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Justifying our vanity and excusing ourselves in things we have purposed to do simply by saying it is "in scripture" or by pointing out that a thing is lawful or legal, does not make it "acceptable in the sight of God". Paul the Apostle recognized this truth and taught that the Spirit of the law -i.e., what is right and good and true in the sight of God, in Spirit and in Truth, supercedes man's application of the letter of the law. 1Cor.6:12 KJV "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful unto me, but I will not be brought under the power of any."
John Bunyan's book "Pilgrim's Progress" is an allegory of a Christian's walk. Spiritual lessons unfold as the main character named "Christian" travels along the way of salvation, headed for the Celestial City. Throughout his journey Christian encounters various spiritual obstacles which present themselves in the form of men, places, and/or things which are approved in the sight of men. For example, one of the first temptations Christian encounters in order to sway him from his chosen path is the so-called good counsel and knowledgeable ways of men. In the story, this particular temptation -one which is common to men is presented to Christian by another character called, "Mr. Worldly Wise Man" who, of course, sits on his high horse offering Christian seemingly good but nevertheless "worldly counsel of men" which is clearly intended by Satan to re-direct Christian from the narrow way by supplanting the wisdom and counsel of God with the counsel of men. As Christian continues his journey, Satan constantly tries to alter Christian's course, sometimes through "fear and doubt", at times through hardship or persecution, and then by his more subtle devise, that of spiritual seduction through flattery. As popular as John Bunyan's book has been among believers, have we really understood or applied its lessons among God's own people -and their leaders, today? FLATTERING THE SAINTS... A recurrent theme, presented throughout John Bunyan's allegory is the biblical admonition to "Beware the Flatterer". With all subtlety, Satan seeks to obscure the right way of the Spirit of God and thereby hinder and even re-direct Christian's course. True to life, this allegory teaches us to beware of Satan's flattery through seemingly good, -even noble, "godly" pursuits which, although they may seem to us to honor God, are in fact, those things which are approved even highly esteemed in the sight of men, but which are an abomination in the sight of God. In truth, there are many seemingly good and spiritually profitable things, which seem honorable in the sight of men but in the end, are in fact, "those things which be of men" that under a pretense of spiritual service to God, actually dishonor God while deceiving and flattering the soul or psyche of man. Among Satan's more successful flatteries is the vainglorious pursuit of houses, lands, titles and position. Albeit intended for the "service and glory of God," many times the pursuit of houses, even houses of worship and ministerial titles and/or positions of so-called service to God, do in fact bring no more honor or glory to God than did the prostituted, profaned sanctuaries of apostate Israel. These do no more bring honor or glory to God than the lofty titles and vain positions of the proud Pharisees who saw themselves as holy, as anointed, appointed and called of God to be teachers of men. Like gold is tried in the fire, in his allegory, John Bunyan shows how every Christian is proved and tested to see "what manner of man he really is". And that proving is through the process of having to pass in this life's journey through the Town of Vanity, wherein is the celebration of all things, things which -for the Believer, are both lawful and unlawful, in a place of testing called, "Vanity Fair." "Then I saw in my dream, that when they were got out of the Wilderness, they presently saw a Town before them, the name of that Town is Vanity, and at that town there is a Fair kept, called Vanity Fair, because the town where it is kept, is lighter than vanity; and also, because all that is there sold, or cometh thither, is Vanity. As is the saying of the Wise, "all that cometh is Vanity." (cf. Isa. 40:17 Eccles. 2: 11, 17) This Fair is of no new erected business, but a thing of ancient standing: I will show you the original of it. Almost 5 thousand years agone, there were Pilgrims walking to the Celestial City, as these two honest persons are; and Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, with their companions perceiving by the path that the Pilgrims made, that their Way to the City lay through this Town of Vanity, they (Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion) contrived here to set up a Fair; a Fair, wherein should be sold All Sorts of Vanity, and that it should last all the year long; therefore, at this Fair are all such merchandizes sold, as houses, lands, trades, places, honours, preferments, titles, countries, kingdoms, lusts, pleasures; and delights of all sorts, as whores, bawds, wives, husbands, children, masters, servants, lives, blood, bodies, souls, silver, gold, pearls, precious stones and what not?" (Excerpt from Pilgrim's Progress by John Bunyan pp. 97-98)
"But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1Tim.6: 11-12 KJV) This was Paul's apostolic admonition to "his son" Timothy: to flee the idolatry and lusts of men. Paul warned Timothy (and us) not to desire the things of this world, lest we prostitute the gift and the calling of God. Sadly, there are many that have so stumbled along The Way. There are many that have prostituted the gifts and the calling of God, -not just by pursuing money but by their desire or drive to obtain ministerial recognition, titles and position. Many succumb to the temptation to be "approved" (in their ministry) in the sight of men, and so have inadvertently spiritually prostituted themselves, their beliefs, and their ministry to gain recognition, acceptance or credibility in the sight of men. How many theological degrees, titles or certificates did the Apostles and prophets have posted on the walls of their offices? Was the credibility of the servants of God established "with men in the things of men"? (No!) ...how about by acceptance of the religious institutions? (No.) Were the apostles and prophets ordained of men, or were they anointed of God and sent by God? They were called, appointed and anointed of God. Having been sent by God, their credibility was not in any of the things which pertain to men, not in the things which men look to, -their credibility was "of God".
Under the guise of obtaining legally approved or recognized certificates of ministry, men are now prostituting their beliefs, their gifts and their calling. The Churches have become caught up in legal due processes of certifying &/or ordaining "men in ministry." The churches have allowed themselves to become entangled in the ways of the world; and in the process she has set her foot in the snare of the fowler by which she herself is in covenant with the world forcing men and women of God to compromise with the world and its teachings, in order to obtain teaching and pastoral credentials which are approved in the sight of men. 2 Tim. 2:4, 5 KJV "No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully." To strive "lawfully for masteries" means mastery -not by the mind or workings of the flesh, but instead, taught by the Spirit of God with the integrity of the Spirit of God in those things which are of the Spirit of God. Such mastery is the spiritual pursuit of the Lord Himself, and the Counsel of God and the Understanding of His Spirit. It is sheer vanity for the man of God, the servant of the Lord to strive instead for recognition of men or approval among men, even "striving lawfully" when it is according to the letter of the law in those things which are approved of men; for such striving is not according to the things of the Spirit of God. "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach..." (2Tim.2:24 KJV) So then, in which should we place our trust? -in men who are called, anointed and appointed, and ordained of God, -or in those who are appointed of men and approved in the sight of men? The answer is that we are to place our trust in neither! Trust thou in God, --meanwhile ask the Lord Himself to "prove all things and test all things" for you by the discerning of His Spirit in accordance with His Word, that He might lead you to hold fast to that which is approved in His Sight so that you might avoid being seduced, or flattered or swayed by those things which are highly esteemed in the sight of men but which are an abomination in the sight of God! |
WORD STUDY "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." 2Timothy 2:15 KJV |
4704 spoudazo { spoo-dad?-zo} from 4710; v AV - endeavour, do diligence, be diligent, give diligence, be forward, labour, study GK - 5079 1) to hasten, make haste 2) to exert one?s self, endeavour, give diligence APPROVED 1384 dokimos { dok?-ee-mos} from 1380; adj AV - approved, tried GK - 1511 1) accepted, particularly of coins and money. 2) accepted, pleasing, acceptable "In the ancient world there was no banking system as we know it today, and no paper money. All money was made from metal, heated until liquid, poured into moulds and allowed to cool. When the coins were cooled, it was necessary to smooth off the uneven edges. The coins were comparatively soft and of course many people shaved them closely. In one century, more than eighty laws were passed in Athens, to stop the practice of shaving down the coins then in circulation. But some money changers were men of integrity, who would accept no counterfeit money. They were men of honour who put only genuine full weighted money into circulation. Such men were called "dokimos" or "approved". (Donald Barnhouse) 380 dokeo { dok-eh?-o} a prolonged form of a primary verb, doko { dok?-o} (used only in an alternate in certain tenses, cf the base of 1166) of the same meaning; TDNT - 2:232,178; v AV - think 33, seem 13, suppose 7, seem good 3, please 2, misc 5; 63 GK - 1506 { dokevw } 1) to be of opinion, think, suppose 2) to seem, to be accounted, reputed 3) it seems to me 3a) I think, judge: thus in question 3b) it seems good to, pleased me, I determined For synonyms see entries 2233, hegeomai; 3543, nomizo; 3633, oiomai; and 5316, phaino. See entry 5837 for comparison of synonyms.
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TRIED IN THE FIRE OF AFFLICTION... The process of testing, the process of being tried in the fire to see what metal we are made of, the heat and flame ascertaining what manner of men ye are certainly gives new meaning to the practice of "silversmiths fashioning idols" and to theives and robbers walking after their own lusts and the prostituting of the gifts, which is the "merchandising of money changers" in the temple today! In ministry today, men are following a pattern of service and of ministry that seems good to men in the sight of men. And such as are the ways of men, ministries are made and men of God are fashioned after patterns of men who use a false system of weights and measure to ascertain truth. Man's own perception of what man himself deems to be scripturally right in his own sight --in the logic and reasoning of men is man's own false measure of truth versus error. Man's own understanding of the written word has utterly supplanted, replaced and usurped the authority of the Spirit of the Word, as "men of God" now routinely contradict and reject the counsel of God by the Spirit of God through Him who is the Living Word, in deference to man-made teachings and even demonically inspired doctrines of men...and the people love to have it so. |
WORKMAN 2040 ergates { er-gat?-ace} from 2041; n m AV - labourer, workman, worker, GK - 2239 1) a workman, a labourer (usually one who works for hire esp. an agricultural worker) 2) one who does, a worker, perpetrator ASHAMED 422 anepaischuntos { an-ep-ah?-ee-skhoon-tos} from 1 (as a negative particle) and a presumed derivative of a compound of 1909 and 153; adj AV - that needeth not to be ashamed; GK - 454 1) having no cause to be ashamed
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If you have been taught of men, if you have been taught the doctrines of men, and if you have followed the teachings and commandments of men, then that is what you will most likely teach others. Which is what the Bible schools, colleges and seminaries are doing, men reproducing knowledge after their own kind. Rightly dividing the word of truth (2Tim.2:15) has to do with not handling the word of God deceitfully for man's own purposes but it also has every bit as much to do with not adulterating the word of God; it has to do with not teaching the word of God in the understanding of men. Rightly dividing the Word of Truth is by the revelation of Jesus Christ. If you have been called of God, anointed of God and have been sent by God, -having been given revelation of Jesus Christ by His Spirit, then as God sent His Son to testify of Him, He still speaks through His Son, even through the members of His Body by the Holy Spirit of Truth which do testify of Him, and must be allowed to do so as it pleases Him, all members not having the same office. "He whom God has sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him." (see John 3:31-34 KJV) which testimony of the Word of God is not the testimony of men, or the testimony of who we are in Christ, or the ministry of men but rather the testimony of Jesus Christ and of His ministry of reconciliation -the reconciliation of man to God in Christ by His Spirit. As members of His Body, believers in the Lord Jesus Christ are called to the ministry of reconciliation, i.e., the reconciliation of man to God in Christ. In order to be a workman that need not be ashamed, the work of that ministry must be worked "through the testimony of Jesus Christ" by His Spirit in those things which are by and of the Spirit of God, being fulfilled by Him in that ministry to which God has called you. "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God." 2Cor.5:18-20 KJV
The Spirit of God does not handle the word of God deceitfully, neither for the purposes of men nor in the devices of men; and God does not seek to be "approved in the sight of men" and certainly not in or through those things which be highly esteemed among men but which are not of God. In addition, God is not seeking to be glorified of men by the testimony of men. In fact, God has said in His word that He receives not the "testimony of men" but rather the Holy Spirit glorifies God in the testimony of Jesus Christ. And so it is that Paul the Apostle wrote: "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ. That in everything ye are enriched by Him, in all utterance, and in all knowledge; even as the testimony of Christ was confirmed in you: so that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: who also shall confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is Faithful, by whom ye were called into the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our Lord. I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment". 1Cor.1:4-10 KJV
Where there is no vision, the people perish... There is a difference between having saving knowledge of the Truth of the word of God in order to (by grace through faith) accept Jesus Christ, as Lord and Savor, -and that of having received a revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God. There is that revelation of Jesus Christ that comes to man by a sovereign act of the will of God, the kind of rhema of God which Jesus Himself said, flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee but My Father which is in heaven. It is the revelation of the Living Lord Jesus Christ, which prostrates men at His Feet as dead men. I am not referring to being "slain in the Spirit" but rather slain by the revelation of Jesus Christ, slain in the Light of Who He is! By that same revelation of Jesus Christ as when He appeared in His glory witnessed by three of His disciples as Jesus was transfigured before them on the mount. Revelation of Jesus Christ, like unto that which Steven saw of the Lord, sitting upon His Throne at the right hand of the Father, which Steven beheld even as he was being martyred. Like the Revelation of Jesus Christ, which Paul the Apostle had to receive, before he could be sent. Paul was sent (an apostle, or "one sent" out of season") with the revelation of Jesus Christ which he received from God on the road to Damascus. And there is the prophecy of the unveiling of the revelation of Jesus Christ, which He gave to the Apostle John on the isle of Patmos, -the revelation of Jesus Christ, which even now God Himself has begun to unfold in the hearts of His people, in these last days.
The less of the teachings of men and the more revelation of Jesus Christ by His Spirit among the people of God, the sooner we will truly be one in Him, all of one mind, of His Spirit, one Lord, one Body in Christ, -instead of the pseudo unity we have now by which the churches are "all becoming one, but not in Him" -otherwise known as unity in apostasy. The people of God have been lacking in the revelation of Jesus Christ not just because the leaders of God's own people are also lacking in the revelation of Him, but because men have been taught of men to equate knowledge of the written word of God with revelation Knowledge of God which is in the Face of Jesus Christ! Without question we do know a lot of scripture, but so did the scribes and the Pharisees. We have a lot of bread, we have a lot of knowledge of the written word, but very little wine. We have very little of the Counsel of God and Knowledge of God in the Revelation of Jesus Christ. The churches themselves are literally overflowing with doctrines of men taught by men who have a veritable litany of initials after their names. We have an over abundance of supposedly anointed men-teaching-men the teachings of men and commandments of men, according to man's own knowledge and his own understanding of scripture. Is it any wonder then why there is so little of the testimony of Jesus Christ and so much of the testimony of men? Is it any wonder that there is so much of those things which approved of men being worked by men, supposedly for the glory of God, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ? In a paraphrase of 1Cor.1:12-13 Couldn't Paul the Apostle just as easily have written to the churches today saying, For it hath been declared unto me of you...that there be divisions among you.... One saith I am a Baptist, and another says, I am of Pentecostal, and I am a Catholic, and I of the Church of Christ? Can't you hear the Holy Spirit through Paul's writings asking us today: Is Christ divided? Can you hear Paul the Apostle asking, "Was your pastor or your church leader crucified for you? Are you baptized in the Name of your Church?" It is no wonder Jesus testified against man in the religious aspirations of men: "Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth. But I receive not the testimony from man, but these things I say, that ye might be saved." John 5:33-34 KJV Jesus made Himself of no reputation (Phil. 2:7) yet today there is a spirit of divination among the churches as people are beckoning one to another to follow after men, to follow this man in this ministry or that man in that ministry --soliciting men to follow men as servants of the Most High God who show unto us the way of salvation. The spirit of divination that followed Paul and his companion spoke the truth by the wrong spirit -and not according to the purposes of God. It was true that Paul and his companion were "servants of the Most High God"...but that spirit used the woman and the measure of truth she spoke in order to point to men --to "these men" and to "their ministry" -instead of to the Lord Jesus Christ. The churches today are over-run with this spirit, and instead of being rightly discerned for the abomination it truly is in the sight of God, this spirit is being cultivated and promoted by money-changers in the temple. |
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