Word for Life in Love— Scripture Meditations By Stephen Brown
Those in the body of Christ will not taste death when the body takes its last breath. We are one with the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit who never die. Our body is what keeps us here on earth. Once shed of its weight, we will be with the person of Jesus Christ in heaven just as we have been with the person of the Holy Spirit here on earth.
When He returns to the earth, we will be with Him. At that time we will be joined with our new and resurrected bodies, the new earth of creation.
Revelation 3:15-16 (ESV)
“‘I know your works: you are neither cold nor hot. Would that you were either cold or hot! So, because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.
Jesus is speaking to the Church. He is speaking to each of us individually. One cannot be lukewarm as a believer without being in danger of being ejected and rejected from the body of Christ. This is the experience of the one who shows up at the wedding feast without the required wedding clothes and hearing Jesus say, “I don’t know you.”
2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)
What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
We have become the temple of God, His dwelling place on the earth. Worship in this temple is true worship of Spirit with our spirits, the worship that the Lord seeks.
Therefore we are holy because He is holy. Being holy is to be set apart from the profane, to become part of the divine other. This describes the body of Christ.
Matthew 25:14 (ESV)
The Parable of the Talents
“For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property.
The Lord has given life to us, each life with gifts according to His pleasure and purpose. When we are reborn we become His property, the body of Christ. He entrusted us with His life and has gone away for a while, but will return and see what we have done with what He gave us.
Those who have been productive with His property will please the Lord and receive His praise and be invited to enter the joy prepared in advance for them before the foundation of the earth. For those who do nothing with their new life, they will not please the Lord and what they were initially given will be taken away.
Let us hear what the Spirit says and be transformed according to His word.
Ephesians 2:8 (ESV)
For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God,
Through our faith we receive the grace of God. We grow in His grace according to our faith. His grace and our faith come from God. It is not our doing, but the work of the Holy Spirit.
Titus 1:16 (ESV)
They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.
The works of a saved person will change according to the changes in him, which takes place over time. The longer we walk with Him, the more we will walk like Him. His light draws us to Him, envelops us in His love, and leads us in the way we should go.
The work of an unsaved person will not have the benefit of the light that can lead him through and out of the wilderness. He will grow more entrenched and comfortable in the darkness of the natural man.
John 14:21 (ESV)
Whoever has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.”
We must do something for the Son of God to reveal Himself. By having His commandments and keeping them, we show our love for Him. God the Father has already shown His love by giving us His only Son. We give ourselves to Him to become His sons. In due time, the sons of God will be revealed and we will be like Him.
There are many ways to seek God, perhaps as many as there are seekers. But there is only one way to approach and find Him. Jesus is the way, for He is God manifest in creation.
Matthew 16:18 (ESV)
And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
The gates of hell are open and the spawn of hell are active in the affairs of man, but the Church will prevail and be the rock that withstands the coming storm.
Romans 6:23 (ESV)
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Life is a gift from God. So is abundant life, which is the life of God.
Psalms 24:3-6 (ESV)
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Sela
Those who are in the body of Christ have received the righteousness and the blessings from heaven. We who are reborn into His life are the generation who will see Jesus Christ face to face. We shall ascend the hill of the Lord and live in His Holy House.
Psalms 24:3-6 (ESV)
3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD?
And who shall stand in his holy place?
4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not lift up his soul to what is false
and does not swear deceitfully.
5 He will receive blessing from the LORD
and righteousness from the God of his salvation.
6 Such is the generation of those who seek him,
who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Sela
Those who are in the body of Christ have received the righteousness and the blessings from heaven. We who are reborn into His life are the generation who will see Jesus Christ face to face. We shall ascend the hill of the Lord and live in His Holy House.
1 Peter 2:2 (ESV)
Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation—
The children of God are just that. We have been reborn into His life, but we must long for and seek to drink of the living waters of His Spirit that we may grow into His image. We all have the potential to grow up into our salvation.
Many are comfortable wearing spiritual diapers for the rest of their lives. Many will follow Jesus into the full maturity as sons of God and assume His full image. These are the ones who overcome the world.
The generations of man will continue after Christ returns to the earth. They will live and die and be fruitful from generation to generation.
Those reborn from above are an everlasting generation who will neither marry or be given in marriage, nor have children. They are the generation of man who will see and be with God.
