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The Substance Belongs to Christ
The form of scripture is the Word of God, the character of that Word is Gospel (good news), and the content of that Gospel is Jesus Christ. “In the beginning was the Word…and the Word was God.” John 1:1 Since the beginning, all that God the Father ever wanted to communicate to you and to me in this life, and the life to come for that matter, is summed up in the good news of a Person, the Person of His dear Son. Hebrews 1:1-3 [Amplified] tells us that, “In many separate revelations [each of which set forth a portion of the Truth] and in different ways God spoke of old to [our] forefathers in and by the prophets, but in the last days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things…He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine]…” Further, the Word of God was meant, not to give the “do’s” and “do not’s” of the Christian faith, but rather, to describe a man’s living experience of that Blessed Person, the Lord Jesus, recording on paper the love, faithfulness, and interaction of the Living God in his own life. The scriptures should be the validation of what is ALREADY happening in my experience and relationship with the Lord Jesus Himself. In Ephesians 3:18-19 [Amplified], Paul says, “That you may have the power and be strong to apprehend and grasp with all the saints [God’s devoted people, the experience of that love] what is the breadth and length, and height, and depth [of it]; [That you may really come] to know [practically, through experience for yourselves] the love of Christ, which far surpasses mere knowledge [without experience]…” Based on this, I believe we should ask ourselves two questions: “Is the Lord Jesus becoming more and more precious to me through an ever-increasing revelation of the wonder of His Person?” and (2) “Am I actually and progressively experiencing a living reality of that Person in and through the many circumstances of life?”
An Eternal Covenant, echoed in time, was made between God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit: “Let Us make man in our image.” This creature called man was created to experience a living, spiritual union with his Creator, becoming the intersection of interaction where God would come down to meet and dwell within His creation. God wanted to be known; known for the wonders of all that He is, mainly, as 1 John tells us, God being love. God wanted His creation to actually share a conscience experience, in time, of all that He is as the Eternal Reality. Throughout the Old Testament scriptures God spoke of Himself in many types and shadows, with the intent to always reveal the character, nature, and perfection of Himself. The Garden of Eden, the Tabernacle, The Law, the Temple, and countless other pictures were given to hint at God’s form, in type. God even set out a special people to be His own possession, so that He could share the deeper things of Himself with them. God, through the many stories and situations of the Old Testament was always, through a glass dimly, expressing who He is. Yet, it wasn’t until, as John 1:14 tells us, “The Word BECAME flesh and tabernacled among them and we ACTUALLY saw (for the first time) His glory,” did ALL the fulfillment of what God said, BECOME, in totality, a living experience. “In Him was Life, and this life was the light of men.” John 1:4 Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of ALL that God ever wanted to say, to us, about Himself. Jesus Christ is the summation, the quintessence, and the zenith of everything Spiritual. “…And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature…” Knowing this, we must never separate the Lord Jesus Himself from all that is said in Scripture, for the Scriptures, detached from the Person and Character of the Lord Jesus Christ, cease to be what God is saying to you and to me and become nothing more than a lifeless text. Biblical principles applied, apart from the out-flowing Source of those principles, become a fleshly, lifeless deed, simply covering man’s flesh with a religious coat.
A dear brother in the Lord said to me once, “One of the greatest needs in the Church today, if not the greatest, is the need for spiritual discernment.” Not scriptural knowledge, but spiritual discernment. I can know the scripture, study the scripture, apply scripture, yet, I can be devoid of His life when they are detached from the character and nature of the Son of God. Look what Jesus emphatically said to the Pharisees: “You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me! And still you are not willing [but refuse] to come to Me, so that you might have life.” John 5:39-40 [Amplified] Only the Lord Jesus Himself, through the indwelling Holy Spirit, can divide and make clear what is of Him and what is not of Him. “For the Word of God [Jesus Himself] is alive and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, dividing soul [of man] and spirit [of God]…” Hebrews 4:12 Spiritual discernment is not simply knowing the difference between what is Christian and non Christian, good and evil, positive and negative, but rather, true spiritual discernment is knowing what is of Jesus Christ, and what is NOT of Jesus Christ, EVEN when the very Scriptures are being used. To further this point, even Satan himself used the very Scriptures to justify his motive, yet missing the content of those Scriptures, the Life that comes only from Christ. “And he said to Him, if You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written, He will give His angles charge over you, and they will bear you up on their hands, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Matthew 4:6 Satan was quoting the very Word of God! Yet, one can know in the heart that if God is truly speaking, if after that speaking, you are left with more of Jesus.
