Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV)

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Becoming Glorified

Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. {2} For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV)  

      The number three is an important number in the Bible, it is mentioned 485 times. We know that God is revealed as the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was resurrected after three days and there are many other times that the number three is mentioned. Three means completeness.

      The Lord has been showing me that there are three stages in a Christian’s life. These stages may overlap but they are all bringing us to one goal and that is to die to ourselves that the life of Christ may be manifested in us. (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Three Stages of Spiritual Maturity in Christ
Salvation, Ministry, and Martyrdom

(Revelation 12:10-11 NKJV)  Then I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, "Now salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren, who accused them before our God day and night, has been cast down. {11} "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.

 (Romans 8:30 NKJV)  Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

 (1 Corinthians 13:13 NIV)  And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 

SALVATION 

Our Christian life begins with our salvation and is the beginning of our “calling” by God. Jesus says in (John 6:44)  "No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Our salvation experience is also the beginning of our faith in God. (Hebrews 11:6 NKJV)  But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We are saved by personally accepting that the blood that Jesus shed on the cross was for our sins. (Romans 5:8-9 NKJV)  But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. {9} Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

MINISTRY 

      Every Christian is called into the ministry. Salvation is not the end but only the beginning of your calling into a new life in Christ. Too many people get saved and then become stagnant in their Christian walk because they are not walking in the works that God has planned for them to walk in. (Ephesians 2:10 NKJV) For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

      You first overcome by the blood of the Lamb, the second phase of overcoming is the word of your testimony. To overcome means to conquer. Your testimony is proof to the world of your salvation. (Romans 10:10 NKJV) For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

      Something very great happens in a person’s life when they begin to testify of the work of God in their life. Christians are to speak in the anointing of the Holy Spirit as witnesses of Jesus Christ. (Acts 1:8 NKJV) "But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." As we allow the Spirit of love and power, the Holy Spirit, to flow through us and touch others we become stronger. As God’s love touches people through us we experience His joy. The joy of the Lord is our strength.

      A Christian’s testimony begins with the story or their salvation but it does not end there. Your testimony is an ongoing revelation of God’s daily work in your life. A person’s testimony glorifies God because it reveals God’s love to other people. The Bible says that Christians are royal priest, and that we are to proclaim the praises of God who called us out of darkness into His light. (1 Peter 2:9-10 NKJV) But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;  

      A Christian’s testimony is not about them it is about God. (1 John 5:11) And this is the testimony: that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. God has called every believer with a “holy calling” not according to our works but according to His purpose. (2 Timothy 1:7-9 NKJV)  For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. {8} Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, {9} who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.

       Every Christian has received a ministry gift from God that is to be used to build up the body of Christ. (1 Peter 4:10-11 NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Sadly, many Christians have not even sought God to know what their gifts are. Everything about the Christian life is based on giving; we receive by giving. If a person is so consumed with themselves and what they can receive then they are in very bad spiritual condition. (Matthew 10:38-39 NKJV) "And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. {39} "He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it.

      If we do not follow Jesus into the battle that He is calling us into then we are left to fight by our own strength in the place we choose, which always causes failure. If we choose to make the frontline our own selves instead of going to the front line of advancing the kingdom of God then we will fall. Remember the story of David, a mighty warrior of God, sent his troops out to do battle while he stayed behind in Jerusalem and there he lost a great battle with sin in his own life; 2 Samuel chapter 11.

      Remember that Jesus commands us to follow after Him. He has already gone before you and prepared the way and He is there waiting for you. The same voice that called you into salvation is still calling you, but now into good works. Just as we are saved by God’s grace it is His grace that does the works through us. (Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV)  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: {9} Not of works, lest any man should boast. {10} For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God always leads into triumph no matter. (2 Corinthians 2:14 NKJV) Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.

      In the ministry stage we learn to walk in the power of hope. As we learn to be led by God’s Holy Spirit we will begin to have hope for things that may seem impossible. Such as hope that a person will be saved that to the rest of the world may seem hopeless. God may give you a vision of where you will be in the future or a great idea on how to reach more people for the kingdom. Hope and vision are the same when we are being led by the Holy Spirit to build up the body of Christ. (Romans 15:13-14 NIV)  May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. {14} I myself am convinced, my brothers, that you yourselves are full of goodness, complete in knowledge and competent to instruct one another.

      There seems to be a principal that when you begin to move into new areas of ministry that opposition comes. Remember that right after Jesus was baptized by John, and just before He began His ministry on earth Jesus was led up by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil (Matthew 4:1). All suffering is always for our benefit. It may be that God allows this to happen so that we toughen our resolve and to help us to focus more on Him instead of the worldly circumstances that come against us. It may be to cause us to have a greater dependence on Him for the victory so that we will know without any doubt that the success came from Him. It may be that when our weaknesses are revealed to ourselves that it can cause us to have more humility so that more of His grace and strength will intervene for us. 

