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If You Would Be Perfect By Pastor Bill Taylor A publication of My Father's House, inc. Volume 9/Issue 9 Tempered Mortar!
Where does your unity come from? Is it founded on Christ as your Head? The church God accepts is one body And His doctrines they do and defend.
The unity man has established Is a wall of deceptions and lies When the storm beats against them they crumble For no tempered mortar you’ll find.
The true church is one in Christ’s Spirit. It’s a wall built of God’s living stones All hearing God’s voice and uniting With the mortar that’s tempered and tried.
The doctrines of God are defended By those who obey every word Spoken by God to His people Leaving nothing undone or unheard.
When the storm comes to them they won’t crumble Their foundation is tested and sure Making sure every day Christ is in them In a church that obeys every word. (Poem delivered at '"My Father's House")
Prophecy: There are those who read the Glory of His Grace to be entertained. They think in such ways as, “my Christianity is pretty good, but I may find some things in here to make it better.” But I tell you, they’re wrong. Their christianity is not good, and they can’t make it better by taking a bit of this and that and putting this band-aid or that band-aid on. For when someone truly receives My testimony against the false churches, as I’ve given in the Glory of His Grace, they’ll find band-aids aren’t what they need. They’ll find My Word is shaking the very foundations of all they’ve been and all they’ve believed. For they’re not what they thought they were, and they’ve not been My sons. For they’ve been building on a foundation that isn’t My Word. And before I’m done, My testimony will tear apart every stone in the structure of their false temple, even as the temple in Jerusalem came down till there wasn’t one stone left upon another. For their temple isn’t My temple, and My Word will destroy their temple; their church isn’t My church, and My Word will destroy their church. And before they’re done reading My testimony which I’m giving in the Glory of His Grace those who are wise will see they need to start building from scratch. They need to lay the first stone and the second and start an entirely new building if they want to have church My way, saith the Lord. If You Would Be Perfect!Now behold, one came and said to Him, “Good Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may have eternal life?” So He said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good but One, that is, God. But if you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” (Matt 19:16-17) When Jesus says, if you want to enter into life, He’s not saying this is how you attain to immortality but this is how you begin to walk the path leading to immortality. If you want to begin, keep the commandments. “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. (Jn14:21,23) You won’t have Jesus in you until you keep His commandments. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. (1Jn5:12) So the first step towards eternal life is to keep the commandments so you can have Jesus in you. But that’s by no means the final step. Next the rich young ruler asks Jesus which commandments to keep and Jesus repeats the commandments relating to man treating man in ways acceptable to God. He said to Him, “Which ones?” Jesus said, “‘You shall not murder,’ ‘You shall not commit adultery,’ ‘You shall not steal,’ ‘You shall not bear false witness,’ ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’” (Matt19:18-19) It’s interesting Jesus left out have no other god before Me, or keeping the sabbath. Keeping the sabbath but being nasty to your neighbor won’t get you into God’s Kingdom. Avoiding idols but being nasty to your neighbor won’t help you attain to eternal life. The young man said to Him, “All these things I have kept from my youth. What do I still lack?” (Matt19:20) The young man is hoping Jesus will say, “You’ve got it!” But rather, Jesus says, “You still lack something.” You may have entered the path leading to immortality by keeping the commandments, but now you need to take another step. So Jesus answers, “If you want to be perfect.” (Matt19:21) To attain immortality you must be perfect and God has echoed that in many other scriptures. (Col 1:28; Phil 2:15-16; 1Thes3:13) “If you want to be perfect.” Again Jesus says this is something you must want. You’ll not attain to the resurrection until you want it bad enough to pursue it. (1Tim6:11-12) When you consider the law “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery etc…” these things keep you out of prison. They make you socially acceptable. But they won’t get you into heaven. Their benefit is to make you a citizen who’s not dangerous to other people. And they’re good if used correctly. But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, (1Tim1:8) Some people think being socially good is enough to get them to heaven and it isn’t! It’s only the first step. How could you be fit for heaven if you’re not fit to be a member of society in the earth? If you