2 Tim 4:3-4 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. 4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (NIV)

I apologize for the bluntness of some the statements I am about to make. It is not my intention to offend anybody except the devil, the traditions of man and the lies they propagate against my Dad. If you do find yourself offended at some of the statements, go read the scripture references and decide for yourself if what I say is true or not, or even if everything you believe to be true about God is actually true.

My Father is not…

… a child abuser: He doesn’t make His children sick. (Ex 15:26, Is 53:5, Matt 8:16, 1 Pet 2:24, Acts 10:38)

… double-minded: He doesn’t decide to heal one day and refuse the next. (2 Cor 1:20, Mat 12:25, 1 Tim 2:4)

… an angry God: Sure He can get angry but His anger is directed to those hurting and oppressing His children. (Is 35, Is 54:9, Acts 10:38)

… against His children: God is anti-anything that comes against you to destroy you, steal from you or harm you. (Is 54:15, Eph 6:16, Acts 10:38)

… the devil: He does not steal, kill or destroy. Anything that steals, kills or destroys any part of you is the devil. (John 10:10, Acts 10:38, Matt 12:24-25)

… a bully: Bullies try to humiliate you to make you feel worthless. God does not allow sickness to humble us or teach us anything. He has His Spirit and the Word to teach you with, He doesn’t need the devil’s help. (Is 50:7 Is 54:4, Acts 10:38, Matt 8:16-17, 2 Tim 3:16-17, 1 John 2:27)

… a rapist: He does not force intimacy on His bride. We are co-labourers, co-workers and co-missioned. When one party is forced to do something they are no longer co-labouring or co-working. (2 Cor 6:1, 1 Cor 3:9)

… a sin accountant: He doesn’t keep score of your sins, nor does He weigh them against your good deeds in order to decide whether you are in right standing before Him or not. Jesus is your right standing. He forgave ALL your sins. (Eph 2:8-9, Heb 8:12, Heb 10:17, Rom 3:20-25)

… an adulterer: He only relates to people inside covenant. How He relates to you is based on which covenant YOU decide to live under. The old covenant of law brings only death and destruction. The New Covenant brings life and life abundantly. (2 Cor 3:5-9, Gal 5:4, Gal 3:2, Heb 8:8-13, Heb 7:18, Rom 10:4)

… a murderer: He didn’t kill Jesus to atone for your sins only to punish you for them too. If He punishes you for your sins, Jesus died for nothing. He judged Jesus guilty so you can be set FREE! (Rom 5:8, Rom 3:24, Rom 8:1, Is 53:5)

… a prostitute: You can’t buy blessings from Him through giving or tithing. God does not reward tithing, He rewards faith. If you want to tithe, tithe yourself because God would much rather have you then your money. (Heb 11:6, Eph 2:8-9, Gal 2:16)

… thief: Yes, He gives and takes away, but He gives us what we don’t deserve (mercy & grace) and takes away what we do deserve (judgment and death). (Eph 1:3, Rom 6:23, John 3:16-17)

… a genie: He doesn’t grant wishes, He fulfills promises. (2 Cor 1:20)

… a homophobe: He came to set all men free regardless of the bondage they are under. Is anybody beyond God’s reach? Is there anybody not worth saving? You weren’t worth saving yet He saved you anyway. He knew you weren’t going to stop sinning after He saved you yet He saved you anyway. What makes your sin less worse than somebody else’s? Stop judging the very people you are called to preserve and be the salt of the earth. Stop keeping people in bondage when you have the key to set them free. God didn’t save you based on your works, why should He then save others based on theirs? (Matt 5:13, John 12:47, Matt 7:1-5, Eph 2:8-9)

… manipulative: He doesn’t wave blessings in front of our noses to make us do good things. He blessed us with everything He had in Christ already. Reward for good and curse for bad was the old covenant which has been done away with. (Eph 1:3, Rom 8:16-17, Gal 4:7, 2 Cor 3:5-9, Gal 5:4, Gal 3:2, Heb 8:8-13, Heb 7:18, Rom 10:4)

… an evolutionist: He is a creationist. Why then do some people think they are someday going to evolve into a super-christian? “One more conference, one more anointing, one more impartation, one more check to write, one more book to read and then I will be ready…” You have everything you need to do what you need to do, just go do it! (2 Pet 1:3-4, Acts 1:8, 1 John 2:20, 1 John 2:27, Eph 1:3, Rom 8:16-17, Matt 28:18, Mark 16:15-18, John 14:12, 2 Tim 4:2)

I hope I didn’t upset anybody too much. Again, I encourage you to read the scripture references and see for yourself how the traditions of man and the devil try to misrepresent our Dad. I for one am fed up. You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free!

Grace to you all!

Cornel

In this message we’ll take a close look at some Bible terminology that can easily be misunderstood if not read through the perspective of the New Covenant. Many of these verses, especially from the epistles of the apostle John, have been used as a whip to beat the church back into obeying the Old Covenant Law. A good understanding of Grace and Righteousness would go a long way into clearing up the fog surrounding these topics of discussion, such as the terms “fellowship”, “practicing truth”, “committing sin or lawlessness”, etc.  Undivided attention and prolonged concentration is strongly recommended for this one.

