We Are Fellow Workers And Co-Healers With God, Part1

We Are Fellow workers and co-healers with God.

“For we are God’s co-workers. You are God’s farmland and God’s building.” (1 Corinthians 3:9; ISV)

What does that make us? We are God’s co-workers. Therefore, are we also co-healers with God? We become fellow workers with God when we accept to be God’s ambassadors, proclaiming God’s grace to the world. Jesus commanded us to go into the world and proclaim the gospel to all people. To be effective, Jesus provides us with protection and power against the onslaughts of Satan and evil forces, (Luke 10:19; Mark 16:17-18).

In our present discussion we are delving into hard-to-accept statements of the scriptures and into deeper areas in the spiritual realm. Some of the words and statements in the Bible may be hard to accept, but they are God’s Words. And God knows why He chose those words to make such statements.

The Bible advises us to acquaint ourselves with God and know Him properly so that we can understand how God works in our lives, (Job 22:21-29). People who study accumulate knowledge, become enlightened, and are strengthened spiritually.

It is not strange to hear that some people find some statements in the Bible hard to accept. Even some of the disciples of Jesus found some of Jesus’ statements hard to accept, (John 6:60-63). But we do not have the right to vary the meaning of God’s Word or statements. We must accept them as the Holy Spirit chose them for us. God is the originator of His Words, and they mean what God says. We cannot vary God’s Words and intentions. If God intended differently, He would have chosen the appropriate words. So, let us delve into the Bible, and with the help of etymology, we shall discover who and what we are.

If we are co-workers with God, then we are also co-healers with God! That stance might sound too audacious for us to assume. But God’s Words in the Bible seem to tell us so. God works miracles and heals through us. We are the instruments and the channels of blessing that God uses to express His love and sovereignty to the world.

The Christian is referred to as a living stone, adding unto other living stones building up God’s spiritual house. Collectively Christians are a holy (or a royal) priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices to God, through Jesus Christ, (1 Peter 2:5, 9; Revelation 1:5-6).

God will never allow the enemy to cause havoc on His field or destroy His building. So, He empowers us with the Holy Spirit, (Acts 1:8). And nothing can destroy or harm us, (Luke 10:19).

Sin broke our relationship with God, and we lost our God-given power. God restored that by sending Jesus. And through Jesus Christ we become co-workers with God, (1 Corinthians 3:9), and Jesus’ ambassadors (or representatives). Furthermore, if we are faithful, His divine Spirit co-ordinates with our spirits to make us effective as His co-workers.

How do we become one spirit with God?

We cannot share in God’s essence. So, how does God make us to partake in the divine nature and be members of His divine body? (1 Corinthians 12:27; 2 Peter 1:4). How does God share His divine nature with us, (2 Peter 1:4)? How does God pour His Spirit upon us, (Joel 2:28)?

God is Spirit and we can relate to Him only in the spirit, (John 4:24). We, too, are spirits in the bodies of flesh. God created the human body from the earth and then breathed His Spirit into the body and the person became a living soul, (Genesis 2:7; Ecclesiastes 12:7).

The Bible says, “… the person who unites himself with the Lord becomes one spirit with him,” (1 Corinthians 6:17; ISV).

So, how does an individual become one spirit with the Lord?

As we cannot join our human bodies to God we are, therefore, joined to Him in the spirit. And in the spirit, we become one with the Lord, (1 Corinthians 6:17). As indicated, the human being is a spirit indwelling the body of flesh. God’s Spirit also indwells our human bodies. So, God pours his Spirit upon us, (Joel 2:28-29; Acts 2:17), that is, into our spirits. And both spirits, (God’s Spirit and our human spirit), become one spirit indwelling the human body. That was still hard to comprehend until God illustrated to me using milk and water.

Many years back, I was pondering and struggling to understand this wonderful act and mystery of God in the believer, and God used milk and water to illustrate.

Both are liquids. But milk is whitish (or creamy) while water is colorless and transparent. If the milk is poured into the water, the water changes color. The water does not change itself. The milk transforms the water, and the water becomes milky in color and in taste. The more you pour the milk into the water, the more whitish or creamy the water becomes. The water loses its color and its taste and now looks and tastes milky.

In the same manner, the Spirit of God transforms the human spirit. Just as the water becomes milky when the milk is poured into it, so also the Spirit of God transforms the human spirit into becoming God’s spiritual child (Romans 8:9, 14-17). The more the Spirit of God is poured into the human spirit, the godlier he or she becomes.

