Just Wondering about Jesus missed chances

Just Wondering

With all the power Jesus Christ displayed on the earth, why didn't He become the richest man in the world?

With His wisdom, why didn't He become like Solomon who earned so much from His own wisdom?

Why didn't Jesus Christ open a bread and fish business since He could multiply such to feed millions and become very rich?

He could turn water to wine and rule the winery market making a fortune, why did He remain dependent of those who ministered to Him of their substance?

He healed the sick, a hospital would have made Him very rich. Why didn't He make money from it to support the ministry?

He even raised the dead, that'll be a great money spinner!

Money from the mouth of the fish...wow, He could make a fortune and rule the world through that, why didn't He take advantage of that?

People even wanted to make Him king, wow, that'll be the greatest, He could become king, and set his image on a coin and the whole Palestine will pay Him taxes... Wow, big money, why didn't He do it?

He didn't turn stone to bread to feed Himself when He could have and it'll become a great testimony...

He was offered all the kingdoms of the world and the glory thereof, He declined it all...why? That would make Him to be the head of the world and the richest but He missed it... Why?

Was He a fool? Would you miss such business opportunities and not take advantage of glaring chances of a lifetime?

To many that's a failed life...

To many others, it's their salvation!

Be careful of your business and commercial mentality when it comes to the things of God and of the spirit, your eternity is at stake...

[My Offline Bible] Luke 12
15 And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 20
17 Bread of deceit is sweet to a man; but afterwards his mouth shall be filled with gravel.

Good morning, Happy Sunday!

Living the Life of Faith in God

Living the Life of  Faith in God

If we must engage the supernatural, the mode of communication must of necessity be changed from when engaging the natural. When we got born again and our spirits got reactivated by the supernatural life of God, we were introduced into a new life, a new world and we became part of a spiritual and supernatural community.

Of course the supernatural realm isn't reachable by physical or natural means. Our physical senses can't go through the supernatural boundaries. We can't see, feel, taste or ear the realm of the spirit with our physical senses. Physical researches and physical experiments can't detect spirit realm directly except they leave a message behind through their activities.
So, if we have to deal in the supernatural it'll have to be through some other means.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 11
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

In all our efforts to be approved of God and to please Him faith becomes the platter or platform upon which we serve whatever we offer. It is the channel of communication between the realm of the spirit and the physical.

We must believe and live by what we believe to have access. Faith is an access. We can't reach God without faith. We can't please Him without faith.

[My Offline Bible] Isaiah 53
1 Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

To be able to exercise our capacity to believe as required of faith, we need a report. If we can't access the supernatural by our five physical senses, then we need to be informed somehow of what's going on behind that veil at the other side of the border.

The realm of the spirit therefore reaches out to us through our spirits in form of revelations since experimentation isn't possible. The revelation knowledge of God's word released through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit feeds our senses with reports from the super realm for us to believe and live by.

Now, the spirit realm isn't just filled with God and His angels, every spirit being dead and alive, good and bad, godly and ungodly all live beyond the realm of the senses. So we have two sides or levels of the super realm. One of God, the other of Satan. One of light the other of darkness. Both sides have their focuses on the earth looking forward and planning towards future eternity. They both need a harvest from the earth and have to exercise their influence, authority and will on earth to gain mankind in preparation for the future. The physical became a temporary arrangement after the fall of man, the eternal future is at stake and the super realm wants the spirit of men.

The word of God, revealed through holy men who were moved by the Holy Spirit to speak on earth reveal the operations of the realm of God. This report is made available to us so that we can believe and be part of activities in that realm even here in the physical.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 1
1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;

God reached to us through the fathers in time past, He has reached to us in this last days by His own Son, the very word of God, who was in the bosom of God, who became man to reveal God to us. No other arrangements can be of any greater authenticity than this. Before He came, every revelation pointed towards Him and now that He has come we need to take heed to what He has to say and do in God's quest to make us like Himself in preparation for the eternal future with Him.

What report did He bring?

