GraceNTheTruth@ COX.NET~OUR ASSURANCES UNDER GRACE

THE MIDDLE WALL OF PARTITION*
* by Russell S. Miller *

For He is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the
middle wall of partition between us;

Having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain ONE new man, so
making peace;

And that He might reconcile both unto God in ONE BODY by the cross,
having slain the enmity thereby:

And came and preached peace to you which were afar off, and to them
that were nigh.

For through Him we both have ACCESS by one Spirit unto the Father
(Eph.2:14-18) .

On that Day that Christ Died, we know that the veil in the temple was
rent in twain from the top to the bottom... (Matt.27:51) , but the
meaning of this terrific event is hidden from the understanding of Jew
and Gentile until we come to the Epistles of St. Paul. In the book of
Exodus, God put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel
(Ex.11:7). In giving the Law of Moses, He put difference between holy
and unholy, and between unclean and clean (Lev.10:10; 11:47; 20:25).
And in the Prophets, God condemned the priests for violating His law
and profaning His holy things: ...they have put no difference
between the holy and profane...between the unclean and the clean...and I am profaned among them (Ezek.22:26) .

But in Paul's Gospel, the Apostle declares that there is no difference today, between Jews and Gentiles: For all have sinned, and come short
of the glory of God (Rom.3:22,23) . Israel was nigh but through their
unbelief the Jews had become as far off as the Gentiles. And Paul
further points out that God is now dealing with all mankind today by His grace:

For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same
Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall
call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved (Romans 10:12,13).

This should not too difficult for us to understand. It simply shows that
there is now no longer a difference between Jews and Gentiles today.
And this, brethren, this occurs before Acts 28; before Acts 18:6;
before Acts 13, but after Acts 2. It shows that with Paul's conversion
in Acts 9, and the commencement of the dispensation of the GRACE of
God, that the middle wall of partition was broken down. It shows that
the gospel of the grace of God is to all peoples and nations without
distinction today (Acts 9:15).

God has put an end to all the bigotry, prejudice, and biased opinions of
religious men and women! The Lord Jesus has abolished the enmity
through the blood of His cross making, in Himself, of [the] twain
ONE new man, so making peace (Eph.2:15). Thus Paul's exhortation:

Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil
speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:

And be ye kind one to another,tenderheart ed, forgiving one another,
even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you (Eph.4:31,32) .

Clearly, then, this wonderful access to God that all peoples have today
is first revealed to the Apostle Paul by our Lord Jesus Christ in
Romans, Ephesians, and Hebrews:

Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the
blood of Jesus, By a new and living way, which He hath consecrated for
us, through the veil, that is to say, His flesh (Hebrews 10:19,20).
"THE MYSTERY OF INIQUITY"*
* by Russell S. Miller*
* *
* *
*
"For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth
[hindereth] will [hinder], until he be taken out of the way.

"And then shall that wicked [one] be revealed, whom the Lord shall
consume with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy with the
brightness of His coming:

"Even him [anti-Christ] , whose coming is after the working of Satan with
all power and signs and lying wonders" (IIThes.2:7- 9).

In this world-system "the mystery of iniquity" is connected with foreign
intrigue, espionage, politics, and liberalism, but this short study
shall focus upon the professing church with its modernism,
ecumenicalism, and neo-evangelicalism. There is no principle, or cause,
that these men will not sacrifice upon the altar of their global economy
and one world religion. And this wickedness was already at work in
Paul's day under the guise of different names, but nevertheless just as
subtle:

"For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not
preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received,
or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with
him" (IICor.11:4; see also verses 13-15).

Satan, of course, is responsible for all the confusion, wickedness, and
lawlessness that is in this world. It is Satan who "hates" our "Liberty"
in the Lord Jesus Christ and seeks only to "steal" and to "kill" and to
"destroy" (John 8:44; IICor. 3:17; John 10:10). But the "love" of God
was manifested in the cross of Calvary where "CHRIST DIED FOR OUR SINS"
(ICor.15:3,4) .

"But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest
the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God,
should shine unto them" (IICor.4:3,4) .

Nevertheless God has not given us "the spirit of fear" but rather He has
commissioned us with "the mystery of godliness" today, and equipped us
with the ability "to make all men see WHAT IS THE FELLOWSHIP OF THIS
MYSTERY, which from the beginning of the world hath been HID IN GOD, who
created all things by Jesus Christ" (Eph.3:9) until He takes us, His
blood-bought Church, out of this sinful world.Such preaching, in the
power of the Holy Spirit, will suppress "the mystery of iniquity"
(Rom.1:16-18; IITim. 3:5) and further the cause of Christ in this world.

The commission, which God has given members of the Body of Christ --
Romans 16:25,26 -- has been ridiculed and slighted even by Christians
for many long years now. It is about time they woke up to the stark and
stern reality, that Paul's Gospel hinders the ministers of iniquity!

*OUR VICTORIOUS WARFARE*
*- BY LEON TUCKER*
*
'Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil.' EPHESIANS 6:11

Speaking strictly within the Scriptures, the Church is not even on
the earth. It is viewed by God as seated in the heavenlies. Positionally
it is there, conditionally it is here: but spiritually it must reckon
itself dead, buried, raised and seated with Christ in heavenly places.
If the conflict of the Church is not against 'flesh and blood,' against
who is it?

'Against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the
darkness of the world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places.'

Four times 'against.' Four things, 'against,' --- 'principalities, '
'powers,' 'rulers of darkness' and' spiritual wickedness'.

Let us ponder and consider these persons and powers of the
underworld now holding possession and position in the upper world. Who
are they? Where are they? Why are they?

They are wicked spiritual hosts in military organization camped and
entrenched in the heavenlies. They are invisible agents of wickedness in
an organized spirit world. They are the rulers of the darkness of this
age. They actually exercise rule over this world in this age-time of
darkness and delusion. They direct the energy of the age. They are
unquestionably organized in military order. Militarism not only prevails
on the earth, but maintains in the heavenlies. Intimations and allusions
to this organization may be found in Ephesians 1:21 and Colossians 2:15.
The Book of Revelation seems to open unto this very sphere and describes
a future struggle (see Revelation 12:7-9). The leaders of these hosts
alone are mentioned.

When Christ was raised up from the dead and exalted to the highest
point in the universe, He passed through these organized ranks who were
powerless to prevent Him passing through and up. Says Ephesians 1:21:
'Far above all principalities and power and might and dominion.' Christ
has been raised infinitely above them and they wait beneath His feet for
their future humiliation and casting down.

Having failed to defeat Christ, the head of the Church, they now
turn their attention to the Church, the Body of Christ. God has purposed
that the 'heavenlies' will be the sphere of the future service of the
Church (see Eph. 3:10). Its calling is heavenly, its ministry will be
heavenly, therefore its conflict is 'heavenly.' The place now occupied
by 'wicked hosts' will be then occupied by the Church. The Church must
realize the character of this conflict and be properly armored. 'Put on
the whole armour of God,' says the Apostle, 'that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.' The word wile is 'stratagem,'
cunning art of a spiritual foe. Not a flesh and blood conflict where
human wit must meet human wit, but a warfare issuing for the secret
counsels of a world of darkness and demons. This is the one and only
sphere of the conflict and contest of the Church. All other enmity to
the Church is created and promoted from this seat of antagonism

*Eph 3:9 And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, *
*which from the beginning of the world *
*hath been hid in God,*
*who created all things by Jesus Christ*

*The stars may fall, but God's promises will stand and be fulfilled. --
J. I. Packer

Are You Running to Win? *
*By C.R. Stam *
"And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things.
Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible"
(I Cor. 9:25).

Paul's epistles have much to say about the competitive sports of his
day. He uses the gymnasium and stadium, the races, the boxing and
wrestling matches, to drive home vital spiritual lessons.

As he witnessed the intense enthusiasm of the masses and the grim
determination of the contestants in the Greek games, he was gripped with
the challenge to believers to put as much into the issues of life and
death as these put into their games.

How rigidly the contestants, then as now, controlled and denied
themselves! How tirelessly they trained themselves!

"Now they do it," says the apostle, "to obtain a corruptible crown; but
we an incorruptible one."

In this pleasure-loving, self-indulgent age, believers are prone to
forget that the Christian life is a race and that the divine Judge is
watching their performance. He observes those who are running with all
that is in them—and He likewise observes those who have so indulged
themselves in the things of this world that they can hardly run at all.

Realize it or not, the race will soon—perhaps very soon—be over and the
prizes awarded. Let each of us, therefore, ask himself: How will I fare
then? Am I heeding the exhortation: "So run that ye may obtain," or do I
scarcely care whether or not I receive the approval of the One who gave
His all—Himself—to save me from a just and certain doom and to bless me
with all spiritual blessings in the heavenlies?

May God convict us, beloved, and help us to arise to meet the challenge
that faces us every day while the millions of the lost about us continue
their course to Christless graves, and a confused and divided Church
points them in a dozen different directions.

May He give us a burden for the lost—and the saved. May He convict us of
our responsibility for their condition. May He help us to live lives of
true, practical devotion to Christ, rather than mere sentimental
devotion; to practice self-control and self-denial, to put our all into
the race, so that when we stand before Him He may confer upon us a
garland of victory that will never fade away, and with it everlasting
joy that we have brought honor, rather than reproach, to His worthy name.

