‘Almost persuaded’‘Almost persuaded’ doesn’t
accomplish anything, for it is but falling short of reaching our goal to please
God. 'Close' doesn't work in these principles, but it is a step forward.
We must be ‘fully persuaded’ as to our doctrinal beliefs, in order to please God.
If we are not convinced that our doctrines are right without a doubt, we need to keep on searching until we are confident that the word of truth confirms it to us.
But we must not stop there.
We must be ‘fully persuaded’ as to our doctrinal beliefs, in order to please God.
If we are not convinced that our doctrines are right without a doubt, we need to keep on searching until we are confident that the word of truth confirms it to us.
But we must not stop there.
The whole issue is to find out how to please God in the concise way He had
designed for us, and then He will be pleased, and so will we, although we will
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 (new believers in Christ at Berea) were more noble than those (thugs and rebels) 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 His 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:
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 (new believers in Christ at Berea) were more noble than those (thugs and rebels) 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 His 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) esteemeth (doctrinally holds more highly) one day above another: another esteemeth (doctrinally considers) every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (, that the doctrine which he believes is, most surely what the scripture reveals to him).
6) “He that regarded the day (as doctrinally special), regarded it unto the Lord; and he that regarded not the day (to be of cognizant significance), to the Lord he doth not regard it (regardeth it not). He that eateth (without restriction), 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, among the multiple and diverse doctrines of the many denominations, 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.
Romans 14:5: Paul writes this disclosure on ‘doctrines’:
5) “One man (believer) esteemeth (doctrinally holds more highly) one day above another: another esteemeth (doctrinally considers) every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind (, that the doctrine which he believes is, most surely what the scripture reveals to him).
6) “He that regarded the day (as doctrinally special), regarded it unto the Lord; and he that regarded not the day (to be of cognizant significance), to the Lord he doth not regard it (regardeth it not). He that eateth (without restriction), 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, among the multiple and diverse doctrines of the many denominations, 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 different men construe the same principle (or
doctrine) of God, which they read in the scripture, in different ways, according to their own
understanding, perception, and verbal interpretation, rather than the revelation by the Spirit of truth: John 16:12-13.
Another reason is often that, they do not know
enough of the scripture to make a correct evaluation of what it truly
says. (See II Timothy 2:15; II Timothy 3:16-17; Hebrews 5:13)
And, though all but one understanding in each doctrinal truth or principle (if even one throughout all denominations) may be correct, all others will not be scripturally correct.
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 to whatever stage one faithfully reaches, and practices, God will be well-pleased.
(Ref: Romans chapter 14; I Peter 2:1-12)
The following truth is essential, that we realize as well, that we must not stabilize ourselves on our literal understanding of the word of truth, for it is so much more than our natural minds of our carnal man's wisdom can comprehend, or perceive: And, though all but one understanding in each doctrinal truth or principle (if even one throughout all denominations) may be correct, all others will not be scripturally correct.
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 to whatever stage one faithfully reaches, and practices, God will be well-pleased.
(Ref: Romans chapter 14; I Peter 2:1-12)
I Corinthians 2:14:
Isaiah 55:8-11: God shows us the difference between our comprehension, and His truths:
8) " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways', saith the Lord.
9) " 'For as the heavens are higher than the earth (possibly 'infinitely'), so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.'."
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 5:12-3:
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 every faithful child of the Father, as we each grow in grace, and in the power of His might, and in the truth of the word of truth.
We must be fully persuaded, at every stage of our growth in Him, that the things which we understand are well-pleasing to our Father, until we come to the place of which we read, in the following passage:
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.”
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 5:12-3:
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 every faithful child of the Father, as we each grow in grace, and in the power of His might, and in the truth of the word of truth.
We must be fully persuaded, at every stage of our growth in Him, that the things which we understand are well-pleasing to our Father, until we come to the place of which we read, in the following passage:
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.”
Isaiah 28:9-10: These words define the composition of the word of truth, and how it shall be known:
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 (principle, truth) must be (concisely and correctly) upon precept, (and other) precept
upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little: (as required to complete each truth, or each doctrine, or each principle of God, all of which must be concisely in context with the whole Christian Bible, both Old Testament and New Testament)."
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 validity of the word of truth:
16) “All scripture is given by the (specific and concise) inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17) "That the man of God (believer in Christ) may be perfect (in God's sight), thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
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. We have not all been baptized with the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, Who, alone, is assigned to 'guide you into all 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 for the two or three times when Jesus gave them temporary 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 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 each, individually, baptized with the Holy Ghost, as the whole Church should be today, as must be, in order to know the truth, as did the apostles.
