Christian Perfection: a perfect teaching

God gives us many pictures that illustrate to His people the hope He has for them. I meet so many Christians that run this race without aim. They do not know what the finishing line is, let alone where the finishing line is. Therefore let the Spirit of God reveals to us this hope of “what” and “where” we are DESTINED to be. God speaks to us about a life that presses towards perfection, but not perfection that man devises. The word "perfect" in the King James New Testament and our English word "perfect" do not convey the same thought in an accurate manner. Therefore our natural minds will not accept certain verses in the Bible pertaining to God's desire for a perfect people. It is pertinent to sometimes examine the Greek text to understand scripture.

5046 teleios (tel'-i-os) adj.; also 5048 teleioo (tel-i-o'-o) verb;

KJV-- of full age, man, perfect.

1) brought to its end, finished (This is the literal meaning)

2) wanting nothing necessary to completeness

3) perfect

4) what is perfect

a) consummate human integrity and virtue

b) used of men, full grown, adult, of full age, mature

The revelation of God's plan for the completeness of the temple of God is important for the entire church to understand. Understanding this picture enables us to understand God’s desire for us. Seeing this building project enables us to view the finishing line. A physical temple may be built in physical Jerusalem but God's plan and purpose is for the true temple to be built in us, in our walk, in our daily activities. God will never dwell in a physical temple again.

Ø      God's temple will be built in us.

Ø      His temple will be a completed temple

Ø      It will not be a temple that is half built

Ø      It will not be a - defiled temple!

This will happen in experience just as it happened in experience in the early church, yet we will see an even more completeness found at the end of the last generation of believers who decide to live in the Holy of Holies of God, who decide to desire Jesus above all and will worship Him not just in spirit but also in truth. This is God's desire!

Most Christians maintain hope of spiritually progressing, but they do not accept in faith, an attainable level of maturity as the early church and apostles walked. We are naturally content with a life in the Outer Court of God’s House, maybe even a life in the Holy Place. God's plan and purpose for His church is to attain a walk in the Holy of Holies – it will happen whether we choose to walk in it or not. God has spoken about a church without spot and blemish. What happens if we do not accept the plan? It will still happen! God is seeking after the hearts that will say yes to Him. We are simply talking about being like Christ and attaining the maturity level found in the early church apostles.

Do you agree with this scripture?

Isa 55:11

So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding {in the matter} for which I sent it. (NAS)

How about this scripture?

Matt 5:48

Be ye therefore perfect (teleios), even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect (teleios).

Ø      If indeed God desires us to be perfect or complete, then surely He will be the one performing it.

Believing God Instead of Man

You may say - what about all those in the church that do not believe what Jesus said in Matthew 5:48 - to be perfect?

Ø      You must believe God instead of what man says!

Rom 3:3-4

For what if some did not believe? Shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? God forbid: yea let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written, That thou mightiest be justified in thy sayings, and mightiest overcome when thou art judged.

There is a saying in the church – “Gods says it, I believe it, that settles it”. But more accurate to this scripture would be – “God says it, that settles it, it does not matter whether you believe or not”. There is a great story in 1 Kings that teaches this very thing and the consequences that a man of God experienced - for not heeding God’s instructions.

IKing 13:1,3-5

And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD unto Bethel: and Jeroboam (King of Israel) stood by the altar to burn incense. And he (the man of God) gave a sign the same day, saying, this is the sign that the LORD hath spoken; Behold, the altar shall be rent, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which had cried against the altar in Bethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him. And his hand, which he (Jeroboam) put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. The altar also was rent, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign that the man of God had given by the word of the LORD.

We see here a prophet that has no problem hearing from heaven and then speaking the word of the Lord. Even when the enemy (Jeroboam - King of Israel) comes against him, no problem – the enemy’s hand withers. The word spoken comes to pass and God is glorified even as the false gods are destroyed. We do not even know his name but there is a reason for that, as we shall soon see, we shall see a message from heaven that must not be ignored.