ACCEPTABLE CONSECRATION *
*By Miles Stanford*
*
"The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law
of God, neither indeed can be" (Rom. 8:7).

If a Christian does not realize his identification with Christ in His
death, he does not know true consecration. Crucifixion is the path to,
and foundation of, consecration. The deeper truths are not entered into
through consecration --- they are its basis. "The price of consecration
is crucifixion. "

" 'Present yourself unto God as alive from the dead' (Rom. 6:13). This
is the true ground of consecration. For believers to 'consecrate
themselves to God' ere they have learnt their union with Christ in death
and resurrection is only to present to God the members of the natural
man, which He cannot use. Only those 'alive from the dead'---- that is,
having appropriated their likeness with Him in death --- are bidden to
present their members as instruments unto God."

"The modern teaching of consecration, which is tantamount to the
consecration of the 'old man,' seeks to bypass the death sentence and
therefore only leads to frustration and failure. When, however, you and
I are prepared, in simple humility, to make the fact of our death with
Christ our daily basis of life and service, there is nothing that can
prevent the uprising and outflow of new life, and meet the need of
thirsty souls around us." - J.C.M.

"Therefore, brethren, we are debtors bound not to the Flesh, that we
should live after the Flesh [but to the Spirit]" (Rom. 8:12, Cony).

God's Unpredictable Ways*
*by Anabel Gillham*

Joseph, in the Old Testament, was allowed to be sold into slavery so
that "when the proper time came" he would be in Egypt, where he was
going to be trained to be a ruler and used mightily of God. (Genesis
50:20) How would you have transferred Joseph to Egypt, preparing his
character all the while for the position he was to hold? How would you
have instilled within Joseph patience? Fairness? Courage? Leadership? I
don't think I would have seriously considered the slavery, prison,
betrayal routes that the Lord chose for Joseph. I wouldn't have been
able to comprehend how the treachery, his brothers hatred, the lonely
hours separated from his beloved father, and the interminable days in
prison could have been part of his preparation as a ruler in Egypt. The
unfathomable ways of the Lord.

Have you ever noticed one of the important details that seemed to
determine God's deliverance from Egypt for the Israelites? Genesis
15:13-16: "Then Jehovah told Abram, 'Your descendants will be oppressed
as slaves in a foreign land for 400 years . . . after four generations
they will return here to this land; for the wickedness of the Amorite
nations living here now will not be ready for punishment until then.'"

The Amorites? They fit into Your plans? They're enemies of Israel! Why
should they be considered and be the factor that keeps us enslaved? Are
You aware of our misery? Don't you see how we are mistreated? I just
don't understand.

Every detail, even the lives of their enemies, had to be ready. The
unfathomable ways of the Lord.

The man was lying at the gate of the Temple. This had been his regular
station for many years, for he was "lame from birth" and was carried
there every day to ask for alms. Jesus of Nazareth passed by that gate
and no doubt the poor man held out his cup and cried, "Alms! Alms!" But
Jesus passed him by!

And then one day, Peter and John passed that gate, and when the lame man
called out for alms, they said, "We don't have any money to give you,
but we give you what we have to offer . . . in the name of Jesus Christ
of Nazareth, rise up and walk!" (Acts 3:1-8)

Jesus had seen him. Peter and John had passed that way before. Why was
he healed today? The "fullness of time" had come for him...and for 5,000
souls who listened as Peter preached. Every detail was ready. The
compassionate ways of the Lord.

Our Lord lingered when Martha and Mary sent their urgent plea, "Come
quickly. Lazarus is very ill!" Why did He linger? What was His plan?

He knew what was going to happen, and that great glory would come to God
if He would just wait for a few days until all the details had been
arranged. Martha and Mary didn't know what His plans were. Can you
imagine how distressed they were?

Where is He? Why doesn't He come? What's taking so long? I cant endure
this waiting any longer! Surely He received our message! Do you think
that maybe He doesn't know?

But the ways of the Lord were good. (Luke 11:1-44)

The ways of the Lord are good.


*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK*

**Do not look forward to what may happen tomorrow?
The same everlasting Father who cares for you today
will take care of you tomorrow, and every day.
Either He will shield you from suffering,
or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it.
Be at peace, then.
Put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations.
-- Francis of Sale* *
*"HEARTS MADE OF STONE"*
*Pastor P. Hume*

*
Several years ago there used to be a popular song, the opening words of
which were:
'Hearts made of stone
They'll never break!'

Indeed, how hard-hearted many people can be. Yet behind a mask of
hardness there can often be fears, discouragement and real guilt.

But the Bible speaks on several occasions about the hardening of the
heart. Not ateriosclerosis - the hardening of the arteries - but a sort
of spiritual moral sclerosis.' We are warned about such a hardening in
Hebrews 3:12-13: 'Take care, brethren, lest there should be in anyone of
you an evil, unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. But
encourage one another day after day, as long it is called 'today' lest
anyone of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.' Sin allowed in
our lives - whatever that sin may be-has a deadly affect.

The word used for 'hardened' is from a Greek verb skleruno. It means to
'make dry or hard.' what was formerly tender and succulent has become
intractable, obtuse or insensitive. Thus Paul, by the Spirit vividly
describes the interior character of unregenerated people in these
words:' . . . the futility of their mind, being darkened in their
understanding, excluded (alienated) from the life of God, because of the
ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness (Porosis (Greek),
meaning to 'petrify, make callous') of their heart' (Ephesians 4:18). As
a result of this hardening of the heart, they live according to their
passions and impulses: 'And they, having become callous (to cease to
feel any pain - of conscience), have given themselves over to
sensuality, for the practice of every kind impurity with greediness'
(Eph. 4:19).

Lo you see the seriousness of hardening one's heart (mind, conscience
and will) against the Lord and His Truth? To thus turn away from Him and
His Word is to go in one direction only _ into darkness, deceit and
depravity! True, Some may not go into the depths of depravity, but
nevertheless, they are still 'in their sins' and still 'alienated from God.'

Therefore, it is possible for people themselves to harden their hearts
against God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the Gospel and the truth of the
Bible! They are responsible! And they will be accountable for such
rejection of the Lord and His Word in the day of Judgment. Don't allow
yourself to fall into this category! Come to the Light today. Be open
with the One who knows all about you, and fall into His 'arms' of mercy
and grace through Jesus Christ.

But there is another source of the hardening of human hearts mentioned
several times in the Scriptures. It's mysterious, yet it's serious. It
is illustrated in the person of Pharaoh in Exodus 1:15 -- the king of
Egypt. It is stated nine times that Jehovah hardened Pharaoh's heart.
Three times it states that Pharaoh hardened his heart against the Lord.
Likewise in the destruction of Sihon, king of Heshbon (Deuteronomy 2:30)
as in the case of the inhabitants certain parts of ancient Canaan
(Joshua 11:20), God sovereignly hardened the hearts resulting in their
destruction.

Thus the Apostle treats of this in Romans 9 and 11 when he gives the
reason for the fall of the nation Israel. Study Romans 9:14-24;
11:7-10,25 on this, adding also John 12:40 and Matt 13:10-17. To
accomplish His sovereign purpose, God hardened the hearts of all but a
remnant which believed in Israel, to the end that salvation,
reconciliation, and blessing may come to the world. But the day is
rapidly approaching when this same Lord will 'soften' the hearts (Job
23:16), open blinded eyes and cause 'all Israel (to) be saved' (Romans
11:26). What a day that will be?

Is your heart 'soft' or 'hard' toward the Lord and His Word?

Grace, Peace and Love

God's Ordained Powers*
*By Helen Johnson*

Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. (those in
authority over us.) For there is no power but of God: the powers that
be are ordained of God. Romans 13:1

God tells us in His Word that He is the one who raises up those who
are in authority over us. We are to pray for our leaders and those who
are in authority!

Too much of the time all we do is sit back and complain about what
they do when we need to be on our knees in prayer and fasting! Many
of our freedoms are being taken from us and only God has the power to
make the necessary changes in the hearts of our leaders and get their
attention to what needs to be done. Believe me, if enough of us cry out
to Him in regards to the injustice's being done, He will intervene just
as He did back when His earlier prophets cried out to Him!

The time has come for Christians to stop their bickering and their
difference's and join together and let them hear our voices as one
voice! We are suppose to be one body in Christ Jesus and unite as one
body in Him! Our God does hear and answer the prayers of His children
when they are united together and show love one toward another. We need
to adhere to God's Word and do that which He has commanded of us! We
need to get serious about where our priorities and our relationships
with Him stand!

"If the Son, therefore, shall make you free, ye shall be free
indeed." John 8:36

*
* Patience and Endurance*

*Our God is a God of mercy and*
* grace;*
*All our trials and temptations*
* He will help us to face.*
*Let us run our race with patience*
* and endurance;*
*Knowing that we have His blessed*
* assurance.*
*That He will dispel our every fear*
* and doubt;*
*We have been given His armor to*
* drive the enemy out!*
* He hears every cry when on His*
* name we call;*
* With His sword of protection the*
* enemy will fall.*
* All our sins and iniquities for us*
* He bore;*
* They're to be forgotten and heard*
* of no more!*
* He brings comfort to those who*
* bear heartache and sorrow;*
* He gives confidence and hope*
* for a brighter tomorrow!*

* Helen Johnson~*

*THE GREATEST *
*By Miles Stanford*
"We love Him, because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19).

