"Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water'." (John 7:38)




"Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. And we impart this in words not taught by human wisdom but taught by the Spirit, interpreting spiritual truths to those who are spiritual." (1Cor. 2:12-13)

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Saturday, June 30, 2012

Clay Pots

"Then the disciples came to him and said, 'Do you know that when the Pharisees heard this saying they were offended?' And he replied, 'Every plant that my heavenly Father did not plant will be uprooted. Leave them! They are blind guides. If someone who is blind leads another who is blind, both will fall into a pit.'" (Matthew 15:12-14)

We can understand by these words Jesus spoke that humanity is indeed a mere clay vessel of various soils, and unless the Father plants His Spirit, it is of another spirit that has taken root and grown. Jesus is not speaking against man, though he may hear, for on the cross He prayed the Father to "...forgive them, for they know not what they do." He is speaking against the rebellious spirits that deceive those vessels of clay whom the Father did not plant; but those who belong to Him will eventually understand Him by the Spirit He will have planted within them. Because God is spirit, the rebuke is spiritual. Those in whom God has not planted Himself are blind and therefore will be susceptible to being led by blind spirits.This is illuminated in the following three scriptures.

In the parable of the wheat and the tares (Matthew 13:37-39), Jesus' explanation was this; "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the kingdom; and the tares are the sons of the evil one; and the enemy who sowed them is the devil...".

In Matthew 16:23, Jesus addresses Satan when rebuking Peter: "But He turned and said to Peter, 'Get behind me Satan! You are a stumbling block to me, because you do not have in mind the things of God but the things of men.' "

Speaking to His disciples, Jesus also states clearly who the eternal punishment is intended for in Matthew 23:41. "Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.'" The Greek word used here for 'angels' is the same Greek word translated to 'messenger' in the following description for John the baptist.

"As they went away, Jesus began to speak to the crowds concerning John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken by the wind? What then did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Behold, those who wear soft clothing are in kings’ houses. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is he of whom it is written,

'Behold, I send my messenger before your face,
who will prepare your way before you.'

"Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and the violent take it by force. For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John, and if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah who is to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew 11:7-15

Whether the usage pertains to man or angels, the ultimate source behind both alludes to the spirit of that entity, as revealed in Luke 1:8-16.

"Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him, 'Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.'"

John was separated from men for God's own use. It was determined that from the beginning of his life he would be full of the Holy Spirit.

Whether angel or man, it is the spirit of such that establishes the identity and fate of an entity.

"Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word. You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I tell the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Whoever is of God hears the words of God. The reason why you do not hear them is that you are not of God." (John 8:43-47)

We know our minds can not be enlightened to its depravity except by the truth revealed, and will not have the power to do so unless one has received the Holy Spirit. This is the elect God has chosen from among all the people. So, who is man that God is mindful of him? Humanity is important enough that the demon's focus and relentless efforts are invested on keeping us from knowing the truth and trusting in our only source of deliverance and salvation from this temporal world. Man was created for God's pleasure and being the apple of His eye, there is nothing Satan wants more than to destroy what God loves; which begs an answer for why there is only a 'remnant' that will be saved.

Man has been judged by God to be unrighteous until He causes man to put his faith in the work of the cross. This is God's sovereign design. The difficult reality is that not everyone born of women is chosen out of this world to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven. He has raised up some for the purpose of revealing his holy nature through their depravity (Romans 9:21), to be led by wicked spirits against the elect that they may have the sure contrast and means necessary for this recognition, unto the work of sanctification. We can then be convinced that since man is incapable of anything but corruption, Jesus would not be trying to convince those absent of God's Spirit and election of their error, rather, in the view and presence of His disciples, as well as those to come, He is exposing the evil spirits and revealing the stark disagreement between God and sinful man; light and dark, good and evil, truth and lies, righteous and unrighteous, Holy and unholy.

You may argue then, to embrace Divine Election must mean that we are nothing more than 'spiritual robots'. Consider carefully the appointed struggles a child of God goes through, exclusive of any other creature. The work of sanctification occurs only within those God has chosen. Its end is the death of the natural spirit of man which began at birth in rebellion to God. Over the process of this death, His Spirit dwells among our depraved nature (a provision through His own covenant with the elect made possible only by the righteousness that comes by faith in the one who Himself was sinless yet unjustly suffered death). The mind becomes transformed, permeating the soul of the suffering child into a new creation unique from any other being. It is a process that breaks our selfish will and softens our hard hearts. We will become what is commonly known in our realm as 'Saints'. If there is anything left to us, it is this: the level of sanctification we receive will be proportionate to our willingness to submit to the promptings of the Holy Spirit throughout this process; promptings that ask us to let go of our own strength and understanding so that we may receive the very nature of God Himself. And, as His word states, there will be some saved as though through fire; a very serious reality.

