GOD IS LOVE [2]

In the previous blog we looked at the Love of God, and in this blog we will look at how this is given expression.

We give a short recap so that what is being said can be understood.

In this situation, love is self-existent, because of where it exists, that is as an intrinsic part of God. There never was a time where it did not exist, or exist now, or where it will always exist. Continuous and forever.

God is love always and forever. Continuous and forever.

There never was a time when He was not love.

Continuous and forever.

A pulsing stream that has always existed, exists now, and will always exist.

Flowing out of that, we see the following scripture –

1 Corinthians 13:4 Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous, it does not brag, and it is not proud.
1 Corinthians 13:5 Love is not rude, it is not selfish, and it cannot be made angry easily. Love does not remember wrongs done against it.
1 Corinthians 13:6 Love is never happy when others do wrong, but it is always happy with the truth.
1 Corinthians 13:7 Love never gives up on people. It never stops trusting, never loses hope, and never quits.
1 Corinthians 13:8 Love will never end.

Easy to read version

This starts to give us the answers as to how love is expressed. It is easy to say the word love, but when we say it, what does it mean?

Take the first one that is mentioned, patience and kindness. Consider a situation where things have become awkward. The initial reaction could be one of irritation, and even possibly anger. So here there is a choice to be made, what is going to serve us best?

We will accomplish more by choosing for patience and kindness, because the other person will respond in a better way. It also defuses the awkward situation, so that it is no longer a problem.

The same applies for the other qualities mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13. It gives us whole armory of things we can do to prevent things going sour on us, and instead help us to have a positive happy ending.

So it actually makes for a far more sensible choice!!!

How love came to be –

GOD IS LOVE

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5 – FOLD MINISTRY – WHAT IS IT, HOW DO WE DO IT?

5 – FOLD MINISTRY – WHAT IS IT, HOW DO WE DO IT?

Topic
# Ephesians 4:1 I, then, the prisoner for the Master’s sake, entreat you to live and act as becomes those who have received the call that you have received–
Eph 4:2 with all lowliness of mind and unselfishness, and with patience, bearing with one another lovingly, and earnestly striving to maintain,
Eph 4:3 in the uniting bond of peace, the unity given by the Spirit.
Eph 4:4 There is but one body and but one Spirit, as also when you were called you had one and the same hope held out to you.
Eph 4:5 There is but one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
Eph 4:6 and one God and Father of all, who rules over all, acts through all, and dwells in all.
Eph 4:7 Yet to each of us individually grace was given, measured out with the munificence of Christ.
Eph 4:8 For this reason Scripture says: “HE RE-ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND GAVE GIFTS TO MEN.”
Eph 4:9 (Now this “re-ascended” –what does it mean but that He had first descended into the lower regions of the earth?
Eph 4:10 He who descended is the same as He who ascended again far above all the Heavens in order to fill the universe.)
Eph 4:11 And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,
Eph 4:12 in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving–for the building up of Christ’s body–

# In terms of the 5-fold ministry in Ephesians 4:1 thru 16, there are 5 biblical meetings under the care of the 5-fold ministries.
If done in the biblical way it will be impossible for a church plant to fail.
Why?
Because scripture says that God’s eyes roam the earth to ensure the fulfilling of His Word.

# Thus –
Apostle ministry ensures the understanding and practice of biblical covenants, and in particular the New covenant of Jesus.
Prophet ministry ensures the understanding and practice the permutations of prayer.
Pastor ministry ensures the understanding and practice of worship.
Evangelist ministry ensures the understanding and practice of giving the Good News to the lost.
Teacher ministry ensures the understanding and practice of getting an in-depth knowledge of, and the doing of God’s Word – the Bible.
Thus all the needs of believers and unbelievers are met.

# That is why we have the following scripture –
Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Thus the promise is that we will become like Christ, not be Him, but like Him.
So not only is there no failure, but believers grow to be like Him.
God is awesome in His perfection of the way He does things.

