narrow gate, difficult road, easy yoke, light burden

Today’s words from above are sayings by Jesus, who describes discipleship. The following sets of verses are very familiar to Christians. Reading them carefully we find that on one hand Jesus describes the challenges we can expect in our quest to spiritual entrance into God’s Kingdom realm. And He says that many choose to forego the compulsory spiritual way. I ask the Lord why. And the prompt I receive in my spirit is that being spiritual requires a major swift from our body and soul (mind and emotion driven) position in the familiar physical zone we are used to, to navigate on an entirely uncharted water in the spirit. It is living in the world but not of the world. It is a new lifestyle. A new focus. Our decision making is no longer based on what we have tended to follow before we were born again and have our mind renewed by God’s words and Spirit.

Matthew 7:14 New Living Translation (NLT) ¹⁴ But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.

Yet there is no option. Jesus says that we just cannot see or enter God’s Kingdom except through the Spirit of God, as a spiritually born again being. (John 3:3, 3:5)

Is it entirely hopeless for the majority who find it too hard as mentioned above?

The answer is NO.

Matthew 7:7 ⁷ “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 11:30 ³⁰ For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Jesus has assured that those who are willing to believe and come to Him will find that the challenge is easy and light, unlike many have thought or imagined.

He further explains how we can be empowered.

John 6:63  ⁶³ The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life.

John 16:13 ¹³ When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future.

Having come this far with the Lord in the spirit, many believers can testify the reality of living and walking by the Spirit. I would use the illustration of living in a parallel kingdom. The physical and the spiritual. The spiritual is just as real even though many cannot see it with their five senses. Jesus never tells us to do anything beyond our limited human efforts. He knows our limit. But He has assured us of the reality and power of the Holy Spirit and the words of God (spirit and life). Nothing is impossible with God, He said.

Living and walking by the Spirit is not impossible.

Kainotes, 2021-07-30

a great divide question: to know or not to know

This is a nightmare scene.

But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’ When you think you have loved someone and entrusted your life with him and at the crucial moment he shuts his door and says, be sure of this fact, I do not know you, so I cannot let you into my realm. (Matthew 25:12)

Life and death hinges on whether there is a reciprocal intimate personal relationship with Whom who matters.

The number one question every believer of Jesus Christ asks today is, “Lord, do You know me?”

His answer through the Holy Spirit to your spirit is either “yes”, or “no”. However, if someone does not have the Spirit of God, they cannot hear this at all. One may hear the answer but how does one know it is from Jesus?

That was my question for decades ever since I was ten. I prayed for two years on one particular miracle to happen and it did not happen. So I decided to stop praying for that miracle. I thought at that time that only by sight at the physical could I know whether God had answered me. Decades later after I have been Spirit-baptized I realize it is not by sight but by faith to know the answer of God and the reality of the spiritual realm. And indeed, miracles started manifesting in my life ever since that awareness and awakening in the spirit. I have become able to hear in the spirit and see in the spirit. I realize that the Spirit of God actually speaks/broadcasts His messages all the time to those who can hear and receive in the spirit. Often I receive confirmation from fellow believers that they hear and see the specific revelations just as I do in the spirit when we compare notes.

The messages from the Holy Spirit can be of many forms, namely: the words of God (in the Bible), visions, dreams, confirmations from others, visual, audio, thoughts, promptings, knowings in the heart, physical events, sharing, preaching, teaching, pictures, physical scenes, and many other forms/ways/channels. I have seen visions with open eyes and even video-recorded one heavenly scene of gold like rains pouring down inside my kitchen/dining area, in the form of a physical event. However, the phenomenon is too much for me to absorb. In another event when I saw an apparition manifested as a physical human with my eyes opened in day time, it was just too much and I told the Lord I would rather not see anymore. Seeing visions and dreams when my eyes are closed are more my level.

The Lord wants us to know Him as an intimate friend. He is daily speaking to us through the Bible. I started reading the Bible seriously and fervently after I was baptized in the Holy Spirit in 1983 around Pentecost. Thirty-eight years have passed and the Bible is still speaking to me daily, and I know God actually speaks to me through His revelation words. And I pray in the Spirit just as He tells me to, through the apostle Paul’ teaching, pray without ceasing. These are the daily way to know God and let God know me. I take daily Holy Communion as well as a lifestyle.

