SETTING THE PERSPECTIVE

I was called to be an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, instructed to teach the Body of Christ the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. It is the revelation of these mysteries that have made me the minister I am today. I can easily identify with the Apostle Paul, as I too have been given the mysteries of the Kingdom by the administration or dispensation of God. Truly, I can say it was the revelation of Faith that initially changed my life and my ministry.

Colossians 1:25-26

25 Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; 26 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints:

As Paul explains in the next verse, these mysteries were hidden from men in other ages or dispensations. We need to look more closely at the term dispensation. Some bible dictionaries do not agree that a dispensation, in the script is a period of time and this indeed might be true. Not only is it a period of time, but also the method of management, administration or stewardship extended by God within this certain time frame. For example: · The Dispensation of the Law (The Ten Commandments and its ordinances) –began with Moses and ended with Jesus. · The Dispensation of Grace and Truth (The mystery of God) – Began with Jesus Christ and will end with the Rapture of the Church.

Revelation 10:7

But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

But now that which was hid in God is made known to the Church by the apostles’ chosen by His Son, Jesus Christ. This next verse tells us specifically what the mystery of God is . . .

Colossians 1:27

To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory:

The mystery that was hid in God throughout the ages and generations of men is that the time would come when “Christ” the anointed one would live in man and man would live in Him. Note also that hope is a part of the mystery; hope is the joyful expectation to be glorified with Christ at His return.

Colossians 1:28

Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:

It is my responsibility to preach the revelation of the mystery. To warn those who might reject the gospel and to teach the wisdom of God that makes one perfect in Christ.

Colossians 1:29

Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his working, which worketh in me mightily.

In this I labour according to the working of the mystery in me, to fulfill the Word of God. This is the mandate of every apostle; the Word of God must first be fulfilled in us. We must be the living proof of what we preach and teach. It is only then that we will be able to establish others in the mystery of Christ. The Body of Christ is not fully established in Him and the main reason for this has been that the basics of its belief or faith have been taught from an erroneous perspective. Perspective is the place from which boundaries originate. Perspective proceeds from God’s eternal purpose. It is from His purpose that the worlds were formed, He created man, He installed the law; and He sent the Word to planet Earth in the form of flesh. God’s perspective comes from His heart and mind and has created the boundaries in which the sons of God are to relate to Him and to their fellow man. If the foundation of our theological perspective is off, it leaves even the bible scholars open to error. Very often pastors preach from perspectives that have been handed down and do not even realize it. They have not rightly divided the scriptures for themselves, or may not even know how to do so. When the Lord visited me in 1985, He sent me to the Church to bring it out of ignorance. This is the word and the work He gave me to do. Since then I have been at times discouraged after having seen how Satan has successfully infiltrated the Church with the doctrines of devils. These doctrines have all but totally destroyed the way of the common salvation of old. Satan has taken a seat in the Church and has been made quite comfortable. He can afford to be comfortable, as the saints of God are working diligently to accomplish the things outlined in his doctrines. To know the Lord and to serve Him, you must understand His Word and His way. The scriptures reveal the heart and mind of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost. “Tradition” has been very successful at deceiving the saints through false doctrines because the doctrines taught are laced with many truths.

The problem is the perspective is wrong but because saints can relate to the truths they hear, they lose site of the fact that in most cases the perspective from which they are taught is not the heart and mind of God.

Perspective:

1. The Realm in Which A Doctrine Sits

Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith. It is His mind that sets the boundaries for what we are to believe, think, feel and do. It is the mind of Christ that sets the “boundaries of the faith.”

2. To See as God Sees

Jesus declared, “I do only those things I see the Father do.” My words are not my own, they are the Fathers.’ The Word of God was made flesh in Jesus Christ. It set the boundaries for what Christ did, thought, felt and believed. He remained obedient to the will of the Father.

3. Always Produces The Purpose of God

Only the right/correct perspective of truth will produce the purity of the gospel and only the purity of the Word will produce a true Son of God.

Consider the following:

a. The Son must not accept any word that is not the mind of Christ.

b. The Babe Maturity.

c. The backdrop and staging for all doctrines of the bible is the mind of Christ.

d. All scripture was fulfilled in Him.

e. His is the life that has been tried and tested before the Father.

f. His is the life the Father has accepted.

g. He is the prototype for all the Sons who will follow.