We first come to know something of the Lord Jesus' love by what He did
for us; but that is only the basis for coming to know His love in what
He is to us. The first is known at the Cross, the latter is entered into
through personal fellowship with the risen Lord.

"There are three steps in appreciation of His love for us. First, I
learn that He loves me so much that He saved me. He is our treasure; 'My
Beloved is mine' (SS 6:3). The second step of affection is the
consciousness that He loves me so much that He has a right to me. He
would have me for Himself. 'I am my Beloved's' (SS 6:3).

"The third step is the consciousness that He loves me so much that He
wants my company. 'His desire is toward me' (SS 7:10). Love's delight is
found in the company of its object. May we know in a deeper way, and in
a fuller measure, the sweetness of personal intimacy with 'the Son of
God, who loved me and gave Himself for me' (Gal. 2:20).

"Much ministry is lost upon us as to any practical result, because we
are not prepared to be detached from things here, so as to be simply
here for Christ. And the preparation for this is to come personally
under the influence of the blessed attractiveness of the Lord Jesus.
When we sit under His shadow with great delight, everything else becomes
so small, and loses its hold upon our hearts."--- C.A.C.

"But we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of
the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as
by the Spirit of the Lord" (II Cor. 3:18).
DON'T TRY TO CHANGE EXCHANGE FOR A NEW FREEDOM IN CHRIST
As we mature more and more in the Lord, we often become convicted of
things that just are not right in our lives. This is normal; in fact
it's healthy and a good indicator that we are coming into a deeper
maturity
NOT UNDER LAW
by Cecil Argetsinger*

NOT GENERALLY TAUGHT, but of tremendous importance is the truth set
forth in these six simple words: "Not under law, but under grace."

They speak not only about two completely different and opposing systems
by which God relates to His people here on earth, but they also speak of
two separate and distinct periods of history. The "law" represents the
manner of God’s dealings with the nation of Israel, while "grace"
depicts the nature of His relations with the Church, the Body of Christ.

The one, law, began with the covenant made between God and Israel on Mt.
Sinai (Exodus 19:3-8) about 1500 years before Christ appeared on the
scene. It ended with the death of Christ on the cross, for it was there
He "blotted out the handwriting of ordinances [the law] that was against
us, and took it [the law] out of the way, nailing it to His cross"
(Colossians 2:14). The other, grace, began (generally speaking) with the
same death and will continue until the Church is taken out of this world
(1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). In the Scriptures, the word "law" has two
significations. Particularly, It has reference to the commandments and
ordinances given by God through Moses to the nation Israel (Exodus 20,
Deuteronomy 32:47). but it also includes any system or rule that
regulates human conduct and by the keeping of which is supposed to make
men right in the sight of God. Basically, the law is a works or merit
system. It represents the efforts and good deeds of men by which they
seek to please God and make themselves acceptable to Him.

Grace, however, is in principle exactly the opposite of law, Grace
represents not what man must do in order for a right standing before
God, but rather asserts that God, entirely apart from any good deeds or
works that man might do, freely accomplishes the same. Grace declares
that righteousness with God is given, not earned.

That "law" and "grace" are opposing principles is easily demonstrated.
The law principle says "If you do good, I will bless you." That this was
the nature of God’s relationship with Israel is clearly expressed in the
covenant he made with that nation on Mt. Sinai.

"Now therefore IF you will obey My voice, and keep My covenant, THEN you
shall be a special treasure to me above all (other) people; for all the
earth is mine" (Exodus 19:5).

"If you will obey" is the prerequisite for "then you shall be a special
treasure."

How different is the principle of grace: "I have blessed you, now do
good." Pure grace represents the manner by which God is dealing with the
believer of this present age, the one who has heard the message of the
Cross and has placed his faith and confidence in the Lord Jesus Christ.
For him, his blessings are all of grace and only by grace. Under grace,
blessings are never earned nor deserved. Good works have no part or
place in the bestowal of God’s blessings--instead they are freely given.
Under grace, the motive for right living arises out of gratitude and
love for the One who suffered so much in the believer’s behalf.

The law proved to be an "administration of condemnation. " It did not and
could not make people righteous before God. It could only prove their
total sinfulness. The law could not bring men to God, it only proved
them guilty before God (Romans 3:19-20). It takes imputed righteousness,
the gift of grace, to make one right in God’s sight (Romans 8:1-2;3:24).

But there doesn’t need to be any mistake. Being "under grace" provides
no license to sin; grace rather prohibits sin.

"For the grace of God that brings salvation to all men has appeared [on
the scene], teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we
should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world,
looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of our great
God and Saviour, Jesus Christ." (Titus 2:13)

Indeed, the conduct that is set before the one who is "not under law but
under grace" is a high and holy walk that is in keeping with his
heavenly calling and position in Christ. "I, therefore, the prisoner of
the Lord, " writes Paul, "beseech you that you walk worthy of the
calling to which you have been called" (Ephesians 4:1). In our own
strength, such a walk is absolutely and completely beyond any Christian
to accomplish. We may no longer be "dead in sins" (Ephesians 2:1), but
we are not under law--that is, not under its demands for righteousness.
But as far as attaining righteousness in our own strength, we cannot,
for we are spiritually unable.

However, not only does grace forbid sin by the believer, as Romans 6:15
declares. It also frees him from the power of sin.

"For sin shall not have dominion [exercise lordship] over you, for you
are not under law but under grace."

And the believer under grace has something never given under law. That
something is, in all reality, Someone--namely the indwelling person and
presence of God, the Holy Spirit.

Nowhere in Scripture is it taught that the believer has attained to
sinless perfection. The Christian life is a struggle, fierce and
constant, not just against Satan and his forces, but against the evil
and awful sin nature that is still present in every believer. This
nature will only be removed when we are "forever with the Lord." But
victory is assured because. under grace, the Holy Spirit has come to
indwell every believer and to abide there as long as we are on this earth.

The Christian may temporarily give in to sin, but the dominion of sin
over the Christian is broken. The believer may, for a time, allow his
sin nature to govern his activities, but, unlike the unbeliever, he is
not controlled by it. Once we were sinners and walked according to the
dictates of Satan, but now all is changed. We are new creations in
Christ and have the privilege of living a life of righteousness by the
power of the Holy Spirit. Sin may be in us, but is no longer our master,
for we are "not under law, but under grace."

Are you a Sinner or a Saint?*
*By Andy Knight*
*

Are you a sinner? I didn't ask if you sinned. I asked if you were a
sinner. What's the difference?

"Sinner" is a noun. It's a label. It's an identity. It's something you
are. "Sinned" is a verb. It's an action. It's a behavior. It's something
you do. Am I just splitting hairs? Why does it matter?

If you've never come to a point in your life when you believed that
Jesus Christ is God, that he died on the cross, and rose again, and if
you've never trusted in that faith as your salvation, then the answer is
yes. You are a sinner. However, if you have believed and trusted in
Christ, then please understand that the Bible no longer refers to you as
a sinner. It refers to you as a saint. Say to yourself, "I am Saint
________!" (And fill in the blank with your name.)

If you haven’t figured it out, people live according to the way they see
themselves. If they see themselves as a lousy rotten sinner,
unacceptable to God, that’s exactly how they will live. On the other
hand, if they see themselves as having a righteous, holy heart that
longs to trust God, then that’s exactly how they will live.

And that changes everything! When I understood this, the Christian life
began to make more sense. I understood my new identity. It's not that I
didn't sin, but the reason I felt miserable after I sinned was because I
was acting like someone I wasn’t.

As a Christ follower, you are a redeemed, chosen, and holy saint. I may
have never met you, but if you're my brother in Christ, I know your
heart. You desire to serve Christ not because you have to, but because
you understand God's grace and you now want to. ”

As Malcom Smith told the audience last weekend at the AELM conference,
"We need to go the mirror and take a jolly good look at ourselves and
remember who we are." You're not a sinner. You are a saint. You are His
beloved!

By the way, I enjoyed meeting some of you at the conference last weekend
in Taccoa, GA, and I'll be writing more about what I learned in the near
future.

Grace and Peace, Andy
* Prayer for America *
"Heavenly Father, thank you for my country, the United States of
America, the only country in the world founded upon religious freedom
and your Word. Thank you for our founding fathers, Lord, who looked to you for guidance to develop the kind of government that would be
pleasing to you. We need your wisdom to safeguard our freedom. May the light of your word run swiftly throughout our country, and your love burn brightly in our land. Give us a rebirth of freedom, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."

CHOSEN TO BE A SOLDIER *
*DICK WARE, Pastor *
Reading: II Timothy 2:3, 4

God through the Apostle Paul tells Timothy not to let his timidity cause
him to be ashamed of the testimony of the Lord Jesus Christ, nor of Paul
who is in prison for the Lord and the Gospel of Grace. Paul exhorts
Timothy to share in the sufferings of Christ. Paul wants him to have a
reproducing ministry (2:2). However, to do so, Timothy had better get
ready for spiritual warfare and suffering. Timothy finds that his "holy
calling" (1:9), involves him being "a good soldier of Jesus Christ"
(2:2). This is true of every believer, but, especially true of
God-called Ministers!