# What do we have to do?
Do Church in the 5-fold pattern, according to the biblical specifications in terms of logistics and structure.
These details are all available in the links I provide below.
It’s time we do away with the logistics and structure laid down in 325 A.D. by Emperor Constantine and the Council of Nicaea.
It’s been proven over the centuries that that structure will not produce a multitude of believers who are like Jesus.
Einstein said –
“Insanity: doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”

# Ephesians 4 states categorically doing the 5-fold ministry that we will become like Jesus.
Each of the 5 meetings fill and satisfy a very definite need in the Body of Christ.
Unless they are all in place the Body of Christ remains lop-sided and unfulfilled.

***We will continue to explore the in future blogs, and once we have looked at all the meetings, we will look at the relevant equipping ministries.
Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —
Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.
Try
https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/
I pray it will help.
Blessings
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.
There is a mine of information in the books available at
http://www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen
Blessings to you and yours

 

 

Doug

 

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [7]

Topic

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [7]

***•Introduction

Ephesians 4:13 till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Ephesians 4:16  Dependent on Him, the whole body–its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another– grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.

*** The question arises; how do we become various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another?

We will look to the first of the 5 meetings – The Covenant meeting.

Without this meeting, the other 4 meeting and all the ministries have no base.

•Key points

***The following are excerpts [by this author] from the

COVENANT MEETING HANDBOOK

Jesus said:

But go ye and learn what [that] meaneth, I will have mercy, and not sacrifice:

for I am not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.

Matthew 9:13 [1898 Young’s Literal translation]

Everything that follows in these handbooks must be considered in the light of the above scripture, and it would do well to remember that Christians also commit sin.

Having experienced mercy it will be our joy to do the spiritual sacrifices detailed in the handbooks.

Cell Church Meeting 1

is a

BURNT OFFERING MEETING

FEAST OF THE PASSOVER MEETING

COVENANT MEETING

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship.”

Romans 12:1. [New International Version]

The burnt offering sacrifice is voluntary, and the New Testament equivalent is the giving of our bodies as living sacrifices.

In order that we may give to God at the level at which we have; and not at the level what we have not got; God allowed for 3 forms of sacrifice: –

1. Bullock – the more gifts you have the more you give. = 5 talents in the New Testament.

2. Sheep or goat – medium gifts, you give what you have. = 2 talents in the New Testament.

3. Pigeons or doves – if that is the only gift you have, give it. = 1 talent in the New Testament.

The New Testament equivalents for those 3 different types of burnt offerings are the talents described in the scriptures below.

Matthew 25:14 – 28 [New International Version]

We need to use the talents God has given us, well.

***The burnt offering sacrifice is expressed through the COVENANT  meeting.

In the same way, after the supper He took the cup, saying, “This is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you….”

Luke 22:20 [New International Version]

Thus the very epitome of the burnt offering lies with the Lords Supper

– Is not the cup of thanksgiving for which we give thanks a participation in the blood of Christ? And is not the bread we break a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one loaf, we who are many, are one body, for we all partake of one loaf. Consider the people of Israel: Do not those who eat the sacrifices participate in the altar?

1 Corinthians 10:16, 17, 18.  [New International Version]

Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food and my blood is real drink.

Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Our forefathers ate [manna] and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live for ever.”

 John 6:53 – 58. [New International Version]

“Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. And when your children ask you, `What does this ceremony mean to you?’ then tell them, ` It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.'” The people bowed down and worshipped……

[Various scriptures from Exodus 12.] [New International Version]

The very first Breaking of Bread meeting took place on the `day of unleavened bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed’. It is thus symbolic of all that the unleavened bread and the Passover represent. Jesus is our unleavened bread and our Passover. He provides that the angel of death will `pass over’ us.

***

·       – We come to remember the Lord, which is the whole purpose of the meeting.

“…; do this in remembrance of Me.”

Luke 22:19b. [New International Version]

Each of the 5 meetings fill and satisfy a very definite need in the Body of Christ.

Unless they are all in place the Body of Christ remains lop-sided and unfulfilled.

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs, and once we have looked at all the meetings, we will look at the relevant equipping ministries.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings to you and yours

 

Doug

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [6]

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [6]

Topic

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at Mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

***Mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

What does it mean to be like Christ?