This unique existence is far from being robotic and is reserved for those whom He has called to pass through from natural life to natural death, and from spiritual death to spiritual life in Christ.

Let's go back to the story of John the baptist in Matthew 11. Jesus states that "...the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." How do we reconcile such a statement when he was clearly full of God's spirit from birth? I believe the answer is that John was ordained, separated, and protected from birth to carry out God's will, not having the same opportunity as those called to pass through a life of continuous sanctification by means of the Holy Spirit whom Jesus sent to dwell in those called by God after He had risen. Therefore, the greatest in the kingdom spoken of here consists of those who have persevered through trials without a specific, mandated holy call on their lives. We may say that John's life would be closer to a 'robotic' life, thus making him the least in the kingdom of heaven. However, concerning those born among women, none is greater because up until John, Jesus was only prophesied about...John was the present prophet who 'prepared the way for the Lord'.

PJR

"The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned." (1Corinthians 2:14)

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Grace Enough For The Fire

"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building upon it. Let each one take care how he builds upon it. For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw-each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as through fire." (1 Corinthians 3:10-15)

Where there are areas of your life that just don't seem to be bearing the fruit of sanctification, and you continually seek God in humility, then this is a season to recognize and embrace His heartbreaking gift of grace upon your life; the grace that made it possible for your redemption to God by the sacrifice of Jesus. It is paramount that the gift of grace be the foundation to your understanding of salvation, for this should remove any self confidence you may have, thinking that by your own efforts or goodness you play a part in it.

There is also a season for all things and the timing of these matters belongs to Him. Jesus even told the disciples that there were many things He wanted to tell them, but they weren't ready for them. So when the frailty of your flesh tends to have its way more than not, consider carefully; do you truly understand His grace enough to wait patiently for this foundational season to lay hold of your heart, that you may become purged and purified for the work He has assigned you? It is the Holy Spirit that guides the work that comes from the Father and it is this work that will receive a reward.

However, should you be repeatedly convicted on a matter by the Holy Spirit and never once authentically ask God to give you His character to replace your covetousness, you will ultimately find this matter addressed at the end of your days. Every conviction and challenge you refuse to meet with God on becomes your ash heap. Whatever is left after going through His refining fire will be the only part of you to enter into His presence.

"Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it, labor in vain."

(Psalm 127:1)

PJR


"Whoever keeps a command will know no evil thing, and the wise heart will know the proper time and the just way. For there is a time and a way for everything, although man’s trouble lies heavy on him. For he does not know what is to be, for who can tell him how it will be?" (Ecclesiastes 8:5-7)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Ask

"You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures." (James 4:2,3) To ask with pure motive is to realize you must let go of your self; your wisdom, your reasoning, your comfort; your rights to harbor the self serving attitudes and behaviors, and in contrast to your humanity, fully embrace the convictions of the Holy Spirit as the guidance toward your new life in Christ, which is your reasonable service to Him who has bought you for Himself.

When Jesus saw a man lying lame and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, "Do you want to get well?" (John 5:2-9) This question, seemingly rhetorical, must be answered. Within their selfishness and self pity, many truly do not want to be well because in the depths of their understanding, they realize that to be well is to release the very affliction that affords them the attention of others and a very convenient reason to remain unaccountable.

"For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it." (Luke 9:24) This speaks of the life that is eternal...because life that finds its fulfillment here and now is only temporary and will completely pass away with no further trace of it.

"You adulterous people, don’t you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God." (James 4:4) Yet Jesus prayed that the Father not take us out of this world, but rather, that He deliver us from the evil one. As you journey through your life, you are either conformed to the world or you call on God to exhibit the new life of Christ in you as you are passing through. You ask because you truly desire to be renewed as a child of God at the expense of yourself.

This is the abundant life promised us, yet we fail to receive it because we do not ask purely for the the things of God and His kingdom, but for ourselves and our kingdom. For this reason, the church can become a gathering place for weekly acquaintances to feel good in hearing about God, but remain resistant to the call on their lives that the word of God clearly communicates. Among themselves, accountability is rarely exercised, and the power of God in their lives rarely asked for.

