INSIGHTS & NOTES FROM
"Purpose In The Deeper Life"
"The ultimate purpose of God in bringing a body of saints into a deeper place of consecration unto Him... It is for the purpose of perfection, preparation, restoration, manifestation, & glorification." "He is pouring forth His Spirit throughout the world in preparation for the 'restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began' (Acts 3:21)." "He is beginning to shake everything in heaven & earth in preparation for a great breakthrough, & intends to remove all those things in the religious order which He Himself did not ordain, so that only His work will remain." Hebrews 12:26, 27 "...God says, 'I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them' (Ezekiel 34:10)." "As John the Baptist was the forerunner of Christ at the First Advent, sent to prepare the way of the Lord, so God is raising up other (Spirit-filled apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors & teachers) to carry on a similar ministry in the preparation of His people in anticipation of His Second Advent (Ephesians 4:11-13). Jesus came the 1st time to a 'prepared' people. They would never have understood His message & ministry had not John come & prepared them, preaching, 'Repent, for the Kingdom of God is at hand,' baptizing them as He taught them of Jesus. Christ is coming back a 2nd time to a spiritually baptized & 'prepared' people, & in anticipation of this He is raising up once again voice, crying in the wilderness - not just one, but a chorus of many voices, 'to make ready a people prepared for the Lord' (Luke 1:17)." "This is a privileged generation, for God is preparing to bring a company of Spirit-filled believers into a higher realm in the Spirit than they have ever known before - 'unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.'" "THE 5-FOLD PURPOSE" "1. PERFECTION" "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." "The goal of the deeper life is the perfection of the believer." "...the doctrine of sanctification is usually confused with the Biblical idea of perfection by most interpreters, which only adds to the perplexity on the subject." "...groups use such terms as 'holiness,' 'sinless perfection,' 'positional sanctification,' & so on, in setting forth their views concerning perfection." "Is the perfection that Jesus demands of the believer in Matthew 5:48 possible to attain to? If so, what exactly is it & how is it accomplished in us?" "I Thessalonians 4:3... 'For this is the will of God, even your sanctification... 'It is clear from this statement that sanctification is not only the privilege of every believer, but is God's will for the Christian;" "What does the term 'sanctification' mean?" "...the verb 'to sanctify' in both the Hebrew & Greek Scriptures means literally to be set apart, or to be consecrated." John 17:19 "...anything consecrated unto God, Who is pure & holy, is set apart unto holiness, purity, moral or ceremonial cleanness, & perfection. That which is set apart partakes of the nature & character of the one it is consecrated unto." "...the moral & ethical sense of 'to sanctify' means in Scripture (1) to be set apart from sin, & (2) consecrated unto God, to be conformed to His holiness, purity, & perfection of character." "'When does the Believer obtain sanctification?'" "All attempt at achieving perfection without the Holy Spirit generally result in frustration & failure, inasmuch as 'flesh' cannot crucify flesh. Until the Holy Spirit comes & puts the 'self-life' to death, perfection & holiness remain mere theological concepts to be discussed but never realized in the present experience of the believer." Ephesians 2:1-3. "The goal of the deeper life, as previously stated, is the perfection of the believer." "As long as we are living in a world filled with wickedness & sinful allurements & are still in a physical body with its appetites & desires which may be perverted, we will be subject to temptation." Hebrews 4:15 "Perfection does not mean, therefore, that we arrive at a state where we cannot be tempted. Perfection is not freedom from temptation; it is being tested in all points & resisting & overcoming the temptation." II Peter 2:21, 22 I Peter 1:15 I John 3:8-9 I Corinthians 10:13 Matthew 5:48 "God expects the Christian to overcome all temptation to sin & walk in perfection." I John 4:4 "The perfection demanded by Jesus is not, secondly, sinless perfection. This term... does not occur in Scripture, for it implies that the Christian could arrive at a state where he could not sin." "Although the Christian has put away sin & does not walk in sin, it is not impossible for him ever to sin again, which sinless perfection might imply, but it is a spiritual warfare in which he overcomes the temptation to sin & walks in holiness & righteousness in the sight of God." "...the perfection which the believer is to attain ...It is not perfection of doctrine, as no Christian has all truth, walking in obedience to it." "What then is the nature of the perfection which Jesus requires of us? It is Christian perfection - a perfection of the believer's character & conduct... It is a perfection which is within the reach of every Spirit-filled Christian & is a growth unto the full measure of the stature