Jesus Christ came to speak grace to us.
[My Offline Bible] John 1
17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. That's the revelation of God that Jesus Christ came to give us: Grace!

He taught it and demonstrated same. He gave us Himself as example of the grace available to us through faith. Living the life of faith is living by the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The report we must believe to see the revelation of God's hand is the word of His grace. Grace provided by the love of God for us, seeking a place for us with Him in eternity.

So faith cracks the nut of God's grace to suck the power and wisdom of God hidden within for mankind to become what the will of God for him says.

[My Offline Bible] Ephesians 2
8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God:

[My Offline Bible] Romans 4
16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all,

[My Offline Bible] Romans 5
1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

We can't be that man God has in mind without what He has made available for us in grace. The word of His grace reveals to us in Christ the things freely given to us of God. The works has been finished from the foundation of the earth, now we live in a realm where we are crucified but Christ lives in us through faith in His grace.

Our faith is daily fed as we see Christ teach and demonstrate His Word in the gospel. We feed on what He has done that gave us the right and authority to live like Him supported by the power of God as we read the epistles and we thus live by faith daily seeing beyond what eyes can see, being connected to the super realms to bring to bear the supernatural in the physical so we become what God wants us to be.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 2
20 I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. 21 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain.

The faith life is the total lifestyle of the child of God. It comes through the understanding of the operation of the spirit realm of God. We live by those things reported which we are convinced and are persuaded of concerning God, His plans and principles. And when we do, His power and wisdom are released through us and we live the supernatural life here beyond the vanities, sinfulness and the limitations of the world and of Satan as we live the victorious life in Christ by the grace of God.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

We make the most of our being born of God by discovering what the will of God and what He wants for us are and living towards that by  the grace freely given to us through faith.

We relate with the natural and the supernatural as necessitated by God's word placing each where it should be.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 4
16 For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day. 17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; 18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Living the life of faith is using the eyeglasses of faith to walk through all the physical or even the spiritual presents to us daily with eternity with God in view.

Let's do it! Live the faith life and reveal the potential of divinity laid up within.

Good morning!

........................................................................

Grace Missions International Ministers Conference on marriage at Shagamu starts later today...

Stand in faith with us!

Life in the Spirit

Life in the Spirit

Jesus said as the wind blows and we hear the sound but not knowing it's particular departure point or its arrival destination so is every one that's born of the Spirit. He said he that's born of the Spirit is spirit and he that's born of the flesh is flesh.This is instructive and fundamental of the life in the spirit. John 3

There is a life in the spirit and another in the flesh. To manifest as sons of God, we have to live in the spirit. If we must be like God and be conformed to Christ in character and in charisma we can't live in the flesh and succeed in that.

When we got born again, recreated with the seed of God and sealed by His Spirit, we got transformed within. We become free in spirit ended with authority and power to flow in the realm of the spirit but we also have our mind and bodies here where we live in the now.

Before the spiritual regeneration, we were described like what Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 2

[My Offline Bible] Ephesians 2
1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;) 6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

The past was death. We were dead in sin, we were trapped in the course of the world, in the power of a spiritual lord, the prince of the power of the air. We had no choice than to fulfill the desires of the flesh and of the mind and were 'BY NATURE' children of wrath.

That was who and where we were spiritually before being born again and the more reason we need to take kindly to people who are yet to meet Christ around us in love.

This should instruct us that being born again is much more than some character and physical changes to suit laid down traditions we hold dear, it is a fundamental spiritual life transformation rooted in the spirit. It isn't the mental ascent of some vocabulary and way of speaking or even thinking but a deep seated spiritual change in a person.

The challenge here is that believers have the capacity to continue to live the old life even after being born again and so be deprived of fully manifesting the new life if he or she doesn't pay attention to the new life. We all are at different points on that scale.

We can either live in the spirit or walk in the flesh!

We can get physical things done by will power but we can't live the life in the spirit by self determination but by faith through knowledge. Will power may create religious discipline in us but will never bring spiritual transformation. The best that will-power will do in the spirit is take men into spiritism and witchcraft that's why witchcraft is part of the works of the flesh.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 5
17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.

