Eph. 4:13-15,
“Till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head, Christ”.
What is it that God expects from His church of today? God’s purpose from the beginning was, and continues to be, is to create for Himself the perfect man. With the time and season we find ourselves in now, with many seasons having already come and gone, the season of perfection is now upon God’s creation. “The perfect man” as stated above, with the word “perfect” stating “God’s level of spiritual value”. This word has the meaning of and refers to “that which has reached an end, that is, finished, complete, and perfect. Concerning God’s people, it signifies consummate (complete and perfect) soundness, a being made whole, coming into maturity”. Therefore, it speaks of being complete as to that which manifests God’s true spiritual values and purpose.
In this, God’s values and purpose, we need to consider, what was and continues to be the purpose of God’s entity called the church? What is it that God purposed for its birthing and what is to be its fruits? While the visible church, as the world looks upon it during our day and time, is a people who have seemingly become a powerless group. This church is mostly become a group that expresses a mind-set that has melded itself into the mind-set that comes forth from the carnal minded dictators that rule the world (political, economic and religious) in general. The coming forth of this type of mind-set is that which has become the educator for most of today’s ministers. These mostly promote numerical growth without maintaining any degree of righteousness or spiritual guidance as it comes from God. Is this corrupt existence and manifestation what Christ desired for the church when birthing it on the day of Pentecost?
Could it be said, for the most part, that the church has not stayed completely separated from the world as Paul stated was God’s purpose and desire? Is it not so, that the true Christian, while in the world, they are not to be motivated by or a part of this worlds system? Could this mean that while the world has a standard established for the type of life man is to live, God has also established a standard for His people, one that is to make them of a different spirit and life? With a standard established by God for man to live, this standard only produces spiritual value when the man is exercising obedience toward it. While man has been given the right to choose the life-style he desires to live, freedom given as the results of God’s love, man becomes spiritually valuable only when walking in obedience to Christ stature of perfection, His standard of life in the Holy Spirit.
Humanity, in the authority given unto him by God, has yielding to God’s enemy and created a world for themselves that expresses itself in many arenas. These expressions of humankind are through the arenas of politics, religion, the economy, education, art and entertainment, health and social welfare, and freedom of ownership. These arenas display the nature of man as each person relates to one another in forming the culture of society that each man lives in. In all that, man has established for himself the life he chooses to live and a need to ask himself this question. Does the life chosen have and is it of any spiritual value?
Man has set within his existence many levels of value that plays a part in the many arenas in which he involves himself. In these areas, man prioritizes the level of importance each section should take in the involvement of his life. Remember, each arena involved in man’s life influences his make-up as to that which drives him in establishing his life-style. Herein, what value does the man place upon any part of each arena?
In considering each part of man’s involvement, these arenas manifest and are the product of carnality or spirituality according to each person’s make-up or nature. What nature is the motivating factor in their lives? Among the world in general, without any relationship with God, all these arenas are the product of man’s unregenerate fallen soul. Thus, man lives in a world, with many expressed arenas, that are the products of men and his darken soul, his mind, his will, his emotions and his desires. Thus, a darken world filled with gross darkness upon their minds (pointing to a lack of knowledge concerning God’s word). The important question to ask, should the Christian community allow these darken souls to educate them as to the order of their Christian life-style? In this, darkness is the influence and therefore we see a fulfillment as declared by the prophet Isaiah in Chapter 60:2a,
“For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people …”
However, as we continue to read in Isaiah, God, while declaring such a time of darkness He has likewise proclaimed that He would bring forth, through His people, a light of great value. Isa. 60:1 & 2b,
“Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. …But the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you”.
Herein, God places upon and within His people that for which He places value in. Note, that in God’s ultimate purpose, darkness has no Godly spiritual value. For this cause, God Himself sent forth His Begotten Son as a sacrifice in which, when received, humanity is delivered from this state of gross darkness. Remember, gross darkness has no spiritual value. Gal. 1:4 states,
“Who [Jesus] gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age according to the will of our God and Father”.
