New Covenant Grace

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Category Archives: Hungry for God

How Deep is Your Relationship with God?

The majority of Christians in the world today are completely content to scurry and scratch along the surface of Christianity for the largest part of their lives. It’s a simple fact that a very small minority ever feel the need to dive head over heels into the deep waters of God’s love and experience the abundant life that He has for us all.


In the same manner that each of us has a choice to enter into different levels and depths of relationships with various people in our lives, similarly each one of us has the choice to determine how deep we want our relationship with our Father to go. Unfortunately for many people it takes some huge crisis in their lives for them to ever reach the place where they get to the end of themselves and look past their own achievements, talents and abilities to the Giver of all good things, who has been waiting patiently on the side lines for them to come to Him for acceptance, love, power, blessings, security and happiness. God will never force someone to love Him. God will never revoke our freedom to practice and live out our free will.

The beauty of any intimate love relationship is that is comes through mutual consent. Both parties decide to make a deep commitment by which they choose to direct their decisions, energy, devotion, care, loyalty and love to benefit the other person. God has already proven His love towards us in this regard:

In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10 ESV)

We were God’s enemies, but he made us his friends through the death of his Son. Now that we are God’s friends, how much more will we be saved by Christ’s life! (Rom 5:10 GNB)

God gave what He treasured most as a token of His love towards us. In fact, God never has to do a single thing ever again to prove how much He loves us. It’s now our privilege to believe the good news of the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and by faith enter into a living relationship with the Father.

What has to happen in your life for you to take the Red pill? Don’t allow yourself to become just another statistic for who it took some major disaster in your life to make you reach the point where you snapped out of the fakeness, deception, temptation and empty promises of this world and finally allowed God to shower you with His love. Take some time away from the buzz of your routine, sit down and ask yourself whether you are really content with the depth of your relationship with God. The ball is in your court.


In Grace
Andre van der Merwe

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The “External God” Phenomenon Pt2

Believers receive the Holy Spirit when they receive Jesus as their Lord and Savior through faith (Eph 1:13). Biblical events always portray that the Holy Spirit comes or falls on people when they receive Him for the first time (Act 2:2-4; Act 2:38; Act 10:44; Act 19:2-6; Eph 1:13). The only historical event that appears to record a second filling by the Holy Spirit, is found in Acts 4:

And when they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness. (Acts 4:31 ESV, emphasis added)

Here we have an example in the New Covenant where believers were apparently “re-filled” with the Holy Spirit… Or were they?

The very first outpouring of the promised Holy Spirit occurred when the 120 believers were assembled together in the upper room in Jerusalem and the tongues of fire appeared above their heads. From that day on the Holy Spirit would live and manifest from inside them. The same pattern occurs in the lives of believers today: The Holy Spirit falls on a person at salvation and thereafter abides within. He doesn’t leave the temple of our bodies ever again after that – to be without the Holy Spirit would mean that a person has lost their salvation.

You are no longer ruled by your desires, but by God’s Spirit, who lives in you. People who don’t have the Spirit of Christ in them don’t belong to him. (Rom 8:9 CEV, emphasis added)

Back to Acts 4:31, the Greek word used for “filled” in this passage has actually been translated in very diverse ways throughout the New Testament, such as “accomplished”, “full”, “completed”, “become”, to be “overcome” by something, to be “filled”, etc. It all depends on the context:

And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child… (Luk 2:21a, MKJV, emphasis added)

When the people in the meeting place heard Jesus say this, they became so angry [filled with anger]… (Luk 4:28 CEV, emphasis and annotations added)

And all the city was filled with confusion. (Act 19:29a LITV, emphasis added)

With that, Peter, full of the Holy Spirit, let loose: “Rulers and leaders of the people… (Act 4:8 MSG, emphasis added)


Revival Meetings

The Acts 4 event has been used and abused by a myriad of people to get believers to “wait” on God for “more” of the Holy Spirit. The notion that “waiting on the Lord” and outcries for outpourings of the Spirit will eventually bring about Revival, has bred a powerless, passive generation of believers.

If all the money and time that has been spent on so called “revival meetings” has instead been poured into taking the gospel to the streets, the world would have been a different place. The enemy wants us on our faces, pleading with God for something that has already been completed in Christ and is preventing us from taking the gospel to the world. What do we have to show for all the years of crying out for revival, the breaking down of strongholds in the atmosphere and endless meetings to beg God for mercy?

When we understand that God lives in us and that we are ONE spirit with Him, all sorts of beliefs will go out the door, like praying for open heavens, asking God to show up in meetings, looking for signs and manifestations to believe that God is really moving among us, etc. People will begin to realise that everything they will ever need to grow, live, do miracles, succeed and know the truth is already inside them!

