Reconciliation and the Abiding/Continuing

We must continue to believe that Christ through His death has reconciled everyone and has made peace between God and mankind.

That is the truth. The Father is the Spirit of truth. There is one Spirit, and He dwelled in the Son and did miraculous works (Eph. 4:4; John 14:10). Christ promises that the Father “shall be in you,” also (14: 17).

This promise is astounding! But what is the catch? What activates this promise of the Father taking up residence in us? What knowledge brings the promise into a reality in our Christian lives?

We need to know that it is a conditional promise; it sets up like this: If you do this and this, then He will abide in you. The promise is that the Father, who is this invisible Spirit, will come and dwell in us—if we continue in the faith. If we abide in the faith. If we dwell in the faith. If we remain in the faith. If we continue in the faith.

Faith. Belief. In what exactly? There is a whole lot of invisible action going on here. It takes faith to believe that the invisible Creator Spirit God would take up residence inside our bodies. But this is what He is asking us to do—trust Him. To maintain the Father’s presence in our hearts in a powerful reality, we must “continue in the faith.”

We see “continue in the faith” in Colossians 1:23. “If indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard…” The thing we must continue to believe is that Christ through His death has reconciled everyone and has made peace between God and mankind (Col. 2:20-22).

That sounds wonderful, but Christ’s death and the reconciliation involves so much more. The question becomes: How does His death bring about reconciliation with God? Reconciliation comes through our old sinful self dying on the cross with Christ. Then we are buried with Christ, and then by faith in His resurrection “we are raised to walk in a newness of life.”  Our sin has died with Him. “The soul that sins must die,” the law says. We fulfill that at the cross.

The Spirit through the apostle Paul lines this out clearly. “Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin–because anyone who has died has been set free from sin” (Romans 6:3-7 NIV).

Christ the Lamb of God took on the sins of everyone. “He was made to be sin for us who knew no sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Our sins died with the sacrificial Lamb, for He carried our guilt and sin to the cross, and when He died, our old sinful self died, was buried, and—Praise Yah—was resurrected with Him!

[Someone reading this will say, “I knew that about the cross.” Yes, many have experienced the cross, but can they teach it to others? Is your belief of Romans 6 strong enough to weather the storms and trials both past and future?]

Back to the beginning of this article: Reconciliation with God is when we are at peace with Him, when there are no doubts and worries about our relationship with Him. For it was the sin nature that separated us from Him. When we realize that our sinful old self has already died on the cross with Him, things begin to clear up. The scriptures open to us. Things make sense.

This clarity He honors and reveals more of His truth. Reconciliation with God happens if we “continue/abide in the faith.” If we continue believing what He did for you and me at the cross and walking in that truth as seen in Romans 6: 3-12, then we will be ready through reconciliation to go deeper by adding His “divine nature” to the faith. [The Additions to the Faith is my latest book. Peter talks of seven additions that are vital to our growth in Christ (II Peter 1:1-12). If you have read this far, I know that this book is for you. The book is free with free shipping. It is my offering to God. Instead of money in an offering plate, I give a book to you…Please share your testimony in the comments section. It is very edifying to hear how God has touched your life.  Be sure and share this and give us a “like,” if we have edified you].    Kenneth Wayne Hancock

The Father Abiding in Us

God wants to inhabit us and abide and dwell in us. This is how He fulfills His purpose: To reproduce and multiply Himself, which is agape love. We know that we are His temple. He made us for Him to dwell in. Many times, we see Yahweh meeting Moses and Joshua [Yahshua the Savior, same name]. They met in the tabernacle in the wilderness. They carried on conversations there. This is His will, His desire that all God’s people be prophets (Numbers 11:29).

It is first the Father who dwells/abides in Christ; the Father speaks the words and does the works through the Son (John 14:10). [Newsflash! We are “members in particular” of the Son’s body; we are the “body of Christ.” Since we are a part of Christ’s body, then the Father, the Spirit of truth, is in us, too!

Can we believe this? Christ believes it. He has faith in the word of the Father. And, of course, we can believe it! It is His faith in operation here. We are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God, (Col. 3:3). Our life is Him now. And that Him is the Spirit of truth that has come into you and me.

