Spiritual Government – Pt. 3

Wayne Matthews

February 15, 2014

Welcome to this particular 7th Day Sabbath, brethren.

The title of today's sermon is Spiritual Government, and this will be Part 3.

In Part 1 and 2 of Spiritual Government, we established that all of mankind's ways of governing are from human reasoning and are not based on God's word. God's way of government is based on God's spirit. God's government is one of being from the top down and it is based or motivated on love. Because God's government is based on love, mankind cannot, therefore, achieve or live God's way to the benefit of others.

To live God's way of government requires God's holy spirit; therefore, mankind cannot live God's ways to others. There is only one Church that has God's way of government in it and that is God's true Church, the Church of God – PKG. The reason is because this is where God is, where God is working.

We have looked at what Lucifer decided, what he chose to do. He chose to rebel, lift himself up against God. He chose, along with a third of the angels, not to yield, not to remain under the very government of God. The purpose of this last sermon is to explore what it really means to be “under the government of God.”

The Church is the place where God dwells. God dwells in His people. The Church is where God works. Those works are the works of converting others to God's way of thinking. So “the works” are called “conversion.” And that's what God is doing in His Church at this time. He is undertaking a process of conversion in the minds, in the thinking of those He has called out of this world.

God teaches those He calls through and by His ministry. We will pick up the sermon series again here in Ephesians 4, as it covers the spiritual structure of God's Church and why it was established this way. If you'd like to turn to Ephesians 4:1 – I, Paul, therefore, the prisoner, and that is “captive in bonds” of the Lord, of Christ, beseech, encourage, you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called. Now, this is to “walk worthy,” which is “to walk worthy or in a worthy manner.” So it's the way we walk that is important, the way we live our lives. We have been invited, called, by God the Father into a relationship with Him, therefore, because of that calling we are to walk in unity of spirit, and “to walk worthy” is to be in unity, to walk in the truth.

Verse 2, which continues on.... Now, how should we live our life now that we have been called? So verse 2 says, with all lowliness. Now, this “lowliness” is an attitude we have to choose. We have to be powered by God's spirit, but then there is a choice that comes into it, to know we are not better than anyone else, which is to walk in humility ...and in gentleness. So with this calling we have been called to walk in a lowly way of thinking – in other words, we don't think we're better than anybody else. We walk in humility and gentleness. Well, “gentleness” is about a spirit or an attitude we hold towards others. So we have this gentle approach to the way we view others and the way we treat others. So it's a spiritual matter because it comes from our spirit and it's an attitude or the way we think towards others ...with longsuffering. Well, “longsuffering” is, of course, patience and endurance. So we understand who we are, and if we understand who we really are, what we're really like, we can then walk with longsuffering, bearing with one another. So in other words, too, we hold others up... we hold others up. We hold others in higher esteem than ourselves in, by, love, by the power of God's holy spirit. That's the only way that we can view others as better than ourselves, the only way that we can esteem others better than ourselves, and the only way that we can walk with lowliness, gentleness, longsuffering, bearing with one another – in other words, holding others up – in love, which is the power of God's holy spirit.

We are to spiritually support one another in an attitude of humility by loving each other. Now, to love each other requires the gift of God's holy spirit, and it all comes down to the way we think towards others, the way we think about ourselves, and the way we think about others.

To love each other is to sacrifice the self so as to benefit the other person. To love each other means to sacrifice the self to benefit others. We must support all of God's people. Now, it doesn't matter if it's those who are ordained or those that are members of the Body of Christ, we are to support them on a spiritual level by having God's spirit living and dwelling in us and thinking correctly towards them – in other words, not thinking any ill will to them.

We must strive to remain under all binding and loosening decisions made by God's Church. Now, this is the key principle of being under government. We are to strive to remain under all binding and loosening decisions made by God's Church. Now, that is the main point of this sermon series, which is about striving to remain under because there are going to be things that happen within God's Church where we will have wrong thinking about it, and we will have this tendency because of what we are, the natural carnal mind that will automatically raise itself up against a decision made by God's Church. The challenge is to pull that, bring it into captivity, bring it back, restrain it, to think the way that God thinks about the matter, which is what is bound on earth is bound in heaven, what is loosened on the earth is loosened in heaven. In other words, the decision on an administrative level is a binding decision on God's people, on God's Church.

Verse 3 ...endeavoring, and that word “endeavoring” is “to labor, to exert one's self, endeavor to give diligence.” So it's just not something that is going to be an automatic robotic response. It's going to take labor. It's going to take an exertion of one's self, which is about the way we think, and we're going to have to give diligence. We're going to have to be on guard about the way we think. So, endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond of peace. Now, the only way to have peace is to have unity of the spirit because it's the way we think. So if we all were to think the same way about a matter – if everybody thought exactly the same way about a matter – using God's spirit, powered by God's spirit, it will produce peace. Unity to share the same purpose, have the same mind, the same thinking, is about an attitude or spirit that we choose. We have to choose to remain in unity with God and with His Church. There is a choice involved. Because we all will have this thought process which will be one of questioning or necessarily having an opinion or a view of a matter. We're not all just robots, and therefore, automatically press a button and everyone is going to be in agreement. No, it takes work, it takes endeavoring, it takes labour. We have to exert ourselves, we have to give diligence, we have to be on guard about our thinking to bring our thoughts into captivity so that we don't raise ourselves up against God's Church, which is raising ourselves up against God.

We have to choose to remain in unity with God and with His Church. And that's the point. We have to choose this way of thinking. Unity is the foundation of peace. Without unity there is no peace! Unity and peace are what God's spirit will produce. Division, discord, and war come from the natural carnal mind. These are the ways of Satan. These are the ways of demonic thinking. So if we cannot bring ourselves with some effort into unity with God's Church what will be the outcome of this disunity? Well, we're going to cause division. There will be discord, and the word “discord” is interesting because it goes back to music. There is a melody or a sound, but if you hit the wrong chord it doesn't fit into the song. It's like a wrong chord that is played during a melody. Well, it just doesn't fit, and therefore, there will be this discord. It won't fit and there will be war coming out of the natural carnal mind. Well, what is war? Well, it's about ill will. We will have the wrong thinking towards God's people, we will have the wrong thinking towards God's government, and we'll have the wrong thinking, therefore, towards God.

If we speak against God's people, we in fact speak against God. If we speak against God's ministry, we in fact speak against God, Himself.

If you'd like to hold your place there we will now look at a spiritual principle that applies to us today, and this is about whether or not we are under government, whether we are yielding to government or not. And just viewing this last lot of statements about when we raise ourselves up against God's people through gossip or whatever we say, or whether we speak against the ministry or administrative decisions, things that are bound, we then have a problem. And that comes from a spiritual principle that we can see in Exodus 16. So hold your place where we are, and if you'd like to turn to Exodus 16:1. And of course, this is, the Israelites had left (or the mixed multitude because there were some Egyptians there as well, and they had left Egypt). God had brought them out using Moses and Aaron and had led them into the wilderness. And now we're going to come into an area where God is going to begin to reveal to the Israelites on a physical level – they're spiritual things but they're going to be revealed on a physical level – and giving them instruction and direction, and therefore, because of this instruction and direction, they're going to have to make a decision. It's about the choice that they're going to make, what attitude will they have towards what God is revealing.

Exodus 16:1 – And they journeyed from Elim, which is “a place of strength,” and all the congregation of the children of Israel came to the Wilderness of Sin, which is “a place of clay,” which is between Elim and Sinai. So now they're in Arabia, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they departed from the land of Egypt. So it's one month after the exodus, which took place on the very evening of the First Day of Unleavened Bread. So it's one month later.

