Acts is a transitional book and it is the first book dedicated to the early Church and the new dispensation called the Church-age begins in ACT 1.
- It was TLJC who first gave the spiritual gifts: ACT 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after He had by the Holy Spirit given orders to the apostles whom He had chosen.
- A promise from God the Father: ACT 1:4 And gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” {He said,} “you heard of from Me;
ACT 1:5 for John baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. “
- In ACT 1:6 & 7, our Lord points out a principle of the timing of God to His disciples.
3a. ACT 1:6 And so when they had come together, they were asking Him, saying, “Lord, is it at this time You are restoring the kingdom to Israel?”
3b. ACT 1:7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or epochs which the Father has fixed by His own authority;
- The first challenge given to all Church-age believers; ACT 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth. “
In ACT 1:8 …. “My witnesses” refers to martyrs who are willing to give their life.
The Christian soldier needs to understand what kind of war they are in.
The second most important decision a Christian soldier must make is choosing their “Right Pastor-Teacher”. —
The book of Acts is a transitional book.
ACT 1:8 but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you;
Spiritual Gifts of Authority came on the scene for the first time, appointed by TLJC…
Once the Church-Age began in Acts 2, the Spiritual Gifts now became appointed by God the Holy Spirit.
The story of the Tower of Babel explains the origins of the multiple languages and humans were divided into linguistic groups, unable to understand one another.
The Jews are Jesus Christ’ Natural Family.
The Church-Age is Jesus Christ’ Spiritual Family – we refer to as the RFOG – Royal Family of God.
When the apostles went to a country like Italy – there were Jews who spoke in the Italian language and this was a “known tongue” – not an “unknown tongue”.
1CO 14:2 For the one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people, but to God; for no one understands, but in his spirit he speaks mysteries.
1CO 14:3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for edification, exhortation, and consolation.
1CO 14:4 The one who speaks in a tongue edifies himself; but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
There is only one Spiritual Gift – that edifies the person themselves and that’s the gift of tongues.
1CO12:27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually parts of it.
1CO 12:28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, and various kinds of tongues.
1CO 12:29 All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? All are not workers of miracles, are they?
1CO 12:30 All do not have gifts of healings, do they? All do not speak with tongues, do they? All do not interpret, do they?
1CO 12:31 But earnestly desire the greater gifts.
And yet, I am going to show you a far better way.
1CO 13:1 If I speak with the tongues of mankind and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.
1CO 13: 2 If I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.
1CO 13:3 And if I give away all my possessions to charity, and if I surrender my body so that I may glory, but do not have love, it does me no good.
1CO 13:4 Love is patient, love is kind, it is not jealous; love does not brag, it is not arrogant.
1CO 13:5 It does not act disgracefully, it does not seek its own benefit; it is not provoked, does not keep an account of a wrong suffered,
1CO 13: 6 it does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth;
1CO 13:7 it keeps every confidence, it believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.
1CO 13:8 Love never fails; but if there are gifts of prophecy, they will be done away with; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away with.
1CO 13:9 For we know in part and prophesy in part;
In 1CO 13:9, Paul is referring to the spiritual gifts of knowledge and prophecy and showing that they are only partially effective.
Any knowledge given to the church by God through someone with the gift of knowledge is just a tiny slice of all there is to know of God.
1CO 13:10 but when the perfect comes, the partial will be done away with.
1CO 13:11 When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason like a child; when I became a man, I did away with childish things.
1CO 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.
1CO 13:13 But now faith, hope, and love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.
1CO 14:21 In the Law it is written: “By men of strange tongues and by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people, and even so they will not listen to Me,” says the Lord.
1CO 14:22 So then, tongues are for a sign, not to those who believe but to unbelievers; but prophecy is not for unbelievers, but for those who believe.
You cannot elect someone to a spiritual gift – it has to appointed by God.
Divine Order: God – over – Christ – over – Man – over – Woman.
Paul is the 12th apostle who wrote half of the New Testament and said I am the least of all the apostles – when he actually called himself an “apostle”… in 1CO 15.
EPH 3:8 To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,
In Act 1:24-26, the Apostles all agreed to electing Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot.
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is given to those believers who desire to glorify our Lord with the doctrines that have to do with becoming a “Christian warrior” as a “Christian Soldier.”
