The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

The Practicality of Being Led By The Spirit Part 1

Few days ago, I read this verse and I suddenly had a fresh understanding. I had read it so many times through a period of saturated meditation but I didn't really think of this.

If by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. - Rom 8:13

How do you put to death the deeds of the body by the Spirit? Paul was a very practical writer. He wasn't saying something that is vague or merely a concept. This verse is, in fact, extremely practical. To understand it, we first have to understand what it means to be led by the Spirit.

The phrase 'be led by the Spirit' has often been misunderstood, especially in the charismatic circles.

For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. - Rom 8:14

Apparently, some think that being led by the Spirit means that you have to be flaky, spontaneous and unpredictable. "The Spirit told me to buy a candy to eat...."; "the Spirit told me not to reach out to this lady with spectacles", "the Spirit told me not to finish my food", etc. And there is a whole list of "the Spirit says..." 

Well, if the Spirit is unpredictable most of the time, then perhaps it is a different spirit from God, who is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb 13:8) in His nature and character.

Granted, there are occasions when the Spirit directs you to do something out of the norm but it is not the norm. Look at Jesus' life and tell me if He is flaky or naturally supernatural. Furthermore, I shared in the practicality of hearing His voice in the earlier post that the Spirit of Christ and us are ONE ---- that includes our desires, inclinations, etc. Don't try to live as though the Spirit is separated from who we are. That's when people fall into deception and stuff like "the Spirit tells me to divorce my spouse" can happen.

If we like to say "the Spirit tells me this and that...", then nobody can reason with you because God has been used as the 'ultimate authority' in whatever you say.

If we look at the life of Jesus and the life of apostle Paul, we will discover that they were rarely waiting for the Spirit to move them. Most of the time, it wasn't "the Spirit tells me to do this". On the contrary, they just went ahead to do what they were sent to do. They knew what it meant to live in Oneness with the Spirit of God. Read the book of Acts and you will see that Paul was unstoppable and was continually on the move until the Spirit stopped him (Acts 16:6). Well, he is the same author who wrote 'be led by the Spirit.'

If you have to wait until the Spirit says this and that, then you are  probably not co-labouring with the One who loves you and lives in you. "Jesus takes the wheel" is not the New Covenant life by the way.

In the next post, we are going to see some passages that explain what being led by the Spirit means. Scriptures have to interpret Scriptures.

Holy Spirit - Alarm

I have been asking the Holy Spirit to wake me up according to my alarm clock. Recently, He has been waking me up 2-3 minutes before my alarm triggered off —— no matter what time I set the alarm at (and I tested by setting the alarm at different times). This happens consecutively for a few days including today. This is mind-blowing to me as He reveals how faithful and personal He is. Jesus!

There is none as faithful as He is.

The Practicality of Hearing His Voice

The Practicality of Hearing His Voice

We tend to think that it is easier to hear God's voice for others, than for ourselves. We prophesy on others; we release word of knowledge and word of wisdom. But when it comes to hearing God for ourselves, we have much trouble discerning whether it is the voice of God.

This is a wrong perception that we have held for a long time.

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. - John 10:27

We memorized this verse. We recited it. We preached. We quoted it. But we find it challenging to live it out. Unless we bust the wrong belief, we will always have trouble listening to His voice.

Hearing His voice for ourselves should be easier than prophesying and releasing Word to others, because the latter is simply about hearing His voice for others. If we can hear Him for others, it doesn't make sense that it is more difficult to hear Him for ourselves.

The simple disparity between the two lies in this: Familiarity.

When we approach someone whom we are not familiar with, the voice of God (through impressions, visions, emotions, thoughts, etc.) appears to be 'louder' because what we receive from Him is unfamiliar ----- by that, I mean that when we compare the words we receive from Him with our own lives, we can immediately recognize the difference and we are confident that the words are for the person we are prophesying on.

Familiarity should not breed contempt. In fact, it should make it even easier and simpler to hear from the One who loves you. My son can recognize my voice (as his father) much easier, simpler and faster than he can recognize the voice of others.

Similarly, we should be able to recognize the Father's voice for ourselves much easier than recognizing His voice for others. Because it is the SAME VOICE.

Why does it often seem tougher to hear Him for ourselves?

We must first comprehend where He lives. He lives IN us. We are ONE in union and communion. He speaks from within most of the time, instead of from without.

