Seeking immortality

a.       Seek immortality

How does one seek immortality? According to the scriptures one seeks immortality by assuring that the Holy Spirit dwells in him/her as we have been duly admonished saying “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:10-11).

And so the crux of the matter is, it is not everyone who claims to be believers in Jesus Christ that will have their mortal bodies changed from mortal to immortal at the return of Jesus Christ, some of the dead will remain in their graves and some of those who are still alive will not have their bodies transformed from mortal to immortal, from corruptible to incorruptible and therefore, not every believer that will be qualified to be kings and priests in the kingdom of God.

Now how can one be assured that they have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them? First and foremost we are told by the apostle Peter and the rest of the apostles who said; “And we are His witnesses to these things, and so also is the Holy Spirit whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32).

So the qualification for receiving the Holy Spirit in order to attain immortality is that; “We ought to obey God rather than men.” And another reason is that we are to be spiritually minded; “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you” (Romans 8:7-11).

Please note carefully that; “the body is dead because of sin” which according to the scriptures is, “the transgression of the law of God,”...” But the Spirit is life because of righteousness.” Which according to the scriptures; “My tongue shall speak of Your word, For all Your commandments are righteousness” (1John 3:4; Psalms 119:172).

Therefore, choosing to be obedient to God rather than following the customs and traditions of men is the sure way of seeking immortality, As Jesus plainly stated; "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!'(Matthew 7:21-23)

The crux of the matter is, not every believer will receive immortality and inherit the kingdom of God, those who are dead before the return of Jesus Christ and do not return with Him when He returns will remain in their graves until the thousand years of Christ’s reign on the earth is over and will be resurrected at the second resurrection and because their names were written in the book of life they will not suffer the second death and will have to partake of the tree of life .in order to live forever.(see Revelations 20:5;11-15).

The choice is yours, you have been informed.

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Love in Jesus’ Name

Lucius Joseph

 

Seeking honor

  

                                                        Seeking honor

We seek honor by the proper management and investment of the physical and material things that are in our possession or under our supervision and the different gifts, talents and abilities with which we have been endowed as illustrated in the parables of the unjust steward, the minas and the talents.

 According to these parables we see how one will ultimately be honored and rewarded dependent of how well they manage whatever is placed under their power and jurisdiction.

For example we see in the case of the unjust steward that if one is faithful in what is least he/she will also be faithful in what is much and so we have been duly admonished saying; “And I say to you, make friends for yourselves by unrighteous mammon, that when you fail, they may receive you into an everlasting home. He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much: Therefore if you have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own (Luke 16:9-12)?

Now with reference to the parable of the Minas we see that, everyone will be given an equal opportunity but will be rewarded according to their individual efforts and the one who did nothing with what has been attributed to them will not be honored instead the master said to him; “Why then did you not put my money in the bank, that at my coming I might have collected it with interest?'

"And he said to those who stood by, 'Take the mina from him, and give it to him who has ten minas.' (But they said to him, 'Master, he has ten minas.') 'For I say to you, that to everyone who has will be given; and from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him” (Luke 19:23-26).

And with reference to the parable of the talents we see that talents were given to each according to their ability and the one who made the proper use of his talents;  “His lord said to him, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21, 23).

But to the one who did not invest and develop what was given to him to him the master said; “You wicked and lazy servant, you knew that I reap where I have not sown, and gather where I have not scattered seed. So you ought to have deposited my money with the bankers, and at my coming I would have received back my own with interest. So take the talent from him, and give it to him who has ten talents.’

“For to everyone who has, more will be given, and he will have abundance; but from him who does not have, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the unprofitable servant into the outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” Matthew 25:26-30).

We also need to take into consideration the fact that, whatever gifts, talents and abilities that we have they are for the benefit of all as we have been duly instructed saying; “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).

And so our honor will be dependent on how we utilize the material and physical things that are under our  control and jurisdiction and how we use our endowed gifts and talents for the benefit of others.

To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph 

 

Spiritual rewards of the saints

Spiritual reward

Receiving the free gift of eternal life, and being saved is not the ultimatum, in addition to these rewards will be rendered to each one according to how we learn to seek, glory, honor and immortality? (Romans 2:7).

It is therefore imperative that we at least have the basic knowledge and understanding on how we are to seek and attain these three things which are not inclusive with the free gifts of salvation and eternal life that were bestowed upon us by the grace of God for which no one can boast.

a.       Seeking glory

How are we to seek glory? We are to seek glory by imitating the life of Jesus Christ as we have been duly instructed saying; “But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18).

It is essential to note that there are different degrees of glory, the same way that, there is one glory of the sun, another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for one star differs from another star in glory (and there are millions of stars). So also is the resurrection of the dead. The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption. It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body” (1 Corinthians 15:41-44)

And so, the glorification of our body will depend on how much of the nature of Jesus Christ that has been formed in us.

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To be continued

With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The sixth basic principle in the application of the law of liberty

6.      Know that the Lord judges

The sixth basic principle in the application of the law of liberty is to know, understand and believe that judgement belongs to the Lord, for we have been duly admonished saying; “But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written: "As I live, says the LORD, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God." So then each of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather resolve this, not to put a stumbling block or a cause to fall in our brother's way” ( Romans 14; 10-13).

We have also received the admonition which states; “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord” (Romans 12:19).

And again; “For we know Him who said, "Vengeance is Mine, I will repay," says the Lord. And again, "The LORD will judge His people." It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:30-31).

So we are to be certain that we have a good knowledge and understanding of the law of liberty and not to use liberty as a pretext for sin for we have been duly admonished saying; “For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. “Therefore we make it our aim, whether present or absent, to be well pleasing to Him,” For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men ---as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God” (Galatians 5:13; 1 Peter 2: 15-16).

And finally; “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad. Knowing, therefore, the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are well known to God, and I also trust are well known in your consciences” (2 Corinthians 5: 9-11).

And so let us make sure and make it our aim that we have a very good knowledge and understanding of the liberty that we have in Jesus Christ and do not neglect our responsibility as being slaves of righteousness which produces holiness and ultimately everlasting life (the immorality of the body) and the glorification of the spiritual body from one level of glory to another.

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph

 

The fifth basic principle in the application of the law of liberty (continued)

c.   Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness

To worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness signifies that in order to have fellowship with the Father one has to be holy and so we have been duly admonished saying; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord,” The Lord also instructed us 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).

Now since it is by partaking of the body and blood of Jesus Christ that one becomes holy and can now have access and fellowship with the Father and the Son and with one another and one is required to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness as we have been duly instructed saying; “Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord” (Hebrews 12:14).

Our duty therefore is to follow the instructions of Jesus Christ who instructed us 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” (Matthew 5:23-24).

And holiness of course is the fruit of righteousness, the righteous act which when practiced makes one righteous even as Jesus Christ Himself is righteous and since we are to worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness the admonition therefore is; “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” (1 Corinthians 5: 9-11).

The eating the apostle Paul is referring to is the participation of the body and blood of Jesus Christ which joins us together as one and allows us to have fellowship with one another and with the Father and the Son, for this is what the apostle Paul wrote; “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 of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we, though many, are one bread and one body; for we all partake of that one bread” (1 Corinthians 10:14-17).

To be continued

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With brotherly love

Lucius Joseph