If anyone knew God this way, it was the apostle John, “the man whom Jesus [Yahshua] loved.” For John leaned on His chest and was literally comforted by Christ. Let us now lean on Him as John did. He is right there by you and me in spirit. Lean into Him and be encouraged that we all have this opportunity to draw close to Him. For the Holy Spirit through the apostle James said, “Draw nigh to God, and He will draw nigh to you” (James 4:8).

Nevertheless, some of us have thought, “If only we had the Father dwelling in us, then He would speak and work through us.” If. There are no if’s nor but’s. It is all “Yes!” The power is there at hand. “The works were finished from the foundation of the world” (Heb. 4:3). We are not talking about the Father being way out there somewhere, but rather, closer than close.  He is inside of us.

[All these things written down by Christ’s apostles are maddeningly difficult to grasp while held hostage by a trinitarian three-God conception of the godhead. Yahweh dwelt in His Son; Yahweh is the Father and is an invisible Spirit, the Holy Spirit. Once that is straightened out in one’s heart and mind, then eyes see more clearly as to what God desires and how He wants to make it happen. ]

The Comforter, the Spirit of Truth

He has given to us another Comforter, which is the Spirit of truth “that He may abide/dwell” with us forever” (John 14:16). His presence is already promised and prepared.

The Comforter is the Spirit of truth. And the Spirit of truth is the Father who has promised to dwell/abide with us. Now, since we have that promise—that the Father will be in us—then by the Father’s presence within us, He will do the same works as He did through the Son of God. It is all in His timing, of course.

Final thought: Faith is the key. For His spiritual offspring, the Father abides in us when we believe that the Father dwells in us. We have to reckon it so by faith in His word. It is already done in His mind. He is waiting on us with great patience/endurance. He now wants us to be a witness here on earth of His magnificent glory. That is not just to witness His glory, but to be the witness. Remember this enigmatic concept? Man is the glory of God (I Cor. 11:7). And the good man will be humbled by this love that His Creator has bestowed upon him. And he will realize that he is only a speck of dust floating in a brilliant ray of light that is God’s mercy.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

The Ebb and Flow of the Abiding

I have noticed that there is an ebb and flow of the Spirit’s presence in my life. I say this not as a criticism of our merciful Savior, for He does all things well.

But I have observed that after a wonderful welling up of His presence within me, His Spirit subsides. Of course, it is I that backs out of the light that He shines. The rays of understanding engulf me, and then, I must back away a bit. I realize that it is “line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little.”

It is as if this old wine skin of my mind and body cannot stand the constant pressure of the new wine, so I recede a bit. It’s like being in the heavenlies for a while, and then needing to return to the earth’s atmosphere where I may breathe again the accustomed mixture of gases suitable for my current mortal tabernacle. I ponder this ebb and flow of His Spirit, or rather, my drifting away from His rarefied heavenly atmosphere.

I recall passages of scriptures describing what happens to his children who abide in him and not ebb and flow, but rather stay in him.

Our Savior said much about the abiding that we are to maintain. He believes that it is possible and necessary for us to have His Spirit remain, stay, dwell, and continue in our vessels.

Oh, how we need our new spiritual bodies that He has promised us! He knows our frailties, our weaknesses, and our faults. But He has promised us that He would raise us up at the end of this earth age. If we are alive upon His return, He will change us, as “mortality is swallowed up” by  our new spiritual body. If we expire before He returns, He will change us when He sweeps down to earth. We are coming back with Him, our Captain and leader. The ebb and flow will be no more, for we will be full of His Spirit. A glorious time is coming. Now we must wait until our time. “If a man die, shall he live again? All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come” (Job 14:14).     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

(From a Journal entry, 3-29-19)

What Is the 11th Commandment?

(The Preface of the Book)

I have written a book entitled The 11th Commandment. I know. You, like me, thought there were Ten Commandments. Not eleven. After all, it was Ten Commandments that Moses received on Mt. Sinai. In a Christophany, in a miraculous display of power, Christ our Savior wrote them with His finger on stone tablets.

And now you are being told that there is one more, the 11th Commandment. The natural question would be, “What is the 11th and where did it come from?” Christ is the All-Knowing and has the answer. But instead of His finger carving tablets of stone again, He wrote the 11th Commandment with His own blood onto the tablets of our hearts.

