GRACE AND THE TRUTH - DAILY INSPIRATION

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CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH   Part  1 of 4     MAY 15, 2007


CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH
Part  1 of 4
by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL


"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no more." - 2 Corinthians 5:16


Some theologians have interpreted the phrase "after the flesh" as a reference to the ministry of Christ on the earth and have used this text to prove that believers living in the present dispensation of grace have nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Is this the right meaning of the text? Is this what the Apostle Paul meant by the expression, "What is the relationship of the Body of Christ to the earthly ministry of Christ?"

Some religious people claim that they only believe what Jesus did and taught when He was on earth. The so-called sophisticated theologians say that no one knows what Jesus did and taught on earth. According to their view, the Gospels are myths and these theologians are still searching for the historical Jesus. Paul Tillich uses II Corinthians 5:16 to prove that Christians are to forget about any historical Jesus and be occupied with "the Christ." He says that Schleiermacher's theology should again be tried. Schleiermacher insisted that one could be a Christian even if he did not believe that Jesus existed. Jesus may have been here on earth, but belief in Jesus' incarnation, death and resurrection are not essential to Christianity. Man is to believe in the Christ spirit according to this type of theology.

How, then, is the expression "after the flesh" to be understood? Does Paul refer to the earthly ministry of Jesus as the incarnate Son of God who died for our sins and was raised bodily from the dead and ascended bodily into heaven? Does the expression mean to know Christ in a carnal manner --- that is, to not have a true spiritual comprehension of His person and work?

I believe the latter interpretation is correct. The text cannot refer to the incarnate Christ because Paul would be guilty of contradiction. Over and over again Paul refers to Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God. In Romans 1:3 Paul asserts that the gospel is, "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh." In his last epistle Paul says to Timothy, "Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my gospel" (II Tim. 2:8).

The context of the Corinthian epistles prove that most of the believers viewed the ministry of Paul, Apollos, and Peter in a carnal manner; they judged each other in a carnal way. They had a faulty conception of the person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul had to declare to them again the essentials of the Gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4). Some were saying in the Corinthian church that there is no resurrection of the dead (I Cor. 15:12). Paul argues that if this premise were true, then we must conclude that Christ was not raised from the dead.

Some of the Corinthian believers had a carnal view of what it meant to be a member of the Body of Christ. They did not realize that being a member of the Body of Christ meant a vital relationship not only to Christ, but to each other.

CONTINUED 5/16

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Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH   Part  2 of 4     MAY 16, 2007


CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH
Part  2 OF 4
by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL



Paul declares that the Corinthian congregation gathered together not for the better, but for the worse in the observance of the Lord's Supper. Paul's words are, "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not, that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse" (I Cor. 11:17).

The Corinthians accused Paul of the spiritual crime of making plans and purposes in a fleshly manner, without depending upon the Lord, when he announced that he was going to visit them and take an offering for the poor saints in Jerusalem. Paul defended his ministry in these words, "When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there should be yea yea, and nay nay?" The Apostle asserts that his preaching and action was not yes and no but positively yes. Many more illustrations are found in the Corinthian epistles to show the Corinthians that a wrong view of many doctrines and practices included the person and work of Christ.

Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, had a carnal view of the person and work of Christ. It is absolutely essential to understand that Paul always believed that the Christ was coming. The coming of the Messiah was part of the creed of an orthodox Jew, but Israel was disappointed with Jesus' claims to be the Christ and this disappointment finally turned into deep hatred which caused them to crucify Him.

Paul once believed in the Messiah as a political ruler who would save Israel from her enemies. He did not understand that first Israel must be saved from her sins. He could not understand a rejected Christ.

After his conversion, he no longer viewed Christ in a carnal way, but understood that the Christ was to die. He declared, "We preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks foolishness" (I Cor. 1:23).

Before his conversion, Paul believed in the Christ, but denied that Jesus was the Christ. His ministry to the Jews was not to prove that the Christ was coming, but that Jesus was the Christ and that the Jews should understand the true prophetic view of the Messiah as One who was to suffer and be raised again (Acts 17:2,3).

