Explaining Why the Divine Conception Was NOT Adultery

Much of the non-Christian world have inquired as to whether the “divine conception” was an act of adultery, i.e. sex sin. “If it’s is sin for Man, is it not sin for God as well?”, they've asked.  Or perhaps, “Is God just proving He exists above the law He established for Man?”

Though many Christians would consider it sacrilegious to even think like this, I view these as reasonable questions to ask. And I also view any moment in which a believer could provide intelligent and Bible-based responses to such questions as a moment in which said believer would achieve credibility for him/herself and the Body of Christ as a whole. That being said, here’s how I respond . . .

First of all, the conception of Jesus Christ was not the first time conception had occurred in Man by the Word of God. Though John may have been referring strictly to Jesus in John 1:14 when he said, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us . . .“ (KJV), in truth, anytime a believer accomplishes God’s will in the earth, John 1:14 is yet again proven true.

When Adam named the animals in Genesis 2, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

When Isaac was born in Genesis 21, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

When Solomon built the temple in 1 Kings 6, “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.”

When Oral Roberts built Oral Roberts University . . .

When Minister Faye Lynch wrote Redeeming the Time . . .

When Dr. Fred Price established the Ever Increasing Faith broadcast . . .

Each ministry was spawned by a seed sown into the heart by God. Make no mistake about it, God's Word is spiritual sperm, and your heart is God's spiritual womb. Should you choose to be intimate with God, i.e. spend time in His presence, conception will occur. And when what was conceived within has manifest in the earth, again the Word will have become flesh and now dwells among us.

But there still remains the question of how God is able to "legally" do this. Well quite simply, God is married to the believer. He married Himself to Abraham and his children, the nation of Israel, when He established covenant with Abram—later renamed Abraham—in Genesis 15. In that moment, God indefinitely linked Himself with Abraham and his seed in the earth. It was by this covenant that God could “legally” conceive Jesus within Mary. Because of this covenant, such conception could not be considered sex sin.

As we see in Genesis 15, God’s covenant with Abraham was established in the blood of animals. That covenant has since been rewritten in the blood of Christ, the perfect lamb slain. Now, anyone who calls on the name of Christ thereby becomes the seed of Abraham, according to Galatians 3:29. Such that the moment you get saved is not just a rebirth but also a wedding. And given this marriage, God continues to create in the earth through believers in relationship with Him. Amen. Amen.

Mary Could Not Have Conceived Jesus Accept She First Agree

Your free will is not an illusion.  Though you are purposed by design, and like Jeremiah, were called from the womb, you can live your entire life outside of God's presence and purpose.  Indeed, the unbelieving world is the ultimate proof of this.

So when considering the divine conception and subsequent virgin birth, you should presume Mary had no less freedom to disobey God's will.  In fact, she demonstrated her agreement and compliance in several ways.

First and definitely foremost is that she believed.  As Jesus said in Mark 16:17, the signs follow the believing, not the other way around.  Mary had first to know within her heart that the virgin birth as prophecied in Isaiah 7:14 was true.  From God's perspective, knowing this truth resided in Mary's heart was His first indication she was the right choice to bare His son.

Secondly, she was virgin.  Not to imply she maintained her virtue waiting to be God's pick as the mother of Christ; she was a virgin as a matter of law.  But again from God's perspective, Mary's virginity speaks to the purity of her womb and, perhaps more importantly, Jesus born from a virgin could not be construed as someone else's son.

Also not to be overlooked was Mary's lifestyle of holiness.  Living your life set apart unto God and His principles obviously makes you very trustworthy to Him.  It could be said that Mary did well to honor the authorities in her life, regularly attended the synagogue, studied and obeyed the scripture, etc.  I strictly speculate here on Mary's life.  I've read nothing that indicates Mary's life reflected such behavior.  Still, it's not far-fetched to believe.  She did get become Jesus' mother afterall. 

Finally and very intricate to the birth of God's will into the earth in any form, Mary verbalized her compliance.   An angel brought the message of God's purpose for Mary in that moment, but it was only when she responded saying, "Let it be done to me according to what you have said," (Luke 1:38, Amp) did the angel depart from her.

Mary had free will; so do you.  She may have been purposed as the mother of Christ, but God's will can be accomplished by anyone.  Obey the voice of the Holy Spirit in your heart and fulfill God's purpose for your life and make everyday the birthdate of God's will in the earth.

