Category Archives: gifts of the Spirit

Oneness, the Abiding, and God’s Gift of Healing

(From a journal entry, 1-12-18)

Healings are a gift from God. God is that Spirit in the phrase “gifts of the Spirit.” Or we could say, “The Spirit’s gifts to us.” One of them is the gift of healing. It is God giving health to a person. It is a miracle-gift from the Father to a human being.

We usually envision God, the Spirit in heaven, shining down this gift upon mankind. But we must ask, Where is the Spirit when He gives the gift of healing to someone? The Spirit is in us, His body. He is in us, flowing through us on out to the sick by the laying on of His hands–our hands now being His hands. That is the way it goes down.

For the gift of healing to flow, we must realize that we are dead, and our life is hid with Christ in God. We must see that He lives in us in the form of His Holy Spirit, which is the Father. The Father resides in us!

A Call to Oneness–One, One, One

We must get past the “us and Him” duality and begin walking in the Oneness that Christ prayed for. “Neither pray I for these alone [the twelve disciples], but for them also which shall believe on me through their word [that is us!]; that they all may be one [That includes us!]; as you, Father, are in me and I in you that they also may be one in us that the world may believe that you have sent me, and the glory which you gave me I have given them; that they may be one even as we are one” (John 17:20-22). Christ has already given to us the glory that the Father bestowed upon Christ. In His thinking, it has already happened.

We must have the sensation that it is the Father, the Spirit, looking out through our eyes with compassion and love upon the sick. This is the reason why we must Get a clear picture of the godhead. It is not us running around, being still in the picture, laying our hands on the sick. It must be His love, His mercy, His Spirit, His compassion, moving through His hands that are laid upon the sick. This is the gift. The gift is Him! Soundness and wellness are anywhere He is.

Just ask the poor demoniac who was naked and tearing himself, torturing himself, crying out for someone to help him. After Christ gave him the gift of healing, he sat there in utter tranquility at the feet of his Savior in his right mind.

Someone will ask, Why aren’t more real healings being done by Christians today? The answer has to do with not seeing ourselves as God sees us. Most Christians see themselves as recipients of God’s blessings, instead of channels. They think that God is up there; we’re down here, and we need that blessing.

But that’s not the way God’s apostles saw us. They saw us as “more than conquerors through Christ.” They saw us the way that God sees us–spiritual powerhouses that by faith in Christ can move the mountains of doubt. And through His Spirit, our eyes will witness the crushing of the kingdoms of this world. And by His Spirit, He will establish His righteousness throughout the earth.

God sees us having overcome all things; He sees us having secured a seat upon His very throne (Rev. 3:21). That’s His faith that He has given us. With that gift we will be used to bring healing to the nations (Rev. 22:2).

However, there is a growth involved in being used by the Father to heal others. Many sincerely long for this power, with less than apostolic results. That’s okay. But before miracles can come through us, we must grow spiritually. It takes time and much patience as we “purge out the old leaven” of false concepts of Christ and His work in the earth. The “healing” is done by the Father’s presence in us. We then must realize that He is the Spirit of truth. We cannot fully have the truth in the form of the Spirit of truth, until the Father makes His abode in us. We must surrender ourselves as a “living sacrifice.” We must decrease; He must increase in us (John 3:30).  

Christ makes it plain about how the Father makes us His dwelling. “If a man love me, he will keep my words, and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). This is a major tenet in my soon-coming book, The Abiding

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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Filed under eternal purpose, false doctrines, gifts of the Spirit, healing, old leaven, oneness, spiritual growth

God’s Plan: Spiritual Growth, the Law of Harvest and the Gifts of the Spirit

How God Fulfills His Purpose

We must always start at God’s purpose when seeking Him. His purpose is to reproduce Himself in a group of human beings. He is Love; He multiplies Himself when we love with the love that He is.

That is a growth! To take the likes of us and turn us into powerful apostles like Peter, James, John, and Paul. But that is the point: To walk like they did after Pentecost, we must grow spiritually from a humble beginning. For God will reproduce Himself in us using the immutable Law of Harvest. His plan to fulfill His eternal purpose is to use the Law of Harvest. “Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” You reap what you sow.

“He is bringing many sons to glory.” These will have grown through the stages of spiritual growth exhibiting the Law of Harvest. It is “first the blade, the ear, the full corn in the ear. It is the Seed within itself–some “thirty-fold, some sixty, and some one hundred-fold” [1]. These are the levels of growth of the Holy Spirit within the sons and daughters of God.  John refers to these degrees of growth as “children, young men, and fathers” [2].

When “Christ be formed” in them, signs will follow [3].  Gifts of the Spirit will flow, which includes healings, miracles.  Right now, God’s timing calls for the first of the gifts of the Spirit to be given through the elect to others: “the word of wisdom” and “the word of knowledge” [4]. Without the truth contained in those first two gifts, a brother or sister cannot “come out from among them and be separate” [5].  This foundational truth helps to purge the “old leaven” teachings (contained in the parable of the woman putting leaven in three measures of meal or flour–leaven meaning the hypocrisy and insincerity of the Pharisees and their ilk [6].

