The Simplicity of Christ – The Rod of Iron

Old Dog V

The Simplicity of Christ

Bob Neumann, 1/9/2003

Dear Stephen,

So far i have read your thoughts on THE BRIDE and our sister’s from “down under” Cheryl. I also have read the comments by Sisters Laura, Brenda, and Stephanie. Like you Stephen i have seen THE BRIDE whenever i see people simply doing as THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT leads them when helping others. Whenever a believer simply submits to the leading of GOD, the AUTHORITY of JESUS…a see THE BRIDE.

Sr Cheryl shared with us what Paul said in 2 Corinthians….

“For I am jealous for you with godly jealousy. For I have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he who comes preaches another Jesus whom we have not preached, of if you receive a different spirit which you have not received, or a different gospel, which you have not accepted – you may well put up with it!” (2 Cor. 11:2-4)

I do not remember Paul speaking of any “personal” fear as he speaks here.

The issue is “deception” that the “minds” of the believers are in danger of being “corrupted” from what he calls “THE SIMPLICITY OF CHRIST”. Strange concept. Yet i have heard this warning many times from ABBA….”KEEP IT SIMPLE SON”…..

THE GOSPEL OF JESUS should be extremely simple for it was intended for SHEEP and CHILDREN. Paul points toward the direction this “corruption” will come. First there are those who “preach another JESUS”. A gospel Paul, Peter, James, John and all the disciples did not preach. Second there would be a “different spirit” than the ONE PROMISED BY JESUS. JESUS said HE would SEND THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT….to bring REMEMBRANCE OF JESUS to those who “would follow”. Third and last is a “different gospel”.

What we have is a “DIFFERENT” “Jesus”, “spirit”, and “gospel”. All three work together to bring one thing, “CORRUPTION”. And all three originate with THE SERPENT. And once again i find myself in Ephesians 6. We all know this as THE WHOLE ARMOR chapter. Personally i am tired of the many messages that talk about “putting” on THE ARMOR.… going over each piece…. BUT never dealing with WHY we are to be armored and carrying THE SWORD OF THE SPIRIT.

¹⁰ Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

¹¹ Put on the whole armour of God that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

¹² For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

¹³ Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

STAND…WITHSTAND…to not fall to/or fall under the “WILES OF THE DEVIL”….. i suppose this is what most people feel is “SPIRITUAL WARFARE”….or “DOING BATTLES IN THE HEAVENLIES”…. all it is really is being unmoved by the TRICKERY of THE ENEMY…. and the ONLY way to do that is to firmly grounded on THE ROCK.

James puts it very clearly….i could say “resist the devil and he will flee”…. but that misses the point James, an Apostle, was trying to teach….and i believe he was serving a whole lot of “solid meat” in 17 verses….

James 4 1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

Here we can see James alluding to the “ungodly lusts” Jude mentions. Those who follow a “different spirit” “walk” in these lusts…

² Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

I believe James here is saying that there are those who have not asked JESUS into their HEARTS and LIVES. People can be carnal Christians because they will not let their old man die.

3Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

(Simon the Sorcerer wanted what the Disciples had….for all the wrong reasons. He asked amiss. If the desire for ministry gets in front of serving JESUS, we ask wrongly.)

⁴ Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God.

I think we can all understand this…or do we.…

⁵ Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy?

The “oldman” again. He does not want to “die”. It is a battle in ourselves. But we are not alone…

⁶ But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.

Grace is “sufficient” and is ours if we only ask and are willing to be HUMBLE…BROKEN… Remember “if my people….”? the first, and hardest step is to “humble themselves”.…

⁷ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.

I am sorry….but verse 7 has three specific steps….

FIRST is we must be submitted to GOD….under covenant….desiring to serve HIM ALONE.

Second is when we RESIST….as in STAND….not to give in or submit.

Third we see the devil will FLEE…. JESUS resisted the devil three times by using THE WORD OF GOD….THE LOGOS… IT IS WRITTEN.

And there is a bonus benefit when we STAND…RESIST.…

⁸ Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.

As we come to GOD, HE comes closer to us. Call this INTIMACY…call it REVELATION ….but it can only start with calling upon JESUS and “dying”….to be humble…broken.…

⁹ Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep: let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.

To me this is being serious to the prompting of THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT….. to pick up the SWORD OF THE SPIRIT and to pray as ABBA desires….not as man suggests or directs.

¹⁰ Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.

GOD LIFTS UP…..when man elevates man there is a problem. Many people look up to a man thinking they are seeing what GOD WANTS THEM TO SEE. They have been told that often enough.…

¹¹ Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.

Now this is a difficult passage when you are dealing with a wide group of people.

To many the term “to speak evil” means to speak in any form of “negative” commentary.

If i disagree with someone and voice an opinion they can perceive it as “evil” simply because i fail to agree with them. Now if i call people names and then make accusations that are groundless, frivolous, or deceptive in any way……. Then i would be doing what James is referring to…”speaking evil”. In doing this i have “judged” someone else. And acting as an executioner by “killing them” with my words.

James is telling us to be “doers” and not “judges”.

¹² There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?

Many like the stick of “legalistic” and wave it well. The problem with/of THE LAW is that GOD gave man THE LAW. HE is the ONE who SAVES….and DESTROYS…. We have spoken of coming JUDGMENT. GOD’S JUDGMENT…. Which makes the next verses interesting… 13 Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain:

¹⁴ Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.

¹⁵ For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

Many “Christians” have made “”””PLANS”””….in their lives, professions, ministries and the simple warning of what is to come can upset them. For this reason the “church” in many of it’s divisions, denominations, congregations can not/will not accept the idea that THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT can/will/does SPEAK to ABBA’S CHILDREN.

¹⁶ But now ye rejoice in your boastings: all such rejoicing is evil.

Now this is scary because i have listened to such boastings by “people” who claim positions in the church.

¹⁷ Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin.

When one “hears” THE MOST HOLY SPIRIT and fails to obey. When one knows right from wrong and chooses to do wrong we have what the scripture calls “iniquity”. Seems i have “HEARD” that term all too often of late.

So to understand the Simplicity of Christ we must KNOW HIM…..HE SAID….

²⁸ Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

HE SAYS we are to learn of HIM as we walk side by side with HIM….YOKED TOGETHER.

That is as simple as it gets.

selah

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