Verse 2 – Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. So this word “complained” is “to lodge a complaint, to grumble, complain or murmur.” Now, this very thing can happen to us, brethren. We can choose this attitude if we don't check our thinking. Now, this is the same attitude we can choose – because it is a choice. We can fight it or we can run with it. We can choose to complain, grumble, murmur against a decision made by God's Church, an administrative decision. Well, we then have a choice. And that's what makeup was about. That's what binding and loosening is all about. It's about what decision will we make? And God uses this, these administrative decisions, to test our spirit. What will we do? Will we lodge a complaint against God? Will we grumble against God? Will we complain? Will we murmur against God because of a decision that God has allowed to be placed in His Church? And many of those decisions are made for the purpose of refining, testing to see what attitude we will choose.

We could think, "Now, how could they complain" – the Israelites – "after all they had witnessed during the last couple of months from the plagues that were all poured out, from the time actually God intervened and actually destroyed the firstborn, to the crossing of the Red Sea? How could they, after this period of time and witnessing all of this, seeing it all, how could they now turn against Moses and Aaron on this matter?" How could we, brethren (which is more importantly, this is what it's about, it's about us), how could we complain about anything that God's Church does on an administrative level after all we have witnessed over the last 15 years, from the reestablishment of God's true Church in 1998 (on Pentecost of 1998), until today, to this very day? After the last 36 truths God has placed into His Church? How could we murmur against God after He called us or awakened us? But guess what? That is our human potential! And why does it happen? Because we go back to the selfishness that lies within us, the natural carnal mind.

So the natural carnal mind by design has this tendency to desire to complain and complain because it's not comfortable. And the main reason it complains is it does not agree with the decision because it thinks it knows better. Now, that's natural, and we all have that tendency. The worst thing that we could do, brethren, right now, would be to deny this very fact, that we have this human potential to complain, to grumble, to murmur. Now, if we deny that we have that potential we are indeed spiritually walking on very, very dangerous ground because we don't see ourselves, we don't see our human nature. We all, every single human other than Jesus Christ, has the very same capacity as what the Israelites did using their natural carnal mind. Well, we have the same. The more dangerous part of it is for us because now we are under judgement. We are under judgement if we have God's spirit living and dwelling in us. We are under judgement because we know better, we know the truth, we know about our natural carnal mind, we know that we should fight these thoughts when we rise up against God's decisions administrative in the Church. We should be careful.

Verse 3 – And the children of Israel said to them, Oh, that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of the meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you, Moses and Aaron, have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger. Now, this is about the natural carnal mind looking back and thinking, believing “it was better back then.” Well, that's the natural tendency of human minds, we don't deal with reality. The reality is they were in slavery, they were being punished, they were asked to make their own straw to make their own bricks, you know, to collect it themselves. They were in bondage, they were in captivity, they were in slavery to the Egyptians, and yet they were looking back now because things were not going the way they wanted. It was a little bit uncomfortable, and therefore, the natural tendency is to look back and believe and think and convince the self to deceive the self that things were better back then. Well, we have this same potential. We can look back and believe that things were better in the Worldwide Church of God. We can think that things were better after the Apostasy. We can look back and think, "Well, we had this, we had these ‘pots of meat,’ and we had ‘bread to eat to the full!'" Well, that's not true! That is self-deception because what God has placed into the Church, these 36 truths on top of the 21 that He had placed in the Church, (the 3 from Sardis and the 18 during Philadelphia), since then He has added 36 truths. Now, why would we look back at the 21 and believe we were “rich and increased with goods”? Doesn't that sound familiar? “Rich and increased with goods,” you know, “the pots of meat,” and “we had all this bread to the full.” No, we didn't. We were spiritually naive in many things, spiritually naive, because God had not revealed it all to us.

Since then God has given us to the full. We have this attitude now. We can have it and start to look back and start to complain about where God, through Jesus Christ, has led His Church to this very point in time. Because of 2012, because of 2013, maybe we could develop the wrong attitude and begin to complain about what God is doing, grumble about what God is doing, and to murmur against God's servants, the ministry, which is murmuring against God because what God is achieving in His Church. In other words, we've lost our way on a spiritual level if we do this sort of thing. We have chosen a wrong path on a spiritual level. We can have this attitude of "It was better back there!" They were focusing on the physical at that point in time, and that's where we can go wrong, brethren. If we start to think about the physical, that "It was much better back in 2007, 2006! Much better on a physical level than it is today for us," we will lose our focus because we're counting the wrong thing. We're looking at the wrong thing. We're looking at the physical. We are so much better off! We are so much better off on a spiritual level than we were in 2007 and in 2008. We have been increased with great spiritual wealth and understanding and wisdom! And because of 2012 and because of 2013, we are so much stronger as a people because of God's holy spirit and what He has done in working to refine us, to develop us. Amazing, if we can grasp it!

We could have an attitude of "It was better before we were called into the truth!" Well, if we ever have that thinking, brethren, we are truly deceived. We have deceived ourselves and we're just like the Israelites looking back at the physical and we have forgotten the spiritual.

Now God has re-established the 7th Day Sabbath for the people and He's going to reveal it to them to show them how they are to note and to mark this particular time, which is the 7th Day Sabbath. Verse 4 – Then the LORD said to Moses, Behold I will rain bread from heaven for you, so this is the purpose of it, and the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them. So here it is, this is about a level of testing, whether they will walk in My law or not. So this is the test. It's the same today. The 7th Day Sabbath is a test. What will we do and how will we do it?

Now, this word here, “My law,” is actually “instructions or directions.” So here is God going to test them through giving them the knowledge and the understanding of the matter, and when they were to take so much and when they were not to go out and pick the manna. So, this is a test. Well, we face these tests today. The test is: Will they live God's instructions and directions? We can look at that, brethren. Will we live the instructions and directions given by God's Church? Will we? Well, it's our choice. Will we live in obedience or not? Will we remain under God's government in the Church, or not? Will we submit, yield to the authority of God in the Church? Well, these are questions because we look back at these things on a physical level and we look back at the Israelites and say, "Well, how did they do it?" Well, brethren, we can be worse off, much worse off than the physical Israelites. We are the spiritual Israel of God today—that's what we are. We are spiritual Israel so our decisions have greater impact because they are based on God's spirit, whether we choose to submit or yield to God's spirit in our life or not.

This is a true test of God's people today. Not physical manna but spiritual manna. The truth is the spiritual manna.

The last part of verse 4 ...that I, God, may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. It is God's testing. It is God that tests the spirits, the attitudes we choose to have. God does it. He tests to see what we'll do, what will we think, what will we do? What will we do? Will we walk in the truth? Will we establish a wrong attitude? Will we establish an attitude of "The way I see it..." or "The way that seems right to me..." So, when an administrative decision of God's Church comes down, we have these thoughts. They are natural thoughts. That's the point! They're natural thoughts; they're not of God. They're natural thoughts! But that's the way we're built. We often ask, "Why?" But from that point we then have to make it a decision. We have to choose one way even though we don't know why, even though we may not have the knowledge or the understanding on a spiritual level of the decision, of the administrative decision, we should never choose this attitude of "The way I see it..." and let alone express it to anybody else, "The way that seems right to me..." In other words, become with disagreement with God.

