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Walking Worthy! By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 5//Issue 1 That you may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing Him. (Col 1:10) And you know how we exhorted, comforted, and charged everyone of you…that you would walk worthy of God… (1Th2:11,12) Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. (Eph4:1) The saints will judge the world. (1Cor6:2) An important part in walking worthy of the Lord is not to grow weary in well doing. (Gal 6:9) Some people resent correction because they feel they’ve been trying so hard and growing so much that God ought to be patting them on the back. But we must understand God keeps correcting because we aren’t there yet. It’s like coming out of a deep hole where we’ve been pulled up half way. Now we’re looking down all this distance we’ve come up and thinking we’ve done a pretty good job getting this far; it’s time to celebrate. The problem is we’re only half way out. And there can be no celebration until we get completely out of that hole because if we’re still in it, we’re still in a place of danger. And God knows how far we still have to go before we’re in the place of safety. We must keep going until we’ve gone all the way. (Heb3:14) One thing we must recognize is our battle is spiritual and when you sense a spirit that’s in disagreement with God’s teaching, you mustn’t give in to it. You must pray and ask God to deliver you from that. And the place where the battle is lost is when somebody agrees with what they feel when what they feel isn’t agreeable to God. That’s how most people end up being defeated. Feelings warp your thinking if you allow them to. We teach the truth, so you can recognize when a feeling is contrary to God. This is why it’s so important to know the truths of God so we don’t fall into the traps of believing, for example, “once saved always saved” and when a temptation comes along you think, “No big deal if I sin, I’ll still go to Heaven.” For you know the Word of God says if you forsake Him He’ll forsake you. (2Chr15:2) “Forsake you!” Do you remember what it says in Proverbs concerning the immoral woman? All that go down to her house never return. Her house is a house of death. (Pr2:18-19) In some levels of apostasy, there’s no return. Hebrews 6:4-6 speaks of this also. If, after God has done all these things for you, still you turn away there’s no possibility of repentance. Now if I believe I can knowingly sin or fall away and indulge myself in feelings contrary to God but still go to Heaven, then I’m likely to give in to those things and end up losing my soul. But if I know from the Word of God that salvation depends on me obeying Jesus, listening to Him, following Him and being alert to what’s going on in the spirit realm, then I can sense, for example, if it feels like a sluggishness is creeping in or something isn’t like it ought to be. And I can refuse to let it be that way because this is an evil spirit trying to take me away from obedience to Christ. So I can overcome that contrary feeling because of my knowledge of the truth. I can cry out to God for the grace to resist the devil. Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. (Jms4:7) But the problem is if you don’t ask for help and if you don’t resist the evil spirit, instead of fleeing the devil takes over. God won’t protect you if you don’t protect yourself. You still have the right to allow whomever you want into your house. We’ve made a lot of progress at “My Father’s House.” We’ve seen God do many wonderful things. Yet now the enemy would like you to say, “Let’s just lay back and rest for a while.” But the Spirit says, “Let’s get on to perfection!” (Heb6:1) An important theme of Ephesians concerns the building of God’s temple. (Eph2:20,21) I recently heard a “church” advertised this way, “We aren’t your mother’s church, 45 minute services guaranteed, football updates during the service.” There’s a move in the religious realm where they’re building churches to please carnal people, to be a “people’s church!” A place where you can drop an offering into the plate and walk out saying, “I’ve been to church, I’m a sound christian, I’ve done my duty.” But there’s no personal cost and there’s nothing to do with conviction, not even enough of a sacrifice to give up your football game. That’s not bearing your cross! Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.” (Lk9:23) Religion is big business. There’s much money being made from this. The love of money is the root of all evil and behind these churches is a lust for profit. (1Tim6:10) It’s guaranteed the people involved in this kind of religion are in it for the money. They’re not doing this because they love the Lord. They aren’t trying to expand the Kingdom of God. And things like this are what we’re warned against in the bible. (2Pt2:3;Act20:30;etc.) But real Christians aren’t building a church to please men. We’re building a temple for the Lord out of living stones who are submitted unto God because we want to please Him, we want to obey Him, and we want to glorify God by being a habitation for Him. That’s not going on in the “false churches” for they have no real desire to build a habitation for God. They have a people pleasing spirit! I’m not ashamed to say that from the beginning of my call God put it in my heart (as He put it in David’s heart) to build a church to please God. And I’m looking for people to help build that temple who also have it in their heart to please God. We aren’t building a church to please men. (Gal 1:10) That makes us very unusual in the world today, yet it connects us very strongly with God’s pattern in His true people. Jesus didn’t suffer to build a church to please men. He gave His life to build a temple for His Father. Jesus is the real David. He’s the true Solomon in a sense and He’s the Spiritual Cyrus. He’s the Zerubbabel. He’s the one who’s laid the cornerstone and He’ll also lay the capstone with shouts of “grace, grace unto it!” (Zec4:7-9) He’s going to finish the work He’s begun. He’ll have a temple made with living stones who are patterned after the cornerstone, that pattern being “I’ve come to do Your will.” (Heb10:9) That pattern being a complete heart felt obedience that emanates from our love for God. And every stone in this temple will be just like Jesus. (Rom8:29) We’re all going to have a heart to love the Lord and do the will of God. As in the type and shadow of Solomon’s Temple these stones were cut at the quarry and engineered so exactly that when the time came to put them together they’d fit perfectly without having to be chiseled and hammered. (1Kng6:7) Now in some ancient stone structures archeologists say you can’t even slip a piece of paper between the stones. The stones have been smoothed out and fit to each other so well you couldn’t get a toothpick into the crack. And what that’s speaking of is the unity in the temple. This is also a major theme of Ephesians. (Eph4:3,13,16) God is going to join all things together in one in Christ Jesus. (Eph1:10) He’s given us all grace to make us accepted in the beloved, (v6) which is the temple (body) of Christ. As also He says in Colossians; We give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus (faith in Christ is faith for Christ to live in you. And this is a unifying faith when the same Christ lives in each of us: Gal 2:20, Eph3:17, Col 1:27) and of your love (love is also unifying) for all the saints; because of the hope, which is laid up for you in heaven, of which you heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which has come to you, as it has also in all the world, and is bringing forth fruit, as it is also among you since the day you heard and knew the grace of God in truth; as you also learned from Epaphras, our