Deliverance is that for which God the Father has purposed for us. Deliverance received is the completed work of Jesus Christ on the cross, a finished work legally accomplished when Jesus declared, “it is finished”. Thus, something God’s people should take a hard look at when considering that which is spiritually valueless and that which He deems of great spiritual value. Gal. 6:14,
“But God forbid that I should boast [glory] except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world”.
Paul, declaring this truth for all who would read and understand the work needed for all Christians everywhere. That is, to allow the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to take effect in their lives, that they might know and experience being crucified to the worlds influences and its influences unto them.
The world that rules over most of humanity is a world that manifests itself and is controlling the mind-sets of most of humankind. The arenas of man’s existence, the political, the religious, the economics, the realm of education, the arts and entertainment, the health and social welfare, along with the freedom of ownership has been the main desire of man. This meaning that their purpose of existing is to be a part of this worlds mind-set. While these arenas may be necessary for expression and well-being, the very men who rule over them corrupt them. That is, the policies of each arena, while proclaiming themselves as the needed institutions for man’s well-being, they have in fact become arenas of expression and involvement that has no spiritual value.
They, these arenas, are now denying the very God who purposed them while many desire to do away with Him completely. Meaning that without the Spirit of God being in complete leadership, these arenas now pervert and deny God His place of purpose. Was not God’s purpose, established before the creation of man, that man under God, was to have dominion, man was to be fruitful and multiply while filling the earth with like kind persons who would have rulership under God? However, man fell and the earth became polluted because man has birthed from himself a world without God as these same men seek to do away with God completely.
Therefore, the corrupted world as we know it is one in need of a Savior. In this, the God of heaven, the creator of all things, has supplied this Savior through the act of His love. God’s process in dealing with mankind down through the ages finally brought forth Jesus Christ as He made an appearance. His purpose, to offer up Himself for mankind to have a way to be restored and thus bringing them into a new world. A restored world filled again with God’s order of the perfected creation, even as the realms of heaven, God’s dwelling place. Luke 11:2,
“So He [Jesus] said to them, when you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”.
God’s delight then is to restore the earth, the world of mankind back into that realm of perfect peace, joy and completeness in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the agent and entity that God, through Jesus Christ, is using for the building of this new world. Building it upon Jesus as its sure foundation. For this cause, God has purposed the church to become a spiritual womb in the process of birthing His new creation. But because the arena of religion has become a part of the corrupt worlds system without any true spiritual value, God has left instructions which most of the Christian community has forsaken and/or denied as even being from God and not necessary for today’s church.
Luke 24:46-49,
“Then He *[Jesus] said to them, thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins shall be preached in His name [nature] to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things. Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high”.
“Power from on high” is the receiving of the Holy Spirits ability, as instructed by Jesus, to enable them to have His power. This Holy Spirit is that agent which God would send to them, His supernatural power given to fulfill each receiving person’s mission. What is this power, His purpose and presence? The Holy Spirit is God’s agent to enable each vessel to become involved only with that which has spiritual value concerning God.
It remains that while the law of sin and death rules most of the world, with few exceptions; each arena contains no real spiritual value. The arena of carnal religion is that darkened entity, which most of humanity sees as the church. A people in need of knowing true and complete restoration. Why is this so? Because there is a true church which is God’s chosen entity from which He shall birth a man-child to establish a new world order. This is speaking of a truth in recognizing that each arena, ruled over by darkness shall fall as the light of God’s true church sweeps away all the darkness of sin and death. Know that God begins to reveal this truth as God speaks to and through Jeremiah the prophet.
Jer. 1:9-10,
“Then the Lord put forth His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me: Behold, I have put my words in your mouth. See, I have this day set you over the nations and over the kingdoms, to root out and to pull down, to destroy and to throw down, to build and to plant”.