Continued 5/17/2007

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Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH   Part  3 of 4     MAY 17, 2007


CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH
Part  3 OF 4
by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL




in what sense should believers in this dispensation follow Christ? We must "rightly divide the word of truth" in answering this question. Our Lord was made under the law and therefore believers are not to follow Him in Jewish rites and ceremonies such as circumcision, keeping of the Sabbath day, water baptism, meat restrictions, Jewish feasts, etc. The Apostle Paul does command believers in this dispensation to follow certain features of the earthly ministry of Christ. Believers are to follow Christ in humility according to Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Paul goes on to describe that though Christ was in the form of God, He came to this earth in the form of a servant and humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

This text definitely refers to the earthly ministry of Christ. Notice the verb "was." Christ is no longer in humiliation; God has highly exalted Him to the highest heavens. But believers are still on this earth and are to have the mind of humility which Christ had when He was on earth.

In the context of II Corinthians 5, Paul refers to the death of Christ. Are not believers to glory in the Cross of Christ as Paul did? Paul says in II Cor. 5:21 that Christ "knew no sin." When was this demonstrated? The earthly ministry of Christ is the vindication of this claim. It is one thing to make a theological assertion concerning the holiness of God and another thing to prove it. The incarnate Christ is unique in the history of the world. Since the fall of Adam, every human being has manifested sin in his life. Christ Jesus is the only exception. In these days of neurotic and frustrated individuals who do not know who they really are, it is a source of joy to me to preach a Christ who was the master of every situation. No one ever baffled Him or put Him in a frustrating position. He said at the time of His rejection, "Even so Father, for so it seemed good in they sight" (Matthew 11 :26).

Paul refers to the words of Christ in regard to giving in Acts 20:35, "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed to give than to receive." The Apostle Paul certainly remembered these words of the Lord Jesus in a sacrificial ministry of giving himself to proclaim the Gospel.

In writing to Timothy, the Apostle Paul refers to Christ's conduct before Pilate as an example of being a good witness, "I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession" (I Tim. 6:13). This good confession of Christ before Pilate is found in the Gospel according to John which shows that Paul had a thorough knowledge of the earthly ministry of Christ.

As a dispensationalist, I carefully distinguish between that in the earthly ministry of Christ which was Jewish and not to be practiced by members of the Body of Christ, and that which the Apostle Paul commands members of the Body of Christ to observe in the earthly ministry of Christ.


Conclusion 5/18/07

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Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one who maybe defending the USA. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.  It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH   Part  4 of 4     MAY 18, 2007


CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH
Part  4 OF 4
by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL



The Pauline epistles are to be used as the key to the understanding of the Scriptures. Paul insists that all Scripture "is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3:16-17).

In regard to marriage, Paul says to the Corinthians that the Lord spoke about certain aspects when He was on earth, but problems had come up which our Lord did not mention when He was here on earth. Paul was giving instructions on the problems that arose in Corinth. Paul does not give any details concerning the marriage of near relatives, but in his dealing with the case of incest in the Corinthian church, he assumes that the principles of Leviticus on the marriage of near relatives are still in force. Paul did not condemn the sin of incest because of some man-made law, but because the sin was a violation of the law of God.

It is obvious that many commands of God in Leviticus are not for members of the Body of Christ. How do we know what is binding upon God's people today? Certainly the epistle to the Hebrews forbids the animal sacrifices commanded to be offered in the book of Leviticus.

If we use this principle of interpretation in the study of the Old Testament, certainly we are to employ the same methodology in the study of the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels.

The Apostle Paul in his epistles stresses the identity of Jesus of Nazareth with the glorified Head of the Church. There is a difference between Jesus Christ in humiliation and glorification, but this is not what Paul means in II Cor. 5:16. Therefore II Cor. 5: 16 cannot refer to the earthly ministry of Christ, because this passage teaches that believers are to know Christ no longer after the flesh in an absolute sense.

This passage teaches that believers are to have the right view of Christ's person and work. The carnal Corinthians needed this text in their day; Paul needed to understand the person and work of Christ before his conversion. Millions of people today need to know who Jesus is and why He came. Do you know Christ in a fleshly way?

