Module 7: Doctrine of Perfection: “Get on the Road to Perfection, Now!” (Heb. 6:1)
Lesson 3: “God Uses Christians Who Live in Perfection to do Great Exploits—Turning the World from Up-side Down— Right-Side Up!”
Part A: “The Greatness of Jesus of Christ Reveals the Greatness of the Church and Christians.”
In Lesson 2, we learned that Jesus Christ walked in perfection in His life and ministry on earth, by only saying and doing what He heard and saw His Father God speaking and doing. So likewise, for the Church corporately, and Christians individually, to walk in perfection we must depend on God for everything—in all of what we say and do. We place our total trust and dependence on the Word of God, as it is the final authority over all existence. (Matt. 24:35)
Our walk on the Road to Perfection starts by allowing Jesus Christ, by faith, to live through us to love every person, just as Jesus Christ loved us and gave Himself for us. (Eph. 5:1-2, 4:32). Walking in love will produce the fruit of perfection—the God kind of abundant life (Zoe) Jesus Christ came into the world to give all people. (John 10:10)
As born-again Christians, we love God with our whole being. (I John 4:19) As such, we are consumed with knowing and pleasing God. We are possessed with God’s agenda, and not our own. We are zealous (enthusiastic) to discover and carryout God’s plan and good works to achieve His vision and goals for mankind and the world. (Titus 2:13-15)
Let’s go further down the Road to Perfection now by understanding that living by every Word of God gives us insights into what God is saying and doing in the Church and world we live in. God’s eternal goals and plans for mankind and the world are revealed to us through the Word of God. For example, Psalm 22:27, 72:11 and 66:4, respectively state,
All the ends of the world shall remember and turn
to the Lord, and all the kindreds (people groups) of
the nations shall worship before thee.
Yes, all kings shall fall down before Him; all nations
(people groups) shall serve Him.
All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto
thee; they shall sing unto thy name. Selah
Also consider Hebrews 13:15:
By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise
to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips
giving thanks to his name.
At Revelation 15:4, the Apostle John wrote:
Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy
name? For thou only are holy: for all nations
(people groups) shall come and worship before
thee; for thy judgements are made manifest.
Can you see the vision—the goal of our God? From these versus and many others in the Bible we can see that God is all about, “diversity in worship of Him.” God’s goal is for the kingdom of God to be comprised of a multi-ethnic group of people from His creation worshipping Him.
Please put your “God-goggles” on, and get a hold of the vision of God. That is, to have major representation from each of the ethnic groups (about 16,000) in the world with Him in heaven. People from every tribe, nationality, and language group on the face of the earth worshipping Him. Giving God all the glory He so richly deserves! Can you even imagine the sweet smelling savor of the sacrifice of praise that we all collectively will offer up to God? For God to behold, if you will, “seas-full” of worshippers bowing and kneeling down before Him all at once, and offering up continual praises to Him! For God to behold all of creation glorifying Him! (Ps. 95:6 & Rom.11:36)
While each of the many ethnic groups speak different languages, are from different cultures, and express praise, dance, and thanksgiving to God in their own unique ways—yet the sound and movements will all be in perfect harmony, and play as “One” majestic symphony in the ears of Almighty God! Every person and thing created will only desire to please Him with true praise and worship.
Since the goal of God is for complete diversity among mankind to worship Him, then the plan for reaping the lost to Christ is not just for men to receive salvation—but for “worship of God!” Our evangelistic efforts (inviting people to church, witnessing our faith in personal testimony, preaching the gospel to win the lost to Christ, working of miracles, and discipleship around the world must take on a higher knowledge and goal.
We are not just in the business of converting sinners to saints. Rather, we are in the business of gathering people from every ethnic group in the world to become true worshippers of God! I have come to understand that the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ to the lost, is the gateway for people to become true worshippers of God. God is Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit and in truth. (John 4:23-24)
Now the words of Jesus Christ in connection with the Great Commission are perfectly clear to me. We are commanded to go and teach (make disciples) of all nations (ethnic groups), baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, teaching them whatsoever Jesus has commanded. (Matt. 28:19-20) For the end-goal of making true worshippers of God. True worshippers of God, rule the world with God!
