He will glorify Me… —John
16:14
{CHAMBERS} “The holiness movements of today have none of the rugged
reality of the New Testament about them. There is nothing about them that needs
the death of Jesus Christ. All that is required is a pious atmosphere, prayer,
and devotion. This type of experience is not supernatural nor miraculous. It
did not cost the sufferings of God, nor is it stained with “the blood of the
Lamb” (Revelation 12:11). It is not marked or sealed by the Holy Spirit as
being genuine, and it has no visual sign that causes people to exclaim with awe
and wonder, “That is the work of God Almighty!” […] The New Testament example
of the Christian experience is that of a personal, passionate devotion to the
Person of Jesus Christ. […] Today He [Jesus] is being portrayed as the
figurehead of a religion— a mere example. He is that, but He is infinitely
more. He is salvation itself; He is the gospel of God! Jesus said, “…when He,
the Spirit of truth, has come,…He will glorify Me…” (John 16:13-14). […] The
Spirit of God does in me internally all that Jesus Christ did for me
externally.”
{ELGIN} A person that is born again and committed to following Jesus
has a devotion to Jesus and therefore to the Father, that is evidenced in how
they live and how they treat others. But
there is one aspect that is invisible to the people around them and only
visible to God. That is the condition of
their heart. A heart wholly devoted to
the Father. It is possible to attend church,
put on your happy face, listen to sermons, and sing worship songs and not be
devoted to following Jesus. (Matthew 15:8-9) “‘These people honor me
with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their
teachings are merely human rules.” (2 Timothy 3:5-7) “having the appearance
of godliness, but denying its power. Avoid such people. For among them are
those who creep into households and capture weak women, burdened with sins and
led astray by various passions, always learning and never able to arrive at a
knowledge of the truth.”
Many people are convinced
that “doing” is the same as “being”.
They practice the Christian religion, embrace the teachings but lack the
devotion to the Cornerstone of the Church.
They may go to the altar every Sunday morning and still be spiritually
ignorant and far from God. They lack understanding
and they lack commitment to their faith … that is , if they have saving faith. The demons know who Jesus is, but they don’t
serve Him. They have another master. For
many Christians, their hearts that were once alive toward God have become
hardened toward spiritual things in favor of those things that satisfy the
flesh. They go through the motions ..
say the right things .. but serve themselves and not the risen Lord. Sound harsh?
The truth often does because truth brings conviction and conviction
brings discomfort and causes us to make a decision. Will I respond to the Truth or will I ignore
it and choose to continue on the vain journey I am pursuing.
What am I saying? Friends, we need to be on our guard or before
we know it .. those people .. will become “we the people”. I must examine myself and my devotion every
day. I have to keep my flesh in
check. The only way that we can glorify
the Father is by being spiritually “right” and devoted to His will in every
aspect of our lives. You must be careful
that you do not relegate your spirituality to Sunday morning. We are Christians 24x7 into eternity.
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