Ronald K.Pillai's blog

A personal invitation from the Lord Jesus Christ for Christformation in you

Introduction

Matthew 11:28-30 (New International Version)

"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light."

This passage from Christ our Lord is his personal invitation for Christformation in you.You have the freedom of accepting or rejecting this invitation of Christ.

Before He goes on speaking about Christformation in us, He talks about the unneccessary burdens we carry and the weariness attached to that carrying of them.
These burdens have their origin from the Garden of Eden placed on Adam and Eve by the Devil. Adam and Eve were deceived into believing that these burdens were both "good and pleasing to their souls". Out of their own disobedience to God, they fell into the trap of the Devil.

Now the Lord Jesus Christ was revealed to us to destroy the evil works of the Devil in us. For this He says,"Come to Me all you that are weary and burdened" with this evil deposit of the Devil in you.

Remember this invitation is only for those who are feeling weary and burdened and it's not opened to those who do not.

This means that;if you are enjoying or basking in that evil deposit of the Devil temporarily,you are not invited here.You can remaim where you are and enjoying eating the 'fruit' of the Devil now. But,at anytime you begin to feel the weariness or burden, He says:"Come to Me"

This is where the fault lies, Christ never invited those who do not have weariness or burdens of the soul.Very few indeed will feel the weariness or burden of the soul.

In Sodom and Gomorrah,only Lot felt this burden and weariness or distress of his soul.Even his own wife did not feel the same with him.She never felt the distress but enjoyed or basked in its pleasure.She turned back to that pleasure to become a useless pillar of salt in the end.

Rest

Hebrews 4:6-11 (New International Version)

It still remains that some will enter that rest, and those who formerly had the gospel preached to them did not go in, because of their disobedience. Therefore God again set a certain day, calling it Today, when a long time later he spoke through David, as was said before:
"Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts." For if Joshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later about another day. There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; for anyone who enters God's rest also rests from his own work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by following their example of disobedience.

The invitation of Christ our Lord was for those who needed rest for their souls. Do you need that rest? Come to Him,then! If you don't,please continue in what you are doing now until you really feel the pain and weariness to come to Christ.

Lot felt the pain of his soul and so did Noah,Moses,Joshua,Samson,Gideon,Esther,David,Jeremiah,Daniel and all the other prophets and servants of God. We have to make every effort to enter into that rest in Christ.

What is this 'rest'?... you may have asked.
This 'rest' is the rest you'll get from the restless sinful nature in you. It's the sinful nature of the Devil in you that causes all the restlessness in you. This restlessness of your soul to sin results in you sinning.This sinning brings guilt with them that makes you weary and burdened. There are some who sin and do not feel this weariness and distress of the soul.To those who feel the weariness and burden He says "Come to Me"

If you are one of those who do not feel that weariness or burden even when you sinned, please don't come to Christ.If you feel better pleasing the sinful nature in you, remain where you are. Don't come and mingle with those who feel the weariness and burden of the sinful nature of the Devil in them.This is where the fault lies. The gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ is to be preached to those who are poor in spirit only, meaning; those who are weary and burdened by the sinful nature of the Devil in them and not to those who enjoy it.

If you do not feel the guilt of sinning against God with your sinful nature, please do not come,you are not invited to Christ.You should stay out of this and continue doing what you enjoy doing outside.Do not come where you do not belong.

Rest for the restless is what this invitation is about.Rest from the sinful nature of the Devil in you.We have to make every effort to enter into that rest. If you are still enjoying that sinful nature and are basking in its temporary pleasure and glory, this invitation isn't for you.

You will only confuse the flock of God shepherded by Christ Himself.The sheeps will be confused!This invitation is only for those who are weary and burden by the sinful nature of the Devil in them.So,stay out!

This is where the fault lies; in simply inviting anyone.Rest is only for those who feel weary from that restlessness of soul and the burden of carrying that guilt around.

Don't you know by now that the sinful nature of the Devil sowed in us through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the cause of all the restlessness of soul in man?
You should know that by now.If you still do not know that,please don't step in where you don't belong.You will be responsible for all the confusion.

Come and rest in Christ all those who are weary and burdened. He is the Lord of the Sabbath(Rest).There is no other "Lord" in whom you will find that rest for the restlessness of your soul.Only in Christ is your rest from your restless soul to sin and continue sinning.

Christ our Lord said and promised us; "I will give you rest if you would come to Me.

What the Lord meant was that,when you come to Him,you must be sure that you're tired of that sinful nature of the Devil in you and you have come to Christ to put that earthly nature to death,like He had died on the cross of Calvary,not counting this life on earth as more valuable than the eternal life and glory He will inherit in the Father.

The Cross of Christ is a sign of us crucifying our sinful nature on it, when we believe and obey Christ instesad of obeying the sinful nature.

Take my Yoke upon you

Galatians 6:7-8 (New International Version)

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

This is a subsequent invitation for you to partake of Christ.

It's like you were invited into a house and were told to leave your dirty shoes outside.When you were already in that house, you were invited again to sit at the dinner table to sup with the host.

"Come,take My yoke...."
You may ask, what is this yoke?
I came with a burden,am I to carry another 'yoke'?

Well,yes!!
This burden is lighter but will result in rest for your souls.The older yoke brought on you restlessness of your soul but this new yoke will bring rest for your soul.

So, what's this 'yoke'?
This newer yoke is the divine nature of Christ to be formed in you. But, Why "yoke"?
You see, we are created beings and we must be yoked to our Creator God for we live to serve His purposes alone.

This was the same choice given to Adam and Eve in that Garden of Eden.
Do you want to be yoked to God or the Devil? Sadly, they chose the Devil!
Do you want to obey God or the Devil?. They rebelliously chosed the Devil!

So, "yoke" means obedience.Who do you want to obey,God or the Devil?
If you obey God,you'ii have rest for your souls but if you'd obey the Devil,you'll have restlessness of soul. So, the choice is still yours.

Romans 8:13 (New International Version)
For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

The guilt of sinning will be a burden and weariness of the soul.
Would you still obey your sinful nature of the Devil in you? For, you should know it's a sure pathway to destruction.

This invitation "take my yoke upon you" is an invitation for Christformation in you by way of your obedience to all the commandments of the Lord.

Come learn from Me

Philippians 2:12-13 (New International Version)

Therefore, my dear friends, as you have always obeyed—not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence—continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.

Gentleness and humility is the basis for all lasting and eternal relationship.
The relationship of Christ our Lord with the Heavenly Father is one of gentleness and humility.

The opposite of gentleness and humility is rebellion,pride and arrogance.The Devil displayed these characteristics of a sinner while he served as Lucifer in God's presence.He was 'thrown down to this earth like lightning' after that, awaiting his total anihilation in the Lake of Fire at Christ's glorious Second coming to earth.

The difference between Christ our Lord and the Devil was that; The Lord Jesus prayed:
"Not mine, but let Your will be done on earth" to the Heavenly Father. The Devil instead challenged God " I will be lifted above all throne"
Christ showed and proved obedience to the Heavenly Father with His life on earth but the Devil showed rebellion towards God, who is the Creator of everthing.

Christ learnt obedience through His humility to all the sufferings He had to endure while on earth. Now He invites us to come and learn from Him that same obedience to the Heavenly Father,the same way He had obeyed God,even death on the Cross.

Will we put to death the sinful nature in us and not obey it anymore, so that the divine natures of Christ may be filled in us through meekness and humility of heart.

Christformation can only happen in us when we come humbly and meekly to Him and not with a rebellious and proud heart.Christformation will never happen with you holding on to the sinful nature of the Devil in you.If you cherish the sinful nature in you, you're certainly going to forfeit Christformation in you.

"For my yoke is easy" meaning you'll only need to fully obey the leading of the Holy Spirit in you for full Christformation now that you have believed in Christ.You will become more like Him with all the divine natures formed in you. It's "easy" because all the work has been done for full Christformation with a 'Helper' standing by for you that at anytime you'd obey His voice,Christ will be formed in you.

Conclusion

In conclusion,if you'd come in dire need of rest or deliverance from your sinful nature to Christ and repent from it, you'll have it.If you'd come with two minds about it,don't come in yet, for you'll make a mess of things for others who come sincerely to Christ to turn away from their sins.

Rest from all your evil works through the sinful nature of the Devil in you is what a broken and contrite soul in Christ will seek.He or she will have to come humbly, free of all rebellion towards God.If rebellion persists in that unrepentant soul, then rest in Christ is not for that soul.True rest of the soul comes through Christformation in you.That rest remains forever and ever in you. That rest will show up in your relationship with God as you'd walk Him.God will give you that rest that only comes through Christ.

The ultimate invitation from Christ Himself is for you to "take His yoke" which is your willingness taking upon your new born again self the full divine natures of Christ.Letting that divine natures of Christ to be formed in you is Christformation in you.You cannot do it on your own though,it's the result of the powerful work of the Holy Spirit in us, as we obey Him and his complete leading to Christformation in us.

Posted by Ronald K. Pillai at 11:57 PM

Labels: Rest

Making Your Calling and Election Sure Through Christformation In You.

Making Your Calling and Election Sure Through Christformation In You.

 

2 Peter 1:3-11 (New International Version)

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. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. If you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your calling and election sure. For if you do these things, you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

 

Introduction

 

Only the called, chosen and faithful of Christ and God our Father, will make every effort towards making their calling and election sure through Christformation in themselves. The ‘careless ones’ as in the Parable of the Ten Virgins would not even have a clue of what it is to have Christformation in themselves. By that time, when they would have discovered the need to, while they are still busy with the things of the world, it will be too late for them to return to Christformation in themselves.

 

What were the ‘wise virgins’ faithful with, you may ask? Faithful in making every effort to add to their faith full Christformation in themselves.

 

Full Christformation is the full formation of the divine natures of Christ in you. This is the power of the Holy Spirit demonstrated in you, in spite of all the trials and tribulations of your faith which you had to endure patiently with His strength till the end.

 

This required perseverance on your part to hold on to all of God’s unfailing promises given to you through Christ Jesus our Lord. You will have to make every continual effort to escape or overcome the corruption of this world caused by the evil desires of the sinful nature.

 

Overcoming of the sinful nature, one by one, will pave the way for the divine natures of Christ to be formed in you. The hunger and thirst for Christformation must be answered. Every effort is to be made to resist the sinful nature in order to be filled with the divine nature of Christ. This sinful nature is the nature of the Devil (Satan) that was sown into Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. It’s the ‘fruit’ of the ‘Tree of Death’ that they disobediently chose to eat from. They spiritually died at that same moment they disobeyed God.

 

We, who are born of Christ, must put to death the misdeeds of the sinful nature of the Devil in us by the power of the Holy Spirit within to circumcise away that ‘foreskin’ of our hearts. The sinful nature is the ‘foreskin’ of our heart.

 

Following that circumcision, we must make every effort to be filled with the divine nature of Christ by actively adding these eternal qualities of Christ into our born again spirit through our personal obedience to the Holy Spirit here while on earth.

 

This divine nature of Christ formed in us will affect while

transforming our souls and finally our bodies with that incorruptible body, corresponding to the degree Christ has been formed in our born again spirit and soul through our active “asking, seeking and knocking”. These active asking, seeking and knocking is meant more for eternal things and this is what apostle Paul meant by urging us to “make every effort”. and “work out our salvation with fear and trembling”. In the book of James we are encouraged to work towards “the salvation of our souls”.

 

Make Every Effort

 

The Holy Spirit of God will remind us about all the promises in Christ our Lord, so that through these great promises, every fulfillment of full Christformation in us will happen without any hindrance, as we obey His leading and guidance and not be willfully rebellious against Him by breaking God’s commandments.

 

“Making every effort” is actively “putting to death the misdeeds of the sinful nature” while actively “adding” to our faith in Christ into our born again spirit with all the eternal divine natures of Christ.

 

This involves a lot of alertness on our part and active resistance to the sinful nature and the Evil One who goes around “prowling” on those who are caught off-guard, those ignorant of the evil schemes of the Devil and its demons on this earth to pollute and corrupt continually.

 

If your life is controlled by the sinful nature, the devil has a gripping hold on you and it seeks to take total control over you so that you are hindered from being filled with the divine nature of Christ.

 

The Devil seeks to take control of your thoughts and actions through the sinful nature in you, that is, if you keep yielding to it. The Holy Spirit in you who is greater than the evil power of the sinful nature in you will “help” you overcome the urge of pleasing the sinful nature only if you completely obey His voice and leading in you.

 

If you are half-hearted about obeying God’s commandments, then it is you who will suffer the consequences of the Evil One having its control over you. Allowing the Devil to have control over your life is a sure pathway to eternal destruction.