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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ENEMIES OF GOD AND WORSHIPERS OF SATAN MAY 21, 07


ENEMIES OF GOD AND WORSHIPERS OF SATAN
by C. R. Stam


"...we were enemies..." (Rom. 5:10).

"...the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not..." (II Cor. 4:4).

Many religious but unsaved people will not accept the fact that they are enemies of God, and fail to understand why the Bible should insist that they are. But the God who says that they are sinners, worthy of everlasting judgment; that their only hope of salvation lies in the One who poured out His life's blood to pay the penalty for their sins -- this God, the God of the Bible, they cannot abide. Let one of His servants tell them what He says about them and they are insulted. When this God, the true God, refuses to accept their "good" works or their "righteous" conduct they react like Cain, of whom we read: "And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell" (Gen. 4:5). They simply will not bow to this God, and their attitude betrays their enmity against Him.

But why will they not turn away from their self-righteousness and trust in Christ, who died for their sins?

Simply because they worship Satan, "the god of this age," who "hath blinded the minds of those who believe not." Worship Satan? This too is hard for the unregenerate man to believe about himself. As he has his own conception of God, he also has his own conception of Satan -- a wrong one.

Unbelievers do not know that the real Satan, the Satan of the Bible, has a vast wardrobe and, in this dispensation of grace, doubtless appears most often as "an angel of light" with "ministers of righteousness" (II Cor. 11:14,15). This Satan they do indeed worship. They adore him, and try to live by his precepts, convinced that the way to salvation is to do and be good.

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~THE DOCTRINE OF ADOPTION~     MAY 22, 2007


~THE DOCTRINE OF ADOPTION~


Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:3-7

We who are saved under the dispensation of grace are the most spiritually privileged and blessed of all generations of believers. Our positional status, our standing, transcends that of any previous children of God. Upon believing unto salvation we come into possession of every conceivable spiritual blessing and assurance. Knowing full well that we are totally undeserving of it, God has placed us as His full-grown, full-fledged sons - joint-heirs with Christ. We have served no apprenticeship, nor have we performed any required act of qualification to prove eligibility to inherit our promised ascension to the glory, seated together with Him in the heavenlies.

Such is our unequivocally assured eternal future: "the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of His glory" (Ephesians 1:14b). But we are even now enjoying our standing as full sons while "waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Romans 8:23b). "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may be also glorified together" (Romans 8:14-17). Addressing the head of the family, 'Abba, Father' is indicative of respectful familiarity, expressing trustfulness and reliance ---an appropriate title to the privileged son and heir, the adopted by Jesus Christ.
By Robert Hanna. Pastor, Calif.

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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~GRACE TODAY AND TOMORROW~      MAY 23, 2007


~GRACE TODAY AND TOMORROW~


Paul learned what thousands upon thousands of God’s saints have learned from his day to ours: that it is often more blessed to experience God’s grace in suffering than to enjoy deliverance from suffering, for in the former case we lean the harder and pray the more, and so are drawn closer to Him. Moreover, we find that His strength is made perfect in weakness and that when we are weak, then are we strong (II Cor. 12:9,10).

But even better things are in store for God’s people: Some day, "in the ages to come," God will display to all the universe "the exceeding riches of His grace." How will He do this? "In His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7).

Dear reader, have you accepted the grace of God in Christ Jesus? Do you believe that He loves you and that He "came into the world" to bear all the blame and shame and punishment that was your due, so that you might be "justified freely by His grace" (Rom. 3:24)?

If not, will you take Him at His Word now and come to know the truth of II Cor. 4:15:

"For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God."

Whatever your past; however great or many your sins, take God at His Word. Believe that He loves you in spite of all. Believe that He has already provided the payment for your sins in Christ:

"In whom we have redemption. through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" (Eph. 1:7).

By C. R. Stam

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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WITH CHRIST    MAY 24, 2007


"WITH CHRIST"



There is a well-known Negro spiritual which begins with these words: 'Were you there when they crucified my Lord?' The immediate answer is 'No, I wasn't there.' But after deeper reflection we have to answer differently, 'Yes, I was there - in the person of Jesus Christ.'

