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Blessings Of The Elect By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 9/Issue 13 Prophecy: I’m a God who delights to bless. It’s in My heart to bless. I desire so much to bless My people but I can only bless those who let Me lead them. I have to lead in the way where the blessing is! I have to lead in the way that’s fit to bless. It grieves Me when you don’t ask Me to lead, when you go your own way, in a way I can’t bless and you deprive Me of the pleasure of blessing you, and you deprive yourself of My blessing. You also deprive the church of the testimony you could have given that would have blessed them. But it delights Me when I have a people who’ll ask Me in faith to lead them. Because when I lead you I bless you and when I bless you, you’ll have a testimony that will bless others. In this place, I’m bringing forth a people who I can bless because they look to Me to lead them. Because I lead you, I can bless you, and make you a blessing, and give you a testimony, for it delights My heart to bless you My people, saith the Lord. (Prophecy delivered at "My Father's House") Remember me, O LORD, with the favor You have toward Your people; Oh, visit me with Your salvation, (Ps106:4) When the psalmist says, “the favor You have toward Your people,” he’s acknowledging God favors His elect. That I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones, (v5) To be “chosen” is synonymous with being “elect” and there’s a benefit to being elect. What would be the sense of being chosen to draw near to God if there were no blessing in it? That I may rejoice in the gladness of Your nation, that I may glory with Your inheritance. (Ps106:5) The psalmist here doesn’t conceive of “salvation” as being a merely personal or private matter. He rightly understands salvation is connected to being part of a “people” God has chosen. In “My Father’s House,” God has shown us there’s no such thing as a selfish or individual salvation where you don’t relate to Christ’s body. It’s falsehood to think you can have salvation “outside” of Christ’s true church. So when the psalmist says, “visit me with Your salvation” he sees “salvation” as being connected to God’s people. He also says, remember me with the favor You have towards Your people. So he’s actually saying to “save” me make me one of Your people, that I may see the benefit of Your chosen ones. How could we experience the benefits God gives His elect unless we become one of them? Jesus warns the Pharisees, “There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the Kingdom of God, and yourselves thrust out. They will come from the east and the west, from the north and the south, and sit down in the Kingdom of God.” (Lk13:28-29) The greatest blessing or “benefit” God has for His elect is they’ll enter into His eternal Kingdom which also means eternal life. But to receive that benefit they must be made holy! Just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, (Eph1:4) To the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. (Eph1:6) To be accepted in the Beloved is to be accepted in the body of Christ, who makes us holy! That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph2:7) Because we are acceptable in His eternal Kingdom! Now Moses said to Hobab the son of Reuel the Midianite, Moses’ father-in-law, “We are setting out for the place of which the LORD said, ‘I will give it to you.’ Come with us, and we will treat you well; for the LORD has promised good things to Israel.” (Num10:29) The Lord always promises good things to His elect. And he said to him, “I will not go, but I will depart to my own land…” So Moses said, “Please do not leave, … And it shall be, if you go with us indeed it shall be that whatever good the LORD will do to us, the same we will do to you.” (Num10:30-32) If you abide with God’s people you’ll have access to the same blessings that God’s people have. But to abide with God’s people, you must behave as they, the elect do. God intends good things for His people but He can’t give us good things unless we obey Him. Saul was chosen of God but he lost the blessing due to his disobedience. And Samuel said to Saul, “You have done foolishly. You have not kept the commandment of the LORD your God, which He commanded you. For now the LORD would have established your kingdom over Israel forever.” (1Sam13:13) God’s intention towards Saul was good. He’d have given him an eternal kingdom but Saul didn’t respond rightly to the call. And there are many such passages in the bible where God desired to do His people good but they lose the blessing because of disobedience. Oh, that you had heeded My commandments! Then your peace would have been like a river, and your righteousness like the waves of the sea. Your descendants also would have been like the sand, (Is48:18-19) God in His foreknowledge knows who’ll victoriously make it into His kingdom, and we can be certain that our election is sure if we obey. We ought to have a deep sense that we wouldn’t be in “My Father’s House” if God didn’t consider us elect. But from our side we still have the possibility of failure. If we don’t continue in faith and obedience we’ll be cut off. As in, Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica-- (2Tim4:10) Election must be maintained to the end. Thus your election is dependent upon your faith to stay where God can keep you in the Spirit until you finish your race with joy. For we have become partakers of Christ if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast to the end. (Heb3:14) God calls many and in calling them He has intentions of good for them. But some don’t properly answer or live up to the call. “The Kingdom of heaven is like a certain king who arranged a marriage for his son, and sent out his servants to call those who were invited to the wedding; and they were not willing to come.” (Matt22:2-3) “When the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’ And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matt22:11-14) So there are those who don’t respond at all to God’s call and there are those who deprive themselves of good by an improper response that causes God to disqualify them. And it’s not because God wouldn’t have done them good had they responded correctly. Although God The Father foresees all, one of the mysteries of the Godhead is the Holy Spirit can interact with people as though He doesn’t know their future. He treats them according to what they are now and not according to what the Father knows they’ll be. So if they’re obedient today they will be blessed and treated as one of the elect today. Luke the beloved physician and Demas greet you. (Col 4:14) At this time “Demas” is accepted among the elect. If God acted towards people according