I have wrestled with this question: God, why aren’t there more legitimate healings and miracles being done like what happened in the first few chapters of the book of Acts of the Apostles.  Answer:  We need some true men of God like them who have all their ducks in a row spiritually speaking and have “purged out the old leaven from their thinking, which includes all of the old false concepts and teachings and doctrines we all grew up with. Then I realized how important it is to let the word of wisdom and knowledge flow unrestrained. True knowledge will not live with false doctrines.

When the time comes, God will do something special in the elect’s lives–something absolutely astounding in the power-giving category.  All the way through the Bible He did just that.  There is no reason to believe that it will be any other way in these latter days.  After all, He said, “I am the same yesterday, today, and forever…I change not…” [7].

The sons-of-God-to-be, the elect, which means “the chosen ones,” may not at present know their destiny that has been pre-ordained by God. Right now, they may only know that there is this pull to know the truth.  There is this longing for justice and truth that won’t let them go. Other things of this present world system may tug at them, but a hook is in their jaw, and they are being reeled in by the Great Fisherman, who right now is teaching some, how to be “fishers of men” [8].

And they do look just like everyone else.  But to themselves, they are learning to look “after the Spirit” and not the “outward appearance” [9].  By faith they are looking upon the “things that are not seen,” which is the Spirit [10].  And yes, they will be transformed, but they will go through a spiritual growth cycle as referenced above.

Knowledge of this growth process is lacking in Churchianity today.  The people in the pews want “It” right now.  They are used to instant pudding and mashed potatoes, instant messaging and internet input.  But growth in Him is His growth in us.  It takes time for the seed “to fall into the ground and die” and germinate, and pop through the ground as a perfect little blade of grass, a perfect little “babe in Christ” [11].  And this babe in Christ needs the “sincere milk of the word” that it may grow [12].  But this takes humility in giving up the old life and thoughts and habits.

That is why the Master told us, If you are going to follow Me, you better “count the cost.”  For it costs everything.  It is easier to sell your earthly possessions; it is much more difficult to sell or get rid of your self with its personal materialism, which is idolatry [13].  The gifts of the Spirit will feed us that we may grow into 100-fold fruit bearing for Christ. We all need to embrace His plan for spiritual growth   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[1.] Matt. 13: 23; Mark 4: 8; 4: 28 [ 2.]  I John 2: 13 [3.]  Gal. 4: 19 [4.]  I Cor. 12: 4-11 [5.]  II Cor. 6: 17

[6.] I Cor. 5: 7; Matt. 13: 33; Luke 12: 1 [7.[ Heb. 13: 8; Mal. 3: 6 [8.] Matt. 4: 19 [9.] I Sam. 16: 7; Rom. 8: 1-4

[10.] II Cor. 4: 18; Heb. 11:1 [11.]  John 12: 24 [12.]  I Pet. 2: 2 [13.] Col. 3: 5; Luke 14: 27-33

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It’s All About the Fruit

God’s greatest desire is for us to spiritually grow to be able to bear “much fruit.” Christ calls this “the perfecting of the saints.” This is the work of His five offices (Eph. 4:14). He calls this bearing 100 fold fruit, as in the Parable of the Sower in Matthew 13. He calls the three states of growth other things: Children, young men, and fathers…fruit, more fruit, and much fruit… faith, hope and agape love…30, 60, and 100 fold fruit bearing (I John 2:13-14; John 15; I Cor. 13).

Christ has mapped out the way for us to get to these growths. You can find much more information on this in my books (free with free shipping…see end of this article).

The fruit God is talking about is not the number of souls you and I win to Christ. That is important, but at this stage, He is concerned with the spiritual fruit production that is happening in you and me, His elect. The fruit is about the growth of the Spirit of God within us.

The Timetable

God has a timetable for each of us, and He’s right on time. It is you and I that must seek His timetable for the events during “the time of the end.” And the nearest to God’s heart of all of the astounding happenings during this time is the nurture and growth of His sons and daughters. God is right on time to bring to pass His purpose.

And His purpose is to reproduce love, which is Himself. I will keep on sharing His purpose with you. It is the key revelation that opens up everything else in His “book of life.” It all starts there, and he’s using us. We must, at the beginning, receive His seed (the Word) and help it grow through our prayer and study. Because to Him, it’s all about the fruit. He loves us, yes, but He both coaxes and spurs us on to come to full fruit production—in other words, to be like Him.

Christ is sending disciples once again in our era to help make this happen. He uses and sets in his body apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. These are for the perfecting or the maturing of the saints. God’s offices are His gift to mankind. He gives gifts to men; the first one is the word of wisdom. The second one is the word of knowledge. Little spiritual children of God in Christ make the mistake of wanting to go out and heal all manner of sickness and work miracles without first learning the apostles’ doctrine. The early church continued in Christ’s teachings, and they became theirs. Reading the book of the Acts of the Apostles shows us the much fruit that they bore.

Many say that they want what they had. They walked in the knowledge of the apostles’ doctrine, and then they performed great works. They were right on time. Many well-meaning Christians do not realize that their timing is off. There is much to learn before our time to do wonders. It is like the best high school pitcher in the country believing that he can pitch at the Major League level right away. Not going to happen.

So, all of us must know His word. Really know it. And to do that one needs a teacher sent to explain His plan and purpose. Christ has already sent His offices out there to share the deeper things with His body. That’s His directive in His timeing for you and me (Eph. 4:11-15).