And at all times there were new believers 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, and love all our sisters and brothers inthe Lord, that we may be the example to the world of lost souls, though we (the Church of true believers) 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 Christ's love, and being 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.’.”
The specific 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 deepest 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 (for: 'Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.’: I Corinthians 12:26) 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. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19; John 14:21-24)
(Ref: Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10) (Also, see: Ephesians 2:8-10)
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 back to about BC725:
1) “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn (us apart, divisions, denominations), and He will heal us (bring us together again); He hath smitten (look at us: we are smitten, we are bruised, we are not one body), and He will bind us up (bandage us, 'cover' the wounds and open sores).
2) “After two days (about two thousand years: II Peter 3:8) 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 (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: Joel 2:28-29), as the latter (rain, outpouring of His Spirit) and former rain (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 our earthen 'vessel', our flesh).”
Then we shall come together as one body of Christ, fellowship with the gospel, doctrinal differences basically put 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.
Isaiah 55:8-11: God reveals the difference between our minds, and His own:
8) " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, heither are your ways 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 then 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.'."
Paul the apostle gave us also a short version of that principle in the New Testament, when he wrote the following passage:
I Corinthians 2:14: The natural mentality, as compared to spiritual things:
14) "But the natural man receiveth not (does not perceive, neither understand) the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness (not of any worth) unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned (evaluated)."
This reveals 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 guidance into truth by God, the Holy Ghost, Which is the Spirit of truth.
I was many years in the same situation as so many of my ‘denominational’ sisters and brothers are today. I had my scriptures, and I had my arguments. And I felt that I was the winner of every debate on the subject of the Holy Ghost.
But God had a 'special' plan for me, and my 'smart Allan' ways
So, He took me to a place of humility, and spiritual thirst and hunger, and He then revealed to me that we, all believers, are to receive the same power as the (12) apostles had been given, and, though those twelve were the only ones chosen by Christ to be apostles, we are also called to do the work of an apostle, or an 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, in the last part of 1965.
And, on December 12, 1965, God rewarded me, for, 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, for three or four minutes (maybe more), and then, I glorified and magnified God, in my own American English, just 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 which 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 the salvation of their souls, and that freed them from their sins, and from the everlasting penalty of not believing in Him: John 3:16-18.
But ‘the truth shall make you free’, and ‘free indeed’, by the Son, Who baptizes with the Holy Ghost (John 1:33).
But the Church in general is not free, because we have determined our own doctrinal 'truths', which do 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, until we return unto the Lord:
Romans 11:25: The blindness of Jerusalem, the Jews, Israel:
25) “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant (not knowledgeable) of this mystery, lest ye should be ‘wise’ in your own (boastful) 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 upon (Deuteronomy 18:19) 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, and specifically to Moses, master craftsman from his training and education, which God saw that he received, so that he would be capable of overseeing and/or performing all crafts required by his assignment of God in the mountain, Sinai, regarding His concise patterns of all things that have to do with the service in God, and 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, so is He concise in the patterns of the Church of Jesus Christ:
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, and then, returning to God:
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).”
And that is the principle of God which shall apply to all who allow themselves to deviate from God's principles and doctrines of truth, for which chastisement is perfectly in order; for we have the word of truth, and the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth, if we will receive Him. If not, we shall continue to depend upon the 'wisdom' of the 'natural' mind of 'carnal' man, to interpret God's word.
But remember Isaiah 55:8-11! And John 16:12-13! And John 8:36! And a whole 'raft' of scriptures which tell us exactly what (Who) we need to know the truth.
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, when I have erred, God corrected me, because fellowship with God has been restored. And 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), but 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, but they will continue to apply to all, for as long as man is upon this earth. To Israel, He said:
MalachI 3:6: Speaking 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, so that we may have the best of this life, and the assurance of the life to come.
He made the whole universe just for His family. And whosoever believes in Jesus, the only begotten Son of the only true and living God Jehovah (John 3:16-18) is a son of God; and He is our Father:
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 validity of the word of truth:
16) “All scripture is given by the (specific and concise) inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness:
17) "That the man of God (believer in Christ) may be perfect (in God's sight), thoroughly furnished unto all good works.
