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Monday, January
12, 2009
Another Form
Matthew 18:18-20 Verily I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever
ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. (19) Again I say unto
you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that
they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
(20) For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in
the midst of them. (KJV)
In order to effectively bind and loose,
the first thing you need to realize is ‘what are you loosing and how it is
done’. Our Lord promised that if two of us would be in agreement concerning
things we ask for, then it is a done deal. We also see our Lord explaining
the fact that where two or three are gathered in His name (remember we are
called Christians, people that are Christ like) He would be in the midst of
us. So how are you forming or formulating a vision of our Lord; is it after
the outward, or are you able to see another form of Him, someone no longer
being viewed after the flesh?
Mark 16:12-16 After that he appeared in
another form unto two of them, as they walked, and went into the country. (13)
And they went and told it unto the residue: neither believed they them. (14)
Afterward he appeared unto the eleven as they sat at meat, and upbraided
them with their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they believed not
them which had seen him after he was risen. (15) And he said unto them, Go
ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. (16) He
that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not
shall be damned. (KJV)
Strong’s definition for ‘form:
3444
morphe (mor-fay'); perhaps from the base of 3313 (through the idea
of adjustment of parts); shape; figuratively, nature: KJV-- form.
The Lord, who had just walked with the
disciples in one form, was now appearing to them in another form. People
who had been accustomed to Him one way, after the outward appearance, had
now been approached in an entirely different manner, say a spiritual one
for instance? Isn’t this similar to your own experience with the Lord, how
you knew Him after the outward, but now that you have accepted His plan of
salvation you are now seeing Him in a new and different manner? Actually
the same holds true today, so many picture a man named Jesus after the
outward, you know the bearded man with the robe and sandals? However, few
are looking beyond that realm to another realm (the Spiritual) and seeing
Christ, the Son of God, who is seated at the right hand of the Father
making intercession on their behalf. Now if this man had taken on another
form, that being spiritual, then would not His Word and the meaning of it
have taken on another form as well; say for instance that term in verse 16,
baptized?
Acts 1:3-5 To whom also he shewed himself
alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty
days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God: (4) And,
being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not
depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith
he, ye have heard of me. (5) For John truly baptized with water; but ye
shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence. (KJV)
Talk about a guy that just won’t quit;
here is a man that was crucified, left for dead, and yet preaching and
continuing His calling even after all of that. We see again, our Lord
making His appearance in another form and then instructing His disciples to
wait for the promise of the Father which He describes would come in another
form using the term baptized. The word baptize simply means to immerse, so
people that had been immersed in outward ways or rituals should now be on
the lookout for a new form of worship, that being in the Spiritual form.
Acts 2:1-4 And when the day of Pentecost
was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. (2) And
suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it
filled all the house where they were sitting. (3) And there appeared unto
them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. (4) And
they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other
tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance. (KJV)
Stop, look and listen, do you see what
just took place here in these first 4 verses? That promise they were
waiting for, that new form of baptism had just arrived and it came in the
form of the Spirit, a new realm where a new creation should be operating in
as well. John the Baptist was dead, having accomplished his ministry, and
so should be all the old forms of worship and rituals as well. Despite the
fact that as you read on in the book of Acts the disciples continued to
hold to the old laws and rituals, eventually they were able to come to the
conclusion that we are saved by grace through faith, apart from the works
of the law. Have you come to that conclusion as well; and are you seeing
the Lord in a spiritual sense also, or are you still looking for Him in the
outward, one that is no longer in play?
John 4:23-24 But the hour cometh, and now
is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in
truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. (24) God is a Spirit:
and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. (KJV)
The Bible says that we are to know no man
after the flesh, and even though we have known Christ after the flesh, as
many of the disciples did, we are to know Him in that form no more. So how
are you worshipping God (which simple means to reverence); is it in Spirit
and according to the truth, which is the only thing that will set one free,
or are you still holding to the old law and its rituals that should be dead
and buried?
Ephesians 4:4-6 There is one body, and
one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; (5) One
Lord, one faith, one baptism, (6) One God and Father of all, who is above
all, and through all, and in you all. (KJV)
You know, when dealing with our Lord He
only deals in one realm, and only those that are likeminded and of one
accord with Him will be able to operate effectively in it as well. So when
dealing with the Word and the scriptures, which realm are you formulating
and patterning your life after, the outward or another one located in the
realm of the Spirit? Remember our Lord only operates in the term ‘One’, and
so should you.
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