IKing 13:15-19

15     Then he said unto him (A false prophet to the man of God), Come home with me, and eat bread.

16     And he said (the man of God), I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee: neither will I eat bread nor drink water with thee in this place:

17     For it was said to me by the word of the LORD, Thou shalt eat no bread nor drink water there, nor turn again to go by the way that thou camest.

18     He (the false prophet) said unto him, I am a prophet also as thou art; and an angel spake unto me by the word of the LORD, saying, Bring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water. But he lied unto him.

19     So he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water.

Even though we might be used of God mightily and be God’s prophet for the hour, this does not release us from the responsibility that we have to obey His instructions – His Word - that we have heard from heaven. After you have heard from heaven do not be persuaded as the man of God was. One might be older, considered wiser, more famous, more recognized, but we must obey only the instructions that were taught to us by God’s Spirit. How did the man of God finish His course? He was met by a lion and was slain. It is very important to obey God’s instructions. God may have spoken to you concerning giving up something in the secular world. God may be calling you to some type of specific ministry or God might have given you instructions that are totally UNIQUE, as God did with this man of God. These unique instructions are just as much from heaven as the instructions that the man of God had received. The king of Israel (Jeroboam) could not persuade the man of God but a false prophet could. We must obey specific instructions that make no natural sense as they pertain to our daily walk. We also must obey God’s instructions that are seen in scripture that pertain to God’s plan of our growth and maturity.

Jonah also received instructions from the Lord and refused God’s way. Jonah ran from God. How many of us run from God when He speaks? Jonah fled to a ship and caused a storm for everyone on board. When we do not heed God’s instructions we may become responsible for the storms in the lives of those around us.

Eyes to SEE

I know this pastor that became a friend that I love dearly. He was a Southern Baptist minister that introduced a new style of praise and worship into his church. Because of this there was an upset in the church. Change will always cause problem with the religious. God is pouring out new wine and God does not allow old wineskins to house it. This pastor saw the new wine and did away with the old order to set a new order. What God had done in hymns, God was exchanging for a new wine of worship music. The wineskins could not be a ritualistic order of things. God exchange the wineskin as well; it became a wineskin where the people of God would FLOW with the Spirit of worship.

Many of the people rejected the new wine, the wineskin and the pastor; a 3-fold rejection which all of us are destined to experience sooner or later. The pastor started a new church with a remnant of believers that wanted the new wine and the new wineskin. Men like this hear God’s initial instructions similar to the “man of God” had heard but then a false prophet will come along and SPOIL the instructions from God with a substitute. The pastor had eyes to see what God was doing and yet could not continue in that way “without deviating”. God speaks a 3-fold truth to all of us. Do not eat bread on your journey. Do not drink, and do not return the way that you came – do not deviate from the journey. We must NOT eat of the bread of the words of other “prophets” when it contradicts the instructions of God. The pastor ate of the words of these prophets.

We must believe God’s instructions that we see and we must not be persuaded away from these instructions from ANYONE. It is standing against the tide, you will be beaten because of it but you must endure. In the same way this pastor was called of God to journey against the false kings and yet the false prophets persuaded his life away. This pastor was a composite of all that OTHERS have taught him. He continued in doctrines that were contrary to God’s thoughts because the majority of Christians believe that way. He believed in doctrines from other men because of their scholarly ability to persuade. He believed the doctrine of other men because of the reputation of the man. Others he trusted put their stamp of approval upon these “so-called prophets” so he received them and the leaven that they taught. The pastor adhered to other doctrines because of the fame of that minister and the appealing nature of that minister. He received doctrine because of the signs and wonders thinking they confirmed that the word also was true. Lastly the pastor believed that certain scriptures are very debatable and we as Christians will not know the meaning of those scriptures till we get to heaven. We might think that this is an extraordinary example of deviation but in reality we all have these same deviations lurking in our lives.

