Ephesians Lesson 26 of 39 part 7

We are not putting down what denominations may demand for church membership, that is strictly up to them, that is not our prerogative. Our prerogative is to show what the Bible is talking about. For "If", we have not the Spirit of Truth which is the ontological essence of Christ's Spirit within us, we have a good likelihood of being a false witness. As we progress in Ephesians we will learn more on this Truth.

It is talking about the moment we were saved we were placed into the One Body of Christ! Remember the Holy Spirit never goofs up. There is never an unbeliever or disbeliever placed into the Body of Christ! But sadly there are far to many of such people within the walls of the church, which makes it NOT a True Church. Why is this so? We will find out as we progress. We as believers do not know who is genuinely saved and who is not saved because we can not examine the heart. But the Holy Spirit knows immediately the moment that faith is exercised in this Gospel. Here is where the rubber meets the road, is the institution your are attending proclaiming the Truth or a concoction of mans opinions and theories? What I mean is this, does your mind agree with the word spoken but your inner-man, the inner witness set on edge? Our mind can approve of the outward biblical and doctrinal expressions of correctness of the word proclaimed, but your soul recoil from the spirit of the speaker because his every word contradicts its very syllable. When we are enjoined with the one of radical commitment and sacrifice, while the other is saying, no need to panic; this need not be taken seriously, this is only my weekly sermon which I provide for you while you are to provide for my needs. I wont push you, if you wont push me, and there by we will get along fabulously. Sadly this or another extreme is what we have within the Religious institutions and when we find this to be so, we are to quietly get up and leave its halls and never to darkness it thresholds again. For the spirit, constitution and grit of the one speaking is to be in full agreement with the words spoken, they have to live in the Truth and thereby be true. The example of Elijah in 1 Kings 17:24 should be a good example, "The woman said to Elijah, Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the word of Jehovah in your mouth is truth."

This is the reason that local churches, and we do not care what denomination, they have unbelievers baptized in water and into their membership, because humans cannot determine, but the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Truth as He baptizes never makes a mistake.

Let’s come back to Ephesians chapter 1 for a moment and look at a verse on this. This is a good verse, and we would that you use it over and over on your friends. When you get this kind of salvation experience, and pass it on to others then it is genuine. We will at least read verse 13.

Ephesians 1:13

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise."

How did the Holy Spirit seal us? By placing us into the One Body of Christ! No church or any other institution can do this. Our affiliation or membership can not do it but sadly there are many well meaning people who believe this is all that is required of them and this is the lie. Many also believe that if they just love and bless Israel and speak well of her that this is what is required and this too is a lie. Israel is not the nation but rather is the land of Palestine that is blessed of God, not the people. Why? because the people are in rebellion against God. That is why He sent them not only the Prophets of old but John the Baptist and also His Son. To bring them to their senses and full righteousness through repentance, but still the nation and its leadership failed to get His message and its meaning. Just as many to this very hour are not hearing the Spirit, though they have the seed of God and of Christ within them.

That is the reason we share and say what we say. If we can just get people to listen (attentively) and back into the Book, and realize that it is the greatest Book on earth. We mean, there is nothing that can compare with it. We trust that most of you realize that we are always trying to bring out how intrinsically put together the Word is, that we are to figuratively to eat it up and digest it as food. When Paul comes up with seven distinct things like these seven unities of the Church we are studying, that is not just an accident. He did not sit there beating his head against the wall trying to figure out how he could do that. But that is just the way the Holy Spirit keeps the Scripture flowing.

We have been studying here in Ephesians chapter 4, and we have one more of the unities left.

Ephesians 4:6

"One God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all."