Cut to the Heart vs. Pricked to the Heart
This is an interpretation
I have held onto for years, keeping it in my spirit rather than writing it
down. I have done this for a few
reasons, but the noblest reason has to do with the importance of this
particular interpretation. At the first,
when God taught me regarding this interpretation, I was baffled by its
importance. For this reason, I decided
to allow the knowledge and wisdom to have time to marinate within my
spirit. The truths put forth in this
interpretation need to be adhered to by the Body of Christ in these end times. With that said, let’s get on with it.
Stephen – “Cut to the Heart”
Stephen was a man full of
faith and power (Acts 6:8). I don’t think
I have ever heard preached from the pulpit anything this man could have done
wrong. Usually, all the preaching points
to the fact he was the church’s first martyr, and that he was a bold and
powerful Christian… which he was.
Ministers also point to the beautiful Spirit led sermon he preached to
the Jews before his death, and how possibly, the accuracy and enlightenment of
that sermon within the context of
Matthew 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them under their feet, and
turn again and rend you.
Jesus gave us a
commandment that we should not take what has been freely given to us and simply
vehemently and emotionally cast it in front of others. In doing this, we end up exalting our own
faith and we also end up challenging people who might not be ready to understand
these enlightened truths on a certain level; perhaps even a people who don’t
possess the humility or openness to receive.
Often times these people are full of pride, and to challenge them or to
emotionally “peel into them” will only result in us shooting ourselves in the
foot, according to Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7:6. Even the scriptures say regarding Stephen, as
a result of his discourse toward the Jews, that they were “cut to the heart.”
Acts 7:54
When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.
What needs to be
understood is Stephen was so zealous, was so forward and enthralled by his own
passion, that he did… cast his pearls before swine. In doing this, he challenged the Jewish
people on a dramatic/fleshly level. He
simply “cut the Jews to the heart” and according to Jesus’ warning, this
error had repercussions… the people would simply trample what was cast at their
feet and would then turn and tear you into pieces. Let’s define Matthew 7:6. To cast is to vehemently throw something
down… in distain for another’s feelings.
Let me ask you a question? Is
that something you want to do when representing Jesus Christ and the
gospel? Also, look at how the Jews
reacted to Stephen’s words, they gnashed on him with their teeth. Gnashing is an animal instinct, exactly
mimicking Jesus’ comparison to the pigs and the dogs. Simply put, Stephen’s actions manifested in
the people exactly the type of spirit Jesus said would manifest if one
vehemently threw down their testimony in front of another without concern for
their welfare; their primal instincts would come out and the minister would be
subject to their animalistic emotions.
There is one more place in
the scriptures where it says the Jews were “cut to the heart”:
Acts 5:29-40
Then
Peter and the other apostles answered and said, We ought to obey God rather
than men. The God of our fathers raised up Jesus,
whom ye slew and hanged on a tree.
Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to
give repentance to
Do you see? Even Peter got over zealous and challenged
the Jews, by saying, “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom you slew and hanged on a tree.” This statement did not go over well with the
Jewish people, and the statement was a direct fleshly challenge to their past
actions as well as to their testimony as Jews.
The Jews had a lot of pride in the fact they lived to please God, Peter
challenged that pride when he said, “The God of our fathers…” basically their
God, “…justified the one whom you judged.”
Make no mistake about it. This
was a serious fleshly challenge Peter cast forth, and the scriptures say that
the Jews were “cut to the heart” as a result.
And what did the Jews immediately seek to do as a result of being “…cut
to the heart?” They immediately sought
to slay them (please take note this was before Stephen was martyred… as yet, no
one had been killed for their testimony of Jesus Christ). Again, Jesus commandment is alive and
well. If you cast your pearls before
swine, and try to justify yourself, you will not be justified! Just like Jesus’ commandment says, “they will
trample your words under their feet, and will turn and tear you to
pieces.” As further proof of the
accuracy of this interpretation, it was only Gods divine intervention through
Gamaliel which stopped Peter and the other apostles from becoming martyred. This was God’s mercy in their lives; despite
the fact their actions disqualified them.