can’t live decently among men here how could you dwell among the saints there? Now “If the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear?” (1Pet4:18) If you’re not good enough to dwell peaceably among the imperfect men in this earth what makes you think you could be acceptably joined, to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect. (Heb12:22-23) How could you fellowship with the heavenly holy if you’re not even good enough to fellowship with the fallen men of this generation. Jesus said, “If you want to be perfect.” Do you want to be perfect? It’s easy to see by the way the false “churches” and “christians” today react against “perfection doctrines” they don’t want to be perfect. In fact, most show themselves to be of the same spirit as this young ruler. I’ve heard false “preachers” say, “This man was Barnabas.” But there’s no evidence this man ever made it into God’s Kingdom. It’s total speculation to impute salvation to one who walked away from Jesus refusing to pay the price. “Preachers” who “imagine” such things have a lying spirit that tries to cover up the fact they’re not willing to pay the price either. It’s because most “believers” today aren’t willing they look at scriptures like this and try to find a loophole. Jesus says, “keep the commandments.” The young man says, “I’ve done that so what do I lack?” But the Bible says: the law made nothing perfect. (Heb7:19) So keeping that doesn’t make you perfect. Jesus isn’t telling him he can attain to immortality by the law. He’s just saying it’s the beginning; the first step. We see this in: Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son…to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. (Gal 4:1-5) What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator. (Gal 3:19) Is the law then against the promises of God? Certainly not! For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law. (v21) It’s impossible for the law to give life – therefore righteousness can’t come by the law. That means righteousness only comes by “life.” To make you righteous God must give you “life.” (See our Glory of His Grace publication “Eternal Living.”) You must “enter into life” to enter into righteousness. Only righteousness can make you perfect. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. (Rom8:2-4,6,10) The law can’t make you righteous; but faith in Jesus can. It’s by faith in Christ you enter into life. When they heard these things they became silent; and they glorified God, saying, “Then God has also granted to the Gentiles repentance to life.” (Acts11:18) By Christ living His life in you, you can be perfected in righteousness. The law tells you what righteousness is and gives you a picture of righteousness but it doesn’t give you life so it can’t make you righteous. You can look at a picture of a waterfall all day but you can’t get a drink out of it. You can look at the law and see the righteousness in it but you can’t get righteousness out of it; you can’t get the righteousness in the law into you. But the Scripture has confined all under sin, that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. But before faith came, we were kept under guard by the law, kept for the faith which would afterward be revealed. Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, (Gal 3:22-24) Do you want to enter into life to attain to immortality? Then the first thing is to get the tutor to bring you to Christ. So keep the commandments, take hold of the tutor and when you’re keeping the commandments, Jesus says, “you love Me.” (Jn14:21) But the next question Jesus asks is, “Do you want to be perfect?” Even if you keep the commandments if you don’t want to be perfect there’s no sense in going on because this is something you must want very badly as it will cost you everything to do this. Although the rich young ruler kept the commandments, he didn’t want perfection bad enough to pay the price for it. Why is there in the hand of a fool the purchase price of wisdom, since he has no heart for it? (Pr17:16) Why would someone pay the price for perfection if they’ve no heart for it? Why would you want to begin a relationship with Jesus if you don’t want to go on to perfection? Here’s the main point of our message; Jesus’ ministry has one great purpose in it and it’s perfection. He’s the minister of perfection. You want to be perfect? Sell what you have. That’s what the foolish churches are focused on; sell what you have and that makes you perfect. NO! Sell what you have makes you fit to follow Jesus. Jesus makes you perfect. So what does Jesus say? “Sell what you have and come follow Me.” “You want to be perfect, sell what you have, give to the poor and you’ll have treasure in heaven then come follow Me because I’m the perfecter. If you want to be blessed by My ministry do something to make God want to bless you. Give what you have to the poor and get some treasure in heaven.” Obviously Judas followed Jesus but didn’t get any benefit from it. Judas wasn’t doing what Jesus told the rich young ruler to do; “sell what you have and give to the poor.” Judas was stealing