Baptized into Christ

Are you immersed in this present world, or have you been immersed into Christ? Did you know that both “baptisms” are exclusive of each other? While we carry Christ into the world, if indeed we have been baptized into Him, we cannot be immersed into both. On one hand, there is the world, our flesh, and the devil, and on the other hand is Christ and the kingdom of God, but both cannot reside together. For those who try to, or teach such, destruction will surely come.We need to listen to God’s Spirit of truth to discern between the clean and the unclean, and allow Him to light our path. To allow ourselves to be immersed in Him, is to leave the world, with it’s temporary and entrapping pleasures, and ungodly values behind. 

Us or Him? Who is the King?

The path of the cross, the way to His Kingdom of Life, the narrow way is NOT the path of ease, or of least resistance. In fact, if you haven’t resolved within yourself, that suffering is a part of your walk with the Lord, then you will remain on the broad path, which leads to destruction. So, to learn to “embrace the suffering” is to cooperate with the means He uses to conform us to His image. The life our flesh desires is one void of any hindrance, fear, or threat to it’s survival, but, our Lord calls us to die to that, take up our cross and follow Him. It is a decision we all must make. Will we choose Life or death? Will we sell our birthright for a pot of stew; filling our stomachs with what our flesh desires now, or resisting those things to gain eternal Life in Him? The prosperity “gospel panders to the flesh, while the Gospel of the Kingdom speaks to the satisfaction of the spirit of man, with Christ as it’s King,  and calls us to honor Him and His rule in our lives. It all boils down to whether we want to rule, or whether we will allow Him to. Will it be the narrow road which leads to Life everlasting with Him, or the broad road that leads to our flesh getting it’s lusts met now, but that leads to destruction and death? 

The Kingdom Triumphant!!!

“You tried to harm me, but God made it turn out for good, so that he could save all these people, as he is now doing.”-Gen. 50:20
We recognize this statement from the mouth of Joseph speaking to his brothers when he was an officer in Pharoah’s court, after they had come to beg food, when there  was a bad famine in the land. Before he had been given this position, his brothers had beaten him unmercilessly and thrown him in a well, because they were jealous of his relationship with their father. But, God, had spared him, and after going through many trials, he was given this place of authority over the food distribution. When his brothers came, they hadn’t recognized him at first; then, Joseph revealed himself to them and made this statement.
The devil works in the lives of God’s children in the same way. He tries to cause us harm, and is successful many times. He lies to us against ourselves, God and others, and if we don’t know any
better, we believe him and are damaged from that. He schemes against us, by setting up scenarios that try our faith, our mental and emotional faculties, and even our very lives, and in our innocence, we fall for them. He pits one against another in our natural relationships, and even in the Body of Christ. Especially there. And because of unhealed wounds, we become a part of his schisms that divide.
Let’s look at Joseph and his brothers a little closer and see if we can find some “types” that we can see and that will have revelation application for us today, relating to this Scripture.
Jacob (Joseph’s Father) is a type of Christ, and Joseph represents his true sons, which we are, if we’ve received Him, and have submitted under His Lordship, allowing  Him to work in us to do His will.
Joseph’s evil brothers represent Satan in our lives. He has tried so many times to kill us, and things in us like our hope, our faith, the assurance of our salvation, our trust, and our joy,  to name a few, but God has preserved and protected us, (let’s use the quoted Scripture above) “to save many people, as He is doing.”
The primary thing that he is after, though, is Christ in us. He wants to kill the sons of Christ, (who are the progenitors of a new race) to kill Christ within, ( a silly notion) and to snuff out the gifts and callings He has put inside of us, to bring about the maturity of His Body, and to bring salvation to many people!
Satan meant it for harm, (all these attempts to devour us, even if we fell for them) but God has turned it all to His good!!! He is building His ecclesia (using us, His living stones to do it) and (let this sink in) the gates of Hell WILL NOT prevail against it!!!! God’s perfect plans and purposes, those that are according to His good pleasure, WILL carry the day, and be victorious, in the life of His sons, for His is a Kingdom that will have no end. It cannot be stopped. It is Eternal............
Let this reality be applied to your heart whenever Satan comes and you find yourself stripped, beaten, and down in the well, (seemingly), with no way to escape. It is only an illusion, if you are His sons. He is using it ALL to His glory!!!!

Thoughts about “the Mass of Christ”

We, as believers, are called to worship Him in spirit, and in truth. We don’t worship Him, as a fleshly infant in a manger today. We worship Him as a life-giving spirit, who is presently sitting at the right hand of God, ever making intercession for us, until the time set by the Father, for Him to arise, and harvest us from the earth. He is our Lord, and our soon coming King.
As so many believers today, swallowed up in this present world, sit gazing at the nativity,  can’t you hear the angels? Not the ones, in history, saying “Peace on earth; goodwill towards men” but those who came later, as they rolled away the tomb saying,” He’s not here. He is risen.” He is our ever present Saviour! Let us see, by the spirit, that He has left the manger, and is not only with His, and our Father, but has also come to live in us!!!! Now, that is the best reason for all seasons!!!! Oh, Lord, help us to see, and lay aside the traditions of man.

John 4:23,24-“But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

II Cor. 5:16-“So from now on we regard no one according to the flesh. Although we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.”