Saturday, August 12, 2006

The Body of Christ (including the Head, the most vital part)

I was sitting here before the computer tonight with my Bible software ready to go. I often sit here prior to a good study just praying a bit, longing to know what God would have me to study. I will ask Him, what do You want me to know? What are the most important things You would have me see and know from Your Words right now so that I may say and do them by Your Grace to help? What would You have me share with others that may edify them or help them in their present walk with You?

I find at times I am tempted to go down a road of study that will only partially reveal Christ and His Truth and reveal much of me because of my own emotions about some issue I'm presently dealing with. I, in myself am certainly nothing worth glorifying so I'll ask God to help me overcome this and not be so distracted by present, past, or future events. Or things people have said or done to me or could do. BIG DEAL! This is all in His Hands anyway as He will make the wrath of men praise Him and I shall accept no fear in my soul of what man could do to me. On the other hand, when it is all submitted to Him in prayer, He may use the things happening in your life to help you and others understand His will and Truth better. This is what I offer here.

The Body of Christ
Can you imagine what the Body of Christ would be like without the True Living Christ Jesus as the Head? Can you imagine men in leadership with a natural understanding reading the Holy Words of God in the New Testament and being void of the Grace of the Holy Spirit? Then trying hard to act out in human strength what is said in the NT as if they were yielding to the True Christ, yet it is a christ of the leader's own imagination? But all the while never seeing that though they read the physical form of His written Words, they don't even personally know the Living Christ full of Grace , Mercy, and Truth.

Some leaders get so very hardened in this non-Grace interpretation (after many years of seeing how profitably it works) that from sharing this false image of Christ, others do as they want as a result of their being the authority on this image which is spoken of as if it were the True Christ. The leader has produced this "christ," so he is considered nearly as good as this "christ" of his making. As he presents this image to others, he promotes and produces a controlled following all at his feet.

It would seem to me that one would definitely have to be an unbeliever at heart to do this kind of thing. Actually, I think that what they are believing in is the image in their head or the lie that Satan has instilled in them to see all of the scriptures in light of this false image. This could offer them so much control over the naive or unknowing. Who needs just money when you can actually enjoy life knowing you have indoctrinated so many people to believe this lie you zealously enforce the yielding to and manipulate the outcome of? I mean, you have people right at your feet any time you need or desire anything at all. Wow! This sounds very tempting to the carnal nature. One can appear so much more spiritual and pure to so many and yet be the most wicked and sinful of them all at the heart. But it makes those who know Christ in Truth want to vomit at the thought of this. It makes their stomach feel as if it were going to reject everything because the Holy Spirit in them is so extremely offended. Who else but Christ deserves this place of honor and respect? It is "The Sin", not just a sin, to desire and hypocritically play out such an evil thing as playing another Jesus. It takes a VERY hard heart to do this and play as if you are the greatest thing that has come around since Christ Himself. SICK! VERY SICK!!!


I want to speak of Jesus Christ my Lord and Savior. I wish to let others know Whom I have believed and Who has persuaded me to know that I have Eternal Life in Him. I will testify to the Living Jesus Christ of the Holy Scriptures. I will Glorify His Name over everything and everyone else. He ALONE is worthy. He ALONE is GOD!

I was lost...
Prior to Christ's salvation, in the deep darkness of this world I was alone and without hope. I groped the walls of my heart trying to know what this life was about. Deep depression settled in when I was a young teenager. I knew I was guilty of many wrongs. The sins of my youth were consuming my conscience and eating me alive as I inwardly longed for forgiveness and cleansing. The Holy Spirit began His work. The Devil took his side and tried to keep me in despair and unbelief as he condemned me for all the sin in my conscience. As the law of sin and death gripped my soul, I had a desire to leave this world and all of its pain, I came very near to an actual suicide at the age of 16 when I overdosed on a drug. Fear of death kept me from completing this, and therefore my stomach was pumped before the drugs could take full affect. I was placed in an adolescent ward and told that I was chronically depressed. Of course, I knew this before any one else in the world, but now it was known by my attempt to take my life. You see, no one perceived that I was depressed, not even my family because I hid this well through my shyness.

