Two
Masters, Now make a Choice.
Humility is
an extremely important factor to be a Perfect Man in Jesus. A person who takes
a stand beside God will have to decide, just as Peter did one day. Jesus said
to Peter, before the cock crows you will deny me, that night after the rooster
crowed; the Bible tells us that Peter wept there, and he repented. But after
this, Jesus came and spoke to him and asked him: "Peter, do you love
me?" Peter had to make a decision and choose whether he wanted to
surrender in love to Jesus or not.
Likewise You and I, we will have to choose as Peter what we will follow.
Are we going to choose to live in Love, or are we going to follow our own
desires and convictions? James writes: “You
adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred
toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of
God.” Jm.4:4. Peter knew this truth already, and the question that Jesus
asked him, confronted him to make a choice, the world or Jesus. Whom was he
going to choose?
Jesus said
that no one can serve two masters. "No
one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or
he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God
and Money"- Mt 6:24. One of the
virtues of a perfect man in Christ is humility. In Mathew chapter 18, Jesus
called a child in front of his disciples and explains to them that one needs to
be like a child in the Kingdom of God.
“At that
time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Who is the greatest in the
kingdom of heaven?" He called a
little child and had him stand among them.
And he said: "I tell you the truth, unless you change and become
like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore,
whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven” – Mat. 18:1-4. According to the example of Jesus, whoever follows him and has the same
attitude as a child in concerning the Kingdom of God, this one is the greatest
in the His kingdom. Jesus at age twelve had already decided to be faithful, and
that he would obey from the beginning to the end his Father who was in Heaven.
We have
many examples in the Bible where servants and prophets were persecuted. They
were placed in wells, like Jeremiah. Daniel was placed in the lions' den.
Daniel's friends were thrown into the furnace. Throughout human history, people
who put themselves at Gods’ disposition, were harassed and challenged by
opponents. The world confronts those who follow and serve the true God. The
Word of our God says: Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an
enemy of God. One day Adam and Eve were confronted with the decision whether or
not they would submit themselves and obey God. We are also faced with this
decision. God had told Adam and Eve: “but
you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you
eat of it you will surely die", according Gen. 2:17. Eve made her
choice and went and made Adam aware of what she just had decided and offered it
to him.
If we want
to reach the stature of a perfect man in Christ, we have an obligation to walk
the same path he walked. We have to be humble, we cannot become rebels,
but be obedient in everything to our
God. We must subject ourselves to the Father in heaven who came to dwell in us,
so we can achieve the stature of a perfect man in Christ. We need to maintain
our thought on the fact that we want to reach the unity in faith and knowledge
of the Son of God; and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ. “Until we all reach
unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ" - Eph. 4:13.
No person
arrives at the stature of a perfect man the beginning of his life with God. As
we grow in knowledge in the word and we are enriched as Scripture says.
"For in him you have been enriched in every way--in all your speaking and
in all your knowledge--" 1 Corinthians 1:5 Even Jesus grew before God and
men, this is described in the Word of God. If the word tells us: "Until we
all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become
mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ". This
confirms there is a stage where they are not there yet. Something very
beautiful is the fact that God gives us teachers in our walk along with Him.
In Old
Testament we read in various places where the prophets always had a helper
walking with them. Elisha followed Elijah everywhere. When Elijah was taken to
heaven, Elisha took his place. The priest Eli he had Samuel as a helper beside
him, and after the Elis’ death, God placed Samuel in his position. Jesus had
twelve official disciples. These twelve were always with him and they came and
joined Jesus. There was one day where Jesus sent 70 people, two by two. Jesus
trained his people in their journey, and Jesus also trains myself and you, who
are reading this book. God also will use you to train others, what you are
reading here. Each word inspired by the Holy Spirit, when it gets to the heart
of a human being generates eternal fruit.
So then,
men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the
secret things of God.
In the N.T.
we see the apostle train his followers saying:
1 Co. 4: 16
“Therefore I urge you to imitate me”.
1 Cor 4:1
“So then, men ought to regard us as servants of Christ and as those entrusted
with the secret things of God”.
1 Cor. 11:1
“Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ”.
"Join
with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live
according to the pattern we gave you. " Phil. 3:17. Reaching the phase of
Perfect Man indicates that one day we were not at this point, and today as you
are reading this book, if you feel that you are not yet at this point yet, do
not be discouraged, every human being walks by phases and as we learn we mature
to the next level.
There was a
time where you were still a child and your parents and family have raised you
to the point where you now can walk on your own, and make your own decisions;
but now you can take care of yourself. You grew up in natural life and you will
grow up in spiritual life as well, and the best news in all this is the fact
that we have the Counselor living within us; that is the Holy Spirit. We
comprehend that we have to take a stand which Lord we want to serve and belong
to. The Word of our God makes it very clear that the world is under the
government of the enemy. There are two passages that clarify it. James
enlightens us about something very important in his letter.
