Tag Archive: The devil


Abounding Grace: The Law of the Spirit: Lesson 4: The Key to setting the law of the Spirit of life in Christ into motion.

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September 28, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of the law of the Spirit of Christ. Last time we discussed how this law becomes operational in a person’s life and how to operate in this law. To-day we will continue with the key to putting this law into motion.

Rom.8:2. (Amp) For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

We see two distinctively different laws at work here, life and death are opposites, they are separate entities and they do not intermingle. The laws that govern Satan’s kingdom are at work in the earth since Adam fell, however, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus will supercede the law of sin and death when put into operation.

Here is a table that will help you to understand what belongs under which law.

  • The law of sin and death:

The law of sin and death comprises all the miseries arising from sin and its consequences: sickness; disease; poverty and lack; physical death; mental illness; everything that could possibly go wrong with a human being, whether it be spirit, soul, body, financial or social. It is listed under the curse in Deut.28:15-68 and you can go and read it in your Bible.

  • The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus:

The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus consists of: salvation; healing; Holy Spirit baptism; the gifts of the Spirit;

1Cor.12:7-10. (KJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; to another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues.

The fruit of the Spirit;

Gal.5:22. (Amp) But the fruit of the [Holy] Spirit [the work which His presence within accomplishes] is love, joy (gladness), peace, patience (an even temper, forbearance), kindness, goodness (benevolence), faithfulness.

A joint-inheritance with Christ:

Rom.8:17. (Amp) And if we are [His] children, then we are [His] heirs also: heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ [sharing His inheritance with Him].

Redemption from the curse:

Gal.3:13. (Amp) Christ purchased our freedom [redeeming us] from the curse (doom) of the Law [and its condemnation] by [Himself] becoming a curse for us, for it is written [in the Scriptures], Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree (is crucified).

The present day High Priestly ministry of Jesus:

Rom.8:34. (KJV) Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Hebr.2:17. (KJV) Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

The care of the Father:

1Pet.5:7. (Amp) Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

All that pertains to life and Godliness:

2Pet.1:3. (Amp) For His divine power has bestowed upon us all things that [are requisite and suited] to life and godliness, through the [full, personal] knowledge of Him Who called us by and to His own glory and excellence (virtue).

If you do not draw the line between these two laws, you will not be able to resist the devil when he comes against you.

The Key to setting this law in motion is found in:

Rom.10:9-10. (Amp) Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

All law is dominated by words; it works for salvation, for healing and for deliverance from all satanic oppression. No one can stand idly by and hope to be saved; the same applies to healing, prosperity etc. These things are governed by spiritual law and when you hear the Word, believe it, receive it, speak it and act on it, it will come to pass.

Do you see the importance of becoming established in who you are in Christ, that is why I have been posting the “In Him realities” on “The Invisible Church” site.

http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/  You must know what is available to you through the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus so that you can put it to work in your life.

Another Key to putting the law of the Spirit of life in Christ to work is to be spiritually minded.

Rom.8:6. (KJV) For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

To be spiritually minded simply means to be Word minded.

Jesus said:

John.6:63. (Amp) It is the Spirit Who gives life [He is the Life-giver]; the flesh conveys no benefit whatever [there is no profit in it]. The words (truths) that I have been speaking to you are spirit and life.

It is a spiritual law that whatever you continually think about you will speak and it will come to pass in your life.

Matt.12:34-35. (Amp) You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? For out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things.

The word evil here means hurtful, it consists of all hurtful, malicious or corrupt thought, but if God’s Word is what is in your heart in abundance, then it is God’s Word that you will believe, you will be spiritually minded, that will cause the proper attitude to put your faith to work. Faith is the spiritual force that sets these laws in motion and faith is directly connected to the Word of God.

Rom.10:17.  (KJV) So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

Thank you so much for joining me in this study of “The law of the Spirit” trust you have be blessed thus far and that you will take this Word and share it with all you come into contact with, spread His love all around and be blessed in all that you do.

Jesus said unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God, to understand what the kingdom is all about you must be born again and the law of salvation must be applied for the new birth to take place. You can apply the law of salvation by praying the following prayer from your heart and receiving the promise of the Spirit by faith.

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

If you have prayed the above prayer then go and study the Eternal Life document for a greater understanding of what you have been given by God your Father.

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: The Laws of the Spirit lesson 2: How the law of sin and death was introduced into the earth.

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September 17, 2012

Thank you so for joining me again at “Abounding Grace” as we continue with our series called “The Laws of the Spirit. Last time we concluded by saying that thought could be defined as reflection, meditation or serious consideration, so when you read the Word it creates certain thought patterns to arise in your mentality and when pondered those thoughts become pictures, and when you can see a clear picture and speak it then you will have what you say. To-day we continue by going back to the Garden of Eden, we notice that Adam was created in God’s image and likeness, Adam was created to speak only the Word of God, he never knew any other language, there was no such thing as fear, worry, sickness or disease in his vocabulary. God made him the under ruler in the earth. Adam had authority and dominion to rule and had been given heavens spiritual laws to govern this planet. The moment he bowed his knee to Satan in the Garden of Eden and committed high treason, he turned his authority over to Satan. Since God had made Adam ruler in the earth, the moment he sinned Satan became the God of this world.

Luke.4:5-7. (KJV) And the devil, taking him up into an high mountain, shewed unto him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, all shall be thine.

