Better than good greetings, in Jesus most colourful name!
In the better than good news of the Kingdom for you today, we continue where we stopped in our post yesterday.
Remember, we’re still on that crucial subject: The Essence Of The New Testament Church.
We have already established two main truths that, the New Testament Church is our heavenly Father’s grand design to reconcile mankind unto Himself; & also that His Word, after the pattern of Jesus, is His major instrument of accomplishing this.
Feeding well & healthily in the Word of God determines the growth of the believer which in turn determines the dimension of power he operates in & how far & well he goes in life.
The Holy Spirit tells us by Apostle Paul, in Galatians 4.1(Amplified version), that, “…AS LONG AS THE INHERITOR (HEIR) IS A CHILD AND UNDER AGE, HE DOES NOT DIFFER FROM A SLAVE, although he is the MASTER OF ALL THE ESTATE“;
No good parent will put something of great value in the hands of a child who is a minor.
For instance, if your son is just 9 years of age, no amount of pressure will make you give him the keys of your car, because he’s still not mature enough to handle that kind of item.
When the father of the prodigal son gave him his portion of inheritance, though by age, he might have qualified but by proper use of his faculties, he wasn’t matured because, his senior brother was still at home serving the father, he should have learnt from that; & also, what he should have done first was what he did much later after suffering, asking the father to make him a servant – Luke 15.11-32.
Wise people always ask the Lord what He wants them to do & not what they want to!
Many believers aren’t growing in the Lord Jesus(not following Him as their FIRST LOVE – (Revelation 2.4-5
[Weymouth’s New Testament translation]:
4 “Yet I have this against you–that you no longer love Me as you did at first”.
5 “Be mindful, therefore, of the height from which you have fallen. Repent at once, and act as you did at first, or else I will surely come and remove your lampstand out of its place–unless you repent“).
They aren’t growing in His Word, & that’s why the enemy takes advantage, cheats & manipulates them by his powers of darkness & their human agents.
The SUPERNATURAL lifestyle is part of our redemptive package in the Body of Christ – John 3.8 (Weymouth’s New Testament translation):
8 “The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it is going. SO IS IT WITH EVERY ONE WHO HAS BEEN BORN OF THE SPIRIT”.
Also, we see in 1 Corinthians 12.7-11 that the manifestation of the Holy Spirit for the SUPERNATURAL is for the PROFIT OF BOTH THE CARRIERS OF HIS GIFTS & THE BENEFICIARIES.
1 Corinthians 12.7 (Weymouth’s New Testament translation):
7 “But to each of us a manifestation of the Spirit has been granted for the common good”.
The New King James version renders 1 Corinthians 12.7 as, “But the MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT is given to each one FOR THE PROFIT OF ALL”.
As long as you’re in the Body of Christ, you’ve been wired with at least one SUPERNATURAL gift for your profit & for others.
As others benefit from you, you’ll also benefit from others.
It’s part of your NEW CREATION MAKE UP & that’s why your relationship with Christ & His Word must be topmost priority, so intact & on the increase, growing steadily & healthily in Him.
If you read verse 31 of 1 Corinthians 12, you’ll see that you’re even permitted to ask for the gift that is necessary per time for your profit & for others as the need may arise:
The New Living Translation puts it this way: “And in ANY EVENT, you should desire the MOST HELPFUL GIFTS.
FIRST, however, let me tell you about SOMETHING ELSE THAT IS BETTER than any of them!
The point I’m making is this, that you should PUT FIRST THINGS FIRST!
Let your life be ruled, regulated, controlled, guided & be led by the Holy Spirit, & the Holy Spirit WILL ALWAYS MOVE IN LINE WITH JESUS, THE UNFAILING WORD OF GOD!
Romans 8.14(KJV) instructs us like this: “For as many as are LED BY THE SPIRIT OF GOD, THEY ARE THE SONS OF GOD”.
This simply means that children of God become mature, grow into sons & daughters who can be trusted to handle heavenly treasures, true riches, souls of people appropriately when they allow the Holy Spirit to lead them!
They are Word ruled, led, controlled, guided & regulated!
They don’t allow emotions, sentiments, peer group, social, societal & family pressures to determine their decisions, choices & way of life but God’s Word only, relying on the Holy Spirit for good understanding & enabling.
No wonder, our Lord Jesus instructed in Matthew 11.28-30(Weymouth’s New Testament translation):
28 “Come to me, all you toiling and burdened ones, and *I* will give you rest.
29 “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls”.
30 “For it is good to bear my yoke, and my burden is light“.
The Message version renders verse 29 as:
“Walk with me and work with me–watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you”.
Our Lord Jesus is saying here that He wants your suffering to end but you’ve to see things the way He sees things, think the way He thinks, speak the way He speaks, conduct & carry yourself the way He conducts & carries Himself, then & only then, will your suffering end & you get truly blessed – Proverbs 10.22(Amplified version):
22 “The blessing of the Lord – it makes [truly] rich, and He adds no sorrow with it [neither does toiling increase it]”.
Matthew 11.28-30(Amplified version):
28 “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls”.]
29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am gentle (meek) and humble (lowly) in heart, and you will find rest (relief and ease and refreshment and recreation and blessed quiet) for your souls”.
30 “For My yoke is wholesome (useful, good – not harsh, hard, sharp, or pressing, but comfortable, gracious, and pleasant), and My burden is light and easy to be borne”.
Beloved, it’s so sweet to trust in Jesus, just to take Him at His Word…!
This teaching continues…
PEACE!
JESUS IS LORD!