 

Mark 7:20-23 (New International Version)

He went on: "What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.' "

 

The Lord Jesus Christ said that from within the hearts of men come all these sins that defile your spirit, soul and body. From within the heart meaning that; there is a part of that heart that needs circumcision, a” throwing away” of that which has been sowed by the Devil (Satan) - its ‘sinful nature’ through Adam and Eve.

 

The long list of evils that come from the sinful nature will make you unclean in God’s sight, if you willfully continue yielding to its temptation. This “unclean” state is referred to as “spiritual death” by the writer of the book of James as in:

 

James 1:13-15 (New International Version)

When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death .

God does not tempt us to sin but the sinful nature which is the “fruit” of the Devil, does tempt us with all the evil desires embedded in that evil nature. This evil nature is also referred to as the “earthly nature” by the apostle Paul in the book of Philippians.

 

This evil “fruit” is only grown in this world because the Devil and its demons were thrown like “lightning” to this earth. This earth has become the temporary “home” for the Devil and its demons until their eternal damnation takes effect at the glorious “blessed hope” which is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ to this earth to defeat the Devil and its demons.

 

These evil desires found in the new “home”, the earthly nature, will entice and drag you to sin. We call this the ‘urge to sin’. When this urge to sin grows inside of us after we have yielded to its temptations, it gives birth to sin. This same sin will not leave us easily but will seek to “grow” from one sin to another inside of us.

 

For example, evil thoughts will grow into sexual immorality; sexual immorality will grow into all other kinds of sexual sins such as; adultery, lewdness and to cover up these sins you may commit deceit, malice, folly, lies and even murder. We have seen these happen before.

 

On the other hand, greed for money, position or social status may grow into covetousness and covetousness into idolatry, as something you have ‘treasured above God’. In these situations, you will not hesitate to kill or destroy the hopes of others to illicitly climb above others in status or position. That’s why this is called the “earthly nature”.

 

It may sound harmless to you, but it is deadly. This earthly nature is deadly, because sin, when it is “fully grown” gives birth to death.

  Romans 8:13 (New International Version)

For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live,

 

For the wages of continual sinning is death. If you continue to live according the sinful nature and not put its misdeeds to death by your obedience to the leading, guidance and conviction of the Holy Spirit in you, than you will “surely die”. God’s rule in the Garden of Eden still holds for you, if you eat the “fruit” from that tree of death, you will die.

 

You will not die if you eat from the Tree of Life that the Heavenly Father has sent to us. We will live an everlasting life in Christ if we continually “eat and drink” Him. But first, the sinful nature must be circumcised by the Spirit of God in us.

 

There is constant battle in us if we continue to yield to the temptations of the sinful nature. We must put it to death. “Throw away “these evil desires and start “eating” from the Tree of Life, who is Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, Himself. We must choose to “eat” His divine nature instead which is, His eternal “fruit”. The word”eat” here means, filling our lives with Christ’s divine nature in increasing measure.

 

These eternal qualities in 2 Peter chapters 1 are the divine nature of Christ that is to be “added” or formed in us fully. Only then shall we become effective and productive testimony of Christ in God the Father’s eyes.

 

These qualities which are the divine nature of Christ are formed in us with increasing measure as we obey the Holy Spirit bringing about full Christformation in us.

 

As You “ADD”, SUBTRACT too.

 

As you add these qualities of Christ’s divine nature in you, through the power of the Holy Spirit by way of obeying Him fully, you would need to subtract away ‘one by one’ everything of the sinful nature of the Devil which was sowed through Adam and Eve in that Garden of Eden. We have to actively subtract away this evil nature with all its misdeeds and only then will we become overcomers in Christ or else we will remain defiled forever.

 

God allows sufferings into our lives as a means of subtracting away the sinful nature of the Devil, only if we are humble enough to accept and learn obedience to God through those sufferings.

 

1 Peter 4:1-6 (New International Version)

Therefore, since Christ suffered in his body, arm yourselves also with the same attitude, because he who has suffered in his body is done with sin. As a result, he does not live the rest of his earthly life for evil human desires, but rather for the will of God. For you have spent enough time in the past doing what pagans choose to do—living in debauchery, lust, drunkenness, orgies, carousing and detestable idolatry. They think it strange that you do not plunge with them into the same flood of dissipation, and they heap abuse on you. But they will have to give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead. For this is the reason the gospel was preached even to those who are now dead, so that they might be judged according to men in regard to the body, but live according to God in regard to the spirit.

 

  The Lord Jesus Christ, who suffered in His body and learnt obedience to God the Father in that human body, is being formed in us and that same attitude and humility, will surely be found in those in whom Christformation is happening. They will be ‘armed’ with that same mind and be ready to go through all kinds of trials and testings of their faith.

 

We are obligated to live according to the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit; if Christ is to be formed in us fully. This is living for the will of God.

 

We do not live according to the human or earthly desires when we have willfully chosen Christformation in us.

 

We will suffer much in this world when we choose Christformation in us. Others who wallow in their earthly desires around you will think it strange that you have chosen that path and will ridicule and discourage you. A word of caution tough, these attacks may come from your close family members too. Do not be disheartened but continue with your complete obedience to the Holy Spirit in you.

 

Trust all of God’s promises through Christ for you and you will inherit Christ fully.

 

Romans 8:12-17 (New International Version)

Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And by him we cry, "Abba, Father." The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.

 

Remember, you will “die” and not be heirs of eternal life in Christ if you continue to be obligated to the sinful nature of the Devil and willfully refuse the sufferings that come the way of Christformation in you.

 

We will become “more than conquerors” when we turn others from sin and lead others to the path of Christformation in them too.

 

Christformation in “Increasing Measure”

 

We often think what will be the eternal use of all the trials and testings we go through while on earth. All these sufferings produces perseverance and perseverance leads to hope and hope leads to obedience to God our Lord.

 

We have to learn obedience through our sufferings. Each one of His called, chosen and faithful ones will have to learn obedience to God. This obedience to God will be necessary in the new heavens and the new earth. This earth is where we will learn obedience to God through Christ.

 

Christ our Lord is the Firstborn of God and the perfect example for obedience. We must be like Him in our obedience to God. In order for us to be fully like Him in our obedience to God the Father, full Christformation must take place in us. The Holy Spirit fully helps us with this.

 

In increasing measure, Christ’s obedience will be formed in us fully if we obey the leading of the Holy Spirit fully. If obedience to God was only thirty percent, then you will be ‘clothed’ only with thirty percent of Christformation in you.

 

Hebrews 3:1-6 (New International Version)

Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. Jesus has been found worthy of greater honor than Moses, just as the builder of a house has greater honor than the house itself. For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything. Moses was faithful as a servant in all God's house, testifying to what would be said in the future. But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

 

Possessing all these qualities of Christ is Christformation in you. It is not that easy possessing them. It requires obedience on our part, yes full obedience to God. To possess is to guard. You will have to guard Christformation in you like you guard a valuable possession. You will not trade it for anything else in this world.

 

With Christformation in you, you will be productive and profitable to God’s eternal Kingdom.

 

All the eternal natures of Christ formed in you through obedience to the Holy Spirit will be of great use in God’s Kingdom, that is if, with the same obedience you have learnt from Christ our Lord. There is no short-cuts. Remember what the Lord Jesus Christ said in

 

John 10:1-10 (New International Version)

  "I tell you the truth, the man who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." Jesus used this figure of speech, but they did not understand what he was telling them.

Therefore Jesus said again, "I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep. All who ever came before me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.^] He will come in and go out, and find pasture. The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Conclusion

 

Full Christformation is what God desires in His chosen, called and faithful children. We have to make our calling and election sure with full Christformation in us with our obedience to the Holy Spirit who leads us to all truth- that is, Christ himself. Christ is Truth. The Spirit who leads us to Him is the Spirit of Truth. God is Truth.

 

In order to participate in the in the divine nature of Christ we must escape from the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

 

Let’s subtract the sinful old self from us and “add” on our new self in Christ by allowing full Christformation in us with goodness, knowledge, self-control, perseverance, godliness, brotherly kindness and love that is eternal nature of Christ.

 

Obedience forms the most important part of Christformation in us.

Without obedience to God, there is no Christformation in you.

 

 

Written by Ronald K.Pillai: for Christformation in you Ministries.

 

‘Builders-rejected’ Capstone of God.

‘Builders-rejected’ Capstone of God.

(Christformation in you Ministries)

 

Introduction

Acts 4:11-12 (New International Version)

He is
   ‘the stone you builders rejected,
      which has become the capstone. Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by whom we must be saved."

The verses above are found both in the Old and the New Testaments. They were spoken as prophecies and fulfilled prophecies of how Christ will be treated and rejected by the ‘so-called’ foolish builders.

 

They were referred to as so-called ‘builders’ here because they presumed that the responsibility of religion was to be shouldered by them alone and no one else. They regarded themselves as ‘God’s representatives’ or self appointed champions for building the kingdom of God on earth when God didn’t even know who they were neither did they recognize Him when He appeared before them in the flesh. They did not recognize Christ our Lord when He appeared in the flesh. They were too proud in their hearts to admit that He was the Christ “The proud will be crushed” the Lord Jesus prophesied for they were too proud and arrogant in their hearts to recognize Him as the Messiah.

 

Of such, the Lord Jesus Christ said:

 

Matthew 21: 42- 44 (NIV)

 

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:
   " 'The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone;
   the Lord has done this,
      and it is marvelous in our eyes'?

 "Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit. He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed."

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard Jesus' parables, they knew he was talking about them. They looked for a way to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowd because the people held that he was a prophet.

The Lord Jesus Christ rebuked those foolish ‘builders’ by saying that the responsibility of religion was no more on them, as all of them have fallen short. At one time it was, but now it has been taken away from them.

 

The Lord Jesus Christ chose his disciples who were humble except for Judas Iscariot, entrusting them with the gospel to forward the good news of God reaching out to man through Christ. He chose simple fishermen like Peter, John, James and Andrew.

 

It requires a broken and contrite heart to be able to preach the good news of the Lord Jesus Christ truthfully. There are many who are preaching the gospel untruthfully too. There is no place for pride and arrogance to represent the Living God. The devil himself was once an angel by the name of Lucifer, who was responsible for the things of God in heaven until pride and arrogance filled him that made him yearn for the worship of angels and man. “He was thrown down to earth like lightning as a punishment” said the Lord Jesus Christ.  There is a proverb, ‘pride comes before a fall’. One third of the angels fell with the devil.

 

The devil, the fallen angels and all human beings who do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior stand condemned before God and are waiting to be annihilated in the lake of fire eternally now.

 

However, there is a little time left for those who will believe in Christ to be their Lord and Savior.

 

They rejected the Capstone of God’s building .

 

Psalm 118:17-24 (New International Version)

 ¹⁷ I will not die but live,
       and will proclaim what the LORD has done.

 ¹⁸ The LORD has chastened me severely,
       but he has not given me over to death.

 ¹⁹ Open for me the gates of righteousness;
       I will enter and give thanks to the LORD.

 ²⁰ This is the gate of the LORD
       through which the righteous may enter.

  ²¹ I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
       you have become my salvation.

 ²² The stone the builders rejected
       has become the capstone;

 ²³ the LORD has done this,
       and it is marvelous in our eyes.

 ²⁴ This is the day the LORD has made;
       let us rejoice and be glad in it.

How could a building stand when the very capstone of that building was rejected. When you have willfully rejected the Capstone, you have rejected the foundation too. The Foundation and the Capstone is both Christ who is formed in us whenever we obey Him. These ‘so-called’ builders were blind and they expected God to accept them and their blemished sacrifices when they could not understand what God was doing before them. They did not know how to differentiate between the Capstone that God had sent for His building and the ‘ordinary stone or sand’ they were trying to build upon. They had refused to obey Christ, which is the basis of the matter. It’s plain disobedience to God and His Christ.

 

These ‘so-called’ builders killed the very Capstone that God had sent, not knowing that God could raise Him up again by His power. They could only see the Capstone with the eyes of natural man for they were spiritually blind and could not see beyond the physical realm.

 

When someone worldly resorts to physical harm with the abuse of human laws to carry out their evil plans, it is a clear sign of them admitting defeat because they could not fight Him spiritually so they would turn to other physical means of intimidation and harm. From this we know that they never belonged to God and they belonged to the defeated Foe.

 

If God was for Christ, how could this ‘builders’ fight Him? They might have ‘won’ temporarily with the use of evil authority but they had to face the truth that they were doomed eternally, when Christ rose from the dead triumphantly (from the grave) after three days. The ‘keys’ leading to death and Hades were taken away permanently from the Devil through Christ’s resurrection. The Devil had no more power through death over all of God’s chosen, called and faithful children in Christ. The devil had lost permanent control over men’s decision to follow Christ, now and forever.

 

The chief priests, priests, Pharisees and Sadducees saw themselves as the ‘builders’ of the Judaic religion and any threat to it was challenged.

