Looking For The Real, Part 2

I'm getting the picture, but what now?

In both the Church world and the non-church world, there will be people who will not accept that what we are saying is applicable to today. For many years, there have been ministers in the Church who say, “Yes, it is in the word, but it is not for now; it just can’t take place in this dispensation.” Many others will never even address these words or Scriptures. But in truth, these are things that need to be taught to people even as they are making a decision to follow Jesus Christ. We do need to teach them John 3:16 and tell them that if they were the only person alive, Jesus would have died for them, but we can’t stop there. We also need to teach them that if they are going to receive the life of Jesus within themselves, it involves denying self, taking up their cross daily and following Him. It involves forsaking all. It involves seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. It involves what we are reading in these Scriptures.

Maybe you have been born again for many years and are recognizing that you would have benefited from a better understanding of these biblical truths and mandates had you known them from the beginning. Don’t fret over it, but learn these things now so that from this point on, you can fulfill all that God has intended for you. As a natural example of what I’m saying, some of you may look back at experiences of the past, such as your sports activities, and realize that with a little more information or training, you could have done much greater things. The lesson is that we can’t go back, but we can take what we are learning here and, for the glory of Christ, go forward. Then, as we go and make disciples, which we are commanded by the Lord to do, let’s train them well from the very beginning.

We are applying these Scriptures to now, to the present, and not just to the future because these Scriptures reveal much of what God is looking for in His disciples. When ministers teach that these things are only for the time after the Lord’s return when His kingdom is fully established, it often creates a people who may have occasional times of living holy (holy in conduct), but their norm is a lifestyle of battling with the flesh and demonic attacks, and giving in to temptations. The norm should be a life of living holy with only occasional trip ups. Let’s remember that the precious blood of Jesus has already been shed. Let’s allow the Spirit of Christ to make real for us now what Jesus purchased and gained for us through His life, through His cross, His resurrection, and His ascension. The total fulfillment may not be until after our Lord returns, but there is so much more that can be worked in us now if we will totally yield to the Spirit of Christ. For those who think that some of these things cannot be accomplished until our Lord returns, a thorough study of 1 Peter 1:13-19 would be eye-opening. Verse 17 specifically refers to how we are to conduct ourselves throughout the time of our stay here on earth.

We love the chorus that says, “Fill my cup, Lord,” but we must understand that what we are singing about will not be a reality until we are empty of all things that oppose God, especially and specifically, self. We must yield ourselves to the lordship of Jesus Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill Luke 9:23 and Luke 14:27 and 33 within us.

Luke 9:23 AMP: “And He said to all, If any person wills to come after Me, let him deny himself [disown himself, forget, lose sight of himself and his own interests, refuse and give up himself] and take up his cross daily and follow Me [cleave steadfastly to Me, conform wholly to My example in living and, if need be, in dying also].”

Luke 14:27 AMP: “Whoever does not persevere and carry his own cross and come after (follow) Me cannot be My disciple.”

Luke 14:33 AMP: “So then, any of you who does not forsake (renounce, surrender claim to, give up, say good-bye to) all that he has cannot be My disciple.”

We absolutely must forsake all. We must go into the harvest field as true laborers, taking the message of Jesus Christ and the gospel of the kingdom to people who are lost and dying. Up front, we must already be teaching them that Jesus gave His life for them, and they cannot save themselves by any works. We must teach them that there is a judgment day coming, and they need Jesus as Savior for their salvation. And we must teach them that they need to take up their cross and follow Him in order to fulfill the work assigned by the Lord Jesus and for their own Christian growth. As they receive Jesus, they receive Him with the understanding that they are going to forsake the world and the things of this world. They are not going to be double minded, partly seeking the kingdom of God and partly the kingdoms of the world. They will be serving God and God only! Then we can go forward with them, and they will very quickly grow to maturity. The young in age can be mature in the Spirit. They can do great and mighty things in the Spirit.

A call for real disciples to come together!

By the Spirit, I call you to come to Christ and to be one with Him and with each other. I call real disciples to come together. Some I can only call prophetically through prayer, and I may never see them until we are in heaven. But those I do see, I am personally calling to come together. This message, this article, is a prophetic call to come together.

When we as Christians start to respond and come together—some in the spirit and some actually physically—all will be under the direction of the Holy Spirit. There will be no competition, no jockeying for position, and no thought of what’s fair and what’s not fair, such as, “Well, next time, let’s meet over at my place.” We will just be glad to meet in one accord with our like-minded brothers and sisters whenever and wherever the Holy Spirit wants us to meet. All who respond will be totally submitted and yielded to the Holy Spirit as He organizes, directs, and accomplishes His goals. This will require humility, total denial of self, and pureness of heart. In essence, it requires the lordship and character of Christ. Remember that among those where Jesus is truly Lord, no one is offended. May each of us yield all to the Lord Jesus Christ; may we forsake all and follow Him. May we all be real! May we all be one with the Lord and in one mind and one accord with each other.

May real disciples unite in Spirit all over this earth with the goal of glorifying Christ, serving others, and making Ephesians 4:12-16 a reality.

Ephesians 4:12-16 NKJV: “… for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.”

There is work to be done now. The body of Christ needs to be built up now. Some say this won’t take place until … It surely won’t take place until there is surrender, until we totally yield to the Holy Spirit. It won’t take place until we deny self and get rid of those traditions of men and manmade doctrines that have so hindered and divided us and believe that it can happen now. For those who have ears to hear and hearts to respond, these things can be accomplished in the here and now. They can be done now!

Let’s become humble like Moses (Numbers 12:3). Let’s now no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine … (Ephesians 4:14). Let’s speak the truth in love. People are flocking by the thousands to meetings in and out of churches to be personally built up, to build up their self-esteem. These Scriptures and the words we have studied show how to be really built up by being built up in the Spirit. This is the way to build up the body of Christ. This is building people up in an everlasting way. This is 1 Corinthians 13, true agape love.

I plead with you, I urge you to pray that Christ would be formed within each of us, that Christ would be formed within each person who calls himself a Christian (Galatians 4:19). Pray that we would be true disciples. Pray that we would truly fulfill these Scriptures that we have studied, that we would offer our bodies as living sacrifices, that we would be transformed by the renewing of our minds, that we would do the perfect will of God. Pray that we would be complete, we would be finishers, and we would be moral people. Pray that we would be holy as God is holy in all of our conduct. Pray that the true Church would hear, repent, and come together in unity and in one accord. Selah.

Heavenly Father, let your Holy Spirit do a work within us. Begin with me, O God. God, I can’t call people together, not in my own self, but I can be a voice of your Holy Spirit. I believe you are calling for people all over this earth to unite in the Spirit of the Lord, in the knowledge of the Lord, in the unity of the faith. I believe there are people whom I know that need to come together, and I ask You, Holy Spirit, to call them. Send Your ministering spirits out to draw them together. Let us be what You would have us to be. Let us pray, let us fast. Let us proclaim Your word. Let us deny self and take up our cross daily and follow You. Let us be yoked with Christ in the Spirit, one with Him and one with each other. Make it a reality now, O God! Burn this in our hearts and minds. Give us no rest, Lord, until it is accomplished. May we pray and cry out. Do not let us be distracted by the cares of life. Lord, we have to go to our jobs; we have to do other things. God, let this be burning within us even while we are doing those things. We can read a book and feel the fire from the fireplace at the same time. In the same way, Lord, we can have our mind on other things and feel the fire of Your Spirit burning within us. Let it be!

The following came through inspirational gifts of the Spirit toward the end of the above prayer during our Sunday service.

The Spirit of the Lord is looking for the real. By His Spirit and by His word, He is calling. Will you hear the call? Will you respond? Will you be one that denies self and takes up the cross? Will you be one that forsakes all? Will you be one that allows the Holy Spirit to strip away all that needs to be removed that you may have a life and live a life that gives glory to God and loves and helps others? May you be found faithful!

We bless You and thank You, Lord. In Jesus Name, Amen.