to what He knew their future to be they might accuse Him of causing their fall by treating them as though they were lost when they were still trying to do good. So when they’re doing good God treats them good until they depart from the faith – thus righteously showing their sins to be completely of themselves and not due to any lack of grace in God’s treatment of them. In order that God should always be perfectly just the Holy Spirit doesn’t consider what will be in such cases but what is. There are even things that the Son doesn’t know. “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.” (Matt24:36) On the other hand, the Father does know the future and can plan accordingly. So in the awesome wisdom of God, the Father has ordered the Godhead in such a way that it’s always possible for God to interact with us fairly. Even though the Father may know who is and isn’t elect, such knowledge won’t interfere with the Holy Spirit blessing you now if you’re doing right. The Spirit will assume you’re elect until you show by your behavior you’re not. It’s an awesome mystery the way God works to be so fair; but then He’s the very essence of righteousness. So even in the Godhead He makes Himself perfect by allowing the Spirit and even the Son to be ignorant of some future events. Of course, the Spirit can see the future when the Father lets Him, but He doesn’t see everything and neither does Jesus. Even Jesus sees only what the Father shows Him or what the Father lets Him see. As wisdom is justified of her children, our election is evidenced when we behave as the elect, and we can only presume upon our election in so far as we continue in “elect” behavior always remembering that we could lose our souls if we don’t continue to behave correctly. We must be very diligent, very careful, very dependent upon God not to fall back but keep moving forward. But also for this very reason, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble; (2Pe1:5-8,10) But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul. (Heb10:39) To be counted among God’s elect is an extraordinary blessing and a very great privilege. Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You. (Ps65:4) There’s a special blessing on the Levites because they’re called to be close to God. And of Levi he said: “Let Your Thummim and Your Urim be with Your holy one, whom You tested at Massah, and with whom You contended at the waters of Meribah, who says of his father and mother, ‘I have not seen them;’ nor did he acknowledge his brothers, or know his own children; for they have observed Your word and kept Your covenant. They shall teach Jacob Your judgments, and Israel Your law. They shall put incense before You, and a whole burnt sacrifice on Your altar. Bless his substance, LORD, and accept the work of his hands; strike the loins of those who rise against him, and of those who hate him, that they rise not again.” (Deut33:8-11) When God calls somebody nearer there’s always a great blessing offered to the one who’ll come nearer. If that weren’t so it would be as though God was the devil; as though it’s a bad thing to get closer to Him. A major problem many so-called “christians” have today is anything we do to draw near to God, or spend more time with Him, they resent it as though drawing near to God is a curse to them. Such people have no faith that election is a blessing because if they believed being chosen by God to draw near is a blessing they’d want to be chosen and they’d want to draw near, wouldn’t they? So what’s inside of them is they hate God. Their lack of faith is exposed by their actions. People who resent the idea of having church daily or having family Bible studies or any such things that pertain to more God in their lives, who regard these things as a burden, are actually believing it’s a curse to be called closer to God. But look at the ones God says are blessed – Aaron is blessed because he’s called into the high priesthood. What’s it mean to be called into the priesthood as opposed to just being somebody in the tribe of Naphtali, herding goats? Aaron gets to spend his day in the very presence of God instead of in the company of goats. I know what goats smell like. But Aaron is blessed with the smell of the holy anointing oil and God’s incense. Aaron is in a very nice place! Now why would somebody rather be herding goats than enjoying the presence of God? Wherever there’s a call of God and whenever God says, “Draw nearer to Me,” It’s “Blessed is the man who God calls near to Him.” (Ps65:4) God does it for the purpose of blessing that person. He’s not calling somebody He doesn’t like closer to Him. He’s calling somebody He loves closer. “Jacob I’ve loved so I’m calling him closer to me. Esau I’m not calling close. As it is written, “Jacob I have loved, but Esau I have hated.” (Rom9:13) The person God loves He wants close. And for what purpose? To curse him or to bless him?” That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. (Eph2:7) God has a people He’s chosen from the foundations of the earth. He has a people He knew would respond rightly to His call. He loves those people. They’re His family. He’s making them His sons and daughters and He wants to bless them because that’s what love wants to do. Love wants to be with you to bless you. Anybody who says they love you and doesn’t want to be with you doesn’t really love you. Anybody who says they love you and they don’t spend time with you, how can they do you any good? Isn’t the whole purpose of love to bless the one who’s loved? And so the one you love, you want to be as close to as possible so you can bless them as much as possible. And the affections of God work in just that way. Remember when God was working with me towards Elia. I knew there were problems she needed help with that I couldn’t deal with from afar. I had to get close to her to be able to help her with the children and such. And that’s what love wants to do. It wants to get in close enough to actually do good. So what’s God calling you close for? He wants you close enough that he can effectually help you. This is much related to being led by the Spirit, keeping yourself and such. When you’re far from God you’ll be making decisions He’s not in on and they won’t work out right. But when you’re in the Spirit it’s not possible for God to lead you in a way that won’t bless you. God loves you, so He wants to be involved in your life in a way He can cause things to work right for you. He’s calling you close enough you can hear and be led by Him, where He can give you the advice you need and show you the things you need to do. And that’s the blessing; the Master and the Creator of the universe is your friend and benefactor and He’s able to share anything you need with you. You’re complete