All posts by Glen Jackman

Atonement of Christ, Authority of the Bible, Holy Spirit, New Covenant, Sanctification: Living a Holy Life, Spirit Led Leadership Today, Temptation

The New Covenant transcends the Old Covenant

“Therefore, my friends, I want you to know that through Jesus the forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you. Through him everyone who believes is set free from every sin, a justification you were not able to obtain under the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38-39 NIV)

There are many faith-building stories in the Old Testament (OT) – a redemptive narrative of God’s salvation, particularly for Abraham’s children, the Jews, had become the most perceptive to the Word of God speaking to them. Abraham was one of the first men in his era to begin to discern the presence of God, His principles, and His leading via prophetic insight. He was asked to leave the Ur of the Chaldeans and move to an entirely new land in Canaan (see Genesis 11:31;12:1; 12:1 ESV)

Those living in that time, before Christ, were recorded by the prophets in the OT narrative. They were not entirely aware that some of their major stories and symbols were revelatory of the coming cross and death of Jesus Christ. The narrative of their life did not hold a lot of value as epistemological tools (ways of knowing) for them. They did not then know about the New Covenant (NC) truth that would be unpacked from their story after the event of the cross when the redemptive ransom would be paid by Christ for the true atonement for all man’s sin.

How they knew, what they knew, why we now know, was not as evidently true for them then, because the symbols and shadows about the future reality took time and guidance by the apostles to apprehend.

The cross of Jesus Christ brought awareness to Jews and all of mankind, as the New Testament (NT) prophets compared the old narratives beyond the limits of that historic knowledge. Apostle Paul was the man chosen by the resurrected Jesus to reveal to the world, first, the importance of the cross and secondly, a new way of comprehending the past in light of the arrival of Christ. In the letter to the Ephesians he confidently wrote of his inspiration given to him from Jesus, fully aware that a new perception, not previously made known, was dawning in the kingdom of God:

“When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit.” (Eph. 3:4-5 ESV)

As we look at the Old Testament narrative, we find that many of the symbols are types of the progression towards a fuller understanding of principled thinking – as mankind was led by God to see life through the paradigm of love – the basis of a new inner motive operandi – a new process of reformation of the character of mankind motivated by love.

Prior to the New Testament, when Jesus came on the scene, there were many true events depicted as living symbols of Jesus Christ acted out in real life such as:

  • Abraham obeying God, ready to offer his son Isaac on Mt. Moriah replaced by a lamb caught in a bush;
  • The sacrificial lambs being killed morning and evening in the Jerusalem temple;
  • The day of Atonement once a year where bulls, goats, and sheep were slaughtered to appease the sins of the Israelite as guilt offerings.

These living symbols were revealed as Bible stories  – narratives, later to be revealed by the apostles as shadow-types designed to lead us to understand fully that the advent and mission of Jesus Christ was to redeem man. This plan was established even before the ancient narratives were enacted in life: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world” (Eph. 1:3-4 ESV)

The plan to redeem man had begun before sin entered. Jesus came to fulfill the ancient symbols by offering His life, as the anti-typical atonement for sin: “God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood — to be received by faith” and “He made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment—to bring unity to all things in heaven and on earth under Christ.” (Rom. 3:25 NIV; Eph. 1:9-10 NIV)

Paul made it clear that the purpose of Christ was only to be understood much later, “to be put into effect when the times reach their fulfillment” (vs. 10) The priesthood of the temple would bring Jesus before Pilate with the intent to have him killed. What they did not understand was that the narrative of the priesthood was coming to a climactic ending in actionable reality. The “Lamb of God”, as the Apostle John referred to Jesus, was about to be slain in the place of all sinning mankind to “take away the sin of the world” and make the final at-one-ment for man – to free man from the penalty of death – to openly reconcile him to God, His Father.

Jesus said “it is finished” on the cross just as He died. The curtain to the Most Holy place in the Jerusalem temple, into which only the High Priest could enter once a year, was torn in two. This indicated the winding down of the Old Covenant period – the closing of the educative narrative for that period that had been used as a tutor – as a guide to lead us to Christ.

The New Covenant entirely replaces the Old Covenant

The New Covenant period was instituted at the cross as Jesus noted at the last supper to his disciples: “In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Lk. 22:20 NIV) It had been prophesied by Jeremiah: “The days are coming,” declares the LORD, “when I will make a new covenant with the people of Israel and with the people of Judah.” (Jer. 31:31 NIV)

Paul confirmed this: “He has made us competent as ministers of a new covenant—not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” (2 Cor. 3:6; 1 Cor. 11:25 NIV)

  • The new covenant is superior to the old Christ was the antitypical ransom offering, High Priest and mediator for man before God the Father: “the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises.” (Heb. 8:6 NIV)
  • The new covenant makes the old covenant obsolete: “By calling this covenant ‘new,’ he has made the first one obsolete; and what is obsolete and outdated will soon disappear.” (Heb. 8:13 NIV)

Christ died to ransom mankind from the sins of the ancient and prior generation and our current lives: “For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance—now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV)

The new covenant is not a mere continuation of the old covenant, “For if that first covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.” (Heb. 8:7 NIV) It is “not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt. For they did not continue in my covenant.” (Heb 8:9 ESV) It all comes down to the arrival and death of Jesus Christ as the fulfillment of all the symbols of the ancient children of God from Abraham on: It is now to the new covenant – the new agreement – “to Jesus the mediator of a new covenant” (vs. 12:24)

New principles, new thoughts expressed in new action supersede historical narrative. Nobody worries that a child is ignorant of the numerous laws of physics allowing him to suspend himself vertically while happily pedaling his new bicycle.

