Study #458 – The Promise Of The Father and Life Of The Spirit

For the past about 11 years a few pastors in our area – with different denominational backgrounds – have been meeting together once a week when possible. Our purpose is to try to discover why the visible church has declined to such a pitiful condition. We thought that if we could discover how and when this decline happened we might be able to find a solution for the church to recover. Even if we could discover a solution, we are well aware that the church “system”, that has resulted from this failure, will not be able to change. For that reason we believe that any change must begin outside the current church structure. (Our emphasis is upon outside the “structure” not forsaking the church)

We try to keep the distinction between the church made up of human beings that are gathered together by men separate from the Lampstand church which He is building. This Lampstand Church is The Church which IS His body and is the one He is building. Therefore, since it IS His body it is of another dimension from this earth realm. The Kingdom is also of this other realm as well as the heavenly Mt. Zion. The Church which IS His body is only made up of the new inner men (no gender) which are a new and different creation from the outer men of the old creation (with gender) that gather together in buildings for instructions. A well know TV minister recently said that it IS the institutional church that IS His body and the one He has been building for the last 2000 years. He said this church is made up of human beings who are His body. Our thought is this: It is the “institutional church” that should be in preparation to become the Lampstand Church that He IS building. It seems VERY clear that His Church can only be built with the New Creation man (no gender) who is of the same species as Jesus Christ. Since the “institutional church” has neglected even the proper foundations it has never developed to become the Lampstand Church which He is building. The Lampstand Church, which is identified as having the Seven Spirits of God, is a Spiritual structure that is NOT of this dirt realm. That is exactly why the Lampstand Church is revealed to be in the Holy Place behind the second curtain. This is another spiritual dimension removed from the natural light of the Outer Court.

Over the last forty years there has been a lot of counterfeit stuff taught about the Holy Spirit and the “moving of the Spirit” in a meeting. Also, so many strange things have been demonstrated about “Life in the Spirit” that many people have rejected anything about the Holy Spirit and His work in the church. Because of this failure to demonstrate the real manifestations of the Holy Spirit, much of the Promise of the Father has been ignored. The manifestations of the Holy Spirit are now seen as something dangerous in the church. Even the Pentecostal Churches are suspicious of the gifts. We believe that this is because the proper foundations were not laid in the new believers as actual and real life experiences. In other words, because the first 7 foundations for the Christian Life were not experiential (just doctrinal) the spiritual life of the believer was not sufficient to manifest the Holy Spirit accurately. Instead of the “believers” being rejected it was the Holy Spirit who was rejected because of the carnality of the “believers.”

My theory is this: When we fail to receive the fulness of the “Promise of the Father”, we will fall short of experiencing the fulness of the “New Covenant Provision. Why? Because the “Promise of the Father” includes the fulness of the New Covenant and ALL its provisions. Since the New Covenant and its Life experiences were lost to the church, it appears that the visible church has lost the “Kingdom Government of God” as an inner Life reality. When an inner government is lacking the “Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus”, it will just become another Christian Cliche. Romans 8 then is just a chapter we read but few actually experience. For that reason Romans 7 is the normal life of the believer. Therefore, the Christian Life, which normally includes all the manifestations of the Holy Spirit, has failed to be accurately manifested. Because of that failure, Christ is not visibly seen in our generation as a present power so no corporate witness to the world is recognized.

Jesus introduced us to a completely new dimension of Spirit and set a great gulf between the flesh and the Spirit. He indicated that these two births – natural and spiritual – were the dividing line between the Old Way (Covenant) and the New Way (Covenant). If there are Not these THREE New Births into the Spiritual dimension there will be NO FULLNESS of the Kingdom / New Covenant Experience.

John 3:6 “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.

John 3:3 Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

John 3:5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

The Kingdom of God, as inner Life experience, depends upon these three births. This is another Kingdom absolute. In other words, not one of these births is optional because this is the dispensation for our personal preparation for the Kingdom of God.

Now EVERYBODY begins this life by being born in the flesh and this problem is universal in every church, culture, country, and ethnic origin. Therefore, EVERYTHING that is birthed by the flesh can never produce anything except flesh. Whatever is birthed by the flesh can NEVER please God. Whatever is begun in the church by the flesh will always be a big waste of time and produce NOTHING eternal. This means that all the natural programs that were birthed by new human ideas and have been tried by the church system over these last centuries has produced nothing eternal. Still, even though that is our history and experience, this still appears to be the way the visible church functions today. Since this system will never produce a church that is dynamic and overcoming it seems obvious that we should be against this “system of the flesh”. Of course we are NOT against the church He is Building.

Only that which is birthed by the Holy Spirit can ever be Spirit or Spiritual or effective or Eternal. Anything that is NOT birthed by the Spirit is a big waste of time and effort. Anything other than that which is begun by the Holy Spirit is wasted effort.