God’s Word, God’s communication, what He has to say, is the very power in our lives, for man does not live on bread alone, but by every word that comes out of God’s mouth. “The message, or communication, of the Cross…to those being saved, is the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18 Yet, in verse 24 of that same chapter, Paul goes on to say, “Christ, the power and wisdom of God.” The Bible can hold to a form of godliness, yet deny the power there of (2 Timothy 3:5), which is denying Christ Himself, the power and wisdom of God. The only thing that God, through His Holy Spirit will speak will always magnify and glorify, in ever-increasing measure, the Son of His Love, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Now here is a test. If a brother or sister, or group of believers use the Word of God as a means of justification, condemnation, proving, and the like, simply hold up the Lord Jesus in front of that scripture(s) like a piece of transparency paper and see if it’s a perfect fit. If you see the Person of the Lord Jesus line up with the quoted scripture, hold on to it, receive it, and seek to know more of it. If, however, the character of the Lord Jesus is not magnified by what is quoted or said, you have cause to “test the spirits” and discover if it is truly revealing the spoken Word of God. See, it is knowing, in experience the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, and when you know Him, you will also know what is NOT Him. Satan quoted scripture, but Jesus wasn’t in it. It is only what He is doing, that we are to do, it is only what He is saying that we are to say, it is only what He wants to accomplish that we are to put our hands to. “…Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, unless it is something He see the Father doing; for whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner.” John 5:19
The life that was given to us, both physically and spiritually, was for the purpose of experiencing and enjoying all that the Lord Jesus is. He gave us ears to hear what He has to say, eyes to see what He has done, hands to use for what He wants done, and hearts to feel the love He has given, for He gave His life, what more could He give? Let us purpose in our lives to know the resurrected Christ more, and then we will know the Truth, and the Truth will make us free.
“[For my concern is] that their hearts may be braced (comforted, cheered, and encouraged) as they are knit together in love, that they may come to have all the abounding wealth and blessings of assured conviction of understanding, and that they may become progressively more intimately acquainted with and may know more definitely and accurately and thoroughly that mystic secret of God, [which is] Christ (the Anointed One). In Him all the treasures of [divine] wisdom (comprehensive insight into the ways and purposes of God) and [all the riches of spiritual] knowledge and enlightenment are stored up and lie hidden.” Colossians 2:2-3
“Therefore let no one sit in judgment on you in matters of food and drink, or with regard to a feast day or a New Moon or a Sabbath. Such [things] are only the shadow of things that are to come, and they have only a symbolic value. But the reality (the substance, the solid fact of what is foreshadowed, the body of it) belongs to Christ.” Colossians 2:16-17
Johnny
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The Great Deception
Satan has something for you, something that he offers to you each and every day of your life. The prince of the power of the air knows that he cannot take from the believer anything pertaining to redemption, reconciliation, and our standing in the Living Christ, for Jesus Himself has procured that forevermore; it is a fact that Jesus Himself IS the Keeper of our eternal position. However, the enemy’s desire in the life of a believer is not to take, so much, as it is to give, to offer something in addition, that if only the believer would stretch out his hand and take it, would produce real and lasting satisfaction; this in itself is what I like to call the great deception. For if we don’t discover that everything we need is in the Lord Jesus Himself, we, as believers, are doomed to a long life of wanting and longing, of frustration and discontent; for everyday we live like this, we will cheat the Lord Jesus of the glory He so adequately deserves in our lives.
