Wednesday, January 22, 2014

THE TRUTH

There Is Liberty

"And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." They answered Him, "We are Abraham's descendants, and have never been in bondage to anyone. How can you say, 'You will be made free'?" Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed. John 8:32-36

Religion, even Christianity, makes captives of people and puts them into a set mind pattern and does not make them freemen.  Many converts are made by their religious leaders to think or say things that are politically correct or biblical or else they are ostracized by others. In sociology this is referred to as group conformity and is very prevalent in Christian denominations where an acceptance is based on adherence to a set pattern of beliefs or else they get ostracized.

In my youth,  having read the bible many times  and many Christian books, it was very easy to play roles and be accepted by the different Christian groups just by changing phrases and saying the things that were  politically or religiously correct.  What was always sad for me was to see my friends doing things not out of personal convictions, but because their church and peer pressure demanded it of them.

In one particular group, the elders were always tearing down the younger people and pointing out their sins and failures. The Lord spoke to me and pointed that the elders were trying to live their Christian life under the law, and were failing miserably. To justify their failures they were pointed out the failures of others as a way of saying that they were not so bad. They had not understood the freedom that was in the Lord and in the Spirit of the Lord. Apostle Paul wrote to such a group and stated:

O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed among you as crucified? This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?

Have you suffered so many things in vain-if indeed it was in vain? Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?- just as Abraham "believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham. Galatians 3:1-7

It is to be noted that Paul called them foolish Galatians which they were even though for legalists God’s word states:

"But I say to you that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment. And whoever says to his brother, 'Raca!' shall be in danger of the council. But whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be in danger of hell fire. Matthew 5;22

Paul brought out the fact the Holy Spirit was not given by works and that those who  supply the Spirit and work miracles among them do not do it by the works of the law but by the hearing of faith. The Holy Spirit and miracles come as a result of faith and have nothing to do with works, legalistic ideas and doctrines of demons  that people preach and live by.

One of the biggest tragedies of Christendom in our generations especially among the Evangelicals is that people are created by men  who are converts and duplicates of others and not of the one who had created them, the living God.  They are not free in the Spirit of the Lord but are subject to so many rules and regulations and foolish ideas of men. They are taken captives and are  tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting. They are not growing up in all things into Him who is the head-Christ but into denominational thinking and the teaching of men.

Their thought patterns and beliefs had been indoctrinated by men and not the Holy Spirit. They do not even know who the Holy Spirit is; never mind having a real relationship with Him. They live in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God which comes by the Spirit of the Lord and not adherence to some doctrines, rules and regulations that even their leaders hypocritically do not follow.  It is just a mind game of deceived and blind ones leading the blind and the devil having a field day with them defeating and dismaying them at every turn.

Now Apostle Paul, who knew the scriptures from his youth, spoke in tongues and prophesied more than all of them, and laid hands on others so that the Holy Spirit came upon them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied, said to the Galatians “Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?”   Paul, himself, preached and lived by the Spirit and not by the works of flesh. As a result He told God’s people:

Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Christ has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage. Indeed I, Paul, say to you that if you become circumcised, Christ will profit you nothing. And I testify again to every man who becomes circumcised that he is a debtor to keep the whole law. You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace. For we through the Spirit eagerly wait for the hope of righteousness by faith. For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Galatians 5:1-6

Well the present generation of Christians knows very little about the Spirit and of speaking with tongues and prophesying. Many are entangled in doctrines of demons and works of the flesh. Many have been indoctrinated that being a pastor or a missionary is the highest calling  of God and in life. But nothing is further from the truth. For Jesus Christ was only a carpenter and never went to seminary or cemetery, never went to a bible college and yet the God of miracles worked in Him and through Him. Something that very few of those who call themselves Christians can say.

To such as these the God of miracles is dead, miracles have passed, and miracles do not exist today.  Miracles have been replaced by the Greek version of the bible and perspiration. In other words God helps those who help themselves. Which being properly translated means he will have to help them when they fall flat on their face.  For with out the Holy Spirit, a real and vibrant relationship with Him and His indwelling power failure is guaranteed even to those who are called by God’s name. As a result Apostle Paul stated an important truth that most chose to ignore:

And I, brethren, when I came to you, did not come with excellence of speech or of wisdom declaring to you the testimony of God. For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I was with you in weakness, in fear, and in much trembling. And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God. 1 Corinthians 2:1-5

The faith of God ‘s true people is not to be in the wisdom of men but in the power of a miracle working God. In the power of a God who took the very worst that men and demons threw at Jesus and made it to be the very best thing that happened in the universe.

In a God who took the disgrace and the apparent failure of the cross of Jesus Christ and made it into the greatest victory that man has every seen or will see. In a God whose miracle power has not changed and can take any situation and turn it around.. In a God who can by His Holy Spirit raise a life from the dead even as He had raised Jesus Christ from the dead. In a God who is a miracle working God and does miracles for His true ones even this day

For the Christian faith is not in a set of doctrines, beliefs or creeds but in a person who is God and a miracle working God. Who by the words of His mouth created the universe and everything in it and sustains it. In a God who can by His word change anything and do anything that He sets His mind to including blessing some and destroying others like He did with Abraham and Sodom and Gomorrah.

In a God who is more than enough to meet and supply any need and handle any problem that is given to Him in faith and trust. In a God who answers by fire like He did to His friend and prophet Elijah at Mt. Carmel. God’s word records:

And it came to pass, at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near and said, "LORD God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, let it be known this day that You are God in Israel and I am Your servant, and that I have done all these things at Your word. "Hear me, O LORD, hear me, that this people may know that You are the LORD God, and that You have turned their hearts back to You again." Then the fire of the LORD fell and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood and the stones and the dust, and it licked up the water that was in the trench. Now when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, He is God! The LORD, He is God!" And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal! Do not let one of them escape!" So they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the Brook Kishon and executed them there.

 Then Elijah said to Ahab, "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain." So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees, and said to his servant, "Go up now, look toward the sea." So he went up and looked, and said, "There is nothing." And seven times he said, "Go again." Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, "There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!" So he said, "Go up, say to Ahab, 'Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.' "  1 Kings 18:36-44

When the fire of God falls His people are turned back to Him and the false ones are executed by God’s people. Then His true ones can boldly say "Go up, eat and drink; for there is the sound of abundance of rain" and then pray the rains in.

This generation of Christians has seen a lot of false prophets who worship the God of Baal, of prominence, riches and fame but not the God of Elisha who answers miraculously by fire and changes the hearts and minds of His people.  For only the only Holy Spirit with His Baptism and fire can bring a true revival to God’s people and foolish evangelism by men can never do it. Something that many have not understood and as a result few people have been touched, changed or set free by so called Christians in America today.

We have had speech and  preaching that were with persuasive words of human wisdom and money changers and wolves in sheep’s clothing in the House of God but not a real demonstration of the Spirit and of power. But the fire of God is falling and we have not seen anything yet as the God of Miracles is well and alive even on planet earth. When He moves no one can stop Him or say a word against Him and His true servants

 

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