This is so simple – it must be very suspicious to many.

Surely it must be more complicated than that and require a strenuous education to build a church. No! A strenuous education has produced this pitiful church system that functions in the flesh. Since it just functions in the flesh it can never please God. For that reason we feel strongly that one of the big problems is this; the church “system” either refuses to change or cannot change. Change means to accept the absolute necessity of just functioning by the things that have been birthed by the Holy Spirit. Since born again, born of the water and born of the Spirit are essential to enter the Kingdom, these births BY the Holy Spirit are NOT optional. As long as these are treated and accepted as optional, what confidence can we have that this dumb church “system”, that is so firmly attached to the flesh and human ideas, will ever produce an overcoming and victorious church? What success can we expect from a system that CANNOT produce a church that can be accepted by God as His church?

One of the popular messages of the Charismatic Movement involved the “Life in the Spirit.” This turned out to be ineffective and just another cliche without experience. It was recommended by teachers as the Charismatic Life. Still, it turned out to be just another doctrine without life. In other words “life in the spirit” was just a concept to talk about! Messages like “Seven Steps to Life in the Spirit” were popular.

I recently read an excerpt from something about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit in which the focus was upon the Holy Spirit. The thoughts given were right out of the Charismatic Movement of the 1970s. This was another “conceptualization” of the Holy Spirit that lacked the Life of the Spirit. In every place and movement there comes a point where concepts come into direct competition with Life and the “Life” generally loses. There is a parallel competition between flesh and Spirit where the Spirit generally loses. Flesh embraces concepts while Spirit embraces Life. These are so real in the visible church and in legalistic groups they are nearly visible. We see similar things in the Messianic Movement. However, this competition is also rampant in the visible church. Therefore, what we “see” in the visible church is either the Life or the lack of it. The concepts vary from group to group and are invisible until we are involved in the function of a group. The Life or the lack of it is what we see. It is the abundance of doctrines but the lack of Life that offends us.

Most of us have known people who have been wrong in their concepts or doctrines but they are sincere and have a good spirit. Their Life is better than their concepts. We have seen others who had proper doctrines or good concepts but had a wrong spirit. The lack of Life has destroyed the validity of their concepts. So many things in the church can be faked, but the real Life lived out is what remains and produces a testimony.

When Jesus ascended to the right hand of God He was instructed to rule until every enemy was put under His feet. Since He left nothing in the physical realm like buildings, books, headquarters, hierarchy or systems of worship we should identify exactly what He did leave to BUILD HIS CHURCH. If we can identify where His authority rests today we can identify where His Government rules. We determined what He left was “the Promise of the Father” which includes His Kingdom Government!

Isa 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace, On the throne of David and over his kingdom, To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness From then on and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.

1Cor 15:23 But each in his own order: Christ the first fruits, after that those who are Christ’s at His coming, 24 then comes the end, when He delivers up the kingdom to the God and Father, when He has abolished all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign until He has put all His enemies under His feet.

We should first identify exactly what He is ruling IN and then identify what He is ruling OVER. This will identify where His authority is manifest, where His Government operates and what He will use to Rule over His Enemies. If He loves EVERYBODY who are these enemies that must be put under His feet? Some of these enemies are still in us and are in opposition to His Inner Government.

Psalm 8:2 From the mouth of infants and nursing babes Thou hast established strength, Because of Thine adversaries, To make the enemy and the revengeful cease.

Is He ruling by Himself from heaven or is He attempting to use the Church He is Building as His agent? He must first “rule in His Church” before the church can rule over anything! Is this “ruling” now “in us” part of our preparation for eternity where those who are counted worthy of the Kingdom will be expected to rule over the world yet to come?

These are all serious questions that are not answered in the “church services” so how is the church supposed to know what is expected of them? Preaching the absolutes has a way of exposing the supposed options. Preaching a verse on Sunday in the “church system” is not changing the direction of the believers or their lives so they can reflect God’s Government or his Eternal Purpose!

1Cor 15:27 For HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET. But when He says, “All things are put in subjection,” it is evident that He is excepted who put all things in subjection to Him. 28 And when all things are subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the One who subjected all things to Him, that God may be all in all.

EVERYTHING, except the Father, has already been placed in subjection to Jesus during this dispensation. AFTER all things are experientially (actually) subjected to Him, then the Son Himself also will be subjected to the Father. Then God ( the Father, The Word and the Holy Spirit) will be all in all. The Holy Spirit has also been subjected to Jesus and just does what He hears. He doesn’t function on His own initiative.

Since this IS the dispensation of the Holy Spirit in the church it should be clear that NONE of this can happen until the Holy Spirit is literally (experientially) given His rightful place in the church. Since the “church system” has chosen to ignore the Holy Spirit in His Divine Office in the church, it appears the “church system” has become irrelevant and unable to fulfill God’s Eternal Purpose! Why? Because NONE of these things commissioned to the church can be accomplished in the flesh.

