What is holiness?
How do we walk in the power of holiness?
Holiness is to have the rule and reign of the Holy Spirit within, allowing Christ to live in and through us. It is an inward spiritual experience of resting and dwelling in the grace of God. Genuine holiness stems from the heart, mind and tongue that is yielded to Christ.
It is far more than just conforming to some external and outward performance of good works. It is concerned with "being" instead of "doing".
While good fruits and practical works will manifest when a person is holy, it is only a reflection and result of a living relationship with Jesus. If we are trying" to be holy by practising "good works", it will not work, "UNLESS the LORD builds the house, They labor in vain who build it... " (Psalm 127).
We are holy because of the finished work of Christ on the cross and we are resting in His grace through faith.
It is not something we do, attain or work up for. Rather, it is something we believe in: that God accepts us as holy by virtue of the righteousness of Jesus and as we abide in and submit to Him by faith, "For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches" (Romans 11:16). This is righteousness through faith, not through human abilities. Walking in holiness is the fruit of hungering and thirsting for the Presence of Jesus in our lives. True holiness is about inner truth and purity, not legalism, law or bondage, "and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead" (Philippians 3:9-10).
It is one thing to preach about self-denial, dying to the flesh and the world, but the Good News is that we must also proclaim that the Gospel has the power to enable us to live a Spirit-filled life when the resurrection power of Jesus fills our hearts!
One of the marks of holiness is that it brings us to a greater devotion and intimacy with Christ. Devotion to Christ is measured by our desire to grow in His likeness. It is concerned with the heart, "For out of it springs the issues of life" (Proverbs 4:23).
Also, holiness is to have the fear of the Lord, which is to hate what God hates and love what He loves, "And by the fear of the LORD one departs from evil" (Proverbs 16:6).
Jesus is the root of holiness, we are the branches of His holiness. But then He wants us to produce fruits.
As we abide and yield to Christ, we are holy and then fruits will just "supernaturally naturally" be produced in our lives (and not that we must produce fruits to prove that we are holy).
The greatest joy of holiness, I believe, is to know that we are pleasing to God and are hearing His voice.
While genuine holiness will produce the joy and favour of the Lord, I want to say that not everyone will rejoice with us walking in His ways.
Following Jesus could also cause us to be despised and rejected by others who are probably jealous of God's anointing, blessings, favour and grace poured over our lives. They desire the joy and favour we are experiencing but because they have not known the truth of walking in holiness, they might sometimes persecute those who are godly. But my encouragement and exhortation is this, "And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love one toward another, and toward all men, even as we do toward you: To the end he may stablish your hearts unblameable in holiness before God, even our Father, at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints" (1 Thessalonians 3:12-13).
The Highway Of Holiness (Isaiah 35:8-10)
Come Into The Ark [English and Hiligaynon / Ilonggo]
March 3, 2024
Hiligaynon / Ilonggo Interpretation by Mark Winston Gabutero Hosting Pastor: Johann Bernajo, Promisecity Church Victorias City Jesus said that before He comes back to earth again, our world will be just like it was in the days of Noah. People are eating, drinking and partying. Many are consumed with pursuing money, power and sex. Now, there is nothing wrong with having the legitimate things in life, such as having food and sleep. But life is not just about fulfilling our physical needs. It is also to follow the Lord and seek His Kingdom. Today, we see all kinds of perversion and depravity. People are not only openly living sinful lifestyles, but want others to accept their behaviours. We are living in a day and age where evil is called good, and good is called evil. We have all kinds of blasphemers, mockers and scoffers of Jesus Christ. There is a spirit of violence that is persecuting those who believe God’s Word and walk in His way. The ark was a type of Christ. He calls us to come into the ark of His presence, protection, safety, shelter, refuge and rest. A storm is coming upon our world. It is a storm of judgment. Society will not get better and better, but rather worse and worse. We are a generation of vipers – sin has increased rampantly. Do we weep over lost souls? Do we warn people to flee from the wrath to come? We are close to the midnight hour, where the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ, is coming soon! Are we ready to meet Him? Now is the day of salvation. Some of us are religious. We may even attend church regularly, have a form of godliness but denying its power. We do many good works, but are not resting in the cross and the blood of Jesus for our salvation. Today, we must make our calling and election sure! The door of the ark is still opened right now. But it won't be long before the door will be closed.