When Your Ignorance Is God's Bliss

At the crux of the matter is time. You have a sin nature. As Adam’s offspring, you tend toward sin before holiness. Therefore, you have to be taught to live holy, and God has to inform you of your purpose because you are not born knowing it.

Satan—because you can’t live your life as if he doesn’t exist—tempts your sin nature, a.k.a. flesh knowing that any moment of flesh gratification is time wasted. He uses your innate sin nature as his weapon of mass distraction. He understands that time wasted is God-ordained purpose unfilled.

But the good news is that there is no temptation that is uncommon to Man according to 1 Corinthians 10:13. In other words, Satan cannot create a temptation in your mind. He cannot make you into a drug user of his own volition, for example. He can only really tempt you with that that your senses have gleaned before—that that he knows has gratified your flesh before. This also means that you don’t miss what you’ve never had.

When is your ignorance God’s bliss? When you know nothing of alcohol consumption. When you know nothing of drug use. When you maintain your virtue until marriage.

Remember, at the heart of the matter is time, and your existence in the earth is terminal. God is elated in that your life undistracted by the flesh-gratifying temptations of this world increases the likelihood of you fulfilling your divine purpose in the advancement of His kingdom in the earth.

Not Only Does God Not Author Confusion, but He Resolves It

"God is not the author of confusion", a phrase from 1 Corinthians 14:33, is often quoted among Christians but not wholly understood. You can't blame them really. The language only speaks to what God does NOT do; it does not talk to what He will do in your moment disorientation. And such is how Christians normally speak, acknowledging in a moment of confusion that at least they can't blame God for it.

But the confusion yet remains. And therein is problem with believing this phrase as written. In Paul's defense, there was a context in which this phrase was written such that it made sense to refer to God in the "non-negative" as opposed to the positive. But, in truth, what you should really glean from this phrase is that God actually resolves your confusion.

I view this truth as yet another comforting revelation concerning my relationship with God—an endorsement really imploring me to discuss every facet of my life with Him. He is my provider; He is my present help; He is my fortress; He is my confusion resolver. Yes, Amen!

Don’t sell yourself short. Give God a chance to give His wisdom and situation awareness to make you victorious in all circumstances of your life.

God Is a 'Shortest Distance Between Two Points' God

Certainly one constant of Man’s existence in the natural realm is time. Time makes death a certainty. But purpose fulfilled, with all persons being created with free will, is not as a much a guarantee.

Religion has taught has us that God will do what He wants with Man whenever He wants to. This is a grossly uninsightful teaching to put it mildly. It obviously begs the question that if God is truly concerned about the salvation of all of Mankind, what exactly is He waiting for? People still die and go to Hell every day.

In truth, God’s will is only accomplished in the earth should He have Man to align himself with it. So it would behoove God to not waste time. But whether or not God’s will is accomplished in your life is up to you. If God is truly in a holding pattern concerning your life and purpose, it’s only because He awaits your agreement.

Your life, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, would matriculate from one moment of purpose to the next as God attempts to maximize your time in the earth. By the Holy Spirit, you would only travel the shortest distance between any two points. There would be no confusion, misdirection, or changed minds.

Proverbs 3:6 instructs us to acknowledge Him in every way, and “He shall direct your path” (NKJV). By the Holy Spirit, I believe the true revelation of this scripture is that He will make your path direct. But it is only God’s intent to be your guide in life, not the conductor. In the end, it will be up to you to do what God wants you to do when you get where God wants you to go.

Being Made Freed Illustrated: Frederick Douglass

. . . a continuation of the previous blog, "The Difference Between Begin Set Free and Being Made Free."

Frederick Douglass born Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey was born into slavery.  When has eight or nine years old, his master's wife began to teach him to read.  She was ultimately forcibly halted by her husband presumably while Douglass was still a child.

He had halted Douglass' education but apparently not his determination as he continued to study in secret.  It is documented that he studied literature and arithmetic on his own.  He also read abolitionists freedom papers, a burden he would eventually take on himself with his own published newspaper, The North Star. 

Before long, his slave quarters became too small for him.  He began to think outside of slavery.  He was becoming mentally free even though he was still working in the field everyday.  In time Douglass began to visualize his escape, and at age 20, Frederick Douglass escaped from slavery and was never returned.

