Anabaptist Mennonites | Weekly Truth

20 May 2012 THE SPIRIT OF GOD "He that saith he is in the light, and hateth his brother, is in darkness even until now" 1 John 2:9 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many

false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that

confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not

that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof

ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" 1 John 4:1-3

"Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he

that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven" Matthew 7:21

Beloved readers, we live in perilous times. May I say, there are millions of people saying,

"Lord, Lord," but few are doing the will of the Father. Thousands of organizations are calling

themselves churches of God and use the name of Christ but are not following the will of the

Father in heaven. All pray the Lord's prayer and cry out to God for help. All gather together to

hear the preaching from the Word. They trust that God is leading by His Spirit. Most have

communion services, some more often than others, and trust that by taking of bread and wine,

they are in communion with Christ. Many apply water in one method or another in the name of

baptism. Some hold very strongly to some points while they are weak in others, if they keep

them at all.

Today we live in a time when the truth is under attack as never before in history. How can we,

as the people of God, keep ourselves pure, as God requires of man? Let us consider together the question, "What is truth?" The truth is that there is one God, one Son, Jesus Christ, one Holy Spirit, one faith, one baptism, one body, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. Ephesians 4:1-6. How can I as a believer prove that I am of God and that the spirit that is in control of my life is

one with the Spirit of God? What do my thoughts, my words, my actions, my clothes, my

vehicles, my home, my job, my children, my wife, or my whole life in detail confess? Do they

confess that Jesus Christ came in the flesh? Does my life embrace the whole truth of God? Is

there one small area in my life that is not in submission to what I know is the will of God,

whether revealed through the Word of God, through His Spirit, or through the brethren? "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them" Matthew 7:20. How can I confess Jesus as my

Saviour if my life does not bring forth fruit worthy of such a confession? One of the greatest deceptions Satan has deployed against the churches of the world today is a

spirit that keeps them from seeing the true needs in them-selves and their fellows. "Live and let

live" is the theme. I was told that a leader in a conservative group was aware of a sin, which

according to the Word of God condemned him, in one of his member's life. But not knowing

how to deal with the offending one, the leader just said, "God will judge him in his end."

Meanwhile he could commune with him. If the Spirit of God were present, the love of God

would have constrained him to be redemptive. If I say that I love God and His church and yet allow inconsistencies in my life or the life of

brethren, do I love in truth? If I see my brother is not on the strait and narrow way and I do not

have the love and concern to admonish and encourage him, first removing the beam, or self, out

of my life, do I love? Will not God look at it the same as if I hated him? The spirit that is not of

God will say, "Don't we all have faults? I don't want to judge, and we can just hope he will

repent before his death." The Spirit of God will say, "As a watchman on the walls of Zion, I will

go and plead with him. Perchance the Lord will redeem him." The Spirit of God is easy to be

en-treated, is peaceful and loving, is not man pleasing, but is always looking for the Lord's way. To confess that Jesus came in the flesh is to believe and do the whole will of the Father. This

includes believing that upon repentance and remission of sin, through being born again, we

receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Further, it includes being baptised into the church of God,

holding the doctrines and teachings of the apostles. That includes the whole New Testament, not adding to or taking from any part. It means keeping the church and ourselves pure from all other

spirits by the proving of the Holy Spirit. Let us try the spirits that come to us and prove whether they are of God. Let us prove our hearts and souls whether they are filled with the Spirit of God and whether our "might" is being used

in the power of the Holy Spirit. May we be found faithful in the end.

"And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thine soul, and with all thy might" Deuteronomy 6:5. Courtesy “The Messenger of Truth” Gospel Publishes, Moundridge, Kansas.