dear fellow servant, who’s a faithful minister of Christ on your behalf, who also declared to us your love in the Spirit. (Col 1:3-8) Paul didn’t personally know the church in Colosse. He heard of it from Epaphras. But he knows it’s a real church because Epaphras says they have a true love for God. Therefore Paul loves them and knows they’re true brethren. We see why Paul knows Epaphras’ judgment is good from Epaphras, who’s one of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God. (Col 4:12) Epaphras is an intercessor. For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, don’t cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Col 1:9,10) It isn’t enough that you just believe in God. Ephesians teaches us God’s purpose is to bring about our unity to God. That all things may be brought together in Christ. (Eph1:10) And we should be doing everything possible to fulfill God’s will in this which includes our walking worthy of the Lord, and that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and Spiritual understanding. How can you walk worthy of the Lord if you don’t know what He requires? So you must know His will; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy. (Col 1:10-11) To attain to God’s Kingdom we must not grow weary in well doing, and to do that we must be strengthened with all might by His Spirit in the inner man for all longsuffering with joyfulness. (Eph3:16;Col 1:10) Though the battle may be longer than we thought, we still have to endure to the end with a solid fervent love and a heartfelt service for God. One of these days we’re going to blink our eyes and it’s done and it’s glory and it’s over and that’s what we’re looking for, keeping our eyes on the joy that’s set before us. Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. (Col 1:12) To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph1:6) Ephesians says to praise the Lord for giving us grace to be accepted in the Beloved. Colossians says thank Him for giving us a part in the inheritance of the saints in the light. And these are things we should be continually thankful to God and praising Him for and that thankfulness should inspire in you an attitude of “I don’t want to disappoint You for choosing me Lord. I want You to be pleased You chose me. I want you to help me to be sure I don’t abuse Your grace but that I give You my very best service because You’ve given me an awesome future. So it’s right for us to want to walk worthy of what God’s given. It’s right to want to do this well and to look forward to the joy He’s set before us to be able to get thru the unpleasantness down here. Things like being persecuted for righteousness’ sake or even cooking in a hot kitchen and such! Things that may be necessary to the temporal life. There’s so much that isn’t pleasant, but it’s necessary, and we’re to look forward to eternal joy and say, “Lord help me endure all things here in love, help me to live in Your grace, help me to complete this walk with faith because it doesn't matter how many times I do it as long as You’re with me.” The day will come that I bear my last insult, cook my last meal. There’ll be a day when the things down here are over and we enter into the glory of God and we must keep our eyes on that day and not get sucked into the malaise of this life! The repetitious stuff that really doesn’t seem to have any purpose to it but just repeats over and over. What Ecclesiastes calls vanity! All the water goes into the sea then it goes back up and then comes back down into the sea again and the sea never gets full. It just keeps going on that way and nothing is being accomplished by it so Solomon says “I hate my life” and Jesus says you must hate your life in this world. (Lk14:26) You can hate all these things and yet do them as unto the Lord and not get discouraged by them or attached to them because it’s foolish to live for the things down here. We just use what’s down here to get to where we’re going. So He’s made us partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light and delivered us from the power of darkness; the spirit in the sons of disobedience. And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. (Eph2:1-2) Christ has delivered us from that power of darkness. In so far as we’ve turned away from the spirit of disobedience as we see in Daniel’s petition, “Yet we’ve not made our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities and understand Your truth.” (Dan9:13) When you make your prayer to the Lord and turn from your sins He’ll let you understand His Word. (See 2Cor3:16) If you have understanding that means you’re in the light not darkness. But most people who call themselves Christians today haven’t done that. If they’d done it then they’d understand what we understand. But they’ve fallen into great heresies concerning the things of salvation. They’ve turned to the “church,” they’ve turned to religion, they’ve turned to the commentaries but they’ve not turned away from their iniquities and unto the Lord. They don’t walk in the Spirit. They don’t know Jesus’ voice. They’ve turned to some kind of a belief that their sins are forgiven and they can continue in sin and still be saved. That isn’t turning from your iniquities. After the service yesterday Mrs. D said she believes in “once saved always saved” and she said it doesn’t matter she believes this as long as she keeps following the Lord. Yet she tells me she has a husband who’s living in adultery and it has split her house up and he’s still going to a church that believes “once saved always saved!” Now, I tell you “once saved always saved” is why he believes he’s saved while he’s living in adultery. But the bible says he’s on his way to hell! It says no fornicator or adulterer will inherit the kingdom of heaven. (Gal 5:19,21) So Mrs. D. thinks it doesn’t hurt to believe “once saved always saved.” But it’s already destroyed her marriage. It’s torn her house apart. It’s a doctrine from hell. If her husband had believed the truth he might still be with her. That’s what heresy does. Mrs. D. thinks the heresy is harmless but she doesn’t have her eyes open. She hasn’t really turned to the Lord! It’s obvious a lot of people out there think they’ve turned to Jesus but it hasn’t been the real Jesus. Because if they turn to the true Christ they’ll see what the truth really is. So God has conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love; out of the place of disobedience into a place of obedience. Now in this place of obedience there’s a lot of reproving and a lot of correcting. Such things aren’t going on in the false church because these are rebellious people. The rebellious don’t want to be corrected. They have to repent and become circumcised in heart before they can hear correction. Only then will they be teachable. So, in the Kingdom of God, Christ has broken that spirit of rebellion, and the saints are humble. They’re willing to listen to what God has to say to them, they’re willing to receive correction, and that’s what makes them sons of God. It isn’t that they know everything but it’s that when they’re corrected they receive it and obey. (Heb12:7-11) And so we go on to the unity of the faith, (Eph4:13) thru the ministries of correction and teaching! But the false “christians” have a different spirit in them. They aren’t interested in being corrected. They want God to straighten out their lives without straightening out their behavior. He’s the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of creation. For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Col 1:15,16) Which agrees with Eph1:10, That in the fullness of the times He’d gather together in one all things in Christ Jesus. And He’s before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He’s the Head of the body, the church, who’s