Thoughts: The Sanctity of the Mundane

Thought it might help someone somewhere to post thoughts here as the Lord continually teaches me the sanctity of the mundane. Ill post as often as possible, as long as the liberty is there.

Colossians 3:15

Let the peace of God rule in your heart. This peaceful, quietness of the inner man is the tell tale sign of walking in the light with our thoughts turned to the ever present God. The world becomes a blissful background image to the ruling peace and presence of God, and His statutes become a burden no more, but an outflow of the Christ life within. With our thoughts turned to God and His free redeeming grace, allow Jesus, by the Holy Spirit to live freely and have His being, loving one another and you shall realize that the bond of perfectness is indeed love - but it is Jesus that lives and moves and has His being in and through us. What grace we have to walk in our mundane everyday lives with this peace and light within us.

"Christ in you"

This statement, as well as hundreds more throughout the Bible is always stated by churchmen as a question. "Is Christ BEING formed in you"; "How do we..."; "What do we..."? You've heard it said that we attain this by prayer, Bible study, tears, "travail" (ironically this mention is someone travailing for Christ to be formed in others). Any number of things to "fill us up more" with Jesus. I've always winced at these saying as Jesus doesn't dismember Himself in order to give us part of Him.

It is Christ in you. His entirety. All of Him. There is no more of Him to obtain once we gain Him. He is all ours or not ours at all. It's akin to birth, but tragically, through prayer, disciplines and other forms of self improvement, we have performed the most dastardly partial birth abortion in history.

It is only when we cease our efforts to work something up via effort, no matter how noble it may look on the surface, that God in His giving mercy will send something down.

Resting in the Lord is exactly that, resting. It is only when we cease our efforts that Jesus will begin His. My life in the manifest presence of God has nothing to do with prayer, Bible study or abstaining from things, and everything to do with Jesus living and moving, and having His being in me, as me. This is faith, inwardly seeing that results in outward doing, and it is God Who works, while we rest.

"That ye might be filled with all of fullness of God"

The epistle to the Ephesians is rich with promises, all of which are yes and amen to us. The overarching theme of Paul's writing is this great mystery, the almighty God of all creation making us His habitation by faith. In Jesus dwelt all of the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and here we see a wonderful promise, that we might be filled in this same way.

It is the great promise of salvation that we might walk in this world even as Jesus walked, that we are in this world even as He was. The Son of man promised we would do even greater works than He did, as lofty as this seems to the carnal christian, still striving against these promises with self disciplined effort.

In me dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, the total fullness of God. When we allow the word to cut asunder spirit, soul and body, we begin to see that we are as He was in this life, and our desires, our will, our wants become His wants and we can live freely knowing He works in us to will and do His good pleasure. What we do issues forth from who we are, and who we are is simply a container for Jesus. We can live knowing that our desires and mind are His; we can go through life free to make our decisions, hold our conversations and walk through our lives, because when Jesus takes up residence within, they are no longer ours but His.

What a joy and peace to know the freedom of Christ in me! What great promises we are given to live as Christ lives, knowing He is our example of living. We were never meant to live the Christian life; we were meant to allow the risen Christ to live it through us, Christ in our Human forms.

When we work God rests, but what joy it is when we stop working and God begins to work for us. We rest while our loving savior works. This, and only this, is true Christian life.

You wrote:
"It is Christ in you. His entirety. All of Him. There is no more of Him to obtain once we gain Him. He is all ours or not ours at all. "
Paul wrote: "But more than that, I count everything as loss compared to the priceless privilege and supreme advantage of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord [and of growing more deeply and thoroughly acquainted with Him””a joy unequaled]. For His sake I have lost everything, and I consider it all garbage, so that I may gain Christ,(Phil 3:8,Ampl)

"It's akin to birth, but tragically, through prayer, disciplines and other forms of self improvement, we have performed the most dastardly partial birth abortion in history."
Biblical prayers are not for self improvement.
Jesus prayed often and he told his disciples to pray
Luke 22:40 When He came to the place, He told them, "Pray that you will not enter into temptation.” 41 And He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, where He knelt down and prayed, 42"Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me. Yet not My will, but Yours be done.”…
Jesus did not pray for self improvement !

