Reflection: Submission Seems Impossible
by Shawn Brasseaux
[16 August 2009]
When we discussed the “Grace Lifer” series a few weeks ago, we were reminded that our old sin nature prevents us from living a life pleasing in God’s sight. This sin nature is what leads us to hell. It is after we experience salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone that God imparts to us a new nature, the “new man” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is this new nature empowered by the Holy Spirit that will enable us to live the “grace life.” Over the next five weeks, we will continue along those same lines with a new series, “Reflection,” because this theme of Scripture can never be exhausted!
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The popular opinion is that everyone loves God, and that everyone is “God’s child.” According to the Scriptures, this is absolutely false! We are naturally born separated from God, and we are born enemies of God. Paul makes it abundantly clear that both Jew and Gentile have sinned. “For all have sinned, and come of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23 KJV). Now, some Christians say they no longer sin, but this is just wishful thinking because all Christians sin. In Romans chapter 7, Paul, God’s great Apostle of the Gentiles, knew what each of us Christians feel when we struggle with sin. According to verses 140-17, Paul wanted to do right because it would bring the Lord glory and honor, but his sin nature would get the best of him and he would sin. Romans 7:21 KJV says: “I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me.”
The lost world cannot quit their habitual sinning and wicked, godless lifestyles because they do not have the power imparted by the Holy Spirit. As Christians, we have to make the choice now: to let the Holy Spirit accomplish His will through us, or the Bible says that we can “quench” Him (hinder His work) and give in to the desires of the flesh. If we choose to follow the Holy Spirit, we will not “fulfill the lust [that is, the desire] of the flesh” (Galatians 5:16 KJV). As long as we allow the Holy Spirit to control us and let His Word work in us, we do not sin. We sin only when we give in to the fleshly desires of our sin nature.
Remember, the key to grace living is letting Christ live His life in you: He alone can live the life laid out in His Holy Word: “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:21 KJV).
The real you has died, crucified with Christ nearly 2000 years ago on Calvary’s cross. We as members of the Church the Body of Christ have received the new man. Consequently, Christians have two natures: the Adamic sin nature from birth and the new nature brought on by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The Bible says in Galatians 5:17 that these two natures are contrary to each other: they war against one another! “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.” Whenever you feel the urge to do right, it is the new man, the new spirit, the new nature. But, when you desire to sin, that is evidence of the old sin nature trying to win the fight.
We rebel at the concept of submitting to God’s Word. Because we live in these sinful human bodies, it is difficult (seemingly impossible). But, we have the strength in Christ to submit to the working of the Holy Spirit in us. As we read, study, and place our faith in His rightly divided Word, the King James Bible, the Holy Spirit takes His Word and goes to work in our lives. “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe” (1 Thessalonians 2:13).
Our Christian life started the moment we were saved by believing Paul’s Gospel of Grace (1 Corinthians 15:1-4), when we submitted to God’s Word in order to be saved from sin and hell. Now, we have to submit to the Lord in order to let His grace infiltrate us and motivate us, and He will use His Word to renew our vile human minds and transform us into His “workmanship” (Ephesians 2:10 KJV). God now wants to us to do good works for His glory.
Yes, it is hard part to let the Holy Spirit accomplish His will with you. He convicts you when you have an evil thought, but your sin nature urges you to continue dwelling on that thought. Eventually, that thought will influence your actions—the sin began with the thought, not the action. The Holy Spirit will guide you in the right direction, but you cannot help but sin, sin, sin! The key to this is to memorize Scripture to help you in these predicaments, and God’s Word will fight that battle for you.
Paul was a normal, sinful human like us; Jesus Christ, on the other hand, was submissive to His Father and never sinned once! In great anguish and heartache, Jesus Christ cried out to His Father God in Luke 22:42 KJV: “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.” God the Son was submissive to the Father’s will, even when He foreknew that horrible death that awaited Him (cf. Psalm 40:6-8; Hebrews 10:5-7).
In Philippians chapter 2, the Apostle Paul expounds on the submissiveness of Christ. Let us notice what Paul wrote:
“5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
9 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:
10 That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;
11 And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
In verse 5, the Bible says we Christians are to have the same mind that Jesus Christ had. Jesus Christ humbled Himself, subjected Himself to perform the work the Father sent Him to do: to die on Calvary! Likewise, we Christians have been sent into this world, to carry out the will of our heavenly Father—“to have all men to be saved and to come unto the knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4 KJV). The same Holy Spirit that Christ was filled with is the Holy Spirit now residing in us the believers! If Christ could submit to the will of His heavenly Father, then He can help us to submit to God the Father’s will too!
