Tag Archives: spiritual reality

September 29, 2012 · 12:40 pm

Evidence of a New Creature

There are several facts that the ministry of Jesus has established and therefore our lives present evidence to the world of His truth. One of those facts has to do with the identity of those who have been born of the Spirit. The born again experience is the beginning of a spiritual journey on the path to understanding our new identity. While we are on our way to a full understanding we are still able to present evidence that may also help others to start or continue on their path.

Since Jesus is the Master copy of our identity it is a form of idol worship or pride to focus on any other person other that Jesus as a role model of our identity. Scripture does give us permission to imitate followers of Christ but in that we are still looking at how Christlikeness is being reflected in our brothers and sisters. A lot of people are on the journey to becoming like their earthly spiritual leaders and lot of leaders begin to enjoy the flattery and enter into pride.

Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

Our earthly body, after the spiritual awakening of the new birth, begins to experience the effects of life in this material world and becomes sensitive to the Presence of God’s Holy Spirit living within. Our response and cooperation with this new life inside our body is evidence that we present to others. The strengthening of our health and the immunity from sickness and the ability to demonstrate divine healing in the lives of those we come into contact with are some of the first pieces of evidence we present along our spiritual journey. Current religious interpretation of biblical scripture would move our focus on a future time when we will receive this divine health in our new body and overlook the potential of this earthly body to experience what happens once the Holy Spirit takes up residence.

Jesus presented some fantastic evidence of what our flesh and blood bodies can do when the Spirit of God tabernacles with us and our bodies become the house of God. We must not pass over the opportunities to present evidence of the Kingdom of God within by looking forward to a future and better day. Right now we Sons and Daughters of God must learn to use spiritual disciplines to deny the lust of our flesh so we can completely (spirit, soul, body) operate as we were designed by our creator.

Romans 8:18-19 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. ¹⁹For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God.

Romans 8:15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

The world is a jury of our peers and they desperately need evidence to understand that they also can know Jesus the Master and live a life that worships God so they can love their neighbors. God calls and sends us into the world to demonstrate what we see our Friend and Master do. However a lot of today’s Christian religious interpretation tends to encourage us to use the tactics of the Old Testament and build walls of protection. From behind these walls we can pull others out of the world to safety so they can hide in fear of those without until Jesus returns so we are not left behind.

Another interpretation of spiritual reality is that we have been adopted by God and we can walk in the authority of Jesus presenting evidence and causing many people to also become disciples of Jesus. Becoming born again and then hiding out in fear of the evil in the world makes a waste of our Master’s ministry. Not only does Holy Spirit bear witness (Romans 8:16) of this interpretation but creation itself is waiting for us to understand our identity so we can exercise that authority and also free it from the bondage of sin. This will only happen when we begin to live in this earthly body like the heirs of God’s offspring that we truly are.

My friends I encourage you to consciously focus your attention on Jesus our Master and Lord that we may partake in His understanding of our relationship with our Father in heaven. If we do this we can imitate Jesus and effectively fulfill the calling and demonstrate what it means to be Christian. A lot of us will need to enter a process to humble ourselves, repent and let go of our personal will so the great I AM can have reign in this body thus bringing about God’s will on earth.

Once we are free from the use of earthly strategies we can begin to live a more spiritual life. This new life with God’s Spirit, which also quickened the dead body of Jesus, does not only restore our body but He grants us powers that can only be described as super-natural so we can help other see truth. This is the evidence that this world needs in order to cause it to look or relook at what God our Father is offering.

The only fear we should have is in a belief that says “God has left our temple, which is our body”. Biblical scripture clearly states that He will never leave or forsake us.

So we present this evidence, even while on our spiritual journey of becoming transformed. The Spirit of God is willing to tabernacle (take up residence inside) with all men and women thus making each a true body of Christ. We are new creatures, God in man, man in God. This is the way Adam was created and lived before he experienced separation, and this is the way Jesus (the second Adam) has come and restored to us.

We must receive and take up the call and allow God to present evidence through us to everyone we meet. Freely His Spirit was given to us and freely we must give His Spirit to others making them disciples to all nations. This demonstration of our love for our Father is our reasonable service of worship, and it is evidence that we have become new creatures and disciples of Jesus.

Romans 8:35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Romans 8:38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, ³⁹nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Evidence Removes the Shame of the World

Jesus came to reveal God and reconcile our relationship with God our Father. Sin causes us to fear and be shamed towards our heavenly Father. From the day that Adam and Eve sinned men and women have been hiding from God. Our father asked “who told you, that you were naked?” Even today some 6,000 years since the first couple walk out of the garden mankind hides in fear and shame.

Jesus through His life, ministry, death and resurrection is evidence that we do not have to hide from the presence of God. When we analyze this evidence of Jesus we can understand that everything we believe that separates from God has been removed. In other words we have been made children and citizens of God’s Kingdom and that Kingdom is inside of us.

Hebrews 12:1-3 Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, ²looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

2 Corinthians 4:1-2 Therefore, since we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we do not lose heart. ²But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness nor handling the word of God deceitfully, but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.

Romans 10:10-12 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. ¹¹For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”¹²For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

Jesus was sent by God and we are sent by Him to help people understand that God has removed their shame. Feeling separated from God is something that should no longer be in the hearts of any human. The primary effect of any evidence presented by children of God should be establishing the fact that our shame has been removed. Revealing our Father’s Presence and the fact that His love is constantly reaching out us should be our primary focus of the evidence we present.