We can trace this great deception all the way back to the Garden of Eden. God gave man everything that he would ever need pertaining to this life. God gave him a garden to live in, food to nourish him, companionship to fulfill him, and most of all, He gave Himself to satisfy him. God the Father was, in type, proclaiming to man the fulfillment that was to be His in the Lord Jesus. 2 Peter 1:3 says, “…seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him (the Lord Jesus)…” However, it was in this state, in this fulfillment of life, that the serpent came along. Satan knew that he could not take from Adam and Eve that which was bestowed upon them by God Himself, but what he could do was to offer something in addition to what man already possessed. Genesis 3:4-5 states, “But the serpent said to the woman, you shall not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of the tree your eyes will be opened, and you will be like (or as) God, knowing the difference between good and evil.” In essence, satan wanted for man to look discontented at his present circumstance and to want something a little extra for true contentment; this was offered through the means of knowledge. “…and you will be like (or as) God, knowing the difference between good and evil.” In other words, “If you only knew what you do not know, then you will be all that you want to be,” or, “If you only had what you do not have, then you will be happy.” Satan was trying to insert, into man’s experience, the thought of satisfaction apart from God. From this, we peak inside into one of the enemy’s main strategies, for we are not ignorant of his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11). If he can get you to want for something more than what you already have in the Lord Jesus Himself, he will steal, kill, and destroy the enjoyment of our Life in Christ. (John 10:10)
This cord of deception has been thread throughout our entire history. Mark Fairley says it well, “Satan has no new tricks because the old tricks always work.” The serpent will always offer to you something in addition to your total satisfaction of the Lord Jesus Himself; satan will always sow the seed of, “If I just had (fill in your blank), then I would be truly happy.” But I want you to also know, that this “offering” spans far beyond the passing pleasures of sin. Have you ever found yourself saying any of the following statements, “If I just had more time…,” or, “If I just had more money…,” or, “If I just had more patience…,” or, “If I just had more love…,” or, “If I just could be out of debt…,” or, “If I was just like that other person…,” or, “If I could just get more sleep…”? I’m sure you could add a list of your own. Even in our godly, most noble endeavors to be more like Christ, if we find ourselves wanting, then we have fallen into the share and trap of the evil one. Why? Because WE NOW POSSESS everything that God EVER wanted to give to us…in His Son! Colossians 1:19 says, “For it pleased the Father that all the divine fullness should dwell in Him permanently,” and again in Colossians 2:9-10, “For in Him the whole fullness of Deity continues to dwell AND you are COMPLETE in Him.” We have “it” because we have “Him.” Satisfaction is not found in wanting, it is found in resting. In Hebrews 12 we are commanded to look away from ALL that will distract to Jesus, the Author and Finisher or our faith.; He is the sum total of all our needs.
If we are truly to walk by the Holy Spirit of God, if we are to walk in a manner worthy of our calling, if we are to escape the corruption and decay of this evil world system, then we, as believers and followers of the Living Christ, are to begin to practice, in this life, CONTENTMENT with THANKSGIVING. Wherever you are at this present moment, thank Him and find yourself walking in newness of His life in you. See, you can’t be wanting and be thanking at the same time, it is one or the other. Satan will never cause you to thank God, but only to cause you to ask for more than what you have. When you find yourself wanting, thank Him and refuse the devil’s lie. “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts…and be thankful,” Colossians 3:15 and, “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, giving thanks through Him to God the Father,” Colossians 3:17 and, “In everything give thanks, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus,” 1 Thess. 5:18 and, “That I may proclaim with the voice of thanksgiving, and declare all Thy wonders,” Psalm 26:7 and, “…having been firmly rooted and being built up in Him and established in your faith…overflowing with thanksgiving.” Colossians 2:7 The enjoyment of this life begins when we find our satisfaction in the Lord Jesus alone. We don’t need more time, more money, more charm; we need to see more of the illumination of the Living Christ inside of us. Paul said to the Galatians, “For at the right time, it pleased the Father to REVEAL His Son IN ME.” God knows your needs, for if He did not spare His own Son, will He not freely give us all things?” But it is in the apparent “need” that we discover our true need: more of the Lord Jesus.
One final word. We, as new creations in the Living Christ, are NOT of this world. Jesus said to Pilot in John 18:36, “My kingdom is NOT of this world…” We are all together “other” than this world. We are, in fact, the richest men and women ever to walk the known earth. Yet, these riches are not defined by the god of this world (money, influence, power, and apparent security), but rather, the God of the Universe, whose Kingdom if not of this world. “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,” Ephesians 3:8 and, “My God shall supply ALL your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus,” Philippians 4:19 and, “Let the brother in humble circumstances glory in his elevation [as a Christian, called to the true riches and to be an heir of God.]” James 1:9 [Amplified]. Let me leave you with a few of the riches that are ours right now in the Lord Jesus Christ and as we walk in them, His Will be done on earth, as it is already being done in Heaven:
- I have His peace. Ephesians 2:14 & Colossians 3:15
- I have His patience. 1 Corinthians 13:4
- I have His Joy. Nehemiah 8:10
- I have His contentment. Philippians 4:12-13
- I have His complete trust, for I am not fearful. 2 Timothy 1:7
- I have His enjoyment. John 10:10 & Hebrews 12:2
- I have His strength. 2 Chronicles 16:9
- I have His confidence. Hebrews 7:25
- I have His love. 1 John 4:18
I pray that the Holy Spirit reveal to our hearts how rich we truly are.