But since we still live in the physical with only our home in the spirit, we have to know exactly what to do to our physical part in order not to continue to live like we were before the new creation. Living the life of the spirit isn't automatic to the new creation even if it is natural. The limiting factor of living here in the body with an active and functional mind has to be navigated through in order to give expression to the spirit life.

The first thing is to have the correct perspective of the body and to do with it what has to be done. The body has its natural desires but it has been bought, paid for by Christ and it belongs to Him just as every other part of us.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 6
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

To glorify God in our body we have to gain control over it by the power of God from within, carnality and the works of the flesh become easy if we lose control of our bodies. Paul said I put my body under. The body shouldn't be what dictates how we live. The body wants all the good care and nurture and it deserves it but that shouldn't be what dictates our daily activities, dos and donts rather the Spirit of God. Both the body, the comforts and the feeding we give it shall perish, they are not eternal. We need the food and the pleasures to live, we don't live for the food and the pleasures. Rather we make a living sacrifice out of the body in using it to render acceptable service unto God holiness.

[My Offline Bible] Romans 12
1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

But that alone does not bring us to living the life of the spirit. The mind has to be renewed rightly for the work done in the spirit.
[My Offline Bible] Romans 12
2 And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

Getting born again didn't wipe away our perspectives to life, neither does it automatically close the doors on worldly thinking and that affects the expression of the new life. We have to set our minds and affections on things above and not on things of the flesh. The thinking  and the perspective of Christ must become active as the operating system of our mind if the mind will ever permit the expression of the spirit. Speaking in tongues is a practical example of this. The mind is rendered unproductive to give total expression to the spirit as our spirit prays with our understanding(mind) unfruitful and so produce prayers perfectly in line with God's will.
The mind is aligned with the recreated human spirit through renewing by the knowledge of the Word of God.

[My Offline Bible] Colossians 3
9 Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; 10 And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:

So the renewing system is powered by knowledge. You can't be renewed beyond the quality and quantity of the knowledge of God you are exposed to. And that also affects the quality of life we live in the spirit.

When the mind is loaded with superstitions, traditions, religiosity and so on instead of the knowledge of God's word we get conformed to something else aside being conformed to God.

Life in the spirit is a life of faith in God empowered by grace. With the body and the mind in correct positions, faith kicks in through the knowledge of the word of God's grace. Grace is the storehouse of all of God's resources, power and wisdom made available to mankind freely through Christ to bring our the image of God from within. It requires that we know what grace has provided per time to take by faith.

So we don't walk just by our physical inclinations if we are to live the spirit life, we live by all that grace has provided and walk daily in the faith of what those are. What compels us are not the needs and desires of the flesh or the expectations of society but by the things grace has provided in the spirit which we translate to the physical by faith.

Life in the spirit sees with God's perspective to things and not by the physical presentations and disposition of things. It pays attention to things' spiritual states and not their physical states. Life in the spirit is the way to the revelation of the new creation. The things that move one living the life of the spirit are different and sometimes life in the spirit may look awkward and impossible to someone living in the flesh. Life in the spirit is the normal Christian life and we must not be carried away or be satisfy only with the physical... We have been called into living in the spirit and we should live at that realm daily!

Good Morning

The Manifestation of the Sons of God

The Manifestation of the Sons of God

[My Offline Bible] Romans 8
18 For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 2
9 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. 10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings. 11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

[My Offline Bible] John 1
12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Believers in Jesus name are given the power and the authority to become sons of God. They receive the new birth with God as parent the giver of the new life, His nature and Spirit were deposited in them with their spirits recreated and imprinted with the codes or laws of their destinies.

It's obviously quite a big issue. This God who created the heaven and the earth is sharing His nature with mankind. It shouldn't be a surprise though, since His original intention for making man was to make him in His likeness and image. The fall of man didn't do man well but the new birth in Christ Jesus gave a new deal.