By this we are not refuting God’s omnipotence, but to think that we can achieve a greater measure of being spirit filled borders on superstition. God gave us the entire Holy Spirit, not just the little toe or the bottom or top half.

God is omnipresent and powerful, but people very conveniently externalise His presence to dodge the responsibility and acknowledgement that all the help they will ever need is already fully present inside them. There is no “greater measure” of being spirit filled required:

For in Him [Christ] dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power. (Col 2:9-10 MKJV, emphasis and annotations added)


John the Baptist

What clenches the fact that the Acts 4 event does not refer to a second filling with the Holy Spirit, is the use of the same Greek word to describe what happened to John the Baptist:

For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. (Luk 1:15 MKJV, emphasis added)

G4130 (fill)

pletho (play’-tho, pleh’-o)

A prolonged form of a primary word pleo (which appears only as an alternate in certain tenses and in the reduplicated form of pimple mi to “fill” (literally or figuratively [imbue, influence, supply]); specifically to fulfil (time): – accomplish, full (. . . come), furnish.

John the Baptist was the last prophet who operated under the Old Covenant. The promised Holy Spirit would only be poured out at Pentecost, which was long after John had died. Therefore to interpret this verse to mean that John the Baptist was continually filled with the Holy Spirit is incorrect, because Jesus was the first man to walk the earth fully Spirit filled!

As we saw a little earlier, the Greek word for “filled” can be interpreted in many different ways, depending on the context. Luke 1:15 (above) should therefore be interpreted in the sense that John was overcome by or convinced of the Holy Spirit. The same applies to the believers in Acts 4:31 and Peter in Acts 4:8 (above) – since they had already been filled by the Holy Spirit previously, in both these instances they simply came under the power of the Spirit who already lived inside them!

The well known verse in Ephesians 5 can be interpreted in exactly the same way:

And do not be drunk with wine, in which is excess, but be filled with the Spirit. (Eph 5:18 MKJV, emphasis added)

This verse simply provokes us to give ourselves over to the influence of the Holy Spirit inside us!


Being “Baptized” with the Holy Spirit

There is also no Biblical evidence to support the doctrine that being baptized with the Holy Spirit means something different than being filled with the Holy Spirit, yet a clear distinction has been made in the past between these two so-called different events. It is widely believed that after being filled with the Spirit, a believer also needs to be baptized in the Spirit to be able to operate in the gifts.

This manmade doctrine creates the notion that the full measure of the Holy Spirit which is given to a believer at salvation (Col 2:10) is not enough and that the heavens have to be bombarded with pleas for God to send down “more” of His Spirit. Why on earth would God not give us the WHOLE Holy Spirit in the first place? If He did not even spare His own Son, why would He hold back with the Holy Spirit? In any case, how can a person (the Holy Spirit) only be partially present?


Anointing

Another interesting practice in the modern church world is to ask God for more anointing, as though it were something that could be measured in certain “levels”. Let’s look at the Greek meaning of the word:

G5545

Chrisma (khris’-mah)

From G5548; an unguent or smearing, that is, (figuratively) the special endowment (“chrism”) of the Holy Spirit: – anointing, unction.

Only in two verses in the entire Bible (1 John 2:27 and Acts 10:38) is the word “anointing” used in the context where it refers to a supernatural enabling or endowment. In all the other cases it either refers to being smeared with oil or to somebody’s position or function, such as being called “God’s anointed”. Yet countless doctrines have been formulated to somehow try and lure God’s presence and “anointing” into buildings and meetings all over the world. Wouldn’t it be incredible if people started using what they already have for a change?

In 1 John 2:27 where it talks about the supernatural endowment, it says “the anointing which you received from Him abides in you” – so much for asking for more anointing or saying that the anointing can “lift”.


The Woman Who Touched Jesus’ Garment

The incident when the woman with an issue of blood touched Jesus’ garment and He felt power “leave” Him (Mark 5:25-34), is often used as an argument that Christians need to be “recharged” with new or fresh anointing after they had ministered to other people. The problem with this view is that it treats the Holy Spirit like petrol again, as though He can “run out”. A PERSON cannot run out! He is the ultimate, endless, infinite source of life. There is no limit to His capacity and He doesn’t have a tank that can run empty.

A good picture of this is when the prophet Elisha had the widow pour oil from her small jar into the other containers. The oil kept on pouring and pouring until there were no more jars left to fill. Only then did the oil in the small jar run out (2 King 4:1-7). When we minister the Spirit to other people, we are pouring from an endless supply which will continue to pour out until we run out of people to minister to, which of course will only be when we die. And even then our spirits will still remain fused to the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:17).


It’s Not Just Semantics

Having people pray for something which they think they don’t have yet, contributes to a mindset of insufficiency and creates the idea that if we can get focused or serious enough, God will honor our efforts with His presence. What’s interesting is that the same tactic is employed by mediums and psychics to conjure up evil spirits. People have fasted, shouted, cried, sacrificed and prayed for hours and days on end for God to “come” when all the while He was right there with them.

