What Being Part Of Jesus Means For Us

For we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. Ephesians 5:30

Our Father has proclaimed that through Christ we are now cleansed from all sin, because the Blood of Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior cleanses us from all sin. 

But if we [really] are living and walking in the Light, as He [Himself] is in the Light, we have [true, unbroken] fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses (removes) us from all sin and guilt [keeps us cleansed from sin in all its forms and manifestations]. 1 John 1:7 

All is all! Through Christ we are clean and all darkness has been removed from us! Now take a minute and actually think of us as being the body of Christ. First let’s consider sickness. Can Jesus be sick? No! Whose body are we? Can Jesus fear? No! Whose body are we? Can Jesus fail? No! Whose body are we,whose heart has been placed within us, whose love do we now walk in? Does Jesus ever question what God wants Him to do? No! Whose mind do we now have? We are no longer on our own, we have been grafted into the Vine of Jesus Christ and He will never leave us or forsake us! 

Faith comes from hearing the Truth and the Truth sets us free from fear and the torment of it! The Truth gives us peace that passes all understanding and joy that remains stable and fixed regardless of what is going on around us! The Truth allows us to walk by faith Authored and Finished by Jesus and not by sight! Greater is He that is within us than anything and anybody that is in the world! Whatever Jesus is, we have become one with, we are now members of His body! How Jesus is, so are we even while on this earth, 1 John 4:17. There is absolutely no weapon that has been formed that can prosper against Jesus, and we are now one with the Invincible One! Today is the Day of our great salvation in Christ and we cannot help but to be blessed and prosper in it!

By means of these He has bestowed on us His precious and exceedingly great promises, so that through them you may escape [by flight] from the moral decay (rottenness and corruption) that is in the world because of covetousness (lust and greed), and become sharers (partakers) of the divine nature. 2 Peter 4

Happy Easter

I have made Your Name known to them and revealed Your character and Your very [a]Self, and I will continue to make [You] known, that the love which You have bestowed upon Me may be in them [felt in their hearts] and that I [Myself] may be in them. John 17:26

For the last several days we have studied why Jesus came and allowed Himself to be sacrificed. John 17:26 sums all of the reasons up in one verse. Jesus sacrificed Himself so that He could always be in us and so that we could always have His Love.

And you shall love the Lord your God out of and with your whole heart and out of and with all your soul (your life) and out of and with all your mind (with your faculty of thought and your moral understanding) and out of and with all your strength. This is the first and principal commandment. The second is like it and is this, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these. Mark 12:30-31

There is really only one commandment any longer and it is Love, because Love covers a multitude of sins, 1 Peter 4:8. Jesus was raised from the dead to live within us so that we could Love. He lives so that we can now bless those who curse us. So that we can pray for those who despitefully use us. So that we can intercede for those who hate us. So that we can forgive those who wrong us, even if they do it thousands of times. Because Jesus now lives within us we can forgive those who lie about us, who beat us, and even those who kill us. This is why Jesus sacrificed Himself so that we could Love as He Loves. Our love no longer depends on others loving us back. Our Love no longer is based on actions, it is based on Grace. So our Love is always just freely given to all. 

There is no fear in Love and Jesus’ perfect Love has casted all fear our from us, 1 John 4:18. We now have the Holy Spirit within us plainly showing us things to come. He gives us peace that our Father is Great within us. He gives us the strength, the courage, the hope, faith, and wisdom that all things work out for good. Jesus came so that we could have and enjoy the exact same abundant and glorious life that He has. This is why there is Easter. 

Why Is There An Easter Part VI

That they all may be one, [just] as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be one in Us, so that the world may believe and be convinced that You have sent Me. I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me, that they may be one [even] as We are one: I in them and You in Me, in order that they may become one and perfectly united, that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me. John 17:21-23

To me these are probably the greatest three verses in the Bible. They explain exactly what Jesus came for and the complete and total power of His offering. They plainly show us that Jesus was going to allow Himself to be crucified so that we could now be one with our Father just like He is One with our Father. They tell us that He allowed Himself to be crucified so that we could have and share His exact same glory and they show us that Jesus allowed Himself to be sacrificed so that we could be perfectly united with God and each other. Jesus tells us that these things and this perfect unity are what would allow the world to know that they are loved by God. 

We will spend an eternity with our Father, but the power of our salvation is not reserved for the future, the power of our salvation is for right now. Also, our salvation and its benefits are not reserved just for us. Our Father has allowed us to become one with Him so that we could serve the world. We have been granted the privilege of serving. Jesus tells us that to be great, we must become a servant.

Not so shall it be among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you must be your servant, Matthew 20:26

Jesus is the Greatest Servant. He now ever lives to serve us so that we may be saved to the uttermost, Hebrews 7:25, and we are now perfectly united with Him. He is now our Head and we are His body Jesus is now our Vine and we are His branches. We are now perfectly united and one with the Perfect Servant, so because of Jesus, we are now great. Jesus came so that we could be used to serve all, the saved and the unsaved. This is the glory of our salvation. 

To only believe that He came so that we could go to Heaven is selfish. The True glory of why He did what He did was so that we could be used to help everyone around us. Jesus’ sacrifice permitted Him to make us one with Him so that we too could now live to ever intercede for others. We now are able to be used by God to forgive sins, heal the sick, raise the dead, and serve the world. The true meaning of Easter is not celebrating that Jesus was killed. It is celebrating why He allowed it to happen.

Why Is There An Easter Part V

Sanctify them [purify, consecrate, separate them for Yourself, make them holy] by the Truth; Your Word is Truth. John 17:17

We discussed it already but Jesus went to the Cross so that it would be our Father’s responsibility to protect us and to keep us. It was such a big deal for Jesus that this was going to happen that He goes on and tells us again in greater detail that it is our Father’s responsibility to sanctify us. 

The Greek word for sanctified is, Hagiazo, Strong’s Concordance Number 37, it means: 

to render or acknowledge, or to be venerable or hallow to separate from profane things and dedicate to God

consecrate things to God

dedicate people to God

to purify

to cleanse externally

to purify by expiation: free from the guilt of sin

to purify internally by renewing of the soul

We go to Heaven, or a better term, we spend eternity with our Father, because He, not us, is responsible for our sanctification. Our Father is the One Who causes us to be dedicated to Him. He is the One being greater in us, then anything that is in this world. It is up to our Father to purify us and cleanse us. It is up to our Father to remove all guilt of sin from us and to renew our minds, our wills, and our emotions. 

So as we celebrate Easter I believe that we should be really thanking Jesus for allowing Himself to be sacrificed so that all of the burden of living a godly lifestyle is now on our Father and not on us. 

And I will put my Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you shall heed My ordinances and do them. Ezekiel 36:27

Why Is There An Easter Part IV

And now I am coming to You; I say these things while I am still in the world, so that My joy may be made full and complete and perfect in them [that they may experience My delight fulfilled in them, that My enjoyment may be perfected in their own souls, that they may have My gladness within them, filling their hearts]. John 17:13

Jesus went to the Cross so that we would have His joy. He allowed Himself to be crucified so that we could have complete and perfect joy, right now, on this earth. We don’t have to wait for this level of joy because today is the day of our salvation, 2 Corinthians 6:2, and because as He is, so are we in this world, 1 John 4:17. Jesus’ sacrifice has allowed us to experience His gladness. Our souls, which are our mind, our will, and our emotions, are now one with Jesus’ joy.

Jesus counted the Cross as a joy. Suffering did not deter Him, it invigorated Him.  The joy of serving others drove Jesus and we now have His joy within us. Jesus died on the Cross so that we could have full and complete joy in serving others. He died so that we could live to intercede for others and so that we could live to forgive others. All of the things that bring Jesus joy now abides in our thoughts, our wills, and our emotions. We are filled to the fullest measure with Jesus’ joy.

In verse 13 Jesus said that He had spoken what He had spoken so that we could have this complete and full joy. And what Jesus said was that our Father was now responsible for keeping us and that He lives to magnify God to us. Jesus had just spoken that we are now one with God as He is One with God. Jesus had spoken that He would now judge us. All of the reasons that we have studied as to why Jesus did what He did brings us full joy.

We no longer have to fear our Father. We have no fear of retribution or wrath. Jesus has delivered us from these things. We now stand in our Father’s glory through Grace, not works. Jesus’ sacrifice has allowed it. Easter is a celebration of us being able to have complete and full joy that we will be used to serve just as Jesus is used to serve.

I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, if anyone steadfastly believes in Me, he will himself be able to do the things that I do; and he will do even greater things than these, because I go to the Father. John 14:12

Jesus; sacrifice has cast all fear from us. The Light has driven out the darkness. At Easter we celebrate the Truth that right now we have all of our Father. We celebrate that we do not have to wait until Heaven to be one with Him. Jesus came and He succeeded and now we have life and we have it abundantly. 

Why Is There An Easter Part III

And [now] I am no more in the world, but these are [still] in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, keep in Your Name [in the knowledge of Yourself] those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We [are one]. While I was with them, I kept and preserved them in Your Name ^]in the knowledge and worship of You]. Those You have given Me I guarded and protected, and not one of them has perished or is lost except the son of perdition [Judas Iscariot—the one who is now doomed to destruction, destined to be lost], that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:11-12

Jesus went to the Cross so that our Father could now be the One Who keeps us. We no longer are on our own. We are now strong in the power of God’s might.

[We pray] that you may be invigorated and strengthened with all power according to the might of His glory, [to exercise] every kind of endurance and patience (perseverance and forbearance) with joy, Colossians 1:11

Because of what Jesus did for us we are now more than conquerors through Christ Who strengthens us. You see Jesus just didn't go to the Cross so that we could go to Heaven. He went to the Cross so that we could have everything that He has. He did it so that we could have intimacy with Him. He did it so that we could have life and have it abundantly.