It reads: “A new commandment I give unto you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34). Love each other like I loved you. The 11th Commandment is this “new commandment” Christ gave us. We read the words, and it sounds simple enough. But how to love like Christ escapes us. Doubts creep in. Nobody can be like Christ. Why would He command us to do the impossible?

This book answers these and other questions: How do we obey the 11th Commandment? How do we love others like Christ loved us? We will see that in the scriptures, Christ gives us smaller commandments, that when obeyed, add up to the keeping of the 11th. Christ’s 11th New Commandment issues organically out of God’s purpose, which is to reproduce Himself—Love.

Christ is the answer to all questions in our search; it begins and ends with Him. He said, “Seek and you shall find.” Seek God and His purpose in multiplying Himself. Every word that He spoke pertains to this purpose. Christ is the Seed Son. He compared Himself to a grain of wheat that dies and then springs to life and grows to full maturity bearing “much fruit.” Thus, the law of harvest is complete. Since He is the Seed, then the harvest will be Christ fully formed in us. We will be just like Him, for each seed bears its own kind (John 12:24; Gal. 6:7).

God has a plan to accomplish His purpose. It is to use humans as the medium to reproduce Himself through. Because it takes time, His plan has been written down and has come to us in the pages of the Holy Bible. But unfortunately, it is a closed book for most readers. It is full of mysteries because people do not know His purpose in creating the earth.

For example, He commanded us to forgive each other (Mark 11:25). When we forgive, God’s Spirit grows within us, much like our muscles grow when we use them. God’s purpose is for Him to grow in us to a point that it is all Him inside of us.

His New Commandment is to love each other the way He loved us. Under this overarching Commandment are many other new commandments. When we obey them, we will have obeyed the larger 11th Commandment: Love each other the way Christ loved us. Christ knows that for us, it is a big order to fill. So, He breaks it down into smaller steps.

To continue our example, we ask Him for more of His Spirit to help us forgive another, thus loving that person. For it is only His Spirit now growing in us that can do the forgiving and loving. We do not strive to obey His new commandments to obtain salvation or reward or to be pleasing in His sight. We obey that He may grow in us. By obeying them, we develop His “divine nature” within our new heart.

How the Book Is Organized

The first section of the book gives more background information, elucidating the spiritual setting of these New Commandments. The second section will address a dozen of them.
There are many more sprinkled throughout the New Testament. It is the author’s hope that this book will encourage readers to explore and investigate other commandments that the Spirit will show them. Joy comes when He reveals a new one to us as we study His word. They are like pearls just under the surface of the sand, waiting for us to discover them.

It is our hope that this book will bring awareness of Christ’s new commandments and their importance for our spiritual growth. When we keep them, we are obeying the 11th Commandment. May it be used to help carry us all on down the road to immortality, that God may reproduce Himself in each of us, thus fulfilling His purpose for you and me. Understanding all this prepares us for bearing much fruit. This is the 100-fold fruit bearing that He has for His sons and daughters. But it all starts with understanding God’s eternal purpose. Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[Order your free copy with free shipping of this book. Just send a request with your name, mailing address and the name of the book to my email address: wayneman5@hotmail.com]

From Death to Everlasting Life—From Earthly Bodies to Heavenly Bodies

(from Kenneth Wayne Hancock, Journal entry, 9-20-21)

Mankind’s trouble is traced from his realization that the earthly body that he walks around in will one day die. It is dissolving even now in a slow march to the grave. Ashes are its destiny. Unless he is a child or a fool, man knows that his body will melt back into the earth.

Our “days are consumed, like smoke” (Psalm 102:3). When the dawn of death’s reality shrouds are minds, we groan under its weight. For we know that in a few short years our earthly body will succumb to our Creator’s will. For He has subjected all humans to the “bondage of corruption (decay unto death)” in hope that we will see the futility of living only for ourselves in this earthly life (Rom. 8:20-23).

The aging visage we see in our mirror is a witness to these things. But then we see Him! High and lifted up, waiting for the few, the remnant, the first fruits to realize the Answer to all their trepidations.

In Adam, all will wither and fade to dust and ash, but “You, Yahweh, shall endure forever” (Psalm 102:12). And because of your great mercy, You see our plight of impending doom, and you reach down and help us live.

