SIN VERSES GROWTH

 If we see the 1 John 2:12-14 which says: -

12.I write to you, little children, Because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.

13.I write to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, Because you have overcome the wicked one.I write to you, little children, Because you have known the Father.

14.I have written to you, fathers, Because you have known Him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, Because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, And you have overcome the wicked one.

 First John 2:12-14 describes three levels of Christian growth in relation to sin. The first level is compared to "little children" (verse 12). Little children in the faith are

characterized by having their sins forgiven and possessing a knowledge of God. In other words, they are in the family of God and have overcome the penalty of sin, but they haven't grown to the full maturity.

 The second level is "young men" (verses 13,14), those who have overcome the evil one. These are aggressively growing believers who are strong because the Word of God abides in them. They know the truth and how to use it to resist Satan in the battle for their minds. They are no longer in bondage to uncontrollable habits, and they have resolved the personal and spiritual conflicts which keep many Christians

from experiencing freedom in Christ. They are free, and they know how to stay free.

 The third level is "fathers" (verses 13,14), those who have developed a deep personal knowledge of God. Their faith Enticed to Do It Your Way is securely founded on a close, intimate, loving relationship with God, which is the goal of our spiritual growth. Having challenged us to combat sin's power in our lives through a commitment to growth, John goes on to describe the avenues through which Satan tempts us.

 The word of God says that we grow from childhood to fathers level and if not growing then let us analyze where the problem is. Let the word of God work in us like a mirror as mentioned by James James 1:23-27 

 “If you listen to the Word and don’t live out the message you hear, you become like the person who looks in the mirror of the Word to discover the reflection of his face in the beginning. You perceive how God sees you in the mirror of the Word, but then you go out and forget your divine origin. But those who set their gaze deeply into the perfecting law of liberty are fascinated by and respond to the truth they hear and are strengthened by it—they experience God’s blessing in all that they do! If someone believes they have a relationship with God but fails to guard his words then his heart is drifting away and his religion is shallow and empty. True spirituality that is pure in the eyes of our Father God is to make a difference in the lives of the orphans, and widows in their troubles, and to refuse to be corrupted by the world’s values”.

 God bless you all

Courage in Christ comes from our unity with Christ

As a believer we need courage and need not be fearful and we should ensure that our courage rests upon which make us invincibly strong. Eph.6:10 “Be strong in the Lord” is one of the most important verses we will ever come to understand. It is very cornerstone to our knowing that we are invincible in spiritual warfare.

The phrase “In the Lord, In Christ appears 40 times in book of Ephesians. Every believer is inseparability united with Christ. We are placed by God into oneness with His person and work. 2 Corinth. 5:17 - Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

What does it mean to be in Christ and what is there that make is invincible strong. Let us see through the Bible 

1.To be “IN CHRIST” means we are in mighty victory of the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a great source of power for victory His name represents in Phillipians 2:9-11 - “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

His name is above every name and that speaks of a place of security and invincible strength. Every knee shall bow in submission to the power of that name satan and his Kingdome is also included. 

It is important daily to pray the security and strength of His name over personal life, family life and call on God upon your life. It is the name of Lord Jesus Christ that we are strong and invincible.

2. To be IN “CHRIST” means we are united in CHRIST in all of its victory that He achieved in His redemptive work. At salvation God puts us into all of His victory Christ achieved in His incarnation. On of the most astounding truth about the redemptive work of Christ is that in the person of Christ, God himself became a human being, which is one of the great Mistry of the eternity. As per Hebrew 2:14-15 in His reincarnate form, as one of us that Lord Jesus Christ achieved our redemption and totally defeated the Kingdome of darkness.

1 John 4:2-3 says every spirit that acknowledge that Chrost has come in flesh is from God and that does not acknowledge is not from God and is antichrist which is coming and already there in the world. 

The truth that God’s entering the world in person of Christ, the truth God was in Christ, that God himself became a human being, is a devastating threat to satan Kingdome. John tells this truth is so devastating and threatening to the Kingdome of darkness that fallen angels will not freely admit that Jesus Christ has come in human flesh. 

