Our Riches are in Christ Jesus!!!

 In the West, American Christians in particular, (probably because of our wealth here, compared to 3rd world countries) have created a “gospel” which many refer to as “the prosperity gospel,”that teaches if you are in Christ means you will have material gain. Of course, most don’t blatantly say that, but it is implied either by using the concept of planting a seed into their ministry, and you will get money back, or in the back door approach of saying you have a “poverty mentally” if you push away the “blessings” of God, which, in this group of people, always includes money. Most of these preachers/teachers are the big names on the TV. They do the poor people a disservice by dangling the promise of money before them, if they would just plant a seed.(give their ministry money) But, more than that, they bring great dishonor to the cross of Christ, by not even teaching much, if ever, about it, If they do, they omit teaching that Him and His sacrifice is the greatest blessing of all, in fact, it is all we need. Yes, He will provide our needs, if we seek Him and His kingdom first, as He says in the Word, and we will never beg for bread, if we are truly His. 

God makes it clear that we can’t desire both Mammon (money) and Him. We have to pick one. Not to say, in His Sovereignty, He won’t decide to let some have large amounts of money, for His reasons. I believe that one of those reasons is to see if we will again offer it to Him for what He wants us to do with it. One of the things is to give to those who are without, and we do this to show the love of Christ and that He is provider. He uses His vessels (us) many times to do this. 

The prosperity cult are those who follow the prosperity teachers, who, I believe are teaching a false and heretical doctrine; maybe even a doctrine of demons. 

Western Christianity has led many astray in poor countries, through these satellite teachers, (broadcast through satellite) taking advantage of their needy condition to bring them false hope of their condition being improved. 

We don’t have to look far to see so many who are matyred around the world, to see their love of Christ where they literally lay their lives down for Him; those who have no worldly riches. These should be our example, not the ones with the leer jets, fancy jewels and possessions, all the while claiming to follow Christ, but who put Him in their back pocket. It is a travesty! 

Christ is our Pearl of great price! He is our value, and our worth! And as we walk with Him, let Him live our life through us, He will be our Jehovah Jireh, our Provider, and so many other things!!!! 

Transitioning

 The warfare today that is internal is the dying of the carnal mind, as we transition into the full use of the mind of Christ, and with that transition, can come a kind of fogginess. At the same time, the confusion is now being exposed for what it is, and the vestiges of the carnal mind are dying.  We must put all our cards on the table before the Lord; our former beliefs, thoughts, judgments, and discernments for His scrutiny, so that He can show us where they have come from; our carnal mind, or the mind of Christ! The carnal mind is enmity against God, and we want to let Him rid us of all hostility against Him in us, so that the mind of Christ will have the preeminence!!!! May He reign supreme in our very being; permeating every part!!!! 

Not About Being Nice

 Being “in Christ” rescues us from this present evil age. Because we don’t continue in our sin, by His power, offers us protection against being sucked into the world (which is passing away and inherently evil)and protects us from the spirit of anti-Christ. It is hard to believe, if we judge after the flesh, that those we know who are loving and kind, and do not know Christ, are of this anti-Christ spirit, and are a part of this present evil age, but it is only a matter of being “in Christ” or not that determines a person’s standing before God, and not their good behavior. Have they accepted so great a salvation, or not? Either someone is of the kingdom of darkness or of the kingdom of His dear Son; the Kingdom of Light. 

God offers mankind His Son, Jesus, as it’s Redeemer. Nothing or no one else will do. Accept Jesus and live, or die in your sins; condemned and unredeemed. 

Gal. 1:4, Gal. 6:14, 1 John 3:5,6, 1 John 5:18, Col. 1:13,14. 

Will the Body of Christ function fully on this earth?

 The new wineskin, is the “new and living way” set up as the container whereby the ecclesia can function best. It was provided when Jesus came and died, when the curtain was torn, with no partition between His followers and God. In the old, that partition were the restrictions laid down through the priesthood, as being the only ones who could go into the Holy of Holies. Now, the old is passed away and the new has come, and now all are invited in, by the blood of the Lamb. 

Since the presence of God is attainable now, it is that presence in which the Ecclesia can function fully, in those specific functions listed in Ephesians 4: 11-13. It is my belief that every one of Christ’s followers have been made to function in one of those categories, and when we as individuals walk in our functioning, then the Body as a whole will be conformed to His image, into full maturity. (Christ likeness) 

He has put in me to function as an evangelist mainly. It is in our area of function, as we do that, that the enemy hurls his flaming arrows attempting to stop that function, but ultimately to stop us from growing into the image of Christ, an outcome as we all start functioning. 

So, the “new and living way”is access to the presence of God, which empowers the Body to operate in it’s full purpose and intent. In the old, church model, it could not happen, because it still tries to function in a hierarchical fashion with pastor and other “staff” members leading, and not the Holy Spirit. These leaders, like the priests of old, are the pillars of this system, teaching by example, that only certain ones have access to God, just like in the temple system of old. The Body has not, nor can not, live and move and have it’s being in this restrictive system. Like a child who needs to grow, it needs certain environmental factors to obtain it’s best development. The Body, every member, needs the presence of God to grow, with each one functioning in His presence, to help each other mature. This means, not in the buildings, and it’s system. The Body is stifled there, because the Holy Spirit can’t freely flow because men and it’s leaders won’t allow it. They are trying to uphold the old system, or being the old wineskin, but the new wine of the free-flowing spirit cannot be contained by it. 

I do believe that it is God’s desire to have His Body fully functioning in the land of the living, (here on earth) but don’t get exactly how that will happen. In our current situation, gathering together is greatly inhibited, and may be by design. Perhaps, by each one getting alone with the Lord, that in those times, we open ourselves up to His refining fire, and as a result being able to see more clearly the things of the Spirit, we could then understand our functioning role in the Body. This intense communion could be paralleled to The Feast of Tabernacles, as we tabernacle alone with Him. 

The full functioning may be in the Spirit. In other words, if I am getting in the presence of the Lord, and more and more of the members do, out of that time, collectively we are in a mysterious way helping each other mature. Jesus said the Father is looking for worshippers who worship in spirit and truth, not in a geographical place, like the Samaritan woman at the well asked about. 

And this may be just a glimpse of what His plan is. I, too, have longed to see how the Father will bring this about. All I know to do myself is to keep myself open before God’s consuming fire presence so that He will continue to clean me up, individually, and then let Christ, who is in us, function through me as He ministers His gift of evangelism, and also be open to having His full way through me, as the Spirit blows, as it will. The result will be felt throughout the whole Body as we become closer and cleaner before Him. The “cleaner” is the result of us dying to our flesh so that He can come alive, and increase. 

Glory to God in what He is doing as He pours His new wine into the new wineskin. Again, not seeing the picture clearly, one thing we do know is that He has saved the best wine for last!!!!