The Divine Perspective on Christian Fellowship as it relates to Occupation with Christ.
- The old sin nature test.
The old sin nature originated from human volition, the free will of Adam and the woman.
Note that the sin nature was not brought forth by MAS or SOT but it came from human volition or the free-will of man rejecting the commandment from God.
We also note that the old sin nature is the inside source of temptation.
No one ever sins apart from human consent for volition is your authority over your soul.
Volition is the guardian of the soul from the temptations thrown up by the old sin nature.
Temptation does not come from God but it comes from Satan says MAR 1:13 And He was in the wilderness forty days being tempted by Satan;
MAT 6:13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
This is brought out by the words of our Lord in MAT 26:41 "Keep watching and praying, that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak."
Those believers who are excited about the word that they heard but they fall away into temptation are mentioned in LUK 8:13.
LUK 8:13 "And those on the rocky {soil are} those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no {firm} root; they believe for a while, and in time of temptation fall away.
When Satan sees believers who lack self-control, he will temp their old sin nature. 1CO 7:5.
In 1TH 3:5, Satan is called the tempter that tempts the believer.
1TH 3:5 For this reason, when I could endure {it} no longer, I also sent to find out about your faith, for fear that the tempter might have tempted you, and our labor should be in vain.
Those who are money mongers are warned about temptation 1TI 6:9 But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.
This means that the old sin nature test is not a test from God but a test from Satan.
2PE 2:9 the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from temptation, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment for the day of judgment.
Notice that the key to not carrying out the desire of the flesh is “walking by means of the Spirit,” not denying your flesh or trying to crucify yourself.
GAL 5:17 for the flesh [O.S.N.] sets its desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh
It doesn’t say that “the Holy Spirit sets its desires against the flesh,” it only says that the flesh sets its lusts against the Spirit.
The word desires is the verb epithumeo which is the Greek word for lusts.
The reason for that is God the Holy Spirit wants us to see that the flesh fights with the Spirit but the Spirit does not fight against the flesh, it ignores the flesh.
The Holy Spirit doesn’t even recognize the ministry of the old sin nature and He does not want us to recognize the old sin nature as well.
That’s why it says in COL 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.
So, in GAL 5:17 for the flesh [O.S.N.] sets its desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please.
Human volition then is the source of all sin regardless of how the temptation came about.
The temptation of the OSN is not just to try and get the believer to sin, but to control the believer’s soul.
(a) The old sin nature controls the soul either through self-righteous arrogance or sin.
(b) The believer enters the cosmic system, either Cosmic 1 or Cosmic 2.
Cosmic 1 = self and sin.
Cosmic 2 = antichrist, anti-doctrine.
Most temptations come from within, from the old sin nature, whereas some come from without, from someone else's old sin nature.
Only volition, as the guardian of the soul, can protect the believer from the pressure of temptation.
- The old sin nature test.
The second test is 2. The Cosmic #1 test.
Because all that is in the cosmic system, the lust of the flesh [OSN], and the lust of the eyes [evil of cosmic one], and the arrogant pattern of life is not from the Father, but is from the cosmic system."
The cosmic one test will answer the question will the believer submit to the ministry of the Holy Spirit or will the believer grieve the Holy Spirit?
The cosmic one test emphasizes arrogance; self in contrast to God.
The cosmic one test emphasizes Satan's thoughts of independence in the prehistoric Angelic Conflict; ISA 14:13-14.
ISA 14:13 "But you said in your heart, 'I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, And I will sit on the mount of assembly In the recesses of the north.
ISA 14:14 'I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.'
If you will get involved with motivational evil, mental attitude sins, arrogance, pride, jealousy, bitterness, hatred, anger, guilt, revenge, vindictiveness, implacability, self‑pity, operation over-think, etc.
In the cosmic one test the target is self and the main temptation is the pride of the believer.
Achievement arrogance is the blasphemy of taking achievement away from God and placing it in your own hands.
This is creature credit verses creator credit.
Negative volition arrogance, is preoccupation with self, loss of self‑values, loss of personality identity, loss of spiritual self-esteem, all lost due to apathy.
Authority arrogance, produces unteachable people.
Self‑righteous arrogance, includes sexual arrogance. and criminal arrogance.
Psychopathic arrogance is usually induced through a life in cosmic one.
The arrogance of unhappiness, is subjective preoccupation with self.
Iconoclastic arrogance is subjective preoccupation with others.
