One with God the Father, Jesus & one another, chapter 11
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What defines God’s church, those who’re being made temples of His Spirit? Most using Jesus’ name teach; ‘His church is founded on His prophets, apostles and Himself the Cornerstone.’ So what binds making each believer ‘One, with each other and God?’ One SPIRIT BINDS Jesus, and called believers imputing His spirit to the mind, ‘defining God’s church.’ No mix of old pagan traditions or Pharisee type denominations.
Heavenly Father: please give each reader a desire to search Your Word and prove Your Way. Give each Your gift of repentance, we ask in Jesus’ holy name. AMEN
What initiates the human desire to prove or disprove God? God’s calling, giving the desire and effort. (See Phil 2:1) The Corinth Church sent Paul and Silas to Berea to proclaim Jesus’ truth. Seemingly; all they had was the prophetic writings, their personal relationships with Jesus. Old Testament scripture was available to proclaim from prophecy, and perhaps the four gospel accounts were available. Let’s examine the workings of spiritually opening of minds.
(2Corinthaians 4:3-4; These ‘Berea’ Jews were more open-minded than those in Thessalonica, for they eagerly received the message, examining the scriptures carefully every day to see if these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, along with quite a few prominent Greek women and men.) (See Acts 17:10-15)
Followers of Jesus realize the things God allows Satan to do in this age will ultimately serve His purposes. Deceptive Satan’s intended harm will ultimately serve God’s purpose in people’s worship in spirit and truth. God’s Way is unchanging and forever, while Satan’s is but for a short time. (So, how and why are people blinded spiritually in this age?)
Jesus’ apostle Paul taught; “the god of this age has blinded the minds of those who do not believe, so they would not see the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God.” (See 2Corinthians 4:3-4)
Satan is only allowed to spiritually blind those who aren’t gifted with a Godly desire to know Him and His truth as manifest in Holy Scriptures! (Jesus’ apostle John explained; “the one who hates his fellow Christian is in darkness, walks in the darkness, and does not know where he is going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.) (See 1John 2:11)
The word ‘hate’ in this context, means, ‘to love less by comparison.’ The Holy Spirit leads Christians to, ‘spiritually love one another as themselves.’ Unbelievers don’t love as Jesus instructed, ‘so are in spiritual darkness.’ God wills spiritual darkness for a time. His TRUTH is; ‘spiritually understood and gifted to His chosen.’ So, what’s the darkness that blinds? The many confusing doctrines Satan has led the world to accept. (See Luke 21:24)
From his beginning, Satan inspired people groups to make gods from their imagination, defined paganism was born. Jesus’ apostle John was led to quote Isaiah, ‘whom Jesus had inspired to write long before.’
(John 12:40; He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart so that they would not see with their eyes and understand with their heart, and turn to Me, and I would heal them.) (Quote from Isaiah 6:10)
We’re in the advanced age of spiritual blindness, and God is allowing unbelievers to be spiritually blinded until a time He chooses; ‘to open minds, to the good news, (gospel). That age is on the horizon. Jesus inspired Isaiah to tell it.
(Isaiah 29:18-19; At that time the deaf will be able to hear (understand) words read from a scroll, and the eyes of the blind will be able to see through (previously hidden) deep darkness. The downtrodden will again rejoice in the Lord; the poor among humankind will take delight in the Holy One of Israel.)
The Holy One of Israel, (The Lord God Jesus) spent three and one half years with His apostles and didn’t allow them to spiritually understand the scriptures until shortly before His ascension.
(Luke 18:31-34; Then Jesus took the twelve aside and said to them, “Look, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For He will be handed over to the Gentiles; He will be mocked, mistreated, and spat on. They will flog Him severely and kill Him. Yet on the third day He will rise again.” (But the twelve understood none of these things.) (This saying was hidden from them, and they did not grasp what Jesus meant.)
After Jesus’ ascension and Pentecost, the apostle’s minds were spiritually opened to understand these things and their relationship to prophecy.
Zechariah 9:9-10, tells of Jesus’ return to Jerusalem a few days before Passover. (See Mark 11:1-9, to read of that conclusion.)
Jesus’ apostles had been keeping the Passover all their lives without knowing its significance in relationship to Jesus. (Jesus is our Passover, the One through whom is life.) Denominations are still blinded about the significance of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. (Remember; Satan’s purpose is to mislead, deceive and divide.) He leads people to make substitutes, to the spiritual significance of God’s set aside times.