And victory over satan belongs to us through our union with Christ in His incarnation. It is experienced by those who appropriate and use this mighty truth against the enemy. Just use and see how defeating it is to your adversary if you focus the truth of your union with Christ in His incarnation against satan and his kingdom. 

He lives as a human being without sin and that was worthy of God’s best blessings. Tempted in every way and was without sin. He was always in fellowship with the heavenly father, always utterly holy and worthy of God’s best. As we walk in the world His worthy human life belon to us. It is ours and God sees us in Him. We do not expect those manifold blessing day by day because of how good and successful we are in living a prefect life. No, we expect His blessing because of our incarnate savior lived a perfectly worthy life and we are in Christ.

3.To be “IN CHRIST” means we are in the work and victory won by Hos death.  The suffering and death of our Lord Jesus Christ are equally vital to our invincible position in warfare praying. “Since the Children are flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by His death he might destroy him who holds the power of death – that is the devil – and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. 

In redemption’s plan God puts believers into the death of Christ with all of its victory over our enemies. We must aggressively lay hold of our union with Christ in His death and apply it as a part of our responsibility in invincible warfare. It is conveyed to us in Romans 6:11-12 “In the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus”. Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.

The fact that we commanded not to let sin reign in our body is evidence that believers can have this problem. And if the believer’s do not appropriate and apply their union with Christ in His death, sin in various expression will rule. We are responsible to count to affirm as truth that we are dead to sin’s rule. We ae united with Christ in His death because of that truth we are dead to the rule of sin /satan but alive to God’s reign. 

The cross and blood of our savior are great threat to Satan’s kingdom because in the cross, Jesus Christ brought satans Kingdome to nothing. As a believer we must apply the death of Christ, claiming all of the benefits to our person lives, to our families and to our ministry for the Lord so that we too become invincible with Christ in His death. And having disarmed the powers and authorities he made s public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the Cross (Col.2:15).

4. To be “IN CHRIST” suggests further victory in His resurrection also. The same mighty power that raised up our Lord Jesus Christ from the grave belong to us and is ours. Even after becoming believers/ Apostle in Christ, while writing to Philippians say “I want o know Christ and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like His in His death and so somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead’ (Phillip. 3:10-11). Being in the Lord means that mighty power of resurrection is ours to be known and use to make us invincible in our warfare.

5.To be “IN CHRIST” has further application to our being seated with Christ in the heavenlies. “And God raise us up with Christ and seated is with Him in heavenly realms in Christ Jesus” (Ephs.2:6). After His resurrection the Lord Jesus was: -

“Which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come”.  And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all” (Eph.1-20-23). 

The ascension of Christ into glory was the sealing moments of His finished triumph and portrayal of His supreme Victory “for above all rule and authority” Being seated with Christ there, our “IN CHRIST” position is a truth demonstrating our “IN THE LORD” authority to resist the devil and to defeat him.  We are united with Christ in all His ascended authority and power.

Finally, to be strong in the Lord means we know and apply the truth of the word of God in our life and walk in Victory every day. There is much more in the little phrases in the Lord , In Christ  which help us to understand our unity with Christ and that make us invincible storing and satan roaring never need to frighten us if we are in Christ

We are new creation in Christ

If we do not fully understand our identity and position in Christ, there is likely to believe that there is little distinction between ourselves and non-believers.

Paul describes who we were before we come to Christ in Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, just as the others”.

and as a born-again child of God what we are

2 Peter 1:4 the Bible says “by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”.

Roman 8:9 “But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His”.

Ephesian 5:8 also says “You were formerly darkness but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” 

Also 2 Corinthian 5:16-17 says “Therefore, from now on, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him thus no longer. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new”.

We are new creation after receiving salvation by grace but the flesh pattern are still present. These flesh patterns / learned habit patterns of thoughts and previous conditioned responses prompt us to focus us on our interests. But it is to be noted that we are not in flesh, as our old self was but we are now in Christ. Please note that we can still chose to live according to flesh (Roman 8:12-13). Paul did not identified believers based on their flesh patter or learned habit patterns.