   'How do you arrive at that?' we inquire. The Word of God - especially in the epistles of Paul - sets forth a marvelous truth. It centers in another 'big-little' word. This word is 'with.'

   When Christ was crucified, we were crucified 'with Him. 'When Christ died, we died 'with Him.' When He was buried, we were buried 'with Him.' Then when He arose from among the dead, we were raised 'with Him.' When He ascended and passed through the heavens, we ascended 'with Him.' When He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on High, we were seated together 'with Him.' When He appears in His glory, we will also 'appear with Him in glory.' Then the promise is that if we 'endure, we shall also reign with Him' (2 Timothy 2:12).

   Now all of this speaks not so much of our union with Christ as our association with Christ. We were 'with Him' in His death, burial, resurrection and enthronement. We are 'with Him' in His glorified life now. We shall be 'with Him' in the ages to come. This is glorious 'positional truth.' But what about the experiential side of this blessed truth? How does this affect my daily life here on earth?

   It means that by faith, based on the divine facts. I reckon myself to have died with Christ unto sin and 'the elements of the world' (Romans 6: 2-11; Gal.  2:20); to have been buried with Christ in death (Colossians 2: 12); to have been 'quickened together with Christ (Ephesians 2:1,5); to have been 'raised up together' with Christ (Eph. 2:6); to have been 'made to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.' (Ephesians 2:6.) God has already accomplished these feats, and it is up to each one of us to believe what God has spoken and to rest upon them.'

   Then it also means that I presently share in the very life of Christ. We are 'saved by His life' (Romans 5:10). We have been called 'unto the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord' (1 Corinthians 1:9). This involves communing with Him, meditating in His Word of Truth, engaging in praise and prayer and drawing wisdom, grace and strength from Him. It means also not only to suffer for Him, but to 'suffer with Him' (Romans 8:17). Only His grace can enable us to do this, since we naturally are averse to suffering. But what eternal rewards will be ours if we do so!

   Finally, it means to walk with Him 'in newness of life.' 'How can two walk together, except they be agreed?' (Amos 3:3.) As we daily 'trust and obey' we can walk together in every circumstance, and experience what one hymn writer states, 'It is glory just to walk with Him!'

   You are not only 'in Christ' but 'with Christ' today?

Pastor Paul Hume

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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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PERFECT IN CHRIST     MAY 26, 2007


PERFECT IN CHRIST
By Pastor Floyd Baker



Scripture Reading: Colossians 1:28

"To whom (His saints vs. 26) God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory WHOM WE PREACH, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present EVERY MAN PERFECT IN CHRIST JESUS: whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily." Along with this we read in Ephesians 4:13, "Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a PERFECT man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ."

Many times 1 Corinthians 13:13 is referred to and we are instructed that "love is the ultimate" in God's will for our lives. But this verse must be understood in the light of the context. Paul has been showing the transitory purpose of certain gifts such as prophecy, tongues, and knowledge and in this light love is said to abide. What we are to realize is "that which is perfect" is in view and in Colossians and Ephesians "that which is perfect" (same Greek word) is present. We do not minimize love but it has to be put into proper perspective. Love is not to be apart from the "full knowledge" of God's truth for the administration of grace but along with it.

Notice the words Paul uses to describe his God-given instructions to present every man "perfect in Christ Jesus." "To which end also I am constantly laboring to the point of exhaustion, engaging in a contest in which I am controlled by His energy which operates in me in power" (Wuest).

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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NO WORD, NO TRUTH     MAY 26, 2007


NO WORD, NO TRUTH



"Without faith it is impossible to please Him" (Heb. 11 :6).


Rationalism defies God; Ritualism degrades God.

"With Rationalism's intellectual audacity on the one hand, which dares to speak against the Word of God; and on the other hand, the outward piety of Ritualism -  there is really the same root of infidelity at bottom. There is the supplanting of the plain truth of the inspired Word. Both get rid of it, depriving the soul of that which is the only means of a living link between God and man.