So as sons of God, we and indeed the world are yet to fully comprehend what it means but now we see Jesus who is the pattern Son to whose image we have been destined. The more He is revealed to us the more we see, the more we see the more we become.

[My Offline Bible] Romans 8
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 3
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

And that full manifestation is what the world awaits. That's the reason for all the investments of God through Christ into the Body, the Church of the living God.

[My Offline Bible] Ephesians 4
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; 12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: 14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

We are like children under tutors and governors for mentorship till we enter into our full inheritance. The picture of that full inheritance is awesome, the imagination is incredible. The full manifestation of sonship in power and in glory. When all that we saw in Christ will be revealed in us and the world we see saviors arising from the mount of Zion to judge the mount of Esau before the coming of Christ.

[My Offline Bible] Obadiah 1
21 And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the LORD'S.

That's what the fullness of the Kingdom of God is waiting for. The demonstration of the full potential of God's grace in man whereby He lives above sin and with power and authority over all creation both in the spirit and in the physical realms just as Christ demonstrated. Then all things put under the feet of man in Christ can come to full manifestation. What Christ has done for us legally will become vital in our daily experiences and Acts 10:38 can then become our testimony too.

Today, most of what should be done by the manifestation of sonship and the very nature of God are being done by the manifestation of the gifts the Spirit of God, we were told in 1 Corinthians 13 to pursue love and maturity so that the things of children can be let go, then these gifts shall cease...but they'll cease when we by the reason of growth can walk in them.

But it seems we are enjoying the childishness and we love to remain so, we prefer the temporal manifestation of the gifts to the full manifestation of the sons. But that's not our fullness, our fullness and predestination is in the manifestation of the sons of God.

But how do we get there? It's not a thing of the future but of the now if we are able to see it today and walk towards it in grace through the knowledge of God. The pathway is through spiritual growth. The seed of God can't continue to remain as seed... What good is a seed? It isn't fruit to be eaten, it can only be sown and nurtured into maturity to become one that can produce more seeds for further propagation.

We have to stop seeing Jesus Christ as just an object of worship but as our pattern of living. He doesn't want us to just hail Him for being the miracle worker, who can deal with any situation and who wouldn't be subdued except by His permission. No temptation was good enough to bring Him to sin, No sickness, disease or death had power over Him, no lack, poverty or want could stop Him, no trouble was powerful enough, no opposition moved him and that not as a show of power but as a default lifestyle in His nature. He wants us to live like Him with same power and authority.

He lived in the Kingdom right here so that we can see how God wants us to live.

This means we have to be weaned. We have to leave childish things and move on to perfection, we have to see possibilities in this project and employ every grace made available to get there. We must feed our inner man with the knowledge of God through rightly divided scriptures, we must practice godliness by faith, we must imitate and mimic God in all situations, Jesus Christ being our prototype. We must internalize the fact that as Christ is so are we in this world.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 4
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.

The price has been paid and the grace made available to live in victory and as overcomers through the nature of God that gave us the new birth. Whatsoever is born of God overcomes the world.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 5
4 For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

We must see this to become it, we can't continue to be subdued under sin, selfishness, sickness and satan, we must step up to where we belong in God kind of love, life and light...we may not be there vitally, but we have the receipt of the purchased possession, we have a legal right to living fully as Christs in this world and we must nurture the nature and bring the seed to maturity with commitment. The manifestation of the sons of God must be the goal of following Christ.

Let's go there.

Good Morning

Knowing God

Knowing God

[My Offline Bible] Jeremiah 9
23 Thus saith the LORD, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches: 24 But let him that glorieth glory in this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the LORD which exercise lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness, in the earth: for in these things I delight, saith the LORD.

I've been meditating on knowing God for a few days now. It's such a big thing really. If our quest is to please Him then we must know Him. If our quest is to be conformed to His image, we must know Him intimately. If we ever would want to present or represent Him to the world we can't but know Him very intimately.

