WHAT GOD EXPECTS US TO OBEY
God has given us the Bible so that we can have an understanding of who God is and what he desires from us, however, the Bible is useless to you if you don’t read it. I teach new and old Christians all the time and instruct everyone of them to get a King James Version Bible and read it cover to cover in order to know who God is, to know your rights as a Christian and to know what God expects from us as Christians. You have to learn between God’s right and wrong, how to pray, how to have Faith, how to overcome as Jesus Christ did.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
To put it bluntly, you have to learn a new and living way that has power and healing that you never had access to before becoming a Christian and subsequently, you have to learn who your enemies are. This world is not as it seems because there are enemy forces controlling it that God has freed you from, however, without understanding God’s knowledge spoken of in the Bible, you will never know how to get out of prison even though the prison door has been unlocked. (Isa. 42:7)
These enemies still have control over many Christians because these Christians have no knowledge or understanding to realize that they don’t have to be bound by them anymore. It is one thing to say your free, however, it is another thing to actually be free through the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ so that your enemies see it.
Let’s take a look at what the Bible says about your enemies:
John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.
The spirit world will steal from you, kill you and destroy whatever you have worked for and this happens with or without your permission. Every person in the world has to deal with this whether they are saved or unsaved as there is no getting away from this. This is why Christians are dying before their time, and are putting gun barrels in their mouths and pulling the trigger or taking drugs to escape this horror which the world considers “normal”! This is why 1 in 6 Americans are taking some type of psychiatric medication in order to escape reality but what they really need is Salvation and the knowledge of God on how to get out of prison.
Do you want to end your depression and sadness, than you have to get an education in God and it has to be life bearing word. This means God’s Word with the spirit behind it and not from a charismatic speaker who sounds like they know what they are talking about and have great following of people, yet, there is no deliverance, no power, no life, no change behind the words they are speaking.
2 Timothy 4:3
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
Many Christians will not "endure sound doctrine” and if they hear a word that the preacher says that they don’t like, than they move on to another Church which is not God’s will if a Christian is placed in that Ministry. What many Christian’s don’t realize is that as soon as they are saved and accept Jesus Christ, than God leads them to and places them in a Body of Christ where there is a called man or woman of God to minister to them an education in God in order to grow which is called a person’s “Growth Rate”!
Galatians 4:1-2
1 Now I say, That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; 2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
You have to be under an anointed, called of God ministry where God is manifested, not a man or woman that had a desire to be a minister and started a Church. The latter is dangerous where a person had a desire to start a ministry and decided that they are going to minister to people because an uneducated, untrained minister not called of God can destroy people. They preach opinion and stamp it as doctrine and than sell it in a book as the Word of God. Going to a Bible College does not make a man or woman "called of God" because all they did was pay money to have someone teach them the Bible according to a specific denomination (Baptist, Methodist, Catholic, etc.).
When you read the Book of Acts and read the New Testament, you will not find any Bible Colleges in there, however, you will find men called by God and taught by Jesus Christ personally (Apostles) or taught by other men of God through the Holy Ghost. Without being called of God or appointed of God, you don’t step into leadership in the Church because God has not ordained you nor chosen you to minister to his people. This is what Jesus Christ said to those people who “called themselves” into ministry and who actually worked the gifts and cast out devils:
Matthew 7:22-23
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? 23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
This scripture (Matt 7:22) indicates that supposed “Men of God” are doing Ministerial Work and Exploits, however, we obviously see that they are not called of God, otherwise Jesus Christ would have recognized their works!
Jesus did not recognize any of these minister’s works that they did in his name because they did it without his approval and without his permission and Jesus even called it “sin” (iniquity)! So, the reason I am saying all this is that you can’t just point your finger and pick a Ministry, you have to know where you are going and where God wants you to be placed. Just because a Church building exists with a beautiful sign out front, doesn’t mean that there are great things inside or that this particular ministry was planted by God. Just because the minister is a New York Times Bestseller does not wipe out the fact that he or she still needs to be called of God and it doesn’t mean they have a “stamp of approval” from God for what’s written in their books or what they are preaching from the pulpit!
Let’s look even further of how serious it is where we are placed by God and why we are to obey those that we are placed under for a Godly Education. Here is a scripture that explicitly explains how much of an importance it is because God expects a report of your “Education” to him by the Minister of God you are placed under:
Hebrews 13:7
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation.
Hebrews 13:17
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
Did this scripture state that a Minister of God that you are placed under must give an account for your “Soul”??? I thought God teaches me personally and I don’t answer to anyone but God?? That is a problem with Christians today, they have no idea that God chose “man” to preach the Gospel to them and chose for “men” to teach his people (St. John 21:15-17). Hebrews 13:17 even further states that if you don’t respect, honor and listen to the Minister or Pastor that you are placed under and you give them grief than it is going to be “unprofitable” to you!
Unprofitable defined - Non-Beneficial, unuseful, non-advantageous, non-valuable, non-productive, not worthwhile; unrewarding, unfruitful, non-illuminating, etc.