Johnny
The Gospel According to 1 Corinthians 15:1-4
Man is dead. Man is spiritually dead, soulishly active, physically alive. In him lies what is called the “sin principle” that has taken up residence within him and has prostituted the human soul for its own use, will, and devises. Before conversion, this is man’s state, this is man’s truth according to the objective authority of the Scriptures. The first man, Adam, was created alive, spiritually alive if you will, meaning he shared in Divine Union with Creator God. Being alive, Adam in Divine Union receives God’s lone command, “The Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die‘ (Genesis 2:16-17).” The literal translation of the word “die” in this passage means, “Severance in the Divine Union.” When he ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam died, or was spiritual severed in his Divine Union and cut off from Creator God. As a result, with his spirit being dead, his soul was left vacant for a new principle to take him over, the sin principle, or the flesh. However, I want you to see the emphasis God Himself puts on Adam’s act of disobedience: He doesn’t state when eating from the tree he will sin, He rather says when he eats of the tree, he will die. The term “sin” is first introduced in Genesis 4:7 when God is addressing Cain. Sin becomes progressively clear as to its definition when you read on in the Word of God, but God views man in one of two states: DEAD or ALIVE. Because Adam was our father in terms of physical creation, when Adam died, death passed to all of his human children. Paul states in 1 Corinthians 15:21-22, “For since by a man (Adam) came death, by a man (Jesus) also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.” Here you have the great statement, the great dilemma of the ages, the great truth of all human history summed up in two words, “In Adam.” “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come…For if by the transgression of the one the many died…For if by the transgression of the one (Adam), death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of the grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ (Romans 5:14-18).” You first have the general: Adam, mankind, humanity; you then go on to discover the specific: “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins… (Ephesians 2:1)” and, “When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh…(Colossians 2:13)” Before conversion, I must come to find out that 1) I am in Adam and 2) As a result of being in Adam, I am dead. This is my state, this is who I am, this is where I stand. What then is the wage, the cost, the consequence of this state in which I stand? “For the wages of sin is death…(Romans 6:23)” So now, I stand dead, spiritually separated from the life of God. I owe a debt I cannot pay because I owe “death,” but the only way to pay the debt of death would require me to be “alive.” In Adam ALL died, therefore no created, human being can pay his own debt, which is death, because he is ALREADY dead. Only One that is alive unto God can truly satisfy the debt of death for sin.
Here I start with Jesus. So you discover, that Christ, through the implantation of the Divine Seed, by the Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary, created the first human being since Adam to be actually alive unto God, in the spiritual sense. “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14).” Fast-forwarding through Jesus’ life, you discover that the reason He was conceived in a virgin womb and lived the life of a man in the flesh (not sin) was for this purpose: “…to give His life (the only life alive unto God) a ransom for many (for the wages of sin is death) Matthew 20:28.” “Jesus answered, ‘You say correctly that I am a king. For this I have been born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears my voice’ (John 18:37).” And what is the truth that Jesus was to testify? That the Son of God was the ONLY man who could EVER pay the wage of sin, which is death, because He was the only Man ever to be alive that had the ability to give His life a ransom for many. “No one has taken my life away from Me, but I lay it down on My own initiative. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This commandment I received from My Father (John 10:18).” And it is here that I take up 1 Corinthians 15. “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures…(1 Corinthians 15:3-4)” We must look at HOW Jesus died, was buried, and was raised again According to the Scriptures. And what “Scriptures” is Paul referring to? The Old Testament Scriptures!
