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Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting. (Galatians 6:7,8) |
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The principle of sowing and reaping is a Kingdom law. It shall never be done away or changed in any manner. |
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Some have speculated that grace somehow modifies or abolishes this law. It is a fact that when we come to the Lord Jesus for the first time He forgives all the sins of the past. We may suffer throughout our lifetime because of some of our actions before we came to the Lord, but our sins are forgiven. |
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The problem of today is the application of Divine grace to the Christian life such that the Christian can sow sin and yet reap eternal life. This is a horrid error. The Christian will reap what he sows during his life. Grace and mercy will not be standing there in the Day of Judgment to prevent the believer from receiving what he has practiced in the body. |
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The Lord has made provision for us through the blood of the cross. When we get our robe dirty, so to speak, we can confess our sins and receive the Divine cleansing. God will forgive us according to His Word but He may chasten us severely so that we cease sinning. |
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The believers are being taught they will not reap what they are sowing. They can be lazy, disinterested in the things of God, neglect attendance at church, not read their Bible, pray very little, and still receive the crown of life and righteousness by grace. This is a tremendous lie and it has wrecked the moral strength of the Christian churches. |
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In several passages of the New Testament the Lord told us that when He comes He will reward each of us according to our works. The Apostle Paul said that at the Judgment Seat of Christ we will receive the good and the bad we have done. |
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Modern evangelical teaching does away with these several passages. Although we profess belief in the full verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, we are not preaching the Scriptures. The Christian churches throughout the world are being taught error. |
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God in His kindness has given us Jesus Christ so through Him we can overcome our carnal nature and walk in righteousness before the Lord. But we have twisted God's intention so we do not have to overcome our carnal nature; we do not have to walk in righteousness before the Lord. |
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One may ask, "What is the use of grace if I am going to reap what I am sowing?" |
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The answer is, "The purpose of grace is not to change what you reap but what you sow." |
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The purpose of grace is not primarily to forgive the drunk but to make him sober. |
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We are not suddenly made righteous and acceptable to God by dying or by the Lord's coming. We are made righteous and acceptable to God only by drawing near to Christ each day and doing His will. |
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Christ will help you, but you must take up your cross and follow Him with sincerity and integrity. |
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In the Day of the Lord you are going to receive whatever your behavior warrants. |
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Will you get a crown or a diaper in that day? |
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Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. (Romans 6:6) |
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How do you define salvation? What does the word mean to you? |
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As used in the Bible the term means to be saved from our enemies, in particular, from the influence of Satan. |
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We hear people say that Christ came to deliver us from Hell. Find that in the Bible! Wicked people belong in Hell, not in Heaven. |
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Christ came to make the wicked righteous so they no longer belong in Hell. Can you live with that? |
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The Kingdom net brings in of all kinds. In the last days God's messengers will separate the righteous from the wicked. This is what the Bible says will |
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take place. |
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You will never find in the Gospels or the Epistles that God's grace is a substitute for righteous behavior. Rather it is by God's grace that we receive the wisdom and power to turn from the ways of Satan to the ways of God. |
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The distinction in both the Old Testament and the New Testament is always between the righteous and the wicked, never between those who "have faith in God" and those who do not "have faith in God." The "wheat" are the righteous. The "tares" are the wicked. |
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"But I am righteous by faith in Christ!" You are mistaking the bypass for the main highway. When the Bible speaks of wickedness and righteousness it is referring to behavior, as Pastor James reminds us. |
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"The just shall live by faith" means that truly righteous people look to God for every aspect of life rather than to their own abilities. The expression has nothing whatever to do with belief in doctrine. It is how the righteous live! |
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God has made provision under the new covenant to forgive us and deliver us from sin. As we confess our sins God forgives us and gives us the grace to cease sinning. This is what salvation is—deliverance from sin. |
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Salvation as such has nothing to do with going to Heaven or anywhere else. To be saved is to be saved from sin. When we are saved from sin, we will be acceptable to God whether we are in Heaven, on earth, or in outer space. |
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Salvation is not a movement from one place to another but a transformation of personality. |