Remember, the Christian ambassador is “a reflection of the heavenly homeland.”
Reflection II: Acceptance and Completeness in Christ
by Shawn Brasseaux
[23 August 2009]
Last week, in part I, we studied the Scriptures to learn that it is the Lord who lives His life in us the believers (Galatians 2:20). We cannot live perfect lives of grace as described in the Pauline epistles. Paul made it very clear in Romans chapter 7 that even Christians stumble in sin. But, as we learned, the key to living the grace life is to let the Word of God “effectually work” in us as we believe it (1 Thessalonians 2:13). In other words, after we read and study God’s Word God’s way, and respond to it with faith/trust, He takes the truth we have learned and transforms us from the inside out. We become less like our old sinful selves, and better represent our heavenly homeland.
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The Bible says that we Christians are “complete in Christ” (Colossians 2:10). We do not need to perform religious rituals to get more blessings from God because it is impossible to merit favor with God through good works. As Christians saved by grace through faith without works (Ephesians 2:8,9), the Bible says that we have already been “accepted in the beloved” (Ephesians 1:6 KJV). Before salvation, we were evil, godless people, headed for a lost eternity. Then, God picked us up and said, “I forgive you.” We responded by faith, and we were saved immediately because God was pleased because we had faith in His Word (Hebrews 11:6). We need not “keep the Law” to receive God’s approval like the nation Israel did in time past. Today, God tells us the believers, “I accept you in Christ.”
In Philippians 4:19 KJV, the Bible says, “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” As Christians, God has already equipped us to accomplish His will—everything He can provide for us He has already provided for us in Christ (He has not guaranteed our wants, only our NEED, the need of salvation). You may never live in a $10-million-dollar penthouse, you may never drive a BMW, but that is totally irrelevant because the Bible says, “And the world passeth away, and the lust [desire] thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth [lives] forever” (1 John 2:17 KJV). Our spiritual need has been met, and in eternity that is the only thing that matters.
The Bible says in Ephesians 1:3 KJV, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.” God’s blessings for us are in the form of invisible, spiritual rewards, stored up for us in heaven. We cannot see them yet, but they are waiting for us in glory! Be encouraged!
God has preserved His Word for us to read, so we can have our own copy in our own language (the King James Bible!). The indwelling Holy Spirit illuminates our minds and enables to understand His Word (1 Corinthians 2:6-16; Ephesians 1:8-12) and He consoles us with His grace (2 Corinthians 12:9).
Paul goes on to write throughout his epistles that sanctification, adoption, joint-heir-ship with Christ, justification, redemption, grace, eternal life, and forgiveness have been “imputed” (applied) to us who are “in Christ.” We are the recipients of these spiritual blessings because of what Christ did, not because of our own good deeds. Get in the habit of thanking the Lord for all these wonderful spiritual blessings, when you did not deserve them! We do not deserve now, and we will never, ever deserve them.
Be more concerned with the eternal and do not focus so much on temporal. Remember Colossians 3:2 KJV: “Set your affection [desire] on things above, not on things on the earth.” Even the exotic cars and beachfront mansions pale in comparison to what lies on the other side of glory! “But godliness with contentment is great gain” (1 Timothy 6:6), so be content with all of the provisions God has made for you in Christ! We in and of ourselves are insufficient, but we are complete in Christ (2 Corinthians 3:5). In Christ, God has equipped us with everything we need to be a reflection of our heavenly homeland.
And the good news is that Christians have an eternal home in heaven (we will talk more about that in the coming weeks in part V). What a thrill, and you should get excited as a Christian! Remember, the Bible says that you are complete in Christ!
As the saying goes: “G.R.A.C.E. = God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense.”
ARE YOU “IN CHRIST?” If you are not sure where you would spend eternity when you would die, I hope and trust that you will place your faith alone in Christ Jesus, who died for your sins, He was buried, and He was raised again for your justification (1 Corinthians 15:1-4).
Reflection III: Sound Doctrine in Conversation
by Shawn Brasseaux
[29 August 2009]
Thus far in the “Reflection” series, we have discovered that a Christian should have a subservient attitude toward God, just as the Son was obedient to the Father (Philippians 2:5-11). We should be bending toward God, allowing His Holy Spirit to use us to accomplish His will. In part II, we learned that we as Christians are complete in Christ (Colossians 2:10). We need nothing more than what God has already provided for us in His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, we delve a bit deeper in part III, learning how the sound doctrine we read in the Bible has the potential to bring about an outward reflection, so the lost world will view the lives of “ambassadors for the risen Christ!”