But how do you know a God you can't see? It's obvious whoever made all these things and we inclusive would be far far ahead of us. Can you imagine the years of scientific discoveries and research into understanding creation, that's just physical creations yet without fully being on top of it, how far will it take us to discover whoever the Creator is? I'm sure atheism may have been a result of giving up on such a gargantuan thought of trying to unravel what's behind creation, it's safer to deny anything is behind it than to even indulge in thinking about it... But that's cheap...

Definitely His ways are past finding out..

[My Offline Bible] Romans 11
33 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? 35 Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? 36 For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen.

So we conclude that He alone can reveal Himself to whoever He wants.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 11
27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him.

But then He desires that we seek Him. Seeking Him is to know Him and knowing Him is to be like Him. With the understanding that the Son is the revealer of the Father we can seek Christ to see Him.

This is the essence of discipleship. But we won't know Him until we seek Him and seeking Him to know Him.

Sometimes we equate knowing scriptures to knowing Him. Knowing scriptures maybe a means to knowing Him but knowing scriptures isn't equal to knowing Him but we can't know Him as He would without us knowing and understanding scriptures.

Knowing Him can't happen unconsciously. It happens as we desire to know Him in order to be like Him. It isn't religious at all, it is something the heart of man would naturally seek if it is applied to, but it won't happen casually. It won't happen if we don't want to.

[My Offline Bible] Jeremiah 29
13 And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Knowing God is knowing His ways. We may never know all of Him in this realm. For instance we are limited within beginnings and endings, causes and effects etc... We hardly can comprehend anything without a cause or a beginning, that's a limitation to us....knowing the Cause of all things that may not have a cause 'itself', permit me.

While we may not be able to know Him that much in our realm, we need to know Him to the extent of being able to be relevant with the knowledge of Him in our realm.

We need to know Him in His ways and also in His acts. It'll help us in pleasing Him and in relating with Him..

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 3
10 Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and said, They do always err in their heart; and they have not known my ways.

But as we can see, knowing Him must be our deliberate ultimate goal to fulfill our purpose, our purposes are tied to who we were made to be and we were made to be like God, it is to the level of being like Him that we fulfill divine purpose...

But that intention of being like Him and our thirst and seeking to be like Him is responded to by God with self revelations. He reveals Himself. He reveals what He wants us to know of Him per time and as we are ready to comprehend Him. There were things Jesus Christ wanted to reveal to the disciples that they weren't ready for while He was with them and had to wait till the Holy Spirit came...

Secrets things of God are His...the ones revealed are for us...

[My Offline Bible] Deuteronomy 29
29 The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law.

We must prioritize knowing Him beyond mere religion... Beyond seeking Him for bread and butter and immediate gratification. But to know Him deeply as love, light and life by the revelation of the Holy Spirit of the Son towards being like Him.

Can you imagine being exactly like Christ in character and in power? Your problem won't be how to get the next meal...it's practically living beyond the physical... That's what God intends for us but it comes by knowing Him, not just knowing scriptures but using the knowledge of scriptures to attain His knowledge, the knowledge of His ways and of His acts!

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 103
7 He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.

[My Offline Bible] Zechariah 3
7 Thus saith the LORD of hosts; If thou wilt walk in my ways, and if thou wilt keep my charge, then thou shalt also judge my house, and shalt also keep my courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by.

[My Offline Bible] Proverbs 9
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.

Good morning, Happy Sunday...

Growing up Spiritually

Growing up Spiritually

Understanding spiritual growth for a Christian is the beginning of a worthy journey with God. When a Christian misses that understanding, the possibility of chasing shadows and boxing the air becomes rife. You can't grow up by chance, spiritual growth is a process that works with one's conscious participation.

Spiritual growth isn't the development of the physical abilities to do the physical rigors of religion or spiritism. Spiritual growth is defined by the possibilities presented by the New Creation that took place when we submitted to the Lordship of Jesus Christ through faith in His death and resurrection. The possibility of becoming like Christ in character and subsequently in charisma is the foundation of spiritual growth.