Arrested, Charged And Convicted As Prisoners Of Jesus Christ
March 3, 2024
Hosting Pastor: Bishop Mike Berdin, Charismatic Revival Center Fellowship The Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, unveils the power of the New Covenant. He was given the mission to preach and proclaim the gospel to the world. Yet, until his conversion, Paul who was known as Saul at that time, was a hater of the church. He persecuted the followers of Christ, arrested and thrown them into prison. He stood by, approved and consented to the stoning of Stephen unto death. But on the road to Damascus, he had a dramatic encounter with Jesus Christ. He was blinded physically, but his eyes were opened spiritually. Suddenly, he saw a light from heaven. Often, it is persecution and not prosperity that results in lives being transformed. We like to have palace-like experiences in our Christian life. Yet, there are also pits and prisons in this journey of faith. It is opposition that has been a catalyst to spread the gospel. We want the hand of the Lord upon the church, to win the lost and make disciples. Yet, we must be prepared for trials and adversities in order to experience revivals and reap the harvest of souls. In the natural, none of us want to be a prisoner. Yet, we see that the very man who sought to destroy the Church and imprison its disciples, later became imprisoned himself. From a persecutor of the church, Paul became a great proclaimer and promoter of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Today, as was in the early church, the world still hates and persecutes Christians. It is not just the ungodly who are hostile to us. Often, there is also intimidation from parts of the religious world. Some religious leaders are outrightly false, others are backsliden and apostate. Paul, before his conversion, was zealous toward God, so he thought, until his encounter with Christ that dramatically changed his life. We can choose to be a prisoner of the world, a prisoner of false religion, or a prisoner of Jesus Christ. We may or may not be put in a literal prison, but we will face unjust accusation, ill-treatment and opposition at times. Paul’s life is to pursue, apprehend and attain Christlikeness. He wants to apprehend Christ and also, to be apprehended by Christ. In the natural, to apprehend means to catch, to capture, to arrest. It is to be handcuffed and chained to Jesus, to be a prisoner of His love. As a prisoner of the Lord, Paul bore scar marks on his body as the result of persecutions he has endured. He was in prison frequently, received lashes, beaten with rods and stoned. When the world looks at us Christians, what brand do we represent? No, I’m not talking about the name of our church, our denomination or our ministry. I’m talking about whether we are faithful and fruitful to the call of God, whether we are standing for truth and righteousness, whether we are the salt of the earth and the light of the world, whether we are anointed and preaching the cross of Jesus Christ who saves, heals, baptizes in the Holy Spirit and is coming again! Unlike brands of physical goods and services, we do not seek to be popular. Instead, we are often mocked, hated and persecuted by people of this world and even those from false religious institutions. The world wants to silence our voice, but we will not retreat. We are to be bold as a lion. Yet, we are also sheep in the midst of wolves. As we put our faith in Christ and Him crucified, His power will work exceeding abundantly in us. God can work mightily through us as individuals as well as corporately as the church. We have our unique gifts and callings and yet united and interdependent with other members in the body of Christ. Presently, we are living in the church age, or the age of grace. At the second coming of Christ, we will enter into the Kingdom age. We the redeemed, glorified saints of God, will live forever, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Until then, we are wanted! We are arrested, charged and convicted as prisoners of our Lord Jesus Christ! Let us proclaim the mystery of the cross, the revelation of the New Covenant, the gospel of grace!
The Holy Spirit Upon, Within And Through Us [English and Hiligaynon / Ilonggo]
March 2, 2024
Hiligaynon / Ilonggo Interpretation by Melbert Fajarito Hosting Pastor: Carlito Tablero, A Light Shine The Holy Spirit comes upon and baptizes us, operates within us to develop character and produce fruit, empowers and works through us as laborers in His harvest field.