BECOMING SPIRITUAL
Sometimes I get frustrated when I hear people wanting to sound spiritual by quoting scripture. Yet they quote the scripture out of context or they only quote a part. Example: 1 Cor 2:9, “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” Now that sounds so spiritual, however, it is only a part of what the Apostle Paul is trying to say. We must remember that Paul is writing about the revelation that Jesus Himself gave to him in regard to what really happened at the cross and through the resurrection. In 1 Cor 11:23, “For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, . . .” and then in Gal 1:11-20 NKJV, “But I make known to you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached by me is not according to man. 12 For I neither received it from man, nor was I taught it, but it came through the revelation of Jesus Christ. 13 For you have heard of my former conduct in Judaism, how I persecuted the church of God beyond measure and tried to destroy it. 14 And I advanced in Judaism beyond many of my contemporaries in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous for the traditions of my fathers. 15 But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb and called me through His grace, 16 to reveal His Son in me, that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately confer with flesh and blood, 17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went to Arabia, and returned again to Damascus. 18 Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and remained with him fifteen days.19 But I saw none of the other apostles except James, the Lord's brother. 20 (Now concerning the things which I write to you, indeed, before God, I do not lie.)”
Back to 1 Cor 2:9, if you stop there, it sounds like the Lord has these things hidden and ONE DAY they will be revealed. Now we know there are things that will be revealed to each of us as family members, but let us go to verse 10 in the NKJV, “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things, yes, the deep things of God.” Notice that it says, “has revealed,” “them to us,” “through (by) His Spirit.”
Look at Mark 4:11-12 in NKJV, He said to them, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, 12 so that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.'"
We Need To Know Within Our Own Selves That Father God Is Not Withholding Anything From Us!
The scripture does not say, “It is hidden from us.” Rather, it is in a mystery. The definition of mystery according to The New Merriam-Webster’s Pocket Dictionary is, “A religious truth known by revelation alone.” A mystery is something that is hidden. This means we have to search out truths in order to understand the true meaning of the scriptures. Father God is not withholding anything from us. He simply put it in His Word and as believers, we can find out with a little bit of effort.
There in Mark 4:11 it says, “But to those who are outside, all things come in parables,…”. It went on to say in verse 12, “So that 'Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand…’” Have you ever tried to explain Tithing to an unbeliever? They look at you like you are from another planet! You gave how much, to what church? How about trying to explain sowing and reaping? Forget it! They cannot understand Biblical principles! It is hard to get most Christians to understand these things. Notice there is an exception, “Lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them." Jesus is saying here that once they have repented and become a true believer, then they will be able to understand what is being revealed.
All through the New Testament, we can see that a believer is to seek and search the scriptures for a greater relationship with our Creator, Father God. In Hebrews 11:6 in NKJV, it tells us, “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” The first part of this verse gives us the key to revelation – FAITH!
I Have Found That In My 30 Years Of Serving Father God, You Have To Accept His Word By Faith!
It does not say, “Now that you understand this principle you should act upon it.” You accept it by FAITH and then you act upon it! That is what it means to “Believe that He is.” Every individual chooses to believe that something IS! As for me and my household, we believe that Jesus is everything we need in this life and especially after this life!
When you put these verses together you can begin to see, “That He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him,” You can also see that they do not come to us because we are believers. “But God has revealed them to us through His Spirit.” Most people miss it here. They don’t realize it is more than just reading the Bible or praying for a long time each day. It comes through His Spirit – a relationship with Him.
In the Ampflied Bible, it says in 2 Cor 13:14, “The grace (favor and spiritual blessing) of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the presence and fellowship (the communion and sharing together, and participation) in the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen (so be it).” I like the Amplified version simply because it makes the scripture clearer and more understandable. As I have studied and spent time with Him, I have come to see that fellowship means participation on my part as well as on His part. How does that work? For me it means to shut up and listen! Most people think prayer is telling Him what you want and need and then saying “Amen.” In order to have Him reveal truth, I have found it takes my listening more than my talking!
It has to do with the Presence of God! Psalms 114 tells us that it was the Presence of the Lord that caused the Red Sea to part and the Jordan River to turn back. It takes the Presence of the Lord to bring a person to repentance and to accept the work of Jesus to be “Born Again.” It takes the Presence of the Lord to bring healing to a person’s body. And, it takes the Presence of the Lord to bring revelation to a person’s understanding.
Once You Have Experienced His Presence, Nothing Else Will Ever Satisfy Your Being!
It is possible to experience His Presence when you come to realize that God is truly a good God and He has nothing but good and does nothing but good.
In Acts 10:38 Dr. Luke tells us about the whole principle of salvation, “How God anointed and consecrated Jesus of Nazareth with the [Holy] Spirit and with strength and ability and power; how He went about doing good and, in particular, curing all who were harassed and oppressed by [the power of] the devil, for God was with Him.” AMP The same Holy Spirit is available to us today! It takes a consecrated way of living and we can do it, because the Lord would never ask us to do something if it were not possible.
We can be spiritual by making our relationship with the Holy Spirit something more than going to church or saying our prayers at night. Make that commitment with me for this next year, a year of turmoil (as the following prophecy declares), but a year of victory for us, His children!
PASTOR LARRY