I believe the Old Testament Tabernacle is God’s picture book of the Gospel. It is one of the most important topics in the Word of God, aside from Jesus Christ Himself, which by the way, is the Tabernacle. If we were to study anything in the Bible, it would behoove us to study the meaning of the Tabernacle. Why would God spend two chapters describing the creation of the known world, and yet entire books are devoted to the building and structure of this little building called the Tabernacle? You get my point. I am referencing Exodus and Leviticus in these notes…surrounding the Tabernacle all around were tall walls of Linen, secured to brass poles. At no point could you approach God through these walls. Linen in the Old Testament speaks of God’s Holiness and Righteousness (Standard); brass speaks of judgment. What is God’s standard? To be alive; “For in Him was life…” What is God’s judgment? That I am dead. “And you were dead in trespasses and sins…” God’s holiness requires holiness; He is His own standard. Because I am dead in Adam, I CANNOT approach God, for I am unholy, un-godlike in Adam. Because of this, I am subject to the brass judgment for which the linen walls are secured. This is according to the scriptures (1 Cor. 15); I cannot enter through those walls. Then, you come to discover a most beautiful door, one entrance, one way to pass through the linen and the brass. “I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture (John 10:9).” Then look at the next verse in John 10:10, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I CAME that they may have life, and have life abundantly.” The door leads me to life! It is to restore to me that which was taken away in Adam. Life is the issue, life being restored to a dead race of men. In order for life to be restored though, things must be done first…
“…died for our sins according to the scriptures.” My debt of death, which is the wages of sin, must be paid. Jesus Christ, alive unto God, had to be my Substitutionary Atonement in death because I could not pay my debt. His blood had to be shed, both physical and spiritual death had to take place (Hebrews 9:27) for the remission of my sins (deeds). Here you meet, after the door, the brazen alter, in which a lamb was slain, sacrificed, and then burned. “And according to the Law, one may almost say, all things are cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (remission) (Hebrews 9:22).”In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses (deeds), according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us… (Ephesians 1:7-8)” Jesus Christ, has first forgiven me of my sins because of His shed blood, my deeds are no longer credited to my account. I have been justified. “…died for our sins according to the scriptures (according to the pattern of the Tabernacle).”
“…and that He was buried…” My sins (deeds) have been forgiven, the remission of a dead man’s deeds have been accomplished, and that dead man’s deeds are no longer credited to his account, past, present, or future. But what about the dead man? Its like a criminal acquitted for all his wrong doings, and yet he still sits, locked up in a jail cell! What is that jail cell? ADAM. I STILL am in ADAM. I must now, after being forgiven, but still dead in Adam, be TAKEN OUT OF Adam and placed into another Man, the Last Adam, the Man, Christ Jesus. I must pass from death unto life. Once the lamb was slain on the Day of Atonement upon the brazen alter for the remission of sins, the High Priest would take that shed blood of the lamb and place it onto the head of another lamb, the scapegoat. There was an identification of all that that blood represented, transferred, and then taken away. This is burial. A fit man would lead the scapegoat so far away so as to never return. I have been taken out of Adam and placed into Christ’s death as a dead man, there to be spiritually judge with him in baptism, in burial. “Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore we have been buried through baptism into death…(Romans 6:3-4)” “For He rescued us (taken us out of )from the domain of darkness (Adam), and transferred (placed) us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins (Colossians 1:13-14).” See, redemption and rescuing are TWO DISTINCT THINGS according to the Apostle Paul. Redemption, the forgiveness of sins, and rescuing, the taking me out of Adam and placing me into Christ. You want to define Paul’s Gospel in two words? It would be “In Christ,” “In Christ,” “In Christ;” that term is used by Paul over 100 times in his letters. Out of Adam, into Christ. Out of death into life. Its a matter of life. Even the most favorite of Scriptures, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes INTO Christ, shall not perish, but have eternal life,” states, “INTO Christ” in the literal translation; I am believing INTO Christ, meaning by believing into Christ, I must be TAKEN OUT OF where I currently am…in Adam.
“…and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.” After the High Priest would pass through the holy place, into the holy of hollies, and sprinkle the blood of the shed lamb upon the mercy seat, he would then come out and proclaim to the people that the work for the day had been finished and God had accepted the sacrifice! That is resurrection: the proclamation that God accepts the sacrifice. They would then feast in celebration. “…so also in Christ all will be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22),” “…certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection (Romans 6:5),” “…even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ, and raised us up with Him…(Ephesians 2:5-6),” “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creature; the old (Adam) things have passed away; behold new (Christ) things have come (2 Corinthians 5:17).”
This is what I believe is the simple and vital Gospel: I am dead in Adam; the wages of being in Adam is death; I cannot pay my wages for being in Adam; Christ came to pay my wages, which was death; Christ came also to take me out of Adam and place me into Himself; Christ then raised me up together with Him to a new life and for me to be forever acceptable to God. Christ + NOTHING = Salvation. May we continue to discover more of the unfathomable riches that are found in our Lord Jesus Christ.
“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now is manifested, and by the Scriptures of the prophets, according to the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, to obedience of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.” Romans 16:25-27
Johnny
Who am I in Christ?