the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, and by Him (again this agrees with Eph1:10) to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. (Col 1:17-20) Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God. (2Cor5:18-20) The ministry of reconciliation recognizes Christ has made peace with God thru the blood of His cross so the sins can be forgiven for anyone who wishes to return to God. As ministers of reconciliation we’re calling people to “come back to God!” In repenting and returning your sins are forgiven, so you can now serve God! (Heb9:14) When you come back, there’s a river to cross! “There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Emanuel’s veins. Sinners plunged beneath that flood loose all their guilty stains.” You cross over in water baptism and repentance thru Christ’s blood, where you become forgiven, your sins are left behind, and now you can obey the Lord. In this way you can return to the Kingdom of God, like the prodigal! But you must get out of that rebellious spirit. You don’t come into this Kingdom telling God how to run it. The prodigal returns in humility, “I’m not even worthy to be your servant!” (Lk15:21) You don’t come into His Kingdom telling God how to save you. You come into God’s Kingdom humbling yourself, repenting and thanking Him for saving you and making up your mind you’ll obey Him no matter what. And when He starts showing you what, you obey! God’s Kingdom is perfect; it’s destined to perfect obedience, as is all the creation. But the first fruits of that perfect obedience is the church. Jesus is the head of the church, having preeminence in this perfect obedience to God. And now we’re a people who are the mirror image of Christ; the obedient offspring of the seed He’s planted. And we’re to be conformed to the obedience of Christ, conformed to the image of Christ, conformed to the love of Christ! This is first the beginning and then the outworking of the reconciling of the creation unto God. This pertains to the revealing of the children of God for which the whole creation is groaning and straining! For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, (Rom8:19,20a) This world is futility! Vanity is how Ecclesiastes describes it. A lot of preachers don’t understand what Ecclesiastes is doing in the bible. It seems contrary to so many scriptures in the New Testament. But Ecclesiastes describes the natural life as opposed to the Spiritual life. If we didn’t have the grace to be born again into the Kingdom of God all we could have is what Ecclesiastes describes: vanity/futility. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; When mankind fell into sin God purposely determined sin would never produce satisfaction. It would produce futility. The purpose in that is so we’d cry out for something better! And the better is the Spiritual! So God ordained for the entire creation to be subjected to that same futility. Thus everything in creation is crying out for something better! What we have in this world isn’t worth holding on to. Something better has to come. And the creation itself will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God for we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs until now. Not only that but we also have the first fruits of the Spirit! (Rom8:20-23a) James says we’re a kind of first fruits of His creatures. (1:18) Paul says we have the first fruits of the Spirit and that’s the Spirit of obedience, the Spirit who’ll bring all things back into complete conformity to the will of God. When God is finished there won’t be any disobedience left in His creation and the saints already have that Spirit. We’ve received the Spirit of sonship which is the beginning of the work of reconciliation that will soon fill the universe with all the fullness of God. That’s what we’re headed for where God may be all in all, and God may fill everything! In some sense today we can say God is everywhere but He isn’t in the hearts of unbelievers because they have a spirit of disobedience. (Eph2:2) So His Spirit isn’t in them though He does know what’s in them. But God is completely taking over until there’s no place left where He’s not in control. And so in the sense that there is disobedience to God in the universe, He’s curing that problem thru the Spirit of obedience, which is of Christ Himself, the obedient Son. And that Spirit of sonship was given to us making us the first fruits of His creatures. We’re the first of His earthly creatures who’ll obey Him completely. And when our obedience is complete we’ll be revealed. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Rom8:19) Bringing every thought into obedience to Christ and having in readiness to revenge all disobedience when our obedience is complete. (2Cor10:5,6) It’s because we’re not yet perfect in obedience that we’ve not been revealed yet. That’s why there’s still a struggle, why we still have this glory in earthen vessels and why we’re only being revealed to a select people whom God chooses individually, as in God showed Him openly, not to all the people, but to witnesses chosen by God. (Act10:41) It’s a mystery, but God is saving us for His Glory Day “when our obedience is complete.” There’s coming a day when we’ll be revealed to the whole creation. But the bride can’t walk down the aisle now. She isn’t dressed yet. They don’t let just anyone come in and watch the bride while she’s dressing do they? And we’re still dressing! We do this behind closed doors. God doesn’t want to embarrass us. He doesn’t want us to be seen while we still have spots and wrinkles. He doesn’t want us to be brought out to be embarrassed! But we must be ready to come out when God calls! And when we’re ready God will show us off. He’ll show the whole world what He’s done to us. And at that time there won’t be anything, not a spot that would shame Him. Now, we’re unto His glory and when He does reveal us it will be a manifestation of God bringing all things into conformity to Himself. The bible tells us there’ll be a thousand years in which we’ll rule with Christ and help Him bring all disobedience to an end. Jesus says at that time His apostles will rule over the twelve tribes of Israel. (Mt19:28) No doubt His gentile “apostles” will rule over the tribes of the gentiles. (Rev20:4) When you understand His purpose for us then you should understand what it means to have a walk worthy of the calling to which you were called. Even though you aren’t yet at the place where He’s revealing you, you should still be at the place where you’re doing your best to be worthy of what He’s calling you into. So we groan within ourselves eagerly waiting for the redemption of our body; the point being that if the whole universe is looking forward to the revealing of the sons of God, “us,” wouldn’t we also be groaning to be revealed; pressing towards the time of our revealing and doing everything possible to hasten it? Now because of Adam’s fall the creation was subjected to futility and that includes all mankind, all the world and that includes the United States government; everything in the universe today is in a state of futility. Nothing anyone does outside of Christ will accomplish anything of lasting value. Nor will you accomplish anything unless you go to work for God and let God do His work thru you. But the whole meaning of “futility,” concerning this work, this life, this age we’re in speaks something of the age to come. In other words, we’re coming out of an age of futility and into a time that will be the opposite of futility! And the opposite of futility is utility; usefulness, when the things you do will accomplish something productive. In Christ, we’re coming out of the worthless and into a state where everything we do is worth something, has value to it, has purpose, and has a reward