Sunday, February 16, 2014

A KINGDOM HEART - XIII


WBS.043
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP

A KINGDOM HEART – XIII



Kingdom heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the performance of the will of IAUE.




Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance IAUE winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

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We are in our 43rd week of our study of the fundamentals of discipleship.  Much material has been covered in a very short span of time.  There is an intrinsic danger to the speed at which this information has been accessed. It is not practical to expect that every reader, and possibly any reader, could have assimilated beyond the academic information unto the revelation of the truths we have discussed in every single posting. I am sharing with you words that express truths I have learned over 40 years of walking in the Spirit and receiving the revelation and the discipline of IAUE.  Remember our discussion of the difference between understanding the information, and having the Truth within the information “revealed” to us?  Only IAUE can take the words I choose to express these truths and break them like bread to feed your spirit the revelation contained within them.  This is my great desire for you; but without that participation from IAUE, all you are capable of receiving is information…information that you may choose to act on as a standard for living; but not LIFE that actually redirects your choices and behavior emanating from a changed heart.

I would strongly encourage you to revisit lessons throughout this blog with a heart open to hear the voice of the Spirit, and a soul that prays with a longing to have the Spirit bring revelation to you, so that you are able to move beyond knowledge of these lessons to the Truth contained within them.  Specifically, I would encourage you to study again:

   Lesson #2 to understand why I do not use the names/terms of Jesus, Christ, Lord and God;
   Lesson #3 to understand the difference between the “marketing” of doctrine/Scriptural
                     information, and “partaking” of it;
   Lesson #4 to understand that taking the Master’s yoke upon ourselves is forsaking ourselves
                    entirely to become what he wants us to become;
   Lesson #6 to do “the Lists” again to discover the true nature of our hearts more fully;
   Lesson #11 to realize that man’s thinking hinders the revelation of Truth from IAUE.
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Our last post ended with this comment: 

When we understand the mechanics of how this process works, we can readily understand how the grace to repent is accessed.  It is rooted in the choice of our relationship and fellowship with IAUE over our own will to please ourselves.  The sorrow of the world never removes us from the desire to do our own will; and that is why it produces death.  The sorrow that comes from IAUE causes us to grieve over the loss our sin brings to our fellowship with Him.  It separates us from our desire to do our own will.  It changes the way we think about the things we do that displease IAUE. 

Last week we explained that the Greek word for “repent” (metanoia) literally means “to change the mind,” or to change the way we think.  There is another aspect of this word that you have probably heard more often than “changing the mind,” and that is “to turn around.  This concept comes from the idea that when we change the way we think about a given thing, we turn from the direction we were heading, toward the opposite direction.  When we repent, we turn around.  We turn from our life toward IAUE.  There is a direction involved in repentance.  Look at the testimony of Scripture:

Acts 20:21 Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward IAUE, and faith toward our Master Yahushua Messiah.

Acts 26:20  But shewed first unto them of Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to IAUE, and do works meet for repentance.

Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Messiah, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward IAUE,

There can be no repentance (metanoia) without a very deliberate purpose of heart to turn toward IAUE…to become what IAUE wants us to become.  Any repentance that does not bring us back to IAUE is worldly sorrow (metamelein), which the Scripture says “worketh death.”  Worldly sorrow, regret, is about “us.”  Repentance, where we change the way we think and turn our lives back to obedience to the will of IAUE, is about “Him.”  Anything about “us” is self-focused and brings forth death, because it causes us to continue to walk in the path that has already been judged and convicted and which is awaiting the execution of IAUE’s wrath. 

Matthew 3:8 Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance:

When the Pharisees and Sadducees came to John to receive his baptism of repentance, he challenged them to demonstrate in their lives the fruit of genuine repentance; and not just the fair show of false humility.  By this, we can know that genuine repentance produces a changed heart; and a changed heart produces a changed life.  The key to all of this is the desire to be in relationship and fellowship with IAUE.  Without that marking the very foundation of every aspect of our life, we are still living for self; and we are not partakers of the grace of IAUE.

We are “saved” (rescued from all that has kept us apart from IAUE, and set free to do IAUE’s will) by grace.  Never lose sight of that fact.  Grace is the power IAUE gives that enables us to do His will.  If we are of a mind NOT to do His will, then our minds need to be changed. We need genuine repentance that turns us from OUR way to HIS face.  If this is not what we want in our lives, then genuine repentance is not available to us; as true repentance is designed to bring us to IAUE.

I cannot express strenuously enough that IAUE did not send His son to die for us only to give us a ticket to Heaven.  He sent His son to procure that path of restoration for man to be able to fulfill the very design of his creation; and that is…to do the will of IAUE.  It is imperative that you decide if that is what you want for your life; or if you want to retain the right of self-determination for your years on the earth.  If genuine repentance is what you desire, there are ways to pursue the real thing.

Acts 17:30 And the times of this ignorance IAUE winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:

#1 – What IAUE commands, He gives grace to obey.  The grace that enables us to change our mind, to turn from “our” way unto IAUE is given to those who would obey His command.  We saw in last week’s posting from Hebrews 12:17 that Esau sought repentance carefully with tears but could not find it.  That is because Esau’s “direction” was incorrect.  He was not seeking repentance to turn to obedience to IAUE.  He sought his birthright to be restored. His focus was selfish.

Romans 2:4  Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of IAUE leadeth thee to repentance?

#2 – This passage shows what we have been saying about repentance originating with IAUE.  If He gives us the grace to repent, we are empowered to repent; but if He does NOT give us the grace to repent, repentance is impossible.  Here we see that IAUE uses the agency of His goodness to lead us to repentance.  How does this work?  By demonstrating His goodness to us, He makes Himself desirable to us.  When He becomes desirable to us, we are drawn to want to be in relationship and fellowship with Him.  Thus, it is the goodness of IAUE that provides the directional draw, to lead us to turn from ourselves unto Him.

2 Corinthians 7:9 I now rejoice, not that ye were made sorry, but that ye were made sorry unto repentance; for ye were made sorry according to IAUE, that ye might suffer loss by us in nothing.
10  For sorrow by IAUE worketh repentance unto salvation, a repentance which bringeth no regret: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

#3 – When IAUE moves upon our hearts to make us sorrowful over our sins and our self-focused lives, the sorrow He brings is the evidence that His grace is being extended to us to enable us to repent.  When that conviction comes upon you, turn to Him.  Forsake your own will and embrace His will for you.  Flee from your independent life to be yoked with His son in service to IAUE.

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