Who Am I in Christ?
- I am a child of God; God is spiritually my Father.
Romans 8:14,15
because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
Galatians 3:26
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus
John 1:12
Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - I am a new creation in Christ; old things have passed away and all things have become new.
2 Corinthians 5:17
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! - I am in Christ.
Galatians 3:26,28
You are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. - I am an heir with the Father and a joint heir with Christ.
Galatians 4:6.7
Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba, ” So you are no longer a slave, but a son; and since you are a son, God has made you also an heir.
Romans 8:17
Now if we are children, then we are heirs heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. - I am reconciled to God and am an ambassador of reconciliation for Him.
2 Corinthians 5:18-19
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation. - I am a saint.
Ephesians 1:1
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, to the saints in Ephesus, the faithful in Christ Jesus:
1 Corinthians 1:2
to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ their Lord and ours:
Philippians 1:1
Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus at Philippi, together with the overseers and deacons: - I am God’s workmanship, created in Christ for good works.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. - I am a citizen of heaven.
Ephesians 2:19
Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household
Philippians 3:20
But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ - I am a member of Christ’s body.
1 Corinthians 12:27
Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. - I am united to the Lord and am one spirit with Him.
1 Corinthians 6:17
But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit. - I am the temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?
1 Corinthians6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. - I am a friend of Christ.
John 15:15
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. - I am a slave of righteousness.
Romans 6:18
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God - I am the righteousness of God in Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - I am enslaved to God.
Romans 6:22
But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves to God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. - I am chosen and ordained by Christ to bear fruit.
John 15:16
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. - I am a prisoner of Christ.
Ephesians 3:1
For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles
Ephesians 4:1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. - I am righteous and holy.
Ephesians 4:24
and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness. - I am hidden with Christ in God.
Colossians 3:3
For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. - I am the salt of the earth.
Matthew 5:13
“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness,how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything,except to be thrown out and trampled by men.” - I am the light of the world.
Matthew 5:14
“You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.” - I am part of the true vine.
John 15:1-2
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful.” - I am filled with the divine nature of Christ and escape the corruption that is in the world through lust.
2 Peter 1:4
Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires. - I am an expression of the life of Christ.
Colossians 3:4
When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. - I am chosen of God, holy and dearly loved.
Colossians 3:12
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience
1 Thessalonians 1:4
For we know, brothers loved by God, that he has chosen you - I am a child of light.
1 Thessalonians 5:5
You are all sons of the light and sons of the day. We do not belong to the night or to the darkness. - I am a partaker of a heavenly calling.
Hebrews 3:1
Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. - I am more than a conqueror though Christ.
Romans 8:37
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. - I am a partaker with Christ and share in His life.
Hebrews 3:14
We have come to share in Christ if we hold firmly till the end the confidence we had at first - I am one of God’s living stones, being built up in Christ as a spiritual house.
1 Peter 2:5
you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. - I am a chosen generation, a royal priest hood, a holy nation.
1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priest hood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. - I am the devil’s enemy.
1 Peter 5:8
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. - I am born again by the Spirit of God.
John 3:3-6
In reply Jesus declared, “I tell you the truth, no one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again” “How can a man be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely he cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb to be born!” Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless he is born of water and the Spirit. 6Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. - I am an alien and a stranger to this world.
1 Peter 2:11
Dear friends, I urge you, as aliens and strangers in the world, to abstain from sinful desires, which war against your soul. - I am a child of God who always triumphs in Christ and releases His fragrance in every place.
2 Corinthians 2:14
But thanks be to God, who always leads us in triumphal procession in Christ and through us spreads everywhere the fragrance of the knowledge of him. - I am seated in heavenly places in Christ.
Ephesians 2:6
And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus - I am saved by grace.
Ephesians 2:8
For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - I am a recipient of every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ.
Ephesians 1-6 (The Whole book!) - I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb.
Revelations 5:9
And they sang a new song: “You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased men for God from every tribe and language and people and nation.” - I am part of the Bride of Christ and am making myself ready of Him.
Revelations 19:7
Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory!For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. - I am a true worshiper who worships the Father in spirit and in truth.
John 4:24
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.