In Ephesians 4:11 – 16 the Word promises us that if we do the 5-fold ministry, we will become like Jesus Christ, not be Him, but become like Him, even to the fullest extent.

***John in Chapter 6 of the book of John, shows us how this would be possible.

•Introduction

John 6:27  Bestow your pains not on the food which perishes, but on the food that remains unto the Life of the Ages–that food which will be the Son of Man’s gift to you; for on Him the Father, God, has set His seal.”

John 6:28  “What are we to do,” they asked, “in order to carry out the things that God requires?”

John 6:29  “This,” replied Jesus, “is above all the thing that God requires–that you should be believers in Him whom He has sent.”

John 6:30  “What miracle then,” they asked, “do you perform for us to see and become believers in you? What do you *do*?

John 6:31  Our forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, as it is written, ‘HE GAVE THEM BREAD OUT OF HEAVEN TO EAT’.”

John 6:32  “In most solemn truth I tell you,” replied Jesus, “that Moses did not give you the bread out of Heaven, but my Father is giving you the bread–the true bread–out of Heaven.

John 6:33  For God’s bread is that which comes down out of Heaven and gives Life to the world.”

John 6:34  “Sir,” they said, “always give us that bread.”

John 6:35  “I am the bread of Life,” replied Jesus; “he who comes to me shall never hunger, and he who believes in me shall never, never thirst.

John 6:36  But it is as I have said to you: you have seen me and yet you do not believe.

John 6:37  Every one whom the Father gives me will come to me, and him who comes to me I will never on any account drive away.

John 6:38  For I have left Heaven and have come down to earth not to seek my own pleasure, but to do the will of Him who sent me.

John 6:39  And this is the will of Him who sent me, that of all that He has given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it to life on the last day.

John 6:40  For this is my Father’s will, that every one who fixes his gaze on the Son of God and believes in Him should have the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him to life on the last day.”

John 6:41  Now the Jews began to find fault about Him because of His claiming to be the bread which came down out of Heaven.

John 6:42  They kept asking, “Is not this man Joseph’s son? Is he not Jesus, whose father and mother we know? What does he mean by now saying, ‘I have come down out of Heaven’?”

John 6:43  “Do not thus find fault among yourselves,” replied Jesus;

John 6:44  “no one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him; then I will raise him to life on the last day.

John 6:45  It stands written in the Prophets, ‘AND THEY SHALL ALL OF THEM BE TAUGHT BY GOD’. Every one who listens to the Father and learns from Him comes to me.

John 6:46  No one has ever seen the Father–except Him who is from God. He has seen the Father.

John 6:47  “In most solemn truth I tell you that he who believes has the Life of the Ages.

John 6:48  I am the bread of Life.

John 6:49  Your forefathers ate the manna in the Desert, and they died.

John 6:50  Here is the bread that comes down out of Heaven that a man may eat it and not die.

John 6:51  I am the living bread come down out of Heaven. If a man eats this bread, he shall live for ever. Moreover the bread which I will give is my flesh given for the life of the world.”

John 6:52  This led to an angry debate among the Jews. “How can this man,” they argued, “give us his flesh to eat?”

John 6:53  “In most solemn truth I tell you,” said Jesus, “that unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no Life in you.

John 6:54  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has the Life of the Ages, and I will raise him up on the last day.

John 6:55  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.

John 6:56  He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in union with me, and I remain in union with him.

John 6:57  As the ever-living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father, so also he who eats me will live because of me.

John 6:58  This is the bread which came down out of Heaven; it is unlike that which your forefathers ate–for they ate and yet died. He who eats this bread shall live for ever.”

Weymouth Translation

***As it explains what Jesus meant in the John chapter 6 scriptures, particular note should be taken of –

Matthew 26:26  During the meal Jesus took a Passover biscuit, blessed it and broke it. He then gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it: it is my body.”

Matthew 26:27  And He took the cup and gave thanks, and gave it to them saying, “Drink from it, all of you;

Matthew 26:28  for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins–the blood which ratifies the Covenant.