We may think, "What has this re-establishment of the Sabbath got to do with spiritual government?" The answer is, "Everything about it is about the choice of submitting or yielding to God." Because it is a spiritual principle. If we submit our will to God's spiritual law we are submitting (yielding), placing ourselves under His spiritual government in our life. And that's what the point of the matter is. It is about a choice, whether or not we will yield or submit or place ourselves under God's spiritual government in our life, His laws, His instructions that He gives to us through the Church.

Exodus 16:5 – And it shall be on the sixth day, which is the Friday, and we call it today, Friday, that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be twice as much as they gather daily. So on this Friday, which is the preparation day, they were to collect twice so there was a lot for the 7th Day Sabbath.

Verse 6 – Then Moses and Aaron said to all the children of Israel, At evening you shall know that the LORD has brought you out of the land of Egypt. Well brethren, this is for us on a spiritual level. We should know that God has brought us out of Egypt, out of spiritual bondage. Now, how can we know that? Well, if you just look back at ourselves and what we were, surely, surely we can see what we were like before we were called. Surely we can see our selfishness and our pride, what we were like. We were in spiritual bondage. We couldn't see the truth, we couldn't know the truth, because you can't achieve any of those things without a calling from God, and it's all done by the power of God's holy spirit.

So how is it that we can see these things? Well, by the spiritual food He has provided us, which is the truth. God has provided us truth – of where God is and where God is working. So the evidence has been given to us. We should be able to see, brethren, that this is God's true Church, and we should see where God is working. Where is God working? God is working in His people, and that applies to us as individuals. God is working in me. God is working with me. I see it. I see what I was like when I was 29. I shudder when I think about it, but I see. I see what I was like at 31, 32, 33, when I was first called into God's Church. I see what I was. I was using 99.9% of my natural carnal mind at that point. I had knowledge but I wasn't living it. Now I see more about myself and now I realize what the fight really is. The fight is against myself.

So we should prove it to ourselves. We should see within ourselves where God is working. God is working in you and with you to transform the way you are, the way I am. He is working to transform us! That is the purpose of the Church, to transform us, the called out ones, the Body of Christ, into Elohim. It's a wonderful process when we understand it.

We can see that we have been brought out of the land of Egypt and we know it! We know it! Isn't that amazing to know? We know this very truth! We know it because we've lived it! We have lived it, we have been brought out of the bondage of a way of thinking.

Verse 7 – And in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD; for He hears your complaints against the LORD. But what are we, that you complain against us? So now it's saying, Moses is saying here, "God will hear your complaints against Him." Now, this would have probably shocked the people, as they probably didn't really realize that they were complaining against God. But when you complain against one of God's servants you complain against God. And then Moses says, "Well, who are we that you would complain against us?" So if anyone has a complaint against the ministry, the ministry would turn around and say, "Well, who are we? Who are we that you would complain against us?" Because? "We didn't choose this role! God appointed us to this role of service!" And that's the matter. So who are we? We are nobody! Who are we? Who are any of us? Well, we're “nobodies” until we're called, and then we're “somebody” because the value we have is because God is working with us to change us, to change our thinking, to convert us. That's our value. So who are we? Well, we're members of the Body of Christ and we only have our value because God's spirit lives and dwells in us. So we should never complain against anyone within God's Church. We should never complain against anybody! Anybody! Because we don't know what we're doing! If we raise ourselves up and complain against anybody, what are we doing? We're complaining against God! Because the person had to choose to respond to a calling, but they never just chose it in the sense of having a relationship with God. God had to first draw them and call them, then they had to make a choice to respond. So who are we? Well, we're nobody without God. Without God we are nobody. Therefore, we should never, ever raise ourselves up to complain against anybody...anybody within the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

One of the points that comes out of this particular scripture is that nothing is hidden from God. Physical minded people that struggle and complain against God's Church? They don't know what they're doing because they don't comprehend the fact that when they complain against God's Church, they're complaining against God. Finding fault with any of the ministry or any of the brethren or working against the Church ruling or a Church ruling (something that is bound by the Church, an administrative decision), is the same as working against or finding fault with God Himself. Because it's Him that does the works in the Church.

The spiritual principles here are (and there are two of them)... the first one is, if we do complain against any of the brethren, it's the same as having done it against Christ: "If you do it to one of the least of these, My brethren, you have done it to Christ." It's the same thing. Matthew 25. So let's look at this first spiritual principle about murmuring and complaining, and it's Matthew 25. (Hold your place there; we're holding two places here.)

Matthew 25:43, which is just covering this spiritual principle – I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, and this is Christ speaking, sick and I was in prison and you did not visit Me.

Verse 44 – Then they also will answer Him, saying, Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You? Because to them, they would see somebody else in these positions and they wouldn't do anything about it. Well, Christ is actually saying here, well, it was Him that was there and you did nothing! And they're saying, "Well, if we'd known it was You, we would have done it! We didn't see You there, because if we'd seen You there we'd have done something."  Then He will answer and say, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me. Because? They failed to love. So we can't be respecter of persons and choose who we decide to love. And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into life eternal, eternal life, or everlasting life. So the principle there is, "I say to you, insomuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these," and it's talking about the brethren, "you did not do it to Me." Well, that's about not doing something, but it's the same spiritual principle: "If you did do it to one of these, you did it to Me."

So if we do speak evil of a member of the Body of Christ, it's the same as doing it to Christ! It's the same spiritual principle we can apply to positive and negative. So we can serve the brethren, we're serving Christ. We can criticize and pull down the brethren, we're the same as criticizing and pulling down Christ.

The other principle, the second principle that we're going to look at now, is in Romans 2, and this principle is, "Don't judge with condemnation another man's servant."

Romans 2:1 – And the heading here is “God's Righteous Judgement.” Because we have to make judgements, but it's about judging with condemnation; in other words, self-righteousness, raising ourselves up and condemning and putting somebody else down.

Romans 2:1 – Therefore you are inexcusable, and that is “without defense.” We cannot table an excuse, we cannot justify this action, so it's inexcusable. You know, we can't justify it. O man, whoever you are who judge, now, that word there is “to judge with condemnation,” which is “to criticize or to pull down,” for in whatever you judge another, so if we judge somebody harshly with condemnation, looking down on them to belittle them, you condemn yourself. So this comes back on to what we are doing. We condemn ourselves because we are raising ourselves up to think we are better; therefore, we condemn ourselves, for you who judge practice the same thing. So whatever we're judging someone else with, and accusing them of doing, we've done exactly the same thing. If we judge hardly or harshly, well, that's what we're doing. We’re practicing exactly the same thing as what we're judging somebody else as doing. We do the same thing, we practice it. In other words, we do it. If we judge with condemnation we are in fact placing ourselves as God because we're now becoming “the judge.” If we judge with condemnation we are in fact hypocrites because we by nature do what we accuse others of.

Now, there is nothing, brethren, that we have not done that others will do. And there is nothing that they have done that we won't do! Because if we know our natural carnal mind, and if we understand the 10 Commandments in spirit and truth, anything that we could look down on another and accuse them of, no matter what it is, we have done it. We may not see that we've done it, but in spirit we have done it. We have done it in spirit. It's an attitude that we have chosen. Whether it's an idol...we may accuse somebody with condemnation saying that their idol is work – let's just say that for an example – and yet we've done exactly the same. We, at some point, have placed something before God. It may not be work, but there is something that we have placed before God. So we can accuse somebody else of having an idol, saying, "Well, you're working 18 hours a day, therefore, your idol is your work." Well, we should be very careful because what? We condemn ourselves because we have placed an idol before God because the natural carnal mind does and we all have it. And what's the biggest idol? Ourselves! We have placed ourselves, we have pleased ourselves before pleasing God. So how could we ever judge with condemnation, anybody? We shouldn't!

