Mailing # 67 Our Old and New Will Chapter 2 Part 4 (Word to the Church)
The heart first deceives its owner and through him also everybody else.
Therefore, the Word also clearly declares that “he that trusts in his own heart is a fool”. (Pr. 28:26)
It may take quite a long time and repeated repentances and efforts to “come to the Lord” before the Lord shows us the actual and true problem with our heart and will. The first attempts to repent and change are usually plagued with self-pity and all the “foxy moves” of the old man trying to “make a deal” with the Lord or with the brethren. But everyone who persists will see the final and very good fruit from the Lord’s Spirit.
THE GREATEST TRAGEDY OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST IS IN THE UNWILLINGNESS OF MANY BELIEVERS TO OPEN THEIR HEARTS TO THE LORD AND BE HONEST AT LEAST TO HIM!… IF THEY ARE NOT HONEST TO THEMSELVES.
The Lord thus cannot help them to abandon their old life and ways (the broad way), their old nature, which can never inherit the Kingdom of Heaven and can never enter the New Jerusalem. Multitudes of believers are unwilling even to ponder these spiritual facts and admit that they are not sure how the Lord views their walk, their religion and how He judges their works and fruit. I know from my own experience that to open our heart is not easy, but it is essential for our continued Salvation. The Lord knows this and understands, and is ready to help us and enable us!
If you are not on the narrow way, then you are on the broad way, there are no other ways. And the broad way, where many believers are walking, leads to destruction. It is not my personal opinion, it is the Word of God. (Mt. 7:13, 14) When the Lord says “…many there be which go…”, He is not addressing pagans! The notion that all believers walk on the narrow way and all pagans on the broad way is a lie from hell! If this were true, the Lord would have never urged His believers to strive to enter in at the straight gate! (Lk. 13:24) Is this true?
Hence, when we believe and are redeemed, baptized and thus sanctified in Christ Jesus, WE ARE NOT SAINTS YET! WE ARE RIGHTEOUS AND CALLED TO BE SAINTS. (ROM. 1:7// 1COR. 1:2) WE ARE NOT SET ON THE NARROW WAY, WE MUST SEEK AND FIND IT! (Mt. 7:7,8,14) If we do not seek it, we will never find it and will continue walking on the broad way! Hence, the “many” means born-again believers who, though they have the Heavenly Father, they are still evil (Mt. 7:11) or are not yet His sons and daughters. (2Cor. 6:17,18) I desire to say to the “many believers” on the broad way this word:
a) If you would consciously and definitely know that you walk on the road leading to your destruction, would you continue walking on it? I believe you would stop. IT IS ENTIRELY POSSIBLE THAT YOU MAY BE WALKING ON THE BROAD WAY AND NOT BE AWARE OF IT AT ALL! Please, be not surprised that you may be deceived in this very important fact of your life and destiny. Deception is a very potent weapon in the arsenal of our enemy, the devil. Satan will tell those walking to destruction: “You are just fine, do not listen to anyone telling you otherwise or criticizing you or judging you… you are doing your best”. And to those walking on the narrow way, pressing, suffering, wrestling, he will say: “You are not doing well, you will never make it; the LORD is not satisfied with you otherwise He would not punish you and let you suffer like this. Abandon your way and do what all the others do.”
I REPEAT, the Lord says clearly: “STRIVE to enter in at the straight gate; for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and SHALL NOT BE ABLE.” (see Lk. 13:24-27)
When the Lord says STRIVE, is He talking to pagans? What do you believe in your heart? So, Satan would again “conveniently forget” the Word of God in order to deceive you and you would have no clue that he is deceiving you, just as Eve had no clue in the Garden of Eden.
Those that do walk on the narrow way understand the above very well. Those walking on the broad way cannot understand or see this truth. They must turn to the Lord and ask Him to show them where they walk. They must then decide to leave that broad way and begin to find the narrow way with the Lord’s help. But how will they do this important step in their Christian life when nobody tells them anything about it? My question is: WHO PREACHES AND EXPLAINS THIS TRUTH IN THE LIGHT OF THE SCRIPTURE? WHO CARES AND IS RESPONSIBLE BEFORE THE LORD FOR THOSE SOULS, IF NOT THEIR SHEPHERDS?
b) How do you know on which way you are walking? YOU MUST HAVE A TESTIMONY IN YOUR CONSCIENCE AND HEART that you walk on the narrow way with the signs and fruit following! If you do not have IN YOUR it, then you are walking on the broad way. It is that simple.
Nobody walks on the narrow way without being conscious of it! Nobody walks on the narrow way breaking or ignoring the Word of God and not being made conscious of it by the Holy Spirit! Nobody walks on the narrow way without growing up and being changed in his life, faith and deeds. Nobody starts walking on the narrow way by accident, without deciding for the Lord – to do His Will and not his/her own. (Mt. 26:39) It never happens to you “somehow”. You never drift to the narrow way, you must find it.
Nobody is saved by “accident”, without being conscious of it. Nobody is pleasing the Lord without being conscious of it, without having a testimony in his heart, which is the Lord’s “stamp” of approval. Our own pleasant feelings, assumptions or hopes are insufficient. Nobody walks on the narrow way without producing any fruit of the Spirit! Do you have at least some fruit of His Spirit? How do you recognize your fruit? Does it correspond to the description in the Word of God? (Gal. 5:22,23)
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I am at this point constrained by the Spirit of the LORD to declare the following important truth.
THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT IS NOT EQUAL OR COMPARABLE TO OUR OWN HUMAN QUALITIES AND VIRTUES!
We have our own human love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, beliefs, meekness, temperance. We may have any or all nine of them. But they are NOT the fruit of the Spirit! They are part of our natural creation, part of our carnal soul, hence, they are soulish and not spiritual. The fruit of the Spirit is spiritual.
There are pagans who might display human gentleness, goodness, humbleness, generosity or other human virtues, yet, the Lord’s Spirit has never produced any of His fruit in any pagan. Also, there may be many pagans who display a far greater human virtues or talents than many Christians! True? How can we tell the difference?
Well, our own soulish qualities and “virtues” are very shallow, short-lived and greatly limited. Our own love, joy or peace are able to disappear very fast whenever the conditions for their existence disappear. The same goes for our goodness or gentleness or temperance or any other soulish virtue.
The very first problem that may “hit you” after leaving your blessed church service could, in seconds, rob you of all your peace and joy that you enjoyed at the service! Your good friend whom you respected and loved deeply may one day tell you that you are self-righteous or proud or envious or that you live in some sin. Your “deep love and respect” for him might disappear in no time. Or someone may do an injustice to you, to your loved one or your friend and your temperance could leave you in a flash.
Just ponder these few examples from your everyday life and imagine: If the Lord would love us with this kind of love, if His patience would have such a “short fuse”, we would not even be saved today! The reality is that the Lord always acted toward us kindly and through His Spirit. Even His work in us after our Redemption is being done through the same fruit of His Spirit and that is why it is bearable though it may be painful at times. But I believe that it is always far more painful for Him than for us.
Do we not know, do we not have our own experience that the best medicine is the most bitter one? So, they sugar coat the pills so that we might be able to swallow them. The bitter spiritual truth is also sugar coated with His Love and Grace so we can “swallow” that truth by believing it in our heart. And that truth, once it gets inside of our heart, shall make us free from the darkness, wickedness and other evil in our heart. (Jn. 8:32) It will definitely and permanently cure us and uproot in our heart all the bitter and evil plants that kept spoiling our life and the life of all those around us.
The above spiritual realities also point to another fact. If our ministry is to be successful and fruitful before the Lord (not necessarily before men), it must primarily be done through the fruit of His Spirit and not just through our soulish virtues and biblically educated intellect. It must not be done through endless persuasions, reasoning, debates, questioning, doubting, feelings or the like while even a basic kindness, openness, wisdom, faith and grace may be missing. That is why an uncrucified minister of God will achieve very little in terms of spiritual values, in spiritual progress, growth and maturing of believers.
Toward man, we have to be meek, graceful, patient, kind and understanding. Toward hell in man, we must be authoritative, uncompromising, unyielding even forceful and violent (in words) whenever necessary. It all depends who is addressing you, man or the hell in him. For that we need the true discernment from the Lord. Do you see this spiritual reality? If you do not, the Lord can enable you to see even this reality.
The Lord Himself was dealing differently with different people. With ordinary people who might have been misled, deceived or otherwise ignorant of the truth, He spoke graciously (ex. Jn. 8:10,11). With the hell in Pharisees and Scribes, He spoke harshly, forcefully, impolitely, undiplomatically and did not mingle His Words. (ex.: Mt. chpt. 23)
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To be continued next week in part 5
brother Hanola
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