I want to quickly add that
some might argue that Stephens’s fate (martyrdom) was determined the moment the
council convened and the false witnesses testified against him (Acts 6:8-15). I believe this assumption is not
accurate. We have already seen through
the above scripture how God, through divine intervention, saved the apostles
earlier who made the same error. So God
could have done it again… but He didn’t.
It was not automatic that Stephen was going to die simply because the
council was convened. We also have
testimony through the scriptures that Jesus himself walked through the crowds
that wanted him dead (Luke 4:28-30, John 8:59, John 10:39). Peter and others were miraculously delivered
from prison (Acts 5:19-27, 12:3-12) as was Paul, (Acts 16:25-26, Acts 23). Paul was also raised from the dead after he
was stoned (Acts 14:19-20). To assume
Stephen was doomed and so knowing this he let down his spiritual guard and
“went out with a bang” is just not realistic considering the awesomeness of the
God we serve. Jesus gave us a
commandment in Matthew 7:6. If we choose
to ignore the commandment, there are consequences, and Stephen fell headlong
into those consequences. I meekly
believe the reason God delivered Peter and Paul from death is because God had a
concrete plan for Peter to minister to the Jews and Paul to the gentiles
(Galatians 2:7), so both lives were spared… hence, God allowed all the miracles
at the prisons which delivered Peter and Paul from certain death (Acts 5:19-27,
Acts 12:3-12, Acts 16:25-26, Acts 23).
With Stephen, I believe God was going to exercise another purpose. He was going to allow Stephen to become
martyred, but He was going to raise up Saul in his stead. If you remember at Stephen’s stoning, the
Jews laid their clothes at the feet of Saul (Acts 7:58). I believe Saul witnessing the stoning was no
accident. God was going to use this
witness to set a fire under that young man, to bring the essence of Saul out of
Saul, so that Jesus could rebuke him on the road to
We also need to remember that
as Stephen was being stoned, he cried out for the Lord Jesus “to receive his
spirit,” (Acts 7:59). When Stephen cried
thus, it was not immediately received by God.
Basically… Stephen was mimicking Jesus on the cross when our Lord cried
out, “Father, into thine hands I commend my spirit,” (Luke 23:46). It was at this time Jesus gave up the ghost,
or surrendered his life unto death (John 10:18). Stephen was zealously trying to mimic our
Lord, probably because he had been so successful at ministering both through
faith and power (Acts 6:8). But Jesus,
desiring Stephen to be more complete, desired the Christ-like Spirit within him,
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” (Luke 23:34). This is what Jesus yelled previous to giving
up the ghost, and this is what He wanted from Stephen. “And he (Stephen) kneeled down, and cried
with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said
this, he fell asleep,” (Acts 7:60). As
soon as Stephen forgave as Christ forgave, he was received. This little example is just a portrait into
Stephen’s frame of mind at the time of his stoning. This is further evidence that Stephen was not
fully in Christ’s Spirit previously.
Stephen was certainly imitating Christ and was “…attempting to be in
Christ’s Spirit through zeal.” What I am
getting at is this little hiccup by Stephen just shows he wasn’t fully aligned
with God’s Spirit or Christ’s commandment (Matthew 7:6) previous to the
stoning. There was a lot of zeal in
Stephen and although God used this zeal, this zeal side stepped Jesus perfect
heart and will for His followers. This
is why Stephen had to align himself more with Christ’s Spirit before God would receive
him and allow him to “fall asleep.” If
you have any questions as to this interpretation, please read Acts 7:54-60. It is quite clear the Holy Spirit was honoring
Stephen for his zealousness and for the fact he was about to become the first martyr
of the church, but this doesn’t mean he was 100% aligned with Christ’s
commandments while he was offering his
discourse. Christ honored Stephen’s zeal
but within this passage, there is a lesson for us to learn… if we are willing
to receive it.
I want to make the point
that Stephen was powerfully backing his ministry as well as the ministry of the
Holy Ghost. Who is going to argue against
Stephen’s discourse being Holy Spirit empowered? Stephen’s discourse was absolutely Holy
Spirit empowered, for it added powerful knowledge into the mystery of Christ
that had yet to be made manifest (Acts 7:55, Ephesians 3:9-10). But we must remember that although Stephen
had a powerful ministry in God, and although he was chosen (Acts 6:5) and the
Holy Spirit backed him powerfully, that he still needed to obey Jesus’
commandments within his anointing, calling and faith justification. When Stephen strayed from the Lord’s
commandment, he was still backed by God powerfully but he also paid the price
for his error. We need to take caution
and learn a lesson from this passage of scripture. We need to be discerning about God’s calling
but we also need to be wise as serpents but as harmless as doves. Stephen was as wise as a serpent but
unfortunately… he cut like a serpent too.