in it. So as futile as this world is that’s how useful, how worthwhile the next one’s going to be! And we’re to be the firstfruits of that, and stop wasting ourselves on worthless things and start investing ourselves in usefulness right now. This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and that you put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph4:17,22-24) He’s conveyed us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love, (Col 1:13) For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, (v19) and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross. And you who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled. (v20-21) You were “sons of disobedience.” (Eph2:2) But He’s reconciled you in the body of His flesh through death, to present you (the purpose of your calling) holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight. (Col 1:21-22) He must present you holy and blameless if you’re to be the people He’ll rule and reign thru to bring the whole universe into obedience. We will judge angels. (1Cor6:3) We will expunge their disobedience! So how can you be disobedient in anything and have the right to tell others to obey? Can you understand the whole purpose of your salvation is obedience because God wants an obedient people He can use to bring the whole creation into obedience? You’re the first fruits of that obedience and just as Jesus was obedient therefore He’s the head of the obedient first fruit people so all of the true saints are to be obedient that they can rule over the creation to bring the creation into obedience! I was watching one of our boys trying to correct his brother. The younger one was shaking up a soda bottle that had just been opened and it was all spewing out of the top and the older boy kept saying, “Don’t do that! Don’t do that!” but the younger kept laughing and disobeying. Then I came in and said, “Now stop it!” and he did! So I said to the older boy, “Why is it he doesn’t pay attention to you? The problem is your younger brother knows you’re often as disobedient as he is. So he won’t obey you. You’ve no authority over him if you’re disobedient because he doesn’t respect your authority as an older brother. But if you’d behave like an adult, if you’d show him your obedience, then when you tell him to obey he’d respect you. But you can’t habitually consent with him in disobedience and then every once in a while decide you want to make him obey. Who are you to tell him to obey?” This is like the centurion saying, “I’m under authority. Speak the word, Jesus, and that devil’s going to leave. Why? Because you’re obedient to God. And You have the authority that comes from obedience. Just like I’m obedient to Caesar so Caesar backs me up.” The whole of the Roman Empire will back him up when the centurion gives an order because he enforces the authority of Caesar and that’s how authority works. Now do you know the saints are headed for authority; we’re destined to be seated on the throne with Christ? Jesus says, “If you endure with Me you’ll reign with Me.” (2Tim2:12) We’re to be seated with Christ ruling over the creation but we’ve no right to do that if there is disobedience in us. Anyone could say, “I don’t have to obey you. You don’t obey God yourself.” So we’re called to obedience if we’re called to the throne. We’re to be a people perfect in obedience so we can rule over others and bring them into obedience, even as Jesus was perfect in obedience and has the right to rule over us. (Phil 2:8) You see how this exposes the disobedient churches’ lies, like because we’re “saved by grace” we don’t need obedience and such! No one will reign with Christ if they don’t obey Him. Because that’s what it’s all about. Obedience is the heart of it. He’s working to present us holy and blameless and above reproach without spot or wrinkle, so He can reveal us to be an obedient people fit to rule over the universe with Him. And how do you get to be holy and blameless and without reproach? You continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and aren’t moved away from the hope of the gospel, which you heard, which was preached to every creature under heaven, of which I, Paul, became a minister. I now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up in my flesh what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ, for the sake of His body, which is the church. (Col 1:23,24) The whole purpose of Paul’s life is to perfect the body. He suffers and even lays down his life to do it. So what do you think our purpose should be? Perfecting the body! And we suffer also even laying our lives down for one another. To make the gentiles obedient! (Rom15:18) That the eyes of your understanding would be enlightened and you’d know the hope of your calling. (Eph1:18) Paul has shown us what that calling is. Next he prays that, “you’d know the riches of His inheritance in the saints,” which is His body, the church, the glory of Christ in the earth (2Cor8:23), the pillar and ground of the truth. (1Tim3:15) You need to understand how important the church is to Christ and to us. If you understood this you’d be doing everything you can to help Christ perfect us. Now the church is Christ’s glory if she’s like Him but if she’s disobedient she’s to His shame. Of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the Word of God. (Col 1:25) What does it mean to fulfill the Word of God? It means causing every prophesy to come to pass completely as it’s written. It means perfecting the body of Christ, establishing the sons of God, finishing this temple of living stones, bringing all things to full completion according to the Word of God. And if Christ is in us we’re working towards that end! We must remember however David wanted to build God’s temple but wasn’t called to that – but he was called to prepare the needful things so Solomon could build it. (1Chr28) So also the work we want to do might not be the work God’s called us to, so it’s very important we find out what God has called us to do instead of just doing what we want to do! You can’t build a roof if the walls aren’t up. You can’t put the walls up if the foundation isn’t laid. Some people want to finish the work to get the glory of putting that last ridge cap in place when the walls haven’t been put up yet. Glory seekers often try to do things out of order! But it’s wood hay and stubble. If you’re really of God, you must ask, “Lord what would You have me to do?” David had a heart to build the temple but it was his calling to prepare the stuff, and unless he did his part there could be no building the temple. So what he did was very important even though he wasn’t able to enjoy walking into that temple, or even to see it after it was built! But he did a needful work in preparing for it to be built. And now what’s his reward? If he never got to worship in the temple he did so much in preparing to build, how will God reward David? Well David gets to walk into the New Jerusalem, which is much better than Solomon’s temple. You see many of the martyrs, men of God, and saints in this world have given their lives to build a Godly church that they were never able to enjoy in this life! But they get to enter into the Kingdom of God, which is better. When you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God. (Lk13:28) Virtually all the martyrs layed their lives down against an apostate church. They all had a desire to see a real (in the here and now) glorious church but they never saw it manifest! Were they cheated? No, because God has something better for them. (See Heb11:13-16) They missed out on what they died to bring forth in the earth but they won’t miss out on where that’s going; they’ll enter in to the perfect and completed work of the Kingdom. So, according to the stewardship from God, which