“Yahweh looked down from His sanctuary on high; from heaven he viewed the earth, to hear the groans of the prisoners and release those condemned to death.” And why does He save us? “So the name of Yahweh will be declared in Zion and His praise in Jerusalem, when the peoples and the kingdoms assemble to worship Yahweh” (102:19-22).  

But now the whole of creation groans with us, waiting for “the manifestation of the sons of God.” (Rom. 8:19). We all wait for the unveiling of the sons and daughters of God. This body of humans will have received their new, spiritual bodies, like the body that the Son of God resides in now. That kind of spiritual body is an everlasting body.

These 100-fold fruit bearing followers of the Lamb will come on the scene at the appointed time of the end. God’s Spirit through them will govern the earth. God will “restore all things” that He prophesied through His prophets. He will establish his kingdom and all peoples and nations will praise his name. But now, He humbles us as we learn that only He will endure. The heavens and the earth “shall perish, but You shall endure” (Psm. 102: 26-27). As we await the appointed time when our earthly body will be “swallowed up” with our new celestial body, we have joy knowing that He will deliver. This vision is the “law [the instruction] and the testimony,” which is “the spirit of prophecy” (Isa. 8:20; Rev. 19:10).   Kenneth Wayne Hancock 

In the Beginning Was the Seed—Part Two

(Knowing Christ from the beginning is the key to maximum spiritual growth)

Knowing Him from the beginning is so profound that we need to slow down—way down—in our perusal of its meaning. We must not rush past this truth in hot pursuit of more knowledge. Knowing Him from the beginning is deep, though it is taught in the simplest of words: seed, garden, sow, reap, harvest. Our Savior used these very words to bring Light to our eyes. We must slow down and savor His words of inspiration. We must not bolt this food, for this is “strong meat.”

The apostle John writes to little children, young men, and fathers—30, 60 and 100-fold fruit-bearing Christians. “I write unto you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning” (I John 2:13). The fathers know that God is the Word in the beginning. “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:13). Fathers know Him who is from the beginning. They know that all those who receive the Word/Seed are regenerated from the Seed/Son, who is the impetus of all life. God/Spirit/Word/Seed was at the beginning of everything. And we are in Him; we are inside the Seed! Therefore, we were in the Seed at the beginning, too!

A Seed, a Promise

A seed is a promise of the fruit to come. We receive the seed, having not seen the future fruit. It is a word of promise, a covenant, a pact, that if you take the Seed and believe the word of promise, then you will bear “fruit, more fruit, and much fruit.” This is 30, 60, and 100-fold growth explained.

Christ is the Seed. His earthly life is an enactment of the spiritual seed reality. Christ, the Son of God, is the Seed that is planted in us humans. We are the spiritual seed bed, that the Seed/Son is planted into. “The seed is the word of God.” Christ is the Sower; He sows the word of His promises into our hearts. When we walk with Christ in a higher growth, we are a part of His spiritual body. We become one with the Sower as we begin to sow the seed, the word of God.

All this is activated by faith–His faith. He believes in this spiritual miracle that changes us. He believes and has faith that what He has instituted will stand forever. When we take the leap of faith, we are really beginning to believe what the Son believes. He has faith that we will change and witness in us His glory.

Look at us! Despite our pitiful weaknesses, Christ believes in His own word of power to change us. We just need to ask Him for the strength to believe what He believes. And this power is not just about our earthen vessels. Upon His return to earth, those who are walking in 100-fold growth will wield power, executing His will for the earth.     

When we bear witness to the testimony of the Seed/Son, we will have explained and walked in 100-fold fruit bearing growth. The caveat is that the closer we get to bearing much fruit, the more persecution we can expect from our adversary the devil. For he does not want this truth out there. The word “testimony” is translated from the Greek word martyria. “Death works in us” (II Cor. 4:12).

The Seed Must Die

But the seed must die when planted. Christ in His earthly ministry did it all. He raised the dead and healed the sick, by the thousands. With His power He could have called down ten thousand angels to take over the world, but He didn’t. Why? Because in His first advent, He was the Seed, not the harvest. He had to die because seeds must die and lose their identity to bear fruit.

“Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abides alone: but if it die, it brings forth much fruit” (John 12:24 KJV). In another version: “Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But if it dies, it produces many seeds” (NIV).  Christ, the Son of God, is the kernel of wheat that had to die to bring forth “many sons unto glory.”

The harvest of “many sons” is fast approaching. His sons and daughters are rising out of the long-neglected seed beds and are springing forth into the Light. Like blades of corn, they have bent toward the Light. They are expanding their roots into the moist earth, and they are now hungry for the pure spiritual nutrients needed for their growth.

The sons and daughters of God will grow until the time of the harvest, which is fast approaching. The evil seed is planted and grows alongside the wheat. It is careening and stomping through God’s field of wheat, crushing some good fruit in the process.

Satan, the god of this present world system, “knows that he has but a short time” before the harvest. He is marshaling his forces, pushing toward that day when–he thinks–he will be crowned the god of all creation. It is the same spirit that was in the garden of Eden, the same irritant that Yahweh allowed to strut on to the world stage, the same “accuser of the brethren,” who is the deceiver in charge of this world system. But His word promises this: “And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a Kingdom, which shall never be destroyed… it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand forever” (Daniel 2:44). That is His word of promise. It’s the Kingdom. That is the “mind of Christ.” It is what the King thinks on. The Kingdom is the gospel, the good news (Matthew 4:23; 24:14; Mark 4:14). It is what we are to seek first. He is asking us to think on these deeper truths, truths that, when obeyed, will make His will our will.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

In the Beginning Was the Seed—Part One

(Every garden begins with a seed. The Spirit is saying, Come with Me and dig deep in the garden of God)

We must “dig deep” because the garden holds a secret. But the garden gate is locked; we need the key. Christ is the key to the mystery of the locked garden gate. Christ’s words enfold this truth: “The parable is this: the seed is the word of God” (Luke 8:11).

Seed = Word. Word = Seed. Therefore, “In the beginning was the Word [Seed]…And the Word [Seed] was God” (John 1:1). And the Seed was God. In the beginning of all things was the Seed. And those that are His have been “born of that incorruptible seed, the word of God” (I Peter 1:23).

We now believe that the Seed, the Son of God, died, was buried, and was raised from the dead. Our belief in Him generates a new birth of that same Seed/Word in our hearts. We have that same seed in us. We are created in His image–both physical and spiritual. Like a garden seed is programmed to die, be buried, and spring to life, so it is in the spiritual realm.

What do seeds do? They grow. They are designed to spring to life and grow. Be it animal, vegetable, or spiritual, we are all designed to grow from a seed. In the Holy Bible, Christ and his apostles have commanded us to do certain things to spur on this growth.

The book The Additions to the Faith deals primarily with one of His commandments: “Add to your faith” the seven additions of the divine nature (I Peter1:5). Your faith is really His faith. There is only one faith (Eph. 4:5). Faith is the seed-beginning of all potential spiritual growth. It takes believing the word/seed faith, having not seen the physical evidence.

We should pause before exploring the seven additions to our faith. We must hold this truth tightly. The faith we have now from God is Christ’s actual faith/belief system. Christ believes  His own plan to spread agape love all over the earth in human beings.

God’s purpose is the reproduction of Himself, which is Love. He does this by using the age-old Law of Harvest: Each seed bears its own kind. “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap” (Gal. 6:7 NASB). Spiritually speaking, we reap what we sow. But this sowing and reaping has nothing to do with Christians giving money to evangelists and believing that they will gain a return of money “one hundred-fold.” This prosperity doctrine is insidious. It preys on desperate people who fall into the trap of always looking after the flesh, thereby missing the Holy Spirit.

The Law of Harvest has to do with spiritual growth, as well as physical. Christ said, “The words I speak they are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). There is no spiritual growth except through a germinated seed. The seed is the word of God. Then the word, like Christ, is made flesh in our mortal bodies. But the seed must be sown in good ground, in a “good and honest heart.”

