Jesus-Man was sent to this world by His Father and sown as a Heavenly Seed, which was to be reproduced and bring forth the harvest of fruit and seeds after His Kind! Every plant that grows from His Seed was planted by the Father. This plant brings forth the fruit and seed after “His Kind”. The plants, which the Father did not plant, shall be rooted up. (Mt. 15:13) The LORD-HUSBANDMAN, patiently waits for the precious fruit of the earth, and has long patience for it. (Jam. 5:7) THIS IS THE WILL OF GOD!
To be transformed or conformed into His Image (Rom. 8:29; 12:2), to be formed into Christ (Gal. 4:19) means the very same thing – to be transformed into this NEW MAN, who is holy and righteous because the “old man” must perish.
This change into His Image is worked out step-by-step by the Spirit of the Lord (2Cor. 3:18) and its basic points are briefly described in the above 8 points. If you have not experienced any of the above 8 points, you are in a sad spiritual shape and should start questioning your Christian life and your Salvation process. The Spirit of the Lord may not live in you or be working in you at all! The process of your transformation may not have started as yet or may have been halted due to some reasons. Your New Man is not growing and shaping up. Be not afraid or scared, it is good to be warned by the Lord and get back on the right road or to finally begin walking on it.
You should start asking yourself certain important questions, like: What kind of seed am I in this world? What kind of fruit am I bringing unto the Lord? Does it have any resemblance to the Seed, which the Father sowed in the earth? Does it produce the Kind of Man that the Father patiently waits for? And then, your own heart has to answer these extremely important questions. It has to. Whether your answer is yes or no or maybe – your life depends on it. If you do not believe me, believe the Word of God, which determines your life and future.
This New Man is made in us by the Spirit of God and our conscious cooperation with God “for we are labourers together with God…”. (1Cor. 3:9) The Spirit was sent to us for that purpose. You may claim that He was sent as a Comforter (Jn. 14:16,17). You are right, but this is not His only task. Notice the previous verse where the Lord says:
“IF ye love Me, keep My commandments (My Word). And (then) I will pray the Father…” (Jn. 14:15,16)
The Lord has no intention to send you the Comforter if you have no intention to keep His Commandments, His Word! The Comforter is not sent to comfort our flesh, our old nature, but to comfort the soul that suffers and struggles to obey and keep His Word! (2Cor. 1:7)
We are “ELECT according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, UNTO OBEDIENCE …” (1Pet. 1:2) Hence…
HE WHO DOES NOT OBEY THE SPIRIT AND DOES NOT LIVE HIS WORD OR IS NOT EVEN WILLING TO LEARN TO LIVE HIS WORD, IS NOT ELECT! DO YOU BELIEVE THIS? OR NOT?
If we are not chastised by the Lord, we do not need any comforting. The Holy Spirit knows all our intentions, thoughts and plans and He thus knows well when we need comforting and when we need a “spiritual whip”. When we refuse His whip, He will refuse His comforting. Let us understand that the Spirit was sent to TESTIFY ABOUT THE LORD JESUS (Jn. 15:26), to show us this NEW MAN, chosen, accepted and ordained by the Father. He was also sent to…
“…guide you into ALL TRUTH… He (the Spirit) shall glorify Me (Jesus Christ), for He shall receive of Mine and shall show it unto you.” (Jn. 16:13-15)
To guide you into all truth, show you and testify about the Lord also means that the Spirit (if He lives in your soul) may be telling you in your daily life things like these:
“This plan is not from Me, it is from you… The words you spoke at the meeting were your own, I do not speak like that… When you went to that place, it was your decision, you ignored the red light that I put on your road… You just judged your brother unrighteously, repent to him … You have not responded to that person because you are offended… You were a hypocrite this evening… That was an evil deed you had done… Why did you lie in response to that question?… Your intention is very selfish… These are your thoughts and not Mine… You should apologize to that person, you have hurt him …You are seeking your own goal here and not God’s… What you preached is true, but you do not live it yourself…You may feel fine about what you did, but I am grieved… You say you have been waiting on the Lord, the truth is, the Lord has been waiting on you…” , etc., etc…
The Comforter will first be to you quite uncomfortable about many things in your life. He will also be pointing out to you the way you eat, drink, sit, walk, talk, dress and do many things, because the Will of God touches every detail of your earthly life. He will also assess your thoughts, intentions, desires and other details of your life, which need His attention! He will start comforting you when your flesh starts burning on the altar of the Lord. And if the Holy Spirit has never spoken to you like this, your conscience may be dead or seared with a hot iron (1Tim. 4:2), you may have no spiritual ear or you may be too proud to be guided into anything. Now, can the Spirit truly guide you into all truth? You judge.