in Him. He offers you everything that pertains to life and godliness; and that includes healings, prophecies and miracles. What you need He’s got! And all you have to do is draw near enough to Him that He can help you. The blessings in drawing near to God cover everything needful or helpful to life. But one very important point concerning this is for example, when you’re pursuing love do you understand you must have Jesus live in you if you’re to attain to God’s love? A great problem with false religion and everything that’s not spiritual is men have fallen and easily deceived minds. They can read the Bible. They can see a verse and think they understand it when they actually haven’t understood it properly according to the Spirit. Jude says, to keep yourself in the love of God praying in the Holy Spirit. (v20-21) Someone who reads that verse but doesn’t consider anything else God says about love might think, “I’ll pray to stay in love” and then they interpret love as their own human “affections” and think they’re obeying the scripture just by staying in a place where they’re being nice to other people. But that’s not the only verse concerning love in the Bible. So when I read Jude 21 I’m also considering love “as not seeking its own”(1Cor13:5) and “this is love that you’ll lay down your life for one another.”(1Jn3:16) And “If you love Me, keep My commandments. (Jn 14:15) And By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. (1Jn5:2) And most importantly, – 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. (Eph3:17-19) To keep yourself in the “love of God” is not just being “nice” to people and praying for God to make you a nice person, but you must be praying for Jesus to live in you. If Christ doesn’t dwell in your heart, you won’t really know love because real love has to come from Jesus living in you. So the call to God’s elect is a call to draw near to God, and how much nearer can you get than having Jesus live in you. If Jesus is living in you and you’re drawing nearer to Him, then you’re depending more and more upon His presence, His leading, His guidance. The more you depend on Him the more He manifests because of your faith and your trust in Him. “Faith is trusting God.” That’s pretty simple. We all think we know that. But do you really trust in Christ to live in you like, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. (Gal 2:20) How much do you really trust Him? If New Covenant faith is trusting Jesus to live in you, lead you and guide you, how few “Christians” really trust Him to do that? Can you trust Him to be the source of the love in your life; that God’s love flows out of His presence in you? He lives in you so you can love people with His Godly love not your paltry human love! And then “Jesus is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, redemption,” (1Cor1:30) We’re to pursue righteousness. But you, O man of God, flee these things and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, gentleness. (1Tim 6:11) But the source of that righteousness is Jesus living in us. He’s made unto us righteousness. If I’m to be righteous and to love people I must have faith for Jesus to abide in me in such a way as my affections come from His presence in me. And He isn’t just telling me how to love He is loving thru me, just like the blood runs thru your hands to caress the person you love, the Spirit of Christ runs through me to caress the person He loves because He lives in me to do that. So concerning righteousness we’re saying, I’m not “working” up my own righteousness by trying to do things I think are right or coming out of my own thinking. I’m looking for the Spirit of Christ to live through me and to guide me so my righteousness is the flow of Jesus’ righteousness through me. The subtleties of the leadings of the Spirit can be very amazing. Today, after Bible study, we were having lunch and I mentioned to the boys that we needed to clean up some things in the yard. So one of them asked, “After we eat are we going to start cleaning the yard?” and the Spirit wouldn’t let me answer “Yes.” I just said, “We’ll see.” I could sense the Spirit in me wasn’t feeling like we’d be cleaning the yard right away. Then it started raining. So we wouldn’t be able to clean the yard till things dried after the rain. And I could see the Spirit had not let me say something that wouldn’t have been true. It’s interesting how God cares about a little thing like that where the Spirit knows what’s going on and can keep you perfectly if you have faith to be led by Him. In Christ we’ve been delivered from vanity. (1Cor15:58) Recently I was rebuking one of the boys who did some things I knew weren’t in the Spirit, and I’m telling him, “What happened is you didn’t ask the Lord what to do with your time. You had some spare time and you decided to use it yourself without consulting Christ. Don’t you know that you’ve been delivered from futility?” 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. (Eph4:17) When you do something on your own that turns out worthless that is vanity or futile. (Jn15:6) So when you have some time that you know isn’t dedicated to something godly; do you just off the top of your head use it for what you feel like doing? Spiritual people don’t do that. Even concerning necessary things we wait upon God for timing and direction. So concerning cleaning the yard I didn’t feel in the Spirit it was the proper time. Even though its something that needed to be done. But instead I’ll be doing something else which the Spirit guides me to do. The Spirit is in complete control if you let Him be and you expect Him to be and you’re being sensitive to follow Him. As it worked out, I was able to work on a Glory Of His Grace book and because of the way the day was ordered by the Holy Spirit I had enough time to finish the book and get it into the line-up for mailing. The Spirit is doing all of that; arranging the day, putting things in order. That’s what we’re listening for all the time. What’s the Spirit saying? What’s the Spirit want to do? Jesus is made unto us wisdom. Are you going to hunt for wisdom on your own or are you seeking for Jesus to be in you? True wisdom comes from His presence in you. Jesus is made unto us sanctification. And sanctification is related to wisdom! Sanctification can be as simple as not listening to your car radio if you want to hear God. And that is wisdom. If you want to be led by the Spirit you need to shut off what could be voluntary distractions and to do that is both wisdom and sanctification. Many of the things people think are necessary today have been developed in the last 50-100 years or even more recently and they were never necessary in the past and still are not necessary to life. Men have lived without cell-phones