Spiritual growth is how much of God’s Spirit of love grows in our hearts. He wants us to bear the peaceable fruit of righteousness in a fully mature growth which Christ calls bearing 100-fold fruit. To bear this amount of spiritual fruit, we must “know him that is from the beginning,” the beginning of all things. “Beginning” is from the Greek word arche. This “arche/beginning is not a recent, little beginning. It is big and deep and goes back before the worlds were framed by the word of God. The same word is used in John 1:1: “In the beginning was the Word.” Or, we can now say, “In the beginning was the Seed.”

This study gives us the key to the garden gate. This study about the Seed/Son opens it. And it gives us knowledge on how to enter the 100-fold fruit bearing growth. For knowing Christ from the beginning is the key.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[Order your free copy of The Additions to the Faith, with free shipping. Just send your name, the name of the book, and your mailing address to my email: wayneman5@hotmail.com ]

Abraham, Faith, and the City of God

(An excerpt from Chapter 29 of  The Apostles’ Doctrine)

Abraham “looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God” (Heb. 11: 10). He looked by faith. God appeared to Him several times and told him about New Jerusalem. And Abraham believed God, having never seen the city. “And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God” (James 2: 23). God’s friend looked for God’s city. If we want to be God’s friend, we better start looking for the heavenly city. We better study it out thoroughly. We better start walking this faith walk like New Jerusalem really exists.

Faith Is the Only Path to the Invisible God

Abraham looked for the heavenly city because he believed God. He had “faith toward God,” which happens to be the second of the apostles’ doctrines. Faith is being assured of something’s existence before seeing the evidence that it indeed exists. Believing before seeing (Heb. 11: 1).

But this world lies in deception. It is designed to lure every human who is striving and seeking God to rely only on their five senses for their reality. God transcends our five senses, which are like five blind guides falling with their patrons into a ditch. Furthermore, citizens of the five-senses-world rush to rescue us every time we get a little closer to God by exclaiming, “Come to your senses!” How deceived some are, for they do not understand that God is not in the ceremonies that you see, nor canned chants you hear, nor burning incense you can smell, nor wafers you can taste, nor hymnals and trays you can touch. He can only be grasped by faith.

So, like our father Abraham, we are to look for this New Jerusalem. It is what we are to seek after, just like the father of our faith and the other prophets did. This grand and glorious city, located on the real estate of old Jerusalem, will be our home and will be the governmental offices and throne of our King Yahshua.

This is what the story of the Hebrews is all about. And this Kingdom will bring to the earth the peace and love that we all have desired for thousands of years. It is a peace that only the Prince of Peace can bring. Un-regenerated man cannot bring peace to this earth. He has had 6,000+ years to get it done, but he has only left misery in his wake. Christ will get it done; that is the gospel, the good news—Christ the King bringing in His Kingdom that will correct the wrongs and bring judgement upon the evil doers, thus paving the way for peace and prosperity.

This is what we are working for. This is the only thing worth working for. For “all is vanity and vexation of spirit.” All else is fruitless and futile in the end. Nothing else will stand. All things besides His Kingdom will crumble and dissolve into the sands of time.

The sad part is that the masses will not cry unto God for His return to earth until they have lost everything. Historically in the Old Testament, the Israelites waited until they were conquered and made destitute by a foreign power before they cried to Yahweh. Then He would send them a man of God to be their champion. We in the West are living on borrowed time, for all our governments have borrowed trillions of dollars and are in debt to international bankers. It is only a matter of time before we go belly up. Then we will cry unto God for deliverance. Hate to say it, but history is a strict teacher of the truth. We all will reap what we have sown. The sands of time are running out.

We are told to “walk by faith, not by sight.” Christians can only do this by believing His word to us: “I will dwell in them, and walk in them” (II Cor. 5:7; 6:16). Where are we walking to? It is New Jerusalem.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock [Send for my book, The Apostles’ Doctrine. It is free with free shipping. For details, click the link: Ordering My Free Books in Paperback | Immortality Road (wordpress.com)]

God’s Will Is His Desire for Unity

This is God’s will: His desire is that all of His sons and daughters come to the “unity of the faith” (Eph. 4:13). He does not want a church house filled with a “unity” drenched in error. He desires His sheep to have the same mind of Christ, to have His purpose. When we all come to that stage of spiritual growth, we will have the unity that is His will.

