Feb2004Msg1: Taking Root In The Gospel, Eliminating Spiritual Vicious Roots

If we have really met God, we will see many evidences of God’s presence in our lives and living within a few months. This is because having met that God who is holy, loving, almighty and abundant, it is impossible not to transform. Everyday, unceasing new grace from God comes upon the newly created man constantly. Thus, his life will definitely be filled with peace, joy and hope; his living will also restore direction and goal; interpersonal relationships will definitely be restored and expanded; and he will see evidences of God’s bestowed blessings in all things. However, let us consider this: though many people today have attended church for many years, they not only have no evidence, but live in even more irony. The fresh, joyful, and loving life that was received upon accepting the Lord was lost not long after. Thus, one could only reluctantly sustain a habitual church life. What is the reason? This is because the latent spiritual problems in our lives have yet to be healed. Actually, we are in contact with the [Word of God] that embodies the perfect promise and unlimited blessings everyday. If only we will use an upright spirit to quietly ponder and concretely confirm it, we will receive practical faith and God’s Word will immediately become ‘living and active’ power. Furthermore, if we could receive a [fixed perspective] through the active Word of God to behold our daily lives, all men, all creations, and all things, we will be able to see the works and accomplishments of the living God in our very own living.

The scripture in <Ephesians Chapter 1> tells us extremely important truths: as long we believe, this passage of God’s Word will be fulfilled in our lives, daily living and days. If we bring an upright heart to carefully ponder about this scripture and carve it onto our hearts, we will discover that unlimited blessings are certainly hidden. <Ephesians 1:3> says that God [has already] bestowed these blessings upon us, and [now] He continues to bless us in the [heavenly realms] with [every kind] of [spiritual blessings]; <Ephesians 1:4> says that He [chose us], and [loved us] [in Christ] [before the creation of the world], to adopt us as His [children], and prepare for us an [eternal plan]; <Ephesians 1:6-12> says that God through Jesus Christ, [solved] our eternal problems, and [restored] in us eternal grace and inheritance; <Ephesians 1:13-14> says that God [enable us to hear the Gospel], and through the Holy Spirit’s conviction [enabled us to believe in Jesus Christ], and having believed, [we were marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit] who will lead us eternally and bless us. Therefore, as stated in <Ephesians 1:15-17>, most importantly for believers is that they must receive the Spirit of wisdom and revelation to [know God] and to know [God’s handiwork (i.e. myself)]. A believer only has to understand the essence of the above scriptures, and he will naturally know everything, enjoy everything and fulfill God’s perfect will. Simply speaking, the key to knowing God lies in the work of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as revealed in <Ephesians 1:3-14>. The way to knowing myself lies in knowing the [hope, inheritance, power] that God has prepared for me, which are already in my life as revealed in <Ephesians 1:15-23>. From the events I meet and the processes of my activities, I also need to continue to discover the abundant contents within and be able to enjoy as well as submit to and fulfill God’s perfect will. All those who can [correctly understand] this passage of God’s Word and [believe], as well as [confirm] it, will in all things be able to see the [practical evidences] of God being with him, loving him, and blessing him daily.

But most believers are [always learning but never able to acknowledge the truth], because of the latent spiritual problems in their lives. This is really a ‘miracle of miracles’. If only we accept the Word of God without discount as our perspective to see God’s creation and dominion of the whole world, my life and living, God’s predestined conclusion as my eternal conclusion, God’s planned process as my process, as well as God’s bestowed authority and power as mine to use, we will be prosperous in all things, bearing remarkably beautiful fruits, and there will no longer be any events that can cause us to wander or to be shaken. God always earnestly speaks to us [this then is Me, this then is My voice, this then are My works in your life and living]. However, most believers cannot meet the true and living God who reveals to us through [His Word], and the [Holy Spirit] who convicts us through His Word. Instead, they ran elsewhere, using other methods to meet God. Therefore, though having led a Christian life for tens of years, they still live in irony and have more weaknesses. For such believers, the more earnestly they seek God, the worse plights they enter.

