"Oh Come All Ye Faithful"

"Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints who are in Ephesus, and FAITHFUL IN CHRIST JESUS:" (Ephesians 1:1)

"Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: (so) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come."(Ephesians 1:15-21)

Paul's prayer for the faithful in Ephesus was that their understanding be enlightened to know what is the hope of Jesus Christ's calling. Paul goes on to pray that the faithful in Christ Jesus understand that the power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead was currently resident in him and those who understand Jesus Christ's calling and are believing, persevering with Him in it!

The Ephesian saints had made room for the foundational components of salvation: "after hearing the word of truth, the gospel of (our) salvation; in whom also, having believed, were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory." (Ephesians 1:13,14)

The FAITHFUL have to continue to COME, armed and strengthened with the understanding Paul's letter brings to light. Merry Christmas!

Profiting Through Trials

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing. If any of you lack wisdom (in this maturity towards completion), let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally (in this) and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything (else) from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." (James 1:2-8)

I have mentioned in previous posts that faith from God becomes yours when you are seeking, knocking; hearing and acting in obedience toward that revelation received. It's time for the body of Christ to understand that the body's faith is one and the same as the Head's faith. He had to trust His Father: that with the crucifixion would come the resurrection to the Father's right hand. Within that faith in Jesus Christ, comes the Father's specific calling for our individual part in the body. Each cell in our physical bodies has the same DNA and receives benefit from the physical nutrition partaken of. Yet the cells within the spleen have a different function than the liver; a bony cell differs, in function or in usefulness, from the cells found in the eye. I am convinced that we in the body of Christ will not be as healthy, nor useful, as the Father would desire for us without a clear understanding and determination to persevere in our Master's faith. We in the body of Christ are not following a robot that couldn't sin, but chose not to based upon what He knew the Father had revealed to him.

"...to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin." (Hebrews 4:17) What Jesus Christ, as the son of Man, "knew" from his Father he never turned from, fulfilling the just-mentioned verse. You know, in the hours of trial in the wilderness, on the mountain to Peter, and in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus strongly resisted that which would cause him to sin, to the point of physical death, which was His calling.

If we are asking for wisdom, as the body of Christ, for he who is the Head, his calling, we will be like "the earth WHICH DRINKS IN THE RAIN THAT OFTEN COMES UPON IT, and bears herbs useful for those by whom it is cultivated (those who yearn for the revealing of the sons of God), receives blessing from God; but if it bears thorns and briers, it is rejected and near to being cursed, whose end is to be burned." (Hebrews 6:7,8) Same rain; same anointed faith; opposite responses. Let this provoke you to singular-mindedness in this: your calling, in the body of Jesus Christ, is as His. He is the author and the finisher of our faith! Be stabilized in His calling/your calling!  

Monitoring Righteousness

You may have seen this commercial. A robbery is in process at a bank. The robbers have commanded those inside to the  ground. All are, except the "security monitor" and the thieves. One of those on the ground looks at the "monitor" and says, "Aren't you going to do something?", to which the monitor says: "Oh, no, I am a security monitor; I let you know when a robbery is taking place"..............he then says,"A robbery is taking place". Those on the ground look at each other as if to say, "What good does that do?"

When I was in chiropractic practice, if an individual entered the office for answers/treatment regarding some sort of ailment, and I did nothing to assess or treat their condition, eventually they would consider my approach ineffective toward an expected end. Invariably, something has to be done.

The monitoring of righteousness in the body of Christ, mostly directed toward others and rarely introspectively, has been as unfruitful.  The apostle, Paul, says "O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God - THROUGH JESUS CHRIST OUR LORD! So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." (Romans 7:24,25)

"THROUGH JESUS CHRIST our LORD! " He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with HIM freely give us all things?"(Romans 8:32) What things? Read Romans 8:31-39. Those things! Why? Anything worthy comes at a price.

"Finally, my brethren, REJOICE IN THE LORD. Rejoice in those things! For me to write the same things to you is not tedious (to Paul), but for you it is safe. (Philippians 3:1)

Do you want to know what you are called to? Death to your unrighteous

governance of your heart for resurrection in HIM. Monitor that! Then act! Paul prays for the Ephesian church: that they may understand what is the hope of HIS (Jesus Christ's) calling AND what are the riches of the glory of HIS (Jesus Christ's) inheritance in the saints (those who understand what HIS calling was and are willing to persevere with HIM in it). 

This truth we apply to ourselves! The thieves and the monitor, one wrong and one useless, remain standing in the commercial. Don't be caught standing in what you think is right. Let the Father show what life is, THROUGH JESUS CHRIST the LORD OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. Apply these scriptural references and see just how fulfilling!