God puts special emphasis on the importance of learning the basics. It is the solid rock foundation. We cannot bask and sit still in the belief that we are a child of God and expect God to mystically help us grow. The child of God cannot keep circling the same old mountain of experiences used by God to call us out of the world many years ago. “Many are called, but few are chosen.

We are told to “make our calling and election sure.” The information in these articles and books will help us do that. Yesterday’s beautiful experiences will not give enough nourishment to us for the journey to the Promised Land that bears 100 fold “much fruit.” And it is all about the spiritual fruit. God has given us clues all the way through the scriptures concerning the growth cycle in nature as a type of the growth cycle of the Spirit within us.

What We Must Do to Bear Much Fruit

We must acquire the passion for his plan in order to grow to the 60 fold level, which is “more fruit.” There are many things to accomplish in preparation for that time when Christ will invite us to come up and sit with Him on his throne (the 100 fold fruit).

We need to “humble ourselves under his mighty hand,” for God “gives grace to the humble.” This grace, this unmerited favor, comes to us from Him in the form of new commandments. One is “Search the scriptures.” Another is “Study to show yourself approved unto God.” But if one does not obey them, the sap, the Spirit of truth, will cease to flow through that individual, and they will wither into a dry twig (John 15:6).

But those who do study God’s desires, his thoughts, his mind, his plan and purpose, will have obeyed his commandments. And those who obey his commandments prove to him several things. First, they will show that we love Christ. “If you love Me, keep my commandments” (John 14: 15). He is saying, If you love me, then you will study my words and My plan. Second, to him who keeps his commandments, Christ will love him. He does this by the Spirit of truth taking up residence in our hearts. He promises this: Christ’s Spirit will abide in him when he keeps the new commandments. “He that has my commandments and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him” (John 14: 21). Finally, he promises us that if we use the measure of his Spirit within us to keep his new commandments, then he will abide in us (John 14: 23).

The abiding is when the Holy Spirit of truth remains and stays in us. He is anchored in our hearts in this growth. The Spirit shepherds us, guides us, and comforts us on the down days, and He laughs with us on the days of overcoming.

And when the Comforter, the Holy Spirit of truth, comes and makes his abode in us, then “He shall teach you all things and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you,” Christ said. (John 14: 26). Until that time, we must “occupy till He comes.” This takes patience and endurance.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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Distinguishing 30, 60, and 100 Fold Spiritual Fruit Bearing

The Spirit admonishes us: “Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?” (II Cor. 13: 5). We test ourselves by answering this question: Do we know and believe that it is the Spirit of Christ that dwells within us by the love that is shed abroad to all? I.e., we are examining how much of Christ’s Spirit is flowing through us.

Someone will ask, “How do we know how much of the Spirit of Christ is in us?” The short answer: If we are in the “knowing” stage of most things, then it is 30 fold growth. To distinguish 30 fold from 60 fold growth, one must look at 30 fold fruit from a childlike perspective. Just like natural children accumulate knowledge of their surroundings and nature and other people, children of God are doing the same in the spiritual realm.

A 30 fold fruit bearing child of God is attaining truth and how it relates to them personally. They are “knowing this, that our old man is crucified with Him” (Rom. 6: 6). And they will “know the truth and the truth shall make you free…Whosoever commits sin is a slave to sin…” (John 8: 32-36). That’s the knowledge that the child of God is gaining. A natural child is mostly alive for what he can receive from his father. So it is with the spiritual. A child of God is interested in receiving from his Father—receiving peace, contentment, joy, and love. And this only comes when our old self is crucified with the Lamb of God.

A Christian, bearing 60 fold fruit, has matured to the point where he or she desires to not just receive the fruit of the Spirit, but rather channel to others of those fruits. It is the developing of interpersonal relationships. One bearing 60 fold fruit is mostly alive for what they can do for the Father.

The 100 fold Christian is like Paul and Peter and John. They have Christ’s Spirit of agape love being manifested to others. They are agape love, insomuch as Christ is manifested through their  vessels. They have the mind of Christ, and the will of their Father, foremost in their thinking. And the Father’s thoughts are rarified. Only a few will attain this position with Him. And they are those who are doing the will of the Father. They will be spiritually seated at His round table. They will know His purpose and His plan to accomplish it. They are His cadre who He will use to implement His government. Their thoughts are His thoughts, for their vision is His vision—a vision that subsumes and transcends national, international, worldwide, galactic and universal concerns. Christ is the exiled King, and “of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end” (Isa. 9: 6-7).

Those who grow spiritually into 100 fold fruit bearers will be in His inner circle. And don’t tell me that Christ does not have an inner circle. Think about the twelve disciples. And now there are  positions to be filled. They will be leaders and administrators and ambassadors of the King as He establishes righteousness and judgment throughout the earth after the tribulation subsides. You will know that you are on the right track to become one of these princes or princesses of God if you are thinking His thoughts—His kingdom thoughts.    Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[Order my new book The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect. It discusses these things and will be a help to you and your spiritual growth. It is free with free shipping. Just send to my email your mailing address and I will get it right out to you. Helping you is my offering to God.  wayneman5@hotmail.com ]

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The Word of God–Spirit, Life, Light, and Wisdom

When we hear the phrase, “the word of God,” most of us think of the book, the Holy Bible. The  Bible is our precious library of books inspired by the Spirit of God, written down by certain foreordained men of God. That is true. All of us seekers of truth have benefited greatly by the efforts of those who made the Bible happen.

