Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/alphon_1/7648/laws.l01

Text File | 1992-10-28 | 6KB | 125 lines

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                              TO THE GLORY OF GOD
                              ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

THE LAWS OF THE KINGDOM
                                               Study 1

Living in The Kingdom

God has given to the world a visible manifestation of  the
mystical body of Christ in the form of the Church.  In the
scriptures He has seen fit to illustrate what this Church is
like by the use of Metaphors.

1.   A TEMPLE - THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S PRESENCE

This is a spiritual house or place of sacrifice.  It is the
place where God, who dwells everywhere, localizes Himself in
a particular place.  A place where His people may always find
Him at home.

In the past He dwelt in the Tabernacle, then in the Temple.
Now He dwells in the Church. Eph 2:21,22 ; 1 Cor. 3;17 ;
2 Cor. 6:16 ;
The Temple is God's eternal habitation. Ps. 132:13 ;
1Cor. 3;16, 17 ;1 Pet. 2:5.

"THE THREEFOLD NATURE OF MAN."

  The outer circle stands for the "body" of man, the middle
for the "soul," and the inner for the spirit, or what Paul
calls the "Carnal" (1 Cor. 3:1-3); and the "Spiritual"
(1 Cor. 3:1) ; parts of man.
   In the outer circle of the "body" is shown as touching
the Material world through the five senses of "sight,"
"smell," "hearing," "taste" and "touch."  The soul uses
the "Five Senses" of the body as its agents in the
exploration of the phenomena of matter and historical
research, and for its self expression and communion with
the outside world.  The "Gates" to the soul are
"imagination," "conscience," "memory," "reason" and the
"affections."  The "Gate of Imagination" of the soul
corresponds to the "Gate of Sight" of the body, being
the "eye" by which the soul sees.  The "Gate of Conscience"
corresponds to the "Gate of Smell," by which the soul detects
the presence of good and evil.

   The "Gate of Memory" corresponds to the "Gate of Hearing,"
by which the soul recalls what it heard.  The "Gate of
Reason" corresponds to the "Gate of Taste," permitting the
soul to compare facts as the taste compares foods.  The
"Gate of the Affections" corresponds to the "Gate of Touch,"
being the hand by which the soul feels the person of the
one it loves.
   The Spirit receives impressions of outward and material
things through the soul and body.  The "Sense Faculties" of
the spirit are the "Spiritual faculties" of "Faith," "Hope,"
"Reverence," "Prayer," and "Worship."  In his unfallen state
the "spirit" of man was illuminated from Heaven, but when the
human race fell in Adam, sin closed the window of the spirit,
and pulled down the curtain, and the "chamber of the spirit"
became a Death Chamber, and remains so in every unregenerate
heart, until the "Life" and the "Light" giving power of the
Holy Spirit floods that chamber with the "Life" and "Light"
giving power of the NEW LIFE IN CHRIST JESUS.  We see then
why the "natural" man cannot understand spiritual things.  He
cannot understand them until his spiritual nature has been
renewed.

2.  A BODY - THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S NATURE IN BELIEVERS

   The whole of the Ephesian Epistle emphasises the
relationship of the head (Christ) to the body (the Church).
Likewise Colossians emphasises the relationship of the body
(the Church) to the head (Christ).
  Thus it reveals that the Christians in the Church are not
merely followers of Christ but members of His own body.
1 Cor. 12:13 ; 1cor 12:27;
In Ephesians, Paul sets forth clearly the merging of the
Jews and Gentiles into one body, the Church which is Christ's
body here on earth.
1 Cor 12:12-24  All members of one body, Baptised into one
body, Drink of one Spirit, Set as members by God into one
body (v. 18), Tempered together in the body (v. 24), Have
care of the rest of the members (v. 25). Eph. 1 :22, 23 ;
Eph. 4:16 ; Eph. 5:23 ; Rom. 12:3 NB. verses 4-18.
Col. 1:24, and 1 Cor. 12:28.
  As members in Christ's body we share his love, mercy and
forgiveness.

3.  A KINGDOM - THE MANIFESTATION OF GOD'S RULE ON EARTH
    RIGHT NOW!

  God has not lost control.  He is ruling and reigning in the
universe.. RIGHT NOW!  The Church is the Manifestation of
God's kingdom on earth..  RIGHT NOW!  As his ambassadors we
show that He rules and reigns in power and glory, even as he
reigns and rules in our hearts, and our lives and in the
Church .. RIGHT NOW!  The church is the schoolroom of the
kingdom. We as His Ambassadors, are not only proclaiming the
Kingdom, we are learning about it .. RIGHT NOW!

  THE CHURCH IS A FORETASTE OF THE TOTAL RULE OF GOD ON
  EARTH NOW
  As the Church discovers this and begins to apply the
principles of the scriptures, so there is a manifestation
of the manifold wisdom of god to the powers of darkness.
Eph. 3:10.
We are setting forth the rule and reign of God on earth now.
This is the reason He says we are the light and salt of
the earth - Matt. 5:13,14.
As we take our delegated authority and begin to live what
Christ says we are, so we take dominion and authority now.
However, before we can do that we need to know the LAWS OF
THE KINGDOM.