Romans 14:4 – Who are you to judge another's servant? Well, that's a very good question. Who are you? Who am I? Who are we that we would judge another's servant? Because every member of the Body is a servant of God. So why would we then judge with condemnation “another man's servant”? Because the brethren don't work for us, they don't owe us anything; they work for Jesus Christ. That is their highest priority, God and Jesus Christ. So they work for God, they work for Christ, they are God's servants, so who are we to hold them or judge them with condemnation? Who are you to judge another man's servant? To his own master, God and Christ, he stands or falls. So it's not our place to judge another man's servant ever – in the world or in God's Church – because it's not our role. It's not our position. We are not the judge; God is the judge. Indeed, he will be made to stand, for God is able to make him stand. So God achieves His will and purpose in His people. God can and will make us stand because it's God that does the works.

If we judge with condemnation, we belittle, we pull down, we in fact actually speak against God. We question God's judgement – His judgement in calling the person and working with them – we start to challenge God. We make ourselves better than God in our thinking because we've lifted ourselves up in the place of God and now we're making judgements with condemnation when we have no authority, no right. Because? We ourselves practice exactly the same things. We sin. We practice sin just like the person we may be judging or condemning. We're as guilty! We've got the bigger plank in the eye – a great big one sticking right out!

We may think, "I would never think that I am better than God. I would never question God or His decisions." If we have ever judged with condemnation any of the brethren, if we have ever questioned an ordination and gone beyond the "Why?" in our thinking (we haven't disciplined it), we have committed this sin of pride. We have lifted ourselves up to judge with condemnation.

James 4:11; we're just covering these two spiritual principles because if they are burned into our brain and we choose to understand them with the power of God's holy spirit we'll be more on guard to watch our thinking and watch our judgements.

James 4:11 – Do not speak evil, and that is “against by pulling down” one another. So verse 11 is, Do not speak evil of one another, brethren. So let's not do this. And we've been through the reasons why. For he who speaks evil of a brother, and judges his brother, speaks evil of the law and judges the law. And that is anything that has been established by God because the law is anything spoken or written by God in its spiritual intent. But if you judge the law, if you judge anything written or spoken or established by God, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. "You are not a doer of the law," these things that God has established, "but a judge." We're starting to judge. We're starting to criticize.

To criticize an ordination or a person, a member of the Body of Christ, is to speak against God. And that is the principle, that any time that we raise ourselves up we're actually raising ourselves up against God. Now, that should bring us into check. That should bring our spirit into check, to bring it on guard, to be very careful of the attitude that we choose to have about ordinations or things that are made in the way of administrative decisions, the binding and loosening that takes place in God's Church. Because this is what it's all about. This is about spiritual government. It's about God's spirit governing our lives, and then we have the choice to yield or submit to this government, this spiritual government in our life. Because it's about the spirit. It's about the attitude we choose.

So we're either in subjection to God's spiritual government in His Church or in our life. Now there are two things we can examine within ourselves.

Verse 12 – There is one law giver, one judge that is righteous in His judgements. Well, that's God! God is the only one that is righteous in His judgements. Our judgements aren't righteous, brethren, because they come from the natural carnal mind. If our judgements are equal to or are in unity with God, we have righteous judgement. If we are in unity with God, with the decision of judgement, we are in unity with God, we are then making righteous judgements, because only God is a righteous judge. There is only one law giver who is able to save and to destroy. Who are you to judge another? Who are we to judge another man's servant? Well, it's terrible pride if we do, brethren.

Why would we judge with condemnation? So, why would we do that? Why would we ever raise ourselves up to judge an administrative decision and condemn it, or to raise ourselves up to judge with condemnation another member of the Body? Why would we do it? What is happening in our life that we would do that? Well, it's all because of our own pride and because we do not see the spirit of our thoughts, words, and actions. We don't see the spirit of it. We don't see the attitude that is actually driving it, the intent and the motive of why we would do these things. We know it's all about pride. We were born with pride, we have pride, and that's what we have to fight our whole life. We have to fight pride. So why is it that we judge an administrative decision? Why is it that we judge brethren, or a member of the Body? Why? Pride. Pride! Pride! Pride! That's why. Because of our pride!

If we have or even do murmur against God, against His servants, or against His brethren – and notice His, because they're all God's, His servants. They're God's servants. People are ordained to the role of servants. They are His servants. They work for God and Jesus Christ  ...and against His brethren. Because the brethren are God's. They belong to God and they're in the hands of Jesus Christ. So if we ever murmur against them we should choose to repent quickly! We should choose to repent QUICKLY! And we can do that, brethren, by fighting the fight in our minds. We can choose to repent quickly of lifting ourselves up against God. Because this is the spiritual principle, that if we do murmur, we do complain about all these different things, about what the ministers have chosen and what they do and what they said and all these things, and we judge them with condemnation because of their human weaknesses and decisions they may make, we're just simply judging God. We're elevating ourselves to think we're better than them, when in fact we are the same. We are all the same. We commit the same things. We commit the same sins.

So we are to repent of our presumptuousness. Because it is very presumptuous to start to think that we know better than God. And that's where the presumptuousness comes in. Because when we judge an administrative decision or any of the ministry, or a decision that is made, or the brethren, we are becoming very presumptuous because we're actually placing ourselves above God or equal to God. We're being presumptuous. We're assuming an authority that we don't have. We don't have that authority. We should repent of being like Satan in our attitude and spirit. Now, that may seem very harsh, the fact that we would use such words as "We should repent of being like Satan." Well, that's exactly what we're being like. When we use the natural carnal mind and we elevate ourselves and become presumptuous and we murmur against, or we speak against God, we're 'doing a Lucifer'. We're doing what Satan did, elevating himself in his attitude, in his spirit, what he chose.

The spiritual attitude behind judging or pulling down anyone is the spirit of murder. And who was the first murderer? Lucifer, whose name was changed to Satan. He was the murderer from the beginning, God says, because he chose it. He was the first to set his attitude of pulling down God, to raising himself up against God in his spirit, in his attitude. He desired ill will on others. That's what he really did. He chose ill will. He chose murder.

Well, we have to be very careful, brethren, we don't choose exactly the same thing. So if we have ill will towards another what will we do by nature? We will pull them down, we will belittle them. Because what are we doing? We're trying to lift ourselves up because we're not like them, that's not what we do. We judge with condemnation.

Turn back to Exodus 16:8 – Also Moses said, This shall be seen when the LORD gives you meat to eat in the evening, and in the morning bread to the full; for the LORD hears your complaints which you make against Him. I think that's wonderful! This should be burned in our brains, brethren! The moment the words start to come out of our mouth this should resonate in our thinking. The LORD hears your complaints; the Lord God, God Almighty, Yahweh Elohim hears our murmurings – hears all of them! He hears them in our thoughts, if you understand what I'm saying. He knows our thoughts! So we may not even say it, but if we think it and we dwell on it and let it run, God hears our complaints, He knows our murmurings which we make against Him. Now, that's the spiritual principle. Any murmuring is against God. We're not against God's servants, it's not against Moses and Aaron, it's not against the ministry, it's against God because God appointed the ministry. He appointed the roles of service. He appointed the brethren. He called them! Any complaining, any murmuring against another member of the Body with judgement, with condemnation, is actually a judgement against God. We're criticizing God for His decision.

And who are we? Your complaints are not against us but against the LORD. And that's the principle of this particular sermon about spiritual government, about yielding to, about submitting to – our will – submitting it to God's holy spirit, to God's government.

