- Oct 13, 2009
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Dear saints, I’m glad to be back with all of you 
. I’ve been in prayer, particularly for all those affected by hurricane Harvey, and those of you who’re in the destructive path of hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia. I know that anything I say or do now will in no way mitigate the suffering and plight of the victims. But if it helps, I’d like to share my own experience with a devastating storm that battered my hometown Vizag on the east coast of India few years ago. The losses mounted to several tens of billions and the city is still nursing its wounds after nearly two years. I wasn’t able to contact my old folks for nearly ten days as all the cell phone towers were down. The Indian Navy allowed civilians to use their SATCOMS to reach their loved ones. My folks were without water for nearly five days and power was restored nearly a month later. The spirit of the town’s folk was almost but destroyed, but people chose not to give in to despair. I urge those of you with families and loved ones in these areas to continue trusting the Lord and be hopeful. Giving to the American Redcross and other charitable agencies also helps.
Today I wanted for us to dwell on life after sanctification. In my previous posts I had outlined the process of sanctification. Although, it’s God’s will that we be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3) it’s not the end result. Sanctification and deliverance from sin free us to serve the Lord more effectively. God doesn’t save and sanctify us so that we become the poster children of holiness. On the contrary, the Lord delivers us from sin and sends us to serve the dregs and filth of humanity. The Apostle Paul went to the extent of saying that God had put the Apostles at the end of the procession, as if prisoners unto death (1 Corinthians 4:9). The mountain top experience of sanctification and transfiguration is followed by crucifixion in the sin-infested and demon possessed valley (Matthew 17:2-3, 22-23).
Please turn with me to 2 Peter 1:5-11. This passage of scripture narrates the various Christ-like attributes that we ought to develop and allow the Holy Spirit to nurture. Some preachers include this in the sanctification process. Based on my personal experience, I’d like to view this as a post-sanctification character building process. Salvation and deliverance from sin frees us from judgment and God’s wrath, but the seed of God that’s been planted in us by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 2 Timothy 1:6) has to be nurtured into the fullness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The personality traits of the Lord Jesus (Galatians 5:22-23) should be increasingly evident in our mortal flesh. Our individuality or who we were when we were born isn’t done away with (The Lord Jesus was still born into a Jewish family) but is transcended by His resurrection life in our mortal flesh. The sanctified life is also one of hard labor and service unto the Lord and man. God expects and mandates us to demonstrate our salvation and sanctification through godly deeds (James 2:14-26, Matthew 28:19-20).
Life before sanctification may have been filled with confusion, fear, doubt and dread of condemnation and judgment of an angry God (Hebrews 10:31). Life after sanctification is characterized by confidence in and reassurance from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:14) and constant communion with God (Psalm 25:14). Unlike the Lord Jesus who became our sin on the cross and was temporarily shut out from God’s Presence (Matthew 27:46), we saints are in constant communion with the Lord because the curtain separating God from man has been torn into two and has been permanently eliminated (Matthew 27:51). The man or woman of God perfected in holiness is also prepared for the service of the Lord. A saint doesn’t have to go looking for God’s word as the word of the Lord is brought directly to the saint by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 1:2) and hence the saint has a direct “hotline” to God Himself. I started receiving the word of the Lord in the winter of 1997 (although I was baptized in 1992) this way and have been receiving it ever since. A passage of scripture could jump out at you and the Holy Spirit arrests and commands your attention granting you singular focus. That’s a sign that the Lord is speaking to you and also how the Lord normally speaks, i.e., in words (visions, dreams, signs and wonders are some of the other ways). The word of the Lord can also come in some mysterious ways, like from a billboard by the road-side, from a TV commercial, and sometimes from a tax return! The point is that the barrier that sin had created is totally eliminated and the sanctified saint always hears the Lord and is always heard by the Lord (John 11:40-44).
Another common misconception is that a sanctified saint can no longer be tempted and doesn’t face any trials. That truth is that a saint is tempted until glory. However, there is a stark contrast or difference in the nature and mode of those temptations. Let’s look to the life of the Lord Jesus as an example. Although, we’re told that the Lord Jesus was tempted like us in every way (Hebrews 14:5), the temptations that the Lord faced after being baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:22) were not those that we normally imagine, i.e., adultery, murder, fornication, theft, etc. The first temptation that the Lord faced in the desert was to satisfy His personal needs (Matthew 4:3). Hungry as He was from fasting for forty full days (incidentally, doctors tell us we can’t survive without food for that long. That’s another evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit in Him.), it would’ve been quite normal for Him to put His needs first. But He chose to put God’s will first (Matthew 4:4). All of us have inkling to what God’s will is for our lives. We may be called into the ministry, feel like being a physician or engineer, etc. The first temptation we face is to run ahead of God and try to fulfil God’s purpose our way. The second temptation that the Lord faced was to test His own spirituality and in the process force God Almighty to help Him (Matthew 4:5-6). The Lord defeated the devil successfully by refusing to put our Heavenly Father to a foolish test (Matthew 4:7). A sanctified saint preparing to do God’s work is often tempted to do something spectacular and exciting to project God’s power and majesty. But, doing so without first consulting the Lord would put both Him and us in harm’s way. Notice that even Satan knows scripture inside and out. However, he always quotes it out of context and perverts it. The Lord combated falsely quoted scripture by quoting scripture correctly. The third temptation that the Lord faced was to deify and glorify Himself by attaining all the wealth and power of this world (Matthew 4:8-9) but by denying His own Divinity and pledging servitude to the devil. This is the temptation of corruption and greed. The old adage that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” is absolutely true. The Lord knew this only too well and rebuked Satan yet again (Matthew 4:10).