Fellowship
It is commonly believed that whenever a believer messes up in regards to their moral behaviour, that they fall out of fellowship with God and that they need to confess their sins in order to restore such “fellowship”. However when viewed from this perspective the term “fellowship” (better known as “fellowshipping with God” in Pentecostal circles) would then refer to a feeling of intimacy that comes and goes depending on our ability to perform at our best. This is not what scripture has to say, in fact not even once in the entire New Testament is the word “fellowship” described in this manner, specifically when it pertains to our relationship with God. The term “fellowshipping with God” is not even used once in the entire Bible. It is a phrase that has been conjured up by people to refer to their own quiet time with God and through the last few decades it has been twisted by legalists to make believers feel guilty and stand accused of being “out of fellowship” with God if they didn’t allocate a certain amount of time per week to prayer and Bible study. On the contrary, here are a few examples of how the word “fellowship” has been used in Biblical terms:

[2 Cor 6:14b ...For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?] Take note how these opposing entities are contrasted with each other: righteousness vs. lawlessness, light vs. darkness, Christ (anointed) vs. Belial (worthless) & believer vs. unbeliever. It says that such opposites can not have fellowship with one another, meaning they are not compatible. Just as Christ can not have fellowship with Belial, in the same way a believer is not to be considered by the same measure as an unbeliever. If a person is therefore out of fellowship with Christ it means that they have not been born again and they fall under the same category as darkness, Belial, and lawlessness in the above verse.

[1 Cor 1:9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord]. We were called into the fellowship and therefore when we put our faith in Christ we are now in the fellowship.

[1 John 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth]. This verse makes it abundantly clear that the apostle John is talking about our position in Christ, not our behaviour. We can not say that we have fellowship with God (in other words that we have been born again) if we walk in darkness (which means we have not actually been born again), because then we would be lying. In simple English: You cannot say you are a Christian if you have not been born again!!

Practicing Truth or Righteousness / Walking in Darkness
Now of course the pessimist or legalist would say, “Yes but what about the parts in the previous verse that says “WALK in darkness” and “PRACTICE the truth?” The answer is simple: once again this is not referring to our own works of righteousness, in fact it has nothing to do with our behaviour. The terminology used by the apostle John for being born again is to “practice righteousness” or “practice truth” or “walk in the light” (we will deal with “walking in the light” in the next chapter).  [1 John 2:29 If you know that He is righteous, you know that everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him]. In contrast, when John talks about those who “commit sin” or who “practice lawlessness” or “walk in darkness” he is referring to the unsaved. This principle stays consistent throughout all 3 of John’s epistles. Predominantly however these verses have been read through a legalistic point of view, causing much perplexity in the body of Christ.

Committing Sin or Lawlessness
Another shining example is 1 John 3:4-9: [1 John 3:4 Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. 5 And you know that He was manifested to take away our sins, and in Him there is no sin]. Once again John is referring to the unsaved here. Whenever the New Testament refers to those who “commit sin” or “practice lawlessness” it does not have the same meaning as under the Old Testament when people were still judged according to the Law. The only sin in the New Testament is not believing in Jesus. (Read the article “The Unforgivable Sin” at our website in “Message Archive” page). Verse 5 depicts God’s answer to mankind’s problem of sin – He took our sin away and placed us in Christ where we now are completely forgiven and seen as though we’ve never even committed a single sin! Read verse 5 again in this context. Is the light beginning to go on yet?

[1 John 3:6 Whoever abides in Him does not sin. Whoever sins has neither seen Him nor known Him]. This verse mentions another “buzz” concept, namely to “abide” in Him. It’s really very simple to prove that this also refers to being saved and not to our own efforts to maintain a good standing with God. Simply do searches for the word “abide(s)” on any Bible software program and study the results. Verse 6 further says that whoever sins has not seen God or does not know God, which implies not having a relationship with Him. Many (if not all) sincere Christians who have had an intimate relationship with God for decades still make mistakes every day of their lives despite their best efforts. If this verse meant that they are disqualified from their relationship with God if they sin even once (because it doesn’t say “sin a hundred times” or “sin four times per day”), this would amount to nobody on the entire planet being able to maintain a stable relationship with God. Clearly therefore this is not the context of this verse. Let’s look at the subsequent 3 verses (comments added in brackets):

[1 John 3:7 Little children, let no one deceive you. He who practices righteousness (which means to be saved) is righteous, just as He (God) is righteous.  8 He who sins (an unbeliever) is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.  9 Whoever has been born of God (a believer) does not sin, for His (God’s) seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God]. The key here is verse 9. How is it possible that a believer can not sin if we’re all too aware of how many mistakes we make? Simply because John is not talking about our behaviour! He is still using the same terminology to differentiate between being saved or not. Read verses 7 – 9 again and let it sink in. In verse 8, if John meant that anybody who commits an act of sin is of the devil, it would imply that all Christians are of the devil. Clearly this is not what he meant. There are 3 main reasons why Christians can not be called “sinners” anymore, the first being because they are no longer under the Old Covenant Law. And since there is no more Law to break (and sin is defined as breaking the Law) consequently their mistakes can no longer be called “sinning”. [Rom 4:15b ... And where there is no law there is no transgression]. Secondly everybody on the planet person is either a sinner or a saint. Not once in the entire Bible mention is made of a “neutral” position somewhere in the middle. We either have God as our Father, or the devil. Thirdly the born again spirit of a Christian is 100% righteous and will remain 100% righteous for all of eternity in spite of less than perfect behaviour during his / her remaining time on the earth. If this were not the case, then there would be no other way to explain the following “contradicting” verses:

[1 John 1:8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives].