Then Moses spoke to Aaron, Say to all the congregation of the children of Israel, Come near before the Eternal, for He has heard your complaints. So we, brethren, we need to be careful! If we have in any way criticized God we need to draw near to God quickly, to come before God quickly and He will hear what we have said – He knows what we have said – so we can repent. So, let's draw near to God quickly and repent quickly for He has heard our complaints. He knows exactly what we're going on about, why we have this thought. He knows our pride.

The point is God hears when we murmur or complain against Him. If we murmur against God's administrative decisions, ordinations, or the brethren, we have done it because of our pride. Murmuring, complaining, or pulling down anyone is a sure sign of pride! So the moment we open our mouth and we start to run our mouth we should know that this is a sure sign of pride within us. And those that are listening, those that are willing to hear the murmuring, to hear the complaining and not stop it, not stop the pulling down of someone else, not to stop the pulling down of an administrative decision, to listen to it and run with it, we reveal our pride and are in fact partakers of the sin of pride.

So, if we are willing listeners, brethren, there is a problem; there is a problem within our spirit and it's a trap. This is the great trap that Lucifer set with the angelic realm. His name was changed to Satan because of his adversary; he's against God. Now, what was the problem with the angelic realm, the third that followed? What was their problem? Willing hearers! Willing hearers is the problem. So the moment anybody in the Body partakes of the sin of pride by murmuring against God we need to step forward and shut it down by simply saying, "We are not interested in hearing it. Shut it down." Now if the angelic realm, that last third, if they had listened to the instructions of God, which is not to be a partaker or a listener of the murmuring (because they had these instructions they knew full well what they were doing), if they didn't listen and absorb the complaint, “to come alongside” is another way of putting it. When somebody murmurs and we listen to the murmuring or the complaining or the griping and we don't shut it down we are willing participators. We participate. We draw alongside. And the danger of drawing alongside is it will lead us to the path of leaving fellowship with God and with God's people. And it's a tragedy, brethren. It's a tragedy.

So let's be on guard not to listen to any murmuring against God's way of life. None! God's administrative decisions. None against the brethren. None against the ministry. Let's set in our will (and our desire is), we're going to shut it down really quickly. And you know what happens? If we shut it down really quickly the person that's murmuring shuts up really quickly. They stop really quickly because the only reason they will continue is a willing listener. But if there is nobody listening, what happens? They shut down real quickly...really quickly! And they are very conscious of what they are doing. When somebody corrects them openly and directly and instantly it shuts them down really quickly because they know what they're doing is wrong, and it's a trigger in them to repent. That is an opportunity for them. But if they don't it would be their sin that sits with them.

Back to Ephesians 4:4. Now God through Paul outlines the structure of God's Church and what it's all about. And this is spiritual in nature and is not understood by the world. It is not understood by those without God's spirit, but we, brethren, have the gift of understanding these spiritual principles. And the first one is... (Ephesians 4:4) – There is one body, one Body. There is not 40, 50, 60, 20, a hundred, thousands...there's one Body! And the Body makes up the Church of God where God's holy spirit dwells. So “there is one Body” spiritually joined together. That Body is the Church and the Church consists of those that have God's spirit living and dwelling in them. So there is one Body. There is only one Body and it's only evident as one Body joined together – “fitly joined together” – and of course, it's using a physical analogy here to outline a spiritual principle. But we can look at ourselves – we are just one body, but everything is joined together. Hand to the arm and the elbow – everything is joined to the body. The head's connected by the neck. So there is just one Body and it's fitly joined together and it doesn't fight against itself. It's fitly joined together and it consists, on a spiritual level, of all of those that have God's spirit. That's what makes it one body.

...and one spirit, God's holy spirit. Now, God's spirit enables one way of thinking – one way of thinking – one attitude. “One spirit” means one way of thinking, oneness. Unity is what comes out of it. So this one spirit comes from God. It is powered by God, and we call it God's holy spirit (because it's holy because it comes from God), and it dwells in a person's thinking, and therefore, the one spirit is the one way to think about a matter, which is God's way. It is God's way to think about a matter. So there is one spirit and it comes from God.

...just as we are called, and that is “invited,” “to be called out loud.” So this word “called” has different meanings and it means a lot to us in a different way. But to be “called,” really, is “to be called out loud,” which is God inviting us, which is, "Mary, I'm inviting you into one Church, into one spirit." That's what God does. So this is that invitation. It's a calling out loud – but of course it happens in the mind because God does it by the power of His holy spirit in the thinking. So we are called. And what is it all about?

...in one hope of our calling. So the “one hope” is because there's only one hope and it comes from God, which is to enter Elohim. So there's one Body, there is one spirit, just as we were called in one hope of your calling (or of our calling).

Verse 5 – one Lord, so there's one Jesus Christ, there is one Passover, there is one Son of God who had the mind of God and lived in the flesh. So God's mind was in His thinking. So there is “one Lord,” there is only one Passover, and there is only one way to take the Passover and to fulfill Passover on a spiritual level and that is by the power of God's holy spirit. Because without God's holy spirit living and dwelling in a person, if they take a Passover service without God's spirit, what have they done? Well, they haven't “taken Passover.” They may have just taken symbols and gone through a ritual, but they haven't “taken Passover,” because there is only one Lord and there is only one way to take Passover. There is only one way to take Passover and it requires God's holy spirit living and dwelling in a person.

There is only one faith. There's not fifteen or a hundred or a thousand different belief systems. There is only one belief system that is based on the truth from God. So there is only “one faith,” and therefore, if somebody is not a part of the Body of Christ in the “one spirit” and in the “one hope” and is a partaker of the one Passover, the true Passover, they are not in the “one faith.” They are not partakers of the “one faith.” You have to be a member of the Body of Christ and have God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us to be of the “one faith.” One belief system exists that is based on the truth from God, which God places in His Church, the Church of God, the Church of God – PKG. There is only “one faith,” brethren.

There is only one baptism. And there is only “one baptism” because? It requires God's spirit. God's spirit grants repentance. Repentance comes from God as a gift and it leads us to this immersion, this immersion into water, and then of course into spirit, God's holy spirit. So there are two immersions that take place. There are two baptisms really but it's all about “one baptism” – but it's all from God. And by “one baptism” it's pointing to one baptism based on repentance that leads to an immersion, which is the immersion in water and then in spirit. If there is no repentance then there is no baptism in water that has any meaning, or baptism of the spirit, because it's not of God. So this “one baptism” is powered by God's holy spirit. So if you look at that, “There is only one Body and there is only one spirit” – it's God's spirit. “There is only one hope of our calling” because it comes from God. “There is only one Lord,” Jesus Christ, which enables “one faith,” which enables “one baptism,” one true baptism, because it's all powered by God's holy spirit.

Verse 6 – There is one God and Father of all. There's not two Gods, there is one God, Yahweh Elohim, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. He is in our thinking by the power of His holy spirit. He is in us if we are in unity, if we are in the faith, and it's all done by God the Father "who is above all, and through all, and in you all!" Isn't that exciting?

I want to quickly turn now to (hold your place); I want to look and read Truth #42.

42 (21) God the Father is Yahweh Elohim and He alone has eternally existed.

Now, this is amazing! This is an amazing truth to comprehend on a spiritual level because now all the glory can be given to God the Father. There is one Almighty God who has eternally existed and has eternal existence! This all points to oneness creating unity, creating peace. Unity of mind and thinking creates peace. And this can only come from being the part of “one Body,” being the part of “one spirit,” having the “one hope,” knowing about the “one Lord,” Jesus Christ, having the “one faith” and going through the process of “one spiritual baptism” – because it's spiritual in nature. It's not just a physical ritual, it's spiritual in nature, the power of God's holy spirit. And of course, we don't want to be baptized in fire because that is another baptism which is, to be immersed in fire is, of course, is the second death.