We as God’s church are to obey His commandments, and right now I am
declaring to you that you have already been commanded by Jesus Christ Himself
to abstain from, “cutting to the heart!”
You didn’t like it when you were in ignorance, when someone cut you to
the heart, so God is reminding you now, and has already told you in scripture that
it is absolutely the wrong spirit (Matthew 7:6). This spirit mimics James and John’s spirit
toward the Samarians in Luke 9:54-55 when they wanted to call fire from heaven. Didn’t Jesus rebuke them? This type of spirit is not proper for
witnessing and it is not proper for manifesting the Lord Jesus Christ who gave
His life that He could have a church body that would do as He did, and love as
He loved. Do you think it is a
coincidence that as soon as Stephen forgave and was meek toward the Jews that
everything righted itself? Do you think
it is a coincidence that until that happened things were ugly and the
repercussions were irreversible? Make no
mistake about it, Stephen’s gifts and ministry were missed by the church body
after his death, and it was the direct result of a zealous young man who was
powerful in his faith but not discerned in the scriptures to understand the
error of his ways. God is reminding us
and calling us to His higher plain. If
it is God’s will that we glorify Him through death then it will happen, but to
ignorantly put ourselves into that position is not only not edifying for the
church, it is actually sin if we know the difference (James 4:17). In many places in the Bible God Has and will
give us the commandment to flee.
Jesus’ parents were told to flee into
Peter – “Pricked to the Heart”
I already offered
knowledge earlier regarding Peter’s error of, “cutting to the heart.” I now want to show you an example in
scripture where Peter does it right, and this solid Christian witness leads to
a powerful work of the Holy Spirit and a harvesting of souls for the kingdom of
God.
Acts 2:14- 41
But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up
his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that dwell at
Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not
drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day. But this is
that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; And it shall come to pass in the
last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh: and your
sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams: And on my servants and on my handmaidens I
will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy: And I will
shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire,
and vapour of smoke: The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before the great and notable day of the Lord come: And it shall come to
pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men
of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you
by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as
ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and
foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it
was not possible that he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning
him, I foresaw the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that
I should not be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad;
moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou hast
made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch
David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this
day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to
him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.
Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the
Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see
and hear. For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself, The
Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, Until I make thy foes thy
footstool. Therefore let all the house of
We can clearly see the
spirit in this discourse is different then the two previous discourses where
Stephen and Peter “cut to the heart.” In
this discourse, there is truth but that truth is not cast down in an effort to
disrespect or emotionally charge the listeners.
Peter is offering (revealing) the truth in such a way that the listeners
understand Peter is not challenging them, but merely attempting to enlighten
and soften their hearts. The spirit’s delivery
is different, and as you can clearly see, the effect the witness has on the Jews
is the exact opposite. Instead of the
Jews hearts receiving a “cut” from Peter’s words, their hearts received a
“prick.”
Now, there is a huge
difference between a “cut” and a “prick.”
It is impossible to reveal the burdensome truth to someone without
pricking them. The truth is like a sword
(Hebrews 4:12) and its manifestation has implications. But it is entirely possible to present the
truth to someone without overwhelming them with the wrong kind of spirit, even
disrespect. Take the word “cast.” If you were proposing to your fiancé, would you
simply cast the ring at her feet in your effort to propose? Of course not… you would gently place the
ring on her finger. When the Jews were
“cut,” it came as a result of the speaker casting… not discerning to offer the
truth in love. The truth was indeed offered,
but it was cast down as a prideful judgment toward the listeners. This is why the Jews responded with a cutting
hate. In the above discourse, the truth
is represented, hence the word “prick,” but the truth is gently represented in love
and with a desire to rally and not to offend.