(Amp) Then the devil took Him up to a high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the habitable world in a moment of time [in the twinkling of an eye]. And he said to Him, To You I will give all this power and authority and their glory (all their magnificence, excellence, pre-eminence, dignity, and grace), for it has been turned over to me, and I give it to whomever I will. Therefore if You will do homage to and worship me [just once], it shall all be Yours.

(Mess) For the second test he led him up and spread out all the kingdoms of the earth on display at once. Then the Devil said, “They’re yours in all their splendour to serve your pleasure. I’m in charge of them all and can turn them over to whomever I wish. Worship me and they’re yours, the whole works.”

This was a legitimate temptation, the fact that Jesus had come to regain the very thing that Satan was offering Him, without having to go the ordeal of the cross was a very real temptation. We find that the scripture call’s the devil the god of this world.

2Cor.4:4. (KJV) In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

(Amp) For the god of this world has blinded the unbelievers’ minds [that they should not discern the truth], preventing them from seeing the illuminating light of the Gospel of the glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God.

(Mess) All they have eyes for is the fashionable god of darkness. They think he can give them what they want, and that they won’t have to bother believing a Truth they can’t see. They’re stone-blind to the dayspring brightness of the Message that shines with Christ, who gives us the best picture of God we’ll ever get.

When Satan became the god of this world he introduced the law of sin and death in the earth and man became dominated by that law. The devil perverted the forces that were originally working in Adam. Spiritual death replaced Zoë life, fear replaced faith and the law of sin and death became predominant.

Rom.8:2. (KJV) For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

(Amp) For the law of the Spirit of life [which is] in Christ Jesus [the law of our new being] has freed me from the law of sin and of death.

(Mess) A new power is in operation. The Spirit of life in Christ, like a strong wind, has magnificently cleared the air, freeing you from a fated lifetime of brutal tyranny at the hands of sin and death.

Through His resurrection, Jesus put the law of the Spirit of life into operation.

Hebr.2:9, 14-15. (KJV) 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. Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

(Amp) But we are able to see Jesus, Who was ranked lower than the angels for a little while, crowned with glory and honor because of His having suffered death, in order that by the grace (unmerited favour) of God [to us sinners] He might experience death for every individual person. Since, therefore, [these His] children share in flesh and blood [in the physical nature of human beings], He [Himself] in a similar manner partook of the same [nature], that by [going through] death He might bring to nought and make of no effect him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and also that He might deliver and completely set free all those who through the [haunting] fear of death were held in bondage throughout the whole course of their lives.

(Mess) What we do see is Jesus, made “not quite as high as angels,” and then, through the experience of death, crowned so much higher than any angel, with a glory “bright with Eden’s dawn light.” In that death, by God’s grace, he fully experienced death in every person’s place. Since the children are made of flesh and blood, it’s logical that the Saviour took on flesh and blood in order to rescue them by his death. By embracing death, taking it into Himself, He destroyed the Devil’s hold on death and freed all who cower through life, scared to death of death.

Here we see that Jesus tasted death for us, He destroyed the devil who had the power of death and delivered us from the fear of death and bondage. Through the Cross of Calvary God reinstated His laws in the earth and in the same way that the law of life supersedes the law of gravity, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus supersedes the law of sin and death.

Thank you for joining me to-day and trust you were blessed by the Word of Truth. Please share the Word with all you know and don’t forget to spread His love all around. Have a blessed day in Jesus Name.

To-day is the day that the Lord has made especially for you and if you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour then to-day is the day that the Lord is holding out to you the Words of life and all you have to do is accept the sacrifice that was made for at Calvary and ask Jesus to come into your heart by praying the following prayer:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

If you have prayed the above prayer then go and study the Eternal Life document for a greater understanding of what you have been given by God your Father.

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: The Established Heart 2: The Word;

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July 2, 2012

Hi and welcome to “Abounding Grace” as we continue in our study of the established heart. Last time we discussed how we are to be strong in the Lord; we saw that God has provided strength and grace for all His kid’s and every believer owes it to himself to be established in the Word. We should all be established if the three fold knowledge of what Christ is to us, what Christ has done for us and what Christ is doing for us now. Let us now continue with what the Word is to us.

Ps.119:105. (Amp) Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.

The Word of God is a lamp to my feet; God through his Word determines the believer’s destiny,

Ps.16:5-6. (God’s Word) The Lord is my inheritance and my cup. You are the one who determines my destiny. You boundary lines mark out pleasant places for me. Indeed my inheritance is something beautiful.

It is a light to my path it makes the way plain before me, I do not stumble for my steps are ordered in the Word.

Ps.119:133. (Amp) Establish my steps and direct them by [means of] Your word; let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

The believer should know what the Word is to him, what it means to him and what the Father intended it should mean to him.

The Word is food for the recreated spirit, it is spiritual food,

Matt.4:4. (Amp) But He replied, It has been written, Man shall not live and be upheld and sustained by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.

In John 4 Jesus sends his disciples to by some food in a town of Samaria. While they are away he has an encounter with a woman at the well, you know the scripture, and His disciples return and offer him something to eat:

John.4:31-32. (Amp) Meanwhile, the disciples urged Him saying, Rabbi, eat something. But He assured them, I have food (nourishment) to eat of which you know nothing and have no idea.

The disciples are haven’t a clue what He means and ask among themselves:

John.4:33-34. (Amp) So the disciples said one to another, Has someone brought Him something to eat? Jesus said to them, My food (nourishment) is to do the will (pleasure) of Him Who sent Me and to accomplish and completely finish His work.

