Spotlite
Resident Homesteader
There are no works (of any eternal merit) that are not already prepared, predestined, ordained that are not dependent upon revelation in faith for discovery...for the "walking in" as an apostle put it. These are God's works...the man may be immersed in them, experience them of such personal intensity as to sometimes be confused, but they remain, regardless of any error in interpretation of source, God's work and works. Prepared by Him for the disciple (again)...to walk in.
The Lord made quite clear Himself His dependency upon being "shown"...(and His confidence He would be shown...more) with nothing issuing from Himself, not even the nicest of things. Even the most religious of things.
Not even His words were His own. Or better, specifically...His words were not His own.
Such takes faith to see and believe. And none believe apart from God imparting repentance to such faith.
And it is not the confession of such faith to testify as to what particular estate the man occupies, but the testimony only of the estate Jesus Christ occupies as Lord.
He is not made so by our confession, nor is He established to it by our agreement. It is in truth a truth...and this truth particularly...the gift of God to man, and any particular man given entrance, to speak into the world the first thing he has ever said that is not born of lie. And he will find great benefit, yes, even to himself, to seek out such grace that has delivered him to such consequence.
What works are consequent to this sight of faith and confession are not at the man's discretion. It is never less than...and could never be more than "Do whatever He tells you". Such foolish talk of "I do what the Bible says" or even "I will do what the Bible says" is no more than a man seeking to endorse himself by letters.
Many do, and have taken such stand. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" is taken as some sort of endorsement of their doing in "see, I am fulfilling (what is called) the great commission" (I do what the Bible says!) when in truth they have not yet had, nor preached the gospel to their very own selves.
But it does "feel good" to self endorse one's self and no man knows the poverty of such until he is shown. And to believe the whole of the world is now their field. It is indeed...but look inside first. There's a whole world of mind, and world minding minding taking place to be renewed. This is where the man will first learn what repentance even means, and the Lord ship of Jesus Christ...before he finds any place from which to commend others to it. The Lord alone knows the readiness of any man.
There was one in beholding the wonder of the Lord wanting to follow (as a member of the Lord's travelling troop) but was told instead to go home and publish what he had seen and heard of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Though his name we do not know, and despite any speculation as to what he may have experienced in being directed...not to what he asked for, but something other...we nevertheless know he obeyed. In a curious way the thing he desired...to follow Jesus but seemed denied...he showed as doing just that...following the Lord's instruction.
Do we doubt Christ enriched him beyond any imagining? No less than the seeming heroes (some who rebuked the Lord, some who mistook their own faithfulness to stay close "even to prison and death") who, nevertheless fulfilled their calling (Judas included, doing according to his appointment), some to glory, one at least to less than. But that man sent home...followed the Lord just as surely.
This ordaining to fruit, and fruit that should remain (as the disciples/apostles were told) would be proven them as they came through the experience of their own manifest frailty. Their boldness in their ordination they now knew was totally unreliant upon anything they had done or could do of, or for themselves.
What they were was made too plain to them...while in same learning the one who had chosen them was Himself making Himself plain to them. They held no illusions about themselves any longer nor about what knowing hand was upon the wheel of all things.
And do not doubt...even if you presently do, that all that might be seen as coming after...the works, the words, the commands, the instructions, the letters did not come forth but from a foundation of having come through that experience of finding themselves far less than once they thought they were. So far less in truth, that there was branding upon them as those who knew no man can do a thing to save himself.
Yes, even when Peter speaks or writes of "save yourselves from this untoward generation" it is in the full knowing and working of such experience of utter failure but for the grace of God in Christ, that he knows he can even speak of He who gave Himself...for him.
Don't be misled into such presumption of thought that even one same word in another mouth means, and can only mean what it means to you. Children do this by slipping into oversize shoes and then go about as "the daddy".