Yet amid all these things we are more than conquerors and gain a surpassing victory through Him Who loved us. Romans 8:37

We have Easter because Jesus loved us so much that He wanted to insure that we were kept. By Jesus allowing Himself to be sacrificed our Father now has the responsibility of keeping us and strengthening us. We are no longer responsible for ourselves. We are now kept by the Creator of all things. Our Father cannot be defeated and He now keeps us and He now strengthens us. Because of the sacrifice of the Cross we cannot fail and everything now works out for our good, Romans 8:28.

I do not ask that You will take them out of the world, but that You will keep and protect them from the evil one. John 17:15

We are now protected from satan and every weapon that has been formed against us. We are sealed with God Himself until the Day of Redemption, Ephesians 4:30. We are now filled with the fullest measure of God’s Divine presence, Ephesians 3:19. We can no longer boast about ourselves, Romans 3:2, but even more greatly, we can no longer condemn ourselves, Romans 8:1.  Jesus came to insure that we would make it. It is impossible for us to now be lost.

And this is the will of Him Who sent Me, that I should not lose any of all that He has given Me, but that I should give new life and raise [them all] up at the last day. John 6:39

 

Why Is There An Easter Part II

And this is eternal life: [it means] to know (to perceive, recognize, become acquainted with, and understand) You, the only true and real God, and [likewise] to know Him, Jesus [as the] Christ (the Anointed One, the Messiah), Whom You have sent. John 17:3

Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified so that He could make our Father known to us. He did it so that He could magnify our Father to us. In verse 1 Jesus asked our Father to glorify Him so that He could in turn magnify our Father. The sacrifice of the Cross allows Jesus to clarify God to us. Because of what Jesus did on the Cross we no longer have to be in the dark about anything. 

But when He, the Spirit of Truth (the Truth-giving Spirit) comes, He will guide you into all the Truth (the whole, full Truth). For He will not speak His own message [on His own authority]; but He will tell whatever He hears [from the Father; He will give the message that has been given to Him], and He will announce and declare to you the things that are to come [that will happen in the future]. John 16:13

The sacrifice of the Cross allowed Jesus to send the Holy Spirit to us and He now guides us in all Truth. The Spirit now announces and shows us things that are to come. He teaches us all things and He brings to our remembrance anything and everything that Jesus has ever said. 

But the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, Intercessor, Advocate, Strengthener, Standby), the Holy Spirit, Whom the Father will send in My name [in My place, to represent Me and act on My behalf], He will teach you all things. And He will cause you to recall (will remind you of, bring to your remembrance) everything I have told you. John 14:26

There is an Easter because Jesus wanted to make sure that we personally know God. We have Easter so that we can go directly to our Father anytime and anywhere and we never have to fret about if we are good enough or if He wants us there.

And when that time comes, you will ask nothing of Me [you will need to ask Me no questions]. I assure you, most solemnly I tell you, that My Father will grant you whatever you ask in My Name [as presenting all that I Am]. John 16:23

Our Father’s ways are higher then man’s ways, this is the Truth. However, that doesn’t mean for a second that our Father wants His ways hidden from us. The Cross allowed our Father to insure that He could be fully understood and known by us. This is another reason that Jesus allowed Himself to be crucified and this is another reason that we have Easter.

Why Is There An Easter Part I

When Jesus had spoken these things, He lifted up His eyes to heaven and said, Father, the hour has come. Glorify and exalt and honor and magnify Your Son, so that Your Son may glorify and extol and honor and magnify You. [Just as] You have granted Him power and authority over all flesh (all humankind), [now glorify Him] so that He may give eternal life to all whom You have given Him. John 17:1-2

This week let’s study why there is an Easter. Why did our Father have Jesus do it? Years ago I took a friend of mine, who is an Atheist, to see The Passion of Christ. After the movie was over I asked him what he thought of it. He told me that it was gruesome enough, but then he asked me why Jesus did it. The Holy Spirit had him ask that question I am sure. Our Father showed me then that a ton of people really have no idea why Jesus came and did what He did. Far too often we assume that they know, but they really don’t. So this week let’s study John 17 together. It is a great Chapter in the Bible to explain why Jesus did it all and why there is an Easter. 

The first reason that Jesus came was so that He could glorify our Father. Jesus glorifies God by being glorified by God. Our Father allowed Jesus to be sacrificed so that Jesus could then have power over all flesh. Look at what Jesus tells us in verse 2: He has been given power and authority over all flesh. Jesus just doesn’t have control and authority over believers, He has power and authority over all men.

Even the Father judges no one, for He has given all judgment (the last judgment and the whole business of judging) entirely into the hands of the Son, John 5:22

Jesus alone is now in charge of judging all flesh, both believers and non-believers. The sacrifice that He made on the Cross has allowed Him this privilege. Now here is a really powerful thing to consider with this Truth, Jesus never changes in the way He does things.

Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is [always] the same, yesterday, today, [yes] and forever (to the ages). Hebrews 13:8

So Jesus will judge in the future as He has judged in the past.

And Jesus prayed, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. And they divided His garments and distributed them by casting lots for them. Luke 23:34

Jesus forgave these people here in Luke as He was on the Cross. The very people who had tortured Him, lied about Him, drove thorns into His head, and mocked Him were forgiven. They did not ask to be forgiven and they did not believe that they needed forgiven, those things did not matter though. Our peace that passes all understanding is that Jesus will be the same on Judgment Day as He was 2000 years ago. Jesus allowed Himself to be killed, John 10:15, so that He could judge all men. And we can see that Jesus is a very forgiving Judge. There is an Easter so that Jesus can give eternal life, or eternal forgiveness, to all that He has been given and He has been given all! That's the beauty of Easter and that is why we celebrate it.

God Keeps Us From Falling

Because of this, brethren, be all the more solicitous and eager to make sure (to ratify, to strengthen, to make steadfast) your calling and election; for if you do this, you will never stumble or fall. 2 Peter 1:10

Ask yourself this question; do you have the hope that you will never fall? Is never failing to high of a standard; is it too much pie in the sky? Well we can see what our Father has to say about it here in 2 Peter. God shows us that there is a way for us to never fall, and that way is Christ in us, doing the works. Faith is the evidence of things hoped for; true godly faith is only Authored and Finished by Jesus. So if you don’t think a life without falling is within our capabilities, then ask God to show you what He was talking about through Peter. Through the Truth you will see that being victorious 100% of the time is totally available to us and Jesus’ yoke is not harsh, it is easy to be borne! Through Christ we are now one with our Father and He is more than able and willing to do all things righteously through us! The Truth that sets us free is that we are one with God and the power of not falling is on God, and not on His body parts! When we look towards our Father and towards His power it is easy to believe that He can keep us, just as He keeps Himself. The revelation here is on our unity and oneness with God. Faith comes from hearing this Truth and this Truth sets us free!

Through the power of Jesus’ sacrifice we are now new creatures in Christ, and old things have passed away and all things have become new for us. 

I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in One; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me. John 17:23 

The power and glory of our perfection, the ability for us to never fall lies completely and totally with Jesus.  He alone is our High Priest Who ever lives to intercede for us so that we may be saved to the uttermost. Jesus has rescued us from our weak humanity and He has delivered us into the strong place of being one with our Father as He is One with our Father! Jesus is that great and through His power we shall never fall and through Jesus our election is sure! Through Jesus we will sow the Word from the roof tops. We will intercede for all. We will serve a world that so desperately needs served. 

The World Sees Jesus Through Us

Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father [cause us to see the Father—that is all we ask]; then we shall be satisfied. Jesus replied, Have I been with all of you for so long a time, and do you not recognize and know Me yet, Philip? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father. How can you say then, Show us the Father? John 14 8:9

Jesus answered Phillip’s question by saying that if you have seen Him, then you have seen the Father. Now how awesome would it be to have someone ask us to show them Jesus, and our answer be, if you have seen us, then you have seen Jesus. To think this way is not wrong and according to the Truth it should be our earnest desire. If we are crucified with Christ, if we are new creatures in Christ, if we are members of His body, and if we are now one with Him, all of which are Truths that we have studied in the Word, then when people see us, they see the One Who we are one with. If our Father inspired all of these scriptures, and He is not a man that He should lie, then why can’t we say the exact same thing that Jesus said, because according to the Word of God it is actually the case? 

Think about it, being ashamed in nothing, having no fault, perfectly and completely united with Jesus. These things are what the Word teaches us that we are because of Christ. These Truth's should be our hope and our desire. There are no scriptures that tell us that these things cannot be. The power of the Holy Spirit within us strengthens us to abound in the hope of who we are in Christ, so that Christ may be magnified through us! Think about a magnifying glass, people don’t look at the instrument; they look at what the instrument is enlarging! This is the same Truth for us, people see Jesus magnified through us. They no longer just read about Him, they can actually see Him! And when people see the Truth they are set free. The dead are raised, the lame walk, the blind see, the unsaved are born again, there is forgiveness, and faith, hope, and love abound! Through Christ and our oneness with Him, we are now as Jesus is, even while we are this earth! 

The Kingdom of God is now abundantly in us and it will do more then we can ask, think of, pray for, or dream of through us. The Blood of Jesus allows the fullest measure of our Father's Divine presence to be within us. It never leaves us or forsakes us. It is always being greater in us then anything that is in the world. 