Now compare these 3 verses against the following “seemingly” conflicting verse:

[1 John 3:9 Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God].

The only explanation is that in the first 3 verses, even though John used the word “we”, he was in fact not referring to believers, but to unbelievers. As a shepherd and a preacher he was identifying with the lost in an open display of God’s love, saying “We have all sinned, we all need to repent”. Instead of bashing and ridiculing the unbelievers openly, he was tactfully saying something along the lines of this: “(v8) If any person claims to be without sin, they are deceived and the truth (Christ) does not live inside them (because Christ said “I am the TRUTH, the way and the life). (v9) But if such a person (a sinner) acknowledges they are sinful and in need of a saviour, God who is faithful will forgive them ALL of their sins and wash them clean of ALL unrighteousness (implying that they are now clean forever). (v10) However if any person claims they have never sinned, they make God into a liar and willingly reject the truth of His word.” Take these 3 verses and compare them verse by verse to the actual verses above. Think about it this way: What does a person have to do to be born again? They have to confess they are a sinner, admit that they need a saviour and put their faith in Christ (Rom 10:9-10). Therefore if any person claims to be without sin before putting their faith in Christ, they are deceived and blinded to the truth. This is the heresy that John was countering in this epistle. (For a more elaborate explanation on 1 John 1:9, please read our previous message “Should Christians Confess Their Sins to God?” on the “Message Archive” page of our website).

In our next message we will continue destroying these religious doctrines that have crippled the church for too long. We will look at what Jesus had to say about those who “practice lawlessness” in Matt 7:23 as well as take a look at what the apostle John meant when he talked about “obeying commandments” in  1 John 2 and 3.

In Grace

Andre van der Merwe

www.newcovenantgrace.com

So what did God mean? I think God was revealing something to Paul that he didn’t yet understand. Paul was facing so much persecution and surely at times he was afraid for his life. I think the reason why he asked God to remove persecution was simply because it is much easier to spread the gospel without opposition and resistance. As long as persecution bothered Paul, there is the possibility that the devil could increase the opposition to the point that Paul would give up. Luckily Paul got what God was trying to say to him. I believe he wrote about it in Philippians.

Phil 1:19-21 For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, 20 according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. 21 For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain. (NKJV)

Here Paul has come to the realization that his life is almost immaterial. Whether he lives or dies makes no difference to God’s ultimate plan and purpose. God’s plan would not fail if Paul were to die. God’s plan won’t fail if you die either. It is Christ who lives in him and through him. As long as Paul is alive on earth, Christ is glorified in his body. The strength to face persecution and not give up comes from grace. If Paul however were to die, as he himself says, it is gain, meaning he cannot lose. Whether he dies or lives another 20 years, he cannot lose. If he dies it is again grace that takes him home to be with the Father. So grace keeps him alive and gives him the strength to go on and the same grace also ensures his eternal life. So live or die, he wins. If you have this attitude, you will also realize that God’s grace is always sufficient. In life on earth or life hereafter, His grace sustains us, keeps us, protects us, delivers us, heals us and is always in all things entirely sufficient.

Heb 11:35 Others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. (NKJV)

Some of the early believers who were also tortured and persecuted even gave up the deliverance available to save them just so they could obtain a greater resurrection. In other words their thinking was: “If my body is ripped apart and totally destroyed, my resurrection will give God even more glory and would be a greater testimony then if I die with my body intact.” To us that might sound crazy, but these guys were not just trying to be brave. They lived to give God glory even in their death. Without grace that would be impossible to do. Grace supplies that boldness. So no matter what you are facing right now, sickness, persecution, oppression or anything else the devil is bringing against you, know that God’s grace the sufficient for you. That doesn’t mean sit back and just take it because God is not going to come through; it means acknowledge that the grace is there to be used to overcome any situation. There is no problem greater than the grace of God. Grace is bigger and stronger than any sin, any devil, any sickness, any plan of man or any hindrance to your mission.

Even the devil has a purpose in all this. The devil’s purpose is to be beaten. He is there to be overcome. Sickness is there to be healed. Death is there so Christ’s life can destroy it. Grace is the common denominator that supplies us with the determination, the power, the boldness and the will to get back up, dust ourselves off and run straight back into the battle facing down our enemies even if it kills us. If you have not found anything worth dying for, you have not found anything worth living for either. If you are willing to die for Christ, you will surely be willing to live for Him.

When you lose the fear of death, you lose the final hold the devil has on you to stop you from being effective. Being afraid of dying shows that somewhere deep inside us we still doubt the grace and goodness of God to save us to some degree. If you know for a fact that if you were to die you would just end up in heaven, would you be afraid of dying? Now don’t get me wrong, I do not have a “death wish” but living life and life abundantly means to even be freed from the fear of death.

1 Cor 15:55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? (KJV)

Never give up, never surrender.