for thousands of years. Now a cell-phone can be very convenient, even a lifesaver in the right place, but most people are not using it in the right place. Technology and the advancements of so-called conveniences which should be saving people time so they could fellowship more with God and their families are actually costing them time because of people’s misuse of them. At least it used to be you could get out of the house and the telephone wouldn’t bother you for a while. But now people carry their “curse” with them. Of course if they only used cell phones for emergencies or necessary business they would be a good thing. But most people are using their cell phone for nonsense, pride and ego trips, as though the busier they are the more important their vain lives seem to be. So the more technology people have the less time they have which is the opposite of what should be happening. We should be able to use the technology to have more time for practical or beneficial things, but instead of using the technology to be more productive and be able to work a shorter week and have more time for God and family, greediness causes many people to use the increased technology to work even harder and make even more money and have even less time with their children. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. (1Tim6:10) It’s a backwards spirit in them. They are contrary (backwards) to God and His wisdom. Everything they do that should be a blessing turns into a curse. Why do I limit the technology in my home? Picture Jesus, 14 years old, earplugs and a walkman going…. Even if it’s “Christian” music it’s still not like Jesus. We’re told to be filled with the Spirit. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. (Col 3:16) God says you’re to be singing and making melody in your hearts. Jesus must have done a lot of singing and making melody in His heart but the source of what He was listening to was coming out of Him from the Spirit. It wasn’t coming into Him from some earphone stuck in His ear. And when you have a “christianity” where people think they have to continually have somebody else’s words or music coming in to them they never get to know the Christ inside that can come out of them. There’s no necessity for many of these things. If you are constantly listening to external sources of music and commentary it’s evident that you’re not listening to the Holy Spirit; you can’t be listening to the Holy Spirit. If you want to be led by the Spirit you’d better turn those things off and let Jesus be the One you’re listening to because the leading of the Spirit is often subtle, the still small voice of 1st Kings19:12. Which doesn’t mean the Spirit is hard to hear. I don’t have trouble hearing the Spirit. But if I was listening to all the stuff most so called “christians” today are listening to I wouldn’t be able to hear Him. If you really want to hear the Spirit, you must put away the interfering voices. God made the ear, He knows how to communicate with you; He knows how to get you to hear Him. But you have to do your part by preparing to listen. So sanctification is wisdom. And this takes us back to election. Election is very much about the ones who are called near to God and there’s no way to get nearer to God than to have Jesus live in you. That’s the greatest blessing available to men; to become established in Christ and have Jesus live in you and truly be a son of God. Yet for that to happen you must have faith for Him to live in you. And if you have that faith you must act accordingly or behave in a way that is consistent with your faith. One of the points God’s making here is Christians who say they love Jesus and have faith that Jesus lives in them and they’re the elect of God but when God says “Come to church a little more often” or “turn off your TV and read your bible” they resent it, such people can’t really be in Christ or of Christ. Their actions are contrary to their “faith.” If it’s a blessing to draw near to God you’d be thanking God for calling you to more church not resisting it, because if you really believed being close to God is a blessing you’d want to be as close as possible. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.” (Gal 3:8) Blessed is the man You choose, and cause to approach You, that he may dwell in Your courts. We shall be satisfied with the goodness of Your house, of Your holy temple. (Ps65:4) When God calls a man near it’s to bless him and make him a blessing. (Gen12:2) People who don’t draw near to God have nothing to bless others with because they get nothing from God. All they have is what they borrow from each other – which means they have nothing that isn’t already available and widely known. Furthermore because they don’t know God they can’t discern truth from heresy so they always end up heretics. But the one who draws near to God receives needful things others don’t have or know about. “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. (Matt6:6) “He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it.”‘(Rev2:17) God called me near to Himself so He could bless me with the Glory Of His Grace teachings, which are now blessing you. He blessed me and made me a blessing because I answered His call, turned off my TV (even christian TV and radio) and listened to God. If I were like most other church leaders I’d be listening to the latest “christian” music, reading the “christian” fad books, continually meeting with other “pastors” discussing what they think and having no real first hand sense of what God is doing. My election is demonstrated in the fact that I was having church every day of the week even before the rest of you people at “My Father’s House” were. I considered it a blessing to be able to go to church every day. To me there’s no place I’d rather be. What’s wrong with people who don’t want to draw near to God? If you had the real Jesus in you, you’d love to come to church every day. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?” (Lk2:46,49) Your actions must not contradict what you say is your faith. Wherever your actions contradict faith you’ve got a problem with hypocrisy! Jesus has to live in you by faith, and that’s the only way you can have Him. But what kind of faith are you demonstrating? For example, if Jesus is living in me, I love the Word of God because He loves it. Because I’m in Christ it’s never a burden but it’s a joy to read the Bible. And because Jesus is living in me I can never consider prayer a chore. Christ in me loves to have quality time to commune with God in prayer. And because Jesus is living in me I want to spend time meditating in the Word. A really high percentage of the messages that God gives me to preach and for the Glory of His Grace come from such meditations. Often when I’m meditating in the Lord on the things He’s been showing Me suddenly the Spirit will open up a whole new subject which becomes an important message to the elect. But you can’t meditate when you have “christian” music blaring in your ears all day or you’re consumed with other interests; the cares of this world, deceitfulness of riches, lust of other things. These all cause your attention to be on things other than God, and it isn’t “Christ in you.” And it’s not like the Spirit isn’t available to speak to you but you aren’t tuned in to Him; you’re attentions are elsewhere and there’s no sense in the Spirit trying to speak to you when you’re not interested in hearing Him. How many times even in the Bible study or church I’ve asked some of you a question and received a really foolish answer and I say, “Are you even here? Did you just listen to what was preached? What are you tuned in to? What are you thinking about? Do you have some distracting thought going through your head which makes you mentally not here even though your body is here so you end up missing the message or even twisting it out of context because you don’t properly understand it.” Being in church should be a blessing where you’re listening to what the Spirit is saying to the church. You’ve come to hear what the Head of the church, Jesus is speaking to you through His appointed messengers. But if you’re thinking about what you’ll be doing after church, shopping, eating or such, it’s like you’re not even here. Your body is here but your heart is somewhere else. Your mind is wandering and you’re wasting your time and ours because to really be here you must be here with all your heart. You must be here in Spirit; not just a physical presence. You must be here because you want to hear God and you want to please God and you want to do the will of God. And its back to having faith that Jesus is in you. If Jesus were in you, you’d be here body, soul and spirit; paying attention to what God is doing. You’d be paying attention because Jesus would. So by things like this we’re discerning whether your faith is real or it’s fake. Do you have a real faith that Jesus is in you? Then if He is, you’d behave properly in the church wouldn’t you? And He said to them, “Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”(Lk2:49) If Christ were in you you’d be about the Father’s business too. Do you have a true faith for Jesus to live in you? Then if He’s in you, He’d cause you to behave in true godliness wherever you are even when you’re at home. He enjoys spending time with His Father in prayer so you will too. He’d be keeping Himself in the Spirit and making sure that He’s not over doing things in any way that would interfere with His Spirituality. And so would you. He wouldn’t even allow ministering to the saints to cause Him to miss having His necessary fellowship with His Father. He’d keep Himself and you in the Word of God and in the Spirit. And whatever His ministry in you is as for example, in me the major ministries are preaching in “My Father’s House” and writing the Glory of His Grace books, but whatever your ministry is in Him you’ll love it. The ministry is never a burden to me or any true saint. I enjoy having a Glory of His Grace book to work on. It’s very important to me because it’s a work Jesus Himself has given me and I rejoice to do it well for Him. So the works God calls us into, it’s Christ in us doing those works. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph2:10) And we true saints never do these works as though they’re a burden; it’s our greatest joy to serve the Lord and the saints. It’s our reason for living. So, it isn’t hard to see whether you really have Christ in you when you look at your life with Spiritually opened eyes. But the problem with much of contemporary “christianity” is the “believers” have been focusing on getting wisdom, getting love, getting righteousness without getting Christ. They don’t seem to realize the first step to living the real Christian life is to make sure Jesus is really in you. Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? -- unless indeed you are disqualified. (2Cor13:5) If you’re trying to be a “christian” without the faith for Jesus to “live in me” and to “love through” me but instead you’re just trying “to love” on your own, if you’re doing that you’re despising the scripture “apart from Me you can do nothing” (Jn15:5) If you’re trying to love without Jesus, it won’t work. If you’re trying to have wisdom without Him, it can’t happen. Jesus in us is everything to us. The fullness of the Godhead dwells in Him. We’re only complete “in Him.” (Col 2:9-10) Everything we need is “in Him.” You need a healing? You need a miracle? You need guidance? It’s all found in Christ! Jesus has the answers. But do you have the faith to hear Him? Do you have the faith to be led by Him? Do you have the faith He’s in you and can get you to whatever you need? For 12 years every night Christ has given me a fresh message for the church without fail. Sometimes the message comes just a few minutes before church. When I was young I might have thought, “I only have a few minutes to put this message together and I don’t know if I can make it!” But now I know that would be contradicting “faith” and not trusting God as though He hasn’t given me enough time. So we’re back to understanding faith. Who’s doing this me or God? Who’s opened my eyes and shown me the message? Of course, it’s God. Then why would I think He’s late? It’s not possible for God to be late. He’s always right on time. So whatever time there is to get the message together it’s sufficient and it would be unbelief to think anything else. This is how you apply faith to everything. Do you need wisdom from God? Why wouldn’t you believe God to show you how to make the right decision? Why doubt Him and think you’re not receiving what you need? The only reason you shouldn’t be able to trust the Lord to be your wisdom, your love, or your righteousness, is you’ve been in the flesh and your heart is condemning you because you know you’ve been doing wrong. That’s why we preach righteousness, holiness and obedience because you’ll never see God’s blessings when your heart is condemning you. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. (IJn3:20) You’re committing spiritual suicide if you’re doing something to cause your heart to condemn you. You must live upright before God if you want to have a faith God can respond to. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight. (1Jn3:21-22) The elect live that way. “The just shall live by faith.” (Rom1:17) The elect obey God; they’re chosen for their obedience. Because of their obedience God doesn’t have to deal with them as He did with Saul, “I would have established your kingdom but now I will give it to someone better than you.” (1Sam13:13-14) But He can say as to David, “Because you’re obedient to Me I’m giving you an everlasting kingdom that will never be taken away.” (2Sam7:16) The elect are blessed because of their obedience to God and because they hear and do His will; what Paul calls the “hearing of 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) This has two parts in it: one, you hear God and two, you obey Him. That’s the hearing of faith. Hearing Him and disobeying Him isn’t the hearing of faith; that’s the hearing of unbelief. “Having eyes do you not see, ears do you not hear?” (Mk8:18) The hearing of faith is where you know what God is leading you to do and you do it because you have faith that you’re hearing Him. There’s a witness of the Spirit that’s absolutely dependable that even in the everyday things of life Christ can tell you, “Don’t say that! Or don’t promise to do that.” (1Jn2:27) So when I have a sense from the Spirit that God hasn’t confirmed the plan I won’t commit to it. And many times the Spirit has kept me from answering when someone asks, “Are you going to do this?” If I don’t have a leading in the Spirit yet, how can I commit to it when the Spirit hasn’t committed? How many times do you get tricked into giving a premature answer when you ought to be waiting on God for His leading before you speak. And what happens if you give a godless answer when you should have waited on God? Now you’ve given your word and it wasn’t of God yet you must keep your word! “But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.(Matt5:37) If I’m to be like Jesus and have faith Jesus is in me and leading me according to His wisdom then I won’t speak until Jesus tells me what to speak. I won’t make plans without His Spirit! (Jas4:13-17) It’s all right to make tentative plans but no commitments until you have the hearing of faith. Sometimes, for example, I’ll say to the children “maybe tomorrow we’ll go to the beach. We’ll see when the time comes.” This isn’t a promise. It’s a possibility. And when the time comes, we’ll see where the Spirit is. If we have God’s leading and peace then it’s ok. (Col 3:15) If not then we’ll do what the Spirit says because we’re led by the Spirit not by our own plans, or desires. This includes dealing with necessities. Cleaning the bathroom isn’t something fun to do, but it’s necessary. It has to be done; yet it can be done in the proper place when God says to do it. Other things may need to be done also. And you must seek God for the proper order. Finishing a Glory of His Grace book may be more important to do first. God gets everything that needs to be done into a proper order which may be different than we’d have ordered it! Because the Spirit orders all things in the best way to accomplish God’s purposes. The elect are called close to God. It’s a blessing to be called close to God and it should be considered a very high privilege. The closer God calls you to Him the more He’ll bless you. The more He blesses you the more He can use you to bless others. So the elect become a fulfillment of the gospel God preached to Abraham. “In blessing I will bless you, and in multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies. In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”(Gen22:17-18) Because the elect obey God they enter into the works of Abraham. They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus said to them, “If you were Abraham’s children, you would do the works of Abraham.” (Jn8:39) Doing the works of Abraham makes you sons of Abraham. And he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith which he had while still uncircumcised, that he might be the father of all those who believe, though they are uncircumcised, that righteousness might be imputed (imparted) to them also, and the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all. (Rom4:11-12,16) By walking in the steps of the faith of Abraham you enter into the works of Abraham- in which all the nations of the earth will be blessed. You enter into the works of His seed, which is Christ. (Gal 3:16) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. (Eph2:10) And those good works cause us to become a blessing to the nations. When God is calling us closer to Him, it means we must give up more of the “beggarly elements,” or unfruitful things in order that we may enter into greater and more important works of God. “Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.” (Jn15:2) When God does this we don’t look at what we’re “losing” but at what we’re gaining. While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. (2Cor4:18) For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. (Rom8:18) Most people in this world get terribly attached to the beggarly elements, and they think that’s where their joy and their “life” is. Such things become the reason for living to the worldly, whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame-- who set their mind on earthly things. (Phil 3:19) As the elect of God, our reason for living is to know God, to glorify God, get closer to God, and to be found worthy to enter into the Kingdom of God. Whenever God draws us closer, of course, we have to put away the lesser things; such things as aren’t needful. The life in Christ is built on things that are needful. If you let God show you what you really need you’ll find you can get by with a lot less than other people. You’ll save time, money, and trouble when you build your life on what you really need and stop pursuing unnecessary things everybody else thinks they need but really only “want.” What really motivates you? What is it you think you have to do and why? Is it truth in Christ that drives you or foolish lusts and imaginations? The Holy Spirit will get you disentangled. No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier. (2Tim2:4) The Spirit will help you cut off things that aren’t needed and show the things which are really helpful. He’ll put all things in order and you’ll find your life is a lot simpler, more peaceable and productive. You won’t be wrapped up in financial worries and you won’t be continually pressured that you have “no time” for this or that. God would like to do this for you. When the Lord calls you closer to Himself, and you respond He’ll give you wisdom so you can do all things in a better way. The closer you draw to Him the more immediate guidance He’ll give so you’ll do the right things at the right time and what you do will be fruitful and not useless. The closer you get to God the more sanctification you’ll receive. Sanctification is much related to peace because it’s the disruptive devils that distract and irritate and interfere with our peace. Sanctification keeps these wicked imps away. But sanctification is two fold; in Christ (one) you keep yourself so God (two) can keep you. And through that you’ll have a peaceable life, a peaceable environment where in Christ you’re making the right decisions that pertain to keeping things peaceable! Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (Heb12:14) Regarding “keeping;” Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it. (Rev1:3) The blessing is in you keeping what God is showing you. “Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.” (Rev3:10) There we see both sides of it. “Because you’ve (one) kept My command I’ll (two) keep you.” So we have the supernatural “keeping” of God working together with the natural keeping of ourselves. Our obedience and His supernatural assistance to our obedience. And the dragon was enraged with the woman, and he went to make war with the rest of her offspring, (those) who keep the commandments of God… (Rev12:17) Her offspring are the ones who keep God’s commandments. The woman represents the true church- the Jerusalem above. But the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Gal 4:26) Her children are the obedient saints. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God. (Rev14:12) The true saints are the ones who keep God’s commandments. It’s a tragic example of human stupidity that most so called “christianity” today doesn’t believe keeping God’s commandments is needful to salvation. They call keeping God’s commandments “works theology.” But God says His saints are only those who keep His commandments. So which do you choose to follow? I don’t care if the false church calls “obedience” “works theology,” God doesn’t call obedience “works.” He calls obedience “faith;” to keep His commandments is living faith. And it’s also “love.” By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (IJn5:2-3) Obedience to God is love and faith. We can see in the actions of these foolish people who claim to be “christians” without obedience they don’t have faith or love and they’re not elect. They don’t think it’s a blessing to draw near to God, so they refuse to take the steps of obedience to draw near to God, and they resent the real Christians who are actually drawing near to God. It’s obvious such “christians” are worshipping the devil. They hate anything that gets in the way of or interferes with their worldly lusts and that includes God for calling them nearer to Himself and away from the worthless things they really love. Their worldly behavior shows what they worship is a false god. If they knew the true God they’d be trying to get closer to Him; not resisting Him at every opportunity. They’re not God’s people. And neither are those who say keeping God’s commandments is “works?” That’s a doctrine they’ve made up to convince themselves they can be sinners and still go to heaven. But it’s a lie! Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him. (IJn3:6) They’re not saints; they don’t keep Jesus’ commandments. They’re not brethren. But He answered and said to them, “My mother and My brothers are these who hear the word of God and do it.” (Lk8:21) “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matt7:21) They don’t do God’s will. They’re a “church” of fools who’ve developed a theology of deception to make themselves feel “saved” when they’re not and they go to the funerals of their friends, neighbors and relatives who’ve died in sin and they pretend these wicked dead are in heaven to make themselves feel good when in truth they’re burning in hell. And they read Psalm 23 over them, and they quote scriptures like “He who believes in Me though he dies he shall live.” Though they never believed enough to obey Jesus. So they misappropriate to themselves scriptures which are only true for the real saints. And they try to apply God’s blessings to sinful, disobedient people so they can fool themselves with false comforts and not have to think “my loved one is burning in hell.” “But rather God had mercy on him and has taken him to heaven.” But God didn’t take him to heaven. This Bible tells you everything about the ones God is really saving and the ones He isn’t, but these people don’t read the whole Bible, they only pick at it. They don’t know the simplest truths of the scripture and that’s why they can’t even talk rightly about anything pertaining to salvation. They are blind followers of the blind! For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1Jn5:3) If anyone does not love the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be accursed. O Lord, come! (1Cor16:22) “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.” (Jn3:19) They’ve rejected the truth so all they have is lying opinions they use to tickle each other’s ears. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. (2Tim4:3-4) John says, We know whoever is born of God does not sin; but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him. (1Jn5:18) They’ve never seen that verse, or if they did they just ignore it. Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God. (Rev14:12) These people know they don’t keep the commandments of God but they still think they’re saved. “Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.”(Matt7:26-27) According to these fools there are two categories of saints – “keepers” and “not keepers” – those who keep God’s commandment and those who don’t. And according to their false theology everyone will make it to heaven both the “keepers” and the “not keepers.” But the truth is the Kingdom of heaven is like two categories of fish – keepers and not keepers! So called “christians” that are “not keepers” go into the lake of fire. If you want to go to heaven you have to be a keeper! “Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like a dragnet that was cast into the sea and gathered some of every kind, which, when it was full, they drew to shore; and they sat down and gathered the good into vessels (keepers), but threw the bad away (not keepers). So it will be at the end of the age. The angels will come forth, separate the wicked from among the just, and cast them into the furnace of fire. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth.” (Matt13:47-50) You’d better be a keeper. “Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘My cities shall again spread out through prosperity; the LORD will again comfort Zion, and will again choose Jerusalem.’” (Zech1:17) Jerusalem is elect because of God’s promise to the fathers. (Rom11:28) For the LORD will have mercy on Jacob, and will still choose Israel, and settle them in their own land. Strangers will be joined with them (Is14:1) And in that day you will say: “O LORD, I will praise You; though You were angry with me, your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; For YAH, the LORD, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation.” Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (Is12:1-3) “Do not fear, for you will not be ashamed; neither be disgraced, for you will not be put to shame; for you will forget the shame of your youth, and will not remember the reproach of your widowhood anymore. For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the LORD has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” says your God. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer. (Is54:4-8) And here’s a very lovely picture of a surety in God’s election which is related to Israel but teaches us things that concern our salvation too. Israel as a youthful wife made all the mistakes she could make and of course that made God angry. So God did not bless her in her sin but severely chastened her. Yet He didn’t stop loving her. And in the end she’ll grow up, put away the sins of her youth and turn back to Him with a genuine love. And because God in His foreknowledge can see that day is coming God holds on to Israel and even through the bad times He preserves her for she’s elect. Her future return and obedience to God makes her elect even through her present rebellion. Concerning the elect, God keeps working with them even in times when they can be very unpleasant to Him, because He knows a day is coming when they’ll repent and do right. So God can see what’s going on in some people’s life is a temporary iniquity which grace will break through and eventually bring a real Christianity out of. But such grace should never be presumed upon for though we know of a certainty that Israel as a nation has an irrevocable election and in the end will be saved, there’s no guarantee that you as an individual have any kind of election except that which you demonstrate through proper behavior and faith. And even concerning Israel when God says things like, “I was angry with you for a little while or My wrath was kindled just a little.” His anger against their real sin causes Him to take appropriate actions to deal with it. God can’t treat you as the blessed of God while you’re doing things He must punish. But what He wants to do is cleanse His people of their sin so He can shower them with blessings. Once He gets you straightened out He’ll abundantly bless. What makes you elect is – you let Him cleanse you. And one of the greatest blessings is that the closer you draw to God – the cleaner you’ll get. And the cleaner He makes you the more He can bless. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded. Lament and mourn and weep! Let your laughter be turned to mourning and your joy to gloom. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up. (Jas4:8-10) Prophecy: When you seek to be led by My Spirit, are you expecting Me to lead in a similar manner as when you’re led by the senses? Do I have to make you feel My touch, show you something you can see with your eyes, or must you hear something with your ears? Things like this My people, are the way the flesh leads. But when I lead you by My Spirit I’m taking you into a different realm that isn’t of the senses. The way of My Spirit doesn’t need the senses. You may completely cover your ears and I can still cause you to know what I am saying. You can blindfold your eyes and I can still cause you to see in your mind and in your heart what I want you to see. You don’t need to hear My voice, or feel My touch through the senses because I’m Spirit and I’m very much inside My people. I cause things to be perceived in ways the senses can never approach because they’re so limited while in My Spirit I’m so free. So I open up a new realm to you and ask you to let Me lead you in an entirely new way. Don’t limit Me by expecting Me to transfer the leadings of the senses into the Spirit realm. I’m leaving the senses and opening up a whole new realm to you in My Spirit, saith the Lord. Prophecy: What kind of wife only wants to see her husband once a week? Too often “believers” today want a marriage of convenience. They want a husband who’ll give them things. They want a husband who’ll save them but they don’t want a husband they can be intimate with. And I tell you, they aren’t Mine, for My bride is passionate; My bride desires to be with Me at all times. My bride has My heart and I have hers. And I’m bringing those here who desire a place where they can truly meet with Me and with others who have a true desire to be with Me. For where there are two or three gathered in My name, I’m in the midst of them. Mine are the people who gather together constantly because they desire to have Me constantly in their midst. I tell you, this is My bride. My bride is eager, her heart is wide open and she rejoices to spend time with Me for I’m her love, I’m her treasure and I’m her heart, thus saith the Lord. Prophecy: False prophets don’t always deny My Word directly, but they twist My Word. For example: it’s common among the false “churches” to say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you’ll be saved. ‘Now just believe you’re saved. Don’t let anything tell you, you’re not saved.’” Yet in My Word I’ve said, “Not the hearers will be justified, but the doers.” It’s in the doing you see the fruit and you’ll know the tree by its fruit. Therefore it’s not enough just to say you believe, but you must bring forth fruit. Even as My apostle John spoke saying, “Let us not love in word only, beloved, but let us love in deed and in truth.” For when we can see we’re producing good fruit, deeds that are good towards the brethren, glorifying God and edifying to the church – then our hearts will assure us that we’re of the good tree that produces good fruit; we’re indeed the branch that abides in the vine. I’ve never said, “just believe” in such a way as to ignore the fruit. The false prophets say, “just believe” but they don’t look for fruit, therefore they’re false. They are the unfruitful tree, the unfruitful branch that shall be cut off, and those who follow them shall be cut off. For good fruit is the proof of true faith, saith the Lord. Prophecy: If your faith isn’t the faith to increase then your faith isn’t the faith that brings Christ to live in you. Because where Christ is, the increase of His government shall never end. And when Christ is in the believer, He increases, and the flesh and the old man decreases until the believer is perfectly established in Christ, and Christ in him. To have a true New Covenant faith for salvation, is to have faith that Christ not only abides in you and you in Him, but that He increases until there is nothing left except the fullness of Christ in you, your hope of glory, thus saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at "My Father's House")
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