8 Jan 2010
Welcome Back. I am Pastor Doug. We now continue with Part 173 in our series entitled, “Paul’s Letters To The Corinthians.”
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The struggle for the advancing disciple and/or an ambassador of the Kingdom of God is to remain focused on identifying and executing the post salvation spiritual life while resisting the temptation to enter into or to return to a lifestyle that would involve immorality or independence from the plan of God.
It is important to note that the spiritual life is NOT executed by making a one-time decision as one would do in order to be saved.
A Christ-centered lifestyle is attained and retained by establishing and then maintaining a DAILY practice of studying and applying the mystery doctrines of the Church Age, under the post-salvation filling of God the Holy Spirit.
Attempting to accomplish this same goal via alternative methods will fall short of accomplishing the plan of God.
Comparing one’s own walk with God with the performance of the majority of those who claim association with the Christian Community, is a serious mistake.
While the majority of those who claim to be Christians are not involved with an immoral lifestyle, they are certainly involved in a self-centered one and are living independently of the life to which God called them.
Their overt “good enough” lifestyle is well defined in Luke 8:14, with very little, if any, DIVINE good being produced.
The majority of born again believers have clearly exchanged the call to the true, post salvation spiritual life, for one that is moral and religious, but is lived to please themselves.
It is not I who said that a tree or a person is to be evaluated by the fruit that is produced; it was the Lord Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:20).
An increase in “religion” with a decrease in “spirituality” WITHIN the Christian Community as the Church Age comes to its end was clearly prophesied in such passages as 1Timothy 4:1.
This prophecy and its reality in the times in which we live need NOT apply to all of us.
This sad state of affairs that the Christian Community at large is in is due to the ignorance and/or rejection of the means (John 15:5) and edification needed to identify and to execute the true post salvation spiritual life.
Knowledge of past dispensations is useful to understand how we came to the present phase of the plan of God.
However, when studying past dispensations, we must be careful NOT to bring forward any practices of previous dispensations that were not designed to be a part of the Church Age.
Studying future dispensations that are revealed in Scripture will reveal how all that had taken place during the Church Age impacts what will take place in the future dispensations to come.
Just as we must be cautious not to bring forward rituals and practices from former dispensations that do not apply to the Church Age, we must be equally cautious that we do not become so focused on future dispensations, that we diminish or neglect the divine objectives that we, as Church Age believers, have been assigned to accomplish at the present time.
There will always be a minority (Matthew 7:14) in each generation of the Church Age who will seek out, receive, and pass along the truth to the next generation, until the Great Commission, given to the Church at large, has been fulfilled (Matthew 24:14).
We can only speculate if any of the believers presently alive on the earth will be among the believers still on Earth when the Rapture takes place.
Even if The Rapture were to take place before the end of today, there is no guarantee that any one of us will still be here on earth when then sun goes down.
Thousands of individuals leave this world every day, with their death being the last thing that they or anyone who knew them expected.
Be it via the Rapture or our own appointed time coming first, we are to be found doing the work that the Lord had given us to do, when that moment comes.
Even if we ARE on our dying beds, all that we have done and continue to do is a part of the testimony that our post salvation life was ordained to include.
The main focus of an advancing disciple is to learn what the divine objectives of the Church Age are, and what part he/she has in it.
This information provides the advancing disciple with the general agenda and a specific, individual agenda for each and every day of our post salvation spiritual lives.
The New Testament passages that reveal how (John 15:5) and what (1Corinthians 12), believers are to do in order to accomplish the objectives of the Church Age are referred to as mystery doctrines.
They are not called mystery doctrines because they are something hidden that has to be solved by assembling and comparing clues, but because they were not revealed to members of the past dispensations.
The mystery doctrines of the Church Age are clearly discernable to born again believers, when they are Spirit “filled”, and have the humility to learn and a genuine desire to do so.
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WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINUE WITH PART 174 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS.”
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The disciple advances in the plan of God at the same pace in which he/she spiritually matures.
The ONLY way that spiritual maturity can be attained and retained, is through the daily intake and application of Bible Doctrine.
Like all other activity of a spiritual nature, this requires that the disciple accomplish this under the filling of God the Holy Spirit (John 15:5).
