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Scriptures establishes that as believer, we cannot have true growth in Christ and be strong except we’re first weak in ourselves. It means that the measure to which a Christian retains his or her own strength is the same measure to which the person is weak in Christ. This pill (truth) is hard to swallow, but if it’s taken, it cures the sickness of being weak in Christ.
Until this truth is understood, accepted and applied to oneself, praying aright and without ceasing will be hard and, humility will remain mere talk.
At the present time, a major problem confronting the Church is her weakness Rev 3:1-3. The message of God to the seven churches representing the gatherings of His people then, as well as the Church today, points to how God views His people’s weaknesses.
A dependence on the Holy Spirit in studying His message to the churches shows clearly that God does not kill His people because of their weaknesses. But, neither does He take it lightly that His people should continue in weakness.
His invitation is always that His people should become over-comers and inheritors of good Rom 12:21.
Peter the apostle gives us the clue why God wants us to always overcome evil in 2 Pet 2:19, “For by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage”. This is the reason why Paul and others always unashamedly declared that their bondage or prisoner status was only to Christ and not the devil Eph. 4:1, Eph. 6:6.
So, we are either in bondage to good or evil depending on our choice—that is, based on who we submit to.
Each time we submit, we are either being refined and polished as precious stones, or sadly giving room for our gift of a heart of flesh to be hardened Ezekiel 11:19, Heb 3:13. If we yield to Christ, we enter into bondage to righteousness (Christ). This is a beautiful thing! Conversely, if we yield to the devil we enter into slavery to do his mischievousness. This is ugly!
God does not want any stone that is ‘not precious’ but in bondage, to form part of the wall of His city. Hardened hearts are not precious stones! Therefore, He has established that every stone en-grafted into His city be laid properly on the foundation of His wall Rev 21:1-27, Eph 4:12-15. How is this to happen?
Well, Paul the apostle tells us, “The Foundation being Christ Jesus is laid and no other foundation can be laid—no other is accepted by God”. This Foundation is laid by the holy apostles with the prophets Eph 2:20.
In the next post, we will look at the apostle’s doctrine and how they help us answer the question asked earlier–how is this to happen?
Maranatha!