(John 13:1-5; Just before the Passover feast, Jesus knew that His time had come to depart from this world to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He now loved them to the very end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon’s son, that he should betray Jesus. Because Jesus knew that the Father had handed all things over to Him, and that He had come from God and was going back to God, He got up from the meal, removed His outer clothes, took a towel and tied it around Himself. He poured water into the washbasin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to dry them with the towel He had wrapped around Himself.)
Jesus’ new Passover tradition demonstrates God’s love for His chosen. Just as blood over the Israelites’ doors in Egypt, preserved lives of their first-born’s, Jesus’ shed blood before this Passover’s end, was to redeem this world’s spiritually first-borns to Himself. Through our being spiritually led to believe IN Jesus’ shed blood for remission of our sins, and be saved to eternal life.
On that Passover evening, after Jesus prayed ‘if possible let this cup pass from Me.’ Jesus was arrested by the chief priest and officers of the temple guard. They came with swords and clubs as if arresting an outlaw. Jesus said to them, ‘Day after day when I was with you in the temple courts, you did not arrest Me, ‘but this is your hour and that of the power of darkness!’ Luke 22:52-53)
Darkness is Satan’s doing, God permitted from the foundation of the world. Darkness is to this age’s end, known from the beginning, including the darkness associated with our inheriting Adam’s self serving nature.
(Matthew 6:22-24; The eye is the lamp (understanding) of the body. If then your eye (understanding) is healthy, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye (understanding) is diseased, (sick) your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness? “No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money (mammon.) MEANING; “misused wealth influences evil.” (ALL unbelievers are characterized & defined here.)
Jesus understands why people are unbelievers, so He prayed; (Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.) Luke 23:34)
God called David, revealed Himself, made him a great king and prophet, revealed His suffering allowing David feel His pain, even during crucifixion.
Consider Psalms 22;1-30; My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me? I groan in prayer, but help seems far away. My God, I cry out during the day, but you do not answer, and during the night My prayers do not let up. You are holy; You sit as king receiving the praises of Israel. In You our ancestors trusted; they trusted in You and You rescued them. To You they cried out, and they were saved; in You they trusted and they were not disappointed.
But I am a worm, not a man; people insult Me and despise Me. All who see Me taunt Me; they mock me and shake their heads. They say, ‘Commit Yourself to the Lord! Let the Lord rescue Him! Let the Lord deliver Him, for He delights in Him.’
Yes, You are the One who brought Me out from the womb and made Me feel secure on My mother’s breasts. I have been dependent on You since birth; from the time I came out of My mother’s womb You have been My God. Do not remain far away from Me, for trouble is near and I have no one to help Me. Many bulls surround Me; powerful bulls of Bashan hem Me in. They open their mouths to devour Me like a roaring lion that rips its prey.
My strength drains away like water; all My bones are dislocated; My heart is like wax; it melts away inside Me. The roof of My mouth is as dry as a piece of pottery; My tongue sticks to My gums. You set Me in the dust of death. Yes, wild dogs surround Me – a gang of evil men crowd around Me; like a lion they pin My hands and feet. I can count all My bones; My enemies are gloating over Me in triumph. They are dividing up My clothes among themselves; they are rolling dice for My garments. But You, O Lord, do not remain far away! You are My source of strength! Hurry and help Me! Deliver Me from the sword! Save My life from the claws of the wild dogs! Rescue Me from the mouth of the lion, and from the horns of the wild oxen! You have answered Me! I will declare Your name to My countrymen! In the middle of the assembly I will praise You!
You loyal followers of the Lord, praise Him! All you descendants of Jacob, (Abraham Israel) honor Him! All you descendants of Israel, stand in awe of Him! For He did not despise or detest the suffering of the oppressed; He did not ignore Him; when He cried out to Him, He responded. You are the reason I offer praise in the great assembly; I will fulfill My promises before the Lord’s loyal followers. Let the oppressed eat and be filled! Let those who seek His help praise the Lord! May you live forever! Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the Lord and turn to Him! Let all the nations worship You! For the Lord is king and rules over the nations. All of the thriving people of the earth will join the celebration and worship; all those who are descending into the grave will bow before Him, including those who cannot preserve their lives. A whole generation will serve Him.)
Jesus’ rule is on the horizon, are we spiritually led to believe IN Jesus as did David? Now read Psalms 23: We intend to share it next time.