If you have chosen to enter into and or to remain in discipleship, “keep on the alert” as Peter warned the advancing disciple in (1Peter 5:5) knowing that the advancing disciple is under the crosshairs of Satan’s snipers, waiting for the prime opportunity to pull the trigger.
Satan is a master at deception and spiritual warfare.
He, through the Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil, knows just what buttons to press and when to press them to knock us off course.
In 2 Corinthians 6:10, we return to our main text of Paul’s letter to the local Church in Corinth, where we find the phrase, “…as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing…”, as Paul continues to describe the environment in which the advancing disciple finds him/herself.
“As sorrowful” is an English translation of the Greek word l-u-p-o-u-m-e-n-o-i meaning to be in a state of sadness or distress.
This presents a paradox that I must concede is not an easy one for pastors to explain or for m-a-t-h-e-t-e-s, students of the Word of God, to understand.
How, one may ask, can one be in a state of sadness or distress and yet always be truly rejoicing.
By now, the sadness or distress part of the environment that is associated with executing the post salvation spiritual life should be clear to us.
It is only necessary that we make sure that the suffering that we endure (1Peter 2:21) is the type of suffering that is a part of God’s plan, and not of the self-induced variety that is the result of our own negative decisions.
But how, one may ask, does this inherent suffering associated with true discipleship square with the concept that one is to be ALWAYS rejoicing?
Many believers are under the misguided impression they are to go about with an ear to ear smile, no matter what happens, and that failing to do so in a sign of wavering faith.
When our Lord was going through the temptations by Satan (Luke 4/Matthew 4), I am quite certain that He did not do so with a smile on His face.
When our Lord prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:44) in such agony that beads of sweat with blood were running down His face, I am quite certain that He was not smiling.
When our Lord was scourged, a process that usually would expose the ribs through the torn flesh covering one’s sides (Matthew 27:26) or when He had a crown of thorns pressed down deep into His scalp (Matthew 27:29), I do not believe He was smiling.
When our Lord repeatedly cried out from the cross, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me ?”, (Matthew 27:46), during the last three hours of His six hours on the cross, I am quite certain that He did not do so with a smile on His face.
Yet, I do believe that in His heart of hearts, He WAS rejoicing in that He was accomplishing the will of God the Father.
The rejoicing that Paul was speaking of in 2Corinthians 6:10 is best exemplified and demonstrated, not when things are going our way, but when we are in the midst of intense adversity and yet can maintain an inner peace that surpasses ALL understanding of human viewpoint (Philippians 4:7).
Anyone can rejoice when circumstances are pleasant, but when we can view facing pain, loss, tragedy and sorrow as an opportunity demonstrate to other people and observing angels, that we CAN still rejoice in our relationship with the Lord in the midst of such pain and suffering, WE have taken a giant step in our walk with the Lord.
This Joy of the Lord is neither enhanced nor is it diminished by overt circumstances.
For a mature believer, there is no such thing as bad news, only greater opportunities to glorify God.
The Joy of the Lord is based on our relationship with Him and the knowledge that we are glorifying Him by doing His will, no matter what adversity He has either sent or allowed to take place.
It has been the stated contention of the devil, that if enough adversity is allowed to come against an individual, that that individual would curse God to His face (Job 1:11).
The devil was proven wrong in the case of Job, but I am quite certain that many who claim to be Christians today would cave in under a lot less stress than was allowed by God, to come against Job.
Many of the earliest believers and unsung heroes over the course of the Church Age dispensation risked and/or faced torture, imprisonment, loss of possessions, and death in order to contend for, or to preserve the faith for future generations of the Church Age to come.
The post salvation spiritual life, and especially for those who advance in discipleship, is not the means to ESCAPE persecution; it is the primary generator of it (2Timothy 3:12).
For an advancing disciple to bemoan the adversity of spiritual combat is like the individual who enlists in the military and then complains when he/she becomes the target of the enemy forces.
The spiritual life IS a battle, and Man was created to glorify God in the midst of it.
Learning of and glorifying God in the midst of this battle is what true discipleship during the dispensation of the Church Age is all about.
The believers who experience the Joy of the Lord to the maximum will be the ones who are first prepared, and then glorify God in the midst of some of the worst experiences, from human viewpoint, that life here in the devil’s world can bring.