Because of inability to see God who is always with us, most believers of the present age are firmly bound by the sting of (1)Mysticism, (2)Legalism, (3)Humanism. These three problems are not only problems of the present churches, but are also the all-time problems that existed throughout the whole church history. In other words, all believers whose belief are not rooted in the Gospel, and not established on realistic and firm foundation, will always be involved repeatedly among these three problems, causing them to live in extremely great misunderstanding. If we clearly know the truth about these 3 problems, and not be bewildered by them, but allow our belief to be deeply rooted in the true foundation of the Gospel, we will at all times, in all places and in all things be able to see and enjoy God as well as walk with Him. In the five Sundays of February, God will give us very important messages. Today is the first Sunday, during which we will understand the whole concept with the main title of [Taking Root In The Gospel, Eliminating Spiritual Vicious Roots]. The second Sunday message is [Mysticism], the third Sunday one is [Legalism], the fourth Sunday message is [Humanism], and for the last Sunday, we will illuminate and receive the message of the life and living of the man who has received total healing through the pure Gospel, with the title [Man of Gospel, Man of Christ, Man of God].

1. The Christian living that proceeds in a state of without meeting God will eventually encounter very serious problems

Though [Lot] was clearly a believer who was blessedly saved, he failed completely. This is because he had not met God correctly and thus was unable to eliminate all spiritual problems that have been concealed in him since birth. Because he had yet to know God correctly, his concerns were not on God Himself, upon whom his uncle Abraham served, but on the material prosperity that God bestowed upon Abraham. One day, the test of God finally came. At that crucial moment, that state of his life naturally led him to choose the region which God hated most [Sodom, Gomorrah (i.e. the world that does not know God)]. At first, his life there seemed without a hitch. House was bought and wealth was accumulated and he himself thought that life was not bad. However one day, a war, something that was totally out of his anticipation occurred. He lost every property, and his entire household became captives. Although he was freed through Abraham’s assistance, because spiritual problems still remained in his life, he could not resolve to break free from the evil city, which would soon be destroyed. Finally one day, he had no choice but to face the extremely miserable ending of the destruction of his family. Similarly, the people of Israel, freed by God’s grace from the enslaved land of Egypt, were progressing towards Canaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. The Emmanuel’s evidences [i.e. The Pillar of Cloud and Fire] were guiding them unceasingly. The Lord’s ark of covenant was also leading in front of them. Nevertheless, majority of the Israelites were unable to see the practical guidance of the Almighty God. Their lives still kept the remains of the spiritual problems brought out from Egypt as they complained about God, blamed His servant, Moses, and even yearned the past living in Egypt. But God would definitely not overlook it, and would surely put them to test one day. As the test came, all the disbelieving Israelites listened to the report of the ten spies and were forbidden from entering the promised land of Canaan. All of them fell dead in the wilderness. In another case, Saul, who received great blessings in the beginning was constantly disturbed by evil spirits because of arrogance, jealousy, etc…, (i.e. spiritual problems yet to be eliminated). Thus, he followed sorcerers, and finally ended his whole life by committing suicide, together with the destruction of his family.

Therefore, even for a saint who has been blessedly saved, if he does not eliminate the spiritual problems hidden in his own life as soon as possible, he will certainly fail in his earthly living. Salvation is solely through God’s grace, received through having heard and believed the Gospel/message of the Cross. Because salvation is entirely predestined, progressed and accomplished by God, it is definitely absolute and unchanging [i.e. once saved, eternally saved]. Therefore, anyone who has been saved and redeemed is one who already belonged to the kingdom eternally. He is being blessed, loved, and called to be a child of God. He is already a successful and victorious person in eternity. But if he does not know God correctly, having not received God’s motive and purpose, and is ignorant about how to enjoy God’s bestowed power, then his days on earth will definitely fail like Lot. He will not be able to leave blessed spiritual inheritance to his beloved children and heirs, which is really such a pity! Because most saints/believers have not known God correctly yet, and still carry with them spiritual problems amidst wandering in a very ironical Christian living, they will definitely encounter serious problems one day, and their earthly days will end in failure. Those believers who often live in unrest, inferiority complex and fear, who love to compare and compete with others; who always feel lacking or are living in real poverty; who are frequently tortured by various illnesses for no particular reason; who constantly grumble against their spouses and children; who live in isolation due to countless interpersonal relationships problems and the lack of friends; who are unable to sever from worldly indulgence and the lusts of the flesh, and thus often groan in guilt; who face futility and countless problems in their ministries even though they have the zeal in serving the Lord, etc… Though their lives are blessedly saved and they belong to the kingdom eternally, the concealed spiritual problems in their hearts and minds become Satan’s channels of attack day and night because they have not known the Gospel clearly. Therefore, they will still live harassed and helpless lives during their days on earth.