1) The principle of objective = Plan
2) The principle of offensive = Victory
3) The principle of mass = Power
4) The principle of economy of force = Execution
5) The principle of movement = Momentum
6) The principle of surprise = Attack
7) The principle of security = Support
8) The principle of simplicity = Accuracy
9) The principle of cooperation = Teamwork
GAL 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
Each of the nine principles of warfare can be summed up in one word – Winner.
It’s interesting that Solomon wrote in Ecc 1:9 Whatever has happened, will happen again; whatever has been done, will be done again. There is nothing new on earth. (ISV)
When it comes to the doctrine of the Christian Soldier it is important to note that we understand the times in which we live and what to expect in the future so that we can be prepared for the battles that we are about to face.
“You and I are being plunged into a period of time about which the Bible says more about than it does about any other period of time including the Gospel Period.”
If we focus in on the times we are living in, all we have to do is to present our need to the Lord and then focus in on the plan of God.
So, this morning, I would like to begin with what we should be prepared for as Christian Soldiers in these last days.
The Top Ten Signs of the Last Days
- There will be the rapid increase of wickedness; 2Ti 3:1-5 talks about an increase in apostasy and living for self and pleasure rather than following God.
Apostasy is fallen away from doctrine and living for self is loose living and doing whatever you want.
Many individuals call that type of living not being in bondage because they are free and live in liberty, yet they are in bondage to their liberty.
The apostle Paul warned us about this in GAL 5:13-14, For you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.
Gal 5:14 For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself. “
Here’s what the apostle Paul said about this period of time;
2TI 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.
2TI 3:2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy,
2TI 3:3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self‑control, brutal, haters of good,
2TI 3:4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God;
2TI 3:5 holding to a form of godliness [or living the spiritual life] , although they have denied its power; and avoid such men as these.
Today, many churches teach the Bible but don’t teach it as the very words of God and most don’t even know the doctrine of the filling of the Holy Spirit, Dispensations, and the Angelic Conflict.
This is teaching “information” without power!
This is having a form of religion but denying the power of living the spiritual life called godliness in verse 5.
The Holy Spirit is the power behind the Word of God being real in our life.
So, they add “other” things to the teaching of the Word.
In Matthew 24:37-39, we read that there would be an unrestrained violence in the last days.
MAT 24:37 “For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
MAT 24:38 “For as in those days which were before the flood they were eating and drinking, they were marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark,
MAT 24:39 and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so shall the coming of the Son of Man be.
Remember, what the Lord said concerning this time?
Look at GEN 6:5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
GEN 6:6 And the Lord was sorry or repented [anthropopathism] that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
GEN 6:7 And the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry [anthropopathism] that I have made them.”
God does not feel sorry, He does not repent, this is merely using human language for us so that we can identify the message He wants to convey to us.
But thank God that He always has someone alive to meet the crisis.
Someone who can be salt to the earth and light to the world and act as a preserver of the dispensation he is a part of.
And therefore we read in GEN 6:8 But Noah found favor [grace] in the eyes of the Lord.
Every day we see the gang environment that our children and young men have to deal with which is so evil.
Many of our young people don’t think anything about “killing” someone for their gang or for their acceptance with their so-called friends.
They kill because you say the wrong thing or wear the wrong colors.
There is no value to the human life.
And that is one of the signs that take place in the last days.
- The Intense Quest for Globalism and a One-World Religion is no longer kept hidden as taught in the book of Daniel in chapters 7-10; based upon DAN 12:4.
In Daniel 12:4 we are told that in the last days there will be an enormous increase in travel, and education which shall be vastly increased.
DAN 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
Think about it, any person, place or thing you want to know about is now at your fingertips through the internet.
The equivalent of over 500 million pages of text is now sent over the internet every day and that number has gone up since the last time I searched for the statistics.
Daniel chapters 7-10 describe a single government and body of political power controlling the entire world.
This is the set-up for those influenced by antichrists as well as the Antichrist himself.
He will step in as the leader of this body of leaders and rule the entire world.
- Earthquakes and Famines will be another sign of the last days as taught in MAT 24:7; MAR 13:8; Luk 21:7-9.
MAT 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
MAR 13:8 “For nation will arise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will also be famines. These things are merely the beginning of birth pangs.
