THE SPIRIT

     The world today is hungry and thirsty of the Spirit.  There are lots of sowers in the spiritual realm but little do they reap for the food of the hungry soul.  Ironically, the work that these sowers do are the very cause why the heavens would not distill and drop down rain on the fields where they sow. Seriously, The world is hungry and thirsty because they would not like to hear his words nor would like to retain knowledge in their minds. 

     To reveal the shortcomings of the world, especially, on the spiritual is the lack of power on the word of God which they propagate on its hearers being ministers of the word only and not ministers of the Spirit.  

     They strive to bring forth knowledge in their own words that tends only to sorrow.  Hardly can they even process the word of knowledge into useful wisdom and desirably into a sound understanding.

     These teachers use the word of God from the bible but they are never able to come to the knowledge of truth.  Pitifully, every time they open up new ideas or express their own interpretation of the prophecy of the scriptures, so to speak, they gender more questions than answers.  The atheists and the agnostics clap their hands in joy for this flop. Teachers have become ministers of words and never a minister of the Spirit.  This is the reason why their ministering is ineffective and fruitless which fruit is of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith and meekness.

1 Timothy 1:4 Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

     They teach damnable heresies persuading people and supposing that material gain is the measure of their spirituality or Godliness. Of truth, the gospel is teaching to deny oneself and to follow Christ and to carry your cross. 

     To be rich in the material or temporal things has so many caveats and implications than for it to be a blessing.  The true riches are the spirits coming from God which is more than fine gold and silver.  Yea, the spirit of Wisdom, the Spirit of Knowledge of the Holy, and the Spirit of Understanding are of more price than precious gold and silver.  Moreover, there are infinite Spirits from God which He shall give to a man as He will according to the Spirit of Grace.

1 Timothy 6:9      But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.

1 Timothy 6:17     Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy;

James 2:5      Hearken, my beloved brethren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?

Revelation 2:9      I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.

Revelation 3:17     Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked:

Proverbs 3:14     For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold.
Isaiah 33:15    He that walketh righteously, and speaketh uprightly; he that despiseth the gain of oppressions, that shaketh his hands from holding of bribes, that stoppeth his ears from hearing of blood, and shutteth his eyes from seeing evil;

Isaiah 56:11    Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot understand: they all look to their own way, every one for his gain, from his quarter.

     Now, there are those who dare claim that they are the sons of God come in the flesh, and by their wisdom, and sweet talks, and vanities and lies fool many hungry and thirsty souls. Nothing true is coming out of them for the souls are still hungry after they are fed with such trash talks.

Isaiah 29:8 It shall even be as when an hungry man dreameth, and, behold, he eateth; but he awaketh, and his soul is empty: or as when a thirsty man dreameth, and, behold, he drinketh; but he awaketh, and, behold, he is faint, and his soul hath appetite: so shall the multitude of all the nations be, that fight against mount Zion.

     Now, many of these false teachers lightly esteem the power of the spirit as if to say that all power belongs only to the devil. They sweepingly abhor signs and wonders attributing such as the work of the devil.  These do err not knowing the very works and ways of God, as written in the scriptures, and the power of God. 

2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

     Wanting in knowledge about the power of God and his ways they pathetically fall into the snares of the devil.  Know, however, that there is a difference in the power of God and that of the power of the Devil.  Having said that, it is imperative to explore into the truth which is about the spirit for God is a Spirit and every one that come and worship him must worship him in the spirit and in the truth.

     The Spirit of Power of God is confined in the Spirit of Prophecy which states that a man will change, a man will be moved from darkness to light, and from being profane into becoming holy.  The Power of God is able to mortify the flesh lust, and pride, and cast out the evil spirit in a man.  The power of the  Spirit of God is in Creation and Destruction!  Also, the power of God is on the temporal, that is, to make the blind see and the lame walk.  

     The Spirit of Power of God is all encompassing: in the temporal and in the eternal. Denying God's power in the temporal by accusing he is the Devil for raising a dead back to life without actually hearing his doctrine or words of power to change a man which accompanies this temporal power will make the accuser the devil himself.  Never, therefore, deny power but hear his Words, too!

