Seeing Jesus

My Journey Of Faith

The sifting process in human terms is a painful process that always leaves the saint better and reflecting more of God's image.

In response to Jesus' statement of Satan's request to sift Peter, Peter said, "Lord, with You I am ready to go both to prison and to death!" The reality is that the road to serving Jesus is paved with good intentions. We may even convince ourselves that we are mostly obedient, believing the correct teachings and separating ourselves from the world.

Jesus sifted Peter and the rest of the twelve disciples except for one, and by that sifting and the filling of the Holy Spirit, they were made Apostles. Satan's sifting by God's grace transformed them into Apostles. Therefore, the objective evidence of our obedience to God is not a subjective opinion of ourselves but an unbiased observation of God's word regarding our obedience, which must begin in Matthew 18.

Seeing Jesus Reject The Traditions Of Religious Israel

Beginning in Luke 4, Jesus was rejected by the people who knew Him best. Chapter after chapter declares confusion regarding Christ's identity, particularly among religious leaders. Twice, Jesus cleared the Temple and declared their worship was a mockery of His Heavenly Father.

We must properly interpret Christ's actions concerning the nation of Israel as they were and are His chosen people. Yes, only the remnant of Israel will be saved, but the same is true regarding the church. By Matthew 18, the church stands in obedience or falls in disobedience. By small and discerning groups of believers, the sifting process of the saved is meant to occur as regenerate believers are filled with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus didn't join or try to redeem the Temple worship in Israel; he eventually tore it down and began anew with Gentile believers. Eventually, a great falling away will occur in the church, the Anti-Christ will rise to power, and the end-time events will happen, as stated in the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

Seeing Satan's Sifting For Christ's Purpose In My Life

I began to follow Jesus with all my heart in 1974. Nothing has been easy regarding my walk with Christ. He has always been there in every faze, every temptation, and every trial, both in my obedience, by stepping away from sins and walking off the straight and narrow to do what I thought was correct. Sometimes, I thought submission to church authority was the path to obedience; now, I find that the only authority worth submitting to are those submissive to Christ, as evidenced in His Word.

To submit to disobedient leaders is to reject the model we find in Christ throughout the Gospels. I hear some saying that Christ was God. What better person is there to follow as a model? Christ, being God, does not dissolve us of our responsibilities to walk in His steps. I am not speaking about walking on water but obedience to the Word of God over those who usurp God's authority to have their own way.

Seeing Jesus Commission To Plant Churches, Not Start Churches

A person who starts a church invites people to follow his teachings. The person who plants a church evangelizes and disciples to step away so the new church can walk in accountability to each other as they walk accountable to Christ. The church planter must believe that the Holy Spirit can grow the new congregation. I am in this very situation at this present time.

The church planter occasionally looks in on the new church, hence the Apostles' letters that compromise the New Testament. The Apostles led house churches for years, and then the church was scattered through persecution. Acts 8:1 informs us, "Saul was in hearty agreement with putting him (Stephen, the first martyr) to death. On that day, a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."

Seeing Jesus Humbly Unite An Ekklesia

Seeing Jesus humbly unite and grow an Ekklesia is worth a guilty conviction that fades when obedience becomes clear. Ekklesias owe nothing to their denomination, seminary, or convention because they don't have one. Their soul allegiance is to Jesus Christ. Their primary goal is obedience to the Word of God. They are not primarily in school to learn what they will hardly use. They do not live to please themselves through "worship" and "church," but they live to walk with and please Jesus Christ.

If you know me and disagree with my understanding of the New Testament, I would still ask you to pray that I plant churches that are pleasing to Christ by following the pattern set in the New Testament as I understand it. Why? We can toy with interpretations of scripture, but we can't toy with history. The church went rogue through Roman Catholicism. Five hundred years ago, the church experienced a revival, and the correct Gospel was returned to her. Preaching the correct Gospel does not give one authority to run rip shod over the New Testament commands concerning church structure.

Some say we are given latitude regarding such things as structure. If they are correct, you can do what you want, but if the Bible is the final authority, as it is, then you might want to slow down and consider your path. Why? So you won't have to endure the sifting that I have to open my eyes to years of disobedience that I now regret daily.