Time for critical examination (part two)

 

It is a pity that there are not too many believers in Jesus Christ that can make that clear distinction between the wisdom of this age from the wisdom of God. Furthermore, the wisdom of God is understood only by those who are spiritually matured because the wisdom of God is a mystery which He ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. And so, when it comes to having faith in the power of God, which is the other option to having faith in the wisdom of men, the substance of our faith in the power of God is Jesus Christ, and the evidence of things not seen is Christ living in us the hope of our glory as confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote:

“The mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. Him we preach, warning every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus. To this end I also labor, striving according to His working which works in me mightily” (Colossians 1:26-29).

 The power which believers ought to have their faith and confidence in is not in science, commerce, medicine or pharmacy, these are all part and parcel of man’s wisdom whose leader is the prince of the power of the air, the spirit which works in the sons of disobedience.

Our faith ought to be in the power that resides and works in us as we have been duly admonished saying; “For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world” ( Philippians  2:13-15).

We also have the consolation saying; “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:16-21).

Having faith in the power that dwells in us, we can all echo the Apostle Paul’s statement by saying; “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me,” knowing and believing that, “He would grant us, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in our hearts through faith; that we, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height ---to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fullness of God.

So the faith that we believers should have is in the power of Christ that works in us, and we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose: For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind” (Romans 8:28; 2 Timothy 1:7).

.Now just as there is a logo or symbol that depicts the vision and the driving force behind man’s wisdom which is the serpent, Satan the devil; there is also a logo or symbol that depicts the vision and the driving force that is behind the power of God which works in us. 

This power is symbolized by the Word of God who; “In the beginning was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it”. The Word later became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1-5; 14).

Bread and wine are the other two symbols in the believer’s logo, the bread represents the broken body of Jesus Christ of whom it is said; “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4-5).

The wine represents the shed blood of Jesus Christ by which we receive redemption and forgiveness for our sins as confirmed by the Apostle Paul who wrote; “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself.” And, “He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Ephesians 1:7-9; Colossians 1:1-14).

The root cause of the believer’s downfall is their ignorance and the improper discernment of the Lord’s body as we have been forewarned saying; “Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup.

For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep: For if we would judge ourselves, we would not be judged” (1Corinthians 11:7-31).

Let us not be unwise but be wise and understand what the will of God is and ask ourselves this question: If the improper discernment of the Lord's body results in weakness, sickness and premature death, what would be the result for those who eats and drinks in a worthy manner, properly discerning the Lord’s body? Food for thought!

 This is the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. This is the light which shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. Our faith therefore, ought not to be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Time for critical examination

 

Time for critical examination

This present day and age is an opportune time for the saints to examine ourselves and follow the advice given to us by the apostle Paul which states; “Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you? --- Unless indeed you are disqualified; But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified” (2 Corinthians 13:5-6).

The critical examination which the saints of God are presently undertaking is proving the source of our faith, as exemplified by the apostle Paul who wrote; “And my speech and my preaching were not with persuasive words of human wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

However, he said, “we speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, or of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing” (1 Corinthians 2:5).

So there is definitely man’s wisdom (science) and Godly wisdom for which we the saints have to make a choice as to which one we are subjecting ourselves to and placing our faith and confidence in. Now to understand the profoundness and seriousness of this decision that we all have to make individually, let us remind ourselves of what faith is.

According to the word of God, faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” It is also very critical to know that, “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” (Hebrews 11:1. 6),

Since faith is the substance of things hoped for, let us asked ourselves the question what is the substance of man’s wisdom? The substance of man’s wisdom is science, medicine, technology, commerce and the evidence of things not seen is that no matter how brilliant the achievements the end result will always results in death as attested to by the Psalmist David who wrote; “here is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12; 16; 25).

It is within man’s scope and capabilities to achieve whatsoever he set his mind to do as confirmed by the Lord Himself who said; “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them” (Genesis 11:6)..

The problem however is that, what they are achieving or are able to accomplish are based on man’s wisdom a wisdom that is derived from the spirit of this world and not from the Spirit of God. There is a huge disparity between the spirit which governs this world and the Spirit of God as alluded to by the apostle Paul who wrote: “Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.

These things we also speak, not in words which man's wisdom teaches but which the Holy Spirit teaches, comparing spiritual things with spiritual. But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:12-14).

