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October 2017 132 KB printable .pdf

In the September 2017 teaching, we learned that God magnified His Word above His name. The greatest commitment ever made was God's commitment to His Word. Jesus Christ declared God's magnified Word, and we are to let the Word of Christ dwell within us richly (see Colossians 3:16). The only way we can walk with God and His son is to know the Word of God and practice it day by day.

Let us pray. Father, I thank you for all the believers praying and standing in the gap in the United States and across the world against the recent hurricanes. I thank you for being our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. "Therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea. Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah" (Psalm 46:1-3).

Father, you were there when we needed you. Father, to you be the glory for what great things you have done through your only begotten Son. Father, your Word says, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose (Romans 8:28). "What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31). In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. The Word of God is the Will of God.

This month's teaching will continue to look at the Word of God as our refuge and strength. We will look at the goodness of God which inspires us to desire to be saved. Acts 2:38:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

This verse of scripture has been wrongly divided by religious leaders since shortly after Pentecost. The word "repent" has been taught to mean "confession of sin." We have been taught, "If you don't confess your sin, then you are going to go to hell." So, in fear of going to hell, people confess their sins thinking they will be saved. Fear was the motivation for getting people to confess and think they were saved, not the goodness or gentleness of God (see Romans 10: 9-10).

The Word of God is just the opposite of this in Romans 2:4:

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness [gentleness] and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness [gentleness] of God leadeth thee to repentance?

From Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament (1999), the two occurrences of "goodness" are in the same root word family as the Greek word translated "gentleness" in Galatians 5:22. Gentleness is integrity and moral goodness. It also means kindness or usefulness. Gentleness is not critical or dreadful. And gentleness is not fear.

When people are meek to hear that God is kind, gentle and His Word useful and beneficial, there is motivation for them to continue listening and to modify their thinking to what God's Word says.

From Bullinger's Critical Lexicon and Concordance to the English and Greek New Testament (1999), the word "Repentance" in Romans 2:4 means a mental change of attitude of drive due to positive action, not negative action. It is a change of mind from bad to good.

The Good News Bible's translation says, "Surely you know that God is kind, because he is trying to lead you to repent" (Romans 2:4).

Therefore, repentance is not a confession of sin, nor do you repent to evade hell. There is no need to preach hell-fire and brimstone sermons to get people saved. The Bible says it is the goodness and gentleness of God that leads people to repentance or a change of mind.

Because of Adam and Eve's sin, all men and women are born without the Spirit of God. They are born with body and soul, but no spirit. Let's look at 1 Corinthians 2:14 to understand about the "natural man or woman:"

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

So, we are born into this world as natural man or woman - with body and soul only . It is by being born-again of God's Spirit that we receive the things of the Spirit of God. Without being born-again, the things of the Spirit of God "are foolishness unto you: neither can you know them, because they are spiritually discerned (see Matthew 4:4)." See MOR-Bible February 2016 for a teaching on this subject.

The Bible was written in the senses' world; therefore, the natural man or woman can memorize every scripture from Genesis 1:1 to Revelation 22:21 and not believe one word of it. The natural man has a mind, which is why the natural man can quote scriptures and still have no Spirit of God in him.
Let us look at the natural man in Ephesians 2:1-3:

And (even) you hath he quickened (made a live), who were dead in trespasses and sins;

Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:

Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others.

The natural man, by nature, is a child of wrath. He cannot help but to rip down God's Word. The natural man or woman was born into this world with just body and soul, which is why they are dead in trespasses and sins. They are living physically, but they are dead spiritually. All blessings of God are through Jesus Christ. For it is the spirit of God in you that makes the change, which is Christ in you the hope of glory! (Colossians 1:27).

Therefore, the natural man or woman does not receive the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto them: neither can they know them, because they are spiritually discerned (1 Corinthians 2:14). Before we were born-again of God's Spirit, we all lived in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath. I thank God, my Father, I made up my mind I wanted eternal life. I wanted to be a son of God. I wanted to be filled with the holy spirit and operate the power of God in my life. I wanted to be an ambassador for Christ!

We continue with Ephesians 2:12:

That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.

If you are not born-again of God's Spirit, you have no hope and you are without God in this world. Ephesians 2:13-14 says:

But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.