The body remains flesh, but the spirit of the person in the body now becomes God’s child in the spirit, or God’s spiritual child. The same way the vessel (or container) that the water is in remains the same vessel without changing. The human being, who is spirit in the body of flesh, becomes the child of God by spiritual adoption. Though the body remains the normal body.

The Holy Spirit baptism transforms the human spirits into God’s spiritual children, (Mark 1:8; Acts 1:5; Romans 8:14-17). Before then we are just spirits inhabiting the human body. But through baptism God’s Spirit infuses our spirits with Himself to become one spirit with the Lord, (1 Corinthians 6:17). And as God’s children we are to live holy lives as our Heavenly Father is holy, (1 Peter 1:16).

We are, therefore, made spiritual, or transformed spiritually, by God’s Spirit working in our spirits.  And we must remain godly, living holy lives because God is holy. We must avoid all forms of unrighteousness, (1 Peter 1:16).

If filth (or dirty water) is poured into the transformed water, the water will change color and lose the purity that the milk infused into it. In the same manner, if a transformed person indulges in sinful acts, that person’s spirit will become contaminated. And the individual will lose the infusion of purity of the Holy Spirit.

The Christian is a child of God and can approach God directly. The Bible confirms that God relates to us in the same manner we relate to our children.

According to the New Testament doctrine, the Holy Spirit indwells the individual who truly accepts Jesus Christ as personal Savior and Lord, (Mark 16:17-18; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:37-39). The gift of the Holy Spirit is given to those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, (Acts 2:37-39; Joel 2:28-29; John 14:12-16).

Non-Christians go to spiritualists (fetish-priests, juju men, juju women, Islamic clerics or teachers, – the mu’alims – popularly known as mallams in Ghana and Nigeria). They tell the spiritualists their problems or needs and the spiritualists speak to their juju divinities or deities and receive the answers or perform rituals for answers.

But Christian spirituality does not require us to go to a spiritualist for spiritual power. Because God pours His Spirit into the spirit of the Christian, and the Christian’s body becomes the dwelling place of the Spirit of God, (Ephesians 2:22).

In Christianity, the individual’s body is the temple or the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. Therefore, God Himself indwells the believer and is near to the believer at any time. And so, the Christian is elevated higher than ordinary people. God’s Spirit indwelling the Christian transforms the Christian to become God’s spiritual child, (Romans 8:14-17). Psalm 82:6 states that they are the children of elohim.

People felt Jesus blasphemed when He said He was the Son of God. But “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your Law, “I said, you are gods”? If he called them gods to whom the word of God came — and Scripture cannot be broken — do you say of him whom the Father consecrated and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?” (John 10:34-36; ESV).

Similarly, some people today think people blaspheme when they interpret some scripture passages literally and believe that they are actually what the words say they are.  And so, they attempt to water down the meanings of some of the words or statements in the Bible by providing their own interpretations. But the Scripture cannot be broken. What God says means exactly that.

The word used in Psalm 82:6 for ‘gods’ is ‘elohim’, (sometimes spelt eloheem). The word means divine ones, gods, rulers, judges, and is also the word used to refer to the true God. And in John 10:35 the word theos was used. The Greek word theos means a god or goddess.

Jesus quoted the passage and interpreted it as it is. Indicating that we must always interpret the Word of God as it is written or as it is used in the scriptures. We must not change the meaning even if we find it hard to accept. God will choose the appropriate words if He means otherwise. We create confusion with the different interpretations that we give. Such interpretations are mostly according to our individual whims. But we cannot teach God what to say and the words He should use.

The Spirit of God is comfortable living in us if we cleanse our spirits (inner being, the inner self) of sins, (Matthew 5:8; 2 Timothy 2:19-22; Hebrews 12:14-15; 1 Peter 1:15-17).

If we indulge in sins as worldly people do, we make God’s Spirit uncomfortable. And He cannot perform His work in our lives as He would. Then we become spiritually unproductive, though we may still be God’s children. Eventually, we may lose our standing with God’s Spirit.

Though He gives us power when we receive His Spirit (Acts 1:8), His Spirit regulates and supervises us in accordance with the Mind of God. God cannot leave all His powers into our hands to use as we want. So, we ask, and He performs, (Job 22:28). He does so by His Spirit indwelling us, (John 14;10).