So this all points, this process that has been outlined here about God's Church, all points to the oneness, how oneness is created. Oneness of thinking is the outcome of unity, which is all powered by God's holy spirit, which then creates peace. Unity of mind and thinking creates peace.

There are not many ways or many faiths. It is God the Father that pulls us together by the power of His holy spirit; He draws us together to make one body. All done by? The power of His holy spirit. And by this unity, by this oneness, it creates then, peace. And what is peace? It is the thinking, the mind of God.

Verse 7 – But to each one of us favor (grace) was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Christ's love to us and others yet to receive that love, and that is the gift. Jesus Christ loved us so much that He gave Himself for us.

Verse 8 – Therefore, He says: He will ascended on high, resurrected by God the Father, He led captivity captive, and this is referring to Jesus Christ. We are held captive by our sins. The wages of sin is death, but by Passover our sins can be forgiven. And of course, there is only one Passover that enables this covering of sin and it's spiritual in nature because sin is something that is spiritual in nature.

And gave gifts, and is “a gift” to men. These are spiritual gifts which the world cannot receive at this time because they have not been called to receive them. But we have been called to receive them. The greatest gift is the forgiveness of sin and the receiving of God's holy spirit. Isn't that amazing! The greatest gift is actually the forgiveness of sins. Because where would we be? Who are we? Well, we're nobody. But it's only by God's power that He loves us so much that He is willing to forgive us of what we are. And of course, the choice is ours to continue to remain under, to submit our will to God's will.

Verse 9 – (Now this, He), talking about Christ, (ascended—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?) Well, it's referring, of course there, that He descended. Well, He died for three days and three nights.

Verse 10 – (He) (Christ) (who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He (Christ) might fill all things.) Now, this is about the Church and the creation of Elohim. So these “all things” that are going to be filled or fulfilled, it's all about the Church. Because of what has taken place, because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, God could then established the Church, and placed Jesus Christ as the Head of the Church for the purpose of conversion, for the purpose of creating Elohim. To enter Elohim is only possible by and through Jesus Christ, our Passover.

Now we have seen the way that God structured the physical Church because we've seen aspects of that, what it's about. It's a spiritual matter. Now we can look at other ways about the purpose of creating Elohim. What is God really doing? This is how and through whom God governs His Church. It's all done through Jesus Christ, the Head of the Church. We either “see” that this is God's Church or we don't. Based on these scriptures we can “see” there is only one Church. There is not hundreds. We either see that this is God's Church because of the truth that God has placed in the Church or we don't. This is a physical structure that is going to be outlined and the roles that are spiritual in design and intent.

Verse 11 – And He Himself, talking about God the Father, gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers, some elders. But they are all roles of service. And why did God give these roles of service?

Verse 12 – for the equipping of the saints, for the work of ministry. So this “equipping of the saints” which is “the perfecting or to completely furnish, or complete furnishing” on a spiritual level – because that is “the equipping.” Because “the equipping” that's taking place is the perfecting. It's the conversion. It's converting from one way of thinking to another. It's the complete furnishing on a spiritual level. It's a change of mind, a change of thinking. And who's it happening to? … “Of the saints.” It's happening to us. The “saints” are the called out ones “for the work of the ministry.”

So these apostles, prophets, evangelist, and pastors, and teachers are all for the saints, for the edification of the Body of Christ. So the ministry are to serve. And how are they to serve? “To edify,” to build up on a spiritual level, to give spiritual knowledge and encourage spiritual understanding, which  must come from the power of God's holy spirit, to the Body of Christ, the Church of God.

Verse 13 – Now, why is the Church and it's structure this way? What's happening? What's the process that's happening? Why the Church? Why this structure? ...till, until, we all, that is everybody, come to, and that is “arrive at or attain” the unity of the faith, “the unity of the faith,” agreement with God, oneness in belief, and of the knowledge of the Son of God. So this knowledge implies understanding. God's truth in us is the knowledge and understanding of the Son of God. God's thinking in us! And how long is this going to take? “Until” or to a perfect man. So the outcome is we're going to be spiritually mature. “A perfect man” is someone that is spiritually mature. Well, that's what we strive for, and that's why our life is going to take longer than we think because it takes time to come to spiritual maturity. We will never be a perfect man in the sense of on a physical level. It's impossible. Man or woman being perfect is impossible. Only God can make somebody spiritually mature, a man or a woman.

What is it all about? ...to the measure, and you can measure it, of the stature of the fullness of Christ. Why is God doing all of this in us? Why the Church government? ...that we should no longer be like children, spiritually immature (because a child is immature). “That we should no longer be children.” We shouldn't be immature spiritually, because if we are, what's going to happen? You're going to be tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, because that's what will happen to us, because we are spiritually immature. We won't stand against the murmurer! So if we don't stand against the murmurer or the complainer, or those that are willing to openly speak against (or in secret), speak against God's administrative decisions or God's ministry or God's people, we are “being tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine,” because we're willing to listen, we're willing to read these things that speak against the truth, and therefore, we are like children which are spiritually immature. But God has structured the Church and provided this structure for the edifying and the building up of the Church, to give us the strength, the spiritual encouragement that we will stand against those that speak against God.

...by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, so what does that remind you of? This cunningness? This trickery? “In the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting” – what does that remind us of? What Lucifer did! This deceitful plotting because anybody that speaks against God's Church, anybody that speaks against the ministry, anybody that speaks against the brethren is in an attitude of deceit, because they're being very deceitful because they're denying God. They're denying God, what God does in His Church. Now, God allows things to take place in His Church for a purpose. Will we stand or won't we? Will we stand or won't we, brethren?

All our natural carnal mind desires is to seek a following. So why do people murmur against God? Why do they do it? Why did the Israelites speak against Moses? Well, they were trying to get a following. They wanted people to follow and agree with them. So that's why someone speaks against God's Church because they want to get a following. They want to get people to draw alongside. They seek to have others hear their murmurings, hear their complaints against God. They want to reveal “the way they see it.” They want to reveal the way they see it.

All this comes and happens from and within God's Church because of pride. We need to be on guard against any murmuring of any type at any time. And that's the challenge, brethren. We need to be spiritually on guard. And if we have spiritual government in our life we will be on guard, and guess what we will do? We will stand for God. We will stand for God! Because God hears all things, God sees all things. And what a glory it would be to be spoken well of by Jesus Christ, that He said, "Yes, My servant, when they were faced with this test and trial, this administrative decision that they struggled with a little bit, but they fought and came under (submitted to), they placed themselves under the spiritual government of God in their life. That's what they chose." Isn't that encouraging that someone would do that?

I know from personal experience when somebody has stood for God, and I have witnessed them stand for God in boldness and confidence, not in self-righteousness, but the power of God's holy spirit at work in somebody's life, it is so encouraging. So much so they can almost bring a tear to your eye when you see somebody stand for God or God's way of life – even though they may be suffering, even though they may be in test and trial. But when they stand it is such a bold and confident thing that it generates boldness and confidence in others who witness it. So be prepared, brethren, to stand from this point forward to the end, whenever that end may come to us.