But right now, as the world burns, there is no unity of the faith in Christian circles. It is because there are many faiths, many concepts of who Christ is and what He wants us to do. Every denomination shares their faith, not His faith. The problem is that there are 2,200 faiths, one for each of them. Moreover, millions in the pews do not even agree with their church on doctrine. All this spreads even more disunity.

It is God’s will that Christ’s body, the church, be in unity. It is His desire. Man’s wisdom has the laity judging other churches and giving up on them for not believing like they do. They separate from those of different persuasions instead of trying to come to unity. The secret to this problem is that it takes the humbling presence of the true Spirit of Christ for us to come to the unity of His faith.

Unity in Christ

Unity in Christ is the goal for the offices of God. There are five, and their names sound very familiar—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. But the five offices that Paul speaks of are not found in almost all the church houses. The Father has given these five offices to the body of Christ for three specific tasks: “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith…unto a perfect man [spiritually mature Christian like Paul himself]…unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ” (Eph. 4:11). Or, until we become like Christ! The false offices will reject the Spirit’s words through the apostle Paul and try to refute His will, His desire!

The five offices are to help the church come to full maturity. That ministry is Christ gathering “together in one [unity] all things in Christ (Eph. 1:10). These five offices are also for the building up of the members of the body of Christ.

We are to endeavor “to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph. 4:3). This “unity of the Spirit” is shown in the seven unities that make up the unity of the Spirit. There is “one body.” And that is the spiritual body of Christ. This is not the many bodies of Christ found in man’s organizations. Also, there is “one Spirit.” “God is a Spirit.” Only one. One hope of our calling. “One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all” (Eph. 4:3-6).

The above is a description of one of the Father’s main desires. It is a great part of his will. God has made known the “mystery of his will according to His purpose” (Eph. 1:9-10). The eternal purpose of God is to bring all things into the unity of Christ. This Oneness is not something that our Father forces on people. He does not coerce anyone to first repent from sin, faults, and shortcomings.

The mystery is that we received from Him this destiny before our debut here on earth (Eph.1:5). This was “according to the good pleasure of his will.” This is all accomplished in the beginning, in the record, the testimony of “the book of life.” In God’s thinking, His desire, His will, has already taken place. He with great patience waits on us to walk in His will, which is His desire. We must make our desires His desires. This is walking in His will.       Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Admonishment about the “Baptism of the Holy Spirit”

Delivering an admonishment is seldom joyous. Receiving one can be grievous. Yet we are told to admonish each other. And so, the time “to warn of a fault and reprove kindly, but seriously” is now.

First, allow me to set the scene. Yesterday I sat down and waited at my desk for inspiration from Yahweh. I had prayed for words for your edification. I thought of the Pentecostals and charismatics, whose defining characteristic is the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” experience. And I wondered why I never hear them share any of what the Spirit is showing this vessel from the scriptures of truth.

And then, as it were, a silent voice spoke to me. “Hey, Wayneman, why don’t you just tell your readers to get baptized in the Holy Spirit? All these things you are telling them—the additions to the faith, purge out the old leaven, continue steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine, the using the sacred names of Yahshua and Yahweh, obeying all of Christ’s commandments, and putting on the armor of God. Look. We just want Jesus. We don’t want doctrine.”

I replied with a question. “Are these teachings I share scriptural? Are they in the Holy Bible? The answer is ‘yes.’ But you are saying that basically all you need is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, that that is the ultimate prize. Boom! Just receive it! But the Holy Spirit is not an ‘it.’ The Spirit is the Father Himself, the eternal invisible One. That is also in the scriptures (1Tim. 1:17; John 4:24; II Cor. 3:17-18).

I continued. “You say, Just receive it, and then you will be right with God. That’s all there is to it. The irony is this: You say that you want the same experience that the early apostles received at Pentecost, and yet, these very apostles taught all the things that you think is unnecessary for a 21^st Century walk with God.

There are no shortcuts. There is a “strong delusion” happening in Christendom. Many have been deceived into thinking that the baptism of the Holy Spirit is a be-all end-all. But it is not. To grow into the “manifestation of the sons of God,” it will take much more than a singular experience with God. The experience may be a wake-up call. But there is so much more knowledge needed to do His will “in earth as it is in heaven.”