"It does not matter what the means or forms may be, whether the negative process of Rationalism, or the more positive claim of Ritualism: if man comes in - whether it be his rites or his reasonings - so as to exclude God's Word, or step between its authority and the soul of man, it becomes pretty much the same result in the end.

"Rationalism is the deification of human powers, in which man presumes by his own mind to judge the Word of God, and is therefore the infidelity of the intellect when either carried out to its results or judged in its principle.

"On the other hand Ritualism is the infidelity of the imagination, very often with piety underneath it, with a love for the Saviour that may preserve from the full consequences of the system, but in itself always savoring of and tending to idolatry.

"We cannot know the value of Christ the Truth unless we have the Spirit of Truth. Nevertheless, the test of having the Spirit of Truth, and of not being a prey to fanaticism, is that the soul is attracted and subject to the Lord Jesus Christ - and this cannot be without faith produced and nourished by the Word of Truth." -W.K.

By M. Stanford

"Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God" (Rom. 10: 17).

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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" SONSHIP "      MAY 27, 2007


" SONSHIP "



"You really need some one to teach you over again the very rudiments of the truths of God.......Such persons are mere babes" (Heb.5:12,13, Wey.).

When it comes to spiritual growth, sooner or later the thought arises, "Surely the work of the Cross produced more than this!" It surely did! Now you are on the march for the Father's very best as it is in Christ Jesus.

"Sonship represents growth unto fullness and maturity. It is quite a good thing to be a babe while babyhood lasts, but it is a very bad thing to be a babe when that period is past. This is the condition of many Christians. While sonship is inherent in birth, in the New Testament sense sonship is growth to maturity. With this growth comes the greater fullness of the Lord Jesus and the abundant spiritual wealth unto which we were saved. It is a matter not so much of that from which we were saved, as of that unto which we were saved. The grand climax of the new creation is 'the revealing of the sons of God (Rom. 8:19)."-T.A-S.

"It is one thing to drop off or renounce certain things, and quite another to be engrossed with the right thing. Monks renounce much, but they are not occupied with the glorified Lord Jesus Christ. It must be not only 'forgetting those things which are behind,' but also reaching out unto the things that are before. It is that which you give yourself to, not what you have abandoned, that colors you and which imparts character to you." --J.B.S.

"Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17).
By M. Stanford

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
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If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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"FULFILLED AND FILLED FULL"    MAY 28, 2007

"FULFILLED AND FILLED FULL"
by Charles Wages



"That you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God." (CoI.4:12).

   Man never finishes anything! Only God can bring something or someone to completeness or a "full end." That fact certainly leaves "man" out of creation and the "new" creation. In other words, "man" had nothing to do with the creation of the heavens and earth  (Gen. 1 : 1), or with salvation (the "new creation") (2 Cor 5: 17). Because of the "riches of His Grace," we have been forgiven. We have been completely forgiven of all our sins. Colossians 2: 13 reads,

"And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses:"

   Previous to being redeemed or "forgiven all sins" we were considered "dead" according to God's laws and standards. However, God has "quickened" (made alive) us together with Christ.

   He has "fulfilled" the law (Rom. 8:2) Romans 10:4 tells us that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth." This means that our Lord has fulfilled every demand of the law (Old Testament). The believing sinner has been declared righteous through the redemption that is in Jesus Christ (Rom. 3:24).

   What God begins He is able to finish! In the very beginning God intended for His creation to be perfect and that is exactly what it was. The garden of Eden was a perfect place. There were no sins, no struggles, no suffering. A perfect environment for perfect people. Did the entrance of sin through the Devil abrogate, destroy, and deter God's ultimate plan for His original creation? The answer is no. In His own time we will see His plan completed. In 2 Peter 3:13, we read,

"Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness."

   Just like the first perfect "man," Adam, became imperfect through sin, the whole of God's creation has felt the detrimental effect. Yet, God's great plan was to bring the perfect "man," Christ, into the world to make "new" all who would believe in Him. This perfect man, the man Christ Jesus, by His perfect sacrifice for sin make all who believe in Him to be "new creations" ( 2 Cor. 5:17-19).