If we listen to division and discord we could get carried away spiritually as thousands over time have. They thought they were strong and could withstand the attacks, but because they chose to listen they fell down spiritually. They left the fellowship of God. What a tragedy! What a tragedy! Now, how stupid on a spiritual level are we, brethren, IF we listen to discord. IF we listen to any murmuring from within the Body of Christ, how spiritually stupid are we? Because what are we doing? We're opening ourselves up to an attack. And there have been many – I know hundreds, hundreds of people that have chosen to listen to people that are murmuring against God's government, against God. I know of them and they fell because they drew alongside. And guess what happens when you draw alongside somebody? You become of the same mind. You become in unity with the person speaking ill. And that's the problem! You become at one with something that's contrary to God. You come into unity of something that's against God. That's the complete opposite of what God says.

By the power of God's holy spirit, if we choose, we choose to be in unity with God, even though we don't understand everything in God's Church and why decisions are made. We don't have to! This is about being under government, choosing to yield to God's authority in our life, choosing to yield to God's spirit in our life.

Verse 15 – What is the outcome of following the spiritual teaching of God? ...but, speaking the truth in love, out of genuine concern of the welfare of others, may grow up, because this is what is going to happen. So if we take the opposite of not listening but stand for the truth and we speak the truth out of love and concern for the welfare of all, we will grow up, we will increase. That's what happens! That word “grow up” is actually “increase.” Because when somebody grows up they increase in their height. Well, on a spiritual level we grow up, we increase on a spiritual level the thinking of God ...in all things into Him, into Jesus Christ, who is the Head—Christ— from whom the whole Body, joined and knitted together by what every joint supplies, and we should note that – “by what EVERY joint supplies” – that's  each and every one of us individually, we supply something – according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth, spiritually, of the Body for the edifying of itself in love. This is amazing if we understand this on a spiritual level!

Brethren, we need each other for the purpose of building the Body up! For building each other up in love, by the power of God's holy spirit. God's love in us is what binds and holds the Church together! And how do we increase? By the power of God's holy spirit, God's thinking in us, so that we are all joined in unity, in oneness, “knit together by what every joint supplies” on a spiritual level, “according to the effective working by which every part does it's share!” So, what is our share, brethren? Our share is to stand for God, to stand for God's government, to stand and support the administrative decisions, to stand and support the ordinations, to stand and support the brethren in the truth, out of love and concern for the whole Body.

Verse 17 – This I say, therefore, and testify in the Lord, that you should no longer walk as the rest of the gentiles walk. And how do they walk? So we're not to walk this way. How do they walk? ...in the futility of their mind, and this is “not giving into or choosing carnal thinking.” Now they, brethren, as referring to gentiles, it's somebody that's not called. They “walk in the futility of their mind” and they have no choice. But we have a choice! We are to no longer walk with this natural carnal mind, making the decision to lift ourselves up, making the decision to murmur, to have “the way we see it” spoken out or thought about. It's not our choice. We're not going to walk that way any longer because we don't have to because of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us. We choose to think differently.

Verse 18 – Referring to the gentile way of thinking, this carnal mind, having their understanding darkened, and that's because of sin, they walk in darkness, being alienated from the life of God, they can't be aligned with God, they can't be in unity with God, they can't be at one with God, they can't be of “one faith,” they can't be of “one Body,” they can't be of “one spirit” because they're not called to it because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts, because of the way they think. They have not been called to repent; therefore, they cannot walk in the light. They walk in darkness.

Verse 19 – who, being past feeling, and that is “callous towards sin,” have given themselves over to lewdness, now, that is “unbridled, uncontrolled lust or desires, excess, having no shame, sin with no regrets,” to work all uncleanness with greediness. So here they have this natural carnal mind and it's getting worse and worse because they are allowing it to just run its course.

Now, we know that Lucifer generates and broadcasts to this mind and it receives it, and therefore, they become past feeling. We see that they are callous to it. There is no feeling about sin. They are calloused towards sin and it multiplies and multiplies and multiplies and they have given themselves over to it, to this lewdness, which is this uncontrolled excessive way of thinking, having no shame. So there is no guilt. Sin without regret. They have no regrets on what they are doing. “To work all uncleanness with greediness.” Now, this “greediness” is the motivation behind why they are doing it. So why are they doing it? It's covetousness. Greediness is covetousness. So what's the motive and intent? They desire more evil and they take pleasure in it because that's the natural carnal mind. It's right in its own eyes! It's right in its own eyes! They think it's strange. They think it's strange that we walk contrary. They think it different! That's why we look like we're different. They can't think straight anymore. They let themselves go in sexual obsession, addicted to every sort of perversion. That's what they do. But they see us as weird. So they're on one course and we're on another.

Verse 20 – But you have not so learned Christ, we have not learned this way of life. We've learned the opposite! We have learned Christ. We have been taught God's way of life, the way of Christ. God's mind in Christ is the way of Christ. So we have learned Christ, His way of living.

And it goes on – verse 21 – If indeed you have heard Him, if we've heard Christ in spirit, in our minds, and have been taught by Him. How are we taught by Christ? By the power of God's holy spirit living and dwelling in us through the ministry, through the structure of the Church that God has put in place... as the truth is in Jesus. Christ was the light of men. He was the mind of God. He had God's thinking. Truth dwelt in Christ.

Verse 22 – that you put off, this means we're going to have to do something. We've got to put something off. So if you're wearing a jumper and you're wearing this jumper of perversion, of sin, being calloused towards sin, you've got to put it off. We have to put it off! Put off— we've got to take the coat off, that perversion, concerning your former conduct, the old man which grows corrupt according to the deceitful lusts. So this carnal desire that is expressed by “the way I see it.” Any form of expressing our opinion that is contrary to God's ways or God's government, God's Church, God's thinking, is carnal thinking. If we are willing to listen to someone criticize or pull down God's people we are giving place to the devil.

Verse 23 – What should we do, brethren? ...and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. Allow God's spirit to flow through us out to the benefit of others. We are to learn to stand for God, stand for God's ministry! Don't let anybody criticize God's ministry, any of God's ministry! Don't let anybody criticize God's people. They're God's people! How dare somebody, how arrogant, how proud-filled is somebody to murmur against God's people, the brethren!

Why would we judge with condemnation a member of the Body? Why would we do that brethren? Well, we know, our selfish pride.

We have been renewed from within. We've been renewed from inside! It's our mind, it's our thinking that's being changed!

Verse 24 – and that you put on the new man which was created according to God. So it's after God, it's like God, it's God's thinking, in true righteousness and holiness. So God in us makes us righteous, makes us holy.

1 Corinthians 12:12 – Paul uses an example of a physical body to discuss the Church of God, the Body of Christ. So when we go through this we can look at it and say, well, it's looking at a physical body but we know it's about a spiritual Body, but we can use that as an example and view it this way. Verse 12 – For as the body is one, which it is, we're just one Body, the Church of God is one Body ...and has many members, well, we have many members, connected parts, but all the members are that one body, so it makes up the whole body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. This is referring to oneness, in complete unity based on having God's holy spirit. Now, if we look at our physical body, it's one body, it's connected. So we wouldn't want our hand running around loosely not controlled by the body and starting to poke itself in the eye and punch itself. Well, it doesn't happen because the body works together as one body. Well, we're the same, the Body of Christ is the same. We shouldn't be out there poking the eye of the Body. We should be in total unity based on God's holy spirit because God's holy spirit is what makes the Body whole, makes it one body.