Colossians 3:1-3 (ESS)
1 If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
We have been raised with Christ, even while we remain in our earthly bodies. His Spirit has descended upon these vessels of clay. His life in us is the seal of the Holy Spirit who is Christ in us, the very life of God.
Our spirits have been raised from the dead and our bodies will soon follow.
The cross is not just a sign of like minded people who enjoy getting together as just another club. It represents the door of salvation. Jesus died on a cross to bring salvation near to everyone. Those who meet Him at the cross and lay down their lives for Him as He did for us become one with Him there. We treat it casually at our peril. It symbolizes the most significant and profound event in creation. It is the foundation of the new creation that starts with us.
God came down to meet us at the cross. That is where we join Him. This is the intersection of God and man, where the divine and the profane are fused in the image of God in Christ
Colossians 3:12 (ESV)
Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
The people of Israel are the chosen people of God. They didn’t have a choice in the matter. Each one of us is a chosen one of God. We chose Him first and He opens the door to His house, which is the kingdom of heaven.
We are both in His house, though in different parts, just as we are both in the tree of life, but with Israel as the stump with its roots in the ground and we are the wild olive branches grafted on that tree by the Spirit of the Lord.
The fruit of the Spirit appears on those branches that remain.
In the Old Testament, the ark of the covenant was a box which at one time contained a jar of manna and the staff of Aaron that budded and produced almond blossoms.
In the New Testament, the ark of the covenant becomes the heart of the man who gives his heart to the Lord. It is there the bread of life is consumed and the life of God blossoms in the earth of man.
Fear of the Lord begins to fade as we become sons to our Father in heaven. Love casts out all fear. In becoming one with Him, there is no room for fear.
Obedience to His word is a sign of genuine faith in God. It is a fruit of the Spirit.
God gives us the faith to believe in Him according To our response in repentance. We are changed into His image to the receive the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit when He comes to abide with us.
Loving God requires every thing we are, just as He loves us with everything He is, even His Son Jesus Christ.
Ezekiel 48:35 (ESV)
The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.”
The name of the city is the name of God. This is the new name given to those who overcome the world. It is here He is will be fully manifest in creation. Jerusalem is the light for the nations, for the light of the world has taken His everlasting residence in the promised land among His chosen people.
The bride of Christ is the new Jerusalem descended from heaven that unites with the old Jerusalem on earth. The tree of life is complete, with its roots in the earth and its branches that reach into the heavens.
God has a plan for the fullness of life and new creation of man that will come to pass. The only question for us is whether we plan to join Him.
Mankind is deep beyond measure because God has placed eternity in the heart of man. When deep calls to deep, it is the everlasting God reaching out to the eternity in man. The one who answers will find that place filled to overflowing.
John 15:5-6 (ESV)
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.
A branch that is grafted in the true vine of life, which are the Gentiles who believe Christ, must bear the fruit of the Holy Spirit to remain. The Lord works in us, but we must bear part of the load by seeking Him and obeying His word, following His leading in the way.
This is not salvation by works, but the works of salvation. Do not be confused or deceived.
Where two or more are gathered, He is there. The body of Christ is filled with His Holy Spirit. It takes two more to witness and confirm a thing.
He is always with us, but He can be seen in those around us in the body of Christ. We are to love our brothers and sisters as we love God. We are told this is how we love Him.
We are commanded to do unto others what we would have done to ourselves, for we are one body in the unity of the Spirit. The body of Christ.
Disinformation for many is when the information strays from or is contrary to the facts.
Disinformation for others is when the information strays from a position, narrative, or perspective regardless of facts.
Disinformation thrives in the darkness of man. The light of the word of God is the cornerstone of truth and the darkness is unable to comprehend or overcome it.
Unless you are perfect, repentance will be an ongoing part of everyone who follows Christ. It is His perfection that we seek, not our own. It is by repentance that we are able to keep up with Him.
Ezekiel 44:19 (NASB)
When they go out into the outer court, into the outer court to the people, they shall put off their garments in which they have been ministering and lay them in the holy chambers; then they shall put on other garments so that they will not transmit holiness to the people with their garments.
After Jesus performed His sacrifice in the tomb, He laid aside His grave clothes and left them there. He put on the garments of righteousness and life which He had put aside for the people of the world.
He is the cornerstone of the new and living temple which is the house of the Lord. He is preparing a place there for us to join Him. It is the body of Christ being sanctified as the dwelling place of the Lord.
There is a difference between belief and conviction. A belief is a feeling something is true. A conviction is the substance of things unseen and the faith that they are true.