"When we work God rests, but what joy it is when we stop working and God begins to work for us. We rest while our loving savior works.
This, and only this, is true Christian life."
This is a completely false claim !

What you write is not biblical faith.
Pray that the Lord may help you to find the truth.

Markus

"For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure"

Paul penned this expansive epistle to the church at Philippi while awaiting an unknown fate in prison. It is full of glorious forward looking to the day of Jesus return, while also full of exhortation to the saints to stand strong in faith while experiencing onslaughts from every angle; physical, mental and doctrinal persecutions.

Man is prone to isolate Pauls writings the one from the other, rip them from their overall context and also forget who they are written to. Often Paul is exhorting Christians who are not yet walking as he did, with the indwelling Christ; or those who are blown around by every opposition; or those who have experienced trials of their faith, both in those who labor to refute the gospel of grace with a return to laborious works, forsaking the liberty we find in Jesus, and those who simply seek to kill those who make open professions of Christ.

Here we see a healthy dose of all of this, as well as personal greeting and exhortations to trust only those sent from Paul himself. Paul took great ownership of this great Gospel, even calling it "my gospel" at one point.

Why is this important? Paul exhorts those who are easily swayed by doctrines of men to stand fast in faith. Paul exhorts those who are physically threatened to stand fast in faith. Paul assures the saints that his message is Gods message, and none others are to be trusted, bringing to remembrance Jesus words, the promise of His indwelling by the Spirit of truth to teach us all things, with no need for mans teaching. Pride is deadly, and when men seek to dissect and reinterpret plain scripture and hard sayings, it again brings to mind the glorious truth spoken by Jesus, "And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape. And ye have not his word abiding in you: for whom he hath sent, him ye believe not. Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. I receive not honour from men. But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you. I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive. How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?"

Scathing words, and an indictment to all those that seek the person of Christ in scripture. Gods infallible scriptures are how we learn of Jesus and the life He gives us in Him, the commands that He Himself empowers us to obey by virtue of His indwelling, but by no means are a substitute to His person and knowing Him.

Paul was not new in this message of the indwelling Christ, who is in fact the Word of God. This too is a hard saying, the Bible is not in fact the Word of God, the person of Jesus is. The Bible is the expression of Gods mind to humanity to lead us to the risen Messiah, Jesus. Infallible and true, every jot and tittle, yet not the Word of God.

Paul is constantly grieved by those that seek to divide and conquer the church through either works, persecution or the "I am of Paul" mentality. We see this same persecutive spirit at work in the world today, and in our nation it manifest in the cults of dogma, and denies the power of the resurrection.

Paul exhorts in this epistle to stand fast in the perfection we have attained in Christ and persevere, working out our salvation in the midst of the ruling powers of the worlds systems with fear and trembling, standing fast in the faith he preached, the pure Gospel of grace through faith.

Great again is the promise that it is in fact God that works in us not only to do, but to WILL to do. Jesus not only gives us all sufficiency in all things to abound to every good work, but also the desires and wants necessary. To those of us walking in grace by faith, and through sanctification have Christ abiding in us, we can say with great joy, "Christ lives in me, and I do as I please". We can live in perfect will and mind alignment with the God of the universe, and through faith know that God in His rich mercy will live this life through us.

Yet again, this epistle that is so often used by men to dethrone the grace and promises of God, proves to us that nothing can separate us from the grace of God; and we are to consider the trying of our faith a great joy, even though sometimes sorrowful in our bodies and souls. We are strong in our inner man and therefore, since we are partakers of the divine nature, the true vine, even the physical and intellectual trials will only serve to glorify Jesus.

Stand strong in faith saints, and look forward to the final return of Jesus. The kingdom of God is within you now, and will be made physically manifest when every knee finally bows to our now present indwelling savior. I rejoice in this promise, and will by faith walk in the perfection I have attained through faith, with eyes raised waiting for the perfection of all things being brought to bow to the rightful king of kings when He gloriously returns.

Let none deceive you, by grace you are saved, walk and live pure by virtue of continually growing in the knowledge of the indwelling person of Christ; and I say with Paul, even those that preach Christ out of contention, I rejoice that Christ is preached.