We have already discussed the fact that the Word of God is the will of God, Jesus was busy sharing the Word with the people and that built Him up, we as Christian people cannot go through life not studying and meditating the Word, just as your physical man needs physical food to sustain it so the spirit man needs spirit food to keep him strong.

The Word is the mightiest thing in the World, it slays and it makes alive.

Here we have a situation where a man and his wife tried to swindle the church;

Matt.5:1-11. (Amp) But a certain man named Ananias with his wife Sapphira sold a piece of property, and with his wife’s knowledge and connivance he kept back and wrongfully appropriated some of the proceeds, bringing only a part and putting it at the feet of the apostles. But Peter said, Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart that you should lie to and attempt to deceive the Holy Spirit, and should [in violation of your promise] withdraw secretly and appropriate to your own use part of the price from the sale of the land? As long as it remained unsold, was it not still your own? And [even] after it was sold, was not [the money] at your disposal and under your control? Why then, is it that you have proposed and purposed in your heart to do this thing? [How could you have the heart to do such a deed?] You have not [simply] lied to men [playing false and showing yourself utterly deceitful] but to God. Upon hearing these words, Ananias fell down and died. And great dread and terror took possession of all who heard of it. And the young men arose and wrapped up [the body] and carried it out and buried it. Now after an interval of about three hours his wife came in, not having learned of what had happened. And Peter said to her, Tell me, did you sell the land for so much? Yes, she said, for so much. Then Peter said to her, How could you two have agreed and conspired together to try to deceive the Spirit of the Lord? Listen! The feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out [also]. And instantly she fell down at his feet and died; and the young men entering found her dead, and they carried her out and buried her beside her husband. And the whole church and all others who heard of these things were appalled [great awe and strange terror and dread seized them].

Note that it was upon hearing these words the man fell dead.

The same Word healed many the very same day.

Acts.5:12-16. (Amp) Now by the hands of the apostles (special messengers) numerous and startling signs and wonders were being performed among the people. And by common consent they all met together [at the temple] in the covered porch (walk) called Solomon’s. And none of those who were not of their number dared to join and associate with them, but the people held them in high regard and praised and made much of them. More and more there were being added to the Lord those who believed [those who acknowledged Jesus as their Saviour and devoted themselves to Him joined and gathered with them], crowds both of men and of women, so that they [even] kept carrying out the sick into the streets and placing them on couches and sleeping pads, [in the hope] that as Peter passed by, at least his shadow might fall on some of them. And the people gathered also from the towns and hamlets around Jerusalem, bringing the sick and those troubled with foul spirits, and they were all cured.

That is all I have for now so be blessed and don’t forget to share the Word and spread His love all around.

If you have never accepted the free gift of God’s grace and His so great a salvation then I urge you by the mercies of God to be reconciled to Him through the acceptance of His Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour. You can’t earn it; all you can do is accept it by praying the following prayer from your heart by faith. All who come to Him He will in no wise cast out.

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

If you have prayed the above prayer then go and study the Eternal Life document for a greater understanding of what you have been given by God your Father.

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: The Father Fact 3: The singleness of purpose is one of the keys that unlocked the miracle power of God;

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June 23, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our study of “The Father Fact”. We have discussed some startling facts about Jesus and we discussed the fact that His entire ministry is interwoven with the Father fact. Jesus came into this world to introduce the Father. We have also seen that in spite of all opposition He continued with His bold confession of being the Son of God come to do the Fathers will. Let us now continue:

John.6:38. (Amp) For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me.

We can now understand the power and authority of the man Jesus, singleness of purpose is one of the keys that unlocked the miracle power of Jesus, He had nothing to seek. A question was put to Jesus, “what shall we do, that we may work the works of God?” Part of the answer to that question lies in the fact that He came down from heaven not to do His own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of the Father who sent Him.

Listen to this confession from the mouth of Jesus:

John.8:42. (Amp) Jesus said to them, If God were your Father, you would love Me and respect Me and welcome Me gladly, for I proceeded (came forth) from God [out of His very presence]. I did not even come on My own authority or of My own accord (as self-appointed); but He sent Me.

John.8:54. (Amp) Jesus answered, If I were to glorify Myself (magnify, praise, and honour Myself), I would have no real glory, for My glory would be nothing and worthless. [My honour must come to Me from My Father.] It is My Father Who glorifies Me [Who extols Me, magnifies, and praises Me], of Whom you say that He is your God.

See the difference? The Jews called Him God, Jesus called Him Father. In much the same way to-day the church calls Him God, if you ever listen carefully to people to-day when they are talking about God, most of the time that is how they refer to Him, as God, how few ever intelligently call Him Father, the Word says we are to call Him Abba, (a very intimate name, it means daddy or papa). Have you ever approached the Father in your prayer time and just said “Hey, daddy it is me, just want to tell you that I love and appreciate you. Most of the people I have prayed with usually start with “Oh God, in heaven”, if you were thirsty and wanted a drink of water would you approach your earthly father with this kind of attitude, “Oh father of the house hold can I please have a sip of your water to quench my thirst, or would it be hey dad, just going to grab a drink of water. I want to impress upon you that He is a Father God with a father’s heart, so why do His people call Him – Mr. God – as thought they are speaking of a neighbour. Let us learn the secret of His Fathers heart.

John.10:25-30   (Amp) Jesus answered them, I have told you so, yet you do not believe Me [you do not trust Me and rely on Me]. The very works that I do by the power of My Father and in My Father’s name bear witness concerning Me [they are My credentials and evidence in support of Me]. But you do not believe and trust and rely on Me because you do not belong to My fold [you are no sheep of Mine]. The sheep that are My own hear and are listening to My voice; and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never lose it or perish throughout the ages. [To all eternity they shall never by any means be destroyed.] And no one is able to snatch them out of My hand. My Father, Who has given them to Me, is greater and mightier than all [else]; and no one is able to snatch [them] out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are One.

