Ephesians 1:13-14 In Him you also who have heard the Word of Truth, the glad tidings (Gospel) of your salvation, and have believed in and adhered to and relied on Him, were stamped with the seal of the long-promised Holy Spirit. 14 That [Spirit] is the guarantee of our inheritance [the firstfruits, the pledge and foretaste, the down payment on our heritage], in anticipation of its full redemption and our acquiring [complete] possession of it—to the praise of His glory.
Many Christians do not understand salvation. We have been misled and taught in error as many are living in defeat and confusion. Many false prophets are preaching rapture and end times rather than preaching the core message of Jesus Christ crucified. Is the rapture message a bad thing? No, it is not at bad thing but how can many receive what the rapture message is when they have yet to become mature Christians ready for the wedding when many are still babies, either premature or born defectively.
The Spirit is our guarantee of our inheritance. As the amplified expands and defines as our firstfruits, the pledge, or down payment. For example, Mary was initially pledged to be Joseph's wife but she was not yet. The pledge is a promise to marry her but until it is completed, it is still to be. However, Mary, still a virgin, became pregnant through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit had placed a seed. This seed was the promise of deliverance for God's people. The seed represented the pledge, the seed was and is the Word God, the promise, the freedom, the Son of God, the Messiah, and etc. But the seed must come to completion and fulfill the call or promise. It must come to growth and produce the fruit it was intended.
The Word of God is the same. The Word of God is the Seed. We who hear the Word and receive, we receive the Seed which is to be planted in our hearts. Our hearts are the land or soil. Depending on our soil condition will depend on the growth of the Word of God whether it will become fruitful or bear thorns. Is our hearts the sideroad, shallow ground, thorns or good soil. When the Seed is in our hearts, yes, we are first saved but our salvation must come to completion.
When a mother becomes pregnant or a child is conceived, we have life. It is just the beginning. The seed from the father is planted into the egg of the mother. When the sperm is in the egg, we have life. The sperm is the seed of the father. Even though the father and mother may not be able to see the child grow in the stomach, they by faith know life is in her belly. By faith, the parents begin to prepare the child's room, buy clothes, food, toys, etc. The mother must eat properly. The mother must not do any strainous activity. There is a gestation period. The gestation period is the time between being conceived to birth. It is a development period. Without the proper development period, the baby can be born premature, defective, deformed, underdeveloped, with many other complications.
When the Word of God is planted in the hearts of men, true life is to begin. But just because one got saved does not mean one is ready to be the Bride of Christ. One may still be a fetus who needs to just be fed the milk of a mother through the umbilical cord and grow. When one is saved, one must begin to feed on the Word of God. One must begin to pray to start growing. One must begin to worship to stay in the Presence of God. One must grow to develop the spiritual arms, legs, head, brain, ears, and eyes. One must grow to learn the Voice of her/his Father God.
When Jesus had come to the earth, HIS people consisted of Pharisees, Sadduccees, blind, deaf, cripped, harlots, tax collectors, thieves, liars, handicap, leopards, and etc. This was the nation of Israel. Today is no different. Today, His people consists of spiritually blind people, spiritually deaf, spiritual Pharisees, Sadduccess, harlots, spiritual adulters, spiritual thieves, prideful, liars, etc. Yet, HE had come for such people to set them free.
Today, many Christians become saved and they are told and assume the role of a Bride when in fact they may be spiritual babies, handicap, blind, spiritual deaf, and so on Christians. But they are being told to prepare for the wedding when in fact they are on diapers. How can little children, babies, or those still in the fetus be told to get married. Physical babies do not have the physical capacity to get married. Nor do spiritual babies have the spiritual capacity to get married. Many such Christians are full of hurts and wounds. They have yet to learn to grow in Father's Love to be healed and to grow in HIS Grace through HIS Word, prayer, and worship. When they grow up to spiritual maturity, then Father God will hand them as the Bride to HIS Son. Beware of the false prophets who instills fear with end time messages among God's people rather than pointing them to Father's Love.
God has many types of children. However, many think they hear God's voice. Many spiritual babies, spiritually handicap Christians, spiritually blind Christians, spiritually deaf Christians, spiritually lost Christians are being led by demons. They are not being led by the Holy Spirit. Many baby Christians have grown up and many have been Christians for years but since they were not properly nurtured and fed, they are underdeveloped and handicap. Just look at your lives to those who claim they hear God. Should you not be in a better place if the Voice of God is really leading you? There could also be a mix in voices in what they hear. This is why God has placed shepards to lead HIS people. HE is looking for a Moses. HE is looking for a Joshua, Caleb, a King David type to lead HIS children to the spiritual promise land. But sadly, many shepards are but hirelings. And even more sadly, HIS people are no different than the OT saints. Today, they are just as stubborn, self centered, stiffed necked, self willed, rebellious people. Only through complete submission and humility will the Truth set you free.
Exodus 20:18-19 When the people heard the thunder and the loud blast of the ram’s horn, and when they saw the flashes of lightning and the smoke billowing from the mountain, they stood at a distance, trembling with fear. 19 And they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen. But don’t let God speak directly to us, or we will die!”
The people of God with Moses who heard God's Voice could not stand still. They trembled in fear as they stood at a distance. They asked Moses to speak on their behalf because they were so afraid. If many Christians really heard the Voice of God, they would be trembling at HIS Awe rather than boasting of their own pride that they heard God. Today, many think hearing God's Voice is a trivial thing. If they really had met God, they would be trembling.
The deception today is very rampant and serious. There are many false preachers and prophets speaking on end times and rapture. In the OT, Pharoah and Herod killed all the babies under 2 years old. Today, the spirit of Pharaoh and spirit of Herod is still at work. Such evil spirits working through the false prophets are killing our spiritual baby Christians. They are led and taught to believe they need to prepare to be the Bride of Christ when they are yet only infants or spiritual adolescents. They are being led to confusion, anxiety, doubt, and eventually to destruction. This is why there are so many Christians living lives in defeat and confusion. They have not been properly raised and nurtured.
A new born believer must be properly discipled, fed milk, receive Father's Love, and to grow in HIS Grace. But salvation has become nothing but an assembly line and many prideful preachers only boast of the number of people they claimed they have gotten saved. All they are doing is making a double child of HELL.
Many Christians with underdeveloped faith are living in fear of end time events. Their eyes are on end times. Their ears are being led by deception by false prophets. If they have been properly raised and nurtured to receive Father's Love, then that Perfect Love would be casting out all fear. But sadly, many Christians live in fear of the unknown.
This message is to all the Christians. It is time to slow down. It is time to stop listenting to the false prophets of end time messages. Is the end time message a bad thing? Is the rapture message bad? Of course not, but it is not time for many Christians to hear this message. It is time to be fed milk and to receive Father's Love and just to grow in HIS Arms. HE will not forsake you. But you must learn to be still.
The Lord had said that the Fire of God Church is an end time church. We are preparing and nurturing God's people for the end times. But the end time is not what we are emphasizing. We emphasize Christ Crucified. When they grow in HIS Love, they will eventually grow to be the Bride of Christ as we prepare them for HIS coming. Yes, HE is returning. But will you really be ready or will you have been deceived by all the voices out there on the internet?
Glory to HIM
Pastor Steve Yong Kim
Fire of God Church
Fremont, CA USA
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