Verse 13 – For by one spirit, which comes from God the Father, we were all baptized, which is “immersed spiritually” at the time of the laying on of hands by a true minister of God, into one body. So this immersion that took place, he's talking about the baptism of God's holy spirit, and therefore, because of that we are then made into one Body, we're immersed into one Body. We become one. We become God's Church—whether Jews or Greek, whether slave or free—and have all been made to drink into one spirit. So that's what holds the Body together, God's holy spirit. So we've all been immersed in God's spirit. We've all partaken (drunk) of that one spirit because we take in the spirit, the spirit of God. God's spirit in us makes us one Body. Isn't that beautiful to understand?

So somebody without God's spirit is not part of the Body of Christ. Without God's holy spirit in us we are not part of the Body of Christ, we are not part of the spiritual Church of God, the spiritual Israel. We're not. It takes God's spirit.

Verse 14 – For in fact the body is not one member but many. So we're all parts of a body and when you join them all together we become a Body, the Body of Christ. Many people make up the Church of God.

Verse 15 – If the foot should say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Well, that's crazy saying, really, isn't it, because if the foot says, "I am not the hand. If I'm not the hand, I'm not part of the body." No, the foot is part of the body. Yes, it is part of the body but it has a different function, and that's the point. We all have different roles within the Body of Christ, all powered by God's holy spirit.

Verse 16 – And if the ear should say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? Well, it is part of the body! If the whole body were an eye, let's just say every one of us had this exact same role, where would be the hearing? So how would we function? Well, we couldn't. If the whole body were the hearing, where would be the smelling? So we all have to be different because we all make up the one body; therefore, spiritually, on spiritual levels and spiritual roles we have to all be different! We cannot all be the same! We cannot all be the eye! We cannot all be the nose! We cannot all be the foot or the hand; we have to be different. And therefore, with this knowledge and understanding, why would we ever criticize another part of the Body? Because we're all needed to make up the whole complete part of the Body!

It is important that we do not desire with envy or a wrong spiritual motive to be another part of the Body. We have to be content where God has placed us in the Body. To desire something that God has not granted us would be sin. We should seek to fulfill the role of service that God has appointed us to according to His timing, His will and purpose, and we don't always “see” it or understand it. But that's not the point! We don't have to “see” it and we don't have to understand the decisions that God makes. We don't have to understand His decision with regards to His timing or His will, or His purpose, because we can't “see” it! We don't know God's will and purpose in many things within the Body of Christ, the roles of service. And we've all been called to a role of service, every single one of us, which is to serve the brethren.

It is important to always remember this is God's Church, it is God's structure, it is His building!

Verse 18 – But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. So it's according to God's will. This is something that we can easily forget, that God places people into the Body, parts of the Body as He sees fit. If we murmur against, seek to pull down any part of God's structure, any part of His building, what are we doing? If we understand these scriptures on a spiritual level, brethren, what are we doing? What are we thinking? To even say anything against a member of the Body of Christ at any time, what are we thinking? Well, the problem is, we're not thinking. That's the problem! We're not thinking. We're using the natural carnal mind. We're not using God's spirit.

Verse 19 – And if they, the members, were all one member, where would the body be? If we are all the same, all have the same role, what would it achieve? What would the Body of Christ...? What would the Church of God achieve if everyone was exactly the same? We should not think ourselves as more significant or important than any other part of the Body. We shouldn't think that “the eye” is more valuable than “the hand.” For no matter how significant we may think we are, it is only because of what we are as a part of the Body, how we are connected, that makes us of any value. It is God's spirit that makes us of any value. If we are all “the eye” what is the point? What an enormous eye there would be! How big would it be if it was just one big eye? No, we're all different parts and we all have different roles of service to fulfill, and God has added us to the Body as He sees fit, according to His timing, and our roles will change over time. That is a guarantee. Our roles within God's Church will change over time. And they change because? We all die. We all die. We will all at some point no longer be part of the Body of Christ on this earth because we die. Hopefully, we will be part of the spiritual Body in Elohim.

Verse 20 – But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. There is only one Church of God. There is only one Body. It's called the Church of God – PKG.

Verse 21 – And the eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of you; nor again the head to the foot, I have no need of you. Now, what would drive that thinking? Why would the hand say to another part of the body, the eye, "I have no need of you." Pride. Pride drives this thinking. So if we ever think that, if we ever think any part of the Body is not worthy to be part of the Body, we are in pride.

There can be an attitude that develops in us towards people that are ordained. This is an attitude that can pop up, which is, "You have been ordained, but I don't recognize you." So that is “the hand” speaking to “the eye” or “the eye” saying to “the hand,” "I don't recognize you as part of the Body of Christ." Now, that is incredible thinking but we have that potential. We have that human potential because of the natural carnal mind because we can have this attitude of if someone is ordained and we don't think they're worthy of it and we leave God out of the ordination, we can have this attitude that is, "I don't recognize you because I don't recognize God in you." Well, that is sin. If we ever have those thoughts it is sin.

Verse 22 – No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. We cannot do without each other. It is spiritually dangerous to begin to look down on anyone (or on someone) and consider them as weak, less than us. By nature we always desire to be more important – that's our natural carnal mind – we desire to recognize the self or the recognition of the self. We desire that. We are all being trained for the purpose of overcoming the self in us and it's done by God's great power in us so that we can be given more gifts. The gift in the end is the gift of life. But all of us are on the same road. We are all focusing on the one outcome, and therefore, we should all be in unity and that unity and oneness of spirit will generate peace within the Body of Christ.

No one is to think that they are better than anyone else. If we think we are better than someone else that thinking, that carnal mind is proven by the way we think. Sin has pulled us down and will destroy us unless we, in humility, repent and think differently. The truth is, we have no idea whom God will use, when God will do it, and for what purpose. And we shouldn't assume that we do because we don't.

Verse 23 – And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, and it's talking about the physical body, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it – why? – that there should be no schism in the body, no division in the Church of God. There should be no disunity or disloyalty or division. There should only be oneness. ...but that the members should have the same care, the same love powered by God's holy spirit, for one another. There should be respect to every member of the Body of Christ.

Verse 26 – And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it because it's a way of thinking. It's the power of God's holy spirit. It's what we choose to think …or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. Why? Because they know that God did it! It's a spiritual matter. It's a spiritual attitude that we have to choose. So if we choose to rejoice on a spiritual level because God honors a member, well, it's because God is in it and we recognize that God is in it. It's God doing the work because it's God's Church! It's not Ron Weinland's Church. It's not anybody's Church. It's the Church of God! It belongs to God!

Now you are the Body of Christ, brethren, we are the Body of Christ! We, the members individually, we make up God's Church because God's holy spirit lives and dwells in us. Isn't this incredible understanding to have? We, you, me, we are the Body of Christ! We are in unity, and members individually.

Verse 28 – And God has appointed, set, these in the Church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, ministers, after that miracles, and that is “power from God and of God, mighty works of God in a person.” It's not the way that the world considers miracles or magic and miracles. That's not what God is speaking about here. A miracle is something that God does in and through a person, but it's God that creates miracles or does miracles, something that comes from God and it's done through a person. That is the miracle that happens. When you look at Christ healing, it was God doing the work. It was God that performs the miracles. Well, God has at various times used people to perform miracles – He's done it in and through them.

...then gifts of healings, which is, again, a gift from God because it's God that does the healing, it's not an individual, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues, different languages. They're all powered by God's holy spirit. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues, other languages? Do all interpret? Well, no, brethren, that's not the way it works.

The Body of Christ, the Church of God, is a spiritual organism, and it is empowered and works because of God's holy spirit. So when we see God working in His Church let's rejoice. Let's place ourselves under. Let's yield to God's spirit, God's spiritual government in our life and God's spiritual government in the Church of God – PKG.□