Here we see Jesus has been magnifying the Father, He has been lifting the Father up before our hearts, now He reveals Himself and lets us see Him as He really is,  “I and My Father are one”. This is our relationship to the Father now, we are in the Father and the Father is in us, He has imparted His life to us, His very nature has been given to us, we are as much sons of the Father as Jesus is.

John.17:20-23. (Amp) Neither for these alone do I pray [it is not for their sake only that I make this request], but also for all those who will ever come to believe in (trust in, cling to, rely on) Me through their word and teaching, that they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honour which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.

Col.2:10. (Amp) And you are in Him, made full and having come to fullness of life [in Christ you too are filled with the Godhead-Father, Son and Holy Spirit-and reach full spiritual stature]. And He is the Head of all rule and authority [of every angelic principality and power].

When our hearts can take this in, He will become more to us and we will realize something of what we are “In Him”.

That is all I have for now and it is time to say “till next time”, and in the meantime have a blessed week-end and share the Word and spread the fragrance of His love all around.

If you have not yet accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Lord and Saviour then all you have to do is pray the following prayer from your heart and receive the free gift of salvation by faith:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further “Words of Cheer” go to: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: The Father Fact 2: He came to do the Fathers will;

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June 21, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace” as we continue our discussion of the “Father Fact”. Last time we look at some striking facts concerning Jesus and we ended by saying that Jesus entire ministry was devoted to introducing the “Father God”, up until the manifestation of Jesus the Jews only knew God as “Elohim” or “Jehovah”, so when Jesus started calling God his Father it infuriated the religious people of His day. Another interesting thing about Jesus is that He made a continuous confession of His relationship to the Father and of the oneness they shared:

John.14:8-9. (Amp) Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father, that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father?

His whole ministry was interwoven with the Father fact. He came to do the will of the Father. Let us now continue with the fact that He came to do the Fathers will.

John.5:30. (Amp) I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord, but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me.

Jesus had no selfish aspirations, He came for one purpose and one purpose only, to do what the Father had commissioned. Jesus never came to build His own kingdom, the Father had already given it to Him, He came to establish the will of God on the earth. We see in verse 36:

John.5:36. (Amp) But I have as My witness something greater (weightier, higher, better) than that of John (the Baptist); for the works that the Father has appointed Me to accomplish and finish, the very same works that I am now doing, are a witness and proof that the Father has sent Me.

The proof that the Father sent Him was the works He did. In the next verse of scripture we note that He makes a clear confession of His deity again, He also states that the people that come to Him are the people that the Father has given him. The Father has given us to Jesus so that we can carry on doing His will in the earth, our ministries should be as interwoven with the Father as Jesus’ was, we should actually be making the bold kind of confessions of who we are in Christ as Jesus made concerning His relationship to the Father. He did it, so we should do it.

John.6:37-38. (Amp) All whom My Father gives (entrusts) to Me will come to Me; and the one who comes to Me I will most certainly not cast out [I will never, no never, reject one of them who comes to Me]. For I have come down from heaven not to do My own will and purpose but to do the will and purpose of Him Who sent Me.

Here is a comforting thought for you and I to consider, all whom the Father has entrusted to Jesus He will never, no never reject. Then another bold statement “I came down from heaven to do the will of the Father. You know you and I have kinda grown up around Christianity and from an early age we learn a bit about the Father God, but the Jews of that day grew up being taught that they could not even say the name of God, so when Jesus comes talking about coming from heaven and calling God ‘Father’ to them it was blasphemy. Yet He continued with His bold confession of being the Son of God come to do the Fathers will.

Let us have a look at some more of Jesus confession:

John.6:57. (Amp) Just as the living Father sent Me and I live by (through, because of) the Father, even so whoever continues to feed on Me [whoever takes Me for his food and is nourished by Me] shall [in his turn] live through and because of Me.

John.7:29. (Amp) I know Him [Myself] because I come from His [very] presence, and it was He [personally] Who sent Me.

Listen to what Jesus is saying, I know my Father, because I am from Him, I came out from heaven, I have lived with Him through the ages, He sent Me, and I am doing His will here in the earth. One of the most outstanding features of Jesus’ life was His continual confession of what He was to the Father and what the Father was to Him.

John.8:29. (Amp) And He Who sent Me is ever with Me; My Father has not left Me alone, for I always do what pleases Him.

Jesus did nothing of Himself, He taught what the Father taught Him, He said the Father is with me, He has not left me alone. Why? Because He was a Father pleaser.

Each of us can be a Father pleaser, one of the main hindrances to being a Father pleaser is that we are all are imprisoned and hindered by the things we want, and many of those things do not please Him, we struggle with things that shut us away from sweet fellowship with Him.

It is time for me to say “till next time” thank you for joining me to-day and trust that the Word ministered to you, that in some way you were inspired, exhorted, encouraged or maybe even corrected by the Word of righteousness. Have a happy day and be a blessing to someone that does not deserve your favour.

A prayer to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further “Words of Cheer” go to: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: The Father fact 1: Some startling facts;

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June 19, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace”. To-day I want to share a little on the Father fact, I think too many of God’s people only know Him as God, and really don’t know much about the Father fact. The Father fact is one of the most outstanding features of Jesus’ teachings. There was always an undercurrent of desire on Jesus’ part to go and be with His Father.