However, the Holy Bible is but a repository of the inspired spiritual words that God spoke originally out of His heart.

The future manifested sons and daughters of God must get back, back, back to the beginning, before the word of God ever appeared on the printed page, back before it was committed as ink stains on fragile scrolls, back even before the word of God was transmitted orally, when Noah told of God’s plan and purpose to Shem, and so on down orally to his offspring like Abraham and Isaac and Jacob.

For the Word of God is alive; it contains the very thoughts and longings of the Father’s heart. “The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life” (John 6: 63). These words were spoken by the Word Himself, who “was made flesh, and dwelt among us…” (John 1: 14). He spoke words comprised of His thoughts; He spoke truth because He is the truth (1: 17). He spoke words explaining His plan for us and all the earth. And these words that He speaks now enter our ears and seep down into our encrusted hearts, and they bring life to the spiritually dead.

For His words are life itself. They are the very breath of everlasting life. They are a spirit that makes us alive unto Him; they are spirit and life for us mortals. And this life is  contained in His words, which are spirit; they are our light. “In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.” And this light now shines on into the darkness of men’s hearts, and they do not comprehend Him, for He is the “true Light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world.” He is the Light, for He reveals God’s purpose and plan (John 1: 4-9).

His Words Are Spirit

The words that came out of the mouth of the Son of God are spirit and life. A God given curiosity compels me to ask, How are spoken words spirit? Fair question. Going to the Greek in Strong’s, “spirit” is translated from “pneuma” meaning “wind, breeze, breath.” It is from a root word meaning “to blow, to breathe.”

How are audible words formed? We literally create the spoken word by breathing air over the voice box, thus producing sound through the vibration of our vocal cords. We humans speak all kinds of words this way. But when we speak God’s words, divine words, holy words, His thoughts–then we breathe His Spirit. For His words are spirit and they are life.

We are admonished to speak the word of God, His words. “For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you” (Mt. 10: 20). The prophet Ezekiel is told by God several times to speak to the children of Israel, and what comes out of his mouth? The word of God.

The Word of Wisdom

If we study His word with true knowledge, then He will give us words to speak. The very first “gift of the Spirit” happens to be the “word of wisdom” (I Cor. 12: 8). It enables us to speak His thoughts about being in reverential awe of not only His majesty, but of His purpose and plan of reproducing Himself. He will reveal in a word to us  His great heart in sharing Himself with us.

But the time grows short. People sit like orphans in the dark streets of despair, hungering and thirsting for the truth. We must all share the portion of the truth that we have. We must not let His knowledge expire with our last breath in human flesh.

For our appointed time for the death of our old corruptible, decaying, earthly bodies fast approaches. We His children must share what we have while the sands of time still flow through the hourglass. We are channels and not the objects of His blessings. For knowledge of the holy things is the richest blessing our ears can hear.

Wisdom. Ask one thousand people what it is and you will receive one thousand different definitions. Philosophy cannot tell you what wisdom is, for it prattles on vainly about how much it loves (philos) wisdom (sophia), but it has never met her. Imagination cannot tell you, for it only projects images conjured up by the faux genius of earthly man’s mind.

And yet, the word of wisdom is the very first “gift of the Spirit” that God gives us to give to others. But it is not a mystical unction bestowed upon us from on high. We must seek to know what wisdom is–according to what the word of God says it is. Most do not know that wisdom is being in reverential awe of God. I repeat: Wisdom is being in reverential awe of God ( https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/book-yah-is-savior-the-road-to-immortality-chapter-2/ ).

Most professing Christians have one of three thoughts about the gifts of the Spirit. Some just don’t know that they exist. Others say that the “gifts of the Spirit” are not for modern times, thus limiting God’s power through unbelief. Another group are just the opposite; they “catch on fire” for God and immediately clamor for the power to perform miracles and healings.

The reality is that the gifts of the Spirit are real and are being given to His people. But they are given to us “decently and in order.” The first two gifts that God gives us is the word of wisdom and the word of knowledge. Without them the new Christian will not grow spiritually. They will be stunted children, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness” (Eph. 4: 14).

We must be rooted and grounded in His word. We must dig deep and put our spiritual house on the Rock. We must seek deeply “that we may be filled with all the fulness of God.” We must see and believe the Word, our Savior, savoring just where His words of glory came from–the Beginning. “In the beginning was the Word…” (John 1: 1).   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Spiritual Gifts Given to Fulfill God’s Purpose

The truth is this: God has a purpose to reproduce Himself. And He has a plan to implement His purpose; He will use certain human beings to accomplish it. He has thought it all out and He has written it all down for us in the written word of God.

To those whom He has prepared and shown this vision, He has promised to send the Spirit of truth, who will lead us into all truth–the truth about His purpose and plan. Once we get on the road to helping Him accomplish His purpose and plan, He has promised to help us help Him. He has promised us gifts–the “gifts of the Spirit.”