Matthew 26:29  I tell you that I will never again take the produce of the vine till that day when I shall drink the new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

Weymouth Translation

Mark 14:22  Also during the meal He took a Passover biscuit, blessed it, and broke it. He then gave it to them, saying, “Take this, it is my body.”

Mark 14:23  Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and handed it to them, and they all of them drank from it.

Mark 14:24  “This is my blood,” He said, “which is to be poured out on behalf of many–the blood which makes the Covenant sure.

Mark 14:25  I solemnly tell you that never again will I taste the produce of the vine till I shall drink the new wine in the Kingdom of God.”

Weymouth Translation

Luke 22:1  Meanwhile the Festival of the Unleavened Bread, called the Passover, was approaching,

Luke 22:7  When the day of the Unleavened Bread came–the day for the Passover lamb to be sacrificed–

Luke 22:8  Jesus sent Peter and John with instructions. “Go,” He said, “and prepare the Passover for us, that we may eat it.”

Luke 22:9  “Where shall we prepare it?” they asked.

Luke 22:10  “You will no sooner have entered the city,” He replied, “then you will meet a man carrying a pitcher of water. Follow him into the house to which he goes,

Luke 22:11  and say to the master of the house, “‘The Rabbi asks you, Where is the room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?’

Luke 22:12  “And he will show you a large furnished room upstairs. There make your preparations.”

Luke 22:13  So they went and found all as He had told them; and they got the Passover ready.

Luke 22:14  When the time was come, and He had taken His place at table, and the Apostles with Him,

Luke 22:15  He said to them, “Earnestly have I longed to eat this Passover with you before I suffer;

Luke 22:16  for I tell you that I certainly shall not eat one again till its full meaning has been brought out in the Kingdom of God.”

Luke 22:17  Then, having received the cup and given thanks, He said, “Take this and share it among yourselves;

Luke 22:18  for I tell you that from this time I will never drink the produce of the vine till the Kingdom of God has come.”

Luke 22:19  Then, taking a Passover biscuit, He gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body which is being given on your behalf: this do in remembrance of me.”

Luke 22:20  He gave them the cup in like manner, when the meal was over. “This cup,” He said, “is the new Covenant ratified by my blood which is to be poured out on your behalf.

Weymouth Translation

***Whenever we partake of the of the Lord’s Supper, or Holy Communion we partake in everything that Jesus spoke about, above.

***Do you want to be part of a Church ‘without spot or wrinkle’? The links below show you how it is done,

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more of how to do it at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of inforMatthewion in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

 

 

 Doug

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [5

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [5]

Topic

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

***Mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

What does it mean to be like Christ?

In Ephesians 4:11 – 16 the Word promises us that if we do the 5-fold ministry, we will become like Jesus Christ, not be Him, but become like Him, even to the fullest extent.

John in Chapter 14 shows us how this would be possible.

*** John 14:10  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The things that I tell you all I do not speak on my own authority: but the Father dwelling within me carries on His own work.

John 14:11  Believe me, all of you, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me; or at any rate, believe me because of what I do.

John 14:12  In most solemn truth I tell you that he who trusts in me–the things which I do he shall do also; and greater things than these he shall do, because I am going to the Father.

John 14:13  And whatever any of you ask in my name, I will do, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John 14:14  If you make any request of me in my name, I will do it.

John 14:15  “If you love me, you will obey my commandments.

John 14:16  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be for ever with you–the Spirit of truth.

John 14:17  That Spirit the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. You know Him, because He remains by your side and is in you.

Weymouth Translation

Here he also indicates that the only way to be able to obey Jesus’s commands is by and through the Holy Spirit. We then have the Spirit of Truth helping us to do all that Jesus wants us to do.

Jesus says that the Father is in Him, and that He is in the Father

Jesus wants the same for us.

***We do this through the 5-fold ministry –

Ephesians 4:11  And He Himself appointed some to be Apostles, some to be Prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers,

Ephesians 4:12  in order fully to equip His people for the work of serving–for the building up of Christ’s body–

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Ephesians 4:14  So we shall no longer be babes nor shall we resemble mariners tossed on the waves and carried about with every changing wind of doctrine according to men’s cleverness and unscrupulous cunning, making use of every shifting device to mislead.