The life of Christ and His teachings, and His unwarranted death were instrumental, moving us radically from the historic dependence on the OT narrative of living symbols into functional realities with simpler principles for mankind’s more abundant life. This requires a new motivational drive to enable us to live freely by a new maxim of love. Love informs the New Covenant between God and mankind and leads the renewed man to care for his fellow man. The child, while riding his bike does not review the laws of aerodynamics or propulsion. He just engages in life, lives joyfully, loving his new experience, and thankful for his new gift.

A Covenant means an Agreement

It was prophesied that a new agreement was coming in the future, “not like the agreement I made with your forefathers.” At the Cross, upon His death, the curtain was torn in two, symbolizing that the old Jerusalem with its priesthood with the daily sacrificial slain lambs (symbolic of the coming death/ransom of Christ) now had been replaced by the New Jerusalem temple of the New Covenant, now a Spirit-led temple of united minds in Christ: “you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.” (1 Peter 2:5 ESV; 2 Cor. 6:16; Rev. 3:12 ESV) This took the prophetic insight of men like the apostles Peter, Paul, and John, to see the deepest unrecognized historic epistemological value.

The kingdom is predicated on united like-minds who can fathom the love maxim Christ taught in His Royal law, which had always been latent and prophesized by a few yet misunderstood in the OC era: “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my laws into their minds, and write them on their hearts [i.e. minds], and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” (Heb. 8:10, 16) Further: “But now that Christ has come, we don’t need those laws any longer to guard us and lead us to him.” (Gal. 3:25)

Love is the maxim of law that guides the balance of right action, justice and mercy. Jesus taught that “on these two laws”, love for God and love for man – hang all the OT moral laws – the Decalogue (10 commandments), and the OT’s forward-looking prophetic books. Jesus taught that “all scripture” (symbolically: the Rock from which poured water for the Jews in the wilderness, Lion, Lamb, Father, Prince of Peace, Wonderful, Counselor, Life, Water of Life, Spirit as the Wind, Wisdom, Messiah, Teacher, etc.) revealed insights about Him and His coming final Atonement and the New Covenant.

God put into effect a different plan

The essence of the new agreement, which I refer to as the Manifesto of God’s Love, was to help men realize that they cannot base their lives on exterior laws and check-lists and must evolve out of this fear-based bondage to written law into a love-based covenant (the Jews had 613 laws, the 10 commandments being central). Unfortunately, the Jewish leaders added many interpretations and burdens such as “you cannot carry your mat on the Sabbath”. To avoid legalism, we must understand that we are not saved by keeping the law. We will express the Spirit-led guidance that fulfills the law of God when we agree with the Spirit to engage our will to obey; and if we come short of obeying, immediately repent of any sin. Christ our Advocate is ready to hear our confession of sin, and our turning from sin: “if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.” (1 John  2:1).

And our walk with Christ will indicate that the Spirit is achieving grace within us, acknowledging that the law is holy, just and good: “the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit”. (Rom. 8:4 ESV) Any obedience to the law of God is achieved in us only if and when we submit and cooperate to obey God’s Spirit, as the Spirit does the work within – not by legalistic efforts, works or braggadocio that we keep the law. Even if you worship on the 7th-day Sabbath – the 4th commandment – give the Spirit of Jesus Christ the glory – Sabbath-keeping will not save you, only Jesus does that for you, first on the cross, and ongoingly He saves you from desiring to commit sin (if you allow Him to achieve this work within by obeying without hesitation).

“We aren’t saved from sin’s grasp by knowing the commandments of God because we can’t and don’t keep them, but God put into effect a different plan to save us. He sent his own Son in a human body like ours—except that ours are sinful—and destroyed sin’s control over us by giving himself as a sacrifice for our sins” (Rom 8:3 TLB) and “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.” (vs. 14) The secret is to be led by God by His Spirit every moment and yield your will to obey on whatever point Jesus Christ speaks to you via your conscience.

The problem with human nature is that man wants to interpret how others should live. The Jews had prescribed additional add-on laws as to how to keep the Sabbath, for example, even though Jesus debunked these additional commandments of men, referring to Himself as “Lord of the Sabbath…made for man” (Matt. 12:8) His purpose was to create one new humanity based on love and living in peace. And this New Covenant was accomplished “by setting aside…the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity…thus making peace” (Eph. 2:15 NIV)

Jesus lived out love in the now

Jesus displayed love in action among His disciples and the people right up to the cross, precisely to show the effect of love on mankind to motivate them differently in the heart and mind and conversely, to reveal the injustice, blind sightedness, sin, scheming and gross deceit expressed in the intense hatred of those who tried to block and discount Christ’s New Covenant teachings. Why? To protect their priestly system, pontifical life, popularity, and prestige and their economic survival with large temple incomes extracted from the people.

We need to look at Jesus as a man to see His glory as our creator (Col. 1:15-19) who came as an incarnated man to this earth to express the character of the Father’s love to man plus and show His new agreement of reconciliation to man. We must look at the entire OT bible leading up to His arrival on the scene, only through NC eyes, else we see it as a gory mess, and get trapped in the old narrative.

We must transcend the tutoring narrative of the old covenant once we are led to Christ and through His life and teaching to be reconciled to God as One people united with Him via His Spirit.

The Final Judgment

Lawlessness in Paris: The gates of hell shall not prevail against, the church!

“…I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (Matt. 16:18 ESV)

The world was shocked when the many faceted attacks on Paris hit the news on November 13, 2015.