2. The three cancers of our Faith: Mysticism, Legalism, Humanism

God is not the god/gods that religious people or Gentiles perceive. He is not the God who is created out of man’s ideology, motives and purpose. God is God himself, God is Word, and is also Spirit, whom at one time came to this world through incarnation to show us how He lived in the life of man (Jesus Christ) and revealed to us everything in heaven, on earth and in eternity. Then he accomplished the eternal salvation on the cross. Therefore, <John 4:24> stated that for man to see God, hear God, worship God and converse with God, he could only do so through the [Truth] and [Spirit].” In <John 14:6-7>, Jesus Christ says, “[I am the only Way, the only Truth (God’s Word), and the only Life (Holy Spirit). You can only meet God through Me; those who see me has already seen God].” The reason why man cannot see and hear God is because he wants to experience God through his own selfish desires or biases. The so-called ‘spiritual problem’ means that man cannot see and hear the living God who is always with him and who sends messages to him unceasingly. In the beginning, Adam (1)was deceived by Satan to disobey God’s Word, (2)thus he sinned (3)and the Holy Spirit left him. He became flesh and thus was unable to see and hear God again. Moreover, his spiritual life was directly passed on to all descendants after him. Therefore, every human being is born with the same spiritual problems. Thereafter, the spiritually dead man (flesh) can never revive again to know God unless God takes the initiative to let him hear the Gospel and convicts him with the Holy Spirit. A man will be saved only if he hears the Gospel through the message brought forth by the herald of God one day, and is convicted by the Holy Spirit to believe Jesus Christ. However, if he has not understood God’s mystery through the Word of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, his life is still not awaken and thus cannot experience God correctly and normally. Therefore, [blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God]. Men who carry personal motives and biasness are absolutely incapable of experiencing God normally and healthily. If a believer does not rely on God’s Word to establish the correct world view, historical view, life philosophy, and values, but seeks God with life purposes and methods that he has before knowing God, he will not only be unable to meet God, but will often be bound by the sting of (1)Mysticism (2)Legalism (3)Humanism, resulting in serious consequences.

1) Mysticism: Even though a believer who has been used to pursuing mystical and supernatural encounters before receiving Christ has come into contact with and has believed the Gospel, he will fall into the sting of mysticism if he does not come to know the mystery of the Gospel (i.e. God is leading us 24 hrs a day and in all things) but instead blindly pursues mystical and supernatural phenomenon continually. Those who cannot see the loving guidance of God in their daily living cannot have rest. Therefore, they will continually pursue extraordinary experiences or answers and as a result, they will easily fall into such spiritual illness. Those believers who continually pursue spiritual gifts, tongues, prophesy and healing for their whole lives are obviously mystical believers. In addition, we should be mindful that symptoms of mysticism will even be present within the community of believers who are so called ‘Traditional Denomination’ but have yet to experience the living God practically and verily. Actually, undeniably, our Christianity beliefs and activities are indeed supernatural: that is whenever we hold on to the Word of God, rely on Holy Spirit and pray in the Name of Jesus Christ, the angels and heavenly hosts are practically being sent to our fields to drive away all forces of darkness and change our living fields; It is indeed remarkably amazing that a blessed saint can truly see, hear and converse with the unseen God through his spiritual insight of faith, as well as for the Lord’s new grace to keep revealing and unfolding day after day as the saint restore infinite anticipation and hope for tomorrow. However, those who pursue unhealthy mysticism will definitely not experience this kind of healthy Christianity belief that brings forth ‘supernatural’ grace; Likewise, those who are faithless, as well as without hunger and thirst for God but who only maintain a dull and monotonous faith, will also not understand and enjoy this great and remarkable mystery.