The first of these gifts is guiding my hand this very moment. This pen is writing by the Spirit the logos-sophia–the “word of wisdom.” This is the “hidden wisdom” that only comes out of the heart of God, whose heart is in His Son. It is a mystery, this hidden wisdom, so rare to the senses of natural man, that it can be written openly now and uploaded by the miracle of the internet to all eyes, and only be understood by those who should understand. And yet, this hidden wisdom will come with a clarity that  sits in the minds of His people chosen and predisposed by God to understand, though thousands of miles away from my hilly hamlet.

For it is His word that is the seed, that is the truth. It is the seed, the word, the logos, that is cast out over the entire field of the world (Matt. 13: 24-30; 37-43). God’s seed goes out over the entire world, and yet, “none of the princes knew” of this hidden wisdom at work, for had they had known, “they would not have crucified the Lord of glory” (I Cor. 2: 6-8). Their evil heart blinded them from the wisdom of God.

And none of the rulers of our own age will see this hidden wisdom, for it “is not of this world” (John 18: 36). Even as we, brothers and sisters, are not of this world. We are other-worldly.

And the gifts of the Spirit we receive to accomplish His purpose are not from this world system. They are from above, even as we are.

A Word from Wisdom, Not a Word about Wisdom

And the very first gift that the Spirit of truth gives us is the logos-sophia, the word of wisdom (I Cor. 12: 8). It is the necessary first gift, for it will open the door to the other gifts.

The “word of wisdom” is not a word about wisdom, but a word from wisdom. Wisdom is crying out to us, pleading with us to seek after her, but few hear her cries (Prov. 1: 20-23).  Wisdom even promises us this: “I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.”

Yet, very few know what wisdom is. Even fewer care to know. Some say that no one can know. The prophet Job asked the question: “Where shall wisdom be found?” He then relates that it is not in earthly things–gold, silver, jewels; they cannot buy wisdom. He then looks at all the inexplainable–the “acts of God,” the overturning of the mountains, the rivers cutting through the rocks, the secrets of the universe, and the binding of “floods from overflowing; the thing that is hid brings He forth to light.” Where does wisdom come from? It comes from God, of course. God declared it and “unto man He said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom” (Job 28: 9-28).

But what exactly is “the fear of the Lord”? Having reverential awe of God and His power. If we don’t have it, we ask for it. He’ll give it to us. He wants to give it to us. And once we receive it, we can receive of its words. Wisdom will teach us of His word through the “word of wisdom.”

For the “word of wisdom” speaks of the mystery of “the divine plan” (Thayer’s G4680, sophia wisdom). And this divine plan is how the Father will use Christ His Son to reproduce Himself, until we His body “be filled with all the fulness of God” (Eph. 3: 19). If we are filled with all the fulness of God, then God will have reproduced Himself in us, the body of Christ!

For our destiny is just that: Christ is the head and we the church are His body, “the fulness of Him that fills all in all” (Eph. 1: 22-23).

This the hidden wisdom and knowledge for our day, and the rulers and the masses will not believe it. Just go tell them that God will someday fill us up with His Spirit; He will be all in all. And see what they say. They don’t believe that. If they did, they would teach it. But the unbelief is thick and suffocating to the young child of God.

Natural man “receives not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him. Neither can he know them because they are spiritually discerned…But God has revealed them unto us by His Spirit” (I Cor. 2: 14, 10).

And this is what He has revealed to us: God is reproducing Himself through His Son and the Son’s body of believers, the church. And He is revealing the knowledge of His plan to get this done. And He is doing it all by His Spirit, working through His gifts to us. That is the importance of the “word of wisdom.”   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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The Spirit of Truth Gives the Gift of the Word of Wisdom

We have seen that God’s eternal purpose is to reproduce Himself. He is a Spirit that is the action of Love. We have learned that He has a definite plan to accomplish His purpose. He thought the plan through and spoke it and wrote it all down in a Word. And this Word was God, the Spirit of Love. And this Word was the Logos and it was “made flesh and dwelt among us.”

And God’s plan to reproduce Himself is all contained in His Son, the Word or Logos of God, which acts as a Seed. And the Son/Seed “fell into the ground and died,” like all seeds do in the earth. And the Seed Son was resurrected out of the earth after three days and three nights. And through His act of laying down His life for others, He showed the greatest Love.

Now human beings are enlisted by their Creator to simply believe this report of His Son, and in so doing, their faith energizes that same resurrected spirit of love in their hearts. For they will have laid down their old lives as He did His, thus showing the greatest love, also. They let their old sinful selfish lives die on the cross with Christ, and by believing in His resurrection, they receive a new life powered by His Spirit.

And just like the seeds in the garden grow to bear much fruit, God’s children do grow through proper nourishment to become just like the original Seed/Son. That is His plan for reproducing Himself in a nutshell.

The Problem

Someone will say, It is simple to understand, the way you put it. Why has it been so difficult for the world to see this?

It is because of the enemy, the devil. He has “transformed himself into an angel of light” and has spread many erroneous teachings called “old leaven” by the apostles. These false teachers started their lies about Christ while the original twelve disciples still walked the earth.