For although I am free in every way from anyone's control, I have made myself a bond servant to everyone, so that I might gain the more [for Christ]. 1 Corinthians 9:19

The Kingdom Of Heaven Is In Us

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He replied to them by saying, The kingdom of God does not come with signs to be observed or with visible display, Nor will people say, Look! Here [it is]! or, See, [it is] there! For behold, the kingdom of God is within you [in your hearts] and among you [surrounding you]. Luke 17:21-21

The Kingdom of our Father is in us right now. Today is the day of our salvation and now is our accepted time, 2 Corinthians 6:2.

And Jesus said to them, Truly and solemnly I say to you, there are some standing here who will in no way taste death before they see the kingdom of God come in [its] power. Mark 9:1

All of the Apostles who Jesus was talking to here in Mark have died. So the Kingdom of God has had to have come to be within us and it did. It came when the Holy Spirit was sent to dwell in us. We have now been filled with the very presence and power of our Father. We have been sealed with the Kingdom of God and we are secure in it until the day of our redemption, Ephesians 4:30.

Our Kingdom is not a city, it’s not a place; our Kingdom is not something that can be seen with our physical eyes. Yet our Kingdom fills us and surrounds us. The Kingdom of our Father is power, it’s energy, and it never leaves us or forsakes us. Our Kingdom teaches us all things. It brings us peace that passes all understanding. Our Kingdom allows us to be used to serve all, whether they acknowledge who and what we are or not. Our Kingdom flows from us as rivers of living water, John 7:38.  

For the kingdom of God consists of and is based on not talk but power (moral power and excellence of soul). 1 Corinthians 4:20

[After all] the kingdom of God is not a matter of [getting the] food and drink [one likes], but instead it is righteousness (that state which makes a person acceptable to God) and [heart] peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Romans 14:17

Noah

Of clean animals and of animals that are not clean, and of birds and fowls, and of everything that creeps on the ground, There went in two and two with Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah. And after the seven days the floodwaters came upon the earth or land. Genesis 7:8-10

There is a ton of talk lately regarding Noah, mainly because Hollywood has just released a movie based on his story. Believers and non-believers are debating whether the story is true and whether or not a person could build a boat to hold so many creatures? I have to laugh at all of the debate. To even debate whether God could have it done seems so ridiculous to me. Look, we Christians believe that our Father came from nowhere, stood on nothing, spoke and here it all is. We believe that He came down to the earth, took some clay, breathed into it, and here we are. So could our Father have thousands of animals fit on a boat? To those of us who have been chosen, of course He could. Our Father could have shrunk them or caused them to all hibernate for while they were on the ark. He could have killed them all and then raised them from the dead when the journey was over. He could have had Noah only collect baby animals. He could have enlightened Noah to only have embryos. The Ark could have been a portal into another dimension. Or our Father could have had full grown animals walk right up on the Ark with Noah. 

This is God we are talking about! Our Father had an army march around a wall for seven days and on the last day the wall fell, Joshua 6. Our Father had a boy kill a Giant with a stone, 1 Samuel 17. He turned water into wine, John 2. So having Noah make an Ark and then having it filled with animals is no big deal for our Father.

We need to relax when asked to debate a Truth of our Father, because the Holy Spirit will give us exactly what to say, Luke 12:12. I once had a guy scream out to me in a crowded waiting room, demanding that I answer his question of if God could create a rock that He could not lift. The Holy Spirit just blurted out through me, "of course He can, He is God. Then He can create a way to lift it." The same guy a couple of weeks later yelled out that he had seen aliens and that it proved that there wasn’t a God. So the Holy Spirit had me answer him: "yeah so did Ezekiel, go and read about it in Ezekiel Chapter 1.”

The world thinks in terms of the flesh. We now have the Mind of Christ so we cannot help but to think in terms of the Spirit. So we are empowered to relax when asked by the world about Biblical Truths. Many will not believe, but that is alright. Because we have the Holy Spirit within us crying out for them as we are used to intercede for them with the fullest measure of our Father's Divine Presence.       

We Are Now Light

And this is the message [the message of promise] which we have heard from Him and now are reporting to you: God is Light, and there is no darkness in Him at all [no, not in any way]. 1 John 1:5

At that time [when that day comes] you will know [for yourselves] that I am in My Father, and you [are] in Me, and I [am] in you. John 14:20

In Jesus there is no darkness at all, and as we have been studying, we are now in Jesus! The great Truth of our salvation is that we just aren’t saved from hell because we believe, we actually are saved from Hell because we become one with God through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! Jesus is now in us and we are now in Him and there is no darkness at all in Jesus! 

There are so many of us who really don’t believe this Truth. There is far too much condemnation amongst Christians, most of it is self-condemnation, but it still is condemnation. I see so many of us putting off the blessings of our salvation, believing that we can only come to this light when we arrive in Heaven. But that is just not the Truth of who we are in Christ and hopefully all of these studies have made that Truth, the Truth that sets us free, known. When the power of our salvation: righteousness, sanctification, glory, and holiness is directed at God, we are light, and when it is self directed, darkness, and then failure. We are light because of Jesus, His power and glory have driven the darkness from us. There is no ability for us to boast in this Light, because Christ has done it all for us, and praise God He has done it all for us! And now through Jesus we may have full joy and peace in living in the Light as His Blood eternally cleanses us from all unrighteousness!