Ephesians 4:15  But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.

Ephesians 4:16  Dependent on Him, the whole body–its various parts closely fitting and firmly adhering to one another– grows by the aid of every contributory link, with power proportioned to the need of each individual part, so as to build itself up in a spirit of love.

Weymouth Translation

So we have a very clear indication of how to become a Church ‘without spot or wrinkle.’

Ephesians 5:27  that He might present the Church to Himself a glorious bride, without spot or wrinkle or any other defect, but to be holy and unblemished.

Do you want to be part of a Church ‘without spot or wrinkle’? The links below show you how it is done,

Weymouth translation.

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more of how to do it at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

Read Full Post »

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [4]

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [4]

Topic

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

# Knowledge of the Son of God

The results of doing the 5-fold ministry in Ephesians 4:11-16, are truly awesome.

As we become like Jesus, not be Him, but like Him, we get to know the Heavenly Father, because we get to know Jesus.

The Holy Spirit is there to help us, all the way.

That is the promise that has been made in the scriptures.

•Introduction

# John 14:1  “Let not your hearts be troubled. Trust in God: trust in me also.

John 14:2  In my Father’s house there are many resting-places. Were it otherwise, I would have told you; for I am going to make ready a place for you.

John 14:3  And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me, that where I am you also may be.

John 14:4  And where I am going, you all know the way.”

John 14:5  “Master,” said Thomas, “we do not know where you are going. In what sense do we know the way?”

John 14:6  “I am the Way,” replied Jesus, “and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

John 14:7  If you–all of you–knew me, you would fully know my Father also. From this time forward you know Him and have seen Him.”

Weymouth Translation

# What is necessary is to do the 5-fold ministry, according to biblical specifications [see the hyperlinks below].

Ephesians 4:15  But we shall lovingly hold to the truth, and shall in all respects grow up into union with Him who is our Head, even Christ.

•Conclusion

# The promise in the scriptures that if we do the 5-fold ministry, that we will become like Jesus, is too awesome to ignored.

# It would appear that our only goal in life is have the 5-fold ministry in place.

We need to co-operate with the Holy Spirit to bring about the fulfillment of the Heavenly Father’s desire.

### Then we can truly be part of the Church without spot or wrinkle. ###

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

 

 Doug

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [3]

Topic

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [3]

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

Knowledge of the Son of God

John_6:46  Not that anyone has ever seen the Father; only he who is from God, he has seen the Father.

John_14:9  Jesus said to him, Philip, have I been with you all this time, and still you have no knowledge of me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. Why do you say, Let us see the Father?

John_1:18  No human eye has ever seen God: the only Son, who is in the Father’s bosom–He has made Him known.

Joh_5:37  And the Father who sent me, *He* has given testimony concerning me. None of you have ever either heard His voice or seen what He is like.

John_6:46  No one has ever seen the Father–except Him who is from God. He has seen the Father.

Joh_14:9  “Have I been so long among you,” Jesus answered, “and yet you, Philip, do not know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can *you* ask me, ‘Cause us to see the Father’? Bible in Basic English

John_1:18  No one has ever seen God. The only Son is the one who has shown us what God is like. He is himself God and is very close to the Father.

John_5:37  And the Father who sent me has given proof about me himself. But you have never heard his voice. You have never seen what he looks like.

John_6:46  I don’t mean that there is anyone who has seen the Father. The only one who has ever seen the Father is the one who came from God. He has seen the Father.

John_10:32  But he said to them, “The many wonderful things you have seen me do are from the Father. Which of these good things are you killing me for?”

John_14:7  If you really knew me, you would know my Father too. But now you know the Father. You have seen him.”

John_14:9  Jesus answered, “Philip, I have been with you for a long time. So you should know me. Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father too. So why do you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

John_15:24  I did things among the people of the world that no one else has ever done. If I had not done those things, they would not be guilty of sin. But they have seen what I did, and still they hate me and my Father. [Easy to Read Version]

***The above scriptures show that if one would know the Son of God, we cannot know Him if we do not include the knowledge of our Heavenly Father.