STOP
WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINE WITH PART 175 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS.”
Don’t allow fear of what challenges there may be awaiting you along the road to spiritual maturity to impede your spiritual progress.
Fear is one of the most effective weapons that the devil has to attack your faith at any level of spiritual growth.
Fear is the opposite of faith. The more you have of one the less you will have of the other.
Death is only the means to leave this world and to be with the Lord in a much better environment.
The advancing disciple’s attitude towards the timing and circumstances of his/her earthly departure is that he/she does not desire to die one second before or to remain here on Earth one second longer that what the plan of God requires.
The timing and circumstances surrounding the death of others will be viewed in the same way.
The only time death is a tragedy, is when any soul leaves this world in the same spiritually dead condition that he/she entered, never having been born again (John 3:3).
A non-Scriptural attachment to personal relationships and/or the good things of earthly life reveals that an inappropriate set of priorities have been allowed to take the Lord’s place in our soul (Luke 14:26/John 12:25).
While legitimate earthly relationships and possessions ARE ours to enjoy and to appreciate, the prioritization of the disciple’s relationship with the Lord and at least the WILLINGNESS to give up all of his/her earthly treasures are only the first of many hurdles that true discipleship will require.
There is NO such thing as THE Christian personality.
Some of us wear our feelings on our sleeves for all to see, where others hold their cards close to their chest.
Spiritual maturity can often be misinterpreted as insensitivity in those who have the strength and courage to tell it like it is.
God uses different types of personalities to accomplish His missions. Sometimes we need a hug, and sometimes we need to have the truth hit us hard between the eyes!
It is in dire circumstances thatthe advancing disciples are given the greatest opportunity to experience for themselves and to exhibit to angels as well as other people, the peace of God that surpasses all comprehension of human viewpoint (Philippians 4:7).
As was the case of the Lord Jesus Christ, there WILL be times that the advancing disciple will NOT appear to be winning.
Our Lord did NOT appear to be a winner, as He was scourged, spit upon, beaten beyond human recognition, paraded through the streets of Jerusalem on His way to Mount Calvary, nor did he appear to be winning during His six hour ordeal, nailed to the cross.
From among those witnessing our Lord’s crucifixion, it was the repentant thief on the cross next to our Lord who had the spiritual discernment to see our Lord’s victory being manifested in the midst of His agony (Luke 23:42).
God has provided every born again believer with the means, power, and opportunity to identify and to execute the plan that He has designed for each one of us, but He does not force discipleship onto anyone.
One may feel the urge to pray for relief, answers, strength, or power, to escape or endure any given situation that he/she faces, but the perceived need to pray for such things reveals that such a believer has failed to prepare for the adversity that has already come.
Such a wake-up call may be one of the reasons that God has allowed the adversity it to come (Matthew 7:26, 27) in the first place.
Don’t feel like this is a unique situation, we have all been there in our walk with God (1Peter 4:12).
The more doctrine we learn, the more resources we will have when the next round of adversity strikes. As we advance in discipleship, the frequency and intensity of our trials and tribulations will increase, as we become more worthwhile targets of the Ephesians 6:12 forces of evil.
Keep in mind that God not only holds the born again believer accountable for the application of all that he/she has learned (Luke 12:48), but also for all that he/she had the opportunity to learn, had he/she been more faithful to the daily intake of the Word of God.
The adversity of life is coming rather we are prepared for it or not.
Discipleship only assures those involved with it of more issues to address, as the disciple will perceive the spiritual issues and the need to address them as well.
Being prepared is a choice that we make!
The shock that comes along with troubling news is no less painful or upsetting to a disciple than it is to anyone else, but the time that the disciple needs to regain his/her presence of mind can be so brief, that it is often he/she who ends up consoling or edifying the ones who come to comfort the suffering disciple with human advice.
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WELCOME BACK. I AM PASTOR DOUG. WE NOW CONTINUE TO WITH PART 176 IN OUR SERIES ENTITLED, “PAUL’S LETTERS TO THE CORINTHIANS.”
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The onset of adversity is NOT a time to search for answers; it is a time to apply what we already have, or should have, learned.
