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Posts Tagged ‘Resurrection’

Christ in the Soul

Posted in Growing in God, tagged , , , , , , , , on July 24, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 12:20-26

When we accepted Jesus Christ, we received life. The Blood of Jesus Christ is the life of God. This is what we received in our souls which were dead in trespasses and sins. This life had to help us die to the alien life of sin which had occupied the soul. Then, we had the self-life, which also had to die. So we see that when we accepted Christ as our Savior, it was a matter of submitting to death in order to receive life. When that process is completed, then we begin to enter into Christ. Paul, speaking to the Corinthian Christians in I Corinthians 12:13, declares, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.”

We are not baptized into the body of Christ until the body of sin and self is given a death-blow. If sin is still reigning in our members, then it was not fully dealt with. The grain of corn cannot bring forth a new life until it has given up its own life. We must die to live and that life does not begin until the death is complete. This is all done by faith.

The divine order of the entering into Christ is shown in the tabernacle of Moses by the three veils. The first veil is called the Gate, the second is called the Door, and the third is called the Veil. The door is Christ, and the entering in is preceded by the washing at the Laver, which is death to self and a complete surrender to Christ. Self cannot be on the throne and, at the same time, Christ be crowned as King. One King must depose the other. Even more than being deposed, ONE KING MUST SLAY THE OTHER so that there is no further possibility of a coup to regain the throne.

THE ENTERING IN OF CHRIST INTO THE SOUL of man is a conscious act of man’s will, which is preceded by the three BAPTISMS of death.

There must be a death before there can be a resurrection. The three baptisms are:

  1. Baptism in water, the baptizer being human
  2. Baptism in the Holy Ghost, the baptizer being Jesus Christ
  3. Baptism into Christ, the baptizer being the Holy Ghost

Christ enters into us, then we begin to enter into Christ. Just as the Holy Ghost enters into us, then we begin to live in the Spirit.

When Christ enters the soul as King, He begins His rule on earth within the individual. HE MUST REIGN TILL ALL ENEMIES ARE PUT UNDER HIS FEET, even death. We see, therefore, that He brings life and immortality to light by the gospel (II Timothy 1:10). The beast nature of man is being changed to the nature of the Christ.

We can see then that we can have Holy Spirit occupying our spirits, but not our souls as the five foolish virgins had in Matthew 25. This stands to reason why, although we receive the Holy Spirit, we still have the power to reject His counsel and have our own way. It also is the reason why we still fall into sin though having the Holy Spirit of God within us. The process of the Kingdom of God gently seeps into every area of our lives with our own free will consent, just as the leaven that leavens the whole three lumps of the woman’s meal in Matthew 13:33.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 148-149)

Thought for today: Let us give way in our souls to the Holy Spirit so that He may fill our vessel and conquer every sin in our lives.

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Quickened by the Blood of Jesus Christ

Posted in Growing in God, tagged , , , , , on July 11, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Revelation 2:1-7

We have totally lost sight of Jesus Christ and what He stands for, where He has put us from the very beginning, from the foundation of the world, and the gospel. We need to get back to our first love. Our first love might not necessarily be anything pertaining to the church. When we accepted Jesus as our Saviour, there was a freshness in our first love. If you never had this experience, if never a change came over you, if never the sky looked bluer, if never the earth looked more glorious, if never the peace of God came over you, if never the glory of God came over you – YOU HAVE NOT YET RECEIVED THAT WHICH JESUS CHRIST DIED FOR. Jesus died in order that we might be SAVED. The word saved means reconditioned, reborn, delivered from the thing we were when we were first born of our mothers. We must have a renewing of the mind, a renewing of the spirit, a deliverance from what we were before.

This salvation needs to grow. Many have said that they have received Jesus as their Saviour, are all right, are going to heaven, and can freely do anything they please. This is not salvation. Salvation is a continuous experience, having a beginning and an end. If you turn to Ephesians 1:11-14, you will see that the Word speaks about the end of your salvation. Notice the progression:

11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will: 12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ. 13 In whom ye also trusted, AFTER that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

Many people do not believe in this progression in God. God is a God of progress and growth. If you are born again, you must grow. You MUST begin to move from that born again position into things higher and into things deeper. Nobody has to preach to you and say that you must do this, and you must talk in tongues, and you must prophesy. Those things do not have to be preached to the true child of God who is following Jesus Christ. The Scripture tells you certain things happen to you as you grow in Christ, but if you do not grow, then you will not have the signs of growth. Some people say that when you receive Jesus as your Saviour, you receive everything. Without going into too much detail, I will say that when you receive Jesus, you receive HIS LIFE to counteract the death that was in you.

