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Christianity is a series of experiences that culminate in the
translation of the saint in glory. Man is a fallen being.
He has inherited the sin of Adam and as St. Paul states, “In the
flesh nothing good dwells”. Out of the heart proceeds all
sorts of evil says Jesus and that is the state of man. Unless a
man is born again he cannot enter or see the kingdom of God because sin
separates from God. To die in sin is to die separated from God
forever. So the first experience a person must have is an
awareness of sin and one’s fallen state of nature. Through
the preaching of the gospel one becomes aware of his position before
God which leads to repentance. The gift one receives is the
remission of sin and one is born again, born into the kingdom of
God. From the time of new birth to the time of entire
sanctification, God takes the soul through a myriad of circumstances to
reveal the depth of one’s depravity and poverty of spirit and at
the point of complete brokenness the experience of entire
sanctification takes place. Many times before this takes place
one experiences another progression in our faith walk, the baptism of
the Holy Spirit evidenced with utterance in tongues. Only when
the blood of Christ expiates sin and covers one’s life can either
entire sanctification or the baptism of the Holy Spirit take
place. But when these experiences come, God is preparing the soul
to receive one of the gifts of Christ: apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers. When one of these gifts is given one is in
a position to edify the body of Christ until we all come into
perfection (completeness and oneness with God). There is no end to the blessings God wishes to bestow on the saint for the building up of the body of Christ. The gifts of the Spirit are given to minister healing, faith, salvation, wisdom, and knowledge to believer and non-believer alike. We must ever hunger and thirst for more of God and more of His Spirit. It is not by works of righteousness that we have done but according to his mercy he saves us and blesses us. When we experience complete sanctification we know this in an extremely personal and humbling way. The secret to progressive Christianity is to ever hunger and thirst after righteousness. It is to pray that God would take control of thought and spirit and body so that one would be a blessing to God’s elect. It is to ask God to give you His very love and compassion for the sick and for the sinner and for the lost. It is to have a hunger and a thirst that the world cannot satisfy. When you die to self and yield to God and hunger and thirst, God will more than satisfy every desire of the heart. Christianity is progressive. It is when we lose a desire for more that we settle for less than the best. Be a progressive Christian. Be hungry and thirsty for God. Walk in the Spirit and live in the Spirit and be a real blessing to others. Amen |