John.16:28. (Amp) I came out from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.

Let us now look at some startling facts:

  • Jesus had a pre-existence, that is, He remembered who He was before He became a man.

John.17:4-5. (Amp) I have glorified You down here on the earth by completing the work that You gave Me to do. And now, Father, glorify Me along with Yourself and restore Me to such majesty and honour in Your presence as I had with You before the world existed.

Jesus remembered what the glory had been before the world was made, and He wanted to go back to the Father.

  • Jesus introduced the God of the Jews, “Elohim”, as His Father, and He called God Father so often that the Jews considered it blasphemy.

John.1:18. (Amp) No man has ever seen God at any time; the only unique Son, or the only begotten God, Who is in the bosom [in the intimate presence] of the Father, He has declared Him [He has revealed Him and brought Him out where He can be seen; He has interpreted Him and He has made Him known].

(Rotherham) Jesus has introduced the Father.

  • Jesus was crucified because He had called God His Father. The unveiling of the Father fact cost Jesus His life.

John.19:7. (Amp) The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according to that law He should die, because He has claimed and made Himself out to be the Son of God.

Let us consider the intimacy of the Father and Jesus.

John.5:19-20. (Amp) So Jesus answered them by saying, I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, the Son is able to do nothing of Himself (of His own accord); but He is able to do only what He sees the Father doing, for whatever the Father does is what the Son does in the same way [in His turn]. The Father dearly loves the Son and discloses to (shows) Him everything that He Himself does. And He will disclose to Him (let Him see) greater things yet than these, so that you may marvel and be full of wonder and astonishment.

Jesus is the intimate companion, assistant and fellow worker with the Father.

In the follow scripture Jesus is not only confessing His deity but a divine oneness between Himself and the Father.

John.5:21-23. (Amp) Just as the Father raises up the dead and gives them life [makes them live on], even so the Son also gives life to whomever He wills and is pleased to give it. Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son, so that all men may give honour (reverence, homage) to the Son just as they give honour to the Father. [In fact] whoever does not honour the Son does not honour the Father, Who has sent Him.

We see the entire ministry of Jesus is interwoven with this Father fact. Jesus came into this world to introduce the Father. We have been given the same commission, when Jesus said:

Matt.28:18-19. (Amp) Jesus approached and, breaking the silence, said to them, All authority (all power of rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go then and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Word baptize means: to immerse or make one with. Immerse means to involve deeply or to absorb. So our commission is to go and make a people that are deeply involved with, that are absorb into the person’s of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We are being changed into the image of Jesus on a daily basis, that means that our relationship with the Father is becoming the same type of relationship that Jesus has with the Father.

That is all I have for now, be blessed and go into all the world and be a blessing to all you encounter this day.

If you have not yet made a quality decision to accept Jesus as your personal Lord and Saviour yet then I would like to extend that invitation to you right now, there is nothing you can do to become a part of the family of God except bow your head and  prayer the following prayer from your heart and receive the gift of  righteousness from the hand of the Father, so don’t procrastinate, go for it:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further “Words of Cheer” go to: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 20: Marks of maturity, concluded;

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June 17, 2012

Welcome to “Abounding Grace” as we conclude “the marks of maturity” in our study of being established in grace. To-day we will take a look at the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas, as I said last time this was not just a tiff, this was a disagreement of note, these two men parted company, and if I understand the situation correctly they stayed out of each other’s way for quite some time.  Eventually the quarrel was finally resolved.

Let’s analyze the disagreement between Paul and Barnabas.

Acts.13:5. (Amp) When they arrived at Salamis, they preached the Word of God [concerning the attainment through Christ of salvation in the kingdom of God] in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John [Mark] as an attendant to assist them.

Paul and Barnabas set out on a missionary expedition with the aim of carrying the Word of salvation through Christ to a gentile people, firstly that is not an easy undertaking and as we know from the Word that they encountered many hardships, they take along a youngster by the name of John Mark, a relative of Barnabas’s.

Acts.13:13. (Amp) Now Paul and his companions sailed from Paphos and came to Perga in Pamphylia. And John [Mark] separated himself from them and went back to Jerusalem.

Whatever the reason was I don’t know but the youngster decides he has had enough (hey, maybe he was just plain homesick) of the campaign and goes back to Jerusalem, in Pauls thinking, that is something that should never have happened and looks at it like Mark had deserted them. Then the two stalwart’s decide to go and visit the brethren in all the cities where they preached, Barnabas wants to take John Mark along and Paul flatly refuse to have a deserter along with him.

Acts.15:36-38. (Amp) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative]. But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

Remember, two more dedicated men could not have been found in the early church, both effective and both spiritually minded, neither selfish nor immature but sparks flew when these two men of spiritual strength clashed.

We have a critical issue here: Should a person who defects from a mission and leaves people in the lurch be given a second chance?

The various viewpoints: Paul says no, while Barnabas says yes, each thinks he is right, because each man views the issue from a different vantage point, we see Barnabas as a people oriented man, a man of compassion and a builder of men, he looked at the issue from the viewpoint of the overall good of the man, while Paul is more task orientated, he is a man of conviction, he plants churches and looks at the issue from the viewpoint of the overall good of the ministry.

Acts.15:38. (Amp) But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work.

(Mess) But Paul wouldn’t have him; he wasn’t about to take along a quitter who, as soon as the going got tough, had jumped ship on them in Pamphylia.