Cornel

Matt 5:11 “Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake.” (NKJV)

Luke 11:49 Therefore the wisdom of God also said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they will kill and persecute (NKJV)

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A servant is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they kept My word, they will keep yours also. (NKJV)

There are many more verses like this where Jesus spoke of the persecution some believers will face for His Name’s sake. The awesome work He did on the cross to provide us with salvation and healing did not include setting us free from the hate the world has for us. In fact, being saved is what pulled us out of the world. That is the reason why it hates us now, more than it did before we were saved and why it is trying to destroy us. When we accepted Jesus, we turned our back on the world and the devil in regards to their ways and their destiny. After being saved we turn back to the world to bring salvation to those still caught in it. When you actually do this, you make the devil pretty angry. When you do it with signs and wonders following like Paul did, you definitely rub him up the wrong way (And making him angry is not something to fear, it is actually something you should enjoy doing!). Since your spirit is now united with Christ, hidden in Him and seated with Him in the Heavenlies, the devil cannot find the real you to destroy you, yet your unredeemed body and soul can still be attacked. That is how this spiritual being (messenger from satan, unclean spirit, demon etc) could inflict damage to Paul’s body (flesh).

The thing you need to understand about persecution is the reason why it was employed. Why were Christians imprisoned or killed? Because that was the most effective way the devil could stop them from reaching a problem that needed the power of God. When an early Christian reached a problem, the problem got solved with the power of God. Jesus said to heal through laying our hands on people. If you can keep the Christian from the sick person, you in effect stop the delivery of God’s power to that sick person through the laying on of hands. I know you can minister over a long distance, but long distance, though effective, should not be the first line of attack. Let me explain it like this: You are walking in the mall and see a man in a wheelchair. In your head you pray and command healing to restore his ability to walk. Suddenly he jumps out of his chairs and shouts: “I can walk!” You run up and say, “Yes, it is because I just prayed for you and God loves you, He did this.” That guy is going to look at you very funny and think, “Whatever!” Now imagine the same scenario but instead of praying in your head, you go over to the man and tell him the Gospel: that God loves him and God is bigger than his paralysis. Then lay your hands and command him to get up. If he then gets up and shouts, “I can walk!”, will there be any doubt that it was actually God? No, and that is why Jesus said “Go!” and not “Watch and pray in your head.”

If you are there to actually speak the gospel (which is the power of God unto salvation) and then lay hands and heal somebody, it is much more effective display of the love of God towards a person then when just praying for them over a distance, them getting well and not knowing why. Back to the point, if you can physically stop the believer from reaching the person or problem, you reduce the authenticity and effectiveness of the gospel for the person with the problem. The physical restraining is what we refer to as persecution. Anything that physically stops or tries to stop you from spreading the Gospel is a form of persecution. That persecution is the messenger of satan. What is the messenger’s message? “If you don’t stop spreading the Gospel I am going to kill you!” It is merely a scare tactic the devil uses to try and stop us from fulfilling the great commission. The downside for us is that it hurts, even kills and it is not nice to go through things like Paul or the underground church in China goes through. The upside is that the greatest periods of growth in Christianity happened during the greatest periods of persecution. The further you chase somebody, the further they get. The disciples went to one town, spread the gospel there and got persecuted for it. The persecution forced them to go to a new town and do the same thing. If there were no persecution in the first town, the disciples would have probably stayed there and the gospel would not have reached the nations.

Paul asked for this messenger to be taken away three times, and three times God said, “My Grace is sufficient for you.” What does that mean? If you want to know, look out for Part 3 in this series J But to end of, ask yourself honestly: What is keeping me from going? What is hindering me from stepping out for Jesus? Any excuse you give is the very thing that is keeping you from walking out your destiny, the Great Commission, here on earth.

Glory to God! Freedom to Man!

Cornel

2 Cor 12:7-10 And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. 8 Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NKJV)

Myth #1: The thorn was from God

Verse 7 clearly states the thorn was a messenger of satan. If you say the thorn was from God, you are calling God the devil. Myth busted!

Myth #2: God gave Paul the thorn to keep him humble

Based on Myth 1, this can also not be true. I know Paul says it was given ‘lest he be exalted above measure’ but this is not referring to him being humbled by God. In fact, if you are honest with yourself, there is only one person who can humble you, and that is you. Nobody else, not even God, can humble you. When we try to humble somebody else, it is called HUMILIATION, not humbleness. BIG difference. If God gave Paul a thorn to humble him, then that means God humiliated Paul for spreading the Gospel. Paul was doing such a good job at spreading the gospel that God thought he needed to be humiliated. “Who does Paul think he is telling so many people I love them? I’ll show him…” Can you see how stupid this argument is?

1 Peter 5:6-7 Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, 7 casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (NKJV)

This verse says we are to humble ourselves. Jesus humbled Himself too (Phil 2:8). God didn’t give Jesus a thorn in the flesh to humble Him, because that again would be humiliation.

Isa 54:4 Do not be afraid; you will not suffer shame. Do not fear disgrace; you will not be humiliated (NIV)

This is one of the atonement prophecies and it clearly says that we will not be humiliated, nor will we suffer disgrace or shame. To say God humbles through sickness is to say God humiliates us and that is contrary to and in violation of scripture. So for a third time, God did not give Paul a thorn to humble him and He didn’t give him a thorn to teach him a lesson either. Myth Busted!

Myth #3: Paul’s thorn was a sickness

There is actually not one verse in this entire passage that refers to the thorn being a sickness. Now I know you are going to say, “But Paul calls it an infirmity and that is a sickness.” Well, yes and no. Today the word infirmity is almost exclusively used to refer to sickness, but that is not its only definition. The actual Greek word used there actually means feebleness, pertaining to a lack of strength, weakness, or deficient resources. The word is often used to describe weakness of the body caused by sickness but that is not its only use.

Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. (KJV)

Here the word infirmity is used (by Paul again) to mean not knowing how to pray. Lacking the wisdom or knowledge to know how or what to pray for is called an infirmity. So again, infirmity doesn’t always mean sickness. In verse 9 and 10 of 2 Corinthians, Paul says he will boast in his infirmities and take pleasure in them. He actually says the same thing in the previous chapter, and if we take into consideration that this is actually one letter, then we have to look at the context and the consistency within the whole letter.

2 Cor 11:30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. (NKJV)

Again Paul uses the word infirmity and says if he needs to boast, he will do so concerning his infirmity. So what is his infirmity and what is his boast? The previous 7 verses clearly shows his boast, and what he boasts in, what he calls ‘his infirmity.’ See if you can see sickness amongst the list:

2 Cor 11:22-30 Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the seed of Abraham? So am I. 23 Are they ministers of Christ? — I speak as a fool — I am more: in labors more abundant, in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently, in deaths often. 24 From the Jews five times I received forty stripes minus one. 25 Three times I was beaten with rods; once I was stoned; three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I have been in the deep; 26 in journeys often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils of my own countrymen, in perils of the Gentiles, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; 27 in weariness and toil, in sleeplessness often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness —  28 besides the other things, what comes upon me daily: my deep concern for all the churches. 29 Who is weak, and I am not weak? Who is made to stumble, and I do not burn with indignation? 30 If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity. (NKJV)

Clearly Paul was not referring to sickness when he wrote this. He was talking about what he has suffered for the sake of the gospel. Beaten, imprisoned, shipwrecked, many perils, weariness, etc. Not one of the things he is boasting in is a sickness. Then a mere 13 verses on he repeats himself and now suddenly people think he means sickness. He hasn’t mentioned sickness once! Look at 2 Cor 12:10 again:

2 Cor 12:10 Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong. (NKJV)

Paul used 5 words here to summarize: infirmities, reproaches, needs, persecutions, and distresses. The last 4 are consistent and in context with chapter 11’s boast that did not include sickness. If we are to say infirmity here means sickness, we are taking away the consistency and context of the passage. If you take a scripture or passage out of context, you are violating the basic principles of interpretation and you are twisting the word to say something it isn’t saying and that is dangerously misleading. Myth Busted!

To summarize Part 1:

1. The thorn came from satan, not God.
2. The thorn was not a tool of humiliation used by God.
3. The thorn was not a sickness but persecution for the gospel’s sake.

I will post Part 2 soon…

Glory to God, Freedom to Man!

Cornel

1 Sam 10:1 Then Samuel took a flask of oil and poured it on his head, and kissed him and said: “Is it not because the Lord has anointed you commander over His inheritance? (NKJV)

Here we read about Samuel anointing Saul to be king. He physically poured oil out over Saul’s head and said, “Is it not BECAUSE the Lord HAS anointed you commander…” Samuel is saying God anointed / appointed Saul to be king already, and the physical oil being poured out is just to symbolize in the natural what has already taken place in the spiritual. The spiritual anointing is the one that really matters. The anointing that God gives is more important and significant than oil on your forehead. God’s anointing carries heaven’s power. But when did God anoint Saul?

1 Sam 9:15-16 Now the Lord had told Samuel in his ear the day before Saul came, saying, 16 “Tomorrow about this time I will send you a man from the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him commander over My people Israel, that he may save My people from the hand of the Philistines; for I have looked upon My people, because their cry has come to Me.” (NKJV)

God made the choice to appoint / anoint Saul as king and rescue God’s people. He told Samuel to go anoint him in the natural, but the spiritual has already been established. Now remember that Saul got anointed to be king, but look what the anointing enabled him to do:

1 Sam 10:6-7 Then the Spirit of the Lord will come upon you, and you will prophesy with them and be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs come to you, that you do as the occasion demands; for God is with you. (NKJV)

Here Samuel says the Spirit of God will come upon you (after being anointed already) and then he will prophesy. Wait a minute!? Saul wasn’t anointed as a prophet, how come he can prophesy? Because we place the limitations on the anointing, not God. The anointing brings the Spirit of God and He has all the power needed to enable us to do what the occasion demands. Look at verse 7, “Do as the occasion demands; for God is with you.” If the occasion demands a prophetic word, the anointing ensures that God is with you and you will be able to bring that word. If the occasion demands healing, the anointing will enable you to heal because God is with you.

How long was Saul king for? Until he died, right. The anointing never left him. He remained a king until the day he died, even after his life went downhill and he got into major sin. The anointing was not given based on Saul’s good or bad behavior. It was given to provide the power to bring salvation to people. The gifts (spiritual endowments or miraculous faculty / office) and callings of God are irrevocable. (Rom 11:29) THE ANOINTING DOES NOT LIFT. Now let’s jump ahead to Jesus and pick it up where He just came back from the wilderness.

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He has anointed Me To preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives And recovery of sight to the blind, To set at liberty those who are oppressed; 19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”  (NKJV)

Look at Jesus’ words: “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, BECAUSE He HAS ANOINTED Me to preach…heal…proclaim liberty…recover sight…set at liberty… proclaim God’s acceptable year. The Spirit came upon Jesus because He was anointed. The anointing didn’t come because of the Spirit. The anointing or appointment always comes first. The appointment to an office of service always precedes the outworking of the office. In other words I can’t just walk into any school and go sit behind the principle’s desk and run the school if I was not appointed to serve in that office. If I get appointed by the school board, then I can go sit there and run the school. Anointing always precedes the power to fulfill the duties of the office. Jesus didn’t do any miracles until the power came through the Spirit. What was Jesus’ anointing? He was called Christ which as you hopefully know was not His surname. Christ means the Anointed. Its Hebrew equivalent is Messiah. He was anointed to save. Interestingly, so was Saul and all the other Judges. They were anointed to save or set free. Power was always given to save. That is the nature of God’s Power.

