A Closer Look @ The Man In Christ – Part 6

… AN APPRAISAL ON BEING RAISED IN OUR SOULS FROM FLESH INTO NEWBORN SPIRITS

Dearly Beloved,

Every parent gets disturbed immediately they notice a loss of appetite in their children, because that would affect their immunity and weaken them physically! In like manner, ever since man lost his appetite for the invincible (God), all manner of diseases (sins) invaded his soul with one objective – to steal strength from the soul and thereby reduce it to a state called flesh (Gen. 6:3/Isa. 40:6/Rom. 8:3).

• Rom. 5:6 For when we were yet without strength (i.e. flesh), in due time Christ died for the ungodly.

• Lk. 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

• Tit. 2:11-12 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men (all flesh), Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

The strength and blessedness of the New Testament is hinged on resurrection, and the goal of resurrection is to raise man from an estate called flesh (1Pet. 1:24) to one where a believer’s soul is seated with God! To do so, grace (strength) has to be administered to our feet and our eyes has to be flooded with light via the teaching and preaching of Christ (Rom. 16:25/1Cor. 2:2/Jn. 6:45b), until we can walk like Jesus walked (1Jn. 2:6); until we can acknowledge truth by acknowledging all that proceeds from the Father (Col. 2:2f/Jn. 8:42/1Cor. 15:26).

Our Lord Jesus was fully raised (acquired resurrection life/power) in his soul before he got to the cross (Jn. 11:25), and God the Father did so by preaching Jesus Christ to Jesus (Rev. 1:1) –  from his teenage years up until he faced the devil at Jordan (Lk. 2:42-51/Matt. 4) and from Jordan to the Gethsemane! So can we say we have started or are faring well with the first syllabus from Faith to Faith called divine power (Rom. 1:16-17/16:25a/2Pet. 1:3/1Jn. 5:1a), or that we are in the last syllabus called divine nature (Rom. 2:7b/2Pet. 1:4/1Jn. 4:8/1Jn. 5:1b)? If not, then we either haven’t started or are very much lacking in the preaching of Jesus.

• Rev. 1:1 The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him (Jesus), to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

At birth, Jesus wasn’t in the kingdom – not even a few year afterwards. He started by sighting it from afar, he later came close to it, and then grew (Lk. 2:40/52) via the fellowship of hearing and seeing (1Jn. 1:1a-c/Jn. 3:32/5:19/12:49-50) to a place where he entered it and later did fully by becoming the least child and the greatest servant of the kingdom (Isa. 11:6d/18:4/Matt. 11:29/Lk. 22:16/Rev. 1:1). He attained the full stature of His Father’s meekness and lowliness at the age of 33 – and thereby paved the way for believing believers to come into the fellowship of the godhead.

The first goal of preaching Christ (1Cor. 1:21-2:5/Col. 1:28) is to open spiritually blind eyes and deaf ears (Ps. 40:6/Mk. 4:12/Acts 26:18a) of those who have started out and kept faith with the fellowship of the Holy Ghost (Eph. 1:15/Col. 1:4/1Cor. 12:1/2Cor. 13:14) so that they can graduate and participate in the fellowship of The Son (1Cor. 1:9-10/Gal. 5:6/Eph. 1:18/Col. 1:9-10), and ultimately in the fellowship of God (1Jn. 1:1-3/2:13/2Cor. 12:2/Rev. 12:5)

The journey of sighting the kingdom (Jn. 3:3/Matt. 11:11) is therefore meant to lead to entering the kingdom (Jn. 3:3/2Pet. 1:8/2Pet. 2:20/Heb. 5:12/6:4-5/1Jn. 2:15), which in turn is meant to lead to entering the kingdom abundantly (2Pet. 1:4/11/Jn. 10:10f/1Jn. 1:1-3)

THAT IS HOW THE EARLY CHURCH GRADUALLY LEARNT THE DOMINION OF CHRIST (OF HIS FAITH) UNTIL THEY CAME INTO HIS FULLNESS. MANY OF THEM BECAME A PECULIAR PEOPLE/TREASURE BY VIRTUE OF THEIR SOUL STATE BECAUSE THEY HAD BEEN RAISED FROM BEING FLESH (IN THEIR SOULS) TO BECOMING SPIRITS (LK. 3:5-6/JN. 3:3B/HEB. 12:9C/1PET. 1:22-23).

So when legitimate plural PROMISES that were available in The Old Testament is being preached year in and out, decade in decade out, with no room or emphasis for THE ACTUAL SINGULAR PROMISE OF THE NEW TESTAMENT (Heb. 11:39c-40/1Jn. 2:25/Jn. 17:3), there is a serious threat of inheriting God’s dominion – God’s divine power and divine nature! By so doing, the New Testament remains veiled and his unknown sins would remain unremitted (Matt. 26:28/Jn. 20:23/Acts. 26:18d/1Jn. 2:12). Such a believer would remain an adult who can’t enter God’s kingdom that is made for children

Before the actual preaching of Jesus starts, believers begin with a type of exploits likable to sacrifices and offerings (Ps. 40:6/51:16-19/Eph. 1:15/Heb. 6:1-3), but building a soul takes treasures (eternally new things) of the New Testament  – and that starts when we develop ears to hear His Son (Isa. 55:2-3/Acts 3:22/Heb. 1:1-2)

• Acts 3:22 For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet (Jesus Christ) shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you.

SO WHEN A BELIEVER HASN’T BEEN WEANED FROM THE FIRST MEAL (FIRST FAITH/LOVE) THAT CAME ACROSS HIS WAY, HE HAS MOST LIKELY NEVER EMBRACED THE ACTUAL PREACHING OF CHRIST – THAT UNVEILS HIS DOCTRINE, KNOWLEDGE OR FAITH (ISA. 28:9/1TIM. 2:4/EPH. 1:17C/COL. 1:9C/Phil. 3:9C):

–   HE MOST LIKELY HAS NOT BEEN WEANED FROM THE REALM OF SACRIFICES (1COR. 13:1-3) UNTO OBEDIENCE (ROM. 1:5B/16:26/HEB. 5:9) WHERE TURNING FROM DARKNESS TO LIGHT TAKES PLACE (DAN. 12:3B/ACTS 26:18/2COR. 3:16).

–   HE MOST LIKELY DOESN’T UNDERSTAND WHAT IT ENTAILS TO OVERCOME THE WORLD (SIN) AND ULTIMATELY THE WICKED ONE (DEATH).

• 1Sam. 15:22 And Samuel said, Hath the LORD as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better (i.e. earns a better testimony or testament) than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams.

In a nutshell, there are two different objectives and results when promises and provisions that were available under the old covenant (including bodily healing, deliverance, financial provision etc) is preached, and when Christ is preached (Rom. 1:1/16). The preaching of Christ entails the riches of grace and glory that would cause Christ to appear in a soul, and ultimately empower him to relate with a nature in God called immortality! While doing so, such a believer is actually coming to God – for eternal salvation. (Lk. 3:6/Heb. 11:6/7:25/2:3)

Blessings!

Tayo Fasan