of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16)." "...the 3-fold perfection to which the Christian is to attain is a perfection in consecration, holiness, & of the fruit of the Spirit." "Perfect consecration involves, as we have shown, the total yielding of one's life to the Holy Spirit; the willing acceptance of a Kenosis or self-emptying experience; living the crucified life; being an overcomer; & accepting the conditions of total discipleship." Ephesians 1:4 "...holiness in the likeness of God Himself" I Peter 1:15-16 "We are perfected as we conform our lives to God's likeness & moral character." Titus 2:11-12 "...justification by faith is incompatible with living in sin. The justified believer is brought into such a relationship to Christ that he dies with Him (dies to sin), & rises to new life with Him that is to be without sin." Romans 6:1-7 "To the extent that he is led by the Spirit, Christ will reveal Himself to his heart, & he will more & more grow into His likeness. It is divine holiness, not human self-improvement, which is the result. As we give ourselves in deeper consecration, the Holy Spirit will lead us in a deeper separation, not only from overt sin, but from earthly affections, merging our hearts & wills into oneness with Him." Galatians 5:22-23 "How are we to bear this fruit?" "...experience the infilling of the Holy Spirit, for the fruit is in Him" "...it is to the extent that we yield our lives to Him that we are enabled to bear this fruit, as His ministry in us in this realm is only by our consent. What is the secret of the Spirit-filled life?" Galatians 5:24-25 "...there is ...for every temptation to sin an opposite fruit of the Spirit which may be manifested instead. The Holy Spirit will produce this fruit in our lives if we so desire. It is, in the final analysis, our choice." "Are we tempted to be impatient about some matter that is not working out as we would like? What is the fruit which the Spirit will manifest at such a time if we submit to His ministry in us? - longsuffering." "Has someone offended you, ridiculed you, lied about you, or mistreated you in some way? You have the choice of responding in kind, returning evil for evil, or bearing in opposite fruit of the Spirit - love. Has some situation developed whereby you are tempted to be discouraged, or someone, whom you trusted, has disappointed you about some matter?" "You can allow yourself to become dejected & discouraged, or bear the opposite fruit of the Spirit which is joy. Since 'the joy of the Lord is your strength' (Nehemiah 8:10) Satan will seek to rob you of your spiritual strength & powers of resistance through adverse circumstances if you allow him. When one is beset with doubts because of pain or lingering symptoms, or begins to wonder as to the successful outcome concerning some matter about which he has prayed, then faith in God's Word is the fruit of the Spirit that will dispel all fear & anxiety. The temptation to gluttony, fleshly excesses, or materialism can be overcome by manifesting the fruit of temperance or self-control. When the believer is falsely accused or misrepresented, he may, as is too often the case, attempt to justify himself by argument, or he can choose to follow in the steps of Jesus by expressing meekness of spirit (I Peter 2:21-23)." "In a world filled with war, strife, chaos & rebellion, those who go on to perfection will be characterized as men of peace" "When the flesh tries to take control of any situation, such as lust, pride, intemperance, envy, worry, doubt, impatience, hatred, resentment, jealousy, ingratitude, & so on, then, by a positive act of the will, put to death that impulse, desire, or emotion, & allow the Holy Spirit to bring forth a fruit of the Spirit in its place." Galatians 5:24 "Do not expect the flesh to submit humbly to anything as painful & drastic as its own death. The flesh will beg, plead, protest, argue & reason with such logic that it will seem as if heaven & earth would have to be moved before its surrender. The Scriptures plainly declare that the flesh & the spirit are in an irreconcilable warfare & will never be joined in any form of compatible harmony. The flesh is to be ruled over by the spirit: 'Walk in the Spirit, & ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh... for the flesh warreth against the Spirit, & the Spirit against the flesh: & these are contrary the one to the other...'" "The flesh will rationalize any attempt at spiritual development" "Or the flesh, which loves to procrastinate, will plead that it needs some rest, & that you can read your Bible & pray after you relax for a few minutes before the TV, or tomorrow morning when you feel fresh & the children are off to school. Victory will never be achieved in one's life until he awakens to the fact that he cannot argue or reason with the flesh & the Devil - the flesh must be crucified if the fruit of the Spirit is to be manifested in his life." Deeper Life In The Spirit, Hobart E. Freeman, pgs. 87 - 106.
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AuthorCross Preaching Pentecostal Pastor. Husband to Tonia, Father to 3 beautiful girls, Monica, Zoe & Briana, & Grandfather to Wesley & Elliott Archives
September 2023
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