We may struggle with some of those flesh pattern but that is not who we are.  New Testament explains who we were before being saved. At salvation our old self which was motivated to live independent of God and therefore characterized by sin, died (Roman 6:6) and new self-united with Christ came into life. 

Because our spirit /soul is in union with Christ by His grace and we are identified with Him: ---- 

1.In His death – Roman 6:3, Galatians 2:20

2.In His burial ---Roman 6:4

3.In His resurrection--- Roman 6:5,8,11

4.In His ascension---Ephesians 2:6

5.In His life     --Roman 5:10-11

6.In His power –Ephesian 1:19-20

7.In His inheritance ---Romans 8:16-17, Ephes.1-11-12

Your old self has to die in order to sever your relationship with sin, which dominated it. Being a saint or child of God doesn’t mean that you are sinless 1 John 1:8. But your old self has been crucified and buried with Christ, you no longer have to sin 1John 2:1.

We sin because we chose to believe the lie or act independently of God.

May God bless you

The ways to strengthen ourselves in time of attacks

Sometimes, we experience our greatest attacks, when we are closest to our calling. I believe everyone experiences prolonged periods of waiting in certain areas. Mentioned below are few ways, we can strengthen ourselves in the Lord in these times.

 Strengthen Yourself In The Lord

 1. Sing to God - God who is holy, inhabits the praises of His people. His presence will come to you at that moment and change your atmosphere and perspective. When everything is going to chaos, if you want to be strong in the Lord, learn to sing to Him.

 2. Speak In Tongues - We are commanded to sing in tongues, speak in tongues, and pray in tongues. You have to actively engage with them to get strengthened.

3. Speak To Your Soul - David did this a lot, especially throughout the Psalms (Psalm 42:2-7). You have to realize that you are not your thoughts. You have thoughts. In the same way, you are not your emotions; you have emotions and you can speak to them.

4. Strengthen Others - We actually strengthen ourselves in the Lord, when we are feeling tired yet choose to strengthen others. The Bible makes it clear that he who waters others will be watered himself. There is strength in serving but there is no strength in self-pity.

5. Subdue The Enemy - We don't fight thoughts with thoughts; we fight thoughts with words. With demonic stress, you have to open your mouth and tell the devil to stop and get out of your way. Realize your oneness with Christ in His whole being i.e. Person, Position, Victory. We are not supposed to run from the devil; we are only supposed to run from sin. We stand and resist the devil and he flees from us.

 If you handle your hard times with care, they will become good times. How do you handle your hard times with care? Strengthen yourself in the Lord your God.

 

God bless you

Do not be left behind in the Rapture

The rapture is what we call the event in which Jesus comes again to take believers out of this world. The Bible calls it a “catching away” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and describes it as an instantaneous “change” of the body that bypasses death (1 Corinthians 15:51–52). Those raptured “will be with the Lord forever” (1 Thessalonians 4:17). Believers in Jesus Christ are taken in the rapture; unbelievers will be left behind when the rapture occurs.

Those left behind in the rapture will face a quickly changing world—and the change will not be for the better. Second Thessalonians 2:11 says that the “power of lawlessness” is currently being held in check by the Holy Spirit. At the rapture, the true church is removed from the earth, and the Holy Spirit’s restraint will be “taken out of the way.” At that moment, the world will have no born-again believers anywhere. All the Christian workers in hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, rescue missions, relief agencies—gone. Every Christian in law enforcement, social work, and health care—gone. And of course many churches will sit empty. In addition to the great void in the service community will be the commencement of God’s judgment on a rebellious world, detailed in Revelation 6—16.

Don’t be left behind. Make sure you are ready for the rapture. Since the rapture is for believers, it is vital that you place your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior (Acts 16:31). Repent of your sin and fully trust in Jesus alone as the payment for your sin. Believe in Him, and you will not perish (John 3:16). The Lord knows who are His, and He will leave none of them behind (John 10:14).