Jesus is great and He is in us and we are one with Him.

Does a fountain send forth [simultaneously] from the same opening fresh water and bitter? James 3:11

In the power and demonstration of the Holy Spirit our Father will use us to share this freeing Truth with the world. Through His power our Father will absolutely use us to bless those who so desperately need it. 

God Is Responsible For Us

Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the Blood of the everlasting covenant, Make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. A-men. Hebrews 13:20-21

We all look to ourselves far too much. If things are good in our lives, then we believe we must be doing something right, and if they are bad, then something wrong. Faith preachers call it faith, others call it living rightly, whatever it’s called, it makes our Father reactionary to our actions. Our Father is right in here with us and He carries the full load, as our Father, our Shepherd, and our Head! Jesus is not our co-pilot. He is our Head and we are His body!

I asked our Father why He keeps saying this over and over to me, and this is what He said, “what can be more peaceful than teaching that He alone holds the responsibility in our success?” Man tries to find God with his own power. So many believe that if we do A, B, and C and then God will be found. The heart does not respond like the hand, the foot like the eye, or the tongue as the kidney. We are members of the body of Christ, all different parts. Our Father comes to us where we are and exactly how we need Him! This needs to be taught. Jesus said that without Him, we could do nothing, John 15:5. If that isn’t taking the responsibility, I don’t know what is? And as Hebrews 13 teaches us: it is Jesus making us perfect and it is Jesus working within us!

So you see, we are light, we are not darkness. We are light because we are in God and His Light has driven out the darkness. Through Jesus we have everything we need. Our bodies that could sin have been destroyed, Romans 6:6. But what if we don’t feel like it has? Let me ask you this, how often do you hear that our bodies of sin have been destroyed? Faith comes from hearing the Truth and the Truth sets us free! Romans 8:1 says there is now therefore no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. There is now no condemnation for us because there is now no darkness in us, because we are now in Christ Jesus! No bragging rights here for us, our light is only because of Jesus, no works on our behalf can make this happen, it is solely based on Jesus and what He has done and offered for us!

A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart of your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them. Ezekiel 36:26 

This is the message that we have heard from Jesus and declare unto you. That God is Light and there is no darkness in Him and we are now in Him!

Actually Believing That We Are Now Clean

Now ye are clean through the Word which I have spoken unto you."John 15:3

Imagine actually accepting and believing the Truth that through the power of Christ we are now clean, not one spot and not one speck of unrighteousness in us. Think of the peace, the joy, the fellowship and communion with God that it would bring. We rarely, if ever, have been taught or heard it preached that we actually can be this way, but when we read the Word of our Father, there it is, “we are now clean through the Word.” We read that God has now given us His Spirit so that we may be cleansed from all unrighteousness. Our Father clearly tells us that we now have no spot, no wrinkle, and no blemish, through the power of Christ a glorious church, Ephesians 5:27! 

Yet where are the sermons, where is the hope being preached, I am not even talking about faith yet, just the hope that through the power of Jesus in our lives we can and should be this way? Where is the hope that Jesus is that strong when it comes to saving us, that His sacrificed Blood is that powerful for us, and that God’s love is that awesome in keeping us? Where is it being preached preached that because of Christ the yoke of being clean is light and easy to be born?

Faith for us comes from hearing the Word of our Father and we now have the mind of Christ to accept and believe the Truth that sets us free, 1 Corinthians 2:16! And our peace passes all understanding and our peace is that Jesus has cleansed us completely through the power of His might! Our peace is Jesus’ peace, and we now know as He knows and understand as He understands, because He is now our Head. Today is the Day of our Salvation and now is the appointed time for the fullness of God to dwell within us with all of the power of His might and strength! We are new creatures in Christ and all of the old dirt and darkness has passed away for us; our bodies of sin have been destroyed and crucified with Christ! Jesus has rescued us completely from all unrighteousness this day and as He is, so are we in this world!

For He says, In the time of favor (of an assured welcome) I have listened to and heeded your call, and I have helped you on the day of deliverance (the day of salvation). Behold, now is truly the time for a gracious welcome and acceptance [of you from God]; behold, now is the day of salvation! 2 Corinthians 6:2

There Is No Guess Work With Our Salvation

Even David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. Romans 4:6-8

Life in Christ is not a craps shoot, if we truly have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to say yes to Jesus, than it’s a done deal. It an absolute because God has chosen us and empowered us with Himself to do so! When our Father talks about our salvation He uses terms like preserved, sealed, dead yet nevertheless we live, perfect, united, and one with Him. Man uses words like maybe and possibly, but these are not the Words of our Father when it comes to us. To God our salvation is a sure thing, it is settled, and it is finished! This is why we have boldness, because our Father is Love and Love would have it no other way. When we are enlightened to accept Love, Love will insure our eternity with Him! Love covers a multitude of sin and we don’t have so much sin that He can’t cover it! Love looks only at the Blood of Jesus and judges that we are cleansed by it and not by our actions!