Rom 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation (NKJV)

The Gospel is the POWER unto SALVATION (Greek = soteria = save, heal, deliver, protect, make whole) The nature of the God’s Power is to save. Back to Jesus. He is called a high priest in the order of Melchizedek (Heb 5:10 & 6:20) who was a king, making Jesus a king, a priest and a prophet. This means Jesus was given the power and authority (king) to be the final mediator (priest) between God and man (prophet). Jesus’ anointing was the highest possible office of service before God and therefore He also had the most power to fulfill the duties of that office. The higher up you are in a company, the more authority and executive power you are entrusted with. As a New Covenant believer, reborn by the Spirit of God, the ‘anointing’ you received at the new birth is the same one Jesus had since we are now called sons of God. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places (Eph 2:6) and we have been blessed with EVERY spiritual blessing (Eph 1:3). Since the anointing is a spiritual blessing, Ephesians 1:3 confirms that there is not some other anointing we didn’t receive. We are co-heirs with Christ (Rom 8:17) meaning everything Jesus inherited we also inherited.

1 John 4:17 Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world. (NKJV)

As He (Jesus) IS, so ARE we in THIS WORLD. That means the same righteousness, the same holiness, the same favour, the same anointing and the same authority. We are one spirit with the Lord! (1 Cor 6:17) We have received everything that pertains to life and godliness (2 Pet 1:3). We have been anointed (1 John 2:20) and this anointing abides (1 John 2:27), it doesn’t lift or leave, come and go. You have everything you need to be what God destined you to be. Our only problem is we either don’t know it or we think if we deny what we have that it will remove the responsibility to step out do something for God. To make your faith effective, acknowledge every good thing that is IN YOU in Christ Jesus.

Philem 1:6 that the sharing of your faith may become effective by the acknowledgment of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. (NKJV)

Effective faith starts with the acknowledgement of what you have been given. So instead of saying I need more anointing, I need more power, I need more authority, acknowledge that you have received every spiritual blessing and that you have the anointing and the indwelling Spirit of God Himself and as His son you can do all things through Christ (the anointing) who strengthens you. The devil wants you to believe you don’t have everything you need because then you will be looking for more and more instead of just being who God created you to be!

Be, know, do!

Cornel Marais

This is an awesome verse. It tells you exactly how to make the sharing of your faith effective: acknowledge every GOOD thing which is IN YOU in Christ Jesus. To know what is IN you in Christ Jesus, you need to look at the atonement. Do you know what was provided for in the atonement?

• Physical Healing (Isa 53:4-5, Matt 8:16-17, 1 Pet 2:24)
• Deliverance (Isa 53:4-5, Col 2:15, Mark 16:17)
• Salvation (Isa 53:4-5, Rom 1:16)

These verses show that God provided for the reconciliation of the total man through the suffering and death of Jesus on the cross. As far as God is concerned, those things are a done deal in your life the moment you are reborn. When the FINISHED WORKS of the cross are made effective over your life by grace through faith, you received in you everything needed to live life free from sickness and oppression. God did His part perfectly. (I am not going to go into details about this now but you can look it up yourselves in verses like 2nd Peter 1:3-4, Eph 1:3, Heb 10:14, 1st John 4:17, 1st John 2:20, 1st John 2:27, Acts 1:8 and Matt 28:18-19) Basically, you lack nothing.  Any other teaching is unscriptural and just a lie that keeps you busy looking for something you already have instead of using it and giving it away to those who need it.

Since God did everything He needed to do already, it means you can’t get Him to do something He has already done. No amount of begging or pleading or fasting or good deeds will move God to flip your miracle switch up in heaven. He has ALREADY flipped it! It is also not very wise to ask God to do something He told us to do. Yes, that’s right, you have a part to play.

2 Cor 5:17-19 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. 18 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, 19 that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (NKJV)

God gave us the ministry of reconciliation. Healing is physical reconciliation. Deliverance is reconciliation of the soul. Salvation is spiritual reconciliation. Think about this: If God said He gave us the ministry of reconciliation, does that mean He thinks we can do it? YES!! This should be no-brainer yet the church seems to think God doesn’t know what He is talking about. Don’t get me wrong, I know I don’t heal, deliver or save because verse 19 says He committed to me the WORD OF RECONCILITATION. Since the gospel is the power of God unto salvation (soterio – save, heal, protect, deliver & make whole) it means when I speak gospel, when I speak the word of reconciliation, God can confirm His Word through me. If I don’t speak gospel, or if I speak my own opinion, God is under no obligation to confirm my word. When you speak gospel, you become the voice of God on the earth! The power is at work within you, you let it out by speaking it! (Rom 10:8)

Mark 16:20 And they went out and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the word through the accompanying signs. (NKJV)

God worked WITH them confirming THE WORD and He will work WITH you confirming THE WORD. Not the person, not the church, not the ministry, not the opinion, not the tradition, not the performance, not the fasting, not the praying, THE WORD! When you mix opinion, performance, methods, fasting, holy living etc. with the Word, you are preaching a tradition of man which God has no obligation to confirm. I believe He sometimes does step in and help us out of pure mercy, but we will be so much more consistent and effective when we get ourselves and our own ideas out of the gospel and just present it in its pure form!

