The Way

A denomination is not the way to God. Jesus is the way. The church abides in Him. 

A Body You Have Prepared

Hebrews 10:5-7 (ESV Strong's)

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said,

“Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired,

but a body have you prepared for me;

6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings

you have taken no pleasure.

7 Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come to do your will, O God,

as it is written of me in the scroll of the book.’”

We come into the world in a body God has prepared for us. This is the offering He desires. He is looking for those who will do His will according to His word. Jesus did this and showed us the way. 

Faith

Hebrews 11:1 (ESV Strong's)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

This is the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are sealed by the word of God. 

A Recovering Human Being

A disciple of Christ is a recovering human being. One who has seen the light and follows Jesus out of the darkness of the world. We celebrate each and every one united in His Holy Spirit. They are a new creation in Christ. 

In God’s Sight

Genesis 6:11 (ESV Strong's)

Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

Corruption and violence got so bad that God did something about it. After gathering righteous Noah and family and the animals into the ark, He cleaned the earth with a flood. 

I see this happening again. Corruption and violence blossom across our land, and our entertainment seems to promote it, desensitizing us to its effect to our society. I can’t help but think that God will do something about it. He is gathering the righteous into the body of Christ before He will again clean the earth with the tribulation which precedes His return. 

Growing Old

Hebrews 8:13 (NASB Strong's)

When He said, “A new covenant,” He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear.

Our old bodies are getting ready to disappear. Those who have embraced the new covenant of Christ Jesus will be renewed in His new body. They are a remnant of mankind who have come to the Lord and claimed their inheritance. 

In Secret

Matthew 6:6 (NASB Strong's)

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

The inner room is the heart which has become the Holy of Holies for the one whose faith is in Christ Jesus. This is the place of intimate relationship and fellowship with God. It is where we become one. 

Holy Of Holies

The Holy of Holies begins in creation in heaven separate from the earth, as light is from darkness. Its final resting place is in the heart of man, as light shining in the darkness. 

This is where God takes His rest and where we find our rest. 

Real Faith

Faith is a noun which becomes real as a verb. When it moves from an idea to a way of life, it is then the way for life. It is by faith we are saved and it is by faith we inherit the promises of Christ. 

According To The Promise

Galatians 3:27-29 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

27 For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.

When we put on Christ, we shed the trappings of natural man for the image of God. We are no longer what we were, but are transformed as a new creation in Christ. We begin a journey of sanctification where we lay hold of the blessings of our inheritance. 

Christ is the son of promise, that is the promised son. If we are in Christ, we share in that promise because we are like Him, the seed of Abraham. 

The Nations

Revelation 21:24-26 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

24 The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it. 25 In the daytime (for there will be no night there) its gates will never be closed; 26 and they will bring the glory and the honor of the nations into it;

The light of God will dwell in Jerusalem, for that is where He will be in creation. He created heaven and earth and join them in a new creation in Christ. Those outside the city will view the light from the outside. 

Those who know what they have lost will weep and gnash their teeth. Those who don’t know any better might be the same as today. They don’t know what they are missing and are quite comfortable in the dark 

Matthew 8:11-12 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

11 I say to you that many will come from east and west, and recline at the table with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven; 12 but the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 22:11-13 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

11 “But when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw a man there who was not dressed in wedding clothes, 12 and he *said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without wedding clothes?’ And the man was speechless. 13 Then the king said to the servants, ‘Bind him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

Born Of Water And Spirit

John 3:5 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

Man is born of the water of mankind. This is the water of the deep that the Spirit hovers over in the beginning of the creation of man in the image of God. When we break through the waters of our baptism we signify our rebirth in the Spirit of God that is necessary to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

The kingdom of heaven is where God and man meet and become one. No other creature of heaven or earth can enter into this relationship. 

Your Likeness

Psalms 17:15 (ESV Strong's)

As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousnes

when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness.

Our bodies fall asleep to earth when death comes and  we go to be with Christ. When he returns the bones of our old bodies shall awaken and be transformed into our new flesh and bones for eternity.  

We will be like Him. 

From The Depths

Psalms 86:13 (ESV Strong's)

For great is your steadfast love toward me;

you have delivered my soul from the depths of Sheol.

The Spirit hovered over the waters of the deep in the beginning and drew the souls of mankind toward His light. He has delivered us from the darkness of death into new life. 

My Heritage

Psalms 16:5-6 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

5 The LORD is the portion of my inheritance and my cup;

You support my lot.

6 The lines have fallen to me in pleasant places;

Indeed, my heritage is beautiful to me.

The Lord is the heritage of those who follow Him. He will lead us to green pastures beside the waters of the river of life. Abundantly drink from the cup of His salvation and be satisfied. 

Until

Until Jesus was born, no one could see the face of God. He took the flesh and bone of man for Himself. 

Until we are reborn, no one will see the face of God. We receive the Spirit of God for ourselves. 

Thus heaven and earth are joined as one.  

The Sour Wine

John 19:28-30 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, to fulfill the Scripture, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine upon a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.

The sour wine of the sin of mankind was presented to Jesus on the cross using a hyssop branch, which was used for ritual sprinkling by the Jews. His final act as a man was receiving our punishment for disobedience and lifting the curse of death from our backs. He took the sour wine of our judgment and changes it to the new wine of our salvation. 

He overcame the world so that we might. Death no longer has the last say. We can speak the word of Christ and overcome as He did. 