from the poor; even from the money Jesus carried with Him for the poor. It’s obvious why Judas didn’t receive grace. You don’t come to Jesus on your terms. You don’t come to Jesus and become perfected just because you choose to. Nobody comes to Jesus unless the Father draws him. (Jn6:44) “I’m the perfecter,” Jesus is saying. “The Father has sent Me to perfect His children. He brings them to Me so I can perfect them and that’s the blessing He gives them; bringing them to Me because they please Him.” We can see this in the differences between the blessed and the cursed. Sapphira and Ananias lie to the Holy Spirit and withhold what was promised so they’re destroyed. But Cornelius – “your alms have come up as a memorial, so I’m taking you to Jesus.” When people come to Jesus who aren’t fit like Sapphira and Ananias, they’re destroyed. Or like Simon – your money perish with you – they’re rejected. However the Ethiopian Eunuch – God sees his heart. “This one really is trying to find Me. Look at the trip he took. I won’t let him go home empty. Philip get down there and take him to the perfecter.” As soon as the Eunuch learns of Jesus he wants Him. “Here’s water. What hinders me to be baptized?” Most churches today have screwed it up. They’ve no idea what Christ is doing – what His purpose really is. When Jesus called me to start “My Father’s House” I had it in my heart and knew deep inside me what was lacking in the “christianity” around us was there wasn’t a church anywhere where the people really wanted to go on to perfection. If a child of God truly wanted to be perfected he couldn’t find a church to help him – not a single church I knew of could tell him how to be perfected. All the “churches” I’d seen, heard about, attended, and had read about; every last one of them had miserably fallen short; way short of perfection. And they all seemed content to stay where they were with their tower half finished. “For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, ‘This man began to build and was not able to finish.’” (Lk14:28-30) You couldn’t push them out of the ditch they were in because they didn’t want out. What a mockery they made of Christ. How foolish they appeared. And they weren’t even ashamed. Therefore the showers have been withheld, and there has been no latter rain. You have had a harlot's forehead; you refuse to be ashamed. “Because from the least of them even to the greatest of them, everyone is given to covetousness; and from the prophet even to the priest, everyone deals falsely. They have also healed the hurt of My people slightly, saying, ‘Peace, peace!’ When there is no peace. Were they ashamed when they had committed abomination? No! They were not at all ashamed; nor did they know how to blush. Therefore they shall fall among those who fall; at the time I punish them, they shall be cast down," says the Lord.” (Jer3:3; 6:13-15) My heart is crying out, “Lord, I want to go on to perfection. Where can I find a church that will go on to perfection? Where can I find a people who have a like precious faith who want to finish their race with joy and get to the goal?” That’s what God called “My Father’s House” to be. He didn’t need another “church” like the ones already here. There are thousands of so-called “churches” doing what all the other “churches” are doing: stopping short. He doesn’t need another “church” like that! “For Moses has had throughout many generations those who preach him in every city, being read in the synagogues every Sabbath.” (Acts15:21) What’s James telling us? He’s saying the church wasn’t put in the earth to preach Moses and the law. If that’s what God wanted there’s already a synagogue in every city to do that. As New Covenant churches it isn’t our job to preach Moses. We aren’t here to join in the works of the synagogues. Ours is a different ministry. We’ve come to preach the New Covenant faith in Jesus who’ll make you a son of God. God doesn’t need more disciples of Moses. He wants sons. For the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope, through which we draw near to God. (Heb7:19) Ours is the ministry of perfecting sons in Christ by grace through faith. (Eph2:8) And we aren’t to distract from or get in the way of Jesus’ ministry of perfection by trying to preach law. Let the synagogues, the Jews preach the law if it needs to be preached. God didn’t put us here to preach the law. He put us here to preach Christ and to show people perfection in Christ is available to those who want it. And that’s the key; you have to want it. Likewise God doesn’t need another church to preach “forgiveness” in Christ. Tens of thousands of churches have preached “forgiveness” for decades and are still preaching “forgiveness” all over the world. God didn’t call “My Father’s House” to do what was already being done and even over done. He called us to preach what these foolish churches are not preaching; perfection in Christ. Yes there’s “forgiveness” in Christ but Christ forgives that you may go on to perfection and they’re not preaching that, nor are they going on to perfection. So God didn’t call us to be