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. We have not all been baptized with the Holy Ghost, the Spirit of truth, Who, alone, is assigned to 'guide you into all 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 for the two or three times when Jesus gave them temporary 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 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 each, individually, baptized with the Holy Ghost, as the whole Church should be today, as must be, in order to know the truth, as did the apostles.
And at all times there were new believers 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, and love all our sisters and brothers inthe Lord, that we may be the example to the world of lost souls, though we (the Church of true believers) 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 Christ's love, and being 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.’.”
The specific 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 deepest 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 (for: 'Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.’: I Corinthians 12:26) 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. (Deuteronomy 18:18-19; John 14:21-24)
(Ref: Matthew 22:36-40; Romans 13:8-10) (Also, see: Ephesians 2:8-10)
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 back to about BC725:
1) “Come, and let us return unto the Lord: for He hath torn (us apart, divisions, denominations), and He will heal us (bring us together again); He hath smitten (look at us: we are smitten, we are bruised, we are not one body), and He will bind us up (bandage us, 'cover' the wounds and open sores).
2) “After two days (about two thousand years: II Peter 3:8) 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 (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: Joel 2:28-29), as the latter (rain, outpouring of His Spirit) and former rain (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 our earthen 'vessel', our flesh).”
Then we shall come together as one body of Christ, fellowship with the gospel, doctrinal differences basically put 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.
Isaiah 55:8-11: God reveals the difference between our minds, and His own:
8) " 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, heither are your ways 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 then 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.'."
Paul the apostle gave us also a short version of that principle in the New Testament, when he wrote the following passage:
I Corinthians 2:14: The natural mentality, as compared to spiritual things:
14) "But the natural man receiveth not (does not perceive, neither understand) the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness (not of any worth) unto him: neither can he know them, for they are spiritually discerned (evaluated)."
This reveals 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 guidance into truth by God, the Holy Ghost, Which is the Spirit of truth.
I was many years in the same situation as so many of my ‘denominational’ sisters and brothers are today. I had my scriptures, and I had my arguments. And I felt that I was the winner of every debate on the subject of the Holy Ghost.
But God had a 'special' plan for me, and my 'smart Allan' ways
So, He took me to a place of humility, and spiritual thirst and hunger, and He then revealed to me that we, all believers, are to receive the same power as the (12) apostles had been given, and, though those twelve were the only ones chosen by Christ to be apostles, we are also called to do the work of an apostle, or an 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, in the last part of 1965.
And, on December 12, 1965, God rewarded me, for, 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, for three or four minutes (maybe more), and then, I glorified and magnified God, in my own American English, just 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 which 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 the salvation of their souls, and that freed them from their sins, and from the everlasting penalty of not believing in Him: John 3:16-18.
But ‘the truth shall make you free’, and ‘free indeed’, by the Son, Who baptizes with the Holy Ghost (John 1:33).
But the Church in general is not free, because we have determined our own doctrinal 'truths', which do 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, until we return unto the Lord:
Romans 11:25: The blindness of Jerusalem, the Jews, Israel:
25) “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant (not knowledgeable) of this mystery, lest ye should be ‘wise’ in your own (boastful) 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 upon (Deuteronomy 18:19) 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, and specifically to Moses, master craftsman from his training and education, which God saw that he received, so that he would be capable of overseeing and/or performing all crafts required by his assignment of God in the mountain, Sinai, regarding His concise patterns of all things that have to do with the service in God, and 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, so is He concise in the patterns of the Church of Jesus Christ:
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, and then, returning to God:
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).”
And that is the principle of God which shall apply to all who allow themselves to deviate from God's principles and doctrines of truth, for which chastisement is perfectly in order; for we have the word of truth, and the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth, if we will receive Him. If not, we shall continue to depend upon the 'wisdom' of the 'natural' mind of 'carnal' man, to interpret God's word.
But remember Isaiah 55:8-11! And John 16:12-13! And John 8:36! And a whole 'raft' of scriptures which tell us exactly what (Who) we need to know the truth.
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, when I have erred, God corrected me, because fellowship with God has been restored. And 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), but 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, but they will continue to apply to all, for as long as man is upon this earth. To Israel, He said:
MalachI 3:6: Speaking 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, so that we may have the best of this life, and the assurance of the life to come.
He made the whole universe just for His family. And whosoever believes in Jesus, the only begotten Son of the only true and living God Jehovah (John 3:16-18) is a son of God; and He is our Father:
I John 3:1-2.
Will you come and join us…for ever?
God loves you! Love Him back.
Will you come and join us…for ever?
God loves you! Love Him back.
No comments:
Post a Comment