What happened was called being born again. Being born again isn't a superficial change in character per se but the re-creating of the real person with the seed or the nature of God. The root of one's personality from where characters are formed was recreated, infused with the possibilities of becoming like God. We are born of God to grow up to become like Him.

Jesus Christ taught that when He said...

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 10
24 The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. 25 It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

The disciple can be as his master. The essence of discipleship is to become like the master. Isn't that what Jesus sent us to do? To make disciples of all nations, teaching them to observe all that Christ has commanded?

That's why we are called and predestined to be conformed to His image.
[My Offline Bible] Romans 8
29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.

The goal of spiritual growth is to be conformed to the image of Christ.
[My Offline Bible] 2 Corinthians 3
18 But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Growth is precipitated from the genetic inheritance of a living creature, the nutritional quality supporting it's growth, the state of the environmental incidences of the creature and the creature's ability and commitment to practicing what the inner nature presents through examples.

If these four factors are favorable, a living creature can mark up to the best of its progenitors or ancestors.

In our quest for spiritual growth, being born again offers us a new creation that affords us the very nature and seed of God.

[My Offline Bible] 2 Peter 1
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: 4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
9 Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

The seed and nature of God remains in us. Jesus Christ is the Vine, we are the branches, we are of the same tree and of same genetic make up. John 15

But if we must grow we must have the right nutrition. And so Jesus Christ, when He was tempted by the evil one to do the unusual to get physical food when hungry said,

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 4
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.

Apostle Peter said same

[My Offline Bible] 1 Peter 2
1 Wherefore laying aside all malice, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings, 2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

We grow up spiritually by God's word. The word of God is food for the New Creation inner man. The quality of the genetic material we inherited from our Father God is limited by the quality of God's word we are exposed to in manifesting through us. No Christian can grow into the image of Christ feeding on just anything. The quality of God's word must be top notch if a believer must come out conformed to Christ's image. Christ's image in us is nurtured out by the teachings of Christ, who is the word of God. The image of Christ within doesn't respond to traditions, human philosophies, ordinances, superstitions or the word of truth not rightly divided.

Spiritual growth will also respond to the environment just like any kind of biological development. The environment must aid the direction of growth. If what the environment offers are challenging to expected growth, more of the energy meant for growth will be used to survive and so limiting growth. If diseases and physical harm are constantly present, an organism won't grow properly. The same is true spiritually. The spiritual environment we find ourselves must encourage Christ-likeness.

The environment must offer all that's conducive and necessary for growth and be unfavorable for things that can influence negatively.

This is where the church we go to and the community of believers we are exposed to come in. The church is the ground and the pillar of the truth and the job of the local church is to help believers get conformed to Christ's image once that's not being prioritized such a church must have been distracted into something else. The ultimate goal of preaching, teaching, worship, service, fellowship and any other activity in church is to present each person perfect before God.

[My Offline Bible] Colossians 1
27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

Notice, the emphasis on 'every man'. Spiritual growth investment must focus 'every man', it can't be successful with a faceless crowd control because it requires the presentation of every man in Christ Jesus.

This is the reason why we don't neglect our assembling together if the essence is to help us get conformed to Christ's image.
[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 10
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

The spiritual environment we have around must trigger the nature of God within us towards growth and conformity to Christ's image. The church we go to must provide both the ingrafted word of God and exemplary character good enough for people to grow by.

Lastly, we must be committed to practicing what we desire to become. A child may be endowed with the best of speed genes and fed with the best of nutrition in an environment of great athletic race champions, if such is trapped for life in His mother's baby carrier he'll never walk not to talk of running.
We must daily practice the word of God to grow up to be like Him. With a good environment that offers fellowship with those who are matured in Christ it becomes easy to see how what we want to become looks like. We emulate Christ and mimic Him and we grow to become like Him and as we do others too mimic us.
Ephesians 5:1 says we should be imitators of God as dear children. Children imitates their parents to develop innate abilities. We have to do that daily.

