Psa. 16:8 π Psa. 63:1 π 2 Tim. 2:4 π 2 Tim. 2:5 π 2 Tim. 3:5 π Jude 1 π Jude 3
It is quite easily accomplished, as Christians from all ages have usually left their first love rather early in their Christian walk. It only took the early Church of the Book of Acts approximately 35 years after Pentecost to be exhorted by Jude to return to “the faith once delivered unto the saints,” ( Jude 3 ), that which once operated in the Book of Acts. He wasn’t talking to new Christians, but to the “sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called.” ( Jude 1; top ) His plea was to the chosen, called-out ones, who were supposed to be the leaders of the flock. They had walked away from God’s highest calling and settled for something less than total surrender and obedience to God. Paul’s admonition to Timothy was to turn away from godless babblings with vain and intellectually empty phrases, called falsely as knowledge and spiritual illumination. The substitution of the totally surrendered life was snared by the pride of intellectual understanding of many philosophies after the traditions of men and after the rudiments of the world and not after total surrender and obedience to the Lord Himself. They wouldn’t pay the price of being nothing before God and men, so Jesus could be totally glorified.
The resulting prognosis is that we Christians have accepted Christian principles through our intellect, which is man’s wisdom, thereby ending up with an authority less than total obedience and dependence on the Father and Jesus, which can ultimately end up as anti-Christ.
The procedure in contemporary Christian circles follows a similar pattern by an emphasis on a particular area, such as: deliverance, healing, coverings, the Beast and Harlots, the tribulation, the rapture, counseling, prosperity, casting out devils – these, being valid in themselves, become an intellectual pursuit instead of denying one’s self-life and taking up our cross to follow Jesus’ example. We do not comprehend what David meant when he said, “I have set the Lord always before me.” ( Psa. 16:8 ), or his further quote, “O God, You are my God; early will I seek You, my soul thirsts for You…” ( Psa. 63:1 ) David searched only for God Himself; however this generation has yet to understand or comprehend this kind of devotion to God. God Himself said David was a man after God’s heart. Our present day desire follows the worldly realms of “having a form of Godliness, but denying the power thereof; from such turn away.” ( 2 Tim. 3:5 ) “No soldier entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please Him who has chosen him to be a soldier.” ( 2 Tim. 2:4 ) “And if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” ( 2 Tim. 2:5; top ) Striving (or competing) lawfully according to God’s perfect will shows we must first be a partaker of the fruits of God’s character, then God will give us understanding in all things. Until then, we will not desire to endure all things for the elect’s sake.
We have yet to see the total counsel of God preached and lived as God desires. Are we ready to give up our “own selves” to bring this to pass before it’s forever too late?
The Son Himself did nothing of His own accord.
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