photo credit: Google Plus – Gal 6:15-16 For neither is circumcision anything nor uncircumcision, but a new creation is what matters. And as many as walk by this rule, peace be upon them and mercy, even upon the Israel of God.
What is the issue of our experience of the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? Is it merely to become “more spiritual” people with many more spiritual experiences of God? Is it to make us “spiritual giants” or “faith titans”?
The issue of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was the people of Israel, God’s people on earth. The issue of experiencing the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob is the Israel of God, the church in the Triune God (see Gen. 35:10; 33:20; Gal. 6:16; 1 Thes. 1:1; Matt. 28:19).
God’s desire and His purpose is to have a people on earth who corporately express Him and represent Him; for this, He created man (Gen. 1:26), He called man, He redeemed man, and He is transforming man.
As believers in Christ, we are the real Israel of God, the household of the faith, those who believe in God, contact God, enjoy God, live by the life of God, express God, and represent God. We are the true sons of Abraham, those in the new creation who live not by their natural life but by the divine life, and we walk by the Spirit to fulfill God’s purpose (see Gal. 3:7, 29; 6:10, 15-16).
In a very real sense, Israel as a nation has failed God and His purpose, and the church also in a general way did not fulfill God’s purpose. The Lord today needs a recovery of those who see God’s purpose, receive God’s life, and do two things: firstly, they express God (by letting Christ live in them to be expressed through them), and secondly, they represent God (by living by the Spirit to represent God with His authority).
Hallelujah, we are both sons of God and the Israel of God! As sons of God we express Christ by doing all things by the mingled spirit so that we may let Christ live in us and be expressed in us. As the Israel of God we need to walk by the Spirit according to the principles and rules of God’s economy so that we may fulfill God’s purpose to represent Him with His authority on earth.
The Real Israel of God Today is the Church
Abraham’s life and experience together, Isaac’s life and experience, and Jacob’s life and experience all issued in one thing: the people of Israel, which was the people of God on earth. In the people of Israel God could be expressed and in them He had a kingdom, a dominion.
However, the people of Israel failed God, and God had to choose another people, a spiritual people, those who willingly open to Him, receive Him, believe in Him, and cooperate with Him for His purpose. Today the believers in Christ, the church, are the real Israel of God, the spiritual Israel of God (see Rom. 9:6; 2:28-29; Phil. 3:3), those who are “the circumcision” as they live by the spirit and don’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh.
The church as the spiritual Israel of God includes all the Gentile and Jewish believers in Christ, those who are the true sons of Abraham by faith (Gal. 3:7). The church as the Israel of God is the household of the faith (Gal. 6:10), and it is composed of those in the new creation (Gal. 6:15-16).
In the church circumcision doesn’t matter, and neither does uncircumcision; what matters is a new creation! The Apostle Paul writes in his epistle to the Romans how God has temporarily set aside the people of Israel according to flesh and has “grafted in” the Gentiles who believe into Christ.
The outward nation of Israel today has very little concern for God and His purpose, but we in the church life love God, desire Him, seek to be one with Him for His interest on earth, and yearn to bring in the kingdom of God. The real Israel of God today on earth is the church, the household of the faith, the new creation of God!
Thank You, Lord, for making us Your people, the real Israel of God. Thank You for bringing us into the church life to enjoy You and live by the divine life to express You! Lord, we care only for You. May Your will be done on the earth. We want You to be expressed and represented. Lord, save many and bring many into Your people to express You and represent You! We love being here, in the household of the faith, the new creation of God!
We are both Sons of God and the Israel of God
photo credit: Stefan4m on Twitter – we are sons of God and the Israel of God
We the believers in Christ have been made by God both the sons of God and the Israel of God, and our destiny is to express God and reign with God in the kingdom of God!
In God’s New Testament economy we have been made sons of God by the divine birth with the divine life, and we have been made the Israel of God as we walk by the Spirit to represent God and rule for God (see Gal. 3:26; 6:10, 16; Rev. 5:10; 21:7; 22:5b; 12:5a).