The Word of God resounded in my heart: “lawlessness will be increased” prior to our Lord’s return. He told his disciples this would occur as a sign. He went on to say: “the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. (Matt. 24: 12-14 ESV)

The above scripture indicates that “lawlessness will be increased” and “love of many will grow cold” and that we as disciples of Christ must heed the fact that the “gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.” Thus, we are not to lose heart but to take courage – the day of our Lord is approaching. A reckoning is coming, not only for ISIS but for the entire world.

Further He taught, that at His second advent He is coming to judge the world: “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.”and further, “They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet call, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.” (Matt. 24:27;30-31 ESV)

Note that Christ’s appearing will be visibly known by its brightness, audibly evident by the trumpet blasts, and angles will surround Him.

Apostle Paul added his prophecy to depict the resurrection of the faithful dead which will occur also at Christ’s coming in glory:

For the Lord himself will descend from heaven with a cry of command, with the voice of an archangel, and with the sound of the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and so we will always be with the Lord. Therefore encourage one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:16-8 ESV)

Incidents of lawless violence will only get worse yet true Christianity and the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ will resound more and more in the world, despite persecution. And this all is leading up to the solemn climactic event of  our Lord’s second advent to judge mankind.

We will all know when the Lord is coming. There will be a very bright, atomic-like radiance surrounding the glory of Jesus Christ when He comes back in His Supremacy as role of Life-giver and Judge over all the world: “For as the lightning comes from the east and shines as far as the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matt. 24:27) “Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him, and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him.” (Rev. 1:7 ESV)

Jesus came to offer a New Covenant of forgiveness, and peace with all mankind, based on love. He is our redeemer from sin and death, which has passed unto all men (see Rom 3:23; 6:23 ESV)

Jesus is also the Supreme Creator, God and Judge over the world (see Supremacy of Christ Colossians Chapter 1). The judgement will involve changing the way things we know it on earth, as He displays His glory:

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. Since all these things are thus to be dissolved, what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness, waiting for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be set on fire and dissolved, and the heavenly bodies will melt as they burn! But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells. (2 Peter 3: 10-13 ESV)

I take solace in this quote of Jesus when he referred to Peter, his oft-fearful disciple, who with the apostles would spread the gospel to the entire world. I take personal ownership of this text and with confidence I say of the church – of Christ’s universal disciples: “…all the gates of hell shall not prevail against us” (Matt. 16:18 ESV)

I understand that we are increasingly becoming fragile, naïve, forgetful of our forefather’s origins in Christ, fewer read the Word of God or have family worship where they kneel to pray together. Yet we can turn to the Lord and repent of our disregard, and He will immediately forgive: “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved.” (Acts 16:16:31 ESV)

It is high time to renew your confidence in the Lord and seek His guidance.

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 Paris Photo, Glen Jackman

Marriage

The Manifesto of Marital Love

“Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4 ESV)

Fewer people are getting married and of those many are divorcing. Marital levels of satisfaction tend to drop dramatically within the first few years together. Nevertheless, there are people who defy these odds – they live happily together for years and years. How do they accomplish this? The spirit of kindness and generosity guides them forward.

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Thousands of North American couples will tie the knot each year, committing to a unified relationship with the hope that it will be a dream made in heaven, and that the two will spend their days together until “death do us part”. We all know this isn’t happening in the larger statistic. What we often overlook is the smaller statistic of marriages that last. Now let’s examine what makes them last. Thirty percent of marriages do remain healthy and happy.

Psychologist John Gottman, over four decades, studied thousands of couples to determine what makes relationships work. Gottman with his wife Julie of The Gottman Institute in New York City study how to understand marital stability, which helps couples build and maintain loving, healthy relationships.

Measuring interviewed couples’ blood flow, heart rates, and how much they sweat they produced during dialogue, plus following up with them six years later to see if they were still together, offered interesting metrics. Their findings are distilled into two major groups: the masters – still happy after six years; and the disasters – who had either broken up or were very unhappily married.

What made the difference? Though the disasters “looked calm during the interviews, but their physiology, measured by the electrodes, told a different story. Their heart rates were quick, their sweat glands were active, and their blood flow was fast. Following thousands of couples longitudinally, Gottman found that the more physiologically active the couples were in the lab, the quicker their relationships deteriorated over time”. The disasters showed all the signs of being in fight-or-flight mode in their relationships during a conversation sitting next to their spouse as if meeting a bear in the woods. Hidden but revealed by the physiology, “even when they were talking about pleasant or mundane facets of their relationships, they were prepared to attack and be attacked. This sent their heart rates soaring and made them more aggressive toward each other”.

In comparison the masters “felt calm and connected together, which translated into warm and affectionate behavior, even when they fought. It’s not that the masters had, by default, a better physiological make-up than the disasters; it’s that masters had created a climate of trust and intimacy that made both of them more emotionally and thus physically comfortable”. 1

During a beautiful bed and breakfast retreat, 130 newlywed couples were assessed while cooking, cleaning, listen to music, dining, chatting, and hanging out. And Gottman made a critical discovery in this study:

Partners would make requests for connection, what Gottman calls ‘bids.’ For example, say that the husband is a bird enthusiast and notices a goldfinch fly across the yard. He might say to his wife, ‘Look at that beautiful bird outside!’ He’s not just commenting on the bird here: he’s requesting a response from his wife — a sign of interest or support — hoping they’ll connect, however momentarily, over the bird. The wife now has a choice. She can respond by either ‘turning toward’ or ‘turning away’ from her husband, as Gottman puts it. Though the bird-bid might seem minor and silly, it can actually reveal a lot about the health of the relationship. The husband thought the bird was important enough to bring it up in conversation and the question is whether his wife recognizes and respects that. People who turned toward their partners in the study responded by engaging the bidder, showing interest and support in the bid. Those who didn’t — those who turned away — would not respond or respond minimally and continue doing whatever they were doing, like watching TV or reading the paper. Sometimes they would respond with overt hostility, saying something like, ‘Stop interrupting me, I’m reading’. 1