Also a baby church will not be able to accomplish God’s Purpose either. Therefore, the lack of Spiritual maturity in the visible church has been the result of the lack of vision within the ministries. Their failure in ministry cannot be overlooked as the reason the believers fail to come to maturity or perfection. AFTER the ministries are restored to effectiveness and purpose, the responsibility to grow up will be charged to the believers. Will the believers be held responsible for their lack of growth if the ministries are NOT doing their job correctly? I think not!

For this reason we are assuming that the first priority is the restoration of the “five fold ministry” as well as all other ministry until it can demonstrate spiritual effectiveness. Until this happens what real hope can we have in this “church system” that has so miserably failed the believers for hundreds of years. Regardless of this terrible failure in the visible church, Jesus is still building His Lampstand Church. Since the work He is doing in His Church is perfect why should we be concerned about the visible church? Simply because so many of those who have been chosen from the foundation of the world are still sitting in darkness because of the failure of these ministries. Multitudes are searching for answers but the ministries are focusing upon irrelevant themes and answering questions that no one is asking. Another “revival” without the Holy Spirt functioning in His Office and these “ministries” still trying to revive this failed church system to effectiveness will produce NOTHING of eternal relevance. In other words; Without the fulness of the “Promise of the Father” being restored to experiential effectiveness {in the ministry and in the believers} nothing can progress into God’s Eternal Purpose to have a Bride for Jesus who is without spot or wrinkle of any such thing but that she becomes holy and blameless.

We fully acknowledge that this “failure of the ministries” is a minority view for most leaders, but we can arrive at no better conclusion from Ephesians. We conclude that these following four experiences are essential and that they are sequential. For example; If we ignore the Promise of the Father, we will not experience the fulness of the New Covenant and IF we fail to experience the fulness of the New Covenant we will fall short of the Kingdom requirements. Why? Because the provisions in the New Covenant are essential to enable us to live within the restriction and discipline of the Kingdom of God. If we cannot live within the Kingdom Government of God we will be unable to demonstrate the Christian Life. If we cannot demonstrate the Christian Life the world will not recognize that Jesus IS the Real Messiah that has fulfilled the Sacrifices and established the New Covenant in His Life (blood).

It seems necessary now that the discipline of God, that produces Sons, must be accomplished by the Holy Spirit if He is successful in adding “members” to the Church Christ is building . During the Shepherding Movement, discipline by the leaders was stressed. Submission to authority was expected and there were verses that confirmed this. While the Shepherding/Discipleship Movement began with a good idea and may have started as Spirit it soon became a human leadership issue and soon became a human control system. Discipleship was “taught” as another concept but very little inner life was produced. These outward doctrines very seldom end up as Spirit and more commonly end up as more flesh. Even ideas that were birthed in the Spirit soon ended up as a doctrine/concept with no life.

We can generally tell if something was birthed in the Spirit or OF the Spirit because there was a flowing of the River of Life. As soon as it turns into another concept we can generally sense a perceptible dryness or deadness manifested.

Because there is such a fear of legalism by the church many have neglected any teaching about discipleship, discipline, rules of conduct, morality, things forbidden to Christians or proper order in the meetings. For that reason many new believers seldom develop a basic understanding of fellowship and corporate life. These should be part of the basic foundations. Many more of these practical things are found in Paul’s instruction to Timothy. This “instruction” is thought by many to be too legalistic and is rejected. If we don’t make a distinction between basic teaching and going on to maturity this confusion will continue.

Our point is this; All of the valid things of the Spirit, in us and with us, either subjective or objective, are part of the “promise of the Father.” This deals with both the Holy Spirit IN US and His work through us. The Holy Spirit, both IN US and THROUGH US, is the normal Christian Life.

If He is actually IN US His manifestation should also be THROUGH US. Those with NO manifestation of the Spirit cannot truthfully testify to having the Holy Spirit IN THEM. We are not saying it is not possible but that it is not the NORMAL Christian Life based up the Promise of the Father or the New Covenant reality of the Kingdom Life and function.

Still, even the basic experience of speaking in tongues is confirmed as evidence of having the Holy Spirit inside. “ My spirit, by the Holy Spirit, speaks mysteries to God” is the scriptural evidence that He is active within. The Holy Spirit WITH US vs the Holy Spirit WITHIN US defines the difference between the basic experience of the Old Covenant vs the “Promise of the Father” and the New Covenant reality.

“I will put My Spirit within you and I will cause you to walk in My ways and you will be careful to keep My statutes and My ordinances and do them” is basic New Covenant reality! This IS our introduction to the personal Kingdom Government of God as an inner reality. “I will put My Laws in your mind and upon your heart I will write them” is how the inner Kingdom begins. This is NOT legalistic but the Kingdom Government of God has MANY Laws in which obedience is NOT optional. Flesh churches demand freedom from ANY laws and, therefore, invalidate any Kingdom experience! However, churches that have experienced the basic Holy Spirit within have set up human laws that invalidated the Kingdom Laws.