We must be guided into all truth because we do not know all truth and are unaware how we speak, think, walk, sit, act and what intentions and reasons are truly behind our deeds, thoughts, plans. He knows us well. Do you really want to know yourself? Do you really want to know how your character compares to Christ Jesus – that NEW MAN chosen by God? And do you really want to know why you do not want to know? And do you in truth want to know what is God’s plan for YOU personally? What God expects from you now? In God’s Mind and Will, it is not sufficient for you just to be saved, but you must become a living part of His House!
Let me illustrate this on something very practical. You desire to build a house on your lot to live in. This is something practical and normal. So, you buy a lot of stones, bricks, lumber and other material. You have a big heap on your lot and when you look at it, you are satisfied and you do nothing else. Right? But where is your house? You have to start building your house, piece by piece, inspecting every piece for the right size, kind and quality.
God may have a heap of saved individuals on His lot and when He looks at them, He is NOT satisfied just as you are not satisfied with the heap of material on your lot. MOST OF THE CHURCH HAS BEEN JUST A “HEAP OF SAVED INDIVIDUALS” WHO HAVE NO INTENTIONS OR EVEN ABILITY TO LIVE WITH ONE ANOTHER! Just to “unite” faith and mind of two believers is a “hell of a job.” I do not know how many of you can say “Amen” to this fact.
Part of my calling by the Lord is to do exactly this kind of job! Believe me, it is absolutely impossible to have even two believers to live together in peace, love and harmony unless the Spirit has crucified both of them in their old nature! Can you believe me? So if I tell you that it is a far more difficult and demanding task to unite believers to live together, to build them into His House than to save them, you should also believe me.
That’s why THERE ARE MULTITUDES OF SAVED INDIVIDUALS… BUT FEW OF THEM ARE CRUCIFIED AND MADE, BUILT INTO THE HOUSE OF GOD.
This present Judgment of the House of God is precisely for His purpose to assess its present state; how big a heap of “material” is still on the lot and what is necessary to be done so that all the House may “fitly framed together grow unto a Holy Temple in the Lord.” (Eph. 2:21, also 1Pet. 2:5)
The House of God will not be all finished before the Coming of the Lord as Our Bridegroom (Mt. 25:6) or as the KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS in order to establish the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth (Rev. 19:11-16), which are TWO DIFFERENT COMINGS OF THE LORD! The finishing of the House will continue but a certain part of It, which represents the current Bride and Wife of Christ must be finished now, AND THIS JUDGMENT IS FOR THAT PURPOSE OF THE LORD – THE BRIDEGROOM.
Let me insert a spiritual fact from the Old Testament and say that God chose Israel to be His people AND TO BE HIS HOUSE where He would dwell. But they never became His House. Why? Soon after crossing the Red Sea, they refused and despised God’s discipline and chastisement. They never became His sons but remained bastards. (Heb. 12:5-8) But the House of God is occupied with His sons and not bastards. True?
I am saying this at this point because the Church is in the same position. Multitudes of believers are not willing to endure the chastisement from the Lord, they refuse and despise it. They only desire to “have a good time and prosperity”. Today’s Church is accurately described by the Lord Himself in Rev. 3:17!
Hence, most of the believers therein cannot mature into His sons and they cannot occupy His House! Do you see this? Do you believe this? The Lord declared that in His House of Israel He found prophets and priests, which were prophane and wicked! (Jer. 23:11) Do you truly believe that such things are impossible in His New Testament House of the Church?