Because we are one in the Spirit with Him, we must not try to hear Him as though He is separated from us ------ by that, I also mean desires, passion, thoughts, emotions, inclinations, etc.They are all NOT separated from who He is IN us and who we are IN Him.

Once we realize this, we will not need to fast and pray for 40 days to hear Him on one decision. We will not need to wait in patient endurance (that's for trials and persecutions by the way) to get one word from Him. If that is the case, my son will be one of the most pathetic beings on earth because he has to do so much and wait so long just to hear my voice as his father.

Christ IN you is the key for communion. Because we are in unbreakable co-union with Him, we have unceasing communion with Him. This is why apostle Paul said, "Pray unceasingly." (1 Thes 5:17) That doesn't mean that you lock yourself in a room and pray for 24 hours. If that is the case, you will never be His disciple because you can't do anything He commanded about the Great Commission.

And to pray unceasingly is the WILL OF GOD for us (1 Thes 5:18). Since it is the will of God, He must have provided the Way to pray unceasingly, which is through the mystery of the Gospel hidden from ages and now revealed ------ Christ IN you, the Hope of glory. Through this union and communion, we can't stop praying because to be thinking His thoughts and desiring His thoughts is already prayer.

For it is God who WORKS IN YOU, both TO WILL and TO WORK for His good pleasure. - Phil 2:13 (emphasis added)

The word 'will' is the exact word used in Matthew 8:3 where Jesus said to the leper, "I am WILLING; be cleansed." It doesn't just speak of a desire. More than that, the word refers to the nature and the will of God. HE WILL-ED it.

Putting the word back to Phil 2:13, when we are born again, God (who is in union with us) has put in us the nature and will to DO HIS WORK. In other words, it is in our natural inclination to move like Him, according to His voice.

Once we realize this privilege, we will realize that we HAVE BEEN hearing His voice throughout the day because He shares our desires; He shares our thoughts; He shares our emotions; He shares our actions, etc.

Don't try to hear His voice. Don't try to separate His voice from your voice. You are not separated from Him. You are joined to Him (1 Cor 6:17). And what God has joined together, let no man separates. #foundationtoHisvoice

Receiving A Prophet's Reward Part 2

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. - Matthew 10:41

As shared in Part 1, this is probably one of the most abused Scripture verses in the charismatic world. It has been used to justify the need to honour ($$$ or inflate the ego) the prophet or the man of God for a believer's own sake (so that the believer gets the reward - such as increased in anointing, operation of gifts, etc.). This subtly places the man of God on the pedestal and undermines a believer's identity.

We need to look at the context of this passage, especially in the light of the New Covenant that we are in.

In the Jewish culture of those days, Jewish families considered it a great privilege to be able to host a priest, a teacher, or a rabbi in their home. 'In the name of a prophet' simply means 'because he is a prophet'. 

By providing hospitality to the servants aka prophets of God, one could hope for some degree of blessings from God. This is not to say that hosting a prophet will earn a person the reward due to the prophet. Instead, it will earn the gratitude of the prophet, and the prophet will bestow a reward in the form of blessing. In the Old Testament, a prophet represented God to men because men under the Law didn't have access to God. An example will be 2 Kings 4:8-37 where the woman was blessed because she honoured Elisha.

In the New Testament, Christ came as the Prophet of God (Matt 13:57; Luke 7:16; Acts 3:22). He came to preach the Gospel of the kingdom (Matt 9:35). His life on earth represented God to men as a Prophet, bringing God's message of Good News. Only His death on the Cross represented men to God as a Priest. Those who received Him as God's Messenger received the blessings of God which included healing, providence, peace, etc.

At the closing chapter of Matthew 9, Jesus spoke about sending out the workers because the harvest is plentiful. And in Matthew 10, Jesus sent out His disciples to preach the Gospel of the kingdom ------ the disciples represented God's messengers (aka prophets of God) to the people in Israel. Those who received them as God's prophets also received the Good News they brought ------- healing, deliverance, and raising of their dead (Matt 10:8). Not only that, they also received Shalom peace (Matt 10:13).

However, those who failed to receive them would receive nothing but judgment (Matt 10:13-15).

In the context of this, let's read the passage below.