God’s Spirit defines us. We are what the Spirit of God says. So, the Bible says, “Let the weak say, ‘I am strong,’” (Joel 3:10). And the poor can declare he or she is rich because God’s Spirit will create the wealth. If you focus your mind on God’s Spirit, and obey Him, you shall ask what you want, and God shall do it for you, (John 14:12-15; John 16:23-24).

By His Spirit, He created all things out of nothing. And by His Spirit He will make things happen. He works through us to perform His grace upon people. He chooses us according to His divine wisdom and not because we are perfect.

God created the universe and put us on this planet earth to enjoy what He created, (Genesis 1:26-31). Therefore, be happy. Do not feel depressed. Nothing can suppress you unless you allow it. Your body is the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit. And He lives in you if you let Him, (1 Corinthians 6:19).

So, before you say your church is not spiritually strong, ask yourself if you are strong spiritually. The individuals make the church. Therefore, if the church is not spiritual, it is because the individuals are not spiritual.

My new book, ‘Actualizing The Holy Spirit Power’, which is coming out soon, delves extensively into how God’s Spirit harmonizes with our human spirit to perform miracles. The book also discusses how sin grieves the Holy Spirit, interfering with the free flow of God’s Spirit in our lives, thus, hindering the miracles in our lives.

To be continued…

Using violence to promote a cause makes it violent and evil

Christianity does not use violence to promote its cause…. it does not promote evil.

Christianity uses love and tolerance to win people’s confidence and trust.

Questions Muslims Ask

 

 

Christianity does not seek to conquer; it seeks to win friendship.

Violence produces pain and sorrow. Violence kills and destroys.
People hate violent people. They can’t trust violent people.
You can’t use violence to make people love you. The peace loving God calls in peace. A peaceful person preaches and practices peace.

Abraham Lincoln said that he conquered his enemies when he made them his friends.

When we make an enemy become a friend we actually have succeeded in converting that person from being a hostile enemy into a loving friend. In doing that we eliminate violence.

Fighting against each other breeds animosity. By doing that we are nurturing hate in the minds of our children, and training them to grow to hate others. We end up creating violent and unforgiving societies.

Do not use religion to promote hate and anger.
When we use our religions to spread anger, fear and hate against people who disagree with us, or who do not share our beliefs, we make them see our religions as violent. Preaching by violence does not instill the love of God in our children and followers. It makes them become violent and hateful.
Jesus taught us to love … not to hate. Jesus told the story about the Samaritan helping the Jew in a context that His listeners understood very well. The Jews and Samaritans were enemies; each desiring the complete annihilation of the other.

(See…http://www.peacemakersteam.com/)

We remember the encounter Jesus had with the Samaritan woman by the well in John chapter 4. When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman to give Him water to drink, the Samaritan woman was surprised that a Jew could be bold to ask a Samaritan for water.

She said,
“How is it that you, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan?” The passage ends emphatically with the statement… “For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.”

When it was getting to the time that Jesus would leave this world, a few things remained for Him to do in Jerusalem before He departed. Luke writes that He set His face to go to Jerusalem; meaning He would not have time to interact with the Samaritans. However, He and His disciples had to pass through a village of the Samaritans. His disciples decided to prepare a place for Him in that Samaritan village before they proceeded to Jerusalem. The Samaritans refused to receive Him because His face was set for the journey to Jerusalem. When the disciples, James and John, saw that, they became angry and said to Him, “Lord, do you want us to command fire to come down from heaven and consume them, just as Elijah did?”

The disciples wanted to use anger and hate to pay for anger and hate, instead of love against anger and hate.
Jews and Samaritans, being enemies, each misinterpreted the actions of the other. The Samaritans were not happy because Jesus had made Jerusalem His priority over them. Influenced by the historical problem between them and the Jews, the Samaritans misinterpreted His intention, and so refused to receive Him.
Jesus’ disciples, too, being Jews, interpreted the actions of the Samaritans in line with their Jewish way of thinking; the Jewish-Samaritan conflict that existed. Since Jews regarded the Samaritans as inferior, they asked Jesus to allow them to call fire to destroy them. Jesus refused, and told them to go to another village. He told them He came to save lives and not to destroy lives. God’s mission (always) is to save, and not to destroy lives, (Luke 9:51-56).

Jesus advised them to follow the path of peace no matter the provocation.
Some people use religion to gain control over people.
They are not promoting the God of peace. They attack everyone, including their own fellow believers. Their aim is to kill and put fear in people. They want to bring people under their control. They seek places where people gather, because those places are where they can get many people to intimidate and to kill. They attack churches, mosques, market places and malls. You would think that they would not attack their own places of worship; but they do.