"Pray without ceasing"

This text, penned by the pioneering apostle, once again pushes us to tread what seems like impossible new terrain. This is another scriptural command that is oft misused and abused, being held up as a lofty and unattainable standard reserved for those special few. The ivory tower sorts with calloused knees and tear stained eyes. But the apostle isn't setting us up for failure in this over worked and modern life.

Prayer is much more than a set aside time for devotional duty. It is a lifestyle of heart attunement to the ever present God. Words mean far less in prayer than we are often taught, and the revered "prayer closet" is misinterpreted now more than ever.

Prayer is a disposition of life that is a stillness of mind as it simply basks in the ever presence of a loving God. The spirit intercedes for us, and when we are still, just knowing that God is God, this is sometimes the most profitable form of prayer. The secret place of our inner selves is the closet of prayer that is never in a place we are unable to occupy, and this is where God dwells in all His glory.

When we allow ourselves to simply turn our thoughts to God and listen for His voice, and acknowledge His presence, our souls become a well spring of living water, peace, joy, and revival. Location doesn't matter anymore when we thoroughly embrace the omnipresent God. The disposition of prayer replaces the position of prayer, and inwardly we are renewed minute by minute by the indwelling of Christ.

ESchaible,

Paul exhorts in this epistle to stand fast in the perfection we have attained in Christ and persevere, working out our salvation in the midst of the ruling powers of the worlds systems with fear and trembling, standing fast in the faith he preached, the pure Gospel of grace through faith.

I am still not convinced that believers are already perfect now.

Besides Phil. 3:12-14, Paul also said when his life was nearly at an end:

2 Tim. 4:7-8 ”“
I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.

Comment:
That is, Paul won the crown of righteousness AFTER he had fought the good fight and FINISHED the race of faith. (Caps just for emphasis).

We will certainly be perfect if we can perfectly abide in Christ and Christ in us.

But we are still in this world and the world calls powerfully to us to return to its realm.

And we are still in this old body of flesh that calls powerfully to us to return to its rule.

It is fully possible to stop abiding in Christ.

So, I think it is too early to say we have arrived when we have not yet finished the race.

We are strong in our inner man and therefore, since we are partakers of the divine nature, the true vine, even the physical and intellectual trials will only serve to glorify Jesus.

Paul was given a thorn in the flesh not to glorify Jesus, in the first instance, but to keep him from exalting himself (2 Cor. 12:7).

Christ is glorified when His power is perfected in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9) and that Paul learnt through his trial.

ESchaible
I have already mentioned what you write is not biblical faith.
What you write has more to do with mysticism and new age stuff, very concerning !

You wrote: "Prayer is a disposition of life that is a stillness of mind as it simply basks in the ever presence of a loving God."
This is nowhere found in Scripture. Instead we read in Luke 11: 1
One day in a place where Jesus had just finished praying, one of His disciples requested, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” 2 So Jesus told them, "When you pray, say: ‘Father, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come.…

"the promise of His indwelling by the Spirit of truth to teach us all things, with no need for mans teaching."
Jesus said: Matthew 28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,
20 and teaching them to obey all that I have commanded you.

"This too is a hard saying, the Bible is not in fact the Word of God, the person of Jesus is"
The Bible is the very inspired Word of God !

As I said above: Pray that the Lord may help you find the truth.
I'm concerned about your salvation, may you have ears to hear.

Markus

"That you may know"

As the Lord leads me into more and more understanding of what it means to love Him, follow Him, and live in relationship with Him in the world we find ourselves in today, it is sometimes enrapturing to find those that shared the same leadings. We are so often drawn about by the powers as they seek to distract us, pulling our attention away from God to seemingly innocuous earthly things; things we simply have to do and take care of as we each live our lives. It is dangerous to label these necessaries as sinful or "worldly", as even the pillars we look to as fathers in the faith were some simple coal miners; and the Lord of Lords spent some 30 years as a carpenter.

I am a firm believer that a faith that is true is a faith that penetrates to the depths. Not only the depths of our souls and spirits, but also a complete permeation of our entire lives. If we are unable to live the life we are given with God, than the life we think we have been given is a mere facade, a deception of the powers.

To call back to what I said concerning finding like minds and other burning hearts, I want to simply point out another pilgrim who also was taught the simplicity of knowing the person of Jesus, rather than the barren desert of lettered head knowledge. I don't often feel liberty to quote those who are not the infallible writers of the Bible, but the words of AW Tozer smack with prophetic significance for this modern age, perhaps more even than his own day.

