WBS.165
FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE
TRANSFORMATION OF THE SOUL – II
2 Corinthians 3:18 But we
all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of IAUE, are changed into
the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of IAUE.
We must obey the will of IAUE; for it is in our obedience to His will
that the transformation of our soul occurs.
Resisting the will of IAUE, over time, will sear the conscience and blind
one’s mind to the Truth, leaving man to his own devices; and we know that the
way that seems right to a man are the ways of death. There are only two options available to
man. Obey the will of IAUE or die.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For Elohim, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of IAUE in the face of Yahushua Messiah.
7 But we
have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be
of IAUE, and not of us.
Most disciples have
no idea what is within them. Paul refers
to it as a “treasure
in earthen vessels.” He even
tells us that when that treasure is visible in our lives to others they
understand because of the power of it that it is from IAUE and not of
ourselves. Just consider the value of
this impact in witnessing to others and in proclaiming the gospel. If what is proceeding forth from our lives in
character and in deed is evident that it is born of IAUE, it leaves man without
an excuse. What we also need to
understand is that all that is contained within this treasure is that which
transforms our soul into the likeness of our Father. How busy, then, should we be in seeking to
assimilate this treasure into the fullness of our whole being?
That which has been
placed within our inner man, the newborn spirit, doesn’t just spill out into
our lives by accident. It is a reservoir
of glory that we must pursue, to pull out of that treasure chest and possess it
in our heart and soul.
There used to be an
old game show on television called “Concentration.” In this game, there was a board of panels
with hidden pictures behind them, and the contestant would have to call out two
different panels on the board to try to match the pictures behind them.
If they matched a pair of pictures, the image behind them was
exposed. In a similar manner, when we
renew our minds to the truth, and what we have learned matches what has been
placed in our spirit, that part of the treasure is exposed and shines in our
hearts. It becomes a bit of the glory of
IAUE that is now resident within our hearts.
The next step is for the soul to choose to act upon it in order to
solidify the acquisition. Without
acting upon the Truth, it does not transform the soul; it does not yield its
glory to our soul, nor does it shine through to our outer man, the body, unto
the world around us. In fact, the glory
of that Truth will fade just as it did from the face of Moses the longer he was
out of the presence of IAUE. Even as
faith is not really alive until it is acted upon, so too, revelation of Truth
will descend into mere doctrine if it is not acted upon by the disciple. If we receive elements out of our treasure
only to acquire the knowledge of it and not to DO what it commands or implies,
the glory of it will fade and our hearts will become hardened, making our next
acquisition of treasure that much more difficult.
2 Corinthians 4:6 For Elohim, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light
of the knowledge of the glory of IAUE in the face of Yahushua Messiah.
Paul explains this
process for us. Initially, when we were exposed to the good news, IAUE
commanded the Truth of the gospel message to shine in or hearts. Our soul (mind, will, emotions) then
responded to the light, and we became the disciples of Messiah. We became possessors of a great treasure
within our earthen vessel. In like manner, as our pursuit of the glory of IAUE
(our efforts to renew the mind) calls for the manifestation of the treasure that
is within our newborn spirit, Elohim COMMANDS that light to shine to our
hearts; but what that shining gives us is the “light,”
or the “revelation knowledge” of the glory of IAUE in the way that it is
manifested within and through and upon the glorified Messiah. We see Yahushua. Yahushua is our example, our
standard, and the perfected image of IAUE as it is to be witnessed within
through and upon man. Remember, we are to be changed from glory to glory by the
Spirit of IAUE until we look like Yahushua Messiah; for we are his body and
members in particular (1 Corinthians 12:27).
Another way of
viewing/picturing this process takes us back to the parable of the sower. As we pursue the renewing of our mind; we do
so primarily through study of and meditation upon the Scriptures. If you will remember, we saw Yahushua describe
the Word of his Father as seed sown in our hearts (which is depicted as a
garden whose function it is to grow things).
As we water that word, protecting it from the things that would attempt
to steal it, choke it, distract it, all that which is intent on rendering it
unfruitful, that seed will at first send down a tap root to seek a source of nourishment
in order to develop a healthy root system.
Once the root has found its source of food, the seed begins to short forth
the plant. It begins to grow, springing
up we do not know how; but springing up, nevertheless. That seed of the Word sends forth its roots
into our spirit to tap the treasure that is birthed within us. That glory feeds the word sown in the heart
and transforms the soul; which then can be seen in our bodies.
From the parable of
the sower, we can itemize the various things that Messiah said would interfere
with this process. We need to DO, not
just HEAR what Messiah said. We must
protect the seed at all costs; and we do this by eradicating:
- the lack of root,
- the cares of this world,
- the deceitfulness of riches,
- the lusts for other things
- the lusts of the eyes,
- the lusts of the flesh,
- the pride of life,
These are the things
that cause us to disobey the will of IAUE and to build bricks in our heart. Messiah concluded his parable of the sower
with this instruction:
Mark 4:21 And he said unto them, Is a
candle brought to be put under a bushel, or under a bed? and not to be set on a
candlestick?
22 For there is nothing hid,
which shall not be manifested; neither was any thing kept secret, but that it
should come abroad.
We are to be doers
of the Word, not hearers only deceiving ourselves. If we do not DO the Word revealed, we are
like someone who had his nature revealed in a mirror; but the moment he turns
away from the mirror, he forgets what he looked like (James 1:22-23). What profit is gained by anyone if we receive
the light of IAUE only to hide it? IAUE
reveals absolutely NOTHING to us just so we can keep it a secret. He is intent
on working with us to transform our soul into His likeness.
We should consider
this a warning and a reproof. We should
be armed with this mindset, lest we be self-deluded, deceived, and we forfeit
the revelation of the light of IAUE.
James 1:23 If any man have ears to hear,
let him hear.
There is just one
more thing we need to understand about this process.
James 1:24 And he said unto them, Take
heed what ye hear: with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you: and
unto you that hear shall more be given.
When we plant the
seed of the Word of IAUE in our heart as we are working to renew our mind, we
must be mindful of what we are putting into our heart. What are we hearing? What are we watching? What are we thinking?
Is it water to the seed or poison to it? When a farmer sows seed to grow his
next crop, the crop is everything to him.
He is not neglectful of the field into which he has sown seed. He does not turn a blind eye to hazards or
issues that endanger his field. He does
not sow tares among his wheat. The only
thing he wants growing in his field is the seed that he has planted; because
his mind is set on the harvest it can yield.
Proverb 4:23 Keep thy heart
with all diligence for out of it; are the issues of life.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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