The Lord “does not withdraw His eyes from the righteous…” yet, “He opens also their ear to discipline, and commands that they return from iniquity … But IF THEY OBEY NOT, THEY SHALL PERISH BY THE SWORD, and they shall die without knowledge.” (Job 36:7-14)
And if you cannot believe or imagine that you do need discipline and chastisement, then remember your children. As long as you play with them and have fun, everything is fine and they are so cute and cuddly. The moment you start demanding from them any discipline, they immediately begin to show their “true colours”, that is, what is truly in their cute little souls – a devilish character, stubbornness, selfishness, malice, jealousies, disobedience, arrogance, etc!
What makes us think that as children of God we are any different? Do we not behave before God in the same way as our own undisciplined children? Before we are delivered, we all behave the same way. As long as God “plays” with us and blesses us, we are fine. The moment He starts disciplining us, we show our “true colours”. Am I telling you some kind of mysteries or true facts of our earthly and also spiritual life?
Are you beginning to see and believe that God has no intentions to play with us, adults, sweet religious games? This has never been His intention. Furthermore, there is no time for that. After long centuries of darkness, He needs our willingness to receive from Him what He has to show us, assess us, guide us and thus prepare us for His Coming.
Why was there a need for John the Baptist to come? I am sure that you know. To cry out in the wilderness: “Repent… Prepare the way of the Lord…” (Mt. 3:1-3// Is. 40:3-5)
There is an EQUAL NEED TODAY TO CRY OUT in the spiritual wilderness of this world and of this Church: “Repent… Prepare the way of the Lord”. (see also Mt. 25:6) I believe I am also one of those small voices called to cry out to the Church in her spiritual wilderness even by this book. Who has ears to hear, let him hear. (Mt. 11:15; 13:9,43, etc.)
We must start seeing and understanding what God is doing today, how He is doing it and what our task is in it. Evangelism is not everything! Preaching the Word is not everything! It is a PART of His Will. Changing our nature from that of Satan to that of Christ IS EVERYTHING! You need to know your own self before you can cooperate with God in working out and finishing your Full Salvation (Phil. 1:6; 2:12) and thus becoming a living part of His House.
We should be shocked to learn what is in our heart and why and that we have no power to change anything in our old nature, old creation, except when we accept our cross and the Power of the Lord’s Spirit. Therefore…
IF OUR OLD MAN IS NOT CRUCIFIED AND REPLACED BY THE NEW MAN WHOM GOD CREATED FOR US IN HOLINESS AND TRUE RIGHTEOUSNESS (EPH. 4:24), THEN WE MUST PERISH TOGETHER WITH OUR OLD MAN WHOM WE LOVED MORE THAN OUR NEW MAN! (Mt. 16:24-26// Mk. 8:34-38// Lk. 9:23-26) WE CAN NEVER LIVE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD – IN CHRIST – IN OUR OLD MAN, IN OUR OLD SINFUL AND UNCRUCIFIED NATURE.
Compare this true Eternal Will of God, His Word, His Plan of the true and complete Salvation with your church services, Sunday or Sabbath schools, prayers, biblical or home cell meetings or fellowships and see whether there is ANY PART OF THIS WILL OF GOD done or at least considered at your place of worship and fellowship.
Let us start seeing, pondering and understanding this basic issue of our Eternal Life in the everlasting Presence of Our Father in Heaven. He is not satisfied with just some “saved individuals”, He must have His House–the Body of Christ–Fully saved and matured sons and daughters of God. Is it really so difficult to see this? I agree that it is easy to come and sit in “your” church, play some music, sing few hymns, listen to an interesting sermon (even make notes on paper), put some money on the offering plate and go home satisfied and believing that all is well! But is the Lord truly satisfied? Has anybody asked HIM this question? Has anybody asked HIM how HE views your church, your services or your activities? NO! How do I know? Because I went through such religion for several years myself! And I still see the same religious form continuing after all those years. It also took me a long time to start asking the Lord such questions! And He responded to me, and I was shocked by what He was showing me[8].
It is natural that we all start learning somewhere, and we all start being guided into “some truth” and that it may take a year or two to start seeing something and hearing the Lord. I also went through my spiritual nursery and primary school. I have learned many basic truths, basic facts, much biblical history and also had the necessary fellowship.
I am truly very thankful to my former pastors and elders for all my basic education and guidance and fellowship, which I needed during that time. But then after that, what else? Then I was on my own, wondering… is there anything else, anything more? Is that all?