"We have almost forgotten that God is a Person and, as such, can be cultivated as any person can. It is inherent in personality to be able to know other personalities, but full knowledge of one personality by another cannot be achieved in one encounter. It is only after long and loving mental intercourse that the full possibilities of both can be explored. All social intercourse between human beings is a response of personality to personality, grading upward from the most casual brush between man and man to the fullest, most intimate communion of which the human soul is capable. Religion, so far as it is genuine, is in essence the response of created personalities to the Creating Personality, God. "This is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.”

Let these words burn in your hearts and serve as a catalyst to resist those that encourage the dry seeking of scripture to find eternal life, as even Jesus Himself told us bluntly that those are they that speak of Him. All things must be weighed in the light of plain scripture apart from mans doctrinal gymnastics; but NEVER forget Jesus is in fact a person who indwells the believer by faith, and as such can be known in that way.

"For He is our peace"

It always amazes me when the Spirit of God speaks swiftly and bluntly to the present soul needs of His children. The searching and never finding of the world is also just as amazing, albeit in a much more sinister form. The world, those under the spirit of disobedience, the prince of the powers of the air, seek peace, most subconsciously and without knowing it. They seek it in self help, self improvement, self actualization, self realization; but all of this is exactly what it says it is, self.

The church at large employees these same means. We think and preach that more prayer, more fasting, more bible reading, more fellowship, more devotional quiet times (the list is just as long and exhaustive, and exhausting as the worlds) will be the conduit through which we find God. These things are all good things, and necessary. But many wise men have said in the past that the good is the enemy of the perfect.

HE is our peace. I concede the doctrine being taught here, the mutual peace with God, both of Jew and Gentile, is the doctrine being taught here by Paul. But we must approach these truths as poets and psalmists, not merely doctors of theology.

He is our peace; the person of Jesus. The peace of God that surpasses all understanding is also, in this sense, a person. We approach the Father by the Holy Spirit, through the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus. Triune communion and thereby, peace with God and quietness and peace within.

Christ is all, and in all. Inner peace can never be found by doing, for doing is the enemy of the gospel of grace. Inner peace is in fact a person, Christ Jesus. The indwelling of Jesus Himself, realized and obeyed, is the only avenue through which we find this coveted peace within. The psalmist echoes the cry of the heart sick seeker of God, "Be still oh my soul" and the answer of the Father is "Be still and know that I am God".

Be still dear saint, and know. Know Him, and the power of His resurrection. Peace within is Christ within.

ESchaible
In your opinion what does someone need to do to get this kind of peace ?
What do you mean "Christ is all, and in all" ?

Markus

Deogloria /!Markus,

If you want to discuss these topics in a serious and prayerful way, send me an email and we can definitely do that ( notevanschaible@gmail.com ).

That invitation is for anyone by the way.

If you would like the discussion to be publicly visible, my blog would be a better place, or another thread for that specific reason.

Evan
I don't want to go beyond this forum for now.
These are simple questions.
But they might reveal a lot more what we believe ?
Maybe others are also interested ?
Thanks

Markus

This glorious hymn has been the song of my heart to God all day at work so far. I'll refrain from theology and simply let you to be blessed.

The evening is glorious, oh, hear the glad song
Of saints all victorious o’er sin and the wrong!
They’ve risen in triumph to reign in this life,
Above sect confusion, all darkness and strife.

Refrain:
The evening is glorious, hallelujah to God!
We’re sanctified wholly through faith in the blood;
The true light now shineth, the darkness is past;
Our sorrow and sighing is ended at last.
Though we have been scattered by sects and by creeds,
Now home to Mount Zion our good Shepherd leads;
The light was not clear in the dark, cloudy day,
But pure evening light now reveals the true way.
The songs of the captives who have returned home””
O’er Babel’s dark mountains no longer to roam””
Are telling of freedom in Zion’s fair height;
Oh, glory to Jesus, the evening is light!
The glory of heaven now streams from above
On God’s holy remnant made perfect in love;
They’re free in the Spirit, by Him they are led,
And give their allegiance to Jesus, their Head.
The evening is glorious, break forth into song,
Let melody carry the message along
Of perfect salvation in Jesus alone,
Who is our salvation and chief Corner Stone

"And this is eternal life, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent"

What more can be said? That they might have life, and have it more abundantly is the sole purpose of Jesus. Very God and very Man, God manifest Himself in human flesh, to defeat all principality and power, abolish the curse of the law, crush the serpents head and live a life wherein the god of this world had nothing. He became sin for us, in order to die to it once and for all so that we to could die in Him and be married to a new bridegroom.