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The Apostle Paul encouraged young Timothy to teach and preach sound Bible doctrine (1 Timothy 4:12-16; 2 Timothy 2:2; 2 Timothy 3:14-17; 2 Timothy 4:2; et al.). Most of Christendom today is teaching and preaching everything but sound doctrine. Oh, what a pity! In the latter days, the Bible says (2 Timothy 4:3,4 KJV):
“3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.”
Apostasy will become more and more widespread as we approach the time of the rapture, and the end of the Dispensation of the Grace of God. Our world is getting ready to embrace all the deception the antichrist will promote. Brethren, we stand firm in a solid understanding of the Word of God rightly divided, instead of being “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine…” (Ephesians 4:14 KJV).
All of the Bible is God’s Word and all of the Bible is sound and trustworthy, so you should study all of God’s Word. But, you need sound and non-legalistic doctrine to live in this Dispensation of Grace. Paul is our apostle (Romans 11:13; Romans 15:16; 2 Timothy 1:11). Recall that the 13 Pauline epistles—Romans through Philemon—explain God’s present-day operations with man. It is through his 13 epistles alone that God addresses us in this Dispensation of Grace and as members of the Church the Body of Christ. Outside of the Pauline epistles, you find legalistic (Mosaic Law-keeping) doctrine addressing the nation Israel. Remember, this is what 2 Timothy 2:15 KJV means when it says, “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” What was written to Israel stays with Israel; do not be a spiritual thief! We need to separate God’s Word dealing with Israel from God’s Word dealing with us.
It is highly crucial that we not only have good Pauline doctrine in our minds and our hearts, but also in our “conversation.” Whenever the Authorized Version King James Bible uses the word “conversation,” it simply means “lifestyle or manner of living.” (In Philippians 1:27 and 3:20, it means “lifestyle reflecting citizenship”). It is rather interesting that when we think of “conversation,” we think of speaking to someone in an audible voice. However, we can “speak” to someone with our actions just like we can speak to them with our lips. Once we read and study the Bible, we should seal away that information in our hearts and minds. “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom: teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord” (Colossians 3:16 KJV). It is God’s Word that will mold us and sculpt us once we believe what it says. Let me show you what I mean.
The qualifications for the “bishop” (church overseer, pastor) were common sense. According to 1 Timothy chapter 3, he had to lead a respectable life. He was never expected to be sinless, but he had to be the example for the congregation. Likewise, the deacons (male helpers) also had to have good reputations. Christians should be reflecting the homeland; remember the definition of “ambassador?”
I love 1 Thessalonians chapter 1, where the Bible says that the believers in Thessalonica were genuine Christians. They were not “phonies” who only listened to Paul and the Gospel of Grace, but rather they lived sound doctrine. These former pagan Gentiles gave up their false idols of wood and stone, and followed the Lord. There was such a tremendous change in their conversation (lifestyle) that they were setting the example for believers in Macedonia and Achaia (present-day Greece)! Their “faith to God-ward was spread abroad” (verses 3-10). We should follow their example now. Do not be a hypocrite and only teach sound doctrine, live it!
As we tarry here in this present evil world, and wait for the rapture when the Lord Jesus Christ takes us home, we need to be soaking up sound Pauline doctrine (oftentimes, the false teachers distort Paul’s epistles more than they do the rest of Scripture). We need to be studying and memorizing the of the King James Bible . We should be as Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 3:2, “[our epistle, letter] known and read of all men.” The lost world may not open a Bible, but they can see the life Christ living in us Christians! Everyone is watching how we live, so be sure you do not live carelessly and that you have a lifestyle displaying sound doctrine. Your speech, decisions, manners, and all the other parts of your life should be reflecting the grace life, the life you claim to have “in Christ.” You will stumble at times, but get back up, and learn from that mistake!
Titus 2:11-14 KJV:
“11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,
12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;
13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
Next week, we will look at how to handle the pressure brought on by the lost world.
Reflection IV: Going Against the Grain
by Shawn Brasseaux
[5 September 2009]
These past three weeks in the “Reflection” series, we gained some insight regarding the struggle within the Christian. Our two natures—the sin nature, and the nature brought on by the indwelling Holy Spirit—conflict on a daily basis. We need to learn submission to the Holy Spirit, so we will not do the sinful things our flesh wants us to do. We learned in part II that, in Christ, we have complete and total security, and God has given us the provisions we need to be His “ambassadors,” His saints blessed with all spiritual blessings in the heavenly places! With God’s Word working effectually inside of us when we believe and trust it, our testimony impacts the world, and they see Christ living in us (from part III).