For he [Christ Jesus] is our peace, who hath made both [Judean and Gentile] one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us [Judean and Gentile].

You want peace? Then you must have the prince of peace, the Lord Jesus Christ, because the natural man or woman is the child of wrath. All the they know is what is gathered by their five senses, and that information is not spiritual. Therefore, everything they put in their mind for peace must end, because they do not have the prince of peace, Christ in him the hope of glory. Ephesians 2:15-18 tells us:

Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace;

And that he [Jesus Christ] might reconcile both [Judean and Gentile] unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off [Gentile], and to them that were nigh [Judean]. For through him [Jesus Christ] we both [Judean and Gentile] have access by one Spirit unto the Father.

God's Word says in 1 Corinthians 10:32:

Give none offence, neither to the Jews [Judeans], nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God.

God's Word tells us there are three classifications of people: 1. Judean, 2. Gentile, or 3. You are born-again and you are in the church of God where there is no Judean or Gentile and we all have one Spirit! Regarding the Spirit, 2 Timothy 1:7 tells us:

For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

Therefore, the natural man or woman without God's Spirit is spiritually dead and must have an unsound mind. All information the natural man or woman receives is by their five senses. That information is unreliable when it comes to spiritual matters! God does not give a spirit of fear. The Spirit that God gives is a spirit of power, love, and a sound mind. If a born-again Christian does not demonstrate God's power, love, and sound mind in their life, they have not renewed their mind to understand that it is Christ in them the hope of glory! The new birth does not affect the mind - it impacts the spirit in you.

We are the product of what we think. No one can believe beyond what he or she is taught. Because all information the natural man or woman receives is by their five senses, they are totally ruled and governed by their five senses. Therefore, they will always have an unsound mind. There is only one way out for the natural man or woman: spiritually he or she must get born-again. At that time, God's spirit of power, of love and a sound mind is received. Ephesians 2:19:

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God.

God is our Father, and we belong to the household of God. The natural man or woman is a child of wrath by nature because they are dead in trespasses and in sin without God and hope. Once the natural man or woman becomes born-again they have Christ in them the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). Now they have a spiritual Father. For individuals that are born-again, God is our Father, we are His children. This puts him or her in the household of God. This makes us brothers and sisters in Christ.

Look at Romans 5:12, 15-17:

Wherefore, as by one-man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so, death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:

But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one [Adam] many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.

For if by one man's [Adam] offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.

There is only one way the natural man or woman can get all these blessings - they must be born-again of God's Spirit. How do they accomplish this? Romans 10:9-10 tells us how:

That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

The natural man or woman confesses Lord Jesus in their life. He or she believes in their heart (in the innermost part of their being) that God has raised Jesus from the dead. "For with the heart man believes unto righteousness and with his mouth confession is made unto salvation."

Man or woman is not saved by works; they are saved by grace. Ephesians 2:4-10 tells us:

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

And [not only made us alive but] hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.

For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.

Not of works, lest any man should boast.

For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

In summary, each-born-again Christian must declare God's goodness and gentleness, which leads a man or woman to repentance. We have the privilege of living in this day and time to hold forth this Word of life! Men and women can come to God and receive the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind, because of His goodness and gentleness. This leads them to repentance or a change of heart or mind. This is how God's Word is our refuge and strength.

I exhort you to choose what you want to do with your life. Do you want to accept God's grace and His goodness? If the answer is YES, confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (Jesus as Lord in your life). And believe in your heart (in the innermost part of your being) that God has raised Jesus from the dead and you shall be saved. "For with his heart man believes unto righteousness and with his mouth confession is made unto salvation" (Romans 10:9-10).

Father, I thank you for your grace, your goodness and gentleness through Jesus Christ, which inspired us to confess your son as Lord and believed in our hearts that you raised him from the dead. I thank you for giving us the spirit of power, love, and a sound mind because of your goodness and gentleness. I thank you for our new brothers and sisters in Christ. I thank you for your rich mercy, for the great love wherewith you loved us. Even when we were dead in sins, you made us alive together with Christ; for by grace, we were saved. And you have raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come you might show the exceeding riches of your grace and your kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. Amen.

Next month's teaching will continue to look at the Word of God as our refuge and strength.

In the Lord,

Ministry of Reconciliation
Son of God through Jesus Christ
Ambassador for Christ

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