 

They saw the Lord Jesus Christ as a threat to their religion for they could not see the truth that He did not come to establish a religion on earth. They persecuted, tortured, and physically harmed Him with the evil support of the multitudes on that cruel Cross at Calvary but yet they lost the spiritual battle to Christ our Lord, in the end.

 

It was not a religion He came to establish, as these foolish ‘builders’ had thought. He came to die as the sacrificial Lamb of God to redeem back those who are God’s from the hand of the Devil. Satan brought death in the Garden of Eden to Adam and Eve in their spirit; But Christ brought everlasting life to spirit, soul and body of those who are called, chosen and remain faithful to Christ till the end.

 

These men were rather foolish ‘destroyers’ than ‘builders’. They did not only destroy themselves but others who were blind like them. The so- called leaders lost the spiritual battle in the end. They could not stand up to the Lord Jesus Christ and His power shown within and around Him. Even the grave couldn’t hold Him in. Such was the power of His holiness within Him. There was no sin or decay found in Him. Now, for those who would believe in Him and the Heavenly Father whom He sent, will live eternally like them too.

 

The Devil and its children will be condemned forever into the lake of fire. ‘The Devil’s children’ refers to those foolish builders and those who believed in ‘builders’.

 

He was chosen of God but rejected by men.

1 Peter 2:4-8 (New International Version)

  As you come to him, the living Stone—rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him— you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For in Scripture it says:
   "See, I lay a stone in Zion,
      a chosen and precious cornerstone,
   and the one who trusts in him
      will never be put to shame." Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe,
   "The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone, and,
   "A stone that causes men to stumble
      and a rock that makes them fall." They stumble because they disobey the message—which is also what they were destined for.

 

When you are chosen of God you will be hated by men of this world for no known reason. The devil knows those who believe in Christ and will seek to hate them through its own children. Even the Lord Jesus Christ’s immediate family had rejected Him for no known reason except that He was visibly sinless and had obeyed God the Father in everything He did and said. It required humility for those around Him to believe and accept Him as He was revealed; poor and lowly in the eyes of men but rich in the eyes of God the Father.

 

The Jews rejected Christ our Lord as the Messiah sent by God but the glorious door was wide opened for the Gentiles to believe in Him and be saved from their sins and be freed from the author of sin who is Satan the Devil.

 

The so-called ‘builders’ of the Judaic religion rejected Christ to be their Savior and Lord and all they could built upon was the Old covenant even when the promised new covenant was offered to them.

The Parable of the Tenants best describes how the Jews rejected Christ.

 

Mark 12:1-12 (New International Version)

He then began to speak to them in parables: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat others they killed.

 "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son.'

 "But the tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

  "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven't you read this scripture:
    ”‘The stone the builders rejected
      has become the capstone;
 the Lord has done this,
      and it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

The intentions of their hearts were bad for they had ‘kicked against the pricks’. They showed no fear of coming against Christ even when warned so. They rejected their own Savior and Lord, who came for them and appeared before them in flesh. They laughed and mocked at Christ for all the sufferings he had to endure to reveal God to mankind.

The Psalms warns us for that was their day and now will come God’s turn for them. The last laugh will come from God Himself for anyone who rejects his only begotten Son.

Psalm 2:1-12 (New International Version)

¹ Why do the nations conspire
       and the peoples plot in vain?

 ² The kings of the earth take their stand
       and the rulers gather together
       against the LORD
       and against his Anointed One. 

 ³ "Let us break their chains," they say,
       "and throw off their fetters."

 ⁴ The One enthroned in heaven laughs;
       the Lord scoffs at them.

 ⁵ Then he rebukes them in his anger
       and terrifies them in his wrath, saying,

  ⁶ "I have installed my King
       on Zion, my holy hill."

  ⁷ I will proclaim the decree of the LORD:
       He said to me, "You are my Son;
       today I have become your Father.

 ⁸ Ask of me,
       and I will make the nations your inheritance,
       the ends of the earth your possession.

 ⁹ You will rule them with an iron scepter;
       you will dash them to pieces like pottery."

 ¹⁰ Therefore, you kings, be wise;
       be warned, you rulers of the earth.

 ¹¹ Serve the LORD with fear
       and rejoice with trembling.

 ¹² Kiss the Son, lest he be angry
       and you be destroyed in your way,
       for his wrath can flare up in a moment.
       Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

There is no other ‘Capstone’ for God’s building.

You might have understood by now that there is no other Capstone that Christ himself for building God’s kingdom. He is the Foundation and the Capstone that will remain forever.  This heaven, earth and the old order of things will pass away in just a twinkle of the eye but the Foundation and Capstone with God’s building that are, you and I, with Christformation in us will remain forever.

The ‘Parable of the wise and the foolish builders’ will explain this eternal truth to us. This parable does not only speak about the temporal building we call church today but God’s eternal building in which Christ is the Foundation and the Capstone. All other building will crumble down forever. Any ‘building’ built on other than Christ who is God’s eternal Foundation and Capstone will not stand.

Matthew 7:24-27 (New International Version)

"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."

Christformation in us happens on this eternal Foundation and Capstone. It fills up to the fullness of Christ in us and God’s building will be complete.

1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (New International Version)

By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as an expert builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should be careful how he builds. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ. If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames.

If you have rejected Christ, you would have rejected God and His eternal plan of building His house where He chose to dwell forever from the beginning of times.

Conclusion

Christ Jesus our Lord is the house where God lives in and He will be built in us. This house is being prepared through Christformation in us.

When the Lord Jesus Christ said: “do not be afraid or worried, I’ll go and build that house with many rooms” He was referring to the house through Christformation in us. The many rooms are the many divine natures of Christ to be formed in us so that we become the eternal dwelling of God.  Those who are called through predestination, chosen and found faithful will jointly formed the spiritual dwelling of God in Christ for eternity through God’s Holy Spirit. Now we are the temple of the Holy Spirit here on earth bearing the testimony of Jesus but through full Christformation in us we will become the temple of the Heavenly Father, The Son and the Holy Spirit together.

There will be no need for a physical structure or temple made out of man’s hands for there shall be none in His presence.

John 14:1-6 (New International Version)

"Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going."

Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going, so how can we know the way?"

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

 

Written by Ronald K.Pillai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Full Christformation In You

Full Christformation in You

(Christformation in you Ministries)

 

Introduction

 

Colossians 1:15-20 (New International Version)

He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross .

 

Full-Christformation is the fullness of God formed in us.

God the Father was pleased to have all the fullness of God to dwell in Christ our Lord and to reconcile all things to Himself through Christ. God is going to reconcile to Himself all those who are chosen, called and faithful through Christformation in them.

 

In order to reconcile all things lost in the Garden of Eden to God the Father, Christ became that ‘peace offering’. He redeemed us with this ‘peace offering’ through the atonement on the cross at Calvary. He had no sin in Him but took upon Himself our sins. He redeems us to reconcile us back to God.

 

As we have read in the verses above, why then did God the Father make the fullness of God dwell in Christ, His only begotten Son? Why was it necessary that the fullness of God dwell in Christ?

 

The answer to that is “He is the Image of the Invisible God, The Firstborn over all creation so that, all creation will be reconciled to The Heavenly Father through Christ. He is the exact representation of the Heavenly Father to whom we will be reconciled to”.

Hebrews 1:3 (New International Version)

The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

In Christ‘s teachings He had said many times that “the Father is in me, and I am in my Father” He also said that “if you have seen me, you have seen my Father in Heaven” Fullness of God dwells in Christ our Lord.

 

Fullness of God in Christ  

 

Ephesians 3:16-19 (New International Version)

I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

The fullness of God is in Christ our Lord. When we are filled with Christ we are filled with God in all His fullness. The “love that surpasses knowledge” is the same love shared between the Father and His only begotten Son.  The Lord Jesus Christ prayed for us in John chapter 17 that we may know the Father’s and Christ’s love for each other and be filled with the full width, length, height, and depth of that love. By this way, we will be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Why do we need power to be filled with this love of God?

We need the power of the Holy Spirit in us for full Christformation in us. This is how we know if we are filled with the power of the Holy Spirit. Christformation in us will show if we are filled with that power of God.

John 17:13 (New International Version)

"I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them.

We need the power of the Holy Spirit in us to bring about the full measure of the divine nature of Christ. True joy is His nature in us.

John 17:26 (New International Version)

I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them."

It’s the love of God that brings the fullness of God into us. It does not come any other way. It’s a love relationship of union and communion.

This relationship is born out of the love of God and His Christ’s in us and will grow till this love is fully formed in us. I am not talking about the worldly kind of love which is a counterfeit of the love of God and His Christ’s.

John 14:23 (New International Version)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

This love for God with all our hearts, minds, soul and physical strength will form Christ in us fully because Christ said that if you love me that much, you will keep my commandments fully.

The Holy Spirit will lead us to full-Christformation in us if we obey God’s commandments out of that love shared abroad in our hearts.

Ephesians 2:18-22 (New International Version)

For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God's people and members of God's household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

We have access to the Father in heaven by the Holy Spirit through Christ our Lord. With full Christformation in us we become the dwelling of God by His spirit. We see the complete Christformation in us in these verses above. From the Chief Cornerstone, through the joining together and the rising to become the holy temple in the Lord is the pre-vision of full-Christformation in us jointly.

Fullness of His Spirit in us

Fullness of His Spirit in us will lead to full-Christformation in us if we continue obeying the Holy Spirit in us.

When we are full of the Spirit of God we will be led by the Holy Spirit and not our sinful nature. There is a constant war between the divine nature of Christ and the sinful nature in us if you do not put to death the evil nature of Satan. Fullness of the Holy Spirit will cause you to put to death all the misdeeds of the sinful nature in you.

Ephesians 5:17-21 (New International Version)

Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.

We will be sowing into Christformation when we obey the Holy Spirit in us. When we carelessly fill our sinful nature with the pleasures of wine we will be led into debauchery and other sins that will defile us more.

But, if you are filled with the Holy Spirit in you, you will be led by the Spirit into a life of pleasing God the Father and His Christ. Fullness of the Spirit will lead to fullness of Christ in us. When you are filled with Christ you are filled with the Heavenly Father in you too.

If you live half pleasing the Spirit of God and the other half pleasing the sinful nature in you, then how will Christ be formed in you fully?

Imagine yourselves half-exposed or half-dressed, how will your appearance be? You will be ashamed, right?

Galatians 6:7-8 (New International Version)

Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

So let’s repent and turn away from a lifestyle of pleasing the sinful nature of Satan in us, instead, let’s please the Holy Spirit in us always. Remember, by sowing to the Spirit, we are sowing into full-Christformation in us. We will reap eternal life, for what we sow we will reap. If we say one thing and sow another thing then we will only reap what we have sown in the end.

John 14:15-21 (New International Version)

"If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. Whoever has my commands and obeys them; he is the one who loves me. He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him."

 

 

“On that day” meaning when Christformation is taking place in us.

Because of that love relationship that leads to full obedience to His word in us we will experience that same love the Father has for His only Son. Our obedience to the Holy Spirit in us will lead to Christ showing himself to us. Full revelation of Himself to us through the Holy Spirit will result in full-Christformation in us.

 

John 16:12-16 (New International Version)

"I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you.

"In a little while you will see me no more, and then after a little while you will see me."

All these things above the Holy Spirit will do in order for full-Christformation in us to take place. While Christformation is happening in us, we will see Christ as He is. He will become clearer and much clearer as He is being formed in us.

So, let us sow into this full-Christformation with the indispensible help of the Holy Spirit in us. Let us not waste any more time while it is still called ‘today’. Let’s fully obey the Holy Spirit for Christ to be formed in us fully.

Fullness of Christ in us

When we are full of the Spirit, the fullness of Christ will grow in us. This Christformation will lead us to full-Christformation, which will bring the fullness of God into us.

Colossians 3:8-15 (New International Version)

But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.

Therefore, as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

All those who belong to Christ have to actively get rid of the misdeeds of the sinful nature in us. We have to put them to death voluntarily, only then can we put on the new self, which is Christformation in us which will lead us to full renewal in us meaning , full-Christformation.

The new self which is Christformation in you will fill you with these characteristics of the divine nature of Christ in you, such as, compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. All these make up the divine nature of Christ in you and me. Forbearance, forgiveness and the love of Christ will bring the perfect unity that will bind all those who have Christformation in them.

Christformation in them will make the difference with that perfect unity of Christ’s obedient love. Once this love of Christ has filled us, we will be obedient to the Holy Spirit’s leading in us for full Christformation.

  Colossians 2:2-3 (New International Version)

My purpose is that they may be encouraged in heart and united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding, in order that they may know the mystery of God, namely, Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge .

The peace of Christ will not rule our hearts until we obey the Holy Spirit fully. In Christ is hidden all the treasures of God and these treasures will fill you through Christformation in you. All wisdom and knowledge is hidden in Christ. The love of Christ that unites all those in whom Christ is being formed will understand the truth that all riches of God are hidden in Christ alone.

For all these riches and treasures in Christ to fill our born again spirit, we will go through ‘painful’ experiences, as in child-birth pains. Apostle Paul said this to the Galatians describing Christformation in us. Only a woman who had delivered a child through normal birth before can describe the actual pains of childbirth, no husband or male gynecologist can.

Galatians 4:19 (New International Version)

My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you .

Paul is writing about the full inheritance of Christ in us.

The fullness of Christ inherited in us should be our goal. It will be a painful and difficult process but this is our eternal reward.

But like a woman pregnant with child, the child could be aborted or even face death prematurely. We have to be obedient to the leading of the Holy Spirit in us with our careful walk with the Lord. The promise of the Lord is that if we obey Him and persevere on we will gain Christ fully formed in us. We should throw away everything that hinders full Christformation in us, especially the sinful nature in us that leads us to sin. Do not sow to the sinful nature in you but rather put it to death.

We have to exercise obeying the Holy Spirit in us instead of the sinful nature. We have to train ourselves to listen to and obey the Holy Spirit in us.

Hebrews 5:13-14 (New International Version)

Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

God’s word is truth. God’s word is also food to us. God’s word when obeyed forms Christ in us because He is God’s word to us. He is that Word and that Word became flesh and now all flesh that is trained by it will become His Word- that means Christ in you. This is the mystery that the incorruptible Word became flesh and now all flesh that are trained by it, be clothed with the incorruptible Word through Christformation in them. This will please the Heavenly Father when all flesh that obey Him become like Him in all things.

Colossians 3:16 (New International Version)

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God.

The word of God will not only train us but will also train others around us with the testimony of that word in you. The testimony of the word is the testimony of Christ in you.

Conclusion

 Full-Christformation will only happen in those you find the fullness of God the Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit. They will make their home in us only when we fully obey His word in us.

The Holy Spirit has been sent from the Heavenly Father through Christ our Lord for the purpose of full Christformation in us. We must obey Him fully on earth. He leads us to full Christformation in us for the glory of the Father in Heaven.

 

Written by Ronald K.Pillai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

More about food that endures and christformation

Christformation In You Ministries

 

‘Food that doesn’t spoil’ is Christformation in you.

 

Introduction

 

John 6:26-29 (New International Version)

Jesus answered, "I tell you the truth, and you are looking for me, not because you saw miraculous signs but because you ate the loaves and had your fill. Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. On him God the Father has placed his seal of approval."

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

When we come to the Lord Jesus Christ believing that He is the Sent One for our redemption and salvation and are born of the Spirit of God, then, we will be made known by the Spirit that we are children born out of the promise God gave to Abraham. There is a clear difference between ordinary children and children of God’s promise in Christ. The promise God gave Abraham about Isaac, stands forever for those who would believe in Christ.

As we ‘eat and drink’ Christ daily as our ‘food’ that sustains us, Christ will be formed in us. Christformation in us is the ‘food that does not spoil’. This food will form eternal life, which is the life of Christ in us. Full-Christformation is the power of the indestructible life of Christ in us.

There is lots of food that does not endure and many of us are just eating these foods. We do not know that there is food that endures which brings about eternal life in us. We are blinded to this food by the Devil unless we have been predestined by God that way.

In the Garden of Eden, God locked out Adam and Eve from there so that they do not eat the ‘food that does not spoil’ from the Tree of Life too. That Tree of Life is Jesus Christ our Lord. Only those born again in the Spirit of God could eat ‘this food that doesn’t spoil’ from that Tree of Life. He will be revealed to those whom God had predestined for Christformation in them. As they feast on Him, Christ will be formed in them. Those who partake (the act of eating and drinking) of the divine nature of Christ will become more like Him.

‘Food that Endures’

‘Manna’ was angelic ‘food that did not spoil’. “Manna’ was symbolic of Christ coming to earth as the ‘Bread of Life’. We have to ‘eat’ Christ in order to live eternally. There is no other ‘Bread’ that doesn’t spoil. All other bread spoils. Christ will be formed in us when we ‘eat’ this ‘Bread of Life’. He is also the ‘Living Water’. We partake of the Lord’s Supper to signify ‘eating’ his body crucified for us on the cross at Calvary and ‘drinking’ his blood shed for our sins. It’s an act of eating and drinking that speaks of the ongoing Christformation in us, as we continually ‘feed’ on Him. In fact, we should feast ourselves on Christ as the ‘food that doesn’t spoil’.

If you were to recall, it was this message that turned many away from the Lord. The people who heard Christ preach about this ‘food that doesn’t spoil’ turned away from Him. The Lord then asked the disciples if they too wanted to leave Him.

6:53-59 (New International Version)

Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood; you have no life in you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is real food, my blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me, and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your forefathers ate manna and died, but he who feeds on this bread will live forever." He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum.

The act of feeding on Christ will cause you to have his eternal life in you. You must actively feed on Christ by seeking Him and His righteousness to fill you. Just like when we are physically hungry we seek earthly food, so, when we need the righteousness of Christ to fill our born again spirit, we must ‘eat and drink Him’ actively by seeking him. When you go to Him for this food that doesn’t spoil, He will give it to you. If you do not seek Him to fill your life, He will not force you to ‘eat and drink’ this food.

“The Son of Man will give you this Food”

This food will come directly from Christ to you. He will give you this ‘food that doesn’t spoil’. He is the Son of Man who lived on this earth. Sometimes, we do think what the Lord Jesus Christ is doing at the right–hand side of the Heavenly Father now. Is He only making intercession for us? What else is He doing? He is actually feeding us with the ‘food that doesn’t spoil’- Christformation in us.

The apostle Paul in his epistle to the Colossians said,

Colossians 3:1-4 (New International Version)

Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above not on earthly things. For you died, your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, and then you also will appear with him in glory.

 

“Set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set you minds on things above not on earthly things”.

 

What are the things above that we need to seek and set our minds and hearts on? It’s the Lord Jesus Christ we must seek. We must seek full-Christformation in us with all our hearts and minds, while we are on this earth.

When He said He is “going to prepare a place for us in Heaven” this is what He meant. Without full-Christformation in us, we cannot become the eternal dwelling of God. Therefore, He has to feed us with this ‘food that does not spoil’ first. We have to be filled with this ‘food’. It comes directly from Christ who is at the right hand of the Father. We are seated with Him there even though we are physically here on earth now.

Full-Christformation is God’s ‘Seal of Approval’ on us.

We should earnestly seek the approval of God over our lives. It’s this approval of God that will show the difference and not what we claim we are. You may claim ‘greatness’ but God knows your weaknesses. You may claim that you are powerful and influential in this world but He knows you are nothing in his sight but just ‘dust’. If Christ is being formed in you, you need not seek the approval of men. If you are seeking the approval of men, then, there is a high possibility of the absence of Christformation in you.

Full-Christformation in us is God’s seal of approval on us. What is ‘a seal of approval’? The seal is the print of Christ in our lives. The seal is the proof of Christ in us. The seal is also the power of Christ over our lives. This seal will openly show that God’s approval is on us.

But, God’s word says, that God the Father has placed the seal of approval on Christ our Lord. When Christ is fully formed in us, the seal of God’s approval will come on us too. God’s approval will be on our lives as much as Christ has filled us.

If our hearts and minds are on the temporary things of this earth only and not on Christ, then we will not seek Christ to be formed in us. Christformation will not happen in us. What do we treasure more? Christ or earthly things? If we choose Christ, then Christ will fill us. If we choose the earthly things then the earthly things will fill us.

We cannot expect God’s seal of approval to be on us when there is no Christformation in us. If our hearts and minds were on the things of this earth and not on Christ being formed in us, then how can God approve of us? The seal of God the Father’s approval is placed on Christ alone who is worthy of that seal. God is pleased with Christ His beloved Son. He will be pleased with us when we are filled with full- Christformation in us.

Philippians 2:9-10 (New International Version)

Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,

Conclusion

The seven feast of the Lord celebrated during Old Testament times foretold of Christformation in us by feasting on Christ. Each of the seven feasts of the Lord signified every part of Christformation in us for this present day. Christformation ends with full-Christformation in us when we become the eternal dwelling of God which the last Feast of the Tabernacle signified.

Food that was served in the Old Testament was all food that spoiled. Christformation in us that comes through our active ‘eating and drinking’ of Christ or feasting on Him does not spoil. Christ brings eternal life into us. Christ is our eternal ‘food that does not spoil’ but we must actively feed on Him. To feed on him we must seek Him with all our hearts and minds. He will give us that food, which is his ‘flesh and blood’ through the Holy Spirit in us.

The seal of God’s approval will be in us when full-Christformation happens within us. Only God the Father and His Christ will judge us if this seal is placed on us.

Written by Ronald K.Pillai. 

.

 

Christformaion is the 'White-Stone Pearl' in you.

     Chraistformation In You Ministries

 

Christformation is the ‘White-Stone Pearl’ in you .

 

Introduction

Matthew 13:44-46 (New International Version)

Parable of the Pearl

 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Wikipedia describes a pearl as such:

“A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue specifically the mantle of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur.

The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl became a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable and very valuable.

Almost any shelled mollusk can, by natural processes, produce some kind of "pearl" when an irritating microscopic object becomes trapped within the mollusk's mantle folds, but virtually none of these pearls are valued as gemstones”.

Christformation is very much like a pearl found in an oyster. An oyster is hidden away deep in the seas. Likewise, Christformation is hidden away in the depths of our born again spirit. The forming of Christ in us is going on secretly within us, while we still have life on this earth, like the pearl. Do you see why we need the Holy Spirit in us so badly? He helps us in Christ being formed within us.

Wikipedia further explains about the physical properties of the pearls in detail.

“The unique luster of pearls depends upon the reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light from the translucent layers. The thinner and more numerous the layers in the pearl are the finer the luster. The iridescence that pearls display is caused by the overlapping of successive layers, which breaks up light falling on the surface. In addition, pearls (especially cultured freshwater pearls) can be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple, or black”.

Fresh water and Salt-water pearls

“Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from very different sources.

Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, family ‘Unionidae’, which live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. These freshwater pearl mussels occur not only in hotter climates, but also in colder more temperate areas such as Scotland: see the freshwater pearl mussel. However, most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China. Saltwater pearls grow within pearl oysters, family ‘Pteriidae’, which live in oceans. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls”.

We see that natural pearls have distinct physical properties as compared to cultured ones. That is why we say that Christformation is distinct and cannot be counterfeited. It will show up with end-results that will be distinct from the counterfeit.

‘Buy’ Christformation with a Price

 In the ‘Parable of the Pearl, when we have found that valuable pearl we will have to “sell everything away and buy” that highly valued pearl. What does that mean?

When we have known Christ and are born again now, we must be ready to give up all of the sinful nature, in order for Christ to be formed in us fully. There is a price to pay for full-Christformation in us.  

Luke 14:33 (New International Version)

In the same way, any of you who do not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

In order for full-Christformation to happen in us, we must give-up everything that hinders us from gaining Christ fully. There is a price to pay. You will have to count the cost first on what you want to hold or give-up.

If you want to follow Christ to full formation of him in you, you must deny yourself of pleasing your sinful nature in you. You must pick-up the cross or be filled with the suffering nature of Christ to resist sin and Satan’s sinful nature in you. Put it to death on that cross of Christ you carry daily and then follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to full- Christformation in you.

The formation of Christ is like the formation of the pearl in that least attractive shell that hides it. The pearl is formed out of its resistance to the “irritating microscopic object”. Christformation became necessary in the Garden of Eden when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and sowed his evil sinful nature into them. God had to send them out of that Garden to prepare the way for full-Christformation to happen in them by way of revealing who that ‘Tree of Life’ in that Garden was. If we choose to eat the ‘fruit’ of Him, we will have the divine nature of Christ formed in us continuously until Christ is fully formed in us.

This need came about out of Adam and Eve’s disobedience but because of Christ’s obedience to the Heavenly Father, even to the point of death on the Cross of Calvary, this atonement has worked out a way for us to full-Christformation in us. We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ can now eat from the ‘Tree of Life’ daily and be filled with Him. This will please the Heavenly Father for this is His eternal will for us that everyone who believes in His only begotten Son whom He had sent as our Redeemer and Savior will become fully like Him in His divine nature. We must ‘eat and drink’ of Him to be filled with Him.

“Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from very different sources”. This is what Wikipedia says of pearls formed from different sources that look almost the same.  

Let’s look at the word of God to see what is written about this:

James 3:9-11 (New International Version)

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

“Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”

The answer is a “No”. The source where it flows from will decide the outcome of the pearl that is formed inside.

