Difference between revisions of "Where We Have Been, Where We Are, Where We Are Going"

Revision as of 14:00, 20 June 2011

THE GOSPEL THAT WE PREACH VIEWS THE SALVATION OF MAN IN THREE GREAT DIMENSIONS:

The first dimension may be referred to as basic salvation. At this level the individual is saved from wrath through the blood of the Lord Jesus, leaves the world, and enters the Kingdom of God.

God wants all mankind, beginning with His Church, to understand that man was created to worship God. To praise and serve God in righteousness is the first duty of every person born on the earth.

THREE TIMES IN A YEAR SHALL ALL THY MALES APPEAR BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD IN THE PLACE WHICH HE SHALL CHOOSE;

In the feast of unleavened bread,

And in the feast of weeks,

And in the feast of tabernacles:

And they shall not appear before the Lord empty: Deuteronomy 16:16

The second dimension could be termed the Spirit-filled life. At this level the individual has been saved from wrath through the blood of the Lord Jesus and now is learning to rely on the Spirit of God for his thoughts, his words, and his actions. Speaking in tongues helps us press into the rest in God's Spirit.

God desires that all mankind, beginning with His Church, understand that man is not to live his life and perform his roles by his natural strength and wisdom but by the Spirit of God. If we learn now to live in God's Spirit, when the Lord comes we will be given a body that also lives in and by God's Spirit.

Three times in a year shall all thy males appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he shall choose;

In the feast of unleavened bread,

And in the feast of weeks,

And in the feast of tabernacles: Deuteronomy 16:16

The third dimension may be thought of as the fullness of God.

And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God Ephesians 3:19

The fullness of God is the goal of the Christian salvation. The atoning blood of the Lord Jesus gives us the authority to press toward the goal. The Holy Spirit of God gives us the ability to press toward the goal. The goal of our salvation is not a change in location but a change in personality.

God desires that all mankind, beginning with his Church, understand that man was designed to be the throne of God. To man is given to rule all the works of God's hands. But man cannot sit on the throne of his own personality until first the Father and the Son sit there in undisputed sovereignty.

In the feast of unleavened bread,

And in the feast of weeks,

And in the feast of tabernacles: Deuteronomy 16:16

Thus far we have presented salvation as being in three dimensions:

Forgiveness through the blood of the cross, Life through the Holy Spirit, The fulfillment of the program of salvation as the Father and the Son settle down to rest in us--the fullness of God. These same three dimensions are portrayed symbolically by the three great symbols of Judaism--the Altar, the Lampstand, and the Booth.

The Altar symbolizes forgiveness through the blood of the cross. The Lampstand symbolizes life lived through the Holy Spirit. The Booth symbolizes the fulfillment of salvation, the fullness of God which is God in Christ coming to dwell in us. The Christian Church, the Body of Christ, is to experience these three dimensions and then bring them to all of saved mankind.

When the Church has experienced the fullness of salvation, the glorified Church, the new Jerusalem, will descend from Heaven to serve as the royal priesthood over the saved nations of the earth.

The Church is approaching the third dimension now and shall continue to be perfected throughout the thousand-year Kingdom Age.

We have portrayed the program of salvation in three dimensions: forgiveness through the blood (the Altar), life lived in the Holy Spirit (the Lampstand), and the fullness of God (the Booth).

Though the program of salvation is clearly seen in these three dimensions, it is portrayed in greater detail when the three dimensions are subdivided into seven phases.

The first dimension, forgiveness through the blood (the Altar), can be subdivided into three phases:

The Atonement

Water Baptism

The Born-again Experience

The second dimension, life in the Spirit (the Lampstand), stands alone. We have identified this phase as:

The Baptism in the Holy Spirit. The third dimension, the Fullness of God (the Booth), can be subdivided into three phases:

The Call to War

Reconciliation

Rest and Union with God In Jesus

SEVEN PHASES OF SALVATION: