Jas 1-Apostles' Exhortation to the Perfect Work of Patience
Written by ApostleJoAnne
Posted on Tuesday, September 2, 2008 at 08:08 PM.
Dear brethren,
I wanted to encourage you with the following exhortation from Apostle James and my own confirmation as well, that your hearts would be nourished with the good words of faith and the love that follows the pattern of Jesus Christ for your growth and edification.
Jam 1:2-4 ¶ My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing [this], that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have [her] perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.
Amen. Letâs take a closer look this:
Wanting nothing: The Lord has provided liberally for our sustainment in this world, which speaks to how His Spirit provides a power to our soul that brings about a divine influence for the will to work with, to be continually separated from the world, needing none of its philosophies or validations. When the will works with this power of persuasion, which is called âgraceâ, we are rewarded by God with more of Him, more His power, more of His substance, more of His wisdom, more of His perspective, all which increases our soul with the fruits of godliness. When our soul is being daily revived, quickened, nourished, clothed, and increased with what comes from Jesus Christ, we will indeed be living the abundant spiritual life, and therefore, we will âlack nothing.â Our hope is not in the gain of this world, but in the gain of Christ, for the goal is to WIN CHRIST, not win the acclaim and riches of the world.
Be perfect and entire: Again, the Lord has provided for our perfection, for our "rest", for the soul to be âentireâ or âentirely completeâ in the nature and image of Jesus Christ. This speaks not of the perfection of the flesh, or the circumstances of our lives, but the perfection of our faith so that we can continue to labor lawfully by the pattern of the New Covenant for the perfecting (increasing) of the fruits of godliness in our soul. Again, for our goal is not to gain in the increase of perishable riches or aspirational dreams for our destiny in this life, but for the gain of our soul in the riches of the life of Christ, which do not perish or dimish, but increase in the brighteness of Godâs glory forever and ever.
The perfect work of patience: This speaks again of the divine influence of grace that is as a powerful virtue within the fruit of patience. Patience, as a fruit born inside your soul through your cooperative labor with God by the New Covneant priesthood tools, settles your soul in a contentment and hope with God, wherein you are not aspiring for God, but walking in meekness, humility and piety, bearing all things, enduring all things, hope all things and believing all things concerning Godâs promises coming to pass in your soul, and no matter how much suffering you experience, you are willing to continue on in your walk of faith, not feinting, but continually yielding with perseverance and loyalty to God and His purpose of circumcising and regenerating your soul. This is the perfect work of patience. It carries a powerful influence born of God that works with Godâs peace to keep you steadfast at the Altar.
The trying of your faith: It is impossible to increase in the fruit, virtue, image and nature of Christ without faith being tested. Therefore be encouraged that your trials are ordered and authorized by God. No matter how severe the testing, God knows what you are experiencing, and nothing will be beyond your ability to endure if you keep your response during the trial a response of faith. This means that no matter what you are faced with, your trust in God is continually demonstrated by your running to the Altar and offering your prayers, petitions, prophecies and labor at that location with His holy tools. This is the faith of the saints that pleases God. This is the faith that will increase once the trial is over because God will approve of your response, observing that your response was kept within the boundaries of the New Covneant, and you did not try to âchange your circumstancesâ but you yielded to His inspiration for your overcoming, which is yielding to grace. This is how we are being saved each day, by our faith responding to His grace.
Fall into diverse temptations: We are not âfallingâ as in being victimized through ignorance and oversight. God is actually allowing these scenarios to âformâ for us, and each scenario is perfectly orchestrated to test our faith. Sinners âfall intoâ temptation by working with their instincts with sin. The righteous âexperienceâ temptations, but do not âfall intoâ them as though they are happening to us as a surprise, or without our understanding the nature of the temptation. Because of training in the Foundation of Truth from living covenant apostles, the righteous can âtry the spiritsâ and not fall prey to their tempations to us to resource our imaginations as a response in the trial, nor trick us into resourcing our signature as a power for overcoming the trial. The children of Christâs Vine who are truly eating His bread and drinking His cup of grace are able to discern all things that present themselves, and can cognitively make a choice to resist the temptation to sin, rather choosing to work with the inspiration of grace for their response of faith, to âovercomeâ.
Count it all joy: This is why the apostle says this here. It is a joy to increase in God. It is a joy to build with God. It is a joy to know God and be a son of His kingdom and benefit by His spiritual blessings. So then, if the process of being tempting and overcoming by the power of grace results in the rewards of the soul being conformed to Christ, then of course, the joy of the Lord is our reward. Just as a woman knows that the suffering of child birth brings the joy of the child into her arms, we count the sufferings of our testings as a joy, for it brings no sorrow, but it brings the ACTUAL SUBSTANCE of the increase of our hope of Christ in us, the hope of glory.
My brethren, keep your perspective according to grace, according to truth which is according to the Apostles' Doctrine and no other pattern, no other gospel, no other teaching. Let nothing overtake you as a surprise, but be on the alert, soberminded and singleminded, knowing that God delights to reward you for your submission to grace and overcoming by grace, for therein He is the Shephered and Bishop of your soul and the Author and Finisher of your faith.
In these days ahead as we continue to see the Beginnings of Sorrows and the judgements of God impact our economies, continue to keep your eyes affixed upon the hope of Christ, for as you do, you WILL LACK NOTHING, being abundantly clothed in the eternal fruits of righteousness.
Amen... and amen. Let this word of truth nourish you and strengthen you to continuance in the Faith.
Apostle JoAnne Cremer
NOTE: If you are suffering and feeling overwhelmed, we stand ready at the Apostles Center to assist you in faith. Our free Foundation Series program is a powerful New Covenant education to equip you to OVERCOME EVERY TRIAL AND TESTING, and to know the daily rich reward of God's love through His grace.
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