When you think about your own relationship, how many times do we understand that our partner is reaching out for connection, to stop and listen to music together, go for a walk, or hit the cafe or the movie, perhaps after dinner. Gottman findings offer remarkable insights:

These bidding interactions had profound effects on marital well-being. Couples who had divorced after a six-year follow-up had ‘turn-toward bids’ 33 percent of the time. Only three in ten of their bids for emotional connection were met with intimacy. The couples who were still together after six years had ‘turn-toward bids’ 87 percent of the time. Nine times out of ten, they were meeting their partner’s emotional needs. 1

What Gottman and his wife Julie were observing is exactly what Christians need to understand are necessary components in a Christian marriage, based on the New Covenant love principle to “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.” (Philippians 2:4 ESV)

By observing these types of interactions, Gottman can predict with over 90 percent certainty whether couples will make it. Relationships rely on the spirit couples bring to the relationship. Kindness and generosity trumps contempt, criticism, and hostility.

The Gottman’s have got something worth remembering if you are married or considering marriage:

There’s a habit of mind that the masters have…which is this: they are scanning social environment for things they can appreciate and say thank you for. They are building this culture of respect and appreciation very purposefully. Disasters are scanning the social environment for partners’ mistakes…It’s not just scanning environment…It’s scanning the partner for what the partner is doing right or scanning him for what he’s doing wrong and criticizing versus respecting him and expressing appreciation. 1

A simple heuristic would be “what you look for you will find”. Kindness works in a law of reciprocity, if we are loving and kind, kindness is returned lovingly to us. The circle of love coming back to those who practice the principle of “do unto others as you would have them do unto you” (Jesus)

We can also learn about why we feel loved, displayed by generosity, and kindness from the Shakespearean play Romeo and Juliet: “My bounty is as boundless as the sea,” says Juliet. “My love as deep; the more I give to thee, The more I have, for both are infinite.”

King Solomon wrote the Song of Solomon as a poet. He knew a lot about women. “My beloved is mine, and I am his”. (Song of Solomon 2:16 ESV)

Contempt, anger, inattentiveness, living without forgiveness, are the killjoys of marital love. It’s simple math that the majority of people never learn, or ignore to their peril.

1 Science says lasting relationships come down to 2 basic traits, (Business Insider, 2015)

 

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Prayer, Uncategorized

How do you pray to have God answer you?

by Glen R. Jackman

“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” (1 John 5:14 ESV)

Pray according to God’s Will

The practical question that follows John’s assertion is: How can we know if we are praying according to God’s will? That is an intensely practical question to ask as we take the initiative to pray with a desire for God to hear us.

To properly understand 1 John 5:14, we must connect the words “anything according to his will” with “ask”– not focusing only on the word “anything” without condition. A prayer is not an all-inclusive abracadabra as if it is a word spoken by a magician when performing a magic trick. We cannot ask for anything outside of His divine will. God won’t be used as if we’re making a wish to a big genie in the sky.

Similarly, let’s connect “he hears us” with “the confidence that we have toward him”. Not only the thing asked for, but also the attitude and trust of the one who is asking must be in line with God’s will. Both the thing asked for and the spirit of asking must be in a committed, respectful, harmony towards God regarding His will expressed in the scriptures.

Jesus’ teaching continually connected the answer to prayer with a life that was being lived according to God’s will, bearing evident godly fruit: trusting, forgiving, merciful, humble, peaceful, believing, asking in His name, abiding in His love, observing/keeping His commands, and having His words abiding within and being born anew and led by the Holy Spirit. “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” (John 14:15 ESV) A life in line with God’s will, can and will ask according to God’s will.

When you live according to God’s will, you are spiritually able to discern what to ask for. A life yielded to and molded by the will of God will know what and how to pray. “For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.” (Rom 8:26 ESV) Boldness in prayer comes from the assurance that the way – the disposition of asking and the thing asked for are both according to the will of God.

New Covenant, Uncategorized

Christ achieved the unity of Man with God

Within the inner private depths of every man, there is the mysterious essence of a man’s being. Without reference to any other part of man’s complex nature – psychological categories of the subconscious mind – the ego, id, super-ego, will – whatever name has been assigned by the greatest psychologists such as Carl Jung, or Sigmund Freud, here we find the inner man – his or her significant self.

Do you know Who you are? From God’s perspective, man’s being or self-recognition is the consciousness of the man’s “I Am,” which is a gift from the great “I AM” who created him. “I AM” is the name that God told Moses to call Him when he returned to Egypt to rescue the Jewish slaves prior to the Exodus.

The sense of “I am” individually comes from God, who is underived and self-existent. The “I am” which is man is derived from God and dependent every moment upon His creative authority and sustenance for each person’s continued existence. “For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him” (Col. 1:15 ESV)

The “I AM” – the initiator – the Creator, is above all, He dwells in unapproachable light. The other “I am John”, or “I am Sarah”, is the individual created man or woman – each a creature though privileged beyond all others – a creature, reliant on God’s provisional bounty of life.

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Within the depth of man – the human entity – is what the Scriptures refer to as the spirit of man. “For who knows a person’s thoughts except the spirit of that person, which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God” (I Cor. 2:11) Man’s self-knowledge is by his own spirit. God’s self-knowledge lies in His eternal Spirit.

If we are to understand the knowledge of God, and fully comprehend who we personally  it must be by the direct impression of the Spirit of God upon the spirit of man. It is important to grasp this difference: Man is NOT a bodily creature having a spirit. Rather he is a spirit having a body. That which makes him a human being is not his body but his spirit.

Jesus gives man clarity to see that each individual is an important son or daughter of God. The image of God originally was created present within man at creation. How do we get back to this state or at least nearer to this state we had at creation? The goal of Jesus was to bring us back to our state of mind that allows us to open our viewpoint to this paradigm: “he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father”, with the result that we are “no longer strangers and aliens, but…fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God” and we are “being joined together…into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:18-22 ESV)

Why is the New Covenant that important The New Testament presents a New Covenant teaching of Jesus Christ, which He taught was to begin after His death and resurrection and ascension to His Father. In fact, while sharing the wine at the last supper He said, “this is my blood of the covenant” – to use a metaphor for His blood that he would soon shed on behalf of man to achieve this new relationship agreement we can now have with God (see Matt.26:28). The cross would sift out the true followers of God, who would respond to recognize Christ’s work of redemption when He sacrificed His life for our sin to ransom us from death. They would listen to the call of the gospel to come into His kingdom to enjoy a renewed relationship with the Father via His Spirit uniting with their spirits.

“But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him… God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:23, 24 ESV)

The very nature of worship is indicated to be wholly spiritual. True religion is removed from the former legalistic methods of the Jewish race given by Moses as shadow-types – metaphors of the true union of man with God. These old rituals were tutorials meant to teach men about restoring the union with God that Jesus would come to achieve through changing the point of view and the method of the old covenant’s diet and days, garments and ceremonies, holy and most holy places, placing it where it always belonged – in the reality of the union of the spirit of man with the Spirit of God.

From man’s standpoint, the most tragic loss suffered in his falling away from God after creation (through disobedience of God’s command), was the vacating of this inner sanctum by the Spirit of God which then was in union with the spirit of man.

At the epicentre of man’s being, within his mind, is to be the dwelling place of the Triune God – the Most Holy place of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Therein is the place where God planned to dwell – to rest in unity with man from the beginning of creation – within the temple of man’s body, within its citadel – in man’s mind, in his thoughts, within the perception of his conscientious attention, feelings and intention. God desires that man seek Him as his loving Father, inquire of, and be guided in life by Him.

The New Covenant teaches that after the cross, and after the outpouring of the gift of the Holy Spirit, which occurred after Christ’s ascension (see Acts 2), the temple of the Holy Spirit resides within the mind of man, within the fellowship of believers in allegiance to the New Covenant of Jesus Christ. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own” (1 Cor. 6:19 ESV)

Teaching about the Holy Spirit is central to the New Covenant Jesus taught His disciples, prior to His ascension, the following importance of the reunification of the Spirit of God with the spirit of man as the essential determinate of a true Christian within the New Covenant. The plan of the cross was to teach man about his utter rebellion and departure from the original union God had at creation with man. This rebellion would be proven by mankind’s actual crucifixion of his own creator. The text quoted above was about the supremacy of Jesus Christ from the beginning of time: “by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth” (see Colossians ch. 1). As the Son of God, in union with the Father, He assured the disciples the following:

“I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth…you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you… In that day you will know that I am in my Father, and you in me, and I in you” (John 14:16-17a; 20 ESV)

Note how instrumental Jesus is in this reunification of God the Father reaching out in the plan of redemption to offer the provision of His interactive, communicative Spirit as a gift of reunion with mankind. “The Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things” (John 14:26 ESV) Again we see that Jesus is sending the Spirit, though the Spirit proceeds from the Father: “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:26 ESV)

Here we see that the Spirit relates what Jesus has as creator to communicate with the creature: “When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you…he will take what is mine and declare it to you” (John 16:13-14 ESV) Looking at John ch. 15, in context, this communicative guidance of words – or Scripture in our perspective – is coming from Jesus via the Spirit in close relationship to the disciple abiding with Jesus, which is indicated here: “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you…when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me” (John 15:7,26 ESV)

Jesus prayed this prayer for his disciples and for all who would believe the Gospel message to mankind about the impartation of the Holy Spirit reuniting man’s spirit to God’s Spirit again as one family relating together as one unit: “…that they may be one, even as we are one…that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one.” (John 17:11, 20-23 ESV)

God wants to accomplish complete unity among His children on earth who accept His New Covenant arrangement. He desires to dwell with man’s spirit united individually and collectively in the church with His Spirit as one fellowship. The Christian church is the goal of the Spirit of the Father in Jesus Christ imparted also to His covenant believers who unite intelligently, allegiant to Him: “I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity.” (John 17:23 NIV)

The mind of man as the temple of God is so intimately private – a place that no creature can intrude; no one can enter, but Christ’s Spirit; and He will enter only by the invitation of faith. “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.” (Rev. 3:20). By the mysterious operation of the Spirit in the new birth, that which is called by Peter “the divine nature” enters the conscious core of the believer’s heart and establishes residence there. “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.” for “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children” (Rom. 8:9, 16 NASB). Such a one is a true Christian, and only such.

Your new identity As a child of God we are directed by the Lord to “be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” (Eph. 4:23-24 ESV) Our spirits, united to and regenerated by the Spirit of God, to live holy lives, now takes on a new identity. We are now sons and daughters of God.