Some translations (NIV for example) suggest that “and the devil left Him until an opportune time”. In other words, the temptations of this Holy Ghost baptized Son of God didn’t end there. We see another temptation that the Lord defeated successfully when Peter urged Christ not to be crucified (Matthew 16:23). The Lord realizing that Satan was again seducing Him to put His needs ahead of God’s objectives, rebuked Satan (not necessarily Peter) effectively. So as you see saints, a sanctified saint is tempted and tested all their life. But, the temptations are of a higher order and not always easily discernible to those who aren’t in the Spirit.
A sanctified saint becomes the bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1). He/she is one who always seeks to do his/her Master’s bidding and is crucified to this world with Christ (Galatians 2:20). A sanctified saint doesn’t make any demands of their Master but is willing to become broken bread and poured out wine (Philippians 2:17, 2 Timothy 4:6) so that a godless world may feed of them, till they learn to walk with the Lord themselves.
Sorry about such a lengthy post saints, but it’s been a while since I’ve been with all of you. Dear friends, I’m quite certain that all of you are sanctified, Holy Ghost baptized saints. Should there be any amongst you that don’t know the Lord yet, I pray that the Lord of the Universe will set you free from sin and disobedience into His glorious light and freedom. Amen.
Finally friends, my intention in this writing was only to illustrate some concepts and not incriminate anybody in anyway. I apologize if some or all of this content offended you in anyway, as my intention was quite the opposite
PS: Thanks for taking the time to read my scribble saints. If you find a lot of similarities between this writing and those of Rev. Oswald Chambers, that’s because the late Rev. Chambers is my mentor. “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Amen.
. I’ve been in prayer, particularly for all those affected by hurricane Harvey, and those of you who’re in the destructive path of hurricanes Irma, Jose and Katia. I know that anything I say or do now will in no way mitigate the suffering and plight of the victims. But if it helps, I’d like to share my own experience with a devastating storm that battered my hometown Vizag on the east coast of India few years ago. The losses mounted to several tens of billions and the city is still nursing its wounds after nearly two years. I wasn’t able to contact my old folks for nearly ten days as all the cell phone towers were down. The Indian Navy allowed civilians to use their SATCOMS to reach their loved ones. My folks were without water for nearly five days and power was restored nearly a month later. The spirit of the town’s folk was almost but destroyed, but people chose not to give in to despair. I urge those of you with families and loved ones in these areas to continue trusting the Lord and be hopeful. Giving to the American Redcross and other charitable agencies also helps.Today I wanted for us to dwell on life after sanctification. In my previous posts I had outlined the process of sanctification. Although, it’s God’s will that we be sanctified (1 Thessalonians 4:3) it’s not the end result. Sanctification and deliverance from sin free us to serve the Lord more effectively. God doesn’t save and sanctify us so that we become the poster children of holiness. On the contrary, the Lord delivers us from sin and sends us to serve the dregs and filth of humanity. The Apostle Paul went to the extent of saying that God had put the Apostles at the end of the procession, as if prisoners unto death (1 Corinthians 4:9). The mountain top experience of sanctification and transfiguration is followed by crucifixion in the sin-infested and demon possessed valley (Matthew 17:2-3, 22-23).
Please turn with me to 2 Peter 1:5-11. This passage of scripture narrates the various Christ-like attributes that we ought to develop and allow the Holy Spirit to nurture. Some preachers include this in the sanctification process. Based on my personal experience, I’d like to view this as a post-sanctification character building process. Salvation and deliverance from sin frees us from judgment and God’s wrath, but the seed of God that’s been planted in us by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:6-7, 2 Timothy 1:6) has to be nurtured into the fullness of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18). The personality traits of the Lord Jesus (Galatians 5:22-23) should be increasingly evident in our mortal flesh. Our individuality or who we were when we were born isn’t done away with (The Lord Jesus was still born into a Jewish family) but is transcended by His resurrection life in our mortal flesh. The sanctified life is also one of hard labor and service unto the Lord and man. God expects and mandates us to demonstrate our salvation and sanctification through godly deeds (James 2:14-26, Matthew 28:19-20).
