CAUGHT BY PURSUIT!

Gen 2:24 A man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

The relationship of Adam and Eve foreshadows that of Christ and His Church!

God defined marriage as a man leaving his parents home and joining himself to his wife!

One of the meanings for ‘joined’ means to ‘catch by pursuit’; The Lord Jesus left His Father’s abode and pursued and caught His bride to be, the Church!

You see, He knew about you before you knew about Him! You didn’t go after Him, He came after you! He loved/s you first that you might love Him!

Such is the way of grace: The Bridegroom initiates – The Bride responds!

The Lord Jesus doesn’t stop pursuing you now He’s caught you! He’s always pursuing, always initiating new things with you in mind!

Two Become One: When Adam and Eve joined together, they became, ‘one flesh’!

When God joins Himself to a believer, He creates in Him a new spirit and fills that spirit with His Holy Spirit. There is a joining, a mingling together of God’s Spirit and the believer’s spirit! The two have become, ‘one’.

1 Cor 6:17 He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Initiator or Responder: Many believers get their relationship with Jesus the wrong way round!

They’ve been taught by a law gospel that says ‘YOU’ must love the Lord your God with all ‘YOUR’ heart, mind soul and strength.

This is a nail that is hammered repeatedly and becomes fixed in their minds. Hence they try with all their might to show their love for Jesus by works, outward performance or keep telling Him they love Him.

They are trying to initiate their love relationship and it always ends in burn out, defeat and hopelessness! This is an Old Covenant relationship with God!

There are also numerous believers who don’t know ‘HOW’ to love Jesus and simply mouth the words in prayer or worship!

God says to you today, “Stop being an initiator and become a responder”!

“Stop your works, outward performance and telling me that you love Me”

“Instead simply worship Me for who I am and ask me to love you!”

“Give Me time to work a revelation of my love for you in your life, and out of gratitude for loving you, the desire to love Me in return will arise in your heart!
This is New Covenant relationship – responding to Jesus love for us!

Listen to the Apostles testimonies:

Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

1 Jn 4:10 In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Jn 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.
The tsunami wave of grace sweeping the global Church today, is the voice of Jesus
calling out to you and I, “Stop trying to prove your love for me and let me love you! Simply ask me to teach you how to respond to my love!”

1 Jn 4:19 We love Him because He first loved us.

Meditation Point: it is not us loving Jesus, but allowing Him to love us! Ask Him to reveal His love for you!

Phil 4:8 Meditate (think) on these things.

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WORK OUT — WHAT GOD WORKS IN

Phil 2:12,13  Work out your own salvation; For God is working in you, giving you the desire and power to do what pleases Him!

When a revelation of God’s grace is quickened to us, (as we feed this revelation) it will change our heart motivations! We will experience God birthing in us His thoughts, plans and visions.

He will release the desire (passion, impetus) and power (ability, strength and provision) to fulfill them.

When God is the initiator of a thing, it will work in us:

a)  Faithfulness. b) A spirit of excellence. c)  An overcoming determination. d)  A success mindset.

As we work out these things, the glory of Jesus and His person is revealed in us and through us to the nations.

The early Church was so successful in revealing Christ that their opponents were forced to proclaim, “These are they who have turned the world upside down!”  (Acts 17:6)

Ask Him to work in you His purpose for your life, that Jesus may be revealed to the world!

Prayer:  Father, please reveal in me and through me a revelation of Jesus (the grace of God) that the world may see that You are the living God. Work in me Your purposes and plans, that i may work out those things that please You.

The Grace of Hard Work

The critics of the grace revelation that’s sweeping the world, say, that grace is too easy, it’s cheap and makes people lazy!

Let us read what Paul the apostle has to say about this!

It was to Paul that God gave the revelation of grace. (Gal 3:1-8) (he too was opposed, criticised, attacked and left for dead). Hence, Paul became the apologist for a whole new movement.

What did Paul have to say in his day to those who said grace was easy, cheap and made men and women lazy:

1 Cor 15:10  By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain;  but i laboured more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.

Paul says that he worked harder than all the other apostles, not because he was better, but because the grace of God was with him.

My friend, do not fear to embrace the revelation of grace. It will not make you weird, lazy or licentious, rather it will break your chains of bondage, heal your hurts, wounds and sicknesses and release you to fulfill the will of God for your life.

The grace of Jesus will not leave you empty but fill you with deep satisfaction!

Meditation Point: God’s grace will give you the desire and power to fulfill God’s will for your life. His grace will also cause you to work hard!

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Let The Father Love You

In a family, the parents don’t say to their children, “We want you to show your love to us as a sign of your obedience!” How ridiculous and unnatural that would be; Rather, as the parents show love to their children, the children naturally return that love. They love because they have first been loved! (1 Jn 4:19)

This is the unnatural message that we have drummed into the Church for decades and it has left many condemned and guilt ridden striving to prove their love for God.