Replacing tradition with a relationship to Jesus Christ Baptism, confirmation, the receiving of the sacraments, church membership – these mean nothing unless the supreme act of God in regeneration also takes place – via the indwelling of the Spirit of God. Religious externals such as keeping one day per week holy may have a meaning for the God-inhabited soul; for many others they are not only useless but may actually become snares, deceiving them into a false and perilous sense of security. Therefore, it is important to understand the importance of this study, to “keep your heart with all vigilance, for from it flow the springs of life” (Prov. 4:23 ESV)

 

Prayer

How to pray effectively like Jesus

glen001-sm By Glen R. Jackman

“And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers.” (Luke 2:47 ESV)

Let the Word of God fill your heart While Jesus walked on earth, He both knew the scriptures well, and He treasured the Word of God in His heart. In the temptation in the wilderness and on every opportunity that presented itself until His death on the cross, He met every situation that arose against Him with the Word of God that filled His heart.

“I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.” (Psalm 119:11 ESV)

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Pray over the promises of God’s Word In Jesus’s prayer life, He taught us two things: first, God’s Word supplies us with material for prayer right in the Bible, encouraging us to expect every solution to come from God’s direction and intervention. Second, it is only by prayer that we can live such a life so that every Word of God can be utilized for overcoming obstacles, temptation, antagonistic situations, and know God’s purpose for our lives day by day and fulfill the Spirit’s influence over our life to glorify God, while serving Jesus Christ.

“For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1:4 NASB)

How can we come to the place where the Word and prayer may each have its undivided right of guidance over us? There is only one answer: our lives must be entirely transformed to live by the same methods that Jesus did — dependency on the Word of God as we pray over the scriptures.

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 ESV)

Our schedule must include time for Bible study We must assess our priorities, and assign actual time to learn how to read, study and bring the power of the Word of God into our life. By faith, we read a verse and pray over its application to our life, and our close family’s lives.

We must, by faith in what God will do in us, appropriate the heavenly life of Christ just as He related directly to the Father to find out God’s will for everything He did as He lived here on earth. We can and must have the certain expectation that the Spirit, who filled Jesus with the Word and prayer, and guided Him daily, will also accomplish that work in us.

“You search the Scriptures…it is they that bear witness about me” (John 5:39 ESV)

Let us understand that God the Holy Spirit is essentially the Spirit of the Word and the Spirit of prayer; He is also the Spirit of the Lord Jesus who is in us to make us truly partakers of His life. If we firmly believe this and set our hearts upon it, then there will come a change in our use of God’s Word and believing prayer such as we could not have thought possible.

Why not begin by asking the Father in prayer “Lord Jesus, by your Holy Spirit, live Your life through me. Fill me with your Word and with prayer. Make me a partaker of Your life — transformed into your likeness as the scripture reads: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5 ESV)

Authority of the Bible, Compared Religions, Jesus Christ, Salvation, Uncategorized

Does anyone own the Truth?

glen001-sm By Glen R. Jackman

You may have pondered the thought, asking, “Does anyone own the truth”, and concluded, “no one owns the truth”. Let’s look at this together.

Pilate before Jesus was crucified asked Him, “What is truth”?Jesus had claimed that He not only had the truth, He owned the truth and was actually the embodiment of Truth. During His ministry on earth, embedded in His teaching was the fact that He was the Son of God, the creator of the universe, of man, and thus the master creator of the languages of mathematics, physics, DNA, speech, of every intertwined law we’ve heard of and researched as scientists.

Hence, His ownership of all truths and laws of creation makes Him, both creator and sustainer of every law, including the law of Love – the sustainer of relationships. He combined and centered the statement proclaiming that He was the Truth, with the “Way, the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6 NIV). He is the way to Life, and the truth of why we have our being and can function standing free on the earth, with a thinking mind and conscience. The way is via the map of His intertwining physical laws and the ways of the mind and the heart of love which lead to Life – a fuller joy filled Life, more abundantly lived with confidence. (see John 10:10).

Jesus knows you personally from birth. Moreover, Jesus as the Son of God with the Father know us intimately. Have a look at a few points Jesus articulated on how He knows every one of His people on earth. He came to reveal the love of His heavenly Father to us. Speaking of little children that He was blessing He said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:10 NASB) Children have angles watching over them as military guards on behalf of the Father and the Son.

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Jesus knew every disciple before He selected them. When He saw Nathanael coming towards Him, He said, “there is an Israelite without any deceit in Him”. “Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” (John 1:48 ESV)

Jesus like His Father in heaven knows us even prior to our birth. Jesus created this earth as noted by the apostle Paul, whom Jesus chose to articulate His mission on earth. He said: “He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” (Col. 1: 15-17 ESV)

The entire bible speaks of God’s intimacy with mankind. King David noted God’s creative powers attributed to His birth: “For you formed my inward parts; you knitted me together in my mother’s womb.” (Ps. 139: 13 ESV) He also admitted that God personally knew him, that God is not some abstract unknown being or force or many gods who play handball with our minds [Montaigne], but one who is intimate with His people: “O LORD, you have searched me and known me!” and further that He knows every action and thought of our being: “You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar. You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways”. (Ps. 139: 1-3 ESV)

Jesus knows the time of a man’s death. When Jesus was summoned by Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, he knew that Lazarus would ultimately live: “Lazarus was ill. So the sisters sent to him, saying, “Lord, he whom you love is ill”. But when Jesus heard it he said, “This illness does not lead to death. It is for the glory of God so that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” (John 11:2-4 ESV) In a short while, Lazarus died though Jesus brought him back to life which glorified God.

Jesus knows who have the faith to follow His truth and way. Jesus is actually aware of who will accept the teaching of His death and resurrection as an act which He achieved on behalf of sinful man to redeem him legally from eternal death – in other words, Jesus died in your place as a substitutionary ransom for your life. He died so that you would go to heaven ultimately to be with Him. “All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23 NIV) because “When Adam sinned, sin entered the world. Adam’s sin brought death, so death spread to everyone, for everyone sinned”. (Rom. 5:12 NLT)

Jesus does not forget his own children. My mother loved this text and held on to it until the day that she died: “I go and prepare a place for you, I will come and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am” (John 14:3 NIV)

The Gospel simply means the Good News to mankind. The Gospel only asks that by faith you accept this and in so doing you accept that Jesus is your creator and sustainer in Life and after your death He will give you eternal life. Knowing the mind of man, and what is in man’s motives and thoughts towards Him, he calls those whose heart will hear the calling via the Spirit: “For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the ways of his Son” and, “those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified” (Rom. 8:29-30)

By accepting Jesus as the Way, the Truth and the sustainer of your life – of all Life, we are forgiven and the legal term is justified, made right with God by your faith in Jesus. Not a bad deal, I would say if you trust Him by faith as I do and as my mother did. If you have a struggle with faith, pray to Jesus to show you the way to believe. Say “Lord, help my unbelief”.

He is still calling men and women to Himself. “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28)

The Final Judgment

Christ versus the Dark Side of Globalization

Human nature will prevail against man’s humanistic drive

Nations seem to be working hard to use the element of surprise in international relations in a competitive manner. What is going on during  ongoing extensive globalization? Divergence trumps convergence of unity. Just watching the power plays of Russia versus the USA, ISIS terrorization of Christians and non-conforming Arabs, Iran versus Israel and China claiming islands in the South China Sea.

Divisional fragmentation, rather than tolerance of differences, is creating a world of fracturing capital, power and ideas. The weaponization of everything: Globalization’s dark side. Reuters

Jesus told of a coming time before His Second Advent when there will be anguish, perplexity of nations, terror, and the world becoming apprehensive of their future: “There will be signs in the sun, moon and stars. On the earth, nations will be in anguish and perplexity at the roaring and tossing of the sea. People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken. At that time, they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” (Luke 21:25-28 NIV)

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The infrastructure of the societal enabler of globalization — finance, technology, energy, law, education, science, trade and travel — have all been turned into weapons in a new form of warfare in this so-called humanitarian ideal — the global village. These forces are being morphed into divisive weapons against the unification of peoples. Collectively mankind has gone crazy.

The minds of fallen mankind are as Jeremiah put it “deceitful” beyond comprehension, while trying to join their many cultures, religions, political contingencies, ideologies whilst jockeying for power with intrigue. The inner deceits of mankind ramped up to a political, nationalistic, politically dogmatic pitch, now to the highest frenzy where motives are masked and hidden, where transparency of brotherhood cannot prevail. Globalization is the foundation of a collective humanity which is in fact, delusional: “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jer. 17:9 NIV)

Here is the proof that we’re in trouble:
1. Technology has brought cyber-hacking warfare. Personal data of roughly 22.1 million government employees, as well as their families and friends, has been exposed in the USA as well as top corporate secrets, and financial theft is rampant, from use of your credit card, your desktop computer or mobile phone.
2. Finance has been infiltrated by thieves through global payment systems, stock market brokerage trading houses using rapid flash trading, and national manipulation of currencies for ascendancy in commerce.
3. The Internet has been weaponized for a) marketing the wealthiest companies who pay Google for rankings, while the smaller businesses get pushed down the pike and metaphorically kicked off the village streets, b) pornography is now being offered freely Googled into the computers, served up to unprotected children and adolescents at an unprecedented rate. Surveys indicate that “14% of 9- to 16-year-olds had seen porn during the previous year…and that survey also predated smartphones and iPads, which have made porn much easier to access, with the explosive increase in free material”.  The Economist | Pornography (1)
4. Religion has been mobilized by political church leaders espousing how to fix the world behind a historic facade of political global power that began pre-Reformation after Christ and the apostles, with little mention of the salvation of souls or the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to unify men in love.
5. Trade and has rigged through trade agreements that make it easy to source cheap labour and products globally while jobs are killed off by the millions at home.
6. Law has been weaponized through the empowerment of top justices to remake the laws of the land, who bow to the proud claims of group minority rights such as same-sex marriage.
7. Energy has been weaponized through pipeline alliances and the use of oil production as strategic tools such as fracking, and atrocities such as corporations being given huge tax breaks and free land where they have been ripping huge holes in Northern Alberta’s oil sands and polluting the environment for years.
8. Mining has been plundered by wealthy corporations, who came, saw, and conquered virgin lands — corporations rape natural resources, deforesting huge acreages, then leave gaping polluted craters worldwide such as surrounding the Sudbury, Ontario nickel mining region.
9. Regurgitated media without a moral compass abounds. Social communication and networking has been bastardized, with a barrage of dumbed-down superficial quotes and media in FaceBook to the degree you cannot find your children on FB without scrolling 3 yards down, while tempted to “like” what annoys the intellectual mind, to businesses networking vicariously online using LinkedIn — a game of social roulette — rather than just picking up the phone.
10. Privacy has been destroyed, as government airplanes (in the USA as revealed by Edward Snowden) hover over cities monitoring mobile chats and texts by creating government cell towers in transit, while the largest mobile companies offer up all communication paths for security’s sake —  Big Brother is — watching —  listening.

The scriptures indicate that two-thirds of the world will not repent prior to the Lord’s return in the clouds with power and great glory: “By these three plagues a third of mankind was killed….” whereas “the rest of mankind, who were not killed by these plagues… did they repent of their murders or their sorceries or their sexual immorality or their thefts”. (Rev. 9:18, 20 ESV) The evils noted are, murder, sorceries (witchcraft, tarot cards, fortune telling, mediums etc.) and sexual immorality (pornography, adultery, rape, homosexuality, lesbianism), and theft (on a global scale).

It also depicts a time when commerce will be blocked by a Big Brother force of evil control over world markets: “no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name”. (Rev. 3:17 NIV)

The velocity and impact of weaponizing today’s tools of global integration create an age of unprecedented interdependence with anyone anytime. It makes the oppressed youth rise up as they did in the Arab Spring, and assists collaborations with “entitled” refugees, most of whom are young men. We see an asymmetry of power. Strengths are becoming weaknesses and weaknesses strengths. For example, dependency on the Internet allows rogue cyberattacks. Wealthy and powerful institutions of immense power now can be brought low by rogue hackers thousands of miles away.

The vulnerability of everyone’s retirement assets everywhere may be at risk. Not only are fewer pension funds for retirement except in the fields of health care, education, and government. Stock exchanges can be distorted by trading glitches and sudden unexplained activity spikes. Investors can no longer have full confidence in the sources or uses of their capital. When elite global brokerages use trading software compete with the individual day trader via the sophisticated algorithms of flash trading a critical foundation of trade and commerce is rendered impotent.

Tomorrow, climate, space, genomics and pharmacy may be weaponized against us. The weaponization of everything: Globalization’s dark side. Reuters

Think of globalization as the new Trojan horse for the greatest enemies of peace that Satan is deploying.

On the religious side of globalization

Many are far more interested in enlarging their business horizons or securing personal wealth, than spreading the gospel which is a command of Jesus Christ for Christians.

Islam is on a rapid march as they take hold of globalization for the purpose of worldwide mass indoctrination. It is estimated that due to Islam’s population rising while other adults have fewer children, they will be the major population demographic in the world. Most of the world does not know about the only way to salvation as informed by the apostles: “There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12 NLT)

 

New Covenant

The New Covenant: Claiming God’s promises

glen001-sm by Glen R. Jackman

In the book of Hebrews, we see that Jesus Christ is our mediator before the Father  — our go-to representative. It is important that we see that when He died on the cross He instituted the New Covenant as the Word of God makes it clear. “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many” (Mark 14:24)

Further, we see the connection in the book of Hebrews:

“But in fact the ministry Jesus has received is as superior to theirs as the covenant of which he is mediator is superior to the old one, since the new covenant is established on better promises” (Hebrews 8:6 NIV).

Here we see that the New Covenant instituted on the cross by Christ is superior to the previous Old Covenant given to the Jews which they understood as “salvation by works”. The New Covenant is based on Christ’s dying for our sins on the cross in our place – dying the death which was ours to bear – which offers forgiveness of our sins for all who accept His sacrifice.

Some might say, “Hmm, I’m not that bad. Buddy is worse than me. I do good things. God isn’t going to judge anyone!” Yet the Bibles states that “death has passed unto all men” (Romans 5:12 NIV) and makes it clear that “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23 ESV)

By putting our faith in Him and claiming the promises of God such as “And everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved” (Acts 2:21 NIV), we are forgiven. The Jews thought they could be and do everything the law required of them, on their own steam, yet failed because they did not have a new heart. They were not born again of the Holy Spirit.

Looking at the establishment of these “better promises” we can locate the promised blessedness of the New Covenant that is offered to us. The new covenant was mentioned in Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. (Ezekiel 36:25-27 ESV)

Our Father in Heaven is a father over His kingdom of all who follow Him by accepting His Son, Jesus Christ as Lord. He desires that we live in harmony within His family, and respect each other based on love and justice – right living. Such principles lead to a happy and fulfilled life.

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The apostle Paul wrote similar recognition of the importance of the New Covenant work of the Holy Spirit within our minds: “in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.” (Romans 8:4 ESV) “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God” (Romans 8:14 ESV) Jesus said “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God” (John 3:5 ESV)

The Lord’s work is accomplished by the indwelling Holy Spirit. The New Covenant promised a cleansing of our impure way of living, which is accomplished by receiving a new heart and mind that appreciates God’s laws which are based on love. The promise is offered and God always accomplishes His promises. Yet he makes it clear that we must collaborate with him and claim the promises as our own as we ask him to achieve them. He said “I am the LORD; I have spoken, and I will do it” and “This also I will let the house of Israel ask me to do for them” (verse 36-37) In this context, God also made promises to restore Israel in their land and bless them in many physical ways, not just spiritually. In keeping with this, Jesus taught that we need not worry about our physical needs such as food or clothing or shelter if we seek God first: “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you” (Matthew 6:33) And the Bible teaches that seeking God, means praying to Him: “I sought the Lord. I kept my hand raised in prayer throughout the night” (Psalm 77:2)

The fulfillment of the great promises of the New Covenant depends on prayer. In answer to the prayer of Jeremiah, God had said: “I will put a desire in their hearts to worship me, and they will never leave me…” (Jeremiah 32:40). And to Ezekiel He had spoken: “I will put my Spirit in you so you will obey my laws and do whatever I command” (Ezekiel 36:27).

Often in our unbelief we do not expect these promises to be truly fulfilled. We do not have the faith in the mighty power of God that He is waiting to make His promise true in our individual experience. God has said that without such faith our experience will only be partial and limited. However, He has graciously showed us the way in which such faith can be found. It is as we call out to him in prayer!

“Ask me and I will tell you some remarkable secrets about what is going to happen here” (Jeremiah 33:3).

When individual men and women prayerfully turn to God with their whole hearts the Lord is pleased to fulfill His promises to renew the heart and mind by the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit. We need to pray that the power of the Holy Spirit may be deeply known and that our faith may be strengthened to claim and to expect His power to overcome sin in our lives.