1 Cor 2:2 For I determined not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. (NKJV)

That was Paul’s attitude. We need that attitude back in the body. The attitude I hear so often rather sounds like this, “Yes Jesus died, BUT you have to do this and that before He will do this and that.” That is not the gospel. There is no BUT in the gospel. That is not even God! God calls Himself “I AM THAT I AM”, not “I will that I will when you”. When you say, “Yes, Jesus died BUT…” to a person, you just pronounced a judgment on them and you placed them back under a conditional law of self performance to work for God’s approval. Stop judging and start setting free!

When somebody is sick, preach the gospel, then do the gospel: “By His stripes we were healed.” Lay hands, command sickness, symptoms and infirm spirits to leave. Command healing of the affected areas. Check for change, repeat if needed. Don’t back off, don’t give up!

When somebody is oppressed, preach the gospel, then do the gospel. “The principalities and power were defeated at the cross. Believers will cast out devils.” Command spirits to leave the person. Declare them free. Check for changes, repeat if needed. Don’t back off, don’t give up.

God gave you the tools and the Helper to HELP you so go help somebody!

Cornel

“I might tell a little lie now and then, but at least I don’t steal.” Have you ever heard people compare what they think is acceptable and what is not? Both lying and stealing are included in the law, it doesn’t matter how big and small the lie or the value of the item stolen is. Reasoning like that is their way of making the target bigger. But that is of no use really.

Gal 3:10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (NKJV)

You can’t decide what you think is sin and what is not. If you choose to live under law, you have to live by every single law. Others make the target bigger this way, “I have only stolen once, and never again.” The law gives no second chances. In fact, ‘once’ has some pretty serious consequences.

James 2:10 For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he is guilty of all. (NKJV)

Only doing one thing wrong makes you guilty of every single law. How big is that target now? Do you still think you can hit it and be righteous enough to have right standing before God? Let’s go a little smaller. Have you ever heard the term ‘habitual sin’? This is sin that people repeatedly commit even though they know it is wrong. They usually try to make the target bigger by classifying one sin as worse than the next. What do you think is worse: Compulsive lying or long term adultery? Or, driving while speaking on the phone or driving over the speed limit? You might be wondering why I put those in there. It’s because I want to show you a different kind of habitual sin.

Ezra 7:26 Whoever will not observe the law of your God and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily on him. (NKJV)

Rom 13:1 Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. (NKJV)

How many times a day do you exceed the speed limit in your car? Do you speak on the phone while driving? Do you drive without your seatbelt? In most countries, all three those things are considered breaking the law. If you do it daily, that would also make it habitual. You know it’s wrong but do it anyway. I bet that target just got way smaller right? But wait, the next sin I am going to show you is actually often overlooked and makes the target even smaller.

James 4:17 Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not do it, to him it is sin. (NKJV)

This verse makes it sin to not do what you know to be good and right. That means if you turn up your radio and ignore the beggar at the traffic light, you are committing a sin. If you see a sick person and don’t pray for them, you are committing a sin. If you get too much change at the shop and don’t give it back, you commit a sin. If you see a need and don’t meet it, you are sinning. How small is that target the law paints now? And I haven’t even used the lust = adultery or hate = murder spiel. We have one arrow to shoot at the target the law paints, and most of us shot that arrow before we even knew we had to hit the target. Missing the target on the one and only try you get means you fall short.

Rom 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (NKJV)

All means everybody. There is not one person who can honestly say they can live righteous enough to have any sort of right standing before God, no matter how pious or holy they think they are. Trying to keep the law in order to have right standing before God which leads to eternal life, is of no use.

Gal 3:21 For if there had been a law given which could have given life, truly righteousness would have been by the law (NKJV)

There is no law that can give life. Even Jesus, who kept the law perfectly died and went to hell. The Spirit of God had to go get Him and resurrect Him back to life. He could be resurrected because the sin that was punished in Him was your sin. Once He was punished and sent to hell, the punishment for all your sin was dealt with. Once the punishment was complete, He could be resurrected based on His innocence. No matter how good a person thinks they can be, trying to hit the law’s tiny target with one arrow is impossible. It is much easier to believe in Christ and be united in His death and resurrection to eternal life, then to try and shoot at that target. To end off, honestly take a good look at the target painted by the law and decide if you are going to risk taking the shot. I urge you, put down the bow and arrow and accept the gift Jesus gave by hitting the target for you! Secondly, stop telling others to aim for a target you can’t hit yourself, and instead tell them there was somebody who hit the target for them already!

Thank you Father for Your Grace!

Cornel

John 4:25-34 the woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. 27 And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? 28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30 Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.31 In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. (KJV)

Sorry for the King James, it is the only translation I know of that uses the word meat. All the others just say food. Jesus said His meat, His solid food, is to do the will of the Father. Meat is doing the will of God. And by will I mean heal the sick, raise the dead, cast out demons, freely you have received, freely give. You can know all the doctrine on healing (the milk of healing), but you will only learn how to get somebody healed by ministering to them (the meat of healing). It’s like learning to drive a car. You can learn the principles and rules of the road in a book, but you have to get behind the wheel to learn to drive.