was given to me for you to fulfill the Word of God, the mystery which has been hidden from ages and generations but has now been revealed to the saints to whom God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the gentiles. (Col 1:25-27) One thing we don’t hear much in Colossians is the word “grace” but Paul has already told us this is all “grace” in Ephesians. The riches of the glory of this mystery is the same thing as “To the praise of the glory of His “grace” by which we have been made accepted in the beloved.” – The riches of the glory of His grace which is “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Him we preach warning every man teaching every man in all wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ. (Col 1:28) Here again we see God’s Word working perfection in us now in this world so at the coming of the Lord we’ll be completed, perfect, worthy of His Kingdom. “Him we preach, Jesus,” because the mystery is Jesus must live in you to save you. We all as with open face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord are being transformed into that image. (2Cor3:18) One way we can behold the glory of the Lord is thru preaching! So Paul says “Him we preach.” For what? So you can behold Him and He can be formed in you. Why? So we can present you perfect in Christ so Christ can dwell in your heart through faith. (Eph3:17) Faith! Today the fallen “churches” think it’s a faith to be saved – it’s not – it’s faith for Christ to live in you! That’s the faith the bible talks about when it says faith in Christ! It’s faith for Christ to live in you, (Gal 2:20) faith for Christ to make you a son of God, make you obedient, and make you acceptable in the beloved. It’s faith in Christ to show you the right things to do and give you the power to do them. That’s the faith that saves you! It isn’t faith that you’re saved; it’s a faith that conforms you to Christ that saves you! It isn’t the salvation you’re to have faith in. It’s faith in Jesus to do what’s necessary in you to make you acceptable to God. That saves you! That’s what too many today are missing; it’s faith in Christ– not faith in salvation. The bible never talks about faith in salvation! It’s faith in Christ that saves! And that from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. (2Tim3:15) You can see how that faith works when Paul says, “I’m preaching Christ in you the hope of glory.” (Col 1:27) You can be blameless if Jesus lives in you. He’s your hope of glory! So we preach Him warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom. (v28) For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him. (2Cor5:10-11,9) Warning of what? Warning you that you’d better have a walk worthy of the Lord if you want to escape from the wrath to come and enter into immortality. Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance? But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who “will render to each one according to his deeds:” eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality. (Rom2:4-7) Him we preach that we may present every man perfect! And To this end I also labored striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (Col 1:28,29) It’s “grace” that works in Paul! I labored more abundantly than they all yet not I but the grace of God that was in me! (1Cor15:10) Grace working in Paul to form Christ in you; and grace working in you to form Christ in you. Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. (Phil 2:12-13) Warning you to obey and behave in a manner worthy of the gracious work of Christ. Warning you to keep the faith. This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Gal 3:2) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, rooted and built up in Him and established in the faith, as you have been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. (Col 2:6-10) For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height – to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. (Eph3:14-19) So Paul’s purpose is that Christ will actually live in you and that you’d know the love of God that passes knowledge and be filled with all the fullness of God so you might be presented holy, blameless, and above reproach in His sight, that you’d be perfected in Christ Jesus. (Col 1:22,28) Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church. (Eph3:20,21) Here Paul says God so much wants to perfect us in Christ that He’ll do even more than we ask for. What’s strange today is in most so-called “church” prayer meetings you never hear anyone pray anything like these Ephesians’ prayers! Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. (Eph1:15-20) How important are these prayers? That you’d know the hope of your calling? That you’d know the riches of His inheritance in the saints? That you’d know the exceeding greatness of His power towards us! That you’d know the purpose He has for you and how mighty He is to accomplish it. And that you’d have a heart yearning to be a part of His calling because you can see how valuable it is that you be in His will and how valuable you are to God when you’re in His will. This all speaks of the hope of His calling and your being perfected in Christ; that He be formed in your heart; that Christ actually be dwelling in you thru faith; filling you with the love of God; even all the fullness of God! And then he says God can and will do all this! He’s able to do abundantly beyond what we ask or think (Eph3:20) and that’s why Paul says “I therefore beseech you to walk worthy of the calling in which you were called. Keeping the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” (Eph4:1,5) This unity is found in the hearts of all the true saints who pursue this same purpose and desire the same will of God! That we all may be perfected in Christ, the church made glorious without spot or wrinkle and all things brought together in one in Christ Jesus. When a true Christian comes to our church there will be no disturbance in the Spirit. The true Christian is pursuing the same purposes in God as the rest of us. He’ll have the same Jesus in him as is in us. We’ll have no problem serving him communion! Normally we don’t serve communion to a stranger but sometimes I can sense in the Spirit that a visitor has a oneness with us. When Mrs. D. came in here, she wasn’t one. She has a problem with God! I can tell in the Spirit her purposes and God’s aren’t the same. Why’s that? She still has an agenda of her own. She hasn’t submitted to God yet. She hasn’t come to say, “Your will be done.” Like the true Christian has. That’s why the real believer is peaceable; he can come in and fit right in with us. He’s already saying, “Jesus, Your will be done.” and he means it. Mrs. D., she’s not there yet. She has a will of her own! As long as she’s got a will of her own she’s not one with Christ or with the true brethren! Some people want to be “saved” but they really don’t care about what God wants. When you find someone who really cares about God there’s no problem having unity because we’re all going in the same direction and all desire the same thing. That’s what the unity of the Spirit means. We all want to please God. We all want to glorify God. We’re all working towards the same goals! So how could there be any differences between us that couldn’t be easily resolved? If we’re all looking to see God’s purposes fulfilled, to see God glorified; there’s one Spirit, one hope of our calling! So Paul first calls us to a unity in the Spirit (Eph4:3) that we can be brought into the unity of the faith. (v13) Unity of the Spirit is obedience to God’s call. If we have the obedience, then we can be brought into the unity of the faith, which comes by the knowledge of God’s will and believing for Him to do it! When you’re willing and obedient all you need to do then