Many slaves successfully escaped slavery making it to free country in the north.  Not near as many were well-spoken or even out-spoken enough to become the ambassador for freed Afro-American he would ultimately become.  

His newspaper was only his platform as he would liaise with numerous heads of state to include Governor John A. Andrews.  He was Governor Andrews' advisor in the formation of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry, its ranks comprised solely of Afro-American men including Douglass' own sons.

He also parleyed with a sitting president convincing this president that freed Afro-Americans would make viable contributions to an American society.  Needless to say, the race has made a prophet of Douglass in this regard.  That president's name:  Abraham Lincoln.

In his life, Frederick Douglass went from the cruel and unusual punishment of the slave fields as a child to consulting politians and diplomats as adult.  His study, his revelation of truth, liberated his mind far above his oppresive circumstances, and he ultimately removed his body from those circumstances because of said revelation. 

Frederick Douglass personifies John 8:32.  He had been made free; his mind had been liberated.  When this occurred, his days in slavery were over.  But the principle of "know the truth, and the truth will make you free" is not a reality specific to any person.  Your life can be as Frederick Douglass' was--making a universal and timeless impact.  I implore you to liberate your mind with the truth of God's Word.  And see your own shackles fall off.

The Difference Between Being Set Free and Being Made Free

John 8:32 is often quoted but not as often understood.

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free (KJV).

First of all, when quoted, people often leave out the prerequisite of knowing the truth strictly saying, ”The truth will set you free.” The information, that truth to which they refer, is of no consequence by itself. Ephesians 6:17 refers to God’s Word as the Sword of the Spirit, but unlike a physical sword, the Word of God in your hand does very little to intimidate your enemy. It’s only when the Word is in your heart do you truly wield the Word as the Sword of the Spirit.

Additionally, in the KJV, Jesus uses the word make as opposed to the word set. Semantics?  Perhaps.  But I submit to you Jesus did not make a grammar error. Whereas we envision the physical releasing of bonds when we use the term set, He was actually referring to achieving freedom on a much higher and less tangible mental plain as opposed to the physical one.

To be set free is an event, but to be made free is an experience . . .
- Dr. Sammie Holloway, Senior Pastor, Breath of Life Christian Center

Being set free is temporal—a moment in time with a defined beginning and end. Being made free, by contrast, is time transcendent.

Setting people free has been purchased with blood-shed, back-door deals, and large sums of money. Being made free may cost you little to nothing as studying the Bible only cost you the funds to purchase it. But what you gain as a result of said study is priceless.

People who have been set free can have their freedom revoked even after the blood shed and/or back-door deals have broken their bonds.  People who have been made free recognize they are free even while they are physically in bondage, but once their chains have been broken are far less likely to be in that state of physical bondage ever again.

The point is that the revelation of truth liberates the mind. This is the freedom to which Jesus was referring in John 8:32.  This freedom cannot be revoked.  You be made free in your soul, you may never need to be set free ever in your life.

Walking in the Spirit, the Prerequisite to Avoiding the Desires of the Flesh

In the latter part of Galatians 5, Paul discusses being led by the Holy Spirit.  In fact, throughout this passage, Paul compares the "works of the flesh" with the "fruit of the Spirit." 

In verse 16, Paul tells us if we are led of the Spirit, we will not succumb to the lusts of the flesh.  In truth, Paul should have said, "#1, . . . walk in the Spirit, and #2, ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."  Or, "(a), . . . walk in the Spirit, and (b), ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."  Or perhaps, " . . . IF you walk in the Spirit, THEN ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh."  Spoken either way, the scripture implies that to truly avoid succumbing to the desires of the sin nature, walking in the Holy Spirit is the prerequisite.

Many people in world have been convinced that the process works the other way around.  You ask a person why he/she is not attached to a local church, and that person might respond by saying he/she has issues to resolve first.  "I'll come when I stop drinking."  "I'll come when I kick the habit."  "I'll come when I fix the problems at home."  All the while not realizing that it is that relationship with the Holy Spirit fostered by being in church that is the remedy this person seeks.  They will remain in the world bound to a fleshy desire from which they may genuinely want to be free because they limit themselves to their natural capabilities only instead of implementing strategies they can learn from the Holy Spirit.

