Back to Simplicity in Christ

 

There are many people who do not accept the miraculous. It was so in the days of Christ, and it is so today. Even for some of those who consider themselves Christians, the miraculous events in scripture are met with disbelief. However, miracles of every kind filled the life and ministry of Christ, and cannot be separated from Him. It is very important that we do not lose this very foundational aspect of Christ's life, and our faith:

"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."  2 Cor. 11:3

One of the simplest truths of Christ is His connection to miracles. The Devil, through his nature as an eternal liar (Jn. 8:44) has always tried to challenge God's truths, even from the very beginning:

"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"   Gen. 3:1

Paul was concerned that Satan was using the same tactics on the Church in order to undermine its most elemental truths- challenging the believer saying "Did God really say that?" That danger still exists, and even more so because we live in the End Times. One of the signs of these perilous times and the rise of the antichrist, is the strong delusion, and the lies that will be accepted by men because they refuse to receive God's truth (2 Thess. 2:7-12). It gives unrighteous men pleasure to believe lies rather than to believe what God has said. The Church should not accept those same lies and delusions.

A basic, foundational, simplicity in Jesus Christ is that He associated Himself with truth (Jn. 14:6), and the miraculous works of His Father:

"Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak unto you, I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwelleth in Me, He doeth the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me: or else believe Me for the very works' sake."   Jn. 14:10-11

Not only were the miraculous works part of Christ's very identity, but they illustrated His oneness with Father God, because these were His Father's works. For this reason, it is even more important to Jesus that we believe these miraculous works because they are His Father's. The story doesn't end there. Jesus gave this same power and authority to His twelve disciples:

"And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease..."And as ye go, preach, saying The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

These miracles works went hand in hand with the teaching, preaching and repentance of the kingdom of God.

Jesus went further still. The power and authority of the miraculous works that attended the kingdom of heaven were not limited to the twelve disciples only. Jesus also gave this command to the seventy disciples:

"After these things, the Lord appointed other seventy also, and sent them two and two before His face into every city and place, whither He Himself would come..."...heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you...Behold, I give you the power to tread (trample, crush) on serpents (snake, serpent, malicious person, especially Satan) and scorpions (hidden, pierce, skeptic), and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."   Lk. 10:1, 9, 19

However, the power and authority of the miraculous works that accompanied the preaching of the kingdom of God were not just ordained for the twelve and the seventy. Jesus commanded it to all who believe:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that believeth on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto My Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask anything, in My name, I will do it....And these signs shall follow them that believe; In My name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick and they shall recover."   Jn. 14:12-14, and Mk. 16:17-18
Some have suggested that these wonderful works of God, given by command of Christ to all who believe, were only for the purpose of the establishment of the Church, and have since passed away, or that the works were limited to the ministry of early believers in Israel. However, the promise and command from Jesus to His believers is a universal and eternal one:
"And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations....Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world (age)." Amen."   Mt. 28:18, 19a, 20b
The ultimate calling of all believers is to a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph. 4:13), and that fullness includes His miraculous works, the works of the Father.

This is simplicity in Christ.

To Contact/Give:
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To hear Dr. Stevenson's full message:
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Podcast interview regarding the soon to be available book "Nazah-White Linen and the Blood of Sprinkling":
https://cpnshows.com/shows/loveleads/ac23f7060ad1451d0aa4bb3fc9b879a1



 



What the Kingdom Declares

 

The Kingdom of God declares transformative truths in the heavens and on earth. They are truths that impact the individual, the circumstances and condition of life, and even the earth, itself.

The Kingdom declares:

the Lordship of God, both in heaven and on earth, and consequently, the Lordship of Christ, who did only His Father's will in the earth (Mt. 11:25, 27, Col. 1:16-20):

"For by Him (Christ) were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth...and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist..."

The Kingdom declares: 
that it comes by revelation to those whom the Father chooses (Mt. 11:25):

"...Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes."

The Kingdom declares:

repentance that opens the door to the Kingdom. Repentance transforms the destiny of a person, city or nation. Jesus said that after seeing the great works of the Kingdom, we should come to a place of repentance (Mt. 11:20-24):

"Then began He (Jesus) to upbraid the cities wherein most of His mighty works were done, because they repented not."

The Kingdom declares:

that repentance begins the process of deliverance. As we turn away from darkness, we are brought into the light of the Son's Kingdom (Col. 1:13, 1 Pet. 2:9, Jn. 3:21):

"Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness..." 

"...ye should shew forth the praises of Him who hath called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."

The Kingdom declares:
the restoration of "zoe" life. It is the same kind of life the Father has-kedem (eternal) and olam (everlasting): from antiquity, without ceasing, into an unending future. It is life in abundance in every way (Jn. 3:15-17):

"...whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life...everlasting life..."
The Kingdom declares:
reconciliation. The things of the earth have been reconciled with the things in heaven. Man and God have been reconciled by the forgiveness of sin through the blood of Christ (Col. 1:14, 20, 22):
"...having made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to reconcile all things unto Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven. And you, that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled."
The Kingdom declares:
that we have been translated (removed from one place to another, changed, to carry away, to pass over, transfer, transport), even as Enoch was translated that he should not see death (Heb. 11:5). We also have already been translated from darkness to light, from death unto life, from corruptible (flesh) to incorruptible. This is the rapture, already accomplished in the spirit, and soon, we believe, to be experienced in the natural (Col. 1:13):
"(The Father) who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the Kingdom of His dear Son."

The Kingdom of God has declared, and is still declaring, these great truths. Jesus sent out His disciples to carry the truth of the Kingdom to others. They were not just to preach the Kingdom, but to demonstrate the Kingdom. This was even before the cross (Mk. 6:7-13, Lk. 9:1-6):
"And He called unto Him the twelve, and began to send them forth two by two; and gave them power over unclean spirits;...And they went out and preached that men should repent. And they cast out many devils, and anointed with oil many that were sick, and healed them."
"And He sent them to preach the Kingdom of God, and to heal the sick...And they departed, and went through the towns, preaching the gospel, and healing every where."
Not only did Jesus send out the twelve, but He also sent the seventy-two in the same manner. They were not to be concerned with their provision, nor fear possible rejection. If their message of the Kingdom was rejected, they were to just continue on to the next town. 
The Kingdom of God is not just for us to receive with joy. It is also, by command, for us to take out to others by word and demonstration. It is for us to declare and demonstrate the sovereignty and Lordship of God and Christ, bringing the truth of the transformative power and deliverance of repentance. It is for us to declare the reconciliation between God and man, and between things on earth, and things in heaven. We are to show that not only are we reconciled, but we are translated. As His disciples obediently went out in power before the cross, how much more should we be demonstrating the Kingdom and converting others two thousand years after the cross?
This week, and in the coming weeks, it is not enough to treasure the gospel to ourselves. In these days when men are perishing, it is a necessity to be the Kingdom to others. Jesus has sent us out. What is holding us back, and what report will we bring back to Him?

To contact/give:
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Christmas, FL. 32709
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