Coming back to the subject of the great divide -to know or not to know God and let God know me.

Here is a summary of what I know about God based on His words.

1. Jesus promises that His disciples/we who similarly believe and follow Him, can know Him and His Kingdom.

Matthew 13:11 He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given.

2. Jesus also tells us that knowing has to take two forms: know the Scriptures, and know the power of God (the Holy Spirit).

He reprimands the false teachers: Matthew 22:29 Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

3. Everyone must personally gets to know Jesus. Listening to someone else’s teaching or preaching are not enough. You have to seek Him and get to know Him by His words and by the Spirit of God revealing to you. You have to personally tell Jesus that you believe and know Who He is.

John 4:42 Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” John 6:69 Also we have come to believe and know that You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”

4. Only by knowing Jesus you are set free from the bondage of sin and death which doom every human.

John 8:32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

5. Jesus promises that His believers followers can hear Him and He guides them to provisions and safety.

John 10:14 I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. John 10:27 My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. John 14:7  “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

6. The difference between a true disciple of Jesus and one who is not. Jesus gave this warning in John 10:

8 All who came before me were thieves and robbers. But the true sheep did not listen to them. ⁹ Yes, I am the gate. Those who come in through me will be saved. They will come and go freely and will find good pastures. ¹⁰ The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd sacrifices his life for the sheep.

6. Take note that the only entry ticket is the word “KNOW”. Does Jesus know you? Do you know Him? As in an intimate relationship of a closely knitted family?

Application to today’s great divide over decision making among Christian followers of Jesus:

Here is how I interpret the Bible over some current issues in churches.

Luke 21:34-36

1. Jesus has warned that we should not let that day (of terrible things happening to the world) catch us unaware, like a trap, for that day will come upon everyone living on the earth.
2. Jesus advises us to keep alert at all times and pray that we might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the Son of Man.

Why did Jesus say these of the disciples? It means for us too, as His believers/followers/disciples.

1. there will be a dangerous time when events happen to earth and no one can predict when it comes.
2. the terrible events will happen when Christians, including those committed to serious discipleship of Jesus today, are still on earth and not raptured as some would have preferred.
3. Christian hearts can become dull by carousing and drunkenness, and worries of this life, to the point of loss of spiritual awareness and be caught like the rest of the world in the snares that trap them.
4. only the spiritually strong will escape these coming horrors.
5. only those who escape will be able to stand before Jesus (when He returns).

What are the current issues that cause a divide in the churches?

1. Have the prophetic warnings in the book of Revelation already manifested? Has chapter 13 already started and in process?
2. Has the process already started to inscribe the sign/mark of the beast onto the physical body of the willing to comply? Read Revelation 13:16-18

¹⁶ He required everyone—small and great, rich and poor, free and slave—to be given a mark on the right hand or on the forehead. ¹⁷ And no one could buy or sell anything without that mark, which was either the name of the beast or the number representing his name. ¹⁸ Wisdom is needed here. Let the one with understanding solve the meaning of the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man.^[a] His number is 666.^[b]

Revelation 13:16-18

⁸ Then another angel followed him through the sky, shouting, “Babylon is fallen—that great city is fallen—because she made all the nations of the world drink the wine of her passionate immorality.”

⁹ Then a third angel followed them, shouting, “Anyone who worships the beast and his statue or who accepts his mark on the forehead or on the hand ¹⁰ must drink the wine of God’s anger. It has been poured full strength into God’s cup of wrath. And they will be tormented with fire and burning sulfur in the presence of the holy angels and the Lamb. ¹¹ The smoke of their torment will rise forever and ever, and they will have no relief day or night, for they have worshiped the beast and his statue and have accepted the mark of his name.”

¹² This means that God’s holy people must endure persecution patiently, obeying his commands and maintaining their faith in Jesus.

Revelation 14:8-12

3. The above is the main concern of those who believe in the Bible as the words of God. Here is what the end of the book actually warns

¹⁸ And I solemnly declare to everyone who hears the words of prophecy written in this book: If anyone adds anything to what is written here, God will add to that person the plagues described in this book. ¹⁹ And if anyone removes any of the words from this book of prophecy, God will remove that person’s share in the tree of life and in the holy city that are described in this book.

²⁰ He who is the faithful witness to all these things says, “Yes, I am coming soon!”