Matt 7:24-27 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (NKJV)

This is a very famous parable and many people think Jesus was comparing believers (building on the rock) with unbelievers (not building on the rock). You can interpret it like that, but I believe Jesus was comparing two believers. In verse 24 & 26 He says, “Whoever hears these sayings” meaning both heard. Since faith comes by hearing, both these guys received faith. But one was wise and one was foolish. What was the difference? It is not the hearing and receiving the Word that makes you wise or foolish. “Whoever hears these sayings of Mine, AND DOES THEM” = Wise.” “Everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, AND DOES NOT DO THEM” = foolish. Hearing is important because getting the milk is getting the faith. But acting on milk, acting on the Word turns the milk into meat and grows you up! Let’s look at Hebrews 5 again:

Heb 5:12-14 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. 13 For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe. 14 But solid food belongs to those who are of full age, that is, those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil. (NKJV)

We looked at verse 12 in part 1, but we didn’t look at 13 & 14. Everyone who partakes on only milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness. The Greek word for unskilled literally means unable to do, unable to do well and being ignorant towards. In English unskilled means unable to do. The difference between babes and mature believers are in the ability to do what needs to be done. Verse 14 says solid food are for those “who by reason of USE have their sense EXERCISED.” Use and exercise (practicing how to do something) is what solid food is. The first few times I prayed for people for healing not much happened. That doesn’t mean healing is not real, it means I was unskilled in healing. The more I practiced healing, the more things started to happen and the more people started to get healed. Now I not only heal, I also teach others to also heal and some of the people I have taught have seen miracles greater than any of the ones I have seen personally!

James 1:22-24 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man observing his natural face in a mirror; 24 for he observes himself, goes away, and immediately forgets what kind of man he was. (NKJV)

That is why James wrote to not stop at only hearing like the foolish builder, but to go over into action like the wise builder. He wasn’t teaching works as some often say to keep people passive.

James 2:17-20 Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. 18 But someone will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without your works, and I will show you my faith by my works. 19 You believe that there is one God. You do well. Even the demons believe — and tremble! 20 But do you want to know, O foolish man, that faith without works is dead?  (NKJV)

Faith without action is dead, or has no effect in your situation. Believing is good, but even demons believe and tremble. So you shaking in the Presence is not so special, demons do it too… But when you start acting on your faith and casting out demons, healing people and setting captives free, you will start to grow up into Christ. You will resemble your big brother Jesus as you release the glory of God to change situations, lives, and the course of history. Let history be HIS-story, written on the living pages of your life!

The kingdom butchery is now open, go get some meat people!

Cornel

Heb 5:12 For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you again the first principles of the oracles of God; and you have come to need milk and not solid food. (NKJV)

If you are in need of teaching, you are in need of milk. All teaching on the Word is milk. That is why you can’t preach a meaty sermon or read a meaty passage out of the Bible. You go to church to be taught, so because teaching is always only milk, you cannot get meat listening to a sermon. I know you might not be convinced yet, so please read on.

1 Peter 2:2 as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, (NKJV)

Peter refers to the Word as pure milk. Babes need it to grow. Just like in the natural, a baby lives on milk for the first stage of life and only starts taking solid food after having grown a bit. So again, the Word is at best only milk.

1 Cor 3:1-3 and I, brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual people but as to carnal, as to babes in Christ. 2 I fed you with milk and not with solid food; for until now you were not able to receive it, and even now you are still not able; 3 for you are still carnal. (NKJV)

The Corinthian church was renowned for two things. The gifts of the Spirit and their sin. There was no other church in that time that operated in the gifts at the level of the Corinthians. They were also renowned for the utter decadence of their sin and it is recorded that there was sin amongst them that was not even found amongst the pagans. (1 Cor 5:1)

In the passage above, Paul calls them carnal, immature and babes in Christ. Yet these carnal immature babes were operating in the gifts very powerfully, better than any other church. This shows that your maturity is not something God looks at in order of Him to work through you. Secondly it shows that sin, no matter how vile, doesn’t stop the operation of the gifts or the Power of God in your life. God will use you with sin in your life, and He will help while you have sin in your life. Paul also said that he gave them milk before and that he did not give them solid food because they couldn’t receive it. Then he says that even now they are still not able to take in solid food. If they are still not able to take in meat, do you think Paul is going to give them any meat? He just said they can’t handle it yet, so why would he give it to them? If the rest of the letter is only milk, it is interesting that 9 chapters later we read about the gifts of the Spirit, their use and proper operation. All of that is just milk.

Before I tell you about what meat really is, I want to stress the importance of milk. Just like in the natural, we need milk to build our skeletons and keep them strong. Your skeleton forms your frame. The milk of the Word forms your foundation. Jesus is the rock we are built on and He is the Word. A solid dose of milk on a regular basis helps to keep your frame or your foundation intact. But if you feed a person too much milk, they throw up. You have to get meat eventually to continue growing. I am not against milk, my whole website is just milk. But if you only ever get milk, you have a problem because you are not growing more.

Milk is essential for mind renewal, revelation and receiving faith, so get as much as you can. But don’t only live on milk. People who just live on milk develop severe vitamin and nutritional deficiencies. If you only live on spiritual milk, your might find you have developed a few deficiencies already. And just like the Corinthians, you stay immature if you only ever get milk. If you are searching for more of the kingdom in power, you need to make the transition from milk only to milk & meat, with far more meat than milk actually. In the next teaching I will explain more about what meat is and how to go about getting it!

Who wants to say grace before we eat?

Cornel