Matthew 11:5 The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them.    

Jeremiah 10:12 He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom, and hath stretched out the heavens by his discretion.  
James 4:12 There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Isaiah 36:10 And am I now come up without the LORD against this land to destroy it? the LORD said unto me, Go up against this land, and destroy it.

    The power of the Spirit of God is in sustaining his afflicted ones for it is written, many are the afflictions of the righteous!

2 Corinthians 4:9 Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;

     Lest any atheist like Richard Dawkins would militantly provoke people to contest this revelation (sic), note revelation because it is not of reason.  Anything which uses reason will have to be grounded on evidence but the spiritual which uses faith or on things invisible or revelation is grounded on the Spirit.  I will, therefore, bluntly say that the spirit is not of the flesh and the flesh is not of the spirit. These two are at enmity.

     Therefore, I would say, at this early, that the doctrine of God is never coming from any interpretation that comes from man but by the command which comes from God alone.  It is his voice and not the letters as we read.  The words spoken by the man of God is the Spirit and they are life.  The words written is the sword of the spirit and it is the shadow of things to come which body to come is Christ's.

Colossians 2:16 Let no man therefore judge you in meat, or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the sabbath days:
Colossians 2:17 Which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.

     Matter of fact, the scriptures are written by inspiration of God and is good for reproof, for doctrine, for correction ,for instruction in righteousness that the man of God may be perfect throughly furnished unto all good works.  While it is true that the scripture is filled with allegories, metaphors, and symbolism unto them who are non-believers these things, however,  becomes real to them who are subjected to the spiritual experience that they have in Christ.

     The bible is meant for the man of God with the fear of the Lord and not for any atheist or agnostic or non-believer.  Now, the spirit is eternal and not temporal or material.  It is, therefore, unconscionable to assume that all people will believe in God for the natural man, as it is written, will never receive the things of God.  

     Not all people are spiritual in the first place.  It is foolish to speak with unbelievers for they do not have the fear of the Lord and the Spirit of God.  They cannot understand the things pertaining to the Spirit of God. 

     Now, to the spiritual with the fear of the Lord this is what I have to say, the word of God is to be rightly divided and interpreted in the spirit and not in letters alone.  I would strongly suggest that the safest way to interpret the scriptures is by the holy side of the spirit and not on the profane side of the spirit in order for a man to be holy and perfect. Yea, perfection will never be forthcoming without the Spirit of Revelation for the Kingdom of God is full of mysteries.  In this the whole world is athirst.

     An example of wrongly dividing the word of truth is seen in the days of king Solomon.  Further, his wisdom taught him to interpret the scriptures in letters so that he took courage to divide it and interpret it in his own terms.  

     Solomon by his own strength through his wisdom thought that he can have many wives and multiply gold and silver and not to further worship the gods of his wives and concubines.  The wisdom of Solomon emboldened him to understand the scriptures in a piece-meal approach or should I say, by dividing the word of truth in letters. He believed in himself that he can multiply wives and silver and gold and shun from worshiping the idols of his wives.  

Deuteronomy 17:17 Neither shall he multiply wives to himself, that his heart turn not away: neither shall he greatly multiply to himself silver and gold.

     King Solomon was proven wrong by dividing the word of truth in the wrong manner.  He ended up worshiping the idols of his wives.  The word of God is to be divided rightly and interpreted in the right spirit.  

     The reason why there are preachers, who have a fairly substantive amount of information coming from the scriptures, yet fail to effect change on its hearers is because they do not have the spirit of love, and power, and of the sound mind.  They also wrongly divide the Word of God. They do not have the Spirit as to become ministers of the Spirit.

2 Timothy 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

2 Peter 1:3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

1 Thessalonians 1:5 For our gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance; as ye know what manner of men we were among you for your sake.

     They may know the words written but they do not have the Spirit.  The word is only the sword of the Spirit.  So then, it is not enough to know the words and preach without the Spirit for how could one fight the spiritual battles without the Spirit to wield that sword?