Amen! Come, Lord Jesus!

²¹ May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with God’s holy people.^[a]

Revelation 22:18-21

So, what is the answer? Or rather, what is the question? I believe it is up to each believer (who should be a disciple just as Jesus commanded) to find out, “Lord, do I know You? Lord, do you know me?” I pray we all humbly pray daily the powerful prayer Paul prays for the Ephesian Christians, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to us all the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him (Ephesians 1:17-23).

Kainotes, 2021-07-18

How it all started:an awakening breakthrough in the spirit! (in 2009)

2009 confession: Today I made a terrible confession. “Head knowledge of the Bible was supreme to me. But, how wrong I had been.” “I had ignored the Holy Spirit completely and that means not knowing God the Spirit.” “My work in the church system was self and other humans-oriented and not God-focused. What worth were they? Not worth a penny. Not in God’s eyes.”

When I read Matthew 7:7, I realized that God indeed likes us to ask, seek and knock. The verse goes as follows:

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.”

All we need to do is ask. If we do not know what to ask for, seek guidance from the Holy Spirit. If we do not know how to connect to the Holy Spirit, knock on the Bible door!

It has taken me a long time to reach this far.

Head knowledge of the Bible was supreme to me. But, how wrong I had been and how I had walked the wilderness path like the Israelites who did not know God in the Spirit, although they were chosen to be God’s people and were already in an organized religion.

I had ignored the Holy Spirit completely and that means not knowing God the Spirit. It also means that I had not really understood most, if not all, the Bible which I had read and re-read many times over the years. Worst of all, it means I did not really understand what Jesus taught about eternal life (which came through knowing God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit).

My work in the church system was self and other humans-oriented and not God-focused. What worth were they? Not worth a penny. Not in God’s eyes. Believe me, just read what Jesus said to the Ephesians’ Church. The Ephesians Christians were good at man-focus works, doing a lot of good labors. But Jesus reprimanded them for their not doing for the love of God. In fact they had lost their first love (of God) and still continued to do well in man’s eyes! Of course the Ephesians found this shocking. They thought they loved God. But did they? How deceptive works and results of apparent success can be.

How do we know God? God is Spirit. We can only know God through the spirit. Jesus promised in Luke 11:13, “how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!” Yes, ask. This is the way to proceed forward.

My application: This morning I got up early and read psalms 11-20. Psalm 16 is a real comfort! I shall continue to ask, seek and knock on God’s door in the spirit, through reading and meditating on His words and praying in my spirit. Forget about serving Him unless I am clear it is a call in the spirit. I am learning to read the words to discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to my spirit.

 “Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoices; my flesh also will rest in hope.” (Ps. 16:9)

P/s: By faith, I have recently learned to read chunks of the Bible in one sitting daily. Just read them. The words come alive. They speak and work wonders into me. Trust Jesus. He said His words are spirit. They are life.

15 March 2009 (pm)

Kainotes, 2021-07-13 (excerpted and unedited from the original posted on 2009-07-20). Of course at that time I was awakening in the spirit, and started to realize the reality of the spiritual realm of God and what the Bible really reveals.

a journey in the Holy Spirit started in July 2009

Time machine silently ticked off chunks of life-events since I migrated from Yahoo ! 360 when it shut down on July 13, 2009. At that time we bloggers had two hosts to choose, namely, Bloggers and WordPress. Being new both, I chose both. Here is a link to an article that compares the two rather comprehensively. Like the author stated, “what suits one person, won’t suit another”. [https://bloggingwizard.com/wordpress-vs-blogger/] I agree with what they sum up towards the end,

quote: Blogger is great for beginners and casual bloggers. You can start for free and get a good understanding of what blogging is all about. But before you go too far on your blogging journey, then consider switching to WordPress.

The WordPress.com free plan is also great for beginners and casual blogging. It’ll help you get the hang of the WordPress platform and blogging in general. However, it’s limited. Unquote.

I personally have tended to use WordPress more often and updated Blogger once in a while (in view of the significant viewership). I have upgraded to WordPress.com premium plan over a year and half ago. someone from a much younger generation told me most people prefer WordPress.org.