Having the right answers, the calmness of a soul that experiences the peace that surpasses all human comprehension are among the intangible blessings the disciple receives for having prepared him/herself for spiritual combat via daily devotional time in the Word of God.
The knowledge available in the Word of God is inexhaustible.
What we already know must be repeated if we are going to be able to bring in into our conscious minds in times of great distress.
In 2 Corinthians 6:10, we continue in our study with the phrase, “….as poor, but making many rich…”.
Here Paul speaks of the relative poor economic conditions in which the average believer in his day, and many in our day, will spend their lives.
For those who are blessed with temporal possessions, there is nothing wrong with enjoying wealth that is legitimately obtained.
There have been men and woman of Scripture who enjoyed earthly wealth without allowing such temporal success and blessings to become an issue in their walk with the Lord.
Wealth, or even the desire for it, becomes a spiritual issue IF and when obtaining and retaining it is more important to the individual than his/her relationship with God.
Those who enjoy temporal success are much more vulnerable to the satanic deception of confusing temporal success with spiritual riches.
God is NOT the only means of temporal blessing (Luke 4:6).
As we have seen, those who have the opportunity to provide certain goods and services of human good can and do attain a lot more temporal wealth than those who do not.
Secular sociologists will agree that for the most part, people may move from the bottom to the top, or visa- versa, within the socio-economic category in which they were born, but do not usually go from rags to riches or from riches to rags
Who determines the socio-economic category of one’s birth? Is it the luck of the draw, or is there some higher Force and purpose surrounding the circumstances of one’s birth?
To believe in luck, good or bad, is to deny the divine attribute of the sovereignty of God. If there ever was, ever is, or ever will be, in time or eternity, something that takes God that either did not send or allow, that He cannot be God.
What God sends, and especially some of what He allows to take place through such things as the free will that He gave to Man, is not something that we, with the limits of human comprehension, can always understand.
John 3:6 tells us that it is our natural parents who reproduce the bodies of the next generation, and that it is through this process (1Corinthians 15:22/Psalms 51:5) that the spiritual death and fallen nature is passed down to us.
John 3:6 teach that it is God who creates the real us, that being our souls. God imputes us to the body of His choosing at birth (Genesis 2:7).
In doing so, it is God who determines such things as the socio-economic environment of our birth.
God can choose to increase or decrease the quantity of our wealth at any given time, as in the case of Job, but for most of us, we will live and die in the same socio-economic category that God chose and placed us in at birth.
The quantity of one’s earthly wealth does not determine how “rich” or how “poor” the same person is in the spiritual realm (Revelation 3:17).
Some of the most Godly persons have had extreme wealth, as did Solomon, while others had little. Equally so, some of the most ungodly persons has had extreme wealth and have lived in poverty.
Regardless of one’s socio-economic circumstances at birth, or what financial fortunes or misfortunes one has during life here on earth, ALL born again believers have equal opportunity to produce divine good and receive an abundance of heavenly reward.
Note, that I said that all born again believers have equal opportunity, not that all believers will receive their “full reward” (1Corinthians 3:12-15).
All born again believers receive eternal life and are assured of their residency in Heaven for all of eternity.
However, what reward(s) will be received or forfeited by any one believer will depend on the divine good he/she produced.
The Lord Jesus Christ taught, that during the post salvation time we are here on Earth, we would be wise to make deposits in the Bank of Heaven where rust does not corrode and thieves cannot enter and steal (Matthew 6:20).
These deposits do NOT enhance the security of our salvation, but will determine what, if any, additional rewards and privileges that we will receive in Heaven.
The “balance” of our account in Heaven can neither be increased nor decreased, once we have departed this Earth.
Where the believer’s heart is, is where he/she will make his/her greater investments, be it in things to be enjoyed while here on Earth or on things to be enjoyed for all of Eternity.
It’s been correctly stated that the unbeliever cannot take his/her earthly wealth with him/her to Hades, and that the believer cannot take his/hers or Heaven.
However, believers can invest their time, talents, and wealth in God and in the things of God while here on earth that WILL result in returns in Heaven (1Corinthians 3: 12-15).
It is by learning and sharing the Gospel Message and the mystery doctrines of the Church Age that the advancing disciple not only makes him/herself spiritually rich, but others as well. STOP
Pastor Doug Laird
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