Christ Our New Nature

Ron

Nothing works, if it's not centered in the Lord, if the Lord's not the center of it, nothing works.

Ken

That's so true.

Ron

This whole thing about Christ coming forth within us, what we're becoming is everything, to the kingdom, to the Lord, to the earth. Because on a human level, we always get the cart before the horse. We always try to, well, let's get together and be one, or let's save the world. And they're all good things. And the problem with it is, if there's not the God relationship, if the Lord's not in the center of it in relationship, He doesn't bless it. He's not in it. And so, it's very, very deceptive, because it can look like, let's get all the churches together, and we're going to be one. But without the Lord in the center of it, well, it's Babel. Look at the city of Babel, these people were one. And even God said, whatever they choose to do, will not be impossible to them. Now, on a human level, or even a Christian level, you go, that's awesome. But God came down and confused their language, totally dispersed them. Because there was no relationship with Him, they were bypassing Him. And all this other stuff is a byproduct of Christ coming forth in us.

Dale

If you were to ask the people of some churches, what is the most important thing you do? They would answer winning souls, doing missionary work. But actually, our greatest concern should be to give God what He wants, that worship and praise, and second, to become the witnesses to the ends of the earth. Let us put the most important thing first, to be worshipers of the Lord, and to love Him with all our hearts and soul.

Ron

You worship the Lord your God with all of your heart, your mind, your soul and your strength. Problem with that is, you can't do that without transformation of nature.

Ken

Really all about the new nature. It's about Christ coming forth, in us. Anything less than that, is an attempt to try, make an image of or teach. And it's more than being taught, it's, it's becoming. It's becoming who He is.

Dale

We are born from above. We are born from above. Everything that is in us is from above. I have an inheritance. If I have an inheritance, that means I'm in the lineage of somebody who has something very precious they want to give to me. I have a lineage, I have an inheritance. Because I'm born from above, everything within me is created above and placed within me. How can I be anything less than pleasing to my Father?

Ron

Your spirit is born from above, you have an experience, and your spirit comes alive to Christ, to God ,to the Father. Okay, that's a step. And from that step, you go through many, many things. You've been a soulish person, or a physical person, whichever dominated and now that's starting to change. And slowly but surely, the Spirit begins to dominate the soul and the physical, trying to get the triangle correct, with the spirit dominant. As your spirit becomes dominant, then I believe what begins to happen is your spirit begins to minister to your soul, begins to minister to your body, in a sense that Christ begins to because it's His temple. And so, He begins to minister to that. And I think the next step is, you're supposed to be made complete spirit, soul and body - totally complete in Christ. How is that going to happen? Well, it starts with your spirit. But then it begins, as your spirit has domination over your being, it begins to minister to your soul. And your thinking begins to change and your emotions begin to change, and your decisions begin to change. The soul is being changed by Christ in you, it's being changed. And so, your thinking is changing. Where did that come from? Christ in you is beginning to change your mind, your emotions, your decisions, and that's going to obviously affect your physical being.

Ken

Paul, the apostles made a statement that I think is very appropriate right here. He must increase; I must decrease. I think that that is a continual reaching in, in that relationship with God, to be everything He's called us to be. Again, it goes back to the word “be”. If we're continually laying down an old way of life, and reaching into the newness of life. It's really all about the new nature. I want his new nature, I want His nature to take over my nature. And I think that's the increase of Christ in me.

Jim

“But for you who revere My name,” this is God speaking. The sun that's "S U N" “the Sun of Righteousness will rise with healing and its rays and you,” each one of us ,”will go out and frolic, like well fed calves.”

Ron

This whole thing, it's all about Christ coming forth in us every day. What do you say, Ken, he increases and we decrease?

Ken

Right? I must decrease; He must increase. It's a matter of our connection with Him. That has to be where it starts. Because I don't have anything that's special in myself, what I have I have from Him that enables me to be anything in the body of Christ