Christformation in us will be decided by the source of that formation in us, and that is Christ himself. The Holy Spirit is that overflowing streams of Living Water in us. He brings full Christformation in us when we fully obey His leading in us.

All counterfeits will be recognized by Christ (even if it is dyed) at the end of that race of Christformation in us. Who is the source of our lives today? Christ or Satan? The same question God had asked Adam and Eve to choose in the Garden of Eden. They willingly out of their own disobedience chose Satan. The choice was about who will rule them.  What about you and me today? Whom do we choose to be our source of Life? If you choose Christ you will have eternal life and if you willingly choose Satan you will have eternal death, like him. Choose the One on which you wish to spend all your strength and might on. Which one do you wish to ‘buy’? Which one will you cherish and which one will you give up? The consequence of choosing either one will leave you with eternal results in the end.

Who is your Source, Christ or Satan?

Like the valuable pearl, full-Christformation is rare and valuable. It takes a life time to form to its individual rarity and value. We have to make every effort to enter through that narrow door.

Luke 13:24-30 (New International Version)

He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

 "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." This last feast is for feasting on Christ for what’s lacking in them.

‘Making every effort’ is the same as “working out your salvation with fear and trembling”. The reason the ‘door will be closed’ on some will be their continual sinning even when warned? Working out our salvation with fear and trembling is obeying God’s word.

If we just sit down to hear God’s word and not obey it, we are not working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Full Christformation in us happens only when we fully obey His word.

Isaiah 66:2 (New International Version)

Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being? declares the LORD.
"This is the one I esteem:
  he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
  and trembles at my word.

WORD became flesh and now is the time for all flesh that obeys Him with fear and trembling to become WORD. This can only happen through full Christformation in us.

Like the pearl formation. Christformation is within our born again spirit and will not be judged by what we did outwardly only but by our motives, desires, intentions and thoughts.

"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets”. For this, Christ will say, "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. “Get away from me, all you evildoers!”

‘The Pearl’ will show in the end what was formed in it. If it was formed naturally it will produce a natural pearl. If a cultured pearl, it will produce an imitation pearl that looks the same outwardly but in content formation will not withstand the tests of the deep seas. It will be recognized as something that is just an imitation with not much value in it. The source of the formation was different and therefore the pearl outcome will be different.

The true Source (Christ our Lord) will not recognize the imitation pearl because it never had its source through Him and He will say, “I don’t know you and where you come from”. IF we continually do evil, even though we confess or profess the name of Jesus, then our source has never been Christ. Our source should have come from the divine nature of Christ brought to us by the Holy Spirit in us then we will not continue sinning.

If the source has been the Devil (Satan) through the sinful nature in us then we will continue to do evil on earth even when warned.

Before the gnashing of teeth comes eternally on you, it will be good for you to repent and turn away from that false source (The Devil) now.

Conclusion

The pearl is the rounded white stone that means ‘fullness’ just as ‘full- Christformation’ is the new name for the ‘white stone’ being formed in us now.

Christformation is the process where the ‘pearl’ named as full-Christformation is being formed. The source who is Christ himself will decide Christformation in us with the help of the Holy Spirit here on earth. We are being made valuable in God the Father’s eyes with eternal value through the full formation of Christ His beloved Son in us.

We will become the eternal dwelling of God through Christ being formed in us. Precious stones are used in the book of Revelation to describe the many characters of Christ in us. God the Father desires to see the many characters of Christ formed in us fully. When this is completed we will become their eternal dwelling.

Revelation 21:19-27 (Version New International)

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

We will become the dwelling of God through Christ His beloved Son. This is the promise we have from Christ our Lord. Full Christformation will happen only in those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who are those in whom full Christformation will happen?

John 14:23 (New International Version)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Those who obey His teaching will have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who are those who will obey His teaching by the Holy Spirit in us? Those who love Him will obey His teaching. IF you love Him you will keep his commandments and if you don’t love Him you will not keep his commandments no matter how much you are forced to. The ‘Pearl’ has a love relationship with the Source of Everything on earth, in heaven and beneath the earth. That’s how the pearl becomes a valuable Jewel, where the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit will make their home in forever and ever as in Revelations 21:19- 27.                                                                                  

Written by Ronald K.Pillai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Christformaion is the 'White-Stone Pearl' in you.

     Chraistformation In You Ministries

 

Christformation is the ‘White-Stone Pearl’ in you .

 

Introduction

Matthew 13:44-46 (New International Version)

Parable of the Pearl

 "The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

 "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

Wikipedia describes a pearl as such:

“A pearl is a hard, roundish object produced within the soft tissue specifically the mantle of a living shelled mollusk. Just like the shell of mollusks, a pearl is composed of calcium carbonate in minute crystalline form, which has been deposited in concentric layers. The ideal pearl is perfectly round and smooth, but many other shapes of pearls (baroque pearls) occur.

The finest quality natural pearls have been highly valued as gemstones and objects of beauty for many centuries, and because of this, the word pearl became a metaphor for something very rare, very fine, very admirable and very valuable.

Almost any shelled mollusk can, by natural processes, produce some kind of "pearl" when an irritating microscopic object becomes trapped within the mollusk's mantle folds, but virtually none of these pearls are valued as gemstones”.

Christformation is very much like a pearl found in an oyster. An oyster is hidden away deep in the seas. Likewise, Christformation is hidden away in the depths of our born again spirit. The forming of Christ in us is going on secretly within us, while we still have life on this earth, like the pearl. Do you see why we need the Holy Spirit in us so badly? He helps us in Christ being formed within us.

Wikipedia further explains about the physical properties of the pearls in detail.

“The unique luster of pearls depends upon the reflection, refraction, and diffraction of light from the translucent layers. The thinner and more numerous the layers in the pearl are the finer the luster. The iridescence that pearls display is caused by the overlapping of successive layers, which breaks up light falling on the surface. In addition, pearls (especially cultured freshwater pearls) can be dyed yellow, green, blue, brown, pink, purple, or black”.

Fresh water and Salt-water pearls

“Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from very different sources.

Natural freshwater pearls form in various species of freshwater mussels, family ‘Unionidae’, which live in lakes, rivers, ponds and other bodies of fresh water. These freshwater pearl mussels occur not only in hotter climates, but also in colder more temperate areas such as Scotland: see the freshwater pearl mussel. However, most freshwater cultured pearls sold today come from China. Saltwater pearls grow within pearl oysters, family ‘Pteriidae’, which live in oceans. Saltwater pearl oysters are usually cultivated in protected lagoons or volcanic atolls”.

We see that natural pearls have distinct physical properties as compared to cultured ones. That is why we say that Christformation is distinct and cannot be counterfeited. It will show up with end-results that will be distinct from the counterfeit.

‘Buy’ Christformation with a Price

 In the ‘Parable of the Pearl, when we have found that valuable pearl we will have to “sell everything away and buy” that highly valued pearl. What does that mean?

When we have known Christ and are born again now, we must be ready to give up all of the sinful nature, in order for Christ to be formed in us fully. There is a price to pay for full-Christformation in us.  

Luke 14:33 (New International Version)

In the same way, any of you who do not give up everything he has cannot be my disciple.

In order for full-Christformation to happen in us, we must give-up everything that hinders us from gaining Christ fully. There is a price to pay. You will have to count the cost first on what you want to hold or give-up.

If you want to follow Christ to full formation of him in you, you must deny yourself of pleasing your sinful nature in you. You must pick-up the cross or be filled with the suffering nature of Christ to resist sin and Satan’s sinful nature in you. Put it to death on that cross of Christ you carry daily and then follow the Holy Spirit’s leading to full- Christformation in you.

The formation of Christ is like the formation of the pearl in that least attractive shell that hides it. The pearl is formed out of its resistance to the “irritating microscopic object”. Christformation became necessary in the Garden of Eden when Satan deceived Adam and Eve and sowed his evil sinful nature into them. God had to send them out of that Garden to prepare the way for full-Christformation to happen in them by way of revealing who that ‘Tree of Life’ in that Garden was. If we choose to eat the ‘fruit’ of Him, we will have the divine nature of Christ formed in us continuously until Christ is fully formed in us.

This need came about out of Adam and Eve’s disobedience but because of Christ’s obedience to the Heavenly Father, even to the point of death on the Cross of Calvary, this atonement has worked out a way for us to full-Christformation in us. We who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ can now eat from the ‘Tree of Life’ daily and be filled with Him. This will please the Heavenly Father for this is His eternal will for us that everyone who believes in His only begotten Son whom He had sent as our Redeemer and Savior will become fully like Him in His divine nature. We must ‘eat and drink’ of Him to be filled with Him.

“Freshwater and saltwater pearls may sometimes look quite similar, but they come from very different sources”. This is what Wikipedia says of pearls formed from different sources that look almost the same.  

Let’s look at the word of God to see what is written about this:

James 3:9-11 (New International Version)

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?

“Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?”

The answer is a “No”. The source where it flows from will decide the outcome of the pearl that is formed inside.

Christformation in us will be decided by the source of that formation in us, and that is Christ himself. The Holy Spirit is that overflowing streams of Living Water in us. He brings full Christformation in us when we fully obey His leading in us.

All counterfeits will be recognized by Christ (even if it is dyed) at the end of that race of Christformation in us. Who is the source of our lives today? Christ or Satan? The same question God had asked Adam and Eve to choose in the Garden of Eden. They willingly out of their own disobedience chose Satan. The choice was about who will rule them.  What about you and me today? Whom do we choose to be our source of Life? If you choose Christ you will have eternal life and if you willingly choose Satan you will have eternal death, like him. Choose the One on which you wish to spend all your strength and might on. Which one do you wish to ‘buy’? Which one will you cherish and which one will you give up? The consequence of choosing either one will leave you with eternal results in the end.

Who is your Source, Christ or Satan?

Like the valuable pearl, full-Christformation is rare and valuable. It takes a life time to form to its individual rarity and value. We have to make every effort to enter through that narrow door.

Luke 13:24-30 (New International Version)

He said to them, "Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, 'Sir, open the door for us.'
"But he will answer, 'I don't know you or where you come from.'

 "Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'

 "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'

 "There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last." This last feast is for feasting on Christ for what’s lacking in them.

‘Making every effort’ is the same as “working out your salvation with fear and trembling”. The reason the ‘door will be closed’ on some will be their continual sinning even when warned? Working out our salvation with fear and trembling is obeying God’s word.

If we just sit down to hear God’s word and not obey it, we are not working out our salvation with fear and trembling. Full Christformation in us happens only when we fully obey His word.

Isaiah 66:2 (New International Version)

Has not my hand made all these things,
and so they came into being? declares the LORD.
"This is the one I esteem:
  he who is humble and contrite in spirit,
  and trembles at my word.

WORD became flesh and now is the time for all flesh that obeys Him with fear and trembling to become WORD. This can only happen through full Christformation in us.

Like the pearl formation. Christformation is within our born again spirit and will not be judged by what we did outwardly only but by our motives, desires, intentions and thoughts.

"Then you will say, 'We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets”. For this, Christ will say, "But he will reply, 'I don't know you or where you come from. “Get away from me, all you evildoers!”

‘The Pearl’ will show in the end what was formed in it. If it was formed naturally it will produce a natural pearl. If a cultured pearl, it will produce an imitation pearl that looks the same outwardly but in content formation will not withstand the tests of the deep seas. It will be recognized as something that is just an imitation with not much value in it. The source of the formation was different and therefore the pearl outcome will be different.

The true Source (Christ our Lord) will not recognize the imitation pearl because it never had its source through Him and He will say, “I don’t know you and where you come from”. IF we continually do evil, even though we confess or profess the name of Jesus, then our source has never been Christ. Our source should have come from the divine nature of Christ brought to us by the Holy Spirit in us then we will not continue sinning.

If the source has been the Devil (Satan) through the sinful nature in us then we will continue to do evil on earth even when warned.

Before the gnashing of teeth comes eternally on you, it will be good for you to repent and turn away from that false source (The Devil) now.

Conclusion

The pearl is the rounded white stone that means ‘fullness’ just as ‘full- Christformation’ is the new name for the ‘white stone’ being formed in us now.

Christformation is the process where the ‘pearl’ named as full-Christformation is being formed. The source who is Christ himself will decide Christformation in us with the help of the Holy Spirit here on earth. We are being made valuable in God the Father’s eyes with eternal value through the full formation of Christ His beloved Son in us.

We will become the eternal dwelling of God through Christ being formed in us. Precious stones are used in the book of Revelation to describe the many characters of Christ in us. God the Father desires to see the many characters of Christ formed in us fully. When this is completed we will become their eternal dwelling.