As sons of God, we are “God’s folks”, His household, members of His divine family, and we need to have a certain kind of living. To be the sons of God in reality we need to walk by the Spirit to express Christ in all His virtues. As we do things in our daily living, we need to turn to our spirit, contact the Lord, and let the Lord be expressed through us.
As sons of God, we need to express Christ in all His virtues, being loving, joyful, peaceful, and meek persons. We need to live the new creation by having our daily living and walk by the Spirit to express Christ (Gal. 5:16).
As the Israel of God, we need to have a walk according to the elementary rules of God’s New Testament economy, a walk that leads us to the goal of fulfilling God’s purpose. We need to walk orderly according to the elementary principles of God’s economy, having a regulated daily walk and living, so that we may not only express God but also represent Him with His dominion.
The Israel of God is composed of those who live by the Spirit in a regulated way, those who represent God, exercise His authority, and carry out His administration on the earth for the fulfillment of God’s purpose (see Gen. 1:26, 28; Luke 10:19; Rev. 12:5, 7-11).
As sons of God and the Israel of God the church fulfills God’s purpose in creating man: image and dominion. The sons of God live by the Spirit to express God, and the Israel of God walk by the Spirit in a regulated way to represent God.
In order to be the Israel of God reigning for God, we need to be constituted with the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. We need to be constituted with the element of the Father by taking God as our source. We need to be constituted with the element of the Son by constantly receiving all that God is and has accomplished. We need to be willing to be dealt with by God the Spirit to be transformed and matured.
God needs the sons of God and the Israel of God. He needs those who express Him in their daily living, and He needs those who, through much prayer and deep and thorough blending until they arrive at one mind, one soul, one feeling, one intention, one goal, and one mouth to be one with God in exercising His authority on earth!
God wants to obtain the Israel of God on earth to pray and function to rule, reign, represent God, and execute God’s authority.
Thank You, Lord, for regenerating us with Your divine life to make us sons of God. We want to live and walk by the Spirit in our daily life so that we may express You by letting You live in us. Lord, thank You for making us the Israel of God, Your heavenly and spiritual people. We want to walk according to the Spirit in a regulated way, according to Your New Testament economy, so that we may represent You and execute Your authority. Lord Jesus, gain the Israel of God in all the local churches today! Gain those who live by the Spirit and walk according to the elementary rules of God’s New Testament economy! Gain those who are one with You and one with one another to express You in Your image and represent You with Your dominion on the earth!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration: the Word of God, my Christian experience, bro. Ron Kangas’ speaking in the message for this week, and portions from, Life-study of Galatians (msgs. 30, 42-43), as quoted in, the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, Crystallization-Study of Genesis (2), week 1 / msg 1, Knowing and Experiencing the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob to Become the Israel of God (you can buy this morning revival book here).
- Hymns on this topic:
# Stanza 1: The first walk in verse sixteen means / “Treading around“, / “Walking at large“, / Habitually, gen’rally / A common walk—for our daily life.
Chorus: Living, acting, having our being according / To the spirit, / Peripateo and Stoicheo / There are two kinds of walk.
Stanza 2: The walk in verse twenty-five means / “Marching in rank“, / “Keeping in step“, / Deliberately, purposefully / An ordered walk—to fulfill God’s goal. (new song on the two kinds of walk)
# Stanza 1: And now I’m walking by the Spirit / Step by step, day by day, / O Lord, I love You. / You’re the precious One to me. / As I do this and that / Lord, remind me where You’re at; / You’re in my spirit, / Dispensing grace to me.
Stanza 2: And now I’m walking by the Spirit, / Marching on toward the goal. / O Lord, Your purpose / Means everything to me. / All self-love I lay aside / For the churches, for Your Bride, / For the fulfillment / Of Your economy. (new song on, Walking by the Spirit)
