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8-16-2020 weekly message

Meditation of the week: Psalms 91:1-16

Text: Ephesians 1:1-3

Title: Spiritual blessing for the saints in the life in flesh who are sitting with Christ in heavenly places

          Apostle Paul testifies of spiritual blessings for the saints in Ephesus and also to all faithful saints in Christ Jesus. They are living on the earth in the flesh. They also need the things to eat and drink as other people. Therefore, most people in the world are not be able to win the competition for survival unless they live for  the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.

          Apostle Paul speaks of Christians who are faithful in Christ Jesus who were also born as natural men before, bur now believe in Jesus Christ to be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, and entered the kingdom of God in Christ Jesus, and now are walking with God.

         Unfortunately, most of the Christians living in the end times are used to go to church every Sunday, and are engaged in the ritual practice such as worship service. Bit they have not repented to God all in their heart, and not received the remission of sins, and failed to receive the Holy Spirit. Unfortunately, most of them failed to enter the spiritual  kingdom of God just following material blessing in the world , and they are going to end their life miserably like non Christians.  They never understand of the spiritual blessing just living as dog and pig. Their shape  are seen like men, but not real men according to the scriptures.  :

” Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish.… Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish..” (Psalm 49:12, 20)

        The first reason for the fall of the Christian socoety is for the false servants of God never called by God to his ministry according to the will of God. They became the servants of God just for living calling themselves as the servants of God. They went to seminary just to be ordained as pastors. They are spiritually blinded, and just make their followers as  spiritually blinded as themselves to make them also blinded for the spiritual blessing. In the society of Buddhism, they also graduate from Buddhist seminary, and receive flower bouquet  and become  Thatcher monks exact same practice is happening  in the graduation ceremony of Christian seminary. .

Apostle Paul warned to pastor Timothy foreseeing of the corruption in the future Christian society:

” Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.” (1 Tim. 6:5).

           Of  “gain”, nowadays wealthy Christians  are generally considered as good Christians in faith and godliness. Most churches are willing to elect their elders who have good wealth expecting good offering to increase financial resource for expanding church building. These people regardless of pastors and church members are doing ritual activities are going to fall into the pit in hell. Those pastors who have not been called by the will of  God are managing the church for their business. They are ready to close the door of the church whenever they are not able to run the church financially . Jesus said clearly about such kinds of  people:

” Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.” (Matthew 15:14).

          Apostle Paul clearly testified of his calling from God to the ministry of God :

“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus:” (Ephesians 1:1)

         The word of God testifies of the fact that he was called by the will of God:

“And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven:

4And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

5And he said, Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

6And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do.‘” (Acts 9:3-6)

        Jesus, who called Saul (before he became Paul), appeared in a vision to a disciple named Ananias and told him that he had called Saul:

” Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel:

16For I will shew him how great things he must suffer for my name’s sake..”  (Acts 9:15-16)

          Saul, who was called by God, became Paul and suffered tremendous suffering while preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ, but he became a martyr as a sacrifice for the Lord Jesus with joy while preaching the gospel to the end, and  looking at the day of Jesus Christ and His kingdom. In his letter to the saints in the midst of extreme suffering, he testifies of how peaceful he enjoys spiritual blessings in the Holy Spirit:

“Finally, brethren, farewell. Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God of love and peace shall be with you. ” (2 Corinthians 13:11).

         In his letter to the members of the Corinthian church, he bears witness to the spiritual blessings he enjoyed:

” Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ’s sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong..” (2 Corinthians 12:10)

        Speaking of the source of  the spiritual blessings he enjoyed came from, he prayed for the same spiritual blessings to come upon all faithful saints:

” Grace be to you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ..”(Eph. 1:2)

         Apostle Paul prayed for the grace that God the Father constantly gave over the grace that they received when they believed in Jesus Christ, and for the peace that is beyond death from the Lord Jesus Christ, who overcame sin and death, and rose again through the Holy Spirit in His kingdom. After resurrection, Jesus appeared to his disciples who were shutting the door in fear and said:

” Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. “(John 20:19)

        Finally, Apostle Paul testified in detail where the spiritual blessings he received came from:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ:” (Ephesians 1:3).

         The spiritual blessing he speaks of is a testimony to the fact that not only himself but also all faithful Christians who have received the Holy Spirit and entered the kingdom of God. He once again testified of this surprising fact:

“   But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,

5Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)

6And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:

7That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.” (Ephesians 2:4-7).

         God has given us such wonderful spiritual blessings. In other words, the spirits of those who have been regenerated by the Holy Spirit are already sitting together spiritually with Christ Jesus in the heavenly places in heaven. It is a fact that everyone who has received this spiritual blessing sympathize with one to another. The body and the saved soul still live on the earth, but the spirit is already in heaven like heavenly places. As Apostle Paul testified about the spiritual kingdom of God, “the kingdom of God is not matter of meat and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14 :17) can be enjoyed beyond the environment.

         The joy of singing hymns while being burned to death due to the persecution of Roman emperor Nero, and the joy of praising God while being burned by Roman Catholics in the dark  Middle Ages are spiritually blessed and their spirits have already risen sitting with Jesus Christ in heaven. Christian history is, in a word, a bloody footstep. However, sincere Christians were able to praise God as they departed for their spiritual hometown not sparing corruptible body.

          The people of the world who are living in the flesh including carnal Christians do not understand the spiritual blessings enjoying  forever with their spirit in heaven, just they are piling up only things that will perish, and they do not see the Lord Jesus Christ and God the Father in heaven forever, in the dark hell forever and ever.

         Christians who have been born again by the Holy Spirit and whose spirit is already sitting with the Lord Jesus Christ in heavenly places are already in the door of the rapture. Sooner or later the Lord Jesus Christ opens the door of heaven and we hear the sound of a trumpet, and their bodies become immortal and incorruptible as glorious bodies.  With their glorious bodies, the blessings of the new body that they did not enjoy on the earth , in heaven, they shall enjoy it forever and ever. Therefore, Apostle Paul exhorted the Saints awaiting the rapture:

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. ” (1 Corinthians 15:58)

          The blessings of  Jesus to the Saints of the Philadelphia Church are spiritual blessings from our Heavenly Father and the Lord Jesus Christ:

“I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.…..
Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. ” (Rev. 3:8, 10) Amen! Hallelujah!