Using violence portrays you and your cause as evil

Expressing your grievances by killing innocent and helpless people does not win sympathy. Rather people will see you as violent and evil. People despise your cause when you attack and force them to accept your beliefs.
Jesus, the Prince of Peace, came to promote peace. He did not wage war on people. He waged a spiritual war against Satan, sin and sickness. The angels announced at his birth, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!” (Luke 2:14.)

God sent Jesus Christ to be the Peacemaker in a world full of hate, violence and evil.

In Isaiah 9:6, we read,
“For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Jesus asked all of us who love the God of peace (and follow Him) to exhibit love and peace even to our enemies, (Luke 6:27-36).

God does not send killers to kill unbelievers. He sends peace loving people to preach peace, love and reconciliation. God is Peace, Compassionate, Ever Merciful. Peace lovers preach peace and love.

Convince by articulating your views and providing the right answers …

You may want to read more on how to promote a cause without violence… VISIT… http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DH3MJBE

Learn to win by persuasion; not by force.

You may want to read “Winning Without Attacking: Persuasion Is Better Than Force”...http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00ELOSYDQ

 

Do we present a killer and rapist God or a savior God?

Do we present a killer and rapist God …. or a savior God?

Do we preach a peaceful and loving God, or a violent and hateful deity? Do we cause destruction and harm when we preach our religion?

Nigeria recaptures town lost to Boko Haram

 

 

 

 

Click to read the full report… Nigeria military claims recapture of key town from Boko Haram

Christianity asserts that God is kind, merciful and loving; …..that God does not destroy innocent lives. He protects and guides in the way of righteousness.

The Christian Bible describes God as

“…long-suffering and abundant in mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression; but He by no means clears the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and fourth generation.” (Numbers 14:18; New King James Version)

Islam, too, proclaims that Allah is merciful… or does it?

Every chapter of the Qur’an, except chapter 9, begins with the character of Allah as “The Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.”
Islamic teachers tell us that Islam is a peaceful religion, and that Islam does not allow violence, except in self-defense.

Unfortunately Boko Haram, ISIS, Al-Shabab, and other militants, contradict them as they continue to perpetuate violence and atrocities in the name of God and religion.

Pointing out the evil that people do in the name of religion is not an attack on religion. It is a cry against the atrocities! Good and loving people will always speak out against atrocities even when the evils are done in God’s name.
The New York Times reported how women were enslaved and raped repeatedly. Each time, before the rapist raped the victim, he performed a prayer in front of the victim, raped her, and then performed another round of prayer in front of her. He justified his action that Allah permitted him to do that because she belonged to another religion.

Read the story here... ISIS enshrines a theology of rape

We can conquer without being violent! We can win people to our cause without attacking them.

Rockeybell has written books on how to win without being violent.
For the electronic versions visit…
Conquering Without Being Violent
Persuasion Is Better Than Force (Electronic version of “Winning Without Attacking – Why Persuasion Is Better Than Force”)

Conquering Without Being ViolentUsing evil does not promote a good, kind, loving and merciful God.
That 12-year-old girl will never love the religion that permitted her to be raped. She will never be able to believe that the rapist’s God is a loving God.

Conquering Without Being ViolentWhy would a merciful God send a rapist to punish her instead of teaching and guiding her to the right path? Why would God allow her to be born into that family, and then punish her for being born into that family?

The saved are to direct those not saved to the right path; not to attack and kill. Jesus would not allow His followers to command fire from heaven and consume the Samaritans as Elijah did, because He came to save lives and not to destroy them, (Luke 9:51-56).

The Bible does not allow rape, fornication or adultery, even when done in God’s name.

Do religious leaders condemn slavery and the slave trade, yet turn round and condone it in their own camp?
When we use force or use atrocities on people because they do not share our religious convictions we make them see the God we present as evil.

No compulsion in religion
The Christian Bible teaches that God does not use force to make people love Him. It instructs Christians to preach the message of God’s love and let the listener himself or herself decide (Ezekiel 3:17-19; Luke 10:5-12; Mark 16:15-16).
The Qur’an also declares,

“Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth stands out clear from error…” (2:256)
“… And had your Lord willed, those on earth would have believed, all of them together. So, will you then compel mankind, until they become believers?” (10:99)

Persuasion Better Than ForceWINNING WITHOUT ATTACKING...001

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