Because of my love for the pastor I tried to preach truth and it was rejected in the same manner that others had rejected him. Why do we hold on so strongly to what the false prophets tell us. They say, “Come to my home, I too have heard from God”. Why are we afraid to hear from God for ourselves and allow the Holy Spirit to be our ONLY PERSUADER? If in your heart there exists something that can be persuaded by men then God will send a test, a false prophet to persuade you. If you will take heed in what you are hearing and have eyes to see and ears to hear then you will continue your journey without deviation. The pastor may never heed God’s instructions and being an older man he may die without anyone knowing his name, just like the name of the man of God is not recorded, but it does not have to be that way.

Maybe I cannot reach ones like this, but my hope is that I may have grace to reach you. Be willing to reject the doctrine that says, “We will never know till we get to heaven what a certain scripture means”. The Spirit in your spirit knows and you have the mind of Christ in these matters. God will make known all that has been hidden and God is now revealing what He has prepared for you. Be willing to trust God for your own perfection, your own maturity that is “destined to be measured” to the degree that the early apostles grew. Be willing to refuse the doctrines that thwart this growth. We cannot end up like this dear pastor that “could not” and “would not” receive the truth of God of “having a people unto himself that would demonstrate with certainty what God believes and thinks”. Though he would leave an old order concerning praise and worship he was unable to leave the old order of traditional doctrines.

We sometimes have the thinking “so what”, “so what if he does not think right concerning these matters, he has blessed people and he adheres to the basic doctrines of salvation”. God does not say “so what” – ever, but we fall into the trap of “so what”. God wants you to think like He does on EVERY ISSUE. My heart breaks when men of God think the thoughts that are contrary to His thoughts. I wish I could make them see but it is not up to me; it is strictly up to their own relationship with Jesus. The more intimate they are with Jesus, the more they will abandon contrary thoughts. I preach Jesus and His thoughts and they are received and they bear witness to those that are His. Those that “are His” do not have a stopping point with God, they simply continue eternally towards His breast. Their head can always be seen resting on their Master’s breast. I continue to pray for my beloved pastor that God will do whatever it takes to convince him of the tragic deviation. Our deviation does not just affect us, not just our congregation – it affects nations. It is a domino effect that imparts old wine and an old wineskin to the world.

Prayer for Revelation

You must have a revelation of Jesus and hear His voice in you and then you are to walk in obedience. But something must take place in your heart before we can walk in this maturity. Paul prayed in Ephesians these 5 things that lead to maturity:

1)       You would receive a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the deep & intimate knowledge of Him.

2)       That this would come by having the eyes of your heart being flooded with light.

3)       And therefore you would see and understand the hope to which He has called you.

4)       And you would see the richness of His glorious inheritance that is inside of you.

5)       This light would show you the immeasurable greatness of His power - which is in you!

To walk - YOU MUST FIRST SEE!

Jesus tells you to be perfect. That is mature and full-grown, not half-grown and not childish. This is a calling that gives us hope in Christ Jesus. Some may teach that he meant perfect as far as His blood has made us righteous in Him. This would mean that you are made perfect the day you accepted Christ. Yes, but everything that you became In Christ on that day when you received Him, can be experienced if you desire Jesus - see Jesus - and obey Jesus. I firmly believe that the reason I am able to teach anything that I can attribute to the Holy Spirit is because in the early 1980’s I prayed this prayer in Ephesians 1:17-19, everyday in faith, believing that I receive. I know God hears this prayer because I know I am praying God’s will and therefore I can have faith. Sometimes we pray uncertain of God’s will for a particular circumstance, but there is one thing we can pray in faith – to receive spiritual sight!

Some choose to experience God's total salvation in this life as they see; others will not experience God's total salvation until their life on earth is over because they do not see. That means Jesus will be fully unveiled to many after their physical life ends and they will be transformed into His likeness - and not before that time!

In your heart you know that the desire of Jesus is that you are:

Ø      Saved here

Ø      Delivered here

Ø      Walking in perfect love here

Ø      Walking in the Power and Wisdom of Jesus - HERE

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