like them or to do as they do but to do what they don’t do. Throughout the New Testament there’s a continual focus on the subject of perfecting the saints in Christ. Paul understands the main purpose of his ministry is to produce a people who’ve gone on to perfection in the earth so they can glorify God and be the sons of God. That’s what God’s true church, Jesus’ church is doing. If you’re of God the reason you’ve joined Jesus’ true “My Father’s House” church, is because unlike the rich young ruler you do want to go on to perfection and you’re willing to pay the price. To the rich young ruler the price was too high. “Sell what you have and give to the poor and you’ll have treasures in Heaven.” Is the price different for you and me? Jesus tells us to count the cost to see if we’ve enough to build and finish the tower. (Lk14:28) “If you’d begin the work: keep the commandments. If you’ll finish the work: give up everything for Me. Anyone who won’t forsake all can’t be My disciple.” (v33) Jesus’ is the ministry of “perfecting” and a necessary step to get into His ministry is to forsake all because to be perfected you must put away anything that could interfere with your being perfected; you must start over, a new life. (2Cor5:17) A good college examines the records of prospective students to see if they’ve done well through the lower level schools. Have they shown they’re really interested in learning? If you haven’t shown how interested you are in pleasing God by keeping the commandments you’re not fit to enter into the next level of God’s curriculum; His college level which is Jesus. But if Jesus sees you have a heart that’s pursuing Him like Cornelius: “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. (Acts10:4) then you’re a good candidate for His school of perfection. “Cornelius would you like to enter into perfection? You’ve already accomplished the first step in being found worthy. You’ve followed the tutor well. Now are you ready to meet the Lord Himself and follow Him and be taught by Him?” If you can’t be taught by the tutor what good is it to take you to the Lord? If you won’t obey the servant why should we take you to the King? “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” “And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own?” (Lk16:10,12) You demonstrate your desire to know God by taking the first step in obeying His commandments. Then when God sees you have a heart for Him He can offer you the true riches of Christ and His school of perfection. But you must count the cost and be willing to pay the price. A disciple of Jesus must forsake everything. (Lk14:28,33) It’s not just for the rich young ruler? The heretical “faith movement” preaches, “That was just for him. Jesus didn’t tell everybody to do that.” Yes He did! He didn’t tell everybody to do it the same way at the same time but He did tell everybody to do it. Because, “So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple.” (Lk14:33) That’s the Word of God! That’s exactly what Jesus was asking of the rich young ruler, and that’s what He asked of Peter, John and the other disciples. What did they do when He called them? They dropped their nets forsaking all and followed Him. That’s what He asked of me. What did I do when He called me? I dropped my gem business and followed Him. From the time Jesus called me I began to sell off my business giving much of the proceeds into the best works of God I could see at the time. I did this until I had nothing left. Like Paul says, Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ (Phil 3:8) Can you see the agreement between what Jesus says in Luke 14:33 and what Paul says in Philippians 3:8 concerning the cost of becoming a disciple? To be a disciple of Jesus you must forsake all. Paul pays the price. The rich young ruler doesn’t pay it. He won’t be perfected. Jesus commands perfection. “Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt5:48) Your obedience to the law can qualify you to become a disciple in the school of Christ! But Jesus will only take you into His school if you forsake everything to follow Him. And then when you come to Christ you must have faith that He’ll teach you, empower you and do everything necessary to perfect you. Jesus was made perfect so we can be made perfect. It was fitting for Him…in bringing many sons to glory, to make the author of their salvation perfect through sufferings. (Heb 2:10) Now He can perfect us. He may use sufferings to do that too. He may also do things you won’t understand immediately. Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this.” (Jn13:7) All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. (1Cor10:23) If all things are lawful for us what do you think about Him? All things are lawful for Christ including whatever He’s doing for the perfecting of the saints. If you fall into a situation in which you think you’ve been falsely accused but it causes you to react in a way that’s carnal, who’s the one who needs to repent? The one who falsely accuses you or you because you fell from the Spirit? If Jesus allows you to be mistreated, or to experience a situation that exposes your carnality, isn’t it fair for Him to do that? All things are lawful if they’re helpful. And if the troublesome situation works towards exposing your iniquity so you can repent and be made holy, then it’s a blessing that’s working towards your perfection. Sometimes God will lead me to do something to stir up the church that may provoke extreme or unexpected reactions from people who are out of the Spirit. When such incidents occur we may think, “Maybe I’ve done something wrong.” But if you’re walking in the Spirit, you know you didn’t do something wrong. (Rom8:1-2) You know this is something God is doing and even if you don’t know His exact purpose right now, you know He’s working all things together for good (Rom8:28) so you let Him play it out. Every time God uses me to do something like this, I end up being wrongly judged by the carnal. And we’ve seen a lot of carnal people leave this church because they think I’m “sinning” or “out of love” when what I’m doing is obeying God. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is rightly judged by no one. (1Cor2:14-15) A good example of that was when Jesus told me to sharply rebuke the church for not worshipping properly. Several people left the church permanently because they couldn’t believe Jesus would do that, yet he was awesomely guiding me and actually speaking to me – telling me how to do it. Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this, said, “This is a hard saying; who can understand it?” From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. (Jn6:60,66) You could take almost anybody from the “church” at large, and show them a dozen things I’ve done in this church by the Spirit that they’d say, “That’s not love. That’s not Christian. That’s not the Spirit.” Yet every one of these things has born good fruit and was eventually shown to be of Christ. Exposing sin, rebuking people sharply, showing them what’s inside of them; where their flesh really is; Jesus does that. And He uses me to do that because I’ll let Him. I don’t go into a slump or start dumping on myself when things get rough. If we lose people I don’t think, “I must have really screwed up!” If I were to do that Jesus couldn’t use me. From that time many of His disciples went back and walked with Him no more. (John 6:66) Because I know where I’m at with Jesus He can use me in ways so unusual most other “believers” can’t understand, yet I know I haven’t done wrong. I know my motives. I know my heart. I know Christ is with me, guiding me. And even if I don’t know altogether what He’s doing, I know it will work out for good because it’s coming from Christ! There are very few men who can do what God is doing through me and stand. Jesus could do it. He could do it without caring what people thought. Paul could do it! If you care what people think, you can’t do it. As soon as you say, “I can’t do that because they’ll think this” it’s over. The same thing can stop you from prophesying, testifying, or praying in public if you think, “It may not be good enough or I may be criticized.” If you were dead you wouldn’t care. I’m dead. It doesn’t matter what people think of me. Or do you not know that as many of us as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into His death? (Rom6:3) Dozens of times I’ve walked out of church after doing God’s will in a tough service thinking, maybe the people hate me now, but it doesn’t matter. I know you love me Lord. I know I’m going to Heaven. I don’t care what people think! I know my Lord. I know even when He’s doing unusual and unexpected things it’s Him. I don’t get into a funk thinking it’s me because I know how can it be me? How can I spend all day praying, meditating on the Word, walking in the Spirit and then something just sort of busts out – Bang! It’s from the flesh. How can that be? How can I be in the flesh when I’ve been walking in the Spirit for hours, crucifying the flesh over and over, then all of a sudden bang – flesh just busts out? It isn’t flesh. It’s God busting out. He’s busting out in a way most people don’t know Him. Which is exactly what he told Ms. K. after she last experienced that sudden manifestation of Jesus’ judgment! “You don’t know Me,” He told her. And I’m telling you, the so-called “churches” today don’t know Him. Some of you don’t know Him. If you freak out when God manifests in a strong or sudden way like when He takes a whip to the temple you don’t know Him. But I know Him. That’s why He can use me to do these extreme things because I don’t get under condemnation over it. I don’t get under a deception thinking it was me falling into the flesh when I know it wasn’t. In Christ I can take the heat however long it takes. There’s been times even my wife has given me the cold shoulder for 3 or 4 days after things like this happen. I can take it; I’ve got the grace to take it. I know God will prevail eventually and I’ll just stay in faith; keep loving her, keep doing good until God turns things around. I’ve been through such things dozens of times. There’s a price you pay to be greatly used by