Science, man’s wisdom is not established on what the Holy Spirt teaches; In God’s sight science is foolishness and so we have been duly admonished saying; “Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you seems to be wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, "He catches the wise in their own craftiness"; and again, "The LORD knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile: Therefore let no one boast in men” (1 Corinthians 3:18-21).

We normally assumed that since it is God who endowed man with life and whatever gifts talents and abilities that he/she has that what he/she does will be attributed to God, but this is not the case, it all depends on which spirit our human spirit is connected to, whether it is connected to the spirit of this world or to the Spirit of God.

For example, the logo or the symbol which represents the vision of the World Health Organization (WHO), Commerce, Medicine and Pharmacy, all gives a clear vision as to which spirit that governs and controls these establishments. They are all integrated with the great dragon, that serpent of old, called the devil and Satan who deceives the whole world (Revelation 2:9).

WHO logo /symbol                                                                                          Pharmaceutical logos/symbol

                    

 Now since they are integrated with the spirit of the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, and of whom it is said; “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44).

Unfortunately, those who lack this vital spiritual understanding try to attribute man’s achievements which ultimately lead to death to God, but to all God fearing people, the admonition is that, our faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.

However, according to the apostle Paul; “We speak wisdom among those who are mature, yet not the wisdom of this age, nor of the rulers of this age, who are coming to nothing. But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (1 Corinthians 2:5-8).

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius joseph

 

This present evil world

 This corona virus pandemic has truly exposed the ignorance and spiritual blindness of the majority of us who professed to be believers in Jesus Christ. The saints of God have been forewarned saying; “Come out of her, my people, lest you share in her sins, and lest you receive of her plagues. For her sins have reached to heaven, and God has remembered her iniquities” (Revelation 18:4-5).

What the saints have to take into deep consideration is the fact that, we are of God, but the whole world (age) lies under the sway of the wicked one, because the dragon, Satan the devil has given his power, his throne, and great authority to the leaders of this world (1John 5:19; Revelation 13:2).

And so the Apostle Paul’s admonition to the churches is; “Grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Galatians 1: 3-5),

God’s people, the saints, although they are living in this world, they are not of this world as confirmed by Jesus Christ in His prayer to the Father on behalf of His disciples saying; “But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world” (John 17:13-16).

It is therefore ludicrous to see church leaders surrendering themselves and leading others to the deceitful ploy of the workers of iniquity, deceiving them in believing that this call for mandatory vaccination is an act of love towards our neighbor to prevent the spread of the Corona virus and its variants. What a sham?

Let me say from the outset that true Agape love is expressed in three ways; it is first and foremost from and to God, for God is love. This we called our upward calling, then it is trickled down to us which is our inward calling, for one cannot give what they don’t have, and thirdly, we extend love to others which is the outward calling. So whenever true love is expressed it must originate from the Father and expressed to Him because He has the preeminence.

I therefore beg to ask the question, who has the preeminence and who receives the honor and glory when mandatory vaccination is imposed on the people, especially on those who profess to believe in Jesus Christ? Ask ourselves one simple question, that is, why should a healthy human being be mandated to be vaccinated when there is over 95% chance of survival if infected by the virus?

What does mandatory vaccination implies? It implies that this is the best and surest solution in handling this pandemic and therefore, our immune system which God designed, created and placed in our bodies to protect our body from outside invaders, such as bacteria, viruses, fungi, and toxins (chemicals produced by microbes) and is made up of different organs, cells, and proteins that work together to defend our body, is of its own strength and ability, insufficient, weak and incapable of defending and protecting us from a virus without the help and assistance of a vaccine which man in his wisdom (science) has created.

 What this therefore implies is that, the wisdom of men is more powerful than God, which is quite the opposite of what we as believers should be demonstrating, for we have admonished by the apostle Paul saying; “that our faith should not be in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.”

Therefore, for religious leaders to get vaccinated and encouraging their followers and supporters to do likewise, is absurd, blasphemous, profane, idolatrous and shameful because the end result is the defilement of the temple of God which is our human body and which will ultimately deprive the individual from inheriting the kingdom of God., what a sad state of affairs.