We can't afford to be conformed to the world. We can't afford to remain carnal and body ruled when we have the potential of being like Christ. We can't afford to leave our spiritual senses untrained to know what's good from what's evil. We must grow to be Christs to our world. In this lies our difference.

Good morning!

[My Offline Bible] Hebrews 5
12 For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
13 For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe.
14 But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 3
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. 3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

What Difference does Christ Make?

What Difference does Christ make?

The difference a thing makes is what creates it's speciality and the desire for it. When the difference isn't clear, any other thing can actually replace it without missing anything.
Inability to recognize the difference Christ makes in us as Christians affects our mentality about Christianity and our expectations as we come into Christ.

Definitely, having Christ in us as Lord with all the work He accomplished for us on the cross through His death and resurrection creates in a believer a new creature created in God's image and endued with God's life kind and nature. That's why believers are called God's children since everything procreates after its kind including God.

Thinking about God and His greatness we can say with apostle John that now we are called sons of God and the full manifestation of what that means is still beyond what we can see and only when we see Him face to face shall we fully manifest what that means...

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
2 Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is.

Apostle Paul quoted from Isaiah speaking about things prepared for those that love God...

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 2
9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

We know it in prophecy that we are gods and all of us are the children of God and that different from regular humans.

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 82
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. 7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.

Notice that the gods referred to here are different from men or the princes mentioned. Jesus Christ Himself also referred to this prophecy in John 10

[My Offline Bible] John 10
34 Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken;

Apostle Paul also used that in judging the carnality of believers in His 1st letter to the Corinthians.

[My Offline Bible] 1 Corinthians 3
3 For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?

So a carnal Christian is one who walks as men. But aren't we supposed to be men? Well, the new creation makes us more than men...

Jesus said he that's born of the Spirit is Spirit, following the law of procreation.

[My Offline Bible] John 3
6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit.

Being born of the flesh makes us men, being born of the Spirit makes us supernatural.

These are common knowledge actually but the application is what gets us into wrong pursuits and expectations..and eventually into trouble either as church or as individuals.

This is how Jesus puts being a child of God.

[My Offline Bible] Matthew 5
44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.

To be the children of our Father, the mark is the kind of love we exhibit. It can't be adulterated. That ability to love those who don't love us, to do good to those who hate us and to wish well those who persecute and use us...

The difference between man and God is seen in selfishness, self seeking, self centeredness and greed. That's the difference Christ came to erase pushing us more to God's image away from the image of man.

We can cover up with religion and many other ordinances but there is nothing we do outside of this kind of love that can't be done without Christ.

When we see physical benefits as the main difference Christ makes, His relevance is lost as soon as you see people without Him enjoying those things even if not by the power of God. It maybe financial or material wealth, healing, longevity, peace of mind and so on...while we have all these and more in the grace of Christ, what's exclusive to the New Creature is that ability to love unconditionally inclusive of those who don't love us.

[My Offline Bible] 1 John 3
14 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Every spiritual activity we engage in must be towards highlighting the difference Christ makes in our lives. Nobody competes with uniqueness, the difference Christ makes can't be copied without Him living within. We are gods and we must live the life of the children of God. God is love and we are children of love. We live out love with power and grace.

But when we walk in the adamic nature, with motives and missions like that of men, we should be careful not to 'die' as men.

[My Offline Bible] Galatians 5
13 For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. 14 For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 15 But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

God's vision is to make men in His image, He sent His Son to us as example of what He wants in us and today we have a goal in allowing the new creation in us to manifest the very image of Christ and so be led as sons into glory...

We are gods, we shouldn't die as men! We must make the difference clear! Good Morning!

[My Offline Bible] Psalms 82
1 God standeth in the congregation of the mighty; he judgeth among the gods.
2 How long will ye judge unjustly, and accept the persons of the wicked? Selah.
3 Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.
4 Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked.
5 They know not, neither will they understand; they walk on in darkness: all the foundations of the earth are out of course.
6 I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.
7 But ye shall die like men, and fall like one of the princes.
8 Arise, O God, judge the earth: for thou shalt inherit all nations.