“He who receives you RECEIVES ME, and he who receives Me RECEIVES HIM WHO SENT ME. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall RECEIVE A PROPHET'S REWARD. And he who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall RECEIVE A RIGHTEOUS MAN'S REWARD. And whoever gives one of these little ones only a cup of cold water in the name of a disciple, assuredly, I say to you, he shall by no means lose his reward.” - Matt 10:40-42

Receiving a person is the same as receiving the message he carries (Matt 10:14). Thus, the whole context is very clear. Whoever receives the disciple's message (the Gospel of the kingdom) receives Jesus, which in turn, receives God the Father. In the light of this, Jesus simply reiterated what He meant with the following verses after the first verse in Matt 10:40.

Whoever receives God's prophet (aka messenger of the Good News) receives the effects of the Gospel that he preaches ----- healing, deliverance, raising of their dead, salvation of the spirit, etc. This is the REWARD for believing and receiving. God's reward (Hebrews 11:6) is simply the manifestation of His grace and goodness (which includes healing, providence, peace, etc.)

Whoever receives a righteous man (aka made right because of the Gospel of the kingdom) receives the reward ------ the effects of the Gospel too. Because the one who has been made right is able to bring the message of Righteousness (Rom 1:16-17).

And whoever receives the seemingly 'little ones' in the name of a disciple (because they are disciples of Christ) also receives the reward, because they are receiving Jesus Himself (cross-references: Matt 25:40; Matt 18:3-5; Mark 9:37; Mark 9:41). To receive Jesus is to have everything including anointing, gifts, etc. (Rom 8:32) So you don't need to 'suck' it from other men.

Note: It is possible to have other rewards from God (Hebrews 6:9-10), though it is not clear whether it is in this life or after. But I tend to believe that it is referring to the latter.

For Jesus to put the 'little ones' in the same light as 'a prophet' in Matt 10:40-42 unveils one thing: It's about the consistent message of the KINGDOM, which has nothing to do with the ministry office of a prophet, evangelist, apostle, pastor and teacher. 

In the New Covenant, every believer is a 'prophet' of God in being the messenger of the Kingdom. It is about honouring every single believer and receiving his message so that the kingdom of God is at hand (Matt 10:7), which accompanies with all the blessings (Eph 1:3). For God desires to bless every mankind on earth and give them the kingdom (Luke 12:32).

I am zealous for the believer's identity. Anything that compromises on identity is NOT the New Covenant. Every bible interpretation must not contradict the full counsel of God's Word in the light of the New Covenant. The explicit must interpret the implicit. It's time to stop abusing Matt 10:41. Stop exalting the man of God. Instead, exalt the God of man. Christ IN you is the Hope of glory.

Honor a prophet or a man of God to get his reward? Yes... but it's not for a special few. Instead, do it for every believer because every believer is a prophet of God and a man of God in the New Covenant. Enough said. Jesus! #identity

Receiving A Prophet's Reward Part 1

He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet’s reward. - Matthew 10:41

This is probably one of the most abused Scripture verses in the charismatic world. Last evening, I read a ministry article that says the following:

"I truly believe when you support a ministry like [ministry name removed for confidentiality], whose sole purpose is to have prophets speak to the Church, you are truly WELCOMING A PROPHET AS A PROPHET. This honestly puts you in a great place where God can REWARD YOU with a PROPHET'S REWARD. It was Jesus who promised this and He never lies. A prophet's reward is what you can ask God for. If you are being blessed by this ministry, would you stop right now and give your best gift to help us? We thank you in advance. Just hit the green donate button here. Monthly giving is also a huge help to us, as we can then budget better." - By a prophet in the States

It is commonly believed by the charismatics that if you honour a prophet or a man of God, you will receive his reward such as impartation, anointing, spiritual gifts, etc. You cannot find this in the Bible or in the words of Jesus. Some talked about their experiences after 'receiving the prophet's reward', noting an increase in anointing, operation of spiritual gifts, etc. However, if your experience cannot be aligned to the Word (which has ultimate authority), maybe your experience is not from the Word. 

I understand that God, in His sovereignty, can touch people and give them exponential increase in the operation of gifts. But that is not the norm and it has nothing to do with the prophet's reward.

Some of the most 'anointed' people I encountered have the most annoying (pun intended) attitude. They don't honour the least (Matt 10:42c) and other normal believers. If you talk about the reward in the context of Matt 10, they probably don't have (but that's not for me to judge). Yet they continue to move powerfully in gifts. Make no mistake ---- ministry gifts and ministry offices are totally independent from spiritual maturity.

