Worshipping God in Spirit and in Truth

“…You shall not worship any other god, for Yahweh, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God” (Exodus 34:14). This should bring us to our knees in reverential awe of our Father. How to worship Him and no other is on the top of the list of what we must get straightened out.

Christ, Yahweh-in-human-form, elucidated: “God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth” (John 4:24). God is an invisible Spirit. Therefore, we are to worship Him in the spiritual realm, not in the material realm. The worship must also be according to the truth. His “word is truth.”

In Spirit

To arrive at the kind of worship that Yahweh desires, we must worship “in spirit and in truth.” “In spirit” entails having a “contrite spirit,” a broken spirit, a humble heart, being “poor” in spirit–not rich and fat spiritually (Revelation 3:16-18; Isaiah 66: 2). For it is these that Yahweh will accept. “But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word.” That is what Yahweh is after in our worship of him.

Worshipping in spirit means entering with our hearts in that invisible spirit world of humility and gratefulness to God. Moreover, it leads a humble and grateful heart into communicating to God that gratefulness. In a word, we enter His presence with prayer. In this prayerful state we offer  the sacrifice of the “caves of our lips,” thanking him (Hosea 14:2).

God is not interested in material things scattered within and upon worship—candles, cups, incense, offering trays, et al. These only serve as the traps and snares of the human mind. Is all about the heart of each of us. He is interested in us trusting Him, even though He is this invisible spirit of love. Will we allow His sacrifice on the cross, His ultimate declaration of love, melt our adamant hearts? Will our walls of doubt and belligerence finally crumble and crash down at His feet? Will we gratefully with broken hearts thank Him for having mercy on us? Will we tremble at His Majesty and His word?

In Truth

Those are the questions we must be honest enough to ask ourselves. By answering in the affirmative, we will be entering into true worship—if our concepts of Him are true. God is the “Spirit of truth.” If there are false concepts of Him in our thinking, then our communication with God is at least partially blocked. We must rid ourselves of the untruths about Him, His purpose, and His plan.

We have seen that the worship of the Father must be in spirit and in truth. That we be in the proper spirit and attitude in approaching God–this is having a broken and contrite heart and spirit towards God that leads to communication with God in prayer. But after expressing gratitude to him, what do we say to him? It’s all in the Lord’s prayer. By praying thusly, we get on the same page as our Father in heaven.

It’s all about walking in the truth. And that truth is His word (John 17: 17). “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” The truth is what sets us apart for His work in the earth. That is what sanctification is. At this point in our growth, we are mostly alive for what we can do for the Father. We are no longer children in this growth but young men and women in the spirit.

However, if we are walking in error, if we are doing (or not doing) things in our attempt to worship God that is against His word—then we will not grow from justification to sanctification and on into glorification. Not obeying his word equals no growth.

The spirit (pneuma) in us breathing out of our mouths the word of God—that is worship. Submitting our bodies to be used by the Spirit of God within to utter His words of life to others—that is worship. Presenting our “bodies as a living sacrifice,” and allowing the Spirit to minister through us—that is worshipping Yahweh.     Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[All this and much more is in my book The Eleventh Commandment. It shows that the Lord’s prayer is a model prayer that line by line shows us the things Yahweh is thinking about. It is not a magical incantation to be repeated. It is the kind of prayer that God will listen to. It is a blueprint of prayers that will reach God. Everyone needs this book. It is free with free shipping. Just send your name, mailing address, and name of the book to my email: wayneman5@hotmail.com]

God’s Sovereignty in the 2024 Election

Listen, O Democrats and give ear, O Republicans, and all you Independents who will vote in the presidential election of 2024.  

You agonize in vain because following man’s governments is like chasing the wind; there is no profit in it. Why? Because it is Yahweh who “rules in the kingdom of men, [and] gives it to whomever He will, and sets over it the lowest of men” (Daniel 4:11). God determines who will be the next president. At present He has set up flawed candidates, the lowest spiritually of men—Biden and Trump. He has His reasons that are steeped in secrets and mysteries, but He reveals them, as He desires, to those He chooses.