God could not do business with a dead man. Therefore, He had to save you, resurrect you, and bring you to the same place where He made Adam. Adam was made a living soul, and you were a dead soul. Dead means you could not respond to God. You could slap or pinch a dead man, you could shout in his ear, but he is dead. That is how God felt towards you for God shouted at you many times. God would touch your body, shake you, wake you up many times but you could not respond to God because you were dead. Now God took some of His life and put it into you through the Blood of Jesus Christ and you became a LIVING SOUL. The Blood of Jesus hovers over the whole world. You can call upon His name and receive His Blood and the Blood quickens you. That is how you know you are saved. No one needs to tell you to say a few words and if you say them right you are saved. This is not a password business that if you say the right password, then you get saved. Nothing of the kind! Sometimes you can get saved by not speaking a word, but just submitting your soul before God and the Spirit of God will come and give you what you ask for. Salvation, therefore, is a quickening of the spirit and a bringing to life of the individual.

When that individual comes alive, he wants living food. Adam was alive but he died because he did not have the Christ. He had neither the Holy Ghost nor the Blood. The Blood first, then the Holy Ghost and then the Christ. This is the right order. After you have been saved, you get the Blood in your soul. When you receive the Holy Ghost, you do not receive the Holy Ghost in your soul. You receive the Holy Ghost in your spirit. The scripture says in Romans 8:16, The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

Those people who have the Spirit of God have within themselves a witness of God that they are the sons of God – little sons of God. Not little gods, but sons of God. Praise be to God.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 1, pg. 29-31)

Thought for today: Are you growing higher and deeper in God? Remember, God is a God of progress and growth and those that are His must grow in Him.

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God a Prisoner

Posted in Doctrine of God, tagged , , , , on February 15, 2017| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Colossians 1:27

When we contain God, we retain, restrain and detain Him. Even as God THE MAGNIFICENT was contained within a man named Jesus, so also He is now within human frame again by the same process of procreation of the species which he used in bringing forth the FIRST CHRIST. This is a paradox – the ALMIGHTY GOD inside the closed confines of flesh which is addicted to corruption; BUT how else would this flesh become incorruptible?

SIN entered into man! Thus God must enter into man to finally deal with the foe. Even while Jesus walked on earth in human flesh, the LIFE of God within Him sought for a resurrection or a breaking forth. The same is within us who have the true work of the blood within us. THIS WORK AND THIS WORK ALONE makes us the church, none other. This is the entering, in the beginning of the creation of God. WITHOUT A BEGINNING there can be nothing at all.

The imprisonment of the Christ within us is a great mystery (Colossians 1:27). In order to manifest HIMSELF within our realm, Jesus Christ our Lord had to come as a prisoner of humanity. Humanity contained and restrained DIVINITY, until Divinity overcame that which contained Him, and the man and the contained became one expression of God. I am depending on you to be in the Spirit to understand what I am saying. If you can understand this, then you are in the Spirit. If you cannot, then pray.

(Excerpt from The Pattern, pg. 46-47)

Thought for today: God must enter into man to finally deal with the foe of SIN!

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The Mystery of Resurrection

Posted in Resurrection, tagged , , , , on December 20, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: John 6:39-40

Revelation 20:13 says, “And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.” This occurrence happens after the millennium. At the end of the 1,000 years, the Scripture speaks of the sea giving up her dead, “and death and hell” giving up her dead. “The dead” is referring to the people who are in hell at this time.

Let us look at “the sea” in the natural. When a person is lost at sea, his body is devoured by sharks and different sea animals, his bones are washed away and melted, and over the years he becomes part of “the sea.” Every atom that was in his body has become part of something else. Now we are writing about the power of resurrection. This power is of such magnitude that it recreates that which was. It does not recreate the substance from another substance or from any new substance, but it takes back the substance from wherever it is and brings it back to be the individual, to be the person. Notice this very carefully because this is in itself a great mystery. IT IS THE MYSTERY OF RESURRECTION.