"You adulterous people, don't you know
that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a
friend of the world becomes an enemy of God"- James 4:4. Once we decide ourselves to walk
with Jesus, we must submit to His Lordship and this implies not love the things
that belong to the lordship of the enemy. Whenever the enemy see that we have
taken a stand with Jesus Christ he will confront and persecute us. James
describes this as friendship with the world. Many Christians nowadays believe
that there is nothing wrong with going to a bar or a restaurant and drinking
alcoholic beverages and being there having fun with non-Christian people. We
have freedom of choice, God gave us the right, however, we witness which Lord
we are serving with how we live.
The
Psalmist describes it this time: "Blessed is the man who does not walk in
the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of
mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates
day and night" - Psalms 1:1-2.
We must
not:
Ä Walk in the counsel of the wicked.
Ä Stand in the way of sinners
Ä Sit in the seat of mockers.
We should
do the following:
Æ Our delight shall be in the law of
the LORD
Æ Meditate on his law day and night.
This is the
difference of a Man Perfect in Christ Jesus. If we are to walk in stature
Perfect Man have to position ourselves as Jesus positioned himself, he left no
room for doubt who he was. If you observe how Jesus said "I AM." He
made it clear who he was and who he represented here on earth. Although Jesus
made the universe and our planet he leaves it very clear, who the ruler is of
this world, so we must decide whom we will serve. Jesus had to position himself
as well; He submitted himself to the Father in heaven. One day he had to say I
do not do what I decide, but I came to do what my Father has commanded me to
do. Jesus said I seek not to please myself but him who sent me. He said: By
myself I can do nothing. It reminds me of the verse where he says: that without
Him, we can do nothing from Jn. 15:5. “I
am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing”.
"Jesus gave them this answer: "I tell
you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees
his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does"- “By
myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I
seek not to please myself but him who sent me”.
Jn. 5:19,30.
The reason
why we need to make a choice and take a stand which master we want to serve, is
because; God wants us to be one with Him, as He is one with Jesus. Jn. 10:30
says: “I and the Father are one".
The Bible teaches you and me to take a stand as well, and shows us how we were
walking according to the course of this world, when we were not children of God
yet. The apostles excelled in wording hard to teach us how to live. "As for you, you were dead in your
transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways
of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now
at work in those who are disobedient" - Eph. 2:1-2.
Do Not Love The World
“Do not love the world or anything in the
world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For
everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and
the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the
world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of
God lives forever” - 1 Jn. 2:15-17. When we love something or someone, we hang on
to it. It is very hard to let go of it. To love everything in the world--the
cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has
and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. God the Father knows
what is good for us, and when He gives us guidelines and rules to live by is
only to protect us from becoming governed by it, and it leads to death.
All these
things should not be a master over our desires and feelings. Not to love the
world and the things that are in the world. That is once we take a stand with
Jesus, and alongside with Jesus we will suffer persecution as he suffered. The
prince of this world opposes to all that stand with and for Christ Jesus. We
see that in the history of the Church of Jesus, all who raised the banner for
the Lord Jesus in one way or another were persecuted. The apostles were
persecuted, and Jesus said that they would suffer for Jesus' name sake; so will
we. When a human being begins to serve God in the phase of perfect man, unto
the measure of the full stature of Christ, needs to know that he will be
crushed because we must deny our self. It is necessary to give up many things,
and just as on the Mount of Olives Jesus was tested, his disciples as well .
You and I also will be tested if indeed we are faithful to God or not. Life
itself will test us, we will face daily decisions that we will have to make;
and on which we need to position ourselves.
WE
HAVE THE FREEDOM OF CHOICE.
The purpose
to be lived is to enjoy the blessings from our Creator the Eternal Father,
sharing his company and also being supported by all his Love. God visited the
human being in the evening in the Garden of Eden. He came to be there as close
friends, with Adam and Eve. God wanted a perfect relationship, with this human
being that He had created. God also gives each one of us the choice to accept
or not the fact that we were created by “God is Love”. We can see he called
Abraham a friend, and this makes me realize that God wants us to be His
friends; as well. God gives us this option to receive His love, and live and
let his love be evidenced through each one of us.
None of us
is obligated to do what God in His love has prepared for us, God will never
force you to do anything at all. But, if we want to receive the good things God
has prepared for His children we must follow His Word and do as He prescribed
it.
God gives
us the freedom to choose whether we want to be His child or not. God allows us
to choose whether we want to do it His way and receive all the blessings with
it, or go our own way and pay the consequences of it.
We have
Freedom of choice!!!
In the Lord's Service
I greet you in His Love
Antonina Penner.
Missionary
Masters inTheology..
ISBN- 978-0-9881063-1-4
Copyright 2012/11/26 by: “Ministério Visão de Águias”.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
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