God. The price is always crucified flesh. It’s often about things not going the way that was comfortable or pleasant for you. It’s often about being misjudged, misunderstood. To be like Jesus you must “fellowship in His sufferings.” (Phil 3:10) What’s so unfortunate about many so-called “christians” today is they don’t know Jesus and they don’t really want to be like Him. They’d really hate it if God would do something like this to them; use them in such a way they’d be misjudged, slandered or discomforted! To be like Jesus and share in His sufferings is distasteful to them. But God will have a people who are perfect. And there’s no way to perfection except Christ in you. And Christ in you means you have to know Him. I don’t believe I’m finished yet. I know there’s still room for me to grow. Like Paul, I’m saying, “I don’t count myself to have attained but I’m pressing on.” (Phil 3:12) I know I’m a disciple in Jesus’ school. I know His goal is to perfect me and if I have faith He will. I know in attaining to perfection we may go through unusual and unexpected things because Jesus will do whatever is necessary to expose what needs to be eliminated in order to perfect us. But I can also say this, I’ve seen a thing or two in myself I’ve needed to correct in the last few weeks but these things are getting smaller and smaller. The encouragement here is if we’re getting down to things that are very subtle there may not be much left that needs correction. Paul says, “Having in readiness to avenge all disobedience when yours is complete.” (2Cor10:6) How close are we to being complete? If we’re getting to these smaller things then we’re getting close to being complete and that’s very encouraging. So lets go all the way with Christ into perfection because the school of Christ is the school of perfection. There is no greater continuing ministry of Christ except to take you on to perfection. Do you just want to be a “good” citizen, a socially acceptable moral person? Go to any of the thousands of churches out there. That kind of “christianity” is preached on every street corner. But if you want to know the Jesus that rich young ruler didn’t get to know, “My Father’s House” is the only church I know where it’s happening. We’re the “going on to perfection church.” But I also know this; there’s no other kind of church Jesus will claim as His own except the “going on to perfection” church. So the others are fake “christians.” Jesus’ ministry is a perfection ministry; He perfects the elect. 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) Jesus makes disciples just like Himself; sons fit for Heaven. He’s able to use anything He chooses to accomplish that purpose because all things are lawful to Him for His purpose is always helpful. (1Cor10:23) Some read, “Jesus by one offering, has perfected forever those who are being sanctified!” (Heb10:14) to mean “perfection” is already done. Doesn’t it say past tense “perfected forever?” But it also says being sanctified which is an on going process. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily. (Col 1:28-29) If Jesus has finished perfecting us then why is He still working? Things like this expose the heretics who interpret one verse wrongly and ignore the others. To reconcile these verses you must understand Hebrews is talking about the “conscience” being perfected. (Heb10:14) How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb9:14) Because our conscience has been cleansed (past tense) we can go on to “perfection” in the “renewing of our mind.” (Present and future tense.) I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. (Rom12:1-2) So it’s because of Christ’s one offering to cleanse our conscience that the work of perfection can now go on in the mind. From beginning to end, the entire work begins with Christ’s offering of Himself by which He’s perfected the conscience of the elect who then go on to complete perfection until they arrive in the Kingdom perfected in body, soul and Spirit. 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. (1Thes5:23-24) All the scriptures pertaining to this subject have to be considered because The scripture cannot be broken. (Jn10:35) And to be correct our understanding of the scriptures must also agree with what we see the apostle Paul doing, because he certainly understands the scripture accurately on these subjects. After all, he wrote them. Whereas those heretics who take one verse and say, “It’s already done, we’re perfected in Christ Jesus. There’s nothing more to do.” Actually prevent Jesus from finishing the work of perfecting them because by believing there’s nothing more to do – nothing more gets done. So they perish because of their erroneous interpretation of: For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified. (Heb10:14) When the reality is: How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Heb9:14) His one offering has perfected the believer’s conscience which is what the blood of bulls and goats couldn’t do. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins. (Heb10:2) The Old Covenant can’t make those who approach perfect. (v1) Because animal sacrifices can’t perfect the conscience. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sins. (Heb10:4) But the blood of Christ can perfect the conscience. How important is a clean conscience? The difference between having a clean conscience or an evil one is in this: if you’ve an evil conscience you’ll think God is out to get you, so He can’t draw near to perfect you! Everything He tries to cleanse you, you’ll run from as though He’s trying to destroy you. But when you have a clean conscience, you know God isn’t out to harm you, but wants to help you. So you’ll let Him. Only through Christ’s offering which has cleansed the conscience, can the work of perfection go on in the hearts and minds of those who’ve accepted Christ because they know God isn’t out to destroy them but to help them. So also I know God isn’t out to get me even when something happens where people accuse or misjudge me. I know I’m in the Spirit. I know I’m not following selfishness. The carnal may think I’m selfish because they think I’m like them. But I’m not working for self. I’m doing in the Spirit needful things God shows me to perfect the saints. And when the Spirit shows me there’s something wrong, I know God is with me and He’s not out to harm me or the church. He wants to perfect us. My conscience is clean. The offering Jesus made has healed me of the guilt of sin. And by perfecting my conscience He can perfect the rest of me and use me to perfect you because I won’t fight against what He’s doing. I won’t run from Him. Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness-- by whose stripes you were healed. For you were like sheep going astray, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls. (1Pet 2:24-25) Prophecy: How many want to be a doctor because it pays well? How many want to be a soldier for the glory! How many wish to hold high and respected positions to attain prestige? Many? But how many are willing to do what it takes to become a doctor? A soldier? To do what it takes to become highly respected? Not many. I tell you if such a one who dropped out of school, whining and complaining, who wouldn’t pay the price, were to ask for a license to practice medicine just because he “wants it” what would they tell him? “You didn’t want it bad enough.” Now how many will try to enter My Kingdom saying, “I want the golden streets. I want the mansion. I want the glory.” When they wouldn’t pay the price to crucify the flesh, to lose their life to save it, to fellowship in the sufferings of Christ? And I’ll rightly say to them, “You didn’t want it bad enough.” There will be many who didn’t want it bad enough. But the people who’ll enter My Kingdom are those who want it bad enough to do what it takes to be a son of God; who stay in My school and go on to perfection. To their everlasting shame many have thought the school of Christ is a do nothing school, an anything goes school, a peaches and cream love without discipline type of school, so they’re not attaining to My Kingdom. My Kingdom is the highest glory a human being can attain to. And each applicant must be perfected to get into My Kingdom. So I’ll put My sons through everything it takes to make them worthy. But what ultimately makes them worthy is they’ll endure everything I put them through because they want it bad enough, saith the Lord. Prophecy: Many people seek what they call My presence, but often when I manifest they despise Me, ignore Me or don’t recognize Me. I tell you what they desire isn’t My presence as I come one time to reprove, rebuke or admonish, another time to instruct, another time to prophesy or testify. But they’ve come to think it’s Me only when I come to comfort, and they want to know Me as the God of all comfort. What they want is to be comforted over and over. But they don’t want to know Me as the God of justice, of judgment and truth. My people, you’ve been in My presence far more than you’ve realized, and your lack of realization has been a great grief to Me. Don’t make the mistake of seeing Me as being present only when I comfort; for I’ve many other things I need do to perfect My church, and often these things aren’t comfortable. Even as the fear of the Lord is clean, I must come at times to teach you to fear. And I’m doing you as much good when I teach you to fear God as when I come to comfort. For I do what needs to be done, and it’s wrong of you to expect Me to do only such things as you want. You must learn to receive what I give, for I give the thing that’s most needed. And even if it’s not comfortable, it will bring about a good end. So recognize Me in all My ways, not just in the few as so many of the false christians who think I’m only there when they feel comfortable or happy, but it’s not Me when they feel conviction, when they’re being reproved for their sins, or being taught to fear God. For I tell you, they don’t know Me. And you won’t inherit eternal life if you don’t know Me, for to know Me is eternal life, saith the Lord. (Prophecies delivered at "My Father's House")
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