7 Dec 2009
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WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINUE WITH PART 160 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS”.
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The first recorded murder in human history had religious roots (Genesis 4:5), and humans have been killing each other over differences in religious beliefs and/or religious domination both from within and from outside of the Christian Community, ever since.
Religions are NOT various manifestation of spirituality. The author of spirituality is God. The author of religion is Satan.
The essential difference between spirituality and religion is that spirituality is about receiving all that God has provided in the realm of salvation and for the execution of the post salvation spiritual life, and religion is all the different ways in which Man has devised in a futile attempt to make and/or to keep himself right with God.
Religion, including so-called Christian religions, consists of what Man has conceived totally independent of God, or what Man has added to, taken from, or perverted, all that CAN be Biblically substantiated.
Religion is the most powerful weapon of mass destruction that has ever been placed in the hand of the devil and his Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil.
The diabolical evil of religion is that while it can appear to be of God, it is in reality, the mind of Satan.
It matters not to Satan which one of the Man-made religion an individual follows, as long as it does not involve a presentation of the true Gospel Message for salvation and/or reveal the true post salvation spiritual life.
In 2Corinthians 6:9 Paul continues with his letter speaking of the advancing disciple and/or ambassador as being unknown, yet well known.
“Known is an English translation of the Greek word, a-g-n-o-o-u-m-e-n-o-I, meaning not to know someone or something, or to know of, but to ignore.
Well known is an English translation of the Greek Word e-p-i-g-i-n-o-s-k-o-m-e-n-o-I which means to know of something in great detail.
To understand Paul’s application of this term to the experience of an advancing disciple or ambassador, there is the need to comprehend the principle of dispensational interpretation of Scripture.
Dispensations are period of time in which certain conditions exist that distinguish them from other periods of time in which these same conditions do not exist.
God, and His divine attributes, are eternal and do not change, but what does change within the various dispensations of the plan of God, is the way in which believers are to worship and glorify God.
For example, animal sacrifices, offerings of wine and grain, and tithing were all a part of worship and practices during the Old Testament dispensation, but have no inclusion in the manner of worship or glorifying God during the dispensation of the Church Age.
During the dispensation of the Old Testament, most of the activity that glorified God was OVERT in nature, as were the personalities through whom God accomplished most of His plan.
We live in the dispensation of the Church Age that began at the Feast of Pentecost in Jerusalem in the approx. year 30-33 AD, after the resurrection and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 2), and will come to its prophesied end at the Rapture (1Thessalonians 4: 16, 17).
During the Church Age dispensation, born again believers WORSHIP God by gathering together (Hebrews 10:25) where they celebrate the Lord Supper (1Corinthians 11:23-26) and receive Bible Doctrine under the teaching ministry of a Biblically qualified pastor teacher.
The true mission of Church is to fulfill the Great Commission (Matthew 28: 19, 20) that involves the proclamation of the Gospel Message to unbelievers, and the making of disciples, that is students and appliers of the Word of God, of those who are born again (John 3:3).
The spiritual calling of born again believers of the Church Age is NOT to make the devil’s world (Luke 4:6) a better place to live through the production of human good.
Producing human good will be one of the ways in we will make a living.
This is a reality in the world in which we live, but this is equally true of atheists and unbelievers and has NOTHING to do with the execution of the post salvation spiritual life.
Our home and/or work place is only one of the many pulpits that God has arranged for us to minister from as disciples and ambassadors.
While human good does have practical use and value for life here on earth, it has nothing to do with the post salvation spiritual life of born again believers.
Atheists and non-believers can and often do produce as much human good in their homes and work places, as do born again believers.
The ministry or service of the homemaker is an area that has come under satanic attack.
While trying to diminish the significant and importance of a stay home mom and/or wife, this intense attack only goes to prove just how important it is to the plan of God and can only be seen as such by those who have spiritual discernment.
The same can be said for all the human good that takes place outside of the home. It has value and purpose for life here on earth, but it has nothing to do with the post salvation spiritual life of a born again believer during the Church Age, other than to provide the various pulpits from which the born again believer is to serve as a disciple and ambassador for the Kingdom of God.
The Biblical description of the world environment that immediately precedes the Second Advent (Matthew 24:22) hardly defines a world in which evil has been overcome by good.
Born again believers of the Church AGE, unlike previous dispensations, become and remain Spirit indwelled (baptized) by God the Holy Spirit as of the moment of salvation (Titus 3:5), and remain so throughout all of their post salvation spiritual life.
Pastor Doug Laird
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