Some divine imperatives for God's soldiers are: "stir up" (1:6); "do
not be ashamed" (1:8); "hold fast" (1:13); "keep" (1:14); "be strong"
(2:1); "commit" (2:2); "endure" (2:3); study (2:15); "continue" (3:14):
"Preach the Word" (4:1); "do the work of an evangelist" and "fulfill
your ministry" (4:5)!

The words of a song that I have worked at to memorize and challenge
myself with, come to mind:

"AM I A SOLDER OF THE CROSS?"

"Am I a soldier of the Cross? A follower of the Lamb? And shall I fear
to own His cause Or blush to speak His name?

Must I be carried to the skies On flowery beds of ease, While others
fought to win the prize And sailed thru bloody seas?

Are there no foes for me to face? Must I not stem the flood?

In this vile world a friend to grace, To help me on to God?

Sure I must fight if I would reign---Increase my courage Lord!

I'll bear the toil, endure the pain, Supported by Thy Word!"

The Key to a Worry-Free Life *
* by Paul M. Sadler*
* *
*
According to doctors at the Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in
Phoenix, Arizona, rattlesnakes thought to be dead can still strike,
bite, and kill you. Doctors in Phoenix said they have a large number of
patients admitted each year suffering from bites from rattlers thought
to be dead. Sometimes the snakes were shot and their heads cut off; but,
the snake head retains a reflex action. In fact, one study showed that
snake heads could still make striking-type motions up to sixty minutes
after decapitation.

Satan, that old Serpent, was defeated at Calvary---his head was cut
off. Hebrews Chapter 2 says that our Savior, by His death, destroyed him
who holds the power of death. But for a season Satan can still strike
and wound us. He can still hurt us and poison our relationships and
spread his deadly venom into our homes and lives.

Paul admonished the Corinthians to take great care in this area, "Lest
Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his
devices" (II Cor. 2:11). Although this may have been true in the
apostle's day, we are not sure it is the case today. It seems to us that
many believers are unaware they are under attack. Satan can be very
subtle and his devices are well planned. While his devices take on many
forms there is one in particular that he uses quite effectively- --
worry! If the enemy can keep you off balance in this area he can
successfully hinder your service for the Lord.

WORRY

"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication
with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the
peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts
and minds through Christ Jesus." ---Phil. 4:6,7

Do you worry? I didn't think so, but there are some who struggle with
this problem. Paul says, "Be careful for nothing." In our modern day
language we would say, "Don't worry about anything. "The Greek word
behind the term "careful" here is merimnao, which means to pull in
different directions, to distract. This is exactly what worry will do to
you---it will tear you apart both emotionally and physically. It can be
one of the leading causes of ulcers, which is something else to worry
about!

Worry always dwells on the future in regard to what may or may not
happen. It mulls over every worst-case scenario imaginable.

Worry is like a rocking chair..."It will give you something to do, but
won't get you anywhere." Worry is like a disease that infects everyone
yet no one seeks a cure. Worry is considered a legitimate past time,
almost an honor, but worry is still a sin: a dangerous sin that can ruin
our physical and spiritual vitality and drain our lives of joy. Yet,
knowing that, I still worry... a lot!

PERSONAL PRIVILEGE *
*By Miles Stanford*

*
"This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Matt. 17:5).

All the Father accomplished on our behalf is that we might have all He
has in His beloved Son. "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the
Godhead bodily" (Co!. 2:9).

"Of all the marvels of the Father's grace, none is more marvelous than
the fact of His bringing men into fellowship with Himself. That He
should interest Himself in the concerns of our daily lives, is wonderful
indeed; that He should give us glory in heaven above the angels is a
wonder deeper still; but that He should call us to like thoughts,
feelings, and to common objects with Himself is beyond conception." -H.F.W.

"It is by occupation with, and contemplating the Lord Jesus Christ, that
we are brought, by the enablement of the Holy Spirit, into fellowship
with our Father; enabled to enter into His own thoughts concerning, and
even to share His own affections for, that blessed One who is now seated
at His own right hand." -E.D.

"There is a marked distinction between the Father's actings in old times
and since the day of Pentecost. He had revealed Himself to man in man's
circumstances till that day; since then He has been requiring man to
come into His circumstances. The whole testimony of the Father now is to
what the Lord Jesus is in heaven." -G.V.W.

"We only touch the positive blessings of Christianity as we reach the
Lord Jesus Christ in glory. One may have a measure of relief and the
assurance of eternal security because we trust the shed Blood and His
finished work on the Cross, but when we come to divine favor and the
reality of the Christian life, that is all connected with a Person, and
inseparable from that Person." -C.A.C.

"When they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, except Jesus only"
(Matt. 17:8).

*The Light of God Surrounds Me*
*The Love of God Enfolds Me*
*The Power of God Protects Me*
*The Presence of God Watches Over Me*
*Wherever I am God Is and Truly All is Well and Good*

SAVED TO, SAVED FROM *
*By Pastor Bob Hanna*

A doctrine known as "Annihilation" thrives among the members of a
particular persuasion. The essence of this teaching is the claim that
the death of an unregenerated individual is simply the end: no eternal
punishment or after-life at all. This position acknowledges that the
saved pass on to eternal life in heaven when they die, thus having been
saved to something, but not from anything. Scripture does not support
this conclusion. In the Book of the Revelation, chapter twenty, verse
four, the first resurrection is described. This is the resurrection of
the righteous dead, who are qualified to enter the kingdom and "reign
with Christ a thousand years" (Revelation 20:6). "But the rest of the
dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished" (Revelation
20:5). The rest of the dead are those with whom we are concerned in
considering the doctrine of annihilation.

"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the
four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to
battle the number of whom is as the sand of the sea" (Revelation
20:7,8). Satan attacks Jerusalem and is defeated. "And the devil that
deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever" (Revelation 20:10).

"And I saw a great white throne, and Him that sat on it, from whose face
the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for
them ... and the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and
hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged
every man according to their works ... and whosoever was not found
written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Revelation
20:11,13,15) .

Speaking from His throne, the Lord says, "The fearful and unbelieving,
and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and
idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which
burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Revelation
21:8).
Should this Inspirational be a blessing and encouragement to you, why
not send to a friend, coworker or, to your loved one's who maybe
defending the USA, the Word of God is so needed in our troubled world.
It is our heart at GRACE AND THE TRUTH and mission to reach as many
people as we possibly can TO SHARE with them the Word of God and all
that the Lord Jesus Christ has done for members of the body of Christ.

*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK *
*
He'll work in ways you may not recognize or understand. And He is big
enough to do things you have labeled impossible. He has enough power.

*He has enough time. He is bigger than your problem. Believe in Him more
than in what you may see. Trust in Him more than what you may feel.

You can question. He can handle your questions. God is highly confident
in His own plans. He can do everything but fail.
Kathy Troccoli

CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH *
*Part 4 OF 4*
*by the late Pastor Don Elifson, *

*
The Pauline epistles are to be used as the key to the understanding of
the Scriptures. Paul insists that all Scripture "is profitable for
doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness;
That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good
works" (II Tim. 3:16-17).

In regard to marriage, Paul says to the Corinthians that the Lord spoke
about certain aspects when He was on earth, but problems had come up
which our Lord did not mention when He was here on earth. Paul was
giving instructions on the problems that arose in Corinth. Paul does not
give any details concerning the marriage of near relatives, but in his
dealing with the case of incest in the Corinthian church, he assumes
that the principles of Leviticus on the marriage of near relatives are
still in force. Paul did not condemn the sin of incest because of some
man-made law, but because the sin was a violation of the law of God.

It is obvious that many commands of God in Leviticus are not for members
of the Body of Christ. How do we know what is binding upon God's people
today? Certainly the epistle to the Hebrews forbids the animal
sacrifices commanded to be offered in the book of Leviticus.

If we use this principle of interpretation in the study of the Old
Testament, certainly we are to employ the same methodology in the study
of the life of Christ as presented in the Gospels.

The Apostle Paul in his epistles stresses the identity of Jesus of
Nazareth with the glorified Head of the Church. There is a difference
between Jesus Christ in humiliation and glorification, but this is not
what Paul means in II Cor. 5:16. Therefore II Cor. 5:16 cannot refer to
the earthly ministry of Christ, because this passage teaches that
believers are to know Christ no longer after the flesh in an absolute
sense.

This passage teaches that believers are to have the right view of
Christ's person and work. The carnal Corinthians needed this text in
their day; Paul needed to understand the person and work of Christ
before his conversion. Millions of people today need to know who Jesus
is and why He came. Do you know Christ in a fleshly way?

*2Co 2:14 Now thanks [be] unto God,
which always causeth us to triumph
in Christ,
and maketh manifest the savour of his
knowledge by us in every place.

CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH *
*Part 3 OF 4*
*by the late Pastor Don Elifson, *

*
In what sense should believers in this dispensation follow Christ? We
must "rightly divide the word of truth" in answering this question. Our
Lord was made under the law and therefore believers are not to follow
Him in Jewish rites and ceremonies such as circumcision, keeping of the
Sabbath day, water baptism, meat restrictions, Jewish feasts, etc. The
Apostle Paul does command believers in this dispensation to follow
certain features of the earthly ministry of Christ. Believers are to
follow Christ in humility according to Philippians 2:5, "Let this mind
be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." Paul goes on to describe that
though Christ was in the form of God, He came to this earth in the form
of a servant and humbled Himself and became obedient unto death, even
the death of the cross.

