John 6:44 (AMP) No one is able to come to Me unless the Father Who sent Me attracts and draws him and gives him the desire to come to Me, and [then] I will raise him up [from the dead] at the last day. Anyone drawn to the Lord Jesus is by the revealed truth that He is the Son of God and that He came to fulfill the will of His Father to deliver humanity from the darkness of sin and death.
Such a revealed truth comes by the Holy Spirit, confirmed in one’s witness and testimony of Christ. John 16:13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come.
Jesus told His disciples to wait until the anointed presence of the Holy Spirit came to them, empowering them to be His witnesses throughout the known world at that time. This power has never ceased to exist, as He has never ceased to exist, but churches no longer view it as a necessary part of Christ’s Church. Acts 1:8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes to you. Then you will be my witnesses to testify about me in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.
I am emphasizing all this because believers today are caught up in the anxiety of dark ventures presented in churches, but are no less a part of God’s plans today. I would venture to say that they may have a more significant role, as the times reveal that the end is near for the Church, and the harvest in these last days will be plentiful, with many souls entering the kingdom; therefore, the Holy Spirit is needed, along with the truth about the power that accompanies Him.
I encourage you to cultivate a deeper relationship with the Holy Spirit. But know this, God is working in you to do good works on this earth, and whoever is born again or recreated in Christ Jesus is predestined to enter a life already prepared for them. Eph 2:10 (AMP) For we are God’s [own] handiwork (His workmanship), recreated in Christ Jesus, [born anew] that we may do those good works which God predestined (planned beforehand) for us [taking paths which He prepared ahead of time], that we should walk in them [living the good life which He prearranged and made ready for us to live].
Another fact is that He has said those who walk in such good works will live a good life that He has already arranged and prepared for them. If you want to know more about this Good Life, continue to explore your social heritage within the body of the Church. Many ask this question: If we are to live a good life, then why doesn’t every believer have plenty of money and everything they need? It is simply because the good life that God is revealing here is not based on wealth or material goods, but on spiritual well-being and the faith to maintain the power that sustains it.
John 1:1-4 (AMP) IN THE beginning [before all time] was the Word (Christ), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God Himself. 2 He was present originally with God. 3 All things were made and came into existence through Him; and without Him was not even one thing made that has come into being. 4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men. Look at what these verses say. The one who was the Word has been made flesh and dwelt among us, is the life, and that life is the light of men. Our life is not to reflect the life or light in Christ Jesus, but to live in such a way that others see something they don’t have, because we are God’s sons and daughters of light.
Luke 16:8 And his lord was pleased with the false servant, because he had been wise; for the sons of this world are wiser in relation to their generation than the sons of light. The word for light here is (phōs), meaning “to give light” or “light as seen by the eye,” reaching the mind, or ” to gaze at the light. Our life is to reveal Christ Jesus. In other words, we are to live a life that shines in the darkness of this world, revealing the one who is the way, the truth, and the life, to those who walk in it.
John 1:5 And the Light shines on in the darkness, for the darkness has never overpowered it [put it out or absorbed it or appropriated it, and is unreceptive to it]. Believers are Gentiles or Jews who are today’s Church, the body of Christ, and grafted in and existing through the work of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Son of God. This is our anointed ministerial gift, given to us by the Holy Spirit. But our lives must be as such to reveal the fundamental truth that we are the righteous children of God through Christ Jesus.
Math 5:14-16 You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Nor do men light a lamp and put it under a peck measure, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 Let your light so shine before men that they may see your moral excellence and your praiseworthy, noble, and good deeds and recognize and honor and praise and glorify your Father Who is in heaven. Let me say something that cuts right across traditional lines of theology in churches: nowhere in scripture does it say believers, the body of Christ as the Church, are mirrors reflecting Christ into this world.
Math 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Every believer has a life that is Christ or light, revealed through their good works. Jesus said that those who follow Him are no longer in darkness and will have this light, His life. So, I have to ask, why all the dark sanctuaries if it’s all about Christ and the light and life of a believer?
John 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. It is time for believers to understand something: what this light represents by the life it brings. The word “light” here refers to something seen emanating from a source or point of origin. It is not just physically seen but can be perceived as a revealing or, in other words, bringing things into manifestation. (Revelation)
So, what was the primary thing manifested in Jesus’s life while in the flesh? The word for life here is (Zoe), the God kind of life, meaning the type of life that the Father has in Him, the same life He gave His Son to have in Himself. John 1:4 In Him was Life, and the Life was the Light of men.