is be taught. If you maintain the unity of the Spirit (obedience) then God will be able to correct, teach and instruct you and you’ll all be able to arrive at the unity of the faith when you know God’s will and are believing for Him to do it. Helping each other come into the unity of the faith is what goes on in our sharing services. Also when you visit each other’s homes and pray for one another, or you advise each other, or admonish one another. Even many things that go on outside of the church building, can still be the activity of the Spirit for the building up of the church. Because the scripture doesn’t say it’s going to be the apostles and prophets alone that bring the church into her perfection in Christ. But the bible says every member of the congregation will have a part in this. As in, He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man. (Eph4:11-13) Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. (Col 1:28) So Paul is working towards the church’s perfection but he’s not working by himself, is he? Because we won’t get there unless all members of the church are doing their parts. That we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine by the trickery of men. (Eph4:14) We should be growing up knowing the job we have to do for Christ and being able to recognize when deceitful men try to lead us into something different than where God is calling us. But, how can you be safe from being misled if you don’t know what your calling is? If you don’t know your part then a deceiver pretending to be from God can tell you “Here’s what God wants you to do,” and you may follow them. But if you know your calling and are established in the faith, when someone tries to lead you off course, you’ll be thinking, “I know where I’m going, I know what I’m to be doing for the Lord, you’re out of order here!” So the mature Christian can recognize the trickery of men and stay on course with God. That’s why believers must become established in the faith because they may have a baby faith that they’re saved in Christ but if they don’t have a sense of where they’re going, they can very easily be captured by the enemy and taken away from God. For there are many insubordinate, both idle talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert whole households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. (Tit1:10-11) Notice he says, “craftiness, deceitful plotting” (Eph4:14) concerning the trickery of men. But concerning true Christians we’re speaking the truth in love, (till) we grow up into Him in all things who is the Head - Christ- from whom the whole body joined and knit together by what every joint supplies.” (Eph4:15,16a) Meaning, if you aren’t doing your part we all suffer from the lack! But when you do your part, it benefits all of us according to God’s effectual working through each member of the body. When every member of the congregation is hearing God and doing what He shows them, then we can get the victory and go on to perfection. But if you leave the pastor to do it all, who’s sufficient for these things? “Our sufficiency is of Christ.” (2Cor3:5) But how does Christ supply our insufficiency? Do you know this is one of the loveliest manifestations of God’s power? Christ supplied the insufficiency in Paul’s teaching on faith by having James say some things. Paul gave us “saved by grace through faith.” (Eph2:8-10) James gave us “justified by works and not faith only.” (Jms2:24) Paul’s teaching was correct but by himself people could have misunderstood. But James fills in the insufficiency. When you look at how the various members of the body all contribute to the whole, you can see that if you only looked at Paul you might misunderstand and many have. (2Pt3:15,16) But Paul’s teaching is made sufficient as Christ supplies more light thru other members of the body. And how many times in our church have we seen a teaching come out partially thru one member, and then another member brought in the completion? So the insufficiency is made sufficient by Christ working thru the various members. And it’s Christ that’s making what the first person brings sufficient by adding the second. See how the body works? Often we do our part and sometimes we feel so insufficient, but God says, “Just do it!” You come to church with some little thing and you think, “This isn’t enough, it’s insufficient. It isn’t a big enough testimony or revelation!” But you give your part and God fills in by having someone add to it. Then you see your part was a part of the whole sufficiency which was brought together by God. It isn’t that He makes me sufficient by myself but He makes what I’m doing fit in to a work that will be sufficient when He’s done. Even so with the bible itself: Paul, Jude, Peter and James all added to the doctrines of Christ and together with the others God made them all sufficient. Therefore he says every part must do its share and that will cause the growth of the body as it builds itself up in love. (Eph4:16) This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, having their understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God, because of the ignorance that’s in them, because of the blindness of their heart; who, being past feeling, have given themselves over to lewdness, to work all uncleanness with greediness. But you have not so learned Christ. (Eph4:17-20) This describes the sons of disobedience and you’ve not been taught by Christ that you can disobey God and follow the flesh and yet claim to be saved! If indeed you’ve heard Him, as the truth is in Jesus; that you put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. (Eph4:21,22) This means the lusts of the flesh. Now why are those lusts deceitful? God says the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. (Jer17:9) I used to have a problem with my boys; an older one might say, “Let’s do our little brother a favor. Let’s stop and get him some ice cream.” I asked, “Do you really want to give your brother some ice cream or are you really lusting for ice cream yourself?” The deceitful lust is you aren’t really doing a favor for your little brother. You’re doing it for yourself and pretending to be doing it for your brother. That’s what's deceitful about it. That the human heart is able to disguise its lust by pretending to do something for someone else when it’s actually serving its own fleshly desires. This destroys the testimonies of many “churches” because their members can’t tell the difference between a true desire to serve God, versus pretending to do good when you’re really serving yourself. It’s not Christian charity when the person doing it is really getting something out of it for their flesh. And that’s a very deceitful thing to do. How many “charities” do good not because they really care for the people they claim to be helping but because they know when they publicize the things they’re doing it will increase the donations from which they live? The biggest battle in your own salvation is to unmask the deceits of your flesh that are pretending to be serving God when you’re actually serving yourself. You must honestly recognize where your real service to God lies. And the most important help to understanding that is the cross! How can you know you’re really in love with God and aren’t just serving yourself while pretending to serve Him? When God is using you and it costs you but you say yes to God anyway, then it’s likely a real love for God compeling you to do it. You can’t get away from the cross if you’re to be a true servant of God. To be led by the Spirit you must test the spirits. A good test asks, “Is there a cross in this?” “Did God tell me to do this or is this just playing into what my flesh likes?” If you don’t see the cross, if it’s just something that makes it easier on your flesh, then