God will not rest, nor should the body of Christ, until each ethnic group around the world has been deeply impacted by the gospel, and until every ethnic group has had an opportunity to hear the gospel message! Jesus Christ is recorded at Matt. 24:14 saying:
And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations
(people groups) and then the end shall come.
Survey data published by Global Commission Partners shows that the body of Christ has been slow in taking the gospel to all ethnic groups in the world. Jesus Christ gave us the Great Commission over 2000 years ago, and look where we are today. Data show that:
- There are about 7.9 billion people on planet earth, 2.3 billion, or about 30 percent, of the population indicate they are Christian adherence. Conversely, 70 percent of the human population are presently worshipping some other god, which is no god, and could die without Christ and spend eternity in hell!
- About two billion people have not yet even heard the gospel, most of whom live in and/or between the continents of Africa and Asia.
- Despite Christ’s commandment to evangelize, about 67 percent of all humans from AD 30 to 2021 have never even heard the name of Jesus Christ.
- In the last 40 years, over one billion people have died who have never heard of Jesus, and around 30 million people this year will perish without hearing the message of salvation.
Surely, the Church of Jesus Christ can do far better than this! I am convinced that a large proportion of the body of Christ lacks knowledge about the greatness of Jesus Christ, and consequently is ignorant about the Church’s place and role that it is to play in the world. The Church must increase its knowledge about Jesus Christ to fulfill the vision and goal of God. When the Church understands the greatness of Jesus Christ, in turn, the greatness of the Church and Christians will be revealed!
The Church must always see Jesus Christ as He is—the “Exalted Christ.” Jesus Christ is not lying in a manger, hanging on a bloody cross, nor is His body still laid in a borrowed rich man’s tomb. But, by God’s mighty resurrection power, He raised Jesus Christ from the dead and seated Him at His own right hand in all power, dominion, and majesty!
Jesus Christ is Lord, and He Lord’s over all things visible and invisible. Jesus is far above all principality and power, might, dominion, and every name that is named in the world, as well as the world that is to come. God also has placed all things under Jesus’ feet and made Him the head over all and the Church. (Eph.1:20-22)
Furthermore, God has given to Jesus Christ a name, which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus Christ every knee should bow of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. (Phil. 2: 9-11) For in Jesus Christ resides the godhead bodily (the fullness of the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost) and the Church is complete in Him. (Col. 2:9-10)
The Church must know that by Jesus Christ all things were created that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions or principalities or powers, all things were created by Him and for Him. And Jesus is before all things, and by Him all things consist. (Col.1:16-17)
The Church must know that when the life of Jesus Christ was offered up for the sins of the world (one time) and raised from the dead, that God also sat Jesus down at His own right hand. It was from that time going forward that Jesus is expecting till His enemies are made His footstool. (Heb. 10:12-13).
The Church should know full well that we have been delivered from the kingdom of darkness and translated into the kingdom of His dear son Jesus. (Col.1:3) The same resurrection power that God put in the Spirit of Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Jesus at His right hand, has also been placed in the Church and God’s people. (Eph.1:20-23 & Rom. 8:9-11)
However, the question is: Does the Church really understand what this means—that we have been translated into the kingdom of God? Do we think God delivered us from the devil and his miserable defeated kingdom of bondage and death, to just let the kingdom of darkness continue to occupy and destroy mankind and the world? Heaven’s no!!! Jesus has instructed the Church to “occupy”—do God’s business in every arena of life, until He returns. (Luke 19:13)
The Church’s love is made “Perfect” in God in Christ Jesus with this truth: As Jesus Christ is, so are we in this world. (I John 4:17-18) When will the Church finally come into this knowledge? God loves us so much that He has given to the Church and every born-again Christian the same exalted status on earth, as Jesus Christ enjoys in Heaven at the right hand of
God.