The word desert is a word from which we get the word apostatized from and it means to be unfaithful, to be a traitor. It would seem as if Paul is being a bit harsh. Is He?

Prov.25:19. (Amp) Confidence in an unfaithful man in time of trouble is like a broken tooth or a foot out of joint.

In a disagreement it is hard to see both sides of the issue when emotions are flaring and that is what was happening here, it was sharp contention. In the Greek the word uses is paroxusmos and it means an angry dispute, we get our English word paroxysm from it which is a fit of violent emotion, and such a rift resulted from Paul’s and Barnabas’s disagreement that the torn relationship could not easily be mended, it took time but eventually the two were reconciled. The result of the disagreement was that the two men “separated from each other”.

Acts.15:40. (Amp) But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favour and mercy) of the Lord.

Paul and Barnabas went their separate ways continuing in the ministry, they didn’t spend the rest of their lives getting back at one another and that takes grace.

We must learn to disagree graciously and to do this keep the following four points in mind:

Always leave room for an opposing viewpoint.

If an argument must occur do not assassinate the other parties character, an argument is one thing character assassination is another thing altogether.

If you don’t get your way, get over it and get on with your life.

Sometimes the best solution is separation. The Paul and Barnabas situation sets the biblical example for us; they couldn’t come to terms so they took to the road. If separation is the best solution do it graciously. When your disagreements start outweighing your agreements it may be time to distance yourself from that person. Separation is never easy but it may be God’s way of moving you on to another dimension of ministry.

That is all I have for now, be blessed this beautiful Sunday, and don’t forget to go into your closet and wish your heavenly Father a happy father’s day, don’t forget to apply the lesson if you run into any unexpected opposition to-day.

If you are not a born again child of God then you must know this, that it is the will of God for you to come to know the divine truth of His Word and that He loves you so much He sent Jesus just for you, imagine that, if you were the only person in the whole world that would make a decision then God thought if worthwhile to send Jesus to die just for you. Your part in salvation is to receive what has already been purchase for you at the cross of Calvary; you can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 19: Marks of maturity;

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June 14, 2012

Hi and welcome once again to “Abounding Grace”, To-day we will be discussing the marks of maturity in the lives of grace orientated children of God. I trust by this time our minds are somewhat renewed to the grace message, as individuals we must realize that there are going to be disagreements with others, the question is how do we conduct ourselves in the midst of a disagreement, I know from my own experience that if ever I was involved in an argument and it look like I was going to lose, my next reaction was to choke the life out of the opposition, but I’m glad to say that the Word has made a bit of a difference in me over the years of studying grace and I don’t act so unbecoming so often now days. Let us take time to look into the lives of two men that were called by the Holy Spirit to a certain work, and yet these two men had a disagreement on an issue that split the partnership and cause a rift in their relationship for a period of time.

Acts.15:36-41. (Amp) And after some time Paul said to Barnabas, Come, let us go back and again visit and help and minister to the brethren in every town where we made known the message of the Lord, and see how they are getting along. Now Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark [his near relative]. But Paul did not think it best to have along with them the one who had quit and deserted them in Pamphylia and had not gone on with them to the work. And there followed a sharp disagreement between them, so that they separated from each other, and Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus. But Paul selected Silas and set out, being commended by the brethren to the grace (the favour and mercy) of the Lord. And he passed through Syria and Cilicia, establishing and strengthening the churches.

In the King James verse 39 says: “And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other”

This was no little disagreement, this was a very serious tiff, and it actually split a partnership that the Holy Ghost had ordained. One of the marks of maturity is the ability to disagree without becoming disagreeable, the household of God ought to be at a place where a person can find tolerance, tact, open mindedness and plenty of room for disagreement, we are not to close the doors on differing points of view, but usually when Christians disagree it is done in a blunt and tactless way.

Eph.4:29. (Amp) Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favour) to those who hear it.

The word unwholesome means, harmful, poisonous, degrading, demoralizing, immoral, perverting and corrupting, these sorts of words should not precede from our mouths, instead only speech that is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, words that are a blessing and give grace (God’s favour) to the hearers. What a goal.

No matter what we do, disagreements will arise and we must understand that disagreements are inevitable and no matter what the subject is there will be differing points of view. This is what freedom is all about, respecting other people’s points of view, and we must allow for differences. Even Godly people will sometimes disagree, and it can be hard to understand how two people that love Jesus and His Word can stand opposed on certain issues, but they can and in every disagreement we will find the same two ingredients:

  • There will be various issues.
  • There will be various viewpoints.

The issue’s will involve principles and are usually objective whereas the viewpoints involve personalities and are usually subjective or relating to the subject. Herein lays the source of every clash, a disagreement on an issue because of an opposing viewpoint. Understanding these two simple ingredients will help us keep calm in conflicts with others. In most disagreements each side would have a valid argument and differing viewpoints are not so much an “I am right and you are wrong’’ issue as they are an “I see it from this perspective, and you see it from that perspective”. In any disagreement either side would have strengths and weakness, nevertheless they lead to division and any conflict can create a rift in a relationship.