We children of the Kingdom of God have been given understanding and now have the responsibility to help others to see and grasp this truth. Forgiveness is available to every person and the tool of repentance can be used by people that believe God will forgive them. There will always be those reject spiritual truth and believe the deception of the material world. Also there are those in our own religious community that choose to use fear and concentrate on sin as the focus of a relationship with God our Father.

Being a child of God and becoming a disciple of Christ is a very real status for all of mankind. If you are open God is willing to reveal insight into His thoughts towards you. Regardless of your current belief of His love for you God remains faithful and steadfast. We who call Christians have the privileged and authority to help any person we meet to become Disciples of Christ and children of God. Spiritual evidence from God’s super-natural realm such as healing the sick, cleansing the leper and raising the dead is what we present. For us that believe that Gods love trumps all we honor Him with our presentation of evidence.

We have been created as the only part of creation that can span both the spiritual and the natural realm. We are gate-ways and door -ways between the two. So I encourage you to open up and reveal to others the truth of the Kingdom within.

Psalm 24: 1-2, 7 The earth is the Lord’s, and all its fullness,
The world and those who dwell therein.
²For He has founded it upon the seas,
And established it upon the waters.

…

Lift up your heads, O you gates!
And be lifted up, you everlasting doors!
And the King of glory shall come in.

No Exclusion For True Evidence

We have covered various types of evidence as defined by the constitutional laws of evidence used in the judicial system in the United States. I am using these evidence types and evidentiary rules as metaphors to encourage us in our presentation of spiritual evidence concerning the Kingdom of God (KoG). As Disciples of Christ we are yoked with the responsibility to reveal heaven or the Kingdom to those that are blind to its existence. The metaphor index of this site will link you to the evidentiary topics already covered in this blog thus far.

Today I want to begin a conversation about the rules that cause the exclusion of evidence. In order for a system of law to render justice, all evidence must be based in truth, all evidence must be handled impartially and the system must incorporate a sense of mercy when rendering its verdict in the name of justice. If all of these are met then people who interact with the system of justice will be more likely to recognize and accept its authority.

John 10:37-38 If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; ³⁸but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.”

The works of God Kingdom are the manifested evidence of His spiritual Kingdom. From the big picture point of view, all that we see in this material world is a manifestation of spiritual reality and truth of His Kingdom. However on a personal level we still need proof of that spiritual reality. This is what we Children of God or Disciples of Christ are supposed to be doing. We bring that evidence into this material world and into the personal lives of the people around us. If successful we make disciples of them who in turn likewise do the same to the people around them (Discipleship 101).

The goal of our transformative journey is that of becoming like Christ who is one with God our Father. Jesus the Master when in his earthly body was the first fruit and we are now joint heirs with him for all eternity. We have been adopted into God’s invisible spiritual Kingdom for this purpose. When a prince or princess is born to a king they are immediately heirs but they must learn how to rule effectively and justly. In time people will observe them, give them trust and finally submit giving deference and respect to the authority resident in that individual. Just because one is heir to the throne does not mean that everyone under the authority of that kingdom will freely give their hearts to the throne or its joint-heirs.

Jesus says do not believe me, but believe the works as evidence of God and His Kingdom. So by faith we received His works of forgiveness, mercy, adoption, sanctification, righteousness and His very presence which provides us with the authority and power to present the same evidence to others. In turn others by faith may freely receive from the spiritual realm that which we have by faith been freely given.

Under the Exclusionary Rule, evidence collected or analyzed in violation of the defendant’s constitutional rights is sometimes in admissible for a criminal prosecution in a court of law if illegally obtained. In American justice system there is a presumption of innocence but in the kingdom of God, God Himself provided right standing with Himself through Jesus. Earthly judicial systems are biased and can be corrupted for various reasons. In God’s Kingdom He is the Judge and Jury and Jesus is our advocate.

John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!

John 20:21-23 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” ²²And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. ²³If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”

The evidence we present has one purpose and that is to reconcile those who are blind to the reality of our Father’s love and His Kingdom. We as disciples are have been given the task of reconciliation. As we learn to present spiritual evidence to the people in our lives we provide the prof that establishes the fact of God’s love for them and the reality of His Kingdom.

Master Jesus was sent by God our Father and now we are the ones sent to complete the task. We are the plan of God and Master Jesus is the example of how we can get the job done. If we are able to renew our minds to the fact that we are one with God we can begin to have the necessary faith to allow the very presence of God that is inside of us to work through us.

If we continue to believe we are separated from God then we will fail to avail ourselves of the authority and power that God has made available through us. God’s Holy Spirit is resident inside of us so we can present spiritual evidence that is authentic having a chain of evidence that will ensure that it will not be excluded. As disciples we are learning to do what Christ did. As Children of God we have the heart of our Father toward all men and women needing a sense of reconciliation.

The Kingdom of God is inside of us and we have an understanding of the spiritual realm as ones that live there. We are sent here in that authority and we have been given the responsibility to demonstrate the existence of the Kingdom. So we must remain faithful and go in the name of the one that sent us.

Luke 6:40 A disciple is not above his teacher, but everyone who is perfectly trained will be like his teacher.

John 14:12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.

Matthew 10:7 And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ ⁸Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

Tag Archives: spiritual reality

Evidence of a New Creature

Evidence Removes the Shame of the World

No Exclusion For True Evidence

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