But truly, these times of ignorance God has overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent.

https://www.amazon.com/author/luciusjoseph

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The Christian life (part two)

 

As one can clearly see, for Christ being the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believe does not make null and void the law of righteousness, because, the apostle Paul did not say that Christ is the end of the law of righteousness, what he said is, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, signifying that he did not do away with the law of righteousness, but did away with the law as the means of attaining righteousness.

The apostle Paul again addressed this issue by saying; “For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” And in the same breath he says; “What then? Shall we sin ( shall we transgress the law) because we are not under law but under grace? Certainly not!

He asked again, “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin (continue transgressing the laws of God) that grace may abound? Certainly not!  How shall we who have died to sin live any longer in it? He also said; “What shall we say then? Is the law sin? Certainly not! On the contrary, I would not have known sin except through the law. For I would not have known covetousness unless the law had said, “You shall not covet” (Romans 6:14-15; 1, 2, 7).

This law is found inscribed in the Lord’s everlasting covenant - the Ten Commandments. The thin line that exists between law and grace is simply this;  It is utter folly to think and believe that there is no law, it is utter folly also to believe that there is no sin, because technically, and logically, sin is not imputed when there is no law. So the crux of the matter is this, the law though it exists and is in force, because it is spiritual, and eternal, it however, cannot save man from sin, it cannot produce the righteousness of God, and so Christ became the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. For it is only through belief in His sacrifice that man is redeemed and saved from sin.

Even having faith in Christ does not annul or make the law obsolete, because the apostle Paul again says; “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law” (Romans 3:31).

The conclusion of the matter is, to the legalists although we agree that the law is holy and the commandment holy and just and good, when obeyed, it should not be under command, coercion or compulsion, but rather obeyed through faith and love, for it expresses our reverence, gratitude, and appreciation to the Lord. And whoever does and teaches them shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

And to the liberals, it is ignorance and stupidity on your part to believe that our Loving God, our heavenly Father would allow every man to do what seems right in their own eyes and walk after the imagination of his/her own sinful heart, and not directing them in the way that they should go, so that all may be well with them. Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

 

 

The Christian Life

With so many divergent views, and contrary opinions that are being circulated regarding the Christian life, many innocent, God-fearing people are in confusion and discombobulated not knowing who to believe. But somewhere we need to strike a balance, and rescue these innocent victims.

The Christian life is not that wide gate and broad way that leads to destruction and many are going through it, but it is a straight, narrow, and difficult way which stands between two extremes. It stands between the rough deadly and turbulent waters of legalism on one side, and the calm, placid, but highly toxic and deadly waters of liberalism on the other side.

The Lord’s instruction to us therefore is; “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it” (Matthew 7: 13-14).

The individual who desires to live the Christian life must be extremely vigilant and steadfast, so as to maintain his/her equilibrium and not stumble and fall in either extremes.

The reality is, there is not one single aspect of life that does not have or requires a set of living, practical principles which governs its growth and perpetuation. Every single aspect of life is governed by immutable laws without which it cannot exist. And the truth of the matter is, Ignorance of those laws is no excuse, if we know them and apply them, happy are we; on the other hand if we don’t know them and don’t apply them, we will have to pay the consequences.

This living principle is clear, for it is written; “And that servant who knew his master's will, and did not prepare himself or do according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know, yet committed things deserving of stripes, shall be beaten with few. For everyone to whom much is given, from him much will be required; and to whom much has been committed, of him they will ask the more” (Luke 12:47-48).

 These living principles are so impartial that one automatically reaps the benefits of obedience even when they are not knowledgeable of these existing laws, for it is written; “For as many as have sinned without law will also perish without law, and as many as have sinned in the law will be judged by the law (for not the hearers of the law are just in the sight of God, but the doers of the law will be justified; for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves, who show the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and between themselves their thoughts accusing or else excusing them) in the day when God will judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ, according to my gospel” (Romans 2:12-6).

 The Christian life is no exception, there is a thin line between law and grace, and if one is ignorant of it, he/she is apt to stumble and fall in either legalism or liberalism. This thin line, the straight, narrow and difficult way can be understood by understanding Paul’s statement when he said; “For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge; for they being ignorant of the righteousness of God and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believe” (Romans 10:2-4).

