Dear..
'But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit, and in truth for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.'
John 4:23-24
With the end, comes the new beginning. Apt as it might be, for with the death of our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross, came His resurrection and the light that is not only at the end of the tunnel, but the light that forever has broken free, the grip of death and that of the devil upon Adam’s seeds. And if this is true, and it is, should we as Christians who profess to be followers of Christ, no longer have any constraints to literary live and die like Christ in all circumstances that come our way, for death has been conquered?
John 4:23-24 was the verse that concluded my last sharing for the series “Reflections for the moment#72 Time out, and time in” and this is the verse that God impressed upon my heart deeply since, for I believe it sets the tone for the next leg of my and prayerfully your journey with Him as well.
‘And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you, but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high.’
Luke 24:49
Taking time with God is good, for correction, clarity, assurance and leading comes at His timing and form. It just been less than seven days since I officially took a hiatus from my sharing and already, my fingers are itching from withdrawal symptoms. God is good. He does not keep the desirous waiting too long and just this morning, He woke me up at 5am and for those who are familiar with this syndrome of lying in bed, vacillating between prayers and dozing off, it is quite a challenge to have clear thoughts. The Lord gave me the first thought that is prayerfully the first step in this new direction in the Word based ministry, with series 4 aptly titled “In spirit and in truth.”
‘..Ye cannot serve God and mammon.’
Matthew 6:24
'..I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them...they will follow My decrees and be careful to keep My laws. They will be My people and I will be their God.'
Ezekiel 11:19-20
God is Spirit and He wants to transform us from the carnal man to the spirit man. To be willing to be transformed, we must be desirous to seek the truth of God’s Word. To be able to live out fully the truth of God’s will, we must be able to totally commit to discard our carnal self and in all obedience put on the spirit man, that God wants us to be.
‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’
Luke 8:8
With this thought, I am a little stuck as to how to proceed.? But God is good. I just received a pamphlet from this American based ministry who provides hearing aids to the deaf, and their ministry slogan is “Faith comes by hearing.” And indeed how can we move from the carnal to the spirit man? Faith is the key to unlocking our spirituality, and though faith comes from God, we must be willing to come to Him to receive that faith. Is your heart willing to ‘hear and respond’ to the leading of the Holy Spirit in residence?
‘…let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.’
Hebrews 12:1-2
God put His Spirit into man when He created us out of dust(Isaiah 42:5 ..Who gives breath to the people on it. And spirit to those who walk on it..). The Spirit of God left man(Psalm 51:11 Do not cast me from Your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me..) when Adam disobeyed God by eating the forbidden fruit and severed his relationship with God. But God loves and has forgiven men, and with the sacrifice of His beloved Son our Lord Jesus Christ, salvation is offered to all who repent and believe, and His Spirit has returned and resides in the hearts of men who believed.
In my Bible(New King James Version), the headline title preceding Hebrews 12:12 states the following “Renew Your Spiritual Vitality” and it is indeed time for those who profess to be followers of our beloved Lord Jesus Christ, that is, Christians to honor what you have committed when the Spirit of God resided in your heart, when you first believed.
‘For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing with these we shall be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition…’
1 Timothy 6:7-9
May the next few weeks, or maybe even months or years be a time of Spirit led journeying as we learn and witness together on a regular basis, what it truly means to live out life as a spirit man, the fruits of the Spirit. And may you response to the truth of God’s word, by boldly crossing the chasms that life will throw into your path, knowing that the Spirit of God will carry you forth.
‘But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses…’
1 Timothy 6:11-12
In theory it is easy, in practice it is not possible if it is a partnership with the Holy Spirit, but it is only possible through Christ, if we are willing to be like Christ. God does not walk with us(as in His following us) but rather, we walk with God(as in our following Him).
And what does it mean?
‘…For if we died with Him. We shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself.’
2 Timothy 2:11-13
In Spirit and truth, this is a rudimentary concept that I am writing(on the job training) as I am being taught by the Spirit of God. Prayerfully, I have not confused anyone, but as I complete this “kickoff” piece, the Spirit of God reminded me of my own journey as a believer. And may that give you a sense of where God is leading us all now.
‘The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.’
Acts 11:19-26
I first heard about God and mouth my belief at around age 15. Does that make me a Christian? In name yes, in practice, no, for I never seek to truly know God. And like most who call themselves Christians today, it was mere branding, and I don’t pray, don’t read the Bible and hardly praise or thank God. And forget about works, for it does not fit in with the reality of the jungle that is our present world.
But on hindsight, it was a preparatory phase. And I only became a desirous follower of our Lord Jesus Christ when the Spirit of God sanctified my very being at age 40. Does it mean then that since faith comes from God, the timing is not ours, and we have no part to play till God decides His Spirit long residing in our hearts when we first believed, will move our heart? On the contrary, while salvation is given to all who repent and believe, we have to work on our salvation, not for our salvation. To be transformed from the clean slate that we now are, by the redeeming blood of Christ, to the spirit man, to be like Christ that He wants us to be, needs a response from us. We must want to come unto God’s presence to receive faith from Him. God decided that I needed 25 years to be moved from part-time Christian to a truly desirous follower of Christ. Could I have “speeded up” my receiving of faith and growth in Christian maturity? I believe so, and in the Bible, God clearly exhorts all of us to seek Him with our all and to love others for God is love, and in loving others, we will know God. The End Times are intensifying, and time is short. Many will not have the luxury of prodding along, and if we are not willing on our own steam to turn with our all to God, God will and has intensified circumstances to make us pay attention to what awaits us, eternal damnation if we continue to be indifferent.
‘Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God on this behalf.’
1 Peter 4:16
I have been a desirous follower of Christ for the past decade, thanks to His sanctifying spirit upon me back in Bangkok. This period has been my most joyful and peaceful, much as the storms in my life have never been more intense. And I pray this truth of God’s grace is clearly attested in my life as lived and witnessed by many on this mail-list, who have encouraged me as well as allowing me to encourage you, as led by the Spirit of God.
‘Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father.’
Matthew 5:11-16
But spiritual growth and refinement is a continuous process. God reminded me that I have followed, but have I truly lived as a man of spirit and truth. We can never lead Christ, but it is a question of how in step are we with His very leading? To follow means that we are always looking at our circumstances as well as looking for the next few steps ahead before we are willing to move into the next clear step that God has shown us. To live is quite different. It is the willingness to boldly step into the next move that God has shown us with all clarity, regardless of circumstances and without regard for what comes after, because we know it matters not, for it is obeying God that truly only matters. For we have come to learn that nothing is accidental in God's plan, but rather we become incidental, when we take our eyes off Christ, the author and finisher of our faith.
‘And Noah did according unto all that the Lord commanded him.’
Genesis 7:5
‘By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed, and he went out, not knowing whither he went.’
Hebrews 11:8
I have followed Christ tentatively, but I have not lived my life like Christ and this is where our good Lord is bringing me to and you too, if you are willing.
'Into Your hands I commit my spirit, redeem me, O Lord, the God of truth.'
Psalm 31:5
‘For this God is our God forever and ever, He will be our guide even unto death.’
Psalm 48:14
God Blesses
Eng Hieang
(10th July 2010)
No comments:
Post a Comment