That’s all for now folks’, we will continue next time by analyzing the disagreement that took place between Paul and Barnabas, in the meantime I’ll say “till next time”. Have a happy day and be a blessing to someone to-day that you know doesn’t deserve your favour, allow the grace of God to flow from you to them.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then I want to give you an opportunity to receive the grace that God is offering you to-day, by praying the following prayer and receiving your salvation by faith you can enter into covenant with God the Father through the sacrifice of His Son Jesus:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 18: Guidelines that magnify grace, concluded;

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June 12, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace”. We will conclude our study on the guidelines that magnify grace to-day. I trust you have been blessed by what has been shared and that you are becoming established in grace, the Christian life is a life founded and grounded in the grace of God, I trust you have come to realize that you actually are in need of God’s grace every day, each new day brings a day where we are to exercise faith in the receiving of God’s grace, not only do we exercise faith to receive, but we exercise our faith daily in the extending of grace to others. One thing I have come to realize in my own life is that faith is always now, present tense, you can’t exercise faith for yesterday and you can’t exercise faith for tomorrow, tomorrow is always future tense, you can have and expectation (hope) for tomorrow but faith is always now.

Hebr.11:1. (Amp) NOW FAITH is the assurance (the confirmation, the title deed) of the things [we] hope for, being the proof of things [we] do not see and the conviction of their reality [faith perceiving as real fact what is not revealed to the senses].

  • The third guideline is found in:

Rms.14:9-12. (Mess) That’s why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other. So where does that leave you when you criticize a brother? And where does that leave you when you condescend to a sister? I’d say it leaves you looking pretty silly, or worse. Eventually, we’re all going to end up kneeling side by side in the place of judgment, facing God. Your critical and condescending ways aren’t going to improve your position there one bit. Read it for yourself in Scripture: “As I live and breathe,” God says, “every knee will bow before me; Every tongue will tell the honest truth that I and only I am God.” So tend to your knitting. You’ve got your hands full just taking care of your own life before God.

Freeing others means we never assume a position we are not qualified to fill. There are a number of things that disqualify us from being able to judge, such as, we are not omniscient, we do not know all the facts, we are finite beings and we lack the whole picture. Being human ourselves we are imperfect, inconsistent and subjective; we have preconceptions and are prejudgemental therefore we cannot fill the position of judge. We must understand that we won’t always agree, but we can agree to disagree, we are to be civil in our conflict.

  • The fourth of our guidelines is found in:

Rms.14:13-18. (Amp) Then let us no more criticize and blame and pass judgment on one another, but rather decide and endeavour never to put a stumbling block or an obstacle or a hindrance in the way of a brother. I know and am convinced (persuaded) as one in the Lord Jesus, that nothing is [forbidden as] essentially unclean (defiled and unholy in itself). But [none the less] it is unclean (defiled and unholy) to anyone who thinks it is unclean. But if your brother is being pained or his feelings hurt or if he is being injured by what you eat, [then] you are no longer walking in love. [You have ceased to be living and conducting yourself by the standard of love toward him.] Do not let what you eat hurt or cause the ruin of one for whom Christ died! Do not therefore let what seems good to you be considered an evil thing [by someone else]. [In other words, do not give occasion for others to criticize that which is justifiable for you.] [After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. He who serves Christ in this way is acceptable and pleasing to God and is approved by men.

Loving others requires us to express our liberty wisely and we must allow love to rule, our goal is not to please others or ourselves but to be pleasing to the Lord.

2Cor.5:9, 15. (Amp) Therefore, whether we are at home [on earth away from Him] or away from home [and with Him], we are constantly ambitious and strive earnestly to be pleasing to Him. And He died for all, so that all those who live might live no longer to and for themselves, but to and for Him Who died and was raised again for their sake.

2Cor.5:10. (KJV) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

We shouldn’t act out our lives according to what others say, but rather on the basis of our love for others, because we answer to Jesus. The way to show our love is to enjoy our liberty wisely, quietly and privately with those of like mind.

  • There are certain actions that signify grace.

Rms.14:19. (Amp) So let us then definitely aim for and eagerly pursue what makes for harmony and for mutual upbuilding (edification and development) of one another.

  • Concentrate on things that encourage peace and things that help others to grow.
  • Always ask yourself, is this going to encourage peace, will it help and strengthen others or is it going to hurt, and offend?
  • Always remember that sabotaging the saints hurts the work of God.
  • Enjoy your liberty only with those who can enjoy it with you.
  • Determine where you stand and refuse to play God in anyone else’s life.

By letting others be, you free yourself to give full attention to what God is trying to do in you and when you are totally absorbed with that, you won’t have the time or energy to hold on to anyone else’s life.

Thank you for joining me in this study of grace, I believe that to-day will be the best day of the rest of your life, you have received so much Word on the grace of God so please take the Word of His grace and share with others who are struggling to find their footing in the God life, spread His love around, freely you have receive, so freely give.

If you are not a born again child of God then you must know this, that it is the will of God for you to come to know the divine truth of His Word and that He loves you so much He sent Jesus just for you, imagine that, if you were the only person in the whole world that would make a decision then God thought if worthwhile to send Jesus to die just for you. Your part in salvation is to receive what has already been purchase for you at the cross of Calvary, you can do that right now by praying the following prayer:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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Abounding Grace: Established in Grace 15: Four strong defences;

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June 5, 2012

Hi and welcome back to “Abounding Grace”. In the last two postings we discussed the three adversaries to our freedom in Christ and they were: doctrinal heresy; ecclesiastical harassment and personal hypocrisy. To-day let us look at four strong defences we have to overcome come these subtle adversaries. Don’t ever forget that you are free. Don’t live your life behind a fence of false feelings and don’t let your relationship with Jesus be regulated by a rigid set of religious rules, become everything God created you to be, not poured into someone else’s mould.

