THE GOSPEL OF SPIRIT

      As we all know gospel means good news, from the Anglo-Saxon word godspel or good story in English. Most think of one gospel; that of the presence of Jesus Christ on earth as announced by the first four books of the new testament, declaring that Jesus Christ brought salvation to mankind. The word gospel in original form is derived from the Greek noun evangelion or angelos as its root, meaning joyful news brought by a messenger. There are many gospels or good news messages in the bible however. Paul said, "my gospel" referring to the revelation he had received from God Himself regarding our spiritual position in Christ and our place in the heavenly citizenship of The Church in spirit. Of course it is in fact Jesus Christ Himself who is the gospel!

      In my past few blogs I have been concentrating on the concept of spirit. I must admit its been quite a struggle to try to come to a settled meaning of this word in my mind. By spirit I do not mean the idea of a entity which leaves our body at death and then appears in heaven to be welcomed by all our loved ones passed before. I have faith in what the bible says, that there is a life beyond in which we will have recognition of our personality/soul self, and perhaps others: but please do not ask me what that might be like or how that works, as I can not relate to that at all outside of faith, from my place here on earth! It seems however according to the popularity of the near death experience books that trying to figure that out may be one of the most popular aspects of the Christian experience for many. And in so doing I believe they miss out on the spirit life we have now to experience, in a heavenly positional life, in Christ in spirit, and of our identification with Him in the here and now. Also I wish to dispel any effort on my part to delve into spirituality as concept, as that word seems a idea too available to the world and has lost meaning by its over use. No I think the thought of spirit for me at least in this blog which I wish to explore is: spirit as a biblical fact held by faith, reckoned [counted as true] upon and spelled out in God's Word, provided to me wholly outside of myself, that I may live in as my life's definition of myself. But not by a self-conscious effort, or the working for or struggling to be worthy to receive it. Yes the concept is held in my mind, but the power of the Spirit of life in me is and must be by this definition therefore found in another by faith. Knowing Christ in Spirit by His description of myself in Him, by the Word of God, is having Him as the source of all that is in me constructed or defined as Spirit in my thoughts and feelings. Nothing else but Christ! Hence The Man Jesus Christ in heaven is indeed good news. He is the gospel of the Spirit of the law of life which is completely contained in Him. Lived for me by Him in representation and in total responsibility for my salvation and in fact my very person as spirit before The Father!

      "If we live by the Spirit, let us walk by the Spirit " Gal. 5:25. Just before that the Word says: "But they who are of Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh [only spirit is seen as alive in God's view] with its passions and lusts" Gal. 5:24. So to live and walk by the Spirit we must know the crucifixion of the flesh as a dead thing. That life in spirit was not, nor will it ever be accomplished by us in our self effort. We must know this truth in spirit, in faith, as life! "Knowing this that our old man [flesh] has been crucified with Him in order that the body of sin [our natural human nature] might be annulled [ made of no importance] that we should no longer be slaves [as in the natural man] to sin" Rom. 6:6. This does not mean we stop sinning, it means sin is of no account in God's view for the Christian, absolute freedom in spirit! The old man the "I" or natural being is the expression of the flesh or sin in our practical living. The crucifixion of the old "I" is a accomplished fact or Spirit truth accomplished by Christ on the Cross and maintained in His person. However the personal crucifying of our flesh here on earth is a practical experience we must take on in our mind in the spirit of this fact in faith. This practical experience is carried out through and by the Holy Spirit by us submitting to the understanding of just who we became in spirit by Christ's action on the Cross. This truth must be applied daily in order to walk by the Spirit. The "I" with its propensity to keep the law of works and to sin is in direct opposition to the Cross which annulled it in spirit. God does not want us to be workers and doers looking up in admiration and relief for what He has done, merely living in happy justification as soldiers for Christ. He want us to know He has replaced the old man, in the Spirit by His Son, in us for His own judgmental/judical purpose. For that to be found in our understanding, He wants us to live Christ by spirit in faith. To live by His spirit is to have our life dependent on and controlled by His Spirit in our spirit in a way of understanding who we are in Him and what was accomplished for us by Him; not by the feelings or functionality of our human effort. We are implored and encouraged by The Father in His Word to seek a maturing trust and knowledge of the Word of God to find the definition of His Spirit for all of our life! Any thing else is defeat; a flesh walk. "The carnal mind [natural mans flesh self perception outside of Spirit] is the enemy of God: for it is not subject to the law of God [life found in the spirit of Christ], neither can it be" Rom. 8:7. Yes we might be saved, but never the less far from the beauty of The Spirit life intended for His children as a self concept to be carried in our mind's.

      Paul said in Gal 15 and 16: "that God through Grace reveled His Son in me that I might announce Him as the gospel and that he did not confer with flesh and blood regarding this new good news he brought to the Gentiles." I am sure no Christian would define these revelations to Paul as anything other than given in a nature of the Spirit. He then wrote this good news down so that The Father might impart His Spirit to us by taking the Word in as factual faith spirit truths to rest in. Paul also said: "God....called me by His grace, to reveal His Son, in me" Gal. 1:15,16. If so Him then us also; by His Word realized in our heart. The Father has placed us in eternal union with His Son so it might be He in our minds eye that is seen as life, not the we of the flesh. He has given us Scripture and faith in the Word that we may trust in Him to do His good pleasure in us. No natural man self effort involved here.

      In order to operate outside of self struggle and fully in His Grace, outside of the flesh, we must allow the purpose of The Lord, to see the ideal of The Lord, is not beyond our reach. We are simply not expected by our own works to be like our Lord or to even serve Him by self effort; as a matter of fact pleasing Him by the self alone is a total impossibility. It will not be by feelings, Church work, attending prayer meetings or self help programs, and not even by upright moral attitudes will we accomplish anything as to establishing our nature in spirit or gain a identity or position in Christ. Paul struggled so much with this, as he wrote in Rom. 7, he simply came to an end of himself referring to himself as "a wrenched man". The Father clearly expects us to know The Lord Jesus as our very life, any other impression of ourselves is to be cast aside. We are by The Spirit in absolute oneness with Jesus Christ Himself; therefore "we have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ" Eph. 1:3. This my friends may all be accomplished in the mind of your spirit, by first the need, then the desire, and then by taking a firm attitude of faith in these facts from The Word, and then resting in them!

      It is my prayer, my good and faithful friends, that we do not seek for ourselves the world and its false path. That we stop the struggle, set aside the worry. Cast away the overpowering influence of the worlds desperate search to hold onto a false sense of security in things and money. Put away the overpowering self centered motivation for success unique to this age of materialism for so many. No longer need we look to the folly of what has become for many a institutional world aping contemporary definition of Christianity; custom made to please the masses; although I'm sure with good intent. The simplicity of truth awaits those who are brave, and will empty their pockets of the worlds provision. We are the Church, rising above all that the world and the natural man can offer. We are together a heavenly organic spirit bound in Christ. We are in fact corporately and as individuals by God's decree and good pleasure Jesus Christ Himself living His life through His brothers and sisters on this earth. The reconnection of this is to see and become the very Body of Christ, in a spirit adjusted living attitude to this absolute truth. The Gospel of Spirit! I am thankful for some of the concept of spirit derived from The Local Church Recovery Bible, as well as inspiration from Miles Stanford in his hungry heart daily devotional.