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)
We Are The Temple Of The Holy Spirit
November 3, 2024
Hosting Pastor: Bishop Mike Berdin, Charismatic Revival Center Fellowship In the Old Testament, King Solomon, who was a type of Christ as the Prince of Peace, was chosen to build the temple. The temple portrayed God’s grace and glory. It was a picture of the coming kingdom of God. The various furnishings in the temple have their significance. Whether it is the pillars, table of shewbread, candlestick, altar of incense, or any other vessels, they reflect the presence and worship of God. Then, the Israelites would travel to the temple to meet and commune with God. No priest could enter the Holy of holies without first being cleansed. Today, we are the temple, the residence, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Thank God, we can now enter into the inner sanctuary, the throne of grace through the blood of Christ. We are living epistle of Christ, the salt of the earth, the light of the world and a city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. As the temple of the Holy Spirit: · We are being built together for a habitation of God · We are to be a pure maiden to Christ · We are stamped with His seal · We have this treasure in earthen vessels · We are to cultivate the fear of the Lord · We are to defeat the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life · We are not to quench or grieve Him · We are a living sacrifice Do we hunger for God’s Word? How much time do we spend in seeking Him in prayer? Or have our careers and even hobbies draw our time and hearts away from God? As temple of the Holy Spirit, we need His manifest Presence. We desire to be filled with the Spirit, walking and living in the Spirit, having the fruit and gifts of the Spirit.
Come Into The Ark [English and Bahasa Indonesian]
June 22, 2024
Bahasa Indonesian Interpretation by Henok Hariyanto Hosting Pastor: Henok Hariyanto, Macedonia Ministry 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.
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.