You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden;

Matthew 5:14

Salvation is a supernatural event.  God’s Spirit comes in and regenerates the dead human spirit, making a person alive again.  When a human believes, a change takes place, that changes a human being, dead in their trespasses and sins as they were, to being a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

A man does not need to be told or convinced that he has been born again, or saved, by any other person.  Affirmation and good Bible study is always advisable, and continued pointing to the truth of the Word of God is always recommended, but, when a man is changed, he knows it on the inside.

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Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

Matthew 7:7

This is part of the good news Jesus came to bring.  If we ask for it, He will bring it.  If we look for it, we will find it.  If we keep knocking at the door, eventually, it will open for us.  This is Kingdom 101 quite often, and, whether it is accepted as such or dismissed from there, it can often get little investigation later.  However, as with many of Jesus’ sayings, they apply to multiple levels.

For instance, take the phrase “Seek and you will find.”  This, of course, applies to the Kingdom of Heaven, to God the Father, and to Jesus.  This of course applies to answers and deliverances and other such burdens we offer towards heaven.  But, let’s look at this another way for a moment.

Jesus ministered on the Earth in the power of the Spirit.  The gifts were evident yet not on display.  The Spirit was present, and the gifts were promised, but the primary focus of the teaching was directed towards the Father’s will.

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Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it.

Matthew 7:13-14

Jesus words in the Sermon on the Mount are the Eternal instructions for living in His Kingdom.  It is by these words, that we ensure our stability through the storms, and it is by these words that we can know God’s will for us.

Upon first approaching this teaching, there may be many different conclusions drawn.  In general, these are the approach, not it’s application.  Take the passages on anger.  Suppose you find yourself angry.  One approach to hearing the words of Jesus, seeing that He says you’re liable to the judgement if you’re angry, is to attempt to not be angry.  On the surface, this is actually the correct first step.  It is called repentance, but it is only superficial.

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 In his last days old Dr. Bressee [the founder of the Nazarene church] would preach from church to church one message: “Keep the glory down.” Why? He knew that if they ever lost it they were finished.

–R T Kendall, The Anointing

Probably every genuine move of God was birthed in something special.  In every move, there was something Beyond the text of the written Word, Beyond the meetings, Beyond the men, that made a difference.

If we understood that the Gospel is more than words on a page, that it is more than a natural man can understand (John 3:3-5), that it is the unseen, spiritual realm that makes a difference (Colossians 1:16), we would be much closer to the glorious overcoming church of Ephesians 4:13.

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[B]ut he who is doing the truth doth come to the light, that his works may be manifested, that in God they are having been wrought.

John 3:21 YLT

The Kingdom and the earth cannot be compared.  They are so drastically different from each other, that Jesus says the only way to really live “there” is to not live “here”.  This obviously does not have to be fully understood to be lived, but for those who look to understand and see what Jesus was saying, in order to live by it, it becomes evident.

He who begins to build a tower must first calculate the cost, lest he run out half way through (Luke 14:28).  Jesus said that unless you hate your former life (Luke 14:26), every part, including family ties and who you used to be, you cannot be His disciple.  Luke 14:33 goes a long ways and says that unless you give up everything you have, you cannot be His disciple.

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There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God.  All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one.

Their throats are open graves; their tongues practice deceit. The poison of vipers is on their lips.  Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness.  Their feet are swift to shed blood; ruin and misery mark their ways,  and the way of peace they do not know. There is no fear of God before their eyes.

Romans 3:10-18 (except leading phrase)

Jesus came to show us His way, the way of peace.  Peace is peace with God, with men, and within ourselves.  The peace of Christ surpasses all knowledge throughout all time and is the force that calms the storm.

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Now when he saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, and he began to teach them, saying:

Matthew 5:1-2

When Jesus sat down on the mountain, He wasn’t just talking to them, He was talking to us.  What He was teaching was not just a good lesson, it was the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven.  What he showed was the perfect walk of faith, failures, a picture of what living the by Spirit looks like, how to communicate with God, why it is enough and we don’t need to fear, and the true nature of sons of the Kingdom.  Finally, He gave it’s guarantee.  Those who follow His instructions will stand.

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Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8

Some of the most profound revelations come in the most simplest of ways.  Yet, the most basic things of life are often so simple, those looking for something more profound will often bypass them.  Ecclesiasties says, “God made men upright, but they have sought out many devices.” (Ecclesiastes 7:29, portion).

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Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?’ Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Matthew 7:21-23

Holiness must be our standard for all that we do.  At the end of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus describes the distinction He will make on that day.  Those rejected will be those practice lawlessness, who work iniquity.

If there is one thing that is for clear from Western Christianity, it is that greater resources and greater audience do not guarantee a greater Kingdom impact.

We must be clear–not all that is done in the name of Christ is the will of the Father who is heaven.  Paul writes, in 1 Corinthians 3:12-13, that each person must build with either gold, silver, and precious stones, or wood, hay, and stubble.  Each man’s work will be tested by fire on that day, and only that which remains will be rewarded.  We should take care how we build, lest we run, or have run in vain.

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Then I seemed to go into still another higher dimension. The fishing line I had in my hand turned into a shoestring, about one-half an inch in diameter. I was holding a baby’s shoe, with eyelets about an eighth of an inch in diameter. I was trying to put this half-inch shoestring through one of the eighth-inch eyelets, and I had broken many threads in the shoestring. The Angel of The Lord was still standing in front of me, and he asked sternly, yet kindly, “What are you trying to do?” I answered, “I am trying to lace this shoe.” He said, “You are using the wrong end of the string.”

I looked down at the other end of the string and noticed it was reduced and bound with a metal tip that would easily go through the eyelet. I said, “Oh, I’m sorry, Sir, I hadn’t noticed that I was using the wrong end.” He said, “You can’t teach babies supernatural things without causing carnal comparisons!”

Portion of a vision given to William Branham

In understanding this portion of this vision given to William Branham, the most important part is the lesson at the end.  You can’t teach babies supernatural things without causing carnal comparisons.  Jesus indicated that the same was true as He was departing, saying, “I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now.” (John 16:12).

This lesson was important for the work of William Branham, and it is important for us to understand the principle as we enter into the deeper things of God today.  Let us consider the parable presented by the angel of the Lord.  As we are faithful with what we have (someone else’s revelations), perhaps God will be so gracious as to give us our own.  Only, let us go on to maturity, holding fast to the head, not forsaking the Word.

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