Again, this truth appeared on the Day of Pentecost when the sending of the Holy Spirit came to empower the church in fulfilling its God given purpose. This empowerment is that which carnal minded men seek to set aside and rob from the church. Taken away from them all that enables them in becoming vessels of spiritual value.
Acts 2:1-4,
“When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.
This is the needed power spoken of by Jesus in the book of Luke and is still necessary today for the church to become and remain an entity of spiritual value. This Holy Spirit is a needed and necessary source of power that has never changed. Unto those who try to rule and have dominion without Him, the spiritual value of the Christian community loses its value to God and the ability to maintain obedience to God alone.
Could this be the reason why we see so much darkness around us today? Darkness remains because the leaders who sit within religious circles mostly have received their education from the carnal perversions of a fallen religious world. These leaders promote carnality for and by the masses. The church, God’s people called to be a light sit upon a hill, have become a Christian community ruled over by trained and learned men of carnal humanistic self-help experiences. Promoting programs that increase the darkness of this age, sitting aside God to become their own gods. Therein, all the arenas of humanity’s existence live according to the worlds promoted systems of corruption. Lining up with that worldwide system called Babylon, which is destined to fall.
Rev. 18:2-5,
“And he cried with a loud voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and has become a dwelling place of demons, a prison for every foul spirit, and a cage for every unclean and hated bird! For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth have become rich through the abundance of her luxury. And I heard another voice from heaven 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”.
Reread Luke 24:46-49 above and take note of the time in which we live. This is now the third day from Christ when a man-child, through a resurrection in the soul, is now to be birthed. This man-child manifest, in the nature of Christ, is purposed to establish God’s kingdom on earth. Where are such a people as this? Are they not even now beginning to know their birthing as they, filled with the power of God’s anointed nature, are establishing such a kingdom? With the carnal world’s arenas of existence, along with most of the Christian community remaining carnal Christians, they have incorporating the ways of the world into their gatherings of ritualistic orders and traditions and are of no spiritual value.
In this God is not pleased and therefore a call comes forth from heavenly places. A first-fruit people are arising and beginning to shine because, they partake not of all this world’s activities which have no spiritual value. These first-fruits of God are responding only to the power of God’s Holy Spirit in all things. With the corrupted arenas of politics, religion, the economy, education, art and entertainment, health and social welfare, with freedom of ownership corrupted; God’s word declares that it shall collapse. In these fallen corrupted arenas, God shall resurrect each arena to a place of restoration, to take on spiritual value. Thus, establishing God’s kingdom and restoring each arena into that which expresses Gods completed purpose.
The measuring rod is that which each vessel becomes as they express God’s perfect man in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. In this, we are to become a people, separated from this world of things that have no spiritual value, into those who have become vessels of God. These are those who now put their hands only to the things of God. In this, man does away with carnality, with rituals and ceremonies, with carnal humanistic doctrines, self-helps and carnal traditions as the Holy Spirit imparts life to re-establish these arenas into that which affects the world in all areas. This restoration speaks of having spiritual value in God’s glory alone. Note that the old world is a world of fleshly habits and carnal training while God’s world is one of being lead totally by the Holy Spirit. Honesty tells us that the world as we know it needs a cleansing. The cleansing must start among the Christian community until each vessel knows the enabling power of the Holy Spirit dwelling and manifesting Himself from within. This requires a resurrection within the vessel himself and then a manifesting of Christ nature from within to affect the whole of creation. In this, we see a birthing, a coming forth of God’s new created man to stand in and for Him in all things. Therefore, touch not those carnal orders that have no spiritual value and become a part of God’s measuring rod unto the entire world. Man can accomplish this by allowing the Holy Spirit His rights of ministry within them, to recognize that all the orders, rituals, ceremonies and traditions of men have no spiritual value while dwelling in carnality. Herein, release the cross and Christ sacrificial death to do a cleansing work within. In this, man shall begin to live, being established in God’s kingdom as vessels of great spiritual value.