Those who are saved by faith in Christ will not be left behind in the rapture. The saved are like the five wise virgins in Jesus’ parable who are ready for the coming of the bridegroom; they have their lamps trimmed and burning and full of oil—a symbol of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 25:1–13). To make sure that you are not left behind, trust Christ. Today is the day of salvation (2 Corinthians 6:2). Do not delay another moment. The matter is urgent. Trust Christ now.

What does the Bible teach about the Trinity?

 The most difficult thing about the Christian concept of the Trinity is that there is no way to perfectly and completely understand it. The Trinity is a concept that is impossible for any human being to fully understand, let alone explain. God is infinitely greater than we are; therefore, we should not expect to be able to fully understand Him. The Bible teaches that the Father is God, that Jesus is God, and that the Holy Spirit is God. The Bible also teaches that there is only one God. Though we can understand some facts about the relationship of the different Persons of the Trinity to one another, ultimately, it is incomprehensible to the human mind. However, this does not mean the Trinity is not true or that it is not based on the teachings of the Bible.

The Trinity is one God existing in three Persons. Understand that this is not in any way suggesting three Gods. Keep in mind when studying this subject that the word “Trinity” is not found in Scripture. This is a term that is used to attempt to describe the triune God—three coexistent, co-eternal Persons who are God. Of real importance is that the concept represented by the word “Trinity” does exist in Scripture. The following is what God’s Word says about the Trinity:

1) There is one God (Deuteronomy 6:4; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; 1 Timothy 2:5).

2) The Trinity consists of three Persons (Genesis 1:1, 26; 3:22; 11:7; Isaiah 6:8, 48:16, 61:1; Matthew 3:16-17, 28:19; 2 Corinthians 13:14). In Genesis 1:1, the Hebrew plural noun "Elohim" is used. In Genesis 1:26, 3:22, 11:7 and Isaiah 6:8, the plural pronoun for “us” is used. The word "Elohim" and the pronoun “us” are plural forms, definitely referring in the Hebrew language to more than two. While this is not an explicit argument for the Trinity, it does denote the aspect of plurality in God. The Hebrew word for "God," "Elohim," definitely allows for the Trinity.

In Isaiah 48:16 and 61:1, the Son is speaking while making reference to the Father and the Holy Spirit. Compare Isaiah 61:1 to Luke 4:14-19 to see that it is the Son speaking. Matthew 3:16-17 describes the event of Jesus’ baptism. Seen in this passage is God the Holy Spirit descending on God the Son while God the Father proclaims His pleasure in the Son. Matthew 28:19 and 2 Corinthians 13:14 are other examples of passages that present three distinct Persons in the Trinity.

3) The members of the Trinity are distinguished one from another in various passages. In the Old Testament, “LORD” is distinguished from “Lord” (Genesis 19:24; Hosea 1:4). The LORD has a Son (Psalm 2:7, 12; Proverbs 30:2-4). The Spirit is distinguished from the “LORD” (Numbers 27:18) and from “God” (Psalm 51:10-12). God the Son is distinguished from God the Father (Psalm 45:6-7; Hebrews 1:8-9). In the New Testament, Jesus speaks to the Father about sending a Helper, the Holy Spirit (John 14:16-17). This shows that Jesus did not consider Himself to be the Father or the Holy Spirit. Consider also the other instances when Jesus speaks to the Father. Was He speaking to Himself? No. He spoke to another Person in the Trinity—the Father.

4) Each member of the Trinity is God. The Father is God (John 6:27; Romans 1:7; 1 Peter 1:2). The Son is God (John 1:1, 14; Romans 9:5; Colossians 2:9; Hebrews 1:8; 1 John 5:20). The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4; 1 Corinthians 3:16).

5) There is subordination within the Trinity. Scripture shows that the Holy Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son, and the Son is subordinate to the Father. This is an internal relationship and does not deny the deity of any Person of the Trinity. This is simply something our finite minds cannot understand concerning the infinite God. Concerning the Son see Luke 22:42, John 5:36, John 20:21, and 1 John 4:14. Concerning the Holy Spirit see John 14:16, 14:26, 15:26, 16:7, and especially John 16:13-14.