Peter and the Additions (I Peter 1:1-10)

It is none other than the apostle Peter who tells us to “add to your faith” seven facets of God’s nature. This is the disciple who had seen it all. As one of the original twelve, he was an eyewitness of countless miracles done by Christ. He was there at the Mount of Transfiguration. He spoke with Christ after His resurrection. And most importantly for the Pentecostals and charismatics, he was definitely “baptized in the Holy Spirit.”

And Peter is the one who tells us to add to the faith. Through studying out the seven additions, we receive “exceeding great and precious promises that “by these [promises] you might be partakers of the divine nature” (v. 4).

There is something more profound than having an experience with God. God uses those experiences to help call us to His service. They get our attention. I never argue with a person’s experience. For they will say, But I know the baptism in the Holy Spirit is real!

I am not refuting that. But did God show you through that experience the meaning of Christ’s parables? Did the experience give you knowledge of how to grow into spiritual maturity? Did it prepare you to sit with Christ on his throne? Did it take you through the cross experience where your old nature has died? Did your experience give you all the knowledge of God–knowledge that the Spirit through Peter told us to have?

Peter was a major recipient of the baptism of the Spirit and fire. Fire. Since we today did not get to walk with Yahshua for three and a half years, we need to study out the teachings that they were privy to. After all, where did Peter get this knowledge about the seven additions? It was from Christ’s teachings during those three and a half years.

Peter says that if those seven additions “be in you, and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (Yahshua)” (verses 3-10). The Spirit through Peter says that if you have added these seven divine attributes, then you will be fruitful in the knowledge of Christ. But if you don’t add them, you “are blind and cannot see afar off.” The same God who gave you your experience is the same God who’s now telling you that you must add more of his divine nature to the faith that he’s given you. And that takes study.  

I could go on and on. In fact, I have published six books on these subjects. They are a distillation of 50 years of study. It was the Spirit in the apostle Paul who admonished us to “study to show yourself approved unto God” so that you won’t be ashamed when you appear before Him (II Tim. 2:15). What to study? Start with the additions. They are in my latest book, The Additions to the Faith.

The admonishment comes to us from Peter and Paul: Don’t be deceived by the “strong delusion” of a spiritual shortcut via a “baptism in the Holy Spirit” experience where one gets a wonderful feeling that, alas, does not last. Like an electric car, the feeling must be recharged every Sunday. For the charismatic experience just does not cover what the Holy Spirit in the early apostles has told us to do.

There is so much more than what the churches teach. The banquet table is set. He has given us six books now. They contain much on these subjects and have your name on them. “Come. Buy without money” (Isa. 55:1). [The books are free to you with free shipping. Just ask through my email, wayneman5@hotmail.com Include the name of the book, your name, and your mailing address.

But most do not want these books. They must feel that they have no need for this knowledge.  This reality places an aching in my heart, for I know that the knowledge contained in those books will help you grow spiritually, which in turn will glorify the Father.

But first, one must believe that they need more truth. And then they must believe in the source of the truth. The source is the Spirit of truth who has come and is guiding us into all truth (John 16:13).

Christ’s Admonishment

Christ Himself, gives us this huge admonishment: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot… so, because you are lukewarm… I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth [spiritual riches] and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; And white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see. Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline. So be earnest and repent” (Rev. 3:14-19 NIV). The Spirit is speaking to us in this last church age.

To those who overcome—to those who heed this warning from the lips of Christ—Christ has incomprehensible promises of power and glory awaiting them when He establishes His government here on earth.

Question: Has the “baptism of the Holy Spirit” experience shown you how to buy from Christ “gold tried in the fire”? or how to obtain the white raiment that covers spiritual nakedness? Or how to get the eye salve that will cure spiritual blindness? Remember Peter’s warning: “But he that lacks these things [the seven additions to the faith] is blind…” (II Peter 1:9). But adding them confirms your calling and election.

Christ is knocking on the door of our hearts. If we open the door, He will come in and break bread with us. To those of us who overcome, He will invite them to sit with Him on His throne. The caveat? We must have an ear to hear what the Spirit is saying to us (Rev. 3:20-22).

Delivering an admonishment is at times not joyous. Receiving one is sometimes grievous. He admonishes us because He loves us and is helping us take a deeper walk with Him.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock