Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower,
you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me.
Matthew 16:24
Grace and Peace
This blog post is a by-product of the “Walking in the Messiah Discipleship Teaching Series!” The premise for this discussion was oftentimes, when we gleam within the Holy Scriptures, we often see events, people, and powerful situations that cause us to sense that we are looking into a different world than what we experience.
Some of us might even think that none of the things that we witness in the New Covenant would happen to us. Thus many of us, I included, find ourselves worshipping or idolizing Biblical figures as they are used by God in powerful supernatural ways.
The following portion of this week’s lesson: Entering into the Divine Life attempted to discuss ways in which all faithful followers of Messiah, can have a wonderful spirit-filled and spirit-led life serving the Lord with all one’s mind, heart, soul, and strength.
Surrender
God does not always choose great people to accomplish what He wishes, but He does choose a person who has learned to Greatly Surrender to His will! -Alon Ben Shefer
Becoming the People of God
Through the presence of His kingdom, Jesus of Nazareth answers the deepest needs of human personality for righteousness, provision, and purpose. Before His advent into our lives on earth, each of us lived our lives through our sinful disposition, while being pulled by the demands of this world for most of our lives. Needless to say, such a way to live oftentimes obscures each of us in knowing and fulfilling our purpose on earth.
The very basic aspects of Jesus’ implementation of the Kingdom of Heaven on the earth establishes a much-needed radical new order of life within the heart of His faithful followers. There is no greater promise to our current generation than what is written in Ezekiel 36:26-29:
I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings, and obey them. You will be my people, and I will be your God.
Our spiritual transformation and everything about this new life that Christ imparts within us does not manifest itself out of any human ingenuity nor systems. Since each of us is “lost” until we encounter Christ and thus, make a positive affirmation to His call, God’s plan for our entire redemption comes from Jesus as an invasion of our natural human reality by a supernatural new life from above.
Fullness of the Holy Spirit
I can understand why so many Christians do not have the joy they might have, or do not have the overflowing praise in their hearts. There must be a full surrender of life to the Savior to have the fullness of the Holy Spirit. -Robert E. Nicholas
Below are three of the most important spiritual gifts from God to us which reestablishes our identity, intentions, and purpose as His chosen people.
Spiritual Gifts from God
Righteousness: Dictionaries define righteousness as “behavior that is morally justifiable or right.” Such behavior is characterized by accepted standards of morality, justice, virtue, or uprightness.
We are made righteous in the sight of God; that is, that we are accepted as righteous and treated as righteous by God on account of what the Lord Jesus has done. He was made sin; we are made righteousness. On the cross, Jesus was treated as if He were a sinner, though He was perfectly holy and pure, and we are treated as if we were righteous, though we are defiled and depraved.
On account of what the Lord Jesus has endured on our behalf, we are treated as if we had entirely fulfilled the Law of God and had never become exposed to its penalty. We have received this precious gift of righteousness from the God of all mercy and grace. To Him be the glory!
Because of the righteousness of Messiah as our Lord, King, and High Priest, we who are faithful followers can approach God in a worthy means! Therefore let us [with privilege] approach the throne of grace [that is, the throne of God’s gracious favor] with confidence and without fear, so that we may receive mercy [for our failures] and find [His amazing] grace to help in time of need [an appropriate blessing, coming just at the right moment. Hebrews 4:16
Provision: Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary
1. (n.) The act of providing, or making previous preparation.
2. (n.) That which is provided or prepared; that which is brought together or arranged in advance; measures are taken beforehand; preparation.
The calling into the divine life is initiated by the Holy Spirit and our willingness to respond to the call and to submit to the spiritual commands of the call. The pull and treads of the world are far burdensome and difficult on our soul-life than the call into discipleship. The Master confirms this truth in Matthew 11:28-30,
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33
Purpose
The verbal root of the Hebrew word for purpose means to give counsel, deliberate, purpose, or determine. In five passages where the noun appears, four refer to God’s purpose and one to the purpose of a person’s heart ( Prov 19:21; 20:5; Isa 46:10-11; Jer 32:19 ).
God’s plans stand firm forever ( Psalm 33:11 ); His purpose will stand ( Isa 46:10 ). What God intends, what He has in mind, what He purposes and plans, what He pleases — these together give the basis for a theology of history. God stands in the center of history as One who Acts. He has a goal in what He does. Nothing can thwart His plan. His purpose is consistently related to what He does in the world.
Prov. 19:21 Many are the plans in a person’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails.
Prov. 20:5 the purposes of a person’s heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out.
Isa. 46:10-11- I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come. I say, ‘My purpose will stand, and I will do all that I please.’
11 From the east I summon a bird of prey; from a far-off land, a man to fulfill my purpose. What I have said, that I will bring about; what I have planned, that I will do.
Jer.32:19-great are your purposes and mighty are your deeds. Your eyes are open to the ways of all mankind; you reward each person according to their conduct and as their deeds deserve.
If ever there is a time for each of us to come into the full meaning and measure of one’s purpose, now is the appointed time. Within the Kingdom of God, we are redeemed to worship, praise, and serve God. The initial place where this revolution starts is within the very heart of every willing person and then it expands outside into the world.
Mounting up with wings as Eagles
If we will only surrender ourselves utterly to the Lord and will trust Him perfectly, we shall find our souls “mounting up with wings as eagles,” where earthly annoyances have no power to disturb us. -Hannah Whitall Smith
Some closing comments
Our new way of living in the spirit is only possible because of His death and resurrection. This offers us all a new order of existing and being. All human beings can now live the life of the renovated heart by nourishing ourselves constantly on His personal presence within us and His Kingdom.
It goes without saying that our deliverance [personal salvation] does not come about from anything that this world or its institutions can offer us. It comes about due to Christ within us, the very essence of His presence, His words, and His Holy Spirit.
Genuine transformation of the whole person into the goodness and power seen in Jesus and our Heavenly Father is the only worthwhile human transformation. This spiritual transformation of the total person lies beyond the reach of programs of inner transformation that draws upon the human spirit.
God truly is doing something profound within the individual, and the entire culture in which we live. Old things cease to be effective, though they may have been very powerful in the past. The quest for spiritual formation/transformation is in fact an age-old and worldwide one. It is rooted in the deeply personal and biological need for the goodness that haunts all of humanity.
Spiritual formation for the Believer refers to the Spirit-driven process of forming the inner world of the individual in such a way that it becomes like the inner being of Christ Himself.
Spiritual formation is focused entirely on Jesus. Its goal is an obedience or conformity to Christ that arises out of an inner transformation accomplished through purposive interaction with the grace of God in Christ.
Obedience and humility is an essential outcomes of authentic spiritual formation of the very character of Christ. Amen
Grace and Peace
Brother Alonzo
These are my personal study notes from a class that I taught on Spiritual Transformation. Content that was used came from the book Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ, by Dallas Willard. [pages, 9-22.]