This is why Peter was so successful and there was a harvest of souls
that day. He offered the truth in love,
and in doing so, the listeners were convicted “pricked” but not to the tune
that they were offended and cast off restraint.
Peter’s gentleness became an example of what to do, whereas Stephen’s casting
became an example of what not to do. The
lesson: Do not open your mouth and cut people.
At the very least you will offend them and your Christian witness will
be lost. At the very most… you will end
up persecuted and possibly killed for the gospel.
If you examine the texts
you will see clearly when Stephen opened his mouth and disobeyed Jesus’
commandment, the result was the people were: Acts 7:54
… cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. This
action resulted in Stephen’s death.
In contrast when Peter
opened his mouth and obeyed Jesus’ commandment, the result was the people were:
Acts
2:37
… pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the
apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?
This resulted in 3000
people being added to the church that day.
We don’t need to look very far to recognize what method the Lord wants
us to use. This idea of pricking to the
heart rather then cutting to the heart is the basis of what the Lord is trying
to say to His Body in the end times. The
Bible even clarifies that the greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God
with all of your hearts and to love your neighbors as yourselves (Mark
12:29-31). What aspect of this
commandment allows us to turn on our neighbors and cut them as we cast our truths
at their feet? Not one aspect allows us
to do such a thing. We need to be the
right kind of witnesses, actions speak louder than words. If you do decide to use words as a witness,
then there better be some honoring actions before and after those words so
people will recognize your good intentions.
Words directed from believers toward nonbelievers often have the tone of
judgment, and trust me, nonbelievers often receive it as a judgment. Jesus said:
John 6:63
… the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life.
Let me tell you right now
that all words are spirit. A word can
not come except a spirit come before it.
But let me ask you a question. The
words that you speak… are they life, or death?
Jephthah – “Cut to the Heart”
Jephthah’s story is
outlined in Judges 10:6 – 12:7. If you
need additional insight into his life, I ask you to read the section for
yourself. Right now I want to confirm
what I have stated earlier, that it is far better to prick to the heart than to
cut to the heart. Jephthah is a good
example of this distinction. In the book
of Judges, the people of Ammon were oppressors of
Judges 12:1-6
And the men of Ephraim gathered
themselves together, and went northward, and said unto Jephthah, Wherefore
passedst thou over to fight against the children of Ammon, and didst not call
us to go with thee? we will burn thine house upon thee with fire. And Jephthah said unto them, I and my
people were at great strife with the children of Ammon; and when I called you,
ye delivered me not out of their hands. And when I saw that ye delivered me
not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over against the children of Ammon,
and the LORD delivered them into my hand: wherefore then are ye come up unto me
this day, to fight against me? Then Jephthah gathered together all the men
of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of
The first thing I want to
point out is this situation resulted in war… a civil war were
… And
Jephthah said unto them, I and my people were at great strife with the children
of Ammon; and when I called you, ye delivered me not out of their hands. And
when I saw that ye delivered me not, I put my life in my hands, and passed over
against the children of Ammon, and the LORD delivered them into my hand:
wherefore then are ye come up unto me this day, to fight against me?
You see, Jephthah used the
truth but he used the truth in such a way to directly challenge Ephraim. This is also the method Stephen utilized
toward the Jewish people. He used the
truth but he used the truth to cut and challenge, and not to mend. Stephen’s situation resulted in serious
contention and eventually death.
Jephthah’s situation resulted in bitter war and eventually death.
Then
Jephthah gathered together all the men of Gilead, and fought with Ephraim: and the men of
This entire situation
certainly wasn’t good. Let me ask you a
question, wasn’t Jephthah technically right? Didn’t he tell the truth when he
told Ephraim they were wrong? Of course
he was technically right, Ephraim was technically wrong (Judges 10:9). But let me ask you another question. As a result of Ephraim being wrong, should
they have died in a civil war? Should
Jephthah
was so in himself that he lost sight of an important fact that we as Christians
should never lose sight of. That
although he was technically correct, he would not become justified in harming
his brother (Ephraim) simply because he was correct. Jephthah thought being correct gave him the
license to act however he wanted. Is
this Jesus’ commandment in our lives? We
Christians make the same mistake when we cast our perils before swine. The only reason we do this is just like
Jephthah, we want to become justified in the truths we understand. There is one problem regarding Jesus’
commandment… showing mercy doesn’t allow someone
to be justified. When we chose to
demonstrate mercy, we must forfeit our right to justice. This is mainly why we don’t chose mercy, but instead
we chose to justify ourselves by casting and venting to the point where our
truth causes damage. Righteousness
teaches that Jephthah needed to forgive his brothers infraction, not judge it
through cruelty. We will now examine a
man who did forgive rather than get justice for himself (or justify himself),
his name is Gideon.
