Heb 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,
Heb 9:14 How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?
A dead work is any work that we perform which has not been called for and initiated by the Holy Spirit.
Mt 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.
A good work is a “Spirit led” work.
This is why it’s essential that the believer learn to hear and function solely by the voice of the Spirit of God.
Deception, which comes from the word planet, to wonder, runs rampant.
The United States has great deal of wandering or planetizing happening because of the strongholds of distraction which occur mainly through the lure of technology and entertainment.
2Co 3:7 But if the ministration of death, written and engraven in stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not stedfastly behold the face of Moses for the glory of his countenance; which glory was to be done away:
This was the glory to be done away or to render useless, and inoperative, just as an old car’s engine that finally breaks down.
There is a glory which is energized and displayed by dead works, or works which are done by good ideas and human agendas, but not the voice of the Spirit.
Any activity, which is performed outside of the voice of God, will manifest the blessings and the glory of God, but only temporarily.
The ministry of death must be done away. Many of these works are accomplished out of human logic and intellect, fleshly compassion, earthly or soulish what appears to be right, noble, and charitable, instead upon strict reliance to the voice of God.
In the body of Christ we see this with social rights or social justice programs which are not led by the Word of God but by fleshly compassion.
To walk in the Spirit entails complete adherence and reliance upon the still, small voice, no matter if the affair appears logical or not
8How shall not the ministration of the spirit be rather glorious?
Much more abounds the office of the ministry of the Spirit in glory.
10For even that which was made glorious had no glory in this respect, by reason of the glory that excelleth.
All dead works, programs, human agendas no matter how noble that have been glorified by the church, indeed are not glorified because much greater is the glory when it’s done through the ministry of the Spirit.
11 For if that which is done away was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious.
(Dead works) are performed through God’s glory because they still keep a measure of God’s blessings upon it.
The things of the Spirit abide however permanently in the world of God’s glory.
Eph 1:7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence;
Various definitions of abounded:
God has given us in great abundance. He has excelled towards us; He has been affluent, rich, or dealt in excellence towards us. He has made to abound to, or He has conferred to us this thing superabundantly.
This is God’s default mode of dealing with His saints.
The abundance of blessings comes within the restrictions of wisdom.
Wisdom is performing all things in accordance to the will, dispositions, arrangements, and timing of God.
Prudence, is the step-by-step guidance of God’s will and wisdom by the voice of the Spirit, and His time schedule to carry His will out.
The superabundance that comes into our life is limited in proportion to doing all things in conformity to God’s will, and carrying them out step by step in His direction and His timing. This is what it means “toward us in all wisdom and prudence.”
1 John 1: 1 That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen ( discerned) with our eyes, which we have looked (theomai like theater) upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life;
Hearing is in the perfect tense. This is a past event but the impact is now and forever. This shows us how important it is to hear the voice of the Holy Spirit.
That which we have discerned with understanding is in the perfect tense.
That which we have looked upon is as seeing a film in a theater. This shows us our live of continually contemplating what the Spirit of God is doing within us.
2For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;
We have discerned with understanding in the perfect tense. Now we bear continual judicial witness to the world that will allow others to reach a verdict by the voice of their conscience.
John 3:11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know (We utter prophetically what we know instinctively in the Spirit in one moments time, and not as needing the acquisition of knowledge in the continuum of time), and testify ( but can only bear testimony as with a prophetic vision or dream) that we have seen (only when we see with discernment and understanding); and ye receive not our witness.
John 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
I speak prophetically what I have discerned in fellowship with the Father.
The Holy Spirit and the Conscience
2 Cor 4:1 Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not Because by the mercy of God, we were called into this ministry, we do not become discouraged. (We know that if God divinely summoned us, He will take care of us, and see us through; therefore we do not lose heart.)
2 But have renounced (we gave up once, and now forbid) the hidden things of dishonesty (anything that brings shame or disgrace to the gospel, or to us), not walking in craftiness(not conducting ourselves in the doctrines of men), nor handling the word of God deceitfully(by trickery, adulterating or corrupting God’s word for base gain) ; but by manifestation of the truth (but by manifesting the gospel in its accuracy and genuineness through the Word of God and by our lives) commending ourselves to every man’s conscience( we present ourselves to every type of men’s conscience) in the sight of God. (Before the constant gaze of God)
We must remember that the conscience of man is a component of the voice of the Holy Spirit. Paul tell us that the soundness of the apostle’s doctrine and the genuineness of his or her life in accordance to the gospel must be so great, that it must hold up to the scrutiny of the voice of God bearing witness or passing judgment to what the apostle ministers in other peoples consciences as they watch Paul’s life So it is with us.
I Tim 1:5 Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
Watchman Nee tells us that the conscience is a component of or a barometer of the voice of the Holy Spirit.
Let us look at what the apostle Paul has to tell us about the conscience.
Romans 2:15 Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;
Greek: Their consciences also bear witness with their hearts, and between one another (in their conscience) their collective thoughts constantly accusing or defending. (Seems like the operation of the voice of the Holy Spirit!)
Romans 9:1 I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,
My conscience bears witness to me in the realm or world that belongs to the Holy Spirit. (My conscience operates within the world that belongs to the Holy Spirit.)
2 Corinthians 1:12 For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our conversation in the world, and more abundantly to you-ward.
We use the testimony (of accusing or defending) that our conscience gives, to conduct ourselves in this world.
2 Tim 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve(our religious service to the Lord) from my forefathers with pure (free from evil, innocent because it is free from evil, and resulting in nothing that the devil or man can point an accusatory finger at) conscience, that without ceasing I have remembrance of thee in my prayers night and day;
The conscience is a simple barometer of what dwells in our lives. A pure conscience reflects a life that has nothing for the devil to hold on to and keep us in bondage, or for unchurched to lawfully charge us with wrongdoing.
Serve: There are different aspects that describe the Christian as a servant of the Lord. One is the servant in the capacity of his or her relationship to God. Yes, our relationship with God is always one of sons or daughters.
Our sonship however must be executed in the capacity of “love slaves” of the Lord Jesus Christ or what is called a “doulos.”
The second aspect is the servant in the capacity of his or her ministry by the use of spiritual gifts. This is the “diakonos”.
The third type, which is the one mentioned in verse three, is the servant in the capacity of rendering general religious service versus another type of occupation. This is “latreo”
The bottom line is that for believers to serve in their religious occupation, it must be done with a pure conscience.
Ezekiel 44:23 And they shall teach my people the difference between the holy and profane, and cause them to discern between the unclean and the clean.
The calling of God entails first an invitation for us to become born again. This calling however must lead us into our spiritual vocation, which is holy, cut from the world, and highly specialized in a military fashion of sorts. If as believers we are simply content to become born again, but do not allow the Lord to separate us enough from the profane, we will not enter into the fullness of our spiritual vocation and will have missed our calling
2 Tim 1:13Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.
Greek: Hold fast the outline or pattern of healthy words, in a world that belongs to faith and love.
Jose and Mary Alvarez 