Notice, the apostle Paul did not say that Christ is the end of the law of righteousness, what he said is, Christ is the end of the law for righteousness, signifying that he did not do away with the law of righteousness, but did away with the law as the means of attaining righteousness.

https://www.amazon.com/author/luciusjoseph

To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Description of a saint (part two)

 

I have so far defined and expounded on the definition of a saint as stated by the Psalmist David who wrote; “Gather My saints together to Me, those who have made a covenant with Me by sacrifice" (Psalms 50:5).

So let us now look at another definition of a saint as defined by the apostle Paul which states:  “Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus” (Revelation 14:12).

This definition is quite clear and simple and does not need to be expounded as the first; it simply means what it says, that is, a saint is one who is keeping the commandments of God and has faith in Jesus Christ. Keeping the commandments of God is synonymous to one of the terms of the covenant which the saints have covenanted to offer to the Lord by sacrifice which is, to be a slave of righteousness. For according to the Psalmist David; “My tongue shall speak of Your word, for all Your commandments are righteousness” (Psalms 119:172).

Becoming a slave of righteousness is something that is automatic to one who has been set free from sin as we have been duly admonished saying; “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness.” And; “For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteousness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (Romans 6:18, 20-22).

Therefore, one does not have to die and be canonized by some religious organization to be recognized and considered to be a saint; because in summary, a saint is one who has been redeemed by the blood of Jesus and has entered into a covenant of sacrifice with God, keeping His commandments and has faith in Jesus Christ.

This covenant of sacrifice includes placing Jesus Christ first and foremost in our lives and remembering to offer Him as the acceptable sacrifice and offering to the Father, prayer, worship and righteousness, taking cognizance of the stumbling stone which causes so many to stumble at the words which state; “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.

For My flesh is food indeed, and My blood is drink indeed. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who feeds on Me will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down from heaven --- not as your fathers ate the manna, and are dead. He who eats this bread will live forever" (John 6:53-58).

This is the stumble block; this is the rock of offense to those who do not believe, for we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1Corinthians 1:23).

And this is the responsibility and the agreement which God has assigned and covenanted to His saints as verified by the apostle Paul who wrote; “To me, who am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to make all see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the ages has been hidden in God who created all things through Jesus Christ; to the intent that now the manifold wisdom of God might be made known by the church (the saints) to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places, according to the eternal purpose which He accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through faith in Him” (Ephesians 3:8-12).

This boldness and access with confidence that we have through having faith in Jesus Christ is clarified by the apostle Paul who wrote: “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:19-23).

This is the wisdom of God in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the ages for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. This mysterious wisdom of God did not end at the cross but it is being perpetuated at the breaking of bread and drinking of the cup as explained by the apostle who wrote: “For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

 A saint therefore is one who keeps his/her part of the covenant with God by sacrificing his/her life to Jesus Christ placing Him first above everything else and offering Him as the offering for their sins, spending time in prayer, worshiping God, not according to the customs and traditions of men, but in accordance to God’s prescribed manner of worship, practicing righteousness, which is synonymous to the keeping of His commandments and last but not least having faith in Jesus Christ, for 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.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

The fourth qualifying sign of a saint

 

a.       Righteousness

The fourth term and integral component of our covenant of sacrifice as saints is that of righteousness for we have been duly instructed saying; “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart ---These, O God, You will not despise. Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar” (Psalms 51:17-19).

What therefore is the sacrifice of righteousness? We know that it is definitely not our own righteousness because according to the scriptures; “we are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousness are like filthy rags; We all fade as a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away. And there is no one who calls on Your name, who stirs himself up to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us, and have consumed us because of our iniquities” (Isaiah 64:6-7).

Neither can it be the righteousness which is according to the works of the law because the scriptures again state; “What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law: For they stumbled at that stumbling stone” (Romans 9:30-32).

What can be derived from the aforementioned scriptures is the fact that even though man’s own righteousness which is as filthy rags before God, and Israel pursuing the law of righteousness has not attained to righteousness and Jesus Christ being the end of the law for righteousness, there is nevertheless a practical act of righteousness which the saints are covenanted to observe which is termed the righteousness of faith.

We should note carefully that, the reason why Israel has not attained to the law of righteousness it is because they did not seek it by faith and they stumbled at the stumbling stone. So how do we seek and fulfill the act of righteousness by faith?