We read in Job 19:25-27 what Job brought forth from the Holy Spirit. “For I KNOW that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth.” This verse pinpoints the time of the resurrection – “at the latter day.” Job continues, “And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in MY FLESH shall I see God: (there is a colon in the sentence because Job is going to explain how such a thing will happen) Whom I shall see for myself, and MINE EYES shall behold, and not another.” Job was saying that he was not going to get new eyes; he was not going to get new flesh. Job will be in the same flesh with the same eyes “though my reins be consumed within me.”

The most glorious preaching of resurrection can be found somewhere else in the Bible. Jesus preached the resurrection in John 6:39 and 40. “And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I SHOULD LOSE NOTHING, but should raise it up again at the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” Verse 44, “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” Verse 54, “Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will RAISE HIM UP at the last day.” This Word of the Lord is very explicit. It is almost impossible to misunderstand, yet some people do.

Let us look at John 11. It is a marvelous thing that the apostle John himself should be the one to be writing this and impressing it so much. John tells us that Jesus Christ was in a certain place when the news came to Him that His dear friend, Lazarus, had died. Jesus “abode two days still in the same place where he was.” He stayed until it was the fourth day. In verses 25 and 26, He made a marvelous remark. “Jesus said unto her, I AM THE RESURRECTION, AND THE LIFE: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?” Jesus is saying here that if He is “the resurrection, and the life,” then those who have Him have their resurrection within themselves. If you have Jesus in you, you have “the resurrection” in you.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 3, pages 114-115)

Thought for today: Those who have JESUS have their resurrection within themselves.

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Different Powers, Different Reward

Posted in Resurrection, tagged , , , , , , on December 7, 2016| Leave a Comment »

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Scripture reading: Revelation 20:11-12

It would seem that the “white throne” judgment seat mentioned in Revelation 20:11-12 would be for the Christian a case of giving them a reward; for the sinner it would be a case of casting them into a permanent place of separation from God. Now, if someone thinks that this is somewhat too harsh, then we need to have a little discussion on this point.

Let us deal with “the book of life.” James 1:12, “Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him.” Revelation 2:10, “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.” It is clearly stated here that there are different rewards given to the people of God, and that the rewards will not all be the same. Someone says, “Well, I do not care, as long as I make it in.” Well, praise God, but in heaven there are different powers of angels, different rewards, different positions, different situations.

For instance, there is Michael and Gabriel, and there are many other angels of lesser degree which God calls mighty angels. We call them archangels. (I do not know how correct the word is, but for want of a better word, we call them archangels.) God calls them, in Ezekiel, “STONES OF FIRE.” These angels have the power to change everything, like fire. These angels have this magnificent power so that whatever they come upon, they can change it by just sheer power and the glory of God that is with them.

1 Corinthians 15:40-43, “There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars: for one star differeth from another star in glory. So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in incorruption: It is sown in dishonour; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised IN POWER.” We understand, therefore, that there will be a difference, and this is why people should labor that they might receive all the goodness that God has for them. I do believe that in our endeavors and in our work as Christians, God has certain rewards to give, and I do believe that it is possible for one to miss their reward and fail to receive it.

No deed, no thought, no action dies. It is all being stored up in a record. We know that God can record our thoughts. Listen to this scripture. Ecclesiastes 12:13 and 14, “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.” It is indeed awesome for us to even think that God hears everything we say and hears the things we do not say; that is, HE KNOWS THE THOUGHTS OF OUR HEART. A man will be judged on a level which is so high, that he will be judged for the things he thinks and the things he plans to do, even if he did not accomplish them. We look at Scripture to carry this thought out. Matthew 12:36, “But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.” God is speaking about idle words of sinners and also of Christians. We are going to be surprised to see how much loss we suffer at “the judgment seat of Christ.” “The judgment seat of Christ” is designed of God to give rewards to the Christians. See 2 Corinthians 5:10.

(Excerpt from The Book of Revelation, Volume 3, pages 109-110)

Thought for today: No deed, no thought, no action dies. It is all being stored up in a record.

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