Why I am NOT a home church advocate…
There is a growing “movement” in this country called home church. It is proclaimed to be the next great work of God on the earth. From someone who has meet in homes for over 40 years I would humbly submit that meeting in homes as opposed to meeting in a building is, in fact, missing the whole point. The early church and we who meet in homes do so for one simple reason. It was and is the best and most practical way to enable the local body of Christ to build itself up in love and supply that which every joint needs to supply in order to maintain a healthy spiritual life and walk. If hanging upside down in a barn would better serve that end then I would be a “hang upside down in a barn” church advocate. We are, in fact, a family and families normally reside in homes. Meeting in a home can be the way to encourage brothers and sisters to step out into the awesome glory of body ministry but it can also be a vehicle for control, abuse and manipulation. Which one it becomes is determined by your understanding of the true purpose of our Heavenly Father. He did not send His son to be crucified, buried and rise again so that you won’t have to feel bad or guilty about the sins you committed against Him. That is purely a man-centered, self-centered perversion of the Gospel. Our vision must be changed forever. The glory of God which is found in His son Jesus Christ must explode again into our hearts and blind us to all but Him. Much as it did to Paul on the Damascus road. He did not come just to change my destination, from hell to heaven, but to change my destiny, Christ in me …the hope of glory. He did not bear the cross just to get you from hell into heaven (although a glorious by-product) but to get heaven into you on earth. He taught His disciples to pray, “thy kingdom come, thy will be done ON EARTH as it is being done IN HEAVEN! To meet in a home will give us the “opportunity” to experience that heavenly calling and ministry…each member giving from their heart for the common good unto the building up of the body of Christ. But without the spiritual understanding of His great purpose, meeting in a home or anywhere else, for that matter, will not benefit us in any discernable or appreciable way. Christians can assemble in many different ways but to be “gathered together” (meaning of the Greek word “ecclesia”) it takes the power of the Holy Spirit and the working of the cross into each member, so that Christ, and Christ alone is the Head and Lord of His body. We have found that this is much more likely to happen when we meet together in someone’s home. It is a mighty work of the Spirit to create an atmosphere conducive to encouraging ALL the members to bring forth from their heart. Meeting in a home is much more inviting and enabling for the quiet ones to open their hearts to share. When we are gathered (one locality) together (one heart and mind) the freedom (personal) and liberality (corporate) of His body works together to the building up of itself in love. It is truly awesome and glorious to behold. But to just move from a building to someone’s home will not bring that to pass by any stretch of the imagination
I do believe the Lord Jesus Christ IS calling His own out of the religious system, a system that traditionally meets in buildings, but moving from a building to a home will not change anything in the heart. Just because I have left the system of things (i.e. a building, pastor, etc.) does not mean the system has left me. In observing different home churches, the saddest thing I have ever witnessed is brethren trying to meet in a home with the same “mindset” they met in a building. One even had a podium for the speaker and a section set apart for the “choir”. Meeting in a home is not the answer to the cry of the heart for so many brothers and sisters desiring a richer and more satisfying relationship with Christ and His body. The answer is and forever will be a personal and intimate relationship with Jesus Christ. But from that relationship we must quickly be lead of the Spirit to see the necessity of the corporate expression of Christ, found in his body. His desire is to manifest a family of believers for the world to behold. For meeting in a home without the accompanying work of the Holy Spirit in your understanding will just make the meeting smaller, cramped, awkward and just as lifeless as before. A change of location, building to house, will not change you in your heart. The answer is seeing what the Holy Spirit is presently doing in the earth. I am convinced that work is… building His Church by emptying us so that we might be filled up with Christ and then taking those individual parts and joining them to each other, forming (1 Peter 2:9)… a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; Meeting in a home should be the natural consequence of understanding in your own heart what the Lord is working to accomplish in his church. Our Father by very definition desires a family. He is calling us out…that He might bring us in. Into a deep and life fulfilling relationship with Himself and His family. He is calling out His true bride and she is making herself ready by the wisdom and enablement of the Holy Spirit. It is impossible to become that Bride sitting in a building for 1 hour a week, staring at the back of someone’s head, listening to man tell you what God wants you to do today. It is just as impossible to meet in a home with the same man-centered, self-centered mindset and think you will be any better off there than where you were before.
For the Lamb of God to receive the reward of His suffering we must make Jesus Christ, first and foremost, in every aspect of our lives. We must seek understanding as to how that is best accomplished in practical ways. Our Father is working by His Spirit to bring His Son into pre-eminence in ALL things. He MUST have first place in everything we are and do. Gathering together in a home can be a great tool to assist in that purpose and calling but it is not a magical pill to answer the trials and issues of the church.
Home Church Orlando 