   From the human standpoint, it appears as if God's great plan for humankind and His physical creation has been dealt a death blow. Man surmises "God started something He can't finish!" What about the salvation He freely bestows upon all who believe in the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ? Remember, God never begins anything He can't bring to completion, fulfillment, fruition, or "end." Please read Colossians 2:10 and then Philippians 1:6.

"And ye are complete in Him which is the head of all principality and power."

"Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."

Our first parents, Adam and Eve, inherited a perfect or complete environment unspoiled by sin and degradation. Their failure, in yielding to Satan's temptation, did not mean God's great plan failed. God sees the end from the beginning and the ultimate or completion of His plan and purpose (Rom. 8:28 ).

   Difficult for our finite minds to comprehend? Yes, but not difficult for God. In fact, if we believe God's Word, it becomes understandable. However, we may never fully understand while on earth, but we can believe it! A conscientious, careful reading of Romans 8:28-29 will do wonders in opening the eyes of our understanding and allow us to praise Him who loved us and gave Himself for us.

    What privilege, what hope, what encouragement to know we have been saved to serve the Awesome, Almighty God. He is able and will finish all that He begins! We can say what the apostle Paul said of his trust in God.

"For the which cause also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day."

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

"HIS PATIENCE"   MAY 29, 2007


"HIS PATIENCE"



"Tribulation worketh patience" (Rom. 5:3).

The source of our Christian life is a Person, and the growth of that life in us is a gradual process - comparable to a grain of wheat, or a branch in the vine.

"A person whose ancestors for three or four generations have all been Christians, may inherit their virtues; but although affecting his life for good, they do not count before God as righteousness, for they are not the fruit of the directly imparted divine life. A believer may thus inherit patience, and although he may be but a babe in Christ, he is seen to be more stable than a more advanced believer, because whatever goes wrong he stands unruffled.

"To empty him, the Father puts him in circumstances where his natural 'patience' fails. After repeated failures of his natural virtue of patience, he realizes that it is not enough to meet all trials, and carry him triumphantly through them all. Then he turns to the Father to give him His own unfailing patience." --E.R.

"Spiritual growth is from stage to stage. There are great days, days of decisive battles, days of crisis in spiritual history, days of triumph in Christian service, days of the right hand of the Father upon us. But there are also idle days, days of apparent uselessness, when even prayer and service seem a burden. Are we, in any sense, renewed in these days? Yes, for any experience which makes us more aware of our need of the Father must contribute to spiritual progress, unless we deny the Lord who bought us." --W.G.S.

"It is not a man's thanksgiving that he has been set free from suffering; it is to be thankgiving that he has been set free through suffering. 'Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress' (Ps. 4:1)."

"For you surely know that what is genuine in your faith produces the patient mind that endures" (James 1 :3, Wms.).

By M. Stanford

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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I TESTIFY IN THE LORD       MAY 30, 2007


I TESTIFY IN THE LORD




"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord that you henceforth walk not as Gentiles walk (Eph. 4:17). Spiritual growth is to be evident in our walk. In the One Body all growth is "out of" Christ as the Head. Growth depends on "supply," and the supply depends on "the effectual working in the measure of every part," that is, the unity, function, and cooperation of all members (Eph. 4:15,16). Col. 2:19 puts it well, "......the Head, out of Whom all the body by joints and bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increases with the increase of God." This is edifying and building up the Body Christ!

The energy for this growth comes from God Who "works (energizes) all things" according to His eternal purpose (Eph. 1:11). The great expression of the working of His mighty power was when He raised Christ from the dead. That same power seated Christ "at His own right hand in the heavenlies...far above all" (1:19,20). Paul said his gift for service was by "the effectual working of His power" (3:7). And his prayer for us was that this same power would "work in us" (3:20). Finally, we read of "the effectual working...of every part" (4:16).

