I have been composing teachings from notebooks for about three months now, on two websites that I intend to continue to build upon, especially now that I will soon be retiring. My contributions are something I give to the body freely, for I strongly believe that "freely I've received, so freely I am willing to give." About 200 or more teachings I have posted on my website: http://shilo.yuku.com if anyone would want to stop by.
In just a few months, I've had over 14k+ readers visit me, so I think it may become a part of God's plan, to use what I compose prayerfully, as I gather verses from some fairly hard-to-read scribblings from my past, and turn them to a legible offering, sometimes in outline form, and sometimes written out with added examples and elaboration (which takes a bit more time).
Bless you all. I don't mean to distract from this forum. It is another avenue for teaching and exhortation, which I appreciate.
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The Definition of Faith, part three
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of thing hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
So, within the definition of faith, there is the “now,” a believer's hope, and the third aspect of the principle of faith is that it always involves the unseen. In fact, believers are expressly forbidden to look at the things that are seen.
2 Cor. 4:17-18
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
If the Holy Spirit is ever to cause Christians to abound in faith, as Paul wrote later in his letter to the Corinthians (8:7), “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.”
then Christians must believe the Holy Spirit will be revealing things that are not seen, for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” To the degree the members of the body of Christ are walking in this principle of faith, where they have cooperated with the Lord to bring to light the things that are unseen, is to the same degree to which they will be sanctified, set apart, and receive reward and rank in heaven.
It is written of Moses (Heb. 11:27) that “he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” He chose the afflictions of God over the pleasures of sin for a season. How could he do this? He saw the unseen. He endured seeing Him who is invisible.
For today's Christian, this points to the challenge of seeing Jesus in the areas of their lives they have not given God space. For all Christians are a great deal less than what they suppose themselves to be, and the Lord has appointed the Holy Ghost to reveal that to them, to make things uncomfortable, in order that He can be their comfort and that they can experience the resurrection life of Jesus.
By faith, the believer can say, as Isaiah, “'I see the Lord high and lifted up and his train fills the temple.” Fills what temple? The temple of their body, for the members of the body of Christ are the temple of the Holy Ghost and should be asking themselves, “Is Jesus high and lifted up and His train filling my temple?” When they begin to see that, then they are on the right track.
God wants to renew the inner man day by day. How will He do this? With things.
2 Cor. 4:15
“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”
What does this mean? All things are for the believer's sake. All those things that happen in the lives of believers: losing a job, a bad home life, tragedy, loss, etc. are for their sakes. And while their outward man is perishing, and inward man is being renewed day by day, the believer will learn to endure by seeing He who is invisible.
One cannot be motivated and controlled by the things they see, but by what their eyes cannot see, because, even while things are good, the “seeing eye is never satisfied,” according to Solomon. (Ecc. 1:8)
In just a few months, I've had over 14k+ readers visit me, so I think it may become a part of God's plan, to use what I compose prayerfully, as I gather verses from some fairly hard-to-read scribblings from my past, and turn them to a legible offering, sometimes in outline form, and sometimes written out with added examples and elaboration (which takes a bit more time).
Bless you all. I don't mean to distract from this forum. It is another avenue for teaching and exhortation, which I appreciate.
______________________________________________________________________________
The Definition of Faith, part three
Hebrews 11:1
“Now faith is the substance of thing hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
So, within the definition of faith, there is the “now,” a believer's hope, and the third aspect of the principle of faith is that it always involves the unseen. In fact, believers are expressly forbidden to look at the things that are seen.
2 Cor. 4:17-18
“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.”
If the Holy Spirit is ever to cause Christians to abound in faith, as Paul wrote later in his letter to the Corinthians (8:7), “Therefore, as ye abound in every thing, in faith, and utterance, and knowledge, and in all diligence, and in your love to us, see that ye abound in this grace also.”
then Christians must believe the Holy Spirit will be revealing things that are not seen, for “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” To the degree the members of the body of Christ are walking in this principle of faith, where they have cooperated with the Lord to bring to light the things that are unseen, is to the same degree to which they will be sanctified, set apart, and receive reward and rank in heaven.
It is written of Moses (Heb. 11:27) that “he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.” He chose the afflictions of God over the pleasures of sin for a season. How could he do this? He saw the unseen. He endured seeing Him who is invisible.
For today's Christian, this points to the challenge of seeing Jesus in the areas of their lives they have not given God space. For all Christians are a great deal less than what they suppose themselves to be, and the Lord has appointed the Holy Ghost to reveal that to them, to make things uncomfortable, in order that He can be their comfort and that they can experience the resurrection life of Jesus.
By faith, the believer can say, as Isaiah, “'I see the Lord high and lifted up and his train fills the temple.” Fills what temple? The temple of their body, for the members of the body of Christ are the temple of the Holy Ghost and should be asking themselves, “Is Jesus high and lifted up and His train filling my temple?” When they begin to see that, then they are on the right track.
God wants to renew the inner man day by day. How will He do this? With things.
2 Cor. 4:15
“For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.”
What does this mean? All things are for the believer's sake. All those things that happen in the lives of believers: losing a job, a bad home life, tragedy, loss, etc. are for their sakes. And while their outward man is perishing, and inward man is being renewed day by day, the believer will learn to endure by seeing He who is invisible.
One cannot be motivated and controlled by the things they see, but by what their eyes cannot see, because, even while things are good, the “seeing eye is never satisfied,” according to Solomon. (Ecc. 1:8)