      Whenever we hear a word from God in our heat calling us into a new area of ministry there are four possible reactions to it as Jesus taught in (Luke 8:11-15 NKJV). "Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. {12} "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear; then the devil comes and takes away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. {13} "But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. {14} "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares, riches, and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity. {15} "But the ones that fell on the good ground are those who, having heard the word with a noble and good heart, keep it and bear fruit with patience.

      So when we receive a word from God we can expect the devil to try and steal it, temptations to come, and the cares of this life to tempt us with distractions from fulfilling the word. (Psalms 7:9 NKJV)  Oh, let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end, But establish the just; For the righteous God tests the hearts and minds. But the just shall live by faith. If we do not draw back and accept defeat then we shall see God fulfill His word through us. The people that keep the word will bear fruit by patience. Patience in the Bible means cheerful endurance. (Hebrews 10:38-39 NKJV)  Now the just shall live by faith; But if anyone draws back, My soul has no pleasure in him." {39} But we are not of those who draw back to perdition, but of those who believe to the saving of the soul.

      As we enter into our calling to build up the body of Christ by responding to the word that God puts in our heart we can expect persecution. (2 Timothy 3:12 NKJV)  Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution. But as we see God deliver us each time, our faith grows with each trial. (Psalms 34:19 NKJV)  Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the LORD delivers him out of them all. As we overcome we grow stronger in the Lord learning to rely on His strength and His armor. (Ephesians 6:10-11 NKJV)  Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. {11} Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 (1 Peter 4:10-14 NKJV)  As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. {11} If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen. {12} Beloved, do not think it strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened to you; {13} but rejoice to the extent that you partake of Christ's sufferings, that when His glory is revealed, you may also be glad with exceeding joy. {14} If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you, for the Spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part He is blasphemed, but on your part He is glorified. 

MARTYRDOM

       Martyrdom is the last stage of maturity in Christ and it leads to us becoming glorified. This is when a person gives their whole life fully to Christ, dying to themselves that the life of Christ may live through them. (Galatians 2:20 NKJV)  "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

      A person becomes a martyr spiritually before they do physically; martyrdom is an attitude of the heart that loves God so much that they want to give God everything. (Romans 6:4-7 NKJV)  Therefore we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. {5} For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection, {6} knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves of sin. {7} For he who has died has been freed from sin.

      As I said before these stages of maturity in Christ may overlap and they will occur at different speed in each person. Some people go from salvation to giving their life fully at the moment of conversion and they begin their testimony and ministry instantly. Some people have gone through all three stages in a few seconds while looking down the barrel of a gun and being given the choice to renounce Christ or die; they have chosen Christ and were instantly martyred and entered into the glory of the Lord. For other people it may take a lifetime to come to the end of them selves.

      It is through dying to ourselves that the resurrection life of Christ can reign in us. Jesus taught that we must take up our cross daily and follow after Him. (Luke 9:22-24 NKJV)  saying, "The Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised the third day." {23} Then He said to them all, "If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. {24} "For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

      Jesus spoke of becoming glorified through His death and resurrection; we are to follow His example. (John 12:23-25 NKJV)  But Jesus answered them, saying, "The hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. {24} "Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. {25} "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.

      As Christian's it is our destiny to become glorified. The Bible says that we are predestined to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. By getting to know God through His Word, prayer, and even life circumstances all come together for our good taking us into a glorified life in Christ. (Romans 8:28-30 NKJV)  And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. {29} For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. {30} Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified.

      One night I stepped out on to my front porch and looked up into the night sky. It was a clear night and I had a good view of the moon. Although I could see the whole outline of the moon only a small crescent shaped portion of the moon was brightly shinning with the suns reflection. I felt the Lord speak to my heart and say that is how much of my glory you reflect. I have thought about that often since that time. Just as the world blocks the sun from fully reflecting its light from the moon, so to we also let the world sometimes keep us from reflecting all of God’s glory.

      Only when we keep a clear focus on God are we transformed into the image of God from glory to glory as we see Him more clearly, as we get to know His character better, His love. The glory of God is the manifestation and revelation of His love. (2 Corinthians 3:18 NKJV) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. We go from one manifestation and revelation of God’s love to the next manifestation and revelation of His love, glory to glory. This process transforms us into His image.

      The Bible says that we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19 NKJV). So as God’s love is manifested and revealed to us we come to love God more and more. As we come to know God’s love it becomes easier and easier to give up our lives to Him and for Him. So also our trust and hope in Him grows from the revelations of His love, faith and hope come from love that is why love is the greatest.

      To be filled with the fullness of God is to be glorified. (Ephesians 3:14-19 NKJV)  For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, {15} from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, {16} that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, {17} that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, {18} may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height; {19} to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. To know the love of Christ, which is beyond knowledge, means to experience God’s love, and not just have head knowledge of it.

      Jesus declares in His prayer for us that He has given us the glory that the Father has given Him that we may be one with God. (John 17:20-23 NKJV)  "I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; {21} "that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. {22} "And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: {23} "I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me. 

      Arise, shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the LORD is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the LORD will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. (Isaiah 60:1-2 NKJV) 

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