  • Keep standing firm in your freedom. If the group your in is giving you grief because you don’t live up to their expectations, leave the group.
  • Stop seeking the favour of others, seek the favour of God alone, don’t look to other people for approval no matter how spiritual they may seem.
  • Refuse to submit to bondage, there is no system of slavery as devastating as legalism; it enslaves your attitude as well as your actions. It closes up your feelings for Jesus instead of freeing them.
  • Continue being straightforward about the truth, live honestly and when you fall admit it. No matter how big a slip you make people will usually forget it if you’re honest about it and don’t try to cover it up.

Always remember you are free.

Gal.5:1. (Amp) In [this] freedom Christ has made us free [and completely liberated us]; stand fast then, and do not be hampered and held ensnared and submit again to a yoke of slavery [which you have once put off].

(Mess) Christ has set us free to live a free life. So take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you.

The letter to the Galatians is a proclamation of freedom. It is God’s official document that proclaims that we who are in Christ are free; anyone trying to live by the law will find that it impedes their relationship with Jesus. What we are free from is the Old Testament law.

Gal.2:16, 21. (Mess) We know very well that we are not set right with God by rule keeping but only through personal faith in Jesus Christ. How do we know? We tried it, and we had the best system of rules the world has ever seen! Convinced that no human being can please God by self-improvement, we believed in Jesus as the Messiah so that we might be set right before God by trusting in the Messiah, not by trying to be good. I am not going to go back on that. Is it not clear to you that to go back to that old rule-keeping, peer-pleasing religion would be an abandonment of everything personal and free in my relationship with God? I refuse to do that, to repudiate God’s grace. If a living relationship with God could come by rule-keeping, then Christ died unnecessarily.

Gal.3:2, 10, 12 – 13, 15 – 19, 21 – 25. (Mess) Let me put this question to you: How did your new life begin? Was it by working your heads off to please God? Or was it by responding to God’s Message to you? And that means that anyone who tries to live by his own effort, independent of God, is doomed to failure. Scripture backs this up: “Utterly cursed is every person who fails to carry out every detail written in the Book of the law.” Rule-keeping does not naturally evolve into living by faith, but only perpetuates itself in more and more rule-keeping, a fact observed in Scripture: “The one who does these things [rule-keeping] continues to live by them.” Christ redeemed us from that self -defeating, cursed life by absorbing it completely into himself. Do you remember the Scripture that says, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”? That is what happened when Jesus was nailed to the Cross: He became a curse, and at the same time dissolved the curse. Friends, let me give you an example from everyday affairs of the free life I am talking about. Once a person’s will has been ratified, no one else can annul it or add to it. Now, the promises were made to Abraham and to his descendant. You will observe that Scripture, in the careful language of a legal document, does not say “to descendants,” referring to everybody in general, but “to your descendant” (the noun, note, is singular), referring to Christ. This is the way I interpret this: A will, earlier ratified by God, is not annulled by an addendum attached 430 years later, thereby negating the promise of the will. No, this addendum, with its instructions and regulations, has nothing to do with the promised inheritance in the will. What is the point, then, of the law, the attached addendum? It was a thoughtful addition to the original covenant promises made to Abraham. The purpose of the law was to keep a sinful people in the way of salvation until Christ (the descendant) came, inheriting the promises and distributing them to us. Obviously this law was not a firsthand encounter with God. It was arranged by angelic messengers through a middleman, Moses. If such is the case, is the law, then, an anti – promise, a negation of God’s will for us? Not at all, its purpose was to make obvious to everyone that we are, in ourselves, out of right relationship with God, and therefore to show us the futility of devising some religious system for getting by our own efforts what we can only get by waiting in faith for God to complete his promise. For if any kind of rule-keeping had power to create life in us, we would certainly have gotten it by this time. Until the time when we were mature enough to respond freely in faith to the living God, we were carefully surrounded and protected by the Mosaic law. The law was like those Greek tutors, with which you are familiar, who escort children to school and protect them from danger or distraction, making sure the children will really get to the place they set out for. But now you have arrived at your destination:

Gal.5:4, 18. (Amp) If you seek to be justified and declared righteous and to be given a right standing with God through the Law, you are brought to nothing and so separated (severed) from Christ. You have fallen away from grace (from God’s gracious favour and unmerited blessing). But if you are guided (led) by the [Holy] Spirit, you are not subject to the Law.

(Mess) I suspect you would never intend this, but this is what happens. When you attempt to live by your own religious plans and projects, you are cut off from Christ, you fall out of grace. Why don’t you choose to be led by the Spirit and so escape the erratic compulsions of a law-dominated existence?

Thank you for joining me to-day and I trust that you have been blessed thus far, Paul’s question to the Galatians was “who are you trying to please, men of God?” and that question is still a valid one to-day, to please men you will have to squeeze yourself into their mould, but if your aim is to please God then you will have to give the Word of God first place in your life, it is that simple. Have a blessed day and don’t forget to share the Word and spread the love all around.

If you have never made Jesus the Lord of your life then to-day would be a good day to consider Jesus, and know this, Jesus came to seek that which was lost, the will of God for all men is that they would come to the knowledge of Christ and be saved, if you hear the Spirit beckoning do not harden your heart, just pray the following prayer by faith and receive the promise of eternal life that God is offering you to-day:

“Father, it is written in Your Word that if I confess with my mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from dead, I shall be saved. Therefore, Father, I confess that Jesus is my Lord. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that You raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with Satan. “I thank You for forgiving me of all my sin. Jesus is now my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new in Jesus’ name. Amen.”

For further words of Cheer click on the link: http://theinvisablechurch.wordpress.com/

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