7 Dec 2009
==========================
WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINUE WITH PART 158 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS”.
---------------------------------------------------------
Those who serve and whose calling places them in a more public role are not any closer to God than any other believer.
All believers are indwelled by God (1COr. 3:16/ Titus 3:5).
Born again believers who become members of a local assembly or supporters of any ministry are not to consider themselves followers of ANY of the Man-made denominations that have evolved over the course of Church History, nor are they followers of any pastor teacher who stands behind the pulpit (1Corinthians 3: 4 - 6).
The true church does not consist of buildings or any physical structure, as is promoted by religion.
The true church, here on Earth, consists of the physical bodies (1Corinthians 3:16) of each and every born again believer of the church age.
There are no altars or sacrificing priests associated with the true church. The last altar that God the Father recognized was the Roman cross on which the Lamb of God was sacrificed.
Every born again believer of the Church Age is a priest in that he or she represents him/herself before God, and represents God to the world at large (1Timothy 2:5/1Peter 2:9).
The pastor teacher is a sinner saved by the grace of God, and is not any closer to God than any other born again believer of the church age. His function is to provide the congregation with accurate information from the Word of God, for which he will be required to give an accounting of to God.
The Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil consider those who are more publicly exposed to be greater targets in the realm of the spiritual combat because there is not only the potential for destroying an individual believer’s post salvation testimony, but there is the potential of taking down a local assembly or ministry as well.
In 2 Corinthians 6:6, 7 we have the phrases “in the Holy Spirit” and “in the power of God”, once again emphasizing that everything we do in the spiritual realm, can only be accomplished through the enabling power of God the Holy Spirit (John 15:5).
This is a principle that is repeated over and over again, but is one that cannot be emphasized enough.
In 2 Corinthians 6:6 we have the phrase “in genuine love”.
Genuine, here, is an English translation of the Greek word a-n-u-p-o-k-r-i-t-o meaning to be sincere and love is anEnglish translation of the Greek word a-g-a-p-e, here referencing the unconditional aspect of the love of God.
One of the major handicaps of the English versions of the Bible is that they do not differentiate between the various forms of love that are spoken of in Scripture.
Unnecessary and futile attempts to force oneself to possess and demonstrate personal love under circumstances that the Bible is calling for unconditional love is a clear example of the need to study such verses and passages in light of the Greek language that God the Holy Spirit inspired the human authors of the New Testament to use.
Negative feelings that we may harbor towards or about other people may reveal to us the need to confess and to forsake such mental attitude sins as the sin of bitterness or the sin of refusing to forgive.
Genuine love can only be exercised apart from the self-centeredness of the fallen that is in all of us.
Like all other matters of the post-salvation spiritual life, we CANNOT exercise it unless we are Spirit-filled (John 15:5), and we are not Spirit-filled if we are harboring such sins as bitterness or refusing to forgive others, as God has forgiven us.
Genuine love always involves putting the interests of others ahead of our own, has NO strings attached, and is always exercised with pure intentions.
In 1Corinthians 13 Paul wrote that if what is done for others is NOT done with love, then he (the doer of the deed, and not necessarily the deed itself) counts for nothing.
If I handed you $20 to take care of a problem you had, the gift of $20 was worth $20 no matter what motivation, good or bad, I had for giving it to you.
But the motivation that I had in mind when I handed it to you would determine the love or lack of love behind the deed.
The lack of love being demonstrated would cast a poor reflection on me, but would not devaluate the worth of the gift.
Believers often do the “right” things, but for the wrong reasons.
To do the right thing, but for the wrong reasons reflects poorly on the disciple/ambassador.
In 2 Corinthians 6:7 the phrase, “word of truth is an English translation of the Greek phrase l-o-g-o a-l-e-t-h-e-i-a-s that refers to a truthful, accurate speech/message that is free from any error. In the Greek, the noun precedes the adjective.
Here, Paul is making reference to the accurate presentation of the Gospel Message.
ANYTHING that is added to or takes away from the truth and simplicity of the Gospel Message, such as the many and various products of religion and human good, corrupts the integrity of the true Gospel Message.
True discipleship and ambassadorship defends this foundational concept without any room for compromise.
In 2Corinthians 6:7 we see the phrase, “in the power of God”, again reiterating the John 15:5 principle of the need to be Spirit-filled in order to execute the post salvation spiritual life. STOP
Pastor Doug Laird
| 