They get the people worried about themselves–whether or not they are going to heaven or hell. They scare the people in the pews, “promising them liberty while they themselves are the servants of corruption.” They never speak of God’s purpose and plan to reproduce Himself, for their center is on self.

Moreover, they promise the churchgoers earthly prosperity if they give abundantly to the church organization. “Get all you can get from God,” they say. They think that’s all God has to do is bless them materially. But Elijah, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Daniel weren’t in it for themselves. They were all about furthering what God wanted to accomplish. That is the reason  we still read of their exploits two and one half millenia later. They did not think of themselves, for they denied themselves to further God’s cause.

The Promise of His Spirit

Still God’s arms are outstreched, desiring to embrace all those who embrace Him. And we embrace Him when we cease thinking of our own petty little lives and “look to the Rock from whence we are hewn.” We do that by believing in what He believes in and helping Him to accomplish it.

To those who do this, He has promised to come to us. When we believe that the Father was in the Son, then He says that we will do “greater works than what He did.” In fact, the Son of God commanded us, “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.” When we keep this new commandment, then He will ask the Father to send us the Comforter, which is the Spirit of truth, which is the Spirit of Christ, which is the Father, for “God is a Spirit” (John 14: 9-20; 4: 24).

The Son of God continues, “When He ,the Spirit of truth is come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16: 13). This is His promise–to not leave us alone out here, but to comfort us with truth as to what is happening on this sin sick planet. The Spirit of truth will teach us “things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world” (Matt. 13: 35). And these “things” are the mysteries of God’s purpose and plan.

When He comes to us, the Spirit of truth will guide us into all truth by giving us gifts. The very first gift of the Spirit is the “word of wisdom” (I Cor. 12: 8). [For more on “wisdom” go here: https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com/2011/04/13/book-yah-is-savior-the-road-to-immortality-chapter-2/ ]

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Walking in the Spirit Comes from Knowledge of God’s Purpose of Reproducing Himself–Being About Our Father’s Business

We are admonished in God’s word to “walk in the Spirit” and to “abide in [Christ]” (Gal. 5: 16, 25; John 15: 4). But in order to get in step with the Spirit, we need to not only know the Spirit’s destination, but also the why and the how of God’s intentions. In order to abide in the Spirit, we need to know what the abiding entails and how to get there.

Simply put, in order for us to walk in the Spirit, we must first know what God is doing and where He is going. “Can two walk together except they be agreed?” (Amos 3: 3). We must agree with Him as to the where and when of His Spirit. He said that we are to have the mind of Christ and to think the way He does (Phil. 2: 5). Christ is doing His Father’s business (Luke 2: 49).

And the Father’s business is God reproducing Himself. This is His purpose, and He has a plan to finish His work.

God has given us many clues as to His purpose. Every living thing in both the vegetable and animal kingdom is striving to reproduce itself. Just look around. It is what it is all about. You striving in your life to find “the one,” that special one to mate with–the drive  has been put in your DNA by your Maker, and it is another clue as to His purpose: God is reproducing Himself, His Love, and His life. And He has the plan to make it happen. And we humans are the spiritual environment in which He is doing this reproducing of Himself.

Only when we understand His purpose and then believe it, will we be able to walk in the Spirit or abide in Him. If we are operating on a different spiritual wavelength in our worship, then we are not staying, remaining, nor abiding in Him and His purpose and His plan to achieve His purpose of reproducing Himself.

People of God, we say that we want a closer walk, a closer relationship with Him! This is our opportunity. Oh, to cease to be Christ’s servants and to become His friends! To hear Him say to us, “Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knows not what his lord does: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.” To be His friend! To be given this rare knowledge of what the Father is doing. To have Christ trust us so much that He with His great loving heart would include us in these secrets and mysteries of what the Father’s purpose is! To be trusted as a friend that knows what His Lord is doing! To be a part of His inner circle (John 15: 15).

And don’t tell me that it is not for us. That is a cop out. Two chapters later in that same flow of truth, Christ prayed for you and me: “Neither pray I for these alone [seated around the Last Supper table], but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one…and the glory which thou gavest me I have given them…” (John 17: 20). That’s us, brothers and sisters, if we can believe it.

He has promised us that if we abide in Him, whatever we ask, He will do. If we are walking and abiding with Him then what we ask will further His purpose. Those are the prayers that will get through–those that are asked by us to further His purpose and plan.

When We Have Another Purpose

But if we have an agenda and purpose and plan other than His, then we do not have true worship of the Father, for we will be following our own imaginations as to what will please God. God does not need another church building on another corner. He does not need another minister preaching the same sermons spoken a hundred years ago because those sermons, though they may be sincere, smack of stale incense wafting up into God’s nostrils. Small-hearted prayers for ourselves won’t get through the brass heavens to His ears.

Understanding His Purpose

However, when we do get His purpose and take it to heart and begin to work to help bring it to pass, then our power increases by His Spirit, and we become co-workers with Christ in doing the “Father’s business.”

Christ is all about doing the business of the Father. He is doing His will and finishing His work. The Father’s work? Reproducing Himself.

And what are we to do? We as members of Christ’s body need to be doing what Christ is doing, which is the same work. To do the works of God, we need to believe upon Him whom God has sent, and to finish His work. We are to bear witness to the truth about how God is reproducing Himself through the Seed Son. The works that God will do through us will be a witness that Christ the Seed has resurrected in us. The Seed Son will have germinated in us as we show forth the resurrection power through many signs and wonders done very shortly on this earth.