2) Legalism: Those saints who have not experienced the great love of God in the Gospel, and who are thus unable to discover and enjoy God’s concrete loving kindness through their own conditions and daily living are under a spiritual illness called legalism. In fact, what we must first discover before the law, is the great love of God. God did not create the world for the purpose of issuing and carrying out the law; but rather He created the world and life for those He loves. The sum of the law is to love God and men. God gave us the law out of love, so that through the law, we are sanctified, protected and set apart so that we can be enlightened about our sins and be saved. The children of God do not exist for the law but rather, the purpose of the law is to serve them. We do not receive God’s love on the condition that we fully obey the law but rather, it is only after we blessedly receive God’s love will we receive power to fulfill the law and even exceed the old written code’s requirements. Therefore, for those who are blessedly saved, the law is God’s bestowed blessings but for the perishing ones, the law is the basis for their judgment. History shows that the Pharisees, who obeyed the law fully, received the greatest curse because their hearts were in total contravention of the intended meaning of God’s love. Although blessed people like us may not be as bad as the Pharisees, we will discover much [yeast of the Pharisees] hidden in our lives when we carefully examine our thoughts and daily living. This often results in our helplessness and powerlessness. There will be more sharing about [legalism] in the third Sunday worship service of the month to rid ourselves of this sting so that we can truly enjoy a life of freedom and power.

3) Humanism: God carries out His work of creations through the faith of blessed people. However, the man who tries to know God through his own self-centeredness, without meeting or experiencing Him, will fall into the sting of humanism. Once a saint run into humanism, he will immediately be confined by man’s boundaries, conditions and environment and become powerless. Although his views, judgment and explanation about things always seem to be logical and convincing but God’s work and power do not exist in his plan. Therefore, it will surely lead to erroneous conclusion and worse outcome. Man, who is a created being, cannot exist through self-reliance. He is neither the Creator nor illuminant. He has absolutely no control over his destiny, not even over what would happen to him the next moment. Therefore, in order to survive, he must continue to receive the spiritual power, intellectual power, physical power, financial power and manpower from above. If he relies on himself, he cannot set himself against anything at all. He will definitely not be able to stand against the power and schemes of the Evil One; neither can he stand up against his environment. He will not even be able to win over the lust of his flesh and vicious nature within his old self. Moreover, the structure and strength of his physical body are also much weaker than animals. However, man has the image of God. He has both the visible and invisible lives within him simultaneously. Therefore, he has a very unique life that needs to receive all power from heaven and earth in order to live. Once man restores communication with God, he will be able to rule over every living creature and subdue the whole world. However, once he loses faith and communication with God, his life becomes powerless instantaneously.

4) The three cancers of our faith originated from one root: In <Genesis Chapter 3>, we can see that Adam’s spiritual problem <Genesis 3:1-6> brought about psychological and mental problems <Genesis 3:7-14>, as well as physical, lifestyle and interpersonal relationship problems of all kinds <Genesis 3:16-19>. All of man’s problems come from the unseen spiritual problems. The three cancers of our faith also originated from the unseen root of spiritual problem. It is evoked by Satan’s deception, which brings about disbelief, sin, and which causes man to fall into the nature of flesh. Therefore, if one continues to rely on such unhealthy belief to seek God, his final condition will be worse than before, resulting in total failure in the end. One who has an unhealthy relationship with God and has yet to experience Him practically will often revolve around these 3 spiritual illnesses. For instance, when problems came one day upon the life, living or ministries of a believer living in a powerless state of humanism with a dull and monotonous Christian living, he will realize his limitations. Because of this, he will turn to seek a breakthrough and special anointing or ability. In so doing, he will turn to pursuing mystical and supernatural experiences such as speaking in tongues, prophesizing, seeing illusions, etc. Subsequently, when he realizes that he cannot sustain those special experiences, he will attribute it to his ungodliness (i.e. not holy enough), and thus, fall into the trap of legalism.

3. Therefore, how to be deeply rooted in the Gospel to eliminate the spiritual vicious roots?

In fact, the solution is not to press on with our own efforts to remove every trace of harm brought about by mysticism, legalism, and humanism. It is only when our lives take root deeply in the Gospel and through the process of meeting the Emmanuel God practically and conversing with Him continuously; will the cancers of our faith naturally leave us.

1) The Gospel is not mystical but it is the reality: Christian living is not about mustering one’s courage or relying on one’s strength. It is also not about fulfilling one’s own wishes. Actually, a Gospelized Christian living is built upon the foundation of reality. When we understand, believe and practically confirm the Word of God with an upright heart, we will then realize that God is always with us, leading us and fulfilling His Word through our lives, our living and our days. This is especially so in the process of confirming the [10 realities] (Go through as a guide, the Sunday message on “Restoration of life and living”, preached on 4 Jan 04), which will open our spiritual insight to see the true and living God and experience the bestowed power of the Holy Spirit coming upon our lives. Progressively, as we are able to experience God more correctly and practically in all circumstances and on all occasions, we will no longer resort to mysticism to experience God.

