CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT:
The Bible says:
a) “All scripture is inspired by God.” (2 Timothy 3:16)
b) Men were carried along by the Holy Spirit as they spoke the message that came from God. (2 Peter 1:21) Jesus Christ said to His Followers:
a) “The Helper , the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything, and make you remember all that I have told you. (John 14:26)
b) “He will speak about me. And you too will speak about me, because you have been with me from the very beginning.” (John 15:26-27)
c) “When the Spirit of truth comes, He will lead you into all the truth.” (John 16:13)
SPIRITUAL LAW
Just as there are physical laws that govern the physical universe, so are there Spiritual Laws which govern your relationship with God.
1. Law one: Gods love and Plan. God loves you, and offers a wonderful plan for your life.
2. Law two: Sin and Separation. Man is sinful, and separated from God. Therefore, he cannot know and experience Gods Love and Plan for his life.
NB!! Not because he is sinful, but because he is separated from God. (Rom 3:23) For all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God. This is the original sin. This is no fault of man himself, but of Adam who was born again of his step father, Satan. We however, have the choice of accepting Jesus Christ the second Adam and being reborn of our natural, spiritual Father, God.
NB!! (Rom 3:21,22) Righteousness comes through Faith in Jesus Christ, it is from God. (Rom 6:23) The wages of sin is death. Spiritual separation from God, but the Gift of God is Eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
3. Law three: Provision and Position. Jesus Christ is the only provision for mans sin. Through Him you can know and experience Gods love and plan in your life.
a) He died in our place (Rom 5:8) while we were still sinners, proving His love towards us.
b) He rose from the dead. (1 Cor 15:3-6) and appeared to people.
i) Peter
ii) The Twelve
iii) More than 500 brothers
c) He is the only way to God. (John 14:6) No one comes to the Father but by me.
4. Law four: Individuals Will and Attitude giving Attitude. We must individually receive Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, then we can know and experience Gods love and plan for our lives.
a) We must receive Christ. (John 1:12) He gives you the right thereafter to become children of God, by believing in His name.
b) We receive Christ through Faith. (Eph 2:8-9) By grace you have been saved through Faith, not by works.
c) When we receive Christ, we experience a “New Birth”. (John 3:1-8)
d) We receive Christ by personal invitation. (Rev 3:20) You must open the door when you hear Christ knocking.
Don’t depend on feelings: The promise of Gods word, the Bible and not our feelings, is our Authority.
1. Fact (God and His word)
2. Faith (Our trust in God and His word)
3. Feeling (The result of our Faith and obedience)
(John 14:21) Obedience is the result of Love. Don’t put the cart before the horse.
WHAT HAPPENS NOW THAT YOU HAVE RECEIVED CHRIST?
1. (Rev 3:20) Christ came into your life (Col 1:27)
2. (Col 1:14) Your sin was forgiven.
3. (John 1:12) You became a child of God.
4. (John 5:24) You received eternal life.
5. (John 10:10, 2 Cor 5:17, 1 Thess 5:18)
You began the great adventure for which God created you.
SPIRITUAL GROWTH
Spiritual growth results from trusting Jesus Christ. “The righteous man shall live by Faith”. (Gal 3:11) A life of Faith will enable you to trust God increasingly in every detail of your life.
GROWTH IN CHRIST JESUS:
G – Go to God in prayer daily. (John 15:7)
R – Read Gods word daily. (Acts 17:11)
O – Obey God, moment by moment. (John 14:21)
W – Witness for Christ by your life and words. (Math 4:19) (John 15:8) (1 Peter 5:7)
T – Trust God for every detail of your life. (1 Pet 5:7)
H – Holy Spirit – Allow Him to control and empower your daily life and witness. (Gal 5:16-17)(Acts:1-8) Fellowship at a Good Church. (Heb 10:25)
MINISTERS OF RECONCILIATION
DEF: Katallage – Atonement, reconciliation. Greek word used in ( 2 Cor 5:19) (Rom 5:10)
Reconcile; means to:
1. to make friendly after estrangement. (Alienated [person] in feeling. [from another])
2. to Purify (Cleans from impurities, sin, foreign elements).
3. to bring to a state of acquiescence. (Agreeing silently, not objecting) or submission. (Yielding).
4. Adjust, settle (account) , to make (facts, statements etc.) Consistent, make compatible.
Thus we can see that reconciliation is primary an exchange, a change on the part of one party, induced (persuaded to by an attraction that leads one on) by an attraction on the part of another.
The word is used in the “New Testament” as the reconciliation of men to God by His Grace and Love in Jesus Christ. (2 Cor 5:19) Ministers of Reconciliation If they are reconciled to Him, then there is a change in their attitude, they must accept the provision that God has made, whereby their sins can be remitted. (Pardoned so that they may escape from paying the price for the debt and thus avoid the sentence and punishment they deserve.) and they themselves be justified (or pronounce righteousness, acquitted, not guilty), in His sight, in Christ. This is because in his sinful nature man is alienated from God.
(Rom 5:10) While we were enemies:
Expresses mans hostile attitude towards God, but, signifies that until this change of attitude takes place, men are under condemnation, exposed to Gods wrath. The death of Jesus is the removal of this, and thus we receive the reconciliation.
NOTE: The “Ministry of Reconciliation”, and the “word of Reconciliation”, are not the “Ministry of teaching the doctrine of expiation”. (Paying the penalty of our making amends for sin), but that of beseeching men (asking them earnestly) to be reconciled to God on the grounds of what God has wrought about in Christ. (Rom 3:19-31) Paul says, “that all men were held accountable for their sin under the Law, but we have been made the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Cor 5:21) Although we have sinned because of Adam, we are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that came by Jesus Christ.
Def: Righteousness (2 Cor 5:21) This is the character of being right or just.
NOTE: When Jesus used the Greek word (Dikaiosune) its meaning was, whatsoever is right or just in itself, whatsoever conforms to the revealed word of God. (Math 5:10)(John 16:8)
NOTE: Abraham, who’s “Faith reckoned for righteousness” came about because he accepted the word of God, and made it his own. Thus our “Ministry of Reconciliation” is to show how man can be made right or just through Jesus Christ, and be in right standing with God.
WHY DO WE GO ABOUT “MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION”?
1. Because we know what it is to fear the Lord, we try to persuade men?
2. Because Christ’s love compels us to?
3. Because we are convinced that one died for all ?
4. That those who live should not live for themselves but for Jesus Christ?
5. Because we are commissioned to go and make disciples of all nations (Math 28:19) teaching them to obey everything that Christ commanded us to do.
HOW TO GO ABOUT “MINISTERING RECONCILIATION”
1. Not regarding anyone from a worldly point of view.
2. Not looking from a worldly point of view at Christ but from Scripture
3. By realizing that you are a new creation in Christ.
4. That we were reconciled to God while we were still enemies, and now all we must do is receive it.
5. By allowing ourselves to be molded in the express image of Christ, so that as ambassadors of
Christ, people hear Gods appeal to them, through us.
6. By imploring (begging earnestly) on Christ’s behalf to “be reconciled to God.”
7. By recognizing that Jesus became (was made to be) our sin, that we might become (be made) the
righteousness of God.
WHAT IS THE “MESSAGE OF RECONCILIATION”?
Although you were born into sin because of Adam and thus all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God, God does not hold your sin against you, because Jesus bore our sins at Calvary and died for all sin, once and for all. (1 Peter 3:18) but you are not in right standing with God. You have not been made the righteousness of God in your personal Savior. That is what is keeping you from eternal life, not your sin, but your position in Christ. (A dead spirit cannot have fellowship with a living Spirit.) The dead spirit must be born again, recreated anew in Christ. It is your dead spirit keeping you from having fellowship with God and not your sin.
RECONCILIATION THROUGH CHRIST
(Eph 2:16) Jew and Gentile reconciled by the cross. (Col 1:20) The cross brought reconciliation on Earth and in heaven. (Heb 2:17) Jesus was made like us so that He might experience what we experience so that He might become merciful and faithful and reconcile the world to Himself.
WITNESSES OF THE TRUTH
Isa 43:10 You are my witnesses, saith the Lord and my servant whom I have chosen John 15:27 You shall bear witness because you have been with me from the beginning, after power has been given to you. (Act 1:8) Acts 5:20:21 God said not to hold your peace but to tell everybody (Acts 18:9) Acts 22:4 Witness the Gospel, speak, exalt, rebuke with Authority.
DIFFERENT KINDS OF WITNESSING
1. Things can be witness, such as a heap of stones
2. A witness in the tabernacle to the presence of God.
3. People are witnesses, the witness of two or more was required in legal proceeding
4. People are witnesses for God.
5. The Holy Spirit gives an “inner” witness to the believing Christian that he is a child of God
PEOPLE AS WITNESSES
Isa 43:10-12 Luke 24:48 John 1:7 5:31-35 Acts 1:8 Isa 44:8
THE APOSTLES
John 15:27 Acts 1:21-22 3:15 5:32 1 Thess 2:10 1 Pet 5:1 1 John 1:12
PAUL ALL BELIEVERS ALSO
Acts 22:15 26:16 Acts 1:8 13:31 Math 28:19-20
LIVING WITNESSES
Mark 2:12 Paralyzed man shows what has happened
Mark 5:15 The demoniac showed himself
John 9:8-9 The beggars eyes healed
John 12:9 Lazarus raised from the dead
Acts 4:14 The Crippled man with silver and gold.
EXAMPLES OF WITNESSING
1. (John 1:15) John the Baptist testified about Him and cried out who Jesus is.
2. (Acts 2:32) Disciples were all witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus.
3. (Acts 4:33) with great strength, ability, and power the Apostles delivered their testimony to the resurrection of Jesus and grace, loving kindness favor and goodwill rested richly upon them all.
4. (Acts 16:32) Paul and Silas declared the word of the Lord about Salvation.
5. (Acts 26:22) Paul testifies about the death and resurrection of Jesus.
DEF: Salvation: Deliverance, preservation, redeemed from the curse of the Law
7 NECESSARY STEPS TO SALVATION
1. Acknowledge / Need: before they can acknowledge Jesus Christ as Lord, they must see a need for Salvation. They are not in right standing with God and must acknowledge their sin.(Rom 3:23) Adams original sin (Rom 3:10-12) No one is righteous all turned away (Eph 2:1-3) NOTE: you were dead in sin, but now made alive through Christ. You still sin but you have an advocate with the Father. (1 John 2:1) who is able and just to forgive you.(1 John 1:9)
2. Solution / Repent: they must turn 180 deg. away from their ways to the ways of God. Choose you this day who you will serve, God or Mammon. (Math 6:24)
(John 3:16) You shall not perish but have eternal life (Acts 16:30,31) You and your whole household. (Acts 4:12) Through the name of Jesus (John 20:31) Life in His name. (Acts 10:43) Forgiveness of sins in His name (Acts 3:19) Repent, turn to God. (Luke 13:3) Repent of Perish
3. Confess: Say with your mouth, Jesus is Lord. (Rom 10:10) Believe and confess (Acts 2:21) Call on the Lord and be saved (Rom 10:13) Everyone who calls, shall be saved.
4. Forsake: Forget your past ways, think on Gods ways. (Isa 55:7) Forsake your ways and thoughts (2 Cor 10:5) Cast down vain thoughts, and imaginations
5. Believe: Your head knowledge must be in your heart. (John 3:16) Whosoever believe in Him, shall be saved (Rom 10:9) Believe with your heart (John 1:12) Believe in His name
6. Receive: Act as if you have it.
(John 1:11-12) You have the right to become the children of God and be called so. (John 3:3) The Kingdom of God (Eph 2:8,9) Saved by Grace through Faith (Rom 6:23) The gift of God is eternal life
7. Do / Directions: Be obedient to the word of God.
(Math 28:19-20) Go! make disciples (Mark 16:15-16) Our Authority
ASSURANCE OF SALVATION:
(2 Cor 5:7) We live by Faith not by sight (John 3:18) Whoever believes in Him is not condemned. (John 5:24) Whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned, he has crossed over from death to life. (John 6:47) He who believes has eternal life. (Rom 10:9,10) Believe in your heart, God raised up Jesus from the dead, you shall be saved, with your heart you believe and are justified, with your mouth you confess and are saved. (1John 3:1,2) How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called the children of God.
(1John 4:15) If you acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in him and He is God. (1John 5:11-13) God has given us eternal life and this life is in His son. He who has the Son, has life.
NOTE: Salvation is always Faith and always now.