Look at LUK 21:7 And they (describe) questioned Him, saying, “Teacher, when therefore will these things be? And what will be the sign when these things are about to take place?”
LUK 21:8 And He said, “See to it that you be not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is at hand’; do not go after them.
LUK 21:9 “And when you hear of wars and disturbances, do not be terrified; for these things must take place first, but the end does not follow immediately.”
LUK 21:10 Then He continued by saying to them, “Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom,
LUK 21:11 and there will be great earthquakes, and in various places plagues and famines; and there will be terrors and great signs from heaven.
During the past ten years we have seen a dramatic rise in both the frequency and intensity of earthquakes.
Since the 1940’s there has been a dramatic increase in earthquakes.
The Bloomberg City Lab says that between 1900 to 2015, there were over 10, 000 major earthquakes throughout the world.
As far as famines, over 100 million people throughout the world are living with HIV, AIDS, the Covid Virus and those affected by it, all of which are called little beasts in the book of Revelation.
- Technology as a prominent sign because the world now has the capability via computers, Artificial Intelligence, and Gigantic Data Bases to control buying and selling on.
We live during a period of human history when these things are possible more than any other time before.
Before the internet, it was impossible for every nation and every language to hear the Gospel with the strike of a key!
In DAN 12:4 “But as for you, Daniel, conceal these words and seal up the book until the end of time; many will go back and forth, and knowledge will increase.”
Look at that very well-known passage that is normally quoted whenever we deal with the end times.
REV 13:11 I saw another beast coming up out of the earth; and he had two horns like a lamb, and he spoke as a dragon.
REV 13:12 And he exercises all the authority of the first beast in his presence. And he makes the earth and those who dwell in it to worship the first beast, whose fatal wound was healed.
REV 13:13 And he performs great signs, so that he even makes fire come down out of heaven to the earth in the presence of men.
REV 13:14 And he deceives those who dwell on the earth because of the signs which it was given him to perform in the presence of the beast, telling those who dwell on the earth to make an image to the beast who had the wound of the sword and has come to life.
REV 13:15 And there was given to him to give breath to the image of the beast, that the image of the beast might even speak and cause as many as do not worship the image of the beast to be killed.
REV 13:16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead,
REV 13:17 and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
REV 13:18 Here is wisdom. Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for the number is that of a man; and his number is six hundred and sixty‑six.
- In the last days, there will be many scoffers toward the Jews and the Christians in 2Pe 3:1-10. The mocking of our beliefs in a rapture and pre-millennial return of Jesus is prevalent both inside and outside the church.
2PE 3:1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2PE 3:2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
2PE 3:3 Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,
2PE 3:4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.”
2PE 3:5 For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,
2PE 3:6 through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.
2PE 3:7 But the present heavens and earth by His word are being reserved for fire, kept for the day of judgment and destruction of ungodly men.
2PE 3:8 But do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
2PE 3:9 The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.
2PE 3:10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, in which the heavens will pass away with a roar and the elements will be destroyed with intense heat, and the earth and its works will be burned up.
- The Battle of Gog and Magog (Eze 38-39). The armies that the prophet Ezekiel prophesied would invade Israel in the last days are currently in Syria and their forces.
- The miraculous rebirth of Israel as a nation cannot be overlooked; Mat 24:32-34.
MAT 24:32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree [a reference to Israel]: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves [Israel bearing fruit], you know that summer [time of heat] is near;
MAT 24:33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
MAT 24:34 “Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
- There will be an increase of wars where nation will rise up against nations and ethnic groups will rise up against ethnic groups; MAT 24:7, the Greek word for nation is ethnos = ethnic.
MAT 24:7 “For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom, and in various places there will be famines and earthquakes.
The International Red Cross estimates that over 200 million people have been killed in wars in the last 120 years alone.
Since World War II, there have been over 200 major wars as well as hundreds of smaller wars.
- The Rise of Anti-Semitism and antichrists will take place; Gen 12:1-3; Mat 24:32-33; Luk 21:24; 1Jo 2:18.
The promise to Abraham will become very important.
For in GEN 12:1 Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father’s house, To the land which I will show you;
GEN 12:2 And I will make you a great nation, And I will bless you, And make your name great; And so you shall be a blessing;
GEN 12:3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. ”
This is true in all nations, those nations who are pro-Semitic or for Israel or the Jews are blessed those nations who are anti-Semitic or negative toward Israel or the Jews are under a curse.
In Mat 24:32-33 Jesus spoke of Israel’s rebirth when the Jews were scattered all around during the Jewish-Roman war of A.D.70 just as Jesus prophesied in Luke 21:24.
Also, exactly as the Bible prophesied, the Nation of Israel was reborn on May 14, 1948.
Mat 24:32 “Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender, and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near;
MAT 24:33 even so you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door.
LUK 21:24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and will be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled under foot by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.
1JO 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.
- The Temple (MAT 24:15) Jesus predicted the antichrist would someday defile a temple in Israel just as Daniel prophesied (9:27).
MAT 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),”
Dan 9:27 “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;
and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
This describes a single government and body of political power controlling the entire world.
This is the set-up for the antichrist.
He will step in as the leader of this body of leaders and rule the entire world.
1Jo 2:15-19 tells of the coming of the Antichrist. This is an important and final sign of the end times.
1Jo 2:15 Do not love the world, nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1JO 2:16 For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
1JO 2:17 And the world is passing away, and also its lusts; but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
1JO 2:18 Children, it is the last hour; and just as you heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour.
1JO 2:19 They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, in order that it might be shown that they all are not of us.
Back in MAT 24:15 “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
MAT 24:16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
There will eventually be a One-World Government run by ONE man known as the “beast” in book of Revelation.
The Bible tells of a brilliant 7-year peace agreement that the Antichrist convinces the world to agree to.
It will temporarily resolve the problems in the Middle East and allow the antichrist to come to power.
I don’t know about you, but I sure hear of a LOT OF PROBLEMS in the MIDDLE EAST RIGHT NOW!
In order for this man to make this great offer, there has to be chaos in the Middle East!
It is on the news every single day!
Our American men are over there fighting for peace!
The antichrist will cause all to worship him and his “image” and those who refuse WILL DIE!
Revelation 13:16-17 tells us of a universal mark or number that all will be forced to take, or they will not be able to buy or sell.
REV 13:16 And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free men and the slaves, to be given a mark on their right hand, or on their forehead,
REV 13:17 and he provides that no one should be able to buy or to sell, except the one who has the mark, either the name of the beast or the number of his name.
Since the computers have become such a big part of our society and life is run by our social security numbers, this is becoming a very simple task to accomplish!
So much for ten of the last signs that the Christian soldier should be aware of.
Now, we are still dealing with a Description and Definition of the main passage of the Christian Soldier in Act 1.
This is a passage that states that you cannot elect and apostle that an apostle is appointed by our Lord.
And we also noted the place for female and male teachers as found in the word of God in 1Ti 2:9-15: 1Co 11 3-12; 1Pe 3:1-7.
All of these passages can be summed up by a certain reference from each.
For example, in….
1Ti 2:9 Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments;
1TI 2:10 but rather by means of good works, as befits women making a claim to godliness.
1Co 11:11 However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman.
1CO 11:12 For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.
1PE 3:3 And let not your adornment be merely external‑‑ braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses;
1PE 3:4 but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God.
We begin in Act 1:24, where we read that the Apostles all agreed to electing Matthias to replace Judas Iscariot.
It sounded very spiritual and doctrinal, but it was not.
Only the Lord Jesus Christ can appoint the Apostles not them!
Act 1:24 And they prayed, and said, “Thou, Lord, who knowest the hearts of all men, show which one of these two Thou hast chosen
These two are the ones that they have chosen,
ACT 1:25 to occupy this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place. “
ACT 1:26 And they drew lots for them, and the lot fell to Matthias; and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.
As we begin to prepare ourselves to be individuals who are willing to live a life that glorifies the Lord, we begin with the fact that…….
The ministry of the Holy Spirit is given to those believers who desire to glorify our Lord with the doctrines that have to do with becoming a “Christian warrior” as a “Christian Soldier.”
So, we begin our new subject of the “Christian soldier” with some principles that all believers need to learn as the basis of being a winner when it comes to the “Christian Soldier” as a winner believer.
These principles will come up at certain times in our study throughout this doctrine.
Each of the nine principles of warfare can be summed up in one word — Winner.
It is based upon the following nine points.
1) The principle of objective = Plan
2) The principle of offensive = Victory
3) The principle of mass = Power
4) The principle of economy of force = Execution
5) The principle of movement = Momentum
6) The principle of surprise = Attack
7) The principle of security = Support
8) The principle of simplicity = Accuracy
9) The principle of cooperation = Teamwork
Notice the Nine Words of Production.
1) Plan
2) Victory
3) Power
4) Execution
5) Momentum
6) Attack
7) Support
8) Accuracy
9) Teamwork
Now, the point emphasized in these verses is that….
There is a great and powerful enemy and kingdom surrounding us.
This kingdom is doing its best to stop you from going forward in the plan of God for your life and to hinder your spiritual growth.
This kingdom is called “the kingdom of darkness” and is controlled by your adversary, the devil in Col 1:13; 1Pe 5:8.
Col 1:13 For He delivered us from the domain or the kingdom of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son.
1PE 5:8 Be of sober {spirit,} be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls about like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Satan is a very powerful king ruling on earth with a desire to first seduce and to ultimately defeat the believer.
There is also the importance of spiritual exercise.
Spiritual exercise takes training.
Spiritual exercise takes self-discipline.
Exercise for the Royal Family in the congregation of the local church means:
1) Exercising self-discipline
2) Assembling together.
3) Concentrating on the teaching.
4) Having good manners.
5) Remaining silent.
6) Not commenting during class.
7) Not disturbing others.
8) Not moving around.
9) Practicing objectivity.
10) Persistence in spite of distraction.
All of these actions during Bible class are part of the discipline of spiritual exercise that takes us from salvation to spiritual maturity.
In fact, look at 1TI 4:6 In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, {constantly} nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
1TI 4:7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;
1TI 4:8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and {also} for the {life} to come.
1TI 4:9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.
And then a verse that those who believe in the unlimited atonement love while those who believe in the limited atonement cannot refute:
1TI 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.
So I repeat…..
A soldier is told who to fight and he understands who his enemies are.
A soldier is supplied logistically as he goes forward in training, discipline, and warfare.
God provides the Christian soldier logistical grace for his spiritual walk and warfare, 2PE 1:2-4.
2PE 1:2 Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord;
2PE 1:3 seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence.
2PE 1:4 For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, in order that by them you might become partakers of {the} divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.
The military is a great example of this principle.
It bears the expense of the war and furnishes the soldier with whatever is necessary for his calling.
Likewise, our Lord has given us clothes, armor, weapons, and whatever we need to handle what we are going to face.
Everything we need, both in the natural realm and in the spiritual realm, has been provided for us by God.
A soldier must be an expert and well-skilled in his field.
The Christian soldier ought to be well-skilled in all things necessary for his calling, in LUK 14:28 “For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost, to see if he has enough to complete it?
A natural soldier must know his position in his unit and how to keep both rank and file.
Just so, the Christian soldier must know his place and particular station.
That is THE Christian soldier ought to know where God the Holy Spirit has placed him in the body of Christ, 1CO 12:18.
1CO 12:18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.
We can never be a winner as a Christian soldier unless we understand the Ten Problem-Solving Devices available to the Church-age believer.
We call them 10 PSD’s though others may call them whatever they want.
Rebound is the simple confession of known sins to God, 1JO 1:9, JOH 13:10, PSA 32:5. Rebound is a grace function, requiring no overt works by the believer such as penitence.
JOH 13:10 Jesus said to him, “He who has bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you.”
Look at PSA 32:1 (A Psalm of David. A Maskil.) How blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, Whose sin is covered!
PSA 32:2 How blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute iniquity, And in whose spirit there is no deceit!
PSA 32:3 When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away Through my groaning all day long.
PSA 32:4 For day and night Thy hand was heavy upon me; My vitality was drained away as with the fever heat of summer. Selah.
PSA 32:5 I acknowledged my sin to Thee, And my iniquity I did not hide; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”; And Thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. Selah.
We call it rebound or recovery but it is also described as
(1) “If we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged.” (1 Cor 11:31) that is tantamount to rebound. Judging self emphasizes the privacy of your priesthood in naming your sins only to God.
(2) Rom 6:13 and 12:1 teach the concept “to present yourselves which refers to the rebound technique as the means of reentry into the PPOG which is tantamount to placing yourself under orders to God and getting back in fellowship.
(3) Heb 12:1, “Lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily entangles us.” The sins of arrogance are the sins which easily entangle us.
(4) “Be subject to the Father of our spirits.” (Heb 12:9).
(5) “Lift up the hands that hang down.” (Heb 12:12).
(6) “Make straight paths.” (Mat 3:3; Heb 12:13).
(7) “Arise from the dead.” ( Eph 5:14).
(8) “Put off the old man and put on the new”
EPH 4:22 that, in reference to your former manner of life, you lay aside the old self, which is being corrupted in accordance with the lusts of deceit,
EPH 4:23 and that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind,
EPH 4:24 and put on the new self, which in {the likeness of} God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth.
COL 3:9 Do not live in the lie to one another, since you laid aside the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self who is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created him.
(9) A ninth synonym for rebound is to lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light; ROM 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is at hand. Let us therefore lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
PSD #2: The Filling of the Holy Spirit — While all Church-age believers are indwelt by the H.S, the filling of the Spirit is predicated on being in fellowship with God and is accomplished by rebound, EPH 5:18; 1JO 1:9; ACT 1:8.
The filling of the Holy Spirit is a command; EPH 5:18.
The filling of the Spirit is the result of agreeing with God who is faithful and just to forgive us and cleanse us from all unrighteousness so that the Holy Spirit can use us by controlling us says 1JO 1:9.
The filling of the Holy Spirit gives the believer God’s power to live the spiritual life, ACT 1:8.
The filling of the Spirit is unique to the Church Age because this is the first time in history when all believers are mandated to be filled with the Spirit.
The whole concept of the filling of the Spirit goes back to the principle that there is no human attribute, no system of human success, no talent, no system of works, no system of any kind whereby we have the ability to execute God’s plan for our lives.
Just as we had no ability to be saved, so we have no ability to execute God’s plan in our own energy.
You have to be filled with the Spirit before anything you do for God is counted as gold, silver, and precious stones!
Spirituality is the work of God the Holy Spirit when He controls your life, when you are inside the PPOG.
There are two approaches to the filling of the Spirit: the issue of who controls your soul, and the issue of whether your soul resides in the PPOG or in the cosmic system.
Who controls your soul?
At salvation, God the Holy Spirit indwells the body of every believer in order to create a temple, a place of residence, for the indwelling of Christ as the Shekinah Glory.
So the believer’s body is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit, but it is also indwelt by the old sin nature.
The issue is who controls the soul, the Holy Spirit or the sin nature?
The old sin nature is the source of temptation; the Holy Spirit is the source of the spiritual life, the enabling power of the Spirit.
You are either filled with the Spirit or you are not. There is no such thing as a graduated concept of spirituality.
The filling of the Spirit is the basis for the function of all the problem solving devices. It is not only the basis for learning doctrine, but it is the only way the problem solving devices can function.
PSD #3: The Faith-Rest Drill = entails claiming a promise made by God in the Scriptures and then relying (resting upon) God to fulfill His promise, HEB 4:1-2, 4:10-11; Rom 4:1-7.
HEB 4:1 Therefore, let us fear lest, while a promise remains of entering His rest, any one of you should seem to have come short of it.
HEB 4:2 For indeed we have had good news preached to us, just as they also; but the word they heard did not profit them, because it was not united by faith in those who heard.
HEB 4:3 For we who have believed enter that rest, just as He has said, ” As I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest,” although His works were finished from the foundation of the world.
HEB 4:4 For He has thus said somewhere concerning the seventh day, “And God rested on the seventh day from all His works”;
HEB 4:5 and again in this passage, “They shall not enter My rest.”
HEB 4:6 Since therefore it remains for some to enter it, and those who formerly had good news preached to them failed to enter because of disobedience,
HEB 4:7 He again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before, “Today if you hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts.”
HEB 4:8 For if Joshua had given them rest, He would not have spoken of another day after that.
HEB 4:9 There remains therefore a Sabbath rest for the people of God.
HEB 4:10 For the one who has entered His rest has himself also rested from his works, as God did from His.
HEB 4:11 Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through following the same example of disobedience.
Turn to ROM 4:1 What then shall we say that Abraham, our forefather according to the flesh, has found?
ROM 4:2 For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about; but not before God.
ROM 4:3 For what does the Scripture say? “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.”
ROM 4:4 Now to the one who works, his wage is not reckoned as a favor, but as what is due.
ROM 4:5 But to the one who does not work, but believes in Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is reckoned as righteousness,
ROM 4:6 just as David also speaks of the blessing upon the man to whom God reckons righteousness apart from works:
ROM 4:7 “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds have been forgiven, And whose sins have been covered.
ROM 4:8 “Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will not take into account.”
In the spiritual life, God does the work and the believer receives the reward, PHI 1:6. The faith-rest drill also involves trusting in the character of God Who is faithful to the believer, DEU 7:9, 2TI 2:13, 1TH 5:24, 2TH 3:3.
PHI 1:6 For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
DEU 7:9 “Know therefore that the Lord your God, He is God, the faithful God, who keeps His covenant and His lovingkindness to a thousandth generation with those who love Him and keep His commandments;
2TI 2:13 If we are faithless, He remains faithful; for He cannot deny Himself.
1TH 5:24 Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass.
2TH 3:3 But the Lord is faithful, and He will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.
PSD #4: Grace Orientation: This is the gracious gift from God, 1CO 4:7, 2CO 12:9, JAM 4:6. Grace orientation promotes an attitude of humility in the believer; it is the antithesis of arrogance. Grace orientation also motivates the believer to act graciously towards others.
1CO 4:6 Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively applied to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that in us you might learn not to exceed what is written, in order that no one of you might become arrogant in behalf of one against the other.
1CO 4:7 For who regards you as superior? And what do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?
Go forward to 2CO 12:7 And because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to buffet me‑‑ to keep me from exalting myself!
2CO 12:8 Concerning this I entreated the Lord three times that it might depart from me.
2CO 12:9 And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me.
2CO 12:10 Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
JAM 4:6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
PSD #5: Doctrinal Orientation: Achieved by the PMA of BD and promotes thinking and living by God’s norms and standards, MAT 4:4, ISA 55:9, 1CO 2:16, ROM 12:2, JOH 4:24. Bible doctrine also gives the believer the power to live the spiritual life, HEB 4:12.
MAT 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.'”
ISA 55:9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts.
1CO 2:16 For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he should instruct Him? But we have the mind of Christ.
ROM 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.
JOH 4:24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
HEB 4:12 For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two‑edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
PSD #6: A Personal Sense of Destiny. As long as a believer is alive, God has a plan for him, JER 29:11, PHI 1:20-21. This fact should give the believer hope (confidence, expectation) about the future, ROM 15:13, PHI 1:20.
JER 29:11 ‘For I know the plans that I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans for welfare and not for calamity to give you a future and a hope.
PHI 1:20-21, according to my earnest expectation and hope, that I shall not be put to shame in anything, but that with all boldness, Christ shall even now, as always, be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.
ROM 15:13 Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
PSD #7: Personal Love for God: God is loving, righteous, just, faithful, and much more. As such, God is a deserving object of our personal love, DEU 6:5, Mar 12:30, Luk 10:27.
We begin in DEU 6:4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one!
DEU 6:5 “And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
DEU 6:6 “And these words, which I am commanding you today, shall be on your heart;
DEU 6:7 and you shall teach them diligently to your sons and shall talk of them when you sit in your house and when you walk by the way and when you lie down and when you rise up.
DEU 6:8 “And you shall bind them as a sign on your hand and they shall be as frontals on your forehead.
DEU 6:9 “And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.
Look at MAR 12:28 And one of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?”
MAR 12:29 Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord;
MAR 12:30 and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength. ‘
LUK 10:25 And behold, a certain lawyer stood up and put Him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?”
LUK 10:26 And He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How does it read to you?”
LUK 10:27 And he answered and said, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
LUK 10:28 And He said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”
You cannot love someone you have never met unless you learn about him, 1PE 1:8.
1PE 1:8 and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory,
PSD #8: Impersonal Love for All Mankind: Derived from the integrity of the one who loves and does not consider the worthiness (or lack of worthiness) of the one being loved.
It is and unconditional love.
Impersonal love is derived from spiritual self-esteem, grace-orientation, and a relaxed mental attitude of the lover, MAT 5:44, ROM 13:9, GAL 5:14, JAM 2:8.
MAT 5:44 “But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you.
ROM 13:8 Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.
ROM 13:9 For this, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,” and if there is any other commandment, it is summed up in this saying, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”
ROM 13:10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; love therefore is the fulfillment of the law.
PSD #9: Sharing the Happiness of God: +H is a perfect happiness that is not dependent on circumstances or people. It is “true” happiness for the believer who is abiding by the Royal Family Honor Code and living in the PPOG; JAM 1:25, MAT 25:23, JOH 15:11, PHI 4:11.
JAM 1:21 Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted [metabolized], which is able to save [deliever] your souls.
Metabolized doctrine is able and has the power to give the believer whatever is needed to handle the problems of life.
JAM 1:22 But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves.
JAM 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror;
JAM 1:24 for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was.
And then the reward is given in JAM 1:25 But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.
All of us should desire to hear from our Master what Mat 25:23
Says;
Mat 25:23 ‘Well done, good and faithful slave; you were faithful with a few things, I will put you in charge of many things; enter into the joy or happiness of your master.’
PHI 4:11 Not that I speak from want; for I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am.
PSD #10: Occupation with Christ: The natural result of learning Bible doctrine, 1PE 3:15, HEB 3:6, EPH 3:19, 2CO 5:14. All of Scripture points to Him, the manifest person of the Trinity.
1PE 3:15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
HEB 3:6 but Christ was faithful as a Son over His house whose house we are, if we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end.
EPH 3:19 and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled up to all the fulness of God.
2CO 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died;
Occupation with Christ prevents occupation with the human race. Christian marriage is an illustration of the Church’s relationship with Jesus Christ, EPH 5:22-33.
EPH 5:22 Wives, be subject to your own husbands, as to the Lord.
EPH 5:23 For the husband is the head of the wife, as Christ also is the head of the church, He Himself being the Savior of the body.
EPH 5:24 But as the church is subject to Christ, so also the wives ought to be to their husbands in everything.
EPH 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her;
EPH 5:26 that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word,
EPH 5:27 that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she should be holy and blameless.
EPH 5:28 So husbands ought also to love their own wives as their own bodies. He who loves his own wife loves himself;
EPH 5:29 for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church,
EPH 5:30 because we are members of His body.
EPH 5:31 For this cause a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and the two shall become one flesh.
EPH 5:32 This mystery is great; but I am speaking with reference to Christ and the church.
EPH 5:33 Nevertheless let each individual among you also love his own wife even as himself; and let the wife see to it that she respect her husband.
Also we need to know and master the Divine Institutions.
- Divine institution #1: Volition – Volition is defined as unfettered, uncoerced moral choice. Volition, then, is moral free will referenced in such verses as Joshua 24:15 and throughout the book Proverbs.
JOS 24:15 “And if it is disagreeable in your sight to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves today whom you will serve: whether the gods which your fathers served which were beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
- Divine institution #2: Marriage. Marriage is the joining together of one man and one woman to become “one flesh,” GEN 2:24 and MAR 10:7. Marriage perpetuates the human race. Christian marriage is an illustration of the Church’s relationship with Jesus Christ, EPH 5:22-33.
In GEN 2:18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
GEN 2:19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
GEN 2:20 And the man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
GEN 2:21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh at that place.
GEN 2:22 And the Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
GEN 2:23 And the man said, “This is now bone of my bones, And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
GEN 2:24 For this cause a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
- Divine institution #3: Family is graciously provided to man by God, EPH 3:14-15. The family remains the basis for all human societies. The family provides a stable environment for children to grow up safely under the authority of their parents.
EPH 3:14-15, For this reason, I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name,
- Divine institution #4: Government or patriotism. Government is provided by God to furnish man with an environment conducive to freedom, ROM 13:1-7.
Through the laws of divine establishment, government allows for a society where man is free to choose and a believer is free to live his life before the Lord.
ROM 13:1 Let every person be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God.
ROM 13:2 Therefore he who resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves.
ROM 13:3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same;
ROM 13:4 for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath upon the one who practices evil.
ROM 13:5 Wherefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.
ROM 13:6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing.
ROM 13:7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.
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