Note: By using the phrase 'most anointed', I am referring to the perceived value by the general Body of Christ. There is no such thing as 'more anointed' or 'less anointed' in the Bible. Every believer is EQUALLY anointed (1 John 2:27) ----- often, they just don't realise how anointed they already are in Christ.

The passage in Matthew 10:41 has been used to justify the need to honour the prophet or the man of God for the believer's own sake (so that he gets the reward). This subtly places the man of God on the pedestal and undermines a believer's identity.

This kind of interpretation misses out the central message of the New Covenant that Christ has come to establish. It mixes the Old Covenant teaching with the New Covenant reality.

The Old Covenant pointed to the man of God whom God chose. The New Covenant points to the God of Man whom God revealed ---- Christ in you the Hope of glory.

People who still teach and model the Old Covenant in the name of empowerment are NOT empowering others.

The New Covenant is the 'covenant' of empowerment. It leads you to look away from the men of God so that you can fix your eyes on the God of Man, who is also the Author and the Finisher of your faith. #identity #trueempowerment

Christ IN You

Christ IN You

...the mystery which has been hidden from ages and from generations, but now has been revealed to His saints. To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory. - Col 1:26-27

Since Christ came to reveal the greatest mystery: Christ IN you, the Hope of Glory, then we need to spend every ounce of our being to know what it means; to know who Christ is, so that we know Christ in us.

Our co-union with Christ is the biggest mystery revealed among mankind. This is why Jesus said, “Seek first His kingdom & His Righteousness...” because Jesus is the Righteousness of God revealed and the kingdom is Righteousness, Peace & Joy in the Spirit of Christ —— where Oneness is and where we are One with Him. That kingdom is WITHIN us (Luke 17:21).

To pray as if God is separated from us is to pray from earth to heaven. That’s missing the mystery. To pray as though God is one with us is to pray from heaven to heaven —— that’s communion because of co-union.

Until we realize the mystery of the union, we won’t walk in the power of communion.

The Death of the Law & The Life of Righteousness

Many believers are still interpreting Romans 7 as though it applies to them. Paul was talking about a life without abiding in Christ. Don't forget that he was writing this letter to the Roman Gentiles, as well as the Jews who had returned from exile. He had to end much 'debate' between the Jews and the Gentiles.

Therefore, my brethren, you also have become dead to the law through the body of Christ, that you may be married to another — to Him who was raised from the dead, that we should bear fruit to God. - Romans 7:4

The death of Christ marked the death of the Law (the Old Covenant) while the resurrection of Christ marked the life of Righteousness (the New Covenant). The old 'husband' was dead so that we can be married to the new 'husband'.

The Law was given for the transgressions of men (Gal 3:19). Apart from the Law, sin is dead (Rom 7:8). This means that sin has NO power when there is no law (1 Cor 15:56). The more you want to follow the Law, the more you will sin, because Christianity is not living by your will power. It is living by His power.

Since the Law was fulfilled by Christ (Matt 5:17), He could end it on the Cross (Rom 10:4).

The Law revealed sin (Rom 7:7). But Christ removed sin (Heb 10:11-14) because He came to reveal sons. For sin's power to be removed, He also removed the Law (Heb 10:9).

Since both are removed, you are to become dead to both of them.

This is why the Bible says, "...you also have become dead to the LAW through the body of Christ..." - Rom 7:4 (emphasis added)

This is why the Bible says, "Reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to SIN, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord." - Rom 6:11 (emphasis added)

The only way to right living is first to be dead to the Law so that we are dead to sin. To live by the Law again is to revive sin, which leads to death (Rom 7:9-10).

We are now married to Christ. So we live by Christ. He is the Way to live right. When we abide in Him (John 15:5), we will bear much fruit. To abide is to 'trust, rest, remain, live, yield, stay, etc.' A branch does nothing to bear fruit except to receive from the vine. He is the vine and we are the branches. If we can receive well from Him, we will automatically bear fruit. 

This is why Christianity is by grace through faith ------ effortless and simple. Why is it so simple and effortless? It is meant to be supernatural. We are meant to live by His power.

This is why Paul ended Romans 7 with ---- "Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!"

For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. - Rom 8:2

Since Christ has set us free from the Law, don't go back again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).