So what does it mean to "Walk in the Spirit?"  It means you have relationship with Him.  You commune with Him.  You spend time in His presence.  You study His Word.  And understand that it has to be you to initiate the relationship as well.  James 4:8 says that if you draw nigh to God, He will draw nigh to you implying that the responsibility for initializing your walk the Spirit is in your hands. 

Walking in the Spirit is a self-perpetuating thing.  Walking in the Spirit only begets more walking in the Spirit.  Before long, you have so much of the Holy Spirit in your heart, and your relationship with Him so strong, there is no more space in your heart for those fleshy desires of your past. 

Galatians 5:16 should bring new light to the phrase, "Come as you are."  Call Jesus the Savior of your life today so the relationship can be established and the purging can begin.  Walk in the Spirit, and you will feed your own Spirit-man and thereby starve the impurities out of your heart.

Are We “Kings or Priests” OR “Kings and Priests”?

Is an individual both or one or the other?

Recently, I heard it conveyed separating the two. Though this was a new perspective for me, I certainly understood it. The Priest is the individual whose full-time occupation is ministry. This person’s livelihood is in the churchhouse. Versus the King being the believer who makes his living in the secular world.

The point of making this distinction was to imply that one is no more spiritually relevant than the other. While a certain admiration and respect is given to the Priest for being God’s conduit in ministry, it is the King who delivers the Priest's words to the world because of his/her interactions there.

Do I agree? To an extent. My perspective had always been that any believer is both King and Priest, a royal priesthood, no less.

It’s ironic to me that very few if any peoplegroups to exist throughout the history of the world have been led by a monarch or head of state of any kind who was also a priest or religious leader at the same time. It wasn’t even true in Israel. I haven’t studied enough world history to say for certain, but I can’t think of any king-priests save two: Melchizedek and Jesus.

Hebrews 5 tells us that Jesus is the great high priest of the New Testament believer after or under Melchizedek's priestly order. Indeed, the purpose of mentioning this relationship between Jesus and Melchizedek is to demonstrate that they both were kings in the earth who also ministered: Jesus, being the Son of God, the Most High King, and preaching and teaching in the temple; and Melchizedek, who is identified as a king in Genesis 5 but also in that passage, as the high priest, receives the tithe from Abram.

My take on it, the king-priest was God’s intent all along. He made us in this His image and likeness and gave us a domain over which to rule. And even now, given our acceptance of Christ and thereby being likewise born of God, would it not be fair to say that we are king-priests even as He?

To answer the question that entitles this lesson, I say both beliefs are true. Only the perspective separates these beliefs. In the natural realm, we are either king or priest. From the spiritual perspective, we are both.

Tuning Your Heart to Revelation Knowledge

When sin occurred, God understood that Man, now being separated from his only source of information, the Holy Spirit, would begin to learn via his natural senses. God, making all things work together for the good, decided to take advantage of this unintended means of education by inspiring those who have relationship with Him to write His Word. His logic was simple: with all the evil that Man will learn via his natural senses in this world now corrupted by sin, why not use this as a means to teach Man about Himself as well.

God had always intended on speaking directly to Man. In fact, He is never not speaking. He is, in essence, like a radio antenna as He transmits 24/7. Even better, this particular radio antenna allows for full duplex connectivity as He both transmits and receives. And His line-of-sight is the entire natural realm.

His concern, however, is whether or not Man is in-tune with His revelation knowledge transmission. But here's where Bible study comes in. Reading the written Word of God, Man soon begins to recognize God's Word when he hears it. Bible study is, in essence, like working the hand tuner on a radio. Back-and-forth; left-then-right you turn the knob until the transmission is perfectly clear. In this case, the transmission receiver is your heart.

The Bible study works as filter as well. Because you know the Word and thereby the voice so well, you know when you are hearing false teaching. Thereby you become God's sheep, and the voice a stranger, you shall not follow.

With any subject matter you study, your study fosters meditation. That's all God needs really; for you to create a moment of meditation-and I stress you have to create this moment; it does not occur automatically.
Your meditation is like flipping on the power to the radio, and given your relationship with God is not impeded by your sin, your heart will begin to receive the revelation knowledge transmission.

Though I've made this lesson primarily about Bible study, it is not the only way to create the moment of meditation. Teaching CD's and DVD's, books written by other believers as well serve to in-tune your heart. Keep in mind that though the Holy Bible is the Word of God, the Word of God is not limited to the Holy Bible.

