Borders of the Kingdom

[Joe67]

My question is base in the fact that most Christians believe that they are 'born again' and therefore without sin based on being saved by grace through faith. And yet they still sin, and admit to it because they believe that the blood of the sacrifice of Jesus 'covers' their sins so that the Father doesn't see the sins they continue to commit but is fooled into thinking that they are without sin, even though they still have sin in their lives.

Is this a correct assumption on my part, or am I missing something?

Soon,

I am old now. I have wrestled for 40+ years with the question of how to "live" in Jesus.

I believe that it is a worthwhile and needful searching of the heart.

Being forgiven is sweet. Growing in grace and overcoming the wicked one is much more.

Being brought into maturity as a spiritual parent, under Jesus our head and high priest, makes our joy in Jesus Christ full, even as John wrote in his gospel what our Lord said and then John wrote in his 2nd epistle.

John 16:24
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.KJV

2 John 12
12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. KJV

Our experience in the Lord Jesus matures and comes to the full as we live to benefit the Body of the Lord Jesus and ask the Father for those gifts that we need to serve the Body of Jesus.

Joe

 

[Soon144k]

Soon,

I am old now. I have wrestled for 40+ years with the question of how to "live" in Jesus.

I believe that it is a worthwhile and needful searching of the heart.

Being forgiven is sweet. Growing in grace and overcoming the wicked one is much more.

Being brought into maturity as a spiritual parent, under Jesus our head and high priest, makes our joy in Jesus Christ full, even as John wrote in his gospel what our Lord said and then John wrote in his 2nd epistle.

John 16:24
24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full.KJV

2 John 12
12 Having many things to write unto you, I would not write with paper and ink: but I trust to come unto you, and speak face to face, that our joy may be full. KJV

Our experience in the Lord Jesus matures and comes to the full as we live to benefit the Body of the Lord Jesus and ask the Father for those gifts that we need to serve the Body of Jesus.

Joe

I can tell you are mature in Jesus because you picked up on something in the John 16:24 text that most people miss; that is, that what we ask for MUST be for the benefit of the Kingdom of Heaven, and THIS is what brings our joy to fullness. Most Christians make this verse personal, and it is not. If we are truly warriors in the army of God then what we ask for will not be for personal gain, but for the betterment of the Kingdom. It is this unselfishness that reflects the will of the Father, just as did Jesus when He was here on earth.

 

[Joe67]

Soon,

The crop that the Lord is growing in his spiritual kingdom has 3, even 4, stages/phases and they must need come in their order as described in Isaiah 28, the last part.

Some, after they hear concerning the vital part, the Seed, are tempted to discount the work of the Lord in the phases of breaking up the fallow ground, smoothing out the clods, casting abroad the Seed, harvesting the mature grain and then the threshing of the mature grain and gathering it into his storehouse.

This present age of automated machinery it is easy to be ensnared into the thought that the things of the Lord happen instantaneously in their fullness, without pain and sorrow and suffering.

I believe that you have an understanding of these underlying practical principles of the "way" of the Lord, wherein his truth and his life are manifested.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, David, the prophets, Peter and John were aged and late in life when the Lord spoke through them and left us messages to guide us into eternal life.

The Lord also has saved for us a record of their younger activities and words from their mouths.

The comparison between their youthful witness and their aged/mature witness is very important.

Joe

 

[Soon144k]

Soon,

The crop that the Lord is growing in his spiritual kingdom has 3, even 4, stages/phases and they must need come in their order as described in Isaiah 28, the last part.

Some, after they hear concerning the vital part, the Seed, are tempted to discount the work of the Lord in the phases of breaking up the fallow ground, smoothing out the clods, casting abroad the Seed, harvesting the mature grain and then the threshing of the mature grain and gathering it into his storehouse.

This present age of automated machinery it is easy to be ensnared into the thought that the things of the Lord happen instantaneously in their fullness, without pain and sorrow and suffering.

I believe that you have an understanding of these underlying practical principles of the "way" of the Lord, wherein his truth and his life are manifested.

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, Aaron, Miriam, Samuel, David, the prophets, Peter and John were aged and late in life when the Lord spoke through them and left us messages to guide us into eternal life.

The Lord also has saved for us a record of their younger activities and words from their mouths.

The comparison between their youthful witness and their aged/mature witness is very important.

Joe

Joe,
I prefer the term 'experience' over the word 'aged'. 'Mature' is not related to age. Someone of any age can be mature, as is exemplified by my 19 year old daughter who is wise way beyond her years. One thing that many Christians believe is that when Jesus said the we must become as little children He meant that we must STAY as little children, and this could not be further from the truth. To know the Truth we must ABIDE in the words of Jesus. It is through HIS words that we become sanctified (John 17:17), through the process of sanctification we become wise. The 'Wise' are not children, they are matured through the experience of making the effort to understand the words of Jesus.

 

[Joe67]

Joe,
I prefer the term 'experience' over the word 'aged'. 'Mature' is not related to age. Someone of any age can be mature, as is exemplified by my 19 year old daughter who is wise way beyond her years. One thing that many Christians believe is that when Jesus said the we must become as little children He meant that we must STAY as little children, and this could not be further from the truth. To know the Truth we must ABIDE in the words of Jesus. It is through HIS words that we become sanctified (John 17:17), through the process of sanctification we become wise. The 'Wise' are not children, they are matured through the experience of making the effort to understand the words of Jesus.

Soon,

The experience that the Lord Jesus gives us, which matures us/sanctifies us in ministry to the erring and perfects us through suffering, is when he sends us out from our comfort and gives us, who are sheep, to serve the wolves.

The Lord gives us to hear the report, then he gives us to see his arm.

After these two processes of his work, then he gives us a heart to understand.

Joe