Vehement Cries to He Who was Able to Save Him from Spiritual Death

"who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM FROM DEATH, and was heard because of His godly fear....." (Hebrews 5:7) 

It could be said that what Jesus prayed for, asking humbly of the Father with vehement cries, and was heard because of His godly fear, was to be saved from spiritual death. Surely spiritual death surrounded Him, most ardently among many of the Hebrews. He wanted no part of that! Most importantly, He knew what His calling was. If Jesus' cries to His Father had been to be saved from physical death, and the Father heard Him because of His godly fear, then along the way the Father changed His mind (which we know doesn't happen), for we know Jesus was called to physically die for Israel, and all men. No, Jesus humbly asked for the Father's empowerment to save Him from that which would destroy Him and doom mankind.

Jesus informed Paul, in a trial of the flesh which prompted Paul to plead with the Lord three times that "it" might depart from him: "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness." (2 Corinthians 12:7-10)  What empowered Jesus to complete His calling from the Father was His steadfast approach to Him (seeking to find), understanding that He could not finish without the Father and His Holy Spirit, He vehemently cried out to Him Who was able to save Him from spiritual death. Those Satanic temptations (Matthew 4:1-10), if He had succumbed, would have resulted in spiritual death for the Son of Man; that is why it came. But, our Lord was singularly focused on His Sonship from God!

His grace is sufficient for us! Each step toward it makes the Way, the Truth, the Life clearer and empowers those to rejoice in it with thanksgiving. 

Confidence in The Flesh Meets Faith in God

"From that time Jesus began to show His disciples that He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day. Then Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, 'Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to You!' But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind Me, Satan! You are an offense to Me, FOR YOU ARE NOT MINDFUL OF THE THINGS OF GOD, BUT OF THE THINGS OF MEN.' Then Jesus said to His disciples, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man will come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and then He will reward each according to his works.' "  (Matthew 16:21-27)

The "things of God" work for the finding of soul prosperity. The apostle John writes, "Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things, and be in health, just as your SOUL PROSPERS. For I rejoiced greatly when brethren came and testified of the truth that is in you, just as you walk in the truth." (3 John v.2,3)

Peter's words to Jesus: "Far be it from you, Lord; this shall not happen to You!" may be translated "Merciful to you; or "May God be merciful". That's sounds reasonable but Jesus immediately rebukes Peter's intent which was born from a mind that did not understand justice. In Jesus' case, the just FOR the unjust. Now, in our case as the body of Christ, if we desire to come after Him in discipleship.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding, in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will direct your paths." (Proverbs 3:5,6)  "Trusting in the Lord" proceeds to rightly divide the things of men from the things of God.  

Faith Becomes Yours When You Cry Out And Follow

"Now they came to Jericho. As He went out of Jericho with His disciples and a great multitude, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timaeus, sat by the road begging. And when he heard it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to CRY OUT AND SAY, 'Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!' Then many warned him to be quiet, but he CRIED OUT ALL THE MORE, 'Son of David, have mercy on me!' So Jesus stood still and commanded him to be called. Then they called to the blind man, saying to him, 'Be of good cheer. Rise. He is calling you.' And throwing aside his garment, he rose and came to Jesus. So Jesus answered and said to him, 'What do you want Me to do for you? Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.'  Then Jesus said to him, 'Go your way; YOUR FAITH has made you well'. And immediately he received his sight AND FOLLOWED JESUS ON THE ROAD." (Mark 10:46-52)

Bartimaeus' way was now Jesus' way. He cried out to Him for the mercy of God and vision, and when he received it, he followed Him. Very important was that miraculous restoration; more important Bartimaeus' vision to follow Jesus on the road. Bartimaeus understood to cry out to Jesus; to cry out all the more when people tried to quiet his crying out. Then Jesus called for him to come. He threw away his garment for the garment of salvation from the AUTHOR OF SALVATION; the AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH. The understanding, accompanied by obedient action (the works that are of faith in God) gave Bartimaeus the sight to follow: his faith had made him well. Now he was able to follow Jesus on the road to bear the fruits there of.

 

A Certain Disciple

Acts 9:10-19

"Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and to him the Lord said in a vision, 'Ananias.' And he said, 'Here I am, Lord.' So the Lord said to him, 'Arise and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus, for behold, he is praying. And in a vision he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hand on him, so that he might receive his sight.' "

"Then Ananias answered (uncertain, at this point), 'Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he has done to Your saints in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on your name.' But the Lord said to him, 'Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before the Gentiles, kings, and the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name's sake.' And Ananias went his way (now certain enough to obey) and entered the house; and laying his hands on him he said, 'Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you came, has sent me that you may receive your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.' Immediately, there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he received his sight at once; and he arose and was baptized. So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus."

Ananias could get swallowed up in Paul's testimony, as Paul was commissioned to write a good portion of the New Testament. Paul undoubtedly understood before long, as his own testimony in Christ Jesus commenced, what his brother in Christ Jesus did for him: a testimony of Christ Jesus to Paul. Many are willing to speak of their belief in God; Ananias put action to it, not haphazardly but with the strength of faith in God.