We have been ransomed from the prince of the power of the air! In Christ we have died to sin, no more indwelling spirit of the world for those who died in Him, for the spirit leaves the body upon death.

We have been risen with Christ to newness of life! The same Holy Spirit that raised up Jesus quickens our mortal bodies and we are vessels of Him who defeated the devil.

It is no longer I that lives, but Christ liveth in me! We identify with Him, in His life who was free from every worldly influence and in whom the prince of this world had nothing.

We, by faith, identify in the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, and thereby find salvation. Upon salvation we move on to sanctification and we find ourselves indwelt by Christ Himself via God the Holy Spirit, living and moving and having His being in us, as us in the world.

We live by faith in the risen Son of God!

What a wonderful gospel that has been destroyed by a view that Christs death on the cross was merely a punishment for sin to appease an angry gods wrath.

If Christ died to satisfy punishment, than salvation is by law, sins are not forgiven, and grace is no more grace.

Victory in Jesus is identification by faith for salvation, and receiving forgiveness sola gratia, by grace alone. No more punishment because God desires mercy, not sacrifice. My sins are forgiven by a loving God, not punished by proxy.

If you know Christ than life is yours, victory is yours, forgiveness is yours, and Above all, Christ is yours. No more servants but friends, or so said our precious Savior.

"hath ceased from his own works"

The Christian life for many is a constant debate with flesh and spirit, and it's telling that this very comment elicits one of two responses, either a battle of 2 natures, or a battle of sin versus holiness. Ironically, neither of these views are taught in scripture.

Romans 7 is so often used to justify a life of sin, spiritual failure, a dog eat dog spiritual mentality that puts the Christian against himself in an ever losing battle of wills.

What those of us who have been shown our complete and total worthlessness know all to well is the freeing truth of Romans 7, and the tenor of the entire new testament, that our righteousness is filthy.

Anything that stems from self is what is being taught here. Sadly many, if not most Christians have been lied to and told that they must work to maintain Christs favor and salvation. Even though it is God who keeps us as we rest in Him, as we are taught throughout the new testament, the devil preaches that we must fulfill law, rules and duties to somehow remain and abide.

When a man is born again he desires to do good, to keep law, to live holy, but quickly realizes he can't. The harder he tries the further he falls. The more he tries to pray the more brass like become the heavens. The more he studies his Bible the drier it becomes, until finally he feels all is lost. Men teach push through it and try harder and do more, but God says stop it and rest.

It's a paradox to be sure. But what we do stems directly from who we are, and never from what we try to become. When a defeated believer finally rests and with patience and faith looks to the one who justifies, he will also sanctify.

The rest of God waits for those who "do" one thing, cease doing. Romans 8 is ready to be lived in by the person who simply waits on the Holy Spirit to fill them, after they have had the horrid experience of living out the reality of Romans 7.

Doing is the enemy of being. The rest of God is the only place where true fruit can ever be borne. It is Jesus who lives and moves and Has His being in the believer by faith, apart from works.

"no longer I"

Jesus is the only way to the Father. Himself; and never the religion that man creates around Him or His teaching. Every philosophy and religion in the world thinks it has the market cornered in regards to truth and virtue. Tragically the modern religion that calls itself Christianity has joined the fray of storming the gates of Gods kingdom, except that it too has weapons raised to assault the very God inside.

We are told to beware of self imposed religion, sanctimonious ethical teaching, arbitrary rules and legalistic practices that throw the believer into a downward spiral of self assessment, self condemnation, self improvement and self sight. Sadly those that think themselves most holy are those that are the most skilled in self sight, the seeing of what they need to be, want to be, try to be, and are telling others what they ought to be and do.