6) The individual members of the Trinity have different tasks. The Father is the ultimate source or cause of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; Revelation 4:11); divine revelation (Revelation 1:1); salvation (John 3:16-17); and Jesus’ human works (John 5:17; 14:10). The Father initiates all of these things.

The Son is the agent through whom the Father does the following works: the creation and maintenance of the universe (1 Corinthians 8:6; John 1:3; Colossians 1:16-17); divine revelation (John 1:1, 16:12-15; Matthew 11:27; Revelation 1:1); and salvation (2 Corinthians 5:19; Matthew 1:21; John 4:42). The Father does all these things through the Son, who functions as His agent.

The Holy Spirit is the means by whom the Father does the following works: creation and maintenance of the universe (Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13; Psalm 104:30); divine revelation (John 16:12-15; Ephesians 3:5; 2 Peter 1:21); salvation (John 3:6; Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:2); and Jesus’ works (Isaiah 61:1; Acts 10:38). Thus, the Father does all these things by the power of the Holy Spirit.

There have been many attempts to develop illustrations of the Trinity. However, none of the popular illustrations are completely accurate. The egg (or apple) fails in that the shell, white, and yolk are parts of the egg, not the egg in themselves, just as the skin, flesh, and seeds of the apple are parts of it, not the apple itself. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not parts of God; each of them is God. The water illustration is somewhat better, but it still fails to adequately describe the Trinity. Liquid, vapor, and ice are forms of water. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not forms of God, each of them is God. So, while these illustrations may give us a picture of the Trinity, the picture is not entirely accurate. An infinite God cannot be fully described by a finite illustration.

The doctrine of the Trinity has been a divisive issue throughout the entire history of the Christian church. While the core aspects of the Trinity are clearly presented in God’s Word, some of the side issues are not as explicitly clear. The Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God—but there is only one God. That is the biblical doctrine of the Trinity. Beyond that, the issues are, to a certain extent, debatable and non-essential. Rather than attempting to fully define the Trinity with our finite human minds, we would be better served by focusing on God’s greatness and His infinitely higher nature. “Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?” (Romans 11:33-34).

 

Are you misled by experience

 

Apostle Paul keeps emphasizing in the Roman Chapter 5 and 6. We must stand upon the truth and not allow subjective experience to challenge the absolute of truth. Subjective experience never to be trusted as a valid establisher of spiritual truth. Please note that the revealed word of God established the truth.

 In Roman Chapter 5 and 6 the Apostle Paul expounds the truth that each believer is united with Christ in His total victory over sin, death and Satan. This is an infallible truth upon which each believer is responsible to stand. Sin and Satan cannot rule over a dead person. Sin cannot master and put into slavery a person who is now “alive unto God” because of our union with Christ in His resurrection. That is infallible, unchanging truth upon which we are meant to stand regardless of experience.

 Brothers and Sisters Satan will ceaselessly seek to challenge the truth. He will bring all the harassment. He can muster into experience to make you think that for you this just does not work. He keeps saying by your experience that sin is too strong and he can and will reign in your life.

 What is Apostle answer to such attacks “in the same way count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. Therefore, let not sin reign in your body so that you obey the evil desires”. Roman 6:11-12 Paul’s challenge is repeatedly communicated in similar doctrinal passage. We must stand upon truth. Our responsibility is to affirm as fact that we are “dead” to the rule and reign of sin , of death  and of Satan in our lives.

 We are “alive to God”. Our Lord is ruling. Our responsibility is not let sin reign. when we accept the fact that “it does not work” because the experience of battle is too great. The moment we allow Satan invincible role in our lives because of our experience of defeat in our daily battles and experience of defeat, we are   letting him reign in our lives.

 Please remember that victory comes because we have certainty of victory through our Lord Jesus Christ and hence do not fall into the trap of convincing yourself that you are defeated. We are 100% victorious in Christ.

 God bless you