For some time now I have been trying to convert Christians from following the old covenant law to following the Lord Jesus Christ with no appreciable results. The Lord has caused me to see that the modern church is built on the foundation of keeping the Ten Commandments but Jesus laid a completely new foundation for His Church in Acts 1. The commandments He issued in Acts 1 make up the foundation of the new covenant. The Church of the Lord Jesus Christ must be laid upon that foundation. It is interesting to note the call was very heavy on me Friday afternoon and night but lifted by Saturday.
What I have realized since then is prayer and confession is key. My confession since then has been: Jesus, you said all who believe on you would have power to work the works you did and greater works because you go to the Father and I believe you were raised from the dead with all power and set at the place of power in heaven. I want to thank you for giving to me power to work your works and greater works than you ever did. Jesus, you said we would receive power to witness of your resurrection after that the Holy Spirit has come upon us and I want to thank you for this power; power to witness of the resurrected Lord. Jesus, you said all who keep your commandments would abide in your love and I keep your commandments and I expect to abide in your favor. Favor me with your power.
What I have realized is that we live in Satan’s kingdom. This is by design. It was always God’s plan to overthrow Satan’s kingdom from inside Satan’s kingdom. The problem has been that mankind would rather live in Satan’s kingdom than in God’s because Satan’s kingdom caters to mankind’s desires. Christians think this life is all about them. They think they were created and put on earth because of God’s great love for them. They do not realize they were created for God’s good pleasure. God was not created to love mankind; mankind was created to love God. Mankind has to choose God in order to live in God’s love.
This is the reason God has always interacted with mankind through covenant. The covenant, think contract, allowed mankind to choose God; choose to live in God’s love and provision, in spite of living in Satan’s kingdom. All the previous covenants were enforced by obedience alone but Jesus’ intention is to overthrow Satan’s kingdom, thus His covenant incorporates faith. New covenant believers bring the kingdom of heaven to earth through obedience but through faith, they push the boundaries of the kingdom of heaven outward. By faith, they enlarge the kingdom of heaven. The goal is to enlarge the kingdom of heaven until Satan’s kingdom is overcome. Jesus said, I will build my Church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That is to say, the kingdom of Satan will not make inroads into Jesus’ Church or overcome it or overpower it or influence it.
The problem is; the commandments of the new covenant were interpreted not to apply to Christians and Christians chose to keep the commandments of the old covenant though Christians are redeemed from the old covenant. Jesus said, “I have kept my Father’s commandments for you, now you must keep my commandments.” Through lack of obedience, the kingdom of heaven was destroyed on the earth.
In Joshua 24:15, Joshua stands before the Children of Israel and says, “Choose you this day whom you will serve.” Mankind was not created and placed on the earth to serve the flesh. Mankind was not blessed by God to serve the wants and needs of mankind. Mankind was created to serve the wants and needs of God. The problem is: the wants and needs of God changed when the Father raised Jesus from the dead. Again, Isaiah 53:6: “And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all,” reveals the Father to be Joshua’s Lord.
The Father God wanted fellowship with mankind, as stated by John 3:16: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” The Father gave His Son so that Jesus could break down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile and provide one sacrifice that would meet all the Father’s requirements for righteousness, thus making it possible for the Father to have perfect fellowship with all mankind.
We are saved by grace through faith for this express reason. No man could make himself righteous before God, thus righteousness was provided for mankind. The problem is although Jesus was sent to earth to provide for the Father’s need of fellowship; Jesus came for a completely different reason. When Jesus died on the cross, that selfless act provided righteousness and the Holy Spirit for all mankind, placing all mankind in fellowship with the Father. Jesus, having provided for the Father’s needs, was given the name above every name upon His resurrection, along with all power in heaven and earth, and with this authority, Jesus enacted a new covenant to satisfy His own need.
Jesus’ need is to destroy the kingdom of Satan, which is why to serve the Lord in the new covenant is completely different from serving the Lord in the old covenant age. The Father was Lord of the old covenant age and His need was fellowship; Jesus is Lord of the new covenant age and His need is a violent overthrow of His enemy’s kingdom. Jesus’ desire is to destroy the works of Satan, which is why the commandments of the new covenant are radically different from the commandments of the old covenant.
The commandments of the old covenant were commandments closely associated with righteousness because it was a lack of righteousness that separated man from God and the God of the old covenant craved fellowship. The God of the new covenant craves vengeance against His enemy and thus His commandments are closely associated with power. Satan usurped authority over the earth to destroy it after Jesus, the creator of all things, had created it unto life. Satan tempted Eve, creating mankind’s fall from grace, after Jesus and the Father and the Holy Spirit had created mankind unto life and more abundant life.
To build Jesus’ Church takes power; power to do the works of Jesus and greater works; power to witness of Jesus’ resurrection and Jesus established His Church on power. It is through obedience and faith that I will carve out a small beachhead to reestablish His kingdom in the earth. Then, as the Spirit of Truth begins to flow and the truth is revealed and more people believe, the kingdom is expanded and expanded again because one can put a thousand to flight but two can put ten thousand.