Ravenous wolves are those the pervert the gospel of grace and lead sheep astray. They throw rules and practices at the new believer because they don't see the truth that Jesus nailed the law, with all of its works and condemnation, to the cross of Calvary. Jesus bought us with the price of His blood, ransoming us from the power of Satan, but also redeeming us from the curse of the law. No more works, only Christ. The only truth in the world is Christ Himself, and no amount of virtue, self imposed ethics, rules or law can replace the power of the indwelling person of Jesus.

When we partake in the body and blood of Christ by faith, we receive the cleansing of our consciences from dead works, and our great high priest has entered the inner sanctuary ONCE, which means no more remembrance of sin.

The legalistic duty bound mentality we find in the modern, revival seeking church at large seeks to bring Christ down from heaven. Is He not dwelling within those that partake of His body by faith? His blood cleanses, His body is freedom. Jesus spoke of consuming His flesh, partaking of His body, this is yet another allusion to His indwelling. When we consume food, hunger is satisfied and the food we consume sustains us from within. Meat indeed, except when we eat of this food we will never hunger again.

This identification of the death and resurrection of Jesus by faith is the conduit of the Holy Spirit to indwell the believer.

Paul spoke plainly, I am crucified with Christ, I no longer live, Christ lives in me. No longer Paul, but Christ living in Paul. He that is joined to the Lord is one spirit. The mystery hid until Paul was given the glorious liberty to expound it for us is Christ in the believer.

Is it to bold for me to say, I no longer live but Christ lives in me? Jesus living, moving, having His being in me, as me, in the world. The ministry of reconciliation, God in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, was given to us as believers. This isn't preaching, praying, or anything we do. It is simply Jesus in us, reconciling the world to Himself.

This is the most important revelation a believing and broken Christian can have. When we come to the end of ourselves, our self effort, our prayer, our duties, our ministry, we become partakers of the divine nature. The only one capable of love, for He is love, indwells the believer. God the Holy Spirit will only fill a vessel that ceases from his own works, because a vessel is a container, not a self willed instigator.

No longer I, but Christ in the world in me, as me, reconciling the world to Himself. This is the ministry of reconciliation given to saints who travel the Romans 7 road, and cease their own doing so that the Father can work in them both to will and do of His good pleasure by the indwelling of Jesus by the Holy Spirit.

Bold claims, bolder faith.

"teach them to obey"

What is life in the spirit if not the direct manifestation of the life of Jesus in and through the believer? We are told throughout the new testament that Christ in us, the word abiding within, is the power of the believer. We are taught the law doesn't save, but in fact is used by the devil to deceive us into actually doing the exact opposite of what we desire, living in perfection. So what is the answer?

A believer (I use the term believer in the strictest sense, those indwelt by the Holy Spirit and sanctified by the blood of Christ) quickly realizes that the spiritual life, with all of its raptures and joy, quickly leads back to one thing only, obedience to the teaching of Jesus. This obedience is the eye of the needle through which we all must fit to walk in the kingdom of God.

But Jesus said that about rich men, the theology student quickly retorts. He did, but rich men are not the only ones living in this world trying to make more out of much. This, and all of Jesus commands are not just for those to whom it was directly spoken, but for all of those who seek to walk in oneness with God in perfection.

Perfection is the goal of the truly saved person, as it should be. Jesus promises it, and commands it, in the same breath. Therefore ye shall be perfect, perfect in love, sanctified wholly, spirit soul and body. A lofty command and a taxing and all encompassing promise.

Jesus seeks to lead us on, obedience by obedience, step by step, into the life He knew with His Father while He walked the earth. We shall be as He was, doing only those things that please the Father, one with Him.

Selling all transcends money and reaches into the depths of the soul. A person who is possessed by anything in this life in fact possesses nothing, not even life. The life, eternal life of Christ, is to know God. This should come as great comfort to the believer as He seeks to know God, because the Helper has come.

Jesus commands nothing He does not impart into us the ability to perform, as He desires to simply perform it using us, in us, through us, and as us. He said as long as He was in the world, He was the light of the world, and than tells us we are the light of the world. Paradox only to those who don't have eyes to see. He is the light of the world, and it is this light in us that is our hope of glory.

If we don't obey the teaching of Jesus, we cannot say He dwells within. This is the tenor of Christian teaching in any circles that actually teach Christianity. An inability to obey Jesus is unbelief, because it is belief that empowers us to obey. We live by faith, and if we fail to enter into God's rest it is not due to our lack of trying or working, but due to unbelief.