David, the man whom God called His friend, the man who stood up to the giant Goliath and slew him, writes about how blessed we are. The Prophets of old, so longed to see our day, no more sacrifices, no more works, just unbroken fellowship and union with God. We are preserved through Jesus and with Him we have access into God’s rest! Allow the Words that we study to bathe you in peace, and consume you with the Truth, and the Truth will set you free!

The Glory Of Being An Heir

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. Romans 8:16-17

The Holy Spirit tells us who we are in Christ. He tells us that we are God’s children. He tells us that we are joint heirs with Christ, He bears witness with our own spirits and we know, beyond any shadow of a doubt that we have been born of God. I can remember when I was a child; I never doubted who my parents were. If I was scared I was comforted by them, my needs were always met, and I never doubted that I was the child of Neal and Brenda Shull. I knew that I was their child not only because they told me that I was, but because I lived it, and they showed it. I knew that I was an heir and man did that make me feel great. I never lacked confidence, because I knew who I was. I knew who my parents were and I knew that I was safe and protected by them. I thank God daily that I had a great childhood.

And at the age of eleven I was empowered with the Holy Spirit and I realized that I was God’s child. And my abundant life became more abundant. I knew without anyone telling me that I was born again from God’s Seed. Even at eleven, our Father’s Spirit was bearing witness with my spirit! I hadn’t read about it, I hadn’t heard it preached at Stony Brook Methodist Church, but I knew that Jesus and I had become one. At that time our Father instantly began to show me that all that He had provided for Jesus was going to be provided for me. All of the knowledge, wisdom, peace, faith, mercy, joy, power, hope, and love. Sure I was immature and had a ton of growing up to do. I still haven’t obtained it all, but the Spirit keeps bearing witness with my spirit that He will bring me to the fullness of what Jesus has provided! It’s just natural, I am God’s child and I am an heir, an heir with Jesus Christ, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

We know [positively] that we are of God, and the whole world [around us] is under the power of the evil one. And we [have seen and] know [positively] that the Son of God has [actually] come to this world and has given us understanding and insight [progressively] to perceive (recognize) and come to know better and more clearly Him Who is true; and we are in Him Who is true--in His Son Jesus Christ (the Messiah). This [Man] is the true God and Life eternal. 1 John 5:19-20

What Is Jesus Suffering?

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together." Romans 8:16-17

Now I want you to ask yourself this question, our Father proclaims that we are joint-heirs with Christ if we suffer with Christ, so exactly what is Jesus suffering? This verse does not say, if we suffer what Jesus suffered, no, our Father says, if we suffer with Him, present tense. So what is Christ suffering? Christ is not sick. He does not fear and He is not suffering from economic problems. Jesus is not suffering from gangs or violence. Jesus is suffering, but what is He suffering? The answer is that He is suffering people not believing Him and thus not being empowered to walk in His abundant life. Jesus suffers people not being empowered to accept the sacrifice that He has offered and them suffering the consequences. We are joint-heirs with Jesus if we suffer people not believing our Father's Truth. Jesus suffered this persecution when He first came in the flesh and He still suffers it today! This persecution is not only directed at Jesus, but His body, which we are.

So far the Holy Spirit has led us in studying some pretty powerful truths with these studies. How many people though really have been empowered by the Holy Spirit to believe what we have studied? Unfortunately, not only don't most people believe what we have studied, but they aggressively oppose it. Churches have damned me for just putting some of these verses together in a conversation. I had a preacher hold his ears and say that he never wanted to hear me share these verses again. I was damned by a pastor, called a bastard by another, and asked to leave three churches. This is what our Father clearly tells us that we are to suffer for His Name's sake.

The sad truth is what we have studied is not popular. It's not popular because people want to earn it by themselves. They want to glory in the fact that they somehow did something to receive these things from God. The world and satan want to condemn us for not measuring up, so we will buy their tape series, or their books to assist us in measuring up. They want to condemn us so that we may tithe or give some sort of offering to make up for our inadequacies. But the Truth that we have studied is that it is all just a free gift from our Father. This is why Jesus is called a stumbling block, because He made it so simple. Our Father made it so salvation could never be earned and that is just not the way the world works. People stumble over this every day. But we are stable and fixed in the Truth and held firm by the Holy Spirit. Our Father, Who is God, is for us and with Christ, our Father can now use us to do all things!

Be simple this day in the power of Christ's might and just accept the free and glorious gifts of God! We haven't earned them! Yet, even in our humanity, we have received them all. We have been given everything: glory, sanctification, unity, power, ability, Truth, faith, and hope directly from the only One Who has them to give! And amen, one day, even those who now oppose will also learn it, Revelation 3:9.