This text definitely refers to the earthly ministry of Christ. Notice
the verb "was." Christ is no longer in humiliation; God has highly
exalted Him to the highest heavens. But believers are still on this
earth and are to have the mind of humility which Christ had when He was
on earth.

In the context of II Corinthians 5, Paul refers to the death of Christ.
Are not believers to glory in the Cross of Christ as Paul did? Paul says
in II Cor. 5:21 that Christ "knew no sin." When was this demonstrated?
The earthly ministry of Christ is the vindication of this claim. It is
one thing to make a theological assertion concerning the holiness of God
and another thing to prove it. The incarnate Christ is unique in the
history of the world. Since the fall of Adam, every human being has
manifested sin in his life. Christ Jesus is the only exception. In these
days of neurotic and frustrated individuals who do not know who they
really are, it is a source of joy to me to preach a Christ who was the
master of every situation. No one ever baffled Him or put Him in a
frustrating position. He said at the time of His rejection, "Even so
Father, for so it seemed good in they sight" (Matthew 11 :26).

Paul refers to the words of Christ in regard to giving in Acts 20:35,
"Remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said, It is more blessed
to give than to receive." The Apostle Paul certainly remembered these
words of the Lord Jesus in a sacrificial ministry of giving himself to
proclaim the Gospel.

In writing to Timothy, the Apostle Paul refers to Christ's conduct
before Pilate as an example of being a good witness, "I give thee charge
in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things and before Christ Jesus,
who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession" (I Tim. 6:13).
This good confession of Christ before Pilate is found in the Gospel
according to John which shows that Paul had a thorough knowledge of the
earthly ministry of Christ.

As a dispensationalist, I carefully distinguish between that in the
earthly ministry of Christ which was Jewish and not to be practiced by
members of the Body of Christ, and that which the Apostle Paul commands
members of the Body of Christ to observe in the earthly ministry of Christ.

CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH *
*Part 2 OF 4*
*by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL *

Paul declares that the Corinthian congregation gathered together not for
the better, but for the worse in the observance of the Lord's Supper.
Paul's words are, "Now in this that I declare unto you I praise you not,
that ye come together not for the better, but for the worse" (I Cor. 11:17).

The Corinthians accused Paul of the spiritual crime of making plans and
purposes in a fleshly manner, without depending upon the Lord, when he
announced that he was going to visit them and take an offering for the
poor saints in Jerusalem. Paul defended his ministry in these words,
"When I therefore was thus minded, did I use lightness? or the things
that I purpose, do I purpose according to the flesh, that with me there
should be yea yea, and nay nay?" The Apostle asserts that his preaching
and action was not yes and no but positively yes. Many more
illustrations are found in the Corinthian epistles to show the
Corinthians that a wrong view of many doctrines and practices included
the person and work of Christ.

Paul, as Saul of Tarsus, had a carnal view of the person and work of
Christ. It is absolutely essential to understand that Paul always
believed that the Christ was coming. The coming of the Messiah was part
of the creed of an orthodox Jew, but Israel was disappointed with Jesus'
claims to be the Christ and this disappointment finally turned into deep
hatred which caused them to crucify Him.

Paul once believed in the Messiah as a political ruler who would save
Israel from her enemies. He did not understand that first Israel must be
saved from her sins. He could not understand a rejected Christ.

After his conversion, he no longer viewed Christ in a carnal way, but
understood that the Christ was to die. He declared, "We preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness" (I Cor. 1:23).

Before his conversion, Paul believed in the Christ, but denied that
Jesus was the Christ. His ministry to the Jews was not to prove that the
Christ was coming, but that Jesus was the Christ and that the Jews
should understand the true prophetic view of the Messiah as One who was
to suffer and be raised again (Acts 17:2,3).

CHRIST AFTER THE FLESH *
*Part 1 of 4*
*by the late Pastor Don Elifson, Chicago, IL *

*"Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we
have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we him no
more." - 2 Corinthians 5:16

Some theologians have interpreted the phrase "after the flesh" as a
reference to the ministry of Christ on the earth and have used this text
to prove that believers living in the present dispensation of grace have
nothing to do with Jesus of Nazareth. Is this the right meaning of the
text? Is this what the Apostle Paul meant by the expression, "What is
the relationship of the Body of Christ to the earthly ministry of Christ?"

Some religious people claim that they only believe what Jesus did and
taught when He was on earth. The so-called sophisticated theologians say
that no one knows what Jesus did and taught on earth. According to their
view, the Gospels are myths and these theologians are still searching
for the historical Jesus. Paul Tillich uses II Corinthians 5:16 to prove
that Christians are to forget about any historical Jesus and be occupied
with "the Christ." He says that Schleiermacher' s theology should again
be tried. Schleiermacher insisted that one could be a Christian even if
he did not believe that Jesus existed. Jesus may have been here on
earth, but belief in Jesus' incarnation, death and resurrection are not
essential to Christianity. Man is to believe in the Christ spirit
according to this type of theology.

How, then, is the expression "after the flesh" to be understood? Does
Paul refer to the earthly ministry of Jesus as the incarnate Son of God
who died for our sins and was raised bodily from the dead and ascended
bodily into heaven? Does the expression mean to know Christ in a carnal
manner---that is, to not have a true spiritual comprehension of His
person and work?

I believe the latter interpretation is correct. The text cannot refer to
the incarnate Christ because Paul would be guilty of contradiction. Over
and over again Paul refers to Jesus Christ as the incarnate Son of God.
In Romans 1:3 Paul asserts that the gospel is, "Concerning his Son Jesus
Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the
flesh." In his last epistle Paul says to Timothy, "Remember that Jesus
Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead according to my
gospel" (II Tim. 2:8).

The context of the Corinthian epistles prove that most of the believers
viewed the ministry of Paul, Apollos, and Peter in a carnal manner; they
judged each other in a carnal way. They had a faulty conception of the
person and work of Jesus Christ. Paul had to declare to them again the
essentials of the Gospel (I Cor. 15:1-4). Some were saying in the
Corinthian church that there is no resurrection of the dead (I Cor.
15:12). Paul argues that if this premise were true, then we must
conclude that Christ was not raised from the dead.

Some of the Corinthan believers had a carnal view of what it meant to be
a member of the Body of Christ. They did not realize that being a member
of the Body of Christ meant a vital relationship not only to Christ, but
to each other.
*
*God can do anything He wants to have done. *
*He doesn't want what you can do ...*
*Instead, He wants you. *

*"The Splendor of His Glory" *
*By R.H. Schaefer*
*
If then, you were roused
together with Christ, be
seeking that Which is
above, where Christ is
sitting at the right hand of God.

Be disposed to that which is
above, not to that on the
earth, for you died, and
your life has been hid
together with Christ in God.

Whenever Christ, OUR LIFE,
should be manifested, then
you also will be manifested
together with Him in Glory
(Col. 3:1-4).

Oh! that we could think God's thoughts! That we could see the Christ as
God sees Him! As a young man recently wrote me, "Men do not reject
Christ, what they reject is our (meager) concepts (and presentation) of
Christ." Oh! that we could think God's thoughts as He sees us as having
been awakened because of our encounter with His Christ. For seeing this
our seeking would irresistibly be drawn to God's Christ and to the realm
or His enthronement above. God has placed a "death" in our path by
virtue of uniting us with our Savior in His death and with our Lord in
His seating. The lustre of this union pales all else besides. The most
beautiful and attractive things on earth are but humble pointers of
things above. The vast inner temple of life, that inner "secret hiding
place" known to each of us and to God, is indeed "in spirit, His
Temple" (Eph. 2: 22), and been kept inviolable and unprofaned as God's
secret meeting place with us in Christ with Christ in Himself. All of
God's purpose for Creation is summed up briefly in this, that it all be
made Christlike, or as Ephesians 1:10 aptly expresses it, "totaled up in
Him," summed up in Him," "headed up in Him." Christ is the expression of
what our life is meant to be, Christ is the express-ion of what our
life will yet be, hence the Colossian passage boldly expresses it,
'Christ OUR life."

The "appearing," or better, "manifestation" of our Lord is not a synonym
for the parousia or presence, or: as the A. V. so frequently translates
it, "coming." The Second Epistle of Peter stresses the parousia while
the first mentions the "manifes-tation. " The temper of the two is quite
different, the latter being identified with the Day of the Lord and of
God (3:4, 10, 12) and the earlier with blessings (1 Pet. 1:7, 13, 20;
5:4), When the Colossian passage speaks of "whenever Christ .... should
be manifest" (Col. 3:4), of what is the text speaking? The A. V.
translated "appear" rather than "manifest" but the latter is correct.
The word used here (Greek {phanerothe from phaneroo) means simply "to
bring to light, to view clearly, to see one as he is." This could be a
mental viewing, or an actual comprehension of another in the fulness of
his being. It is interesting that Peter in his second epistle (1:16-18)
declares that he had made known the power and presence (coming) of the
Lord Jesus Christ, i.e., His incarnation presence, but then he goes on
to speak of Mount of Transfiguration and the majesty seen there,

Peter had been in the "presence" of Christ for a number of years prior
to the transfiguration where Christ is seen for the first time in the
fulness of His being, garmented with light and His face shone like the
sun--this was the manifestation that Paul saw on the Damascus road. 'The
hope of the Body of Christ collectively am personally is epitomized and
summarized in this wondrous Colossian passage:

Whenever Christ, OUR LIFE, should be manifested ... whenever He is seen
in the majesty and splendor of His being, what He really is in His
fulness, then we see ourselves as God intends us to be. Surely that is
the meaning of the rest of that Colossian passage:

... Then you also will be manifested together with Him ...