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We know that, don't we? We know that if any person is abiding in Christ a new creation is coming forth. It is the new creation that is salvation. |
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You can be delivered from sin if you will come to Christ. I am speaking now to Christian people. |
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I think my mission is to get the Christians saved! Isn't that funny? |
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It may be too late for the older people. But there is hope for the kids. |
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Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; (I Peter 4:1) |
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There is some funny stuff going on. The believers are being taught they are not supposed to suffer. Can you believe this? |
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That the believers are accounted as sheep for the slaughter is true of |
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the old covenant and the new, as the New Testament teaches plainly. |
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We have heard it said that if the Apostle Paul had faith he would not have had to suffer. Can you imagine? Too bad Paul didn't understand about faith. |
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The next step probably will be that Jesus Christ would not have had to suffer on the cross if He had faith. Is there no end to the presumption of man? |
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Suffering is an important aspect of salvation. Suffering turns us away from sin, if received correctly, and also helps demolish the greatest problem we have—self-will. This is why those suffer who will rule with Christ. |
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The saints who went before us are an example to us of patience in suffering. |
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God is moving through His churches to select soldiers for His army. Those who refuse to suffer, perceiving all suffering as coming from Satan, will be sent home. They do not know the God of Jacob. |
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Those who make it into the army will experience much tribulation. The tribulations and suffering that come upon them will purify them. Their faith will be tried in the fire becoming more precious than any gold mined from the earth. |
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The self-will shall be destroyed from them and they will learn obedience to God just as Christ Himself learned obedience through suffering. |
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We are saved by suffering. The fiery trials that come upon us are a judgment of God on the evil in our personality. If we profit from our suffering, we will be found worthy of the Kingdom of God. |
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If we would know the power of Christ's resurrection, we must be willing to share His sufferings. |
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When suffering comes on you go to God in prayer. If you complain about the tools God uses, whether people or circumstances, you will grow bitter. If you press, press, press into God, you will be formed in the moral image of Christ. |
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I enjoy writing about suffering but I do not enjoy suffering. I have had my share and wouldn't trade it. I am better for it. However, I am not anxious for more (unless God finds it necessary). How about you? |
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Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all. (I Corinthians 12:4-6) |
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Never before in history have God's people had so much knowledge and possessed so many of the gifts and ministries of the Spirit of God. |
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This knowledge and possession have brought us to a place of great opportunity and also great danger. |
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The opportunity has to do with our participation in the last great revival scheduled to take place before the Lord returns. |
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The danger is that we will take this knowledge and power and attempt to change the world, get rich or famous, or whatever. |
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You may have read in the Book of Revelation concerning the False Prophet, the miracle worker who supports Antichrist. The False Prophet is the self-driven person who attempts to use the things of Christ according to his or her own desires and understanding. |
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How do I know? Because he has two horns (power) like a lamb but speaks with the voice of the dragon. He imitates Christ but wouldn't dream of taking up his cross and following the Master. |
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Those who today are telling us to speak creative words, change our circumstances by "imaging," "say the word of faith," and so forth are |
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speaking with the voice of the dragon. To attempt to use metaphysical power, the power of the fallen adamic nature of man, is not of Jesus Christ. |
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Read your Bible. You will find that the emphasis is on God, what the Lord will do, on looking to the Lord, on having faith in the Lord, on exalting the Lord. You will find no emphasis on what we are supposed to do by faith in God. |
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In the entire eleventh chapter of the Book of Hebrews, the "faith chapter," there is not one instance of aggressive faith, on "doing great things for God." |
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In every instance the faith was obedience to God. |
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I know the spirit of the prophet is subject to the prophet. But if the prophet is not subject to the Holy Spirit we have the False Prophet, the spirit of religious seduction. |
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I have heard it all—"put on your administrative hat and command the universe"; "rise up sons of God and take the Kingdom"; "you don't have to pray because Christ is in you"; and so on and on ad nauseam. |
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Don't these people have any knowledge of God at all? |