The Holy Spirit Has Marked Us

And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed you were marked with Him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, Who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-to the praise of His glory. Ephesians 1:13-14

We are marked with the seal of the Holy Spirit, Who tells us and assures us who we are in Christ.

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God. Romans 8:16

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6

Notice both of these scriptures say that we are the sons of God, not that we will be the sons of God, but that we are the sons of God. These verses also say that because we are now the sons of God, that we have been given the Holy Spirit Who confirms our acceptance and Who bears witness with our own spirits of who we are in Him. Also, don't you just love that our Father tells us that we are guaranteed an inheritance? 

Beloved, now we are the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is. And every man that has this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure. 1 John 3:2-3

Isn't it great how all of these scriptures tie right together. The glorious Truth is that because Jesus went to the Cross, we are as He is, even when we are still on this earth, 1 John 4:17. Through the power of the Holy Spirit we are able to know, just as assuredly as Jesus knows, that we are now one with God! We are blessed beyond expression in the power of our Fathers might each and every second of every day. Our Glory, Love, Faith, Hope, Power, Mercy, and Guarantee never leave us or forsake us. 

The Easy Yoke Of Sanctification

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light. Matthew 11:30

My whole Christian life I have heard preachers and churches put huge burdens on their members. Sermon after sermon they talked about how weak the flesh is, how sin reigns in our bodies, how people need to pray more, read more, work more, give more, it is never enough. Condemnation and fear may have not been openly flaunted; yet, they were always the underlying message. The only time a person received any positive feedback for the way they lived was when they were dead. During their life they were constantly told that they were falling short, yet when they were lying in a coffin, we were told to pattern our lives after their godly example. This never seemed to make any sense to me. Then God showed me through His Word who we are in Him and it all fell into place.

I knew I could never work enough, pray enough, witness enough, or believe enough to walk like Jesus. I would read in the Word that I should be perfect even as our Father in Heaven is perfect, Matthew 5:48. I would read that I can be used by God to do the same works as He did through Jesus and even greater works, John 14:12. I would read that I should walk even as Jesus walked, 1 John 2:6. I remembered all of the sermons that taught there was no way that we could because we were just men. It was preached that we are weak in the flesh; we could never do greater works than Jesus, or even the same works. I thought to myself, be perfect as God, you've got to be kidding, I can't even make it one day without messing up. But then God showed me all of these scriptures that we have studied together, and the many more we are going to study, and then our Father empowered me to see His Truth, and the Truth that God’s Word alone has sanctified us.

There is now no condemnation for us, through the power of the Holy Spirit our Father has led me into His rest. I am no longer being destroyed by a lack of knowledge. My life is no longer hindered because of me, because of my actions, my life is now enriched because of the power of our Father, Dad has led me into the paths of His righteousness. The Holy Spirit has taught me and the Word that He used sanctified me. Now our Father’s has truly begun to work through me, not because I willed them into being, but because the Word has set me apart for God’s holy use. Our Father is now able to work through me because I know that I can’t do anything on my own! I have been shown that works do not sanctify us. The Truth has set me free and I now know that we are sanctified by Jesus so that we can be used by God to work! The yoke of sanctification is easy because it is our Father sanctifying us and He knows exactly how to do it! We are now and forever more strong in the power of His might, not our own!

We Are Dead And Yet We Live

For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

Today we are dead, yet we are so alive in Christ that we are eternally accepted! Through the power of Christ we walk in victory, faith and love, because we are accepted by God Himself. Pray for me that I am able to accomplish all that our Father has called me to do, and I will pray the same for you! Pray that we all really come to know this Truth and walk in it, that we are accepted by Grace, not by works. The freedom that comes with this is so powerful.

Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then we have confidence toward God. 1 John 3:21

When the Holy Spirit enlightens us to realize that we are accepted apart from our works, there goes condemnation out the window, and when condemnation is gone, there is confidence to take its place! Confidence that we are pleasing to our Father, because we have been empowered to accept what He has provided for us: complete and total salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior! The Holy Spirit causes us to accept that God is fully with us, leading us, guiding us, helping us, giving us the spirit, the faith, the hope, and the abilities do so! We are not alone, we are accepted because of Jesus, and this brings us confidence. And when we are confident in Jesus, we able to truly serve and truly able to be used by God to produce eternal fruit! Works do not bring our acceptance, but our acceptance sure will bring forth works! Hallelujah, that is good! We are alive in Christ and His power is limitless and through us. God will do far more than we can ask or believe for and even far more than we can dream of, Ephesians 3:20! This is our accepted time and today is the day of our salvation!

I have been crucified with Christ [in Him I have shared His crucifixion]; it is no longer I who live, but Christ (the Messiah) lives in me; and the life I now live in the body I live by faith in (by adherence to and reliance on and complete trust in) the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself up for me. Galatians 2:20

Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, Romans 6:8