First John 2: 28 and 3: 2 shed some light upon the meaning of this word
"appear" or "manifest." The first is used in conjunction with parousia:

If He is MANIFESTED we may have confidence and not be shamed from Him in
the PRESENCE of Him.

'The second reference is self-explanatory as to the meaning of "appear"
or "be manifest":

... and not yet was it MANIFESTED what we shall be, we know that if he
(he? it?) is manifested like Him we shall be, BECAUSE WE SHALL SEE HIM
AS HE IS.

Subjectively, we are transformed only as we see Christ.

Now, in the written Word that speaks of His person and work, hence,
"that Christ might be completely at home in our hearts by faith (not by
sight) ."

Objectively, then we too are transformed:

...manifested 'TOGETHER with Him.

Oh, to think God's thoughts with Him, to see as He sees, the whole and
not merely the part!

Then the CoIossian passage adds:

*IN GLORY *

*

This is truly the substance, the reality of the Shekinah (Heb.
shekhinah, the dwelling place). It was out of this glory that the
heavenly voice spake on the holy mount (2 Pet. 1:17) and it is uniquely
"'The Magnificent Glory." It was always God's plan that we bear the
heavenly image; that was true in the very act of creation itself. God's
ultimate purpose for Israel was that they make known to the nations the
glory of God. ''To awaken in His likeness" was the hope of ages past.
But from now on forward whenever Christ OUR LIFE is manifested (Oh! so
intimate is our oneness with Him!) that the manifestation will
automatically be a mutual one. And, it will be IN GLORY, at one, at home
in the splendor of His glory, wherever that is and wherever it might yet
be. e Our destiny will be one with Him forever.

*EFFORTLESS GRACE *
*By M. Stanford*
"God. . , called me by His grace, to reveal His
Son in me" (Gal. 1 :15, 16).

Just think! Our Father has placed us in eternal and living union with
His Son, that He, not we, may "be." Moreover, He has placed His Holy
Spirit eternally within us that He, not we, may "do." Further, He has
given us the necessary faith and Scripture that we may rest in this
wonderful reality, trusting Him "to will and to do of His good
pleasure." This is a far cry from futile struggle and frustrating
Self-effort!

"Christians in the main groan and strive and struggle largely on the
basis of human effort where the grace of God, though acknowledged, is
scarcely operative - only to come to grief. Even at their best, they
find the purpose of the Lord Jesus remains an ideal infinitely beyond
their reach. The trouble lies in the fact that they are proceeding on
the wrong basis.

"God does not expect them, as a result of their own endeavors, to be
like the Lord Jesus. He expects them to realize the utter impossibility
of such a thing (as in Romans Seven, where Paul comes to the end of
himself). He expects them to know the Lord Jesus as their very life,
disowning any other. He expects them to realize their position of
absolute oneness with Christ, for He 'has blessed them with every
spiritual blessing in heavenly places .in Christ' (Eph. 1:3)." -F.J.H.

"Be strengthened in the grace that is in Christ Jesus" (II Tim. 2:1, ASV).

*BUSILY BARREN*
*By M. Stanford*
*

"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself,
except it abide in the vine, no more can ye, except ye abide in Me"
(John 15:4).

A barren life means barren service, and no amount of self-effort will
ever make up for that!

" 'Not I, but Christ.' The Lord Jesus does not ask that we should work
for Him, but He intends to work through us. There is all the difference
in the world between the two. In the one I plan and then ask His
blessing upon it; in the other He plans and lets me into the secret of
His glorious purpose. The one ends in futility and disappointment; the
other in life, progress, and joy.

"In the one I slave and work worthily for Him, and constantly feel the
barrenness of a busy life; in the other I let His life flow through me
in all His glorious effortlessness, and rest in the assurance that the
Lord Jesus at work cannot fail. The one is a life of endeavor, always
being keyed up to do something greater; the other a life of faith always
looking to the Lord Jesus to reveal the next step and then give the
enablement to carry it out." -H.G.

"The great question is not what you are doing, how successful you are,
how great are your crowds, how impressive your work - but the question
is, by what power are you doing it? It is difficult to attend any large
religious gathering without perceiving the governing influence,
consciously or unconsciously, of the psychological - which is of the
human. Many apparently successful 'revival' meetings have much more in
them of psychology than Spirit. Large numbers of seekers are brought to
the altar by human soul-power rather than by the power of the Holy
Spirit. And this accounts for the large number of so-called backsliders
and 'repeaters' at the altar."
*
*"Without Me ye can do nothing" (John 15:5).*

CONDITIONAL STRENGTH *
*By Miles Stanford*
*
"My grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in
weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9a).

Whereas most feel that personal weakness is the great hindrance to a
sound Christian life, the real tragedy is the astonishing strength of
the old man. The Cross for our cursed strength; the Lord Jesus for our
blessed weakness.

"Let no one imagine that he can be effectively used in the Lord's
service, or even make progress in the Christian life, without some
measure of real entrance into the valuable principle: 'When I am weak,
then am I strong' (2 Cor. 12:10). It is absolutely essential in forming
the character of the true servant of the Lord Jesus. Where it is not
known and felt, there is sure to be unsubduedness, unbrokenness, and
self-occupation in some form or other. On the other hand, where one has
been brought into this principle, there will always be a measure of
brokenness, softness, and tenderness of spirit; and not only so, but
also largeness of heart, and that lovely tendency to rise above those
petty, selfish considerations, which so sadly hinder the work of God.

"All of His servants in the Word stand before us as vivid illustration
of the value and necessity of broken material. All had to be broken in
order to be made whole - to be emptied in order to be filled - to learn
that, of themselves, they could do nothing, in order to be ready, in the
Lord Jesus' strength, for anything and everything." -C.H.M.

"Our Father's spiritual goal for his own is neither continuous
straitness nor continuous poverty. For these are never the end; they are
only the means to His end. Straitness is the pathway to expansion;
poverty is the pathway to abundance."

"Most gladly, therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the
power of Christ may rest upon me" (2 Cor. 12:9b).
THE SOURCE OF EVIL*
*By Pastor Bob Hanna*
One of the most frequently misquoted passages of Scripture is I Timothy
6:1O. The phrase so often thus abused is quoted as saying, "Money is the
root of all evil." The actual meaning of the verse is totally lost when
so interpreted. Accurately read, the statement says, "The love of money
is the root of all [manner of] evil: which while some coveted after,
they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many
sorrows." That it is the love of money, not money itself, that is the
subject of this passage, becomes clear when we read on, as the apostle
writes, "Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not
high-minded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who
giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be
rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying
up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come,
that they may lay hold on eternal life" (I Timothy 6:17-19). God doesn't
decry material wealth per se. But He encourages generosity and spiritual
investment on the part of those possessing physical treasure. God
discourages the wealthy from pride in their wealth. God said, "Let not
the rich man glory in his riches: but let him that glorieth glory in
this, that he understandeth and knoweth me, that I am the Lord"
(Jeremiah 9:23,24).

The apostle Paul consistently endured poverty, for the sake of his
ministry, though not shunning the advantages of physical prosperity. He
didn't spurn the comforts provided by opulence, but they held second
place to service to his Lord and Savior. He wrote, " I have learned, in
whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. I know how to be abased,
and I know how to abound: everywhere and in all things I am instructed
to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need"
(Philippians 4:11,12).

Paul had been a man of means in his career in the sanhedrin. "[I]
profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in mine own nation"
(Galatians 1:14.) "I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count
them but dung, that I may win Christ" (Philippians 3:8).

THE RAPTURE & THE REVELATION *
*By Pastor Joel Finck*
*
Scripture Reading: Matthew 25:31;
I Thessalonians 4:16, 17

As we "rightly divide the word of truth" (II Tim. 2:15), one of the key
distinctions that emerges is the difference between the rapture and the
second coming of Christ. Bible teachers have long mixed the two and have
lead their hearers into needless confusion.

The second coming of Christ (also known as the "revelation" of Jesus
Christ) was prophesied throughout the Old Testament, and it involves the
return of Jesus Christ to the earth to set up His throne in Jerusalem.
Zechariah writes, "And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount
of Olives which is before Jerusalem on the east" (Zech. 14:4a). This, of
course, is the same location from which He left the earth two thousand
years ago (Acts 1:10-12). "When the Son of man shall come in his glory,
and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of
his glory" (Matthew 25:31). This will signal the beginning of Christ's
earthly kingdom. All of this takes place "immediately after the
tribulation" (Matthew 24:29a).

The rapture was a secret, not revealed in Old Testament times. Paul
includes it as part of the great mystery revealed to him (see I
Corinthians 15:51). The rapture, or catching away of the Body of Christ,
involves Christ's coming in the air (I Thessalonians 4:17), not to the
earth as the second coming. The rapture will occur before the
tribulation period when God's wrath is poured out upon the earth, "For
God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord
Jesus Christ" (I Thessalonians 5:9).