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But didn't Jesus say we would move mountains and curse trees? He did indeed. But He was not inviting presumptuous acts, He was marveling at how far God's children had fallen from their inheritance. It always is God's will for His children to walk on the water and command the fish. But if we managed to do this we would incorporate and send out little white envelopes. We would be lost to God and His purposes. |
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If self-centered people learn to speak creative words, we will have galactic chaos. |
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Who is to be in control, God or man? If it is to be gifted man, then get me out of here! |
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For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death. (Romans 8:2) |
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Did you ever think of the Holy Spirit as being Law? He is indeed the Law of the new covenant. |
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The Jews came to Mount Sinai fifty days after they left Egypt. Therefore they associate Pentecost (the fifty-day feast) with the giving of the Law. We also should associate Pentecost with the giving of the Law. |
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The purpose of law is to tell us what we can and cannot do. This is what the Holy Spirit does. As we learn to walk in the Spirit He tells us what we can and cannot do. Also He gives us the wisdom and strength to choose what is good and to do it. |
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How does the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set us free from the law of sin and death? |
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The law of sin and death is the interaction between the Law of Moses and our sinful nature. Our sinful nature lies. The Law of Moses condemns our lying. And so we remain unrighteous before God. |
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The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, uses the authority of the blood of Jesus to keep us without condemnation. The righteousness of Jesus, who kept the Law of Moses perfectly, is given freely to us when we are following the Spirit. |
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Then the Spirit gives us the strength and wisdom to recognize and put to death our sins. If we are praying, reading our Bible, and doing all else the New Testament commands, the Spirit will begin to make us aware of our thoughts, words, and actions that are not in accordance with the Scripture. |
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When we recognize the sins we are committing we are to confess them to God as sin. As we do the Lord freely forgives our sin and cleanses us from all unrighteousness. The power of the Spirit attacks the sin in our nature and weakens it to the point that we then are able to gain victory over it. |
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It is said sometimes that the only law that governs the Christian is the law of love. This is not true. There are hundreds of commandments that were given us by Christ and His apostles. They are to be obeyed. We can obey them by the grace given to us through the Spirit of God. |
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The true Christian is the one who prays, reads his Bible, assembles with fervent disciples as he has opportunity, gives, serves, and does all else commanded by the Scriptures. He or she will be led from victory to victory over the sins of the carnal nature. |
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What we have today is not Christian doctrine but a wresting of the words of the Apostle Paul to mean we can do whatever we want and still be acceptable to Christ. |
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The author has been accused of legalism, of preaching "works." We do not understand what is meant by "legalism" unless it indicates we are trying to keep God's laws as the Spirit helps us. If so, we plead guilty. |
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We understand "works" to mean we are endeavoring to keep God's commandments. We plead guilty. (How else do you obey the Great Commission?) |
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I'll tell you what. I'll show you my Christian life by my works and you show me your Christian life by your neglect of Christ's commandments. |
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(I wouldn't have to talk such nonsense if people would read their Bibles!) |
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For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. (Romans 6:14) |
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How do we get victory over sin? By praying, reading the Bible, fellowshiping with fervent disciples, giving of our means, serving as we have opportunity, and doing all else the Scripture commands. |
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We must present our body a living sacrifice to God which is our reasonable worship. |
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We must take up our cross of self-denial and follow the Lord Jesus each day. |
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We must be persuaded that victory over sin is possible and necessary. |
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We must understand that Jesus did not come to forgive the works of the devil but to destroy them. |
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We get victory over the sin of worldliness by keeping our involvement with the world to a minimum and spending time in prayer and Bible reading. Many Christian people waste God's time as they occupy themselves with sports, with the gaining of money, with hobbies, with amusements of various kinds. |
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One of the biggest wastes of Christian time is the hours spent in front of the television. The true Christian is not as involved with sports, television, other forms of entertainment, hobbies, the perfecting of talents, the making of money, as is true of the average American. We are different! |
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When we were baptized in water, we were crucified to the world. Our old adamic nature is on the cross with Jesus and our new born-again nature is in Heaven in Christ at the right hand of God. |
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We get victory over the lusts of the flesh by praying, seeking the Lord, and claiming the power of the Spirit as we confess and renounce the temptations we experience. As long as we are in this physical body we are tempted. But God makes a way through every temptation if we will pray and seek His face. |