But it all starts with wisdom and knowledge, which happens to be the main ingredients of the first two “gifts of the Spirit.” Yes, as we get on the right road, God the Spirit begins to give us gifts to help us help Him fulfill His purpose. The first is “the word of wisdom,” and the second is “the word of knowledge” (I Cor. 12: 8).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Christ’s Promise of a Great Destiny for Us

Christ makes an astounding promise to His followers. “To him that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3: 21; vs. 14-22). Overcome  what? A whole list of shortcomings that future monarchs must change in their lives to be holy enough to be trusted with the King’s business.

But the point here is that somebody–possibly somebody you know, maybe even yourself–somebody will be sitting on the throne alongside Christ during the Thousand Year Reign! In fact, several overcomers will be granted this precious destiny.

In order to be prepared for this high calling, one must be taught about kingship and how to rule in righteousness as one of God’s kings. He did say that He is the “King of kings” with a little “k.” Did we honestly think that we would just wake up one morning and mystically know how to govern with the Spirit of Christ fully formed in us–us just hitting the ground, magically knowing how to be a king in His kingdom? But then most Christians have never pictured themselves sitting on that throne with Christ. Most have never heard it preached. Most just see themselves going to heaven with no further responsibilities. Really? Is that all there is?

How do I know this to be the case? Because no one ever talks about this destiny of kingship. Once you see it, you will begin to speak excitedly about it.

Much to Learn

There is such a learning curve. We future kings must know the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. We must understand His secrets, mysteries that not just anybody can know. He only reveals the secrets of His spiritual governance of the universe to his servants the prophets. “Surely the Lord GOD will do nothing, but He reveals His secret unto His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7). Prophets? He wants us to be His prophets?

Yes. We are to be His mouth to utter His thoughts, His purpose, and His plan to this last day generation. That is what a prophet of God does. “But the wise shall understand” (Dan. 12: 10). The wise are those in reverential awe of God and His purpose and plan.

We are talking about the deep things of God, the things kept secret from the foundations of the world, even the hidden mystery, hidden from “ages and from generations,” and that mystery is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Matt. 13: 35; Col. 1: 26-27). Christ formed in us. Love fully formed in us (Gal. 4: 19).

There is much to learn to fulfill this destiny–to have the Spirit of Christ fully formed in us, with Him using our bodies to teach, minister, rule, heal, and administer righteousness in His kingdom of righteousness. There is much to learn.

Prince Charles of Great Britain has been preparing to become king for decades. How much more should the future overcomers be educated and prepared to rule with Christ?

We must learn the mysteries of the parables, which contain the aforementioned secrets of how God will reign in His kingdom. And to learn them we need one of the offices of God to instruct us. We need a teacher of God who is specifically trained for imparting this knowledge  (Eph. 4: 11).

After all, we needed our elementary school teachers to teach us the fundamentals of reading, grammar, composition, math, history, and science. How much more do we need a teacher, ordained and sent from God, to teach us the foundational teachings that will prepare us in humility to be elevated to such a high position in His government.

Yet, most people know very little about His kingdom, which happens to be the true gospel (Mark 1: 14). God’s people are “destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hos. 4: 6). Most only believe what they have been taught: get saved, escape hell, and go to heaven, and try to tell others the same.

This limited vision of the kingdom of God closes up all the secrets and mysteries of God from entering one’s mind. Vast passages in the Bible are closed to the people because of this narrow conception of God and His rule. It is difficult for them to conceive of this truth elucidated in the scriptures: Jesus Christ (Yahshua), the Son of God, the King of the Kingdom of God, is coming back to rule for 1,000 years–right here on earth. And some of His followers will be ruling alongside Him.

Nevertheless, for some, this message will resonate with hope in becoming one of His rulers sitting on the throne with Christ. Some it will not. Christ did say, “He that has an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit says” (Rev. 3: 22). If a person is able to comprehend this message, then let that person do it.

The point is this. No matter what one’s spiritual growth is, no matter how far they are destined to grow spiritually in Christ–God’s plan and purpose is for them. It is bread and meat for the hungry soul. And so let those so inclined eat at the Master’s table and learn of Him. And it all starts with knowing His eternal purpose of reproducing and multiplying Love, which is God, and knowing His plan to implement this purpose.

But His plan is not for just our little life, but for the whole universe. For this is His vision, of His plan, to fulfill His purpose, comprised of His Thoughts from His Mind, and poured into the Word, and translated into the Seed. And the Seed was made flesh and dwelt among us. And the Seed was God, and the Seed was Love. And the Seed germinated in the fertile soil of good and honest hearts, and it grew as a tree and grew and grew until it filled the whole earth with Love.  And this is all contained in the Mind of the Son of God. Hallelujah!           Kenneth Wayne Hancock

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Abiding in Christ = Bearing the Fruit of the Spirit = “Walking as Children of Light”

The apostle Paul says that we are light, and we are to “walk as children of light” (Eph 5:8).  Then, in the very next breath he says, “For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness…”  This thus signifying that “light” is equal to bearing the fruit of the Spirit, which is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance (Gal 5:22-23).