If this applies to you, the Father says to you today, “Stop striving and trying to prove your love for me. I repeat, stop trying to prove your love for me! Allow me to first love you! Rest in me. Ask me to teach you how to receive my love! You have nothing to prove to me, rather, I want to prove my love for you!”

Meditate in the verses below until you come into a revelation of God’s love for you!

1 Jn 4:10 This is love,  not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be a sacrifice for our sins.

Gal 2:20 I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Jn 3:16 God so loved the world, He sent His Son.

Jesus and Peter — Read Jn 21:15-19

When the disciples were having breakfast with Jesus, Jesus asked Simon-Peter 3 times if he loved Him. The first 2 times, Jesus used the word ‘Agape’ which is a sacrificial, unconditional love. Simon responded by saying he loved Jesus, but he used the word ‘Phileo’ which is a friendly, fondness for, type of love.

The 3rd time Jesus asked him, He used the same word Peter had used ‘Phileo’! Peter was grieved by this and said, “Lord, you know i only phileo love you!”

What was Jesus doing? Knowing that Peter had previously denied knowing Him 3 times when he had said he would die rather than deny Him, Jesus was forcing Peter to be honest with himself. He wanted him to admit that his love for Jesus was only phileo (fondness) not agape (sacrificial) love.

Friend, you may have realised that like Peter, your love for Jesus is only shallow and superficial. Do not be despondent but rejoice! You have now become a candidate for the New Covenant love of Jesus! Today is the day for you to realise it’s not your love for Him that counts, but His love for you!

A mature believer is the one who boasts of Jesus love for them! (Jn 19:26, 20:2)

Jn 13:23 Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

Jn 19:26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold your son!”

Jn 20:2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”

Jn 21:7 Therefore that disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” Now when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer garment (for he had removed it), and plunged into the sea.

Jn 21:20 Then Peter, turning around, saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following.

As Joseph Prince rightly points out, John the disciple (who is called the Apostle of Love) is seen here in his gospel, practising the principle that Jesus loves him.

Why did John practise Jesus love for him? He knew that Jesus loving him came first, and it was only out of His love could he love others.

to the degree we have received Jesus love for us, to that degree can we love others!

1 Jn 4:19 We love because He first loved us!

If John, the Apostle of Love felt the need to keep reminding himself of Jesus’ love for him, it is an encouragement for us to practise this also.

Meditation Point: Stop striving to love God, instead, ask Him to teach you how to receive His love!

Jer 2:13 “For my people have forsaken me, the source of living water, and you’ve tried to collect water in cracked and leaking cisterns dug in the ground.” (NKJV)

There were two sources of water in Israel. Man made cisterns dug in the ground, that held rain water and were susceptible to leaks and stagnation, resulting in water loss, and underground fresh flowing springs of living water accessed by a well

The term ‘living water’ is flowing water that is clean, refreshing and pure.

When we received Christ, God removed our old sinful spirit and replaced it with a new righteous spirit (2 Cor 5:17). He filled our new spirit with His Holy Spirit. A symbol for the Holy Spirit is that of water. Life giving, sustaining, refreshing and pure water!

The Bible tells us our spirit is in our belly: Jn 7:38 Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart (belly, abdomen, womb) will flow rivers of living water.” (NKJV)

He also said, Jn 4:14 ”Whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain (well) of water springing up into everlasting life.” (NKJV)

We are to see ourselves as a deep well of salvation (Isa 12:3). At the bottom of the well is the water of life. We are to lower a bucket down into the well to access this water.

There are 3 buckets we can use to lift the water up to the top of the well (our mouth) and drink its life-giving qualities:

1)    Praying in other tongues: When we pray in other tongues we are filled to overflowing with the Spirit. Paul said to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). The words ‘be filled’ in Greek mean, ‘be being filled’ and is written in the present continuous tense.

As we pray in tongues (the mouth of the well) we are lifting up the water of the Spirit and drinking its life-giving qualities.

Many believers have stopped using the gift of the Spirit, speaking in tongues, because they only do it when they ‘feel’ good. NO! – We pray by an act of our will. It is a discipline and we are to practise it until it becomes second nature to us.

We can pray in tongues, driving the car, cleaning the house, walking, jogging etc. Let’s buy up these opportunities while we can.

2) Praise and Worship: As we praise the Lord in song, we pump up the living water to our mouth and drink to our fill.

Isaiah the prophet looked forwards to our day, the day of the New Covenant and prophesied:

Isa 12:1-3 And in that day you will say: ”O Lord, I will praise You; Though You were angry with me, Your anger is turned away, and You comfort me. Behold, God is my salvation, I will trust and not be afraid; ‘For Yah, the Lord, is my strength and song; He also has become my salvation. ’” Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation. (NKJV)

Again, many believers reserve praise and worship for Sunday. NO! – We are to offer a sacrifice of praise! (Heb 13:15) as a lifestyle.We praise if we feel like it and we praise when we don’t feel like it.

3) Confessing God’s Word: As we speak out God’s word over our lives and circumstances, we are releasing this life-giving flow of the water of life.

Jesus said: Jn 6:63 It is the Spirit who gives life; The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.

