Maturity, or perfection. A recurring theme.

Jesus came in order bring many sons unto glory. Sons as it applies to flesh and blood, implies gender. But in Christ; in resurrection; in the spiritual house that is raised; in the lasting works of Christ in the individual, from conception to gestation and birth, there is neither male nor female. Peter wrote to females according to the gender of their tent of flesh, and said that proper and worthwhile adorning is “the hidden MAN of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price”. Paul wrote in Ephesians, in thanking the Father of our Lord… “Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the INNER MAN; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what [is] the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fullness of God. So again, the “inner man” applies to the whole family, no matter if still in the flesh, some of which is female flesh. I thought to bring this up in this peculiar time, in which so much is perversely going on in the world regarding the topic of gender. So much effort is spent by godless movements and individuals to redefine and make all distinctions of flesh, whether the natural God given distinction of male and female, or the mutated and corrupt attempt to allow for every evil imagination to find acceptance and equity in this world. But the Word of God teaches that with God, acceptance and peace with God are found “in the beloved”…in His dear Son, of whom His whole family is named. So with Christ, male and female are not equally relevant, but equally irrelevant. Without Him, there is no peace. Society seems to be bent on testing this to the extreme. But it will learn. The truth of God’s word is immutable.

Jesus said that building a house on sand is the mark of the fool. Building upon solid rock is the mark of wisdom. Building with that which passes away, that which comes and goes with the tides of time. Building with only this life in the flesh in mind, is not building that will last. I grew up near the ocean. I surfed as a young man. I have seen and built many things of sand on the sea shore. None of them lasted through the next change of the tide. There is but one foundation that should concern us. Jesus Christ…Christ in you, the hope of glory. This living and abiding truth is the foundation that no man can lay, that is already laid, and is laid in you of the Father. Christ in you by faith, was not revealed or delivered to you by flesh and blood. It is the “revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to Him, to show unto His servants….”.

It is written that the son, while under governors and tutors, differs nothing from a servant. Jesus said that as many as are led of the Spirit of God; they are the sons of God. This he rebuked Nicodemus with, who could not comprehend the imperative, that one must be born again to so much as perceive the kingdom of God. This Jesus said to Nicodemus, a “ruler of the people”, who presumptuously hailed Jesus as “rabbi” …hailing Jesus as one teacher to another. Much of what Jesus said to Nicodemus was to clearly establish that with out the Spirit…without THE TEACHER, to lead and guide your inner man ( gender of your tent regardless)…without this arrangement of the Father and the Son making their abode with you, you will not be made “perfect”. The choice of word “perfect” means to be fulfilled, or brought to the realization of the full potential it is in you to realize and become. Nicodemus, not by hap and stance, means the exact same thing as Nicolaitane. It is a compound word of Nike and Laity. Ruler and people. While Jesus does not hate them any more than He hated Nicodemus, He hates their deeds and their teaching.

It is not of God, that His people be perpetually under priests, preachers, pastors and elders. Here we have no continuing city. There is nothing here that simply by reason of membership, will afford you anything eternally. The body of Christ is a company of individuals. This trying time has caused many to lose their ability to fellowship in a gathering, attend a service, etc. There is nothing wrong with these things. But there is a silver lining in being force-ably weaned at some point. One must grow up quickly. The books of Samuel are but one declaration of these things…how that in his life time, the lamp went out in the “house of the Lord”, but was clearly established in the individual…in this case in Samuel.

Be encouraged. Things will never be outwardly the same in this nation. Never. But nothing has changed regarding that which is in us by faith, other than how it will be tested.