FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
RENEWING
THE MIND – X
THE WORD
OF IAUE - 1
…..
If we are going to
purpose our lives to do the will of IAUE, as this verse commands, we must renew
our minds. We must change the way we
think. How do we do this? We start by acknowledging that the way we
think has been trained by the world and not by IAUE; and that our thinking
needs to be changed. This first step is
one most believers never take. Most “think”
that they “think” correctly because they trust their own judgment. They are wise in their own conceit.
Proverb 26:12 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit?
there is more hope of a fool than of him.
Proverb 14:12 There
is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.
We cannot trust the
way we think about anything when it comes to doing the will of IAUE. Our day to day living with all the choices we
make throughout each day will be filled with disobedience born of good
intentions. If we do not embrace this truth as an axiom; we have no hope of
ever living in such a way that will please IAUE or our Master Yahushua.
We started this
process by reclaiming the true message of the “gospel.” The good news of the
coming of Messiah is everyone’s starting point.
It is what brings us into relationship with Elohim and makes doing His
will even possible; and even more so, it is what makes doing His will
desirable. The message that has been
preached for generations does not include repentance, thus it does not set us
on the path of obedience. It keeps our
own fleshly hearts intact to do our own will.
Repentance causes us
to kneel before our King and in humility pledge our allegiance and loyalty to
him. Repentance enables us to recognize that loyalty to anything else is
misdirected, unreliable and dangerous. Repentance produces an awareness that
service to anyone or anything else is an insult to the love of IAUE that was
manifested through His sacrificing His son to redeem us.
Once we have entered
into relationship with IAUE through faith and submission to Yahushua His
Messiah, we must begin the renewing process to learn how to think with His
thoughts, in order that we might know and do His will. How does this work? Where do we start?
We begin with identifying
what is the standard of true thinking. Correct
thinking comes from the Word of IAUE. In
the Old Testament, the “word” of IAUE was generally translated from the Hebrew
word “davar,” which had many
applications and is translated many ways throughout the Old Testament
Scriptures. In the New Testament Greek,
we see it translated from two Greek words, “logos”
and “rhema.” Many like to develop significant spiritual
implications from these two words; but both of these words are used frequently
in secular writings and do not carry those spiritual meanings over into them. We can make a general application based upon
their usage in the New Testament and suggest that:
Logos represents the word/words IAUE has uttered,
which words also contain His purpose and intent, the reason and thought that
went into why He spoke them. They also contain the power to make what He has
said happen.
Isaiah 55:11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of
my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that
which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
For example:
Genesis 1:3 And
Elohim said, “Let there be light;” and there was light.
In the Hebrew, this
verse is amazing. It says, “And Elohim said, ‘Light be;’ and light was.” There is creative power resident in every
word of IAUE.
Rhema is the spoken word, mostly by man. In a spiritual context, it is the words that
IAUE has spoken that we have either heard or read which have become life to us;
and then WE speak them and release both the words and the power of IAUE
resident within those words to the hearer so that the words received by the
hearer can become the logos of IAUE
to them.
Romans 10:17 So
then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word (rhema) of Elohim.
There is a divine
intention that there be this transfer of the power of IAUE through the words
which we speak to others. Observe this
transaction in the life of Paul.
Acts 14:8 And there sat a certain man at
Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never
had walked:
9 The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving
that he had faith to be healed,
10 Said with a loud voice, Stand
upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
We may not just
repeat the words that IAUE has spoken.
We must communicate IAUE’s heart along with His words. The way this happens is for the logos to become flesh. This is a process whereby we meditate on the
word(s) of IAUE until it becomes revelation and life to us, and it brings about
a change within us…a change of conformity to the heart and mind of IAUE. Then and only then can we speak His words to
others and it will be the rhema of
IAUE…the power to implant the logos
of IAUE in another person.
When I was a young
man stationed in Germany, I met with a
fellowship of believers in a nearby city on Sunday evenings. One evening, I received a prophetic word for
the fellowship. It was a stern word
intended to bring correction to the group.
As I prepared to speak this word, I was halted by the Holy Spirit, who
told me that I was not prepared to speak this word. Over the next week I meditated upon this word
and listened to the Holy Spirit and realized that He wanted this word to become
flesh. He wanted it to find a harmonious
heart within me; one that felt for these people the way the Father felt for His
people. That next Sunday, this word
returned to me and I was about to speak it, and again the Holy Spirit said, “You
are not ready.” For three weeks, I was
subjected to the dealings of IAUE to change my heart regarding the content of
this word. The next Sunday, this word
returned to me; and I had the witness of the Holy Spirit that I was now
approved to speak this word; and just before I stood up to speak it, a lady in
the fellowship stood up and spoke the exact same message to this fellowship. I was stunned and frankly, I was a bit upset;
but the Holy Spirit asked me was it important for the group to hear this word specifically
from me or was it enough just to hear the word of IAUE?
I share this to illustrate
how we need to have our minds renewed.
It is not just to learn what the Father has said. It is to feel with the same heart upon the
words the Father has spoken. So,
regardless what the message is, whether it be the appearing of the Messiah, the
forgiveness of sins, the remission of sins, the healing of the believer,
setting the captives free, the love of IAUE, the gifts of the Spirit, the unity
of the Body of Messiah, the resurrection of the dead, the judgment of the
wicked, the coming kingdom of Yahushua, or the proper attitude we should have towards
every aspect of life; not only do we need to know what IAUE has said about it;
but we need to know how He feels about it, until both His word and His heart
have changed the way we think. Without
both of these aspects of His word, we are not going to be able to properly
renew our minds. Without both aspects,
we are not going to be able to know and do the will of IAUE.
Most everything IAUE
thinks and feels is contrary to the way we think and feel; because the world
does not have his life and light illuminating it. Consequently, the way the world trains us to
participate as functional members of its systems of education, health,
government, arts, music, science, etc., is dead opposite of the heart of IAUE;
and it is constantly barraging us with messages to keep us in harmony with its
contrary ways. This is why all of us
begin our journey as disciples with carnal minds.
Romans 8:5 For they that are after the
flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the
things of the Spirit.
6 For to be carnally minded is
death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
7 Because the carnal mind is
enmity against IAUE: for it is not subject to the law of Elohim, neither indeed
can be.
8 So then they that are in the
flesh cannot please IAUE.
A carnal mind is one
that has been trained to consider and to value the lusts of the flesh, the
lusts of the eyes and the pride of life.
It is one whose standard is that of selfish conceit, the group
mentality, or prevailing social mores.
It does not consider the heart of IAUE.
In fact, what IAUE thinks is regarded as out of place, old fashioned,
embarrassing or just plain stupid. The carnal
mind, however, produces bondage, hardship, sickness, disease, and death; and
despite such devilish rewards, it regards it as worth it. If we could only grasp the insanity of a
carnal mind, we would race to the word of IAUE to be changed into his likeness,
and enjoy the fruit of life and peace in this life, and in the world to come,
life everlasting.
Next week we will
endeavor to answer the question: What is
the word of IAUE?
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
No comments:
Post a Comment