Are they
Hebrews? So am I.
are they
Israelites? So am I.
are they the seed of
Abraham? So my
are they ministers of
Christ?
-- I speak as a fool -- I am more:
in labors more
abundant, and stripes
above measure, in
prisons more frequently,
in deaths often. From the Jews five times
I received forty
stripes minus one.
Three times I was
beaten with rods;
once I was stoned;
three times I was shipwrecked;
a night and a day I
have been in the deep;
in journeys often, in
perils of waters,
in perils of robbers,
in perils of my own countrymen,
in perils of the
Gentiles, in perils and the city,
in perils of the
wilderness, in perils in the sea,
in perils among false
brethren; in weariness an toil,
in sleeplessness
often, in cold and nakedness --
besides the other things,
what comes upon me daily:
my deep concern for
all the churches.
2 Corinthians 11: 22
-- 28
The early
church faced the Judaizers, the Gnostics, the Greek philosophers, those who
would fight physically against Rome, and even Rome itself through in many
places until a major condemning of the Christian Church was done by them may
cause for persecutions in many cities and Paul was subject to all this. What is unfortunate is: this form of
objection or false teaching by those who have succumbed to the Gnostic beliefs
or have succumbed to the philosophies of this world or have simply denounced
Christians because they would not follow and do not follow the old Jewish law
other than the 10 Commandments. We may
not call them by these names but they do exist in least in one form or
another. Platonism, the teachings of
Socrates, and even those of Aristotle played the early church, the medieval
Church, the church during the Reformation, and even some churches in our present
day. You may not have suffered as Paul
has suffered but you are suffering when bombarded with false teaching or you
have fallen prey to the acceptance of the culture of this world into your
church. Paul was accustomed to all the
hard treatment of those who are accounted the worst of men. When he fell into their hands, they never
spared him. All the days of the apostle
Paul were filled with constant confessing of the Gospel and where ever he went
he was exposed to perils. Even his own
countrymen sought to kill him, or in the least do a mischief act against him:
the heathen, to whom he was sent were not more kind to him for free within the
city, or in the wilderness it didn't matter he was still in peril. Once again I point back to the history of corn
and the Corinthian church and all the troubles in trials that they brought upon
themselves even though there were many who were faithful to the Gospel still
made cause for Paul to address and admonish them to turn them back to the truth
and a proper religious service for God.
We need to do that in many churches today who have fallen prey to the
same problems that plagued the Corinthian church.
Many false
or improper teachings have become accepted as fact and truth and this is no
more evident than in a person's understanding of their relationship with
God. In our virtual relationship we do
not grow step-by-step: I am not here speaking about our growth in
sanctification in this life will remember God sanctified as by the death of
Jesus on the cross but our spiritual relationship is not a step-by-step process
for we either are in this relationship or we are not. How can this be? God does
not cleanse us more and more from sin. So
how are we cleansed from sin?
Simple! Hard! Requires courage! We are cleansed when we are in the light, and walking in the
light, then we are cleansed from all sin.
Here is the most important fact for this is all a question of obedience
and when one is obedient instantly their relationships virtually with God is
perfected. If you turn away for even
just one second out of obedience, then darkness and death are at work at
once. God reveals himself in for each
of us His revelations are sealed until they are open to us by obedience. You cannot open them by philosophy or
thinking. For when you immediately obey
the light of God comes in. Let God's
truth work in you by your soaking your self in it, not by worrying into
it. This is going to require first and
foremost that you wore born again for this is the only way you can get to know
what God is revealing for you and to the period of May God and what ever his
show you, and then instantly a new thing is opened up to you. I am not going to speak against studying and
reading but when one reads tomes on the work of the Holy Spirit, while this may
be a good thing, but when one has even just five minutes of drastic obedience
things would become clearer as a Sunbeam.
Don't think I should do understand these things someday or you can
understand them now. It isn't just that
he that which I speak much about, requires more for it requires obedience. God will never reveal more truth about Himself
until you have obeyed what you already know.
As this blog has written over and over and is the title of it: changing
from the inside out. Only you can do
that, don't just sit back and think God is going to do it for you. God may have to chastise. The love of God is so strong that He will
chastise His children to bring them in accordance with His will.
Thus says the LORD of hosts:
"Behold,
I will save My people
from the land of the East
and from
the land of the West;
I will bring them back, and they will dwell
in the
midst of Jerusalem.
They shall be My people.
And I will
be their God,
in truth and righteousness."
Zechariah 8: 7 -- 8
Be strong God is on your side
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