Revelation 21:19-27 (Version New International)

The foundations of the city walls were decorated with every kind of precious stone. The first foundation was jasper, the second sapphire, the third chalcedony, the fourth emerald, the fifth sardonyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, and the twelfth amethyst. The twelve gates were twelve pearls, each gate made of a single pearl. The great street of the city was of pure gold, like transparent glass.

I did not see a temple in the city, because the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are its temple. The city does not need the sun or the moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and the Lamb is its lamp. The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it. On no day will its gates ever be shut, for there will be no night there. The glory and honor of the nations will be brought into it. Nothing impure will ever enter it, nor will anyone who does what is shameful or deceitful, but only those whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life.

We will become the dwelling of God through Christ His beloved Son. This is the promise we have from Christ our Lord. Full Christformation will happen only in those whose names are written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who are those in whom full Christformation will happen?

John 14:23 (New International Version)

Jesus replied, "If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching. My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him.

Those who obey His teaching will have their names written in the Lamb’s book of life. Who are those who will obey His teaching by the Holy Spirit in us? Those who love Him will obey His teaching. IF you love Him you will keep his commandments and if you don’t love Him you will not keep his commandments no matter how much you are forced to. The ‘Pearl’ has a love relationship with the Source of Everything on earth, in heaven and beneath the earth. That’s how the pearl becomes a valuable Jewel, where the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit will make their home in forever and ever as in Revelations 21:19- 27.                                                                                  

Written by Ronald K.Pillai

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Run the Race of Christformation

Christformation In You Ministries

 

Running the Race of Christformation

Introduction

Hebrews 12:1-4 (New International Version)
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us. Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin, you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

We often hear of the phrase ‘running the race’. Why was this phrase often used. What ‘race’ is this? Why race? Why not a slow jog, brisk walking or slow walk?

The one same answer to all these questions above is that the race has already been ‘marked out’ for us by the Lord, the Author and the Perfecter of our race of faith..

According to Hebrews chapter 12 verses 1-4, we see the requirements of our God in this race marked out for us. We need perseverance on our part to run this race or else we will fail.

Cloud of Witnesses

There is always a crowd invited to watch or witness the running of a race. The crowd is for the cheering, wooing, clapping and encouraging of all participants of that race

In this race marked out for us by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself we have a ‘cloud of witnesses’ too. What is this cloud of witnesses? Rather, who are they? Why are we being surrounded by these witnesses? What are they watching for? Let’s look at the verses below in chapter 11 of Hebrews.

Hebrews 11:32-40 (New International Version)

And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. They were stoned; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.
These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect

“God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect” Hebrews 11: 40

What is that which ‘God had planned better for us’? As new covenant believers what is better for us than old covenant believers ? The marked difference between the Old and the New Testament believers is that in the Old Testament, all of God’s people then were judged by their physical obedience to God, whereas the New Testament Christians by our spiritual obedience to the Holy Spirit.
To explain it further, in the Old Testament times there were the ceremonial laws, physical laws such as circumcision, bodily cleanliness laws, priesthood laws, physical structure laws for the tabernacle of Moses and the temple building, laws related to the ark of the covenant which they had to strictly follow or face the death penalty by stoning.

In contrast to the New Testament times today, we will not be judged by our physical obedience but by our spiritual obedience to the Holy Spirit our Helper whom the Father has sent through His beloved Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Laws of God are written in our new hearts, in our new born again spirit. The Holy Spirit will remind us of these truths and convict us of three important things in our heart and renewed mind. He will convict us of the sins we commit from our sinful nature that will defile us if we yield to that specific temptation.He will urge us to put to death the sinful nature within us. The second important thing He will convict us about is the righteousness of Christ that needs to fill our lives all the time. The third thing that He will convict us about is where we stand in God eyes through Christ and reminds us that Satan stands condemned before God eternally with all his fallen angels. We will suffer the same punishment eternally, if we disobey His constant leading in us.

Noah was given specific measurements for the Ark he was told to build. Disobedience to that would have cost him his own life and the life of the seven others with him in that Ark. Moses was similarly given specific items to build the Tabernacle with. The physical and tiresome journey from out of Egypt into the land of Canaan made the Israelites disobey some of God’s commandments. They were punished with physical death. They were required to obey God physically.

In the New Testament, we are required to obey the Holy Spirit who leads us to full Christformation in us. In the Old Testament, those who strictly obeyed God’s commandments with their physical obedience had Christ formed in them. Those who did not obey died or were destroyed along the way.

You may ask how Christ can be formed in those who did not meet or experience Christ themselves as we have done. The answer to that is, as they obeyed and met the requirements of God with pysical obedience, for example, the circumcision, Christ got formed in them.

All the requirements of the Old Testament pointed to Christ who was to be revealed soon to the world, The Seven feast of the Lord, the articles in the Tabernacle of Moses, the priesthood garments, the Ark of the Covenant, the ceremonial laws, the physical journey from Egypt to Canaan were all Christformation in them whenever or wherever they obeyed.

Peter 1:10-12 (New International Version)

Concerning this salvation, the prophets, who spoke of the grace that was to come to you, searched intently and with the greatest care, trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of Christ in them was pointing when he predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. It was revealed to them that they were not serving themselves but you, when they spoke of the things that have now been told you by those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things.

Today, if we obey the Holy Spirit in us alone (who leads us to all truth), Christ gets formed in us.

If that was the case, why is the ‘cloud of witnesses’ watching how we run the race marked out for us?

This is so because we have taken over the ‘baton’ from them and are running towards the finishing line. They are watching and cheering us on so that we will finish our race with much perseverance till the end, a race which they themselves began and would like it completed with full Christformation in all of us. They lived to please the Author of their faith during their times and are waiting eagerly to witness the Perfecter of our faith bring full Christformation in us into completion.

Let’s study these verses carefully that speaks of the physical and spiritual differences.

1 Corinthians 15:40-58 (New International Version)
There are also heavenly bodies and there are earthly bodies; but the splendor of the heavenly bodies is one kind, and the splendor of the earthly bodies is another. The sun has one kind of splendor, the moon another and the stars another; and star differs from star in splendor.
So will it be with the resurrection of the dead. The body that is sown is perishable, it is raised imperishable; it is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory; it is sown in weakness, it is raised in power; it is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body.

If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body. So it is written: "The first man Adam became a living being"; the last Adam, a life-giving spirit. The spiritual did not come first, but the natural, and after that the spiritual. The first man was of the dust of the earth, the second man from heaven. As was the earthly man, so are those who are of the earth; and as is the man from heaven, so also are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the likeness of the earthly man, so shall we bear the likeness of the man from heaven.
I declare to you, brothers, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, nor does the perishable inherit the imperishable. Listen, I tell you a mystery: We will not all sleep, but we will all be changed— in a flash, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet.
For the trumpet will sound and the dead will be raised imperishable, for we will be changed. For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable and the mortal with immortality. When the perishable has been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the saying that is written will come true:
"Death has been swallowed up in victory."
"Where, O death is your victory?
Where, O death is your sting?"[The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my dear brothers, stand firm. Let nothing move you. Always give yourselves fully to the work of the Lord, because you know that your labor in the Lord is not in vain”.
Perseverance to run the race till the end is required, but first, before we ‘run the race’ we need to do something, without which, we will fail.

Throw off Everything that Hinders

In order for us to run with perseverance and ‘win’ or ‘gain’ the crowns offered to each triumphant and more-than-an-overcomer coveted ‘prize’, we need to throw off everything that hinders full- Christformation in us. First, what are these crowns, if they are not full- Christformation in us?
Aren’t these crowns called crowns of righteousness, eternal life in Christ, salvation, joy or glory found only in Christ? Don’t all these crowns speak of full–Christformation in us? Isn’t the righteousness of Christ supposed to be formed in us fully? Don't we need the eternal life of Christ formed  in us fully? Don’t we have to work out salvation with fear and trembling to gain Christ fully in us? Or else, why do we have to work out our salvation with fear and trembling, if not for full-Christformation in us.

What exactly is it that we need to ‘throw off’? What is this ‘everything’ that hinders? Hinders What?

‘Everything’ that is in our sinful nature which has been sown in us by Satan through Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, we need to throw off. Why do we need to throw off the sinful nature? The sole reason is that, full-Christformation in us will be hindered if it’s not ‘thrown off’. We have to overcome all the power of the enemy in order for full Christformation in us.

How do we throw off the sinful nature from us? Is it possible to throw off the sinful nature from us? Yes, it’s possible. In the Old Testament, there were two kinds of goat offerings, one is to be killed and offered on the Altar of burnt offering and the other to be laid on with hands by the priest laying all the sins of the people of God on it and be freed into the wilderness without return. This will symbolize full salvation for them.

These two goats symbolized the forgiveness and the removal of the sinful nature from us through Christ’s death on the Cross. Goats symbolize sins in us. The Lord Jesus Christ had no sin in himself. He came to take upon himself our sins. Just as the first goat was offered on the altar with all its blood, Christ the perfect Lamb of God also shed his blood and died on the cross at Calvary. All the remaining flesh of the goat was then burnt on the altar to be the burnt offering. Christ died on the cross and his flesh was buried for three days in his grave. This Altar of Burnt -Offering symbolized the forgiveness of our sins through the atonement work of Christ on the cross of Calvary. The other goat will now be laid with all the sins of God’s chosen people when the priest lays his hands on the head of the goat. The goat will become the ‘scape-goat’ and be released into the wilderness without return. This will be the second part of our salvation.

Our sinful nature will be removed far away with no return only if we choose to ‘throw it off’ from us. If we don’t resent it with all our might but cherish even some part of the sinful nature to remain in us, the sinful nature will not be removed from us. With the remaining of some part of the sinful nature, full Christformation will be hindered in us. The choice or decision is still yours but the consequences of retaining the sinful nature will be eternal embarrassment, shame and disgrace because you might have the life in you but the righteousness of Christ will be conspicuously lacking because you did not want to let go off the sinful nature of Satan when the opportunity was given to you. You may appear poorly dressed for eternity revealing some of your ‘nakedness’.

Obedience to the Holy Spirit in us is very important to the running of the race of Christformation. If we do not listen or obey Him at this point of time, we will be deceived easily. We must be led by the Holy Spirit and not by any flesh, let alone our own flesh. Don’t ‘gamble’ your life away. It may cost you your eternity in Christ and only you would have to suffer the consequences by yourself.
The apostle Paul says it this way in his epistle to the Ephesians. “Put off you old self”. It’s the same as saying “throw off everything that hinders”.

Ephesians 4:22-24 (New International Version)

You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

To “Put off your old self” is to let your sinful nature go from you with no return and not hold it back, like the scapegoat as in the Old Testament times. The sinful nature will corrupt you if it continues to remain in you. Corruption of the sinful nature in you will give no place for full-Christformation in you. It will hinder full Christformation in you.

Remember always, the race we are called to run is the race of full Christformation in us. Anything that hinders full Christformation, you are required to throw it off from you. The other corresponding exhortation Paul gives to this body of believers is, “put on the new self”. The new self is the new creation in us. The new creation is full-Christformation in us. Without Christ being formed in us, how can we be like God in true righteousness and holiness? There is no other way. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man goes to the Heavenly Father except by Christ being formed in him.

Just how do we ‘throw off everything that hinders’ or ‘put off the old self’ which refers to the same thing?
Yes, the apostle Paul once again touches on this subject in his epistles to the Colossians. Here it is.

Colossians 3:5-10 (New International Version)

Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry? Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.

This time the apostle Paul tells them to “Put to death” He urged them to ‘put to death everything that belongs to their earthly nature’. The phrase ‘earthly nature’ is synonym to the phrase ‘sinful nature’. Any reference to ‘earthly’ in the word of God is attached to the Devil (Satan).This earth is Satan’s temporary ‘home’ before his eternal annihilation. He did not rightfully inherit it but was “thrown down to this earth like lightning” because of His sinful pride, the Lord Jesus told us so.
The verses above in Colossians say, “...The wrath of God is coming”. Why is it coming? It is coming on those who cherish this sinful nature of Satan in them. The sins that come from the sinful nature of Satan are found in these verses there specifically. These are the sins that hinder Christformation in us. Let’s remove it from ourselves willingly.

“Being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator” is Christformation and it all happens in the new born again spirit in you. That’s your new self in Christ. Christ must be fully formed in your new self.

Run the Race with Perseverance

2 Timothy 2:5 (New International Version)
Similarly, if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not receive the victor's crown unless he competes according to the rules.

Many of us do not know why we are in a race and are in the dark as to what kind of race we are running. We are in a race because a race involves strict self discipline. It’s when we lack self discipline that God comes into our life with His own disciplining of us. This discipline is necessary to align us back to God’s ways after we had lived the way of sin for a long time. Though we have a born again spirit within us, the sinful nature is still there waiting for us to ‘put it to death’ willingly.

Hebrews 12:7-13 (New International Version)

Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it.