*THOUGHT FOR THE WEEK *
Christ's death on the cross included a sacrifice for all our sins, past,
present, and future. Every sin that you will ever commit has already
been paid for. All of our sins were future when Christ died two thousand
years ago. There is no sin that you will ever commit that has not
already been included in Christ's death.
Erwin W. Lutzer

*WALKING IN HIM*
*Part 5*
*Conclusion*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *

*STABLISHED IN "THE FAITH" *
*
"Stablished in "the faith", as ye have been taught'---it is only as the
truth of God's grace is more and more understood and assured that we
grow and are stabilized in our spiritual lives.

There is no getting away from the word "faith"! In this instance it is
referring to the doctrine taught by the Apostle PauL

As we store up the "word of His grace" in our soul, it builds stability
in our lives and gives us the ability to stand against the pressures and
trials of life and to experience our adult sonship status as members of
the Body of Christ.

The issue is sound doctrine. Paul exhorts,

"HOLD FAST THE FORM OF SOUND WORDS, WHICH THOU HAST HEARD OF ME,
in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
"THAT GOOD THING WHICH WAS COMMITTED UNTO THEE KEEP BY THE HOLY
GHOST WHICH DWELLETH IN US" (II Tim. 1:13,14).

Just as Satan directly opposed Israel's kingdom program while Christ was
on earth, so he has his policy of opposition to God's present program of
grace. Hence Paul warns in Colossians 2:8,

"BEWARE LEST ANY MAN SPOIL YOU THROUGH PHILOSOPHY AND VAIN
DECEIT, AFTER THE TRADITION OF MEN, AFTER THE RUDIMENTS OF THE WORLD,
AND NOT AFTER CHRIST."

Clearly there are other programs in the world besides God's program.
There is a Satanic policy of evil in operation against us. Its clear
objective is to "spoil" the believer. This is a military term that
speaks of being taken as a captive. Satan wants to take believers
captive to his program-to make us "prisoners of war," as it were, and
rob us of our possession-thus neutralizing us in the battle. Some of
these other programs are listed for us in Colossians 2:16, 18, 19:

"Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in
respect of an holy day, or of the new moon or of the Sabbath days:
"Let no man beguile you of your reward in a voluntary humility
and worshipping of angels, intruding into those things which he hath not
seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind.
"And NOT HOLDING THE HEAD, from which all the body by joints and
bands having nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with
the increase of God.

The underlying problem with all these other programs is summed up in the
charge that they are "not holding the Head." In other words, these
systems hinder the believer from realizing and remembering who we are in
Christ-that we are in Him and that our spiritual nourishment flows from
Him. The result is a failure to be established as we should be.

As to properly "holding the Head," Colossians 3: 1,2 is excellent
commentary:

"If ye then be risen with Christ, SEEK THOSE THINGS WHICH ARE
ABOVE, WHERE CHRIST SITTETH ON THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD.

"SET YOUR AFFECTION ON THINGS ABOVE, NOT ON THINGS ON THE EARTH."

As we fix our hearts on Him; as all we have in Him and all that God is
doing in Him become the focus that controls and dominates our lives, we
find that this has a transforming effect and we are soon

*
*ABOUNDING THEREIN WITH THANKSGIVING. *
*
This is the only true response of an intelligent understanding of God's
grace! It is what makes us spiritually vital and vigorous. As we become
firmly established in "the faith"-as these truths take root in our
lives-we begin to abound in thanksgiving and true gratitude to God.

The true motivation for faithful service is a heart filled to
overflowing with gratitude to God for all He has given us as a free gift
of His grace through what Christ has done at Calvary when He died for
our sins and rose again to be our life. Paul declares:

"FOR THE LOVE OF CHRIST CONSTRAINETH US ... " (II Cor. 5:14).

This is true grace motivation. When His great love for us begins to
abound in our understanding, we can do nothing else but

"REJOICE IN THE LORD ALWAY: AND AGAIN I SAY, REJOICE" (Phil.

*WALKING IN HIM*
*Part 4*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *
*BUILT UP IN HIM *
*
This is the balance of the equation: We are "rooted and built up in
Him." The former is our permanent position in Christ; the latter is its
present impact. Our position in Christ is designed so as to have a
practical effect in the details of our lives. Galatians 2:20 sets this
forth in familiar words:

"I AM CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST: NEVERTHELESS I LIVE; YET NOT I, BUT
CHRIST LIVETH IN ME .... "

We have been crucified with Christ---thus we are to reckon ourselves
dead to sin (Rom. 6:11). We were buried with Him---thus we are to put
off the old corrupt man (Eph. 4:22). We have been raised together with
Christ---thus we set our affection on things above (CoL 3:2). We have
been seated in heavenly places in Christ---hence we have free and
unrestricted access to God with boldness and confidence (Eph. 3:12). The
former is our position; the latter is our privilege--- all in Him.

How do we make these spiritual realities part of our experience? This is
achieved "by the hearing of faith."

"This only would I learn of you, RECEIVED YE THE SPIRIT BY THE
WORKS OF THE LAW, OR BY THE HEARING OF FAITH?"
"Are ye so foolish? HAVING BEGUN IN THE SPIRIT, ARE YE NOW MADE
PERFECT BY THE FLESH?" (Gal. 3:2,3).

Faith is trusting God's word rather than our own human reasoning. God
says all believers are in Christ and thus, for example, "dead to sin but
alive unto God." When we actually believe this and make decisions based
on the truth of it, we allow the Holy Spirit the freedom to take this
truth and liberate us from sinful actions and attitudes, replacing them
with "righteousness and true holiness."

As we by faith build into our lives what Scriptures tell us Christ is
doing today, we are filling our lives with the resources that enable us
to reflect who we are in Him. Only as we do what He is doing are we
building up our lives. Anything other than this is tearing down,
destroying rather than edifying. This is why a correct, sound
understanding of the rightly divided word is vital to our spiritual life
and health. This is the only means of gaining a viewpoint of life that
corresponds to God's viewpoint.

When Jude 20 speaks of being built up in the most holy faith, he is
referring to the same issue Paul sets forth in Acts 20:32,

"And now, brethren, I commend you to God and TO THE WORD OF HIS
GRACE, WHICH IS ABLE TO BUILD YOU UP, and to give you an inheritance
among all them which are sanctified."

This is God's building program for the believer---daily being built up
in Christ by the word of His grace. Grace is what builds and motivates
the Christian life. Titus 2:11,12 speaks of grace "teaching
us'----teaching us how God has blessed us in Christ is the Holy Spirit's
way to get us to respond in love and obedience to God's love for us.

As we build into our lives the things that Christ has provided us by His
grace, we are built up in Him. The more fully we come to understand and
believe to be true all that God has freely provided for us in Christ,
the more assuredly can the Holy Spirit take those truths and set them
free in our daily lives to have their designed impact.

This is what Paul refers to when he exhorts: "Let the word of Christ
dwell in you richly in all wisdom" (CoL 3:16). To "dwell" is to "settle
down and feel at home" As God's grace to us In Christ becomes so real
and familiar to us that it is at home in our lives, a supernatural
transformation begins to take place---our position comes alive in our
practice!

The issue in being built up in Him is, of course, edification. "Godly
edifying" comes only as we erect an edifice or structure of sound
doctrine in our souls. This internal spiritual edifice gives us the
stability, protection and motivation to function as members of the Body
of Christ should. The more we learn about who God has made us in Christ,
the more able we are to function appropriately. Thus we must be,
contiued 6/19

*WALKING IN HIM*
*Part 3*
*BY RICHARD JORDAN *

*
Just as our hand is in living union with our arm which in turn is in
living union with the trunk of our body---on up to our head; so each
member of our body shares the life of all the body. Each member of the
human body is one with all the body and equally has the life of the body
in it. So it is that we are in living union with Christ. Hence Galatians
3:29 argues:

"And if YE BE CHRIST'S, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise."

We are Christ's---His possessions. We belong to Him just as the members
of our human bodies belong to us. This is all accomplished by our being
"baptized into Christ." That this baptism is "the operation of God" and
not of a preacher or priest is clear from I Corinthians 12:13:

"For BY ONE SPIRIT ARE WE ALL BAPTIZED INTO ONE BODY, whether we
be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free: and have been all made
to drink into one Spirit."

Baptism is, of course, a "bug-a-boo" in the Church today. If you want to
cause strife among believers, just mention the topic of baptism. It is
still "Religious T-N-T"! Too many carelessly assume that the only
baptism found in Scripture is water baptism and thus fail to appreciate
the "one baptism" that God has in operation in this current dispensation.

Our baptism is "by one Spirit." Clearly this is not a water ceremony nor
is it the baptism with the Spirit of Pentecost-a baptism performed by
Christ (Matt. 3:11, Acts 1:5). This baptism is the Holy Spirit taking
believing sinners and identifying them in the person of the Lord Jesus
Christ in such a way that they are said to be one with Him. Indeed,
Colossians 2:10 tells us:

"AND YE ARE COMPLETE IN HIM, which is the head of all
principality and power."

Everything He has done has become ours. A simple illustration might help
to explain our oneness with Christ: If a person commits a crime, say a
robbery, with his right hand, his left hand goes to jail too (along with
the rest of his body)! The left hand cannot stand before the judge and
argue that it should not be put in jail, that it did nothing wrong.
Rather, that person's whole being was involved in the crime---and also,
justly, in the sentence.