Notice that the Scriptures we read earlier witnesses that Jesus Christ is “above all things,” and “all things are subject unto Him,” including all principalities and powers residing in the kingdom of darkness.
We are “One” with the Lord, in God in Christ Jesus. (Gal. 3:26-29) And, Jesus Christ has commanded His Church to march against, tear down, trample over the gates of hell, and take back all that the devil has stolen from mankind. (Matt. 16:13-19, Luke 10:1, 17-21, Ps. 91:13, and Prov. 6:31)
The Church has been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven to bind and lose—and to ask whatsoever we will and it shall be done, because we walk in love. (I John 3:22-23) This is called “Spiritual Authority” over all the power of darkness.
This is the “greater work” that Jesus Christ referred to, when He guaranteed that all those who believe in Him shall do the same works and greater works because He would ascend to the right hand of God (John 14:12). The Church is to exercise full authority and power over the devil on earth until Jesus Christ returns to rapture the Church! In other words, we are to give the devil the “footstool treatment” throughout the world, including all aspects of society until the Lord returns!
Note that this revelation of Christ, and the Church, was revealed to Jesus’ disciples while they were still babes. These revelations were intended for full-aged mature disciples. But as God revealed to the disciples who Jesus was—“the Christ,” and as they went forth preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God in communities seeing miracles unfold, Jesus opened their understanding even more, so they could know about the greater works the Church would do in the future! That is, to exercise power and dominance over the devil in every place the gospel is preached!
I am going to close this Session with some real deep and flavor-filled meat from the Word of God, and I trust you will enjoy it. Please examine II Corinthians 2:14 respectively, in the King James Version, and then in the New Revised Standard Version.
Now thanks be unto God, which always causeth
us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the
savour of his knowledge by us in every place.
But thanks be to God, who in Christ always
leads us in triumphal procession, and through us
spreads in every place the fragrance that comes
from knowing him.
The Apostle Paul states that Jesus Christ leads the Church in a triumphant procession (parade) over Satan and the kingdom of darkness in every place on earth. In every place, the Church is to conquer the enemy, and as it does, Jesus Christ leaves His fresh fragrance—the anointing and blessing of Abraham in that place, which comes from the Church knowing Him! In other words, the “Perfected Church” is in the business of turning homes, streets, cities, suburbs, states, nations, and the world, from upside-down, to right-side-up! To occupy and dominate every place we go with the name of Jesus Christ.
In a similar fashion, Daniel 11:32 says, “those who do know their God shall be strong and do exploits.” The Church is commissioned to do great exploits—to take full advantage, trample down and stomp on the devil, and make a complete mockery of him. Every place where wickedness is sowed and abounds—places of pagan worship, poverty, sickness and disease, war-torn, gun-violence, drug infested, abortion-bound, homosexual nested, and corrupted government—shall be overturned by the Church!
In places where there is famine, calamity, sickness and disease, wildfires, climate change, plagues, and flooding—the Church is to release its power to bind the forces of darkness, which are the root cause of all these evils—and bring full restoration, peace, serenity, and righteous governance in those places.
When the Church removes God’s enemies from those places, the hands of the people from ethnic groups residing in those places will be repositioned, from hands facing downward to hands lifted upward in the worship of God. As they become true worshippers of God, the earth will respond in kind and the blessing will rest on those places! The earth is crying out in anticipation for the true sons of God to be revealed. From the darkness to the marvelous light communities will be changed! (Rom. 8:19)
In closing, Oh saints of the most High God, receive with jubilee the revelation of the greatness of Jesus Christ! Jesus Christ is Lord of “All.” Therefore, God has made us Lord of “All” in the earth! Open your spiritual eyes and see the greatness of the Church and you! Let the Church corporately, and every born-again Christian individually, prepare to go forth and do the greater works of Jesus Christ! Supernatural works not yet ever seen, heard of, nor contemplated in the imaginations of the hearts of mankind; to usher in the glory of God, turning the world from upside down to right side up!
Next week, we will go deeper in our understanding of what the Church must do to exercise its Spiritual Authority in the world before the coming of the Lord.