The takeaway? We should not yearn nor fret about politics. Yah is ruling as we speak. He has universal sovereignty, or else He would not be God. God is on the throne; He rules, and He allows unpleasant things to happen to us so that we will cry unto Him. Think about the twelve tribes of Israel in Egypt. God hardened pharaoh’s heart toward Israel. It was Yahweh who hardened his heart—so that His children would cry out to Him (Rom. 9:17-18).

God is in control of our personal lives, for everything that happens to us, God not only knows it, but He orchestrated it. “In everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus [Yahshua] concerning you” (I Thes. 5:18).  

It is God’s will that we learn what will come very shortly in politics.  “But there is a God in heaven that reveals secrets, and makes known… what shall be in the latter days,” said the Spirit through Daniel. The literal Kingdom of heaven is coming to this earth upon Christ’s return. It is the stone kingdom that will destroy the present world system as a great stone crashing onto the feet of the world Gentile empires. It will finish it off. And this stone that “smote the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:28-45). This was the Babylonian king’s dream that Daniel interpreted. The God of heaven shall set up His kingdom with Christ as King.

And here is the icing on the good news of His coming kingdom. He will invite a few thousand of His elect to sit on His throne with Him. They will be judges and will bring justice to the earth. This is the ultimate calling—to be like His Son—to be in a special place where all bitterness, disappointment, envy, and sadness is banished. And to sow this love and peace throughout the Kingdom. For it will be the Kingdom of God, full of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. So, keep this in mind when the weight of man’s political systems start to smother you. They will only come to power if God wills it. He sets over the governments of the world with the lowest of men. He is sovereign that way.   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)

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

Those with Eyes to See and Ears to Hear—Where Are They?

(from Journal, 6-24-2003)

Possibly the greatest frustration for a Christian is when people reject their witness and testimony of Christ and His love. He has placed a burning desire to share the love that Christ has shared with us. We all expect others to respond to the preaching of the good news through our lips and are disappointed when they don’t. Some of us newly minted Christians even ran out there with our hair on fire trying to convert everyone.

When it did not happen, in utter frustration, we ask, “Why don’t they believe?” The answer from Christ’s lips is so counterintuitive that very few preachers even go there; you won’t hear it preached on Sunday morning.

Why won’t they believe? The simple answer: They have not been given the spiritual tools to be able to perceive at this time the mysteries of the Kingdom of God. The mysteries are spiritually discerned. It is through their unbelief in Yahweh that their eyes are blinded. Once their heart believes, then the scales will fall from their eyes, and they will be able to see the “things God has prepared for those that love Him.”

Why can’t they see? The Holy Spirit in John answers the question directly: “Therefore they could not believe because…He has blinded their eyes and hardened their heart; that they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart and be converted, and I should heal them” (John 12:40).

The Spirit is quoting His own words through Isaiah: “And he said, Go, and say to this people:
Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive. Make the heart of this people dull, and their ears heavy, and blind their eyes; lest they see with their eyes,
and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and turn and be healed” (6:9-10).

So, God gives some people, most people—at this time—a spiritual sleep, a slumber of unbelief.  This unbelief blinds them spiritually so that they cannot perceive the things of God. We must be patient, enduring the rebuffs and rejections, knowing that every incident dovetails into His grand scheme of things. It is all working for good as we wait on Him to renew our strength.

Parable of the Sower

A parable is a “dark saying” that purposely clouds the meaning for some hearers. Christ spoke in parables to prevent the masses at that time from understanding the message of the kingdom. The disciples asked Him, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?” Christ said, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them.” He chooses in His unfathomable knowledge the likes of us and has given us knowledge of the mysteries of life. And to those of us who now have the knowledge of His secrets and mysteries, He gives even more (Matt. 13:10-15). It is all Him.

The above explains Matthew 13’s The Parable of the Sower. The word is sown into four types of earth: the wayside where the fouls (Satan’s minions) gobble up the word; the stony places where the lack of topsoil causes the seed to not bear fruit; the thorns where the seed/word is choked out by the cares of this life. But the last is the good ground of a good and honest heart and which bears three levels of spiritual fruit production: 30-fold children; 60-fold young men and women; and 100-fold spiritual fathers and virtuous women. We don’t know what kind of ground the people have when we witness to them. If it is the former three types, then it gets grim.