Always remember, what we do directly proceeds from what we are, and what we are directly proceeds from where we place our faith. Faith in Christ births anew and sanctifies, and changes what we are. We then obey out of this sense of fulfillment and adequacy, rather than grudgingly work from a sense of lack and duty. We love.

"For if Abraham were justified by works, he has whereof to glory"

The vast difference between obedience and working is quite possibly the churches largest blind spot today. We get so caught up in the historical Jesus, the Son of God who shed His blood for the forgiveness of sin, that we forget about the risen Son of God who is alive today. In most circles you would think that believers are mourning a death, asking God where He took the body, and mistaking the risen Lord for the gardener.

I say that to say this, we work for something that is ultimately temporary and fading. It's painful to see so many dear saints of God either turning back to the world in defeated and discouraged abandonment of the faith, or just saying to God, in all practicality, if this horrid condemnation and lack I feel is Christianity, I guess I'll just look forward to the return of Christ.

The latter seems pious, and the former will be argued with by those with letters in their hearts, but we all know what I am talking about. I've heard it said that the the most holy man in a meeting will be the one most broken over his present life of sin if the Holy Spirit were to manifest Himself. I defy any one to find this in the new testament without blatant proof texting.

The crux of the matter is simply this; we have mistaken works with obedience. Working is occupational. We work for something so as to earn something else. When a man works he does so from necessity and generally only to accomplish a goal. Once the goal is accomplished he will happily give up working in retirement and let others work to keep him satisfied. He works and takes pride in what he does, but never joy in it.

Obedience is trained, and can only stem from a heart turned to something from which it gains pleasure. A man obeys because his will is aligned with the will of the one who calls for his obedience. A soldier who is truly a soldier believes in, and has bought into the goals and plans of his commanding officer, and gladly lays down his life to see it fulfilled. He would do the thing anyway, and gladly submits to the will of one he obeys, because he sees no difference.

So it is with Christ.

When a man works for Christ he will quickly burn out. Working implies earning, and when anyone seeks to earn something from Jesus he will soon find an offended God. Working is self willed and self motivated. Praying for revival, praying to be renewed in spirit, Bible study to learn some doctrinal nugget to hold over our fellows, all ends in man glorying. The Father seeks to give freely to those who ask in faith, and will withhold even salvation from those who seek to work for it.

Obedience is the natural outflow of a branch growing from a vine. It is nothing more than the purpose for which the vine exists, and it can't help but do otherwise. The branch, as long as it simply remains a branch attached to its vine, bears fruit. It shares its nature with the branch, and their motives, goals, and end results are the same, they bear fruit together.

If something is introduced into the vineyard that has to work to maintain it's place, it's probably a weed, or an invasive species. A hypocrite and pretender. No matter how hard it tries everything around it knows it doesn't belong, and ironically it knows it too. It's not a branch, or it's a branch growing from a false vine, more accurately.

The devil, the false vine (we know there must be a false vine, because Jesus said he was the true vine), will put many religious practices and cliches in full reach of anyone who desires to work for anything from God. Prayer, the bible, fasting, abstaining from things deemed worldly, all are instruments of the spirit of sin, the light bearer (Lucifer), and to many believers fall victim to his wielding of law and are deceived.

Before we can obey we must be grafted into the true vine. Than all we do is remain, and the vines nature gives life enough for the branch to bear fruit. Faith and a settled mind on Christ in us, our life, is all that's necessary for a holy life. Faith is all that is necessary for fruit to be borne. Faith is all that is necessary for the Holy Spirit to fill a believer.

If these truths seem foreign to you dear reader, and if you do not have the witness within (you must be honest, or God will leave you to your works, because even the witness is gained when faith is exercised and the witness taken by faith, other wise we glory in the knowing), know that Jesus waits for those who seek for His glory, and He will not work where men work. Simple faith in Jesus blood is that which justifies, and this same faith, realizing the work is already done, will also sanctify. The fullness of God waits for those who surrender, and cease from their own works in patient faith.

Christ will be formed in you, and because of this you will be made perfect in love, by a simple faith realization that the work is done. "I am crucified with Christ" "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me". Take it by faith, and let Him live His life using you.