CHAPTER 1
INTRODUCTION
Before I write anything in this book, the Lord Jesus Christ is constraining me to declare a simple, but essential truth from His Word saying:
“YOU have not chosen ME, but I have chosen YOU, and ordained you, that you should go and bring forth fruit, and that YOUR FRUIT SHOULD REMAIN;” (Jn. 15:16)
This Word applies to every believer, whom HE has chosen and ordained and whom no one else has chosen or ordained. The Lord also speaks about FRUIT, WHICH SHOULD REMAIN. This kind of fruit is not subjected to time, rotting, deterioration, destruction or disappearance; it is indestructible by men or by the forces of darkness and evil. Therefore, THIS fruit is the only clear proof whether we were chosen and ordained by the Lord or by men. (Mt. 7:16-20) Let us see and understand that this fruit is not a physical, mental or intellectual fruit, not buildings, not organizations, not institutions, not ministries, not teaching, not preaching, not studies, not things of the physical or mental or intellectual nature.
THIS fruit is a spiritual fruit which the Lord can taste, appreciate, cherish and love FOR EVER! Buildings, organizations, institutions, ministries, teaching, preaching, studies and all things physical, mental or intellectual may be temporary tools which could be useful in the hands of a minister whose flesh was crucified (Gal. 5:24) and who was chosen, ordained and given to the Church by the Lord as His gift and as a seed of His Kingdom. (Eph. 4:11,12) The physical, mental or intellectual “fruit” of our labours will NOT REMAIN, but will perish and be forgotten. (1Cor. 13:8b) The problem with the majority of believers is that they cannot discern or assess their own fruit, let alone the fruit of other brethren, therefore, they cannot “know anybody by their fruit”. And this, unfortunately, applies also to many in the leadership. Hence, there may be quite a large number of ministers, who were not ordained and given by the Lord to His Church, rather, they were ordained by men and organizations. If such uncrucified ministers undertake to shepherd other believers with the Word of God and with supposed “messages from the Holy Spirit”, they are taking an enormous risk of being in their time “rooted up”. (Mt. 15:11-13)
Again, before I come to the facts and truths in Chapter 1, the Lord desires to destroy some basic, but profound, deceptions that have been holding the Church from Her calling and fulfilling the Will and Purpose of Our Father in Heaven. These deceptions shall be unmasked by His Truth which follows in this book.
Some of the basic deceptions involve normal and commonly performed Christian activities which may give to believers a “wrong message” about their true spiritual state before the Lord and about His judgment and acceptance of their spiritual state. Let us see some of the deceptions.
KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE IS NOT SALVATION. TEACHING AND PREACHING OF THE BIBLE IS NOT SALVATION. ATTENDING CHURCH SERVICES IS NOT SALVATION. SINGING SACRED MUSIC AND GIVING OF TITHES AND OFFERINGS IS NOT SALVATION. SOCIAL WORK, HELPING THE POOR, WORKING “FOR THE LORD” IS NOT SALVATION! NOTHING THAT MAN CAN THINK OF, DO OR IMAGINE IN HIS MIND, IS SALVATION! WHY?
ANY HUMAN SOUL IS ABLE TO ACQUIRE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE BIBLE AND PERFORM ANY OF THE DEEDS QUOTED IN THE FRAME ABOVE WITHOUT NECESSARILY BEING REDEEMED BY GOD’S SPIRIT! HENCE, ANY “RELIGIOUS UNSAVED SOUL” IS ABLE TO DO IT ALL.
AND NOT ONLY HUMAN SOULS, BUT SATAN HIMSELF AND HIS MINISTERS ARE TRANSFORMED INTO THE MINISTERS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS (2COR. 11:14,15) AND HAVE BEEN DOING OR IMITATING ALL THAT IS IN THE FRAME ABOVE! ARE WE AWARE OF THIS FACT? NO! THAT IS WHY THE LORD IS PRESENTING IT TO US AND WE ARE REQUIRED TO SEE AND UNDERSTAND THIS FACT CLEARLY. SO THEN, WHAT IS SALVATION?
SALVATION IS THE COMPLETE DEATH OF THE OLD,
SINFUL, SOULISH, CARNAL, NATURAL MAN;
HIS OLD SPIRIT, OLD SOUL AND OLD BODY!
SALVATION IS THE CREATION OF A COMPLETELY NEW, PERFECT, SINLESS, SPIRITUAL MAN;
HIS NEW SPIRIT, NEW SOUL AND NEW BODY!
THIS IS THE TRUE, COMPLETE AND FINAL SALVATION OF MAN IN GOD’S HEART AND PURPOSE! (2Cor. 5:17)
THIS WILL BE THE MAIN THEME IN THIS BOOK and the Lord Himself will give us what we need to see, know, understand and do at this junction of our earthly lives. It will facilitate our preparation for His Coming as Bridegroom for His Bride. (Mt. 25:1-13) We may be His Bride by being born-again, but we may not be acceptable to Him as His Bride in our present character and state of our soul and spirit. AND WE MAY NOT BE AWARE of what in us is repulsive to Him or what is pleasing to Him. We have but a short time to our Marriage (Jn. 17:21// Rev. 19:7-9) and we, who believe that we love the Lord and are waiting for His appearance, MUST understand the Word of Our Bridegroom to us and also its urgency at this time.
There are two important facts in Rev. 19:7-9, which the Lord desires us to see and understand. In verse 7, His Wife has made herself ready. We usually do not know how to make ourselves ready for Him! In verse 8, She was arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is HER OWN RIGHTEOUSNESS! The Lord says that HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS was acquired by Her through Her own SPIRITUAL cross, death and resurrection! (Mt. 16:24,25) His Bride and Wife must have Her own righteousness and this is Her preparation for His Coming as Bridegroom!
Right at the beginning of this work, I desire to establish another important fact.
Most of what follows in the Chapters of this book is not my natural knowledge and wisdom! The most important spiritual truths and facts declared and discussed herein, I have not received from men or through studies, but by a gracious and absolutely sovereign revelation from the Lord. You will be able to judge this fact in your own spirit and conscience, if you have an eye to see, an ear to hear and a heart to understand. And whatever light I had received from my studies, meditations, prayers or from other true servants of God (and I have), He enlarged and enriched in its spiritual depth, importance and significance which I had never seen and understood in my heart before.
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To be continued next week in chapter 1 – part 2
brother Hanola
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