From these very shallow and simple “concepts” it should be clear that the Promise of the Father, the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God are absolutes and absolutely essential to manifest the Christian Life so the world can see and know Jesus Christ as God’s Messiah. None of these are optional!

To treat ANY of these absolutes as optional can only confirm the lack of His Life as an inner reality. Since many in the visible church system present these things as options, our advise is to flee that “system” as quickly as possible. The very next problem is this; where can you go to find a visible church that insists upon the Kingdom as an inner Life and His inner Government as experiential reality?

If you can find the Lampstand Church He is Building you will find a Kingdom Church that insists upon these inner realities. Both the Promise of the Father and the New Covenant will be insisted upon as a real inner Life experience! None of these realities have passed away with the last Apostle, none have been postponed and none of these things are optional. These things MUST be preached and treated as ABSOLUTES if we are to cooperate with Him in building His Church. The next restoration demands it!

Some Evangelicals, some Fundamentalists, and some Pentecostal ministers will say “Brother, I have spent the last 30 years of my life ministering other things. How can I change my message now?” My response is this, “If you recognize this is Bible Truth how can you not change? Why waste the rest of your life preaching irrelevant things to a sleeping people? Why continue to attempt to build with wood, hay and straw when you know God will reject it?” Building upon the foundation of Christ is MUCH more than accepting Jesus as personal Savior or building upon certain knowledge about Him.

1Cor 3:10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I laid a foundation, and another is building upon it. But let each man be careful how he builds upon it. 11 For no man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

How about the full foundation that is; “It is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit and it is He who is coming again for a perfect bride.” Let us assume that the foundation of Christ is the whole foundation of Christ and not just a selected segment of the whole. To ignore some of the foundation of Christ has been popular for hundreds of years. God will only recognize the whole foundation of Christ as the proper foundation upon which to build.

Luke 3:16 John answered and said to them all, “As for me, I baptize you with water; but One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to untie the thong of His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 17 “And His winnowing fork is in His hand to thoroughly clear His threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into His barn; but He will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”

A partial foundation may not be accepted by God and may be totally rejected by God as unuseable. Let us be convinced that the “Promise of the Father” includes the Whole Foundation of Christ. If the Whole Foundation of Christ is not properly laid, will God even permit us to build? Could this be the reason so little eternal building is taking place and just physical buildings called “churches” are being built.

Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, 2 of instruction about baptisms, and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. 3 And this we shall do, if God permits.

It should NOT be a shock that the elementary teaching about Christ is NOT the full foundation and if the full foundation is not properly laid God will NOT permit us to go on to maturity. We mention this to show how the visible church has departed from just the basic truths and have scoffed at the real and full foundation of the Christ. It seems clear if they can treat the “Promise of the Father”, the New Covenant and the full foundation so casually, how will they interpret the experiential Kingdom, fulfilling the Eternal Purpose of God or every member doing His will?

The “milk diet” served on Sunday, the 12 year old “diaper babies” and the carnal Christians in the pews are evidence that something is wrong with the system. How can any ministry expect to raise up a Kingdom of Priests after the Order of Melchizedek when there are only spiritual babies to work with?

The TV ministries are really proud of the multitudes they are reaching with the “gospel.” However, it is difficult to recognize any legitimate gospel that is being preached. Most of what is shared is not even good milk, in fact it is not even good dried food (which some are selling erroneously preparing for the great tribulation!).

Rev 3:4 ‘But you have a few people in Sardis who have not soiled their garments; and they will walk with Me in white; for they are worthy. 5 ‘He who overcomes shall thus be clothed in white garments; and I will not erase his name from the book of life, and I will confess his name before My Father, and before His angels. 6 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches.’

Surely “Hearing what the Spirit says to the churches” is also part of the Promise of the Father, the New Covenant and the Kingdom of God. According to Revelation 2 and 3 hearing and obeying what the Spirit is saying appears to be the normal Christian Life from His viewpoint!

Is Jesus really saying that if you have soiled garments, are not counted worthy and do not overcome that He will erase your name from the Book of Life and NOT confess your name before the Father? Is this the real Gospel of the Kingdom? How can believers demand that no negative word be preached to them because the real gospel is only “Good News.”

We discover that the Gospel of the Kingdom is really bad news for the carnal and casual Christian who will accept no responsibility for his own conversion and transformation. The fact that the Kingdom demands that we be counted worthy, be clothed in white garments and overcome, BEFORE he will confess our name before the Father seems to be in direct opposition with the popular Gospel of Salvation and certainly not good news. However, the admonition is this: Hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.