This world's doctors tried everything and so did I. Self help books, therapies of different sorts, counseling, anti-depressant drugs. It now reminds me of the feeling I spoke of above regarding someone who would usurp the role of Christ with their own imitation. The thought of those days and months I spent trying to find help from this world not realizing I needed to be free from myself, my sin, my darkness. All they could do is compound and suppress the void this troubled and wretched soul knew.

A Light has dawned...
Released from the hospital after one year, they successfully suppressed the need of my soul to the point of numbness just enough to keep me from acting on suicide. Still alone and depressed and full of the shame of my past and present sins, I went on for a few months suffering in silence and darkness through the shyness of my soul. Once again, no one knew what was going on. I don't know how to explain very well the next chapter in my life as it happened at that time. It is best for me to speak of it in retrospect while interjecting some of my thoughts as they were happening at the time. The supernatural world, as I now understand it to the degree that I do, was becoming more and more known to me. Not that I knew then what was happening but activity was obvious to my soul. I knew something was happening that never happened to me before. This is where God's Word comes in. God's angels were sent to minister to me as He promises will occur to those who will inherit salvation (Heb 1:14). At the same time Satan was working hard to keep me from coming to know the Truth about my sin. He distracted me with many false spiritual things like ESP, telepathy and the like. But when the enemy comes in like a flood the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.

2 Tim 2:26
"Then they will come to their senses and escape from the Devil's trap. For they have been held captive by him to do whatever he wants."

2 Cor 4:3-4
"If the Good News we preach is veiled from anyone, it is a sign that they are perishing. Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don't believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good News that is shining upon them. They don't understand the message we preach about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God."

God did have mercy on me!
He shined the glorious Light of the Good News into my soul. His Light dawned on me. Conviction of sin was very present and yet condemnation was removed as I came to see that Jesus died for my sins. All of them! He first loved me even when I was yet a sinner. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever! It is conviction with God's Grace and Mercy that saves from the start. As Paul said to the Galatians, " Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by keeping the law? Of course not, for the Holy Spirit came upon you only after you believed the message you heard about Christ. Have you lost your senses? After starting your Christian lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? You have suffered so much for the Good News. Surely it was not in vain, was it? Are you now going to just throw it all away?
I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law of Moses? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ."


It is the same throughout our walk with Christ on this earth prior to Glory as it was the very first day you received Him as Savior and Lord.

My spirit cries with the Holy Spirit as I see others living in this condemnation of their sins.
Christ was condemned for the sins prior to accepting His Grace as well as every sin you commit after receiving His Grace. He is Holy, Holy, Holy! PURE and without any sin at all. Except through Christ's imputed righteousness, NO ONE else can claim holiness like this but GOD, Jesus Christ Himself. If we have wandered from His Grace and yielded to sin or the law, then we must regain that precious and pure fellowship with Him through conviction leading to repentance. Not condemnation leading to legalistic control. There is a vast difference here and the Devil blurs the two together well in the minds of the naive. The Devil is "the accuser of the brethren". Christ is the Merciful High Priest and Forgiver of the brethren. You must see the difference or you may blindly follow the Devil, even as a Christian. I beg you to ask God to make this Truth clear to your soul. It will make the difference between life and death.

Rom 8:1-2
"So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. For the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you through Christ Jesus from the power of sin that leads to death."

And what is "the power of sin"?

1 Cor 15:56-57
" The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ."


When you are born again you are always free from the power of sin:

Rom 6:7
"For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin."

There is no more sacrifice for sin needed. No works, no penance, NOTHING!

Heb 9:26
"If that had been necessary, he would have had to die again and again, ever since the world began. But no! He came once for all time, at the end of the age, to remove the power of sin forever by his sacrificial death for us."

