WHO ARE WE - PART 3

WBS.258

WHO ARE WE? – PART 3

1 Corinthians 3: 10 According to the grace of IAUE which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.

11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Yahushua Messiah.

A few posts ago, we discussed having the right paradigm. That focused primarily on understanding that the spiritual realm and the supernatural manifestations that come from the participation of the spiritual world and the natural world are real; and have never ceased throughout human history. Understanding “who we are” as new creatures in Messiah Yahushua requires a reevaluation of our paradigms if we ever expect to walk in the fullness of who we have been made to be.

What is a paradigm?  In this context, it is the foundational ideas or beliefs that form the basis from which we interpret evidence.  It defines and limits our ability to draw conclusions. Let me illustrate by some examples.

When you look at the Grand Canyon, you see layers and layers of sedimentary rocks forming its colorful sculpture.  If your foundational belief is evolution, you believe that the Grand Canyon was formed by millions of years of erosion.  If you hold to a creationist’s point of view it is easy to understand that it could have been created within days, perhaps by the draining of the waters of the Noahic flood; or that it could have been initially formed to look exactly as it does.

When you look at a monkey, if you believe in evolution, you believe it came to be through eons of small genetic mutations from an amoeba to fish to land mammals to the monkey.  You also believe that eons later man evolved from that monkey.  If you are of a creationist foundation, you believe the monkey was created to be a monkey.

When you look at reports of UFO’s (perhaps you have even witnessed them live, yourself), if you have an evolutionary paradigm, you believe they must be visitors from another planet; possibly even our ancestral fathers who seeded us in this earth millennia ago as those amoebas that evolved into humanity. Alternatively, you may think they are black ops crafts developed from alien technology found in the Roswell crash in 1947.  If you have a paradigm rooted in Scripture, you may believe that are manifestations of the Watchers who, according to the book of Enoch, were released from captivity after 70 generations of imprisonment; or that they are interdimensional interactions from the Nephilim or Rephaim…or you might believe they are black ops crafts developed from Watcher technology.

Whatever is your foundational belief will dictate how you evaluate the evidence.  An evolutionist cannot see the Grand Canyon, or animals, or UFOs in the same way a creationist does.  It isn’t a possibility within the framework of their paradigm.  This is why it is so important to have a paradigm that is rooted in truth; because if the paradigm is false, so are all its conclusions drawn from evaluating the evidence.  A false foundation cannot have a house built upon it that is rooted in truth.

So far, in this series, we have discussed that we are “the lovers of IAUE,” and that we are “the obedient of IAUE.”  We have seen this in the Scriptures and have made a case for recognizing this is true; but is what we saw in the Scriptures just an academic presentation that we may or may not believe is true; or was it evidence founded upon a paradigm that produced life within us?  Was it life-giving?  Was it fruit-bearing?  Or was it just a teaching that was added to our learning; and is our paradigm simply the Christian culture and not the truth of Scripture?  Can you see the difference between the two?

Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore IAUE said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:

We read this verse in our last post; but it bears repeating.  Much of Christendom is just people who have embraced a religious culture; and in so doing, they academically embrace the Scriptural perspective on things; but that isn’t the same thing as having Scripture define your paradigm. The religious culture defines their paradigm; and the culture is without an anchor.  It changes with the world’s culture as well as from doctrine to doctrine.  Many Christian churches believe in evolution. Many worship pagan deities.  Many celebrate pagan rituals and pagan holidays.  If the culture is the paradigm, the house built upon it cannot stand in truth.

Ephesians 4:11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Messiah:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of Elohim, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Messiah:

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Messiah:

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

Here we see Paul expressing his awareness of the conflict of paradigms.  Being taught doctrines upon the wrong paradigm results in an ever changing edifice.  Every new “wind of doctrine” being taught changes the way we think and behave.  We are marks just waiting for the con man to capitalize on our foundationless lives (and do not think for a minute that many of the ministers you see on television are not with deliberate predetermination doing just that).  Throughout Paul’s epistles, he is ever calling the disciples back to an awareness that there is only one paradigm for us…only one foundation.

1 Corinthians 3:11 For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Yahushua Messiah.

The new creation is “in Messiah Yahushua.”  He is our root, our anchor, our foundation.  All that we are and have is derived from him.  Our ever increasing knowledge of him is what opens the doors to our growth and maturity.

2 Peter 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of IAUE, and of Yahushua our Master,

3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:

4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.

5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;

6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;

7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.

8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Master Yahusha Messiah.

When we were born again by the power of IAUE, we became something different than we have ever before been.  We became a new creation; something that did not exist before it happened within us.  What is that new thing?  We examined it in the New Man series; but there is an aspect of it we did not examine; and that is: we became a part of a house.

WHO ARE WE?  WE ARE THE HOUSE OF IAUE.

                                                                                                       

1 Peter 2:2 As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:

3 If so be ye have tasted that the Master is gracious.

4 To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of IAUE, and precious,

5 Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to IAUE by Yahushua Messiah.

Ephesians 2:19 Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of IAUE;

20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Yahushua Messiah himself being the chief corner stone;

21 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Master:

22 In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of IAUE through the Spirit.

Does your paradigm allow for your understanding that when you were born again, you became a building block, a living stone being set within the Body of Messiah to help form the temple of IAUE’s habitation?  You are a functioning part of THE temple of IAUE in the earth, today. As we grow in the knowledge of IAUE and of His son, Yahushua Messiah, our ability to love and to minister to the needs of each other in the family of IAUE increases; and that builds up His temple in the earth.  Yahushua is the corner stone who was rejected by his own people; but he has become the foundation upon which we are built into the temple of IAUE.

1 Corinthians 12:13 For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.

We were immersed in the Spirit of IAUE when we first trusted in Messiah and bowed our knee to him as our Master and Redeemer.  That transformed us from being “old wineskins” to become “new wineskins” (Luke 5:37 NASB). Once a new wineskin, we were to receive and to be filled with the indwelling presence of IAUE’s Spirit.  First the Holy Spirit makes us worthy receptacles of His presence; secondly, He enters into our new receptacles.  That makes us living stones in a house that is the habitation of IAUE through the presence of His Spirit within us.

Is this how you think of yourself?  Do you contemplate as you come and go throughout your daily affairs that you are a living stone set within the temple of the Most High who is within you by the presence of His Spirit? 

We are the lovers of IAUE.  We are the obedient of IAUE.  We are the house of IAUE.  Examine your paradigm to make sure that you are able to be what you have been made to be.  These are not mere doctrines, academic teachings.  This is real; and we are what IAUE says we are.