In just this way we are said to be "crucified with Christ." How? Because
we are "in Him" made one with Him by "the operation of God." Not only
this, but we have been buried with Him. raised with Him and seated with
Him. What all this means to us is explained in Ephesians 1:3:

"Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
BLESSED US WITH ALL SPIRITUAL BLESSINGS IN HEAVENLY PLACES IN CHRIST."

And what are these spiritual blessings? Just read and meditate on
Ephesians 1:4-14 for a few moments and you will be richly rewarded with
the beginnings of a list: chosen, sanctified, predestinated, adopted,
welcomed and accepted, redeemed, forgiven, enlightened, sealed and much
more---all in Him. To walk "rooted in Him" is to see these wonderful
truths in God's word with the eye of faith.

God's program today is not found in religious activities-- -observing
days, performing pious works, ceremonial correctness or the like.
Rather, it is all based in being rooted in Christ---God Himself placing
believing sinners into living union with His Son and making them one
with Him and all He has accomplished through the cross of Calvary.

Our walk is based upon our being planted into the good soil of salvation
in Christ.

WALKING IN HIM
Part 2
BY RICHARD JORDAN

God did us a wonderful "unmerited favor"---we did not deserve it, nor
did we work for it; we could not earn it nor did He owe it to us. He was
under no obligation to act in our behalf. Rather, in love He did us a
favor and provided "the gift of God (which) is eternal life through
Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:23) ...

And this gift is completely free---no "strings" attached. It is given
"freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus"
(Rom. 3:24). God's grace is unalterably tied to Calvary. It has no other
source. It is by means of the redemption that is in Christ that
salvation is possible. The cross is God's instrument: Christ crucified,
bearing our sins and our guilt, taking our punishment as He dies in our
place in order to fully pay our sin debt.

This is God's grace---His favor to us. And we can only receive this
delightfully given gift by faith:

"For BY GRACE ARE YE SAVED THROUGH FAITH; and that not of
yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD:
"Not of works, lest any man should boast" (Eph. 2:8,9).

We are saved by trusting in Christ's death for our sins, depending
exclusively on His finished work on the cross as the full payment for
our sins.

Faith is the only thing we can do without doing something, for faith is
trusting what someone else has done:

"BUT TO HIM THAT WORKETH NOT, BUT BELIEVETH on him that justifieth
the ungodly, HIS FAITH IS COUNTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Rom. 4:5).

And faith is the only response grace can accept. This is a fundamental
fact of the Christian life. Romans 11:6 is wonderfully clear on this point:

"And IF BY GRACE, THEN IS IT NO MORE OF WORKS: OTHERWISE GRACE IS
NO MORE GRACE .... "

How is the Christian life begun? By grace through faith. We receive
God's wonderful free gift of special favor by relying on His work on the
cross for us.

"SO walk ye in Him:" the way we began the Christian life is just how we
go on living the Christian life. We are not saved by grace to then walk
by our own efforts. We are to continue as we began:

" ... WE HAVE ACCESS BY FAITH INTO THIS GRACE WHEREIN WE STAND
... " (Rom. 5:2).

We are going to steadily advance through life only as we move forward by
faith in His provisions for us in Christ. And make no mistake about it,
our walk is ever "in Him." The Chrlstian life is lived in union with
Christ. This means that He lives His life through us as by faith we walk
in line
with what He is doing today.

This, of course, IS why we must be careful to rightly divide the word of
truth so as to know just where we do stand in the purpose of God and
just what He does have in order today. It is not enough to simply be
Scriptural, we must be dispensational in all we do.

Colossians 2:7 provides a four-fold description of our "walk in Him,"
describing just what the Christian life consists of today:

"Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye
have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. "

ROOTED IN HIM

First, we have been "rooted ... in Him." This is something God has done
for us---not something we must or can do for ourselves. Also it is a
permanent condition--- something that was completely accomplished for us
in the past and that lasts forever.1

/ 1. Rooted is the perfect tense-the action was completed in
the past and the results continue into the present.
It is the most permanent tense possible.
/
Being "rooted" in Christ is an instructive way of saying that we have
been placed into living union with Him. Just as a tree sinks its roots
deep down into the soil for its life and sustenance, God has taken each
believer and rooted us deeply down into His beloved Son so that we are
partakers of His life---our life comes from Him. Colossians 3:4 declares:

"When Christ, WHO IS OUR LIFE, shall appear, then shall ye appear
with him in glory."

Don't read that verse too quickly! God has so placed us into oneness
with Jesus Christ that He is our life! How is this accomplished?
Galatians 3:26-28 answers:

"For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

"For AS MANY OF YOU AS HAVE BEEN BAPTIZED INTO CHRIST HAVE PUT ON
CHRIST.

"There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free,
there is neither male nor female, for ye are all ONE IN CHRIST JESUS."

Although circumstances may vary widely, the moment each believer trusts
the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior, God the Holy Spirit places us into
union with Him, making us one with Him. God now sees us in Him-"rooted
in Him."

* Our Purpose and Mission

The ministry of "Grace and The Truth" has the purpose of encouraging
Christians to believe what God says.

Message "CHRIST" Rom. 16:25, Col. 1:28
Material "All Scripture, 2 Tim. 3:16, 17
Method "Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth, 2 Tim. 2:15
Mission "To Make All See" Eph. 3:9

"But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by
the blood of Christ." Eph.2:13.

**We are dedicated to helping Christians to a fuller knowledge of Him,
and the Grace of God. Until we all come into the Unity, Ephesians 4:13
"Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the
Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the
fullness of Christ:"

We are wiling to help you on this journey just give us a call, 1 623
546 8866, Paris

Would you like to help this ministry? Consider trying to get one other
person to subscribe to the GRACE DAILY INSPIRATIONAL. This worldwide
ministry asks for no funds and is sent to glorify our precious Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ, AND TO HELP YOU TO GROW IN GRACE AND KNOWLEDGE.

*GraceNTheTruth@ COX.NET*

WALKING IN HIM
Part 1
BY RICHARD JORDAN

*
*
To attempt to do service for God without knowledge of the current
program He has in operation is only to court disaster.

The writer, for example, speaks each year at a number of annual Bible
conferences. Each conference has its own schedule and program. To use
the program from, let's say, the Florida conference in the Ohio meeting
or last year's program at this year's California conference would result
in untold confusion. Times and topics would be hopelessly confounded and
little possibility would exist for a successful meeting. It goes without
saying that we must follow the current program for each conference if we
hope for them to be conducted in an orderly fashion.

How much more is this true where the program of God is concerned. We
simply must follow the current program---the one God Himself has in
place today.

It should be the heartfelt desire of all believers to have the will of
God executed in the details of their lives. While volumes have been
written and spoken on this subject, it really is not as complicated as
it often seems. Simply put: if you want to do the will of God in your
life, find out what God is doing and do that! If you are doing what God
is doing, you are doing the will of God.

In order to have God's will working actively in our lives and
ministries, we must get in line with and become participants in what He
is doing today. This is the only way to avoid working under the energy
of the flesh.

There is nothing more discouraging than trying in our own energy and
power, with our own abilities and resources, to serve God and make the
Christian life "work" successfully. Who does not know something of the
discouragement of such efforts!

But does not this provide an insight to the cause of the confusion,
impotency and division which have plagued the church of Jesus Christ for
most of its history? By not clearly recognizing what God Himself is
actually doing in the dispensation of grace, by failing to "rightly
divide the word of truth," much of Christendom continues to seek to do
things that God Himself has rendered inoperative and out of place.

Although often ignored, the dispensational approach to the Scripture
provides much needed instruction about the different programs God has
had in operation at different stages of revelation. One of the
tremendous benefits of studying the Bible dispensationally is a clear
recognition of what God is not doing today, an identification of things
that once were a part of His program but which are not a part of our
current administration of grace.

Because of the importance of this aspect of our study, there is a
tendency among some dispensationalists to emphasis the negatives--- to
focus primarily on what God is not doing today so as to eliminate the
demand for confusing and unworthy practices. We must, however, also be
careful to "accentuate the positive"--- to give adequate attention to
just what God is doing today so we understand just what makes up the
current program and purpose of God.

One passage that does just this in "nutshell" form is Colossians 2:6,7.
Paul declares:

"AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO WALK YE
IN HIM:
"Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye
have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. "

Often the Apostle Paul describes the Christian life as a "walk." This is
a very instructive term: We know what it is to walk---to make steady
progress, one step at a time, through life. In Scripture the term is
thus used to describe that steady forward process through life that is
to mark a child of God as he day by day serves his Savior.

But how is this to be accomplished? What makes this walk possible? Paul
makes the answer clear with an "as ... so" comparison:

"AS ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, SO walk ye
in him" (v. 6).

The "as ... so" combinations of Scripture are important helps for
our understanding. Paul uses something we do understand to illuminate
something he wants us to understand.

"AS ye have therefore received Christ'". And how did you receive
Him? The previous verse leaves no doubt as to the intended answer:
"For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit,
joying and beholding your order, and the stedfastness of YOUR FAITH IN
CHRIST" (Col. 2:5).

We were saved by grace through faith. We received by faith the gift God
offered us by His grace.