An angel is a messenger of God. But not all messengers are angels. The Vision Pt.1 concluded by looking closely at disciples of Christ, redeemed and regenerated believers, as being the messengers of God bringing forth visions to the Church. Most often the vision is the unveiling of a mystery, a hidden truth preserved in scriptures waiting to be revealed. These truths are preserved in the early writings of the Old Testament, being as shadows of their reality of the New Testament in Christ. If one sees my shadow they do not see me, they only see a vague, dark outline that precedes me. So too, though the historical elements of the Old Testament stands as facts, the mysteries of God’s plan and purpose for man are present in types and shadows awaiting their revelation.

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Prov. 29.18 “Where there is no vision (revelation) the people perish (cast off restraint); But happy is he who keeps the law.”

Where there is no revelation of God’s will, His people become unrestrained, ungovernable, or disorderly. Everyone decides in their own mind what is right or wrong, good or bad. (Jud. 21.25) Once, I was driving a small boat on a lake and the steering mechanism broke. The motor could still provide all the power necessary to move the boat, but I could no longer steer the boat in the direction it should go. I was at the mercy of the winds to determine where I would go. Now, if direction and destiny are critical aspects of boating, should they not also be the most critical quintessential focus of the salvation of our souls? Or should our lives be determined by the prevailing winds of worldly circumstance, best judgments and good intensions?

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The Church is not just an ambassador for the Kingdom of God, the Church is the Kingdom of God in the earth; where the Church is, there is the Kingdom; where the Church is not, there is not the kingdom of God but the dark domain of the devil. The Church consists of the children of God, in whom the power and influence of the enemy has been broken; and they are now the means by which Satan’s works will be unraveled, broken apart, one by one and held in restraint until the appearing of Christ; at which point the devil and all his dominions will be cast into the Lake of Fire. Rev. 20.10 “10The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.”

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Oftentimes a new believer is only focused on one thing, and that is their relationship with Jesus Christ. Their hearts have been apprehended and they are exuberant about wanting to talk about Him and to come to know Him in greater measure. But at the same time they find themselves with the Bible in one hand, and as a member of a church in the other hand and they really don’t know how to properly relate to either. Following are five useful tips for a young believer…as well as to the not-so-young believer.

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Covenants are most serious agreements to enter into. They represent binding agreements between God and man. The Bible emphasizes the importance of keeping covenants but also cautions against making such agreements lightly or not aligned with the will of God. It reminds us of the seriousness of broken promises and the consequences of violating covenants, both with God and man. The covenant between man and woman of marriage is also such a covenant to be taken with all soberness and commitment. Failure of Adam to keep his covenant with God had consequences that echoed down through ages unto this day.

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One cannot really understand Biblical covenants, and especially the distinction between to Old Testament covenant and the New Testament covenant, without first clearly understanding the difference between two fundamental truths that may serve as the foundation for all covenants; and those are the principle of ‘religion’ and the principle of ‘life.’ Quite simply, religion is a bondage to a system of Divine worship, while life is spontaneous and the freedom to experience Divine fellowship; religion is what you ‘do’, life is what you ‘are;’ Why is it so important to understand this distinction? It is because God and man covenants and their promises are given and fulfilled upon the basis religion or life; and that the world as a whole has a propensity for religion while knowing little of the principle of life.

Here, the Conclusion has become the Introduction:

In conclusion, if we therefore abide in Him, and He in us⎯ which is the essence of salvation for now and all eternity⎯ we are a “new man,” one that has never existed before but now is, and we are becoming His “disciples.” By abiding means we are being taught and refined daily. The perfection of our maturity as a new man, and the end of our discipleship is never reached on earth. There is a perfection by grace as we stand before God clothed with Christ, not to be mistaken with the perfection or completion of His transfiguring work in us transforming us and conforming us to His will. We never so much “are” as we are in the process of “becoming” Christ’s true followers and servants and sons of God.

This has been a heavy lesson. It is the meat of the word, not its milk. (1 Cor. 3.2, Heb. 5.12-14) It is intended to challenge to the highest calling of God in Christ Jesus. Milk is easily swallowed, meat must be chewed and entertained before ingesting, but is much more satisfying and enduring.

Of course the opposite of self-control is the lack of self-controlled, which includes behavior that is unrestrained and undisciplined. These words are often interchanged in the Bible, and especially with various translations. And so, I will take some liberty here in the Biblical use of these words to describe the vice of being unrestrained and undisciplined, therefore lacking of self-control.

Note that Gal. 5.23 after stating the fruit of “self-control,” the verse ends with “Against such there is no law.” The importance of this is extremely significant. Why is it so significant? Because it brings to the surface the distinction between the Law of the Old Testament written on scrolls to restrain the people, with the moral law of the Spirit written on the hearts of New Testament believers. For example comparing two scriptures:

Prov. 29.18 “Where there is no revelation, the people cast off restraint; But happy is he who keeps the law.”

This scripture clearly show the legalism of the Old Testament and how it “restrains” the people, serving as a covenant between God and Israel, revealing God’s character and standards, but also revealing man’s sinfulness. So it established a legalistic framework of how to worship,, practice certain rituals, proper social behavior, and moral standards. Without this revelation, it is written that “the people cast off restraints,” they become undisciplined, and their behavior breaks the covenant and is unacceptable to God. The disciplinary component of the covenant is then Divinely applied.

Now consider the “covenant” of the New Testament as revealed in Rm. 8.1-8,...