Once you received the necessary biblical information and could discern Moses from Aaron, Jacob from Esau, Naomi from Esther, Peter from Paul, Cornelius from Pilat, etc., you had seemingly reached your plateau. You could pitch your tent there and begin your everlasting stagnation! And, though it seems incredible, many believers did, and still do, exactly that. And who is to blame? Do you know?
After almost 2,000 years, the Church was supposed to have matured and be ready for the Lord and for His House. We should have been “sons & daughters of God” forming a CORPORATE NEW MAN IN CHRIST JESUS, which is to say, a NEW MANKIND!
But we may be much worse than the Early Church, more childish, more fearful, more disunited, more lazy, more arrogant, more selfish, more disobedient, more complacent, more self-gratifying and, yes, I will say it… more foolish. God’s satisfaction and final goal may not be on our list! There is…
NO AUTHORITY, NO CHASTISEMENT, NO OBEDIENCE, NO DISCIPLINE, NO TRUE PURPOSE, NO TRUE VISION, JUST SELF-SATISFACTION, DREAMING COLOUR DREAMS AND SWEET DECEPTION. THIS IS THE STATE OF THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST, IN GENERAL.
THE CHURCH HAS COMPLETELY FAILED ITS VERY IMPORTANT MISSION AND CALLING IN THE AREA OF SPIRITUAL MATURING OF BORN-AGAIN BELIEVERS!
All in the Remnant can see it clearly. Others cannot see it, not until the Lord grants them spiritual eyesight.
So, the Lord Himself has to take the hand of any soul that desires more than the current Church has been offering. There may be no one else to give that soul more than just biblical information, religious shows or emotional entertainment. And that soul has to walk with the Lord separated from all those religious forms and performances of today’s organized religion where there is “everything for everybody” out there. In 1969, I heard my former Pentecostal pastor say on his radio program to an enquiring listener: “You do not have to come to our church …’shop around’… and find a church, which will suit you…” HELLO? God knows where He wants the man, where he belongs and not where he likes it or where it suits the man.
Is this not a great success of the powers of evil and darkness to keep the Lord’s people in this state? To keep them from their true and complete Salvation as is intended and purposed by God Almighty? And to even keep them in a “danger zone” from where they could slide back and perish? Our hearts should be weeping.
Now, would God allow such a thing to happen? Well, God allowed it, otherwise, it would have never happened! God allowed His chosen people of Israel to perish in the wilderness soon after their “Salvation”, which means, after their departure from Pharaoh (Satan) and from his kingdom and crossing the Red Sea. I do not mean “perish eternally” (Rom. 11:26), but perish from the world (as in the Holocaust). Has God changed His Mind or Will about the chosen people of the New Testament – the Church? Not at all! God never changes in His Character and Will. (Mal. 3:6,7)
IT MAY BE WORSE WITH THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST THAN IT WAS WITH ISRAEL! THE CHURCH MAY BE BRINGING GREATER SHAME TO THE LORD THAN ISRAEL DID, WHICH WAS NEVER BORN-AGAIN BY HIS SPIRIT AS THE CHURCH HAS BEEN! THEREFORE, THE CHURCH SHALL GO THROUGH THE GREAT TRIBULATION AND SAINTS SHALL ALSO BE OVERCOME BY THE DEVIL… A KIND OF “CHRISTIAN HOLOCAUST”! (Rev. 13:7)
Let me share with you my deep convictions as well as my experiences of what God allows and what we do to Him and most of the time being totally unaware of it.
A page above, I write about people coming in and sitting in their church and, generally, “taking it easy”. They may sit quietly listening or taking notes or jumping around praising the Lord, singing, crying or being ecstatic. As I wrote before, no matter how the people in the congregation behave, there is never a guarantee that any work of the Spirit is done in their soul – heart, mind and will. And, may I say this quite frankly and openly – this is not their fault! They generally do what they are led to do by their leaders. Do the leaders give their people the Life of Christ or just some religious education, tons of religious lectures, hymn singing, emotional experiences or a classy religious entertainment?
* * *
To be continued next week in chapter 4 – part 3
brother Hanola
…
< Link to book WORD to the CHURCH >