them from their sins, and the everlasting penalty of not believing in Him: John 3:18.

But ‘the truth shall make you free’, and ‘free indeed’.

But the Church in general is not free, because we have determined our own truth, which does not make you free; therefore, we are ‘torn’ apart, into smaller and smaller denominations; and we are ‘smitten’ with the same blindness with which the Jews were smitten:

Romans 11:25: The blindness of Jerusalem, the Jews, Israel:
25) “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant (not knowing) of this mystery, lest ye should be ‘wise’ in your own conceit; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.”

So, when Israel rejected Jesus, ‘that Prophet’ (Deuteronomy 18:18), blindness came to them, for Jesus, after He had ministered the word of the kingdom of God for about three and one-half years, He was only able to mourn them, and to say these things:

Matthew 23:37-38:
37) “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!
38) “Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.”

How is it that we have missed all of these things for the last about two thousand years? We shall not be able to explain any of this away to the Father, because He is the One Who set the patterns, and the principles, and the doctrine.

Here is His commandment to us, the Church, sisters and brothers, ‘sons’ of God, regarding His concise patterns of all things that have to do with the service in Christ, as He was concise in the making of the things of the tabernacle, as He gave the patterns to Moses in Mount Sinai, at Horeb:

Exodus 25:40: God speaks of the patterns of all things to Moses:
40) “And look (be careful that) thou make them (all of the things which shall be used in the service of God) after (according to) their pattern, which was showed thee in the mount.”

Dare we not make (do, follow) all things of the service of God after the pattern God showed us in His word of truth?

Israel deviated from the truths and principles and doctrines of God, and this is the result of that walking away from God’s principles:

Jeremiah 30:11: After Israel had returned to God:
11) “ ‘For I am with thee’, saith the Lord, ‘to save thee: though I make a full end of all nations (or, in our case, denomi-nations) whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee: but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether unpunished (without chastening).”

Job 5:17: Job’s ‘comforter’ speaks true words:
17) “Behold, happy is the man (afterward) whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty:
18) “For He maketh sore, and bindeth (bandages) up: He wounded, and His hands make whole.”

I am the happiest that, because I have erred, God corrected me, because fellowship has been restored. But in many cases, after I have ‘danced’, I still have to ‘pay the piper’!

Sisters and brothers, I write these things with greatest love of the brethren in my heart, that we stay in the center of God’s way, and God’s thoughts, and God’s will. And we shall not only be free from our past sins (and those which we discover, and confess to God, that He forgives our sins, and cleanses us from all unrighteousness:

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

When patterns (principles) of God are established, whether in the Old Testament, or the New Testament, they will not change, as long as man is upon this earth. To Israel, He said:

MalachI 3:6: Of God’s ordinances and principles and covenants:
6) “For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob (natural Israel) are not consumed (destroyed).”

God must be first in our lives for us to have the best of this life, and of the life to come.

He made the whole universe just for His family. Will you come and join us…for ever?

God loves you! Love Him back.