it’s the devil not God! “Has God really said you shall not eat.” (Gen3:1) The devil tries to take you away from the cross to offer your flesh what it likes. But when something costs you, and you do it only to benefit someone else, or to honor God, and where we can see it’s right and there’s no profit in it personally for you, then we know it’s of God, especially if you’re doing it in love. You have not so learned Christ, (Eph4:20) connects to We preach Christ crucified. (1Cor1:23) We preach the cross the power of God. (1Cor1:18) I don’t glory in anything except the cross of Christ by which I’m crucified to this world and this world is crucified to me. (Gal 6:14) You’ve not learned of Christ if you’ve not learned to bear your cross. And the “churches” today who claim to preach Christ but don't teach you to bear your cross, don’t know Christ at all! They’re following a demon who’s pretending to be Christ and that’s the antichrist! Antichrist doesn’t carry a cross. Antichrist put Christ on the cross; he doesn’t get on it himself. Real Christianity gets on the cross with Jesus, follows the cross, picks up the cross and those who claim they’ve been saved by Christ’s cross but won’t get on it, they’re the ones who nailed Jesus on the cross and they’d crucify Him again and you with Him if you’re a true disciple! And this is where the truth appears, real Christians have not so learned Christ; we’ve not learned a Christ who pleases our flesh. If indeed you’ve heard Him and been taught by Him as the truth is in Jesus that you put off concerning your former conduct, (Eph4:21,22) this is the only kind of Christianity in the bible! Put off your former conduct. Bearing your cross is one of the most fundamental doctrines of Jesus and yet we see “Christians” living or preaching things totally contrary to what Christ and the scriptures teach about the cross yet they think they believe! Put off your former conduct, that old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, which is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness. (Eph4:22-24) Compare this to Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God. (1Jn3:9) The one who’s born of God can’t sin for His seed remains in him. The new man can’t sin because he’s born of God and the old man can’t do anything but sin! Your call is to put off the old man, crucify him, and put on the new. If you do that will you be sinning? No! And you’re called to do that. How can the baptist-type churches tell you you can’t stop sinning? They’re telling you you can’t crucify the flesh and you can’t put off the old man if they say you can’t stop sinning. They’re saying you can’t put on the new man if they tell you you can’t stop sinning. This is outright unbelief! Shameful unbelief! Any so-called Christianity that believes you have to continue in sin after you’ve been saved knows nothing of the true meaning of the Gospel. They know nothing of Christ. They’re following something terribly different from the gospel. The call of God is to put off the man of sin and put on the man of holiness, obedience, and righteousness; to put on Christ! And if you’re doing that you’ve stopped sinning. Again that’s just another way of saying that Christ is dwelling in your hearts by faith, isn’t it? I want you to know what a great conflict I have for you and those in Laodicea as many as have not seen my face in the flesh that their hearts may be encouraged being knit together in love attaining to all the riches of the full assurance of understanding to the knowledge of the mystery of God. (Col 2:2) The mystery of God is Christ in you the hope of glory. (Col 1:27) And Paul wants you to have a full assurance that Christ is in you. Both of the Father and of Christ in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (v2&3) And You’re complete in Christ in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwells bodily. (v10) When you have faith for Christ to dwell in your hearts then you actually get everything else with Him. You’re complete in Him means you have everything you need. Now this I say unless anyone should deceive you with persuasive words for though I’m absent in the flesh I’m with you in the Spirit rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ. As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in Him rooted and built up in Him, established in the faith as you’ve been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving. (Col 2:4-7) Now, “as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord so walk in Him,” What does that mean? Many people have received the idea of Jesus. They’ve received the picture the bible paints of Jesus, at least to some extent; the idea of Him being without sin, of Him being perfectly obedient to the Father. They’ve received the idea of Jesus being Savior to them. They’ve received the idea He’s Lord whether they’ve actually obeyed Him or not! They accept that He’s the Son of God and they can even believe where the scriptures say Christ is living inside the true believer and yet they stop there and never walk in Him. They never let Him lead them. They never let Him live His life thru them. What good is it if you’ve received all the preliminary ideas of Christ if you don’t let Him live thru you? It’s like paying for a meal and not eating it. You believe in it but never do it. If you believe the things the gospel says about Jesus then start walking in them. Let Jesus live thru you. It’s idiotic, isn’t it, what's going on in so many “believers” who claim to believe all these things but they don’t walk in them! Paul’s admonishment is to walk in Christ established in the faith. What faith? A faith to be saved when you don’t walk in Christ? That makes no sense. Faith that He’s in you, faith that He’ll live His life thru you, faith that He’ll put your flesh on the cross so you can be crucified with Him. Faith He’ll help you set your affections on things above and His Spirit will lead you and show you how to be a son of God; faith He’ll live His life thru you. If you’re to be found worthy of the Kingdom of God you must walk worthy, established in the faith (for Jesus to live in you) as you’ve been taught abounding in it with thanksgiving. (v7) Be ever thankful Jesus is making you a son of God by living His holy life in you. Speaking of the New Covenant Isaiah says you’ll hear a voice saying, “This is the way walk ye in it.” (Is30:21) When the Holy Spirit is leading if you start to get off the right path He’ll warn you, “This is the way now get back on.” He’s right there. Jesus is with you encouraging you, showing you the right way to be thinking, the right thing to do. It’s like His hands are on our shoulders and He’s saying, “Come on. You’re doing well. Stay on course. I’ll get you there!” Jesus said He’d be with us. Have faith that He is. Have faith He’ll walk in you. Have faith He’ll show you the way and that you can walk in Him and in His plan ordained from before the foundation of the earth. And after the scriptures admonish you to walk in Christ in a way worthy of His calling, they get very practical. Therefore, putting away lying, Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we’re members of one another. (Eph4:25) I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. (Jn17:20-21) Any believer who’d lie to a fellow member of the body of Christ doesn’t have faith that we’re one. So you’re denying the faith if you lie to each other. Be angry and don’t sin. (Eph4:26a) Let God take care of the vengeance. Anger is not always sin! A true Christian may get indignant, may be angry about injustices, about heresies, and often we’ll be angered by the devil using people and even “churches” to undermine the purposes of Christ. We true saints have a great and noble purpose to bring about the Kingdom of God in the earth. Things that oppose Christ yet claim to be following Him make me angry. They make Jesus angry. He was angry with the Pharisees. (Mk3:5) He was angry with the hypocrites. The sin isn’t in being angry. The question is whether your anger is justified. If your anger is selfish it’s a sin. But if your anger is based on the things that are righteous, then be angry but don’t sin. Don’t let the anger turn to flesh. Don’t let it turn into you taking vengeance. Don’t let it cause you to do something that wouldn’t be right in the sight of God. Don’t let the sun go down on your wrath. (Eph4:26b) How do you do that? Take your anger to God. Tell Him, explain what’s been going on, and put it in His hands to deal with it righteously. Then you can go back to being peaceful. You see David often in the Psalms taking his anger to God and letting God take care of it. And God does! (Ps86:13-18) Don’t give place to the devil. Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give to him who has need. (Eph4:27,28) If God is to “bless you and make you a blessing” (Gen12:2;Gal 3:14) then you must believe He’ll help you earn enough to take care of your needs and even be able to help others. You don’t want to be weakening the church by your presence, but to be contributing and strengthening the church. Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. (Eph4:29) Why? Because if you’re tearing down your brother you’re tearing down your own house, because we are the house of God and your brother’s a part of that house, your house, my house, a living stone in God’s temple. (1Cor3:16) The true brethren are building each other up all the time, being very cautious about what comes out of their mouths. If anyone among you thinks he is religious, and does not bridle his tongue but deceives his own heart, this one's religion is useless. (Jms1:26) Judge not lest you be judged. (Mt7:1) Now there are areas we have to judge when we know “brethren” are doing evil (1Cor5:12) but there are areas where it really doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter what you have for supper. You don’t fight over things like that because they have no consequences toward the Kingdom of God. It doesn’t matter about a lot of things. If you have to wear underwear twice, or get your shirts mixed up in the closet or such. What does it matter to you if I have a brown and a black sock on? Does that hinder my preaching? What I’m saying is many of the distractions in life are reactions to totally senseless things that come under the kingdom of futility. They’ve no relationship to the progress we’re making in fulfilling the will of God. Now if we’re brethren with a purpose of fulfilling God’s will, it’s silly for us to have frictions over things that don’t have any effect concerning the will of God, isn’t it? I’m willing to stand against heresies, false “churches” and things that interfere with what God is doing, and so will Jesus. But Jesus wouldn’t complain about what’s for supper. He’ll take what's offered. He won’t fight over a parking space. He won’t be bothered over what seat you give Him. It’s of no consequence to Him. There are too many things going on in many so-called “churches” these days where there are contentions, pride and selfishness at every level and none of that should be going on in a people who are called to represent God in the firstfruits of obedience; called to be bringing the creation back into submission to God. So if you understand your true calling and you want to have a walk worthy of the Lord then you must relate to your calling in everything you do. And that means there are many things your spouse or brethren may do in a certain way that’s different from what you’re used to or maybe you don’t understand it, but it doesn’t matter because it doesn’t affect the calling. It has nothing to do with where we’re going. It’s not detrimental to the purpose of God. So there’s no sense in causing friction over such things. And that’s some of what this passage is about. If you’re going to speak things that distract people instead of encouraging them in the calling or belittle them about things that are none of your business or things that have no value or you’re misjudging the motives in things where you can’t see the heart (see our Glory of His Grace book “Largeness of Heart”) then that’s what Jesus means in For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. (Mt7:2) When you don’t have any business sticking your nose in, then you’re going to grieve the Holy Spirit and if you grieve the Holy Spirit you’re endangering your own salvation. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. (Eph4:30) Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. (Eph4:31) There should never be any bitterness in a Christian. Bitterness is a kind of unforgiveness. It’s a feeling that you’ve been injured by someone and the injury hasn’t healed. It’s like you think they owe you something but you mustn’t get that way about people you think have hurt you. A Christian should say, “Nothing anybody in this world can do to me can hurt me because I don’t live here. My life is hid with Christ in God. (Col 3:3) You can’t touch me because you can’t touch Him.” People of this world can only touch the life that’s in this world and that life is vanishing anyway. So why be bitter about it? All the bitterness is going to be wrapped up in some temporal thing that you lost which because it’s temporal and you’re mortal you’d have lost eventually anyway. There isn’t any sense in being bitter because the temporal life is doomed from the start. Anything anyone can do to damage something temporal only hastens the inevitable! This life doesn’t last! Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Malice is when you’re wishing injury upon someone. We don’t have malice towards apostates. We don’t have malice towards heretics. We just want to stop them from doing evil to others. So we stand against their lies. Malice is when you want to punish them but that isn’t our job. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Eph4:32) Instead of holding grudges, Forgive! The immature get upset over temporal things, immediate pleasures. They fight over foolish things that have nothing to do with the call of God; things which you ought to be forgiving each other about and getting on with the purposes of God instead of being distracted. Sometimes one of my boys will do something to one of his brothers that you could just ignore and it would go away in a minute. But instead they try to correct each other and the correction escalates until they have an argument that may last a half hour. So they lose great portions of their day over little distractions which if they were ignored would’ve gone away. Now that’s not walking worthy of the Lord or of the calling. We could continue looking at the remaining Ephesian’s scriptures: Husbands love your wives, children obey your parents. (Eph5:25,6:1) – All these are the outworking of a Spiritual life in which Christ thru the Holy Spirit is allowed to be in control in the believer. These are the practical details of what you must do to walk worthy of your calling. That’s what these scriptures are there to teach us. First the very high and glorious calling which God has prepared for us, and second the practical day by day behavior that should be found in a people who are called to such a high place of service in the Lord. You can’t receive the one without the other. You should be able to see now, that if God is to choose you to be a part of this glorious government of Christ – to rule and reign with Him, you must walk worthy of the calling with which you’ve been called… (Eph4:1-6) Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who calls you is faithful who also will do it. (1Th5:23-24)
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