If it is good ground, then fruit of various levels of production will be harvested. We are not to figure out which type of ground it is. We are to sow His seed and let Yahweh do His wonders. That is our job. For His word will not return to Him void but will accomplish what He wants done. “One plants, one waters, but it is God who gives the increase.”

We should not, therefore, huff and puff and try to convert the world. We do what we can while maintaining rest in Him. This is trusting Him that He will reach those whom He will reach. In the meantime, we study that we may be ready to feed His lambs and sheep the words of truth.

The Arm of Yahweh

In frustration, Isaiah lamented: “Who has believed our report? To whom is the arm of Yahweh revealed?” (53:1). Believing in Yahweh as the Savior will reveal to us that Yahshua was the arm of Yahweh. Yahshua (Christ) was the “expressed image of the invisible God.” And by believing in this report that Yahweh raised that human vessel from the dead, we are saved from sin and sinning. Yahweh saves us by raising up the man Yahshua. By believing in this resurrection, we tap into the Root of eternal life.

The election has obtained this right state with God through faith in His resurrection. Yah has blinded the rest of Israel [twelve tribes]. “Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles (nations, the ethnos) be come in” (Romans 11:25).

We can see Yah’s ordering of His Vision for His earth in that last sentence. The Twelve Tribes of Israel, though lost, are in the earth today. They are blind as to their identity as the “lost sheep of the House of Israel.” They will stay spiritually blind until God’s ordained timing for them is fulfilled after a certain number of Gentiles have come into His Kingdom.

He ordains everything. We may not fully comprehend His plan, but we must rest our minds, knowing that “He does all things decently and in order.” The One who knows the number of hairs on our heads surely knows how to fulfill His will in earth as it is in heaven.

The original question was this: Why don’t they believe? The answer: It is not their time yet. Yah is fair and just. He has a time for everyone. “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.”

The frustration will subside when we begin to believe that everyone slated to repent and turn with their whole heart to God has a timing pre-ordained by Him. If you can perceive the above, then “blessed are your eyes for they see.” This should give us rest.      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Endurance Needed to Reach the Heavenly Goal

As we have seen, patience is the fourth addition to the faith. To mature spiritually, we need patience working in our lives. It is the patience that God alone possesses. Patience is endurance, the ability to outlast the hardships. It is in the fiery crucible that coal is transformed into diamonds.

But it is not the puny patience that we humans try to use when the going gets tough. No, we need the endurance that is part of God’s very own divine nature. God is the standard for patience.

But God’s patience is to endure for a cause. To endure, we must first have a goal. But it must be a finer goal than just self-preservation. It must be a heavenly goal, one that agrees with our Maker’s goal. He sets our goal in this life if we are open to it. And that goal is this: You and I are to grow into full spiritual maturity–to be just like the apostles and Christ.

We have learned that God’s patience is part of His divine nature that He wishes to share with us. This attribute is vital for our ability to get through the fiery furnace of trials and tribulations that will befall all of God’s “born from above” children. If Christ and His apostles went through it, then is it any wonder that God would have us go through trials, also?

Why do new Christians stumble and fall away? Because they have not added patience/endurance in their hearts and minds. The cause goes much deeper. Modern churchianity has concocted doctrines that preclude the need for endurance for Christians. False teachers, preachers, and priests say that we will not go through the Great Tribulation. They say that we will be raptured out of the earth before the tribulation begins. This is false. The scripture teaches just the opposite, for “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus (Yahshua) will suffer persecution” (II Tim. 3:12 NKJV).

But Paul knew that “tribulation works patience” (Rom. 5:3). I.e., trials and hardships produce endurance and perseverance. And endurance/patience is what we will need to come to full spiritual maturity and grow up into the manifested sons and daughters of God (Rom. 8: 18-19).      Kenneth Wayne Hancock

[Ordering My Free Books in Paperback]

I am now able to send you a copy of my books absolutely free with free shipping.  Please specify which one.

Yah Is Savior: The Road to Immortality explores the deeper meaning of our Savior’s Hebrew name Yahshua, which means Yahweh is the Savior.