Who?

Psalms 15:1 (ESV Strong's)

A PSALM OF DAVID. O LORD, who shall sojourn in your tent?

Who shall dwell on your holy hill?

It is by faith we sojourn in the tent of the body of Christ. It is by faith we shall dwell on His holy hill. It is by faith we will be saved. 

A Virgin Birth

 Everyone in the body of Christ has experienced a virgin birth. We repent of sin and ask Jesus to come into our lives. We are washed clean by the forgiveness of Christ and are reborn as children in the kingdom of heaven. 

The only way to God is a virgin birth. He made the way through a virgin birth. This is the way of the body of Christ and we will see Him and be like Him. 

Made For Man

Mark 2:25-27 (ESV Strong's)

25 And he said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he was in need and was hungry, he and those who were with him: 26 how he entered the house of God, in the time of Abiathar the high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and also gave it to those who were with him?” 27 And he said to them, “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath.

We in the body of Christ eat the daily bread of His Presence,  which means we rest in the Sabbath peace of Christ every day. 

This Heritage

Revelation 21:6-7 (ESV Strong's)

6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son.

In the beginning He is the light spoken into the darkness of the the earth. In the end He is the light of the world. 

He showed us the way to conquer death by becoming a son of God. The one who follows Jesus and overcomes the world “will have this heritage.” 

Revelation 22:5 (ESV Strong's)

And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.

Throne In Jerusalem

Revelation 22:1-4 (ESV Strong's)

1 Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city; also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding its fruit each month. The leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. 3 No longer will there be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the Lamb will be in it, and his servants will worship him. 4 They will see his face, and his name will be on their foreheads. 

The throne of God and the Lamb will be in the New Jerusalem. The Bride of Christ will sit beside Him on His throne. 

The servants of the Lord will be the twelve tribes of Israel who will minister the kingdom of light to the nations of the earth. 

A New Heaven And Earth

Revelation 21:1 (ESV Strong's)

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.

The new heaven and earth will be the Bride of Christ where the two are joined as one. The union of Adam and Eve foreshadows this wondrous event to come. 

Those who rise from the sea of mankind and take on the image of Christ and become the image of Christ in His resurrected body of flesh and a spirit reborn from above. 

Revelation 21:2-4 (ESV Strong's)

2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

Scripture tells us that God will dwell with mankind, joined with the Bride of Christ, and sitting on the throne of David in the New Jerusalem which descends from heaven. 

Revelation 21:5 (ESV Strong's)

And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

This is the new and final creation, for these words are trustworthy and true. 

Today And Forever

Hebrews 13:8 (NASB Strong's)

Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

God is from everlasting to everlasting and changeless, even when He came to earth in the flesh of man to speak His word for man to hear and understand, for God is one. He invites us to join Him today and forever. 

Pursuit

Hebrews 12:14 (NASB Strong's)

Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.

Peace and sanctification are something we receive as a gift, yet is perfected with our desire and a humble heart. 

To Discern Good And Evil

Hebrews 5:11-14 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

11 Concerning him we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing. 12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the word of righteousness, for he is an infant. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Though we hear the word of salvation, it does not preclude us from becoming hard of hearing the word that leads to maturity in Christ. Practicing the word in our lives means staying in the word and walking our revelation in obedience to Him. 

The knowledge of good and evil is perfected in the word. It is then we are able fully come to our senses and enjoy the kingdom of heaven; to be like God in knowing good and evil, yet choosing the good. 

The New Creation

Man is born of a woman and a father from below, and becomes a son of man in life expressing the mortality of a creature of the earth. 

The Son of Man was born of a woman below and from the Father above, and becomes a man. Heaven and earth are joined together in the body of Christ. God takes the image of man and lifts it up into immortality. 

A Man can be reborn from the Father above and become a son of God. Heaven and earth are joined together in the body of Christ. God will give them the resurrected image of God which is lifted up into immortality. 

This is the new creation. 

By The Word Of God

Hebrews 11:1-3 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

1 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. 2 For by it the men of old gained approval.

3 By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.

The word of God is the assurance for our hope. This is the word that formed creation out of what was not visible. He makes a new creation of man by revealing man in His light, taking that which was unseen in the darkness and making it visible. 

This is the word that was given to us and abides with us. He took our flesh and raised it up into heaven. He will do so for us. Keep the faith. 

Pure Words

 

Psalms 12:6 (ESV Strong's)

The words of the LORD are pure words,

like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,

purified seven times.

The word of God came into the earth of man and was purified in the furnace of suffering and thereby creating the blood that washes away sin for all to have fellowship with Christ. Only the pure of heart will see God. 

The Righteous

Psalms 11:7 (ESV Strong's)

For the LORD is righteous;

he loves righteous deeds;

the upright shall behold his face.

Righteousness is only possible when one rises from the dust of the earth into the new life of those reborn into the life of Christ. They will see His face and be glad. 

A Consuming Fire

Hebrews 12:28-29 (NASB Strong's)

28 Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; 29 for our God is a consuming fire.

In all things give thanks to our awesome God and Father who brings the refining fire of His Holy Spirit into the sea of our humanity, there to transform us into the image of God. 

Christ Was Faithful

Hebrews 3:4-6 (NASB Strong’s (Lockman))

4 For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God. 5 Now Moses was faithful in all His house as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken later; 6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house—whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.

It is faith that is faithful that builds and fills the house of God of those who hold fast to the word until the end.