We become the children of light when we have His Spirit abiding in us, bearing the fruit of the Spirit.  Light is what makes something known; therefore, God will be manifest in us when others see and experience His love, joy, and peace coming through us.  We are the light of God when we have the fruit of the Spirit because others will see God in us.

We bear this spiritual produce when we abide in the Savior Christ.  We are commanded by the Savior to “abide in me,” and let Me abide in you.  Let my Spirit live and flow through you.  Then you will bear much fruit (John 15: 4-5).   Much love from above, joy, and peace will flow down from Him by His Spirit within us and out to others.

How Does His Spirit Abide in Us?

Yes, we are told by the Savior to let the Spirit of God come and flow through us.  But how does this happen?  Is there something that we, His children, need to do to effect this?  How will His abiding presence come into us so that we can bear this fruit of His Spirit?

The Savior Jesus (Yahshua) makes a conditional promise to us concerning this.  “If a man love me, he will keep my words…” (John 14:23).  Good things will come to the man who loves the Son of God.  Loving Him will mean he will obey his words and what He tells us to do.  “If you love Me, keep my commandments”.  If we do this, then He will give us the Spirit!  And the Father “shall give your another Comforter; that He may abide with you for ever; even the Spirit of truth…for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14: 15-17).   This is the Spirit of God coming down into us!

He just said, those that love Him will keep His commandments.  “He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loves Me” (John 14:21).   The person that loves the Son of God understands just what He requires of him, just what He wants him to do.  This person that loves the Son of God will comprehend that doing this prerequisite must happen before we can receive the  in-dwelling Spirit of truth.

What exactly are these commandments that Christ wants us to keep?

Most initially think that these commandments are the ten commandments. But Christ talks about “new” commandments (John 13: 34). The first new thing that He commands us to do is, “Believe Me.”  That is a command, which is a commandment. Real simple.  Not complicated.  Even a child can comprehend this.  He is saying, Believe Me when I tell you about my relationship with the Father.  “Believe Me that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me.”  That is a command.  Those of us who take this to heart and do it will receive His Spirit in a reality and bear much fruit of the Spirit.

He did not request mythic gargantuan tasks to prove that we love Him.  He merely gives us a simple command: “Believe me that I am in the Father and believe me that the Father is in Me” (John 14:11).  We are to believe that He was in the Father’s will, heart and mind, soul and body.  And we are to believe that the great Spirit Father, Yahweh Himself, was walking around doing the great miraculous works through Christ!

That’s it in a nutshell.  That is what the book says.  This is worshiping God in spirit and in truth.  This is the truth:  The Father dwelt bodily in the man Christ Jesus (Yahshua) of Nazareth.   “For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily” (Col 2: 9)… “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father…I and my Father are one…God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself…”

There is so much riding on this.  If we get this one, then the gates of heaven will open, and we shall be the recipients of His very Being in our bodies!  He goes on, “He that believes on Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works  shall he do!” (John 14: 12).  Because the Father will be abiding in us, too!  HalleluYah!  This is how we get the Father to come down and live in us: we must first believe that the Father was dwelling fully in the Son of God.

We get this right and great joy, great peace, and great love will come down through us and on out unto the world.  Believing that the Father walked around in the Son of God and did the works is the first step in us receiving the Father and having Him walk around in our bodies here on the the earth.  It will be He loving others through us.  He will be touching others with peace and joy.

Christ goes on and confirms it again: “If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (Jn 14:23).  This is how the Spirit will come down and abide in us.

“He that abides in Me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit…”  Much love, joy, peace and all the rest, coming down and through us to the love-starved world.  This is how we glorify the Father–that we bear much fruit of the Spirit (John 15: 8).   These fruit-bearers will be His disciples.

Once the belief has begun–belief that the Father is in Christ fully–then “whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”  We now have confidence to ask for more of His presence, more of His Spirit, so that it can be channeled out to others who need to know that God is real.

In this way the light of God’s Spirit will shine so that all men can be drawn to God.  “If I be lifted up, I will draw all men unto Me.”  We are then to “let your light so shine that others may see your good works and glorify your Father (which is walking inside of you, doing the works).

Why is this so difficult for us to comprehend?  It is because of the old leaven, the old teachings about the Father and Christ taught by the false prophets and teachers throughout the centuries.  They have made it mysterious and difficult to understand God through subtilty, lest our “minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ” (II Cor 11: 3).

Here it is. The God of the Old Testament, the God Yahweh that the patriarchs and prophets served–that Great Invisible Spirit/Creator/Father came down here to earth and took up His abode in the person that English speakers call Jesus Christ. And though all powerful, Yahweh-in-human-form through humility showed us how to treat each other in love. And through His physical walk on earth, He was reconciling the world unto Himself, being a Savior to all. When we obey what He commanded us to do–“Believe Me that the Father is in Me”–then we will bear the same fruit of the Spirit that He did. God will be glorified, for He will have been multiplied in and through us!

This revelation is huge. Reread it. Restudy it. Don’t delete it if it does not quicken  right away. It is precious and is the key for more of His Spirit coming down and through us, thus enabling us to grow into the manifested sons and daughters of the King.       Kenneth Wayne Hancock

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