     The point of God coming down suffering to atone the sins of men is, by and large, misconstrued by the atheists who do not have the spirit of wisdom and understanding, yea, they do not have the same mind with God who is a Spirit. Handicapped, they can never rightly interpret the scriptures in the spirit; in interpreting the words, I would politely say, never.  

Philippians 3:10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;

     The idea of God coming down to atone the sins of men is to show them how to live a holy and perfect life which is free from the bondage of sin, and bands of wickedness, and heavy yoke so that men may follow his steps. Clearly it is his love toward his creation.  

     On the side, Why should the atheists think it preposterous for God to come down and suffer and die on the cross when he can just use his powers?  Well, why would they accept Jose Rizal as a national hero who died for his country and fellowmen suffering the death by firing squad? Why accept heroes dying for someone and country for a cause and not God dying for His cause?

     The reason why man is suffering from trouble, shame, confusion, grief, sorrow, pestilences, famine, and war, is because of his sins against God.  God is not the cause of the troubles but men like the agnostics and atheists and non-believers and the disobedient who wrestle against the word and seek men to depart from their faith in God. 

     God did not create the world to be defiled and corrupted by men and so he came down to arm men with the same mind, for men to walk the same steps, and to walk in the same spirit.  God made man to acknowledge him (God) as his Creator and to worship him for his (man's) own good.  To what profit will God have if a man is made perfect and holy?  To what profit will God have if a man were righteous or wicked? At the end of the day, everything that God purposed and commanded to a man is for man's own good
  

     Now, talking of like-mindedness, this does not mean that man will have to be crucified like him.  It simply means, that man has to war against the spiritual wickedness, and to cleanse himself from the filth of the flesh and the spirit which is the testimony of Jesus Christ and which is also the Spirit of Prophecy.  Try to deny your own self, and to follow the teachings of Jesus which is Godly, and carry your own cross and you will see that it is, indeed, a way of crucifying yourself.   

     Any man, therefore, who claims to be spiritual and walk not in the similitude of defeating the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life which is actually an act of loving God with all of a man's mind, heart, soul, and strength is not of God.  If you love God keep his commandments.

     Looking at a God who is saying, You are forgiven of your sins do not mean that your are already a new man.    Forgiveness alone cannot bring change in the heart, mind, soul and spirit of a man for change is a process.  The buzz among Christians saying, only believe in the name of Jesus Christ and you will be saved is only half the truth.  There is no such thing as eternal security.

     This is the very reason why man is advised to make his calling and election sure.  This is the reason why man is to workout his own salvation with fear and trembling because believing alone is not enough to save a man for faith without works is dead: as it is written, the devils also believe and tremble.

     Now, one may question  why was the man at Calvary who was crucified with Jesus saved by believing on him then? Well, we have to understand that the situation then did not permit that man to have time to work out his salvation for he was already on the cross,too. Believing on Jesus Christ at that very instance and being saved was aptly by the Spirit of Power of God.

     Now, therefore, answer me this question: was Judas saved who was with Jesus and has believed and accepted Jesus as his Lord and Saviour?  Verily, verily it is written that after a man have received the grace, that is to say Jesus Christ, and have tasted the life of the Spirit, and then draw back to perdition, that it is impossible for a man to renew him again having crucified Jesus again.  

     Judas hanged himself after realizing that what he did was evil.  Though Judas believed in Jesus it was never his ticket to eternal security for his salvation. Judas never went into that change of becoming into a new man.  Judas was never able to retain the Spirit given to him which was at one point used in casting out devils when they were sent by two's by Jesus.  So a biblical experience here reveals that not even after you have received the name of Jesus and have received the gift of the spirit to cast out devils would amount to any man's salvation. Man has to continue in well doing and suffer in well doing. Endure till the end.  

     Note that the spirit of God will only dwell on a clean vessel and not on a defiled, and corrupted, and abominable state of vessel as it is written, Know ye not that ye are the temple of the living God and that God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God him shall God destroy for the temple of God is holy which temple are ye.