Thus Paul warned how Gentiles walk "in the vanity of their mind, having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (4:17,18 ). Romans tells of the whole creation made "subject to vanity" (8:20), and how Gentiles turned a deaf ear toward God. "For when they knew God, they glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their reasoning and their foolish heart was darkened" (Rom. 1:21). Three times in that chapter it tells of God's response to their rebellion. He "gave them up to uncleanness ...gave them up to vile affections...gave them over to a reprobate mind" (1:24,26,28 ). This explains their walk, "according to the course of this age, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now works in the sons of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2), "who being past feeling have given themselves over to licentiousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness." (Eph. 4:19.) Vanity expressed itself by "darkened ... alienated ... ignorance ... blindness ... a dulled conscience ... licentiousness ... uncleanness ... greediness." Walk not as Gentiles walk!

Ivan Burgener

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From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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[nChrist]

Three Things New in Our Present Dispensation Part 1  MAY 31


Three Things New
in Our Present Dispensation Today
Part 1 of  3



One of the most important teachings any Christian can learn is that we today are living under a program of God that is called "the dispensation of the grace of God." The apostle Paul explained this in Ephesians chapter 3.

We are able to see, in this portion of Scripture, that "the dispensation of the grace of God" pertains to the status that Gentiles now have. This was revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ in the ministry of the apostle Paul. It was a mystery, never before made known, but was revealed and recorded in his ministry for our knowledge and joy this dispensation.

Three Great Facts

Three great facts are specified in verse 6 of Ephesians chapter 3 that sum up the mystery of this dispensation. We will focus upon these three items. As we do, it is good to know that the word "fellowheirs" means joint-heirs, "same body" is joint-body and "partakers" is joint-partakers. This is because an important prefix is included with these words.

1. Joint-heirs (sukleronoma)
2. Joint-Body (sumssoma)
3. Joint-partakers (summmetocha)

Equality, togetherness! That's what these words are about. In contrast to the way things used to be, Gentiles are now fully equal, being joint-heirs in a joint-Body as well as joint-partakers of God's promise in Christ by the gospel. These realities distinguish our situation today from the way things were in former times.

Three Things New

Let us consider then, these three areas of truth. We will take the last item first because partaking of God's promise in Christ by the gospel ranks first in our experience. But of course, as soon as we partake of the gospel these other things immediately become true of us. But we will consider these items beginning with the fact that Gentiles today are joint-partakers of the truth of God.

I. Joint-partakers

This most certainly is different from the way things used to be. In former times, Gentiles were secondary partakers. Indeed, they were like "dogs," waiting for the Jews to "first be filled." We see this in Mark chapter 7 where a Gentile woman came to our Lord Jesus Christ, requesting a favor from Him. He said to her.

"Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs." Mark 7 :27

That woman's response to this was tremendous. She agreed. "Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." For this, the request she sought was granted. But clearly, the words spoken to her by our Lord Jesus Christ show that Gentiles, at that time, were not equal with the Jews.

Another text where this is evident is in Acts chapter 3 where the apostle Peter, preaching to his own people, the Jews, put it this way.

25  Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed.
26 Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. - Acts 3:25,26

How clear this really is. "Unto you first," Peter said. They were the chosen nation of God and priority over others belonged to them.

The apostle Paul also acknowledged this same thing. When he preached to the Jews in Acts chapter 13, he said,

It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. Acts 13:46

These statements establish beyond question that, in time past, Jewish people definitely had priority rights over other people as first-partakers of God's truth.

But this has been changed. Now, in the dispensation of the grace of God, Gentiles are joint-partakers of the gospel, equal with the Jews. No longer, therefore, are the Gentiles "far off " but "nigh" (Eph. 2:13), 'and the Jews who "were nigh" (Eph. 2:17) no longer have priority rights over anyone else. Rather, "both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18 ) being "joint-partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel" (Eph. 3:6).

What wonderful grace this is! In no way was it deserved. But God has declared that the Gentiles are now "nigh" (Eph. 2:13). No longer, therefore, do Gentiles wait in line behind the Jews. Everybody is the same! Of course, Jewish people are still welcome to be saved, but just the same as everyone else. No more priority for anybody. Equality! That's what we have today in the dispensation of the grace of God.

By Pastor Art Sims

Continued tomorrow

___________________________________
From Grace And The Truth Ministries
http://www.graceandthetruth.com/

If this devotion has been a blessing to you, please share it with others. The Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.

Ephesians 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ.

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http://www.graceandthetruth.com/pop_up.htm
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