Life before sanctification may have been filled with confusion, fear, doubt and dread of condemnation and judgment of an angry God (Hebrews 10:31). Life after sanctification is characterized by confidence in and reassurance from the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:22, Ephesians 1:14) and constant communion with God (Psalm 25:14). Unlike the Lord Jesus who became our sin on the cross and was temporarily shut out from God’s Presence (Matthew 27:46), we saints are in constant communion with the Lord because the curtain separating God from man has been torn into two and has been permanently eliminated (Matthew 27:51). The man or woman of God perfected in holiness is also prepared for the service of the Lord. A saint doesn’t have to go looking for God’s word as the word of the Lord is brought directly to the saint by the Holy Spirit (Jeremiah 1:2) and hence the saint has a direct “hotline” to God Himself. I started receiving the word of the Lord in the winter of 1997 (although I was baptized in 1992) this way and have been receiving it ever since. A passage of scripture could jump out at you and the Holy Spirit arrests and commands your attention granting you singular focus. That’s a sign that the Lord is speaking to you and also how the Lord normally speaks, i.e., in words (visions, dreams, signs and wonders are some of the other ways). The word of the Lord can also come in some mysterious ways, like from a billboard by the road-side, from a TV commercial, and sometimes from a tax return! The point is that the barrier that sin had created is totally eliminated and the sanctified saint always hears the Lord and is always heard by the Lord (John 11:40-44).
Another common misconception is that a sanctified saint can no longer be tempted and doesn’t face any trials. That truth is that a saint is tempted until glory. However, there is a stark contrast or difference in the nature and mode of those temptations. Let’s look to the life of the Lord Jesus as an example. Although, we’re told that the Lord Jesus was tempted like us in every way (Hebrews 14:5), the temptations that the Lord faced after being baptized in the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:16, Luke 3:22) were not those that we normally imagine, i.e., adultery, murder, fornication, theft, etc. The first temptation that the Lord faced in the desert was to satisfy His personal needs (Matthew 4:3). Hungry as He was from fasting for forty full days (incidentally, doctors tell us we can’t survive without food for that long. That’s another evidence of the power of the Holy Spirit in Him.), it would’ve been quite normal for Him to put His needs first. But He chose to put God’s will first (Matthew 4:4). All of us have inkling to what God’s will is for our lives. We may be called into the ministry, feel like being a physician or engineer, etc. The first temptation we face is to run ahead of God and try to fulfil God’s purpose our way. The second temptation that the Lord faced was to test His own spirituality and in the process force God Almighty to help Him (Matthew 4:5-6). The Lord defeated the devil successfully by refusing to put our Heavenly Father to a foolish test (Matthew 4:7). A sanctified saint preparing to do God’s work is often tempted to do something spectacular and exciting to project God’s power and majesty. But, doing so without first consulting the Lord would put both Him and us in harm’s way. Notice that even Satan knows scripture inside and out. However, he always quotes it out of context and perverts it. The Lord combated falsely quoted scripture by quoting scripture correctly. The third temptation that the Lord faced was to deify and glorify Himself by attaining all the wealth and power of this world (Matthew 4:8-9) but by denying His own Divinity and pledging servitude to the devil. This is the temptation of corruption and greed. The old adage that “absolute power corrupts absolutely” is absolutely true. The Lord knew this only too well and rebuked Satan yet again (Matthew 4:10).
Some translations (NIV for example) suggest that “and the devil left Him until an opportune time”. In other words, the temptations of this Holy Ghost baptized Son of God didn’t end there. We see another temptation that the Lord defeated successfully when Peter urged Christ not to be crucified (Matthew 16:23). The Lord realizing that Satan was again seducing Him to put His needs ahead of God’s objectives, rebuked Satan (not necessarily Peter) effectively. So as you see saints, a sanctified saint is tempted and tested all their life. But, the temptations are of a higher order and not always easily discernible to those who aren’t in the Spirit.
A sanctified saint becomes the bondservant of the Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 1:1). He/she is one who always seeks to do his/her Master’s bidding and is crucified to this world with Christ (Galatians 2:20). A sanctified saint doesn’t make any demands of their Master but is willing to become broken bread and poured out wine (Philippians 2:17, 2 Timothy 4:6) so that a godless world may feed of them, till they learn to walk with the Lord themselves.
Sorry about such a lengthy post saints, but it’s been a while since I’ve been with all of you
. Dear friends, I’m quite certain that all of you are sanctified, Holy Ghost baptized saints. Should there be any amongst you that don’t know the Lord yet, I pray that the Lord of the Universe will set you free from sin and disobedience into His glorious light and freedom. Amen.Finally friends, my intention in this writing was only to illustrate some concepts and not incriminate anybody in anyway. I apologize if some or all of this content offended you in anyway, as my intention was quite the opposite
PS: Thanks for taking the time to read my scribble saints. If you find a lot of similarities between this writing and those of Rev. Oswald Chambers, that’s because the late Rev. Chambers is my mentor. “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain” (Philippians 1:21). Amen.