I blog quite frequently on various genres, mainly motivated by a lifestyle of journaling various thoughts. When I read through one of the first blogs I posted in July 2009 today I marveled at the zeal then. I will repost one in a separate post. The interesting thing is that I started off as one seeking/trying to journey more seriously in the Spirit. Believe me, the journey is really worth it.

kainotes, 2021-07-13

how to cope with the great divide: faith

I pray you find what you are looking for after reading this article. One prevailing potential divisive “factor” is the issue of taking or not taking the experimental vaccine into our physical bodies. Here is a list of coping verses taken while engaging a digital conversation.

For all not to despair, whatever decision you may have made inadvertently: Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

The number one coping verse to use when in uncertainty: Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Note: The above verse 7 is the main guidance for all to apply anytime, all the time. Let us all be guided by the peace in our heart. The Peace of Jesus will be your guiding light over the issue of the vaccination (to take or not to take), each according to one’s faith and the object of one’s faith.

The following verses are a generic guide for matters that pertain to what we intake physically into our bodies:

Romans 14:22-23

22 Do you have faith? Have it to yourself before God. Happy is he who does not condemn himself in what he approves. 23 But he who doubts is condemned if he eats, because he does not eat from faith; for whatever is not from faith is sin.

Romans 14:22-23

Additional notes to ponder further how to apply in practical living for oneself and for relationship with others:

Over the matter of “sin”, when intaking something not based on faith, in the context of the above verse, what does Paul mean by sin? Let us read Romans 14:23 in two other versions.

(CEV) But if you do have doubts about what you eat, you are going against your beliefs. And you know that is wrong, because anything you do against your beliefs is sin.

(CEB) But those who have doubts are convicted if they go ahead and eat, because they aren’t acting on the basis of faith. Everything that isn’t based on faith is sin.

HELPS Word-studies on the definition of the word “sin”:

266 hamartía (a feminine noun derived from 1 /A “not” and 3313 /méros, “a part, share of”) – properly, no-share (“no part of”); loss (forfeiture) because not hitting the target; sin (missing the mark).

266 /hamartía (“sin, forfeiture because missing the mark”) is the brand of sin that emphasizes its self-originated (self-empowered) nature – i.e. it is not originated or empowered by God (i.e. not of faith, His inworked persuasion, cf. Ro 14:23).

On the subject of fellowship between Christians who have made different decision/choice in the issue of vaccination:

Excerpts from Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary: “Acceptance with God is the only proper criterion of right to Christian fellowship. Whom God receives, men cannot lawfully reject (Ro 14:3, 4).” “As there is much self-pleasing in setting up narrow standards of Christian fellowship, so one of the best preservatives against the temptation to do this will be found in the continual remembrance that Christ is the one Object for whom all Christians live, and to whom all Christians die”.

In summary:

1. your body is not your own, it’s purchased by Jesus’ blood.
2. you are expected to take great care of your body as a good steward does over his master’s asset.
3. taking stuff into your body is your responsibility over which you have to give account to your Lord (when Jesus returns).
4. you may be governed by your conscience/faith/belief/conviction, in the non-doctrinal context of the above quoted verses in Romans 14:22-23.
5. Having faith means knowing that it is empowered by God and not self-empowered (out of whatever reason/motivation).
6. If you do not have faith don’t take (do) it.
7. Faith works together with a good conscience, both of which originate from God 1 Timothy 1:19 having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,

It has been a difficult and trying time for some in terms of this kind of differing and dividing decision, in certain relationship. However, Jesus has clearly spoken to His followers on the matter of close relationship, which can be summarized into two words: “let go”.

For example, how to give a positive word to someone who is in a distant mission field, e.g. when you do not agree to take the experimental vaccination because you believe in the book of Revelation, and the Christian missionary sister said that she and her team are living in fear, as someone they knew in the village had just died, and she and her co-workers and the locals are eager to take the vaccination as the solution that can save them from the fear of death?

I have no answer for you except the word MERCY I received as I wrote on this great divide issue in a previous blog post. Mercy of God for all of us, no matter which decision we make whether to vaccine or not. No condemnation for self or for each other. By faith we have to walk or even plod on until we finish our life course, each to each destination.

P/s: you may want to quote these verses to someone who tell you they are living in the fear of death. Hebrews 2:14-15. But they themselves must receive the revelation.

¹⁴ Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. ¹⁵ Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying.

Kainotes, 2021-07-10