"So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

"Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!" (Luke 11:9-13)

PJR

"This is what I mean, brothers: the appointed time has grown very short. From now on, let those who have wives live as though they had none, and those who mourn as though they were not mourning, and those who rejoice as though they were not rejoicing, and those who buy as though they had no goods, and those who deal with the world as though they had no dealings with it. For the present form of this world is passing away." 
(1 Corinthians 7:29-31)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Denial

By his own understanding of what he had witnessed and experienced, Peter boasted that he was so committed and devoted to Jesus that he would die for him. Jesus assured Peter that he would actually deny Him three times before the rooster crowed.

Peter learned that he did not have the ability to follow through with such a claim. He did not have the presence of or intimacy with the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. "But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." (John 14:26)

If the deity of any of these three is insufficient, then truth has diminished and religion takes up that slack. Peter could not give up his life for Jesus until the Holy Spirit had been sent to live in him. Then would the Son be able to rise in his heart and enable him to follow through with all the Spirit has called him to, rather than a romantic idea in his own heart, and this to the ultimate glory of the Father.

"And we have something more sure, the prophetic word, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit." (2 Peter 1:19-21)

Until the fullness of the Trinity has been firmly established in our heart, Jesus will be denied when troubles come.

"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form, and in Him you have been made complete..." (Col. 2:9,10)

PJR

"Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him. And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us. Those who obey his commands live in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us." (1 John 3:21-24)

Saturday, June 16, 2012

Spiritual Nonsense

"If anyone comes to me and does not hate his own father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple." (Luke 14:26)

Well, because I can't make sense of, or agree with that, how about I simply follow behind at a distance?

"As it is written, "Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated. What shall we say then? Is there injustice on God’s part? By no means! For he says to Moses, "I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion." So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God, who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, "For this very purpose I have raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth." So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills.You will say to me then, "Why does he still find fault? For who can resist his will? But who are you, O man, to answer back to God? Will what is molded say to its molder, "Why have you made me like this?" Has the potter no right over the clay, to make out of the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for dishonorable use? What if God, desiring to show his wrath and to make known his power, has endured with much patience vessels of wrath prepared for destruction, in order to make known the riches of his glory for vessels of mercy, which he has prepared beforehand for glory— even us whom he has called, not from the Jews only but also from the Gentiles?" (Romans 9:13-24)

Surely, a God of love wouldn't ordain some just to perish! This can't mean what it says.

Jesus says, "If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body be thrown into hell. And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it away. For it is better that you lose one of your members than that your whole body go into hell." (Matthew 5:29-30)

Would any of us do this, even for Jesus? Or what about this?


"Another of the disciples said to him, 'Lord, let me first go and bury my father.' And Jesus said to him, 'Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.'"
(Mathew 8:21, 22)

Or this?

"...Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you." (John 6:53) Of course immediately afterwards He explains, "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life." (John 6:63)

Yet the words remain for us to consider. What do we do with all the absurd sayings? Ignore them because they're spiritual and spiritual things belong to God? Do we think that just because we believe in Jesus, He will handle these weird things for us, without our participation? These are a part of what help us grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus as we seek Him for spiritual understanding.

Everything we experience in this physical world is a parallel example of the spiritual realm. Jesus' teachings and the apostles instructions reveal some very difficult commands we simply shake our head at and say, "This is a hard saying! Who can listen to this?" Good question. But to regard the physical Word alone without pursuing Spiritual understanding creates religion. We can think we know Christ, but when the wind blows and the rain beats down, the true substance of that structure will be quickly revealed. We can play church for so long, but eventually God will test our faith to reveal to us just what kind of structure we have built on the foundation Jesus and the apostles have laid. If we do not consider the Spirit of Scripture, we will find that religion has occupied the life intended to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit. He must build the house...but we must give Him the opportunity by laying down our lives willingly, as Jesus did. When the physical becomes overwhelming, we need to release our own cause, remember the relevant Word and ask God to accomplish with the Spirit what is impossible for the flesh. That is when the difficult commands of the Bible begin to take on life. Until then, we are kicking against the goads.


PJR

"And someone said to him, "Lord, will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, "Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. When once the master of the house has risen and shut the door, and you begin to stand outside and to knock at the door, saying, ‘Lord, open to us,’ then he will answer you, ‘I do not know where you come from.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence, and you taught in our streets.’ But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’" 
(Luke 13:23-27)

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Light Of The World

"As he went along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?"

"Neither this man nor his parents sinned," said Jesus, "but this happened so that the work of God might be displayed in his life. As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. While I am in the world, I am the light of the world." (John 9:1-5)

On this occasion, the disciples engaged Jesus with a question based on all they knew from the writings of their Holy Scriptures and from traditions handed down by the generations. They clearly understood that sin was the sole cause for mankind's suffering. So much so, the disciples probably didn't even realize they had just just made an assumption that perhaps it was the man himself who sinned that he was born blind...while he was in the womb! But Jesus chose not to even address that, nor did He attempt to discuss with them the theology of sin. As was the norm in His dealings with the people, He went straightway to why He had come; to set the captives free.