A convicted person is different than one who merely believes. Our depth of repentance will vary according to our belief. What the Lord will do with that I don’t know, but His judgment is just and right.
God has withdrawn His blessing and protection of our country. We are ruled by a corrupt and lawless system which only serves the God of self.
Only this can explain our moment of being great again and falling so far and so fast from prosperity and strength to our present condition. It is Biblical in scope and is preparation for the last days. We are no a reliable ally of Israel, or anyone else for that matter. America is not mentioned in Scripture because we are irrelevant to what God is doing with His chosen people.
1 Corinthians 3:18-20 (ESV)
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
The wisdom of the world is nothing more that.
Christ is the wisdom of God and is nothing less than that.
Jesus took our flesh for His own and then took it to the cross on our behalf.
We take His Spirit for our own and then take our flesh to the cross on His behalf.
It is there we cross paths in our coming and going to become one.
Jesus had a band of followers when He first came to earth. He’s coming back to put the band back together on a bigger, grander, and even more glorious scale. I plan to be a part that group, singing and playing with joy and thanksgiving.
If you are thinking about joining us, don’t wait too long
Self knowledge can lead to repentance when we begin to know about God. Repentance leads to forgiveness. Those forgiven by Christ are then able to follow the leading of His Holy Spirit who brings to the knowledge of the Lord. The world becomes a wilderness that is passing away.
Mankind is deep beyond measure because God has placed eternity in the heart of man. When deep calls to deep, it is the everlasting God reaching out to the eternity in man. The one who answers will find that place filled to overflowing.
Ezekiel 39:29 (ESV)
And I will not hide my face anymore from them, when I pour out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, declares the Lord GOD.”
The house of Israel is the rebuilt temple. The Spirit of the Lord will dwell in their temple again and forever. It is there they will seek the face of the Lord as they did before, and it is there He will found.
John 4:23-24 (ESV)
23 But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Israel worshipped the Lord with ritual and sacrifice relying on the work of man to justify himself before the Lord.
True worship is something else. Those who have the Holy Spirit are able to worship in spirit and truth because He abides with us. Only a spirit made alive to the Lord is able to worship and commune with Him in the way that truly pleases Him.
1 Corinthians 3:1 (ESV)
But I, brothers, could not address you as spiritual people, but as people of the flesh, as infants in Christ.
Infants in Christ are reborn into the life of God spiritually. We remain in the flesh of man which becomes part of our wilderness walk. The inner child of God must work through the flesh to transform the mind into the new creation we have become. This is a work shared by His Spirit and ours. He leads and we follow in the way of Christ.
Each person is a world in the creation of God. This is the world to be overcome to eat from the tree of life.
Those who witness the glory of His creation are blessed. Those who give witness to the testimony of Jesus are doubly blessed.
Ezekiel 37:25 (ESV)
They shall dwell in the land that I gave to my servant Jacob, where your fathers lived. They and their children and their children's children shall dwell there forever, and David my servant shall be their prince forever.
Israel is regathered in the promised land, just Adam was taken from the dust of the earth and placed in the Garden of Eden. Unlike Adam, they will obey His word and remain. They are mortal because they have children who have children. Christ will assume the throne of David forever.
Ezekiel 36:35 (ESV)
And they will say, ‘This land that was desolate has become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate and ruined cities are now fortified and inhabited.’
Not so long ago Israel was a land of sand and rocks, a desolate place. Since the Jews have resettled in the promised land, and it is renewed into a powerful and rich nation that exports food to other nations. This is the work of the Lord so we all would know that He is Lord.
Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV)
26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
The heart of stone may remind us that the word of the Lord to Israel was written on stone tablets. Israel was to serve Him in a relationship of the many to the “otherness” of a Holy God. Their kingdom of God is on earth in the promised land. Christ will return to Zion and sit on the throne of David.
A heart of flesh may remind us that the word of God is now written on the hearts of the body of Christ. We have entered into an individual relationship of a Father and son made possible through the unity of the Holy Spirit. We have become one with the Holy God and are holy in His presence. We are thus in the world, but no longer of the world. We have become sojourners on the earth, even as we walk in the kingdom of heaven.
Each day His mercy is new and His grace is everlasting. Each day we are renewed with the dawning of the sun, rising in the light of His morning star. Let us take our place in the light of the world with joy and thanksgiving.
God chose Israel to be His people and possession.
The body of Christ chooses God, to be one with Him.