This ZOE life is the life Adam had before the fall, meaning that those still in darkness do not have this kind of life in them. However, believers in Christ have it because they are delivered from darkness and have now inherited this life, which is to be a light shining forth from them into the world. We cannot escape the truth revealed here. Col 1:12-14 (BBE) Giving praise to the Father who has given us a part in the heritage of the saints in light; 13 Who has made us free from the power of evil and given us a place in the kingdom of the Son of his love; 14 In whom we have our salvation, the forgiveness of sins:
This Zoe kind of life has no darkness in it, or we could say it has no sin manifested in it. Only life is as God lives—a good life that He prearranged and made ready for us to live while doing good works. 1 John 3:9 (AMP) No one born (begotten) of God [deliberately, knowingly, and habitually] practices sin, for God’s nature abides in him [His principle of life, the divine sperm, remains permanently within him]; and he cannot practice sinning because he is born (begotten) of God.
John is referring to those who have been born again and their nature as God’s children, living without darkness being a part of them. They now live without a consciousness of practicing the old sinful nature revealed by the light shining in the darkness. Most Christians have been trained to exalt Christ and believe that this life is only a sacrifice for it. They do not see themselves as a child of God, though they confess they are one. This is an error in the revealing of truth about us, the children of God holding heirship with Christ.
Our lives are not about when we enter heaven, but a life here in the flesh, not perfect like Jesus, but a life no less affirmed by God. And yes, we make mistakes, making others think we are not spiritual enough to live this kind of life. However, the truth is that we can if we choose to, and the word suggests we be spiritually mature enough to live this kind of life. Knowing that the Holy Spirit is mature in all spiritual things, and every born-again child of God has Him, and He is the essence of this new life, and the power to live it.
Eph 5:8-16 (NET) for you were at one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Live like children of light – 9 for the fruit of the light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth – 10 trying to learn what is pleasing to the Lord. 11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but rather expose them. 12 For the things they do in secret are shameful even to mention. 13 But all things being exposed by the light are made visible. 14 For everything made visible is light, and for this reason it says: “Awake, O sleeper! Rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you!”
Paul talks about a visible life, a way of living as a child of light, revealing what is acceptable to the Lord. He says that as you go, learn from your experiences what is unacceptable. Take no part in those things that produce no fruit of this light by the Holy Spirit. And do not partake in fellowship with those who, by their deeds of darkness, reveal the fruitlessness of such. 15 Therefore consider carefully how you live – not as unwise but as wise, 16 taking advantage of every opportunity, because the days are evil.
If you are a believer, your life should expose the darkness in which the world lives, reprove, and convict its way of life. Now, hang on!!! Paul is not talking here about us going around and telling all of those who are sinners that they are living in darkness and going to hell if they do not change their ways. Instead, we are by our very life the way we live, that which is seen and made manifest in this world and pleasing to the Lord, should be so much in contrast to the ways of it, that those who view us would have conviction over how they live their lives. This is not about self-righteousness, as some have, but about a righteous life presented by the power that came when the Spirit of God appeared at Pentecost.
Suppose we see it as this: it is not so much about the no’s that a Christian is to abide by, as it is the yes’s, meaning it isn’t about us and what we are not to do, as much as it is about what we are to do. Abstinence, though revealed in the scripture, is more in tune with spiritual things than natural things, since this life will be lived by those who are not perfect.
1 John 1:5-7 (NET) Now this is the gospel message we have heard from him and announce to you: God is light, and in him there is no darkness at all. 6 If we say we have fellowship with him and yet keep on walking in the darkness, we are lying and not practicing the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as he himself is in the light, we have fellowship with one another and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. As I said, we are to live a good life, the ZOE kind of life on this earth. So, the question for us as the children of God is, are we living a Godkind of life, or are we living in a way that is so like those who still live in darkness that our life has no contrast to it?
Every believer is to live by faith in the Son of God, be led by the Holy Spirit who abides in them, and be a witness by the power that comes through His presence, all by faith in Christ. If you are born again and recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in you, then the power to live as your heavenly Father states is present in you. Eph 3:20-21 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, 21 Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
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