Herein lies the purpose of the Word as read or heard. Be it the Holy Bible or some other naturally-tangible form, it is a corrective measure God put in the earth to help establish and solidify His relationship with you. It is always incumbent upon you to reach out to Him to establish said relationship. Indeed, your ingestion of His Word is how you accomplish this.

Increasing Your Revelation Bandwidth

I learned by the Holy Spirit a while ago that if you study any two subject matters, especially if one were the Holy Bible, eventually you would begin to recognize analogies between the two—how one subject matter is an illustration the other. The title of this lesson speaks to one such analogy.

For eight years, I was a communications officer in the United States Air Force. In this job, I spoke of and was involved in all things network-related, and the term “bandwidth” was commonly a part of my vernacular. That being said, by the Holy Spirit, this analogy between receiving revelation from God and network bandwidth came rather easily to me.

Without being too elaborate, bandwidth is the speed at which bits of data travel from one network interface to another. Ideally, you want to have as high a bandwidth as possible, but with the your bandwidth being a function of the amount of twisted pair copper and/or fiber optic cable you are willing to pay for, whether your bandwidth is high or long is strictly up to.

And such is revelation from the Holy Spirit. Like that bandwidth, the revelation you receive from the Holy Spirit is increased or decreased as a function of your practical effort you to receive it.

The Holy Spirit has an eternity’s worth of revelation to share with you, but paramount to you receiving that revelation is that you create the moment of meditation. From strictly church attendance to personal Bible study and prayer to even taking notes in service, as you endeavor to ingest God’s Word, so is the revelation bandwidth increased.

The Holy Spirit once told me that taking notes when being ministered to will ultimately be the difference between those that speak from pulpits and those that just listen to them. His point was that to those who make increased effort to retain God’s Word, He will entrust more opportunities to share that Word. And I guarantee you that the persons with high revelation bandwidth will have a lot of Word to share.

I implore to do more to create the moment of meditation than just attend church or an occasional prayer. Don’t be so naïve—really deceived—as to believe God will tell you what He wants when He wants. For God has placed the capability to receive from Him into your hands. Remember, you control your own existence; your free will is not an illusion, and God created Man this way from the beginning. So make time to study God’s Word and pray and listen to teaching tapes, CD’s, and Christian radio. Such practical effort will create moments of meditation and thereby continually increase your revelation bandwidth. And the higher you revelation bandwidth, the more you empower God to share His revelation knowledge with you.

Receiving Revelation from the Holy Spirit is Like . . .

It is a respectable responsibility to speak or write on a fresh new rhema Word on each opportunity to minister. You want to bring relevant and insightful teaching, and you want to do that for as long as there is breath in your lungs. For that you must purpose yourself to remain in God's presence that the flow of revelation knowledge may be constant.

2 Kings 4:1 – 8 talks of a widow who is steeped in debt and about to lose her sons to her creditors that they may work off said debt. She consults the man of God, in this case Elisha, for assistance; and subsequently, obeys his instruction.

Her only asset is a small container of oil. As advised, she borrows more containers—of course, creating more debt—and continually pours oil into these numerous containers with the intent to sell the oil.

The miracle here is that despite the fact that she only had a little oil in a single container, she was able fill all the containers she had to the brim. Quite simply, as long as she had containers in which to pour oil, she had oil to pour. The Bible tells us that when she ran out of containers, the oil stayed.

Therein is the crux of this discussion; she controlled the flow of oil all the time. If she had borrowed ten containers, she would have filled just those ten, and at that point run out of oil. Had she borrowed enough containers to fill her bedroom, she would have filled them all, and only then would the flow of oil cease. If this woman had any understanding of what was about to occur, she would have borrowed enough containers to fill her entire house floor-to-ceiling and the backyard!

And such is the flow of revelation from God to Man. As God is confident you will share the Word that He gives you, so will there be more Word to share. Versus, if you are a Dead Sea for revelation by the Holy Spirit, implying that you have no outlet, the flow of revelation will cease. Of course, you have to create moments in which He can relay said revelation, i.e. your Bible study and prayer times. It doesn't come by osmosis! But the point here is that you control the flow of revelation to you by the revelation you allow to flow out of you.

Finally, understand that this flow was meant to be eternal. Neither you nor I would ever run out of revelation knowledge to share. With it being true that God and His Word are one, according to John 1:1, the flow of revelation to us and subsequently through us can be as infinite as the Father, God Himself.