LIVING A “CHRIST FILLED LIFE” IS AWESOME
THE RAREST MANIFESTATION IN THE CHURCH WORLD IS “SPIRITUAL LIFE.” Jesus called this life which He would provide, “more abundant life.” Here are His words, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10) The Bible plainly tells us that this Divine life is far greater and exceedingly so than our empty unredeemed state before we knew Christ. In every way His Life in us is superior to the natural condition of fallen man. The Spiritual life that He came to give is His life which He gives the redeemed saints.
Let’s read the first chapter of I John and then deal with “sin,” the single hindrance to abundant life.
1. “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
2. (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
3. That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
4. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.
5. This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
6. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
7. But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.
8. If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.
9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.” (I John 1:1-10) Not anything can stop this life but sin.
There are seven tiers to life from it’s natural beginning to the fullness of “Abundant Spiritual Life.”
* Physical Life as a newborn baby.
* Pleasure Life as seen in a growing young child.
* Mental Life as the young person begins to learn.
* Emotional Life as they experience joys and happiness.
* Accomplishment Life as they learn to create and show talents and abilities.
* Spiritual Life when they are “Born Again” by Christ’s Blood and powers.
* Holy Ghost Life as they live a life of consecration, spiritual growth, and magnanimous living.
It is very easy to see that the multitudes never get beyond certain stages of life. Our generation is full of persons that never learn mental life or necessary learning and development. Many people today stop at the emotional level and their only desire is to please themselves. This nation also has a host of people who are very accomplished in their certain field and we are certainly blessed by their results. The greatest sadness is how few have reached the sixth level where Christ now fills them with beautiful spiritual life. There is only a remnant of the Holy Ghost filled who having reached the seventh tier spread joy and truth everywhere they touch.
These last two stages of life begin in the great verse nine of this text. “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (I John 1:9) Repentance and Confession are absolutely required to move into the realm of Christ’s gift of spiritual life. He washes the confessed uncleanness away and cleanses them from “all unrighteousness.” Instantly there is a provision of spiritual life that lights up the spirit and face of that new born believer. Nothing in human life is greater than this experience of life. There is plainly no other source of life that can compare to the “Born Again” and “Christ Filled Life.”
It does not stop at conversion, that is the doorway but only the beginning. It’s sad that the majority of ministries never take their people beyond the door of entrance. John the great Apostle was extremely close to Christ teaches the deeper life beautifully. In this great text he says, “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (I John 1:7) This walk passes through the light of the Scripture and will take you into His inner sanctum. The Bible calls it, sitting together with Christ in heavenly places. “And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus: That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:6-7)
This level of spiritual life is what the church world is starving to know. There are too many great statements about the powerful life to think it is just fantasy or even fanaticism. John stated, “That which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ. And these things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.”
(I John 1:3-4)
He had written in His Gospel the very words of Jesus Chris declaring this awesome place of Christ’s glory to His saints. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” (John 7:37-39) Where are these rivers today, carrying the saints to places of such joy as to fill people with envy to learn our secrets? This life is so beautiful that sinners will often want what we have, when we really have it.
Jesus Christ did not come just to create a little religious ceremony. His Kingdom is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. (Romans 14:17) The seventh tiers of life is the most wonderful life in the universe. It is the very supernatural life of Christ and it is available to the “Born Again” who “walks in the light” until the light captures their entire life.
Ray
Our modern church age has been polluted with the doctrine of man that in order to have a
“full” life in Christ you need to have wonders, signs and miracles, A “move” of the Spirit. It is based on outward events when the true miracle of Salvation happens from within, the renewing of the mind by the washing of the Word, the replacing the heart of stone with a heart of flesh.
Christ said “never the less when I return will I find Faith on the earth”? This was after a great answer to a prayer, and outward exhibition of His power.
We are told that highly emotional song services are worship, the Word says we must worship Him in Spirit and in Truth, most song services are music intended to effect people, the same as entertainment in the world, it is for people’s benefit not God’s.
We must search to see in our quite moments just what the miracle of Salvation is doing within us for there is the Kingdom.
jaimie
Dear Pastor,
Never had this perspective before, will meditate upon it and pray for greater understanding
of the seven steps or phases of a believers growths(or not).
I do know that we may not have time in this life to fully acomplish all of it, so today is a good day to start, 2 Cor 6:2 behold now is the acceptable time for Salvation.
God Bless
jaimie
Dear Pastor You are in my prayers always.
Ed Wood
Though the victory over the devil was won by Jesus’ death and resurrection, like the defeat of the Axis powers by the Allies in the Second World War, even to this day there remain pockets of neo-Nazis to this very day. In some places, these hate groups are gaining traction and growing. Perhaps the biggest blight and threat to freedom today, however, is the advance of Islam and acceptance of its propaganda campaign to convince people it is benign and peaceful. An examination of history, current events, and the Koran itself clearly proves otherwise but even most nominal Christians are too lazy to explore this evidence themselves, in addition to choosing to remain Scripturally ignorant as well. If one doesn’t know the truth, who can he or she ever recognize a lie?
The point I’m making is that the “mopping up” operation is not done, nor will it me until Jesus physically and powerfully returns to take the situation in hand. We, in our flesh bodies, may and should certainly strive for righteousness, but it will take the change to our glorified bodies before our victory over sin is complete. The reason is because by our own efforts, we can never attain righteousness on our own, as the death of Jesus on the cross for our sins proved.