Don't be fooled by Mike Peters, the Mormons, the Jehovah Witnesses, Muslims, or any other trying to convince you to submit to man-made legalism to please a wrathful god. Christ completed the work of satisfying God's wrath for our sinfulness. No matter what contrary form it takes, it is not of Jesus Christ Who is FULL of Grace and Mercy for ALL of your SIN... PAST, PRESENT, OR FUTURE! Fear God alone, for His Great Mercy on you and this alone will truly and effectively draw you out of sin by conviction and preserve you from it. Not the power of sin or legalism which now has no more dominion over you. This is the Good News of Jesus Christ! Live this Good News for His Glory and you will know FREEDOM beyond your sweetest imagination and be a testimony to the Person, Character, and Glory of the Living God.

For He came to give you Life and Life more abundant! Don't waste it on an imitation. Live well in Christ's LIFE!

DISCLAIMER

2 Comments:

At 12:18 PM , Anonymous Anonymous said...

Christ was condemned for the sins prior to accepting His Grace as well as every sin you commit after receiving His Grace. He is Holy, Holy, Holy! PURE and without any sin at all. Except through Christ's IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS, NO ONE else can claim holiness like this but GOD, Jesus Christ Himself.
I would like to briefly comment on the gift of "Imputed Righteousness" we as believer possess. I believe that an understanding of this topic is critical, nay, essential if we are to live the life of freedom, joy and productivity that God has provided for us in the death of His Son. This is a huge topic that spills into many areas but i will condense it into as few words as i know how. This truth was thoroughly instilled in me as a new believer and has saved me from destruction while others around me perished (not eternally) from ignorance of it. Here I go.
God requires perfection of us. We must "be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect." We sin because our inherited nature loves it. Therefore what God requires is impossible for us to produce. But since God desired the richness of His grace to be displayed and praised in this age and the next, He devised a plan to "make" us perfect. By sending Jesus, God provided a means of what has been called "the great exchange." If you can remember this quote you can grasp the concept, "Christ had no sin, EXCEPT Ours. We have no righteousness, EXCEPT HIS. If you have placed all your hope in Christ then God "imputes," in plain English "credits," His righteousness to your empty account. This righteousness will always be "HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS." We don't have it as a product we've produced but as a credit we've received. It is a GIFT. Pure GIFT. Total GIFT. No strings. No requirements. Except the requirement to humbly confess our need, fall on our knees, lift our hands, receive, give thanks, praise and Glorify this God of ours for the richness of the kindness He grants us through Christ. I pray that we all will have the eyes of our hearts enlightened to see this glorious reality. Our God is jealous, very jealous for His own glory and honor. Since the one who "gives" gets more blessing and honor than the one who "receives" then God must be the Giver and we the receivers. Our standing before God is always based on who Christ is and what He has "done" not who we are and what we "do." He is the Benefactor and we the Beneficiaries. He grants indescribable and inestimable benefits, but He---He alone gets the credit. All glory goes to the Giver. Lets ponder these and related truths until we are so full of wonder and joy that our faces shine. Then the world around will be compellingly attracted to this God of grace, perhaps He will grant them repentance and His fame increase. ON and ON and ON and ON. Without end. So may it be.
If you would like the scriptural references that back what i stated, let me know. They are numerous and overwhelmingly convincing. I would be glad to compile them for you. tim

 
At 11:41 PM , Blogger Dennis Elslager said...

David,
Thank you for your comment. It is true that we should see the end of ourselves for we will find Christ there with open arms as we see that He has crucified for us that "Self" of all who will receive Him through faith. What good is it to let our lives live in that "old self" when Christ came to do away with it so that He may live His New Life through this very flesh which was occupied with nothing but "selfishness" prior to Christ's Salvation. Now Christ must reign through His purchased possession of our spirit, soul, and body. Lets not hold back, but give Him 100%, all that He paid for on that Cross. For I am not my own, I have been bought with a price, and that price was the Life of the Only Eternally begotten Son of the Living God. He owns me. I am a slave of God. I have been freed from sin and the power of it which is the law.

Gal 2:20-21
“I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. “I do not set aside the grace of God; for if righteousness comes through the law, then Christ died in vain.”

 

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