The Unveiling of the Sons of God explains how the whole creation is waiting and longing for the manifestation (the unveiling) of the sons of God for these latter days. Christ will be totally formed in His elect as they will have grown and matured spiritually into His likeness and power.

The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect. It explores God’s vision for us, to be kings with Christ and how He will use us to reproduce His nature of Love.

My latest books are The Apostles’ Doctrine and The 11^th Commandment. Their doctrine was Christ’s teachings. And the early church walked in those teachings. These books reveal just what they are and how to walk in them.

Send your request, specifying which one of my books you desire, to my email address:  wayneman5@hotmail.com 

Include your name and mailing address. For those outside the United States, or who may prefer a pdf copy of the last two books mentioned, please specify.  Also, you may read the first two books online at my website Immortality Road found here:   https://immortalityroad.wordpress.com

Perspective on the Degradation of Our Society

Seventy-five years on the planet gives me perspective on the nation’s decline into darkness. I have seen the degrading of almost everything in our society.

Take music. Secular love songs from 60-70 years ago were about the pains and joys of the heart. Now they are of the “lusts of the flesh.”

Economics? Our dollar is worthless. The dollar used to be a 90% silver coin containing about an ounce of silver. It was real money. That same silver dollar is worth $30 in today’s paper currency. That silver dollar would buy 20 candy bars or 20 bottles of Coca-Cola. For my dad a silver dollar would buy three gallons of gasoline with a silver dime in change. My dad paid me one silver dollar for sweeping up hair at his barber shop on Saturdays back in 1955 when I was eight years old. Imagine a little kid running around with precious metal in his pocket and an American dream in his heart.

Now things look grim as the Federal Reserve Bank has absolutely ruined our economy. I share this to give you some perspective on how low we have been brought and how serious our current financial disaster is.

Back in the 1950’s, we Americans were still living by the standards of Protestant, Puritan values. But the darker influences had by then been let out of Pandora’s box. The lustful rhythms of the nations stirred a specter of passion. Most young women were chaste, held in check by the fear of society’s shunning of them for having babies out of wedlock. When a girl got pregnant out of wedlock, she simply disappeared, hurried off in shame to a willing aunt hundreds of miles away. There the girl would have her baby in seclusion and often give it up for adoption. Today she will parade her new fatherless baby up and down the high school halls. Dating was going to the movies back then. And if a boy got too fresh, he would have to face her World War II veteran father. [We were truly scared of those fathers]. But now, dating is a euphemism for having sex.

Today, the world has lost all restraints to bad behavior. Decorum is dead. Dignity is an orphan under a bridge. We see a society where thieves boldly ransack and steal armloads of merchandise while “security guards” passively look on. In the 50’s the thief would have been wrestled to the ground, arrested and prosecuted for grand larceny.

But age gives us perspective. I remember as a lad, I heard old-timers talking about how society was going downhill because of the federal government’s policies. They were right.

“Something wicked this way comes,” said the poet. No, it is already here. Conservatives on the right say that we can rise up and change this scary downward slide, that we can restore our society to what the Founding Fathers envisioned. That is a nice dream. But that ship has sailed. The cat is out of the bag, and no one will be able to put him back in again.

Why do I say that? I know that it sounds pessimistic. It is because of this: “This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves [not God], covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers… (I Tim. 3:1-7; II Pet. 2; Jude 1). The apostles warn us of our day, a day of spiritual darkness, “perilous times.” Spoiler alert: It is going to get much worse, a la the Great Tribulation. And we Christians are going to be in the big middle of it. But that’s another story that I have written at length about [rapture | Search Results | Immortality Road (wordpress.com)].

The leaders of the countries of this world have caused this denigration of which we speak. “For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they that are led of them are destroyed” (Isa. 9:16).

But that is not true of God’s offspring. We have been restored, for we have “been with Him from the beginning.” Consequently, we know that “all things are of God.” We know that He is in charge. His law of harvest is in effect and cannot be broken. Whatever a nation sows, that shall it also reap. Pride goes before a fall. Through much hubris nations are brought to their knees. And so it is with the USA and all the other nations of the world.

Our Father’s Plan

The time of the end is upon us. And it is all part of the plan–that we would become so frustrated with the ways of the world, that we would finally seek our Creator. “For the creation [us] was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:20-21 NIV).