In knowing Jesus we know the Father. In that way we move into the ‘to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ’.

Jesus came to earth, for our redemption, and to make it possible for us, through Jesus, for us to become sons of God, that is the Heavenly Father’s desire.

We need to co-operate with the Holy Spirit to bring about the fulfillment of the Heavenly Father’s desire.

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

Doug

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, — THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [2]

WILL YOU BE IN IT, — THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE? [2]

 ***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

***# The scriptures above indicate that if we do the 5-fold ministry as shown in Ephesians 4:11 -16 we will come to full growth.

***# We will come into the full measure of Christ.

Now, what does living in the full measure of Christ mean?

The scriptures below explain –

John_14:9  “Have I been so long among you,” Jesus answered, “and yet you, Philip, do not know me? He who has seen me has seen the Father. How can *you* ask me, ‘Cause us to see the Father’?

John_14:10  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me? The things that I tell you all I do not speak on my own authority: but the Father dwelling within me carries on His own work.

John_14:11  Believe me, all of you, that I am in the Father and that the Father is in me; or at any rate, believe me because of what I do.

John_14:12  In most solemn truth I tell you that he who trusts in me–the things which I do he shall do also; and greater things than these he shall do, because I am going to the Father.

John_14:13  And whatever any of you ask in my name, I will do, in order that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

John_14:16  And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be for ever with you–the Spirit of truth.

John_14:20  At that time you will know that I am in my Father, and that you are in me, and that I am in you.

John_14:21  He who has my commandments and obeys them–he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will clearly reveal myself to him.”

John_14:23  “If any one loves me,” replied Jesus, “he will obey my teaching; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

John_14:24  He who has no love for me does not obey my teaching; and yet the teaching to which you are listening is not mine, but is the teaching of the Father who sent me.

So the inevitable conclusion is that if we do the 5-fold ministry in the way that the Bible explains, the scripture tells us that we will become like Jesus, not Him, but like Him.

That being so, that means that people seeing us will be able to say that they have seen the Father .

Our minds boggle at believing that fact.

However, we have to disbelieve what the scriptures are indicating in order not to accept the implications.

An awesome destiny awaits us.

To show forth the love of the Father for His people.

We need to put the 5-fold ministry in place in the proper biblical manner explained in the link below ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

 Doug

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WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE?

Topic

WILL YOU BE IN IT, THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE?

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

King James Version

Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:

Bible in Basic English

Ephesians 4:13  till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.

Weymouth Translation

Ephesians 4:13  till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,

Young’s Literal Translation

Let’s look at this verse –

***Ephesians 4:13  Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ: Bible in Basic English.

# Harmony of the faith.

Ephesians 3:17  I pray that Christ may make His home in your hearts through your faith; so that having your roots deep and your foundations strong, in love, you may become mighty to grasp the idea,

Ephesians 3:18  as it is grasped by all God’s people, of the breadth and length, the height and depth–

Ephesians 3:19  yes, to attain to a knowledge of the knowledge-surpassing love of Christ, so that you may be made complete in accordance with God’s own standard of completeness.

Ephesians 3:17 – 19 Weymouth Translation

***Mutuality/Membership Of The Body Of Christ

“There Is One Body And One Spirit – Just As You Were Called To One Hope When You Were Called – One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism, One God And Father Of All, Who Is Over All And Through All And In All.”

Ephesians 4:4 -6.

If you are one with & desire the following, you are truly in membership with the Body of Christ: –

One Body _ the body of Christ

“For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and those members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.”

Colossians 2:9,10. Romans 12:4,5.

One Spirit – receiving the Spirit of Christ

 ”Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship Him in spirit and Truth.

You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you.”

John 4:23, 24. Romans 8:9 -11.

One Hope – hope of our call as Christians, we hope to be with the Lord forever in glory

“God did this by two unchangeable things in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled to take hold of the hope offered to us may be greatly encouraged.

