PUT AWAY EVIL SPEAKING, FORGIVE ALL
Thursday – January 26, 2017
Greetings in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from Eastern Gate Ministries International Inc. I have posted a picture of a beautiful sunrise with the horizon a brilliant red. Over and over you have heard me (if you actually read the posting) say (write) that the Church is as lost as a goose in a hail storm or words to that effect. Listen to Jesus.
Matthew 16:1-4 (KJV)
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them, and departed.
Jesus speaking to the religious class, the organized Church of His day, told them they were as lost as a goose in a hail storm (Wood paraphrase). Jesus goes on to tell His disciples to beware of the leaven of the Pharisees speaking of the doctrine of devils they were teaching the people. The same is going on today.
Matthew 16:6 (KJV)
6 Then Jesus said unto them, Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees.
We must all search the Scriptures, not our favorite Commentary or denominational liturgy, and prove what we are being taught as to whether it is true or not (Acts 17:11). Long story short, confess and believe you have the leadership of the Holy Spirit and be willing to change. Change our knowledge, how we think about things, how we talk, and how we act, a transformational change more and more into the image and likeness of God by the Word of God. Now I will return to our Bible Study in Ephesians.
Ephesians 4:30-32 (KJV)
30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
31 Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.
Grieving the Holy Spirit brings His activities to a halt in our lives. We really don’t want to do that according to the Apostle Paul for the Holy Spirit is the One who is keeping us, has sealed us, placed the stamp of God upon us, placing and keeping us in the secret place of God. Our obedience (love) keeps us in that place. We must quit singing the song “I Did It My Way” and start singing, “I Did It His Way” and “Oh, the Joy that floods my soul”.
I think we all recognize that the following verse is not describing fruits that our spirit man should produce. We are to produce the fruits that our Father, our Savior, and the Holy Spirit produce. We are of like kind, being in their image and likeness so we are to produce likewise (Galatians 5:22-23).
Ephesians 4:31-32 (AMP)
31 Let all bitterness and indignation and wrath (passion, rage, bad temper) and resentment (anger, animosity) and quarreling (brawling, clamor, contention) and slander (evil-speaking, abusive or blasphemous language) be banished from you, with all malice (spite, ill will, or baseness of any kind).
32 And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.
You will notice this looks a lot like the fruits of the flesh, the unrenewed mind and desires of the physical body that Paul describes in Galatians.
Galatians 5:19-23 (KJV)
19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies,
21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
Our thoughts, words, and behaviors are to mirror verses twenty-two and twenty-three in the preceding passage. This does not just drop on us when we change our mind (repent) and chose Jesus as Lord. We have to do these things on purpose, become these, exhibit as first nature these attributes. These are the spiritual organs of our Father and are therefore the spiritual organs of the children, us. This is analogous to our having the same physical organs as our natural father and mother. These nine fruits of the spirit (God’s Spirit and ours) are also components of the Kingdom of God. Remember the Kingdom of God is righteousness, peace, and joy. Peace and joy are individual components of the Kingdom and the fruit, the Kingdom component righteousness is composed of love, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance. I end the teaching today with Gods’ admonition to them and us through the Apostle Paul.
Ephesians 4:31-32 (AMP)
32 And become useful and helpful and kind to one another, tenderhearted (compassionate, understanding, loving-hearted), forgiving one another [readily and freely], as God in Christ forgave you.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
