Friend or Foe

You may ask why it is so important to know all this stuff? Isn't it enough to know that Christ is the Son of God and that He was the perfect sacrifice for the sins of mankind? Wasn't His blood sufficient to satisfy a Holy God? My answer is yes to all these questions but it is the response of the individual to these facts that makes the difference.
Jesus has no casual acquaintances, only friends or enemies. Those who would be considered casual acquaintances are in scripture called lukewarm and He declares that He will spew them out of His mouth,
Revelation 3:15-16 (New King James Version)
15 “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish you were cold or hot. 16 So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot,[a] I will vomit you out of My mouth.
It is impossible to be on fire for Jesus unless you know Him and all that pertains to the new life that He gives. Yes there are varying degrees of hot and if you are pressing into Him your love and passion for Him will be growing and so will the fruit of the Spirit be increasing. I sometimes use the phrase victory or victorious as though it was something we accomplish but that is in error for it is the life of Christ producing Himself in us and we are not to take credit for it at all. The more that we experience this development taking place in us the more we will tend to love and appreciate Him.

Let's continue on with the matter of our heritage. Some accuse God of being unfair because all of creation bears the mark of Adams curse but whereas by one man all came under the curse then also by one Man, the Lord Jesus Christ all can become partakers of a holy life leading to eternal life. In a sense nothing has changed since the first Adam because Adam was created and given choices and if he had not sinned then all his offspring would also had a choice and could have made right or wrong choices. Well in God's wisdom He sent His Son to rectify Adams choice which then leaves all of humanity the freedom to make their individual choice to accept or reject His offer of eternal life.

1 Corinthians 15:45-47 (New King James Version)
45 And so it is written, “The first man Adam became a living being.”[a] The last Adam became a life-giving spirit.
46 However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, and afterward the spiritual. 47 The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord[b] from heaven.
We live in the realm of the natural and it is difficult for us to understand the spiritual for it is supernatural and we receive it only by Revelation when our eyes are opened by God. We cannot understand the new life that comes from Christ until we receive it. How would you describe sleep to someone who has never experienced sleep?

The scripture says "you must be born again" John 3:3 (New King James Version)
3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:7 (New King James Version)
7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’

The term born again is a very misused and misunderstood term, through misuse and abuse it has lost it's true meaning and because there is not anybody explaining it there are few who truly experience it. I will do my best to explain it. Being born again is supposed to imply a brand new life, before there can be a new life there must be a death, it's that simple. Most folks today who "get religion" do just that. They have nothing more than a new philosophy in which they have no real power nor real relationship with Christ. Jesus told a parable known as the Parable of the Sower.

Matthew 13:3-9 (New King James Version)
3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

Now in the simplest terms good groundis ground that has been properly prepared, it must have good topsoil that is full of nutrients and it needs to be loose soil not hard packed or clay like. It needs to be able to absorb water but not hold it near the surface but will allow it to filter down to the roots of the plants. It also needs to be located where the sun can shine upon it and bestow it's blessing to warm the soil which promotes plant growth. It is no mystery that Jesus likened a person with an open heart for truth to good soil but also it is important to realize that even good soil needs to be cultivated and that in scripture represents teaching the truth in it's fullness. This is where most ministries fall of the Gospel wagon because they leave out key truths because they are hard truths and they fear that if they speak of them the people will feel uncomfortable and will leave and go somewhere that they can continue to feel comfortable. I say let them leave because if they can't or won't bear the truth then they are a waste of valuable time and resources. They are lukewarm at best and God has already rejected them, but the ministers want them to remain because there financial contributions make up their livelyhood. These ministers are known in scripture as hirelings and I believe there are more hirelings now in the pulpit than there are true servants of God with one purpose and goal such as the Apostle Paul who said "Galatians 4:19 (New King James Version)
19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you,\"
Though Paul aknowledged that a minister had the right to expect to be supported by the people he served he chose to support himself with tent making so that he could speak the truth even though at times the truth was hard in order that people could not threaten him with loss of support. I truly believe we need many more of this type of minister today that will speak the Word of God without fear and without regard to loss or gain. I believe a very large majority of lukewarm Christians have never heard the true Gospel in all it's fullness because if they did many would repent and turn because the benefits to completely outweigh the costs. There is such a lack of understanding that it's no wonder that nobody is excited about the Christian life. On the one hand we have the commonly known Christian life and on the other we have the "crucified life" and the two are light years apart.
I will stop here for now as I must get ready for work but will continue at the earliest possible time. May God give you insight and a hunger for more.
john