It is God who has subjected us to frustration. It is His doing. He allowed us to be bound in the chains of sin. We were held captive by our dark and selfish actions that brought the demise of our earthly bodies. And we were frustrated by having to live in clay vessels that grow old, die, and decay. But now we realize that we have returned to Him and have embraced His hope for us. His hope is that we will receive everlasting life. And now we see that all of creation is waiting for Christ’s return to this earth, when He will bestow upon us a new, glorious, spiritual body, which will enable us to serve the King throughout all ages (8:19).

It is our great and glorious privilege, therefore, to serve Him in His government, the Kingdom of God, which is coming very soon to fill the earth with his righteous judgment. For He is the Answer to all questions, the Solver of all problems, and the Teacher of all parables. He is Yahshua, the King of kings, our Creator (Col. 1:16). And “of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end…” (Isa. 9:2-7).

We are blessed to serve Him together. Spread the word.   Kenneth Wayne Hancock 

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Virtue—Why We Must Add It to Faith

Because “all things are of God,” the very faith that we have now as Christians is not innate. We were not born with a belief in Him and His plan and purpose. It did not come up into our consciousness one day after we heard of the gospel. We received it from Him. We have “obtained like precious faith.” For the Christian life is lived “by the faith of the Son of God” which He has given us. We are now believing what He believes. He calls many, but chooses [elects] a few to fully walk in His faith (2 Cor. 5: 18; 2 Pet. 1: 1; Gal. 2: 20; Mat. 22: 14).

He has promised us through His faith now in us that we can walk with His “divine nature” coursing through our spirit. But we are admonished that we must diligently add to our faith seven aspects of His divine. By adding them we will make our “calling and election sure” (2 Pet. 1: 10). The first one to be added is virtue, or moral goodness.

But why do we need to add this moral goodness? When we first come into God and His ministry on earth, we are like babes. We do not know how to come in (to God’s plan and purpose) or go out (to do His will). We are, nevertheless, elated. We feel great joy and immense gratitude for the way our Father has with open arms welcomed us back into His presence.

By faith we have taken the plunge and have renounced our old life by submitting our selfish lives to the death of the cross with Christ (Rom. 6: 1-12). It is a stepping out there into the unknown, trusting our Father to protect us and sustain us on our new pilgrimage.

As we begin to walk in our new spiritual life with Christ, we experience a lifting of the burden of sin-guiltiness. New freedom flows in and around us. We exult in the liberty as Christ breaks the chains from off of our hearts.

It is here in this spiritual child’s playground that young Christians want to stay. They reason, “Why leave a good thing? I have always just wanted peace and love and joy, and Christ has granted me that. I am happy in this new life.”

And they stay right there. But God wants us to grow. So the joy and the elation begin to wane. And so at Christian gatherings pastors and church leaders try to drum up the spiritual reverb to simulate the initial joy that the “babes in Christ” first felt.

And so what started as God’s deliverance into His new way of living with joy and peace, turns into habit and ritual. Worship services turn into attempts to recapture that first moment of euphoria when they came into Christ. And the new flush of freedom becomes a carte blanche to act on whatever thought comes to mind. But spiritual children cannot discern which thoughts are from God and which are not. They do not “have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil” (Heb. 5: 14).

Because they have taken the faith of Christ and in the end used it to secure more joy for themselves, they must be admonished to “use not your liberty as an occasion to the flesh.” And because the child of God seeks a church house where members are like minded, there is no one to guide them away from the pitfalls of that kind of fellowship. They do not know that this spiritual environment just enables young Christians to stagnate and not grow. Ironically, the flow of the Spirit is blocked.

Some may be wondering, “Well, what else is there? I have given my life to Christ and have walked in the joy and freedom that He provides. So, what more is there? What do we need to do?

Peter gives the answer. We are not to remain spiritual “babes in Christ” forever. We are to grow and become full grown men and women of God like the early apostles. To remain as little children of God always seeking more stimulation in order to receive more joy is not the plan of God for any of us. He wants us all to grow spiritually. He wants us to “make our calling and election sure.” And to do that, we must add to our faith these seven attributes of the Spirit’s divine nature (2 Pet. 1: 3-12).