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The temptation of lust is increasing as the demon hordes are released in America and Europe. Only the most determined believer will be willing to lay hold on God to the point that lust is successfully resisted. |
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Our biggest problem is self-will. To be a true Christian often means the deferring of our most fervent desires and continuance in a situation that we detest. Such prison can last many years. But only those who stay faithful to death will receive the crown of life and righteousness. |
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Do not think that American or European Christianity is meeting God's standards. It is not and a Gentile holocaust is on the way. We are not serving Jesus Christ as we should. We are entertaining false apostles. We should know better than to believe that God wants us to use our faith in Christ to get rich. |
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We have no one to blame but ourselves. |
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We think a great revival is at hand, the outpouring of the promised latter rain. God grant that it be so. |
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But after the worldwide revival there will be the greatest apostasy of all time unless God's leaders call the believers to cross-carrying obedience and quit tickling their ears with lawless grace (antinomianism). |
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We have been deceived. God is giving us a wake-up call. |
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Unlimited glory and unlimited deception are both at hand. Which will it be for you? |
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Now these are the nations which the LORD left, to prove Israel by them, even as many of Israel as had not known all the wars of Canaan; Only that the generations of the children of Israel might know, to teach them war, at the least such as before knew nothing thereof; (Judges 3:1,2) |
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God intends that His servants get victory over sin through Jesus Christ. We get victory as we confess our sins and turn away from them, with the Lord's help. It is urgent that we live the life of victory if we expect to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant." |
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You don't hear those words by grace but by doing good and being faithful. |
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God has the power to remove all sin from us at once just as He gave Joshua a change of clothing (Joshua 3:4). In fact, God easily could have prevented Eve from eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and spared us six thousand years of misery. |
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Why didn't He (doesn't He) do it. In order to understand the reason you have to look at what God is about. |
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God knew before He created the heavens and the earth that man would sin. Sin had begun in Heaven around God's throne. God has in mind to make an end to sin in His creation. |
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God's plan is to create a new race—people who are so filled with Christ they can prevent sin in the future. Make sense? |
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First Christ had to be severely tested. Having passed the test, we now have a chance through Him to have a wall built in us that forever will keep us and those whom we are governing from sinning and rebelling against God. It is as simple as that! |
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If you are a Christian you are a saint, a holy one of God. Your role in life is to become a royal priest, that is, someone who can help Christ govern the creation. |
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It is obvious from this that a Christian who does not gain victory over sin is not suited for such an undertaking. He or she is still part of the problem, not part of the solution. |
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So gaining victory over sin is not a nice thing that some super-Christian does. Victory over sin is the key to your usefulness in the plan of God for your life, for it is in the struggle against sin that the wall is formed. |
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Two completely false ideas are circulating. One is that we will gain victory over sin by dying physically. This makes physical death our redeemer instead of the enemy it actually is. |
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The other false idea is that the Lord will transform the believers at His coming. They may have been rebellious, sinful, lukewarm. No problem. At His appearing they will be transformed into spiritual giants who will govern the creation. |
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Both of these ideas are totally unscriptural, totally false, totally illogical, totally misleading and destructive. |
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This leaves us only one opportunity to become a ruler with God. You guessed it! It happens only as we abide in Christ, following Him carefully each day, keeping His commandments, doing all He tells us. |
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It is here, on the earth, that the commanders are made. It is here that we learn stern obedience to the Father. It is here the wall against sin is constructed. It is here the Son of God was perfected. It is here we shall be perfected. |
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Satan is spreading lies in the evangelical churches. This is because he desires to inherit the earth. He wishes we all would fly away to Heaven—where he came from. |
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We have no intention of flying away. The earth and its nations are our possession. Through Christ we are learning to rule today. When He appears, we shall appear with Him. He will divide the spoil with the strong. |
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How about you? Do you want to be vomited from the Lord's mouth? If not, flee from the current ear-tickling sermonettes. Get down to business with God. Obey Him implicitly through the grace He provides. |
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You shall be crowned king if you are willing to stay in the Lord's prison until He sets you over the land of Egypt. |
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