    Behold, it is written that Jesus have chosen his twelve (12) disciples and one of them is a devil.  Why then are most Christians nowadays teach of salvation as by simply receiving the name of Jesus? Obviously, these are taking the cue on the situation of Cornelius the centurion.  If a man were to take the case of Cornelius as the way of salvation it must be understood that Cornelius was not a dying man when he received Jesus' name as his saviour.  Cornelius went through the process which was through serving God.

    What is now the use of the scriptures warning everyone of the last days, of men being filled with the seducing spirits, and of wickedness, and of the fruit of the flesh, and of the departing of many from the faith?  What is the use of the revelation by Jesus Christ saying, Unless a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of heaven: and further, he went on and said, unless a man be born of water and spirit he cannot enter into the kingdom of God?  So then, it is clear as crystal that salvation is a process and not an instance.  In layman's term, to do one good thing does not make a man good.  Salvation is the power of God and not of man.  Salvation is one of the things that belong to God alone.

Psalms 3:8 Salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.

     Now, no man knows the path to holiness and the way to perfection much less the path to righteousness, hence, God came down to show that path.  

     The gap of the thoughts between science and the teachings in the scriptures among men, both the believers and the non-believers, is that all these are men in the flesh and simply do not have the Spirit of God in them.  All of them have questions to answer in their respective areas of endeavor.

    The Spirit of God dwells only in them who are cleansed, and sanctified, and justified by the words.  Now, no man knows which of the scriptures to use to effect the change in a man because the ace, so to speak, is from God.  This has to be revealed and to be assimilated as it will be declared and commanded. As it is written, he declares things that are right.  
     This is the reason that at one point the scriptures, when a man has the Spirit of God already in him, becomes irrelevant as he goes along the process of Christian growth for as many as are led by the Spirit of God they are the sons of God.  

     On the contrary, as part of the first principles of the oracles of God, teaching using the scriptures is a must so then the law which is to say the scriptures is our schoolmaster to bring us to faith. This faith comes by hearing the words spoken by the One whom God will send.

     Had these people known the scriptures and the power of God they would not have gravely erred.  

     The death of Jesus Christ on the cross was a display of the power of God over death that men may know that there is resurrection from the dead.  It was a plan hatched by Elias and Moses and Jesus on the mount as seen by James, John and Peter. Yea, partly they saw the transfiguration for they were, as written, asleep. 

Luke 9:31 Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. 

    The third testament, so to speak, is about the ministration of the Spirit by the able Ministers of the Spirit. Men who are of integrity, and are holy and perfect.   The third testament is not about the Ministers of the Word only.  Who can teach a man the paths of the commandments of God? 

     The qualification of these ministers are clear on both the New and the Old testaments.  Foremost, the  Fear of the Lord which is a spirit, too.

                    

     How I wish I could enumerate and explain the various spirits both on the profane and on the holy side of the fences.  Suffice it so now to know a little about the spirit. 

     In closing, man can only maximize the usage of the word of God to become a new creature if he has the Spirit of God in him and not by his own spirit. Hereby, will you know the Spirit for it shall bear fruit which is love, joy, peace, long suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance in the areas of the Spirit of Knowledge, the Spirit of Understanding, and in good works.

    Herein is the proof of a man having the spirit in broad and general terms: a)  if a man is in sorrow and anguish because of his obedience to the command of God this man has the spirit of God. Know that there is a sorrow which is unto death; b) If a man has changed bodily and in the soul and in the spirit this man has the Spirit of Fear of the Lord; c) If a man has might and strength in obeying and watching and praying this man has the Spirit of God; d) if a man continues to search God daily in the scriptures and in his heart this man has the Spirit of Diligence; e) if a man walks with God in the Spirit and live in the Spirit this man has the Spirit of God; f) if a man is able to rule his own body, soul, and spirit unto holiness and perfection this man has the Spirit of God; g) if a man is able to keep the commandments this man has the Spirit of Truth; h) if a man is inspired in his spiritual life of becoming holy and perfect this man has the Spirit of God; and i) if a man believes that God is come in the flesh which is to say that He will manifest in the flesh this man has the Spirit of God and is not an Antichrist.