And so, the Holy Spirit exists in two capacities today. He is on the earth to provide for the wants and needs of the Father, which is the comfort and peace of mankind, and, in the baptism with the Spirit, He is on the earth to provide for the wants and needs of the Son, which is power. It is through the baptism with the Spirit that the Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth because the truth is what sets mankind free from the works of Satan.
This is what is missing in the earth today. The truth is not being preached or revealed by the Spirit of Truth. Jesus said, “I am the way the truth and the life,” but Jesus came to fulfill the old covenant so that He could establish a new covenant. Thus, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Jesus, exists as comforter because the old covenant was fulfilled, and Truth revealer because a new truth has come. Jesus’ fulfillment of the old covenant is certainly preached and mankind experiences the comforter but the new covenant is not, so the church has no power against Satan and the Spirit of Truth is not revealing the truth.
Though many people speak in tongues today, to speak in tongues is not a baptism with the Spirit. A baptism with the Spirit occurs as a result of intentional obedience and a deliberate act of faith on the resurrected Lord. It is a saturation with the Spirit. Generally, those who speak in tongues do not do so because they are commanded to and there is no faith exercised on the resurrected Lord and the Spirit of Truth is not manifested. Jesus said, “When He, the Spirit of Truth comes, He will lead you into all truth,” but the Holy Spirit has been on the earth for 4,000 years minimum, so this “coming,” indicates a new capacity.
When Jesus said, “You shall receive power once the Holy Spirit has come upon you and shall be witnesses of me,” He was speaking of the Spirit of truth that comes upon us as a direct result of faith exercised on the risen Lord and obedience of His commandment to wait to be saturated with the Holy Spirit. This is the reason people can speak in tongues for hours on end without receiving power to witness of Jesus. Remember, the Holy Spirit was with us and moved inside us but He also came. Anybody can allow the Holy Spirit to flow out of their heart and when He passes over the lips He will manifest Himself in tongues and provide comfort and peace but a baptism with the Spirit is a completely different thing.
We must make this distinction in order to understand. When Jesus died on the cross, He fulfilled the old covenant law for all mankind; all mankind was given His righteousness and I suspect, the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of all mankind. Faith certainly accentuates that fact, making it real. Therefore, there is no doubt the Holy Spirit resides in the heart of all Christians as the comforter and the giver of peace. These are the provisions of the fulfillment of the old covenant. Therefore, all Christians can speak in tongues because all it takes to speak in tongues is to allow the Holy Spirit to flow out. The new covenant, however, stands before believers in Jesus. This is the reason believers can speak in tongues but not receive power to witness of Jesus.
The new covenant has two parts. It has the part Jesus provided for His Father and it has the part Jesus provided for Himself. All mankind receives the part Jesus provided for His Father free of charge and nothing is required save faith in Jesus’ death on the cross for sin. The second part is also free of charge but obedience of Jesus’ commandments is necessary to partake. The Holy Spirit is on the earth to facilitate participation in both parts. Since the first part was the fulfillment of the old covenant, the Holy Spirit, who was here on earth during that part, simply moved inside mankind to carry on His work. The second part however, having not been before, required a fresh coming of the Holy Spirit.
Only those who keep Jesus’ commandments partake of the second part, therefore, a baptism with the Spirit is only attainable by those who keep Jesus’ commandments. The problem is: Eternal life was not a provision of the old covenant because righteousness was not attainable under the old covenant. Since righteousness is attainable under the new covenant, eternal life is attainable but is reserved for those who take up arms against the enemy of Jesus. This is part of the truth the Holy Spirit reveals to those who keep Jesus’ commandments. Eternal life is the reward for those who join Jesus’ army to overthrow Jesus’ enemy. Those who partake in the destruction of the kingdom of Satan partake in the spoils, which is life and life everlasting.
When Joshua stood before the Children of Israel to say: “Choose you this day whom you will serve. As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord,” it should be understood the service of the Lord today is much different than it was for Joshua and the Children of Israel. It must be understood that the Father God gave Jesus the name, Lord, at Jesus’ resurrection; therefore, we serve a different Lord, who has a different agenda. It is time for the church to decide whom it will serve. To keep the commandments of the old covenant law and observe its statutes is to serve the Father. Jesus did that for us in a more perfect manner than we ever could. What is left is for us to serve Jesus in the keeping of His commandments.
I will build Jesus’ Church by faith and obedience and faith. I will believe Jesus was raised from the dead with all power in heaven and earth. I will believe the Father gave to Jesus the name above every other name and with that authority, Jesus established a new covenant which I will obey. Then, I will call out to heaven with faith and thanksgiving for the power promised on those who believe and once I have received that power, I will continue to enlarge my tent with thanksgiving and faith. I will instruct new believers in the faith and command them to obey Jesus’ commandments that they too can enlarge Jesus’ kingdom and Church by their faith and obedience and faith, until Jesus returns to take us all to heaven that we might return as an army of overcomers. That’s overcomers of Satan’s kingdom.
There are two kinds of faith. There is the noun kind and the verb kind. In John 14:12, Jesus said, “He that believes on me, the works I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.” The word, believe, is a synonym of the word, faith. The word, on, has a different meaning than the word, in, and believers in the past have failed to understand the significance of Jesus going to His Father. The question is: just when did Jesus go to the Father.
We know Jesus was crucified on the cross, died, and descended into hell. We know it was the Holy Spirit that raised Jesus from hell, Romans 8:11 and we know Jesus raised His body from the grave, John 2:19. It was after this that Jesus went to the Father because Jesus told Mary at the tomb, “Don’t touch me for I have not yet ascended to my Father. From Galatians 1:1, we know the Father raised Jesus from the dead. This means Jesus died again between His leaving Mary at the tomb and His coming back to earth and appearing to Thomas, when He said, “Put your hand into my side, touch me,”
Ask yourself this question: “If Jesus’ blood was poured out at the cross, for redemption from sin, how did it then get to heaven to be sprinkled over the new covenant tabernacle?” Once Jesus’ blood was poured out for sin, how did it get holy enough to purge our conscious as stated by Hebrews 9:14? Jesus carried our sin to the cross and died under penalty of that sin. The blood shed there would be sin filled blood. However, Hebrews 9:14 states: “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscious from dead works to serve the living God?”
Jesus certainly did not offer Himself without spot to God at the cross where He took on Himself mankind’s sin. He offered Himself without spot to God after He had paid for mankind’s sin; after he spoke with Mary at the tomb. Hebrews 9:24-26 states that Jesus entered into the heavenly tabernacle with His own blood. This means the Father God had something to do with Jesus’ blood being poured out. If the Father raised Jesus from the dead, it had to have been after Jesus’ blood was poured out.
Jesus’ blood was not “poured” out at the cross; it was poured out in heaven, when Jesus presented Himself to the Father and Jesus was sacrificed. The Father collected Jesus’ blood and raised Jesus from the dead, gave Him all power in heaven and in earth, the name above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow both in heaven and in earth and Jesus sprinkled His blood over the heavenly tabernacle This is the significance of Jesus going to His Father and what it means to believe on Jesus and why few Christians work Jesus’ works or the greater works. Their faith is in the wrong event.
Genesis 22:1 begins the story of Abraham and Isaac and the sacrifice. This is generally thought to be the foundation for Jesus’ death on the cross. Most Christians do not realize the Father actually sacrificed Jesus in heaven, just as Abraham was ready to do with Isaac.
In John 14:12, Jesus said, “He that believes on me.” The word, he, is a singular word. It denotes a single individual. Jesus looks for faith and obedience from a single person. The phrase, “because I go to the Father,” indicates a very different faith from belief in Jesus’ death on the cross however. Jesus died on the cross as a fulfillment of the old covenant law, but He went to heaven where He presented Himself before the Father, who laid His Son on the altar and sacrificed Him. When we keep Jesus’ commandments, the commandments of the new covenant, we enforce the kingdom of heaven in Satan’s kingdom. We keep Jesus’ commandments through faith in the fact that He went to His Father. But then, when we remind Jesus of His Word and ask Him to honor His Word because He said, “He that keeps my commandment will abide in my love,” and those who abide in Jesus’ love should be honored by Jesus, we push the kingdom of heaven outward and enlarge our tents.
It is this dual action of faith of the heart, or noun faith, and confession of faith, or verb faith, that gives us the ability to overcome Satan’s kingdom. It is what has been missing from Christendom these 1900 years. We must first believe on Jesus. In other words, we must believe Jesus arose for the dead after the cross, and ascended into heaven, where He presented Himself to His Father “without sin unto salvation.” We must believe the Father sacrificed His Son and collected His blood and raised Jesus from the dead with all power, whereupon Jesus took His blood and sprinkled it over the new covenant tabernacle. Because we believe the Father raised Jesus from the dead with all power, we keep Jesus’ commandments.
Then, because we know what belongs to us and that Jesus loves us because we keep His commandments; because we know the favor of God belongs to us, we use God’s Word to remind Jesus of His promises and thank Him for honoring us. “He that believes on me will do the works I have done and greater works than these shall He do because I go to the Father.” “You shall receive power to witness of me (the resurrected Lord) after that the Holy Spirit has come upon you.” Power to witness to Jesus’ resurrection is the life blood of the Christian; it is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead, it is the Christian’s inheritance but it has been stolen by Satan and we must take it back. We cannot take it back by our own power or by noun faith but by confession and thanksgiving we can destroy enough of Satan’s kingdom to receive what is ours.
When we honor our Lord through faith and obedience He honors us, conversely, when we dishonor our Lord by disobedience and faithlessness, He dishonors us. Jesus looks for an army of believers to destroy His enemy; He is not looking for the fellowship His Father craves. Jesus is the captain of the Lord’s army. He looks for people of violence who are willing to take up arms. Why did you think David was a man after God’s own heart?