The BIG Picture (Q&A)

The following discourse is commentary from a social media site based on reactions to one of my posts. The main context of this Q&A is concerning hearing God's voice and walking in righteousness. There are some important lessons to learn regarding how we hear God's voice and how we walk according to the Spirit and not according to our own 'works' or efforts. Questions or comments in the post are bulleted. "John 10 says “My sheep hear my voice and follow me.” Do you hear his voice and obey him?" The only way to 'hear' His voice is through the written word of God. It is the word of God within you, acquired through reading and studying it and gaining understanding in it that embeds God's Spirit within you. Jesus says in Jn6:63, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." So, to get God's Spirit in you, you need to get into the written Word of God and get it into you. It is through the knowledge and underst...

Justification is the FIRST step in being saved. It starts by hearing the grace gospel. What is the gospel? It is to come to the understanding that without Christ, you have no hope and you have fallen short of God's righteousness because you are a sinner and at enmity with God. It is then to know that because of God's love for you, Christ died for you and through His death, burial, and resurrection, you have a way to come into right standing with God. Having heard these things, it is a matter of choosing to believe in Christ, and trust that His cross work has the power to save you. It is to understand that because of your decision to trust in God's Son, He will justify you and seal you unto that day of redemption. Understand that your choice to trust in Christ sets in motion a transaction in heaven that permanently and utterly saves you. All this is God's work, that once done, due to your decision to trust Jesus Christ, is irreversible and sealed. God cannot go against...

Why did God send us the Holy Spirit in the first place? I answer this question by posting an article written by Arthur Licursi which perfectly lays out the role of the Holy Spirit in this age of grace, as compared to the role of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost in the Kingdom program. Also, Arthur clarifies how we interact with the Holy Spirit today and what it means to be ‘filled with the Spirit’. I encourage you to take the time to carefully read through this well-written and highly informative article: The Holy Spirit Today Paul exhorts the grace believers of this age to  “be filled with the Spirit.”  This is because today the  filling with the Spirit  is now a  goal , an  attainment ,  as Paul here, by inspiration, sets before the church. “Be filled with the Spirit”  (Eph. 5:18);  “be filled  with the fruits of righteousness” (Phil. 1:11); “ be filled  with the knowledge of His will” (Col. 1:9); “ be filled  with all ...

There are two things to understand concerning this question, ~1~ A man can NEVER be free from guile, falsehood, and wickedness, since the state of man in the flesh is unsalvageable! "The flesh", even as it  remains in the believer after salvation , is that which is "begotten [ birthed ] of the flesh" (John 3:6)  from parent to child tracing all the way back to Adam by whom  "Sin entered the world" (Romans 5:12). It is called ,  "the flesh," "the old man," "the natural man," "the carnal mind" and "the old Adamic nature". With respect to "the flesh" in the believer, the Apostle Paul declares that in it "dwells no good thing" (Romans 7:18), that it is "carnal, sold under sin" (Romans 7:14), that it is "corrupt according to the deceitful lusts" (Ephesians 4:22), that it is at "enmity against God," and it is "not subject to the law of God, neither inde...

Answer Request: Is it okay to take a break from Christianity and come back to it when I feel my faith is real? There is so much to say in answering this question. In short, as a believer, you are not under law, but under grace. God is not holding a sword to your neck. He gives you liberty to live your life as you choose. God is not going to punish you if you sin. Punishment and grace are opposed to each other. What will come to you is consequences. This is not by God’s hand, but simply a universal law of what you sow you reap! If you choose to go out sinning, you will reap the consequences of those actions. If you abuse substances, you will have to live with the consequences of the overdose and the results of your actions while in that state. Your question is an interesting one, but we have to look at it from a different angle. —If you are truly saved, you are changed from the inside. Your heart is changed and the motivation to take a break from Christianity, or delve into...

The answer to this question changes a bit if you understand that the Bible is the Word of God. So we could actually be asking, "How do you live according to God's Word, or the instructions of God?" . With this in mind we then need to ask, "What is God's instructions to me?" Asking it this way avoids the mind getting stuck in the idea that the Bible is a book, and even worse, a book of rules!!! This is what most people think of the Bible and why many get stuck in a pattern of living by rules and traditions. Let's get back to the question, "How do we live according to God's instructions?" If we see the Bible as God's instructions, we must ask, "What instructions are for me?" You see, the Bible is a book that spans millennia and the instructions in it are not all applicable to us today. God's instructions to Moses and the Israelites in the wilderness are not for us as it was in a different time and under different circumstan...