Many believers who know these truths still insist on going to the world to resolve their problems.

Can the world help you? Yes it can. But it cannot impart the life of the Spirit, the life of Christ to you. The word for ‘life’ in Greek is Zoe life. This is God’s own life. His eternal life that saves, heals and restores everything it touches!

The worlds ways are at best are a leaking, stagnant cistern. Instead, why don’t you try going to the best medicine that God has placed within us to meet your needs today.

Rom 6:4 Just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life (Zoe). (NKJV)

Meditation Point: When I need help, I will go to Jesus who can not only help me but impart His life to me!

Phil 4:8 Meditate (think) on these things.

SELF HELP or JESUS HELP

Jn 14:6 Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life!”

The book market today has a plethora of ‘self-help‘ books! How to be a better leader, manager or person. How to exercise, diet and improve ones life!

Such books and guru’s encourage us to feel good about ourselves, release our inner strength, believe for good things, do unto others as you would have them do unto you!

Question: Why are these books dangerous for Christians?

Answer: The danger is in the ethos, ‘self-help‘ Such books encourage us to build a life of our own making, overcome in our own strength, see ourselves as our own ‘Saviour’, thus making ourselves into little gods! (Gen 3:4,5)

Col 2:8 Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ.

Whereas the New Covenant invites us to find such life in Christ:

Col 2:6,7 Just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow Him. Let your roots grow down into Him, and let your lives be built on Him.

Christ is our Saviour and God, our life, strength, healer, helper, deliverer and future hope.

Jn 10:10 I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.  Col 2:10 You are complete in Him.

BY THEIR FRUITS YOU WILL KNOW THEM (Mt 7:20)   

Driven to Extremes:

Using ‘self-help’ philosophy to build our life upon drives to 2 extremes:

a) We win, we’re successful, we’ve reached our goal, we’re elated, pleased with ourselves!

b) We lose, we fail, we fall away. We’re defeated, hopeless, miserable, depressed!

Jer 17:5 Thus says the Lord: “Cursed is the man who trusts in man (self) and makes flesh his strength, whose heart departs from the Lord.

Both these extremes are rooted in pride! It is our ‘self ability’ that has either won or lost and constitutes both these ways as dead works!

Does that mean the ‘self-help’ industry cannot help the believer. Of course not! Much of self help material contains biblical principles! The key is to first pass all things through the grid of trusting Christ.

We look away from self to Christ. Hence, when we win, we praise and honour Him. When we lose, we look to Him to help us rise up and praise Him for His strength and hope!

Jer 17:7,8  “Blessed is the man who trusts and hopes in the Lord. For he shall be like a tree planted by the waters, Which spreads out its roots by the river. Its leaf will be green, and it will not cease from yielding fruit!

Phil 4:8 Meditate (think) on these things.

MEDITATION POINT:  Let us pass everything we do through the grid of trusting Jesus! He is the only one to proclaim, “I am the way the truth and the life.” (Jn 14:6)

]]> http://peterwilsonministries.org/blog/?feed=rss2&p=4400 0 http://peterwilsonministries.org/blog/?p=4352 http://peterwilsonministries.org/blog/?p=4352#comments Mon, 25 Nov 2013 20:04:32 +0000 http://peterwilsonministries.org/blog/?p=4352

The Holy Spirit Convicts The Believer of Sin

Does the Holy Spirit convict the believer of sin. Let’s look at this from the Old and New Covenants and see what they teach us:

 OLD COVENANT: Under the O.C. The Holy Spirit convicted people of their sin.

 David who lived under the O.C. said: (Ps 139:23,24) Search me, O God, and know my heart;Try me, and know my anxieties;And see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (NKJV)

 The blessing of God upon the people was conditional on them living a holy life which necessitated them removing sin from their lives.

 2 Chron 7:14 If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. (NKJV)

 If people didn’t confess their sin, they didn’t prosper: Prov 28:13 He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy. (NKJV)

 So, the responsibility to live a pure, holy life lay with man.

 NEW COVENANT: Under the N.C., God turned around His relationship with man. He sent His Son Jesus Christ to take the punishment of sin upon Himself and die for the whole world, past, present and future.

 God has now taken the initiative to make man right with Himself.

 This He did when He dealt with sin ONCE, FOR ALL TIME AND ETERNITY UPON THE CROSS.

 Christ dealt with mankind’s sin and removed it once and for all.

 2 Cor 5:19 God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation.

 Now that man’s sin has been dealt with and removed, the only sin God convicts of is the sin of unbelief in Jesus Christ as Saviour.

 John 16:8-9 And when He (Holy Spirit) has come, He will convict the world of sin: of sin, because they do not believe in Me.”

 Once man repents of his unbelief in Christ and comes into relationship with Him, the Holy Spirit no longer convicts man of His sin, He convicts him of his righteousness in Christ!

 Jn 16:8-10 When He has come (Holy Spirit), He will convict the world of righteousness; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more;

Meditation Point: The only sin that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of, is unbelief in Christ.