REBELLION IN THE BODY

Hebrews 3:7-8

7. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice,

8. Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness:

If we discern the Body of Christ, then we will not sin against one another. I questioned the Lord as to what are the root causes of sin in the Body. I asked him with regard to those of us who have received truth for many years. His answer was the same today as it was thirty years ago. “Sin is the exaltation of one’s own will above that of the word of God. It is also rebellion against the Body.”

Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his…(2 Timothy 2:19)

The work the Father has done in establishing the Body of Christ is a sure work. The bottom line is that the Body of Christ is without variations. It is the “one new man” scripture prophesied it to be. What this means is that, regardless of what popular opinion is, the real church does exist and will be manifested to the world. The naysayers may indeed think there is no hope of the Body coming to the unity of the faith, however, you might want to consider that the whole church government was put in place by God to perfect the saints in the truth. Are we now so wise as to say the Lord’s efforts were fruitless in the past and are fruitless today? That the Lord who authored and formed the Church cannot see it through till the end? Consider this passage.

John 10:1-5

1. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.

2. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep.

3. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out.

4. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice.

5. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers.

I think Jesus is very clear about the identity and destiny of the church. Regardless of what things may seem to be, the sheep will hear the voice of the chief shepherd. However, the teaching here is that, those who minister to the sheep must do so in the Spirit; for to walk in the Spirit is to allow Jesus to minister to his own. Verse two declares that the real shepherds are those who enter into the sheepfold by the door. Well, the next two verses leave nothing to wonder about.

John 10:6-7

6. This parable spake Jesus unto them: but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them.

7. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep.

He, Jesus Christ, is the door into the sheepfold. Therefore, it must be those who are given over to the Spirit of Christ through agreement and obedience that have complete access to the sheep with the power of the Godhead. Remember, the excellency of the power is of God. They will speak with the voice of the chief shepherd and the sheep will know their Lord and will follow after him. This is the destiny of the real church. It will rise out of the ashes of chaos and take form as the true Body of Christ.

2 Timothy 2:19-21

19. Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.

The sheep will not be saints who live a lifestyle of sin and iniquity. They will submit to the word of the Master and depart from iniquity. They will fulfill the meaning of the term ‘Christian’.

20. But in a great house there are not only vessels of gold and of silver, but also of wood and of earth; and some to honour, and some to dishonour.

21. If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.

In the Body of Christ, there are vessels of dishonor. What do you suppose is the destiny of such a vessel? These vessels of dishonor oftentimes challenge the word of God. They are not content with the truth, therefore, they look into other doctrines and religious activities to label as the worship and work of God. This is open rebellion against God and the Body of Christ. I could cite many examples of such treason, but there is one that has a direct bearing on this lesson.

I want to talk about the ways we entreat one another under the guise of “that’s just me,” with the intent that everyone else is to accept whatever negative disposition we protrude, on any given day of the week. Often times we excuse ourselves by saying, “I’m just having a bad day”. I know that was my excuse. But God rebuked me. Where do you read in the scriptures where any of his people were rude and unkind to one another, simply because they were being persecuted, slaughtered and running for their lives? If they had to maintain the disposition of Christ in their situations, then who are we to be given a pass? If the commandment is to love our enemies, then surely we ought to be able to love one another. For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. (1 Samuel 15:23)

One aspect of witchcraft is the act of seeking knowledge from an ungodly demonic source. It seeks to eliminate God as the Supreme Being and chooses to worship another. One who dabbles in witchcraft enters into covenant relationship with the devil and God is despised. When we refuse to allow Christ to live His life in our flesh, it is because he is despised in our eyes. His way is not our way and His disposition is not ours. Therefore, we deny him. Oh, but we don’t really feel condemned by such actions because we only operate that way occasionally.

You may not see this as rebellion against Christ and his Body, but in light of the commandments given to the church, it is a coup d’état, or hostile takeover. We usurp authority over the flesh and do as we please; without even a thought as to how our ways affect others. We say things in a spirit that we know will hurt the feelings of others. But that’s alright, because that is how I feel. Beloved, it is so sad when we are committed to the worship of our own feelings, without the least bit of feeling for the infirmity of others. One of those infirmities might be a weak conscience that is unable to process and understand the actions of those they look to for guidance.

There was a time when I wanted to run away from my own ministry. I felt as if no one really cared about me, they just wanted me to teach. I was so wrapped up in my feelings until I became very depressed. But God spoke to me and said, “The gift I gave you to teach is the reason they love you. Do you have any better reason to be loved?” I was so ashamed of myself. Yes, it was ‘self’ that I had exalted above the knowledge of God. You may have great revelations and able to preach like Paul, but until you walk in love, you have nothing. It is a great deception when you think your way will pass the scrutiny of righteousness. Our ways are vain and unprofitable. Our emotions are idols that are to be shattered in the judgment. Our stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry. We fight to hold on to our ways and demand worship or submission to the same. In this we oppose ourselves and walk in the snare of the enemy who leads us captive again, at his will. It is time to end the war. It’s too frustrating. It takes too much energy. It is too risky. Our souls are at stake. Let us resolve to stop opposing ourselves. End the rebellion against Christ and the Body to which we belong. We are not walking in the Spirit until we can truly feel the infirmity of others. That is when we will obey the second commandment, “love thy neighbor as thyself.”