Intellectual and emotional arrogance, is also known as rational and irrational arrogance.
Client nation arrogance, includes Christian activism and civil disobedience.
These attacks occur at every stage of spiritual growth, but for the believer who is at spiritual autonomy and occupation with Christ, he can use these attacks as a means of growing even more.
- The old sin nature test.
- Cosmic #1 test.
- Cosmic #2 test.
This is Satan's interlocking system of antagonism toward the Christian way of life and toward our Lord.
This is quenching the ministry of God the Holy Spirit.
Quenching the Spirit is relying on creature credit rather than creator credit.
The direct attack of cosmic two is to cause believers to become antagonistic toward the word of God and toward the plan of God to glorify the Lord.
The cosmic system is the trap for the enslavement of the human race to Satan; it is a factory for the manufacture of losers.
The test of cosmic 2 is to discredit doctrine, attack doctrine, or cause doctrine to become lightly esteemed.
In this test, fellowship with other believers, or self- righteousness, works and legalism now become the main focus as doctrine is pushed aside.
The next tests are those to be faced by the believer who reaches at least spiritual autonomy.
These tests are a direct contribution to his attainment of the goal of spiritual maturity where the believer is qualified for evidence testing which is the highest form of testing initiated by Satan.
- Disaster testing.
Before the believer reaches maturity, there are one or two major disasters in their life.
(a) Personal disaster testing is designed as suffering for blessing for acceleration of momentum.
(b) Historical disaster, collective disaster, or national disaster testing is related to the bad decisions of others in which you are involved by association.
There are at least six characteristics of disaster testing.
(1) Pain, e.g., physical or mental pain and anguish.
(2) Crime, where you are the victim.
(3) Persecution (not paranoia).
(4) Privation, meaning hunger, thirst, exposure, fatigue.
(5) Loss of loved ones, property, success, money, etc.
(6) Disease and handicaps.
There are also four characteristics of national disaster.
(a) Violence, crime, terrorism, dope, murder.
(b) Warfare.
(c) Weather includes heat, cold, storm, blizzards, hurricanes, tornadoes.
(d) Cycles of discipline.
In emotionalism, you may seek to sue someone who is negligent, which is only revenge, and you become a loser.
You can lose by gaining, and gain by losing.
MAT 10:39 "He who has found his life shall lose it, and he who has lost his life for My sake shall find it.
The only wealth worth having is the wealth that God provides in escrow blessings.
In this momentum test, there is always the temptation to take the easy route of money, security, fame, and lose forever the conveyance of your escrow blessings.
There is always the disaster that will make you prosperous.
There must be maximum faith, maximum spiritual self-esteem, maximum spiritual maturity if you are going to have your escrow blessing and pass the disaster test.
As Jeremiah said in JER 17:17 "Thou art my refuge in the day of disaster."
PSA 4:5 Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, And trust in the Lord.
Trust in the Lord is called a sacrifice because in time of disaster the tendency is to trust in yourself!
PSA 50:14 says the same thing, "Offer to God a sacrifice of thanksgiving, And pay your vows to the Most High;
PSA 50:15 And call upon Me in the day of trouble; I shall rescue you, and you will honor Me."
The fifth test is:
- People testing.
(a) In personal love or admiration, the object of your love often controls your life or provides for you unhappiness.
In wanting to please the object of your personal love, you find yourself being a different person and not following your normal standards and functions.
(b) The personal hatred or animosity where the object of your antagonism or irritation often has control of your life or happiness, unless you have advanced to occupation with Christ.
Under the predesigned plan of God, God designed his plan so that your happiness will always reside in you, and you do not depend on people or things for your happiness.
You are supposed to have personal control of your life, a personal sense of destiny, self‑confidence from metabolized doctrine, and therefore, poise and command of self.
You bring your happiness to others, but do not lean on others or circumstances for your happiness.
Unless you attain spiritual adulthood, every time you fall in love or acquire a friend, the object controls your life and your happiness.
When you fall in love, look how you act, how you change your modus operandi, your manner of operation and how you begin to think in different terms relating everything you do to that person.
You've manufactured for yourself many problems, and they're not all the fault of the object.
The solution to people testing is found in the combination of personal love for God and impersonal love for all mankind.
Spiritual autonomy is the prerequisite for solving all problems of human relationship, i.e., of people testing, also accompanied by system and thought testing.
Occupation with Christ as a problem-solving device belongs primarily to the spiritual adult.
You surrender the control of your life to that person.
