The Last Reformation

It is imperative that you begin to consider that you are in the midst of a reformation. In fact, you have been called to be a reformer. It is the Word of God that you will minister to the Body and the world that will turn the hearts of men to the Father. Our time is even as that of John the Baptist. We are the messengers sent to tell the good news of salvation and life through the coming Savior. He is soon to return to claim His own but you cannot deliver such a message without becoming the evidence of that life.

You must cease to walk in that old mindset which causes you to vacillate in and out of the righteousness of God. The mindset of the Sons of God in this day must be that of reformation. It is time for the true Sons to take responsibility for the disposition of the Body of Christ. We are the called of God and have been given much by the Father. We must take heed to the signs of the times, for the end is near. This age is rapidly coming to an end. Jesus, having anticipated these times asked, “Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (St.Luke 18:8).

Will there be those who are walking in the mind of Christ?

GLOBALIZATION

The Sons must think in terms of getting the truth to every nation on earth. We have been given the revelation of Christ and have taken on His mind. It is our responsibility to carry His mind to the Church first, and then the world. The Church, itself, has been led off course with divers doctrines of men and has become self-serving, without regard for the eternal purpose of God. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature (St.Mark 16:15).

This is the commission we have today. The technology is in place and the comprehension of the message is real. All that is left is to obey. We, the truly manifested Sons of God must not forfeit our opportunity to glorify the Father. We must not be as those who talk a good game, but deliver nothing. Opportunities are being offered to us to utilize every bit of our influence, substance, resources and strengths to get this message to the masses. The Body of Christ will turn back to the heart of the Father. It will come to the unity of the faith and it will become blameless and perfected in love. The Father will have Himself a people who will obey and there are many of us who are committed to working God’s vision on the earth.

REFORM AND RENEWAL

The reformation of the Church begins with the reformed life of each of its members. The following text is what I consider to be the heart of the reformation message as it focuses on the life and mindset of the Sons of God.

Ephesians 4:11-13

11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:

How many more lessons, sermons, counseling sessions or conferences will it take to get you to embrace the knowledge of the Son of God that you have already received? At some point you must accept that there are others in the Body of Christ who are walking in the unity of the faith and presenting to the Father a perfected life. Just because you may not have accepted it as purpose for your life, does not mean that the reformation of the Body is on hold.

The Lord is going to have Himself a people. In fact, He does have a people who are living holy everyday. They have come to believe what the Word of God says about them and in doing so have taken on the mind of Christ. These Sons have probably not been made known to the Body or the world as yet, but you can believe that they soon will be. The time has for them to be exposed to the Church and the world. The Lord is now shooting them out of His quiver as fiery arrows into the darkness of this world.

Ephesians 4:14

14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

How is it possible for you who are so knowledgeable of the Word, to be deceived by the doctrines and cunning craftiness of men? It is time to face the truth. To be deceived regarding your walk in the Word is to lessen the evil that is in the sin you commit or the want that is in your heart. It is evil when there is something that stands between you and doing the will of the Father. You must cease to justify mindsets and dispositions that are clearly not the mind of Christ. Your own actions and emotions are the signs that you are not walking in the Spirit. The reality is that you have preferred to walk after the flesh. There is no way around the fact that walking in the Spirit is the dissolution of divers mindsets and the craftiness of men. Christ always walked in the wisdom of God. When you walk in the Spirit, you too, will walk in the same wisdom. The want for the things of this world will no longer exist and the love of God for His people will manifest without reservation.

Ephesians 4:15

15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:

Those who are called to lead must live the truth they speak. The manifestation of this is a walk of love. There is no learning Christ without walking in the love of Christ, which is within you. To reject the walk in the Spirit is to never achieve righteousness or purpose.

Ephesians 4:16-17

16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

17 This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind,

The New Creature was subjected to, or forced to remain in this fleshy body. This body has a mind and memory of the sins and pleasures it has experienced, but the New Man is created in Christ Jesus. The Word instructs us to put on the mind of Christ. Where do we put it on? When we walk in the Spirit the mind of Christ controls the flesh. Its power is greater than that of the fleshy mind and it is able to subdue all unlawful desires engendered in the flesh by wrong thinking. The mind of Christ experiences no controversy regarding obedience to the Father and His Word. To walk in the vanity of your natural mind (carnal mind) is to remain void of the life and love of Christ. You will not be able to manifest the love for mankind that is necessary to minister effectively to the Church or the world.

Ephesians 4:18

18 Having the understanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart:

To treasure what you want, think, or feel will alienate you from the life of God. If you hold your desires, feelings and thoughts so dear, you will simply refuse to relinquish them in exchange for the mind of Christ. It is amazing how you convince yourself of a sense of loss when these are to be forsaken. Remember, the carnal mind is enmity against God. Only the Spirit of God is able to subdue the mind of the flesh and bring it into submission to the will and way of God.

When you walk in the Spirit, the New Man is manifested. Otherwise, you will always be at war with the temptations of the flesh. If you have been trained in the truth, the fleshy mind has comprehended that training as well. It knows the Word but is often not able to resist temptation without the power of the Spirit. This is also where much deception appears. Many think that because they have made some right decisions concerning sin and lust, it is all right to operate within the confines of the fleshy mind. The fleshy mind is vulnerable to the desires of the members of flesh therefore it is imperative that it be exposed to the Holy Spirit for power and consistency.

Ephesians 4:19

19 Who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness with greediness.

Again, this is what happens when you try to operate without walking in the Spirit. Eventually there will be a giving over to that area of vulnerability. When this happens, don’t think the fleshy mind is going to war against itself with any degree of success. Instead, it will devise a plan that puts it in hot pursuit of the things it wants to accomplish. All of this drama and spiritual trauma can be avoided by simply maintaining your walk in the Spirit. By doing so, you are not vulnerable to mindsets or temptations that destroy your relationship with the Father. Christ has already overcome the world and you are an overcomer if you walk in Him.

Ephesians 4:20-24

20 But ye have not so learned Christ;

21 If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus:

22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;

23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;

24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.

It is the responsibility of the New Man to allow the mind of Christ to control the flesh. This is the choice you have to make. I can promise you that in doing so you will not experience a sense of loss. You will know contentment and the joy of obedience to the Word. The love of God will flow from you without stress or restraint. You will be happy walking in a power that can and will adequately resist temptation. Beloved, take hold of these truths, walk before our God and BE YE PERFECT.