2) The Gospel sets our lives free from the bondage of legalism but restores our lives in the spirit and enable us to live under loving kindness and grace: Being saved restores our lives, our relationship and our communication with God. Christian living begins with tasting the infinite great love of God, revealed through the Cross of Christ. When we examine all our conditions, past, present and future through this infinite love, we will discover that God’s comprehensive love is concealed in every corner of our lives and living. And through conversing with God continuously, as well as receiving greater and more concrete loving kindness, grace and reward from Him, our relationship with the Heavenly Father, Christ, and Holy Spirit will become sweeter in the process. It will then not be long before we realize that there is no need for any legalistic bondage between ourselves and God. Grace and love will fill our hearts, making us holier. And when we are filled with the power of God everyday, we not only can satisfy all requirements of the law but we can also fulfill it far beyond what ordinary man can do.

3) The Gospel is the power of God and it enables us to do all things through Him who gives us strength: Faith is living and active and it enables us to enjoy all power, grace and blessings from God. Faith does not come by using willpower forcibly but through relying on Holy Spirit’s conviction to correctly understand the Word of God, and it gradually grows all the more in the process of confirming, experiencing and enjoying [God’s trustworthy Word]. After increasingly experiencing God’s help and leading, we will discover that the disbelief and the powerless state of our limitations (brought about by disbelief) which bind us so frequently, gradually depart far away from us.

4) How to be deeply rooted? Once our lives are deeply rooted in the motives, purposes and methods of the Gospel, we will not be shaken in any circumstances. Apparently, the Christian living of most believers of this age are not established upon the firm rock of Christ but are constantly like waves of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. They are without firm perspective (i.e. unstable) and are double minded. Therefore, they easily waver and stray because of the changing conditions, environment and man’s words.

(1) With an upright heart, focus your meditation on your relationship with God and His bestowed eternal promises: like Paul who in Damascus spent three days and nights in concentration prayer without eating or drinking anything. Upon knowing the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the first and foremost thing is to have a one-time concentration prayer, to meditate on the most important content: [Am I really the child of God who has been bestowed with the eternal matchless grace?] [Is Jesus really the Christ who is my all-problems-solver and who has restored everything for me?] [Are the promises of Christ really in my life and all my conditions?] [Therefore, what should be my lifetime motives and goals, and how do I accomplish them?]…etc. Use the above prayer topics to change your life, enabling yourself to enjoy the full authority of God and to bear good fruits that last eternally. Before a saint roots himself deeply in the Gospel, the above is a must-have starting point for him.

(2) Upon receiving your lifetime goal and answer, you should unceasingly repeat your fixed time prayer, continuous prayer, concentration prayer, as well as authoritative prayer to progress with a realistic, normal, healthy, lively and powerful Christian living. Through years of following Christ earnestly in such a way, you will discover that your life has already rooted deeply in the Gospel.

(3) Constantly meet with members in the body of Christ, who have similar visions of [Individual Gospelization, Family Gospelization, Regional Gospelization and World Gospelization]. Break bread together, pray with one heart, test and approve doors of evangelism that God has opened, combine efforts together with one heart, and continue to expand the Land of Promise. In the process of doing these, you will discover that your life has already rooted deeply in the Gospel.

(4) In the course of many temptations, trials, problems and ironies in your Christian living, you can be exceedingly victorious whenever you rely on the Lord’s bestowed power and wisdom. Faith that can withstand trials and tests gives your life and serving a more logical Christian living that is practical, an emotional Christian living that experiences fullness of love and also a spiritual Christian living that increases your faith and power.

In conclusion, the Christian living that does not take root in the Gospel will result in severe consequences, bringing many people into great misunderstandings. All treasures that enable us to receive life, power and inheritance are solely hidden in the Gospel. I bless all of you in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, to quickly receive the 5 Sunday messages of this month with assurance and also to pray earnestly on the prayer topics coming from the pulpit. Through prayers centered on deep and quiet meditation, we can root our lives and faith deeply in the Gospel to eliminate all our spiritual vicious roots. As such, we will be able to enjoy every good and perfect gift from above throughout our whole lives! Amen!