This is so crucial for our growth unto full maturity. Let me put it another way. If we do not heed what the Spirit is teaching us through Peter, we will remain children, “tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4: 14). Little children will be deceived by false teachers, thereby stunting their growth.

So the first step to spiritual maturity is to “add to your faith virtue [moral goodness].”

[Ordering My Free Books in Paperback

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God bless you and your family, and thank you for taking a stroll with me on Immortality Road.]   Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Kenneth Wayne Hancock

Repentance from Sin and Faults–But What’s the Difference?

If we were to outline the apostles’ doctrine “Repentance from dead works,” it would roughly look like this:

I. Repentance from Dead Works

A. Repentance from sin

B. Repentance from faults

We see that this teaching of repentance is divided into two distinct categories that are very different in meaning. Most people do not know the scriptural difference. The denominations have their own definitions. There is much confusion.

Especially when it comes to sin. Some say that shuffling your feet on a sawdust floor is sin. Some say that sipping a glass of wine is a sin. Some say losing your patience and yelling at someone is a sin.

God looks at the intent of the heart and not the outward appearance of things like natural man does. Sin is the state of spiritual being that we are born with. It is based on the love of self and the ego’s unquenchable drive for self-aggrandizement. In essence, sins are the actions one does in the worship of one’s self.  Sin is selfishness incarnate. It is a spiritual state of self-worship and all that it entails. The scriptures say that “Sin is the transgression of the law” (I John 3: 4). That “law” is the Ten Commandments.

“Thou shalt not steal” is a pretty plain commandment. One steals from another for selfish reasons. It is not to help the victim of the theft. “Thou shalt not covet.” This is desiring things that another has, including wives or husbands. This is sin. As you go down the list of the Ten Commandments, you see how the worship of the self dominates and thereby breaks every one of them. Self-worship is the root cause of sinning.

Love Fulfills the Ten Commandment Law

The law must be taken as a whole to be understood. Breaking the Ten Commandments is a state of spiritual being alienated from God, who is Love. The state of Love keeps or obeys the law.  The old nature of man wants and takes for himself. The new nature of Love gives to others. “Love works no ill to his neighbor: therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13: 9-10). There is no law against loving others. But there are laws on God’s book against selfishness and the sin that comes out of it.

The old original Adamic nature that man is born with cannot keep the law, try as he will. But “love fulfills the law.” God’s Spirit of love does keep the law—inside us! The old nature we are born with cannot obey the law, for its nature is opposite of loving God and others. This is why the old nature must die on the cross with Christ. “The wages of sin is death,” so for the lost person, it is best to just die now (spiritually) and avoid the rush. Death is coming for all who have sinned, for all who have broken the Ten Commandment Law. Christ’s sacrifice as our sin offering has given us an opportunity to let our sinful selfish nature die with Him, be buried with Him, and to be resurrected with Him—by believing God’s word about Him.

The old nature is a sin nature that must die in revelation with Christ. This is how we repent from sin. By faith we receive an earnest of His Spirit in a new life in Him by faith in His resurrection.  God has given us a portion of His Spirit that is sufficient to change our lives from sin to righteousness. It is now that we can begin to grow in this new life He has given us. At this beginning stage we are spiritual newborn babes in Christ. And there are things to digest in the milk of the word given by God’s five offices. We learn how to do certain new things in our new walk, and we learn of old things that need to be gotten rid of.

These are called faults. These actions are not breaking the Ten Commandments; they are not sin. Children of God have them. These shortcomings must be repented of as they are revealed to us—if we desire to grow in God. Many followers of Christ confuse faults with sins. Faults are habits of thoughts and actions generated by a lack of knowledge of God’s plan and purpose. Faults in Christians are things in our lives that show our lack of spiritual maturity. [More on “faults” next time.]  Kenneth Wayne Hancock

****[Be sure to order your free copy of my latest book, The Royal Destiny of God’s Elect. It explores our rich destiny as the princes and princesses of God. It is free with free shipping. Just send me your mailing address to my email:  wayneman5@hotmail.com   I will get it right out to you. You need this book if you are serious about growing up to be like Peter, John, James, and Paul and the rest of the apostles.]