A question in response to this post:  Should we have a 'Pentecost' encounter today? Question: Answer Request: So then, how do you dismiss the testimonies of millions of believers today who testify to a “Pentecost” experience? How do you explain the thousands documented in Acts that came to faith through the preaching of the disciples (not directly by Jesus) who also were baptised by the Holy Spirit? I can see how one may arrive to the conclusion you have drawn (although it is quite a stretch) but I and millions of others see no clear, unambiguous directive in Scripture that states that the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Church has ceased, or that signs and wonders should not accompany those who believe.  Joel‬ 2:28-32 And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh; Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, Your old men shall dream dreams, Your young men shall see visions. And also on My menservan...

Answer Request: Is it possible that Romans 12:2 is saying that to fully know the mind of God, an individual must not love the pleasures of this world in order to be reborn of the spirit? Just off the bat, I don't think we will ever be able to fully know the mind of God. The book of Job, chapter 38, confirms that absolutely. On the other hand, I know the Bible says, "We have the mind of Christ" (1 Cor.2:16), but this is only thoughts that the Holy Spirit shares with us daily based on knowledge or wisdom for life decisions and guidance. Nevertheless, let me pose an answer based on my views. When one gets saved, it is the beginning of a life-long journey of sanctification. The habits and desires of that worldly life you knew does not instantaneously disappear when you come to salvation. It is your spirit that is regenerated! Your mind is not touched! So, all those habits and 'bad' desires are still lingering around and will remain there unless you rep...

I came to salvation very early in life and I remained an immature Christian for a long period of time. During this period of 'sitting on the fence' I regretted things that my worldly friends did but I was told (by parents and church folk) not to do. I was always under pressure to try an make the right choices even though I wanted to just let loose! It felt to me like I was trapped in a bubble of laws and expectations that I didn't want to have and that limited my exploration of the world around me. So, thinking back on that period of my life, I can completely understand your question. However, a few years back I came into an understanding of God's Word that completely revolutionized the way I perceived His Word, His plan for us, His salvation, and His expectations for us in our daily living. Today, I am not on the fence, by my own choice . My understanding of what God has done for me, the knowledge I have gained from His Word regarding His plan for me, His will for my l...

Answer Request If I commit sins on earth and live a bad life but I am saved, are the consequences of those sins eternal? If so, how do I have a change of mind about my sins? As a grace believer, that is, if you have heard and responded in faith to the grace gospel , your sins are removed from you and placed upon the body and cross of Jesus Christ. In other words, Jesus took the blame for every sin you commit and it was placed upon Him as if He was the one who did the sin. This is why God, who cannot look upon sin (Hab.1:13), forsook Jesus and left Him alone at the cross. Remember, on the cross Jesus cried out "My God, why have you forsaken me!" (Matt.27:45-46) It's a sobering thought to understand that your sin, whether you fall in moments of weakness, or choose to do it, is placed on Christ and that He suffered the wrath of God for you. So, the bottom line is that those sins are not counted against you today. This is the absolute marvel of G...

A short while ago I watched a video of a theological debate featuring 3 prominent speakers who represent 3 different denominations. As a host asked various questions, each of the panelists would respond, and the theology of these participants differed from mildly to wildly depending on the questions. It was interesting to watch how each defended their particular view of theology, and even though they validated their points with scriptures and good arguments, it was quite sad to see how they made the whole debate complex and divisive based on their differences. In Acts 17, Paul arrives at Athens and sees an array of idols set up around the city, probably near the Areopagus, or Mars Hill, where a council of civic leaders met, as well as the Epicurean and Stoic philosophers, who were always looking to discover something "new" to discuss. Can you imagine the debates that those philosophers had, each believing in a different god and different theologies. How much did the opinions...

There are many entries in the Bible that encourage us to 'stand' . Understanding the context of this word is not difficult. The word stand is rendered as a noun, and brings about the interpretation as, an attitude towards a particular issue; a position taken in an cause or debate. Some synonyms of stand (as a noun) would be: viewpoint, opinion, attitude, belief. The following scripture verses from Paul's epistles all use the word 'stand' in this context, encouraging one to hold your ground, to be firm in your position and faith, to be stabilized in your view, Romans 5:2 By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand , and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 1 Corinthians 16:13 Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. Galatians 5:1 Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Ephesians 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be...

As seen by the verses quoted below, Paul uses the phrase, "redeeming the time" in a few instances within his epistles. What does this expression mean, and how do we apply this advice into our daily walk. Colossians 4:5 Walk in wisdom toward them that are without [ie: in your interactions with non-believers] , redeeming the time . Ephesians 5:15 See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16 Redeeming the time , because the days are evil. 17 Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is. The word rendered here as "redeeming" , means to "to buy up" or "buy back" . In the context of the above verses we can understand it as,  to rescue or recover our time from waste; to improve it for better, or for more noble purposes. When I was younger, I struggled with the concept of 'walk in the Spirit' (Galatians 5:16). I'd get out of bed in the morning saying, "Now remember, Stay in the spir...