Regardless of our physical condition, it is the soul that Jesus has come to deliver from the chains of the enemy. While God may choose to have mercy on physical infirmities, that is strictly up to Him, as He declares at the beginning of leading His people, "I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion." (Exodus 33:19) However, a sound mind has been promised for His children. "...for God gave us a spirit not of fear, but of power and love and self-control." (2Timothy 1:7)

Our efforts are to be focused on the souls of those we come into contact with, and not so much on their physical condition. "For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

Jesus was not as much interested in giving sight to the blind as He was in giving us spiritual insight, that we may overcome the lie set before all humanity that is designed to keep us from seeing the light of the world. Yet even seeing the light, many do not want to believe.

"And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God." (John 3:19-21)

Man, absent of God's mercy and the abiding Holy Spirit, is unable to come to Him. Knowing we've received this, we then rely on the Holy Spirit to humble us that we may become His disciples. For who, of their own will, would find this appealing or even possible? "Then Jesus told his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it." (Matthew 16:24,25)

PJR

"If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper,to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."
(John 14:15-17)

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Knowing Jesus By The One He Sent

"I have said all these things to you to keep you from falling away. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. And they will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me. But I have said these things to you, that when their hour comes you may remember that I told them to you."

"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart. Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

"I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16:1-15 ESV)

The disciples did not fully understand what Jesus had taught them until the Holy Spirit had come upon them. Then did the words He previously spoke to them come alive. Since Jesus is not with us, then we must now rely upon whom He has sent, not merely on what He has spoken. He has sent the Spirit in place of Him, leaving us not as orphans.

If we claim to follow Jesus, He must be more to us than a wise prophet and our knowledge of Him must surpass the mere recognition of what He taught. The life of His words is manifest to us by the Holy Spirit. If we are not intentionally regarding the Counselor, we are only learning and teaching about an historical figure who demands morality. This is why many churches are asleep in the light. Leaders are not encouraging fellowship in the Holy Spirit. The authority of many churches, the vast majority of them being men, have not humbled themselves in order to embrace intimacy, among themselves or with the Spirit of the Word. So it is by their minds that knowledge has become the power of much of today's church.

"Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists undertook to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, "I adjure you by the Jesus whom Paul proclaims." Seven sons of a Jewish high priest named Sceva were doing this. But the evil spirit answered them, "Jesus I know, and Paul I recognize, but who are you?" And the man in whom was the evil spirit leaped on them, mastered all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded." (Acts 15:13-19)

What did the demons know about Jesus and Paul that they did not know of the seven sons? This is evidence that a knowledge of Jesus without the life and power of the Spirit has no authority over evil and that greater things than what Jesus did will not abound.

How do we gain life and power of His Word by the Spirit? By intentionally fellowshipping in the Spirit, beyond gatherings that simply teach about what is expected of His disciples. We must release the burdens of our humanity, die to ourselves, that we may "...be transformed by the renewing of your mind.". (Romans 12:2) Stubbornly hiding our weaknesses for pride's sake prevents the life of the Holy Spirit from achieving this.

"Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working." (James 5:16) This is what Jesus means when He says, "...concerning sin, because they do not believe in me..." If we believed what Jesus spoke, we would freely confess our frail humanity and welcome the transforming work of the Holy Spirit. Without the Holy Spirit, there is no faith in what we learn, and without faith, our righteousness does not surpass that of the Pharisees. (Matthew 5:20)

If faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God, then it is only by the Holy Spirit that the word is heard beyond the topical and practical commands because Jesus has gone to the Father. This is what Jesus means when he says, "...concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer..." "The righteous shall live by faith." (Romans 1:17) Because Jesus has gone to the Father, it is by faith that we embrace the one He sent. Those who participate in church apart from the guidance of the Holy Spirit do not have the righteousness (faith) Jesus mentions.

The Word alone, the very scriptures we rely upon, remains lifeless until then. "You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me, yet you refuse to come to me that you may have life." (John 5:39,40) It is by the Holy Spirit that we come to Him. It is how we will know Him that we may have the fullness of life. If by the cares of this world and love for our human life we refuse to take up our cross, our minds will not be transformed and we will become conformed to this world. This is what Jesus means when He says, "...concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."

We do not know Jesus until we know the one He sent.

"...therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you." (John 16:15)

"Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’ The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit.'" (John 3:5-8 ESV)