Today, no one wants to be placed under a ministry and submit themselves to a teacher, they want to sit at home in disobedience to God and choose to pay a man or woman minister on T.V. for a Book that will get them instantly where they want to go in God and skip everything that Jesus said you had to do in order to get there. However, Jesus said this:
John 10:1
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber.
As a Christian, you have a right to know those who labour among you:
1 Thessalonians 5:12
12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.
So, here is one of the items you look for in a man or woman of God or look for in their Ministry: Is there “life" in the Word of God they speak? Is there Oil, Wine and Bread in the message they are preaching? The Oil, Wine and Bread has to be in every sermon, in every message or in all their preaching or else it has no life in it and is not of God.
Psalms 104:15
And wine that maketh glad the heart of man,
and oil to make his face to shine,
and bread which strengtheneth man's heart.
Proverbs 31:6
Give strong drink unto him that is ready to perish,
and wine unto those that be of heavy hearts.
Proverbs 9:5
Come, eat of my bread,
and drink of the wine which I have mingled.
What these mean:
Oil - is healing.
Wine - is overcoming or Revelation of God’s Word.
Bread - the true Word of God
Another thing to look for in a Man of God’s Ministry is if there is Healing, Deliverance, Miracles, Gifts of the Spirt, etc. Does the Ministry have power over the Spirit World?
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; 18 They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.
Being under the teaching and Ministry of a Man of God is called “Placement”
* Placement *
1 Corinthians 12:18
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.
The purpose of placement is for a Godly education and it is God ordained for every Christian to be placed into a Body of Christ or under a man of God to stay there until the Holy Spirit tells them that their schooling is complete. At this point, God will set them into the “Field” to be a minister or send them to another higher level of school. Of course, not everybody is called to be a minister, however, God places every Christian into school as soon as they are saved and they are to stay there until the time appointed. Gal 4:2 But is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father.
A lot of Christians are not called to be ministers but stay in the ministry to be helps, or elders or even Pillars in the Temple (Rev 3:12) but they have to be educated with the knowledge of God first.
Tutors and Governors are instructors in the Word of God and a Christian must stay under these instructors until God says or else the Christian will pay a price and this is the most common price:
Hosea 4:6
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge:
because thou hast rejected knowledge,
I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:
seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God,
I will also forget thy children.
This is very easy to understand, if a Christian has a lack of knowledge or education in the Word of God, they can be destroyed by the enemy or by their own ignorant decisions in life! Remember the scripture, “the enemy will come to kill, steal and destroy” (John 10:10). This is so very simple to understand but Christians walk around clueless, blaming God for every bad thing or every loss that happens to them and all along God was crystal clear as to why a Christian needs to obey and get a Godly education. I have found that most Christians have never read their entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation, however, they believe they know God and that they know the Bible and will argue with a preacher while having no knowledge. But they will be quick to buy a book for $19.95 and believe they are going to receive an instant blessing from a man or woman they have never met, who may not even be called of God and with knowledge that may be out of season for them or worse yet, they are consuming knowledge that this scripture warns against:
2 Corinthians 11:4
For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him.
Gal 1:7-9
but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. 8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. 9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
These scriptures state that you better know who is preaching to you and he that is preaching better have the Oil, the Wine and the Bread, along with an anointing and be called of God otherwise a Christian may be consuming knowledge that is deadly to them and it will destroy them. The scripture states that there is a curse for preaching any other Gospel other than the True Gospel. Notice the first scripture states that men are preaching another Jesus which is not the true Jesus.
The reason I tell you all this, is for you to understand, if you have ever wondered why there are 3 churches on a street corner? Are three different pastors each called to establish a church on one street corner, with three different names, three different denominations, three different gospels, and all three pastors do not fellowship with each other nor allow their congregations to fellowship with each other lest their sheep get stolen???
Someone has heard God wrong or someone is not called of God or at least two of these churches are started by man’s desire and not by God.
Matthew 13:24-25
24 Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: 25 But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.
Tares - those not called of God or those that are not of God. (type and shadow of Churches not established of God or individuals not of God sowed into the church).
Enemy - Satan and man.
Satan sows into God’s field those men that would bring in discord, confusion, wrong doctrine, lies, hinderances, or very simply to establish Churches not of God.
Now, you may understand why when the “truth" is preached, many Christians run from it or don’t believe that it is of God because there are so many other Gospels, other Doctrines, other Spirits and other Jesus’ being preached today which brings us to the next issue which is commercialism.
Commercialism of the Gospel is so prevalent today that everybody is trying to get a mega church and get their name in the limelight so they can sell their books, CD’s, DVD’s, websites, prayer packages, etc. This is called the prosperity Gospel (another Gospel 2 Cor 11:4) and everything being preached revolves around Christians being rich and if you are rich than you are a successful Christian or Minister. They even use it as a "type of gauge" of how much Holy Spirit you have according to how much money that you have or are receiving.
This is a wrong spirit and this is what the Apostle James said about it:
James 2:1-4
1 My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons. 2 For if there come unto your assembly a man with a gold ring, in goodly apparel, and there come in also a poor man in vile raiment; 3 And ye have respect to him that weareth the gay clothing, and say unto him, Sit thou here in a good place; and say to the poor, Stand thou there, or sit here under my footstool: 4 Are ye not then partial in yourselves, and are become judges of evil thoughts?