We who have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure. It enters the inner sanctuary behind the curtain, where Jesus, who went before us, has entered on our behalf. He has now become a high priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.

‘while we wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our God and Saviour, Jesus Christ.

To them God has chosen to make known among the gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”

Hebrews 6:18. Titus 2:13. Colossians 1:27.

One Lord – anyone who confesses Jesus to be Lord, that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh; that person is from God

“Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven.

Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.

That if you confess with your mouth, `Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God.

Matthew 10:32, Luke 23:42, Romans 10:9, 1 John 4:2,3.

One Faith – the faith through which we have been saved

…that everyone who believes may have eternal life in Him.

I tell you the truth, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent me has eternal life and will not be condemned;

Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

I have come into the world as a light, so that no-one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

John 3:15, 5:24, 11:25,26a, 12:46, and 20:31.

One Baptism – all who are baptised into the name of the Lord are one in Him

For we are all baptised by one Spirit into one body……

‘for all of you who are baptized into Christ have clothed yourself with Christ.

‘having been buried with Him through your faith in the power of God, who raised Him from the dead.

1 Corinthians 12:13, Galatians 3:27, Colossians 2:12.

One God – believe in the same personal God as our Father

A father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling.

If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him!

For you did not receive a spirit that makes you slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of Sonship, and by Him we cry, Abba, Father.

Psalm 68:5, Matthew 7:11, Romans 8:15.

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Galatians 5:22, 23. [King James Version]

If we as Christians are not prepared to live with one another in this way, and with these criteria in mind, there arises a serious question as to whether we have the Spirit of Christ.

We need –

***# knowledge of the Son of God.

The scriptures below show the knowledge we should have  of the Son of God.

*John 3:16  For so greatly did God love the world that He gave His only Son, that every one who trusts in Him may not perish but may have the Life of Ages.

John 3:17  For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

Weymouth Translation

*John 3:15  So that whoever has faith may have in him eternal life.

John 3:16  For God had such love for the world that he gave his only Son, so that whoever has faith in him may not come to destruction but have eternal life.

John 3:17  God did not send his Son into the world to be judge of the world; he sent him so that the world might have salvation through him.

John 3:18  The man who has faith in him does not come up to be judged; but he who has no faith in him has been judged even now, because he has no faith in the name of the only Son of God.

Bible in Basic English

*John 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

John 3:16  For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

John 3:17  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

John 3:18  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

King James Version

*John 3:15  that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during,

John 3:16  for God did so love the world, that His Son–the only begotten–He gave, that every one who is believing in him may not perish, but may have life age-during.

John 3:17  For God did not send His Son to the world that he may judge the world, but that the world may be saved through him;

John 3:18  he who is believing in him is not judged, but he who is not believing hath been judged already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Young’s Literal Translation

 ***# To full growth.

***# The full measure of Christ.

We will look at the above two items in future blogs

***Except that we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, and allow His Holy Spirit to come into our hearts and minds, we are none of His because we have not the Spirit of Christ.

***We need to make manifest the incredible love of the Father, His Son and the Holy Spirit for their creation, by the way we behave as believers with one another.

We need to set aside those things which separate us and bring division into the Body of Christ.

This will allow the love of Jesus to flow through us, causing the world to marvel and say “See how they love another!”.

***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.

Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi  and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.

Try

https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/

I pray it will help.

Blessings

SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.

There is a mine of information in the books available at

www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen

Blessings

 

Doug

 

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ESTABLISHING THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE -WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? [4]

Topic
ESTABLISHING THE CHURCH WITHOUT SPOT OR WRINKLE -WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE? [4]

Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
King James Version
Ephesians 4:13 Till we all come to the harmony of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to full growth, to the full measure of Christ:
Bible in Basic English
Ephesians 4:13 till we all of us arrive at oneness in faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God, and at mature manhood and the stature of full-grown men in Christ.
Weymouth Translation
Ephesians 4:13 till we may all come to the unity of the faith and of the recognition of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to a measure of stature of the fulness of the Christ,
Young’s Literal Translation
*** The scriptures above highlight two things —
# The unity or harmony of the faith, and
# The knowledge or recognition of who Jesus is.
This is followed by the statement that we will then be like Christ, not be Him, but be like Him, completely.
The term ‘the measure of the fullness and maturity’ is indicated throughout all the translations.
In this blog we will discuss the unity or harmony of the faith.
The biggest block to unity and harmony of faith is the way the Church has been broken up into theological camps.
This is not biblical.
The Bible highlights recognizing the meetings of the Church Body in terms of the geographical position of the believers.
The Church at [place] obviates any theological ideology, and allows for a common meeting basis, without disputes over ideology.
Doing Church on a geographical basis, was extensively covered by Watchmen Nee during the 1930’s in his 3 volume series “The Work and the Church”
He shows the biblical basis for meeting on a geographical basis, and also shows how this is entirely possible.
He mentions the 5-fold ministry, but does not go into fine detail on it.
It is impossible to do the 5-fold ministry pattern unless the geographical basis for it has been put in place.
A city in the olden days was wherever the people congregated and lived and were protected.
Thus the only type of description of a church [on earth] that can be found in the scriptures; is that of the `ecclesia’ [called out ones]; and is described in terms of the `city’ boundary—wherever it is found. We even find this thought carried through in Revelations; where even the exact dimensions of the New Jerusalem are given!
And so we find in the New Testament the corporate ecclesia described as: –
* The Church in Ephesus Revelation 2:1
* The Church in Smyrna Revelation 2:8
* The Church in Pergamum Revelation 2:12
* The Church in Thyatira Revelation 2:18
* The Church in Sardis Revelation 3:1
* The Church in Philadelphia Revelation 3:7
* The Church in Laodicea Revelation 3:14
That is why you don’t see the 5-fold ministry pattern in Churches around the world, because the geographical meeting is the only way the 5-fold meetings will work properly.
People who say they are doing the 5-fold ministry are doing a man-made version of the 5-fold ministry, not a biblical version of it.
I know, because we tried to do the 5-fold ministry within the old structures in home Church, and it doesn’t work. We had to switch to a strict geographical basis.
*** The different aspects of Christianity are perfectly covered in terms of the 5-fold ministry, the Apostle, the Prophet, the Pastor, the Evangelist and the Teacher.
These aspects are given full expression in the Grace 5 meetings linked to the 5-fold Ministries.
They are the Covenant Meeting, the Prayer meeting, the Worship meeting, the Good News meeting and the Bible Study meeting.
The wonderful thing about the way God has structured Church above, is that all the needs of the believers are taken care of, just by flowing with God’s pattern for doing Church.
All and every aspect is covered by God’s pattern.
Jesus says it best –
No one ever mends an old cloak with a patch of newly woven cloth. Otherwise, the patch put on would tear away some of the old, and a worse hole would be made.
Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. Otherwise, the skins would split, the wine would escape, and the skins be destroyed. But they put new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved.”
Matthew 9:16, 17 Weymouth Translation
The old wineskins have provided excellent and beautiful wine that was much enjoyed and which blessed people. The old wineskins had laid the foundation in which the new wine could be enjoyed.
However, as happens with all things, a time comes when the old wineskin has to fulfill its last function, and then it becomes time for the new wineskins to provide from their wine.
Paul spoke about the 5-fold ministry 2000 years ago, so the wine in the new wineskin is well matured and ready for consumption.
***We cannot move into a ‘Church without spot or wrinkle’ without putting aside our pride in doing Church in the old man-made traditions in the Church Body, and start doing things the biblical way.
God has given us complete directions in the scriptures, so let’s do it that way.
***We will continue to explore the Church without spot or wrinkle in future blogs.
Here are some pointers of how the direction goes —

Find out more at ht.ly/eeH80Cttp://bi and I pray it will be of help to you. Blessings.
Try
https://biblesolutionsblog.wordpress.com/
I pray it will help.
Blessings
SING TO THE LORD A NEW SONG — BOOK 1:
http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/272883 is available for free at this link. Get yourself a copy.
There is a mine of information in the books available at
http://www.,amazon.com/author/dougvermeulen
Blessings

 

 

Doug

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