Gideon – “Pricked to the Heart”
Now, as we go back to a
previous judge, we have a contrasting example of a man who humbles himself in
mercy. Gideon (Judges 6-8) was chosen by
God to reverse the oppression of the Midianites upon
Judges 8:1-3
And the men of Ephraim said unto him, Why hast
thou served us thus, that thou calledst us not, when thou wentest to fight with
the Midianites? And they did chide with him sharply. And he said unto them, What have I done now in comparison of you? Is
not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer?
God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and
what was I able to do in comparison of you? Then their anger was abated toward
him, when he had said that.
I want to first point out
that it is the men of Ephraim who directly challenge God’s judge Gideon (Just
like they will later challenge God’s judge Jephthah) . Ephraim challenged both judges, and when they
challenged them, they did so in the exact same way. In both instances Ephraim was offended when
God used someone else to deliver
… What have I done now in comparison
of you?
The first thing Gideon
does is he strokes the pride of Ephraim rather than attack it. Gideon basically says, “I have done nothing
in comparison to you.” This is brilliant
because it was something the situation called for. Then, Gideon took the truth and simply pricked
them with it rather than offend them with it, and in doing so, he exalted them
with it:
… Is not the gleaning of the
grapes of Ephraim better than the vintage of Abiezer? God hath delivered into
your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb: and what was I able to do in
comparison of you?
If you read the text in
chapter 7, Gideon calls Ephraim after the slaughter and tells them to seize all
the Midianites who are scattering toward the water. In the pursuit, Ephraim is able to capture
and kill two Midianite princes, Oreb and Zeeb.
Gideon basically says that although God used him to win the war, that
Ephraim was able to do much more in catching the princes then he was able to do
throughout the entire war. Gideon
highlights Ephraim’s success and totally downplays his. He knows Ephraim is insecure and he is secure
enough to steady them both (Mark 9:50).
His witness brings peace:
… Then their anger was abated toward
him, when he had said that.
As soon as Gideon, God’s
anointed, ignores the fact that the truth is on his side and humbles himself by
seeking peace… his action defuses the entire situation and a war with Ephraim
is avoided. Gideon’s action (toward the
truth) is the exact opposite of Jephthah.
Jephthah used the truth to justify himself. Gideon used his security in the truth to
defuse the entire situation and usher in peace.
Whereas Gideon humbled himself in the truth, Jephthah justified himself
in it. This is the clear difference between
the Spirit and the flesh ministry. The
Spirit seeks to establish peace in spite of the truth whereas
the fleshly looks for justification (justice) because of the truth. It is two totally different examples. One example is secure, the other is insecure. One example shows saltiness in stabilizing the
entire situation, the other shows a lack of salt in destabilizing it. As we abide in Jesus Christ and his words… we
are secure (Mark 9:50).
Last Admonishment
As Christians we are
called to go above and beyond, to turn the other cheek, and to allow ourselves
to be wronged. A lot of the time, we
need to turn the other cheek when we share, and we need to allow ourselves to
be wronged when we discuss. The examples
of Jephthah and Gideon are exactly like the examples of Stephen and Peter. Whereas Jephthah and Stephen sought to
establish truth through enforcing, utilizing their unsanctified fleshly emotions
(cutting to the heart), Gideon and Peter sought to share the truth with a
spirit of meekness and temperance with the intent of establishing peace
(pricking to the heart). In all four
situations, there is a challenge because such situations involve an encounter
with the truth, but the question becomes, how will we encounter others using
the truth? With the example of Peter and
Gideon, peace was established. With
Gideon there was no war with Ephraim and with Peter, 3000 were saved. It is the exact opposite with Stephen and
Jephthah. With Jephthah there was a
horrible civil war were 42,000 Israelites died and with Stephen’s example, no
one was saved that day and Stephen was killed.