Historians talk of great battles and by imagination even think they can put themselves there in some understanding then of "what it is/was like". To soldiers however, and even if it be in their mouth for speaking, the word battle is not the same...no, not at all. Do you think a soldier so easily fooled by one who reads books or letters...even to "I do what the Bible says" but is manifestly scar less?
One is (or even some are) "curious". Curious as to why repentance is so resisted. The answer is not found in "tell me why you...or some many others (as it is really only a matter of seems to the man, for he knows not) in satisfaction of my curiosity, resist repentance". It is too clear the man has not looked. To where repentance is resisted...otherwise he would have no doubt or curiosity at all about it.
The whole lab is already provided. It's carried with and by every man. And no one who has done the experiments is unaware of how a once curiosity when added to all the heavenly ingredients now provided then blows up in one's own face. The results, though being far too heavenly in their surety (and appear hardly commendable nor recommendable by a visage of torn flesh so distorted now to barely appear as a man) are yet, and nevertheless, because of their result in such heavenly surety, as then come from such as reply..."just do the experiment".
You doubt? Do the experiment. You're curious? Do the experiment.
Surety comes at cost one learns. But not one' s own. Some have gone so far as to mix their own works with God's grace in their lab...ha ha... Have you seen what they look like after doing that one?! it's no wonder few if any want to hear them! Or can.
Or maybe, just maybe...you really haven't been attending as closely as you believe. And it's not as though those who have had such violent explosion in their face would say "gee, I really shouldn't have done that"...they know...even because of grace...it is an unavoidable predestining. Or even "gee, I should have known that would happen!" So they can have no despising for anything that thinks it can "know better"...and actually thinks it does...because that man...is them.
But they also know this...take anything heavenly and try to make some concoction with earthy things and sparks fly. The love of God...and man's love of what he loves...the patience of God...and man's so called "patience", man's notion of salvation, yes even of Heaven...and where God is....man's notion of free...and God's truth of it.
Do the experiments!
Since one cannot help but do...do! And see what is left...when done. See who is left...when done.
I will tell you this...it will not be the heavenly that gets consumed when mixed with all and any that is "of man".
Henceforth know we no man after the flesh. We are ourselves seen in where we are in our experiments...and no less made known of where we are in our experiments.
And what preserves us through them, who preserves us through them as all else goes up in smoke...is He who remains. He who abides.
Paul was not lying in being dead...yet alive to tell the tale.
I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live...yet not I, but Christ lives within me. And the life I live now in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God...who loved me, and gave himself for me.
Go ahead...do that experiment..."but what about all the others, Lord, I am curious...what will this man do, what will be the why of this other man?"
"Lovest thou me?"
Yes...let that experiment be performed.
So far..................good. Yes, God will prepare a way for you.There are no works (of any eternal merit) that are not already prepared, predestined, ordained
Many do, and have taken such stand. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel" is taken as some sort of endorsement of their doing in "see, I am fulfilling (what is called) the great commission" (I do what the Bible says!) when in truth they have not yet had, nor preached the gospel to their very own selves.
But it does "feel good" to self endorse one's self. Such foolish talk of "I do what the Bible says" or even "I will do what the Bible says" is no more than a man seeking to endorse himself by letters.
Catawampus train wreck. As Trump would say - fake news.
Seriously, that is an arrogant way to address anyone being doers of the heard Word of God and following the leading of the Spirit. If a man feels like God is sending him to Africa then he must follow that leading.
Most are not programmed to align themselves with the mentality of looking at yesterday and saying wow, I was in Africa preaching, it was God`s Will. Some actually have faith it is God`s Will and go preach. Hindsight is 20/20 but it takes zero faith to see yesterday.
You done got all side ways with this works thing trying to make it say something that it is not, no one ever said that works saves you.
Scripture disagrees with you, though. You gotta have works. You gotta follow the instructed Word of God. Scripture tells you why ALL scripture is given. If you can`t follow the instructed Word of God scripture says your faith is dead. If you think works mean more than that then maybe back up a little try again. I have not seen any "pro works" posts indicating that works mean anything more than that.