The righteousness one attains by faith and which is the stumbling stone and a rock o offence to those who do not believe is no other but Jesus Christ, who at His death fulfilled the righteous requirements of the law, by paying the penalty of sin in full, which is death, and conferred His righteousness to all those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness, and will reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

As the result of this one act of righteousness, justification which brings life, came for all men. As the scripture clearly states; “But now, the righteousness of God apart from law has been made known, to which the law and the prophet testify. This righteousness from God; comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe.” And in fact, we have been admonished to put on the new man which was created according to God, in true righteousness and holiness” (Romans 5: 17-19; 3: 21-22; Ephesians 4:24).

This righteousness therefore, has not only been imputed, but has to be practiced as well, because we have been admonished saying; “And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. And because of this enslavement the advice is, “For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteousness for holiness” (Romans 6:18-19).

We have also been forewarned saying; “Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness is righteousness just as He is righteous.” This act of righteousness is the only righteous act that can produce holiness as we have been admonished saying; “But now having been set free from sin, and having become slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life” (1 John 3:7; Romans 6:22).

This act of righteousness is also that stone of stumbling and the rock of offense to those who are disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. And the word to which the slaves of God are appointed is to become priests of God to offer to Him His food for His offerings at the appointed times, One should note carefully that being a slave of righteousness is synonymous to being a slave of God and it is this enslavement that produces holiness and culminates to everlasting.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness (part two)

 

To worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness signifies worshiping Him in the absence of sin and it is only by partaking of the offering which we are required to bring when appearing before the Lord that one becomes holy. Similar to the Old Testament regulations which states, “Then Aaron and his sons shall eat the flesh of the ram, and the bread that is in the basket, by the door of the tabernacle of meeting. They shall eat those things with which the atonement was made, to consecrate and to sanctify them; but an outsider shall not eat them, because they are holy” (Exodus 29:32-33).

What presents us holy in order to have fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another is the sacrificial body and blood of Jesus Christ in the form of the unleavened bread and the wine, with Jesus Christ our High Priest interceding on our behalf. And so the admonition is; “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to wise men; judge for your-selves what I say. The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion (fellowship) of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1Corinthians 10:14-17).

Therefore, anyone who is unworthy of partaking of the communion should not be a part of the worship service. For we have been duly instructed saying: “I wrote to you in my epistle not to keep company with sexually immoral people. Yet I certainly did not mean with the sexually immoral people of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world.

 But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner --- not even to eat with such a person. For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside? But those who are outside God judges: Therefore "put away from yourselves the evil person" (1 Corinthians 5: 9-13).

Therefore, to portray the church, the body of Christ, the congregation of the saints as a sanctuary for sinners is erroneous for we have been further instructed saying; “          Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?

And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God: As God has said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people." Therefore " Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you shall be My sons and daughters, says the LORD Almighty" (2 Corinthians 6:14-18).

The church is therefore commissioned to; “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Amen.

It is those who have gladly received the word and is baptized that are allowed to have fellowship in the breaking of bread and prayer, those who have not gone through this process are not supposed to be a part of the worship service. One should not confuse the service of the outer court which is to go and make disciples of all nations, with the service in the inner court which is to have fellowship with the Father.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

5. Oh, worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness

The sixth integral component of true spiritual worship is that of worshiping the Lord in the beauty of holiness. What should be foremost in our minds when it comes to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness is the fact that, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth.” It is only if we walk in the light as He is in the light, that we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin” (1John 1:5-7).

Now since no one can say that, I have no sin, or I have not sinned, it is imperative that, one’s sins be confessed and forgiven before they can have fellowship with the Father. For we have been instructed saying: “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.” And, “If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us” (1John 1:8, 10).

Therefore, our access to the presence of the Father at the appointed time is made possible under one condition and that is, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).

Please note carefully that the cleansing that takes place by the blood of Jesus Christ is done currently, at the time of having fellowship with one another, which is also with the Father and the Son. This cleansing comes as the result of the instructions which says, “Bring and offering and come before His courts.”

It is this offering that grants us access to the throne of grace as confirmed by the apostle Paul who wrote; “Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, and having a High Priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:19-25).

It is the offering that we bring which is the main objective for having a holy convocation that cleanses us from all sins and gives us access to the throne of grace, for this reason we are to; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.” And so, we have been admonished saying: “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. (Hebrews 12: 14; Matthew 5:23-24).

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To be continued, stay tuned

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph