Manna Ministries (NI)
|
|
| Click the image above to download the PDF file of this book. For more information, click here |
|
Holiness is the reshaping of the soul through spiritual rebirth, and is associated with the divine presence of the Lord God, and without Holiness within the life of the recipient, there can be no manifestation of the Lord Gods presence, (1pet c2), for mans soul comes from the essence of the Lord God; and therefore can only be regenerated by the recipient who has nullified their own desires, (died to self), thus allowing the Holy spirit to flow in the operation of the wakening of the soul to its rightful owner, the Lord Jesus Christ, (Elohim),(gen c2), if the pursuit of Holiness is not the desire of the recipient then the fulness of salvation shall never come into fruition, remember that the call of the Lord God to the recipient ,is to search for Him with all their heart, and in doing so, He shall reveal Himself to them, but if the recipient of the gift of salvation only takes delight in the things that are pleasing to their own nature (ego), then the richness of holiness with all its blessings can never be received, hence to merely call yourself a christian is not your assurance into the presence of the almighty nor your place in heaven, for the recipient must rightly be taught, that at the moment they receive the gift of salvation, they have become a priest of the Most High God, and must worship Him accordingly as the scriptures teach, note; that I emphasize as the “scriptures teach”, not as man teaches.
And the scriptures teach us that, 1.He (Christ Jesus) must be first in the recipients live, (matt c10:v37-v38) 2.We must love Him (Christ Jesus) with our all, (mark c12:v30). 3.We must conform to the image of Christ Jesus. (rom c8: v29). 4.We must have the same attitude as Christ Jesus, (phil c2:v1-v11). 5.We must obey His (Christ Jesus) teachings, (john c14:v15). 6.We must be Holy as He (Christ Jesus) is Holy, (1pet c1:v16). 7.We must understand that the gifts of the Holy spirit are what they are “gifts” that cannot within themselves bring salvation to the recipient, just as your wealth, talents or time cannot bring salvation, (1cor c13); it is only through the love (grace) of the Lord God, that salvation is received as a gift through the Lord Jesus Christ, and that it is by His love (agape through the Holy spirit) which He instills within our spirit thus performing the miracle of creating within us a new spirit that cleanses the soul of the recipient, it is this love (agape love) that transforms the soul within, manifesting the fruit of the Holy spirit within producing a clean heart (pure soul) and a right spirit within. I have greatly wondered in these present days as to why Holiness is seldom or never mentioned within christian circles, it is as if it has become a mystery, but if today is the day of salvation, then surely it is also the day for Holiness, it is true to say that one is made Holy, (sanctified) when you receive salvation, quoating that great christian brother Calvin, as once saved always saved! but calvin himself believed that suffering would be a manifestation of taking up the cross of Christ Jesus, and that suffering was also part of the process of Holiness, not as a punishment, but the price in which the recipient must pay for their love of Christ Jesus, Calvin recognize fully that one must walk the way of Holiness if they are to conform to the image of Christ Jesus, brother Calvin knew that suffering was part and parcel for the cleansing of the soul through spiritual rebirth, (rom c8:v17;phil c3:v10; 1pet c4:v13), for what is Holiness but the love of God and what is the love of God, but Christ Jesus; and who was Christ Jesus but the truth! and is it not the truth that sets you free, and if Christ Jesus was called the “Holy one of God” (mark c1:v24), and the spirit of God called “the Holy spirit”, should we then as His children not live Holy lifes before Him, are we not baptist into the baptism of His death and resurrection, are we not to obtain full sanctification and spiritual perfection, (that is Holiness unto the Lord), the conforming and transforming into His likeness, being consecrated by His blood (heb c10:v20), to a new and living way, not the old way but a new and living way, the way of Holiness. Full sanctification or spiritual perfection is not being a perfect person according to the flesh, for all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of the Lord God, Holiness therefore is of the spiritual realm, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers and rulers of the darkness of this age, and of spiritual hosts full of wickedness in heavenly places, (eph c6:v12), hence His love not only gives us full sanctification, but also gives birth to our faith, for it is His love that perfects our faith, for He is the Author and Finisher of our Faith, (heb c12:v2), hence we must gasp hold of the promise spoken by the Lord Jesus, that no one shall be able to pluck you from His hand or His Fathers hand, “Father Always In Thy Hand”, the promise to the recipient is that if they trust him and feed of his love then the father child relationship shall grow, and the journey of full sanctifacation shall begin. The walk along the Highway of Holiness, (the way of Holiness), can only proceed when we are ingulf in the love of the Lord God, and it shall be at this point in the recipients life that faith (belief and trust) shall enable the child of God to cry unto the Lord, teach me O! Lord your ways that I may walk in your path (isa c2:v3), and two hearts shall be knitted together, within Christ Jesus all are made perfect, as man He (christ jesus) is the image of God, (2cor c4:v4; col c1:v15), and it is His love “agape love” within the recipient heart that cast out all fear, covers a multitude of sin, is the fulfillment of the “perfect law”, and is the greatest of all things, so to be transformed into the image of Christ is to possess the mind of Christ (to have the attitude of Christ Jesus towards the Lord God and others), to have the same love within your heart that flows from the heart of Christ Jesus, it is this love that makes one Holy and Righteous before the Almighty, and it is this love that Sanctifies, Justifies and Glorifies, for “God is Love”, it is this love (agape love) which is the very foundation within the Heart of the Almigthy, and it is upon this foundation that any relationship between the Lord Jesus and the recipient can be embellished, make no mistake there can be no fellowship with the Lord Jesus if there is no Holiness (agape love) within the life of the recipient, for Holiness is the sustains that binds our fellowship with Christ Jesus, and places the recipient before the throne of the Most High God, (Elyon), (heb c4:v16), for it is at the throne (the throne of Grace) of the Lord God were the fountian of pure love (Holiness) is received. It was the Lord God Himself who called Noah “a righteous and perfect man”, who walked with God, revealing God's love towards Noah, and it was this close fellowship that was built through love that produced faith within the heart of Noah, and Abraham was told by the Lord God to walk before Him and to be perfect, perfection being a life which is filled with the love of God producing integrity, faithfulness and justice, this is how the child of God should walk in their daily lives, for it is this way of life that is in keeping with the Lord God, (2sam c22), for when you walk with the Lord God, you behave in like manner as the Lord God, you become like the Lord God, your fellowship with the Lord God grows stronger as your love grows deeper, this is perfection, and this is what every child of God should be aiming at, a deep personal relationship with the Lord Jesus (Elohim), for it is only through a deep rooted relationship with the Lord Jesus that Holiness and perfection can be obtain, Holiness is a relationship where the child of God is led by the Holy spirit (Eloah) allowing them to walk in the spirit, it is a relationship of total commitment, and it is within this relationship that the love of God (Holiness) is made perfect, (1john c2:v5-v6). It is sin that hinders our relationship with the Lord Jesus, it is our old nature our egoism which destroys our fellowship with the Lord, it is only when we die to self and cry with all our hearts “that it is no longer the “I” that lives within, but that the Lord Jesus Christ now rules and sits on the throne of your heart, the death of the old nature (the old way of thinking) shall herald forth the bright morning star, and the new creation the perfect man, the Holy man, shall be born, the new birth a child after Christ's own heart, for our Holiness can only be found within the Lord Jesus Christ, for only in the person of Jesus can liberity be found, grace now abounds within the heart of the recipient, and as a new creation we partake of His divine nature, sanctied in the truth,(Christ) (john c14:v17-v24), opening the way for the recipient to worship as a true worshiper worshiping in spirit and truth. The narrow way now opened before the recipient, the way that only a few shall find, that narrow road, the way of Holiness that we must travel with the love and mind (attitude) of Christ Jesus towards others, for no longer do we think as the world thinks, now we must bless those who curse us and do good to those who hate us, and pray for those who spitefully use us and persecute us, we are to love our enemies, and give to them what they ask, we are not to turn away anyone who wants to borrow from us, we are not to judge, but to let the Lord God Judge for us, the child of God is to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, for through this one action all the blessing of Heaven shall be pour out upon the recipient, these are only a few of the teachings of the Lord Jesus, and like all the teachings ofCchrist they teach his disciples “love” and it is His love within the disciple (the recipient) that brings the child of God into the way of Holiness and a personel relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ, for it is the acting upon the teachings of christ that makes the child of god a “peculiar person, totally opposite to the teachings of the world, scriptural teaching is a requirement if one is to travel the narrow way, (the way of Holiness), for they reflect to the child of God the mind of Christ and the attitude in which they are to treat others. If anyone reads their Bible in a regular basis it shall become evident to them that every promise within Holy Writ has a requirement that has to be fulfilled before that promise can be receive, (i.e.)the most famous scripture quoated today, “For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only Begotten Son, that who so ever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life, (john c3:v16). The promise to the recipient is everlasting life, and what is the requirement, “you must believe”, you must put your faith totally in Him and in the promise of His love, you must trust in His love, for without faith (belief and trust) how can the recipient by Holy as the Lord God is Holy, how can the recipient receive the Holy nature of the Lord Jesus, for it is His love that motivates the heart of the recipient through the Holy spirit, thus producing a peculiar people through the new birth, and the manifesting of inner love (Holiness), yet this is but a taste of His great grace (the Love of God). what does this word “peculiar” mean, since it is clear from the scriptures that only those who are a peculiar people to the Lord God shall find the “narrow way” that leads to life, (matt c7:v14). Seven times within the scriptures the word “peculiar” is used, and only in one occasion in ecclesiastes is it used by king Solomn, but in the other six times it is used by the Lord God, and the meaning of this word peculiar is “belonging exclusively to one”, something special, possession and treasure, but what is interesting is the fact that there is a seventh scripture that is found in the book of Malachi, and the word used here by the Lord God to those that love Him is “Jewel” and the meaning of this word Jewel, is “peculiar, special and treasure,” this brings the number of scriptures back to seven, and has great spiritual importance; for seven is the number of God and denotes, “spiritual perfection”, let us now take a look at these seven scriptures. 1. Now therefore, if you obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine. (exod c19:v5). 2. You are a Holy people unto the Lord thy God, and the Lord has chosen you to be a peculiar people unto himself, above all the nations that are upon the earth. (deut c14:v2) 3. For today the Lord has proclaimed you to be His peculiar people, as He has promised you, and that you should keep all His commandments. (deut c26:v18). 4. For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself and Isreal for His peculiar treasure. (ps 135:v4). 5. Then they that feared the Lord spoke to one another and the Lord listened and heard them; so a book of rememberance was written before Him for those who meditate on His name; they shall be mine, says the Lord of Hosts, on the day that I make them my Jewel, and I will spare them as a man spares his own son who serves him, (malachi c3:v16-v17). 6. Looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good work. (titus c2:v13-v14). 7. You are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a Holy nation, a peculiar people; that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. (1pet c2:v9). Within these seven scriptures the way of Holiness is revealed and the way of salvation opened, divine grace revealed, and the requirement is in obediences, for obedience is to conform! and to conform is to “make similar” which is in accordance with the scriptures, for as children of the Lord God we are to live are lives in accordance to the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ, hence it is not the breaking of habits that brings Holiness into the life of the recipient, it is their love for the Lord God, a love that has been instilled within the heart of the recipient by the wonderful work of the Holy spirit, it is this love, the love of God that conquers, not a set of rules or a form of Godliness, if anything, let us learn from the hypocrisy of the pharisees, what did they lack, was it not Love! for those around them, did not the Lord God tell them that he desired mercy (love) rather than sacrifice, is it not the love of God that brings forth the peace that passes all understanding, and is it not true to say that the love of God is free from all hypocristy, and is not hypocristy the blight of our human nature, but God's love within the recipient works no evil to his neighour, and is the fulfillment of the law, love releases great blessing to those that love the Lord God, and it brings the recipient into the presences of the Almighty, it is love that produces faith, for love is the action of obedient faith, and our Holiness comes through our love of God, for which enables us to walk in the spirit, it is love that motivates our obedience towards Holiness, the conforming to Christ's image, love is the essence of God's Holiness, and it is the manifestation of agape love within the recipient that makes them the perfect man, the Holy man, it was through Christ’s love in the offering up of His own life as an “Atonement for sin” that perfected forever the sanctification of those who love him, and I stress the word “Love” for as Christ is in the recipient and the recipient in Christ they are made perfect through love, (john c17:v20), this is called entire sanctification, or spiritual perfection, it is not of the flesh, (for no flesh is pleasing to God), but the heart, for the heart is the very soul of man and it is to the soul (mind) that the love of God is conquering, for our struggle is not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places,(eph c6:v12), If you are in doubt about love being the essence of the Lord God's Holiness, then I leave this portion of scripture for you to meditate upon. should it profit me if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal, and though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing, and though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profits me nothing, love suffers long, and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; love bears all things, believes all things, endures all things, love never fails. (1cor c13:v1-v8). mockers shall mock, and the fool will say there is no god, but be under no illustion, the wrath of the Almighty shall come upon this sinful world, (isa c13:v11; c26:v21; ps 149:v5-v9), for such is His love, that He must punish sin, (lawlessness), for He is a just and a righteous and a “Holy God. (rev c19:v11). “amen!” |
|
|
|
|