So you need to ask yourself a question? Pricked to the heart vs. cut to
the heart. I have used both the old
testament and the new to establish that it is totally possible to humble
yourself in a way where the truth is not forgotten, but where it is represented
with a spirit of meekness. Anything
involving the truth is going to hurt, but are we going to use the truth to heal
or to conquer? The choice is ours, but I
caution you to receive the testimony of Gideon and Peter, rather than that of
Stephen and Jephthah. As Christians we
are not justified when we use the truth outside of love, and we can often cause
more problems than we seek to solve.
So, in closing I would
like to say a few things. First off, I
need to say that although I pointed to a lot of what Stephen did wrong, he was
a blessed man of God who’s faith and determination should be an example to us
all. Let’s not disrespect God by
ignoring what we’ve learned. Let us take
this example and do good, giving glory to God.
It would be a shame if we understood the knowledge presented here, but
we chose to ignore that knowledge to our own destruction. Let’s learn an example from Stephen’s life
and death, and let us run the race faster and stronger now, with more honor and
more glory going towards God and His purposes.
The last thing I want to
say is that this interpretation is very important. Just like the Jerusalem decree pointed to
necessities the church, at that time, needed to focus on (Acts 15:23-29), right
now the Holy Ghost, through prophecy, is pointing to necessities we as a church
need to focus on. I truly believe it is
God’s intention to hammer the concept of this interpretation into the
consciousness of the body of Christ.
Prophecy is what God is saying.
In short, this interpretation is what God is trying to say to the Body
of Christ now. I have written this
interpretation because I truly believe God not only wants this understood, but
He wants it implemented to every degree.
I have sought to live by this interpretation ever since God revealed it
to me. I have not always been perfect,
but God is faithful to forgive. There
are no excuses regarding this interpretation.
It is a black and white issue with no grey. Either you obey Jesus’ commandments or you
don’t and you repent and He forgives you.
There is no in-between and there is no justifying fleshly ministering. God is not trying to give anyone an
opinion. He is cautioning everyone
towards Godly resolve within His Spirit, as well as our awareness toward the same. We have our ammunition, we need to go forward
without excuse. We need to do the will
of God and prosper. If you have read my
other interpretations, I usually don’t emphasize as much as with this one. This interpretation is critical. The reason is simple. The knowledge presented here, according to
the revelation of the mystery of Christ, is absolutely timely and edifying for
the body of Christ NOW. These truths have never been so
important. Of course, they were always
important, but now is the time to implement them so that Gods purposes can be
fulfilled in these last days. It is like
the book of Revelation. The
interpretation 500 years ago was not as important or dutiful as the interpretation
is now. Since we are now living in the
last days, it is important we have a dutiful interpretation of the book of
Revelation NOW. These truths have always been important, but
it is time for the Body of Christ to rise up to God’s standard now, to be all
that she can be, without spot or wrinkle, to be presented to the praise and
honor of God in Christ Jesus. If the
Church does not learn to exercise itself within these truths, it will be
difficult for the church to have any kind of foundation for the Lord to
discipline us. If we act like the world,
we are not Christ’s… but if we listen to His voice, He will be glorified in
us. This interpretation covers the
entire spectrum, concerning what God expects from us as His witnesses toward
the world, as well as how He seeks to use us in the lives of other believers,
or perhaps even weak brethren. Receiving
the baptism of the Holy Ghost is crucial for us to rest fully in this
interpretation so I urge everyone to contend for it (Acts 8:15-18). Evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost is
the Godly love that the church will openly shed for all men and women. Receiving the Baptism of the Holy Ghost is
like receiving God’s heart. You will
openly love people with a love you have never known or experienced… and in this
love you will be inclined to be longsuffering toward others. I believe in the last days, if you are
seeking the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, you will surely find it. If you don’t have it now, start obeying all
of Jesus’ words and make sure you abide in Him completely, not the world. Deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow
Him completely. God is pleased in your
diligent obedience. God bless you as you
implement this interpretation and God bless you as you lose self so you can
become the abundant witness Jesus expects.
God will honor you as you honor Him.