Running the race of Christformation is an ongoing race and the ‘crowns’ or prize of that race you will ‘win’ or gain is full Christformation in us. It will require a lot of perseverance from us. Each of the crowns is actually a part of Christ’s divine nature and when you have attained all the ‘crowns’, you would have gained Christ fully. Full Christformation would have happened in you. But, only with perseverance you could successfully finish the race and ‘win’ the ‘crowns’ of His divine nature.

Perseverance is the strength you would need to run this race of Christformation. Why perseverance? What is perseverance? How do we get this perseverance? How does this strength come to us?

You will be surprised to note that suffering actually produces perseverance. That would mean perseverance is a product of suffering.

Suffering is a fearsome thing for many. Instead, many choose worldly pleasure because they fear suffering. The cross of Christ is a symbol of suffering. Some preachers, in order to retain membership and loyalty to themselves and their organizations have even gone further to preach and teach against suffering. They have resorted to the standards of this world and would prefer preaching and teaching about how their members could avoid suffering.

The Lord Jesus Christ was a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering while on earth. He had to suffer to bear our iniquities. Well, He could have instead just lived comfortably and taught his disciples on secrets of success on how to live a comfortable life too, on earth. He did not.

Isaiah 53:3 (New International Version)

He was despised and rejected by men,
a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering.
Like one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

He taught his disciples that suffering produces perseverance. He persevered till the end and ‘won’. When the disciples could not take the sufferings anymore they left Him and went back to fishing which was the only means of earning an income for them. For most of them, their livelihood was fishing.

The Lord Jesus Christ suffered shame, humiliation, rejection, mockery, poverty, physical lack, oppression, hunger, thirst, pain, injustices, cruelty, physical and emotional abuse, psychological tortures and pressures, unjustified hatred, verbal insults, unjust punishment, false- accusations, unfairness, persecution, threats, opposition, being alone and forsaken, being without a permanent shelter,the death penalty although not guilty and the list goes on.

Isaiah 53:10 (New International Version)

Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand.

His disciples, except for Judas Iscariot suffered almost similarly for their faith in Christ. The apostle Paul suffered much for his faith in Christ our Lord. Similarly, the Old Testament patriarchs, prophets, priests, judges, leaders, kings, and the people of God in general suffered too. One such person was Job. He was rewarded for his perseverance or should we say the sufferings in Job’s life brought out the perseverance in him? God allows suffering because suffering produces perseverance. But what are we going to do with this perseverance after we have gained it. Well, we can use it to defeat Satan (the Devil). The Devil does not have perseverance.How do we know that? Just take a glimpse at those who do not belong to Christ and you will know that Satan does not have perseverance. Why do Satan’s children fight among themselves and destroy each other? It’s because they lack perseverance. They cannot take the test. They are only accustomed to living comfortable lives which they acquire by ‘hook or by crook’. If they cannot get their way, they fight and quarrel. Remember, the once ‘Lucifer’ became the ‘Deceiver’ because he wanted his way with God. That was how he was thrown to this earth.

Perseverance is keeping your eyes, thoughts, motives, intentions, desires, hope, trust and love on the Author and the Perfecter of our faith, who is, Jesus Christ the Son of God and our Lord and Savior.

Conclusion

We are running the last lap of the race of Christformation. Please do not be mistaken here! We are not running the race for Christformation but we are running the race of Christformation. What is the difference between the two?

When we say we are running the race of Christformation, it speaks about the race we are running now. Whereas when we say the other (for Christformation), it only speaks about the purpose of our running. We don’t run for the purpose of Christformation but we run the Christformation race for full Christformation in us. In this race, we will overcome all the power of the enemy in our life along the way, just like an athlete runs overcoming tiredness,slackness, pain in the legs and muscles, the competing opponent’s heated challenge, personal indiscipline, fears, doubts about his ability, inconsistency, lack of stamina, lack of self confidence and so on.

The race is not our goal. Christformation is the race but full- Christformation in us is the goal. The fullness of Christ’s divine nature formed in us will produce Christ likeness in us for eternity that will please the Heavenly Father, for that was His will from the beginning of everything on earth, in the heavens and underneath or beneath the earth.

Revelation 20:4-6 (New International Version)

I saw thrones on which were seated those who had been given authority to judge. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their testimony for Jesus and because of the word of God. They had not worshiped the beast or his image and had not received his mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ a thousand years. (The rest of the dead did not come to life until the thousand years were ended.) This is the first resurrection. Blessed and holy are those who have part in the first resurrection. The second death has no power over them, but they will be priests of God and of Christ and will reign with him for a thousand years.

The suffering life of the Lord Jesus Christ will be formed in us fully if we obey the Holy Spirit fully. We must remember extra eyes,the cloud of witnesses are watching us all the time. We must put to death the sinful nature and run the race of christformation marked out for us with perseverance and gain Christ fully in us with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Article written by Ronald K.Pillai for Christformation In You Ministries.

 

The temptations of Christ

CHRISTFORMATION IN YOU MINISTRIES

 

My dear children for whom I am again in the pains of childbirth until Christ is formed in you. Galatians 4:19 (NIV translation)

 

THE TEMPTATIONS OF CHRIST

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. The tempter came to him and said, "If you are the Son of Gaod, tell these stones to become bread. Jesus answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'^[a]"Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. "If you are the Son of God," he said, "throw yourself down. For it is written:  "'He will command his angels concerning you and they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.'^[b]" Jesus answered him, "It is also written: 'Do not put the Lord your God to the test.'^[c]" Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. "All this I will give you," he said, "if you will bow down and worship me. "Jesus said to him, "Away from me, Satan! For it is written: 'Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.'^[d]" Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.

 

With three temptations Satan targets the premature abortion of Christformation in you.

 

Introduction                            

In the four gospels, the word of God introduces Christ our Lord with the three temptations He went through in the wilderness. He was tempted the same way we are being tempted today but how He overcame them were of exemplary character.

God, the Father did not tempt Him. He allowed Satan, the deceiver, to tempt Christ His Son knowing beforehand how He would respond to temptations especially after He had fasted forty days and forty nights. Christ is the Firstborn of God, among many brothers. He is the perfect example we are to follow as God’s children. No other man or woman on earth or heaven could be compared to Him.

Christ, the Anointed One, shows us the way of obedience to our Heavenly Father. No man has obeyed the Father like Christ did on earth.

Though He was God’s own Son, He learned obedience to the Father on earth. Christ was sent to earth as the exact representation of the Father and He obeyed the One who sent him to be lowered among man. He was humiliated but yet He obeyed God, even the punishment of death on the cross!

God predestined us to be made into the likeness of Christ. Everyone from lambs and sheep to mini-shepherd, we are to be formed into His image. Primarily, the outcome of our relationship with Christ is determined by how we resist Satan and the worldly temptations he brings our way because this will hinder Christformation in us.

Christ the Overcomer has shown us how we could resist the evil one. It is God’s will for us to be an overcomer too, following Christ’s example. The Heavenly Father is pleased when we become the exact representation of Christ, His Son on earth, to all others on earth. He knows those who are His children, in whom Christ is being formed.

There are three temptations that stand out as Satan’s evil scheme to hinder and destroy Christformation in God’s own people. Christ showed us what they were and how to overcome them. Satan’s target on God’s called out and chosen ones are three things. The three very important characteristics of the divine nature of Christ in the life of a believer in Christ are; the word of God, the will of God and the work of God. Satan seeks to keep us away from these three eternal formations of the nature of Christ in us. Christ our Lord was tempted in these three areas but He overcame the devil, putting Satan to eternal shame. Christ is truly the Firstborn of God, the Father.

THE WORD OF GOD

It is Satan’s desire to see every predestined child of God neglect the word of God in their lives here, while on earth. But, it is the Spirit of God that reveals God to us by His Word. Greater is He who lives in us than he (the evil one) who lives in the world. The word of God is the seed by which we are born again in the Spirit of God. The word of God gives nourishment to grow in Christ so that Christ is formed in us fully.

God’s word is life in Christ brought to us by the Spirit of God. God’s word brings maturity to the believer in Christ. Satan would do all he can to hinder and blind these eternal treasure from God’s chosen ones.

The reason Satan fell is because it became proud and arrogant before God! He deceived Adam and Eve to do the same, to live separated from God (not needing God’s help) so that they would earn the same curse as Satan deserved for outright rebellion .

We belong to the second Adam or rather the last Adam. There is no more other Adams for us to follow-only Christ, our Last Adam. So, if someone says to you there is another after Christ whom we could follow, don’t believe them. It’s a lie.

When we obey the word of God as He speaks to us by the Holy Spirit, we become more like Christ, His beloved Son. But, Satan will seek to abort Christ being formed in us if he can persuade us to disobey the word of God.

The more we obey the word of God, the more we will become like Christ and He will be formed in us eternally.

Christ being formed in us will become our resurrected body in Christ which is being constructed at the heavenly Father’s right hand now. We will be clothed with this imperishable body at the return of Christ our King. Christ our Lord is interceding for every of God’s chosen children, that we obey His word without fail and be clothed with Him.

Did you notice that when Satan tempted Christ our Lord in the wilderness, he referred to food, first? Food is for the stomach and stomach means survival. Satan’s evil suggestion is for Christ to make his stomach his God. A temptation it still brings today to all of God’s chosen children in Christ. Satan was tempting Christ to make his short physical survival on earth the main emphasis and the most important thing to do and take his eyes off God.

Christ simply reminded Satan that the most important thing to do, as God’s chosen, is to feed on God’s word and grow by it. You can skip your eating but do not skip feeding on the word of God. When you feed on the word of God you are feeding on Christ.

When you obey the word of God, Christ is being formed in you. Do not stop obeying the word of God. In his letter to the Philippians, Paul the apostle said with affirmed warning that the true enemies of the cross of Christ are those whose ‘stomach is their God’. For such people their destiny will be destruction and their glory is in their shame actually. In Philippians 3:19, he said:

“Their destiny is destruction, their God is their stomach and their glory is in their shame”.

It is easy for us to take our eyes off God or rather shut our ears to what He is saying to us through His word when we are tested to see if physical survival is more important than the source of everything, God himself.

What God is saying to us today is more important than our daily food. I am not saying we do not need to work in this world. Each of us should be ready to face the consequences of our own actions at the end of the day, on how we conducted our lives while trying to survive on earth.

The world is changing fast but our God does not change through the ages. He is the same yesterday, today and forevermore. God’s formulae for us does not change, so, we should obey what the word of God says spoken with relevance by the Holy Spirit today to each individual.

When the book of Colossians Chapter 3:1 tells  Christians “to set their eyes and minds on things above” it means to say, set your thoughts and desires always to this body you are going to be clothed with, after your resurrection in God’s presence. This body is in God’s presence now and we are seated with Christ in the heavens always.

Our thoughts must be on Christ our Lord, at the Father’s right hand, on what is transpiring there right now, between us and God through Christ. We can see these daily with the help of the Holy Spirit.

The word of God is the most important of all food to God’s chosen people in Christ. Christ is that Word, that Word was with God and that Word was God, the Son, and that Word was revealed and became flesh so that all chosen flesh of His, will become His Word in return.

The present earth and heaven will pass away but His Word will remain forever. If we are going to remain forever and ever with God, flesh must become Word first, because only Word will remain forever, nothing else will. The Word (Christ) must be formed in us, in His fullness. Only then, it will be eternal quality and material to live forever and ever with God.

In Paul’s epistle to the Colossians, we are told to let the word of Christ dwell richly in us, that would literally mean, everything He had said In Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, the book of Acts, the epistles and all the books in the whole bible, inclusive of the Old Testament.

When I first believed in the Lord Jesus Christ as my personal Savior and Lord, I began to take all the books out of the church library and search for the ‘treasure of which I had newly found the ‘clue’. It cost me much because I was only seventeen then and I had to forgo my youthful ‘experiments’ outside in the world and be shut in instead. I did know what the Holy Spirit was doing in me then, but, now I know. The Word of God is more important to His chosen ones than anything else in this world.

THE WILL OF GOD

Satan is addressed as the ‘Tempter’ in this entire passage which best describes it’s nature and rebellious self will. The sinful nature in us is Satan’s deceptively sown nature that produces ongoing temptations within us. Apostle Paul said of this nature in Romans 7:15

“I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do”. There is an inbuilt temptation provider planted in us as a result of the original sin of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. That’s how serious the original sin is to us. We have to put to death these misdeeds of the body in us with the help of the Holy Spirit. Walking in self will is putting the Lord your God to the test. That’s how dangerous this sin is to us.

“For we know that our old self was crucified with Him(Christ) so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin-because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.” Romans 6:6-7

The very clear intention displayed by the Devil here asking The Lord Jesus to “jump so that he will know if God keeps his promises” is persuading Him to walk in self will and rebellious pride.