Now, as our lifestyles are reflecting God’s Word—the grace life—we will encounter “friction” from the unsaved world. How should you handle rejection and criticism from the lost world? We will look at that issue this week.
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As Christians, we have two choices: (1) We can live according to the world’s standards and go against God’s Word—the carnal Christians, or (2) We can live in the power of the Holy Spirit and go contrary to the world—the spiritual/mature Christians. There is no neutral ground, for we cannot serve two masters! Oftentimes, I have seen many poor Christians choosing the first instead of the latter: they want to please man, not God (John 12:43). They have given in to intimidation and have compromised. This is not what the Lord wants. I want to strongly exhort (encourage) you in love to straighten up; any Christian who lives like the world is miserable and unhappy! Do not just believe the Message of Grace, live it for the lost world to see the grace of God!
Poor old Noah labored out in the desert for 120 years, building a giant ark of gopher wood. Consider the masses of passers-by who gawked and taunted him. The people of his day thought he was nuts, but when the floodwaters came pouring in Noah and his family were the only sane people, and the only survivors too. Because Noah went against the grain and had faith in God’s Word, his family was saved from the global flood (Hebrews 11:6-7).
About 600 B.C., Jeremiah repeatedly warned Israel of their rebellious attitude toward the Lord, but they continued their pagan idolatry. The Jews hated Jeremiah because he spoke the words of the Lord, so they imprisoned him, even in a muddy dungeon (Jeremiah 20:2,3; Jeremiah 38:6). Jeremiah certainly went against the grain, huh? He suffered for it, too. But, it was well worth the suffering!
Jumping up to the first century A.D., we find Paul ministering amongst the pagan Gentiles. In his second missionary journey, approximately A.D. 50, he comes across a group of Athenian intellectuals. Reading Acts 17:18 KJV, “then certain philosophers of the Epicureans, and of the Stoics, encountered him. And some said, What will this babbler say?…”
That word “babbler” means “one who spreads hear-say; a gossiper.” In other words, they were making fun of the Apostle. They thought Paul was foolish, but it was the other way around: they, the intellectuals and philosophers, they were foolish for relying on human viewpoints in philosophy instead of believing God’s Word and getting saved! When Paul gave his testimony to King Agrippa in Acts chapter 26, Agrippa responded with “Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad” (verse 24). Agrippa said, “Paul, you are crazy!” Nah, Paul was right, as Agrippa learned once he went out into a lost eternity.
In fact, Matthew 10:34-39 tells us that our Lord Jesus Christ was not too popular among Jewry. Sure, some people followed Him, but most avoided Him; this caused divisions among families (Matthew 10:32-39). Go to John 6:66 KJV: “From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.” Jesus Christ was certainly not preaching some “feel-good gospel” like so many are doing today, was He? Then, why should we be promoting a compromised Christian lifestyle? It makes no sense, beloved.
These past several weeks now, we have been discussing the grace life laid out in the Pauline epistles. As the Bible says, “Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution” (2 Timothy 3:12 KJV). “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ” (2 Timothy 2:2 KJV). The key to coping with being ostracized and rejected by friends and family is to remember that the Lord Jesus Christ, and all the saints before us, suffered persecution. As long as you (in the flesh, in the sinful nature) live like the rest of the world, no one bothers you. But when God’s Word works inside you, it brings about godly communication, a godly lifestyle. The world will not want much to do with you—seeing Christ living in you is just like them opening a Bible and reading, and they do not want that!
People love the Christian name, but they dare not want the accompanying persecution and criticism. Paul never says we will have easy lives in Christ. We are never promised material riches and carefree lifestyles. We will experience suffering as long as we live in this world cursed with death and sin. But, like we discussed in part II, God has equipped us to be His ambassadors. He will give us the strength to endure, even when the world will try to trip us up and mock us. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me” (Philippians 4:11-13).
What a joy to suffer as a Christian (1 Peter 4:14-16)! “So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (Hebrews 13:6 KJV). “…And in nothing terrified by your adversaries [enemies]: which is to them an evident token of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that of God” (Philippians 1:28 KJV).
Are you willing to be called “foolish” and “crazy” for following the Lord Jesus Christ? What if you had to be tortured for Him, or even die for Him? Would you rather serve man, or serve the Lord? Will you fear what man can do to you? Are you ready to lose friends and family members because you love the Lord? If you do not have assurance of salvation today, are you willing to go against the grain by getting saved? If you are saved today, are you willing to let the Lord Jesus Christ live the grace life in you, or will you fulfill the lusts of the flesh, living a life of carnality and worldliness?
The choice, friend, is yours! As for me, I will continue going against the grain…. =D
Next weekend, we conclude the “Reflection” series with “The Lights of Glory.”
Reflection V: The Lights of Glory
by Shawn Brasseaux
[12 September 2009]
In the final installment of the “Reflection” series, we deal with the topic of heaven. At my church, we sing the hymn “Because He Lives,” and this is the last verse: “And then one day, I’ll cross the river, / I’ll fight life’s final war with pain; / And then, as death gives way to vict’ry, / I’ll see the lights of glory and I’ll know He lives!”
So, let us turn to the Scriptures, and start reading in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 KJV:
“51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.”
This is what we call “the rapture of the Church the Body of Christ” (cf. 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). As soon as this Dispensation of Grace is concluded, and the Body of Christ is removed from earth, the Old Testament prophetic timeline will once again continue, and the nation Israel returns to the forefront in God’s dealings with man. We Christians believers will then be off to take our place in the heavenly places serving with Christ Jesus. Ephesians 2:6,7 KJV: “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” By the way, the rapture will take place in the smallest divisible amount of time: scientists have stated that the smallest divisible amount of time is 0.000000000000000000000000000000000000000000033 second! Wow!
But, what is our inheritance as Christians and members of the Church the Body of Christ? Read Ephesians 1:3-12 KJV:
“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:
4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:
5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will,
6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.
7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself:
10 That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:
11 In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will:
12 That we should be to the praise of his glory, who first trusted in Christ.
It is there in glory that we will see things beyond human comprehension. What is waiting out in the eternity for the Christian believer is something so awesome, so glorious, and so unfathomable!! The Bible says very little about our eternal abode as believers in Christ, but we do know that it is an inheritance that can never be lost or stolen. We can rest in God’s grace and take it by faith that no matter what happens to us, this inheritance is ours forever. The indwelling Holy Spirit is our “earnest”—the guarantee and down payment—of the eternal inheritance that we have in Christ. The Bible says in Romans chapter 8:16,17 KJV: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.”
We know that we will be in the Lord’s presence, and the Lord will resurrect and restore our current physical bodies into everlasting, glorified bodies like His glorious body (Philippians 3:20,21). Post-resurrection, the Lord was in a physical body that could teleport (instantly move from one location to another). He could go through walls and locked doors. He ate fish, bread, and honeycomb, He spoke, but His face looked the same. Likewise, we will retain our unique identities in eternity: we will recognize other believers, even those whom we have never met, those saints who lived thousands of years ago! Greatest of all, we shall stand face-to-face with the Lord Jesus Christ, to be rewarded at the Bema (Judgment Seat) of Christ.
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In closing the “Reflection” series, we remember the following. We do not see the Lights of Glory right now; we live in a cruel, godless world. We are stuck in this nasty world system and living in these vile physical bodies that are prone to disease and death. But remember, if we have trusted exclusively in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, we have one glorious eternity awaiting us. The Apostle Paul was forbidden to write about the magnificent things he saw in Glory, when he was supernaturally transported into God’s heaven (2 Corinthians 12:1-9).
The Lord has left us here to serve in the Christian ambassadorship. This foreign territory we know as “earth” is our mission field. We cannot be intimidated into silence by denominationalists, liberals, modernists, and atheists. We cannot compromise or water-down the AUTHORITY OF GOD’S PRESERVED WORD (the King James Bible), though it will cost us our popularity with man. We cannot live a life of carnality, or a life pleasing the old devil. God is here with us in the presence of His indwelling Holy Spirit. In the Pauline epistles (Romans through Philemon), the Lord has revealed His will for us in the Dispensation of Grace. In Christ, we have been blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.
Serve the Lord while there is still time, while you have the capacity to do so. Refuse to sit back as our world slips farther away from God’s truth and embraces false teaching. Continue to labor “to make all men see….” Get into the King James Scriptures and study them. Learn solid dispensational doctrine, and tell others of the wonderful news. They can be saved by grace through faith in Christ alone, and they can be a reflection of the heavenly places, too!
“As Christians, the homeland we reflect here on earth will one day be the homeland we behold in heaven.”
Posted by Christian ambassador (Shawn Brasseaux) 
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