It’s time to come to terms with New Covenant realities. It’s time the church realised how powerful she is. It’s time we started understanding the meaning of Immanuel: God with us.

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Don’t Ask God for What You Already Have

[John 1:16 And of His fullness we have all received, and grace for grace].

A predominant doctrine doing the rounds in the church today is the fact that we have to keep asking God to give us more anointing, more power, more boldness, etc. to serve better and be more effective for God. And yet when we look at what Scripture says, we are told again and again that we have already been given EVERYTHING we will ever need, pertaining to life (which talks about our physical needs) and godliness (talking about our spirituality). [2 Pet 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness].

You will find that most mainstream church leaders are rejecting & opposing this theology because it takes the blame off God (for all the things He DOESN’T do for us) and it puts the responsibility squarely back on the believer to go out and do what God commanded us to do in the first place: [Matt 10:8 Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give]. Note that Jesus didn’t say we should pray for the sick, He commanded us to HEAL them! This clearly puts the responsibility on the believer, whereas simply “praying for the sick” puts the responsibility on God. Under the Old Covenant God fought for us – under the New Covenant He fights through us.

[John 14:12 Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will]. Now consider this: Do you think that Jesus would have made this statement if He didn’t mean it? Would He have said this if He knew we would never be able to do the works He did, thereby making Him a liar? Of course not. Jesus would never make a promise like this and then leave the church short changed & unequipped to do what He commanded them.

Now I am not speaking as one who claims to be moving at the level of signs & wonders that Jesus did, but I have definitely made the shift in my mind that if the person I have prayed for didn’t get healed, I know the blockage and the problem is with me and not with God! The same principle goes for this verse: [Phil 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengthens me]. If I am not seeing this manifest in my life yet, then maybe it’s time I stopped blaming God for what’s going on in the world, stopped asking God “why me?” and stopped asking Him to give me more boldness, more power, more anointing etc and started to realize and use what I have ALREADY BEEN GIVEN. It is important to realize that at this very moment the Holy Spirit dwells in us in fullness, which means all His power, His nature & His character resides within us. [Col 2:9 For in Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; 10 And you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power].

The greatest obstacle is NOT knowing what we already have! [Philemon 1:6 That the communication of your faith may become effectual by the acknowledging of every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus]. We will become more effective in communicating our faith (this includes healing, deliverance, provision, etc) when we begin to acknowledge that which is already inside us. If God has commanded us to rule the earth, and given us EVERYTHING that pertains to life & godliness (see 2 Pet 1:3 again), then by saying we want “more” power, “more” faith, “more” anointing, etc. we are basically telling God He HASN’T given us everything. No, we discover what God has already given us by getting to know Him better. [2 Pet 1:3 His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness].

Many of the songs we sing in church tell God how thirsty and how hungry we are and that He should come and fill us and let His water flow over us. In the following 2 verses Jesus is talking SPECIFICALLY about salvation, and He says that whosoever comes to Him (which means to receive salvation for the first time), such shall never hunger or thirst again. [John 4:14 but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life]. [John 6:35 And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst]. Whilst there is nothing wrong with being passionate for God and seeking after Him more and more, there is definitely something wrong with telling Him that the reason we are not moving in signs & wonders is because He hasn’t equipped us! The truth is that acknowledging any form of “lack” in what God has given us, is actually an insult against the cross. If we tell God that we are thirsty for Him, well then maybe we should get saved and receive the Holy Spirit so that we will never hunger or thirst again. [Matt 5:6 Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness: for they shall be filled]. Once you receive the righteousness of God as a gift (when you are saved), you ARE filled!

Almost all the times the apostle Paul prayed for “more”, he was talking about knowing God better & having more revelation of what we HAVE BEEN given (Col 1:9, Eph 3:19, etc).

Now you may be thinking: “But we are sincere when we sing these words to God (that we are hungry & thirsty), and He would still honor our sincerity.” But have you considered that many people in this world who believe they are sincere, are sincerely wrong? Being sincere doesn’t make it right, and God wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in TRUTH. Muslims & Satanists are also sincere in what they believe.

If you’ve managed to keep reading this article up to here, it means you are probably looking for truth on this matter. The key is simply to make the shift in our minds and to decide to live FROM our position of victory, living from the inside out. We need to let what’s inside us flow out to change the world around us. [Col 1:27 To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory]. When the world begins to see Jesus living through us, they will not be able to deny the authenticity of the love and power flowing from the lives of God’s children. And it all begins with acknowledging what we have ALREADY been given: Fullness in Christ!! Amen!!!

Yours in Grace
Andre van der Merwe

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