You become a slave to the object of your antagonism or love.
At the same time, you have no control over your life, canceling all the characteristics of spiritual self-esteem and spiritual autonomy.
Occupation with Christ as a problem-solving device is the secret of your relationship with God, mankind, and in personal love.
There is no built‑in virtue in personal love, which only requires that another meet your standards of beauty, attractiveness, and rapport.
Personal love is only a virtue when directed toward God.
Impersonal love is only a virtue when directed toward all mankind as a supernatural means to do so, which is occupation with Christ.
This means that through impersonal love, the believer has control of his own life and he maintains control of his own happiness.
Disappointment, disillusion, frustration, dissatisfaction with others under the principle of misery derived from getting your eyes on people.
Once you attain spiritual adulthood and begin to function under the three categories of suffering for blessing, God becomes the source of your blessings because you are occupied with Christ.
People can only become a distraction to the fulfillment of the God's plan for your life when human relationship becomes more important to you than Bible doctrine.
False priorities exist when social life, business life, sexual life takes precedence over your residence, function, and momentum inside the PPOG.
Whether it's love or hatred, attraction or animosity, romance or disenchantment, friendship or disillusion, these can distract you from the fulfillment of the PPOG and the glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ.
As suffering for blessing, it is the only way to bring tranquility into your life to make your relationships wonderful and worthwhile.
The reaction factor in personality conflict becomes a source of great irritation and misery to most believers today when it comes to people testing.
Response results in cosmic evangelism, whereas reaction leads to motivational and functional evil.
To avoid reaction in personality conflict, you must reside in your very own plan under the enabling power of the Spirit, with momentum from metabolized doctrine.
When you can utilize occupation with Christ as a problem-solving device, you have made the greatest stride in your spiritual life.
Since happiness is the monopoly of God and His plan, you cannot depend upon people or circumstances for your happiness.
When you become upset with someone, you surrender the custody of your happiness to that person.
When you blame them for your unhappiness, which is produced by your own volition, you have intensified the suffering in your life under the law of volitional responsibility.
As the believer grows spiritually in the PPOG, he becomes aware of this pattern, rebounds quickly, and any suffering left over he can scoop up for blessing, and he moves on!
The real solution is related to occupation with Christ as a problem-solving device, which is for spiritual adulthood only.
With the attainment of spiritual autonomy through spiritual self-esteem plus providential preventative suffering, you begin to peak out in the use of occupation with Christ as a problem-solving device.
Without being sustained by impersonal love from occupation with Christ, all human relationships are vulnerable to the tragic flaw syndrome.
The tragic flaw syndrome can be detrimental and distracting unless you advance to spiritual self-esteem and spiritual autonomy.
You make your own decisions in your choice of friends and loved ones but thereafter, they begin to make all the decisions for you unless you have the function of impersonal love with occupation with Christ.
1CO 15:33, "Be not deceived, evil companions corrupt good morals."
PRO 13:20, "He who walks with wise men will be wise, but the friends of fools will suffer evil."
2TH 3:14, "If anyone does not obey our doctrine through this letter, take special note of that person and do not associate with them."
JER 17:5‑8 teaches the importance of personal love for God and spiritual self-esteem in people testing when it says "Cursed is the man who puts his trust in mankind; And makes flesh his strength; And whose heart turns away from the Lord."
PRO 9:7‑12 says that in spiritual self-esteem especially from occupation with Christ, you mind your own business and yet are friendly and intimate with others.
This is the lifestyle of those who are occupied with Christ.
PRO 10:8-12 says that you are not insulted by being under someone else's authority; "virtue-love covers all wrongs" which means you protect the privacy of others.
Those who are occupied with Christ live like PRO 10:22 It is the blessing of the Lord that makes rich, And He adds no sorrow to it.
Those who are occupied with Christ live like PRO 11:13 He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, But he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.
Those who are occupied with Christ live like PRO 13:17 A wicked messenger falls into adversity, But a faithful envoy {brings} healing.
If you’re occupied with Christ, you will live like PRO 13:22 A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children, And the wealth of the sinner is stored up for the righteous.
No one really becomes spiritually mature until his relationships are all handled by impersonal love from spiritual autonomy.
Occupation with Christ is the sum total of the believer's honor, integrity, and objectivity first acquired in attainment of spiritual self-esteem, but becomes stronger in spiritual autonomy.
People testing is a part of cosmic evangelism by those you either love or hate.
In either case, friendship or sex become more important than Bible doctrine.