If a person has a commercialism attitude or adheres to a “Prosperity Gospel” and judges a person’s amount of God they have by their prosperity, God calls this “evil”!
And here is what Jesus thought about commercialism of the Gospel and what he actually physically did about it:
John 2:13-16
13 And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem, 14 And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting: 15 And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables; 16 And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.
Jesus Christ himself, made a “whip” because he was so angry and then got violent over this “commercialism of the Word of God”! Jesus whipped “Men of God” and probably tore some flesh off their backs inside the Church as he violently flipped over tables and dumped the money everywhere. God was mad!
We see throughout our history, “Men and Women of God” that have made the Word of God into a multi-billion dollar industry with everyone selling merchandise in the house of God. $50,000 dollar toilets, diamond encrusted dog collars for their dogs, air conditioned dog houses, 24 kt gold plumbing, etc, as the World is falling off the cliff and going to hell in a hand basket. People are starving for the Gospel in other countries and begging for bibles in their own language but there are no bibles in their language to be found because that money is going toward $50,000 dollar toilets! This is not God’s doing but man’s doing and they will have to give an account to God as “stewards of God’s Word and his money”!
I have personally known a big name preacher (no name no blame) that would not say a word to the person sent to greet them in front of the Church as the greeter asked him “How are you sir”! This minister walked right by the greeter without saying a word and walked directly into the Church and to give you an idea, this person sent to greet the minister was the only person there because everyone was inside of the Church waiting on this minister's arrival. Once the big name minister walked inside the church, he had one of his “men” stand in the back of the church with cash in their hand along with a portfolio of the preacher’s CD’s and DVD’s ready to sell as the people came in and out the door. Here is a scripture for a Christian or a Minister who thinks too highly of themselves:
Matthew 23:11-12
11 But he that is greatest among you shall be your servant. 12 And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted.
You don’t pay for the Gospel with money, you pay for it with your “time and soul”, however, there are Tithes and Offerings that God requires but that is a whole different teaching.
I want to say that there is nothing wrong with being rich or prosperous! There is nothing wrong with owning your own island or owning a dozen rolls royces but a Christian has to be a good steward of God’s money. There are plenty of blessed, wealthy ministers with small churches and big churches and many blessed and prosperous Christians but “prosperity” is not a doctrine nor is it a Gospel. I love Billy Graham and if you ever get to see a documentary of him, I encourage you to watch it because you will be crying at the end. This man of God won millions of souls for Christ and God Blessed him for it spiritually, physically and financially but he did it righteously and obeyed God.
I said all this in order for you to understand, God picks a Christian's “Tutors and Governors” carefully so that you get the right education and a Christian doesn’t get to pick his teacher but the Holy Spirit picks them for him. The teacher will know if a person is placed with them and the Christian themselves will know also.
The type of teacher or ministry a Christian is placed with for their education is usually the type of ministry that God wants them to have if they are called of God to preach. A Christian needs to look behind the pulpit at their teacher (ie: Pastor) and than they will have an idea of what type of ministry they will also have because if their teacher preaches powerful, life bearing word, heals the sick, does miracles, signs and wonders, raises the dead, delivers people from drugs, alcohol, and problems by the power of the Holy Spirit, etc than the student Christian has the opportunity to learn how to do the same works his teacher does and can receive the same or greater anointing when the student Christian is done with school. Than God can use a fully grown and graduated Christian to start a ministry, open a church, evangelize in other countries, become a missionary etc. Because these students have graduated and are trained and have earned the anointing that their teacher before them received which is called inheritance. If you don’t go to school or finish school, you don’t get that portion of your inheritance!
This scripture talks about the inheritance:
Acts 26:18
To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.
To open their eyes - this means to give every Christian knowledge.
From darkness to light - this means to bring you from a worldly knowledge to the knowledge of God so that you are not destroyed.
Many receive not their inheritance in this life because they don’t work for it! Salvation is free and we didn’t have to work for it but everything else has a price in God and we have to work for it by faith, by obedience and by studying the Word of God.
2 Timothy 2:15
Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Now, on the same point, if the person standing behind the pulpit has no gifts, no ability to heal or do miracles, can’t raise the dead, can’t deliver people than you as a student Christian won’t be able to do these things either because the anointing to do these exploits is not present and this is definitely a problem. A teacher cannot give someone something they themselves do not have or they never gained from God and this indicates there is no life being ministered into the congregation. Remember what I told you about the Oil, the Wine and the Bread as these things have to be present in order to minister life by the Spirit of God.
Every Christian has an eternal future forever with God and I personally am not entering into eternity with nothing but my salvation. I am going to obey God and do righteous works for the Kingdom of God so that my rewards are stored up where nothing can touch them or steal them:
Matthew 6:19-20
19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: 20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
I hope that this book helps Christians looking for direction in today’s World in order to receive a clear understanding of what God expects of us. God is the same Yesterday, Today and Forever and has set us up for success if we are obedient.
I leave you with this scripture:
Isaiah 1:19
If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: