The  Messiah’s  Secret – Adopted  Children  of  God

"To redeem those under the law, so we might receive adoption as sons and because you are his sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba Father!" Galatians 4: 5, 6. Sons and daughters, children of God.

I  started writing this blog at 5.30am this morning (Sunday) I was given the word ‘Adopted into the family of God.’  

Many thousands of children go through the adoption process that legally unites them into a family and are entitled to all the benefits like that of the other children in the family.

The other children in the family of God

In Paul’s letter to the Ephesians he reminded the Jews and Gentile that Jesus Christ had broken down the barriers between them.     

^“Remember that at that time you were separate from Christ, excluded from citizenship in Israel and foreigners to the covenants of the promise, without hope and without God in the world. ¹³ But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ.   ¹⁴ For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility, ¹⁵ by setting aside in his flesh the law with its commands and regulations. His purpose was to create in himself one new humanity out of the two, thus making peace,   ¹⁶ and in one body to reconcile both of them to God through the cross, by which he put to death their hostility. ¹⁷ He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near.18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. ¹⁹ Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household.” NIV Bible                                                                    

Paul had the revelation of the meaning of the cross, a mystery, not revealed until after the dispersion through persecution of which Paul had been a major figure in rounding up followers of ‘The Way’ and taking them bound to Jerusalem. Acts 9: 2. 3: 1-6.

At the beginning the apostles and followers found it confusing during this transition period, but without doubt they expected Jesus to return soon after Pentecost.

The Messiah’s Secret Revealed   (For the last 20 years this word has filled my heart)

The time for the leaders of the nation of Israel to accept Jesus as their Messiah, a national calling, was at and after Pentecost.
Peter said, “This Jesus, delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God, you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men (Romans).” It was in the foreknowledge and plan of God that the Messiah would be the final sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. 
Peter and John spoke of their leaders and people’s ignorance in allowing the Romans to crucify their appointed Messiah. “You acted in ignorance . . . . Repent therefore that your sins may be blotted out . . . .and that he may send the Christ (Messiah) appointed for you, Jesus.”

Paul on their first ministry tour at Antioch of Pisida said, “For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognise him or understand the utterances of the prophets which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled these by condemning him.” Paul went on to tell about the resurrection and King David’s prophecy concerning the resurrection of the Christ being fulfilled. 

There at Antioch of Pisida the Gentiles were eager to hear the good news and be filled with the promised Holy Spirit. Paul came up against Jewish opposition, Paul and Barnabas witnessed boldly saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you.. . . . behold we turn to the Gentiles.” Acts 13: 27, 46.

Even Peter found some of Paul's teaching in his letters hard to understand. 2 Peter 3: 15, 16.

Gentiles being adopted into the family of God becoming children of God was a hard thing for Peter to accept, even though he had stepped out in faith when he visited the Gentile Cornelius and shared with the whole family and close friends about the ministry, death and resurrection of Jesus  and experiencing the Holy Spirit filling their lives. Later he also experienced the wrath of the Circumcision Party over his visit to Cornelius' home, 'he ate with them'. Acts 10: 24, 34-43. 11: 3.

Paul’s conversation with the apostles and elders at Jerusalem the Holy Spirit gave them guidance James the Lord’s brother sent out a letter to the churches with Gentile converts in Antioch and Syria to make peace between them by putting some restrictions on what they ate and their moral behaviour. 

Paul understood the importance of being adopted into the family of God through the new birth in Christ. The natural person acts upon reasoning things out with the logical mind, being born into the world through human ascent. Where Paul spoke of a new birth in the Spirit of God through faith in Jesus' death, resurrection and ascention. The new birth unites us in a family relationship knowing God as our Father and as adopted members we are entitled to all the blessings that God has prepared for his children.

God created faith as part of us: people exercise putting their faith in many things it is common to a lot of people:

My daughters learnt to swim using at first water wings to keep them afloat. At some point they took a step of faith and removed their water wings and as a result found they could stay afloat without them.

The man in the TV ad made preparations to have a bar-b-cue even though it was raining he believed the weather forecast that it would be fine in the afternoon and so he watched and waited for the blue sky to appear and sure enough it did and the sun came out.

Faith is to believe that Jesus has made us right with God, not by the good works we might do but by God's love.

John the Apostle wrote, “But to all who received him, who believe in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1: 12, 13. RSV Bible

God has graciously adopted us Gentiles the other nation into a new covenant that embraces all humanity. The Bible speaks of there only being two nations: Jews and Gentiles).

The Messiah’s Secret Revealed -  Pentecost

The Church celebrates Pentecost because of what happened on that day 2,000 years ago when Jesus sent God’s Holy Spirit into the world.

Acts 2: 1- 21

We read that the disciples of Jesus where gathered at a house in Jerusalem, in a room, a confined space when they heard the sound of a mighty rushing wind coming into where they were.

The fan blowing the material is using electricity to rotate blades that causes the air to blow. 






The same effect is produces by the hand held fan.

                                                                                                 

The difference between wind of the Holy Spirit, and the wind blowing through the fan.  Air pressure creates the movement of air that produces the wind  that can blow the curtains, and papers on desks.                                                         

Whereas, the wind of the Holy Spirit flows out from God and is filled with God’s presence, the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit.         

The Apostles heard the sound of a strong wind, maybe they felt the wind on their faces, and clothes. In verse 4 we read that they were filled with the Holy Spirit. 

My friend Joyce had an amazing experience of the Holy Spirit giving her a vision. She felt the wind suddenly blow up, but nothing was moving, no sound of the rustling of leaves in the trees.

Joyce wrote down her testimony for me to share:

She writes, “First I would like to explain that I finally had forgiven someone, I mean truly forgiven. A few days later I was walking along the disused railway in Helmshore with our dogs. It was a pleasant day, very still. I felt a wind blow up, but nothing was moving. I saw in front of me a life size Jesus on the cross. He was dead, his body grey, stone like, I couldn’t bear to look, I turned away. I felt all the wrong that I had done being taken away from me, but I didn’t want him to, because I physically felt the pain that I had caused him. I felt ashamed and started crying.  

The next minute I felt a presence next to me. I wasn’t sure if it was Jesus or God, but I couldn’t see anyone. All the weight I had been carrying inside had been taken away. I felt so happy, so clean. Everywhere was so beautiful, the colours were so bright, I had never seen colour like it before.”                                                          

I have to say, not many people see a vision of Jesus when they come to faith in Jesus.

A vision is a visual view of what is going on in the heavenly places, the spiritual dimension. Joyce saw in her vision what happens when everybody comes to faith in Jesus were he deals with our sin on the cross.

Joyce had forgiven someone for whatever they had done against her. Jesus said you must forgive, and then God will forgive you. Many people say that they are unable to forgive the things that someone has done against them, they still bear the pain of their injury. Jesus is our example and while he was injured dying on the cross he forgave those who stood against him, for whatever their reason.   Luke 17: 4.                                                                                   

Even though Joyce had forgiven this person she was not a Christian.

The Holy Spirit’s ministry convicts the world of unbelief, righteousness of God, and judgement.

Joyce found faith in Jesus through the Holy Spirit showing her the vision of Jesus dead on the cross, taking her sin of unbelief and all that stood between her and God, sin and its causes, she personally received forgiveness from God.

Joyce must have felt the righteousness of God when she felt ashamed and the feeling of being clean, released from the weight of her sin in forgiveness and being raised up in the power of his resurrection, her righteousness being in Jesus before God.

God had a given to her a free pardon, judged her no longer under a sentence of eternal separation from God.

So this is what happens when a person calls on the name of the Lord, Jesus takes our sin upon himself and raises us up in his resurrection

If you are wanting to get right with God and be filled with the Holy Spirit then say with me this prayer:

Lord Jesus Christ,      

l am sorry for the things l have done wrong in my life. 

I ask for your forgiveness    

Thank you for dying for me on the cross,  

to set me free from my sins. 
Please come into my life and fill me with your Holy Spirit.                                                                  

Thank you Jesus. Amen

The following below was added when writing this blog.

The church came into being at Pentecost fanning the words of the good news of Jesus’ resurrection and the pouring out of God’s Spirit. 

The church as we know it today has been hidden in the scriptures:  "The Lord said, "Call his name, not my people, for you are not my people and I am not your God." Hosea 1: 9. 2: 23
Peter quoted this verse in Hosea in his first letter to Jew and Gentile converts when he spoke of being a holy nation and Jesus being the corner stone. 1 Peter 2: 10.  Romans 9: 19-26.

In Acts 1: 6, 7 the disciples asked Jesus, "Lord are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?" Jesus replied, "It is not for you to know the times or the dates the Father has set in his own authority." Perhaps the disciples had remembered the parable of the 'Vineyard.'

The church being the other nation that Jesus referred to in his conversation with the Scribes and the chief priests concerning the Vineyard where Jesus quoted " The very stone that the builders rejected has become the head of the corner". "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom will be taken away from you and given to a nation to produce the fruit of it." 
Matthew 21: 42-46.  

The disciples of the early church were expecting Jesus to return soon after Pentecost and bring in God's kingdom. Jesus himself had indicated that he hoped to return with the holy angels and some of the people standing listening to him who would not see death before they saw the kingdom had come in power. Mark 8: 38, 9: 1. 

Peter addressing the crowd in Solomon's Portico said that the nations leaders and people now had the opportunity to acknowledge that the Christ had to suffer according to the prophesies and be raised from the dead, then God would blot out their sins and bring in the times of refreshing and send the appointed, Jesus. Acts 3: 17: 21. Luke 24: 44-48. 
A clear indication that Jesus hoped to return soon after Pentecost. He also knew that he would remain in heaven until all his enemies were under his feet. 
Psalm 110:1.  ! Corinthians 15:25. 

At Pentecost the message from Peter focused on the prophet Joel's prophecy in the latter days God would pour out his Spirit on all people, both men and women. In verses 19, 20 the latter days also implies a catastrophe taking place in the heavens and on the earth before the day of the Lord when the Christ returns and everyone who calls on his name will be saved. 
                                       

Acts 1: 4
The Holy Spirit gave the Apostles the ability to speak the various languages of the people they met on the streets of Jerusalem.

Today the Holy Spirit gives the same gift to every Christian, but the gift often isn’t used.  The natural mind may find it a strange to speak words that we can’t understand. St Paul gives us insight into the ministry of this gift of speaking in tongues.

In Paul’s letter to the Romans he wrote, “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with sights too deep for words. And he who searches the hearts of men knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” Romans 8: 26, 27.

When we are praying with or for someone who perhaps is sick or in trouble and we don’t know what to say, the Spirit will use the gift of speaking in tongues, giving us words which we may not understand, but we trust that it will be right according to God’s will.

Also in a meeting or a group the Holy Spirit will give a prophecy in tongues to someone. On this occasion the word needs to be interpreted, it may be interpreted by the same person who spoke in tongues or another person. He will give the gift of interpretation to benefit someone present. 1 Corinthians 14: 5, 13