Satan wants to prove a point to the Lord Jesus, but, the Lord knows God His Father more than the Devil. The Lord Jesus told Satan that this foolish act will amount to rebellion with self-will towards God and you need not test God to see if He will keep his promises. He surely does keep His promises unlike Satan himself, who is known to be the father of all lies and deceit.

Today, as for us who are his chosen ones in Christ our Lord, the temptation to walk in self-will, the will of others who influence us, the will of the world may turn out to be the greatest temptation to draw us away from the Lord. These may come our way very subtly, even over a movie. Satan’s intention is to abort the perfect will of God for us. The perfect will of God is for Christ’s divine nature to be formed fully in us.

“For those God foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son that He might be the firstborn among many brothers”. Romans 8:29

.In this second temptation of Christ, we see the evil of making ‘self’ our God. The intention of the devil here is to make Christ forget the seeking of God before He does anything on this earth. Walking in ‘self’ will is the clear call of Satan to Christ. Satan claimed if Christ were to walk in self-will, God will still not mind and will protect him as His word says so. But, the Lord Jesus told Satan “do not test God” because He might not save you if you take Him for granted. In Habakkuk 1:11, it says there are some who “make their own strength their God”. Satan would want you to draw from your own strength to do anything without seeking God first because Satan was such a rebellious creature itself.

Habakkuk said in 1:11:

“Then they sweep past like the wind and go on, guilty men, whose own strength is their God”.

This temptation we face daily that is to trust in our own strength instead of trusting in the Holy Spirit in us, will leads us away from seeking the will of God in everything we do on earth. Satan does not like us saying to God “let Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven today”. Satan desires that everyone on earth does Satan’s evil self-will, so that he could rule the earth through them.

Satan’s intention is to see us separated far away from God and eventually not trust in Him daily as the source of every thing. Satan will suggest to you that. ’Self’ is God. If you buy that lie from the devil, you would have yielded to temptation. Yielding to temptation is sin. Of course, the most pleasurable thing for the sinful nature to do in rebellion towards God is making ‘Self’ God, but it is the pathway to eternal destruction. It is same as saying this evil ‘let Satan’s will be done on earth’.

At the Garden of Eden, Satan, by way of deceiving weaker Eve caused Adam to place importance to the lie of ‘Self’ above God. It appealed to Adam and Eve to follow the way of ‘self’ without God. Disobedience always has the element of ‘self’ above God appeal. Living with selfish ambition and self-will always appeal to the sinful nature of man which originated from Satan.

Christ re-affirmed himself on doing God’ will at all cost in the Garden of Gethsemane. Self-will took over at Garden of Eden in the hands of the First Adam but The Lord Jesus Christ, the Last Adam, prayed “Not my will, but Yours be done” at the Garden of Gethsemane. The First Adam jumped at the idea of walking in self will but the Last Adam jumped at the idea of obeying God’s will.

When Christ is formed in us, we will do the same. For the Christ formed man or woman of God, it will be more appealing for them to walk in God’s will rather than walking in self- will, the will of the world or the will of Satan. When it comes to walking in self-will, Satan is the father of this abominable sin in God’s eyes.

We have been given the Helper-the Holy Spirit. When we obey the Holy Spirit in us, we will be doing the will of God. The Lord Jesus knew what Satan was implying to Him with this temptation- that it is more appealing to walk in self-will than to seek the will of God in everything he does. The Lord Jesus’ answer to Satan was, “No, I will not test God by walking in my own self will”

Satan will attempt to make our ‘own strength’ our God. Many of mistakes  that we  commit today come from making our ‘own strength’ our God. It is best we realize it now and return to the Lord fully to do His will on earth. Resist self -will, the will of the world at all cost, and Satan’s destructive will. Resist them with all your might as much as the Lord Jesus ‘sweated blood’ in the Garden of Gethsemane. Resist it sharply as much as the Lord Jesus rebuked Peter, His very close disciple saying “Get behind me you, Satan…you do not have the things of God in mind!

The way of the Cross requires us to walk in the will of God, no matter how difficult it might seem. We will have to persevere on with the help of the Holy Spirit till Christ is fully formed in us. We will partake of His divine nature in full if we walk obediently to the leading of the Holy Spirit now. He will lead us to all Truth . Caution: Satan does not want you to do God’s will on earth , so, RESIST THE DEVIL with all your might. Let God’s will be done on earth as it is in heaven today.

THE WORK OF GOD

The third temptation of Christ had to do with whom we will choose to serve today. It is easy for everyone to say we are serving God. What does our action show? What do we hold in highest value? Is it our money, wealth, social status, worldly recognition, people, pleasure, possessions, worldly wisdom? I mean to say, what do you hold in highest regard on earth? Another words, what or who do you worship the most? What are you most thirsty for in your life now? Just be honest with yourself. What is it that you won’t hesitate to take your own life or the life of another for? What will make you lay down your life for?

"No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. "Luke 16:13

Satan knows this is the most appealing part of the sinful nature deposited in us deceptively by Satan in the Garden of Eden. If he can trigger this tripping of our feet in us, we will live under his wicked deception and yet claim heaven and everything in it, is still ours and that, we have the legal right to these things just like Satan still claims today. As we know now, his destruction is right at hand and so will it be for us if we seek these temporal things and make it the most important pursuit in life.

Many who are serving Satan today are also claiming to be servants of Christ. What makes the clear distinction between whom or what we are serving today? Jesus said “You either serve God or Money-you cannot be the servant to both or you cannot have two masters in your life to serve”.

At the fast approaching last day many will claim that they have served the Lord, but yet the Lord Jesus will say to them “I do not know you”. This will be so because there will be a marked difference between those who served the Lord and those who did not. Service will be marked by love for the master. You cannot hide from what you love much. It will eventually show clearly in your life.

If you loved money more, your conversation will be about money most of the time, even in your teaching of God’s word supposedly. If you loved God more your conversation will be about God. It will show where your heart is tilted to in the way you conduct your daily life and influencing of others. I am not referring only to those who are ignorant of God but to those who claim to know God and even claim to be leaders of God’s people.

Worship and service go together. You cannot serve God by worshipping money; neither can you worship God by serving money. We must worship and serve only our God and our Lord. You and I have a choice to either serve God or serve Mammon. Choose you this day while it is still ‘today’.

The root of all evil is money. The love of money can draw you away from the Lord and lead you into many grieve. We realize that the devil took Jesus to the top of the mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of this world. Do you know that Satan’s pride is in the kingdoms of this world? The devil is very proud of its evil establishments on this earth because that is all it got, nothing eternal. Do you But, the Lord Jesus said that all the kingdoms of this world that Satan is proud about will fall in one hour and they will become the kingdoms of our Lord. By its downfall, in Christ’s and our hands as an army of the Lord, the kingdoms of Satan will become the kingdoms of our Lord.

Love, hate, devote, despise are the words used to describe how we serve the two distinct masters of mankind. Christ formation in you will be decided by these words. Satan takes pride in money and therefore anyone who values money more than God is serving Satan.  More money and wealth is seen as power to intimidate people and manipulate situations in this world. That is why the devil takes pride in this and so are the wicked. The time has finally come where those with power and fame with much money as in, millionaires and billionaires, are seen as the ‘prophets’ of the day. Not so with God, He sees them as false prophets’ crazy for power and fame. He never chose them for they do not qualify with money alone. In fact He does not know them.

Remember the ‘rich fool’? When the Lord Jesus asked if he will give up everything of this world that is holding him back, he answered ‘no’ and went on his own way, despising the way of Christ?

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.      1John 2:15-17

Money or Mammon will become your God, if you reject Christ who is God’s own beloved Son. At the rate things are happening around us today, Satan is telling the world to make Money their God. It is saying if you do not have money, you do not have God. Money is being made into God.

Today, people do not want to serve the Lord if it does not promise them more money, teachings about gaining money and wealth.

Instead of filling their lives with Christ in themselves they choose to be filled with the desire for more money and be more powerful with more money. With more money they could control more lives. This is how Satan indirectly controls everyone who has fallen to its filthy schemes.

The third temptation is to make money your God and live for money alone. If you have fallen into this temptation, you are an idolater even though you are still attending church. Attending church regularly does not make you free from committing the sin of idolatry but yielding to the temptation of making Money your God does. You can continue attending the church but that does not free you from idolatry. You must stop yielding to this temptation and worship and serve God alone.

Christ had shown us the perfect way to the Heavenly Father but if we do not submit to him as the perfect Shepherd we will lose our way and wander away from Him. That is exactly what Satan wants from us.

Conclusion

These are the three temptations that Satan brings along to every believer in Christ, the temptation to make your ‘Stomach’ your God, or  ‘Self’ to be your God or Money/Mammon to be your God. If you have yielded to any of the three above, you have made Satan your god unknowingly or even with your own consent, whichever it was.

When this yielding to temptation happens Christformation will never happen in you or Christformation in you will be hindered temporarily until you realize your sin, repent and turn from it. There are some who will walk in their stubbornness and not turn from it even when told. Beware! You can abort Christformation in you if you yield to Satan’s temptations in your Christian life.

Satan will attempt to stop, hinder, and abort your obedience to the Word of God, Will of God and the Work of God through you. The threea temptations to the Lord saw the early defeating of the devil before the death, burial and triumphant resurrection of the Lord. At the glorious resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ the devil’s defeat was made a public spectacle. The annihilation of the Devil is coming soon.

Written by:  Ronald K. Pillai for Christformation In You Ministries, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Copyright@

Christformation In You (2)

Nature

Christformation promised....in the Garden of Eden.

christformation | May 06, 2008 19:51

Compare these two verses: For God doth know that in that day,ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened,and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.                                                        Genesis 3:5 But stong meat belongeth to them that are full of age, even those by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil                                                          Hebrews 5:14 One verse was found in the old and the other in the New Testament.You must note that one was the voice of the devil distorting the words of God and the other words inspired by the Holy Spirit upon the book of Hebrews writer,probably Paul ,the apostle to the Church of Jesus Christ. In Genesis 3:5, the reference was made to the forbidden 'fruit' and the consequences of partaking  it.The Devil's suggestion there was that in partaking of that forbidden 'fruit', Adam and Eve will enjoy good  and favorable consequences. But,In Genesis 2;17 ; earlier God had told Adam "...if you eat it you shall surely die". Adam and Eve did not die physically after eating the 'fruit' but their spirit died that moment.That is why we need to be born again as in John 3:3. In Hebrews 5:14, it is mentioned of 'good and evil' as it was in Genesis 3:5 which was  talking about the nature of the  forbidden 'fruit' but in Hebrews 5:14- the nature of solid truths.The difference was the wording used in each verse but the matter was the same.When you talk about truth there is no other Truth than the Lord Jesus Christ Himself.He is the exact representation of Truth.Here it is obviously refering to the divine nature of Christ in us that makes us discern between good and evil. But, in Genesis 3;5 the knowledge or wisdom that comes from the devil teaches you to mix the both- good and evil. If you mix the both ,good and evil, you will only get a mixture what you see today-confusion!You cannot find good fruit on bad tree neither can you find bad fruit on good tree.Truly,the 'fruit' is refering to the two natures that come from two persons in the Garden of Eden besides God the Father. There are two significant trees mentioned in the Garden of Eden.the tree of knowledge of good and evil and the Tree of Life.But Why did God the Father say you will surely die when you eat the 'fruit' of the tree of knowledge of good and evil to Adam?He was saying that if you eat from the 'tree' of knowledge of good and evil(The Devil) you will die because the 'fruit'- the sinful nature of satan would have been invited into you.Adam and Eve literally ate from the 'tree of death'.Satan or 'the Devil' means death.Satan is the 'author' of death.Satan was the first being God had created to be pronounced dead through  His judgment. Adam and Eve were pronounced dead in the spirit because they willingly partook of the nature of Satan. What about us? What happens to us if we continually partake of his nature(the forbidden 'fruit') in us, today? Romans 8:13 (New International Version) For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, Please take note further that the two verses above,Genesis 3:5 and Hebrews 5:14 have the word 'eat' or both refered to 'food' that we eat.Jesus said unless you 'eat my flesh and drink my blood' refering to the full partaking of Himself you will not have eternal life.Another way of saying it, you must partake from the fruit of the Tree of Life (Jesus Chist our Lord and Savior).As you eat and drink Christ daily Christ get formed in you, just like we eat food daily and get our physical body formed big and strong. The reason God the Father had to send Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden was because the Tree of Life was to take the human form like us ,die and resurrect so that we who believe in Him may live forever with Christ being formed in us by our constant 'eating' of his divine nature while on earth. The choice is yours , you either 'eat' from the Tree of life or from the cursed sinful nature of the Devil.My advice is let us put to death the misdeeds of the flesh(the sinful nature) and live by the Holy Spirit who is helping Christformation in us eternally.

Ronaldkp